Death is our Lawyer
by Vincent
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine but belong to Joss.
Author's Notes: Sequel to Dragons, Dolphins and Butterflies. Well, let's say
I'm not used to write these kinds of scene so, be indulgent please.
Dedication: To Broody, Jamlley, Eliza Lover, Faithful Chickie, Piper, Elegy,
Amy, T. Pierce, Aly, Pamela, Chazzman and Sam. Thanks for your FB.
Feedback: Yes, please.
Dawn entered the living room where Tara and Willow were doing some house cleaning. They hadn’t had really the time nor the will to do it before because of the ‘Ripper’ incident. It was around 11.30 AM and the sun was shining on this Saturday. Noticing Dawn, Willow asked her:
“So, still asleep?”
“Yes, they’re kinda cute snoring in each other’s ears.” Dawn chuckled while saying it.
“I don’t believe they didn’t even wake up yesterday. These girls are like groundhogs in winter.”
Tara smiled at her girlfriend and replied.
“Well, Faith hasn’t slept much the last weeks and her trip to the 'Underworld' had to suck her energy too. And Buffy, she had to face the Ripper’s soul and I don’t think she has slept either during that time.”
“I know. I was just playing Mommy Willow. You know, the ‘These kids need some actions’, ‘Staying a whole day in bed would just make them lazy’ and all that kind of stuff.”
“Yeah, I see. It’s kinda cute, you know.”
“Really?” A satisfied grin appeared on Willow’s face. “So, you wouldn’t mind if we wake them up, then?”
Faith felt Buffy moving. She knew that the blond slayer was awake and she knew that her girlfriend knew the she wasn’t sleeping as well. Slowly, she turned her head to look into the most magnificent hazel eyes she had ever met and the brightest smile she would ever see.
“Morning, B.”
“Morning, my Fairy. Feeling better?”
“How couldn’t I? You’re here, I don’t need anything else to wake me up.”
Buffy smiled and gave a soft kiss to her girlfriend. “Thanks!”
“What for?”
“Bringing me back!”
“No thanks needed. You’d have done the same for me.”
They stared at each other’s eyes, admiring the other, showing all the love and passion one could have just by glances and smiles. Faith put her hand on Buffy’s cheek and said:
“I love you!”
“I know!”
“Hey, don’t Han Solo me!” Faith gave a short, teasing hit on Buffy’s shoulder while the blond slayer had a wide grin on her face.
“Why? Don’t you want to be my Princess Leia?” And once again, Buffy looked into the chocolate eyes of her girlfriend who couldn’t hold the pout that had just appeared on her features.
“For you, I’ll be anyone, B. But I’m not the princess, you are.”
“Objection, your Honour. You’re my princess, my white knight who would come to help me anywhere, even if it is not in this world.”
Buffy punctuated her statement by a long and loving kiss before moving to leave the bed and stand up. She sat on the verge of the bed and looked at Faith.
“I’m going downstairs. How about breakfast in bed? I won’t be long.”
Buffy stood up but was quickly grabbed by the brunette who pulled her back on the mattress. Buffy giggled a little when she felt Faith’s lips on hers but quickly noticed that her lover was unbuttoning the top of her pyjama. Remembering that the door wasn’t even totally closed and that the others were there, she tried to stop Faith between two moans.
“Mhhh, Faith…door…”
“Mmh, don’t care!”
To Buffy’s displeasure, Faith’s tongue had left her mouth but she quickly felt it trace the curves of her face, placing soft kisses on her jaw, her cheeks and moving slowly to her left ear. Faith’s hand was still busy with her top, there were only two buttons left. Buffy felt her own desire take control of her but her brain was still a little worried about the presence of the others in the house. So, while Faith was beginning to bit her lobes, she whispered between her moans.
“Fai…ry…the…others…Dawn..ahhmhhh”
“Don’t care!” Stopping her work on Buffy’s left ear, Faith whispered in her most sensuous voice.
“I’m gonna make you scream, B. So loudly that no one would ignore what we’re doing, no one would dare to interrupt us.” Then, she attacked Buffy’s ear with gentleness before biting it again.
The feeling of Faith lips on her face, of Faith’s teeth on her ear erased all worry in Buffy’s head. She wanted Faith as much as Faith wanted her, there was no doubt about it and, yes, she wanted her now, whatever the circumstances. It was their time and they would enjoy it. She put her hands on Faith cheeks, taking her away from her ear, guided her in front of her, locked her eyes in Faith’s and said:
“Believe me, Baby. I won’t be the only one to scream.” And she kissed her with a passion she hadn’t experience before, savouring every taste she had, exploring her girlfriend’s mouth with her tongue with such a vigour that she could feel Faith completely abandoning herself in this kiss.
Faith was lost into all the sensations Buffy was giving her. This kiss was too good. She could also feel Buffy’s hands exploring her body and the brunette was on fire, she didn’t think anymore, didn’t move since the first second of the kiss. Somewhere in her head, she knew that Buffy’s top had still one button attached but she couldn’t move her hand by fear of loosing this incredible feeling. But she had to, she wanted to give pleasure to Buffy first. Slowly, as if time had been slowed down; she put her hand on Buffy’s chin and pushed, interrupting the kiss. Then, taking advantage of Buffy’s surprise, she grabbed her hand, pinned Buffy down on the bed and kissed her, wildly, before staring at her.
The two slayers remained silent for a few seconds, sharing their desires, their lusts through their eyes, breathing heavily, their senses entirely focused on the moment. Then Faith said:
“You’re driving me crazy, B. I want you so much my blond beauty. I want to make love to you. Let me do it, just relax.”
Her eyes still locked in Faith’s, Buffy just nodded and relaxed. She completely abandoned herself to Faith. In fact, for the first time of her life, she abandoned herself totally to someone else. Even with her former boyfriends, she had always wanted to have some control when they had sex. She didn’t feel the need anymore, Faith changed that. She admired her girlfriend when she saw her head getting closer for another wild but so tasteful and fantastic kiss.
Once again, Faith explored the outline of Buffy’s face, her neck, her cheeks, her jaw, giving soft kisses on her eyelids. Then, she went back to Buffy’s neck and, with her right hand, finished to unbutton the top.
Buffy was on fire. Faith’s caresses were so good. She couldn’t think nor speak. All she could do was moaning because of the sensations Faith was creating in her. Once Faith had unbutton her top, she quickly threw it away, loosing the feeling of Faith’s lips on her for just a second, a second that seemed an eternity to her. She felt Faith slowly moving down, towards the valley that was between her breasts. She could feel her hot breath on them soon. Faith was teasing her, circling around them, blowing but waiting to actually touch them. This teasing game was frustrating but was also driving Buffy farther in this world only pleasure could lead you to. Then, her body arched as she felt Faith’s tongue on her right nipple. The first touch was only with the tip of the tongue but soon, it was replaced by the whole thing that was circling around it, then, the mouth and the teeth as Faith was slowly biting it. Then, she began the whole show on the other nipple while stealing peeks on Buffy’s face that couldn’t hide the pleasure she had.
Faith’s hands were not inactive. Indeed, while she was teasing Buffy with her breath, the brunette had removed the lower part of her girlfriend’s pyjama and was currently caressing Buffy’s butt and the higher parts of her legs. It was slow and delicious for Buffy who had the impression that her body was caressed by the hands of thousands of Faith, an impression that led her even farther in her pleasure, a feeling that made her even closer to a climax that she knew would be amazing.
Faith was on her belly button now, her hands were still wandering on her legs and butt. She felt Faith tongue circling around the small hole birth had given her, kissing it, tasting it as the brunette wanted to swallow it. Once she had tasted every inch of this part, her head went lower and soon, faced her wet centre.
Buffy was close to the orgasm and Faith knew it. She decided to slow down and just blew to Buffy’s pussy. She locked her gaze to her girlfriend while doing it. She could see tears in her eyes, tears of pleasure. She could also see her head moving from right to left, left to right with every blew she was giving her. She waited, waited for the moment she would see Buffy’s eyes ask her to go forward and when she did see it, she closed the gap between the most delicious source of “water” she would never taste and her mouth.
Dawn was climbing the stairs. Willow had just asked her to go and bring the slayers downstairs for dinner, ignoring her plead for a trip to the Double Meat Palace. Willow wanted a family dinner, wanted to cook it by herself and wanted to know what Buffy and Faith wanted to eat. Once again, Willow was in her Mommy Willow trip. She was about to reach the end of the stairs when she heard a noise.
“Haaaaaaaaaaaa. Mmmmmyeaaaaaaaaaaaah.”
This noise seemed to come from the slayers’ room and Dawn was certain that it was Buffy’s voice. She climbed the two remaining stairs and moved towards the door when she heard:
“Oh God, yeah….Faith…So good….haaaaaaaaaaa.”
Dawn blushed. There was no doubt in her mind about what the slayers were doing and she was certainly not going to interrupt or disturb them. Slowly, she tiptoed to the stairs and moved downstairs, paying attention not to make any noise. Once downstairs, she grabbed the witches bags and joined them in the kitchen.
“So, they’re awake now?”
Willow was busy preparing the plates while Tara was checking what was in the fridge. Dawn answered Willow’s question.
“Yes, they are!”
“Good! So, they’re coming down.”
“Nope!”
“Nope what…”
“AHHHHHHHH FAITH…..YES….YES…YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS….FAITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHHHH”
Dawn smirked when she saw the witches becoming as red as she was a few minutes earlier. Extending her hands with the bags she just said: “Burgers?”
Willow and Tara weren’t long to answer “Burgers” before taking their bags and follow Dawn outside.
Andrea had just passed the board announcing that she was entering Sunnydale. She had had to go back to Frisco to meet the shrink the same morning and was now back to Hellmouth Ground after a quick visit to Eona.
The visit to the shrink had been quite calm this time. She had only thought about killing her twice today, which was a big improvement in comparison with her first visits. She still didn’t want to talk about some issues with her but, hell, she didn’t have to. It was the shrink’s own words so…
The visit to Eona had been quick too. Even if they were getting along quite well, Andrea didn’t like living with the native American girl. Everything was about rules with Eona. The girl had to have a military education and even if she was cool hanging on with, she was terrible as roomie…so Andrea had told her that she was needed in Sunnydale, just for a while, promising that as soon as Faith and Buffy would be better, she’d be back to Frisco.
Now, she was back in Sunnydale and she intended to have fun, to enjoy her "holidays", sleep, help her sister and Buffy, going to the movies with Laura, etc…Andrea smiled when she thought about the Egyptian girl. She remembered her face when she had told her that they would spend some time in the Mansion…without asking for Angel’s permission. That girl was helping her a lot in keeping an eye on her and her behaviour, she was very effective in doing it and was very stubborn when she wanted to but, this time, Andrea had convinced her that it wasn’t that bad. Angel was a "friend" and they weren’t planning to steal anything…but, using without asking was so much fun, it added a little something that she knew Laura liked.
She could see the Mansion now. It had to be 1 PM or something and she wondered if Laura would be awake, she stayed in bed even longer than Andrea herself and she wasn’t precisely the morning type of girl. If she was still asleep, Andrea swore that she would find a way to wake her up then, she would have to undergo Laura’s pouty face but, hell, she was so cute when she did it.
She was in front of the Mansion now. She cut the engine, and slowly entered the building.
Willow slowly opened the door and checked if she could hear some "suspicious" sounds coming from the first floor. As she didn’t hear anything, she entered the house. She had just left Dawn and Tara at the mall and wanted to work a little on the new text she had to write for College…and, as her computer was still in the house…
Once inside, she did hear a noise though but it wasn’t coming from upstairs but from the kitchen. It seems that someone was playing with plates inside. Wanting to know whom it was, Willow stepped in the kitchen and saw that Buffy was indeed busy with plates. Still wearing her night robe, the little blonde seemed to be preparing a breakfast, a large breakfast with marmalade and stuffs like that. Buffy noticed her friend’s presence.
"Hey Will."
"Hey, Buff! So, you’re finally up!"
"Yep, being a butterfly could seem exotic and fun but, I can assure you that they need to be in perfect condition to live. In other words, flying means tiring."
"And saving your lover too! Faith is still up there?"
"Yeah! She is waiting for breakfast so I figures out that breakfast in bed could be fun."
Willow grinned before answering: "Sure!"
Buffy didn’t seem to notice the grin and continued: "Yes, you know how she is in the mornings. Sometimes, I wish I had a bowl of cold water next to the bed." And, while saying it, Buffy took the plates and began to move to the stairs.
"Well, she seemed very awake this morning according to what I heard."
Buffy stopped. "Heard? Heard what?"
Buffy showed her back to Willow but the red head was sure she was blushing. She had to be as red as a whole field of tomatoes. She couldn’t resist the need to continue to tease her.
"Well, you’re not very discreet, Buffy."
"…"
"Never mind, if it was half good as it sounded, it was definitely worth it."
"…"
"Buffy, I’m just teasing you. Buffy, I’m cool with it, you know…Buffy, answer me…"
"Did…did Dawn…"
"Well…yeah."
"Oh God, I’ll never be able to look into her eyes…ever." She put the plate on the stairs and Willow could see her red face.
"Come on, Buffy? Dawn is 16. I think she already knows lots of things regarding…" Seeing Buffy’s expression while she was mentioning it, Willow continued in babbling mode. "…nonnono, I’m wrong, you know me, sometimes, I say things and they're not true, Dawn isn’t like that, she is too young, a virgin in this field…whoa…did I said ‘virgin’? If I did, I didn’t mean…"
Willow stopped. Buffy was smiling now which was a big improvement after the whole embarrassing moment.
"Don’t worry, Will. I know, she’s probably well aware about…it. It’s just, I don’t like having some visuals with my sister as leading star."
"I don’t like having them either…not that I have these visuals…."
"It’s okay, Will."
They smiled at each other, exchanging understanding messages through their eyes before Buffy took the plate and began climbing the stairs. "Sorry to go but I have a starved slayer upstairs."
"I understand. I’ll be in the living room if you need anything."
"OK…and, Will."
"Yes?" Willow turned her head to look at Buffy who was still climbing the stairs.
"It was ten times better than it sounded!"
In the meantime, Andrea penetrated in the Mansion’s garden and she could hear voices. One of these voices was Laura’s, she was sure of it and she didn’t seem happy at all. It was strange, Andrea thought. She had never seen Laura angry or losing her temper since she had met her. She wasn’t that kind of girl. Whatever was the cause of this had to be damn important. She slowly made her way towards the place where the conversation was occurring, ready to strike if someone or something was threatening the Egyptian girl.
Laura was indeed in the garden, discussing with a man. The Angel broody kind of man who was wearing a coat as if it was a cape, his arms weren’t in his sleeves but crossed on his chest. Laura was pacing, raising her arms up and down, another sign of her nervousness. What the hell could make her so anxious and angry? Andrea now could hear the conversation.
"Stop telling me the ‘We have to stay neutral in this case’ crap. I’ve chosen my side already and you know it fucking too well."
Andrea smiled when she heard that. She could easily guess where Laura had found the curses and she was, yes, she was kinda proud of that.
"What? Geez, you can be so stubborn sometimes and I know that my father would never have talked to you like that…sorry, pal, I’m not him."
Wow. Andrea was sure that she hadn’t heard what the guy had said. She was even sure that he hadn’t talked at all and what was this crap they were talking about.
"It had been cast millenniums ago, in a time when my father hadn’t lost his mind. Can’t you see it? They didn’t have the choice. It was theirs or him."
The broody guy didn’t move, his eyes focused on Laura. Andrea was more and more certain that the guy was discussing telepathically with Laura. She was beginning to understand what they were talking about and didn’t like it at all.
"Your role is not to judge? Please! I have the feeling I’m speaking to a lobotomised cyborg here. Dad tried to change the balance of the world. They stopped him. You know how much I loved him, you know how much it costs me to say these things to you but he was wrong and they had to kill him. So, the curse doesn’t count."
Andrea felt her nails entering her palms. She was in fist position now and she felt her own anger increase with the conversation. They were speaking about the curse, about Faith and Buffy and she didn’t like the way the guy was "speaking" to Laura at all. His arrogance was clearly visible. And what was that look in Laura’s eyes now?
"They what? Ow, come one, she was trying to save Buffy then, she was angry! She didn’t really know what she was doing! They can’t blame her for that!" The guy didn’t seem to listen to Laura anymore and stepped away. Seeing it, Laura added: "And don’t go yet. I’m not finished!"
"And I’m just beginning!"
They both turned their heads towards Andrea, both surprised by her irruption. Laura bowed her head as a child who had just been caught stealing fruits in the fridge. Andrea walked quickly to join them, her features showing her anger.
"So, what’s the deal? What’s up with B and Sis? Who’s this guy?"
"Andrea! It’s…it’s complicated and…"
"Shut the fuck up, L. I’ve understood what you’re talking about. So, No Tongue Boy, you wanna mess up with us, you wanna mess up with my family?"
The mysterious man just smiled.
"And this bastard is making fun out of me. You want me to kick your ass?"
"Andrea no!" But it was too late. Andrea’s fist connected with the man’s jaw before Laura could do anything to stop her.
Andrea thought that her fist had met 25 inched of metal. The guy hadn’t flinched. It was as if her punch hadn’t hurt him at all. Amazed, Andrea saw the guy move towards her, and kiss her on the forehead before looking at Laura and moving away. It was at that time that Andrea recovered her senses.
"Where do you think you’re going? We’ve not finished…"
Andrea didn’t finish her sentence. The guy had dropped the coat, revealing two white wings. He winked before leaving the place, flying in the sky.
"Who? What?"
Laura joined Andrea whose eyes were still fixed in the sky and answered.
"His name is Dumah! The Angel of Death and Silence."
Faith glanced at the plate Buffy had just brought her, a glance that the blonde didn’t miss. She had just thrown her robe away and, naked, she joined her girlfriend in bed.
"What? You don’t like it?"
"Well, I was expecting something more…consistent. Look at this…jelly, marmalade, cheese…where are the bacon, the eggs, …you know, stuff you can hold in your hand?"
"There are some of them!"
"Yeah, I know, hidden below the rest of the plate. That’s not enough to feed me you know?"
"Fairy, you don’t know what’s really good."
"What? Hey, I’m a specialist. I’m a Breakfast Girl, I know what’s good."
"No you don’t. See, the jelly?"
Faith nodded, showing her "I don’t think you would convince me" look.
"Good. You take the spoon, take a bit of it and make your way to the mouth." While explaining it, Buffy had taken the spoon, had put some jelly on it and moved her hand towards Faith’s mouth. She was in the middle of her way when, suddenly, the jelly fell from the spoon, landing right on Faith’s left nipple.
"Ow, look, how clumsy I can be. Guess, I have to clean this mess, don’t you think?"
Faith didn’t say a word, a grin had just appeared on her face. That was what Buffy meant when she had said that she knew what was good for breakfast. She looked at her girlfriend, bowing her head to lick the jelly and couldn’t prevent herself to moan as soon as she felt her lover’s tongue on her breast. God, she had changed her mind, Buffy was right, this is perfect breakfast.
Buffy raised her head and saw the grin and the lust that had just appeared on Faith’s face. She grinned herself and continued.
"So, as I said, you take the jelly and…" another portion of jelly landed on Faith’s other nipple. "I never miss a target." And Buffy licked it again, making Faith moan again.
"So?"
Faith answered with a voice full of desire.
"You’re the best, B. But, if you continue like this, I’ll have to taste this ‘breakfast’ too and we’ll both be all sticky…"
Buffy gave her a wicked smile and replied while taking some marmalade on the spoon…"Then, we’ll have to do the bathroom too, girlfriend."
And, as Buffy bowed her head to lick the marmalade that had been dropped on Faith’s belly button, she heard her say between two moans.
"That’s my girl!"
"That’s not the point. I don’t give a shit that you weren’t sure about it. You should have told me something."
Laura sighed. She knew it, knew that if Andrea heard about this mess, she would be pissed off and she was. Of course, she had some reasons that Laura understood. She had wanted to tell Andrea about this meeting, about her suspicions but she was also certain that she would have led nowhere.
"OK, I fucked up! I agree I should have told you and then what? Would you have let me discuss it alone with Dumah? Would you have listened to him without interrupting his talk? Or would you have tried to punch him vainly as you have just done it?"
"I…You…Fuck!"
Andrea hit the wall with her fist and broke a stone. She was about to do it again when she felt Laura’s hand on her shoulder. She was angry with the girl but, as painful as it was for her to admit it, the Egyptian girl was right. She wouldn’t have let her discuss with this Dumah guy alone and would have probably lost her temper. Now, they had to think about a way to resolve this.
"So, what about now, L? Any idea?"
"I don’t think we have much choice. The test is the only option."
"And what is this test exactly? Would they have to face this angel, fight with him?"
"I don’t know!"
"What? You don’t know?"
"It’s been centuries since the test has been performed and every time, they’re different. It depends on the persons, on the deeds, on the jury, etc…"
"OK, so we don’t know anything about this test! Shit! B and Sis won’t like it at all!"
"I’m sorry, A. I should have known it."
Andrea saw Laura move away from her, had just felt the girl’s hand leave her shoulder and noticed that she was crying. She didn’t like seeing her friend crying. It was her turn to sigh. She walked towards Laura who felt her coming and turned her head away.
"There are plenty of things that I’ve learned lately. One of them is that you shouldn’t be ashamed of crying. Come on, L, don’t hide yourself. (The young woman turned and began to cry, her head on Andrea’s shoulder). It wasn’t your fault that your father lost his …anyway. I think, it’s understandable that he never told anything about the curse. People do not like speaking about death and shits like that especially with the people they care about."
"I…I’ve met Dumah several times before and...and I never asked about what his job was…I should have…We would have been able to react quicker. I’m such an idiot."
"Sht, sht, none of my friends is an idiot. They can lose a fucking brain cell sometimes but not for long. Besides, you were just a kid then."
Laura didn’t reply. She had felt Andrea’s arms on her back, moving in a comforting gesture and it felt good. They stayed like that a couple of minutes before Laura pulled Andrea away.
"Thanks!"
Andrea smiled, her anger for the Egyptian girl totally forgotten. She was glad to see her smile. It wasn’t the Golden Carat kind of smile but it was good to see it. She didn’t like to see her sad at all.
"So, I think we should go and explain everything to Buffy and your sister."
"OK! Let’s go."
They moved away towards the bike and were both missing the contact they had just shared.
Kara was in the library, reading a comic book. She didn’t like when Dumah was away from her, didn’t like when he left for a mission, particularly for this mission, a longer than long mission that would keep him away often, too often for her own taste. The slayers weren’t something easy to deal with, even for him. As a demon, she knew it too well, having survived two encounters with the chosen ones.
Thinking about the past reminded her her first meeting with Dumah. It was kinda strange, who could say that the love of her life was also her murderer? Part of her had always thought that stealing this sacred artefact was a mistake but if she hadn’t done it, she wouldn’t have met him, would never have met the assassin of the PTBs and the Forces of Darkness.
It had been love at first sight for both of them. She had seen it in his eyes and she was glad that she hadn’t been born as an ugly demon but as the perfect example of a pulpous and sensuous woman, yes, her skin was orange but who cared when each part of her body was purely female. But he had a mission to do, he had to kill her and for Dumah, there was nothing more sacred than a mission and she had understood then and accepted her fate as crazy as it sounded. So, she died that day and sometimes, could still feel the coldness of his sword when it went through her heart.
And then, she had woken up in this realm, Dumah’s realm, Dumah’s hell, and the place where all his victims were sent after their death to suffer an eternity of torment. She had woken up and he was there, his eyes full of concern and her restored heart had been full of joy. She had been the one he had chosen to rule this realm with him. It was their kingdom, a hell for most of its inhabitants, an Eden for Dumah and her. Living with an angel who couldn’t speak was disturbing at first but now, she loved this part of him, as she loved every part of him.
He had left during the morning, letting her in charge of the realm. She liked that part of the job, punishing the ones who had disobeyed the rules. She might be in love, she was still a demon and enjoyed seeing the others suffering. They were in a hell dimension after all and completely away from the ridiculous struggle between the forces of good and evil. She had been part of this struggle a long time ago, and had had fun but this time was over and she didn’t care about it anymore.
She heard the flap of his wings, he was back. She couldn’t hide the smile of contentment she had and noticed he had it too. Their love was as fresh as during the first days and would be like that forever.
Willow put two of her fingers in her left ear to remove the wax she had in it and listened. Nothing, just the silence, a silence that wasn’t comparable to the one she had with the wax in her ears because of the traffic noises but she couldn’t hear the slayers upstairs anymore and it was a plus, they had to be asleep now.
She would never have though that, one day, she would have cursed the slayers stamina. But she couldn’t blame them either. They finally could enjoy some "cool" time together…but it wasn’t good for her concentration. She had thought that they would have stopped somewhat when they had gone into the bathroom but no. These girls were insatiable! And she was glad, happy for the both of them. They are so good together. As Tara had said while reading their auras, they belonged together, they had a pure love.
Looking back at her computer, she read her text a last time. Once she had put the wax in her ears, her concentration had return and she couldn’t tell when the slayers stopped. Her text was finished now and she could relax now, taking advantage of the silence before hearing some noises that she was sure were to come again…before the return of Tara and Dawn…or she hoped so.
Willow went to the kitchen to fill a glass of water. When she was back, she saw Andrea and Laura entering the house.
"Hey guys! Er, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind you being here but…how…"
Andrea smiled and answered: "Got a double, Sis gave it to me! Thought you knew it."
"No, but it’s good. I know now."
Laura sat in the sofa but Andrea kept looking at Willow.
"OK, who the fuck are you and where is the real Red?"
Willow smiled and replied: "I know that I wasn’t your strongest fan, Andrea but we’ve spent the last weeks working together, trying to find a way to bring Buffy back and…Well, let’s just say that the Andrea I saw…well, I like her."
Andrea didn’t answer, she just smiled and replied with her eyes. That was probably the main difference between the twins, Faith had learned how to say thank you, Andrea still didn’t know how to deal with words but her gestures spoke for her. Remembering that Andrea wasn’t alone, Willow turned her head towards Laura.
"And you, Laura, how are you doing?"
While asking it, she saw the sad look in the girl’s eyes and was directly worried about her.
"Laura, what’s wrong?"
"I…we…"
That couldn’t be good, she didn’t know the girl for long but Willow knew that Laura, contrary to Andrea, was a speaker. So, if she couldn’t find the words…It had to be something really disturbing. Andrea’s voice took Willow back to reality.
"We..we’ve got bad news, Red. Are B and Sis there?"
"Yes, upstairs, in their room."
Andrea looked at her in disbelief.
"They aren’t awake yet. Are you sure that there’s nothing wrong? I know Sis likes to stay in bed but even she should be awake now."
Willow grinned when she answered: "Oh, believe me, they’re fine. Full of energy if you see what I mean."
Andrea’s eyes grew wide once she had realised what Willow was talking about and, strangely enough, it didn’t hurt her. She had always thought that the day Buffy and Faith would get down and dirty, it would be painful but, no, it wasn’t. She really was over it now and she was even happy for the two other slayers, they were her family now.
"Okay! It was about time. Their bodies were screaming of frustrated desires for too long. Were they loudy?"
"Andrea!"
"What? How come on, Red. Tell me! Tell me or I tickle you till you pee in your pants."
"You wouldn’t…"
"Oh, yeah, I would and you know it."
"Yes, I know and yes they were but I won’t tell anything else even if you…you know."
"So, as I don’t hear anything now, I guess they’re asleep or…"
"Don’t! They’re asleep! Period."
"OK, so, I have to wake them up." And Andrea moved towards the stairs and began to go upstairs.
"Andrea, wait!"
Willow was about to follow her but Laura prevented her with her hand.
"Let her go! And warn the others. It’s very big this time, Willow."
Willow looked at Laura and sighed. "As always."
Buffy was resting on Faith’s chest, looking at her girlfriend who was asleep, studying her features as if she had never seen them, as if she was continually discovering them, as if she was continually falling in love with them, with her. She was the one, she was her one.
Suddenly, Faith opened her eyes and directly looked after Buffy’s gaze, easily meeting it.
"Hey you!"
"Hey!"
They kissed, a kiss that began softly but was becoming wilder with the seconds. When they broke the kiss, Faith had this sensuous grin that Buffy liked so much.
"You think that Will would stand another round, girlfriend?"
Buffy smirked. "I felt bad for her. She has a text to write and we…"
"You feel bad. Is it true this lie?"
"Sort of. But I wouldn’t change anything to this day."
"It’s far from finished you know?"
"Oh, I’m counting on it!"
Their lips met anew and their hands were beginning to explore the other body when they heard a strong knock on their door.
"Girls, wake up. Emergency! Meeting downstairs in five minutes."
"Grrr, Andrea!"
"Fairy! May I kill your sister?"
"Not directly, first I have to beat the crap out of her."
"Yeah, but after that?"
"She is yours, love."
Buffy looked into her girlfriend’s eyes, smiling.
"I love it when you call me like that."
"You’d better get used to it."
"And you too my love."
Buffy pressed her lips to Faith’s and they began a new hot kiss.
"4 minutes, guys."
They broke the kiss and Buffy looked at Faith.
"You beat?"
Faith nodded and replied.
"And you kill!"
Andrea looked at the persons gathered in the living room of the Summers House. Sitting on the couch, there were Willow, Tara and Dawn who had just came in after their walk. Opposite to them, Faith and Buffy shared a chair. The two slayers were still throwing angry looks at Andrea, which comforted her in her thought that she had to have interrupted something upstairs.
The first thing she had noticed when the slayers had come downstairs, apart from the fact that they hadn’t brush their hairs, was the tiny leather skirt Faith was wearing. It was a strange sight as Faith (like Andrea herself) wasn’t the wearing skirt type of girl. And then, she remembered that Faith had worn a skirt the day Buffy’s soul had been replaced by the one of the Ripper’s fourth victim, she remembered then Buffy and her obsession for Faith’s legs and understood then the reason why Faith accepted to wear such an outfit. In fact, as Buffy had continually traced patterns on Faith’s legs since they came down, she understood it more and more. Andrea looked at her sister and the two brunettes exchanged a "conspiratory" smile. While smiling to her twin, Andrea noticed that Faith’s hand was caressing Buffy’s neck and the blond slayer was really enjoying this touch.
Seeing the two of them touching and, visibly, enjoying it that much would have been like a knife in her heart only a month before. But it wasn’t the case anymore. In fact, Andrea felt really happy for her sister slayers. Things changed, people changed, she had changed.
Shaking her head, she continued to look around the room. Her eyes finally fell on the last person present in the place, Laura who seemed completely ashamed. Andrea had never seen her that shy and fragile. She wanted to hug her, rock her to reassure her. It was strange how close from this girl she had become. In fact, she was sure that Laura had a big part of responsibility regarding her "changes", regarding the way she felt now when she was around her sister and B. Being around her felt so good…maybe she was moving on and falling for her after all. It wasn’t the time to think about it though. They were here for a specific reason. She stood up and began her speech.
"OK guys. First of all, I’m sorry to disturb you. I’m sure you guys had a lot of interesting of pleasurable things to do." She gave a wink to the slayers. Buffy blushed and gave her a shy smile back while Faith’s grin matched Andrea’s.
"I won’t have come if it wasn’t dead serious. In fact, I don’t have good news. It’s even shitty news."
"Straight to the point, sis! What’s so bad?"
"This whole Ripper thing…er…Buffy hadn’t been victim of it by chance. Fate had nothing to do with it!"
Buffy and Faith exchanged a look. The others were also surprised. Buffy was the first to react.
"So, you’re saying that…that someone did this to me? That a bastard did it on purpose?"
"Who did this, sis? Who is the son of a bitch…"
"Wo Wo Wo, keep calm guys! We’ll get back to this later. All that I can say is that we were lucky in a way that Buffy was the only one who had been affected by it. Faith could have had the same fate."
"But how? Who? Why?"
"Lots of questions, Red! I’m not the specialist here! Laura is. L?"
Laura slowly raised her head, crossing Andrea’s eyes. She was her friend smile to her, an encouraging smile and she found the courage to stand up and explain the whole story.
"Tan, are you sure about it? They won’t like it!"
The blond woman turned towards her friend, smiling.
"Yes, I’m sure! You know that it is the right thing to do. They’ve lost it, Min. They are like future butterflies in their cocoon, too comfy in it, afraid to move further. They’d prefer things to stay the way they are instead of moving forward. We have to shake them up, we have to kick their asses and make them realise that the universe evolves and that they would soon be out of date. Some times, I’ve got the impression to live in a geriatric house, full of antiques who don’t want to see the realities of this time. The other side adapt itself much quicker than we do and THAT is what worries me the most."
"But, they could see it as a betrayal…and you…"
She gently put her hand on his cheek and replied.
"Yes, they would be mad but I can’t continue to pretend, I can’t wait any longer! Besides, I don’t think anyone would want my job. It’s not good for the social status and they like being social."
"And how could you be so sure they would call you?"
"They know me, we’re getting along quite well and I want to help them. So, will you take my charges while I’m gone?"
"You know I will! You know I can’t refuse you anything."
"Yes, I know! And you know what it means to me."
She kissed him quickly and moved away.
"Good luck, Tan."
"I don’t need luck, Min. But a prayer or two could be useful."
"Then I will."
She turned her head one last time, gave him a soft smile before vanishing. The man stayed there a couple of minutes before going back to his temple, wishing nothing went wrong.
Faith was waiting for Laura to begin her speech. She was now completely concentrated on the subject. The first minutes of Andrea’s speech, she had been kinda out of the game as she had been totally giving herself to the feeling Buffy’s hand had been creating on her legs. The girl knew how to drive her crazy and, seeing the wicked grin that had been on her lips at that moment, Buffy had been fully aware of it. While the petite blonde had found the skirt in the cupboard, she had insisted that Faith wore it. At the same time, she had shown her cutest smile, the one she knew Faith couldn’t resist.
Now, Buffy had stopped her patterns on her legs and was also concentrated on the subject. Finally, Laura stood up, hesitated a little, then after a last look to Andrea, began her speech.
"I…you all know about the curse, the one that should be cast to the persons who would kill my father?"
Everyone nodded.
"We…I didn’t know what this curse was exactly. As Andrea told me, people don’t like to discuss about their death with the ones they care about. So, neither my father, nor my mother talked to me about it. When…when I went to see the demon that guarded my father’s library to find a way to bring Buffy’s soul back, I asked him about the curse too as I knew I would never be allowed to come back there. He refused at first but finally agreed to let me read what my father wrote about it in his diary."
Laura made a pause, fighting her tears but Faith wanted to know more and quickly. Buffy and her had to know about this curse to find a way to fight it. Noticing that the Egyptian girl seemed lost in her own thoughts, Faith asked "And?"
"Give her time, sis. It’s not easy for her to remember all this shit."
"I know, Andrea and I’m sorry if I look like I’m heartless. I know it’s hard for her but we (she moved her finger between Buffy and herself) need to know."
Coming back to the present time, Laura continued.
"Yes…I know…sorry for the interruption. The…the curse, called "Curse of death" is…is a very ancient curse that could even affect PTB members. It’s powerful and cruel…even sadistic in a way. It doesn’t affect the person on whom the curse is caught, it also affects their family and friends."
"So, we’re all going to die?"
"No Willow, it’s not that simple. The curse transforms its victims in a magnet that attracts evil things and diseases on them and their loved ones…until the victims die."
"So, you’re saying that the whole Ripper thing, the sightseeing trip my soul had on Purgatory is due to the curse because I attracted it?"
"Yes, and fortunately Faith hadn’t been touched by it!"
"OK so my sister and Faith are evil magnets now. My question is: how can we fight it? Is there away to kill a curse?"
"That’s what I tried to do this morning when I talked to Dumah."
"Dumah? Is there a Russian demon in Sunnydale?"
They all turned their heads to see Xander who had just entered the house with Anya. As the other members of the Gang were completely into Laura’s speech, they hadn’t noticed their arrival. Willow stood up and went to the couple to explain the situation to them. Once she was finished, she nodded to Laura, asking her to continue.
"Dumah is…Well, I think, I’d better tell you who he is first. Dumah is an angel."
"Angel as ‘I’ve got white wings and a plate above the head’ kind of guy?"
A short smile appeared on the corner of Laura’s mouth before she continued.
"Yes, Xander. You got it. You see, Angels were the soldier and secret agents of the PTB a long long time ago. Then, their head, Lucifer, betrayed the PTB…you know the rest of the story. After the end of the war, there were two classes of Angels, those who remained faithful to the PTB and the Fallen Ones who became a new race of demons."
"And this Dumah guy is a Fallen Angel, I presume."
"No, Willow. He is neither a PTB agent, nor a demon even if he rules a hell dimension."
"Stop! He rules a hell dimension and he is not a demon? That’s kinda contradictory no?"
"Yes, Buffy. It is. The hell dimension he is the master of only received the ones Dumah killed with his own hands. They usually are criminals, traitors or murderers and truly deserve to be there. Dumah is a unique angel because he stayed neutral during the war between the PTB and the forces of Lucifer. After the war, both sides agreed that they needed a neutral force to keep an eye on stuff that neither the PTB, nor Lucifer wanted to let to the other faction. As a neutral personality, Dumah was chosen. Later, he became the neutral force to any conflict between forces of good and evil."
"OK, got it. As your father was a neutral force too, no one belonging to a faction could look after him or be in charge of the spell. So, naturally, this Dumah was chosen."
"Yes, Willow. In fact, it’s a standard procedure now to let Dumah in charge of anything that wasn’t related to the forces of good or evil. The curse threatened anyone who would kill my father. As Dumah only kills the ones who break the rules he follows or provoke the events he supervises, he had no interest in killing him. So, once again, he was the logical choice in this case."
"And now, we’re his targets."
"Yes, Faith. I tried to convince him this morning, to explain to him that you had no other choice other than to kill him but, for Dumah, the rules are the rules, even if you have the best intentions in the world. He would prefer to see the world end than to break a rule."
"When words fail, there are other ways to convince someone. I will not stay here waiting for my friends to die, waiting for my own death without doing something. Don’t you think, Fairy?"
"I wouldn’t have say it better, B."
"NO! You don’t know Dumah. Outside of his realm, he’s invincible. Ask Andrea, she punched him this morning and he didn’t feel anything."
"And what the fuck would you like us to do? I’d rather try fighting this bastard than waiting for him to strike in saying that’s the bloody fatality!"
"I didn’t say there was no chance, Faith. There is an option in fact…the TEST."
"A test? Why the fuck should it always be a test?"
"Because old, boring and extremely powerful beings do tend to be very cliché. You know it, Fairy."
"Yeah, sure. The day they would solve things around a poker table, beep me! I’ll show them!"
"Er…guys?"
Both slayers replied at the same time: "Yeah, Will?"
"Could you let Laura finish, please. I want to know what this test is about."
Buffy sat on Faith’s laps, giving her girlfriend full access to her neck while she could continue to trace patterns on Faith’s leg. They both nodded to Laura, encouraging her to continue. The Egyptian girl spoke then on a very quiet tone.
"The fact is that I don’t know what this test would be."
"Great! You were right, B…a fucking sense of déjà vu."
"Hey, it’s not my fault. These tests hadn’t been authorised since 3000 BC. It’s an opportunity Dumah delivers only when extreme circumstances are gathered and he chooses what the test would be like. It’s always different, always adapted to the persons who would face the test. I also know that the tests take place in Dumah’s realm."
"Sorry, L! Didn’t want to be rude!"
"I know, Faith."
"Well, we can still ask Giles when he will be here. Did you think to call him, guys?"
The Scoobies looked at one another before Tara decided to speak.
"Mr Giles went back in England yesterday with Naomi. She will be judged by the Council for her deeds."
"He what!"
"On the sly. I wasn’t aware of it too. I just wish I could have present my left fist to her teeth."
Faith grinned at Andrea’s statement and she was sure that she had seen a similar grin on Buffy’s features. Giles knew them too well. He knew that it would be preferable to leave with the girl before their awakening. Still, she regretted it. Not wanting to let the "twins" think about it any further, Buffy decided to go back to this test thing.
"Any other good news, Laura?"
"Er…you have to find someone to make the official request for the test."
"What? Official request?"
"Old, boring and powerful beings like to work with rules so, there are lots of administrative shits to deal with before the test takes place. In the meantime, the curse will be lifted. So, one of the PTB has to make an official request for you to pass the test. And the same PTB has to accept to be your witness during the ritual."
"Witness. Do you mean a kind of lawyer who will represent them, help them."
"In a way, X-…Xander."
"OK, I don’t think the PTB’s would mind to help us. After all, we risk our butts every day in their names and…"
It was at that time that Buffy caught a confusing look in Faith’s face. Her girlfriend seemed as if she was ashamed of something.
"Fairy? What’s wrong?"
"Nothing, B. It’s just…the PTB’s aren't that fond of us anymore. I kinda pissed them off while I was looking for your soul."
"Explain 'Kinda pissed them off.'"
"As in cursing them, stealing books from their adepts, shaking them a little bit…you know little stuffs like that."
"Explain the 'Little stuffs like that' in details."
"OK, OK? I threatened them, wanted to go see them and kick their heavenly asses that never move from their seats. Happy now?"
Buffy smiled before answering. "Actually yes! I’m proud to have a girlfriend ready to kick some gods asses to save me."
Faith grinned but didn’t reply before a minute, as if she was thinking about something.
"You know. I think I might know someone who could do that. Do you see who I mean, B?…B?"
Buffy seemed lost in her thoughts too but quickly came back to the moment.
"Sorry! You…"
The doorbell suddenly interrupted the blond slayer. As it was still daytime, no one objected when Dawn stood up and walked towards the door. She opened it and it was as if a tornado had just entered the house.
Kara watched as her husband was training. She liked to see him during his training sessions. His sweat, his muscles, his perfect features, all of it was both exciting and terribly scaring at the same time, a mix that had always pleased the orange demon.
The same day, Dumah had explained to her that soon, the slayers would have a test to pass and they had spent hours to settle all the details of it. It had been a wonderful time for the both of them, imagining what the two girls would have to undergo to be allowed to live further. That was something she would never be tired of: Playing with the lives of the "sinners" they had to take care of.
Of course, the slayers had to find someone to help them, to represent them but Dumah didn’t seem to doubt that someone would and as Dumah was never wrong, she shouldn’t even bother to think about it. So, instead, she focused her attention on her husband again, imagining all the fun they would have in a couple of days.
Dawn hadn’t had the time to say a word, hadn’t had the time to move. The blond woman who had just entered the house was too quick. She was now in the living room, making gestures and speaking like …no, she was even more talkative than Cordelia. She was wearing a beige suit with a short skirt that showed very strong and attractive legs that Xander didn’t seem able not to look at.
"Hello, everybody. Hope you’re fine. Me, I’m very well. Thank you. For those who don’t know me yet, I’m Tan Hellanovitch, founder of Tana, Thos, Gehde and Associates. We’re temporary lawyers and it seems that you’ll need our services soon."
She made a short pause before continuing. She took papers on her bag, went to two amused slayers and then said:
"So, Buffy and Faith. You’ve been bad girls, you know! But you were right, let’s gave them a lesson they would remember till the end of times. I have papers for you to sign, then I will go and see the old and boring ones who would have no other choices than to agree with it, which would piss them off greatly, which would be lot of fun by the way. You’ll see, you won’t regret having chosen me."
A smile still on her face, Buffy asked Faith: "So, she’s the one you were thinking about?"
"Of course, I’m the one she was thinking about. You would have thought about me too, Buffy. If you weren’t too busy thinking about a way to take Faith’s skirt off because she looks too damn…"
"OK, I think we all got it!" Buffy was bright red now. But Faith didn’t seem to want to forget it.
"You know, B. If you want to take my skirt off…you should have find a way for us to be alone."
"Well, I was thinking about that too."
"And what do you want to do after taking my tiny skirt off, B?"
"Fairy! We’re not alone here."
"Yes, Faith! It’s not the best time to tease Buffy here. Besides, should I remind you that the first thing you thought about when you saw me the first time was and I quote you: 'Damn, B would be hot in this dress!'"
It was Faith’s time to blush and Buffy’s time to grin.
"OK, Big D., you win. Thanks for helping though."
"You’re welcome. Now, if you would like to shake your friends a bit."
The slayers looked at their friends who were watching the scene either with an amused interest (Andrea and Laura) or with stupor and incomprehension (the others).
"So, guys. This is Big D., our lawyer but you sure know her better under the name of 'Death'."
"Death as if…"
"Jedi robe and scythe, yes. As you can see, Xander, there is a difference between the myth and the reality."
"Oh."
After having signed the requested papers, the slayers had witnessed Tan’s departure to wherever she had to go to present their request. Now, they were both outside, patrolling as if it was a normal day but vampires didn’t seem to want to socialise tonight and they were finishing the patrol in the last cemetery of Sunnydale.
The last hour with Death had been very disappointing though. Even if Buffy and Faith really liked the blond woman and really appreciated what she was doing for them, she hadn’t given them much information about what they would do or what was probably waiting for them in Dumah’s realm, in Dumah’s hell.
Buffy was completely lost in her thoughts and Faith couldn’t fail to notice it. The whole day, her girlfriend had been in a teasing and so wicked cool mood. For Faith, this day had been prefect since Tan’s arrival. Even before, when they had heard Andrea’s concern and Laura’s lecture about the test and Dumah, they hadn’t lost this mood. No, it had requested Tan’s presence to really get what they would face, to really understand that the moments of pure happiness they had shared during this day could possibly be the last. And Faith felt so powerless in front of the current situation…once again, the first sentence that came to her mind while thinking about all this shit was: This is so unfair. And she knew that Buffy felt it too. In normal circumstances, she would have let it go, would have hid this behind her inner walls and would have waited for Buffy to speak about it but she wasn’t like that anymore. She knew that the longer they would wait, the worse it could become.
"B?"
Hearing her girlfriend’s voice, Buffy turned to face her, tears were falling from her eyes. She came closer to Faith, put her head on the brunette’s shoulder and cried. Faith accepted the embrace and, calmly, rocked the blond slayer.
"This is so unfair!"
"Yes it is!"
"Couldn’t they let us a little while to enjoy being together? I mean, look at this. We’re really together for two months and I’ve got the impression that all the evil on Earth is trying to separate us, to prevent us for being together. I don’t ask for long periods of calm but…"
"I know the feeling, B. I so wish I could hold you in my arms during an eternity. I wish I could see your smile every minutes of the day. But as long as this curse is there, it could only become worse."
"Yes, and if we succeed in doing this test, do you really think we would have the time to really enjoy our love? You know as well as I know that another evil will come and after that another one…It will never end."
"B…Buffy, look at me. You wanna know what I think about this? (The petite blonde nodded). I think that you’re partly right. But, we WILL succeed in doing this test. We WILL have some time for ourselves. We WILL be forced to fight other evil beings and we WILL beat them and we WILL be happy because we have something that no one ever had! We have something that no slayer had before, we are the two of us and we are in love with each other. As long as we believe in us, in this wicked sexy couple we have become, no one would stop us."
Buffy gave her a small smile before answering.
"Positive thinking, right? How could you be so optimistic?"
"Have to! If I hadn’t been so fucking stubborn, you wouldn’t be there and I don’t think I would have been either."
"Huh!"
"When I think about my shitty life, there is one think I’m really proud of, there is one think I would die to defend and this thing is what exists between us, this love I never thought being worthy to have, this funny and embarrassing feelings you make me experience. Just by being with you, I feel gifted and losing it would be too much to bear for me so, I can’t let myself think about it. If you think about what you could lose, you can’t really enjoy life."
"Wow, when have you become such a wise girl?"
"Since I’ve fallen in love with this extraordinary chick that I’m holding in my arms."
"Then you’re not the one who is gifted to have such a wonderful girlfriend, I am. When I was prisoner of the wind, sometimes, I felt lost. I was on the verge of giving up but, at these moments, your image came in my head and, somehow, I knew you would come and rescue me. I had no doubts when it happened. I understand what you’ve just told me because it is what I’m feeling too. I love you Faith, without you, I was lost, I had no anchor in this world then, you came and everything changed. You changed this hellish world into a living paradise."
"Wow! I…I don’t know what to say except that I love you too, B. Now, no more dark thoughts? May I have a kiss?"
"Of course and even more than once."
They kissed passionately before walking toward the exit, hand in hand. Then, Faith felt Buffy stop.
"Fairy? I…I want to see my mom. And...I would like you to come with me. We…We’ve never visited her together since we…are together and...I want to go and see her now, with you!"
Faith smiled and just nodded. They quickly entered the way that led to Joyce Summers grave and Buffy stopped walking as soon as she saw it, confused. She pointed her index towards the grave and said:
"Fairy…it’s…it’s.."
"A Buffy Hazel, yes."
"You…You’ve come see her?"
Faith put her arm around her lover’s waist and they closed the distance that was still separating them from the grave. Once they were in front of it, Faith let her arm there and answered Buffy’s question.
"I needed to. As positive as I might appear, I’m still myself too. I can be a fucking insecure bitch sometimes, B. I needed someone to confess my fears to, someone who didn’t need to see me in the positive and encouraging girl’s role…And your mom has always been this good to me so…"
"So?"
"I came here every night, doing some kind of briefing to her. And it was so good B, as if she lifted a part of the weight I had on my shoulders."
"She had always been like this. Sometimes, when I wasn’t good, when I was fed up with my slayer’s duty, she found the words to encourage me, even if she didn’t like me being the slayer, she helped me. I miss her you know?"
"Who wouldn’t?…She is my only real regret." Tears were in Faith’s eyes now.
"Regret?"
"I would never be able to apologise to her!"
It was Buffy’s turn to put her arm around Faith’s waist and after that, she put her girlfriend closer.
"She knows that you regret, she can see that you’re one of the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me. Do you really think she would have helped you if she didn’t like you?"
"You were in danger!"
"And I love you! I’m sure she can feel our love."
"Thanks!"
"No thanks needed. It’s what lovers do. Comfort each other, no rewards are necessary!"
Faith grinned: "I fact, I had some rewards in mind for you but…"
Buffy grinned also: "No such talk in front of my mother, would you?"
"OK!"
"But don’t forget these rewards! I may want to hear them."
"You can count on it."
Holding each other, they stared a long moment, thinking about the woman they both considered as a mother.
Andrea and Laura were back at the Mansion now. Both women didn’t know what to do, still digesting the events of the day. Laura had decided to go to the kitchen to cook something while Andrea was punching the dummy they had installed in the garden. She was giving it one of her special combo, as she liked to call theses hits when Tan appeared on her left.
"Nicely done!"
"Hey there! Seen the old and boring fucking ones?"
"Don’t go there, Andrea! They didn’t like Faith already, don’t want to see you on their red list!"
"Don’t care, D-Blondie! I don’t like the ones who don’t like my family!"
"Is Laura there?" asked Tan to change the conversation.
"Yeah, thought you knew everything?"
"I can, yes. That doesn’t mean that I do!"
"Whatever! So, what’s the answer?"
"They agree about the ritual and Dumah wants to see them as soon as possible. Do you know where they are?"
"Patrolling! Couldn’t you locate them?"
"No, in fact, I first stopped at their home but Willow told me they weren’t there…So, I tried here!"
"Well, you should have known better. They don’t know we’re here."
"Oh! Could you do me a favour then?"
"You want me to go and bring them here, right?"
"Yes, I would be grateful! I’ve still some things to prepare before opening the portal to Dumah’s dimension. I already told the others to come and meet us here."
"Did someone ever told you no?"
"Actually, many! But they usually aren’t in a position to argue!"
"OK, OK. I could use some exercise so, I’m gonna search them for you…But you owe me something!"
"Deal!"
"Cool; I’ve got a deal with Death herself!"
The women exchanged a last look before Andrea ran away.
Tan looked then to the door that led to the living room. Laura was standing there, her arms crossed on her chest.
"Things to prepare before opening the portal? We both know that there is nothing needed. And you can’t locate them. That’d be a first! What do you want, Tan?"
"To discuss with you alone, Laura and we won’t have much time, the Scoobies are on their way. Did he kiss her?"
"Who kissed who?" asked the Egyptian girl a little insecure now.
"Dumah! Did he kiss Andrea?"
"On the forehead, yes. (Then, Laura’s eyes got wide and fear could be perceived in her next question.) Do…Do you…is it a kiss of death?"
"No, don’t worry! I’m the only one who can deliver such kisses. I rather think that it is a way to prevent Andrea from intervening."
"Intervening?"
"The portal! It would be left opened during the whole test. It works according to the DNA of selected people. So, Buffy, Faith and myself would be the only ones allowed to go to Dumah’s realm. By kissing Andrea, who shares Faith’s DNA, he prevents her from coming!"
"Well done! So, they would be on their own."
Tan smiled before talking: "In a way, yes but THIS may give us an advantage.
The whole gang was gathered in the mansion now. They were all staring to the black and moving hole that had just appeared in the middle of the living room, the portal Tan had just created for their journey to Dumah’s realm, to the place where the test would take place.
Buffy and Faith were staring at the hole, they couldn’t look anywhere else, it was as if their eyes were glued to the scarring black thing. They were still holding their hands since the moment Andrea had found them to say that they were obliged to leave immediately. Once again, the events would force them to fight for their lives, once again the peace period had been too short.
Tan looked at them, knowing how important these moments were, the last moment of safety and she noticed that the others were understanding it too. Finally, she decided that it was time to go and spoke.
“Well, time to go, girls!”
They both looked at her, sadness in their eyes. Tan knew that they wanted to stay here to enjoy the love they hadn’t really had the time to discover, to share with each other. Still, they knew that they didn’t have the choice too. So, still wearing a little of sadness in their eyes, they nodded.
They hugged the gang, tasting the feeling of it, enjoying it a lot more than usually. In these hugs, they let the love of the others flow into them, to give them the courage and the strength they would need on the other side. They both finally arrived in front of Andrea who had still her arms crossed on her chest.
“I’m not a hugging pal, you know that?”
Buffy and Faith nodded, seeing in her eyes how worried she was for them. Andrea and her tough girl’s image. She seemed to hold to it much more than Faith maybe because it was one of the last things that differenced the twins. Faith had opened up completely while Andrea didn’t want to drop all her walls. They were about to leave her, to enter the hole when Andrea added:
“Didn’t mean I can’t make exceptions when necessary!”
The slayers chuckled, really forgetting this whole test thing for the first time of the evening. This girl would always surprised them and now that she was on their side, it could only be for the good. They gladly turned to hug her and she accepted them both in the embrace.
“Come back! I’ll be lost without my family so; please come back.”
It had been said so softly that the slayers were sure that they were the only ones to actually have heard it. They both whispered a “I promise” before reluctantly pulling off.
“And don’t get used to this shit, right!”
Buffy smiled and she knew her girlfriend was smiling too. Tough girl image! ‘Family’, yes they were and they would stay and they would eat this chicken wings guy.
They waved their hands to the others before entering the hole with Tan. They weren’t holding hands anymore because, on the other side, they would be in full slayer mode.
The hole was still there and wouldn’t disappear before the end of the test. The slayers had left more than 10 minutes before but no one had moved, they were all too focused on their thoughts, on their fears, on their worries to come back to the present.
Dawn was sitting next to Andrea and Laura. She could see that the others were as lost as she was. She knew that for the first time they were all feeling useless. They couldn’t do anything to help Buffy and Faith, no research, no physical help, no mental connections, no astral projections…it wasn’t allowed, help wasn’t an option.
Tan had been very clear about it. During her speech before the apparition of the hole, she had told them that if they did intervene during the test, Dumah would know it and cancel the test, leaving the slayers live with the curse and die because of it. The only weapons Dumah accepted were the ones he would gave to Buffy and Faith and there was no exception to the rules.
Then, Dawn looked at Andrea. When Tan had told her that the kiss Dumah had given her would prevent from intervening too, Dawn had seen Andrea clenched her teeth and that had confirmed her suspicions, if she had had the opportunity, she would have gone with them. Now, she was sitting here, waiting for news and feeling as useless as they all were.
Dust, sand, wind, sun, too bright, warm, even hot. These were the first words that came into the slayers mind when they made their first steps into Dumah’s realm, Dumah’s hell. They weren’t any rivers of lava, it wasn’t cavernous either, it wasn’t what someone would expect from a hell…and in a way, this realm was worse than that.
They were in a desert, the sand was golden, and you couldn’t see anything else. Just a desert. There were no clouds in the sky and the sun was high above their heads, giving them the impression that they were in an oven. They were only there for a couple of minutes and they were already soaking wet because of the sweat. To make things even worse, their was a very irritating wind that was blowing. The wind was making the sand fly, was hitting their faces with it…it was almost impossible to keep their eyes open. If the wind brought some fresh air, it would have been a good thing but it was as if it had no temperature in it so it has no effect on the heat.
Tan made a gesture, inviting the slayers to follow her. They began to move and soon noticed that the wind wasn’t affecting them anymore, as if an invisible barrier was protecting them.
“I thought we could skip the wind!” she told them.
“Is this place always that hot?”
Tan nodded to Buffy.
“There is no night here, the sun never moves…definitely not a place to consider for holidays.”
“If this is hell, where the fuck are the…you know…the prisoners?”
“See that dune, Faith?” Tan said pointing her finger to a huge dune to their left. “They’re working behind it. There is no pause, they are condemned to work for eternity, breaking stones to create more sand.”
“Kinda boring!”
“That’s the point, Buffy! They should regret what they did!”
“If they did anything wrong!”
Tan sighed before replying.
“Look, your case is different. I can assure you that 99% of the people who work here deserve to rot in here.”
“Maybe! So, Big D. Where are we going?”
“There!” She said pointing her finger to the north this time.
“What the fuck!”
To the north stood the only building they had seen in this place. They hadn’t noticed it before because of the wind but in the middle of the desert was the only building they hadn’t expect to find here. In the middle of the desert, stood a Cathedral.
“The Cathedral of Pain!”
“Charming name, Tan! I’m afraid to ask where it comes from.”
“The screams of agony, the complains, all the sufferings of the prisoners are attracted by the Cathedral. Inside, these sounds are amplified, it’s deafening…horrible.”
“I thought that this Dumah guy wasn’t evil! How could he listen to these sounds and enjoy it without being evil or insane?”
“It’s what give him his power, Buffy. As horrible as it sounds, it is what gives him his power!”
Tan began walking to the Cathedral again, followed by the slayers who didn’t say anything else until they reached the place.
They had all decided to stay at the Mansion. Sleeping bags were everywhere but nobody actually wanted to sleep. They were too worried. Spike had joined them. He was still a little bit mad at them because they had forgotten to call him, to explain the whole situation to him but now, he had joined them in their brooding trip, in the journey to worryland.
“Sorry to have forgotten you!”
“No big deal, Lil’bit! You were too worried! And it’s my fault too. Usually, I come to see you sooner…And don’t be worried about them too. They’re strong you know!”
“Yes, I know!”
“I’m gonna go out for a smoke. Wanna join me?”
“Sure. I’m gonna turn crazy if I don’t get some fresh air.”
“So, let’s go swim out of this ocean of heavy dark thoughts then.”
“Swim?”
“Or sail but I warn you, I forgot my pipe and my spinach.”
Dawn smiled and followed him. They entered the garden and she saw Spike light his cigarette. She looked to her left when she saw him salute someone. It was Andrea who was also out for a smoke. She hadn’t seen her leave the room. She smiled at her but it quickly fade as she felt odd, dizzy something was…
Andrea smiled at Dawn who had just arrived in the garden with Spike. Then, she noticed that something was wrong. Dawn’s face was becoming paler and paler and Andrea had just the time to reach her before she lost consciousness.
“What the hell!”
“Open the door and warn the others. NOW!”
He quickly obeyed and they entered the room to see that the others were also busy around someone who had also lost consciousness. Xander looked at them and his eyes became ever wider when he noticed Dawn’s state. Still carrying Dawn, Andrea asked:
“What…”
“It’s Willow, she fainted…is she…” he designed Dawn with his head.
“Still alive but she fainted too. What’s happening here?”
“I wish I knew. Something the eat?”
“No, it’s Dumah. Tan warned me he could…”
“Could what L?”
“He could use some of us for the test!”
They were in the Cathedral now and Tan had been right, the sounds, screams and other disturbing noises were deafening. They were following an orange demon that Tan had introduced as Kara, Dumah’s wife who was leading them to the place where the test would take place. On their way, she was explaining to them what the test would be like.
“The test you would face is called “The Trials”. It’s split in three parts, three smaller tests if you prefer. The first two trials are individuals tests so each one of you would have to face her test alone. The last one is a test you should face together. Questions? No? Good. The rules are simple. You can only use the weapons we’ll give you, nothing else and no interference are permitted. Questions? Good! So, let’s go to the first test.”
She stopped in front of a door then turned towards Faith.
“The first trial is yours, Faith. Please enter and face your destiny.”
Faith turned towards the other women, giving them a small smile. She first looked at Tan, knowing full well that if she looked at Buffy first, she wouldn’t look at Big D after.
“Listen to me, Faith. I’ve witnessed the “Trials” before. The first two parts are not physical, it’s a kind of huge and lethal riddle. Everything, even the smaller detail could be important. You have to discover what is the purpose of the test.”
“OK, Big D, thanks!”
She hadn’t had the time to look at Buffy then. She felt two strong arms pulling her, then soft and tasty lips were on hers, Buffy’s lips. She completely abandoned herself in the kiss, this kiss that meant so much things, a kiss that was giving her the courage to continue.
They reluctantly separated, her eyes locked. In Buffy’s eyes, Faith could see the love the blond slayer had for her. In her eyes, she could also see that deep inside of her, Buffy was scared for her but she had a complete trust into the dark slayer’s capacities too. Faith winked at her girlfriend then moved to the door without looking behind because she knew that if she looked back or say something, the tears that both Buffy and her were fighting would fall on their cheeks and she knew that if she looked back, she wouldn’t want to let her lover, wouldn’t want to face this stupid test.
She opened the door and entered, hearing Kara say:
“Let the first trial, The Trial of Man, begin!”
The doors were closed. Faith was on her own now. She knew that Buffy was on the other side of these two wooden planks. Still, she was missing her already. She had never guessed that being in love with someone could be so demanding. She was starving to see Buffy’s face again, starving to feel her physical presence next to her and to see this, they both have to face these fucking tests.
Love was a strange thing because, at the same time, she felt close to her lover. She was still feeling, savouring the taste of Buffy’s lips on hers and inside of her heart, the image of the blond slayer was printed, sculpted and would always be with her. It was giving her a warm and so pleasant feeling. Love was definitely worth it.
So, it was with this mixed feeling of being far from her loved one but closed to her too that Faith began scanning the room she had just entered.
It was a huge bare room with no furniture except from a throne located at the far end of the room, at the opposite side from where Faith was standing. A man was sitting on it and it wasn’t difficult to guess who it was. Even from her position, she could see his wings, could notice the ‘I’m powerful and better than thou’ megalomaniac look in his eyes. There was no doubt, she was facing the Angel of Death and Silence: Dumah.
Suddenly, as if the ruler of this realm had waited for her to notice his presence, darkness fell upon her. All her senses focused on her surroundings, her mind in full slayer mode, she waited, waited for the test, this complex and lethal riddle she would have to face as Tan had told them.
She was standing in the dark for more than a minute when she noticed that drops were falling from the ceiling or from what she had assumed was the ceiling. Could it be rain? Could rain fall inside this Cathedral? Then, she noticed light circles appearing in the middle of the room. Understanding the silent request these lights represented, Faith moved towards the circle. The rain was still falling and with each step she walked towards the lights, her clothes were becoming wetter and wetter.
She finally reached the centre of the room and entered one of the circle. She looked at her wet outfits by reflex and couldn’t prevent a gasp from escaping her lips…It wasn’t water that was raining from the ceiling. It was raining blood. She was covered with blood and seeing the red spots all over her clothes reminded her of the worst parts of her life, a time she so wanted to forget, a time when she had killed human lives. Concentrating all her attention on the image of Buffy, she succeeded in controlling the fear that had appeared with the blood, ready for her test, ready for the “Trial of Man” that she knew would be her trial too.
She couldn’t see Dumah but knew he hadn’t moved, knew he was analysing her acts, knew he was having fun in her expenses. And she felt the anger increased in her chest. She wouldn’t let him have her, wouldn’t let him win this game.
And the blood rain continued to taint Faith’s clothes, and Faith was still wondering what to expect next. Suddenly, a new voice broke the oppressing silence that had ruled since her entry, a voice who contained a repressed hate that couldn’t be hidden.
“Every drop of blood you’re receiving comes from one of your victims, Killer! Some of them come from me!”
Faith had a hard time to swallow. The guy who had just entered one of the circles. She knew him. How could she forget him? His first victim: Allan Finch.
“Remember me, Killer?”
“How couldn’t I, Allan?”
“Good, at least you haven’t forget me. And them, do you recognize them, Killer?”
Two other persons had just appeared in the circles, her two other victims: Professor Worth and the demon that wanted to sell the “Books of Ascension” to the Scoobies. No words were necessary, she just nodded to Finch.
“We’ll be your judge and jury, Killer! We’ll talk and we’ll wait for your answer.”
“My answer to what?”
“That, you would have to discover too.”
“Find an answer to a riddle I have to figure out from myself?”
“A lethal riddle, Killer! Look at your feet.”
Faith looked below and gasped for the second time in a few minutes. The blood rain had gone. Instead, the blood that had fallen from the ceiling had gathered in a small pool at the place she was standing. She couldn’t move and noticed that, slowly, she was absorbed by the pool as if she was standing on quicksand.
“What the fuck…”
“Find the answer, Killer…or you’ll die.”
Controlling her fear, Faith said:
“Listen guys. If you’re spirits, you should know how sorry I am. So, if you’re waiting for apologizes…”
“Don’t insult us, Faith! You don’t give a damn about us!”
“Wrong, do you know how many nightmares I had and still have sometimes. What I did to you would haunt me till death.”
“Liar! That was not what you said to your girlfriend a few hours ago. You want to listen to it, Killer?”
And, before she had the time to say a word, she heard it, heard the conversation she had had with Buffy a few hours before, when she was explaining to Buffy why she had come to see her mother while she was trapped in the wind.
“I came here every night, doing some kind of briefing to her. And it was so good B, as if she lifted a part of the weight I had on my shoulders.”
“She had always been like this. Sometimes, when I wasn’t good, when I was fed up with my slayer’s duty, she found the words to encourage me, even if she didn’t like me being the slayer, she helped me. I miss her you know?”
“Who wouldn’t?…She is my only real regret.” Tears were in Faith’s eyes now.
“Regret?”
“I would never be able to apologise to her!”
“So, Liar! She was your only regret…and us? Don’t you regret what you’ve done to us?”
A few weeks ago, Faith would have panicked at this remark, she would have lost composure…but now, she had a reason to fight, to stay calm, she had a way to calm herself. She focused anew on Buffy’s image, sighed and answered.
“Did you ever checked a dictionary, pal? Cause if you did, you would notice the difference between remorse and regret. You regret things you can’t do anymore, you have remorse for the wrong things you did. So, no, I have no regrets for what I did to you but the remorse would be in me forever.”
“The blood is on your waist, Faith. Still no answer to propose us?”
“You…bastards, you’re playing with me, confusing me. You so want me dead?”
“Of course, we want you dead, Faith. You’re evil. You’ll always be. Accept it!”
“No, I’m not anymore. I lost my way but I’ve found it back. All I’m asking for is time, time to prove it.”
“Wrong!”
Faith was taken aback by the demon’s intervention. It was the first time that it hadn’t been Finch who had answered her.
“You are evil and, believe me, I know what evil is. It is still in your shadow and would come back sooner or later. You’re fooling yourself if you believe in redemption, there is no redemption for the one of our kind. Accept it!”
“Finished? So, listen to me, ugly one! I believe in redemption because others than me believe that I’m worth it. I have friends, and I’m in love with a damn pretty sexy girl who returns my love so, whatever you’d say to me, I believe in it, I believe in me…maybe for the first time since my birth. So, stop the bullshit!”
“You have all the cards in your hands, Faith.”
“What?”
“All is said. The blood is at your throat level but, as you are a killer, we won’t let you the chance to find the answer. Accept it!”
Her slayer senses warned her about the presence of Worth to her right. She saw him approaching with an iron bar and moved to stop him but couldn’t. The blood was preventing her from dodging. She saw with horror the old man raise the bar and, soon felt the hit that pushed her into the depth of the blood pool.
“And when the hell did you intend to warn us, L?” Anger was perceptible in Andrea’s tone.
“We just thought it wasn’t necessary to worry you more than…”
“And now what? Don’t you think that makes us fucking worry machines?”
“And what if nothing had happened? You would have worried for nothing!”
“I don’t know for the others but I prefer to face a possible danger instead of seeing it falling on me!”
The tone of the conversation was becoming louder and louder and no one dared to intervene between the two women. Andrea moved her arms and shouted very loud while Laura stayed in the same place, looking at Andrea. Her face was red and you could feel shame in her voice. Spike, Tara, Xander and Anya just stared at them, not knowing what to do. This was a face to face between two hot tempers and they knew that if they continued like that, one of them would explode and hurt the other, not physically but with words which was often even worse.
They also knew that this quarrel also occurred because of the present situation, no, because of the past and present situations. The two girls had been pressed a lot lately both emotionally and physically. They had to deal with The Ripper affair, had to face the Knights of Byzantium and were now feeling completely useless in front of this test. Sometimes, you need to lighten the pressure and a quarrel is often an unconscious way to do it.
Laura remained silent. She knew that she wasn’t going to convince Andrea. This girl was so stubborn sometimes. So, she waited for the next strike still holding Andrea’s gaze. She hadn’t expected the next sentence though. And every word of this sentence hurt her very bad.
“Tell me, L. Is there anything else you are keeping secret for our own sake? After all, you’re very good at this!”
Laura shivered and broke the glaring contest she was having with her friend. Realizing it, she quickly regained her composure and locked her eyes with Andrea’s again. But it was too late, the brunette had noticed her hesitation.
“I knew it! Why do you need enemies when your friends could stab you in the fucking back. So, tell me L as liar, what is it?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh, come on, Miss My father was a bastard and I’m like him! WHAT…IS…IT?”
Andrea felt her anger increasing every second, she had trusted Laura, liked the girl and she was hiding things to her. She felt betrayed by the Egyptian girl, felt betrayed by the second person she had wanted to opened up with. Unconsciously, she was walking towards Laura, her hands in fist positions. But the other girl didn’t move, ready for everything. And still, the others didn’t move, hypnotized by the scene.
Finally, Laura decided to tell everything to her menacing friend.
“You!”
“What about me, L?”
“There might be a way to help Buffy and Faith…you can help them.”
“What?” Andrea hissed at Laura who was only two feet away. The Egyptian girl could feel her breath from where she was standing. She could also feel the brunette’s eyes burning holes in her skull, figuratively speaking.
“Only if things go wrong, Tan made me promise not to tell it to you, to any of you unless there was no other option.”
“Great! Fucking great! Damn, L. Why didn’t you warn me?”
Laura witnessed the changes in Andrea’s behaviour. To anyone else, it would have seemed that nothing had changed but Laura noticed easily that Andrea was more hurt than angry now, hurt because of her.
“Because if I did, you would have tried it.”
“Yes, I would have tried! It’s what I do to protect my family and I thought you were part of it.”
“But I am! (emotion began to gain control of Laura, she was on the verge of crying as confirmed by her broken voice ). This…possibility is very dangerous, too dangerous for a normal human being maybe even for a slayer.”
“I don’t care!” Andrea was once again hissing.
“Well, I do!” The higher tone and the sincerity of Laura’s voice hit Andrea with full power, erasing her anger.
“W…what?”
“I can’t stand the idea of losing you!”
Buffy was hitting the glass with all her strength…in vain. Faith had just disappeared in the pool and she couldn’t do anything to save her.
She had seen the whole scene from a tribune that was hanging on the right wall of the room, had shared Faith’s gasps as she had seen the blood raining on the woman she loved or when Finch and the others had appeared. She had screamed when she had noticed Worth’s intentions, had cursed Kara for such a betrayal. But the demon girl hadn’t say a word, she had even smiled to her, a smile that Buffy would have erased of the demon’s face if she wasn’t that worried about her lover. She turned her head towards Tan who remained unshakable.
“What can we do? We have to do something. That’s cheating. The assholes are cheating.”
“These are their rules, Buffy. I can’t do anything about this.”
“Fuck the rules, Tan. I won’t let Faith die without trying something.”
“Don’t be so rude with me, Buffy. You should trust Faith!”
“But I do! I just don’t wanna see her die in this blood. It’s…”
“She won’t Buffy. Look at the pool. Don’t you see something?”
Buffy looked at it and saw it. A hand had just appeared from the pool, Faith’s hand. She was feeling her way around it.
“What is she doing?”
“Fighting!”
For the first time in a while, Andrea was speechless. The implications of what Laura had just said, the sincerity in her voice, in her eyes, all of this was making herself uncomfortable. She didn’t know what to say, didn’t want to receive this kind of revelation now, in front of the others. She didn’t want to have this kind of discussion now, when Faith and Buffy could be in grave danger but she was speechless, no sound came out of her mouth as if her brain was still analysing the bomb Laura had just dropped on her.
On the opposite, Laura couldn’t stop now. She had kept these feelings inside of her for far too long and now that she had finally revealed them, she couldn’t stop the flow of words that was coming through her mouth, couldn’t stop the flow of tears running on her cheeks.
“Sometimes, I have nightmares in which you die, in which I’m not able to save you and I wake up in sweat, shaken to my fucking bones…”
“L…Laura…I…”
“Not finished, A!” Laura said, raising her index in front of the brunette who had made another step into her direction.
Andrea didn’t let her the chance to continue. She grabbed her but the arm she had raised in front of her, put her on her shoulder and began to walk towards the garden. The only thing she said was “I know!”. She didn’t want to continue this talk in front of the Scoobies and she sure won’t have it in front of them. Still, it was too late to step back and both she and Laura needed this talk.
“Andrea, put me down!”
“Not yet! We’ll finish it outside.”
The other Scoobies didn’t say a thing. Too shocked by the emotional display they had just witnessed. So, when the two girls exited the living room, they didn’t move for a while. Then, they focused their thoughts and efforts on Willow and Dawn, letting the two girls some time to have THEIR conversation.
Faith’s hand finally succeeded in grabbing Worth’s left foot. The brunette had a hard time to remain conscious. She was struggling in the blood pool for long minutes now. Breathing was becoming a very delicate issue.
Fortunately, Worth wasn’t Muscleman. The hit she had received had hurt her but she had experienced worse hits from vampires and other people from the evil community. The hit had thrown her a few feet “under blood” though which wasn’t a very bad thing. She had used the precious seconds she had spend there to think about the riddle, think about everything. It was incredible what your subconscious could record and show you when you’re in a life-death situation. It was all clear now. The ‘Trial of Man’, the shadow, the acceptance. Now, it was the time to show Dumah that it wouldn’t be that easy to beat her.
She pulled Worth’s leg and he reacted as she had thought he would. He grabbed inch’s arm and hold it, to prevent Faith from leading him into the pool with her. It also meant that Faith had now a way out if the professor could hold…and he did. Soon, Faith was out of the pool, facing her three judges. She looked at Finch and said:
“Miss me, loser?”
“Loser? Watch your words, Kil…”
“I’m not a killer; well, not anymore. I’m a slayer and that is the way I want to be called now. Now, Finch, shut the fuck up. You’re not the one I’m supposed to speak to, aren’t you?”
Finch didn’t say another word, he just nodded, he probably knew that Faith had found the solution. He soon disappeared in the dark, letting Faith alone in the light, alone with the demon.
“You know, the first thing I thought what that it was damn odd to see a demon in a test that’s called the ‘Trial of Man’. You should always follow your first impression, you know?”
Focusing her attention to the demon’s shadow, she continued.
“But you haven’t a demonic shadow, my dear. So, why don’t you drop the disguise and show me your real face…Faith?”
Suddenly, the demon seemed to fade away, leaving a young girl in front of the slayer, a younger she knew too well, herself. The same girl who had just killed Finch. She could still see his blood on her shirt. She could see the look of distress she had worn once Buffy had been gone, could see the mask she had worn at that time. If only she hadn’t worn it at that time.
“You know, I don’t know what the hell is going on with the PTB but I’m often confronted to doubles lately.”
The double replied with a weak, shaking voice: “Do…do you have my answer?”
“Yes, I have and you were right. I tried to forget you because I don’t like to think about this period of my life. But you’re part of it and I guess I’ve never really accepted it in trying to begin a new life with my remorse but without my…our other memories, the memories that built you.” At that moment, the older Faith smirked. “Who would have thought that this bloody test would have some positive results? So, yes, you’re a part of me and will always be.”
The two girls were now facing each other. Since Andrea had put Laura down, an awkward silence had remained on the place, a silence that Laura broke suddenly.
“Did you ever ask you why I coped so quick with my parents deaths? Probably not! I think you kinda guess now…thanks to you! Thanks to the wonderful moments we spend together. You made me discover what life really was, you know. With my parents, I was cocoon girl, with you, I was a woman. I know, we were both feeling bad at that time but I think we brought something to each other. You brought me fun, I brought you balance. Since I know you, you’ve blossomed, Andrea. The others may not have noticed it but I did…I’ve discovered your smile, your golden heart…all the things that make you a so magnificent person…and, without even noticing it, you had become my fix of the day. You have become the sun of my life. I needed to be with you…needed to be part of your life even if you don’t share my feelings.”
“L. That’s bullshit? You know I care about you!”
“More than you care about Buffy?”
“This is not about Buffy!”
“Yes, it is! Don’t get me wrong, I like her but I’m also so damn jealous of her. You loved and will always love her! Isn’t it what you told me when we had our truth talk? When we were so drunk that we shared things we wouldn’t have said in other circumstances. Didn’t you tell me that it made you crazy to see her with Faith, the other you? Do you know how it hurts to know it, to know that whatever happens I would always be compared to her, always be her shadow in your heart?”
“Could you please let me say a fucking word!”
Laura stopped and nodded. Andrea took then a deep breath. She wasn’t used to express her feelings and she had had so much of them during the last minutes. Anger, disappointment, betrayal, surprise, joy, shame, shyness, all and even more of them had hit her in the last minutes.
“Laura! I’m not good at this shit but I have one question for you. Did I talk about Buffy lately the way I used to talk about her in the past?”
The Egyptian girl thought about it during a few second but had to admit that it wasn’t indeed the case. She shook her head, feeling a little relieved by this discover.
“What I told you that night was true…AT THAT TIME. But it isn’t anymore! Seeing Buffy with Faith didn’t hurt anymore. It was as if I have finally accepted that she is not mine, that she’ll never be. I still love her but not the way I used to. She is my sister’s girlfriend, my other sister, a part of my family, a word I hadn’t no fucking idea of what it meant before. You, on the other hand, you are a different matter.”
“D…different… how?” Laura was almost afraid to ask.
“I care about you. More and more each day we spend together. I won’t use the L word yet…I…I have always had some problems with my feelings. All I can say is that I haven’t let anyone coming as close to me as you are, even B. Look at it, we see each other every fucking day, we almost live together and…”
“Well, Eona also live with us in Frisco and…”
“That’s not the same, Laura. I have to live with Eona because of all this justice shit…But you, I accepted you with my own free will. Eona didn’t have the choice back then. Look, L. We didn’t have the time to continue now but I swear we’ll do it when they’ll be back. Is it OK for you?”
“I…I don’t think we have the choice.”
Andrea put her arms of her friend’s shoulder and led her towards the Mansion.
Buffy was so proud of Faith right now. She did it, succeeded this test. She was now looking at the two girls, her girlfriend and the Faith of the past who were hugging each other in the centre of the room. The younger girl was slowly disappearing, as if she were absorbed by her lover’s body.
Thinking about it, Faith and herself had seldom spoken about this period. Faith had apologized and all but Buffy knew that her girlfriend had still problems speaking about this time and Buffy didn’t want to rush things. She wanted Faith to launch the conversation about this subject. The fact is that they hadn’t had much time to discuss about it since Faith had been back. Now, Faith had dealt with it. They still have to speak about it to dig once and or all these bad memories but the blond slayer knew that it would be easier for Faith now. Easier for the both of them. Quoting Faith, she murmured “Who would have thought that this bloody test would have some positive results?”
Suddenly, she heard the door of the tribune opening. She reluctantly looked at the doors to see that Tan and Kara were waiting for her. So, she stood up and joined them. Tan smiled at her, and comforting smile and she was right. Faith had made it, there was no reason for her to worry. She would make it too. For her sake, for Faith’s, for their couple. She noticed the bag in Kara’s hand and threw her an interrogative look. The orange demon gave the bag to the petite slayer and said.
“Your weapons, for your test.”
Buffy looked inside the bag and couldn’t hide her surprise. “Ice skates?”
Buffy, Tan and Kara were in front of the door leading to the Trial room, the one Faith was still into. Buffy was currently putting the ice skates Kara had just given her. The orange demon was telling her a few points regarding her own test.
"You enter the room, Faith exits it. There is no time for kisses or hugs, sorry, we can’t waste time. As I said, the ice skates are your weapons so, if there are still a stake or others pointy, wooden ore metallic stuffs hidden in your pockets, leave them here. Questions?"
Buffy just shook her head.
"Good! (she then looked at some of her slaves) Open the door! Let the ‘Trial of Demon’ begins. And…Buffy?"
Buffy turned her head to face Kara.
"Prepare yourself to deal with your weakness."
What was that supposed to mean? Facing her weakness…and what about that name too: The "Trial of Demon". What could it mean? The good part about being the second to pass the test after having witnessed Faith’s one was that she now had an idea about how Dumah’s mind worked. About how to succeed in these tests. The bad thing about it was that, maybe, the Angel of Death and Silence was counting on it. While the name of Faith’s test had been crucial in the dark slayer’s success, it could be completely useless for the blonde. And, again, what about her weakness? Which one? Buffy was human, she wasn’t perfect…which weakness?
Buffy came back to reality to see that the doors were now completely open and that she had to walk inside the room. She was too glad to oblige. Her eyes were now glued on the beautiful brunette who was walking towards her in order to exit the place. They walked quietly towards each other, her eyes locked, speaking thanks to them. Buffy silently congratulated Faith and Faith was encouraging the light slayer. At the exact moment when they crossed, they both touched the other’s arm, as single gesture of comfort that brought so many sensations to them. Then, following the rules Kara had given her, they continued their way and even if they couldn’t see the other anymore, they still could sense her. Finally, Buffy heard the doors closing.
Once the doors had been completely closed, Buffy had quickly scanned the room. As it had been the case with Faith, the only thing Buffy noticed was Dumah sitting on his throne. Then, all went dark giving to the blond slayer a kind of déjà vu…only this time, she wasn’t in the tribunes, she was on the battle field.
Suddenly, small lights appeared in the room, illuminating a huge clock sculpted on the wall. A clock that strangely enough was moving backwards. According to it, it was 12.10 when Buffy first saw it and now the (aiguilles) were moving towards 12.09. This wasn’t a clock, it was a countdown. The first info Buffy had received since her arrival. She had 10 minutes to succeed in her test.
The second thing she noticed was the sudden freshness of the room. Looking at her feet, she finally understood why ice skates were so important. She was indeed on an ice pool, meaning that she could only move efficiently by sliding on the ice. As no one or nothing seemed to come, she began moving, gliding, and finding the moves she had so enjoyed when she had been younger, when she hadn’t been the slayer. By giving a closer look at the ice pool, a gasp escaped her lips. She wasn’t gliding on frozen water…she was gliding on frozen blood.
Blood, always blood. Why did it always have to be blood? First Faith, now her. Did all mighty powers have to play with blood? OK, to quote Spike’s speech just before facing Glory, it had to be blood because blood is life but still, some changes could be welcomed sometimes…that was so clichéd.
She continued to glide, frequently checking the clock. 12.08…where the hell were everybody. How could she be supposed to find a solution to the test if nobody came to tell her what she had to do, to solve? This oppressing silence was getting on her nerves.
"Hello? Sorry to wake you up during your nap but I’ve less than 8 minutes to save my ass and I like it!"
"Still not the most patient one, are you slayer?"
Buffy froze. She hadn’t expected that. She hadn’t had any difficulty to recognise the owner of the voice. She had had so many nightmares with him as guest star. She shivered, not because of the cold but because of thinking about him. She felt panic increasing in her guts. Still, she tried to remain calm, focusing on Faith’s image, using the same tools than her girlfriend had used a few minutes before. At that moment, she noticed that she had unwillingly closed her eyes to prevent herself from looking at him. But she had to. After all, she had beaten him before. So, after a last deep sigh, she opened the eyes and looked into his face. He hadn’t changed. His eyes were still purple, his features were still closed to the ones of a bat. Yes, it was him. Once again, Buffy was facing The Master.
"Lost your tongue, slayer? Afraid of me?"
"Only in your dreams!" Buffy said, hoping she had succeeded in keeping her own fears out of her tone.
"Then, I’m dreaming! Wasn’t it fear I saw in your eyes a few moments ago? Isn’t it fear I can notice on your skin? Aren’t you shaking right now?"
"N…no! Why should I be scared of someone who is not really here?"
He laughed at it. His horrible and scary little laugh which made Buffy swallow. His laugh that made him look even scarier than in her memories. And what about this strange thick blue aura that was surrounding him?
"But, I’m real slayer! Dumah just borrowed me from the hell I was trapped in. I couldn’t just reject the pleasure to torment you once more, could I?"
Buffy tried to stay focus. How could the Master still inspire her so much fear? She had killed him and had faced so many opponents who were stronger than the old vampire. But no one had ever scared her like him and no one probably would. Thinking back at what Kara had told her, she said:
"You…you are not my weakness!"
"Really? Let’s think about it! Am I not the one who still are in your nightmares?"
God, how could he know that?
"Am I not the one who killed you?"
Yes, but she killed him too and she had to remember it if she wanted to do it again.
"Am I not the one who even destroyed still haunts your mind?"
"NO! I admit you scare me a little but I managed to beat you twice. Physically and in my head. If we have to fight, this time again, I would win!"
"Probably! But I’d like to have a chance to prove you’re wrong. Anyway, back to your question, you were right, I’m not your weakness…totally. You see, I’m just part of it. Part of your weakness. Part of this line…this…"
"…bloodline!"
Buffy turned her head to see the new comer…and gasped. Darla had just entered the game, surrounded by the same blue aura than the Master.
They had installed Willow and Dawn in one of the room and were now gathered in the living room. Andrea was laying on the sofa, waiting for Tara and Laura to perform the ritual. The Egyptian woman was on the verge of crying. She was worried about this whole trip thing but both of them knew that it was the only thing to do.
"You…you sure you wanna do this?"
"Yes, L. For the millionth time, I’m way sure about this."
"Okay, then."
Laura nodded to the woman she loved then repeats the move for Tara and they began the ritual.
The Egyptian girl didn’t want Andrea to do it but she hadn’t the choice.
When Tan had told her that there might be a way to help the slayers, she had been very enthusiastic. Then, when she had told her how, she had quickly lost her enthusiasm. She remembered what she had said and the words were still resounding in her head.
"When Dumah kissed Andrea, he created a kind of connection between himself and your friend. We can thus send her spirit in Dumah’s mind so, she can help Buffy and Faith from the inside, literally."
"But, isn’t it dangerous?"
"Yes, very very dangerous. You know that both the forces of good and evil protect Dumah’s body and mind …so, whatever protects his spirit, it is very dangerous. I’m not even sure if it is possible…her spirit could be trapped there forever or even die, transforming her into a vegetable. I know I’m cruel here, Laura, especially with the feelings you have for her but I don’t want to lie to you and it’s also the reason why I trust you to reveal it only if there is no other choice to help them, only if things get out of control. Understood?"
She had just say yes then, promising herself that she would never reveal it…but Andrea had read in her that she was hiding something and her own conscience had forced her to betray her promise. She just wished Andrea could make it. There were so many things she had to say to her.
"If you think about it, it’s quite normal that our line is your weakness. We have always been there since your call. And you can’t get rid of us."
"Oh Come on! You have to be kidding, right! I killed you…Both of you. You’re not a weakness."
"Really. Dear, dear Buffy. There are so many things you don’t realise. Each one of us took something from you. The Master took your life and some of your confidence. I…"
"You didn’t have the time to do something. I killed you before you had the chance too. It’s the reason why you rot in whatever hell you were send to."
"OH, he didn’t tell you, did he."
"Who had to tell me what?"
"Angelllllus! He didn’t tell you that I’ve been resurrected. Didn’t tell you the wonderful night we had spent together. And you know what? He let me a embarrassing souvenir of this night."
And then she saw it. Hidden behind her large dress, she could see a baby, a boy. No, it wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be…
"You’re lying!"
"No, I’m not lying. I wish I were, believe me. This… thing body isn’t a great gift."
"And then what. Angel and I had taken different path. He is not the one I love anymore! Faith is!"
"I know…But you still care about him. As you are mad at him for not telling you that we slept together. As I said, the Master took your life. I took your Angel."
"No, life took my Angel, not you!"
"Why don’t you ask it to him. Was it life, honey?"
"Probably! Pity though. She was a real pro in the horizontal way!"
Buffy turned her head towards the newcomer, Angel with the same aura again. Darla just smiled then gave a quick kiss on Angel’s cheek before joining the Mayor who just waited a few feet away, as a viewer, very interested by the talks.
"Hello, Buff! How is life going?"
"H…how?"
"Oh, not difficult. I’m sleeping so Dumah can bring my spirit here. Simple."
"You’re not Angel, you’re Angelus."
"Possible, even I am confused sometimes. Anyway, what do you think about my baby boy. Cute, isn’t it?"
"I don’t care about your boy. I don’t have time to think about it."
"Oooh, Anger! I bet you wish this boy was yours too."
"Wrong! I’m so over Angel…and you never had a chance with me."
"Looks like I touched a nerve. If you’re really over me, go on, stake me."
Without even thinking about what she was doing, Buffy jumped and gave him a kick with her left foot. Normally, such a hit should have cut his head thanks to the ice skate but this time, it just hit him, without cutting him. He even didn’t seem to feel it.
"Wowowo! You’re quicker than a few years back, you know. So, you’re really in love with Faith…this slut really seems to have…talents…I should try her one of these days…"
Anger was taking possession of Buffy. She hit him in the jaw, vainly again.
"You’re so predictable, Buff. Don’t you understand that you cannot hit us? Some invisible shield protects us. And about what you told me, I’m not so sure that I never had a chance."
"What?"
"The little bird likes leather…the little bee likes bad boys…the little bee likes bad girls…Darkness, she is rooted in it, she is attracted to hit…Naughty…naughty slayer."
"D…Drusilla."
It was indeed the mad vampire who was repeating her little song over and over again. She was wearing a red dress with strange motives. It was like an N, the N you would see if you look at it in a mirror. And still, the blue aura that seemed to be everywhere with thus damned bloodline.
"The little bird likes leather…the little bee likes bad boys…the little bee likes bad girls…Darkness, she is rooted in it, she is attracted to hit…Naughty…naughty slayer."
"Shut up!"
"Why should she, pet? She is telling the truth. My black goddess might be crazy but she never lies."
Buffy sighed. Of course, he had to be here too. The last member of the bloodline, Spike.
He came to her with his sad look in the eyes, then, put his hands on her shoulders and added:
"You have all the cards in your hands, luv. Finish this! End our bloodline! Find the one to kill to prevent us all from doing anything evil again."
What was he talking about? She had all the cards in her hands. But…okay. She had to stay calm. A quick glance at the clock, 3 minutes left. That was not much but she had to do with it.
She had all the cards in her hands…Normally, to kill a "family", you have to kill the last born but with vampires, it was not possible cause they could still sire another victim to replace the ones who would have been killed. So, Spike was not an option. The others were not options too because of the same reason. So, how could she end a vampire bloodline just by killing one vampire?
She looked at the vampires that were ranked in the middle of the room, still surrounded by their aura. She suddenly looked at the Master. It was strange but she was sure that his aura was weaker than when she had spoken to him. She looked at herself and noticed that she was also surrounded by this aura? She had been too shocked then too busy talking to the vampires to notice that. In fact, her aura seemed to be the biggest of all. As if they were all protected from something. As if the level of the protection was different from each person present here. Now that she looked at it more carefully, she noticed that Spike had the thinnest aura, then came Drusilla, Angelus, Darla, The Master and, finally herself.
The idea that had come into Buffy’s mind seemed crazy…She looked another time to the clock. What if it wasn’t a countdown as she had first thought it was? What if time was indeed moving backwards? There wasn’t many ways to figure it out. She thus waited, looking at Spike. Waiting for long minutes, analysing his aura that soon began to fade away. Then, it disappeared.
Once the aura gone, she saw Spike becoming younger and younger second by second. He had lost his vampire state and soon was only a baby who finally vanished. Poof. Buffy had been right. Time was moving backwards. It meant that the others would finally disappear too, leaving only the Master whose aura would still be there once the ten minutes were over. He was the one she had to kill and she knew how.
Faith was in the tribune, watching her girlfriend. She had witnessed the whole test and was very proud of the way Buffy had reacted with Angelus. She had no more doubts regarding the deep of Buffy’s love for her but, hell, it was always good to see her proving that…especially with one of her exes. Too bad Beefstick wasn’t there! She never liked the guy.
She had also wished she could beat the hell out of Angelus when she had heard what he had told to Buffy. The glass of the tribune was bearing the mark of her fist…but Buffy had shut his fucking mouth and she couldn’t prevent a smile on her lips when she thought about what her girlfriend’s reaction had been.
She had been scared too. It seemed that Dumah had created a very twisted test for Buffy and, when she had seen her lover standing still, waiting for something, she had wondered what she was thinking about. Then, she had seen what had happened to Spike and had understood the whole game. Buffy wasn’t patient. The old Buffy wouldn’t have waited that long before moving. Oh, yes, she was proud of her.
Now, she saw Buffy moving towards the Master. She stopped two to three feet away and began to cut the ice with her skates. Of course, she couldn’t hit the vampire but she could send them into the depth of the pool, where he wouldn’t be able to hurt someone. While Buffy was cutting the ice, she could also see the other vampires vanishing exactly in the same way Spike had. She smiled and couldn’t prevent herself to say:
"My girl is a genius!"
Buffy smiled at Faith’s comment. The pride that she could notice in the girlfriend’s voice was clear and brought a warm feeling to the light slayer. Faith was proud of her and within a few seconds, she would finish cutting the ice. Then, suddenly, she stopped. Something had just crossed her mind.
Why had she heard Faith. If Faith was in the tribunes and she was sure she was there, she shouldn’t been allowed to hear her…except if that what’s Dumah wanted. He probably knew that hearing Faith’s voice would make Buffy drop her defence for a short while. She looked at the clock…30 seconds left.
"And now what, slayer? Afraid of what I could do now?"
Buffy didn’t pay attention to what the Master was saying. She had to think, fast. Now, sending a vampire in a BLOOD pool didn’t seem a very good idea anymore. Then, she remembered what Kara had said in the beginning of the ritual, something about facing her weakness. This bloodline wasn’t a weakness, she had defeated them all in the past…what if this whole scene was a lie…Lie, that was strange. It was line without the N…at that moment, a flash, the flash of Drusilla’s dress. It couldn’t be a coincidence.
Look at the clock: 13 seconds.
OK, she had to think. What was her real weakness? Her family, her friends, no, they were her strength. Without them, she wouldn’t have lived that long, facing all the threats her slayer’s duties forced her to face. Her slayer’s duties. That was it. Her own powers, she had had so many issues about it, about this power she didn’t want to have but had to cope with.
8 seconds.
If she had to accept it, if that was the goal of this test, she had to have a power but she couldn’t hit the vampires, nor stake them. So, what power could she have…no, it couldn’t be…
3 seconds.
She quickly looked at the clock and, mentally, asked it to stop.
3 seconds.
3 seconds.
3 seconds.
That was it. She had the control of the time. That was the solution, by discovering her weakness, she had discover her real weapon in this test. The vampires had just been a way to prevent her from discovering it. Dumah had known that her history with them would cloud her mind. But she had found it.
"Nice shot, slayer! But if you let the time goes by, even if you made him move faster, you still can’t kill me in …time!"
"Not a problem! I’ve solved the test in time. That’s what matters, pal. No, go back to hell."
The time began to move again, faster and faster till the Master vanished. Buffy had made it. She had won.
Dumah looked at the blond slayer, thinking. They were both worthy, worthy to have a chance, worthy to face the last test, the most difficult and the cruellest he had never imagined.
Soon, they would face the 'Test of Fate'.
Buffy closed her eyes, enjoying the moment. She had left the test room more than an hour before. She had been behind the doors, waiting for her. Faith had been the first person she had seen when she had exited and she hadn’t waited a single second to jump into her loving, strong arms. She hadn’t left them since that time, too comfortable in them. The second thing she had done, right after jumping into her lover’s arms, was to kiss her. Then, she had noticed something in Faith’s eyes, something that had brought warm feelings into her heart. She had seen pride in these beautiful brown eyes. Faith had been proud of her and it made Buffy both feel important and humble, it was difficult to really describe it but, hell, that felt so damn good.
Now, they were in a kind of waiting room with four chairs and a table as only pieces of furniture. Tan was sitting on a chair but the slayers were on the ground, they didn’t want to split, they only wanted to spend any given minute in each other’s arms. So, they had taken a position they loved. Faith, sitting against the wall, Buffy, sitting between the brunette’s legs, her head on her girlfriend’s chest, her eyes closed, she was enjoying Faith’s caresses on her neck while her own hand was tracing patterns on Faith’s right leg. Of course, the petite slayer would have preferred to caress Faith’s bare legs but it was better than nothing and even brought warm and fuzzy feelings in places that the decency wouldn’t let her reveal.
Tan was looking at the slayers, smiling. Their love was so evident, one should be blind not to see it. She was worried though. Why was it taking so much time for the last trial to take place? Dumah and Kara had seemed so in a hurry for the two first trials and now, they seemed to ignore them. Was that a new kind of test? Did they really think the slayers would lose their calm? Well, if that was the case, they were all wrong because seeing them behave like they were, she could tell that they were really taking advantage of the break.
Suddenly, the doors of their waiting room opened. Kara entered the place, smiling.
“Excuse me for the delay, Dumah had been called for…a mission but it’s finished now so, we can continue. Are you ready?”
The two slayers nodded before reluctantly standing up, her hands clasped. Rest was over, the last trial would soon begin.
Andrea opened her eyes. Laura and Tara had made it, she was sure of it. Firstly because she trusted them both and secondly because she wasn’t in an horizontal position anymore but standing on her two feet. The question was where she was. She had no idea about it. Worse, she couldn’t see or sense anything.
Darkness was all that was surrounding her and she couldn’t even rely on her senses as this place looks like hospital with a kind of antiseptic smell everywhere. But at least, there were light in hospitals. So, what would she do now. Trying to find her way by moving and risking to completely lose herself by taking the wrong way? Or waiting for a miracle? Following her instinct, she began walking straight in front of her.
“Enter!”
The two slayers obeyed, too focused on their surroundings to reply to Kara’s harsh tone. They did as required and penetrated the test room. As the two first times, the room was bare when they entered. As the two first times, the only thing to notice was Dumah sitting on his throne at the other end of the room. Then, the light were switched off and the slayers waited, all senses in full alert mode, expecting everything and nothing at the same time. Who could guess what the Angel of Death and Silence was up to?
“She is gone.”
Tara looked at Laura, her voice had just betrayed her fears.
“She is strong, Laura, you know that. She’ll come back.”
The Egyptian girl didn’t answer. She seemed totally absorbed by her own image reflected by the mirror on her right. Wondering what the girl was thinking about, she gave a quick look at the mirror too and couldn’t prevent a gasp of surprise when she saw an image in it.
“That’s what she is seeing now.”
Once again, a gasp came out of Tara’s mouth. This girl would never stop surprising her. For someone who had said that she hadn’t much power, she seemed quite powerful to her. Succeeding in creating a kind of private channel to Andrea’s eyes, that wasn’t something anybody could do. She wondered what kind of powers Laura still had in her sleeves. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she replied.
“Seems kinda dark there.”
“Not for long!”
And after saying it, Laura’s eyes began to shine. She was using the sight of Rhâ but what for? Tara could feel her heartbeat going faster. Was she gonna turn evil? Could they had been all wrong about her? Was she waiting for the right moment to strike, to avenge her parents deaths? Could her declaration of love be a lie? The words that came out of her lips were now just whispered.
“Laura…w…What…What are you doing?”
For ten minutes, there was no light, no move, nothing. The slayers hadn’t lost their concentrations and weren’t very worried about what would come. They were together to face it and that’s what mattered. Then, the light came back, blinding. They needed a few seconds to see something but didn’t lose their focus, relying on their other senses to react if anything happened during these precious seconds…but nothing, no one tried anything. Once they had recovered their sights, they checked the place, paying attention to every detail that could help them.
Dumah was still here, sitting on his throne. But the new fact was that he was much closer than before, in fact, the slayers could have reached him in three seconds if they wanted to…just by running to him. Tan and Kara were there too. They weren’t as close to them as Dumah was but they were there and Buffy and Faith didn’t know why. The last thing that had changed in the room were the two swords, laying on the ground in front of the slayers. Still wondering what they had to do, they heard Kara spoke.
“This is the last trial, this is your last test. You have both proved that your are worthy beings by facing and beating your weaknesses. Now, it is not about riddle anymore, it’s about fate, hence the name of this trial: the ‘Trial of Fate’.”
Kara looked at each slayer before continuing.
“The swords at your feet are your weapons…and the test is simple. All you will have to do is to pierce Dumah’s heart with them.”
“Cool, so it’s just a fighting test, right. We try to kill him, he tries to kill us. Fair enough, don’t you think, B?”
“Yep! Some physical stuff after the brainy ones. Good for me!”
Kara smiled. They were reacting as she had thought they would. Now came the best part.
“No! You haven’t got it! Dumah is not going to dodge or strike back.”
The two slayers were taken aback by Kara’s comment. Buffy was the first to reply.
“What? He is gonna let us pierce him without trying anything to stop us?”
“Yes!”
“OK, K, is your man suicidal or something?”
“No, he is not!”
“So, where is the trick?”
Kara smirked. The slayers had just said the question at the exact same time. She waited a few seconds, enjoying the puzzled looks of the slayers, then, she replied, her eyes glued on the girls faces. She didn’t want to miss their reactions when she would tell them the exact meaning of this test.
“See, my man has a power, something cool and useful. He can duplicate the heart system of anybody in his own body. All he has to do is focusing on his victim and let his power work. Once it’s done, he is invulnerable because if you try to kill him, it’s the person he has duplicated the system who dies. Following me?”
They didn’t speak, slowly beginning to understand the implications of what Kara was telling them and the reasons why they had waited that long in the other room.
“Oh, yes you are. Indeed, Dumah has chosen one of you and has now completely duplicated her heart system. So, when you’ll pierce his heart, one of you will die.”
“Is it a sick joke? I thought we had a chance to survive by passing these tests. If that was all it was about, I’m out of the game.”
“You’re not the only one, B. I’m out too.”
They let the swords down and began moving towards the exit.
“You took a life, girls. A life that wasn’t supposed to be taken. A life that was protected by powers you can’t even comprehend. Yes, you passed the tests and proved you were worthy to live and one of you did earn this right. Instead of taking both of your lives, we only take one of them. A life for a life girls…a life for a life.”
“Screw you!” That was the only answer she received from Buffy and Faith while they were continuing moving towards the exit.
“If you don’t accept the test, other would die, slayers! Could you live with it? Could you live with the guilt of being responsible of your friend’s deaths?”
The slayers froze, unable to move, shocked by what they had just heard. Slowly, they both turned their head to look into Kara’s eyes.
The orange demon, smiled. She got them. She made a gesture towards some smoke that was coming out of a hole that wasn’t there before. And suddenly, two images appeared inside of it, two girls laying on beds…Willow and Dawn, laying on beds.
“What the fuck…”
“No, you can’t…”
Kara didn’t let the slayers the time to reply; she continued in a tone that was becoming harsher and harsher as the seconds passed by.
“Of course, we can! We are the instruments of Justice and Justice screams payback here. And the payback is simple…A slayer’s life or two human ones. Now, take your swords and do it.”
The lovers looked at each other, searching for an idea, an answer to give that would solve everything…but they couldn’t find anything. They were trapped in a sick game that couldn’t have winners.
“Of course, we can! We are the instruments of Justice and Justice screams payback here. And the payback is simple…A slayer’s life or two human ones. Now, take your swords and do it.”
Kara watched the slayers staring at each other, they both looked for comfort in the other’s eyes. She could easily guess what they were thinking about, a way to solve the test without loosing a life, something impossible and, even if the slayers had earned her respect since the beginning of the tests, her demonic nature could only enjoy their dilemma.
Suddenly, all went still, the slayers seemed transformed into statues, even the air seemed frozen, as time had been stopped. Only three persons were still able to move: Tan, Dumah and herself. As she could see no reason why Dumah would freeze time, she easily guessed who was responsible for the phenomenon.
“Tan! What do you think you’re doing?”
“I can easily ask you the same question. What the fuck is this test?”
Kara could discern anger and even a little hatred in the tone of the blond woman who incarnated death. Still, even if she was a powerful being, she couldn’t do anything to her in this realm, in her realm, in Dumah’s hell. She grinned and answered.
“Why? Don’t like it?”
“I’ve no time for your bloody banters, Kara. I thought the test was supposed to give them a chance. Instead of that, you’re giving them a lose-lose situation, a choice that stinks gratis cruelty.”
“Maybe! But if you had listened to what I’ve just said, we represent Justice here and Justice is cruel, blind. Why do you think it is represented by a woman who has a scarf on her eyes? What they did was wrong. We can’t let them go away after such a sacrilege! Sorry! One of them would survive today and that’s a gift that normally we shouldn’t have allowed.”
“A gift! You call it a fucking gift. Are you stupid or something? Are you that cruel? Don’t you see that whatever happened now, they will both be destroyed after it. Can’t you see their love? I’ve rarely seen two people with so deep feelings for each other. It is not a question of a I that is with a You anymore, they are past that point. When they think about their lives, they think WE…Can’t you figure it out? Can’t you imagine what would happen to the surviving part of this WE if she lost her other half…the survivor would slowly die because her reason of living wouldn’t be there anymore.”
“Wow, should have been a poet, Tan. You missed your vocation. Anyway, they have still the opportunity to refuse.”
“And you know what would happen then. The guilt would be too heavy for them to support and would eventually destroy them too. See, lose-lose situation. Can you see that, Kara? Doesn’t it touch your heart or are you as the wingy son of a bitch you are the spoke person now? Are you so far from humanity that you have nothing left in your heart?”
“Well, there was this huge bargain a few centuries ago! You ceded your compassion and received a wonderful sex life…Guess what I choose? Now, stop stopping time or you would be in trouble. You’re here as a witness, you’re not allowed to interfere!”
The two mighty beings stared at each other. None of them wanted to break the contact with the other. Suddenly, Tan felt herself pushed by a very strong wind that sent her against the opposite wall. She quickly looked to the throne to see that Dumah was standing up, her own gaze locked on her. She couldn’t fight him, he was too powerful in this realm. She slowly bowed her head and freed the time, hearing Kara say:
“Ah, ladies. Sorry for the short intermission, the problem is solved, now the choice is yours. Oh, one last point!” (Kara slowly made her way to a huge sandglass that had just appeared in the room, then, turned it so the sand was slowly falling from the one part to the other). “Your time is limited.”
Tara didn’t know what to do. She could try something magically but for the moment Laura hadn’t done anything to hurt her or Andrea. But she was invocating the “Sight of Râ”, her most lethal weapon. Her eyes were shining brighter and brighter and, soon, the Egyptian girl would reach the full potential of her gift. Should she call Xander and Anya who were watching Willow and Dawn upstairs? Her eyes scanned the place and fell on Spike who was sleeping on a chair. Too busy with the ritual, they hadn’t noticed that he had fallen asleep…which was a strange thing in this situation…Did Laura have anything to do with it? Should she try to wake Spike up to stop Laura?
She looked back at Laura who was standing next to Andrea now. The young girl seemed surrounded by the black that covered the mirror they had used to see what Andrea was seeing, increasing the scariness of the scene. Tara still didn’t know what to do, her conscious was screaming, telling her that she should attack before Laura, that she shouldn’t let her strike first. But her heart begged her to let the brunette do whatever she intended to…Calming herself, she used her magical skills to see Laura’s aura, scanning it to see if there was any sign of evil intentions and found nothing. A bit relieved, she watched as Laura slowly closed her eyes then, put her forehead on Andrea’s whispering:
“My eyes are yours!”
Andrea had stopped walking. She had the impression of turning around in a place so huge that she would have to run miles before finding a wall if walls existed in this place. She still couldn’t see anything and that was getting on her nerves too. If she wanted to help Buffy and Faith, she had to find a way to get out of this fucking place. The question was still how? Her anxiety was so high now that she was wishing having something evil to hit right now…but she had nothing, this place was dark but also ruled by silence and that was maybe the worst. She couldn’t hear anything, even her footsteps. She had tried crying but heard nothing. Still, she had felt her cry and that had felt good even if it was only for a short period of time. She had to find a way out or she would become crazy.
Suddenly, she began to notice a kind of path in the dark. She focused her attention on this path and it became clearer and clearer as time passed by. Could it be a way? How could she be sure that it wasn’t a trap? How can she be sure that it wouldn’t lead her far away from the real exit? And how could she see something now? Then, she heard it, heard a voice she had been cherishing for a few weeks now, a voice that said:
“My eyes are yours!”
Hearing this voice erased all doubts Andrea had about this way. Laura had found a way to help her. This girl was amazing. Thanking the Egyptian woman for her help, she began to follow the path, hoping to find an exit, someone or even something. She was fed up about this shitty place.
Faith couldn’t detached her eyes for Buffy’s. She so wanted to erase the feelings she was seeing in these beautiful hazel eyes: Horror, Fear, Powerlessness. She couldn’t though and knew that her girlfriend could see the same feelings in her own eyes.
She had never felt so useless as she was feeling now, even when she believed she was an unworthy piece of trash. Now, she couldn’t see a way to get away from this test. Dumah had duplicated hers of Buffy’s heart systems. If she was certain it was hers, she would sacrifice herself for Buffy without a single hesitation. But she wasn’t certain of it and couldn’t ask Kara. If the orange demon agreed to tell them who Dumah had chosen and reveal them that it was Buffy, she knew what the blond slayer would do, the same thing she would, give her life for her.
Buffy was thinking the same things Faith was and was aware of it. Asking who had been chosen wasn’t an option but letting Dawn and Willow die wasn’t an option either. Sighing heavily, she approached Faith and whispered in her ear.
“Fairy…I..”
“You want us to surrender, don’t you? Give up our freedom and work as slave for these bastards for the rest of our lives?”
“Well, only if you…”
“Kiss me!”
Buffy was surprised by the request but could see in the eyes of the brunette that she needed it. She cupped Faith’s head in her hand and gave her a sweet kiss. She could feel their tears mix in her cheek. She then felt Faith pulling her away before nodding.
“OK! At least we’ll still be together.”
“Forever!”
Tan witnessed the kiss and had a hard time preventing her own tears to fall. It wasn’t really difficult to guess what Buffy had suggested to Faith and seeing the dark slayer nod after the kiss had almost broke her heart. The uselessness the slayers were feeling now was also shared by the incarnate of Death. And once again, the cruelty of this last test was disgusting her. It represented everything she hated about the PTB and the other powers that were playing with human lives. The total lack of sensibility, of humanity they were showing.
She was driven out of her thoughts when she saw Buffy move towards Kara. Soon, the slayers would scarify themselves for their loved ones.
Andrea was still following the path wondering if it would end one day or another. It was as if the horizon was moving with her, as if the darkness that was visible in each side of the path was eternal. She could feel her frustration growing inside of her but couldn’t let it take control of her. She could feel that her sisters slayers were in a bad situation and that every second was counting now. She had to act quickly to save them from whatever they were facing.
“Kara! Could you tell Dumah that…that if he spares our friends, we agree to stay here, serve him, you, well, for as long as you want.”
Kara smiled. Dumah and her had been right. They had known the slayers would come with such an offer and Dumah had told her what to say in this case.
“That’s tempting! But no, thanks.”
Bufy was taken aback by this answer. She had been so sure that they would accept it. She gave a quick look to Faith who seemed as surprised as she was.
“Wh…what?”
“If you don’t play according to the rules of the tests, it is as if you agreed with the terms of the curse. The curse doesn’t say you have to die quickly, it says that first, you will attract evil things that will destroy your family and friends. The curse implies that you have to witness their destructions before being allowed to die. If we accept your surrender, we will betray the terms of the curse, sorry, we can’t!”
“Fucking bullshit!”
Buffy and Kara turned their head to see Faith walking towards Dumah. Forgetting her shock, worried about what her lover might do, Buffy quickly ran after her but couldn’t reach her before she arrived in front of the Angel of Death and Silence. And once she was in front of him, she realised that she couldn’t move further. Some force was stopping her. All she could do was watch her girlfriend dealing with their enemy.
“Fucking bastard! Son of bitch! You are having fun, aren’t you. You like it, don’t you? Seeing us hurt, begging you so you can crush us and our hopes. How many orgasm did you have while imagining these tests in your twisted fucking head? Did you really think we would stay there, waiting for you to ruin our lives without reacting. I’m gonna kick your mighty ass and…”
“And what Faith?”
Faith stopped. Dumah’s eyes hadn’t moved but she was sure she had heard him. She looked at him, saw his smile and knew that she hadn’t imagined it. The bastard was probably communicating with her, telepathically.
“You can hit me! And the one I chose to duplicate the heart system would feel it, not me…I’m sure you can guess what it would lead to…self sacrifice and grief. Is it what you want?”
“Son of a bitch!”
Dumah’s smile became wider and quickly disappeared when he saw Faith’s fist coming into his direction. It didn’t touch him though but it was so powerful that his throne fell into pieces once hit, something the mighty Angel of Death and Silence had thought impossible to do. The slayers were indeed very strong. Even Dumah couldn’t be sure he could beat them in a regular fight.
Then, Faith felt to her knees and began to cry. At the same time, Buffy recovered her ability to move and joined her dark beauty.
“I can’t do it, B. I can’t hit him!”
Buffy put her arms around Faith and began to rock her. She was crying too.
“I know Fairy. I can’t either”
“But…they’re gonna die…but I can’t…if you were…”
“I can’t loose you too, my Fairy…”
She didn’t finish her sentence. There was no need. Still rocking the brunette, Buffy looked at the sandglass. There were still lots of sand in there and Buffy didn’t know if it was a good or a bad thing.
Spike was slowly waking up. He didn’t know why but he had felt so exhausted suddenly. Massaging his head, he stood up to see that there were only Tara and Laura left. The blond witch seemed lost in her thoughts while the other girl was next to the sofa, her forehead resting on something, no, it was someone, Andrea, Andrea’s forehead. Then, he noticed something that made his eyes widen in horror.
“Bloody Hell!”
Tara had been watching Laura and Andrea speechless. She was feeling a little guilty to have thought that the Egyptian girl could try something to hurt her, to hurt them all. On the opposite, all she wanted to do was help, help the slayers, the three of them: Buffy, Faith and most importantly, the one that had stolen her heart, Andrea.
Once she had seen Laura put her forehead on Andrea’s, her eyes had naturally gilded from the two brunettes to the mirror, to see what all of it meant. She hadn’t been disappointed, Laura was using the “Sight of Râ” to guide Andrea through the darkness, thanks to Andrea’s own eyes. It was as if she had found the click to switch her love interest’s eyes on. Tara was continuing staring at the mirror when she suddenly heard Spike shout:
“Bloody Hell!”
Instinctively, she looked at the two girls and what she saw froze her blood in her veins. Blood was running on Laura’s cheeks, a blood that was coming from the young girl’s eyes. Shocked by what she was seeing, Tara found herself unable to move, unable to do something to stop the blood, to stop Laura from hurting herself.
Because that was what she was doing! It was impossible for her not to feel it. The pain had to be unbearable. Still, she hadn’t moved since she had come next to Andrea…and Tara was certain that she had known. She had known and was ready to scarify her sight on behalf of the woman she loved.
If Tara couldn’t move, it wasn’t Spike’s case. He had smelt the blood before seeing it and once he did see it, he almost immediately ran to grab Andrea, pulling her away from the other girl.
“Nooooo! Let me go!”
“Sorry pet, can’t let you burn the lovely eyes of yours.”
“I have to guide her, I’m the only one that can. Let me go or I swear I’ll stake you!”
Laura put her feet on the nearest wall and pushed. Surprised by this move, Spike lost his balance and they both fell on the ground. Taking advantage of the situation, the young girl hit him with the back of her head. The pain made him lost his grip and Laura quickly moved away, rushing to join Andrea. Her eyes were hurting like hell. She was keeping her eyelids closed, saw nothing but knew the way.
She had to help Andrea, she had to be lost in the dark again…Because of Spike, she had lost the contact but it doesn’t matter, it wouldn’t take long to find it again…she had to help Andrea. Then, suddenly, she felt tired, exhausted. She shouldn’t be, it was not the time…it wasn’t natural…she felt so tired though…she was fighting the feeling but couldn’t…that wasn’t natural, she was sure of it…So, that could only mean…
“Tara…b…bitch!” And with this last curse, she fell asleep on top of Andrea.
Tara looked at Laura’s face, she was covered of blood. It had taken time but she had finally succeeded in moving. She couldn’t let Laura continue to do it, risking to be blind for the rest of her life? Who knew what damages her eyes had already undergone? So, she had used a spell to make her fall asleep. It was the right thing to do, even if the curse had hurt her…a lot. She looked then at Spike and asked:
“You OK?”
The blond vampire stood up and nodded.
“She doesn’t seem that tough but I can tell you that she knows how to hit. I’m still seeing stars.”
“Could you take her to a room? I need some ingredients. I have to take care of her injuries before…”
She didn’t finished her sentence. They both knew what she implied. Spike took Laura and began to climb the stairs. Fortunately, this place had lots of rooms.
Andrea was lost in the darkness again. It was a good thing though cause she could see a tiny light at the end of the path, a light she wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. Still, she was worried, she couldn’t feel Laura anymore. What could it mean? Had she fallen in the same state as Willow and Dawn? Was she in danger? She couldn’t let her worries slow her down though. She had a mission to accomplish but hell, if something had happened to Laura…someone would pay for it. Focusing her attention to the light, she continued her way.
The slayers were both staring at the sandglass. Each grain that was falling for the upper part to the lower one was like a dagger thrown in their hearts, each grain reminded them the choice they had done…a choice that would cost the lives of two of the most important people in their lives.
But they couldn’t, they couldn’t perform the test. It was beyond their control. They couldn’t do it, couldn’t pierce Dumah’s heart knowing that it could lead to the death of one of them. Their love was too strong and it was a magnificent thing…even if now, Dumah had succeeded in transforming it into a curse.
They stayed in each other’s arms, looking for comfort in the other’s warmth, comforting each other with tender gestures and soft kisses knowing full well that nothing would be the same again, that the guilt would be there for the rest of their lives. They didn’t know where it would lead them, how it would affect them and their relationship but they just couldn’t, they needed each other more that they needed anything else, they couldn’t stand the idea of being alone again…the only existence they wanted was with the other.
They didn’t looked at their feet, at the place where the swords were because looking at them, looking at the weapon they could use to save Willow and Dawn’s lives was only making things worse.
And the sand was still falling, too quickly…and too slowly too.
Tan had closed her eyes, looking for her, looking for Andrea. She wished Laura had revealed everything to Faith’s sister. It was the only solution? She was the only one that could save everyone. Willow and Dawn for a so unfair death…Buffy and Faith for a slow death, the kind of death only guilt could cause…If their friends died, even if their love is one of the strongest she had ever seen, it would be because of it and, one day or another, the guilt would lead their relationship to oblivion…and their lives probably too.
And then, she felt her, she was there. Her spirit was in Dumah’s head, trying to find her way. She just hoped that she would be there on time.
“How original! Now, it’s fucking too bright.”
Andrea was now surrounded by brightness and, as it had been the case in the darkness, she couldn’t seen a single thing.
“Hope you didn’t pay millions of bucks for decoration, it fucking sucks!”
“Sorry! We wasn’t expecting you…in fact, we’ve never thought someone would come here.”
The voice had came from nowhere but it didn’t frighten Andrea at all.
“OK! You know that it’s very rude to speak to a girl without showing your face? So, cut the speakers and come here.”
“Again sorry. I just need a few more seconds.”
“For what? Have to pee?”
“No, see, the forces of darkness surrounded us by…Well darkness. That was easy and I have to say that it is quite efficient. But the forces of light, I’m their representative by the way, they decided to give more elaborate defences…and well, as I said, I wasn’t expecting you…so I have to prepare some things and…”
“Screw you! Come here now!”
“And I was the rude one!”
“Get your butt here! What the hell is taking you so much damn time?”
“Scanning you!”
Andrea jumped, surprised. The creature that had just appeared in front of her didn’t correspond to what she was expecting. It was a creature of legend. It had the corpse of a lion and the face of an old man. The Sphinx! She was in front of the fucking Sphinx. She quickly recovered her composure and asked:
“Scanning me?”
“Yes, to know which appearance I had to take.”
“So, you’re not a Sphinx?”
“No! I’m just a spirit, trapped in the mind of the Angel of Death and Silence to protect it. Not the most funny job on Earth. Do you know that I haven’t seen anybody here for the last 3 thousands years?”
“Nope and I don’t care! So, what are we gonna do now, fight?”
“Why do you think I’ve chosen this form, Andrea?”
“You’re not going to ask me the 'What walks with four legs in the morning…blablabla' kind of crap, are you?”
“No, no! I’m not like Sphinxy, don’t get me wrong, he is a kind person but he is a bit too focus on his own navel, completely oblivious that everybody know his riddles now. No, mines are much better and updated frequently…I have all the time to think about them here.”
“Listen,…Scancopy, I’m not Riddle Girl, that’s Red, she’s the brain…”
“You don’t choose, Andrea. Besides, you liked it when you were little, with Andy.”
“Wasn’t me, was Faith.”
“No, it was you too. You shared her childhood.”
Andrea remained silent. Yes, she had played riddles with Andy when they were little, at their aunt’s, but that was ages ago…
“Times is running, Andrea! Your friends need you.”
“What? What happened to them?” Andrea asked, walking menacingly towards the creature.
“Wowowo, back up, girl. They are facing the last test and are gonna lose it. Dumah has duplicated one of the slayers heart system to replace his own. The slayers have to pierce his heart to pass the test and if they do, one of them would die.”
Andrea was shocked, worried but managed to keep her calm.
“Do they know who Dumah’s chose?”
“No!”
“Then, they won’t do it!”
“Good guess! The only problem is that if they don’t, two of their friends would die!”
“D and Red?”
“You got it!”
Andrea let the information sink in her mind. That wasn’t a test, that was a one way ticket to hell…and she was sure that even if it would cost Willow and Dawn’s lives, the slayers wouldn’t be able to pierce Dumah’s heart…at their places, she wouldn’t be.
“Can I…can I do something?”
“Yes! You can save them all!”
The creature waved his tail and two stairs appeared in front of Andrea. Each one of them was guarded by a demon, two identical ugly looking dwarves. They were unarmed and were looking at them, a grin pasted on their faces.
“To duplicate a heart system, Dumah needs all his concentration. Both stairs lead to a veil. The first one represents Dumah’s real heart system, the other, the one he has duplicated. Next to them, there are weapons. If you destroy Dumah’s veil, he would be obliged to use all his concentration to heal and the slayers would have an opportunity to strike. If you destroy the wrong veil…Well, I think it’s kinda clear.”
“And what about the dwarves?”
“They are twins. One of them is a pathological liar. He just can’t tell the truth. The other is so virtuous that he can’t lie. Here is the riddle, Andrea. You have one question to ask to ONE of the dwarves to find the right way. What would this question be?”
“Only one?”
“To only one dwarf! You have all the time you need but I suggest you to hurry.”
“Why?”
“Huh?”
“If you are the guardian of Dumah’s mind, why do you give me a chance to save them?”
“I serve the forces of light, Andrea. If I couldn’t feel the good in you, I would have fought you and destroy your spirit. But I feel it, your reasons are good so, you deserve this chance. They deserve a chance.”
“OK, er…any clue?”
Andrea saw the creature shake his head, smiling. She wouldn’t receive any other info. Thinking about her childhood and the ways she had used to solve riddles back then, she began looking for this question. She had the fate of her family between her hands…or rather between her brain cells.
Tara had left the washcloth on Laura’s forehead and eyes. She couldn’t do anything else. She had caught the healing spell her state required had put the most efficient ointments she knew about…all they had to do now was waiting. She left Dawn’s room, where Laura was resting, and walked to the room she shared with Willow in the Summers House. During the few seconds the journey took her, she couldn’t prevent herself to think about the events of the last hours and sighed. Being part of the slayer’s family wasn’t piece of cake but it was worth it. Being friend with people as courageous as Buffy, Faith, Andrea, Willow, Xander and even Laura was something she wouldn’t give up for anything…even if sometimes it was very scary and emotionally tiring.
She pushed the room’s door and felt her heart beating faster. Her girlfriend was behind this door, and she couldn’t do anything to help her. Once inside, she gave a soft nod to Xander and Anya who were watching the girls. Then, her eyes moved to the bed where Dawn and Willow were laying. As it had been the case the 100th times she had come to check on them today, they both seemed paler, weaker and she had all the pain in the world not to cry. They were losing them, she knew it and still, they couldn’t do anything for them. She waited a couple of second to gather her strength, to find the force to speak without breaking down then asked:
"Anya? Could you please go in Dawn’s room to keep an eye on Laura?"
"And since when am I the official Scoobysitter? And I’m not even paid for…"
"An! Please!"
The ex-Vengeance demon looked at her fiancé before nodding and leaving the room in saying:
"OK! OK! But I’m not changing diapers."
Tara and Xander exchanged an understanding look before the blond witch decided it was her turn to leave the room. She couldn’t stand seeing Willow in such a state. She went back downstairs, into the leaving room, heard Spike in the kitchen, probably looking for something to drink or eat, then looked at the person who could be their last chance in this mess, Andrea, who still was on the sofa, peacefully asleep. But Tara knew better. She knew that this peaceful look was just an image, knew that the girl had to fight for Buffy and Faith’s lives, as well as her own.
Andrea thought back at her childhood and at how she resolved riddles back then.
"OK! Rule number one: No panic! So, breathe Andrea, do not think about the time."
The brunette sighed heavily, succeeded in calming her breathing rhythm, then thought back at the riddle.
"Rule number two: checking the data I have. First, what do I want to know…answer: which way would lead me to Dumah’s veil. So, as I have only one question to ask, that should be the answer I have to receive. No other possibility here. Second: we have two dwarves: a bloody liar and a saint…as I would receive two different answers for them, I can’t ask what way they would recommend me to choose…OK, no other clue there…So, if I can’t ask you what way they would recommend me…the only possibility left is to ask them which way someone else would recommend…It can’t be the Sphinx copycat as I would be in the same shit that if I asked what their choice would be…So, there is only one solution left…"
Andrea grinned. Yes, that was it. She had the answer and it had come so easily. Oh, yeah. She hadn’t lost her touch after all. Still wearing the grin, she walked to the closer dwarf and asked him:
"Tell me, little boy…Which way your brother would tell me to choose to find Dumah’s veil?"
Andrea could see his lips curved a short moment before he managed to regain his stoicism. But it was too late. She knew she had been right.
"Gotcha, little boy. I can’t be wrong. If you were the liar, your brother would tell me the truth so, your answer would be a lie…If you were the saint, you’d just repeat me the lie your brother would say. Either way…"
"He would tell you to take the right stairs."
"Thanks mate. I’ll take the left ones."
And without saying anything else, Andrea began climbing the stairs.
The Sphinx copycat stared at the young girl and smiled when she found the solution. He hadn’t given her his hardest riddle. He looked at the clock, hidden behind a wall. There wasn’t much time left…he just hoped it would be enough. Sighing, he said out loud to himself:
"My dear Tan! I hope your favourites would make it. I really really hope they would."
Thirty seconds. If Tan weren’t wrong, there were only twenty seconds left…afterwards, it would be over.
The slayers weren’t looking to the sandglass anymore and who would blame them. In twenty seconds, their happy live would be over…forever. Fucking tests.
25 seconds
Xander was freaking out now. The two girls, his friends were as pale as death right now. He could still see them breathing but their chests barely moved. Terrified, he exited the room shouting:
"Tara!"
20 seconds
Andrea finally reached the end of the stairs and could see the veil. It was a purple veil that was hanging on a wall. She quickly scanned the room and finally spotted an axe on the left side of the veil. Without thinking, she grabbed it and hit the veil, over and over…over and over…
12 seconds
Faith had her head on Buffy’s neck and Buffy had her own head on Faith’s. These were their last seconds. They weren’t crying though. Too shocked to do so. In a few seconds, Willow and Dawn would die…by their fault…but, they still couldn’t do what Dumah had asked her to do. Suddenly, a shadow appeared, covering them. This sudden shadow came with a noise, a huge FLAP that came from the back of the slayers. The slayers looked into this direction by reflex and saw Dumah, standing up in front of his throne, holding his head with his hands. At that exact same time, they both heard in their head Tan’s voice telling them:
"Take the swords and do it. Now!"
7 seconds
The slayers didn’t move, still trying to figure out what was happening.
"Move your asses and trust me, damn it. Do it now!"
Hypnotized by the commanding tone of Tan. Buffy and Faith didn’t think further. They trusted Tan and if that was their chance to beat the odds, they were ready to grab it. In a time that probably would have been worth the Guiness Book of Records, they took the swords and ran to Dumah who was still apparently suffering great pain. He didn’t even realised that they were coming…one second later, the swords pierced his heart.
The next thing the slayers did was to look at the sandglass where they just had the time to catch the last grain falling. They had made it. They still had no idea about what had just happened…But they had done it. Then, they heard a voice full of anger and hatred say:
"Cheaters!"
Kara was coming into their direction, furious. The walls were trembling because of her fury. It didn’t look good...didn’t look good at all.
Tara finally arrived in the room. She was now as freaked out as Xander. She entered the room as quickly as possible but bumped into Xander who was standing in the entry, speechless and unable to move.
"Xander?"
"They just moved. I thought they were…Well you know but they have just moved and their face…they have lost their white sheets colour face, they’re all pink and cutish now…Tara…I was so scared."
Tara could hear his emotion in his voice. She put her hand on his shoulder and finally looked at her friends. Their face had recovered their standard colours and she could even hear a snort…yeah, they were sleeping…they were saved…something had just happened in Dumah’s realm…one of the slayers…or even the three of them had done something…had saved them all.
Andrea woke up in the living room, a little bit confuse. The last thing she remembered was slashing the veil. She looked around and saw no one. She stood up, wondering what could have happened while she was out, then made her way to the stairs, hearing voices coming from that point. She couldn’t prevent herself to feel worried about Laura. She should have been there when she had woken up…her not being there could only mean something had happened to her. Andrea was sure about that.
She slowly climbed the stairs, quickly spotting Tara, Spike and Xander speaking quietly outside the room where Willow and Dawn had been brought. She quickly noticed the smile on their face and the relief that was paint on it too.
"So, Red and D are out of trouble?"
Tara and Xander hadn’t seen Andrea coming and they welcomed her with happy grins that only confirmed that she had guessed right. Then, she saw Tara rushing into her direction and, before she could remind her that she wasn’t the hugging kind of gal, she quickly found herself trapped in her embrace. She slowly pulled the witch away, smiling at her then said:
"That’s very good news, T. I…You…Where is Laura?" She was still uncomfortable to show her feelings to the Scoobies but she had to know where was the Egyptian girl. Seeing the worried expression of her friends features, he worry increased at shuttle speed.
"What? What happened?"
"You told her how to do that?"
Buffy and Faith watched as Kara slowly approached Tan. Her anger didn’t seem to be directed to them but it was crystal clear that the incarnate of Death had just jumped to the top of her "People I wish death" List. Still, they both wanted to know what Kara meant. So, after a last glance to her girlfriend, Faith asked:
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
Kara didn’t stop eyeing Tan and asked her.
"You didn’t tell them?"
"Tell us what?"
"She told the demon that has become your sister how to enter Dumah’s mind! So, that bitch could mess with his thoughts to give you the opportunity to strike without being hurt…am I right, Tan?"
"I can’t deny it! It wasn’t Andrea but Laura I talked to but yeah. I was hoping she would come."
"Then, you’ve just condemned the slayers! I will let the curse break their lives, I will even put another curse on their shoulders. I don’t know which one yet but, believe me, that will be painful."
"And may I know why you’d do this?"
"Damn it, Tan! Are you deaf or something. You cheated! Someone intervened because of you, someone who wasn’t allowed to come here, wasn’t a part of the test."
"We haven’t cheated! In fact, we strictly obeyed to your rules!"
"Our rules say that only the weapons we give are allowed. If you come with anything or anyone else, you break the rules…and you have just done it!"
"No! Disagree with you here! We haven’t broken any rule."
Kara snorted. Her anger had decreased a little bit, replaced by astonishment. How couldn’t she see that she had just messed up, had just condemned the slayers to eternal doom.
Both Buffy and Faith remained silent captivated by the conversation they were witnessing.
"Try to convince me then!"
"Do you know how Andrea came into Dumah’s head?"
"He kissed her forehead. As she shared Faith’s DNA, it was the only way for us to prevent her from coming here. We didn’t know she would use it against us though."
"Yes, and it created a connection between them, between their minds."
"Yes, so you cheated!"
"Think about it, Kara. Who gave this opportunity to us, to Andrea? Who gave us this ‘weapon’?"
"Dumah but he…he didn’t…"
"Didn’t give it willingly? Of course, he didn’t! But, tell me Kara, where the hell is it said in your rules that he has to give them willingly? Nowhere, I checked it ten times."
"But…grr…you’re playing with words…"
"Isn’t it what lawyers are supposed to do?"
"Yes but…"
Kara was looking for a way to contradict what Tan was saying but found nothing. The more she thought about it, the more she agreed with Tan. They didn’t cheat. It was their fault, they had never thought about this willing/unwilling crap, no one ever did. And now, they were trapped. They would have to adapt the rules, to update them to use a term Tan loved to use. She grinned. She was almost…no, rectification here, she was buying Tan’s tale about updating the rules to an evolving society. Yes, the PTB and the forces of darkness were trapped in centuries old practices and yes, they have to change things if they didn’t want to be out of date soon. Then, once she had acknowledged that the slayers had just passed the test, she began to laugh. It was a hysterical laugh. She couldn’t stop it.
Tan, Buffy and Faith looked at Kara, astonished. They didn’t know why she was laughing so hard. So, they waited till the moment Kara stopped laughing.
"Sorry! It’s nervous. OK, guys. You win. You can go home! No more curse."
And while saying it, she waved her hand and a black hole, identical to the one that they had used to come there appeared on a wall.
"You should go home now! You’ve earned some rest!"
"And you let us go like this? After what we did? After seeing us kill the man you love?" Buffy asked incredulously.
"Kill? Man, Buffy. Do you think it’s easy to find a neutral man in this war against good and evil? A man trusted by both side?"
Understanding what Kara said, Buffy and Faith looked at the throne. It was empty. Dumah’s body wasn’t there anymore.
"Greetings from him, girls! Just wish not to see him again!"
The first thing Laura noticed when she woke up was the washcloth on her eyes. It didn’t take her long to remember what had happened, to remember what Tara did. She should be angry at the witch but, knowing that in her place she would have done the exact same thing, she couldn’t be mad at her. Still, she had to get up, to check Andrea, to see if everything was all right.
Before she made a move, she heard the door of the room open.
"Who is it?"
"Bugs Bunny! Who did you think it was?"
Laura smirked, her heart was way lighter now that she had heard this voice, her voice, Andrea’s voice.
"Nah, you’re not Bugs! I recognised your voice, Duffy!"
Andrea didn’t answer. Laura didn’t know how to take it. Usually when they began teasing each other, it last a long while as no one wanted to give up the "fight". She heard Andrea come closer, then feel her warmth on her hand as she took it in hers. She could feel that the other brunette was nervous.
"Shit, Laura. Do never do that again! When Tara told me…well, you scared the shit out of me!"
"Well, at least, it had a hygienic advantage!"
"Don’t! I’m death serious here and to quote you…Well, I can’t stand losing you either."
"Really?" Laura asked with a croaked voice.
"Yep! You got me here, L. You got me bad."
Andrea kissed her friend’s hand; looking at Laura’s face, waiting for the question she would inevitably ask.
"A?"
"Yeah?"
"Did it work?"
"I think so! Red and D are out of danger and fully awaken now. B and Sis would probably come back soon. So, yes, it worked."
"Good!"
Then, Laura lips began to tremble and Andrea knew that the question was finally there.
"Andrea, my eyes? What if I can’t see you again?"
"No worry about that! Does it hurt?"
"No!"
"Tara told me that the healing spell is a very efficient one and if you don’t feel any pain, then, we can say for sure that it’ll heal."
"Good! Cause now that I got you, I’m gonna have to watch your butt! …Well, it sounds much more sexy now than when I thought of it."
Laura waited a few seconds before adding.
"Does this ‘Got you’ thing means…"
She didn’t have the time to finish her sentence because Andrea chose that moment to press her lips on hers. The kiss lasted a long time before they separated.
"What do you think?"
When the slayers exited the portal, they found the living room empty. They were just the two of them, Tan having decided to come back to her duties. They would see her soon though, as she would certainly come back here for her next holidays. The goodbyes had been short but very emotional. They owed her so much. Who would have thought? They just had been saved by Death. Now, they were back home and ready to enjoy it. Buffy looked then at her girlfriend and said:
"Do you think they began to party without us?"
"Nah, don’t think so. They wouldn’t risk our wrath, would they?"
"GUYS, WE’RE HERE!"
A few seconds later, Dawn, Willow, Tara, Xander, Anya and Spike were downstairs, hugging and congratulating the slayers. They had done it, once again, they had beaten the odds and came back save home. Once the screams of joy, the hugs and the laughs were over, Faith spotted something in the stairs and turned to Buffy.
"Looks like things have evolved while we were away!"
Buffy followed Faith’s stare and saw Andrea and Laura making their way downstairs. The Egyptian girl was in Andrea’s arms and, seeing the way they were holding each other, there was no doubts that their relationship had now taken a new step. The two slayers walked towards the two brunettes and met them while Andrea was putting Laura on the sofa. Buffy and Faith knew what they both did during their time in Dumah’s realm. Tan had told them.
"Hey Sis! B! So, holidays are over?"
Buffy was the one to reply.
"Yeah, at last! Never trust the brochures. This place wasn’t what it looked like on pictures… So, don’t you have something to tell us, guys?"
They didn’t receive any answer. Instead, Andrea sat next to Laura and kissed her passionately. Then, they turned their heads towards the slayers, smiling. That was all they needed to know. Their whole family was there now and they were all happy. Whatever the future had in store for them, they knew that they all would be there for them and that was a strength they would take advantage of.