Chapter 35: Bad Girls / Consequences
February 10, 1999 – Wednesday
Restfield Cemetery
"Ungghh!" Faith grunted, as the vampire she was fighting cracked her hard across the face, snapping her out of her thoughts. 'All right,' she thought as she backhanded the drooling bloodsucker, 'you got my attention.'
She had been thinking about her and Buffy taking the next step in their relationship. After all, they were both legally adults now.
With a flurry of blows, she beat the vampire back. Then she made the mistake of glancing at Buffy, and the big, hideous freak got the drop on her. Almost simultaneously, the one Buffy was fighting grabbed her around the throat. The two Slayers were slammed back to the ground, side by side, being throttled by the pair of vampires above them, trying to stay alive.
Even then, Faith's mind was on that next step. "So, what, you're telling me never?" she demanded.
"Faith, really," Buffy grunted, struggling with the vamp on top of her. "Now is not the time."
"We need to be thinking about the future," Faith said defensively. "Never?"
As if they were one person, Faith and Buffy both flipped the vampires off them. They were old creatures, obvious from their medieval fashion sense. Both Slayers leaped up and were ready for more.
"Come on, really. We're both adults, now," Faith reminded her lover.
One of the vamps rushed her, and Faith slugged it once, then tossed it onto the ground.
"How many times do I have to say this?" Buffy replied. "I'm not ready. It's too soon after—" the other vampire rushed her, and she punched it "—Angel and I—" spun into a high kick to drive it back against a crypt "—had sex!" She staked it, and the vampire erupted into a cloud of dust.
"So," Faith argued, as she dropped down to dust her vamp. "When is the right time, B?" She stood up and walked toward Buffy. "I mean, after all our sweaty, nightly, side-by-side action, and you never thought once about us finally taking the next step?" She grunted, and made a little motion with her hips.
Buffy raised her eyebrows. "Thanks for the poetry, and yes. I have thought about it. I just don't know, Faith. I love you; you know I do. It's just that I'm scared. I know intellectually that you won't go bad simply because. But that fear is still there."
"Well let me help chase that fear away," Faith told her.
But Buffy wasn't listening anymore. She was staring at a cluster of tracks and footprints in the dirt. "There's one left," she said.
"How do you know?" Faith asked.
"There are more footprints than there were vampires," Buffy said motioning toward the tracks. Quietly, she set off in the direction the tracks led. Faith followed, curious.
Beyond a small tomb ahead, something moved in the dark.
"On three," Buffy whispered. "One—"
With a surge of adrenaline, Faith leaped up, rolled across the tomb, and came down on the other side. Sure enough, there was a third vampire there, wearing the same kind of ancient warrior garb that the others had worn.
"Three," Faith heard Buffy mutter behind her.
The vampire hit her once, but Faith parried, then launched a kick. The thing was faster than she'd expected, a better fighter. It caught her leg mid-kick and threw her hard to the ground.
Faith looked up to see Buffy—stake in hand—rush around the tomb at the vampire, but the warrior drew a pair of swords, one long and one short, from its belt. With the long sword, it hacked the stake in half. Buffy glanced at the useless weapon and threw it down. Then she attacked. With an expert combination of punches and kicks, she disarmed the vampire, its swords falling to the moldy ground.
But it was still powerful. Buffy struck it again, but the monster knocked her blows away and gripped her by the neck with both hands, strangling her. She cried out.
Faith was there. The stake held high, she ran at the vampire, then punched the stake through its back and into the heart. It exploded into ashes that swirled in the breeze and was gone. "Are you okay?" she asked looking Buffy over.
"Yeah," Buffy said. "Don't take…"
"I know what you're going to say, B," Faith said. "I should have waited till the count of three. But think for a second that would have given time to figure out we were there and to prepare."
Buffy thought about what Faith said and nodded. "Your right. That said it would have worked better if we were on the same page."
"So, who were those guys, anyway?" Faith wondered.
Buffy shrugged. "I don't know. They didn't seem local. Look, why don't we grab the weapons, maybe Giles …" Her words trailed off as she looked over at the spot where the vampire had dropped his blades.
With a frown, Faith glanced over to see what had disturbed her so much.
The weapons were gone.
February 11, 1999 – Thursday
Sunnydale High School
During the free period, Buffy sat with Xander, Willow, and Oz in the student lounge, marveling over Willow's possible college choices.
Xander sifted through college catalogs and large manila envelopes in amazement. "Willow, what are these?" he asked.
"They're early admission packets."
"Harvard, Yale, Wesleyan… some German Polytechnical Institute whose name I can't pronounce." Xander sat back on the bench and pointed at the packets as though they were contagious. "Is anyone else intimidated? Because I'm just expecting thin slips of paper with the words no way written in crayon."
Oz regarded him coolly. "They're typing those now."
"I'm so overwhelmed," Willow squealed with excitement. "I got in! To actual colleges. And they're wooing me… they're pitching woo."
Buffy smiled at her. "The wooing stage is always fun."
"But it's weird," Willowed countered. "Rejection I can handle because of the years of training, but this…"
"I feel your pain, Will," Xander said with a cynical nod. "Like, right now? I'm torn between the fast-growing fields of appliance repair and motel management. Of course, I'm still waiting to hear back from the Corndog Emporium, so—"
"Well, I think it's great," Buffy said. "Early admission. Now nothing is standing between you and a brilliant future."
Oz leaned forward. "If I may suggest? Graduate. Getting left back? Not the thrill ride you'd expect."
Even as he spoke, Cordelia strutted over. "That's so cute," she told Xander as she stepped up to them. "Planning life as a loser? Most people just turn out that way, but you're taking charge."
"The comedy stylings of Cordelia Chase, everyone!" Xander said, a little too loud, a little too lounge-lizard. "Who, incidentally, won't be needing a higher education when she markets her own very successful line of Hooker Wear."
"Well, Xander, I could dress more like you, but… oh, my father has a job." With that, she spun on one heel and marched off.
"I'm not gonna waste the perfect comeback on you now, but don't think I don't have it. Oh yes, its time will come." He turned and gazed desperately at his friends. "So, life beyond high school. Anyone. Please. Chime in."
"I hear it's nice," Buffy replied. "And a place I'll never go if I don't pass Mrs. Taggart's chem test tomorrow."
"Oh, I can help," Willow assured her. "Chemistry's easy. It's just like witchcraft, only less newt. So, what do you say? Study jam, my house, tonight?"
"I'm there," Buffy vowed.
The bell rang and they all rose to head off to class. Buffy, however, wasn't in a rush to get to class. She had other work to do. "I have to go see Giles. Report on last night's patrol."
"Oh, yeah, he said he wanted to talk to you."
"What about? Is he okay?" Buffy asked, concerned.
Willow frowned. "He's looked better."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
In the library, Giles was at the end of his rope, lingering somewhere between bored to death and on the verge of homicide. For the sake of propriety and simple courtesy, and his position with the Council, he was attempting to be polite. But that was not easy when it came to the slender, stuffy, annoying man who even now was poking about in his rare books.
This new arrival was more than a bit full of himself. 'Thinks he's Sean Connery when he's quite a bit more George Lazenby,' Giles thought. An amusing comparison, but it gave him only a moment's good humor. Very little would relieve the throb in his skull at the moment, other than perhaps kicking Wesley out of the library on his bony ass. But he could not do that.
He was no longer Buffy and Faith's Watcher, after all.
Wesley was.
"Of course, training procedures have been updated quite a bit since your day," Wesley said superciliously. "Much greater emphasis on fieldwork."
"Really?" Giles asked, voice droll.
"Oh yes. It's not all books and theory nowadays. I have in fact faced two vampires myself. Under controlled circumstances, of course."
"You're in no danger of finding those here," Giles informed him.
"Vampires?"
"Controlled circumstances. Hello, Buffy," he said, as she entered the library.
She checked out Wesley with more than a little suspicion in her gaze.
"Well, hello," he said, attempting to be dashing.
Buffy glanced at Giles. "New Watcher?"
"New Watcher," he confirmed.
Wesley stepped toward her and thrust out his hand. "Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. It's very nice to meet you."
With a downward tick of her eyes, Buffy took in Wesley's hand but ignored it. A bit put off, he backed off slightly.
Buffy looked at Giles again. "Is he evil?"
"Evil?" Wesley asked, taken aback.
"The last one was evil," Buffy informed him.
"Oh yes," Wesley said, lifting his chin. "Gwendolyn Post. We all heard. Mr. Giles has checked my credentials rather thoroughly and phoned the Council, but I'm glad to see you're on the ball as well." He leaned in toward her with more than a bit of melodrama. "A good Slayer is a cautious Slayer."
Dubious, Buffy glanced at Giles again. "Is he evil?"
"Not in the strictest sense," Giles replied.
"Well, I'm glad that's cleared up," Wesley sniffed, obviously a bit peeved. "And as I'm sure none of us is anxious to waste time on pleasantries, why don't you tell me everything about last night's patrol."
Bored, Buffy rolled her eyes. "Vampires."
"Yes?" Wesley prodded.
"Killed 'em."
"Anything else you can tell me?"
Giles understood her reluctance but he gave her a look that encouraged her to continue. She did so only grudgingly.
"One of them had swords. I don't think he was with the other two."
Wesley's eyes lit up. "Swords?" He hurried to a box of books he had brought with him from London and flipped the pages of one near the top. "One long, one short?"
Buffy nodded. "Both pointy. With jewels and stuff."
"Sounds familiar," Giles noted.
"It should," Wesley informed him. He handed Giles the book, open to a page with lavish illustrations of a pair of ancient swords.
"El Eliminati," Giles began to read.
Wesley cut him off. "Fifteenth-century duelist cult. Deadly in their day, their numbers dwindled in later centuries due to an increase in anti-vampire activity and a lot of pointless dueling. They eventually became the acolytes of a demon called Balthazar, who brought them to the New World. Specifically, here."
Giles closed the book and handed it back to him. "You seem to know a lot about them."
Smug, Wesley returned the book to the box. "I didn't get this job because of my looks."
"I really believe that," Buffy chirped amiably.
"I've researched this town's history," Wesley retorted, obviously stung.
"Extensively."
"So why haven't we seen them before this?" Giles inquired.
"They were driven out a hundred years ago. Happily, Balthazar was killed. I don't know by whom."
"And… they're back because?"
"Balthazar had an amulet, purported to give him strength. When he was killed, it was taken by a wealthy landowner named… I don't want to bore you with the details—"
Buffy raised one eyebrow. "Little bit late."
"—named Gleaves. It was buried with him and I believe the few remaining Eliminati are probably looking for it. For sentimental value."
Something about that sounded off to Giles. "And you don't think this amulet poses any threat?"
"Oh no, not at all. Nonetheless, we may as well keep it from them. Buffy, you will go to the Gleaves family crypt tonight and fetch the amulet," Wesley proclaimed.
Buffy smirked. "I will?"
The new Watcher frowned. "Are you not used to being given orders?"
"Whenever Giles sends me on a mission, he always says please," Buffy said brightly. "And afterward, I get a cookie!" Beside her, Giles stifled a chuckle. "Seriously though. He treated me better from the start than you have so far due to my circumstances."
"Circumstances?" Wesley asked.
"That she's transgender," Giles informed her. "I had to do things differently with her than I would have with another Slayer simply for that reason. Because she already had a difficult life simply because of that."
"Ah, yes. I don't feel we're getting off on quite the right foot," Wesley began.
He was interrupted when Faith pushed through the library doors. She swaggered in, dragging one finger along the book checkout counter. She came to a stop next to Buffy and leaned in giving her lover a passionate kiss.
"Ah!" Wesley said appreciatively. "This is perhaps Faith?"
Faith checked him out top to bottom, a look close to disgust on her features. She glanced toward Buffy and Giles. "New Watcher?"
"New Watcher," they confirmed in unison.
"Screw that." She turned and strode back out of the library.
Petulant, Buffy looked at Giles. "Now why didn't I just say that?"
"Buffy, could you—" Giles began. He didn't even have to finish.
"Why? I happen to agree with her," Buffy said as Giles gave her a meaningful look. "Fine, I'll see if I can get her back," she sighed. She got up and walked past Wesley. "Don't say anything incredibly interesting while I'm gone."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Outside, Buffy caught up to Faith as she stormed across the quad, not far from the fountain.
"Faith, wait," she said, moving up beside her. Faith stopped reluctantly and regarded Buffy. "I know this new guy's a dork, but… actually, I have nothing to follow that. He's just a dork."
"You're gonna take orders from him?" Faith replied, almost sneering. The prospect seemed absurd. "Especially after what the Council did to us three weeks ago. Babe, don't ask me to go back in there. I won't answer to this new Watcher."
"Please, for me," Buffy pleaded. "I don't want to answer to him either."
"Buffy, I love you, you know I do," Faith said as people passed by them, walking around the fountain. "But why should we let him take all the fun out of everything? And I'm not talking about just the slaying either. I'm talking about us. We don't know where he stands when it comes to us."
"I see your point, Faith," Buffy told her. "And if it weren't for the fact, we need someone who can do the research and look stuff up. I would be right there with you; you know I would."
Faith paused for a moment as if contemplating what Buffy had said. "You can be my Watcher and he can be yours. I don't want to answer to him, any more than I have to."
"Okay," Buffy said as she leaned over and kissed Faith. "But believe me I will be keeping a close eye on him. And if he does anything to make me doubt him. I'm breaking all ties."
Faith smiled. "That's my girl."
"Always," Buffy said as she returned Faith's grin.
Shady Hill Cemetery
Night birds hooted and a cool breeze blew leaves across the grass as Buffy and Faith walked through the cemetery late that night. As they approached the crypt a chill ran up Buffy's back and she could not push away the feeling that there were eyes upon them. "Do you feel that?" she asked.
"Yeah," Faith replied. "We're not alone. You go on in, I'll keep watch out here."
Buffy pushed the heavy door of the crypt open with a creak and stepped inside. The flashlight beam illuminated the stone tombs and drawers, the sculpted statues. It was an enormous crypt. The Gleaves family had been very wealthy.
Tentatively, she moved to the first of the stone coffins. The tomb's heavy lid seemed to stick a bit as she tried to slide it off, and then suddenly it moved with a rasp of stone on stone. She shone the flashlight inside, and it illuminated the moldering bones within. There was no amulet.
"Strike one," she muttered softly.
Quickly, wanting to be gone, she moved to the next tomb and forced the slab of stone to one side. When she looked within, she spotted a jeweled amulet that was strung around the neck of a dusty corpse in red robes.
"Game over," Buffy said to herself, more than a bit relieved.
Then she heard voices behind her. She spun and saw the flickering of torches as someone approached the tomb. A lot of someone's. "Faith?" she said but received no response. Where was Faith?
Without knowing where Faith was or what Faith was doing, she could risk it. So without the amulet, she rushed out leaped back to the first tomb, and dropped inside, next to moldy, bare bones. She dragged the slab across above her, closing herself inside with the skeleton.
Then she waited.
She could hear footsteps. A lot of footsteps. The guttering torchlight was barely visible through cracks in the stone. A clinking of metal told her she had failed in her mission. They had the amulet.
A moment later they went out again, the light of the torches and the sound of their footsteps receding. Buffy counted to ten and pushed back the stone slab above her. She rose from the tomb… and felt a strong hand suddenly gripped her shoulder.
Gasping, she turned to see the face of her girlfriend. "Faith!"
"What are you doing, hiding in there?"
"I called for you, you didn't answer. I wasn't sure where you were. I was actually scared, Faith," Buffy explained.
"It's okay," Faith said soothingly. "They ambushed me. I dusted three of them. Did you find it before they came in?"
"Yeah," Buffy answered. "But they got away with it."
Faith nodded. "Let's go get it back then."
Outside, they saw the last of the vampires, torch in hand, drop into a sewer manhole and disappear. Faith rushed toward the hole in the ground, right in the middle of the cemetery.
Buffy hesitated at the thought of going down into the tight space, not knowing how many more of them there might be. But as her girlfriend approached the manhole she chased after her. She couldn't risk losing Faith.
"You ready?" Faith asked as she stepped up next to the manhole.
"No, but you know me," Buffy said. "Your one thing I can't lose."
"I know, B," Faith said as she brushed her hand against Buffy's cheek. Then she jumped in without a second's hesitation.
Buffy stared at the manhole for a second, then she jumped in after her lover.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Faith launched a high kick at the vampire in front of her and felt its cheek give way under the blow. He stumbled backward, clutching his face in pain.
Buffy pummeled a second vamp with such force that he was nearly driven off his feet. But there were more of them. Too many.
They were in a spacious sewer maintenance area, where various tunnels ended and others began, and where shutoff valves would allow control of the flow of some pipes in the area.
All the vampires were swordsmen like the one they had killed the night before, but not all of them had their blades out. The fight was so fast and furious Buffy and Faith had time mainly to defend themselves, and no time to pull out a stake and finish anyone off. With every blow that fell, every vampire they backhanded or kicked away, another was right in front of them. There were only six of them, but they were fast, and expert fighters.
"We're surrounded!" Buffy said.
"Yeah, I noticed that, too," Faith replied. "But we need to get that amulet from them, remember?".
Buffy did a spinning kick that took a vamp in the face. She planted her feet, then kicked him in the gut. Another swept down upon her with his blade and she dodged just in time. The metal bit into cold concrete instead of hot flesh.
Across the junction, Faith flipped one hard into the wall and it grunted in pain. She turned as another rushed her, and she kicked him backward. Both Slayers threw punches right and left, but Faith was barely able to keep track of the faces of the monsters around her, just striking out at everything that approached her. She was a whirlwind. Fists and feet flying, her heart racing madly, bone and flesh giving way under her blows.
Two broad-shouldered vamps moved in quickly, took Faith while she was defending herself from a third, and slammed her against the wall. she was pinned. Eyes wild as she struggled with them, she looked over at Buffy.
Buffy had managed to clear the space around her. There were three vampires on the ground by her, recovering, preparing for another attack. She whipped out a stake. She would have time to dust at least one of them. She glanced over at her girlfriend and saw Faith's predicament. Without hesitation, she threw the stake. End over end, it flew through the air and punctured the back of one of the vamps pinning Faith to the wall. The vampire shouted in pain, then exploded into ash.
The eyes of the two Slayers met. Faith offered Buffy a suggestive wink. Then, before she could shout a warning, she saw a vampire attack Buffy from behind and grab the blonde in a painful hold, both arms behind her back. She called out to Buffy, but more vampires were upon her in an instant, and she beat them back, trying to get to her lover. A vamp got in her way and she headbutted him so she could get a clear look.
A second vampire had approached Buffy now, long and short swords drawn, the amulet they had been searching for tucked into his belt. He pointed the long sword at Buffy's chest. "Let's settle this honorably," he said.
As Faith backhanded a vamp in front of her, she caught the rest of the action in quick glimpses. Buffy kicked the long sword from the vampire's hand and it landed in a concrete catching pool beside her, splashing down into the water. She threw off the vamp holding her, but the one with the amulet, angry, grabbed her throat and thrust the shorter blade at her gut.
Buffy dodged and held onto his wrist.
"Then let's just settle it," the vampire snarled. He pushed her over the edge of the catching pool and shoved her head under, attempting to drown her.
As she hammered at the vampires around her, Faith screamed Buffy's name. She saw Buffy struggle against the vampire's grip, but her movements slowed quickly. Then she stopped moving altogether. After a moment, he released her and turned away. Buffy only lay there.
Faith thundered her name and lashed out with a kick that shattered bone, then spun and lunged, using a palm strike to break the nose of the vampire in front of her. It staggered back. Faith turned to bolt toward the pool of water, intent upon saving her girlfriend somehow.
But Buffy didn't need saving. As Faith watched, her seemingly-dead form twitched, her hand reached out, and her fingers closed upon the hilt of the vampire's long sword. Buffy surged from the water, sword already in motion, coming down to hack off the head of the vamp with the amulet.
He dodged.
"I hate when they drown me," Buffy noted, almost casually.
Faith laughed gleefully, feeling the energy that seemed to crackle between them.
The vampire brought up the short sword but Buffy swung her blade and knocked it from his hand. A vamp grabbed Faith by the arm, and forced her up against the wall again, but she shook loose, struck him twice, and tossed him into one of the sewer tunnels.
But there were a lot more where he came from. Too many. "B!" Faith called. "Got to go!"
"We came for the amulet," Buffy replied. She thrust out the sword, using it to pluck the amulet from the vampire's belt.
Realizing the Slayers now had the upper hand, the vampire turned to run after the one Faith had tossed into the tunnel, and the others were taking off too. Faith grinned. All of a sudden, they had overcome the odds against them.
Heart still racing, Faith strutted to Buffy's side with a broad grin. "H & H?"
Buffy held the amulet in her hand and examined it. A tiny half-smile played on her lips. "Like you wouldn't believe. And you know, Faith, maybe you're right, you know about us going to the next step."
"Are you sure you're ready?" Faith wondered.
"Yeah, I think I am," Buffy admitted. "Make love to me, Faith."
"Oh, you're going to enjoy this," Faith grinned wickedly.
February 12, 1999 – Friday
Sunnydale High School
After a night of passionate lovemaking with Faith, Buffy reported to Giles… and reluctantly to Wesley, since he was hers and Faith's Watcher now.
In the library, Wesley turned the amulet over in his hands and studied it, holding it up so close that Buffy thought he was going to kiss it. "Well, looks authentic enough," he proclaimed, setting it down. "Of course, there are tests to be made before actual verification."
Buffy frowned. "How about verifying that your 'nearly extinct' cult was out in magnum force last night? Faith and I got into a serious party situation."
Giles stood in the doorway to his inner office. "Are you both all right?" he asked, his concern plain.
"We had to lather, rinse and repeat about five million times to get the sewer out of our hair," Buffy informed him. Truth be told that had been where hers and Faith's night of lovemaking had begun, with shower sex. Faith had rocked her world in ways Angel hadn't the year before. "But otherwise, we're both of the good," she added. "Thank you for asking." She shot a meaningful look at Wesley.
Wesley ignored the barb. "Perhaps there were a few more than we'd anticipated, but I'd expect you and Faith to be ready for anything. Remember the three keywords for any Slayer. Preparation. Preparation. Preparation."
"That's one word three times," Buffy told him, openly challenging him now.
The school bell rang.
"I have a chem test," Buffy said, rising. "It's so sad that I'm happy about that." As she walked toward the door, she glanced at the man she would always think of as her Watcher, no matter who the Council sent. "Giles, we need to talk."
Wesley bristled. "Buffy, I must ask you to remember that I am your Watcher. From now on, anything you have to say about slaying, you will say to me. The only thing you need to discuss with Mr. Giles is overdue book fees. Understood?"
With a sigh, Buffy turned to Giles again. "We'll talk."
"Of course," he agreed.
Late already, she walked out. As she left, she overheard Wesley chide him.
"You're not helping," the new Watcher said sternly.
"I know," Giles mused. "I feel just sick about it."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
By the time she sat in the chem lab waiting for the test to start, Buffy had forgotten all about how annoying Wesley was. Her mind was on the night before. Willow and Xander sat at the lab table behind her, and Buffy turned around in her seat. She was trying to explain last night to them from beginning to end. From vampires to her and Faith finally having sex.
"It was intense," Buffy told Willow.
"Yeah, I know what that's like," Willow replied.
Mrs. Taggart slipped their test booklets in front of them, then walked to the front of the class.
"All right. You have one period to fill out your test booklets. Periodic tables are located on the back, and you're on the honor system, so remember… no talking."
The second Mrs. Taggart looked away; Buffy turned back to Willow. "The thing was, Faith—"
At the front of the room, the teacher cleared her throat. Buffy turned to look at her. "Miss Summers?"
Buffy made the lock-it-and-throw-away-the-key gesture at her lips. Mrs. Taggart nodded once, then regarded the entire class.
"You have one hour," Mrs. Taggart told them. Then she went out and pulled the door shut behind her.
Without even another glance at the door, Buffy turned back to Willow. "Okay, so the best part—"
"Buffy, test?" Willow interrupted. "Y'know, remember? The thing you didn't come over to study for."
"Right, got it. Sorry," Buffy told her. Then she moved closer to Xander. "Okay, so we're down there, in the sewers, and Faith's got three of them on her at once—"
"Hey, whoa!" Xander stopped her. "We know you love Faith, but can we resume you telling us how much you love her, later? Like when I'm not actively multiple-choicing? Some of us care about school, you know."
Buffy was far from convinced. But when Xander went back to his test, she didn't bug him again. She glanced around the class and saw that everyone was hard at work on their booklets—except her. She did not want to take the test. She did not want to be in school at all. Bored, she looked around.
As if summoned, Faith knocked at the window, grinning as she looked inside. She hauled the window open and stuck her head in. "Hey, girlfriend," she said. "Bad time?" She breathed on the window and drew a tiny heart in the condensation, and an arrow through it.
Buffy got up and headed for the window.
"No, she can't!" Willow said quickly. "You can't, can you?"
Buffy climbed out through the window. Faith closed it behind her, and then they were out in the sun, striding across the high school grounds. "What's up?" she asked.
Faith nodded once, nonchalantly. "Vampires."
"Uh, Faith, unless there's a total eclipse in the next five minutes? It's daylight."
"Good for us, bad for them. I found a nest."
Buffy smiled. "That has potential."
"Of course, it does," Faith agreed. "More H & H, right?"
"Right," Buffy agreed. "And more H & H leads into more you and me and do more of last night."
"Oh, yeah," Faith agreed as she grinned at her lover.
Abandoned Building
Fifteen minutes later, they reached the abandoned building Faith had identified as a squat for vampires. The windows were boarded up or painted over.
As one, they kicked down the double doors in front. The Slayers entered with a crash, and the sweet yet brutal sun poured in behind them. Vampires were strewn like garbage over the floor, sleeping the day away like junkies in a crack house. When the sunlight streamed in, at least two of them caught fire and began to scream.
The others scrambled and ran.
"Rise and shine, people," Faith said.
Buffy watched them run and grinned. "This is your wake-up call."
The Bronze
The electronic rhythms moved through Buffy and Faith, pulsating through their bodies as they danced. Wild, Faith shook her hips and moved, swaying crazily. Compared to Buffy, Faith's dancing was more out of control, like she could slip the reins of whatever might have held her back, and just allow her primal self to move to the music.
Faith knew her lover had the ability to dance as she did. But because of her girlfriend's life as a transgender woman, she knew Buffy was hesitant for fear of someone lashing out because they didn't agree with the idea of someone being transgender.
They danced together, and they drew guys like flies to honey. The guys started to flock around them, but Buffy and Faith kept their focus on each other. They were celebrating not only the vampire nest they'd cleaned out that day but their lovemaking the night before. The fact they had finally taken that next step in their relationship. So the celebration was just for themselves.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy glanced across the Bronze and saw Angel watching her, grim-faced. If this had been just a year ago, she would have slipped away from Faith and the guys and run to him. But she was no longer with him, she was with Faith. But still, something was up, he hadn't shown up since he had confronted her and Faith while sparring with Spike back in November.
"Faith," Buffy whispered knowing her girlfriend could hear her with no problems. She motioned toward Angel. "I'm going to see what he wants."
"Don't be too long, B," Faith said as she smiled suggestively. "We still have the second H to satisfy."
Buffy nodded as she kissed the girl who made her feel things Angel couldn't. She slowly walked over to him. "Hey, bad news?" she asked.
"We better sit down." Angel drew her behind him by the hand and they found a sofa in the back.
"Okay, what's the what?"
"Balthazar," Angel revealed.
"Dead demon," she stated matter-of-factly.
"Not as dead as you think," he replied sitting on a couch, across from her. "Word on the street puts him in the packing warehouse on Devereau. He's looking for—"
"His amulet. It's supposed to restore his strength."
"From what I'm hearing, that's not something we'd like to see happen."
Buffy smiled. "No problem. We've got the amulet."
"I know," Angel responded. "I spoke to Giles, but he said you gave it to—"
Wesley poked his head around the corner. "Ah, there you are!"
"Wow, speak of the really annoying person," Buffy said with a roll of her eyes.
"You and Faith are certainly giving me a run for my money," Wesley replied, glancing around in distaste at the Bronze. "Speaking of, where is she?"
"Dancing," Buffy answered.
Wesley sat down beside her and spoke in a whisper, apparently so that Angel would not hear. "I think we should establish that if you're going to go out slaying, you leave me a number where I can contact you."
Angel wasn't patient. "Where's the amulet?"
Startled, Wesley looked at him. "Who are you?"
"A friend," Buffy said. "Do you have it?"
"It's somewhere very safe," Wesley said pompously.
Buffy frowned, then took a close look at him. Rolling her eyes, she reached inside his jacket and pulled the amulet out of the inner pocket.
"How did you know?"
"Pooches your jacket." She tossed the amulet to Angel.
Wesley gaped. "Now, hang on a minute."
"Walking around with this thing is like wearing a target," Angel warned him.
"You'll put it somewhere safe that's actually safe?" Buffy asked.
Angel rose from the couch. "I'll do it now."
Buffy got up as well. "Faith and I'll do some recon on Balthazar."
Looking a bit like a spoiled child about to have a tantrum, Wesley stood up and barred Buffy's way. "If I may, Balthazar is dead. Am I the only one who remembers that?"
"Be careful," Angel cautioned her.
"You know me," she replied sassily.
He eyed her warily. "I mean it."
"I know you still care, Angel, but I'm with Faith now, remember?" Buffy said. She turned and walked back out on the dance floor as Angel headed for the door, leaving Wesley to glance around in utter confusion. On the floor, Faith was grinding provocatively with a pair of cute guys. She didn't mind if her lover teased guys because at the end of the night, she was the one Faith came home to.
As Buffy passed by, she grabbed Faith by the hand and pulled her away.
"What's up, B?"
"Dead demon, not so dead after all," Buffy answered.
Devereau Street Warehouse / Meyer Sports & Tackle
In the rented warehouse, the night was just beginning. The demon Balthazar sat in his bathing tank, sickeningly pale skin constantly moistened by his vampire slaves, who ladled water from the tank onto him. Though at well over one thousand pounds, Balthazar could barely move his enormous bulk, he felt the power that raced through him and knew that he was truly magnificent.
And, at the moment, he was also enraged.
His jellylike flesh quivered as he snarled at the Eliminati swordsmen arrayed before him.
"Let me tell you what I see," he rasped at them. "I see fear. And remorse. And the pitiful look of faces that cry out for mercy. What I don't see is what I want to see, and that's my amulet!"
"Lord Balthazar," one of them replied, terrified. "We found it. We had it! But the Slayers—"
"Already I'm bored," Balthazar snapped.
With the power inside him, Balthazar reached out. Mystical energy allowed him to move objects by sheer will alone. His size kept him from moving much, but it mattered not when he could bring anything to him. The vampire was yanked off his feet and flew into Balthazar's hands. The demon crushed his servant's head with a satisfying crackle.
Balthazar glanced up at the commander of the remaining Eliminati. "Vincent, come here," he said.
Reluctantly, Vincent moved toward him.
"Closer. Closer," Balthazar urged. When Vincent was leaning over the bathing tank, Balthazar laid a hand on his shoulder. "Let me tell you what I want to see."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Outside the warehouse, Faith and Buffy watched all of this through a broken window.
"Okay, we got, maybe twelve bad guys," Buffy said quietly. "And one big demon in desperate need of a Stair-master."
"I say we take 'em all, hard and fast, now!" Faith urged.
Buffy glanced at her lover. "We need a little more firepower than none. We should head back to the library," she reasoned.
"Well, I guess Jacuzzi Boy isn't going anywhere," Faith allowed, glancing around at the other buildings on the street. "I just wish we had… oh, that is too good."
Buffy followed her line of vision. Across the street, she spotted Meyer Sports & Tackle. Faith set off toward the store, but Buffy hesitated. She knew instantly what her lover had in mind and it meant the difference between wild-at-heart and breaking-and-entering. Of course, in the time it took them to go back to the library and return with weapons, Balthazar and the Eliminati might have taken lives.
Faith kicked in the door of the sporting goods store. Buffy followed her inside. They strode quickly within, looking for weapons.
"Ooh, score," Faith said as she looked around excitedly. With an elbow, she shattered a glass case and withdrew an expensive crossbow.
Buffy's first thought was to ask if they were insured. But seriously at the moment, she didn't think it mattered. If they were caught, they would go to jail either way. And they did need weapons now.
Faith walked over to another glass case, filled with weapons, and put her fist through it. She reached in and pulled out a pair of nunchucks.
Buffy turned and saw another case filled with impressive hunting and throwing knives. She punched a fist through the case and withdrew the most dangerous-looking of the knives.
Faith kicked in another case and pulled out a huge compound bow with some arrows.
A gun went off.
Two policemen in uniform appeared, their service weapons leveled at Faith and Buffy.
"Drop the weapons and get down on the ground! Now!"
Buffy and Faith eyed the cops who had caught them, red-handed, in the middle of robbing the sporting goods store. Their guns wavered uncertainly in their grasps. They figured the last thing they had expected to find when they responded to the store's alarm was a couple of teenage girls stealing compound bows and hunting knives.
"I said drop the weapons, or I fire," the older of the two cops said sternly.
He took a step toward them, gun held steady in both hands.
Buffy tossed the knife she'd stolen to one side. After a moment's hesitation, Faith rolled her eyes and tossed the compound bow away from her.
"Now spread 'em!" the cop commanded.
"You wish," Faith sneered as she and Buffy chuckled.
The officer twitched. "Hands in the air where I can see 'em," he instructed. "Slow," he added when Faith moved a bit too quickly for his comfort level. Then he glanced at his partner. "Good. Cuff 'em."
As the younger officer pulled out his handcuffs and moved around behind them, Faith shot an amused glance at Buffy. "I like him," she said. "He's butch."
"He does seem that way doesn't he," Buffy agreed.
Streets of Sunnydale
Five minutes later, they were cruising through Sunnydale in the caged-in rear of a police patrol car, hands cuffed behind their backs. As the lights of downtown Sunnydale flashed across the darkened windshield, the policeman glanced in the rearview mirror and talked to them.
"That's some artillery you two were putting together. You with one of them girl gangs?" he asked.
"Yeah. We're the Slayers," Faith replied dryly. She considered their options. Then she turned to Buffy. "You want to get out of here?" She slid down in her seat and lifted her legs slightly, to indicate that she intended to kick away the metal caging that separated the front and rear of the car.
Buffy slid down beside Faith. Almost silently, Faith counted to three, and then the two of them kicked the metal mesh so that it snapped off its supports and slammed the two cops forward.
Both of them struck their heads against the windshield and the driver lost control of the car.
Tires squealed and the driver swerved and crashed into a car parked at the edge of Hammersmith Park. Dogs began to bark loudly as the girls extricated themselves from the vehicle. Faith had managed to retrieve the handcuff keys, and they moved quickly back to back as she began attempting to unlock the cuffs.
"We should call an ambulance," Buffy said, staring at the unconscious cops in the front seat.
"Five people already have, the racket we made," Faith scolded her. "And they're fine."
As if on cue, the two officers began to come around, groaning. Faith unlocked the cuffs. "Come on, let's get out of here," she said, hustling away.
With one reluctant glance at the cops, Buffy followed Faith. Faith felt energized by the chaos, and she loved that Buffy was with her, breaking the rules.
February 13, 1999 – Saturday
Summers Home
The next morning, Buffy stepped outside into the bright, sunny day. She grabbed the newspaper off the stoop and brought it back inside. At the kitchen table, she opened it and leafed through the pages, searching for information about the cops from the night before, and hoping they had not come up with any way to identify her and Faith as the culprits. Not because she felt bad about what happened, which she did, but because she didn't want to see them wind up in jail.
Joyce followed by Dawn and Faith stepped into the kitchen.
"Admit it," Joyce said grumpily.
Buffy and Faith glanced at each other, and then they and Dawn toward the Summers' matriarch.
"Some days don't you want to just wake up and say to hell with the diet?" Joyce went on. "Want to make waffles? Big Saturday brunch?"
"I'm not that hungry," Buffy replied, and turned the page, eyes still on the paper.
Joyce sighed and crossed the kitchen and began to make a pot of coffee.
"So, what'd you two do last night?" Dawn asked looking at her sister and Faith.
"Nothing," Buffy said, a little too quickly. "Nothing really important."
Buffy stared at the newspaper for a moment longer, then closed it.
"You sure about those waffles?" Joyce asked.
"Yeah, but if you want them, we can help you make them," Faith said.
"No," Joyce said sadly. "They only don't have calories if I make them for the three of you. Mom logic."
"Mom logic?" Faith asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I know you aren't my daughter," Joyce said. "But given the fact you live with us and you're dating my daughter. I well… I kind of see you as one of my girls anyways. I assume that's okay?"
"It is Mrs. S.," Faith confirmed.
Joyce reached for the paper. "You all done with this?"
Buffy nodded. "Yeah."
"Let's see what's happening in Sunnydale," Joyce said slowly.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"What happened last night?" Dawn asked as she walked with Buffy and Faith down the upstairs hall and into Buffy and Faith's room.
"We needed weapons in a hurry," Buffy answered as she closed the door behind them. "Broke into a store, got caught. We did manage to get away though."
"I assume you were looking to see if the police mentioned us," Faith stated as Buffy nodded.
"There was nothing, we got away," Buffy said. "I know why we did it, Faith. And while I was hesitant you were right; we didn't have time to go back to the library. But still…"
"I know, babe, I know," Faith said sympathetically. "And I apologize for putting you in that situation. I know for you things are much harder. If we had gone to jail we would have been separated since you're still legally male."
"Yeah," Buffy sighed. "I would be put into a men's cell with other men. The courts won't recognize me as a woman till I have bottom surgery and I can't get that till I've completed at least a year of counseling and been on HRT at least that long as well."
"You will get it, Buffy," Dawn said soothingly.
"Little D is right," Faith agreed. "I know that is what you want, Buffy. But just so you know that is not something you have to do for me. I don't love you because of what's between your legs. I love you because of you."
"Thanks," Buffy said.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Later that afternoon Buffy sat on her bed with Willow. Her friend had given her a tiny little sachet bag with a string tied to one end. She sniffed at it. "Hmmm," she said appreciatively.
"You like it?" Willow asked.
"Smells good. What is it?"
"Just a little something we witches like to call a protection spell," Willow proudly informed her.
"Good deal. Protection," Buffy said, sniffing at the bag again. "I'm surprised, though, because usually spell stuff's more—"
"Stinky." Willow cut her off, nodding. "That's why I added the lavender. Give me time and I may be the first Wicca to do all my conjuring in Pine Fresh scent. So, what's the plan?"
Buffy frowned and looked at her uncertainly.
"For tonight's slayage," Willow explained. "We're going, aren't we?"
"Oh. Yeah," Buffy replied reluctantly.
"Great!"
"But… there's a 'but' here. And it's… but you shouldn't come tonight. Is that cool?"
The sadness reached Willow's eyes in an instant, but she made a clear effort to keep it out of her voice. "Sure. Makes sense. You'll be facing big, hairy danger."
"Biggest," Buffy said quickly, not wanting to hurt Willow, but wanting to dissuade her. "And very hairy."
"You're risking your life," Willow continued.
"Right, and why risk yours?" Buffy reasoned.
Willow only looked at her. "Because I'm your friend."
"I know, Will. And that's exactly why I don't want you going. It's too dangerous."
Willow frowned. "But I've done this sort of thing before, like a million times, and I can totally handle myself. Besides…" She held up the sachet with the protective spell. "Minty fresh protection. So?"
At the hopeful expression on Willow's face, Buffy hesitated. Suddenly, Faith popped her head into the room.
"Ready? Time to motor. Hey, Willow."
"Hey," Willow replied.
"Uh, look," Buffy ventured. "I really should… but we'll hang out later, right?"
"Yeah?" Willow replied, halfheartedly. "You go ahead. I'll just get my stuff."
After a moment's hesitation, Buffy went out with Faith and closed the door behind her.
Streets of Sunnydale
There were fewer stars in the sky that night, and it seemed darker than usual. Together, they strode down a deserted alley in a very nasty section of town, on their way to the warehouse on Devereau that Balthazar had made his lair. The two Slayers were armed to the teeth.
Faith had the compound bow in her hands and fiddled with it as they walked.
"I feel terrible," Buffy admitted to her lover.
"Because of Red?" Faith questioned.
"Yeah," Buffy said sadly. "She's right you know. We've been through everything together."
"If you want her to tag along and help, I'm game, B," Faith insisted.
"Normally I would take you up on that," Buffy said as she smiled at Faith. "Tonight though, it's going to be dangerous for her given how many vampires he's got." She looked at the bow in her lover's hands. "You went back?"
"Late birthday present for you," Faith admitted. "Don't worry, I didn't steal it. I bought it for you, with money I borrowed from your mom. That said I'm dying to test it out. Hey, how do you feel about getting some ribs? You know, after we're done?" she asked.
Buffy opened her mouth to respond … and a vampire dropped down from a low roof in the alley to block their way. A second rushed them from behind.
With a high kick, Buffy sent the one behind her reeling. The second rushed in at her as Faith struggled to notch an arrow onto the compound bow. She had not practiced with the weapon yet, and couldn't get it together fast enough. "Screw it," she muttered angrily.
The vampire took a swing at her. Faith ducked the blow and kicked him into the brick wall on the other side of the alley. She gripped the arrow in her hand as though it were a stake, and jabbed it into his heart as he spun around.
The leech crumbled to dust.
The two Slayers sprinted down the alley together, trying to get to Balthazar's lair.
"I think we got more coming," Faith said quickly.
"We're never gonna make it to the warehouse," Buffy replied.
"They keep coming one at a time, we got a shot."
Just as she said it, another vampire dropped down into the alley in front of them. Faith slammed him into the wall, then tossed him across the alley to land on some old boxes. Buffy staked him without hesitation, and he was dust.
They moved on, intent on their goal. As they rounded the corner, a hand reached out from the darkness and gripped Buffy's shoulder. She grabbed the figure in the shadows and threw him, hard, against a Dumpster.
He cried out in pain as he hit, then slid down to the filthy pavement.
Faith descended upon him, stake in hand.
"Faith, no!" Buffy screamed.
But it was too late. Faith punched the stake through the man's heart with a sickening crunch.
He did not dust.
He just bled.
Buffy knelt at the man's side as Faith looked on, eyes wide with horror, trying to re-create the preceding moments in her mind. The man touched the blood on his chest and his hands shook. He tried to speak, but could not.
"Don't move …" Buffy told him.
"I didn't… I didn't know," Faith stammered. She shook her head, denying what her eyes saw; it just was not possible. There was supposed to be only dust, but there was so much blood.
Buffy glanced at her. "We need to call nine-one-one, now!" she shouted.
Faith's mouth opened, but no words came out. She watched helplessly as Buffy turned back to the bleeding man.
"Don't move. It's okay," Buffy whispered as she pushed her hand over the wound, trying to stanch the flow of blood. "I need something to stop the…" Her words trailed off when blood began to drip from the man's mouth.
His eyes were wide with shock. As Faith stared at him, the man shuddered and died.
Faith had killed him; murdered a man in cold blood.
Buffy felt as though she were frozen to the spot. The dead man's eyes seemed to stare at her. Blood dripped down his chin and soaked through his shirt. She could not breathe, could not speak, could not move. At that moment, it was as though she had died.
Then Faith was tugging at her, pulling her away. "Come on!" Faith urged her. "Come on, we got to go!"
Buffy was too numb to resist. Faith dragged her away from the cooling corpse and together they ran down the end of the alley. With a hard look, Faith urged her to follow. "Come on," she said again.
Then she climbed over a low wooden fence at one side of the alley. Buffy watched her go, but could not follow. At the moment, she felt as though she wanted to be as far away as possible from Faith. She looked up to see that on the other side of the alley, there was a high chain link fence. Without hesitation, she scaled it and dropped down on the other side.
A moment later she was out on the street. Cars drove by and she slipped between them and hurried to a tunnel just on the other side. A dark figure appeared in her peripheral vision. Heart pounding, Buffy turned and was startled to find Angel standing before her.
"Angel," she stammered weakly.
"Buffy. I've been looking for you."
Her heart beat faster. She wanted to tell him, wanted him to take her in his arms and tell her it would be all right. But she could not put it into words just yet. That would make it all too real.
Suddenly he frowned and sniffed the air. Then he grabbed her wrist and pulled her arm toward him. He had scented the blood there and now he stared at it.
Then she pulled it away quickly.
"Your hand," he said, concern etched on his face.
"It's okay," she said softly.
He blinked but did not question her. "I've just been to the warehouse. I was waiting for you. They've got Giles."
Buffy shivered. It had seemed unreal before, and she had thought it could not get worse. But suddenly it had.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Faith lurked in the darkened alley and watched as the police car slid by like a shark patrolling its territory. She had not gotten far before she had felt the pull of the dead man at her. Eventually, she had backtracked and now she found herself there again, standing over him, studying his dull, lifeless eyes, and the drying blood on the front of his shirt.
She knelt by the body. It looked almost unreal, like a mannequin made up to look like a corpse. Barely able to breathe, she reached out and touched her fingers to the bloody wound at his chest.
It was not a mannequin.
The dead man was real.
She had killed him.
Devereau Street Warehouse
Giles and Wesley stood side by side, hands tied behind their backs, flanked by members of the Eliminati. With dawning horror and utter revulsion, they watched as the disgusting, blubbery demon was bathed in ladled water by his vampire slaves.
"The front, the front," Balthazar gurgled wetly. "Moisten the front."
"Oh, God," Wesley whispered to himself. "Oh, God."
"Doesn't seem too promising, does it?" Giles remarked quietly.
"Stay calm, Mr. Giles, we have to stay calm," Wesley rasped.
"Well, thank God you're here," Giles replied dryly. "I was planning to panic."
"What is that thing?" Wesley whispered, appalled.
"That would be your demon. You know, the dead one?"
"There's no need to get snippy."
Balthazar moaned in relief as the water washed over him. His blazing eyes settled on the Watchers. "Bring them closer."
The vampires grabbed Giles and Wesley brutally and trundled them up right in front of the demon's bathing tank.
"You know what I want," Balthazar spat.
"If it's for me to scrub those hard-to-reach areas," Giles said coolly, "I'd like to request you kill me now." One of the Eliminati rabbit-punched him from behind. He grunted in pain. "Ow," he replied.
"Are you out of your mind?" Wesley whimpered. "This is hardly the time for games."
"Why not? They're going to torture us to death anyway."
Balthazar chuckled. "He's not wrong about that."
"Now hold on!" Wesley protested. "We have something you want; you have something we want."
The demon considered. "Mmm, a trade, intriguing." It frowned. "No, wait, boring. Pull off his kneecaps!"
The vampires rushed him, and Wesley screamed. "No! The Slayer gave it to someone. A tall man, a friend of hers. I can tell you everything."
"Quiet, you twerp," Giles snarled at him. "They'll kill us both."
"But… I like to have… kneecaps," Wesley stammered.
"You will tell us everything!" the demon roared.
Wesley shuddered. "Yes, sir…"
"What is this friend's name?" Balthazar demanded.
Defeated, Wesley lowered his head. "I… didn't actually catch it."
"Tell you what," Giles sighed. "Let Captain Courageous here go and I'll tell you what you want to know. How's that deal?"
Water sloshed in the tank as Balthazar shook with rage and screamed at them. "There is one deal! You will die quickly or you will die slowly! The man who has my amulet, what is his name?"
"His name is Angel."
Giles blinked at the voice and turned to see Angel—in full vamp-face—stride confidently into the room and launch himself at the Eliminati. He tore into them with vigor and cruelty that surprised even Giles.
Not that Giles had any problem with that, given that Angel was in the process of saving his life.
One of the vampires rushed at the two men, and Giles gave him a solid head-butt that put him down hard. When he glanced up, skull-smarting from that move, he saw Buffy drop down into the warehouse from atop a pile of large shipping crates. The Eliminati rushed her, and she fought them off handily.
Buffy beat the vampire closest to her and relieved him of his sword.
Expecting her next move, Giles turned his back to her, exposing his tied wrists. Buffy brought the sword around and down with one swift, precise move, and slashed the ropes away.
The warehouse was filled with the sound of swords clanging as they missed their marks, and fists striking flesh as Buffy and Angel battered the Eliminati mercilessly.
"Unacceptable!" Balthazar screeched, gasping for air. "Unacceptable!"
Giles worked Wesley free of his restraints just as a vampire swordsman approached from behind him. He shoved Wesley out of the way and ducked the blade as it whistled through the air. The sword clanged off the wall and he stood up tall and grabbed the swordsman's wrist. He slammed his elbow back and shattered the Eliminati's nose, then tore the sword from his grasp.
Another vampire swordsman approached. He swung his blade, and Giles parried. A second attack and Giles knocked the blade away and rammed his fist into the vampire's face. When he looked up, Wesley was a prisoner again. One of Balthazar's vampiric henchmen had grabbed him in a tight hold from behind.
"Mr. Giles!" Wesley cried, panicked.
The blood surged through Giles's heart. He had not felt this invigorated in a very long time. He brought the blade up and swung it with all his might toward Wesley's neck.
"Down!" he roared.
Wesley tucked his head down as best he could. It was just enough. The blade severed the vampire's head neatly from its shoulders, and the thing showered cinder and ash down upon the crouching Wesley.
There were many Eliminati, but they were no match for Buffy and Angel, they battered and broke the demon's sword-wielding slugs, barely taking a hit themselves.
Giles glanced over in alarm to see that Balthazar had realized it too—the Eliminati were losing.
The demon roared and reached out toward Angel. Waves of power emanated from him, and Angel was lifted off his feet and yanked toward the bathing tank as if by a magnet. Balthazar grabbed Angel by the head and began to crush his skull. Angel grunted in pain and tried to fight him off but to no avail.
Giles started toward Angel, but even as he did he glanced over at Buffy to see that her gaze was not on Angel and the demon, but on a heavy, industrial light hanging from a bare cable above the tank. He smiled thinly as he realized what she was about to do.
With a single pull, Buffy tore the cable from its moorings on the ceiling and the lamp plummeted down into Balthazar's bathing tank. The demon screeched in pain and shuddered as the electricity running through the water thoroughly cooked it.
The stench was awful.
Angel fell to the ground beside the tank. Buffy went to him and helped him up. Even as she did, Balthazar's eyes popped open and he wheezed painfully.
"Slayer… you think you've won?" the demon rasped, and chuckled weakly. "When he rises… you'll wish… I'd killed you all."
Balthazar looked as though he might say more. Then a final, fetid breath was pumped from his lungs, his eyes closed, and the demon was well and truly dead.
Summers Home
Buffy and Faith could not sleep. Images of the dead man's face swam up at them whenever they closed their eyes.
Eventually, Buffy had risen and crawled out onto the roof outside her bedroom window.
"B?"
Buffy glanced back over her shoulder and then patted the roof. Faith climbed out and sat next to her. "So, how you doing?" she asked.
"I'm all right," Faith said, revealing nothing. "You know me."
"I do know you," Buffy agreed. "And I know that you, like me, are hurting."
"Your right," Faith agreed sadly. "For a moment I thought of letting myself go numb. Detach myself from my emotions. But that would also mean I would detach myself from you."
"What are we going to do?" Buffy wondered softly as she rested her head on Faith's shoulder. "We should tell Giles," she suggested.
"Maybe," Faith said. "As long as the… what did you call him… dork isn't around. We need to figure out who he is too. Why he was out in the middle of the night? You've been doing this for three years. And…"
"And this is the first time a civilian got caught in the crossfire," Buffy said. "So, what was he doing out in a dark alley at night?"
February 14, 1999 – Sunday
Summers Home
Buffy's eyes snapped open and for the first few seconds, she did nothing but breathe.
"Another?" Faith asked quietly.
Buffy nodded as he sat up, groggy, and wiped the sleep from her eyes. "You want the shower first?" she asked.
"You go on ahead," Faith said.
Buffy nodded as he roused herself from bed, and dragged her feet crossing the room. As she opened the door, they could hear voices on the television in Joyce's room.
"… breaking news about the murder that shocked the Mayor and residents of Sunnydale," said a male voice.
Faith got out of bed and followed Buffy down the hall. They stepped next to Dawn and behind Joyce, who sat in a chair in front of the TV. On the screen, a fishing boat hauled something unidentifiable out of the water.
The voice that broke in then was female, that of the reporter on the scene.
"Garbage men discovered the body today, the victim of a brutal stabbing. Authorities and citizens alike were shocked when the slain man was identified as Deputy Mayor Allan Finch."
Buffy and Faith glanced at each other; they now had a name to go with the body. Which brought more questions to their minds beyond just why was he out in an alley after dark.
"Still reeling from the news," the reporter said, "Mayor Wilkins had this to say…"
The screen cut from the reporter to a press conference at City Hall. The Mayor looked saddened indeed, as he addressed the media.
"Mr. Finch was not only my longtime aide and associate," the Mayor noted, "he was a close, personal friend. I promise you I will not rest until whoever did this is found and brought to justice."
Suddenly, Joyce sensed her daughters and Faith standing behind her and turned to cast a troubled look at the three of them.
"Oh, you three are up," Joyce said. "It's just terrible, isn't it?"
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"We should tell Giles today," Buffy said as she sat on her bed, Faith pacing in front of her. "I think we also need to get into the Mayor's office. Try and figure out why the Deputy Mayor would be out after dark. Was he looking for us? Or what?"
Sunnydale High School
Buffy and Faith pushed through the library doors. They found Giles and Wesley waiting for them. They glanced at each other and silently agree to wait till Giles was alone.
Wesley asked them to take a seat and began to pace. It was only then that they noticed how troubled he and Giles both seemed. Then he explained what was bothering him. He had heard about the murder of Allan Finch, and it had somehow, inexplicably, turned into a tiny personal crusade for him.
Wesley paused in his pacing for just a moment, glanced at the two Slayers, and then resumed. "I want you to look into this. Find out everything you can about the murder of the Deputy Mayor."
Buffy cringed inwardly. "But that's… I mean, it's not really our jurisdiction. Is it?"
"Buffy's right," Giles intoned. "The Deputy Mayor's murder was the result of human malice. There's nothing supernatural about it."
Wesley frowned. He seemed to puff up a bit, as though trying to take up even more of the space around him, the space that had for so long belonged to Giles. "We don't know that for certain. I believe it merits investigation."
"Which I'm sure the police are doing," Giles replied tiredly. "Meantime, if you ask me, there are better uses for the Slayers' time."
"Ah, but I don't believe I did," Wesley noted pointedly. "Ask you."
"Considering the success of your previous adventure—"
Giles might have gone on, but at that moment, Cordelia strutted into the library. As always, she seemed out of place in the room, a creature of image in a room filled with thoughts on paper, dusty old tomes, and textbooks she would never even glance at by choice.
"Don't let me interrupt," Cordelia said, then shook her head. "Wait, let me interrupt. I'm in a hurry."
None of them could have missed the slack-jawed gaze of admiration Wesley gave the cheerleader. He was smitten on sight.
"What did you need?" Giles asked.
"Psych class," Cordelia explained. "Freud and Jung. Book me."
"Happily," Giles replied.
As Giles walked off into the stacks to fetch the books, obviously relieved to be away from his replacement.
Cordelia turned to regard Wesley. She glanced him over, though with nowhere near the awe he had attached to the process when he'd done the same to her a moment ago. She did smile the tiniest bit, however. "Check out Giles, the next generation. What's your deal?"
Wesley could not find his tongue. He mumbled a few incoherent words before Faith interrupted.
"New Watcher."
Cordelia raised an eyebrow at Faith's words. "Oh."
Wesley turned to cast a disapproving glance at Buffy and Faith. "Does everybody know about you two?"
"She's a friend," Buffy replied dully, just wanting Cordelia to leave.
Wanting to leave herself.
"Let's not exaggerate." Cordelia looked Wesley over again. The second time seemed a bit more acceptable than the first. "So, you're the new Watcher?" she asked, obvious flirtation in her voice.
"Wesley Wyndam-Pryce." He offered his hand and she took it, held it for a moment.
"I like a man with two last names," she said. "I'm Cordelia."
"And you teach psychology?" Wesley asked, obviously enchanted.
"I take psychology," she replied.
Giles appeared with the books Cordelia needed and passed behind Wesley. "She's a student."
Wesley pulled his hand back quickly, as though he'd been stung. "Oh, well, I uh, yes," he stammered. "In fact, I am. Here to watch. Girls. Uh, Buffy and Faith, to be specific."
Buffy and Faith glanced at each other with a roll of their eyes.
Cordelia's eyes lit up. "Well, it's about time we got some fresh blood around here."
"Well," Wesley chuckled self-consciously. "Fresh. Yes."
At the book checkout counter, Giles was stamping the texts for Cordelia. "Here you go."
"Thanks," Cordelia said. Then she turned back to Wesley and beamed. "Welcome to Sunnydale."
Wesley stared after her as she sauntered out. "My, she's… cheeky."
"Uh, first word 'jail,' second word 'bait,'" Faith chimed in.
The young Watcher cleared his throat and turned to them. "Well. Where were we?"
Despite the amusement of it all, Buffy felt not even the slightest hint of humor. "Done," she said quickly, tense. "I mean, we were done, right?"
Faith stood up quickly. "Yep. Off to patrol, so we'll see you."
"One moment, girls," Wesley said abruptly. "I'm your commander, now. And on the matter of this murder, I am resolved. Natural or super, I want to know."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
They were side by side as they left the library. They moved down the hall to the first empty room they found. "Okay, that could have gone better," Buffy said with a glance at her girlfriend as she closed the door behind them.
"I know," Faith agreed. "I wish Giles had been alone. If we're going to tell him I would rather it not be with the company man there."
"Same," Buffy said.
City Hall
The Mayor stood in his office, glumly slipping one document after another through the paper shredder. The machine seemed almost to drag the paper hungrily from his grasp.
Mr. Trick entered the office with a file folder in his hand.
"It's not working," the Mayor told him, shaking his head grumpily.
"It's supposed to do something besides shred?" Trick inquired.
"It's supposed to cheer me up!" The Mayor said, a bit snippy. "Usually using the shredder gives me a lift. It's fun."
Trick paused for a moment. "And today you're not getting the ya-yas."
"No," the Mayor said huffily. "Guess it'll take more than this to turn my frown upside down. I just don't understand why Allan would leave such a paper trail about our dealings."
The thought gave him pause. He ran another page through and looked up at Trick. "Do you think he was going to betray me? Oh, now that's a horrible thought. And now he's dead and I'll never have the chance to scold him."
"Maybe this will change your mood," Trick said. He tossed the file onto the Mayor's desk.
"What is it?" The Mayor picked up the file and opened it.
"Bombshell," Trick said simply.
Eyes wide, the Mayor read with interest.
"The Deputy Mayor had wooden splinters in his wound," Trick summarized. "Struck right through the heart with a sharp, pointed object.
Now, the word is someone was fighting vampires not a block away from the scene. Smart money says it's a Slayer who did this job."
Startled, the Mayor regarded him carefully. "What, you think he talked? To them?"
Trick grinned. "If he did, I'm thinking he said the wrong thing."
The Mayor smiled, feeling more than a tad peppier. He closed the file.
"Well. This is exciting. A Slayer up for Murder One. That's sunshine and roses to me. It really is."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
In the darkness, Buffy and Faith slipped into the Deputy Mayor's office. Once the door was closed, Faith turned on the light. The office itself was completely unremarkable, boring, and staid.
Faith spotted a framed photo on Finch's desk. She picked it up and studied it for a moment. Over her shoulder, Buffy could see that it was a picture of Finch himself and the Mayor. The dead man was smiling sweetly.
"He came out of nowhere," Faith said, voice heavy with regret.
"I know," Buffy said with sympathy.
After a moment, the two of them went back to searching the Deputy Mayor's office. But only a few minutes later, Faith slammed his desk drawer, frustrated. "There's nothing here."
"I know," Buffy agreed. "I still flash back to him being in that alley. I'm sure he was looking for us, and I would love to know why."
"So, would I, B, so would I," Faith agreed.
Buffy pulled open a file cabinet drawer. Every single file was empty. She turned to Faith. "Why would the files be empty?"
"Good question," Faith said looking over Buffy's shoulder.
Buffy regarded her lover coolly. "Somebody doesn't want us to prove anything."
It was troubling, but there was nothing more for them to find in Finch's office. Silently, they moved to the door. Buffy opened it and glanced into the hallway. They had just begun to slip out when a door was opened a short way down the corridor. The Mayor stepped out with another man in tow. Buffy stared in astonishment. The guy with the Mayor—she had seen him before.
He was a vampire.
"Get as many men on it as you can," the Mayor told the vamp.
Buffy closed the door and she and Faith leaned against it. Even through it, they could hear the vampire's response.
"Yeah. We'll be wanting to turn up the heat."
Nothing after that. The Mayor and his friend had walked away. Buffy counted silently to one hundred, and then she and Faith left City Hall as quickly as possible. They were silent until they had put a few blocks between themselves and the site of their breaking-and-entering. They strolled together downtown as though the world had not been irrevocably altered in the previous twenty-four hours.
"So, the Mayor of Sunnydale is a black hat. That's a shocker, huh?" Faith drawled.
"Actually, yeah," Buffy replied. "I didn't get the bad guy vibe off him. I think we need one of us to switch sides."
"Get intel from the inside?" Faith asked, tilting her head to one side.
"Exactly," Buffy said. "Between the Deputy Mayor working for a black hat. And the vampire mentioned something about turning up the heat. I expect they're going to be gunning for us. We could use that."
"Sounds five by five," Faith said.
Summers Home
Buffy and Faith walked up to the front door. Before either of them could even pull out their keys, Dawn opened the door from inside, a look of panic on her face. "Buffy, Faith, the cops are here," she whispered low enough for the balding man behind her not to hear. "Investigating you two."
Buffy and Faith looked at each other and then at him. Buffy realized his face was familiar. It only took her a moment to realize it was Detective Stein, from when she believed she had killed Ted.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Inside, they sat across from Joyce and Dawn in the living room as Detective Stein questioned them.
"Tell me again. You two got home at what time last night?"
"Late," Buffy admitted. "A little past one, I guess."
Detective Stein frowned. "Maybe you can explain to me what two girls your age is doing out all night."
"We were at a late-night movie matinee," Faith answered.
"What movie?"
"Payback with Mel Gibson," Buffy said, she and Faith had come up with an alibi just in case. It's not like many people would believe the real reason for the Deputy Mayor's death after all.
"That's funny," Stein said slowly. "Because I've got a couple of witnesses who put you two near the alley."
Buffy shook her head. "Witnesses?"
The detective paced the floor a bit. Then he turned his intense gaze upon them again. "Somebody stabbed this guy through the heart. The strange thing is, the weapon? It was made out of wood. Does any of this mean anything to either of you?"
"Yeah," Faith agreed. "That whoever did it wasn't hip to the Bronze Age. So is that it? I'm… I'm kind of beat."
"So am I," Buffy agreed.
Stein frowned, and moved a step closer, trying to intimidate them. "I promise you, it'd be better for everyone if you two would just come clean."
"You mean are we covering for someone or even each other?" Faith asked with a roll of her eyes.
"I think that is enough, Detective," Joyce said glaring at the man for his insinuation.
He sighed, then nodded. "Well, call me if you remember anything."
He handed Faith his card and walked out.
Joyce followed him to the door and closed it behind him before returning to the living room. "Are you two in trouble?" she asked.
"It was an accident, Mom," Buffy answered sadly. "We thought he was a vampire."
"I staked him," Faith admitted not wanting to meet the Summers' matriarch's eyes. "We had been attacked repeatedly by vampires in that alley. We assumed he was another. Realized too late."
Joyce sighed as she sat heavily back down. "And you can't tell the police because they wouldn't believe that you had been fighting vampires just moments before."
"No," Buffy answered.
"I've tried to support the three of you when it comes to this," Joyce admitted. "I know you didn't choose it, but it chose you. Still, when things like this happen, it worries me."
"We know, Mom," Dawn said reaching across and patting her mother's hand.
"I'm going to talk to Giles," Buffy said. "He needs to know. And we need to plan our next move."
"Next move?" Joyce asked in concern.
"The Mayor is involved with a vampire I've faced before," Buffy said. "Remember the incident with the band candy?" Joyce nodded. "I met him that night when we were saving the babies. So if the Mayor is involved…"
"What else could he be involved with," Joyce said in understanding. "And he seemed so pleasant during that incident with that demon impersonating those kids."
"We know, Joyce," Faith said using Joyce's first name for the first time since she moved in.
Sunnydale High School
The lights were on in the library when Buffy walked in. "Giles?" she called out.
At the sound of her voice, he emerged from his inner office. "Buffy," he said, softly. He looked at her expectantly.
"Um, I don't know how to say this," she began. Then she steeled herself. Took a breath. "So, I'm… I'm just going to say it. I know I've kept things from you before, but the death of the Deputy Mayor was…"
"I surmised when I heard wood splinters had been found in the wound," Giles said as he motioned Buffy into his office. "Which one of you was the one who did it?"
"Faith," Buffy answered. "It was an accident. We had been ambushed by Balthazar's vampires repeatedly in that alley. We thought he was just another one. I only realized a second before—"
"Buffy, this is not the first time something like this has happened."
Buffy blinked. "It isn't?"
He leaned in, trying to comfort her. "A Slayer is on the front line of a nightly war. It's tragic, but accidents have happened."
"What do you do?"
"Well, the Council investigates and metes out punishment if punishment is due. But I have no plan to involve them," he revealed. "It's the last thing you or Faith need at the moment. Given your relationship with her, I believe if you two were separated…"
"You think I would do that? Runaway again?" Buffy asked her eyes going wide.
"I would hope not," Giles admitted sadly. "But I remember when you had been forced to send Angel to hell what it did to you then. Faith is one person that if she were taking from you, I believe could push you over the edge. With your transgender status, there aren't very many who support you. Faith does. And even gives you something that only one other person has ever given you. Unconditional love. I'm not talking about family or friends, I'm talking romantic. Yes, you loved Angel and he has proven he loves you. It's not the same as what you have with Faith. For you can share your entire life with her, where you couldn't with Angel."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Just a few feet inside the library door, Wesley stood listening, a cold, grim certainty filling him. He had overheard everything, not the least of which was their intention to keep it all from him.
Sun Spot Motel
In the modest hotel room where he had been staying since his arrival in Sunnydale, Wesley hesitated only a moment before picking up the phone. He dialed quickly, then waited the extra few seconds it always took for an international call to be put through. Finally, on the other end, an ominous male voice answered.
"Hello?"
"Yes, hello," Wesley said quickly. "Mr. Travers, please. Quentin Travers. Wesley Wyndam-Pryce calling."
"What's the code word?"
"The code word?" Wesley replied, momentarily taken aback. Then he remembered. "Monkey."
"Spell it."
"M-O-N-K … just put him on, will you? This is an emergency."
City Hall
The Mayor stood in the middle of his office, hands stuffed into his pants pockets, furious as he watched a security camera tape of the corridor just outside his office. Behind him, Trick waited silently.
"Not one Slayer, but two," the Mayor observed, as he watched Buffy and Faith sneak into the late Deputy Mayor's office. "Right here in the building."
"There was supposed to be a guard," Trick said defensively.
"Shh," the Mayor replied. "Here comes my favorite part, where the Slayers see us in the hall together, thick as thieves. Oh, wait, we are thieves! And worse. And now they know it," he snapped.
"They're not gonna be much of a threat in jail."
"We don't have near enough evidence to put them away," the Mayor explained, eyes still locked on the video screen. "No, you're going to have to come up with a more efficient solution. And, Mr. Trick, you'd better think of it soon."
The Mayor did not even turn to regard the vampire, but he was quite certain that Trick had gotten the message.
Summers Home
Faith sat with Joyce and Dawn watching TV when the front door burst open and Wesley rushed in with a trio of thugs in his wake. Dawn and Joyce stood up in their way. "Who are you to barge into my home?" Joyce asked.
"Mrs. Summers," Wesley said. "I am Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. I am Buffy, Faith, and Dawn's new Watcher," he said as he produced a pair of handcuffs. "And by the order of the Watchers Council of Britain," he announced, "I am exercising my authority and removing Faith to England, where she will accept the judgment of the disciplinary committee."
Dawn moved protectively in front of Faith. "My Watcher is Giles," she corrected. "And after what you guys did to Buffy and Faith last month. I can honestly say you can go to hell."
Joyce glanced toward Dawn at her word choice, not that she disagreed. She knew what Faith meant to Buffy. "I agree with my daughter's sentiment," she said turning back toward Wesley. "You are trespassing within my home. Faith is an American citizen. You take her out of here against her will. I will be more than willing to call the cops and have you arrested for kidnapping."
Faith looked at Dawn and Joyce appreciatively. Even though she had killed a man accidentally, they cared for her. She wondered briefly if she hadn't been in a relationship with Buffy if they might have thought differently.
"And they will do nothing," Wesley smirked. "Step aside or…" he motioned toward the thugs with him who held Tasers that were pointed at Joyce and Dawn.
Streets of Sunnydale
It was a boxy delivery truck, with plenty of room in the back. But the only cargo it carried were Faith, Wesley, and one of the Council thugs he'd brought with him. She sat across from the two men. The engine rumbled and the truck rolled along, and she wondered what her abduction would do Buffy. She knew what losing Angel had done after all. Her girlfriend had run away to get away from the pain of sending Angel to hell. Now she was being taken to England. Would Buffy run away again or would something even worse happen this time, such as suicide? She knew from Dawn's reveal about the other Buffy that her Buffy had it in her to do it. But would her abduction push her to that point?
"I'm sorry for the extreme measures," Wesley said, his usual pompous self. "Unfortunately, this is a rather extreme circumstance."
"Whatever," Faith drawled.
"Please believe, nobody is rushing to judgment," he went on. "The first priority of both myself and the Council is to help you."
"And yet you're a heartless bastard," Faith countered. "Do you know what my abduction will do to Buffy? A transgender woman who has been told by society she shouldn't exist. She lost one lover and now has lost her second lover. She ran away after she lost the first one. What do you think she will do this time?"
Wesley thought about it. "She'll survive."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Faith informed him. "You see Cordelia, the girl you were so interested in. Not too long ago she made a wish. It was reversed but Dawn remembers her counterpart's life from that world. In that world, Buffy committed suicide. I believe by taking me from her life, she might do it again."
"I don't believe so," Wesley stated as his eyes narrowed.
Faith ran her hands along the chains that restrained her and found that they were bolted to iron rings that jutted from the bench. She gripped the rings and twisted, trying to pull them loose.
"Ah, now, none of that," Wesley warned her. He turned to the Council operative seated beside him. "Tighten her restraints."
The operative rose and reached toward Faith.
Wesley continued. "Faith, there's no point in fighting this, you know—"
Faith nailed the operative between the legs with a solid kick. The man cried out in agony and went down hard. He'd barely bounced off the floor when she slammed a boot down on the side of his head and looked up at Wesley with a snarl.
"Have to disagree with you on that one. Now unlock these or I'll pop this guy's head like a grape."
Wesley's eyes ticked to a wrench that lay on the floor of the truck.
Faith caught the look. "Don't even think about it," she warned.
With no further hesitation, but with a sickened look on his face, Wesley rose and searched his pockets for the key. He found it and unlocked her cuffs.
"Faith, you can't keep running," he told her.
"I'm not," Faith said. "I'm going home. I'd advise you to go back to England. We don't want you here. Twice now you have done things that have either tried to get me and Buffy killed or separate us."
She hit hard and Wesley went down on his belly, right by the wrench. His fingers wrapped around it, and he turned, about to attack.
Faith grabbed his wrist mid-swing, pulled him toward her, and head-butted him. Their skulls cracked together, and Wesley fell unconscious to the floor of the truck.
"Wrong again, Wes," she said tiredly.
Then she turned, kicked the rear doors of the truck open, and leaped out without even waiting for it to slow. She hit the pavement, rolled, and then was up and running.
Fleeing into the darkness.
Sunnydale High School
In the school library, Dawn paced angrily. Buffy had found her sister and mother unconscious on the floor when she got home and Faith was nowhere to be found. They had gone immediately to find Giles. He, Willow, and Xander had been researching Mr. Trick and the Mayor, but Buffy and Dawn's news took immediate precedence.
"It was the new Watcher," Dawn confirmed. "He had a couple of guys with him. Tasered me and Mom."
"Which means somehow he figured it out that it was Faith who…" Buffy said.
"Which means that Faith will be soon on her way to England to face the Watchers Council," Giles informed them.
Though they were inside now, Buffy still felt cold. "And then what?"
"Most likely, they'll lock her away for a good long while," Giles replied.
"Over my dead body. So we head 'em off at the airport and stop them," Buffy announced.
"Faith is my friend and she's helped Buffy so much since she came to Sunnydale," Willow informed them. "If we could just stop Wesley—"
Her words ended abruptly. Buffy stared at the doors to the library. Wesley stood just inside.
"That's no longer an issue," he admitted.
"Where is my girlfriend," Buffy snapped as she spun on him.
"She got away," Wesley answered. "She said some things that…" He looked at Dawn. "Did Buffy really in that alternate world?"
"She did," Dawn answered knowing what Wesley was asking. "
"Did what?" Xander wondered confused.
"Killed herself," Dawn answered as Buffy wrapped an arm around her in comfort. "Without you guys, with Giles, without Faith. Buffy couldn't handle the way people saw her. She took her own life."
Wesley nodded sadly as he looked toward Buffy. "Faith believed that if I took her away from you, that the same thing would happen to you. It surprises me she didn't beat me here."
"Probably figured that you would look for her here or at my house first," Buffy said glaring at the Watcher. "Probably went someplace where she thinks no one will look except me." She looked at Giles, Willow, and Xander as she took a long breath, then let it out. "Let's find her." She rose, glanced around the room, and began to issue orders. "We should split up. I'll check the docks; that's probably where she is. Giles, Dawn, why don't you two go to the motel she used to stay at? Xander, Willow, her haunts."
"What can I do?" Wesley asked. "I want to help."
Buffy glared at him for a moment, then brushed past him, and headed for the door. "Still got your ticket back to the mother country? Because after this, Faith and I are done."
Sunnydale Docks
Freighters and fishing boats were crowded up against the ocean docks like a city unto themselves. Faith waited beside an enormous freighter, heavily laden with its cargo.
She paced the dock waiting for her girl to find her. She smiled when she spotted Buffy walking along the dock, glancing around at the shadows, obviously searching for her.
"You don't give up, do you?" Faith asked, stepping from the shadows.
"You should know the answer to that," Buffy said as she smiled at Faith.
"Yeah, I do," Faith admitted as she walked over to her girlfriend. "I knew you would know where to find me. I couldn't go home knowing what they did to your mom and Dawn just to get me. I couldn't put them at risk."
"They both love you, Faith," Buffy said. "They hold no regrets about standing between you and Wesley. Come on, let's go home." Suddenly, from above, she heard the clanking of metal. She looked up to see a crane swing an enormous wooden crate out above them.
The crate was released. It crashed down toward them.
Buffy shoved Faith out of the way and then dove, but the crate slammed down on her back, trapping her beneath it. Faith got up and moved to help her.
Then the vampires swarmed in. Mr. Trick was there, but there were three others as well. With Buffy trapped, they rushed at Faith. Trick and another grabbed her and tossed her backward. Then they surrounded her. The four vampires attacked as though they expected her to be easy pickings, but Faith was hardly that.
Buffy blinked, her mind a fog as she watched the fight. Dazed, she tried to free herself, but whatever was in the crate was heavy.
With every blow she took, Faith dished out two. The crack of her fist on flesh echoed through the night and out across the ocean. One of the vampires grabbed her from behind and another ran at her. She dropped down out of her captor's grasp, and the two slammed into one another. She fended off two more attacks, then grabbed one of the vampires and threw him off the dock.
He screamed as he plummeted down into the ocean.
Faith kept fighting. But Buffy knew that it was doubtful her girlfriend could win alone.
By sheer force of will, Buffy inched the crate up off her legs and slid out. Weakened, she dragged herself to her feet and glanced up.
Mr. Trick slammed a fist into her face, and Buffy was knocked back into a stack of smaller crates. They tumbled down around her. Woozy, she climbed to her feet. She took a couple of swings at Trick, but he got in another hard shot. Buffy was not prepared for this fight. She needed a couple of minutes to recover, to shake it off. But Trick was not going to give her that.
Buffy only hoped that by drawing Trick away, she had given Faith the opening she needed with the other two.
Growling like a beast, Trick wrapped a length of cord around Buffy's neck and began to choke her. He dragged her across the ground, then swung her up against another stack of crates. She tried to summon her strength, knowing she would have to save herself. But there was no strength there to summon.
Trick snarled as he grabbed Buffy by the throat. "I hear once you've tasted a Slayer, you never want to go back," he told her.
Eyes blazing yellow, fangs gleaming by moonlight, he dropped his mouth to her throat, and Buffy felt his teeth graze her flesh.
There came a shout from behind him, and then a familiar, wet, crunching sound. Trick stiffened and looked up at Buffy in disbelief.
"Oh, no. No, this is no good at all," he moaned. Then he exploded in a tiny cloud of ash.
Faith stood behind him, stake in hand. She smiled as she helped Buffy to her feet. "I think I have an idea, B," she said. "I'm going undercover. The Mayor just lost his right hand. He's going to be looking for another. Don't worry, okay? I'm not leaving you even if I have to pretend I did."
Sunnydale High School
"So, she's going undercover?" Giles said as he poured Buffy a cup of tea.
"She is," Buffy answered. "Given what we learned from the Deputy Mayor's death. We figured the best way to learn what was going on was to have someone on the inside."
Giles poured his own tea, then regarded her warmly. "How are you, seriously? And I am not talking about the death. I'm talking about Faith, about her doing this."
"I won't say it isn't hard, when it is," Buffy admitted. "But I know she loves me, more than life itself."
City Hall
The Mayor slipped on his coat. It had been a very late night, but then he had a lot of work to do. Running a city like Sunnydale while planning a demonic Ascension, well, it was a lot for any one man to handle.
He opened his office door and found Faith standing in the corridor, glaring at him.
"You sent your boy to kill me," she sneered.
"That's right. I did."
"He's dust."
"I thought he might be," the Mayor said easily. "What with you standing here and all."
Faith took two steps forward, invading his personal space. "I guess that means you have a job opening."
With an ironic smile, the Mayor stepped aside to let Faith enter.
Then he closed the door.
aaa
