Author's Notes: Feedback is always welcomed, I would love to know if you like/love/hate the fic....and I shall warn you all now that this fic evolves and takes a life of its own...I've already got a whole bunch of chapters written and waiting to be beta'd....


If a simple look could be translated into words, every longing look Buffy sent toward Faith would have been a book full of 'fuck me'. They were on their way to the station with Kennedy to meet up with Sam. She walked behind them, giving them their space, but the two elder Slayers walked in complete silence, an almost visible air of tension surrounding them. Faith was doing her best to ignore Buffy's looks, only thinking of one thing—the meeting with Sam while she had Buffy and Kennedy with her.

They weren't even inside the building for more than ten seconds before Sam stepped out of the elevator. Faith suddenly knew that he somehow was expecting her additional companions, and it was only then—when she saw the way his lips curled into a smile—that she remembered that night at the bar and the conversation she'd heard between Sam and Henry. That memory added fuel to her own natural distrust, and now she was even less sure who she could trust between the two of them.

Giles had spoken with the three of them before they'd left the house. As far as they knew, he was protecting his niece and her friends for reasons of his own and quite possibly because of Julie herself. Kennedy had questioned why they even needed to bother going through all of this just to find a way to take Julie out before she could manage to open the Hellmouth. Faith had left the short meeting at that point and she hadn't said a word to either of them since.

"Ladies, if you will," Sam said, smiling at the three of them as he motioned to the elevator he'd just come out of, "we'll talk in my office."

They stepped inside the elevator and Faith took a deep breath as the doors closed. She couldn't even just stand next to Buffy without feeling the urge to touch her. She was still casting those looks at her that made her whole body buzz, starting from her toes until it just filled her. She hadn't been able to stop thinking back to what happened between them earlier. Despite knowing this was definitely the wrong time to be thinking of it, she let herself fall into the intoxicating spell she felt like she was put under.

Sam pressed the emergency stop button and the elevator jolted to a stop. He smirked at the three of them as he stood there casually. "Welcome to my office."

"You don't actually work here, do you?" Faith asked as she stayed where she'd been standing, leaning against the far wall.

"Not here in particular. I work with Perry, Marshall, and the rest of the men that provide efficient back up when needed. I'm more of the middle man, the man who leads the crew, sniffs out the hotspots, and pays these brave young men and women for their duty each and every night," he said as he stared at Faith, barely casting a look at Buffy or Kennedy. "I heard you three were coming and I knew I had to somehow get you involved in this. And yes, Buffy," he said as he turned to look at her, "I already know your concerns about my operation being like this Initiative of yours, but I can assure you this is not anything like it."

"How do you know about that?" Buffy asked, trying to keep calm. Faith could feel the tension in Buffy. She could almost taste it.

"Let's just say I had a few contacts in Sunnydale a couple years back. You know how word gets through the underground and just how fast it does. Nothing is quite a secret anymore," Sam said as he shook his head in mock disbelief. "I find it unfortunate that Julie has found out about this arrangement so soon."

"Not my fault the bitch showed up—"

"Faith, please," Sam said harshly as he stopped her from continuing. "I've heard it all once already. She showed up at the apartment, had a few words with you, probably about useless bullshit since that's all that seems to come out of her mouth these days. Now, if we shall get started. I'd like to run through things with Buffy and Kennedy before you three head out."

Faith just nodded and rolled her eyes as Sam released the emergency button and the elevator continued its short descent down. By the time they made it to the room, Sam had gotten into explaining how things worked to Buffy and Kennedy. Faith wasn't paying a speck of attention to what he was saying. She couldn't quite tear her eyes away from Buffy nor could she stop the thoughts that continued running through her mind.

Perry and Marshall were already gearing up for the night and Faith joined them in gathering up the weapons they'd need. She kept looking over at Buffy as she and Kennedy stood by the table and listened to Sam as he spoke quietly to them.

"What're they doing here?" Perry asked as he picked up one of the smaller crossbows and placed it in the black duffel bag. "Thought those two weren't going to work with us?"

"Plans changed," Faith shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"No," Perry replied as he shook his head and picked up another crossbow. "More of us means more ground can be covered in a couple hours. The other guys that are on call aren't going to like this though."

"Then make sure they don't find out," Marshall chuckled as he winked at Faith. "Who's the blonde?"

"Buffy."

"Is she seeing anyone?"

"Seriously," Perry laughed as he smacked Marshall across the back of his head. "You are married, man. You just can't keep it in your pants, can you?"

"Nope, and you didn't answer my question, Lehane."

"Yeah, she's seein' someone. Me."

"Damn," Marshall smirked as he looked her up and down then cast a quick glance over at Buffy. "How did that happen?"

"Shut up," Perry said, smacking him across the back of the head again. "Just keep packing so we can get out of here and get started. I want to be home by midnight tonight. Got the wife after me about spending more time with her. You know how it is. Women. Always worried you're having an affair when you're only out doing your job."

Faith chuckled as she picked up one of the larger crossbows and ran her fingers over the handle. Perry and Marshall moved down the row to gather more weapons, bickering back and forth. Buffy and Kennedy walked over towards her, both of them looking around at the cache of weapons in surprise and awe. Buffy's look soon turned weary, though, as she turned to Faith and she knew that Buffy was having doubts about this whole situation. She was having them too, but she was going along with it. The money itself, especially after the night before, was tempting.

"Do they always act like that?" Kennedy asked as she motioned to Perry and Marshall still going at it. "And do we have to go with them on patrol? I don't think I could stand five minutes with those two."

"They aren't that bad," Faith laughed as she watched Buffy scan over the few crossbows left and pick one up that was similar to the one she held. "Come on, pick your poison and let's motor."

They were geared up and ready to go within minutes and they followed Perry and Marshall out to the garage where all piled into the black Escalade. Sam wanted the three of them to go off on their own while Perry and Marshall did their usual route, so Perry pulled the vehicle to a stop just a block away from the neighbourhood the Hellmouth resided in and handed Faith a cell phone.

"I'll call you in three hours for an update on activity," he said as the three of them climbed out of the back of the Escalade. "This isn't a personal phone, so no personal phone calls are to be made with it, understood, Lehane?"

"Yep," Faith said as she took the phone and placed it in the inside pocket of her jacket.

"Good. Now do a quick sweep of the neighbourhood and head over to the warehouse we were at last night to make sure no others have come around and settled in."

With that, Perry drove off, leaving the three of them standing there at the side of the road. Faith just slung the duffel bag they'd packed with various weapons over her shoulder and they walked down the quiet, deserted street in silence. They rounded the first corner and came to a stop just in front of what had once been a playground and now was just an empty dirt lot. Faith walked over to the bench and tossed the bag to the ground as she sat down.

"This is a quick sweep?" Kennedy asked as she sat down next to Faith. "We're just going to sit here and do what exactly?"

"Wait."

"Wait for what?"

"Whatever decides to come out and play," Faith replied, chuckling as Buffy sat down next to her. "I look at it this way: We're gettin' paid for doin' what we always do. What's the downside to that?"

"Working for people who are potentially evil?" Buffy muttered under her breath. "You can't tell me that you aren't thinking there's something seriously off with this whole operation. Why the hell would the police be involved in taking out the vamps and demons in the city?"

"Guess they took the whole 'to serve and protect' thing one step further," Faith replied as she casually draped an arm around Buffy's shoulders. "Come on, B, whether these particular guys are evil or not, we're still fightin' the good fight here. We find out Sam's evil, then we take him out just like we plan to take Julie out."

"And how are we supposed to take Julie out when she's pretty much fucking invincible?" Kennedy asked, sounding rather irritated.

"We're working on that. All we have to do is get the gem off of her and the rest should be fairly easy," Buffy replied as she leaned in a little to Faith. "Where is the gem, exactly?"

"Ya really wanna know, B?" Faith asked, laughing as Buffy looked at her and narrowed her eyes. "I would tell ya if I knew. I only have a vague idea of where it could be."

"Which is?"

"Well, she's pierced right..."

"Where?" Kennedy asked.

"Where do ya think?" Faith laughed as she shook her head and felt Buffy tense up a little next to her. "Nah, the gem ain't down there. At least I don't think it is. Wherever it is on her, she's got it pretty guarded and hidden."

"Down there?" Buffy asked, raising an eyebrow as Faith turned to look back at her. "You mean she's...wow, okay. I was wondering what she meant when she said you knew. It all makes sense now."

"B, whatever you are thinkin' right now...it ain't like that."

"So, if the gem isn't on that piercing, where the hell is it? Last time I saw her I didn't see her wearing any rings or anything," Kennedy asked as she stood up and stood in front of Faith. "Damn, I just had a really disturbing thought."

"Please don't," Buffy groaned as she pushed Faith's arm off her. "Willow is working on a spell to pinpoint just where the gem is on her, so instead of speculating about it maybe we should just get on with patrol and not mention her again tonight."

"I can deal with that," Kennedy said. The two of them turned their heads in unison to look at Faith.

"No more talking about Julie. Got it," Faith nodded as she stood up from the bench and picked up the bag. "Let's get on with it then and find us some baddies to slay. Suddenly feelin' all worked up and itchin' for a good fight."

"You're always feeling worked up," Kennedy said as she and Faith shared a laugh over it.

Faith got her head into gear as they set out for a quick sweep around the deserted neighbourhood. She couldn't let thoughts of Buffy take over no matter how tempting it was. There'd be plenty of time for fantasizing later—and if it was up to her there'd be more than just fantasizing before the night was over.

****

Four hours and three dusted vampires later, Faith got the phone call from Perry. They walked the three blocks to meet up with him and Marshall just outside the cemetery near the house. Kennedy and Marshall went off together, both of them making small talk and laughing as they walked away. Perry just stood by the Escalade while Faith dug through the bag and pulled out a few stakes and the crossbow.

"Take the south end," Perry said quietly as he checked his phone. "I'll take the east end and we'll wrap it up in half an hour if there's no activity."

Buffy was already walking away and Faith just turned and jogged over to her to catch up. Buffy waited until they were far away from Perry before she turned to Faith and stopped her from walking. "Is he stupid?"

"What?"

"Is he stupid, Faith? We can't just do a quick sweep in a half hour and expect to find something."

"They don't fuck around, B."

"A lot of slaying has to do with waiting. Don't they know that?"

"Apparently not. What's the big deal anyway?"

"I just don't like this, Faith. Maybe Kennedy was right before. We can take out Julie without having to be involved in this."

"Maybe she was, but shit…" Faith sighed as she started walking again. "We're gettin' paid! This sure fuckin' beats gettin' a real job, don't ya think? Maybe you'll be singin' a different tune once ya get the cash later."

"And how much did they pay you last night?"

"Almost a thousand bucks."

"Seriously?"

"Fuckin' dead serious," Faith grinned. "Come on, that's gotta be motivation enough to put up with this shit. Ain't it?"

"I guess so. It still doesn't help the fact that I'm wondering just what the hell is really going on here. Perry and Marshall seem like normal guys, but how are we supposed to know this isn't all just an act?"

"Guess we'll figure it out in time, but for now, B," Faith said as she turned to look at her and came to a stop as Buffy let out a heavy sigh. "For now, we'll just go along with it. We're still gonna be out here every night anyway. Giles doesn't think it's such a bad idea either."

"Of course he doesn't! We're practically blind here aside from the information Angel has told us."

"Practically blind, not completely blind. Big fucking difference."

"Maybe for you," Buffy muttered. "As much a threat as Julie is supposed to be, she hasn't proven anything other than the fact that she's crazy, not to mention invincible."

"So what, then, B? We just step back and let her do whatever she has planned and not do a damn thing to try and stop her?"

"God, I don't know, Faith!" Buffy groaned as she brought her hands up to rub her temples slowly. "I can't stop...thinking about this morning," she whispered as she stared over at Faith. "I can't even stop thinking about it—about you even for a minute. Am I going crazy here?"

"Nah," Faith smirked as she took a few steps closer to Buffy. "I can't stop thinking about it either, B. So maybe we're both going crazy," she chuckled as Buffy smiled shyly. "Point is, B? I can't even be near you now without wanting to touch you. You're like a fuckin' drug and I'm addicted."

Faith wanted to tell her it was one of the reasons she'd been so scared before of even just being friends with her, but she didn't get the chance to. They both spotted the lone vampire walking almost ten feet in front of them. Faith dropped the crossbow to the ground, wanting to get hands on with the vampire. She needed a good slay almost as bad as she needed a good fuck. The vampire was tall, a little on the bulky side, and when he turned to look at her she knew it'd be far from an easy fight.

Buffy stood back, bending down to pick up the crossbow as Faith blocked the first blow the vampire threw her way. She couldn't get a punch or a kick in and all she could do was block every move the vampire made as she looked for an opportunity to take him out. The adrenaline that pumped through her veins made her feel intoxicated as she felt a surge of uninhibited energy build inside of her and she sent the vampire flying backwards with a strong roundhouse kick.

"You want a hand?" Buffy asked as she stood back and watched.

"Nah, I'm good, B."

She flashed a confident smile as she strode over to where the vampire had landed and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Kennedy and Marshall in the middle of a fight of their own with another vampire about the same size as the one she was facing. Rather than prolong the fight, she reached inside her jacket for her stake and shoved the vampire to the ground. He was too quick for her, though, and kicked the stake from her hand before she had a chance to plunge it into his chest.

"Fucker," she growled as she then suddenly found her legs being swept out from under her. The vampire was instantly on top of her, his thick, cold hands wrapped tightly around her throat. "B? Little help here would be nice."

"On it," Buffy said as she aimed the crossbow at the vampire. Faith kicked him off and before he could land on his feet, Buffy shot the arrow straight at his heart, turning him to dust. "You know, you could have ended the fight before it even started if you had just used this in the first place."

"I just wanted..."

"A good slay, I know," Buffy said as she rolled her eyes and handed Faith the crossbow. "Is that all you ever care about? A good slay?"

"Why not? Gets the blood pumpin'," Faith winked as they headed over to where Kennedy and Marshall were still struggling with their own vampire. "Hey Ken! You need a hand there?"

"Working on it," she grunted as she pulled the vampire away from Marshall. "Damn, this fucker is strong."

Faith said not a word as she loaded the crossbow and aimed it straight at the vampire, waiting for the right second to take the shot. Marshall was now down and bleeding from a wound on his shoulder and Buffy moved quickly to get him out of the way as Kennedy continued to struggle with the vampire. Faith couldn't find a shot and she groaned in frustration as she tossed the crossbow to the ground and leapt at the vampire before it could grab on to Kennedy.

She was instantly lost in the flurry of punches she threw at the vampire's face. Even when the movement stopped, she kept pummelling her fists into its face. Buffy grabbed onto her, pulled her off, and staked him quickly before Faith could even blink. She rubbed her sore and bleeding knuckles, breathing heavily as Buffy glared at her.

"Some things never change with you, do they?" Buffy asked as she tucked the stake back inside her jacket pocket. "Kennedy, any others?"

"Not that we saw," she replied as she shook her head slowly. "This one came out of nowhere. Didn't even sense it until it grabbed me."

"It's..." Marshall gasped as he clutched onto his wounded shoulder. "Julie. She does this. She's got this whole army of vampires working for her."

"An army?" Buffy asked as she looked over at Faith. "How big of an army are we talking about?"

"She's got every vamp in this town wrapped around her little finger. Should've known she'd start to send them out in pairs. There could be more," he said, gasping softly as he moved to sit down on the ground before leaning against a headstone. "There's always more. We shouldn't stand around waiting for them."

"You okay?" Faith asked him as she held out her hand to pull him up to his feet.

"Got knifed. It's not as bad as it looks," he chuckled and winced as he held onto his shoulder tighter. "Just another war wound for the wife to bitch at me for later."

"What do you know about Julie?" Buffy asked as they began the short walk back to where Perry waited by the Escalade.

"Not much. Sam said it isn't any of our concern when it comes to her."

"And you don't think he's saying that because there's something more going on?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "I just do what I've been recruited to do, fight the evil that wanders at night. Got a roof to keep over my wife's head. Got a baby on the way and I need the cash."

"It's always about the money, isn't it?"

"Not just about the money," Marshall said with a coy smile. "Being a cop was rewarding on its own, but this…" he paused as he looked around them. "This is a whole new kind of rewarding. Fighting the forces of evil night after night and keeping the innocent safe and in the dark about what really goes on is a different kind of rewarding. Kind of makes you feel like a hero."

"You're wrong," Buffy said coldly. "You aren't a hero. You are fighting a fight that isn't up to you to deal with. It's up to us. We're the Slayers, not you or Perry or any of the other guys that work for Sam."

"B..."

"Shut up, Faith. You are the one who got into this. What the hell were you thinking?"

"Thought it..."

"No, you didn't think. There's something wrong with this whole thing. Don't you see that? Sam isn't on the good side. He's a part of Julie's family and without a doubt in on whatever kind of game it is she's playing with us."

"What if you're wrong?" Kennedy asked, getting right in Buffy's face. "What if he isn't? What if he's trying to take her out too?"

"Then I'm wrong. I'm just saying that we shouldn't just easily trust Sam, or Henry, or anyone else," Buffy retaliated as she backed away from Kennedy. She turned to look at Faith and scoffed as she stepped around Kennedy and continued walking down the gravel path.

"Shit," Faith sighed as Marshall slumped back down to the ground and groaned loudly. "I really can't even try to do the right thing, can I?"

"What if she is right?" Marshall asked weakly as he looked up at her. "I never trusted Sam myself and I know Perry doesn't either."

"Then why do you work for him willingly?"

"Besides the money?" Marshall laughed and coughed as he leaned his head back against the headstone. "It's complicated, Lehane. Sam has been around a long time and he's actually pretty respected around here. He says jump, people say how high. Just the way it's always been and probably always will be. He has this power over people and he can talk just about anyone into doing anything. I should know. It's how my father ended up rotting away in prison."

"What happened?" Faith asked him as she knelt down on the ground next to him. She could see the blood seeping out of the wound, staining his dark jacket and trickling over his fingers.

"My father worked for Sam when he started up this unit about forty years back. Yeah, right around the time when Julie was turned. This was before I was even born, but my father told me a lot of stories before Sam had him locked up for a murder he didn't commit," he said and paused to take a few deep, shaky breaths. "Sam isn't...fully human."

"We're aware of that."

"The spell, it wasn't just cast on their family. There was another and from the stories I heard, they were rivals. Julie was out of control with the strength she possessed as a Slayer and the power she had as a witch. When she was turned, she killed them, but that's when things started with the barrier. The reversal spell she used on them backfired and the barrier was set up around the Hellmouth. She lost most of her powers, as did her mother."

"And now she's trying to break the barrier?"

"It's breaking apart on its own. It started when you three arrived here. No other Slayer had come here in the last forty years. Julie had made sure of it. This is her town and she didn't want anyone standing in her way and trying to take her out. Besides, even if anyone dared try, she's...untouchable. You probably know all of this already, don't you?"

"Yeah, we do," Faith nodded in reply. "So what, we shouldn't trust Sam, is that what you're trying to say, Marshall?"

"Buffy is right. You shouldn't trust him or his brother. I never asked questions because up until now there's been nobody to help me even if I found the answers. I wanted to get paid and go home to my wife every night without having to worry about anything or anyone coming after us. But if you've got a plan to take them out, Lehane, I'm in."

"How do we know we can trust you?"

"You don't," Marshall smirked as he tried to get up from the ground. "But you are going to need as many on your side as they have if you want to finish this mess and set things right. Been a long time coming if you ask me. Spent my whole life trying to figure that family out, trying to figure out just what the hell Julie has up her sleeve. She's absolutely fucking crazy, but of course you probably already know that too, don't you?"

"You just had to fuck a crazy chick, didn't you?" Kennedy muttered under her breath as she stared at Faith.

"Hey, I didn't fuckin' know, Ken!"

"You slept with her?" Marshall asked as he finally stood up from the ground on his own.

"Why does it matter if I did or not?"

"She didn't...cast any spells on you, did she?"

"Fuck no," Faith laughed as she looked down the path, barely able to make out Buffy in the darkness. "It was just a fuck and a stupid mistake."

"And you are absolutely sure that's all it was?"

"What do ya want me to say?" Faith snapped at him, feeling the anger bubbling from deep inside of her. "I'm the only one that's gonna be able to stop her. Not you, not fuckin' Perry, or anyone else."

She gave in to the sudden overwhelming urge to take off on her own. She headed for the closest wall that surrounded the entire cemetery and scaled over it easily. As soon as her feet hit the ground she was nearly running to get away from there as fast as she could. She just couldn't deal with it any longer. She made it about a block away before Buffy caught up with her.

"Faith, where are you going?"

"Just...away," she replied as she kept walking, shrugging off Buffy's hand as she reached out for her. "I'm startin' to think maybe you are fuckin' right about this, B. Who the hell knows who we can trust and who we can't right now?"

"So your solution is to run away instead of facing it and finding out just who we can trust before it's too late?"

"What else am I supposed to do, then?"

"I don't know," Buffy shrugged as she stepped in front of her and stopped her from walking away from her yet again. "This is one giant mess and we're practically in the dark with this. I just don't want anything to happen to you."

"Since when do you care what happens to me, B?"

"Since...you came back," Buffy whispered as she stepped closer to her, sliding her hands over Faith's shoulders and around to the back of her neck. "Faith, I'm falling for you, hard, and it kills me inside to think of anything bad happening to you."

"Not gonna go get myself killed or anything on purpose."

"I know that," Buffy sighed. She smiled a little as Faith wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her closer. "I hate this, Faith. I am so tired of all of this."

"Of what?"

"Saving the world," she replied. "It never ends, does it? Once we save the world we barely get a break before we're right back at it again."

"It's just how it is, B. Figured you knew that by now."

"I do. I just want...a normal life. I want what we had this morning. It was the first time in a long time I ever just got lost in the moment and forgot about everything else. Like now," she said softly as she stared into Faith's eyes. "I just look at you and god...I don't know why I never realized it before."

"Realized what?"

"How easy it is just to get lost within you. I see the way you look at me sometimes and it makes me feel...safe. It makes me feel like absolutely nothing can go wrong in the world. This is crazy talk, isn't it? This is the spell that's—"

Faith stopped her from talking as she pressed her lips against Buffy's gently. She kept the kiss short and sweet, pulling back with a smile on her face. "I like that crazy talk. Nobody's ever...y'know, said these things to me or felt these things about me before."

Buffy bit her lower lip for a moment before she pulled Faith in for another kiss. They both ignored the sounds of whistling and catcalls from a group of college boys across the road. They just allowed themselves to become lost within each other for a few long minutes. Buffy finally pulled away slowly, leaving Faith tingling all over and standing dazed, mouth hanging slightly open, until Buffy reached up to the taller girl's chin and gently closed her mouth for her. Buffy flashed a coy little smile as she reached for Faith's hand and began walking back the way they'd come.

Perry pulled the Escalade up near the sidewalk beside them a few minutes later and they got in and settled in the seat next to Kennedy. Nobody said a word as Perry drove to the hospital and made sure Marshall got inside safely before he drove back to the station. Sam was waiting for them by the door when they got out of the vehicle. Sam took one look at Faith, then motioned for the four of them to follow him inside. Faith just clenched her fists at her sides as they walked into the room behind Sam. He pointed to the chairs around the table and they all took a seat.

After a quick debriefing about their night and Marshall's injury, Faith stood up and stared straight over at Sam. She placed both her hands on the table as she leaned towards him and she took in a few deep breaths, trying to figure out his reaction before she even spoke.

"Was there something that you wanted to say, Faith?"

"We're not doing this anymore," she said through clenched teeth. "And by this I mean we're not coming back here and reporting to you. It ain't gonna work that way from here on out."

"I do not believe you are in any position to make rash demands. May I remind you that you work for me and that I pay you for helping out, not the other way around?"

"I'm startin' to think there's more to it than us just helping you out here," she said as she laughed incredulously. "So," she said as she strolled around to the other side of the table and grabbed him by the front of his expensive looking silk shirt, "why don't you tell us the fucking truth, Sam?"

He pushed her aside and smoothed out his shirt. The expression on his face, calm and collected, never faltered as he pointed back to the chair she'd been sitting in. "If you want to hear the truth then sit down. I'll tell you whatever it is you want to know."

Faith sat back down in the seat next to Buffy and leaned back, placing her feet up on the table as she folded her hands in her lap. She didn't take her eyes off Sam as he began pacing slowly and filling in some details of the story they already knew the broad strokes of concerning Julie. He told them the story of how everything began when he and Henry, Julie and her mother came to Cleveland more than a hundred years before. They'd come from England to start over in America, just like so many other people were at that time. Sam told them how Henry was from a long line of Watchers and how they knew from the day Julie was born that she was destined to be a Slayer.

He skipped past most of the years, giving them tidbits of information about the rivalry they had with a few other families they'd come to Cleveland with. Each of the women in both families had powers most normal people could only dream about. They got mixed in with dark magic soon after arriving in Cleveland and to protect them from the rival family—a name Faith didn't catch as Sam spoke too quickly—the immortality spell was cast by Laura and Julie to protect their own family.

Faith wasn't sure what to believe anymore. The stories kept changing, the little bits of information seeming like a small string of truths in a much bigger web of lies. She was sure of one thing—not everything Sam was telling them was the full truth. There were just too many gaps in between what he was actually telling them. She looked over at Buffy several times while Sam continued to talk and she knew from the look in Buffy's eyes that she didn't quite believe every word he said either.

"I've heard enough," Faith said to Sam before he could keep going. "So here's the deal—you'll pay us for helping you out, but we're gonna do it our way. We'll stay away from Julie and her friends…"

"Faith..."

"Shut up, Ken," she snapped as she dropped her feet to the floor. "If Julie starts shit, though, we're takin' her out. No questions asked. And one more thing, Sam."

"What's that?"

"If I find out you've been lying to us, using us as pawns in this little game Julie is playing with us, you are a dead man."

Sam nodded his head and stood up from the chair he'd sat down in. "I understand why you feel that way. We'll do it your way, Faith. For the record, I haven't spoken with my family formally in years. When you first saw me in Henry's bar the other night that was the first time I'd seen my own brother in over twenty years."

He pulled out a thick envelope from the briefcase sitting near him on the table and slid it across towards them. He gritted his teeth as Faith grabbed it, stuffed it inside the front pocket of her jacket, and without another word got up and motioned for Buffy and Kennedy to follow her towards the door. Faith grabbed the duffel bag full of the weapons she'd packed and slung the strap over her shoulder as they walked out the door together.

She knew one thing for sure now. They really didn't know what they were getting themselves into when it came to Julie and her family. She had to finish this—end it, whatever—and she had to do it soon before Julie actually became the big threat her reputation and history indicated she could be. Just how she wasn't quite sure yet.