Two Slayers (1/?)
Faith glanced at Kendra, her heart thundering. After the last few quiet months this was their greatest challenge in quite some time and they were facing it without their friends backing them up. Just great. "You ready Ken?" she asked after a nervous lick of her lips.
She was unsurprised when her fellow Slayer's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Yes, a new school year. I can hardly wait!"
Faith rolled her eyes. Typical, she had to end up with a big sis who was a geek. "You think we can blow up this school after our graduation?"
Kendra looked shocked for a second then giggled. "It could become a Slayer tradition."
Faith grinned. "Works for me."
Jonathan stared at his book list; college wasn't quite turning out how he'd hoped. Living away from home and sharing a dorm room with his best friend was cool. But some of the tutors were a lot stricter than he expected, more like school teachers than college lecturers. Especially, he glanced across the auditorium to the severe-looking woman stood behind the desk, Professor Walsh.
He'd taken Psych because he was instinctively good at the sciences but Prof. Walsh was tough, almost like Giles when he was instructing Faith and Ken. Opening the door he shoved his book list into his jacket pocket and hurried out. Maybe he could get to the book shop before it closed. Jonathan grimaced; damn he'd left his wallet in his room. Turning, he rushed back to his dormitory. He and Xander were meeting Faith and Kendra later, but if he hurried he could get the books.
Flinging open the dormitory's double doors he charged in. And fell over an out-stretched foot. As he fell, he curled up into a ball, hitting the ground on his shoulder and rolling up to his feet. He looked up at the four beefy jocks surrounded him and grimaced. Great, just like high school. Remembering what Giles and Xander had taught him about dealing with such situations, he looked the jock he presumed to be the leader dead in the eye as he attempted to step round him.
His heart sank when the jock stepped in his path. "Hey nerd how come a guy like youse has got a hot chick like that babe we saw you with in the college bar last night?"
Jonathan hid a grimace. God, he hated this, every one thought just because he was geeky looking they had the right to try and take Faith off him. "Just lucky I guess."
"Or," the bully leered at his mates. "You must be really rich, to afford the cost of hiring a hot hooker like that."
Jonathan's temper snapped. They could taunt him all they liked but to insult his girl. Stepping forward, he drove his knee upwards into his taunter. The jock's eyes crossed and he let out a gasp before doubling up. Jonathan raised his fist to punch the bully only to be grabbed by his shoulder and thrown into the wall by the thug's companions. "Let's beat some respect into the midget."
"Let's not," suddenly Xander was between him and the quartet of bullies.
"Hey look!" the guy he'd kneed in the balls had struggled to his feet. "It's the nigger lover!"
"Want to repeat that?" Jonathan risked a glance out of the corner of his eye. In the foyer of his dormitory stood the TA from Pscyh class with an equally beefy looking African-American and an athletic looking white kid. "Because," continued the sandy-haired TA. "My friends and I didn't quite catch it all."
"This has got nothing to do with you!" blustered the foursome's leader. Jonathan noted with satisfaction that he was still wincing in pain.
"You go round calling people niggers I say it got everything to do with me," growled the African-American.
"I've told you before," the TA continued. "We don't want your sort around us, take your drugs and get off campus or we'll come looking for you."
The ringleader glared at the TA. When he didn't flinch, the bully turned to the others. "Let's head to The Fish Tank, boys. This is nerdsville!" After shouldering his way past their rescuers, the gang stormed out.
"You forgot this."
Jonathan nodded as he took the proffered file from the smiling TA. "Thanks?"
"Riley, Riley Finn, this is Forrest," he nodded towards the shaven-headed black man. "And this is Graham," he nodded towards the black-haired guy.
"Um, thanks. I'm Jonathan and this is Xander," he introduced himself.
"Good to meet you both," Riley smiled. "There's a party at our dorm on the weekend, would you two be interested?"
Xander glanced at Jonathan and shrugged. "Can we bring our girl-friends?"
"Sure, we've just transferred in," Forrest replied. "So we'd like to meet new people."
"Great," Xander beamed at them. "Where and when?" "Lowell House, Saturday night, 22:00 hours?" Forrest replied.
"We might be a little later," Jonathan apologised. "But we'll be there."
"Great," Riley smiled at him. "Professor Walsh was impressed with you, said you had a good grasp of the basics and asked intelligent questions."
"Damn man," Forrest winked. "Praise off the Prof! You're a future Noble Prize winner!" the African-American turned to his companions. "We going?"
"Yeah," Riley nodded towards them. "See you Saturday, guys."
"Yeah," Xander nodded. "Thanks guys."
Jonathan looked at his friend, his brow furrowing as he noticed Xander's confused expression. "What's up Xander?"
"I don't know," his friend replied slowly. "But when they turned up, they moved into a military flanking position, and 22:00 hours? That's something someone in the military would say, there's something off about them.
"Why did you invite them Riley?"
Riley grinned at his friend. "Because dear Graham," he put on his best Walsh voice. "This operation is meant to be top-secret and a house that doesn't hold frat parties where new members and friends are invited, really stands out. Besides," his friend's eyes softened. "That Jonathan kid seemed like the sort who isn't exactly over-burdened with friends. And he seems like a nice guy, a little shy but nice."
"Doesn't hurt that him and his bud are dating a couple of kick-ass babes."
Riley laughed at Forrest's comment. "Makes it less painless," he agreed.
"That was a great party tonight!"
Xander chuckled at Jonathan's enthusiasm. "Yeah," he agreed. "It was a shame the G-Man wouldn't let the girls come."
"Yeah," his friend shrugged before shaking his head. "They hunt demons and he thinks they're too young for a frat party? What's up with that?"
"Just being the over-protective dad I guess," Xander replied. He chuckled as he remembered Faith's language as they'd left, he swore Giles was blushing. His smile died as he noticed something. "Jon, trouble."
Tara shivered as she hurried down the dark street, it wasn't cold or even lukewarm, and yet there was something about this place that sent tingles down her spine. She'd made a huge mistake, her pa was right, she didn't fit in the outside world, she should have stayed at home.
But she was better than that, she didn't want to spend the rest of her life as an unpaid drudge for her. She'd been so excited when the acceptance letter had come from Sunnydale, it wasn't Harvard or anywhere like that, but it was escape. But now...
She tensed up as a trio of youths stepped around her. "What's a pretty girl like you doing out a night on your own?" asked one, a beefy youth maybe two years her senior.
Tara kept her eyes. "G..going t..to m..my h...hotel," she replied, her voice quavering with fear, she was always nervous around people but these men were different, somehow scarier.
The man laughed, the harsh sound sending her heart racing. "T..to y..your hotel?" the man laughed. "A...a p...pretty t...thing l...like y..you," suddenly her assailant smiled cruelly. "I don't think so. We're going to party and then," she screamed as the man's face morphed into something hideous. "You're going to die." She opened her mouth to scream but then the man's fist exploded against her head, sending her plummeting to the ground.
"Shit."
Jonathan glanced at his friend. "Doesn't look good does it?"
Xander shook his head. "Ten vampires, two of us, and one prisoner? You've been taking lessons in understatement from G-man," his friend whispered back. "Go, get help. I'll stay here and watch."
Jonathan nodded, then stood. "Don't do anything stupid."
Xander grinned. "When have I done anything stupid?"
"Only all the whole time," Xander muttered to himself as he watched his friend run away. The night they need them, he forgets his mobile phone and Jonathan's battery runs out. "Harris' law."
He grimaced as he saw the leader of the vampires begin to taunt the girl, telling her in graphic detail what she was going to do. Sighing slightly, he stood and checked his weapons. "I'm not going to do anything stupid," he muttered. "Suicidal yes, but stupid? Kendra's going to kill me," he scowled. "If I'm lucky and live through the next ten minutes."
After a shake of the head he sauntered over to the warehouse door and raised an eyebrow. "No guards? Are we talking amateur hour here?" Raising a foot he kicked the door sending rotting wood flying and the door swinging open. "Hi guys," he smiled as he entered. God, he hoped they didn't sense his nervousness. "I'm a neighbour, understand you've got a vermin infestation."
Sunday's head snapped up a second a second before the door flew open, sensing the heartbeat of the human. Her lips parted in an appreciative smile as she examined the handsome teen with an air of capability and rugged physique stood in the ruined doorway. Tonight was just getting better and better. First she gets the gem of a runaway with considerable but untapped magical potential. Then, this hunk walks in. "Get him," she ordered.
The youth's chocolate brown eyes darkened. "Oh I wouldn't do that," his voice was chilling. "See," her eyes widened as the young man began to juggle a stake. He knowingly walks into a den with ten vampires and starts causally throw his stake from hand to hand, who was he?
"Who are you?" she demanded, slightly unnerved by the youth's air of apparently unassailable confidence.
The youth's grin widened, growing akin to a shark's. "I was there when the Master fell, ugly guy, nice personality though. I've backed off Angelus. I was there when Kaiktosis and Trick bought it. My girl-friend staked Spike when he messed with me," the youth grinned. "In short don't piss me off. So why don't you guys mosey out of town, and we'll forget all about -," the youth looked down as his stake clattered to the ground. "Oh shit." He looked back up, his face pale.
"Get him!"
A moment after her cry her two minions nearest the door leapt towards the teen. Sunday's brow furrowed when the youth grinned suddenly. What was he grinning for? "Lucky I had a back-up." The teen's hands came up. In his right, he held another stake, in the left a water pistol. A spurt of water erupted from the muzzle of the gun catching first one and then her other minion in the face. Instantly the two demons screamed, clawing madly at their eyes even as the youth expertly staked them. "Who's next?"
"Get him!" Sunday screamed, she couldn't believe this.
At her screech, her other vampires sprang into action, crowding the youth, he managed to catch another two with his water pistol and stake one of the injured vampires but finally he was overpowered and beaten to the ground. Seeing one of her minions morph out to bite the crumpled youth she let out a shriek. "No!"
Her minion turned to her, a look of confusion on his stupid face. "He killed three of us!"
"Exactly," she snapped. God why were her minions such idiots? "We need to replace them. And he's a human who managed to kill three of you, he has potential." Maybe he could be another Angelus, such strength. He was going to be her favourite, that was for sure. "I'm going to turn him."
Suddenly there was an explosion of wood behind her. "Like hell!" Sunday's head snapped around to see a ravishing brunette appear through the back of the building. Her skin crawled as she noted an aura of power around the woman. What was she?
A dark-skinned beauty joined the intruder. "You'll not be turning my Xander," she declared.
Sunday swallowed. There was something intimidating about these two girls, almost like she was a rabbit meeting a pair of hunting wolves. She risked a glance over her shoulder to see a short teen and a dangerous looking middle-aged man entering behind her minions.
Suddenly the brunette spoke. "Go and help them look after Xan Ken," the brunette's coal-black eyes zeroed in on her. "I'll take care of queen bitch."
Even as the last word left her cupid-bow mouth, the husky-sounding girl moved forward at a rate of knots impossible for a human. Before she had time to react, the brunette's foot was spin kicking into her jaw, knocking her backwards. "Who are you?" she gasped through thundering pain.
The raven-haired beauty's face creased in amusement. "You don't know who I am?" Sunday ducked beneath a left jab to the nose, countering with a left hook that her adversary caught on the shoulder before catching her with a heel kick, staggering her. "Boy, have you got shit-poor luck," Sunday barely managed to duck under a spin kick and twist away from her opponent's follow-up right cross. "My name's Faith, babe," the brunette winked before driving the point of her elbow into the side of Sunday's face, sidestepping her attempted retaliatory right karate chop, grabbing her wrist and twisting it back until the warehouse reverberated to the sound of breaking bone. "I'm a Slayer."
Instantly all thoughts of the crashing pain in her now useless right arm fled to be replaced by a gnawing terror. "And," suddenly the brunette's eyes chilled. "You tried to hurt my family." A thudding uppercut lifted her off her feet dumping her on the ground. "Nobody hurts my family." The last thing she saw was the stake arching down to her chest.
"A..and that's my story," Tara finished before looking nervously at her rescuers. Tonight had been bewildering, first kidnapped by vampires, then Xander, that was his name, had tried to rescue her, and then a pair of uber- babes had rescued her and Xander. And then they'd brought her to the Englishman's place and told her about Slayers.
"Where you staying Tiger?"
Tara blushed when the raven-haired Slayer spoke to her, instantly her heart began to beat a little faster. The girl was stronger, more confident than those she normally attracted to, but when she looked into those eyes . "At the motel on seventh street."
"That place's a shit-hole," Faith scowled, frightening her a little with her intensity. "No fucking way a bud of mine's staying there," Tara looked up from the carpet where her gaze had inevitably descending, they were friends? She'd never had friends before, Pa said it distracted from her work. "G, please," Faith fluttered her eyelashes.
"Faith-."
"She's got nowhere else to stay," Faith wheedled. "You didn't let me stay there and Tar's got nowhere or nobody else in town. And she doesn't have my powers either."
The middle-aged man sighed. "Very well, why do I bother arguing?" Giles turned to her. "Everybody here pitches in on the Slaying, you don't have to help patrol but you do have to help research-."
"I...I'll help," she interrupted.
The Englishman looked delighted. "That's splendid. You can Xander's old room."
Xander sighed theatrically. "Ah, how quickly I'm replaced."
Faith snorted before winking at her and ruffling Xander's hair. "Yeah, and our new roomie's way prettier too."
"And I bet she doesn't leave the toilet seat up," commented the other Slayer.
"Oh dear lord," muttered the Englishman. "I thought things were bad when it was two men and two girls, now I'm really in trouble."
Faith winked. "Don't ya know it G."
Faith glanced at Kendra, her heart thundering. After the last few quiet months this was their greatest challenge in quite some time and they were facing it without their friends backing them up. Just great. "You ready Ken?" she asked after a nervous lick of her lips.
She was unsurprised when her fellow Slayer's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Yes, a new school year. I can hardly wait!"
Faith rolled her eyes. Typical, she had to end up with a big sis who was a geek. "You think we can blow up this school after our graduation?"
Kendra looked shocked for a second then giggled. "It could become a Slayer tradition."
Faith grinned. "Works for me."
Jonathan stared at his book list; college wasn't quite turning out how he'd hoped. Living away from home and sharing a dorm room with his best friend was cool. But some of the tutors were a lot stricter than he expected, more like school teachers than college lecturers. Especially, he glanced across the auditorium to the severe-looking woman stood behind the desk, Professor Walsh.
He'd taken Psych because he was instinctively good at the sciences but Prof. Walsh was tough, almost like Giles when he was instructing Faith and Ken. Opening the door he shoved his book list into his jacket pocket and hurried out. Maybe he could get to the book shop before it closed. Jonathan grimaced; damn he'd left his wallet in his room. Turning, he rushed back to his dormitory. He and Xander were meeting Faith and Kendra later, but if he hurried he could get the books.
Flinging open the dormitory's double doors he charged in. And fell over an out-stretched foot. As he fell, he curled up into a ball, hitting the ground on his shoulder and rolling up to his feet. He looked up at the four beefy jocks surrounded him and grimaced. Great, just like high school. Remembering what Giles and Xander had taught him about dealing with such situations, he looked the jock he presumed to be the leader dead in the eye as he attempted to step round him.
His heart sank when the jock stepped in his path. "Hey nerd how come a guy like youse has got a hot chick like that babe we saw you with in the college bar last night?"
Jonathan hid a grimace. God, he hated this, every one thought just because he was geeky looking they had the right to try and take Faith off him. "Just lucky I guess."
"Or," the bully leered at his mates. "You must be really rich, to afford the cost of hiring a hot hooker like that."
Jonathan's temper snapped. They could taunt him all they liked but to insult his girl. Stepping forward, he drove his knee upwards into his taunter. The jock's eyes crossed and he let out a gasp before doubling up. Jonathan raised his fist to punch the bully only to be grabbed by his shoulder and thrown into the wall by the thug's companions. "Let's beat some respect into the midget."
"Let's not," suddenly Xander was between him and the quartet of bullies.
"Hey look!" the guy he'd kneed in the balls had struggled to his feet. "It's the nigger lover!"
"Want to repeat that?" Jonathan risked a glance out of the corner of his eye. In the foyer of his dormitory stood the TA from Pscyh class with an equally beefy looking African-American and an athletic looking white kid. "Because," continued the sandy-haired TA. "My friends and I didn't quite catch it all."
"This has got nothing to do with you!" blustered the foursome's leader. Jonathan noted with satisfaction that he was still wincing in pain.
"You go round calling people niggers I say it got everything to do with me," growled the African-American.
"I've told you before," the TA continued. "We don't want your sort around us, take your drugs and get off campus or we'll come looking for you."
The ringleader glared at the TA. When he didn't flinch, the bully turned to the others. "Let's head to The Fish Tank, boys. This is nerdsville!" After shouldering his way past their rescuers, the gang stormed out.
"You forgot this."
Jonathan nodded as he took the proffered file from the smiling TA. "Thanks?"
"Riley, Riley Finn, this is Forrest," he nodded towards the shaven-headed black man. "And this is Graham," he nodded towards the black-haired guy.
"Um, thanks. I'm Jonathan and this is Xander," he introduced himself.
"Good to meet you both," Riley smiled. "There's a party at our dorm on the weekend, would you two be interested?"
Xander glanced at Jonathan and shrugged. "Can we bring our girl-friends?"
"Sure, we've just transferred in," Forrest replied. "So we'd like to meet new people."
"Great," Xander beamed at them. "Where and when?" "Lowell House, Saturday night, 22:00 hours?" Forrest replied.
"We might be a little later," Jonathan apologised. "But we'll be there."
"Great," Riley smiled at him. "Professor Walsh was impressed with you, said you had a good grasp of the basics and asked intelligent questions."
"Damn man," Forrest winked. "Praise off the Prof! You're a future Noble Prize winner!" the African-American turned to his companions. "We going?"
"Yeah," Riley nodded towards them. "See you Saturday, guys."
"Yeah," Xander nodded. "Thanks guys."
Jonathan looked at his friend, his brow furrowing as he noticed Xander's confused expression. "What's up Xander?"
"I don't know," his friend replied slowly. "But when they turned up, they moved into a military flanking position, and 22:00 hours? That's something someone in the military would say, there's something off about them.
"Why did you invite them Riley?"
Riley grinned at his friend. "Because dear Graham," he put on his best Walsh voice. "This operation is meant to be top-secret and a house that doesn't hold frat parties where new members and friends are invited, really stands out. Besides," his friend's eyes softened. "That Jonathan kid seemed like the sort who isn't exactly over-burdened with friends. And he seems like a nice guy, a little shy but nice."
"Doesn't hurt that him and his bud are dating a couple of kick-ass babes."
Riley laughed at Forrest's comment. "Makes it less painless," he agreed.
"That was a great party tonight!"
Xander chuckled at Jonathan's enthusiasm. "Yeah," he agreed. "It was a shame the G-Man wouldn't let the girls come."
"Yeah," his friend shrugged before shaking his head. "They hunt demons and he thinks they're too young for a frat party? What's up with that?"
"Just being the over-protective dad I guess," Xander replied. He chuckled as he remembered Faith's language as they'd left, he swore Giles was blushing. His smile died as he noticed something. "Jon, trouble."
Tara shivered as she hurried down the dark street, it wasn't cold or even lukewarm, and yet there was something about this place that sent tingles down her spine. She'd made a huge mistake, her pa was right, she didn't fit in the outside world, she should have stayed at home.
But she was better than that, she didn't want to spend the rest of her life as an unpaid drudge for her. She'd been so excited when the acceptance letter had come from Sunnydale, it wasn't Harvard or anywhere like that, but it was escape. But now...
She tensed up as a trio of youths stepped around her. "What's a pretty girl like you doing out a night on your own?" asked one, a beefy youth maybe two years her senior.
Tara kept her eyes. "G..going t..to m..my h...hotel," she replied, her voice quavering with fear, she was always nervous around people but these men were different, somehow scarier.
The man laughed, the harsh sound sending her heart racing. "T..to y..your hotel?" the man laughed. "A...a p...pretty t...thing l...like y..you," suddenly her assailant smiled cruelly. "I don't think so. We're going to party and then," she screamed as the man's face morphed into something hideous. "You're going to die." She opened her mouth to scream but then the man's fist exploded against her head, sending her plummeting to the ground.
"Shit."
Jonathan glanced at his friend. "Doesn't look good does it?"
Xander shook his head. "Ten vampires, two of us, and one prisoner? You've been taking lessons in understatement from G-man," his friend whispered back. "Go, get help. I'll stay here and watch."
Jonathan nodded, then stood. "Don't do anything stupid."
Xander grinned. "When have I done anything stupid?"
"Only all the whole time," Xander muttered to himself as he watched his friend run away. The night they need them, he forgets his mobile phone and Jonathan's battery runs out. "Harris' law."
He grimaced as he saw the leader of the vampires begin to taunt the girl, telling her in graphic detail what she was going to do. Sighing slightly, he stood and checked his weapons. "I'm not going to do anything stupid," he muttered. "Suicidal yes, but stupid? Kendra's going to kill me," he scowled. "If I'm lucky and live through the next ten minutes."
After a shake of the head he sauntered over to the warehouse door and raised an eyebrow. "No guards? Are we talking amateur hour here?" Raising a foot he kicked the door sending rotting wood flying and the door swinging open. "Hi guys," he smiled as he entered. God, he hoped they didn't sense his nervousness. "I'm a neighbour, understand you've got a vermin infestation."
Sunday's head snapped up a second a second before the door flew open, sensing the heartbeat of the human. Her lips parted in an appreciative smile as she examined the handsome teen with an air of capability and rugged physique stood in the ruined doorway. Tonight was just getting better and better. First she gets the gem of a runaway with considerable but untapped magical potential. Then, this hunk walks in. "Get him," she ordered.
The youth's chocolate brown eyes darkened. "Oh I wouldn't do that," his voice was chilling. "See," her eyes widened as the young man began to juggle a stake. He knowingly walks into a den with ten vampires and starts causally throw his stake from hand to hand, who was he?
"Who are you?" she demanded, slightly unnerved by the youth's air of apparently unassailable confidence.
The youth's grin widened, growing akin to a shark's. "I was there when the Master fell, ugly guy, nice personality though. I've backed off Angelus. I was there when Kaiktosis and Trick bought it. My girl-friend staked Spike when he messed with me," the youth grinned. "In short don't piss me off. So why don't you guys mosey out of town, and we'll forget all about -," the youth looked down as his stake clattered to the ground. "Oh shit." He looked back up, his face pale.
"Get him!"
A moment after her cry her two minions nearest the door leapt towards the teen. Sunday's brow furrowed when the youth grinned suddenly. What was he grinning for? "Lucky I had a back-up." The teen's hands came up. In his right, he held another stake, in the left a water pistol. A spurt of water erupted from the muzzle of the gun catching first one and then her other minion in the face. Instantly the two demons screamed, clawing madly at their eyes even as the youth expertly staked them. "Who's next?"
"Get him!" Sunday screamed, she couldn't believe this.
At her screech, her other vampires sprang into action, crowding the youth, he managed to catch another two with his water pistol and stake one of the injured vampires but finally he was overpowered and beaten to the ground. Seeing one of her minions morph out to bite the crumpled youth she let out a shriek. "No!"
Her minion turned to her, a look of confusion on his stupid face. "He killed three of us!"
"Exactly," she snapped. God why were her minions such idiots? "We need to replace them. And he's a human who managed to kill three of you, he has potential." Maybe he could be another Angelus, such strength. He was going to be her favourite, that was for sure. "I'm going to turn him."
Suddenly there was an explosion of wood behind her. "Like hell!" Sunday's head snapped around to see a ravishing brunette appear through the back of the building. Her skin crawled as she noted an aura of power around the woman. What was she?
A dark-skinned beauty joined the intruder. "You'll not be turning my Xander," she declared.
Sunday swallowed. There was something intimidating about these two girls, almost like she was a rabbit meeting a pair of hunting wolves. She risked a glance over her shoulder to see a short teen and a dangerous looking middle-aged man entering behind her minions.
Suddenly the brunette spoke. "Go and help them look after Xan Ken," the brunette's coal-black eyes zeroed in on her. "I'll take care of queen bitch."
Even as the last word left her cupid-bow mouth, the husky-sounding girl moved forward at a rate of knots impossible for a human. Before she had time to react, the brunette's foot was spin kicking into her jaw, knocking her backwards. "Who are you?" she gasped through thundering pain.
The raven-haired beauty's face creased in amusement. "You don't know who I am?" Sunday ducked beneath a left jab to the nose, countering with a left hook that her adversary caught on the shoulder before catching her with a heel kick, staggering her. "Boy, have you got shit-poor luck," Sunday barely managed to duck under a spin kick and twist away from her opponent's follow-up right cross. "My name's Faith, babe," the brunette winked before driving the point of her elbow into the side of Sunday's face, sidestepping her attempted retaliatory right karate chop, grabbing her wrist and twisting it back until the warehouse reverberated to the sound of breaking bone. "I'm a Slayer."
Instantly all thoughts of the crashing pain in her now useless right arm fled to be replaced by a gnawing terror. "And," suddenly the brunette's eyes chilled. "You tried to hurt my family." A thudding uppercut lifted her off her feet dumping her on the ground. "Nobody hurts my family." The last thing she saw was the stake arching down to her chest.
"A..and that's my story," Tara finished before looking nervously at her rescuers. Tonight had been bewildering, first kidnapped by vampires, then Xander, that was his name, had tried to rescue her, and then a pair of uber- babes had rescued her and Xander. And then they'd brought her to the Englishman's place and told her about Slayers.
"Where you staying Tiger?"
Tara blushed when the raven-haired Slayer spoke to her, instantly her heart began to beat a little faster. The girl was stronger, more confident than those she normally attracted to, but when she looked into those eyes . "At the motel on seventh street."
"That place's a shit-hole," Faith scowled, frightening her a little with her intensity. "No fucking way a bud of mine's staying there," Tara looked up from the carpet where her gaze had inevitably descending, they were friends? She'd never had friends before, Pa said it distracted from her work. "G, please," Faith fluttered her eyelashes.
"Faith-."
"She's got nowhere else to stay," Faith wheedled. "You didn't let me stay there and Tar's got nowhere or nobody else in town. And she doesn't have my powers either."
The middle-aged man sighed. "Very well, why do I bother arguing?" Giles turned to her. "Everybody here pitches in on the Slaying, you don't have to help patrol but you do have to help research-."
"I...I'll help," she interrupted.
The Englishman looked delighted. "That's splendid. You can Xander's old room."
Xander sighed theatrically. "Ah, how quickly I'm replaced."
Faith snorted before winking at her and ruffling Xander's hair. "Yeah, and our new roomie's way prettier too."
"And I bet she doesn't leave the toilet seat up," commented the other Slayer.
"Oh dear lord," muttered the Englishman. "I thought things were bad when it was two men and two girls, now I'm really in trouble."
Faith winked. "Don't ya know it G."