Ch.79

Giles found the vamps we were hunting with a spell, or rather he found all the demons in town and there were hundreds. He said it was the best he could do and I told him it was good because it gave us a number, two hundred odd demons to be wiped before the town is safe and hopefully the vamps we're after is amongst them. I did the spell to find the location of those left and we tried their first, finding a group of vamps about a dozen strong with two vamps including Trick, the last head of the vamps were after.

We attacked during the day and dusted them all except Trick who used the sewer access to escape. A day later the tracking spell stopped working so we assumed he was dead. Faith and I headed to LA with Giles at my request during the weekend and Faith had to knock me out before the tattoo artist got to work on me. The magic symbols were in place when I woke up and I frowned seeing a Scooby snack with the words: Faith's Scooby Snack, on my lower stomach muscles.

I looked to Faith who shrugged saying she couldn't resist. I grunted and she applied the bandages and salve the tattoo artists gave her. Giles asked. "Explain to me why all this was necessary."

I grunted. "The symbols are high enochian, the language of the angels. They'll prevent me from being tracked with tech or magic hence the reason we got my picture taken before we came here. They'll boost my strength a bit to full on vampire levels with a telekinetic boost as well. Faster, stronger, cloaked and more importantly, they keep me from being arrested for misdemeanors or crimes so my step parents can't find me."

Faith said she'd do it too, but she doesn't exactly need all that when she's got me. I chuckled and touched her chin. "Always."

She smiled before tapping my chest where the biggest tattoo was. "Put your shirt on lover boy, we got places to be."

I shook my head and did as she asked before she told me if I was good she'd let me find her newest tattoo on my own. Giles cleaned his glasses and we left to pick up my order from an arms dealer I'd found and contacted before we came to town. The small time specialty weapons dealer was more than happy to part with four collapsible swords and wrist stake bracers. I tossed Emil a roll of cash and grabbed the bags before we left after I tested them.

Giles asked while we got in the car where I found such ill reputed people. I shrugged. "My family had ties with a lot of people including those in the IRA and through them, people like Emil. He's more of a fringe special weapons seller and has ties to people who have ties to the IRA, thus not directly linked to my family so I was willing to come to him."

Giles nodded. "And what exactly is the brand on your chest?"

I grimaced and touched my heart. "A Celtic knot. The name in the center denotes the clan my stepfather hailed from back in Ireland. It was a present for my thirteenth birthday, a tradition apparently and something I can never escape from, even legally dead."

I grunted and took the taped patch off it. "Even a fringe contact, if Emil had seen it or word from the tattoo artists got out that someone wore it, I'd be hunted here by the local rough necks. Wearing it and not being a member is a death sentence if the mob or my family clan finds out. I couldn't take the chance."

Giles nodded solemnly and Faith said we were fine now. I shrugged as we drove away and kicked up my feet in Giles's small car window. By the time we reached Sunnydale, my tattoos had healed up so they looked new but fine. I spent the next few days gathering the gem of Amara and the gold, weapons and stuff with it.

Then came the glove of Myhnegon, the orbs of Nezzla'Khan and the amulet of Belthazar. In the meantime Faith and I helped the scoobies deal with a student playing Dr.Jekyll/Mr.Hyde with chemistry and killing people like a monster would. After that, I gave Giles the amulet, glove and gem of Amara. He helped me sell the gold and stuff I'd gotten to the pawn shops while dealing with the amulet and glove, destroying them with magic.

As for the ring or gem of Amara, he held onto it. I went and found the cross of Du Lac as well and that he helped me sell to the council since they could use it. With the influx of real cash, I got Faith and I an apartment next door to Giles's place thanks to the fake ID. Buffy liked the collapsible sword and take bracers as a gift so she cooled her temper around Faith and I since we didn't really hang out with her or the others unless invited to a Scooby meeting or training with her.

I was busy collecting holy water, making stakes and whittling, partying or out hunting with Faith. She didn't whittle and instead listened to music on the laptop I'd had with millions of songs from every era I'd lived. On the flip side Faith and I ended up at a homecoming dance while Buffy was with Cordelia settling her differences. It was rather fun considering we were the only ones from the group that were dancing, having a good time.

Faith even helped Buffy get back at the dick that dumped her the day before the dance. When I sensed something, Faith and I dusted two vamps in the library holding Giles hostage, but only after I made them tell me everything about Slayerfest. I left and got to the address the redneck vampire gave me, finding just an old German man in a wheelchair trying to pack of the vampire's hundred grand in non consecutive bills.

I knocked him out and took the money, taking the technology he had set up and transferring the three hundred grand in blood money from Mr.Trick's open account to a charity in LA. The old man was left in the mansion, tied to his now battery-less wheelchair while his cellphone and equipment were all gone, the phone lines were untouched because the mansion was Trick's place and only had power, no phone lines in use.

I locked the old man inside and left with the bag of cash, cleaning them with a spell which felt like my guts were getting ripped out afterwards. Still, the blood was out and the cash was mine now. It would last Faith and I a good long while to say the least. I returned in time to see the crowning of a joint homecoming king and queen or two queens as it were because there was a tie there.

I didn't really care and just wrapped my arms around Faith and told her the good news. Having slayed, eaten and now the good news stop it, Faith was quite amorous that night and didn't mind me taking her from behind, missionary and against a wall. For her though, I strangled my inner memories and locked my shit down tight so she could ride it out a couple times as well. She knew it took all I had not to freak and told me she loved me when she came down from her last ride.

I held her and returned the words, holding her while we went to sleep. With our expenses paid up for some time and the council coming through with the checks, things were going pretty smoothly for now. The council was aware of Faith's and my relationship and while they didn't entirely approve, they didn't have a say either.

Almost a month later Gwendolyn Post showed up while Faith and Buffy were synchronized slaying. She claimed to Faith's and my new watcher so we headed back to the Library with Giles and Miss Post. She basically insulted Giles, told us a demon named Lagos was coming to the hellmouth and told us it was after the glove of Myhnegon. Giles told her I'd retrieved the glove over a month ago and it was destroyed before I knocked Miss Post out as she pulled out a gun.

I turned to Giles. "You may want to call the council. I don't think she's our watcher considering she didn't know about the glove and she was just about to shoot us."

He agreed and I took the gun, took out the clip and the round in the chamber. He learned she'd been dismissed from the council for using black magic inappropriately. They instructed us to hold her while they send a retrieval team to deal with her. In the meantime we hunted Lagos and Faith got to kill the demon after a brief fight.

The scoobies found out Angel was alive and back from a hell dimension while Faith and I minded our own business until Xander came along and talked us into going after the vampire. Buffy intervened with the rest of the scoobies and Angel made the dumb mistake of hitting me in the face. I growled and began whipping his ass. By the time Faith pulled me off of him, she'd only barely managed to stop Buffy from trying, telling her I'd go ape shit on her too if she touched me.

Faith had me in a headlock, Angel was beaten to a bloody pulp and I was panting like a feral animal while the rest of the scoobies looked at me. Buffy patched up Angel and Faith explained that Xander came to us to get us to slay a vampire. When I calmed down, I apologized and while neither Buffy nor Angel were happy, they didn't blame me per say. Xander on the other hand was on her shit list while the rest of the scoobies weren't happy with her or him.

Faith released me and I held her now from behind only my arms were around her waist instead of her neck. The others argued while Buffy patched up Angel and got him some blood. When I heard he had a soul, how got it back, I grunted. "It seems there's something I'm missing here. If this is Angel and not Angelous then what's it matter what Angelous has done? They aren't the same thing. Angel is a human trapped in a vampire's body while Angelous is the demon soul aka the vampire. Two entirely separate beings despite sharing the same body. He's no more responsible for the things Angelous has done than Faith is for me beating him down."

Giles said it wasn't that simple and I gave him a look. "Ahh, I see, it's personal. You have beef with the vampire so you're pissed at the human as well or else you want them both dead and gone. Maybe it's me, but it seems neither you nor the brooding human in vamp flesh seems to get it. Vampires aren't human, they're demons that take over a dead body, even going so far as to take on memories and the darkest parts of the former host's personalities just so they can pass as human and hunt amongst them."

I waved a hand towards Angel. "If he does have his soul, then he's no more responsible for the things Angelous the demon has done than I am for the fact that Xander and Red here are cheating on each of you with each other. See, I'm not apart of it and it's not my fault they find touching and kissing each other fun and exciting."

Xander tried to say it was different and that wasn't any of my business. Oz the wolf punched him and Cordelia looked like she was going to be sick. I tilted my head as they both left before shaking my head. "No, I get it now. It's different because Angelous hurt you and you decided to get your revenge by using us to kill Angel when you knew they'd never go along with it cause you have the hots for Buffy. Well, Buffy and Faith, but I'm not too worried about Faith. If your next words are they aren't the only slayers I might be touched, but I don't swing that way."