Chapter Twenty-One: What’s My Age Again?

 

San Francisco

 

Faith paused with her fist prepared to knock on the red oak door in front of her. She dropped her hand and her gaze fell. There were two approaches to choose from. The first was as a team player, someone who could and would play by the rules.

 

She grimaced. The very thought gave her shivers, and not the good kind. That type had never been her. The second, it was only slightly better. It involved being the badass she hadn’t truly been in a very long time.

 

She wasn’t certain she could stomach either one, but at least the latter didn’t have her feeling as if she were seconds away from crawling out of her skin. It simply bothered her for reasons she’d never been able to comprehend. This was far from the first time she’d had to use her old defenses and armor to help with a mission. For now, she’d just have to steel herself to the best of her abilities and do what was necessary.

 

As Buffy had so helpfully pointed out, she was doing this to get somewhere to help the kids. A faint smile twitched her lips briefly and then she shook it off. And for that, she’d do damn near anything. At that reminder, she squared her shoulders and rapped her knuckles firmly against the door three times.

 

Then she stepped back and leaned against a support post on the porch. She studied the fresh coat of brownish-yellow paint covering the house as she waited. What the fuck drives a person to paint their house a color that reminds me of bird shit?

 

She heard steps approaching the front door from inside and then sighed as she took on an impassive expression. Maybe I’ll ask them if I get bored enough. Her left eyebrow twitched faintly, the only outward sign of her amusement.

 

The door swung open and she tilted her head as she came face to face with the house’s assigned watcher. She took his appearance in with the rapid precision of a Slayer and came to the conclusion that Giles’ original assessment was correct. ‘Pompous’ was the only word that could describe this man.

 

From Italian loafers, pressed black slacks, a stuffy white collared button-up shirt, and wire-rimmed glasses to thinning dark hair slicked to the side, Aaron Graves screamed ‘Old Council’. He vaguely reminded her of an older version of Wesley Wyndham-Price at his arrival in Sunnydale. Giles had informed her that Aaron had been a staunch supporter of Quinton Travers and that he’d only kept him on-staff because they’d been sorely in need of experienced watchers. That in and of itself would make it easier to stomach the attitude she’d get to display.

 

“May I help you, miss?”

 

Judging from the expression on his face, the Brit had performed his own inspection and she’d been found lacking. She smirked, though the humor didn’t follow to her eyes. She was beginning to suspect something and she couldn’t wait to find out if she was right.

 

“You’re Aaron Graves of the New Council.”

 

“Ah, yes. You must be Faith...” He trailed off pointedly.

 

“You gonna let me in?” She asked impatiently, not filling in the blanks.

 

Giles had informed her that it might be best to keep her identity hidden. She’d objected initially, but quickly saw the light. It would be easier to interact with Shawna if she didn’t have a watcher trying to kiss her ass. It had happened before because of her relationship to Giles and she doubted not at all that Aaron Graves was just that type.

 

Without waiting for an invitation, she brushed past him into the house. Then she turned and crossed her arms over her chest as she waited. The next couple of minutes would define how their interaction would go for the duration of her stay. She had to admit she was curious to see just what kind of watcher he was.

 

“Please, do come in,” He muttered with a sickly smile as he turned to face her.

 

“I did, thanks,” She quipped.

 

“Yes, well, let’s take this to my office,” The watcher said dismissively. “I need to tell you the rules and work out your place on the training roster.”

 

Training roster? She mused silently. Her eyebrows furrowed and she shot him a look.

 

“What the fuck’s the trainin’ roster?”

 

“I give each Slayer a few two hour slots during the week to train,” He answered. “That way I can concentrate on their skills individually and keep the competition to a minimum.”

 

Her only outward reaction was a slight twitch of her lips. Inward, however, her Slayer was growling. Ain’t no fuckin’ way they’re gettin’ enough trainin’ that way. There was something else irritating her just a little more.

 

“But the competition’s half the fun,” She commented, curious to hear his reply.

 

His expression hardened and he lowered his tone, “That may be, but this isn’t meant to be fun. Your calling is deadly serious, and should be treated with caution and reverence.”

 

“Whatever,” She growled, letting loose her temper for a moment. “Where’s my room?”

 

“There are things we need to discus before you get settled.”

 

“They can wait. I’m tired, and trust,” She said, giving him an evil grin. “Ya don’t wanna deal with me if it gets any worse.”

 

That was true, but that wasn’t the reason for her sudden need to get away from Aaron. She just didn’t want to rock the boat too soon. There would be plenty of time to let their views clash down the road. For now, she’d just keep her mouth shut on the topic.

 

She was there to help Shawna, not to tell him that there was no place in the New Watcher’s Council for someone with that view. She knew all too well what happened when the girl wasn’t allowed her humanity to combat the darkness of the Slayer. If Shawna had been in Aaron Graves’ care since her parents had died, it was no wonder she was getting out of control. Faith just hoped she wasn’t too late to reach her.

 

He studied her warily for a long moment and then capitulated. “All right, we’ll table our discussion until this evening after dinner.”

 

“Glad ya see it my way,” fucker. We won’t be discussin’ anything if I get my way.

 

He gave her a sickly smile once again as if he could hear the unspoken ending. “Allow me to give you a tour of the house before I show you to your room.”

 

***

 

“And this is your room,” Aaron said, knocking briefly before opening the door.

 

Faith gave him an incredulous look. Motherfucker won’t be doin’ that shit again, I guarantee it. He’ll learn to wait for a Goddamn invite if it’s the last thing he does.

 

“What do you want?” A low, musical voice demanded.

 

She smirked at the typical irritated adolescent greeting. She’d heard it numerous times over the years from countless teenagers. It was even occasionally directed at her.

 

Least it ain’t me this time, She mused as she followed the watcher into the room.

 

“Glad to see you’re actually here, Shawna,” Aaron noted with a smug tone. “This is your new roommate, Faith. Faith, this is Shawna Nocona.”

 

He stepped away and Faith was given her first impression of her charge. The watcher slipped from the room as they stared, closing the door behind him. Faith stepped further inside and dropped her bag on the foot of the second twin bed. Then she returned her attention to the younger Slayer.

 

Shawna was sprawled on her belly on the bed, a book open in front of her. Her black hair was pulled into a ponytail, two stray blue-tipped locks curling on either side of her face. She was comfortably clad in a pair of well-fitting blue jeans and a black t-shirt. Leather wrist-bands adorned both wrists and a pair of headphones was half-hidden beneath one hand.

 

Faith lifted her eyes to meet the reluctantly curious dark hazel ones watching her. Then she lifted an eyebrow in question and gestured between them.

 

“What’s with this? I thought they were supposed to keep roomies close in age-range.”

 

Shawna smirked faintly and asked, “How old are you? And before you ask, I’ll be thirteen in two months.”

 

“Uh...” Her mind momentarily blanked and then she stammered, “I’m t—twenty-four.”

 

Way to go, brain-trust, Faith’s inner voice snickered. Damn near gave yourself away.

 

Giles had explained that he’d thought Shawna might respond better to someone closer in age. Faith didn’t think she’d ever felt her age as much as she had at that moment. Is it really such a fuckin’ crime to be thirty-one? The only thing that had kept her from complaining was that she didn’t want to reveal just how touchy she was about it.

 

She was just glad that she at least looked twenty-four. Hot chicks with superpowers have all the luck. When we ain’t gettin’ beat down, at least.

 

“You’re the same age as Di,” She commented absently.

 

Faith’s eyebrows furrowed momentarily and then her expression cleared. She’d gotten the lowdown on the other members of the team during the briefing. The team leader was Diana Rolland, a twenty-four year old Slayer from Florida. She was apparently the closest to Shawna in the household from what little Aaron had told Giles.

 

“Yeah, so why didn’t they put me with her?”

 

The girl studied her again. Seeing that she was merely curious and not upset, Shawna’s eyes dropped and she sighed. Then she glanced back up and their eyes met. Pain darkened her expression and then a familiar look of defiance hardened her features.

 

“The others won’t room with me ‘cause I’m something of a troublemaker and Di shares with Cori.”

 

Faith felt her heart clench almost painfully. Understanding softened her eyes as she nodded. Then she turned her attention to unpacking. She knew better than most that pushing any further just yet would kill any chance of future success.

 

***

 

Cleveland

 

“Do you realize how much damage you could’ve done, Giles?”

 

Rupert Giles loved this particular Slayer like his own daughter. There just wasn’t any getting around it. But there were times when she irritated him as almost no one else could. This was one of them.

 

“I was doing what was best,” He answered, pulling his glasses off to clean the lenses.

 

And he had been—even if it did make him a meddling old fool. He replaced his glasses and then lifted his eyes to meet Buffy’s. His expression softened and he could see her resolve wavering.

 

“Everyone’s going to blame me. You do realize that, right?” Buffy asked, exasperated.

 

“They won’t,” He answered. “I spoke to several Slayers and even a few of her friends before I decided on a course of action. They are in agreement that her behavior as of late is abhorrent.”

 

“Why didn’t you just use the normal disciplinary actions?”

 

“Do you not recall what sort of effects antagonism between senior Slayers has on the Slayers-in-Training? I’m well aware it wasn’t their first fight and I doubt it will be the last, but something had to be done. It was you, Faith, or Satsu, and the two of you have far more important roles here than she does.”

 

It took a few seconds for it to sink in, and then Buffy’s shoulders dropped. Her eyes darkened and she nodded. It was obvious that she recalled it more than she wished to. Then again, it was hard to forget when they were still suffering the repercussions of it.

 

Once Giles and Faith had finally settled in with them in Scotland, their past had somehow made the rounds in the gossip mill. Of course, the tension between them had been obvious all ready. The confirmation of their troubles had divided the Slayers-in-Training, which of course led to arguments, fights, and disrespect. It didn’t calm down until Giles had forced Faith and Buffy to confront the younger Slayers about it.

 

There were still the occasional arguments, but it hadn’t gotten violent since they’d spoken to the Slayers-in-Training. Buffy sighed and pouted.

 

“Couldn’t you have at least warned me first?” She whined.

 

 

Chapter Twenty-Two: Rules Are Made to Be Broken

 

San Francisco

 

“So what are we supposed to do for fun around here?”

 

Shawna looked up from the book she was reading and regarded the Slayer lounging on the bed opposite hers. There was something about the woman that didn’t quite fit the image she was trying to present, but Shawna couldn’t tell what it was. She honestly didn’t care enough yet to try to puzzle it out yet, either. She raised an eyebrow and met Faith’s gaze with a sardonic smile.

 

“Haven’t you figured it out yet? We aren’t allowed to have fun.”

 

Faith paused and her eyes flickered to the door and back. She’d noticed during her tour that most of the rooms on the lower floor had an unlived-in feel to them, the exception being the library. She’d also noticed that there wasn’t a TV or a computer to be found. I can tell this is gonna be one of those assignments.

 

She snorted and gave a careless shrug. “So far this whole Slayer gig’s been fuckin’ boss to me.”

 

She waited to see what the reaction to that statement would be. It would be telling, of that she was sure. There were three general responses she was used to getting from the girls she worked with. There were those who thrilled at the power, those who were frightened of it, and those who were careful with it.

 

The response would tell her how to handle the girl along with her Slayer. That was one of the biggest problems the old watcher’s council had. Either they dealt with the Slayer and neglected the girl, or it was the other way around. It couldn’t be done that way because it was guaranteed that the Slayer never forgot about the girl and the girl couldn’t forget about her Slayer.

 

“I guess,” Shawna muttered, shrugging as she turned her attention back to her book.

 

Only years of experience kept the grin from breaking out on Faith’s face. Shawna’s uneasy expression gave her all the answer she needed. The girl wasn’t frightened of the power, but she wasn’t high on it either. There was still hope for her, and Faith was determined that she’d help Shawna in any way that she could.

 

***

 

It was entirely too quiet. Faith took the last bite of her dinner and then set her fork down on the plate. She glanced around the table at the others and grimaced internally. It was unnatural for Slayers to be this subdued.

 

She noticed that two of the other girls were finished eating and her eyebrows furrowed. Then she rolled her eyes and slumped down in her seat. The anal-retentive prick probably has some kinda rule about not leavin’ the table ‘til everyone’s finished.

 

The tension in the room was making Faith edgy and had her wishing she were elsewhere. She picked up her cup and took a gulp of water as she tried in vain to keep from fidgeting. Then she set the cup aside and crossed her arms over her chest as she considered what she knew of the other Slayers.

 

Diana Rolland sat to her left, the redhead being the oldest in the group. The file Giles had given her had portrayed a Slayer with great potential and skill. She’d grown up the oldest of four, which was most likely the reason she was successful in her role here. There was something in the Slayer’s eyes that reminded Faith of Willow.

 

It took a moment for Faith to recall the brunette on her right’s name. Janice Martin was a plain name, which seemingly matched the seventeen year old girl’s appearance. Her pale brown hair matched the shade of her eyes and she was of average height. The one thing Faith remembered clearly from Janice’s file was the statement that the only notable thing about her was her fighting style.

 

On the other side of Janice was Corrine Novoa, a sixteen year old born and raised in Havana, Cuba. Most of everyone at the Council’s headquarters knew her story. She’d been abused for most of her life and the night she came into her powers would probably haunt her for the rest of her life. Willow had had to use magic to make all traces of Corrine disappear from Cuba to keep the authorities from coming after her.

 

Faith shuddered. She’d gone through some awful times, but at least she had the cold comfort that it hadn’t been at her own father’s hands. The sound of a chair scooting back on the hard wood floor of the dining room dragged her from her thoughts. She glanced up to see that everyone had finished dinner and were gathering their dishes.

 

She pushed her chair back and stood, grabbing her plate and cup. Then she followed Diana into the kitchen and set her dishes in the sink before escaping the small room. She walked towards the dining room door that led to the living room and froze when she heard her name called. She sighed and glanced over her shoulder at Aaron.

 

“What?”

 

He frowned at her tone and went on, nonplussed, “I need to see you in my office.”

 

Faith ran her hand through her hair and then gestured him ahead of her. “After you,” She muttered.

 

As she followed him from the room, Faith rolled her eyes. Fuck it, the more rules I learn, the more I can break with a smile on my face.

 

***

 

Faith’s head lolled back on the seat as she stared up at the ceiling of Aaron’s office. His voice droned on in the background, but she’d tuned him out after fifteen minutes. She could only stand to listen to just so much bullshit before her short attention span caught up to her. She blinked as something he said broke into her daydreaming.

 

“Electronics are not allowed on the premises, and any found will be taken. If you must have any form of entertainment, there are books in our library. No outings are allowed unless they are pre-approved and I must accompany you. There will be no exceptions.”

 

“You gotta be fuckin’ kiddin’ me,” Faith sputtered, sitting up and glaring at him.

 

Aaron’s expression hardened and he leaned forward, “No, I am not kidding. I don’t care what they allowed at the Slayer house in Boston. I will not allow anything to distract you from your duties as a Slayer.”

 

Her nostrils flared faintly as she took a deep breath, allowing it to calm her as he continued on. This mission wasn’t just about saving Shawna any more. Something had to be done before they lost a Slayer because of this man’s attitude. Oh, she was going to enjoy taking him down a few notches.

 

She smiled, and it wasn’t a nice one. He faltered in his speech for a moment and she forced her features to impassivity. It wouldn’t do to give him any warning of just what he’d started. No, she wanted it to be a nasty surprise.

 

***

 

Faith had discovered something she hated more than Aaron Graves. She should’ve known it would happen, but she hadn’t really thought about it. Being new, she wouldn’t be allowed to patrol until the Watcher had the chance to evaluate her abilities. If she were in Cleveland, that wouldn’t be so bad because Buffy would be there.

 

But here, the only thing to distract her from the urge to hunt was her thoughts. Unfortunately, her thoughts left her with an intense longing. In the last several weeks, she’d gotten used to a certain amount of physical contact and social interaction. Now here she was without it and she didn’t know what to do with herself.

 

The disturbing part for her was realizing that she was only faintly disgusted by that. There’s a fuckin’ clue I ain’t the same bitch I was way back when. She snorted.

 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the bedroom door opening. She glanced up to see Shawna enter the room.

 

“Yo, what’s up?”

 

“Patrol’s back. They found a nest.”

 

She glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand. “Somebody get hurt?”

 

“No,” Shawna drawled.

 

Faith’s eyebrows furrowed and she asked, “Then why the fuck did they come back early?”

 

Shawna smirked, “You didn’t listen when Aaron went over the rules, did you?”

 

Faith snorted, “Fuck no. He lost me after about fifteen minutes.”

 

“Well, one of the rules is that any time patrol finds a nest, they have to do recon and then come back to the house to fill the rest of us in. We make a plan and then the entire team goes to clean it out the next day.”

 

Huh, Faith mused. Makes sense if there’s only three in a patrol.

 

“Aight, let’s get down there and see what’s what,” Faith said aloud as she got up.

 

***

 

“We followed two of the vamps back and they led us to that system of caves inside the park on Westbridge Avenue. We had to stay hidden for a while because they stood outside talking to the two lookouts. As soon as they went inside, we spread out to see what we could find.”

 

“And what did you find?” Aaron asked impatiently.

 

Faith rolled her eyes and watched as Diana shifted from foot to foot. She felt a strong desire to suggest the Slayer smack him around a little, and only barely resisted it. As amusing as it would be, it would just delay the information longer. And she wanted to go Slay more than she wanted to see the annoying Brit hurt, but only just.

 

“There’s about fifteen or more vamps nesting there,” She answered. “Depends on how many were out at the time.”

 

“Hmm, and you’re certain they weren’t aware of your pursuit?”

 

“Yes,” Diana answered stiffly.

 

“How well do we know that area?” He asked, glancing around at the other Slayers.

 

“Pretty well,” Janice piped up. “We frequently have to clear out some demon or another from there.”

 

“I see,” He answered. “Do you have a set battle plan yet?”

 

Diana leaned forward in her seat and it was then that Faith realized what it was about the young woman that reminded her so strongly of Willow. There was an obvious intelligence there that even the most oblivious of people couldn’t miss. It made Faith wonder why she was here instead of positioned at their headquarters. That was something else she would have to work on rectifying.

 

“I thought that I’d have Janice circle around to the back entrance to the caves, taking Faith and Shawna with her. Then I’d go in through the front with Corrine, taking the heat off them by drawing the vamps’ attention. Then once they hear the fight, they’ll come in and distract them so that we can get any captives that might be in there out. When we have them clear, we can rejoin Janice’s team and take out the rest.”

 

“Mmm,” Aaron murmured. “I don’t much care for sending an untested Slayer in, but I suppose there’s no other option at the moment.”

 

Faith smirked. She’d let his comment about untested Slayers go for now. She was more focused on the fact that she’d get to go Slay something soon.

 

 

Chapter Twenty-Three: Lesson #1 - Respect

 

Faith gazed up at the ceiling through the darkness of the early morning hours. She didn’t usually wake up this early. It was nearing six o’clock but she’d awoken a short time ago and had as yet been unable to return to sleep. The bed was firmer than she preferred and the room was too hot.

 

Fuck, She moaned silently. I’ve been around B and Dawn so fuckin’ long that I’m even whinin’ in my head.

 

Her thoughts drifted off track as another wakeup came to mind. A sad smile formed.

 

It was the morning after their sleepover. She had been floating in a comfortable haze, halfway between waking and sleeping. She’d tightened her grip and pulled the slight source of warmth half-draped over her closer. A shrill objection rang out just moments before four sets of claws dug into her calf, tearing her from her sleep. It was only Buffy’s swift reaction that kept her from tossing the hapless kitten across the room before she could grasp what was happening.

 

“Fuck, that hurt,” She’d muttered as Buffy reached down to pry Cookie’s claws away from her skin.

 

She’d settled back down on the pullout, her breathing slightly elevated. Her heartbeat slowed and her breathing finally settled. It was then that she’d realized Buffy was still cuddling against her side. She’d opened her eyes to glare down at the silently giggling Slayer.

 

“It ain’t funny,” She muttered hoarsely.

 

“Sure it is,” Buffy countered. “You’d be laughing your ass off it were me.”

 

“That’s different,” Faith snickered.

 

Buffy lifted a challenging eyebrow and asked, “How so?”

 

“That’s you, not me,” Faith had answered, smirking.

 

Buffy had simply rolled her eyes in response. Then they’d laid there quietly for a short while, Faith holding Buffy and Cookie curled up in the tangle of their legs. She’d looked down curiously when she’d felt Buffy shift to bury her face in her neck. A hot tear hit her skin and she’d been about to question it when Buffy suddenly spoke.

 

“Last night I told Dawn and Willow about what happened with Satsu.” She paused and then continued brokenly, “But I didn’t tell them everything. I didn’t want their pity.”

 

“You don’t gotta tell me anything,” Faith had assured her in the silence that followed.

 

“I know, but I want to,” Buffy’d admitted. “I wasn’t kidding when I told you that I want to get to know you, and I want to let you get to know me too.”

 

“Aight,” Faith had replied softly. “You can tell me whatever you want.”

 

“I know I keep saying that Satsu left me,” She had begun hesitantly. “I guess it’s not really the way it happened, but that’s the way it feels.” She shook her head and continued, “Anyway, she called sometime later after she’d left, I think it was around three, but I’m not sure.

 

“At first she tried to guilt me into answering the phone by begging, using our relationship mostly. Then she tried to piss me off, trying to goad me into it by describing the affair,” Buffy choked out, wincing at the memory.

 

Faith had begun kneading Buffy’s tensed back. It was an attempt to both comfort Buffy and to sooth the anger boiling in Faith’s blood. It wasn’t as successful as she’d have liked, but apparently it was enough to hide just how much she wanted to rip Satsu’s heart out. Faith had tightened her grip on Buffy’s waist unconsciously as Buffy continued.

 

“I guess she ran out of patience, ‘cause she finally just said she wanted a divorce.” Buffy’d lifted up to look at Faith, tears staining her cheeks. “It feels like she left me ‘cause as pathetic as it sounds, I think I would’ve taken her back if she’d just given me time.”

 

Faith was pulled from the memory as a sound reached her. Reflexively, she retrieved one of her knives from under her pillow. She silently slid it from the sheath, and then forced her body to relax as she listened to the footsteps coming up the stairs. Recognizing the tread, she stowed the knife and then she shifted to get out of bed.

 

She moved to stand at the side of the door and waited in the dark room, her eyes flicking briefly to Shawna’s sleeping figure. She smirked in anticipation. Theirs being the first room on that level, it wasn’t long before the footsteps approached the door. An abrupt rap of knuckles on the door was all the warning she had before the door swung open.

 

Aaron entered the room and then jumped as the door swung shut behind him. Something slammed into him and he felt the air rush out of him as he was shoved back against the door. An arm pressed against his throat, cutting off the air as a slender form pinned him in place. The light flicked on and he found himself looking into Faith’s snarling countenance.

 

She studied him for a moment, a smile playing at the corners of her lips at the fear she saw in his wide brown eyes. Then she got in his face, sneering. Her voice was a guttural whisper when she spoke.

 

“You will learn to respect our privacy if it’s the last motherfuckin’ thing ya do. Ya get me?”

 

His face was turning an unhealthy scarlet shade. Faith ignored Shawna’s movements behind her as Shawna got out of bed. All of Faith’s attention was on the bastard before her. She reluctantly eased up on the pressure at his throat so he could answer.

 

A couple of moments passed as he gasped for breath. Then she smacked him upside the head to regain his attention. As their eyes met, she repeated her question.

 

“Do you fuckin’ get me?”

 

An outraged expression flooded his face. He opened his mouth, but before he could say a word, she grabbed his jaw and squeezed. She shot him a warning look.

 

“Think before ya say whatever threat’s lingerin’ in your pea-brain ya uptight son of a bitch.”

 

Faith wondered if he was stupid enough to ignore her threats. She was disturbed to find that she hoped so, though not very surprised. She had to play the part, but it was toying with the darkness that dwelled within every Slayer. It was a dangerous game, one she’d played before and she’d never liked the results of.

 

“You think you’ll get away with this behavior?” Aaron sputtered.

 

So he really was that stupid. Good. She grabbed him by the throat and slid him up the door until his feet were no longer touching the floor. She could feel his throat convulsing against her hand as he struggled for air. She smiled.

 

“I will. Because you ain’t near the man it’d take to stop me.” Her thoughts flickered to Angel and some of her darkness receded.

 

“Hey, what’s going on?” Shawna’s voice interrupted from just behind her left shoulder. “Maybe you should back off, Faith.”

 

She’d been amused by the scene before her when she’d first awoken. But it was going a little too far now. As much as she loved seeing him get his, she couldn’t just stand by and do nothing as a human was hurt. It went against everything her instincts were screaming.

 

She chose to ignore the part of her that was thrilled—that part of her always made Shawna feel a little sick. She eyed Faith warily and put a little more distance between them. Faith didn’t behave like any of the other Slayers. There was something about Faith that screamed that she was something more than them, something far more dangerous than they could ever dream of being.

 

“Nah,” Faith said, interrupting Shawna’s musings. “I think I need to teach watcher-man here a lesson or two. Don’t worry, kid, I won’t kill him. I ain’t even gonna hurt him too bad.”

 

Yet, She finished silently.

 

The hands clawing frantically at her arm in an attempt to get free finally succeeded in gaining her attention. She glanced irreverently at the trails of blood trickling from the scratches he’d left behind on her forearm. Then she flicked her gaze back to Aaron’s. She shook her head.

 

“You will learn to respect our privacy,” She said in a monotone. “And you will stop actin’ like you’re our master. The other girls may have accepted bein’ your slave, but I won’t.” She paused and then finished in a snarl, “Now I’ll ask ya one more fuckin’ time.

 

“Do ya understand me?”

 

He gave a miniscule nod of his head, her hand restricting the movement. She eyed him briefly. Then she stepped back and let go, allowing him to collapse to the floor. She watched dispassionately as he sobbed, sucking in air gratefully.

 

“Good. You ain’t gonna like it if I have to repeat myself.” She tilted her head and crossed her arms over her chest. “Now get the fuck out of here.”

 

That was all he needed. Still breathing heavily, Aaron scrambled to his feet. He jerked the door open and left, slamming it behind him. The room was left in eerie silence.

 

Faith turned to look at Shawna. She waited to see if Shawna would say anything. She could see the myriad of emotions clouding her eyes—fear, panic, excitement, fascination. They were typical reactions the other Slayers had to her and Buffy.

 

Even when they didn’t know who the older two women were, their inner Slayers did. Faith wondered if anyone realized how much their instincts resembled that of werewolves. She smiled briefly. If Buffy were their Alpha wolf, then she was sure as fuck the Omega.

 

“You probably shouldn’t have done that,” Shawna cautioned as she turned to move towards the closet. “He’s just going to make you regret it.”

 

“He ain’t got what it takes to do that,” Faith replied, smirking.

 

“If you say so,” She muttered.

 

As her adrenaline began to fade, Faith suddenly asked, “How often does he send you into fights?”

 

That question had been tickling at the back of her mind since the night before when Diana had doled out their assignments. There was a Council-wide age-limit for Slaying. Slayers under thirteen weren’t even supposed to go out on patrol unless it was part of a class lesson. And none of them were allowed to go into a major fight until they reached sixteen.

 

Shawna turned from pulling on a pair of jeans. She gave Faith a confused look.

 

“The same as everyone else,” She answered with a shrug. “Why?”

 

“The house leader in Boston said somethin’ ‘bout an age-limit,” Faith lied.

 

“It was probably house-oriented.”

 

Faith only grunted in reply. Oh yeah, Aaron had another lesson on the way all ready. She couldn’t wait to give it to him.

 

 

Chapter Twenty-Four: In the Thick of It

 

The cavern was pure chaos. There hadn’t been any live captives. The Slayers were grateful that there’d been more vampires than expected—instead of the fifteen or so vampires, they’d found at least thirty. It meant they didn’t have time to focus on the victims who’d died because they hadn’t found the vampires out soon enough.

 

Faith had learned over the years to keep an eye on her surroundings as she fought. It was a survival mechanism that had taken what had felt like forever to master. She’d only managed it once she’d learned to exert some self-control in a fight; which wasn’t nearly as easy as it sounds, because her inner Slayer didn’t like being controlled—not even by her. She was thankful for it now as she studied the techniques and skill-levels of the others while she watched their backs.

 

She was pleased to see that Diana’s file hadn’t lied. She was exceptionally skilled. Her first opponent was taken out within seconds with a swift stake to the heart. The next one was done slower, but with the same clean execution.

 

Janice, now she was a masterpiece. Faith couldn’t help but think that whoever had trained the girl had best be proud of what he’d done. She slipped through the different styles and flavors of martial arts with a fluid grace that could make a master cry. It was beauty incarnate.

 

A vampire slipped between Faith and her view of Shawna. It didn’t even register that her eyes had been darting back and forth from her observations to the girl since their entrance. An unreasonable anger flared white hot and she snarled, striking out in a reverse roundhouse punch. The crack of his jawbone fracturing could be heard dimly over the din of the fight.

 

Faith threw several more punches in rapid succession. In a move that caught him off-guard, she hit him once more full-strength and then drew back to launch a kick at him. Her combat boot caught him in the solar plexus and his feet left the ground as he flew back. He crashed into the cavern wall several feet away, his body sliding down to the ground, and didn’t move again.

 

Now her view of Shawna was unrestricted once more. Shawna might be wary of what she was, but she knew what to do with it. Of course, that didn’t make Faith any happier about there being a barely thirteen year old girl in the thick of a fight. It just reminded Faith entirely too much of the times when she’d been forced to fend for herself as a child.

 

The satisfaction of slamming her stake home in another vampire’s chest helped get her mind off that track before it could really begin. She shook her head and returned to her previous scrutiny. There was something about Shawna’s fighting techniques that appealed to her... a certain controlled violence in it that she found difficult to draw her eyes away from. It was reminiscent of a blend between Buffy’s fighting style and Faith’s own.

 

It was almost impossible, but she finally managed to turn her attention to her last survey. She couldn’t have contained the wince she gave in reaction if she’d tried. It was obvious that Corrine still held a lot of unresolved issues over her past. Faith’s anger surged again as she wondered why they hadn’t gotten the girl the help she so obviously needed yet.

 

She gritted her teeth and put all of her attention back on the fight. Corrine’s situation was yet another thing that she would have to address before this was all over. She wouldn’t—no, she couldn’t, let a Slayer keep going into the thick of it like that. That way lays trouble.

 

***

 

Shawna was... There was no word for how she felt at what she was seeing. She’d thought several times since they’d first met that there was something different about Faith. But seeing her fight confirmed it. All the other Slayers she’d ever met had moved with a superhuman grace—but not Faith, hers was an almost inhuman one.

 

Every hit, every move was savage, full of a violence that was just barely contained. A primal light lit Faith’s eyes. It all spoke to Shawna in ways she didn’t understand. She trembled from the tension that was coiled up inside her.

 

Several times throughout the fight, she’d been distracted from her own opponent by the older Slayer. It wasn’t anything sexual. It was something else—something ancient. She jerked her attention away from Faith once again and just barely missed being gutted.

 

She shook her head in exasperation and maneuvered herself so that Faith wasn’t in her line of sight. There would be plenty of time later to ponder the mystery that was her new roomie. It would be a Hell of a lot safer at least. And maybe it would give her something to do that would keep her mind off the adrenaline high aftereffects.

 

***

 

There had been a nagging familiarity that began the moment she’d been introduced to Faith. It was obvious that Diana hadn’t met her before. Faith wasn’t the type of woman one forgets. But still, it was there and had only intensified the moment Faith had thrown herself into the fight.

 

Then she’d felt the other Slayer’s eyes on her at odd intervals in the fight—felt herself being judged. There was an unmistakable sense of pride that had caught her by surprise, nearly causing her to miss a knife strike from her opponent. She’d just known that it was Faith’s approval in her. The thought of it had sent a wave of contentment through her that she didn’t understand.

 

There was something animalistic about Faith. Diana had recognized that right off. Maybe what she was feeling was just her demon essence reacting to whatever made Faith that way. It was something she would have to contemplate later.

 

It wasn’t until Faith threw a double reverse roundhouse that it all fell together. It was true that Slayers had a superhuman grace. But there was another Slayer out there who moved with something inhuman, something primal lurking beneath her skin that occasionally peered out of her eyes. Buffy Summers was the only one Diana had ever seen move like that.

 

Incidentally, there was one other slayer who could most likely have—and from the rumors, had—taken Buffy in a fight. Coincidentally enough, that Slayer’s name was Faith. Diana smirked. That just drew the question of why she was there. Since whatever the reason behind her presence was most likely sanctioned by Rupert Giles, the team leader decided to sit back and enjoy the show.

 

***

 

Cleveland

 

“You jerk,” Buffy huffed as she stalked the vampire. “I just had this manicure done today!”

 

She ignored the snickers from the two people standing back by the sidewalk. She’d deal with her so-called friends once she’d taken care of this nuisance. They were just asking for it. A broken nail was a very serious offense to her.

 

She feinted left and then threw a combination of punches at him, alternating right and left handed moves. The last punch caught him in the side and she felt his ribs give beneath her fist. The vampire bent instinctively, wrapping his arm around his ribs and she smirked as she retrieved her stake from her waistband. It was so much fun to play with fledglings.

 

She lashed out, aiming for his chest. His head jerked up at the movement, but he was too late to stop her. The stake slammed home and his eyes shot open wide just before he turned to dust. She slipped her stake back into her waistband and turned slowly, narrowing her eyes.

 

“What?” Willow asked innocently.

 

“I will have my revenge,” She promised in a humorously ominous tone.

 

Buffy rolled her eyes as that set off another bout of laughter. And I’ve missed this, why? She mused sarcastically. Shaking her head, she chuckled under her breath and turned to head to the next cemetery.

 

This was the first time the three of them had patrolled together in several months. They each had their own responsibilities, both professional and personal. It wasn’t often they got the chance to get out together, though there had been more occasions in the past couple of weeks. She winced as that reminder brought other things to mind.

 

Satsu would be gone as of Wednesday of the following week, six days from now. Giles had made it official that afternoon. She was just relieved that Giles had been right and it didn’t seem as if anyone was too upset over it. The last thing she’d needed was more drama.

 

After the memo had gone out, Willow and Xander had dropped by her office. They’d asked if she wanted to go out on patrol with just them. She’d seen right through it, but gladly agreed if only to get her mind off Satsu. She just wished Faith was there.

 

Jeez, She snorted internally. She’s only been gone a day. Get over it all ready.

 

The admonition did nothing to lessen the tightness in her chest. She knew what it was, had actually been expecting it. They’d grown close, closer than she’d have ever expected. And she’d never done well with being separated from someone she had feelings for.

 

She knew she should be using this time to decide what she wanted. Should even be using it contemplate her feelings for Faith. And eventually she would—though she all ready knew what she would come up with. It wasn’t as complicated as it might seem.

 

She wasn’t even going to tackle the fact that it was probably too soon to even be thinking about someone else like that. The thing about that was Faith wasn’t just anyone. She was her other half, the person Buffy had fought against, and then fought alongside of, for years, and hated more than anyone. And she wasn’t stupid—no one could hate someone that much without loving them, too.

 

She just hadn’t been ready to accept it until now. She realized she’d loved Faith long before now, roughness and vulgarity included. It had just taken seeing a whole new side of her along with the old one to make her see it. It didn’t take a genius to realize Faith felt something for her as well.

 

She had no doubt that she was the only one who’d ever seen Faith let down her walls like she had been recently. Sure, Angel had seen Faith break down. But at that moment he’d only seen her as someone helpless, though, while Buffy had been given the chance to see Faith as a woman, and a person. And she could privately admit that she felt a little jealous that Angel had seen Faith at her weakest.

 

The sound of someone screaming broke her out of her thoughts. She threw a look back at her friends and then took off running. She could only hope Faith would call soon. The last thing she needed was for Willow and Xander to recognize her distraction for what it was; she’d never hear the end of their teasing then.

 

 

Chapter Twenty-Five: Lesson #2 – Conduct Unbecoming

 

San Francisco

 

They’d missed one last vampire. He got the jump on them just as they exited the cavern. No one had expected it, they’d all been too wrapped up in the post-slay energy. He’d jumped out of the shadows and before they knew it, plunged a knife into Shawna’s thigh.

 

Faith had been the closest. At a sharp cry of pain, she’d jerked her head around to a scene that caused her anger to flare violent and dark. One of the vamp’s arms was around Shawna’s throat and his other hand still gripped the knife hilt, twisting it slightly. The girl’s eyes were wide as she pulled ineffectively at the arm at her throat and her skin had paled considerably as her jaws clenched to prevent any further sounds from escaping.

 

He was unprepared for what happened next. Then again, most demons weren’t prepared for a fully-powered Slayer’s attack; there really wasn’t a way to do it. An inhuman growl was torn from Faith’s chest and before he could react, she’d been on him. She’d wrapped her hand tight around his throat and pulled him bodily away from Shawna.

 

“Try me on for size,” She’d snarled.

 

It was a short fight. She’d been too angry to really take her time. Several brutal punches had broken most of his ribs and as he knelt in agony on the ground after a kick to the groin, she’d plunged her stake into his heart through his back. It had been satisfyingly violent.

 

Then she’d quickly set up a tourniquet around Shawna’s thigh above the wound using her belt. They’d have to wait until they were at the house to properly tend to it. That was another issue she’d have to address; regulations required all Slayers to be fully trained in first aid and for each patrol to carry a Council-approved kit at all times. The list just kept racking up against Aaron.

 

Now they were returning to the house. Faith was supporting Shawna on one side and Diana had the other. She’d tried to pick the girl up, only to receive pointed objections. She’d shrugged it off, knowing how she’d have felt in that position and then they’d compromised.

 

The tension was unbearable and it grew even more so the closer they got to the house, to Aaron. It made Faith angry in a way that so little else did anymore. Slayers were supposed to celebrate, to reaffirm life every time they were given another chance at it. But instead, that prick of a watcher had these girls so anxious that it was making her sick.

 

Aaron was waiting for them as they entered the house, his posture radiating impatience. Faith’s nostrils flared in irritation. She needed, she knew, to calm down, to stop letting the post-slay adrenaline drive her. But that look, that condescending look on his face was fueling her aggression. And she’d never really needed help in that particular department in the first place.

 

Then his eyes drifted over them and fell on Shawna’s wound. Faith could see it coming. She’d been around Wesley Wyndam-Pryce at his worst. She knew the signs of a watcher’s lecture well.

 

“What sort of careless foolishness have you been a part of this time?”

 

Faith’s lips pulled back in a snarl and a low growl erupted from her chest. Aaron’s gaze caught hers and he faltered. Right now all she wanted was to take care of Shawna and he was standing in the way of that. Her expression challenged him to continue, to keep trying his luck.

 

“Now ain’t the time, old man. We need to get her stitched up.”

 

***

 

She was on her way back from the bathroom. She’d just finished cleaning up, having taken a shower and dressed in dark blue silk boxers and a white tank top for bed. As she approached their room, she heard Shawna’s voice raise in obvious anger. Faith paused outside the door, leaning against the frame and crossing her arms over her chest to listen.

 

“I’m really getting sick of you, you know that? All you ever offer are criticism and complaints. You never try to show us what we’re doing wrong, or even offer suggestions for improvement. Are you even capable of doing your job, or is being a complete bastard all you’re capable of?”

 

Faith smirked. She hadn’t really had much opportunity to really interact with the kid yet, aside from the few incidents since her arrival. But she was fast becoming fond of her. There was just something so deeply amusing about someone who could take a man apart with mere words.

 

“As your watcher and guardian it is my place to punish you as I see fit. How you view it is your problem, not mine, Ms. Nocona. As for the disrespect you’ve just shown me, you’ve added two more days onto it. You won’t be allowed to patrol or train for this entire week.”

 

And just like that, Faith’s amusement faded. Her expression hardened, eyes darkening to almost black. Patrol would be one thing, but training? It was bad enough that he had Shawna patrolling, but not allowing her every opportunity to train as well was a death sentence.

 

Shawna’s body was still growing, changing into that of an adult. Add in that she was still adjusting to the power of the Slayer as it increased every year... She needed to be afforded every bit of training she could get just to have any hope of her body being able to cope. What Aaron was doing was unethical and inhumane.

 

“Yeah, well, fuck you,” She heard Shawna snarl.

 

Then there was shuffling, hurried footsteps coming at the door. Faith crossed to the other side of the hall and took up a similar position near the banister. She watched the door expectantly.

 

She couldn’t help a grim smile as Aaron stumbled from the room. His exit had obviously been powered by a half-strength shove from an angry Slayer. The door slammed shut behind him and he glanced back at it, his expression disbelieving. Then he shook his head and tugged at his sweater, straightening the wrinkled material.

 

Faith shifted, allowing all traces of her amusement to fall aside. She waited until he looked up. He jumped and she gave him a mocking smile. Then she let her expression go blank.

 

“Apparently you have issues with respect in all aspects, not just our fuckin’ privacy.”

 

“That conversation was between me and Shawna,” He blustered. “It has nothing to do with you.”

 

“Oh, it has absolutely everything to do with me,” She drawled, shoving off from the wall. “‘Cause I just know that you think you’re gonna be able to pull that shit with me.”

 

“As your watcher it is my place,” He huffed, putting his hands on his hips.

 

“You seem to have gotten your wires crossed,” She replied, closing in on him. “There’s a difference between a watcher and a warden. I know it’s confusin’ ‘cause they start with the same letter, but there’s a world of a fuckin’ difference.”

 

She refrained from commenting that she knew the differences from personal experience. Too many hints and he’d realize who he was dealing with; watchers weren’t hired for their stupidity after all, even if half the old Council were ignorant in some way. And she was beginning to enjoy this. She didn’t want him to know a snake was about to bite until the asp sunk her fangs into him.

 

“I am merely doing my job,” Aaron argued. “Are you suggesting that I should let her continue with the sort of recklessness that got her injured tonight?”

 

He stepped back from the approaching Slayer. His question seemed to have incensed her further. He watched her anxiously. He wasn’t sure what it was about her, but she frightened him. She was so much more dangerous than any of his other Slayers could hope to be.

 

She made him think of what he’d heard about Slayers of old. He swallowed nervously. He didn’t know how, but he would have to find another way to gain control over this Slayer. It was obvious that his usual tactics weren’t going to work on her.

 

He wondered what made her so different. He wanted to know what it was that made her seem so inhuman, what fueled the darkness in her eyes. But part of him, something deep inside, told him he didn’t want to know. It recoiled in terror every time she got close.

 

His back hit the wall but Faith kept moving. She crowded into his personal space like she had earlier that morning. He made as if to squirm away and she put a hand to his chest, a casual display of strength keeping him in place. Her eyes locked with his again, anger burning bright.

 

“If you wanted to prevent carelessness, you’d tell her what went wrong. You’d show her how to keep it from happenin’ again,” She hissed. “You wouldn’t punish her for somethin’ that could’ve happened to anyone. You don’t even know what happened, ‘cause you ain’t been briefed yet.”

 

He opened his mouth as if to protest and she gestured sharply, cutting him off. She didn’t want to hear his voice. It was a struggle to keep from applying enough pressure to his chest to make it hurt as it was. She gave a look of disgust that, unknown to him, was directed mostly at her self.

 

“You criticize them when you ain’t even prepared them to do any better. Any efforts you’ve made to teach them have been half-hearted at best,” She continued speaking, her voice harsh and unrelenting. “You’re doin’ your damndest to break them, you son of a bitch. You’re strippin’ those girls of their humanity and their blood’s gonna be on your hands.”

 

Faith steered her mind away from the images that thought brought to mind. She didn’t want to think about Allen or Lester. She really didn’t want to think of the handful of Slayers that had given her no other course of action than to end their lives in the last decade. All she could think of was that Aaron was not going to be the reason she had to do it again.

 

She shoved Aaron away from her and turned to go back to her room. She stopped just before the door, her hand on the knob. She smiled humorlessly and turned to look at him over her shoulder.

 

“You step one foot out of line, make one more degradin’ comment, continue to disregard us as human, keep treatin’ us like we’re chattel? And I’m gonna show you what a Slayer really is.”

 

Then Faith was entering her room, closing the door behind her. She ignored the questioning look from Shawna. Instead she went to her bed and rifled through her jacket pocket until she found what she’d been looking for. Then she went to the window and, completely disregarding the seal around the base and edges of the window, she pushed it up.

 

It resisted at first, then the seal cracked and the window slid up. Faith sat down on the frame and took a cigarette from the pack in her hand. She lit it with shaking hands. Her eyes closed with the first inhalation and she bit back a sigh.

 

Faith blew out the smoke in frustration. She knew Shawna had heard their confrontation. She knew the other girl had questions. But she was going to make the other girl come to her, because it was time she focused on the real reason she was there.

 

 

Chapter Twenty-Six: Busted

 

“How long are you going to keep them in the dark?”

 

“Huh?” Faith asked sharply, looking up at Diana in confusion.

 

Diana glanced around. Then she sat down on the end of the garden bench across from Faith and ran a hand through her hair nervously. Diana had been contemplating whether or not to confront Faith since last night. Then when she’d seen Faith go out the back door after lunch, she’d decided that if she was going to do it then there wouldn’t be a better time.

 

Diana sighed and gestured towards the cigarette pack in Faith’s hand. “Can I bum one?”

 

“Sure,” Faith shrugged, tossing the pack and her lighter to her.

 

Diana tapped the bottom of the pack, knocking a couple of cigarettes halfway out, and then she pulled one completely out with her mouth. She flipped open the Zippo and brought the flame to life, inhaling as she touched the tip of the cigarette to the fire. She flipped the lid shut, gently pushed the second cigarette back into the pack and passed them back to Faith. She let a stream of smoke slip out around the cigarette, exhaling slowly.

 

Faith smirked faintly at the look of relief on the redhead’s face. It was no wonder. She didn’t doubt for a second that that prick Aaron had a smoking ban. Her smile faded quickly.

 

“So, what is it that you think I’m keepin’ someone in the dark about?”

 

Diana carefully considered how to answer the question. Then she shrugged. She took the cigarette from her mouth, flicking her ashes on the ground as she did.

 

“My recruiter was Buffy Summers,” She replied, her eyes lifting up to meet Faith’s gaze.

 

 “Cool.”

 

Faith barely contained a wince. It wouldn’t take a genius to tell where this was leading. Faith sighed internally. And she’d been doing so well, too.

 

“Yeah,” Diana said, nodding. “It was pretty cool. I was one of the last Slayers she recruited.”

 

During the first few months after they’d defeated the First, ‘the originals’, as they were now known, had had their hands full. They’d all had to pitch in when it came to rounding up the newly Empowered Slayers. There had been too many of them around the world for just a couple of recruiters. Buffy herself had even assisted for a while, once she’d returned from Italy.

 

Of course, Buffy had been forced to turn her attentions elsewhere eventually. The annual apocalypse waited for no one, and someone had had to make sure the girls were prepared for it. It just so happened that no one had been better suited for that task than Buffy at the time. Afterwards, it had only seemed natural for Buffy to continue in the role of a leader.

 

“So what’s your point?” Faith asked, gazing at Diana curiously.

 

“Sparring with her was awesome. I’ve never seen anyone else move like that,” Diana said, pausing to take another hit from her cigarette. Then she exhaled, looking at Faith pointedly.

 

“Until now,” Diana finished.

 

It was official. Someone else was going to have to start doing the undercover missions. This wasn’t the first time someone had busted her during a mission. And for the exact same reason—Called Slayers were just far too distinctive to blend in with the Empowered. She’d even run into a few older vampires that had recognized what she was in the last few years on patrols.

 

“How long have you been stationed at this house?”

 

“Uh, going on three years,” Diana replied slowly, giving Faith an odd look.

 

Faith leaned forward, bracing her elbows on her knees and cupping her chin in her hands. She glanced sideways at the redhead, and then shook her head. She flicked the butt of her cigarette away, and then ground it under the heel of her boot. She looked off into the trees.

 

“Why haven’t you requested a transfer?” She asked bluntly. “You don’t seem stupid enough to believe half the shit Asshole spouts, and I know if you spent time with B, then you don’t at all.”

 

Diana studied Faith for a moment. Then she smiled and chuckled. There wasn’t any use in lying.

 

“Someone has to keep an eye on him.”

 

Faith nodded. Things were starting to make sense. She’d had suspicions since arriving, too many things hadn’t added up. Shawna wasn’t nearly the miscreant the reports made her out to be, and Aaron was too entrenched in Old Council ideals for a higher up not to have noticed before now.

 

A quick glance to the watch on her wrist told her that further questioning would have to wait. She returned her gaze to Diana, considering her briefly. Then she nodded again as she stood.

 

“I’ll catch ya later. I gotta see Asshole for my evaluation ‘fore the kids get back from school.”

 

“Sure,” Diana replied, watching her go.

 

Diana inhaled deeply. It seemed like something was finally going to be done. It was unfortunate that it came at the price that it had, but late was better than never. She smiled.

 

***

 

Cleveland

 

Buffy was sat in her desk chair, leaning back with her feet on the desk. Her head was tilted back over the headrest of the chair, eyes gazing unfocussed at the ceiling. She was at work, but her thoughts were far from professional. Well, unless you were in Vegas or Hollywood.

 

It was one of the unfortunate side-effects of slaying—actually, it was only unfortunate if you were single. Left with only one outlet for the energy created by slaying, her mind became one long, filthy gutter. Self-love could only satisfy her so much before she was left aching as she drifted off to sleep, where her dreams would take over taunting her. It was frustrating.

 

Mmmm, She hummed internally. I wonder if it’s even physically possible to do that.

 

The thought stemmed from her dreams the previous night. One part had featured Faith in all her sweaty naked glory, writhing in a position Buffy hadn’t ever even imagined. Buffy sighed.

 

She also wondered when she had become such a pervert. Her eyebrows furrowed briefly, and then she shrugged. She’d never admit it to anyone, let alone Faith, but it was quite possible she’d been that way all along. Her thoughts certainly hadn’t been clean when she’d met Pike in LA.

 

Buffy smiled in fond remembrance. Those thoughts had been innocent compared to the things she wanted to do to Faith. No, her younger self would’ve been mortified at these needs and desires. It was partly because Faith was very much female, but mostly because even Cinemax didn’t feature some of the things she’d been dreaming about.

 

She wasn’t even sure just where some of the ideas had come from. She also doubted she’d ever have the courage to do any of it, let alone talk to Faith about it. Though, it was definitely nice to contemplate. Buffy was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t hear the door open.

 

Dawn leaned against the doorjamb, arms crossed over her chest. She couldn’t help but smirk. She also couldn’t help but be thankful for the call she’d received a few minutes before. She loved her sister, and she loved Faith, but she wanted her house to herself.

 

Moreover, she wanted them both out of her house before they acted on whatever sick fantasies were floating through Buffy’s head right now. She shuddered. Those were sound effects she did not need. And she really didn’t want to know what had caused Buffy to have that expression.

 

“Earth to Buffy,” Dawn called.

 

It was amusing to see Buffy jump like that. No matter how mature she’d gotten, tormenting her sister was still Dawn’s favorite task. Maybe she hadn’t matured that much, after all. She couldn’t help but laugh as Buffy clutched frantically at the desk to keep the chair from tipping backwards.

 

Buffy let out a startled squeak as she heard Dawn’s voice and shot forward in her seat. She overcompensated, almost tipping the chair backwards. Her hands flew out, grabbing the edge of the desk to keep upright. The desk creaked ominously under her grip as she shifted, bringing the chair back onto all four wheels once again.

 

“What do you want, Dawn?” She grumbled, glaring up at Dawn once she was settled.

 

“One thing I don’t want,” Dawn started slowly as she closed the office door behind her. “Is to hear whatever you were just thinking about. I’m sure it was wrong on so many levels.”

 

“Ha, ha,” Buffy said dryly. “Is there a reason you’re here? Other than to pester me, that is?”

 

“Well, I thought that you might like to go out for lunch to discuss the phone call I received earlier,” She replied tartly. “But I don’t know if I want to eat a meal with someone so rude.”

 

Dawn dropped down into one of the guest chairs, pulling her legs up under her in the seat. She pushed her shirt sleeves up to her elbows and leaned forward, bracing her forearms on her knees. She lifted her gaze back to her sister’s, smirking at the look Buffy was giving her. She shrugged.

 

“What?”

 

Buffy shook her head, holding back a smile. Sitting there in loose faded blue jeans and a black and pale blue double shirt, Dawn appeared much younger than her twenty-seven years would suggest. It certainly didn’t help that for once, Dawn had allowed her hair out of the bun she usually kept it in. It brought back mostly happy memories from their time in Sunnydale.

 

“Why does Giles let you come to work dressed like that when he forces the rest of us to adhere to that stupid dress code when we aren’t in apocalypse mode?” Buffy muttered.

 

“Because unlike you guys, I spend most of my time in the archives where people aren’t likely to care what I wear?” Dawn suggested, shrugging again.

 

It was a familiar argument, one that had begun less than a week after Giles had instated the requirement for employees to dress appropriately. Unless they were involved in physical activities, they were required to wear dress clothes. The only exceptions being for times of duress when no one cared about appearances, and for the more relaxed environments, such as the gyms and the archives where they kept their more sensitive artifacts and books.

 

“Uh-huh,” Buffy grunted. “Whatever. So, what was that about lunch?”

 

“I thought maybe we could go to Bucky’s,” Dawn replied, speaking of a Southern restaurant a few blocks away. “I know Faith was planning to take you there before she got called away, so I figured I’d introduce you to it since she didn’t get the chance.”

 

“Sure, why not?” Buffy quipped.

 

***

 

“What’s with that phone call you mentioned?” Buffy asked, wiping her hands on a napkin.

 

They were seated across from each other in a green leather and dark oak booth near the back of Bucky’s. To their right, a window provided a view of the ocean. To their left, they had a clear view of the bar and of the double doors at the entrance. The Wednesday afternoon lunch crowd had thinned considerably since they’d entered over half an hour ago.

 

“It was from JJ.”

 

Buffy’s eyebrows furrowed at the mention of their real-estate agent, Juanita Juarez. The Council had become frequent clients of hers since they’d arrived in Cleveland. She’d acted as an unofficial guide to the city, having helped them find their way around at the beginning. It helped that the woman was very much aware of the Supernatural, due to her upbringing.

 

“Why’d she call you?”

 

“She said she’d tried your cell, your office, and my house before calling my office,” Dawn replied. “Considering the state you were in when I came to get you, you probably didn’t even check your voicemail when you came back after your ten thirty.”

 

Buffy winced. She really hated it when Dawn was right. She had been preoccupied most of the day, and hadn’t even thought about her voicemail when she’d returned for her office hours. Buffy had had difficulty enough as it was just focusing during her training exercises with the class of juniors she met with every weekday from ten thirty to twelve fifteen.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” She muttered as Dawn burst into laughter.

 

“Anyway,” Dawn continued as she chuckled. “She wants you to call her. There’s a couple interested in the house, and you only have a few days before they go elsewhere.”

 

Buffy’s expression darkened. Her chest tightened almost painfully as a lump formed in her throat. She’d known it was coming, had even planned for it. But this was the place that had been her home for the last few years, had been their home together.

 

“I’ll call her when we get back to the office,” Buffy said tightly.

 

Dawn shot a concerned glance at her sister. Buffy’s tone had deepened, taking on a harsh quality that usually meant tears were either imminent or all ready being shed. Dawn sighed. There really couldn’t have been a worse time for Faith to be gone.

 

It wasn’t that Dawn didn’t feel bad for Buffy. ‘Cause, she did, she really, really did. So much so that Dawn wanted to hurt Satsu in the worst kind of way. Dawn just didn’t know how to sympathize with Buffy’s pain, not after so many years of wanting Satsu out of their lives.

 

“C’mon, Buff,” Dawn murmured as she stood up, dropping a few bills on the table. “Let’s get back to the office.”

 

She held out a hand. She’d try, at least. She had no idea what to say to help her, but she couldn’t leave Buffy to deal with it alone. She’d kick Faith’s ass for making her deal with this alone later.

 

 

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Quality Time

 

San Francisco

 

“Where have you been?”

 

A brief glance at the sports watch on her wrist showed Faith that she was only three minutes late. She shot an annoyed look at Aaron and continued towards the bench at the back of the basement. She dropped her duffle bag on the wooden bench and turned to sit down. Purposefully, Faith ignored the watcher’s expectant expression as she retrieved her wraps from the bag.

 

Instead, she took her time checking the room over as she wrapped her hands with the long strips of black cloth. The basement had been converted into a gym, hardwood covering what had most likely once been a cement floor. Blue floor mats lined the wall to her left, and a set of doors were off to the right. She could only assume that it led to the locker room and the showers.

 

Various pieces of exercising equipment were spread around the basement, chief among them weightlifting and cardio equipment. A chin-up bar was set into the crème painted brick walls in one corner of the room and several heavy bags were suspended from the rafters off to one side. A thickly padded ring was set up in the center of the room, its’ purpose obvious to the Slayer.

 

“Ahem,” Aaron cleared his throat. “I believe I asked you a question.”

 

“Dude, I was only three minutes late,” Faith scoffed, standing back up. “Get over it all ready.”

 

He looked as if he were going to continue his protests. Faith just gave him a pointed glare. Then he lifted the clipboard he held and scanned it briefly. He glanced up at her, taking in her outfit.

 

“Couldn’t you have worn something a little more appropriate?”

 

Faith glanced down her body at the white T-shirt and the slightly loose black mesh gym shorts she wore. She’d become accustomed to wearing less revealing clothing for training. It made for a better impression whenever a Slayer’s family was around. It was more Giles’ influence than hers.

 

“What exactly is the problem with what I have on?”

 

Her voice had dropped dangerously low. If Aaron gave her some flimsy excuse that just betrayed how much of a pervert he was, she was going to lose it. She didn’t like him enough as it was. He didn’t need to add sexual predator to the list of reasons she’d begun to build up in her head.

 

It had started out as a list of reasons to maintain her cover. Then it had quickly deteriorated into a list of reasons to kick his ass. He’d pushed too many of her buttons at once in less than forty-eight hours. It brought out the violent psycho that wasn’t buried nearly deep enough inside her.

 

“Most of the testing I do requires demonstrations of your abilities,” Aaron answered stiffly. It was apparent that he’d been offended by her not so veiled conclusion. Good.

 

“And your point would be?” Faith crossed her arms over her chest.

 

“One of them is stealth,” Aaron continued. “Your shorts will make noise as you move.”

 

Oh, that. Faith smirked. Then she lifted an eyebrow, challenging him.

 

“Bet you they don’t.”

 

***

 

Cleveland

 

They’d just reached the turnoff for their parking garage when Dawn suddenly twisted in her seat to flash Buffy a reckless grin. Despite the emotional turmoil she was in, Buffy was extremely worried. That wide smile and the upward lift of her eyebrows spelled trouble. It was all Faith.

 

It was times like these that she was reminded the most that Faith was Dawn’s best friend. Dawn would give Buffy a look or make a comment that could have only come from one source. The same could be said for Faith, who sometimes slipped into Sunnydale speak with frightening ease. Those memories eased the tightness in Buffy’s chest enough to make her breathe easier again.

 

Smiling softly, Buffy asked cautiously, “What?”

 

“I’ve just had the most brilliant idea ever,” Dawn said dramatically.

 

Now Buffy was truly disturbed. Then Dawn was reaching for the cell phone mounted on the dashboard of the SUV and Buffy began to get an idea of what Dawn was hinting at. She knew she should be responsible and tell Dawn no. She’d only just come back from her ‘vacation’.

 

But... Buffy sighed, watching as Dawn punched in the speed dial for the office. I just want to curl up somewhere and sleep until either Faith comes home or I forget everything else. I don’t think I can handle going back to the office and wading through paperwork until my three o’clock.

 

The sound of the phone dialing filled the car, once, twice, and then the phone clicked as it was answered. The click was the tap they kept on their phones, another of their security measures. A throat cleared and then the familiar, pleasant British voice of Giles’ secretary spoke up.

 

“Rupert Giles’ office, this is Evelyn. How may I direct your call?”

 

“Evie, it’s Dawn,” She announced. “How are you?”

 

“Oh, Ms. Summers, I’m doing well, and yourself?”

 

“I’m fine,” Dawn said gently. “But I need to log myself and Buffy out.”

 

“Oh my,” Evelyn murmured. “Is the poor dear all right?”

 

“She’ll be fine,” Dawn replied, glancing at Buffy out of the corner of her eye. “She’s just received some upsetting news while we were at lunch and isn’t really fit for work now.”

 

Buffy cringed, but didn’t bother to object. It was all ready all over the office about the divorce and the reason behind it, even if the gossip had been kept out of her hearing range. It wouldn’t make any difference if she went off on Dawn for that comment. Any rumors at the office would continue to spread through the gossip mill even without fuel added to the fire.

 

“You tell that sister of yours to take all the time she needs,” Evelyn said sincerely. “I’ll inform Rupert of your off-site status as soon as he’s free. You just help her get better. Rupert should be ashamed for sending Faith away just now, even if something does need to be done about Aaron.”

 

Buffy’s brow furrowed. There’s a problem with someone named Aaron? I thought she was supposed to help—Wait, that’s the name of the Watcher in charge of the San Fran house. Before Buffy could question Evelyn, Dawn was cheerfully ending the call.

 

“What was that about, Dawn?”

 

“What was what about?” Dawn responded distractedly as she shifted to look over her shoulder at the approaching traffic so that she could pull back into the other lane.

 

“I wasn’t aware there were problems with the Watcher in San Fran. I thought the issues were with Shawna’s behavioral problems and that was why they asked Faith to go in.”

 

“I’m not really sure,” Dawn muttered, turning the wheel and stepping on the gas to shoot back into the flow of traffic while she still had the right of way. “That’s not my area of expertise.”

 

“Mmm,” Buffy murmured, leaning her head back against the headrest and closing her eyes.

 

She would call Faith later. This was as good an excuse as any. That thought made her smile. Despite the lingering ache in her chest, the day was looking as if it would end on a better note.

 

***

 

Dawn was used to her sister’s insanity. She’d had twenty-seven years of it; or thirteen, depending on how you looked at it. But this was a bit much. Buffy had gone from being on the verge of breaking down to relatively serene for a Slayer suffering from heartbreak.

 

Dawn knew better than to mention that to Buffy, however. She would just count her blessings. Dawn could still recall the expression on Buffy’s face the morning they’d gone to retrieve Buffy’s stuff from her motel room. She never wanted to see that much desolation ever again.

 

“Are we going to talk about this?” She’d asked as she turned the key in the ignition.

 

Buffy had tilted her head and eyed her warily, “About what?”

 

“The reason you have five large suitcases packed full,” Dawn had replied gently.

 

That was when she’d happened to glance over at Buffy. That look hadn’t been something Buffy could hide. It was despair and pain and so much rage. Not even at the pinnacle of her depression after her resurrection could’ve been compared to what Dawn had seen and it had frightened her.

 

So now, she just watched from the doorway as Buffy hesitated at the base of the stairs. She finally understood why Faith hadn’t let her ride Buffy’s case two months before. If given enough time, Buffy could deal with her emotions. It was obvious from the sudden shift in her mood.

 

But when Buffy turned and headed instead for the den, Dawn had to bite back a laugh. So maybe it wasn’t that Buffy could deal with her emotions on her own. Apparently, even over the distance between them, Faith was still working her magic. So maybe she wouldn’t try to kick Faith’s ass.

 

Dawn was about to head for the kitchen to check Cookie’s water and food dishes when Buffy suddenly leaned halfway out of the doorway of the den and asked semi-cheerfully, “Coming?”

 

Her eyes widened in trepidation. She tried to think of anything she might’ve done or said wrong in the past few days and couldn’t come up with anything that would warrant quality time. With a martyred sigh, Dawn trudged ahead. She might kick Faith’s ass just on principle upon her return.

 

***

 

San Francisco

 

Faith was feeling inordinately pleased with herself. As was evidenced by the wide, dimpled smile she was currently sporting. She’d gotten the chance to work off some of her frustration. And there was a very distinct possibility that Aaron would never, ever, have children now.

 

 

Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Propensity for Violence

 

Cleveland

 

“You know I’ve never seen Faith as relaxed with anyone as she was with you that night?”

 

The couch was pulled out into the full-length bed and the two sisters were settled comfortably at opposite ends. Both were lying sideways across it, Dawn sprawled on her stomach across the foot of the bed, and Buffy curled into a semi-fetal ball at the head of the bed between the couch arms. Cookie was sprawled on her back near Buffy’s head, purring as she absently stroked the kitten’s belly. Across the room, the TV was tuned into some action flick, volume on mute.

 

Buffy couldn’t help but smile at Dawn’s pronouncement. They were discussing the Ben & Jerry’s night they’d had. She wasn’t certain just how they’d gotten onto that subject, but she wouldn’t complain. It was nice to just spend time with Dawn for once.

 

“Mmm, yeah,” Buffy murmured, her eyes glinting softly. “I kind of guessed. I mean, she hates being vulnerable, and she’s admitted that that was one of Robin’s biggest complaints. Despite the fact that she truly loved him, she still refused to just be ‘his girl’, in her words.”

 

Dawn rolled her eyes and muttered, “Fucking stupid man. He probably blames that on her being a Slayer. He doesn’t want to think that it’s because she has childhood trauma issues.”

 

Buffy just nodded silently. She’d always been afraid to consider it any further than that. The thought of what could’ve caused those issues made her feel a little ill and a whole lot violent. No matter how much she wanted to know everything about Faith, she would never ask about that.

 

That would be something Faith would have to bring up. She didn’t want to inadvertently hurt Faith by bringing those memories to light. And even if that was a copout, it was still the truth. Buffy wanted to hurt Faith far less than she could ever care about her own discomfort.

 

“You love her.”

 

It wasn’t a question. Buffy smiled, wide and bright. It was all the answer Dawn needed. There was a genuine happiness there that outshined anything else her sister had ever displayed.

 

“I’m not sure how or when it happened,” She admitted sheepishly. “I just know that in the last couple months it’s grown obvious that Faith is my everything. She’s become my rock. And if her being there for me like she has hadn’t cemented it, the ache her absence is causing would have.”

 

“But you still love Satsu don’t you?”

 

Buffy shot a look at her sister. Seeing only genuine curiosity, she sighed. Then she just nodded and chuckled humorlessly. It was definitely one for the books in all her romantic entanglements.

 

“I think I always will a little,” She replied ever so quietly. “I still love Angel. And even if I never fell in love with Spike or Riley, I still felt something for them both and to some degree, still do. They were a part of my life, for better or worse, and that forges a bond that can’t be broken.”

 

“But it’s Faith that you’re in love with, right?” Dawn asked hopefully.

 

Buffy rolled her eyes. Obviously that was a fact her sister was going to dwell on. She should have known. Dawn had tormented and teased her about their relationship for years.

 

“Yes,” She said in amusement. “I, Buffy Summers, am in love with Faith Lehane, okay?”

 

“It’s five by five with me,” Dawn said, holding up a hand in defense. “You won’t get any protests out of this woman. I’m a diehard Fuffy-shipper all the way.”

 

Buffy’s eyebrows shot up in a comical expression and her hand froze on Cookie’s chest. She tilted her head slightly and eyed Dawn warily. She was almost afraid to ask. But she would.

 

“You’re a what?”

 

“I’m even considering having T-shirts made,” Dawn continued, ignoring her question.

 

“Dawn, don’t make me hurt you.”

 

The kitten finally meowed in protest. Buffy glanced down at Cookie and smiled. Her fingers continued to caress the thick fur. Then her eyes lit up devilishly and she glanced up.

 

“Hey, Dawn?”

 

Cheekily, Dawn asked, “Yes, Half of Fuffy?”

 

“You realize that I haven’t missed that you’ve never shared any of your dating disasters, right?”

 

“Oh, shit. You noticed that, huh?” Dawn asked weakly, scrambling to get off the bed.

 

***

 

San Francisco

 

Faith was seated on the lid of the toilet in the bathroom on the second floor. Her hair was wrapped up in a towel on the top of her head, keeping the wet strands from obscuring her vision and another towel was draped over her shoulders. She was bent toward the floor, vigorously applying lotion to her right calf. Her leg was stretched out in front of her, toes pointed downward, muscles flexing as she smoothed the unscented lotion into her silky skin.

 

A lotion aided rubdown was a habit she’d fallen into once she’d realized how good it felt to get a massage when her body was achy from a workout. It was a remnant from her relationship with Robin that she refused to lose. It was one of the few memories she had of them that didn’t feel tainted. Her heart still clenched at the memory of his touch the first time he’d done this for her.

 

It was one thing that she’d never let slip to anyone else, not even Robin. She was a complete pleasure hound. For her, there was nothing more pleasurable than that faint ache that made her muscles throb just right and the hot shower that always followed a workout. That combination always filled her with a fuzzy lassitude that made her want to sleep for the rest of the day.

 

Even now, Faith’s eyelids were half-lidded from the effort of staying awake. It would wear off gradually as the heat from her shower wore off and her body tensed up. But it was always nice while it lasted. With a last stroke of her leg, Faith straightened and stood up, finished.

 

She pulled the white towel from around her shoulders and wrapped it around her, tucking the end in near her left breast. She was reaching for the pile of dirty clothes she’d left on the edge of the sink when she heard footsteps approaching the bathroom door. It didn’t even take a moment for her body to register that the assured tread belonged to a Slayer. She relaxed almost instantly.

 

When the expected knock came, she called out, “What’s up?”

 

“It’s Di,” Came the reply. “I wanted to check in with you about something.”

 

“Just hold up a sec and I’ll be right out.”

 

Faith gathered the small black case that served as her bathroom kit and retrieved her workout clothes. With one last glance around, she made sure that she’d left nothing behind and then let herself out of the bathroom. Her appearance apparently startled Diana, as Diana stepped back reflexively the moment the door opened. Faith just arched an eyebrow.

 

“If ya wanna talk, you can hang around while I get dressed. Or it can wait.”

 

Diana just shrugged and followed Faith to her and Shawna’s room, explaining, “It doesn’t really matter. I just wanted to see if you have any idea why Aaron’s in such a foul mood.”

 

Faith burst into laughter as she closed the door to her room behind them. Shaking her head, she crossed the room to the open closet door and tossed her clothes in the hamper just inside. Then she pulled a pair of jeans down from her side of the closet and tossed them over her shoulder at her bed. A shirt quickly followed the path of the jeans and then she closed the closet door.

 

“Yeah,” Faith said through her chuckles. “Maybe if you’re good, I’ll give you girls a story later.”

 

Giving her an odd look, Diana commented, “You know, you’re a very strange person.”

 

“Well, yeah,” Faith answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “But so is B.”

 

“You are talking about Buffy, right?”

 

“Duh,” She replied as she crossed back over to the long dresser near the door. “Sexy blonde, tiny, has a propensity for violence, sharp objects, fluffy pajamas, and pigs?”

 

She was digging through her underwear drawer for a pair of panties so she missed the look of realization that dawned on Diana’s face. Faith pulled out a pair of black boi-shorts and then shut the drawer before bending slightly to pull the underwear on beneath the towel. It wasn’t until she was finished that she realized that her visitor had fallen silent. Faith glanced back at Diana.

 

“You got a problem?”

 

The slight edge of menace that bled into the older Slayer’s words didn’t bother her in the least. Diana just smiled softly and shook her head. She wasn’t going to be the one to point it out if Faith herself hadn’t realized it yet. She wasn’t one to throw anybody out of the closet.

 

“No,” She answered easily, and then changed the subject. “So—Aaron, what’s his problem?”

 

“Told you I’d tell you later,” Faith replied in amusement as she walked to the bed. Retrieving her pants, she pulled them on, wiggling slightly to get them up over her hips.

 

“Okay,” Diana said reluctantly. “But what do you think we should do about dinner? He’s never left us in charge of mealtimes before, so I have absolutely no clue what I’m supposed to do.”

 

“Wait, he’s what?” Faith asked, and then smirked as she reconsidered, “Never mind. Considerin’ the state he was in when he stumbled up from the basement earlier, I ain’t surprised. But what’s with the whole freaky mealtime Gestapo routine anyway? I noticed that last night at dinner.”

 

“He says it’s so that he can monitor our protein and vitamin intake,” Diana said, and Faith heard her doubt. “But I think he’s just paranoid that one of us would slip something into his food.”

 

“Aight,” Faith said with a low chuckle. “So what are our choices?”

 

“Well, I know from past conversations that Corrine can cook, but she doesn’t really like to, which I think you can guess why,” Diana stated grimly, gaining a slight nod from Faith. “I can cook, too, but only the bare basics, since I learned from my dad and he was a Devil Dog through and through. But Janice is a vegan and Shawna hasn’t ever had the chance to learn how to cook.”

 

“I can cook pretty well,” Faith said, settling down on the edge of the bed as she readjusted the towel still covering her torso and chest. “But I have an idea, and I can fuck off if you don’t like.”

 

“What’s that?” Diana asked, smirking at Faith’s phrasing.

 

“When was the last time you girls had an honest to God burger or fries?”

 

Diana’s expression was something approaching lustful as she asked hopefully, “Or pizza?”

 

“Pizza,” Faith confirmed, “That way we can hit all the requirements; cheesy, meat, and vegan.”

 

 

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Lesson #3 - Freedom

 

It was just past four when Faith heard the screech of the school bus’s breaks as it approached. She was slumped against the island in the kitchen under the amused gaze of Diana. She was still pouting over the delivery time that the phone operator at the pizza joint had given them. Faith considered it cruel and unusual punishment to make a Slayer wait forty minutes for her food.

 

Faith eyed the refrigerator, briefly considering the premade meals Aaron kept stored for their mealtimes and snacks. Then she just shook her head. As hungry as she was, that stuff could get old real quick if she was forced to eat it more than was necessary. Besides, she wasn’t going to give him that sort of satisfaction by eating anything he’d fixed when she didn’t have to.

 

At breakfast and earlier that afternoon, she’d just followed along for the time being. She’d figured that there wasn’t a point in arguing over food. It wasn’t as if it was horrible. Faith just thought it was disturbing how Aaron seemed to be trying to control every aspect of their lives.

 

She shot a mildly annoyed look at Diana and then braced her hands on the edge of the island to give herself a boost up. She ignored Diana’s soft chuckle in reply as she let her legs dangle, her booted feet bouncing gently off the cabinets below. Faith’s annoyance didn’t last long. She could barely contain her amusement as she heard the key in the front door’s lock.

 

She was stirring up trouble again. What could be better than that? Well... She reconsidered. There were a couple of things she could think of, but still, it was better than having nothing at all to do.

 

“I’ll go get them,” Diana volunteered, all ready shoving off from the counter across from Faith.

 

Faith shook her head and reached out to catch Diana by her upper arm to stop her from leaving as she called out, “Yo, girls! We’re in the kitchen. Get your asses in here.”

 

Faith heard Shawna’s amused snort as the front door was closed. She let go of Diana and gently shoved her back towards the counter. Then she shot her a look that said, ‘just follow my lead’. She could only smirk as Diana rolled her eyes briefly before finally hopping up to sit by the sink.

 

She really did like that woman’s attitude. Diana seemed to just roll with the punches. That was something Faith admired in a Slayer. It made both theirs and her lives that much easier.

 

Shawna was the first one through the doorway that separated the kitchen from the dining room. Her steps slowed as she caught sight of Faith and their team leader until she was standing still. Corrine and Janice stopped just behind her, their bewilderment obvious. Faith merely smirked.

 

***

 

To say she was confused would be an understatement. This wasn’t normal. They usually took their book bags up to their rooms to do their homework as soon as they got home. But before they’d even shut the door behind them, Faith had bellowed for them to come to the kitchen.

 

Then there was the sight of their leader and the newest Slayer as she and the other two entered the room in question. Shawna wasn’t stupid. She realized something was up the moment Faith had called out for them. That wasn’t the way things were done here because it was loud.

 

According to Aaron, standing out or calling attention to yourself anywhere in any form was expressly forbidden for a Slayer. It was why he rode Shawna so much about her appearance. She just had a form of selective memory disorder. She happened to like the way she looked.

 

Shawna was fairly certain Corrine was about to faint, though. She didn’t think someone with that skin tone was supposed to be that pale. She’d certainly never seen it before at any rate. It was either from shock or from fear; or it could have been from both, considering.

 

There was the devil dancing in Faith’s eyes, though. And Shawna just knew that whatever was about to come out of Faith’s mouth was going to be bad. She steeled herself not to laugh. Shawna still didn’t know what it was, but Faith brought out something strange in her.

 

“Since our fearless leader is indisposed,” Faith said, smiling sardonically, “And some insane person or deity has placed us in charge... you three are ours until further notice.”

 

“Huh?” Janice managed to get out.

 

And Shawna lost it. Janice’s expression was just priceless. She couldn’t help it. There had been so much tension in her life for so long and laughter was one of the best kinds of relief.

 

***

 

The smell of garlic was heavenly to Diana as she bit into her third slice of pizza. It had been far too long since she’d had pizza. Hell, even spaghetti or ravioli, and it had been even longer since she’d had caffeine. She eyed the can of Coke on the table possessively as she chewed.

 

A swallow of food and then another of her drink was followed by a squelched burp. Then she let her gaze drift to where Shawna was sprawled between the two living room couches. She was obviously thoroughly enjoying this as was evidenced by the smirk she’d kept since her laughter had died down. Corrine and Janice sat stiffly opposite Diana and Faith as they ate in silence.

 

Diana could tell that they were worried. Aaron was MIA as far as they were aware and Faith was an unknown. Sudden changes in the routine weren’t necessarily bad, but for them, it could be. She was just waiting for one of them to get the nerve to speak up and she knew who it would be.

 

“Where’s Mr. Graves?”

 

She wasn’t disappointed. Corrine had issues with men; you could even say she was frightened of them in a way that angered Diana to see. But she had no trouble dealing with women. And when it came to handling Slayers, Corrine was more than capable of holding her own against most.

 

“He’s resting,” Diana interjected before Faith could open her mouth. “He seemed kind of sick when he asked me to take over the schedule until he gave further notice. I asked Faith for help.”

 

Expression a little less hostile, Corrine demanded, “So why the sudden changes? We’re just going to get into trouble once he realizes what we’ve done. You know he hates takeout.”

 

“No one’s askin’ him to eat it, now are they?” Faith cut in. “He don’t even gotta know if you’re all that worried about his reaction. It ain’t like I paid for it with his money or anything.”

 

Diana shot Faith a look. She really wasn’t helping matters much. Faith just rolled her eyes in reply and took a bite of pizza. Diana shook her head and returned her attention to Corrine.

 

“I just wanted us to have a meal that we’d all enjoy,” Diana said soothingly. “I’ll handle him if there’s any fallout from tonight, okay? None of you will get into trouble for it.”

 

***

 

Faith sighed inwardly. This tension was going to ruin her appetite and that would be a damn shame. That left her with only a few options and Faith really hated small talk. Chasing her last bite of pizza down with Pepsi, she eyed the book bags she’d told the girls to drop by the couch.

 

“What kind of classes do you guys take at school?”

 

It was silent for a second, and then Shawna answered in a bored tone, “I got Algebra, Social Studies, Science, English Lit, Gym, and Art.”

 

“American Lit, Latin, Trig, European History, Chem, and AP Art History,” Janice chimed in, her expression warily curious.

 

When Faith looked at Corrine, she just looked at her sullenly until Janice gave her a sharp jab in the side with her elbow. Corrine shot a dirty look at her and huffed, “What?”

 

“Just answer her. What’s it going to hurt?” Janice hissed, much to Faith’s amusement.

 

“Fine,” Corrine reluctantly mumbled and then brought her gaze back to Faith’s. “English Lit, Algebra II, French, US History, Biology, and Home Ec.”

 

“Y’know, those all seem kinda generic,” Faith mused, eyebrows furrowed. She hadn’t stayed in school long when she was a kid, but she’d remedied that in the last half of her life. She’d gotten her GED in prison, and then later on she’d taken a few courses in an online college.

 

“That’s because Aaron wants us to keep it simple,” Shawna muttered. “He doesn’t see any point in the other classes they provide at school and he hates that some of the electives are mandatory.”

 

Faith’s jaw clenched so hard she was sure they could hear her teeth grinding. The concerned look Diana threw at her confirmed her suspicions and she knew she had to relax. She held back a few choice curses and mentally counted from fifteen to one as she exhaled slowly. Though she was beginning to wonder why she ever even bothered with that technique because it rarely worked.

 

In the end, it was a memory that kept her from snapping. Tai-Chi was part of her daily routine and it was something Angel had taught her. Angel had taught Buffy as well and it had become common practice the last couple of months for Faith and Buffy to do their forms together. It was the visuals of Buffy’s body flowing through the forms that helped Faith calm down this time.

 

Shortly into Buffy’s recovery, she’d started joining Faith every morning for the exercises on Dawn’s back porch around sunrise. The play of shifting, gliding muscle beneath golden tan skin in the pearly gray light of morning had mesmerized Faith from the beginning. If it weren’t for the ability to multitask, slaying, patrolling, even just training would have been impossible for her.

 

Hell, Faith snorted internally as she shook herself out of those memories. Even just coexisting with her would be impossible if it weren’t for that particularly handy skill.

 

“Sounds like you got a class in mind that you wanted to take,” Faith finally offered, lifting a questioning eyebrow at the girl as she tossed her used napkin on the paper plate in her lap.

 

“There’s a couple,” Shawna agreed vaguely, nodding once.

 

Faith refrained from rolling her eyes, just barely. Then she saw the faintest traces of amusement in Shawna’s eyes and sighed internally. What was it with teenagers and being difficult? Was there a gene that caused it and if so, was it possible to use gene therapy to remove it?

 

***

 

“So for the last test he sends me out to the trainin’ course in the backyard, right?” Faith briefly gestured over her shoulder before leaning forward, her elbows on her knees. “Which, by the way, that place is way freaky. I mean, it reminded me of the oubliette in The Labyrinth.”

 

She ignored the looks she got at the reference. Corrine was confused, which was understandable since there wasn’t a TV in the house and Faith doubted her childhood had included movie nights. And Shawna, Janice, and Diana were amused. Faith would just blame Dawn if teased about it.

 

But she was serious about her comment, mostly. The paths winding through the thick woods out back could get a person lost if they were anything less than supernatural. It even had traps, which by the way, had made her ever so thankful for the tall fence enclosing the back half of the land. Though it might have been funny to hear the excuses Aaron would’ve been forced to come up with when some lamebrain decided to trespass on their property and wound up gravely injured.

 

“I was still pissed off at the snide comments that he was makin’ all afternoon, so I decided I was gonna lull him into a false sense of security before I got the drop on him. I wanted to make him feel like the ass he really is by showin’ him just how little he knows. I hid behind one of those huge trees just a few yards down the path from the entrance and waited ‘til he came outside.

 

“I kept pretty close on his trail the entire time,” Faith said, unable to stop the wide smile as it broke out yet again. “I let him go on for close to two hours before I finally gave in. But instead of just steppin’ out and announcin’ myself, I decided I was really gonna get the drop on him.”

 

She had to pause for a couple of minutes to get her laughter under control and then she shook her head, “He didn’t even see me before I stepped off that branch. Then the sound he made when he hit the ground...it was just priceless. I’ve never heard a grown man screech like that before.”

 

She chuckled again at the memory. She’d landed on top of him with her knee in a very, very sensitive place. Of course, the downside was that she’d had to carry him back to the basement because he’d lost consciousness from the pain. She shot Diana a wicked grin, unapologetic.

 

“Satisfied?” Faith asked over the sound of Shawna’s giggles.

 

“Not lately,” Diana dryly returned, shaking her head in amusement.

 

 

Chapter Thirty: Cut Deep

 

“I wanted in the band program.”

 

“Say huh?” Faith asked articulately.

 

They were on patrol. Diana was on point, with Corrine and Shawna playing wingmen. Faith was guarding the rear, and there were so many comments she could make about that but she didn’t. She was supposed to have stayed at home but had conned Diana into letting her come with.

 

“The classes I wanted to take,” Shawna quietly explained, glancing back at her briefly over her shoulder. “You asked about that earlier at dinner, remember?”

 

Faith murmured her acknowledgement. Just one more piece to the puzzle that’s starting to come together way too easily. She’s about as antisocial as pipsqueak on a bad day.

 

“Okay then,” Shawna continued. “So that’s your answer; band class. And I kind of wanted to take their drama course, too. But Aaron thinks they’re useless ‘cause they aren’t applicable.”

 

Faith’s eyebrow twitched as she bit her inner cheek. The drama thing made sense, kind of. But she was trying to fit the image of the girl in front of her with that of a band geek. It wasn’t meshing.

 

“Stones in glass houses, yeah?” She muttered under her breath.

 

“What was that?” Shawna asked.

 

“Oh, nothin’,” Faith replied, “Just thinkin’ out loud, the kind of thing that’s gotten me into trouble on more than one occasion with a friend of mine back home.”

 

It was second nature now. Cleveland really was her home now, no matter where she was or how long she’d been staying there. Though Faith knew it wasn’t the place, but the people, that made it that way. Before they’d had to demolish the castle, Scotland had become home, too.

 

“Back home? That’s Boston, right?” Shawna gave Faith a curious look.

 

“Mmm,” Faith grunted.

 

She’d purposefully kept that reply ambiguous. She didn’t want to lie if she didn’t have to, even if it was only half a lie. She had been born there, after all. She just hadn’t lived there in years.

 

“I guess this is a culture shock for you, huh?” Shawna asked.

 

“It’s somethin’, aight,” Faith replied, chuckling wryly. “It’s mostly Aaron that’s weird to me.”

 

“Is he really all that different from your old Watcher?”

 

“Oh yeah,” Faith muttered in amusement.

 

Was Aaron anything like Diana Dormer? Not in a million years. What about Giles? Never. Aaron even fell short of Wesley’s league by a couple thousand miles.

 

“Think maybe you guys can shut up sometime soon?” Corrine snapped without even sparing a glance at either of them. “We’re supposed to be patrolling, not socializing.”

 

Faith winced. They were forever going to be unraveling the mess this situation had become. She was going to find out who had assigned a Slayer with Corrine’s potential issues to Aaron’s command. She was going to tear someone a new asshole for that decision.

 

***

 

Cleveland

 

Buffy was still curled up at the head of the foldout. She’d left earlier for dinner and then quickly returned. Now she could hear the shower running upstairs where Dawn had disappeared once they’d finished cleaning up after themselves. She smiled faintly at the memory of the brief water war they’d fallen into as they’d washed the dishes, an abandoned ritual from their childhood.

 

It had been nice to spend some time with Dawn today, despite Buffy’s mercurial mood swings. It wasn’t something they often did alone anymore. Though Buffy knew it was her own fault. She’d been so utterly wrapped up in her relationship with Satsu and with work for too long.

 

She frowned at her thoughts and unconsciously pulled Cookie tighter to her. Cookie meowed in response, causing Buffy to look down at the kitten cradled in the crook of her elbow. Faith had been gone for about three days and Cookie hadn’t left Buffy’s side by choice since then. She’d become a source of comfort for Buffy.

 

Speaking of Faith, She sighed longingly, taking a glance at the clock on the entertainment center. I wonder if I’ve waited long enough to call her. I don’t want to interrupt anything important.

 

***

 

San Francisco

 

I keep thinkin’ ‘bout that little sparkle in your eye

Is it a light from the angels, or your devil deep inside?

 

Faith was smirking obnoxiously with the first strains of her ringtone, “Heartbreaker”, by Pink. She didn’t even have to look up to know that Corrine was glaring at her. She’d developed a sort of radar for that over the years. Also, being around Buffy, you just came to expect it.

 

What about the way you say you love me all the time

Are you liftin' me up to heaven, just to drop me down the line?

 

Or at least Faith did, at any rate. She dug the tiny phone out of her front pocket, wincing as her jeans scraped over her knuckles. Most of her pants were a little too tight now. Two months at home had lead to her gaining a couple of pounds despite regular workouts and Slaying.

 

She had never purposefully skipped meals. She liked eating entirely too much for that. She just wasn’t always so great at taking care of herself when she was alone. At home, though, Dawn never let her forget to eat, and Buffy had proven herself to be just as adept at it as her sister.

 

Faith flipped the phone open, stepping away from a fresh grave. “Yo, B. Missin’ me all ready?”

 

***

 

Cleveland

 

Buffy inhaled sharply at the sound of Faith’s voice. It was like being immersed in living warmth. Buffy let the breath out unsteadily as she fought off the onslaught of emotion. It took her a while to regain her control and even then, her reply came out hoarse and shaky.

 

“You know it.”

 

“Sure do,” Faith chuckled huskily. “What’s not to miss?”

 

“You really want me to go there?” She asked teasingly.

 

“Nah, don’t want ya to have to make up lies to make yourself feel better.”

 

I already feel much better. This was better. Buffy smiled. Trust Faith to keep me grounded.

 

***

 

San Francisco

 

Faith just lifted an unimpressed eyebrow when the mounds of dirt in front of Shawna and Diana began to press upward. Her gaze flicked to the grave in front of Corrine and Faith smirked. The dirt was shifting, but the occupant was either caught on something or deeply stupid. She figured that it could go either way, though it was most likely a combination of the two.

 

“What are you up to?” Buffy asked.

 

“Graveyard greetin’,” Faith drawled. “The fourth visitor of the night gets Slayed by yours truly.”

 

“Should I let you go?” Buffy asked through her laughter.

 

Faith gave it a brief thought, and then said, “Nah. I’ll let the kids get it. I’ll bag the next one.”

 

“Okay,” Buffy murmured, and Faith smiled genuinely.

 

The tone of Buffy’s voice was that of profound relief. Faith’s smile quickly faded into a concerned frown. Then she stepped further away from the other Slayers as Diana and Shawna confronted their opponents. She found herself near a bench between two older graves and absently sat down.

 

“Is everything all right?” Faith’s voice lowered, her emotions bleeding into her words.

 

***

 

Cleveland

 

“Y—yeah,” Buffy stammered, and internally cursed herself for a fool as she continued more firmly, “I just wanted to check with you about something I heard earlier today.”

 

“What’s that?” Faith asked.

 

“You’re there to help Shawna, right?”

 

As she awaited Faith’s answer, Buffy picked absently at the comforter. Faith’s scent and her own mingled, surrounding her. It was almost enough to distract her. But she was determined.

 

***

 

San Francisco

 

“That’s what Giles said in the briefin’,” Faith said absently, despite her own rising suspicions.

 

It wasn’t the time or place to discuss what she suspected even if she wanted to. She didn’t want to alarm the younger Slayers. She did need to have a private discussion with Diana, though. It had been made obvious that whatever was really going on, Diana was very much aware of it.

 

“Why?” She prompted when Buffy remained silent.

 

“Evie made a comment about Aaron. She said that something needed to be done about him. It sounded really odd to me ‘cause I hadn’t been aware of any problems with him. Were you?”

 

Faith watched as Diana finished off her opponent just in time for the fourth and final vampire to struggle out of his grave as Buffy spoke. Corrine was already finished with hers, as she’d been impatient enough to stake him before he was even half way out of the ground. Shawna was still playing with her vampire and Faith smiled faintly. Then her gaze strayed back to Diana’s fight.

 

Diana’s gaze locked with Faith’s just as the meaning of Buffy’s words slammed home. Faith’s eyes hardened, causing Diana’s to widen in surprise and confusion. Faith looked away as Diana’s opponent took advantage of her distraction with a punch to her ribs. Faith’s jaw clenched.

 

“No,” Faith answered with a faint tinge of bitterness. “I wasn’t.”

 

Her suspicions had been confirmed. But it felt like some things never change. It occurred to her that Giles might’ve had good reasons for withholding that information. It just cut a little deep.

 

 

Continued