Pain and Consequences

Author: Silent Bob Foley

E-mail: Don't know the American rating so equivalent of a 15 certificate in England

Summary: After the body swapping episode What would have happened if Xander had gone after Faith in LA Instead of Buffy, well now we will see. B/X angst F/X friendship. I doubt this will be a BX relationship the angst will be the BX of this piece and the loss of Xander to her psyche is likely I'm still figuring that bit out.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the BTVS Characters, Joss Whedon does

Distribution: BBTZ, Slayerette and anyone else who wants it

Feedback: Hell Yeah

Spoilers: Body Swap episode.

British Words and Spelling

Dedication: Wolfy my Bro and long term writing partner, Danii- The god of AOD xovers and The old gang from the BX fanfic list, we may have lost but still in fic the fight goes on.

Dorm Room

Stevenson Hall

Three days later

The other side of this equation was currently standing alone in her dorm room, again it had taken the diminutive blonde almost a week to realise that she had been left alone by the last of those whom had followed her into the fight against the darkness. The loss of the last of her few friends had rattled her seriously, now not only had the love of her life and someone who she once thought she could love had both betrayed her but her watcher and her best friend had both left her alone, and for what to work alongside a bunch of traitors, a group of people that had left her in the lurch. Leaving her to do all the fighting herself.

Well Good. thought Buffy, The less of them doing this the less I have to pull their arses out of the fire. The blonde slayer was becoming more and more convinced than only those chosen or capable of real fighting should get involved in this war, therefore with the help from Riley she would have a better chance than with a bunch of untrained humans and novice witches.

Willow had come back sometime in the last few days and removed her possessions from the dorm room, nothing was left anywhere, Willow had left behind a letter explaining her reasons why she had left. Buffy had though Willow would stay with her but hadn't realised that the redhead's friendship with the Dark haired boy transcended anything else in her life, that didn't stop Buffy from thinking of her former friend as a traitor to the Blonde.

"Hello Buffy?" Came a voice from the side, spinning around her hand dropped to her waistband for a stake but came up empty, it was the middle of the day and she didn't expect to need it. The rest of her weapons were in the chest her unwelcome guest was currently sitting upon, seeing his face her own twisted into a snarl and she tensed ready to hit him.

"I really wouldn't try, if I were you."

"Oh really, why not."

"Because you ten foot away and my trigger finger is particularly fast these days." Once again much like that time at Angel's offices Xander had the drop on the Slayer. "And believe me if you thought your Cruciamentum potions were bad this is much stronger and in certain doses permanent. So shut up and listen carefully."

"Get out."

"Ah, ah, ah, Don't push this Slayer this is the only warning you get. The group have left Sunnydale, every one of us is now working and staying in Los Angeles with a few others we trust, we may have left this shit burg but it doesn't mean that we will leave it undefended."

"Well it's not." Buffy interrupted. "Me and the Soldiers are all fine."

"Those soldiers don't have a clue, what kind of soldier goes in against multiple threats without nearly the right Intel or weapons. Tazers instead of Stakes and Holy water, hell I've watched 'em none even wear a cross, their sidearms don't even use hollow points which might do some damage. But then after all that what else do they do, they do things like this." he threw a very small disk shaped piece at the feet of the blonde.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Spike's Chip."

"You took it out? I never realised you were that stupid Xander."

"No Buffy I didn't remove it from Spike, he didn't exactly have a choice though."

"What?"

"Spike the Impotent is now dustbuster fodder."

"He was useful; he could have given us Information."

"He was a soulless killing machine; I won't lose sleep over it."

"He was harmless."

"Buffy, he was a vampire, he might not have been able to bite a human or attack anyone but there are battlefields that have nothing to do with strength."

"We could handle him."

"He would have screwed around with your mind Buffy, not that theirs much to mess with."

"I would have stopped him."

"Really? The same way you handled Angelus?"

She growled.

"The government put those chips into demons and vampires they want to control."

"Yeah to help protect living people."

"Come off it Slayer even your not that incompetent, when have the federal government ever done anything that didn't have an ulterior motive."

"But Riley..."

"Buffy we were friends for a long time, you threw that away when you stopped listening to those who had watched your back, when you started believing everything you were told by these so called 'Commandos' you lost track of the war. Trust me when I say there's more to this 'chip experiment'."

"Oh really oh great Military mind do tell."

Xander just sighed, he couldn't say he was surprised by her reactions. She was blinded by her belief that the ends justify the means and believing everything she was told by another power hungry maniac in charge of a 'demon retrieval' team, he did believe the same thing but not at the risk of losing sight of the Important things.

"Picture this Buffy there's a war out there not between demons and vampire but between humans, middle east, the pacific, Africa these wars are all over the place and the Allies send troops into keep the peace. But what if they don't have to, what if they can use tame demons to fight for them."

"But the chip doesn't let demons hurt humans."

"Maybe this version." He gestures to the chip on the floor, "But if they can program it on the fly, so not to hurt 'Americans' or 'White people' or something then they have a ready made army to fight their enemies without human casualties, then there's the psychological advantage, the nightmares made flesh attacking your lines again and again. No-one could take that for long."

"You're reaching now Harris, there's no way that the Initiative will allow those things to go around killing innocent humans."

"No-one's who is willing to let another man die is Innocent Buffy."

"Your not serious, the American government wants freedom above all else, this will help people live without fear."

"My god you really believe that shite don't you."

"They won't use it, like that."

"Maybe they will, maybe they won't, but I sure as hell don't trust this technology and if it's ever perfected they'll believe that they won't need people like us and those 'humans' with abilities, Werewolves, witches hell even slayers will be on their termination lists."

"Why would they kill an ineffectual normal human." She sneered at him trying to get him riled.

He didn't take the Bait. "Because I've been fighting this war for years now and considering all I've been through and all I know I'll be a threat to their security."

"What so you killed Spike because of this inane 'theory'."

"No I merely stopped him from becoming a threat at any other time."

"You'll do the same to Angel I'll bet."

"Yes I would and he knows it too, THAT is why he trusts me because unlike some people I can do what needs to be done before innocents are killed because a certain person let the bleach get though to her few living brain cells."

"You bastard."

THWACK

A single high pressurised ampoule attached to a dart thudded into buddy's chest directly into one of the main blood vessels, within a half dozen beats the fluid inside had flooded her veins with the quick acting potion. The second lunge stopped almost before it began as the slayer gifts were suppressed within those few seconds.

"Bastard."

"I only wish I was then I wouldn't have had to live with those so called parents of mine."

"Well maybe they were right and you are worthless."

"And your so perfect."

"I'm the slayer."

"No your not."

"IM THE SLAYER."

"SHUT UP." He shouted, the command instinctively causing Buffy's mouth to clam up.

"You're a slayer Summers not THE slayer, you did notice that there more than one now. You know the Dark haired girl you were willing to kill several times over for what you believed was a slight against you. You can't handle the thought your not the only one and the perfect Slayer you thought you were."

"I…"

"Thing is Summers." He said more gently, "Your not even the chosen one anymore, the Slayer spirit jumped remember, Kendra first now Faith has the spirit, you're an anachronism, yesterday's news. Without the help you've had four almost four years you'll fall and believe be no one will be there to catch you."

"The Initiative will."

"They'll let you die and then carve you up to see what made you tick, try to create their own slayers or super powered soldiers."

"They care."

"Yes but about what?"

Momentarily forgetting the potion flooding her system she jumped and send a haymaker at the much bigger man, without her powers the end was inevitable as she all but bounced off as he moved in an took the hot on the shoulder sending her sprawling onto the floor. She landed on her backside and attempted to roll up to hit him again, this time he just picked her up and pushed her against the wall lifting her up by her arms.

"Now listen to me and listen good slayer, this is my home as well and I'll be damned if I let a bunch of newbie wannabe hunters get innocents killed around here. I have ever right to fight and protect this town, I've left but I've never forsaken those who need the help unlike some people I know. Now you can walk beside us or you can turn away but either way do not get in the way or you'll be the one taking the fall. You have twenty four hours till that wears off, don't leave the dorms tonight, we'll take care of the patrols."

"Why are you doing this?" Buffy asked

"Ask yourself that Buffy, why are you doing what you are."

"I have no choice."

"I don't mean your calling."

"Because I have to,"

"Now so do I."

With that Xander Harris dropped the slayer back to the floor, walked out of the door and down into the daylight outside the main doors, walking away he didn't look up to the window where the Blonde slayer watched him leave a single tear running down her face.

Walking away from the window the blonde slayer for the first time allowed herself to think about what was going on, she had been deserted by every single person she knew and why? Was she really being that unfair to her friends, Faith had betrayed her, swapped bodies and tried to make her life hell but in the end did she really do anything that had consciously harmed anyone before she had been all but pushed into the Mayor's arms?

She had murdered people.

But she had thrown the assistant mayor at Faith.

Faith had joined the Mayor.

Had Buffy forced her away?

Faith was a hero

So was Buffy

So why was she so willing to condemn her sister slayer?

She had tried to kill Faith now more than once.

Was she a hero anymore?

Is this really the end? she wondered to herself.

Looking into the mirror Buffy looked at herself, everyone she knew and cared for except for Riley had left her alone and unloved, had she brought this upon herself- she had only ever tried to do the right thing.

But had she.

Everyone of those she had cared for had left her, she was alone again and not for the first time, but this time she was given the chance to really think about things. She had always believed she was above reproach because of her duty, but now now she needed to find where it had changed where things had gone wrong. Tears falling constantly now she curled up and closed her eyes.

Willow: her best friend and sister, Willow had been there since the Beginning and had always sided with Buffy in all cases, had supported and loved her as a family member would.

Giles: her father, Hank was her biological Father but Giles was the man she loved as a father and had acted like it more than any man ever had- he had looked after her well-being and had never pushed her where she didn't want to go. He had been fired for his love for his slayer and she had all but ignored it.

Faith: A Sister Slayer and someone she should have managed to get close to but had refused to, she had never hated Kendra so why hate Faith.

Xander:

Oh God Xander.

He had been with her since that first day at Sunnydale High School, that first day saving her life and saving others from vampire attacks. Looking back she had always demeaned his help in every way and he had stayed out of loyalty, so why was he gone now? Why did he leave her to her fate? Did he see Faith as a real slayer?

Was Faith the real Slayer?