THUD!!

Faith wiped a bead of sweat from her brow as the large punching bag fell to the floor, having snapped loose from the chain hanging it from the ceiling. Her eyes never left the bag, whose burgundy red shone in the dim light of her workout station – which was actually Spike’s empty crypt in the cemetery.

If he wasn’t around to use it, Faith figured there was no harm in crashing here for a little personal time.

Normally, Faith wouldn’t hit the bag so hard as to knock it off the chain and onto the floor, but she was more on-edge than usual. The Slayer was already a tad skittish after coming home to find her Watcher huddled up on the bathroom floor, reeking of blood and vomit – so much so, she actually started to wonder if maybe they weren’t better off parting way.

But when Faith got Corbett’s voicemail an hour ago? The one talking about Atia, who apparently was the new Corruptress? The Slayer went from skittish to full-on freaking out.

But no way in hell would Faith ever let Corbett – or anyone else, for that matter – know that. That meant getting close, which meant exposing a vulnerability. And given her past, Faith was in no hurry to do that.

So instead of opening up and talking it out and doing the logical thing, Faith opted to pummel the shit out of an inanimate punching bag instead. Which still didn’t help the Slayer’s mood; all it did was make her sweaty and caused her knuckles to crack open a bit.

Faith stared at the phone as she gingerly ran her fingertips over her knuckles, grimacing slightly at the jolts of pain shooting up her arms. Every time the Slayer slammed her fist into the bag, she imagined Elfleda’s crusty face on the receiving end, growling and concentrating on the echo of her voice with each ultimately pointless blow.

“Dammit, Cor,” Faith sighed to herself, grabbing a blue towel and wiping her face off with it. Why did her Watcher have to do this? Why did Corbett have to inform her of the latest Big Bad and the impending doom and gloom that came with it?

Since when did Corbett turn into Giles?

Faith cared little for the first Corruptress; what was so great about there being another one? And what could Faith do about this new one, exactly? The way the Slayer figured, if the first one didn’t do the job right the first time, whatever bozos were in charge of these things would hand the reigns to someone better … which meant Atia was probably worse than Elfleda.

And considering how Elfleda always managed to send a frightened chill up the normally-cool Slayer’s spine? Faith really didn’t want to know what Atia held in store.

Faith didn’t want to go back home, not yet. It was still odd seeing Corbett after saving him from near-death; that was a bit of awkward the Slayer didn’t feel like reliving. To have already lost Kathryn, and then almost lose Corbett? Too much – and besides, who was to say Atia wouldn’t come after her Watcher soon enough anyway? Elfleda deemed him to be enough of a threat, and Elfleda couldn’t close the deal.

So what was to keep Atia from finishing the job?

Faith really didn’t feel like losing another Watcher. Kathryn, Post – even though she was evil – Wesley … the Slayer’d had enough watching her Watchers drop like flies left and right on her. The more she thought about it, the more Faith thought that maybe parting ways with Corbett was the best thing for everyone involved.

She wouldn’t have to deal with possibly losing him, and not having her around might’ve wound up saving his life.

Glancing out what passed for a window in Spike’s crypt, Faith saw the sun beginning to peak over the horizon. Sighing, the Slayer knew that meant she had to head home, not wanting to walk through the door all sweaty and cut up with Corbett sitting on the couch with his morning tea. It would be wonderful if she could just slip in and go to bed before Corbett even so much as yawned.

But somehow, she didn’t think that would happen.