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Chapter four: Trial and error
#31
Xander's safehouse at the harbour area, LA:


I hate that close calls, Faith thought as she and Xander
and Harmony went into the crummy basement flat Xander
had set up as his safehouse.
Faith slammed the door shut and limped over to the
sofa to throw her man on it. Her once more unconscious
man who still had come off the best of them after the
morning light came out and nearly torched them.
She heard Harmony curse and wail and Faith assured her
everything would be fine again, given a day's rest and
some blood. Or several days, given that she wasn't that
powerful and thus not so great at healing.
Not that Faith herself was so much better off. Adam's
claws were poisonous and removing them had been a true
bitch. Fuck. Whatever, she'd get fine again soon.

"What is it with him, anyway?" Harmony finally broke
her whining cycle and studied the softly snoring form
of Xander. He even was imitating breathing. Or maybe not
just imitating it...at times.

Faith gritted her teeth together as she detected the
vaint trace of a heartbeat in him...and she got it out.
He was battling for dominance of his mind, with whatever
he had taken from that frenchie.
And it looked like he wasn't even really aware of how he
did it as it happened. Really, it could hardly get any
better now.
"He's not exactly at his best," Faith replied grumpily.
What an understatement. Still, he had kept his head and
got them out of the club...even at a heavy price.
"What the hell did you give that patchwork giant?"

"Wish I knew!" Harmony croaked back. "It came from...
from Angel..."

"Angel?" Faith uttered dumbstruck. Now how did that
figure into this weird pitcture? Last she knew Angel had
been the one to kick off the landslide of official guys
displeasured to wash them out of his town, his territory
and his conscience...pretty cowardly tactics but given
the sitch not that bad of an idea. "There's got to be a
story attached."

There was. He came to her, scared the crap out of her,
left her alive and handed her the disk...she ran to the
club and found Adam's goons in there. Awfully great sort
of timing, far too tight to be purely coincedential.
Faith frowned.
Manipulation and cunning schemes seemed to be Angel's
style besides brute force maneuvers. She had not thought
he was that calculating.
But it made sense. He set them up as if they were after
that Adam shithead, made it look like they got something
on him and then this Adam figure came to take it back.
Only that it somehow wasn't what he wanted, exactly, and
it killed him. Fucking computer disked must have been
enspelled or somehting.
Nice, just so nice.
Angel dealt them a terrible blow and they...they even
served as pawns in the most recent of his schemes.
"Bastard!" Faith snarled, her fists raised and she took
Harmony retreating into a corner as a good sign. She was
radiating murderous fury. A few months ago she might
have even liked to beat up Harmony, just for the fun of
it. But not now, not anymore. "He's gonna pay for that."

"Who?"

"Angel, who else?" Faith groaned and kept the dumb cow
attachment unspoken. She sat down and a charred hand
moved tenderly over the head of her beloved man. If she
lost him to this...Angel was going to rot in hell for a
damn time longer than just a century. She felt how he
moved in his uneasy sleep, tensed and released again. He
clearly was suffering. "How much blood do we have?"

"You don't know?"

"He was brain guy, Harm. I just got our stuff brought in
here," Faith said angrily. And she also had thought that
their escape way was awfully secure...unfortunately that
did not help a bit as that dumbass of Dave's nephew
decided he better left the good old country. Bastard had
taken his company and right after he got out of the club
run to the harbour and stole the yacht.
Probably was already halfway to some country which did
not exchange criminal offenders with the US of A. He had
a lot of reasons for fearing it, too.
As the day passed Faith did a bit of research (hardly
much of an effort with the media coverage on the issue)
and learnt of Dave's appearant suicide as well as of the
level of his criminal activities. Money laundering, bit
of major fraud and a whole lot of less nice and clean
things. Illegal arms and drugs dealing, slave trading,
prostitution and blackmail. He also dealt in information
and favors, meaning high level corruption was involved.
Certainly had to be, judging by the size of his criminal
empire. It wasn't just him that was involved but dozens.
Gangs, criminals, seemingly lawful businesses which just
were fronts for other things...
No way he could have pulled it off without cover from
the police and government authorities.
Jesus, how could she ever have thought that this man was
able to keep their money together and make them rich? He
was an obvious fraud waiting to fuck up and blow his rep
to hell...they said he left questions unanswered about
the sources and whereabouts of millions of bucks.
Whatever, he went down and his organization followed.
The nephew knew enough to vanish before some accident
happened to him. Not that dumb of him but did he have to
take that one yacht?
Without it they were stuck in LA for the time being. The
rest of the ways out were probably monitored by now.
And there still was Angel. Not to mention Buff and her
gang, a bunch of Hunters and a small army of covered ops
soldiers, armed to fucking teeth with the best tech old
Uncle Sam's money could buy...and trained to use it.
Speak about being stuck under a BIG heap of shit...and
to top it off Xander just had to choose this time to go
freak again.
Faith wished she could have cried.

"There isn't so much blood," Harmony said after she did
a practical thing for once and inspected the fridge. "I
guess we can get over a week or two...then it's back to
us hunting."

Harmony had no idea of their blood demand, obviously.
Faith knew she had to feed thrice as often as the usual
vampire until her demon got cranky again and she was not
a happy camper then. She was almost psycho herself but
the demon made her snap and then she went out not just
to kill but slaughter. She hated the very idea of her in
the control of the demon, though she wasn't so much
against the idea of a little action...
Regular feeding was the only real answer to that.
Unfortunately either she left a trail of bodies leading
the whitehats on their tails (as that of any other vamps
around) or she left none at all dead, which would be the
same as holding up the red flagg to Buffy.
Damned if you do and damned if you don't?
Raiding blood banks was mostly out, too.
Xander had used the criminal underground to get a number
of factories in and made a steady supply for the vamps
in town, though that crashed down with Dave. So there
was no easy safe source of blood anymore.

Then it hit her, a headache situation again. One of the
improved Slayer dreams, the visions. Faith vamped out
and growled in pain as she saw Cordelia in the morgue.
Covered in a blanket and lying dead on the table the
naked body covered with blood suddenly twitched and got
to jerk upright. She was reviving.
Looking at the clock on the wall across the table Faith
guessed it would happen sometimes late in the day.
Cordelia was an Immortal. And had been killed for the
first time. No good news. Another asset for the damn
whitehats...
Or for them.
Faith remembered the frenchman. He couldn't die. They
had drained him repeatedly. And he didn't die. Well, he
came back after a short while.
"I got the answer to our problem," Faith said as she got
up to get herself a bag of blood. Threw it into the oven
first to mocriwave it to an acceptable temperature and
then consumed it. "And the best thing is...they won't be
looking out for this one...oh yeah."

"What are you talking about?" Harmony demanded.

"Nothing you have to concern yourselves with, Harm,"
Faith chucklead, grinning very sinister. "I'll tkae care
of the blood issue later this day."

"So we're going hunting?"

"No. YOU will stay in here and guard sleeping beauty,"
Faith informed her disdainfully. "If someone came for my
Xand you'll better die before him...for if you run away,
I'll track you down and...?"

"I see, I see!" Harmony whined. "Shit, what devil ever
made me believe I could do a deal with you?"

"One named need," Faith drily coughed out. She had no
way around, anyway. "Trust me, I'll solve the problem."

"You gonna get us a ticket outa here?"

"Too risky," Faith sighed. Too many memories and too
many guys looking for them. Especially the feds. The
whitehats didn't have the manpower to track them down
but the official police guys had...and then they would
be hunted down the quick way. Buffy would love it. And
Willow probably had her sly little fingers so deep in
the casefiles by now she'd know about all of it. Maybe
she even handed out hints. "We're gonna stay in here
and hide for a while...last time they'll ever search
for us, I bet."

In reality she was not sure that Xander was in any
condition to travel. This place was the best chance they
had to make it through this mess halfway unscathed. They
had all their important things stored in here anyway.
So, once he was well they would figure out a way to get
away unnoticed. Xander was pretty good at this cloak and
dagger stuff.

"You're crazy," Harmony stated and laughed. "Of course
you are. And I must be, too. They will search for us. In
all parts of this town. And with the fiasco...mhm, you
two aren't exactly popular faces around here now, I'll
bet."

"See if I care," Faith snorted disdainfully. She was a
Slayer...well, a vampire which had been a Slayer. She
was powerful, vicious and very good at taking apart all
that displeased her. "Or if they DARE to cross me."
The warning glare was directed at Harmony.

"In our current state? Most would rip him and me to
shreds and enjoy it. You'd last a while but...?" the
blonde said as she shook her head. "Geez, I'm as deep
in this as you are. You can trust me...as I do not
have any other place to go, anyway."

"What a great reassurance," Faith humored her. "You're
one of his minions now."

"I know," she admitted reluctantly. "I hate it but I
probably am. Jesus H. Christ, you're gonna pay me for
all that...hear me?"

Faith paid her not much of a mind. She rather thought
about what she had to do with Cordelia. Keeping her as
a prisoner was no big issue, getting her was harder. If
the body just vanished the Scoobies would get alarmed
and start looking. So she had to make certain the body
did not went missing.

Later on, after a bit of rest and with new clothes on,
Faith left the safehouse. Using a specially tailored
heavy cloak, gloves, a suit and a deep hood to protect
herself from the sunlight she walked a block and called
a cab. One that brought her close to the morgue.
It was just a matter of using her whammy to take a few
orderlies, nurses and doctors to help her. Faith did
not think so much but made them switch the dead body of
Cordelia Chase against that of another dead girl. She
was of similiar height and build and had died of being
attacked by a wild dog. She even had the same colour of
hair or locked like it.
A close up revealed differences but that probably would
not happen. Faith made them exchange the bodies and sent
the new Cordelia to be transffered to Sunnydale with
the dawn of the new day.
Being part of the mayor's old gang she knew a lot of the
residents dirty laundry. She also knew how to get one of
the undertakers to get Cordy put to rest on the double,
no questions asked and no long services given.
Hopefully the gang would go home, now that Adam was no
more, and take to attend the burial. It would simplify
many a matter.
The third step of Faith's actions was to take Cordy out
of the hospital under the other women's name, who got
officially cremated and the ashes then were handed out
to an unnamed family member.
She planted memories with the nurses on duty and some
others and let them make up the paperwork sloppily.
Her whammy being not so good at making up memories it
still served - they would probably think they forgot
and cover up their own sloppy work as far as possible.
Of course, she erased her presence here as well.
Fourth and finally Faith took the dead Cordelia and left
the morgue in the late afternoon. Another cab brought
her away and the whammied driver brought her back. He'd
also remember her as a single male with a big suitcase.
And write down in his little book he had driven her to
another place in town, never getting near the safehouse.
Faith left him a generous tip to make him stop asking
questions about the drive.

She was deadly tired, her head hurt a lot from all the
power she had used up and finally it still was day. She
smoked a bit and it hurt a lot to be out here. But she
got the still stiff and dead Cordy in her bodybag and
she carried her back inside.
Harmony was totally awed with her ging out during the
day. Not that Faith considere dit anything but foolish.
She just was...desperate.
Faith fell unto the sofa and needed two bags before her
head stopped spinning and she got strength back into
her cold limbs. About the same time she had finished to
clean up, clothe and chain Cordelia the Immortal had
finished her healing and woke up.
Quite the eery experience.
A dead body suddenly got a heartbeat again, radiated the
old heat and sucked air into empty lungs. She coughed a
lot and had some pains in her muscles but nothing else
happened. She was well within less than half a minute.

Faith was duly impressed.

"Shit," Cordelia uttered as she recognized them. "You
abducted me?"

"Sort of."

"If you want to blackmail Angel...that won't work."

"This is not about Angel," Faith said. "Nor will they
come looking for you, C." She smiled and reveled in her
secret knowledge. "They think you're dead."

"Dead? But I...!" Cordelia spat annoyed and then she
fell silent. Her eyes widened with a memory of how she
died. Some demon getting the better of her, Faith was
not really interested. "What did you do to me? Did you
turn me?"

"By everything holy, no!" Harmony laughed as she heared
the word. She shook herself with laughter. "You'd be
totally unbearable as one of us."

"Shouldn't that be unholy?" Cordelia muttered.

"Nah," Faith shook her head, giving a one-sided grin,
"I don't worship anyone aside from my loverboy here."

Cordelia noticed the burnmarks on Faith and sneezed as
she commented upon them, damaged goods or such. Then she
asked what was wrong with Xander.

"No idea," Faith answered. "He'll get well again." He
HAD to. "Anyway, we didn't have to turn you. Or use any
spell on you."

"Oh sure, I just come back from the dead on my own."

"Smart girl," Faith smirked and Cordelia gaped, shook
her head. "What, you thought you were human? Comeon, C.
You're just looking the part. Should be glad. You're
pretty hard to kill now that you...matured, sort of. But
I still could do it - if need be."

"You're lying."

"What use is a lie if the truth's so much better?" Faith
gloated, shaking her head slowly. She looked at her
sleeping man and sighed. "I bet you'll wonder what made
me take you."

"You want Buffy to come to the rescue so you can kill
her?" Cordelia guessed and rnated on with other names.
"Or is this another plot about you showing your guy he
doesn't want to get his thing up my ass?"

"Since I got to see it up close...hey, don't blush!"
Faith chuckled and saw Harmony nearly choke on laughter.
Anyway, Cordelia was largely embarrassed to learn who
wiped most of the dirt away and aslo clothed her anew.
Faith had enjoyed seeing the naked woman. Very much.
"Anyway, I might give it a try myself. or watch him do
it."

"Pervert."

"You're a great one to speak on that, Cordy," Harmony
gloated ferally, licking her lips. She blinked at the
chained brunette and her lips made a kissing motion.
"You'd get so off on it, I bet..."

"I changed."

"Tell that one to someone ready to buy it, C. You're a
slut like me and you enjoy it," Faith stated without any
remorse. Rather enjoying how the former May Queen turned
her head aside ashamed. "Don't hide it. Whatever, I did
not get you here for sex or getting kicks out of hurting
you. That's bonus. And it's not even about your friends
either. This time it all is just about what you are."

"Huh?"

"See, you got that incredible healing power...I could
stab you, break your neck, choke you, drown and flame
you, poison you. And you'll always come back!" Faith
told her captive in a very cool manner. "Like I said,
you take a damn lot of killing, C. And guess what else
I - WE - can do repeatedly with you?"

Cordelia held her breath, figuring it out. It was in
her demeanor. The shock, the horror of the realization
hit her hard. "Spare me that torture crap!"

"I didn't lie," Faith said. She went to prove it at
once, taking one of her claws to cut a gash into the
back of Cordelia's hand. And watched the healing.
Cordelia was lost for words at this. "See, C? So very
convenient that they all labeled you dead...and will
continue doing so. Noone is coming to rescue you now."

"Whore," Cordelia returned with a trembling in her body
and also in her soul. She did not try to break her
restraints, she just looked at Faith and Harmony. Most
of all at Harmony. "What does you make to work with the
slimies, Harmony? You got a fucking soul!"

"Doesn't mean you gotta be so good at being human, now,
does it?" Harmony countered the offense. She looked at
Cordelia and asked her about the past, how she had then
enjoyed her position of power and glory. "I'm no Angel
looking for redemption, Cordelia."

"Guess not," Cordelia whispered roughly. Closing her
dark eyes she muttered a very insulting phrase about
what exactly Harmony was.
And that got Harmony to vamp out and come to her...to
strike out. Slap Cordelia and call her things. Bitch,
most of all.

Faith generously let her have it out with the former
cheerleader and went for new blood. Now that their
supply was secured they could afford to wait. As for
Harmony loosing control, submitting to her demon as
more and more days passed...not very good.
Faith began to wonder how her own record in that one
department was. Not so very good, she had to admit.
Not so good - but it could also be worse.
As Faith watched a vamped Harmony scream in a fit of
old bitter rage at Cordelia and pound her to death, and
a bit after her dying, she started thinking.
Harmony was a lover scorned, or close to, and Cordelia
had that one coming for a long time. Not that Faith did
not want to see her pay for her sins, after all she had
wounded her lover very deeply, but still...she did not
hate Cordelia Chase that much.
She thought she did - yet as she got close...and got to
see her for real agin...she wondered. How close was she
to the bitch Faith made her out to be?
Maybe there was a reason as to why Xander never liked to
bow down to his demon, and why she followed him down the
route. Getting off on a human kill just because of her
hungry demon wasn't something she felt so comfortable
with. Actually, she felt rather disinclined to prey on
any human beings at all.
It was no challenge, they were so weak and easy to kill.
And seeing them die - what got she from it?
Certainly not the kind of love and happyness she got
from Xander after they came here. The minimal amount of
bashing others made her feel incomplete and edgy, yeah.
But most of the time it had been worth it. Or close to.
Maybe she didn't like to hand out her humanity that fast
as she had done before...maybe.
Faith looked at Harmony and was very silent.
After a while she made Harm back off, after all she did
not want Cordy to be permanently damaged. Or out that
long. She did not even get much of a kick out of hurting
the other woman.
Torture just wasn't the same as before anymore. She felt
so dead and empty as she had not done since a long time
ago. This one didn't even have much sense.
Faith looked at her childe and lover and swallowed. He
still had feelings for Cordelia - a lot. She did not want
to hurt or offend him, so Cordy would be safer...with
him around.
She still would have to be drained.
And fed, feeding her and all the rest people just had to
do over time. Moving a bit, going to the toilet and the
bathroom for a shower...yes.
Faith just knew they would be in here for a while and
Cordy was the only clean supply of blood around. Maybe
Faith should come up with a means to extract the blood
without hurting her so much - and giving her the chance
to regenerate quickly.
As the night fell she went out to shop for all the minor
necessities they had forgotten to bring to the shop. At
least they had a lot of clean money available.
When she returned she had to make Harmony back off from
hurting Cordelia agin, this time more refined. Cordy was
loath to submit to the torment Harmony put her under.
Just a little dominance ploy.
The game was for C to hand out her wrist and let herself
get drained or get beaten badly.

"Why?" Harmony muttered darkly, backing off as Faith
actually growled against her. "It won't kill her and I
want her to know who's boss NOW!"

"I don't like The Bitch either, H," Faith barked as she
unpacked her bags on a table and seperated them. "But I
won't let you harm her."

"She's MINE!" Harmony answered, angrily. "I want her. I
want to make her scream and submit to me..."

"Just because you got down on her and she didn't stay at
your side, huh?" Fatih sneered, disgusted. "Grow up. She
never wanted you in her heart - and she's stronger than
you anyway, so that's no way to do that."

Cordelia, covered in dried and fresh blood, with her
jaws healing, looked up astounded. And doubting.
Harmony glared at the smaller brunette vampiress and her
throat let out a low growl. She was pissed, angry. And
lost to many conflicting emotions. "I can break her!"

"In this century or the one after?" Faith gloated as she
shook her head, kneeling to inspect Cordelia. "Stop to
hurt her, Harmony. At least until you get his permission
to do so."

"You owe me a favor," Harmony tried, leering at the
trembling Immortal. "I want that one."

"Then...you've...got to...wait till...hell freezes over,
Harm," the weak voice of Xander rasped out from the
couch after his eyes flipped open. Still weak but his
anger was unmistakeable. "What have I missed? And who
the heck killed Cordelia!"

"None of us," Harmony hissed. "We got us a blood source,
bad boy. And such a nice little toy she's, too...don't
you also just want to make her scream?"

"I'd rather think making her scream and afraid of you is
just because you want her to dominate you again, don't
you, Harm?" Xander laughed at her, glaring. He did not
move, was too weak for it. "Next time you touch her I'll
throw you into the sunlight myself!"

"In YOUR state?" Harmony laughed, daring to show claws.
"No can do there."

Faith felt like this was the moment to go and stand up
at his side when Xander did something...something that
made his eyes glow bluewhite, for a moment. It also
made Harmony stumble backwards and scream in pain.

"Don't you DARE to cross me, baby," Xander snarled at
the blonde vampiress but Faith could see how tired
and confused he was beyond his mask of certainty. He
didn't know what he did there and how, not exactly
anyway. He'd learn - it looked very impressive. "No
matter when..."

Harmony, fallen on her knees and hands and almost up to
weep, nodded and growled in restrained anger. Her eyes
seemed to say: maybe for now but one other day the
tables will get turned and then you will pay for this.

"You're hungry," Faith said as she came to check on
him and soon noticed what irritated her. He had a weak
but steady heartbeat now. And he breathed. "I'll get
you some blood."

"Mix it with something more solid, F," Xander whispered.
"I'm starved and I know...I feel I need it!"

Faith did not say how shocked she was at the statement
but she nodded and fulfilled his wish. If it helped to
make him get healthy once again she'd do everything.
He dozed of again until she came close with the food.
Still too weak to lift a hand he got fed by her like
a little baby - feed the soup she mixed the blood with.

Cordelia made disgusted sounds. "They will stake your
asses for this!" she hissed, still busy healing. "I will
see you die...you freaks! Monsters! Scum! I swear...I
will see you die, you evil fuckers! Sickos! Perverts!"

"That more than you are, Cordy?" Xander replied with the
same old exhaustion he showed before. A little better
after he came to gulp down the thin soup Faith made for
him. "You're a great cook, F."

"I'll add that to my career appliance notes later,"
Faith groaned, feeding him spoon after spoon. Strange,
she thought, she liked this. Have his head on her lap,
crawl his hair and feed him spoon for spoon. Just being
there for him...and know he'd do the same for her. "Got
the feeling they shouldn't get the C."

"Probably right," Xander sighed with half closed eyes.

Cordelia glared at them. "You won't make this. Buffy or
Angel will find me...they will know...!"

"And then what?" Xander asked her, brutally cutting her
short. He sighed as he moaned. "Cordy, you are Immortal
now. Part of the Game."

"I'm what?"

"You're Immortal. Unless someone cuts off that nice
little head of yours you will never get sick, old or
stay wounded or dead for long!" Xander smirked while he
turned his eyes on her. "There are some juicy parts to
this but I'll tell you later. Just get it into your head
that you can live as long as Angel does. You'll live to
see almost everyone around you grow old and wither away.
And you can guess there's a catch or two."

"What did you bastards do to me!"

"Nothing," Faith grinned ferally, purring almost. "You
were born to be. Born to be human and grow up to the day
you died...hey, it ain't gonna be so bad, being twenty
for all times, is it? Not with your looks anyway." She
felt a slight stab of jealousy over Cordelia's bosoms.
Not that Faith had a reason to complain...not much.

"Spare me that crap," Cordelia begged. Well, as close as
she ever got to. She slumped back against the wall and
kept the tears back and fed on her rage. "If I ever get
out of here I'll see you destroyed."

Xander laughed, which noone took so well. Faith did not
think she was making empty threats - she could do it.
She very well could do it.

"And I will get away."

"Cordy, as soon as I'm well again I promise I'll let you
go," Xander said suddenly. Was he mad? "I won't let them
hurt you, either. Well, not more than necessary. We do
need that blood after all."

"I can get it out the medical way," Faith stated and
looked a little bit proud at the device on the table.
"Just a little stab and you'll not feel anything..."

"Riiight!" Cordelia screamed, pulling at her chains.
"And then you just will let me go home again."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"You're a friend. We...don't have to fight. I would
rather not see that happen."

"Sick joke. You came here to challenge Angel."

"Bull!" Faith laughed, taxing the brunette. "Chick, we
came here because we got a chance to stay low, make
some money and live...just because Angel's there and
noone should have come looking for us." She snorted. "We
really aren't into hunting good guys unless they do come
after us first."

"Geez, how comes some people tell a lot of different
stories about you there?" was the snorted answer. The
brunette glared at them. "You just wanted to take over
and were biding your time!" she accused them all.

"Who tells stories?" Faith asked reasonably. The evil
guys? Sure, they went after the big bads and all for the
pure fun of it. What else had they ever done, for real?
The Watchers? Great. Just kept coming and gunning and
they were on the run from the fuckers constantly. Not
much love lost there. And who else was there?

"How about you two being wanted for mass murder."

"We didn't do that, we were framed!" Faith barked as she
remembered what a bad surprise that had been. Not so
very funny, really. "I know, I know, but it's true.
After we took out most of the big wheels in Atlanta
their new boss thought of a way to get rid of us and so
he made up the serial killing shit. Wasn't easy to get
the bloodhounds off our trail afterwards."

"I bet!" Cordelia chocked out. "And you never dirtied
your hands anytime."

"Nah. Yeah, we killed enough to qualify - and some of
them were innocents, just at the wrong place at the
wrong time," Faith said. Wondering why she bothered to
give the honest answer. "But we didn't abduct little
kids and cut them up for fun."

"Mhm. We just got some kinky college girls killed or
campers at the backroads and some tourists," Xander
muttered, less than happy about it. "WE didn't get a
hundred years of experience in dealing with the demons
in there, Cordy."

"Not to mention you get off on it."

"Sometimes. You sure you wouldn't?" Xander answered
in a neutral tone. It got to her much harder than any
curse or threat or whatever Faith thought up on her
own. "Don't be so certain about who you are."

"Whatever, I didn't kill anyone!" Cordelia hissed and
that one was right. Probably. "Next you're gonna tell
me you just prey on the bad guys and have some pesky
souls in that skulls and you would like to keep clean.
Oh, and you aren't into bringing evil to the world for
the pure fun of the mayhem in it."

"Sort of. We got souls," Faith nodded, grinning. "And
we mostly don't bother with people if we get another
sort of source for blood. No challenge in it. And since
Angel cut us off we would have to go hunting again - if
we didn't had you."

"Remind me to thank him for rooting out the supply for
blood to about half the vamps in LA!" Xander barked
unhappily. "Like it or not, that will make them hunt way
more often...and kill more people."

"Never thought of this," Harmony gloated and seemed to
glow with dark humor. She sat on the floor and grimaced.
"Someone told the soulboy that?"

"He'll learn soon enough, when the bodies come in,"
Xander sighed unconcerned. "As for the evil part, right,
we're not at all into it."

"I don't believe you," Cordelia barked stubbornly. "If
you were you wouldn't have left Buffy. Or killed the
Watchers."

"They attacked us and things went bad," Faith said and
still got angry about the memories. "When the darn tweed
folks' goons had us pinned to the floor and death came
calling it was demon day. Sure we got off on it! You
think we want to die?" She sighed. "I won't lie and say
I feel inclined to save anyone. Heroics's his department
in our partnership." She chuckled at the notion. At
times he was almost ready to go down the redemption road
like Angel. Luckily, he had her to keep him away from
this whole painful nonsense. "We are ready to kill to
live."

"And that makes you good guys."

"It makes us people," Xander sighed, sadly. His eyes
looked into the infinity as he poundred that. "Things
might have gone different if Buffy and the gang hadn't
decided to kill me. I mean, everyone else and they'd do
doubletakes to save them, regardless of the risks. But
all I get is a stake...makes me wonder about what sort
of friends they are. WERE."

"And instead you hang out with murder girl, who's such
a starling example of virtue that she killed a man and
went to the dark side!" the pissed Immortal laughed,
fell silent and gaped at the wall. "Right."

"First away, she's my sire. Second, she pulled my ass
out of the space between the earth adn Buffy's stake.
You ever try talking to her? She just hit me!" xander
hissed with venom in his voice. "And third...I would
not be so sure of WHO killed the deputy mayor."

"Oh, she told you it was Buffy. Same old."

"Since I was the guy to make Faith's stakes I made her
ones of a certain wood I got my hands on. Guess which
wood they did NOT pull out of the dead body," Xander
sighed, really pissed but not going to make a point of
it. "It's no proof for or against. But who do you think
had the most to loose, huh? Faith? Sorry, she got a kill
under her belt before her Calling and tweed folk knew
about it." He grinned as Cordelia looked stunned. "Whom
else do we have as a suspect...a skanky little bitch who
likes to be the center of the universe - was that YOUR
description of her, when we were talking about me being
with the gang too much? Or was it not? And she is ready
to let people rot just to make out with her undead
boyfriend."

"Hey, she was...she was...I mean, she loved him and she
had him...! That's not fair," Cordelia rasped back.

Faith could only keep shut up and be amazed. That was
her boy, she thought. Feeling pride at this.

"I wasn't exactly talking about the Angelus issue but
the time before," Xander drily filled her in. "Angelus
was even better. Anyway, Faith trusted Buffy more than
anyone else in her live...and the first time that trust
was put to the test she got backstabbed. What would you
have done in that situation?"

"I might have run away, I certainly wouldn't have gone
over to the enemy!" Cordelia claimed, without any
hesitation.

"I was tired of running. Or getting kicked in the butt
by so-called friends," Faith meant sardonically. Her
trademark psycho grin wasn't on her face but a sober
grimace. "The mayor cared for me, really cared. Despite
being an evil man...he never sold me out."

"Of course not," Cordelia joked. It should have been a
sarcastic comment but somehow it lacked effect.

"Hey, you think I couldn't have come after you on my
own? Or later on? I never did," Faith informed the
woman, the old familiar anger creeping back into her.
"They treated him like shit, for years. They treated me
the same. Except that he kept with her no matter what
she did...either means he's too dumb or loyal for his
own good. Well, your fault to give him up and my gain."
She grinned at the emotional display on Cordelia's face.
Felt good to know that she began to understand what she
had lost there.

"What about a combination of both?" Xander mused, a
hand on his head, breaking the moment before Cordelia
could give a chilling retort. "I don't want to kill any
of them, being old friends and such. Besides, they are
the good folks. But I don't want to see them all ever
again either."

"You're crazy. They're our FRIENDS!"

"So? Willow jumped me with her crush thing in the
factory and fucked up the one good thing I ever managed
to get in all my stinking pit of a life," Xander barked
back, dismayed. "I mean, she's kinda my sister and it's
just awful to have...you know. And that was when she was
with Oz AND had never ever said a thing for years!"

"She was your best friend!"

"Mhm. Good enough. Which is why she was the most eager
one to go and stake me," Xander hissed. "Nice friend,
really nice. Noone ever thought of chaining me up and
working until the course worked or such. No, they just
decided to dust me and be done with it. And, hey, who
was the guy that made them their stakes and got the food
and didn't do his homework to help research and patrol?"
He was deeply angry there. "I might even have made high
school, you know? Once I was with F I started to pick my
brain and study on my own...doing a lot better than ever
before. I could have made an SAT good enough to get into
college as well. Heck, you think I didn't start to get
the hang of several languages in the library? I didn't
just look at the pictures in the books forever, after
all. But no, I never thought twice before I jumped
between them and whatever came gunning for them."

"Noone asked you to."

"Please, they needed me. But it would have been nice to
get a thanks once in a while!" Xander returned, lost in
his mood. "Especially after I got the gist of it and
spent months covering their backs. You know who kept the
town safe for summer? Me. Just had a vamp coming for a
kid and took it out...when they went away. Just me, and
nobody else, Cordelia. I could do it."

"You could get yourself killed, you mean."

"Surprisingly I learnt how to dodge harm whenever they
were not around," Xander answered annoyed. "Most of the
time, anyway. And I got by. You think it was funny? I
risked my neck and when they returned and I talked what
I did in summer they never bothered to listen...just
said I was weak and wouldn't make it, even trying to
hunt on my own was clear suicide. Damn sick joke it all
was. And when they got settled into town again I was the
goofball who had to pick up the pieces left over while
all they talked about was their college!" He sighed,
letting go of his old anger. "I once told you that I was
contributing to the gang. Well, guess who got Angel to
go after Buffy in the master's lair. Old brood would
have sat in his apartment and let it all go down to hell
if I hadn't shown up. Same for me pulling Giles out as
Buffy and Angelus fought...don't mention the half dozen
of vamps roaming the area besides them and who I got to
dispatch before they got close. The fishmen, that damn
VampWillow, Jack O'Toole and his zombies with their bomb
and the Judge, our dearest mayor..."

"In short, without you the gang never got anywhere?"
Cordelia surmised and laughed, high and loud. "You're
pretty delusional."

"Am I that far out?" Xander asked, soberly. "Hey, I do
not say they're worthless without me. But the first
real challenge they faced was Adam and guess what, they
broke and ran away and who got to face the bastard? To
whom did Angel sent it?"

"You're that much overestimating yourself."

"Is he?" Harmony asked. "I mean, he lived for quite a
while and it is true that the Slayer wasn't half as
effective after he left. Scratch down most of it for
her grief but...without him to clean up after she got
the big wheels done for she wasn't so effective."

"Not to mention that we've been fighting and hunting,"
Faith answered smuggly. "And I say he's damn good at
it...and other things. He's good at making plans and
the brain stuff."

"Xander and brains?" Cordelia said, aghast. "You really
have lost your mind!"

"Am I that dumb? I mean, the club worked for a while
until you came there. And I doubt you were even looking
for us," Xander stated, contemptous. "I got us rid of
the feds, I got us away from the Watchers, I set up a
classic underground club and I had several big business
actions going for a while. Blood, favors, information,
houses...I dealt in all of it. And noone noticed!" He
smiled, full of it there. "Give it a year or two and I
would have become rich. Fucking damn rich, me, the guy
who was trailer trash material. Now tell me how you got
to find us, Cordelia."

"We got a tip." She was being closemouthed.

"About US?" Faith inquired. "Tell us!" As she didn't she
repeated the order more fiercely.

Cordelia flinched. "Friend of us...saw the frenchie stab
Harmony...with his sword, in a vision. Knew the place
from before."

"So you came to save me?" an angry Harmony incredulously
gulped. "Fucking screwups! I was there because of you!"

"Call it a twist of fate," Faith chuckled. Very amusing,
that. If Cordy had not shown up to safe VampHarmony all
of it would have gone different. They might still havbe
their home and the quiet life assorted to it. "Nice...
you get us into the whole mess by being a good guy. The
story of my life, good guys just screw it up."

"Blow it off, Faith," Harmony muttered disgusted. "They
do that to everyone. Fuck, she admitted that she wants
you to go down! They took away everyhting I had, twice.
Same as for you. Let's punish her a bit."

"No," Xander said. Just one word.

"What?" Harmony coughed, surprised. "You let them treat
you like that? Don't you want to even out the account,
just for a bit?"

"Not like this, no," Xander said wearily. Looking up at
her he smiled. Tender love. Faith smiled back. Though
inwardly she would have liked to do some payback...but a
little bit more refined than hurting Cordy. She tried it
before and she failed at it with Buffy. Torturing her to
death slowly would not have been so much fun as she had
thought before. "It was not her fault."

"Not her fault? If she had not shown up we...!"

"It might have been Angel in her stead," Xander said.
"And then there would still be that Adam thing. He used
us to get rid off that and he destroyed our business, so
he wants us out of town. Not necessarily dead but out of
his territory."

"What a reason to fall in love with the old son of a
bitch," Harmony snarled, rasing her claws. "I say we
should burn down his place and kick his ass..."

"Real neat," Faith groaned. Right now they were not in
shape for that and Harmony's idea of a good fight was
either a surprise attack from behind or overkill.
First to swarm the enemy with as many dumb goons as she
was able to move forwards and then either finish it and
claim victory or to run away. The typical street gang
tactics and Faith had learnt they were rather too simple
to work against a real enemy.
She didn't have the spine for a fight on her own unless
she was hurt and thought she could beat the other...or
was unable to run away.

"And what's it gonna do for us?" Xander sighed. "One day
he'll pay for this. You are a far too obsessed with the
revenge issue."

"So you got a plan?" Faith said. "Before you say so, we
lost the yacht. Our manager beat it to the thing over
the day..."

"Why else would we be here?" Xander chuckled softly, his
hand touching hers. "Don't worry. We will get away. They
will not remember much about us and we got a lot of
money out of it, anyway."

"We won't be rich."

"The first attempt failed, so what? We can always try
again," Xander answered, taking the defeat with more
humor and confidence than Faith felt like she possessed
at this time. "We will get out of here, find another
town and hide."

"And then in another couple of months the Watchers show
up and burn our place down again!" Faith groaned. "Or
some other asshole does. I'm sick of that."

"With what?" Xander grinned. "F, the goons went to Buffy
for help. Wouldn't do it if they had enough men to do it
on their own. A team or two and we'll be rid of them."

"Unless they sent a Slayer," Harmony uttered. "They will
sent a Slayer. Buffy is not going to live forever, you
know?"

"Now that's gonna be a party," Faith laughed with all
her heart in it. B was probably the most powerful one
for decades to come - from what she got most of those
girls were loosers who died in a year or two. They had
no chance against them if they got experience on their
side...and even Buffy would have lost against the both
of them. "I don't fear any Slayer."

Cordelia groaned, shaking her head. "They will get you.
Sooner or later your luck runs out."

"Luck?" Faith burst out angrily. "We never had much
luck! What we did we did by ourselves, thanks a lot."

"Wish we had some, for a change," Xander grimaced and
looked at Cordelia again. "We'll have to do without."

"Boy, you'll never get anywhere!" Cordelia spat. "And
it's because you two lack what it takes to get there."
She giggled. "Kill me like you want, it won't matter.
Once the others learn about this they come after you
until they get you dusted."

"We'll see about this, Cordelia. We'll see about it,"
Xander promised with a sneer. "I think I put some TV
in here, can we get some? I want to see something
entertaining..."

"Sure we have," Harmony gloated as she moved to get
the remote. "What do you want to see?"

"News. Stuff about us," Xander stated. What else? "What
else did you think, a soap opera? Puh-lease, I got
enough of those to last for...a while."

"And I think it's time to start milking the cow!"
Harmony answered viciously. "Can I at least do that?"

"Let Faith do the honors, Harm," Xander stated icily.
She wasn't in his favor right now. "Don't fight and it
won't hurt."

"Sounds familiar," Cordelia grunted before she did all
she could to resist. "I just failed to pick up that
lection...assholes! Don't you dare to touch me, you
damn fangfreaks!"

She looked nicer as she was angry and struggled, Faith
thought. And those titties under her bloodied shirt.
Certainly nice as well. Maybe Harmony had a reason to
get cranky about loosing that one...if she ever thought
she had her netted, of course. She had Cordelia down
with a few fast movements and then the needle went in.
The blood started to flow out into the bag...fresh and
warm and full of life. Oh yeah.
When she was done and she was almost drained Faith could
not resist to lick the drop of blood from the bare upper
arm. It tasted great. "Hope you liked it too, C," Faith
whispered before raisin. "She'll need a lot of food to
make up for the lost blood. Soon."

"I'll go and cook," Harmony answered. "I, uhm, can...a
bit at least."

"Whatever," Faith said. Xander slept again.
And that was how it was for the next days.
Sleep, draining the wailing Cordelia, eating, watching
the idiot box and sleeping again. Broken up with a bit
of lonesome sparring, sizing up resources and finally
even a bit of sex. After three days in there even
Harmony wasn't that untouchable anymore (Faith almost
forgot how much she needed her kinks). She would have
liked to try Cordelia, but that one was forbidden. Not
without her giving consent and that wasn't gonna happen.
Xander had promised her she wouldn't be harmed that way.
Too damn honourable for his own good, her Xander.