Slayer on Slayer action

(several hours later)

Buffy was getting a quick patrol in before she had to meet Willow and Tara to help them move their stuff into Xandra's place. She was a little miffed at that -- she'd just helped Willow move OUT of there when the witches got back together, and now they decided they'd rather live off-campus. She supposed it made sense -- Xandra's apartment was a more secure location for Tara's spellcasting, and the apartment was closer to the magic shop. Willow had giggled uncontrollably when Tara talked about "easier access to the magic box," a joke Buffy didn't get. "Must be a Wiccan thing," she muttered as she thought back on the incident.

She'd been through two cemetaries with minimal trouble -- one newbie vamp who'd lasted all of 30 seconds in a fight, and otherwise bupkiss -- when she felt a boot slam into her back. She rolled with the blow, gaining what time and distance she could to recover and deal with the vampire or demon...

"Time to die, B!" ...or insane Vampire Slayer. Buffy sprang to her feet and took a defensive posture.

"Faith? I'd heard you were all reformed and stuff," Buffy said, stalling for time as the pain in her back subsided. "Guess that was just an act, huh?"

"You've always been out to get me," Faith said, her eyes wide and unblinking, "taking away everything I love. Not this time!" Her leg scythed out and up in a kick that would have broken Buffy's jaw, and maybe her neck too, if it connected. Buffy ducked under the blow and countered with a combo of punches that didn't do much damage but at least **** her attacker to dance back out of range.

"What could I possibly be taking away from you?" Buffy asked. "Extra cup of pudding in the state pen? You can get as fat as you want for all I care."

"Don't play dumb with me!" Faith screamed as she charged in again. "We're gonna be together and you can't stop it!" she added as they traded punches and kicks.

Buffy landed a head-butt, sending Faith staggering back for a moment. "Is this a come-on?" Buffy asked. "Because flowers usually work better than **** threats-- oof!"

Buffy staggered back as a snap-kick connected with her solar plexus, winding her. Banter's all well and good, but in a fight really ought to be secondary. Faith was focused to the point of monomania. She was so focused, in fact, that she barely had time to get her head out of the way of the baseball bat Charles Gunn swung at the back of her head. Faith spun around and saw Angel charging into the fray as well, with the rest of the gang from LA reluctantly following. Even in her increasingly unstable state, Faith couldn't hurt Angel. He'd stood by her, even hitting Buffy for her. Nevertheless, this fight had gone pear-shaped for her. Seeing that the senior slayer had reinforcements, Faith beat a hasty retreat. She was crazy, after all, but not stupid. "This ain't over!" she shouted. Even if she couldn't take out Buffy, there were still two witches with a B standing between her and her sweet Xandra. She'd deal with them first.

Now that Faith wasn't grappling with Buffy, Kate had a clear shot. She took aim, but Angel knocked her gun aside, spoiling the shot. "Kate, no!" Angel, shouted as the gun went off, wounding a perfectly innocent tree. "The spell!"

"I was aiming for her leg," Kate said defensively.

"You mind filling me in, here?" Buffy asked.

The others told her about Faith's breaks, both prison and psychotic, and what little they knew of the cause. "Strange as it is to say, Faith's the victim here," Wesley concluded.

"A victim," Cordelia corrected him. As the fang gang had been discrete enough not to mention Cordy's recent extra-curricular activities, Buffy assumed she meant that there would be a lot of secondary damage done now that Faith had been mentally assaulted.

One thing still bothered Buffy about all this. "You've been tracking Faith from LA." The others nodded. "You couldn't have called ahead first?" The others stared. "Let me know PsychoSlayer was coming to town?" The others looked at the ground, at each other, anywhere but at Buffy. Angel finally spoke up.

"Sorry."