A/N: Hello my wonderful readers! I know I've been gone for such a long time but alas I've come back with gifts. I can't believe it's been a year since I started this whole thing. To celebrate, enjoy the new chapter and some interwebs chocolate chip cookies.

I'm so grateful to all of those who are reading, following and reviewing this story. Enjoy!

CH. 12: Changes

"Willow say something." Buffy demanded. Her friend had a huge grin on her face.

"Buffy that's so good to hear." The redhead shrieked and immediately went in for a celebratory hug. "Oh my goddess I need details"

"Details about what?" Kennedy chimed in as she walked into the room. Buffy struggled to say something.

"Buffy and Faith are finally together." Willow blurted out.

The blonde's face turned a deep shade of red and a hint of panic flashed across her eyes.

"It's about time." Kennedy exclaimed and quickly added "Don't worry I think your secret is safe with us." The younger slayer quickly grabbed her bag and turned to kiss Willow's lips. "I'll see you later baby. Be sure to give Buffy CPR. We wouldn't want her to die, Faith would kill us." With that she exited the room secretly high fiving her self for knowing it all along.

Seconds later Buffy released the breath she had been holding.

"Buff it's okay" the witch reassured. "Kennedy just knew you two had a thing. She's the one that clued me in."

"How?"

Willow shrugged "I don't know I think she has a sixth sense for these kinds of things."

"Will, are we that obvious? We've only been with the smoochies for a couple of weeks!" Buffy said collapsing back on Willows bed hoping it would swallow her.

"No no no." Willow shook her head and reached out to bring Buffy back into a sitting position. "Like I said, Kennedy has a weird sense for these things. Plus does it matter? Why are you looking to keep this a secret?"

Buffy hadn't really thought about why she didn't want everyone else to know. She reasoned that maybe she was afraid that something would go wrong and she did have one person in particular who would be really affected by the news.

"Angel." Buffy simply put it.

Willow completely understood where Buffy was coming from but she also knew that what the slayer and the vampire had was history. Angel would have to accept that. "He will understand I'm sure of it. He might take it hard at first but he will come around. He's Angel."

Buffy's worried face relaxed for a second. "I hope so. We still haven't talked about any of this." Buffy cracked a smile "We are kinda in the . . . "

Willow cut in ". . . smoochies phase of the relationship?"

Faith was working on her arm exercises; she felt ridiculous doing them but she wanted to make sure her arm would recover properly so she worked on it a little extra.

The dark-haired slayer chuckled "You really have changed Faith." She said out loud then chuckled some more. She still talked to herself and that hadn't changed at all. A knock at the door brought her out of her musings. Angel stood outside her door.

"Hey soul boy what brings you to this neck of the woods?" Faith greeted.

"Someone is cheery." Angel noted.

"Well what can I say yo. Things are going pretty good." Faith momentarily studied the brooding man whose brow was in a scowl more than usual. "I take it you have bad news?"

Angel wanted to tell Faith he knew about what was going on between the two slayers but decided this was not the time to do so. He needed help with other issues first.

"May I com in?"

Faith nodded and stood aside to let him in. "What's up?"

The vampire took a few steps collecting his thoughts. "I have a problem." Angel looked up and then hesitantly continued. "The first has been haunting me." He took a few more steps around the room. "I first saw them when I was visiting you while you were asleep and now it keeps showing up in the different faces of my victims."

Faith didn't know how to handle the information. They were friends and had saved each other from the edge of darkness. They shared a bond through their demons, but she didn't know what to say. She was curious as to why Angel was coming to her with this problem. Giles seemed to be the man to talk to about this.

"Why are you telling me this? Shouldn't you tell Giles or Willow about this?"

Angel softly shook his head. "Faith it's more than just haunting. I'm craving blood . . . human blood."

Faith took a seat on her bed. The first had attempted to haunt most of the people in the building so that wasn't new. However if Angel was craving human blood to a point he had to talk to her about it, then it was much worse.

"Have you had human blood?" Faith questioned.

"No."

"But you want to?"

"Yes." Angel reaffirmed. He took a seat next to the woman. "Faith, I think Angelus is crawling out of the hellhole we placed him in. I can feel it and I'm slowly loosing my self."

All this information was overloading the former rogue slayer. She knew very well the implications of Angel loosing to his demon. She also understood what it felt like to slip away and loose it. She placed a hand on his forearm to try and comfort the vampire who was clearly distressed.

Giles had been over dozens of books looking for more information. He looked at his reflection and saw how worn out he was. Since Willow had confirmed that his Slayer and for all intense and purposes his daughter was the key, devastated the man. He couldn't stop thinking about the probability that they would not be able to stop the First's plan to bring forth a hell god and open another dimension with Buffy's blood.

Now fully knowing the vessel was within the same building as Buffy it was much more troubling. He was able to kill Ben but if it came down to it would he be able to kill again? Or be able to watch his slayer die for a third time? He looked back down at the book he was holding and began to read once again.

Minutes later Willow walked into the room.

"Anything new? Did the covenant get back to you?"

Giles shook his head "I'm afraid they can't help us with much."

"How come?" willow questioned "Were they able to locate the vessel?"

"We are surrounded with powerful beings all around Willow. It could be anyone of them. It could even be you. I'm afraid that all the new slayers have the same chance of being the vessel. The spell they did pinpointed this area out. Someone somewhere in this building is the vessel."

The redhead was shocked at the information but more so because she was hoping that wouldn't be the case.

"What do we do now?"

Giles looked down and took his glasses off. "I think it's time to tell Buffy the truth."

"Tell Buffy what truth?" Faith asked walking into the room.

Giles and Willow looked towards Faith and then to each other immediately trying to hide their worried looks.

"What truth?" Faith asked again this time stepping closer to the other two in the room.

"Faith, I see you recovered well. Shouldn't you be helping Buffy train the other girls?" Giles quickly said hoping to derail the questions Faith had.

"Yeah. We are supposed to do that in about half an hour." Faith looked down at the piles of books. "Look I understand if you want to keep me in the dark abut all of this, but we all know that hiding anything from Buffy is not good." Faith stated feeling a bit hurt that the watcher and the witch still distrusted her.

"Faith it's more complicated than that." Willow said catching on to Faiths sentiment.

Faith only shrugged and began to walk back out. "Is there something you needed Faith?" Giles quickly asked noting that Faith didn't just randomly drop by.

The slayer paused at the door and turned her head. "No. I just wanted to ask you a few questions but I can do that another time. I have to go get ready for training." The dark-haired woman exited the room questioning weather or not she should have talked to Giles about Angel's problem.

After the vampire had left her room, she had pondered what to do. Angel had made her promise that if he indeed began to change in to Angelus she would kill him. She was opposed to it but after looking at the desperation in his eyes Faith promised him that she would. However she didn't want it to get to that point so she had swallowed her insecurities about trusting other people and went to talk to Giles. However after overhearing their conversation and this secret they were keeping from Buffy, her desire to reach out to them dissolved.

Before she took a few steps away from the door Willow jumped out in front of her. "Faith please don't tell Buffy, We are going to talk to her soon." Willow met Faith's gaze for a moment and then Faith took off.

She made her way back into her room where surprisingly Buffy was waiting for her.

"Hey someone looks upset?" Buffy stated quickly extending her arm to grab Faith's hand.

Faith tried to place a smile on her face. "Yeah. It's been a weird morning."

"But we had such a great night." Buffy smiled and leaned in to kiss the other slayer. "Does that make it any better?" The blonde asked pulling away.

"Kinda." Faith walked towards her bed and took a seat. "How are things going with the big bad?"

Buffy shrugged "They are going. Giles said he was working to find the vessel and the key and once we find either of them I think we can get ahead of the First. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just worried about all of this. I want to help but I hardly know much." Faith spoke honestly. She really did want to help but it seemed even Buffy at times kept her at a distance from the core of the problem.

Buffy sat next to Faith and took her hand. "What do you want to know? I know you haven't been in the loop and I want you in the loop. So ask away."

Buffy spent most of the time they had before training to give her all the information the younger slayer wanted to know.

"So you've battled this thing before and you died?"

Buffy nodded trying to read Faith's reaction.

"And Dawn was the key for it but she isn't this time."

Buffy nodded again. "Yes. But this time is different because the first needs to conjure up a hell god into the vessel and then have them use the key to open the portal."

Faith was processing all the information wanting to make sure she had all of it correct. "Okay so right now we don't know who the vessel is and what the key is? And the key can be anything right?"

"Yep. According to Giles the chances of the key being another human are slim."

"Okay so we find this key thing and destroy it and poof threat eliminated."

Buffy got up and extended her hand to Faith. "That's the plan. Now lets get going to the gym we are going to be late."

The two women walked into their class and stared down a couple dozen new slayers all chatting in their groups. As they noticed the two veteran slayers walk in, the room went silent.

"Wow B, we are really good at this." Faith whispered noting the way all the slayers quickly shifted into business mode.

"All right today we will be working on your defense. Half of you will work with me and half with Faith." Buffy pointed to a group and then another.

"They are all yours F."

Faith smirked Buffy was finally going to let her take charge of a group and she couldn't wait. "Thanks B."

Angel was sitting at his desk pretending to read. He couldn't stop thinking and craving blood. He wasn't sure why he had gone to talk to Faith earlier but he wanted to make sure somebody would stop him if he went off the rails again. He was also positive that whatever happened on that rooftop had something to do with his current problem. He had his secretary find a magical healer who knew just about everything. He wanted to ask about and maybe fix whatever was wrong with him.

He also knew that part of the reason he was so restless was because he had unfortunately witnessed what happened between Buffy and Faith after patrol a few nights ago. He didn't intend to spy on them but merely be there to help since Faith had just recovered. After the two slayers entered the club he knew he should have turned around and gone back to his building, but he went inside anyways. He saw the closeness the two women shared. Thinking about it agitated him more. He stood from his desk and began to pace his room.

"Drink her." A little girl on his desk ordered.

Angel halted his pacing and turned to the apparition. It took him a while but he remembered who she was. The little girl was wearing a pretty white dress stained with blood. "Slayers taste so much better than humans Angelus." Another voice said next to the little girl. "I should know. I was once the only slayer." Buffy's figure tilted her head and exposed her neck with puncture wounds clearly marked.

Angel tried to block out the voices but they got louder. He quickly left his office hoping to outrun them.

He walked into Giles and Willow's research room and found them along with Buffy, Xander, Kennedy, and a few other slayers.

"Angel I didn't know you were coming today." Giles greeted the vampire.

"Sorry, I just felt like I needed to get out of my office. What's the update?"

"Well not much." Willow said and looked nervously towards Giles who nodded to give her the go. "But the covenant did help us narrow down the search for the vessel."

Buffy and Angel both looked at each other expecting to hear whom they potentially have to kill.

"Doughnuts are here!" Faith busted through the doors holding two boxes. She placed one down on Buffy's lap and the other one on the table.

"You I like you." Xander said happily launching himself towards the box on the table.

"Thanks for the doughnuts." Buffy said making eye contact with Faith feeling happy that she was finally starting to be part of the group.

"So you were saying something about the vessel?" Faith asked taking a bite of a strawberry filled doughnut.

"Yes. The spell did its job but I'm afraid it's just more bad news." Willow continued and again looked at Giles.

"Will just tell us who the vessel is." Buffy demanded.

"Buff that's the problem we can't tell you. The spell only narrowed where the vessel is and he or she is somewhere in this building." Willow ended her statement leaving it open for Giles to continue.

"I believe that the vessel is one of the new slayers. I've read through several books and ancient texts and all support the theory that a slayer's magic combine with all the power she possesses allows them to contain such beings as hell gods"

"What about the key?" Faith asked.

"Um yes well that is a bit more complicated." Giles brought out his handkerchief and cleaned his glasses. "Can we please have a moment alone?" He looked at the few other slayers who were in the room and also looked at Faith.

"No." Buffy lightly put her hand on Faith's forearm to stop her from leaving. " Giles whatever you are going to say Faith can hear it. She is part of this group. She needs to know everything I know." Buffy crossed her arms. She was hoping that this would help with Faith's apprehension towards the group and vise versa.

"Very well then." Giles Put his glasses back on and looked towards Angel first and then met Buffy's green eyes. Once he made sure the newer slayers where out of the room he spoke. "We have found the key."

"So what's complicated about that G-man?" the dark-haired slayer asked. She knew that whatever they were about to say was what she had walked in on earlier and she was preparing her self for some horrible news.

"Buff its in human form again." Willow disclosed watching panic pour into Buffy's body.

"Is it Dawn?" Buffy's eyes filled with tears threatening to fall if Willow took longer to answer her question.

"It's not Dawn." Willow reassured watching her friend become a bit less worried but letting a tear fall down her face anyways.

"Okay. . ." Buffy breathed out ". . . who is it?" she looked at her Watcher.

"Buffy . . . it appears that you have become the key." Giles looked at his slayer and watched her shed one more tear.

For Faith, time stood still. She didn't dare breath at all. She stared down at the table with a half eaten box of doughnuts. Buffy is the key. How the hell was she supposed to stop this now? The plan was to destroy the key surely that was no longer the plan. However Faith knew her blonde counterpart better. She knew she would sooner sacrifice herself a thousand times over than put her loved ones and the world in danger. Suddenly another alarming problem entered her mind. The vessel was somewhere in the same building.

"Buffy, we will find another way to stop the First." Angel spoke placing his hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"Yes. We have been working very hard to stop this as soon as possible." Giles chimed in.

Buffy didn't hear any of it. She was glad and relieved that Dawn was not the key again. She knew what she must do to stop all of this. She had done so once before she could surely do it again. But could she really do it now that she had started to feel happy. Could she leave everything behind again?

"I need to go for a walk." The blonde stood up and walked out. Faith followed after her and then Angel followed closely behind.

"I want to go alone Faith." Buffy said as she quickly made her way through the stairs access door. Faith halted her approach and turned around almost bumping into Angel.

"Let her go Faith. She just needs to process it all." Angel reassured. He walked back to the room side by side with Faith.

"I'm not sure that was for the best." Giles said as he looked at Xander who was somberly sitting in his chair. Willow was looking over a book when Faith spoke up. "All right what can I do?" Xander, Giles, and Willow all looked up a bit surprised.

"Um. . . how's your Latin?" Willow asked.

Faith looked confused "Not there. Give me something to do. I want to help."

"Yeah me too. Hit me with the book Will." Xander said rummaging through the books on the table.

Faith picked up a book and attempted to read it but just sat it back down. "Are there any in plain old English?"

Before Giles could respond Angle spoke up. "I have something you can help me with. Come on."

Faith followed the vampire out of the room and they made their way to Angel's office.

Once Angel closed the door, Faith punched Angel square in the jaw catching the vampire off guard.

"You fucking knew about this! You didn't think Buffy needed to know?" Faith reproached.

Angel held his jaw with his hand and whipped blood from his lip. "Faith, believe me I just wanted to protect her."

"Yeah like that helped. Now she is out there by herself." Faith stated pissed off that Buffy had pushed her away.

"She's a slayer she can protect her self. Faith you have to calm down."

Faith started to pace around trying to do so. She knew that it was wrong for them to have kept that information from Buffy but she understood why they did it. She too feared what Buffy's actions would be. She shook her head trying to block out horrible images of the blonde's dead body.

"I'm not worried about a demon attacking her. I'm afraid of what she will do." Faith responded and took a seat.

Angel studied Faith's rigid composure. He approached the young woman and engulfed her in a hug. For a brief second Faith fought against Angel but gave up. She allowed the vampire to hold her.

It was a silent communication between two beings. They both care very deeply for a certain blonde and more importantly they were both in love with her. They agreed without words to do everything they could to save her.

Moments later the vampire released Faith and got back to business. He knew that if he were to help, he would need to tackle his problems first. He would be useless or another threat if the First succeeded in whatever it was planning with him.

"Faith I really do need your help with something." He waited for Faith's acknowledgement and continued. "I've tracked down a healer who might be able to help me with my problem."

"Okay so what do you want me for?" Faith asked.

"I don't trust him. I want you to come with me in case anything goes wrong."

After talking with Angel, Faith had waited for Buffy to return. When the blonde slayer finally returned, she immediately shut down. Faith had tried to talk or comfort Buffy but was pushed away every time.

Now she was picking her self off the ground trying to look around the small room.

She had agreed to go with Angel to make sure they didn't run into any trouble. The vampire had been laying down in some kind of trance. The healer explained to them what he was going to attempt. Angel would be put in a trance where the healer could trace Angel's energy. By doing so they could try to find the reason why his crave for human blood was so strong and if his demon was indeed clawing out. They had been doing this for almost an hour and all Faith could make out from this were bits and pieces of Angel's incoherent speech. Then she heard some commotion outside and then all hell broke loose. When she went to look outside the small room she saw a gang of vamps and bringers heading towards her. When she turned around she saw Angel and then darkness engulfed her.

"Angel!" Faith yelled trying to regain some sort of composure. She scanned the room for anybody else but she couldn't see much since there was dust everywhere.

She walked up to where Angel had been but nothing was there. She picked up a piece of metal an opened the door to the outside slowly. Her slayer senses were on high alert but no fight came. All she saw was the dead body of the healer and a mess of jars on the floor. She began to panic. She ran a few blocks around in the hope of finding Angel but there were no signs of him. What the hell happened? What the hell knocked her out? And where in the hell was Angel? Faith began to run in the direction of HQ.

When she finally made it there she ran into Giles.

"Faith are you all right?" The British man questioned her.

"Yeah yeah I'm fine. Listen have you seen Angel?" Faith disregarded her injured state worried that Angel had been kidnapped or turned into Angelus.

"Yes. I believe I saw him walk by a few minutes ago. Are you sure you are all right? You're bleeding."

"I'll be okay. I just ran into a bit of trouble." Faith then made her way to Angel's office. When she walked in through the doors she was greeted by a tight hug.

"Faith. You're alive!" Angel said letting go of the woman.

"Apparently so are you. What happened?" Faith question wanting to know how they had been split up.

"Some bringers and vamps stormed the room we were in. You got knocked out and I was dragged out of there and when I finally got away I went to check for you but you weren't there so I returned here hoping to find you." Angel went to get something from a shelf in his office. "Is your head okay?"

"It's nothing big. Are you okay?" Faith asked Angel as he approached her with a first aid kit.

The vampire nodded and began to gently wipe the blood from the slayer's forehead. Faith studied the vampire noting how he swallowed hard.

"You still craving blood big A?" It was more of a statement than a question.

Angel took a step back and nodded.

"Listen I think I'll just take care of this my self then." Faith took the gauze. "What did they do to you Angel?"

The vampire looked into Faith's eyes and he blacked out.

Angel began to change into someone or something else. Faith stumbled back as her mentor morphed from the Angel she knew into a shorter looking man with blonde hair and a scrawny figure. The man's green eyes made contact with Faith's eyes and cheerily spoke.

"That was a trip! You must be the slayer."

A/N: Okay so things are really rolling now. Again I thank you all who are reading this. Please review and let me know what you think or just say hi. I just love hearing from you guys.