Against All Odds
by BL
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I own nothing. All characters and other familiars from
Buffy and Angel belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, Fox, and everyone
else that owns them.
Note: Couldn't sleep so I came up with this idea for a
fic…not the most original thing but I am starting to like
it…I have some ideas of where I want to take it but if anybody
has any suggestions I'm open. Also any suggestions for a title would
be greatly appreciated.
Feedback: Would greatly appreciate it.
"Angel, why don't you go wait outside for a sec while I talk to B alone? I have some issues to work out with her." Faith said.
"Sure whatever, just don't kill her while I'm gone." Angelus said with a feral grin.
Faith waited until Angel walked out of the mansion before she turned to Buffy with urgency on her face. "B…you know what's going down, right? You guys got a plan and everything, don't you?"
Buffy looked at Faith with confusion, "Faith what are you talking about? If this is another one of your sick games I don't think it's funny and I will seriously—" Buffy stopped when she saw the genuinely confused look on Faith's face.
"What are you talking about B? Haven't you, Wesley, and Giles come up with a plan to beat the mayor yet? I mean I've given all the information I could get to the Watcher guys and you're telling me that you guys haven't come up with anything??? I don't think—"
Buffy cut her off, "What the HELL is this Faith? Are you delirious?? You work for the mayor now…HELLO??…You're evil!"
"B…what are you babbling about? Didn't they…OH MY GOD…they didn't tell you did they?? I thought at this point they would have informed you…but I guess they thought it wasn't the right time…"
"Faith! Who's 'they?' Tell me what?? What are you ranting about?"
"Buffy! I'm working undercover. I'm not evil. I'm only pretending so that we can figure out how to defeat the mayor. I just came up with the idea and I ran it across G-man and he thought it was a good idea and I thought they would have told you by now."
Buffy looked at Faith skeptically, "How am I supposed to know that you're not lying to me?"
"Come on B, what would be the use in me lying to you right now?"
"Well you could be trying to figure out what our plan is so you can alert the mayor…I mean I don't know if I can trust you…"
"Alright, I'll prove it to you, I'll get Angel back in here and I'll figure out a way to get you out of here…just let me think…"
"Faithy…oh Faithy…what's taking so long? You haven't started torturing her already have you?" Angel called out as he was walking back in.
Faith muttered a curse under her breath, "No Angel baby…I was just getting ready…"
Buffy decided that she knew enough at that point and she wanted to get out of this situation, "Angel I think we know everything that we need to know…"
Angel looked at her with confusion. Faith hadn't said anything of importance but that was the sign to give up the charade, "Yeah, I don't think we missed anything."
Faith looked back and forth with confusion until the realization dawned on her, "You guys played me! Wow, good show…" Faith started to back out of the mansion.
"Faith…" Buffy said while walking towards the rapidly departing girl.
"Gotta keep up appearances B…let me go…" Faith whispered so quietly that only Buffy's slayer hearing allowed her to hear the statement. Buffy stopped and let Faith slip into the shadows.
Library
Buffy stormed through the doors. "Giles! Wesley! Get your tweed covered butts out here!!"
Giles and Wesley ran out of the office and stood in front of Buffy, "Buffy what is it? Why are you screaming? What happened?" Giles started his barrage of questions.
"When were you two going to inform me that Faith was still working for us!!!"
Giles and Wesley exchanged guilty looks. Both took off their glasses and started to clean them. Giles was the only one with enough bravery to speak, "Well…you see Buffy…we thought that it would be best if you weren't informed of Faith's real activities so that it would help keep up the façade that Faith was indeed evil."
Buffy glared at Giles, "I don't care about this stupid façade. Do you realize how much danger she is in??? If she gets discovered, she would be lucky if they gave her a quick death…she can't keep doing this…we have to get her out somehow…she can't…it's just…"
Wesley cut off Buffy's mumbling, "I believe that is quite out of the question. Faith is our only source of information on the mayor and as your watcher I order you to pretend that you do not know anything. You cannot inform any of the others and Faith will stay and continue to feed us anything that she can get." Wesley finished with an authoritative tone. Suddenly he was being held against the wall by a very angry slayer.
"You ORDER me??? I don't think so. You will tell her to get out of there. I will not allow any of my friends to be put into that position. Do you understand me?" Buffy growled out.
Giles put his hand on the blonde's shoulder, "Buffy let him go. I agree with him on this point. Faith is our only hope to find out anything and right now it would be just too dangerous to get her out. The mayor would be furious and I think she would be in even more danger by leaving the mayor."
Buffy understood what Giles was saying but she still didn't like it. "Fine, she'll stay but if she gets hurt…I WILL blame the two of you." And with that she stormed out.
Wesley rolled his shoulder with a grimace, "Well…that was quite…interesting…"
"Good god man…shut up…Faith better stay safe or else I suggest we leave the country…"
Buffy was getting ready for bed when she heard a light tapping at her window. She looked up and saw Faith waving at her with a sheepish smile. Buffy went to the window and let Faith in.
"Hey B, just wanted to make sure you were ok after…everything."
Buffy looked at her incredulously. "What? Do I have something on my face? What's with the look?" Faith said while looking in the mirror for the offending item.
"No…no that's not it…it's just that…during this entire time I've been thinking you know…Faith…evil…evil Faith…and now I know that you're not and it's a little weird to think of you as a friend again."
"Oh, I see B…well if it makes you feel any better I'll leave…I don't want to make you uncomfortable and all that…" Faith started to move towards the window.
"NO!" Buffy screamed and then quieted down when she realized her mom was in the house. "No…please…I don't want you to go…I…I've missed you…the other half of the Chosen Two…and god Faith…I just…" Buffy sunk to her knees and started to sob uncontrollably.
Faith looked on in confusion, "Fuck B…I mean don't cry…it's all right now…come on B…stop the crying…" Faith awkwardly put her arms around the smaller slayer in an effort to comfort her even though she didn't know what was troubling the blonde.
Buffy looked up into Faith's eyes, "Faith…after you went supposedly 'evil' I just felt so empty inside. I had finally found someone who understood everything about me and then they left me and you have no idea how happy I am that you're back and I'm not alone anymore."
Faith stared into Buffy's eyes with awe. No one had ever cared about her that much…heck no one had ever even cared about her before and now there was this beautiful girl crying because she missed her…Faith…the screwup.
Buffy saw a whole host of emotions flicker across Faith's beautiful face and she decided that she would show the younger girl just how much she in fact missed her. Buffy leaned in and brushed her lips against Faith's. Faith let out a small gasp and Buffy took that as an invitation to continue.
Faith was frozen…Buffy THE slayer was kissing her…but those thoughts were quickly replaced by 'Oh my god…she's kissing me…I should be doing something…what is it? Think Faith think…I GOT IT…I have to kiss her back' and with that Faith started to kiss back with fervor.
Only when both needed to come up for air did they pull apart.
"Wow B…that was…that was…WOW!" Faith said with a huge smile on her face.
Buffy could only giggle at the younger girl's grasp of the English language but she agreed that it was indeed WOW.
Faith felt even happier when she heard Buffy's giggle but then realized that she had to be getting back to the mayor or he would start suspecting something. "Look B…I REALLY want to stay but I got to get back or else something bad will go down…"
Buffy nodded but kept her grip on Faith's arm firm, "I know that you have to go Faith even though I REALLY don't want you to but please…please be careful…I don't think I would be able to live with myself if anything happened to you." Buffy looked into Faith's eyes with unshed tears and tried to convey the depth of her caring for the other girl.
Faith looked into Buffy's eyes and was shocked by the amount of love she saw there, "Don't worry B…I'll be careful…remember the first rule of slaying…"
"Don't die." They both said at the same time with somber tones in their voices. Faith quickly climbed out the window and ran into the night. Buffy could only watch her go and pray that she would be ok.
Author's Notes: In response to Vicki, although I understand where you're coming from with Giles, the way I figure it, they are all pretty desperate with the whole mayor situation and need information. Faith wanted to redeem herself and she wouldn't be in too much information since she can handle it and I guess he would think that they would have a firm handle on the situation. Just my thoughts. But feel free to disagree that's the kind of feedback I like. :)
Faith climbed in through Buffy's window again. "Hey B, look I'm really sorry about today…I was going to get the Box thing to you but that damn vampire was following me the entire time so I couldn't get it to you without being suspicious…and I didn't want to break my cover…and there were just so many things that kept getting in the way…" Faith was doing the Willow babble until Buffy stopped her with a kiss.
This wasn't just any kiss this was a take your breath away, weak in the knees, need to sit down before you faint kiss. Buffy had missed Faith considering they hadn't seen each other since that night that Buffy found out about the whole undercover mission. Every time she saw the dark slayer she just wanted to grab her and do things that are really not allowed in public. When she pulled away Faith had a stunned look on her face and couldn't form words for a good two minutes…all she did was to try and get oxygen back in her lungs…finally a huge smile broke out on her face.
"Sooo…I guess you're not TOO mad about the whole box thing?" Faith asked with a sheepish look on her face that was the most adorable thing that Buffy had seen.
"No, I'm not mad. I understand and anyway I would rather you stay safe than us trying to get the box. It's ok we'll stop him on Graduation day…I think Giles and Wesley are starting to come up with a plan."
"That's great then…now…what could we do? I've got a some time to kill…thank god…if he calls me his firecracker again or takes me minigolfing, I might puke." Faith said with a disgusted look on her face.
Buffy laughed at Faith and then sat her down on the bed and straddled her lap. Buffy then put a pensive look on her face, "Hmmm…what could we do? How about chess?" Faith shook her head, "Ok, how about watching some TV?" Faith again answered in the negative, "Well then Faith…I really have no idea what we could do…"
Faith had a sexy grin on her face, "Well I have a few ideas…" was all that was heard before Buffy was laid down on the bed with Faith straddling her hips which then led to a very long make out session. About 30 minutes later, Faith sat up abruptly and looked at her watch, "Shit…I gotta go before the mayor gets suspicious…I'll see ya later B." Faith said as she climbed out the window.
Buffy sat up with her mouth open as if she was going to protest but Faith had already left. Buffy flopped down on the bed with an exasperated look on her face, "Uhhh…that girl is so going to kill me on of these days…" Buffy then got up and proceeded to take a shower…a COLD shower.
The gang was out patrolling with Buffy in the lead. Xander and Willow lagging behind discussing the serious aspects of Judaism. "All I'm saying Xander is that no one seems to takes Judaism seriously. I mean Christmas is a major holiday and all that and vampires are exactly burning from being touched by the Star of David. And granted, I could probably stake a vamp with a dreidel but I feel like they could at least be a little terrified of a temple every now and then…but noooo…it's all…oohhhh a cross, ahhh…I'm burning…holy water…ouch…but you never hear a vamp going ahhh menorah candles…"
"Yeah Will…it's a travesty…don't know what we can do about that…what if we go around with some sharpened dreidels and stake a bunch of vamps with them…that'll make `em think twice before they only get scared by a cross…"
Buffy suddenly stopped in her tracks, "Guys…shhh…I think I hear something…"
Willow and Xander immediately quieted down and followed Buffy to hide behind a crypt. Seconds later they saw Faith walking through the streets. Xander and Willow saw a perfect opportunity. "Hey Buff…this is your chance…let's jump her, tie her up, and put her in jail or something." At this point the two did not know that Faith was indeed good.
"Ummm…guys I don't think that would be a good idea. I mean I don't know if I would be able to take her down…sooo…why don't we just keep going and finish up patrol?" Buffy asked in what she hoped wasn't a too suspicious tone.
Xander and Willow were not convinced. "Buffy? What are you talking about? There are three of us…come on let's take her."
With that said Willow and Xander jumped out from their hiding spot and ran to intercept Faith. When they got there, Faith had a surprised look on her face but then she remembered that the two didn't know the plan and it was probably best if they were left in the dark about it.
"Ha…we got you…you bad slayer you…" Willow said in what she hoped was a threatening tone.
"Yeah…Buffy's going to kick your ass and then you're going to get what you deserve."
Faith shot a quick look at Buffy that seemed to say, "Are they serious?"
Buffy could only shrug her shoulders. Faith decided that she had to play along, "You're kidding me? You think you got me…well I ain't going down without a fight." And with that she dropped into a fighting stance.
Buffy went to stand in front of Faith and both started to fight. They were both pulling their punches so as not to make it obvious but also just enough to look like a serious fight. However they were just acting out the movements from the many times they trained. It was like a dance until Faith hit Buffy across the face (not hard though…just a light tap) and remarked, "Well it's been fun…the reunion and all…but I gotta split…" she shot a look at Buffy that meant she was going to be visiting later and then ran off.
Xander and Willow ran to Buffy to help her up, "Buffy! Are you ok? We're sorry, we didn't mean to get you into that like that…" They both stood there with sheepish looks on their faces.
"Huh? Oh right…yeah…ummm…ouch…it's ok guys just let me know next time you want to pick a fight with an evil psychopathic slayer." And just to complete the show Buffy decided to rub her jaw as if it was sore. "You know what guys…I'm beat why don't I walk ya home and call it a night."
Willow and Xander both brightened and were very happy that Buffy didn't seem too mad at them and readily agreed.
Buffy walked into her room and flipped on the light. She jumped when she saw Faith sitting on her bed. "Faith! Don't scare me like that!"
"Oh, come on B…me sitting on the bed scares you…where's the big bad slayer…" Faith said in a teasing tone.
"Shut up and kiss me." Buffy replied.
Faith grinned and jumped off the bed. "Yes ma'am!" and then she proceeded to do as told.
Both girls tingled from the contact. The kiss immediately grew in intensity. Faith started backing up until the back of her knees hit the bed and then she lay down with Buffy on top of her. Faith ran her hands up and down Buffy's back leaving trails of fire. Buffy tore herself away from Faith's mouth to pay equal homage to her strong neck where the scent of pure Faith was strongest. She then lightly bit Faith's shoulder, which made Faith growl with passion and roll them over so that she was on top. Buffy's hands started to wander under Faith's tank top, which seemed to bring the dark slayer crashing into reality. Faith immediately ripped herself away and put some distance between her and the extremely enticing blonde slayer.
"Faith? What's wrong?" Buffy's worried tone immediately calmed the dark slayer.
"I just…ummm…well…uhhh…" Faith smacked her palm on her forehead and said in a much more controlled tone. "B…Buffy…I want to wait, you know? It's different with you and I don't want to screw up. I'm sorry."
Those words almost brought tears to Buffy's eyes. She was touched that Faith cared that much. "Hey…hey look at me." She tipped Faith's face so that she was staring into chocolate depths. "I understand, I want it to be special also…it's ok…but when it does happen…you better be ready…" Buffy said with a glint in her eye.
Faith's face broke out into a huge smile and immediately she grabbed the younger slayer to kiss her again. When their lips were centimeters apart she whispered, "Yes ma'am…" and then proceeded to kiss Buffy until the younger slayer was gasping for breath. "Alright B…even though I really want to continue I gotta get going…I'll see ya later."
Buffy could only nod with a dazed look on her face. Faith climbed out the window and ran off into the night. When Buffy finally realized what Faith had said she got a disappointed look on her face and went to the bathroom for another cold shower.
Faith slipped into her apartment and threw the keys on the side table. She turned on the light and it was her turn to jump when she saw the mayor sitting in one of the chairs with a vampire flanking him on each side. "Boss? What ya doing here?"
"Well Faithy…I realized that I haven't been seeing too much of you so I came to visit and you weren't here so I decided to wait for you. Where have you been?" the mayor asked.
A flash of fear crossed Faith's face before she slipped back into her cool demeanor, "I was just out beating the crap out of some demons…I got a little restless…needed some exercise, you know?" Faith grabbed a comic book and flopped onto her bed.
"Shoes, Faith! Who knows what germs you could have tracked in from here!!" Faith took off her shoes and set them to the side of the bed. "Ok…I understand…well then I'll be going. I just wanted to visit. How about we go for a game of mini golf tomorrow? Hmm…it will be fun and you can try to get a hole in one on that windmill hole again." The mayor said with a jovial tone.
Faith had to hold in the urge to roll her eyes, "Sure boss…sounds like fun."
"Great well then I'll see you tomorrow and we can take a break from this ending the world stuff." The mayor turned to walk out. When they were outside the apartment he turned to one of his vampire henchmen. "I want somebody to watch her…I don't trust her and I'm afraid she might be working with the enemy. If she is…kill her…"
Note: Sorry for any grammatical mistakes, don't have a beta. School is getting to me and people are getting on my nerves…which means isolation and a chance to write more…here's the next part…enjoy!
"Faith?" the mayor called.
"Yeah boss, what's up?"
"We seem to have a little problem…"
"What are you talking about boss? Demon? I'll be glad to do a little maiming for ya…" Faith tried to keep the fear out of her voice and hoped that in fact the problem was a demon.
"Well actually…it's not a demon…it's that other slayer, Buffy. I would like to be rid of her." The mayor stated.
"What? What are you talking about?" Faith tried not to panic but she had no idea what had brought this on.
"Faith…I thought you were a smart girl. I want you to kill her. What's wrong Faith? I thought you would like this idea…it would give you a chance to try out your new knife…"
Faith realized that her actions were a little suspicious so she quickly played along, "Yeah boss…I am happy…I just…uhhh…I was thinking of different methods, ya know?"
"That's wonderful Faith…well I'll get a couple of the boys to go—"
"NO!…I mean…I can do it myself."
"Well, if you insist…but if anything goes wrong…just call and I'll send a group over."
"Sure, whatever boss." Faith was in a daze when she walked out while she tried to figure out a way to handle this.
Faith caught up with Buffy outside the mansion. "Buffy!"
"Faith? What are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy to see you…cuz I am happy…to see you I mean…but it's in public and it might be dangerous…oh my god, is something wrong? You seem ok but maybe…if there is what can—"
Faith cut off the Willow babble, "B! Everything is fine…sort of…"
"What do you mean sort of?"
"Well the mayor wants me to kill you." Faith was staring at an invisible spot on the ground.
"Well that could be a little problem…since you're not going to kill me." After some silence from Faith, Buffy got a little nervous, "right?"
"No…of course not but if I don't do something the mayor will suspect something and I can't afford to drop my cover now."
"Well what do you want to do?"
"Well…and trust me B it'll be fine…I won't get mad at you…this is the only way, I've thought about it for a while…and this is the conclusion I came too…it's simple really…just…do it, ya know…and it's really—"
"Faith! What is the plan?"
"Well…I need to make it look like we got in a fight…sooo…I need you to beat the crap out of me, basically…" Faith looked into Buffy's eyes to convey the seriousness of her plan.
"WHAT! Nooo…I REALLY don't think that that's a good idea…what are you talking about?? I can't hit you…"
"B…Buffy…this is the only way…come on…you don't have to seriously beat the crap out of me…just hit me in key spots so it looks like you beat the crap out of me."
"NO! I am NOT going to hit you Faith. We'll think of another way…"
Faith took a deep breath, "I thought you might say that…ok well I'll see ya later."
Buffy grabbed Faith's arm, "Wait a second…what are you going to do?"
"Well since you won't hit me…I'm going to go find a demon and give him a little advantage."
"NO! Are you crazy? You could get killed!!!"
"Well I really don't have a choice Buffy so just let me go!!" Faith wrenched her arm away and in her haste she accidentally backhanded Buffy across the face.
During this whole argument, Angel had been in the mansion but when he heard Buffy's voice he walked outside. When he got there, the only thing he saw was Faith hit Buffy across the face. The demon inside him roared in anticipation of the fight, while Angel was infuriated and went to attack the dark slayer.
The next thing Buffy saw was a dark blur tackle Faith from the side and both bodies flying into a wall. Suddenly Angel was straddling Faith's hips and continuously punching her in the face. You would think that Angel would realize that Faith was not struggling at all but all he saw was the slap across the face. Suddenly Angel went flying back and Buffy kneeled next to Faith. She wasn't looking too good, even though Buffy only took a split second to react, Faith nose was broken and blood was dripping from her nose and mouth. She would also definitely have a black eye at least.
"Faith…oh my god…are you ok???" Buffy asked.
"Yeah B…" Faith tried sitting up but groaned when her bruised ribs protested. "I'm ok…this actually worked out pretty well…" Faith had a wry grin and tried to chuckle but stoppedwhen her ribs started hurting again.
By this time, Angel stood up and had walked over in confusion, "Buffy…what the HELL is going on? Why are you helping her??" Angel didn't know if he was supposed to be mad at Faith, or jealous of the care that he saw in Buffy's eyes that were definitely not directed at him.
Buffy sighed, "Angel…you see…Faith is actually still good…she's working undercover…"
Angel was really confused now, "How do you know she's not lying to you?"
"Look it's a long story dead boy…and I gotta run…but thanks you actually solved my problem…" Faith stood up while groaning in pain, Buffy tried supporting her but Faith moved away and started walking back to her apartment.
Angel looked to Buffy, "Buffy?"
"Come on Angel I'll explain it to you…"
Faith limped into her apartment. And jumped again when she turned on the light.
"Hello Faithy…what happened?"
"Well I went to get her but I underestimated Buffy and she basically kicked my ass."
"Well that is unacceptable. I'll send my boys to take care of her right now!" the mayor said with anger in his voice.
"NO! Ummm…I still want her…she's mine and no one else is going to kill her…just give me a day or two to recuperate and then I'll take care of her." Faith said with determination in her voice.
"OK Faith I understand. I love your determination. I'll give you a few days."
"Alright thanks boss…I appreciate it."
"Don't thank me Faith…now why don't you get some rest and I'll make you a really great breakfast tomorrow morning."
The mayor walked out of the apartment. At that moment Buffy slipped in through the window and sneaked up to Faith on the bed.
"Faith…are you ok? I can't believe Angel did that to you." Buffy said with anger in her voice.
"B…it's ok and he didn't do anything wrong…I am 'evil' remember?"
"I know but…"
"No buts…did you explain everything to Angel?"
"Yeah he's all taken care of and I told him not to tell anyone else. Now seriously how are you?"
"I'm ok…the slayer healing will take care of this…I'm just a little uncomfortable but I'll get over it…"
"Well…" Buffy said with a mischievous glint in her eye, "…I can think of a way to make you feel a little better…"
"I bet you can…" was all that was heard from Faith before Buffy captured her lips.
Unknown to both slayers the mayor had heard the entire exchange. He turned to one of his henchmen, "So Faithy was playing both sides…well that is completely unacceptable…I guess we'll have to teach Faith a lesson…later…"
The vampire could only smile in anticipation. They would be playing with the slayer soon.
Note: Sorry for any grammatical mistakes, don't have a beta. School is getting to me and people are getting on my nerves…procrastination means more Buffy and Faith goodness…here's the next part…enjoy!
"Hey B!" Faith called.
"Faith…what are you doing here?"
"Oh…I just wanted to stop by before I go and run errands for the mayor."
"Oh poor baby…doing hard labor just to save the world…" Buffy said with affection in her tone.
"Yeah well…I'm just great like that." Faith said with a chuckle. "Ok well, I'm going to get going…" Faith looked at Buffy expectantly.
Buffy grinned, "Get over here…and let me show you my appreciation for all your hard work."
Faith laughed and quickly was in Buffy's arms. What was supposed to be a light peck turned into a breathtaking kiss. Faith finally tore her lips away and tried to get some breath back into her lungs. "Wow B…remind me to do more things for you. Alright I gotta get going know, I'll see you tonight though, ok?"
"I look forward to it…"
Faith was actually in a great mood. She had a wonderful girlfriend who loved her and the whole mayor thing was going smoothly. They would be able to save the world, kill the mayor, and get back to more pleasurable things in no time.
She shook her head of those more pleasurable thoughts when she realized that she had arrived at the warehouse that the mayor sent her too. Now all she had to do was get the package from the demon, whose name she couldn't even begin to pronounce, and get back to B.
Faith pushed open the door and walked in slowly. It was completely dark and Faith's slayer senses were tingling but it was too late. Something heavy connected with the back of her head and Faith slumped to the floor unconscious.
Faith gained consciousness with a groan. Her head was pounding and she slowly tried to open her eyes. The light blinded her for a second before she saw the mayor standing in front of her with 10 or more vampires surrounding him.
"Faith…good you're awake…wonderful…I was worried that we would have to wait a while." The mayor said with an evil grin on his face.
"What are you doing?" Faith realized at that point that she was chained to the wall. "Is this some kind of sick joke?"
"No…no, no…Faith you know what this is all about…I found out about your little secret…"
"Secret? What secret?" Faith hoped that if she played dumb she would be able to get out of this alive.
"DON'T LIE TO ME!! I know what you've been doing and now you're going to pay and so will your little friends…"
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH THEM! I WILL RIP YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!"
"Faithy…don't worry…they won't be touched until Graduation day of course…anyway…I think you should be worrying about yourself right now." The mayor looked at a vampire to the side of him and nodded. The vampire walked off and came back a minute later with a cart filled with shiny knives.
Faith was scared now and hoped that Buffy would realize that something was wrong and would help her.
Buffy was at the moment very happy. She was at the Bronze with the rest of gang and was looking forward to Faith's visit. Only half an hour more and Faith would be coming to see her. Buffy's anxiousness was obvious from the fact that she kept staring at her watch and had barely drunk anything or even danced.
Willow decided to say something, "Buffy…is everything alright? Do you have somewhere you need to be?"
"No…no…what are you talking about Will? I'm here…a hundred percent here…yup nowhere else to be…all my friends are here…nobody is missing…"
"Ok…whatever you say Buffy."
"Actually now that I think about it…I have to go patrol…sooo…I'll see you guys later." Buffy jumped up and walked quickly out of the Bronze before anybody could even say goodbye.
Faith grunted in pain as she was backhanded. The mayor gestured for his vampire henchmen to back off. "Well Faith, you have been quite stubborn up till now but the fun is about to begin." The mayor picked up one of the knives and ran his finger along the blade. "Now, since you seem to be so protective of your little friends…I'm sure you won't mind a permanent reminder of them…" The mayor advanced towards Faith with a loud laugh that truly conveyed the evil inside him…
Buffy started pacing back and forth…it was already 12 and Faith had not shown up. Buffy was starting to worry. She couldn't stand it anymore and grabbed her stake and went out to find something to kill.
Buffy was strolling along in one of Sunnydale's cemeteries when a vampire stepped out behind a tree. "Slayer."
"Vampire…good I'm glad we got that cleared up…now with the killing."
"You might want to wait before you do anything hasty."
"Really? And why would I want to do that?"
"Faith." At that word Buffy launched herself at the vampire and started beating him.
"What…" punch "Did…" punch "You…" punch "Do?" Buffy stopped and grabbed the vampire by the collar and pinned him against a mausoleum with her stake poised above his heart.
"She's not dead…yet." Buffy punched him across the face.
"Tell me where she is…NOW!" Buffy said with venom.
"The mayor said that this is a lesson that you cannot mess with him. Go to the warehouse." The vampire started walking away.
Buffy started to ask what warehouse but she remembered Faith mentioning it earlier that day. She ran after the vampire and spun him around, "Thanks for the info but like we said earlier…" she pointed at herself, "Slayer…" she pointed at him, "Vampire…" Buffy staked him and as the dust was blowing away, "Dead vampire."
Buffy ran as fast as she could to the warehouse and hope to god that Faith wasn't dead. She yanked the door open and the sight before her eyes brought her to her knees. Faith was chained to the wall, she was bruised and had been beaten badly. The worst was the engravings. The mayor had taken a knife and cut out the names of each of the Scooby gang into Faith's body. The cuts weren't too deep but Faith had lost a lot of blood and she had been bitten many times by various vampires. Buffy ran forward and ripped the chains out of the wall and cradled Faith to her body.
"Faith…baby…wake up please…" Buffy said with tears streaming down her face.
Faith stirred a little and opened her eyes. When she saw Buffy a small smile formed on her face, "Buffy…I knew you would save me…" Faith coughed up blood and looked back to Buffy with seriousness in her tone, "I just want you to know…I…I will always be with you…I love—"
"Faith! No! Wake up!" Buffy frantically checked for a pulse and breathed a relieved sigh when she found one. It was weak but it was a pulse nonetheless. She picked up the dark slayer and started to run to the hospital and hoped that Faith would hold on.
Note: This is a short little part before I get into my schoolwork.
Again procrastination IS the root of all evil but hey it's FUN!
Enjoy!
Dedication: I wanted to dedicate this part to all the people who give
me feedback. Makes a girl feel good. Wanted to especially thank
Reese, Sam, and Aby. You guys crack me up while making me blush.
Everyone else, don't think I forgot about you, love you guys too
and I live for your feedback.
Buffy burst through the hospital doors with Faith cradled in her arms. "Somebody…we need help…please hurry!!"
A nurse ran up to Buffy, "Excuse me miss, if you could calm down—"
"I AM NOT GOING TO CALM DOWN!" she quieted down, "Find me a doctor and help her!" Buffy said with deadly calm.
The nurse immediately ran to get a doctor and a gurney. Seconds later she returned and Buffy placed Faith gently on the gurney. "Excuse me ma'am but could you tell me what happened?"
Buffy thought quickly for a plausible story and decided on a version of the truth, "She was kidnapped and beaten and I found her. She's lost a lot of blood…please help her."
The doctor only nodded and followed the departing gurney to try and help that poor girl.
When Buffy saw Faith disappear she decided that she should call Giles and ask him to come. "Hello?" Giles' sleep ridden voice could be heard over the phone.
"Giles…"
"Buffy?! It's 2 in the morning, what's wrong?" Giles immediately snapped to attention to listen to his slayer.
"I'm fine Giles, it's Faith…" Buffy's voice cracked from the intensity of all that had happened.
"What happened to Faith? Buffy?" Giles called when Buffy didn't immediately respond.
"The…the mayor…he found out…and he beat her…and the cuts…oh god Giles…there was so much blood…" Buffy couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into tears.
"Buffy…I'll be right over…you're at the hospital right? Ok give me ten minutes."
Buffy hung up the phone and walked to the waiting area. She sat down and cradled her knees. Her body was racked by sobs. Emotions were running rampant inside her. She was angry…angry with Giles, at Wesley, and at herself for allowing Faith to do this. And she felt hopelessness…Faith was probably the first person that she felt safe with. There were no complications like her relationship with Angel. They loved each other and it was just simple like that and Faith was the only one who truly understood her and now she might be gone…Buffy couldn't bear to think about it and decided to wait until Giles arrived.
What seemed like hours later, Giles came running into the hospital. "Buffy? Have you heard anything?"
Buffy could only shake her head. She didn't try talking because she knew that it would just cause another onslaught of tears. Giles understood and wrapped Buffy in a hug to try and comfort the young girl and to try to lessen the guilt that he felt at the same time. He led them both over to the chairs and sat them down with Buffy laying her head on his shoulder. They sat there in silence and sent silent prayers that Faith would pull through.
Hours later the doctor emerged with a somber look on his face. Buffy stood even though her legs felt as if they would give out any second. The doctor took a deep breath before he spoke, "There was a lot of blood loss and she was very badly beaten, however, we were able to stabilize her."
Buffy leaped for joy, "Is she awake now? Can I go see her? Please you have to let me see her…"
The doctor silenced her with his look, "But I'm afraid that she is in a coma. We don't know when and if she will wake up. I am sorry…you can go see her though."
Buffy's whole world collapsed again for the second time that night. But she resolutely walked into Faith's room and almost collapsed from the sight. All the cuts had been bandaged but Faith lay there with various tubes sticking out of her and her beautiful skin was tainted with bruises. Her whole body looked like a giant bruise…those vampires had not left an area on her body untouched. Buffy almost began crying again but instead she sat down by Faith's bedside and gently took a hand in her own.
"Oh god Faith…I am sooo sorry…I never should have let you continue with the whole undercover thing. You have to get better though…or else I'll come and beat your ass…dead or not…" Buffy stopped for a second to stop the new batch of tears that were about to fall. "Please baby, you have to wake up. I don't know what I would do without you…we've only been together for a short time and it's been the happiest of my life so please…" Buffy trailed off and then became deadly serious. "I promise you this though, the mayor will die for what he did to you…I will make sure of it. He is NOT going to get away with this."
Buffy placed a gentle kiss on Faith's forehead and walked out of the room. The mayor wanted to play dirty…then he would get a war and Buffy had an idea of how she would destroy him.
The Scooby Gang was gathered in the library anxiously. Giles and Wesley had just called a late night meeting and explained everything. All that Faith had been doing and what had happened to her. They were all sitting and contemplating the past events and all were left with guilt on how they had treated the dark slayer.
Buffy slammed through the library doors and stalked inside the room. Giles opened his mouth to greet Buffy when Buffy pointed a finger in his direction, "I will deal with you later…and you, but right now we have to kill that bastard." Buffy said with venom in her voice while looking over at Wesley.
"So Buff, what's the plan?" Xander tried to lessen the tension in the room.
"I am going to kill him, slowly and painfully." Buffy still had a deadly calm tone.
"And ideas as to how you plan on doing that?" Cordelia chimed in.
Buffy shot Cordelia a look that could melt steel. "I'm not sure yet…I was hoping the watchers found out something with all the information that Faith had been giving them." At the mention of Faith's name, Buffy's voice cracked a little but then regained its steady tone. "Now Giles, Wesley…did you guys find anything??"
Buffy turned to the two watchers with a pleading look. Giles sighed, "Buffy, the only thing that we have found is that one of these demons was in fact killed but it was when a volcano erupted…"
Buffy thought about this for a second and then a light bulb went off. She turned to the group and started to lay out her plan, "Xander, I'm going to need your help with this one…"
Buffy walked into the hospital room. Faith lay there; the only indication that she was still alive was the steady rise and fall of her chest. Buffy walked slowly to Faith's bedside and grasped the warm hand of her girlfriend. 'Girlfriend? Is that what we are? Girlfriend doesn't begin to describe what I feel for this girl.' Buffy thought to herself.
"Faith? You probably can't hear me but I just wanted to tell you that I love you. We have a plan that should work and I promise you that I will kill the mayor." Buffy spat these words out as if they were poison. "I just want you to know that if it is the last thing I do, he will burn in hell. I just want you to promise that you will come back to me because I plan on surviving the ascension and it would kinda suck to not have you here with me."
The only answer was the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor. "Faith…please…you have to get better…" At this point Buffy broke down and started sobbing. At some point Buffy fell asleep from the exhaustion of her weeping to be awoken a little bit later with a hand shaking her shoulder.
Buffy immediately sat up, "Faith?" Her voice held excitement until she realized that the hand belonged to Giles.
"I'm sorry Buffy but there has been no change in Faith's condition."
Buffy sat and nodded slowly as the despair returned. She looked up at Giles, "Is it time?"
Giles could only nod solemnly while they both walked out of the room. When they reached the door, Buffy took one last glance back at Faith and made a silent prayer that everything would work out.
Author's Notes: Ok I'm figuring that most of you watched Graduation Day so just imagine that the events were basically the same except for the fact that Buffy really doesn't care that much that Angel left. Maybe a little weird but overall she's more worried about Faith. And she still uses Faith's knife to lure the mayor but she says something like, "I am going to make you pay for what you did." And then the mayor gets really mad and chases after her. School goes *boom* and mayor gets blown up into itty bitty pieces. Ok now on with the story.
Buffy walked into the Faith's hospital room yet again. It had been two months since they had killed the mayor and Faith still had not woken. Buffy still had hope and was by Faith's side everyday. She believed that Faith would come back to her…she just needed a little time.
Buffy sat beside Faith's bed and started her ritual of catching up on everything that had been happening. "I really miss you Faith. You need to get your pretty butt out of this bed. I miss your grin and the sparkle in your eyes. Please baby, I need you to wake up." Buffy stood up and gently brushed the hair out of Faith's face when she swore that she felt Faith stirring.
"Faith!? Baby, come back to me, come on…" Faith whimpered and her eyelids flickered. Buffy's heart started to hammer in her chest while she watched for any sign that Faith was going to finally wake up. When Faith's eyes finally opened, Buffy's tears fell freely while she held onto Faith's hand.
Faith looked around disoriented. She had no idea what was going on and why was she in the hospital? However, all her questions flew out the window when she locked gazes with the overjoyed blond slayer in front of her. One syllable escaped her mouth, "B?"
Author's Notes: Alright I'm all rested up and ready to write. Word of warning this part gets pretty sappy but I had to let the inner sap inside of me just take hold and I will try to contain it for upcoming chapters…
Faith had woken from her coma with her memory intact. It took a few weeks but Faith recovered fully and was able to resume her patrolling with Buffy and much more pleasurable activities(*wink, wink*). However, at this time the two slayers were not engaging in those pleasurable activities, they were actually slaying with the gang. Which meant that Faith and Buffy were kicking major ass while the rest of the group sat back and did commentary. Much like in the Olympics…
After both were done in the speed-dusting category, the gang decided to head to their respective homes. Faith was now in fact living with Buffy and her mother after Joyce was informed of all that Faith had done. She had insisted that Faith move in and was even ok with the fact that Faith and Buffy were together. All in all, everything was going very well.
Buffy was laying on the couch so that Faith was in between her and the couch. It was a very comfortable position for both slayers considering that Buffy had the comfort of Faith's arms around her and the fact that Faith made a damn, fine pillow (and when she said fine she meant FINE!). Faith was just content to hold Buffy and have quiet moments like this. They were watching some show on TV that had enraptured Buffy but Faith had gotten quite bored early on so she did one of her favorite things, watching Buffy.
Faith turned her head slightly to get a look at Buffy's face which showed the concentration the blonde slayer was giving to the TV. The lights flickered off her face and gave her a beautiful glow.
Faith's thoughts:
'God, she's beautiful. I can't believe that I am here right now. If anyone had told me a year ago that I would love and be loved by an amazing person, I would laugh in their face. I knew that with my tough façade that no one would ever notice that in fact I'm just a romantic at heart. I am so lucky that B actually saw the real me and loves the real me. I just feel so complete, I have always had this empty space, this feeling that something was missing. Now I know that I was feeling loneliness because I had no one. No one where I could let my guard down and just be truly comfortable with the person. But now I have that and I will never let it go. Listen to yourself Faith, you really are a sap.'
Faith smiled to herself which caused Buffy to turn towards her, "What?"
"Nothing B, just happy."
Buffy just gave her a brilliant smile that caused to swell with more joy. 'I don't know how I survived without this feeling but I think that I am the happiest person in the world right now.'
Some warehouse in Sunnydale
"Is everything ready?" A voice filled with evil asked.
A trembling vampire in the corner stepped forward and managed to stutter out, "Y-Yes, ma'am, e-everything is pr-prepared just like you w-wanted."
"Good, it is time to get started and then I will be able to have true power in my hands." And with that comment the voice started to laugh while all the vampires in the warehouse shrunk in fear for they had never encountered something that exuded so much evil.
The phone woke them from their peaceful slumber. A hand snaked out from the covers and blindly patted the nightstand until it came in contact with the phone. The hand grabbed the headset and slowly carried it to rest against an ear. A groggy voice could be heard, "Hello?"
What was heard next made the blonde slayer wake up immediately and bolt up in bed. "I'll be right there."
The dark slayer started to become more aware of her surroundings and wanted to know what was bothering her beautiful girlfriend, "B? What's up?"
Buffy was in strict business mode and made a short reply, "Angel's in trouble, I have to go to LA."
All of Faith's insecurities flared when she realized the love of her life was going to help the former love of her life. "Give me a second and I'll come with you."
Buffy stopped what she was doing and realized what this was probably doing to the younger girl, "Faith, baby? I think you should stay here." She paused to stop the dark slayer from voicing her objections. "I need you here to watch the hellmouth and keep everybody safe. I trust you but I can't leave them here without protection so could you please stay and keep watch." For good measure Buffy added a pout that she knew Faith couldn't resist.
Faith let out an audible sigh. Buffy knew that she was powerless against that pout but she did make sense so she relented. Buffy's face broke out into an ear splitting grin. "Thanks honey, alright now I gotta get going can you let everybody know what's up?"
"Yeah, I'll fill everyone in. You're gallivanting off to save dead boy and leaving your poor girlfriend alone on the hellmouth to defend against the forces of evil."
Buffy paused on the doorstep, "Oh come on, I'll be right back ok, I love you." Before Buffy could take another step, Faith pounced on her and slammed her back against the wall and proceeded to give her the most passionate kiss she had ever experienced that left her gasping for breath when it ended.
Faith gave her a cheeky grin and a gentle shove out the door. "I know, I love you too but try to hurry back, ok?"
Buffy could only nod mutely, still stunned from the kiss, and walk to her car. She got in and pulled out of the driveway and managed to give a wave as she was driving off.
Faith sighed again, she knew that Buffy loved her and wouldn't do anything to hurt her but she couldn't stop the bad feeling that was creeping across her mind. She shook it off and went back inside the house to cook some breakfast. She was probably just being paranoid.
A few days later
A large group of vampires was crowded around a female figure standing in the middle next to a vampire that looked kinda bookish and looked as if he was about to faint. The female was decked in leather from head to toe. It was black leather that managed to hug every curve and looked like a second skin. She had jet black hair and bright blue eyes. She would be considered very beautiful but she gave off an aura of pure evil. Nobody could stand next to her without a cold shiver passing through them which is what that poor vampire, whose name was Morton, was experiencing at that exact moment.
"Can we start now?" The female demanded.
"Y-Yes, I have all the ingredients r-ready."
"Then don't you think you should GET ON WITH IT?" The female replied with growing impatience.
Morton gave out a yelp of fear at the unexpected outburst and then immediately set to preparing things with the help of a few other vampires. When everything was set, he began to chant in Latin and an eerie blue glow began to surround him. When he finished chanting the blue glow converged into a spot and then burst forward, flying around the warehouse before it dashed outside.
The female laughed evilly and had a large smile on her face. It would only be a matter of time before she had the slayer.
Meanwhile in LA
Angel and Buffy were standing in the lobby of the Hyperion. Angel was expressing his gratitude while Buffy was growing impatient with the constant stream of platitudes. She missed Faith and wanted to get back to Sunnydale but Angel kept talking. She decided that it was enough and went to stop the souled vampire from talking anymore. "Look Angel, you're welcome and I—"
Buffy's speech was stopped when a blue glow surrounded her and Angel and throbbed a little before disappearing.
"What were you saying Buffy?" Angel asked.
"I…I love you Angel, I always have and I always will."
"Oh Buffy, I still love you too but I didn't think you felt the same way anymore."
"That's wonderful Angel, I never want to be apart from you again. Come back to Sunnydale with me…please."
Angel looked at Buffy with a happy look on his face, "Of course I will."
Back in Sunnydale
Faith bolted upright in bed. She had had the worst nightmare. She couldn't remember what had happened, all she knew is that she felt like her heart had been ripped out of her chest. She took some deep calming breaths and wished that Buffy could hurry up and get home. Her girlfriend was supposed to arrive the next day and she could not wait any longer.
Faith waited anxiously by the window. Buffy was supposed to arrive any moment. Faith couldn’t shake the feeling that something horrible was about to happen but Buffy had sounded strange on the phone. Faith shook her head as if to clear the disturbing thoughts from her mind. Everything was going to be fine.
The sound of a car pulling into the driveway snapped her out of her thoughts. She smiled as she saw Buffy step out of the car and ran out of the house to greet her girlfriend in a huge hug. “B! Man, I missed you and I am so glad you’re back. Don’t think I’ve ever missed anybody before.”
Buffy returned the hug but seemed distant. She immediately disentangled herself from the embrace and opened the back door so that Angel could run into the house and save himself from the sun. Faith’s smile immediately disappeared when she saw the souled vampire. “B? What’s going on?”
Buffy let an awkward smile grace her features and then took a deep breath, “Let’s go inside the house Faith. I need to tell you something.”
Those words caused a chill to crawl up Faith’s spine. She froze for a second and then followed Buffy inside. Something was about to happen.
Angel had sat himself on the couch and Buffy sat beside him and the two immediately held hands. Faith saw this and her heart dropped. She spoke, her voice eerily calm, “Buffy, tell me what is going on…”
Buffy bowed her head, she took a deep sigh and then looked up to capture Faith’s eyes, “I still love Angel and I always have and he came back here so that we could be together.”
Faith’s heart sank and suddenly a very painful ache spread through her chest. Tears were collecting in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. She calmly turned and walked out of the house, she was numb and all she knew was that she had to be as far from that house as possible.
Buffy got off the couch when she saw Faith leave and went to call after the dark slayer but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. Angel pulled Buffy back down to the couch, “Let her go. She’s in a lot of pain right now. I know what it’s like to lose you and right now she needs to be alone.”
Buffy nodded her head in understanding and looked towards the door. She hoped that Faith would understand and she couldn’t help this uncomfortable feeling in the back of her mind that was telling her that something wasn’t right. She shook off the feeling and turned toward the love of her life.
Author's Notes: Does anyone still remember this thing? Well I’m sorry it’s taken me so long but I’ve been busy with stuff. Anyway, this is going to be my last fic ever. I don’t feel as inspired to write Buffy fanfic anymore since the show is over and right now with all the great stories coming out, I don’t think I’ll be that sorely missed. However, I would never want to be left hanging so I am going to try to finish this up as best I can and hopefully soon too. Enjoy!
It had been hours since Faith left and Buffy was growing increasingly worried. She didn’t know where the brunette was and what trouble she could possibly be in. However, she shook off her feelings of dread and snuggled back up to Angel and sighed contentedly.
Meanwhile, Faith had been walking around Sunnydale. She was numb to everything around her and seemed to be walking in a daze with no destination in mind. Suddenly she came to a stop and looked up at the flashing neon sign. She had given up her habit when she started seeing Buffy but now she saw no reason to go in for a little drink. Faith walked into the dimly lit bar and slid into a barstool. The bartender, a surly looking guy with a dishtowel thrown over his shoulder, walked over to her to get her order.
“What’ll you have?” he grunted out.
“Give me the strongest stuff you have and a lot of it.”
“Rough night?” the bartender asked trying to make conversation.
“The roughest, but I really don’t want to talk about it, I just want that drink.” Faith said with a cold edge to her voice.
A leather clad woman with jet black hair slid into the bar stool next to Faith’s. She leaned in close and purred into Faith’s ear, “You seem sad….is there anything I can do? Anything?”
Faith turned to look at the woman behind the voice and surveyed her up and down. Her slayer senses were tingling…and not the good tingling but all her emotions were so high that she ignored the warning and downed her drink, stood up and offered her hand to the woman.
The two exited the bar but to the mysterious woman’s disappointment, they did not head towards a motel, instead Faith turned into a street where the bass from the music pouring out of a club could be heard. The thumping got louder until it seemed that the beat was in time with your very own heartbeat.
Faith had not said a word the entire time and instead dragged the woman onto the dance floor and started losing herself in the music.
Buffy could not take it anymore and decided to call a late night Scooby meeting to get everyone’s help in looking for Faith. As she entered the library hand in hand with Angel, eyebrows raised and a silent question was asked by all until Cordelia, who was never known for her tact, said “What’s soul boy doing here? I thought you were all lovey dovey with the other slayer?”
Buffy sighed and explained the situation about going to LA and realizing that she was in fact still in love with Angel. Everyone of the Scooby gang had their doubts. There was no way that Buffy could suddenly make a complete 180 and fall out of love with Faith and then fall in love with Angel. Also there was this vibe of something being wrong among the two. Buffy told them what had happened with Faith and they all agreed to go look for the dark slayer.
After Buffy had left first with Angel, the Scooby gang hung back to discuss.
“OK was it just me or does something not seems alright in the happy land of Buffy and Angel.” Xander was the first to speak.
“Normally I would just say you were jealous but I think you’re right. Something is definitely not right. Buffy just seemed a bit too perky about Angel and their quote unquote love.” Cordelia added.
Giles decided at this point that he should add his opinion, “Normally I would be happy for Buffy but at the same time I do understand what you are all saying. Something isn’t right and I think we should try to find out what it is as soon as possible before this situation gets any worse.”
“You mean like the possibility of Faith going psycho slayer?” Cordelia asked.
Giles took off his glasses and started cleaning them, "Ahem…that’s not what I….I’m not going to bother. Cordelia, you and Xander start looking around, start at the Bronze and try any of the bars around town. Willow—?"
“I know, time to go on the web and start with the researching fun?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“I’m on it.”
“Come on Cordy, time to go check out some seedy bars. Do you want to go change first; we wouldn’t want to ruin your Prada shoes?” That comment earned him a slap to the head. Xander followed a not happy Cordy out of the library while shrugging his shoulders. “What’d I say?”
The mysterious woman had had enough of this foreplay and decided to take it a step further. She took Faith’s hand and dragged her to a corner of the club. She slammed Faith against the wall and kissed Faith with so much ferocity that she bruised Faith’s lips. The kiss had gone on for a while when suddenly the woman was thrown back off of Faith.
Faith looked up through hooded eyes to see Buffy’s angry face staring at Faith. “What the hell are you doing Faith? Why are you kissing this slut?”
That comment seemed to snap Faith out of the recesses of her mind. “I don’t see how that is any of your business B!!” Faith almost spit out the nickname. “I can do WHATEVER I WANT, WHENEVER I WANT!! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT….” She lowered her head and tried to stop her trembling hands and continued in a defeated whisper, “You know what…just leave me alone…I don’t ever want to see you again.”
Buffy stood there in shock which she was being yelled at. When she heard the last request, she almost broke down. Buffy stared at Faith’s retreating figure before she snapped into action and ran after the dark slayer.
“Faith! Faith, wait, please!”
Faith kept walking which made Buffy run faster before she finally caught up to the other girl and put a hand on her shoulder to stop her movement. Faith tensed up at the contact and threw the hand off. “DON’T TOUCH ME!!”
Buffy shrunk back as if burned. She looked at the ground whispered, “I’m sorry…I just…I…”
“YOU WHAT?? HUH? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME? HAVEN’T YOU ALREADY TAKEN ENOUGH??? WHY CAN’T YOU JUST…LEAVE…ME…ALONE??”
Buffy lowered her voice to an impossible low, “I just wanted to explain…”
Faith’s fury reached a high point but she was not yelling any more. Instead she spoke in a deadly calm tone that was devoid of emotion, “There’s nothing to explain. I understand perfectly. You never loved me; it was all a joke to you. Angel is your true love. I get it…now if you don’t mind, I am going to leave Sunnydale and I do not want you following me. Do you understand?”
Buffy looked as if she was about to protest but wisely shut her mouth. She did not want this to become violent and she knew that if she talked anymore Faith might do something rash.
Faith turned and walked away and Buffy could only stand there and watch.
The mysterious woman stepped out of the shadows and smiled.
Buffy was sitting in the library being soothed by Angel. The whole gang was there and had been filled in about the Faith situation. They were all upset since each had considered Faith a good friend. At that point the mysterious woman from the club walked into the library.
Buffy was immediately on her feet and stared at the woman with cold fury. The woman only smirked and kept walking.
“Hello slayer, how are you this fine evening?”
Buffy was surprised that this woman knew who she was but she didn’t let it show. "Fine, let me guess…you’re another evil being hell bent on taking over the world. Soooo…you’ve come to kill me, blah, blah, blah…you evil guys need to come up with better plans. I mean seriously you can’t beat me, deal with it."
The woman continued smiling, “Well, that is true, however, the previous ‘evil guys’ as you call them also did not have a slayer on their side….”
The confusion was evident, “What are you talking about? I’m not going to….Faith…Faith wouldn’t help you…” Buffy trailed off.
“She wouldn’t would she?? Well we’ll see about that considering the devastating blow she has just taken…how do you know she wouldn’t join forces with me??”
“How do you know about that? Who are you?”
“You’ll find out soon enough, but I really must be going right now, got a slayer to talk to.” The next second the woman was gone.
Buffy turned to her friends, “I want you guys to find out who she is and how she knows so much about us. I’m going to go find Faith; she might be in danger once the woman finds out that she won’t help her. Faith won’t help her…right?”
Each member of the Scooby gang could not look Buffy in the eyes. It was Giles who first spoke, “Well Buffy, Faith has just experienced a very distressing situation. I fear that she is in a fragile state and if this woman says that right things then it is very possible that Faith may….” He trailed off knowing that everyone knew the end of his thought.
Buffy could only nod. She left the library saying, “Well then I better find her before that woman does.”
Faith was walking along the docks trying to quiet the torrent of emotions that were going through her. How did everything get messed up so quickly? Everything was going well, things were practically perfect in her life but then it turned out to all be a lie. Buffy didn’t love her and she probably never did. Faith knew that it was all too good to be true. She was destined to be alone and miserable. Faith continued walking while these depressing thoughts kept repeating themselves in her head.
A voice in the shadows stopped her, “Faith.”
Faith spun around and started scanning the area. “Who’s out there? Show yourself, I am not in the mood for this crap right now.”
The mysterious woman stepped out of the shadows and started to walk towards Faith. Faith’s confusion was evident. “You? Who are you and why are you following me?”
The woman smiled. “I’m here to help you.”
Faith scoffed, “Help? Yeah right, whatever just leave me alone.”
The woman was undeterred, “Listen to me Faith; I have an offer that you won’t be able to refuse.”
“Sure you do….wait a sec…I get it now. You’re like some evil demon who wants to take over the world and you are offering me power and money, blah, blah, blah. I’ve heard it before and I don’t want it.”
“No.”
Faith stopped in her tracks, “What do you mean, ‘No’?”
“I mean that I am offering you power and all that stuff but I am also offering you love. The power I can give you can get your precious Buffy back. You can use that power to make her yours again.”
Faith knew that there was something wrong but the thought of getting Buffy back appealed to the dark slayer. “How?”
The woman smiled, “Follow me and I’ll show you.”
Buffy had just arrived at the bus station. She was frantically searching the area but there was no sign of Faith. There was nowhere else to look. Buffy had been around all of Sunnydale except for one place. With one last look around the bus station Buffy ran off praying that Faith was at the docks.
Meanwhile back at the library, the Scooby gang and Angel were researching to find out what was wrong with Buffy. Angel, however, was unaware of this and sat there wringing his hands in worry for the woman he loved.
Willow moved to sit next to Giles and started whispering so that only he could hear, “Giles, I know a spell that can tell us if any spells have been preformed on Angel and Buffy. Since Angel is here, I can test him to see if anything has happened to the two of them and then we can solve one mystery.”
Giles nodded, “That’s a good idea, why don’t you get started? Get Xander to help you with any ingredients you might need.”
Minutes later the spell was ready to go. Angel was getting curious and asked what the spell was for. Willow did some quick thinking and came up with a reply that appealed to the souled vampire. “Ummm, I’m doing a spell…a spell to find Buffy…yeah that’s it! It’s a spell to find Buffy.”
Angel nodded his understanding, “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Yes, can you some sit over here? Maybe your…ummm…love…can help make the spell stronger and help me find her quicker.”
Angel quickly agreed and sat in front of Willow to unknowingly become the subject of this spell. Willow chanted some words in Latin and Angel fell unconscious. Suddenly a black mist covered his body.
“Aha…I knew it!” Willow exclaimed.
“What’s with the aha? What are we ahaing??” Xander asked in confusion.
“There has been a spell preformed on Angel which means that there was probably one done on Buffy too and I think I know which one it is…I just need a couple of things and I’ll be able to reverse the one on Angel and then we can go find Buffy and fix her up too.”
“Good going Will! You go with your witchy self.” Xander complimented.
Willow beamed while she was preparing the counter spell to help Angel.
After the spell had been preformed, Angel woke up and had no idea what was going on. After a few minutes his memory returned and he remembered everything that had happened between him and Buffy. “We better find Buffy fast so she can go talk to Faith before Faith does anything drastic.”
The Scooby gang agreed and all ran out the door in search of the blonde slayer.
The woman walked into an abandoned warehouse along the docks and motioned for Faith to follow.
“Hey, before I go into this whole deal with you, why don’t you give me your name?”
“My name is Victoria.”
“Nice name, mind if I call you Vic.”
“You can call me whatever you like.”
They both entered the warehouse and Faith gasped in surprise. In the middle of the floor was a large black hole. Black clouds were swirling around in it and surrounding it were vampires. All were staring at the hole as if transfixed.
“What the hell is this?! Is this some sort of trap, you are not going to kill me!!”
“Relax—“
“RELAX?? You have got to be kidding me…”
Victoria held up her hand to silence the slayer. “Relax, I am not going to kill you. You are not the one I want…”
Realization dawned on Faith, “You’re going to kill Buffy.”
“Yes, you are partly right. I am not going to kill Buffy…you are.”
Faith started backing away shaking her head. “No…no…I won’t…you can’t make me.”
“I thought you might say that, which is why I had a back up plan.” With those words, Victoria mumbled a few words underneath her breath. A black beam shot out of her hand and hit Faith in the chest.
Faith’s breath was knocked out of her and she stumbled back a few steps. Her head was down and her breathing was hard. When her head lifted her eyes were black orbs. There was no white visible only black depths that matched that of the hole in the middle of the room.
Victoria smirked, “Welcome. Now down to business you are going to kill the slayer. Understood?”
Faith smiled evilly, “Perfectly.”
Buffy was running along the docks. There was only one more warehouse for her to check and she was making her way while still pleading in her head that Faith was there.
Buffy arrived at the warehouse and was stopped dead in her tracks by the sight of Faith. “Faith! Thank god you’re alright, I’ve been searching for you everywhere.”
“Oh that’s so sweet Buffy. It warms my heart that you care so much.”
Faith’s sarcastic tone made Buffy take a closer look at her. That was when Buffy noticed Faith’s eyes. Buffy gasped, “Faith! What’s happened to you?”
Faith laughed and the sound chilled Buffy to the bone. “What are you talking about B? I’ve never felt better in my life.”
Victoria stepped out beside Faith. Buffy saw her and knew that this woman was responsible for everything that had happened. “You! What have you done to her??”
“Nothing, I just made her see my side of things. I can be VERY convincing when I want to be.”
The sound of pounding footsteps stopped the exchange. Buffy turned and saw the entire Scooby Gang running towards her with Angel in tow. “Guys? What are you doing here?”
Willow was the one who answered. “You and Angel were under a spell that made you think you were in love. Well Angel was under, you’re still under and I think I can fix that. I just need to do a small spell and you should go back to normal.”
Buffy was even more confused and this confusion added to the anger she was feeling towards the mystery woman were not making her a happy person. “A spell? What are you talking about?? I love Angel.” As she was saying this, the doubt that had been nagging her grew. ‘If I loved Angel so much then why am I so preoccupied with Faith. Because she’s a friend, right? But then how do I explain that little inkling of jealousy that I feel when I see her with that woman??’
Willow walked towards Buffy and started to recite the spell. A green glow surrounded Buffy and she fell to the ground. She stood up again and realized what she had done in the last few days. “Oh my god! What have I done?!”
She turned towards Faith, “Faith, baby, I love you. I am SOO sorry, it was a spell, I don’t know what I was doing.”
“Oh B…that makes it ALL better…” Faith said with a sneer. “You BITCH! Do you think you can make up that sort of crap…well you got another thing coming.” With those words Faith advanced towards Buffy.
By the time she reached Buffy, Buffy tried one last plea, “Faith please…fight the spell…I know you love me.”
Faith smirked, “Correction, I DID love you…as in past tense and now I’m going to kill you.”
Faith struck out with a punch that Buffy managed to block at the last second. The spell had made Faith stronger but it also put her in a blind rage so that her moves were sloppy and Buffy was able to block most of them. Buffy was fighting back but she was pulling her hits so that she wouldn’t hurt Faith. She was searching for an opening when she finally saw one. With a soft whispered, “I’m sorry Faith” Buffy put all of her strength behind her punch and managed to knock Faith unconscious.
The gang ran over to Buffy and Willow asked, “Is she going to be ok?”
Buffy looked down at Faith with a worried expression on her face, “She always did have a weak spot on her jaw. Come on guys help me with her. We got to find a counter spell to whatever that bitch did to her.”
Xander looked around, “Speaking of her, where did she go?”
Buffy glanced towards where Xander was looking, “She probably ran off. Whatever, I’ll deal with her later.”
The gang rushed back to the library so that Faith would not have the chance to regain consciousness. When they arrived everyone immediately went into research mode while Faith was locked in the cage.
2 hours later
If somebody would have glanced into the library at this moment all they would have seen was books. Piles and piles of books stacked everywhere. On the desk, on the floor, however, if you looked closely you could actually see 5 people sitting among the piles.
The gang had been researching forever and they couldn’t find anything. They all stopped when they heard a groan. Buffy walked over to the cage while still putting some distance between, just in case.
“Faith?”
Faith opened her eyes had not changed back and that information made Buffy take a step back. Faith finally got her bearing and stood up to grasp the cage. “Hey B…didn’t know you liked it rough…” she leered.
Buffy shook her head, “Stop that…you’re not my Faith.”
Faith snickered, “Oh that’s where you’re wrong. I have never felt more free and alive. I think this is the real me.”
Buffy ignored her and continued researching. An hour later an “Aha!” was heard. Four heads shot up to find the source of the exclamation when Willow stood up. "I found it…I got it…and it’s relatively easy to reverse."
Two hours later they were ready to perform the spell. A couple of incantations in Latin and some herbs and Faith fell unconscious. Willow was sure that the spell had worked so now all that was left was to wait for Faith to wake up.
Buffy had carried Faith back to her house so now Faith was resting in Buffy’s room while Buffy stayed curled up to her side.
Faith started to slowly wake up and the first thing she realized was the massive pounding in her head. She groaned and felt a warm presence next to her shift. The brunette slayer was confused when suddenly the memory of the past few days came flying back into consciousness. She gasped at the painful memories and flew off the bed. The violent movement woke Buffy and she immediately sat up to ascertain the problem.
“Faith?”
“Why…why were you in bed with me?”
Buffy looked around the room before she saw Faith’s hunched over body in the corner. She was sitting hugging her knees and she looked so small that it broke Buffy’s heart. “How much do you remember baby?”
Faith looked up and her face scrunched in thought. “The last thing I remember is yelling at you and then walking away…after that it’s kinda blank…”
Buffy moved towards Faith and sat down in front of her. She moved to take one of the brunette’s hands in her own and winced when Faith snatched it away. “Faith…some demon or something cast a spell on you to kill me. We managed to reverse it. The gang also discovered that Angel and I had been put under a spell. That’s why we were acting like we were love again. It was all a spell. I still love you and I never stopped.”
Faith sat there in shock while absorbing this new information. She shook her head, “No that can’t be…a spell can’t just do that…can it? I mean I…you hurt me so much…I…”
Buffy nodded and ran a hand through her hair, “I know honey and I am so sorry for that. But I wasn’t in control…I think the same person that put the spell on you also cast the spell on me. But it doesn’t matter now…they reversed it so I’m back to normal and we can move on.”
Buffy moved forward to wrap Faith in a hug when Faith violently jumped away and wrapped her arms around her waist. “I can’t.”
Buffy stood up and looked at Faith in confusion. “You can’t what?”
Faith started shaking her head and looked like she was about to run away at any second. “I just can’t right now. I mean I understand that it was a spell and all that it’s just that it killed me to see you with him and I just can’t forget it all. I need some time…to process…”
Buffy nodded. “I understand…you know I love you right?”
Faith didn’t answer, “Look B…just give me a few days to think…I believe you I do…I just need to get away for a little bit.”
Before Buffy could protest Faith had slipped out the window and into the shadows.
Author's Notes: It’s over! I know this part was short but I think it’s a fitting ending. I’ve really enjoyed writing this story even with the bouts of writers block. I hope you guys enjoyed it!
It had been a week. A week of not seeing Faith anymore. Buffy could have been worried but she could sense Faith every night on her patrols. The dark slayer always kept out of sight but Buffy could feel her there…it was like a warm tingling up her spine and it was comforting that she was being watched over. Every night it was the same thing. Faith would watch her and then disappear for the rest of the day. Nobody knew where she was or what she was doing.
Buffy started looking forward to patrols. It was the only way to be close to the girl. It took every ounce of self-restraint not to run and grab the girl in a hug. Buffy knew that Faith needed her alone time to think so she kept herself under control. It was frustrating but she understood the other girl’s predicament.
Buffy walked through the front door exhausted. Tonight’s patrol hadn’t been a particularly hard one but she hadn’t sensed Faith the whole night. This worried the slayer. Was it a good thing or bad? She had spent the whole night contemplating the ramifications of Faith’s nonpresence. The whole night had been mentally and emotionally draining and she couldn’t wait for the night to end.
Buffy was still thinking about Faith and her absence when she walked into her room. When she entered, the answer to most of her questions was sitting on the bed. Buffy gasped in surprise, “Faith I—“
Faith held up a hand to silence Buffy. “Look B…I have some things to say and I would appreciate it if you would just sit and listen for a little bit.”
Buffy nodded silently and sat down on the bed across from Faith.
“Buffy I…” Faith ran a hand through her hair and took a deep breath. “I love you…I want you to know that first. But seeing you with Angel killed me. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that much pain. It was like someone took a part of me away and I felt empty…like I had no reason to live. I still feel some of that pain right now to tell the truth…I do believe you about the whole spell thing though…but it’s just that I can’t forget how I felt. I had to leave because I guess I was scared. It scared me how much power you had over me. With one little action I was destroyed. No one has ever had that effect on me.”
Buffy opened her mouth to speak but immediately shut it when she saw Faith’s look that indicated she wasn’t finished. “It scares me…terrifies me. But the point is…I thought about it. I want you. I’m willing to sacrifice the chance of me being hurt because being with you will be worth it. I know in the end I’m going to get hurt somehow but screw it. I want to be happy and I know I will be with you.”
Faith took a deep breath as she finished her heartfelt confession. She looked up to meet Buffy’s gaze. Buffy had tears streaming down her cheeks. She opened her mouth to say something but no words would come. So she reached over and enveloped Faith in a gentle embrace while giving her a kiss that left them both breathless.
Buffy pulled back and lightly rested her forehead against Faith’s. “I love you too. I will never leave you or intentionally hurt you. We were made for each other and I will never be apart from you willingly. We’re the Chosen Two…”
Faith smiled and whispered before she leaned in for another kiss. “Forever…”