Scorpion Veil

by LilBit

Copyright © 2007

Epallen@tampabay.rr.com

Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: All the characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer are the property of Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy, Inc.
Distribution: The Mystic Muse http://mysticmuse.net.
Feedback: Of course. Please!
Spoilers: Post-Chosen.
Author's Notes: This is the eighth story in the series.  The other stories, in order, are: The Sacrifice, Alterations with Time, Parallel, Life Changes Everything, Stones in the Road, Misdirection, and The Devil on My Shoulder.
Pairing: Willow/Kennedy

A scorpion and a frog meet on the bank of a stream. The scorpion asks the frog to carry him across on its back. The frog asks, "How do I know you won't sting me?" The scorpion says, "Because if I do, I will die too." The frog is satisfied, and they set out. In midstream, the scorpion stings the frog. The frog feels the onset of paralysis and starts to sink, knowing they both will drown. The frog has just enough time to gasp "Why?" Replies the scorpion, "…It's my nature."

– Fable

"Here you go Lucy…This blanket will warm you right up." The teenage girl lifted the horse blanket over her favorite mare. It was colder than usual that January night on the farm, much colder. It hadn't been that freezing or snowy that early in the month in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for over twenty-five years. It was the severe temperature that brought the girl to her horse.

Elsie Horrock, though only sixteen, had a keen sense about animals. She'd noticed that Lucy had been acting different while out in the pasture that day. No one else noticed, not her father or two brothers; but Elsie did. That night, after making dinner for the others, she politely asked her father if she could go to the barn and wrap the horse in a blanket for the night. "It's too cold, Papa. I know Lucy'll get the sickness if I don't."

Her father hesitated at first but then gave in. "Be quick about it…Make sure you bring the big lantern. It's dark as molasses out there."

The girl kissed her father and went to her room to put on her high leather boots, bonnet and heavy cotton jacket. She tightly fastened each hook and eye of her outer clothing. The black, unadorned jacket was one of the fixtures for the Mennonite girl, that and the white bonnet. Once ready, Elsie took one of the kerosene lanterns from the kitchen and ran to the barn.

Elsie Horrock lived the life of the "Plain People" who inhabited the Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Her family had lived on the same farm for over two hundred years. It was located in the heart of Lancaster, the 'seat' as it were of the Amish and Mennonite communities. The Pennsylvania Dutch region in south-central Pennsylvania, then and now, is a glorious part of the great land of the United States of America. It was brush stroked by God with breathtaking rolling farmland. Its inhabitants' existence is mostly known to the rest of the world through documentaries of those 'quaint' pacifists. This 'way of life' was the back drop for the Harrison Ford thriller "Witness." But the area is more than a postcard representation. The Pennsylvania Dutch, which include the Old Order Mennonites, are the common bonding element in the rural areas around the cities of Lancaster, York, and Harrisburg. The Plain People, as they are called, extend northeast to the Lehigh Valley and up the Susquehanna River valley.

In these communities, life moves at a slower pace and centers around time-honored conservative traditions and values. The landscape is dotted with one-room schoolhouses, wooden covered bridges and farm machinery being pulled behind four-and six-mule teams. These are the people of homespun clothing and handmade quilts that gently blow in the breeze on a clothesline regardless of the time of year. The loudest noise to disturb the serene quality of life is the clip-clop of horses' hooves echoing down quiet country roads.

These simple and graceful people trace their heritage back hundreds of years. And yet, despite all the time that has passed and the many changes that have taken place in world around them, they still live and work much as their forefathers did. Their families and their farms are their top priorities, second only to God.

The Old Order Mennonites, of which Elsie's family belonged, are very devout in their faith. They believe in the literal interpretation and application of Scripture as the Word of God. They take seriously the Biblical commands to separate themselves from the things of the world. They believe worldliness can keep them from being close to God, and can introduce influences that could be destructive to their communities and to their way of life. The Plain People lead a life of righteous austerity and seek only the pure love from God. They are a peaceful people who have never taken up arms against their neighbor, for they know all Mankind is one in the eyes of the Lord. The life they lead is testament to the true meaning of sacrifice to the will of God.

And so it was with the Horrock clan. The matriarch of the family had died when Elsie was only ten. Her father never remarried, an unusual situation for their Order. Their farm was on the western corner of the town. Far away from even the most avid sightseer. They had no electricity, no phone. They rose with the sun and bed with the rising moon. It was a simple, calm life devoted to God. Elsie embodied all that was right with that way of life. She was happy and content knowing she was loved by her family and her Lord.

Her joyfulness was evident as she tended to her mare that night. Cheerfully, "There you go…all snug as a bug. That nasty cold weather won't get to you now."

The girl finished and, stepping outside of the stall, grabbed the lantern to head back to the house. Despite her layers of clothes, she still felt the chilling draft of the cold air work its way up her long, ankle length dress. She'd been long enough in the barn and wanted to get back to the warmth of her home's big wood stove. She headed quickly to the barn door.

Elsie never heard her assailant enter the barn. She never knew she was in mortal danger until she was tackled to the ground from behind. As she forcibly hit the dirt floor face first, the lantern in her hand came loose and scuttled away from her.

The girl never made it closer to the door.

Instantly, Elsie felt the excruciating pain as her attacker began to strike repeatedly at her head and body with hard, crushing blows. It all happened so quickly that Elsie was filled with terror and surprise. She heard the bone break in her upper arm and could feel a warm liquid flow down the back of her head and along the baseline of her neck. She didn't have to see it to know it was blood.

Through all the pain and turmoil, the teenager heard the menacing grunts and growls coming from the aggressor. It sounded hideous and soon mixed with the shrill of her own screams as she tried to force her way out of the brutal attack.

Elsie's actions only caused her assailant to become even more vicious. She felt the horrendous stab of teeth sinking into her shoulder. The girl flailed her head side to side trying to see her attacker. But she saw nothing clearly, dirt and hay pollen stinging her eyes' vision. All Elsie knew was that she was being beaten…to death, of that she was sure.

In her frantic attempts to get away, the Mennonite girl saw the lantern that had flown from her grip. The glass portion had broken and the fire from the flame was now embedded in the straw and hay that spattered the barn floor. Elsie's only thought was that the fire would ignite so boldly as to catch the attention of her men folk. She prayed that they would come to her rescue thinking her harm was in the form of a barn fire.

But Elsie also knew that she wouldn't last much longer if she didn't somehow manage to free herself from the massive beating she was receiving. She heard the cries of her mare as it watched its tender keeper being traumatized. She heard it kicking against the stall trying to protect its master. A quick thought entered her mind. With all her might left, Elsie bent her legs as far to the side as she could and, with one swift move, brought them back across like the swing of a bat.

Her thrust caught her attacker on the side and disrupted his barrage just long enough for Elsie to squirm on her belly away from certain death.

But her freedom didn't last long. She heard a piercing wail and within seconds she felt something grab her by the bonnet and hair and lift her up forcibly. She was shoved against another stall half wall, bent over it like a rug draped over a porch railing. Elsie couldn't straight herself because of the pain, but the hand pushing on her back wouldn't have let her up in any event. The terrified girl was on the verge of unconsciousness.

That's when she felt the body press against her and fingers scrape at her ankles, greedily hiking up her dress.

'Oh, God, no…not that!' she screamed in her head. The sixteen year old, as virginal as she was, knew what was happening. She felt her undergarment tear from her torso. Elsie couldn't move; she had no strength left to even cry for help.

She closed her eyes and prayed to God. Then she felt the agonizing pain upon being brutally violated. The ordeal was so incomprehensible to the gentle soul that Elsie felt a burst of bright light envelope her closed but tattered mind. All the while, the guttural moans and roars from the attacker continued.

Then there was a loud noise, the crashing of the barn door against its hinges as Elsie's father and two brothers came running in with buckets of water.

They came to a dead stop upon seeing the sight before them. Wooden pails dropped form their grips and spilled to the floor, far away from the now raging fire.

"Lord save us," were the only words spoken by Elsie's father as he stared, eyes flowing with fear.

In that second, the attacker loosened the grip on the girl just enough to let Elsie lift her head slightly. She saw nothing but a copper kettle listing on the sill of the barn window in front of her. What she saw reflecting off that bucket seemed impossible.

Glowing, lifeless yellow eyes.

At that moment, Elsie knew her attacker was not of this flesh and bone world but some creature sent from the Devil himself. The 'thing' that had beaten her and taken her to the edge of death was the child of death itself.

The moments after that went in high speed. Elsie heard the charge of her father ordering his sons to get away while he tried to save his daughter. But the battle was already lost and retreat was no option.

The creature threw Elsie to the ground and lunged after the men. With two steps it was before them, beating its chest and bellowing like a ferocious bear. The creature stood there, hissing and thrusting in preparation for the kill.

It swung its head around, cringing its eyes when it looked directly at the raging fire. It almost seemed to step away from the intense glow of the rampage that was now engulfing the entire barn. It lifted one leg slightly off the ground, opposite the direction of the scared men, seemingly ready to leave the frenzy. Then its head cocked up and took a deep swirling breath of air. Just as quickly it snorted loudly, the white cold night's air shooting from its snout like a rifle. Its prey was in its grasp. Directing one last growl to the fire, it turned back to the men…and charged at them.

Elsie's father instinctively engaged the monster, shouting to his sons to save their sister. The battered girl saw nothing of the war that played itself out in those next few minutes. All she felt was the heat of the fire gaining strength and the grip of hands lifting her by the shoulders.

The next sensation Elsie had was feeling snowy coldness underneath her and on her face. She was able to move her vision just enough to see she was on the ground yards away from the barn. Struggling, she focused inside the open barn door. What she saw was the fuzzy view of the creature attacking her father as her brothers ran back in the midst of a torrent of fire.

Then all went black.

Elsie shook her head and blinked several times. Peering around quickly, she remembered she was still tending to the chickens' evening feeding. She'd been busy that day and it was much later than she usually fed them. In fact, night had fallen. That's what brought on the memory in the first place.

But Elsie knew that it wasn't just the darkness outside that got her to her state. Everyday for nearly the last eighteen years, Elsie had relived that night in her mind. The only relief time brought was the ability to recall without also dredging up all the terror or the uncontrollable sobbing.

The tortured Mennonite was found unconscious that dreadful night in the snow by several neighbors who'd seen the fire from their properties and came to help. By the time they arrived, there was no saving the barn. Upon finding Elsie, the elder man in the group sent one of the others to an Amish farm several miles away that had a phone. Despite their vow of simplicity, the man knew that the bloodied and beaten girl in the snow needed medical care, as soon as possible. God would not have wanted the dear child to perish.

It wasn't until the morning light that the community elders discovered that three burned bodies, Elsie's father and brothers, lay in the ashen ruble of the barn. All the livestock perished also, including Elsie's favorite mare.

Elsie made it through several touch and go nights, but after much intense medical care, the doctors treating her said she would live. Once she was coherent and able to talk, she was asked about the night's events.

She wasn't going to tell anyone about the creature that had beaten and raped her. Her faith made the idea of an actual supernatural beast unthinkable. And yet, she knew it was true. Elsie merely said that her lantern had fallen, starting the fire. When she was told the heart wrenching news about her family dying in the blaze, she knew they hadn't perished trying to put out the inferno, but had instead been sent to their seat next to God at the hands of the beast.

It wasn't until Elsie was prodded by a nurse about her 'violation' that she knew she would have to say something. The medical personnel knew that she had been raped. The girl decided to say that an 'outsider' had attacked her in the barn and the fire started while her father and brothers were fighting the assailant. After that, the local police searched the area for any 'unusual' characters. Nothing ever came of the search.

After a week in the hospital, Elsie was picked up by relatives who lived in Ephrata, about forty minutes northeast of Lancaster, if one drove by modern transportation. By buggy, it seemed much farther away from the only home Elsie had ever known. She lived with an older sister of her father. They were also Mennonite and owned a smaller farm. Elsie shared a house with two female and three male cousins.

Two months after Elsie entered her new home life, she realized she was pregnant. She was carrying a child from that creature. But she had also been taught that children were a blessing from God. Her faith forbid her to destroy it; it was, after all, partly of her own flesh. Given the circumstances of the conception, Elsie thought it would not 'take.' She left it in the hands of God. After another month, the teenager knew that God wanted the child to be born. There were times when Elsie thought that she must have also been touched by God that night; how else could she explain the pregnancy. Somehow, she felt God had veiled the evil of that night. She was meant to have the child. Deep down in her soul, Elsie felt the only chance the child had was to be born to her and lifted into the light of God. Jesus' love would drown out any speck of the dark in the life she was to bring into the world.

However, the sixteen year old knew she could not keep her condition to herself. Eventually, her new family would know. So, Elsie told her Aunt, who immediately took the information as meaning that her niece had become pregnant by the 'outsider.' Such was a hard fact to accept in the devout community of the Mennonites. Bringing a 'bastard' child into the world was a sin and a disgrace worthy of shunning. But Elsie's circumstances were not of her own making. She had not defied God's Word of her own volition.

So Elsie's Uncle talked to the Elders and it was decided that she would be wed to a widower so that her child would be welcomed into God's garden. It was a marriage of necessity, not of love. Johan Van Gorsen was not a mean man to Elsie, but he was many years her senior, and she never acquired any real attachment to him. The wedding was held within the month and six months later, on October 1^st, Daniel Michael Van Gorsen was born. He looked and seemed to be every part of a normal baby.

Elsie did everything in her power after her son's birth to keep him on the path to God. There was nothing about the boy to indicate that he was anything but a sweet, quiet male. All his mother's worries about his 'genesis' were, over time, lessened by the observations that he never acted in any way other than human. With each passing year, Elsie became more convinced that God had protected her that unforgettable night. But that still didn't keep Elsie from watching her son's every move and guarding him from anything not pure and godly.

The Van Gorsen's lived an austere life of hard work on the farm. They socialized only when necessary and spent much of their time praying and reading the Bible. Elsie constantly taught her child the lesson's from the Good Book. She did all she could to fill the boy with love and respect for God and his fellow Man. The death of her husband five years into their marriage didn't deter Elsie from her mission with David. The mother and son spent their time caring for the farm and each other. Elsie could not have asked for a gentler or kinder boy.

Now, tending to her chickens, Elsie wiped from her mind the thoughts of the night of her son's conception. That was almost eighteen years ago. In the years since she'd had her child, the Mennonite woman never had a doubt that she had done the right thing. It was those years since the horrible night that on which the woman tried to focus.

The fact that Elsie was late in tending to her chickens was due to the fact that Daniel had turned seventeen that day. The son and mother spent part of the day fishing, something the young man loved to do. They had stayed longer than expected at the nearby pond and were late getting back home. Elsie hurried to feed the chickens as her son brought in some firewood for the house stove.

As she stood there, in the middle of the chicken coop, Elsie reminisced about her life and her son. She was satisfied with what she'd accomplished with each, although she knew that is was only through her faith in God that it was possible. Her son was filled with the love of Jesus despite the ungodly manner in which he was brought into existence.

Hearing the door to the coop open behind her, Elsie knew it had to be her son. She didn't turn around but kept feeding the chickens.

"You done with the wood, Daniel?…That was fast. You can go to the house and clean the fish you caught. I'm just finishing up here…I'll be there in a moment."

Elsie didn't hear a response to her statement. She thought she heard heavy breathing.

Thinking her son was out of breath from running to the coop, she turned while saying at the same time, "What's got you in such a hur…"

Elsie didn't finish her sentence.

A feel of death came over her. Her heart sank from the view in front of her.

Standing by the door, huffing deeply, was her son Daniel. He looked like the loving boy she'd raised except for one detail.

His normally big brown eyes were now a lifeless, glowing yellow.

They were the exact eyes that Elsie saw in the copper kettle on that horrible, bone-chilling winter night. There was the look of Evil in those orbs.

In the moment when she saw her son's eyes, Elsie knew that all she had tried to do for the good of her child was for naught. The years of sacrifice, of living in the light of God had not led her son to the pure life. The horror conceived all those years before had just lain dormant in the soul of the boy. She knew she had failed. But then she briefly wondered, while watching the boy before her come closer, if it was even possible to save Evil.

When the creature that had once been her beloved son began to charge her, Elsie closed her eyes and brought her hands together in prayer.

"He knows not what he does…Have mercy on our souls."

Those were the last words spoken by the woman before having the life ripped from her by the hands of her only child.

Elsie Van Gorsen's body was not found for two days. By then, Daniel Van Gorsen was over the Pennsylvania state line into New York.

Though not known at the time, his destiny would cross paths with not one, but three slayers. The journey to that face-off for all of the players would be an unforgettable experience.

The bedroom was dark except for the moonlight filtering through the window by the chair. It made a path across the floor and seemed to dust the room with a soft hazy light. In the grand scheme of life's sceneries, it was but a small anecdote. And yet, the serenity created by that view was captivating to anyone who took the time to ponder its effect.

Had the witch and slayer been in tune with their surrounding, they most certainly would have seen the beauty in the night. But the couple was not so inclined.

Instead, Willow and Kennedy had more 'urgent' considerations.

With a sultry, laboring voice, "Oh, God, Willow…there…yeah…Christ…Ohhh,…"

The witch and slayer were tangled together naked under the covers in their bed. Their bodies glistened with beads of sweat from the intensity of their actions. Willow lay on top of Kennedy. Her left hand was massaging her slayer's right breast. Her other hand was on the side of Kennedy holding up the witch's weight. The redhead's legs laced with the slayer's and she was grinding against the brunette. Willow's feet pushed on the bed, back and forth, to maintain her rhythmic intensifying motion. The redhead kept a slow and steady pace at first, trying to build the slayer's desire. Then as she heard the pleas and groans of her wife, the witch quickened her tempo. She rocked faster and harder. Willow felt her slayer's hands all over her body, caressing, rubbing. She felt the quivering body beneath her.

Then suddenly, "No…st-stop." Kennedy gasped the words as she took Willow by the shoulders and pushed her back while the slayer sat up. Just as quickly, the slayer took the witch by the waist and sat her on her lap so she was straddling the slayer.

The brunette was breathing heavily, mouth open, chocolate eyes fixed on the witch. She saw the surprise in her redhead's face. She cupped her hands on the sides of Willow's head and reeled her in for a passionate, raw kiss. She could feel the witch's breasts against her own, their bodies dancing through the interrupted breaths.

The brunette drew back out of the kiss and slowly brushed her lips across the redhead's and then gently up her delicate cheek on her way to her ear. As Kennedy's lips moved so did her hand. She carefully reached for the witch's hand which had been stroking her back.

Kennedy moved Willow's hand to between the slayer's legs, while at the same time whispering, "Together…" The slayer released the alabaster hand and moved her own hand to Willow's glorious mark. As soon as she touched the redhead, Kennedy felt a quiver run through her body. When she felt Willow's fingers upon her, another surge flew through. Kennedy closed her eyes and concentrated on quelling her body's tension. She wanted to ride the wave with her wife.

Willow instantly reacted to her wife's expert touch. She fought the influx of physical sensation from the strokes of the slayer's fingers and the kissing and suckling of the woman's mouth upon her neck. The redhead flowed into the rhythm started by the brunette.

Soon both women were rubbing and caressing, with fingers and hands, in the place perfection is found and on taut, supple skin flawlessly curved. Each woman was huffing, too engrossed in the feeling to speak. Each watching the other's eyes for a sign of blissful release. On they went, making the other writhe and shiver and reach for breath.

Finally, the crescendo came. Kennedy saw it first in the redhead's expression. She saw emerald eyes lift slightly upward, felt the witch trying to hold back. She heard the moan of a climax thundering to its destiny.

In that moment, the slayer let her control go. All she felt was the motion of Willow's fingers on her, inside her. That was all it took and the slayer could feel the same sense of glory that she knew was pounding on the redhead's door.

Willow could hold back no longer.

"K…Ke…I'm…"

The brunette felt the shudder hit her witch and her own climax immediately struck with the same thundering intensity.

"Willoooow…." Kennedy cried.

The slayer clutched her free hand around the redhead's back and pulled her in. She buried her face into the witch's shoulder.

The two women trembled as the waves of their release wracked through their bodies. They grabbed onto one another, their forms masking as one in the shade of the moonlight.

They didn't move until the last spasm had drained from them both. Even then, it took several more moments before they let go of their embrace and nestled back into the comfort of their bed.

They lay there, holding each other, absorbing the utter calm and relaxed state they felt at that moment.

Willow finally shifted and nuzzled her nose against the side of the slayer's still naked breast.

"Mmm…As much as I don't like you going away…the preflight benefits are almost worth it."

Willow heard a slight chuckle from her wife.

"Believe me, I don't need a airplane trip to make me want to do that with you." Kennedy squeezed Willow tighter.

Willow lifted her head enough to see the alarm clock on the bedstand. She grimaced in the dark. "It's late. You should get some sleep."

Kennedy smiled and seductively traced her fingers over Willow's stomach. Then she eased the redhead on her back and slid on top of her.

"Or, I don't and I sleep on the way to Cleveland." The slayer moved down on the witch and took a still erect nipple in her mouth.

Willow gasped with the touch. She closed her eyes.

"Much better idea…"

"Do you have everything, baby?"

Kennedy watched her redhead rifling through her carry-on bag. The slayer was lying on the bed, hands behind her head, grinning at the motherly actions of her wife.

It was 8am following their romantic night's antics. The slayer was preparing for her trip to Cleveland.

"Do you mean do I have enough underwear and money to make a collect call? Yes, mom…Ya know, you're worse than your mother when it comes to plane trips."

Willow stopped instantly and stood up, giving her slayer a feigned grimace. "How can you dare say that? I'm nothing like my Mom. She's a spazz when it comes to getting ready for a trip." The witch remembered growing up and the commotion around the house when her mother had to go out of town.

Kennedy raised an eyebrow, looked at her bag on the bed which had both of Willow's arms elbow deep in it, and then looked at the witch.

The redhead glanced down, yanked her hands out quickly and slid both in the back pockets of her jeans.

"Err…I just wanted to make sure you had your toothbrush," the witch said trying to defend herself. Then mumbling, "I'm so not like my mother."

Kennedy sat up and scooted to the end of the bed where her bag was. She grabbed Willow by the waist and pulled her down lying on the bed next to her.

"I do have my toothbrush, and except for stuffing you in my bag, I have everything." She kissed the redhead lightly on the cheek. Then sarcastically, "And you are right. You're nothing like your mom…You have a much better ass."

Willow started to act like she was gagging while she smacked Kennedy on the arms. "Oh, that is so sick…You are a very disturbed woman, Kennedy Prescott. I can't believe you said that."

The two women laughed and enjoyed the time they had left before they had to leave for the airport.

It had been about three months since the Popradva drug episode. During the time after the witch and slayer got their relationship back to normal, they had never been happier. The couple spent long hours, after Sammie went to bed, sitting on the couch together…talking. They embraced and talked about all the things that each wanted to do in life, the things from their past that they missed doing at times. The two mothers discussed the kind of future they wanted for their daughter, the type of person they hoped she'd become. The witch and slayer also reminisced about the events that got them to where they were today. The talks were intimate, provoking and real.

The couple and daughter also had grown closer as a family. They seemed to have a greater sense of unity after the tragic events with the Professor. No day was taken for granted, and the three girls often went for picnics, to the beach or some community event. There was no shortage of fun to be had, and the Prescott/Rosenberg family had it all.

There was another change that occurred for the couple. Willow had accepted a substitute teaching position at a local private high school. She was back to teaching, something that she had always loved. Even better, she was teaching a computer class. The regular teacher had to move back suddenly to Michigan due to a sick, aging parent. The redhead taught two sections of the intermediate computer class. It was only three days a week and even then only for two hours each time, but Willow couldn't have been happier. The position allowed her to gain some sense of independence and autonomy while at the same time giving her enough free time to continue with the studies of witchcraft.

Magick, for Willow, became a new frontier again. The ability she channeled into during Kennedy's 'illness' left the redhead in awe of her potential. She never thought she could have done the supernatural stunts she did. It amazed her that she was actually able to go back into another's memory to visualize a time in the past. She knew she wasn't literally in the past; she wasn't a part of the history, just an unseen observer. Yet, that in and of itself was remarkable. For the months after her accomplishments, she studied the Han Nurrabi Chronicles, trying to decipher if that hallowed tome held any secrets to her new magickal capabilities.

The witch attempted to make her own mind travel back in time to see if she could be an eaves dropper on her own memories. It took a while, but she was able to do it. Kennedy also allowed Willow to 'experiment' on her. "I trust you, Willow." The redhead never delved deep or that far back. She usually picked events that had happened recently and that were of no significance. Willow was trying to prove that she had the concentration to go to any point in time, without any dire reasons for it. The witch was, in reality, doing what all good students of any art, craft or hobby would do. She was practicing, that rote, time and time again venture, like a pianist doing scales until her hands ached. And like the artist, Willow became proficient in 'mind traveling.' She got to the level of much of her other witchcraft. The redhead knew what to do and when. It became second nature like her mindspeak. And though she knew she had that piece of artillery in her arsenal if needed, the witch didn't 'travel' in hers or anyone's mind just for the sake of doing it. Like all the rest of her magick, Willow handled this latest ability with the greatest respect.

It wasn't only Willow who was in an upswing. Kennedy was also very content in her life. She had a wonderful family and her slaying was going smoothly. She and Lee Gagno still got along well as a team. They had no quarrels or vying for power. Despite the fact that they were both slayers, a breed known for their need to be top dog, it was understood between them that Kennedy was, and would always be, the captain of the duo. Lee was fine with that. She was a competent and trustworthy slayer. Kennedy never had to put her in her place.

After the Professor and Traycee problem, Lee seemed to acquire even more respect for the brunette. The younger slayer saw the courage and strength it took for Kennedy to handle the effects of the drug the way she did. Like Willow and Kennedy, Lee also had an 'interview' with Dr. Charity Paingrille, the Council's resident expert on the Popradva seed. Lee was able to learn more about the drug, its history, side affects and dangers. After hearing all that Paingrille had to say, the younger slayer was amazed Kennedy hadn't gone totally psychotic. It was then she realized just how much control the older slayer had and the depth of her love for Willow.

There were many times during those subsequent months that the Prescott/Rosenberg family and Lee and her girlfriend, Paulette, got together. They had a few cookouts and spent Labor Day together.

They weren't the only ones at the holiday get-together.

Dawn had retuned from her trip to Italy in early September. She'd had a wonderful time in Florence despite being there with Andrew. She split her time shopping, sight-seeing and shopping some more, and even managed to get in a little work "here and there." At least that's how she tried to brush off her training to Willow.

But the redhead knew better. The witch had talked to Giles on many occasions about the importance of Dawn's stay in Italy. Buffy's sister was being trained to be a Watcher of sorts, but with a keen insight to demon etymology and species anthropology. She was becoming very valuable to the Council.

When Dawn got back to Massachusetts, she realized her apartment near Willow and Kennedy was farther away from the Boston Council office than she wanted to be. So, within a couple weeks after she returned, Dawn moved to Boston. She knew she would miss the witch and slayer, and especially Samantha. But with all her newly given responsibilities, she felt she had to be closer to work.

Though they didn't get to spend as much time together after the move, the three women were able to keep in touch with phone calls and multiple visits. There was no way that Willow was going to let a few miles keep her from her dear friend.

Most of the other people who made up the couple's extended 'family' were doing well. Willow's parents and Kennedy's were well and living their life. Gabriela, Kennedy's mother, was still in Florida. She, however, no longer had a beau. The man she was seeing turned out to be a gold digger. In her dark past, Gabriela had come across many such men. This time, instead of letting his charms cloud her vision, the woman kept focused on his dastardly ways and literally threw him out of her house. Kennedy had a long talk with her mother after it happened. Gabriela actually called her daughter and was practically bragging about how she got rid of the "bum." Kennedy smiled at her end of the phone, hearing the strength in her mother's voice. The slayer never worried about her mother's situation. The woman had literally been reborn after they reunited. She was a different person and Kennedy couldn't have been prouder of her.

The other Scoobies were just as well. Buffy and Jimmy were still engaged. The others had taken to riding them about it every time they were together. "Come on, guys, you have to get married," Kennedy would jibe. "You have to be as miserable as the rest of us."

The Cleveland Slayer Central was doing well as were the blonde slayer and the Watcher in their positions there.

Xander and Jessica were still in their jobs and pulling the hair out of their heads with the rambunctiousness of their two boys.

Even Giles and Andrew were well and happily engaged with their lives.

All was running smoothly…that is except for Faith's life.

The reformed slayer had been having much stress in her life. Willow and Kennedy didn't know the full nature of her strife. But they had a good idea it wasn't "five by five" as Faith would have them believe.

Once Kennedy and Willow got their relationship in working order, the slayer immediately kept in better communication with the older slayer. It didn't take long before Kennedy was able to get the nod from Faith for her to tell Willow about Miguel's illness.

Kennedy found out that the Brazilian had a very bad strain of malaria, one that was known for its horrendous symptoms and recurrent episodes. The doctors couldn't pinpoint when the man had contracted the illness. Miguel's years of exposure to the Amazon jungle and its multitude of mosquitoes, both before and after he met Faith, made it impossible to tell for sure when he became infected. In fact, one doctor told him the disease could have been lying dormant in his system for years.

When it started was not important now. The main issue was his failing health. He'd been in the hospital several times. He had numerous trials of different medications and each brought some relief but always managed to cause some side effect that was almost as worse as the disease.

It took many attempts before the medical personnel were able to find a mixture of medicines that put him in 'remission.' Even that, though, was not a full recovery. The man never got back the strength and stamina he had before his first episode. He stayed well for a few weeks only to became sick again.

It was during a downswing after several occasions of relapses that Kennedy and Willow went to New York to give both Miguel and Faith their support. The two women were more than just friends with Miguel, and he knew that. They had shared much during their time in Sao Paulo. The man was as much family to them as were the other Scoobies.

Even though he tried to protest the couple's appearance at the hospital, the witch and both slayers could tell that Miguel did appreciate the visit.

Finally, Miguel's health improved and he went home with Faith.

Kennedy didn't know much about how Faith was coping in the other parts of her life. Kennedy knew that as stubborn as everyone told her she was, Faith was ten times worse. The older slayer was fiercely independent, both on a personal and professional level. It was that character trait that was the reason Faith didn't have a partner slayer. She and Miguel handled their area of New York City alone.

As much as Kennedy tried, she was only able to get Faith to tell her that her patrolling, for the most part, was being handled. "Sometimes, things have gotten shaky, but I've handled it…sooner or later, I've gotten the bad guy and dusted his ass." Kennedy could tell that her friend was juggling her slayer duties and her desire to help her man through his tough times.

The brunette never did get the impression that Faith was getting lost under the pressure. The woman had been through so much in her life that Kennedy knew she was probably the most resilient of all the slayers. It made her feel better that she was able to have talks with Faith where the older slayer opened up to let the younger know she was doing alright. There was always a tone of hope and resolve in the older slayer's voice. She continued to talk of what she and Miguel had planned once they got his health problem straightened out.

During the weeks after the Professor incident was finally over, Kennedy and Willow had numerous telephone conversations with Faith. She kept them up to date on Miguel's improving status.

By the time of Kennedy's trip to Cleveland, the witch and slayer understood Faith's situation to be rough but getting better. Their last actual contact with the woman had been several weeks prior. Since then, they'd gotten two quick, email messages letting them know she was "five-by-five" and might not be in contact for a while due to "slayer shit." The couple took that to mean that Faith was after some bad bumpies and would resurface when her job was completed.

On the morning that Kennedy headed to Cleveland, that was the state of the Scooby gang. The reason for the trip was so that key slayers could gather and update the Council on their slaying, recent increases in evil action. It was like a retreat of sorts. Giles was flying in from England to head the two day affair. It turned out that the Council often got wind of demon plans or forthcoming supernatural events before the slayers. The meeting allowed Giles to listen to his slayers, tell them of any potential problems and see if there was any type of pattern developing from the overall activity of the slayers. Not all slayers went to the meeting, just key ones around the United States, Canada and Mexico. Giles held similar meetings in other parts of the globe.

"One thing is at least Faith should be there. I talked to Giles and he said he sent her an email and that she received it. That means that she's done with her demon problem. I'll find out how Miguel's doing." Kennedy spoke to Willow as they headed down the stairs to leave for the airport.

"Yeah, I really want to know. We haven't heard form her in a few weeks…" Willow turned her head and looked back up the stairs. "Saaamm?" she shouted. "Come on, Sweetie, we gotta go now…I told you that five minutes ago. What are you doing?"

Samantha quickly came running to the top of the steps. She had on a pink tank top and green flowered shorts. "I was just changing."

Willow and Kennedy looked at each other and shook their heads. It was mid October in Massachusetts and even though global warming was having its affects, it wasn't so warm outside to allow for the girl's outfit.

Willow shrugged and laid her hand on the slayer's shoulder. "You go put the bag in the car and I'll get our fashion queen here in something that won't make her freeze."

Kennedy smiled and continued down the stairs. She chuckled when she heard the witch say, "Sammie, I don't care if your knees said you should wear shorts so they can see…I say it's too cold outside…"

Thirty-five minutes later, the Prescott/Rosenberg family was at Green Airport in Providence, Rhode Island. They were at the security entrance for 'ticketed passengers only.'

"I guess I should get going…You know how much I love airport lines."

Willow let out a small laugh. "So, it's expanded from baggage claim to anything having to do with airline travel, huh?"

The slayer grimaced slightly. "Yeah, pretty much. The airport basically blows now no matter how you look at it."

The witch just shook her head in resignation.

The two women stood there for a while longer, neither wanting to be the first to really say good-bye. Samantha was running in between them and around the brunette's carry-on bag resting on the floor.

Finally, the slayer was the one to bring the silence to an end. She tapped the ticket in her right hand against the palm of her left.

With more than a hint of unhappiness, "I'm gonna miss you, Willow."

The redhead tried to lift the spirit of her wife. "You'll be back in a couple days…Sam and I will be waiting."

"I know, but…but I sleep better with you next to me." That was the truth.

Willow smiled softly with the sincere remark. "Me too, baby…and I'll miss you. But you'll call, right?…We'll talk on the phone." The last several months had been such a good time in their lives that the witch really did feel sad about being apart from her slayer. A part of Willow felt glad that she still had that feeling.

"Definitely. I will call every chance I get."

"You call me, Momma?" Samantha had tired of her running and was back paying attention to her mother's conversation.

Kennedy bent down and picked up her daughter. She hugged her.

"Of course I'm gonna call you. You'll be the first one. Now give me a big hug and a kiss." The child complied happily.

Kennedy put her daughter down and looked again at Willow.

"I really should go," she said tilting her head to the security queue.

Willow sighed and stepped forward to take her slayer in an embrace.

"Say hi to everyone for me, let me know what juicy demon escapades are brewing…and have a good time."

The two women hugged a bit longer. Each knew that the few days apart was going to seem like weeks. Before the brunette ended the embrace she gave her wife a tender kiss.

Kennedy then bent over and grabbed her bag. Willow picked up Sammie and they watched as Kennedy went through the check-in security procedure. Willow once again chuckled when she noticed that the woman in front of Kennedy seemed to be unfamiliar with the security procedures. She saw the brunette look over her shoulder briefly toward the witch and roll her eyes.

The witch muttered, "She'll have a good trip so long as she doesn't slay someone before she gets on the plane."

"Huh?" questioned Sam.

Shaking her head, "Oh, nothing, Sweetie…just commenting on how patient your mother is."

The child creased her eyebrows, not understanding her mother's reply.

Willow and her daughter waited there until they saw Kennedy disappear around the corner. The witch then turned and started walking to one of the exit doors of the airport.

"Is Momma going to work?" The child said out of the blue.

"Kind of," Willow replied. "She gets to go see Aunty Buffy and Aunty Faith and Uncle Xander…and even Uncle Giles." That last comment made her smile.

Despite Giles' father figure status with all the Scooby gang, he wasn't so keen on being referred to as "uncle." Willow surmised that it made him feel older than he wanted to admit he was.

"I wanna go to."

"Not this time, Sammie…but you and I will have fun right here, ok?"

"Ok."

As easy as that, Samantha's mind had been changed and she was happy.

"That's right. You and I will hang out together, and before you know, Momma will be back."

The mother and daughter walked out of the airport satisfied that they would be able to survive without their slayer for a few days.

Little did they know, Kennedy's absence would be longer than expected due to a very serious development.

"Ladies…ladies, we should get this meeting underway. If I can have your attention, please." Giles held his glasses in his hand and was waving them briskly in the air trying to get the room's attention.

He was standing in front of his chair at the head of the table. There were six other slayers sitting around the rectangular conference table in the study of Slayer Central in Cleveland, Ohio. They were all engrossed in talking to each other and completely ignoring Giles.

The elder Watcher put the back of his hand to his forehead and began to rub. 'This is going to be a long couple days,' he said internally. One thing that Giles had learned over the years of being not only the head of the new Watcher's Council but also a man, was that women, even if they are slayers, loved to gab.

Giles waited while the slayers got reacquainted, asked about the status of other slayers and other odds and ends. The six women that were present were Buffy and Kennedy and a slayer representative from Canada, Mexico, two from Central America. The women had been arriving all day. It was 6pm now.

Clearing his throat loudly, "Really, ladies, we need to get started. This first meeting won't take too long and then you can all get some supper…"

Kennedy stopped her conversation with Juanita, the slayer from Costa Rica. She turned to Giles. "Shouldn't we wait for Faith? You know she'll be pissed if she misses out on some good intel."

Buffy, who was talking to Sally the Canadian constituent, also brought her attention to Giles and Kennedy. "Yeah, Giles. You know she'll pretend like it's no big deal…but then we'll have to put up with her moaning about how 'everybody's in a rush' and 'you couldn't wait two seconds for me to get here'."

Giles put his arms by his side. "I have no idea when she'll get here. I left her a message several days ago reminding her of this meeting, and all I received back was an email that said 'five-by-five'."

Kennedy and Buffy laughed. "Classic Faith," they said in unison.

The brunette slayer questioned Giles.

"When did she say she'd be here?"

"She didn't…Just that irritating 'five-by-five' comment."

"Did you check with Miguel?"

"I called him but his cell is disconnected."

Kennedy found Giles' answers perplexing. "Last time I talked to her, she said she was coming…but that was weeks ago. In her last email, Faith did mention some new baddie in town and how she might be unavailable for a while."

Buffy now had an expression of doubt. "But if she were going underground you'd think we'd be able to get a hold of Miguel. He's always around when Faith is on one of her missions."

Kennedy headed out the study door. "Giles, go ahead and start. I'm gonna get my phone and see if I can get in touch with either one of them. Something doesn't seem right here."

After Kennedy left the room, Giles and Buffy studied each other for a moment. Buffy gave him a look that let him know he needed to act like nothing was wrong for the other slayers even though the blonde had a gut feeling otherwise.

For twenty minutes, the elder Watcher spoke to the slayers about the posture of the Watcher's Council around the world. He went over the schedule for tomorrow's meetings and the next day. The purpose of the gathering was to coordinate as close as possible with the lead slayers in the upper Western Hemisphere concerning demon or otherwordly activities that appeared to have a 'multi-territorial' application. The idea was to gather information from all slayers to determine if the demon problems being addressed in different locations were really a concerted demon undertaking. Giles had learned to think globally as a result of the final battle at Sunnydale. Back then, the First had systematically killed potentials all over the world as part of its plan to destroy all the slayers and take over the world. Giles promised never to let that happen again.

The second and really the first full day of the meeting would consist of the actual fact gathering and assimilation. The last day was really for the non-United States slayers. The USA contingency, Buffy, Kennedy and Faith, were not mandated to appear. Being the 'old chicks' when it came to slayers, they had the experience, leadership and know-how. The United States of America was the most volatile area in the world for demon activity and had been for many years. The three main slayers had had more contact with evil creatures than their non-American counterparts. The third day of the meeting was the opportunity for Giles to get some real one-on-one with the other women.

The Watcher was winding down his introductory comments when Kennedy came back into the room. She looked worried.

"Kenn, did you talk to her?" Buffy didn't like the brunette's look and couldn't wait to ask.

The younger slayer shook her head slowly.

"I got sent to voicemail on their apartment number and her cell. Miguel's cell was disconnected, just like you got, Giles. I even called her office and got the same thing." Then Kennedy's voice got a tone of nervousness. "So, I called down to Brazil, to some places I know they stay when they go down there to see if maybe Miguel or Faith was there…"

Kennedy stopped in mid sentence and stared into nowhere.

"Well?" Buffy pushed, "The suspense isn't good for Giles' heart, ya know."

Kennedy looked up and her eyes darted in between the two.

"He's gone. Miguel left Faith…I got his cousin, Juan, and he said Miguel was there in Sao Paulo, he'd gotten back a few weeks ago and didn't want to talk to anyone from the Council or any slayer…Juan said Miguel was adamant, no one."

The comment left everyone in the room speechless. Even those who were not that familiar with Faith understood that something serious was taking place.

Giles, Buffy and Kennedy were stunned. Finally, Giles spoke.

"Did Miguel's cousin mention anything about Faith?"

Shaking her head again, Kennedy responded. "I asked and he said no one's heard from her. She hasn't called or showed up. I even called Will to see if maybe Faith called her and she said no." Putting her hand to her mouth and running her fingers across her chin, "Giles, other than that email you got, nobody's seen or heard from Faith in a couple weeks…no one. It's like she fell off the face of the earth."

Buffy started to walk about the room. "What the hell is going on? Why is Miguel in Brazil?…When did they split up?" She was completely dazed by the information.

Kennedy knew she'd have to tell them what she knew about Miguel's health and the hard time him and Faith had been having lately. "Giles? Can I talk to you and Buffy…alone?" she said quietly.

The Englishman instantly knew Kennedy had information. He looked around to the other women.

"Ladies, it seems we have a bit of a situation here that we need to clear up. I think it best if we close our discussion for this evening. I know there's a lovely meal waiting for you in the dining room. Please, if you would…go ahead and eat. You can have the rest of the night to settle in or do whatever. We'll pick this up again tomorrow morning at nine, sharp, here in the study."

The other slayers dutifully left the room. Kennedy heard them whispering on the way out. She was certain she heard one say something about the "rogue slayer'" being back.

Once the others were gone, Buffy turned to Kennedy.

"Ok, Kennedy spill the beans…We know you know something."

The brunette took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Shit. Faith's gonna kill me and then Miguel'll kill me." Kennedy glanced at Buffy and Giles staring at her in anticipation as if they were waiting to find out test results. She sighed.

"Ok, the thing is Miguel has had some health problems…" Kennedy then told Giles and Buffy everything she knew about Miguel and his illness, the strain it had put on him and Faith and their relationship. "…Last I heard, Miguel was out of the hospital and doing a lot better. Faith even felt that he was doing well enough for her to go after some new bad in town. In her email, she told me and Will that we might not hear from her but not to worry…That was a couple weeks ago."

Giles appeared visibly angry. "Why wasn't I told about this? Why wasn't I told about Miguel's condition? It was highly improper for all of you to keep this from me…or anyone else at the Council. You know how important it is that any issue of this magnitude be reported."

Kennedy took a defensive stance. She narrowed her eyes to face the confrontation. "Hold up! I promised Faith, Giles. She was trying to deal with Miguel. He got upset that she even told me. I didn't know what he'd do if anyone else knew…I was just trying to help a friend in a tight spot."

The Brit yanked off his glasses. Loudly, "That's no excuse and you should know better. The Council could have helped them. We could have sent a slayer to take some of Faith's load. This situation compromised not only Faith and Miguel but our operation and the public at large…"

The brunette slayer got an even more defensive expression.

When it seemed as if Giles was going to barrage Kennedy with another reprimand, Buffy jumped in.

"Alright, Giles. We get your point. Kennedy handled it the way she thought best. You know how hard it can be trying to deal with Faith. Why don't we just move on to something that we can do something about…which is to find Faith."

Hearing Buffy, Giles settled down and put his hand on the back of his neck. He glanced down and then at Kennedy.

"Buffy's quite right. My 'comments' aren't helping one bit. I didn't mean to sound off on you, Kennedy. I now you were only…" The tension in the slayer's posture eased. She waved him off.

"Forget it, Giles. Maybe if I had told someone, this wouldn't have happened. But we stuck here now and we need to figure out where the hell Faith is."

Giles began pacing. "Well, before we assume anything, I should call a few contacts in New York to see if any of them have information on this."

Buffy's expression lightened. "Great, Giles. I'll see if Jimmy has any contacts there too."

Kennedy joined the discussion. "I know some of Faith's and Miguel's contacts. I'll see what they know. And I'll call Willow and see if she can call Boston and do her own snooping around."

They had a plan.

Giles clapped his hands. "Fine. Let's meet back here in…say, two hours. Hopefully, someone will have good news."

The three nodded in support and left the room on their individual missions.

"I can't believe we're coming up with bumkins," Buffy said frustrated.

Giles rolled his eyes. "That's 'bupkas', Buffy."

"Whatever. Here we are two hours later and we're at the same place as before. No one knows where Faith is."

"She's gotta be intentionally staying under the Council's radar." Kennedy walked over to the head of the table and sat on its edge.

The three Scoobies were back in the study after several hours of reaching out to their contacts to determine if anyone had heard from Faith. Everyone came up empty handed. Kennedy even asked Willow to try to do a slayer locator spell. The witch couldn't sense the woman. When questioned if that meant Faith was dead, Willow replied in the negative. "I'm getting interference…almost like I did with that Dalfort vampire in New York…I don't think she's dead or hurt. It feels like there's a wall up stopping me from seeing where she is."

During their research time, Buffy and Giles and no better luck. Although Giles did find out that that there had been several unusual murders in New York since the beginning of October. Though the manners of death were gory, they didn't even make the news because they involved either homeless or other undesirables and it was suspected that drug gangs were involved.

"So what do we do now?…Faith could be in real trouble." Buffy sounded worried.

Giles thought for a second and then took his glasses off and started to nervously clean them. "Or maybe something far worse."

Kennedy and Buffy turned to him.

Giles stopped cleaning. "Willow said there's a force keeping her from getting any type of information on Faith. If Faith put it there, then maybe…she's…" His voice trailed off.

Kennedy bolted from her seat on the table. She knew what Giles was implying.

"Faith has not lost it. She's a slayer and she wouldn't do anything to go against that…I can't believe you're even suggesting that, Giles."

Giles responded quickly. "I'm not saying Faith has gone back to the dark side…I wouldn't think that of Faith…I'm just suggesting that, perhaps, her fall out with Miguel has 'affected' her tremendously."

Buffy gave a disbelieving look. "Well of course Faith's been 'affected' by Miguel leaving. Jeez, Giles, you make it sound like Faith should be cold hearted and just carry on like no big deal. She and Miguel were together for a long time. She's probably really depressed and doesn't want anyone to see her like that."

"But she was on the trail of some new evil…" Kennedy noted. "What if that's the reason she's not been in touch?"

The three stared at each other for several moments. Finally, Kennedy broke the silence.

"Ok, only one way to find out. I'm going to New York…tomorrow morning."

Buffy walked toward Kennedy. "I'm going with you." When she saw Kennedy about to speak, the blonde continued. "If she's locked herself up somewhere and is deep in the pity party, it's gonna take both of us to get her to come to her senses…And if she really is in demon trouble then it must be one tough demon and two slayers have a better chance to help her."

Kennedy folded her arms. She knew it was pointless to try to argue with Buffy. She nodded to the blonde. Then turning back to Giles, "Sorry, but it looks like we can't stay for your slayer workshop."

The Watcher saw the resolve in his slayers. They were a tight knit bunch and devoted to helping each other in times of crisis. He couldn't have asked for anything more.

Throwing his hands up, "I quite gathered that my weekend meeting would be short two more slayers. That's fine, I'll focus on the communication problems we've been having with some of the divisions. But I'll keep on my contacts and let you know as soon as I get anything…Of course, I need you to keep me updated."

Both slayers nodded. "Of course."

Kennedy looked around and then rubbed her hands together. "Good. Buff, let's get our plane reservations…Then I need to call Willow and let her know we're going on a road trip."

"This has got me worried, babe. This is so unlike Faith. I just hope we find her fast."

Kennedy was in her room at Slayer Central talking on the phone to her witch. She'd already gotten tickets for her and Buffy to leave for New York in the morning. Her bags were packed and she was lying in her bed, under the sheets, having her last call with the redhead for the night.

On the other end of the line, "You will, baby. I just know that you and Buffy will find her and everything will be ok. She never had something like this happen before to her…at least I hope it's because of the break-up." Willow was silent for a second. "That sounded so horrible. I don't mean I want Faith to be depressed…but it's better than what she might be going through if a demon's involved…It would take something pretty nasty to get to Faith."

Kennedy shifted down a little on the bed and tucked the covers under her arms with one hand. "That's what's driving me crazy. We have no idea if this is her doing or some big bad." The slayer's tone was unsure.

"Kenn, there's nothing you can do tonight. You need to try to not let it get to you. Get a good night sleep and be ready for it in the morning."

The brunette smiled into the phone. "I know you're right. But it's hard. My mind is racing with a thousand things that could be wrong with Faith."

Kennedy heard her witch laugh.

The witch said smugly, "Hey, I thought I was the one with the busy brain? Too bad I wasn't there or I could help with that."

Kennedy smirked. "There's always phone sex."

"Ah, you dog. No dirty talk. There's no way I could do that over the phone. "

The brunette chuckled. "That's true. You are pretty pathetic when you try to be a 'nasty' girl."

Feigning insult, "I'm not that bad…really…Ok, so I did start to giggle that one time I tried."

Kennedy said nothing. She stopped laughing and just listened to the sound of her wife's voice. She got serious.

"I love you, Willow…I miss you." Kennedy found it necessary to say those words right then.

The other end of the line got silent.

"I love you, too, baby."

Each woman knew what that moment was about. It was most likely that their friend was undergoing the worst heart-wrenching experience of her life, the end of a relationship. Kennedy and Willow stayed silent on the phone knowing that they were so lucky to have each other, to have weathered a similar storm and come out in the sunshine. They were hushed because they knew how much they loved each other and how fragile life really could be.

Finally, "You sleep tight, Will. I'll call you and Sam in the morning."

"Good night, baby."

Kennedy fell asleep missing her witch and her daughter. Her last conscious thought was of Faith crying alone in an empty room.

What the two slayers would find when they got to New York couldn't have been farther from that thought.

"We might as well go back to the horse and buggy days. Flying has gotten so ridiculous."

Kennedy was ranting as she and Buffy made their way through LaGuardia Airport in New York City. The two slayers took a mid-morning flight which got delayed at the airport in Cleveland due to mechanical problems. When they finally were able to start the flight, their troubles did not end. Unexpected bad weather over the Big Apple made the pilot circle the plane for almost an hour. The resulting backup caused their plane to sit on the tarmac after it landed for just over two more hours. By the time the two slayers got off the plane, it was late afternoon. The women were very hungry and Kennedy was furious.

Buffy let the younger slayer vent. She'd had just as miserable time but somehow was able to get through it without completely disavowing the entire airline industry.

"Geez, calm down, Kennedy. You're gonna pop a vein." The blonde suddenly spotted a burger vendor and her mind instantly dropped the fuming brunette. "Ooo!…french fries…" She mumbled.

Kennedy walked about a minute longer before realizing that Buffy was not only no longer listening to her, but also nowhere near her. She scanned around and saw the blonde pointing at a picture of a burger on the vendor's lighted wall menu. Kennedy rolled her eyes and joined her.

"Look at the time. We shoulda gotten here a lot sooner." Kennedy was talking to Buffy as the slayers walked into the elevator lobby of Faith's apartment.

"I said I was sorry…but I'm not sure why. You ate at the airport, too. You're as responsible as I am." Buffy knew Kennedy was still aggravated over the delay, but she'd had enough of the woman's attitude. Kennedy pushed the button for the top floor.

"Well, I only ate because you'd already ordered…and besides…. "

A ring sounded and the elevator door opened.

Buffy stopped her. "Can we just drop this? We were both hungry and needed to eat. When we find Faith pissed off in her apartment, it won't matter that we got here twenty minutes later." Buffy, and Kennedy, had an unspoken assumption that Faith was hiding herself due to the break-up. Even though it was never uttered, neither slayer wanted to think that something bad had happened to their friend. The radical slayer had been through so much that it was easier to believe that she was nursing a broken heart than her being in serious demon trouble.

The two women rode the elevator to the top floor. The building where Faith and Miguel had lived together was an 'apartment' in the loosest sense. It was a converted textile mill that, though being quite large, had only a few tenants. It was in a rough section of town and not close to public transportation or restaurants. But it was perfect for Faith's and Miguel's needs. They were close to the 'action' but far enough away from 'normal' city dwellers that they could do what they needed without worry of causing interest in their actions.

The slayers got to the large steel security door that identified Faith's place.

Kennedy knocked. And knocked. And knocked.

They looked at each other.

Buffy tried the handle, but it was locked. "That's it…I'm kicking it in." The blonde took a step back and raised her leg readying for the assault.

Just as she started to lunge forward to blast the door in, Kennedy grabbed her leg.

"Keeeyy," she said dangling a silver key in her hand while Buffy hopped on one foot. "Faith gave me and Will this so we didn't have to wait on her when we came here." Kennedy let go of Buffy's leg and shook her head slightly. Putting the key in the lock, "A little speedy on the slayer destruction, don't you think, Buff?"

Trying to defend herself, "How was I supposed to know you had…" Buffy snorted when she realized she had acted hastily. "Oh, poo. Let's just go in."

The two slayers entered the apartment. It was dark. The window drapes were closed and there was no light coming in except for the small amount from the hallway. Kennedy reached over to the wall on the left side of the door and flicked on a switch.

Instantly, the slayers were washed in light. They could see every part of the main open plan design of their friend's place. Both stood there and looked around. Finally, they entered the room and shut the door behind them.

"Ok, so we know Faith is Oscar," Buffy said as she scanned the room.

"Huh?" Kennedy had no idea what the blonde meant.

"Oscar…from the Odd Couple…You know Felix and Oscar. Felix was the obsessively clean one and Oscar was the slob…Don't you watch the TVLand channel?"

Looking around, Kennedy agreed with the Oscar reference.

The place was a mess. There were dirty dishes in the sink. Empty beer bottles on the counter and floor. Pizza boxes covered most of the kitchen table and were also shoved in the trash. Opened Chinese food containers were scattered about.

It looked like the after-affects of a bad frat party.

Kennedy walked over to several of the food containers. She looked inside them.

"There's no way Faith's been gone for two weeks. These still have food in them. And they don't look like they've been here that long." Internally, Kennedy wondered what the hell was going on with Faith. She knew that the slayer didn't lead a typical life and wasn't into domestic chores, but she'd never seen anything like the sight before her.

Buffy walked around the rest of the place, checking the bedroom, bathroom and spare room. She came back out to the main room.

"She's not here." Then in a worried tone, "I'm getting the feeling that this isn't a demon thing. We really need to find Faith."

Kennedy agreed completely with Buffy. "We need to see if she's at her office or the store Miguel uses as his front." The Brazilian had kept his import business open. The day-to-day operations were run by someone else. He still owned it though for immigration and legal reasons.

"We should leave a note," the blonde said.

"How the hell would she find it in all this?"

Buffy laughed. "Willow really has gotten you very domesticated, hasn't she?"

"Please," the brunette retorted, "even a pig would have trouble with this."

The slayers dropped their bags by the door and wrote a note concerning their arrival in the event their friend came home after they left. They cleared off the kitchen table and placed the note there. After that, the women left Faith's apartment.

Buffy and Kennedy went to the slayer's 'office' and Miguel's store. The office looked like Faith hadn't been there for days. No one at Miguel's place had seen Faith after Miguel left to go back to Brazil.

Not having any luck at those locations, the slayers decided to pay a visit to some of the demon establishments about which Faith had told Kennedy. The two spent the next several hours questioning demons and humans alike about Faith. They made sure to wrap their questions in such a way as not to let the demon world know that Faith appeared to be AWOL from the slayer business.

It was late when Buffy and Kennedy called it quits. During their investigation, Kennedy repeatedly phoned the missing slayer but never got an answer. Not knowing what else to do, the slayers decided to go back to Faith's apartment and see if she was there or, alternatively, wait until the woman came back. Kennedy also wanted to call Willow to check in and to see if she'd had any luck 'sensing' the slayer.

Kennedy and Buffy were in Faith's apartment for about an hour and a half when they heard noises out in the hallway. It sounded like scuffling of shoes and laughter. It got louder and closer to the door. The blonde and brunette stood up in the middle of the room and cocked their heads to try to hear what was happening.

Then there was a 'thud' against the door. It sounded like someone had been thrown against it. The slayers hurried in that direction.

However, as they got to the door, the sounds became clearer. They heard moaning and kissing and it seemed as if a body was rubbing across the other side of the door.

Then they heard a voice clearly.

"I'm gonna fuck you so hard." It wasn't a voice either slayer had heard before.

Then they heard another voice.

"Shut up. I don't need commentary." That was Faith. She sounded drunk.

Buffy and Kennedy stared at each other stunned. Kennedy mouthed 'Who is that?…What the hell?' to Buffy.

The noises on the other side of the door started to get more intense. The two women's eyes widened as they realized they were listening to their friend in the middle of foreplay.

The women didn't know what to do. Should they stay silent or open the door? Reacting without thinking, Buffy coughed…loudly. She looked at Kennedy and shrugged her shoulders.

The noises from the other side of the door stopped immediately for a few moments. Then the slayers heard the male voice. The tone had an edge to it.

"What the fuck, Sexy?…Don't stop." The rustling began again.

After a few more moments, they heard Faith.

"Hey, Romeo, put it in neutral."

Kennedy and Buffy knew that Faith heard the cough and knew someone was in her apartment. They didn't want her to think it was a burglar, so Kennedy grabbed the door handle and opened the door. While she did, she said "Don't worry, Faith. It's me and Buffy."

Buffy and Kennedy saw the two individuals lean off the door and stand up straight. Buffy's first thought, seeing the tight outfit the slayer wore, was that she was glimpsing back to the Faith of the Sunnydale days. The older brunette had a look of anger on her face while the man had one of surprise and discontent. He stared at the two women.

Still holding onto Faith's shoulder, "Who the hell are they?"

Faith took the man's hand off her. Sarcastically, "Friends with shitty timing."

The guy traced his view up and down Buffy and Kennedy. Then he got a sleazy smile.

"They here to join the fun?…I don't mind fucking three beautiful chicks."

Kennedy's jaw clenched and she started to swing at the man. Faith stopped her punch and pushed her hand down.

Looking directly at Kennedy, the older brunette spoke to her 'date.' "I'd shut up now before you get your ass kicked."

The man got offended. "By that little thing?" he said glancing at Kennedy. Then in an irritated voice. "Look, Sweets, I'm not here to chit chat. We gonna fuck or what? These two can join in, watch or do their nails for all I care."

Faith closed her eyes briefly. Then she turned to the guy. "Sorry, 'Sweets', but you ain't getting shit tonight…plan's changed. You need to leave."

The man got angry. He went to grasp Faith's arm but she grabbed his hand and wrenched it behind his back, spinning him around as she did.

"I'll say it once more, asshole…Leave!" She shoved him down the hallway toward the elevator.

The three slayers watched him until he got in the elevator. As the doors closed they heard him mutter, "Cunts."

Faith walked into her apartment, passing her friends without looking at them. The necklaces she wore, one a gold chain and the other a silver chain with a black orb at the end, sparkled off the room's light. Kennedy closed the door.

Still not looking at them, the no longer missing slayer walked to the refrigerator, opened it and took out a beer. She unscrewed the cap and took a long swig.

Finally, she turned and stared at Buffy and Kennedy.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of this breaking and entering?"

Kennedy walked over to her. Both concerned and firm, "Faith, what the hell is going on?…Who was that guy?…No one's heard from you in weeks…We know about Miguel." The words kept gushing out.

Both Buffy and Kennedy saw their friend tense up.

"Miguel's old news. And you're checking up on me now?…I'm a big girl, Kennedy, I can do what I want. It's nobody's business."

Buffy butted in. "Faith, we were all worried about you. We thought that you were in trouble. You missed the meeting and no one could find you."

Faith laughed and wobbled a bit. "Yeah, Cleveland. Can't stand those things. Decided to ditch it."

Kennedy could see Faith was very drunk and defensive. "Why haven't you let anyone know where you are? Even Willow couldn't sense you. What'd you do?" It was obvious to the brunette that Faith was behind her own disappearance.

"See, I knew Red would try that." The drunken slayer finished her beer and dropped it on the floor. She took a deep breath and in a condescending tone, "Let's get this done with…As you can see, I'm fine. Not dead, but very much breathing. I don't need you two or Willow or the Council checking to make sure I'm ok. See…I'm five-by-five and just want to be left alone…Got it?…So you can go back home, tell Giles or whoever sent you here that you found me."

Kennedy and Buffy were floored.

"What are you talking about?" Buffy said surprised.

Faith shook her head. "Don't reinforce the dumb blonde stereotype, B. You heard me. I'm done…Let someone else play the slayer game. I'm doing my own thing now."

Kennedy became frustrated. "Miguel leaves and you do this? You drop everything?…You start fucking any jerk-off you find?"

"You don't know shit, Kennedy," Faith snapped. "And if I wanna fuck some random dick, then guess what?…I will." Faith went to the fridge, got another beer and guzzled it down.

Kennedy was ready to get in the woman's face but Buffy held her back.

The blonde looked at both women. "This is going nowhere. Faith, you're in no condition to talk about this…and Kennedy, you're starting to get mad. We all need to stop. It's too late to do this. We should all get some sleep and deal with this tomorrow."

Kennedy realized she was acting the wrong way. She calmed herself down and sympathetically said to her friend, "I'm sorry, Faith. I didn't mean to get upset…but I know you must be hurting…because of Miguel."

Faith turned her head slightly and looked down to the floor. After a moment, she turned her view back to Kennedy. "Miguel left cuz he was weak…because he thought I was weak…so fuck him."

Though neither Buffy nor Kennedy said a word, they both had the same impression. Faith was taking her break-up with Miguel much worse than they expected. They also knew there was more to the situation than Faith was letting on.

"Faith, Buffy and I don't want to argue with you. We were worried because we thought you were in trouble. We didn't know if it was a demon or something else. Giles told us about some murders here…and you had told me you were going under for a while to get some new baddie in town. We really didn't know what to think. We're glad you're ok."

The Faith stared at the two women. She saw their concern. She rubbed her hands over her face. "Shit! Fine. Ok…ok. You were worried." Then after a moment of silence, "So now what? You guys ruined my night…and I bet you were planning on staying here."

"We can find a place if you don't…"

Faith cut Buffy off.

"No, stay here. I'm too drunk and too wired to give a shit. There's the spare room and the couch…you figure out who gets what…I'm taking a cold shower." Faith headed out of the room.

Buffy glanced at the sofa with clothes hanging on its arms and an empty beer can resting at one end.

"You get the couch, Kenn. You pissed her off, not me."

Kennedy flopped down in the middle, away from all the debris. "This is going to be really bad, isn't it?"

Buffy knew she was referring to Faith and not sleeping on the couch. "Yes," she said in earnest. She started to walk to the spare room.

Kennedy reached into her back pocket and took out her cell phone. She pressed the number one to automatically dial Willow's cell. "Wait til Will finds out about this mess."

Daniel VanGorsen stood behind a large trash receptacle. It was the industrial sized kind used by construction companies or cities for building renovations. The teenager was in the seediest part of the warehouse district in New York City. For two hours he'd been there, still. Motionless only in the physical sense, that is. Inside, his mind and body raged a battle. The seventeen year old could feel the thundering urges coming on again. They started as soon as the sun set. The higher the moon rose, the fiercer the cravings got. Daniel could feel the blood surging through his veins, pounding in his ears. Every sense was heightened, and every emotion, including his desire.

Daniel wanted to kill. His mind and body were telling him to find a prey, hunt it down and destroy it piece by piece.

But the teenager knew those urges were from somewhere in the blackest part of his soul. They were from the Devil himself. He'd known that from the moment he broke his sweet mother's neck and held her dead body in his grip. That night had haunted him every day since. The scenes were there the second his eyes opened and they horrified his dreams every sleeping moment, not that he'd had many of those. Much had changed since the his seventeenth birthday. Daniel decided that Satan had taken over his soul. But there was a part of the boy that knew that Satan had always lived there dormant and had chosen that night to rise to its glory.

Daniel recounted that night on his birthday when a tidal wave of hate and violence came over him. One minute he was looking at the loving woman who had brought him into the world and nourished his soul, and the next he saw only living flesh that he had to destroy. He could taste the wave of vitriolic hatred and feel the eruption of the need to kill. It filled him up until it burst from his eyes and finger tips and heart.

In that moment when evil took control, Daniel VanGorsen, the devout follower of God, was dead. Killing engaged his every thought. It could not be controlled or directed. The creature he had become had to have death, that it took it in the form of his gentle mother was of no concern. The demon boy reveled in his attack.

Standing like a post now, still and silent, Daniel tried to keep the memories out, but he could not. He remembered every blow, every broken bone…every scream. No matter how he tried to make it leave him, the memories were there. He had killed his mother and he didn't know why. He only knew that he had to.

Daniel also knew that he had committed an unforgivable sin in the eyes of his God. For his Lord could only forgive if there was true repentance, and, as sick as it made him to think it, some small part of Daniel had exalted in the kill. It was that undeniable fact that had plagued the faithful boy in the days following.

After his ghastly deed that night sixteen days earlier, Daniel ran. The thing that he had become knew he had to get away. It wasn't until the next day that the teenager started to get his own mind and spirit back. As the sun rose, so did his heart to God. Daniel, however, remembered everything he did. He pined in guilt and remorse for his mother's death. He wailed to God for redemption and forgiveness. He struggled with going to the police but realized they'd think him crazy if he told them what had happened to him, to his soul. He knew he could not go to the Elders. What he did was incoherent to him; it would be incomprehensible to the holy men of his clan. Something deep inside also kept him from going. That part wanted and needed to be free.

The first day after his mother's death was hell on earth for the teenager. He was lost in a dense forest, frightened at what he'd done but he knew he could not go back.

And then night fell again. Once more as the moon rose, Daniel felt the rise of the curse in his soul. The need to kill enveloped him once more, the desire for blood palpable on his tongue. When he could withstand it no longer, the creature he had become went on the prowl. To satisfy his hunger, he feasted on a large buck that wasn't fast enough to escape the killing machine.

Again, a new day came and Daniel returned to his senses, what was left of them. Every moment of his existence once the sun dipped below the horizon was the epitome of all that he had vowed to shun. He was living his own damnation in the flesh. The teenager could not comprehend how evil could have taken such a hold when he had lived as close to God as he had. He could not block it out of his mind as if it were some terrible nightmare. For Daniel knew it was no dream and every night he would fight against the rage inside…and lose.

It didn't take much more time before the creature's hunger for human flesh returned. There was a force pulling the teenager away from the woods and out in the open. An urge for the familiar seeped in. But the boy fought it. He could not allow the evil he had become to infect his community. He had done enough damage to his people already.

So Daniel decided to get as far away from his home as possible. He tried to convince himself that he could somehow temper the beast within. He thought that he needed to go anywhere else until he could figure out how to dispel the evil that had taken residence in his soul. The teenager felt that his faith would be the cure of him. He knew it had to be stronger than the evil within. Daniel told himself that with guidance from God, he'd be able to get back into the Light and free himself from the shackle of the monster that had him in its grasp.

But there was still that urge for the flesh digging at his soul. Daniel knew he needed time and a place where he could lose himself. His resting place until his salvation had to be a patch of earth where even the most inhuman of living creatures could disappear in the masses. There was only one place Daniel knew fit his call.

The teenager made his way to New York City and instinctively knew where to hide. He stayed in the run down, forgotten parts of the city. Places where no one came looking for anybody. This was where the discarded went to be forgotten by the world. Daniel wanted nothing more than time to pray to God to make him understand his affliction and rid him of it. He ate out of trash cans and found an old abandoned building in which to sleep.

Despite his constant praying during the day, the urges came back as soon as darkness fell. As with the night he killed his mother, Daniel was not strong enough to resist the call to kill. As before, he experienced devouring the life of a human being; he wallowed in it. And like the first time, afterwards he felt confused and remorseful and ashamed in front of God.

Day after day he spent trying to make his Savior listen and unburden him of his unspeakable horror. The 'urges' came every night when the moon rose high in the sky. With each time, Daniel came to know the feelings better. He warred with himself to resist temptation, not to seek the hunt, but to let in God's love and keep him from sin. It never worked. Daniel had to kill. But he was able, on several occasions, to forgo human death. The teenager quelled his taste by killing birds, rodents, and dogs. That never lasted long. He spent time in Central Park and thought he'd found a solution. However, the urges only came on stronger, forcing him again to seek out human flesh.

His only control it seemed was his ability to stay away from killing anyone from 'real' society. His victims were the homeless, drug addicts or prostitutes; those who were not allowed in respectable areas. He killed those that were in the shadows, the ones that people walked around when met on the streets. Daniel knew his actions would still send him to Hell, but at least he wasn't doing more damage by taking someone with a loving family. At least, that's what he made himself believe.

So on this cold October night, Daniel stood once again, fighting with the need to kill. He lingered, hoping he could outlast the feelings like sweating out the flu. The desire flared in his body and the demon grew stronger within.

Then he heard a noise. Footsteps. ..the 'click, click' of high heels.

Daniel's mind reeled. He felt the need and craving build. He could already taste the blood in his mouth.

When he smelled perfume, he knew his battle was lost. The monster had won again. God would not save his soul this night.

He had turned to death once more, and embraced it.

Daniel waited to attack until he could see the woman's hardened face.

"You have a good day today, and listen to Mommy. I'll see you soon, Sammie…Now give the phone back to Mommy."

Kennedy was talking to her family while she ate a bagel. It was mid morning and the slayer had been up for several hours. The uncomfortable couch was the reason for her less than sound sleep. When she finally realized she could no longer get any type of useful slumber, she got up and put on a change of clothes from her overnight bag left in the apartment when she and Buffy first arrived. The brunette then went out to find breakfast. She would have stayed in but there was literally nothing to eat except for coffee grounds and the 'leftovers' spread throughout the slayer's apartment.

Buffy was awake and watching television when Kennedy returned. The brunette put the bagels and cream cheese she bought on the table. Buffy had already made coffee. The younger woman poured herself a cup and called her wife.

Kennedy quickly recapped the previous day's and night's events to Willow. Buffy added a few more details loud enough for the redhead to hear. The brunette then spoke to her daughter and was in the process of continuing her call with the witch.

"She was so wasted, Will…and she brought this guy home…What a frickin' loser…"

Buffy listened while she watched tv. She heard the concern in the brunette's voice, a sentiment she shared. Buffy had seen Faith act the way she did the previous night. It was back in Sunnydale when the rogue slayer thought she was on her own and devoid of purpose. That scared the blonde. It was hard for Buffy to think that Faith's attitude was because of Miguel leaving. She found it difficult to accept that Faith had so entrenched her identity in a man as to let his departure affect her so deeply. Buffy always thought of Faith as too independent for that.

The blonde's attention drifted from her thoughts back to her surroundings. She saw that Kennedy had finished her call.

The brunette put down her cell and stared at her friend. "Willow says hello and told me to tell you that I should get the comfy bed tonight…if we're still here."

Buffy mockingly raised her eyebrows. "She's biased. You've completely corrupted her reasoning…You'll have to fight me for the bed. That couch looks as comfortable as a torture device." Then turning back to Kennedy and looking serious, "What do we do about sleeping beauty in there?" she said as she pointed her thumb to Faith's bedroom.

Kennedy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I don't know. I just can't believe that she went over the bend like this. I mean I know she loved Miguel…but it looks like she hasn't even been patrolling or anything…Willow's got an idea on why she couldn't sense her. She thinks that Faith got an amulet or protective stone from someone with magickal powers. She wants us to see if Faith's wearing a new necklace or ring. We need to let Will know if she is and tell her what it looks like. Willow said she should be able to find out what spell or barrier's being used from that. I'm thinking Will might be able to keep tabs on Faith without her knowing."

"I'm on board with that," Buffy replied. "If anyone can find out how Faith's getting all ghosty, it's our Wils…Do you remember if faith was wearing jewelry?"

Kennedy thought for a moment. "I know she wears necklaces, and I think she was wearing one last night…Wasn't she?"

Buffy raised her eyebrows. "I pretty much was stuck on that slutty outifr she had on."

Kennedy snorted in agreement then got a disturbed look. "And what was up with that asshole she was with?"

Buffy shook her head. Softly, "You only knew Faith really after she cleaned up her act…She went from Robin to Miguel. I knew her way before that…when she was pretty wild. She used to pick up guys all the time. She did what she wanted, when she wanted and with whomever she wanted…That's what's got me worried now."

"But Buff, like you said, that 'was' Faith. Her acting that way now must mean something more. I can't help feeling that this isn't all about Miguel…Something else had to push her to this?"

Buffy was ready to reply when the voice from the television caught her and Kennedy's attention. They turned to the set and listened.

"…the body was found early this morning…An African-American woman who we are told was homeless and possibly a prostitute. There are many homeless people that live in that area of the city. It's a high crime section. Lots of drugs, prostitution, but it's not where many people go to buy drugs or obtain sex. What makes this even more urgent is the fact that the body was…and let me quote the comment form the police, 'the victim had multiple lacerations over most of her body and was beaten and bitten over her appendages and torso.' Off the record, I was told by one officer that it was the most gruesome homicide he'd seen…"

Buffy and Kennedy fixed on the reporter. They found out that the dead woman had been discovered accidentally by a third shift city employee who took a wrong turn with his truck. Had it not been for that, the reporter said, the body might not have been found for weeks.

When the segment was done, the slayers looked at each other.

Kennedy spoke first. "Seems a little too messy for the average bad guy. Ya think this might fit in with those murders Giles told us about?"

Buffy slowly nodded. "They sorta fit. But the others weren't spread all over the news. Giles said that 'word' got to the Council that they happened. An anonymous tip old them where the bodies were."

The brunette glanced at Faith's closed bedroom door. "Well, she'd know something. Maybe this is what she went underground for. Faith told me a few weeks ago she was on the lead to some new baddie…Shit, she better wake up soon or I'm gonna go in and kick her ass outta bed."

"You couldn't kick you're way out of a paper bag" The words came out of the room the same time the door opened. Faith walked out wearing a t-shirt and underwear. Around her neck were the same two necklaces from the night before. She squinted at the brightness from the daylight flooding in the room. Her hair was tussled and she had dark circles under her eyes.

Kennedy stared at the chains around the slayer's neck and then glanced quickly at Buffy. The blonde looked at Kennedy letting her know she saw them too.

Faith walked over to the coffeemaker, "Guess you two weren't just a bad dream…At least you made coffee." The slayer poured a cup and sat at a kitchen counter barstool.

"See you're in a lovely hang-over mood this morning," Buffy said snipping. Faith got a sour expression and was ready to reply when Kennedy interrupted.

"I don't think any of us are at our best this morning. So let's talk about something else." Trying to bring some interest into the discussion, "Faith, there was a murder last night. We just heard about on the news…some homeless woman. Pretty much sliced and diced. What do you make of it?"

There was a slight hesitation as Faith sipped her coffee. Then flatly, "I don't." She drank looking blankly at the counter.

Buffy creased her brows. "You must have some opinion. Do you think this is related to the other murders here?…Giles said there's been several in the past few weeks."

Again, Faith didn't look up. "Don't know what you're talking about. That's not my concern anymore."

Kennedy's eyes widened with disbelief. "Huh? Faith, you're the slayer here. I know Giles must have told you about this. You must know…You told me you were on to some new bad in town."

Faith put down her cup and looked squarely at Kennedy. "I'm only gonna say this once, so listen up. What I said to you about a new bad guy was nothing. It was to get you and everyone else off my back. I don't know anything about any murders and I don't wanna know. I'm finished slaying. I'm out. I just wanna live my life without having to deal with this shit anymore."

Buffy and Kennedy almost fell out of their seats. They both jumped to their feet.

In unison, "What the?…I thought you were just pissed last night when you talked about ditching this." Kennedy added a few more choice words, "Are you out of your frickin' mind?"

Faith went back to her coffee. She pretended like the outburst had not occurred. Answering the brunette's question, "No…I've come to my senses. You two wanna keep doing the slayer gig, fine by me…Go deal with that shit and get the baddies all you want. I've put in my time and I'm done."

Kennedy briskly walked over to Faith. "There's no way you can be serious…Jesus, just because Miguel left…" Faith turned to her sharply with a scowl.

"This isn't about Mickey. It woulda happened sooner or later. I'm not the 'do anything for the cause' kind of person…We all know that. I tried. I did it for as long as I could."

Buffy also had walked over to Faith. "Faith, you've hit a hard time…What you've gone through…lately…" Buffy didn't want to mention Miguel, "has messed up a lot of things for you. I understand that." Glancing at Kennedy, "We all understand having doubts…We've all had them. Hell, you've helped both of us when we had them."

Faith shook her head. "No, B. This isn't the same. I'm not the same as you and her. I don't have that same loyalty to the Council or Giles or even our so-called destiny. I just wanna do my own thing…and that doesn't include slaying anymore."

Kennedy was stunned. "How can you just walk away? Do you really think it's that easy?…What about all the innocents out there who need you?…What about all the demons that are gonna kill those innocents if you're not there to stop them?"

Faith snorted slightly. "It's not like there's only one slayer. The Council can send someone else here. There're lots of newbies that would love a chance to kill some New York demon ass. Let one of those gung-ho slayers deal with it."

"But Faith…?" Buffy was a lost for words. She knew her friend was being irrational despite the calmness in her voice. She couldn't believe what she was hearing coming from the slayer's mouth. She didn't know where to start to knock some sense into the woman's head. She needed to reconnect Faith with all the positives about being a slayer, the pride in defeating evil, the joy in saving an innocent, the sense of accomplishment when an evil plan was thwarted.

As if the younger slayer had read her thoughts, Kennedy sat down by Faith. "Ok, I understand that you've hit a wall…that you don't feel like you can keep doing this…but don't shut out everything…help us figure out who killed that homeless woman. Who knows? It might just be some regular sicko. Why don't we all go check out where they found her? See if…" Faith waved her off.

Strongly, "No. I said no. I know you guys think you're trying to help me, but you're not. I know what I'm doing. We always give new slayers the speech about having the option to join the slayer network or go back to their lives. All I'm doing is letting me have that same choice…Sorry, but if you wanna look into this murder…you're on your own."

Faith got off the stool, grabbed her coffee and a bagel and started to walk toward her bedroom. "I'm tired, feel like shit and don't wanna talk anymore. Thanks for dropping by, but you can go back to your lives now. I'm fine." The slayer walked into her room and shut the door.

Kennedy and Buffy stared at each other in total shock.

Kennedy rubbed her eyes. "Jesus, Faith is worse off than I thought. She's acting like what she said makes perfect sense. I should go in there and…"

Buffy shook her head in disapproval. The blonde had a very concerned look. "No. Leave her alone. She'll just get pissed off. God, she sounds like she did during her bad days in Sunnydale…This isn't good…not good at all. Should we tell Giles?"

Kennedy's look changed to worry. "No. Faith's just confused. She hasn't reverted to anything. If we tell Giles, he'll have to say something to the other Council members…It's his duty to. I don't want them thinking they may have a rogue Faith on their hands again. We need to bring Faith to her senses." Then contemplatively, "I still think there's more to her new attitude. She's obviously not admitting that Mickey leaving has messed her up as much as it has…but I get the feeling that something else got her to weird out."

Buffy nodded in agreement. "Ok, we don't tell Giles for now. But how do we get her to want to get back to her old life?"

Hedging, "Maybe, if we get the ball rolling and keep it in her face, she'll see she really does care and come around."

Buffy shrugged not comprehending the brunette.

"Buff, if we investigate this murder and go to her with leads and questions, I bet she won't be able to just brush it away. She's as much a slayer as we are. Faith can't turn her back on getting rid of demons."

The blonde's face lit up. "Yeah. It's like saying you're never going to eat another piece of chocolate, and then you're at someone's house and they're offering you Godiva double chocolate squares…You try to ignore them…You tell yourself you don't need them…But in the end, you eat so many that everyone else in the room looks at you like you just ate a baby."

Kennedy took a deep breath. "Not the analogy I would have used…but it makes the point." The brunette got off her stool. "So let's go. Let's get some info on this murder and drag Faith back to the Good side."

The women walked over to the door and opened it. As Kennedy closed the door behind them, "Really, Buffy, you gotta let that go. It was just a dumb get together. None of us thought you were wiggin for the chocolate."

The plan to reclaim Faith had begun.

Kennedy and Buffy walked around the crime site trying not to seem conspicuous. The dead woman had been found around two am and the police were still at the scene even though it was after noon. The slayers weren't the only ones there. Lots of reporters, cameramen and inquisitive citizens were also mulling around, all doing their best to get a view of the "crime scene" or a fresh piece of news. Even though the body had been removed and sent to the morgue for an autopsy hours earlier, a massive bloody puddle was still present inside the bright yellow "CRIME SCENE: DO NOT ENTER" tape boundary.

"There's no way we can get any closer," Kennedy said frustrated as she and Buffy walked along the outer edge of the crowd. "There're too many people here."

Buffy scanned the area. "You're right. We're going to have to give it some time."

"But could mean we lose evidence. The cops don't know what to look for when it comes to demon activity…Hell, that's not even a possibility for them." The brunette stood there and tried to think of a way to get closer.

Then she saw a familiar sight. She smiled and, as she walked toward a police officer, said to Buffy, "I just saw our ticket in."

The blonde watched as Kennedy walked over to a tall dark haired officer. They shook hands and, by the way they interacted, Buffy could tell the officer and Kennedy knew each other. She waited, not being able to tell what they were saying. But Buffy saw the conversation turn serious and soon the brunette was back with the cop.

"Ron, this is Buffy. Faith and I told you about her."

The older slayer watched the officer take a good look at her. Then he turned to Kennedy. "Yeah, the 'original' slayer. Hmm…I thought she'd be taller."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "I get that a lot."

Kennedy slapped Ron on the back. "Buffy, Ron here is our new bestest friend. So treat him nice. He's gonna get us up close and personal inside that yellow tape over there."

The blonde smiled. "I knew I liked you, Ron."

Ron held out his hand in the direction of the crime scene. "Well, let's go, ladies."

The three walked toward the area of the killing. As they went, the officer told the slayers what the cops knew about the murder. The woman had been killed where she was found, behind a dumpster and up against an old abandoned building. The only reason she was found was because her arm stuck out from behind the metal bin. Even though the area did have 'inhabitants', the particular place the body was found was more of a back way passage only used by the fewest of people. "If she hadn't been found by that night worker, the rats woulda taken care of her in a day or so."

When the three got to the main crime scene, they were met with curious eyes from several of the uniformed and plain clothes police officers. Ron nonchalantly walked passed them, muttering, "Fucking FBI forensic trainees…Lieutenant says I gotta play nurse maid while they check out the scene for their boss." It was said with an air of insult and indignation. The other officers nodded slightly in understanding to Ron and gave the two 'agents' a quick, disrespectful once-over. True to form, the local law enforcement hated the Feds treading on their territory.

Once in, Ron stopped. "Go ahead, but be quick. This won't last long."

Kennedy smiled appreciatively. "Hear ya loud and clear."

Buffy and Kennedy went to work. They were scouring the scene for the exact opposite of the police. They didn't care about fingerprints, weapons, blood splatter patterns or physical clues like cigarette butts or hair follicles. The slayers were searching for the unobvious, A color variation to the ground or wall, a mark or substance that seemed like dirt or grime, but not quite. They were trying to find any clue that a demon was there, maybe a smell or a slight temperature difference in a spot. Anything, anything at all.

As they scanned the area, Buffy got curious. "How come that Ron guy is so friendly?"

Kennedy smirked. "Faith saved his ass from a vamp one night…Before then, he thought Faith was a private eye doing 'catch the cheating husband' stuff…She got a lot of leads from him. Then one night, he got attacked…would have been dead if it wasn't for Faith. After that, he was a true believer…Faith doesn't bother the guy that much. Only taps him for info when she really needs to. In fact, he said he hasn't seen or heard form Faith in about four months. I doubt he even knows about the other murders Giles told us about."

Buffy shook her head as she kept looking. "I tell you, as much as people like to think Faith did everything on her own, that is so not true. She really knows how to set up a network. Best part is she's got people helping her who don't even know what's really going on."

Brown eyes never left its searching, "That's why Faith needs to come to her senses."

Then suddenly, "Kennedy! Over here."

The brunette looked up startled at the blonde. Buffy was standing over a spot on the asphalt ground. Kennedy hurried over and squatted down.

"Well, what is this?"

On the ground was a slight hew of yellow to a very small moist patch. It wasn't a puddle or even dew. It hadn't rained and the spot was around ten feet from where the woman was killed.

"Buffy, there's no reason for this to be here." Kennedy, still squatting looked up at the blonde. "I believe we have found what they call in the po-lice business as a clue."

"I believe you are right." Buffy glanced in Ron's direction and saw him motioning for them to hurry up. "So, get your butt in gear and get a sample. Ron's giving us the squirrelly eyes."

Kennedy took a small glass container from her jacket pocket and her jackknife. She opened a blade and the container's top then scraped some of the liquid in the jar. She stood up as she was closing the lid.

They both walked over to Ron and within a few seconds they were well away from the crime scene.

"I can't thank you enough, Ron," Kennedy said sincerely.

The officer looked embarrassed. "No problem. Faith knows if she or her friends need help, I'm there."

"Well, we may have to bother you some more." Kennedy wanted the man prepared in case they needed additional assistance.

"Just call."

The slayers thanked him again and said their good-byes. They headed back to Faith's. On the way, Kennedy called Willow.

"Hey, babe. How's my perfect daughter and my sexy wife doing today?" No matter where Kennedy was or what she was doing, her first question whenever she called home was to see how her family was.

"We miss you, but managing to hang on," Willow teased. "How are things at your end?" The witch had talked to Kennedy the night before and earlier that morning while the brunette was out getting breakfast.

"Glad you asked. Buff and I found some weird liquidy stuff at a murder scene and I need you to see what you can find out about it."

There was a slight gasp on the other end. "Murder scene? How on earth did you end up at a murder scene? Are you ok? Is Buffy?…Faith?"

"Red…Red…relax. We're all fine here. A woman got murdered last night and the way it happened doesn't sound man-made if you get my drift. We thought that maybe it might be related to the killings Giles told us about. We checked out the crime scene and found this…stuff."

Kennedy could hear Willow give a sigh of relief. "Ok. That sounds much better. So you got Faith to go?" the witch said cheerfully.

"Uh, no. I can't tell you all of it right now, but it's really bad, Will. Faith says she's done with slaying. She's quitting."

"What?!"

"That's exactly what Buff and I said." Kennedy glanced at Buffy and saw that the blonde knew what she was telling Willow. "I know we can get Faith to come around. We think if we work on this murder and link it to a demon, she won't be able to turn her back on it…So it's really important for us to get as much info on this goop as possible."

Confused, "But, Kenn, why don't you send it to the Council? Their lab will be able to find out a lot more."

"Buff and I think we need to keep this very low key. They'll ask too many questions and we need to keep Faith's 'problem' off the radar."

The line was silent for a few moments. "She's that bad?" Kennedy heard the concern in Willow's voice.

Sadly, "Yes."

"Ok, baby. Send what you have…I guess a courier would be the fastest."

"Actually, Wil, I was thinking of an even faster way."

Willow immediately knew Kennedy wanted her to teleport. She knew the situation with Faith had to be worse than she thought.

"I know you need to find someone to be there for Sam…" Kennedy knew that Willow would never teleport if she were alone with Samantha. There was no way the witch would take the chance of something going wrong with her teleporting and leaving her toddler daughter alone in the house.

Willow quickly answered. "You're in luck. Dawnie's here. Oh, by the way, she said to say hi and to tell Buffy she will be able to get to Buff's this year for Thanksgiving…But I'm getting off the point. Dawn's here; so I can teleport whenever you're ready. Just tell me where to go."

Kennedy turned to Buffy and gave her a thumb's up. "Great, babe. We're just arriving at Faith's. Oh, by the way, Faith was wearing a couple necklaces…had them on this morning and I'm pretty sure last night. You should be able to see them for yourself. Give us ten minutes and aim for her living room…No, wait. Make that the spare bedroom…You'll have trouble finding a clear spot in the other room."

"Huh?"

"Don't ask…except I will need you to pressure Buffy into giving me the spare bed tonight."

"I don't have any idea what you're babbling about and I'm pretty sure I don't want to know. I'll see you in ten minutes. Bye, baby."

"Bye, Red."

Kennedy looked at Buffy. "Ten minutes and counting. Let's get back and see how Faith reacts to Willow making the trip."

Faith's reaction was nonexistent, because the slayer wasn't home when the blonde and brunette got back to her apartment. They searched, but the older brunette had left.

Coming out of her bedroom, Kennedy held a plastic bottle in her hand. She poured out a few pills as she showed them to Buffy.

"I know enough about drugs from my stepmom to know these are sleeping pills. When has Faith ever had trouble sleeping? These don't even have a prescription label on them. Who knows where she got them."

A few seconds later, the two slayers heard a noise in the spare room.

"Wil's here," the blonde said happily. Just then Willow walked into the living room. "Hey, Willow. You know that FedEX and UPS have nothing on you."

Walking over and hugging Buffy, "True. But I don't get wear a cheesy uniform…Hi, Buff." Willow walked over to her wife and gave her a kiss. "Hey, baby."

Kennedy hugged her wife. "Thanks for the fast response." Kennedy was still aware that Willow was cautious in her use of magick. "Bad news…Faith's not here. But we can tell you about the necklaces she was wearing."

Willow scanned the apartment. "From the looks of this place, how can you tell she's not buried under the debris? Gee, if the place looks this bad, I'm not sure I want to know how Faith's doing."

Buffy sat down on the couch. "Picture, Sunnydale…a combination of the Faith that slept with Xander and the Faith just after she killed the Mayor's assistant."

Willow's smile faded. "Oh, crap."

Buffy nodded, "Oh crap is right."

Kennedy interjected. "That's why we need you to do your geeky science voodoo on this." She held the glass container with the crime scene liquid in her hand.

Willow took it and moved the jar around between her fingers. She examined the fluid inside. "So you think this is from a demon?"

"That's what we need you to find out," Buffy responded.

Kennedy interjected. "I gave Faith the once over when she got up this morning and I can't say for sure she had on anything new. She did have on a gold chain necklace and a silver one with what looked like a black pearl. Did she have those before? I didn't notice anything else…like a new ring."

Willow thought for a moment. "Black pearl, huh? That sounds fishy." She examined the container again. "And demon goo…Sounds like a busy time ahead." Bringing her attention to the slayers, "Okey, dokey, then. Let me get back home and I'll start right away. Dawnie's gonna help…" Willow knew that neither slayer would take issue with Dawn knowing about Faith.

Willow kissed Kennedy again. "Sammie misses you…So do I," she said quietly. Kennedy smiled. "I miss you both too."

Willow gave Kennedy once last peck on the cheek and got ready to leave. Buffy stopped her.

"Tell Dawn that it wouldn't kill her to call her big sister more than just once a week."

Willow smiled. "I'll tell her."

Before the slayers knew it, Willow was gone. Her ability to teleport still amazed the brunette. Talking out loud to herself, "That's my girl."

"I still get goose bumps when she does that," the blonde said just as amazed.

Buffy turned to Kennedy, "Now we wait for Willow and Faith."

"You got it, Buff. When Faith comes back, we tell her what we found and get her to come with us to the other murder scenes. We need to find out if that yellowy stuff is there too."

The two slayers waited for some time before their friend came back home. Faith looked disappointed when she saw that Kennedy and Buffy were still there.

Kennedy noticed that the necklace with the black orb seemed to be almost shining.

"Can't get enough of the Big Apple? I hope you aren't planning to stay much longer." Faith's tone was perturbed.

"Sorry, but yeah, we are staying and if you really want us gone then you need to help us with the murder from this morning." Kennedy decided to get straight to the meat of the situation for Faith. She thought she saw a slight interest in the other brunette's expression. But then it was gone.

"Gee, let me guess. You're sure it's a demon that did it and you want me to help you catch the thing." Faith said it in a very matter of fact way.

Buffy could hear the sarcasm in Faith's voice. She wasn't amused. "That's exactly what we think and want. Faith, you know this town better than anybody. If you saw how that woman was killed you'd be just as upset. There's a demon out there and we need to stop it."

"So go stop it…You don't need me for that."

Kennedy was getting angry by now. "Stop the bullshit, Faith. We know there's a demon. It left some kind of liquid behind. We need to see if the other murder scenes have that stuff there too. That's where you come in. We need your connection with the police evidence department in case the actual scenes are clean. There might be something in the evidence or the pictures they took to connect all these murders."

Faith listened but looked unaffected. "Like I said, you don't need me for this. I don't know a damn thing about the other murders and I told you I'm out of this now."

Kennedy couldn't believe Faith's demeanor. It was like they were talking about going to a shoe sale. "Faith, people are dying and we're pretty sure a demon is doing it. Don't you care about that? Doesn't it bother you that innocent people are dying?"

Kennedy saw Faith's jaw clench.

"Don't you tell me about caring, Kennedy. I've done this for a lot more years than you. I've seen more shit than I care to remember. But I've done my time. I'm entitled to be my own person…and that means no more slayer shit. You think this demon needs to be killed, then go and kill it…or get another slayer to do it…I told you I'm done. You go be the heroes."

Before Buffy or Kennedy could say another word, Faith stormed out of the apartment. In a second she was gone.

"Should we go after her?" Buffy had mixed feelings about the scene Faith just made. Part of her knew the slayer had to be going through some tough times. However, another part told her that Faith had done this too long to take such a cavalier attitude despite the circumstances. The blonde wanted to hug or punch Faith. She just didn't know which would work.

Kennedy stared at the front door with a blank expression. "Jesus, she really doesn't give a shit about anything anymore." Then turning back to Buffy, "I don't think we should try to find her. Maybe she needs to let off steam…or let this sink in. She hasn't had anyone confront her 'new' way of life until we got here. Maybe letting her brew about it will help…Besides, we need to go to the other crime scenes."

Buffy nodded. "Ok. We let Faith stew and we go try to connect the other murders to last night's. We still have some daylight left and if that doesn't work, you can always schmooze Ron again."

Kennedy raised her brows and looked innocently at the blonde. "I did not schmooze him…And you really need to get a better vocabulary, Buff. You're so Friday night tv."

"You're just jealous that I have time to watch real tv and you're stuck having to spend all your time watching Dora the Explorer with Sammie."

Kennedy replied quickly. "Speaking about kids, when are you and Jimmy…" Buffy cut her off.

"End of discussion, Kenn!…We have to fight evil now. Let's go." Buffy headed out the door.

Following, Kennedy said smugly, "Touchy…touchy."

The slayers were on their way to see if they could piece together any more of the mysterious murder. What they would find would cement their opinion that a demon was feasting off the underbelly of New York. What that would mean to Faith was another matter altogether.

It took Kennedy and Buffy longer than they anticipated gathering more information. They didn't want to call Giles because they knew he would request details about Faith. Both slayers hoped to put off talking to him until the latest time possible. "Let him call us, then we'll figure out what to say." That sounded like a good plan to Buffy.

The problem with not calling Giles was that the slayers didn't have much concrete information when it came to the other murders. Giles had told them there were "a few" and that they happened in "different locations" in the city's poorer sections. The women didn't even know what days the murders took place.

Kennedy did remember that the Englishman said that the Council was tipped off to the murders. She also recalled Giles saying that the murders were known by the local police. Because of the victims' locations and backgrounds, there wasn't too much hype or publicity despite the gory manners of death. The police suspected that the murders were drug related, competing kingpins trying to 'make a point' about the expanse of his territory. The media never got wind of the deaths and the police were conducting a very low key and slow investigation. The Homicide Department was never in a rush when it appeared that bad guys were offing each other.

The slayers were forced to contact Ron, the officer who had helped them earlier in the day. They called him and met him at a doughnut shop.

"Ron," Kennedy said as she and Buffy sat next to the man at the counter, "if cops don't want to be stereotyped, then meeting people in a doughnut shop…maybe not a good idea."

"Hey, they've got the best coffee here…besides, you got something against doughnuts?"

The brunette shook her head. "No, some of my best meals have been a dozen or two."

Buffy coughed and mumbled under her breath, "Not schmoozing at all."

Kennedy gave the blonde a quick dirty look then brought her attention back to Ron.

"Ron, we hate to bother you again, but we need information. We need to find out about some murders that have occurred in the city in the last few weeks."

The officer snorted. "Jesus, we have people getting killed every night. Can you be more specific?"

"Yes," said Buffy. "These were kept quiet. The detectives thought they were drug related…and they were pretty bad…kinda like today's victim."

That statement made Ron stop in mid bite. He put his doughnut down and nodded his head slowly.

"Yeah, I know what you're talking about. Because of Faith, I try to keep eye open for 'weird' stuff…just in case. What you're talking about, I know."

Kennedy leaned in. "Good. What we need is how many, where, when…the whole package. And we need to see the crime scenes and any photos that were taken…Is there a way to see any evidence that got tagged?"

The cop laughed. "Yeah, go through six months of the police academy, get a badge and gun and you can see all you want." Then shaking his head. "I see why you're such good friends with Faith…pushy." He looked at Buffy. "She always like this? Gets what she wants like Faith?"

Buffy smiled. "Most times." She chuckled to herself how coy Kennedy could be, much like Faith. They both had a way of getting to guys. The blonde knew it was their overt confidence in their self image. That and they both knew they were 'hot.'

Ron thought for a second, turned his eyes upward and then nodded. "Fine, I can get you the files…but you have to be quick and we need to do it pronto."

Kennedy got a big smile. "Perfect, because I was gonna say we needed to get the info now."

The police officer laughed again and stood up. He went to get some money out of his pocket but the brunette grabbed his arm.

"Please, this is on us…It's the least we can do."

Ron and Kennedy started to walk to the entrance. Kennedy looked bac