The Three of Us

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This Chapter is beta free. Please disregard all grammatical errors and mastikes.

Last time I checked none of these Characters belonged to me!
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Faith slowly moved along the wall of the mausoleum. She was hidden in the shadows, as she peeked around the corner and watched the two men in tweed. Their eyes were darting nervously around the graveyard, looking for something. They moved cautiously, a few feet apart, along the row of gravestones. A gust of wind rattled some branches in a tree behind them. They leapt around to face the noise, brandishing crosses and stakes, “What was that?” the taller one asked.

The short, swarthy one looked at the tree, “Nuffink.” he sighed and relaxed slightly. He looked up at the taller man, “Its bad enuff, bein’ out ‘ere, wiffout you scarin’ the bejeezus outta me.”

“Sorry,” was the reply. “It’s only the second time I’ve been on a patrol.” He had a refined English accent, unlike his partner. “I’m just a little nervous, is all.”

“Hmmph,” came back to Faith’s ears. She watched the two men turn and resume their walk away from her. ‘I knew it!’ she thought. ‘The fuckin’ Council’s here and G-man ain’t said a word.’ She leaned back against the crypt and closed her eyes. She jumped when she felt her phone vibrating. ‘Shit,’ she thought, and quickly looked around. She saw the two men exiting out onto the street, through the main gate. Pulling out her phone, she noticed it was Cordelia calling. “Queen C,” she whispered into the phone.

“Ummm, hello?” came back in a male voice.

Faith straightened up, “Who are you?” she commanded. “Where’s Cordelia?”

“I’m Gunn, and she asked me to call you,” he answered back. “Is Buffy with you?”

“No,” Faith answered. “Why?”

She could hear him cover the phone with his hand, “She’s not with her.” he said to some one in the background. “Just a sec,” he spoke into the phone, and Faith could hear him pass it off to another person.

“Hello, Faith?”

“Queen C, what the hell’s goin’ on?” Faith asked.

There was a sigh on the other end, “I had a vision that Buffy’s in trouble. I was hoping she was with you.”

“She’s at G-man’s, with Red, they’re s’posed to be researchin’ what’s wrong with her,” Faith spoke quickly into the phone.

“Gunn, called her cell, but she didn’t answer, so I had him call you.” There was a nervous tremor in Cordelia’s voice. “I’m scared Faith, it was a really ugly vision.”

“Calm down C, I’ll call G-man. He probably made her turn it off,” Faith was trying to placate her girlfriend. She could hear other voices in the background having a heated discussion. She hit the button for three-way calling, and speed-dial for Giles’.

“Rupert Giles,” he said when he picked up the phone.

“G-man,” Faith answered. “I got C, on the phone, is B there?”

“Are you not supposed to be patrolling?” he demanded. “You’re not out there to talk on these infernal contraptions!”

Faith blinked, “Hey, Giles, Queen C called ‘cause she had a vision B was in trouble. Is she there?” Faith’s voice had started to rise.

“Oh,” he said, the edge in his voice had disappeared. “Uh, no. She’s not here. She left for home approximately thirty minutes ago.”

“Did Willow go with her?” Cordelia said quickly.

“Willow is still here,” Giles answered.

“What?!” Faith yelled into the phone. “She’s got no fuckin’ powers, and you let her go on her own? What the fuck were ya thinkin’?”

“Faith,” Giles roared back. “Calm down, she’s fine.”

“How do you know that?” Faith demanded. “How do you know she’s okay G-man? Did she call you or what?”

“No,” he started to sound nervous, “I just know she’s alright.”

The wall of the crypt cracked ominously as Faith kicked it. “Is the Council followin’ her?” There was silence on the end of the line.

“What are you talking about Faith?” Cordelia asked.

“I just finished watchin’ two guys in tweed and a shit load of Old Spice, doin’ a sweep through Restfield. They been here for a few days that I know of. Why Giles?” she paused for a moment. “Why is the Council in town and you ain’t said anythin?”

There was a sigh in Faith’s ear, “No they are not following her. They are here on Council Business, and I’m trying to keep them from finding out about you.”

“Then why didn’t you fuckin’ tell us?” Faith was furious.

“Faith,” Cordelia said quietly. “Let him speak, please.”

The dark slayer growled into the phone. “Thank you,” Giles said wearily. “I couldn’t tell you, because everything had to look normal. They know Buffy has friends who help her, but they don’t know exactly how. I am trying to keep it that way.” Faith growled again. “If I had said something, Faith, what would you have done?”

“I’d a gone somewhere.”

“Exactly, thereby raising suspicion, because you’ve suddenly disappeared.”

“He does have a point Faith,” Cordelia said evenly. “Why don’t we let him go and you can call the house. See if Buffy’s there.”

“Ok,” Faith said through clenched teeth. “But this ain’t over G-man, not by a long shot.”

“I understand that,” he sighed. “Good-bye,” he said as he hung up.

Faith hit three way calling and the speed dial for the Summers’ house. After four rings, the answering machine kicked in. She heard Buffy’s voice, “Hi. You’ve reached the Summers, and Faith residence...” Faith ended the call.

“What’s that noise Faith?” Cordelia asked.

“Me runnin’ home.” Faith grunted into the phone. The voices in the background were getting louder. “What’s goin’ on C?” Faith asked as she leapt across two rows of graves.
“They’re arguing about whether we should come up there or not.” Cordelia paused for a second, the voices still yammering away in the background. “Angel!” Cordelia yelled. “Get the fucking car, or I’ll have Faith stake your undead ass!” There was silence for a moment. “Well?” she demanded. Faith heard a door slam and some scurrying around.
“You’re good Queen C,” Faith was breathing hard into the phone.

“Sometimes they need me to take charge.” Cordelia paused for a second, “Faith, call me when you find Buffy. We’ll be there in a few hours, okay?”

“Yup.” Faith used one hand to propel herself over a fence. There was a yowl as a scared cat bolted away.

“And Faith,” Cordelia said quietly. “Be careful, and kick somebody’s ass for me.”

Faith snorted, “You got it C, I’ll call you soon.” She snapped the phone shut and stuffed it into a pocket of her duster. She started running faster. Faith’s duster was billowing and snapping behind her as she headed towards Revello Drive. Tendrils of her hair were starting to stick to the dampness on her forehead. She turned the corner onto Revello and stopped dead. There was the house, all the lights ablaze, the front door hanging at an awkward angle. The moment seemed like years, as the scene burnt itself into her brain. The previous bout of anger, at Giles, seemed like a mere annoyance. The rage sang through her veins, looking for something to release itself upon. The air crackled as the fury built around her. She had been still for less than a second, before she turned into a blur. She cleared the porch without touching the floor, landing in a crouch in the doorway, swords drawn. She listened intently for any sound at all. Her slayer hearing shutting out the extraneous noise, till nothing was left but the sound of the house. Every creak, squeak, or breath of air, analyzed, inspected and discarded. She rose slowly from the crouch and stepped into the living room. There were signs of a brief struggle, an upset coffee table, an overturned lamp, but no blood to be seen or smelt. She slowly made her way through the rest of the house, checking every room, until she ended up at the front entrance again. She turned and went back to the kitchen, pulling her phone out; she punched in the number for Dawn’s friend Janice. “Hey, Mr. Lewis,” she said calmly into the phone. “It’s Faith callin’. I met you earlier when we dropped Dawn off.” She barely heard his recollection, “I know it’s a little sudden, but would it be possible for Dawn to stay there tonight?” Her mind was a thousand miles away as he rambled on. “Mrs. Summers, and Buffy got called to L.A. on Gallery business, and I have to work tonight. We’d just feel better if she stayed there. I hope we’re not imposing too much.” She spotted something on the floor in the dining room and moved toward it. “Great, thanks for letting her stay. Can I speak to her?” She picked it up and turned the object over; her blood froze at the picture she found. “Hey Lil’ D,” the hand holding the picture started to shake. She willed it to stop before it reached her voice. “I need you to stay at Janice’s tonight. I can’t explain why, because I don’t know all the answers. I just need you to stay there, until one of us comes to get you. Probably tomorrow morning. Promise me you’ll stay put.”

“Yeah, I’ll stay,” Dawn answered. “But Faith, you’re scaring me.”

Faith sighed and closed her eyes, “I don’t mean to scare ya. But until I figure out what’s up, that’s the safest place for ya. I’ll tell you everythin’ when I come to get you. That’s my promise to you. Okay?”

Dawn paused for a moment, “Okay Faith, I trust you.”

Faith dropped her head, and squeezed her eyes shut, “Thank you D, I’ll call you in the mornin’.”

She closed the phone and stared at the picture in her hand. The terrified eyes of a gagged Joyce, tied to a chair stared back at her. On the corner of the picture was a torn piece of Post-It-Note. Her hands clenched into fists, her head tilted back and a howl of pain and agony tore from her throat, echoing through the neighbourhood.

Xander and Anya walked into the living room where an irate redhead was staring at Giles. A worried Tara was tugging on Willow’s arm, trying to get her to look away from him. The two of them stood there rooted to the floor in amazement. Xander blinked, and rubbed his eyes. Nothing had changed. “Hey,” he paused, “Hey!” he yelled. The two combatants and Tara turned to stare at him. He smiled goofily and gave a half wave, “What the heck’s going on?”

Willow stared wide eyed at him. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times. “What’s going on?” she snapped. He started to back up as she approached him. “Buffy has no powers; she got a phone call from somebody we thought was Faith. Turns out it wasn’t, ‘cause Faith called here, looking for her, after Cordelia called Faith, telling her of a vision she had with Buffy in trouble. There’s no answer at Buffy’s house, she’s not picking up her phone, and now we don’t know where Faith is. It seems the Council’s been in town for a week and he,” she threw her arm toward Giles, “is just telling us now. And you want to know what’s going on?” She had backed him up into the wall of the living room, and was staring at him.

“Whoa, Wills,” he slowly brought his hands up and gently put them on her shoulders. With a little pressure he moved her out of his personal space. When she was at arms length, he started to speak again. “Let’s see what I got out of that. Buffy has no powers, right?” Willow nodded. “Okay, she left here, but nobody knows for where, right?” Willow crossed her arms and nodded again. “We also don’t know where Faith is?” he asked. Willow’s head bounced up and down again. “Alright,” he concentrated for a moment. “You said the Council’s been in town for a week, and Giles never told us?” Willow nodded one more time. “Okay,” Xander furrowed his brow as he thought. His eyes brightened and a smile crept across his lips, “I’m sure there’s a simple explanation for this right Giles?” He looked toward the man with an expectant look.

Willow had a sarcastic smile on her face as she watched Xander. “Go on Giles,” her eyes never moved, “Tell him what you told me.”

Giles heaved a sigh, “I was trying to protect you from the council.”

Xander stood there for a second, “Why would you have to protect us from the Council?” He blinked a few times, “We are on the same side, aren’t we?”

“Yes,” Giles sighed. “The problem is, they don’t necessarily see it that way.”

“Huh?” Xander’s forehead had scrunched up in puzzlement. “Uhh, I think you’re going to have to explain this one to me. Cuz I’m missing something here.”

Giles took his glasses off and started to polish them. He looked at three expectant faces, and one that was glaring at him. He sighed and waved toward the couch, “Sit.”

Xander and Anya sat next to each other on the couch. Giles waited while Tara and a glowering Willow sat back down at the research table. He looked at the four of them briefly, and sat in his armchair.

“The truth, Giles,” Willow’s voice was low.

“Yes,” he replied quietly. He looked down at the floor for a moment, and rubbed his temples. With a sigh, he sat up and started, “The council believes in the traditions of the Slayer. One girl in all the world, yadda, yadda, yadda.” He was waving his hand in the air. “All that changed with Buffy. You found out what, or who she was, and decided to help. I believe that has helped Buffy become a better Slayer. The Council, however, refuses to look at it that way. They believe it should be the Slayer, her Watcher, and that’s it. That they should only answer to the Council, and bow to their every whim.”
He removed his glasses again, and started to polish them. “Because of that, I have downplayed your role in everything that’s happened here over the last few years.”

“I don’t understand,” Anya said.

“It means he’s taken credit for all of our work!” Willow was starting to rise out of her seat.

Tara put her hand on Willow’s arm to stop her, “L-let him speak, s-sweetie.” Willow’s eyes shifted to Tara for a second before returning to burn into Giles. She slowly sank back into the chair.

“Thank you,” he nodded. “As you know, Buffy and the Council don’t get along. I have a couple of informal contacts within the Council hierarchy; they keep me apprised of things outside the normal channels.” The four teens nodded as they followed him. “The Council wants to determine just how much you actually have to do with Buffy. If they don’t like what they find, they may do something drastic.”

“Like what?” Xander asked. “Buffy’s the Slayer, what could they do?”

Giles’ eyes flitted about the room, in a quiet voice, he finally spoke, “Call another Slayer.”

“Huh?” Xander looked befuddled. “How would they...”

A wide eyed Willow cut him off, “They wouldn’t!”

Giles turned his attention to her, “If they thought they were losing their control, they most certainly would.”

“But,” Willows mouth was opening and closing. “But, that’s,” she paused, “That’s murder.” The room fell silent.

After a few moments, Xander looked around, “Again, with the ‘Huh?’”

Willow looked at her long time friend, “The only way to call a new Slayer, is if the old one dies.” She watched him for a moment, “They would kill her, Xander.”

His eyes widened, and he gawked at Anya. She bit her bottom lip, “Makes sense, really. Get rid of the old Slayer, get a new one.” She shrugged.

“Yes, Anya,” Giles spoke up. “There is a feeling on the Council, that a ‘New’ Slayer would be more controllable.”

“W-what about Faith?” Tara said, before ducking into Willow’s shoulder.

“I would fear greatly for what would become of the Council if that happened,” he paused for a moment. “I don’t exactly know what would happen, but I think the Council would get to meet their ‘Lost’ Slayer.”

Willow nodded in agreement, “She’d be pretty upset.”

Anya paled slightly, “She’d be far past that. According to the legend of the Triumvirate, the Dark Warrior has a constant struggle between good and evil. If she lost someone she cared about, like that, the darkness would probably win. It would be a slaughter.” The four others in the room were listening intently. Anya looked down momentarily, “The stories I was told, said the Warrior of Light, and the Vision, kept her balanced. Take one of those away, and the Apocalypse, may not be demons.”

The five of them jumped and stared into the hallway as Giles’ front door exploded into a million toothpicks. The dust started to dissipate, revealing a sweaty slayer, standing at the entrance to the room. They stared in awe at the barely contained rage screaming from her pores. Anya whimpered and tried to hide behind Xander. Faith didn’t move. Her red rimmed eyes, locked with Giles, and he saw that death had come for him early. In one motion, Faith flew across the room, grabbed Giles by the throat, pulling him out of the chair and slamming him into the wall. His feet scrabbled in thin air as she held him there, his hands grabbing at her wrist trying to get her to release him. The anger blazing in her eyes, watched him struggle physically and emotionally with his impending death. A small smile crept across her face, as she watched the life slowly ebb from his body. She held the picture of Joyce up to his face, “Is this from your friends at the Council Rupert?” Her voice was low and cold, “Was this your idea, Rupert?” She paused for a moment, a glint appeared within the murky depths of her eyes, “It don’t matter, Rupert. They are all going to die.” The smile grew colder and larger, “It’s your lucky day, Rupert. You’re going to die first, and because I like you, you’ll die quickest.” He was weakening from the lack of oxygen. “I only gotta decide if I strangle ya, or snap your neck. You wanna choose, or should I?” She felt a hand rest on her shoulder and her head slowly rotated to see Tara standing beside her.

A shudder ran through Tara, as she looked into the two pools of death staring back at her. She blinked once, “Faith, we need him, to help Buffy.” The seconds ticked by, “He was telling us what’s going on, we need him Faith.” The room was still, “This isn’t you Faith, we need to find Buffy.”

Faith’s eyes slowly moved down to where Tara’s hand was resting on her arm. They slowly moved back up to meet Tara’s, “I smell a hint of a lie, I’ll cut him to ribbons.” She opened her hand and Giles collapsed, gasping to the floor. Faith turned, stalked over to the wall, and leaned against it. Her duster hung open, Anya could see her gripping and re-gripping one of her swords. Small beads of sweat broke out on her back, and she curled tightly into Xander.

Willow and Tara had gotten Giles up and back into his chair. Tara had given him some water, “Thank you,” he croaked.

“Is this the Council’s work?” Faith’s cold voice cut through the room. She held out the picture to him.

He shook his head, “No,” he croaked. “This is somebody who doesn’t know Buffy’s lost her powers.”

Faith tensed and lifted herself from the wall, no one was sure if the muffled squeak was from Anya or Xander. “From the top, G-man, and don’t miss a step.”

He nodded, “The Council s here for two reasons, one is for the Cruciamentum, and the other is to discover how involved you are with her slaying.”

Five sets of eyes stared at him, “Crews meant who?” Xander asked.

“Cruciamentum,” Giles answered. “On her eighteenth birthday, a Slayer’s powers are taken away, and she is locked in a house with a vampire. It’s a rite of passage so to speak.” A dark feral growl was emanating from Faith’s chest. “Leading up to her birthday, she’s given a daily dose of serum that blocks her powers.” Faith was slowly moving toward him, the hilt of a katana, starting to protrude from her duster.

“Faith, please,” it was Tara again. “I know it hurts, b-but we have to do it for B-buffy.” Faith was still growling, but she moved back a couple paces.

Giles shot a quick look of gratitude to the blond. “I watered down the dosage, to almost nil. Then the Council showed up. They thought I might try something like that, so they took over administering the doses.” He sagged as he spoke. “I tried everything, but there was nothing I could do.” He looked at the raging dark Slayer, “I’m sorry, Faith, I really am.”

“Keep talkin,” she growled at him. “It ain’t me ya gotta apologize to.”

He nodded, “The test is tomorrow morning. They would take her from here and lock her in with the vampire. They were going to monitor the test from here on one of those things.” He pointed to Willow’s laptop.

“Do you know the address?” she asked as she pulled her laptop toward her.

“From what I’ve been able to deduce, it’s in the 300 block of Adamson.”

Willow rolled her eyes, “No, the address of the site they’ll be using to monitor the test.”

“Oh,” he sheepishly replied. He pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of a pocket and handed it to her. “It’s not complete, but I was able to get this.”

She looked at it for a moment, “It’s a good start Giles, I should be able to find it from there.” Her fingers started to fly over the keyboard. “Keep talking, I’m listening.”

“You sure the council ain’t got her,” Faith demanded. “Maybe they bumped the test up cuz a you.”

“No,” Giles shook his head. “They would put her in a trance in the morning, and bring her out, once she was in the house. They wouldn’t need Joyce as bait. This is something that wanted to make sure she showed up.” He slid his fingers under his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. “There is a possibility that they’ve moved the test up, but it doesn’t make sense. They weren’t ready yet.”

Faith reached over to the end table and picked up the handset to the phone. She threw it at him, “Why dontcha give’em a call and ask’em?”

He knew it wasn’t a question. He dialled a number and waited.

“I’m in,” Willow said. She furrowed her brow as she stared at the laptop. A smile creased her face, “These guys really need to update their security.” Her fingers started to dance across the keyboard again.

“Quentin?” Giles spoke, quieting everyone in the room. “How are you this evening?” He paused, “Everything’s on schedule for tomorrow? No changes anticipated or the like?” He was listening intently, “You’ll be here at the regular time then. Anything special you’ll need?” A frown crossed his face, “I’ll see what I can do about tea and toast.” Everybody looked up as Willow started to wave at them. “Right, I look forward to seeing you in the morning then Quentin.” His frown deepened, “I’m sure she’ll do very well. Goodbye.” He released the call, “Pompous ass!” he yelled, tossing the phone on the table. “All I’m good for is tea and toast.” He stood from the chair and joined everyone behind Willow.

“Okay,” the redhead started, “I’ve changed all the passwords, I’ve got control of the site.” Her fingers tapped a few keys, and they could hear noises from within the house. “I’ve got control of the visual feed as well.” She selected a camera and started to check out the room it was in. They watched as she chose another one and adjusted the focus. “This one seems to be in the living room.” she slowly pulled back to reveal more of the room.

“That’s Quentin Travers,” Giles pointed at a heavy balding man on the screen. “He’s head of the Council.” Quentin was talking to three other men in the room. “Is there an audio control?” Giles asked.

Willow grabbed the mouse and clicked through a couple of windows. “Yeah,” she grinned. She turned the volume up, they could hear Travers now.

“Any word from Buckingham and Trent?” he asked.

“No,” a short swarthy man answered, “Nuffink yet.”

“They should be back shortly,” the tall thin man added. Quentin nodded and started to pace in the living room.

“Those are the two I saw in Restfield earlier,” Faith was looking at the array of cameras around the viewer.

They heard a door open and saw two different men come into the room. Travers head had snapped up as he heard the door. “Well?” he demanded.

The two men glanced nervously at each other, “No sign of her.” the dark haired one spoke up.

“The house was forcibly entered, there’s no blood and no bodies.” his partner added. “We couldn’t find anything to tell us where they might be.”

“Who’s they?” Xander asked.

Willow shushed him and kept listening. Faith was still watching what was going on with the other cameras. “How many all told G?” she rumbled.

“Ahh,” Giles hemmed for a second. “There’s eight of them.”

“I only see six,” Faith replied. “Travers is behavin’ like those last two are it.” she leaned in over Willow, to get a closer look at the different screens.

Travers had resumed his pacing, and the other five stood silently by. He stopped, “This could be to our advantage.” A foetid smile broke out on his weasel like face. “Yes, this could be a bit of alright.” He started to rub his hands together, and straightened up. He looked around at the five men, “Good news gentlemen. I have no doubt a new Slayer will be called shortly and she’ll be under our full control. The best news is we’ll be able to blame this entire fiasco on that prick Rupert Giles.” He paused and creased his forehead in thought. “I think it would be best if we terminated him tomorrow morning.”

“Wow, Giles,” Xander whispered, “They’re gonna fire you.” Everyone just stared at him, “What?” he slowly looked around.

“That’s not the kind of ‘termination’ they’re talkin’ about Xan.” Faith said quietly.

Xander’s brow creased in thought, and then shot up. “Oh,” he yelped, and stared at Giles, “Umm, I’m, uh sorry?” He stared at the watcher apologetically. Giles just waved him off.

“Right,” Travers was speaking again. “Continue on,” he looked at his watch, “A few more hours and we’ll be heading back home, where we belong.”

Faith’s dark face was staring at the man on the main screen. “Fuckin’ rights,” she mumbled quietly. The other men were visible in the other cameras, as they moved off to other parts of the house.

The group watched for a few moments, “Giles,” Willow looked up softly at him. “Is this a good time to tell you I recorded that conversation?”

“Yes,” a large smile broke out on his face. “I’ll use it to kick his fat, fucking, ass.”

Willow had a smile in her eyes, “Easy Ripper, we’ve got a ways to go yet.”

“There!” Faith pointed at the screen, one of the cameras had gone down. “They’re not settin’ up, they’re tearin’ it down.” The swarthy guy from before was standing on a ladder, his face in the camera he was going to take down.

Faith pointed at it, “Can you zoom in?”

Willow nodded and zoomed in on his face. The startled man jumped off the ladder and landed in a heap on the floor. “Wilkinson!” he yelled, “Quit fuckin’ around!”

Another guy stuck his head into the room from the hallway, “What? I didn’t do nuffin!”

The Slayerettes had a quick chuckle. “Red,” Faith spoke quietly. “They’re in ‘n out of all the rooms, ‘cept for that one. Can you check it out?” She was pointing at a camera in the top right corner.

“Sure,” Willow nodded and quickly switched the view. The screen was dark, just a sliver of light from under the door to the room. “I don’t see anything, Faith.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty dark,” Xander added.

“There’s somethin’ in there,” Faith replied. “Try and see if it’s got a night vision.”

Willow nodded and her fingers flew over the keyboard. “Aha!” she muttered, and the room suddenly developed a green glow. Faith reached down and took the mouse from the redhead’s hand.

“Thanks,” she said quietly. The camera zoomed in and out as it panned around the room. “I fuckin’ thought so.” She let go of the mouse and stepped back from the table. “What do ya see?” she asked the group.

The other five peered at the laptop. “Umm, it may be quicker if you tell us Faith.” Giles spoke quietly, without looking directly at Faith.

“Right hand side, what do ya see?” They all looked again, concentrating on that side of the frame.

“It looks l-like b-bars.” Tara said meekly.

“You’re right,” Giles responded. “It seems to be some sort of cage. That’s probably where they hold the vampire.”

“What else?” Faith demanded.

“Some of those bars look wrecked.” Anya stated.

Xander was moving his arm around as he stared at the screen, “Yeah, it also looks like they were busted from the inside out. Like something broke out of the cage.”

A small smile creased Faith’s face, “Good one X-man, one more thing to find.”

The group stared at the view again. Faith smiled suddenly, a dangerous feral grin, “Did you see that?”

“Yeah,” Willow answered. “Something moved, there,” she pointed at a spot on the screen.

“What is it?” Anya asked.

“Willow shrugged, and tilted her head to the side slightly, “It almost looks like a sheet of some kind.”

“What do ya cover with a sheet?” Faith asked.

“Bodies,” Giles answered her. He furrowed his brow, “I don’t think it’s the vampire. What are your thoughts Faith?”

“Same as yours G-man,” she said coldly. “The vamp broke out of the cage, killed two of Travers’ goons, and is on the loose. In about four hours, those two boys on the floor are gonna be hungry and lookin’ to feed.”

“And?” he prompted.

Faith snarled at him, “Red, that place got a master lockdown on it?”

Willow blinked, “I don’t understand.”

Faith was still staring a Giles, “A master control, so they can lock the place down remotely. Nothin’ gets in or out.”

“Just a second,” her hands flew over the keyboard again. Seconds ticked past, Faith was still watching Giles. “Yeah, there is.”

“Good,” Faith’s voice chilled the room. “Operate it, and look for any backdoor programs they can use to release it.”

“Uhh,” Willow looked at Giles.

“Faith,” he prompted. “They are human.”

She stared at him, her eyes transforming to the black death he had seen before. “We’ll discuss that later. I gotta go find B, and Joyce, first.” She stared at him hard, “They’re my top priority. I want the two newbies to scare the fuck out of them Council guys first. I want them to know the terror they were gonna inflict on Buffy.” A scary smile crept onto her visage, “Then Quentin’s gonna meet his ‘Controllable’ New Slayer before he goes home for good.”

“What about the missing vampire the Council brought in?” Anya asked

“Find B, find him.” was Faith’s response.

A small smile of pride crept onto Giles’ countenance. “Now what?”

“Red, ‘n Blondie, do a locator spell, I go check it out, then kick ass.” Faith had walked out in front of the table, and faced the group. “Kinda a minimalist plan, but it’s all we got. Questions?”

“Umm,” Willow timidly raised her hand. “We’ll need something of Buffy’s to do the locator spell.”

Faith flung out her arms, “Use me.” Everybody blinked two or three times.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea Faith.” Giles looked nervous, “There are documented cases of that sort of thing going, umm...” He glanced around the room, “How shall I say this?” he muttered to himself. After a moment he answered, “Right, there are cases of this sort of thing going very badly for all involved.”

Faith raised one eyebrow in the ensuing silence, “Ain’t got time G-man, Red, do it.”

Willow and Tara nodded and quickly got the required ingredients. When they were ready Faith stepped into the pentagram, as the two witched started to chant. “Ahh, Faith,” Giles said quietly, “I’d really advise against this.”

Faith slowly turned her head and the hatred in her eyes burned into him. “Thin ice, G-man,” she spoke coldly. “Yer skatin’ on thin ice.” She turned back to face the witches. Willow stood and reaching up, sprinkled a powder over Faith. Sitting back down, she finished the sayings with Tara. Little lights sparkled and swirled around Faith, picking up speed and growing brighter, they swirled faster and faster. They turned into a blur as they arced around the dark slayer. The people in the room watched in amazement, as the sparks turned and invaded Faiths body. She went rigid, and her head tilted back in a silent scream. A sudden flash of light erupted from her and blinded them all in its brilliance. A split second later Faith felt the cool night air gently brushing her cheek. She looked toward the front window, and noticed it was gone. She looked at Tara and Willow, they were staring up at the ceiling, little wisps of smoke still clinging to the singed edges of their hair. Giles was also staring at the ceiling, through bits of soot stuck to the lenses of his glasses. She chuckled when she saw Anya and Xander sitting on the couch looking up, with no eyebrows. “What?” she asked. Willow slowly raised her hand and pointed to the ceiling. Faith lifted her eyes to see what they were looking at. Above her was a map of Sunnydale burnt into the ceiling. A smile creased her face, “Cool.” Her eyes quickly searched for a sign as to where Buffy was, but she couldn’t find anything. Looking to where Giles’ house would be on the map, she saw the names Red, Blondie, X-man, Anya, G-man, and Faith. Faith was in the middle of the house with the others around the house according to where they were at the moment. She blinked, then a crooked smile grew on her face, “Red, switch places with Xan.”

“Huh?” the two of them pulled their faces away from the map.

Faith snapped her fingers, “Switch places now.”

The two got up and moved. As they did, their names followed them. “Way fuckin’ cool!” Faith whispered. Her eyes quickly scanned the map for Buffy and Joyce. She saw Dawn’s name still at Janice’s. Down by the docks, she saw a B and Mrs. S. inside a large building. “I know where that is.” She stood there for a few seconds, a curious look on her face. “That’s Queen C callin’,”

“What?” Giles shook his head. “Who’s calling? I don’t hear a phone.” he was looking around to see if he’d missed something.

Faith pulled her phone out of her pocket, and held it out in front of her, “Wait, It’ll be Queen C.” A second later the phone rang and Faith smirked, she flipped it open, “Queen C,” was all she said.

“Faith!” Cordelia yelled loud enough the others could hear her. “What the fuck happened?”

Faith chuckled, “Hang on a sec.” She hit the button for the speaker phone, “I got ya on speaker. I know where B is, and I’m goin’ to get her.”

“No, Faith,” Cordelia said. “What happened? I can feel you!”

Faith chuckled again, “Red and Blondie used me to do a locator spell to find B.”
“A spell? Are you okay?”

“Five by five, C,” Faith smiled. “I gotta get movin’, but this is the way me ‘n B felt before. Same sorta buzz, but now it includes you.”

“This is what you guys felt before?” Cordelia asked. “It’s no wonder you fell for each other, it’s just awesome.”

Faith smiled and laughed, “Yeah, but its stronger now too. I couldn’t feel her this far away before. It’ll get stronger as you get closer; you ain’t even on the map yet.” She pointed at the south wall of the house; there was a “Queen C” with an arrow pointing further south.

“What map?” Cordelia’s voice came over the phone.

“I’ll explain it to ya when ya get here. I gotta go C,” Faith’s voice softened.

“How come I can’t feel Buffy?” Cordelia’s voice suddenly got small.

Faith sighed and closed her eyes for a second. When she opened the dark orbs, they pinned Giles with an angry glare. “She’s had her powers taken away, I can feel her ‘cause I’m closer, but it’s weak.”

“What!” Cordelia’s voice shrilled into the room. “Who?” she demanded.

Faith didn’t hesitate, “G-man and the Council.”

Cordelia growled into the phone, “I’m gonna give him such an earful when I get there...”

“Get in line Cordelia,” Willow spoke up.

“Willow?”

“Umm, yeah?” the redhead responded. She’d suddenly realized who she was talking to.

“Good,” Cordelia answered. “Is Xander there?”

“Uh,” he paused, “Yeah.” he squeaked.

“Great,” Cordelia told them. You guys start with him and if there’s anything left I’ll finish it when I get there. Okay?”

Willow and Xander looked at each other, “Yeah, sure,” they answered together.

“Thanks guys,” Cordelia’s voice had softened. “I appreciate it.”

“Okay,” Xander had put his hands in front of himself. “Where’s Cordelia and what have you done with her?”

Cordelia chuckled, “It’s me Xander. I’m different now. We can talk when I see you.”

“Okay, now I know you’re not Cordelia.”

Faith broke in, “Look I hate to break up this reunion, but I gotta go, and I’m takin’ my phone with me.”

“Faith, remember what I told you earlier?” Cordelia asked.

“Yeah,” Faith smiled. “Be careful, and kick somebody’s ass for you.”

“That’s right, and we’ll be there soon. Huh?” there was silence for a second. “Okay, I’ll tell them.” Another pause, “Faith?”

“Yeah?”

“Angel says we’ll meet you at Giles. I’ll be tearing him a new asshole. Bigger than Wesley.”

Faith smirked, “He’s terrified, I’ll see you later. Tell Angel to drive safe or I will stake his undead ass.”

“I’ve already explained that to him. Bye, Faith.”

“Bye sweetie,” Faith hung up the phone. “I’m goin’,” she headed toward the window.

“Wait,” Willow stood up and moved to the dark slayer. “I’m going with you.”

“No,” Faith looked at her. “You won’t be able to keep up and I got enough to worry about without worryin’ about you.”

“You won’t have to,” Willow answered. “I’ll be a part of you.”

Faith turned and stared at the redhead, “What?”

Willow quickly looked at Giles, “I can transfer my spirit into your body. I’ll see what you see and feel what you feel.” Everyone’s eyes, except for Tara’s had widened. “I can do spells, but you’ll have to help.”

“Huh?” was the only answer Faith could come up with.

Willow sighed, “If I do Magic, I’ll tell you what hand movements to do to complete the spell.”

“Yeah, right.” Faith deadpanned. “What’s the risk?”

“If you die, I die.” Willow stood there facing the dark Slayer.

“Why would you wanna risk it? I ain’t got no idea what I’m up against.” Faith stood her ground.

“Because it’s Buffy, and I have to do something to help.” Willow had her resolve face on.

Faith shook her head, “How long is this gonna take?”

Willow broke out in a smile, “Not long, you don’t even have to be here.” Tara headed
into the other room to get some supplies. “Thank you Faith.”

Faith shrugged, “Try to stay outta my way.” Turning she leapt through the missing window, and started to run.