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CHAPTER 3: Evesdropping, part 1


The limousine was speeding on the freeway, driving away from L.A. The brunette girl was staring out the back window at the retreating lights of the city. Soon, she couldn’t see them anymore so she sat back and lit up a cigarette. It earned her an annoyed snort from the woman sitting next to her. Tailored suit, manicured hands, perfect hair. She poured herself another scotch.


*Classy bitch* Faith thought to herself.


She inhaled deeply, and blew some of her cigarette smoke in Lilah's direction. The other lawyer sitting in front of her laughed.


"Shut up Gavin"


"Ow, I'm hurt. You’re so mean to me Lilah."


The woman turned to Faith.


"And you, put that out."


Faith smiled sweetly.


"Sure, as soon as I'm done."


"You know, we just saved you from a long and painful life in jail, maybe a little thank you would be appropriate don't you think?"


"Geez, did I forget to say thank you? My mom would be so horrified by my manners she'd beat me up into unconsciousness. Good thing she's dead.” Faith replied with her sweetest smile.


"You ungrateful little bitch!"


"There there, Lilah, calm down" Gavin said with this very annoying smile on his face.


As the two lawyers went back to bickering like they had been doing for the past two hours, Faith turned around and went back to looking out the window at the dark night. Nowhere else to look since she was stubbornly trying to avoid looking at the man sitting in front of her in the shadow.


Lilah finally shut up, and served herself yet another drink. He said something hurtful to the lawyer, but Faith shut his voice out. It was too unsettling to see him like that. She rarely felt sorry for people other than herself, but today she did. This wasn't meant to be. But compassion was not for survivors, so she shook the thought away.


"Care to fill me in on the big plan guys?" Faith finally asked, trying her best too look casual.


"Not yet."


"So, I'm supposed to play the staring role, but you won't tell me anything? All I know is: 'we're going to Sunnydale, we're going to take over the place, and I'm gonna play a major role in the ordeal.' What about that ritual the Mayor created for me? What is it all about? And how are we supposed to take Buffy and her little clique down?"


Lilah sighed, but Gavin answered.


"All you need to know for now honey, is that we're going to the Hellmouth, and Sunnydale is going down. This is all according to the Mayor’s will. This was his plan B for you in case everything else would have failed. He left our firm in charge. Our instructions were to get you out of trouble if you already were, and I’d say jail does qualify as trouble, and supervise everything. We're going to tell you the details once we get there."


"Fine."


She looked at the sign saying 'Sunnydale 15 miles' and got lost in her thoughts again.


SunnyD always brought one name back in her mind. Buffy. Her sister Slayer. They could have fought side by side. Sisters. Yes, she could have loved her like a sister. But this was no time to get soft. Not now. She could have loved her, maybe. She had it in her to love her. But she chose to hate her instead. The blond Slayer was everything Faith had always wanted to be. She had everything she always wanted and was always denied. And Faith had to hate her for that. She didn't remember exactly at what point she had chosen between love and hate, but she couldn't go back now. She would have to bring her down. Show her what it is to be the one on the ground. Bring her down like she would bring that Hell hole down.


"You want to kill her, don't you." He asked in a soft whisper.


"Understatement. I want to kill her just as much as you do big boy, and I want to make her suffer before."


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*There you are cutie* Spike chuckled quietly behind the tree.


*What's up with the girl power tonight luv?*


He watched, amazed, as Buffy, Dawn, Willow and Anya walked out of Buffy's house arm under arm. They all had weapons. Dawn and Anya had swords attached to their back, Willow was holding a crossbow, and Buffy had three stakes in her waistband.


*Quake with fear demon population of Sunnydale, for the girls are having a night out* He thought, amused, then started following them.


The girls ended up in one of Sunnydale's cemeteries and picked a fight with four vamps. Spike stuck to the shadows, merely watching the perimeter. He didn't want to get involved too much; he just wanted to keep the fight fair for the girls in case some brain dead vamp would care to join his lameass friends. But the girls were holding their own just fine.


Buffy was handling two at once and Dawn was taking care of her own vamp, while Anya and Willow were working on another one.


*The little bit was right, she IS pretty damn good...* He thought, amazed.


He was smiling proudly, watching Dawn fight, when a huge lahora demon tried to sneak past him.


"Oh no you don't"


He swiftly grabbed the demon in a chokehold from behind.


"See the ladies over there mate? These are my girls, and they are quite enjoying themselves right now. I'd rather keep it this way if you don't mind. Good luck in Hell." And he snapped the demon's neck.


When the fight was over, they all dusted themselves off and started walking in the direction where Spike was hiding. He went behind another crypt quickly so they wouldn’t see him.


Buffy spotted the dead demon Spike had killed and carefully pushed it with the tip of her boot to make sure it was dead.


"Wow, we rock! Those nasty thingies are majorly strong... which one of you guys killed it?"


They all looked at each other. Dawn protested when her sister looked at her.


"Hey, don't look at me" she put her hands up "I'm good, but not THAT good. I dusted my vamp and that's it."


"Oh well" Buffy shrugged "I guess mister friendly demon here had enemies."


Anya chipped in. "Well, us demons rarely kill each other. We don't like each other, but we don't kill each other either. I think the only demon I've ever met that kills other demons is Spike."


The blood drained out of Buffy's face as she tried to keep her cool. "Yeah well he's not here in case you haven't noticed yet. Can we move on?" She snapped harshly at Anya.


Dawn grabbed her sister's hand and they started walking away.


"Geez. Sorry. Someone is in need of a good…"


Willow put her hand on Anya's mouth, keeping her from finishing her thought.


"Anya, we are having a good time. Please don't make Buffy cranky."


Stunned, Spike looked at their retreating backs. It took him quite a few moments before shaking the stupor away and start after them. He was too far behind to eavesdrop on them, but he could tell that Buffy was back in laughing mood, which was good. They got all the way back to Buffy's house.


An hour later, the girls came out again, all wearing pretty dresses, perfume, makeup and high heels... obviously ready for a night out. So Spike took it as his cue to get lost and report to Giles.


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"Wow guys, I don't know how to thank you. I mean, look at that, you even kept it clean! How sweet of you." Faith dragged a finger over the stereo and inspected it mockingly.


Lilah put the bags on the bed.


"Maybe you should consider a career change Lilah. This place is so big; I could use some help. Ever considered a career as a maid?"


"Ever considered shutting you mouth for a second?" Lilah snarled back.


Faith looked at the stereo in front of her and remembered. The last person to stand in front of it was Buffy. That was just moments before they had kicked the hell out of each other and Faith woke up in hospital a year later.


Gavin, the Chinese lawyer who was constantly fighting with Lilah, walked into the loft with the last remaining bags.


"So that's your idea of keeping low profile Lilah dear? Taking quarters in Faith's old apartment? That's just brilliant."


"We have guards at the door."


"Oh yeah, that will do it" sarcastic laughter "That should keep our favorite pesky little slayer at bay."


The other man went to lie down on the bed with his arms crossed behind his head. Faith still couldn't look directly at him.


"Well the slayer won't matter in a few days. Like everybody else in town, she'll either be dead, or working for us." Lilah started busying herself by emptying her bags. "Our men have already recruited half of the able bodies in town. They are all working on the old high school rubbles covering the Hellmouth. It should be ready for the ritual in a few days."


"Then what?" Faith asked Lilah, hitting her punching bag a few times before turning to her.


"Then sweetie, you do your part. You start the ritual the mayor created for you as his plan B, Sunnydale goes down, and we control the Hellmouth and all the evil of this world obeys us. Sounds like fun don't you think?"


"Yeah, party. And then you kill me."


"Unfortunately we can't honey. Because the energy you will channel when opening the gates will make you immortal. You'll become one with the Hellmouth."


Faith laughed. "Oh joy! Faith the immortal. Sounds like some cheap ass TV show. Well if I'm gonna be around for a while, I guess we'd better start trying to get along..."


The two women observed each other in silence for a few moments before both turning away at the same time.


"Nope. Don't think it will happen." The lawyer said with a touch of disdain.


"Me neither. Especially if you don't stop calling me sweetie and honey. I might break your nose at some point."


"Faith?"


She turned to him, avoiding his dark eyes.


"Feel like having a little fun with the Slayer before the big firework? Mess with her head a little?"


Faith wanted to answer, but Lilah was faster


"Sorry to disappoint you dear, but it's gonna be a night in. They must not know we are here yet. You and Gavin have a reservation at the Sunnydale Hilton and Faith and I are staying here."


He looked offended. "What?! But Lilah!.. I was so looking forward to a threesome with two used up hoes... I thought we had something going on here.." He pouted dramatically.


"You. Out."


She pointed at the door.


Faith ignored them.


"Fine. Have it your way. But you don't know what you're missing ladies." The two men walked out.


"We'll see you at the Hotel tomorrow." The door shut before she could finish her sentence.


Faith and Lilah stood in front of each other in uncomfortable silence.


"Uh... I'll... go take a shower." Lilah turned and went to lock herself in the bathroom.


Faith grabbed her jacket and smiled. "What? My first night out in over a year, and you thought, what? We'd have a girls night in? Whatever."


She hopped through the window, and a moment later, she was down on the street.


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Spike was sitting at the bar of a filthy place named The Fish Tank. Not his first choice, but seeing as Buffy and her friends were probably at the Bronze, he had nowhere else to go.


The place reeked. It was the meeting point of Sunnydale's trash and lowlifes, but JD tastes the same everywhere. And loneliness feels the same wherever you go.


He could imagine his Buffy laughing, surrounded by her loved ones at the Bronze. He could imagine her perfectly for having seen her many times. He could just see her dancing, like the very first time he had put his eyes on her. And he was happy for a second because he knew she was not feeling the way he was. She was not lonely. And that was good because he wouldn't wish anybody to feel like that, especially not her.


He finished his glass and asked for another one.


"Hey blondie. You offering?"


The brunette sat on a stool next to him, and leaned on the bar to order a drink. "Whiskey. Straight up."


Not even bothering to argue, Spike threw a couple of bills on the bar and went back to his drink.


She turned and looked at him curiously. "Do I know you from somewhere? You seem awfully familiar.."


"No."


"Not very friendly now, are we." She put her hand on his shoulder, and he shrugged it off.


"Listen ducks, you should really try to recognize the signs that tells you when a bloke wants to be left alone."


"Oh, lemme guess, woman problems. I could make you forget if you want..." she gave him a seductive smile and leaned in closer to him.


"Not bloody likely."


"Playing hard to get blondie?"


"That's the thing, I'm not playing. And please don't call me blondie. Reminds me of one of my exs." Spike shuddered at the thought.


"So, that girl's worth the heartache?"


The bartender served him another glass.


"Every minute of pain. She's the most amazing woman ever created, and if I need to talk, I'll pay a shrink."


"We don't need to talk you know. Actually, talking gets me bored really fast. I'm more into action. See, it's my first night out in more than a year. All I want is a drink and a good fuck. She doesn't need to know, and who knows, it might make you feel better..."


Spike turned to face the girl and gave her his trademark smirk. "You’re quite a straight forward little chit..."


She gave him the victory smile. "So I've been told. So... wanna go somewhere?"


He leaned in dangerously close to her face. "See, there is one problem. If there is one thing about me, it's that I'm almost impossible to kill. But luv.. I'm sure you have diseases that could do the trick just fine.."


The girl's face went from sweet and seductive, to pure rage in a heartbeat. She quickly stood up, making the stool she was sitting on fall loudly to the floor.


"You evil son of a bitch!?!" She reached into the inner pocket of her jacket. "I'm so gonna st..."


She got interrupted by a woman who looked as much in her element it the dive as the Queen of England in a farm.


"Fai.. Jean! Quit it! Let's get out of here, you had enough for tonight."


"You’re trippin’! That dickhead needs a lesson. Let go of me bitch!"


"I said enough! Let's go." The woman turned to Spike. "Excuse her, she's a little drunk."


She then quickly turned and dragged the brunette out of the bar.


Spike looked at them leaving, with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. As soon as they were out, he rushed to a public phone and called Giles.


"Hello, Giles speaki.."


Spike interrupted the man impatiently. "What does she look like?"


"Uh, hello to you too Spike. Who looks like what?"


"The girl! The Slayer... that Faith bird. What does she look like?!"


"Pretty, brown hair, looks evil..."


"Oh yeah, that's helpful watcher. You just described half of Sunnydale's population."


"Do you think you saw her?"


"That's the thing. I don't know. The only time I met her, she was in Buffy's body. That reminds me... I'll have to kick her ass for that."


"Look, come back here, and while you're on your way, I'll look around for a picture. I think I might have one somewhere."


"Fine. I'm on my way."


Ten minutes later, Spike was sitting on Giles couch while the Watcher was still looking for the picture.


"And what exactly made you think it was her, if I may ask."


"Well, for one thing, she was a real tramp. But it's also a few things she said. She said it was her first time out in more than a year. And at first, she asked if she knew me from somewhere, and she was really looking at me like she recognized me. Like I said, I really wouldn't recognize her since I've never seen her before, but she got a pretty close look at me."


"What do you mean?"


"Never mind, it's not bloody important at the moment. But the part that really got me thinking it could be her is when she snapped at me. She was starting saying something like "I'm so gonna stake you" But she never finished her sentence because that woman stopped her. Oh, and she was reaching into her jacket. Could have been a stake. Even if she's one of the bad guys, she still have the Slayer instincts I guess."


Giles came back holding a picture.


"I found it. Is that her?"


Spike examined the picture.


"Without a doubt. That's the girl I saw."


Spike got up and walked to the kitchen to make some tea.


"Good thing you saw her tonight. This way we won't be taken by surprise..."


The front door opened and Buffy walked in followed by the girls.


"Buffy?" He said it loudly so Spike would hear. "What in the world are you doing here at this time.. I thought you girls were having a night out..."


Spike had ducked behind the kitchen counter as soon as the door opened, and now sat on the floor, hoping no one would go to the kitchen.


Buffy crossed her arms on her chest, and let herself down on the couch with a 'humph', followed by Dawn and Anya. Willow stood by the couch, still a little uncomfortable around Giles after their face off a few months ago.


"We WERE having a night out. Until... until.. nothing happened."


"What do you mean?"


"I mean nothing happened. It's Friday night, it's 11pm, and the club was more than half-empty. Like everybody decided to stay home.


Giles removed his glasses and put them on the coffee table before leaning back into his armchair.


"And did you stop by to say hello and make me feel like I have a social life, or is there something unusual going on?"


Dawn looked insulted. "So you think we only stop by when there's something creepy going on?"


"Yes."


"You're so unfair, we so do not. We come here all the time."


"Because there is always something creepy going on Dawn."


Giles noticed Buffy was looking around with a frown.


"Is something bothering you Buffy?"


She looked at him like she’d just woke up from a dream. "What? Uh.. No. No, nothing. It's just... I don't know.. I just thought… Weird feeling. That's all. I'm tired. My Slayer senses are going haywire.” She shook her head slightly, still frowning. “Ok, lets get to the point so we can all go to sleep. There is something going on. I don't know what, but I don't think it's good. First, my Slayer dream about Faith. Then, we learn that Faith left the prison. There's also the overnight activity at the old High school. And now, the town is deserted on a Friday night. I know it’s not down town L.A., but still."


"I thought it was just the Bronze?" Giles asked, trying to make sense of what she was saying.


"No" Willow said shyly. "The streets too. As deserted as Christmas night."


"Oh" Anya said, remembering something. "And there was a line up today at the Construction Company’s office. People wanting to work on the High school project."


"Yeah, and that's definitely not good. When people volunteer to work on the Hellmouth, that spells trouble. So what do we do?"


"Do you think you could go take a look at the construction site tomorrow Buffy?"


"I'm working during the day, but I could go tomorrow night"


"Just make sure you're not going alone. You should definitely take someone with you. You never know what could happen."


"I could go if you want Buffy." Willow took a step forward. "I'm not ready to fight with magic yet, but I still remember how to use weapons."


Buffy smiled at her friend. "Of course Will. It will be good to be just you and me. We can talk like good old times."


Buffy stood up, and, to Spike's greatest relief, said that it was time to go.


"Willow and I will come back tomorrow night to let you know what we find out.


"Great. So now if you girls don't mind, I'd like to go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow Buffy." Giles got up too to see the girls to the door. He closed it behind them after saying goodnight, and walked to the kitchen.


"She knew I was here. She probably didn't believe it, but she knew." Spike stood up.


"Spike... will you go with them tomorrow night?"


Spike looked surprised.


"Of course I will. Why?"


"If something happens, I need to know, will you show yourself to help her?"


"That's a bloody stupid question Rupert. Of course I will."


"Good. That's all I wanted to know."


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