"Crawford Street Mansion is only a couple blocks from here." Xander told Faith as the two of them walked Sunnydale's streets looking for vampires. So far they'd only found a couple of fledges and Xander really didn't like the cold, dead sensation he got around them. Would he ever get used to it? He was certain he didn't want to get used to it. Frankly, it was the only downside to the information and skills he'd gotten as part of this Legacy package he told Faith.
"The short shelf life is the only downside I can think of to the Slayer package." Faith told him. "The fast healing, the skills, the stamina, all great. Not to mention the H & H."
"H & H?" Xander asked
"Hungry and horny. A good tussel leaves me wanting to eat and get laid."
"You're kidding."
"Nope. B claims she doesn't get either."
"No, she eats like a bird and I've never seen her act horny. And Kendra was so repressed she could barely talk."
"Kendra was the Slayer who died before me?"
"Yeah, we only got to see her twice since she lived in Jamaica and she came to help us with a couple of problems, first Drusilla and then Angelus. And Drusilla killed her."
"You mentioned she used thrall to do it."
"It was the last thing I saw before I passed out with a broken arm and a concussion. It should never have happened. They taught her perfect technique in martial arts and made her memorize loads of demon data and gave her no way of protecting herself. No wonder Slayers die so young and is it any wonder the Powers are pissed over it? There has to be a better way, I won't let the boys affected by the Executioner Legacy be treated like that. I'm responsible for them."
Before Faith could comment they saw a police car and an ambulance both drive passed them.
"That's weird." Xander said. "We rarely see police out at night, I wonder what's going on?"
"Let's check it out." Faith suggested. "It's been a slow night anyway."
"Yeah, just fledges and hey, thanks for letting me handle them."
"Your new skills needed a field test and you did just fine." She assured him.
"Thanks. What the Hell?! Something's going on in Crawford Mansion." Xander pointed as the two drew close enough to see the police car parked in front of it, along with the ambulance. "Let's see if we can get any information from the cops." The two approached the police officers and Xander recognized one of them. "Detective Stein." Xander spoke to the unlikable Detective who'd tried to railroad Buffy when Ted the Robot had attacked her and again when she'd been accused of killing Kendra.
"Alexander Harris, interesting that you should show up here, at a crime scene." The Detective eyed Xander and Faith.
"Just walking a friend home from the Bronze, Detective. Sunnydale isn't nearly as safe as people like to think. All those gangs we keep hearing about."
"Can anyone confirm you were at the Bronze?"
"It's a very popular place, Detective and most of the High School kids hang out there on a nightly basis. Some probably saw us, is there a reason you're asking?"
"We responded to a call about trespassers fighting on the premises. When we arrived we found only one person inside. Interestingly, it's someone you know."
"Really? I know a lot of people, who might this particular person be?"
"Buffy Summers, two time murder suspect."
Xander dropped the casual act and went intense in the blink of an eye and began an interrogation of his own. "What's her condition?"
"She's nonreponsive and has been in a fight, obviously. She's just staring at nothing and won't answer any questions."
"She's a minor, you're required to have parental authorization before questioning her, Detective, you should know that, unless she's under arrest. Is she under arrest?"
"We have no evidence she's committed a crime at this time, but we are investigating."
"You need to speak with her mother. Do you have any idea why she was here?"
"Fighting, as I said."
"Is there evidence of anyone else in there, Detective? Maybe she was just dumped here."
"There's nothing but dust in there and something that was destroyed, vandalism obviously. Maybe she did that too."
"You've never been able to make charges stick against her, never any evidence to support them and plenty for self defense in the case of the man who had four bodies in his basement." Xander reminded the Detective. A reminder that had the Detective scowling.
"Don't go anywhere, Mr. Harris, we might have more questions for you."
"You know where I live, Detective. Cops get called there repeatedly by the neighbors, as I'm sure you're aware. But never on me."
"It's just a matter of time, I'm sure." The Detective muttered before moving off and Xander and the silent Faith watched Buffy being loaded in the ambulance.
"We need to let Mrs. Summers know before that idiot shows up." Xander said grimly. "He has the sensitivity of a rhino."
"There's a gas station a couple blocks over, I think. I can run over and use the payphone to call her."
"Have her call the lawyer assigned to represent Buffy, he can talk to the Detective for her."
Faith nodded and making sure no one was looking in their direction, took off running, she could out run a normal human any day of the week.
Learning about Buffy's condition was one more body blow to Joyce Summers, who was really not having a good week herself as she called the lawyer before heading to the hospital to see her daughter.
