Title: Cleveland Calling

Rating: R (For Language later)

Relationships: X\F

Story: Action\Adventure

Feedback: In lieu of a Faithbot yeah.

E-Mail: KeithWrestle@Yahoo.Co.uk

Disclaimer: If I own the characters, why have Faith and Cordelia escaped? Woe is me.

Nov ’03, Auckland, New Zealand.

Faith grinned as she jogged home. Normally she’d be working ‘til ten at the dojo she worked as a cover, but she’d got the evening off three days ago but hadn’t told Woodie, intending to surprise her honey with a few hours of hot sex before patrol. She slowed up as she reached the duplex they lived in. Her smirk widened as she unlocked the glass front door and slid it open.

Her smile withered and died at the sound of giggling coming from the bedroom towards the back of the apartment. "What the fuck?" she whispered. She tried to back out of the door, retreat from the horrifying realisation she was confronted with. But her feet seemed to be working of their own volition, dragging her towards the room.

Soon she was outside the bedroom, the sounds growing ever louder, Slayer hearing had never been such a curse. Steeling herself, she raised her right knee up to her chest and kicked out, her heel slamming into the door.

The door flew open, hitting the wall with a crack. Faith strode in like an angry lioness, nostrils flaring at the sight of a busty, naked red-head in HER bed with HER man, the adulterous pair’s clothes scattered on the floor. Stepping forward, she recognised the bitch as the receptionist of the high school where Wood worked as a history teacher. "You-."

"Faith-."

"Shut the fuck up!" She backhanded Wood across the room and into the wall. For a second she enjoyed the bitch’s wide-eyed terror. Then Faith grabbed the office worker by the throat, lifted, and slammed her into the wall behind the bed, her hand shaking slightly as she fought the bestial urge to squeeze, it would be so easy to choke the bitch’s life out. Disgusted, Faith dropped the red-head on the floor. "Get out of here," she growled, her voice husky with emotion. The receptionist reached for her clothes. Faith kicked them away. "Fuck no," she growled. "You wanna steal my man, you can run out bare-ass naked like the slut you are."

The red-head’s eyes filled with tears. "Please."

Faith punched the wall, just beside the bitch’s head, chipping brick. "Did I say you could speak?" She nodded towards the open doorway. "Leave. Now."

The red-head rose on trembling legs, like a newborn calf, and fled, skinny ass wobbling as she ran. Faith turned towards a grey-faced Wood knelt on the floor beside the wardrobe. "You bastard."

"Faith-."

She covered the space separating her from the adulterer at a blur, her foot driving up into his balls. The former Sunnydale principal gagged and doubled up, his lungs heaving. Faith placed her boot on his head, pinning him to the ground. "What was it Wood?" she asked, her voice hard, drained of emotion. "You into kinky shit that she’ll do that I won’t? Nah, that won’t be it, I taught you some shit. Oh, that’s it," Faith look down at the man beneath her, "the jailbird’s not good enough for the son of a real Slayer."

"Faith, plea-."

"Shut up!" Faith reached down, grabbed the man by his shoulder and flung him head-first through the room window, onto the balcony outside. Climbing through, she looked with abstract satisfaction at the bleeding cuts on the man’s forehead. "You and me are through. You and the Council are through, you have 48 hours to send G your resignation. Now get out."

"Look, I know I made a mess of us, but you can’t just tell me to leave my job!"

"I’m not going to let you use another Slayer like you’ve used me," Faith said, her mild tone not matched by the burning rage inside her. "Resign or I’ll kill you. Now get out, and take everything you can carry with you. Anything you leave I’ll destroy."

Faith watched as Wood hurriedly packed. A dozen times in the deathly silent hour it was on her lips to ask him to stay, to say it was alright, she forgave him, but victim Faith would have done that, the powerless little girl who needed a man. She was stronger, wiser now. She knew if she gave a man an inch, he’d take a yard. So she just watched as he wrote a letter to give to Giles and left.

And then she slid down the wall and cried.

* * *

3 Days Later, London, England

Giles stared aghast at the brunette sat opposite him as she falteringly finished her story. That bloody fool, didn’t he realise what a precious gift this abused child had given him, her trust. Fighting back his rage, Giles inspected the paleness of the beauty’s skin and the lack of light in her normally luminous eyes. He’d destroyed her. The Slayer swallowed under his inspection. "I kinda lost it G," the usually brash brunette seemed to shrivel into the chair. "I nearly beat the pair of them into a coma."

"But you didn’t Faith," he said softly. "That’s the important thing to remember, to hold onto."

"But I was so fucking angr-."

Giles laughed harshly. "I’m hardly surprised. Faith," he leaned forward, his elbows resting on the polished desk separating him from the young Bostonian. "When I was in my early twenties, I dabbled in the black arts." Faith’s eyes widened slightly. "And generally hung out with a bad crowd. A friend of mine by the name of Ethan -."

"B told me about him."

He nodded his head at the Slayer’s muttered interruption. "I was seeing this fit bird," he continued, unconsciously dropping into the slang of his youth. "And that bugger Ethan thought it’d be right funny to put a love spell on her, shag her himself." Faith looked slightly sick. "Unfortunately for him, I came home early from the pub I was working at to find him mixing the spell ingredients. I smacked him a good one, beat the shit out of him, would have hospitalised him for sure but for two of my friends," both dead now, thanks to Egyhon, "coming in and dragging me off."

"B..but I’m a Slayer, I could have done real damage."

G noticed that even the Slayer’s voice seem defeated, lacking the Bostonian’s customary assurance. If he ever got his hands on Wood… Allowing that unhelpful line of thought to die out, he shook his head. "The point is you didn’t. Understand?"

The Slayer started slightly at his tone before nodding. "Sure, G." The buxom brunette hesitated before continuing. "I guess I’m gonna need a new assignment?"

Giles gaped at the beautiful young woman. "Faith, I hardly think you’re ready."

The Slayer shook her head, raven tresses dancing in the sunlight coming through the window. "It’s what I know, the only thing I’m good at," the beauty’s ruby-lips parted in a bitter smirk, "well not the only thing, but I sure as hell ain’t doing that again."

Giles stared at the Bostonian. Oh dear, there was quite a quandary. The ideal solution would be to keep her here in England with him and look after her himself, as he should have all those years ago, but he hadn’t the time with re-building and running the Council, and finding new Slayers. Then there was Angel, his hackles rose at just the thought of Jenny’s murderer, but he’d confirmed the suspicions Giles had always held about the bastard by taking over W&H. He was not about to hand the demon a loaded weapon in the shapely form of Miss. Lehane. Buffy was out of course, that didn’t even require a second thought, the way the other Slayers reacted to Buffy had forced him to come to the unpalatable conclusion that Buffy and other Slayers didn’t mix, especially her and Faith. There really was only one candidate. And help was needed there. After a second collecting his thoughts he began to talk.

Faith’s eyes widened as he finished, panic replacing the sadness in the pool-like orbs. "I can’t," she shook her head. "There’s gotta be somewhere else, something else you need doing here." Faith looked around his well-ordered office. "New cleaner?"

"You asked for an assignment," Giles sat back in his chair, his firm expression giving no clue to his inner turmoil. "It’s the Hellmouth now, while we have novice Slayers on the ground there, your leadership and experience would be invaluable." Putting two people with their pasts together could be explosive, but it could also heal old wounds. One could only hope. He had ‘faith’ in them both.

* * *

2 days later, Cleveland

The door to the brownstoned house crashed open and they walked into the threadbare lounge complete with its peeling wallpaper and worn carpet. The heads of the five vampires sat around the table in the centre of the floor snapped towards the intruders. Xander beamed at the demons’ shock. "Hi boys," he said. "I understand you had an infestation problem." He paused, raising the eyebrow over his remaining eye. "Oh wait, you’re the infestation." One of the vampires, a short bulky man with an unlit cigar hanging out of his mouth, leapt to his feet. Xander reached inside his ankle-length leather overcoat, drew his pistol-crossbow and fired.

The second his bolt thudded home, the other demons started to move. Xander glanced at the two girls flanking him. "Get them!" he ordered, his voice strained.

He was relieved when his other three Slayers burst in from the back of the building, ensuring his forces had the vampires surrounding. He stepped back in frustration, drawing his stake in case any of the vampires got past them to him, hating but accepting his girls were the fighters, he was just their friend, their mentor.

In seconds the battle was over, the vampires no match to his warriors. Xander silently thanked the police contact who’d alerted them to the disappearing street kids that this gang had been feeding on. "Well done," Xander nodded and smiled. "You did well, worked as a team, and remember that’s important. One Slayer -."

"One Slayer alone is tough, a team of Slayers working together even tougher," one of his student Slayers, a pretty Korean girl named Dae whose petite frame belied her strength, finished his saying for him, an impish look on her face.

Xander shook his head and scowled playfully, he could remember being that young and enthusiastic, but only if he really concentrated. "Can we go home now Mr. Harris?" asked Penda, an African beauty with long braided hair who was almost as tall as him, and however many times he asked, would always call him ‘Mr. Harris’. Which made him feel like his dad, possibly his least favourite person in the world. "Perhaps Miss. Lehane has arrived?"

God, he hoped not. He’d only got the call from Giles yesterday and needed more time to get used to the idea of having Faith pushed back into his life. Like maybe a lifetime. He accepted she’d reformed, but still unresolved issues and feelings abounded. He glanced at the remaining three girls, a tall blonde Amazon from Germany called Astrid, a short, lithe red-head named Breena, and a muscular Jewish girl by the name of Enye. "Are you all ready?" he asked. The girls nodded, the eagerness expressed by Penda mirrored in their faces. "Let’s go then. And remember-."

"Keep alert," all five girls chorused.

Xander shook his head. When did he become Mr. Responsibility?

* * *

"Sir!" Andrew saluted him as he shepherded the girls into the light-lit kitchen of the three storey mansion that was the Council headquarters. "Mission completed?"

"Mission completed," Xander replied wearily. Would this idiot ever grow up?

He groaned inwardly as the group’s housekeeper flipped open the laptop sat on the kitchen top and booted it up, the sound of the Star Trek tune indicating the computer’s operating system had finished loading, answering his own question. Obviously not. "Mission details, sir!" Andrew chirpily demanded as he looked up from the Excel database the nerd had created to keep a record of their mission.

"Not now-."

"Xander," Breena interrupted. "Could you tell us another story about Miss. LeHane?"

"Look," Xander tried again.

"How about the story of Miss. Lehane and Ms. Summers against the Xzya?" suggested Penda, her rich tones excited.

"Please girls," Andrew’s high pitched voice cut through the clamour. "We have to enter our reports immediately." The teen tapped his nose self-importantly. "Watcher protocol."

"BE QUIET!" Xander roared, his temper snapping. "All of you go to bed." Slayers and geek alike stared at him. "Now!" Xander shook his head as everyone rushed out. "Great," he muttered, voice echoing mockingly back at him around the hushed kitchen. "Lash out at everyone. Turn into your dad, Xander. Oh well done." He looked down to see his hands shaking slightly. What he really needed was -, he shook his head. No, he wasn’t drinking, he’d avoided temptation after Anya’s death, his heart tightened at the thought of his ex-fiancée, he wasn’t going to succumb to it now. "She wouldn’t like that."

* * *

"I heard there was an explosion last night."

Xander stiffened at the voice behind him. Taking a breath, he placed his toast on his plate before placing it on his lap, and turning to face the voice’s disapproving owner. "Hey Amy."

"Don’t hey me!" his friend and former black arts Wicca glared at him before dropping onto the sofa beside him and snatching the not-bitten piece of toast off him. The witch raised an eyebrow when he opened his mouth to protest. Ducking his head, Xander looked at the carpet. "You’re their leader. You can’t just go off your handle at them," the witch scolded. "They have to respect not fear you."

"They’re the one with super-."

"You know that’s not the point, mister!" Amy scolded. "They look up to you, they can’t be walking on egg shells around you."

"I know," Xander gave up trying to defend his actions. "I don’t know if I’m the right person-."

"Don’t you dare!" Amy snapped. "Don’t you dare doubt yourself. Mr. Giles put you in command because he has faith," Xander stiffened at the word ‘faith’. Amy’s eyes widened. "Oh Xander, it’s her. You trust me after all I’ve done. You gave me another chance, why not her?"

"I wasn’t -," Xander changed what he was about to say. "You never tried to kill me."

"Why didn’t you say no?"

"I couldn’t," Xander shrugged. He owed G-Man too much. He swallowed at a knock on the front door. "I best get that."

* * *

"Here you are honey."

"Thanks," Faith ignored the taxi driver’s leer to pass him two twenties through the grille. Even if she was interested in getting laid, a cigar smoking fatso pushing fifty so didn’t get her motor revving. "Keep the change."

Grabbing her four stuffed to capacity sports bags, she slung two over each shoulder before climbing out of the taxi. Faith looked at the two storey mansion and nodded in approval. Place looked nice, modern but homely, good upkeep too. Garden looked neat, regularly mowed. Not she expected different, Harris was a good little housewife-.

Faith mentally kicked herself. That’s right, she’s barely back in the country five minutes and she’s already thinking trash. "Way to go, girl," she muttered sarcastically. "You’re doing real good."

Taking a breath she walked up the crazy-paved path and knocked on the door. After a minute the door swung open. "Hey," Faith winced inwardly at X’s slight flinch. What the fuck did she expect, she fumed inwardly, a hug and a ‘good to see ya’? It wasn’t like she was B or someone else who’s shit didn’t stink. "Ya gonna let a girl in?"

"Sure," Xander grunted. "That all you brought with you?"

"Uh," Faith blinked when X took two of her four bags off her. "I travel light."

"Oh yeah," Xander muttered, too low for anyone bar a Slayer or a vampire to hear, "light for a full-grown gorilla, maybe."

Hiding a smirk, she followed the man through the hallway. "Place is nice, X."

"Perk of being a Watcher," Xander replied. The Hellmouth Watcher led her upstairs, stopping at a plain brown door. Seeing X struggling to open it with his elbow, Faith stuck out a leg at a 90 degree angle, hooking the door with her foot and pulling it open. The door swung inwards. "Thanks."

"No problem," Faith followed her new boss into the room. It was a plain room with a desk, wardrobe, chair, and a bed. It wasn’t home, Faith’s heart caught with thoughts of her apartment with Wood, but it was a shitload better than most of the crapholes she’d lived in.

X let out a relieved sigh when he dumped her heavy bags on the black carpet. "You want to decorate, change the curtains, add more furniture," Xander shrugged. "It’s your room."

"Sweet," Faith nodded. She opened her mouth to say thanks but closed it again. Looking at X, she realised the former Scooby was as uncomfortable with the situation as she was. Hell more, but then she had tried to strangle him. Deciding to keep the relationship strictly business, hell it wasn’t like they’d ever been friends, she spoke, adopting a neutral tone. "How does this place run, X?"

"Yeah," Xander looked relieved to get the conversation back on a business footing. "Only we have a rule, we don’t talk Slayer business in private quarters, place to unwind."

For some reason X looked embarrassed by his words. Faith nodded approvingly. "Sounds like a good idea, kinda like sanctuary."

"Yeah," Xander ducked his head, again with the embarrassment. "Anyway if you want to come through." Faith nodded before silently following Harris through the corridors. The one-eyed carpenter had just stopped outside of another room, this one painted a forbidding black when Faith heard a shrill voice behind her.

"Greetings, fellow redemption seeker!"

Faith turned towards the speaker stood in the hall behind them, a typically inane grin on his face. "Yo Andy," she greeted. Truth was, she thought Wells was pretty much a self-absorbed dick, but at least him being here broke up the tension between her and X. "How its hanging?"

"Hi," Wells tapped the side of his nose. "I was sorry to he-."

"Coffee," Xander interrupted with a glare at the geek. "NOW." Andrew paled and hurried off. Man, X had him well-trained. "Sorry about that," X muttered before opening the door.

The room beyond was a scrupulously clean board-room each wall lined with heavily stacked book-shelves. It was, Faith realised, a smaller version of the Council briefing room. "Nice place X," Faith lounged in one of the chair, throwing a leather-clad leg over one of the arms. "Now, what’s the sitch?"

"First, the rules." Faith groaned inwardly, rules sucked. "What you do in the privacy of your own room is your own business. But I would prefer that when you’re doing your guys you don’t bring them home," Faith’s hackles rose, who the fuck did he think he was? "Also if you’re going to be out at night tell someone. And don’t miss patrols. We have a rota of household chores, everyone does their part. Well except Andrew, he cooks and looks after the kitchen, the rest of us share the laundry, grocery shopping, DIY, and cleaning the house. Meal times are fairly fluid, given a Slayer’s metabolism I figure that’s best."

Xander paused. Realising he was waiting for a reaction, Faith shrugged. She was about to tell him that she wasn’t in the game of picking up random studs anymore but figured he wouldn’t buy it. She’d just have to show him. "What about the girls and everyone?"

Xander nodded. "Sure, there’s Amy, I know her from Sunnydale, she’s our resident witch. Andrew you know," right on cue the youth walked in, set a tray between them and rushed out as if he was being chased by the hounds of hell, "as well as cooking a mean casserole, he speaks more demon languages than Giles. And then there’s the girls-."

For an hour or so X talked about his Slayers, it was obvious he was proud of them. Cared. They were real lucky to have him. "Whoa," Faith blinked as she caught something at the end of X’s conversation. "Run that last bit of that past me again."

"The bit about the cop?" she nodded, heart thundering. "Okay," Xander stared at her for a second before shrugging. "We have a cop who gives us tip-offs about occult stuff, we get really-."

"And you say she’s called Kate Lockley?"

Xander groaned. "You know her? You sure?"

"You tend to remember the chick who puts you away for 25 – 40," Faith replied.

"Great, just great," Xander stood. "Maybe we should go down to the station and get everything ironed out."

"Nah," Faith affected a casual tone even as her heart continued to thunder. "I’m here now, maybe you should introduce me to the Slayers first."

"Sure," Xander glanced at his watch before looking towards the doorway. "They’ll be back from their run and down in the basement training. Come on."

"Nice," Faith muttered as she followed X into the basement. It was a pretty good set-up, complete with a wall filled with weapons, heavy and speed bags hanging from the ceiling, practice mats on the floor, and enough weights to give Mr. Universe backache. X had blown his wallet on this lot. More evidence he gave a shit about his Slayers.

Well the five girls now staring up in awe at her anyhow. Faith was rather less sure about Harris’ feelings towards her. Forcing a nonchalant air, she nodded towards her admirers. "Yo," she greeted.

"Miss Lehane," the red-head, X had said her name was Breena, said, her eyes excited. "It’s a pleasure -."

"It’s," she took a leaping somersault down the six steps to the basement floor, "Faith, Miss. Lehane makes me sound like a crazy maiden aunt. So, how about you show me what ya got." Remembering something, she called out. "X, you’ve been training them. I could do with your input?"

"Sure," X sounded surprised to be asked. No shock there, she’d never treated him like his opinion was shit. Neither had B either as she remembered. Too much life in him for blondie. Her excuse? She was just a bitch.

Well that changed now. She grinned her shark’s smile at the girls surrounding her. Nerves, she could smell them on her opponents. "Who’s first?"

* * *

Faith ignored the muttered lewd remarks and leers she got as she followed X through the busy police station. In her experience, cops weren’t much different from the gangs she’d run with a decade ago, they all used muscle to enforce their will and didn’t much care who got hurt by them doing it. That was guys for ya, all scum.

Xander came to a halt by a desk. "Hey, Kate."

The blonde cop looked up, a smile on her face. "Hey Xa-," the smile slipped as the cop registered her presence. "You!"

The officer’s hand moved for the gun on her desk. Faith blinked when Xander stepped between her and the cop. "Kate, calm down."

"Calm down?" the blonde’s eyes bulged. Uh, Faith distractedly noticed the cop was another bottle blonde, another reason not to like her. "I put her away for murder!" the policewoman hissed, Faith flinched at the reminder. "You must know what she is?"

"I know," Faith grimaced at the tight note in Harris’s tone. Oh yeah, he knew what she was, she’d seen the fear in his eyes when she damn near killed him. "But you remember the LA eclipse six months ago?" After a second the cop nodded. "Faith broke out of prison to stop it and," Xander reached into his jacket.

"Slowly."

Faith heard Xander gulp at the warning note in the cop’s voice. If X hadn’t stepped in the way, she could have got the gun away from her, damn fool man. "Sure," Harris tossed the papers she’d given him earlier on the desk. "That’s Faith’s pardon. She’s working for the good guys now."

Kate shook her head as she pushed the papers back across the desk. "You’re making a mistake Xander," the cop warned as she holstered her gun.

Xander shrugged. "My mistake to make. We just came up here so there wouldn’t be any misunderstanding."

* * *

"Thanks."

"What?" Xander didn’t take his eye off the road as he drove them home.

"Thanks for sticking up for me in there," Faith said, her eyes likewise fixed on the road. "And for saying I could come here."

Xander nodded. He guessed he’d find out soon if he’d made a mistake.

Faith stared out of her bedroom window, gazing out onto Cleveland’s streets, the sight of the snow blanketing the nearest blocks failing to lift her spirits. Rather it depressed her even further. A month ago she’d been planning her first Christmas with Woodie, planning the meal, his presents, buying the decorations. Then in a brief moment her world had been wrecked.

Again.

Hearing the sound of her door opening, Faith quickly wiped her eyes and spun to face the intruder. "Yo," Faith glared at the intruder. "You heard about asking before you come in?"

The intruder into her room appeared unfazed by her hostility. "If I’d asked you’d only have said no," Amy retorted. "Mood you were in at breakfast."

"I wasn’t in a mood," Faith growled.

Again Amy appeared unperturbed by her hostility. "Really?" the witch arched an eyebrow. "Even Andrew was nervous around you and he’s got a rhino’s hide!"

Faith decided to ignore the comment. "What do ya want?"

"We’re going out shopping, to get some decorations, gifts, that sort of thing."

"Right," Faith turned back towards the window. "See ya later."

"You’re coming with us," the former Sunnydaler said firmly.

Faith didn’t look towards the woman stood behind her. "Like hell I am."

"Yes you are," Amy’s voice softened. "You’ve been here for five weeks. And you haven’t connected with the girls one bit."

"Hey!" Faith looked over her shoulder, eyes flaring. "I don’t tell you how to Wicca, don’t tell me how to Slay!"

Once again, the witch appeared unfazed by her anger. "Oh sure, you’ve spent time training and patrolling with them, but other than that you’re completely isolated from you, you never spend any time with them. Every time we got out, do something as a group, you sit it out."

"My job’s keepin’ em alive, not being buddy, buddy with ‘em," Faith defended.

"No you’re wrong," Amy shook her head. "You’re part of a team, that means you have to act like it. These poor kids look up to you, maybe you should pay them a little attention. Would that kill you?"

Faith stared at the witch through hooded eyes, fighting back the temptation to give her a slap for speaking at her like that. Finally she shrugged. "Give me five to get ready, k?"

After a second the witch nodded. "Okay."

* * *

Amy closed the door behind her before letting out a relieved sigh. Looking down, she noticed her hands were shaking slightly. She didn’t think the raven-haired Slayer had a clue how intimidating she was. But she couldn’t let things go on the way they were, the way Faith was isolating herself was a lot like the way she’d isolated herself after her return from ratland. Xander either didn’t see it, or saw it but was too intimidated to say anything to the Slayer. Either way, it was down to her to make sure the Bostonian didn’t lose touch with the world.

Making her way downstairs, she was met by the sight of the others busily readying themselves for their trip out. "Faith said to wait, she wants to come with us."

"Really!"

"That’s great!"

"Cool!"

Even as the Slayers exclaimed their excitement, Amy glanced at Xander. She inwardly winced at the flicker of wariness in his one remaining eye. Yeah, he definitely had trust issues with Faith.

* * *

Faith watched as they strode through the shopping centre, noting the excited shoppers, the screaming children, the garishly decorated shops inviting patrons inside, the Christmas trees every few shops, the smell of pine and cinnamon spices hanging heavy in the air, and seasonal music and sounds were being pumped through the mall’s sound system. Bile rose in her throat as she remembered her childhood Christmases, wishing she had money to spend on presents, decorations, and food, and friends to share the experience with. Well now she had money, but still didn’t have anyone to spend it on.

"Yo Faith!" Faith rolled her eyes at Breena’s shout at her, grateful for the newly-purchased Aviator glasses that hid her disdain at a chick with a thick Irish brogue trying to talk Boston South in a further attempt to be like her idol. Her an idol, how fucked up was that? Turning, she saw the kid stood outside a tattoo parlour. "What do ya think, get a tat?"

"Hell no," pacing across the mall, she grabbed hold of Breena by the wrist and pulled her away. "Ya get a tat and change your mind about it, you’re going have a bitch of a time getting it removed." And that wasn’t even taking into account the creepy stalker thing going on. "Ya dig?"

"Hey girl, pretty ladies like you can get a discount," leered the man stood lounging in the doorway, a fat biker type.

"Thanks, but she doesn’t need any tats," she shoved Breena towards the others. "And I’ve got all the ones I need." Shaking her head, she moved off to walk beside X, his nervousness around her somehow less bothersome than the girls’ blind adulation. "What ya getting her?"

Xander shot her a confused look. "Who?"

"Kate," when Harris’ puzzled expression failed to clear, Faith continued, enunciating every world as if talking to an idiot. Which, being Harris wasn’t much of a stretch. "Your girl-friend?"

Harris’ face paled. "I buried my ex-fiancee six months ago," he hissed, every word tight, controlled. "Do you seriously think I’d be getting into a relationship with someone I barely know?"

Oh fuck, another home goal. "Shit, X. I’m sorry I thought-."

"You thought just because I was friends with a member of the opposite sex," Xander stepped into her space, his usual nerves swept away by his anger, "I had to be humping them. Try not to judge me by your standards!"

"X…Xander," Andrew stepped between them, thus showing the kid had more balls or less brains than she thought. "Maybe -."

"Forget it." In a second Harris had spun away from them and moved into the shopping mall’s milling crowds.

"Oh fuck," Faith closed her eyes. Every time she tried to move forward with Harris, she managed to put her foot in it.

* * *

"Hey X," Faith knocked on the door to Xander’s study. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," came the less than enthusiastic answer.

"Thanks," Faith pushed the door open and strode in. The study, a well-ordered room with shelves filled with books and filled with the accompanying mustiness, seemed more suited to G than X, but then he wasn’t the Xan she’d once used and discarded any more.

More was the pity. "Hey," it was on the tip of her tongue to try and apologise with for what she’d said at the mall, but decided against it. Instead she dropped her clumsily wrapped gift onto the desk. "Merry Christmas."

"Uh," Xander looked in turn surprised and then embarrassed. "I haven’t-."

"Call it a thank you for saying I could come here," she interrupted. She shot the door a nervous glance, this was a really bad idea, before turning her gaze to Harris. "Ya gonna open that?" she prompted.

Xander nodded. "I suppose I better." He tore the reindeer paper off, shot her a curious look at the jewellery box and opened it. "Oh my god," Xander pulled out the silver chain and green-coloured pendant. "It’s beautiful."

"No big," Faith shrugged, embarrassed by Harris’ awed expression. It had come from the money she had saved to spend on Wood, but this was a better cause. "The stone’s a peridot, they’re for emotional healing, it fosters emotional balance, and helps us heal from past emotional wounds. Like Anya."  And their general crappy past, Faith added silently. She licked her lips, unable to believe the corny crap she was about to say, but at the same time needing to say it. "The peridot is a friendship stone, I kinda hope we can be friends some time."

"Sure." Xander tore his eyes from her present and grinned. "On one condition."

"Oh yeah?" Faith was instantly wary, remembering other times guys had put conditions on their friendships.

"I understand someone won’t partake in the fancy dress Christmas meal," Xander said.

Faith had to smile at his grin even as she shook her head. "No fucking way, I’ll eat the meal but there is no damn way I am wearing a costume."

"Oh come on, get in the spirit," Xander pleaded.

"What ya going as?" Faith queried.

"A pirate."

Faith snorted. "I could try a biker chick."

"I somehow think that counts as cheating," Xander commented.

"A stripper?" Faith bargained.

"Interesting idea but it might kill Andrew off. Hold that thought."

Faith laughed. "Calamity Jane?"

Xander looked at her curiously. "Childhood hero?"

Faith reddened. "I loved the Doris Day film." She glared when Xander fell off his chair laughing. "It’s not that fucking funny!"

* * *

Walking out of the house, Xander leaned against the porch wall and stared out into the Cleveland Christmas sky. He smiled sadly as he heard the sound of the Slayers laughing as they watched the television. One day off a year, surely there had to be a Slayer Union?

Knowing G-Man he’d probably employ leg-breakers to break any strike for better working conditions.

Xander snorted at the thought of G-Man doing a Hoffa.

"Evening Mr. Harris."

Xander looked down to see an excited looking seven year old with a slightly snotty nose and wearing what looked to be three jumpers as protection against the cold sat on a bike beside his front gate. Resisting temptation to shake his head, when exactly had he moved past being ‘Xander’ to ‘Mr. Harris’? Xander walked over to the gate and crouched beside the boy and his bike. "Evening Buck," he greeted before making a show of inspecting the boy’s gleaming bike. "Man, that bike’s a beauty. Your mom and dad get you that for Christmas?"

The boy nodded excitedly, light dancing in his youthful eyes. "And a model plane kit, a lightsaber, the second Star Wars trilogy, and a train set."

"Wow, a lightsaber uh," Xander smiled. "I’ll have to dig mine out and we can have a duel."

The boy’s eyes widened. "You have a lightsaber?"

"You’re joking right?" Xander jumped slightly at the unexpected voice by his left shoulder. Turning, he saw Faith in a pair of skin-tight, practically painted-on buckskin trousers, an Union cavalry jacket with the top three buttons undone, barely containing her chest, and a cap parked perkily on her head.

He was reasonably sure Doris Day had never quite looked like that.

Faith winked at him before crouching down beside him and looking at Buck. "Ya can’t tell anybody but Xander here’s really a jedi."

"Really?" Buck’s eyes widened and the boy looked at him with awe.

"Oh yeah," Faith ruffled the boy’s hair. "Now, it’s getting late, how about you head home. Bet your rents are worried about you."

Buck looked at him, his expression puzzled. "’Rents?"

"Parents," Xander explained with a grin. "Faith talks in code," he grunted when the Slayer gave him a none too friendly elbow in the ribs. "But she’s right," he looked up at the darkening sky. "You should be getting home."

"Okay," Buck nodded before cycling away, waving madly. "Bye Mr. Harris, bye miss."

"See ya sweetie," Faith waved at the kid before standing and turning to him. "Cute kid."

"Yeah," Xander smiled as he turned to face Faith. "He’s a good boy."

Faith looked him in the eye for a second before glancing away, looking towards the front of their house, the lights he’d bought and brightly gleaming reindeer flashing on the roof. "Ya throw a hell of a shindig X," Faith snorted. "If ya were going to dress up as Santa Claus to give the girls their presents, you really shouldn’t have lost that extra thirty pounds you were carrying back in Sunnyhell."

Xander shot the smirking Slayer a glare. Her face took on an innocent look that didn’t fool him for a second. Finally he shrugged. "We forced them out of their homes, least we can do is make this place like a home for them."

"Yeah," Faith’s expression sobered. "You ever think we did the wrong thing?"

The brunette’s words hung heavy in the cold air. "The wrong thing?" he said, acting stupid. He thought he had stupid down pat, but Faith’s raised eyebrow clearly indicated she wasn’t fooled. "I don’t know Faith, we were just so desperate, the First was getting stronger," Xander sideways kicked a stone. "What choice did we have?"

Faith shrugged. "We could have asked Fang-."

Xander snorted. "I know I haven’t jumped on the Angel train like you and Buff, but even allowing for that, two Master Vampires, and two Slayers?" Xander shook his head. "We needed more muscle than that."

"Yeah, maybe," the beautiful Bostonian shrugged, looked thoughtful before smiling. "Ya take wicked care of ‘em."

Xander shrugged. "I don’t know about that. It’s not like I’m a great fighter or no much about demons."

"Ya don’t get it do you, you dumbass?" Faith shook her head. "You," the Slayer thumbed at the brightly lit house, the sounds of merry-making clearly audible, "make ‘em feel like a team, like they’re part of something, like you care." The gorgeous brunette’s voice trailed off.

Suddenly it hit him. "We really fucked up didn’t we?" Faith looked confused. "With you back in Sunnydale."

Faith shrugged. "Mistakes were made, some were mine, some were other people’s. I’m over it." The Bostonian turned towards the house.

"Wood was a fool." The words were out there before he had chance to take them back. Xander swallowed when the Slayer turned to him, a strange look in her eyes. Oh great, just great, six weeks of carefully avoiding the reason that had brought her here, and what did he do? Shoot his mouth off. Blabbermouth. "Betraying a great girl like you, he’ll be feeling all kinds of idiot for messing you two up." Xander smiled painfully. "I know I did when I screwed me and Cordy up."

"She the one, X?" Faith’s eyes were filled with curiosity.

"You know Cordy and me, we always argued." He shrugged. "Even when we argued, we had passion, Anya," Xander looked down at the ground, good eye misting. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he looked up into Faith’s surprisingly sympathetic eyes. "I cared about her, but somehow it always felt like we were together because we scared of being alone."

"Kinda like me with guys back in the day," Faith shook her head and smiled, the gesture seeming forced. "You know what? Fuck him, I’ve got a gang of Slayers who need me, a good bud in you. I don’t need some dick who doesn’t know what he’s got. Right?"

Xander smiled at Faith. "Exactly," he agreed. "You want to go in?"

Faith grimaced. "Not really no, Andrew sent me out to get you, he’s got the Lord Of The Rings Trivial Pursuits game out," the Slayer scowled at him. "Why the hell did you buy him that?"

Xander shrugged. "What else do you buy a geek for Christmas?"

The Slayer’s laughter ushered them inside.

"You read this?"

Xander looked up in irritation when the door to his office crashed open and Faith marched in, carrying a print-out. "Please Faith," he muttered. "You know my door’s always open to you."

"Yeah, thanks," Faith said, completely missing his sarcasm. The Bostonian slammed the print-out on his desk while continuing to pace the carpet before him, every movement of her tense body signifying her barely controlled rage.

Which was all he needed.

Still cautiously watching the ticking time-bomb in front of him, he picked up at the piece of paper and read it. It was a report from G-Man’s second in command, Robson. He’d only met the guy once but he seemed pretty sound, a little early Giles maybe, but a tough guy nonetheless. "So?" he warily queried.

"So!" Faith’s shriek threatened the sanctity and well-being of his ears. Yep, he was sure his left ear had popped. The Slayer poked the paper. "When are you asses going to realise Angel’s on our side?"

Xander counted to five, calming himself. "Faith," he took a breath. "Giles is just being careful. We can’t be sure what Angel is doing."

"Angel is a good guy!"

He shook his head. "Wolfram and Hart are the oldest most powerful evil organisation, heck they pre-date the Council!" He hesitated before continuing. "’Lest we forget, he’s heading up the company that hired you to kill him."

Pain flickered in the Boston beauty’s eyes. "Damn," Faith paused for a few seconds before continuing. "Tell me it’s not personal."

Xander struggled to hold onto his temper. "Damn right it’s personal," Xander agreed, his even tone hiding his growing frustration. "Angelus put us all through hell, killed the love of G-Man’s life, and tried to end the world."

He noticed uncomfortably that Faith’s hands clenched into fists, her knuckles whitening. "But he’s Angel," she said through gritted teeth. "Not Angelus."

"Maybe he is, but maybe he isn’t."

Faith slumped into the seat opposite. "He saved me, X."

"And you want to believe in him and I understand that," Xander nodded. He wished it had been him to help Faith, but she hadn’t been in a place to help her, he understood that now. But it also meant that like Buffy she couldn’t be objective about the Irish vampire. Which meant others had to pick up the slack. Comforting himself that at least now there were plenty of Slayers who wouldn’t have a problem with slamming a piece of wood through the bastard’s heart, he continued. "Maybe you’re right. Maybe Angel’s trying to turn around the law firm, but maybe he isn’t, maybe he’s given up." Faith opened her mouth. "It’s a possibility, Faith."

Faith scowled at him for a second before reluctantly nodding her head. "Fine, but I wanna her."

"Say what?" Xander stared at the Slayer, confused. The way the Bostonian jumped from topic to topic was taxing at times, reminding him of babble Willow. "Not catching the segue-way."

Faith's eyes glanced towards the report she'd tossed onto his desk. "Dana, the nuts Slayer, Robson kidnapped from Fang," Xander’s heart sank. "I want her here."

The headache that hit Xander reminded him of his 15^th birthday, the last birthday of his pre-Slaying life. He’d naively thought it might be cool to be like his dad and had celebrated by stealing and drinking most of a full whiskey bottle with Jesse. The beating that he’d got from his dad for stealing his booze had paled into insignificance next to his hangover.

"Faith," Xander spluttered. "You can’t be serious, the girl’s nuts. I mean chopping Spike’s hands off isn’t a bad thing, but it isn’t a sign of great mental health."

"Like I was," Faith countered.

Which was hardly a winning argument in his book. "Look Faith," Xander tried again. "The other girls-."

"Fuck X," Faith shook her head, her eyes angry. "You took her away from one of the only two people who have a fucking clue what she’s going through. This shouldn’t have happened, she shouldn’t have been Chosen, we fucked up!"

Xander winced as the Slayer’s words hit an uncomfortable chord. "This could blow up in all our faces," he pointed out.

"Let me help her," Faith’s eyes softened, becoming desperate. "Read the report, she needs help. I can do it, like Angel helped me." The Slayer paused. "Please."

Xander looked from the piece of paper and to the Slayer. It all came down to trust. He had to be able to rely on Faith, and in turn she had to believe in his leadership, respect and trust him. And Dana did deserve better than a padded cell for the rest of her life. "I’ll contact Giles," he said, "but no promises."

"Thanks X," Faith flashed him the smile that always dazzled him with its brilliance and left him with an empty feeling with its disappearance. The Slayer leapt to her feet. "I’ll leave ya to it!"

Once the door had closed behind Faith, Xander stared at the phone for a long, long time. This could well be -.

"I’m still waiting!" Faith bellowed impatiently from outside.

His eye shot to the door. "Faith," he growled. "Go, now." After a shake of the head, he picked up the phone and dialled. Just as he was about to hang up it was answered.

"Hello?"

Xander grimaced at Giles’ sleepy voice. He’d forgotten about the time difference. "Uh, hi," he greeted. "It’s me, Xander. Sorry, I forgot-."

"Xander!" Giles exclaimed, the pleasure evident in his surrogate father’s voice. "Nonsense my boy, it’s always a pleasure to hear from you. You phone far too infrequently."

"Uh, sorry."

"No problem, I should make more of an effort too, but we’re both busy men these days," Giles paused. "And how is Faith settling in?"

"She’s doing good."

"Excellent, that Wood was a bloody fool," Giles paused again. "The other girls?"

"They’re okay too."

"Wonderful." For a few minutes they talked, discussing Willow in Rio, Buffy in Italy, and Dawn starting her first year at Oxford. Then Giles brought things back to business. "I assume there was a special reason for you ringing and waking me in the dead of night?"

"Yeah," Xander took a breath. "Faith read the fortnightly report and wasn’t happy about Dana. She wants her to be sent here."

"Oh," there was a long silence. "I don’t know if that’s wise, Xander."

"I know, I know. But Faith feels guilty for creating her, heck I do too," Xander heard Giles’ heavy sigh, obviously the responsibility laid heavy on the aging Englishman too. "And she thinks she can help her. It’s not fair that Dana spends the rest of her life in a padded cell because of what we did to her."

"I think Faith might be making a big mistake," Giles warned.

"My mentor taught me that a Watcher should back up his Slayer no matter what."

Another long silence. Then Giles laughed. "Damn you for using reason, Xander, I expect better from you." He could almost hear the sound of Giles cleaning his glasses. "The transportation will take a few days to sort out, paperwork and all."

"I could give you the number of our police contact," Xander offered.

"Lt. Lockley? I’ve already got it." Giles yawned. "Now that you’ve got what you wanted could I possibly return to my nice warm bed for a few hours’ peace?"

"Yes, sorry about waking you. I know how the old need their rest."

"Xander."

"Yes?"

"Bugger off." Giles laughed. "Night, son."

"Night G-Man."

* * *

Xander knocked on Faith’s door. "Yo!"

"It’s me," he replied to the Slayer’s cry.

"Oh," there was a pause. "Yeah, come in."

Xander opened the door and walked in to find the Slayer sat cross-legged on her bed. "I spoke to G-Man, he said he’ll have Dana transported over here in a few days."

Faith beamed at him. "Thanks X, I ‘ppreciate this."

Xander nodded then spoke. "I think this is a mistake, but you’re the head Slayer so I’m supporting you," he warned.

"Thanks X," Faith’s face sobered. "This will work out great I promise. Dana will be my personal responsibility."

"All the girls are," he reminded. "For both of us."

"Sure X," Faith nodded. "I get that, but all Dana needs is a chance."

Xander nodded again. "Shall we go tell the girls?"

* * *

Breena’s face lit up as Xander and Faith entered their gym. Sometimes Xander looked so sad and lonely, he needed a woman to look after him. But Miss. Lehane, she was just perfect for him. It was just a question of getting the two of them to realise it.

Stopping her benches, she joined the other girls in standing in the centre of the basement. "Hey guys," Faith greeted. "We’re gonna get a new Slayer joining us."

"Yes," Xander put in. Breena noticed he looked nervous. "But she’s a little different from the rest of you."

Breena and the others exchanged looks as their Watcher continued. It sounded as if things were going to get exciting around here.

* * *

"They’re here." Xander’s words stretched through the cold air as a security truck pulled up into the parking lot they were doing the exchange in.

Amy climbed out of the car to join Faith and Xander stood by the front of the car. The grey truck smoothly came to a halt and a tall, black girl with braided hair jumped out and hurried towards them. "Mr. Harris," the Slayer nodded at Faith. "Miss. Lehane, it’s an honour-."

"She in there?" Faith interrupted, her tone tense and face tight.

The African Slayer blinked at Faith’s bluntness. "Yeah, the other girls," the Slayer looked over her shoulder to where two Slayers were unlocking the truck’s double-doors. "Are bringing her out."

Amy gasped at what she saw. A girl fastened to a chair, a Lectorish muzzle obscuring her face, and wearing a thick leather straitjacket further secured by chains across her limbs and torso, was being lowered down ramps to the tarmac. "You have got to be kidding me!" Faith turned a laser-beam glare onto the suddenly greying African Slayer. "She’s not a fucking animal! Unchain her."

"Mr. Giles said-."

"Do it," Xander interrupted, his voice flat, emotionless. "Now."

The braided Slayer nodded. "Yes sir." Faith shot Xander a grateful look that went unnoticed as Xander continued to watch the girl being lowered from the truck.

Once the girl was unfastened, she stood, glared at the three Slayers surrounding her and started forward, growling, her eyes fixed on Xander. Faith stepped into the advancing girl’s path. "Back off. Not going to happen."

"Just skin."

The words meant nothing to her, but Amy heard Xander’s grunt and saw Faith pale. Despite that, the Bostonian beauty remained in her position, blocking Dana’s route to Xander. "You saw that uh?" the brunette commented. "Then you probably saw X save my life, so you back the fuck off or I’ll put you down hard. You dig?" Dana stared at Faith for a long second before dropping her gaze and nodding. "Good," the older Slayer’s voice softened. "You ready X?" Xander didn’t reply. "X?"

Xander shook himself. "Ready, you’re in the back with our guest?" Faith nodded. Xander looked down at his hands and then at her. "Amy, can you drive?"

Amy blinked when she realised Xander’s hands were shaking slightly, either from fright or from what Dana had said. "Sure, Xander."

* * *

The car journey was completed in absolute silence, the only sound the motoring of the 4*4’s engine. Faith took the time to inspect the Slayer sat beside her. High cheekbones, silky black hair, pool-like eyes, and smooth, olive skin. Kick-ass body too. If it wasn’t for the lack of focus in her eyes and her occasional, apparently uncontrollable facial twitch, Dana would be a total hottie.

Realising the car was coming to a halt; she spoke to her fellow Slayer. "I’ll take you inside, k?" Without waiting for an answer she glanced towards X and Amy, "thanks for this, Xander." She turned to Dana and raised a challenging eyebrow.

After a second, Dana spoke. "Thanks," she grunted.

"Good girl," Faith praised before opening her door, "now come on."

Faith herded the girl inside and to the room that X had assigned her. "I guess you’ll need some clothes. We’ll go shopping in a few days. You can borrow some stuff -."

"Don’t daddy it hurts."

Faith looked at the slyly-smiling girl and gritted her teeth. "I really wouldn’t root around my head if I were you," Faith warned, her tone tight. "’Cause I will kick your ass, you dig?" The girl glared at her for a moment before nodding. "Good. Now you’ll meet the other Slayers tomorrow, they’re good kids so I wanna you to be cool with them. And there’s Andrew, he’s a prick but I don’t wanna you scaring him either, right?" Dana nodded. Faith wasn’t sure of the sincerity in the gesture but ignored her worry. Anything happened, she’d show the Slayer who was boss. "Everyone here wants you to get better, you were given your powers for a reason, k?" Dana stared at her for a second before nodding again. "Good," Faith looked at the other Slayer before turning back to the door. "Now, see ya in the morning."

* * *

Xander looked around the darkened corridor. He started at a soft voice behind him. Steadying his racing heart, he turned around. "Sorry, Amy." He forced a smile. "I was a million miles away. What did you say?"

"Are you alright?" the witch asked, her expression concerned. "You seemed -."

"I’m fine," he interrupted, the smile still firmly in place. "Just a little exhausted, so I’m off to bed."

"Okay," he was dismayed when Amy dropped in beside him, giving him unwelcome company as he made his way to his quarters. "What did you think of Dana?"

Dana. Just her name made his blood chill. It was a few seconds he could get his suddenly dry mouth to work. "She’s intense."

"Yeah," Amy stared thoughtfully at him before continuing. "She is," the witch agreed. "What we do here is important. Not just training the girls and protecting the Hellmouth but," Amy momentarily glanced down, her face ashamed, before looking him in the eye. "Giving me, Faith, and Dana second chances, that’s important too."

"Yeah," Xander nodded. "I know." He opened his bedroom door. "Well see you."

"Night, Xander."

Once he’d closed the door behind him, the shakes began, first in his hands, and then in his arms, spreading through his body. Xander dropped onto his unmade bed, the image of Dana’s eyes as she’d advanced on him flashing before him. The ferocity and rage he’s seen there had reminded him of another person who’d had a serious yearning to kill him.

Faith.

After a few seconds, he’d calmed himself enough to undress and climb into his bed. But somehow he doubted he’d sleep much tonight.

* * *

"They’re here!" Breena reported through the gap in their dorm’s curtains.

"Really," Penda peered over her fellow Slayer’s shoulder. "She just looks like a girl!"

"What did you expect?" Astrid sneered. "A horned monster?"

"Yeah, but the stuff she’s done," Penda commented. "Chopping the hands off a vampire!"

"And that’s bad how?" Dae commented.

"I know, I know," Penda shook her head. "But still, that’s serious psycho behaviour."

"Well," Breena dropped the curtain back into place. "I guess we’ll meet her tomorrow."

* * *

"Fuck!" Faith’s eyes shot open. It took a minute for her to get her uneven breath under control. "Son of a bitch!" She turned her light on before lying there for another couple of minutes, gathering her senses. She hated Slayer dreams. Throwing her bed sheets off, she began to dress, pulling on her panties and leather pants before grabbing a black wifebeater off her chair. She’d have to talk to Xander. "He is going to fucking shit."

* * *

"X, please, ya gotta."

Xander sighed at the Slayer’s insistence. For hours she’d been nagging him with the same sort of insistence Anya had used to nag him for sex. And that was a memory he didn’t need. "Faith, forget it, me and Angel," he shook his head. "Never gonna happen."

Faith took a breath before shaking her head. "Look it ain’t about that. I had a Slayer dream, you gotta ring him."

Xander’s breath quickened. "A Slayer dream? What was it about?"

Faith shook her head. "I ain’t saying ‘case I’m wrong, please."

After a long stare at the Slayer, he gave in to her pleading eyes. "Fine," he dialled the number to Wolfram & Hart’s LA office. After seven rings the phone was answered.

"Hello," shrilled a slightly familiar voice. "You have reached the offices of Wolfram & Hart speaking. Harmony Kendall speaking."

Xander groaned. Well that clinched it, Deadboy had to be evil. "Hello Harmony, it’s Xander here. Put me through to Angel."

"Huh," sneered the blonde vampire. "I don’t think so, it’s my job to shield my boss from losers like -."

"Listen very carefully," he interrupted, his teeth gritted against his anger. "I’m now a Watcher with seven Slayers backing him up, how about I come to LA and pay you a -."

"Putting you through!" Harmony squealed.

"Hello?"

"Deadboy, it’s Xander, Faith said I needed to ring you. She had one of those Slayer dreams-."

"Oh," the vampire paused. "I..it’s Cordelia." A cold weight settled on his heart as he waited for the demon to continue. "She’s dead."

"No."

Angel continued over his muttering. "According to the doctors’ she never awoke from her coma, she died two days ago. We’re having a memorial service in two days’ time if you want-."

"Thanks, but I don’t think so," Xander hung the phone up and stared down at the desk.

"What happened X?" Faith asked her voice strained.

He looked up at the Slayer. "What did you see?"

"First there was Angel heading to this dark cavern, then Cordy was in his way, pushing him back, guiding him to a bright light. Then, there was a life support system flat lining, and the Fang Gang all crying." Faith paused. "What was it?"

"Cordy’s dead," Xander muttered. "She died two days ago. They’re having a memorial service in two days’ time."

"Right," he was surprised by the shock on Faith’s face. "That case, we better get you booked on a plane over there."

"No," Xander shook his head.

"Look, if ya don’t wanna go over there on your own, me or Amy could go with you," Faith offered.

"I can’t." Xander ignored the tightness in his chest and the hollowness in his stomach to shake his head. "Council rules dictate Angel shouldn’t be contacted -."

"Fuck rules!" Faith shouted. "You cared about Queen C! You should be there." The Slayer leaned over the desk separating them, her eyes intense. "This is Angel, not Angelus! You can trust him!"

"I can trust him!" His nervousness around the Slayer and sorrow over Cordy’s death dissipated before his burning rage. Kicking back his chair, he rose, looming over the Slayer. "I can trust him!" he laughed sarcastically. "Oh sure, he’s so different from Angelus. ‘Cause he didn’t fool you with his Angelus act did he? Fool you when he knocked me out, left me in the middle of the street where any vampire could pick up a free Happy Meal!" He stared challengingly at the paling beauty. "I can trust Angel?"

"X, I..I," grabbing his car keys off the desk, he strode past the stuttering Slayer and out of his office, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

"Andrew," Breena trilled, her eyes alight with excitement as she and the other Slayers bar Dana entered into his domain, the kitchen, and cornered him. "What’s up with this Cordelia girl?"

"Yes," Astrid nodded, her eighties-style blonde hair bouncing up and down with the movement. "What’s the big deal?"

"In my position as a keeper of the Scoobies’ secrets I cannot divulge any details," he replied loftily.

"Oh please Andrew," Dae pouted at him, her long eye-lashes fluttering wildly.

Andrew caved under the Slayers’ pleading. "Young Xander was the school outcast, the geek," he sighed theatrically. "We geeks carry a heavy load. Cordelia was the school princess, the head cheerleader, the richest, most beautiful girl in the school. Their paths would never have crossed but for Xander’s gallantry in saving her life." He sighed again. "Her heart was captured instantly by Xander’s selfless heroism, and soon they were the Sunnydale couple."

"What about Anya?" Astrid queried.

"Oh," Andrew nodded sagely. "She came later. After Xander-."

"You guys are like vultures!"

Andrew gulped at the sight of a pissed Faith stood in the kitchen doorway. "Hi Faith," he greeted with a weak smile.

"This has fuck all to do with any of you," Faith snarled. "You girls, 50 circuits of the grounds -."

"Faith-," Breena protested.

"Make that 100," Faith continued. "Any of you got anything else to say?" The girls rushed out of the back door. Andrew turned away as the Slayer turned her laser-beam gaze on him, looking down at the groceries. He started at Faith’s cold whisper in his ear. "I was scared shitless when I came back to Sunnydale, wondering what everyone would think about me, how I’d fit in." Faith paused. "Guess who made it ten times harder with his flapping mouth?"

"I was just -."

Andrew dropped a can of beans when Faith slammed her fist into the table. "X’s private life is just that, private. You don’t blabber ‘bout him ‘less ya want me to deal with, dig?" Too frightened to speak, he nodded. "Good," the brunette beauty took a breath. "Now I’m going out for a while. See ya."

* * *

Faith roared down the highway, the wind whistling around her helmeted head. When G had taken over the Council, he’d changed it a hell of a lot, out when the one Slayer per Watcher deal, now it was four Slayers for a Watcher, and a Wicca too. He’d got rid of the Crucitamen bullshit too. And most importantly, Faith smirked as she glanced down at her ride, he’d decreed that instead of harbouring Council funds in Swiss bank accounts, working Slayers got an actual wage. Both her and B had got kick ass back-payments too, B for eight years, and her for five. She’d argued that she didn’t deserve it for the time she’d in prison, but G had said something about collective responsibility which she hadn’t really understood, but she’d took the money just to get him to shut up, eighty k in all.

And spent ten of it on a cool as fuck, spanking new, Harley. She’d spent her early teens hanging in biker bars, loving the power of the bikes arrayed outside of them, the romance of the open road, and the general coolness of the leather-clad knights of the road. Now she knew bikers were pretty much pricks, but she still loved hogs.

Pulling up, she looked at her destination, a grimy building front with a door, its red paint peeling, with an equally worn sign above it proclaiming ‘Hard Knocks Boxing Emporium’. Taking off her helmet, she secured it and the bike, her eyes all the while fixed on the building. This was gonna be tough.

She’d found out about this place three weeks after arriving. She’d noted X’s thrice weekly unexplained absences and wondered where he was going. Figuring he had a girl-toy shacked up somewhere that he had no right keeping from her, the others sure, but they had history, she’d followed him to find to her surprise that he was working out at a local gym. She’d been puzzled as to why he didn’t work out with the others, but couldn’t very well ask him seeing as she’d discreetly trailed him there.

"Guess I can ask him now," Faith muttered as she made her way through the tarmaced car-lot, noting X’s 4 by 4 parked there. Shoving open the door, she walked in.

And was hit by a wave of sweat, the sound of men grunting, like she’d never heard that before, skipping ropes buzzing, fists thumping into bags, and trainers exhorting their fighters to greater efforts. "Hey sweet thing," she glanced behind the peeling counter to a see a hulking African-American in his mid-forties. "No women allowed."

"Yeah," Faith drawled. "I’ll be speaking to my congressman about this discrimination. Don’t worry, I’m here to speak to my bro, the one-eyed dude. Family emergency."

"Oh," the big black shrugged his broad shoulders. "Well, hurry. The trainers won’t want you distracting their fighters."

"Sure big guy," Faith agreed. Shoving the door open, she stepped into the main area. "Um, a room full of sweaty jocks," she muttered. "Reminds me of my 15^th birthday."

She winced when an expertly-skipping man’s eyes widened at her entrance and he fell over the rope. "Bet that hurt," she muttered as she looked around. The massive gym was dominated by two boxing rings in the centre of it, the area between the rings was filled with trainers wearing sparring pads. The space near her was filled with a quartet of skipping boxers, now watching her with the sort of longing that an addict watches his crack. "Guess it’s true what they say about boxers and sex," she chuckled before continuing her inspection.

The far wall was lined with exercise bikes, medicine balls, and stomach crunch boards while the area by the near-by wall was filled with heavy bags and speed balls. Not seeing Xander anywhere, she started through the gym. As she drew level with the first ring, one of the fighters hitting a speed ball looked towards her.

And got caught by the speed ball on the side of his head, knocking him into the wall. Shaking her head, she continued on.

"Not bad, not bad at all," Faith muttered as she found Xander. The former Scooby had his back to her and was stripped to his waist, revealing a surprisingly defined and muscular back as he smashed his gloved fists into his bags with an intensity that had her wondering if he was envisaging the bag as her, Angel, or Queen C.

Watching X, she had to admit she was impressed. She’d watched a lot of classic boxing tapes as part of her training, Ali, Robinson, and Tyson amongst others, and X was pretty good. Judging from the way the bag was shaking as he hit, X could throw a decent punch, good combinations too, his footwork was reasonable, and his defence, the way he dropped instinctively into his guard between combos, was smooth.

Whoever had taught him had know their stuff, and she already knew X could take a beating and keep on ticking. Summonsing her courage, she spoke. "Who taught ya to box, X?"

Xander stopped and half-stumbled at her voice. When the man turned to face her, she had to stop herself from licking her lips at the washboard abs and broad shoulders that greeted her. This sure as hell wasn’t the fat ass she remembered from Sunnydale. But she did wonder about the three jagged scars across his chest and abs, they looked nasty. "How did you know I was here?"

"Followed you here once," she admitted shamelessly. "Ya wanna get out of here?"

"I haven’t finished yet," X said, his face turning stony as his shock at her appearance receded.

"Please," she pleaded. "I just wanna talk. Not about Angel, please."

Obviously realising what an event it was for her to use the ‘p’ word, Xander nodded. "I’ll be out in ten, wait for me at my car."

"K," Faith nodded.

* * *

"Hey X," Faith leapt off the bonnet of his car at his approach, hitting the ground with knees bent, in a cat-like crouch. "So where did you learn these bitchin’ moves?"

"The summer you were in a coma," after the brunette’s insistence over Deadboy, he couldn’t help but feel a sadistic pleasure at her slight flinch. "I rescued a guy from a vampire. Well," Xander laughed at the memory. "I rescued the vampire from the guy really. He was beating the crap out of it but didn’t know how to finish it off, so I staked it." Xander rolled his neck, still a little stiff from his work-out. "Turned out the guy was a local gym owner who’d been a two-time California and west coast amateur light-heavyweight champion, and armed forces champion too, in the early eighties. He took me under his wing, trained me every weekend for three years."

"Wow, well you looked the bomb in there X."

Xander ignored the Slayer’s feeble attempt at flattery. "What do you want Faith?"

The Slayer’s face dropped slightly at his tone but given Cordy’s death and the way Faith slavishly followed Deadboy, he couldn’t find it in himself to care. Mostly he was just emotionally drained. "I was thinking that seeing as you don’t want to go to LA., how about you hold a memorial service here, me, Amy, and Kate could come, we knew her too," Faith paused, her boots nervously scuffling the ground. "I think it would be a good idea. To say goodbye," the Slayer shrugged.

"Yeah," Xander nodded slowly before smiling slightly. "That sounds like a plan."

"Bree!" Faith yelled, dancing up on her tones. "In now! Don’t give her a second to rest!" The Irish Slayer responded to her shout immediately, leaping up into the air, cannoning into Dana’s chest with a dropkick. The previously insane Slayer staggered backwards but kept her feet and when Breena landed in a crouch, she caught her with an overhand right to the forehead that dumped the red-head on her ass.

"Whooee!" Faith crowed. "Dana is large and in charge, today!" The newest member of their group turned to her, a grin on her face. And fell on her side when Penda clipped her, catching her with her shoulder on the knee. In an instant, Dana was up on her feet and snarling at Penda. "Whoa!" Faith got between the two Slayers before something started. "Relax, Dan," she ordered. "That was your bad, I didn’t say the session was over. What did Penda just teach you?"

"Pay attention," her fellow brunette temptress replied, a scowl on her face.

"That’s right," Faith ruffled her protégée’s hair, eliciting a slight smile. She was proud of Dana, the girl had made real progress in the past three months. From having to have her own room and have one-to-one supervision, she was now living and training with the other girls. She’d even managed to go out a few times, and spend time with Harris and Andrew without ripping their heads off. Which, with Andrew was quite an achievement for even a normal woman.

A huge lizard hovering in the dark sky, massive wings flapping mightily.

Gunn lying on the ground, blood pumping out of him.

A blue-haired, leather-clad woman that looked a little like Fred, stood over the big African-American.

Angel brandishing a sword. And then exploding into dust.

"NO!" The visions hit her with the force of a freight-train, sending her to her hands and knees. Her lungs heaving, she became vaguely aware of her students surrounding her, crowding her in as they clamoured to find out what was wrong. "Back off," she whispered. The others continued to chat, too excited to shut up. "Back off!" she screamed, her voice straining.

She was gratified when a space was quickly created around her. Forcing her limbs under control, she staggered to her feet. "Miss Lehane," she noticed that in the face of her temper, Breena returned to calling her by her title. "What’s wrong?"

"My mobile," she whispered, heart still pounding. When the Slayers just stood looking at her, she let out a growl. "Someone pass me my fucking cell!"

Dae instantly darted over to her sports bag and returned with the phone. "Thanks," she nodded brusquely before dialling her phone. Realising the others were still stood staring at her, she raised an eyebrow. "Privacy mean anything to ya?" The other Slayers immediately moved to the far end of the basement.

Her heart stopped when she got a standard out-of-service message. Fear combating anger in her veins, she flung the cell into the wall, the force of the collision smashing it to pieces. "FUCK!" she screamed in terror before leaping from the ground to the top of the steps in a single motion. Flinging the basement door open, she rushed out, the Slayers following her down the corridor. "Harris!"

* * *

Xander looked up as his office door crashed open. "Has nobody around here heard of-," his irritation dissipated at the terror in the Boston Slayer’s wide eyes. "Faith," he said. "What’s wrong?"

"I…I need y..you to c..call Angel," the usually cocksure beauty stuttered.

Xander hid a grimace. Not this old chestnut, she was like a dog with a bone. "Girls," he looked over Faith’s shoulders, unwilling to have an argument in public. "Some privacy, please." Once the other Slayers had disappeared, closing the door behind them, he looked at Faith. "Sit down." The moment the Slayer had obeyed, he spoke again. "Faith, we’ve talked about this, if you’re not willing to agree to disagree about Angel, maybe you should lea -."

"I had a vision," the Slayer muttered, tears welling in her eyes. "They’re all dead. And I couldn’t get a tone on my phone."

Worry replaced irritation. "Faith," he gestured at the seat even as she reached for the phone with his other hand. "Please, sit down." He started when the phone rang as his fingers curled around the receiver. After shooting the Slayer a nervous look, he picked the receiver up and spoke into it. "Hello?"

"X..Xander," he blinked at the hoarseness of the speaker’s voice. It took him a second to recognise the voice as the normally composed Detective Lockley. "Turn on your TV."

His brow furrowed in confusion, Xander shook his head before speaking. "Kate," he glanced at the impatiently waiting Slayer. "I’m in the middle of something. I’ll ring -."

"Turn on your fucking TV!" he blinked at the cop’s sudden explosion of foul language. "It’s LA.," a cold weight settled on his heart. "It’s gone to hell. I’m on way over to you right now."

"O..okay," he stuttered, replacing the phone.

Faith stared at him. "What about Angel?" the Slayer urged.

"This is about Angel," he said, turning the TV onto a news channel. His eyes widened at the sight of burning, crumbling buildings in central LA., and a clean-cut newscaster who looked younger than Xander at that moment felt. They watched and listened, helplessly mesmerised for several minutes and then the screen changed to the centre of the disaster.

The Wolfram & Hart offices. "A…Angel."

Xander glanced towards Faith. The now grey-faced Slayer was sat huddled in her chair, her eyes blank and looking for all the world like a broken doll. "Faith," rising, he walked over to the Slayer. "I’m sorry-."

"Don’t tell me you’re fucking sorry!" In an instance, the raven-haired Bostonian was up, snatching hold of him by his lapels, and flinging him into the air. Xander groaned as he thudded into the wall, thankfully missing the window, and slid down to the ground, pain flaring through his shoulder and head. In a second the east coast native was on her feet, eyes wild, like some primal beast of prey. "This is what you fuckers wanted! Well whoopee! Now he’s dead," Faith’s face fell, the anger replaced by heart-tearing sorrow. "Now he’s dead, now he’s dead. And I have no-body!" The Slayer spun around and started for the door.

"No, Faith!" Xander began to scramble to his feet only to be hit by a wave of nausea. He shook his head, trying to shove the darkness away, but then it enveloped him.

* * *

"Xander! Xander!"

"Amy," he mumbled. "Put the megaphone down." He forced his eyes open to find the witch was stood over him. Without the expected megaphone. He looked around. "Faith?"

"She stormed out of here about a quarter of an hour ago," Amy looked around. "Kate just arrived to see you, Xander," the witch looked bewildered and more than a little scared. "What’s happening?"

Faith had run off? Xander winced, and she was probably self-destructing somewhere. He had to find her. "I’ll explain in a minute." Ignoring his thumping head, he reached behind him and pulled himself up on the radiator behind. "Get everyone into the briefing room." The witch stared at him. "Now."

* * *

"Amy’s told me that Cleveland is too big of an area for her to do a locater spell on. So this is what we’re going to do," Xander looked around the briefing room, having finished explaining what had happened to his shocked audience. "Kate, you take Penda and Astrid. Amy, you take Dae and Enye. Andrew, I want you to stay here with Breena and Dan-."

"No!" Dana shouted, her head shaking wildly. "I wanna come with you. Find Faith."

It took him a helluva lot of courage and self-control, but he managed to keep his voice steady as he stared at the young woman. "No, Dana, if Faith comes back here, I need people here to contact us." Seeing the Slayer’s mouth open, he spoke again. "What has Faith taught you?"

"Do as you say," she muttered sulkily.

He nodded at Breena then looked towards Dana. After a second the Irish Slayer’s eyes widened and she nodded in understanding. Satisfied his unspoken message of the red-head keeping an eye on Dana had gotten through, he looked at the others. "What are you waiting for? You find her, call me."

Xander groaned as he stopped outside a bar door, the twelfth he’d stopped at in the past four hours. "That makes it six pints of coke I’ve drunk then. No wonder I need to pee," steeling himself for the inevitable stench, he took a last breath of fresh air and stepped inside.

The dive’s air was filled with the mingled stench of vomit, sweat, smoke, and booze, and the sound of raucous heavy metal blasted out, making his ears pound with blood. His entrance into the bar, its walls covered with biker colours, was met with hostile stares from many of its biker patrons, stares that he barely noticed as he stared with mounting horror towards the back of the bar.

In its shadows there stood a table upon which Faith stood, wildly writhing, surrounded by a dozen or so cheering bikers, clapping in unison to her movements. "Oh no, Faith," Xander muttered. "You couldn’t find a church to find contemplation, it had to be the local Hell’s Angels’ chapter." After a quick gulp, he made his way to the back, forcing a confident expression. "Hey, guys," he started. "You’ve have your fun. Time for her to go home."

"She leaves," his heart stopped when the biggest of the bikers, a gargantuan shaven-headed biker standing several inches over six feet with a goatee, and bat sized forearms covered in prison tattoos turned and stood to face him. "When we say so."

The giant’s words were met with hearty cheers. Xander craned his neck to look up at the mammoth. And he’d thought Angelus was scary. His only hope was to start a fight and hope Faith saved him. How manly.

"She leaves now." He smashed his best punch, a right hook into the man’s jaw. His opponent grunted. "Oh crap," yep, his full bladder was just about ready to go. He ducked the mammoth’s right hook only to be grabbed by the throat and flung shoulder-first into the wall. "Oww!"

* * *

Faith laughed at the sound of a fight, her entire world the pounding music. Get a few dances, she gyrated wildly to the music, have a few beers, and find a couple of studs to spend the night with. That sounded like a party to her. She looked around idly to see how the fight was going. Maybe she’d screw the winner, kinda to the victor goes the spoils thing.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Xander being picked up by a three hundred and thirty pound steroid freak. He’d come for her. "Fuck!" Faith leapt into the air, curling herself into a ball as she flew over the heads of her cheering audience. Landing in a crouch beside the biker, she grabbed hold of a massive forearm as the thug raised his fist to club a dazed-looking Xander back to the ground. "Don’t think so."

The biker turned to face her, an almost comically bemused expression on his ugly mug. "What the fuck?" The biker growled before throwing a left hook at her.

Faith could have dodged, but chose not to, allowing the punch to bounce harmlessly off her head. "That the best?" she twisted the biker’s wrist and yanked, simultaneously breaking his wrist and popping his shoulder out. Sensing a man charging her from her left, she shot out a foot, her heel smashing into her would-be assailant’s balls and sending him to the ground. "You got?" An elbow to the throat sent Goatee-Guy down to his knees.

After stepping past the gasping hood, she looked at X. "Are you -."

"Hey!" she was shocked when Xander shoved her to one side. Twisting her head, she watched as her friend took a pool cue to the shoulder meant for her.

Fury racing through her veins, she spun with a dancer’s grace and lashed out, a smooth overhand right slamming into Pool Cue’s nose, shattering the bridge, the foundation of viscera that burst out as a result of her attack showering Xander. Faith snatched the pool cue out of the dazed thug’s hand before bringing it up between his legs, scoring with a direct hit to the balls. "Foul shot," she muttered. The man whimpered before falling to the ground. Faith dropped the cue beside him.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a switch-blade wielding thug approaching her. Faith played oblivious until the last second, then stepped into the man, knocking the weapon away with her elbow before spinning to face him and butting him square in his face. The thug fell on his back.

Two thugs charged her, aiming to catch her in a scissors movement. Faith leapt into the air, executing a flawless splits kick that caught both of her assailants in the chest, knocking them across the room. Upon landing, she saw another charging her, bikers, man, she’d forgot how dumb they were. Scooping up a bottle from a near-by table, she flung it into the wanna-be’s forehead, knocking him to the ground. "Enough!" she growled, the emotion of the day and her situation making her voice hoarser than normal. "Just back the fuck off! I wanna leave with my bud," she risked a glance over her shoulder, wincing at her friend’s glazed and battered condition, before shooting a challenging look around the shocked bar. "Nobody try and stop me and we won’t have any more," she lashed out a kick as the guy who’d been beating the crap out of Xander reached his feet, catching him in the mid-section and knocking him back down, "trouble."

* * *

The journey home was completed in silence, Faith too churned up inside to speak, and Xander either too dazed or angry to speak. Once they reached their home, she wordlessly followed Harris inside, wondering when he would tell her to pack her bags and get her leather-clad ass out.

Entering the lounge, she found the others had got home before them, Xander having phoned ahead. "Hey-," her voice trailed off as she registered the stranger sat in their midst. Stranger? It was as if a mist cleared, a wall in her memory removed. "Connor? How the fuck did you get here?"

* * *

"He’s got wicked powers X, senses like a vampire, and strong and fast too, almost as good as a Slayer, he’d be a real asset." Faith paused nervously as she looked at the battered man cleaning blood away from his mouth. "I know he’s Angel’s son, but Angel sent him here, asked for me to protect -."

"He can stay."

Faith stopped, surprised by Xander’s sudden caving in. She’d expected to do a shit-load more grovelling, hell she was surprised he hadn’t kicked her ass out already. "Uh, thanks," it was on the tip of her tongue to ask why, but deciding not to push it, she turned to leave.

"I always hated him." She turned back to Xander, a question in her eyes. "Even before Angelus, although that proved I was right. He got Buffy, he got the power. Then," Xander winced. After shaking his head clear, he continued. "It had to be him who helped you, not me. Because I wasn’t man enough."

Faith’s mouth opened in shock, why did it always come down to this with guys? "No, X-."

The man continued over her, as if she hadn’t spoken. "Then," Xander clenched his fists together as if forcing himself under control. "Then he left and he tore Buff’s heart out, she was never the same afterwards." And yet, Faith thought whimsically, the change wasn’t an improvement, something she’d have thought impossible. "He leeched the hope out of her, made her easy meat for that bastard, Spike. Then Deadboy got Cordy. But," Xander looked down at the sink, Faith followed his gaze, wincing at the blood swirling in it. "You were right, in the end he was trying, he was fighting the good fight. And I was wrong. For that, Connor can stay. Now leave, I need to finish up here and rest."

Faith licked her lips, figuring it was now or never, she spoke. "X, I-."

Xander turned to her. "Not now, Faith."

* * *

"I’m sorry."

Xander looked up in surprise at the whisper. He’d been so engrossed with his paperwork, he’d never heard the curvy Bostonian walk into his office. "Forget about it," he waved a hand. "You were upset. I understand-."

"Not that," Faith shook her head. He was alarmed to see tears once again welling in her eyes. "Wes is gone too, ya know?"

Xander looked at Faith, not understanding where the conversation was going. "I know," he said slowly.

"Me and him were five by," Faith chuckled, the sound not one of amusement. "Well, three by five, maybe. But I never said it, I always figured it wasn’t important, that he knew. But now he’s gone, I’ll never have the chance to tell him, so I’m telling you, ‘case I don’t get the chance later." Faith wheezed, like an asthmatic struggling for air. "I’m sorry for the way I treated ya after ya saved me from that Jhe bitch, I’m sorry for trying to kill ya," suddenly the Slayer was sobbing. "I’m sorry. I’m sorry."

"Hey, hey," in an instant, he was up, arms around the slender young woman. "Sush," he whispered into Faith’s ear. "It’s alright," he whispered. "Past is past."

Xander looked up at the knock on his door. Grateful for an excuse to junk the household accounts, he shoved the paperwork to one side and shouted. "Come in!" He nodded as Faith and Connor walked in. "Hey," he said uncertainly. It was a week since Connor had joined them, but Deadboy’s son still gave him the creeps in a major way. And then there was the issue of Faith’s reaction when they’d found Angel was dead. It had scared the hell out of him, he’d forgiven her, but forgotten was another thing entirely.

"Hey X," Faith smiled nervously at him. Connor, given his weedy build it was hard to believe the kid was strong enough to spar with the Slayers, but he was, kept his customary impassive face. Him, break into a smile? More chance of stone smiling. "Mind if we sit?"

He turned his attention back to the Bostonian. A much more attractive proposition, especially dressed in leather pants and black cotton crop-top as she was right now. He nodded. Once the Slayer and the son of the vampire had sat, he spoke. "Any reason for this visit?"

"Yeah," Faith looked apprehensive, which probably meant he should be terrified. The Slayer opened her mouth to speak, but Connor beat her to it.

"We want to go to LA."

Xander groaned. He guessed it wasn’t to visit Disneyland or Hollywood. "I assume this is to look for De-," he caught himself, "Angel?"

"Connor figures that if Angel is alive," Faith glanced at the human-demon hybrid. "He could smell him out."

Xander sat back in his seat, deep in contemplation. His first impulse was to say no, actually hell no. After all, Faith had had a vision of Angel being incinerated into ash. But if he did so, Faith, he looked up at the expectant Slayer, she might grow resentful of him for refusing her the chance to look for her hero. And Giles did want a report on LA. "Yes," he continued before either of his guests could speak, "but I’m coming with you."

"X," Faith shook her head. "It could be dangerous."

"I’m your Watcher," Xander said firmly. "It’s my duty." If nothing else he could be there for her if worst came to worst. "No arguments."

"Who’ll run this place?" Faith countered.

"Kate, Amy, and Andrew. Five Slayers, one Hellmouth, hardly seems fair. I think they can handle it. Are we agreed?"

"Agreed," Connor put in. Faith glared at the youth for speaking before nodding reluctantly.

"Right," Xander reached for the phone. "I’ll make a few calls, get everything sorted out. Then we’ll tell the others, okay?"

* * *

"I wanna go with you," Dana said sulkily. "Keep you safe."

Faith chuckled as she looked at the scowling supernatural warrior sat on the edge of her bed. "I’ve been managing okay on my own, kid," she replied. "’Sides, Connor and Xan, they won’t let anything happen to me. Pair of Sir. Galahads."

Scorn entered Dana’s eyes. "He can’t fight."

Faith’s eyes narrowed. "How about you try looking through my memories? See the shit X has done?" she challenged. "I trust him, Dana. And I don’t want you disrespecting him, you’re only here because he believed we could help you," only a slight stretching of the truth, "give him a chance, he’s a good man, okay?" Dana nodded grumpily. "Good girl," she ruffled the other Slayer’s silky-black hair. "Now, while I’m gone, I want you to behave for Amy and the others, understand?" Dana nodded again. Faith decided to throw in a carrot. "If you’re a good girl while we’re away, I’ll talk to Xander about letting ya patrol when we get back."

Dana’s eyes filled with excitement. "Really?" she nodded. The other girl lunged at her, enveloping her in a hug. "I promise I’ll be good," the other Slayer half-sobbed.

"I know ya will," Faith resisted her natural instinct to pull away, knowing Dana needed the intimate contact as reassurance that she was cared for. Instead, she gingerly patted the other girl on the shoulder. "I believe in ya," she whispered.

* * *

Xander stared left and right, for several blocks in each direction, all buildings had been destroyed, leaving only debris, the demonic corpses having faded to mush, and the stench of death clogging his lungs. On the way to the battle site, they’d heard rumours of the animals of a private zoo getting loose, a government experiment getting loose, a hazardous waste accident, and even aliens. But strangely no demons.

"Shit."

Faith’s whisper floated eerily across the battleground. He turned to the Slayer, seeing her pale, taut face, he stepped towards you. "Faith, are you-."

The Bostonian turned away from him and towards Connor, raven tresses swinging in the harsh wind. "Ya getting anything, Con?" The demon-hybrid shook his head, his face pale. "Fuck."

"You don’t know -."

The Slayer’s head snapped towards him. It was all he could do to take a step back at the dangerous light in the east coast native’s eyes. "Two fucking weeks, X," Faith snarled. "We haven’t heard shit for two weeks, he’s dead."

"Faith -."

"Freeze!" Xander looked around to see them surrounded by a dozen troops. "You’re in a restricted area, people."

* * *

"I’m sorry."

Faith glanced across the darkened cell, to the one-eyed man sat on the bunk opposite, surprised by the break in the silence. "Not your fault. Even if you weren’t there, I wouldn’t have done anything," Faith shrugged. "Slayer vs. assault rifles, not even I’m that dumb."

"No," Xander shook his head. The one-eyed man paused, clearly hesitant. "I’m sorry about Angel-."

"No you’re not," Faith was unable to prevent her bitterness from entering her voice. "You never liked him."

"True," Xander agreed. "But I’m sorry because he meant a lot to you. And because you’re hurting because of this."

Her Watcher fell into an uneasy silence. Faith stared at him for a long second before opening her mouth. "Xa-."

She was interrupted by the cell door screeching open, and two thick-set African-Americans, she started for a second, for a moment thinking that one of them was Gunn, in military fatigues entered the cell. She was disappointed when she realised she was wrong. "You," the shaven headed of the two pointed his rifle at her Watcher. "Come with us, our commander wants to speak to you."

"Like hell!"

Faith started to rise only to stop at a look from her Watcher. "No, Faith." After a second, Harris stood and smiled sarcastically. "Take me to your leader!"

Faith shook her head as the cell door slammed shut behind the one-eyed man. She glanced at Connor and shrugged. "He’s a fucking idiot," she said by way of explanation. A stupid, noble fool, she silently added as she slumped down on her bunk.

* * *

Xander’s heart started thumping the moment the cell door slammed shut behind him. Swallowing the thick ball of fear that was almost choking him, he turned to his guards. "Gentlemen," he tried for a snooty Giles voice. "I understand I have an appointment. Please, lead -," he stumbled as one of the men shoved him in the back. "Hey! No need to push!" he protested.

"Move it." One of the two growled in a voice pitched somewhere between Shaft and Barry White.

The two soldiers herded him into a sparse office only furnished with a desk and a grey filing cabinet. His eye widened as he recognised the officer sat behind the desk. "Riley!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I might ask you that," the former Initiative soldier commented before shooting his escort a look. "Dismissed, gentlemen." Once the soldiers had saluted and left, Riley turned his attention to him. "Sit down." After a second he obeyed. "I asked you a question?"

Xander shifted uncomfortably under the older man’s inquisitive stare. There was little of the genial soldier he remembered, instead there was a hardened veteran. "Looking for any sign of Angel."

"With the company you’re travelling with?" Riley shook his head. "Not smart. You know how Faith is."

"She’s changed," Xander defended.

"You sure about that?" Riley pressed.

Xander shrugged. "Pretty much."

Riley shook his head. "This is a restricted area, you could get in big -."

"Is there any sign of him?" Xander broke in.

Riley stared at him, irritation at his interruption clear on the Iowan’s face. "No, it seems they were all wiped out. Took most of the Circle with them," Xander nodded. It was as he’d expected. The soldier tapped a pen on the desk. "I want to make you an offer-."

"Sorry Riley," Xander interrupted with a flutter of his eyelashes. "I’m tempted but you’re not my type."

Riley raised an eyebrow. "I’d like you to sign on with our unit-."

"Whoa!" Xander stared at the soldier. "One-eyed guy remember! I doubt I’d pass your medical!"

Riley chuckled and shook his head. "Our unit isn’t exactly regulation, heck we have some people who defy classification. What’s important is your record, and no-one, not even I can match yours. "

Xander looked down, embarrassed by the praise and tempted by the offer. After a second he looked up and shook his head. "I’m flattered, I really am, but I promised Giles I’d run Cleveland for him." He waited for the soldier to explode.

Instead he nodded. "I thought you’d say that, but I had to make the offer. We’ll give you a copter ride out of the area." Riley stood. "Are you sure about Faith?"

"I’m sure." Well, 95-, no 90, well 80% sure.

Riley shrugged. "Your funeral."

Xander shot the soldier a pained look. "Did you have to say that?"

* * *

Faith looked up at the knock on her bedroom door. "Yo?"

"Hi," Xander shoved the door open and walked in. "How are you feeling?"

Faith shrugged, unwilling to let her mask drop. "Kinda empty," she admitted finally. "I mean, he got me, X. Like no one else. I haven’t spoken to him, since I split with Wood, but now he’s gone…"

"You could always talk to me." Faith looked at Xander. "I’m not Angel, but I’ve kinda got a handle on the problems of controlling a temper and lousy families." Faith chuckled. Xander’s eye narrowed. "Sorry, did I say something funny?"

Faith winced inwardly when she realised she’d offended her Watcher. "Laughing at me, X," she shook her head. "Not you." The west coast native stared at her. "Back in Sunnydale, I was so busy hating B for having the perfect mom, the great home, the easy life, and not valuing it, I was blind to the fact that you, C, and Red didn’t have it easy either, that your families’ were the shits too."

Xander smiled tightly. "Seems we have more in common than we thought. If you ever need someone to talk about anything, even about Angel…"

"You’re on speed-dial," she promised before grinning. "Even woman shit?"

She chuckled at X’s suddenly paling face. "Uh, well," her Watcher edged towards the door. "There’s always Amy."

* * *

"X," Faith knocked on the door before stalking into the Cleveland Watcher’s office. "I got something to ask ya."

"Go on," Xander nodded.

"I want Dana to start patrolling."

"Uh, uh," Xander looked non-committal. "You’re sure she’s ready?" Faith nodded. Xander stared up at the ceiling, his brow creased with thought. After about a minute, her Watcher nodded reluctantly and turned his gaze back to her. "Okay, but she patrols with you, me, and at least one other Slayer at all times."

Faith beamed. "Sure X, she won’t let ya down."

* * *

"He said yes! He said yes!" Dana jumped up and down on the spot, her eyes lighting up.

"Calm down, kid." Faith forced back a laugh at her trainee’s excitement. "This is important." The younger Slayer quietened and sat down, her eyes intent on Faith. "I’ll be going with you, and so will X. Now I’ve trusted you-."

"I won’t let you down," Dana interrupted.

Faith nodded. "I know, kid, I know. Remember don’t lose your focus, don’t get over enthusiastic in there, ya dig?" She smiled at Dana’s nod. "Cool, ya ready?"

* * *

"Hey Dana," the Slayer looked up at his greeting. Faith elbowed her in her ribs and nodded towards him.

"Thank you for saying I could patrol Mr. Harris," the girl muttered.

He nodded uncertainly. "Well yeah, Faith believes in you, so I’m sure you’ll do a great job." He looked towards their team’s other member. "You ready, Breena?" The Irish Slayer nodded excitedly. "Okay," he squared his shoulders. "Amy and Connor have taken the others downtown. We’ll head for the stockyards, there’s been reports of vagrants disappearing around the Walmorth Run Industrial Park."

* * *

Faith stared around her shadowy surroundings, noting the decaying and empty buildings. Plenty of room for a group of vampires. She stopped suddenly, skin prickling. Hearing Dana’s growl, she motioned the junior Slayer to silence. Motioning her fellow Slayers to flank X, she stepped into the shadows. "Hey hon," she said casually.

The intruder was a tall, muscular brunette with haunting grey eyes dressed in a black silk blouse and leather pants that had Faith wishing they were hers. The demon smiled, brushing her shoulder-length hair behind her column-like neck. "You’re a Slayer," the vampire smiled, displaying her fangs. "I can smell it on you, I used to be one too." Faith swallowed, heart pounding in sudden fear. A Slayer could be turned? No-one had ever told her that that was possible. "And now I’m going to kill my first."

Faith forced her terror under control. Dying was no big to her, but being turned, killing people she knew, she’d swore she’d never do that again. "Oh yeah?" Faith forced the croak from her voice. "Many have tried," she rolled her neck. "Many have failed. Bring it on."

The vampire darted forward, leading with an overhand right, Faith crouched, snatching at the demon’s outstretched wrist and yanking. She was shocked when the demon yanked back, flinging her towards her. She ducked under the demon’s left hook only to catch a knee to her midsection.

Tens of thousands sit-ups hadn’t prepared her for the pain that shot through her. Groaning, she fell to her knees, but rolled up immediately, ducking under a spin kick at her head. Behind her she could hear the sounds of fighting, but didn’t dare turn to see how her companions were doing.

Straightening, she charged forward, shooting out a combination of blurred rights and lefts. The Slayer-vampire laughed as she effortlessly slapped away Faith’s attacks before smashing a right into her nose, shattering bone.

"Fuck me!" Faith stumbled backwards, blood pouring down her face. Her eyes fixed on her rival, she wiped the viscera away with the left sleeve of her leather jacket. Five hundred bucks down the drain, fucking A. She spat out a mouthful of blood before looking at her attacker. "What’s your handle?"

"I am Yelena!"

"Oh yeah," Faith raised an eyebrow. "Never heard of ya. I’m Faith."

"Ah," maniacal light danced in the bitch’s eyes. "I’ve heard of you. You’re the Mayor’s pet Slayer, the rogue. A disgrace to your Calling."

"Says you," Faith shot back. "You fucked up so bad, you got turned."

Yelena laughed. "Oh, my dear! You’ve no idea what a blast it is."

The demon surged forward, claws outstretched and demonic face showing. Faith ducked beneath the vampire’s attack, twisted her body and drove her elbow into the demon’s face. The vampire just laughed before backhanding her across the face, the force of the blow lifting her off her feet and flinging her into a near-by wall. "Shit," Faith groaned as she slid down to the ground. Fortifying herself with the thought that if she couldn’t kill this bitch, none of her companions could, that it was her responsibility, she placed her palms on the cold ground and pushed herself to her feet, moving into a boxer’s stance. "How old," she spat some blood onto the ground. "Are you? Only, between us girls, your wrinkle cream sucks ass."

The demon laughed before coming in from her right. Faith blocked a kick on her right forearm, wincing as pain jarred through her body. Shoving the pain aside, she twisted to meet her opponent, brought her left leg back, and shot it upwards, driving her knee into her rival’s side.

The bitch’s gasp was accompanied with the gratifying sound of a rib cracking. Taking advantage of the demon’s distress, Faith drove her head into the vampire’s nose, shattering her nose. "How do you like that, bitch?"

"Not much," replied the former Slayer before grabbing her around her collar and flinging her over her shoulder.

Faith grunted when she smashed into the ground, the back of her head and spine jarring with the impact. Cackling insanely, the vampire attempted to stamp on her head, but Faith rolled backwards and to her feet. The demon adjusted and moved into a spin kick. Faith ducked beneath the attack, the blow parting the air above her. Faith retaliated with a hook to the demon’s groin, grinning slightly at the sound of cracking bone, she’d broken the bitch’s pelvis.

The screeching demon fell on its back. Faith immediately straddled her, grabbing her hair and repeatedly slamming the back of her head into the concrete as she pulled out her stake with her other hand. "The Corc Dal will avenge me!"

"Yeah, great," Faith slammed her stake home.

"Lady need a hand up?"

Faith grinned at Xander’s proffered hand. "Ain’t no lady, but seeing as I got the crap kicked out of me, I’ll say yes." She groaned as the Watcher pulled her to her feet. "You guys did okay?"

"Six demons slain."

"Six?" Faith raised an eyebrow. "I’m impressed."

"And you only got one," Xander chided with a grin.

"Yeah, but mine was a Slayer."

Xander’s smile disappeared. "Oh shit."

"Yeah, that’s what I thought."

* * *

"He was caught with almost a million dollars’ worth of meths in his house!" Kate thumped the table separating her from the DA. "How can he walk free?"

"I’m sorry, but his lawyer had the search warrant thrown out," the pale-faced, bespectacled man sat opposite explained.

"Unbelievable!" Kate got up. "Three months of work and what do you do? Screw it up!"

"Detective Lockley!"

"Forget it!" Spinning on her heel, she strode out of the office, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Hello Detective Lockley."

Kate stared at the man who’d stepped out of the shadows before her, a towering, bald man whose custom-made suit failed to either hide his gross obesity or used car salesman’s oiliness. "Do I know you?" she snapped, her temper raw from her case falling apart.

"I’m afraid not," the man’s smile had all the sincerity of a presidential candidate. "I’m Solomon Emory, Marcus Foley’s attorney."

Kate’s eyes hardened at the name of the drugs dealer whose case had just collapsed. "You might want to get away from me," she warned through gritted teeth.

"Ah," Emory’s smile widened. "I was informed you were spirited." The lawyer reached into his inner jacket pocket and passed her a business card. "Please tell Mr. Harris, Wolfram & Hart are in town and waiting for his call."

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