For personal enjoyment not for profit, if you recognize it, I don't own it, just bending and folding it.

Chapter 9

That evening Xander was in the kitchen while his mom packed her lunch, she was starting back on night shift and was headed off to work shortly.

"Xander, there's something I wanted to talk to you about," she said as she was getting things out of the fridge. "You've got your license now, and that gives you a lot more freedom."

"Is this about what you and Faith talked about the other night?"

"Yes, you know that this town isn't the safest, I see a lot of things at the ER." His mom confirmed.

"We'll be careful Mom." Xander said giving her a hug.

"Mom, have you ever thought of leaving Sunnydale? When Faith and I were talking about this, I thought that it's not long until we're out of school and if we both go away to college that would leave you here alone."

"Xander, I've lived here my whole life." His mom responded.

"Yeah, but, well I'm not saying move away right now, I know you have to stay working here or pay back the grants you received for school, but have you thought about maybe buying someplace to retire to? I was watching this show about buying and selling property on TV."

"Xander, you have to know those shows are fake."

"I figure that the little Vietnamese dude with the bikini models is probably making more money these days off selling people his system than selling real estate."

His mother snorted and ruffled his hair.

"I'm not saying try to make millions, maybe just borrow money against the house here and buy someplace that you can either move to and work if things get worse here, or to have so you can retire there. Heck if you buy something that you can rent out in the meantime then you won't even be making the mortgage payment."

"It wouldn't be a bad retirement strategy, I'll think about it."

The next morning, Xander bounced down the stairs full of energy dropping his gym bag next to the door as his mom came in from work.

He gave her a quick hug good morning.

"Ready for the first cross country practice, honey?"

"Absolutely," he replied grabbing breakfast.

"So what are you guys up to today?"

"we were going to hit the mall with Jesse and Willow, go see a move and then grab dinner at the food court if that's okay?"

"That's fine, I want you two home by eight. Xander, be careful where you park the van."

"I will."

His mom got up and placed her coffee cup in the sink. Kissing them both on the top of the head she wished them luck and headed out the door.

The first cross country practice was good, Faith and Xander both were holding back from showing their true speed and strength, after they ran their first time trials, coach called Faith aside.

"Lehane, that was a great time. If you can keep up those times, I'll probably want to know if you want to run varsity this year or stay on JV?"

"I'll do what you need me to coach, but I'd like to have a strong season on JV, unless you need me on the varsity."

"That's the attitude I want Faith, just do your best and we'll talk later." Coach Hewitt said.

After practice, Faith and Xander headed back to the abandoned frat house they had cleared the day before. Another van full of things this time a turntable and milk crates of vinyl LPs

"Faith, even the ones we don't want, think of what they'll go for on eBay in a few years." Xander said as they were carrying the boxes up to the storage loft above the Harris garage.

"Alright Xander, but we're getting to the point where it's going to be difficult to hide all this stuff from your mom."

"Well, I was thinking that the watchers residence needs a stereo and video game system, we can tell Post that we hit garage sales and second hand stores. Not to mention the computers could be useful for research and school work with as much time as we will probably spend there in the next couple years."

When Faith and Xander stopped by the Miller's house, they noticed from over the fence a for sale sign in the yard that there were several people working inside the house. They relaxed when they was Mr. Post with the two women and one man and resolved to ask him about it later.

Sitting in the food court after watching Apollo 13, Xander overheard some of the cheerleaders.
"Did you see Cordie's new car?" The brunette, Jaime, said. Sarcasm dripping from her tone.
"If you can call a ten year old Celica new," Harmony sneered.
"Well what do you expect considering they had to sell their condo in Hawaii."
"Tell me about it, she's trying to make visiting her Grandmother in Monterey sound like the French Riviera."

"Hey at least you didn't get stuck going with her, Aura agreed to go on vacation with her thinking they were going to Hilo and ended up waking up to the sound of fishing boats for a week."

Xander and Faith shared a look, Xander hoped that this change would shift Cordelia's course enough to keep her from being caught up in Jasmine's plan.

Two days later, the question of how to explain the things they planned to stash at the Watcher's house got easier. Faith received a voicemail on her pager to call Mr. Post. After speaking to him, she told Xander they were stopping by his house after work.

"Faith, Xander, good afternoon. I'd like to apologize again for not believing you about the robot Ted Buchanan." Post said, Xander thought he hadn't apologized before but wasn't going to call him on it. "I also wanted to give you this," he said handing them each an enevelope. "A reward since Mr. Buchanan has no heirs and the Watchers are going to take ownership of the home and use it as a source of income to continue our fight."

Xander opened the envelope saw a stack of cash. A quick count came up with a thousand dollars

"Also, I'd like to step up both of your training regimes, Council seers still don't see anything indicating you will be called Miss Lehane, but even if you are not, with your facility with languages and the martial arts abilities I've observed in your studies, you may be able to apply for a position with the Council. To that end, I'd like to introduce you to the crossbow and discuss some basic techniques for defeating vampires." Mr. Post had a target set up in the back yard and a shooting position perhaps twenty yards away. There were two crossbows, a pistol grip bow and a larger rifle stock.

He picked up a small bottle, "Holy water although not immediately fatal burns vampires like strong acid, as will being touched by holy symbols like the cross." He held up a carved wooden stake, which Xander saw was quite a bit rougher made than the stakes that he and Faith had in the van. "The stake is of course traditional but if one is accurate, a wooden arrow through the heart will suffice quite well." He set the stake down and gestured to the bows. "I know that you have some proficiency in using a recurve bow which can be used more rapidly but a crossbow has the advantage of not tiring your muscles while you wait for the right shot and is easier to use in the cramped quarters that vampires are often found."

Faith quickly showed Mr. Post that she understood the basic techniques that he was showing her with a stake and even showed him some techniques adapted from the Danbong she practiced with in Hapkido. The bows proved simple, even discounting both Xander and Faith's history use in their prior timeline between the archery and rifle hunting they did with uncle Rory had them showing that they could hit the apple sized target consistently.

"Well Faith you certainly have a very good grasp of the basics. Vampires can also be decapitated with sword or axe, I myself am not excellent with a sword but I can provide you with some books.

Xander excused himself and went out to the van and grabbed their machete's wrapped in a towel. Faith seeing what he was bringing back turned to Mr. Post, "I'm sure that cutting out brush is not the same as fighting vampires, but I do have some experience using a blade." She held up heavy weight machete that Xander handed her.

"Yes well given what else you've shown me, I'm sure you will be able to adapt that to hunting the darkness. Vampires are not all you will fight if you are called and most things can't survive having their head cut off."

So, if you will let me know when you can be available for training, I will try to provide you with appropriate tools and resources." Mr. Post said, with a tone that Xander interpreted as meaning that he really hadn't thought beyond basic instructions, he thought that as much as Post was assigned to the Hellmouth, he wasn't really a field watcher more of an academic, kind of like Wesley was before he'd been run through the grinder.

Xander picked up the pistol crossbow, testing the draw he felt it was rather light. He looked at the bolts for it, well darts really. Faith was examining the larger crossbow and bolts, in the same critical fashion.
"Xander, how hard would it be for you to make wooden tips for our fiberglass arrows?"
Seeing as how he already had a few dozen, he knew this was for Post's benefit. "It shouldn't be too hard to make balanced tips with the lathe."
Faith then looked to the watcher, "These aren't blessed weapons or anything are they?" At Post's head shake, she continued, "I'd like to use most of this money to purchase a couple of more modern crossbows. I've tried a couple that people have had out at the range that are a lot more powerful than these, but still just as simple to operate. I can get you the model numbers later." She started to hand the envelope back to Mr. Post who waived her off.
"As I said it is my job to provide you with proper resources and since I have had to expend very little for training some new bows are certainly in the budget."
"So, how long before we start going after the nightlife?" Faith asked putting the crossbow down.
"Potentials do not normally take on slaying duties."
"So you just let the bad guys run wild?" Xander asked disdainfully.
"Well part of the slayer magic is that a slayer is often called where there is a need. When a slayer is active in one area and a hot spot develops elsewhere, the council seers will direct that the current slayer is needed."
"How about modern weapons? Guns, stun guns, those new tasers I've seen on TV.?" Xander knew Faith knew the answer, both the real answer and the party line from the council, but he was just as interested in what Post would say.
"Firearms are problematic, the won't normally kill a Vampire and they are noisy enough to attract a lot of attention which a slayer avoids.," he said. "As to stun guns, I don't know. I've read that magic that creates lightning kills vampires but I don't know about more mundane electricity."
"Something to look into."
They left shortly after that heading back to the house.
"Well that was generous in the extreme, I mean the council gets a house free and clear worth $120-150,000 that they can rent or sell, and we get $1000 each." Xander snorted as they were driving down the road.
"Well at least Post said he would pick up the crossbows I want out of his budget."
True to his word a few days later Post came through, delivering them the crossbows that Faith had requested. Xander quickly fit wooden heads on a dozen quarrels for each of the bows.

They continued to cruise the Bronze taking out one or two vampires a week, near the end of August, they switched to stalking the local coffee house and the mall. Working as a team and attacking lone vampires, they didn't run into any trouble. At the mall, they found that there were very few of the service corridors that had video surveillance and yet there wasn't a lot of vampire activity. They weren't sure if it was due to it being summer or if it was due to the bright lights and abundance of mirrors.

Faith had Xander drive them around doing a search pattern from the Sunnydale Arms. Her first time in Sunnydale she had done a lot of dust and loot to cover her expenses. They hit several nests that she remembered that didn't have sewer access, and marked off several others to hit before the Anointed One arrived. They struck during the day, using holy water and weapons to make short work of the vampires.
Their goal was to thin out the vampires so that the Master didn't have as many to draw on when the Annointed one came and to build up a war chest of cash for the future. Just as before, after taking the vampires in their layers, they felt aggressive and agitated but going to afternoon mass removed the compulsive feeling but still left them full of energy. One day close to the end of August, they were coming out of mass, Father Murray asked them if they had a few minutes to speak.
Once the other parishioners had left, he led them back to his office he offered them coffee and after removing his rainment poured himself a cup.
"Faith, Xander, it's not that I am unhappy to see two devout members of the congregation, but this is the fourth time this month I've seen the two of you at week day mass in addition to weekly mass with your mother."
Neither teenager responded.
"Is there some problem that you feel you need the Lord's guidance in solving?" He looked back and forth between them.

"Are the two of you in trouble?"

"No Father," they both answered firmly.

They sat silently for another moment until Faith sighed, "Father, it has to do with the inscription over the doors of the sanctuary, praeceptum ne introeas malignissime, there are bad things in this town and coming to mass seems to lessen their effects."

Fr. Murray looked at them for a moment

"Interesting choice of words, things not people." Fr. Murray paused to sip his coffee.

"Does this have anything to do with the rarer texts that Mr. Post has?"

Faith nodded. But looked at him questioning.

"Xander's mother mentioned you being tutored in Latin. I have spoken to Mr. Post upon occasion. Faith, do you have a calling?"

"Potentially," Faith answered.

"My dear, I can only pray that your work in this calling can remains academic."

"Thank you," Faith said. Deciding to stop speaking around the subject, and remembering hearing that Fr. Murray and Fr. Garcia had assisted poorer members of the community flee before the fall of Sunnydale, she asked "Fr. Murray, what is the Church's opinion of the Council?"

The priest steepled his fingers tapping his chin.

"In order to be assigned to this Parish, knowledge of the older rites that are largely ignored today is required. I myself have not seen directly the things that the council fights, I'm told my faith acts as a shield that is repellent to much of the darkness. That being said, I have seen things that are not human and heard of people who had died being seen around town. Has Mr. Post led you against creatures of the night?"

"No, so far his lessons have just been academic," Faith answered, "but if you go to the Bronze or the coffee house at the college long enough you will see them if you know what to look for."

"When I first came here, Mr. Post's predecessor gave me a letter to send to Rome. In response I received a briefing on the council from my superiors." Fr. Murray paused and drank his coffee. "The Church sees the Watchers as one of several organizations combating evil in the world. In the present day, the Church does not have the resources we once did. There are very few bellatorum left. We may not always agree with the Council's actions, but they do fight the darkness. We do not have a close association, but there is contact. I take it from the way you answered that question that you have already fought the forces of evil?"

Faith and Xander made eye contact with each other and both nodded.

"I'm sorry that you have taken this task so young," Father Murray looked at them. "I was a chaplain in the army for eight years. In war, and this is a war, there are times that our actions are not always clear cut. You have my assurance that if you need to discuss anything either in confession or just needing counsel that you can be open with, I will be here."

"Does your aunt know?"

"No, I mean, we've talked about the dangers of this town, but nothing about the fight against evil. I will figure out a way tell her if I am called but until then -" Faith's voice trailed off.

"It is a difficult thing," Fr Murray finished for her. "Might I suggest that you tell her now rather than later, many of the people I see at the hospital seem to have more of an idea of what goes on here than the general public."

Faith sat pensively for a moment, "I figured it would be easier once I was called, it is hard to refute superhuman strength and agility."

"I would be happy to assist, I know the Watchers prefer to keep complete secrecy, but I as your family priest would be willing to try to ease the conversation."

"That may be a good idea," Xander offered.

"I'll think about it," Faith shrugged. Father Murray let it drop.

"If I can be of service, holy water, blessings, exorcism, anything I or Fr. Garcia can offer please ask."

"If you can place a host in the mouth of any bodies you pray over, that may prevent a vampire from rising," Faith offered.

Fr. Murray nodded. He stood and came around his desk first he first placed a hand on Faith's head and prayed over her for a moment, then repeated the action with Xander.

"Be safe," he said dismissing them.