A Night on the Town
Author's disclaimer: Buffy, Angel & Co are Trademarks and Property of Fox Television. No copyright
infringement is intended.
Author's notes: Time Frame: Post - "The Zeppo" and in an alternate timeline established in my earlier story
"The Manchurian Slayer."
Part Three
Faith cursed inwardly at the odds against her: five on one was a little steep if these guys were any good at
all, particularly since the dress and those damned shoes would slow her down somewhat. However, her
feelings were not of fear but of utter fury: how dare these dirtbags screw up her date? She smiled coldly and
replied, "Do you boys really want to mess with me? You know my reputation. . .I won't just stake you. I'll
make it hurt for a good long time. . .besides, my boyfriend's on the way, and he doesn't like vampires very
much, either."
Finch laughed, and the other vamps laughed with him. Noticing her startled expression, Finch looked at her
contemptuously and commented, "Did you think we didn't know about you, Slayer? Picking up men in bars
or on the street, having your way with them and tossing them out on their ear? Some of them have been
turned, you know, and you wouldn't believe what they had to say. . .it makes me shudder a little." He met
her gaze, and in spite of herself Faith began to feel completely embarrassed by her prior behavior as he
commented, "You would never let any man close enough to you to be considered a boyfriend. . .so tell me,
Slayer, where is this mythical boyfriend?"
Abruptly, one of the vampires gasped and burst into dust, revealing Xander, jacketless and carrying a stake
and a vial of holy water. He met the eyes of the startled Finch and called out, "That would be me,
dickhead." The vampire nearest to him quickly moved over, only to get holy water in his eyes and a stake in
his heart. Xander looked dismissively at the dust that the two vampires had left, and called out, "Anyone
else?"
Finch sighed in annoyance and called out to the remaining two vampires, "You two take out the Slayer:
she'll be slowed down by her fashion ensemble. I'll handle the boy here." He moved slowly and menacingly
towards Xander, while the other two vamps cautiously approached Faith. Abruptly, Faith leaped six feet
straight up, doing a somersault in the air and pulling off her shoes. Startled, the vampires paused as Faith
landed on her feet, tossed the shoes away, and knocked one of them on his ass with a right cross. With
lightning speed, she drew a stake from where it was concealed under her right sleeve and assumed a cold,
cold smile as she called out, "Cinderella's home from the ball, guys, and she's seriously pissed off." With
that, she moved into the fight with that smile still on her face.
Xander could see that Faith was doing all right, but he had no spare attention to give to her status. Finch
might have been a wimp when he was alive, he mused, but he packed a nasty punch as one of the undead. He
concentrated on fighting defensively, hoping that Faith could finish off her two opponents and come to lend
him a hand. Sensing this, Finch started taunting Xander. "Was some slut of a Slayer the best you could do,
Harris? We were watching you, too. Cordelia Chase, Willow Rosenburg. . .some of the best this town has to
offer, and you're with Faith now? How pathetic is that?"
Xander knew what the vampire was doing, and why, but suddenly, it just didn't matter any more. Dropping
his defensive stance, he began throwing roundhouse punches that struck home, staggering the vampire.
Xander pressed his advantage, only to have Finch slip through his guard and seize him by the throat. "So
predictable. . .so, you do care about her. Oh well, I guess it doesn't really matter now, does it?" The vampire
began to squeeze, and Xander's world began to grey out. From what sounded like a distance, he could hear
footsteps coming up quickly from behind him, but he knew that whoever it was wouldn't get there in time to.
. .
Abruptly, the pressure ceased as Finch burst into dust with a loud scream. Faith stood in front of him, with a
look of concern on her face. Xander sighed in relied and commented, "So I wasn't imagining it when I heard
someone running up behind me. Thanks, Faith."
The Slayer replied, "Not a problem, but it wasn't me you heard." She pointed behind him, and Xander turned
to see Cordelia standing ten feet behind him, a stake in her hand. She looked as if she wanted to find a hiding
place from the shocked look that Xander was giving her. He turned back to Faith, who sighed patiently and
suggested, "You might want to have a word with her, Xander. I'll be busy finding my shoes." She walked
away, and Xander walked up to the visibly mortified Cordelia and commented, "Cordelia, you can put the
stake away now." As she did so, Xander shook his head and asked, "Cordy, what were you thinking?
Running at a bunch of crazed vampires with a stake? That's a pretty good way to get killed."
Cordelia snorted and replied, "You're one to talk, Spaz boy. I followed you out of the restaurant because I
wanted to yell at you and your. . .date for messing up my evening, and I saw you sneaking over with that
stake and holy water. Now, there was no way I was going to mess up my hair and dress just to help you two
losers. . .but then that vamp had you by the throat, and well. . .there was no way I was going to let you die
without letting me tell you just how pissed off I am at you!"
Xander sighed: vintage Cordelia. He folded his arms and replied, "All right then, Cordelia. You've certainly
earned it. Tell me what a cheating bastard I am, and how I was never good enough for you. Tell me whatever
else is on your mind. The floor is yours, Miss Chase."
Cordelia glared at him for a long moment, then grated out, "Damn you, Xander. You know I can't stay mad
at you when you're like this. . .you're in your damn White Knight mode, coming to the rescue even for a
damned Slayer, for God's sake. I always thought I'd lose you to Buffy. . .then Willow came into the picture
and I never saw it coming until it was too late. . .I wish I had never seen you two together. . .it's just such a
hassle breaking in a new boyfriend." She sighed, and concluded, "But there it is. . .and I'm getting the
impression even if I were to lose my mind again and take you back, you've already moved on." She glanced
over to where the Slayer was cursing at the difficulty she was having finding her right shoe, and turned back
and asked him, "Was that vampire right? Do you have feelings for her?"
Xander looked down for a moment and replied, "Yeah, Cordelia, I do." He looked at her and asked quietly,
"I am sorry about how things turned out between us. . .can we call a truce? I miss seeing you around, and the
library just hasn't been the same without you there."
Cordelia snorted, but Xander could see the softening look in her eyes as she replied, "As if I wanted to go
back to spending my free time hanging out in a dusty library with the school outcasts. . .but I might stop in
now and again. . .since it's good to know if the world is about to come to an end so I can accessorize
properly." Xander saw the smile in her eyes as she nodded at him, then walked back to the restaurant.
Xander heard Faith coming up behind him, and turned to face her, an amused smile on his face as he asked,
"So, I'm your boyfriend now, am I?"
Faith gave him a look that combined annoyance and embarrassment, then replied, "I was just trying to throw
them off of their game. . .but as I said it, it felt right somehow." She moved up to him and put her arms
around his neck as she asked, "How does it sound to you?"
Xander thought for a moment, then replied, "It feels right to me too. . .after all, we seem to make a good
team. . .and I'm used to being teased about my crappy love life, so I guess that the reason I got pissed off
was that he was taking shots at you. . .go figure, huh?"
Faith smiled, mischief dancing in her eyes, and leaned in to kiss him. Xander prepared himself for a ferocious
kiss of the kind she had given him under mind control, but instead it was a soft, tender kiss, full of affection
with only a tantalizing hint of lust. Xander tingled from head to toe, and when he looked at Faith he could tell
that she had a similar reaction. She looked at him and replied, "Yeah, go figure." She glanced down and
swore when she noted a long tear along the right sleeve of her dress.
Xander felt a moment of sadness when he remembered the significance of the dress to Faith, and quickly
reassured her, "Faith, don't worry. Mrs. Summers has been a Slayer's mother for three years now: the one
thing she can definitely do is repair battle-damaged fashion wear."
Faith chuckled and replied, "Yeah, you're right. . .It's just that I've waited so long to wear this, and now
after one night out on the town in Sunnydale it's messed up. . .doesn't seem right somehow." She turned to
him and commented, "We'd better get back, Xander. It's almost midnight. . .and I did promise Buffy's mom
not to be too late."
Xander nodded, and they drove back to the Summers' house in relative silence, though occasionally a
sidelong glance would produce a slight smile from the other, and Faith would occasionally playfully run a
finger down Xander's right side, causing him to tingle and feel profoundly grateful for the lack of heavy
traffic as they drove through the quiet night.
Giles, Willow and Buffy were still sitting and talking when they heard the key in the door and saw Faith and
Xander walk in quietly. Not noticing the occupants of the living room, Xander reached over to Faith, and
they started a long, lingering kiss as their friends squirmed, caught between the desire not to interrupt and
the embarrassment of being inadvertently made voyeurs. At length, they broke apart, and Giles seized the
opportunity to clear his throat. They turned slowly and noticed their three friends, and both colored slightly
before moving into the living room. Buffy smiled and commented, "The date went well, I gather."
Xander smiled and replied, "Definitely. . .though there were a few complications." He indicated Faith's torn
sleeve and a bruise or two that he had picked up, and raised his hands to forestall a flood of questions as he
explained, "That Finch guy who worked for the Mayor had started a new gig as a vampire, and him and four
of his buddies decided to put the hurt on Faith. . .big mistake. Scratch five vamps."
Giles smiled, pleased that Faith and Xander had not let a nasty incident ruin their evening, not to mention
that five vampires was a good night's work even for Faith. He nodded and commented, "Well done, both of
you. Xander, we have to discuss some business with Faith. . .and you must be exhausted. Could you come by
tomorrow for a more thorough discussion of what happened?"
Xander's face fell a little, and he was turning to leave when Faith slipped her right arm into the crook of his
left arm, stopping his departure. She gave Giles a nasty look and replied, "Xander took out two of those
vamps all by his lonesome, and held off a third until I finished the other two off. . .you might want to be a
little less dismissive of his ability to kick some ass from now on. And anything you want to say to me, you can
say in front of him. . .particularly since Buffy and Willow seem to know what's going on here, too."
Giles could see the anger in Faith's eyes, and he made a mental note to see just how far Xander's combat
abilities had progressed as he replied, "You're right, Faith, I'm sorry. Why don't you two sit down, and I'll
explain why I'm here." Faith sat down, the anger on her face changing to curiosity, and Xander sat beside
her, clasping her right hand as Giles explained the letter he had received from the Boston law firm.
Faith listened as Giles explained what a living trust was, then commented, "I never even thought about
whether she might have left me anything. . .she lived in a nice house, but she didn't throw money around, and
I thought the house might have been something the Council had set her up in. . .wow, that was really great of
her. . .so what are we talking about here, a few thousand bucks? That might be enough to perk up my
wardrobe a bit. . .or maybe to get me my own set of wheels."
Giles handed her the letter, and pointed to the part that described Faith's interest in the trust. Her eyes
bugged out for a moment, and her lips moved silently for a moment before she looked up at Giles and asked,
"What is this, some kind of sick joke? Those jokers at the law firm must have added a few zeroes."
Giles shook his head and replied, "No, Faith. Apparently Amanda Davis was the sole heir of a major mining
company executive who had left her everything he owned some years after she became a Watcher. She has
no living relatives." He took the letter from her limp hand and explained, "There are two parts to this. The
$10,000,000 mentioned here is left to you outright: if you die it would go to whoever the law would consider
to be your heirs-probably whatever relatives you have left in Boston-unless you make a will and designate
other beneficiaries. The other $100,000,000 is to be invested by the trustees, and you will receive the income
for the rest of your life, after which the principal goes to the Council of Watchers. . .I knew Amanda
reasonably well, and she believed very strongly in the cause: that money would clearly help the Council do
its work. However, it is very clear that she also believed in you, Faith, and wanted you to live well when she
was gone."
Xander felt Faith tense, and turned to her with concern. She looked shocked, but abruptly her face turned
blank, then a sly expression appeared on her face. She looked at Giles and asked, "So those clods on the
Council would really like to get their hands on that cash, right?" Giles nodded and Faith continued, "And
they can't touch it until I buy the farm. . .or if I give the say-so, right?" Giles nodded again and was
surprised that Faith had reasoned correctly: the life beneficiary could agree to forgo their interest, leaving
the principal immediately available to the later designated beneficiary. Faith smiled wickedly and
commented, "Good. Giles, give the Council a ring and tell them that I have a business proposition for them."
Giles looked at the younger Slayer strangely, but hastened to dial the number. Buffy looked at Faith's
expression and commented, "You've got something nasty in mind, don't you? You going to let us in on it, or
what?"
Faith grinned, and gently squeezed Xander's hand as she replied, "I'm going to make those stuffy bastards
an offer that they could refuse. . .but they won't like what happens if they do." She reached out for the
receiver, and as she began to speak to the drowsy Watcher at the other end of the line, the others in the
room realized that she was in complete control, and that it was a truly scary sight.
Two hours later, it was all settled, and Giles was visibly dazed. Giles would be reinstated as Field Watcher,
effective immediately. The Council would launch a full-scale investigation of the events surrounding Buffy's
Cruciamentum, taking the time to question all potential witnesses. Finally, the Council agreed to assign two
full time personnel to Sunnydale to handle communications with the Council and assist with research: Faith
had agreed to accept Wesley in that capacity, as the little weasel seemed to know his books. In exchange,
Faith agreed to dissolve the trust immediately: she would keep one-fourth of the money, while the Council
would receive the other $75,000,000.
The Council had not caved immediately, of course. Given the life expectancy of Slayers, the Council could
expect to get the whole $100,000,000 in short order in any event. However, when Faith hinted that with her
own share of the money she could retire to Tahiti in style, greatly extending her life expectancy, the Council
got down to haggling, and conceded to most of Faith's demands gracefully. Giles was the major sticking
point, but as he was acting de facto as the Field Watcher anyway, they decided that there was little reason
not to put him back into that position formally while they launched a wider investigation. There would be
time to put the now rather wealthy Slayer in her place. . .later.
Giles left after a few more moments, congratulating Faith and shaking his head in bewilderment at the
events of that night. Willow went with him, stopping to give Faith a warm hug and also congratulating her on
her good fortune. Buffy, yawning, grinned at Faith and told her to prepare for a very long talk in the
morning, then told Xander good night and went upstairs to bed. Finding himself alone with Faith, he turned to
her with not a little trepidation in his heart and asked, "So, do I still measure up as boyfriend material now
that you are a woman of leisure?"
Faith looked at him appraisingly, silently examining him as Xander felt a drop of cold sweat drip down his
cheek. She drawled, "Well, I don't know. . .let's check and see." She leaned in, and this time, the kiss they
shared was hungry and very passionate. After a moment, she pulled back, and Xander could see the laughter
in her eyes as she whispered, "Definitely."
End of Part 3
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