Disclaimers : Unfortunately I don't own any of these characters. *sigh* I'm just borrowing them for my own amusement. I promise to put them back when I'm done! Feedback : Questions, comments, criticisms? Just send `em to claire_slayer@hotmail.com Notes : This is my first attempt at fic, and I think it's gonna be a long one, so bear that in mind. I just can't write quickies.

Chapter One

Faith stood just outside the gate, eyes closed and face upraised, relishing the feel of the sun on her face. She was free. How long she stood like that she wasn't sure, but eventually a voice broke into her reverie.

"If you stay like that long enough you're gonna start growing roots." Kate said, a smirk in her voice. Faith didn't answer, just smiled and opened her eyes. The ex-cop turned private investigator stood a few feet away, watching Faith enjoy her freedom.

"Hi." Kate nodded to the young woman's bag.

"That all you got?" Faith shrugged, picking it up and hefting it on her shoulder.

"Ready to go?" Faith glanced back at the prison that had been her home for the past two years, then looked back at the detective.

"Lets motor."

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

Kate stayed silent on the drive to Angel's office, wisely realising that Faith wasn't up to conversation right now. Glancing over she saw that the young slayer was entirely preoccupied with watching the scenery flash past. An intense look was on Faith's face.

"What are you thinking?" asked Kate, the first words she'd spoken since getting in the car. Faith shrugged.

"Not really thinking anything." she replied, still looking out the passenger window. Kate nodded.

This had to be slightly overwhelming for her. Kate herself was still getting used to the fact that she wouldn't have to drive two hours just to speak to her face to face. And speaking without glass in the way would be different. They'd only spoken once without the glass in the way, and that was when she was taking her confession.

Kate chuckled to herself as she remembered that night. Who'd have thought that two years later she and Faith would be friends. Or that she'd be working for Angel instead of threatening to kill him. It had been six months and she was still getting her head around that. Faith turned her head.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Me." she answered honestly. Faith furrowed her brow, then obviously decided to let the odd answer slide. She was used to getting weird responses from the detective, and had long ago given up trying to figure them out.

"So how close are the offices?" she asked, trying to keep the apprehension out of her voice. She wasn't sure what to expect when she got to Angel's, but was trying not to worry about it.

"We're here." Kate said, pulling up outside the hotel. Faith stared. She had known that the offices used to be a hotel, but it was still strange seeing it.

"Wow." she breathed. Trust Angel to choose this place. They got out of the car and went up to the door, where Faith paused to get a steadying breath before going in.

Only Cordelia was there, and she didn't even glance up from the paperwork in front of her, merely calling out hi. Faith walked up to the counter, eyes taking in a lot of odd details like the scorch marks on the stairs, and the bullet holes in a supporting column. Place had obviously been the site of a few hairy battles. She decided to quiz someone about it later.

"Hey Cordelia. Where is everyone?" Kate asked. She had been expecting Angel and Wesley to be there to greet Faith. Gunn would be probably be around later on in the day. She was slightly disappointed that no-one was here. Cordelia looked up from the paperwork in surprise.

"Oh. I thought you were Wesley. He went to get lunch. Angel got a call from Gunn. He'll be back in a couple hours." The seers brain finally registered that Faith was there. "Hi Faith." Faith nodded in response. Cordelia put the paperwork away and came out into the foyer, enveloping the slayer in a warm embrace.

Surprised by this gesture Faith stiffened, then awkwardly returned the gesture before pulling away. She wasn't used to people invading her space like that. Hadn't been before prison, certainly not now. Cordelia seemed oblivious to Faith's discomfort, practically pushing her down onto one of the couches.

"Want some coffee?" Faith nodded, as did Kate, who sat opposite. She had noticed Faith's discomfort, and was glad she hadn't tried the same thing outside the prison. Of course, she had some idea of what Faith needed. She'd picked up a few parolees in her day. Some were eager for human contact, but most she'd seen weren't used to it. You didn't spend two years in a maximum security prison without learning to protect your personal space.

"How you doing?" she asked quietly as Cordelia got the coffee. Faith just smiled and shrugged.

"Wonder what Wesley's getting for lunch." She was eager to eat something other than bland prison food.

"What are you hoping for?"

"Tuna mayo sandwich." replied Faith immediately. That was one thing she didn't get in prison. She didn't even like it that much, but not having had one for two years she was looking forward to reminding herself what one tasted like. Kate quirked an eyebrow, then grinned. Before she could comment Cordelia came back with the coffee, and Wesley arrived with lunch, which he nearly dropped when he saw Faith.

"Faith!" Faith stood, regarding him with a blank face. He still avoided her wherever possible, and she still felt almost sick with guilt whenever she saw him.

"Wesley." Her calm greeting seemed to settle the englishman down, as he smiled at her.

"It's good to see you in something other than prison garb." He placed the lunch on the table and started unpacking it as he carried on. "I was hoping to get back before you arrived. I thought you might like something to eat."

"Yeah. Thanks." She took a look at the spread. "I can't wait to eat something different." She sipped her coffee, then chose a turkey sandwich, devouring it in seconds.

Wesley frowned, then shrugged, tucking into his own sandwich, as did Cordelia. Kate just sipped her coffee, and listened to the two discuss a case. She studied the slayer, noting how quiet she was. Something was bothering her, but she wasn't sure what, or how to ask.

After lunch was finished Faith announced that she was going for a walk. Kate volunteered to go with her, thinking that it would be the perfect opportunity to find out what was wrong.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

"You were pretty quiet back there." Faith shrugged. She was more of a listener than a talker. Not many people she enjoyed talking to at prison. And she wasn't sure how to act around Wesley and Cordelia. It was somehow easier when they were separated by glass.

"Don't normally talk to much."

"Really?" Kate seemed surprised. "I wouldn't have guessed that. You always talk so much when I visit." Faith shrugged again.

"I like talking to you. I don't have to censor myself."

"Oh." Faith glanced over at Kate, who was staring down at the sidewalk, a thoughtful look on her face. "So what's really bothering you?" She asked, fixing Faith with a look that plainly said she wasn't going to stop until she'd gotten the truth. Faith sighed inwardly. It was really difficult to hide things from a detective. Especially one as good at reading people as Kate.

"I'm supposed to stay with Angel." She said, once again grimacing at the thought of living with him for more than a few days. She looked away from Kate's eyes, instead stopping and sitting on a bench. Kate sat next to her, and Faith could feel the detectives eyes on her. "I don't think I can do it."

"Do what? Live with Angel?" Faith nodded.

"It'll be hard anyway, but I don't think spending my time with a two hundred and fifty year old vampire is gonna make it any easier." Faith explained. Ever since she'd found out she was supposed to be living with him when she got out, she'd been dreading it. Kate just nodded. Faith looked away, embarrassed to admit that she couldn't handle it. After a few minutes of watching the traffic Kate spoke.

"You can live with me then." Faith whipped her head round, eyes wide in shock. Kate just looked at Faith, face serious.

"What?" Faith couldn't quite believe it.

"If you don't want to live with Angel you can live with me. I have a spare room, plenty of space. I don't think Angel will object." Faith just stared at Kate. Finally she spoke.

"Why?" Why would anyone want to live with Faith? Especially someone who knew what she'd done and what she was capable of? Kate seemed oblivious to Faith's shock.

"I'd like the company." She said simply, waiting for an answer. Faith couldn't detect any trace of sarcasm in her voice, and had to conclude that she was being serious. She did want Faith to live with her.

"You sure Angel wont mind?" Faith had already decided she didn't care if he did. She was going to move in with Kate until she could get a place of her own.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

As it turned out, Angel didn't really have much to say about it. After it became obvious that both women wanted it, and that they had no doubts, he simply said that his door was always open, and that was the end of it. Much to the relief of both Kate and Faith, although they hid it quite well from Angel, and from each other.

After saying their goodbyes to the rest of the gang, who were busying trying to work out the location of a vampire nest downtown, they left. Kate considered what food she had in her apartment, and realised that if she was going to have to go shopping. Hoping that the market was still open she did a u-turn, and started planning what she needed to buy.

"Uh, Kate?" Faith sounded confused. "You forget where you live or something?" Kate smiled and glanced at her passenger.

"I just remembered I have no food in the apartment. Thought it might be a good idea to stop at the market on the way." Faith nodded. "You have any preferences on what we should get?" Kate asked, realising she had no idea what Faith's tastes were. The brunette shrugged.

"I'll eat anything. Except cereal." She smiled to herself in anticipation. "I'm just looking forward to cooking something decent." She realised that Kate was giving her an odd look. "If you don't mind that is." she put in hurriedly, hoping she wasn't already assuming to much. To her relief the detective shook her head, and she was grinning now.

"I was just trying to picture you cooking." she teased.

"You don't think I can cook?" Faith said indignantly. "Well. I guess I'll just have to prove you wrong then." she said in a mock serious voice, although she was serious, and was hoping that she wasn't too out of practise. Funny thing about prison, they hadn't been that eager to let her work in the kitchen. She shook her head, and started planning what she would need.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

"So. Did I prove you wrong?" Faith watched as Kate tasted the chicken. From the surprised look on her face, she guessed that she had. Faith smiled, glad that the effort she had put into preparing the meal was worth it. She'd practically locked herself into the kitchen, ordering Kate to stay away. As she'd cooked some of the tension she'd been feeling since being let out faded away. Course, that could have had something to do with the wine she was drinking.

"This is excellent." Faith's smile got even wider, and she started eating her own meal, beaming proudly. Most of the meal passed in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. Faith took the opportunity to look around the apartment. It was just as she'd imagined it would be. Neat, uncluttered, organised. The detective had poor taste in music though. Right now they were listening to some woman power album.

While Faith looked around the apartment, Kate studied Faith. She couldn't help but admire how Faith's eyes sparkled in the candlelight. Kate had forgotten that she'd blown a fuse last week that left her without lights. She'd yet to get it fixed. When they were finally finished, and cleared the table Faith spoke.

"You have a great place."

"Thanks." Faith looked around suddenly, just realising something.

"Where's my bag?"

"I put it in your room." Kate pointed to the room at the end of the corridor. "That's you, right next to me, right across from the bathroom." Faith nodded, and yawned widely, then smiled sheepishly at Kate.

"Kinda beat. It's been a long day." Kate smiled. It certainly had been.

"It has been, hasn't it? Do you have something to sleep in, or do you want to borrow something?" Kate had noticed that the slayer didn't have much stuff of her own. She'd have to take her shopping tomorrow for some new clothes. Faith shrugged, all nonchalant.

"It's okay, I don't need anything."

"Are you sure?" Kate asked, concerned. Faith just nodded, grinning. For a second Kate didn't understand why she was grinning, until she remembered that Faith had told her once her reasons that prison sucked. One being that she preferred to sleep in the nude. She blushed, thinking about a naked Faith, then blushed even harder when she saw that Faith noticed. In response she gave the slayer a half-hearted shove, propelling her down the corridor.

"You better get some rest. You have a long day tomorrow." Faith smiled, then stopped, hand on the handle to her room. She looked at Kate, then at the floor, then at Kate again. Kate noticed this, and paused outside her room, waiting patiently. Faith looked down at the floor.

"Thank you." She said it so quietly Kate wasn't sure she had said anything at all. Before she could reply, Faith went into her room, shutting the door softly behind her. Kate stared at the door for a long moment, before going to bed herself.

Chapter Two

The next morning Faith went with Kate to see Angel. He insisted on having a few words with her, in private. Faith sat in his office, calmly meeting his gaze. She had an idea what this talk was going to be about.

"How are you?" He asked, genuine concern in his eyes. Faith shrugged.

"Five by five." He grinned slightly.

"How was your first night out?" Faith shrugged again. It had been pretty damn good. A good meal that she'd cooked herself, enough wine to make her pleasantly drowsy, and a real bed. It had almost been too much for her. She'd barely had the energy to strip off and climb under the covers before falling into a dreamless sleep.

"Okay." Not that she was gonna share that with him. He nodded at her answer.

"What are your plans for today?"

"Kate said something about taking me shopping." Faith shrugged once more, it was quickly becoming her favourite form of expression. When she didn't volunteer any more information Angel stood up. He had on what Faith had termed his `pensive face'. He wanted to ask something, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what.

"I don't know what I'm going to do Angel." He looked at her, surprised.

"How did-" Faith held up her hand.

"It was kinda obvious what you were going to ask. It's all I've been able to think about." Faith stopped, and lowered her gaze to the floor. Lots of hours thinking about life on the outside, but she still had no idea what she was going to do. She'd come to the conclusion that she was just going to `go with the flow' so to speak. "I'm not gonna decide right now. I can't." There was almost a hint of pleading in her voice, and she knew that Angel picked up on it. He paused, looking down at her thoughtfully. His face gave nothing away.

"You know that I'm always here for you, if you want to talk." Faith nodded, already knowing that she would ignore his offer. She wasn't much for heart to hearts. Especially not with someone whose heart didn't beat.

"I know." It was nice to know that he was there anyway. After a few minutes of sitting in silence Faith decided that she'd had enough brooding for one day. "I better go. I think Kate wants to hit the shops before they get busy."

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

"So what did you and Angel talk about?" Kate was waiting for Faith to emerge from the changing room, and was trying to get the slayer to talk. She'd barely said two words all morning.

"He wanted to know what I'm going to do now I'm out." Faith answered loudly. Kate nodded, she'd figured as much.

"So what are you going to do?" she asked as the door opened, and Faith stepped out.

"I don't know." Kate nodded, appraising the slayer. She was wearing tight black combats and a blood red shirt that emphasised all the right curves. Faith waited for Kate's approval.

Kate was wondering if she ever wore anything else. All the outfits she'd chosen where the same. Tight black pants, basic figure hugging tops. Kate nodded that she liked this combo. And just like all the others it looked good on her. Kate suspected that a burlap sack would look good on the slayer.

Faith smiled, and went back into the changing room. "So what are your plans for the rest of the day?" Kate shrugged, realised that the slayer couldn't see her.

"Angel wants me to check out a lead for a case. Shouldn't take to long." Faith emerged from the changing room carrying her choices. Kate eyed the collection, wondering how much it was going to cost her. "You finished, or do you want to get some more stuff?" She asked, hoping that she was finished. Angel didn't pay her enough to buy a large brand new wardrobe for the slayer. Thankfully Faith nodded.

"I'm done." They made their way to the counter, where Faith dumped it all in front of a harassed looking teenage boy. "So what's the lead?"

"I have to check out a warehouse on Devaro. There's been some reports of `gang activity' there. We think that's where they might be holed up." The boy rang up the bill, which wasn't as high as Kate had first thought, while Faith took the bags.

"Want some back-up?" Kate glanced at Faith.

"You sure?" She didn't want to push her into some action on her first day out. Faith nodded.

"I'm sure." They left the store, Kate eyeing Faith speculatively. "'Sides, if the lead turns out right, I don't want you going in alone." Faith didn't meet Kate's eyes as she mumbled the second part.

"Well, I wont be `going in'. I'm just checking it out." Faith shrugged, still not meeting Kate's gaze.

"Still. Anything could happen." Kate smiled, realising that Faith was worried about her.

"Well, as long as you're sure, it can't hurt to have someone watching my back. Actually, it'll be quite nice to have some back up for a change." Faith beamed, and Kate had to stop herself from laughing at the eager look on her face. "C'mon, lets get some lunch."

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

Faith studied the warehouse with an experienced eye. It was definitely home for some vamps. It looked as derelict as the ones it was squeezed between. Broken windows and old graffiti, rubbish strewn about nonchalantly. But Faith could see tiny differences.

Like how one of the doors looked in perfect working order, and how the small area around it was free of rubbish that was piled everywhere else. And how there were broken windows on almost every floor, except for the ground floor. There, all the windows were boarded up and barred. And none of the others gave her the creeps like this one was.

She could feel it, like an itch she couldn't scratch. Death filled that building, and Faith was desperate to go in there and wipe it out. She felt like her blood was screaming at her to commit some serious violence. Swallowing thickly she turned around and walked away from the edge of the roof, back to where Kate was standing.

"There's definitely some vamps holed up in there." She managed to force out, struggling to suppress the urge to kill something. Kate looked at her, concern showing clearly.

"Are you okay?" She asked stepping closer. Faith shut her eyes, and finally won her inner battle. She nodded slowly.

"Yeah. Just didn't realise how long it's been since I had a good slay." After a few deep breaths, she managed to open her eyes, to look directly into two pools of blue. Kate was standing a lot closer than she'd realised, and was watching Faith intently, concern showing in her eyes. She was so close that she could smell the perfume Kate was wearing, something light and floral. And now she felt a new surge of emotions that she couldn't even begin to identify.

"Do you need more info, or can we motor?" she asked in a weak voice. Kate stared at her for a few more seconds, trying to read how Faith really was. Whatever she saw, she backed off a little, giving Faith the space she wanted.

"I think we've got enough for now. If Angel wants any more, he can come out here himself." She said forcefully. Faith let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

It wasn't until they were back in the car and driving away that Faith realised just how much the situation had gotten to her, and she turned to look out of the window, face blank and eyes dark. Slaying hadn't been an issue in jail, no vampires or demons to get her blood up, but now she was free the urge to go out there and whoop some undead ass was back in full force. And for the first time she wasn't sure if she could do it.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

After dropping Faith back at the apartment she headed on to Angel's, to tell him about the warehouse. She hadn't made up her mind about telling him Faith's reaction at the warehouse. She was worried about the young slayer. The drive back had been completed in total silence, with Faith only responding with a grunt when Kate had dropped her off and told her she would be back soon. It was as if she wasn't really there at all. When Kate had gotten a good look at her, the young woman's eyes gave nothing away as to what was really going through that beautiful head of hers.

Wait a second. Beautiful? Kate pondered that, parking the car on the street. Yes, Faith was an attractive young woman, and Kate had found herself thinking about her constantly these past few days, but that was just because she was living with her, right? Right? After a few more minutes of pondering Kate shook her head, and decided to think about it later.

"Hey Cordelia, Angel in?" The actress/seer looked up, a distracted look on her face, and waved a hand in the general direction of the garden. Kate took that as a yes, and headed to the garden. Angel greeted her with a tiny smile, a mere lifting of his usual frown. She smiled back, very briefly and made her way over to sit on the bench beside him.

"I checked out the warehouse." She never bothered with small talk, preferring to get right down to work.

"And?" He looked at her expectantly.

"It's definitely a nest." He nodded like that was there answer he expected.

"How many?" Kate looked away. Usually she got close enough to get a rough estimate on the odds, but she'd been so worried about Faith that she'd left without her usual look around.

"I don't know, I didn't get close enough to find out." When she looked up she saw Angel staring at her, waiting for her to explain. "Faith could sense the vampires. Since she was tired I decided to take her back to the apartment so she could rest." She lied, not looking Angel in the face.

"How is she?"

"Alright. It's gonna take her a few days to adjust though." Angel just nodded, again looking like that was the answer he expected. Kate really hated that look sometimes. Biting her lip, she shook her head, and turned the conversation back to work.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

When Kate eventually got back to the apartment she was surprised to find Faith in the kitchen, cooking dinner. It must have showed because Faith shrugged.

"I like to cook." was all she said, and Kate nodded mutely. She wasn't complaining because Kate didn't like to cook. If she didn't need to eat, she wouldn't cook at all. "How was work?" Faith asked, pouring a glass of wine and handing it to Kate, who accepted it gratefully.

"Better than usual. No demons to kill today." She said, leaning against the counter and watching Faith check on what was no doubt another delicious meal. "Unfortunately I had to listen to Cordelia and Wesley bicker all afternoon. As usual." Faith threw a grin at Kate, who was scowling at the thought of having to put up with it for four more hours. She was surprised that they could go on for that long without taking a break.

"Aw, poor detective had to baby-sit the kids by herself?" she teased lightly, as Kate just shook her head.

"That smells delicious." she said, taking in a deep breath and savouring the aroma of fish and herbs.

"It'll be ready in ten minutes." It struck Kate how ridiculously domestic the whole scene was, and she had to smile. Who would ever believe that Faith could be domestic? Or her for that matter. "What are you smiling at?" Faith asked suspiciously.

"Nothing. Need a hand?" Faith waved her away.

"I got it covered. You go and relax." Kate did as ordered, sinking into the couch and flicking on the tv. As she waited for Faith to announce that dinner was ready she thought about what had happened earlier in the day. Trying to decide if she should bring it up, or let it lie. She didn't want to push Faith one day after release, but she didn't want her to feel she couldn't talk either. With a sigh, and a large swallow of wine, she decided to follow Faith's lead.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

"So did Angel say anything about you taking me to the warehouse?" Faith had been wondering what the big guy would think about her helping out Kate. They were both sitting on the couch, watching tv and relaxing.

"He didn't say anything about it. Just asked how you were doing." Kate answered, watching Faith fidget beside her.

"And how did you answer?" Faith asked quietly, not looking at Kate.

"I said you were okay, slowly adjusting to life on the outside." Kate replied after a long silence. Faith sighed with relief, glad that she hadn't mentioned Faith's weird behaviour on the roof. They sat in silence for a few more minutes, pretending to watch the tv, sipping their wine, before Kate broke the silence.

"What are you planning on doing tomorrow?" she asked, turning to face Faith, who shrugged.

"Don't know. Might walk around for a bit, get to know the city. Or at least the neighbourhood." she added with a grin. Kate grinned back, glad to see her mood had improved.

"Well, I have some work to do tomorrow, but if you want we can meet for lunch." she suggested. Faith smiled.

"I'd like that. But only if you're buying. I don't have any money." And wasn't that the truth. She didn't have a dime to her name, hadn't for a long time now. She really had to get a job. She couldn't live off Kate forever.

"Sure." Thankfully Kate didn't press her on the money issue, for which Faith was grateful. She'd forgotten how perceptive the detective could be.

"Where do you want to meet then?" Kate immediately reviewed the best places to go for lunch, then realised the point was kind of moot. The slayer didn't know the town yet.

"How about you meet me at Angel's, and we can go from there." Faith nodded slowly.

"Noon sound good?" Kate nodded, noon sounded great. This time when they sat watching the tv the silence was more relaxed, and there was no need to fill the silence with meaningless chatter.

It was still early when Faith started to get tired, and she trudged off to bed, tossing a mumbled `good night' back at Kate, who was engrossed in the crime show they had been watching. Jail had really changed her sleeping patterns, and she couldn't wait to get back into the rhythm she had before, she thought, stripping off and sliding under the sheets.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

Faith woke up just past three am, well, she bolted upright, eyes wide, barely containing the scream that threatened to erupt, shaking like a leaf. Sweat was pouring off her, and her heart was doing it's best impression of a steam locomotive. For a few panicked seconds she didn't know where she was, then it all came flooding back to her.

She was safe. In Kate's apartment. Alone. She tucked her knees up under her chin, closing her eyes and taking deep, calming breathes. Well, trying to take deep calming breathes. She was still a little shaky after the nightmare, and it was hard to relax.

Five minutes later she had calmed down enough to be angry that the nightmare had come back. It was a familiar one, that came back to haunt her most nights. She still didn't know for sure what it was about, and she didn't want to either. Every time she had it she woke up scared shitless, and had no compulsion to find out why. She had her suspicions though, and they all started with `B'.

With a sigh she realised she wasn't getting any more sleep that night. Getting up, she pulled on a robe that Kate had given her, and headed into the living room. The apartment was dark, but Faith navigated the furniture with ease, thanking her slayer senses for enhanced night vision. She didn't have to worry about stubbing a toe or knocking a shin like most mortals.

After a few minutes of searching, she was rewarded with the remote, and switched on the tv, settling down to watch late night horror movies. They always cheered her up.

Chapter Three

That was how Kate found her the next morning after showering and getting dressed. The slayer was giggling, watching cartoons. She could tell that she had been awake a while from the fact that she was completely alert and overwhelmingly chipper. Kate just growled something when Faith handed her a coffee, nice and strong.

"Well, I'm glad one of us is chipper." she commented sarcastically as Faith started preparing breakfast for them both. Faith handily ignored the comment, concentrating on the eggs and bacon. After finishing her first cup of coffee, Kate felt more like a human, and turned her attention to Faith. "So how did you sleep?"

"Alright." Faith placed a plate of food in front of Kate, and started tucking into her own, not meeting Kate's eyes. She knew the young woman was lying, but played along.

"Never figured you for a morning person." she commented, almost offhand. Faith shrugged, continued eating.

"I just woke up early today."

"How early?" Kate tried to keep her tone light.

"Couple hours ago." she said, meeting Kate's eyes for the first time. She saw the challenge in them, daring Kate to contradict her. Wisely, Kate backed down.

"Thanks for making breakfast." Faith ducked her head, and Kate could swear she was blushing.

"I like cooking. Besides, it's the most important meal of the day." She mock protested. Kate grinned.

"I could get used to this. Having all my meals cooked for me I mean." she hurriedly added. Faith definitely blushed this time, and Kate decided to stop teasing her. They finished breakfast in silence, listening to the morning news. Half eight rolled around much too quick for Kate's liking, and she groaned.

"I have to go. Don't want to be late for work." Faith relaxed, and sat back.

"Still want to meet for lunch?" Kate nodded, draining her coffee and grabbed her jacket from the hook by the door. She pulled the door open, then glanced back at Faith, who was watching her from the couch.

"See you at noon." She smiled brightly before shutting the door.

Once she was gone Faith was at a loss what to do. She knew she had told the detective that she was going to wander around and get to know the city, but she didn't want to do that. She was too edgy to wander aimlessly.

Despite having only had three and a half hours sleep, she was full of energy. After a few minutes watching the news, she decided to try and find somewhere to train. She really needed to take the edge off, and since it was too early for patrol, she needed to try another kind of workout. With that decided she quickly cleaned the breakfast dishes, showered and changed into something more appropriate for going outside than a robe.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

Faith strolled nonchalantly into Angel's knowing full well that she was a half hour late.

"Hey guys. What's happening?" she asked casually, leaning against a pillar and looking them over. Wesley and Cordelia looked up from the computer they were staring at when she spoke. Wesley looked almost disappointed to see her, and Cordelia just looked annoyed that she had been interrupted.

"Where have you been?" And that would be Kate. She glanced over at the blonde, and immediately felt guilty for being late. Kate looked pissed off, but beneath that Faith could detect worry. For her? Maybe.

"Sorry. Got a little lost on my way here." she quickly explained, giving the detective her most apologetic look. It obviously worked, because her eyes softened as she walked closer to Faith.

"Well, you're here now. Ready to eat?" Faith smiled, glad Kate wasn't to pissed at her.

"Always." she replied, traditional smirk plastered on her face now. She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively for good measure, briefly considering a few dirty ways to interpret that. She was pleasantly surprised when Kate blushed, presumably thinking the same thing she was.

"Let's go then." As they walked out Faith wondered, not for the first time, just what team Kate played for. Eyeing the detective's ass on the way out, she hoped it was for the home team. Lunch went more smoothly. Kate talked about work, and Faith told her about the boxing gym she had found three blocks from the apartment. Just barely on the right side of legal, it was rough, dangerous and full of `unsavoury characters'. In other words it was perfect for her.

"The owner's not too bad though. He was a little wary at first, but he agreed that I could train there with the guys after I proved myself in the ring." Kate looked up, startled.

"You had a fight?" Faith nodded. Kate looked her over carefully, probably looking for signs of injury. Faith couldn't deny the little thrill that went through her at the attention though. "Well, I assume you won."

"Barely had to break a sweat." Faith said smugly. Kate just rolled her eyes.

"Well, as you're feeling so cocky, maybe you'd like to join us this afternoon when we take out the nest." For a second her words didn't register, but when they did Faith's eyes widened, and she felt a bolt of terror run through her.

"What?" she squeaked out. Yes, squeaked. Kate immediately frowned, confusion in her eyes.

"Yeah. Thought you might like some action." Faith's overactive imagination threw up images of the last kind of action she'd had, with Angel before jail, and how badly she'd freaked out then.

"Uh. . ." she couldn't think of anything to say. Kate reached across the table and grasped one of her hands, immediately bringing her back to reality.

"Hey." she spoke softly, leaning across slightly to look Faith in the eyes. "You don't have to. It was just a thought." Faith looked down, unable to meet the detective's gaze. She didn't say anything. "No-one expects anything from you. If you don't want to slay straight away, you don't have to." Still Faith was silent, trying to sort out what she wanted. She ventured a glance up. Kate was still looking at her worried.

"I think I'd like to train for a bit first. I'm a little out of practice." she offered weakly. Kate nodded in understanding.

"Of course. I didn't mean to push you." Faith smiled slightly.

"Nah. It's cool. I can understand you guys wanting a slayer on your side. Takes all the hard work out of it." Kate grinned slightly.

"Something like that." she admitted wryly. Faith realised that Kate was still holding her hand, but instead of pulling it away she left it there. She liked the contact. They continued to gaze into each others eyes, until Kate's pager went off, breaking the moment. They both looked away, embarrassed and not knowing why. When Kate saw who it was she cursed.

"Damn. I have to get back to the office." She looked back up at Faith, who was staring at her plate, face unreadable again. "I'll be home by seven, okay?" she said. Faith looked up, and smirked.

"Want me to cook something?" Kate grinned.

"Only if you want to." she replied. From the glint in Faith's eyes she was cooking again.

"Call me if you're gonna be late." she said, more serious. Kate nodded.

"Of course." She dropped a couple of bills on the table to cover the tab and left Faith sitting there, watching her go.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

That afternoon Faith was down at the gym. She had a whole lot of energy that she needed to burn off in the worst way. Currently she was pummelling one of the bags, ignoring the looks most of the guys were giving her. She had gotten used to working out alone while in prison, and even more used to ignoring the looks everyone would give her, guards included.

What she really wanted was to get in the ring and fight, but didn't want to risk it. As worked up as she was she might forget to pull a punch. Then someone might get hurt. And if there was one thing she learned in prison, it was control. Or at least enough to recognise the dangers of a fight right now. She grunted, giving the bag one last left hook, before stopping.

"Alright. Who do I have to beat to get your respect?" She asked, looking over the men, and boys, who were staring. Fuck control, she wanted a fight. The men all exchanged glances, and she noticed the owner in the back corner, watching the floor with an expectant look on his face. After some silent conferring, one of the men stepped forward.

"That would be me." He stated calmly. Faith sized him up, and smiled. This was going to be fun.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

That night Kate came home to find the apartment cleaner than the day she'd moved in. Limping to the back, she found Faith making dinner.

"Hey honey, I'm home." she said, smirking. Faith turned round, ready to deliver some kind of stinging remark, but stopped when she got a look at Kate. Cleaning out the nest had been a little harder than predicted, and she'd twisted her ankle. Kate suspected that the paleness of Faith's face was due to the fact that she was covered in blood.

"What. . .?" Kate shook her head, and sat down at the table.

"It's not my blood. I just twisted my ankle, that's all." Faith didn't look any reassured, running her eyes over the detective to find injuries. "Can you get me some aspirin? Cupboard on the far left." she pointed behind Faith, who quickly got her the aspirin and a glass of water. Kate took a few pills, finishing the water. Just because the blood wasn't hers didn't mean she wasn't in pain.

"What happened?" Faith asked softly, gently easing Kate's boot off. Kate shrugged.

"We hit the warehouse right after lunch. Unfortunately the nest was awake. We think they were planning an attack on some big party downtown. Just a case of bad timing." She found herself marvelling at Faith's soft touch. Her sock was off without her realising it, and now she was wrapping the foot in a bandage Kate was sure she didn't have.

"Or good timing. If you'd hit any later they might not have been there. Or they would have been fully psyched, in fight mode." Faith didn't look up from her task, explaining what she knew. "A psyched vampire is a hell of a lot harder to kill than a startled one." she finished off, tying off the end of the bandage. Finally she looked up, and the concern in her eyes caught Kate off guard. "You need to ice this to keep the swelling down, and you should rest it for at least a day." Kate simply nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Faith smiled slightly, then stood up and picked Kate up.

"What are -"

"Sssh." Faith cut her off, cradling her gently in deceptively strong arms. "I'm gonna carry you to the living room. Easier than limping, and more dignified than hopping." she said, a twinkle in her eyes. Kate nodded mutely, relaxing into the strong arms and allowed Faith to carry her to the couch, where she was gently deposited. "Now stay there while I get some ice."

She disappeared back into the kitchen. While she was gone Kate switched the tv on, turning it down low. It was just as Faith was coming back with some ice wrapped in a towel and a glass of wine that she noticed something else.

"Hey, you got the lights fixed." She exclaimed. Faith shrugged nonchalantly, handing Kate the improvised ice pack.

"It was a pretty easy fix." Kate sat back, relishing how soothing the ice was on her ankle.

"I didn't know you knew anything about wiring."

"Attended a few classes in prison when I was bored." Faith said quietly, and Kate decided not to question her about it, although she was curious. Faith had never mentioned anything about taking classes in prison before, and her records didn't show any diploma's.

The rest of the night Faith spent pampering Kate, refusing to let her do anything. Kate enjoyed the attention, joking to Faith that she would have made a very good nurse. Faith had blushed at the compliment, not meeting Kate's eyes as she shrugged it off. Kate found the whole display very cute, but chose not to say that to her.

Faith even managed to extract a promise that Kate was going to catch up on her paperwork tomorrow instead of anything physical. She'd tried to convince her to stay home, but Kate knew she had too much paperwork to catch up on, and now was a good a time as any to do it. Who knew that Angel was so strict about record keeping? Eventually Kate started to feel drowsy, from the wine and the painkillers, so Faith carried her to her bedroom. Placing her gently on the bed she made sure Kate had everything she would need close by.

"G'night Kate." she said softly before closing the door and heading back to the living room. A minute later she heard the tv volume lower, and smiled at the young woman's considerate nature before getting ready for bed and crawling under the sheets.

"Goodnight Faith." she whispered to the dark room, before falling into a deep sleep.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

Over the next couple of days, they established a tentative routine. Faith would wake up first, usually at three or four o'clock, then make breakfast for the two of them before Kate had to go to work. Since Faith had banned Kate from `active duty', she would meet Kate for lunch, usually bringing something with her that they could share.

Then in the afternoon Faith would train at the gym for a few intensive hours before taking off to clean the apartment and cook dinner. By the end of the week she had realised that she would need a job. Kate couldn't afford to feed the both of them, especially given how much Faith liked to, no needed to eat.

She had also realised that she needed to get back into slaying. She was as fit and ready as she was going to get, no matter how much training she did. Which led to her sneaking glances at Kate over dinner, trying to work out what to say, and how to say it. She was nervous as hell. Kate finally noticed.

"Alright. What's bothering you?" She asked when they had finished eating and were sitting drinking the wine. Faith immediately had second thoughts.

"Nothing. Nothing's bothering me. Why would you think something was bothering me?" She winced when she finished speaking. Yeah, that was smooth. Nothing wrong with you at all, she thought to herself angrily. Kate merely hiked an eyebrow. Faith sighed, knowing she was busted. She decided just to come right out and say it.

"I'm going patrolling. Tonight." Kate nodded slowly. Faith continued. "Alone." Kate nearly choked, spluttering for breath as Faith jumped up to try and help her. After a minute Kate was no longer red in the face. Faith continued to rub her lower back softly, hardly aware she was doing it. Kate turned to look Faith in the eyes.

"Alone?" Faith nodded, steeling herself for the protests. To her surprise, there were none. Kate just looked at her, face unreadable, before pouring herself another glass of wine. "Well, if that's what you want." was all she said. Faith frowned, confused. She had been sure there would be more of a protest.

"Aren't you going to argue?" She asked, a little upset that she didn't, although she hid that well. Kate leaned into Faith's hand, which had stopped rubbing, and was resting on her back, catching Faith's eye.

"Would it matter?" She asked, in a tone that belied that she knew the answer. Faith shrugged, slightly embarrassed that she was so obvious. No-one could read her as well as Kate could.

"No."

"Then I'm not going to argue." Faith grinned slightly.

"I'll just do a quick patrol. I'll be back by midnight." She promised. Kate nodded, then looked at the table of dirty dishes.

"I just got landed with clean-up, didn't I?" she asked in a mock serious voice. Faith nodded solemnly, a glint in her eye. Kate sighed dramatically. "Well, go on then. Patrol." Faith smiled, standing up. She had prepared a few stakes earlier, once she had decided to go out on patrol, and all she had to do was pick up her jacket and she was ready to go.

"I'll be back soon." She called out to Kate, who was in the kitchen as she opened the front door. Kate come out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel.

"Be careful, okay? Watch your back." she said. Faith nodded, putting a huge shit-eating grin on her face.

"It's the vamps that better watch their backs tonight." She said cockily. Kate rolled her eyes at Faith's bravado.

"Just try not to get killed, alright?" Faith nodded, face serious before leaving, closing the door softly behind her.

Chapter Four

Faith took a deep breath, luxuriating in the aroma of night. God, that sounded hokey even in her own head when she thought that, but night had a scent, one that Faith particularly enjoyed. All danger and sex, it promised so much, but rarely delivered. Unless you were the slayer, of course. She grinned to herself, looking around. The street was quiet, with hardly anyone around, and they were all human. Sighing, she struck out left, ambling down the street in her most innocent manner.

Whistling slightly off-key she wandered for an hour, getting a good look at the neighbourhood, but drawing a blank on the `creature of the night' front. She had all but given up on finding a vampire in Kate's remarkably quiet corner of LA when she heard a scream coming from the back of an alley, and smiled widely. Finally, a bit of action.

Entering the alley slowly, she saw two vamps menacing one young woman, who can't have been older than nineteen. One vamp was behind her, holding her arms, and the other was standing in front of her game face on. They were both laughing.

"What's the matter little girl? Scared?" Faith snorted, and stepped out of the shadows.

"That was imaginative." she commented, sizing them up. Adrenaline started to flow through her, setting her veins on fire. She gripped the stake hidden in her pocket more tightly, outwardly putting on a bored face. "Almost scary too. Bet you thought that one up all day, huh?" she asked, teasing.

The vampires were both giving her confused looks. Faith took a couple of cautious steps forward, focusing more on the girl, who was staring blankly at Faith, terror still showing in her eyes. The vampire who spoke shook his head.

"Go away unless you want to be next." Faith pretended to consider it, then shook her head.

"Nah. I wanna be first." She said cockily, thrusting her chest out so he got a good view. Predictably, both vamps glanced down, then glanced at each other, grinning. The leader stepped forward, looking her up and down. The second vamp let go of the girl, who stumbled to the side of the alley, falling to the ground and staying there.

"Well, if you insist." The leader said, stepping forward, still grinning. Faith let him get close, before clocking him as hard as she could in the face, breaking his nose. He stumbled backwards, clutching his nose, blood flowing out between his fingers. The second vamp growled, and jumped forward.

Spinning on her heel, she kicked him in the head, driving him into the wall. Backing off, she faced the first one, who was glaring at her, hate in his eyes.

"Bitch. You'll pay for that."

"I doubt that very much." She replied, as his partner joined him, glaring at her. They were both so dumb they didn't realise how much trouble they were in. Faith shook her head, and pulled a stake out, determined to end this as quickly as possible. She wanted to get back to the apartment and share another bottle of wine with Kate. It occurred to her as she charged the two vampires that she had been drinking a lot since being let out, but that thought got forced out of her mind and she let instinct take over.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

Half an hour later she was standing outside the apartment, working up the courage to just go in. Kate was going to freak. One of the vamps, she wasn't actually sure which one, had been carrying a knife. She hadn't noticed until he tried to stab her. Now she had a nice big gash on her shoulder, and blood all over her hands, all over her in fact.

She wasn't entirely sure what had happened after she got knifed. But it had ended ten minutes later with two piles of dust, blood all over her and the young girl looking at her like she was some kind of monster. If only she could remember what had happened, she might be able to convince herself she wasn't. With a sigh, she set her shoulders, and went in.

"Hey honey, I'm home." she called out cheerfully. Kate was sitting on the couch watching tv. She glanced over at Faith, then back at the tv, then back at Faith, jaw dropping.

"What the hell happened to you?" she exclaimed, standing up and staring. Faith shrugged, heading to the bathroom, trying to keep her shoulder out of Kate's view. She wanted to get cleaned up before letting Kate get a good look at her.

"I'll tell you later, just gonna jump in the shower, `kay?" Before Kate could protest she slipped into the bathroom and locked the door, leaving a bewildered Kate standing outside,

Kate stood outside the bathroom door for a minute, before shaking her head and going into the kitchen to make some coffee. She wanted to be more awake to question Faith. Forty minutes later the bathroom door opened, and Faith went to her room, carrying a bundle of what looked to Kate like towels. Curious, and worried, she got up to check on Faith, but the door was shut. Instead of trying to enter, knowing instinctively that she wouldn't get anywhere, she sat back down on the couch, to wait for Faith to come out and talk.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

It was one am before Faith ventured out of her room. Kate resisted the urge to jump up and question her straight away, instead just studying Faith for signs of injury she knew where there. When Faith didn't say anything, her resolve broke down.

"So are you going to tell me what happened tonight or what?" she demanded, exasperated. Faith shrugged slightly, managing not to wince. Her shoulder hadn't looked so bad once it had been cleaned, more awkward than anything else.

"Just ran into a couple of over-eager vamps, that's all. No big." Kate almost growled at Faith's flippant response.

"If that's true, you wouldn't mind letting me see the towels you used?" Kate asked, going on a hunch. Faith looked at her sharply, then sighed.

"Alright. One of them had a knife, I got a little cut."

"What!?!" Kate yelled, dropping the tv remote. She looked for blood, but didn't see any. Faith placed a placating hand on Kate's shoulder, fixing her with a stare.

"Kate. It's alright. I'm fine, really, I'm okay. It's just a little scratch."

"Let me see." demanded Kate, nowhere near convinced. She had seen how tough Faith had pretended to be after beatings in prison, and wasn't about to let her do the same now. Faith hesitated, then started unbuttoning her shirt. Kate was too distracted to enjoy the prospect of a half-naked Faith, instead she went through to the kitchen and got the first aid kit that Faith had put together over the past week.

When she got back, she froze, and nearly dropped the bag she was carrying. Faith was siting on the couch, shirt off, with her back to the door. For a moment all Kate could think about was how perfect she looked in the light from the tv, skin soft and still slightly pink from the shower, how toned she was. Then her gaze fell on the wound on her shoulder.

About three inches long, it looked pretty shallow, but still stood out as an angry red line to contrast with the pale skin around it. She hissed in sympathy as she sat behind the slayer and got a closer look at it.

"If that's what you call a little scratch I'd hate to see a major wound." she said softly as she got what she needed from the kit. Faith didn't say anything, merely chuckled slightly. "Do you want something for the pain?" Kate offered, coming across a bottle of painkillers. Faith shook her head.

"Doesn't hurt." Kate smiled wryly, preparing some antiseptic to clean the wound.

"It will in a minute when I clean it." she replied. She waited, in case Faith reconsidered the painkillers. When she didn't say anything, she swabbed the wound as gently as possible. Underneath her she felt a body go tense, and heard a hiss of pain.

"Sorry." she apologised once she had finished.

"'S'okay." came the mumbled reply. She covered the wound in cream, to stop it getting infected she explained to Faith, who merely nodded. Finally she bandaged the shoulder with gauze. When she was finished she sat back and considered her handi-work. Seeing the amount of gauze she had used, she considered that she might have gone a little overboard.

"How does that feel?" Faith tested her shoulder, rolling it. She sat back in the couch, and smiled.

"Great. Didn't realise you moonlighted as a nurse." she teased. Kate rolled her eyes at the slayer, who simply stuck her tongue out as Kate tidied up.

When she came back through and sat next to Faith, she realised that the slayer was still sitting there in dark blue jeans and her bra. She threw a sidelong glance at her, taking in the well defined shoulders, the taught, smooth stomach, and the ample breasts that were captured in a black lacy bra. She eyed her for a long minute, before realising what she was doing. Kate blushed slightly, hoping that Faith hadn't noticed her gaze, and looked at the tv.

"Aren't you cold?" she asked, pointedly watching the tv. Faith frowned, puzzled, before glancing down and realising that she was sitting there half-naked. She hadn't even noticed. Shit. She wasn't cold, but reached for her shirt anyway, and started to pull it on. She had a problem when trying to put her injured arm through the sleeve though. She couldn't quite reach it.

Kate noticed the slayers problem, and felt guilty for mentioning it in the first place. So she turned round and snagged the shirt, guiding it so Faith could put her arm through it more easily. Pulling the shirt up and tugging it into line, Kate started to button it up. Her fingers skimmed lightly over flesh at each button, and Faith gasped at the contact, a shudder going through her each time. Kate noticed, and took her time to do up the shirt.

By the time Kate was finished, both women were breathing heavier, and slightly flushed. Kate looked up, and realised just how close they were sitting. A few scant inches separated them. As she gazed into Faith's chocolate brown eyes, she realised that she had to back off right now or something was going to happen. Something good, or something bad she wasn't sure, but she knew that it couldn't happen. Not now.

Closing her eyes, she slid back to the end of the couch. She already missed Faith's presence, and fought not to slide back closer. Not looking directly at Faith she stood up.

"It's been a long day. I think we should get some sleep." She said softly, not wanting to completely destroy the mood. On the couch Faith nodded slowly.

"Yeah." From the softness of her tone Kate knew that Faith was feeling it too. Kate quickly retreated to her bedroom to think, leaving Faith sitting on the couch, staring into space, wondering what had just happened, and what had been about to happen.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

"So where are you and Faith going for lunch today?" Kate looked up from the book she was pretending to read. Cordelia, sat at her desk, presumably finished with work, and was watching Kate. Realising that the seer had asked her something, she tried to remember what.

"Oh, uh. I'm not sure if Faith is coming today." Neither woman had looked at each other this morning, and they had spoken as little as necessary. Kate had tossed and turned the whole night trying to figure out what was going between them, and it didn't sound like Faith had done much better.

"Really?" Cordelia arched an eyebrow, looking more interested. She leaned forward, resting her chin in one hand. Kate just nodded, concentrating on the book in her hands. She could tell that Cordelia sensed gossip, and that she was going to probe until she got it.

"Yeah." She closed the book, and stood up. "I'm going to get some coffee. Want some?" Kate was not in the mood to deflect Cordelia's probes, and decided to cut it off before it got started. Cordelia stared at her just long enough to let Kate know that Cordelia was not going to just let this drop. When she dropped her gaze Kate stifled a sigh of relief.

"No thanks. I-" Cutting herself off, Cordelia put a hand to her head, and started swaying. When she grunted, Kate knew she was having a vision, and rushed over in time to catch the young seer in her arms, and cradle her until the vision had passed. When it finally had Cordelia sighed, and started reaching for her `vision notebook' to write down all the pertinent details, all the while speaking to Kate.

"We'll need all the guys on this one, looks big. Actually, all three of them look big. With teeth and horns to match." Kate shook her head, already not looking forward to fighting them, and called down the guys. When they were gathered Cordelia explained some more.

"Three demons, trying to kidnap a young couple down by the beach. One of the really bad one's that has a lot of sewage, not one of the nice one's. And one of them had this big old knife. Looked ceremonial."

By the time she had finished the guys had kitted out. Wesley and Gunn had small(ish) axes, while Angel had a short sword. Kate just had her guns. They couldn't kill, but they could blind a demon, slow him down. Kate had no intention of going hand to hand with the demons, her priority was helping the humans.

"Alright. Did you see anything else?" Cordelia thought for a minute.

"They had really big teeth. And they smelled like downtown sewer."

"As opposed to up-town sewer I suppose." Wesley commented wryly. Cordelia gave him the long suffering look she reserved just for him.

"Yes. I have been in enough sewers, and had enough of these visions in the past three years to tell the difference." Wesley looked like he was going to retort, but thankfully Angel interrupted.

"That's great. Go home and get some rest." Angel then grabbed his cars keys and left, followed by Gunn, Kate the Wesley. Cordelia looked around the now empty hotel, and sighed. There went her ride home.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

Kate gulped a little when she saw the demons surrounding a young couple. They all stood over six foot, and they looked like a tank wouldn't take them down. Drawing out her pistols, she emptied both clips into the nearest ones head and upper body. By that time the guys were close enough to attack hand to hand. Wesley sliced the head off the one she had shot, and then started to help Gunn. Angel took on the last one, the leader by the looks of it, by himself.

Kate ran over to the unlucky humans who had just been taking a romantic stroll along the beach to check that they were okay. Both looked uninjured, but more than a little terrified.

"It's okay, we're here to help." She said, and offered a hand to help the woman up. She didn't accept it, her gaze locked on the battle going on behind Kate. With a sigh Kate crouched down. "Are you okay?" she asked patiently. This time she got a response. The man, a young guy who looked like he belonged behind a computer writing code, shook his head.

"What are those things?" His voice trembled slightly, and he clutched his girlfriends hand tightly. Kate glanced behind her to check on the battle. Angel and his demon were fighting in the surf, and it looked like it was a good thing he didn't need to breath, given that his head was currently being held under. Wesley and Gunn were doing a little better, driving their one back, although it still looked like it had a lot of fight left in him.

Looking back at the terrified youngsters, she tried to decide what to say. She opted on putting the explanation off for as long as possible.

"I'll explain later. For now, lets get you to safety." This time when she offered her hand, it was taken. She pulled the woman up, and guided them to the car, which was thankfully far enough away from the fight that they couldn't see anything. Not well enough to make you throw up everything you've ever eaten anyway.

As they reached the car, Kate heard footsteps behind her, and could smell something awful. Something a lot like a sewer. Cursing soundly, she shoved the couple at the car. Hand on her gun, pulling it out, she turned to see who or what it was. She only got halfway round before she felt a blow to the head, and her world went black.

Chapter Five

Faith paced the living room. It had seemed spacious before, but now she was thinking it was entirely too small. Faith had gone by the hotel earlier, thinking to take Kate out for lunch, and maybe talk about last night, if she worked up the guts.

The Hyperion had been empty, so she assumed that they were out on a case, and slowly wandered back to the apartment. It was now approaching six o'clock. Kate was usually home for five, and Faith had something on the table by six. When she called the hotel, there was no answer. To say that Faith was worried was something of an understatement.

Glancing one more time at the clock, she made a decision. Grabbing her jacket and keys off the table she left, slamming the door shut behind her. Setting off in the direction of Angel's, she sent up a quick prayer that the reason there was no answer was because there was something wrong with the phones.

There was no rational reason for her to assume that something had happened to Kate. Nothing is wrong she told herself forcefully, willing herself to believe it. Her stomach still insisted on trying to tie itself into knots.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

Kate slowly became aware that she was conscious. As soon as she realised that she wasn't dreaming, or dead, her head jumped in and told her it hurt. Really hurt. Mentally she debated what might have happened to her. After a few minutes of half-coherent theories being debated, her brain threw in the towel and offered a memory of demons, and the beach.

She groaned loudly as it all came flooding back to her. There must have been a fourth demon lurking around somewhere. Either that or Wesley and Gunn had let theirs go. She hoped for their sake that it was a fourth demon.

"Hey, I think she's waking up." A voice broke into her musings. It sounded remarkably like Cordelia. Kate groaned again, only this time from the pain of having to wake up to Cordelia, and not any physical pain. She much rather be waking up to Faith she thought idly, then ignored that thought when she tried to open her eyes.

Blinding pain for a split second before she shut them again. Hearing people move around, she waited a minute before opening her eyes again, this time more prepared. Wesley was sitting by her bedside, watching her intently. Cordelia stood in the corner by the door, a concerned look on her face. Kate realised that she was at the hotel.

"How are you feeling Kate?" Wesley asked, brining her attention back to him. Kate tried to speak, but winced as her head started pounding again.

"Shitty." She mumbled, dropping her head back on the pillow. She closed her eyes, blanking out the glaring light. "What happened?"

"A fourth demon joined the battle. It saw you occupied, and attacked you, knocking you unconscious. Thankfully Angel had beheaded his occupant, and managed to kill it before it could harm the Denziger's." Who? Kate wracked her brain, before realising that he must be talking about the victims.

"So they're okay?" She croaked out, opening her eyes again. Cordelia was handing her a glass of water, which she gratefully took, sipping it slowly to clear her mouth. Wesley nodded.

"You were the only one that got hurt." Cordelia offered helpfully. Kate just smiled wryly, before noticing something. It was dark outside.

"What time is it?" she asked, suddenly focused. If it was dark outside, then it was late, and if she wasn't home yet, then god only knows what Faith was thinking. Confused, Wesley looked at his watch.

"Half past six. Why?" Kate muttered a curse under her breath, and sat up. Her strength was already starting to return, but she still had to wait for the world to settle back down after sitting up. As she waited for her eyes to refocus, she became aware of a commotion going on downstairs.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

That commotion was Faith. When she entered the hotel, and saw Angel standing by the reception, looking a little worse for wear. A bolt of fear went through her, and she stalked up to him, covering her fear with anger like always.

"Where is she?" she demanded, getting right in his face. She could hear her voice waver slightly, and could tell from the confusion in Angel's eyes that he heard it as well. "Where is she?" she asked again, and this time there was no waver. Angel took a step back.

"She's resting upstairs." Oh god. Something did happen, something must have, or why else-. She cut off her mental panic.

"Resting?" She asked, pleased when her voice came out steady. This time Gunn answered for him.

"Yeah. Took a wicked blow to the head." Faith went pale, and felt her stomach lurch as he spoke. The anger came back.

"What the fuck happened!" she practically yelled, not caring who answered. Typically Angel answered, his voice soft and calming.

"Cordelia had a vision. We took care of it, but not before a demon attacked Kate from behind, knocking her unconscious." If it was possible, the dark slayer got even paler, and was starting to get slightly dizzy. "She's fine though. Just sleeping." Angel tried to reassure her, worried at how ill Faith looked.

"Where is she?" She asked for the third time. This time Gunn jumped in.

"Upstairs. First room on the left." Faith smiled gratefully at Gunn, and just barely managed to resist the urge to run up the stairs, instead bounding up them two at time. She had to see for herself that Kate was okay.

Stopping at Kate's door, she took a moment to gather herself, in case Kate was worse than Angel had said. She took a deep breath, and went in. Cordelia and Wesley looked surprised to see her. Wesley actually stepped away from the bed, closer to Cordelia, looking a little wary. He might have stammered something out, but if he did Faith didn't hear it.

Faith watched as Kate sat up, wincing slightly in pain. Aside from a little pale and tired, she looked alright. Faith let out a breath she didn't realise she had been holding. As well as tired, Kate also looked confused, presumably at Faith's abrupt entrance.

"Faith? What are you doing here?" Despite herself, Faith felt a little tremor at Kate's voice, all low and husky. Suddenly Faith felt shy, and blushed slightly.

"I was worried." she said softly. Kate still looked confused, so she elaborated, forgetting that Wesley and Cordelia were standing in the corner of the room, staring.

"There was no-one in when I came round for lunch, so I assumed you guys were out on a case or something, and went back to the apartment. But then you didn't come home for dinner." Cordelia and Wesley looked surprised when she said that, and exchanged looks, but stayed silent. Faith carried on as Kate listened to her explanation.

"And when I called the hotel no-one answered, and I started to get worried that maybe something had happened, so I came by to see if I could figure out what had happened, or something." She trailed off, and looked down suddenly at her shoes as if they had turned to gold. Kate's looked softened as she watched Faith, and then hardened when she caught sight of her co-workers in the corner trying to melt into the wall.

"I'm sorry no-one called you Faith." she said, looking directly at them. They had the good grace to look ashamed, not meeting her eyes. Faith ignored them, seeming to have forgotten they were there. Cordelia looked intently at the slayer, who was sneaking glances at Kate. A glimmer of understanding entered her eyes.

"I'm real sorry no-one called you Faith, wont happen again." Then she grabbed Wesley and pulled him out the door, ignoring his protests. She shut the door firmly behind her to give the two women some privacy. Kate took that as her cue to speak.

"Faith?" She tried to get the slayers attention, shifting to sit on the edge of the bed. Her head was sore, but at least it wasn't pounding like it was when she woke up. Faith didn't respond, still looking at her boots. Kate tried again. "Faith. Look at me." Still no response. "Please." Faith finally looked up, and Kate was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "Faith?" She stood up and approached the brunette, stopping half a foot away.

"I was so scared when Angel told me you got hurt." She whispered, and then the tears started to fall. Instinctively Kate gathered her into a tight embrace, and let Faith cry against her shoulder. Kate was surprised that Faith was crying. In the whole time that she had known her Faith had never cried, had never shown any strong emotion at all, and here she was, crying in her arms.

"It's alright, I'm okay. I'm okay." she whispered softly, rubbing her back gently. After a few minutes Faith managed to get herself back under control, and stopped crying. She liked the feel of Kate's arms around her though, so she stayed where she was. It was easier to talk when you didn't have to look someone in the face anyway.

"I should have been there." Kate stopped rubbing Faith's back, confused.

"What?" Not entirely sure she heard right.

"I should have been there." Faith repeated. "If I'd been there, you wouldn't have been hurt. I would have been able to protect you." Kate sighed.

"Faith, you don't know that. Nobody knew there was a fourth demon. Even if you had been there, you might not have been able to stop it." At this Faith tensed up, and pulled back slightly to look Kate in the eyes.

"I would never let anything hurt you Kate." She said, dead serious. Kate was touched by the amount of emotion in Faith's eyes when she said that. No, fuck that, she on the verge of tearing up herself. At that moment Faith's eyes where so open and expressive her heart skipped a beat, and her breath caught in her throat. They gazed at each other intently for long minutes, not saying a word. The mood from the night before settled down again.

The moment was broken however when a fresh wave of pain went through Kate, and her vision blurred. She groaned aloud, putting a hand to her head. Maybe not so good after all she thought to herself. Faith tightened her grip slightly, then sighed audibly.

"Lets get you home."

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

Cordelia watched as Kate and Faith came down the stairs. Kate was leaning against Faith, who had an arm wrapped around her waist, somewhat possessively for a friend offering support, she thought to herself. Cordelia did a double take as they got closer. Faith looked strange. Like she'd been crying or something. Hmm. That was something to think about.

Concentrating on the conversation, she was in time to catch Faith announcing that Kate was taking the rest of the week off. Wesley spluttered beside her, and Cordelia had to hide a scowl. He always had to revert to the pompous git he had been three years ago whenever Faith was around. Not that she blamed him, it was just insensitive right now.

Faith turned to stare at him, and everyone flinched from the look in her eyes. She was just daring Wesley to say something. Cordelia waited for his response, as did everyone else, with baited breath.

"That sounds like a good idea." He eventually forced out, looking away. Cordelia could see that he was torn between feeling guilty, and angry, and sympathised. She really should have a talk with him soon, try and get him to open up. It wasn't good to bottle feelings, they all knew what happened then. People go psycho and deaths are usually involved. Angel decided to break the tension.

"Do you want a ride home?" He asked from the corner. Faith glanced at Kate, who nodded, and she accepted gratefully.

"Thanks soulboy, that'd be great." Angel nodded, grabbing the keys and heading out, the two woman following slowly behind him. Cordelia watched as Faith managed to open the door while still holding Kate close to her. The glimmer she had gotten in the room earlier, was starting to develop into an outright idea. As the door shut behind them, everyone slowly wandered back to work, not saying a word,

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

On the drive home, Kate fell asleep, leaning against Faith, snoring softly. Faith watched her sleep, a thoughtful look on her face. Oblivious to the fact that Angel was watching her closely, she thought about how she should have been there, not lurking at the apartment feeling sorry for herself. She made a vow to herself to protect Kate, and if that meant she had to start slaying again, then she was just going to have to get around her little problem.

She smiled to herself as Kate snuggled into her a little more, and Faith draped an arm around her shoulders, holding her tight. She wasn't sure what was going on with the two of them, or where they were going, but it was the most natural thing in the world to drop a kiss onto her forehead and lean the detectives head against her shoulder.

Looking up, she noticed that they were parked in front of the building where they lived, and that Angel was watching her, a curious look on his face.

"She's asleep, and I really don't want to wake her." she said. Angel nodded, understanding what she meant, then got out to get the door for Faith, who picked Kate up and cradled her closely as she climbed out. As Angel escorted them to the apartment door, it occurred to Faith that if she got to hold Kate like this every time she got injured, she should get injured more often. Of course when she thought that she gave herself a thorough mental ass-kicking for being a moron.

Angel opened the apartment door for Faith, and waited in the living room while she took Kate to her bedroom and put her to bed. She sat on the edge of the bed once she had gotten her settled, and brought her hand up and gently caressed her cheek. Smiling, she leaned down and dropped another kiss on Kate's forehead before leaving.

Angel was still waiting when Faith came out. She indicated that he should sit on the couch, before disappearing to get herself a beer. Coming back she sat close to him so that they could talk quietly without disturbing Kate.

"Thanks for the lift."

"Anytime." They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes, Faith sipping her beer, and Angel watching her, waiting for her to say what was really on her mind.

"I want to get back into slaying." She said, taking a long pull on her beer. Angel nodded.

"Do you want to patrol with me?" Faith looked surprised.

"You patrol? I thought you didn't do that anymore." Angel shrugged.

"I still do it occasionally. Keeps the numbers down, little bit of exercise." He explained. Faith nodded, hearing what he wasn't saying, that he would patrol with her if she wanted that.

"Uh, yeah, I think that might be a good idea. I went on a patrol yesterday, got in a spot of trouble." Angel's blank expression turned to one of concern.

"Are you okay?" Faith shrugged it off. She was healing fine.

"It was nothing really. I think I'm just a little rusty, like I could use some back up until I get into the swing of things. Ya know?" she explained, bashful. Angel nodded. He didn't say anything for a while, as Faith took another pull of beer.

"Why." He asked, still talking softly. He had an idea why, he just wondered if Faith would admit it, even to herself. He could sense that something was developing between the two woman, you would have to be blind not to see it. He just wondered if they actually realised it themselves yet.

"Why what?" Faith asked, confused.

"Why now, all of a sudden." he clarified. Faith's eyes immediately flicked to the back, betraying the source of her sudden decision.

"I don't want anyone else to get hurt because I'm not doing my job." She said, studying a patch on the couch intently. "Kate could have died today, and I don't want that to happen again. Not to her, or anyone else." She paused, trying to sort out in her own head what she was thinking. "It's my duty to protect people, and I think it's about time I did it. About time I start taking responsibility."

That's what she went to jail for in the first place, to take responsibility for her actions. And now, she has another way to do it, and if she doesn't she might as well kill herself, because not doing it, not slaying, was the first step on the trip to the dark side. She shivered, and hugged herself. And she didn't want to go back to that cold, lonely, dark place again. Never again.

Looking up at Angel, he saw the determination in her eyes, could see it in the set of her jaw. He smiled, glad that she had finally found direction. He had been starting to worry about her just drifting through the days.

"We can talk more tomorrow. I think you should get some rest." He said firmly. Faith nodded, and stood up, taking him to the door. Just after saying goodnight, she smirked.

"It's called a phone soulboy. Remember that next time." She said catching sight of his embarrassed expression before closing the door in his face and going to bed. He was right. It had been a long day, and she was exhausted from lack of sleep the night before. Hopefully after a good nights sleep things would make more sense. Hopefully.

Chapter 6

Kate woke up the next morning, to find that she wasn't alone in her bedroom. Faith was curled up in a chair in the corner watching her with tired eyes.

"Morning sleepyhead." she said quietly, smiling. Kate was confused.

"Faith?" Faith heard the question in her voice, and decided to explain her presence.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay. Wasn't sure if the knock to your head was your only injury." Faith shrugged. "Thought that you might like to wake up to a friendly face as well." Kate smiled, once again surprised by the young woman's thoughtfulness.

"A much better sight than Cordelia. I'd rather wake up to you any day." she said sleepily, before realising the double meaning to her words. Faith smiled again, blushing ever so slightly. Apparently she picked up the double meaning as well, but Kate didn't say anything. It was true after all. Faith shifted in the chair.

"Want some coffee?" Kate nodded, and Faith disappeared to put some on. While she was gone Kate took the opportunity to get up and get dressed. Or at least, that was the plan. Unfortunately, when she stood up a wave of dizziness hit her, and she fell to her knees, trying not to loose consciousness. Faith heard the muffled thump, and went running through, coffee forgotten.

"Kate!" she exclaimed, flying to her side and putting an arm around her. "Kate!" she said again, worry evident. Kate fought off the blackness, and slowly sat up, helped by Faith, who leaned her against the bed. She smiled weakly, embarrassed at her weakness.

"I'm alright. Just got up too fast that's all." Faith's concern turned to reproach.

"Kate. You got in the head by demon yesterday. You don't have slayer healing. You are not to get out of bed today without my help. For any reason. Understand?" she asked, fixing Kate with a look that she couldn't escape. Biting her lip, Kate nodded, knowing that she was right. Satisfied with Kate's answer, Faith nodded, then helped her back into bed. Handing her the remote to the tv that Kate noticed for the first time Faith stood up.

"Now, I'm going to finish fixing the coffee. Watch some tv or something."

"Yes mother." Kate said, smirking as Faith scowled slightly before leaving. Seeing as there was no way Faith as going to relent, Kate decided to do what she was told, and switched on the tv. Instead of the news, she was greeted with cartoons. Instead of switching the channel like normal, she settled in to watch them. She was curious as to what the slayer saw in them.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

Faith came back through half an hour later with coffee and breakfast, to find Kate sitting up in bed, giggling at the PowerPuff Girls. The innocent smile on the detectives face made her stop in the doorway and watch, a similar smile crossing her own face. When Kate turned to look at her, Faith shook herself out of her stupor, and crossed over to the bed.

"I made you some breakfast. Thought you might be hungry." She said, holding up the tray for Kate's inspection. Kate eyed it hungrily, licking her lips as her stomach growled. Faith found herself staring at the blondes lips, a torrent of emotions sweeping through her, before looking down guiltily. Bad Faith! She chastised herself for thinking those kind of thoughts about a friend, before smiling and placing the tray on Kate's lap.

"Thank you Faith." she managed to say, before tucking in. Faith just shrugged, moving back to sit in the chair again, enjoying the look of pleasure the blonde had right now. Kate devoured the simple breakfast, while Faith tried to concentrate on the cartoons. She failed miserably, even when her favourite, X-Men, came on.

Kate finished her breakfast quickly, placing the tray on her bedside table, holding her coffee. She looked over at Faith sitting in the hard chair in the corner, and spoke up impulsively.

"Come sit over here." Faith jerked her head round, surprised.

"What?" she breathed out. Kate smiled, and shifted over in her double bed, patting the space next to her.

"Plenty of space." Faith glanced at the bed, then back at Kate, She still looked reluctant. "I don't bite." she said, a gleam in her eyes. Faith saw the teasing glint in the detectives eyes, and gave. It wasn't like she didn't actually want to lie there after all. So she slid under the covers next to Kate, careful to leave some space between them, though not much, and settled down to watch the rest of the morning line up.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

Somewhere over the course of the next couple of hours Faith fell asleep, and migrated closer to Kate, cuddling into her like she was a human teddybear. Kate, who didn't mind one little bit, found herself watching Faith sleep, studying her. She looked so much younger when she was asleep, more innocent, like the world hadn't had a chance to leave it's mark yet. Kate found herself gently pushing the waves of thick dark hair off her face, stroking it tenderly.

Faith's face contorted suddenly, and her breathing changed, becoming rapid and shallow. She started to shift uneasily, and when a whimper escaped her, Kate knew for sure that she was having a nightmare. A bad one. Faith twitched again, curling up into a little ball, whimpering loudly now. Seeing the pain and fear on Faith's face, Kate felt her heart break just a little bit, and gathered her into her arms, holding her tightly.

Kate held on, whispering soothing nothings into her ear, and rocked her gently. She had no idea if any of this was even getting through, but couldn't just sit there and do nothing. She was shocked when Faith wrenched herself out of Kate's grasp, sitting straight up in bed. The scream Kate expected never made it out of her lips, only a strangled choking sound.

Faith was seemingly frozen in fear, eyes wide but blank. Kate tentatively reached a hand out, and touched Faith gently on her shoulder. Faith spun around, terrified, before she saw who was with her. Everything came flooding back, and it was all too much for the exhausted slayer. She was tired, physically and emotionally, and she collapsed into Kate's open arms, sobbing.

Eventually the sobs slowed, then stopped, the only thing coming out the odd sniffle. Kate continued to hold her tightly, rocking her gently and stroking the young brunettes hair soothingly. Faith shifted slightly, tightening her own grip around Kate to almost bruising.

"Faith?" Kate questioned softly. She got a moan in response. "Do you want to talk about it?" For a long minute all she got was silence, and she thought that Faith was going to say no, until the body in her arms sighed, and slumped in on itself.

"What's to talk about? Just another nightmare." she muttered darkly, already starting to put her walls back up. She'd never broken down like that in front of anyone before, and now she'd done it twice in as many days. She was afraid that Kate was starting think that she was weak. The rational part of her mind was telling her that crying wasn't weak, it was healthy, but when had she ever listened to the rational part of her mind?

"Faith. . ." Kate trailed off. "I just want to help. But I can't do that if you don't talk to me." Faith clung onto Kate, and considered her words. She wanted to talk, wanted to tell someone all her secrets, and more importantly, she wanted that someone to be Kate. But wanting to talk about her problems, and actually talking about them were worlds apart.

Faith took a deep breath, and prepared to start telling Kate about the nightmares. Unfortunately, just as she was about to start the phone went off, startling them both. Faith jerked away, looking around for the source of the interruption, before realising it was the phone. Kate answered it, practically growling down the phone.

"What?" Faith felt sorry for whoever was on the other end.

"I'm fine. Why are you calling?" Faith watched a range of emotions flicker across Kate's face as she listened intently. Kate looked up and saw Faith watching her, and offered a tiny smile, before her attention was called back to the phone.

"Are you sure?" She sounded faintly worried. Whatever the answer was, it wasn't good, because she sighed, and brought a hand up to massage her temple. "Yeah, we'll be there. Give us a couple of hours though." Faith groaned under her breath as she realised who was on the phone, and the most likely reason why they were calling.

"Bye." Hanging up the phone, Kate closed her eyes, and sighed deeply. "That was Wesley. They need our help." Faith frowned. She hated being right.

"Do they?" Her voice clearly showed her lack of enthusiasm for that idea. Quite frankly, nothing short of an apocalypse would convince her to help the others right now. Kate looked up to study Faith, who was sitting at the end of the bed. Her body language was screaming hostility. Why couldn't things go right for once? she thought plaintively, tossing up her plea to whatever gods might be listening.

"Yeah. The demons that we took care of earlier. That wasn't a random attack. Half an hour ago they attacked, and took the Denziger's. What little information they've come up with, isn't good." She paused, seeing that at least some of what she was saying was getting through. "They need our help to try and stop the demons from doing whatever it is they're doing." She finished up. Faith smiled wryly.

"So much for lying in bed and watching bad movies." She stood up, stretching. "I suppose we should get ready then." She looked down balefully at the bed. "I was really looking forward to a lazy day as well." She sighed, before remembering something. "How are you feeling?" She asked, studying Kate for signs of weakness. Kate on the other hand stretched, pleasantly surprised by how good she felt.

"I feel fine." Faith looked sceptical. "Really. Us Lockley's have thick skulls." She grinned cockily. "Takes more than a single demon to put us out of the game." she quipped, putting on a confident front to rival Faith's. Faith still didn't look convinced, but Kate stood up, thankfully without dizziness, and playfully shoved her out of the room. "Now go get ready. We don't want to keep the guys waiting."

She could hear Faith grumbling under her breath, but move off to her own room. With a sigh of relief Kate leaned against the door, and prayed that whatever the `serious situation' that demanded both her and Faith's attention was, it could be solved with minimal effort.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

It was mid afternoon before they made it to the Hyperion. The air was thick with tension, and everyone looked more than a little haggard. After making sure Kate was comfortable, Faith moved off to stand in the corner of the room. Everyone noted that she was as far away from Wesley as possible, but chose not to mention it. Angel briefed the new arrivals.

"The demons attacked this morning and took the Denziger's. Thankfully no-one here was hurt, and the care they took not to injure the couple hopefully means they need them alive."

"What for?" Kate asked intently. Angel sighed unnecessarily. Wesley decided to answer, since he knew the most about the situation.

"The demons that attacked were Droneth demons." He stood up and started to pace, going into `watcher mode'. "They worship a great leader of theirs who died a couple of thousand years ago. Apparently this leader had great plans for humanity, namely enslaving them as lower beings." He ignored the fact that Kate and Faith looked entirely uninterested in a history lesson, and carried on.

"Apparently this leader had succeeded in his plan, at least partially. He succeeded in enslaving a significant corner of the African continent before he was killed by a small army of rebel humans." He stopped, and looked at the two woman, who were watching him looking more than a little irritated.

"Yeah, and?" Kate prompted him to get the point, and he obliged.

"Apparently they have found a way to resurrect him." He said simply, long past feeling anything about the situation other than a dim feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. Kate paled slightly, eyes going wide, and stammered slightly.

"Wh-what?" Faith's face remained blank, and the only sign that she was following the conversation at all was in the slight clenching of her jaw, and her eyes growing a shade darker. Given that he was used to the impulsive wild girl who didn't care about the background, just about the fighting and killing, he was somewhat surprised when she spoke.

"What do they need the Denziger's for?" He coloured slightly, embarrassed that they didn't know.

"We're not sure." Faith's eyes narrowed slightly as she digested that information.

"Do you think they're still alive?" Her voice was calm and thoughtful, and this threw Wesley off even more.

"We think so." Angel answered for him, allowing Wesley to gather his focus, something he had been doing a lot lately when around the openly apologetic and remorseful slayer. "They were particularly careful not to injure them in the attack."

"So the demons need something from them to complete the ritual. Probably their blood. These things always need blood." she mused aloud, oblivious to the distasteful expressions on the others faces. "So if we can locate the Denziger's and get them back, that will give us time to stop the demons before they complete the ritual."

Cordelia's jaw dropped in shock. She was slightly amazed that she had reached the same conclusion in a matter of minutes that it had taken the guys a whole morning to reach. She wasn't the only one surprised if the looks on the men's face's were anything to go by. Angel was the only one who didn't look surprised, apart from Kate. Faith looked up, and frowned slightly when she saw the scrutiny she was under.

"What?" she asked, confused. Angel shook his head, smiling slightly with pride.

"That's what we think as well." he explained.

"Oh." Faith shrugged, still not sure why everyone except him and Kate where staring at her like she'd grown an extra head. Surreptitiously checking to make sure she hadn't, she carried on with her earlier train of thought. "So do we have any idea where the Denziger's are, and how much time we have?" she asked, all business. Angel shook his head.

"Do we have any leads at all?" Kate asked, finally joining in the conversation as the detective part of her brain decided to kick-start.

"We think that their base might be in the sewers, somewhere downtown." Wesley said. Kate rolled her eyes.

"Oh yes, that narrows things down. There's only what, about a hundred miles of sewer downtown." she said sarcastically.

"It's better than nothing." Gunn pointed out, speaking for the first time. Kate sighed, conceding the point.

"So what's the plan?" she asked, looking to Angel.

"We pair off and search the sewers. Check in every couple of hours."

"That's it? That's the plan?" Faith asked, somewhat incredulous.

"Do you have a better plan?" Angel asked.

"Well, don't you have people you can go to for information? Like Willy only less cowardly?" she asked hopefully. Angel shook his head.

"I've already tried. No-one's talking." Faith muttered under her breath, then sighed resignedly.

"All right soulboy. Lets get started."

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

As she splashed through yet another foul smelling stream, Kate wondered why she was doing this. Behind her she heard a louder splash, as well as a stream of curses that would make a sailor blush. Smiling, she turned around to see Faith giving the stream a dark look. Looking at Faith's boots she saw why. The left boot was covered in slime. Really disgusting slime that was soaking into the canvas and probably staining it.

"Remind me again why I didn't wear my leather boots?" she asked in a disgusted, but curious, tone of voice. Kate grinned.

"Because you said that since they were new you were quite certain you didn't want to kick demon booty in them, thus risking the possibility of slime." she replied smartly, grinning again when Faith scowled.

"Oh yeah. I forgot." Casting one more dark look at the stream, she sighed. "I am so going to get a job after this." she said distractedly, shaking her head and moving off down the tunnel, not noticing how Kate was staring after her. After a second of just watching Faith, she shook herself, and followed the slayer, keeping her eyes and ears open for signs of danger.

Faith and Kate were just reaching the end of the tunnel when Kate stopped. Faith gave her a curious look as the detective sniffed the air. Oh yeah, she remembered that smell all right. She indicated to Faith to stay quiet, indicating that they were close. Understanding instantly Faith nodded, and took the lead, making sure that Kate was close behind her.

Peering round the corner Faith was just able to make out a door, with one of what had to be a Droneth demon standing in front of it. It was a little daunting, with it's horns just scraping the ceiling, and a scabbard strapped to it's belt, and Faith's jaw tightened as she realised there was no way she could take on more than two at the same time.

She realised that Kate was trying to get past her, anxious to see, but Faith put her arm out, blocking the blondes way. Ignoring the look she was getting Faith continued to stare. She saw the demon move aside, and realised with a start that the door was opening. Cursing mentally, she shrank back even further, melding to the wall. She didn't want to risk getting seen, but she had to see if the couple was there, and that they were still alive.

Peering intently into the darkness of the open door, she was able to make out at least two more demons, lit by flickering candlelight, but no hint of humans. She gritted her teeth, ducking back round the corner as a demon came out. She listened intently to the conversation it had with the guard, but since she didn't speak Droneth, she had no idea what was being said.

Kate was standing with her back against the wall, gun drawn even though it wouldn't do any damage, it made her feel better. She wanted to leave, to sneak away now that they had the location, but Faith was making no move to leave, and had an intense look on her face. She was about to grab her arm, and try and drag her away when a scream broke the silence.

"No, please just let us go." It was a woman's voice, broken and pleading. Faith tensed beside her, and looked like she was going to charge in there, but Kate knew that was suicide. Placing a hand on her arm, she shook her head when Faith looked at her. Faith glared, eyes blazing, but Kate drew herself up to her full height and shook her head again. No way was she going to back down. There was another scream, but it was cut off with the sound of a door slamming, and they both turned to look round the corner.

Both women were so intent on spying on the demons that they completely missed the splashes behind them. They didn't, however, miss the loud growl. They spun round to face the demon that had appeared behind them, Faith sliding in front of Kate protectively.

The Droneth demon promptly swiped at Faith, who stumbled back to avoid it's claws. The tight confines of the tunnel worked against them, as she fell back into Kate who was struggling to get her gun out. Kate completely lost her balance. Throwing out a hand to try and stop her fall she came up empty, and they both landed roughly, legs entangled.

As Faith struggled to get up, two more demons came running up, swords drawn. They were lowered threateningly, and Faith stopped moving, holding her hands up in defeat. She smiled weakly at the three glaring demons.

"Would you believe we're just travelling insurance dealers?" she quipped, trying to lighten the mood. Apparently the demons hated insurance dealers as much as the human race did, because one of them kicked her in the head, and her world went black.

Chapter Seven

Faith regained consciousness by inches. First she became aware that she was cold, due to the fact that she was shivering. She could also hear mumbling in the background as well, but she couldn't understand what was being said. Either it was in demon or she'd been hit harder than she thought.

She soon realised that she was cold primarily because she was lying on a damp floor. It was rough and uneven, digging into her uncomfortably. And she was chained to it.

Groaning, she risked opening an eye to take proper stock of her surroundings. She was in a fairly large room, probably the one they'd seen earlier. She could see the door clearly from where she was lying, about twenty feet away. Unfortunately about half a dozen demons stood between her and escape. At least she had an explanation for the mumbling.

She dimly noted that three were unarmed, wearing robes. Apparently there were the ones in charge, as the others were seemingly deferring to them.

Craning her head around, she realised that she wasn't alone. Huddled in the corner were the Denziger's, who were as close to each other as they could get given the restraints. Next to her was Kate, who smiled when she saw Faith looking around.

"Finally. I thought you were never going to wake up." she said quietly, trying to sound annoyed, but Faith could hear the underlying note of worry in the detectives voice.

"How long was I out?" Faith asked, shifting position so she was more comfortable. She kept her own voice low to match Kate's.

"Not sure." Kate replied, shrugging slightly. "But I think at least a few hours." Well that was something at least, Faith thought. Angel and the others would know that they were missing, and were probably already searching for them. From the look on Kate's face she could tell that she had already come to that conclusion. A little over a half hour into her `Faith watch' to be precise.

"How are you feeling?" Faith asked, looking Kate over for signs that she was hurt. Kate just shook her head, dismissing the question. Faith kept looking her over, but seeing that she was apparently uninjured she released a breath she didn't realise she was holding, and nodded slowly. She looked over Kate's shoulders at the Denziger's, who were lost in their own little world.

"How are they?" she asked, even more subdued than before. Kate glanced over her shoulder as well, then back at Faith. Her normally sparkling blue eyes looked troubled.

"Not good. I think the woman is starting to crack. She refuses to believe what is going on." Faith gave them another long hard look. That wasn't good whatever way you cut it. There was just no way to predict how she was going to react in any situation.

What's the sitch?" Faith finally asked, crawling closer to Kate, who was already as close to Faith as she could get.

"Near as I can make out, there are nine demons, three of which are in charge. They never leave the room." Faith could see some of the tension slip away from Kate as she slipped into `responsible cop' mode. Her eyes went from troubled to thoughtful, and she sat up a little straighter as her voice became calm and measured. Faith noted the change, and filed it away for later use.

"How are they armed?" Faith didn't want to go up against six swords when she herself was unarmed.

"They all have swords. Sorry." Kate added, looking apologetically at Faith, who just grit her teeth. Escape was looking harder every minute. "They also recognise me from yesterday. I get the impression that some of them really want to kill me." She added, mouth twisting into a wry smile, giving a hard look at the demons. Faith turned to look at their captors as well, eyes narrowing as she contemplated their situation, and how she was going to get them out. If she could get them out.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

While Faith was waking up, and realising that they were screwed in the worst way, Angel and the rest of the gang where looking for them. All they had to go on was the general area that the two woman had been searching before they failed to report back. It wasn't much, but it was better than the search grid they had been faced with before.

Once it had been established that they were missing, they had come to the conclusion that they had indeed stumbled across the Droneth lair. And probably been caught spying. No-one had mentioned yet the possibility that the Droneth might not be taking prisoners.

"So, what exactly do you plan to do once we find the lair?" Wesley asked curiously, watching as Angel struggled with a grate that was blocking their way.

"Kill everyone." Angel answered tersely, as if it was obvious. Wesley nodded. He'd suspected that. He sighed, and looked at the axe he was carrying. Although it was pretty hefty, he wished it were bigger. Or a rocket-launcher. Or possibly a flame-thrower. Anything but a small axe that you had to get close to use.

"Ah." was all he said, exchanging a brief glance with Gunn, who grinned and hefted his own axe. With a grunt, Angel cleared the way, and they moved forward again, each man straining all their senses to try and pick up a clue, just a hint that they were close. Anything as this point would do.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

Faith rolled her shoulders in an attempt to try and relieve some of the tenseness. It didn't work, and she sighed a little bit. She was getting more and more agitated as the time passed. Not only was she getting a headache due to the prolonged exposure to heightened slayer senses around demons, she was also a little bit scared, and fighting not to show it.

Even though Kate hadn't said anything, she knew that she was looking to her to get them out. Also, the Denziger's had picked up on the fact that Kate was unconsciously deferring to her, and had taken to given her pleading desperate looks every once in a while. She rolled her shoulders again, and again sighed when it only made her aware how stiff she was.

If she did actually have to fight, she wasn't going to be on top form. Of course, there wasn't a minute that they were left alone. There was always at least four demons in the room at once, and at least one of them was always armed. So no chance to break her chains and get them out. Flexing her hands, she tested the chains again.

They obviously didn't realise she was the slayer. They were old and weak, and she could snap them in a heartbeat. She had chosen not to mention that fact to Kate. No point getting her hopes up unnecessarily, she told herself. Handily ignoring the voice at the back of the mind telling her she was a damn coward.

Her brooding was interrupted when one of the demons approached and stared down at them all. He glared at them all threateningly, Kate and Faith returning the glare while the Denziger's quailed. He didn't say anything, just yanked Kate up roughly and unchained her.

Not even taking a breath to think about it, Faith leapt up to try and stop him, snarling in anger. She was a heartbeat away from snapping her restraints and going postal on him when she saw Kate staring at her, shaking her head.

"Don't." was all she managed to get out before the demon shoved Faith back down to the floor, while shaking Kate like a rag doll, effectively cutting off any conversation. He nonchalantly gave Faith a half-hearted kick in the gut, winding her, before grabbing Kate roughly and manhandling her across the middle of the room.

Any thought Kate had of trying to run or fight were dampened by the knife held at her throat. One slip and she was a goner, so she let herself be guided out of the room. Faith lay gasping on the floor, unable to do anything as she watched Kate dragged away and out of the room. As the door was slammed closed she squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to let the tears of pain, fear and frustration fall. And still she couldn't bring herself to give in the call of the fight.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

Angel crouched on the floor, studying a stain on the floor. It was a small patch of blood, and they would have missed it, except he was a vampire, and had smelled it as soon as they entered the tunnel, even over the stench of the stream. He gingerly touched it, and judged that it was less than a day old, and more likely no more than five hours. He tasted it, tasted the distinct power in it, and knew without a doubt that it was a slayers.

"This is Faith's." He announced, standing up and giving the surroundings another, harder look. "This is where it happened." he added.

"Are you sure?" Wesley asked, looking at the blood, somehow managing not to screw up his face in distaste. He chose to ignore the look that Angel shot him, and looked around. Gunn was the first one to notice the door around the corner. The big, heavy, barred door.

"Yo, English. Wonder where this leads." He called out, eyeing it carefully. Angel and Wesley exchanged glances, and joined Gunn. They both wondered why they hadn't noticed it before, and both ignored it. They chose to investigate instead.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

Faith regained her composure as she regained her breath. The first thing she did was sit up straight and look around. Really look around instead of glancing at things that got her attention. What she noticed straight off the bat was that an altar was being set up by the three `priests'.

The second thing she noticed was a sword being sharpened. Risking a glance at the Denziger's, who were glassy eyed with fear, she wondered if they had figured out that they were going to die. Given the way they twitched with every scrape of metal against stone, they probably did.

Seeing one of the priest's glance at the Denziger's while talking to the demon sharpening the sword, she concluded that it was going to be used in the ritual. Damn but she hated being right. Wondering where Kate was, and what they were doing to her, she unconsciously started grinding her teeth, and couldn't keep the anger and bloodlust out of her gaze. The demons that looked over flinched when they saw that look, and decided not to look over again.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

Kate was currently confused as they shoved her into a small room and told her to change. Before she could say anything, heck, before she could think anything the door was slammed shut, leaving her alone. Frowning, she turned around to study her surroundings.

Lit by a single candle that cast inky shadows that made the room seem smaller than it was, the room was tight enough to give agoraphobics claustrophobia. There was barely enough space for the table and chair shoved against the back wall. Then her searching eyes found the pile of clothes that she was to change into.

Unfolding them, she had to appreciate that they were quite nice, and well made. White cotton trousers with symbols stitched in black and purple thread decorating them. A simple white cotton overshirt, with the same symbols stitched on them. There was actually four sets, and she concluded that the change was important for the ritual.

Damn, they really did want to kill her. Wondering why they had chosen her, she shrugged, and decided to change. No point antagonising her captors over something so small as this. Once she was done she looked around more thoroughly. Unfortunately the room was cleaner than barracks on inspection night. Sighing, she knocked on the door.

It swung open, and she grabbed by the demon waiting outside. Before she could offer a yelp of protest, she was manhandled back down the corridor. This time she took the opportunity to look around.

The corridor they were in wasn't long, and had four doors leading off it. It was a pity that they were all closed, and she didn't have time to notice anything else before she was thrown into the room with everyone else. The first thing she noticed was the look on Faith's face. There was nothing human in it, just pure animal emotion. She flinched, before speaking quietly.

"Faith?" she whispered, noting absently that the demons had taken the woman away with them, leaving her partner behind. No reaction from the slayer, who was staring across the room at the priests. "Faith?"

She shifted until she could look directly into her eyes, and saw Faith blink, her eyes refocusing in front of her. Confusion filled them when she saw Kate in front of her, watching her intently. She then realised that Kate was back, unhurt, and she smiled in relief, scooting forward to try and touch her, just to make sure she was real.

"Kate, you're okay. I was so worried when they took you away," she was pleasantly surprised when she had the slack to touch Kate on the shoulder, thus confirming that she wasn't hallucinating. Either that or she had really flipped. She continued to babble nervously. "I tried to stop them, but I couldn't, and then you were gone, and-" Her babble was cut off when Kate laid a finger on her lips, shushing the frightened young woman instantly.

"I'm okay." she whispered, before glancing around. No-one was watching them, or had noticed that they had more loose line than before, so she moved in closer. She transferred her gaze back to Faith, who was sitting silently, unable to take her eyes off the blonde. She remembered the hefty kick that had stopped the slayer in the first place. "Are you alright?" Faith took a second, before she realised what Kate was asking her. She nodded distractedly.

"Yeah I'm fine. Just winded me." She adjusted their positions, so that they were sitting more comfortably next to each other. "We have to get out of here. They're gonna start the ritual soon."

"Yeah. Probably not until we're all in these nifty little outfits though." she gestured down, and Faith followed her movement. Her eyes widened as she took in the change in clothes. The shirt was very revealing and flattered the detectives toned form in a way she hadn't seen before, and her eyes widened as her brain decided to be very inappropriate.

Coughing, she closed her eyes and looked away. Kate was confused by her reaction, until she glanced down and realised how revealing the shirt was. She hadn't actually noticed before that it was more revealing than anything she usually wore. She blushed, but carried on, pretending not to notice how Faith was pointedly not looking at her. She did file the reaction away for later though, and decided that once they were out, they were going to sit down and talk about whatever it was going on between them.

"So we've probably got some time before the ritual itself starts." she said, glad her voice was steadier than she was feeling.

"Right." Faith nodded, brain back under her control. She dragged it back around to slayer business. It grumbled, much more entertained by erotic fantasies than violence, but complied. "So what can you tell me? Where did they take you?" Kate gave a detailed account of everything she had seen, and they started coming up with a plan.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

When it was time for Faith to change, and she was the last to go, they had barely sketched the basic bones of the plan. It wasn't good, or even t