Faith sat in the corner, sword in hand. She’d staked the guards of the construction office. All she had to do was wait for him. Then this would be over. She could maybe feel some freedom to move on. The second hand on the clock moved sluggishly. It was the longest night of her life.
Faith awoke at the sound of a car outside. She moved behind the cardboard boxes. If he sat at the desk, he’d have his back to her. She didn’t much like the idea of literally stabbing a man in his back. But if she had to face him, she knew she wouldn’t be able to do it.
He entered and walked to the desk and positioned the pens just so. He sat and hit the power button on the computer. He hardly seemed a maniacal super villain. He was just some guy coming to work in the morning. Faith stepped out from behind the boxes and approached him.
“So this is it?” he asked in a quiet voice.
Faith froze. So did her blood. “How long have you known I was here?” she asked in a calm voice, cocking the sword.
“Since three a.m. when security called to say the guards hadn’t checked in,” Richard turned to face Faith. “I told them I’d deal with it. So here I am. More vulnerable than Professor Worth, if that’s possible.”
“If you want to talk your way out of this, mentioning Professor Worth isn’t the way you want to go.”
“I let you live. I could have called down enough security on this office that even you wouldn’t have been able to escape. I even fixed your police record.”
Richard leaned closer. “Please,” he whispered in a voice with more desperation than she’d ever imagined he was capable. “I made it so you won’t have to run anymore, Faith. I’m not asking you for the same. I’m not asking you to let me off the hook. All I ask is . . . Let me run.”
Faith eyed him suspiciously. “If you leave, you never come back.”
Richard nodded sadly. “I know a place.”
“If I ever get word you’re alive,” Faith started, shaking her head. “I have to do something about that. You understand that, right?”
Richard nodded. “I do.”
**
Faith was over six months and thirty miles from that trailer in the new city of Faith, California. Now, Richard stood before her. He looked younger, yet somehow more tired. He wore an expensive suit. His hair was fuller, his face and body thinner. But he was pale with black bags under his eyes. Faith had let him run. And it had run him down. No wonder he came back.
Faith jumped forward and grabbed Dawn, stopping her before she could attack Richard. Graham was still struggling to recognize the face. Connor had dropped the towel and run down the stairs to see what was disturbing Dawn. Lorne also seemed curious, but didn’t move. Gretchen was asking Xander and Spike was asking Faith the same question. “What’s going on?”
“Faith?” Billy chimed in.
“Mayor Wilkins,” Dawn said, pointing to Richard. “That’s him.”
Graham drew his gun and Connor started to charge. Faith dropped Dawn and stepped in Connor’s way.
“Forget it, kid,” Faith said, blocking the boy’s path.
“He tried to kill Dawn!”
“That’s not exactly true,” Richard said. “I only wanted her blood.”
“My blood?” Dawn said. “You were never after my blood. The only people who wanted my blood were Glory and . . .” Dawn’s teeth gritted and she turned to Faith. “You bitch. You said you killed the Risen One.”
“I said he wouldn’t be a problem,” Faith answered, knowing full well that, for the second time, she had betrayed her friends to Mayor Wilkins.
By now Graham Miller had drawn his pistol and was aiming it at Wilkins.
Richard slowly raised his hands. “I came in willingly,” he said calmly. “I am turning myself over to the Watcher’s Council’s custody.”
“Until when?” Dawn shouted. “You expect us to trust you after all the times you tried to kill us?”
“As I said,” Richard grinned. “I never tried to kill you. Not really.”
Dawn grew slightly pale and Spike stepped defensively in front of her.
“Oh, come off it,” Faith yelled, finally speaking up at the worst possible moment. “You tried to kill her and Buffy dozens of times in Sunnydale.”
“Buffy, yes,” Richard said, grinning slightly. “But never Dawn.”
“How does he know?” Dawn whispered. Spike gripped her protectively.
“Know what?” Connor whispered, looking at Dawn.
Richard slowly lowered his hands and stepped further into the lobby.
“Don’t come any closer,” Graham yelled, brandishing his pistol.
Richard raised his hands again. He was grinning smugly at Dawn.
“He’s dangerous,” Xander said. “We should isolate him.”
“Eve’s still in the cell downstairs,” Spike said. “We don’t want those two cavorting.”
“So Spike is in on it,” Richard said, still looking at Dawn.
“You know me, mate?” Spike asked in an annoyed tone.
“And Xander,” Richard continued. Now his eyes moved across the room. “But no one else.”
“What’s he talking about?” Faith asked.
“Nothing,” Spike said. “He’s evil. He’s lying. He’s trying to distract us.” He looked at Graham. “Xander’s right. This guy’s dangerous.” He turned again and glared at the mayor. “I think we should kill him.”
“No!” Faith shouted, stepping out in front of the mayor.
“Faith, you already have enough explaining to do,” Xander said in an intense voice. “Please don’t do anything stupid.”
Spike, too, had a severe expression. “Faith, this is bigger than . . . just get out of the way.”
“He gave us info,” Faith said. “He was my source.”
Graham tried to keep his pistol trained on Richard, but Faith kept moving to block him. Richard put his arms on Faith’s shoulders and slowly eased her out of his way.
“So far as Faith is concerned,” Richard said, raising his hands again. “I tricked her back in Sunnydale. I did a spell to confuse her. Make her think I was dead.”
Faith looked down and bit her lip. She wasn’t sure she was happy telling more lies to people she wanted to trust her.
“She may have suspected it was me calling with information,” Richard continued. “But I never identified myself.”
“What do you want?” Spike barked.
“To help you,” Richard said. “Right-”
“Help us?” Xander cut him off. “You expect us to believe you’re trying to help us?”
“Right now,” Richard pressed on. “The Markovic brothers are planning an assault-”
“Were planning,” Connor interrupted in an impudent voice. “I took care of it.”
“That’s good,” Richard said. “But whatever you did, they’ll have a back up plan.”
“How do you know this?” Dawn asked.
“I have a contact from my dealing with them,” Richard answered, beginning to lower his hands.
“Keep them up!” Graham yelled. Richard obliged by raising his hands again.
“Who?” Dawn pressed him.
“You expect me to tell you?” Richard said.
Dawn nodded. “If you expect to live, I expect you to tell me.” Silence passed for a moment. Dawn turned to Graham. “Shoot him.”
“Wait!” Faith yelled. She turned and glared at Richard. “Tell them. If not for yourself, then . . . then for me.”
The phone rang. Everyone jumped as if preparing to fight. For an instant, Graham applied pressure to the trigger, preparing to fire. Gretchen quickly answered the phone.
“My contact is a man named Pierre Jeunet. He’s a French arms dealer. Human. I don’t know the source of his information on the Markovic brothers.”
“And Wolfram & Hart?” Dawn said. “Who was your contact there?”
“Dawn,” Gretchen said, lowering the phone.
“A man named Hennessy,” Wilkins answered. “He died when the Markovics bombed Wolfram & Hart’s L.A. headquarters.”
“Dawn,” Gretchen repeated. Dawn looked at her. “The Markovics hit Chicago. Willow and Kennedy are missing. They . . . they might be dead.”
Dawn closed her eyes, squeezing them tightly to push back the tears. Then, she opened her eyes and looked back to the others.
“Xander,” Dawn said. “Send Giles a report about what just happened here. Lorne, move Eve into a room on the second floor and tie her up. Tightly. Spike, move the mayor to the cell downstairs.”
“Dawn, I don’t think this is a good idea,” Xander said. “The cell downstairs isn’t secure enough for the likes of him.”
“It’s what we’re doing,” she answered.
“No,” Xander said. “It’s not. Graham’s taking Richard back to London.”
“This is my town,” Dawn said.
“But I have seniority,” Xander shot back.
“Spike,” Dawn said, turning to the vampire. “Who would you rather have in charge; me or Xander?”
“You even have to ask?”
Dawn looked behind her. “Connor?”
“You,” he answered immediately.
“Faith?”
Faith nodded. “You.”
“I’d rather Xander be in charge,” Gretchen said.
“And he does outrank you,” Graham added.
Dawn looked from Graham to Gretchen to Xander. “You three don’t count. Lorne, tie up Eve. Connor, stand guard on her. Spike, you and I are taking the mayor downstairs to get more information.”
“And me?” Faith asked.
Dawn looked at her appraisingly. “You’re suspended until we figure out what the hell you were thinking. Go upstairs.” Dawn frowned, not liking her own tone with the slayer. “Is that okay?” she added nervously.
Faith shrugged. “Sounds fair.”
***
“You call your parents?” Faith asked as Billy came into the room.
“Um . . .yeah,” Billy said, looking away. “Wanted to let them know everything was alright.”
“Good,” Faith said, sauntering toward him. She put her hand behind his neck and pulled him forward. “I need you to take my mind off of some things.”
The instant Faith’s lips touched his, her tongue shot into his mouth. Instantly disappointed with the lack of satisfaction this gave her, she broke the kiss, grabbed his shirt collar, and pulled him back with her toward the bed.
Billy smiled as he stumbled forward, trying to keep up with Faith. Grinning, he began to unbuckle his pants.
“Hey,” she said, grabbing his arm. “Why are you doing that? Did I tell you to do that?”
“Get on your knees,” Faith said as she gripped Billy’s shoulder tightly and pushed down. Billy hit the floor hard under the pressure from Faith’s hand. He actually had to adjust his position to get on his knees. Faith slowly sat back onto the bed.
“Stick out your tongue as far as you can,” she said. Billy complied, now fairly certain he knew where this is going. “Now move it as fast as you can.” Again, Billy did as Faith said. Faith grinned as she slowly unbuttoned her jeans.
“Yeah, that’ll do.” Faith slowly unzipped her pants. She raised her hips just long enough to pull down her jeans and underwear. Then, she gripped Billy’s hair and pulled his face forward.
“Ohhhh,” she moaned quietly as she bucked her hips against his face. “Oh, yeah. Do that again, that thing with . . . ahhh, yeah.” Faith wanted to lie back, but enjoyed the control she had in being able to grind her hips into Billy’s mouth. Finally, Faith breathed heavily and came. She lay back onto the bed, feeling somewhat relaxed.
Still lying on her back, Faith pulled her pants and underwear up. “Thanks. That was great. But you should probably go now.”
“What?” Billy said, still kneeling in front of the bed. “I thought you’d-”
Without looking up, Faith raised a foot and put it against Billy’s chest. “Then I guess you finally know how it feels to be used.” Faith gently pushed Billy backward with her foot. “Now get the fuck out of my room.”
****
“I’m not talking to you two,” Richard said insistently.
“Well then I’ll get me a pair of pliers, a lighter, and a can of hairspray and see if I can fix that,” Spike smiled, actually looking forward to the prospect.
“Bringing Faith down to talk to me would be an easier way to go about things,” Richard answered.
“Easier for you. For me, pliers and makeshift blow torches are like a day at Disneyland without a bunch of screaming kids and exorbitantly priced funnel cake.”
“Fair enough,” Richard said. “Perhaps I should have said bringing Faith down will be quicker.”
“But, as previously mentioned, much less fun.”
“Spike, just go get her,” Dawn said. “Send Connor down too.”
“Fine. Just promise me five minutes with him and a pair of pliers afterward.”
Dawn rolled her eyes, to show she wasn’t in the mood.
Spike passed Connor in the lobby and told him to go down to see Dawn. Then, he went to Faith’s room and told her Richard wanted to see her. Faith wasn’t looking forward to facing the man who literally personified her personal demons.
“You didn’t leave Dawn alone with him, did you?” Faith asked as they headed down the stairs.
“Connor’s with her.”
“Not much better. They’re probably on the basement floor, having sex again.”
“What are you babbling about?”
Faith laughed. “Come on Spike, don’t say you didn’t notice.”
“Notice what?”
“They had both just showered before Graham arrived.”
“They just got done patrolling and fighting evil. It’s dirty, smelly work.”
“And they were acting strange. Like they were nervous, but they wanted to be close together, but not too close. They totally-”
“That’s enough” Spike shouted. “Just because you’re easy doesn’t mean Dawn’s that way. She is pure and virginal and will remain so until her wedding day and possibly for some time after as well. And if she were going to . . . do that, it certainly wouldn’t be with Angel’s skinny, moody, hair down to his jaw line in desperate need of a haircut Nancy-boy son!”
Faith tried unsuccessfully to mask a knowing grin. “You know what, Spike? You’re right. Don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Good.” Spike clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. “I’m going to kick that little fucker’s ass.”
“Why? I thought he and Dawn didn’t-”
“They didn’t! But I’m going to kick his ass anyway.” Spike looked around. “By the way, where did your high school sweetheart go? Leave you again, did he?”
“So you don’t want to be with me, but you still want to be jealous? Usually it’s the other way around, isn’t it? I sent him home. Not that it’s any of your business.”
Spike and Faith stepped into the basement. Faith looked through the bars into the cell where the mayor sat on a bench. Faith couldn’t help but feel that it was Richard who had them where he wanted, rather than them having him.
“Hello, Faith,” Richard said.
“So, I’m here now. You said you wanted to help. So help. What do you know about Chicago?”
“Only what I overheard Gretchen say. I didn’t realize the Markovics were after other cells of the Watcher’s Council. But if you give me a cell phone, I could call Pierre-”
“Absolutely not,” Dawn interjected.
Richard stood up and walked to the bars. “Faith,” he said in a despondent voice. “Faith, I did this for you. All for you.”
“So you killed those three babies for me?” Faith said. “Thanks, but some candy and a card would’ve been more my scene.”
“I did that so I could be corporeal again. But an ascension isn’t possible. I’m human now. And even if I weren’t, I would refuse it all. Other than my darling wife, my Edna Mae, you are the only person I have ever loved. You are the only thing on this earth that gives my life meaning. Love me back, Faith. Or don’t. But whatever you choose, I am yours.”
Faith choked back tears and turned away. “I don’t know what to think.”
“We can’t trust him,” Dawn insisted.
“Yes we can,” Spike said solemnly. “Give him a phone. Give him whatever he wants. He’s telling the truth.” Spike walked to the stairs and headed up to the lobby.
Dawn frowned, then nodded silently. If anyone knew the devotion an evil creature could have for a slayer, it was Spike. She handed her phone through the bars to Richard. “Make the call. You two watch him.” Dawn turned and followed Spike up the stairs.
“Faith,” Richard said quietly. “I need to talk to you.”
Connor straightened up and eyed Richard suspiciously. Faith glanced back at Connor, unsure what to do. She stepped forward and leaned toward Richard.
“There’s something I have to tell you about Dawn,” Richard said. “She, Xander, and Spike seem to be the only ones who know. I didn’t want to betray her secret, but it’s important you know. When we were in Sunnydale seven years ago, Dawn did not exist.”
“What’re you talking about?” Faith whispered.
Connor paid careful attention to look in a different direction. But Faith knew he could hear the entire conversation.
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