Chapter Two: Fear

Giles looked up from his book as Buffy walked in with Faith.

He smiled but it was hesitant.

"Buffy...I didn't think you'd be in tonight."

Buffy gave him a small smile.

"Thought you would like to meet the new Slayer. This is Faith." She said, gesturing to the girl behind her.

Giles stood, looking at Faith.

Faith gave him a half hearted wave.

"Hey."

Giles nodded and looked from Buffy to Faith and back again.

"When did she-sorry-" He amended looking at Faith.

"-When did you arrive in Sunnydale?"

Faith looked at him.

"Last night. I only met B-I mean Buffy- tonight."

Giles nodded thoughtfully as he cleaned his glasses on the edge of his shirt.

"And you were called after Kendra died." He said but it wasn't a question. He was just getting things together in his head.

"And your watcher, Faith?"

"Dead."

Giles looked sympathetic.

"I am sorry to hear that."

Faith shrugged.

"Shit happens."

But they both knew that Faith was just being flippant to cover how she really felt.

"Yes, it does." Giles agreed, to make the other girl feel more at ease.

Still, Giles being the ever curious watcher, he wanted to know how Faith's watcher had died and he knew that it might make the other slayer feel uncomfortable reliving it but he had to know for his own records.

"Can I ask, Faith...just how did she-"

Buffy shot him a look.

"Giles."

His gaze flicked from Buffy to Faith and the dark haired girl just shrugged.

"No, it's cool. You wanna know how she died?" She guessed.

Giles gave her a small smile and nodded.

"Yes, it would help with...things."

Faith let out a breath and cracked her knuckles.

"There was this vampire. He's old, very old, and he killed her right in front of me and then came after me."

Giles raised an eyebrow and went to get a notebook which made Buffy roll her eyes.

"Do you know this vampire's name by any chance?"

Faith sighed and nodded.

"His name is Kakistos."

Giles wrote it down while Buffy gave Faith a sympathetic look.

It was then that Faith realised she should be honest about why she was here.

"Look guys I wanna be straight with you. I didn't come to Sunnydale to see Buffy-no offence B- but I'm running from this vamp. I figured I would be safer here where he has to come up against two slayers rather than just one. I thought maybe if he knew there were two of us, he wouldn't bother coming here."

Giles removed his glasses and looked at Faith.

"I am afraid that you are misguided if you think Kakistos won't come here, Faith. You scarred him, blinded him even. He will come looking for you. Two slayer or not."

Faith nodded and then turned back to the library doors.

"That's what I thought."

Buffy followed the retreating slayer.

"Faith, wait!"

But the other girl was already heading out of the school.

"Faith!"

Buffy hurried to catch up with her.

"Look, if he's coming we can fight him together."

Faith shook her head as she kept up her brisk pace.

"No, you don't get it B. He's coming for me and he's not gonna stop until I'm dead and maybe you too" She added with a backwards glance at Buffy.

Buffy reached out and grabbed Faith's arm, stopping the other girl from walking away.

"Why does he scare you so much? He's just a vampire."

Faith's eyes darkened.

"He's strong...way stronger than any I've ever fought before."

Suddenly two vampires appeard in front of them. They wore tunics of some kind and they looked more confident than any newly risen vampire usually did.

Buffy glared at them for interrupting her and Faith's conversation.

"Guys, now?"

"We are here for the slayer."

Buffy produced her stake.

"You always are." She said, her tone bored and uninterested.

Faith suddenly looked more frightened than she had been before and started backing up.

"No...they mean me. They work for him."

That was when the vampires charged, trying to get past Buffy to get to Faith who fought back with as much aggression as she could. She found that even though these vamps were skilled fighters, they were just like any other that she had fought before and not as powerful or strong as their master.

Faith knew by the way they presented themselves that these vampires were here on behalf of Kakistos.

One suddenly lunged and tackled Faith to the ground, his fangs coming dangerously close to her neck and she tried to push him off of her but her fear was getting in the way of doing what she had to do and as the vampire grabbed her wrist, her stake fell from her grip and she heard bone crack beneath the pressure of his grasp.

She cried out and his fangs touched the skin of her throat but before he could pierce the flesh, he turned to dust.

Faith opened her eyes to see Buffy standing above her, stake in hand.

She blinked and Buffy held out her hand. Faith dusted herself off and took Buffy's offered hand as she pulled the other slayer to her feet.

"Thanks, B."

Buffy smiled.

"No problem but you do realise that your fear could've got you killed just then?"

Faith nodded, looking ashamed of herself.

"I know...it won't happen again."

Faith then started walking again, only it seemed she was quicker this time.

Buffy frowned in confusion.

"Faith, you've got to get that wrist looked at."

She was holding it gently with her other hand as she walked.

"I know, I will. There's something I've gotta do first."

"And what's that?"

Faith stopped walking, turning back to look at Buffy.

"I have to get outta here."

Buffy shook her head.

"At least get your wrist checked first...please?" She tried.

Faith sighed.

"Fine but as soon as it's all bandaged up, I'm leaving Sunnydale."

...

Buffy sat with Faith in the emergency room.

The dark haired slayer tapped her boot impatiently.

"Ugh, feels like we've been here forever." Faith muttered under her breath.

Buffy snickered.

"It's only been 15 minutes. Sometimes you can be in here for an hour."

Faith sighed and rolled her eyes. She moved her arm and let out a small hiss through her teeth.

"Faith Lehane?"

Both of the slayers looked up and Faith stood with Buffy following her.

Faith stopped and turned around.

"You don't have to come in with me y'know."

Buffy shrugged.

"I wanna make sure you're ok."

Faith shrugged.

"Whatever."

Buffy followed her into one of the small rooms and took the seat in the corner while the doctor looked at Faith's wrist.

"It's a clean break, you're lucky." He said with a smile.

Faith's brow furrowed.

"Lucky?"

Buffy cleared her throat and Faith turned her head to look at her.

Buffy gave Faith a look that said not to be rude and the dark haired slayer licked her lips and kept her mouth shut.

"Well it could have been worse. We'll just bandage this up for you. It should heal in about six months time."

Faith couldn't help the smirk that appeared on her face or the chuckle.

The doctor frowned at her.

"Something funny?"

Faith suddenly looked serious.

"No. Nothing."

Buffy rolled her eyes.

They both knew their own powers. Slayers healed faster than any normal human.

The doctor stood and explained that he was going to get the dressing for her break. Then they would take her to another room where a proper bandage would be applied.

As soon as the doctor left the room, Faith let out a laugh and Buffy held one of her own back too.

When Faith had stopped laughing, Buffy looked at her.

"Are you really going to leave Sunnydale?"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah. I have to,B. I have to keep moving."

Buffy looked at her and she wanted to reach out and touch her hand sympathetically.

"If you stay, we can face him together. I promise we'll defeat him."

A promise wasn't good enough for Faith. She'd been promised too much in her life and it always lead to disappointment. No one ever followed through. No one was ever there when they said they would be. Everyone left. No one really stayed and she had learned to depend on no one but herself.

Faith shook her head.

"No, I gotta go. Sorry, B."

...

Both slayer went back to Faith's motel room and Buffy stood in the doorway as she watched her pack.

"Where will you go?"

Faith shrugged.

"Dunno. I'll find somewhere."

"He'll follow you. You know that right?"

"Yeah but as I said, I gotta keep moving."

Buffy stepped into the room and folded her arms.

"He won't stop. The only way this will end is with his death. You can't run from a vampire like him."

Faith turned around,a cocky grin on her lips.

"Maybe. Maybe not. I'll take my chances rather than face my own death."

She used her good arm to lift the bag from the bed and put it on the floor.

Buffy still wasn't giving up on her. Not yet anyway.

"Look, we'll talk to Giles. Maybe he knows something we don't."

Faith shook her head.

"I don't have time for that."

"Faith you can't leave!" Buffy exclaimed as the other slayer grabbed her bag and headed for the door.

Faith stopped and turned back to glare at her.

"You gonna stop me blondie?"

Buffy clenched her teeth.

"You can't run away from this."

"Why do you care? I'm no one to you. Just let me do what I gotta do and we're cool, ok?"

Buffy shook her head and stood in front of Faith.

Faith smirked.

"You wanna throw down, B? Cause even with a broken wrist I can still take you."

Buffy set her feet slightly apart, signalling that she was ready if Faith started throwing punches.

"We can fight him. Together." She tried again.

Faith stood up to her.

"I said, I'm going. Now step aside."

Before Buffy even had a chance to move, she was thrown backwards and Faith came face to face with Kakistos.

"Sorry...was I interrupting something?"

Faith's eyes widened as Buffy jumped to her feet and lashed out at the older vampire, making him hiss in pain and turn around to throw a punch at her before three other vampires appeared.

"Faith run!" Buffy shouted.

Faith hesitated before running out the door and past the fighting vampires.

Buffy held her own well but she went down and Faith stopped when she heard the other slayer let out a grunt and a hard sound that let her know she'd hit the asphalt.

She turned and found Kakistos standing right behind her.

Fear paralyzed Faith and she stood frozen to the spot.

"Hello Faith."

Buffy looked up, blood running from a cut on her forehead.

"Faith!"

The dark haired slayer looked at Buffy who tossed a stake to her.

Faith caught it and plunged it into Kakistos' chest.

He laughed and pulled it back out.

Faith stood back, watching as he tossed the stake to the side.

Buffy had killed the others and ran over to Faith, grabbing her arm, shouting at her to run and once she realised she could, she ran with Buffy, away from the vampire she feared most above all others.

But it wasn't over, not by a long shot.

Author's Note- If you're still with this story, thank you.