Breaking the Girl

Sunnydale again. She almost would have preferred jail. But the Council had sprung her, and dumped her off here. They needed her to deal with the newest menace. Apparently the watchers had been informed that a new Big Bad had cropped up on the hellmouth and needed someone to stop it. And since Buffy was not answering their calls, it was up to her. Great.

It wasn't until she saw the van drive away that she realized what an obvious set-up this was. What better way to get a new slayer than a convenient assassination?

***

It didn't take long for Faith to realize she really had been screwed. Apparently, the Council thought it best not to mention that the "dangerous menace" that was terrorizing Sunnydale was none other than her former co-Slayer.

It seemed almost comical when Faith found herself slammed against the wall of a crypt, cracking her head, and then thrown down on the ground. She groggily looked up to see a tiny blonde with a pissy expression, not unlike her usual look, hands on hips. "Decided to come crash the party?" she asked sweetly.

Rubbing her back, Faith tried to sit up. "Damn. Look, B -"

"Save it. I don't care who sent you, or how you got out. Just stay out of my way unless you want to get gutted again, okay?"

Faith winced. "I can't do that. They're paying me."

Buffy burst into laughter. "Oh, oh, they're paying you." She wiped away the hysterical tears as Faith looked away humiliated. "Really, Faith, for someone so cynical, I never thought you'd fall for something so pathetic. Unless you're talking about that law firm that you worked for last time, but I don't think that's who you mean." Buffy looked down into Faith's face. "I think you're talking about the Council."

"Yeah, so what?" Faith asked, scrambling to her feet, regaining her bearings. "They need me now, seeing as how I'm the only Slayer left. I'm the real Slayer, after all."

Buffy's smile didn't fade a bit. "Is that what you think?" she asked, circling Faith slowly, getting in her face again. "You wanna know what I think?"

"Not really," Faith replied, copying Buffy's falsely pleasant and bland expression.

"You were desperate to get out of jail, and too dumb to recognize you were being set up, and now you're too scared to fight me because you don't wanna die."

"Who says I'm scared?" Faith said, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice. Who was she kidding? Of course she was terrified. She'd never beaten Buffy in her life, even when B wasn't trying to kill her. Besides, Buffy was the braver one. Always had been.

"Well, let's see," Buffy said, sending a jab into Faith's abdomen. Faith didn't fall, although the wind was knocked out of her. Before she could recover, Buffy sent a knee into her gut, which managed to topple her over. Faith was weak and out of practice. She hadn't fought in prison except to defend herself, and was therefore used to holding back. Now she was getting the crap beat out of her by someone stronger.

"You're worthless and pathetic. You've never been anything. You'll never be anything." Faith tried finding her footing, but was kicked aside once again by Buffy who was even more super-powered as a vamp. "You tried to take everything from me." Buffy couldn't keep the venom out of her voice. She shouldn't still care about all that stuff, but she found that half the fun of chewing out Faith was the guilty look that she got, like she deserved all of it. Must have learned that from Angel.

Buffy crouched down, and chocked Faith with one hand. Faith grabbed it and tried to pry it away from her throat, but she wasn't strong enough. "You always wanted to be just like me, Faith," Buffy said, her eyes gleaming yellow. "Here's your big chance." She plunged her fangs into Faith's neck. Faith continued to struggle in vain against Buffy's hold on her.

Buffy watched the pained, yet euphoric looked that raged in the Slayer's eyes. She had felt that once before, when Angel had taken her. She had to force him to drink from her, and when he sank his fangs into her flesh, she felt the pain, sickness, grief, satisfaction, frustration, and lust that he poured into her. It was everything she had ever felt when she was with him, but could never express. She wondered if it was the same for Faith now.

Buffy dropped her body to the ground. She collapsed onto her knees and took Faith in her arms.

Buffy drew one of her fangs across the skin of her arm. As the dark blood welled up, she held it to Faith's lips. The dying girl gulped the liquid down quickly. Just as she was beginning to truly enjoy the sweetening taste of the blood flowing down her throat, Buffy pulled her arm away. Faith lost consciousness for the last time, as Buffy let her body fall once again to the ground.

Buffy stared at the dead girl for a little longer. Should she just leave her? Let her wake up in the morgue? That would be cruel and harsh and exactly what she deserved. But no, the Watchers weren't that stupid. The Slayer would be decapitated as soon as her body was found. That would be such a waste. So she scooped Faith up in her arms and headed back to the motel room that Spike had found on the other side of town.