Buffy was pacing up and down Giles' living room. "How come it took them twenty-four hours before they let us know she came out of the coma?" she demanded.

"Apparently it took that long for the paperwork to get to the right desk," Giles explained. "You must go out looking for her, Buffy. I can only assume that she will attempt some sort of revenge tactic once she learns that we managed to destroy the Mayor."

Buffy froze, her eyes wide as a horrible thought came to her. "Mom," was all she said. Without another word, she raced from Giles' apartment.

***

Joyce's hands were tied in front of her and she was seated on her bed. Faith was taunting her that Buffy never came by; that she had forgotten all about her now that she was in college. Joyce remained calm.

"You know nothing about Buffy, Faith," she said. "We're closer now than we've ever been, and she's going to kick your ass when she gets here."

"Is that right, Joyce? And when's that going to be, huh?"

In answer to her question, Buffy crashed through the bedroom window, knocking Faith across the room. "Hi, Mom!" she quipped cheerfully.

"Hi, honey. Good timing."

The fight between the two Slayers was furious, ending up with them rolling down the stairs and into the dining room. Buffy stood up facing Faith. "You are so going back into a coma."

"Don't think so, B. I got other plans." Lashing out, she grabbed Buffy by the hand. An energy discharge flashed around them just as the distant sound of sirens reached the house. The two Slayers looked at each other in shock and then Buffy punched Faith as hard as she could, knocking her out.
Joyce came down the stairs and told her daughter, "I've called the police. That must be them now." Searching her daughter with anxious eyes, she asked, "You all right?"

"Yeah, all thing considered," Buffy answered looking down at a strange device in her hand.

"What's that?" Joyce asked.

"Some kind of weapon," Buffy answered. Dropping it to the floor, she smashed it with her foot. "Doesn't matter now. It didn't work."

***

Mother and daughter watched as the disoriented rogue Slayer was cuffed and placed into a squad car. "She'll be taken to jail and held for the murders of Deputy Mayor Finch and Professor Wirth," the police detective was telling them. "You won't have to worry about her bothering you for a long, long time."

As the cruiser pulled away, Joyce turned to Buffy and said, "Honey, I think you should call Giles and tell him what happened. He should know about Faith."

"Yeah. I'll stop by his place on my way back to the dorm. See you later, okay?"

And without another glance back at her mother, Buffy walked off into the night.

***

Willow and Tara were at The Bronze and Willow was telling Tara what had happened with Anya. "It was really creepy, Tara. You never saw The Master, but we're talking scary with a capital scare. And then to see me, or someone who looked like me, all skanky and Goth-looking, it was really bizarre."

"Well, sweetie," Tara scolded gently, "You shouldn't have tried to do a spell you weren't sure you could handle. I keep telling you, you're going too fast, trying too much too quickly."

Willow felt a faint rush of resentment at the chastisement. The fact that it was deserved didn't help matters. Before she could say anything she would later regret she heard Tara exclaim, "Buffy! I thought she was going to be with her study group tonight."

Willow looked to where Tara was pointing and standing up, waved until she got her friend's attention. She thought she saw a faint flash of irritation cross her friend's face, but when Buffy joined them, she seemed normal, if not enthused.

"Hey, Buff."

"Willow." She looked at Tara without a trace of recognition in her face.

"Hi, Buffy," Tara said, looking at her intently. "I thought you were with your study group tonight."

"Yeah, well I decided to go out instead. Look, I'm going to go get something to drink and see if I can't get some of these cuties to dance. See you guys later." With that she casually walked away.

"Now that was strange," Willow exclaimed. "Buffy's going to ask some strange guys to dance?" Turning to Tara with wide eyes she asked, "Do you think she and Spike had a fight or something?"

Tara swallowed nervously and said, "It-it's worst than that, Willow. That wasn't Buffy."

***

Spike carefully tucked his winnings into his jeans pocket. He'd completed a quick sweep of the cemeteries and then come to indulge in the one vice that he still hid from Buffy. Kitten Poker. He was well aware that his Slayer would not approve of this. It wasn't as if he ate the kittens, he mused as he started for the back door to finish patrol. But he did sell his winnings to demons he knew did eat them. Well, he wasn't responsible for what happened to them once they left his custody, and he'd be damned if he was going to feel guilty about it. He was still EVIL, damnit. And besides, just how bad was it? It wasn't as if he was mugging old-age pensioners, or engaging in illegal arms sales, or chatting up birds in a bar somewhere. And that last, he thought with a chuckle, would really get him into trouble. Not one for sharing was his Slayer.

Walking out the back door, his thoughts filled with Buffy, he jumped when he almost ran directly into her.

"Buffy? What are you doin' here, sweetheart? I though you had to study tonight."

Faith looked at the gorgeous Englishman standing in front of her and a rush of lust swept through her body.

"Something came up," she answered the platinum-blond hottie. Looking him up and down, she added, "So what happened to your mouth? Did someone clock you in there?"

"Uh, you did this to me today while we were sparring, remember?" Spike looked at her and cocked his head a little to the side. Something about her bothered him. Her body language was different, her vocal cadence off. "You all right, luv?" he asked in concern. "You don't seem yourself."

Faith's eyes narrowed slightly, but she answered casually, "Yep, everything's five-by-five. So, what's up with you? Why're you here?"

Spike tried not to look guilty. "Oh, you know. Patrollin' through Willy's, making sure the monsters are behavin' themselves." In an effort to change the subject, he moved closer to Buffy and said in his deepest, sexiest voice, "So, Slayer, you want to come home with me tonight after all?"

Faith smiled a predatory smile, licked her lips and coming close to him said, "Yeah, I think that can be arranged." Pressing her body into his and claiming his mouth with a demanding kiss, she became instantly aware of two things--Buffy's latest lover was another vampire, and he was hotter than a two-dollar pistol.

Spike pulled Buffy close to him, his mouth opening under her lips, tongue entwining with hers. And three seconds later he pulled back and pushed her away, eyes narrowing as he examined her. "Somethin's not right here," he growled. "What's wrong with you, Slayer? You feel different."

"Nothing's wrong, baby," Faith insisted. It'd been too long since she'd had a man, being in a coma and all, and this man...well vampire...was not only hotter than hell, he belonged to Buffy, so bonus. Pressing her body into his again, she wrapped one strong hand around the back of his neck and pulled him into another kiss.

Spike hardened when the scent of her arousal reached him. Growling deeply in his chest, he pulled her up tight against him, grabbing her ass and pushing his erection against her belly. She opened an eager mouth to him, twirling her tongue around his and sucking it into her mouth, all the while grinding herself up against him, grabbing, groping, pulling, hurting. Spike felt a haze of passion envelope him, but also a sense of unease. He'd made love to Buffy too many times in too many ways and in too many places to not notice that she was responding differently, more wantonly, all need and no love.
Even at the beginning when they'd been burning uncontrollably for each other she'd never acted like this. Her responses bothered him and he couldn't figure out why.

Pushing her back again, he gasped out, "Buffy, what's going on? There's something wrong with you. I can feel it."

"There's nothing wrong I tell you!" she insisted. Slamming him back against the door she forced herself on him again, almost wild and out of control.

Spike felt a sense of panic begin deep inside. Pushing her back once again, he snarled, "Buffy, knock it off. I don't know what's up with you tonight, but I'm damn well going to find out."

"Yeah? You think so? It's really too bad you noticed a difference. I think we could have had a good time tonight." With that, she pulled a stake out of her waistband and lunged at Spike.

Two things saved Spike from an instant dusting. He was an elder vampire in his prime who happened to train almost every day with one of the most formidable fighters he had ever come up against, so his reflexes were blazingly fast. The second thing was that Faith was unused to Buffy's body and her coordination was slightly off. As it was, she did manage to stab Spike in the chest just to the right of his heart.

Crying out in pain, Spike managed to kick her legs out from under her and toss her across the alley. Sprinting as fast as he could with the wound, he escaped from her. A sewer entrance was close by and he made for it. Ducking in, he ran a zigzag path, taking tunnels he knew like the back of his hand. After he had run several miles, he realized that the false Buffy was no longer pursuing him. Collapsing to the floor, he drew in great gulps of air in an attempt to control the pain that was radiating through him. He was badly wounded and had bled profusely which seriously weakened him.
When he finally had the pain somewhat under control, he pushed himself upright and made his way slowly down the tunnel in the direction that would take him to Rupert Giles. The Watcher would know what to do.