| Town without Pity The bars in the window are easy to bend. I didn�t know if they would be tough. It�s not like I could practice on them. It�s probably all the pumping iron I�ve been doing inside but I�m bending those bars like they were made out of wet pasta. I feel so much closer to freedom I can�t help but smile. It wasn�t exactly my idea to break out. I signed on for the long haul and I meant to stick it out. I deserved a whole lot worse and I felt like I could breath again when I was in jail. It was like the worst had happened and I could relax. For the longest time I was in freefall and it felt like I was at terminal velocity but then I hit the ground and I was still breathing. I�m glad I�m still breathing. For a while there I wanted it all to go away but I survived it and I�m glad. Buffy once told me the first rule of slaying is �don�t die�, I�m not a model slayer but at least I�ve managed that part. I tie the rope around one of the bars. It�ll only get me down so far but I can jump the rest. My breathing sounds far too loud. I am sure that one of the guards will hear me and realise what I�m doing but I know I�m being unreasonable. I can see my cellmate�s eyes. They are open and staring at me with fear and excitement. She can barely believe I am escaping and wants so bad to come with me but she knows she can�t. She just saw me bend steel bars so she�s not going to make any moves. I worry for about whether she�ll be ok without my protection. I only worry for a moment though because I know she�ll be fine. There�ll be a couple of the big kids willing to protect her. The dreams had been hitting me nightly for a month before I even got the courage to phone Sunnydale. I�d tried Angel first of course. I knew Angel would listen to me but I only knew the one number and that was disconnected. I remember Angel telling me his office blew up. I asked the operator if there was a number for Angel Investigations but there wasn�t. It took me a long time to work up the courage to call Giles. I never really hurt him in person, but I hurt Buffy, and I think that is harder for him to forgive. He answered immediately. I vaguely wondered if I�d called in the middle of a crisis but when I told him who it was he was friendly and wanted to talk. He thought I had called to try and make amends and for a while I tried to do just that but then I started to tell him about the dreams. In the dream I can see a city. I don�t know where it is at first but it is big and black and covered with a dark mist that seems to cling to the buildings. There is a steady rain pouring from the sky. I slowly walk around the streets and I soon see a few places I recognise. As a kid I would watch documentaries on unsolved crimes and half of them were set in this place. City landmarks identify it to me. There is the statue of Cardinal Rourk. The mud pits where everyone knows there are hundreds of dumped corpses. Old Town, where the prostitutes ruled and the cops didn�t go while they were on duty. I recognise Basin City. The inhabitants all call it Sin City and I can�t blame them. I can�t see anything apart from the city but I can feel this urgency. In the dream I need to be there and when I wake up I almost jump out of my bunk to start to go before I realise where I am and lie back down again. Once, twice, a weeks worth of dreams I could ignore but a month of the same dream over and over will make anyone stop and think. Something wants me to go to Sin City. Giles listened. He was good at making me talk more and say what I thought. He didn�t agree with me though. He started to tell me about psychological influences and how the subconscious desire to be free was trying to persuade my conscious mind, blah, blah, etc. I tried to tell him that I have felt these dreams before when I was called but he said that if it was a slayage related dream Buffy would have got it too. He was sympathetic and tried to offer as much support as possible. He even offered to visit me. He didn�t believe me though. He thought I just wanted out. The dreams have been getting more urgent. I needed to be in Sin City. I couldn�t wait till I got out. I couldn�t persuade anyone to let me out and nobody I could talk to was willing to believe that something is happening there. I needed to get out. I need to get out. I slip through the bars with no problems. The drop looks scary from this height but I ignore the fear and slide down the rope. My hands get rope burns where I go too recklessly. I don�t look down so I don�t see when the rope ends. I fall off the end too quickly but I land well. I can�t believe that no alarms have gone off yet. I can�t believe that nobody has spotted me. I can�t believe I am doing this. I run quickly across the exercise yard. There is a guard up in a big tower and the moment he looks away from the porno mag he�s reading and up at the prison he is going to see the rope hanging from the window and then he�s going to sound the alarm and start looking for somebody to shoot. Possibly even in that order. It would have been stupid to escape as soon as I realised that was what I had to do. I used to act on impulse a lot. I don�t want to get back here all that soon, so I think what Buffy would do. She would be cautious. She would research the situation and get her friends to help her. I don�t have any friends here, but there are people who I have protected. A lot of people end up here who are powerful on the outside but once they get in here they are on their own. I am not sure if I should be protecting them, they are criminals and most of them don�t have any intention of ever being anything else. I protected them because I thought that was what Buffy would do. She would help the weak. I am at the base of the guard tower now. With my strength I easily rip apart the fence at the bottom of it. There are a couple of fences. If my luck holds all I will have to do is rip through them and then I�ll be free. I sidle round the tower. The searchlights from the main building make the tower cast a dark shadow. First I find out everything I can about Sin City. There isn�t that much to learn. I get the short history lesson filled with useless information. There are a few interesting titbits though. The town seems to be ruled by the Roarks. The first Roark founded the place and now Cardinal Roark and Senator Roark are the most powerful and richest men in town. I can�t help but laugh out loud when I read about the early days. The town didn�t get off to a good start so to help it get going the first Roark brought in expensive French whores who set up shop in town and the city started booming. Now there is a whole district called Old Town where the prostitutes pretty much rule, the cops won�t even go there unless it�s to party. The slayer in me starts seeing the possibilities for vampire activity. I go through the fences quickly. I make a little noise but I�m further away from the prison now so a little noise is ok. I can see the car waiting on the other side of the last fence. There is a small pile of cigarettes outside the drivers door. I think for a moment that this guy must be stupid. This should be a professional and he is leaving clues to follow. That�s my opinion but then I couldn�t care less what happens to him afterwards. If he gets caught that�s his problem, as long as it�s after he�s gotten me out. After I�d found out a bit about Sin City I started to prepare for the escape itself. One favour called got me a fake ID, another got me a car to take me to LA. I paid out a stack of cigarettes for a length of rope. I wondered if a should get hold of a knife or something but I didn�t want to have anything on me that can be used as a weapon. If I get captured on the way out I don�t want the temptation. I gently rip apart the links of the last chain fence. It�s hard to do this quietly but it just requires patience. I�m not good at patience. I want so much to just claw through it and get to the car, to get out. I am patient. I go slowly. The alarm starts to ring. I look back but and see that the searchlights are roaming all over the place. They have no idea where I am. I need to move quickly now but I can�t make myself move at all. I feel frozen in place. I want to stay here. I want to be caught. I want to stay where it�s safe. They see where I have gotten through the fence. Any second now the searchlight is going to pick me out. I want to stay. I have to go. If I really do want to redeem myself then I have to do this. I bolt. I rip apart the fence and am through it in a second. I run round the car and get into the passenger side. The driver is a slightly obese guy with stubble who despite his appearance seems to be a professional. He starts the car but keeps the lights turned off and without saying a word we are on the move. When we�re out of sight of the prison he turns the headlights on and starts to make small talk. He seems to think that I am going to be extremely grateful for his help and desperate for a man after prison. I let him think that something might happen because I really don�t want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. I did it. I escaped. I am free. I am not happy about any of this but I can�t suppress a little delight in feeling the wind in my face and being out of jail. I try to be dour and Angel-like but I can�t. I am too happy to be away. I felt like I deserved to go to jail but I didn�t like to be shut in. I�m not shut in anymore. We get to LA and I thank the driver and walk away. I think that he is going to come after me but he doesn�t. I can�t help but laugh. He probably volunteered for this job and he didn�t even get to see me change out of my prison duds. The clothes that he brought are nothing I�d normally wear but that isn�t exactly a bad thing. I find myself wearing jogging bottoms and a baggy t-shirt with an x-files logo on it. These aren�t the clothes of a fearless vampire slayer but it isn�t for long. I make my way to the apartment I stole. The one I tortured Wesley and tried to get Angel to kill me in. LA is just how I remember it. I really hope that I don�t bump into anyone I know. I wasn�t able to tell Angel about the dreams and if he sees me here he will know that I have broken out and he won�t believe that it was for a good reason. That�s what I hate about this whole thing. Everyone�s going to think that I just got bored with the guilt. That�s what Buffy said would happen and she is going to feel so righteous when she condemns my actions. The best I can hope for is that I get out of LA without seeing anyone and nobody goes to Sin City to look for me. Maybe telling Giles about the dreams was a bad idea after all. I break into the apartment easily. The guy I attacked died after some associates of his found he was defenceless in hospital. Another death that I am responsible for. It doesn�t matter that he was a creep and it doesn�t matter that I wasn�t the one who killed him. The apartment is empty now. I pull up the floorboard I found was loose and it�s all still there. I was hired to kill Angel by an evil law firm. They paid me half upfront. A little over seven grand. I won�t have to get a job for a while. I leave LA on a bus the next morning with new clothes and money in my pockets. I�ve got a guide book to the town without pity to read on the way. I just hope I�ll know what to do when I get there. * * * * * First they looked at him with disbelief. He repeated himself and they started to protest, but he gave his men a look that said it all. He was Gabriel Diablo and nobody questions his orders. Gabriel looks like an angel. He has the curly blonde hair and pale, smooth skin. He wears immaculate white suits and his voice can be soft and lilting. But anyone who looks in his cold, blue eyes can see the devil in him. Anyone who crossed him or the Diablo family soon discovered why he is feared. Gabriel settled back into the plush armchair and looked around the room. A small gesture of his hand and two gorgeous girls are suddenly at his side. He slid his arms around their waists and looked around at his lieutenants. �Boss?� It would seem impossible that someone as big as Little Tony could do anything timidly. He tended to ignore the cliche of the overly tough man who is really gentle at heart. He had immense talent at being messily brutal and he had put this talent to work. He wasn�t afraid of anyone or anything. Gabriel levelled a stare at Tony. Tone swallowed hard and tried to remember that he wasn�t afraid of anything. �Boss, we�ve got a truce with Old Town. Wallenquist has a truce with Old Town, even the cops don�t go to Old Town. We start grabbing girls, there�s going to be trouble.� �Tony, look at me.� Gabriel's voice is calm and gentle. Tony is smart enough to be scared. �I�m looking at you, Boss.� �What d you see, Tony?� �I see you, Boss. Gabriel Diablo, head of the family in Sin City.� Gabriel got to his feet and walked slowly over to the heavily muscled Tony. He smiled slightly. �Good, Tony. I am glad you can see me because for a moment there YOU SEEMED TO THINK I WAS A FUCKING MORON.� Tony looked away and mumbled an apology. Gabriel sneered at his henchmen. �I am in charge here. You do what I tell you. What�s gotten into you boys? Did you hesitate when I told you to murder Senator Chalmers kid? Did you even consider backing down when we went to war with Maggliozzo? Now I tell you that we are going to grab a few hookers and gain control of Old Town and you act like faggots.� The men in the room avoided his eyes. �We can do this boys. We can control Old Town and then we will rule the City. Wallenquist, Roark, nobody will be able to stand up to us. Now get out of here. Set things in motion.� They left quickly leaving Gabriel alone with the two women. �My own men question me.� �Don�t worry.� Said the blonde. �You know what you�re doing. You are going to rule the city and Drusilla and I are going to help you get to the top.� He smiled at Darla, the one person who understood him and felt a little more confident. Drusilla laid a hand on his forehead and he felt his doubts washing away. He knew he could make this work. He would control the city. Darla and Dru smiled at each other. Everything was working out perfectly. * * * * * I feel alone and exposed. I�m pretty used to moving around cities, but something about this one feels more dangerous than normal. I�m used to being the most dangerous person around. I hunt the monsters that everyone else fears, but here there are predators everywhere. The innocents are quickly swallowed whole. The predators prey on the strong as well as the weak, they�re slick and I don�t feel safe because I can bench press a car. I should be worried about how much I fit in here. My leather jacket and pants feel comfortable and if I�m showing off too much cleavage then I�m still more demure than any other girl in this entire City. I walk down the street like I own the place and I�m already starting to feel like I do. For a second I realise I�m slipping into old habits, the old Faith is emerging but I don�t have time to worry about that. I came here for a reason. All I need to do now is find out what the reason is. I rent a pretty cheap motel. It�s Spartan but it�s as clean as can be expected and they don�t check ID at the desk. I feel pretty much at home in cheap motel rooms. I don�t know why I had to come to Sin City but given my job description I�m guessing that slaying vampires will somehow be involved. It feels like I haven�t slain a vamp in forever. I want to feel my fists against a vampire�s face. I want to feel the stake slamming home. I used to live for it. I used to wait all day for the night when I could go out and do what I do best. Well, one of the things I do best. I should be more careful. I should scout the area, maybe wait for some kind of sign or dream that tells me what to do. I shouldn�t start slaying so quickly, God know what could happen. Everyone has their addictions. I tried going cold turkey, I didn�t kill anyone in prison. There were scum in there that needed to be dead. Sometimes I thought I was one of them. I didn�t kill anyone. I have to go out. If I can�t kill vampires, I am useless. That is what I do. I go out and start exploring the city. I soon find myself wandering past a place called �Club Pecos�. There is a country and western song coming from inside and a tough looking bouncer on the door. I have passed a dozen joints that look like this one but this is the one I stop at. I can sense vampires around. It is not a very accurate sense but I can tell if a vamp is nearby. My slayer sense is buzzing. There is a bloodsucker in Club Pecos. The bouncer ignores me as I walk past him. I enter the club and let my eyes adjust to the dim light. A haze of smoke clouds the air and my nostrils almost close up as the smell of blood, sweat and alcohol blasts into me. I stroll round the bar and try to get a feel for the place. The music feels like it�s hitting me in the chest and with all the sound and smell it�s hard to get a sense for who the vamp might be. The patrons of this joint seem like a rough bunch. I walk by a massive guy with a face of granite. I can tell he�s not a vampire because his knuckles are skinned from countless fights, but that alone tells me to keep an eye on him. A waitress walks past wearing little more than a thong and my eyes slide across her body. I watch her walk off. I can�t get a vampire vibe on any of these guys. I need to relax and get a feel for the place. Sitting down by the bar, I order a Becks and try to let my slayer senses take over. I start to, but then a guy with cop written all over him walks in the place, and I freeze up. He�s not flashing a badge, but it�s all in the way he walks and looks around. One glance and he�s taken it all in and knows who to watch and who�s guilty. He looks middle aged and hard as nails. I keep an eye on him as he strolls casually to the bar. He can�t be looking for me. Nobody knows I�m here apart from Giles, and he wouldn�t tell the cops. He probably wouldn�t even tell the council. The cops probably check out this place all the time. They can�t be looking for me here. I start to look for a back way out anyway but then I notice the little stage in the middle of the room. A light has come on, lighting the little circular stage. All the punters have stopped talking and are looking at it expectantly. A girl walk�s onto the stage, she�s all of nineteen and she must be in better physical condition than a slayer. She is wearing sparkly leather chaps and not a whole lot else. She is carrying a lasso that she spins around herself. She starts slow and runs her hands up her sides. Soon the crowd is pretty worked up, hooting and hollering. She is jumping now, spinning in mid air, sweat flies off her breasts and sprays the crowd. I can�t imagine they mind. The big guy with the skinned knuckles has a big sloppy grin all over his face now. He sees me staring at her and gives me a smile. �That Nancy sure is something.� I nod to agree. She is going slow again now her eyes moving across the crowd. She owns them all and she knows it. I remember the cop and manage to tear my eyes away from her. I needn�t have worried, he is watching her the same as everyone but as I watch the bartender hands him a brown envelope. I relax, he�s just taking the cops payoff. Probably comes here more regularly than the garbage men. I keep my eyes on the stage after that, taking a pull from the beer occasionally to try and cool me down. She stays on the stage for maybe twenty minutes and then slips away. It takes me a full five minutes to focus my mind and actually remember why I came in here. I start to scan the crowd again, the smoke makes things hard but I can tell he is still around. I order another beer and slowly swig at it. Then I spot him. He looks dangerous enough anyway. He has the kind of ingrained cruelty in his face that shows he either tortured cats as a kid or wanted to but couldn�t get up the stones. He�s far too well dressed for a place like this but the clothes don�t quite fit him. That�s a trick vamps love, they grew up poor so they kill rich to get the clothes and wad of cash. He has slicked back hair and a broad smile that screams predator. He might as well be the big bad wolf and the current red riding hood is all over him. It takes me a minute to recognise the stripper, Nancy, with her clothes on. As I watch she guides him towards the door. I manage to get in step behind them. I am hoping that this vamp takes her to an ally. I remember one time that I was following a vamp and they went back to her place. I burst in and found them busy at it. She was more frustrated than anything else when I staked him. Some people have no sense of perspective. I need to wait until we get away from people. Sometimes I have had to slay in front of normal people but they don�t tend to appreciate it. I hang back a bit as Nancy leads the guy into an ally by his tie. He�s chuckling lightly. I walk into the ally after them. She is showing him some skin. I just walk up behind him pull him back and punch him hard in the face. He slams back against the wall and his face goes vamp. The girl shouts something but I�m gone. I�ve dreamt about doing this for months. I have held myself back whenever any cheap psycho has tried to build a rep, whenever anyone has tried to show that they were the tougher one. Hell, whenever any guard has gotten pissed off at me and beaten me half senseless. I�ve always held back. I unleash it. I go to work on him. His face is soon a pulpy mess and I can feel something break with every kick. He keeps trying to push himself away from the wall I�ve got him pinned to and actually fight back but there is too much force in my blows. I punch him again and I feel blood spray across my face. It brings me back to my senses and I pull out a stake. He seems to welcome the relief from the pain and doesn�t struggle as I slam it into his chest. He explodes into dust and I pocket the stake again. Turning to the woman I�m surprised to see that she�s pissed off. I expected fear, I�m used to seeing fear of the vampires or even of me. Occasionally people have been grateful but I�ve rarely seen anger before. �You idiot.� Again, not something I was expecting. I take a moment to look the woman over. She can�t be any older than me and I can tell from her eyes that she has seen as much pain as I have, maybe more. In the club she had a very physical act and I can see that she is very lean and muscular. Even her supposed street clothes show more off than most strippers in Sunnydale would. In Sin City this seems to be the norm. I realise I am checking her out and try to listen to what she is saying. �You�ve just destroyed a weeks work.� Ok, now I�m angry. I save this woman�s life and she acts like I killed her puppy. �I just saved your life.� �Is that what you think? I was never in any danger from that leech.� I shake my head in disbelief. �What, you think you could have taken him? I�m sure you�re used to dealing with the regular customers but this guy was a bit more than you could handle.� I turn to go and three arrows thunk into the dirt in front of me. I look up to where the arrows came from but I just see a glimpse of something black jumping down. I spin round. Standing beside the stripper, who I am beginning to realise isn�t a helpless victim after all, is a short, Japanese woman. I am proficient enough at martial arts to tell that she is a master just from the way she stands. Her gaze never wavers. She is aiming a fourth arrow at my heart. I�m pretty sure I could catch it. I try and stare her down. I look deep in her eyes. I see no conscience. I see no fear. I see no hesitation to kill should she feel the need to do so. I look deeper, I can see an eagerness there. She saw what I did to the vampire. She wants to fight me. I look at the other woman. The anger in her eyes has softened a bit. She�s looking at the pile of dust that used to be a vampire and a slim smile seems to flicker across her hard expression. �You did take apart that vampire pretty easily. Who are you?� I wonder what it�s safe to tell her. She seems to know about vampires already. I remember that I�m supposed to be here for some reason. Maybe I�ll give this a go. My Watcher always told me that civilians weren�t supposed to know about the slayer because it could put them in danger. These women don�t strike me as civilians. �I�m the vampire slayer.� I don�t tell them my name just yet. I haven�t decided if I should change it yet. �You�re the slayer? I�ve heard of you. You killed the Master Vampire.� A flash of annoyance hits me. B�s influence stretches across the country. I should have guessed they would have heard of her. I could say that was me but that isn�t my style. �Not me, that�s the other slayer.� �Your predecessor?� �No. Just the other slayer.� �I thought there was only one.� �It�s a long story.� �I suppose if one slayer was killed and resuscitated it could explain that.� �Apparently not that long.� The woman looks at me with an appraising expression. �We could definitely use the help of a slayer.� I hesitate for all of five seconds. I was brought here for a reason. This could be it. �How can I help?� That sounded almost like B�. There may be hope for me yet. * * * * * It�s raining again. I haven�t been in this City long but I have already noticed that it�s weather seems designed to kill. This rain comes down in thick sheets that blind you and soak you in seconds. I can see the lights of cars going past us and I can�t imagine how they can see any further than I can. Nancy and Miho, the martial artist with the bow, seem to be used to it. They hunch over and just plough through it, barely looking where they are going but Miho always stays behind me and I am guessing that if I ran she would notice. Not that I want to run. I can see that we are being watched from windows and doorways. Pretty women are looking out at us. I think I can guess what part of the city this is. Old town. Soon we end up in front of a dilapidated church. It looks very old, not in a historical treasure way, but in a �how the fuck is it still standing?� way. Nancy heaves the door open and ushers us inside. There are a few flickering electrical lights inside which illuminate the rows of pews. A middle aged man with a dog collar and a crucifix is changing buckets under the drips in the ceiling. Nancy walks over to him and whispers to him a bit and I hear the word �slayer�. I wonder for a moment how they would act if they had heard more about me. I hope I won�t have to find out. The man, who I assume must be a priest of something, walks over to me as quickly as he can. He stumbles one on the wet floor but Nancy grabs his arm and gently holds him steady. �Are you really a slayer?� He is looking at me like a kid looking at a shiny new bike. I wonder where I have seen that look before. Most guys, well lets say they don�t exactly look me in the eyes. Giles used to have that look of wonder when he heard about a new monster or artefact. For some reason that makes me instantly warm to the guy. �Yeah.� �Oh, wonderful. You are just what we need. I prayed for some aid from the almighty but even I didn�t expect a slayer.� He�s embarrassing me now. Not that I want him to stop. �So Father...?� �Miller. Father Jack Miller.� �I take it you got a vamp problem?� His eyes look haunted at this. His face goes black with hatred. I can relate. �Oh yes. For a few months now we have been facing a creeping menace. An attack upon old town by unholy creatures.� �Teletubbies?� He seems confused by the reference. I decide to try and keep pop culture references to the minimum. �Sorry, you mean Vampires?� �Yes. Now we have always had a small problem with them. They believe that Old Town is the perfect place to feed. The girls have their ways of dealing with them and indeed with any of the people who try and hurt them.� �Oh yes.� Nancy gives a short, mirthless laugh. �But recently,� the priest continued �they have been more organised. They have attacked quietly and attempted to turn rather than kill. They even seem to be targeting particular girls. We�ve tried capturing but it�s all the girls can do to stay alive. If they didn�t go for the kill they wouldn�t survive.� I glance at Miho, I can�t help but feel that she wouldn�t have too much trouble with vamps. He must notice this because he then says. �Even Miho has trouble with them. She is quick enough to kill but capturing them is an entirely different matter.� He starts to walk as we speak. He leads us through the church to a large room at the back. Every wall of this room is stacked with books. I glance at enough of the titles to be able to tell the general theme of this library. The Malleus Maleficarum, The Witch cult in western Europe, The Emerald Tablet. I think I even see a copy of the Slayers Handbook. I have a brief flash of a memory of my first Watcher explaining the rules in it to me but that is quickly taken over by an image of her after Kakistos was finished with her. I try and concentrate on Father Miller again. He�s running through the different methods they�ve tried. They have been quite innovative. I can see the problem immediately. Vampires would normally be susceptible to their traps but these vamps are organised. Someone�s told them what to do and when to back off. Someone they�re scared of. �Sounds to me like these vamps have a leader. Any idea who he is?� �I am afraid not. Maybe if we could get the leader then the rest would flee or at least be unorganised enough that we could kill them.� �Cut off the head and the body dies.� �If only we could find out who the leader is.� I give the three of them my best, confident, �I can kick the crap out of anything� grin. �No problem.� * * * * * Nancy takes me back to her place. It is quite nice a place. It isn�t hard to guess what she does with most of her time. The place is filled with books. I don�t recognise many of the authors but then I was never much of a book reader. I liked comics, I always wanted to be Batman. The Dark Knight returns version, not the Adam West one. There are a few art prints on the walls. It doesn�t take much to recognise this girl has a brain in her head. She doesn�t seem to be one for talking much so I get the ball rolling. �So why�d you take up fighting the undead?� �What else could I do when I found out they existed?� �Hey, most people tend to ignore them and carry on with their boring but safe lives.� �I couldn�t do that.� She starts to strip off her wet clothes as she walks into the bedroom. �I have to make my life worthwhile.� �You can have a worthwhile life without getting yourself killed.� I try to resist walking through the open door. I know that she probably doesn�t have any problem with being naked in front of me but it still seems wrong. �Somebody helped me. I would be dead if not for one great man who sacrificed everything for me. How can I turn my back on people suffering after that.� �Wow, who was this guy?� I don�t feel jealous, I am just curious. What I am feeling is not jealousy. �His name was John Hartigan.� She comes out of the room in jeans and a t-shirt. She is carrying another pair of jeans and t-shirt. I realise that I am wet through too. �He was a cop.� �I thought the cops in this town were all bastards.� I expect her to take offence but she doesn�t she just shrugs. �Most are but not him. He was on the force for thirty years and never took a payoff.� I raise my eyebrow and she smiles wanly. �Trust me here that is like the epitome of nobility but he would have stood out in any city. In any other city they would have put a statue up to him or something not . . .� She trails off reliving bad memories in her head. I start to ask a question but then she looks up. �Are you going to stand around dripping all night, get changed. You can go in my bedroom if you�re shy.� It�s a challenge. It�s a dare. I won�t back down now. I quickly strip off my wet clothes and pull on the dry ones. I think I see her looking at my body but her expression is so innocent that it�s hard to decipher whether she was checking me out or just curious what a slayers muscles look like. I hold up the wet clothes with an enquiring expression and she points to a basket half full of dirty laundry. I dump the clothes and sit back on the couch with her. �So what exactly is the plan?� �Isn�t that your department. I thought you were the slayer.� She is still playing with me. I haven�t flirted this much since I was with B�, most girls in prison are more interested in fucking than flirting but I always liked the little games. �Hey I�m the newcomer. I thought someone who knew the area would be better. You know, someone who�d been around.� She gives me a dirty look and I feel a little guilty for the cheap shot. Not too guilty though. �If you must know I haven�t been around. You�re right though, I do know the area better. Why would you think I�d been around?� She sounds genuinely hurt by it. I start to wonder if I was a bit thrown by the worship in her voice when she spoke of Hartigan. I don�t let the guilt show. I throw a practiced shrug at her. �Hey, I didn�t mean anything.� �For your information I haven�t slept with a man in eighteen months.� I am about to say something but she holds up a hand. �before you ask, I haven�t slept with any women either. Well not for about twelve months anyway.� �Actually I was going to ask if there was anything to eat around here.� I wasn�t but she doesn�t know that. She doesn�t blush though. I like that. �I really don�t want to cook tonight. You want a pizza?� I nod enthusiastically and she dials up the local Famous Moes. I intend to ask for a meatfeast but when she orders a vege supreme I ask for the same. I�m not sure why. �So how come you haven�t had a date for a year? I�m guessing it�s not bad breath.� She giggles. �I don�t think so. No it�s through choice. I just see the men and women around and none of them measure up. After Hartigan they just all seem selfish and petty.� �So you and Hartigan were . . .?� �No.� Her voice is quite bleak when she says this. I can tell she wanted it even if it never happened. �He was too honourable for that. I know that he loved me but I would always be a child to him. A child he saved from rape.� �Jesus, I can see why you think he�s a hero.� She fixes her eyes on me. I can see pain in them, deep pain that will stay with her forever. �You have no idea. He saved me from being raped and cut to pieces and then stayed silent while he was convicted of the rape even though I�d never been touched. He stayed silent because the psycho he saved me from was very powerful and they threatened him with my life. You have no idea what he went through to save me.� I was impressed. I guess this guy was the real deal after all. I wonder if she is remembering the truth, maybe skewing events in her head so she doesn�t go crazy but I don�t think she is. Anyone who can face up to the existence of vampires and demons isn�t the kind of person who walks away from nasty truths. I�m not including myself in that statement of course. I am not liking the silence. I feel the need to ask a question. �Is he still in prison?� �No. He was released. It was my fault actually. I wrote to him all the years he was there. He said I kept him going but I never gave them anything to track me down with. The man who put him in prison got frustrated because he still had hope. He had hope because of me so they wanted to kill me. They made him think I was dead and then released him. He found me easily. Can you believe that, he was so smart.� I don�t say a word. She needs to tell me this. I wonder how many people she�s told this to. I guess she figures a slayer is someone who can be trusted. I wonder how long that little illusion will last. �They came after us. They almost killed him but he still came and rescued me again. He went through hell but he still came through for me. He killed the bad guys and then sent me away because he knew that he couldn�t come with me. I didn�t realise at the time. I wouldn�t have gone if I�d know. I wouldn�t have let him do it.� She�s crying now. Streams of tears running down her face. She makes no move to stop them. I�m unsure what to do. I�ve never in my life comforted someone who was crying. I�ve never been comforted when I�ve cried. Not that that�s been often. I awkwardly reach out and hug her. It�s clumsy but she seems to appreciate it. I feel uncomfortable but some part of me likes this. I feel like I�m doing the right thing. It feels good. She is still talking, trying to force the words out. �Hartigan knew that neither of us would survive after he had killed the bastard who had kidnapped me again. He was the son of Roark after all. Roark would have killed me and hurt Hartigan in any way possible. So he....� �Killed himself.� It wasn�t a question, it was a statement. I know how heroes mind works. When it comes down to it they will sacrifice themselves without question. The more intelligent ones wait till it�s actually necessary. I think Buffy would wait till it was necessary. Xander would probably sacrifice his life for an endangered parking space. That was not a compliment. Nancy�s sobs are getting calmer. I wonder how long she�s held all that in. She was probably waiting for anyone to tell it to. Hell for all I know she sobs out the story every night and it is an elaborate ploy to get me to pay for the pizzas. Somehow I don�t think so though. She seems happier for having told it and goes off to wash her face. The pizzas arrive while she is in the bathroom and I do pay for them. We eat the pizzas and talk more. We each avoid the subject of Hartigan and talk about happier stuff. After a while we each get sleepy. I am pretty sure I didn�t imagine the disappointment in her eyes when I offer to take the couch. I want her. In the old days I would have just taken her to her bedroom and had her, but until I work out what the right thing to do is I can�t make any rash decisions. For some reason asking myself what Buffy would do doesn�t work in this situation. She closes her door. I�m sure that the buzzing sound I hear is probably the TV in another apartment or something. I try and get some sleep. * * * * * In a few days I have a patrol route mapped out in my head. Nancy and Father Jack have the research detail. Miho occasionally joins me on patrol but she has a lot of other work. She�s Old Towns protector and she is often needed to keep watch over a particular group of rowdy guys or just be nearby so that she can be called if she is needed. I manage to stake a few vamps but mostly they are loners of small packs that are brain dead as well as physically dead. However it�s not long before I do stumble across my first real clue. I would give anything to have got it in a different way. I am strolling across the rooftops over the various back alleys when I notice the family. They were probably pretty sure that they were taking a shortcut but there is a multi story car park in exactly the opposite direction so I think they are lost. The kid is trying to tell the Dad that they are going the wrong way but the Dad is certain they are going the right route. Any moment they could be attacked by thieves, cutthroats or rapists but what actually finds them is a vampire. The vampire is wearing an eight hundred dollar coat and looks evil even before he goes vamp faced. The mom screams and the kid just goes wide eyes with fright. The dad tries to fight but he�s swatted aside. The vampire goes for the mom�s neck but then I am there and the only things he�s eating is my boot. The first kick was free but he�s ready for me in a second. Three punches into the fight I know he has some combat experience and he�s not going to be a pushover. He attacks intelligently without resorting to the mindless savagery most demons rely on to win their fights. I punch him hard in the gut but he just laughs at me. I go for my knife. Mostly I just use stakes for vamp work but I can�t resist using a knife every now and again. I know that I have a problem and eventually I will have to deal with it but I am good at avoiding thinking about things like that and It is good to have a knife with me in case of emergencies. In seconds I have slashed up his fancy coat. He is not laughing now. He is going for the kill but now I am the one who wants to play. I duck about and keep sticking him with the blade. He is bleeding from a dozen wounds, any of them would heal overnight for a vamp but they don�t make for a fun time. He is muttering guttural threat about how he�s going to kill me. I certainly can�t fault his imagination. Even I never thought if doing that to someone with a lemon zester before. I decide to stop playing and finish him but he doesn�t want to play. He sees the stake and starts to back off. He goes for something in his coat. I raise my hand to throw the stake at him but then I hear the car engine and the two of us are bathed in headlights. We both pause and back off from each other as two cops get out of the cruiser that has just pulled up. They have their guns out and pointing at us. I am at a distinct disadvantage seeing as how unlike a vampire I can�t survive being shot full of holes. �Officers, thank god you�re here.� The vampire is all arrogance and smarm. He walks up to the policeman and I see money change hands. Any doubts I had about who the cops would side with vanishes. I am frozen, I don�t want to make a move in case that gives the cops an excuse to shoot. Out of the corner of my eyes I can see the family that I saved. I don�t know if they will back up my story but at least they are safe now. �Officers do you know who I am and who I work for?� The cops nod at the vampires question. �Of course we know, we�re not snot nosed rookies.� �Then you know where your best interests lie.� �Sure we do, Mr Clay.� The vampire called Clay nods with satisfaction. I begin to work out the best escape route once they aren�t pointing guns at me. �Officers I feel that it is my duty to inform you that the woman before you is a murderer.� I feel my insides freeze up, how can he know. �Who�d she kill?� �Them.� With a truly vicious smile, Clay opened his slashed up coat and pulled out the pistol he was trying to get at before. Before anyone can speak or act he levels the gun at the family he wanted to feed off and unloads the clip at them. I am struck dumb with the senseless brutality of it. The cop who hasn�t spoken looks white with horror but the other one only nods. �Good, that�ll make for a nice easy case.� �Probably easier if she resists arrest.� The cop�s guns have remained on me throughout. Never wavering. An appraising look appears on the corrupt cops face. �You sure? She looks like she could be a lot of fun once the handcuffs go on, you know what I mean?� Clay laughs and seems to consider it. �Sorry, you�re my type of human, but she is too dangerous. Resisting arrest.� �You�re the boss.� I see his finger tighten on the trigger and move. I feel an impact in my arm and almost fall but whatever goddess watches over slayers is with me because somehow I keep my footing and with slayer speed I�ve ducked down an alleyway. The two cops and the vamp are in pursuit. A jump carries me to the bottom of a fire escape and a few more carry me to the roof. I am home free. I want to avenge that family. I want to kill that bastard and those cops but I can�t. I can�t let go of my control. I have a name and that could be all that�s needed to tell us whose behind everything. I want so much to kill that vampire. I will kill him. All I need to do is tell Nancy his name first. I feel a wave of dizziness, I am leaking a lot of blood. I get the hell out of there. * * * * * �His name was Clay?� I nod. They seem to have some trouble accepting this. I�ve told them the whole story twice already. I am so twisted up, angry and guilty that I couldn�t save that family. Angry and vengeful towards Clay. Angry and disgusted at those cops. Mostly I am very angry. �This is very bad. Do you know who Clay is?� �A vampire?� I am in no mood for guessing games and I think Nancy realises this because she starts to lay it our for me. �I didn�t know he was a vamp but Terrance Clay is the personal minder for Gabriel Diablo. Have you heard of him?� I nod. Everyone who has anything to do with criminal activities that run towards a more occult leaning has heard of the Diablo family. Gabriel is the favourite son of Dante Diablo and pretty much runs things. He is as evil a bastard as anyone. Humans hate him, demons hate him. Anyone who has any humanity at all hates him. The underworld offers all sorts of opportunities for crimes against humanity and the way I hear it the Diablo�s are up for anything that involves profit. �Diablo would have all sorts of spells protecting his people. If Clay is a vampire then it is because Diablo wanted it that way. He has to be the one behind the attacks. Shit.� Nancy�s voice drips with hopelessness. I won�t allow that. �The plan remains the same.� �What?� �We kill Diablo then the whole thing will collapse.� �It�s impossible.� �Why?� �The family would retaliate.� �We can set up someone else as the killer. The mafia or the cops.� �The plan might be continued by his lieutenants.� �I�ll kill them too.� �He�s too well guarded.� �I think we just covered that point.� �Even you aren�t strong enough to take out Gabriel Diablo.� �Watch me.� I have decided to forget about being a good slayer. I have decided that anyone who guns down kids deserves to be killed. I am not going to be reasonable about this. Nancy tries to persuade me to be reasonable and at least wait for Miho. She tries to say that I am wounded now but she has done a good job of bandaging my arm. I don�t want to wait. I need to kill him tonight. Nancy eventually realises that I am not going to be talked out of this. For a moment the look of pain in her eyes is enough to make me stop and think. I don�t think anybody has cared enough about me to care if I live or die before. I think of the murdered family again and I can barely see straight for the rage. Nancy takes me to the house of a guy who knows a guy who�s a friend of someone or other. I don�t get the details. I let Nancy do the talking and hand over the cash. We had picked up some of my stash of cash earlier and now my pockets are $1000 lighter and I am blueprint of the Diablo compound richer. It is definitely going to be a tough job but there are weaknesses that a slayer can take advantage of. Nancy and I split up. She goes to see a hacker who should be able to take out the security guards. I visit a warlock who can get me through the warding spells. It takes too long but I might as well do this right. Before the night is through I am ready to go into the lair of the monster. * * * * * If this was a vampire nest I would wait till dawn. If this was a normal house I would do it in dead of night. As it is I settle for an hour before dawn. Most vamps like to be under cover by then. The ones who don�t pay attention to the little details like that are the ones that slayers don�t have to worry about. The last thing I need is vampires chasing me if I get out alive. I leap the tall fence in a single bound when the guards are out of sight for a few seconds. There wouldn�t be enough time for a normal human to get over it. I manage just fine. I am on the roof in moments and searching for a window to get through. I slip past a roof guard like I was a ghost and edge along to a window. I pause for a moment wondering if the wards and alarms are really disabled. If the alarms went off it would be bad enough but if I�m not protected against the wards then I�ll end the night as a blob of red sticky goo. That doesn�t really bother me as much as it should but I really need to get this bastard and if I die I wont be in a position to do anything much. I jerk the window up sharply smashing off the lock. Nothing happens. I breath again and slip into the dark room beyond before sliding the window shut behind me. I pause for a second to let my eyes adjust to the darkness. Soon I can make out shapes and see the door. I am in a bathroom. According to the plans this should be an en suite bathroom and it looks like my money wasn�t wasted. I mentally plan out the route. I am about five minutes worth sneaking away from the main bedroom. I am guessing that this is where Gabriel will be. If he isn�t then I can hide there until he makes an appearance. I freeze as a peal of laughter comes from the next room. I slip closer to the door and listen. I can make out three people laughing. There is one who sounds like he is laughing at his own joke, one who thinks it�s funny as hell and a third who doesn�t think it�s funny but is laughing to be polite. I close my eyes and try to hone my senses and yes, there are three vamps in there. Fuck. I listen for fully five minutes. They are playing poker in there and they sound like they are settled in for a long game. Vampires mostly sleep during the day but that doesn�t mean a thing. I�ve known poker games that carry on for days and that was among humans, these are vamps. Weapons check: three stakes, two knives and a bow that is really kick ass but completely useless since I left it outside the perimeter. I will need to take these guys hard and fast. One kick and I burst through the door. A knife is out of my hand and sticking in the first vamps throat. I stake one before he even stands up. The third blocks me and fights back with intense ferocity. Maybe the vamp I staked owed him money. Normally I like to play with vamps a bit before I stake em. This time I�ve got to take both of them out without a sound. I can see the other one is pulling a gun. With barely a thought I pull out the other knife and spin slashing up across the face of the leech I�m fighting and throwing the second stake. The one with the gun goes down, collapsing into dust and the remaining vamp is trying to fight with blood in his eyes. It�s not exactly my toughest kill. Three vamps down, no noise. I think my luck is holding but it only has to give out once for me to be pretty much fucked. If they catch me then at best I�m dead. I don�t want to think about being turned into a vamp. I used to want to, I�m not gonna lie. The thought of being young and pretty forever and to do what I wanted without any of that damn guilt was a very attractive thought, especially when I thought my soul was damned anyway. I got over it though, live with guilt for long enough and you either become a hollow shell or you cherish it, keep it close to your heart. Forget living without guilt, right now I can�t stand the thought of not feeling guilty about the things I�ve done. Two stakes gone when the vamps exploded. I managed to save the third. I�ve got the two knives and on impulse I grab one of the vamps guns. I know that it probably won�t be much good but it couldn�t hurt. Showtime. I listen at the door to the corridor for a second and then I�m through the door and up the stairway. The house is dark and silent and I hug the shadows. I am at the bedroom door in no time. Time for a bit of finesse. I haven�t had to pick a lock in a while, slayer strength makes it kind of pointless but I don�t want this guy to get any warning. I can sense vamps close by and if he gets a chance to scream then I am in deep shit. The lock clicks and I ease open the door. The bed dominates the room. A four poster without any curtains on it. I can vaguely make out artwork on the wall and wood panelling. There is window behind the bed but it is heavily curtained so no light gets in. There is a figure sleeping in the bed. I don�t need to try and be quiet on the plush carpet. It is him. Gabriel Diablo, son of Dante Diablo. As big an evil bastard as the world is ever likely to see. I�m including myself in that statement too. For a moment I wonder if he could be a vampire because of the curtain but I can see him breathing. I slide out a knife. It is going to be an easy kill. As easy as any kill. I lower the knife to his throat, his eyes snap open as the metal scrapes against his skin. I can see his eyes white in the darkness. He is going to speak. I should kill him first. �Please don�t.� It would help a lot if he looked evil, curly goatee, horns, that kind of thing. I know that he is evil, everyone who knows anything knows that he is big time, sacrificing babies, deals with darkest demon, evil. He just doesn�t look it. I will myself to draw the knife across his throat, a quick death. More than he deserves. I can�t I just can�t do it. I can�t go down that road again. I slump to the floor and close my eyes. I have failed. �Well that was pathetic.� The voice is low and feminine. I turn to the doorway and as she switches on the lights I recognise the vampire standing there immediately. She looks different from the pictures I have seen, her hair is shorter and she is wearing some slinky red dress but it�s definitely Darla. I was told about the vampire who killed my predecessor Kendra. That was Drusilla, in learning about her I learnt about the vampires she spent decades with Spike, Angel and Darla. �I�d heard about you and I thought you were a bit more worthwhile than the schoolgirl but it looks like you just don�t have the killer instinct.� I don�t meet with her approval. What a pity. I move quickly grabbing Diablo and pressing the knife to his neck again. I pull him out of the bed and start to back towards the window. �Stay back or I�ll slash his throat. You need him.� Darla smiles and takes a single deliberate step forward. Several more vamps step into the room behind her including one who is almost certainly Drusilla. �Aren�t you going to slash his throat now?� Darla smiles like the devil. She looks the type, someone who revels being in a position of total power. �I�m waiting. You know if you bluff you should really have something to bluff with. I only needed him alive while I took control of his people. I have that now and there is nothing standing in the way of me taking over this entire town.� �There�s me.� I am trying to sound tough but we both know that I am in a very bad spot. Somehow I don�t think that I can rely on her mercy. I need a way out. I spot the clock. It is past dawn. I just need to rip open the curtain and there will be glorious sunlight shining in. There are about seven vamps in the room now. If I remember about Darla she isn�t a fighter, she is a manipulator, she likes to get others to fight for her. I throw Diablo forward at them and grab at the curtain. I feel several vamps tackle me but keep my grip on the fabric as I fall. The curtain is ripped off the rail but there is blackness beyond. I can�t focus, I am being beaten half to death. The window looks black. It�s painted black. I can see where there is a scratch where the light is coming in. I guess Darla wanted the safety but I don�t have much time to think about it. I am fighting back, it doesn�t matter where I hit because there are vamps all over me. I am being pounded down. I can�t reach my stake. My hand grabs at the gun shoved into my waistband. I grab it and start shooting randomly. I can�t see, I can�t hear, I can�t think. My face is covered with blood and everything hurts. My hearing returns as I feel the vamps around me explode into hot dust. It feels searing against my skin but I couldn�t ask for a better feeling. I can feel the sun on my face. I stagger to my feet and wipe the blood from my eyes. My bullets hit the window, shattering the painted glass. I am surrounded by dust. I glance back at the doorway and I can see Darla�s eyes staring out at me hatefully. I have seconds before a dozen gunman run in. I leap out of the window without looking. I land heavily on the hood of a car. without even scoping my surroundings I jump down and rip open the door, shattering the lock. I take a few seconds longer than normal to hotwire it because I haven�t done it in a while but I am soon mobile. I can barely hear the bulllets slamming into the body of the car. The car seems to be armoured but the moment they go for the tires I am history. I step on the gas. Acceleration like I wouldn�t have dreamed possible. This baby takes off and I am almost flying towards the gate. I keep the pedal to the floor and somehow manage to put on the seatbelt. There is a sickening crunch as it connects but the gates give way and I am through them. The car is a right off but I can get away. The bullets are still slamming into the car but in mere seconds I am out of sight and home free. I ditch the car as soon as I can. It�ll grab cops attention like half price doughnuts. I hurt. I hurt a hell of a lot. I think that it is mostly bruises and minor cuts, I�ll be fine in a few days but right now, I hurt. I failed. I failed in the mission. I got more information. I found out that it was Darla in charge, not Diablo at all. I know one more thing. When night comes they will be after me because I was right, I am the only person who can stand up to them. * * * * * �You and Spike can kill slayers, how come they always give me so much trouble?� �Don�t fret grandmother. We�ll huff and we�ll puff and we�ll blow the slayer down.� Darla gave her companion an affectionate look. �I wish it were that simple. We both know slayers can be real trouble. �We should get my boy Spike here, he�d show her what for.� Drusilla started to mime a spanking movement, Darla snarled. �Your boy Spike tried to stake you because of a slayer. My Angel set us both on fire. Our boys are very disappointing.� With an almost tender motion she stroked at the ragged bite wound on Gabriel Diablo�s neck. The slayer could ruin everything. * * * * * �Oh God, Faith, what happened?� Nancy reaches out to touch my bloody features but doesn�t quite make contact. �Hell, you should see the other guys.� I sound flippant but I feel lower than when I found out the Mayor was dead. I am in the hot seat and I have no idea how to beat them. Nancy takes me to her bathroom and as I calmly lay out what happened she wipes the blood from my face and cleans up the cuts. I can�t remember anyone being so tender with me since my first watcher. I remember when I first fought a vampire, he was a tough bastard. He almost turned my own stake against me. I managed to ram it through his heart but not before he tagged me good. A slash across one forearm. I remember that she was so calm and professional but also so caring when she cleaned and dressed it. After that I still gave her a lot of shit, but when it came down to it I would have done anything for her. I did anything she needed, except when it counted. An involuntary shudder runs through me. As I shake, Nancy hesitantly reaches out and strokes my hair. I look at her and I can see the caring and desire in her eyes. Why couldn�t I see that before? I don�t move a muscle as she leans down and kisses my cheek. I can feel her soft lips barely brushing against the skin. Her breath is hot and ragged with want. Her lips slowly kiss along my jaw line. My eyes shut as I drink in the sensation. I feel her tongue lick along my bottom lip and I moan with need. My desires take over and I grab her tongue with my mouth, sucking it in and feeling it�s texture and wetness. I thrust my tongue into her mouth. I feel rather than hear her groan of pleasure. For the briefest of seconds I feel nothing but the kiss. Everything vanishes from my thoughts and I am entirely focused on her mouth. The moment passes and we break apart barely, our faces still only separated by inches and our breath mingling. I am not sure how we get to the bedroom. Our journey is punctuated by kisses, pulling off of clothes and touching. We never stop touching. I push her up against her doorframe as I lick down her neck, marking her with love bites. I am loving the feel of her naked skin against mine. We are on the bed and grinding against each other fiercely. I lick across her eyebrow and she whimpers. Her fingers grip my flesh with too much pressure and not enough. We are devouring each others mouths. I can�t believe how soft her skin is. I grab her hands and pull her arms above her head. I hold her wrists down as I grind my thigh between her legs. She sounds so close to orgasm, agonisingly close. The urge to tease and the urge to make her come war in me. I reach down with my free hand and slide two fingers into her. She is so wet, she feels completely liquid. I run my fingers up and press against her clit and she shudders and moans in my ear as she comes. She lies still for a moment but starts squirming again as I start to kiss down her body. I kiss between her breasts and around them. I can tell she wants me to touch her nipples. They are dark and erect and she is looking down at me with an almost insane longing. I tease. I kiss around her breasts, closer and closer to her nipples before moving away and then with a feral grin I pounce on them. Almost biting her nipple as I start to suck it. Her gasps at every suck and lick are an intense aphrodisiac and I am sure I am literally dripping as I rub myself against her leg. I kiss lower. Her belly is tight and muscular. She is tensing with need and bucking her hips as my breasts press against her pussy. I can�t wait any longer. I want to taste her. I need to taste her. I lick and kiss and rub and devour. I want to devour her. I love the feel of her pubic hair rubbing against my forehead and eyelids. I feel completely at peace and utterly tense as hungrily suck at her. It isn�t even about her pleasure, it�s about completely diving into the sensation of her, of drowning in the lust. I thrust my fingers into her and her scream of pleasure almost makes me come. I curl my fingers round, thrusting into her with barely restrained strength. My tongue is pressed against her clit and my fingers are ramming into her and she is arched back and I am so close myself. My face is so wet with sweat and her come. She is shaking and screaming and coming and I am coming with her as I thrust and lick and shudder and then we are both collapsed and lying there as if we are unconscious. * * * * * I love lying beneath her. I am just relaxing and lying back and she is touching every inch of me. I normally take complete control in sex but I am finding it so erotic to be under her and for her to grab my breast and push her tongue into my mouth. She moves away and I reach out a hand to stroke her cheek. She grabs my wrist and kisses it, her lips move up along the inside of me arm. I am completely consumed in the kisses, the touch. I can barely think. She starts to run her fingers and palms over my body, touching my shoulders, my breasts, my stomach, my sides, my legs, my hips and as she touches my hips I gasp and push myself up to try and push against her and she grips me harder. She lies down along side me with her hand between my legs and starts to fuck me. Our eyes are locked and she can see me building to orgasm. She rubs harder, faster. It is almost painful but I am loving it so much. Every time her fingers rub at my clit I gasp and moan and I get louder and louder. Our eyes never leave each other. I can see her lust, her need to make me come. I don�t disappoint. I scream with pleasure and arch my back press myself into her fingers before collapsing back and shaking as the aftershocks hit me. I make no move to wipe the tears from my eyes. Neither of us say a word as we fall asleep wrapped in each other. * * * * * I wake before she does. I have never really needed that much sleep and a few years of nightmares will fuck up anybody's sleeping patterns. Nancy is lying beside me, surrounded by my arms. She looks happy and peaceful. I wonder if she always looks like this when she sleeps or if it is because of me. I hope it�s because of me. I want to protect her. I lightly stroke across her cheek. Her skin is so soft. She smiles in her sleep and snuggles closer to me. She looks content. I want to protect her. I need to protect her. Darla and Drusilla will step up their plans. They want to rule the city. I am the only person who can stop them. I may be arrogant, but I�m right. Nobody else has a hope in hell. I don�t know if I am strong enough to go against them. If I fail then Old Town will fall. There has to be some way around this. They are probably just as wary of going against me. Slayers are objects of terror to most vamps, they avoid us or they don�t live to be old vamps. I stroke Nancy�s cheek again. I know what I have to do. * * * * * Darla sat staring into space. One thought occupied her mind. Slayers and how much she despised them. As if one of the little bitches turning her Angelus into a white knight and making him kill his own sire wasn�t bad enough, now there was another one pathetically attempting to ruin her efforts in Sin City. They had no brains or tactics, they just dived in where angels feared to tread and lucked their way through. Darla hated lucky mortals. Drusilla glided into the room. She was talking in whispers to a porcelain doll that had had one of it�s arms bitten off by Dru in a fit of passion. �Dru, how are the lessons going. Will the girls be able to use the techniques you taught them?� �Miss Rosemary misses Miss Edith. They were such lovely playmates.� �Focus, Drusilla. If we�re going to take over this town, then you�re going to have to focus. Tell me, will the girls be able to control minds?� �They�ll burrow in and make themselves a hidey hole and have fun with their puppets Grandmum.� �I�ll take that as a yes.� Darla winced slightly at being called Grandmother. It made her feel old and she prided herself on her youth, she hadn�t stagnated like so many old vampires. Even the Master had stagnated, sat in his cave and waiting till the end of the world. She would never be like that, she would stay vital. She was distracted by an odd slurping sound. Turning she rolled her eyes. Drusilla was licking the statue of Asnarn again. Something about the tentacles and horns seemed to really do it for her. �Dru, stop that.� The insane vampire snarled at the interruption and then immediately looked contrite. �I�m sorry Grandmother, sometimes I forget myself.� �Darla.� She glared at the newcomer. �What is it, Clay?� He hesitated and then held out the cordless phone towards her. �It�s her, it�s the slayer. She wants to talk to you.� Darla, bemused, took the phone. �Yes?� �That Darla?� �It is. How can I help you child?� �First cut the bullshit. We�re enemies now but it doesn�t have to stay that way.� �You�re a slayer, I�m a vampire. One of us has to kill the other.� �That�s not the way Angel tells it.� The mention of her childe brought a scowl the blonde vampires face. A dull throb of anger ran through her and she spoke quietly. �Say your piece.� �I am trying to protect Old Town. You can fuck with the rest of this city to your hearts content, just leave my piece of it alone.� �That�s a generous offer.� Darla was seething with hatred but you couldn�t tell from her voice. �We should meet up, work out some arrangement.� �And give you a chance to stake me? I don�t think so.� �Look, we can meet up on the roof of the Baxter building. There�s nowhere any of my friends can get a shot at you from up there. You can bring along a couple of goons. It�s not even in Old Town.� �Ok little girl. You�ve got a meeting. I�ll see you there an hour after sundown.� Darla hung up the phone and looked up at Clay, her eye�s glittering with malice. �Get me everyone.� �Everyone?� �Everyone!� * * * * * The Baxter building is a large, solid structure in the centre of the slum areas. It is a pretty old building and sometimes lacks for things like reliable central heating, but there are worse places to be and the people who live there know it. From the roof, or from the top of the big water tower on top of the roof anyway, you could see for miles around the city. Few people would wish to see for miles around the city of course, but if they ever did then they could fulfill that desire from the roof of the Baxter building. Faith sat on top of the wooden water tower and watched the sun go town. She kept going through her plan in her head. There were so many things that could go wrong. I wonder for the hundredth time what Buffy would have done. I really didn�t know. The circumstances are too different. All I know is that I believe that Buffy would have tried her best. Maybe I should start wondering what Angel would do, emulating Buffy doesn�t seem to be my strong point. I become all business when the vamps turn up. I�ve got a good vantage point up her but they are good at blending into shadows. If I didn�t have a few slayer advantages I wouldn�t know they were there. The surrounding buildings aren�t far enough away that a determined vamp couldn�t jump the distance if they wanted to. I squint out at the buildings but I can�t see any movement. I can sense the bastards out there though. I am completely surrounded. I press the light button on my $5 dollar plastic watch and see that it is time to party. I stand and walk to the edge of the tower in time to see Clay�s head appear at the edge of the building as he climbs the fire ladder. He sees me pretty quickly and I see him suppress a smirk. I can read the bastard�s mind, he is thinking that I am going to be so easy to kill and that I have no advantage up here. Darla and Drusilla appear behind him. I make it easy for them and drop off the water tower. I walk towards them and they walk forward. I used to live for moments like this. The clarity of thought and focus walking into danger. I used to get afraid, but it�s like stage fright, it drops away the second you get on stage. I look over the predators I�m meant to be making a deal with. Clay has his vamp face on and a gun bulging his jacket. Vamps aren�t normally big gun people, I can relate. We like getting our hands dirty. Dru is away with the fairies. I can�t believe she stayed together long enough to kill a slayer. Darla is the one I am wary of though. She is ruthless and intelligent. I can see her sizing me up as we walk closer to each other. Working out the best avenue of attack; will she fight, threaten or seduce. �Close enough.� I say when we have only a few meters between us. �Have you had time to think about my offer?� Darla�s lips curve into a seductive and utterly evil smile. She is feeling the power. She is so getting off on the power. �Oh I�ve had time to think about it. How could we be sure you wouldn�t oppose us?� She is playing with me. Probably giving her troops time to get into position. I play along. �I�ll stick to Old Town. You stay away then you won�t need to worry about me. How do I know I can trust you?� �You don�t.� She doesn�t make any signal as far as I know, but suddenly they all appear. Leaping from the other buildings or clambering up the fire escape. The place is swarming. I don�t think I�ve ever been around so many vamps, not even when I was working beside them for the bos . . the mayor. I slowly turn full circle and take them all in. They are all itching to take me on. I recognise a few faces. Hookers that have been taken, guards from the compound. There must be thirty vamps. That�s a hell of a lot. I turn back to face Darla and feign confusion. �But, we had a deal.� She laughs. They all laugh. �Sorry, Slayer, deals off. I�ve decided ripping you limb from limb is a far better solution to my problems.� That�s when I let my glee and triumph show. �I didn�t think you would bring all your vamps with you. You�ve helped me out more than I could have hoped.� �What do you mean?� Panic is in her face now. I can see Drusilla�s eyes widen and she starts to shake. Darla pulls herself together. �You�re bluffing. You don�t have any tricks up your sleeve.� I reply by pulling the detonator from my jacket and pressing the magic button. The explosives around the bottom of the water tower go off with a satisfying bang and there is a moment of silence that seems to last forever before the water tower collapses and the water inside, blessed by Father Miller, engulfs the vampires. I am thrown the ground as the water hits me, but I still manage to see the wave slam into the vamp trio in front of me. I hear Drusilla moan in what sounds more like orgasm than pain as her skin melts and Darla grabs Clay to shield herself. It�s over in seconds, literally. I wish it could have lasted longer but it was pretty sweet. There are burned, half dead vampires lying about. The water washed away all the dust and more than a couple of vamps, but I don�t have to worry about any who were washed over the edge crawling away to their freedoms because Miho is down there. I almost feel sorry for them. I put most of the vamps out of their misery with a quick staking. Soon I am alone on the roof with only Darla. Her survival instincts worked quite well to save her from the holy water. She is missing a leg and most of her skin is oozing blood, but she is alive and crawling towards the ladder. I casually stroll over to her and step in front of her. �Please. I�ll leave town.� Her voice is more of a gurgle but I understand her. I kneel by her head and talk softly in her ear. �I want you to live and to tell every vampire, demon and evil scumbag you meet that this is my city now. It�s people are under my protection.� She doesn�t try to talk again just nods. I walk away. I stand at the edge of the building and look out at my city. It is full of light, more awake at night than it ever is during the day. I think I�ll like it here. I walk back to Darla, she is truly impressive. I don�t think there are many who could keep trying after what she has been through. It doesn�t matter though. �On second thought I�ll tell them myself.� I stake her. I don�t know if it�s what Buffy or Angel would do but it�s what I would do. I leave her ashes where they fall and climb down the building. Nancy is waiting there, her eyes are bright. With breathless eagerness she says �It worked?� She knows the answer but I am happy to tell her anyway. �It worked.� This seems to lead to a lot of hugging, kissing and general happiness. I don�t have any complaints about that. For the first time in just about forever I feel like a hero. Fanfic Home |