TITLE: Section One: The Return

AUTHOR: Heather Sinclair

E-MAIL: Viceverza @hotmail.com

FEEDBACK: "Doctor, just tap into that vein and let her rip" Life's Blood Yanno

PAIRING: B/F

RATING: R for violence, language, and sexual situations.

SPOILERS: All, up the WB's run. No Dawn.

SUMMARY: Sequel to Section One.

DISCLAIMER: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all of it's characters belong to Joss W., Mutant Enemy, 20th Cen. Fox, Yadda...Le Femme Nikita and all of its characters belong to USA Studios, more Yadda.

Chapter 1

The sun shining through the bedroom window woke me up from a very restful sleep. It took me a few seconds to realize that I wasn't still in Section. B laid quietly beside me peacefully sleeping with a slight smile on her face.

It's a new step for us, being together. This was our first night together as a couple, if that is what we are. Neither of us has made any formal commitment, but who knows what is in the future. I only know that since my little revelation yesterday. I finally realized that I'm not only living for myself, I'm living for hundreds, maybe even millions of people. It's not an easy load to bare.

However it has changed my attitude on how I feel about myself and about B. Before, she was just another conquest, another notch on my headboard, but since that night we spent together I found out exactly how much I meant to her and how much she meant in return.

I know she was in a very dark place that I have been time and again. That place where you have nobody to turn to that would understand. No family left alive. No friends that would feel the pain that she felt and just be there for her instead of trying to make it better.

Nobody can make it better.

The point I knew that I had healed was when she told me that she was proud of me. Nobody has ever said that to me before. It was always 'You are a loser, Faith' or "I hate you, Faith', never 'I'm proud of you , Faith'. It is a really weird feeling. Kind of warm and fuzzy, and exhilarating all at the same time. It made me want to go out and perform good deeds right then and there just to hear those words again.

I snuck out of bed and made my way down to the kitchen. I wasn't the world's best cook, but I was going to give breakfast in bed a try.

************

"Fuck!" The eggs were burned. The toast was burned, and the orange juice was warm. I opened up the cupboard and found some Capt. Crunch. Dammit, this was gonna have to do.

************

She was still sleeping when I came back in the room. I knelt on the bed and kissed her ever so lightly. Then again. Then again. By the third time I felt her respond with a peck back. Then she rolled over into me.

"Mornin', sleepy head." I whispered.

"Mornnn." She mumbled and tried to snuggle.

"Hey, wake up. I got breakfast." I laughed.

She put her arm around me and felt the apron I was wearing. Then her eyes cracked open and a smile spread on her lips. Well I was wearing *just* an apron. I sat up, grabbed the tray and waited.

She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and tried to sit up.

"I burned everything else, so you get cold cereal." I confessed.

I filled a spoonful and held it up to her mouth. She opened and I entered. Damn had sexual undertones if I had ever heard any. I got lost in a visual and spilt a little milk down her chin and onto her chest.

"Hey!" She muttered through the mouthful of cereal.

"Oops." I replied in apology. "Let me get that for you."

I bent my head down to her cleavage and lapped up the white liquid. I trailed my way back up her chin and to her mouth. By this time she had swallowed the cereal and met my mouth with anticipated heat.

Ok, screw breakfast.

**************

"What did you want to do today?" B asked me as we were getting ready.

I stopped applying my eyeliner and looked into the mirror. "B, I haven't had a day off in over two years. Can we just hang out, anywhere, it doesn't matter."

She smiled and hugged me from behind. "Anything you want."

She returned to her jewelry box and pulled out her cross, clasping it around her neck. A somber look came over her face.

"What?" I asked.

She looked back at me, thoughtfully. "Faith, what are we doing?"

I didn't say anything. I didn't want to break this moment of total happiness.

She continued. "What am I going to tell the gang? What am I going to tell Giles?"

I didn't have a clue what to tell her, but I didn't want anything to change.

"Tell'em what you want, B. You don't have to tell them about us if you don't want to."

She clasped her hands together to her chest. "Is there an Us?"

I laid down my eyeliner and stepped up in front of her.

"B... Buffy, for as long as you'll have me I'll be here." She was going to reply, but I cut her off. "I never really thought about us too much other than the occasional fantasy. Until we switched bodies that day." I saw a pained look on her face.

"Let me explain." I took her by the hand and led her to the bed. "The first thing I did when they hauled you off to wherever, was to go into your room. I tore into everything. I didn't know what I was looking for until I found it, your diary. Once I found it I spent the next couple of hours reading about your life after you put me into the hospital."

She flinched. "We both hurt each other, Buffy. Just a fact of life. Let me finish."

"I spent the night reading and rereading about Riley, Angel, the gang, and finally about me. I didn't think that I played a part in your life until I saw that passage."

Then I quoted.

I visited her again today. She was laying there just like every other

time I came. Why won't you wake up, Faith. Why won't you let me

say that I am sorry. Why can't you get it through the stubborn

head of yours that I love you. I hold your hand waiting for you to

give me some sort of sign that you hear me, that you feel my love

for you. I didn't realize it before. I was too blinded by my puppy love

for Angel, and fear of my own sexuality that I that I couldn't show

you when you were awake. Wake up for me. Wake up.

B sat in silence listening to me recount her words.

"That was when I knew that I wasn't good enough for you. I mean look what I did. I sent you off for reprogramming by the Watcher's Council, I threatened your mom, I turned on you in every way I could. So I knew that there was only one more thing that I could do. I had to make you hate me enough to finish the job you started.

"That is why I screwed Riley, that is why I almost shucked town. I knew someday that you would be back and I knew that I had to have you mad at me in the process. You had to hate me, B. But then those freakin' vampires had to take over that church.

"I was you then, B. I was *The* Slayer. I couldn't let everything you did for the world go to waste. I couldn't let your friends think bad of you. That is why I came back. That is why my life has been such shit.

"I deserved every moment in prison, I deserved being treated like shit at Section One, I deserved having a freakin' bomb put in my head. It was my punishment. So if you can forgive me my past and I can forgive you yours we can get through anything, B. Anything."

She let me finish and sat there in silence for a few seconds afterwards.

"Finished?" She asked.

I nodded.

"Good." She got up and walked around her room. Pacing back and forth.

It was just too much for me to bare. "B... say something. Tell me to get out. Tell me to go to hell...tell me something."

She stopped and looked at me. "Wait here." She walked out of the room and down the hall to her mom's room. I was about to jump out of my skin when she came back. I had already grabbed my jacket and started stuffing my stuff into the pockets. She's gonna toss me out on my ass.

"Faith sit down." I couldn't decide what to do. Should I try to bolt passed her or just jump out of the open window.

"Faith, sit down." She repeated.

I didn't choose either. I was going to take my punishment. I had turned my life around yesterday and it was my duty to stay here and let her pound me.

I sat.

She came up to me, inches away and knelt down on the floor. Her arms encircled my waist. What is she doing?

She let go. I started to say something, but she cut me off.

"Faith, shut up." She said flatly. "You've had your say, now I get mine."

I closed my eyes for the onslaught.

"Marry me." She said.

Huh? My eyes darted open and she was there on one knee holding a diamond ring out for me.

"Marry me, Faith. I've been sitting in this house by myself for too long doing nothing but thinking. Have you ever just sat and thought about nothing else than how screwed up your life really is?"

She realized what she said and laughed through her welling tears.

"That is all I have been doing since my mother died. And since you have come back into my life I have found that everything is coming together and finally feeling right. I don't care about the past. I don't care what my friends think, even though I know they will be happy for us. I care about the future and I care about you. I don't want either of us to be hurt any longer, Faith.

"Separate, we are two of the biggest screw-ups this world has ever known. Together we are unstoppable. Marry me, Faith. Marry me."

She grabbed my hand and clasped it in her own.

"I love you, Faith. Marry me."

I was speechless. If someone had hit me with the Empire State Building I don't think I could have been more shocked or stunned.

"B... you don't know what you are asking."

She held me fast. "Don't I? I'm asking you to be my wife. I don't care about anything else."

She loves me. She really, truly loves me.

I took the ring and slid it on my left hand ring finger.

"Does this mean I have to be, Faith Summers?"

She smiled and jumped on me covering me with kisses.

I accepted.

Then the phone rang.

I flipped her over and kissed her one last time before I answered it.

"You got Faith."

A familiar voice came back. "Oh yes I do, Faith. Oh yes I do."

Oh my god... Madeline, Section One's second in command.

Chapter 2

Madeline. Dammit. What the hell is she still doing out? I had to try and take the upper hand.

"Hey Mads, Didn't the FBI sweep under the toilets when they cleaned out Section?"

I could see her stone face, even over the phone lines.

"Faith, you really didn't think we hadn't thought of the contingency. The FBI is merely a speed bump." She paused and let the revelation sink in before hitting me with part two of today's abuse-fest. "Have you forgotten how we retrieved you from prison. We have contacts and resources that you have never dreamed of. Section has survived."

B saw the concern on my face and rushed to my side, putting her ear to the headset.

Madeline continued. "You will return to Section, and you will bring your friend with you."

I knew she was talking about B.

"You can go fuck yourself Mads." I replied.

She chuckled. "Have you forgotten about our little gift to you, Faith?"

"Your can't hold that over me anymore. I destroyed the transmitter."

She sighed. "Really, Faith. I thought we trained you better than that. Section always has back-ups and back-ups to the back-ups."

I was getting nervous. "Bullshit."

"Should we test it out, Faith?"

B couldn't take it anymore. "Don't! We'll... we'll be there."

I clasped the phone so Madeline couldn't hear. "Are you crazy, B?"

She tugged on the phone. "I just found you, I'm not going to lose you in the same day."

I tried to sway her. "You don't know what these people are like, B. They are ruthless."

She let go of the phone and held my face in her hands. "I know. That is why I am not going to let them blow your head up."

She finished with a soft kiss. "Anyway, I have a plan."

I smiled half-heartedly and spoke into the phone. "Where."

****************

Madeline gave me instructions to meet a car in front of the old high school. They would take it from there. B had other plans. She stuffed a few outfits and the bare necessities into a backpack, and we headed out, not to the school but to the Initiative compound.

It was risky, but we would be safe there until we could come up with a real plan. We turned on the Slayer speed and raced to the compound as fast as we could. I tried to scan the area for Section operatives. Section always had operatives everywhere, but we were moving too fast for my intuition to kick in.

B hit the sewer lid first and flipped it off with little effort. I was right behind her taking two rungs at a time and sliding the remaining fifteen feet to the ground. B flicked on her flashlight and we made a dash for the key coded door.

Once there I entered the fifteen digit code that I remembered from the days before. The door slid open and Madeline was standing behind it waiting for us.

"You didn't really think Operations would forget your little home away from home, did you?"

I couldn't help myself. I punched her in the face. Then I felt the taser prongs hit my leg. "B, *Run*"

It only felt like fifteen billion volts. On reflection I'm sure it was a little bit less, not by much though.

*************

I woke up in a room that I thought I would never be. The interrogation room. Granted it looked just like any other room in the compound, but Section didn't take long to spruce things up a bit: A stainless steel chair with matching wrist and ankle restraints, the tool tray with all of the nice pronged instruments used to poke and tear various peaces of sensitive flesh, and my all time favorite, sound proofed walls so everyone outside didn't have to hear you beg to tell the interrogator anything she wants.

I admit it, I was scared shitless. I've seen what happens to people that come in these rooms. So I jumped as far as I could in the chair, which wasn't far, when the door opened.

Madeline walked in. She was my height with shoulder length black hair, maybe in her early forties, and sporting a black business outfit. She was also sporting a really nice bruised jaw. Damn, I could have sworn I heard bones crack. If only we could switch places I would finish the job..

"Good afternoon, Faith. I trust you slept well."

I could still feel the burns on my leg where the taser hit me. I decided not to reply.

"We want you to do something for us."

There was one thing Madeline never did when she entered this room, show emotion. Her face was stone.

I still decided not to reply.

She motioned to the far wall on the right where two way mirror was imbedded in the wall. On her queue the window lost it's reflectiveness where I could see people standing behind. One of them was B. She was shackled to prevent escape, and they look as if they know she has Slayer strength. Those shackles were thick.

My face started burning, seething with hatred.

"What do you want?" I spat through clenched teeth.

Her stone face turned back to me. "I want you to beg us to make your friend an operative. I want you to beg us to implant a similar device in her brain that will pacify her as we have done to you. And lastly I want you to smile as you beg."

"Mads, you can go fuck yourself."

Then something happen that I had never seen before. She smiled.

"I hoped you would say that."

The door opened again and a nerdy brother and sister team strolled in with a very large cart between them. They pulled it up beside me and opened the lid. Needles, scalpels, electrodes, various bottles of fluids with medical names on the labels I had never heard of littered the tray. Then they opened the drawer underneath. Goggles, bamboo sticks, glass rods, speculums, all were present.

I looked back up at B. She was crying at this point, and trying to pull her restraints apart. I could tell she was calling my name, but I couldn't hear anything. I closed my eyes slowly and opened them again to mouth the words 'I love you'. I had to see her one last time. She stopped and returned the gesture. I knew that the short time we spent together was worth anything that the bobsy twins could put out. I felt their hands pull my head back onto the chair and strap it down. A strange calm overtook me. I could almost feel the world slip away and my body float beyond the interrogation room, almost.

Then the screaming began.

***************

Am I still alive? I think I am. I tried to move my little finger on my right hand. Pain shot up my arm. My teeth clenched. I guess that one is broken. I heard movement to my right. I tried to open my right eye and then my left. The right was swollen shut, but the left worked just fine. It was B.

"Faith? Faith, can you hear me?" She pleaded.

It's not her, I tried to tell myself. Just Madeline playing her freakin' games. Probably a Section operative made up to look like B. Hell, they've done it before.

I tried to shoo her off. "Fook uff."

"Faith, just tell them to do it. It's not worth it. We'll get through this. I love you, Faith. Don't make me sit through this again. They'll do anything to break you. I can't take it anymore. I can't see you hurt anymore." She cried.

If that was B then she's doing herself more harm than good. I have to end this. I tried my damnedest to make a fist with my right hand. I remembered that they broke almost every bone in that hand, that should do nicely. I almost screamed out in pain again, but it was just enough to send me back over the edge into blackness.

*************

"You can open your eyes, Faith. We know you are awake."

I cracked my left eye open again. Madeline was standing there, smugness radiating off of her like a bad odor.

"You have proven quite resilient. Even I didn't think you had such devotion in you. However, that shall prove to be your downfall, I suppose."

She stepped out of the way showing B, strapped to a chair directly in front of me. A ball gag was stuffed into her mouth and fear was streaming from her eyes.

"You won't have a second chance, Faith. You will beg me to make her a part of Section, or she will suffer your fate, except you will watch this time. If you say no and change your mind later, we will still finish the job."

It was a matter of principle.

I knew sooner or later that she would bring B into this. The one thing that would break me.

I tried to turn the corners of my lips up. I could feel the skin crack from lack of moisture. "Peese"

Madeline leaned in to listen. "Please what?"

"Maak er ecshun."

For the second time I saw Madeline smile. Then she turned to the twins and nodded. "You may continue."

"Waaa. Nooo!" I tried to scream. I heard B start to scream under the gag.

Then I felt something weird with my restraints. It seemed as if they started to go soft. I mustered every ounce of strength I could, B's screams adding to my strength, and I pulled. They snapped off at the base. Madeline watched in stunned amazement as I grabbed her throat with my left hand and squeezed.

"Stof it." I ordered through my swollen mouth.

The twins halted their progress.

I turned my head to face them. "et er go."

The male was more than spooked by my ability to snap steel and quickly pulled the release rods to B's restraints. B stripped the gag out of her mouth and punched the guy, breaking his jaw in the process. I know I heard bones crack that time. The girl backed away, out of reach.

"Faith, oh my God." B rushed to my side and pulled the release rods away. I almost fell to the ground, but Madeline was supporting me. Either that or have me pull out her windpipe when I fell.

I heard the alarms sound. We were busted, but I still had one more card to play.

Chapter 3

Operations' thumb hovered millimeters above the send key on the transmitter that would soon end my life. I only had one trump card, Madeline, and I don't think it is going to get me very far. If there is one thing in this world that matters more to Operations than Madeline, it's Section. I really don't think it will be much of a decision for him.

"Faith," he said confidently, "you have only one chance to let her go. If you do, then you and your friend can live out your lives in service to Section. If not, you sign your own death warrants."

The adrenaline rush I had only moments earlier was starting to wear off. I could feel the strength starting to drain from my left arm where I was holding Madeline by the throat. I looked over at B. She looked back and forth from the remote to my face. I know she thinks we can always get out later if I let Madeline go, but I know Operations better than she does. As soon as we busted out of the interrogation room, odds are that we would not make it.

I looked back at Operations. "No deal." And I squeezed.

Grim determination set in his features. "I'm sorry, Madeline."

I closed my eyes and waited for the final moments of my life. Then the world shook.

My eyes snapped open. B was the only one who didn't seem surprised as she made a dash for Operations. He was too busy trying not to fall down to realize that my girl was descending upon him with all the wrath of Hell behind her.

The floor cracked underneath us and white hot steam spewed upwards cutting me off from B. I backed away towards the nearest wall, taking Madeline with me. I was at a disadvantage. I couldn't hold on to her and stay standing at the same time. With only one arm usable right now, I really didn't want to fall down.

I slammed Madeline back into the wall hard enough to hear her head crack above the noise of the quaking. She slid limply down the wall to the floor. The quick movement sent bolts of pain up my useless right arm. I took priceless seconds to whip off my belt and secure the injured arm against my body.

I also realized that my head still seemed to be attached to my torso, so B must of got Operations. The steam shooting from the floor was still too thick to see through. I could only hope that she was safe.

"B!" I screamed trying to be heard over the loud rumblings.

No reply. Shit.

I was trapped on this side until the steam decided it wanted to quit spewing. I could try to jump through, but it was just too damned hot. I would be a well cooked lobster by the time I made it to the other side. The only thing I could do was wait.

*Faith* A voice screamed in my head.

"Jesus!"

*Faith, can you hear me?*

Ok, I'm going nuts. "Red?"

*We're coming Faith, hang on.*

This chick is getting way too powerful. Go Red!

The noise started to ease up a bit and the steam was dissipating. I had to make my move now before it returned. I took a step back and ran headlong into a dive over the wide crack in the floor. It was still damn hot and I'm sure I am going to be nice and toasty when I get to the other side, but at least I get to make it.

I land in a roll trying to protect my injured arm. It didn't work too good. My balance was thrown off and I slammed into the floor.

"FUCK!"

White fire seared up the arm and I was sure the damn thing had fallen off, but I made it and I was still alive. People were running left and right trying to save what was left of Section, but no B or Operations.

I had checked out the place only a few days ago and there wasn't much past the main room: a few containment cells, some overhead offices, and the research area. Sure, they had started a few changes, but there is only so much you can accomplish in a couple of days. I really needed to figure out what my next move was.

Only one thing popped into my head. If B and I were ever going to lead a normal life, I had to defuse Section's hold over me. In other words, I need to get the freakin' bomb out of my head. Now where would Operations put the infirmary?

The alarm klaxons were starting to give me a headache along with the rest-of-my-body ache, but they did serve a secondary purpose of diverting attention away from me inching my way to the research section. That is the only place that could be set up as a temporary infirmary. Most of the goodies were already there: dissection table, band-aides, rectal thermometers; ya' know, hospital stuff.

I got lost in time, pain, you name it, until I find myself standing at the main door, staring at the key-carded electronic lock and me without my key card. On a whim, I tried the door knob anyway, and it opened. Yea, me. I eased my battered body beyond the entrance and started a door by door search until I found what I was looking for.

"Hey doc." I uttered as my search ended. The doctor was pushing a large cart piled with boxes toward the only door in the room, mine. I assumed it had emergency equipment for a quick move.

"Faith." He said quietly.

I wasn't surprised that he remembered my name. Hell, he got most of his business from me when I was training with Section.

"You don't look so good, Faith." He said warily.

I tried to smile and was rewarded with a stabbing pain from my lips.

"I need your 'elp, doc." I said through swollen lips.

He smiled nervously. "I'm in a bit of a hurry, Faith."

I pretended I didn't hear him. "I 'av 'ometing of yours in my 'ead. I 'ant it out."

Eyeing his intense staring at the door I guessed what he was going to do and sidestepped away before the cart started moving. The result was noisy as the cart slammed into the door. He tried to rush me, so I sucker punched him in the stomach with the last of my remaining strength. It was chancy. If he tried it again I was a goner. You could have knocked me over with a feather at this point.

"Don't 'crew wif me doc." I threatened.

Then I heard it. "Faith!"

B.

I pushed the cart away from the door and opened it enough to be heard.

"In here."

Seconds later B was holding me in her wonderfully strong yet soft arms.

*****************

"Faith?"

Nnnnnnnn.

"How are you feeling?"

I felt a hand on my face, forcing open one of my eyelids, then a bright light, then the other, and another bright light.

"She's fine, can I go now."

"Hold on."

"Faith?"

****************

I woke up a second time. This time I was a little more clearheaded. The first thing I noticed was the lack of pain in my right arm. Even with Slayer healing it should still be broken in several places.

"It's about time." B entered the room.

"Hey." I greeted her.

"Hey yourself. How are you feeling?" She inquired.

I silently took inventory of my body. "I'm wicked hungry."

That brought a smile to her face.

I looked around and realized we were still in the initiative compound. The alarms had been turned off and B was in different clothes since our arrival.

"How long?" I asked.

She took my hand in hers. "Two weeks."

Huh?

She saw the confusion on my face and tried to explain.

"Once Willow and Tara started the earthquake most of Section bugged out. The rest we put in containment cells."

Ah!

"I guess that explains my arm healing as much as it has."

She nodded. "Do you feel like standing?"

"Yeah." I concluded.

"I brought you some clothes." She indicated to the chair beside the bed.

After I dressed she led me out of the room. Once we made it to the main room I got to see what B had been doing for the past couple of weeks. I almost laughed.

"You took over Section?"

She smiled. "Sorta." She paused. "Once they lost their leader, most were more than happy to stay and start something else."

The mention of their leader brought something back to mind.

"Operations?"

She shook her head. "He got away, along with Madeline."

"Damn."

I looked around. Judging from the amount of people in the room, half of Section had stayed.

"How did you get them to stick around?" I asked.

"I asked them."

I was almost shocked. "That's it?"

"They basically seem to be good people, Faith. Most of the bad seed left right away after I gave them the choice. But a lot stayed. They seemed genuinely surprised when I gave them a choice." B looked thoughtfully inward. "I guess they see that they want to actually help people instead of playing power games with the government."

"Wow," Was all I could say. "B, you realize that you let a lot of murderers out on the street, don't you?"

She shook her head.

"A guy named Birkoff gave the Feds their locations. Did you know that everyone had a tracking device implanted under their skin?" She asked.

Then it dawned on me. "I guess that is how Madeline knew we were coming to the compound and she just sat here and waited for us."

B nodded. "Anyway all of those guys are behind bars again."

Just then my stomach announced it's presence.

B smiled. "Oops, I forgot, you're hungry. Come on, I'm buying"

She took me by the hand.

Chapter 4

~*~ Two Weeks Later ~*~

"Now!" Birkoff's voice alerted us over the communicator.

Both teams converged on the vampire nest. There were twenty-six vamps in all, half of which exploded into dust at the beginning of the operation. The rest were taken down by Bravo Team, B, the Scooby Gang, and myself.

"That was almost boring." I commented to B. "I'm not even hungry or..."

B interrupted. "Don't say it."

I smiled at her. "Come on, tell me you are craving a low-fat yogurt."

She laughed. "No, but I can think of other things that I am craving."

Giles' voice came over the communicator. "Ahem, Buffy you still have an open mike."

Her face shown every shade of red there was. "Oops."

*****************

~*~ Back at The Compound ~*~

B and I were putting the final touches with our street clothes when I slipped on my engagement ring. I still stared at it in amazement. Who would have ever thought that I would be getting married. Not me that's for sure.

"Hey." B said softly as she was standing behind me. "What'cha thinking?"

I vowed to myself to always tell her the truth. "That you are insane, wanting to marry me."

She took it in stride. "Faith, that was my mom's engagement ring. Do you really think that I would give it to someone that I wasn't serious about?"

That hit home. I knew how much Joyce meant to her and that was about the best compliment she could give me.

"I love you, B."

She smiled seductively at me. "That's because you are really smart. Now come on, I've got a really big appetite that needs satisfying."

It was my turn to smile.

~*~ One Hour Later ~*~

"I need some water." B breathed into my ear.

"I have something that should quench your thirst." I replied.

"How do you think I got pasty mouth in the first place."

~*~ Two Hours Later ~*~

"You are insatiable." B panted.

"You aren't so bad yourself." I replied.

She giggled. "No, I mean you are real hard to satisfy."

"I think you have satisfied me about eight or nine times so far." I countered.

~*~ Two More Hours Later ~*~

"Ok, enough...I've reached my limit." I gasped.

B was breathing just as hard.

"Already? I... was... just ... getting... my...second wind."

I grinned. "Now I'm really hungry."

~*~ One Hour and Two Giant Pepperoni and Beef Pizzas at Tony's Pizza Parlor ~*~

"Wanna get another one?" I said, licking my fingers.

"Do you want me to explode?"

"I know a way of working off that full belly." I winked.

"Faith, if you touch me I am going to blow." She warned. "Just let me be Jabba the Hut for fifteen minutes."

"Does that mean I get to wear the gold bikini?" I said eagerly.

She pondered it for about two seconds. "If there is one thing I never expect you to experience, its being a slave, much less a Princess Leia dancing slave in a gold bikini."

I raised and lowered my eyebrows. "Ya never know, B. For the right person I would do almost anything."

"Could you tape that for me?" Xander's voice came over Faith's shoulder.

B straightened up. "Xander! When did you get here?"

He grinned ear to ear. "Right around Jabba the Hut. Anya wanted some Pizza. So about that video tape..."

"Being in construction hasn't eased your libido, has it X man. I mean, you walking around banging your hammer on anything that moves..." I countered.

"Hey! I resent that remark, especially since it hits so close to home."

B rolled her eyes. "Well, keep an eye on your Christmas stocking, Xander. You never know what Santa will bring."

His jaw dropped. "Great googily moogilies, Faith, whatever you are doing to her, keep it up."

I laughed. "Keeping it up is not an option in our relationship."

Xander started to squirm. "I think they are calling my name." He got up and started to limp away, grabbing the closest serving tray and holding it in front of his pants.

"Faith, you are sooo bad." She pointed her finger at me.

"Me! What about you promising to tape your slave fantasy of me and giving it to him? You are the bad one."

"My slave fantasy?"

"Yep." I confirmed.

She just sighed.

~*~ The Compound ~*~

It was really weird working with the Section crew again, but spirits were very high since B and I took over. We finally got around to doing a head count. Only forty-two stayed. I have no idea how many were actually in Section to begin with, but I am fairly certain it was more than a hundred or so.

Among the recruits were Birkoff and Walter. I was happy for that. At least we have Computers and Weapons taken care of. Only a hand full of field operatives stayed. That didn't surprise me considering most of them were cold blood killers. The ones that hung around were more like me, ya know, sorry for what they did and wanting to make up for their past.

Well I think this is the place to do it. Nothing like saving the world on a regular basis to get the good karma pumping. And the Hellmouth provides a never-ending supply of world saving opportunities.

Some of the team was surprised at what they were actually fighting... demons and all. They adjusted rather quickly, considering.

After we cleaned up the mess from the Willow and Tara induced earthquake, we found many new places to build additional housing for those that wanted quarters on site. Birkoff managed to tap into old Section accounts for funding. Well not exactly tap into...well he swiped it. I found out later that he had contacted his brother, a twin actually, who was more than a bigwig in the business world. He had spread most of the money into different investments around the globe. Needless to say I don't think we will be having any money problems in the future.

Birkoff also tapped into the Watchers Council's computers which had just about everything you wanted to know about demons at their fingertips. So much so in fact that Giles, Birkoff , and Walter have devised a way to track demons, electronically. It's kinda like a demon radar. I don't understand how it works I just follow the blip around until I find the demon and I whack it. That also takes the fun out of patrolling, but what the hey, whatever takes the pressure off of me and B and puts it on to a lot more operatives, I like.

That just means a lot more down time for the Slayers to enjoy a little bit of life. Which I plan to take major advantage of.

Chapter 5

What do two slayers in love do when they have a large crew of willing and able people to take up the slack in the patrolling department? They take a vacation! Faith dragged me willingly to the beach for a little fun in the sun. I don't think I have ever seen the sun as much as I have for the last four days.

We spent the mornings basking in the warm rays on the beach in back of the private beach house that she arranged for us, and the afternoons were well used to further our lovemaking to places that I had never thought possible.

It almost seemed too good to be true. I was finally allowed to enjoy my life for once and enjoy it with the one person in the whole world that made me feel like a goddess.

"Hey, B?" Faith purred into my ear.

"Hmm?"

"Hungry?" She inquired.

"Sorta?" I replied.

"What do you want to eat?"

"You." I smiled.

So I did.

***************

The only thing I dislike about making love on the beach is the sand; it gets everywhere. It wasn't long before we finally gave in and decided to take a quick shower before lunch. Faith chose to make us a couple of sandwiches while I took first in the shower.

I spent just long enough to rid myself of the itchy remains of the beach and hopped out. The water was hot enough to steam fog the small mirror over the sink. I passed my towel over a portion of it and froze when I viewed it's reflection.

"Please don't move Ms. Summers."

It was Operations, leveling a small pistol at my chest. How in the hell did he get in here without me hearing?

"Would you be so kind as to call Faith, for me?" He smiled as his eyes took a quick scan of my freshly cleaned body.

"What do you want?" I said as I covered as much of myself as I could with the towel.

"As I said before, I would like it if you called Faith, for me." He repeated. "And while you are at it, please drop the towel. You are dangerous enough without a potential weapon in your hands."

The towel a weapon? Man is this guy paranoid. However the last thing I want is to give him a free show.

"My clothes are right there. Can I at least put them on?" I motioned to the sink counter where a pair of shorts and a tank top lay.

He sighed. "If you insist, but make it very slow. I have had enough unexpected turns for the past few weeks."

Then Faith's voice interrupted us. "Hey B, you almost done in there, I am starting to itch?"

Operations mouthed for me to tell her to come in.

I backed up, giving myself room to maneuver if necessary. "Yeah, come on in, F."

I watched as the handle started to turn then stopped abruptly. Operations swung the pistol toward the door and fired as I yelled a warning.

"Faith!"

The rapport was deafening in the small room, but I could make out a loud thump hitting the floor on the other side of the door. He shot Faith, my baby! I could only see red at this point; the red of blind fury. I was to Operations with the speed born only to a slayer, grabbing his pistol before he could retrain it on me.

It wasn't that I really cared anymore if I lived or died, but he was going to pay for this with his life. I bent his wrist as far back as I could until I heard a satisfying snap and a small scream emit from his mouth. I then turned his hand back around, feeling the bones grind as I did and reoriented the pistol to his heart.

"Die screaming you asshole, you killed my girl."

I remember the first and second shot quite well, but after that it was covered up with my own anguished cry as I emptied the pistol into his chest. When I realized the pistol wasn't firing anymore I threw him to the floor and held his collar as he went down so it pulled me down almost on top of him. The empty pistol was still in my right hand when I started to beat him with it.

The one time the powers the be let me have a happy moment in my life, the one time that I didn't have to worry about the world ending if I wasn't looking, the one time Faith and I had a chance to be truly happy, and this bastard had to screw it up.

I finally realized that my efforts were more than rewarded when his head was half caved in and his chest was a bloody mess. He was dead this time, forever. It also kicked in that I was dead too. My love was laying on the floor in the hallway. I had nothing to live for anymore. Everything that I had truly cared for was gone. I was alone.

"Hey B. You got an aspirin?"

I snapped my head up to the doorway. There she was, my Faith. I was up and to her as fast as I could move.

"Faith! You're alive!"

I grabbed her and took her in my arms holding her as tight as I could. I'm never letting her go again.

I felt her stiffen as I knew what she was looking at over my shoulder.

"He's gone baby. He won't ever hurt you again. He won't ever hurt anyone again."

****************

It was a flesh wound, at least for a slayer. The bullet that Operations fired had grazed off the side of her head, knocking Faith back into the wall and rendering her unconscious. Apparently, my warning had given her enough time to duck out of the way. She knows that I only call her F when I am angry at her, and I had no cause to be angry, so she deduced, at bit late mind you but in time all the same, that there was trouble.

The FBI showed up and clean house with the body in the bathroom. It turns out that Madeline had died soon after our takeover; complications from the concussion that Faith gave her. Operations was out on a mission of revenge, nothing more. He wanted Faith dead, but wound up dead himself.

We returned to Sunnydale that night. We wed the following weekend, not wanting to wait any longer. Life was to short for a slayer and we wanted every moment left to be with each other, forever.

END