Begin at the Beginning

Disclaimer: See Part 1
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Giles blinked at the reprimand, unused to having someone tell him he was wrong. The Council had all but abandoned him in the godforsaken town the slayer 'should' have come too.

To that very day he wondered why she hadn't.

"Quite right" he said finally after the silence stretched on for several moments.

"What do I need to kill? Point me in the right direction" Buffy asked proping herself against the table.

"Do not lean on the table. A Master vampire rose about 3 years ago. Since his rise, he has turned this town into a breeding ground for the undead"

"Ok so. Old vamp rises, makes hell. Where is he? I'll kill him and it's all done" Buffy shrugged staring Giles in the eye. She was tired and hungry, and she wanted to get back to the kid. She just didn't 'like' this town at all.

"It is not that simple. He has a veritable 'army' of powerful vampires serving under him. Some of them so viscious they kill their own kind for 'looking' at them funny" Giles stuttered "You should properly research what it is you're up against before just jumping into the fray"

"Ok Jeeves" Buffy sighed.

"Giles" Giles corrected.

"Whatever. This is a have stake will travel kinda deal. I come, I kill, I leave. Watcher's research, slayers kill. That simple. Where is he, how many vampires should I expect, and do you have bottled hellfire?"

"The Bronze, a club near Downtown Sunydale, anywhere from 30 to 100, and yes but I doubt you'd have the chance to use it against those odds" Giles answered in order.

"Oh" Buffy slumped into a chair.

"Are you ready to listen now?" Giles huffed slamming the books down.

"Yeah" Buffy muttered.
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Faith leaned back on the headboard, cradling her grumbling stomach, as she watched the television snow in and out of 'My Three Sons'.

She wondered when Buffy was going to return. And why she'd taken sharpened sticks with her. Carrying knives was one thing. Hell Faith liked sharp stuff herself. But pieces of wood? What did the girl think she'd encounter? Vampires? Legions of Undead?

Yeah right.

Rolling over onto her belly, Faith buried her face in the soft pillows. It was a cheap dive, but the bed was soft, the sheets were clean, and she wasn't paying. So at the moment, Faith felt like life was going in her favor.

Now if she could just get some food.

Checking the clock she realized Buffy hadn't been gone for an hour yet. Faith decided to sleep, time moved faster that way.

Settling herself comfortable into the bed, she drifted off.

A short scream and a thump woke her up not twenty minutes later. After a moment of silence tortured moans began to filter in from the breezeway outside. Either someone was hurt out there. Or they were seriously getting some.

Faith chuckled, either way she should probably check. Rolling off the bed, she ran a hand through her tangled dark locks, and made her way to the door. As she reached the threshold she heard and angry hiss, then several more thumps.

Then silence.

Suddenly worried she threw open the door and stepped out.

Buffy stood on the breezeway, a young girl in her arms, being held up mainly by the wall at her back.

"Didn't I tell you not to leave the room?" Buffy growled as the girls eyes widened.

"I heard a noise" Faith shrugged backing towards the room again. She just hoped this didn't piss the girl off enough to throw her out.

"Here take this, and 'stay' in the room until I get back" Buffy tossed a brown paper sack to Faith, who caught it and rushed back into the room, closing and locking the door behind her.

"Mmm ow. I can't believe he bit me" the girl muttered as she slowly came around.

"What happened?" Buffy asked standing her on her own two feet.

"I was on my way here from a house party" the girl flinched when she held her head up straight "Some of the guys there got over zealous so I left. One 'polite' guy offered to walk me home. He wasn't drunk so I figured it was ok. But he got all huffy and bit me when I wouldn't invite him in" she stepped away from the wall, backing Buffy up a step as she did. "I didn't realize he was a vampire. I should've."

She stumbled again, but Buffy was there to catch her. If she held on too long, it wasn't because the girls soft body was so warm, it wasn't because she hadn't had anyone touch her without trying to kill her for so long, it wasn't because she enjoyed the feel of her body pressed against anothers. It was merely because she wanted to make sure the girl had her balance back.

She didn't believe it either.

"There are no such things as vampires" Buffy shook her head as she steadied that girl, holding her waist.

"Yeah right. And you're not a slayer either" the girl managed to smirk as she opened her door "Thanks for the save"

Buffy stood dumbfounded in the breezeway. How did she know? About vampires, about slayers? But moreoever, how did she know that 'she' was the slayer?

She knew this was the HellMouth. But was everyone so...

Weird?
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"Do you know who I am?"

Faith jumped when the harsh voice rang out into the nearly silent motel room.

"What?" she stuttered staring wide eyed at the blonde before her "Whaddya mean?"

"Do. You. Know. Who. I. Am?" the slayer growled as she slowly stalked towards the girl.

"Uh B-Buffy. Which is a pretty interesting name once you think about it-" Faith babbled as she shrank against the headboard.

"Don't play games with me" Buffy grabbed the girl up, pulling her to her feet, nearly turning over the food on the bed.

"You're Buffy. Atleast that's what you told me. You're Buffy, a good sumaritan that's hopefully not some kinda serial killer who's about to make me her next victim" Faith babbled, trying not to cower. She was suprised at how strong the blonde was, she'd lifted her clear off the bed, only her toes touched the ground, just barely.

Buffy stared hard at the girl, trying to see if there were lies in her eyes. She looked long and deep and found none. But she did find a healthy dose of fear. Gently she settled Faith back on her feet.

"Sorry. It's just. Someone knew me, and I didn't know them. It was...disconcerting" she grumbled, looking anywhere but at Faith.

"Okay" Faith backed up a step before collapsing on the bed, nearly upending the food.

Buffy saved the meal, moving it to the rickety table in the corner, which was probably a safer place than the bed. Just barely.

"Faith. I need you to do me a favor. This is serious, no kidding involved here" Buffy stood with her back to the younger girl.

"Um. Sure Buffy whatever" Faith sat up staring at the blondes tense back.

Feeling the steady gaze Buffy turned to face her. A worried epression pulled at her features, bringing the scar across her lip into drastic relief.

"I need you to listen to me. When I tell you to do something, or not to do something. You have to follow my directions. I don't want you out after dark. Don't open the door, don't answer when someone knocks. Don't leave, for any reason after the sun goes down. This town is..." she paused unsure of how much the girl needed to know "this isn't a good place for a girl to be outside after dark okay?"

"Whatever" Faith shrugged unsure of why it was such a big deal. Buffy was putting a roof over her head and good food in her belly for the time being, so she'd listen. Don't piss off the gift horse, or something like that.

"Promise me" Buffy demanded.

"I promise. Whatever you say goes" Faith pushed herself back further onto the bed "Who gets the bed tonight?"

"What do you mean? We're sharing the bed" Buffy's eyes flashed. She wasn't in the mood.

"Whatever, but I sleep naked" Faith smirked when the blondes hazel eyes momentarily widened, before narrowing.

"Not for the forseable future you don't" Buffy informed her.

"What? Afraid I might touch you? Make you all hot in your sleep?" Faith lay back, putting on her sexiest pout, she ran her fingers down her firm body.

Buffy's gaze was drawn directly to the girls fingers, where they drew imaginary lines down her body, momentarily hypnotized by the wanton display of quasi-exhibitionism. Then she caught on to what the girl was doing. And she'd done it well, not only had she broken the tension between them, but she'd created a far more, interesting, tension to reflect upon.

Buffy smirked and swaggered over the body displayed so wantonly across the bed. Leaning down she brushed her lips against the girls pulse point, bracing her weight on her hands on either side of Faith's body, she kissed, nipped, and licked at the fluttering point, actually bringing a moan to the girls lips.

"Oh you don't wanna play with this fire baby" Buffy whispered into the shell of Faith's ear, after nipping her way up to it "I'd have to so hot, you'd be stuck in that place between pleasure and pain for eternity"

"Sounds like it'd hurt" Faith whispered, her sudden arousal having stolen her voice, making the sounds that left her lips husky and soft.

"Oh it would hurt" Buffy pushed herself up and walked away, glad she had out-teased the tease "I'm taking a shower"

"Can I watch?" Faith called as Buffy neared the door to the bathroom.

"Remember I hurt" Buffy tossed over her shoulder, before slamming the bathroom door.

"But it would hurt so good" Faith whispered to herself.

Buffy heard her through the bathroom door, and damned her slayer hearing. The girls voice was so husky, giving a hint to the heat her body would provide, the softness of the girls skin she'd felt so briefly when she'd grabbed her. That husky voice that was promising much more than Buffy would take. And for that she damned her hearing.

Her evening had taken a rather interesting turn. From tired, to pissed off, to turned on to the point of self destruction. And most of it, thanks to the girl on the bed in the other room.

Buffy stripped, feeling the wetness in her panties from her recent slay, and the teasing from Faith.

"Ugh" she muttered "Giles was right"

"This 'is' hell"
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