BTVS Tornado of Souls 5/8 - B/F W/T - PG13

[Dana Hunter <carrkjar@xxxxxxxxx>]

Tornado of Souls
Part 5

Author: Frau Hunter Ash
Copyright © 2002 by Hunter Ash. All Rights Reserved.
Email: carrkjar@xxxxxxxxx Feedback welcome!!
Homepage Addy: http://www.hunterash.com/

Disclaimers: The characters and show all belong to
Joss Whedon, Fox, Mutant Enemy, Kuzui, and God only
knows who else. The storyline, however, is the sole
property of the author. This story cannot be sold or
used for profit in any way. Copies of this story may
be made for private use only and must include all
disclaimers and copyright notices.

F/F romance: the story assumes a loving and sexual
relationship between people of the same gender and may
even include 3 at the same time <G>. If this offends
or is illegal for you, then please leave. Come back
when you are older, have an open mind, moved, or
changed your laws.

Spoilers: Up to Season Three  to Faith, Hope and
Trick.

Summary: The gang plan on rescuing Willow from the
Hunters, Faith making a deal that might come back to
haunt her.

Rating: PG-13

Author's Note: pairings: B/A (past tense) X/An W/O

* * *

Xander and Cordelia knocked on the hotel door early
the next morning and were greeted by an automatic
pistol held by Faith.

"It's us," Cordy said in an irritated manner.

Inside Giles was waiting impatiently.

"Well?" he demanded.

"We played lost tourists and were turned away at the
gate," Xander reported. "We managed to drive around
most of the perimeter."

The young man pulled out a map and spread it out on
the bed. Slayer and Watcher gathered around as Xander
began pointing things out.

"I drew a general map of what we could see," he said
as Cordy pulled out a large folded up piece of paper.
"There's guard towers, actual towers with guys and
guns. The main gate is manned by two armed guards and
they are alert. A high chainlink fence surrounds the
place."

"Suggestions?" Giles asked.

"We watched the place an hour before dawn, like you
suggested," Xander said thoughtfully. "There are
lights everywhere, it's worse than a prison. Very hard
to get in and out, especially if Willow isn't willing
to be rescued."

Giles frowned and leaned back against the headboard.
The Englishman looked as tired as the rest of them
felt. They had driven from Sunnydale to Los Angeles
and then flown to Phoenix. They had gotten a hotel
and rented two cars. Xander and Cordy driving out in
the middle of the night to scout out the training camp
and Giles and Faith to connect with some contacts he
knew in the area through the Watchers.

As Giles had suspected, the Watcher's Council knew
nothing about Aimsley, Krammer or Ryan's activities.
The Council reported to Giles that the three Watchers
were on vacation for two months in America.

Giles told the Council the wayward Watchers had
appeared in Sunnydale and he didn't know why.

"God, how the hell am I supposed to keep Buffy's wolf
nature from the Council? Especially if any of those
bastards talk?" Giles complained.

"Do you think they will? They are going against
Council directives aren't they?" Faith asked.

"By becoming active Hunters?" Giles asked. "Yes, to a
point, but the Council just might like the idea of
Hunters. Especially if they're becoming organized."

"If they find out about Buffy, she'll have to leave,"
Xander complained. "She'll have to go into hiding with
the werewolves."

"I know, with Hunters all aware of her identity,"
Giles growled.

"Okay, anyway we can get in there undercover and find
out where Willow is?" Faith asked Xander and Cordy.
"Tackling all those buildings at night with spotlights
will take too long."

"I agree," Xander nodded, remembering his "military
training" from the cursed Halloween costume. "These
long buildings here look like sleeping rooms, and this
one is the food hall. I'm not sure about these two or
the smaller ones."

"Searching room after room looking for Red? Too
risky," Faith repeated, frowning over the hand-made
map.

"New recruits?" Cordy suggested.

"No, they're highly secretive and organized," Giles
frowned.

"Then some sort of service," Cordy said firmly.
"They'll need laundry or food delivery. Unless they do
it all."

"We need to know more about how they operate," Faith
complained.

"Agreed," Giles nodded. "I suggest Cordy and Xander
go back out there and observe the camp, especially any
delivery trucks arriving. Get the names of companies
doing business with them."

"Right," Xander nodded.

"God, do you know how hot it gets out here?" Cordelia
demanded and Faith merely shook her head with a smirk.


"What about you two?" Cordy snapped.

"We're going to find the nearest demon bar and see
what the other side of the coin knows about this
place," Giles said calmly.

"Goody, I get to threaten people!" Faith grinned.

"Oh brother!" Cordy complained.

* * *

Buffy growled and shifted into glabro werewolf form,
looking a lot like a female version of Lon Chaney Jr.
She slashed out with her claws with a howl of delight
as she flipped over a tombstone and landed in the
middle of a pack of vampires in one of the many
Sunnydale cemeteries.

She heard an answering growl and glanced over in time
to see a huge, hulking monster werewolf leaping into
the fray next to her. The vampires, most of them
screaming in terror, tried to fight back against the
manic werewolves in their midst but most of them fell
quickly to fang and claw.

Buffy pulled out her trusty stake and slashed left and
right, staking and wounding. Those she wounded, she
either followed through with the stake or Angus came
behind her and decapitated the wounded vampires.

Within moments seven vampires were dust and two
werewolves were howling in victory.

Joyce, waiting outside the cemetery in the car to pick
up her daughter and friend, shivered. Her eyes
suddenly widened and she was out of the car in a flash
at the sound of gunshots.

* * *

Faith waited impatiently as Giles talked with the
bartender of the third demon bar they had found in
Phoenix. For being next door to a Hunter's training
camp, there seemed to be a lot of demons, vampires and
other "Wyrm" stuff, Faith complained to herself.

Her Slayer senses were going crazy in here and it made
Faith very uncomfortable. Buffy and the others may
have gotten used to dealing with a vampire and a
werewolf but she hadn't. Faith wasn't sure she ever
wanted to be comfortable around any of a Slayer's
natural enemies.

Faith suddenly jerked as she considered her line of
thinking. Did that mean Buffy was the enemy? If she
believed Buffy and Angus, then Buffy was even more of
a protector now than she had been before. The Slayer
werewolf now had the responsibility of trying to keep
the entire Garou nation safe as well as the rest of
the world.

The brunette Slayer certainly didn't want Buffy to be
the enemy.

Faith hated mental conflicts. She felt more than a
little empathy and understanding for the Hunters.
They were a lot like the Scooby Gang, they saw danger
and evil and went after it. Like a Slayer.

The problem was getting them to see that most
werewolves weren't the enemy but Faith was having a
problem with that as well. Buffy and Angus had said
there were bad werewolves. Garou who liked chaos and
worked for it, just like there were good and bad
humans. How could you tell the difference? How was a
Hunter or Slayer supposed to know?

Before it had been simple: find, stake, kill, dinner.
If a werewolf was out on a full moon, it meant evil
stuff, kill it and hope it wasn't an escaped Oz. If
it was a vampire, kill it, no need for questions, all
vampires were evil. Even Angel had fallen back into
Angeleus and had killed with delight.

Faith glanced around the bar and noticed a young woman
watching her and Giles. That wasn't surprising, they
were strangers, human and most of the supernatural
types in there could sense something different about
Faith. What caught Faith's attention to the blonde
Viking looking female was the necklace around her
neck.

The Slayer recognized a Thor's Hammer and a silver
square with a glyph in the center. Faith's eyes
narrowed, she had seen that before.

Faith approached the woman cautiously, keeping her
hands in plain sight as the tall woman's eyes narrowed
and her lips began to curl in a snarl.

"Peace," Faith said slowly. "I'm not a Hunter."

"You're human, that's enough," the woman snapped.

"I'm a friend of a Garou," Faith said calmly, sitting
down on the stool next to the female werewolf.

"So what, someone is stupid enough to mix with humans,
not my care," the woman growled

Faith frowned and traced a glyph in the condensation
left behind from a bottle of beer. She hoped she
remembered it correctly.

"Trouble? What would a human know of trouble?" the
woman demanded.

"I know that there's a training camp outside of the
city and they're training Hunters," Faith smiled as
the woman turned pale. "An entire camp of Hunters and
their trainees. Lots of guns, determination and
bibles."

"Where?" the Viking demanded.

"Gift for gift," Faith countered. "I'm a Slayer, I
particularly hate vampires."

"We agree on something," the woman nodded. "Among
you, I am Hildgrun."

"I'm Faith," the Slayer nodded. "I tell you where the
camp is, you and your tribe don't move against them
for at least two weeks. I've got a good friend in
there being brainwashed and I want her back."

"You're gift in this?" Hildgrun demanded.

"Two things," Faith bargained. "Your word of honor to
Odin and Gaia that you and your tribe won't kill any
humans. They hunt vampires and that helps all of us."

"Impossible demand. They also hunt Garou, that makes
them dangerous to us and there are too few of us as it
is," Hildgrun complained and watched Faith
thoughtfully for a moment. "Life for lives, human."

"Talk," Faith nodded. She actually was enjoying the
dealing, the Viking werewolf was direct and to the
point and it was refreshing to the young warrior.

"What is your second demand first?"

"Information, you or someone you pick, help us scout
the place so we can get our friend back," Faith said.

"In exchange, what else would you offer?" Hildgrun
frowned.

"The right to call on me for any future mission as
long as it didn't involve killing humans," Faith said
slowly. It was a high price and she knew it and,
getting an idea of what kind of things werewolves went
up against, it was probably suicidal. "You know about
Slayers, you know I'm good."

Hildgrun looked Faith up and down and nodded. "I have
a price for the lives of the Hunters. Letting them
live is a danger and the price is high."

"I'm a Slayer, I can't kill a human or help lead to a
human's death," Faith countered.

"Would you offer life?"

"Explain," Faith growled.

"Garou are few and far between and we can't mate with
each other," Hildgrun smiled as Faith's eyes widened,
beginning to suspect what the Garou was going to ask.
"We mate with humans and the Get of Fenris hate
dealing with humans. You might be unique and worthy
enough."

"You want me to get horizontal with one of your tribe
and have a kid?" Faith demanded. "Isn't that a little
medieval or something?"

Hildgrun shrugged.

Faith spun with her fist drawn back as a hand came
down on her shoulder. Giles jumped back two feet and
blushed.

"Faith, I'm sorry, I should have said something," he
stammered.

"Giles, you look horrible, what is it?"

"I received an emergency page, Buffy has been shot
several times with silver bullets and Angus is dead.
We have to return immediately," he said softly,
fighting back the tears filling his eyes.

"F**k," Faith muttered.

"Silver? Your Garou friends?" Hildgrun questioned.

"Yes," Faith nodded. "What about Red?"

"Leave Xander and Cordy here for a few days and hope
they can find some information," Giles said slowly.
"The Hunters knew we'd come after them and are forcing
us to go back so we can't get to Willow."

Faith turned to the tall blonde. "Deal," she said
firmly. "I get to pick?"

"Agreed," Hildgrun nodded firmly. "Where and how?"

"The how you guys can figure out with a couple of
friends of ours, family," Faith muttered. "Giles,
paper and pen!"

The Watcher handed over a small notebook and Faith
began writing quickly.

"This is the hotel where Xander and Cordelia are, give
them this note," Faith muttered as she wrote. "We'll
tell them to expect you. They're family and Kin to our
Garou, they might be annoying but you can't kill them
or hurt them, agreed?"

"Yes," Hildgrun nodded.

"About the bargain, who&.?" Faith said slowly.

"If not Garou, no interference," Hildgrun said. "If
Garou, then they join the pack after first change."

Faith hesitated, considering the implications. She
was agreeing to have a child, probably with a stranger
and would have to give him or her up!? Faith had been
raised in a drunken, broken home and wasn't sure she
could give a child up.

"I stay close, total Kin thing," Faith demanded. She
wasn't sure she understood how family and friends of
Garou worked, she hadn't had time to really question
Buffy and Angus about it. Faith was hoping she was
making at least a bargain she could live with in the
future.

"Agreed," Hildgrun nodded. "You and the others would
be Kin to our pack, Tribe and the child."

"Child?" Giles questioned, dying of curiosity.

"Later, handsome," Faith muttered. "After we get our
friend back."

"You have something with her scent and a picture?"
Hildgrun asked.

"Yeah, back at the hotel," Faith nodded.

"Then we will get your friend back without loss of
life," Hildgrun nodded. "Unless it is absolutely
necessary. If someone has a shotgun of silver at my
head and I can't knock them out, I will kill them,
agreed?"

Faith again hesitated and then nodded slowly.

"I can sense the warrior in you," she said softly.
"And I've heard about Rages, I want those humans
alive. Only as a last resort can you kill them,
agreed?"

Hildgrun frowned and then smirked.

"Agreed," she said softly. "Damn, it could have been
glorious!"

"Here's the info, intro yourself to Xander and Cordy
and we'll be in close contact," Faith said. "My oath
as a Slayer to our agreement."

"I, Slasher Thorhilder of the Get of Fenris, swear to
rescue your friend with minimal loss of human lives,"
the Viking said firmly and shook Faith's hand, wrist
to wrist  warrior to warrior.

"Come on, Giles, fill me in about the attack and I'll
try and explain what just happened here."

* * *

"Mama?" Buffy whispered as she tried to open her eyes.

"I'm here, baby," Joyce said softly, gently stroking
her daughter's hair.

Buffy moaned and looked down at the white sheet and
beige blanket. Looking around she found the expected
tubes, IVs and hospital machinery.

"What happened?"

"I heard howls and then gunfire," Joyce said softly,
tears falling down her cheeks. "I found you and
Angus."

"Angus? Where?"

"He's gone, Buffy," Joyce said gently. "I saw three
men bending over him and&and a fourth was over you. I
saw a large machete in his hands and fired at them. I
don't think I hit them but they ran away."

"Hunters," Buffy said bitterly. "Angus?"

"They cut off his head," Joyce admitted and wiped at
the tears flowing from Buffy's eyes as the Slayer
closed them.

"Me?"

"Shot four times with silver coated bullets, the
police called them Black Talons," Joyce was crying
steadily now.

"Black Talons, they expand into shrapnel in the body,
causes a lot of damage," Buffy said absently. "With
the silver, I won't heal as fast."

"I know, I've talked with Giles," Joyce nodded,
holding Buffy's hand. "He and Faith are on their way
back."

"Will?" Buffy demanded.

"Looks like it's going to be hard to get into the
training camp, Xander and Cordy are staying behind
with some help," Joyce said calmly. "The doctors don't
know how you made it, Buffy."

"How bad?"

"Some damage to the liver, a collapsed lung, and a
broken leg," Joyce tried to remain calm as she
answered. It had been a lot worse but Sunnydale
doctors were very good at trauma cases. They got a
lot of experience, youll recover totally.

"Police?"

"Attack by a gang looking for money to buy drugs,"
Joyce answered, it was a common and good enough answer
for Sunnydale police.

"Silver Black Talon bullets?"

"You and Angus were mistaken for rival drug dealers,"
Joyce explained the cover story. "I was there to pick
you and your fiancée up when I heard the gunfire."

"Fiancee? Angus?"

"The police are reluctant to think bad things about a
young high school student bringing her fiancée home to
meet her mother," Joyce smiled ruefully.

"Clever, Mom," Buffy whispered and closed her eyes.
"How long?"

"Doctors think it'll be at least a week or longer,"
Joyce frowned.

Buffy nodded slightly and slipped back into sleep.

* * *

"You can't be serious?" Giles shouted in the car on
the way back to the motel.

"Think of it as surrogate motherhood or something,"
Faith muttered. "Look, I'm not happy with the idea.
The last thing I ever considered was having kids but
if this gets Willow back and Buffy safe then it's
worth it, okay?"

"I don't think so!" Giles snapped. "This is&is
insane!"

"Yep, total agreement," Faith nodded.

"I admit I don't understand, Faith," Giles said after
a few moments. "I know the adjustment to Sunnydale and
everyone hasn't been easy for you and I haven't known
how to help. It seems like you don't care about anyone
or anything, Faith. To pay this kind of price, why?"

"I do care," Faith admitted. "I&I. Buffy wants Willow
safe and sane, that's what I'll do."

"But to offer your body, to bear children to a
stranger?" Giles demanded.

"Okay, a little extreme, I'll admit," Faith blushed.
"But you know me, Giles, not like it would be much
different than the Bronze on a Friday night after a
heavy night of slaying. Want, take, have."

"I also know that it's a front, Faith," Giles
countered.

"What? Did Buffy&."

"Buffy didn't say anything but I've been around for
awhile and I've seen a lot," Giles said calmly.
"You're falling for Buffy, aren't you?"

"What?" Faith whispered. "Hey, I'll admit she's hot
as hell, maybe a little annoying and whining at times
but sexy as hell. It'd never work."

"Faith, try it without the bluster," Giles said
softly.

"Go to hell," Faith snapped. "You're asking the
impossible."

"I'm tired and worried and really don't know if what
you've done is wise or not," Giles complained.

"We'll just have to see down the road, Giles," Faith
shrugged. "We get back to Sunnydale, protect Buffy,
get Red back and see what happens from there."

"Right," Giles nodded, feeling very weary.

There was no way he could explain all of this to the
Council. Tell them about Buffy being a werewolf? How
to tell them about Faith's deal to become a mother to
werewolves without telling them about Buffy? Not tell
them anything? Giles had thought becoming Buffy's
Watcher had made his life complicated; now he knew
that had been easy compared to these complications.
Even Angel turning into Angeleus hadn't been all that
complicated for him, his only torment was watching
Buffy suffer. That was the only reason he had held
back from forcing her into killing Angeleus from the
start. His mistake had cost Jenny her life and Giles
his chance at love.

He wondered now what was the right thing.

* * *

"How is she?" Willow heard someone's voice nearby but
didn't care to open her eyes.

"The fever is still high," a second voice said.

"Any improvement at all?" the first voice demanded and
Willow realized it was Ryan.

"Not yet but it takes a few hours for the antibiotics
to kick in," the second voice explained. "Her fever
isn't getting any higher and she hasn't gone into full
pneumonia."

"Okay, just keep me advised," Ryan demanded.

"Of course, Brother," the second voice said calmly.

Willow felt a coolness on her forehead and sighed,
welcoming it.

"She's still calling for Buffy and Faith, Doctor,"
Tara's voice said softly.

"Yes, her closest friends, I'm told," the second
voice, the doctor said.

Closest friends? That wasn't right. Xander and Buffy
were her closest friends. She did miss Faith though.
Those couple of days of working together instead of
fighting had been nice.

Where was Buffy? Willow didn't feel well; she wanted
Buffy and the others.

"Buff?" she whispered.

"Buffy's the one that's infected," she heard Tara
saying. "How can she kill her best friend? I mean
she's calling for Buffy in her delirium."

"I don't know. She hasn't even started training,
though," the doctor pointed out. "She'll do what's
right. Her friend is now a killer and Willow wouldn't
have been brought here if she didn't know it was the
right thing to do."

Right thing to do? Kill Buffy? Willow moaned and
thrashed against the blankets covering her.

* * *

Buffy woke up again and smiled at the sight of Faith
sitting in a chair next to her bed, feet propped up on
the bed and a pistol in her lap as she napped. The
blonde Slayer watched Faith sleeping for a few
moments, letting Angus' words come back to her as she
cried for her friend.

If she was going to stay in Sunnydale, Buffy knew she
needed to analyze her feelings, motivations, and how
she now interacted with the others.

Everyone had taken the news of her Garou self pretty
well except that they really hadn't had time to deal
with it. Buffy had no idea how they would really
treat her once things settled down. Especially Faith.

Buffy frowned at herself, why was that so important,
she demanded.

> > From Giles and Xander she sensed a trace of fear; from
Cordelia acceptance, as if Buffy's werewolf state was
just another aspect of Sunnydale to tolerate; from her
mother total acceptance and sorrow and Buffy knew that
being the Slayer and a werewolf was the last thing a
parent would want for their child. Faith, she had no
idea how the brunette Slayer felt about Buffy Garou
status or about Buffy in general.

Oz, he was so wrapped up in dealing with his own new
information about being a werewolf that he was barely
aware of Buffy being like him. She knew that with
Angus dead, Oz would turn to her for answers. She
made a mental note to send word to the caern that she
had a Lost Cub that needed escort to the Tribe.

Willow, that one hurt. Seeing and sensing the slight
fear in Giles hurt a lot, almost as much as it did
when her mother found out but not as bad as the
absolute look of devastation on Willow's face as Buffy
began to change.

She needed Willow back, Buffy admitted and she wanted
Faith's friendship almost as much.

"Hey," she said softly and smiled as Faith opened her
eyes and smiled back.

"Hey, B," the Slayer sat up and moved the chair closer
to the bed. "Glad to see you awake there."

"Hurts," Buffy admitted.

"Press that button next to your hand, that thingy lets
you self medicate yourself," Faith said. Buffy found
the button trigger leading to a machine next to the
bed and from that a tube ran to one of the IVs leading
into her arm.

"What is it?"

"Demerol, I think," Faith shrugged. "It won't let you
take too much and it helps keep the nurses free for
their rounds and stuff."

"Giles?" Buffy asked as she pressed the button. She
hated drugs and hated taking medication but she did
admit that she was hurting. Buffy also knew she
wasn't getting out of the hospital within the next few
hours either.

"He's with Joyce Mom," Faith said.

"Gun?" Buffy asked, pointing at the weapon as Faith
stuck it into her waistband.

"There's at least four Hunters who know you're here
and alive," Faith said seriously.

"Will?"

"Xander and Cordy are looking for a way in and we
teamed up with some of your types," Faith explained.
"They're going to help get Willow out of there."

"My type? What?"

Buffy sighed with relief when Faith reached out and
held her hand.

"Sorry, I meant Garou types," Faith said softly. "We
ran into a warrior and she agreed to get her pack to
help get Willow out of there and destroy the camp
without killing."

"What Tribe?" Buffy asked, her voice still almost a
whisper.

"Get of Fenris, she said," Faith said slowly.

"Fenris? They're totally nuts!" Buffy protested. "They
love killing and fighting, they'll slaughter the
Hunters."

"The very same guys that helped kill Angus, kidnapped
Willow to brainwash her and will probably track you
all the way to Siberia to kill you?" Faith demanded.
"Look, I got her to swear by Odin and Gaia not to kill
anyone unless a last ditch thing at self defense."

"That might work, they take oaths extremely serious,"
Buffy whispered and then her eyes filled with tears.
"They killed Angus."

"I know, your Mom told us," Faith said softly.

"I don't know if I can stay in Sunnydale after this,"
Buffy admitted, looking away.

"Look, B, we'll work it out, okay?" Faith said, her
voice becoming emotional.

"I don't want to leave you guys," Buffy whispered, her
eyes closing as the medication began to take affect.
"I don't want to leave you."

"B?" Faith questioned and frowned.

Buffy opened her eyes and tried to smile.

"Short life expectancy, Faith," the blonde Slayer
smirked. "When I get out of here I might take you up
on that challenge."

"Which challenge? We already know you're a better
fighter than I am," Faith asked as Buffy's eyes closed
again.

"What's left after fighting in your world, Faith?"
Buffy asked, muttering.

"B?" Faith nearly squeaked as the blonde Slayer
slipped into a drugged sleep.

* * *

"I don't like it, Sir," Ryan snapped as they watched
Willow sleeping restlessly. "She's trainable in the
traditional methods. Willow is highly intelligent,
open-minded, already well versed in the occult, and
extremely dedicated. We don't need to try this on
her."

"We know that only the Watcher and Slayer went back to
Sunnydale after Summers was attacked, that leaves the
two students nosing around," Raymond Johnson
countered. "We know they'll be back for Willow
Rosenberg and we have to move fast. Her condition
will actually help in the psych training and the
drugs."

"We can move her to the Eastern training center," Ryan
protested.

"It's my decision, Brother Ryan," Johnson said flatly.
"After she accomplishes this task, she can be brought
back and trained properly. We have a unique weapon
here."

"It's very likely that the drugs could harm her
mentally and physically, she wouldn't be any good to
us then," Ryan growled.

"I'll take that risk," Johnson snapped.

"You won't be taking the risk, Willow will," Ryan
snapped back. "Without her consent."

"It's decided, Brother," Johnson declared. "Start the
program."

* * *

Faith sat up quickly when the hospital door opened but
relaxed when Giles walked in.

"You really should get some rest," he scolded.

"Not until she's out of here," Faith growled.

"That will be at least a week," Giles said calmly.
"Principal Snyder is on a rampage with everyone being
out of school. So far Joyce is covering for everyone
but he isn't satisfied."

"Well, he can't question Buffy being out of school
with five bullets in her," Faith growled.

"No," Giles agreed.

"Any word from Xander and Cordy?"

"Yes, that Garou you made the deal with is being very
helpful," Giles said slowly, watching Buffy sleep as
he and Faith talked by the door in whispers. "Several
of her pack members have scouted the place, getting
very close. Xander and Cordy have also noted several
companies who do business with the Hunters."

"Can we get in and get Willow back?" Faith demanded.

"It looks like it," Giles said slowly. "They're going
to try in four days, the next delivery of linens to
the Hunters. A small group of Garou will sneak out and
wait until dark and then search the housing area."

"How will they get Will out?" Faith demanded.

"Tranquilizer dart, disable all the vehicles but one
and crash out," Giles finished and then frowned as
Buffy moaned in her sleep and his pager went off in
his pocket. "I'll be back."

Faith turned back to Buffy's beside and gently stroked
Buffy's forehead and smiled when the Slayer opened her
eyes.

"Hey, B," the young student said softly.

"Hey, Faith," Buffy whispered and nodded as Faith
picked up the usual cup of water next to the bed, she
sipped slowly. Faith leaned over and worked the
button to raise the upper half of the bed until Buffy
was in a sitting position. "Will?"

"Working on, B, we're working on it," Faith smiled and
resisting a desire to get closer to the blonde.

"Why the frown?" Buffy demanded, her voice a little
stronger.

"I, uh, nothing," Faith stammered.

"Is it about Will?" Buffy frowned.

"No, just lost in my own thoughts, B," Faith smiled,
trying to re-establish her trademark smirk.

"About us?" Buffy whispered, her eyes bright.

"Us? What us?" Faith's throat was suddenly very dry.

"Honesty, Faith," Buffy said softly. "I need total
honesty. Is it just a game with you or is it deeper
than that?"

"You know me, B," Faith said, desperately trying to
sound nonchalant. "Love 'em and leave 'em."

Faith was suddenly unable to meet Buffy's saddening
eyes.

"Okay," Buffy said softly. "I& I'm going to call and
talk to Mom for awhile, okay?"

"B?" Faith asked softly.

"Nothing, Faith," Buffy shook her head. "Forget
anything was said, okay? Go play with Scott or
something."

Faith frowned and looked hurt.

"Look, B, we haven't known each other long," Faith
said softly but Buffy cut her off.

"And I'm only 17 and you're 16," Buffy said sadly.
"I've only seriously dated one guy and he turned evil
and I had to kill him, you haven't even dated, I know.
Just forget it, okay?"

"I'm not the one you want, damnit!" Faith snapped.
"I'll get Willow back for you and you two can live
happily ever after, alright?"

Buffy looked confused.

"Faith, I love Willow and I think she's cute but&"

"But&.?" Faith demanded.

"Look, I'm Garou," Buffy snapped. "We feel and sense
things more intensely and it feels like there's
something between us. Something that could develop.
The doctors say I can get out of here in two days. We
get Will back and then I'll leave."

Faith continued to frown.

"I&I don't want you to leave, B," Faith said softly.

"It's done, Faith," Buffy said firmly. "I lost Angel,
I've probably lost Will. We may be only teenagers but
we're also Slayers and now I'm being hunted. I don't
have time and I'm not in the mood for games."

Faith's frown deepened and she started to say
something but they both turned when the door opened.
Faith went on alert and then relaxed when Giles walked
in.

"Giles?" Buffy asked, noticing his distracted
expression.

"I'm not sure," he muttered. "I just had a most
unusual page from your mother. Seems that someone
contacted her, trying to get to me."

"Giles, make sense, please," Buffy snapped.

"I called the man back, it was Timothy Ryan, one of
the Hunters that took Willow," Giles said slowly. "He
knows Faith and I are here with you and that we know
where Willow is."

"What does he want? To threaten us?" Buffy asked.

"He says he wants to help, actually," Giles said,
pulling off his glasses and beginning to clean them.

"Whoa," Faith muttered.

"Yes, exactly," Giles nodded.




=====
The Viking Bard/Skald "Nothing is ever forgotten"
www.hunterash.com

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