You Only Need Bitten Once
by tainted_blood_chylde
Rating: PG
Buffy couldnt believe what was happening, five minutes, that's all she'd done. Ran off to get some pizza for her and Faith while they watched OZ.
Five minutes.
She rounded the next corner following the paramedics as they wheeled Faith into the emergency room. Giles kept rambling on about something.. blood or something. Buffy couldn't really focus.
Five minutes.
It was happening all over again. Just like when she'd found Kendra.
Five minutes.
OZ had gotten out of his cage somehow. Buffy had come back to find the beast trying to tear a chunk out of Faith. If she'd have been any slower.. if she'd arrived two seconds later.... Faith would be...
She couldn't think like that. Faith needed her.
Five minutes.
That's all it took for Faith to get turned into a werewolf.
Faith paced the library nervously. This was the first time this had ever happened apparently. No Slayer had ever survived a werewolf attack. They usually wound up as lunch, something about the werewolf bit having toxins in it or something that paralyses its prey. And Oz had nearly taken a whole chunk out of Faith, she felt nervous, tense. She couldn't keep waiting.
"Come on GILES!!" she shouted. Daylight was sinking fast. One more hour or so. God, was this what it was like for Oz? could he always tell when he was this close to changing?
"It'll be okay Faith, just be patient" Willow asked her.
"HOW THE HELL CAN I BE CALM WILLOW? Your FREAK boyfriend did this to me!!" she shouted. It came out as a near growl. Realising it Faith backed away into the corner and sat down.
"He didn't mean it.. it was the wolf...." Willow sobbed. Trying to defend her beloved's honour.
Buffy came back into the room, the first time Faith had seen her since the whole ordeal had happened. What did she think of Faith's new curse? Probably glad.. probably lapping up being the only slayer again. Faith felt all her old hate starting to flare up again. The nagging jealously that crept up on her everytime Buffy was in the room. Her with the friends and the mom who actually gives a shit... with the nice house and a future when the whole slayer thing was over..
She slumped back into her chair and waited for Giles.
"Find anything?" Buffy asked.
"No" Giles said rubbing her forehead. "I'm afraid not. According to the council from their experiments into slayers and different foes.."
"Wait! did you say EXPERIMENTS?" Faith demanded.
"Y-Yes, it has been known that about a century ago when modern science was first coming into being, a few members of the council conducted out experiments on their charges. That's how we knew about the muscle relaxants and many of the poisons.." Giles said.
"You Experimented on your slayers?" Buffy said in disgust.
"The council thought it best to understand every element of its weapon, in this case. what would happen if a slayer was bitten by a werewolf. The result is most often... death. A slayer can only be a slayer, even becoming a vampire destroys the slayer strength, a slayer cannot be both. Faith, I'm so sorry, but there is nothing I can do for you" Giles said sorrowfully.
Buffy's head was reeling. Faith was going to DIE. NOO!!! She wouldn't allow it there had to be something they could do.
Faith said nothing. SHe felt nothing. Oh how wrong the council were. She could feel it. The change, her body accepting what would kill it and turning it to her advantage. She was mutating and adapting to the lupine DNA. She was becoming... she didn't know what exactly. But she was changing. And in a few moments when the sun slid behind the cloud at last. She would have her first taste of blood, and the new her would howl.
It only took seconds for Faith to transform. In moments she had lunged herself at Buffy. Feral claws slashing at the blonde's delicate throat. Giles kicked her hard under the chin and Willow darted for the gun. The now wolf Oz was snarling in his cage. Snapping to be let out. Faith glared at him and he whimpered, shrinking into the far corner. Smiling Faith looked down at her handy work. Buffy was coughing up blood.
Five seconds.
That's all it took to change.
Five seconds.
To catch Buffy off guard.
Five seconds.
To make another one just like her.
She had shared everything with Buffy. Being a slayer, the chosen one. She had never been one. In few hours. Buffy would be just like her. Willow shot the dart into Faith's neck. She didn't struggle too much. She let herself get tranqed. Xander was already helping Buffy.
Five seconds and everything would fall into darkness.
And when she woke up. She'd have Buffy, her now sister pack, and they could share their heritage once again.
Faith was somehow still aware of herself as she was shifted from the library table into the cage. Giles had told her that her change wouldn't happen until the next full moon, she had known better. She felt sick from the tranqs.
Damn Oz! If only he hadn't gotten outta his cage. It was Xander's fault, he'd left his fucking chicken sandwich in the office and it'd drove Oz nutts.
She was now a Werewolf because of a FUCKING CHICKEN SANDWICH???
Giles had said something about the inital infection to the slayer system usually proved fatal as the slayers metabolism was "designed to purge impure infections, and disease" and that the body essentially turned on itself eventually to kill the host rather than taint the slayer essence.
She should be dead. Guess her Immune System was an under achiever.. typical. She turned into a freaking superhero and she still couldn't fully meet the grade.
She didn't know why she'd done it. Buffy's blood still warm and metallic in her mouth. She has just smelled sooooo good. The only prey in the room worth taking on. Did Oz feel like that when he was with them? This uncontrollable need to seek out something like yourself and dominate it.
Soon she and Buffy would be pack sisters.
She'd always done EVERYTHING in her freaking life alone. Until Buffy, she'd never had the guts to face anything properly, head on. Fearless.
She met Buff, the next thing, Kakistos is dead, she gave her the strength.
Like HELL she was losing her good luck charm no.
No B, she thought wickedly.
We are in this together B, you and me.
All The Way.
If I'M turning into a Freak, I'm taking you down with me.
She was cold, the blood was leaving her body. She was dying, this wasn't good. She'd been here already, she didn't want to sink into that darkness.
Why Faith? she thought, tears pinching at her eyes.
Buffy coughed again. More blood, Xander's hand around her throat. Willow almost passing out.
Someone talking...
Giles, getting an ambulance.
Why was this happening?
How could you do this to me Faith, we were friends? You killed me! You BITCH!!! Buffy thought angrily.
No! She wasn't going out like this. No! She was going to fight it.
If the ambulance came here there would be an investigation. Oz and Faith would be in danger. She had to sit up.
Had to show Xander she could understand, but it was getting dark.
SO DARK.
Her breathing became shallow, a sound..
Sirens? NO! Stay away...
Faith! Oz!
"Giles.." she murmered.
"It's ok, Buff! We're taking you out! Just hold on for me!" Xander sobbed.
Pain, she was being lifted.
Fading... Dark...
Car Park.
Two Minutes Later
Dark..
Five Minutes Later??
Being laid down, needles...
Five Minutes Later??
Light, ouch, the light hurt.
A sick feeling in her stomach.
JOLT!
Was she in a car? that noise! those sirens...
Traveling.. forever...
Wait.. she WAS the sirens.
Eternity...
She didn't so much as smell it as have Hospital Cleaner Fluid exploded in her nostrals.
She opened her eyes.
How long had she been out? Where was she?
She should feel nauseated. She looked at the Morphine Drip. She looked at Faith, now asleep on the chair in her room.
"BITCH!" she snarled.
Opening her eyes suddenly Faith bolted awake, suprised to find Buffy not in her bed but standing fully conscious and healthy right in front of her. Amazed she smiled wickedly.
"What were you THINKING?" Buffy snapped.
"You know what I was thinking B" Faith said as she stood up and hugged her.
"Welcome to the Pack" Oz said as he peeked his head in the door and smiled.
Buffy looked at him from over Faith's shoulder. It was strange, she inhaled Faith's sweet musky scent and all she could think then was Home.
Buffy looked cautiously around Oz's living room while he talked. Xander and Willow were with Giles doing research, they had decided after Buffy had been released that Faith and Buffy should have time to talk over what had happened and Oz was couselling them on how to come to terms with the change.
Fools. She thought bitterly.
"All this time" Buffy snarled.
"Yeah, he's a wicked actor huh B?" Faith said. Her arms crossed, she was careful with her body actions, this could go either way. She remembered how she'd felt when Oz had confessed to her afterwards what he was able to retain some kind of control over his Wolf-Self.
He had planned the whole thing.
"I'm sorry I lied to you, I couldn't risk it" Oz said.
"And Willow?" Buffy said while she looked at an antique pen.
"Oh come on B, you smelled Willow, all strawberry and vanilla. She smells like a desert! She was just for show" Faith answered for him.
"I hate being lied to!" Buffy snapped and turned on Oz.
"I know. I can totally respect that. But you can feel it now can't you?" Oz said, his eyes boring into Buffy's.
Oh yeah, she felt it. It was coming off Faith in waves. A rawness, pure intoxication.
"A moth to the flame" she said. Still she didn't like it.
"I told you about my family. About how we are all Pure Blood decendants from the first settlers here. We interbred with the local Indian Clan who worshiped the wolf and inherited the BEAST" he said drawing closer to Buffy, his voice was hypnotic. She flicked her gaze to Faith, she seemed uneffected.
"I didn't find out until my cousin Jordy shared the Gift with me. My Birthright" he explained.
"Why us?" she asked. "Why attack Us?"
"The Rite is shared with those in our family who have the Scent" he began.
"Those who don't smell like food" Buffy interrupted.
"Exactly, anyway, somewhere a hundred years ago. Nanga, a beautiful girl in our family was Chosen to be a slayer.. she had the Scent. So her favored Mate passed her the Rite. It killed her, and we have been mourning her ever since" he told her. "We didn't understand why, it made no sense, she was perfect in every way.."
"Your Pin-Up Girl" Faith interrupted.
"In a way, yes. We have tried a few times to share the Gift with Slayers, then will come the Pack. A breed of warriors with control of the Beast, and the gifts of the Divine. And it can be passed on with your bite. We are destined to rid the world of weakness, and demons" he replied.
"But others, they never had the control you have.. Giles said.." Buffy argued.
"People like Willow who are bitten, do not have the strength of soul to retain themselves, she is too easily lost to the darkness of the beast. She wouldn't survive the change, her body would transform, but she would lose her soul" he said painfully.
"But we can.." Faith said.
"No.. I don't want this!" Buffy declared.
"You can't take it back!" Oz snapped.
"NO!" she shouted.
"This is our Destiny B! Get a grip!" Faith snapped.
"Why did you curse me like that?" she accused Faith.
"ENOUGH!" Oz growled, and Buffy immediately lowered her head. Instinctively, Faith also listened to her Alphas command.
"You were chosen for this Buffy, just because you start being a wolf doesn't stop you being the Slayer.. and another thing.. you don't change in cycle to the moon. That's only until you have mated with one of your own kind. Then you can control the change at WILL. It's time to awaken that control" he said before ripping open her blouse and kissing her hard.
...to be continued...