Lady Killer by Jaho

Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Joss owns all. Just taking them for a little spin where he left off.
Distribution: Forever Faith: http://mysticmuse.net/faith
The Mystic Muse: http://mysticmuse.net
All others, please ask first.
Feedback: Yes please.
Spoilers: Post Season 7.
Author's Note: Dedicated to FaithfulChickie, who has labored with me on so many nights of work and drivel. :)
Pairing: Buffy/Faith

Summary: After Sunnydale is destroyed; the gang takes off in an effort to rebuild their lives. Then the Slayers and Scoobies must track down an adversary that is much different than what they are used to dealing with.

"So what are we doing here?" Willow asked, absentmindedly strumming her girlfriend's fingers as they walked through the double doors that housed the neon lit nightclub. Kennedy absentmindedly hooked her pinky into Willow's, so that they strolled through the dimly lit room with their single digits linked.

It had taken the brunette a while to get used to this type of PDA. For a long time she had insisted that the things that went on between them behind closed doors stay that way. But Willow had been very persistent, reasoning that she had never encountered any type of repercussion from innocent HLA affection. Finally, she had warmed up to the idea of letting the whole world know that they were in love.

The heavy metal music pounded its steady rhythm into the air, which was accentuated with rays of reflected light that were, in turn, accentuated by smoke intermittently blown from the fog machines that were strategically placed in the corners of the club.

"I told ya." Faith said loudly so that her voice would carry over the music to the redhead. "We're blowing off steam."

At this, Kennedy leaned forward into Faith's ear. "Just be careful. The last time we blew off steam like this, we almost ended up in jail."

Younger Slayer. It felt really cool to think that, Faith surmised. For five years she had been the young one. The young Slayer, the dark Slayer. What have you. Now there was a new generation. And damned cute to boot, she thought as she leaned her head back a little to get an eyeful of K's ass in the jeans she was wearing. No harm in looking, after all.

Then she moved her gaze from the younger brunette to the petite blonde that walked in the lead. Ah yeah, there's nothing like the original. Kennedy had a cute body, so did Willow for that matter, but Buffy's little frame was one of a kind and fucking world class.

Fuck, I need ta find me a boy toy to work out some kinks, Faith thought as she scanned the club. Or a girl toy for that matter.

Pickings didn't seem to be too bad tonight either. As they made their way through the crowd that undulated in unison to another nameless Nine Inch Nails song, Faith looked over the bounty of bodies that moved under the dim multi-colored lights.

Buffy turned around to face her friends just in time to see Faith throw herself into a throng of dancing people. Immediately the brunette began to move her body in time with the music, giving a come hither gaze to the guy who was dancing closest to her. When he approached Faith wrapped her arms around him and began to move her body in unison with his. The blonde just smiled and shook her head.

From the time that she had first met Faith, Buffy realized that this girl was and always would be different from any other person she'd ever know. Not that Buffy was a prude. At least, she didn't consider herself to be. She had her own wild side that would surface every now and then. Moreso, the longer she went between sexual encounters. Sometimes it welled up inside her so much that she felt like she would burst.

But Faith was different. She pursued her own sexuality with a driving passion that, on occasion, Buffy wished she possessed in herself.

The petite Slayer walked back to her other friends. "You guys wanna get something to drink?"

Willow and Kennedy nodded their heads in unison, and the three of them made their way to one of the three circular bars that were spaced throughout the club, which was appropriately named "Outer Limits". Then, after receiving their drinks, they found three adjoining bar stools and sat down.

"He said something about not wanting to crowd in on the girls' night out." Buffy shrugged. From where she was sitting she had a perfect view of the dance floor, so she took a sip of her mixed drink and decided that it would be a trip to watch Faith on the prowl before she actually got up and danced a little herself.

The brunette was just pouncing on her latest victim. It was a cute bodied blonde, who wore a black lycra top that revealed the soft flesh of her midriff. Uh oh, Buffy thought. She's playing switch hitter again. At that thought she laughed to herself. It was no secret to any of them that Faith played either team. All the times of double meanings and not so vague references to Buffy and Willow didn't fall on deaf ears.

"Is anything ever gonna stop her?" She asked her two companions who sat nursing their drinks and talking quietly. The two of them turned to see whatever had Buffy so amused.

She watched, smiling. Faith leaned forward, placing her hands on either of her dance partner's shoulders and leaned in to whisper to her ear. About six seconds passed before the girl's eyes got as big as saucers and her jaw dropped.

Buffy cracked up. She could only imagine what Faith had said to the poor girl to get such a reaction, and imagining hurt her brain.

"We need to get out there before there's nobody left for me to dance with." The blonde said to her friends leading them out to the dance floor. Time to cut loose a little.

God, there's only one other time I feel this much like a predator. That's when I'm slaying. But, too bad, no time for slay tonight.

Oh, I'm dancing too. Did I forget to mention that? It feels great to be able to move my body again, in a non-violent way for a change. I let the outside world fall away, and my body controls me. The music is driving into me like ocean waves, penetrating every fiber of my being.

Speaking of penetrating, I'm starting to feel a familiar prickling sensation on the back of my neck that runs all the way down to the base of my spine. I turn to look, and oh my God. I've got some serious `fuck me' eyes shooting my way. Man, I love this part... the thrill of the chase.

I smile at her seductively, putting on my best moves and then biting my bottom lip with a hint of `fuck me' in my own eyes. I see her brow arch a little and a smile cross her face. Never once do I lose eye contact with her. Oh yeah, I'm good.

I stop dancing for just a moment and strut my sexy ass over to her, then start my rhythmic movements again. I'm dancing right in front of her now and her eyes are literally eating me up.

"Hey." I respond, not bothering to give her my name in return just yet. "You're sexy as hell!"

She just smiles broadly and begins to dance with me, running one hand along my hip. The touch runs shivers right through me as I continue to move my body in time with hers. Then I feel another familiar sensation hit me, much different and more powerful than what Vanessa's eyes had drawn from me.

I turn my head, while continuing my little dance of desire with my newfound toy. I knew it. There's B. I always know when Buffy is around. She's dancing too. Red and her girl are out on the dance floor with her, and they're all taking turns dancing with each other. Plus there are a few guys who are checking out Buffy that she takes time in between. Who can blame them?

It's good to see her let down her inhibitions, for just a little while. She's gotten better, I must admit. Ever since SunnyD was turned into a big hole and we found out we weren't the only Slayers anymore, she's loosened up quite a bit. Does my heart good to see.

Fuck, look at her shake her cute little ass and smile! Wowzers! If she weren't straight as an arrow, I would have totally been all over that, long ago.

The song changes and the beat shifts a little slower. It's still heavy but with a more melancholy, driving rhythm, when I look back at my cute little dance partner. She's a dynamite redhead. Her see through top is a perfect match for the shade of her hair. Her nipples strain against her tight blouse.

If she didn't come here to get laid tonight, she totally misjudged her wardrobe. My kinda girl! The music moves me of its own volition and I clutch to Vanessa's body. I move against her, in that oh so right way. But, I absentmindedly look over towards B.

"Thanks. I do my best..." then I nuzzle into her neck, not caring who is watching. Her body trembles when I kiss her earlobe.

At that moment, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I spin away from Vanessa for just a second to see Buffy in front of me.

"Sure, B. I'll see you tomorrow sexy!" My double intention is glaring at her, making her blush. I just love to make her blush.

"K. Bye then." My little blonde lust-bunny walks toward the door after only a half hour of dancing fun. I watch her cute little ass leave for a moment before turning my attention back to my little cuddly.

Oh Fuck. Where'd she go? Fuck. Ten seconds of talking to someone else and she bolts? Shit. Thanks a lot B.

Oh well. This isn't the first time I've lost a potential love slave in a web of neon and music.

Shit. She was damned hot too. I frown before turning on the dance floor to find another prey.

Yes sex. Did ya think that it'd be any different? Last night I think I was so loud that B and Red didn't get a bit of sleep. Well maybe they did, when I was done.

I grin, slipping on my black thong and tromping to the bathroom to get a quick shower.

What was that fucker's name again? Daniel? Derek? Fuck it doesn't matter. I grin thinking of last night.

After B and the love twins left, I hooked up with some stud. Hell, B had ruined my chances with Vanessa. So I might as well hook up with someone else who could scratch all my little itchies.

Oh and he did. I'm feeling totally good as I start the shower and feel the hot water on my shoulders. Good enough before my first choice that is. Sure he brought me off two or three times, but I would have preferred to have that sweet little redhead in my bed last night. Or better yet, I dreamed of Buffy when I was asleep. What an unrealistic dream that is, huh?

My shower is over, and I'm all clean. In more ways than one, mind you. Oh yeah, I got my kumba-ya yas out before kicking Daryl to the curb. He was pretty ok. Good enough to quench my thirst for a while, at least. I'm smiling now, thinking about the whole experience.

I stop in my tracks and turn the sound up. The picture that I see makes my heart skip a beat. Vanessa?

"...was found this morning ritually disfigured. The serial killer which has only been identified as the "Sirius Killer" is still at large... **

I pick up the phone, my body running on instinct. Dawn answers, her voice all sleepy.

When Detective Holland got to work that morning, he was already in a bad mood. Shaken, hung over. He stayed out too late, got too drunk, and then slept in too long. Then, goddamit if something else didn't happen to screw his morning all to hell.

"Detective..." Cheryl waved him down from behind the counter as he tried to sneak to his desk. "The Captain wanted to see you when you got here. By the way, we have something new for you."

With that, she shoved a folder to him. Fuckin' great. As if his current caseload wasn't enough. He took the case file and read the name on the front, noting the attached headshot. Hmm. I just saw this girl on the news this morning, he thought. Isn't Jameson supposed to be on the Sirius case?

Great, now the bitch can read my mind too? He tossed the folder onto his desk and proceeded to the Captain's office.

Another reaming. Wonderful. That son of a bitch is always up my ass sideways, he thought. So much for a peaceful morning.

"Hell yes, I'm sure." Buffy watched the dark Slayer pace back and forth across the room. Faith was on the verge of freaking out. She watched her run both hands through her pretty raven hair then sit on the edge of her bed, calming herself.

What struck Buffy, more than anything, was how out of character this was for Faith. It wasn't like her to be so shaken. If nothing else, the blonde was...well...moved. She knelt in front of her brunette counterpart.

"Listen, Faith. You can't be dwelling on this. I'm sure the Police will catch this asshole, ok? The regular world has laws for dealing with this kinda stuff."

Faith shook her head. "No. No we have to do something... find this son of a bitch and make him pay for what he did."

The brunette truly had changed over the last few years. Hell it could have even happened over the past months. Faith had changed so much during her time in prison, even more since her return to Sunnydale. Only to see it turned into a pile of rubble of course.

"Ok Faith." She said, nodding. "Let's see what we can find out. But as far as the police are concerned, you should stay out of it. I'll do the leg work with the police, you stick to your street smarts, k?"

"Ok, B." She continued to look down, while Buffy stood up and exited the room. She needed to talk to Giles. At this point Buffy was even happier that he hadn't gone back to England.

The Mind Of A Killer – A profile in the crimes of Ted Bundy and Charles Manson.

The book title stares up at me from the shelf. Killers huh? More like rank amateurs. Bundy was the more clever of the two, though. I must admit. At least he covered his tracks dutifully, even escaped from a maximum-security prison after he was caught.

Good ole Charlie was too blatant. Too caught up in all the pseudo religious garbage that he kept shoveling down those desperate fools' throats. No wonder he's been in jail for 20-something years.

Mind of a killer. The book title runs again through my mind again as I walk down the aisle of the bookstore. Yeah, maybe that's what they were. Killers. But that's all they were. But they weren't predators.

I round the next aisle and catch a glimpse of the young blonde that I've been following all afternoon. Typical whore, in her tight jeans and tank top, strutting her stuff to any little bastard who'll look in her direction. Filthy little animal.

I note everything that I can about her. The way she moves, catlike. The way she browses the aisles and scans titles, like she has a mission. She's not a common girl, that's for sure. She'd be a challenge, but that's alright. I followed the last girl, the redhead, for six days before I made my move and released her from her mortal coil into the realm of the gods.

That's what I am. I hold sway over life and death just like they do. I'm not a predator. Not a killer.

Buffy adjusted her jeans before bending down to the bottom shelf. Finally she had spotted what Giles had sent her to the local bookstore for, a detailed atlas of the area that they now occupied.

Surprisingly, Giles had agreed right away to help with Faith's request. He had seen the news report that morning as well. He thought nothing of it until Buffy had knocked on his door this morning and told him of the situation.

Buffy didn't know if his ready agreement was due to his concern for Faith, the lack of supernatural baddies, or the latest Agatha Christie novel he had been reading. Giles needed things to keep his brain active, and now it seemed he had a mission other than the average bad guys that really needed no extra research or brainpower to fight.

That being done, she tucked the atlas under her arm and proceeded to the magazine aisle to browse. She looked over her shoulder just in time to see that goofy guy again. The one who was dumb enough to think she didn't know he had been following her around like some puppy. Hell, if the guy had the balls to actually approach her an hour ago when she first noticed him, she may have actually responded. He seemed cute enough.

Now he was acting all stalker moody. Did he really think that was some kind of turn on? Ok, time to ditch this ass.

A few quick moves and she was gone. Damn, he thought. How could I have lost her? He walked quickly down the next few aisles, seeing no sign of her.

Buffy made her way to the register and paid, then exited the store taking one last glance over her shoulder. Yep, creepy guy all gone. Dumbass. She smiled and laughed to herself while she walked to her car.

Giles sat with Faith and Willow, peering over the redhead's shoulder at what she'd downloaded onto her laptop. With Willow's...well...illegal skills, she had been able to get a look at the Coroner's files on the young girl that was found just last night.

"What's so fucking interesting about it?" Faith asked. She was finding it increasingly hard to look at this shit. Was this really the same girl she had met last night? She had been so beautiful, now was disfigured so horribly.

Giles looked up. "Oh...um. I'm sorry Faith. I didn't mean to seem calloused. It's just that I was making an observation. These killings. In the news, and even in these files, they've been listed as ritual killings."

"Well, they're not. Not ritualistic by any means." He pointed to one particular picture on the screen. "The symbols here that he carves into the bodies. They're not magickal at all."

"Hey. You're right." Willow spoke up. "Some of them do come close to magickal text, but it's like the killer is making it up as he goes. These symbols are about as magic as looking at funny shapes in your macaroni salad."

"So what, that means this perv's not really into magic. But it still seems like he's into killing people." Faith said.

"Well, that gives us something to go on. He's not a member of any real covens or magickal organizations. So that rules out that route. This is a process of elimination."

Just then, the door opened. "Hey guys." Buffy poked her head into Giles' motel room.

"Hey girl." Buffy crossed the room, giving Faith a quick look over. "Feeling better?"

"Just about as much as I had this morning." The forensic pathologist answered, pulling back the sheet that covered the body of Vanessa Prend.

"Treat me like a newbie." Holland answered, not having bothered to read the case file yet, but still showing enough initiative to come down and see what they had on the case. Other than what the news had been pumping out, of course. Not being assigned to the investigation until this morning, he hadn't been privy to the more sensitive details of the incidents.

"Well." The Coroner began. "The killer tapes their mouths shout while he's at work. I've found traces of the adhesive around the mouths of all 7 victims."

"Totally. He also restrains them. You can tell by the rope burns on the wrists. Funny thing is, on every body, they are totally clean when they find them. He takes his time. Cleans them, arranges them just so."

The Coroner lifted one arm to show the long laceration at the pulse point on the wrist. "Looks like he slices their wrists and then does his work on them while they bleed out."

Faith watched Buffy leave and go back to her and Dawn's room. Damn what a cutie. The brunette shook the thought away as she lay down for a little nap before tonight's outing.

Faith sat on her bed, listening to the radio. She originally had only intended to pass the time until Buffy knocked on her door. But soon, as the Steel Dragon CD droned on, she found herself entrenched deeply in thought and introspect.

She lit a cigarette and continued to sit, relatively motionless, taking a drag every now and then. She thought deeply about how much her life and outlook had changed.

The world is a strange place. It's both beautiful and dangerous at the same time. Sometimes people are stupid enough to think they have a handle on life. But, like a thunderstorm, things come unbidden into our own little perfectly crafted worlds.

They had to wait a moment after entering the club, to let their eyes adjust. The swirling lights and smoke obscuring their vision for a few moments.

Unlike last night, the club was sparse with patrons. Most likely due to the fact that there was no DJ tonight, only the box on the wall which spit out intermittent songs until someone decided to put in a dollar and chose something different.

Faith made her way to the bar, ordering a Bacardi and Coke. When it was delivered, she snagged the bartender.

"Sure thing, babe." He said, smiling back at Faith. Then he ran off to attend to a few other customers.

"Go talk to some people girl." She said to Buffy, who smiled and made her way to the dance floor.

The time before they entered the club had been one hell of a chore, but they had made it through. For a minute there, Faith had thought things were going to come to a head right then and there in the parking lot.

"Move it sexy." Faith had said, after getting out of the car and making her way across lot with Buffy, who was totally decked out tonight.

She laughed slightly. "Because that's what I do, B. Duh. How long have you known me?"

Faith was exasperated. "What do you want to hear, B? Because you're fucking hot? Is that what you want me to say?"

Buffy was totally shocked. "Uh....no. I never really thought about it....God! Why do we always have to fight Faith?"

Faith shrugged. "Maybe because you always ask stupid questions. Remember you started this one." Faith started toward the front door.

In typical style Buffy went from calmed down, to totally emotional again. "Oh no you don't. You can't just storm off in the middle of a conversation like that!"

"Well, I think I'm about to. Look what is your problem anyway? Every time I think you're loosening up just a little bit, there goes that stick right up your ass again!"

"I have a stick up my ass? What about you? Miss 'I wanna shag, now let's investigate a murder'?" That stung.

Faith spun around to face her. "Do you really think I'm that shallow, B? Do you really think that's what this is about? And what business is it of yours who I go to bed with? What about you and the peroxide blonde? Did that have some strange emotional convergence?"

Buffy winced at the mention of Spike. "No...I mean...dammit Faith this isn't about me!"

"Yes it is. It's all about you. Why the hell are you arguing with me right now? Because I was flirting with you? If so, get a new subject, B."

"Ok, then." Buffy said stomping her foot. "What is this all about then? Why are we even here? Because some girl got killed? That happens all the time you know. Don't mean to sound callous but serial killers really aren't our field of expertise you know. Duh..."

Faith stopped a moment and nervously ran her fingers through her dark hair. "Be...because I feel like an ass ok?"

"I fuckin' dropped the ball last night, alright? We're Slayers B. Remember that talk we had a long time ago? About how we're s'posed to be helping people and not playing God?"

"Well guess what? I thought about that the whole time I was in prison..." Faith said, holding her arms out from her sides. "...until I wanted it. I wanted to help people. But last night I dropped the ball. Know why? I was thinking about getting laid. So much for the new improved me, huh? So I owe to myself, to know that whoever this is doesn't do it to anyone else."

Buffy was at a loss, and she felt the anger drain from her. "Um. Dammit. I'm sorry, ok? I shouldn't have gotten so freaked out. And you didn't `drop the ball'. Everyone gets distracted. Even me... Let's just go inside?" Buffy said.

You know, sometimes in my mind I can feel it. The utter sentimentality of it all. The joke of existence that we are pressed into.

I'm looking down at the girl, whom I have strapped to my worktable now. Pathetic. When I first met her in the little shithole bar tonight, I thought she might at least make for some interesting conversation. But, eventually she had convinced me that she was just destined to be just another one.

She played coy for a while, telling me the abbreviated version of her life story, as she proceeded to get wasted drunk. She was born, she grew up, used to be a cheerleader in high school. Blah, blah, blah…...

It's funny though to think about. Ex Cheerleader. I thought they were supposed to be all about spirit, and she hasn't done fucking shit to cheer me up since she's been here. Though I did enjoy the screams I elicited from her, after she got on my last nerve with her inane prattle.

I love when they ask "Why are you doing this? Why…?". I laugh to high hell. Mostly because why isn't the question they should be asking.

How? Now that is a question worth examining. How could I, being born of such conventional means, ascend to the status that I have? Destined to escape from a conformist world and only find happiness it what can't be explained...

My brain is locked. I brought the bitch here for a reason. But she and her sentimental mind are doing me no damned good.

I click on the light again, after having left her in the dark for a few hours. Were her mouth not taped, screams would be filling my basement. She knows what's in store for her. More purification. More symbols of her redemption will be placed on her, and then her imperfection bled away. All will be right. Right as rain.

Easy now. Maintain. Keep your brain in line. Sometimes your thoughts make no sense. Keep it even...keep it...

After a short conversation with the bartender, Faith had learned a few things. Vanessa had been a regular. Almost everyone knew her and her friend Tamara. Seems like this club was a runoff of the strip club just down the road, where they both worked.

The strip club closed at midnight. Then the regulars would meander down here, since Outer Limits doesn't close till 3 a.m. Faith looked at her watch, finding that it was barely 8:30.

That's too much fucking time to wait, Faith thought. She downed her drink and scanned the club for Buffy, smiling when her eyes found her. Crossing the dance floor, weaving between and smiling at the few dancing patrons, she finally reached the spot where the little blonde was sitting.

"Hey B...?" Faith said as they walked along the sidewalk that stretched between Outer Limits and the club they were headed to.

It had begun to rain slightly, and Faith pulled up the collar of her jacket to avoid the wind that accompanied it.

"Look. There's no need...really. I shouldn't have gotten so freaked out." Buffy cut her off.

Faith stopped. "Ok, B. I'm not gonna turn this into some competition on who should apologize. But I know I shouldn't be doing things to intentionally piss you off."

Buffy laughed. "Let's keep going. We're getting wet." The rain was coming down harder. Instead, Faith grabbed her and pulled her into an area of the sidewalk that was covered with a store tarpon.

"Sorry. That's not good enough." The darker Slayer said. Buffy faced her, unsure. The rain dripped from her blonde hair onto her clothes. Her perfectly crafted hair from earlier was reduced to a wet mess. But, amazingly she still looked incredible.

"B..." She began "You're my friend. In fact you're my only friend. I should learn to watch my mouth around you. Though it's really not something I'm used to doing" The blonde looked deep into her companion's eyes.

Buffy's face softened then smiled. "I'm not your only friend Faith. All of us are your friends. All of us realize how much you've changed, and I'm damn proud to say it."

Faith looked down, but Buffy brought her hand up under her chin. "You should know that."

Several moments of silence passed, then Faith finally smiled. "Not so bad yourself, blondie."

Buffy smiled back and then leaned out from the overhang they had been taking shelter under. The rain was getting worse. It was coming down in buckets now.

"Look, we're gonna get soaked anyway. Let's just make a run for it." The little blonde said. With that, she grabbed Faith's hand and they ran together along the final block to the club.

Where are the rites of passage in our society? The initiations of youth into adulthood?

In several cultures, dating back to the very beginning of civilization itself, there have always been tests and trials. Meant to test and merit the transformation of boy into man, girl into woman.

But the society we live in is full of people walking around in middle- aged bodies, who are still crawling like infants inside their minds. They stumble to a crawl with their juvenile inadequacies.

We must all go through a rite of passage, if we hope to emerge as full people before the advent of our deaths. And it must be painful...and it must leave a mark.

The blonde suddenly stops writhing as I work on her, so I lean down to check. Damn, I was right. She passed out again. Oh well...I'll wait until she wakes up. I have all the time in the world.

Detective Holland was standing on the lakeshore, watching as the lights from the underwater divers that explored the lake's bottom, occasionally skittered upward along the surface of the water.

"What the hell we got going on here?" He said, diverting his eyes from the bright spotlights that were set up around the scene.

"A couple hunters saw these tire tracks headed down to the river. They called it in." The lead officer on scene told him. "So we brought the divers out."

Holland watched as the divers surfaced, gaining the necessary equipment to hook the underwater vehicle to the tow truck and winch that stood ready. After several minutes, one of the divers surfaced and gave the signal for the winch to begin.

The driver of the tow truck moved the lever forward slightly and the mechanical gears started. Slowly at first, pulling the vehicle from the water.

The blue Impala was slowly extracted onto the shoreline. The water drained from the door seals and the trunk vents in gushes, finally slowing to a slight drip. Only then did the investigators on scene move toward the car, opening the doors and searching the interior, finding nothing unusual except for the fact that it was at the bottom of a lake of course.

Holland leaned in and removed the keys from the ignition, then made his way to the trunk. He popped it open, assaulted immediately to the image of pale white flesh. The stylized, shaped slices into the surface of the skin left no doubt.

"Hey there, ladies..." the bouncer at the door greeted them, eyeing the two girls up and down and grinning. "You two here to try out?"

"Um...sure thing!" Faith announced before Buffy had a chance to say a word. Smiling, he showed them to a table quickly.

Bathroom. Need it. Especially B. I can tell she is really self- conscious about her looks, coming in from the pouring rain.

I feel like a fucking teenager growing up in a house full of sisters. Fighting with B over some time in front of the tiny mirror over the sink. Finally I turn to her. "Look at me." I say.

I take a small amount of time wiping away any smudged eyeliner I see, then run my fingers through her hair. Freshly fucked look. Looks good on ya B.

"Drop dead gorgeous, babe." Then I wink and she smiles. Cute little shit. "You ready for some major culture shock?"

She takes a deep breath. I know for a fact B's never been to a place like this before. Not that I think she's a prude or anything but the girl really does need to get out. Okay, she's a prude.

The two Slayers moved together under the multi-colored lights that streamed from every direction and reflected off the dance floor.

They made their way back to their table and sat down, watching the girl who was currently featured on stage. The short, dark skinned brunette moved expertly to the lights and music, her body accentuated by each musical beat and shift of lighting.

Buffy looked down, embarrassed, then over at Faith. The dark Slayer was definitely checking this girl out, and oddly Buffy found herself a little jealous. Not even knowing why she reached out and caressed Faith's hand to get her attention. Then, when the brunette looked over, she smiled and winked.

Buffy sat silently until the song ended and the dancer left the stage. The girl, whose name they would learn as Janelle, came to sit with them after Faith flagged her down.

"Nah. She took the night off, but she might be here tomorrow. Have you seen the news?"

"Yeah. Very fucked up." The brunette hesitated. "... Did you know her very well?"

Faith looked up at Buffy. She was obviously staring at the two of them. God is she jealous? Buffy may be a straight arrow, but she could tell when Buffy was jealous. She liked to deny it, but she liked the attention Faith gave her. Little scamp.

She stripped of her top and crawled into Faith's lap, pressing her topless body to Faith slowly, rubbing herself against the brunette Slayer. Quickly, Faith moved a hand up to her face.

"I didn't say for me..." Faith kissed her cheek and shoved Janelle onto Buffy's lap.

Let's see how B handles this, Faith thought. She smiled, watching the brunette crawl into Buffy's lap and begin to slowly gyrate against her.

The petite blonde let her eyes close and lost herself in the music, trying not to react. Funny thing though, she did start to react. Involuntarily at first but still it happened.

Faith just sat back in her chair watching the two girls rhythmically move against each other. Damn. Maybe B isn't such a straight arrow after all.

They drunkenly let themselves into Faith's room, careful not to wake Dawn who was right next door.

"God you were so fucking intense B. I can't believe how much you loosened up." Faith slurred, laughing.

Buffy put her hands on Faith's shoulders and raised her head to look the brunette in the eye. "Faith...I want to make it clear... was all you. You got me drunk, butthole."

"Yeah, but you're cute when you're drunk... butthole." They found themselves leaning on each other for balance, then stumbling to the bed falling into it and laughing.

"Tell me something..." Buffy asked, after they'd had a chance to sober up just a bit.

Faith's eyes opened a little, looking at Buffy's grinning face. " I don't know if I really can B."

"Ok...um. Don't get me wrong. Men can be sexy." Faith continued. "But it's like... when you see a woman naked, it's a work of art. If you follow the curve of the chest muscle, it gradually forms the circle of the breast. Then... then you go lower. The triangle between a woman's legs is like the head of an arrow, pointing `go here!' "

Buffy felt herself strangely turned on. She had never heard Faith talk so passionately about anything except sex. And when Faith wanted sex she oozed it out of every pore.

"And the belly button... that is the cherry topping on the sundae." Faith continued. "Not only is it the easiest place to see uncovered... But it hints at what's above and beneath. There's nothing like a nice belly button. And you know what?"

"Oh yeah..." Faith absentmindedly reached out and caressed Buffy's exposed abdomen with the back of her hand. Then she immediately thought about what she was actually doing.

"Oh fuck!" She stammered, jerking her hand away. "I'm sorry B. I'm really sorry!"

Buffy smiled, still swaying back and forth slightly. "Don't worry about it Faithy. We're both a little tipsy."

Then the blonde reached out and kissed Faith on the forehead, then on the cheek. "I gotta go back to my own room ok? If Dawn's awake she's probably worried."

"Goodnight Faithy." She winked, exited Faith's room, and walked next door to the one she and Dawn shared.

"I think I just had the most frightening experience of my life." Buffy was almost pale.

"Buffy tell me. What happened?" The younger Summers was now almost irate with worry.

Faith sat alone in her room. She had turned her favorite CD on again and switched it to a certain track. The one she listened to late at night, when she pined especially for her blonde counterpart.

"Fuck." She said to herself. "You almost blew your whole friendship, you drunken ass. Like she'd ever want you..."

Leaning back against her headboard, feeling her head still swimming a bit, she felt the music wash over her and feeling every word of lyrics in her mind. Her eyes closed and she finally drifted off.

Test my soul, taste my life... From my breath. I've spent my time lost in space. Am I dead?

Oh let the river flow Through my careless hands. And take me from my own. The eyes of the damned.

Oh tell me that I know I've lived so afraid And still I cry alone With words left unsaid

Oh it makes my stomach burn And it tears my flesh from bone How I've turned my dream to stone Because we all die young….

"Look," Detective Holland raised his voice into the phone. "I sent you a fuckin' court order not a polite request! Now give me something substantial before I come down there and arrest your megabytin' ass, fuckstick!"

Buffy sat across from the police detective, watching wide-eyed as he gave someone's ass a royal reaming. She found herself taking an instant dislike to this abusive jerk. Though it could have had something to do with the fact that her hangover still hadn't subsided and her head hurt. Her head pounded as if it were a blacksmith's anvil with each note of his grating, loud voice.

"Look...do you have any kids?" Buffy watched as he hesitated on the phone. "Yeah and imagine if they were missing for 48 hours. Now imagine that some asshole file clerk told you that it would be another 48 hours before they could get to you! You got 6 hours. Not a minute more!"

He slammed down the phone and then took a moment to compose himself. Finally he looked over at Buffy, who had been sitting opposite him. "What can I do for you, little lady?"

"Er...umm." Buffy sputtered. Then she pointed up at the front desk. "T...the woman up at the desk. She said that you were the lead detective in the Sirius case."

"Yeah that's me. Now at least." At very best, he looked indifferent to her presence. "Once again, what can I do for you? "

"Umm...well. I know a few things you might want to...um" She said. Not knowing how to begin. "I knew, or more exactly, a friend of mine. She kinda knew the last girl who was found."

The detective sat down the file folder that he had started flipping through and looked up. She obviously had a slight amount of his interest now. He leaned forward on both elbows and shrugged. "So...what do you know?"

You see, if a doctor hacks away at part of a person's face as some part of plastic surgery, that's fine. But try to help another human being purify themselves through the act of ritual decoration and scarifications...oh then you are a psychopath." Leaning down, I lift the head of the young woman that has been strapped face down to the large wooden table in my basement. She is just beginning to regain consciousness.

"In certain native tribes, a male or female isn't even considered for marriage unless they have gone through the ritual of tribal markings." I reach down and pick up my knife again, admiring its curved blade. "Most of them are made in a method just like this."

I lay the blade to her skin. Just the flat side, to let her feel its coolness. Her body lurches and contorts just a bit, followed by a muffled cry as she looks back over her shoulder at me.

"Shh... Sweetheart, don't cry. You're not a child." I place the very point to her lower back. "You see, the very act of being cut can be a very sublime and surreal experience. One that heightens the body's awareness of itself."

I lean down to look in her eyes again. "Oh by the way, try not to move too much. This one is a pretty intricate design. I'd hate for you to mess it up. I get very...testy when my work is ruined."

Faith, Willow, and Xander sat in the diner that was caddy cornered to the local police precinct, waiting for Buffy's return.

Willow muddled lazily through her sausage and eggs, occasionally looking up at the dark Slayer who stared across the street nursing her huge breakfast. Faith had ordered waffles with strawberry topping, eggs, sausage and toast. The plate was piled high with food, not to mention the large vanilla milkshake that Faith had wanted.

"Sure why not? Why deny yourself?" Faith had grinned through half opened eyes. The brunette was still nursing a killer headache from the night before. Unbeknownst to either of them, this plate of food was Faith's hangover special. The large amount of food helped settle her stomach and begin to metabolize the alcohol from her system.

The redhead gave a shrug and grin. "Guess I've just been brought up in the shallow world of self denial."

Faith gave a half grin, digging another forkful of eggs. "Well, I know your girl. I don't think you guys deny yourselves all that much."

They waited a bit longer, both munching happily on their food. Finally Faith saw Buffy exit the police station and looked up. Willow saw her, noticeably, brighten.

"Sure," the blonde said. "I see you're doing the health food gig as always." Then she laughed.

"I need my energy." Faith said, her head propped on one hand while she continued to fork food into her mouth with the other. "How'd things go with the law dogs?"

"Both good and bad." Buffy said. "One thing's for sure, that detective working on the case is a jerk off."

"I told him everything that happened. The club and what we knew about Vanessa's girlfriend, and he seemed to be ok with that." She hesitated taking a deep breath, obviously getting angry. "Then...then. I offered to ask around a bit more. Like just at the club, and he gave me this long speech about how little girls shouldn't be playing detective. God he pissed me off!"

"Ahh, the eternal blessing and curse of being a Slayer." Xander said putting his hand on Buffy's "Great power stuffed into an unassuming little package."

"I figured you might get a reaction like that." Willow spoke up "Working with the police...not really the Slayer thing. But I was thinking about it, and I had another idea while you were over there." They all looked at her.

The next morning, Detective Holland entered his office. No sooner than he sat at his desk the Captain called to him.

"Holland..." Surprisingly his tone wasn't at all harsh. The 12-year detective looked up, and the Captain approached his desk, a manila envelope in hand.

"I got a call from the chief this morning. Seems he's called in a little help on your Sirius investigation." Holland arched his brow. "Some swanky college professor; degree in Criminal Psychology. Supposedly an expert profiler in the area of serial killers."

"Yes really. And I want you to meet him because you two are going to be working together. He's in my office right now." The Captain said, then adding " Don't be an asshole to this guy like everyone else you meet! Ok, Holland?"

Reluctantly, he nodded as he was led into the Captain's office. The door opened and there was a man seated in the chair across from the Captain's desk. Hearing the door open, he rose immediately and turned to greet the two police detectives.

"Guess I've still got my hacker's touch." Willow said as she hung up the phone. "Giles says he's in like Flynn. Whoever Flynn is...I was never really clear on that part."

She smiled. "Guys...Faith isn't a problem. Me and her are totally good now. Not trying to kill each other... problem free, cross my heart." She made the crossing motion across her chest.

"Not that type of problem, Buff." Willow put her hand on Buffy's "Look...Dawn told us what you guys talked about last night."

"Look...Buffy, don't." the redhead began "She only told us, because she figured we were the best ones to talk to you...being the resident girl couple and all."

"Look...Will. It was just a thing. It doesn't mean anything. We were both pretty drunk and..."

Buffy looked down at her hands that were tightly folded in her lap. She was nervous, not able to reconcile the feelings that had been growing in her since the night before.

Buffy still didn't make eye contact. She tried to reconcile the feelings in her head, finally settling on "B...both."

"Buffy...don't even feel embarrassed." The Wicca said, smiling. "I wasn't scared at all to tell you about me and Ta... another girl."

"Buffy just feel whatever you feel. It's not like you choose these things..." Kennedy chimed in.

" It's not that simple guys! Faith and I have tried to kill each other before! Much less, have we been best friends...Can you not see how this makes no sense?"

"Well maybe that's not what you are s'posed to be. Not friends or enemies. If you are that attracted to her....I don't know what to say? What do you want Buff?"

"You think I know?" Buffy stood and paced back and forth across the room as the couple watched her. Waves of self realization washed over her. " My whole life I've never known what I really wanted, I guess. Will... yesterday morning I couldn't even decide between the onion rings and the curly fries. But at least my life made sense!"

"Now it seems like I know what I want. But it doesn't make any sense! What the hell is that about?"

"Well..." Willow got up and crossed the room, catching her friend by the shoulders "I see the way she looks at you... like you are a goddess."

"Like you are the main course at the most expensive restaurant in town..." Kennedy added.

Buffy sat down again and buried her face in her hands. "I don't know...why are you guys even asking me about this?"

Willow and Kennedy sat on either side of her. "Because we love you, Buffy...and we want you to be happy. That's it. I was scared as hell the first time I was attracted to a girl. But it turned out ok... I'm not carrying the flag or anything. Don't get me wrong. It's possible to like both, you know? Don't freak out on us."

Buffy lifted her head from her hands and looked over at the two girls. "What should I do?"

Faith hopped from her bed and clicked the TV off, knowing that only a few people would be knocking at her door this late. She looked over at the clock. 9:42 p.m.

"Hi." The small blonde smiled nervously. "Thought maybe we could um...hang out and talk a bit?"

Buffy grinned, pulling a bottle of tequila from under her coat. "Sure! Can I come in? I even brought party favors."

If it were possible Faith's eyebrow would have arched even higher. This was not Buffy. Not the Buffy she knew at least.

"Are you sure you want this?" Faith asked, trailing her hands down the blonde's bare chest. She stopped and rested her fingertips on the button of Buffy's jeans. They were both feeling the effects of the alcohol, weaving slowly back and forth to the music that was blasting on Faith's stereo.

Buffy leaned into her neck and kissed her jaw line. Huskily she whispered, "Yes...show me. I need to know, Faith."

Wordlessly, Faith popped the button and slipped her hand below the waistband, the zipper went down of its own volition as she went. Buffy gasped and bit gently down on Faith's neck as she felt the first light touch against her center.

The dark Slayer brought her other hand behind Buffy's head and brought it back so their eyes met. Buffy could see the longing in Faith's eyes. Longing mixed with something else. "I've always wanted you, B. Do you know that?"

Their faces were so close that they could feel the heat from each other's skin. "I do now, Faithy. Somehow I think I've always known."

She brought her lips to Faith's, kissing tentatively at first. Increasing pressure as she felt Faith's desire growing. It was flowing into Buffy like waves of driving heat, flooding down between her legs. Her hips bucked with every light flick of Faith's fingers on her shaven core.

Leaning down and kissing each nipple gently, Faith pushed Buffy back onto the bed pulling her jeans down and discarding them in a blur of motion. It was so fast that Buffy almost didn't know she was now completely unclothed until Faith pressed herself back between her legs and she felt the pressure against her bare crotch.

"God Faith!" she gasped, bringing both hands behind the brunette's head. Faith kissed down Buffy's chest, toward the navel that she had claimed she loved so. Buffy's back arched as Faith's tongue gently explored her belly button, then left light kisses and licks as she worked her way down and finally settled between Buffy's legs.

Faith looked down, her mouth watering at the sight of the glistening juices that ran from the petite blonde. The flavor that she had wanted to savor so much, for so long.

She pushed Buffy's legs back and looked up into her eyes, running her nails gently along the inside of the blonde's thighs. "Ready B?"

Biting her bottom lip, Buffy only nodded. She felt the desire in her begin to burn out of control as Faith's face slowly descended onto her shaven mound. She kissed lightly then extended her tongue, parting Buffy's nether lips.

The flavor flooded into her mouth so quickly and so wonderfully that Faith almost passed out. What a dream. She ran her tongue from the blonde Slayer's opening ever so slowly up to her clit, gently licking it back and forth.

Buffy's hips arched off the bed so violently that her head and heels were the only parts of her body that still made contact with the mattress. The dark Slayer hooked an arm under each thigh, holding her new lover in place as she worked on her, feeling the soft contortion of the blonde's body with every light swish over her center.

Faith lifted her face from the blonde for just a moment. "Whatsa matter B? I told you I had mad skills...mmmph"

The smaller girl was amazed. Never before had she felt such passion, such eagerness to give pleasure. She looked down at Faith's face pressed gently against her, and just the sight made her gasp again. She felt the energy rising in her. The spasms she felt were getting closer together and increasing in intensity.

"Faithy...gonna...need ta... God!" Her orgasm rocked through her quickly and like a freight train, shaking her body until she thought she would fall apart. Her vision blurred and head spun, pure sensation overriding every one of her five senses.

Only her sixth sense was left. Slayer sense. She felt Faith. Faith was close. That's all she knew.

"Oh baby." Buffy barely heard herself mutter, as she caught her breath and her vision cleared. As her senses began to return to her, she heard Faith moaning gently and felt gentle kisses between her legs. Up and down each thigh and intermittently at her crotch.

Finally she looked down to see Faith's beautiful face kissing her and ran her fingers through the brunette's hair, smiling.

Buffy smiled broadly, then actually giggled, covering her own face with both hands. "Yes...yes..." she said through her fingers. "I'm perfect."

Buffy's eyes widened, barely catching her breath before Faith began to kiss along her thigh. Closer...closer, back to her wetness. The brunette drove her tongue deep inside her tasting every drop of pleasure that she had just driven from Buffy.

Sucking each nether lip into her mouth, in turn, gauging Buffy's (again) growing excitement by the blonde's gasps and moans. Faith slipped two fingers into her gently, finding her G spot immediately and placing light pressure on it as she licked her clit once again. Sucking the hard nub into her mouth and applying constant suction to it while strumming it back and forth with her tongue. Lightly at first, then with increasing speed and pressure in time with the movements of Buffy's body and the sounds from her beautiful mouth.

It was less than thirty seconds before Buffy found herself rolling on a second orgasm, then an immediate third. After that she lost all scope of time and space.

She awoke, feeling herself snuggled gently against Faith's breasts. She felt her hair being brushed and stroked with delicate touches and kisses on her forehead. Languidly she looked up at her lover and smiled.

My head is still kinda fuzzy, and I look down at her. My God, she's more beautiful now than I ever thought she was before. I move a little and feel her grab for me, even in her sleep. But, I really need to go to the bathroom.

God I can't stop grinning as I grab a pillow and slowly...delicately replace it for my body in Buffy's arms. Finally, I'm able to slip out of bed and pad lightly to the bathroom.

Last night is kind of a fuzz, but I remember the major parts. God do I. She screamed my name, she really did. It seems like this isn't really happening at all.

Turning on the sink I splash some water on my face then look up into the mirror before grabbing the towel. Damn your eyes are bloodshot, girl. I shake my head, trying to clear it, and then lean out into the main part of my room. Yep. There she is, sleeping like an angel. Last night really happened. The only question in my mind is why.

Not that I'm complaining. It's just that Buffy has been the straightest arrow for all the years I have known her. Now this? She shows up on my doorstep and seduces me?

Like I said, I'm not complaining. I've wanted her since the moment I laid eyes on her sexy blonde ass. But why the sudden change?

But I know that I'm not thinking too much. In fact all my problems, 5 years ago, stemmed from my not thinking enough.

Damn girl. Why can't you ever just be happy? The hottest girl you've ever seen just made love to you last night, and now your questioning her motives? "What the fuck is wrong with you?" I ask my reflection.

I do my necessary business and walk back into the main part of the room, smiling at the sleepy eyed girl who shared my bed last night. Then, lifting the sheet I crawl back in next to her.

I lay there and watch her for a while, drinking in her presence. It's raining outside now. I love it when it rains. It's like everything is being washed all clean.

Buffy's eyes fluttered and finally opened. The first thing she saw was Faith's face, smiling at her. Something that was out of character for the Dark Slayer was the big grin. But, she knew why the grin was on her pretty face.

"Hi again." Buffy smiled a sleepy grin. Faith just responded by kissing her forehead.

"You know that you're the first person who's spent the whole night with me right?"

Buffy smiled and winked. "I kinda figured. We need to work on your snuggle skills." She said playfully.

Faith's eyes widened. "Oh yeah? I'm the best fucking snuggler in the whole world, babe."

I heard a philosophy major say once that living excessively is actually the road to wisdom. How can we know what enough is, until we know what too much is? I think that may just be true. Of course, later on when I taught him what too much was, he didn't even thank me.

It's 9 a.m. The young lady has finally passed. It takes an average of 70 minutes for a 120 pound human to die from blood loss. She lasted ninety. I'm impressed. Today I will clean and wrap her, like all the others.

I'm bored though. The thrill of the kill is still there. But the cops have gotten so fucking stupid. I see the headlines, the news stories everyday. Dumb bastards still don't have a clue. I think it's time to make this game more interesting.

"I'm the man of the hour it seems." The voice said calmly. "It seems everyone is talking about me. Did you find the girl this morning?"

Holland's back straightened, and he began to pay supreme attention to the voice on the phone. There had in fact been a body found this morning. The call had come through just a short while ago. All the marks of a Sirius case. It hadn't even made it to the news yet.

"Good. Let me ask you a question Detective." Then a slight hesitation. "Do you think your badge is power? It isn't. Knowledge is power."

"So then enlighten me." He said, motioning to Rupert Giles to come closer to the desk. The supposed college professor came closer as Holland punched the button for speaker phone.

"You badge is temporary. A joke. You see MY badges are forever. I can never take them off. They separate me from the rest of the world." The deep voice trailed from the speaker.

"Oh really? Well then Detective this should mean shit as well. I'm giving you 58 seconds everyday, exactly 11:30 a.m. Care to play?"

"I don't play you piece of shit." Giles moved forward to silence him, then spoke into the speaker/mic.

"Well hello Rupert. As for me giving myself up...Don't you find victory by forfeit to be a hollow one? Come now."

"I always hear the word sick used to describe what people don't understand. Come on. 58 seconds everyday. Be here tomorrow. Time's up."

Holland looked up at Giles. "What the fuck was that? And who the fuck are you my dad?"

Giles shook his head. "We want him to help us. Are you daft? He won't do that if he hates us."

Holland took a deep breath and settled into his chair. I don't like this British fuck already, he thought.

Faith lay next to the petite blonde who still lay next to her sleeping. Damn B, she thought. I need to learn to snuggle? You need to learn to handle your liquor.

This is the most amazing morning of my life, she went on in her head. I'm so happy, but as always there's a nagging doubt in my mind. When you wake up, I need to talk to you.

From what he could gather, this latest victim didn't fit the Sirius Killer's prior Modus Operandi. In all the previous murders, a certain period of time had elapsed in between. Days, sometimes weeks would go by before finding another body. But this latest girl, Tianna McClure, was found just three days after the body of Vanessa Prend.

It had turned out that the body in the trunk of the car that had been fished out of the water had been down there for over a week. So there was a timeline there.

Two bodies in three days. Either he had happened upon a potential victim by chance or the bastard's bloodlust was increasing. It just didn't make any sense. And having that British fag hanging around intermittently didn't help his thought process. At least he was only here for a few hours a day.

There was no doubt this was Sirius' work. In serial murder cases, there were several details that the Police department either deleted or distorted when dealing with the media. That way they could distinguish the work of any copycat killers that sometimes had the tendency to spring up from high profile cases like this.

Coroner's report found nothing different in terms of body had been treated. It had been cleaned and wrapped precisely. Not a foreign print or hair fiber to be found. It was as if Sirius put every body through a forensic vacuum.

The fag Brit had brought up an interesting point earlier though. Why the car for the one body? This guy is a showman. He wants you to find the bodies. He leaves them right out in the open. Alleyways, behind warehouses, places that are frequented by foot traffic. That in mind, why hide one of his victims in a trunk and send the car off into a lake somewhere?

There had to be something behind that. The challenge was finding that particular something.

He left the folder open and scanned the map of the city that was on the corkboard of his cubicle space. Noting the red pushpins that denoted the locations of discovered bodies. Then, finding the one that noted the location of the car in the water, he pulled it out and replaced it with a blue pin.

"You're a tricky son of a bitch." He muttered, eyes narrowing. "But I'm gonna figure out your game. You can bet on it."

When Buffy's eyes finally opened, the first thing she saw and felt was Faith's sleeping form over her. The younger girl's left arm and leg were draped over her, protectively, and her breath was slow and even. Ok maybe she was wrong earlier. The brunette Slayer was a great snuggler.

The small blonde detangled herself from her counterpart and walked to the bathroom, turning on the TV on the way. The volume was way down, so there was no danger in waking her bedmate.

The petite Slayer stumbled woozily to the bathroom, leaning on the sink as she got there. Her head was spinning and her stomach felt as if it were leaping hurdles. Putting the lid down on the toilet, she sat down and put her head in her hands.

She got up and turned on the shower and sat on the edge of the tub while she waited for the water to reach her desired temperature. Leaning back against the cool wall of the shower, she closed her eyes for a few moments. She felt like total shit. Well at least her body felt like shit. But her mind drifted to thoughts of the young woman whose bed she had shared the night before.

Who would have ever thought, that after all the past history between the two of them, Buffy would have developed such a strong attraction for the younger Slayer? Certainly not Buffy, that's for sure.

That was one of the things, which confounded her about the thoughts that were going through her mind. A hand startled her suddenly on her shoulder. Her eyes snapped open to see Faith's, also unclothed, form.

The blonde nodded her head. "I feel like a truck hit my face..." Buffy gave a slight smile, surprised but happy to see Faith awake.

"Well you certainly don't look like it." The brunette said sitting on the edge of the tub next to her lover and smiling. "You look beautiful. Just like always."

Buffy smiled, reaching up to cup the younger girl's face. "Faith...you know the right thing to say don't you?"

"I try." Faith shrugged, then looked at the floor. Buffy noticed the lack of eye contact, even through her alcohol filled haze.

Buffy looked up, at the same time feeling the water that came from the showerhead and feeling its hotness. Looking over Faith's naked body, she also drank in the hotness of the brunette that sat only inches from her. She smiled, which made Faith's heart sink as always. But she was listening intently.

Faith still couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with Buffy. If she did, what she needed to ask would just be harder to form in her mind and from her mouth.

"Last night..." Buffy's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "How could you even ask me that? A test run?" She couldn't believe what Faith was asking her. She felt Faith's hand on her knee and looked up into the lovely brunette's eyes.

"Look, B...Buffy. Last night was like a dream come true for me." The dark Slayer hesitated. "But I don't want to build myself up for something that's not gonna happen ok? If I was just a test then let me know now, ok?"

"Yeah. I know that the dance club the other night might make you a little curious. So why not come to Faith, right? She knows everything about sex." The brunette's face was still staring at the tiled floor, not daring to meet Buffy's eyes.

"Faith, look at me." She said, cupping the brunette's face. Opening herself, she could literally feel Faith's inner turmoil. Finally the lovely brunette looked up, and Buffy's heart skipped a beat.

"I've never been with anyone that I didn't want a relationship with." Buffy continued. She was telling the truth. Even that asshole Parker, in college. She never would have made love with him if she didn't think that there was something more to come of their relationship.

Tears were just barely beginning to well in the tough girl's eyes but she held it together. She couldn't break down now. Not in front of Buffy.

"Faith...what I feel for you...it's real." She brought Faith's beautiful face up to meet hers, eye to eye. "I've ignored it for too damn long. I've made some really crappy decisions when it comes to my relationships and the people that I call my friends. Just ask any of them. But last night...Last night I think that I finally made the right decision... I mean it."

Faith looked deep into the blonde's eyes as she spoke. "Then why did you always get so pissed at me when I'd come onto you?"

"Mixed signals I guess." Buffy shrugged. I never knew how to react, because I never knew what to expect next."

"I dunno. I've never dated a girl before. I'm not saying that I'm ready to jump out of the closet or anything." Faith's face fell noticeably.

The small blonde bit her bottom lip, mulling over her feelings and the consequences of the next words she knew would come out of her mouth. "Yes, we're dating..."

Faith beamed, excitedly leaning forward quickly into Buffy's arms and sending them both into the tub. Hot water streamed down over them both immediately, cascading over and between their naked bodies.

"I bet I could getcha hotter..." Faith said with a mischievous grin. Buffy just smiled and kissed her again.

The true measure of a person is not what their goals are. But what they are willing to do to attain their goals, their desires and ambitions. What are we all willing to sacrifice to gain what we desire? For the overweight person to attain their goal of being thinner the sacrifice of the fatty foods they eat and love must be made. Of course that is only the most basic example.

My knife slices easily into the meaty flesh of the upper arm, curving and spiraling an intricate design. Finally the amount of blood flow obscures my target so much that I must take the time to wipe the area clean before I start again. Again the surgical steel blade sinks down to the very muscle and forms a neat S design capped with a small circle at the end of it.

There now. Nicely done, if I do say so myself. Wiping the area clean, I apply pressure for several moments to quell the bleeding.

Yes sometimes sacrifice is necessary to attain the level we wish to achieve. Sometimes the sacrifices we make are greater than others.

The water rained down over the two lovers who stood caressing each other within the shower of hot water and steam. Buffy leaned up to press her lips against the lovely brunette who met her mouth with equal intensity, letting their hands flow freely over each other. Their hands were slippery with soap as they explored each other's flesh.

Faith leaned her head back and moaned as she felt the smaller girl's mouth trailing from her chin and leaving light nibbles and licks down her neck to her left breast. Circling it with her tongue, she drew the nipple into her mouth and felt Faith's fingers clutch desperately at the back of her head.

"Oh God...B." Faith barely managed a gasp as she felt Buffy's hand slide up between her legs and make first contact with her nether lips.

The petite Slayer braced herself against her lover, learning the sweetest spots on the brunette's body. Buffy's fingers worked back and forth against the center of the dark Slayer's desire, moaning against her breast.

Faith's breath grew short and her hip gyrations grew stronger and stronger as she felt her climax building in her. Moaning Buffy's name, sweet release came over her flooding her body with warmth and sensation that made her eyes roll up. Then, for just a moment, she forgot where she was.

Faith's knees began to buckle, and it was only the smaller girl's strength that held her upright and gently eased her to the floor of the tub. She took Buffy's face between her hands and kissed her forehead, nose, then her lips.

Buffy smiled, pressing her lips against the raven haired Slayer again and feeling hands wash over her in a falling cascade similar to the hot spray from the showerhead.

In a blur they were dry and laying upon the hotel room bed. Buffy's headache is gone and she was thankful for that. In its place was a myriad of thoughts and feelings. Most adamantly, the feeling between her legs.

Faith is close, she thought. So close. Oh God, she's the one making me feel this way.

She looked down at Faith's pretty face pressed between her legs, riding on the sensations that she was giving her. Never in her life had she felt this way when intimate. So connected.

Faith was aroused again as well. Buffy could tell when she moan into her wetness, making her hips tremble, plus she could smell it between the darker girl's legs. Slayer senses. You just gotta love 'em. Sometimes heightened senses really pay off.

Her hands wrapped around the brunette's head as she gazed down at her, their eyes meeting. Then, suddenly, her body spiraled out of control.

"We really need to check in with the others." Buffy said standing up and gathering her clothing, which was strewn in various places around the room. "They're probably wondering why we slept so late."

"I don't think they're wondering, B." Faith said with a sly wink. She slipped her arms around Buffy's waist from behind and nuzzled her neck. "I don't know if you realize it, but you're quite the screamer."

She could feel Buffy's temperature rise and her face flush; the blonde just grinned. She spun in Faith's arms, returning the embrace.

"Uh, excuse me? I believe the word 'amazing' was used once already this morning."

"I've had 5 long years to dream up all the things I want to teach you..." Before she could respond Faith leaned in and kissed the petite Slayer again.

You see it is our experiences that define us, that make us who we are. The experiences that we endure make up who we are and where we go as beings in this world. The things that we go through in our lives build, one upon another, gradually creating the foundation of who we are to become.

The events of our lives build one upon another; upon another until finally the person we are today results. Some of us are wise and some of us completely ignorant.

Even as children we learn through pain and the discipline to bear it. When a parent slaps your hand enough, you learn what actions bring about that fatal sting. When, a person is left alone for a long period of time, eventually they learn to deal with life on their own regardless of how painful it may be.

Pain is a teacher not to be ignored. It shows us the way to true wisdom. The pain/pleasure principle is the most basic of our instincts. Most strive to avoid the things that bring them pain and to attain that which brings them pleasure.

If you can overcome that instinct and embrace both pain and pleasure equally, then you are truly free.

From his appearance alone, no one even skanced a second look at him. Not that he was bad looking. Not at all. His appearance could only be described as unremarkable. So incredibly normal that was he to walk past someone and look him or her right in the eyes, that person would be hard pressed to describe the man that had just passed them only seconds before.

He made his way to the bar and ordered a drink, then leaned back against the bar and just watched the room. Observation of the human race to which he belonged was one of his few hobbies. He studied people and learned to assess their qualities from body language alone.

From what he could tell of the group he looked at now, they had been friends for quite a while. Probably years in fact. All colors of the rainbow were represented in that group. A blonde, two brunettes and a redhead. The guy with the patch over his left eye was a kicker, in a group of all women.

But the way they all danced and moved together was indicative of their relationship with each other. They were close, very close. There was a group of people who had been through a hell of a lot together and emerged even closer to each other. Body language and facial expression said it all.

He found himself absentmindedly wondering what would happen to the rest of the group were one of them to just suddenly be gone. A smile crossed his face for only a second.

A touch on his shoulder drew his attention away from them, and he looked to his left.

He thought for a moment, drinking in her presence and reading her bodily actions. Finally he smiled. "Sure thing. What's your name?"

"Nice to meet you, Emily. What would you like to drink?" His smile grew broader still, wondering what was to come.

Buffy and Faith moved together back to the table where Willow, Kennedy, and Xander were seated.

It had been Xander's idea to come here tonight. Apparently clubs like this were the killer's stalking ground. One of the things that Giles had found out in examining what bits of the case files that he had access to, was this. The only thing that the victims all had in common is that they were all heavily into the club scene.

So, upon his suggestion they picked a club at random and decided on a night out. Not necessarily for fun. Well maybe a little fun. But for the most part, a little recon as he had called it. Mr ex-Halloween military guy.

"In this place?" Xander said, scanning the room full of people in gothic makeup with blue hair. "Naahhh."

"Not really." He said "I think we're looking for the psycho needle in the proverbial haystack of freaks. After I finish my beer you wanna hit another club?"

"Sounds ok. You finish your drinks and I'm gonna step out into the alley to have a smoke. I need some fresh, nicotine filled air." Faith got up, Buffy following her with her eyes until she was obscured by the club patrons.

Ok, so I'm standing out back of some shithole nightclub, taking another drag on my cigarette and thinking about the past week. This has, without a doubt been one of the weirdest 7 days of my life. And believe me, I've been through some shit.

B...goddamn B, you sure are a puzzle. A wonderfully sweet puzzle with a dynamite little ass, but a puzzle nonetheless. One that I finally have the opportunity to solve. Years of wanting and now I have, but I have no idea what to do with it now that I have it. Isn't life fucked up?

The backdoor that empties from the club into the alley that I'm standing in opens again and two people come out. A guy and a girl. It's pretty dark out back so they don't know I'm here, so I'll just quietly finish my smoke and let them finish whatever perverse or kinky business they plan on. They're kinda far away, too far for a normal person to hear what they are saying. But my senses are in high gear, if for no other reason than idle curiosity.

She actually sounds happy to be going with him. Guy must be a fuckin' charmer and a half. Score one for you bro. Somebody managed to find some action tonight.

"...car's this way." I hear him say. He lets her get a little ahead of him, and I look on only about half interested.

He grabs her from behind and I move forward. I'm pretty far away from the two of them so I break into a run. Fucker has something clamped over her nose and mouth and by the time I reach them, the girl is slumped to the ground.

"Hey you bastard!" I grab him by the shoulder and spin him around, punching him right in the face. He looks at me. That's it, the fucker just looks at me. It's dark and the alleyway has no lighting, so I can't make out his face very well. But I can tell that the whack I gave him didn't have nearly the effect that I had hoped. I'm used to people dropping like stones when I hit them.

Out of nowhere, he hits me with a backfist that really rings my bell and I go sailing back into one wall of the alley. Holy shit that fucker's strong.

My vision is kinda blurry and I shake my head trying to clear the cobwebs. He's advancing on me.

"Guess tonight's a two for one special..." He's got the chlorophorm-covered rag.

The back door of the club opened once again, and Xander stuck his head out. "Faith...? We're all ready to g...Hey!!"

The first thing he saw was Faith on the ground, her back to the alley wall, a dark figure advancing on her. He ran forward and jumped on the faceless figure's back. They grappled for position for a few moments before Xander felt himself being thrown over the bastard's shoulder onto the ground.

He barely regained his footing before being met with a hard foot to his groin which dropped him back to his knees. The shadowy figure advanced on him, grabbing him by the back of the head.

"Wanna play ball with me boy?" He said, drawing back his right hand which now clutched a wicked looking blade. His hand began to arc downward and suddenly he felt himself grabbed by that same arm and spun in a complete circle in time to see a fist only inches from his face.

"You wanna play ball with someone?" Faith said, hitting him again with a right cross. "He's the second string. I'm the power hitter."

She hit him again with a right/left combo that backed him up a few more steps. She kicked him hard in the stomach doubling him over, then grabbed him by the back of his jacket and flung him against the alley wall advancing on him again.

The next move he made was so subtle and quick that she didn't even see it coming. The only thing Faith saw at the last moment was the blue arc of the electricity at the end of the black wand of the taser. The voltage shot through her body, jolting her central nervous system. The next thoughts in her head were a jumble of nonsense, and she slumped to the ground.

After that he was gone. Faith willed herself to move but somehow couldn't make her muscles function. All she could do was shake violently. She felt Xander's hands on her and vaguely heard his voice.

"...alright? Faith are you alright?" it was like an echo in her head. She knew that this would pass. This wasn't the first time she'd been zapped with one of those things.

"Faith...Xander!" It was Buffy's voice. She couldn't focus her eyes to see her yet, but she knew the voice in an instant. After a few deep breaths Faith was able to sit up.

She looked both of them up and down, then gave Xander a quick hug. They both helped Faith to her feet and Buffy planted a short kiss on her lips. "Don't ever do that again! Dammit, you could have gotten yourself killed confronting him alone."

"Um guys...I know I'm usually the last person to find stuff out. But could you two answer a question for me?" Xander said, still walking with a slight hunch, feeling the heat and pain in his groin begin to subside.

"After you two help me locate what's left of my testicles...maybe you could tell me... Why are you two kissing?"

"Are you sure you're ok?" Buffy asked, as she tucked the covers up around Faith.

Faith had fully regained her mobility, but her equilibrium was still a bit off. It was a common side effect of being hit with 120, 000 volts of electricity. It was the same device that guards sometimes used to break up fights or riots in prison. The immediate effect was loss of bodily control. The longer-term effects were disorienting but temporary.

"Do you need anything? Some water maybe?" Dawn asked. Buffy had brought Faith to their room instead of her own. Faith had assured her many times in the car ride back to the hotel that she was fine, but the small blonde wasn't taking any chances.

Dawn walked to the door so she could run down to the ice machine. Before she opened the hotel room door, she looked back at her sister and Faith just in time to see Buffy plant a soft kiss on the dark Slayer's forehead.

"Watch your mouth!" Both Slayers said in unison to the younger girl who just grinned and walked out into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

Finally I settle into my chair, sipping on a glass of Grand Marnier. Tonight was a real experience, one that I will happily bear the scars and learn from.

When I finally returned here, to my sanctuary, I checked my bruises and wrapped a bandage tightly around my waist. I am pretty sure that a rib is cracked. At least, judging by the sharp twitch of blessed pain every time I inhale.

I don't know who that bitch was that almost stopped me, but for damned sure I will find out. She is without a doubt the strongest female that I have ever encountered. But, I get rather testy when my work is interrupted.

Tonight was almost a bust, but I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. I still got away with my prey.

She must have been a little tipsy to begin with, the chloroform should have worn off by now, but she's still fast asleep. So I'll wait for her. It's not like I'm on a time schedule or anything. I have all the time I need to give her experience and educate her body.

Considering the amount of effort as it took me to obtain her, I'm going to make sure I take my time. The poor girl at least deserves that much consideration.

He walked to the refrigerator. Opening it, he drew out one of the small bottles of Dianabol and placed it on the counter.

Unwrapping the sterile syringe, he stabbed it into the rubber top of the small bottle and withdrew 10 ml of the clear fluid. After he had replaced the bottle in the refrigerator, he picked up the syringe and laid his forearm on the counter. The fluid coursed through his veins as he pumped it in, feeding his muscles with power.

The Detective checked in and made his way to his desk. Checking the clock that hung on his cubicle wall, he settled back into his chair. It would be two hours until Rupert arrived, then another half hour until Sirius' promised call. He had no idea whether or not there would actually be a call or not. There had only been one so far. Therefore there was no pattern for behavior.

"Cheryl?" He called to the girl at the reception desk, who looked up at his beckon. "Call down to the switchboard and have them get ready to run a trace on my line when I tell you."

Not that it would do much good, but he had to take advantage of any opportunity to gain an advantage. He had been promised 58 seconds every day. That was 12 seconds short of a successful trace to a physical address, barring any re-routing tricks.

However, if he was crafty enough, he could possibly lead the bastard out those extra 12 seconds and get an actual fix on him. It was worth a shot.

He opened a casefile and casually strummed through the pages of a breaking and entering case that had been left in his inbox. His eyes scanned the details that were in the eyewitness report without really absorbing any of the information. His mind was somewhere else. Absentmindedly, his eyes strayed up to his thumbtack-laden map again.

"I told ya, B. I'm fine." Faith said, getting to her feet and finding her jeans.

She had slept for a few hours, and Buffy had been there when she awoke. She was there when she drifted off and she was still there, in the same position, when she woke up. Amazing. It seemed like Buffy was the perfect girlfriend. She was so attentive.

"B..." Faith said, placing her hands on either side of the blonde's face and planting a kiss on her lips. "I told ya. I'm ok now."

Reluctantly, the blonde backed down and Faith got up from the bed, smiling down at Dawn's sleeping form in the other queen-sized bed. That girl's so sweet, she thought. No wonder, since she's made out of Buffy.

Faith had reacted the same as everyone else when she found out that Dawnie wasn't a commonly born person. It took a while for it to sink in. But, in the end, Dawn was made from Buffy. So Faith grew to love her with almost the same fervor that she felt for the lovely blonde that sat next to her as she woke up.

Buffy had been sitting next to her, watching TV, the entire time that she had been asleep.

Aww B, Faith thought to herself. You are just the sweetest thing. I can get totally used to this. "Have you been awake all night?" Faith asked.

Buffy just shrugged and Faith leaned in for another kiss. "Thank you. But, you should really get some sleep girl."

"It's too early in the morning." Buffy said looking at the clock. "I need to stay up."

"So prim and proper all the time, B. Go to sleep already." Faith smiled, and crawled back into bed. "You watched over me while I slept. Now it's my turn. So go to sleep, and deal with it."

"Mmmmm, okay." Buffy murmured, drifting off to sleep almost immediately, snuggled against Faith and feeling a soft pair of lips against her forehead.

"Dead people are so boring aren't they?" the voice answered. It was him. He signaled to Cheryl at the information desk to begin the trace.

Detective Holland hit the speakerphone button so that Giles, who was seated next to him, could hear and respond as well.

"Good morning." The voice on the speaker said cheerfully. "I was hoping you would be here."

"With bells on. Why don't you tell us what this little cat and mouse game is all about?"

"Some people want everything handed to them with a big red bow... How pathetic you must be." The voice toned. "Come on now. Surely, by now you have figured out what I'm doing. Just think of the way that Anton Berger plays chess."

"Excellent. I have a huge audience today. Oh, but I've already given you the clue for today. Sorry I spoiled the fun so early."

"Hey, that's ok." Holland said. "Heard and noted. Maybe you could continue by telling us why you're doing this."

"Maybe, I could. But maybe I won't. If I give you too much, that makes it too easy now doesn't it?"

"Aww. Come now, you're not tired of me already. This is the fun part. Cat and mouse. Who catches who?"

"Look, whatever you..." he was cut off with a quick hand from Giles, who spoke in his stead.

"However you want to do this, it's fine with us. You do know that we will catch you eventually don't you?

"Oh yes, I know. The only question is, will you catch me before my work is through? I'm sorry, but your time is up Rupert. Tomorrow."

"Fuck!" Detective Holland spat out. "Fucking clues. He's playing games! Who the fuck is Anton Berger?"

"Anton Berger was a chess master. He wrote the definitive book on the game. It's called 'Principles and Tactics'. " Giles said. Whatever clue he gave, is housed in that book.

My knife gives off a slight glint of light as I pass it back and forth between my hands.

"Hello Emily..." I smile down at the young lady who is just beginning to regain consciousness. Realizing her position, she struggles against the bonds that hold her and makes a few unintelligible noises through the double layer of duct tape over her mouth.

"Oh now, Emily. Don't be afraid. Just let your body experience and learn." I say that to everyone that find themselves in this position, yet none have taken it to heart. Disappointing really. I consider myself an excellent teacher.

"You have so much to learn dear. And I have so much time to teach you." A smile crosses my lips, but only for a moment. Time to go to work.

Giles skimmed the first few pages of the book that he had sent Dawn to the library for. In the introduction there were three words. How do you play chess? Carefully, carefully, carefully.

He was in his room alternating between reading the book and staring at the city map on the wall. What was the meaning of the clue he had been given this morning?

Oh my God. Can it be that simple? He looked from the map that hung on his hotel room wall to the chessboard that he had been using to teach Dawn to play.

Looking back at the city map he grabbed a magic marker and divided his map of the city into an eight by eight grid, noting the positions of the thumbtacks that marked the locations of discovered bodies.

"You bastard." He said aloud. "You're playing chess with me, and I know your next move."

Inside, Faith sat down on her bed and Buffy lay beside her. "I almost lost you, bitch."

Faith smiled. "Nah you didn't. I would have kicked his ass and sent him packin' "

Buffy smiled, tilting her head down. "I just found you, ya know... I don't plan on losing you just yet."

"No way. Even better." Faith said, pulling her close and pressing their lips together. Slowly her hands slipped down around Buffy's waist and under her shirt, caressing the soft skin beneath.

"Dear God, Faith." Buffy gasped, running her hands into the brunette's hair and feeling her warm mouth at her neck. "You just almost died a few hours ago. You're insatiable, do you know that?"

"I can't help myself, girl." Faith murmured between kisses at her lover's jaw line. "I've never been with another Slayer. You're the only person I've ever been with who can hang with the stamina issue."

The passion rolled off of her in waves. If there was one thing about the brunette that made her stand out, it was her intense sexuality. She oozed it from every pore, and now it radiated from her like steam hitting Buffy's body. It was as if she were in a sexual pressure cooker.

What she felt with Faith was so new, so different. If she could form a cognitive thought she might have been able to put it into words. It wasn't even the whole girl/girl thing. It was more than that.

Every touch of the dark Slayer's hands on her sent a vibration of warmth straight down to her center. Just at Faith's touch, the petite Slayer was on fire. She vaguely recalled the sensation of her arms being lifted and the white shirt she wore being lifted up over her head.

"Faith... I need you." She gasped fervently, feeling the sensation of her left breast being suckled softly.

"You got me." Faith's tongue flicked across her nipple and she drew it into her mouth again, sucking softly.

"Oh yesss..." Buffy hissed sharply, feeling her jeans unbuttoned and slid from her hips along with her underwear. Faith ran her hands over her bare bottom punctuating the move with a playful slap.

"You have no friggin' clue how kinky I am. But I'm gonna show you." Faith's eyebrows moved up and down, before moving her mouth to Buffy's right breast.

She pushed the blonde Slayer back onto the bed by her shoulders and finished sliding the layers of denim and cotton from her calves.

Faith pushed her legs apart and trailed short, delicate kisses from her ankle all the way down her leg to her center. When her tongue penetrated the small blonde she was met with the same sweet flavor that she had known only the night before.

Mmmm Buffy, she thought. I've craved this so long. I don't know if I can ever get enough.

Her mouth found her lover's center and she sucked intently, slipping a finger inside and turning it upward to find the G spot and put just the right pressure on it to make Buffy's body arch and an audible gasp escape from her mouth. Faith's tongue found her clit and worked it back and forth while she fingered her beautiful companion slowly. Agonizingly slow. The Blonde's eyes rolled back, drunk on sensation.

"Oh Faith...Faithy...here I cum. Oh fuuuuck!" The blonde's body buckled and writhed under Faith's touch, spasming over and over until she lay in a puddle of her own desire. Faith extracted her fingers from her partner and gently placed them to Buffy's mouth, and the blonde reciprocated by licking each finger clean.

Buffy obediently rolled over to her knees, feeling Faith's fingers enter her from behind.

"Uhh...Oh yes." Faith's fingers worked inside her and she pressed her hips back to meet every inward thrust.

"Hi." Buffy said sleepily. "I do that to you a lot it seems. Fall asleep on you."

"Huh?" Faith brought her lover into a warm embrace followed by a long kiss. Their tongues intertwined, meeting and worshipping each other.

"I want you to taste me." The look in the dark Slayer's eyes was enough to send Buffy over the edge with desire again. "I need you."

Buffy's tongue found her sweetest spot right away, tentatively licking at the shaven folds of her fellow Slayer. "Oh Faith... You taste so good."

The brunette only responded with a hand behind Buffy's head and reiterating Buffy's words from the night before.

The sensation pushed her further to climax as Buffy's mouth met her needing sex once again. Faith's body thrust out of control at the welcome contact.

"I love you Buffy." She was so out of breath, that she didn't even realize what she was saying, but in these intimate times it was where she was the most honest.

"You do?" Buffy asked. She tried to jolt her fellow Slayer into awareness. "Faith? Faithy....?"

"I'm here, B." The dark Slayer answered, catching her breath. "Stamina, remember?"

"Question." Buffy said, snuggling into Faith's arms to enjoy her post sexual snuggles.

"Well, whatever you ask I'll probably have an answer for ya." The brunette grinned.

"Earlier... when you said you'd never been with a Slayer before." The small blonde began "Does that include potentials?"

"Nah." Faith said, thinking back about Molly. She hadn't even heard the girl's name mentioned in close to a year. Poor kid, she didn't know the girl all that well but it was never a good time to lose a comrade in battle. Regardless of the circumstances.

"It wasn't to bolster my ego if that's what you're thinking. See, that Chinese girl...what the fuck was her name again? Chow Time?"

"Yeah her. She had a bit of a crush on Molly, but the girl wasn't down with the whole girlie vibe. So I started a rumor that me and her had a thing ya know? Chao Ahn was fuckin' piss scared of me."

"You know. That was kinda nice of you." Buffy lifted her head from Faith's breast and looked at her lover intently.

"I mean it. You have like... layers. Like that green ogre guy said in that one Disney movie."

"Mmm... I like the sound of that." Buffy said pulling the brunette's face to her own and shifting her weight so that Faith was brought on top of her small form. "Stamina... remember?"

"Hello again." She had passed out earlier, and I have waited patiently for her to regain consciousness. "You don't like me very much now, do you?"

"Let me tell you a story dear." Reaching down I stroke her hair lightly. "A long time ago, when God created this giant shithole we live on. He gave dominion of it to man, which could be one of His greatest mistakes ever considering all he had created was a glorified chimp."

I lay the cold blade against the soft flesh of her stomach, and she jerks violently from the contact.

"You see there was magic back then. Magic and myth. And from that time, in each generation there were born champions of light and champions of darkness. The wars that they fought throughout generations were the stuff that legends were made of, as they waged the epic struggle between good and evil. Then one day our foolish race abandoned magic and wonder for reason. But I think... I think that I've found a champion of light Emily. I met her last night... and we're gonna have a hell of a dance."

The Detective stood on the corner of Welsh and 112^th, leaning against a currently unlit lamppost. It was 3:23 in the afternoon, and his snitch Rodney was 8 fucking minutes late.

Rodney was an ex career criminal and current slimy pervert. After doing a few years on the inside, he had decided to get a career other than chopping automobiles apart and selling the pieces. However, he was still strongly in the information loop. A fifty-dollar bill here and there had been known to loosen his tongue.

"Got hung up. Whatcha need man? I got a 4-midnight shift at the warehouse to get to."

"Over here." Holland said, motioning to a nearby alley. "You know a stripper named Vanessa or a hooker named Tianna?"

"Don't do the strip club scene man, as for the hooker what'd she look like?" He shrugged.

"Dark hair, tight little body, about 5'3" petite, young. Some people said she worked the walk south of the Boiler Room."

"Over 18." The investigator said, an even contempt growing in his eyes. "So she was probably a little old for you.

"Ah... Tianna, Juanita, Maria. Their fuckin' names all run together after a while you know. But yeah, I think I know who you're talkin' about. What about her?"

"The what is she's fucking dead." Rodney's face fell noticeable at the announcement. "You gotta pick up a newspaper or watch the evening news every once in a while. I got a fuckin' psycho carving people up and leaving them scattered all over the city."

The snitch's eyes grew wide. "Oh fuck. That guy. L-look man I don't know nuthin' I gotta go."

The Detective stopped him with a hand on his chest and pushed him back against an alley wall. "Do I look fucking simple to you Rodney? Who did Tianna work for?"

"Look man, she... she worked for a guy I used to know named Jimmy. Connected guy, runs a lot of girls."

"Look man, I don't know much. All I've heard is stories, ok? I don't know shit for sure."

"Everybody who runs girls or drugs in this town does it under a guy they call Pick. I don't know a real name, hell I've never even seen the guy almost no one does. But believe me when I say that he runs his shit with an iron hand."

"Lemme finish, okay? Rumor is Pick had an enforcer. A real bad ass. When Pick wanted someone taken out, this guy was the trigger he pulled. A... a real dangerous fuck who took a lotta pleasure in his work. Real smart too, a regular brainiac. He took out over a hundred people for Pick in just a few years, they said there was no place he couldn't get into and no one he couldn't kill."

"Okay this guy was a pro hitter. If he was that good why doesn't he still work for Pick?"

Rodney backed against a wall and slid down to his butt, nervously running his hands through his grungy hair. "See that's where the stories come in. People are sayin' that a few months ago... the guy started getting into some really weird shit. Even weirder than he was before. Every time he saw Pick, he'd drone on and on about this weird pseudo spiritual whacko shit. He started um... getting even more into his work. Playing whacko games with the people he had a hit on. Then he started finding other people to play with. People that Pick hadn't given the go ahead on. But ones that he chose at random. So one day Pick just... let him go."

"Just let him go? What the fuck, this guy is some kinda monster and this Nose-Pick just lets him go?"

"That's the thing. Everybody thought that Pick shoulda taken his ass out. Put him down like a rabid dog, yunno? But he didn't. Some folks say it was because he knew he couldn't get the job done."

"I don't know for sure. But some of us in the loop... whenever we see another killing on the news. We just look at each other. Nobody says shit, but we all just kinda... feel it."

Holland looked down, processing all that he had been told. He had no idea whether any or all of what Rodney had told him was true. Hell Rodney didn't even know it was true. But one thing was for sure. If they were dealing with who the street smart informant speculated they were... it damned sure wasn't going to be easy to take him down. Even if they did figure whatever game he was playing. However, if that were the case, he also had his first lead.

"I want you to get a hold of your friend Jimmy. I need to know if this guy Pick keeps tabs on his former boy."

"Hey man. I hardly talk to him any more. And Pick doesn't like people asking questions about his business. If I ask that and Pick finds out it's me, then my ass could be in some serious fuckin' trouble man."

"Just do this for me, ok?" Holland said, reaching into his pocket and drawing out a small wad of bills. He tossed a 50 toward his informant's chest, who grabbed it from the air. Then considering for a moment he tossed the guy another. "That's for the extra risk. I'll be in touch."

"Nah. I'm just looking for something to use to draw him out when he calls me tomorrow."

"Ah nothing. The fucker's been calling me everyday, giving me fuckin' clues and shit."

"Yeah and if he wins, we don't catch him and he gets to keep killing girls at whim."

"No way man. If it is the same guy you don't know how he is." Rodney's face fell noticeably. "He only toys with prey. If he wins... he kills YOU."

From my tailing of both the Detective and his protégé', I have surveyed and taken mental note of quite a few things. One is the fact that Rupert does not have an actual home. He stays at a motel.

Not really that remarkable I guess, considering that the police, as inept as they tend to be, do on occasion call in outside help. People such as personality profilers, experts in different fields of study, hell even psychics. Which, as shoddily as they've handled this particular investigation, perhaps they should call in a damned psychic. Maybe Dionne Warwick could give them a clue. Hell I know more about the two of them, than they know about me.

So, sitting in my car, about halfway back in the parking lot of the single story, strip motel I let my eyes lazily drift back and forth between the office and the room that I know is occupied by the Englishman. Room 143.

A door opens, four doors down from Rupert's, and two young ladies exit. Young and pretty both of them. A blonde and a brunette. The blonde... she looks vaguely familiar. I may have seen her around town. But the taller girl, dark hair, the way she moves. The confident swagger as she places both hands into the back pockets of her jeans as she walks.

Body language. I'm a master of it. My eyes widen as the realization hits me. It's her. I may not have gotten a clear view of her last night, but I know the walk and the strident gait.

Of course. It's too simple. It's almost as if this confrontation is meant to be.

He got up, leaving the group who was circled around the cursed laptop to open the door for whoever was on the outside.

"Ah. Girls, come in." He said stepping to one side to allow the two Slayers entrance.

"Hey." Faith said, entering the room and taking immediate note of the magic marker grid that now overlaid the map of the city. "What's with the tic-tac-toe board, on crack?"

"All the best chess players use techniques or maneuvers, pre-arranged movements that either open your opponent or lead them into the moves that you want them to make." He explained, motioning between the city grid and the chessboard on his table. He had reset the pieces on the physical board to convey the moves that were marked by blue thumbtacks on the city map.

"I had begun to wonder about the precise placement of the bodies when they are discovered. The locations of the young girls are moves on a giant chessboard." He continued. "In chess, white always moves first. That's why all of his 'moves' have been on the north side of the city. He's using the Kasparov maneuver, used by Chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov. There have been five moves so far, all of them pawns except for the young lady found in the lake."

"She's in the King position. That's what settled for me what exactly he was doing."

"Wow." Faith said looking between the map and the chessboard. "The fuckhead has a pattern, huh? What does that mean? You know what he's gonna do next?"

"Not exactly. But I do have a strong idea. I know what my reaction would be to this maneuver, then what his probable next placement would be. The good players anticipate their opponent's maneuvers two and three steps in advance."

"In a way. I don't know where he's to strike next, only the probable location of the next drop-off point. At least that's something to go on."

"It would seem so. But I need to do a bit more reading. Would you and Willow go to the bookstore for me again?"

Buffy looked down and smiled as Willow drove. "Faith is... intense. But then I already knew that."

"Like... did you know she got her GED in prison? I didn't." the blonde hesitated "I used to think she was so superficial, but it's totally the opposite. She's like a big ball of unfocused energy. She lives her life like there's no tomorrow, Will. Do you know how badly I'd like to do that?"

"Yeah... I guess you can." Buffy smiled at her longtime friend who had been with her through so much over the past 8 years.

"God, Will !" Buffy looked at her with a certain awe. "I've never asked you for bedroom secrets!"

"Come on Buffy, this is a whole new area of conversation for us. So I wanna hear. God, you don't have to get explicit. I just wanna know in general."

"Well, I don't have any other experience with women to compare it to. But it's... totally amazing. The girl's got technique, that's for sure." The blonde smiled deeply as her best friend looked over at her. "Faith is... I can't even describe it."

"Well, there was that. Plenty of that." The petite Slayer smiled. "And I was worried about her too, you know?"

"I dunno. It's like... in every relationship I've ever been in, it started really slow and worked into something else. With Faith though, there is no such thing. She has two speeds. Fast and full speed ahead."

Willow just smiled. "I just wanted to hear you say it Buffy. I've known for a while. It's about time you admitted it to yourself."

He entered his house slowly, closing the door behind him. Reaching to his right he clicked the switch, causing the living room to be sparsely illuminated.

Walking into the lighted area, he took a seat in the large gray lounge chair that was directly in front of his television and turned it on switching to the local news channel. For a few minutes he sat and watched the current goings on, which meant little to nothing to him. A vague interest here and there. But for the most part he was detached from this world.

Finally the local anchor's face appeared again with a small report between weather updates. Boring stuff mostly, but when they made mention of his latest acquisition he paid special attention to it.

He loved to see his work on the news. This was all a show after all. Something for the public to see and wonder about and perhaps lead them toward an awakening of their own.

He laughed quietly as he got up to walk toward his basement. The young lady that he had so diligently given so much attention to was still down there. She was so different from any of the others. Regardless of what he had done to her, it was as if she refused to die. Her spirit and will to live infused him with a strength that he had not yet known.

He would need that strength when he faced the champion of light. That would happen soon. Very soon.

"It's time to expand your spiritual horizons my dear." I say as the overhead light clicks on. She snaps awake immediately. "The pain that you feel now is only an illusion. What you feel now is an experience to be embraced. "

"Trust me. The very intensity of this experience bonds us to each other and widens the gulf between us and those who have not shared it." My knife sinks into her flesh, spiraling its design into her body and marking her forever. "We have transcended the normal experience."

She's still close to unconsciousness, but her body is vaguely responding to the experience.

"What you're crossing now is called, in some Native American terminology, the Vasae Barrier, the point that they endeavor to reach when the young braves go through the manhood ritual. This is the point where your body ceases to feel the pain and it only becomes experience."

The surgical steel slices through the epidermal layer of flesh once again, separating the flesh from itself in an intricate design. Her body spasms slightly. This is the point that I know all to well.

"This would be so much easier if I didn't have to keep sending the girls to the bookstore." I hear G-man say, pacing back and forth across the room. "The council had an incredible library."

"Hey I appreciate bein' homesick G. But you're not gonna get all 'god save the queen' on us are ya? Though I got no problem with the concept of a ruling class. Especially since I rule."

"Faith... " He opens his mouth to say something else, and I just stand there grinning at him. "I think you may be even stranger than Buffy."

"Just now figuring that out? Where you been?" Then I let him go back to his pacing and I head back to my game of Pac Man on Willow's laptop. That's the only thing she lets me mess with, is the games.

Damn I like this girl, but she and I have too much in common to exist in the same room for more than a few minutes at a time.

"Thought so." When I was gone, I guess Kennedy thought she'd be the new tough girl in town. My ego, being what it is, didn't like that too much.

Ok, at least she's not after B. That much is intact. I'm surprised that she's hooked up with Red though. Willow always seemed like such a tight ass to me. Of course she was the only one to give me a chance when I came back to Sunny-D, so I guess time changes a lot.

"I love her." I hear the words escape from my mouth too quickly for me to stifle them. Fuck, what am I saying?

"Hey girl." Faith said as she opened the door, happily finding Buffy on the other side.

"Hey." The petite blonde said producing the bag of books for Giles and giving Faith a short hug. "Wanna get something to eat?"

"Cool. Then we could maybe get a movie after?" Buffy smiled and the brunette's heart skipped a beat the way it always did when Buffy smiled at her.

"Sounds like a plan. There's a place around the corner and they have the best junk food."

"Now this is the shit." Faith lifted the chili-cheese burger and took a big bite, then spoke through the layer of food that filled her mouth. "This is what I call food."

"Ok. I'll accept that." Buffy smiled up at her girlfriend. "You know what? Pretty darned amazing too."

"Everything. Us... the gang." She took another huge bite of her burger, chili and cheese running down her chin. "Being near death makes you think about shit."

"What you said the other night... about not being my only friend." Faith continued. "I kinda believe it now. I mean everyone really seemed concerned about me when I got zapped. New experience ya know?"

"And Xan. I know I talk tough but he really saved my ass." Faith picked up a napkin and wiped her chin before taking another bite. "I was thinking I should do something to say thanks."

"Like?" the blonde said, cutting off another piece of her steak and lifting it to her mouth.

Faith shrugged. "Dunno. Just something... Hey he seems to be into the whole girl on girl thing. Maybe we could let him watch sometime."

Buffy looked up at her. "I'm going to delete from my memory, the very thought of you saying that."

Faith broke into a huge grin. "God, B. You're so serious all the time. And I love making you blush."

"Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back." The blonde answered. "It's supposed to be funny as all get out. Plus, ooh see. The one girl in it looks kinda like you."

Faith surveyed the back of the DVD that housed the summary and captioned pictures from the movie, including the aforementioned actress. "No way. I'm a lot hotter than that bitch. She's got nothing on me, plus I can kick her ass."

"You couldn't even make it to the end of the movie could you?" Buffy gasped against Faith's lips.

"Not with you sitting next to me." She felt the brunette's mouth against her skin and the sensation was too much to bear. "Stop the damn movie. We'll finish it later."

The soft lips on her collarbone, trailing down to each breast. Each nipple was taken into the dark Slayer's mouth and covered with sweet sensation, and then the feeling moved lower.

The brunette's mouth was drawn to her center, licking and sucking at her. Drawing every drop of wetness that she was able to give. Mmm, yummy. Faith thought as her tongue sank deeper into her lovely companion.

She held the small blonde around each thigh, tasting her... savoring her. Then rolling onto her back without relinquishing her hold, Faith found herself on her back with her prize above her.

"Mmm." Buffy found herself on her knees looking down at Faith's face between her legs. "Hey down there." She groaned, her hips bucking involuntarily against the feeling in her sex.

The dark Slayer took long enough to wave and wink, not willing to let go the contact between her mouth and her lover, before Buffy was sent screaming over the edge.

"No hello? I get a little tied up and you go all impolite. You don't want me to be sad do you?" the voice streamed from the speaker.

"No offense, but I couldn't care less about your feelings. Do you have anything good for us today or are you just gonna babble about nonsense?"

"Well I was thinking of asking a question of my own. Have you figured out the game yet?"

"Ooh. I'm impressed. I should have figured you for a real aficionado, Rupert." The voice said as the sound of hands clapping together in mock applause could clearly be heard. "Very good."

"If it's one thing I love, " the voice said "It's an intellectual challenge. You sound like this is going to be a wild ride Rupert."

"As wild a ride as you had in your days as a contract hitter?" Holland threw out what little bit of bait that he had at his disposal.

"Hmm. Seems like you've found some things too. Tell me Detective, has my checkered past come back to haunt me? I've moved so far past that point in my life. My horizons have been... broadened shall we say? I'm mostly into awakening spiritual awareness now."

"If you need to ask me, then you're even more clueless than I thought, Detective. Oh and Rupert, the next move is yours."

Buffy awoke slowly, her eyes gradually opening and gaining some focus. She lifted her head from Faith's sheet covered breast and looked up at her still sleeping girlfriend, admiring her.

She's just so sexy, Buffy thought. Why didn't I ever see it before? Oh hell, her inner dialogue continued, I've always seen it but never bothered to notice.

Buffy thought back over all the time she'd know Faith. From the time she first made her appearance all the way up to her escape from prison and her return to Sunnydale. She'd thought about Faith a lot while she was gone, both good and bad thoughts about her brunette equal.

There were times when she felt legitimate hatred for Faith. But over time that had changed. Most of all what she felt was hope. She hoped that Faith would find what she needed to be right again, and now here she was. Her girl.

Life is so strange. Just a short while ago, she couldn't even imagine being friends again with Faith. Much less being in a relationship with her. But here she was, in the arms of the woman she once thought she despised.

Slowly the realization hit her. In every relationship she'd ever been in, she'd searched for her equal. Someone who knew her, could identify with her and the crazy world she lived in day after day.

Angel couldn't do it. As much as she loved him and he loved her, he could never know what she went through. He was a vampire, and she loved him. She was the Slayer and he loved her. But in the end, he would never be able to identify. They were destined to be apart, as painful as it was.

Riley... did she love him at all? She thought so at the time. After all they were on the same side, and he was a good man. But was that enough? For Riley, fighting demons was what he was trained to do. It wasn't a calling. He could stop anytime he wanted to. Buffy was chosen. She had no choice in the matter, and the only person who could know what that was like was another chosen.

Chosen Two. That's what Faith had called the two of them so many years ago. Even though they weren't the only two anymore, the connection between them never really faded. Even through all the bullshit that she didn't care to think about anymore.

As Buffy watched, Faith's head moved from one side to the other. Slowly adjusting herself in her sleep. Just that small motion was enough to send a small vibration of excitement through the small blonde.

Staring down at her raven-haired bedmate, Buffy smiled. She ran her hand gently up Faith's body, very lightly. Not enough to wake her. She just wanted to touch her.

She felt the heat growing between her legs as she cupped Faith's face in her hand. She leaned down, planting a kiss on those soft lips. Groggily, Faith awoke and reciprocated bringing her hand up behind the blonde and holding her close. Their tongues gently played with each other.

"Hey you." The blonde smiled and winked. "Is that an acceptable way to be woken up?"

"Mmm... awesome." Faith brought her petite lover to her, feeling her heat against her thigh. She lifted her leg to give Buffy just the slightest hint of friction between her legs.

The blonde kissed her way down to Faith's breasts, licking and sucking at each nipple before dipping lower.

"Oh God, B... " the words barely escaped her mouth before the sensation of Buffy's tongue on her took over, and she wasn't able to focus enough to even speak anymore. Only moans and gasps came after that.

Buffy moaned into her lover, savoring the taste of the sexy brunette that lay beneath her. In her wildest dreams she never thought that she'd find herself here. But right now, she couldn't imagine any other place to be.

She licked slowly and gently along Faith's opening, spreading her lips to reveal her prize. Her mouth moved to Faith's center, sucking the hardened nub into her mouth and applying constant suction while strumming it up and down with her tongue.

**Just do what feels good to you** Faith had instructed her the first time she had done this.

Faith was in heaven. She had awakened to find Buffy's beautiful face above her, kissing her. Now she was getting the sweetest pleasure and looking down at the blonde's beautiful face pressed between her thighs. The most beautiful sight she'd ever seen.

Her left hand moved behind Buffy's head while her right clenched the sheets of the hotel bed that they shared.

"B... Baby. Don't stop... I'm gonna... Oh God!!!" Faith let herself cross the edge, letting Buffy's mouth bring her to the brink of satisfaction, then into the abyss of sensation.

"God... " Faith said as she finally regained her senses. The small blonde was snuggled closely, smiling up at her. "Where'd you learn that?"

"Well, your instincts are fuckin' awesome. C'mere." The brunette said, pulling Buffy's small form over her. She wiggled her position until the blonde was firmly centered over her face and Faith was looking up at her.

"I love this position." She said before sinking her tongue into Buffy's core and looking up into her eyes. "I can see every bit of how hot I make you."

"You're fuckin' dynamite." Buffy said, feeling the pressure between her legs. The sucking sensation, alternated with soft licks up her passage. Finally Faith gave her what she needed.

Buffy's flavor flooded into her mouth as she came, the sweet juice pouring out of her. Faith dutifully licked up every drop, and wiped her chin, which was covered and slick with sweet juice.

"Do you think you'll ever get tired of me?" Buffy asked, snuggling against Faith's shoulder again.

"I love you too, Faith." Buffy smiled as she went to sleep again next to her happily satisfied counterpart.

I've been awake for almost 48 hours, and my senses are starting to waver in and out for lack of sleep. Not that my body doesn't need rest, but I can't bring myself to sleep yet. I have so much to do.

For the past two days, I've poured every fiber of my being into the young lady that has finally expired. She's crossed the barrier, and finally the last drop of her life's blood has drained from her body.

Now, extra care needs to be taken. Cleaning and wrapping her beautiful form so that she may be placed in just the perfect spot. My bishop on the chessboard we live on.

If Rupert is as smart as I believe he is, he'll in a certain spot, waiting for me. But I have a trick or two up my sleeve. Besides, he's not my real target, his daughter is. And he may be the perfect bait to draw her to me.

"Ahh... Rupert. This is a pleasant surprise." The voice streamed from the small speaker box.

"That's fine." The killer said. "I'm more than happy to talk to you. I've done some research on you, you know?"

"Oh yeah, like the fact that you were European chess champion from 1974 through 1976. That's quite impressive."

"Well, when you throw your name around, people tend to run a search or two. Your resume' in the game is quite impressive. I didn't find much on you after that, however. It's as if you disappeared from the face of the earth until you became a school librarian. I'm still wondering about that."

"I'd say thank you for your interest, if I respected you. But right now, I have a problem with that."

"Rupert, you should be more respectful of your enemies. Especially when they know your name and address you know?"

A current of both anger and fear began to rise in the Englishman, as the realization hit him that the person on the other end of the line didn't only know details about his life. He knew where he was staying too. "You're the worst kind of monster you know that?"

"Yes. A part of me thinks that you're a rabid dog, and you do know what they do with rabid dogs don't you?" uncharacteristic anger was beginning to rise in Giles' voice.

"Oh yeah... they put rabid dogs down. But you see I'm much more than you think I am Rupert, much more. Time to make your move." The voice said

Detective Holland walked into the police station roughly fifteen minutes after the killer had hung up. Giles saw that his face was pale and he was visibly shaken after he sat down in his chair.

"No. I'm a far fuckin' shot from alright." He shakily reached for the cup of coffee that he had brought with him. Drinking deeply, he sat the cup back down. "One of my informants is dead. I got the call early this morning."

"Don't be. He wasn't a close friend. But what it means is that this bastard is a lot closer to us than he seems. I just came from the crime scene."

The Detective and Giles had exchanged information on the way to the evidence room. Holland filled Giles in on what he had found out from the dead man only the day before, and Giles reciprocated by giving the details of this morning's phone call.

"This was found on the body." It was a cellular phone that he carefully extracted from the evidence bag with his rubber-gloved fingertips. After turning the power on, the small green, illuminated window showed one unanswered voice mail.

"This could be something interesting." Holland said, punching up the necessary combination of buttons on the phone to bring up the voice message. Then both he and Giles leaned down to listen into the speaker.

~~~ "Rodney, this is Jimmy. The pers... thing we talked about earlier. Go see Mister Fillian at the Boiler Room. He should have what you need to know. Oh, by the way, now I don't owe you a fuckin' dime! We're square now. Know what I mean?" ~~~

"It means I asked too many of the wrong questions. Now my informant's dead. His body was found in an alley, not 6 blocks from here." The detective said angrily. "Fuck!! Not only have I been totally incapable of stopping this fuck from killing young girls, now this kid's dead because of me."

"No." Giles said "He's dead because of a rabid dog. At least now you have something to go on."

"Boiler Room." He said through clenched teeth. He would go to the heavy metal nightclub, tonight.

"And what exactly is this?" Buffy said, holding up the thin piece of pink material.

"It's a g-string, B. It'll show off that cute little ass of yours for me." Faith smiled happily.

"I think that's the point." The brunette replied, giving a sly grin. "It accentuates, but leaves nothing to the imagination. Well, maybe one little thing."

"Nope. Too constricting. But I'd like to see my girl in it. If you really wanna make me happy you'll wear it." She said with a mock pout, playing the act to its hilt.

"Oh yeah. Nothing says love like cramming a strip of Lycra right up your ass." Buffy said sarcastically.

Finally the blonde acquiesced. Standing up she slipped one leg, then the other into the thin material and pulled it up and adjusted it in a way that she felt was correct. "You like?" she said, looking back over her shoulder.

"Mmm. I love it." Faith reached up to caress one of the lovely bare cheeks and found her hand playfully slapped away. "Hey!"

Buffy looked down at her, pointing to her butt. "You get this later." Turning around, she leaned down to capture the darker girl's lips with her own. "We need to check in. Now. Get. Dressed."

The older Slayer stood up to retrieve her scattered clothing, and the younger girl sighed.

"Ok. I'm gonna hold you to that, part ya know." Faith grumbled. But she knew Buffy was right.

Maybe I will, Faith thought, smiling as a very naughty image entered her mind. Let's see how far you're willing to let me go, B. Guess I'll find out tonight.

"It's `good morning', G-man. I think I've infected B here with my sleeping habits." She grinned and lightly elbowed Buffy who only grinned.

"So, anything new Giles." Buffy said, crossing the room to her one time Watcher who sat scribbling a few notes into a steno pad. As much as Willow had talked to him, he still couldn't bear to type his notes into her laptop. So she had agreed to copy them down whenever he did research on anything, supernatural or no.

"A little." He said. "On the phone this morning he said it was `time to make my move'."

He got up from his chair and walked to the divided city map. "So," he continued "I have a strong feeling that his next placement will be on the South side of the city. Either here... or here." He pointed to one grid, then another.

Giles gave her his classic quizzical look and answered her. "Because I don't chop people up and leave them lying around like chess pieces."

"Cool a stakeout." Faith said, punching her left palm with her right fist. "Can't wait to feel like one of the cops instead of one of the crooks for a change."

"You want the binoculars girl? Because I'm kinda sick of getting asked that every five seconds."

"Fine. I'll shut up." The small blonde *harrumphed*, crossing her arms over her chest and settling down into her driver's side seat pouting. Faith looked over at her and just grinned.

She's so fuckin' cute when she pouts, the brunette thought. She raised the binoculars to her eyes again, surveying first one alley then another. "To answer your question, not a friggin' thing. God, stakeout sucks. I thought it'd be all kinda 'Magnum PHI.' and shit."

"Anybody for a rousing game of 5 Card Draw?" Xander leaned up from the back seat, breaking out a pack of cards. He was obviously used to this.

They all looked up just in time to see a pair of headlights careening over the side of the parking garage that they were parked in front of.

They think they're so clever, but the majority of their group is just as clueless as the majority of the morons that walk the face of this giant shit ball. I've been watching them for over an hour now. And to think that they've been staking ME out. I can't help but laugh.

I must admit, the Englishman is quite intelligent. I didn't underestimate him at all. He picked the spot perfectly. So here I am, sitting in my car. Frankly feeling a little bit bored. I'm not without my tricks though.

I'll make the move tonight don't worry about that. I'll just have to wait for a while. This little cat and mouse game is getting a little tedious. Perhaps I'll up the stakes just a bit. Maybe a bit more daring is just what I need to get my adrenaline going.

Taking one last look down from the parking garage that I'm in, I make my move. Getting behind the wheel of the stolen car, I start the engine. Then I firmly wedge the tire iron on the gas pedal, and loop my belt around the gearshift, hearing the engine roar. This should fly quite nicely.

Closing the driver's door I yank my belt, sending the car sailing over the side, crashing approximately where I had planned. Right on the hood of the their car. I take my last look, just in time to see the two girls dive out either door.

Oh well. The body's in the trunk. Drop successful. I laugh to myself as I turn to leave.

"Move now!" Buffy shouted as she dived out the driver's side door. Only because of their Slayer's reflexes were she and Faith capable of scrambling out each side before the car came crashing down on top of theirs.

Recovering from the initial shock Buffy looked around. Faith was ok, slowly getting to her feet.

She scrambled to the back door of her once Buick convertible, pulling it open. "Wow. That was an experience." He said, slowly crawling out of the car and finding his balance.

He had walked into the club, earlier, paying the cover charge and walked to a table. When the waitress finally came he ordered a drink. Then he sat for a while surveying the place and didn't see anyone that he thought to be in charge. So finally, he motioned for one of the bouncers to come over.

Holland pulled the tri-fold that housed his police badge from his coat pocket. Holding it out, he let it flap open to reveal said badge. "I'm THAT guy."

The bouncer stood slowly, obviously showing a little more respect. "I'll get him." He said, walking off.

He sat for a short while longer, sipping on his drink. Finally he heard a voice from behind. "You're not a familiar face around here."

The man he saw when he turned around wore dark jeans and a leather jacket, nothing more. It revealed a small pot gut. He had black hair and a severely pock marked face, most likely from a roaring bout with teen acne.

He grinned. "You flatter me. Don't try to get on my good side. What do you want?"

"That's not the information I want. I'm a little curious about someone who used to work for him though." The biker's face fell noticeably. He knew exactly whom the Detective was talking about.

"Follow me." He said, leading him down a long hallway that ended in a flight of stairs.

So here they were, sitting in the manager's office. The biker sat in his desk chair, propping his feet up on the desk like some type of king. He was obviously in on a hell of a lot of dirty deals, but he had a stone confidence that told the tale of many successful run-ins with the law.

The officer assessed the man who sat across the desk from him. "So does the boss, still keep tabs on his pet dog?" He inquired.

"He watches the news, yeah. That and a few other things. I'm not necessarily 'in the know' with the big man, know what I mean? I just do a few odd jobs that I isn't sayin' shit about."

"Didn't ask you to." He hesitated, knowing that the sacrifice of busting this piece of trash was far outweighed by the information he could provide. "So what do you know about this freak?"

The biker chuckled. "He's one sick fuck, is all I know. And he doesn't work for the boss anymore."

"Not a friggin' clue nowadays. He used to rent a warehouse down at the docks. Said he 'liked the space'."

"All I know." He smiled sarcastically. "Cross my heart. Always happy to help a man of the law."

"Thanks." He said taking a long drink and finishing off his Long Island Iced Tea. He turned for the door.

"Hey..." the biker called to him. He turned back around. "Catch this fucker, ok?"

They had spent over two hours explaining to the police, their version of what had happened. Basically it was a 'Hey we don't know anything. We were just driving along and this fucking car came sailing down at us.' kinda deal. Then they had checked in with the gang.

She was just happy that none of the cops had asked for her ID. First, she didn't have one. Second, if she did and they ran a check on her, it would be an automatic trip back to prison.

Thankfully, they were all ok. Well Buffy's car was pretty smashed up, but at least none of them were hurt. At least Willow still had a car that was usable, so they had transportation. She felt bad though. Buffy's poor car. The blonde loved that little thing, and now it was totaled.

"Me too. It was all weird psycho moody thinking that he was so close to us." Buffy was obviously still shaken. Faith moved over and sat next to her on the edge of their bed.

Buffy nodded slowly. "Part of me is sorry that we ever got into this thing." She pressed her head against the younger Slayer and wept lightly.

My poor detective friend is so clueless. He believes everything I tell him. I bet he would stick his head in a fire, if I told him that he could see hell.

Rupert, on the other hand. He seems to be right on the ball. He's almost a step ahead giving what few clues I've given. So I'm here in the parking lot of the motel that he's staying at again. Just watching.

It wasn't hard to steal another car. Hell, car jacking was one of the first things I learned in my little stint in organized crime. I got another vehicle so quickly; I was here in plenty of time to see the girls come home from their little excursion of giving their statements to the police.

Faith awoke slowly, feeling the weight of her lover's body pressed over her. The initial adrenaline rush of the traumatic experience they had experienced had lapsed and they had both succumbed to the natural body reaction of sleep.

She didn't know what time it was; only that it was still dark and way to early to be awake and functional. But here she was, feeling Buffy's intermittent breath against her t shirt covered breast.

She angled her position just a bit and pulled the blonde closer, just drinking in the presence and feel of her sleeping companion and staring down at her blonde head. Faith had never been one for the long time relationship thing, but with this little shit her feelings had always been different.

Get some, get gone. That was gone. She held the culmination of 5 years of wanting and never believing she could have. She just hoped that her own stupid brain wouldn't wake up one day and say, that she was tired of it and move on to something else. Right now that was the most impossible event on earth, but she knew and feared her natural impulses.

After a while Buffy stirred a little, staring groggily up at Faith. "Hey you..."

"You better not. I need my snuggles." She cuddled back against her lover and nuzzled at her collarbone. Faith responded by wrapping her arms tighter around her girl. She leaned down lightly, placing a kiss on the blonde's forehead, the tip of her nose, then finally her lips.

"Mmmm..." The blonde moaned into the kiss, feeling a familiar heat trickling down to her center. "Faith don't start. I'm tired."

"Don't start or what?" Only the streaming light of the cracked bathroom door illuminated her face, but Buffy could clearly see a not so innocent grin on Faith's face. Just looking at her with that sexy grin made the heat grow even more.

"Or... you'll have to finish." She leaned up to kiss Faith again, this time with more passion and fervor than before. Knowing that each night may be your last night on earth brought out a passion in every Slayer. Passion to grow, to experience.

Their embrace became a dance of exploration. "Thought you were tired." Faith pulled back.

"You made me un-tired. So you need to tire me out again." She pressed herself back on top of her girl, slipping her hands under Faith's shirt and guiding it up and off. Sliding her hands down Faith's body to cup her breasts, she strangely found herself stopped abruptly.

Faith gripped her wrists, guiding them down to her own sides. She had promised herself that she would give Buffy a spanking earlier, and the mischievous side of her nature wanted to see just how far she could go Dome on the older girl.

"You're fine." She assured the blonde Slayer "Just want you to know who's in charge here. You know what I like by now."

Buffy grinned and moved her body up over her lover's, Faith planting nibbles and kisses as she went. Finally she was kneeling just above Faith's grinning face.

"Good. Just so you know." Then the blonde was met with a hard swat on her ass. She tried to lurch forward but was held firmly in place.

"Don't ask!" The brunette replied sharply. "Just feel." She sank her tongue deeply into her lover, simultaneously delivering another hard smack to the other cheek. Buffy's body spas med at the odd mixture of pleasure and pain that flooded through her. She found herself strangely aroused, feeling Faith's hands on her in any way as she was worked with the finely skilled tongue.

"Oh Faith... Oh God!" She screamed as her arousal began to reach its peak. Her juice flooded into Faith's mouth as she licked and sucked at the blonde's clit.

She continued her gentle assault on Buffy's little ass, as the blonde grunted and ground her hips against the dark Slayer's face. Finally, Faith was met with a warm gush and long scream as Buffy went over the edge when she finally centered on the blonde's clit.

"Oh Faith... Oh Faaaaiiithy" The blonde gasped still kneeling over her lover's face, her weight supported by one arm as she caught her breath. She looked back over one shoulder, then the other. Her ass was beet red. "Faith... that was..."

"Shah..." The brunette silenced her, from her prone position, and Buffy stopped. "This is lesson two. Watch but don't touch."

She summarily flipped Buffy onto her back, finally gaining her position of straddling the blonde's waist. "Will you be a good girl?"

Buffy wasn't quite sure what to make of this. This was a side of Faith that she had never seen, but it was still a turn on. The blonde nodded her head. "Uh huh."

Buffy nodded and used all of her willpower to lie there and resist the overwhelming urge to reach up and caress Faith's lovely body. The brunette continued to straddle Buffy's waist as her hand snaked down to her own soaked sex. She began to rub along her slit, moaning as she gained the lubrication that she needed then slaking up to her clit.

She rubbed back and forth, slowly at first and then slowly increasing in pace and rhythm. Buffy lay beneath her, beginning to grow wet again at the sight of Faith pleasuring herself. The brunette's head was thrown back, her eyes closed. Occasionally leaning down to grab a quick kiss as she worked at her center.

"Oh Fuck... Oh fuck!!" she groaned, feeling herself getting close. Buffy could literally feel her lover dripping on her stomach as she strummed herself. Buffy drank in the sight of Faith in the throws of passion. The beautiful breasts... the taught little tummy... the incredible face she made when she hit just the right spot.

The blonde gasped as Faith grabbed her head with her free hand, looking right into her eyes as she came. Then Faith collapsed on her lover, gasping for breath. Buffy lay for a while, content with Faith's body against hers before she finally spoke.

She moved her arms up around her lover, holding her close. "God Faith. That was intense!"

The brunette raised her head. "Yeah, wasn't it? I didn't think you'd let me take you that far."

Faith leaned down for a kiss. "Just wanted to see how far you were willing to go for me. You're my girl."

"I could go for that. A soda maybe? Lots ice." Faith rolled off of her and settled back against her pillow, watching as Buffy retrieved her clothing and got dressed.

"Don't be gone long, ok?" Faith said, watching the blonde approach the motel door.

Buffy ran back to the bed, pouncing on her girl and giving her a long kiss. "I won't. Back in a jiff."

Buffy exited the motel room, closing the door behind her. Walking down the long hall to the soda and ice machines, drawing change from her jeans pocket to get both her and Faith something to drink.

Passing her was a gentleman with closely cropped brown hair. "Excuse me?" He said.

She thought for a second. "Umm, sure. Keep going that way and it'll be on your left."

"No probe" She turned continuing to walk toward the soda machine when she felt herself grabbed from behind. Reflexively, she began to spin only to find her face covered with a coarse material.

Normally she would have had the strength to fight, but the initial inhalation had shaken her head and equilibrium. She pushed and struggled, even holding her breath until finally the need for oxygen gave way and she took the second breath. By that time she was unconscious.

I admit that this time, I may have let my own impetuousness get the better of me. But when I saw my opportunity I had to take it.

I've had enough of the games, enough of the cat and mouse. This is bigger than the police. Bigger than some stupid game of chess. This is destiny. It's time to end this game, one way or another.

Looking down at the still sleeping blonde that's tied to one of my chairs, I smile. And here I thought they were sisters. But when I took a closer approach to their motel room and heard the muffled moans and cries, I knew that the blonde was just what I needed to draw the champion to me.

"Who can resist the cry of a lover in peril?" I ask her as I pace back and forth in front of her, not really expecting an answer. She is unconscious after all. She's still clothed, of course. Just tied to a wooden chair, with a small strip of duct tape over her mouth. My interest in her is only as bait.

Damn if that little blonde didn't amaze her even more every day. She sat back against the headboard, closing her eyes and letting her mind drift. She was still rolling on the afterglow of, if she said so herself, was some pretty amazing sex.

Finally, she finished her smoke and stumped it out in the ashtray next to her bed. She looked over at the small alarm clock that sat next to the ashtray, casually. Damn, Faith thought. B's been gone a while, just to get some sodas. 15 minutes.

Perhaps she had borrowed Willow's car to go to the corner store to get some snacks too. That would be nice.

When 15 minutes turned into 30, Faith got up and slipped on her jeans and black tank top. She headed for the door, locking it behind her and strolled down the hallway that led to the snack machine. She didn't find any trace of Buffy. Then she walked to the pay phone, finding nothing there either.

Faith had seen Willow's car still in the parking lot, so Buffy should still be somewhere around. Perhaps she had checked in on her little sister.

She knocked on Dawn's door. After a while the young brunette finally answered. "Is B over here?" Faith asked.

One by one, she had roused the whole gang. No one had seen Buffy and she had been gone for over an hour. Finally, they all went and knocked on Giles' door. He answered, wearing the most ridiculous pair of pajamas that any one of them had ever seen.

Giles could see the concern in the young girl's face and welcomed the whole gang in, turning on the light. "Could someone explain this for me? Buffy's missing?"

"Yeah." Faith paced back and forth across the room. "We were talking and... stuff. Then she said she was gonna get us some sodas. So I waited, and she never came back."

"Well..." Kennedy offered up "Do you think she ran across some vampires? I mean it's possible."

Just then, Giles' phone rang. His head snapped to the phone, surprised because no one ever called him. And only the police knew this number, supposedly. His heart sank as he walked to the phone, a frightening realization washing over him. Slowly he picked it up.

"You bastard!" he said, feeling the adrenaline rise in himself. "What do you want from me?"

"I want nothing from you, Rupert. Calm down. I have no interest in young Buffy. I only want the brunette."

"Ooh. She has a name too. I'd like, very much, to meet her. Just her. Any police, and little Buffy dies in her sleep."

Giles straightened. "Alright. Where?" Giles grabbed a small pad of Post-It notes and scribbled the warehouse number that the killer gave him.

"Oh and Rupert... make sure she's alone." An audible click signaled the end of their connection.

He turned to the rest of the group. "Alright, we need too..." He stopped abruptly.

Faith and the small piece of paper he had scribbled the warehouse number on, were gone.

"Kinda." The urgency was hard in his voice as he approached his cubicle and booted up his computer. After that he accessed the city's public record system. He searched through the filings of all the dock-side warehouses, and found only one that was registered to a private individual instead of a company or subsidiary.

"Wake wakey..." Buffy heard the voice inside her head, echoing back and forth as her eyes opened. Her vision was fuzzy and her hearing muddled. Slowly her vision cleared slightly and she opened her eyes fully. She tried to speak but found that her lips wouldn't work. She didn't know yet what was prohibiting her from making any more than senseless mumbles.

"Hello Buffy." He said. Her heart began to beat quickly and she struggled against her bonds. However, her strength wasn't quite what it should be, and her equilibrium was off. She couldn't break free.

"Calm yourself please." She heard the fuzzy figure's voice say. "I won't harm you. As a man of my word, you can trust me on that. You're girlfriend will be here soon."

Faith? What does she have to do with... , Buffy's lazy thoughts strummed through her head.

"You see... This is what I've been working for." He paced back and forth before her. "The final showdown. Who is going to win, in this generation."

Buffy had no idea what he was talking about. She felt as if she was incredibly drunk, and knew from experience that it would be quite awhile before those affects wore off. Her heart beat a bit slower, now that she was actually having a 'conversation' with the psycho.

He paced back and forth in front of her, clenching his fists over and over again. He wore black pants, and his upper body was totally exposed revealing a tightly trimmed musculature that was covered with the same ritualistic scars that were present on the bodies of every victim that had been found.

"You see... Life has a way of drawing you to the place that it wants you to be. To your ultimate battleground." He continued to pace back and forth. "Your own choice... is whether or not you choose to fight or run away."

He rushed forward grabbing Buffy by the hair. "You're girlfriend and I? We're gonna have a hell of a fight."

The killer stood slowly, turning around to face the voice. "Detective... I'm impressed. I must admit that I wonder how you found me here."

"Asked a few questions. Then did a search on the web. This is the only warehouse licensed to a private individual." The detective smiled as he advanced, his gun drawn and pointed at the killer. "Mr. Jason Hendricks, if I presume? Seems that now I know your name?"

"One of them." Jason held his arms out to each side. "It must be easy for you... Standing there with your weapon of mass destruction. It's easy to be tough while standing behind your momma's skirt."

The killer was clearly challenging the detective's manhood. Detective Holland thought a moment, then stood straight and ejected the clip from his 9mm.

"Is that what's bothering you, Jason? My gun?" he threw both the gun and clip aside, then took a cocky stance. "Know what Jason? Underneath all your spiritual rhetoric, you are nothing more than a bully. You pick on those that are weaker than you. Then you run..."

"Hey!!" The killer cut him off. "If that's true, how about I beat the shit out of you?"

Jason rushed the detective, meeting a fist to the face followed by a right cross. The detective moved in for a right cross that was blocked and followed with a kick to the ribs. Then another.

The detective doubled over and the killer moved to his side, grabbing him by the hair and pulling his face up to meet his own. "First you bleed, detective. Then you die." Then he was met with a hard knee to the face that dropped him to his knees.

There were hands around his throat, squeezing tightly and cutting off his air supply. He struggled, swatting against the arms that held him. Eventually weakening from lack of oxygen, his arms fell to his sides limply. He vaguely saw the killer's face lean into his own.

He stood, catching his breath. Well, he thought. That was a good warm up. He looked down at the dead body at his feet, then at his captive blonde who was still struggling to get out of the bonds.

"Don't worry sweetie. You're girl will be here so..." He stopped abruptly, feeling the touch of sharp steel against his back. Slowly he turned, keeping the contact of the knife against him. It cut a sharp line all the way around his body, until it reached the center of his chest.

Faith held her knife against his bleeding flesh. "You know, I'm trying really hard with this 'not killing humans' thing. But for you, I think I'll make an exception."

He stood, blood running down his back, arm and chest. Defiantly staring Faith in the eye, he grinned.

"Gut you like a fuckin' fish for touching' my girl." Faith said, rage burning in her eyes. He held his gaze steady and confident, not wavering a bit.

Then he slapped forward with both hands, one catching Faith at the inside of her wrist and the other on the back of her hand. The move sent the knife flying from her hand and spiraling across the room until it landed, clattering on the concrete floor.

Faith looked down at her empty hand and immediately struck out, hitting him with her right fist. Right again, left, and then she kicked him in the stomach. He went sailing through the air, his weight shifting, and he landed squarely on his face.

Faith stood her ground, looking over to make sure Buffy was ok. The blonde was groggy but regaining her consciousness.

He picked himself up from the floor, shaking his head a little to jar away the spiders. "Oh I knew you'd be a challenge." He rushed at Faith, tackling her square in the stomach. They both fell and rolled to the ground, rolling around. Each tried to gain an upper hand on the other.

Faith struggled to regain her breath after having the wind knocked out of her from the shoulder to the gut. She pushed away, using her training to finally gain some leverage and they both scrambled to their feet again.

"Round 2, you son of a bitch." She said before kicking at the inner thigh of his front leg, sending him down to one knee. He responded by upper cutting her in the jaw, putting her on her back and vulnerable to further attack.

Buffy shook her head again, finally gaining her bearings. She looked around, gauging her surroundings. She saw Faith fighting and her adrenaline rose.

The blonde struggled to get free of the ropes that held her, feeling her strength return. She pulled with all her might at the ropes, feeling each individual fiber break in turn until her hands burst from the bonds. She immediately struggled with the bonds that held her legs to each chair leg.

Finally she stood, ripping the duct tape from her face and advancing on the man who had just send her girl sailing to the ground.

"Hey." She said, making him turn around. He was completely surprised. "You forgot me." She front kicked him square in the jaw. He careened back, trying to regain his footing. It gave Faith the time she needed to gain her senses as well.

The two Slayers stood, back to back, in fighting stance. Buffy looked over her shoulder. "Let's kick his ass."

The two of them threw punches and kicks at him until he was hunched on the ground, doing his best to block what few strikes they continued to throw.

One Slayer, he would have perhaps been able to contend with. With the two of them, there was no chance. He was having the living shit beat out of him.

They stopped, slowly turning around. There were three dark figures facing them. The outer two wielded shotguns. The middle figure had no weapon, at least not in his hands.

"Step back ladies." The middle figure said, all of them still masked by shadow. They did so, in turn. Neither was sure what to make of this. The backed away, both holding their hands up and at the same time formulating a battle plan in case they needed to fight their way out of this.

"Step behind us." The middle figure spoke again. The girls reciprocated, stepping behind the three gunmen. The middle figure stepped forward in front of the bleeding man.

Buffy and Faith just looked on, as the kneeling and bloody figure moved to his knees.

"The boss sends his regards." The middle figure said, looking down at him. Then he laughed. The killer laughed.

"I knew it... I knew he still cared." He said, raising his bloody face to the three gun men.

"Yeah. He still cares." The middle figure said, quickly drawing a silenced pistol from his waist and firing it in one smooth motion.

Both girls winced as they watched the serial killer's brains splattered against the far wall. His body slumped to the ground with a grotesque thud.

After the two girls had gotten over the initial shock, the middle figure turned to them.

"You girls have nothing to do with this. We have ways of making this disappear." His voice was flat, void of emotion. They both backed away and walked out of the warehouse.

"B... I was so worried about you." An unusual tear fell down the brunette's cheek. They turned to face each other, Buffy rubbing the tear from Faith's face.

"God I love you." Buffy grinned and winked before bringing her girl into a long embrace. Finally, when she let go, she looked at her girl. "Let's go find some nice and ordinary demons ok?"

"You got yourself a deal, girlfriend." Faith said, kissing her again. "Let's go get the gang."

Neither of them knew where they would go next. But wherever they'd be, they'd be together.

"Let's go check in, and get the fuck outta here." Faith kissed her girlfriend deeply.

"I've never been much for religion... But if there is a God... I'll thank him for every day that I wake up with you." The brunette turned and walked back to the hotel, trying to hide the tears in her eyes.

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Lady Killer

by Jaho

Copyright © November 2003

cpeace1@tampabay.rr.com