"What are we gonna do?" If running after the Mayor in a fit of rage was off the table, Faith was out of ideas. The hand on her shoulder tightened, but Tara didn't reply. Neither did Peterson or Morris. That left Faith alone with her thoughts. Alone with the smell of blood coating her hands and the sticky warmth soaking through her jeans. Alone with the sound of Brooks' labored breathing in her ears.

What were they going to do? The Mayor somehow held all the cards. He always held the cards.

Sirens in the distance provided a momentary distraction. "I'll go wave the ambulance in," Peterson said. He trotted off, gun still in hand. "Faith, be ready." He glanced over his shoulder, meeting her eyes.

Be ready for what? Faith didn't put the pieces together until she saw the way Morris turned on his knees and pointed his own gun at the garage door as Peterson unlocked and opened it. They couldn't be certain that the ambulance wasn't manned with Zajicek or another of the Mayor's boys. She grabbed the short sword she'd dropped on the ground and unsheathed a knife before turning to face the door as well.

The ambulance roared up; two uniformed medics jumped out of the back while a third climbed from the driver's seat. "What have we got?" The driver appeared to be in charge. He and the rest of the medical crew ignored the show of firepower and the blood on their way to Brooks. They were completely focused. None of them carried weapons of their own.

Faith moved out of the way but kept an eye on the trio. They looked legit to her.

Peterson's walkie crackled. With a final glance at Brooks and the medical team, he gestured at Faith. "There's a small office in the back. You want to use it? We don't have much time until the deadline."

Six o'clock. Less than an hour away. "Yeah. OK." Why was he asking her? Faith wondered. And then she remembered. The Mayor had demanded that Faith come to him alone. With the Books and the Box. "Let's go. I need to … I need…" What the fuck did she need? A brain, obviously. Faith couldn't get more than one thought at a time into her head.

"Let's c-call Buffy and Mr. Giles," Tara said softly. "They should know what happened to Brooks and maybe they'll have some ideas on what to do now."

Just hearing Tara's quiet recommendation helped Faith feel better. Tara didn't know what to do, either. That did it; Faith was calling the experts. Perching on the edge of the desk, Faith dialed the desk phone.

"Faith?" Buffy's voice was distorted and echoed slightly. "I've got you on speakerphone. What happened? No one's been answering the radio and we saw the ambulance go by."

"The Mayor got here first. Or his boys did. Brooks is down." Faith relayed what they knew and read the note. "Runnin' out of time." And their one plan was a bust. She would have paced the office if it hadn't been so small and packed with three people.

A new voice joined the conversation. "Faith?" Watcher Dave. "I don't understand. How does the Mayor expect you to find him? He didn't say where he'd be."

No. Faith read the note. There was no location for the Mayor's lame ass "gathering." He'd acted like she'd know the right place.

The right place.

"Son of a bitch!" Faith stood and threw the note onto the desk in frustration. "He didn't have to tell me." There was only one place he'd go to celebrate his important event. One place the FBI and the Council would never look. "The fucker's at City Hall."

"In his office?" It was Giles talking now. "Surely you jest. Agent Morris has had teams of agents watching the Mayor's Office since they arrived in Sunnydale. The Mayor hasn't been near City Hall since the night you rescued Tara from her father."

Teams of agents watching. Like they'd watched here. Faith left the office at a run. "Morris!" The agent was standing in the middle of the warehouse, staring at the pool of blood where Brooks had been. The ambulance was gone. So was Brooks. "Hey! Did your guys see anything here? Before we got here?"

He seemed dazed for a second then his expression cleared. "No. Why?"

"Because I think I know why." And Faith was completely certain she knew where the Mayor would be at six o'clock, too. "Come on. We're gonna need to figure out what to do now. It's time Tricky Dick got what's comin' to him." With Morris on her heels, Faith returned to the office. "Is Markham with you, Giles?"

"I am," Markham answered.

Good. If Faith was going to make her date with the Mayor, they had maybe twenty minutes to find a new plan. By Scooby reckoning, that was plenty of time. "The Mayor's gonna be at City Hall, but not in his office. Remember that ritual thing? Figure that's what he meant in the note. Ain't no way you can see him or Trick's goons movin' around."

"The tunnel." Buffy had finally caught up with Faith. "How dumb are we? The Mayor's probably been hiding out below-ground the whole time."

"That's what I figure." Faith traced a finger over the Mayor's handwriting. "'Cept I think it's worse. I think he got Brooks the same way. Wanna bet we got tunnels all over SunnyD? Pretty easy to use the sewers, right? Then just add on where ya' need another tunnel."

A sigh rushed through the other end of the phone. "And why would we think to ward a warehouse with nothing more than odds and ends inside? The only area we've protected is the vault hidden behind the shelving units." Giles sounded tired and fed up. With the Mayor, the Council, or himself, Faith couldn't tell. "Be that as it may, how does this knowledge help, Faith? We cannot hazard a guess at the size of the Mayor's forces, while our numbers have not changed."

"Guess it don't help. Not with how to win," Faith muttered. "Except now I know where to take the Box and Books." The clock was ticking. They were down to seventeen minutes. "Might be time to charge in with stakes wavin'."

"This is not a recreation of the Charge of the Light Brigade." Marham's voice resonated with confidence and command even over the phone. "Knowing about the tunnels does provide useful intel. We know where he's going; we know where most of his forces will be; we even know how to get there." There was a pause and a rustle on the phone. Faith shifted her weight impatiently, relaxing only slightly when Tara sidled up close and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Our strategy is simple."

Simple? What was simple about any of this? Faith stared at the phone in frustration.

"Faith will have to take the items to the Mayor while the rest of us meet her there using the tunnels," Markham continued blithely. "It is unexpected and may provide an advantage that a frontal assault lacks."

Fourteen minutes. Faith had fourteen minutes to explain to Markham why dropping a handful of baby Slayers and half-trained witches into tunnel filled with who-knew-how-many vampires wasn't a workable plan.

"I told you lately how fuckin' stupid this is?" Faith's mental voice was strained. Anger and fear mixed into a volatile cocktail of emotions.

The swirl of emotions matched Tara's. She tried to keep that from Faith, however. Two maelstroms whirling through the bond might be more than either of them could handle. Not to mention they both needed to actually focus on surviving the next few minutes. "It's only stupid if it doesn't work, my Faith. And it will work." Of course it would despite the fact that Faith was correct. It was a stupid plan that relied on sheer luck and the type of magic Tara believed was more dangerous to the practitioner than the intended target.

"We're ready," Markham announced amidst a blast of static into Tara's earpiece. She sucked in a deep breath and relayed the message. "The first group is going in," she told Faith silently. Faith hadn't been able to wear even a hidden microphone or listening device to her meeting with the Mayor. Communicating with her relied solely on the bond.

A second later, shouts exploded into Tara's ear. The first group making their way through the vampire-infested tunnels had already run into problems.

The second group, led by Willow and a map of the city sanitation system, was in the sewers hoping to stumble on the tunnel leading into City Hall. Tara had heard nothing from them. Only silence. A horrible silence.

"The radios may not work in the tunnels," Markham said over the speakerphone. "Stick to the new plan even if you don't hear from the other teams. Stick to the plan!"

"Stick to the plan," Tara muttered. A plan that left her sitting alone on a bench in the park behind City Hall as the sun dropped lower in the sky. She was alone just as Faith was alone and on her way into the City Hall storage room to face the Mayor and a possible vampire army.

"Too late to back out now." Faith was so deep in Tara's mind that one thought bled into another. During the ride from the docks, Tara had reached – and Faith hadn't run. In fact, she'd clung so tightly Tara thought she could senseFaith breathing. "I'm almost there. Can't feel nothin'. No vamps."

That was good. Maybe. Unless the Mayor was more powerful than they'd thought and he'd somehow shielded the entire area from Faith's Slayer senses. If he was that powerful… Tara shifted on the bench and shivered so hard her teeth chattered.

Faith responded to Tara's surging terror. Tara sensed the way her girl shifted the Box in her hands and sucked in a panting breath.

They had to stay focused. "Sorry," Tara apologized. "I'm ready." As ready as she'd ever be. There was no ward; not a traditional one. No chanting. No invocations. Instead, Tara pulled in every bit of power she found in the area – and held it. It was a little like being trapped inside of an electrical generator.

The increase in magical energy boosted the already-tight bond with Faith. Tara heard and felt Faith as if they they'd opened the storage room door together.

"I knew you wouldn't disappoint me again." The Mayor stood inside a circle etched on the ground. Now that she was inside the building, power sparked along Faith's senses. Not the warm, comforting tingle of the major mojo Tara was planning to unleash. This magic was dark and constricting. Cold then boiling hot. Sweat gathered at her hairline and began an inexorable slide down her forehead toward her eyes. "Put the Box at the edge of the circle. Trick will take the Books."

Faith hadn't noticed the vampire. She'd been too focused on the Mayor. Trick lacked his usual edge. He wore no suit, only a pair of faded jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. The crossbow in his hand, though, was a clear indication he wasn't expecting dinner and a movie.

She took a step forward, skin crawling as Trick followed her movements with the crossbow. This wasn't going to end well. The Tara Presence in her mind moved protectively closer. Faith tried to wiggle even closer through the bond. Between Tara's and the Mayor's magic, the storage room was ready to blow.

A completely inappropriate giggle tickled the link. "Um…yes, it is."

Lips twitching in automatic response, Faith took another step. "You want this shit, your boy needs to put the weapon down. Ain't like I can kick his ass holding all your presents, boss." The title tasted dirty on her tongue. "I'm right where ya' want me."

The Mayor's smile grew. Not the quirky, charming one Faith had once fallen for. This smile was cruel, calculating, and satisfied.

She wanted to hurl the Box at him. How had Faith ever fallen for his act? Two more short strides brought her to the edge of the circle. "You ready, T?" The bag with the Books, slung diagonally across her back, slipped and banged painfully into her hip as she lowered the Box to the ground. "You want the fuckin' Books, too?" Faith hoped not. Those were still a mixed bag of crap from Giles' library. Scowling, she unhooked the bag's strap and tossed those several feet away. As far from Trick as she could. If the Mayor did want them, he'd either have to come out of his magic circle to get them or Trick and his crossbow would have to move farther away from Faith.

Watching her closely, the Mayor stayed in place. "Trick, are you sure Faith is alone?" Ah, Faith was heartbroken. The bastard no longer trusted her. The Mayor thought she'd brough bad for him (and maybe her) because she really was alone. No way could the Mayor spot Tara unless he ran up to his office and looked out the window of Faith's former workspace.

"I told you before," the vampire snarled, "I don't sense another Slayer."

"And I don't feel the witch." Faith bristled at the Mayor's comment. "The witch" was her Dominant. He noticed, of course, and his smile widened. Had he always viewed Tara as a threat? "Not even you, Faith, would be brash enough to actually come alone. The witch is here somewhere. It's time to stop wasting time. Trick, bring in your friends."

Trick didn't immediately follow orders, and Faith stiffened against a need to run. She was the first line of defense. If Buffy and Willow's teams failed to get here, she was the only defense. Tara's fury and fear lit her mind while power burned like liquid fire along Faith's nerves. The Mayor talked too damned much. He needed to step out of the circle and pick up the fucking Box. "Don't need a witch with me, Boss," Faith taunted, hoping to prod him into moving things along. The Mayor wasn't the only one tired of wasting time. "Shoulda just killed you the last time we were in here."

He laughed, the sound echoing oddly in the room. Out of the corner of her eye, Faith spotted Trick at the trap door. Damn it! "We got trouble."

"No one's responding to the radio." Tara's power increased. Faith wondered how the Mayor missed the raging inferno. Even through the link, the magic roared.

The trap door raised. Faith's stomach cramped and her senses crawled. Vampires. Lots and lots of vampires. One climbed from the tunnel. Another. In ones and twos they scrambled into the storage room. Not even a need to follow Markham's plan kept Faith from yanking out the stake she'd shoved into her boot sheath. If she was going down, she was taking a fuckload of vamps with her.

She dimly heard the Mayor say something. With her attention diverted, though, she couldn't make sense of the words. Trick moved. So did his vamps. The first four converged on Faith – and her super-tight connection to Tara wavered. Faith slipped past the first idiot, all arms and legs and lack of coordination. He turned to dust as her stake pierced first his back and then his heart. The other three took more effort and concentration.

Suddenly, the fight and the feel of Tara in her mind merged into an unorganized, static-filled burst.

"Buffy's group…almost here…hold…"

A knife slashed across Faith's shoulder, thankfully protected by her jacket and her quick reflexes. "Bitch!" the vampire snarled as he drew back and lunged again.

Power surged and diminished, waves of magic ebbing and flowing in Faith's senses.

Trick and the Mayor huddled together now. Faith saw them, each on one side of the circle etched in the floor. Then she lost sight of them as two more vampires tackled her. One of them landed a breath-stealing blow to her stomach. Pain mixed with panic as Faith gasped and twisted against them.

"Faith!" Tara's mental voice echoed Faith's panic. She felt Tara slipping away and somehow…reached back. The connection stabilized even as a new cramp of awareness set off her Slayer senses. "Where's the Mayor?"

It took Faith a long second to respond. A second in which she surged to her feet and staked the two vampires pinning her to the ground. There he was! He and Trick were still together, by the Box. Faith grabbed another vampire and heaved him into a group of his friends. "Ready!" she called out.

"He has to come out of the Circle," Tara reminded Faith.

Fucking perfect. Faith charged Trick. She had no idea how to get the Mayor out of his magical circle. Trick was more her speed. He spun, handsome face morphing as his fangs dropped. He stood protectively near the Box – and he was unarmed. Even better. When Faith dusted Trick, the Mayor would have no one to help him. The rest of the vampires were morons. So much dust waiting to litter the floor.

Trick had some surprises, though. He was wicked fast. Faith grunted as he landed a hard uppercut. Damn, that hurt! She tasted blood and felt more drip down her chin. "Hope you enjoyed that," she snapped, licking at the cut on her lip. "Be the last fuckin' fun you have." He was dead. So fucking dead.

They traded blows. Trick was damned good, but…Faith was better. Faster. Stronger. She buzzed with energy. New, different, awesome energy. Energy that carried Tara's unique feel. It filled her. Trick's yellow eyes widened, and Faith grinned. Oh, yeah. She rode the power Tara shared, trading a flurry of blows until…she found…her opening. Twirling the stake in her hand, Faith watched Trick's remains settle on the floor.

"Oops," she told the Mayor. "Sorry about that."

The rest of Trick's army milled uncertainly. Without Trick, they had no one to tell them what to do. And even stupid vampires were bright enough to avoid a Slayer when they had the chance. Faith ignored them. They weren't here concern anyway. She'd finally recognized the new cramping. Another Slayer was nearby, probably in the tunnel. Buffy or the babies could handle the last of Trick's crew.

"Think you're about to lose, Boss." Faith bent and moved the Box farther from the circle. "Guess you won't be needin' this no more." She deliberately turned her back on him, mocking him. "You ready?"

"Yes." Faith nearly grinned at the aggressive edge in Tara's mental voice. Her witch was developing some serious chops. Shy Tara was a thing of the past.

Faith couldn't see the Mayor now. She kept her senses on high and waited. And watched. One of the vampires stepped in her direction then stopped when Faith raised the hand holding the stake.

Something dragged on the floor behind her. The wild power inside surged higher. Faith gritted her teeth against the heat, like a bad sunburn under her skin. She turned slowly, not wanting to draw the Mayor's attention.

He had the Box. He was out of the circle. Sort of. One foot sat outside the painted marker. They'd never have a better chance. "Tara?" There was no answer, only raw power. Faith screamed. Heard her voice fill storage room.

Heat poured through and around her. Faith burned.

No. Not Faith. The Box burned. Faith had seen a roman candle once back in Boston. The bomb Markham had somehow attached to the underside threw sparks. A roar started. The only thing missing was the pop and crack of firecrackers and the Pops performing Stars and Stripes Forever.

The temperature inside the storage room matched the fire still burning inside Faith. The Mayor noticed. He reared back; bent to drop the Box. But it was too late. A column of white flame shot up through the Box and caught the Mayor in the chest and face.

His mouth opened. There was no sound, though. No scream. Yet Faith heard it. It rang in her ears. And rang. There was no explosion. Nothing like any bomb she'd seen on television or in the movies. This one simply burned. The Box melted, sagging in the middle with small bits of misshapen metal dropping to the concrete.

It was the Mayor, though, who held Faith's rapt attention. His face was gone. There was only a gaping hole. A hole.

In less than a minute, there was nothing. Only the lumpy remains of the Box and the Mayor's smoldering torso.

"Look out!" Faith whipped around at the shout. She'd been so distracted watching the Mayor that she hadn't notice the Scoobies arrive. Willow was half out of the tunnel while Watcher Dave and Becky battled a horde of vampires. Vampires just like the one about to skewer Faith. She threw herself to the right, deflecting the short sword with her stake. Wood chips flew and Faith swore as the stake slipped from her fingers.

She rolled away as the sword whistled by. Damn! That was close. Everyone else was busy. Vampires outnumbered Watchers and Slayers by at least three to one. Faith managed to scramble to her feet and faced off with her attacker. He grinned, fangs dripping saliva. "Bet that makes findin' a date hard," she taunted. "Ain't no boy or girl dyin' to be slobbered on."

The vampire growled and swung the sword. Too bad for him Faith was ready this time. She slipped past him and jabbed a fist into his gut followed by a hard left-hand cross to his face. Bones crunched. As he reeled, Faith nimbly took his sword – and then his head.

She didn't waste time celebrating. There were too many other vampires and baby Slayers and humans around. Faith waded into the battle. It was rough going. Trick must have recruited the best, rather than the worst. Faith had underestimated their skills. Her arms and legs felt weighted down before she'd even put a dent in the vampire army. Cuts burned and blood dripped down her right arm, her cheek, and her stomach. Bruises, too many to count, ached.

"Good thing the cavalry is here." Faith felt Tara brush a kiss through her mind before the link closed up tight. The silence was horrible. Faith might have once hated the bond, but now she missed it after less than a heartbeat. She understood the reason for the block, though, once she heard the chanting.

A quick glance showed Willow, Tara, and Noreen inside the Mayor's circle. Their voices rose in a language Faith didn't understand. The circle, painted black on the concrete, turned bright white and a solid ring of light rose from the floor to form a hemisphere over and around the witches.

Suddenly, stakes and swords seemed old school. One by one, the vampires in the storage room burst into flame. In no time at all, only the Good Guys were left. Faith limped toward Tara. The tingle of power kept her outside the circle until the light barrier disappeared. Tara held out a beckoning hand. "Thought you was supposed to stay in the park. Crazy witch."

Tara giggled and slipped her hand into Faith's. "Who wears their marker on the left, my Faith? You or me?" A new warmth slid up Faith's spine. Not from magic this time. From the simple caress of Tara's fingers.

Faith sucked in a quick breath, lost in Tara's eyes.

"Did you know there's a very interesting chapter in that Slayer History book Watcher Wes gave you?" Tara leaned in, lips hovering near Faith's. So near Faith shuddered as Tara continued talking, voice a husky murmur of sound. "Pages and pages on the physical and psychological effects of battle on Slayers. They even have a special name for it."

Tara raised their joined hands and nipped Faith's index finger. Faith whimpered in the back of her throat. "Please…"

The next nip was harder. Faith yelped and then groaned when Tara soothed the scrape with her tongue and lips. "I'm ready to go home, my Faith. Are you ready to go home with me and…celebrate?"

Faith turned her head. Willow's crew clustered together in one corner. At some point, Buffy's group had straggled in. "Yo, B!"

A raised hand acknowledged her call.

"We're outa here." Faith swung Tara up into her arms. "Hang on, 'cause this time I'm drivin'." She grinned as Tara snuggled into the embrace and sprinted for the Council van parked across the street from City Hall.

"You said we was goin' home," Faith complained. "This ain't home."

Tara ignored her, busy looping rope around Faith's wrists and lowering a hook from the ceiling. "Raise your arms, my Slayer," Tara ordered softly. When Faith hesitated (deliberately, Tara was sure), she pinned Faith with a steely glare. The Slayer history book had been educational; it had not, though, stressed how much Faith's post-battle desires would affect Tara. The heavy beat of need pushed any doubts or insecurities from Tara's mind. Only Lady Tara remained, and she grinned evilly as Faith reacted to her expression.

"Are you questioning my decision to come here?" The words slipped coolly from Tara's lips. Lips that brushed butterfly-soft over Faith's lips and throat for an instant. "Raise. Your. Arms."

Faith's ragged breathing was music to Tara's ears.

"Faith?" she prodded.

"Uunngh." With what appeared an involuntary movement, Faith raised her arms. She also thrust her chest at Tara. Her head dropped back, exposing her throat. "Please."

Reaching for the items she'd removed from the private room's well-stocked closet, Tara picked up a pair of alligator-style nipple clamps. She used her tongue and teeth until Faith was up on her toes and both nipples were rigid peaks. "Answer my question, Faith. Are you questioning my decision to come to the Club rather than Trish's house?"

"No…No, Tara," Faith mumbled.

"Excellent, my Slayer. Now, I want you to hold onto the hook. I won't tie you. If you let go of the hook, I'll stop." Tara waited as Faith's fingers grappled at the metal hook and chain. When she was sure Faith was ready, she pressed the jaws of the first clamp open and set it over Faith's right nipple.

The immediate jump and jerk of Faith's response set fire to Tara's veins. Pressure and heat built in the link. Faith's hands gripped the hook so tightly that white showed at the knuckles as Tara carefully adjusted the tension on the clamp. Faith's body vibrated. A flush painted her skin from hairline to the tops of her breasts. A flush that deepened when Tara fastened the other clamp.

Tara dropped to her knees. The cuffed ends of a spreader bar closed around each of Faith's ankles. She set the bar to its widest length, wanting to enhance Faith's vulnerability. Then, finally ready for her endgame, Tara separated Faith's labia with her fingers and licked through the drenched folds. "Don't let go," she warned. She picked up her final tool, flicked a switch, and let Faith hear the warning buzz of the Magic Wand for several seconds before placing the mushroom head directly over Faith's clit.

Faith's shout filled the room, and the roar of Faith's orgasm (the first of many, Tara planned) rumbled through the bond. "I love you," Tara said softly.

THE END

A/N: A very special thanks to my Super Beta Lilly. She's manage to keep me and the Muse mostly on track for yet another fic. And, if I'm honest, she should really get "co-author" billing for several critical scenes in Forging Bonds and Broken Bonds.

This fic didn't end where I'd planned. In fact, I have several snippets of scenes that bridge the ending with the beginning of Forging Bonds or are glimpses into Faith and Tara's continuing growth as a couple. I plan to write those scenes as additional stand-alone fics in the Bondsverse…but give me a few months. January 2016, at least. I've promised myself and some long-time readers a return to Thanksgiving Wish and Sacrifice first.