Faith and Paige
Faith waved as Paige orbed out. She lifted her bag over her shoulder and headed into the school, almost running into Storm in the hallway.
"Uh, hi," Faith said.
"Hello, Faith?" Storm asked.
"Yep, that'd be me."
"Spike informed me you were coming... here, I'll show you to your room. I'm Ororo Munroe. Or Storm."
"Thanks." Faith followed Storm down the hallway, and then stopped at a door. She opened the door and Faith stepped inside, looking around. "Uh, thanks again."
"Not a problem. Would you like me to tell Spike that you are here?"
"Hmm." Faith thought for a second. "If you could, yeah, thanks."
Storm smiled and went to find Spike. She eventually did.
"Spike? Ah, Faith is here."
Faith threw her bag onto the bed, then headed out to explore, closing the door of her room before she did.
Spike and Vortigern
"Thanks, Stormy," Spike smiled and bounced to his feet. "C'mon, luv."
"Hmmm?" Vortigern looked up distractedly.
"I don't think you've met her...and I think you'd like to."
Vortigern shrugged and tucked his pencil behind his ear. "Sure. Why not?" His eyes had deep blue bruises under them from sleepless nights and worry. He trailed Spike down the hall like a whipped puppy.
"Slayer!" Spike laughed as he saw Faith. "Long time, no...fight." He grinned, not meaning it.
Faith
Faith turned around and grinned back.
"Could whip your ass any day of the week, vampire."
She flipped out a cigarette.
"Smoke?"
Spike, Vortigern, Octavian and Sergei
"Surrreeee you could," Spike said mockingly. "We can take it up in the Danger Room after. Got me own, ta anyway, pet."
He lit up one of his own cigarettes.
"This is Vortigern."
"Nice to meet you," Vortigern said politely.
"TAV! Stop. Getting. Detention!" Sergei shouted, waving his hands in the air. "You know the Summers-"
"It's a point of honour." Octavian lifted his chin slightly.
"SCREW HONOUR! What about our band?!"
Vortigern winced slightly. "Guys, please..."
"Sorry, Vort," Sergei said, slipping back into the thick Russian accent. "It;s just...you talk to him! He isn't listening to us, tovarisch!"
Faith and Bobby
Faith shrugged and lit up.
"Always good to spar with," she said, then turned to Vort. "Nice to meet you too." She looked around at his butt and her eyes twinkled cheekily. "Yeah, Spike, you were right, he does have a nice ass."
She took a drag on her smoke.
"We're talking about the Summers's? Always were a little too... self righteous for my liking. Never got along with any of them. Oh, except Joyce, she was nice."
Bobby wandered into the room and stopped at the sight of Faith. She grinned.
"I'm Faith, and you..."
"Bobby."
"Ahhh... the pierced boy, that Julie spoke very highly of."
"Um... yeah? She did?" Bobby blushed slightly.
"Yeah. Trust me, the piercing, it's a loving."
Bobby grinned.
Spike, Vortigern, Octavian and Sergei
Spike looked at Bobby consideringly, then grinned. "Mordred has a tongue piercing."
Vortigern suddenly found his shoes very interesting.
"Don't worry, luv. I'm not going to make you get one...unless you want to..." Spike nibbled up the back of Vortigern's neck, loving how the boy just relaxed into it.
"Anyvay." Sergei waved a hand dismissingly. "Octavian Felix Edgerton- Smythe-"
"How did you ever manage to learn my full name?" Octavian inquired.
Sergei flashed him a fangy grin, indigo eyes gleaming. "I asked yourrr sisterrr, tovarisch. She's a very useful type of girrrl. Prrretty too. As I vas saying...stop the tricks. Dawn does worse back, and she isn't getting in trouble for it."
"She will off me," Spike growled softly.
Sergei looked at him pityingly. "Spike. You mean well...but Scotty boy has dis all sewn up. Dawn is saint, nyet?" He put his hands under his chin in a prayer position and fluttered his eyelashes. "Borzehmoi, he doesn't let me play the poorrr me, my family's dead card. And I had more family to lose," the Russian said bitterly, looking like he wanted to spit.
Faith
Faith raised an eyebrow.
"This Scott got something rammed up his ass, yes? And Dawn is getting away with everything under the sun?"
She sighed.
"Well, it's a tough job, but someone has to kick her ass into gear and I suppose I'll do it." She paused. "Actually, it's not a tough job. Not for me anyway. So," she held a hand out to Octavian and winked. "I'm Faith..."
Octavian and Sergei
"Octavian," Octavian said softly, taking her hand. "Honoured to make your aquantice, dear lady." He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand, bowing over it.
Sergei snickered. "Don't mind him, he's British, da?"
"At least I have some manners," Octavian said loftily. He arched an eyebrow. "Russian."
"Da, so?"
Faith
Faith smiled.
"Been called a lot of things, never a lady."
She nodded at Sergei, then turned back to Spike.
"So, can I see Gwen?"
Spike, Octavian and Sergei
"Then all other men are blind," Octavian said to Faith. "For clearly, you *are* a lady."
Spike snorted softly. "Yeah. They had a bit of a rough few nights though..."
Sergei shook his head. "Tav..."
"Yes, Sergei?" Octavian said, turning slightly to face him.
"You are *such* a BS artist."
"I do try my best, but never when I'm talking with a lady I've just met." Octavian smiled.
Gwen
"Sweet, have to take you a few rounds," Faith said to Octavian, then turned back to Spike.
"Doesn't matter... I still wanna see her. I don't think I'll be too much help, but you never know... I have hidden talents. Worse comes to worse, I'll try my hand at juggling."
Spike, Vortigern, Octavian and Sergei
"Ok..." Spike nodded slowly, then turned to Vortigern. "Where are they?"
"Down in the medlabs," Vortigern said. "I..." He turned and walked away quickly.
"Bloody hell, can't we ever get a break?" Spike moaned softly and started after him. "C'mon then , Slayer."
"See you later, Faith." Octavian smiled.
"Da, later, kratkoya!" Sergei grinned.
Faith and Gwen
Faith gave a wave and then followed them down to the medlabs. Once she was down there, she shivered slightly.
"Never was the hospital type. Spent way too much time in hospitals. We don't click."
She walked over to the bed where Gwen was and folded her arms, feeling sorrow wash over her.
Gwen opened her eyes and looked up at Faith.
"Hey, Electro."
"Well, if it isn't Faith." Gwen looked at Mordred. "Could I... sit up?"
Mordred and Vortigern
"Sure, love," Mordred said and he helped her sit up with his good hand. "Hey, Faith." He nodded at the Slayer. "Mind the stitches, angel."
"Hey, Dr McCoy," Vortigern said as Hank stuck his head out of the door.
"Ah, I see you have visitors. Gwen, when you need any painkillers, just call."
Gwen and Faith
Gwen winced. "Ah, possibly now, please."
Faith perched herself on a bed opposite Gwen and Mordred.
"So, heard you kiddies screwed like bunnies."
Gwen gave a weak smile.
"You know, I am older than you."
"Ah, but I'm a Slayer, no chance of you beating me in a fight."
"I could shock you."
"But then you'd be ridding yourself of a good fighter, and that way, the world would end... literally. Besides, if you decide you wanna kill me, can ya wait until I've gotten wriggly with the English kid?"
Gwen shook her head.
"This is why I didn't stay with you for long."
"No, you didn't stay with me for long coz I kicked your sorry ass out," Faith shot back, grinning.
"Whatever, Slayer, whatever," Gwen grinned.
Mordred, Vortigern and Spike
Hank came over with a glass of water and two powerful painkiller tablets, handing them to Gwen.
Mordred looked at Vortigern, and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Tavvie," Vortigern said as if that explained everything.
"Ah." And it did indeed. Mordred ran his tongue around his lips, thinking. "Mind Tav."
"Tav will be fine, I'm sure." Vortigern's mouth twitched up in a grin, and Spike sighed in relief. "But he won't be if he keeps..."
"I think Dawn deserves it, and more." Mordred's face shut down. Damn Jean and Scott.
Yes well, what do you expect?
SOME fairness, at the very least. Some of the stuff Dawn's done is expensive to replace... Mordred's eyes widened slightly as he caught somehting of Vortigern's thought. "I'm gonna kill her. She is a DEAD Key."
"Wolf..." Vortigern warned, putting a hand on his arm.
"You're lucky I'm too drugged up at the moment to 'port."
Gwen and Faith
Gwen took the tablets and washed them down, grimacing at the taste. "Thanks Dr McCoy."
"Now, now, remember her blood opens portals. However... there are other ways to kill her... wait, bad Faith! I'm meant to be the Good Slayer again." Faith grinned.
"You," she said to Spike. "Have proved to be a bad influence on me."
Mordred, Vortigern and Spike
"I could 'port her and forget to bring her back out," Mordred said thoughtfully.
"And wasn't I meant to be a bad influence? Yeah, soul. But I'm not a nancy boy like Angel." Spike grinned, then let his fingers brush the back of Vortigern's neck. "What did she do?"
Mordred opened his mouth, then shut it slowly after a glare from his twin. "Fine. Deal with it your own way. I'd prefer smothering her with a pillow."
"Because violence just solves *everything*." Vortigren rolled his eyes.
"It does too, love." Spike smiled, still more then a bit worried.
"Feeling better, mo cariad," Mordred asked Gwen quietly.
Gwen and Faith
"Violence solves a lot. And what it doesn't solve, sex does." Faith grinned. "Shutting up. Alright, I can talk to Dawn, she might actually listen to me."
Faith paused and let out a chuckle. "Ok, no she won't, because she's part of the Summers family, and Lord knows how self righteous they can be. Ahem, Buffy, ahem."
Gwen nodded and kissed his head. "Yeah... a little. Are you ok?"
Spike and Mordred
"Even I can admit that," Spike said quietly. Vortigern tilted his head slightly, then entwined his fingers around Spike's. The vampire smield, then reached over to kiss Vortigern.
"Human, Spike. He needs to breathe," Mordred said in a tone that said clearly the comment had been made many times before. "I'm fine. Long as I don't stress the ribs too much today..."
Gwen and Faith
Faith grinned. "Alrighties, Spike, you wanna show me around some more?"
Gwen took Mordred's hand and squeezed it before turning to Faith. "How long are you staying?"
"Ah, long enough to keep y'all safe. Figured old Spike here could do with some help."
"Oh... cool." Gwen looked down at her legs.
"Yeah... Halliwells gave me heads up." Faith moved over and pressed a quick kiss to Gwen's head. "You'll make it. Feel better Gwen, Mordred." She turned back to Spike. "Ok, look that was too girly for my liking, let's go punch something."
Spike, Vortigern and Mordred
"Sure thing, pet." Spike pecked a kiss on Vortigern's cheek. "You going to go paint or something?" He frowned as the scent of Mordred's anger hit a high pitch. "What?"
Mordred's hands were fisted in the sheets.
"What did Dawn do?" Spike turned to Vortigern.
Clearly unhappy, Vortigern started walking towards the door. "Nothing. Let's go."
"Vortigern. Stop. Turn." Spike raised an eyebrow. "Explain."
"Spike, I don't want to talk about," Vortigern said clearly. "Please."
"Fine..." Spike's eyes were flecked with gold. "Let's go beat each other up, Slayer." He got up angrily, duster swishing around his legs as he strode towards the door. "You *will* explain later, luv."
Gwen and Faith
Faith grinned.
"What girl could resist that?"
She followed after Spike.
Gwen placed a kiss on Mordred's cheek.
"You ok? Come on, help me into the demon chair..."
Mordred, Vortigern and Spike
"Course, mo cariad..." Mordred smiled valiantly, still seething with anger. "Dammit, I want to hit things." He shook his head then 'ported her into the chair. "Alright, love?"
Vortigern went to the garage and studied the destroyed painting, trying to figure out how he could turn it into a good thing. He sighed.
Spike led Faith into the Danger Room, and switched on the system. "*This* is the Danger Room. I'll set it to the level I usually fight for practice, and see how you go." He pressed a button to download the training program.
Demons and vampires sprang into existence and Spike grabbed a stake and a sword. He grinned at Faith.
"Well? C'mon, pet." He exploded into action, duster flying.
Faith and Gwen
Faith grinned back at him, then ducked swiftly, pulling a stake from her pocket and started to fight, going through the motions so naturally.
"Son of a - "
Faith flipped back to her feet and pulled the jackal from the back of her pants and in one fluid motion, decapitated the vampire.
***
Gwen nodded.
"Yeah, I'm alright. Those pain killers are good."
She smiled.
"Wait till you're healed, then talk to Faith. She'll spar with you."
Spike and Mordred
"Fun, hey?" Spike grinned at Faith, before allowing a vampire to toll smoothly off his shoulder. With a quick stab, he staked it. "Good thing about these vamps...no muss, no fuss."
~*~*~*~
"Sounds good." Mordred kissed her cheek. "Want to go up?"
Faith and Gwen
"Very much."
Faith ducked, then kicked out and staked a vampire.
***
"May as well... have to face the mindless drones sooner or later."
Gwen gave a shake of her head and navigated herself into the lift to wait for Mordred.
"That actually put me in a better mood... the verbal fighting with Faith."
Spike and Mordred
Spike grinned. "If you want, pet, I can run up one of my especial faves. The Stake the Great Mousse Detective game."
~*~*~*~
"We'll have to make sure she comes around more often," Mordred said smiling as he followed Gwen.
"And they're not all mindless."
Faith and Gwen
"Probably shouldn't. Might develop a taste for it, then what would I do?"
Faith grinned.
"Anyway, what else is there around this school?"
***
Gwen wheeled herself out of the elevator, once they'd reached the upper levels.
"Ok, not all of them. But most."
She smiled.
"I'm hungry, shall we?"
Spike and Mordred
"But it's fun, pet." Spike grinned. "I have him say 'I'm a nancy boy', and 'where's Buffy to save me now', and 'no! not the hair!'. Amongst other things. But we can go get a bite to eat. Good kitchen staff."
~*~*~*~
"Whatever you want." Mordred followed her to the kitchen and the cafs. Ok...
Faith and Gwen
Gwen looked behind at Mordred. "Hey, you, stop with the over protectiveness. It'll be ok." She rolled her eyes and gave a smile. "Faith's here now."
***
Faith smiled and shook her head, then followed Spike up to the kitchens. Where they ran into Mordred and Gwen again.
"Oh you again," Faith said with a mock groan.
"Hey, I live here, what's your excuse?" Gwen replied.
"Hmmm, slaying makes you wicked hungry and horny?"
"Did not need to hear that."
"And from what I hear, no one needed to hear you guys going at it all night."
"Oh, oh, oh..." Gwen was lost for words.
"Yeah, I heard you did a lot of that sound." Faith raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"It's not nice to tease the invalid."
"Probably not... wicked fun though. And look at ya, you love it. Admit it, you love me too much to care."
"Faith, you're so..."
"I know, wonderful, and it's not easy all the time..." Faith stopped as she saw Dawn. "Scuse me." She walked over. "Hey, you, long time no see."
Mordred, Spike, Displaced
Spike put a hand on Mordred's chest and pushed him back. "Don't. Don't need you getting into trouble as well."
Mordred snarled at him but subsided sullenly. "Fine."
The members of the band The Displaced eyed Dawn and Faith, then decided to sit back and watch the show.
Ok, Wolf. Who's the hot chick? Jonothon asked on a private channel.
Faith. Slayer.
Ah. Cool.
Gwen and Faith
Gwen put her hand on Mordred's, and entwined their fingers.
"It's ok," she soothed.
***
Faith didn't bother waiting for an answer.
"From what I've been hearing, you've been quite the busy little beaver. Now, here's where I stop being all friendly, and I get to the point." Faith leaned in closer to Dawn. "Don't be a brat. I know your cousin is like the leader of the X-Men, but don't push your luck. Coz, guess what, baby, I'm not part of the X-Men, and I won't let you get away with shit."
Dawn
Dawn hugged Faith fiercely. "God, I've missed you! I feel like I've been cut off from all things Sunnydale, 'cept Oz has been here, and he's the embodiment of all things Sunnydale. How's Tulsa?"
Faith
Faith moved out of the hug.
"Dawn, listen to me. God, is it a Summers trait that you never listen to anyone and only hear what you wanna hear?"
She bent her head to look Dawn in the eyes.
"From what I've heard, you've been doing whatever the hell you feel like because you can get away with it. Well it ends now."
Faith spun on her heel and joined the others at the table.
Sergei, Octavian, Mordred and Spike
Spike looked at Faith with thanks. "Ta, pet."
"Spike, can you go talk to Vort?" Mordred said quietly to the vampire. "He's in the garage."
"Gotcha. See ya soon, mates."
Spike left in a swirl of his duster before Dawn could get a hold of him.
"Well, way to go Faith." Sergei grinned.
"Indeed," Ocatavian drawled. "We are forever in your debt if that actually manages to make a dint in her behaviour. Yet somehow..."
"Ya get da feeling it won't work?" Sergei snickered. "Amerikhantse..."
"Quite." Octavian smiled slightly.
Faith
"Not a problem."
Faith shrugged.
"I've had a bit of an experience with dealing with holier than thou Summers's. Anyway, if she doesn't listen, I can always try to kill her again."
She frowned.
"Kidding. I think."
Dawn
"Um, okay, what did I miss?" Dawn asked, confused. "I've basically locked myself away for the last month. So what the hell did I do to piss people off?"
Octavian, Mordred and Jono
Octavian laughed shortly.
"Oh, you're such an innocent. If I hadn't been the victim of half your pranks, I might almost believe you."
He leant back in his chair slightly, cold eyes on Dawn.
"My clothes go missing, get shredded, get stained, get shrinked. My homework disappears. I get blamed for the pranks *you* pull, and get detention."
Octavian stood.
"Excuse me please."
He left, and the members of Displaced followed him.
Mordred got up to get a drink from the fridge.
So writing a song about her. Jonothon remarked.
Gwen and Faith
Gwen yawned and created two balls of electricity in her hands and started to juggle them.
Faith watched on in amusement. "So that doesn't hurt?"
"Not me, probably would hurt you," Gwen replied. "But I can lower the voltage. It'd just feel like an electric shock."
"I'll pass."
Dawn
Dawn was confused, wondering who was doing all these mean things to Tav.
"Don't look at me," she said to the people who were still around. "I haven't done a thing to him. Other than the thing with the pants, I've bassically given in to the fact that I will never best him, so I've stopped trying." She headed off to her sanctuary to summon Joyce's spirit. She needed somebody who actually gave a crap about her. Who actually loved her. Clark was gone. Buffy and Joyce were dead. She never really got to see Xander or Willow or Anya or Amy, or any of the Scoobies anymore. And those thoughts, the ones she tried so hard to suppress, the ones that told her she wasn't good enough, didn't deserve to live, they were sneaking back into the edges of her mind, trying their hardest to drive her over the brink.
Mordred
"Bullshit, bullshit," Mordred coughed into his hand. "She's lying. Stupid girl. Too many telepaths about to lie. And now she's all poor me again, no body loves me."
Faith and Gwen
"I love me," Faith said absently. "That really wasn't the point. Nevermind." She grinned cheekily.
"Idiot," Gwen said, shaking her head. "Mordred... ah, hate to be a pain, but could you grab me a drink? Anything will do, love."
"Lazy, so lazy, geez, Gwen." Faith stuck her tongue out.
"I know, I'm not actually paralysed at all, I just like Mordred being at my beck and call."
"Good thinking. I wouldn't mind him being at my beck and call... he has a tongue stud," Faith joked.
"No, mine!" Gwen said childishly.
Mordred
"Only yours."
Mordred bent and kissed her cheek softly, then went off to get a drink.
He came back with a can of drink for her and set it down on the table.
"Here you are, love."
He sat down again.
Faith and Gwen
"Awww." Faith grinned. "You're both so whipped."
"No we're not," Gwen replied. "Maybe I am a little."
"Gwen and Mordred, sitting in a treeeeee!"
"We never did it in a tree... near trees, yes... but in one."
Mordred
"Done it just about everywhere else though," Mordred commented, before sipping from his drink.
"Her fault."
Jean
A very pregnant Jean passed an upset Dawn and went over to the group of people she had just left.
"You know she really hasn't been playing pranks on you all. She told Scott that she'd given up trying, since she realized she'd never best you all. You know who's been playing all those pranks? Sammy and Stevie, Dru's 6-year-olds. They've been sneaking into the mansion and been trying to get revenge for you taking Drusilla's gems. But Dawn decided, for some reason, that she needed to be punished for hurting you all in the past. As if she hasn't beat herself up enough for it." Jean put her hand on her enormous belly. "ANyway, don't you all have school work you could be doing?" sjhe asked, giving MOrdred a pointed glare.
Faith and Gwen
Faith looked at Jean, in confusion, not actually knowing who she was, so she decided to just ignore her.
Hey, it's how she worked.
Gwen grinned.
"My fault? Ah, I doubt that."
Mordred
"Always your fault."
Mordred started to luridly picture exactly what he and Gwen had done in London to make Jean go away.
"And now I know who to kill, don't I?"
A few added scenes of the slaughter at the labs...
"Doesn't change the fact that Dawn is an opionated stuck up little bitch who gets away with far more then she should."
Faith and Gwen
Faith sighed wistfully. "Ah killing. I remember killing. Well, ok, I still do it, so it's not a matter of forgetting."
"Me?" Gwen looked innocent. "You were the one teasing me."
Jean
Jean glared. "That's a detention for profanity. Watch your language. Dawn gets punished just as much as everybody else." Jean sighed. "Okay, so maybe Scott and I don't punish her as often or as strictly as we maybe should, but according to the custody papers, she's our daughter. You're my students. There's a difference there. Besides, she's been through so much," Jean looked at Faith, and at Gwen. "But I guess we all have here."
Mordred and Vortigern
Mordred cracked his knuckles.
"You think that was profanity? Jean, you're so sheltered..."
He took a deep breath, then reeled off a long string of expletives that almost made the air turn blue.
"That's profanity."
"And you didn't even repeat yourself," Vortigern said softly from the doorway, hands and face covered in paint.
Mordred got up, regally ignoring Jean.
"You alright?"
"I will be...I managed to save the painting."
"Well, that's good."
The twins hugged for a moment, then Mordred looked at Gwen and Faith.
"Going now. Catch ya up."
The two disappeared.
Gwen love...piss her off if you can.
Jean
Jean laughed, and then walked away. That boy was going to spend the rest of his natural born life in detention.
Gwen and Faith
Gwen grinned.
"I'm not a student," she commented lazily.
"Neither am I. In fact, I don't know who the hell you actually are. But I'm here to help Spike keep an eye on the place," Faith said. "So yeah, I'm here doing you all a favour."
"Mmmhmmm, and I'm here because Mordred and I are house hunting at the moment. We need special things, after all." Gwen fixed Jean with an icy stare. "Anyway, Faith... feel like being shown around?"
"Sure, come on wheels." Faith stood up and waited for Gwen to lead the way out.