---------
Prologue
---------

"I recieved a call yesterday, from the Council. They're sending another slayer..." Buffy was sure she heard Giles saying the words but she considered she'd be hallucinating.

"What? Giles, I thought you weren't working for them anymore..." He cringed at her words. She may have forgiven him but it didn't mean she'd forgotten.

"I'm not, they thought it would be 'nice', yet I'd rather say 'wise', to let us know about this decision..." he continued hoping the blonde wouldn't go ballistic.

"What does it mean, am I not the slayer anymore or what?" she was really pissed off. First Kendra, then Faith, what next? Weren't they going to let her be?

"Buffy, you are. They could never dismiss you even if they tried. They're just sending someone they can have control over..." < Someone unlike me... or Faith. >

"Gee, then why I'm so not thrilled about the whole deal? I thought the Faith experience was proof enough of why there should never be two slayers working together." Her tone was bitter and he fully understood her. He only hoped she wasn't getting any ideas.

"Well," he paused studying the blode girl, convinced she wouldn't do anything drastic he went on, "technically you won't be working together... She'll come with her own Watcher and stay away from us. They're saying she won't interfere." His voice was calm. His emotions under contril. Buffy, otherwise, was pretty much upset.

"But we know she will right?, because that's what they do the best, interfere..." she sarcastically supplied.

"Buffy..." He tried explaining but his words fell on deaf ears.

"Don't, just don't... Let's just see how it goes." Storming out of the Magic Box, she waved him off.

---------
Part One
---------

The new slayer and her Watcher arrived at Sunnydale the next day, immediately settling themselves in the outskirts of the city. The location suited her slaying activities, but made it hard for the normal teenage life's ones, such as attending school.

Her Watcher insisted in keeping her at bay from such mundane interactions. The Council overrode him and matriculated her for a major in History at UC Sunnydale, which could be considered easy compared to what she was forced to learn during her training.

At least part of her Watcher's worries were heard and he was recomended for an Antropology place in the same institution, in order for him to keep a close eye in his slayer. They knew it was risky having both slayers in the same city but they were willing to play all their cards.

*****

New-Slayer-In-Town went out patrolling that night, purpousely evading places she was told the other Slayer could be. Walking in relatively silence, she searched for anything unusual.

Keeping her gaze fixed ahead, she surveyed her surrounding in a steady, slow, calculated pace. Her thoughts on the stakes and some other weapon hidden under her jacket. Then she sensed a group of newborn vampires lurking behind her. Before they could attack, she had them dusted. Clean, quick and effective slaying, just as she was taught to.

Picking herself up she resumed her way. Two hours had passed and nothing besides those newborns had occured. She guessed it was probably the hour or the place. She wanted to go further into the city but her Watcher had instructed her against it. 'It may be dangerous' he said, and gave her no more explanations. So there she was, heading towards one of the nearest cemeteries, in the same quiet pace of hers.

*****

She didn't expect to find tons action there either. Even thought she'd be back home soon with her clothes still intact and most of her stakes safely packed. It changed when she saw who she wasn't supposed to see. Buffy, the local Slayer; who happened to be entangled in a fierce battle with some vamps, and from her point of view, she was losing.

She prepared herself for the confrontation, yet she should never interfere with the other girl's affairs. < This is my duty too. I don't care what they say! > She'd been trained to hunt, slay and erradicate demons and monters. She couldn't just watch how they attacked someone else , even if this 'someone else ' was also a Slayer.

Without further thought, she threw a stake to the nearest vampire. And the fight kept going until only two of them were left standing, with their backs turned to the other among several piles of dust. Buffy was the first to turn and found herself facing a long dark mane. She didn't need a magnificent IQ to know this was the other Slayer. < Why do all of them have to be taller? Am I that short? > Before she had the chance to ask for the other girl's name, the brunette walked away.

Watching the dark-haired slayer go she realized here was something familiar about her. She guessed it was the slayer bonding. Holding that thought, she reached the taller and grabbed her arm, effectively making her turn in an akward way. At any other time, and from any other person such ungracefulness would have amused her; but the impact of this new slayer's identity hit her by surprise.

All of the sudden, the ground came up meeting her face hard.

--------- Part Two ---------

The next morning Buffy woke up on her bed, which was strange because the last thing she remembered was fainting not coming back to the dorm. < Perhaps it had been just a dream, a very weird one indeed. > And she still was wearing the same clothes she wore last night. < Guess Willow has lots of explainig to do... But now, I have to hurry if I want to attend classes. Damn! >

About thirty minutes later she was running through the campus praying her teacher hadn't arrived yet, already picturing in her head the preaching she'd be getting. Meanwhile, in a distant building, the newly matriculated Slayer was attending her first class.

*****

"No Buffy, I told you. They gave me no details about her. All they said was she'd come here in this week..." Giles informed Buffy before some thrilling from her part. "Is there any problem, had you met her?"

"I'm not sure, I mean, I was patrolling last night and decided to go to the old cementery," she paused to see if Giles was following her, "there I found a group of vampires who lost no time in jumping me, and when I was getting tired someone appears out of nowhere and starts kicking butts on my behalf and then she walks away, I follow her, make her turn to me and then faint..." Buffy informed him in a shortened version of the facts.

"You fainted?" asked Giles slightly worried. He was no longer her Watcher but he cared for her almost like a father.

"Yeah, weird isn't it...?" she said nonchalantly.

"What happened next?" he recognized that tone of voice. With luck, she'd tell him when ready.

"That's what I don't know... I woke up this morning in my room, wearing the same clothes and pretty much the same. Even my backpack was there too..." the man could sense it was bothering her. In fact, he was a little puzzled about Buffy not being able to remember how she got home.

"Did you check you had no marks on you?"

"No, I had no bite marks or such... In fact, I'm not sure it really happened... There's no way this could have happened..." Buffy stated, unconsciously gripping the sides of her jeans, reminding Giles of a little child.

"What do you mean?" he asked seriously thinking it might as well been only a dream, vision or premonition of sorts.

"It was her Giles, that's why this gotta be a dream..." < Definitely a little, hyperactive child...> Giles, innerly said when Buffy raised her voice, pouted and started pacing around.

"Her? Who are you talking about Buffy?" He questioned intending to hide his schepticism.

"Faith, it was her Giles. Faith is here!" Buffy deadpanned when she detected his meek attitude. The man stared at her in shock, not quite believing her words, yet he recognized there was a slight possibily that she was right. He hoped his suspicions were wrong.

"Buffy, Faith's in jail, in L.A. There's no way she'd be here..." Willow assured her friend, even when she wasn't so sure herself.

"I know Will but I'm convinced I saw her. It was her, there's no way I'd mistake someone else with her..." Buffy pensively informed the red-head. "Besides, I don't know how I ended here, which reminds me... where we you last night huh?" she finished in a teasing voice.

"I was at Tara's..." Willow replied blushing brightly.

"Why am I not surprised?" the blonde asked rhetorically.

"Look, why don't we call Angel and ask him about her. If she's been released he'd find out ok..." Willow suggested to deviate Buffy's attention from her and Tara's relationship back to Faith.

"No. I don't want to call him." The stubborn, immature side of Buffy stroke in.

"What you suggest then?" Willow patienlty asked. Having dealt with Cave Slayer, she knew it wasn't a good idea discuss with her friend whenever she entered her 'one track mind' phase.

"Let's go see her..." Buffy simply replied, leaning back on her bed, throwing Mr. Gordo up then catching it back.

"Wha-?" Willow gulped and Buffy, noticing the other girl's reaction, smiled darkly. "No, no, no, that's definitely a NO. I'm not going to meet with that psycho..." the redhead nearly shouted already imagining a blade pressed against her neck. It caused her to shiver.

"Then stay if you want but I need to know..." Buffy dismissively said before jumping up and throwing the stuffed pig at her friend and ruffling the red tresses.

*****************

"No Miss Summers, I'm telling you. She was released three months ago." An exasperated officer repeated to the angry, small girl in front of him. He had been told blondes were stupid but never had had the 'pleasure' to experience their idiocy until now.

"Three months ago, as in three months ago? I mean, wasn't it three weeks ago, three days ago, or maybe three hours ago?" *Jeez, she's dumb...*

"Wanna take a look at this? It was signed three months ago..." He finally showed her Faith Spencer's releasing order. It made her pallor visibly.

"God Will, she's been out for three months and no one told us about it!" He listened to the blonde histerically say the redhead. What was the whole deal about someone's release anyway? Shouldn't it be something good?

"Now Missy, if you don't mind..." the man gestured indicating the exit. It was nearly brunch break time and if those girls stayed longer he'd miss it again.

"Ok, let's calm and try to find what really happened ok. What about going Angel's...?" Willow suggested, helping Buffy out. Knowing Faith had been released long time ago had also affected her, evidently Buffy had taken it worst.

"Damn Will, I feel so..." Buffy started, still leaning on her friend for support. Taking deep breaths, she looked around and sat on the side-walk. Shading her eyes with her hands once again, she regretted not bringing along her sunglasses. How was she supposed to know it'd be so damn sunny? It wasn't Sunnydale!

"I know, I know but... Just calm down. Angel will know what to do." Willow, who happily wore a pair of shades, stated. "I hope." She silently finished.

******

Cordy was fixing her nails when a very pissed off Buffy entered the office with a worried Willow in tow. "Where's Angel?" Buffy almost barked at her. That prompted the bitch inside the struggling actress.

"Look Slayer, just who do you think you are to come here and yell at me? I'm not your fucking secretary, so if you want something from me ask nicely...!"

"Cordelia I have no time for this..." Buffy growled at her.

"Buffy... calm down." Willow tried.

"Why Willow, you're asking the beast to learn how to think... And I thought things had changed..." That put Buffy into motion but Willow gently stopped from harming the ex-cheerleader.

"Cordy please... We need..." And then Angel appeared.

"Cordelia, what...?" His question was interrupted by an angry slayer who attacked him as soon as she saw him. Not even the horror filled cries from Willow and Cordelia stopped her.

"You bastard, you could have told me!"

"Buffy, what...?" a shocked Angel said, slightly blocking her fists.

"Buffy, stop!" Willow shouted as Cordelia approached the fighting figures with a bat. Swinging in a huge arc, she hit Buffy in the back of her knees forcefully making her fall. In a second, Willow was at her side and Angel observed from a corner. Cordelia in the process, changed her bat for a gun, which she was aiming directly at the slayer midsection.

"Ok Buffy, you move a fucking inch and I shoot you..."

"Cordelia..." Angel's voice warned her.

"I'm sick of you and your antics... What the hell do you want this time? Have you gone crazy or something?"

"Cordelia please, put the gun down, I'll try to explain you..."

"It's ok Cordy, give it to me." Several tense minutes later Cordelia backed off and gave the gun to the vampire. Buffy and Willow went to a couch as Angel sat on Cordelia's desk. Silence fell upon them.

"Sorry there, for attacking you..." Her gaze was on the carpet, "both of you," she then looked up at Cordelia. "it's just..."

"You're nuts... As simple as that." Cordelia stated.

"Cordelia..." Angel, exasperated called after her.

"Look, I'm trying to apologise here..." Buffy explained in a strained voice.

"Faith's out of jail." Willow suddenly deadpanned.

"What?" Both Cordelia and Angel asked.

"Why, how?" The dark-haired girl continued.

"We were hoping you could tell us..."

"We had no idea... She stopped answering to my letters but... I figured she was trying to distance herself from us."

"They told us she's been out for three months... But couldn't get any more information..."

"So the loony's been out for months and we may be in danger but no one told about it... This is just great!" Cordelia teathrically ranted.

"Have you met her?" Angel, as calm s possible, asked them.

"Yes, well, I don't know..." Buffy answered.

"What you mean 'I don't know'? You met her or not?" Cordelia piped in.

"She's not sure. She was patrolling yesterday night and..." Willow told them about the fight, the fainting and everything Buffy had told her; which the blonde confirmed immediately.

Angel and Cordelia just looked at each other.

"I'll call Kate." Cordelia announced before picking up the phone.

***************

Half an hour later, Kate Lockley arrived at Angel Investigations with a folder under her arm.

"Ms. Chase..." she politley greeted the brunette.

"Detective..." Cordelia acknowledged, slightly unnerved by the situation.

"Where's..." the blonde woman started.

"There, they're waiting for you." With that the young detective approached the three figures in the room.

"Thanks for coming." Angel said when she deposited the folder in his hands.

"I don't know what you want with this girl but I came as soon as I could." she told him, then turning to Willow, "who is she?"

"Willow Rosenberg." He simply informed her. It surprised her.

"So... What do you want from me?"

"We want to know when she was released and what happened after that..." Kate stared at Buffy and then turned to Angel...

"We don't follow people's track unless they're on probation..." the detective, arrogantly supplied, yet Angel knew the tone wasn't directed at him.

"I know, we just need to know who let her out. Replied Angel as he shuffled some papers.

"Here it is." Kate said, taking a sheet from the folder and showing it to the vampire.

"Who did it?" Buffy questioned.

"A guy named William Scott... I don't get it, why would him? He was confused, he didn't recognosed the name from the lists of Wolfram and Hart, perhaps another firm.

"The Council..." Willow murmured.

"Will...?" Buffy, having listened to her friend, waited for her to elaborate.

"He's a Watcher, I remember his name from one of Giles' documents. He was one of the Watchers who voted for his expulsion from the Council..." Willow continued.

"What are you talking about? Who's this Scott man?" Kate asked Willow. "And what is it about the Council?" This time she faced Angel.

"You think...? God, I gotta call Giles." Buffy, demanded her in shock before running towards Cordelia and the phone.

"Angel...?" confused, Detecttive Lockley turned to Angel for explanations.

"Later Kate, later..."

****************

"They're neglecting me Buffy. According to them who they choose to come here is none of our bussiness..."

"But we're talking about Faith here, hello! It is my goddamn bussiness..." Buffy shouted.

"I know, and I told them that yet they wouldn't confirm if she or Scott are in Sunnydale..."

"Damn! Ok, I'll call yoo later. I still have some things to do here in LA..." she continued in a bitter voice.

"Yeah, sure... Take care."

****************

"Wills, we're leaving..." Buffy announced.

"But..." Willow tried with her friend.

"Now Will!" the blonde commanded.

"Buffy..." the redhead's tone morphed into a hurt one.

"Angel, I appreciate your help a lot, but I can't stay." Pause "I apologize again for my actions," then, turning to Cordelia, "and extend that to you Cordy but if Faith's in Sunnydale..." she finished in broken voice.

"I know... Just try that your fear doesn't rule your behaviour again." He advised her.

"I'll try... Detective, thanks for your help..." Buffy, in spite of her inner struggle, thanked Kate.

"What are you gonna do?" Kate suspiciously asked. "There's no way you'll meet a girl with this record and get away harmless... besides she had attacked you before..." Buffy just stared at her trying to find an answer to that but couldn't. She wasn't sure what her reaction woulb be when she'd actually meet the dark slayer again. Angel saw her hesitation and answered for her.

"She'll just set some ground rules with her, that's all." That seemed to calm Kate a bit but she still looked dubious.

"Your taxi's here..." Cordelia announced. And then the slayer and the wicca left.

***************

"Have you found any trouble during your patrols?" The English young man asked the girl in front of him.

"No." She quietly replied.

"What about the rogue slayer?" He continued as he served himself a glass of wine.

"I saw her fighting some vampires in the old cementery last night." She stated before grabbing another piece of bread from the basket.

"Oh, the ones you told me about. If you fought them too I suppose she wasn't able to control the situation by herself..."

"No." her reply made him smile. He had always been sure of the rebel slayer inability to face the enemies she was supposed to fight. She lacked of a proper training and her worst defect were her emotions.

"Did she see you, talk to you, recognize you?" He continued with his interrogatory.

"Yes..." it made him choke. Yes what? She had seen her, talked to her or recognized her?

"Yes what slayer?" he angrily demanded.

"She saw me, she talked to me and she recognized me..."

"And?" She stared at him trying to understand what he wanted from her.

"And she fainted." She informed him, as she leveled the water with her mouth.

"What did you do then? You left her there or what?" he had already lost his appetite, how was this possible? He had expressely instructed her to avoid any contact with Buffy Summers, and she had disobeyed him!

"I carried her to her quarters..." at this he lost his temper. His anger was visible.

"I told you not to approach this girl, fight with her if you found her yes but not bonding with her, that's absolutely forbidden!"

"It wasn't safe out there..." She weakly offered.

"She's a slayer...!" He yelled at her as he walked in rage to the dark-haired teenager.

"I, I..." She never finished her lame excuses because a slap crossed her features.

"Don't you ever disobey me again! Don't you get it girl? You're here because I want you to... Fail and you'll be dead!" His words hit her hard but her facade was as cool as it was most of the time. It wasn't cynical or amused, nor sad; it was the unexpressive mask the Council had taught her to wear.

"It won't happen again." she assured him, lowering her head.

"Good, now leave! Double your training and meet me when you're finished." She nodded and left heading to the spare room she used for her trainig sessions.