Chapter Thirty-One: Cut to the Chase

Okay, Faith sighed internally, gazing up at the ceiling of the darkened bedroom. So I have three mildly maladjusted Slayers, one of which is underage, and a team leader with more smarts than is really called for in a low activity zone. An Old Council indoctrinated Watcher.

Her brow furrowed. And reports that make absolutely no sense whatsoever. Not for the first time, she silently wished she’d brought the file on Shawna with her. Unfortunately, it would’ve been incriminating evidence if she had, which was why she’d left it with her stuff at Dawn’s house.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t remember what she’d read, because she could. It just would’ve been nice to have a visual of the information Giles had provided her with to compare to the reality of the situation. Faith grimaced. She was going to have to gain access to a computer soon.

That was going to be fun. Not. She could use a computer as well, or better, than most people. She’d spent enough time with Willow to learn a few tricks. She just didn’t like computers.

Faith rolled her eyes. Whether or not she liked them was immaterial. She needed to access the Council’s database to review the files. And maybe find something related to Buffy’s question.

Faith was trying not to let that get to her. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions. There were plenty of explanations for not giving a complete report to a field operative. But she couldn’t help but think that Giles wasn’t supposed to consider her just another field operative.

They were friends first and foremost. They’d spent a lot of time together since he’d been estranged from Buffy all those years ago. Faith wouldn’t tell him, but she saw him as a father figure. He’d given her support and trust when nobody else had been able or willing to.

***

Faith paced back and forth outside Diana’s bedroom door. She’d gotten maybe two hours of sleep before she’d finally given up and now here she was. Most of the night had been spent organizing her thoughts and she still wasn’t sure where to start. Or even which questions to ask.

The door swung open and Faith’s steps faltered. She snapped her head up to meet Diana’s gaze. It didn’t come as a surprise to find that Diana didn’t appear confused. Faith guessed Diana had been expecting the coming interrogation before now.

“I need to talk to ya.”

Diana just nodded and stepped back, waving her in. Faith slipped inside the room and turned to face her. Absently, she noticed that the layout of the room was identical to her own. Shaking off her distraction, she hooked her thumb in a belt loop and gripped her bicep with her free hand.

“Tell me why you’re here.”

It was as good a starting place as any. Diana let out an explosive breath, shoulders slumping. Then Diana crossed the room to sink down onto the edge of her bed. Faith was about to push her for an answer when Diana finally began to speak.

“I was second in command of the Miami house until last year. Shortly after I finished my training at the police academy, I was approached by Rupert Giles for this position.”

Faith wasn’t shocked. It wasn’t so farfetched an idea that Diana was a cop. Military and law enforcement were common secondary careers for Slayers. However, that didn’t explain why Diana out of hundreds of other qualified Slayers, some of which were much more experienced.

“Why?”

Smiling faintly, Diana asked, “Why what? He wanted a cop because of our investigative skills.”

“Don’t play stupid,” Faith growled. “Why you? No offense, but there’s a Ranger in Texas that would’ve been more qualified if he absolutely had to have someone in law enforcement.”

“He wanted someone who wasn’t jaded,” Diana explained softly. “Those were his exact words. The more qualified candidates would have been way too confrontational for this situation. I didn’t really get what he meant until you got here and I saw the way you interact with Aaron.”

“What exactly is ‘this situation’?” Faith asked, pouncing on that opening.

“First, tell me what you’ve noticed so far,” Diana countered, leaning forward.

Faith eyed her, judging her seriousness, and then she sighed, “Neglected and underage Slayers. And all I’ve seen of Aaron screams absolute incompetence. He’s been lax in his duties and he abuses his position as Watcher. I also suspect he’s stealin’ funds from us to cover up his activities—or lack there of—as well.”

“Mmm. All that in under seventy hours,” Diana murmured. “I’m impressed.”

“What were you officially sent here to investigate?” Faith asked, ignoring her comment.

“Giles suspected Aaron’s reports were being padded. When I reported my observations on the under stocked supplies and the lax training, he wanted me to find out why. I haven't been able to determine Aaron's motivations. Giles gave me orders to remain here as team leader. He didn’t want Aaron left in charge unsupervised, not that my presence has been a deterrent.”

“Did you get anything at all?” Faith asked, making a mental note to revisit that last statement.

“Nothing that differs too greatly from what you’ve uncovered,” Diana admitted. “Observation has been my main source of information from day one. He’s an ass, but an anal-retentive one.”

“Mmm, damn,” Faith grumbled. “What do you suggest, then? I need to know what Giles has gotten me into and I’d like to find out sooner rather than later.”

“Want to get home to your girl, huh?” Diana teased. “Yeah, I caught part of that call last night.”

“Gotta make her mine, first,” Faith smirked. “But yeah, somethin’ like.”

“I’d suggest going through his computer files. I’ve attempted it, but I wasn’t familiar enough with Ms. Rosenberg’s systems to breach her encryptions and firewalls.”

Faith winced. Yeah, so she wasn’t getting out of that anytime soon. And here she had been hoping to avoid that particular source. The Powers were apparently getting their revenge.

“Lovely.”

***

Cleveland

“You said they were just under my asking price, right?”

“Yeah,” Juanita Juarez replied. “They’re just shy of a grand under.”

“Mmm,” Buffy murmured thoughtfully, leaning back in her desk chair.

Her mood having been buoyed by the previous day, Buffy had decided to call Juanita as soon as the workday had started. The real-estate agent had been congenial about the delay and had extended her condolences on Buffy’s coming divorce. Then she’d proceeded to give Buffy the details on her prospective buyers. Buffy wasn’t disappointed by what she had heard.

“Well,” Buffy said slowly, “We did make allowances for that, remember? The final asking price is set even lower than their range, so I don’t see a problem.”

“I just wanted to keep you informed,” Juanita replied amiably. “When are you available to sign?”

Buffy lifted her eyes to gaze blankly at a random point on the wall as she considered the question. She didn’t have any classes scheduled for the rest of the day. And her office hours could be shifted as required. She couldn’t recall any pending appointments either.

Just as she was about to reply, a light for another line began to flicker on the phone base. With an irritated roll of her eyes, Buffy said, “Excuse me for a sec, JJ. I have another call.”

“Sure thing, Buffy,” She heard Juanita reply as she leaned forward to switch lines.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Buff. You got a moment or two?”

“Uh,” Buffy took a second to recognize Willow’s voice. “I think so, why?”

“I need you to snag Dawn and come down to lab four.”

“Let me finish up with Juanita and then I’ll track her down, okay?”

“Thanks.”

Buffy switched back to line one and said, “Sorry about that, Juanita. About the signing, do you think I can get back to you on that? I’d like to say this afternoon, but I have to meet Will in the lab and all kinds of catastrophes could come of that, doubly so since I have to bring Dawn.”

Juanita laughed, “That’s all right, chica. I’ll just let them know you’ve accepted their proposal and tell them to chill ‘til you get back to me with an appointment time.”

“Muchos gracias,” Buffy replied. “I’ll catch you later.”

“Adios.”

Buffy ended the call and placed the phone back on the base as she pushed her chair away from the desk. Then she mentally steeled herself to deal with the overwhelming scents of old books, dust, metal, and polish. Buffy was happy Dawn enjoyed her work. But Buffy hated the archives.

***

The New Council’s headquarters had three stories. A couple of emergency living quarters were on the third floor, their offices and classrooms were on the second, and more offices were on the first. Also on the first floor were the cafeteria, a storage room, and the waiting room. The basement contained their gym and unbeknownst to anyone outside of the Council, elevators to three sub-basements had been added in the time they’d been there.

Sub-Basement Three contained four laboratories and an infirmary. That was where the handful of scientists, tech-support, Wiccan-support, and doctors they employed were stationed. Sub-Basement Two held containment and interrogation cells. Sub-Basement One held the archives.

After retrieving Dawn from the stacks in the archives, Buffy had her answer as to why Willow hadn’t contacted Dawn herself. Dawn’s cell had been off and she’d been at the far end of the archives opposite from where her office and phone were. Buffy’d made a mental note that they needed to do something about that. Then she’d dragged a protesting Dawn to the elevator.

“How’d your call to Faith go last night?”

Shooting a look at Dawn, she rolled her eyes, “Fine for the most part. Whatever’s going on, she didn’t know about it and I think it kind of hit her the wrong way when I told her what Evie said.”

“Did you try to reassure her, at least?” Dawn asked as the elevator came to a stop at Sub-B 3.

“She didn’t seem to need it,” Buffy answered as she followed Dawn out. “She passed it off as Giles having his reasons. She obviously believes it enough that she’s trying not to let it bug her. She sounded more cheerful by the time we hung up, even though she was still a little down.”

“Who’s still a little down?” Willow’s voice intruded.

“Faith,” Buffy answered as she glanced ahead to find Willow waiting for them outside a lab.

“Oh,” Willow said.

That, was odd, Buffy mused as Willow abruptly turned to lead them into lab four. Suspicious, Buffy sped up so that she could get in front of Willow. Stopping next a workstation, she crossed her arms and eyed Willow. When her friend flushed, Buffy simply smirked.

“She’s so going to kick your ass for not telling her whatever you know.”

“Well, um, maybe not,” Willow said hopefully and waved a hand at the cluttered workstation, a familiar knife in amongst the odds and ends. “We have results, finally.”

“Oh?” Buffy asked, eyebrows lifting in interest.

“Yeah,” Willow said, moving forward to retrieve the knife. Holding it up, she gestured with it at the computer. “We did a compound test and ran the results through the database. We got a hit from the information we have on Polgaras. It was a ninety-nine point nine percent match.”

“Oh,” Buffy repeated with a wholly different inflection. “Who is this guy?”

“I guess it’s a good thing we ran a background check on the store owner and his son, huh?” Willow replied absently. “Sergeant Brian O’Malley. He’s one of the survivors of the Initiative. He was given an honorable discharge just after the Sunnydale fiasco and he came home.”

“Well, that explains it,” Buffy said, still disgusted. “He’s obviously insane.”

“Buffy,” Willow admonished. “He’s mostly harmless. We had one of the squads do a little surveillance. Besides, it’s not as if you and Faith didn’t like the knives anyway.”

“Well, they are kinda cool, if a little grotesque.”

“Uh-huh,” Willow nodded in agreement. “But I think someone should bring him to Riley’s attention, preferably before he gets himself or someone else injured during his solo patrols.”

“Not me,” Buffy immediately protested.

She hadn’t spoken to her ex since they’d broken Twilight’s thrall over the military a few months after they’d left Scotland. And she had absolutely no desire to change that any time soon. Her luck had run true to form and he’d overheard some of the Slayers gossiping during his visit. Riley’s reaction to the rumors that Buffy had slept with Satsu left a lot to be desired.

“Leave it to Giles to handle the clean marine,” Dawn suggested, using one of Faith and Spike’s favorite nicknames for Riley, much to Buffy and Willow’s amusement.

“That’s a plan I can totally get behind,” Buffy muttered.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Step Back...

San Francisco

Passing the time when you’ve nothing to do is damn near impossible. Faith was just grateful Aaron had yet to show his ugly mug today. Though that worried her as much as it reassured her in that she’d rather he was where she could keep an eye on him.

Shawna, Corrine, and Janice were still at school and Faith was fairly certain Diana was studying for something. Or at least that’s the conclusion she’d come to when she’d checked in on Diana earlier and spied several textbooks open on the bed amongst sheets of paper. That left Faith with very few options. That was the reason she found herself entering the library off the living room.

A faint smile creased her lips at the smell of leather, wood, and aged books. Faith would never admit it out loud, but she’d always held an appreciation for books. With few avenues of entertainment, it had at times been a comfortingly familiar pastime. She’d often used reading to escape her reality as a child and as a slayer she spent countless amounts of time doing research.

Running her fingers gently over the spines of a random row of books, Faith eyed the shelves in search of something of interest. She somehow doubted that Aaron would have fictional books. Not that she had anything against nonfiction. She was just in a particular mood.

Her gaze fell on two massive dark brown leather bound volumes and her expression turned amused. They were first addition Grimm’s Fairy Tales, volumes I and II. The books were her childhood favorites, written by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Once upon a time, Giles had ruined them for her by telling her that the majority of the tales contained within were based on reality.

With a mental shrug, Faith reached for the first one, “What the Hell.”

***

“Bored, much?” Shawna’s amused voice came from near the doorway.

“Eh, a little,” Faith drawled, reluctantly tearing her gaze from the page she was reading.

She rolled her shoulders, feeling the tension coiled beneath her skin. It was obvious she’d been seated for entirely too long. She hadn’t noticed the passage of time as she’d sat curled up in the armchair near the library’s single window. It was only Shawna’s presence that told her that it was four thirty at least, and a glimpse at the position of the sun was confirmation enough.

“Tell me somethin’, kid,” Faith started, gaining a mildly annoyed look in response that she cheerfully ignored. “How do you keep that MP3 player of yours hidden from the Asshole?”

“I run the bud wire up my shirt instead of letting it dangle and I keep it on me at all times except for training. Then I keep it stashed in the tampon box in my nightstand,” Shawna shrugged. “Why?”

“Huh,” Faith nodded and smiled. “Wanna go AWOL for a couple of hours? I think I need to pay a visit to the mall and then maybe somewhere with internet access.”

Shawna studied her for a few seconds. She was obviously weighing her options and the consequences. Then she flashed a devil-may-care grin. Her decision was apparently made.

“How do you plan to get us there?”

“Thought I’d use a magic carpet,” Faith quipped, shaking her head as she dug a set of keys out of her pocket and then she waved them at her. “We’re borrowin’ Di’s car.”

“Did you actually ask?” Shawna inquired, growing suspicious.

“Maybe,” Faith chuckled, setting the book aside as she stood.

“Ummm,” Shawna hesitated, torn. “Maybe you should talk to Di first.”

“Nah,” Faith declined, approaching her. “It’ll be fine.”

“What if she gets pissed off?”

“She won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?” Shawna asked worriedly. “You don’t know her that well yet.”

“Would I lie?” Faith asked as she slipped around Shawna and out the door.

“Ummm, Faith—” That was all Shawna could manage as she followed her out of the house.

***

Cleveland

“Ava, this is Buffy Summers,” She said pleasantly. “Is Juanita available?”

“Hold on just a moment, Ms. Summers,” The young woman said. “I’ll check.”

Buffy sighed as music began to play indicating that she’d been placed on hold. Despite the fact that it at least wasn’t opera or country, she still wasn’t thrilled. There was a distinct possibility that she disliked pop music even more than the latter two. When it clicked off, she sighed.

“Buffy?” Juanita asked.

“Hey,” She greeted. “Do you think the buyers would be available in the next hour?”

“You’re rather anxious, no?” Juanita teased gently.

“It hasn’t been so long since you went through your own divorce,” Buffy rejoined easily. “I think you can recall how much relief you felt once everything was over and done with, no?”

“True,” Juanita admitted. “Anyway, if you can stay on the line a minute or two, I could give them a call and see if that would be too late of a notice for them to rearrange their schedule.”

Their schedules wouldn’t generally have been much of an issue, but meeting the buyer was one of Buffy’s stipulations. She’d made far too many enemies in her lifetime. It wouldn’t be too much of an assumption that one of them might try to use this situation to their advantage. She wanted to meet the buyer to ensure herself that that wasn’t the case here.

“I’ll be here.”

“Great,” Juanita said enthusiastically just before the music began to play again.

Buffy shared a look of amusement with Willow who was seated opposite her in the booth. They’d just finished dinner at Bucky’s when she’d recalled that she was supposed to get back to Juanita. Dawn had disappeared off to the restrooms just minutes before. They’d agreed to accompany Buffy to the agency’s office to prevent her having to take a cab in the sunset rush.

Buffy had just reached for her drink when Juanita came back on the line, “Buffy?”

“I’m still here.”

“They’ve agreed to meet here at my office in thirty-five minutes. That’s enough time for you to get here, right? I have Mr. Donahue on the other line waiting for your confirmation.”

“That’ll be more than enough time, JJ,” Buffy said, flashing Dawn a smile as she returned.

They exchanged goodbyes and then ended the call. Buffy finally got her sip of Coke and then she finished it off. Then she began to gather her belongings, shooting Dawn an impatient look. Buffy shrugged into her black leather jacket as they stood in unison, Willow following suit.

As they were exiting the restaurant, Willow asked Dawn, “Isn’t this the place Faith intended to take Buffy to once the sale of her and Satsu’s place went through?”

“Huh?” Buffy managed in unison with Dawn’s reply.

“Yup,” Dawn confirmed succinctly, shooting Buffy a bratty smile.

***

San Francisco

Faith often found it amusing just how many of the juvenile things she’d learned in her misspent youth were applicable to her job. She would never, even under threat of torture, admit how often she’d had to resort to hotwiring a car in pursuit of, or while fleeing, demons, or Slayers. And she had lost count of just how many times she’d been forced to pick a lock, such as now.

Luckily, however, interior doors were always easier than exterior. There were rarely any alarms to fret over and the manufacturers tended to provide such simple locking mechanisms. When she felt the faint click as the lock turned, Faith closed and pocketed her knife. Then she eased the door open and let herself in, gently closing the door behind her before crossing the room.

Slayer eyesight paved the way around the desk and she booted up the computer as she pulled the chair from under the desk. Settling herself in the seat, she waited for it to load. Her knee bounced absently as she silently drummed her fingers against the oak desk. A faint smile creased her lips.

While shopping wasn’t the most pleasant task to Faith, she’d enjoyed the chance to get to know Shawna outside of Aaron’s earshot. The girl had revealed a sarcastic sense of humor that Faith just knew would drive Buffy insane. It was her enthusiasm that was going to drive Faith nuts.

Shawna might show reluctance at times, but if she was discussing something of interest to her, there was apparently no stopping her. It reminded Faith of a cross between Dawn and Buffy, with a little bit of Willow’s geek genes thrown in. She really wanted to introduce those three and step back to let the fireworks blow. There would be no little amusement, Faith suspected.

The visit to the electronics boutique at the mall had proven interesting, to say the least. Shawna’s love of music rivaled Faith’s own. Of course, Faith was fairly certain that she was going to regret having let Shawna handle downloading the music for her new MP3 player. She just hadn’t been able to tell her no when she’d given her that pleading look at the internet café they’d visited.

Shaking off the memory as the computer prompted for a password, she scowled as she considered the screen. She’d suspected from Diana’s comment that he’d kept it password protected, so she wasn’t surprised, just a little irritated. Then again, Faith smirked as she set her fingers typing. She was fairly confident she knew what his password was.

Shortly after she and Giles had returned to the fold, Willow had forced Faith and Giles to take a crash course in the systems she’d programmed and set up at the castle. Over the years, as their operation expanded, Willow had become responsible for their servers and systems worldwide. So Faith was very much aware of the standard password that Willow set for each system ordered.

“Guess the tool didn’t get Red’s memo about changin’ the passwords monthly for security purposes,” Faith muttered as the hourglass appeared on the screen, signaling her success.

She waited for the desktop, toolbar, and Council menu to finish loading. Faith didn’t want to slow the process down. The desktop displayed the Mozilla Firefox icon, along with several others, including the icon for Willow Tree, Willow’s personal security software. The toolbar contained the typical icons one expected to find, plus a tiny tree and a scythe.

The scythe was the icon for the Council’s menu, which was all ready displayed in the lower right hand corner above the clock. The options on the tiny menu read, ‘Watcher’, ‘Slayer’, ‘Wiccan’, ‘Administration’, and ‘Support’. Feeling a streak of mischief, Faith used the trackball to guide the pointer over the menu and clicked ‘Watcher’. A page popped up and Faith held back a curse.

Faith wasn’t going to question her own luck. Aaron had been stupid enough to save his login. Faith winced internally at the implications of that for the Council’s security, though. Thinkin’ maybe I should just turn his ass over to Red and let the fuckin’ fireworks blow.

A few seemingly random clicks and a couple of memorized codes brought her to the Council’s internal servers and she snickered. It was always so much fun to play with Willow’s programs. A couple more clicks brought her to the current investigation reports. Of course, that wasn’t in the label, but anyone who actually knew Giles, knew that ‘Pending Inquiries’ was a euphemism.

Faith searched the titles until she located the file with Shawna’s name as the header. She entered the file and scrolled down until she reached the complaints filed against the girl. Briefly scanning each of the reports filed by Aaron, her teammates, and several caseworkers, Faith frowned. It seemed on the up and up, but it just didn’t ring true to her, not even in the least.

Shaking her head, Faith began the highly, and annoyingly, convoluted process of backing out of the programs and servers she’d entered. Then she exited Aaron’s personal Council menu and turned her attention on his documents. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for, but she figured she’d know it when she saw it. She was hoping for an unedited journal of sorts like Giles kept.

And much to her surprise, she found it. He had an unencrypted folder in his documents labeled ‘Grave Matters’ that she stumbled upon. Within were seven documents, each one baring a label for each Slayer under his care, including Faith. It was the fifth and sixth documents that caught Faith’s attention and forced her to reevaluate the questions she’d come in here with, however.

She hadn’t once considered the reason there had been a vacancy on the team for her to fill. She hadn’t even thought about the Slayer there before her. Faith’s mind began to race as she accessed the files. And the horrifying thought occurred to her that whatever the reason behind the sudden vacancy, it would explain why Giles had brought her in despite Diana’s presence.

Chapter Thirty-Three: And Let the Fireworks Blow

Faith was very much aware of the rousing of the other occupants of the house, and not just because the door to the office was now wide open. She was waiting for something—someone, and her senses, all ready supernaturally enhanced, had grown hypersensitive. She was still seated behind the desk, but she’d pushed the chair back and was currently comfortably settled. Her right foot was dangling over her bare left knee, and her fingers were interlaced on her belly.

Faith was almost utterly still. Even after all these years, it didn’t come naturally to Faith. She was fairly certain that if tested, she would prove positive for ADHD. Nevertheless, for once—and she wasn’t counting the times she’d been in a coma—Faith was still. Her breathing had grown shallow long before now in an attempt to keep her from going off the deep end.

From inside out, she was trembling from the effort she was exerting to maintain her tight reign over herself. The tension was visible in the hard lines of her jaw and in the way her knuckles had gone white. But those were the only indications. Her mask was nothing if not scarily efficient.

To say that she was angry would have been an understatement of the highest degree. She was perfectly clear as to why Giles had withheld information from her now. And she wished she wasn’t. Because just this once, Faith wanted to kill a human, and she didn’t regret that thought.

The past five hours had been a lesson in restraint. She’d read through each of his Watcher’s Journals and then hunted down the ledger he’d been foolish enough to keep on their system. Faith hated and it had grown deeper and darker with every secret revealed. How she hated.

Giles had been right to go about things the way he had. Any other and her perceptions would’ve been colored, tainted. She wouldn’t have been capable of giving enough rational thought to her actions and Aaron would’ve never stood a chance. She’d have called it a justifiable homicide.

But now she’d had time to think because she’d had to make the discoveries on her own. Well, mostly. And no matter how much she wanted, needed it, she knew she couldn’t kill Aaron. But it would take Faith a while to come to terms with the fact that she didn’t question if she should.

For now, she would wait. She would make him come to meet his own end. And if he didn’t, he’d wish he had when she came for him instead. Play time was over and so was his little side-job.

It was the sound of Aaron’s bedroom door opening, finally, that made Faith smile with dark satisfaction. She’d been fairly confident that even he wouldn’t be able to justify taking another sick day for the injury she’d inflicted. She continued to wait in silence. He wouldn’t be able to see the door of his office until he headed towards the kitchen due to the position of the room.

Faith wasn’t surprised to hear another door open before Aaron was even halfway down the stairs. She’d figured that Diana was very much aware of the possible consequences of her actions the moment she’d suggested that Faith go over Aaron’s files. She doubted that Diana ever did much of anything without a purpose. Diana just didn’t seem the type to do things otherwise.

Faith knew the moment Aaron registered the open office door and the light on inside. His steps faltered briefly before changing direction and speeding up. The trembling stopped abruptly, replaced by tightly coiled tension as she waited with anticipation. She tilted her head just slightly and eyed the door, her entire body screaming calm detachment to anyone who didn’t know her.

Anyone who did know her would recognize it for what it was. She was preparing to pounce. The sound of Diana gathering the other Slayers faded into the background like white noise. The moment Aaron entered Faith’s line of sight, she adapted a mocking smile, waiting still.

“What are you doing in here?” Aaron asked, his lips turning down into a stern frown.

In between one breath and the next, Faith assessed him. Aaron was dressed, meticulously and pretentiously as always. His argyle knit dark blue and pale pink sweater was tucked into a pair of khaki pants and he wore a pair of leather loafers. And as far as she could tell, he was unarmed.

“I was just checkin’ in back home.” Faith eased out of the chair, hands held up in feigned innocence.

There must have been a note in her voice that she hadn’t hidden very well. His eyes grew wary and he stiffened noticeably. Though, that might have been because of the way she was prowling towards him. Anyone who had spent any amount of time with a Slayer knew what that meant.

“My office is off limits,” He managed to keep his voice steady. Faith was impressed.

It was in the visible jump of his pulse point and the way his gaze kept shifting that she realized he was frightened. Faith was now just a couple of feet away from him. The distance didn’t mean much for a Slayer. She could close that space in less time than it took for him to breathe.

Faith stopped right in front of him, personal space never having meant much to her at any rate. She caught his eyes with hers and let her humanity fade to the background. Her mask fell away, letting him see every dark impulse and every ounce of hatred that she felt for him in that instant. One second bled into another and then he tried to bolt and Faith was more than ready for him.

It was the sight of Faith pinning Aaron to the wall with his right arm pulled up behind his back at a painful angle that Diana, Shawna, Janice, and Corrine entered to find. Faith was sure it was an odd sight to see. She was several inches shorter than him and she was leaning her weight into his back, pressing his arm up even higher. She was also still dressed in her boxers and tank top.

“What the bloody Hell do you think you’re doing, bitch?” Aaron gasped out.

“There he is,” Faith said sardonically. “I was kinda wonderin’ what it would take to get you to give up your lame excuses for propriety, you fuckin’ scum suckin’ maggot.”

“Let me loose,” Aaron snarled, struggling against her.

He let out a high-pitched squeal when Faith leaned a little harder into him. It was the low din of protests starting up that reminded her of the presence of the younger Slayers. An urge, twisted and primal, wound its’ way through her soul deep and she fought the desire to inflict damage. Instead, she reared back and slammed him against the wall as a concession to her darker half.

“Hey!” Corrine and Janice shouted in unison, but Faith ignored them as Diana kept them back.

“Don’t get involved,” Diana warned them.

“But she’s—” Corrine started defiantly.

“Aaron Brighton Graves, by the power invested in me by the Powers that Be,” Faith interrupted, tone too cold to ever be considered professional, “I hereby place you under arrest. Anything you say, can, and will incite me to beat the ever lovin’ hell out of you, you son of a bitch.”

“What?” Several voices screeched at once.

Faith resisted the urge to cover her ears. Instead, she just winced internally. Releasing Aaron’s arm and keeping him pinned with a hand against his opposite shoulder, she reached behind her to retrieve warm metal from her waistband. When she brought her hand back around, she quickly slapped one end of the handcuffs around the wrist of his right arm.

She’d discovered the handcuffs during her investigation of his desk contents. It had been by pure force of will that she’d managed to maintain her composure at the discovery. She hadn’t wanted to consider their purpose, sexual or not. There are just some things that don’t bear consideration.

She stepped back, jerking Aaron away from the wall and then shoving him toward one of the two black iron guest chairs. Before he could right himself, she pushed him down into the seat and attached the second cuff to the thin arm of the chair. Then she moved out of range and settled herself on a corner of the desk. Catching Diana’s gaze, she jerked her head toward the door.

“Get them outta here. I need to have a little discussion with Asshole.”

“I’m not going anywhere until you tell us what the Hell is going on here,” Shawna demanded, finally speaking up. “You’re just a little too in touch with your inner mistress of pain for me to feel comfortable leaving you alone with him. He may be an ass, but he’s still human.”

“Shawna,” Diana started, reaching for the girl’s shoulder.

“No, I’ll handle it,” Faith said, holding up a hand to stall her and then giving Shawna her full attention. “You think this is uncalled for, right?”

“In a word,” Shawna managed, despite her confusion, “Duh.”

“Good,” Faith said, nodding seriously. “That means you’ll be just as disturbed by the fact that he’s the one that drugged both Christina Elliot and Danielle Oscar and sent ‘em to their deaths.”

The room fell silent. A brief glance at Aaron told Faith that he was seething, despite his obvious fear. Faith eyed the three youngest Slayers who were beginning to show their anger and disbelief, waiting for their reactions. It was Corrine that broke first.

“You’re lying,” She spat, confused and a little desperate. “He’s our Watcher.”

“Cori,” Janice said quietly, pulling her towards the door. “I don’t think she is.”

“But, they were sick, that’s why they weren’t able to defend themselves,” She choked out. “You remember, right? In both cases they’d been losing their strength for days beforehand. He said...”

“That it was the flu,” Faith finished flatly. “It wasn’t. He shot ‘em up with a combination of adrenaline suppressants and muscle relaxants. It’s a drug the Old Council used for a test they called the Cruciamentum, a test which was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Slayers.”

“Who are you?” Aaron gritted out.

“Wow,” Faith said, blinking in amazement. “You really are that dense. I’d have thought you’d have realized by now, or at least have gotten an idea or two about who I am.”

“Stop fucking about and tell me who you are!”

“Maybe it’s ‘cause of my name,” Faith said absently. “I mean, Buffy is a little more memorable.”

The penny dropped. Aaron fell silent, eying her in growing horror. Faith just gave him an obnoxiously maddening smirk. Just because she couldn’t kill him didn’t mean she’d behave.

She lifted her gaze to find three sets of wide eyes staring at her. She chuckled humorlessly. Then she shot a meaningful look at Diana. The redhead nodded and began to herd the others out.

“The name’s Faith Lehane,” She drawled, giving Aaron a dark look. “I’m the bad Slayer.”

It wasn’t a description she really used that often any more. She was self-aware enough to know that that wasn’t her now, no matter how often she might feel like it was. But he was a relic of the Old Council. She liked the way it made him squirm to realize just who he was dealing with.

“Diana,” Aaron snapped as she started to close the door behind them. “What do you think you’re doing? You cannot just abandon me here with this—this...rogue Slayer. I absolutely forbid it.”

Diana turned her head slowly, giving him an incredulous look over her shoulder, “You what?”

“I forbid you to leave me here with her,” He repeated anxiously.

“Ooh-Rah, Asshole,” She enunciated as she exited the room, firmly closing the door behind her.

“I don’t have anything left to say to you,” Faith said as she fiddled with the base of the computer monitor. “I just want to see how you react when I bring your entire world down around you.”

“What do you mean?” He asked reluctantly, expression sullen.

It was a violent surge of motion that took him by surprise. One moment, she was sitting almost calmly, absently tracing the base of the monitor. The next, she lifted the monitor, stood, and threw it across the room all in one fluid motion. It hit the wall in an explosion of glass, metal, plastic, and sheetrock that made him jump, even as she simply stood there looking at him emotionlessly.

“You think your crimes against my girls are the only ones I’m aware of?” She asked rhetorically, reaching up to pull the lanyard around her neck out of her tank top and holding up a flash drive.

“That’s just the thing. Keepin’ your records on Red’s systems? Not the smartest idea.”

He stayed silent and Faith chuckled harshly, shaking her head, “You’ve had a good run, man. You made a couple million, and didn’t even have to get your hands dirty. All you had to do was keep the patrol routes from crossing into his territory and you had it made. Sounds easy enough.

“I mean, you probably would’ve gotten away with it. But you just had to get a Slayer killed. Chris found out about your deal with your pet demon and you just couldn’t let it go, could you? Gave her a little bit of the juice every day and then set her up with some of his goons, right? You just didn’t expect anyone at the Council to notice the compound in her blood in the autopsy.”

Faith watched the color bleed out of his complexion as recognition set in. It was only conjecture at this point, but she didn’t doubt that she was very close if not spot on. It would have set off alarms for Willow, if not for anyone else. They’d had their own experiences with it.

“Your biggest mistake was doin’ it a second time, though,” She finished. “They may have just been suspicious of the circumstances when they sent Diana. But when a second Slayer wound up dead and her blood work tested positive, they didn’t just suspect it anymore. So they sent me.”

For good measure, Faith reached over and grasped the cord of the phone on the desk, giving it a good yank. She heard the plastic snap as it left the phone jack in the wall behind the desk. Then she grabbed the phone, throwing it full strength in the same direction the monitor had gone. Once that was done, she tucked the disk drive back under her shirt before approaching Aaron.

She considered him briefly, and then shrugged. Aaron didn’t have a chance to react before Faith struck out at him, clipping his temple with her fist. After confirming that he was out, she patted down his pockets quickly and efficiently. Once she was assured that he had nothing on him that could be used as a means of escape, Faith turned and walked out of the office.

Chapter Thirty-Four: S.I.C.

She took her time about contacting Giles. She wanted to be calm when she spoke to him. He wasn’t the one who had done wrong and didn’t deserve to be treated as if he was. Though, there was a part of her that felt that he should have had them move in on Aaron sooner than they had.

There were regulations in place, she knew. She even respected them, for the most part. They may run the New Council, but that didn’t mean that they could act with impunity. There had to be a proper investigation and physical evidence of someone’s crimes before they could be indicted.

They’d had plenty of proof of his embezzling. He’d been padding his expense reports since just after he’d been placed in charge of the San Francisco house to hide his actions. They’d even had proof of his negligence. But Giles had wanted proof that he had aided in the murder of a Slayer.

Faith understood why Giles had waited, really. It just sucked that it had come at the price it had. Two Slayers, one barely in her early twenties, the other just shy of sixteen, had been killed. And it hadn’t even been in the name of control, but in that of greed and it made her so, so sick.

She sent the others upstairs to finish dressing, and pulled a few items from the fridge to prepare breakfast. It had occurred to her that Aaron may have been adding something to the meals. His insistence on controlling their eating habits didn’t sit well with her in light of her discoveries. It was the thought that Willow may need to test it for drugs that kept her from trashing the lot of it.

It gave her a little alone time to contemplate the situation. The revelations of the morning had obviously shaken the three young Slayers and she got that. Their Watcher, the person they needed to trust, had betrayed them. He’d killed two of their teammates, their sister Slayers.

Part of their confusion and disquiet probably had a little something to do with her as well. A lot of the younger Slayers she’d met didn’t have a clue how to interact with Faith. That, she was certain, was both because of what she was, and because of her in-your-face personality. Add in that she’d had to lie to maintain her cover, and their current dispositions were understandable.

Unfortunately for them, there were things to be done and they were going to have to deal with her a little longer. Maybe in that time she would be able to, if not regain their trust, at least ease their concerns some. It wasn’t really one of her priorities, but she would do what she could. She hoped that they would at least be able to see that what she was doing was for the best.

***

Faith leaned back in her seat after having finished eating. It was time to begin getting things sorted out. There weren’t any more excuses for putting it off, at least not reasonable ones. She let her gaze shift from one Slayer to the next, contemplating how to start, and then she shrugged.

“Di, I need you to call the girls out of school.”

“What?” The expected protests came in stereo. “Why?”

Holding up a hand to stall their protests, Diana asked, “What should I tell the Attendance Secretary? He’s going to want to know why the three of them aren’t coming in.”

“Aaron’s listed as their guardian, right?”

“Unfortunately,” Diana said in disgust.

“Just tell ‘em there’s a family emergency.”

“What’s the point in keeping us home?” Shawna interrupted, eyeing Faith warily.

“I’m gonna have to call Giles in about...” She paused, checking her watch. “Fifteen minutes. And then him and some friends are gonna make a personal trip out here. He’s gonna have questions.”

“Oh,” Shawna muttered. “You mean Rupert Giles?”

“The one and only,” Faith replied easily.

“This whole thing’s not just some hoax, is it?” Janice interjected. “You really are one of the Chosen Two and our Watcher really did just turn out to be our next big bad, didn’t he?”

“Well,” Faith hedged, wincing. “I wouldn’t say that he was your next big bad. He’s just a creep.”

“He may not have been the one baring the claws and teeth, but he killed Christy and Danni all the same, and he did it for money,” Corrine said flatly. “He’s not just a creep.”

Faith didn’t reply. There really wasn’t anything she could say to that. For them, Aaron was a big bad. He had betrayed them, and for a Slayer, that was so much worse than bringing about an apocalypse.

***

“Evie, it’s Faith,” She enunciated tightly. “Transfer me through to Giles.”

“Certainly, dear,” Evelyn agreed amiably.

The ringtone began to sound once again. Faith leaned against one of the porch’s support posts, waiting for Giles to answer. It wasn’t long in coming. The second she heard the click, she spoke.

“If you want him in one piece, you’ll be out here within the next seven hours, Giles.”

“Ah, yes, Faith,” Giles stammered. “How are you?”

“I’m mildly homicidal, vergin’ on psychotic,” Faith smiled tightly. “And you?”

“Glad to hear you’re doing so well,” He teased. “How are the girls taking it?”

“I think they’re gonna need a little extra help coping,” Faith admitted. “But, yeah. You really do need to come out here, Giles. And bring a team with you—maybe B, Ken, Rona, and Vi?”

“Do you really need them all?”

She could almost hear the wince. She understood. She was asking for most of his other heavy hitters. That meant she was either going for overkill, or the situation was really dire.

“It would be for the best,” Faith confirmed. “I don’t want any of the other newbies in on this. It might cause them to start questionin’ their own Watchers and most of them don’t deserve that.”

“Well, all right, that appears to be a reasonable enough request,” Giles assented. “If I recall correctly from the rather sparse information we’ve gathered, it should be a short cleanup.”

“Uh,” Faith managed, cringing at the thought of breaking the news. “It’s not gonna be as simple as you might think. There was some shit goin’ down that your girl didn’t know about...”

***

Cleveland

Five phone calls, a page, and an hour later found Giles’ office crowded with four Slayers. He’d called them immediately after ending his call with Faith. She was more than capable of handling things on her own, but he’d recognized that edgy undertone in her voice. Faith was enraged and keeping her in close quarters with the object of her anger could be hazardous to Aaron’s health.

Giles didn’t blame her. The information Faith had given him explained so much. They’d assumed that Aaron’s negligence of the Slayers was Old Council indoctrination. They hadn’t even once considered that Aaron might have allied himself with the other side.

Though, Giles couldn’t be certain that some of Faith’s ire wasn’t directed at him. He’d only given her half the information going in and had blatantly falsified parts of it. It wasn’t the first time he’d employed that method to maintain the integrity of a mission, but he disliked it as much as she did. And no matter how reasonable Faith was, it still deeply affected her each time.

Now, however, Giles had another briefing to handle. And judging by the impatient look Buffy was sporting, he wasn’t getting to the explanations fast enough. Though, depending on what he’d interrupted with his call, she’d have been impatient no matter his alacrity. Giles sighed.

“A little over a year ago, a team leader was killed in action. Willow came across the autopsy report and noticed an alarmingly familiar compound in the toxicology report,” He began, very much aware of the growing iciness in Buffy’s eyes. “She brought it to my attention and then began doing what she could on her end. Through her systems alone, she managed to gain just enough information to warrant further investigation, and so we placed an officer in the house.

“Plenty of incriminating evidence of Aaron’s abuse of his position was gathered before recent events,” Giles confessed, feeling his throat tighten. “However, I wanted to nail him for the death of Christina, the Slayer that brought him to our attention. Unfortunately, another Slayer died before we could find solid evidence. It was that which prompted Faith’s current mission.”

Suspiciously enough, some of the tension bled out of Buffy. Giles glanced at her curiously. His only reply was a shrug as Buffy slumped back in her seat. He eyed her warily.

“Is there a problem, Buffy?”

“He was Old Council, right?” She inquired, the words clipped with her anger.

“Yes,” He admitted. “Aaron is a former supporter of Quinton Travers.”

Her eyes seemed to fill with relief as his wording registered and her voice unintentionally softened as she asked, “The Cruciamentum?”

“The drug, yes,” Giles confessed. “Aaron’s purposes, however, were even darker, if possible.”

Before Buffy could ask, Kennedy interjected, “How so?”

“He’s made a deal with a local demon lord,” Giles answered, kneading the back of his neck. “Aaron ensures that the patrol routes don’t cross into his territory, and that the Slayers stationed there are ill-equipped to handle his henchmen, and he gets paid off. Both Christina and Danielle discovered his deceit so he drugged them and turned them over to the demon’s thugs.”

“And we didn’t make a move before now, why?” Buffy asked, the deadly calm of her voice not fooling him a bit.

“Buffy, I’d have loved nothing more than to do so,” He explained gently. “But as you know, there are procedures we all must follow even when we would much rather not do so. We needed to be absolutely certain that our information was not purely speculation. Neither Diana, Willow, nor I meant to allow another Slayer to die in the process, but he somehow got by us.”

“It’s time for a cleanup, right?” Rona asked, cutting to the chase. “I mean, someone has to take care of the demons Aaron’s been letting roam unchecked to prevent any retaliation.”

“Yes,” Giles replied, relieved at the distraction. “Faith requested the four of you to keep the situation from causing prejudice against the other Watchers amongst the rest of our Slayers. You each are experienced and old enough to not allow Aaron’s actions to color your perceptions.”

“When do we leave?” Vi jumped in enthusiastically.

“Within the next four hours, preferably,” Giles answered dryly. “I shudder to think what Faith shall do to Aaron if she’s forced to remain in his vicinity for too long unsupervised.”

“Um, Giles,” Buffy chuckled humorlessly. “What you should worry about is what she’s already done to him. She might not kill him, but there are lots of other things she’s very adept at doing. And if she was calm when she spoke to you, that means she’s all ready vented on someone.”

Despite her words, Giles could tell Buffy was worried. Somehow, he knew it was more for Faith than for anything the other Slayer might do. It made him smile inwardly. How things changed.

“Perhaps it’s just being in charge that has forced her to remain calm?” He suggested hopefully.

Chapter Thirty-Five: My Favorite Girl

Buffy had initially been more than a little anxious when Giles had summoned her to his office. His brief explanation over the phone that there had been changes in the San Francisco situation hadn’t been the most reassuring thing to accompany her on the walk to Giles’ office. Her walk would have actually been more of a brisk jog to a normal human being. That Giles had made her wait for the others to arrive before giving her any explanations hadn’t been much of a help either.

Now she was torn. There was irrational anger that Giles had sent Faith anywhere near someone who had access to that drug. There was hope that Faith would be okay and a little irritation that Faith hadn’t seen fit to call her. And there was also giddiness and that didn’t need explanation.

At least, it didn’t for her. She was hyperaware of the almost throbbing need to see and touch Faith that was the driving force behind the giddiness. She was going to see Faith. She was going to be able to put her arms around Faith and she was going to kiss Faith, come Hell or high water.

***

She was my favorite girl

She was sweet as candy (sweet as candy)

And I gotta tell her that I wanna make her my baby (my baby)

And if we get the chance (the chance)

The chance to meet, yeah

That's when I'll tell her

That I need her so

Buffy had just finished zipping up her overnight bag when her cell phone’s ringtone began to go off from where she’d left it downstairs in Dawn’s living room. The half-smile that followed in response was entirely involuntary. Most of her previous irritation was swept away by the simple words of O-Town’s “Favorite Girl” as she raced to reach the phone in time. She dived onto the couch, sweeping the phone up from the coffee table and answering it in one swift motion.

“Hey, you,” She greeted breathlessly.

“Hey,” Faith replied roughly.

Buffy winced in commiseration. She wasn’t certain just what Faith was going through. But she had her own ideas. Betrayed Slayers—never an easy or particularly pleasant thing to deal with.

“Hang in there, F,” She said softly. “We’re coming.”

“Mmmm,” Faith grunted faintly. “Do you have a timeframe for me?”

“Four, maybe five hours,” Buffy replied, eyebrows furrowed in thought. “We can have Will teleport us if you’d rather not wait, though. She has some free time today, I think.”

It was one of Willow’s three days off. They usually gave a day off for every day worked for their casters to prevent burnouts. Buffy wouldn’t have volunteered Willow if she hadn’t known for a fact that Willow hadn’t been working in a magical capacity the previous day. She wasn’t stupid.

“Nah,” Faith eventually managed. “It’s not an emergency. I’m just really on edge. I wanna get the ball rollin’ and get these girls set up somewhere that they can get the attention they need.”

“Aaron’s done a number on them, huh?”

“I think Janice and Shawna will be fine,” Faith confided. “But I’m not so sure about Corrine. She needed help before they placed her with him and he just never bothered to make sure she got it.”

“She’s the Cuban kid we dragged out of that Hellhole three years ago, right?”

“Yeah, the one from Havana,” Faith replied absently.

Buffy grimaced at the memory. She hadn’t been there personally for the retrieval or cleanup, but she had seen the crime scene photos afterwards. It was a wonder that any of the Slayers that had been sent to retrieve Corrine could sleep. Corrine had accidentally murdered her father in self-defense and then a pack of demons had found her when she ran.

A cornered, angry, and frightened Slayer is a dangerous creature. That a Slayer was capable of rending a demon’s muscle from bone wasn’t shocking. That she hadn’t even been thirteen yet was the part that caused most of them pause. Gore was nothing to most of them these days.

By the time their team had found Corrine, a week had passed. The girl had been half starved, dehydrated, hadn’t bathed in even longer, and her wounds had been mildly infected. They’d had to tranquilize her to keep her from killing any of them. It hadn’t been a high enough dose to knock a Slayer out, just enough to calm her down long enough for them to talk sense into her.

“On a scale of one to five, how badly is she behaving?”

“Uh,” Faith snorted. “It’s nothin’ as bad as that. It’d probably be a little less worryin’ if she was lashin’ out. I wouldn’t have even noticed anything off if it weren’t for the way she fights.”

“She’s a ticking time bomb, huh?” Buffy could imagine.

“Oh yeah,” Faith agreed tiredly. “And I’m just hopin’ I get this done in time to diffuse her.”

“I’m sure we’ll manage,” She said comfortingly.

“Here’s hopin’,” Faith said roughly. “I’m gonna let you get back to packin’, B. I just wanted—Well, I kinda just wanted to hear your voice, get that reminder that I’m not alone, y’know?”

Buffy’s heart just sort of... melted. That was the only description she could think of to fit the sensation that followed Faith’s declaration. It was obvious Faith was as reluctant to return to the dance their relationship had reverted to in the past two months as she was. That was fine by her.

“I certainly do,” She replied softly. “Take care, okay? I want you in one piece when I get there.”

***

San Francisco

“Sure thing,” Faith managed to get out before she snapped her cell phone shut.

She let out a heavy breath as she set the phone on the porch rail. It felt kind of like her heart was in her throat now. She wasn’t certain what had prompted her admission, but she didn’t regret it in the least. She thought it was about time she acted on that thing she’d idly mentioned to Diana.

There wasn’t really anything standing in her way. Buffy’s marriage status was just a technicality. Her divorce would be finalized soon enough, and in the meantime, Satsu wouldn’t be around to make a fuss. She and Buffy had been dancing around their relationship for weeks as it was and the rumor mill had certainly picked up on it, especially after that goodbye scene in the cafeteria.

They just needed to make it official. So, they’d have to talk about it. Faith winced. They’d made progress in that aspect of their friendship, but communication still wasn’t one of their best assets.

Faith bowed her head in thought as she absently trailed her toes against the grain of the porch. She’d originally come out here for privacy to call Giles and to escape the awkwardness that was inside. The phone call to Buffy had been completely spur-of-the-moment. She couldn’t find it in herself to be annoyed that it had left her with even more on her mind than she’d already had.

That reminder caused her to snap her head up and she had to stifle a groan. Mind on the job, She admonished. Y’know, you did have a semi-reasonable excuse for callin’ her when you started.

Faith retrieved the phone and hit the speed dial once again. As the ringtone sounded, she started an internal mantra of, you are an adult. You are not a twelve year old kid. You are an adult.

“Is there a problem, Faith?” Buffy’s voice intruded on her thoughts.

“Ah, no,” Faith stammered, a little out of sorts. “Well, kind of. I forgot to mention that I need you to bring my laptop when you come. There was an incident with the computer here.”

Faith squirmed in discomfort. She hadn’t meant to destroy it so totally. She’d just needed to release a little steam and her choices had been Aaron or an inanimate object. She’d already taken out her anger on him more than she’d intended and she hadn’t wanted to go there again.

“Yeah, I can do that,” Buffy chuckled. “But you know I’m not going to leave that alone, right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Faith muttered. “Tell me somethin’ new.”

“I’ll see you later.”

“Later.”

The sound of the doorknob turning made Faith look up to see the front door swinging inward as she shut the phone. Her gaze met Shawna’s and she cringed internally. Shawna’s eyes were dark brown bordering on black from confusion and pain. Aaron hadn’t just been Shawna’s watcher, he’d been her only parental figure since the deaths of her parents and Faith knew that betrayal.

Faith knew it intimately. Faith had been in and out of three different foster homes after the courts had revoked her mother’s custody. For almost a year, the first family had been a real home to her and then Faith hit puberty and the foster dad finally showed his true colors. She hadn’t even been at the second place for a month before it had started all over again, and she didn’t give the third one the chance to even begin before she ran away.

Aaron’s was a different kind of betrayal. But it was betrayal all the same. No matter how much of an asshole they were, it still hurt to have the people who were supposed to care turn on you. It could consume you until you were a bitter, angry shell, and Faith didn’t want that for anyone.

Faith made a decision right then and there. She knew she might regret it, but she couldn’t leave it alone. She would get the others the help they needed. But she was making Shawna her priority.

Corrine needed help. Janice even needed someone to encourage her to stand out more. But they didn’t tug at Faith’s senses this way. Shawna felt like family, like Dawn always had.

Shawna stepped out onto the front porch, shutting the door behind her. The movements pulled Faith from her thoughts and she sighed. She noticed a slight change in Shawna’s expression. It was obvious Shawna had something to say, but she was reluctant, or wary, about saying it.

“What’s up, kid?”

“I thought maybe you should know...” Shawna started and Faith groaned silently because it just sounded like the beginning of something that she really wasn’t going to like.

Chapter Thirty-Six: An Echo

She wanted to scream. She felt like crying. Or maybe she just really wanted to hit something. Well, she knew who she wanted to hit, but Shawna wasn’t going to go there, no matter what.

The night her parents were killed, Shawna hadn’t known there was any danger. They hadn’t told her that the monsters from her dreams were real. They hadn’t told her why she was having those nightmares. They hadn’t told her why her favorite glass had shattered when she’d picked it up.

Shawna glanced down at the palm of her left hand where she could still see the faint remainders of the scars. The shards had been embedded so deep and the blood had been so startlingly red. It hadn’t been the first time she’d been injured. It was just the most memorable of them all.

It was impossible to forget the night someone died so that you could live. And she had no doubt that she would be dead by now if it hadn’t been for her predecessor’s death. Demonic activity had been rife in the area Shawna had lived in. She was lucky to have survived there as long as she had.

There were days when she missed her parents so bad it was a physical ache. They’d loved her with everything they had. Then there were others when she was so angry with them that she shook from the emotion. They’d denied this part of her and allowed it to take them from her.

She understood, at least as much as a kid could. Her parents had been scared for her. They’d just been trying to protect her. But that understanding didn’t help when she woke up screaming.

In the weeks following that night, the memories had tormented Shawna. She’d heard echoes of her mother’s terror and then the crack of her spine as her neck was broken. She could smell her father’s blood as a vampire ravaged his throat. Then the memories had gradually faded until the one thing that remained clear and haunting even now was the sight of a Slayer unleashed.

Shannon was her name and the way she’d moved had been the most beautiful thing Shawna had ever seen. She’d crept up behind the vampire feeding on Eric Nocona and staked him before anyone else had seen her. Then she’d caught Eric before he could hit the ground and laid him down gently before turning. Shawna had only been able to watch the ensuing violence.

The damage Shannon had wrought before killing the last vampire had left a lasting impression. Shawna hadn’t understood it until later. If a Slayer could tear the head off of a supernaturally enhanced being like a vampire, what could she do to a human? Shawna didn’t want to know.

Shawna really didn’t remember much from the first couple of weeks after the death of her parents. The shock was just too much for a child to handle and her mind had all but shut down. She vaguely recalled the reasoning behind her refusal to attend the academy. She hadn’t wanted to have to deal with so many people with their questions and their expectations at once.

It was her training that started to bring her back to herself. Oh, she’d disliked Aaron from the very beginning. He had been every bit as pretentious and full of it then as he was even now. But the savage satisfaction Shawna had felt every time she’d landed a hit on Aaron or the training dummy had been both unsettling and intriguing enough to draw her out of her grief.

Somewhere along the way, as reluctant as she’d been at the start, Shawna had become attached to the people in her home. Her sister Slayers, the girls she could feel in every fiber of her being, they fought alongside her and they patched her up whenever she got injured. They fought like sisters and they took sides in arguments at times but still. Even when they were refusing to room with her because she frequently called attention to herself, they were the only family she had.

Christina had been like a surrogate mother to her. She’d given Shawna the attention she’d needed that Aaron hadn’t seen fit to because it wasn’t related to their duty. She’d stepped in whenever it seemed like Aaron was being a little too harsh in his treatment of Shawna. Losing that hurt.

Then Danielle had been killed two months ago; Danielle, who had been so exuberant when it came to anything in life. She’d tackled Slaying quite often with a smile and a song on her lips. Next to Christina, Danni had been the least reluctant to befriend Shawna. That loss hurt too.

But Aaron, as much as she couldn’t stand him, had given her the tools she’d needed to survive. He’d helped—albeit reluctantly—with her homework whenever Christina or Danielle, and later Diana, hadn’t had time to. And now some stranger—who just so happened to be one of the two most dangerous Slayers ever—had told her that he’d betrayed everything he’d taught her to stand for. She’d always known something was off here, but there weren’t enough words in the English language or even the dialects of her father’s ancestors to describe what the truth made her feel.

And she didn’t even know where to start with Diana. Shawna wondered how much of what she’d learned about Diana over the past year had been a lie. They’d been listening in at the door of the office after Diana had come out and it would have been difficult to miss what Faith had said. It had made it blatantly obvious that Diana was as much of a plant as Faith had been.

Shawna was so confused about everything. And to top it all off, she was worried. One concern was that she could sense that everything was about to change on her again. The other concern was more about how angry Corrine had seemed when she’d gone upstairs after breakfast.

Shawna had known that Corrine had emotional problems since before she had even understood why. She still didn’t even know the entire story. She just knew enough to know that something was going to have to give eventually. Corrine would only be able to hold all that in for so long.

She’d noticed the rare moments when Corrine would let her guard slip. That was how Shawna had realized that men completely terrified Corrine. Any time Aaron got angry or upset, Corrine was the first one to start trying to placate him. Any time Aaron told them to do something, even when their team leader questioned it, Corrine didn’t even bat an eyelash before giving in.

She’d also noticed a disturbing trend. Corrine’s fighting style was always a little violent and unpredictable. But it grew increasingly so on the days when Aaron was at his most demanding. That recklessness was the reason Diana always paired herself with Corrine in her strategies.

Put her at anyone else’s back and Corrine could get them injured or worse. Shawna didn’t think that Corrine would mean to, and she doubted that Diana believed it either. But it was better not to take that risk. And that was the exact reason why Shawna was waiting where she was.

She was sitting on the floor outside the office with her back against the door. Shawna wanted to be able to say that she was there because she was protecting Aaron. That was the right thing to do when someone was bound and defenseless. But she was really kind of apathetic toward that.

There was just too much going on inside Shawna to care. Right now, she needed a distraction. She needed something to keep her from just going in there and breaking him. And what better to do that than to focus on keeping someone else from snapping and doing the exact same thing?

The logic may have been skewed. It wasn’t noble. But it made sense to her. And it was working.

And that was the reason Shawna wasn’t surprised in the least when Corrine finally came downstairs. Shawna had heard mentioned before that the Slayer was made from a demon. In that moment, looking up at Corrine standing just in front of her, Shawna knew it to be true. Corrine’s dark eyes were fathomless pits of black and her expression was hard and unyielding.

“Move,” Corrine bit out.

Something shifted inside Shawna. Instead of the expected protest, she silently unfolded from her seated position and stood to step aside. Shawna’s chest was tight from emotion. Her hands balled into fists at her sides as she just watched Corrine enter the office and close the door behind her.

“It took you lot long enough,” Shawna heard Aaron spit out venomously just as the door shut.

There was no reply from Corrine for several long, agonizing moments. Then Shawna caught a sound that was more familiar to her than anything else was these days. A sharp, pained cry followed the hit. Shawna let out a shuddering breath as Corrine spoke in rapid-fire Spanish.

Shawna briefly closed her eyes against the noise that followed. Then she turned and strode down the hall towards the front door. As much as everything in her screamed to let Corrine do as she would, she couldn’t. Shawna just wasn’t stupid enough to try to stop Corrine on her own.

She opened the front door and paused, her eyes meeting Faith’s. This was her last chance to back out. If she stepped out there, she would be placing her trust in this woman. She’d be betraying a member of her family even if she was just trying to protect her all in the same move.

Taking a deep breath, she bowed to logic and her heart. She stepped outside and closed the door behind her. She pretended not to notice Faith’s expression. Shawna wasn’t interested in gaining Faith’s concern, and she sure the Hell wasn’t interested in her pity or any kind of sympathy.

“What’s up, kid?”

“I thought maybe you should know...” She started, then hesitated a moment before blurting, “Corrine just went into Aaron’s office, and she didn’t look too concerned with his safety.”

There was a long moment where Faith just gazed at her with an odd look. Shawna was aware that her wording sounded more than just a little bit Disney censored. She saw when Faith registered her meaning in the widening of her eyes and barely had time to move out of Faith’s path. Shawna glanced around the yard, then sighed and shook her head as she turned to follow.

***

Faith reached the office and shoved the door open, pausing to take in the scene before her with a sort of morbid curiosity. It was almost a mirror image of another room at another time with a different set of players. Corrine’s fist was cocked back for what was obviously just another in a long line of punches judging by the blood and color already staining Aaron’s skin and hers. Faith shuddered at the parallels and she had to remind herself to move when Corrine’s fist descended.

She closed the distance between them in a blur. Stepping between Corrine and her intended target, she caught Corrine’s fist in her own. The momentum of Corrine’s arm came to a dead stop, making Faith’s palm sting lightly from the impact. Corrine’s incensed gaze jerked up to meet Faith’s and Faith wasn’t surprised at the maelstrom of emotions she found.

It was always there. In every girl Faith had helped since Giles set her on this path, she’d seen that faint echo of herself. She suspected that was why she did this. This way, she’d never forget.

Faith just waited. She knew what would be coming. It always did. It was what came easiest for the ones like them, like her and Corrine, like Shawna, and even Buffy herself at times.

It was so much easier to feel anger. It was so much easier to hate. It was so much easier to lash out. Anything was easier than that kind of pain, than the tears that would inevitably come.

Faith saw the moment the change came over her. Everything else Corrine was feeling faded from her expression. It gave way to untainted fury. Tension vibrated through the fist still held firmly in Faith’s own, making Faith’s body ache in shameful remembrance of that sensation.

“No,” Faith said harshly, letting go of Corrine’s fist, “That is not the answer.”

“Move out of my way,” Corrine snarled.

“You really think that will help?” Faith asked, voice unconsciously softening.

She stepped to the side. It was supposed to help make a point, but Aaron’s sullen glare made her realize her mistake immediately. She sensed the movement as Corrine’s body coiled up, prepared to strike. Faith caught Corrine’s fist again and flung it away, stepping back in front of Aaron.

“It won’t make the hurt stop,” Faith continued. “The ache will keep comin’ back and you’ll keep hittin’ harder and faster to make it go away. You’ll keep goin’ ‘til you’re just so tired you can’t tell up from down and nothin’ will make sense. You think you’re in control, but you’re not—”

“Shut up!” Corrine snapped, stepping into Faith’s personal space. “Just shut the fuck up!”

“I’ve been where you are, Corrine,” Faith finished, undeterred. “And the longer you go on like this, the faster and harder you hit, the more it hurts for everyone involved; the more they win.”

Faith wasn’t just talking about Aaron. And she knew the second it registered for Corrine. A shudder wracked Corrine’s body even as hate twisted her features. Faith sighed in regret, then she let it all fall away and all that was left was the dominant predator inside her, the Slayer.

“But if you’re so determined to take it out on someone else, you’re fuckin’ insane if you think for even one second that I’m just goin’ to let you inflict your damage on a human—even him.”

Faith didn’t react when Corrine’s body uncoiled in a savage release. She let the punch make contact with her jaw and rolled her head with the blow. A satisfied grin creased her lips as a copper tang burst inside her mouth. She turned to face her, licking blood from her lower lip.

“Let’s see what you got then, little sister,” Faith laughed as she shifted to retaliate.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Hell or High Water

Buffy’s anxiety had increased the closer the black rental van got to the San Francisco house. Faith had been out of sorts on the phone, and she hadn’t even tried all that hard to cover it up. Buffy just didn’t know if that was the norm for Faith when she was on a job. They’d definitely have to have a talk if it was, because Buffy was so over that kind of self-sacrificing routine.

She’d gone that route before, both sides of the path. Buffy didn’t want Faith to wake up one day, considering letting her reflexes falter just enough. Nor did Buffy want to find herself holding her breath every time Faith went out, hoping that she was enough for Faith to stay. Buffy wouldn’t, couldn’t, let herself settle for the kind of existence she’d had with Spike, or with Angel, again.

Buffy blew out a silent breath, ignoring the amused glance Kennedy tossed her from beside her on the bench seat in the middle row of the van. Buffy was aware she was acting out of character, more so than had become the norm in the past couple of months. Serious moods and silences had been exceedingly rare for Buffy since they’d left Scotland. But she thought that the situation at hand was more than explanation enough, so they didn’t need to know her heart was in her throat.

She had the sliding door open and was out before the vehicle had even come to a complete stop in the driveway of the council house. As soon as the van stopped moving, Buffy moved around to the back and opened the doors to retrieve her overnight bag and Faith’s laptop case. Then she turned and made her way across the yard to the front porch. Buffy didn’t wait for the others to catch up before she lifted her fist, prepared to knock on the oak door.

Before Buffy’s knuckles could make contact with the door, a sound she was intimately familiar with reached her ears and she changed the direction of her hand mid-motion. Impatiently, she repeatedly pushed the doorbell with her index finger. She ignored the concerned questions of the other three Slayers as they joined her up on the porch. Then when Giles arrived at her side, Buffy was about to ask if he had a key when she finally, finally heard someone approaching the door.

“What’s wrong, Buffy?” Giles asked, gesturing for the others to fall silent.

“I thought I heard Faith shout,” Buffy shrugged, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye as she reluctantly let off of the doorbell. “It probably wasn’t anything, but still...”

The deadbolt on the inside of the door was flipped and Buffy’s eyes snapped back up to the door. The door swung inward violently and Buffy was met with an irritated glare from a familiar face. The expression softened just slightly as Buffy was recognized and the Slayer then lifted her gaze to take in the rest of group. It took Buffy a moment to figure out where she knew the younger woman from, but before she could greet Diana, the sound she’d heard before was repeated.

“Jesus Christ,” Faith snapped in a hard, guttural tone that sent a shiver up Buffy’s spine and made her wince. “Did you replace the fuckin’ alcohol with goddamn battery acid?”

“Ahem,” Diana cleared her throat. “Buffy, Mr. Giles, how are you both?”

“We’re just peachy,” Buffy drawled, interrupting Giles as he was about to speak. “Are you going to let us in, or are we supposed to stand out here until we draw the local nightlife’s attention?”

“Oh, sorry,” Diana reached up to massage her neck and chuckled sheepishly as she stepped back to let them in. “It’s um, been a little... hectic, I guess you could say.”

“I’m sure,” Buffy said sardonically as she entered the house, falling silent as her eyes were immediately drawn to the wreckage of the section of the banister at the foot of the stairs.

“Yeah, um, hectic,” Diana repeated, eying Buffy nervously.

Buffy’s gaze tracked the length of the foyer as she set her bags down. She scanned the pieces of the splintered door scattered across the floor and then let her eyes come to rest on the archway to her right. She turned and angled her head just enough so she could see inside. The sight Buffy found simultaneously flooded her with relief and annoyance, and she sighed, chuckling shortly.

Trust her to soothe my anxieties and piss me off all in the same moment.

***

Faith looked up from watching Janice bandage the gash in her lower calf and met Buffy’s eyes at that sound. She’d fallen silent as soon as she’d felt their approach. Faith couldn’t put a name to the sensation that curled up in her gut at the knowledge that Buffy was there. But now Faith was more than a little nervous, because despite her amusement, Buffy didn’t look happy.

Faith cringed internally. After the fight she’d just had with Corrine, she really wasn’t ready for some one on one with Buffy. It had taken an hour to wear Corrine out enough to see reason, and then another three hours to calm her down. Faith just didn’t have enough energy left for more.

“Okay,” Janice smoothed down the edges of the gauze wrapped around Faith’s calf and stood. “You are done. Di needs to recheck her stitches tomorrow, plus she’ll need to take a look at your ribs while she’s at it, too. Don’t get the stitches wet, and take Tylenol if the pain gets too bad.”

Faith didn’t acknowledge her words. She couldn’t look away from Buffy’s hazel eyes. They’d softened just a little at Janice’s pronouncement. The corners of Faith’s mouth lifted slightly.

***

Buffy’s expression shifted, taking on an exasperated fondness. She stifled a few expletives. Faith wielded her dimples as effectively as she did any weapon. It had always thrown Buffy for a loop.

It made her lower belly throb painfully. And suddenly Buffy was acutely aware of the cleft in Faith’s lower lip. She absently licked her own and then almost smiled when Faith’s lips parted. Buffy’s feet started moving forward quite without her permission, but she wasn’t objecting.

Eight feet from the couch Faith was perched on, Faith shifted to stand up but remained leaning against the arm of the couch. Seven feet from the couch, Faith’s eyes lightened to a soft brown that made Buffy forget having ever been angry. Six feet from the couch, Faith held out a hand to Buffy with a gentle smile of invitation and even if she’d never admit it, Buffy’s knees started to shake. Five feet from the couch, Buffy just barely managed to return the smile; it was kind of hard to do so when you were breathless and you couldn’t hear for the heartbeat in your ears.

Four feet from the couch, their audience had all but been forgotten. Almost three feet from the couch, Buffy placed her hand in Faith’s and Faith’s long fingers curled around hers. Two feet from the couch, Buffy’s knees buckled and Faith tugged her into her arms. One foot from the couch, Faith held Buffy tight as only the two of them could handle, and they sighed in unison.

Buffy’s face tilted up at the same time Faith’s tilted downward. They had to force their eyes open from where they’d drifted shut in utter contentment. Then Faith’s smile faded and she lowered her head the rest of the way. Their eyes were closed again by the time their lips touched for the first time, and by that time, their audience wasn’t even a footnote in either of their thoughts.

Buffy was certain she’d whimpered, but she couldn’t care less. She fit into Faith’s embrace like Faith’s arms were made to hold her. But that wasn’t what had her absolutely absorbed, though. Faith’s lower lip was between hers and they were kissing like it was their very first time ever.

It wasn’t at all like she ever would have thought it to be. She’d have thought that kissing Faith would be like losing control. But the way Faith was kissing her, so softly yet determined and self-assured, wasn’t taking control; Buffy was giving it. It made Buffy tremble.

Buffy remembered her actual first kiss and doubted that Billy Fordham could have made her feel like this even with years of instruction and practice. That thought made Buffy remember all over again just who she was kissing, and she violently pushed away the notion that occurred to her next. She didn’t want to think about who else Faith might have kissed like this, ever. Then Faith’s arms tightened even more around Buffy’s waist and Buffy knew without a doubt. Faith hadn’t ever kissed anyone else exactly like this; she couldn’t have, not without hurting them.

She was selfishly grateful. And she pitied every last one of Faith’s former conquests because they would never know just what they were missing out on. Because with Faith’s tongue now teasing Buffy’s top lip, Buffy felt that she could afford to be a little magnanimous. But just a little, mind you, because Faith was still officially off the market now, and she was hers.

Some small part of Buffy was crowing in victory. She smiled faintly—almost smugly—and then parted her lips, opening her mouth just enough in invite. She was more than a little disappointed when Faith didn’t immediately take her up on her offer. Then Faith’s lips and tongue were gone and Buffy immediately felt the loss and she couldn’t help it as her lower lip crept out.

“No,” Buffy whined, just barely resisting the urge to stomp her foot.

***

Faith didn’t know where she’d gotten the strength to pull back. Buffy was in her arms, so soft and warm, and she was letting Faith kiss her. She’d felt Buffy tremble, and had been reminded that the strongest woman she knew was still just that—a woman. And Buffy was a woman who would never forgive herself for losing control of her self in front of a group of their co-workers.

It was that thought that reminded Faith that they weren’t alone. Once upon a time, that wouldn’t have mattered to Faith. In fact, she would have thrived on the thought of bringing Buffy down to her level by pushing Buffy as far as she could. And in this case, Faith couldn’t say that wasn’t her anymore, because she did like to embarrass Buffy. But looking down at Buffy’s flushed features Faith couldn’t bring herself to tease Buffy when it came to this—not yet.

“Shhh,” Faith pressed a quick, firm kiss to Buffy’s mouth.

When she pulled back again, Buffy tried to follow her. Faith evaded her attempts to reclaim her mouth and waited. After a few seconds, Buffy’s shoulders slumped in defeat. Faith lowered her forehead to Buffy’s and a soft sigh escaped Buffy’s parted lips. She finally opened hazy eyes, and Faith’s stomach clenched at the naked need obvious in the wheat colored depths.

“Have mercy, B,” Faith chuckled almost silently as she heard Giles grumbling as his glasses squeaked in protest under the cloth he was rubbing over the lenses, again.

“Yes, please do,” Giles said a bit louder.

“This ain’t the time for that,” Faith finished, ignoring Giles.

The darkening of Buffy’s already flushed features told Faith that she’d caught her underlying meaning. Faith was telling Buffy that she wanted her, but that it wasn’t going to happen while they had an audience. It was most likely the reminder that Giles and the other Slayers were in the room that had the most profound impact on Buffy. Faith relaxed when Buffy chuckled.

***

“Well, I did say come Hell or high water,” Buffy muttered.

“What?” Faith sputtered, snickering.

“Uh, nothing,” Buffy mumbled, glancing away briefly.

“Uh-huh,” Faith said disbelievingly, and then shook her head. “You gonna let me go?”

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking that question?” Buffy teased.

For emphasis, Buffy tapped the nail of her index finger against Faith’s collarbone. Her hands were still braced against Faith’s upper chest as they had been since the start of their embrace. Buffy would have wiggled her hips against Faith’s to punctuate her words, if not for her awareness of the group awkwardly awaiting their attention in the room behind them. Still, Buffy was rewarded for her disclosure by the adorable flush racing across Faith’s features.

“Um, yeah,” Faith muttered, obviously disconcerted. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Buffy murmured, gently rubbing her thumb against Faith’s skin. “But I think that maybe you should show Giles to Aaron before he has a conniption. I think he’s a little worried. Then you and I need to have a little chat before we get to work on this problem of theirs.”

Faith cringed at that. She finally looked up to find Giles still waiting several feet away with most of the San Francisco team and his other heavy hitters scattered behind him. He was still absently cleaning his glasses and was staring at the floor, his eyebrows furrowed. Faith dropped her arms from around Buffy and stepped around her, catching Giles’ attention with the movement.

“C’mon,” Faith motioned Giles towards the door. “I’ll show you where Aaron is. Then the girls and I will get to work on the plan I’ve been kickin’ around for the last little bit.”

Buffy gave Giles a pointed glare the second that Faith’s back was turned. He needed to hear Faith out before he spoke. Buffy wasn’t sure what had gone on before their arrival, but she doubted that it was anything as bad as what he was probably thinking. She smiled gratefully when Giles nodded at her, and then she watched as he slipped out of the room behind Faith.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Miscommunication

Faith led Giles to the office. She knew there was something he wanted to say, but for whatever reason, he was holding it in. She figured it had something to do with the evil look that she just knew Buffy had given him. Faith chuckled softly under her breath, startling Giles.

“Sorry,” Faith shrugged unapologetically. “B’s just... somethin’ else.”

“Yes, quite,” Giles agreed dryly. “I have yet to puzzle out just what that “something else” would be after all the years I’ve known her, but Buffy certainly is something else.”

“Listen,” Faith sighed inaudibly, pausing several feet away from their destination. “This whole situation is just one big mess.”

“That it is,” Giles readily agreed as she faced him.

“Readin’ some of the things he said in his journals left me with a lot of questions,” Faith said bluntly, “One of ‘em bein’ just what the Hell you were thinkin’.”

Giles sighed, dropping his gaze. He didn’t have to ask which decision Faith was questioning. He himself was wondering now why he hadn’t given Aaron’s placement second thoughts. There had been plenty of questionable things about Aaron Graves since the beginning, and yet...

“Even if he wasn’t such an anal retentive control freak,” Faith continued heatedly, “Aaron’s absolute refusal to take in any Slayers over the age of twenty-five should’ve brought him under scrutiny, Giles. For all you knew, Aaron could have been a goddamned sexual predator.”

Giles cringed inside. He’d forgotten. As someone that was in charge of hundreds of girls and young women, he shouldn’t have, but he had. Giles hadn’t even considered the thought that someone might try to take advantage of them that way, even after everything he’d seen.

“You’re right,” Giles conceded. “I should have considered that. I just never even thought of it.”

Faith let out a shaky sigh. Running a hand through her hair, she glanced away from Giles for a moment. This wasn’t getting them anywhere. She just shook her head and looked back at him.

“He never even got Corrine the help she needed,” Faith finished. “Giles, she needs to see a psychologist. I think this damn near broke her, and it’s not somethin’ we can just fix.”

“All right,” Giles nodded. “We will get her the help she needs. I’m not entirely sure why we overlooked her needs in the first place. The case worker that went with the team to retrieve her said something similar about her needing help a Watcher or another Slayer couldn’t provide.”

“Glad that’s settled,” Faith said, chuckling humorlessly. “I don’t think I can take that again. But this conversation ain’t done, G, ‘cause we gotta make sure this shit don’t happen again.”

Giles was starting to get a clearer picture of just what had resulted in the damage around them. It wasn’t as extensive as it could have been, he was sure. He eyed Faith. He really wasn’t so certain he wanted to ask just what had led up to the fight between her and the other Slayer, Corrine.

“Mmm, most definitely,” Giles agreed again, and then he changed the subject, much to Faith’s relief, “Perhaps I should get to questioning Aaron so that we can begin staging our attack?”

“Go right ahead,” Faith gestured towards the office as she started to back away. “He’s all yours.”

“Thank you,” Giles said dryly.

“But, um...” She started hesitantly, “Giles?”

“Yes?” Giles drawled, shooting her a curious look.

“When you see him? Just don’t ask,” Faith suggested, deadpan. “You’ll be happier for it.”

Giles watched as she disappeared back into the living room. Shaking his head and muttering under his breath, Giles turned and entered the office. He stopped right in his tracks. The scene seemed normal enough, until he took notice of what had been used as Aaron’s gag.

***

Buffy was mildly disturbed to see the expression Faith was sporting when she returned to the living room. Faith was feeling smug about something. A smug Faith was a troublemaking Faith—sexy, but still a troublemaker. Buffy gave Faith a wary look as she approached.

“What did you do?”

“Who me?” Faith asked innocently.

“No,” Buffy said sardonically, “The other Slayer standing behind you.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Faith shrugged. “I was just giving Giles some friendly advice.”

“Uh-huh,” Buffy muttered doubtfully.

They fell silent. It was awkward and made it all the more obvious that neither of them was certain where to start. There was a lot that needed to be talked about. But for whatever their reasons were, now that the time was here, both Buffy and Faith were hesitant to go there.

After a few seconds, Faith limped over to resume her seat on the arm of the couch. The wound on her calf was starting to throb in time with her heartbeat. They hadn’t had much in the way of pain killers in their first aid kit. The Tylenol was all ready starting to wear off.

Sighing, Faith gave in, “Did you bring my laptop?”

“Yeah,” Buffy breathed as she turned to face her, relieved. “I left it by the door.”

Despite her relief, Buffy felt a little disappointed. Sure, she’d hated the unease that was starting to set in. Who wouldn’t? But she’d thought maybe Faith was ready to make this real, and now she could see Faith retreating behind defenses Buffy hadn’t been on the outside of in a while.

Faith nodded jerkily, but didn’t move. It was easy to think it was time for them to talk. But it was a lot harder to do when her body was aching as a reminder of how much easier hate was. Faith clenched her jaw and glanced away from Buffy briefly, struggling against her instincts.

She never used to let any one in, not after her parents. In a lot of ways, that was even easier than hate. If you didn’t let them in, they couldn’t give you a reason to hate them. She’d broken herself of that defense in the last several years, but right now, her heart was screaming at her to stop this.

“So um,” Buffy started, causing Faith to look at her again, “Could you maybe give me a run-through of everything that’s happened since you arrived? I’d like to know what happened.”

Faith nodded again, and started talking. She gave a brief summary of her arrival, and her initial assumptions. She admitted that she’d suspected from the beginning that Aaron was at least following the old Council’s doctrine. Then she went on to give a detailed account of her discoveries and reactions, and then she started on the reactions of the younger Slayers.

There was something lurking beneath the surface of their exchange. Faith knew what it was. It was fear. It was the same thing that used to push at her until they had no choice but to fight.

Faith didn’t like it. She didn’t like the hurt she could see in Buffy’s eyes. She didn’t like the spreading ache in her own chest. She paused and took a breath, and then when she exhaled, her agitation had faded to a manageable level and she could relax again as her guard went down.

“I was thinkin’ maybe we need to send a couple of samples of the food to Red,” Faith continued, unable to prevent a slight smile. “But it’s more for my peace of mind than anything concrete.”

“No, I get it,” Buffy nodded in agreement. “He was way too concerned about their eating habits.”

Buffy didn’t know what had changed from between when they’d started talking again and now. She just sensed that something had. She could see it in the softer look Faith was giving her. The conflicted emotions brewing behind Faith’s eyes were at least hidden if not gone.

“What happened to the foyer?” Buffy asked, at a loss for anything else.

“There was a bit of a scuffle with Corrine,” Faith admitted. “She wanted to take out her anger on Aaron, and I couldn’t let her do that, y’know? I tried to talk her out of it first, but it didn’t do anything but make her angrier. The door got broken up when she shoved me through it headfirst, and the banister was destroyed when she lost her balance and fell backwards through it.”

“She lost her balance?” Buffy asked doubtfully.

Corrine was a Slayer. No matter how angry they got, their balance was rarely—if ever—affected. Buffy gave Faith a knowing look. Then she just waited as Faith started to smile sheepishly.

“Okay, so she might’ve had some help there,” Faith shrugged. “We were fighting and somehow ended up on the stairs. I tried to get her in a headlock so I could ram her into the wall and Corrine went backwards trying to dodge me.”

“I’m guessing since you’re not in even worse shape, you eventually got through to her?”

“Yeah,” Faith sighed. “It wasn’t easy and it took a while, but I did.”

“How did you get your leg sliced up?” Buffy asked, reaching out to brush her fingers over the stark white gauze. “Did she do that or was it the result of crashing into something?”

“I don’t really know,” Faith shrugged again. “Di said she thinks it happened when I went through the door. She wasn’t really sure ‘cause she was distracted by somethin’ at the time.”

“A Slayer distracted during a fight?” Buffy quipped. “There’s something new.”

“Yeah,” Faith snickered. “But she had good reason. Aaron wouldn’t shut up and she’d had enough. She came in and stuffed a golf ball in his mouth and duct taped it shut.”

Faith grinned as Buffy burst into startled laughter. The delighted sound was nice to hear. Faith sighed, and bowed to the inevitable. If they were really going to do this, they needed to talk.

“You know I love you, right, B?” Faith said, almost casually.

Buffy’s giggles died off as she stared at Faith. She knew she’d heard the words. She just couldn’t respond for the tightness in her chest and she seemed to be having trouble breathing. Buffy just nodded, giving Faith a shaky smile, feeling like her heart was going to explode in her chest.

Faith gave Buffy a half-smile. Then her expression turned pained. This wasn’t easy. And it really, really wasn’t going to be fun, but this stuff had to be said, because it was the truth.

“I don’t understand how...” Faith admitted, confusion bleeding into her expression. “After everything we’ve done to each other, and all we’ve been through, it should be impossible. But I do love you, and maybe it was all that stuff that made it possible. I know I didn’t used to feel like this, ‘cause if I did, it would have made everything we did to each other so much worse.”

Buffy was listening to every word, completely wrapped up in the sound of Faith’s voice as it grew ragged. Tears were in her eyes. It hurt to hear what Faith was saying, to hear the underlying pain. It echoed everything she herself felt, everything Buffy had been trying not to think about.

“And I gotta wonder, B...” Faith shook her head, “Should we even try to do this?”

Buffy opened her mouth, but nothing would come out. Her face crumpled and she drew her hand back from Faith’s leg like she’d been burned. She was shaking. She gave Faith a wounded look.

Faith was hurting inside. She wished she hadn’t said that. Steeling herself, Faith held up a hand to stop Buffy from speaking. She ran a rough hand through her hair and stood up to pace.

“I know, B—we’ll never know if we can make it if we don’t try,” Faith laughed without humor, making Buffy cringe. “But we have the potential to hurt each other so bad, and it ain’t just us we gotta worry about. You and me, we always get rough, and our friends like to get in the way.”

Buffy’s shoulders slumped and she buried her face in her hands. She took a few deep breaths to try to find her center, but she knew it was useless. She was too upset by everything Faith was saying. It was more upsetting to know that she had no argument that could hold up against it.

“Faith,” Buffy groaned, raking her hands through her hair. “We’ve been there, and I don’t see us letting things go that far ever again. We’ve done pretty well so far, haven’t we?”

“You’d think,” Faith said tiredly. “But I’ve seen people who loved each other tear each other apart, takin’ an innocent kid along with ‘em. And I don’t want to go through that again.”

“What?” Buffy whispered, unable to say it any louder.

“My ma and dad,” Faith choked out, and a faint tinge of bitterness colored the words that flowed out of her mouth, “Even though they both hated me, they loved each other. No one who’d ever seen ‘em when they were sober could say they didn’t. But the minute one of ‘em got drunk, they’d fuck the other one up. Then one day, dad just left, and ma was never the same after that.”

Faith almost flinched at that understatement. She’d always known her parents hadn’t wanted her—according to them, she’d ruined their lives. They’d been on the fast track in high school when her mother got pregnant with her and had to drop out. Neither of them had ever touched her out of anger; not until her dad ran out on them and her mother became a stranger to her.

“Faith...”

Buffy tried to reach out to her, and Faith flinched back. Buffy let her hand drop and wrapped her arms around her own stomach. She ached to hold Faith, but Faith wasn’t having it. Buffy shook her head, hurting and hating that she couldn’t make Faith’s look of anguished fear go away.

“Your parents had problems just like most couples do,” Buffy finally managed to say. “Theirs were just some of the worst kinds that a couple can have. My parents used to argue constantly about everything. That doesn’t mean that we’re headed in the same direction, Faith.”

She could tell she wasn’t getting through to Faith. Buffy smiled derisively, because it was all she could do to keep from crying right then. Buffy was confused because for a minute there when Faith had told her she loved her, she’d thought nothing could bring her down. She didn’t get how she could have been so wrong, not when Faith had given her that look, that smile, just before.

“Okay, obviously, you need time to decide if we’re worth the risk,” Buffy continued hoarsely, looking away and missing the confused look Faith gave her. “So, you do that. Take the time you need, but it’s gonna have to wait ‘til we’re done here, ‘cause we have work to do right now.”

Faith wanted to object, she wanted to scream in frustration, she wanted to grab Buffy and kiss her to make her shut up. She didn’t need time. Faith knew what she wanted; she’d just stupidly wanted to make sure Buffy knew what she wanted, too. But right now, Faith knew that Buffy was right, this really wasn’t the time or place to let their personal problems distract them.

Buffy turned to leave. She wasn’t going to look back, certain she wouldn’t be able to walk away—however temporarily—if she did. She wanted to grab Faith and kiss her until she stopped talking so stupid. Buffy was taken off guard when Faith grabbed her upper arm and spun her around, and her protest at being manhandled was preempted by a pair of determined lips.

Buffy was stunned at first, and then she kissed Faith back with everything she had. She couldn’t help it. Faith was kissing Buffy like she was trying to make her take her words back. Her lips were soft, but her attack was fast and demanding, and this was a kind of punishment Buffy would willingly submit to.

Then Faith was pulling away and leaving. All Buffy could do was turn and stare after her, breathless and confused again. Faith paused and looked over her shoulder at Buffy. The regret there made Buffy’s chest hurt again, and she wanted to make that go away, but she couldn’t.

“We’ll talk later, B,” Faith sighed. “We got our wires crossed here, and we need to straighten ‘em out, but you’re right. We got work to do and we can’t afford to be distracted right now.”

And then Faith was gone. Buffy wanted to say “fuck work”. She wanted to pitch a fit. She wanted to drag Faith upstairs and lock them inside a room for as long as they could handle.

“Huh?” Buffy finally choked out.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Escalate the Situation

Now:

Rona glanced back over her shoulder and just barely resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose between her thumb and her forefinger in frustration—huh, maybe she’d spent too much time around Giles. But she figured the reaction was justified. There were some very good reasons behind the age restrictions for the people on the frontlines of their fight. But somehow, someway, Shawna and Janice had argued their way into coming with them this time.

Earlier:

“You’re not coming,” Faith had said, and Rona had figured that would be that.

“This is our turf,” Shawna said, and her tone of voice was hard enough that it made Rona do a double-take. “They’ve been fucking us around on it long enough. It’s our place to take it back.”

There was an exchange between Faith and Buffy that Rona hadn’t understood. It was something like understanding and sympathy but there was more in there. She guessed it had something to do with the before time, back when it had just been the two of them in Sunnydale. But that was a subject none of the Empowered Slayers were stupid enough to broach within their hearing.

“Aight,” Faith nodded. “But if we let you kids do this, then you’ll let us do our evaluations and exams without objections afterwards. We don’t know what all Aaron has left out of your trainin’, and we ain’t in the habit of lettin’ untrained Slayers out in the field if it can be helped.”

“Fine,” The two girls said in unison.

Now:

Rona felt the pager in her left pocket vibrate, and she smiled, a startling white against the dusky hue of her skin. It was the signal they’d agreed on. She glanced over her shoulder and nodded. Then she watched as Janice crept through the overgrown grass of the warehouse yard.

Janice reached the curbside and pushed up to her feet to stand. There was a shout of alarm and then the guards outside the warehouse across the road were racing towards their position. Rona just waited. Then as the guards reached them, she finally stood up and revealed herself.

“Guess the boss should’ve known better than to trust that fucking Brit—oh shit,” The greenish-brown scaled demon that was speaking stopped as he spotted Rona, his eyes widening in fear.

It was an interesting reaction. Rona liked it. It was one most of the Sunnydale veterans received these days. There was something to be said for surviving a walk into the mouth of Hell.

Earlier:

“Their leader, Breh’En, is a Mari’n’En demon. They’re a humanoid breed, with greenish-brown scales, and usually resemble the steroid pushing linebacker or bodybuilder types. His crew is generally of the same breed. He doesn’t play well with others and he hates vamps.

“This guy ain’t small time. He considers himself the demonic counterpart to the mafia. The Mayor had a deal with him and his crew back in the day. But that makes this a bit easier.”

“And how is that?” Giles prompted.

“I have some insight into his habits. The Mayor didn’t trust him so he had me do some recon.”

Now:

Vi finally felt her pager vibrate against her hip and she jerked her head forward, signaling for Kennedy to go ahead. Then the two Slayers ducked and weaved through the line of cars parked alongside the curb. The residential neighborhood was quiet. They took that as a good sign.

They paused next to a manhole and Kennedy knelt down. Vi held back a little, to give Kennedy space to do her thing. Normally, Vi would’ve been working with Rona, but there had been some rearrangements to accommodate the presence of the younger Slayers. The cover slid off the manhole without the slightest bit of sound, and Vi noiselessly followed Kennedy down.

“Shit, this reeks,” Kennedy grumbled under her breath as Vi covered their tracks.

Vi was okay with this arrangement. Kennedy was awesome, as long as she wasn’t in command.

Earlier:

“He’ll have what little forces he has posted at three points. One will be camouflaged, the second underground, and the last will be in plain sight—which is where he’ll be. He’s cocky like that.”

“How certain of this are you?” Giles interjected cautiously.

“About as certain as I can be,” Faith admitted frankly. “The few references Aaron made to him in his journals kinda reinforced what I already knew; Breh’En is nothin’ if not a creature of habit. He still keeps his youngest brother, Eleh’En, nearby at all times and his only bodyguards are his much younger first cousins on his mother’s side, Ebeh’En and Weller’En.”

“I see,” Giles murmured, unsurprised, “I don’t suppose you have any thoughts on strategy?”

“I figured on doin’ some simple divide and conquer,” Faith shrugged, unconcerned.

Her hand blurred as she drove three knives into the map spread out on the table. When she stilled, the silver handles of the knives were still vibrating. The knives were adjacent to each other, alongside a line that went through the Southeast side of San Francisco. Faith grinned.

“By process of elimination, I’ve managed to narrow down the most logical locations to, here, here, and maybe here. These three are the closest matches I could find to Breh’En’s preferences in the areas Aaron routed his patrols away from,” She pointed out.

Removing the lanyard from around her neck, Faith tossed the removable disk drive to Giles as she offered, “You’re welcome to my laptop if you wanna check for anything I might’ve missed.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to be certain,” Giles sighed, reluctant to use the machine, even though he had grown used to them over the last several years. “I believe some recon of the area you’ve outlined might be in order, however. Your instincts are not to be questioned, I’ve learned.”

“Aight,” Faith glanced around at the group gathered, “Any input for team configuration?”

“I want Rona with the girls,” Buffy spoke up firmly, ignoring the garnered protests. “She’s generally levelheaded enough to corral them if either of them gets out of hand.”

Now:

Rona drove her elbow into her opponent’s head. They were just outside the warehouse’s back exit now. She was relieved Faith had made the changeup to Giles’ orders. Waiting sucked, and this was fun. A quick survey confirmed that Shawna and Janice were both holding their own.

Earlier:

“Done,” Faith absently nodded again as she crossed off that consideration as cemented. “That leaves Vi paired up with Ken to balance things out. That okay by you two?”

“Whatever,” Kennedy said dryly in unison with Vi’s chipper, “Sure thing.”

Now:

“Oh shit,” Kennedy blurted, and Vi had to back up as Kennedy rounded the corner again.

“What’s going on?” Vi asked, impatient.

That was when Vi noticed the echoes coming towards them. She nodded, unperturbed. So that was what was going on. She gave Kennedy a reckless grin and hefted her pistol crossbow.

Earlier:

“And that leaves you with me,” Faith finished, flashing Buffy a knowing grin.

Now:

Faith was leaning back against the trunk of a refurbished yellow 1954 Plymouth Savoy parked curbside across from a fenced-in white suburban house. She suspected that Breh’En had seen far too many old mobster movies. She was surprised that he didn’t have one of his bodyguards standing guard over the car at all times. It looked like it had taken somebody a lot of work.

Faith was maybe feeling a little anxious. She and Buffy were alone and Faith wanted to talk, and she could tell Buffy did too, but now really wasn’t the time for that. That was the way to get killed. Faith sighed silently and then glanced back up as the front door of the house swung open.

The familiar forms of Breh’En and his posse were revealed as they each left the confines of the house. Faith was careful not to let her demeanor change even as the Slayer coiled tightly beneath her skin. The time to play would come soon enough. She just wanted to make them come to her.

Yeah, for all Faith’s talk, she guessed she hadn’t really changed as much as she liked to think. Thinking straight, Faith would have chosen a less conspicuous place to observe. Thinking straight, Faith would have kept this outing strictly recon. Instead, here she was, body humming, blood screaming, aching for a fight, and more than willing to escalate the situation into one.

Buffy slipped down off the hood, sliding her body down Faith’s side as she did so. Their eyes met in a heated stare. Then Faith shook her head and glanced away. Buffy smiled faintly.

For all Buffy’s talk, they both knew she felt it too. Her body was humming with the tension of anticipation. Her blood was screaming with the onslaught of adrenaline. She ached for a fight.

Faith saw that they now held Breh’En’s full attention and gave him a smirk. She knew they recognized her from the sudden fury darkening his and his guards’ expressions. A casual shift of her arms and Faith pressed the enter key on the Blackberry attached to her belt. The chime confirmed that her page had been sent and Faith shoved off from the car negligently.

Earlier:

They were doing a last minute brief before they split up. Buffy knew she should be listening to Faith’s instructions, but the words were just so much white noise to her. She was too distracted by the feral intensity in Faith’s eyes. It was the heated anticipation that drove every Slayer.

“G-man just wants us to do some recon for confirmation, and get back here STAT,” Faith shrugged inelegantly. “My instincts are tellin’ me that this is it though. It might not be, but if it is, I want you guys to be prepared to go in head first on my sig. I want this thing done, tonight.”

Now:

“Slayer,” Breh’En greeted flatly as Faith and Buffy crossed into the yard.

“Demon,” Faith returned in the same tone.

She stopped a few feet from him and studied his appearance, all Slayer and not hiding it. He hadn’t changed at all since she’d seen him last. Not that that surprised her any. Demons of his breed matured in less than six years and unless dealt a mortal wound, they could and would live forever. Breh’En was as old, if not older than Mayor Wilkins had been before his ascension.

“Care to introduce me to your friend?” Breh’En requested with a steely undertone.

“Aw, B,” Faith turned to shoot her an apologetic smile. “Damn, seems I lost my manners.”

“I wasn’t aware you had any,” Buffy quipped. “Would you like me to help you look for them?”

“Maybe later,” Faith replied suggestively. “You know how Giles is.”

“Yeah,” Buffy sighed in regret. “All work and no play.”

“This is my girl, Buffy,” Faith finally told him. “I suspect you’ve heard of her?”

“Just as I suspect you know that your presence here is not welcome,” Breh’En said coolly.

“Damn, man,” Faith shook her head, giving him an aggrieved look as she leaned in towards him and gestured towards her heart, “I’m startin’ to think you don’t like me no more and it hurts.”

Before he could respond, Faith blurred forward. One of her knives was buried to the hilt in his heart before anyone but Buffy registered the movement. Breh’En’s dying body was crumpling to the ground before his guards even took notice. And Faith; she was grinning the whole time.

Chapter Forty: In Due Time

There were protocols for cleanup. Life threatening injuries had to be dealt with first and foremost while under the supervision of the Slayer in Charge. Second, any witnesses or perpetrators still living had to be rounded up, interviewed, and then handled accordingly. And last, corpses had to be disposed of properly and scenes had to be scoured of any trace evidence and/or torched.

For once, fate seemed to be on Faith’s side. There were no life threatening injuries, nor were there any witnesses, and Slayers rarely left their opponents living. Currently, they’d just finished walking through the warehouse and she’d given Rona and Vi orders to stand guard. They would keep an eye out until either the fire department arrived or the fire burned itself out.

Meanwhile, Faith had a few things that needed to be taken care of. One, Shawna was bleeding like a stuck pig from a superficial wound that needed stitches. Two, Faith was fairly certain she wasn’t too far off from being the same. Three, her body was pulsing in some painful ways.

Some days she hated being a senior Slayer. She could have passed it off to Diane and taken off to lick her wounds in peace. But Faith wasn’t comfortable asking her subordinates to do something she wasn’t willing to do herself. It was one of the major differences from her teen persona.

“Come on, kid,” Faith called over her shoulder to Shawna. “Let’s get that taken care of.”

***

“Aight, you know the drill so I won’t bother rehashin’ much,” Faith taped the bandage down over Shawna’s shoulder blade. “Just remember to find one of us if you feel anything pop.”

“Okay,” Shawna agreed as she turned around. “You need anyone to help you with yours?”

“Nah,” Faith grunted, tossing an idle glance at the ragged, bloodied tear in the pale yellow t-shirt sticking to her lower ribcage. “It ain’t that bad. A few butterfly strips and I’ll be fine.”

“It’ll be okay, Shawna,” Buffy entered the living room. “I’ve got her covered.”

Faith glanced up from rearranging the small first aid kit. She hadn’t seen Buffy since they’d returned to the house. Buffy had mentioned something about grabbing a shower and then briefing Giles while Faith looked after Shawna. Silently, Faith returned her attention to the unraveled length of gauze in her hand.

Faith pretended not to notice Shawna’s exit. She pinned the roll of gauze closed and was about to return it to the first aid kit when a hand over hers halted her movements. She sighed and glanced up to meet Buffy’s gaze. At the determined look Buffy gave her, Faith relinquished the gauze.

“Shirt off,” Buffy demanded.

“Well, if ya wanted me naked...” Faith trailed off as she reached for the tail of her shirt.

“Yeah, yeah,” Buffy teased. “I’ve seen it before.”

Buffy inhaled sharply as Faith lifted the shirt up away from her wound. She could tell from the way Faith’s abdomen clenched and rippled that it was painful. She could see why. The edges of the gash were jagged and gaping, glistening with copious amounts of blood and tissue.

“A few butterfly strips, huh?” Buffy asked mockingly.

“Yeah, yeah,” Faith muttered, tossing her shirt. “Thinkin’ I should maybe hit the shower before you get started on me. It’ll be easier than tryin’ to avoid gettin’ this damned thing wet.”

“You’re right.” Buffy blew out a harsh breath as she jerked her head towards the door, “Go on up. I’ll bring the kit with me and I’ll take care of it before you get dressed.”

***

“So, I gave Giles a rundown of the report you gave me earlier.”

Faith glanced down at Buffy’s bowed head. They were in her and Shawna’s shared room. Faith was lying on the bed and Buffy was straddling her waist; the better to see, according to her. Faith figured Buffy was feeding her a line, but she wasn’t about to complain about their position.

“Yeah, what’d he have to say?” Faith asked absently.

Faith suspected they were both a little nervous. They were free and clear to talk. They just didn’t know where to start. And the adrenaline from the battle wasn’t making it any easier to do so, not when Faith was lying there bared from the waist up and shower fresh as she was.

“He’s going to interview the girls, and they’re gonna bag and tag the food,” Buffy glanced up at Faith briefly. “It’s kinda scummy to think about, but you may have had a point about that.”

Faith winced as Buffy tugged the thread a little too hard. She smiled at Buffy’s apologetic pat to her side. Buffy then continued to guide the needle and thread through Faith’s skin and Faith kept her breathing low and even so as not to give too much resistance against the stitching. Faith idly scratched the back of her head as she contemplated a neutral topic of discussion.

“So what’s been goin’ on back at home?” Faith finally asked.

Buffy felt Faith’s chuckle at Buffy’s very audible sigh of relief and she paused in her meticulous work to deliver a flick to Faith’s uninjured side. Then Buffy was off, giving a detailed analysis of everything that had gone on since Faith had left. Buffy was sure to tell Faith of Cookie’s obvious longing, and she took time to complain about Dawn and her “younger sister syndrome”. She babbled a little about Sgt. Brian O’Malley, and then finally, hesitantly, Buffy broached the subject of the success of the meeting she’d had with Juanita and the buyers she’d found.

“So the house is off the market now?” Faith interjected when Buffy finally fell silent.

Buffy just nodded as she tied off the stitches. While she waited to see if Faith would say anything else, she tidied up her handy work. When it seemed Faith wasn’t going to speak, Buffy just threw her leg over Faith’s so she could get off the bed. She was reaching for the first aid kit when Faith’s hand reached out and clasped her wrist, gently stilling the motion.

“You okay?” Faith asked, and Buffy’s heart stuttered at her sincerity.

“Yeah,” Buffy looked up, smiling faintly. “I had a few moments where I wasn’t, but it passed.”

“You’re sure?” Faith probed gently. “This is me, B.”

“Trust me, I know,” Buffy nodded. “And yeah, I’m good.”

Faith sat up slowly, tilting her head a little as she examined Buffy’s expression. After a moment, Faith nodded as well and returned Buffy’s smile with a soft quirk of her lips. Then Faith climbed out of the bed and crossed the room to the dresser. She ignored the odd look Buffy shot at her.

Faith rummaged through the top drawer until her fingers brushed the velvet material of the object she was looking for. She pulled the small sack out, fingering the rings inside as she considered. Then Faith sighed and closed the drawer. Leaning forward, Faith braced her hands on the wood above the mirror, eyeing the reflection of Buffy’s questioning expression directed at her back.

“Love hurts,” Faith shook her head as Buffy started to speak. “That’s one of those early life lessons I’ll never forget. I loved my parents, I wanted them to love me, and they couldn’t have cared less, and then my father left, and my mother blamed me. They hated me, and they made me hate them; I was eight years old and I resented them for everything and I wanted to know why.”

Faith’s expression was covered in a hundred shadows of a broken past. It made Buffy’s hands clench as she ached to reach out to Faith. She knew it would be a mistake if she gave in. Faith needed to get this out, and Buffy needed to hear it, even if it left her raw and bleeding inside.

“You told me once that you wanted to know why I felt the need to hide,” Faith took a shuddering breath and forged ahead, “By the time I met you, I’d figured out that no one could hurt me if I didn’t love them. I’d figured out that you couldn’t hate someone if you didn’t love them. I fought too hard to keep everyone at arm’s length to protect myself and eventually I broke.

“Earlier, I asked if we should even try to do this,” Faith gave Buffy a pained look. “I’m sorry I hurt you, B. I was tryin’ to give you one last out. I forgot for a moment that we already are.

“We disagree, we scream, we ignore each other, we pick fights just ‘cause we can, we get so mad at one another that we’re brewin’ for a brawl, and we lose our heads,” Faith swallowed tensely. “We’ve all ready lost our hearts to one another. We’re so deep into this thing between us that it’s too late for either of us to back out, not without hurtin’ the other so bad it’ll never really heal.”

Faith saw Buffy lose her fight against the need burning inside her. Buffy closed the distance between them and Faith’s eyes closed in anticipation. The moment Buffy’s hands closed around her upper arms, a shiver rolled up Faith’s spine. Buffy leaned her head between Faith’s shoulder blades, pressed a kiss to the bare skin, and Faith’s hands convulsed so hard the wood cracked.

“Oops,” Faith chuckled roughly.

She felt Buffy’s lips turn up. The breath trickling across her skin sent goose bumps racing down Faith’s arms. Faith let go of the mirror and reached back to clasp Buffy’s hips, pulling Buffy tight against her backside. Buffy let out a ragged gasp that made Faith’s insides tremble.

“Problems, B?” Faith finally opened her eyes.

“You’re kinda naked here,” Buffy muttered, muffled.

“Only a little,” Faith smirked. “Got the hammer and nails handy?”

“Ugh,” Buffy decided not to dignify that with a response.

Instead, Buffy turned her attention to Faith’s arms. Faith had nice arms. They were all... muscled and silky and, and firm. She slid her hands up Faith’s arms to her shoulders and sighed.

Faith tried not to react, really she did. But damn it... Buffy shouldn’t be touching her like that. The adrenaline from before was oil and Buffy’s hands were a match. She needed Buffy.

Buffy’s head lifted. She could have sworn she felt Faith shudder. An intrigued smile creased her lips and she kneaded the knotted up muscles beneath her hands as she pressed closer.

Buffy let her exploration slip lower, sweeping her massage down across Faith’s shoulder blades. Her thumbs dug into Faith’s well-muscled back in a particularly tense spot. That time, she knew she’d felt it. Buffy’s gaze flicked to the mirror and her breath caught in her throat as she found Faith’s dark eyes looking back, intent and needy and—oh, God, Buffy groaned internally.

Then Faith turned on her and Buffy found her hands caught between a rock and a hard place; the rock being her and the hard place being Faith. Not that Faith was hard, because Faith was so lacking the equipment to be hard. Buffy wasn’t given much time to consider that statement. Faith’s lips were a heat-seeking missile and Buffy’s lips were definitely hot blooded.

Faith didn’t pull away until her lungs burned. They stood there, chests heaving against each other. Moments passed in silence, and then Faith nodded. She tightened her arms around Buffy.

“You deserve flowers and candies and dates and entire days where you tease me ‘til I’m goin’ nuts,” Faith panted, “And you’ll get ‘em. But right now, I really kinda need ya bad, B.”

“I—I think maybe I’m okay with that,” Buffy nodded, equally breathless. “I’m so okay with—”

Faith wasn’t interested in waiting to hear the answer. She just wanted Buffy’s fingers digging into her back as she called out her name. Buffy’s tongue darted into Faith’s mouth and the forgotten sack fell from Faith’s hand. That was all right; they’d finish their talk in due time.

Chapter Forty-One: As Close As the Holy Ghost Is

Sex with Faith was...sex with Faith was relentless. Faith needed her, and Faith took what she needed. Faith took her again, and again, and again. She took Buffy to the edge, she brought her down, and she drove her over. It was a long, hard fall to the bottom of that cliff.

Buffy had lost control, and it was glorious. Yet somehow Buffy instinctively knew she still had control. Faith controlled how hard, how long, how deep, how quick she made love to Buffy, but Buffy felt it. One word from her and it would all stop. Buffy didn’t want to say the word...ever.

She didn’t feel worshipped; that was reserved for her very first time. She didn’t feel humble; that was reserved for the frailty of her few human lovers. She didn’t feel dirty; that was reserved for the darkest time of her life. She didn’t feel content; that was reserved for her first time with a woman. For this first time in her life, Buffy just felt loved and needed and oh-so-satisfied.

Buffy was still breathing hard and her eyes were shut. Faith was lying on her stomach between Buffy’s thighs with her head pillowed on Buffy’s lower abdomen. Buffy’s hand was buried in Faith’s hair, fingers tangled in the thick curls. Buffy didn’t think she could move even a toe.

She was still throbbing inside from that last orgasm. A groan reverberated in her chest. Then Faith shifted and Buffy groaned again as Faith freed herself of Buffy’s restraining hand. She forced her eyes open and glanced down the length of her body at Faith, too tired to glare.

“Why?” Buffy grunted.

Yeah, she wasn’t feeling particularly verbose at the moment. Her throat was a bit hoarse from their activities. Well, more from her expressions of enjoyment than the activities, themselves.

Faith didn’t respond to Buffy’s question, she just smiled languidly. Buffy watched as Faith crawled her way up her body. She couldn’t take her eyes from Faith’s. Then Faith was looming over her, and kissing her again, and Buffy suddenly found the energy to move some more.

Faith had yet to lose her jeans. Buffy could feel the dual sensations of rough denim and silky skin sliding all along her body and it made her moan into Faith’s mouth. It felt all kinds of good. But she really, really wanted Faith to lose those pants, and in the worst kind of way.

Buffy arched her back... and promptly forgot what she was about to do. Rubbing up against Faith when every nerve ending in her body was sparking was bound to make a girl forget herself. It was Faith’s raspy chuckle that reminded her. Buffy arched her back, twisted her hips, and flipped them over, coming out on top and grinning wildly against Faith’s lips as she did so.

Buffy broke the kiss and sat up, straddling Faith’s waist much as she had earlier. She drank in the sight before her. Faith was beautiful, all flushed and breathless with her hair sprawled out around her head in a dark, mussed halo and her lips bruised from kissing. Faith’s eyes were wide open, so vivid, and shining bright with everything she was feeling. Buffy’s heart clenched painfully.

She inhaled sharply and gave Faith a shaky smile. Then Buffy leaned forward and lowered her head to press her lips to that shadowy hollow set between Faith’s collarbones. Faith’s body was calling to her, and Buffy was answering. She wanted Faith’s voice to join the symphony.

Her lips and tongue blazed a slow trail down the length of Faith’s body. Faith tasted clean like water and soap and salt. Buffy was lost. The sounds pouring from Faith didn’t even register.

Buffy’s hands deftly worked the closure of Faith’s jeans open and Faith lifted her hips up to give Buffy maneuverability room. Faith’s buttocks clenched hard when Buffy cupped her backside and then held her there while she made love to Faith’s panty line with her mouth. Buffy’s teeth nibbled and teased the delicate skin. She reveled in the tiny tremors she sensed more than felt.

Buffy let go of Faith’s firm butt with a squeeze and then hooked her index fingers inside the waistband of Faith’s pants and her underwear. She tossed a triumphant smile up at Faith and started sliding the clothing down Faith’s toned thighs. It was probably one of the slowest jobs any Slayer had ever done at stripping her new lover. Buffy couldn’t resist though; her hands were kneading the contracting muscles of Faith’s legs as she crept down the bed.

Then the pants and boi shorts were gone and Buffy was kissing her way back up Faith’s body from the inside of her ankle. When her hands brushed gauze, Buffy faltered as her focus shifted. She eased the bandages off, careful of the tape. A row of neat nude toned stitches adorned the thickly muscled calf, the very edges of the wound still an angry pink color. Buffy let out a soft hiss and glanced up at Faith, concern and sadness written across her features.

Buffy wanted to confront Faith about the cause of the injury. She wanted to confront Faith about the reason behind her drive to be in these situations. But mostly, she wanted to kiss away the hurt and make them both forget the past for a while. She pressed her lips to the wound and continued on her previous path, paying a profuse amount of attention to any and all of the scars she crossed.

The smell of sex was heavy in the air. Buffy could taste it thickly on the back of her tongue. She could feel it swelling her clit. The closer she got to Faith’s apex, the more it overwhelmed her senses. By the time Buffy reached her eventual destination, she was craving Faith.

***

For her part, Faith was clutching at Buffy’s back, the sheets, the bed, anything she could reach in order to stay grounded. For Faith, sex had always been about Faith’s needs, and Faith’s ultimate fulfillment. She was finding that that really wasn’t the case here at all. Here with Buffy, Faith just wanted to bury herself inside Buffy and never come up for air again. It was unsettling.

Buffy’s hands worked the closure of her jeans open and Faith lifted her hips up to give Buffy more maneuverability room. Faith clenched her buttocks hard when Buffy’s hands cupped her backside and then held her there while she made love to Faith’s panty line with her mouth. It wasn’t with so much of a conscious decision that Faith let go of her anxiety. She just did.

This felt too good. Buffy’s hands and mouth were on her. Their skin glistened from sweat and sex. Faith’s body was burning in that oh so good way. She thought maybe this would kill her.

Faith felt the momentary change in the mood when Buffy uncovered the wound from Faith’s earlier bout with Corrine. She wanted to reassure Buffy that she was okay. She wanted to wipe away that look and make everything okay. Then Buffy’s lips were on her again and Faith couldn’t speak for the tortured, oblivious moan of pleasure that tore from her throat.

Buffy was trying to drive her insane. Every touch of her lips, every trail her tongue made, every mark her teeth left behind, was all devised to make Faith lose her mind. Faith was certain of it. Then Buffy’s mouth finally touched Faith where she needed it most, and Faith keened, loudly.

Buffy was...relentless. The teasing was over with. Buffy’s mouth was everywhere as she tried to clean up every drop of wetness that spilled from Faith. Buffy’s tongue was stabbing deep inside Faith’s pussy, again and again, and then her lips were wrapped around Faith’s clit. Buffy sucked, hard, and then Faith was calling Buffy’s name loudly as release thundered through her.

***

Faith had no idea what time it was. She was too drained to even turn her head to find out. She didn’t know how long she’d been lying there. Her head was fuzzy with lassitude and desire.

She had no idea how that was possible. Jesus... Faith muttered internally. She shouldn’t have been conscious at this point, much less capable of needing anything...more. Faith sighed.

Buffy was sprawled on top of her. She was solid, and warm, and...and so goddamned beautiful. Faith’s heart ached to look at her right now. Buffy had more than fulfilled Faith’s every need.

Faith blinked away a tear, startled. Buffy was everything Faith needed. Something clicked inside Faith’s heart and resounded in her mind. She was finally as close to home as she’d ever been.

I want to be just as close as the Holy Ghost is

And lay you down on a bed of roses

***

“I know you’re awake.”

Faith’s amused voice drew Buffy’s attention from the heartbeat under her ear. Buffy just snuggled closer, pressing her lips to the pinnacle of the valley between Faith’s breasts. She’d been awake for a while now. She’d just been...basking. Well, more like reliving.

“We need to talk, B,” Faith sighed.

Buffy cringed. Those weren’t the words anyone wanted to hear after a night of lovemaking. Yet, Faith didn’t sound worried. Faith sounded almost enthusiastic. Buffy forced herself to nod.

“Do we have to move to do so?” She almost whined.

“Not just yet,” Faith conceded and Buffy felt Faith’s hand dip lower to the small of her back. “I’m gonna have to get up after, though. When I’m done talkin’ to you, I gotta see G-man.”

“Mmm,” Buffy murmured agreement, “If we have to.”

“I was thinkin’ after you fell asleep,” Faith admitted thoughtfully. “I need to make some changes. I love my job, and I love my life. Robin wanted me to give that up.”

Buffy tried not to tense up. She kissed Faith’s chest again. She would listen. Chances were, this was something in Buffy’s favor, so she could deal with the semi-reminiscing Faith had done.

“I’d never ask you to do that,” Buffy couldn’t resist.

“You wouldn’t have to,” Faith sighed again. “You live this life the same as I do. What I figured out was that I don’t have to be so far away from home to do my job. I don’t have to be so far away from you to do it.”

Buffy lifted her head to meet Faith’s gaze. Then she pushed up onto her elbows, not once looking away from Faith. If Faith was saying what she thought she was... Buffy bit her lip.

“Giles and Red have this trainin’ program they cooked up,” Faith seemingly changed track. “Satsu was supposed to take up the position. But now that she’s leavin’...”

“They’re gonna need someone who can handle those girls,” Buffy completed the thought.

“I think it’s time I really came home,” Faith’s eyes questioned Buffy.

Buffy’s mouth trembled. She hadn’t even had the opportunity to think about what would happen when Faith had to return to work again. She tried to speak and her voice broke. She nodded jerkily.

“Yeah,” Buffy finally managed. “Yeah, I think so, too.”

***

“Ah, Faith,” Giles greeted her as she came into the office. “There you are.”

“Yeah,” Faith said absently. “Here I am.”

She glanced around the room. It had been tidied up. The totaled computer monitor had been removed and the debris had been swept up. And Aaron was conspicuously missing.

“He’s been teleported out for trial,” Giles interpreted her unspoken question, giving her a mild look. “I would have thought Buffy would have told you that when she found you last night.”

“Imagine that,” Faith chuckled. “It must have slipped her mind.”

“Ahem,” Giles cleared his throat as he removed his glasses. “Then perhaps you are ready for a full debriefing now? I can inform you of anything else Buffy may have failed to mention.”

“That works,” Faith nodded, taking a seat. “I got somethin’ I need to run by you, anyway.”

“Oh?” Giles asked.

***

“Your idea for a Special Operations division may warrant a closer inspection,” Giles commented as Faith stood to go. “I believe a cohesive unit such as the one you’re suggesting would certainly benefit the girls far more than any additional courses would.”

“Most of ‘em just need a positive outlet with the right kind of guidance to lead them into whatever their purpose is,” Faith shrugged. “They need someone who knows them.”

“You are more than well-equipped for that role,” Giles agreed, and then gave her a look over the lenses of his glasses. “And you are certain you’re prepared for this step? You weren’t before.”

For anyone else, Faith probably would have told them to mind their own business; only not so nicely. For anyone else, Faith may have forgone the verbal and belted them one. This was Giles, Buffy’s father figure and Faith’s mentor and everyone’s role model. Giles, more than anyone other than Dawn, had dealt with the fallout of Faith’s drawn-out breakup with Robin.

“I’m not giving up anything for her,” Faith gave Giles an easy smile. “I’m gaining everything.”

“Oh,” This time it was said with a different kind of inflection.

“Yeah, oh,” Faith nodded. “I’m more than ready for whatever life throws at me...”

***

...Except for maybe Shawna waiting outside the office. Faith almost tripped over the girl. She caught herself just in time. Faith threw a questioning glance at her as Shawna got to her feet.

“Sorry, I wanted to catch you before you, uh, disappeared again,” Shawna muttered, giving Faith a sheepish expression as she flushed scarlet. “There was something I wanted to run by you.”

“What’s up?” Faith asked easily.

Faith wasn’t going to tease the girl. The one drawback of their enhanced hearing; there was no privacy in a house of Slayers. Someone did the deed? They ran the risk of getting overheard.

“I don’t want to go to another Slayer House,” Shawna rushed out.

“Kid—” Faith tried to interject.

“I didn’t even really wanna come here,” Shawna continued. “But it was either this, or the academy. I wanted to go there even less. I’ve found myself back at square one, really.”

“There aren’t too many other options,” Faith shrugged apologetically.

“Maybe there is,” Shawna hesitated, looking almost pained as she glanced away.

“What did you have in mind?” Faith prompted gently.

“You,” Shawna flicked a glance at the stairs and Faith followed her gaze to find Buffy coming towards them. “Well, you and her. You could take me. You could be my fosterers.”

“Say huh?”

And then life goes and throws her a curveball. Faith determined to keep her mouth shut from now on. She’d wanted to make sure Shawna was taken care of. She just hadn’t had that in mind.

Epilogue: A Propensity for Pigs

They were in First Class on a plane heading for Cleveland. Giles was seated with the other girls several rows ahead in the mostly empty compartment. Faith could hear his soft snoring amidst the gentle, even cadences of the Slayers. Behind her, she could hear Shawna’s matching breaths.

Faith was trying not to think about her right now. She hadn’t been able to deny the kid; not when she knew what that kind of openness took. She’d told Shawna her coming home with them was just a trial run. Faith was too anxious to make any promises. Faith figured she would screw up.

Buffy was convinced things would be okay. Faith glanced down at Buffy’s head pillowed on her chest. Faith secretly hoped Buffy was right. Shawna felt like family; like Buffy and Dawn and Giles, and even Xander and Renee and Willow and Kennedy. She really kinda wanted this.

Faith consciously pushed those thoughts aside. There was something else she wanted too. Her eyes flickered down to see her hand sandwiched between Buffy’s thighs. She squeezed, gently.

“Mmm,” Buffy murmured, sleepily nuzzling Faith’s grey Henley-clad cleavage.

Faith waited until Buffy tilted her head back and then swooped down, bringing their lips together. She kept it soft until Buffy was conscious enough to return the kiss, then she put more effort into it. Buffy moaned, her thighs parting a little. Faith grinned and slipped her hand up the denim-clad surface of Buffy’s inner thigh, teasingly drawing circles with her fingertips. She wasn’t surprised in the least when Buffy’s thighs clamped tight around her hand.

“Don’t,” Buffy warned against Faith’s mouth.

“Please,” Faith let her voice break in just the right place.

“No,” Buffy pulled back with a shiver, straightening up in her own seat with a rigid self-control that Faith could never manage. “Behave, Faith. We aren’t alone.”

“Hey, come back here,” Faith muttered, reaching for Buffy’s hand. “Just ‘cause you don’t wanna make out doesn’t mean ya have to move. You know I had to try at least once.”

Buffy eyed Faith for a moment. Then she cracked a smile. She allowed herself to be guided back into the waiting circle of Faith’s arms. This was a bit of that normality she used to crave; cuddling and romance. Buffy captured Faith’s wandering hand before it could return to her thigh and entwined their fingers.

“You’re such a pig,” Buffy muttered, still smiling.

“Well, yeah,” Faith drawled, grinning. “Why else would you love me?”