Story Summary: (Sequel to Revenge For Love) Set in an alternate season 3, the story picks up about a week after Revenge For Love ended. Faith and Wesley arrive in Sunnydale, and sparks fly all around. Identities and truths clash with lies and the past. Also thrown in are bits of chaos that Ethan Rayne would be proud to see. The PTB (Powers That Be) decide to interfere in things the rest of the Scoobies wish they wouldn't have. The Council still can't get it through their heads that Sunnydale is off limits. True loves grow, other relationships emerge, old enemies become new again, and new enemies are found. Through it all we shall learn that death is not the end of life for some, merely a new beginning.

Chapter Summary: Faith and Wesley arrive in Sunnydale. Spike and Buffy are there to greet them. Words are exchanged, and the newcomers are given the opportunity to see the truth from the lies they've been told. Will the newcomers listen to what the find out, or will their prejudices and preconceived notions make them turn a blind eye to the possibilities of a new life in Sunnydale?

***Warning: As with Revenge For Love, there will be blood play involved in this story through feeding and claiming. I will not always put a warning at the beginning of each chapter. Please assume that this story is not for those who do not enjoy claiming, sexual situations, innuendos, or partially unconventional relationships that were not listed in the show. Please do not read if you are not of legal age to be doing so or if the above items freak you out.***

Disclaimer: By all rights, all characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them. A lot of time is involved in my writing, but your feedback is the only form of "payment" that I receive. I have only the hope that you will enjoy what I come up for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

"Will you stop shaking already, Watcherman?" Faith rolled her eyes in annoyance at the man standing next to her.

"But the vamp ... vampires," Wesley stuttered. Dressed from head to toe in tweed and loafers, the Watcher looked like an easy target for any hungry vamps. The threatening cross in his hand lost most of its danger factor because it shook heavily. He rubbed his elbows and knees to get rid of the dirt and dust on them from his rolling fall in the middle of the street during the fight.

Faith brushed her hands off. "Were you absent during your Watcher training on vampire staking day?" She tucked the stake back in her waistband, up along her spine. "They're gone. I'm not worried about a couple fledges, and neither should you."

"There is no need to be insulting Miss ... " Wesley held onto his glasses with one hand while Faith pulled him along behind her.

Faith stopped abruptly, swung around to face her Watcher, and pinned a steely glare on him. "So help me if you call me Miss anything again you won't need to worry about vampires because I'll kill you myself."

Wesley huffed and puffed in astonishment. His Slayer showed no respect for his training, leadership, or position with the Council. He'd already learned the futility of arguing with Faith. "I still don't understand why the Council didn't arrange for daytime travel accommodations from the bus stop. It is unsafe to travel at night on a," He looked back and forth to check for anyone around them, "Hellmouth," he finished the sentence in a whisper.

"Hello, Slayer here." Faith wanted to throttle her new Watcher. He was quite cute to look at, but his fears were getting on her nerves. She held no doubts about why the Council assigned him to her. "Didn't you get the memo Watcherman? The Council wants me dead, and I'm afraid you are a bonus along for the ride. Two for the price of one deal at the morgue today."

"That's preposterous!" Wesley puffed up his pathetically lacking chest. "My father is renowned with the Council. They wouldn't dare do this to my family."

"You must have disappointed Daddy Dearest one too many times," Faith quipped. She'd only known Wesley for a week, and she already wanted to kill him herself.

A deep male voice emerged from the shadows, "'Fraid that I have to agree with Sparky there Tweed Boy."

"You weren't sent here to save puppies and Christmas," An equally dark, but female voice, followed shortly after the male's voice. "You were given a one-way ticket to Hell and a push to speed up the journey." On the side she muttered to the man next to her, "And Giles thought I was hard to handle?"

Wesley's and Faith's heads snapped in the direction of the voices. Wesley trembled, and Faith took up a defensive stance. Her previous Watchers told her stories about Sunnydale's turned Slayer and her vampire Mate. The tinglies at the back of Faith's neck gave off conflicting vibes from the two that stood before her. Light and dark clashed and mingled together.

"I can tell this one is even more unconventional than you, pet." Spike's shocking blond hair practically glowed in the darkness of the night. His confident swagger radiated his lack of fear in Faith's presence.

The two Slayers sized each other up. Buffy knew she was in no danger from the feisty brunette. The girl had some spunk and fire, but Buffy knew the new Slayer hadn't tapped into her full potential yet. She sensed the tension and repression within the girl even towards her calling. There was a lot under the surface that was waiting for the new Slayer to explore.

Faith knew the creature before her was the Buffy Summers she'd heard about. The Council lied to her about many things, but Faith felt the power that surrounded the blonde couple. Something about that power drew her to it, as if something within her recognized a call was being sent to her. Buffy Summers was a force to be cautious of, and she was dangerous. After the visit from a very interesting woman in England, Faith wondered if she really needed to be afraid of Buffy, or were they on the same side?

"I see the Council hasn't lost all its gall," Spike said before he lit the end of his cigarette. He took a long drag from it before he added, "You would think they'd learn after the last little incident." He shifted from his game face back into his human guise.

"I would have relished the look on Travers' face when the Coven taught him a lesson last time." Buffy shifted her weight back on her left foot and crossed her arms over her chest. She'd already retained her human face shortly after she emerged from the shadows. "It seems he might need a refresher course. I believe we told him never to send any of his lackeys our way again. Yet, here we have a new pair entering our town."

Wesley gaped at the pair in shock. Quentin Travers was never someone that it was wise to upset. The fact that the pair spoke so nonchalantly about putting the head of the Council in his place sent a chill down his spine. No one would dare go up against Travers in such a blatant manner. Right? If they were willing to take Travers head on, what else were the demons capable of?

Spike watched Wesley's every move. He had no worries about Buffy's abilities, but people weren't always what they seemed. He inhaled deeply with the next pull of nicotine into his body. "Ah, there's nothing like the fresh smell of fear to start the day off right." He flicked his cigarette butt at Wesley.

"Stop teasing them, Spike." Buffy moved a step closer to Faith. "He's not that bad once you get to know him."

A small streak of bravery shot through Wesley. "I do not wish to become acquaintances with vampires and other demons." He decided that he'd die with at least a little dignity.

Spike laughed softly. 'He has a bit more backbone than I thought he had, pet.' He spoke to Buffy's mind without looking at her.

"If you want to learn the truth, and survive on this Hellmouth, you'll make many demon friends." Buffy made a promise to Giles to bring the new Watcher and Slayer to their group, but the stuck up man was making that difficult. "Not every demon is bad, and not all humans are good." She resisted the urge to grab Wesley by the collar and strangle him.

"That wanker Travers is right up there in the evil human category," Spike piped up. He walked up next to Buffy, and he wrapped his arm around her waist. "He's done things that many demons wouldn't think about doing to another human." He offered Buffy his support through his touch and nearness.

"I'm Buffy Summers, and this is Spike," Buffy made brief introductions. She looked at the confused expression on Wesley's face. "You probably know him as William the Bloody, the Slayer of Slayers." She directed her comment at the Watcher. When Wesley's eyes widened, she knew her message of just how dangerous they could be was well received. "We're here to tell you that the Council is not welcome in this town."

"How nice," Wesley took a couple steps back as he spoke, "We'll just be going then." He had no wish to die, and retreat sounded like the best option. He was confused as to what reason the slayer of Slayers would have for being aligned with a vamped Slayer. He assumed that Buffy Summers must be evil if Spike was willing to keep company with her.

"The Council isn't exactly a friend of mine either. They don't appreciate my style." Faith extended her arm behind Wes before he was able to turn around and move too far away. "They haven't done me any favors. I had a feeling this trip was a death sentence."

"Faith!" Wesley exclaimed. "Surely you aren't considering going anywhere with these demons?"

Spike growled, "Be careful who you call demon, Watcher Boy." His advance was halted by Buffy's soothing voice.

"Don't judge what you truly know nothing about." Buffy set a thick wire-bound book on the ground and a couple scrolls. "You have 36 hours to read these and decide whose side you're on. Your safety in this town is guaranteed until then."

"And after that?" Faith asked.

Spike interrupted Buffy's response with a threat directed at Faith and Wesley, "If you go about killing some of Sunnydale's faithful non-human citizens, your safety is null and void." He narrowed his gaze on both of them.

Wesley gulped, and Faith nodded her head in understanding.

"There are instructions for contacting us among the documents," Buffy explained.

Spike finished the explanation, "Either you contact us before the 36 hours are up or leave this town. The Hellmouth is well guarded without the Council's presence here."

"You may only take with you what you brought in, which means you leave the information we just gave you." Both blond supernatural beings vanished back into the shadows. Buffy's voice drifted off into the night, "I hope we can count on you, Faith."

Wesley picked up the book and scrolls. "You do realize this is even ludicrous to consider? We should report this to the Council at once."

"Wake up and smell the Earl Grey, Watcher." Faith was more than exasperated with the tweedy whiner. "The Council sent us here to die." She snatched the book from Wesley's hands and walked down the street towards the nearest hotel.

"You have only the word of two demons to support that hypothesis." No matter what the two demons had said, he refused to believe his assignment, as Faith's Watcher, was a death warrant.

"Let's just say I had a bit more of a warning than you did." Faith rolled her eyes. "We have a 36 hour reprieve right now. Why don't you call your precious Council and see just how surprised they are to hear you're alive still?"

Wesley followed Faith into the first hotel they found. "I believe I shall call, if only to prove your support of the demon's accusations is wrong."

Faith checked them in at the hotel, and Wesley blustered at her choice of a double queen bed suite. He was used to his privacy, and he was not accustomed to sharing a living space with a young woman. "We should not sleep so close to each other. It is not proper."

Faith rolled her eyes. She argued that it was the most economical way to stretch their funds on hand. She told him to shut up, slapped a key card into his hand, and headed for the elevator. "I'm sure I can keep myself from ravishing you, Watcher. Don't worry about it."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Chapter Summary: Faith and Wesley look over the information they were given by Spike and Buffy. Everyone else waits to hear from Faith and Wesley on their decision to stay or go. Will the newcomers listen to what the find out, or will their prejudices and preconceived notions make them turn a blind eye to the possibilities of a new life in Sunnydale?

Disclaimer: By all rights, all characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them. A lot of time is involved in my writing, but your feedback is the only form of "payment" that I receive. I have only the hope that you will enjoy what I come up for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

Wesley removed his glasses. He chewed on the end of one of the arms while he read some of the information in the book he was given. "This is extraordinary."

Faith looked up from her position across from Wes. Her feet were on the table, and she leaned back in her chair far enough that two of the legs were up off the floor. "What is?" She'd listened to Wesley mutter several "Good Lord's" and "Bloody Hell's" over the last two hours they'd been reading.

Wesley nearly dropped his glasses. He'd been so engrossed in his reading that he forgot Faith was even in the same room with him. He glanced over at Faith. "If we are to believe this information is accurate, it flies in the face of all the Council's has taught for hundreds of years."

"You mean the gibberish the Council pushes off as the gospel truth?" Faith snorted in disgust. Ever since she found out about being a Slayer, she'd felt like an even bigger freak than she was before. The Council treated her like she was an abnormality of "Slayerhood" as well. The documents in front of her said she wasn't a freak. She actually felt a little more special.

"You should not be so disrespectful towards your calling or your elders," Wesley chastised. "Being a Slayer is a honored position, and the Council simply tries to guide you girls in the right direction. They only want to help you."

"The Council is made up of a bunch of dictators who get upset if their toys don't play like they want them to," Faith snarked. She was fed up with the mentality that she belonged to anyone other than herself. The scroll she read gave her a purpose, but she also felt freer than she had since first knowing about her calling.

"Why I never," Wesley blustered on in self-righteous frustration. "I'm sure the Council will be interested in seeing these papers. They are probably not aware of this information being spread around, and it would be helpful to ..."

"Wait a minute tweed boy." Faith jumped up from her chair. She snatched the book out of Wesley's hands. "I don't think B gave us this stuff to hand it over to the Council. Remember her little pep talk about only leave with what you came with?"

Wesley stood up, grabbed the book in Faith's hands, and wrestled her for it. "Then she shouldn't have given me proof of her blasphemy." He fell to the floor after a hard yank away from Faith lost his grip on the book. "B?" He questioned from his position on the floor.

"B stands for Buffy Summers, a little nickname." Faith almost laughed at the gobsmacked look on Wes' face. "Don't tell me you didn't believe that she was who she said she was?"

"We have no proof of her claim, except the documents given to us by demons." Wesley slipped his glasses back on his face, and he worked his way back up into a chair at the table.

"I'm telling you this straight up, Watcher. She is who she says she is." Faith remembered the different type of tinglies she felt around the blonde pair. "I could feel it. She's a lot more than your everyday vampire. That Spike guy is different too."

"That is where you must be wrong. Hence your hypothesis about Miss Summers is inaccurate as well." Wesley grabbed a book out of his leather attaché. He tossed it in front of Faith on the table. "Spike is also known as William the Bloody, the Slayer of Slayers, and he is a member of the Scourge of Europe. He was a ruffian before his turning, and he was a murdering fiend afterwards. The Council has this documented already. He is a normal evil vampire."

"Just like the Council is right about everything, Watcher? I don't think so." Faith shook her head back and forth. "I don't care what this book says. I know what I felt."

"You are still a fairly new Slayer. Perhaps your radar is off." Wes refused to believe that the vampire he'd read about during his youth was anything other than what he already knew him to be.

"There is something different about both of them. I'm positive about it." Faith grabbed Wes by the lapels of his tweed jacket. She pushed him up against the wall of the hotel room. "And I'm tired of you second guessing my choices or telling me that I'm wrong. I'm the Slayer, not you."

Wes gulped hard when Faith released him. He watched her gather up the rest of the documents from the table. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to arrange a meeting with Mr. Rupert Giles, her old Watcher." He wasn't convinced yet, but Rupert Giles was a name Wes respected while he underwent his Watcher training.

"I won't let you hurt them," Faith declared defiantly. "No matter what you decide, I'm not leaving Sunnydale."

"Until I meet with Mister Giles, I will not make a decision. I think you are not wise in your course of action." Wesley straightened his jacket and backed away from Faith.

Before Faith was able to say anything else, the phone rang. Faith and Wes stared at the phone. Neither of them was sure who should answer it or who wanted to.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike laughed from his position across the hotel parking lot. "The pillocks are staring at the phone as if it is cursed." He nearly doubled over in laughter. "This is priceless."

"Be good." Buffy turned around and solidly punched Spike in the upper arm.

"I'm always good, baby." Spike wrapped his arms around Buffy's mid-section. "I can make you scream my name for hours without breaking a sweat."

"None of that. We're on a mission." Buffy's body quivered and her legs wobbled. "Besides we can't sweat, remember?"

"You're no fun." Spike pouted like a child who had his favorite toy taken away. "Who knows what other perks we'll keep finding out about? I may end up sweating like a pig."

"Ewww!" Buffy made a disgusted face at Spike. "Could you be any more gross, Spike?"

Spike nibbled on the side of Buffy's neck near his mating mark. He growled deep in his chest, and one of his hands pinched the hardened pebble of her nipple through her top. "I thought there was nothing about my body you didn't like, pet?" He whispered near her ear.

"That's not fair, Spike. That's being evil." Buffy whimpered. She tried to squirm away from his grasp, but her body betrayed what her mind told her she should do. "I promise you lots of loving when we get home, but for now we need to concentrate on those two." She shifted in Spike's embrace. "We have to know if they'll be waiting around the corner to shoot an arrow into my heart or not."

Spike sighed. His Childe and Mate knew his one weakness, his Achilles Heal. Her safety and happiness were the most important things to him. He would give his unlife if it meant she would continue to walk the Earth. "Now who's playing dirty pool? You know I can't fight you when you use that argument."

"Good, at least I have one ace in the hole." Buffy smirked.

"You have a lot more than that, and you know it." Spike snuggled up behind Buffy, and he focused his attention back on his acute sense of hearing.

One thing Buffy and Spike found out early on was that if they gave it any thought, they heard things over much greater distances than normal vampires. It was both a helpful and annoying trait. With some focusing and meditation techniques they learned from Giles, they were able to fine tune the sense to assist them. They were able to turn it "off" when they didn't need it too.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Despite his earlier blustering, Wes hadn't contacted the Council yet. A part of him was afraid the accusations were true. It was unwise to arrive in a Hellmouth at night. No arrangements were made for lodging ahead of time either. Travers told him that there were always vacancies at the hotels. So, a reservation wasn't necessary ahead of time. Now, he wondered if Travers expected them to be dead before lodging was necessary.

Faith pushed Wes closer to the phone. There was no way she was answering it. Her gut tightened, waiting to find out who was on the other end.

Wesley slowly grabbed the phone's handset. His hands shook, and he put the receiver up to his ear.

"Mr. Wesley Wyndham-Price?" A distinctly British accent floated over the telephone line.

"Yes," Wesley answered with a slight tremor in his voice. 'Who else knows we are in Sunnydale and where we are staying?' He thought to himself.

"Hello," The male voice started off the conversation politely. "My name is Rupert Giles. I believe you are familiar with my name."

"Indeed, Mister Giles." Wesley paced back and forth from the nightstand to the end of his bed. "You were a well respected Watcher until the scandal in Sunnydale."

"Scandal?" Giles laughed on his end of the phone. "You make it sound like I had a shameful affair with my charge instead of seeing the light out of the darkness that we've been taught."

"Why ... I would ... never suggest ..." Wesley stuttered and turned several shades of red.

"Relax Mr. Wyndham-Price." Giles tried to calm the young Watcher. 'This one is wound pretty tight.' He switched the phone to his other ear. "I find it amusing to hear what attribute the Council has given my actions and decisions over the last year."

"I am perplexed myself about the reasons you chose this path, Mr. Giles." Wesley sat down on the edge of his bed. "You were a well respected man both intellectually and dutifully, despite the lapse during your young adulthood years."

"You feel I have turned my back on the oath I took to train the Chosen One and remove all evil, even at the expense of my own life?" Giles had gone over his oath many times in the first weeks after they broke away from the Council. He'd nitpicked every line. In the end, he felt that he had stayed true to the intent of the oath.

"You allow demons to roam free and unchecked," Wesley stated succinctly. "I met two of them when we came into town. You can't honestly believe that she is still your Slayer?"

"I believe exactly that because it is true." Giles defended his choices and Buffy's destiny. It wasn't the destiny that he thought she'd have, but now he was glad that his Slayer wasn't the same trained puppy that other girls had been in the past. "She is more of a pure Slayer now than she was before. Her soul remains intact."

"It seems unfathomable, Mr. Giles." Wesley absentmindedly scribbled on a notepad on the nightstand. "Your actions fly in the face of the very oath you swore to before God and country."

"Will you stop being a trained prat for a moment and listen to yourself." Giles pinched the bridge of his nose. His glasses had long since been removed earlier in the conversation. "I swore to defend this realm against evil. Not all demons are evil. Many species simply want to live out their lives in peace without our interference in their lives. Hell, I know of many humans who are more evil than some of the demons I've met."

"Where do you draw the line on what is evil or not if you eradicated the guideline you used to live by?" A part of Wesley's mind wanted to open the door to the new knowledge. It rebelled against the training and abuse he'd received at hands of his father and the Council. The more predominant and fearful portion of his mind spat back the arguments his father beat into him. "Are they only evil if they kill children instead of adults? Maybe they are only evil if they kill more than 50 people a year?"

Cursing and a loud male voice echoed from the phone out into the hotel room. Wes nearly dropped the phone in a panic over the unexpected reaction out of who he'd been told was a passive man by nature.

"Give me that! Are you really that much of an idiot?" Faith snatched the phone away from Wes. "You're going to get us killed."

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(To Be Continued)