CHAPTER 40

“Just a Slayer,” Faith echoed disbelievingly. “This time, you’re the one who ain’t paying attention. B’s more than just a Slayer. She’s the oldest one ever. As far as I’m concerned, that makes her the best – even before you look at how she fights.” She stopped there, hesitating to share more.

An exasperated sigh sounded in her ear. “Talk to me, Faith. I really want to know. You obviously think Buffy is better than you. I want to know why. Why hasn’t your Slayer gone after her? Why are you so content to let her lead?”

“What do you want to know first?” Faith kept her eyes closed. She didn’t want to look at Kirstan; she didn’t want to see the disgust and disdain as she told her story.

“Take them one at a time, Faith.” The arms holding her tightened. “Why is Buffy better than you? Why are you the second best Slayer in your head?”

Faith huddled against Kirstan. Ignoring the first question, she chose what she considered the more important issue. She had to get Kirstan to understand the truth about her. Voice rough yet firm, Faith outlined her time in Sunnydale.

“I left Boston right after the thing with Kakistos. Headed for Sunnydale and the Great Buffy Summers. I thought…I don’t know. I thought she could help me. It didn’t work out that way.” Faith felt the old bitterness and alienation knot her stomach. Skimming over the details, she ground out, “I wasn’t good enough for them, and they let me know it every day.” The words poured from her lips, harsh and angry. “The only thing I was good enough for was backing up Buffy. The Golden Girl.”

Kirstan didn’t say anything.

Wishing she could stop, Faith went on. “Buffy had everything. Everything,” she repeated explosively. Everything she didn’t have. “Willow and Xander, Giles, a mother.” Faith bit her lip, tasting blood. Joyce… “You know what I had?” she asked raggedly.

“What, little girl? What did you have?” Kirstan’s words were soft and encouraging.

“Some crappy room at the local flea bag motel. That’s it.” A sob broke free, tearing at her throat. “I got to ‘borrow’ Giles for a while, and Mrs. Summers invited me over for dinner once.”

Fingers combed through her hair. “It sounds like they tried to let you in.”

“No, they fucking didn’t!” Jerking against Kirstan’s hold, Faith tried to get up. She couldn’t. Kirstan was too strong…or maybe she really wanted to finally say this. “I was a fucking tool.” Faith was shaking, sobs building up inside. “I was a way to keep Buffy alive. That’s all. I got invited over for dinner at the Homestead. Mrs. S and B…all smiles and full plates. And every time Joyce looked at me, I could see it in her eyes. I was there to replace Buffy. I was there so Buffy could get out of the business. I was there to save them both from Buffy’s Calling.” By the end, she was shouting, the words echoing in the large space.

“So you didn’t have any support. Buffy and her friends treated you like something less than human,” Kirstan summed up.

“Yeah,” Faith said bitterly. “Pure Southie white trash.”

“You hated them,” Kirstan commented accurately. “Buffy most of all. That makes sense. You were the Slayer, though. The Line ran through you. Buffy was done; her time was over. Why did you play second fiddle? My Slayer would have wanted to take over, prove our dominance. You? You sat back and you took it. You never tried to knock Buffy off that pedestal.”

Dropping her head to Kirstan’s shoulder, Faith mumbled, “I did go after her.” The fight on the roof was still so clear. The hate in Buffy’s eyes as they traded blows and insults. Her own fear…The sudden realization that she wanted Buffy to kill her.

“And?” Kirstan wasn’t going to let it go.

“And I lost. Big.” Faith tensed against the phantom knife slicing through her abdomen. Sweat beaded her hairline, and she trembled against Kirstan. “I almost made Buffy a killer like me.”

Kirstan stroked warm hands up and down her back. “Take your time, little girl, and tell me the whole story.”

Laughing reluctantly, Faith told Kirstan, “That would take a while. I’ll give you the Readers Digest version.” Nervously opening and closing her hands, she started, “I got tired of playing by the rules.” That wasn’t right. “I got tired of Buffy always playing by the rules,” Faith corrected. “She needed to cross the line, play on the wild side. So I took her out, and I showed her how to live my kind of life.”

A ghostly echo of shattering glass filled her mind, and shadows of her and Buffy slipped into the sporting goods store.

“We were riding the rush,” Faith forced herself to go on. The images continued to roll in her mind – Buffy laughing at something she’d said then turning serious as the vampires appeared in front of them. A trickle of the excitement from that long ago fight sped up her heart beat. “Two Slayers, on top of the world…and then I fucked up. I staked a vamp that wasn’t a vamp. He was human. Deputy Mayor Allen Finch.” Nausea surged and the copper smell of blood invaded her senses. She could feel that blood pouring over her hands.

When she fell silent, Kirstan rocked them for a few minutes. “You do know you aren’t the only Slayer to make that mistake?”

Mistake. That was the heart of the problem. “Now, sure. At the time, all I knew was that the Council wanted to ‘rehabilitate’ me and my new Watcher thought I was out of control and a murderer.” Wesley’s disapproving face replaced the sight of the darkened alley in her mind.

“So you hit first and asked questions later?” Kirstan didn’t sound shocked.

“Yeah.” Faith’s lips twisted in a bitter smile. “I didn’t care. That’s what I kept telling everybody – including myself. I was a Slayer. One human was jack against all the vamps and demons I killed.”

Silence descended in the Training Barn as they both absorbed that sentiment.

“Finch was one.” Kirstan’s voice broke the stillness. “You said two earlier. Who was the second, and why?”

Faith stiffened. No. No way was she talking about the professor.

“Tell me, Faith,” Kirstan ordered. “You’ve been running from this for years. I don’t know the story; we don’t have any history. Tell me what happened.”

The tears started up again, burning a path down Faith’s cheeks. “After…after I got away from the Council guys, I tried to run. Leave Sunnydale and Slaying. B found me. She talked me into staying, but…” The memory was so real in her mind that Faith could smell the salt in the air and hear the slap of the waves against the dock. Regret filled her. “I wasn’t coming back to be her backup. I wanted to hurt her, hurt all of them. And I was so fucking tired of being second best. I cut a deal with the newest power broker – the Mayor – and went undercover as a Recovering Slayer.”

She felt Kirstan’s chest expand on a deep breath. “Why did he need a Slayer? How did he even know what one was?”

Right for the jugular. Wincing, Faith tried to burrow into Kirstan. “The Mayor wanted to be a demon.” It sounded far less terrible than it had actually been. “I wasn’t even good at the spy business, though. The Gang found out what I was doing eventually. Figured out what the Boss was up to.” Her muscles cramped from the tension and her words picked up speed. She couldn’t keep telling this. She had to just get to the point. Skipping the play by play, Faith confessed, “There was this old guy at the college. He knew something, or the Boss thought he did.”

“You killed him to keep him quiet.” Kirstan’s hands continued to stroke over Faith’s back. “How did you feel? After you killed him?”

Stomach churning, Faith swallowed back the rush of bile. “Amazing. Powerful.” The truth filled her with soul-destroying shame now.

“And your Slayer?” The soft voice poked and prodded at the memories as Kirstan forced Faith to confront the past.

“Went crazy.” Not even Angel knew this part. He’d never asked about how she’d felt after the murder. “Every second, all I heard was howling in my head.” Little by little, that primal voice had pushed her to the edge. “By the time me and B squared off, I wanted her to kill me.”

Lips pressed against the top of her bent head. “She didn’t.”

They’d come full circle. Faith slowly pulled away from Kirstan. “No. She came fucking close, though. Stuck a knife in my gut.” This time, there was no imaginary blade cutting into her. “I wouldn’t let her do it. I jumped off the roof.”

***

“Of course,” Buffy said immediately. “Why didn’t we think of that? An opening to Hell right under our alma mater.”

Giles simply looked at her, blue eyes red rimmed and steady.

Flushing, Buffy dropped her eyes. “Sorry, Giles,” she mumbled. “Why do you think it’s the school?”

“Beside the fact I remember those shelves and the boxes of student records from my time there, we have all forgotten that there is in fact a gateway to Hell beneath the school.” Giles’ voice was wry. “All of our books and treatises…we have made the search far more complex than needed.”

Buffy rubbed the back of her neck. “We know where. We know how – Spike’s blood. Any takers on when?” She felt the first glimmer of excitement under the strain. They were finally getting answers. Soon, the sitting would be over and the doing would start.

“Soon.” Drew grinned her almost-Willow grin. “The First needs the Turok Han. They’re his shock troops. Since he doesn’t have form, he isn’t much of a threat beyond head games.”

A theatrical sigh sounded from Drew’s left. “Idiots. You’re all idiots,” Anya announced.

Buffy saw Drew blush brightly at the criticism.

“How many Potentials are there, Giles? A hundred? Two? More?” Anya demanded, not actually giving him a chance to answer. “How many are here?”

Buffy didn’t know the answer to any of those questions. When she glanced at Giles, she didn’t want to know the answers.

“Perhaps a dozen,” Giles finally answered. He moved away long enough to appropriate a nearby chair. Dragging it back to their location, he sat down. “There should easily have been a hundred times that, along with their Watchers.”

***

“Where…where are the rest?” Willow rapidly did the math. Twelve Potentials out of over a thousand.

Giles’ smile wasn’t reassuring. “I believe Anya was attempting to say the First is already a threat, even without the Turok Han.”

“Maybe they’re just having trouble getting here,” Willow tried desperately. They couldn’t have lost so many. They’d been trying to protect the Potentials; if Giles was right, they’d failed.

Buffy gripped her hand. “No, Will. There aren’t any more. Just the ones already here.” Lifting their joined hands, she brushed her lips across Willow’s knuckles. “You know it. We all know it, no matter how much we want to pretend.”

“Then we have to stop the First before he opens the Seal,” Drew said. “How do we do that?” Willow heard the undercurrent of panic in her voice. Her sister wasn’t dealing well with the new information. “We don’t even know when the ritual will be.”

“We don’t have to know.” Avoiding Buffy’s eyes, Willow went on, “The First is using Spike to help open the Seal.” Help wasn’t the right word, but Willow didn’t expand on that. “All we have to do is find Spike.”

CHAPTER 41

“Why would we want to find Spike?” Willow winced at the tight sound in Buffy’s voice. She could feel all of Buffy’s questions and suspicions pressing at her through their link. Buffy was definitely not happy with her idea.

Ignoring all of that, Willow went on. “If the First needs Spike to open the Seal, we have two options.” She took a deep breath, glancing quickly at Buffy. Willow almost whimpered. This was going to be so bad. “One: we find Spike and follow him. He leads us to the First, and we stop the Ritual. No Turok Han.”

Buffy didn’t relax. She must have felt Willow’s tension. “That sounds fine.” She sat back on her heels and stroked Willow’s hand. “I’m sure I…we can find Spike.” Smiling slightly, Buffy went on, “Maybe we can talk to him. Explain what we need. That way, we don’t have to sneak around or anything.”

“Maybe.” Scanning the other members of their small group, Willow looked for help. There was none.

Drew didn’t have a clue. She looked just as eager to try Option One as Buffy.

Willow tried Giles next. He managed to meet her eyes. However, Willow didn’t think he would risk another argument with Buffy. Not over Spike.

Before Willow could scare herself with thoughts of considering Anya as a way out, Buffy probed further. “You don’t think it will work, do you?” she demanded. “Why? What aren’t you telling me, Will?”

Bracing for the explosion, Willow murmured, “It’s a good plan, Buffy. It has problems, though.” She saw Buffy open her mouth and rushed on. “Spike wasn’t a willing part of the ritual, Buffy. He was hurt and bleeding. I don’t think he’d be able to pass on any information. We aren’t trying to get Spike to go undercover. We just need to stop the Seal from opening.”

“What are you saying, Willow?” Buffy demanded. “You still aren’t telling me everything.”

When Buffy’s mental touch on the link grew more insistent, Willow caved. “If all Spike had to do was sneak in and relay information, we ask him for his help. Have him call us with whatever he found out. That’s not what’s happening. Spike can’t help us.”

Drew leaned in, and Willow held her breath, praying she wouldn’t add fuel to the near-argument. “Then what’s the other option?”

Glaring at Drew, Willow tried to avoid the question. “Look, let’s not blow this out of proportion until we know more. Like…like why the First is using Spike and not some other vampire.”

It wasn’t enough.

“What’s the second option?” Buffy asked. The soothing feeling of her hands was gone. Her fingers dug into Willow’s painfully.

There was no good way to say this.

“We find Spike, and we kill him.” The words were soft, yet they didn’t lose any of their blunt impact despite the lack of volume.

***

Buffy was on her feet instantly. “No way. Why would we kill Spike?” She stared at Willow, trying to read the muddied emotions through their bond. She couldn’t. There was too much swirling there. All she got was…a sharp stab of regret and a chill of fear – all of it Willow’s. What was Willow afraid of? Spike? Or… Me?

“Buffy, you’re missing the point.” Giles’s quiet voice did nothing to calm Buffy. Quite the opposite, in fact.

She turned on him. “I wasn’t talking to you,” Buffy growled. Hands balled into fists, she dared him to continue.

He accepted the silent challenge. Face flushed, Giles stood and took a small step in her direction. “Perhaps not. However, the fact remains that you are once again acting out of simple emotion rather than considering the situation logically.”

Buffy flinched from his look of disappointment. She’d seen it so many times. And…as much as she hated to admit it, Giles was generally right about her rushing off without thinking things through. Maybe he was right this time, too. Maybe they didn’t have to kill Spike. Slowly, she sank back to the floor.

“Willow only postulated we might need to kill Spike.” Giles rubbed the bridge of his nose before continuing. “If we look at what we know of the ritual, I would say there is no way we can even begin to determine our course of action. Not until we have researched further.”

It was his standard answer. Buffy clenched her hands on her knees to avoid making another scene. She needed more. She needed someone to tell her there would be no Spike dust on her hands. “What do you suggest?” she asked almost sullenly.

She had to get out of here, talk to Willow without an audience. Buffy hated not being skilled enough to decipher what she was reading through the bond.

“We need to know more about the ritual itself. Obviously, the First is using Spike’s blood to unlock the Gate. Why Spike? Is he significant?” Giles looked at her and smiled encouragingly. “If not, if it is not Spike’s blood specifically, eliminating him will serve no purpose. The First could simply choose another vehicle.”

Shooting Willow a look, Buffy wanted to shout, See? We don’t need to kill another one of my ex-lovers. She didn’t. Willow was hunched next to Drew, the picture of misery. Buffy turned around, sitting with her back pressed to Willow’s legs and looked up at Giles. “More research. Got it.”

No one jumped in with more.

Buffy nearly growled. Come on, people. Why am I always the one making decisions? Everyone is good at suggesting…No one ever decides, though. Except me. “Anya, can you and Willow work on this part? Finding out whether Spike is some kind of key or if any vampire will do? The rest of us will try digging up more on the reference Drew found to the Scythe.”

A light, questioning touch brushed her mind, and Buffy pressed back into Willow’s legs.

We’re OK, Will. I just…I think it’s better I’m not mixed up in the Spike part of this. Rubbing her cheek against Willow’s knee, she let the touch work through her. I don’t want this to be a problem for us, you know? she pleaded silently.

Aloud, Buffy told her troops, “Let’s get to work, folks. No attacks since this morning plus funky visions makes for a nervous Buffy. Something’s going to come after us soon. We need to be ready.”

***

“Would you do it again?” Kirstan asked. She pulled away, sitting Faith on the floor in front of her and leaning her elbows on her knees.

Faith rubbed at her eyes. They burned, and tears still spilled over occasionally. “Do what? Jump off a building?”

The lame joke fell flat. Kirstan’s lips pressed together, and she glared back.

“Depends on what you’re asking, Old Timer,” Faith mumbled.

“I want to know, Faith, are you the same person you were back then? Do you still hate Buffy? Want to hurt her? Kill her?” Kirstan fired off.

Shrugging, Faith started to answer.

Before she could, a new voice joined the conversation. “She’s not the same person,” Dawn announced firmly.

Faith’s head snapped around. How had Dawn gotten in without her knowing?

“Is this a private discussion? I hope not. I hate getting left out of the good stuff.” There was a definite edge to Dawn’s comment.

Smirking, Faith glanced up and saw the hint of a scowl on Dawn’s face.

The look stayed in places as Dawn dropped onto the floor. She wrapped an arm around Faith and pulled her in closer.

“D-“ Faith wiggled and tried to sit up. The arm around her tightened in a definite no.

Dawn kissed her cheek. “Answer Kirstan’s question, Faith. She’s still waiting...”

So am I, Faith knew she meant.

“… and I’d like to get breakfast before we all get grey.” Her fingers dug lightly into Faith’s side in encouragement.

Relaxing slowly, Faith closed her eyes again and considered her response. What she found inside surprised her. “B’s safe.” She grinned. “From me anyway. I wouldn’t be so sure about Red if B steps outta line.”

“Satisfied?” Dawn asked, and Faith wasn’t sure to whom the question was directed.

“Not really.” Kirstan picked up the conversational ball. “Why the change? You’ve been out of prison…a week? You’ve seen Buffy face to face maybe twice, and one of those times you got your ass handed to you by her Slayer. We’re about to face the First Evil. I don’t want to lose because you and Buffy can’t get over the past.”

Faith felt Dawn stiffen against her. She ran a hand along one of Dawn’s thighs. “Easy, D. I’ve got this one.” She waited until she was sure Dawn wasn’t going to explode before answering Kirstan. “It ain’t like it was, Old Timer.”

Opening her eyes, she met Kirstan’s intense green ones. “How?” Kirstan bluntly inquired.

“B’s getting out of the business.” Dawn’s lips brushed Faith’s hair, and she smiled. Nice. Letting the desire slowly uncurl inside, Faith kept talking. “I don’t think she’s going to follow in your footsteps, though. I think she’s out for good. That means I got maybe a week to pick up everything I can from her. You haven’t seen the whole Buffy Experience. Just wait. When the First comes calling, you’ll all be hopping when B says, ‘Jump.’”

“I’ve seen you operate. It’ll take more than a week to get you ready.” Kirstan stood up, brushing off the seat of her pants.

Faith followed her upright. Hands opening and closing nervously, she waited until the older woman looked her way. “Think you could fill in the gaps?” Feeling like a little kid begging for someone to just “watch me do this,” Faith waited for Kirstan’s reply.

A large, strong hand extended between them.

Slowly, Faith reached out. Her damp palm slid across Kirstan’s much drier one, and she gripped the fingers firmly.

The grip shifted. Faith stumbled forward in surprise when Kirstan pulled her into a tight embrace. “Wake up and smell the sweat, little girl. I’ve already started filling in the gaps. I don’t just chase everyone around the Training Barn. Only the special people.”

Blinking against the sudden moisture in her eyes, Faith allowed herself the luxury of returning the hug for a second. Then she stepped back, shoving her hands deep in her pockets. “Careful there, Old Timer. Kinda sounding like a bad Prince flashback. Gonna be talking about fucked up dreams or some shit real soon.”

Kirstan’s snort merged with Dawn’s giggles.

Grinning, Faith reached down to help her laughing girlfriend off the floor. “Huh, missed that sound while I was in the joint, D.”

“You didn’t miss too much of it.” Dawn started for the door, linking their fingers. “My sister has mutated into some kind of Joy Sucking Demon. I’m hoping Willow can loosen her up a little bit.”

“Think that’s a given.” Faith bumped her shoulder. “You do remember them all cuddly and shit in that guest house. Thought I was gonna blush from the vibes they were putting off.”

Kirstan shook her head. “Slow and clueless.” She smirked when Faith looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “You and Dawn have the same vibe, little girl. Everyone’s going to be snickering until all of you learn to lock down the bonds a little.”

“Let ‘em laugh. They might even learn something along the way.” Faith winked at Kirstan then stopped abruptly in the path.

“What the hell is that?” Kirstan froze, too, and Faith felt her reaching out with her Slayer senses.

She let go of Dawn and moved next to Kirstan. “Relax, Old Timer. The cavalry just rode in. That’s Fang and his crew. Looks like you’re about to meet your first good vampire.”

Dawn grumbled as they resumed the trek to the house. “Damn it. Angel has lousy timing. I was looking forward to breakfast.”

CHAPTER 42

“You sure got that Slayer stomach from B,” Faith teased. She took Dawn’s hand and pulled her off the path leading to the kitchen. “Come on, Old Timer. We need to greet the new arrivals before one of the Potentials or your girl tries to stake the Big Guy.”

She grinned when Kirstan shot her a dark look. “The only good vampire is a dusted one.”

“Told B that the first time I met her.” Her senses sang again as Faith continued through the grass. “Don’t think you want to make the same mistake. She may not be all moony over him like before, but Fang’s got a big place in her heart. You push too hard, you may get another lesson in why B’s the number one Slayer.”

Dawn’s breath tickled Faith’s neck as she joined the conversation. “You don’t think there’ll be a problem? With the new Willow thing?”

Faith stopped abruptly. “Fuck. I didn’t think of that.” She flicked a glance at Kirstan. “Why don’t you go inside and make sure nobody has a twitchy trigger finger? Me and D’ll make sure the AI guys know the score.”

Kirstan nodded slowly. “Should I…plan for anything else?”

“Like Red turning Angel into the only vamp frog?” Faith shook her head. “Nah. I’m pretty sure he’ll be cool.” A sudden knot in her stomach indicated the lie in that statement. Angel had been struggling recently. She remembered the nightmarish trip through his memories just a few days ago. Would Buffy and Willow – together – drive him back to that edge?

“Right.” The mocking edge to Kirstan’s voice indicated she wasn’t convinced of Faith’s belief. “I’ll get Jenny,” she met Faith’s eyes, “and we’ll be back in a few minutes. Talk fast, little girl. We don’t need another major power expenditure right now. Melted rocks and landscape aside, Willow’s powers should be focused on the First – not Buffy’s ex-boyfriend.”

Nodding tightly, Faith acknowledged the warning. “Let’s pick up the pace, D. Cordy’s gonna be whining about the drive and the new apocalypse. We have to get her to shut up long enough to deliver the news.”

She maintained her grip on Dawn’s hand as they sprinted the length of the large house and into the circular driveway. Three black panel vans lined the gravel.

“Did they bring an army?” Dawn whispered. “I thought it was just Cordy, Wes, and Angel.”

Before Faith could answer, the passenger door to the nearest van popped open. “I’m not hauling all the supplies in myself, ladies. Grab a box or a crate. Just because I’m Angel’s glorified secretary doesn’t make me part of the moving crew.” Cordelia slid out of the van and stretched. “And, just so we’re clear, the next big emergency better be in LA. I swore I’d never come back to Sunnydale and this is way too close.”

Faith laughed. “I was just telling D you’d be all happy and shit from the trip.” Then she sobered, peering at the other vans. “Where’s Fang? I got some news he needs to hear before the rest of the family shows up.” Probably with stakes and spell books in hand.

She got a long look in response. “He’s up front in the lead van. You know men. They have to feel like they’re in charge.” Cordelia spun on one sandaled heel and marched toward the first parked van.

“You want me to do this?” Dawn asked softly as they followed. “I mean, the last time Angel saw me, I was just a kid.”

Faith had to bite her lip to keep from snorting at that. Dawn was still a kid.

“I’m sure he won’t go all Evil Vampire on the cute little sister of his ex-girlfriend.” Dawn’s hand tightened around Faith’s. “Right?”

Sighing, Faith shrugged. “I don’t know, D. None of us put this in the equation when we called for help. Let me handle it, though,” she warned, glaring up into Dawn’s eyes. “Me and Fang – we got a connection.”

Dawn’s blue eyes narrowed.

“Fuck. Not like that, D. Me and Fang speak the same language, that’s all.” She brushed her lips over Dawn’s almost pouting ones.

“Faith,” Angel’s quiet voice interrupted their kiss. “Is this the news you needed to share?”

Looking quickly up, Faith caught a hint of a smile on Angel’s pale lips. He sat crouched in the back of his van, well away from the last few rays of evening sunlight. Faith wrapped her arm around Dawn and shook her head. “Wish it was, Big Guy. Me and Dawn are way down on the list.”

“Buffy?” Angel probed, eyes suddenly intent. “I thought Willow wasn’t telling us everything when she called.”

Mentally cursing his intuition, Faith rocked on her heels and tried to come up with a good way to break the news.

She forgot about Dawn.

“Buffy’s fine, Angel. Really.” Slipping out of Faith’s grasp, Dawn leaned against the heavy vehicle.

Faith grabbed at her. “D, what the fuck are you doing?” She tried not to sound panicked and kept a close eye on Angel and his forehead.

“I’m helping, Faith.” Dawn didn’t sound at all concerned.

Eyes intent and bouncing between them, Angel pressed for more. “Guys, will one of you just tell me what’s going on?”

“Sure, Angel.” Faith’s use of his name alerted Angel to the seriousness of the conversation, and Faith flinched when he looked at her. “You..ahh…you just need to know there’s been some changes in the Scooby groupings.” Faith meant to just cut to the chase. The longer Angel looked at her, however, the harder it got to simply blurt it out.

Dimly, the sound of car doors opening and closing and footsteps moving in their direction filtered into her consciousness.

Faith ignored them and focused on telling Angel what he needed to know. “B’s got a new love interest.”

“Who?” Angel demanded brusquely. “Not that Riley character again.”

“No,” Faith rushed to explain. “Even B ain’t that stupid.”

***

Giles was the first to move. “Shall we carry the books to one of the tables, Buffy, or would you prefer to work here?”

“I’d prefer to leave you and the books here and go find Faith,” Buffy muttered, climbing to her feet. She unbent enough to smile at his raised eyebrow. “Yeah, yeah. Like that’s going to happen.” Peering at the stacks of books made the decision easy. “We stay. Will and Anya go.”

She held out her hand to help Willow off the couch.

Willow allowed the light tug and then retained a tight grip on her fingers once she was erect. “I’m going to recruit Mama and Tara for this. I know Faith has them working on the perimeter, but the perimeter is pointless if the First opens the Seal.”

“Sounds good, Will.” Buffy brushed her lips over Willow’s cheek. Just that slight contact sent a warm current through the bond. They were going to be fine. Busy, scared, tired…and fine. “Let’s pull in all the new kids, too. Kennedy can play messenger between the research groups. I don’t want to find the same information more than once. Spread the rest of the Potentials and their Watchers out. Spike, the Scythe, anything on the First. All outside work and training is done until we have a game plan.”

“Got it, sweetie.” Willow gave a bright smile and hurried out of the room.

Buffy watched her go, only their link helping with the sudden feeling of loss. She pushed that back. It was time to get to work. “Where do we start, Drew?” Turning to the carbon copy of her wife, she got down to business.

“Here.” Waving a hand at the books strewn on the couch and the floor, Drew met Buffy’s eyes. “I can’t remember which one.”

That wasn’t good. There were a lot of books, and they were running out of time. Grinding her teeth, Buffy held back a grumpy comment. Drew’s eyes were heavily shadowed and dark bruises marred the skin under them. “It wouldn’t be crunch time without a lot of bookwork. I’ll take…” she grabbed the first book on the nearest pile and read the title, “Ancient Rituals of the Demon World.” She dropped back to the floor.

Fanning the pages and examining the information with an experienced eye, Buffy quickly decided the book was useless. She set it aside and noted Giles was already working on his second tome. Drew was much slower. Buffy remembered those days – and the intent, worried look on the familiar face.

“You doing OK, Drew?” she inquired. Not wanting to spook Willow’s sister, Buffy kept her eyes on the new book in her hands. More pages flipped by. More useless information was revealed.

“I’m good.” Drew’s words weren’t reassuring. “I just…you know…Kinda freaky about the First and all the bad guys, and I…uh…well…”

God, the babble was genetic. Biting her lip and trying hard not to laugh, Buffy commented, “If you weren’t…OK, I mean, we’d understand.”

She saw Drew straighten from her slouch on the sofa. “We don’t have time for me to be anything except fine, Buffy.” Her voice, so eerily similar to Willow’s, grew shrill. “There are things attacking the house and some vampire who you seem to know and care about is ready to open a gate into Hell.”

Reaching out, Buffy put her hand on Drew’s knee. She could feel the other girl trembling. “Drew, there are always things attacking. This house or someone else’s; it doesn’t matter. They are still there.” She met the wide and wild green eyes above her. Those eyes…she remembered them. They’d often peered at her from across the research table in the old Sunnydale High School. They were Willow’s eyes. “It’s what we do. You’re a Potential Slayer and a witch. This is your destiny, too. Watch and learn.” Buffy hated having to be so cruel. Hated to do to Drew what Giles and the Council had done to her. They’d have to make the time for a gentler approach. Voice softer, she continued, “And when things get too much, you find one of the Scoobies and you vent.”

Tears glimmered on Drew’s face. “OK.”

Still watching Drew, Buffy slowly exchanged books again.

A cold, cramping chill twisted her stomach.

Drew’s head came up, and Buffy saw the awareness in her eyes as well.

“Giles, find Kirstan and Jenny. Angel’s here.” Buffy tossed the book aside and stood in one fluid move. “Hurry. I don’t want him to get dusted when one of the new kids tries to get her first kill.” She started for the door and saw Kirstan enter the room. “Never mind, Giles. Looks like Kirstan’s on top of this.”

Kirstan heard her. “Actually, Faith has us all beat. She’s outside with Angel now.” Buffy didn’t like the intent look she received from the older Slayer. “She seems to think there might be trouble.”

“Then let’s get out there and keep it from happening.” Buffy didn’t bother looking for a weapon. She charged past Kirstan and out the door. When she exploded from the house, the large porch was already filled with people. Shoving her way through the gaping crowd, Buffy ended her journey next to Willow.

She peered over Willow’s shoulder, automatically taking her hand. Thanks to her enhanced hearing, she picked up the soft conversation between Faith and Angel. What the hell was Faith doing, talking about the new Scooby pairs? Buffy took a step forward as Riley’s name popped up in the exchange.

“No,” Buffy heard Faith exclaim in response to Angel’s question. “Even B ain’t that stupid.”

Still striding toward the van, Willow trailing behind, Buffy snapped, “Gee, Faith. Thanks for that.”

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