Chapter One

Author: Raven Morbisk
Title: Dance with the Devil
Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing!!
Summary: Sequel to ‘Throw Up Your Rock Fist’. Julian’s secret is out and Faith’s close to follow. What is going to happen next?
Timeline: Season 4.
Author’s Notes: The second episode of ‘Slayer Rockstar'. Hope everyone enjoys.

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Chapter One

It took another six songs before the guys wanted to call it quits because the crowd was thinning out. Faith and Julian had tried to prolong their act hoping the Slayer and the older man, her Watcher they presumed, would leave and maybe try again tomorrow when Telal conveniently was on the road again.

“Faith, come on.” Pete complained. “We wanna tap some SunnyD ass before leavin’.” The brunette rolled her eyes at the bass player but gave a curt nod. She couldn’t force the others to keep on playing when their heart wasn’t in it.

“Excellent.” Matt exclaimed and got out from behind his drums, following Jim and Pete to some girls that were still in the Bronze. Julian didn’t say anything but moved closer to Faith protectively when Buffy and her Watcher walked up to the stage.

“We need to talk.” Buffy said leaving no room for discussion. Faith chose to ignore the blonde and began undoing the strap to her guitar while Julian just avoided eye contact from the older man. The Watcher was scared, he could feel it but he wasn’t afraid of him, he was afraid for Buffy.

“Faith.” Buffy said heatedly and reached to grab Faith’s ankle but before her hand could reach the brunette Julian had hopped off the stage and roughly took hold of the blonde’s arm. Giles flinched in surprise by the speed Julian possessed. Buffy pulled her arm free and as she moved to get in her fighting stance Julian reached for his necklace, intending to give the blonde Slayer the beating of her life.

“Not here, babe.” She said softly for Julian’s ears only, glancing around the Bronze to see if anyone saw what might have happened but she couldn’t see anyone looking in their direction. Julian nodded but didn’t back away from the scene.

“What do you want?” Julian asked crossing his arms as his eyes turned from bright green to blue. Buffy flinched on the inside at the harshness of his tone. This wasn’t the same guy who looked carefree and best-friend savior. This was a guy that didn’t allow any bullshit or wrongly touching the brunette.

“Can we go somewhere more private?” Giles asked tearing his eyes away from Julian’s eyes. Buffy had told them it happened before but he hadn’t believed it. Now he had no other choice than believing the change of color.

“Nope.” Faith replied casually making her way off the stage using the small steps on the side. “I ain’t goin’ with you just to get offed by your buddies.” She stood opposite of Julian with Giles and Buffy somewhat in the middle of them.

“I beg your pardon?” Giles didn’t know what he was hearing. Buffy and he had absolutely no intention of murdering Faith. They just wanted to talk about Julian but now he was intrigued to know more about Faith.

“She’s got a point.” Julian agreed with a small smirk played out on his lips. Slowly his blue eyes turned back to its original green as he calmed down, taking in that Buffy wasn’t going to fight them now.

“I think I must’ve misunderstood.” Giles removed his glasses and cleaned them before putting them back on waiting for a response but either Faith hadn’t heard him or just chose to ignore him.

“So…” Faith clapped her hands together. “How long is it gonna take for the kill-squad to get here?” She questioned looking from Buffy to Giles and back again. “I’m just askin’ ‘cause ya could at least give me a head start.” She suggested smirk in place.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Buffy looked between Julian and Faith demanding to know what was going on. The way they were behaving it seemed like they were expecting a huge fight.

“Let’s go, Faith.” Julian spoke up followed by an arrogant snort and a descending look directed at both the Slayer as her Watcher. “They’ve got nothin’.” Faith nodded in agreement and motioned to walk away.

“Actually.” Giles said loudly drawing their attention back. “We know who you are, Julian. Or is it Ninigiku?” He gave a small smile, feeling rather sure of himself. With Buffy’s positive recognition of the demon he was sure he had Julian now.

“Actually, it really is Julian.” The green-eyed young man replied smirking amused. He should’ve known they were going to put the blame on Ninigiku and therefore blame him. Everyone who had seen his demon form believed that. So far it was the Watcher’s Council and this Slayer.

“Geez, did ya maybe have a big bowl of stupid for breakfast?” Faith rolled her eyes at the older Brit. “Ninigiku doesn’t live in this dimension.” She continued upon receiving a blank expression from Giles. “Get your facts straight, Watcher.” The more she talked with them the more Faith began to realize that they weren’t here for her. A part of her was relieved but the other part was worried that they would unleash the worst in Julian.

“Ninigiku killed a Slayer, four years ago.” Giles mumbled adding everything up. He had read about the Slayer before Buffy but Paul Beckmann, the Watcher of that Slayer, never referred to his Slayer by her first name.

“Interesting.” Giles was pulled out of his thoughts by Julian replying to his soft-spoken statement. “What’s that got to do with me?” He asked dropping his shoulders in a bored manner. He knew what they were on about but he wasn’t giving in.

“This is the demon with you when you helped Buffy save Willow.” Giles showed the page he had shown Buffy earlier to Faith. He wasn’t looking for the answers he first wanted, he was now looking for an explanation and these two were the only ones who could give him that.

“I didn’t save anybody.” Faith replied indifferent. “Never saw any demon either.” In her eyes she didn’t see a demon, she just saw her best friend. She refused to see Julian as a demon when he changed. In some ways he was like a werewolf, he didn’t always get to choose when he changed.

“Stop lying, Faith.” Buffy said through gritted teeth. She knew what she saw and she saw a demon fighting Veruca then running away only to be found again with Faith trying to protect him. She snorted mentally when she recalled the fight with the soldiers. Like a demon like Julian couldn’t protect himself, she thought.

“I’m not lying, princess.” Faith snapped glaring at the blonde. “That demon right there?” She pointed at the illustration in the book Giles was holding. “That’s not the demon you THINK you saw.” Her anger was building rapidly. The demon in the book was a ruthless killer, Julian was nothing like that.

“I know it was Julian.” Buffy bit back. “He got bit by Veruca.” She nodded her head to Julian’s shoulder that was conveniently covered by a plain T-shirt. Julian’s response came in a simple shrug of his shoulders. Giles grimaced at Julian both thinking the same thing: if both girls didn’t back off there was going to be a fight.

“Congrats, you figured it out.” Faith gave the blonde an uninterested round of applause. “Took you long enough,” she smirked “I figured him a demon thirty minutes after I saw him.” Her smirk only grew larger when the blonde shot her a glare.

“Kinda hard to miss when he’s between your legs.” Buffy didn’t realize she said it loud until she felt Faith’s fist connect with her jaw. Buffy had to take a step backwards from the strength that fist held. Rubbing her jaw she could only think of one word: Slayer.

“You hurt me, I hurt you.” Faith stated casual as she folded her arms, not even bothering with throwing Buffy a glare. She did smirk however when her other band members walked up to them with a few other guys she didn’t know.

“Faith, what’s goin’ on?” Pete questioned as they came to a halt behind Julian. “These people causin’ trouble?” Faith was sure Buffy could take them but wouldn’t. Something told her that this Slayer seemed to care about her social life which confused Faith but refused to ask the blonde about it.

“No trouble.” Giles put up his hands and shot a warning look at Buffy. The blonde rolled her eyes and gave Faith a forced smile. The brunette quirked an eyebrow in response, amused by the Watcher-whipped Slayer.

“Then I suggest you take a hike.” One of the guys Faith didn’t know said firmly. She had absolutely no idea why he was sticking up for her but mentally shrugged it away. Maybe if he played his cards right the guy could get a proper thank you.

Giles nodded with a nervous chuckle and removed himself from the scene. Buffy gave Faith a lingering glare before she too left. Once outside Giles visibly relaxed. Buffy would’ve found it amusing if she wasn’t feeling so wound up about the brunette's behavior.

“I need to contact the Council.” Giles said as they crossed the street to where his car was parked. He needed answers and he didn’t give a damn if he didn’t work for the Council anymore, he was going to get his answers even if it meant that he would have to go to England.

“I wouldn’t do that just yet.” Buffy said trying to sound calmer than she felt. Giles unlocked his car but not before giving her a bewildered look. “I think they’re the problem.” The blonde just said and got in the car.

-:-DWTD-:-

Willow was rummaging through some books she had borrowed from Giles without his knowledge. It wasn’t her fault he wasn’t home and left the door ajar. She left a note though, telling him what volumes she had taken. It was the only thing that kept her mind off of Oz leaving. It hurt too much to think about it so she decided to see if she could translate the Sumerian the demon and Faith had said.

“Anzillu.” She muttered remembering what the demon had hissed to the werewolves. She didn’t exactly have doubt what it meant but it was better to know for sure. “Abomination.” She frowned when she found a translated section before writing it down on a piece of paper where she had also written down ‘warrior’ next to ‘Telal’.

“Wasu.” The corner of her lip curled faintly when she found the translation in the same text. She grabbed the piece of paper and wrote down ‘Leave’. Now came the more difficult part. The words Buffy had heard after she and Faith had fought those soldiers. Finding the word Buffy had given her she frowned at the translation.

“Brother? Why would Faith call the demon her brother?” She mumbled then sighed as she realized Buffy was right all along about Julian. The lead singer seemed the best choice for Faith to call brother so next to ‘Ahu’ she wrote down ‘brother’.

Willow took the tiny piece of paper Buffy had given her with the sentence the demon, Julian apparently, was chanting before they disappeared in a miniature whirlwind. She searched and searched through the books but couldn’t find anything to help her so she decided to just guess.

“That’s uhm…” She bit the back of her pencil “Doorkeeper or gatekeeper.” She mumbled “Gatekeeper, open… me… Gatekeeper, open your gate for me!” She exclaimed excited that she found it and wrote it down next to ‘Ati Me Peta Babka’.

-:-DWTD-:-

Lying on her side with one hand propped up under her head in her shared bed she watched as Julian tried out new tunes. Faith thought he looked so incredibly fine and adorable at the same time, sitting at the footing of the bed, one leg touching the floor and the other bent on the bed, clad in a pair of blue boxers with the Superman symbol on his rear-end she bought him for his birthday as throttled his guitar with his eyes closed.

“Play somethin’ for me, Jules.” She almost whispered the words but Julian had heard her. He opened his eyes and gave her a heart melting smile that he saved only for her. Faith loved that smile; it was the one thing that made her feel special.

“Now?” He asked. Faith just nodded in response with a grin. “Okay, what do you wanna hear?” He shifted lightly on the bed so he was facing the brunette more. He knew what she was going to say, it was the only thing she would want to hear if she asked it like that.

“My song.” Julian had to refrain himself from laughing. If he had bet anyone a million bucks she was going to say that he’d be a rich man.

“Okay but I’m no Chad Gray.” Faith let out a chuckle at that. It was her little secret that she used to have a huge crush on the lead singer of Mudvayne. Until she saw him in concert that is. Now she was just crazy for the man’s voice.

“You’ll manage.” She replied and moved to lie flat on her back with her eyes closed. The only sound that was heard was the Gibson and Julian’s voice.

“When passion's lost and all the trust is gone. Way too far, for way too long.” Julian automatically closed his eyes singing the song just like Faith loved it. “Children crying cast out and neglected, only in a world so cold, only in a world this cold. Hold the hand of your best friend; look into their eyes then watch-” He was interrupted by a soft knock at the door.

“What the hell?” Faith sat up in the bed and frowned looking at the door. It couldn’t be Pete because he went home with a blonde bimbo and the others went straight to bed, exhausted from their show and the walk back to the motel because Pete had taken the van.

“Maybe your boy toy changed his mind about his girlfriend.” Julian grinned and placed his guitar on the bed. The guy from earlier had been a great guy but he refused to take Faith to his place because his girlfriend was home.

“He’s too late now.” Faith replied rolling her eyes and dropped herself on her back again. Julian chuckled as he stood up and made his way over to the door. “Fuckin’ A, that excuse of a Slayer really had me wired and that chump wants to fu-”

“Uh, Faith?” Julian cut her off staring at the person standing rather sheepishly at the other side of the doorway. He glanced over at the brunette who had sat up again with a questioning gaze. Julian sighed and took a step to the side allowing their visitor to enter the motel room.

“I just wanna talk.” Buffy held her hands up upon seeing Faith’s glare.