The thing-that-had-recently-been-an-art teacher roared with fury. Thrusting Lucy behind her, Faith edged toward the door, her gaze never leaving the demon's face.

"When I say, you run out this door," she instructed Lucy in a low voice. "Get on your bike, and you don't stop until you're home. Don't stop for nothin'. Got that?"

Lucy's eyes were wide. "Uh-huh," she squeaked.

"Good girl," Faith told her as they inched closer to the door. "Get ready ... Now!"

But before the word was fully out of her mouth, the demon had lifted a large desk and hurled it in their direction. Luckily, Faith's reaction was instantaneous. Scooping Lucy from the floor with one arm, she sprinted to the opposite side of the room. The little girl was screaming with fear and surprise and Faith gave her a hurried inspection.

"You alright?"

But Lucy was pointing frantically over Faith's shoulder.

"Faith!" she warned, hopping up and down.

Able to duck in time, Faith shielded Lucy from any impact as a chair sailed through the space where Faith's head had been mere seconds before. It struck the wall with such force that it became tightly wedged in the plaster.

Crouching near to the ground, Faith noticed that cabinets lined the walls beneath the counters. She opened the closest door and gave Lucy a shove.

"Get in there an' stay put, okay?"

Giving a nod, Lucy quickly crawled inside. With her small charge now safe, Faith focused her attention on the danger at hand. With an enraged cry of her own, she rushed the demon. Along the way, she snatched an easel and with one smooth motion, smashed it against the side of the demon's face that still bore human resemblance. The faux flesh peeled away to reveal the monstrous features lurking beneath. There was a resounding yowl of pain but other than that, it appeared no more the worse for wear. Capitalizing on the momentum from her first attack, Faith snatched a fistful of paintbrushes from a nearby table, spun on her heel and threw them at the demon with enough strength to embed the handles deep in its back.

The demon staggered and sank to its knees. No more than a few feet away lay the two halves of Lucy's painting. With a malicious glint in its yellow eyes, the monster snatched one of them and almost immediately, the paper began to glow. Tendrils of light started to flow from the picture and into the demon. At the same time, a cry came from the cabinet, demanding Faith's immediate attention. The same glow was now emanating from Lucy's chest. The little girl was biting her lip to stop the screaming but her face was pale and contorted with pain. Faith's eyes darted back to the demon. It was beginning to heal itself. Slowly but surely, each paintbrush was being driven from its back. As Faith watched, one became totally free and clattered to the floor. She gritted her teeth.

"Sunuva—"

Faith landed a square roundhouse kick to the demon's temple. The force propelled the monster into the wall, cracking the plaster but also dislodging Lucy's painting from its hand. Instantly, the glow dissipated from both the picture and Lucy, leaving the small girl coughing and gasping for breath.

Faith's eyes narrowed. "Little kids! That is messed up!"

The demon struggled to regain its footing, using the wall for support. As it did so, its fingers brushed against another picture on display, this one intact. The glow returned with more intensity as it coursed up the monster's arm.

"Fight first, commentary later," Faith chastised herself.

She lunged again but this time, the demon was ready. The power it had recently absorbed only served to make it more potent and deadly. With surprising ease, it back-handed Faith into a row of student desks which topped like dominoes. She started to clamber to her feet, but the monster was already there. It seized her and suspended her above its head. Gripping her by the neck and ankles, it applied all its strength in an effort to rip her apart.

"Faith!" Lucy cried from the cabinets, torn between her desire to help and the directive to stay hidden.

"Pictures!" Faith strained to get out through a blur of agony.

Lucy's brow furrowed as she shook her head in bewilderment.

"... Hurt! ... Pictures! ... Gotta! ..." gritted Faith, before shrieking as the demon stepped up its efforts to tear her in two.

But then, Faith's screams were drowned out by those of the demon as yet another dazzling shaft of light illuminated the room. It lurched backward, releasing its hold on Faith, who fell to the floor with a heavy groan. Part of the monster's shirt hung in tatters, exposing patches of demon flesh and ragged strips of human skin. There was another flash, and one of the monster's arms became engulfed in a blaze of light. It raised its grotesque head, yellow eyes fastened upon Lucy, who was now standing atop one of the cabinets, two halves of a painting in her hands. Another torn picture lay at her feet. She looked terrified, but determined.

With a primeval howl, the demon charged, but Faith tackled its legs. It crashed to the floor and Faith began to wrestle it in order to keep it from reaching Lucy.

"More!" she yelled. "Keep going!"

And Lucy did just that. Jerking down every picture she could reach, she tore each one in half, creating a brilliant flare of light each time and causing visible damage to the demon with every rip. The demon's strength began to wane and its struggles were easily subdued by Faith. Finally, Lucy grabbed five paintings at one time and ripped them apart all together. The resulting reaction was so intense that it threw Faith backward. Raising its head, the demon wailed, each cry from its throat escalating before reaching a climax and then suddenly, all was silence. Leaning on her elbows, Faith looked to where the demon had been only moments before and where nothing now remained save a few wisps of grey smoke.

Faith had just enough time to breathe a sigh of relief before a sobbing and babbling Lucy threw herself into Faith's midsection, knocking her back flat against the floor. She clung to Faith as though she might never let go. Faith simply lay there and hugged the little girl.

"I gotcha," she said. "I gotcha."

She continued to whisper reassuring words and let Lucy cry.

Lucy was in her bedroom at the MacFadden home, busily gathering items. She appeared very agitated, going back and forth to look out of her window. Finally completing her assemblage, Lucy gazed hopefully into the darkness of the night.

"Faith?" she whispered, as loud as she dared. She waited for a moment and frowned when she heard nothing in response. "Fai–"

She stopped short and jumped as Faith dropped silently down from above and landed lightly on the porch overhang.

"Got it finished?"

Lucy looked slightly accusatory. "I thought you'd gone away."

"Nah," assured Faith with a grin. "Told you I'd be here didn't I?"

Lucy nodded as a broad smile invaded her face.

"Well okay then," said Faith. "So what'd you wanna give me?"

Lucy held out a book. It was dog-eared and obviously well-loved. The title pronounced it to be Watership Down. Faith simply looked puzzled and made no effort to take it.

Lucy waggled the book in Faith's direction. "Hazel told me you never read it and it's really good!" she said with a wise nod. "She told me one time that she called you Fiver and that's just stupid because you're not like Fiver. You're like Big Wig!" This time, the nod was even wiser.

Faith shot Lucy a very weird look and Lucy giggled in return.

"You'll see!" she confided. "Read it, okay?"

Taking the book, Faith opened it to the flyleaf. A bookplate sticker has been affixed there some time in the past. It displayed the notice "This book belongs to:" and in a child's hand written underneath was, "Hazel MacFadden". On every other available area of white space, little bunnies had been drawn with overly large ears and powderpuff tails far too huge for their tiny bodies. Faith stared for a moment and then gently closed the cover. Shaking her head, she thrust the book back at Lucy.

"This was Haze's," she said. "I can't take this."

Lucy's expression was one of utter confusion. "Why?"

"This was your sister's book," Faith told her, still holding it out. "You should keep it."

Lucy put both hands behind her back, as though hiding them from sight would be ward enough against the book's return. "But I've already got lots of Hazel's stuff here. What do you have?"

Faith didn't answer.

"See?" insisted Lucy. "Keep it, okay? Please?"

With a nod, Faith tucked the book safely inside her jacket.

"But'cha gotta read it too!" Lucy told her gravely.

"Okay, okay!" agreed Faith. "Geez, pushy little brat ain'tcha?"

But the words were delivered with a smile and Lucy grinned as though to say, "you betcha!" Then, from behind her back, she produced a folded piece paper. Pressing it into Faith's hands, she stared at the stars and fidgeted a little with embarrassment as Faith spread it out.

It was a picture – Lucy's picture that she had ripped apart earlier that evening. Scotch tape had hastily been applied to hold the pieces together, and there was now more to the drawing than before. On the other side of the small girl atop the green hill stood a new, third figure, taller than the other two. It wore a black jacket but also clutched a long brown triangle.

Faith looked truly touched at the offering and cleared her throat as though unsure of what to say. Blinking rapidly, she refolded the drawing with much reverence and then secreted it away next to the book already inside her jacket. Swallowing hard, she focused on Lucy, who had tears coursing down her cheeks. Reaching out, Faith rubbed them away with her thumb.

"Don't forget what I told you," she said gruffly. "You stay away from all that monster stuff for now. You seen how dangerous it is an' I don't want you gettin' hurt. Neither would Hazel. You think somethin' else is weird like that you tell me and I'll take care of it." She regarded Lucy seriously. "Promise?"

Lucy nodded. "I promise," she said earnestly.

"And keep up those letters," said Faith. She gave an overly nonchalant shrug. "I'm sorta used to 'em now."

"Okay."

"Okay," agreed Faith. "Now I got some friends I gotta call to get that mess at the school cleared up, an' I'm guessin' it's about half-past-way-the-hell-late for your bedtime. Go get some sleep."

Lucy nodded again, but seemed reluctant to leave her spot at the window. She stared at Faith imploringly and bit her lip.

"You won't forget about me right?" she asked. Her voice wavered but she fought to hold back the tears.

"Not gonna happen," Faith promised.

With a sniff, Lucy's tears spilled once more. Reaching out with one arm, Faith pulled Lucy to her and delivered a hug to the little girl's head. Then, she was gone.

Lucy leaned out into the night, searching in every direction, but Faith had vanished without a trace. Regardless, Lucy gave a tiny, contented smile as she closed the window.

All was still and quiet at the Scoobies' house, with everyone having gone to bed.

Almost everyone.

Doing her best to avoid any creaking, Buffy, in her best tie-dyed PJs, stole down the stairs. Hearing a chuckle coming from the kitchen, a look of surprise crossed her face to realize that someone else was also up and around.

Sitting at the island counter, Willow was busily typing. The kitchen was in total darkness, except for the glow emanating from Willow's laptop and the illuminated blue numbers of the microwave clock.

"Hey Will," said Buffy as she entered the kitchen.

Willow glanced over her shoulder. "Oh hey Buffy! Did I wake you up?"

"Nah," assured Buffy. "Just couldn't sleep."

Willow nodded. "Know the feeling."

As Buffy moved toward the refrigerator, Willow returned to the monitor. Then, with another chuckle, her fingers began to move rapidly over the keyboard.

"Want some pie?" asked Buffy from the depths of the fridge.

"I think I'm about pied out, thanks," Willow replied.

Emerging with pie dish in hand, Buffy grabbed a fork from a nearby drawer. Flopping onto a stool across from Willow and without further ceremony, she began to eat directly from the tin. Willow flashed her a quick smile before continuing with her typing.

"You're not in an elderly Dutch woman chat room, are you?" mumbled Buffy through a forkful of pie crust.

Willow gave her a look of utter confusion. "What?"

"Nothing."

With a flourish, Willow finished what she was working on, as evidenced by the cheerful chime of a program closing. She slid her laptop to one side.

"Didn't mean to interrupt," Buffy told her apologetically.

Willow waved a dismissive hand. "I wasn't doing anything important, trust me. Just chattin' away, doin' the night owl thing." Her eyes glinted as they rested on the pie dish. "Actually, you know, that does look good."

Seemingly out of thin air, Buffy produced a second fork. "Thought you'd change your mind."

With a grin, Willow accepted the fork as Buffy pushed the dish to the middle of the counter. They ate in comfortable silence for several moments.

"Will?"

"Mm?"

"Do you think were doing the right thing?"

Willow chewed thoughtfully. "Well no, but when I said earlier we should leave some for Xander, you said he could get his own damn pie so ..."

"Not the pie," Buffy clarified. "The ... The Slaying. The all of this."

"Is this a conversation we actually need to be havin'?" Willow asked dubiously. "I think it may be a little bit late to be all, you know, 'Whoops, sorry, bad idea'."

"No, I know," agreed Buffy, jabbing pensively at the pie filling.

"Plus, we're like, eight apocalypses later which I think kinda answers the question right there."

"No, no, that's important, obviously," Buffy hurriedly concurred. "But what about demons and vampires and stuff? About killing them? I mean, they're not exactly world-ending."

Willow gave this due consideration. "Well they're ending someone's world, so I'd say it's still pretty important."

"But we don't take out all demons. We pick and choose."

"Sure," Willow conceded. "Some demons don't hurt anyone."

"But all vampires do." It came across as something of a question.

"Did you ever meet a vampire that didn't?" returned Willow.

Buffy gave her a long stare.

"Without a soul?" added Willow, raising an eyebrow.

Buffy continued to stare.

"Or a chip?"

Casting her eyes upward, Buffy sighed heavily.

"I dunno. I guess not." Distractedly, she made patterns around the tin foil dish with tines dripping pie filling. "I just keep thinking, you know. What if. What if we talked to them, gave them a choice?"

Willow nudged Buffy's meandering fork out of the way to get to a choice bit of crust. "And then what if they said, 'Gosh, you're so right, I'll stop killing right now' and then hop a bus to the first small town and suck everyone?"

"Nngh," retorted Buffy, tossing the fork into the tin as though it had offended her personally. "Stop being all make-sensey."

Willow shrugged unapologetically. "What can I do, it's my curse."

Silence filled the room again as Buffy lapsed into deep thought.

"Problem solved?" Willow asked, tilting her head to catch Buffy's eyes.

"Not completely," Buffy admitted, "but at least I think I can sleep now."

"Best were gonna get tonight, huh?"

"Thinking so." Buffy got to her feet. "Thanks Will. I needed this."

"Yeah?" said Willow with a soft smile.

"Yeah. Buffys have a problem, they go find their Willows. Its genetic, hardwired in the DNA going all the way back to caveman times." Suddenly she winced. "And so apparently does selfishness, hello. I totally didn't get to help with what's bugging you."

"Yeah, you did," Willow told her sincerely.

"Because I can stay up however long you need."

Willow shook her head. "I'm good. Go to bed. I'll be right behind you."

"Sure?"

"Positive."

Putting her arms around Willow's neck, Buffy delivered a huge hug which Willow was only too happy to return.

"Night, sleepy-head," Buffy said.

Willow smiled. "Happy birthday, Buffy."

The four-door sedan traveled smoothly along the darkened freeway. It moved swiftly through the dead of night with virtually no other traffic to impede its journey. Riding shotgun, Faith was leaning back in the seat with her eyes closed, utterly relaxed. Xander, on the other hand, was in an entirely different time zone from relaxed. His fists gripped the steering wheel, knuckles almost white from tension, and he fidgeted constantly. Although he uttered not a word, his gaze repeatedly and awkwardly studied Faith's face.

"Shouldn't you be watchin' the road?" asked Faith without opening her eyes.

"We've passed cars totaling to the number of exactly one in the past two hours," Xander returned. "But, point."

Shifting into a more attentive posture, Xander became riveted on the stretch of highway before him, but his concentration was fleeting at best. In less than a minute, he had returned to his contemplation of Faith. Although she gave no obvious indication that she was aware of his attention, Faith suddenly cracked open one eye and stared directly at Xander, causing him to recoil a little and focus strictly on the road ahead.

With a sigh of resignation, Faith opened both eyes and sat upright in her seat.

"Okay, what?"

"What? What what?" Xander stammered.

"You been all weird since we left."

"Weird?" Xander repeated, his voice a tad on the squeaky side. "Me? I'm not the one that had to check out all of three hours after checking in."

"I told you," said Faith with uncustomary patience. "Did what needed doing and—"

"Don't say that word," interrupted Xander.

"What word?"

"'Did'. 'Doing'. Just leave 'do' and all its associated tenses out of the conversation okay?"

Faith frowned and regarded him in a perplexed manner. Then realization spread across her features. "Ohhh, this is about the sex—"

"Eyygtz gaa chiiinnn! Nnngh!" enunciated Xander firmly, trying to use his hand to physically cut off any more of Faith's words.

Faith couldn't help but chuckle. "Seriously?"

"Ynngh!" insisted Xander.

With an air of amusement, Faith leaned into the headrest again and closed her eyes. "Alright, whatever."

The pair sped through the night in silence, save for the low hum of the engine, when Xander spoke.

"I told you it'd be weird."

With an eye-roll, Faith pulled herself upright once more. "Pretty sure only one of us passes the 'weird' test here."

"Well I told you it'd be weird for me then."

"An' I told you, only cuz you're lettin' it."

Xander had no response but his expression said it all.

"Far as I'm concerned," said Faith slowly and deliberately, "ain't nothin' different between you and me. Nobody did nothin' wrong here."

Xander was still far from happy. "Well it feels wrong. I feel like ... I don't know, like I took advantage of you."

The look of stark disbelief that Faith gave Xander was unmistakable.

"You. Took advantage of me."

"Well sure, it sounds silly when you put the emphasis on words like that," said Xander sheepishly.

Faith sat up even straighter and half-turned toward Xander. "Breaks down like this: You helped me out and felt good doin' it. And I know that felt good."

For a brief second, Xander wallowed in the soppy grin of a happy flashback before quickly shaking himself out of the enjoyable reverie.

Faith pressed forward. "I wanted it and you wanted it. Happened the once, now it's over and done. Don't see a problem here."

"Yeah, well, I feel guilty," Xander said, a sliver of anger working its way into his voice. "And maybe you're right but when I stop feeling guilty I feel guilty that I don't feel guilty."

Faith worked at absorbing that statement.

"Then I think you got issues goin' way beyond you an' me here," she finally concluded.

"Thanks for that," Xander told her dryly.

Faith grinned. "No prob."

As they passed the highway sign indicating the boundary of Trillium's city limits, Xander flipped the right hand blinker and the sedan exited the highway. However, a scant distance beyond the bottom of the off ramp, Faith instructed him to pull over.

"Huh?" queried Xander, a frown creasing his forehead.

"Pull over," Faith repeated. "I feel like walking."

Xander did as he was instructed but looked far from pleased with the situation. "Faith, it's like 3am and we're still a couple miles from Slayer Central."

"And?" said Faith, opening the car door. "I patrol this far out all the time."

"Sure, I know that," Xander said, "but you've had a rough day—"

"All the more reason to walk. I been in the same position for hours, I'm startin' to stiffen up." She rolled her shoulders painfully as she exited the car. "'Sides, it's a nice night and I'm actually in a good mood for once. You're bein' a downer, Harris."

"I just don't think I should—"

But Faith slammed the door, effectively cutting short Xander's protest. She wiggled her fingers at him through the window by way of dismissal.

Xander ran a hand through his hair before easing the sedan away from the curb. "These women will be the death of me," he muttered with an exasperated sigh.

Faith watched Xander drive away. Taking a deep and cleansing breath, she drank in her surroundings. In the clear night air she continued to limber up her sore muscles, wincing sharply as she tried to stretch out her back. Despite her aches and pains, an air of tranquility seemed to persist, and she made her way down the street with a light step.

Although not exactly looking for trouble, Faith kept her eyes and ears open. Trillium, however, was still and quiet in the early hours of pre-dawn.

Faith hummed softly under her breath as she continued to walk, occasionally side-stepping to avoid a child's truck that had been left on the pavement or an overturned tricycle abandoned by its owner. Then without warning, she was struck with so much force that she was propelled violently forward. She skidded along the ground for a moment before managing to get her hands beneath her and rolling to her feet. Adopting a defensive stance, she whirled on her heels to face ... nothing.

"Will you know regret, I wonder?" mused a lilting voice.

Faith's head swiveled from side to side, searching all directions for the source of the words, seeking out her attacker. By all appearances, she was alone. Then suddenly, a brutal fist lashed out, catching her on the side of the mouth and whipping her around. She staggered for a moment, struggling to maintain her balance, and then spun in the direction of where the assault had originated. Again, there was nothing.

"Did you spare her pain?" queried the melodious voice before dropping in tone to something more sinister. "I will not be so generous."

The first hit could be chalked up to distraction and the second to shock or surprise, but Faith was now prepared for whatever might follow. She spat out a stream of blood without dwelling on the fact and stood ready with all senses on high alert.

Another strike was imminent but this time, Faith was able to detect its arrival and with one deft motion, seized the wrist of her assailant in both hands. It was a young Asian girl, ornately dressed and perhaps in her mid-teens.

"Don't know what you're babblin' about," snarled Faith. "Don't much care."

The girl tried to retract her arm, but Faith's two-handed grip was tight. Faith tried to press home her advantage by throwing a surprise punch while still trapping her attacker's wrist with one hand. The blow, however, failed to cause any true damage and instead, the girl mirrored Faith's action by entrapping the Slayer's wrist with her strong fingers. A brief struggle ensued as each tried to break free from the other but when neither was able to immediately do so, the girl changed tack, allowing her arms to go limp. Lacking the expected tension, Faith stumbled back a half-step and in doing so, left a gap between herself and her assailant. It was sufficient leeway for the girl to drive her slipper savagely into Faith's midsection.

As the air left Faith's body, her grip loosened and the girl was able to wrench herself free. Still maintaining a firm grip on Faith's arm, the girl drove her fist into the bridge of the Slayer's nose while simultaneously yanking her into the punch. The blow landed with a sickly crunching sound. Letting her victim loose, the girl watched as Faith lurched backward, blood streaming down her face from the broken nose. It was a perfect opening but one that the girl apparently decided not to capitalize upon. She simply stood motionless, waiting patiently for Faith to regroup.

It was something that Faith had every intention of doing with as much speed as possible.

"That's the game we're playin', huh?" she spat, dragging the back of her hand across her mouth.

The girl gave no answer, seeming content to bide her time while regarding Faith through almond-shaped eyes that were expressionless and revealed nothing of her thoughts.

"Not bad," acknowledged Faith, "but now it's my turn. I got the perfect pick. I call it 'Slayer and Dead Vamp'."

The blood from Faith's nose had mostly stemmed to a thin trickle as she approached her attacker. She proceeded with caution, still feeling out the potential of this figure before her whose strength seemed to belie the delicate stature. Similarly, the girl made no move to strike but she exuded an aura of supreme confidence and self-assurance. The corner of her mouth twitched into a subtle but unmistakable sneer of disgust.

"You make jokes."

"I'm a funny girl," Faith responded.

"You will not be laughing much longer I think."

"Brave words from someone out in their bath robe."

The girl gave a slight bow from the waist. It appeared to signify that any further conversation would be futile.

"This is for my sister," she said gravely.

"Yeah, well, this is for messin' up a pretty good night," returned Faith.

Faith made ready to throw another punch, but the girl had already moved into a fighting posture and her forearm deflected Faith's blow with surprising ease. Still, a follow-up was instantly on its way and this time, it landed squarely on the girl's left temple. She barely acknowledged the contact.

The pair exchanged a flurry of attacks that flew so fast, any spectator would have observed little more than a blur of limbs. Faith was like a machine, throwing her all into every hit, be it with fist or boot. She targeted the head, the chest and the stomach, her goal being nothing less than to deal out the most amount of damage possible. But yet, she missed her opponent equally as often as she made contact and when a connection was made, there was little if any indication that her blows had dealt any significant harm.

By contrast, the young girl devoted herself to deliberate strikes. Unlike Faith, she used more precision with her intended targets. She concentrated on the forehead, the joints, the abdomen or any area where Faith was already showing some sign of injury. Her movements were smooth and unhurried and unerringly accurate. She took her time to measure each assault, which resulted in a damaging hit almost every time she made contact.

Slowly but surely it began to dawn on Faith that the fight was not going her way. In order to turn things around, she escalated her efforts and led with a particularly powerful one-two punch that would have been devastating had it landed, but the girl was much too fast and with an almost casual air, batted Faith's fists aside. As a result, she was able to wrap her arms around both of Faith's, fully pinioning them. Faith attempted to throw her attacker off-balance and thereby dislodge the restraint, but instead the girl employed her leverage to apply pressure to Faith's previously injured spine. With a cry of pain, Faith lunged, driving a knee deep into her assailant's chest and followed up immediately with a headbutt to the nose.

The force was sufficient to weaken the girl's grip and Faith managed to make good her escape, but there was no respite. Although temporarily stunned, the young girl launched a virtually instantaneous assault. The pair grappled fiercely for a moment until the girl – the speedier of the two by far – was suddenly behind Faith. Grabbing one of Faith's jacketed arms, she bent it backward with savage power. As the Slayer leaned into the pain, her attacker's arm snaked around her neck in a vicious choke hold.

Try as she might, Faith was unable to break the grip. With a tremendous effort, she managed to straighten, actually lifting the girl nearly off the ground, but it was to no avail.

"Hitanko, kousenko," the girl whispered into Faith's ear. "For you."

The note of finality inherent in the words helped to spur Faith with a renewed surge of determination. Her free hand had been scrabbling at the arm around her throat and with a sudden burst of strength, she was able to finally pry it loose – not completely, but enough.

With an almost primal growl, she sank her teeth into the flesh of her enemy's forearm.

Faith's adversary uttered a shriek of pain and surprise. Her otherwise serene expression transformed, revealing a domed forehead, yellow eyes and wickedly sharp fangs. She recoiled and, in doing so, allowed Faith to slip from her jacket and out of harm's way.

Gasping for air and looking totally exhausted, Faith spat out another mouthful of blood – this time more her attacker's than her own. The vampire regarded her bleeding arm before clenching Faith's jacket in her fist and tossing it to one side with utter contempt. Narrowing her eyes, she spewed a stream of rapid phrases in an Oriental tongue, focusing on Faith all the while.

Despite her agony, Faith remained defiant. "Right back atcha."

"Animal! Filth!" snarled the vampire. "One such as you could not have bested Hitanko!"

"Well one such as you can kiss my ass," returned Faith.

With a curdling battle cry, the vampire rushed Faith, who took a quick step backward, arms raised in defense. But it was a vain gesture and Faith knew it. By contrast, the vampire showed not the slightest indication that she was anything but fresh and energized. Indeed, the unleashed fury had only made her even more deadly and dangerous.

Faith could do little more than counter-punch but each hit became more ineffectual and took more effort. The jolt of pain brought to Faith by the delivery of a chop to the base of her neck, just below the windpipe, almost paralyzed her. The only response she could muster was a haphazard backhanded blow that wildly missed its mark. Consequently, the vampire was able to easily catch Faith's fist. In one fluid motion, she circled around the Slayer and thrust the heel of her other hand up into Faith's elbow.

The ensuing howl of pain effectively smothered the loud crack as Faith's arm bent at an unnatural angle, the ruptured bone bulging and straining against her skin.

Still, despite the pain, the blood and the overwhelming fatigue, Faith somehow managed to remain on her feet – a situation that was soon remedied by a brutal chop across the bridge of her broken nose. Collapsing to the ground and curling to one side, Faith utilized her one good arm to try and crawl away. Her eyes searched the area desperately for something she could use, something that would be of help.

As the vampire closed in on Faith, making ready to deliver the final blow, the forehead grew smooth once more and the fangs receded, again revealing the young girl who lurked beneath the monstrous facade. But the fury remained and appeared all the more surreal on those refined and cultivated features. Just as she came within range, Faith cried out and kicked her would-be assassin in the face with everything she had left. It was just enough to stun and Faith scrambled to her feet. With one arm dangling ineffectually at her side, Faith half-ran/half-lumbered down the street.

Recovering quickly, the girl immediately gave chase. Even without the injuries Faith had sustained, it seemed likely that she would have been caught. In terms of speed, there was truly no contest. Faith would never make it to the end of the road, let alone all the way to Slayer Central.

But neither the end of the road nor Slayer Central were her ultimate goal.

Summoning every ounce of remaining strength, Faith raced toward a giant bay window fronting one of the houses that lined the street. Digging deep, she managed to muster sufficient velocity to hurl herself shoulder-first through the glass. Wickedly pointed shards and splinters of shattered wood followed her entry, showering the carpet with debris and awakening an elderly man asleep in his recliner before the television. He sat upright with a jolt and clutched a hand to his chest.

"Wha? What's—" he stammered, looking around wildly before eying the figure that lay sprawled before him, gasping for much-needed oxygen.

"Hey! This is my house!" he yelled. "What are you doing in my house?!"

He continued to holler, but Faith didn't even acknowledge his existence. She struggled to her feet, blood streaming from countless cuts to her face, arms and chest. Her arm hung limp and useless at her side, and her knees threatened to crumple at any moment. Slowly raising her head, she turned to look through the gaping hole in the brickwork where, only moments before, there had been a giant bay window.

The girl stood outside, her expression cold, but her almond eyes blazed with consummate rage and unbridled hatred. Their stares locked as the pair regarded each other for what seemed an eternity and, faint though it might have been, a flicker of fear crept unbidden into Faith's gaze.

You make me so lonely baby
I get so lonely

Eyes still focused unblinkingly on Faith, the young girl turned to blend with the stirring shadows of early morning. Faith could only stand and stare fixedly into the darkness outside.

I get so lonely I could die