Loss of Faith

Chapter 16: Battling Beauties

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the recognizable characters contained within.

That would be Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc….

Xander's POV –

We hung out at Faith's for a couple hours just goofing around and killing time until the sun started to go down. You know, Buffy being a vampire really didn't wig me out the way I would have thought. While we were sitting around just talking, it was easy for me to forget what she was, what she had went through. There were even times it seemed like she forgot too. And Faith? I don't think I've ever seen her so relaxed. She was smiling more in the last couple of hours than I think I saw her since she first came to Sunnydale. I'm talking real smiles here, the ones that reach all the way into her eyes, making them glow with happiness. And that, my friends, is really making me happy. Finally she has just what she needs to keep her sane.

We decided to take my car to the first cemetery we would start patrolling. Faith wanted to take her bike, but there was no room for all of us on it and I think her driving made Buff nervous. Yeah, funny huh? Buffy nervous about the way someone else is driving. The girls had loaded up with weapons before we left. There's a pretty impressive armory at the mansion. It was left over from when Angel owned it and Buffy had restocked it after she bought the place.

Faith was decked out in black leather pants, a blood red tee shirt that said 'Bite Me' on it, her combat boots and topped it off with her black leather jacket. Buff was just the opposite wearing red leather pants, a black tank top, black cowgirl boots and a red leather jacket. Let me tell you, seeing the two of them wrapped up in all that leather, stashing knives and stakes all over themselves, was every slayer lover's dream.

We got out of the car and headed into Lawncroft Cemetary. It's one of the older cemeteries in town and there's usually a lot of action here, but you never know it might turn out to be a slow night. Walking through the grave markers we talked quietly about what the Council's plans might be for Faith while looking for any wayward demons that might be around.

Buffy was saying, "It just doesn't make sense to me. Why would the Council all of a sudden be interested in taking Faith? I mean, after I died they re-instated Giles as her Watcher and when the new kid was called, they didn't even bother looking for Faith. Why do they want her back now?"

"Maybe they want to keep me as a spare." Faith said. "Ya know, put me on ice till needed."

"Not to be a party pooper or anything," I say, "but maybe they want to use Faith to call more slayers. Like, kill her and bring her back over and over till they have an army."

That comment stops them both in their tracks. They're looking at me like I'm crazy and Buffy shakes her head saying, "That's not possible. It doesn't work like that. Kendra was called when I died. The first time. Faith was called when Kendra died. No one was called when I died the second time, but Shannon was called when Faith died. They would need to kill Shannon and bring her back to call a new slayer. Then kill the new one to call the next and so on and so forth, world without end."

We started walking again as I say, "Just a thought. And can I just say that I hope the Council never figures out that's what they need to do to raise a slayer army."

"Yea, I hear that," Faith throws in. "It still doesn't explain what the hell they're up to though. It would help if we knew what's in the package their sending her. Any chance you could find out from Red, Xand? You said they were getting pretty close, right?"

"I'll give it a try tomorrow when I see her, but she's been firmly in the Shannon camp for awhile now," I tell them. "Just so you know, I really don't like trying to use my best friend to get information on her girlfriend. I'm only going to ask once and if she doesn't know that's it, I'm done. I won't pressure her. Alright?"

"Yea, that's cool, Xand," Faith says. "I don't wantcha doin anything you're not okay with. We'll figure something else out if we hafta."

"Looks like we'll have to talk about this later," Buff tells us. She's looking ahead at the side of a mausoleum where a group of Furtak demons are diggin up an older grave. Buffy looks over to Faith and smiles as she asks, "Party time?"

Faith is grinning back and says, "Looks like. Last one done cleans the weapons." Then she takes off. Buffy just shakes her head and is suddenly running right along side of her. Holy Crap, I can't believe she can move that fast.

They both reach the demons at the same time. Faith pulls a knife from her belt and attacks the two on her left. Buffy jumps the two on her right. I hop up on a tombstone to watch and wish I had some popcorn to munch on. This is going to be the best thing I've seen in a while. There's nothing that can compare to watching Faith and Buffy when they do their synchronized slaying routine.

The two of them are moving perfectly in tune with each other. It's like watching a choreographed dance or something. Simultaneous front kicks send the demons doing the digging flying onto their backs as the slayers spin into exactly timed roundhouse kicks to the demons standing at the sides of the grave. Then the devastation starts.

Faith whips her blade up the front of the demon she's facing off with then across its throat nearly taking its head off. One down. Turning, she leaps onto the demon she kicked to the ground and they start rolling around, each trying to gain the upper hand.

Meanwhile Buffy is trading blows with her demon as the one she kicked slowly gets back up and charges her from behind. She ducks a swing from the demon in front of her and sends a back kick into the stomach of the one behind her. Coming out of the back kick, she blocks two more swings from the demon in front of her, and reaches out for its neck. A second later and its crumbling to the ground dead, while Buffy is throwing its throat off to the side. She then turns around to face her last demon.

Faith had gotten free of the demon she was wrestling with and flips to her feet. The demon is circling, trying to find an opening to take her down. "You gonna dance, or ya wanna finish this fight?" She taunts it. The demon just growls and rushes in again. Faith spins her back to it and drives her elbow deep into its chest. The sound of breaking bone is loud in the still of the night. Reaching over her head, she grabs it by the shoulder and flips it onto the ground. As she moves in for the kill it lashes out with its foot, catching her in the face and sending her headfirst into a grave marker. Faith slumps to the ground and the demon gets up and takes off.

Buffy saw Faith hit the gravestone and not get up. She pulls her own knife out and drives it into the chest of the demon she's fighting so hard I see the point come out its back. The demon drops to the ground like a rock and Buff is running over to Faith. I'm moving at the same time and get there just after her. Faith is starting to come around and says, "Why is it always my head?"

Buffy looks at me and says, "Take care of her, I'll be right back." Then she's off in a flash after the demon that ran away. I have a feeling that demon is going to wish he stayed home tonight.

I help Faith sit up and tell her, "Good thing you have a hard head. Otherwise we would be wiping your brains up from the ground."

She's holding her hand to her head and says, "Not funny Xand. Where's B?"

"She went after the last demon," I tell her.

She starts pushing up to her feet and says, "Come on. I don't want her out there alone." Then we head out in the direction Buff was running.

After following Buffy's trail for a little while, we start to hear the sounds of a fight. Moving faster we come up to a clearing to see one dead demon and two fighting slayers. Looks like Shannon can't follow orders as well as I thought she would.

Shannon looks like she is royally pissed off, Buffy however, looks like she's having a good time. Shannon lunges in with a punch and Buff sidesteps it while back handing Shannon with an open hand. Yeah, that's right. Buffy just bitch slapped the newbie. I can hear Faith chuckle along side of me and feel her start to move into the clearing.

I grab her by the arm and pull her back a little saying, "I don't think it would endear you to Shannon if you came busting in to help Buff, Faith. It might be better if, for now, she didn't realize you knew who Buffy was. As far as Shannon knows, she just found the rogue vamp and is getting her ass handed to her. Besides, it looks like Buff is having too much fun for you to go and spoil it."

Faith gives a little smile and says," Yea, let her have her fun. She's gonna be pissed at having to clean the weapons though. I'm done fightin and she's still at it." She laughs and goes back to watching Buff slap around the newbie.

As we watch, Shannon recovers from the backhand and tries to attack Buffy again. She fakes a left hook and follows up with an uppercut. Buffy just moves her head to the side enough for it to miss and punches Shannon square in her chest while it's exposed. Shannon lands flat on her back gasping for air while clutching her chest and Buffy stands there checking out her nails. I had just seen Buffy rip the throat out of a demon so I know she's trying really hard to hold back her full strength and not to hurt Shannon. This is more of a lessoned learned kind of thing, a little payback from Buff because she's still pissed about Shannon pushing Faith through a window last night. It's really kind of sweet when you think about it.

"Look," Buff says to Shannon, "I don't know what your problem is little girl, but I haven't done anything to you, so you should really just leave me alone."

"You are the walking dead," Shannon gasps out as she gets back to her feet. "By all the laws of the Council of Watchers your existence must be ended. Unnatural thing!"

Buffy looks hurt for the first time tonight. Not physically harmed, but there is a sadness that comes into her eyes that tells me she just might believe what Shannon has said.

I could feel the change come over Faith before I looked over at her. That last comment went straight to her heart and she's got murder in her eyes. I tighten my hold on her arm feeling the tension that is there waiting to be unleashed and beg her, "Please Faith, not now. Buffy has got this covered and we need you to keep your head."

She looks at me and I flinch back from the anger that's there, but she doesn't do anything else. She just stands there fuming and goes back to staring silently at Shannon. If Shannon could see the look in Faith's eyes, she would be afraid. Very afraid.

Buffy lowers her head and says, "What I am, who I am, has nothing to do with you. I could have killed you ten times over already, but haven't. You need to leave me alone, Shannon.

"How do you know my name?" Shannon asks. And now there's the slightest trace of fear in her voice.

"Never mind how I know. Leave me alone and I'll leave you alone. I think it's a deal you can live with." Buffy says and turns to leave.

Shannon just can't leave well enough alone though and rushes Buffy from behind. Buff steps to the side at the last minute and elbows Shannon in the face without even turning around. Shannon drops like a ton of bricks and lays unconscious on the ground. Buffy keeps walking away towards us with her head down.

When she reaches us Faith wraps her in her arms and kisses the side of her head. The two of them walk off headed back to the car. I run over to Shannon and shake her a little to start waking her up. I don't want to be here with her after what she just said to Buff, but I can't just leave her here as demon bait either.

I tap lightly on the side of her face and she starts to come around. Before she can open her eyes, I move off back into the tree line and watch to make sure she gets to her feet alright. Once she's up and moving, I turn and go back to the car where Faith and Buffy are already in the back seat. Getting in the front, I start the car to take us back to Faith's place. There's been enough excitement for one night already.

Looking in the rearview mirror I can just make out Buffy's face nestled in Faith's shoulder and can barely hear her crying. One thing I can see clearly though is Faith's eyes. There is so much anger there that I can feel the hair on my neck start to stand on end, but under the anger there is a pain that I recognize immediately. It's the pain of having someone you love hurt and not being able to stop it.

I think Shannon has used up all the slack that Faith was willing to cut her. Now if she's not very, very careful, the Council will have a new slayer sooner than they expected.