Slayers Journeys V: Nymphs
by Vincent
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Joss, ME, Fox and UPN. Just borrowing.
Spoilers: The events occur in the beginning to Season 7. Willow has just come back from England.
Note: This the fifth story of The Slayers Journeys Saga that will have 5 different parts. Hope you'll like it.
Feedback: Yes, please.
The sun had been up since a couple of hours when Buffy Summers slowly woke up, the events of the previous night still present in her mind. The time loop in Berlin and the birth of the Primal Chaos Avatar were still extremely vivid in her memories but were far from being her favourite ones. No, the first memories that came to her mind this morning were the ones that involved a gorgeous brunette. The way she smiled, the way she moved, their banters, her hot body the blonde would never got tired watching, her sexy voice that constantly sent shivers down Buffy’s spine, etc...
The petite Slayer smiled widely, her eyes still closed to savour the memories even deeper. She was happy! Happier than ever! She was in love with Faith and wanted to shout this love out loud so everyone would know how happy she was, how happy Faith made her feel. Keeping her eyes shut, she extended her hand towards the left side of the bed, Faith’s side, to touch her, feel her skin under her fingertips. She opened her eyes when she noticed that Faith wasn’t there anymore. The place was cold, proof that she had been gone for a while. Buffy sat down quickly on the bed and, thinking that her girlfriend might be in the bathroom, called after the brunette.
“Faith?”
As no answer was coming from the bathroom, Buffy concluded that Faith had probably gone downstairs. She closed her eyes and let her senses search for the brunette, taking full advantage on this new gift their time loops had given them. Faith was not in the kitchen, nor in the living room. The sweat began to run on her face as she realised that Faith wasn’t in the house. She began to scan the neighbourhood, in vain too. Wherever she was, the brunette wasn’t in this part of Sunnydale.
Buffy began to panic. She scanned her room, looking for some clue, noticed that Faith’s clothes were still on the floor, next to hers, spotted her boots on each corner of the bed. She saw that the window was slightly open but remembered that she had opened it herself the previous morning and hadn’t closed it the last night. Her eyes were literally jumping from one side of the room to the other but she didn’t see anything that could tell her where Faith was or what had happened to her.
Putting her fingers through her hair, Buffy tried to calm down, tried to cool down. After all, panicking wouldn’t help her find her girlfriend. She used some tai-chi techniques Angel had taught her to regulate her breathing and began to relax. When she was relaxed enough, she began to analyse the situation.
Now that she was thinking about it, the “We can sense each other” thing had only been tested when they were time looping. What if it only worked there, in their past lives? What if they couldn’t do it in real life? The previous day, she had known that Faith was in prison before meeting her so, she hadn’t tried to locate her. And after that, they hadn’t left each other. Yes, that had to be the explanation.
Half-relieved to have a logical explanation to her incapacity to sense the brunette, but still half-worried that it wasn’t the right one, she quickly put her pyjama then, exited her bedroom to the stairs that she descended in full speed.
While Buffy was waking up, the three other members of the Scooby Gang were gathered in the kitchen. Willow and Dawn were preparing the lunch while Xander was coming back from the living room where he had dressed the table.
“OK, girls! Table done and according to the delicate aroma that comes to my nostrils, the food will be ready soon. So, there is just one thing missing for lunch! Our couple of sleeping bunnies.”
Dawn and Willow nodded then, the younger woman asked: “Should I go to wake them up?”
“No! Maybe they’re not sleeping anymore. I…I mean they could be…thumb wrestling and you know that thumb wrestling needs concentration and…I don’t want to disturb them in the middle of their thumb wrestling match and…Xand, some back up could be useful here!” Willow babbled, not wanting to discuss this delicate subject in front of the teenager.
Xander extended his arms in a gesture of defeat before adding: “Sorry, Will! You’ve dig your own grave with the thumb wrestling thing.”
“Well, in a way, I think they did use their thumbs last night!”
“DAWN!” Willow and Xander exclaimed at the same time, looking at the teenager like parents who didn’t know how to handle this kind of joke. Should they be ashamed of it, laugh at it or just ignore it?
“What? I’m 16 years old, guys! I have ears too and there is no way for you to make me believe that last night Faith and Buffy were thumb wrestling! Geez, when would you consider me as a grown up? I know what sex is, sorry if it troubles you!”
The two young adults shared a quick look before Willow sighed and said: “We know you’ve grown up, Dawn. It’s just that for us, you’re still the youngest and we just want to protect you.”
“Yeah and the guys your age! Believe me when I said you don’t want to know what they’re thinking about most of the times.”
“And believe me, Dawnie, Xander is a specialist on that matter!” Willow continued with a wide grin on her face.
“Hey! There is prescription now! I’ve grown up too!”
Seeing the perplex looks on his friends features, the young carpenter decided to change the subject.
“Erm…didn’t we spoke about waking our Slayers up?”
Willow smirked, totally conscious of Xander’s lame attempt to change the topic. She then replied: “I still don’t know if we should…”
“They’re sleeping, Will. Don’t worry! Remember last night? They’re not very quiet when they…thumb wrestle!”
At that moment, the sound of someone descending the stairs at a brisk space caught their attention and they didn’t waited long before hearing Buffy say her girlfriend’s name a couple of times. It wasn’t the fact that Buffy was calling after Faith that suddenly worried them, it was the tone in the blonde’s voice. Minute after minute, call after call, the panic in her voice increased. What was happening? They quickly ran to the living room to meet their friend.
Buffy felt her heart pounding harder and harder in her chest, as if it wanted to exit it, pass through her chest, piercing it in the process. She wasn’t in the house! Faith wasn’t in the house, she was sure of it! There was no sign of her in the living room. The light in the basement was switched off. There was only the kitchen she hadn’t gone to but, as she was running towards it, she spotted Willow, Dawn and Xander coming from that direction. Faith wasn’t there either, otherwise, she would have been with them. Still, she had to ask them.
“Hey guys! Have you seen Faith?”
Willow was the one to answer: “Erm no! We thought she was with you, in your room!”
Buffy began to pace, raising her hands frenetically in the air, talking out loud to no one and everyone, her voice carrying more and more panic..
“I don’t know where she is! I can’t feel her! She’s not here! She has disappeared. Oh god, what happened to her?”
Dawn made her way to block her sister then, when the petite Slayer stopped pacing, she put her hands on her sister’s shoulders and said: “Buffy! Calm down! Breathe and explain us everything since the beginning. It can be nothing! Maybe Faith has just gone for a walk and would be back soon.”
“Or maybe she wouldn’t!”
The three girls were looking at Xander who had just said the last sentence, puzzled and afraid to understand what the young man was implying.
“What?” Buffy said, the panic in her voice replaced by a much harsher tone.
“Am I the only one to consider another possibility that explained Faith’s disappearance? Am I the only one to see how well it fits with Faith’s personality? Am I…”
Xander didn’t finish his sentence. He didn’t even saw Buffy coming and soon felt himself pinned against the wall, paralysed by Buffy’s firm grip on his thorax. Then, he heard her voice, a voice that sent shivers down his spine, a voice full of venom.
“Xander! Tell me you won’t say what I think you’re gonna say!”
Xander gulped loudly. He knew that Buffy was pissed off, he knew that what he was about to say would hurt her. But he had to say it. For Buffy’s sake, even if she had to hate him for it.
“Sorry, Buff! I knew she couldn’t change. That’s all Faith! Once she has what she wants, poof, she’s gone and this time, she wanted to go in your pants and…”
The slap didn’t surprise him! In fact, he was waiting for it. Its strength surprised him though. It was a hard slap, with Slayer powers barely contained. How yeah, he had hurt her bad. But, once again, he convinced himself that it was for her own good. Then, he heard her say:
“Now, Xander, listen to me! Carefully, cause I’ll only say it once. I love Faith, and I trust her, I trust our love. She has changed for the good, Xander. So, if you don’t want to see that, to support me, to help me find her, then, you know where the door is…but if you pass it, there is no way back!” And with, these last words, she let him go away from her grip.
“Buffy, you have to…”
“I know you think you’re helping me or something here, Xander. But it’s not this kind of help I need. I love you but right now, I really want to punch your face to pulp. So, what’s your answer, Xander?”
Xander looked behind Buffy, to the two other girls who hadn’t said a word since Buffy had grabbed him. He knew that they would be behind Buffy, help her find Faith…and…
“I’ll help, Buff. Not for her, but for you! But please, answer a question. I know you love and trust her, but my option is logical according to her past…and we have to consider every option here! Do you have anything to say to cancel this one?”
She locked her eyes on his and replied simply: “Yes, Xander! I have!”
“And?”
“Her clothes are still in my…our room! Do you really think that if she wanted to run away after getting in my pants, as you have romantically described it, she would have run in the buff?”
The minutes following Buffy and Xander’s quarrel had been calm. Each protagonist was trying to regain her composure. Xander felt like hell. Once again, he chastised himself for having talked before knowing every aspects of the case. Even if Faith liked to tell “naked herself” stories, she wouldn’t have let her clothes in Buffy’s room if she had wanted to leave her. No, something had happened…and he had a bad feeling about the brunette’s disappearance now.
The quarrel had helped Buffy in a way. She had now mastered her panic but the worry was still here, more present, minute by minute. The more she was thinking about it, the more worried she became when she thought about the dark Slayer. She hadn’t left the house, willingly, they were all sure of it now…and it only meant one thing: She had been kidnapped. The question was by whom…and why had she been taken away from her. This was so unfair! They had just found each other and now, they were already separated.
Willow and Dawn didn’t know what to do. They knew that time would be necessary to heal the emotional wounds Xander and Buffy had done to each other. They had a kidnapping on their hands too, the kidnapping of someone who had become precious to most of them and they knew that the quicker they reacted, the better chances to find her they had.
So, Buffy explained her awakening, her Faithless awakening, her inability to sense her, her first conclusions about it and the short time relief they had brought her…but she couldn’t say anything that could help them in their inquiry. They hadn’t any clue, they couldn’t progress like this. So, as every detective they knew…as every TV show detectives they knew, they decided to go back to the crime scene. The place where Faith had been seen the last time: Buffy’s room. And it was just after a couple of minute of research that Dawn found something odd in and next to the bed.
“Guys? I’ve found something strange!”
They quickly gathered around the teenager who was showing them what she had found, laying in her hand: Four dead insects, probably crushed by one of the Slayers during their sleep.
“Fireflies!” Stated Xander.
“They don’t usually enter in houses, right, Will?”
The witch nodded to Buffy and added: “No! They don’t. If we had only found one of them, I would have said that it was probably coincidental…but four fireflies, that’s not natural, not natural at all.”
“I don’t see how these fireflies could have helped in Faith’s kidnapping!”
“Well, you know, Buffy, fireflies are often considered as creatures of great occult energy. They are key ingredients for lots of spells and I don’t see how someone would have kidnapped Faith without magic, especially with you in the same room.”
“So? What now?”
Buffy looked at her three friends and answered Xander’s question.
“Will, Dawnie, you check the fireflies thing. Xander, you come with me!”
“Yeah but, where are we going?”
“Find answers!”
“Oh!” And without saying another word, he followed the petite Slayer.
“Don’t you think we shouldn’t have let them go alone? After all, they’ve just had a big fight with sparks of anger, lightening thunderous words and deep wounds…figuratively speaking of course.”
Dawn had just asked the question to Willow who was currently searching for information in an old manuscript. They had just come back from the “library room” where they had picked up books that could help them to figure out how Faith had been kidnapped. But, as much the younger girl wanted to find answers in the books, she had a hard time concentrating on the task, her mind constantly coming back to the quarrel they had witnessed earlier that day.
“I don’t think there will be a problem. They are willing to find Faith so, they will forget the quarrel for the time being. And when Faith would be back, they would really discuss the matter.”
“And then?”
“You know them, Dawnie! They’re pretty stubborn. Two thick skulls! It’s not the first time they hurt each other and I don’t think it will be the last but these two love each other too. Xander has a golden heart and Buffy knows it. It will end well, you’ll see.”
“If…if we find Faith!” Dawn stated at that moment, tears forming in her eyes.
“We will! You have to think positive, Dawnie!”
“I know but have you seen how Buffy almost freaked out when she had noticed that Faith wasn’t here? I’ve never seen her attached so much importance to someone, even when she was with Angel. I can’t imagine how she’d react if Faith…if she is…”
“She is alive, Dawnie!”
“How can you be sure of it?”
“Do you really think someone would have taken so much risks to kidnap her if this someone didn’t need her alive? If this someone wanted her dead, then it would have killed her. Period!”
“Yes, you’re right!” The teenager replied, more enthusiastically. The witch was right…the question was how long would that someone need her alive?
The thug he had hired for his protection was now laying on the floor and Willy could just stare at him. “The best bodyguard of Sunnydale who knew how to protect people against vampires, demons and even Slayers” had said the ad. Well, Willy had just discovered how false this last assertion was. It had only taken a few seconds for the blonde to knock him down and the barman was now feeling the unpleasant sensation of her hand around his throat, a sensation he knew too well now, for his own displeasure.
“Oh, Slayer! Excuse Worg for his rude welcome! You know how difficult it is to find skilled employees. If I had known it was you, I would never have allowed him to…”
“Cut the crap, Willy! Not in the mood!”
The grip around his throat tightened. In his memories, Willy didn’t remember having felt the Slayer squeeze his throat that much. Neither did he remember having heard her talk with such a harsh tone. Yep, something should have pissed her off really bad! Even her friend, the carpenter seemed worried about how far the blonde would go. Anyway, now Willy knew that lying wasn’t an option.
“What…what do you want to know?”
“Have you seen any new demon or heard someone talking about kidnapping a Slayer?”
“Don’t forget the fireflies, Buff!”
“Fireflies?” Willy asked in a tone that betrayed the fact that the mention of the insects had just reminded him something. Buffy didn’t miss it and pushed him a little harder against the wall she had pinned him against earlier.
“What do you know about fireflies, Willy?”
Fearing for his wellbeing, Willy started talking.
“There was this new demon that came in this morning. It had a box with it…”
“And?”
“It ordered a cocktail and put the box in the bar. It was open so, I could see that it was empty. I…I brought it its cocktail when something buzzed in the entry…and there they came, hundreds of fireflies that flew into the box…and once the last firefly was in the box, the demon closed it.”
“That’s our man…demon! What did it look like?”
“Tall, yellow skin and it was speaking with a foreign accent, a French accent, I think.”
As Willy was describing the demon, Buffy’s eyes went wide. She knew this demon and now, she knew who was behind Faith’s kidnapping.
“Husa!”
“What?” said Xander and Willy in unison but Buffy dismissed the question with a gesture of her hand.
“Anything else you can tell us, Willy?”
“Erm...no!”
“You’ve always been a bad liar, Willy! Now, tell me what the fuck you are thinking about or I’ll get sadistic!”
“OK, OK! It asked me where it could find Sabbor so, I told it.”
“Who is Sabbor?”
"A man…the kind of man whose job is to help fugitives fleeing away…he is specialised in demon travelling."
“And where does this Sabbor live?”
“In the desert, I can…I can make you a plan if you let me go!”
Buffy ponders the proposal a minute before putting Willy down. Finally, they had a clue…and a suspect.
A few minutes later, Willow saw Dawn coming back from the hall where she had just gone to answer the phone. According to what Willow had heard, it was Buffy on the other side of the line.
“Did they found something?”
“Yes, Willy had done the repent act and it appears he knew pretty much. They’re on their way to a place in the desert. They just phoned to tell us to not wait for them for dinner. They’ll probably be back late in the afternoon. And to check everything we had about their time loops nemesis, Husa. Looks like she is involved in Faith’s kidnapping.”
“Good cause I don’t see where we could have search further about the fireflies. We don’t know enough, we don’t even know what exactly we are looking for. Now, at least, we have some tangible data to concentrate on.”
“Yep! So, it would be a long and boring research afternoon.”
“You’d better prepare the cocoa and the snacks then!”
“On my way!” And, while saying it, Dawn moved towards the kitchen. At the exact moment the teenager disappeared, the phone rang again. Standing up, Willow made her way towards the device and answered.
“Summers House, Willow speaking! Oh, hi Giles!”
It was the middle of the afternoon when Buffy and Xander arrived in front of Sabbor’s house. Surprisingly, the plan Willy gave them was pretty accurate and they didn’t have trouble finding it. Buffy thought that after all, a rougher approach of the barman was quite effective. Something to keep in mind for the future.
They stepped out of the car and walked to the entry. A bell hanged above the front door and, pulling the chord that was hanging behind, they made the thing sound. After a few seconds of waiting, a man in his mid-thirties opened the door and welcomed them with a warm smile.
“Slayer! What a pleasant surprise! Do come in, I’m so glad to see you!”
Puzzled by the guy’s reaction, Buffy and Xander exchanged a look before the petite Slayer replied: “Are you sure you’re glad? Cause usually people who help demons tend to hate it when I come around.”
“Well, I’m not part of these people! In fact, you’re kinda my hero…but come in, come in! Do you want a soda or something?”
Still confused by the man, the two friends followed him towards the living room where comfortable sofa seemed to wait for them.
“You’re saying that I’m a kind of hero for you?”
“Yes, yes. Sit down please. Are you sure you don’t want something to drink?”
Buffy and Xander denied once again before following Sabbor’s lead, sitting down on the sofas.
“You see, Buffy, if you weren’t that effective as a Slayer, I wouldn’t have that much customers. Since you came to Sunnydale, my clientele is 10 times more important than before your arrival. I don’t know how I could thank you for it!”
Buffy decided to play the man’s game and answered: “Well, you can help me with something! I’m looking for a demon that came this morning. Yellow skin, French accent, it wanted to leave the country…quickly. Ring a bell?”
“Clovis, yeah! I remember. You know, usually, I don’t give this kind of data! It’s bad for the rep!”
“And you know that, usually, I answer to these kinds of excuses with fist, kicks and bruises, right?”
Sabbor nodded, but didn’t stop smiling. “I know that Willy is seriously thinking about leaving his job because of you! Don’t worry! I’ll tell you. Partly because I am a coward, I don’t like fighting, partly because I owe you this information too. And, finally, partly because you can’t do much damage to my rep. That demon is already gone. A freight flight that had taken off a few minutes ago. Clovis was in there, in a container.”
“Shit!” Buffy exclaimed before finding her composure back and asking: “Where did it go?”
“Vegas! The client wanted to take the first flight to Edinburgh…and as this flight will take off from Vegas, I arranged this connection.”
“Did this Clovis had…luggage?” Buffy asked, praying for a positive answer.
“No! No luggage except a small box it carried on its pocket. Nothing else.”
Buffy sighed. Faith wasn’t aboard, which meant that she still had to be in Sunnydale…but this time, she had no clue to where she was.
Clovis looked at the container it had just being locked in. A lamp was lightening the place that seemed to have all the comfort someone would want to have while flying to a foreign destination, unnoticed.
When the yellow skinned demon had arrived in Sunnydale, the previous night, it had curse progress for having let travels becoming so normal, forcing creatures of the night to use very uncomfortable means to go from one point to another. If it had known Sabbor and his business earlier, it would never have cursed progress.
The container had a huge sofa where Clovis would certainly take a nap during the journey, a wide screen with lots of DVDs and all types of movies, even the most recent ones and some underground realisation occult creatures were so fond of. The bar was also full of delicious beverages and a hi-fi installation was of course visible in a corner. A total comfort for the fleeing creature. Yep, Clovis would definitely make some publicity for Sabbor and his little enterprise.
Pulling the firefly box out of his pocket, Clovis put it on the table situated on the left of the sofa, took the book it had chosen on Sabbor’s personal library and began the reading, looking forwards to meet its mistress again.
It was late in the evening when Buffy and Xander came back home. The sun was already very low in the sky and would vanish in the horizon in the following minutes. Once inside the Summers house, the two friends went to the living room where they found Willow and Dawn sitting on the couch. Xander automatically noticed that something was wrong. It was written on their face! Buffy didn’t noticed though. She was indeed too busy thinking about what they would do now. In fact, as soon as she entered the room, she began to brief the two women in front of her, pacing in the process.
“Husa’s minion has already left Sunnydale and will be out of the country soon. He has a secret air ticket to Edinburgh. We don’t know more. And you, guys? Found something?”
Xander saw Willow beginning to fidget which comforted him in his previous thought. Yes, something had happened. Then, the witch said: “Buf…Buffy…I…I think you’d better sit down!”
At that moment, Buffy finally noticed the strange look the redhead and her sister were having now. Fearing the worse, she felt her heartbeat increased. Nodding, she sat down in front of her best friend.
“We…Giles called!”
“And? Did you tell him what happened?”
“Well, yes but…He was the first one to tell us something!”
Willow had a hard time speaking, tears were coming to her eyes and she knew that if she waited any longer, she wouldn’t say anything. She could also see the worried and desperate look the blond Slayer was giving her. She probably feared to hear what the witch was about to say…and she was damn right to fear it. That wasn’t something anyone wanted to announce to a person one cared about. Taking a last breath, she finally said:
“A…a new Slayer has been called.”
“W…what?”
The look of total disbelief that Buffy had now only increased Willow’s guilt to be the one to tell her the bad news. There was only a way to explain that a new Slayer had been called: Faith was dead now.
“N…no no NO! He’s wrong! It can’t be real!”
“I…I’m sorry, Buffy! And so is Giles! I told him that Faith and you were friends again…I…he is on his way. He’ll be there soon!”
“SHE CAN’T BE DEAD!” Buffy exclaimed while standing up. Then she began to pace in the room.
“Buffy, I know…”
“No, Will! You don’t know shit! I know Faith is still alive! I’m sure that I would have felt it if she had died!”
“Buffy! You’re in denial. I know it’s hard but…”
“I AM NOT IN DENIAL, XANDER! I died too, you know! TWICE! And I’m still here, in front of you, right now! Faith is not dead! And we’re gonna find her…and the ones who kidnapped her!”
“Buffy…”
“Faith is not dead. Period! There is no body, right? Answer me, Xander!”
“No!” was the shy reply of the young carpenter. He knew that Buffy was especially harsh at him because of their earlier quarrel and he wasn’t offended by it. Buffy needed someone to shout at. He was her friend and was happy to fulfill that role.
“And why did they kidnap her just to kill her? Have you any idea about…”
Buffy suddenly stopped talking and put her heart on her chest, right above the heart. It hurt! The pain that had just appeared there was almost unbearable. She fell on her knees and moaned because of the pain.
The sight of Buffy visibly in pain, kneeing in front of the window, her face bathed by the last rays of the sun made them react quickly. Who knew what was happening? Could Buffy suffer from heart problem? Could it be a nasty side effect of the emotions of the day?
Willow put a hand on her friend’s back but quickly retracted it when she saw a strange aura envelope Buffy. Then, Willow, Xander and Dawn heard the petite Slayer’s clothes began to crack, as if they were under strong pressure.
“Is…Don’t you think there is a Hulky sense of déjà vu here?” Xander said with the goal to lighten the atmosphere. But he failed miserably and only received glares from his two friends.
The three companions of the Slayers could only stare at what was happening. The aura wasn’t as blinding as it had been before and they didn’t know if it was a good thing. Buffy was obviously suffering. What the hell was happening?
They saw Buffy’s hair changed colours, becoming darker. They saw rips on her clothes. Suddenly, Buffy’s head went up and she screamed while the last changes occurred and her emerald eyes turned brown. Then, the girl collapsed on the floor.
The three witnesses were stunned by what they had just seen. How could this been possible? What was the goal of such a masquerade? They didn’t know, couldn’t find an explanation. The only thing they knew was what their eyes were showing them. The girl laying in front of them wasn’t Buffy anymore. It was Faith!
Willow, Dawn and Xander were now staring at the brunette who was sleeping on the couch. After having witnessed Buffy’s transformation into Faith, they had remained completely silent for long minutes, unable to move, to think, shocked by what they had just seen. Then, they had finally succeeded in pushing the shock away.
Xander had walked towards the unconscious Slayer to take her in his arms and had brought her to the couch where they had installed her as comfortably as possible. And now, they were staring at her, trying to understand what was going on. Dawn was the first one to speak.
“OK, guys! Could someone explain to me what happened to them?”
“It’s hard to tell, Dawnie! It’s a spell for sure but I’ve never heard about one that could do this to people. Whoever did this is very powerful.” Willow replied.
“According to what Buffy told me on the phone, Husa is the one who did this.”
“I’d rather say that it’s one of her minions! She is a vampire, not a witch! But if Husa is behind all this, it has something to do with the time loops.”
“OK, so we know the who and have a clue about the why but how did they do this to them and how come Buffy changed into Faith?”
“It’s kinda like the Lady Hawk spell…” Xander said, talking for the first time since Dawn had opened her mouth. Noticing the puzzled looks his friends were giving him, he continued.
“It’s a movie, shot in the eighties. A jealous priest had cursed a couple. The guy was a man during the daytime, the girl was a hawk. But when the night fell, he transformed into a wolf while the woman in her appeared. So, they couldn’t see each other in their human forms. It’s kinda the same gig here…except that instead of the animal changing parts, they change into each other.”
“The night! Of course! I haven’t noticed it during the change but you’re right, Xander! The transformation had begun the second the sunset was finished!” exclaimed the witch.
“So, if I follow you here, guys! Buffy will be back with the sun?”
“Yes, Dawnie! I think Xander is right here! We will have to wait for dawn to have a confirmation but it’s logical and explains why Buffy woke up alone. Xand?”
“Yeah?”
“How did they break the spell in your movie?”
“The man had to see the woman to break the spell. As they weren’t human at the same time, the priest thought it was impossible. But, see, there was an eclipse and it wasn’t neither the day, nor the night so, they remained human long enough to see each other. Spell broken, big fight and happy end. Do you think it can be that easy here?”
Willow grimaced and answered: “I doubt it, even if an eclipse isn’t a standard event. OK, I think the best thing to do here is to look into the books, trying to find which spell was used. We know its effects and that it involves fireflies. Lets go and…”
Willow interrupted her speech when she heard a loud moan coming from the couch. She saw Faith moving and it wasn’t difficult to guess that she was about to wake up…and when she would be awake, she would want to know…
“What the fuck!”
That.
Faith had just opened her eyes, thinking she was still on the bed with Buffy in her arms. But the lack of weight in her arms, the clothes she was wearing (definitely Buffy’s) and the narrow couch she was laying on confirmed her that she had been wrong. Looking at her surroundings, she noticed that she was in the living room of the Summers house. That was a good thing! At least she was in known territory. But where the hell was Buffy? She wasn’t able to sense her and it worried her more and more. She was about to stand up when she saw someone moving to sit in front of her. Ready to strike, she calmed down when she recognised Willow.
“Red! Where is B?”
Willow couldn’t repress a grin. From all the things Faith could have asked her, the only that mattered to her was where her girlfriend was. That was so romantic.
“Red! WHERE IS B?”
“She…she is not here…I mean, not really!”
“And for those who don’t speak cryptic?”
The girl was running in the streets of Sunnydale. She was exhausted and would probably have collapsed on the ground if she hadn’t been running for her life. She could feel her painful legs, her lungs hurt like hell but, each time she heard the steps of her followers, she found the resources necessary to keep her pace…at least until now. But her legs were heavy now and she was shaking both because of her physical state and her fear.
They had tracked her since she had left the Bronze. Their leader was a handsome man who had tried to seduce her in the club. But she was already with someone and had quickly sent him away. When she had left her friends to come back home, she had found him waiting for her in the alley that led to the Bronze…with his two companions. She had told them to go away, showing more confidence that she really had…and then she had screamed. Screamed when she had seen the man’s face change, screamed when she had seen his fangs. And then, she had ran, ran as she had never ran before, followed by the laughs of her followers.
She wiped the sweat that were falling in her eyes and, in the process, didn’t see the roots that were on her way before it was too late. She fell loudly on the ground and couldn’t find the strength to stand up. She didn’t look up, as she already knew that they were there, surrounding her. She was doomed.
“Looks like the little slut has given everything she had. Well, baby, it was fun but, now, it’s dinner time for me and my friends.” The ex-handsome guy told her before grabbing her shirt to lift her.
“Mind if I join the party?”
The three vampires turned their heads to see who dared to intervene. They saw the pretty brunette who exited the woods, a grin on her face. He had heard about her, knew that she was back in town and was also quite happy to see her. The blond Slayer was a terror for the undead but the dark one, according to rumours, was someone one could talk to and reach some agreement with.
“You’re Faith, right? I think you knew my sire, Bradley.”
“Bradley, Bradley? Oh yeah! It was the vamp that polished the Mayor’s shoes. It was the only thing the bastard had a gift to. Well, if he sired you, it’s probably because you shared his passion for brushes and waxes.”
The vampire flinched. That wasn’t the kind of retort he had expected coming from her. His two companions were eyeing her, moving to attack her if they needed to. His hand still on the girl, the leading vampire stared at her for a long moment. Maybe what Bradley had told him wasn’t right.
“Well, whatever wax guy told you, that’s not who I am anymore. Now, I do my job. So, I am the Slayer, you’re a vamp. I’ll be home sipping some good beer in a few while you’ll be carried by the winds to fuck knows where…in a dust form, of course.”
The vampire to her left attacked at that moment and ended with the stake Faith had in her hand right into his heart. Further to a move of her wrist, the mechanism Faith had inside her sleeve, sent a new stake in her hand. It was a mechanism she had borrowed to Angel, something very useful in her field of work. Soon, the stake found its way to the second vamp’s heart. Seeing his two fellow vampires so easily staked, their leader put the girl in front of him, using her as a shield.
“Don’t move or I’ll kill her!”
“Geez! Can’t you guy change refrains? It’s always the same shit you say. “You’ll die, Slayer! Don’t move or I’ll kill her!” Is there a kind of manual for vampires with all the lame bullshit a bad guy had to say in defined situations?”
“I said: Don’t move!”
“Oh don’t worry, I won’t! See, I’m not the only Slayer in this town. My girlfriend, Buffy, is right behind you and…”
Faith grinned while jumping forwards. She was amazed that such an old diversionary tactic was still that efficient. She pushed the vamp away from the girl then, staked the bloodsucker. She stood up, asked the girl if she was alright then, after escorting her to her house, she returned to the cemeteries and her loneliness.
After Willow had told her the “Lady Hawk” spell and its repercussions, Faith had needed to move away from the house, to digest the data, breathe and find some vamps or demons to fight. Fighting had always been her way to change her mind.
It was so unfair. After only ONE real day with Buffy, they were already unable to see each other. Hell, they seemed not to even be in the same dimension at the same time if she had understood well what Willow had tried to explain to her. Sure, they were currently looking for a cure but, still, she was separated from her girlfriend, from Buffy and she was mad because of that and frustrated too. And the 17 vamps she had staked this night didn’t help her at all.
There was another thing that was bothering her too. Something she had wanted to share with Buffy during their last time loop. The revelation she had had while meeting the captain who had helped Romy to fly away from Germany, sixty years before. They had left this period before she had had the time to tell it to the blond Slayer and it could be primordial for the upcoming events. Husa was behind the spell, Buffy was sure of that…and her fucking demon had gone to Scotland! That couldn’t be a coincidence. She had to tell them, even if she didn’t like to speak about her past.
When the doorbell rang, Xander had come to open the front door, expecting to find Faith standing there. But he was wrong.
“Hello, Xander!”
“Giles! We weren’t expecting you this early.”
“Well, let’s just say that there is some advantages to be a watcher again.”
The watcher entered the house, soon followed by a beautiful dark haired woman in her thirties. They made their ways to the living room where Willow and Dawn embraced Giles while the mysterious woman smiled weakly, waiting for Giles to introduce her. After having embraced Dawn, Giles put his left arm around the woman’s shoulders and said:
“Erm…this is Iris! She and I work together for the watcher Council.”
Xander, Dawn and Willow saluted the young woman, then, exchanged a look. There was no doubt for them that the relationship between the two watchers had reached a stage that was higher than the colleague one. The way he was holding her proved it. Could Giles have found someone who was making him happy? They hoped so. They smiled at Iris then, heard Giles wonder.
“Where is Buffy?”
“Erm…Giles, there are some new information…surprising ones! I think you’d better sit down!”
“Well, OK.” The watchers sat on the couch waiting for the explanations. At that moment, they heard the front door open.
“OK, guys! The vamps didn’t help clear my mind from the fucking dark thoughts that lurk there. So, I hope you have some good news for me or I’d go crazy.”
When Giles saw Faith walking in the living room, his eyes went wide. How could Faith be there? Willow had told him that Buffy was fine and that Faith was missing. As a new Slayer had been called, he had concluded that Faith had died and known, she was standing right in front of him, alive and kicking, a small plastic bag in her hand.
“F…Faith?”
“Watch the glasses, G-man! Your eyes are about to pop out!”
Giles turned towards Willow and said: “But, Willow, you told me…Where is Buffy?” His voice had a worried tone now.
“Away!” The words left Faith’s mouth without she even realised she was saying something. And once she heard them, she felt the lump in her throat grow larger. She managed to conserve a cold face thought, even if she knew that the majority of the people gathered in the room weren’t dupes.
“Away?” Giles was looking at Faith as if she was the cause of Buffy’s disappearance. He was among those who haven’t noticed Faith’s worry the last time the brunette had spoken and, inside of him, she couldn’t prevent himself to think that Buffy was in danger…and that somehow, it had to do with Faith, that she was responsible for it. Feeling that the situation could degenerate, Willow intervened.
“A spell has been cast, Giles. Buffy and Faith are its victims.”
“A spell, what kind of spell?” Iris asked, intrigued by what Willow had just told them.
“When the sun had set, Buffy turned to Faith and we believe that when the sun would be back, the Faith would turn to Buffy.”
“Oh!” was Giles only reply as he was taking his spectacles into his hand and began to clean them with his handkerchief.
“I’ve never heard about such a spell. Have you, Rupert?”
“Well, it’s a premiere for me too. Any idea about it?”
“All we know is that it involved fireflies. We found three of these insects in Buffy’s bed.” Willow replied.
“And nothing in Faith’s bed?” The British inquired.
Willow felt her blush coming. She hadn’t said anything to Giles about the Slayers and their new relationship. She had thought that it wasn’t her role to inform him about it. Was it the time now? Fortunately, Faith chose that moment to intervene.
“It’s the same, G-man!”
“Huh?”
“The bed! It’s the same for B and me! Girlfriends tend to share it you know?”
“Girlfriends?”
Faith sighed and began to explain the whole story. From her meeting with Buffy in Babylon to the events in Berlin. God, she wished that Buffy were here.
Husa hung up the phone, satisfied by what she had just heard. The spell had been cast and the target was now unable to be an obstacle for her plan. She had had no doubt about it. Franklin had always been the king of the safe spells, the one someone can cast without risks. Mainly because it always involved animals that did the job.
When Clovis had reported that the Slayer of Sunnydale had been waiting for the target at the prison door, and that they were visibly real close, she had automatically changed her plans. Killing the target would have been far too perilous if the Slayer was there! But, she had more than an ace in her sleeve.
She had remembered that Franklin was living in LA and had quickly called him, explaining the situation to the wizard. The solution he had proposed her was typically Franklin’s. Discreet and efficient. The Slayer would try to find a cure and not be too focused in pursuing the bad guys…something she would probably have done if they had killed her lover. Clovis mission had been real simple then: pick up the fireflies at Franklin’s, go to Sunnydale and release the insects.
And now, it was done. And now, there was no more obstacle between her and the Avatar. She had missed it once, she wouldn’t miss twice.
The others were sleeping now. After Faith had explained to Giles and Iris the events of the previous week, they had searched for data about the spell for two more hours and wouldn’t probably have found something without Iris. The girl seemed to know the table of contents of every occult book that had been written on Earth and Willow was beginning to understand why Giles seemed so attracted to her. They had lots in common. She had guided them till they found it!
The spell was called The Mohadjactavilian’s fusion but they had decided to stick with the Lady Hawk name. The joy of the discovery had quickly been replaced by the deception of not finding a counter spell. There was indeed no trace of it, just a recipe to make a drink to soothe the pain the transformation caused to the victims. A drink they had quickly made and had obliged Faith to swallow.
It was at that moment that, noticing that they were all exhausted, they had decided to take some rest. Faith who had helped them had just nodded then, had gone in Buffy’s room, after having asked Willow to come to see her before sunrise. So, the witch was now on her way to the room. Once in front of it, she knocked and heard Faith tell her to come in. She pushed the door and entered the room.
Faith was laying on the bed, wearing one of Buffy’s nightdress, a nightdress that was too narrow for her. Seeing the brunette in such an outfit, the redhead couldn’t hide her surprised look, something that didn’t go unnoticed by the dark Slayer.
“I know it’s not my style but I couldn’t let her wake up in my clothes. She’ll freak out. So, quit the wide eyes look, Red. I know I’m hot but I already have a girlfriend.”
Smiling a little, Willow answered: “And you’d better take good care of her when everything will be back to normal, Brownie!”
“Brownie? Beware Red, you’ve just given me a nickname and that’s the last step before the liking me deal.”
“Let’s say that I wouldn’t mind to reach this deal with you then!” Willow said while sitting on the bed.
Faith didn’t reply and just nodded to the witch whose smile grew larger. Faith wasn’t the big open heart talker on earth but this nod was the only answer the redhead needed. Seeing that the night was about to end, she asked Faith:
“So, you wanted to talk to me?”
Faith nodded again before handing a voice recorder to Willow.
“I…I’d like you to give this to B when she’ll wake up.”
“That is what was in the bag, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I bought it in a night shop before coming back here. Just tell her to listen to it, alone.”
“I’ll tell her.”
The redhead had just finished her sentence that she saw the first rays of the day appear outside then, focusing on Faith, she witnessed her transformation into Buffy with as much amazement as the first time.
Buffy slowly opened her eyes, disoriented. She automatically recognised the room she was in as her bedroom but had no idea about how she had come there. The last thing she remembered was the pain in her chest that had suddenly overwhelmed her in the living room. Then, the events of the last day came back in her mind: The kidnapping and the fact that a new Slayer had been called, two facts that seemed to have convinced her friends that Faith wasn’t among the living anymore. But she was sure that she was still alive, she could feel it in her guts, through the Slayer link they shared. She couldn’t explain it but she knew that her girlfriend was still alive.
Faith! Just by thinking about her girlfriend, the brunette’s image came to her mind. Her dark hair, chocolate eyes, the wide grin that crossed her face when they were teasing each other. A pure beauty! Her beauty! A beauty she was gonna find. Her senses scanned the room, instinctively and her brain was sorting the data brought by them out. Soon, she recognised the scent that was floating in the air as Faith’s perfume and spotted a presence next to her. The scent was too strong to date from the previous night and a wave of hope came to Buffy who turned her head towards the person that was sitting on a chair, on the left side of her bed.
“Faith?”
Then, she saw her best friend and couldn’t prevent a sight of frustration. It wasn’t Faith. The despair in the blonde’s eyes didn’t go unnoticed by the witch who gave her a weak smile.
“It’s just me, Buffy! Faith couldn’t stay!” She had just said that on purpose, knowing how Buffy would react.
“Faith! She…she was here?”
Willow smiled again, happy to see hope and joy back in Buffy’s eyes.
“Yes, Buffy! You were right! She’s alive!”
“But where is she? Why isn’t she here? What’s happening?”
“Wowowo! Calm down, Buff! I have some news for you. I’ve just told you the good one. She is alive and as frustrated as you to not be able to hold and kiss you.”
“And why do I have the impression that I won’t like the other news you have for me? And while you’re in information mode, could you explain to me how I ended up in my bed…in my nightdress?”
“OK, OK! First things first! You remember discovering that Husa was behind all this, right?”
Buffy nodded.
“Well, one of her minion obviously cast a spell on Faith and you…we call it the Lady Hawk spell…as in the movie.”
“And? Straight to the point, Will! Please!”
“It’s as if Faith and you have merged into one body. You have the daily part of the deal while Faith as the nightly one.”
“Huh?”
“You are you during the day while you change into Faith when night falls?”
“What?” Buffy exclaimed, finally understanding it, and understanding the implication of this mess. As long as the spell worked, she wouldn’t be able to see, hold, touch her girlfriend. From all the spells one could cast on them, this could be one of the most sadistic ones. She missed Faith so much!
Willow stayed silent while looking at Buffy who was digesting the news. She guessed that her friend needed time to clear her mind. She saw her look at the wall that was behind the witch but obviously not seeing it, lost in her thoughts. Then, she saw Buffy sigh heavily before turning her head to face her again.
“How…how was she?”
“She was Faith! She probably made a real genocide in the vamp population last night too.”
A weak smile appeared on the petite Slayer’s face. Yeah! Typically a Faith’s way to react.
“She dressed in this nightdress so you wouldn’t freak out when you’d wake up!”
Instinctively, Buffy touched the delicate tissue of the nightdress, smelled it too. That was the reason why she had smelled her scent earlier. It was a sign, a way for Faith to tell her that she was close to her too. And she thanked the brunette for this.
“She left this for you too!” Willow added while handing the recorder to Buffy. “She said that you had to listen to it alone.”
Buffy gently took the recorder, acting as if it was her most precious possession before thanking Willow who was standing up.
“I…I’ll let you alone now. I’ll be downstairs! Oh…Giles has arrived.”
Buffy nodded. “Thanks, Will! I’ll join you soon.”
The blonde waited that the witch left the room before pressing the button, excited to hear her girlfriend’s voice.
As soon as the first words came out of the recorder, Buffy felt a warm feeling take possession of her body like a warm cover. For the first time since Faith’s disappearance, she was experiencing a happy feeling. Focusing in what Faith was saying, she listened to the brunette’s sexy voice. A voice she would never get tired of. A voice that would always send shivers down her spine…shivers of excitement.
“Hey B! Looks like the bad guys have found the ultimate way to piss us off! The damn bloody bastards! I promise we’ll kick Husa’s old and wrinkly fat ass and show her that we’re not the kind of gals to mess up with.”
“You bet we would!” Buffy’s reply came by reflex but she didn’t care. It was as if she was actually speaking with Faith and the hell if it sounded ridiculous.
“I miss you, B. Like crazy! It’s kinda scary how important you’ve become to me…but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I’m too good with you, B.”
Some tears were beginning to fall on the blonde’s cheek while she was listening to Faith’s declaration of love. She so wanted to answer to it, to tell the dark Slayer that she was feeling the exact same things…but she couldn’t. All she could do was listening to this damn recorder.
“G-man has arrived during the night…with some chick he seemed real close to. Geez, I wish I could see your face when you’d see them. The G-man in love. Somehow I think you wouldn’t be too pleased with it.”
Buffy stuck her tongue to the recorder then, smiled. Even through a recorder, Faith tried to tease her…and somehow, it felt good to know it. Still, the idea of Giles with another woman didn’t please her indeed.
“I kinda had to tell him about us. I know you’d have preferred to tell him by yourself but…I couldn’t hide it. He seemed to have swallowed the news but maybe a little “surrogate father – surrogate daughter” talk would be wise.”
Buffy sighed again. Yep, the coming day would be a busy one.
“I…there is something else I wanted to say to you. I…it’s kinda hard for me to speak about it…I couldn’t find the guts to tell the guys about it. Jeez, I so wish you could be here, in front of me instead of this fucking device.”
Hearing her girlfriend anxious tone, Buffy began to caress the recorder with her thumb, as if she was trying to calm Faith down, to help her. Completely crazy, she knew it but since when love wasn’t a crazy thing.
“At the end of our last time loop…I told you that…that we weren’t sent to these periods because we were Slayers…”
The events of their last time loop came back in her mind. Because of the Faithnapping, she had forgotten about it but when Faith had first said it, right after the meeting with the British captain, she had really been intrigued by it.
“I…I think that we’re time looping because of me…or rather because of my family!”
Buffy gasped while hearing it and understood why Faith had such a hard time speaking about it. The brunette’s childhood had always been taboo. And now, she was forced to reveal it because, according to her, there was a link with the time loops. She understood too why Faith had insisted for her to be alone while listening to the recorder. She didn’t want the others to listen to it.
“I…I’ve never known my dad. The bastard was long gone when I came out of my mum’s womb. My…my mum…well, she was a bitch. I’ve never seen her without alcohol in her blood. Hell, if she could transfuse it directly in her veins, she would have done it in a heartbeat! It killed her in the long run but that’s not the point. I…I never knew how good a mother could be before meeting Mrs. S…your mom was a Goddess, B!”
Buffy closed her eyes for a second, cherishing her mother’s memory before her attention was brought back to Faith’s voice.
“I grew up on my own, counting only on me and learning to eclipse my feelings. They were weaknesses where I lived then and I couldn’t appear weak. My mom wasn’t that bad. She was mostly drunk. Sure, sometimes she beat me up…but that wasn’t that often.”
Buffy then heard Faith take a deep breath. She so wanted to having been there when Faith had remembered it. Damn spell…Husa would pay for it.
“So…sometimes, when she was drunk, she spoke about her past, sometimes, she even talked to me about it. I…she was Scottish…and…her name wasn’t the one that was on her I.D….it was a fake. Her real name was Mc Dougal…And so is mine. And yes, the captain, in Berlin, he…he was my grandfather.”
“Wow! That’s a scoop!”
“Big scoop, isn’t it B? And there is more to come. Granddad married Romy after they escaped Germany. He adopted Romy’s child and they had three more children, a boy and two girls. My mom was the youngest one of the three. They lived in the family castle near Edinburgh. Cliché, you’ve just said cliché. Dam right, B! And, as in every Scottish family, there are skeletons in the closets, family secrets better kept hidden.”
Buffy grinned a little bit. Now that the childhood part was over, Faith was getting into the story, speaking about it in a more detached, sarcastic way that was so her.
“The women of the family had to stay in the castle all their lives because they were the only ones capable of controlling the beast that was locked somewhere in the house…Ring a bell to you too, girlfriend?”
“My God! The Avatar!”
“I bet you’ve made the same reasoning than me! What else could it be? And why the fuck Husa is in Scotland if it wasn’t to snatch the Avatar from the Mc Dougal and have her little chaos generator next to her.”
“Sounds logical! But why is she casting this spell on us? She isn’t supposed to know we know about her. Or she has somehow discovers that it was us who were fighting her through the ages.” Buffy had spoken out loud but soon, noticed that Faith was still speaking and she didn’t want to miss anything her girlfriend had to say.
“Mum didn’t want of this charge and she ran away, without money. She somehow ended up in the States were she lived the sordid life I described to you…”
Faith remained silent for a few seconds before her voice came back.
“Ok, that’s all folks! End of story! Just one last thing, B. Be ready for the moment we’ll be together again cause I swear, I’ll make up for the intermission in our preferred activities. You’d better eat lots of carrots. Look at the good it does to bunnies. See you soon, B. Love you!”
“Love you too!” was Buffy’s reply. Her cheeks were still red from Faith’s last comment, something she was sure the brunette intended to cause. But she’ll be way ready for whatever Faith had in mind…and she’ll add some of her own ideas in the way.
When Buffy descended the stairs, the whole gang was gathered in the living room. Willow had probably woken them up after having left the bedroom. After a quick hug to Giles who introduced Iris to her, they all sat down.
“So, erm…Buffy…I know it’s hard for you but…”
Buffy cut him of by raising her hand.
“Sorry to interrupt you, Giles. But I have some more news for you. We are certain that the meaning of these time loops was to prepare us for the events to come.”
“We?” Giles asked.
“Faith and I.” Then, locking her eyes in Giles, she added: “What do you know about the Mc Dougal castle?”
Giles and Iris exchanged a glance, visibly taken aback by the question. The woman was the first to answer.
“How…the time loops?”
“In our last time loop we were in Berlin, in 1943, and escorted Romy…Romy something till Captain Mc Dougal took charge of her and led her out of Germany.”
“And how come…”
“That I know that there is something locked in Castle Mc Dougal?”
The two watchers nodded while the Scoobies were staring at them, wondering what their three friends were talking about. Noticing it, Buffy smiled to them, silently telling them that she would explain everything later. Then, she continued her speech but didn’t want to betray Faith’s trust by explaining too much to them.
“I just know it and I won’t say anything else. So, the Avatar is there, right?”
“Yes, Buffy. It is there! Clan Mc Dougal has been part of the Council for centuries now and they have willingly accepted the responsibility as 'Keepers of the Avatar'”.
“That’s what I thought. Giles, contact the Council. We have to go to Scotland, to Castle Mc Dougal. That’s where Husa is. She’ll probably try to kidnap the Avatar.”
“Yes, but Buffy. The Avatar is a hot subject and maybe the Council…”
“I don’t care, Giles! Tell them about the time loops, about Husa. I think Faith and I are the best equipped to stop her…and I won’t, no, we won’t take no as an answer!”
Giles and Iris didn’t add a thing. Buffy’s tone was firm and let no place for contradiction. So, while Buffy walked towards her friends to brief them about the situation, Giles made his way towards the phone. He had a call to make.
Harold Morbarth was staring at the painting he had in front of him, a painting he had painted 10 years before during one of his “possessions”. The “Nymphs” were calling him, were smiling at him…were telling him that they’d arrived soon. He had to warn the others. The big fight would happen soon. He was sure of it.
Leaving his room, he made his way towards the garden when the other members of the family were gathered. He quickly spotted the gardener talking with Sir Brian, the older member of the Mc Dougal family, his wife’s brother. The man had just celebrated his 60th birthday. Harold didn’t like him. He was too strict and completely obsessed by his family mission. Deciding that Sir Brian wouldn’t let him divagate as he called it, he chose to go to the lake.
When he reached it, Harold saw Sir Walter and his wife, walking. Sir Walter was the complete opposite of his brother. While Sir Brian was a real soldier man, a despot even, who had never found someone to share his life, Sir Walter and Lady Irene were meant to be together. They were so sweet and formed a really cute couple. It was too bad that they never had the chance to have a child who would have benefit for such a loving atmosphere. He just wished that his late wife and himself would have had the time to develop such a wonderful relationship…but fate had decided against it…and he had lost his sanity in the process. Somehow…sort of.
He walked towards the couple that welcomed him with gentle smiles.
“Harold! How are you feeling this morning?”
“Good, thank you! No crisis lately!”
“That’s a good point! Are you looking for Ariana?”
“No, she must be reading somewhere. You know how my daughter likes to read. I’m sure she must be somewhere in the garden. I’ll found her later. But I have some news. The paintings called me, talked to me.”
He noticed the interest in their eyes. Sir Walter and Lady Irene had never treated him as if he was crazy. No, they were sincerely concerned by his strange vision knowing that most of the time; they had some truth in them. One day, he had even saved their lives in preventing them for leaving the castle in sabotaging their car. At first they had been infuriated but had quickly changed their minds were they had heard the newsflash announcing that the plane they had been supposed to take had crashed in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. No, Harold was original, sure but he wasn’t crazy.
“Come on, Harold! What did they say to you?”
“The Nymphs! They are coming! They said it to me. The big fight is coming. The fight for the Avatar’s sake.”
Harold saw in their worried expression that they believed him…and that it scared them.
“Erm..Harold…have you talked to Brian about it yet?”
“No! He never listens to me. He thinks my place is in an asylum, not here!”
“You did well then, Harold. Let Walter talk to him! Maybe, he’ll listen to his brother.”
Irene’s husband nodded but added quickly: “I’ll try but you now how stubborn he might be sometimes!”
“Thanks, Sir Walter. I hope it’ll work. No, if you’d excuse me, I’ll look after my daughter.”
Harold saluted the couple then walked in the garden, in the park then, in the castle itself, looking for his daughter but didn’t found her. Ariana wasn’t in the castle anymore…and, deep inside of him, Harold knew that it meant something bad…something real bad.
It was the middle of the afternoon when Buffy gave a last hug to her sister and her friends. Things had moved quickly. Surprisingly, the Council had agreed to let them take care of the problem. They had assured them of their complete support and had even said that one of the watchers, their contact with the Mc Dougals, would wait for them in Edinburgh. Now, the plane was waiting for them. It wasn’t the private plane of the Council, the one that had brought Giles and Iris in Sunnydale. This plane had already left the country for another destination. No, the plane they would take was a regular one, and would lead them to Scotland.
The sad thing about this trip was that neither Willow, nor Dawn, nor Xander would be part of it. There weren’t enough places in the plane for them…and someone had to stay to Sunnydale to welcome the new Slayer who was already on her way. So, after the last hug, she joined Giles on a bench and waited with him. It was the first time she had been alone with it since the morning and it remembered her Faith’s advice. The surrogate father – surrogate daughter talk.
“So…Giles…Iris seems a nice girl.”
The watcher smiled. Somehow he had known that Buffy would eventually approach the subject.
“Is it that obvious?”
“Well, if I had received a dollar each time you have looked at her or have smiled at her today…let’s just say that Sunnydale would be mine now.”
Giles took his glasses in his hands and began to clean them up with his handkerchief, as it had always been the case when he was slightly bad at ease with something.
“Well, yes. She’s quite remarkable.”
"Wow. Remarkable! Must be serious between you two then."
“Erm…We can say this!”
“Hope she knows how lucky she is!”
They exchanged a glance. Giles was quite touched by the last statement.
“Well. I know I am!”
Buffy smiled to him. Yes, it bothered her a bit to see Giles with a new love interest but all she wanted for the British was to be happy. So, she’d learn to appreciate Iris…unless she was a real bitch.
“And you? Are you happy?”
Buffy looked at Giles intently. She had known that he would ask this question. Ask about Faith and her. She had started this talk so they would clear this up. So, she answered with her most convinced tone.
“I am! I am happier than I have ever been. Faith makes me happy, Giles!”
Surprised by Buffy’s conviction, Giles could only nod and smile back. Knowing that they had just reached a new level of confidence, a new level in their relationship, they quickly hugged before hearing someone cough. Turning to see who it was, they saw Iris smiling to them, raising her right hand that was holding their tickets.
“Ready to see the Scots?”
Buffy and Giles nodded before standing up, taking their bags and following Iris towards the gates.
They were now flying over the Atlantic Ocean. The plane had taken off on time and they should arrive in Scotland on time too.
Buffy was sitting near the window, looking outside, not interested by the dumb movie projected in the plane. She could already see the sky darken in the horizon. It was already night in Europe and it would still be night when they would land. It also meant that Buffy had to go to the toilet and quickly. If the blond Slayer had left California, it would be Faith who would land in Scotland. So, she stood up and, after a last look to the couple of watchers, made her way towards the toilet, her bag in her hand.
Once inside, she slowly grabbed the clothes, the make up and the other stuffs out of the bag, savouring the contact between the leather pant and her fingers, a contact that somehow brought her closer to her girlfriend. Afterwards, she undressed before drinking the potion that would soothe the pain. Then, sighing heavily, she waited for the last sunrays to disappear. When she felt the first signs of the transformation, she thought one more time about Faith before bowing forward and clenching her teeth to avoid making suspected noises.
When Faith regained consciousness, she was sitting on a toilet in her underwear…or Buffy’s and, according to the noise she was hearing and the way the walls and the floor moved and buzzed, there was no doubt for her that she was in a plane…a plane that was probably flying to Scotland.
Spotting the clothes and the other things that Buffy had prepared for her, she silently thanked the blond girl. She washed her up, dressed and put some make up on her face. Then, she took the bag and began to put the remaining things in the bag where Buffy had already put her own clothes. It was at that moment that she noticed the note that was in the bag. A note that was waiting for her. A note for Buffy. Carefully, as if she was holding a sacred artefact, she unfolded the note and began to read it.
Hey baby!
You know what: Life sucks! All I want to do is to be with you, to be in your arms, to wake up with you at my side and we couldn’t even do it. I know being a Slayer is a tough deal but there are limits.
Anyway, we’re going to Scotland with Giles and his girl. She seems good even if I have a hard time imagining her as Giles girl! A watcher will wait for us at the airport and lead us to your family castle. I haven’t said anything about you being a Mc Dougal to the guys and have no intention to. The choice is yours, my love.
The cookies are good but don’t take the fish! Giles tried it and didn’t finish it. I think I saw him turn green for a little while. I hope to see you soon, baby. I too miss you like crazy.
Love you
B.
Faith was so emotionally turned by the note that she noticed the strange noise coming from below a little too late. When she looked at her feet, she noticed that a circle had been cut in the floor, a circle that surrounded the entire toilet. Then, she felt the floor cede and she fell in the luggage room.
Even if she had noticed the sound a little too late, she knew enough to be ready for whatever was waiting for her inside. So, she managed to land on her feet before moving towards the metallic wall, putting her back against it, waiting for her enemy to move. Soon, she heard a hissing voice talk to her.
“SSSSo. Missss Mc Dougal! You know you shhhould have sssstayed in California! You’d have sssstayed alive there. Now, your curiosssity will cost you your life.”
“OK, Sissssssi, cut the crap and show yourself. I only have the time to enjoy myself and you are interfering with my plans, asshole!”
"Oh, you want to ssssee me. Here I am…me and my handssss that would piercccce your heart."
Faith heard something move to her left and focused her attention there. She couldn’t prevent a gasp to come out of her lips as she saw an insect like demon moving out of the shadows. A demon with two hands that were just long spikes, or rather long saws. Now, Faith knew with what the demon cut the toilet’s floor.
“You are not that talkative anymore. Now, that the SSSlayer isss gone!”
“Why? You don’t think I can defend myself against a pathetic bug like you?”
“Exxxactly my thoughts. Ssssee, that the ssssplendour behind the sssspell cassst on you. Your target issss protected by the SSSlayer? Not a problem. Here isss the sssolution! Jusssst merge them into a ssssingle being that changessss from the girl to the Sssslayer and vicccce verssssa. Then, all you have to do issss wait for the Sssslayer to dissssappear then deal with the girl. Killing them both in the procccesss.”
The guy didn’t know she was a Slayer too, Faith thought…and, as Husa had to be behind this attack, it proved that she didn’t know it either. Well, that was interesting…that would be a big advantage for them in the upcoming fight. The brunette watched as the demon was slowly approaching her then, while it was raising one of her spiky hands, she said:
“Want to know a scoop, buggy boy?”
The demon stopped its move, intrigued by this woman who didn’t seem scared by it. Big mistake as Faith took advantage of its hesitation to grab its arm and break it on her knee. She then pulled and took the arm away from the demon’s body. The insect screamed because of the pain but the scream of agony dies on its throat when, in the same move, the dark Slayer impaled it with its own arm.
“The only bugs I like are the one I crush.”
Faith heard the demon’s last breath before letting it fall on the floor. It was at that moment that she noticed that the demon had soaked her top with its blood.
“Shit!”
Spotting Buffy’s bag, she grabbed it before removing the soiled top and tossing it away. Then, she took Buffy’s top out of the bag and put it on her. A bit thin but wearable…that was the goal. She then moved towards the opening the demon had made, the opening that led to the toilet then, launched the bag above her head. The lace winded around the handle of the door and the bag stayed there.
Taking a deep breath, Faith knelt a little before projecting herself to the opening. She grabbed the floor and pushed on her arms finally reaching the upper level. Then, she opened the door and exited the toilet. Taking the bag out of the room, she closed the door then, looked into the bag for the lipstick, opened it and wrote on the door: “Toilet out of order! Beware the step!” Satisfied with herself, she then walked towards the place Buffy had left earlier, ignoring the suspicious glances she was receiving from the guys who were wondering why she was taking the seat of the pretty blonde that was sitting there before.
“Everything alright, Faith?” asked Giles.
“Five by five, G-man. Just a little bug problem. You can’t imagine how dirty these airplanes are. Some bugs are even taller than you. Yes, I swear it’s true!”
“Erm…well, if you say so!”
“So, let’s get back to important stuffs. What’s on the menu? Apart from the fish that makes your skin green.”
Faith saw the watcher blush a little, visibly embarrassed that Faith already knew about his earlier misfortune and smiled. Then, she took the menu he was handing her and began to read it, her stomach already screaming for food.
They finally landed in Edinburgh at 2 A.M. and discreetly exited the airport to meet the watcher who was waiting for them. After she had eaten her roast beef, she had explained to her companions her early encounter with the insect demon and Giles had automatically called their headquarters to be sure that a cleaning team would take care of it. The rest of the trip had been uneventful.
When they exited the airport, it was raining and the rain darkened an already very sombre night. They quickly spotted the black rover that was waiting for them and entered it after Giles had recognised the guy on the wheel and took the seat next to him. Once inside, the conversation began.
“Hello, Daniels!”
“Hello, Rupert! How was the flight?”
“Good! As Faith would say, apart from a bug problem, it was quite pleasant. Daniels, may I introduce you to Iris and Faith.” The older watcher added in designating the two women.
“Glad to meet you, ladies. Fasten your seatbelts, we have five long hours of drive till the castle.”
“That’s great! I only have the night to live on and I’d spend this one in damn vehicles. B was right! Life sucks!"
She then felt a comforting hand on her knee and turned to its owner, Iris.
“We’ll find a cure, don’t worry!”
“I’m not worrying! You’d better hurry cause B and I aren’t the patient type of gals! I’m mad and want to break some demon’s necks or stake some fucking vamps. And I want to see the sun, soon! Night doesn’t help my tan.”
Iris grinned but didn’t say anything else. She had already guessed that Faith wasn’t the most talkative of the Slayers. Seeing the stare the dark Slayer was giving her hand, she quickly removed it, a move that made the brunette smile. After all, she had a bad girl rep to defend and didn’t want to ruin it by becoming touchy…her body was B’s…and that was enough.
In Castle Mc Dougal, the whole family was reunited in the living room. When Harold had come to Brian, telling him that Ariana was missing, the head of the family had, at first, not wanted to hold this meeting, saying that she was probably out, in the nearby village. It wasn’t the first time his twenty years old niece went out of the castle without permission. He dismissed all the arguments Harold could have, like the one saying that he was feeling that something was wrong or his divagation about the painting.
But, as the night had fallen on the castle, there were still no news of the young woman. They had waited a little bit longer, waited to Sir Walter and Lady Irene who were out, attending a reception, and then, once the couple had arrived, they had begun the meeting.
“We have to find her! This couldn’t be a coincidence. We should have kept an eye on her.”
“Yeah, Brian! We should have locked my daughter in her room from her birth till now. When would you understand that she is a human being, not a tool?”
The sixty years old man stared at Harold, throwing daggers with his eyes and answered:
“Harold! We have a mission and you know it. It’s far more important that anything else. Your wife, my regretted sister knew it and accepted it…and you knew it too when you married her.”
“And it cost Victoria her life! Never forget that, Brian! And when I look at us, I tend to believe that it cost our lives too. Look at you; you’re an old man who has never really enjoyed life, look at Walter and Irene. They’re an exception as they succeed in living even if they are stuck here like us but who knows what will happen in the future. I love my daughter and I swear, if something happened to her because of your stubbornness and your damn mission…”
“You’d do what, Harold? You’re weak and delusional! You weren’t worth my sister’s love…if only father had seen it.”
The tension increasing minute after minute. The two men were about to fight, there was no doubt about it. Walter had to stop it before it went too far.
“Stop this! This is not the time to discuss about it! We have to find Ariana. Period!”
The two quarrellers looked at him before nodding. Walter was right. It wasn’t the time to fight. Brian was the first to open his mouth.
“Who was the last person to see her?”
Lady Irene raised her hand and answered. “I believe it’s me! She was heading towards the lake, a book in her hand as she always does when the weather is shiny.”
“When was it?”
“Just after lunch time!”
Brian continued: “OK! We have two solutions here. First solution, someone kidnapped her! The second one is that Ariana willingly left the castle.”
“What are you implying, Brian?”
“That your daughter has always been a rebel, Harold! I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that she escaped her destiny. After all, such a mission is not for the weak ones, or the child of a weak person.”
“How dare you, Brian? You cold blood bastard!”
“It wouldn’t be the first time something like that happened, Harold!”
Once again, Walter cut them off to calm then down.
“Stop it! We’ll send men to search her in the region. We’ll even contact the Council. They have men everywhere. They’ll find her.”
“There is some kind of delegation that will visit us in a few hours. We’ll inform them then. In the meantime, you’re all consigned in the castle.” And, after a last cold glance at Harold, Sir Brian left the room.
They reached the castle just before sunrise. The sombre building was in the top of a hill, in front of them but Faith had asked Daniels to stop the car before entering the domain. Then, she exited the vehicle and looked at the horizon. She wanted to see the first rays of light come from above the hill, look at its reflection on the lake she could see from where she was. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to see all of this but she didn’t care. She’ll see the beginning of the show and Buffy would see its end. Another way for them to share something, even if they couldn’t really be together to see it. She felt a tear run on her cheek and didn’t wipe it. She didn’t care.
The rays came and she felt the first flash of pain inside her body. She had already drank the potion, just before exiting the car but, still, the pain was still there and she wondered which one was the most horrible. The physical one or the psychological one. For her, it was definitely the psychological one. Not being able to see Buffy was atrocious. And, it was in thinking about her girlfriend that she felt her mind leaving the body, pushed by another force that lived in it, pushed away by Buffy. Before the transformation was complete, she managed to say:
“Have a nice day, B!”
When Husa came back from the basement of the manor she was living in, she found Clovis waiting for her, a concerned look was crossing the demon’s features. She hadn’t had the time to welcome it since its arrival from Sunnydale. She had just congratulated it for its success before going downstairs to meet their guest.
Ariana Mc Dougal was a very strong willed woman and was still resisting her. Her mermaid abilities only worked with men, women were completely out of her reach and neither physical pain, nor psychological convincement had broken her determination. But, even if she would have preferred not to use it, there was still another solution: a potion that would completely put the young woman under her thrall. She hadn’t wanted to use it at first because it would require a lot of her blood as well as some of her spiritual energy and leave her quite weak for the night to come, a night that would crowned her with success. Now, as time flew by and the deadline approached, she hadn’t the choice. She had to do it.
Coming back to the present time, she walked towards Clovis and signed the demon to tell her what was troubling it.
“The Slayer has left Sunnydale for Edinburgh.”
Husa smiled. Knowing the reputation of the blond Slayer, she wasn’t really surprised to hear the news. But she had forecasted it.
“Trow will take care of them in the plane. Don’t worry, Clovis!”
“He failed! The brunette and the watchers are in Scotland now. On their way for the meeting.”
“The idiot! I told this bug not to attack the Slayer but to wait for the change to occur. Now, we’ll have to improvise and you know how I hate it.”
“I know, my lady! I sent Gratok to deal with them but now that the sun has arisen, it would have to face the Slayer and…”
“And even if Gratok is a very skilled fighter, you wouldn’t bet to his victory.” Husa pursue.
The demon nodded then saw Husa grin cruelly.
“It doesn’t really matter, my faithful Clovis. If Gratok failed, I know what they would do. It’s not as if they had the choice.”
Clovis didn’t know what had suddenly come to its mistress head but the demon knew this grin too well. Somehow, their enemies would learn who Husa really was.
Buffy and the watchers were welcomed by the castle butler, Jarvis, who told them to follow him to the dining room where the whole family was gathered for breakfast. So, they followed him across halls and corridors till they finally reached the targeted room.
Inside, the butler introduced them to the others but none said a word. The only move that betrayed the fact that the three people gathered there had seen them was the invitation to sit that the elder made with a sign of the hand. The two watchers and Buffy sat down and waited for someone to talk to them. Buffy couldn’t hide a grin on her face when she thought of the fact that if she had been Faith, the brunette would probably have made a comment…a dirty or embarrassing one. God, she missed her so much. Finally, the man who had made the sign spoke to them.
“My name is Brian Mc Dougal. This is my brother, Walter and his wife, Lady Irene. Jarvis had gone to look after my brother-in-law, Harold but we can begin without him.”
Giles cleared his throat and said: “I’m Rupert Giles, this is my fellow watcher, Iris Bentham and the youngest of us is Buffy Summers, the Slayer! I suppose we don’t have to present you Jameson Daniels”
“No, indeed! Mr Daniels and I have frequently met. I have to say that I’m not very pleased to see you here, Mr. Giles! When my father accepted his role as ‘Keeper of the Avatar’, he insisted that the Council would have to stay away of this castle and its inhabitants.”
“Well, this is an emergency case, if I may say so. We have come to the conclusion that someone will try to take control of the Avatar, soon!”
“This is not the first time ‘someone’ is said to try such a thing, Mr. Giles! The other times, nothing happened. What make you think that this time is different?”
Buffy looked at the other people around the table. Walter and Irene seemed interested by the Giles-Brian’s exchange but she was sure that they wouldn’t say a thing without Brian’s approval. She remembered then Faith mentioning the clichés family they were supposed to be and couldn’t say that her girlfriend had been wrong. Waiting for the master of the house to speak was definitely clichéd. Deciding that it was time to break the goody-goody talk between the two men, Buffy asked:
“Where are the other women?”
Slightly surprised by Buffy’s irruption in the middle of the talk, Brian replied: “What?”
“If I’m right, Mr. Mc Dougal, you have two sisters.”
“I have one sister…or I had, she died eleven years ago.”
“Oh! Sorry! So, no woman left in the family.” Buffy said, ignoring the fact that Brian had lied in omitting to speak about Faith’s mother. But she knew that there should be another woman in their family as the Mc Dougal’s secret involved a mission only women could perform.
"I have a niece but she’s not here for the moment. Now, if you would like to excuse us, Miss. Mr. Giles and I have serious matters to discuss."
“Is she missing?”
“Miss Summers!” Sir Brian said in an angry tone.
“Will she be there soon? After all, she has a mission, hasn’t she?”
Sir Brian’s mouth was wide open now and Buffy was glad to see it. She could also see that the others were also staring at her, completely taken aback by her last comment.
“How do you know about the mission?” Walter said, words leaving his lips for the first time.
“I know lots of things! I know how your father saved Romy, her child…you, Sir Brian, and the Avatar from the Nazis. I know that he and Romy fell in love with each other. I know about your other sister, the one who ran away from here and I know that a vampire named Husa tried to snatch the Avatar in 1943…and I know that this same vampire will try to kidnap it soon too…and I know that this time, it won’t be a false alert! So, where is Ariana, Sir Brian?”
“She is missing since yesterday!”
Buffy and the watchers turned their heads towards the newcomer. They saw a man in his fifties with a sad look in his eyes. The man had visibly had few hours of sleep if he had any. Buffy was about to ask him more information about Ariana but words didn’t left her mouth as she saw the expression on the man’s face, an expression where both fascination and hope were mixed.
“A nymph! Walter, Irene…she is one of my nymphs!”
Hidden in the depth of the hill on which the castle had been built, the strange creature that had been sleeping there for so many times opened an eye, then another…then smiled. It had just felt that a figure of its past had come back…things were about to change.
“A nymph?” Buffy asked, no knowing what the guy was talking about.
“Don’t listen to him, Miss Summers! Harold is a lunatic and…”
“No, Brian! He is right! The resemblance is stunning!” Walter said, interrupting his brother for the first time since they had walked in the room…and probably for the first time in front of an outsider. Still, Buffy wanted to know what all of this was about.
“Hey! The ‘nymph’ is standing right here and she would be really glad if she could receive some explanation.”
Harold grinned then, noticing that no member of the Mc Dougal clan wished to speak, he said:
“I’ll show you! Follow me!”
They all stood up and followed the man. Giles was walking next to Buffy and while they were crossing corridors and halls again, he said to the petite Slayer:
“Buffy! Even if it seems that your early interruption of my conversation has been fruitful, I’d like to tell you that…”
“I should have kept my mouth shut or asked your permission to interfere?”
The watcher blushed and said: “I wouldn’t have said it like this but, yes. The Mc Dougal family is an old one and deserve some respect, some etiquette when we speak to one of its elders.”
“OK, Giles! I’ll try to listen to you next time…as I’ve always listened to you.” She added before walking away from him. Giles didn’t join her and just smiled. He knew she would have reacted that way. Then he heard Iris say:
“That’s quite a temper she has! I can see why you love her so much!”
“I wouldn’t change her for an empire, Iris, even if sometimes she drives me crazy.”
“Well, isn’t it what daughters are supposed to do to their fathers?” Iris asked with a Machiavellian smile.
“I suppose it is!” was Giles final reply.
They finally reached Harold’s library and were now staring at the painting, Harold’s painting, the one he called the nymphs. It was a triptych representing a blond woman whose features were exactly Buffy’s standing in front of a lake…then, the same woman, diving in the lake and finally, the woman splitting in two parts, inside the waters. One part remained exactly like Buffy while the other represented a brunette Buffy had no pain in recognizing.
“Faith!”
“Who is Faith?” Irene asked when she heard Buffy said the name. Giles was the one to answer.
“The other Slayer!”
“But I thought…” Sir Brian began.
“Giles would explain to you the two Slayers deal later. Now, all I want to know is…”
At that moment, Buffy caught a move on her right. It was like some place in the room was blurred while the other remained normal. Staring at it, she quickly saw an axe, coming out of nowhere, flying to her direction. If she hadn’t noticed the blurred thing, she wouldn’t have been able to react to this launch.
She managed to catch the axe in the air, then, as she had done countless time during her training sessions, she launched it to the exact same place she had seen it coming from. The axe found its target, a loud moan of pain echoed in the room. The weapon seemed to levitate for a few seconds before falling to the ground, accompanied by a very loud noise. Then, they saw a hairy demon appeared out of nowhere. A demon Giles had already seen in his life.
“A Radl! It could mirror its surrounding like a chameleon. Buffy…how…”
“Later Giles! Now, I want some explanation from Harold. How come you have painted my face and the one of my girlfriend in the toile?”
Buffy ignored the gasps and the question that come after having said that Faith was her girlfriend, looking at Harold intently.
"I have visions! I had this one ten years ago and I knew that when the nymphs would come, the battle for the Avatar would begin."
“And how did you know that?”
“Cause the lake is the Avatar’s,” was the man’s reply.
“And you’re sure that she would dive in the lake?” Clovis said after having heard Husa explain her plan.
“Do you really think she has another choice, Clovis? The painting will show her a way to break the spell. The only way that seemed to exist. Do you think she’ll hesitate? You have seen them and according to the report you made, they could barely stop groping each other…
"And now, after two days during which they haven’t seen each other, only ‘corresponding’ through messages or scents…do you really think this blond chick would hold much longer? Hormones and feelings, Clovis. These are the reasons why the Slayer and her girlfriend would fail to stop us. Yes, Clovis, I’m sure of it!"
The yellow skinned demon nodded, convinced by Husa’s lecture. Then, it said: “But, why the Xors? We’d need them, wouldn’t we?”
“Not necessary! I hired them in case the Avatar would cause us trouble. They are immune to its tricks, you know it…but they’re amphibians and as the lake is in the ‘Avatar’s realm’…”
Husa didn’t have to finish her sentence. Clovis had understood what she was meaning.
“What do you mean by the ‘Avatar’s?” Iris inquired, before Buffy had the time to ask the same question. The irritated voice of Sir Brian answered:
“We’ve succeed in confining the Avatar in the castle tunnels but soon, it had taken possession of it and had reshaped it as its own personal realm…and the lake belongs to its realm.”
“And how are you keeping him in the tunnels? If the Avatar is as strong as you describe him, he could easily reshape the whole world.”
Sir Brian hesitated but Walter didn’t. The youngest of the brothers was fed up of this masquerade…was fed up of keeping secrets.
“The voices of the women in our family have a soothing effect on the Avatar. According to our father, it is because my mother’s voice was the first one the Avatar heard that our women have such a control on him. Every fifteen years, right after the sunrise, the oldest woman of the clan has to go to the Avatar’s realm to speak to him. He never answered but he listened…and remained calm for the next period.”
“And when is that meeting supposed to happen?” Buffy asked already knowing the answer Harold quickly gave her.
“Tomorrow!”
“And why am I not surprised?” Buffy exclaimed. Her statement was met with heavy silences that last long minutes before Giles said:
“And how did you know the power of the women’s voices?”
“We just know! The Avatar told it to our mother!” Walter finished.
The watchers and the Mc Dougals continued to speak for a few minutes but Buffy wasn’t listening to them. Her mind was digesting what she had just heard. She now understood why Husa had used the Lady Hawke spell on Faith and her. Faith, having received the night part of the deal, wouldn’t be able to be present at day and ruin Husa’s plans by talking to the Avatar. It didn’t matter how the Babylonian had discovered Faith’s real identity, she obviously knew it. Faith had been right; the time loops were for her, to show her the mission that was hers.
It was certain now that Husa had kidnapped Ariana and would probably brainwash her to become her slave…the vampire would use her to control the Avatar…The only way to stop her was to break the spell and Buffy could only see one way to do it…she just hoped that Harold’s visions were genuine…and right.
She turned her head towards Giles who noticed the look of determination in her eyes. For that moment, he knew what she had on mind…he then saw her sign him to come with her outside the room. He excused himself to the others and followed his Slayer for a talk he knew would be agitated.
The Avatar looked at his work. The crystal palace he had built for the occasion was splendid. He knew that, after the meeting with the voice, everything would be destroyed…destroyed with his temporary sanity…but he didn’t care. The voice would be there and with her, an old friend. He smiled and went back to sleep. Tonight and tomorrow morning would be rough days.
“Buffy! I know what you’re going to say and I won’t support you. I know you miss Faith but it’s too dangerous for you to dive in a lake controlled by the Avatar. He is the Primal Chaos Offspring! Who knows what would happen if you dived? You could be transformed to…I don’t know, a…a…a…something horrible might happen!” Giles finished.
Buffy waited the end of his sentence to say: “I know you’re worried, Giles. But I have no other choice here. Yes, I miss Faith and, yes, I’d do whatever it takes to break this fucking spell but we need Faith here, we need her real bad!”
“But why, Buffy? I know she’d be a great help if she was here but…I’m sure you or her would deal with the situation. There is no need to risk your lives, both your lives by diving in this lake. I’m sure we’ll find another way and…”
“Giles! I have to! We have to!” Seeing that her watcher was about to cut her speech off, she quickly added: “No, don’t stop me now, Giles! I have something to tell you, a secret Faith told me and I swear if you repeat it to anyone, you’d be in great trouble. Am I clear?”
The watcher nodded, recognizing Buffy’s tone. The “There is no room for arguing here” tone. He thus waited for whatever revelation Buffy had to tell him.
“Faith’s real name is Mc Dougal, Giles! She is the daughter of the woman who ran away from here! She is the reason behind our time loops!”
“Oh Goodness!”
“You know who has kidnapped Ariana, right? You know that she’ll use her to control the Avatar, right? And you know that the only way for us to have a chance to stop her, is to have Faith with us…in daytime. So, now, you know why I have, why we have to dive!”
Giles was speechless! He couldn’t find something to say that would stop Buffy from doing it. She was right! It was the only thing to do. So, he just approached her and hugged her, telling her without words that he agreed with her plan. They finally broke the embrace and the watcher told her.
“When?”
“As soon as possible. Now, I’m too hungry to do anything but in the beginning of the afternoon would be good. In the meantime, maybe we’ll be able to find the traitor.”
“The traitor?” Giles asked, puzzled.
“Geez, Giles! Since when have I become the wise one here, the one who noticed such things? Do you really think that the chameleon like demon was here by chance? It knew about the meeting! So, someone had to tell him!”
Thinking about it, Giles could only state that Buffy was right. The question was who that traitor might be?
Clovis parked the car on a place that was invisible from the castle. Then, the demon walked to the back doors and opened them, letting the Xorks exited the vehicle. They knew what to do.
The yellow skinned demon watched them make their ways towards the lake, then disappear into it. Now, whenever the Slayer would decide to dive in, they would wait for her…or for them if what Harold had painted was true.
The afternoon came quickly and they hadn’t found any clue that could help them figuring out who the traitor was. Sure, they had some suspicions but nothing really serious. That didn’t mean that they have wasted their time, quite the contrary. Knowing that Husa had the powers of a mermaid, a power on men, Iris had enchanted an amulet that she had given to Giles to protect him from Husa’s skills. Buffy had been quite surprised to discover that Iris had some magic powers and the intrigued look she had given her had made the young watcher smile. She had then told the Slayer:
“Hey! I’m probably not as gifted as your friend, Willow, but I know some tricks!”
Buffy grinned, she kinda liked the girl. She then heard Iris story and how she had learned some magic thanks to her grandmother who was a witch too, a witch who worked for the Council and thanks to whom she worked for the British born organization too.
At 3 A.M., Iris finished the amulet and gave it to Giles who put it in his pocket then; the older watcher looked at Buffy and saw her nod. It was late in the afternoon already and he knew that Buffy wouldn’t wait any longer. He replied with a nod too then, left the room to warn the others.
15 minutes later, Buffy was in front of the lake. The others had quickly joined them and escorted the blond Slayer outside. Buffy, of course, would have preferred to wear a swimming suit but she hadn’t taken any of them with her. How could she have known? Besides, it was kinda cold out there. So, she had kept her trousers and the t-shirt she had on her, Faith’s t-shirt and had come to the lake.
Buffy looked at the water in front of her, so calm, nothing seemed to trouble the surface of it…but she would soon, would dive into it, would dive into this lake that was totally the Avatar’s. She hoped that everything would go as well as she was expecting. Taking a deep breath, she walked to the edge of the lake and jumped, diving in the cold water.
The temperature made her shiver…the thought of Californian beaches crossed her mind, it would have been much warmer to dive in the ocean there. She surfaced, waved to the others then began to swim. The temperature wasn’t a problem anymore…her mind was now entirely focused on her purpose…to bring Faith back.
As she was reaching the centre of the lake, something touched her…or it was what it had seemed. She stopped swimming, puzzled by what she had just felt. Was it a dream? Was it the Avatar? What was she supposed to do? That’s what she hated about this kind of situation…you never know what to expect…what you should expect…and if you found yourself in front of something, you never knew if it was a good or a bad thing.
Suddenly, she felt a hand grab her foot, leading her to the depth of the lake roughly…she had her answer…this time, it was a bad thing!
When Giles saw Buffy disappear into the lake, he began to take his jacket off, ready to dive in the lake to go help his surrogate daughter. But, once the jacket touched the ground, he found himself facing a gun…Daniels gun. He quickly looked around and saw Sir Brian threatening his family with a similar gun. Stuck between the two guns, Giles knew that trying something now would be suicidal. He looked at Iris who seemed to have reached the same conclusions then sighed, frustrated, angry. He couldn’t do anything to help Buffy. And it was like a zombie that he followed the others who were guided towards the castle by the traitors.
Once under water, Buffy didn’t stay inactive. She kicked whatever had grabbed her foot and was satisfied to feel its grip disappear. She knew that it wasn’t a human being, had felt the claws enter her calf, claws that were definitely demonic. Closing her eyes that were useless here, she focused on her other senses, trying to ignore the pain in her chest…pain that was coming from her lungs that were screameing for air. But she also knew that she couldn’t just swim back to the surface…knew that the demon would never let her reach it, knew that focusing her mind on anything but facing the demon could be lethal.
She quickly discovered that the demon wasn’t alone. She could feel the waves coming from them through the water…they were two of them. They weren’t trying anything against her as if they were waiting for something…and Buffy knew what! They were waiting for her to die…oxygen was indeed beginning to be a problem…her lungs were now on fire.
Waiting wasn’t an option for her, she had to breathe some fresh air. She dived to one of the demon, hoping to knock it down or send it to her other opponent; gaining enough time to reach the surface in the process. But she wasn’t used to fight into water and missed the demon that didn’t miss her. Grabbing her by the wrist, the demon returned her and put its arm around her throat.
Buffy gasped, feeling the water enter her throat. She panicked, began to move her legs frantically, hoping to release the demon’s grip…in vain. This time, she didn’t think she would make it.
The Avatar felt the friendly presence becoming weaker. The figure for the past was loosing its life. Usually, the Avatar wouldn’t give a damn about this life but tonight was different. Tonight, its conscience was back, and with it, its heart. Picturing the blonde’s face in its head, it knew that it couldn’t let her die without trying to help her…but the demons were immune to its powers…It couldn’t help her like that.
The Avatar began to scan the three beings that were fighting in the lake and found what it was looking for…a way to save the figure from its past.
As her oxygen was becoming rarer and rarer, Buffy felt dizzier and dizzier. She knew that, this time, she couldn’t do anything to save her life…to save Faith’s life. Cause that was what was bothering her the most. Dying had always been a possibility, an almost certainty. It had always been a part of the Slayer deal. She had even died twice already…No, what was killing her inside was that she would bring Faith with her…and couldn’t do anything to save her as they were sharing the same body.
The Xors demons were exulting. The Slayer was going to die and they would party on her body, eat her and take her force through the process, becoming stronger.
Suddenly, Buffy felt oxygen coming back in her mouth, running through her oesophagus like the sweetest nectar that had ever existed. She slowly opened her eyes and saw that she was still in the middle of the lake, surrounded by a kind of bubble of oxygen. There was a kind of mystical light that was lightening the bubble and she could also see it pushing the demons away, away from her. She was safe from now but couldn’t say what was happening.
The Avatar smiled. The figure from its past was safe now. By using natural elements, it had succeeded in pushing the demons away. Now, the tricky part of its plan was going to happen.
As she was beginning to breathe almost normally, Buffy felt a huge pain coming from her chest, a pain that expanded to her torso, then her abdomen. She didn’t know what it was and it scared her like hell. She couldn’t do anything about it. She was stuck in the middle of this bubble, unable to move, to put her hand on the painful places to try to soothe the pain. All she could do was feel and watch.
Slowly, the pain stopped increasing in intensity but didn’t disappear. She could hold it but wished she could stop it. Then, she noticed the light coming from her body. First, a thin line splitting it in two equal parts…then it expanded to her whole body. What was going on?
The light was now blinding and the Xors demons had a hard time to keep their eyes on their targets. They didn’t like blind lights but they couldn’t loose their prey either. They had had a taste of her and they wanted to eat her completely…were starving for her and her Slayer strength.
Suddenly, as Buffy was watching the light, amazed by what she was seeing, she noticed something coming out of her belly, as if she was giving birth to someone and, as she spotted dark hair coming from the same place, she felt her lips curved into a smile. She had finally understood what was going on.
Still amazed by what she was witnessing, she felt joy overwhelm her as Faith’s body took shape while exiting her own. She thought back at Harold’s painting and her smile widened. The “Nymphs” were reunited…her Faith was back. She watched as Faith’s feet, the last parts of the brunette’s body to exit Buffy, were freed before catching her unconscious girlfriend in her arms, gently, lovingly, losing herself in the sight of this beautiful girl who was hers.
A sudden current leading the bubble towards the bottom of the lake made her break her contemplation. She saw as they were led towards a hole in the ground and screamed when the bubble exploded…a scream that was shut by the water that entered her mouth at the same time. Soon, she joined Faith in unconsciousness as light disappeared and darkness swallowed them.
Giles, Iris, Walter, Irene and Harold were now sitting in the living room, still guarded by Brian and Daniels that were aiming their guns at them threateningly. There was no doubt in the hostage minds that they were ready to use it. No one of clan Mc Dougal had said a word. All of them were too shocked to speak. Finally, Walter turned to his brother and asked him:
“Why, Brian? Why are you doing this?”
The sixty years old man chuckled then answered: “Why? Because all my life had been wasted because of the secret, Walter! We have the power; we have the money but look where it has led us…in this castle where we are prisoner as much as the Avatar.”
“But…but I thought you had accepted it. I thought you…”
“I did…in the beginning. But I quickly found out how miserable my life would be and I wanted more!”
“More! Brian, look at you! You’re 60! If you wanted so much to get rid of the mission, you’d have to run away from here a long time ago!”
“And then what? I would have spent my whole life running away from the Mc Dougals and the Council! You can’t escape these guys, they have agents everywhere!”
“But Nancy did escape!” Walter replied. He noticed then the smile that came to his brother’s mouth…a smile that Giles noticed too. The older watcher then said:
“She escaped because he let her to, didn’t you, Brian?”
“I let her! I let her! I did much better than that! I helped her escape. To get rid of this mission, as my brother just said, I had to be sure that no Mc Dougal woman would be there to speak to the Avatar. That and that only, would free our family from this curse! So, yeah! I knew that Nancy wanted to get away and I helped her.”
“Then, with the help of Daniels, you helped her disappear! You needed someone inside the Council at your side…otherwise, they would have found your sister and you knew that!”
“Yes, Daniels was a great accomplice. He hired a PI to keep an eye on my sister while he was spreading confusion at the Council’s. By the time my sister changed her name; they had lost her trace…and never found it back.”
“But why a PI?”
“Come on, Walter! She was still a Mc Dougal! We couldn’t risk her to return or her daughter to return!”
“Her daughter?”
“The other Slayer! She is our beloved niece, baby brother!”
“But you didn’t know she was a Slayer!”
“Yes, Mr. Giles! Our PI lost her for years. We only recently learned that she was in jail…but you have to say that the way we found to stop her is a clever one. Mixing them into one body…”
Walter was furious now: “And you kept it from us. You knew how worried I was for Nancy!”
“You’ve always been too sentimental, Walter! Father had always said it was your weakness.”
“And now, what are you gonna do, Brian? Kill us all? Kill your family? And what would be your gain?”
“Eternal life!” The answer came from the door of the living room. Turning their heads towards this direction, they saw a beautiful woman enter the room, followed by three men and a yellow skinned demon that was holding a 20 something girl behind it…a girl with dark hair and features that resembled Faith’s except from the green eyes and the little scar near her right eye. Being a seer wasn’t necessary to identify this girl…Ariana, Faith’s cousin.
“Husa, I presume?”
The Babylonian smiled and nodded: “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Giles! And I’m sure we’ll have lots of things to discuss. After all, we have time to waste before dawn.”
The Avatar was exhausted. It had saved the Slayers. It had been quite a surprise to discover that they were both in the same body and had demanded lots of efforts to break the spell. Now, they were in its realm…and they would have to make their way on their own. The Avatar could feel its strength decrease quickly. Soon, its consciousness would be totally back and soon, it would loose its power…for a day!
Husa was drinking her cherry, looking at the people gathered in the room. She hadn’t used her powers yet and knew that when she would do it, only the woman would keep their mind…the males would be hers…forever. But she wasn’t gonna do it now. She had heard about Giles. He had quite a reputation! After all, he was the watcher of a girl lots of people considered as the best Slayer ever.
“No question, Mr. Giles? Or are you too shocked by your Slayer’s death?”
Ignoring the sarcasm behind the question, something Giles knew had been said only to making him loose his temper, the watcher replied:
“Just one! Why did you wait this long before acting? 60 years is a long period.”
“60 years is nothing when you’re as old as I am, Mr. Giles! You see! The castle was well protected and, during the first 30 years, I hadn’t a mole in the place. When I noticed that Brian would be pleased to switch sides, I contacted him and decided to “virus” the place from within. So, Brian waited, progressively driving Nancy away, then, knowing that Victoria’s health wasn’t great, we waited for her death before planning our last strike.”
“Ariana’s kidnapping!”
“Yep! And I have to say that your Slayer’s arrival made me worried…even if I knew that Faith Mc Dougal wouldn’t be a problem.”
“And now?”
“Now? We’ll wait 4 AM to move, make our way in the tunnels and wait dawn. Then, Ariana would tell the Avatar that I would be its guide from now…and I would have all the power I wished to rule this world.”
“And I’ll do anything to stop you!”
“And I knew you’ll say this…But you wouldn’t be able to do anything but watch, Mr. the Watcher…now, listen to my voice…”
Buffy slowly opened her eyes. Her head was hurting as if thousands of Big Bens were resounding in it. Gathering her thoughts, she looked around. How many times had she stayed unconscious? The last thing she remembered was her “giving birth” to Faith. Faith! Where was she? Looking around her, looking for the brunette, she noticed that she was in a cave, probably inside the hill where the castle had been built on. There was a pool on her left, probably the way she had come here. She saw the demons she had fought to, laying on the ground, their necks broken probably because of a hard landing. Then, her eyes spotted the form that was laying on the sand, not far from her. The form of a naked brunette.
She made her way to her, half-anxious, half-happy to see her girlfriend again. But what if something had gone wrong? What if Faith was…no, no, no! She had to think positive. Faith was back now and for good! Nothing would split them again. She wouldn’t let it happen. She finally arrived next to the dark Slayer and, her voice still hesitant, she said:
“Faith?”
The brunette didn’t move and the worry Buffy was feeling grew inside of her. She knelt next to her and put her hand on Faith’s shoulder, shaking her, hoping to get some reaction from her. Suddenly, she saw the brunette move and grab her hand, pulling her to the ground. Completely taken aback by Faith’s reaction, Buffy soon felt herself with her back on the ground while Faith was on top of her, smiling, looking at her eyes intently.
“So, B! Now that I caught you…what am I gonna do with my prey?”
The teasing tone added to the joy to see that Faith was alright made Buffy smile. Grinning like a teenager after her first kiss, she just slapped her girlfriend on the arm teasingly.
“Faith! God! I don’t know if I have to kiss you or get mad because you played with me!”
“I’d rather take the first option…I miss the taste of your lips!”
Faith lowered her head and soon placed her lips on Buffy’s who happily accepted the kiss. A kiss that began gently then grew in intensity. They weren’t unaware of the fact that they were both naked, the “birth” having ripped Buffy’s clothes apart. The contact of their nude skins against each other was guiding their minds to naughty thoughts as their hands, following these thoughts, were soon exploring their bodies. Finally, when oxygen was becoming an issue again, they separated their lips. They were breathing heavily and didn’t want anything else than continuing what they had begun but also knew that they couldn’t. They had to stop Husa. Buffy put her hand behind Faith’s neck and pulled, placing Faith’s head on her shoulder.
“You know what, F?”
“You want to fuck me hard?”
“No! I mean yes and I’ll MAKE LOVE TO YOU once this all mess will be cleared.” After saying that, she gave a quick kiss to Faith who grinned wickedly. “What I was gonna say was that as soon as we get rid of Husa, we’ll spend some quality time in this country…just the two of us.”
“I like your idea, B! But what about Sunnydale? They need a Slayer there!”
“They have! Remember the third Slayer who should be there now?” Buffy replied raising her eyebrows which made Faith chuckle.
“So, the only thing that stands between us and our…“quality time” is Husa? Consider her dusted.” Then she whispered: “No one would stand against us, B…never!”
“I’m counting on it!” Their lips met again before they stay long minutes just holding each other, taking the time to enjoy the other’s presence, a presence they had been deprived of the two previous days. Then, after a last kiss, they began to explore the cave, looking for an exit. While they were doing it, Buffy told Faith the events of the last day. Finally, they spotted an opening above them, an opening they could reach by climbing to the rocks that were surrounding them. Looking at each other, they began to make their ways up.
The night had fallen on castle Mc Dougal since a long while when the guards came to the room where the hostages had been locked. They roughly pushed them out of the room and soon escorted them to their bosses. Husa welcomed them warmly, visibly excited by the events to come. The yellow skinned demon didn’t seem to feel anything. According to Buffy, this demon was the faithful servant of the thousands years old vampire and was glad with its job. So, Giles didn’t think he would see it flinch tonight…and hoped to not see it happy.
The watcher winked at Iris. Since the moment Husa had spoken to him with a sweet voice, he had acted as if he were under her thrall. He was proud of his girlfriend and of her idea to make this amulet. He was glad to not to be a puppet as the other men who were now completely hanged on Husa’s lips.
Coming back to the present events, Giles saw Husa sign to Sir Brian who put his hand on a statue and turned its arm, opening a secret passage in the wall. Motioning Brian to lead the way, Husa followed him soon followed by Ariana and Clovis. The hostages followed, Walter and Harold being completely silent, following Husa with their eyes while Iris and Giles were waiting for the moment to rebel. Irene seemed completely lost in her own world. After the hostages, Daniels and Husa’s minions closed the passage.
The secret passage led to stairs that led to tunnel that led to other stairs that ended to other tunnels, etc…etc…they had entered in the tunnels at 4 AM and finally reached a wide cave two hours later…the sun was rising outside, they all knew it. They entered the cave and gasped.
They were now entering a paradise. Everything was made in crystal, from the superb trees and plants, to the statues and palaces, palaces that had been built everywhere with the hugest of them standing in the middle, a large path leading to it. Clearing their mind to stop the staring, the group began to walk towards the huge temple and soon entered it. The temple had few furniture, all made of crystal too. The main room occupied 4/5 of the temple. They were all feeling small while entering the place.
Sitting in the middle of the room, in a huge crystal couch, the Avatar seemed to wait for them. The creature seemed human except that its face was covered with fur. They all knew that it changed form meeting after meeting but they hadn’t expected to find him in such a human like form. They slowly approached the Avatar. Then, when they were only a few feet from it, they stopped and Husa told Ariana to speak to it. The young woman made her way towards the creature, sat at its right side and spoke to it.
“Do you know who I am?”
“Yes, you are the granddaughter of Mother Romy!”
“Great! So, you know that we should talk.”
“Yes, I know that this is the time for me to meet Mother Romy’s granddaughter.”
Giles looked around him. He wanted to act, to stop Ariana to play Husa’s game but Daniels and the minions were still aiming them with their guns and Giles knew that, even if Iris helped him, he wouldn’t be able to do anything to stop them…and it made him so frustrated…
“So you know that I’m supposed to tell you what I want you to do for the next fifteen years. And this is what I want you to do: You see that woman (she showed Husa with her hand and the Avatar nodded)? I want you to obey to her wishes. Have you understood?”
Husa smiled. That was it! Finally, after so many years, she would reach her goal. Then, she heard the Avatar’s answer and swallowed her smile.
“Screw you!”
They all looked at the creature, eyes wide and jaws open…they saw it looked behind, to an opening that probably led to another smaller room and heard it ask:
“Was I good? Did I put the right intonations?”
Looking to the opening, they saw the two Slayers coming out of it, wearing crystal shirts and crystal skirts that were so thin that they looked like real tissue. They looked like goddess in them. Faith answered the Avatar.
“That was perfect Avy! I wouldn’t have said it better!"
The bad guys were completely stunned. They had all believed that the Slayers were dead and weren’t expecting to see them standing in front of them, mocking them. They had just ruined everything! Seeing them like this pleased the Slayers who decided to continue the show.
“Hello! You’re still there? I hope so! See, we’ve arrived a few minutes before you. It hadn’t been easy you know. Climbing a fucking cave, moving in the dark…etc…etc.”
“Yeah! Fortunately, Avy was expecting us with food, drinks and pretty clothes. What do you think of them?” Buffy asked while turning around like a top model.
Husa was speechless! These two have ruined everything…her dream was gone!
“You…you…”
“We…we…what? Gosh, Husa, after so many years of undeath, I would have expected you to improve your vocabulary!”
“How dare you?”
The hostages and the minions were still stunned by what had happened and were looking at the conversation, completely unable to move. It was the moment Giles choose to act. He punched Daniels, a hit that forced the watcher to drop his gun. Then, the two watchers began to fight loudly.
Taking advantage to the mess, Iris launched the spell she had rehearsed till the moment they had entered the secret passage. A sleeping she cast to the human minions who soon fell into the arms of Morpheus.
Brian, who was out of Iris reach, aimed the girl but Harold prevented him to shoot in jumping on him. The two brothers-in-law began wrestling in the middle of the room.
Feeing that the situation wasn’t turning well for her, Husa signed to Clovis who moved to stop the Slayers who were walking towards them. While her minion moved, Husa made her way towards the exit. But the Slayers didn’t want to let her go. After all, they had faced her for millenniums now through their time loops. Looking at Buffy, Faith said.
“So, we’re OK! She’s mine!”
“Yes, baby! She’s yours. I kinda have a thing against Clovis since it killed me…even if it wasn’t really me!”
After a last exchange of looks between the girlfriends, Buffy jumped in Clovis way, letting Faith ran after Husa.
Husa felt Faith before even seeing her. She had learned that she was a Slayer too during the afternoon and hadn’t had the time to prepare a way to deal with her. She knew that Clovis would protect her if Buffy stood in here way but wasn’t expecting to have Faith facing her too. After all, they were supposed to share a body. Cursing the Avatar that she knew was responsible to the newly split Slayers, Husa increased her pace.
Faith hadn’t had trouble spotting Husa running her ass off towards the exit. She began to run after her, full speed and noticed that she was gaining on the vampire and soon, saw her change direction, heading towards a canyon of crystal. She continued to run after her, then, saw her stop, blocked by a cliff. She couldn’t escape anymore. This time, it would be their last encounter and one of them would survive it.
Clovis had just taken a huge machete out of its shirt, a cruel smile on her lips. Buffy didn’t flinch and looked at the stalagmite that was on her left. She looked at Avy, mouthed a sorry then, hit it. She had now a weapon too. Returning the smile Clovis had given her, Buffy said:
“So, demon buddy! Are we gonna continue to politely converse or are we fighting. See, I’ve been separated from my girlfriend from too long known and really want to enjoy our meeting again.”
Clovis didn’t answer. Instead, it jumped to Buffy, its weapon ready to cut her in two.
After having knocked the minions out, Iris had gone to help Giles but she hadn’t the time to reach him. Indeed, the older watcher easily outclassed his opponent. He had now the gun in his hand and was aiming it right on the traitor’s neck.
The female watcher looked at her fellow hostages to see that Harold and Walter who had come to Ariana’s father rescue had now knocked Brian out. The other traitor was now out of the game. The witch looked at Giles and smiled at him. Then, the two of them looked at Buffy, fighting Clovis.
Clovis was a formidable fighter. Buffy had known it before the fight and could only confirm this statement while sword fighting with the demon. They were facing each other for ten minutes now and none of them seemed better than the other.
The yellow skinned demon was really enjoying this fight. It wasn’t every day that it could face such a worthy opponent. Still, it had to kill her quickly if it would like to go help Husa who, it knew it, was confronted to the other Slayer now. So, Clovis began to attack Buffy without making any pause, trying to exhaust her enough for it to make the final strike. It knew that it could hold the rhythm long enough for its plan to succeed.
Buffy had indeed a hard time blocking and dodging the demon’s attacks. She was caught in a whirlwind of strikes and counter strikes. She could also easily guess what the demon’s intentions were but couldn’t do anything against it, her attention completely focused on her defence.
After a few minutes of fight, Husa knew that she was in deep shit. Since the foundation of the Thulé, she had relied on minions to defend her, focusing completely on her schemes. Her training had suffered from it and she was now regretting it. Faith was stronger than her; there was any doubt about it. It was ironic…she would had been so fond of training when she was in Carcassonne… But she wouldn’t give up…she even had a plan. The cliff was behind her and she would send the girl there…she had to.
Looking behind Faith, she suddenly spotted Ariana who was watching the fight. She remembered having said to her to never leave her unless she ordered her to. The good girl was very obedient. The good girl would help her. She telepathically told her to approach silently to push Faith when she would say her to. She saw the young girl nod then, focused on the fight again.
Faith knew that she would win the fight if she didn’t loose her concentration. Husa was good, yes, but she had vanquished more powerful foes than her. She suddenly spotted someone behind her then saw Ariana moving towards her, hands extended to push her to the cliff. She couldn’t entirely avoid her. Her cousin succeeded in touching her and made her loose her balance. The brunette saw the void approaching as she fell and heard Husa’s laughter echoed in the cave.
Spotting a crystal root hanging near the top of the cliff she was falling to, Faith decided to try a very dangerous move. Taking advantage of the speed she had because of the fall, she grabbed the root with her hands then, rotated around it to hit Husa’s legs with her feet. Completely surprised by the move, the Babylonian lost her balanced too and fell in the cliff too. She then felt someone grab her and, looking up, she saw that it was Faith.
“Don’t thank me!” The brunette said before pulling the vampire up, letting her hand go in the last moment. Husa felt herself continuing her way up thanks to the pull then, when she reached Faith’ s level, she saw the brunette take a stake out of her shirt with the same hand that had just pulled her up. She was already feeling her body fall to the depth of the cliff again but didn’t say a word. It was too late. Unable to move, she felt the stake enter her heart and, soon, turned to dust as her body was falling to the depth of the cliff.
“I just wanted to be sure we’ll never meet again, bitch!”
Faith then put her hands on the root and pulled. A few seconds later, she felt a hand come to help her. Looking up, she recognised Ariana. The girl seemed completely out of Husa’s control now.
“Let me help you!”
Faith gladly obliged and soon felt the ground under her feet again. She winked at the girl and said: “So, we’re cousin, right?”
The girl smiled shyly then nodded.
“Good! I’m sure we’ll get along well.” Then Faith stood up and said: “But for now, I have other plans in mind. Ready to come back to the palace?”
Ariana nodded again, smiling then followed Faith towards the palace.
Clovis was now right at the place Buffy wished him to be. She had had an idea when they were fighting and hoped that it would succeed. She was now beginning to feel the first signs of tiredness in her arm. They were now at the exact same place the fight had begun only this time, Buffy was where Clovis had stood while it was where she had. All she had to do was hold till the right moment.
Clovis was beginning to feel tiredness gain its body too. The Slayer was stronger that it had thought and it was beginning to wonder how it would get rid of her. Suddenly, a sh