Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in this story gang. I've had some RL issues to deal with this last six months. Nevertheless, this story is back on track and I hope to finish it soon.

Coinciding with the rear door shuddering was the sharp, crisp sound of breaking glass.

The bottle flew through the newly created opening in the window to shatter spectacularly on the tile floor of the kitchen. It exploded on impact, spreading out the flames kept alive by a burning rag and alcohol. Already braced for trouble when the second assault on the bar began, both Cas and Xander had been so focussed on the imminent invasion through the door, they hadn't considered the barrage of Molotov cocktails would also be fired upon them in the kitchen.

"Get the extinguisher! I'll watch the door!" Xander yelled at Cas as he aimed his gun at the barricaded kitchen door, prepared to shoot the first thing that attempted to come through. After the Nameless' initial attack, they'd fortified the rear entrance, sliding in front of it and old chest refrigerator that had seen better days. Now as the barricade came under attack, the dented, almost grey appliance was slowly inching away from its sentry post in front of the door.

Castiel didn't waste time, suspecting this was a losing battle. The Nameless would continue her assaults until she broke through and they could not hold out indefinitely, even with the help of Willow's magic. He searched the kitchen for the telltale gleam of red metal and found the extinguisher a second later, mounted against the wall near the stove. Crossing over to it in three quick strides, Cas snatched it off the wall and ran back to the fire which had now enveloped the leg of cabinet and was quickly seeking to consume the whole bench.

White froth exploded from the nozzle, the hiss of which was eclipsed by the relentless pounding against the door. Cas looked up to see Xander abandoning his shooting stance and was instead trying to keep the refrigerator from moving any further. The salt barrier was being eroded by the object's movement and once that seal was broken, there would be nothing to stop the Nameless from entering the place.

Castiel, he suddenly heard a voice in his head. Cas who was in the middle of dousing the fire with the extinguisher, froze in response.

Castiel, I can feel you. Your mortal shell reeks of angelic filth.

"Cas what are you doing?" Xander demanded when he saw the former angel lapse into some kind of trance, the spray from the extinguisher swirling around him.

Cas didn't answer.

Surrender yourselves and your end will be pleasant. You and your friends, will go to the afterlife in ecstasy. Continue to fight us and I promise you excruciating agony. We will skin you alive at our leisure.

"No," Cas replied, unaware he'd spoke out loud. "If you want us, you will have to come get us. No more women will be tainted by your evil."

So be it then. I will keep you for myself. You will pray for me to kill you before the end and you know what Cas? I'll say no.

"Cas what the hell?" Xander asked when Castiel finally blinked and recognition at his name being called flooded into his head.

"She knows I'm here," Cas looked at him. Glass was still breaking elsewhere and new fires were springing with each breakage.

"We'll reconnect with your old girlfriend later," Xander snapped, still bracing the refrigerator with his body and finding the bombardment intensifying. Biting down, it was taking all his strength from keeping it inching towards their salt barrier. "Right now put out the fires while I've still got some hair left on my body." The heat was prickling uncomfortably at his skin, a small warning of how much worse it could get.

"Yes," Cas shook his head and resumed extinguishing the flames. Even when he was no longer an angel, he was still paying for the crime of being one.

Sam ran into the office to get Faith, mindful of sound of breaking glass.

Entering the room, he saw Faith sitting up in the cot, her eyes wide with fear until they laid eyes on him. Then they seemed to settle as if the sight of him alone was a salve on her exhausted nerves. Sam wanted to be that for her, wanted to hold her and tell her that it was all going to be okay. What both he and Dean had learned about slayers in the last few months were that they weren't invincible things that healed fast and killed everything in sight. Beneath all that was something human and mortal craving connection just like everyone else.

Sort of like hunters

"What's happening Sammy?" Faith asked, hating her weakened state. She hurt everywhere and knew better than anyone under this roof the shitstorm about to come down on all of them. She'd seen this Alamo play before and did not want to be the last man standing. Again.

"They're making their play to get in here," Sam said shoving all their supplies into a satchel as he spoke. "We're going to have to make a run for the car."

Faith let ought a sigh of frustration. "I hope it's still running. They may look butt ugly now, but those bitches had enough brain in them to wreck my bike so I couldn't leave. Might do the same to Dean's ride."

Oh Dean was not going to like that at all, Sam thought. "If worse comes to worse, we'll find a place to hold up somewhere until morning."

Once he was done packing up, he approached her bed. "Can you move?"

"Yeah," Faith nodded even though she was lying. She wanted to crawl up somewhere and crash, forget the world ever existed. Instead, she put her feet down, taking Sam's hand as she lifted herself out of the bed. She managed to stand on her own two feet for a second before swaying unsteadily.

Sam caught her before she collapsed on the bed, sweeping her up in his arms as if he were freaking Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind. "It's okay," he smiled affectionately at her. "I got you."

The smell of him, the heat of his body against hers, his arm around her flesh made Faith dizzy. Suddenly the pain was chased away by the fierce desire for him. She raised her head and pressed her lips to his, kissing him full on mouth. The contact made her flesh tingle, started a small spark of need inside of her. In seconds it was an inferno, unquenchable and demanding more.

For a few seconds, they were the only two creatures in the universe, connected to each other by this duet of flesh. Her tongue teased and taunted him, made his chest swell with desire. He could hear her breath against his cheek, feel her smooth skin, flushed because of fever, brushing against the stubble on his face. Her fingers were raking through his hair and he held her closer to him, feeling her heart pound against his. It insane how much he wanted to hear her make those sweet, breathless sounds women make when you treated them right. More than anything, he wanted Faith to feel that.

Except, this whatever they were engaging in right now, wasn't Faith.

"Faith," Sam pulled back, not stupid enough to be mistaken about what this was. While he was being carried away from his own lust and desire for her, Sam was perfectly aware of what tidal wave was sweeping through Faith's veins right now. This wasn't her. This was the Nameless. If anyone knew how to tell the difference, it was him.

"We have to stop."

Her eyes flashed. For an instant, Sam something dark and vicious surface in her eyes but before he could speak to it, Faith yanked his head forward by the hair, pulling her face to his again. This time, there was no hiding what she wanted from him. The pleasant hesitancy of their first kiss was gone, replaced by a burning hunger, fierce and hungry. He felt her tongue forced past his teeth, determine to take up the game of thrust and parry they had just engaged in. This wasn't a kiss, it felt like violation.

"NO!" He let go her her, letting her legs uncurl beneath him so she was standing on her own two feet. She landed smoothly, with a dancer's grace, showing no signs of earlier weakness. Her hands were fists beside her, weapons readying for attack. Desperately, Sam tried to reach her. "Faith, this isn't what you want!"

The Nameless was trying to break through Faith's defenses, he could see it in her eyes. The monster was so close, he might have felt its fetid breath against the skin if it could achieve physical form but then it didn't need to, Faith was its struments. Sam tried one last time to reason with her, because he knew how hard she'd fought for redemption and he didn't want to lose her as he had lost the others, Jess, Sarah, Madison.

"Faith, if I for one moment thought that this what you wanted, I'd be right there with you but it isn't. It's the Nameless, she's working you. She's making you feel this way."

Faith was panting, poised like an animal about to lunge. The pain was gone, as was the weakness. All that remained was the thirst and he was the one from whom she needed to drink. The others would serve but he was the one who would make her stronger than all the others who worshipped the Nameless. Already she could feel her renewed strength begin to diminish, bringing with it the weakness and pain.

"What do you know about how I feel?" Faith hissed back, still retaining enough of herself to be able to respond. "I wanted you from the minute I saw you. I never wanted anyone so bad but I also never wanted you the way I wanted other guys. You're kind and sweet, decent." Her voice cracked, betraying feelings she would never have otherwise exposed "Even with all the dark inside of you, you're a good guy and I didn't want to mess that up."

Sam's thought his heart might break in his chest because it felt so good to hear that she cared about him the way he did her, even if he felt the connection between them before this. But was also in keeping with the Winchester luck, so totally unfair hearing it when there was every chance he was going to lose her.

"Faith, fight it," He pleaded. "Fight and we'll get through this..."

But before he could say another word, that dark curtain descended over her eyes and Faith was gone. All that was left was the monster. She bolted forward, moving so fast he barely had time to register the movement. The punch she threw landed squarely on his jaw, making his head snap sideways as he staggered from the power of it. His head spun like he was tumbling down the side of a cliff.

Tasting blood, he tried to fight back but she hit harder than a frigging demon. Before he could react, before she jumped, her legs clamping around his neck and bringing him down a flip scissor movement. His gun flying out of his jeans to hit the ground, away from reach as he landed flat on his back, pain screaming throughout his body as he impacted.

Beyond the door, San was aware of gunfire and commotion loud enough to eclipse what was happening in here. Where the hell was Dean when you needed him? Sam cursed under his breath. But before he had time to ponder this, a shadow fell over him and he looked up just in time to see Faith straddling him, pinning his arms with her knees.

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle." Her face split in a maniacal smile that made her lips looked rosier. "Just sit back and enjoy the ride."

She bent down and forced her mouth against his again, her hands moving up his stomach, to rip open his shirt, sending buttons popping in every direction. He saw the cruel relish on her face as she charted his flesh in slow caresses Yet Sam felt no pleasure in this, remembering those blood soaked words on the wall of the bar.

Use him for your pleasure, abuse him at your leisure.

The thought was punctuated by the sharp pain of her teeth biting into his lower lips. Blood immediately filled his mouth but that was enough to jolt him out of his disorientation. Twisting hard and telling himself he could not hold back, he threw Faith off his body.

She rolled across the wood panelled floor, hitting the base of the wall before scrambling to her feet, like some kind of insect. Fast and agile. She ran at him again, slamming into him with a full body tackle that sent them crashing into the coffee table by the sofa. It buckled under their weight, breaking apart as they both landed on shattered glass and wood. Sam felt Faith's fingers sinking into his hair and she smashed his head against the debris and the floor so hard, he thought he was going to black out.

"It would have been so much better if you had just given it up," Faith's voice was almost a low growl and she stared at him with the menacing eyes of a demon. "But don't worry, I'll get what I need from you." Beneath the hem of her tank top, he saw dark veins creeping past the edges of the bandage he's applied over her wound. Whatever infection the Nameless had transmitted to Faith was getting stronger, enough for the woman he knew to become lost in this violent, consuming lust.

Sam tried to sit up, but Faith snapped her hand around his throat and held him. Her nails dug into his throat and choked the remaining air out of his lungs. Then he became ware of her other hand fumbling for his belt. Meeting her eyes, Sam realised Faith wasn't there anymore.

"GET OFF ME!"

He pulled an arm free and threw a punch, carried by fury and survival instinct, realising with anguish and dismay he couldn't hold back anymore. Even in her injured condition, Faith was stronger than him. The blow succeeded in knocking Faith off him again and Sam struggled to get up, feeling wet pain radiating from the back of his skull. Standing up shakily, he searched for where his gun had gotten to. It was lying against the floor a few away and Sam crossed the distant quickly to sweep it up into his grasp.

Faith stood up and saw he was armed. With a smile, she tilted her head and looked at him with a knowing sneer of content. "What are you doing to do Sammy? Shoot me?"

"Faith I don't want to hurt you," Sam aimed, tasting blood on his lips. "Stand down and let me help you."

Smoke was starting to drift into the room and outside the gunfire continued.

"Kill me?" Faith circled him like a lioness on the savannah. "I dare you."

The gun was trained on her but Sam had no idea what to do. He could manage a killshot with ease but this was Faith. It wasn't like those other out there, who were too far gone to save according to Castile, she was still in there, trapped in her own flesh, he knew it. How could he put her down when she could be saved. He'd killed a woman he loved before and that had nearly broken him. He couldn't do it again. Staring at her, weapon aimed, they were at an impasse and she knew it.

"Can't do it can you?" She smiled and took a step towards him. "I guess you had better lie down and give it up because I'm going to get what I want anyway." She licked her lip and bared her teeth.

"No you're not," Sam said quietly and pulled the trigger.