CHAPTER TEN:

Chance meeting…

Buffy was walking leisurely through the school common area. She'd had a quiet patrol last night and she felt well-rested and full of energy. Which seemed to be the exact opposite of what Xander and Willow were looking like as Buffy saw them sitting at a table in the common area. She was a little mystified as she made her way to their table.

"What's wrong? You both look terrible." Buffy asked with some concern.

Xander looked at Buffy and smirked at her tiredly, "Only terrible… I was going for awful…"

Buffy couldn't help but smile at her friend's joke, "No seriously… What's up?"

Willow was looking very tired and having a hard time staying awake, "We were pulling an all-nighter with Giles… Said he needed some help with some research."

"That's funny… Why didn't he mention he needed some help?" Buffy asked.

She couldn't help but notice the uncomfortable looks Xander and Willow were exchanging between themselves.

A frown came to Buffy's face as this confirmed her feeling from yesterday that something was going on and Giles was holding back info.

Buffy was getting angry, but it wasn't her friends fault. She was mad at Giles, but the anger still leaked through in her tone, "What did Giles want you to help research for?"

Again Willow and Xander exchanged uncomfortable looks as they heard the tone in Buffy's voice. Finally Xander spoke, "Sorry Buff, but we promised Giles… He asked that we not say anything to you… I think you need to speak to him."

Buffy felt a stab of betrayal that Giles was holding back information from her and was also getting her friends involved as well. If they were holding back information then it had to be serious. She wanted to get to the bottom of it especially if it involved her not being in the loop.

"Thanks guys… I think I'll go have chat with Giles." Buffy said with the anger growing in her voice as she left the table.

Willow and Xander watched as Buffy walked off, no longer at a leisurely pace. They both felt guilty about not telling Buffy what they had been doing for Giles, but they had promised him. It was his problem now to deal with Buffy.

"Well that went… Damn I'm too tired to finish the joke." Xander muttered as he laid his head on the table to rest.

oOoOo

Buffy's anger grew as she got closer to the library and she stormed in. She was puzzled of what could be so important that she couldn't be included.

"Giles! Where are you?" Buffy called out.

She heard a noise coming from Giles's office. She watched as a very tired looking Giles staggered out of his office.

"So you want to tell me what is going on?" Buffy asked getting directly to the point, not concealing the anger in her voice.

Buffy watched as Giles took off his glasses and started to clean them. She knew that he was stalling or trying to avoid the discussion.

"Whatever are you talking about?" Giles replied obviously uncomfortable.

"I mean what is with you, Willow and Xander doing secret research all night?" Buffy asked with frustration and impatience now in her voice.

"Ummm… Yes about that… It doesn't really concern you… I'm doing research at the request of an acquaintance to help him find something he lost." Giles said hesitantly trying not to show his obvious discomfort with lying to her.

"Giles don't' lie to me… Does this have anything to do with the Mayor…or that robot?" Buffy asked.

Buffy watched as Giles looked uncomfortably around trying to avoid eye contact with her.

"I can assure you that it has nothing to do with you and I ask that you not involve yourself with this matter… If it becomes an issue I will let you know… I ask that you honor my request on this matter." Giles said in an almost pleading tone.

Buffy knew that whatever he was hiding must be pretty important, "Why can't you tell me? Don't I have your trust?" she said with a sad tone thinking that Giles didn't trust her after everything they had been through together.

Giles saw the look in her eyes and felt his guilt grow over withholding info from her, "Buffy I do trust you… It's just that I gave my word on this matter… I don't even have all the details on what's going on, but please trust me."

Buffy turned around angrily and stormed out of the library, "I did trust you Giles… I had hoped that you trusted me!" Buffy said with the sadness evident in her voice as she left.

oOoOo

Michael was holed up in the warehouse basement, doing another weapons check for the umpteenth time. He had tried to sleep, but the images of Faith with that man invaded his dreams along with the reoccurring images of his Faith and Adriana calling for his help.

Michael could feel that time was running out for him. He was planning on contacting Giles tomorrow, with the hope that he would have found where the staff was or at least give him a direction to go in. If Giles had nothing then it was time to go to his more risky "Plan B" and that involved going to see the only person in Sunnydale that knew and was familiar with the ascension process.

Michael put his weapons away. He was tired of the room and he needed to get out otherwise he would go crazy. He found himself wishing that his AI Adriana was still alive, she would have known what to do and been able to guide him to find a way off this rollercoaster and get back home.

Maybe a walk in the sunlight with some fresh air would help me relax.

Michael secured his armor, leaving Junior behind to keep an eye on his armor and continue his monitoring of the local computer networks for any information or threats. Michael picked up the Desert Eagle, looking at it in his hand. He ejected the magazine and put it back in. He stared at the weapon and recalled how he'd felt the previous evening. He finally decided that he wouldn't need it today and put it away. He may have decided to not take a gun, but he wasn't going weaponless as he put his combat knife in his back waist. He slipped on his coat and headed out to face the day and Sunnydale.

oOoOo

Faith found herself hanging out with Mayor Wilkins in his office. As Wilkins worked he looked over at the Slayer lounging in one of his chairs, he noticed she didn't look very rested and seemed a little on edge.

"Is there something wrong?" the Mayor asked using his parental concerned tone.

Faith was startled by the Mayor's question, "Huh? Sorry I didn't have a good night… Didn't sleep very well."

"Something wrong with the apartment?" the Mayor asked, again showing his concern.

"No… I just didn't sleep well… Maybe I'm getting a little nervous as the days tick down." Faith said trying to smile as she lied about the reason she wasn't rested.

"Well that's understandable… We're just over a week away until the day of ascension. It will be a most exciting and memorable day!" he said smiling at Faith.

The Mayor clapped his hands and stood up, "Tell you what… Why don't you take the rest of the day off and get some rest… Go for a walk in the park… Go home and take a nap… Just do something to relax."

"I'm okay… I don't need to do any of that stuff... Besides it's not really my thing." Faith said hesitantly.

"Nonsense… I can't have my Slayer off her game right now… Especially with some important days coming up… I insist that you go and relax." the Mayor said again showing his concern.

Faith realized that the Mayor wasn't going to take no for an answer and she did feel tired, so she decided to accept his offer. She got up to leave.

"That's my girl! Take the afternoon off and when you feel rested come back here." Wilkins said with a smile.

Faith nodded and headed out of the office.

oOoOo

Michael made his way through Sunnydale. He was bombarded by the memories as he strolled through the town. Even with the memories, it was better than sitting in his hole waiting. After a while, he started to relax a little more—he even stopped and bought a pair of sunglasses to wear. He decided to take a break and found a nearby coffee shop that had an outdoor patio. He sat down at one of the outdoor tables and ordered a coffee.

He closed his eyes as leaned his head back and tried to relax. He enjoyed the feel of the sun on his face. He could still remember back from when he was fighting the Covenant that he would go months without feeling real sunlight on his skin. The time he had spent with Faith had spoiled him and it was hard being in his armor all the time. Michael sighed as memories played in his head. He kept trying to relax, occasionally sipping his coffee.

He was there for quite a while, sipping his coffee occasionally while he continued to lean his head back with his eyes closed soaking up the sun. It was strange, but he was actually starting to relax. His problems felt like they had been pushed to the back-burner for a brief moment. He was startled by a very familiar voice that he hadn't been expecting to hear…

"Hey there… Do you mind if I join you?"

oOoOo

Faith hadn't gone back to her apartment, she was too restless. She found herself walking through downtown Sunnydale. She was feeling out of sorts and out of place as she walked among the afternoon shopping crowds. Her element was the night time.

She saw the mothers dragging their kids from store to store. She smirked and shook her head. You wouldn't catch her with a kid, dragging them around everywhere. She noticed that she was attracting looks from some of the men and women she passed by. She smirked as she knew that the men were checking her out. She saw some of the looks the older women gave her as she walked by.

If you've got it… flaunt it, Faith thought as a small smile came to her face.

She was tired of being judged by everyone—having to live up to someone else's moral code. She was the one that was fighting the vampires and demons. She was the one putting her life on the line with the short life expectancy.

Nothing else for me in this life, Faith thought glumly.

She pushed those dark thoughts away as she knew that the older women were jealous of her youth and looks. She saw a coffee shop ahead on the corner.

Maybe a java will set me right…

Faith got closer to the coffee shop and she decided that she was going to sit on the patio. She suddenly stopped in her tracks as she saw a man sitting at one of the outdoor tables. The man was wearing sunglasses and his head was leaning back slightly, but she knew that face.

For a second she doubted herself, but she knew that she would never forget the face of the man she'd seen at the nightclub, even if it had been only a quick glance. She stood there for a moment studying the man.

She saw that he had positioned himself with his back against one of the walls of the coffee shop that gave him total view and access of the surrounding area, but she could tell that he was currently not looking her way. He seemed to be relaxing and enjoying the sun. Faith continued studying the man. She couldn't tell how tall he was because he was sitting, but he was definitely a big boy—close to seven feet tall. In the better light, she could see that he was an older man—dark brown hair that was greying in a short military-style cut.

Faith noted, approvingly, that the man was well-built and looked strong. He projected a powerful presence for an older guy. She thought that he looked like he could handle himself in a fight.

As she continued to study the man, she was struck by the thought that maybe he was following her, but he appeared to be relaxed and wasn't paying any attention to what was going on around him for the moment. Faith found that she couldn't help but stare at him and check him out. She couldn't shake the feeling that she knew the man from somewhere else other than seeing him at The Bronze.

Faith found herself torn over what to do next. A part of her just said disregard him and move on, but for some strange reason she found she really wanted to go talk to him. For once in her life, she was at a loss on how to approach a man and she actually found herself nervous. Her mind whirled as she played over different scenarios and approaches, but she finally decided that the simple and direct approach was the best.

As she approached the table and man, she felt her nervousness grow for some unknown reason. She found herself standing across the table from the man—still not aware of her presence. She took the moment to get a closer look at the man's face, even with his sunglasses on, she could see a faded scar that ran vertically down the left side of his face over his eye. She couldn't help but see that he was fairly distinguished looking with some rugged good looks thrown in as well. She found herself unexpectedly shiver as she looked him up and down again.

She finally got her nervousness under control and was able to speak. She paused as she was hesitant to interrupt the man as he looked very relaxed, but a part of her was telling her to go for it. She finally spoke up.

"Hey there… Do you mind if I join you?"

oOoOo

It took Michael a quick second to recover from being startled as his head snapped back up with his eyes open and alert. For a moment he thought he was dreaming, but it was no dream as Faith was standing there on the other side of the table from where he was sitting. She spoke again.

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you… I was just wondering if you would like some company."

It took him another long moment to process what was happening and what he should do. Michael had never been a big believer in a higher power or some sort of grand cosmic plan. He was a believer in real practical things and in luck—John had always seemed to be gifted in that area. He'd heard Buffy, Giles and the others talk about higher powers and the "Powers That Be", but he'd seen what the Forerunners had been capable of and figured that any higher being was just a more advanced life form—not gods. He was now finding himself questioning his belief system as Faith stood in front of him asking to join him. In that moment, he actually began to believe that maybe there was a God or at least there was some grand design in play.

As he looked at Faith, he realized that from a temporal view point, what was happening could result in utter disaster. A part of his mind was warning him to brush her off or just get up and leave. He looked at her face and saw the smile there and the look in her eyes. A flood of emotions were rushing in and a part of his mind was screaming warning signals to leave before it was too late.

Michael was taking a long time to respond and he saw Faith's smile start to fade with disappointment when he didn't immediately respond or acknowledge her offer. He spoke before he could think.

"Uh… No… I would actually like the company… Please…"

Michael found himself smiling like he hadn't since before he had arrived in this time line. He stood up and pulled out a chair for her to sit on.

oOoOo

Faith knew she had surprised the man when she asked to join him, but she found herself disappointed as he looked at her for a long moment without responding. She felt that she had made a huge mistake and was going to slink away when he smiled and accepted her invitation. She felt her smile return and she actually felt her heart skip a beat as she saw how the man smiled warmly at her and got up and pulled out a chair for her. She didn't normally go in for all the formal courtesies that men and women did, but she had to admit it was a nice feeling to have someone show and do something respectful for you. She also got a good chance to check out the man as he stood up to hold out the chair, confirming how big and well-built he was.

They now found themselves sitting at the table and there was that inevitable awkward moment of silence where neither one of them knew what to say to start off the conversation. Faith finally decided to dive right in and break the ice.

"My name is Faith…"

The man looked at her and smiled and Faith felt her heart beat a little bit faster. Normally any guy she was with by now would have shifted his eye contact to her breasts, but this man was still making eye contact with her and smiling. She felt her heart skip again. She didn't know what she was feeling, but when the man smiled at her she liked the feeling.

Damn… I feel nervous… I just met this guy and we are complete strangers… So why does this feel like a first date?

"My name is Michael…" the man replied still smiling as he took off his sunglasses.

Faith's thoughts raced as she was taken in by the smile and then she looked into his eyes and she found herself breathless…

I've never seen eyes so dark before… There are no words… You could lose yourself in there…It's like looking into someone who has seen everything.

oOoOo

Michael signaled for the waitress and they ordered some more coffee. He found it hard not to smile with Faith sitting across from him. He'd seen her glances and knew she was checking him out. He was having a hard time concentrating, but a part of his mind was warning him that he had to watch what he said. He was "interacting" with the timeline way more than he should be and if he didn't watch out, he could screw things up royally.

"Do you prefer Mike or Michael?" Faith asked somewhat nervously.

"I'm used to Michael… It sounds better when you say Michael." he replied trying to not put his foot too far in his mouth.

Faith knew it was a cheesy pickup line, but she blushed anyway as it had sounded—honest. Her mind was racing.

Damn it… What a cheesy response and I go all girlie and start blushing… What the hell is wrong with me?

"So are you from Sunnydale… Michael?"

Michael knew that he had to keep his responses simple and avoid any complex lies—not that he liked lying to Faith, "Uhhh… No. I'm just visiting on some personal business."

Faith was struck by a worried feeling.

I bet he's married… Yeah I know the type… Probably was a big stud in high school… Married to the head cheerleader or home coming queen… Big house in the suburbs with the 2.5 rugrats.

Faith found herself trying to not look too obvious as she did a quick scan of Michael's hands and didn't see a wedding ring or indent where one would have been.

That's a relief… There's no ring… Just those big strong hands…I bet he can give a really good back massage and then move them to… DAMN IT FOCUS! It's good he's not married… I don't need to get involved with any married guy…too many complications… Not that a nooner would be a bad thing… FOCUS DAMN IT! Why am I thinking about sex with him when we just met and I know nothing about him? Not that sex wouldn't be a bad thing...

Faith fought hard to control her inner thoughts as they raced and it was hard for her to keep from blushing as her thoughts, desires and imagination were definitely moving on to more X-rated themes.

"So what do you do for a living Michael?" Faith asked honestly trying to learn more about this man and get her thoughts and desires under control.

"I'm retired now… I used to work for the government." Michael replied. He was also having a hard time maintaining his focus around her.

"What do you do Faith?"

Faith found herself momentarily stunned as she heard Michael say her name. She could have sworn that she had heard his voice before, but she was flustered at the moment from all her X-rated thoughts and desires, that she couldn't concentrate properly.

"I'm… currently going to…. School." Faith hastily replied. She knew she couldn't just tell this guy she was Slayer and hunted and killed demons and vampires. He would probably call in the funny farm guys to come in and haul her away or run away from her. She suddenly felt very self-conscious of who she was and her background and upbringing.

Why would this man want to talk and spend time with me? I'm just a high school dropout from a broken family… Born a loser… Always a loser, she thought miserably.

Michael smiled as Faith tried to lie to him and hide her past. He knew that she had always had a sore spot about her upbringing. She would get down on herself sometimes feeling that she wasn't smart enough—not even finishing high school. Virgil and him had shown her the errors of her ways. She wasn't dumb by any stretch of the imagination, it was all in how the information and education was presented and delivered.

Faith found she still couldn't get over how Michael smiled at her and how it made her feel. His smile made her feel like she was the most important person in existence, it was a pretty heady feeling for her.

oOoOo

They sat and talked about mundane things. Michael was trying to avoid bringing up who he was and messing up the time line and Faith was trying to avoid talking about her Slayer life and what she was involved in. Michael had the tactical advantage as he knew Faith or would know her—depending on your temporal perspective. He asked her questions that would avoid those painful or delicate subjects. He already knew about her dreams and her hopes, but he asked her again as he wanted to hear her talk—he had missed her so very much.

Faith was surprised as this Michael guy was actually interested in her and not just interested to get her into bed—not that she would have complained as her X-rated fantasies continued. She found herself talking about some of the things she had wanted to do and her dreams when she was younger—before she was called. She could see that he was actually listening to her.

They were both surprised as the street lights turned on, it felt like they had only been sitting and talking for a few minutes. Faith was surprised the most as she couldn't believe they had spent hours talking. She couldn't recall ever spending time like this with any other boy or man in her life. She found herself unsure of what to say or do next, but she didn't want this to end.

"I guess it's getting late..." Faith said smiling.

Michael found himself in a similar position. He didn't want this to end either—he didn't want to let her go.

"Do you want to get some dinner and maybe go for a walk?" he asked.

She gave him a funny look, "You want to go for a walk in Sunnydale… After dark?"

Michael had to choke back a laugh, "Yeah… What's wrong with that?"

Faith laughed while shaking her head, "I like the dinner part, but strolling around Sunnydale after dark… You are definitely not from around here…"

"You don't know the half of it…" Michael muttered under his breath.

"Huh? Did you say something?"

"I just said I'm not worried… You can protect me." Michael said quickly to cover his tracks.

"You bet I'll have to protect that sweet ass of yours…" Faith muttered to herself.

"Sorry I didn't catch what you said." Michael said smiling, but he'd heard every word because of his augmented hearing.

"I said dinner sounds nice… Where do you want to go?" Faith replied quickly.

"There's a pizza and pasta place around the corner… How does that sound?" Michael said knowing that pizza was one of her favorite foods.

"Sounds good…"

oOoOo

Faith and Michael found themselves walking slowly down the street after dinner. They were heading towards her apartment building as he had offered to walk her home. They were quite the pair—the tall imposing older guy walking with the young woman. Michael saw that they drew the occasional glances or looks from people they passed by, but it had never bothered him. He was used to being and looking different and right now he was enjoying himself. He could see that Faith didn't even notice the other people as they walked and talked—it was almost like it was with his Faith.

It was one of the reasons he loved Faith, she never noticed or pointed out that he was different—she treated him as a normal human being. Being with her made him feel normal, just like everybody else. When he was with her, he wasn't just a Spartan—he was a husband and a father. He had a family and a future—he was happy.

Michael had to mentally catch himself as he was moving into dangerous territory. A voice reminded him that this wasn't his Faith. His Faith was eleven years into the future. A future that he was changing right now.

oOoOo

Faith felt like she was in a dream. She still couldn't believe what was happening and how she was feeling.

If this is a dream… I don't want to wake up.

She looked at Michael and she knew that she had a real connection with him—unlike anything she had experienced before with anyone. She had always had trust issues with other people especially men. She always seemed to hook up with losers and they would eventually leave her or disappoint her, but this was completely different.

When she had looked into his eyes, she had felt drawn into them. She saw a mirror of herself there, but she also felt something else when she looked in his eyes. She felt safe and at peace—something she'd never felt before in her life.

When he had asked to walk her home. There was no talk about what would happen when they got there and Faith found herself really nervous. She knew that she wanted to be with him. Normally she would have just dragged him home and rode him until she was satisfied, but now she didn't want to come off as easy or slutty, she wanted something else.

As Faith and Michael walked together, they still talked but they also walked in a comfortable silence. They were like two pieces of a puzzle that had been missing and then finally found and put together as they should be. Almost without noticing they were holding hands as they walked down the street.

oOoOo

When they reached the entrance of her apartment building, Faith felt her stomach doing hand springs from her nervousness and anticipation. Even with the nervousness, she didn't want this evening to end. She didn't want the feelings she was experiencing to end.

"Ummm… This is my building… My apartment is upstairs…" Faith said trying not to show how nervous she was.

Michael found he was nervous too and he tried to hide it as well, "Yeah… I… I just want to say how much I enjoyed spending the day with you."

"Ditto… I didn't think I could have that much fun talking." she wanted to ask him if he wanted to come up to her place and have sex, but she surprisingly found that she didn't have the nerve to be so direct at that moment—which was so unlike her.

There was an awkward moment of silence between them. Each of them were lost in their own thoughts, feelings and desires.

Michael could read Faith's body language and he knew that it wouldn't take much for both of them to end up naked in her bed, but there was still that little issue of interacting with the timeline. He regained his focus and knew that he had to leave now, "I should be going Faith." he said with some "minor" reluctance.

"You sure you don't want to come upstairs?" Faith said trying not to seem too eager and with some disappointment in her voice.

It was hard for Michael to say no to her invitation, he was at war with himself. He needed some time to think and put things into perspective.

"Can we meet again?" he asked. He had asked the question without even thinking. At that moment he knew he was crossing a line that he knew he couldn't undo, but he was thinking with his heart now.

"I would like that… How can I get a hold of you?" Faith said with a mix of happiness and some disappointment with him leaving.

"We can meet at the coffee shop again tomorrow… 2pm?" he said.

A big smile formed on Faith's face as she nodded, "Yes."

"I have to go… Good night Faith." he said.

Faith found herself having mixed feelings. She was disappointed that the evening was ending and that he wasn't going to come upstairs with her, but she was also excited and happy that they were going to see each other again.

"Good night Michael." she replied.

Faith turned to go into her building, when she heard Michael say her name.

"Faith…"

Faith turned and before she could react or knew what was going on, she was in Michael's arms. It happened so fast, as she felt herself being lifted off the ground and his lips met hers. The kiss started slowly and then picked up in intensity and hunger. She felt like a surge of electricity was running through her body. She felt her emotions surge to a level she thought never existed for her.

The kiss seemed to last forever, but they finally parted and Faith found herself staring directly into Michael's eyes. She found herself unable to describe what she was feeling as her body still tingled from the kiss.

WOW! was all that she could think of at that moment.

Faith felt herself being gently lowered back down and then she watched Michael leave. She stood there rooted to the ground for some time as she tried to absorb and figure out everything she was feeling.

oOoOo

Michael left Faith at her building and quickly made his way through Sunnydale back to the warehouse. He was a powder keg of emotions and thoughts. Just kissing her made him feel like he was home again and he was trying to figure out where he was going with this and what was going to happen next.

He walked through the dark streets of Sunnydale trying to come up with a plan or a course of action. That's when his augmented hearing picked up the sounds of someone close by.

He changed directions several times to confirm he was being followed—he figured that there were at least three of them following him. It didn't take much for Michael to switch his mental state to combat mode and get ready. He estimated from the sounds of how fast they were approaching that they would try to attack soon.

oOoOo

Faith felt like she was floating as she went upstairs to her apartment. She couldn't believe how she felt after that kiss.

If that kiss is any taste… My head will probably explode when we have sex… Hmmm… I could live with that, she thought as a coy mischievous smile came to her face.

Faith made it to her apartment door and after several attempts, as her mind was still distracted, finally opened it and went in. As she entered she was startled as she was greeted by a voice.

"Had a busy day did you?"

Faith quickly regained her composure as she recognized Mayor Wilkins's voice. She turned to face the Mayor who had made himself comfortable and was sitting on a sofa in her apartment.

"Yeah… It was an eventful day… Shouldn't you have called first before coming over?"

"I did call… Several times in fact… I got worried and came over. I knocked and got no answer. I thought I should make sure you were okay." Wilkins replied using his parental tone of concern.

"Everything is five by five… Actually everything is better than that!" Faith said happily.

"Who was that man you were with?" Wilkins asked bluntly not wasting anytime.

Faith was a little shocked as she realized that the Mayor had been keeping tabs on her, "Are you having me followed?" she said getting a little angry.

"I'm worried about you and I just want to make sure that you're okay… Call it a little 'fatherly' concern… So tell me about this man?" the Mayor said dismissing her concerns.

Faith started smiling again as she recalled the day's events, "His name is Michael… We met at a coffee shop... We spent the day talking and we had dinner."

Mayor Wilkins arched his eyebrows in surprise as he could see Faith was gushing like a school girl.

"It seems like my little girl is smitten… Though I am concerned about who this man is… I hear he is quite a bit older than you." he said with some concern.

A chill ran through Faith's body as she started to get a bad feeling. Her smile started to fade.

Wilkins continued talking, "…You say you spent the day talking. What did you two talk about?"

Faith found herself hesitant to answer as the bad feeling she had was getting stronger, "We just talked about stuff… Michael wanted to know about me… He was interested and he listened to what I said."

"I'm sure he was…" the Mayor muttered.

"…Did he ask any questions about me or anything related to the work you do for me?" Wilkins asked.

Alarm bells were now going off in Faith's head as she heard the Mayor's questions and the tone in his voice.

"What did you do?" she asked with growing worry and concern.

The Mayor sighed as he saw the change in Faith's mood, "My dear… We are at a critical point in time… I'm happy to see that you have found someone, but the timing is suspect. This is no time to be distracted by any dalliances—"

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Faith yelled with anger and worry in her voice. A part of her knew what was happening, but she refused to admit it to herself.

"Please dear… Settle down… I'm making sure that there are no problems or loose ends that will interfere with my ascension." the Mayor said in a calm tone.

Faith felt her heart freeze at the realization of what was happening. She needed to stop it before it was too late. She started to turn and head out the door when the Mayor spoke again.

"You're too late… It's already been taken care of…" Wilkins said with a slight sad tone in his voice—which surprised him.

Faith turned angrily to face him, her eyes glistening with tears, "Why? Why would you do this to me?"

The Mayor stood up from the sofa walked by her towards the door to leave. He put his hand on the door knob to leave, just before he opened the door he paused, "Remember this is the path you chose… Everything that happens is a result of what you decided to do…" his voice sounded old, it was filled with a tone of weariness with a bit of sadness and regret.

Mayor Wilkins left Faith standing there. Tears ran down her face as she looked at the closed door as her mind tried to process everything that was happening—that she had just lost something very rare and precious in her life.

oOoOo

The vampire was on the ground and he was feeling a lot of pain and was disoriented. He along with two other vampires had been tasked with "removing" the man that was with Faith. They stalked the couple as they headed towards Faith's apartment. They watched them kiss and followed the man as he left her and started walking by himself. The vampires smiled amongst themselves thinking that this would be an easy kill as the stupid human had decided to walk through the darkest and deserted parts of Sunnydale.

They saw how big the man was and they figured he would resist, but he was only a normal human. What threat could he really be? They had thought about terrorizing this human and having some sport, but their orders had come from the Mayor and if anything went wrong, they would have to answer to him—they moved in for the easy kill.

The vampire on the ground was regaining his focus. His memory was sketchy, but he remembered they had surrounded the man and were about to attack and then it was all a blur. The vampire had never seen a human—even a Slayer move that fast. He remembered seeing his partners die in a cloud of dust and then everything went black and now he was on the ground. The vampire started to raise his head to sit up—stopping suddenly as he felt the sharp tip of a knife at his throat.

A voice at the end of the knife spoke, "Uh-uh… I've been told I'm a good listener… So I'm going to ask you some questions and then I'm going to listen while you talk… Do you understand me?"

The vampire found himself nodding very slowly as he felt the knife tip jab his throat. Suddenly a face appeared closer out of the darkness. The vampire saw the eyes of the man that they had been sent to kill. He had never seen eyes look like that before—it was like looking into the face of death.