Chapter 27: Faith, Hope & Trick

September 20, 1998 – Sunday

Sunnydale Bus Terminal

The lights gleamed a sickly yellow ahead. she sat in the last seat, back to the wall, eyes always darting about in search of any threat. It was dark outside, after all, the whole world one big shadow. Sure, there was plenty of evil about when the sun was out, but it was easier to spot then. And it was only after dark that the nasties showed their ugly faces.

So, she stayed alert.

Yet somehow, when the brakes on the bus shrieked as they rolled into the lot at the terminal, she felt better, like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

The bus door hissed open and she waited until nearly everyone was off before she stood and slung her bag over her shoulder. Her eyes were wide as she stepped off the bus, ignoring the lustful gaze of the driver, who'd eyed her hungrily when she had gotten on.

She strode away from the bus to the front of the station and looked across the lot at the chain link fence and the town beyond it. A kind of electricity seemed to hum in the air, in the ground beneath her feet, in everything. The Hellmouth was not far away, she knew. It was like a magnet, drawing demons and other creatures of darkness from around the world.

"You look lost," a deep voice drawled behind her.

She turned to find a tall, ruggedly handsome guy in leather behind her.

Beyond him the bus was already pulling away to refuel and most of the passengers had either been picked up or had driven off in their own cars.

With a flirty grin, she shifted the bag on her shoulder. "I don't know. Looks like you've found me."

Mr. Rugged blinked, maybe a little surprised at her response, but then he smiled broadly. "Guess I have. You got a place to stay in town?"

"Nuh-uh." She shook her head, eyes seductively wide. She wet her lips with her tongue. "Maybe I could bed down with you?"

He actually laughed. "You know, I meet a lot of girls. But I don't meet a lot of girls like you. Walk with me to my car? I can hook you up. Maybe get you a job, too, if you need money."

"I'll bet you can," she told him as she followed him to the car while slipping a hand inside her bag.

He went to the passenger door and dug into a pocket for his keys. "What's your name?"

"Faith."

"Pretty."

"Yeah. Sucks, doesn't it? I wish it was something more, I don't know, imposing. Meaner. Like Kali or Shiva or something. Though I think Shiva was a male deity. Still, I like the sound of it. Know what Shiva was called?"

He unlocked the door, then turned to face her, expression a bit uncertain now. "Can't say I do."

Faith smiled sweetly. "Destroyer of worlds." Her left hand lashed out and gripped his throat and she slammed his back against the car, shattering a window.

His face underwent a savage metamorphosis, became more feral, his fangs protruding.

"Vampires," she said disgustedly. "I'm surprised any of you have the guts to hang around this town, what with the Slayer here. I'm guessing you're just stupid. Either that, or you're the bottom of the barrel and she hasn't had time to get around to you yet. I mean, come on, picking up runaways at the bus station? That's so … what's that friggin' word? Cliché? That's it. You're a cliché."

"But…but…" the vampire sputtered. "I've seen her. You're not her! Who the hell are you?"

"I told you," she snapped angrily. Then she head-butted him with a crack that echoed in the empty lot. "I'm Faith."

With a grunt, she thrust the stake through his heart and the vampire exploded in a shower of dust. Faith moved her head side to side, stretching her neck muscles, stiff from the long bus ride. She slipped the stake back into her bag and brushed vampire dust off her pants.

Then she turned and started to walk away from the station, into Sunnydale.

September 21, 1998 – Monday

Sunnydale High School

With a soft smile on her face, Buffy saw her friends coming across the lawn. It was great to see them. She felt so detached when they were in school and she wasn't and this had been a nice way to deal with that.

Over the weekend Joyce had taken Buffy shopping and got her a whole new wardrobe. So she decided to get dressed up for her friends, she wore a beige summer dress with a subtle floral pattern and a light shirt thrown over her shoulders. Sure, she got some looks from people who passed her by, but she didn't care in the slightest, she was just happy to finally be herself.

"Buffy!" Xander said amiably. "Banned from campus but not from our hearts. How are ya and what's for lunch?"

Buffy smiled as they all sat on the ground around her. "Oh, I just threw a few things together."

"When did you become Martha Stewart?" Cordelia said, impressed despite herself.

"First of all, Martha Stewart knows jack about hand-cut prosciutto," Buffy replied.

Xander nodded thoughtfully. "I don't believe she slays, either."

"I hear she can, but she doesn't like to," Oz put in.

Paying no attention to their remarks, Buffy went on. "Second of all, way too much time on my hands since I got kicked out of school." A bit sad, she glanced away as she sipped from a bottle of water.

"Oh, I know they'll let you back in," Willow told her.

"Don't you and your mom have a meeting with Principal Snyder?" Xander asked.

"We're seeing Snyde Man tomorrow," Buffy confirmed.

"Is that new?" Willow asked with a smile looking at Buffy's dress.

"Yep," Buffy answered. "Mom took me shopping, got me a new wardrobe. And we talked with the lawyers this morning. They said that changing the gender marker on my birth certificate will take my getting bottom surgery. But they said we can start the process for the name change though. I'll still have to put up with Rutherford till that goes through sadly though."

Willow spotted something of interest across the small park. "Ooh, Scott Hope at eleven o' clock," she pointed out.

Buffy turned to see Scott talking to some friends. With dark hair and a sweet smile, he was more than cute.

"He likes you," Willow told her. "He wanted to ask you out last year, but you weren't ready then. But I think you're ready now—or at least in the state of pre-readiness to make conversation or do that thing with your mouth that boys like—"

Buffy stared at Willow. "Yeah well, he might not be interested now," she pointed out. "It greatly depends on if he is gay or bi. Since I am no longer presenting as male, he may not be interested anymore."

Oz nodded. "Buffy makes a good point," he told them. "Being trans can be a big hurdle to relationships unless the person who is interested is okay with it." He then looked at Willow and smiled. "Like you are."

"I am," Willow agreed as she nuzzled into Oz.

Scott had walked away from his friends and was now moving in their general direction. As he passed, he looked over at Buffy with a shy smile. "Hi, Rutherford," he said as Buffy closed her eyes with a groan. "What?" he asked and then he took in her attire. "Oh." he admitted in realization. "I didn't know you were trans."

"It's okay," Buffy admitted sadly.

"Well then, let me introduce myself to the beautiful girl sitting in front of me," Scott said as he smiled at Buffy. "I'm Scott."

"Buffy," Buffy replied as she returned his smile. "I take it you're okay with my being…"

"I have no problem with anyone who is trans," Scott admitted. "I'm actually pansexual."

Buffy smiled shyly. "I'm bi."

"It was nice to meet you, Buffy," he said before heading on his way.

"I think that went very well," Willow said happily. "Don't you think that went very well?"

"He didn't try to slit our throats or anything," Cordelia said reasonably. "It's progress."

"Hey, did you do that little half-smile thing?" Willow asked Buffy.

"Look, I'm not trying to snare Scott Hope," Buffy replied, reluctant to burst her friend's bubble. "I just want to get my life back, y'know? Do normal stuff."

"Like date," Willow prodded.

"Well…" Buffy was about to argue the point when Xander cut in.

"Oh, you want to date," he said, mouth filled with picnic munchies. "I saw that half-smile, you little slut."

Buffy gave him a quick shot to the arm. The grin of amusement on Xander's face disappeared after a moment, a delayed reaction. "Ow," he protested.

"That said though," Buffy said looking at her friend. "I do want to date and shop and hang out and go to school and save the world from unspeakable demons. Y'know, I want to do girlie stuff."

Happy Burger

Night had fallen on Sunnydale, California by the time the long limousine with its blacked-out windows rolled into the parking lot. The fast-food restaurant's neon signs and plastic mascot were garishly bright. The near-silent limo cruised up to the hideous mascot and a voice came from the menu board behind it.

"Welcome to Happy Burger, can I take your order, please?"

In the dark recesses of the plush backseat of the limousine, Mr. Trick leaned slightly forward. "Diet soda. Medium."

"That'll be eighty-nine cents at the window, sir," the electronic voice came back.

Trick hit the button to roll up the tinted window and sat back into the soft seat again, aware as always of the ominous presence beside him. His eyes ticked right but he was reluctant to look at Kakistos for too long. His employer was far from easy on the eyes, never mind the sense of menace that exuded from him. Kakistos was a vampire, but far, far older and more powerful than Trick.

"Sunnydale," Mr. Trick said, glancing out the window again as the limo rolled up toward the takeout window. He looked at Kakistos and smiled. "Town's got quaint, and the people? He called me sir; don't you just miss that? Admittedly, it's not a haven for the brothers— strictly the Caucasian persuasion here in the 'Dale—but you just got to stand up and salute that death rate. I ran a statistical analysis and Hello Darkness. Makes D.C. look like Mayberry. And ain't nobody sayin' boo about it. We could fit right in here. Have us some fun."

Unamused, Kakistos leaned slightly forward, the leather seat crinkling beneath his shifting weight. The lights from Happy Burger shone on the pink scar that ran down the right side of his face. One of his heavy cloven hands rested on Trick's knee. "We're here for one thing," he rumbled.

Trick swallowed nervously. "Kill the Slayer, yeah. Still, big picture…"

In the takeout window, the Happy Burger employee was ready with Trick's soda. The vampire was glad for the interruption. He rolled the window down again and reached out to take his drink.

"Have a nice night, sir," the teenager said.

"Right back atcha," Trick replied, still pleased by the manners of the locals.

"The Slayer," Kakistos snarled, not yet ready to move on to another subject. "I'm going to rip her spine from her body, and I'm going to eat her heart and suck the marrow from her bones."

Trick sighed. "Now I'm hungry." His features shifted in an instant to the horrid countenance of the vampire. With a single motion he reached out of the limo and grabbed hold of the takeout guy's uniform shirt, then dragged him out screaming. Glass shattered as Trick hauled him into the backseat of the limo. As the limousine sped from the parking lot of the Happy Burger, he feasted on the polite young man's blood.

Buffy's Dreamscape

Buffy danced with Angel.

The music pounded out a subtle rhythm. She felt a tiny shudder go through her as a horrible suspicion crossed her mind. Buffy pushed it away. She needed the strength of his hands on her to be real, needed him with her.

Moving slowly with Angel, she glanced up at him sadly. Their foreheads touched as they nuzzled together just a bit.

"I miss you," she whispered.

Her hands moved down along his arms and her fingers twined with his.

The claddagh ring on her left hand slipped from her finger and hit the floor with a tinkling metallic sound. Slowly, Buffy and Angel both glanced down at it.

Angel reached down to pick it up. When his fingers touched it, he flinched. His gaze burned her like fire and guilt swept over her. He stared at her and she knew he remembered that she had run him through with a sword, sent him plunging through a portal into Hell eternal, in order to save the world.

Heart breaking, Buffy shook her head slowly. "I had to," she said weakly.

Angel crushed the ring in his right hand, the one upon which he wore its twin, and blood dripped from between his fingers.

"I loved you," he said, though his voice quavered with anger.

His white shirt blossomed with a spreading bloodstain, right at the spot where the sword had punched through his chest.

"Oh God, Angel," Buffy cried, reaching out for him.

"Go to Hell!" he snapped, furious.

Buffy glanced at the bloodstain again. Then she heard him chuckling softly, cruelly, and her gaze went back to his face.

A horrible face. Dead. Decaying. The rotting face of a corpse.

September 22, 1998 – Tuesday

Summers Home

Buffy's eyes flickered open. She sat up in bed, heart aching with the echoes of her dream, deeply troubled. It had all felt so real. But then again, the worst dreams always did.

She reached over and opened the nightstand drawer. Inside was the claddagh ring Angel had given her, hung from a chain. She pulled it out and was still staring at it when her mother rapped on the open door to her bedroom.

"Morning, Sunshine," Joyce said pleasantly. "Ready to face the Beast?"

Sunnydale High School

A short time later, Buffy and her mother sat in the office of the Beast—Principal Snyder—as the cantankerous, bitter man glared at them from his high-backed desk chair. Buffy reached out to pick up a silver, daggerlike letter opener from his desk and fiddled with it, a bit nervous.

"Here are the terms of your reentry, Mister…"

"Miss," Joyce corrected. "I believe you got the letter drafted by our lawyer on Buffy transitioning. And the court case pending to make that legal."

Snyder glared at the Summers matriarch. "Miss," he reluctantly corrected himself. "Anyways as I was saying the terms of your reentry…take 'em or leave 'em," he said, anger simmering beneath his words. "One, that you pass a makeup test for every class you skipped out on last year. Two, that you provide, in writing, one glowing letter of recommendation from any member of our faculty who is not an English librarian."

Snyder eyed the letter opener in Buffy's hands and rose from his chair. He continued to speak as he moved around his desk toward her. "Three, that you complete an interview with our school psychologist, who must conclude that your violent tendencies are under control." He snatched the letter opener from Buffy's hands and glared at her.

"I'm not sure I like your attitude, Mr. Snyder," Joyce said tersely. "I spoke to the school board and according to them—"

"I'm required to educate every juvenile who's not in jail where he…" the principal interrupted as Joyce narrowed her eyes at him dangerously, so again he reluctantly corrected himself, "…she belongs." He crossed the room and stared petulantly out the window. "Welcome back."

Buffy stood up and eyed him with amusement. "So, let me get this straight. I'm really back because the school board overruled you. Wow, that's like having your whole ability to do this job called into question, when you think about it."

Joyce stood up beside Buffy. "I think what my daughter's trying to say is, nyah nyah nyah nyah."

Satisfied, the two Summers women stood up and strode from Snyder's office.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

With the weight of her suspension gone and the fact she was socially transitioning, Buffy felt happier than she had in weeks. Even the fact that Giles had sent Willow to find her could not erase that good feeling.

Side by side, Buffy and Willow breezed along the hallways as if Buffy had never left. As they pushed through the doors into the library, Willow seemed almost happier than Buffy.

"It's so great that you no longer have to hide," Willow said.

"It is," Buffy agreed as she glanced around the library. They seemed to be alone. "Did Giles say what he wanted?" she asked. "Do you think he's mad?"

"No, I don't think so. I think he just needed to see you," Willow answered. "Have you ever noticed though, when he is mad but he's too English to say anything, he makes that weird 'cluck cluck' sound with his tongue?"

Willow grinned but did not notice Giles rise from behind the library checkout counter with a mortar and pestle and a bowl of some odd concoction. He had apparently been retrieving something from under the counter, but had clearly heard every word.

"Hi, Giles!" Buffy chirped awkwardly.

Eyes wide with surprise, Willow turned around. "Oh, hi. Been there long?"

Giles paid no attention to the question. "Buffy, good timing," he said absently. "First let me offer you my congratulations on beginning your transition."

"Thanks," Buffy said as she smiled at Giles.

"Second, I could use your help," he continued. "I trust you remember the demon Acathla."

"Giles, contain yourself," Buffy replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Yes, I'm back in school but you know how it embarrasses me when you gush, so let's just skip all that and get straight to work."

Caught off guard, Giles fumbled for a response. "Oh, ah, of course it's wonderful to have you back. That goes without saying. But you…enjoy making me say it, don't you?"

Buffy grinned. "Okay, Acathla, huh? What are ya doin'?" she asked, gesturing toward the mortar and pestle on the counter. "Making him some demon pizza?"

"We need to make sure he remains dormant, and that the dimensional vortex is sealed tight. So I'm working on a binding spell."

At the mention of a spell, Willow perked up. "Ooh, a spell, can I help?"

"Possibly with the research. It's a very sensitive—" he said.

"Who's more sensitive than me?" Willow asked in protest.

"—and difficult spell," Giles finished. "It involves a protective circle around…well, I don't want to bore you, but there's litany that one has to recite in Aramaic and it's very specific. So, I need to get a few details about your experiences in defeating Acathla and Angel."

Buffy felt a twinge of pain and guilt as she recalled her last moments with Angel and her dream from that morning. With a heavy heart, she looked up at Giles. "Fire away."

"I've put the time at about six-seventeen? About half an hour after Xander rescued me."

"Less. More like ten minutes."

"Was the vortex already open?"

"Barely." Buffy felt cold.

The Watcher's expression was troubled. "I see. And Angel?"

"Big fight. Angel got the pointy end of the sword. Acathla sucked him into Hell instead of the world. That's about it."

"Yes, well that, um, should be very helpful," Giles said softly.

With a flash of alarm, Buffy glanced at her watch. "Oh, no. I have to go take an English makeup exam." She paused at the door and looked back at them. "They give you credit for just speaking it, right?"

At the pitying looks she received from Giles and Willow, Buffy moaned and rushed off to her exam.

The Bronze

Despite her conversation earlier in the day with Giles, by the time Buffy hit the Bronze with Willow and Oz that night she was nearly giddy. Even the echo of her dream the night before could not taint her feeling that everything was going right for a change.

The Bronze was packed. Darling Violetta cranked out a sultry melody on the stage as people danced all around. Buffy had gotten drinks for the three of them and when she went back to the table, Willow and Oz were trading soft kisses.

"Don't let me interrupt," Buffy said with a smile.

"Are you—" Willow began, then turned to Oz. "Is she all a glow-y?"

Oz nodded. "I suspect happiness. In fact I bet I know the reason for it."

"I'm sure you do," Buffy agreed as she smiled at Oz. "Not having to hide is the best feeling in the world."

"It is," Oz agreed.

As if on cue, Scott Hope strolled up to their table. Willow grinned at him. "Hi, Scott, what are you doing here?" she asked.

Almost shyly, Scott shrugged. "You told me if I came after eight, I could run into Buffy," he replied, before focusing on Buffy. "I'm sorry, I'm a bad liar. It's not good for the soul. Or the skin, actually. It makes me blotch."

Though she felt awkward, Buffy was charmed by him. "Hi, Scott."

"Hi," he replied, obviously relieved. "Don't you love this song?"

"Uh, yeah. Actually, I do."

"Well, would you like to—"

"Dance?" Buffy finished for him, feeling a kind of panic rising in her. "I, uh…I don't know. I'm bad with, well…thank you for asking, it's just that…"

Scott took a breath. "Okay, you know what? I'm just going to go stand by the dance floor. If you change your mind you can mosey on over. And if not, then, you don't mosey. No harm, no foul, right?"

"Right," Buffy said sadly.

Scott walked off and Buffy looked over to see Willow staring at her.

"Come on, Buffy," Willow said. "I mean, the guy is charm. He's okay with you being trans. And he's normal, which you wanted to get back to."

"Plus, bonus points for use of the word mosey," Oz added.

Buffy knew they were right, but that didn't help. In some ways, it made her feel worse. "I just don't think I'm ready."

"What's stopping you?" Willow asked, concern in her voice.

Before Buffy could answer, Cordelia and Xander arrived to join them at the table.

"Check out the slut-o-rama and her Disco Dave," Cordelia said as she and Xander sat down. "What was the last thing that guy danced to, K.C. and the Sunshine Band?"

Buffy gazed out at the sea of bodies thrashing about on the dance floor of the Bronze. She identified the objects of Cordelia's scorn immediately.

The girl was a handful and a half, dressed in a tight, belly-baring black tank and leopard print pants that were even tighter. She danced the way she dressed, like something wild.

Buffy had to tear her eyes off the girl, who she at least from the back found attractive, and looked toward the guy. If she didn't know better, she would have guessed his hideous brown-and-beige shirt and pants were polyester. He danced like he'd just seen Saturday Night Fever for the first time. She frowned as she watched him. And then she knew.

Like the girl, he danced and dressed like what he was. A child of the seventies. But he still looked no more than nineteen.

Which meant only one thing.

Vampire.

"I don't think that guy thrives on sunshine," she said.

Even as she came to that realization, the vampire and his wild girl left the dance floor and headed for the exit. Buffy sprang up from the table instantly and followed them. As she crossed the club, headed for the door, she found Scott Hope at the edge of the dance floor, waiting for her, just as he'd said he would.

"Hi," he said hopefully, a broad smile on his face.

"Hi," Buffy replied. Then, realizing he thought she'd come to dance with him, she fumbled. "Oh. No, I have to—"

A hurt look in his eyes. "Oh. Sorry. My bad."

"No. It's mine. Really, it's mine. But I have to go—" She felt awful, but she strode past him and out the door of the Bronze.

Willow and the others weren't far behind.

The five of them stood out in front of the club and looked around at the shadows and dark alleys nearby, but no one was in sight.

"Where'd she go?" Buffy asked.

Cordelia grumbled. "I bet it's nothing. They're probably just making out."

From off to the right they heard a shout and a commotion, like a struggle going on.

"That's not what making out sounds like," Willow said as they all ran toward the source of the noise. "Unless I'm doing it wrong."

Stake in hand, Buffy led the group around a corner into an alley just in time to see the wild girl drive the vampire to the ground with a powerful side kick. The girl's raven hair flew as she turned toward them, and Buffy's heart began to race. She found the girl just as attractive from the front as she had from the back. When the girl saw them, she smiled and sauntered over.

"It's okay, I got it," she said, as though fighting vampires were the simplest thing in the world. "You're Rutherford, right?"

Buffy let out at groan. "Buffy," she corrected.

"Sorry," the girl admitted. "The Prof told me you were trans but she never informed me of your preferred name."

The vampire leaped from the ground and lunged at the girl from behind. It grabbed her, but she rammed her head back to smash into its face.

"I'm Faith."

Buffy smiled. 'A pretty name to go with a beautiful girl,' she thought to herself.

Faith grabbed the vampire's arm, twisted, and slammed it into a chain link fence.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say there's a new Slayer in town," Oz observed dryly.

With a cold brutality, Faith battered the vampire. She reached out to grab the stake in Buffy's hand. "Can I borrow that?"

"Be my guest," Buffy answered letting Faith have the stake.

Another two hard blows and Faith slammed the bloodsucker back up against the fence, then staked it. The vampire exploded into dust. She turned and smiled at them as she handed the stake back to Buffy.

"Thanks, B. Couldn't have done it without you."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

After Faith dusted the vampire, they had all come back into the Bronze and managed to score another table. Now the entire gang was gathered around listening to Faith ramble about her exploits, hanging on her every word. Buffy couldn't help staring at Faith. She knew she hadn't felt this way since Angel and she liked the feeling.

"The whole summer it was like the worst heat wave," Faith was saying. "So, it's about a hundred and eighteen degrees and I'm sleeping without a stitch on. And all of a sudden, I hear this screaming from outside. So, I go tearin' out—stark nude—and this church bus has broken down and there's these three vamps feasting on half the Baptists in South Boston. So, I waste the vamps and the preacher comes up and he's hugging me like there's no tomorrow when all of a sudden, the cops pull up. They arrested us both."

Xander gaped at her in undisguised admiration. "Wow! They should film that story and show it every Christmas."

Buffy glanced at Xander as if to say, 'Lay off, she's mine.'

Faith picked up a roll from the table and started nibbling at it. "God, I could eat a horse! Isn't it crazy how slaying just always makes you hungry and horny."

Buffy felt her friends staring at her, waiting for her response to Faith's bold declaration. "Not the way you do, obviously, but yes."

"Ooh, I bet we could swap some stories," Faith said as she winked at Buffy.

"I get it!" Cordelia said suddenly. This time they all looked at her, and she scowled in disgust. "Not the horny thing. Yuck. But the two Slayer thing? There was one, and then Buffy died for like two minutes so then Kendra was called. Then when she died, Faith was called."

Willow frowned. "But why were you called here?"

"I wasn't," Faith explained. "My Watcher, I call her The Prof since she's a professor at Cambridge, went off to some retreat thing in England, and so I skipped out. I figured this was my big chance to meet the infamous Buff and compare notes." She turned her attention to Buffy. "So, B, did you really use a rocket launcher one time?"

Buffy shrugged; a bit self-conscious. "Yeah, actually, it's a funny story—"

"So, what was the story about that alligator?" Xander interrupted. "You said something before."

"Oh, there's this big daddy vampire out of Missouri who used to keep 'em as pets. So, he's got me rasslin' one of 'em, the thing must've been twelve feet long—"

Enthralled, Xander gazed at Faith. "Now, was this also naked?" he asked as Buffy glared daggers at him.

Faith winked at Buffy flirtatiously before turning her attention to Xander. "Well, the alligator was…"

Beside him, Cordelia had her arms crossed as she too glared daggers at him. "Xander, find a new theme."

"I'll tell ya, I never had more trouble than that damn vamp," Faith said idly. Then her attention was back on Buffy. "So, what about you? What was your toughest kill?"

Buffy blinked. Though the intention of Faith's question was obviously something else entirely, her mind again went to Angel, to the moment in which she had run him through with that gleaming sword. She shook it off, and tried to think of something else. "Well, y'know they're all difficult, I guess. Oh, do you guys remember the Three? That's right, you never met the Three. Well, there were three—"

"Something occurring," Oz drawled. "Now, you both kill vamps and who could blame you, but I'm wondering about your position on werewolves."

Faith raised her eyebrows.

"Oz is a werewolf," Willow added, before Faith could respond.

"He got bit," Buffy added. She looked toward Oz. 'Do you tell people if your trans?' she mouthed.

Oz met Buffy's gaze and shook his head, 'Not usually,' he mouthed.

Faith glanced between Buffy and Oz when she noticed the silent conversation going on between them. Then she turned her attention directly toward Oz. "Hey, as long as you don't go scratching at me or humpin' my leg, we're five by five, y'know?"

"Fair enough," Oz replied.

Faith then grinned at Buffy. "The vamps, though, they better get their asses to Def-Con One. 'Cause you and I are gonna have fun, y'know? Watcher-less and fancy free."

Buffy frowned. "Watcher-less?"

"Didn't yours go to England, too?"

September 23, 1998 – Wednesday

Sunnydale High School

Giles stood with his back to them, a sense of melancholy radiating from him. With a sigh, he turned to face them. "There is a Watchers' retreat every year in the Cotswolds. It's a lovely spot, very serene. There's horse riding and hiking and punting, and lectures and discussions. It's quite an honor to be invited. Or so I'm told." He gazed off at nothing, a sadness in his eyes.

"Ah, it's boring," Faith put in. "Way too stuffy for a guy like you."

Buffy stared at her as though she were mad. "Um, maybe I should introduce you again. Faith, this is Giles."

Faith nodded appreciatively. "I seen him. If I'd'a known they came that young and cute I'd've requested a transfer."

Horrified, Buffy turned to Xander and Willow, who sat on the study table in the center of the library. "Raise your hand if eww."

"Well, leaving for the moment the question of my youth and beauty, I would say it's fortuitous that Faith arrived when she did," Giles said, a bit flustered by Faith's attention.

"Ah-hah!" Willow exclaimed. When they all looked at her, she seemed to deflate a bit. "Sorry, I just meant—ah-hah! There's big evil brewing. You'll never be bored here, Faith, because this is Sunnydale, home of the big brewing evil."

Giles retrieved a newspaper from the counter behind him and handed it to the two Slayers. "Yes, well, I don't know how big an evil it is, but two people have disappeared from the Sunset Ridge district."

Together, Buffy and Faith glanced at the article. After a moment, Buffy looked up at her Watcher. "Well, I'm good for patrolling," she said. "Lateish, though. I promised Mom I'd be home for dinner." She then turned to Faith. "To which you're invited, of course," she said hopefully.

"Dying to meet the fam. I'm in," Faith said pleasantly.

"Great," Buffy replied happily. "Then we can patrol."

"Hey, don't you have that health science makeup?" Willow asked suddenly.

"Oh, yeah, actually. I could use a little coaching—" Buffy began.

Willow did not hear her, though. Her focus was on Faith. "Y'know, you can hang with us while she's testing. You wanta?" she asked.

"Say yes and bring your stories," Xander prodded.

"You guys go," Buffy said reluctantly.

"Are you sure?" Faith asked looking Buffy in the eye.

"Like Willow said I have a makeup test to take," Buffy admitted. "No reason for you to sit waiting in here all day."

"Okay," Faith agreed. She gave Buffy a tiny wave and a flirtatious wink. "Hey, later." Then she pointed at Giles. "We'll talk weapons."

Buffy sat at the study table and watched them all go. A moment later Giles came to lean against the table.

"This new girl seems to have a lot of zest," the Watcher observed.

"Yeah," Buffy agreed. "Do you think she's…"

"I don't know," Giles admitted knowing exactly what Buffy was thinking. "That is something you will have to find out for yourself." Then he frowned. "Oh, I've been having a little problem with the binding spell for Acathla. I'm lacking the requisite details to perform it correctly. Now, the physical location: Acathla was facing south?"

Though that night was her least favorite subject, Buffy drew a tiny diagram on the table with her finger. "Uh-huh. Acathla. Angel. Me. Sword."

"See, that's what I thought, but—"

Buffy stood up abruptly. "Giles, look, I've got makeup tests to pass, missing people in Sunset Ridge, and dinner with a zesty new Slayer. Next time I kill Angel I'll video it."

She slipped on her backpack and left the library as if running away from something.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Buffy came down the stairs at a trot when she spotted Willow, Xander and Cordelia standing in the hall. "Well, I'm two for two with the makeup tests," she said. "Proud, yes, but also humble in this time of…we're looking at what?"

Across the hall, she spotted Faith flirting and laughing with Scott Hope. A sick feeling burned its way through her.

"Does anyone believe that is her actual hair color?" Cordelia asked cattily.

Willow, on the other hand, seemed pleased. "I haven't seen him laugh like that. Hey, maybe Faith and Scott could hit it off." When she glanced at Buffy, however, Willow's smile disappeared. "That is, if you're done with him." She thought about what she said and her expression became even more crestfallen. "Not that you used him …"

Without answering Buffy turned and strode over to where Faith was still flirting with Scott. "Hey," she said.

"Hey, Buffy," Scott said amiably. "Faith has been telling me tall tales."

"She's funny," Buffy deadpanned. "And she's leaving. We have to go."

"Oh. Bye," Scott said.

As Buffy dragged her away, Faith leaned over to her. "He's a cutie," she said.

Abandoned Firehouse

Vampires lit candles, swung iron censers filled with incense, and chanted the name of their dark lord. Mr. Trick was not at all fond of his employer's choice of lairs. He would have been much happier at a luxury hotel. But elder vampires—the old-timers, as he thought of them—had a taste for doing things the old-fashioned way.

Though there were many candles, the overhead lights still worked in the firehouse. They shone down upon the master vampire's scarred face. Kakistos glanced up as Trick approached.

"Mr. Trick," Kakistos rasped as the vampire strode past the parked limousine toward him. "Talk to me."

"Check this out," Trick replied excitedly. "This town. This very street. Wired for fiber optics. We jack in a T-3, twenty-five hundred megs per, we have the whole world at our fingertips. All I'm saying is, we stay local, where the humans are jumping and the cotton is high, but we live global. You got the hankering for the blood of a fifteen-year-old Filipina? I'm on the Net and she's here the next day, express air."

Kakistos was unimpressed. An animal rumbling sound rolled from his throat as he spoke. "I want the blood of the Slayer."

Trick sighed. "On that note, there's good news and bad. Rumor has it that this town already has a Slayer, which makes two. I'm not sure how that happens."

With a growl, Kakistos surged from his chair and stood glaring with his one good eye and the white, scar-crossed one, down at Mr. Trick. "I don't care if there are a hundred Slayers!" he snapped. "I'll kill them all!" With the thumb of one of his hideous, cloven hands, he pointed toward the scar. "She's going to pay for what she did to me."

Grimly, Trick nodded. "Yeah, she is. I'm running a computer check on every hotel, rooming house and youth hostel in town."

There was a knock at the door. In response, Trick walked over to a table and slipped on a huge rubber glove left over from the days when the place was still an operational firehouse.

"Meanwhile," he told Kakistos, "as soon as the sun goes down, we're out in force."

Another knock, and Trick sauntered toward the door. He glanced at the other vampires around him. "Food's here, boys."

He opened the door, his hand protected from the harsh sunlight by the glove. Outside, a delivery man held a pizza box.

"Hey," the man said. "You guys order a—"

Trick reached out and hauled him inside. He threw the man down and then fell upon him, fangs bared. The pizza lay to one side, forgotten. The others would have a taste after Trick was through.

Summers Home

In the dining room Joyce served dinner to her daughters and Faith. It had come as a bit of a shock to her that there was another Slayer, but then, there was very little about what Buffy did that Joyce didn't find shocking.

"So, you're a Slayer too," Joyce said as she served the squash. "Isn't that interesting? Do you like it?"

"I love it," Faith replied without hesitation.

"Um, Mom?" Buffy ventured, indicating the unpassed squash.

"Just a second, honey," Joyce said, fascinated by what Faith was saying.

Dawn took the squash and dished up her own and then passed it to Buffy who smiled at her in appreciation.

Joyce put some broccoli on Faith's plate as well. "You know, Buffy never talks that way. Why do you love it?"

Faith shrugged. "Well, when I'm fighting it's like the whole world goes away and I only know one thing; that I'm going to win and they're going to lose." She smiled. "I like that feeling."

Buffy took and place a helping of French fries and put it onto her plate.

Joyce saw that Faith's glass was empty. "Oh, Faith. Can I get you another soft drink?"

"Oh, you bet," Faith said gratefully.

As Joyce walked into the kitchen, she heard a short exchange between the girls.

"She's really cool, huh?" Faith commented.

"Best mom ever," Buffy and Dawn agreed.

Joyce smiled to herself as she pulled a bottle of soda out of the refrigerator and began to refill Faith's glass. A moment later, Buffy walked in.

"I like this girl, Buffy," she told her daughter.

"So, do I," Buffy admitted.

Joyce looked at Buffy with a raised eyebrow in understanding. "You mean like as in like, like?" she said.

"I think so," Buffy admitted. "I just don't know which way she swings. Or if she would even be interested in dating someone who is trans."

Joyce patted her daughter's arm in comfort. "That must be hard," she admitted sadly.

"It is," Buffy said sadly.

"Well, there is only way to know how she feels, ask," Joyce told her daughter. "That said, she definitely loves slaying. It made me wonder if she could take over for you?"

"Mom, no one can take over for me."

"But you're going to college next year. I think it would great if—"

Buffy glanced away. "Mom, the only way you get a new Slayer is when the old Slayer dies."

The words hit Joyce hard. Her mind reeled as she tried to make sense of them, put them in context. Her eyes widened as she stared at her daughter. "But then that means you—" Shock turned to a bit of pique. "When did you die? You never told me you died."

"A year ago," Buffy informed her mother sadly. "I was fighting a vampire. He bit me and then tossed me into a pool of water and drowned me. Dawn, who had snuck out of the house, followed me and pulled me out of the water, then Xander arrived and he did CPR. I was only gone for like a minute or so."

"Oh, I hate this," Joyce said, pacing the kitchen. "I hate this part of your life. I know you didn't choose being the Slayer and Dawn didn't choose being a Potential. I know it chose you both. I have tried to march in the Slayer Pride Parade, but …" Her heart broke as she looked at her daughter. "I don't want you to die."

Buffy wrapped her arms around her mother and Joyce held on tight. "I'm not going to die," Buffy promised. "I know how to do my job. Besides I've got help now."

They looked out into the dining room to see Faith talking with Dawn.

Streets of Sunnydale

Hours after dark, when the streets were far too quiet and the breeze rustling a trash bag might turn out to be a creature of darkness, Buffy and Faith patrolled a particularly unpleasant area filled with warehouses and businesses long since closed for the night.

"Didn't we do this street already?" Faith asked, glancing around.

"Funny thing about vamps. They'll hit a street even after you've been there. It's like they have no manners." Though she was distracted by how attractive Faith was, Buffy stayed on alert, peering into every shadow they passed.

"Well," Faith said idly, "you've been doing this the longest."

"I have," Buffy agreed. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"I'm just wondering which way you swung," Buffy admitted.

"I consider myself bi, but I prefer girls," Faith admitted. "Why, you interested, B?"

"And if I am?" Buffy asked.

"We will just to see where things go," Faith admitted with a flirtatious wink as they glanced around for vampires. "Who knows it might be able to help with the Angel thing."

Buffy froze and stared at her. "What do you know about Angel?"

"Just what your friends tell me. Big love, big loss. That you ought to deal and move on, but you're not."

Buffy sighed as she looked down. "That's not easy to do," she admitted sadly. "Not when he plagues my dreams." Then she spotted a quartet of nasty-looking vampires rushing up from behind Faith. "We got company."

Faith dove to the side as Buffy knocked the first vampire to reach her off his feet with a single, swift blow to the gut. A second was upon her immediately and she battered him with a flurry of punches, then spun him around hard, sending him reeling.

Faith slammed a trash can down over the head of the third one.

The first one Buffy had struck attacked again, but she drove him to the ground and punched a stake through his heart. He exploded into a cloud of dust even as the other grabbed her from behind and hurled her against a fence. She leaped up and as he rushed toward her, she snapped a hard side kick up at him, the power of which knocked him back onto the metal top of a dumpster.

Faith traded blows with the fourth one nearby. The vampire got in a solid punch, but Faith shook it off easily. "My dead mother hits harder than that," she snarled at him as she flung him to the ground. She leaped on top of the vampire and began to pummel him with blow after savage blow.

The one Faith had used the garbage can on was free, and Buffy now had two vampires to deal with. She flipped one hard onto the ground, then glared at the other Slayer. "Faith, stake him already and give me a hand!" she snapped.

But Faith just kept punching, her fist splitting the skin on the vampire's face and drawing blood. Before Buffy could shout at her again, she was surprised from the side by one of the other vamps. Buffy was dragged to the ground, pushed onto her face, and in a heartbeat, they were behind her, and she was vulnerable.

"Yeah, this is me, you undead bastard!" Faith cried out in fury that sounded almost like she was in pain.

Meanwhile, Buffy really was in pain. The vampires were holding her down, and one of them lowered its fangs toward the back of her neck.

"For Kakistos we live," the other snarled. "For Kakistos, you die!"

A broken board was just inches beyond Buffy's reach. Impossible, frustrating inches.

"Faith!" she shouted.

But Faith was lost in the violence, lost in the blood on her fist and the pain she was inflicting on the vampire beneath her. Help was not coming. Buffy could not reach the splintered board, and she felt a spatter of cold saliva on the back of her neck as the vampire spread wide its jaws.

With a burst of strength that surprised even her, Buffy dragged herself forward the last few inches to the shattered length of wood that lay on the pavement in front of her. Her fingers gripped it, and she used it to bat away the vampire that had hovered over her neck, savoring the anticipation of her blood.

The wood struck its skull with a satisfying crack, driving the thing back and away from her. Now that she had some leverage, Buffy bucked the other one away, sprang to her feet, and easily dusted first one, then the other.

Furious at Faith, she turned to see that the other Slayer, who had gotten the best of the last vampire nearly a full minute earlier, was still hammering away with her fist at its face, pounding its flesh into a ragged mess.

"You! Can't! Touch! Me!" Faith sneered at the vamp, punctuating each word with another blow.

Mind reeling at the sight, and deeply troubled, Buffy tore Faith off the vampire and quickly staked it. Dust swirled away in a light breeze that swept across the pavement.

Buffy spun and glared at Faith. "What is wrong with you?"

Faith winced, frowned at her. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you living large on that vampire," Buffy snapped.

"Gee, if doing violence to vampires upsets you, I think you're in the wrong line of work." Faith was cocky, almost sneering.

"Yeah, and maybe you like it a little too much."

Suddenly Faith's attitude shifted. From cocky, she became angry. "I was getting the job done."

"The job," Buffy said sternly, "is to slay demons. Not beat them to a bloody pulp while their friends corner me."

Faith crossed her arms, lips pursed. "I thought you could handle yourself."

Then she shrugged and walked off, leaving Buffy to stare after her in anger and astonishment.

September 24, 1998 – Thursday

Sunnydale High School

Buffy related the previous night's events to Giles, who had a stack of books under one arm and a cup of tea in the other. Much to her chagrin, the Watcher did not seem nearly as disturbed by Faith's actions as she was.

"What you must realize, Buffy, is that you and Faith have totally different temperaments," Giles explained, as the two of them strolled side by side down the school corridor.

Buffy shot him a look. "Yeah, and mine's the sane one. Faith's not playing with a full deck, Giles. I'm sure something is wrong. And you always told me to trust my instincts. She nearly got us both killed. Faith needs help."

Giles took a sip of his tea and slowed just a bit. "I'll see if I can reach her Watcher at the retreat. They're…" He glanced at his watch, nearly spilling his tea in the process. "…eight hours ahead now." His eyes grew distant. "Yes, they're probably sitting down to a nightcap. I wonder if they still kayak. I used to love a good kayak. You see, they don't even consider—"

Buffy stared at him.

"Sorry, I digress," the Watcher murmured. "The vampires that attacked you. Can you furnish me with some details that might help me trace their lineage? Ancient or modern dress? Amulets? Cultish tattoos?" He took another sip from his cup.

"No tats. Crappy dressers," Buffy thought about it for a moment. "Oh. The one that nearly bit me mentioned something about kissing toast. He lived for…" she took a moment to work the name of the vampire in her mind to make sure she said it correctly, "…Kakistos." Then she noticed the alarmed expression on the Watcher's face.

Giles rushed into the library.

Buffy raised an eyebrow as she followed him into the library, Giles was moving around like a man with a mission. He went into his interior office to retrieve a book. "Kakistos is Greek," he explained urgently. "It means the worst of the worst. It's also the name of a vampire so old that his hands and feet are cloven."

He brought the book to the checkout counter and began to riffle through pages, obviously searching for some kind of reference on Kakistos. Buffy frowned as she watched him, thoughts clicking into place in her head like pieces of a puzzle.

"Now, this guy shows up two days ago, right?" Buffy ventured. "Right around the time Faith makes the scene."

Giles looked up from the book, a thoughtful expression on his face. "You think he and Faith are connected."

Buffy leaned on the counter. "Giles, you've told me to trust my instincts on more the one occasion. Yes, it could be a coincidence, but something is telling me it's not. Get her Watcher on the phone. I'm going to talk to Faith, see if Kakistos rings a bell. Or an alarm."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Buffy felt driven to figure out what was going on as soon as possible. With that purpose pushing her on, she pushed out of the library and marched down the hallway, intent upon finding Faith. She almost didn't notice Scott until he was right up beside her.

"Hi."

"Scott …"

"How are you?" he asked, a bit of nervousness in his voice.

"Uh, okay. Y'know, I gotta—"

"I know, be somewhere else, right? Think of this as my last-ditch effort. I realize that one more is going to qualify as stalking. I've given a lot of thought—some might say too much thought—to…to how I might be a part of your life. It begins with conversation. We all know this. Maybe over a cup of coffee, or maybe at the Buster Keaton festival playing on State Street all this weekend."

Buffy looked at him for a long moment debating with herself. Should she put her dating life on hold and try and see if Faith would eventually warm up to the possibility of a relationship with her. Or should she give Scott a try? "You know," she finally said, with a tiny nod and a half-smile, "come to think of it, I don't think I've given a fair chance to…Buster Keaton. I…like what I've seen of him so far. I think it might be time to see a little more."

Scott's smile reached his eyes, which sparkled with delight. "Keaton is key," he said happily. "Oh, um, I got you a little present." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small white box. "A guy in the retro shop said that it represents friendship. That's something I would very much like to have with you."

Scott handed her the box, and Buffy looked at it warily. She opened it.

Inside was a claddagh ring, almost identical to the one Angel had given her, the one that had meant so much, the one that reminded her of the love she had been forced to betray, to destroy.

"You like?" Scott asked hopefully.

Buffy recoiled as though physically wounded, dropping the ring and box to the ground. "I can't," she said, shaking her head. "I can't do this."

Coming down the hall, Giles witnessed her distress, and walked quickly over to where she and Scott stood. Scott knelt to retrieve the ring and the box, then looked at Buffy sadly. "Okay," he said. "I get the message." He walked off, leaving her standing there staring at the floor.

"Are you all right?" Giles reached out to comfort her but Buffy flinched and drew away from him.

Eyes wet with unfallen tears; Buffy looked up at him. "Oh, Giles. No, not even remotely. Till I knew where Faith and I stood, I thought I shouldn't put my dating life on hold. So, I agreed to a date. He was going to give me a ring, like the one Angel gave me."

"Oh," Giles said in sympathy.

"Anyways did you reach the retreat?" she asked.

Grimly, he nodded. "Yes, I did."

"What did her Watcher say?"

"Her Watcher is dead."

Sun Spot Motel

In the stale-smelling motel room she had found upon first arriving in town, Faith and the motel manager faced off across the stained carpet. The guy was an unshaven, stinky mess in a white tee shirt, but he seemed to have a decent heart. Or, at least, a soft spot for wild girls.

"Room's eighteen dollars a day. That's every day," he reminded her.

"Yeah, I know," she told him. "I'll get it to you by tomorrow, I swear."

He sighed. "It's not like I own the place."

Faith smiled coquettishly. "Bet you will someday."

The manager rolled his eyes, surrendering to her. "Not if I listen to broads like you." He turned to go just as Buffy stepped through the open door. When he spotted her, he gave Faith a hard look. "Roommates are extra."

"I'm just visiting," Buffy assured him.

The manager glanced at Faith again, but she only shrugged. He walked out and Buffy shut the door behind him.

Faith did not miss the sad, dark expression on Buffy's face. "What brings you to the poor side of town?" she asked.

"Cloven guy," Buffy said, fixing her with a piercing stare. "Goes by the name Kakistos."

Faith felt her pulse begin to race, her heart beating faster even as her eyes went wide and a sick chill roiled in her gut. "What do you know about Kakistos?"

"That he's here."

Faith felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. Panic surged through, and all the fear she had buried so deep came rushing back out as if it had been just waiting for this opportunity. And she knew it had.

Buffy realized in that instance she had been right, there had been something that had hurt Faith and badly. "What did he do to you?" she asked.

Faith glanced around the room, calculating how long it would take her to grab her few things, and how far away she could be by morning. "It's what I did to him," she admitted. Then she grabbed her bag and started to pack.

"And what was that?"

Scrambling, shoving stuff into her bag, Faith ignored her. But Buffy would not be put off. "Faith, you came here for a reason. I can help."

"You can mind your own business. I'm the one who can handle this," Faith replied.

"Yeah, you're a real badass when it comes to packing. What was that you said about my problem? You got to deal and move on? Well, you have the moving-on part right here. What about dealing? Is that just something you're going to dump on me?"

Frenzied now, trying to keep the panic out of her voice, Faith rounded on Buffy. "You don't know me."

"I would like to though," Buffy interjected.

"You don't know what I've been through," Faith said ignoring Buffy's comment. "I'll take care of this, all right?" Her bag packed, she started for the door.

"Like you took care of your Watcher?" Buffy prodded.

Faith froze, despair stopping her in her tracks. Buffy's words were like a dagger in her heart. Slowly, feeling helpless, she turned to stare at Buffy.

"He killed her, didn't he?"

Faith's response was little more than a whisper. "They don't have a word for what he did to her."

Buffy took one large step to Faith's side and pulled the other Slayer into her arms. "I know what its like to be alone," she admitted whispering into Faith's ear. "You are not alone."

A knock came at the door. Faith started, and swore under her breath as she broke from Buffy's embrace. She put her eye to the peephole. The manager was standing on the doorstep again. "What now?" she muttered in frustration.

"I know what it's like to run from your problems," Buffy continued. "I ran from mine back in May. But I couldn't run far enough and, in the end, I came back."

Faith opened the door. Kakistos stood outside with several of his vampire lackeys. He held the manager by the back of the neck with one powerful hand. At the sight of his horrible visage, the scarred countenance that had haunted her day and night, all the breath went out of her. Faith stared at him, eyes wide with horror.

The manager slumped to the ground, dead.

Then Kakistos spoke her name.

Faith was frozen. Maybe she still thought Kakistos couldn't come in. Maybe she was just afraid. But when the scarred vampire reached in and gripped her by the throat, choking her, beginning to crush her windpipe, Faith barely fought back.

Buffy lunged for the door and shoved it with all her extraordinary strength. Finally, Faith beat at Kakistos's grip and freed herself. Again, Buffy slammed the door on his arm and Kakistos withdrew. Desperate, she turned the flimsy lock and slid the chain across the door.

"No," Faith muttered, almost shuddering with fear. "No."

"It's okay," Buffy told her. "I just bought us a little—"

Kakistos punched a huge, cloven fist through the door, sending shards of wood flying.

"—time."

Faith screamed now. "No!" she cried, as though she could deny it all, pretend it wasn't happening. She began to collapse onto the filthy carpet. This isn't happening!

"Scream later!" Buffy snapped at her as Kakistos battered at the door. "Escape now!" Her tone roused Faith from the dark images in her head, images of Faith's Watcher.

Buffy raced across the room, picked up a chair and hurled it through the window. Glass showered out into the alley below. Even as Kakistos kicked the door off its hinges, Faith leaped out the window and Buffy followed an eyeblink later.

Abandoned Firehouse

Together they ran, side by side, down the alley to a T-junction. There were warehouses and other businesses all around. Buffy did not hesitate. She turned left at the junction, aiming for the street and more populated areas. One glimpse out the door had told them that Kakistos had a great many followers with him.

A backward glance told the girls that if they did not find a place to hide momentarily, the fight was going to happen whether she wanted it to or not. Kakistos himself was giving chase, along with at least four other vampires.

Off to her left, Buffy spotted an opening in a boarded-up window. "Here," she whispered harshly.

Buffy crashed through the wood and glass and rolled onto the floor. Faith was right behind her, functioning on pure Slayer reflex. When she sprang to her feet, she saw Kakistos run by outside the window. It was a miracle, but he had not heard the smashing glass.

"We're okay," Buffy said. She gazed at Faith intensely. "What happened?"

Faith only shook her head, obviously reluctant to speak.

"Faith," Buffy urged her.

"I…I was there," the other Slayer said at last. "When he killed the Prof. I saw what he did to her. What he was going to do to me. I tried to stop him but I couldn't. And I ran…and he followed."

"Faith, first rule of slaying: don't die. You did the right thing, okay? You didn't die. Now you do the math. One of him, two of us."

"What the —?"

Buffy saw that Faith's terrified gaze was not drifting, but was instead locked onto a spot just over her shoulder.

"No," Faith muttered, shaking her head.

Slowly, Buffy turned. In the corner were the corpses of three delivery men.

"This is his place," Faith gasped.

"He drove us here." Buffy glanced around, alert now.

A long-haired female vamp appeared suddenly in the shattered window.

Buffy and Faith turned and ran the length of the abandoned firehouse, even as two more vampires erupted from the shadows and lunged for them. With a single, swift motion, Buffy kicked an enormous plastic bucket at one of them.

The other two converged. She leaped and kicked the one in front of her, then spun and kicked the other in the face, knocking both down.

Faith stood immobile.

Even as Buffy continued to fight them off, Kakistos emerged from the shadows and stalked across the firehouse toward Faith. Distantly, Faith heard Buffy call her name, but she only stood and stared at Kakistos, her memory of what he had done more powerful than the urge to protect herself.

"Don't die!" Buffy shouted at her. She tossed a tire iron and Faith automatically snatched it from the air.

At last, instinct took over and Faith tried to protect herself. Terror in her eyes, she swung at Kakistos. He struck her in the face hard enough to drive her backward into a wooden column with such force that the support beam broke and slammed to the floor next to her.

Buffy tried to go to Faith's aid, but she was grabbed from behind. She heard Faith's whimpers of pain as Kakistos beat her but Buffy could not help her.

Not yet.

'Don't die,' Buffy thought, and the words were for Faith, and for herself. A flurry of blows and she drove the vampire down. She punched the stake through its heart and it dusted. When Buffy turned, she saw that Kakistos had Faith by the throat, choking her. He threw her to the ground, then prepared for the final attack. Buffy ran at him, brutalized him with a combination of punches and kicks.

He barely flinched.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Trick watched the battle with growing unease. He stepped up beside another of Kakistos's people, a blond vampire woman whose name he always had trouble recalling. Not that it mattered. He liked the way she looked. It would be a shame if she died. Even more of a shame if he ended up dust himself.

"We don't do something, the master could get killed," he said.

The girl glanced at him, their eyes communicating an unspoken agreement.

"Well, our prayers are with him," Trick said idly. "There's a reason these vengeance crusades are out of style. You see the modern vampire. You see the big picture."

Together, the two vampires turned to go.

Kakistos was on his own.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Buffy slammed the stake at Kakistos's chest. His powerful hand clasped her wrist, stopping her. She tried to hit him again, but he batted her into the concrete wall.

"Looks like you need a bigger stake, Slayer," Kakistos taunted Buffy. Then he began to laugh, deep and raspy. He had the upper hand and he knew it. Movement off to her left drew Buffy's glance.

Faith pick up the huge wooden column that had snapped off in her fight with Kakistos. Faith hefted the thing over her shoulder with both hands and lunged at Kakistos.

The vampire was still laughing as the enormous shaft of wood pierced his chest. He grunted in pain and then stared down at it for a second before exploding into a ball of cinder and ash.

Stunned, Buffy stared open-mouthed at the place where Kakistos had been. Winded, breathing hard, she and Faith moved closer to one another, glancing around to see if it was truly over.

"You hungry?" Buffy asked.

Faith nodded. "Starved."

September 25, 1998 – Friday

Sunnydale High School

Buffy stood in the library with Willow as Giles finished a phone call in his office. While Giles was otherwise engaged, Buffy caught Willow up on everything that had happened the day before. But as the Watcher's conversation went on, she and Willow became distracted by the seriousness of his tone and their own talking stopped.

At length he hung up and came out into the library. "The Council has approved our request. Faith is to stay here indefinitely," he told Buffy. "And I'm to look after you both until a new Watcher is assigned."

"Good," Buffy said thoughtfully. "She really came through in the end. She had a lot to deal with, but she did it. She got it behind her."

Even as she spoke, she felt the import of her words. Faith had been forced to confront her past. To deal with it and move on. How could she herself do any less?

Giles nodded. "I'm glad to hear it."

"Angel was cured," Buffy said suddenly, her eyes growing moist.

Willow stared at her, stunned.

Grave concern etched on his face; Giles studied her closely. "I'm sorry?"

"When I killed him. Angel was cured." Buffy glanced at Willow. "Your spell worked at the last minute, Will." Her eyes went to Giles again. "I was about to take him out and, um, something went through him and he was Angel again. He didn't remember anything…that he'd done. He just held me. But it was…it was too late and I had to.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Buffy waited in the hall for Scott to get out of class. When she saw him emerge, slinging his pack onto his back, she almost didn't approach him.

Almost.

"Scott."

"Oh. Hello," he said hesitantly.

"Hi. Um, I was waiting for you to get out of class."

"Why?"

Buffy smiled, paused only for a moment, and then forged recklessly ahead. "Um, there was someone. A while ago. The ring sort of confused me. But I liked what you said about friendship. And I am good for friendship. But I think that's where it needs to stay. I have a friend, she needs me. She watched someone she cared about die right in front of her. I want to be there for her."

Scott looked at her for a long moment and then slowly nodded. "I understand," he said. "Then if you want, as friends, we can still go to the film festival. When would you like to go?"

Buffy smiled. "Well, I have one thing that I have to do tonight. Then I'm good."

Scott nodded. "Good."

Crawford Street Mansion

For a long time, Buffy had stayed away from the mansion, the enormous old home where Angel had once lived. Where he had died. Where she had killed him. It was a beautiful place, but cold without him, and haunted by her memories.

She moved through the cold rooms until she came to the very spot where she had impaled him upon a ritual sword.

In her hand, she clutched the claddagh ring tightly. She knelt down on the stone floor where he had died. "I will always love you," she whispered. "But I think this needs to be goodbye, so I can move on with my life."

Gently, she placed the ring on the cold ground, rose, and turned to walk slowly from the place that had been Angel's home.

Her ghosts were at rest.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

In the darkness, a glow.

On the stone floor, the ring shimmered with light. It began to dance as the ground rumbled beneath it. A hum built as otherworldly energy surged and the rumble grew louder.

A flash of brilliance like lightning sliced the air inside that cold room, a tear in the barriers between worlds opened, and the naked form of a man tumbled out of nothing to slam painfully to the floor, only inches from where Buffy had laid her ring.

Like a wild animal released from its cage, Angel glared about at his surroundings. He had been in Hell for what seemed like an eternity. His mind was not what it once had been. He was mad, now.

Or nearly.

Getting Out

Get out more.

October 13, 1998 – Tuesday

Streets of Sunnydale

It had been Buffy's suggestion, and Faith was starting to think it had been a good one. For the first couple of days after she'd dusted Kakistos, Faith had spent the time while Buffy and her friends were in school back at her skanky motel room watching television or sleeping. But there was only so much Jerry Springer she could take before she started feeling like just as much of a loser as the guests on the talk shows.

No way was she going to let herself sink that low.

Though Buffy didn't push Faith to talk much about the death of her Watcher and the whole thing with Kakistos—for which she was grateful—Buffy often asked her how she was doing. How she was adjusting.

"Five by five," she'd always say.

Only the day before, she'd been a little more honest than usual. Buffy had a way of bringing that out in her. Buffy stirred ideas in Faith's head about what it would be like to actually be in love with Buffy and to have friends and family. Sometimes she thought it better to just go with the flow, not expect too much from people. But other times she found herself thinking about Buffy and wondering what it would be like to actually be in love again.

But one afternoon she was just too tired to pretend. So, when Buffy asked how she had been doing, she told the truth. "Bored to freakin' tears. You guys have, like, lives to deal with. Me, I'm just about the Slaying. Makes the days go by kinda slow."

Buffy smiled. "Perhaps you ought to get out more. Learn a bit more about your new hometown. Sunnydale does have things to offer other than demons trying to kill you."

It had taken her a few days before she acted on the advice, but now Faith was glad she had.

In jeans and a tiny top with spaghetti straps—all black—she wandered downtown Sunnydale, taking it all in. The Sun Cinema marquee was lit up, and it made her think about how long it had been since she'd even been to the movies.

Women pushed baby strollers along the sidewalk. Businessmen in power suits talked on cell phones where they were seated at tables at a patio café. A police car rolled on by and the brake lights didn't even come on, though Faith tensed a bit at the sight of it. A guy and girl in differently-styled U.C. Sunnydale sweatshirts went by hand in hand.

On the corner, an old man who wore a sweater despite the warmth of the day watched her as she approached. He had a golden retriever on a leash and gave the dog plenty of leeway to sniff around the bottom of a lamppost.

"Beautiful day," the old man rasped, smiling pleasantly.

Faith stared at him, trying to figure out if the guy was a panhandler or some pervert or even a demon setting her up. His smile faltered and he looked at her oddly and dragged the dog away, and only then did she realize a startling truth.

He was the real thing. Sweet old guy walking his dog, saying good morning.

The real thing.

As she kept on walking, she took in more of the town, and wondered what it would be like if she could ever really come to think of the place as home. More importantly if she could come to think of Buffy as hers.