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A/N as always any correctness of grammar is due soley to the efforts of my wonderful proof reader April, she must claim all the credit and thanks

Faith scanned the expectant faces before her; some of the girls - Rona and Kennedy in particular - wore triumphant expressions that made the dark slayer’s hackles rise. Okay, so she and B had had more than their share of differences, but the gloating ingratitude of these girls was beyond distasteful. Others - the sensible ones, she guessed - looked uneasy, maybe even a little scared.

She took a deep breath and looked at Dawn. “Right. I’ve got a plan, but we’ll need reinforcements. Dawn, you know how to find Spike?” The girl look wary but nodded. “Go get him. Giles can drive you.”

“Faith,” Giles’ voice was almost a reprimand, “I don’t think…”

“It’s not your call,” Faith cut him off, surprising herself with the calmness of her own voice. “We’ve all seen what we’re up against. We need all the muscle we can get, and you guys just kicked out a fully-functional slayer.” She paused, pinning the watcher with a challenging stare. “Take Dawn; Spike’s back on the home team.”

For a moment the watcher looked ready to argue. He took a step towards her, removing his glasses. “Faith—“ he began, but she cut him off quickly. It wouldn’t do for this to escalate into a full-blown row in front of the girls.

“You made me the boss, Giles,” she told him, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “You can’t have it both ways.”

…………………..

“Spike,” Dawn called, her voice barely a whisper. If he were there he’d have no problem hearing her. If he wasn’t, well, then she didn’t want to draw attention to herself.

“’Bit?” He emerged from the shadows just behind her, making her jump, her hand going to rest against her pounding chest.

“Jees, Spike.” She frowned at him, “Can we tone down the creature of the night routine? You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“Sorry, pet.” He gave her a soft smile. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s okay.” She took a deep breath. Spike wasn’t going to like any of this. “Look, some stuff’s happened. I need you to come with me.”

“Buffy?” His eyes scanned her face urgently, looking for answers. “Is she okay?”

“Buffy’s fine,” Dawn assured him. “Faith and the others are going to try and capture a bringer. Faith sent me to get you; she wants backup. We’re supposed to meet everyone at the corner of Hilton Street.”

“Right, then.” His voice took on a sarcastic tone. “Let me get my coat. Do I need to bring my own stake or will one be provided?”

“Please, Spike. I can’t explain but I promise no one will stake you.” She gave him her best innocent, pleading look. “If the bringers have a Turok-han, then more girls could get hurt.”

She saw him soften. Oh yeah, he’s the big bad, all right. “Please, Spike, we need you.”

……………………….

He watched from the shadows as Kennedy rounded the corner of the alley, head down, expression sullen. To his left he could hear the soft footsteps of the approaching bringers. He frowned, closing his eyes as he focused on the sound. “Five,” he whispered to the dark-haired slayer beside him. A heavier tread sounded among the scuffle of the bringers’ feet. “And one big nasty.”

She nodded, one deep line appearing between her eyebrows, full lips slightly parted. “All right, how ‘bout you and me deal with ugly and the girls get one bringer between three?”

“Sounds like a plan, pet, though the odds woulda looked a sight better with another slayer on our side.” He watched the girl’s reaction closely, the way her eyes slid away from his, the slight rise in heart rate, the forced casualness to the toss of her hair.

“Like I said, B’s taking some time out. We can handle it.”

Any response the vampire might have made was cut off by Kennedy’s shrill scream. Time to go to work.

……………………..

Faith kicked it hard in the small of the back, springing out of range of its slashing talons as it spun toward her, drawing its attention away from Spike as he picked himself up with a groan. Bloody things were damned difficult to kill. He stood just in time to see it crumple Faith to the ground with a hard stroke of the back of its hand. With a roar, he leapt onto the Neanderthal vampire’s back, ripping at its throat with his own fangs. He held on tight for as long as he could, giving the slayer time to get to her feet, before it shook him off. Their next attack was synchronised, kicks and punches finding a rhythm that left their opponent reeling. Not bad for their first time together. A few more fights like this and they’d make a pretty good team. Not a patch on his and Buffy’s almost telepathic understanding, but pretty good.

Faith feinted left, drawing the Turok-Han with her. Spike read her intention and rolled under its swinging arm to come up behind it, plunging his stake into its armoured back. It arched away from the pain, giving him a chance to grab its arms, holding it in place for a few moments. A knife appeared in the dark slayer’s hand - a wicked, glinting blade, perhaps ten inches long. She swung at the thing’s throat, hacking at the tough, leathery skin until she finally detached its head from its body and it fell to dust between them.

They grinned at each other, enjoying the moment of shared victory. “Not bad, luv,” he complimented in a sexy drawl. “Remind me not to rub you up the wrong way.”

She gave him a bold, flirtatious look. “You can rub me up any way you want, tiger,” she said with a sassy wink and turned away to join the potentials.

“Well done, girls.” She said, her voice strong and business like as she stared down at the bound bringer at her feet. The other four lay dead, scattered around the alley. “Let’s get it back to the house.”

Kennedy and Vi dragged the thing to its feet and headed off towards Revello, with the rest of the potentials trailing after, chattering excitedly about the battle. Faith followed for a couple of steps before turning and locking eyes with the vampire, a half smile gracing her crimson lips. “You coming, blondie?” she invited casually.

…………………….

“Mission accomplished, I see,” Xander greeted tiredly as he and Willow entered the kitchen. Surprise flashed across his face when he saw the vampire but he didn’t say anything.

“So where’s Buffy?” Spike asked, peering through into the living room.

“She’s not here. I told you,“ Faith answered distractedly as Kennedy and Vi brought the bringer in. “Come on, we’ll tie it up in the basement,” she ordered briskly, leading the way downstairs.

“So when’s she get back?” Spike asked, looking between their nervous, guilty faces.

It was Willow who answered, wringing her hands nervously. “Uh...while you were gone, we all got together and t-talked out some disagreements that we were having,” she stuttered. “Um... and, eventually, after much discussion, Buffy decided that it would be best for all of us if she took a little time off, a little breather.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Uh-huh. I see. Been practicing that little speech long, have you?” He held the witch’s gaze challengingly, until she turned away. “So, uh, Buffy took some time off right in the middle of the apocalypse, and it was her decision?”

Xander pitched in then, trying to add his own justification for their treachery. “Well, we all decided.”

“Oh, right,” he drawled, his eyes fixed on the younger man. “of course, she needed a break.” his condescending sneer left Xander in no doubt that he had not been taken in by their clumsy deceit. “She works too hard,” Spike continued with feigned understanding. “Best thing for her, a bit of time out. So she’ll be back in a day or two, then? All refreshed and ready for the killing?”

“Yes,” Willow nodded vigorously. “That’s just what we thought. Uh, just what Buffy thought.”

“Right.” He gave a determined nod, stepping past the redhead and into the dining room. They watched him curiously, Xander with his head tilted to get the best view through his remaining eye, and Willow frowning deeply.

He reappeared moments later with the Scythe in his hand. “I’ll be off, then.” He turned to Dawn, who had just appeared in the doorway with Giles. “Sorry, pet.” He gave her a sincere apologetic look. “But I gotta go.”

“I’m afraid we won’t be able to allow you to take that.” Giles inclined his head towards the scythe and fixed the vampire with a flinty stare.

Spike smirked. “You wont allow it,” he drawled, his tone at once mocking and threatening.

It was Xander, in a rare moment of diplomacy, who raised his hands and came between the two. “Spike, man,” he addressed the vampire. “We’re grateful for your help.” He gestured at his own face. “Me most of all, and, God, I never thought I’d be saying that.” He shook himself, getting back on track. “But you know we can’t let you take the Scythe.”

"Can't really stop me either, can you?" he stated matter-of-factly, eying the small group of humans. "Now, I went to more than a bit of trouble to get this for the Slayer and I fancy her to have it. If any of you can tell me where she might be, I'd be right grateful. If not, I'll find her on my own." He raised an eyebrow when none of them answered, and turned to leave. Behind him, he heard Giles call for Faith and quickened his pace. The Scoobies might not be able to dispossess him of the Scythe but Faith would stand a fair chance.

He was a hundred yards down Revello when he heard the dark slayer’s boots beating on the tarmac behind him. "Spike," she called, her voice urgent but unthreatening.

He stopped, letting her catch up. "I'm going to find Buffy," he told her, keeping his back to her. "And where I go, the sharp and shiny goes, too." He turned to face her, ready for the inevitable fight, and was surprised to see a troubled frown on her pretty face.

"I never wanted it to go down like this, man," she told him, shaking her head slightly and biting down on her full lower lip. "I'm no leader. I'm the loner, the trouble maker, the rebel." She gave him a wry grin. "You know how it is."

He smirked back at her, eyes lighting with amused understanding - him and her, two of a bloody kind. "It's funny," she told him. "I used to look at B, with her friends and her watcher and her cute vamp boyfriends...“ She let her eyes travel appreciatively over his body for a moment before growing serious. "Everyone listening to her, following her, and – I don't know - jealous." She shook her head, breaking eye contact. "Now suddenly it's me everyone's looking to, wanting me to lead them. I'm right in the centre and I've never felt so alone."

She looked down, eyebrows pinched together in troubled thought, and in that moment he could see right through her tough girl armour. He saw a lost, frightened child in her big brown eyes and he knew her, knew her intimately, because she was him. "Hey, pet." He touched her shoulder gently, bringing her out of her reverie. "You're not doing so bad."

She smile gratefully at him, but shook her head in denial of his words. "I'm totally in the dark, man, and this shit is big." She glanced down at the Scythe, felt it reverberating power, and gave a slow, determined nod of her head. "Bring her back," she told the vampire, fixing her huge brown eyes on his. "Just bring her back."


................

A/N Sorry about the severe lack of Buffy in this chapter, we'll get back to her in the next one

Thanks to Rana for taking tht time to review. I hated writing the last chapter and your comments made me feel much better





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