Faith and Lies
A Buffy: The Vampire Slayer / True Lies Crossover
By Teri

Summary: Something stirs-up memories of Faith's past. Crossover with "True Lies." Slight X/F.

Warning: Sexual inferences and mature language. Still consistentwith the range of what was shown in the actual series.

Disclaimer: Despite my ardent wish, I am in no way associated with the owners or creators of the characters used in this story. These stories were written for my own amusement and hopefully the enjoyment of others.

Special thanks and dedication to Keith who was kind enough to beta read this story and make some wonderful suggestions. Thank you!

" F A I T H & L I E S "

Faith stood in the back of the hall. Little-D had just gotten married. He seemed like a nice kid, didn't let himself get scared off by B., Ripper, Boytoy, or even her at her most intimidating, and most importantly Dawn seemed happy with him. She was pleased for Dawn, but socializing like this wasn't her scene especially since her thing with Woody ended and she was really ready to get out of there. She made her appearance at the reception just as she had promised Dawn, now she finally decided was the time to leave.

Then, she heard IT. They just had to play IT before she could leave. Faith closed her eyes as she involuntarily took a deep breath. She could feel the rhythm through the soles of her shoes, the sound vibrated in her mind, her body automatically beginning to move to the tempo. She took another deep breath and glanced around the room. She needed to find a partner. She never could pass-up this dance, never had been able to, this was her weakness. -- The Tango.

Her eyes quickly assessed the men in the room. Most were Dawn's age and she wasn't much into cradle robbing. Besides she doubted any of them could begin to appreciate the sensuality of the dance.

Her eyes fell to Giles. He'd know the dance, but Tangoing with Jeeves did nothing for her. Somehow she thought it would be like dancing the Tango with her father. It wasn't that she was that close with G, but there was something about him that reminded her of her father not something she really wanted to consider right now.

A moment later Xander fell into her sights. She doubted he'd know the dance, but he was the best of a bad lot and she could lead him. She had led him on a dance of a different sort years ago and as she remembered he was a wicked fast-study.

Faith approached Xander from behind. "Dance," it was an order, not a request.

Xander grinned at her and acquiesced, moving to stand behind her placing his hands on her waist. She turned her head slightly to glance up at him lightly over her shoulder, surprised he took the lead. She had expected to lead him, but perhaps he had a surprise in store for her.

He grinned at her slightly before a look of concentration fell over his features.

She placed her hands over his and moved them slightly forward and down on to her abdomen. They waited a moment for the downbeat since they were beginning the dance already in progress.

They both heard the note they wanted and Faith made the first move pulling herself away from him. She leaned backwards, clearly not trusting him to prevent her from falling; she did not bend backwards too far.

In a single smooth motion, Xander pulled her back from the position and close to him. She was not expecting him to pull off the move so well and had already pushed herself towards him. As a result, she landed nearly on top of him, slightly closer than usual but certainly not in a way that would ruin the dance. Her reflexes would not allow that. Their faces met with in a centimeter of each other and they both paused for a moment surprised by the close contact.

Xander broke the moment as he led her backwards once again resuming the dance. She followed as he held one hand lightly on her waist. As the music shifted, Xander pulled her arm forward and moved them so they were dancing check-to-cheek. They moved forward and he turned them slightly awkwardly, but certainly better than Faith expected him to be capable of. Xander moved his hand to prepare for the next turn, but accidentally brushed against her eliciting a small involuntary gasp at the unexpected intimate contact.

By now most of the reception guests had stopped dancing, fascinated with the couple. Those who did not know them were simply enjoying the beauty and the style of the dance. Those that did know them were surprised at Xander's stamina and ability to keep up with Faith in a dance that was surely well out of his league. They were also taken by surprise that Faith had the patience and the interest to do the dance properly.

Faith spun into his arms as she placed one arm around his neck. She hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should do this with Xander, but he had been surprising her over the last two minutes and she decided to risk it. She lifted her right knee against his side leaning forward on him. He reached down and grabbed her leg, slightly rougher than the man who taught her would have, but with a certain confidence that seemed out of place. He began to drag her backwards across the dance floor. He released her leg and pushed her backwards into a sweeping dip. He spun her around and she pulled herself up. The two moved together well, but practiced dancers would recognize the lack of familiarity.

Both recognized that the music was winding down. Faith and Xander held a tight frame holding each other slightly, before Faith broke the hold and pulled around him allowing her arm to drag across his chest as she moved. He turned the other direction and met her gaze as they were once more face-to-face. The music ended.

It took a moment as Xander allowed himself to breathe heavily now they were done. Faith was also breathing slightly heavily, but not from exertion, but from the experience of the dance itself. They broke their gaze and Faith smiled at him slightly, "you're just full of surprises, aren't ya?"

Xander nodded his head with a cocky little grin and was about to come up with what he was sure would have been a witty retort, when they both noticed the crowd gathered around them.

Faith visibly clicked her bravado back in place and turned away from Xander without saying a word.

She walked over to Dawn. "I came, I danced, I am out of here." She looked as though she was about to turn away, but instead she stopped and leaned forward and hugged Dawn. "I hope you find happiness," she said as she looked at her. She turned to look at Dawn's bridegroom and continued the thought, "and you better make sure she does."

This time Faith did walk away, out of the hall, and out the door.

She kept walking, her mind flashing back to the Tango. The dance itself went surprisingly well and Boytoy was a fine dancer. Still it wasn't this dance that was bothering her. Her mind was flashing to the man who taught her to Tango, her father.

She hadn't seen him since before she was called as a Slayer. How she wished she could be dancing with him once more. She started to run. Some part of her hoped she could outrun all of the memories. Keep running that was her motto. No, that dance stirred up to many memories. She ran and ran until even her Slayer stamina gave out and she fell to her knees. As she stopped, the memories began to over take her.

"One two three four, I declare a thumb war," she and her mother said as they were laughing. They were each on one side of her father, her big father, Conan like in size, but to his family a big Teddy Bear. The family had not been like that only a year before, but that was before she and her mother found out her father's secret life

His absences were no longer foolish excuses, but matters of national security. They grew together in ways she didn't know a family could do.

The phone rang and her mother got up to answer the phone. Her father knew this call would take a while. He looked at his daughter and grinned. She knew what he wanted. He was teaching her his favorite dance and he wanted to practice.

"Pumpkin?" Her father asked as he held his hand out to her.

"My pleasure," she smiled in return as the music began to play.

She pulled out of her thoughts as she realized that she was sitting out in the dark alone, granted this was Chicago not Sunnydale, but still not a smart move. She stood as she heard a few sirens go racing by. She started walking slowly back to her hotel. As she walked, she couldn't help thinking about her father and the time she found out that he could depend on him. When she finally had the opportunity to met the real man that was her father, not the forgetful computer salesman he had pretended to be.

She had been kidnapped from her own bedroom and was being held by terrorists. Somehow, even then she was brash and stole the key to their nuclear bomb, but one of the terrorists found out and chased her out on to some scaffolding off the roof. Before she knew it, she was dangling from the side yelling for someone, anyone to help. A fighter jet pulled beneath her and she looked down. In the open cockpit was her father.

"Hi," he smiled up at her.

"Dad?"

"Have faith, pumpkin," he grinned, "Daddy is here."

She knew then somehow everything would be all right. She didn't know why, there was no reason she should have trusted her Father, but she did and from then until . . . well, he had always been there for her when it was in his power.

"Have faith," she repeated to herself, "have faith."

She had tried. Always tried to remember what he taught her, that innate brand of self-confidence and self-determination that was uniquely his, that was a part of her. She knew she had to have faith in herself. She had she had made it on her own. Sure, she had messed-up royally a couple of times, but she had met people she knew she could trust to watch her back. It was something she never thought she would have again. Not again after that day.

She was walking out of her school. She had expected to see her Mom or perhaps even her Uncle Gib, but instead she saw them. The nameless, faceless' them' in dark suits and shades. She ducked them easily; after all she was her father's daughter. She realized she needed to stay low, but she also needed to find out where her parents were. They would never, had never, left her hanging in the wind.

She hitched a ride home with a friend, but the same 'them' were there too. Only this time she got close enough to hear one of them. He had said that her parents were dead and they planned to kill her as an example to others that even their families would not be safe.

After her parents had been killed and Uncle Gib was nowhere to be found, she was on the streets. Hiding, knowing that those who killed her family wanted her dead too. Eventually, Linda found her, she was kind, patient, her first watcher, and for a while she found a home with her. When she met Linda, she didn't know her, had no reason to trust her. It was that first day, that Linda asked her name. Even after she knew and trusted her she never corrected it, instead she remade herself and Dana Tasker was truly gone.

"Have Faith, Pumpkin."

"I'm Faith."

This one is a little different than I normally write, so I am curious what you may think about this story. I hope you enjoyed it.

Teri
March 13, 2005