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Chapter One - Changes
#3
The Magic Shop:
New headquarters of the Scooby Gang


"Gang," Rupert Giles said as he put down the phone and
looked very pale. Buffy, Willow and Tara looked up from
the homework they were busy with. Xander stopped to clean
up the floor in the corner and Oz just continued with
listening to whatever was in his walkman. "We got some
troubles."

"Prophecy troubles?" Buffy asked.

"Say that again," Giles stated and raised his arm to
reveal the watch. "Eight hours ago a new Slayer was
Called."

Buffy grasped and swallowed. "Faith," she said.
Needlessly - everyone could see she was still alive.

"Oh god," Xander croaked. "I told you she wasn't save in
that hospital, under that name..."

"We couldn't have her transferred or protected better
in any way than we did," Willow proclaimed snappishly.
Having performed a spell of protection to help these
crosses Xander had smuggled in there. "Anyway. Where's
the loss?"

"Well...," Oz said, proving he did listen and then he
looked up with a very blank face.

"See?" Willow asked.

Xander just stared at them. "She was a Slayer."

"We, uh, shouldn't be...that...," Giles rapsed before
he groaned. "I didn't like Faith any more than everyone
here did, and we knew it had to happen one day. Right
now we have to worry about the vamp who did it - one who
is that full of Slayerblood that he may come out to...to
challenge you tonight, Buffy. And maybe he'll even win."

"Dream on," Buffy snorted. "No simple fangface will ever
get ME!" She smirked at the remark and got up. "Maybe we
get some idea of who did it when we check out the
hospital. Someone has to remember a visitor."

"I'll do that," Xander volunteered.

"No," Giles said. "I still need to have the crates with
books unpacked and there is some work...Buffy, you go.
And Willow, can you fire up that, um, that infernal new
device of yours and check out the morgue? They may know
something about how she died...maybe it's more than one
of them."

"Allright," Buffy said eagerly. "Comeon Oz."

"What about me?" Xander asked. "I...I mean I..."

"Oh, stop the bother!" Buffy moaned, shaking her head.
"We know she and you had some issues. Get over her, she
just got what she deserved...time to move on."

Xander looked at her eyes and then he sighed, nodded.
And reached for the groom again. "She was a friend."

"Get your brain working, she was a mad hat turned bad,"
Willow hissed pissed. "She tried to kill you and me and
Buffy and everyone else in town."

"She still was a friend," Xander insisted. "And, hey,
didn't you have that dream of yours before Ascension?
The one where she apologized and told you where to go to
get a weakspot on the mayor!" He sucked in the air,
seeing Buffy turn away. If there was one thing she did
not want to talk about it was dreams - especially old
ones. "I mean...she was one of us before."

"She never was. I mean, one of us. Not really," Willow
claimed before turning to her computer. "Wonder how the
new Slayer will be like."

"We won't know. With things as they are, the Council
will wait till hell freezes over before sending her
here!" Giles reminded everyone. "I'll try to find out
what I can from my...sources. Maybe we hear something
about who...did it."

"Yeah, damn likely," Xander groaned back. "Face it, we
left her in there. A sitting duck for anyone coming for
an easy picking." He snorted. "It's our fault."

"Go and clean the floor, Xander," Giles ordered. As
usual now most had not even listened. As usual. "We will
have to make certain there is no new master vampire...
so I expect we'll need..."

They went on with their work. Buffy and Oz found that
there was noone in the hospital who noticed a thing,
the only visitor come to mind was a boy who came every
other day and spent some hour or two sitting besides the
patient and talk or read to her. As if she was awake.

"Must be some sicko," Buffy muttered. Who in his right
mind would want to see Faith? "Can you, er, give us a
description?" The orderly could. Not that it was of
much use.

They found nothing there. And the morgue was a blank,
the paperwork had barely begun to be made up. So they
were no closer to the mysterious vampire. Thus it was
high time to make a night time visit to the morgue and
look at Faith directly.


#4
The morgue of Sunnydale:


"Creepy," Willow stated as Oz opened to door to the
morgue. "Regardless of how often I go here, it'll be
always...creepy."

"Whatever," Buffy commented while looking at the rows
of chambers made to hold bodies. Even this big the
morgue in Sunnydale usually was full. Or close to it.
"Can we go there and...mhm, make...which one is Faith
in again?"

"Number 12F," Oz repeated and used his handlights to
illuminate the chambers. Fourteen rows wide and five
columns high they had a lot of place in here. "This
one."

Buffy nodded and opened it with a lot more force than
necessary. The only sign to show she was tense. Part
of her still could not believe Faith was in here now.
Part of her was glad that she was spared the problems.
Giles was right, the world needed a functional Slayer.
Better even two.
As the body inside slipped out they found themselves
staring at a white morgue cloak wrapped around the
only slightly overweith forms of an orderly in his
underwear...showing two distinct punctation marks in
the jugular area and the blue lips and pale tan typical
of vamp victims. "This does not look good," Buffy then
croaked out and it was as if the words were all that
fate had been wating for.
The man opened his eyes and transformed into a vamp on
the spot, jumping up and reaching for Willow. Growling
and wearing a nasty smile the vampire glared at them
only to get surprised by a right cross from Buffy.
A few violent moments later Willow was on the floor with
Oz holding her throat and tending a few scratches. And
the pointytooth was against the wall, moaning in pain
at his broken arms and legs.
Staring at Buffy as she put a stake against his heart.
"Okay, nancyboy," Buffy snarled very annoyed. "Where the
hell is Faith's body?"

"Don't know what you're talking about but ocne I get out
of here I'll...," the vamp hissed, his wrinkled face of
ugly scaled flash revealing the same hate like his eyes.
He made a grab for Buffy's throat and staked himself.
Dusted right then and there.

"Shit," Buffy winced. She wiped the remains from her
jacket and clothes and turned to her friends. "Looks
like someone beat us to this."

"Or not," Oz answered. "What if it was Faith?"

"Huh...how do you...oh nom, you don't mean...you can't
mean...?" Willow stammered, eyes going wide and wider.

And then Buffy gulped. "I don't know. CAN a Slayer be
turned at all?" she said while resheating her stake.
"Better get to Giles and ask."

"Buffy...we...what will we do if Faith's...?"

"wills," Buffy answered annoyed, "right now all we do
know for certain is that she's vanished." She could be
alive and tricking them. Or someone wnated to keep her
away. Was the dead body of a Slayer worth something?
Besides making her a trophy or such. Or it was as if
Oz guessed. Buffy didn't want to remember the fight she
had had with Faith. Repeating that was not very high on
her list of preferred activities.
Absolutely not.


#5
the Magic Shop:


Xander panted and wiped his forehead with his sleeves.
He just had finished moving the boxes of books and goods
Giles used to sell in his shop from the old VW van of Oz
into the store and was about to go and unpack them when
he heard a sound from the inside.
A muffled scream.
Cursing about what was happening he ran back into the
store (which, since it was Giles' new home, ought to be
vamp-proof) and found Giles with a cross at his hands.
There was a vamp in ill fitting white garments in there,
some brunette female who was somehow familiar. And she
was growling at Giles.
While there was an unconscious Tara on the floor.
Xander didn't need anything else to yell and start to
attack the vamp, swearing for not having a stake on him.
He had to get Tara to safety.
It wasn't a particularly good idea to attack a vamp with
nothing but his bare hands. Especially this one.
Xander managed to shove her away from Tara and Giles
began to move it and get her right as the baddie turned
around and caught her step...and began to pound the shit
out of him with a few kicks and punches.
He evaded a couple but then he was overwhelmed, going
down. And going down hard. His vision swam while Giles
dragged Tara into a corner and held up his cross.
Covering them.

"Nice," the vampiress acknowledged as she purred. "You
don't really think that pityful cross will keep me away
from gutting you, Giles? Or do you hope that bitch of a
Slayer will coem to save you? Think again!"

"W...who ar-are y-y-you," Giles stammed.

I'd like to know, too, Xander thought. Tasting blood
in his mouth he shut his eyes. Breathing suddenly hurt -
and eh had a peculiar feeling, too. Bad, really bad. She
must have broken a rib and the bone had pierced the lung
somehwere...he was going to die...shit. SHIT!
He could not see what was going on anymore, just hear.

"I'm mighty disapointed here," the vampiress glared with
glowing yellow eyes. "Am I that easily forgotten?" and
then she devamped, for a moment. Scaring the hell out of
Giles. "Or would you want to forget me so hard, you old
pompous backstabber?"

"You...YOU!" Giles hissed, his voice dead and the cross
wavering. But still holding it up. "Get away from him!
G...get the...the hell out of my house!"

"Not just yet," the vampiress laughed and grabbed
Xander. She pulled the dazed and wounded young man close
to her mouth and her fangs snapped shut in the jugular.
She began to feed instantly, moaning with delight and
dark pleasures. Ignoring the tormented screams of the
Watcher.
No, enjoying them!
Xander felt his life being sucked out of him - and all
the will to fight it. He struggled but had no chance to
break the hold she had on him. Somehow he had known this
would be his end...something like this.

And when she was done and he was so lightheaded he
nearly lost consciousness Faith put him down, almost
gently. Eying the helpless Watcher she raised her hand,
forced his mouth open and slit her wrist with a claw.
Grinning at Giles while she bled into his mouth and made
him swallow. "Give B my regards and tell her...he tasted
delicious. Of course, this is only the beginning! I do
wonder how...red will be? Or the furball."

"You monster!"

"Isn't that what I am?" Faith gloated, reverting to her
human face. She crakced a cold smile. "Oh, and don't you
worry about informing his parents. I paid them a visit
before. We had a nice play...as long as they lasted."

"MONSTER!" Giles rasped, shaking. "You can't..."

"Sure I can! Tell B we're gonna play round two another
day, will ya? When it's just her and me, as it should
have been," Faith said. She laughed meniacally as she
let Xander drop to the floor again and left the house,
with a graceful bow and a certain swing to her step.
"And tell her it's a real blow, being on the other side.
She should try it herself. It all is so much better now
that I am alive again. Um, unlive I mean, for I do not
feel particulalry dead right now...oh, time to go!"
With that she vanished and slammed the door behind her.
Seconds before the cavalry arrived.

Buffy and Oz found a weeping Rupert Giles holding up
his cross. An almost shattered man was kneeling besides
the unconscious Tara. Who got a big bruise on her head
and nothing more.

Later in the night, after the first shock was done and
Giles downed a few glasses of Brandy, they got to make
a proper discussion of the situation.
One - Faith was a vampire, very nasty too. Who had the
same whammy as Drucilla had and used it to gain entrance
by ringing at the door.
Two - Faith had vamped Xander, an orderly at the morgue
and killed his parents and who knew whom else. She was
as vicious and bloodthirsty as they could be.
Three - Faith was after them.
With a real vengeance, up close and personal.
She was even gunning for their parents. Probably friends
as well. And whoever got in the way to be an easy snack.
Summary: major shitstorm heading their way.
One of Angelus-proportions. Or bigger.
And this time it stroke very, very close to home.
There were a couple of decisions to be made.
Like where to perform the souling spell, where to put
the dead Xander in the meantime and what buildings they
had to disinvite...and how the hell they could get at
Faith.
The idea was a simple one...curse her with a soul again.
Unfortunately she was as bad as they came without, so it
was a very bad idea.
Giles was hardly able to believe she was a vamp at all.
It shouldn't be possible without major magic involved.
Buffy looked at him as he explained that.
"Couldn't you have told me that years ago?"

"Um, you didn't ask," Giles replied sheepishly. "Why?"

"Just forget that," Willow croaked. "We got to do the
curse for Xander. Before he...you know...rises."


#6
Barn behind Tara's house


"We got no choice," Buffy said as Xander slowly awoke
again. His head hurt. Everything hurt. "We have to do
it. It is what he would have wanted, anyway!"

"Yes," a flat voice said. Oz. "Who'll do it?"

Xander blinked and looked up. Where was he? He was
lying in a...yes, on a table in a barn and there were
his friends around. Talking. He felt very odd, sick
almost. There was this incredible hunger in him.

"He's moving," Giles barked. "Willow!"

And the next thing Xander saw was Willow coming into
his field of view, holding a stake with two hands.
Saying she was sorry as she tried to ram the stake into
him...everything blurred as Xander moved out of the way
with a scream. The stake slammed into the wooden table
he had been resting on and Willow's eyes looked at him.
She screamed, in hate and fury at her miss. She took
the stake up again. "Hold still you monster, hold...I
said hooold...ough!"

Xander brought his left up, made a fist and hit her in
the face so that he gained enough freedom to jump from
the tables and unto his legs. He spotted Oz with a
crossbow aiming for him and then there was Buffy with a
double-ax in her hand. Readying a swing at him.
His friends wanted to kill him.
Xander had no idea how but he was able to evade the
swing Buffy took at him - instead of loosing his head
he just got a deep bloody gash. That hurt.
But not as much as seeing the hate in her eyes.
He danced aside and kicked out, hitting her leg and
making her topple. That gave him a chance.
He ran for the door, broke it open with a shoulder slam
and then he ran into the dark. And he felt two wooden
arrows whisk through the air. One tipped his left arm
and behind him Buffy launched herself in the air again.
Ax held high.
He ran into the night screaming.
This was a nightmare, a horrible nightmare.
And it did not look like he was waking up anytime soon.
He was a few blocks down the road before he noticed
noone was after him...and that he was nowhere out of
breath. Nor did he bleed anymore. His wounds had healed.
Xander began to feel mighty uncertain.


#7
Near the barn


Faith watched Xander run screaming and frowned as she
saw Buffy limp out, axe in hand. And then there was
Giles with a crossbow, shooting after the vanishing
figure. Now this was NOT good, not good at all.
Faith thought they would do the souling she herself was
not able to. Not that she minded demons, but they were
not that much fun to hang with...she wanted Xander. Not
a demon wearing his body.
She fletched her teeth and felt her anger rise again.
The plan had seemed so great when she came up with it.
Run in, knock a few heads about and turn Xander...make
them believe she wanted revenge against them and was
playing the Angelus on them. And, in the process, get
her turned Xander to come with her.
Faith felt the demon whisper to her about blood and
madness and what fun it would be to kill the Scoobies.
She deliberately shoved the little voice back into the
back of her mind.
Wasn't so hard.
She would not get anything from the dead bodies of the
whitehats. Well, not ALL of them. And certainly nothing
from a dead Willow, but a dead Oz...? No problem.
Part of her was impressed that Xander had managed to
break away from them. Damn, she never had thought he
would be in danger...she had counted on the whitehats to
be nice and predictable people. Meaning to get him his
soul and not even thinking about staking him.
Obviously she had been wrong there. Very wrong.
She should have known better. Blasted bastards didn't
know any loyalty at all. They were so dead if they kept
hunting her man.
She moved from one hideaway to another spot, this one
close enough so that she could hear them talking.
Faith was not about to make them notice her but she
listened very interested as a weeping Willow and a
tight-lipped Oz joind the group on the lawn. Buffy swore
and limped, favoring her right leg. Seemed someone had
hit her under the knee and that hurt.
Made her unable to follow the fleeing vamp.
There were a few angry shouts and hurried talks, which
circled around them being unable to do the deed for this
reason or that and blaming each other for it.
Suckers, Faith thought disgusted. All she wanted was to
get her man souled and then to blow town. Winning him
over would be child's play afterwards.
Okay, maybe she would have to look after him for a while
and god - how she wanted to look after him. She needed
someone who needed her.
Killing people for their blood was no biggie for her, if
he didn't have the guts she could feed him. And teach
him to discover his guts. She had used her day to aquire
a vehicle and money. She could get them the blood needed
to survive for a while, too.
All that remained was the soul.
Magic stuff wasn't exactly her strong side.
So she tensed when Willow wailed about her spell failing
utterly - she could not summon the soul from limbo. Nor
was the curse she had whipped up working without it.

"Are you sure it will work?" Buffy asked, sceptical.
"Maybe you made a mistake...remembered something in a...
different fashion?"

"We tried it on Harmony and it went well," Willow
answered, rubbing her jaw. "But neither Faith nor Xander
will...I mean, their souls just...don't show. I got no
idea why."

"Maybe Faith has someone helping her to hide them?"
Giles speculated, trembling. "It would be consistent
with her other actions. She wnats to hurt us, taunt
us...and..."

"Giles, to do that she'd need a spellcaster as good as
me, knowing about the ritual," Willow replied with
angry determination. "And noone does, um, I mean...Miss
Calender was the first one to bring that spell back...
after it was lost almost a century ago!"

"That is what was said," Giles answered unconvinced. "We
have no guarantee noone else knows of this ritual."

"Don't you think we would have heard of any more vamps
with souls? Their grapevine or the watchers or someone
should take to that like...!" Buffy scowled sourly. "If
there were any, Angel would know. So there are not."

"Um, I hadn't thought of that," the Watcher croaked.
He drew a deep breath and treid vainly to calm himself.
"My god. Then Xander is a full fledged demon now..."

"Yes, and we better find him before he starts to go on
a rampage! Remember Wishworld?" Willow groaned, stomping
on the ground nervously. "I somehow doubt that the vamp
versions of me and Xand got the master's errand boys for
our good looks."

"No, they would have had to be extremely vicious and...
oh, yes, I...n-now I get it," Giles answered ashamed.
"As if Faith isn't bad enough already."

"Where do you think he'll go to?" Buffy asked, focusing
on the matter at hands. "His house, the shop, UC...?"

"His house is a good idea. For a start," Willow meant.
"He certainly will not..."

Faith retreated into the night slowly, slipping away
from the debating group unnoticed. She saw them split up
and go for watching the house or going to the shop and
starting additional research on the soulspell.
She almost smiled.
She knew why the ritual failed with her - since her soul
was exactly where she wnated it, thanks a lot. Giving in
to the mindless demon rage of vampires wasn't cool with
her. Boss had been lucky he got that part right.
She wasn't sure who did it to her, and if she ever
learnt she would kill the vampire responsible. At the
least.
But for now Faith grinned, very happy. If things were
running true to form then, for some odd reason, Xander
still had his soul...had held on to it always, in fact.
She had no idea why or how nor did she want to know.
She had to find him before B did.
And she had to get him to come along.
Shouldn't be so hard.


#8
The burnt out ruins of the factory (Spike's former lair)


Xander was not sure how he got here. He had just erred
through Sunnydale and suddenly found himself near the
place. Looking for solitude it was the right location.
It took him an hour or two to recover from the shock
when his tongue found the canines in his mouth. If he
had any doubts left he got his worst fears confirmed at
meeting a few people.
Just seeing them he smelt and heard them, so much more
than before. He could smell their emotions and listen
to their breathings, their hearbeats. Whispers muttered
to themselves became whole conversations. It made his
head swim and his mind crack.
And always there was the hunger!
The knowledge that they held so much hot blood.
Fascinating red liquid, blood, lifeforce...so good.
Nonononono! Xander thought. Locking his head between
his hands he ran away from people and fought the desire
down. He would not hutn a human and drain him...her. He
would not do the vampire thing.
He was unsure how he came to resist the demon. He could
feel it inside of him, whispering mad and evil words
into him and he could not stop to listen. He could not
stop to notice.
He shivered and knelt, screamed at the stars hanging in
the sky. The pain, the humiliation: he was a vampire.
And one with a soul or else he wouldn't even hesitate to
start a killing spree. Reveling in the murders.
The one thing he did not get was why my friends where
out to get me. If they had restored his soul they had to
know he was a good guy, hadn't they?
But they had only tried to kill him.
Nothing else but to kill him.
"Shit," Xander rasped as he stumbled into the dusty
ruins of the place. Ripper Giles had partied here before
he found out Angel was way out of his league. "This is
so damn bad..."
If anyone should be out to kill him it would be himself.
After restoring his soul they rather should be concerned
with preventing him from taking a walk into the bright
sunlight or something.
And it would not even be so wrong, he knew Angel. Death
was better than to exist as a soulless killer...or being
a pityful excuse for a living being, lurking the dark
utterly alone. Barred from any happyness by the curse
that kept his demon in check. What had they cursed him
with? Willow had said she made up a few new lines, just
in case. Relics from her attempts to get a curse that
had no happyness clause, so Buffy could get her Angel
and be happy. Or whatever.
She never had managed that.
Though she...yes, he remembered now. She had confessed
about restoing the soul of a vampire with the line of
him never experiencing the feeling of being at home
again. Making him an eternal wanderer. The vampire had
walked into the sunlight after less than a day.
For others it had not even worked.
Willow and spells, there were always things going wrong.

Xander stood at the stairways where Oz and Cordy had
watched him and Willow kiss, back when Spike had held
them captive in here. He really was a masochist if he
even came back to this place, where he got that much
pain from it.
Cordy was the one good thing that ever happened to
him and he had fucked up. She broke up with him after
she got impaled on that steel rod over there.
He got sick as he still smelled the blood on it, her
blood. Cordy...grace and delight, joy and a sharp mouth
and those mysterious half-smiles over a shoulder, with
her eyes half closed.
Cordelia Chase, his love.
Besides some girl rotting in an Incan Hell, a Slayer who
never had the least interest in him and Willow who was
more his sister than a girlfriend. being interested in
her was kinda sick, really sick. And now all that was
left to them was...was that they wanted to kill him.

Xander blinked and fled from the stairways, he left the
factory. Too many bad memories. What did he remember?
How did he get turned?
A vamp, in Giles house. And Tara on the ground. Giles, a
cross in his hand...talking to the vamp. And himself
tackling the said vamp.
"Speak about me doing the dumb move," Xander muttered
with a sigh. He wasn't sure if he had saved her but
Giles was very much alive. And Xander got turned for
his stupidity. "Alexander LaVelle Harris, born idiot."
Yet it wasn't fair.
He should have had a life, a future. A wife, a house
and two point four kids and a little doggie, too. What
a sick joke.
Xander Harris had no future except as another Harris -
a drunkard, working one dead end crummy job after the
other. Getting by somehow without starving or ending up
sober more than once or twice a month.
He'd have preferred to die in battle. Hero's death and
all that shit sounded a lot better than his life. His
life sucked. Except for Buffy and Slaying and Cordy.
He had lost Codry, Buffy wanted him dead on sight now
and Slaying...yeah, right. Dream on.
Whom was he kidding? He was the fucking enemy.
Had always said that they could not trust Angel. And,
given a choice, he wouldn't have trusted himself.
He hesitated and the demon growled louder. He was hungry
and he would not be denied much longer. Xander could
almost feel the beast inside strive for control.
If he didn't stake himself really soon he would be just
another vicious monster on the loose. Or he got some
blood to stop the demon's wailing.

But where to get blood?
Not so hard - if he were able to walk around freely, or
during the day. And how much money did he have on him?
He searched his pockets and found a dime.
"Just my luck," Xander laughed. Figured. The one day he
had left his money at home and of course he had to get
into a situation where he needed it the most.
Money would buy him a drink at Willie's place.
Other than that...mhm.
No self-respecting vampire would sink so low to even
consider it. But he was no self-respecting vampire. And
he also was not exactly friends with most dogs and cats
and canaries.

Xander made a quick walk into more livid areas and then
entered a lawn. The house was off limits, of course, but
who said the dog's hut had to be the same? If a T-Rex in
Jurassic Park could do it, why shouldn't he?
The kids probably would weep and wail for their toy to
die. And someone might curse him a bit more. Who cared.
He could reach inside and the weeping animal cowering in
the dark corner of the hut tried to bite him.
Xander was faster, gripped it at the neck and pulled it
out. The dog tried to hide and then to bite him. And
after some barking and dog sounds of pain there was the
eery silence of the night again.
And the vampire threw the drained corpse on the ground,
straigthening. Swallowing Xander felt the need to throw
up. Small wonder Angel and company were against feeding
on lower animals.
And if a dog was that bad, what about rats? He would
have to get himself some pig or cow...or human. Wasn't
easy but not impossible either.
Xander walked away and felt the demon wail a little bit
less. He decided to hit his house, figuring that he was
still able to enter.
Get his belongings, money, and walk to Willie's. And
then he could go and try to learn why Buffy wanted him
dead so much.


#9
the Harris' house

Buffy smiled coldly as she heard the door open and saw
him come in. Looking a little bit worse the wear. She
had to congratulate Wills on her mind once again.
He came to gather his stuff, whatever.
She was quite sure that he had scouted out the place
earlier and had missed her. She had sent Oz away to help
Giles. She didn't need any new liabilities and she had a
job to do.
She stepped out of the shelf when he began to look for
some clothes and stripped his shirt and pants off...he
seemed willing to take a shower.
Buffy's spidersense kept ringing. Fuck, being sired by
a turned Slayer seemed to be the big one - he had the
air of a master vamp...sort of.
Buffy gritted her teeth and he slowly turned around.
She saw the surprise on his face - his human face. And
then the face hardened as he spotted the stake in her
hands. "Time to finish this."

"Why?" VampXander asked angrily. "What did I do?"

"You know why, demon," Buffy barked as she made a
step closer towards him and saw how he stepped back.
She grinned, "this time you won't be so lucky...!"
This time he would not manage to kick her in the leg
and run away with scratches. He probably already had
killed once before and would do so again, often too.
She would not permit it.

With a shriek and just wearing his boxers (really
horrible ones to that) he ran back out of his crummy
basement home. Buffy had never been here and she was
just disgusted by the chaotic room. So much like
Xander. Old toys lying side by side with old comics,
dirty clothes and other stuff. Some books and videos
and not much of it was useful stuff.
Geez, he had always said his home sucked and she had
never stopped to listen. Letting him die would almost
be an act of mercy.

Buffy followed him out and managed to get him on the
lawn. He was quick, so very quick and quite strong.
He managed to kick the stake from her hand when she
was overconfident but then she was really angry. And
about to finish this.
He was no trained fighter, unable to keep up with her.
She feigned a high kick and instead whirled on her feet
around, toppling him. She threw herself around and got
on top of him, hitting his face hard wioth two hands.
He squealed about having a soul which she commeted
with a cracked "of course you do, sucker!" before she
slammed his head in the ground a few times and kneed
him in the groin. When he whined she followed up with
more punches until he looked quite dazed and dead.
She didn't stop to continue her pounding, wanting the
demon to suffer before it went back to hell.
She breathed hard and produced another stake, prepared
to ram home and end it when a sharp female voice called
her to stop.
Buffy looked up and froze in midmotion. In shock.
She held her breath and something broke in her.

"Stop it right there, or your precious mommy is a has
been, B," Faith snarled. Her eyes were yellow and she
was fully vamped out. She wore black leggings and a
leather coat and a miniature top leaving most of her
belly uncovered - and showing her breats. She also had
her clawed hands at the throat of her mother, a still
Joyce Summers held in the grip. The glassy eyes of her
mom told Buffy how Faith had managed to get her. "Hurt
him and I'll kill them all, B...I mean it."

"As if you wouldn't do it anyway!" Buffy scowled,
freeing a hand and punching Xander into the face. Felt
his nose break and that felt good. "why should I stop?"

Faith hesitated for a second and then she put her claws
down and shoved Joyce away. "Let him go and we'll just
vanish. I swear we will never come back here as long as
you live."

Buffy was not certain if she should laugh aloud. How
much a fool thought Faith she was? Trusting a vamp was
crazy enough. and trusting a Slayer gone bad, who had
backstabbed and betrayed her beofre? Worse. But Faith
was a lot closer to her mom than Buffyw as to her.
"And what about Xander's parents?"

Faith grinned icily. "You bought that, huh?" she said
as she shook her head. "Don't worry. They're quite
alive and as well as anyone arrested for driving drunk
can be."

"What?"

"Yeah, B, they're alive," Faith snorted. "I mean it.
I just did that to mess with your heads."

"Not very convincing," Buffy returned. They never had
bothered to check on Faith's claim...didn't have to.

"Hey, I wanted you to feel bad! Real bad. You coming
to spil my plan wasn't part of the deal. Anyway, I don't
want anything more to do with you. Just leave my childe
be and let us go...," Faith purred. And then she threw
Buffy a glance. "Or else I'll be your worst nightmare
for real. Starting with killing Slayer's mom there."

Damn, Buffy thought. She did not buy a word of this.
But - in the end - she had to get her mother safely out
of this mess. even if it meant giving up her shot at
VampXander. "Okay," she rasped out breathlessly. "And if
you fuck with me, F, I'll make you watch him dunked into
holy water before I'll pin you up for the morning sun!"
And then she slowly went away.

"Sounds fair, Bitch!" Faith nodded. She shoved Joyce
away roughly and stepped back. Her boots made extra loud
sounds on the pavement. "Come to me, Xander. Let's get
lost...there's nothing left in town worth to bother."

With his face a bloody mess and still not very stable on
his legs Xander came to his feet and stumbled away.
Buffy grimaced but just worried about her mother and
when she turned her attention away from Joyce they were
alone. Gone.
A few heartbeats later she heard a car speed away.


Chapter Two - On the road into the night
#10


Xander sat on the side, feeling that much pain. Damn, he
never before had thought about what Buffy did to the
vamps when she was like that. He felt like half of his
bones were broken - a few ribs actually were. They were
alsot just knitting back together through whatever magic
kept his body going.
And that stuff HURT!
He felt his body heal and wondered what he had done to
get into this madness. Him trusting Faith? A Faith who
was a vampire?
Shit, so was he. Though he was a soulboy and that meant
he played for the other team. Not that he felt so great
about telling her that one.
Buffy had not been about to listen or talk, so he had
wisely choosen to get away before she did anything that
wasn't so good for his unlife. He wondered why he even
bothered and then decided he could make that up as the
story went on.
He had to find out what made Buffy that pissed at him.
And he also was in the mood to do something intersting
to his sire...whom, he suspected, was sitting right
across from him.
Faith had an old car with blackened windows to hold out
the sunlight. And she seemed to be ready to motor away
from the way she drove on. Ignoring the sun going up.
Xander felt his mouth heal enough so that he was able
to spreak and Faith told him there were some bloodbags
in a box behind his seat.
The human stuff.

"Thanks," Xander rasped, confused. "I'm not...?"

"Sure you are," Faith replied with a grin. She was back
to her human face now. Even paler than usual and her
brunette hair was tied to a ponytail behind her neck.
For once she also seemed to have stopped applying too
much makeup to her prominent lips. "You need that."

Feeling the demon Xander was not in any mood to argue.
For a moment he wondered if the blood was mixed with
holy water or something, but if Faith wanted him dead
she could have let Buffy do all the dirty work.
He got himself a bag and the smell was enough to make
him loose his restraint. He sunk his teeth into it and
drained the bag to the last drop. It was...incredible.
So different from the dog's blood. God. God! He felt
hilarious and vibrant and...not even go there.

"Some kick, huh?" Faith gloated behind the wheel. "Has
been the same for me. Guess Angel really didn't speak
that much about being a childe of the night."

"Don't remind me," Xander rapsed. Angel. Fuck! He was
never ever able to call the Deadboy that again. "What
the hell is going on?"

"Boss made some insurance for me...got me out of coma
again," Faith acknowledged and spoke about her getting
turned. She also claimed she had a soul, which didn't
make any damn difference in Xander's book. She was a
blackhat psychopath anyway. And she was indeed the one
who had turned him.

"Why?" Xander asked. All the vamps either had wanted him
to die horribly or ignored him. None of them liked him.
She had tried to kill him, too. and she had not paid him
much mind. Just a convenient dick.

"Maybe because you were the only one to visit me," Faith
answered with a very hard glare at the road ahead. "And
the one to come and talk to me...before. I wasn't exactly
in a good mood then and you...it doesn't change much but
I am sorry for playing with you like that. Really am."
Xander was left speechless as she informed him she had
been conscious quite often and heard him when he came to
visit her. Not to mention she was sorry for how things
had gone on before.

"Oh yeah, you're all sorry and want to repent?"

"Crap, no!" Faith snorted with disdain, eying him. "I so
much wanted to kick some sense into your dumb head...all
the reason I came to Giles house." She sighed. "Still
would like B and that darn Watcher to rot in hell any
other day."

"Of course," Xander muttered. "And my parents?"

"I'll come to that. I came to the house to mess with
some heads and to get you...well, I thought I could get
Willow and then make her curse you when I turned you,"
Faith said softly. "They're not worthy of you. All they
give you is pain and humiliation and shit. I could at
least offer some fun and happyness on the way."

"Are they?" Xander swallowed. He let his shoulders hang
down. If Faith tried to mess with his head, she could.
She had been good at that kind of thing before. Made him
go to her and get killed almost...and then there was the
matter of him being idiot enough to visit her and talk
his mind freely. Truth be told he had not expected she
was awake and caught on it. And now she used it all on
him again - she was good. Really good.

"Absolutely," Faith nodded. And began to tell him why.
"Let's start with school. I know you saved our asses that
day, with the bomb and the zombies."

"Didn't have much of a choice," Xander rasped back. And
was astonished as she began to come up with more and
more words. The Judge, the swimteam, Ampata, the master.
His behavior at Valentine's and the lovespell gone bad.
His hunting over summer - damn, she knew about that? He
had never really told her, or had he?
And how he felt left out now.
She even knew things about Graduation Day.
Not to mention the whole Cordelia issue.
She had a whole lot of thoughts on that all and she
spoke her mind. Summary: you're some kickass guy and I'd
be happy to be your friend, mate. Or more. Sure.
And she expected him to help her destroy the world or
raise havoc or such, right away.

"Nope," Faith answered annoyed. "I don't want to raise
any demons or end the world. I just want to live...get a
bit of happyness for a change. My whole life sucked and
the only one half-decent folks I met...mhm. Well, one
was my first Watcher who's rather dead...and her being a
Watcher I'd rather have her dead than at my back. Can't
trust these tweed folks." She grimaced. "Then there's
you. Hey, you're a bright guy and if you'd stop wiping
the wimps' asses all the time you'd notice you're much
better then them all combined. I mean it. You walk out
there and put your life on the line and you get the job
done when they mess up or bunker down."

Wish I could believe that, Xander thought. At times he
had alsmot felt like that...but he knew he was just
their errand boy. The comic release on the team to make
them look better or such. The just-a-guy-man.

"And then the Mayor. He's dead or something, what do I
know? I know, him being big evil guy and such, didn't
make him the best man around. But he was awfully nice
and...and I never had anyone playing daddy to me. And
then I was just too pissed at B and you all to just run
away and let it be. Had to pay you back."

"Pissed?" Xander asked. "Pay us back? For what?"

"B, for the most. Giles. And how you all fall for that
selfish bitch," Faith groaned. She shook her head. "You
still don't get it, huh? She blamed ME for Finch, man.
She killed him."

"And you got an attack of consciousness and told Giles
about it," Xander muttered. Not about to believe her.
"Sounds very much like you, yeah."

"Don't get snappy," Faith squirmed. but then she sighed
and shook her head. "It's really like that. She killed
him. and it wasn't a big thing. an accident. Hey, I did
not grow up in the real bad part of Boston by being an
angel...I killed a guy when I was thirteen, he tried to
rape me. And maybe I killed another sicko few years
later. It's not that I can't deal with that."

She sneezed and Xander just shivered at the tone of her
voice. Faith was a killer and she liked it. She even
said she needed it, lived for the thrill of the fight
and the kill.

"I told Buffy I'd shut up but when they found him she
panicked...I knew she would frame me, so...?" Faith
ended her story arc. "You know the rest."

"And your goping darkside?"

"You joking? After what the Watchers did? He was the one
last resort I had. Or thought I had. And he had his own
story for me, too. Xand, a Slayer isn't exactly such a
born doo-gooder. We're chaos agents. Neither good nor
evil, just humans with power. Happens."

"Right," Xander said. Dubious.

"It's true. That whole do-good-thing is so entirely
optional, but these darn tweedies come and talk about
this holy duty gig. And, whew, we all fall for that!"
Faith laughed. Looking so sick. She tightened her grip
on the wheel. "Thousands of years they pulled the very
same crap on all Slayers and they die for it. Or when
they find out and get removed. Take Buffy, she just goes
skywards with it. Makes her feel important. Guess she
really is, for you. Saving lives and such."

"You mean she lied to us?" Xander asked, unable to
believe it.

"Damn bad she did!" Faith snorted, smiling. "Or Giles
did. I just go for the ride and some choice mayhem.
Don't care zip for which side. Fuck, I even made the
boss decide to leave you out...if you'd stepped aside
he'd eaten the sheep from high school and gone on to
whatever plane. Nothing happen to you at all." She
sighed. "But B had to go and gun for him. I mean, dreck,
what did they ever do for you that makes you put your
life on the line for them? They just spat on you, look
down and laugh. Call you a big looser."

"They're my friends."

"I meant the people," Faith said matter-of-factly.
"Your so-called friends...wanna know some secrets?
Cordy's a horny slut. She cheated on you with guys and
girls and you never got the clue!" She laughed. "Kinda
sweet, though. You're just the loyal puppy dog. And
Buffy...you know her. She'll let half the town killed
just because she can't let go of the vamp she had
shagged - you knew she and Angelus were doing the
whacky a few times when he came into her house? She
rather stood by to grope with her beau than to stop
a pair of vamps kill people around the corner, and I
saw that myself!"
And like that it went on and on.
Oz, the stoic guy lost for Willow. And Willow, who had
some nasty habits of her own. Like earning money by
cracking into computer systems and selling secrets.
the mayopr had all sorts of interesting tidbits on the
people in town. Even Giles. His Ripper past held a lot
more than just Eygon and Ethan Rayne, there also were
a few criminal activites. Murder, rape and more.
Wesley the wimp and his Council of idiot weasels.
Bent on controling the Slayers.

Xander gritted his teeth. Faith was vicious and nasty.
But she wasn't about to make him feel like she was
just making this up. Maybe some were lies, but some
rang true. Cordy being not exactly a virgin, sure.
He shut his eyes and hid the tears.
Buffy had admitted she knew he had a soul. And she came
to kill him anyway, for nothing except that she didn't
have any more use of him. Didn't want him around.
Angel could go psycho and nearly end the world and she
couldn't be more forgiving - but him? No joy.
Same for Willow, all of them.
Not one had tried to talk with him.
Not one had bothered to check up on his parents.

And, looking at Faith, she had been there to pull him
out of the shit. Even if she was mad, bad and evil - or
at least very dangerous - she had feelings for him.
He never would have gussed.
"So you want me to be your boy?"

"I never had anyone...like you," Faith nodded. "I do
not expect you to be some cheesy perfect soulmate for
me. Just some friend at my back who puts me high on
his list of concerns." She chuckled and adjusted her
seat, tipping on the wheel to some inaudible music. "I
mean...I never had a friend, Xand. And had you? Some
real friend...who'd die for you."

"Maybe," Xander said. He had staked Jesse. But then he
had not had a witch capable of souling vamps. Had not
even known it was possible. "You think you can just make
me that for you? Sorry. Doesn't work."

"Maybe. You saved my ass when you didn't have to and
I was a damn loony for letting you get away. Now...oh,
I made you my childe. Means I have to take care of you
and that I'll do, as long as it takes!" Faith said very
soberly. "Doesn't mean I turn into a saint or such."

Which reminded him of what it meant to be undead with a
soul. No daylight life anymore, no mirror image and so
many troubles with getting into any house. Xander was
almost ready to weep.
Angel's existence was worse than death to him. But then,
what sort of existence did he have anyway? Not much of
one. He was rather prone to get suicidal right now.
Maybe god might have mercy and let him into heaven o
such for his years of doing good.
He winced. If there ever was any god looking out for
them, he was busy spoiling Buffy and Angel...Xander
Harris never seemed to get any of the mummy treats.
And here was Faith and talked about them building a
life for the two of them.
She was crazy. Deranged. Demented. Debased.
And yet...what if?

Xander caught himself thinking of it. Besides the demon
ramblings about the sire - she was Faith. The first and
only woman he had slept with in all his life. Rogue
Slayer and now a vampire. One with a soul, maybe turned
Slayers kept theirs. Not that it made a difference for
her, she was Faith.
Psycho girl.
Faith who lived by her owns et of rules, not needing or
caring for anyone else. At least she didn't lie about
this.

Still...what if he agreed?
He could die later as well.
And right now he did not feel like Buffy and the gang
had been that focused on his interests. Thinking of it,
she had a point. What did they ever do for him?

He kept trailing after them like a puppy dog, got out
on patrol all alone without them even bothering to ask
how it went. He had cleaned out the mayor's magic shelf
and made the stuff vanish. Noone bothered to ask.
Noone bothered to notice.
Who had said loosing Faith wasn't so good? Only him.
Who had told them Angel was bad business before? Him.
He was the only one not going for a sucessful career or
a life of his own. He was the pathetic looser in their
midst, the one they tagged along out of misery or such.
Like Cordelia had said.
Sure, sometimes he got useful.
Whenever they needed guns or blow up something.
Or they needed someone to transform a class of tow-bit
californian high school kids in an army able to stand
up to a vamp attack and a giant snake demon.
Or they needed someone to go on another suicide run.
Crap, if they handed him an empty bucket and told him
to storm the gates of hell he'd do it without thinking
twice...making up something along the way.

Did he even ever got so much as a thankyou for that?
Not really. Just chewing out for putting himself at
too much risk or grinding their nerves.

All in all he could not say Faith was that off key.
Which made it all the worse. Didn't he have anything?
He was doing the small tasks. Cleaning houses, carrying
boxes and sorting stuff. Helping research, get food and
stuff for them. And so on.

And just look at Giles...Tara let the vamp in and he
was caught with nothing more than a cross. He had gone
to the rescue like so often before, without thinking
about what it might cost him.

Xander stared at Faith and for the first time he was
wondering if she might tell the truth. Or be close
enough that she wasn't in need of any lies. It was not
very good for his own self-esteem...or the black hole
where he should have that one.
He would have done all for them, and what did he get
in return? Lies, a beating and a stake in the back.
No, he admitted to himself. Faith was not lying. She did
not have to lie...and maybe she even did him a favor.

Got him out of the crummy existence and open a chance
to something else. "Don't expect me to get off on
killing, Faith."

"Well, you do," Faith chuckled. "We both know it. You
need it as much as I do - the only thing you are any
good at. Or me, for that matter."
She smiled satisfied with herself at his dark glare and
then asked him for a bag of blood. Which she got, and he
took another one. It felt good to drink the stuff.
She flipped on the radio and asked me what I thought
about fun.
"We could go dancing at night, make out on a cliff and
watch the skies. We could break into museums and go to
the movies and see the world. It's noone around to tell
us to stay here or there," Faith continued. "It is all
out there. Just waits for you and me to take it."

"And kill los of people in the way."

"If it makes you happy, we can start with things and buy
our blood," Faith mused. "Killing humans isn't so much
fun."

"You'd do that for me?"

"If you keep me happy...sure," Faith smirked in her own
unique way. She might make fun of him, or tell the truth
and he had no idea about it. "It's just you and me. No
Scoobies, no work hours, no crummy basement and lonely
nights when you cry yourself to sleep."

"You'll never forget that one, huh?"

"Hardly. Reminds me too much of what I did - after I
was alone," Faith answered roughly. If that was her way
of opening up...telling that inside of her though shell
was some soft core, she wasn't so believable. "Sometimes
I felt things missing. Sometimes. And then I walked and
killed something and it got better."

"Or got yourself a boytoy."

"Not as often as you think."

"What about Slaying making you hot and horny?"

She cut a grimace. Then told a story of her hand and how
she choose her guys - she wasn't playing bad girl, but
she wasn't such a slut as she said either. Fascinating
to listen to her do all the talking.
I wondered if she wanted to bed me.
And try if Willow put that happnyess-clause-curse on me.
Truth be told, when we reached LA and got a room at some
cheesy motel she got her chance to try. I would never
have believed Faith would be ready or even considering
to go down and give me a blowjob...but she did.
"Like I said," she grinned after swallowing and wiping
her mouth. "I want to give you fun and some happyness."

"Without expoecting me to return it?"

"Sure I expect a return," she moaned. "Tell me you do
not want me...to have fun and stuff, too!"

Xander bit his lip. And then he was surprised by her
embracing him and kissing him. He lost himself into
the kiss and her and then half the night was gone.
This time she did not simply shove him out after they
were done, she kept him in. And with the rest of her
blood supply they had a night to spare...though the
next one they would have to find a new source.
Anyway, Xander found himself and Faith on a bed and
they were talking. Not fighting, not fucking, talking.
Exchanging opinions on what TV show sucked more and
why and other meaningless topics.
It was crazy.
He spent hours and more hours without even thinking of
being a vampire, just hanging out with this women. He
did not even ask so much after how many murders she did
or what made her do it. Without a demon. Maybe he did
not even want to hear the answers to that one, way too
disturbing.
Next he'd start a pillowfight with Faith.
Or start kissing her again. And biting, too. That one
had been a bad surprise. Especially with them liking it,
or him. Small wonder - them being vampires after all.
Souls or no souls. Faith had one, he had one and neither
one had lost that yet.
For just a short moment Xander had wanted nothing else
than to be with her forever. He gave no damn about death
and pain and Sunnydale and their past. For that short
moment he had shared the demon's feelings, too. Thing
was after his Sire.
Mhm, had Angel ever talked about him and...who had it
been? Darla? Not to him, and not very much. Maybe we
should visit him and get a few answers. Or not, thinking
of how Buffy would have called him and made the nancyboy
wait for us with his stake collection at the ready.
Maybe unlife wasn't that bad after all.
A few days at least - until he could...decide. Or maybe
years. That time he spent with her was almost quality.
Either she wasn't that psycho as he thought or else he
was more psycho than he had thought.
Xander felt confused in the extreme.
He always had believed...he'd rather die than become a
deadboy. And now - he wondered why he did not want to
die.
And if he kept Faith from killing innocents...or just
whatever people she when she was in the mood, it was a
lot better than dusting himself for nothing. Right?
Damn, it felt good to be with her...too good. Even if
she was a bad girl. Maybe he could change that, make
her see...realize it wasn't too late...whatever.
He would decide later on.