CHAPTER 11
“Faith, you always give me such amazing gifts,” the Mayor beamed. “The little witch.” He laughed. “Now, what shall we do with you?”
Trying to keep her voice level, the Slayer said, “I was thinking about that. See, I figure Buffy and the Super Friends will come running to save Red here. Maybe we should set a trap.”
The older man hesitated. “Hmmm. You could be right. For now, though, put her in the storage room down the hall and post a guard.”
“Got it, Boss.” Faith pulled her captive back into the hall.
Relaxing her grip while still forcing the redhead to go toward the storage
room, the brunette whispered, “OK. We need to find a way to get you into the
Mayor’s office. I’m still working on a plan.” She wrestled open the door to the
small, cluttered room. “Stay put until I got something lined up.” Not waiting
for an answer, the brunette shoved
“All locked up,” she said cheerily. “Mind if I use your phone to call for a guard?” Faith walked into the room and leaned against the long desk.
The Mayor was deep in thought. He didn’t respond verbally; he just waved a hand at the phone.
“Thanks.” Dialing quickly, the Slayer made arrangements for a single guard to stand outside the room holding the young witch. After completing the call, Faith sat back and watched the older man. Tension tightened his jaw and his hazel eyes were cold. The brunette knew she needed to tread carefully.
“So, Boss, you just gonna let Red stew in the room?” Hoping the movement looked casual, she leaned back in the chair, fingers laced behind her head.
Focusing on the young girl, Wilkins tilted his head questioningly. “That’s the plan. Why, Faith? Did you have something else in mind?”
“Maybe.” Thoughts racing, the Slayer decided to go for broke. “What if we sent Red back to the gang with some information?”
“Like what?” She had his attention. The Mayor leaned across the desk.
Fuck, give me a minute here. The last details still weren’t set in her mind. “Well, you and I both know B’s gonna come for her. What if we arranged for her to ‘escape’ and get a look at some of those Books of Ascension you got tucked away.” Seeing her employer frown, she rushed on, “Don’t freak out or nothing. We’ll make sure she don’t see anything really useful.”
“Hmmm. It’s devious and a little risky.” Faith held her breath. The Mayor gave a shout of laughter. “I love it. We’ll send the irritating Slayer and her friends on a wild goose chase.”
***
The set up was perfect. The vampire guard watching
Opening the door to the office, Faith strode through. “You’d have to be brain damaged to come back here tonight,” she tossed over her shoulder.
“You ever have a dog?” the Mayor asked in response.
“What?” Faith frowned. Just follow the script, damn it.
“I did,” the older man said, closing his office door.
“Rusty, an Irish Setter. Swell little pooch.” He joined Faith as she meandered
down the hallway, passing a hidden
He would have continued his bizarre story, but the Slayer cut him off with a raised hand. “She’s in the office.”
“Magnificent.” He smiled fully. “Well, done, Faith. You’ve really been an asset today.”
Blushing at the praise, Faith said, “Thanks, Boss. You mean a lot to me.”
Clapping her on the shoulder, the Mayor directed, “Now, go and make sure the little witch only finds what we want her to. She’s had enough time to paw through my things.”
“No problem. Give me about fifteen minutes to do my thing.”
She left the older man in the hallway, heading for the office and
She wanted to give the witch as much time as possible to find the information the Scoobies would need to defeat the Mayor, but the older man would get suspicious if she waited too long. Quietly entering the office, she walked up behind the redhead. “Well, look at the bookworm,” she mocked.
“Faith!”
“Take it easy, Red. The Mayor thinks we’re setting you up with some bogus information. We’ve got about fifteen minutes to find the actual info on the Ascension.” She sat down behind the stunned girl. “Hand me a book and let’s hurry this up. I don’t even want to think what the Boss would do to us if he found out I was double crossing him.”
Faith took the book
At first, the Slayer wasn’t sure the Scooby was going to
answer her. “We’re looking for anything mentioning the Ascension.” At Faith’s
incredulous look,
“Right.” The brunette turned back to the book.
The sound of rapidly turning pages filled the room. “You know, Faith, it’s too late.”
“Hey, I thought you Scoobies were always filled with cheery thoughts and positive energy.”
“No. It’s too late to smile and say ‘hey, guys, sorry. I chose the wrong side.’ You can’t just expect us to welcome you back.”
The words hurt more than she imagined. Struggling to hide her pain, she said hoarsely, “Maybe it’s time I just did the right thing.”
“And now I gotta live with it, yeah, yeah. I’ve heard it all before.” The redhead had no idea how deeply she had driven a knife into the Slayer’s heart. And Faith hoped she never figured it out. “Shut up and keep looking. We’ve got maybe six or seven minutes before the Boss comes back.”
The next minutes passed too quickly as far as the brunette was concerned. While she wanted the witch out of her hair, they still hadn’t found anything remotely useful. Then she spotted a passage in the book that detailed the events of the Mayor’s Ascension. “Willow, here!” She didn’t bother showing the redhead. Her Slayer hearing picked up the Mayor’s footsteps in the hall. Ripping that page and another random page from the book, she shoved it back on the shelf and stood up. Glancing briefly at the extra page, she pushed it into a pocket.
“Hide this somewhere.” She stuffed the page on the Ascension in the witch’s hand. “It’ll tell you everything you need about the Ascension.” The witch opened her mouth to ask a question. “Look, the Mayor’s on the way. Let me finish. Inside the box Buffy stole are some big ass spider things, and there’s some professor at UCS the Boss is afraid of. I don’t have a name. He knows how to stop the Mayor, even after he Ascends.” She grabbed the older girl and dragged her into the middle of the room.
“Play along. No matter
what.” Faith could tell things were moving too fast for the witch. “Just do it,
The footsteps were getting closer. “Sorry for this, Red.”
The Slayer backhanded the other girl, and
Amazingly,
Keeping her own face expressionless, Faith pulled her knife from its sheath. The ornate double blade gleamed in the low lighting. “Let’s see what we can do about that.” Although the witch flinched a bit, she didn’t back down. Moving closer, the brunette pressed the blade lightly against her companion’s throat.
“Girls, I hope I don’t have to separate you two,” the Mayor said from the doorway. “Now, Faith, you can play with your new toy later. Something’s come up.”
This wasn’t part of the plan. Tensing, Faith looked at the older man. “Everything, OK, Boss?”
“I just received a heck of an interesting phone call,” he answered. “Faith, you know I don’t like to repeat myself.” The Mayor gestured to the knife. Quickly resheathing the weapon, the Slayer moved away from her captive.
“Sorry. So, about this phone call?”
“It seems you were right about
***
Standing in the school cafeteria, Buffy glanced around. Giles and Wesley stood woodenly in one corner while Oz and Xander made sure all but the main entrance was locked.
“The whole place is locked down, except for the front,” Oz commented.
“Yeah,” Xander joked. “It gives me that comforting trapped feeling.”
Not bothering to look in their direction, Buffy said, “One way out means one way in. I want to see them coming.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, all the lights went out. “I don’t think they want to be seen, Buff,” Xander quipped.
“That’s OK.” Angel smiled in the darkness. “I can see alright.”
The doors to the cafeteria swung open. Richard Wilkins III strode in followed by Faith. The other Slayer held the captive witch at knifepoint against her chest. Like two gunfighters at high noon, Buffy and His Honor paced to a spot in the middle of the large room.
Grinning manically, the Mayor piped, “This is exciting, isn’t it?”
The blonde Slayer took a minute to respond. A quick glance showed her friend in one piece with no obvious signs of abuse. Checking her new link with Faith, Buffy was surprised to feel anxiety surrounded by a surprisingly strong level of satisfaction.
“Let her go,” the Slayer ground out.
“No.” Buffy’s eyebrows rose at the unexpected response. “Not until my box is in my hands.” The laughter faded from the Mayor’s face and voice. “So you’re the little girl who’s been causing me all this trouble.
“She’s pretty, Angel,” he directed to the tall vampire behind Buffy. “A little skinny. I just don’t understand why it couldn’t work out between you and my Faith. Guess you just have strange taste in women.”
The feeling of revulsion Buffy had sensed the night in the Manor was back. Faith really didn’t like the idea of a relationship with the vampire.
“Well,” Angel replied, “I guess I just like ‘em sane.”
That hurt. Buffy flinched at the emotion pouring down the link. I really need to find a way to block this out.
“Angel,” Oz cautioned. The Dark Slayer had tightened her hold on his girlfriend.
“That’s enough. We don’t need to be talking about this.” The blonde Slayer needed this to be over. “Make the trade.”
Angel picked up the box and moved to Buffy’s side. Faith
dragged
“Well, that went smoothly.” The Mayor smiled genially at the assembled group. “Let’s go, Faith. You’ve had a long day and I want you to rest up for the big job you’ve got coming up.”
***
Faith followed the jubilant Mayor into City Hall. He hadn’t
said much on the drive back from
Sunk in her own depressing thoughts, she didn’t at first notice the Mayor had disappeared from his office. Huh, wonder where he went off to? Must not be planning on being gone long, though. Left that creepy box in here. Restless, Faith walked over to peer at the framed photos on the wall. Smiling images of Richard Wilkins III and his family stared back at her. Feeling the weight of her earlier actions dragging at her shoulders, the Slayer forced herself to stand up tall.
She decided to get a drink from the small fridge behind the desk, but stopped in the middle of the room. Her Slayer senses screamed. Fuck, she thought, there must be, like, twenty vamps out there. Fighting the urge to hit the hallway and Slay the horde, she grabbed the soda and perched on the edge of the desk. Her boss re-entered the room.
“You got anything else for me tonight, Boss?” she asked.
The older man was quiet as he approached her. “Well, Faith, I had planned on sending you home to get some rest. But, let’s watch a little movie first.”
The Slayer raised an eyebrow at the statement. “You wanna have Movie and Popcorn Night?”
“Not exactly. This is just a short clip. I think you’ll find it interesting, though.” He opened up a large armoire, revealing a TV set and VCR hookup. Shoving in an unmarked tape and flicking on the television, the Mayor turned to Faith. “After Alan rifled my files and discovered my Ascension plans, I decided to beef up security.”
The brunette nodded absently, her attention on the screen. The picture was black and white and a little grainy, but the image looked a lot like the Mayor’s office.
“The first thing I did was add more vampires to the after hours force.” He crossed his arms and stood next to Faith. “Then I had a set of cameras and microphones installed in my office.”
CHAPTER 12
Faith heard the Mayor’s words through a roaring in her ears.
On the TV screen, an image of her and
“Hey, Boss, you don’t really think I helped her out? Come on, it was all part of the plan.” Her voice wavered at the end.
Pursing his lips, Richard Wilkins III moved his gaze from the screen to the Slayer. “I said exactly that to the Chief of Security. Unfortunately, he let me listen to your conversation.” He didn’t wait for the young girl to make excuses. “Boys!”
The door slammed open and vampires poured into the room. A sad look on his face, the older man moved away from Faith. “Kill her.”
The Slayer thanked whatever deity or power was watching out for her. The office only had one entrance. The horde of vampires didn’t have enough room to spread out and she started working on the Mayor’s henchmen in groups of two or three. Grabbing a chair, Faith wrenched off a couple of the legs. They were dull, but with enough force worked well as stakes. The brunette teen jammed one leg into the chest of a tall, thin vampire. Even before he’d turned to dust, she was moving.
Tossing another demon into a group hovering in the background, she tried to clear a path to the door. It was a mistake. As long as the Mayor’s desk had been at her back, the vamps had trouble surrounding her. Once she committed to running, though, the remaining demons encircled her. Cursing, the Slayer threw both her stakes into the crowd, dusting two more. It helped – but not enough. Faith drew her knife and crouched low, waiting for the attack.
Two more vamps rushed her from the front. One got in a lucky punch, knocking the girl back into the arms of another. The knife dropped to the floor. Pushing off with both feet, Faith flipped backwards over the demon who’d been holding her arms. She landed near the wall, but had no weapon to use. Ducking blows and kicks and dodging the various lunges, the Slayer headed for the window. It was a long way down, but it offered a slight chance of survival. Diving head first, Faith crossed her arms over her head. Glass sprayed around her.
The Dark Slayer hit the ground and tried to roll with the impact. Pain ran up both legs, and the brunette struggled to stand. Damaged legs or not, staying meant certain death. Limping heavily, Faith headed for the first safe place that came to mind.
***
Buffy watched her friend animatedly retell her adventures in City Hall. “A-and then Faith came in and said the Mayor wanted me to bring back bogus information, but she was going to help me find the real stuff.”
Leaning forward, Buffy pressed, “Did she? Help, I mean.”
“Yeah. She sat down next to me and started looking through the Books. I didn’t believe her though, and I was all: ‘You can’t just expect us to take you back.’” She nodded in apparent satisfaction.
“As fascinating as all of this is,” Giles cut in, “could we just get back to the point? You actually had your hands on the Books of Ascension?” He waved his glasses around in agitation.
The redhead grinned and chewed on her gum before answering. “Volumes One through Five,” she confirmed.
“Is there anything that you can remember about them that could be of use to us? Anything at all?” the older Englishman pleaded.
“Well,” the young witch started, “we were in a hurry. Faith kept freaking out about the Mayor coming back. But she claimed to find a page that had all the details of the Ascension.”
“Really?” The Watcher’s eyes lit up.
It was painful to see the hope disappear from the older man’s expression.
Taking pity on the obviously overwrought man, the red head
flashed a quirky smile. She pulled a crumpled page from the pocket of her dress
and thrust it at Giles. “See what you can make of this?” Giles nearly laughed
in relief and turned toward his office. “Hey, Giles?”
“Yes, my dear?” He gave her a fatherly smile.
“Faith told me some other stuff, too. It didn’t make sense,
but it might be important.”
The ex-Watcher sat down in one of the chairs. “Was it about the Ascension?”
“Yeah, but not book stuff.” She thought for a moment. “She said the Box of Gavrok had creepy spider things in it, and the Mayor wanted some professor from UCS killed. He had information on how to beat the Mayor, even if he completed the Ascension.”
Wesley wandered over from his location by the stacks. “Spiders, you say?” He rubbed his chin. “The Ritual of Invulnerabilis mentions eating spiders to imbue the caster with healing ability.”
“So, Wes, the night wasn’t a total loss.” Buffy couldn’t
resist the verbal jab. “We’ve got a diagram of the Ascension and we know what
His Honor is using the Box for.” She grabbed
“Alright?” the young Watcher echoed. “You can’t be serious. We might have information about the Ascension. Faith may have been laying a trap for us, sending us off in the wrong direction.” He glared at the two girls before stalking off.
The three Scoobies sat quietly for a minute. “Oh, bloody
hell,” Giles finally muttered. He’d been reading the page
“What’s wrong?” Buffy wasn’t sure she could take any more bad news.
“Since the Mayor still has the Box, we can’t halt his Ascension. He’ll be able to complete the invulnerability ritual.” He rubbed his eyes.
“So that’s it?” the Slayer asked.
Giles looked shocked at the question. “Of course not, Buffy. I dare say Faith went to considerable trouble and put herself in great danger to give us this information. We simply need to discover how to use it.”
“Does anybody else think we’ve read every single book in this library these past few weeks?” The Slayer hopped off the counter. “I’ll call the guys, let them know another research party is in progress.” She reached for the phone and then gasped.
“Buffy?”
“It’s Faith. She’s hurt.” The blonde moaned. “Giles, we have to help her. She’s so scared.”
Her ex-Watcher rushed to the counter. “Can you tell where she is?”
“No.” Buffy shook her head. “All I get are her emotions.” Tears ran down her cheeks and she breathed in hoarse sobs.
“It must have just happened,”
Visibly shaking, the blonde straightened. “Right. I’ll call Oz and Xander. They can meet us there.” She picked up the phone. “Giles, bring the car around. We’ll be outside in a few minutes.”
***
Faith pressed into the doorway, panting. The Slayer had managed to avoid the Mayor’s goons, but the effort had drained her. She’d planned to head for Buffy’s house, hoping the other Slayer or Mrs. S would help her out. But the brunette wasn’t sure she could make the trip, now. It was taking all her strength just to stand. Extending her senses, Faith felt the thrum of vampires nearby. Fuck, how did they get so close?
Straightening, she limped down the alley. She’d moved too slowly. A vampire blocked her path, smirking at the obviously wounded girl. “Going somewhere, Slayer?”
“Thought it looked like a nice night for a walk,” Faith shot back. She was unarmed, alone. She glanced around. The alley was devoid of anything useful. “You wanna join me? We could head toward the cemetery. I hear it’s pretty this time of night.”
The vamp shifted into game face. “Enough small talk,” he lisped. “It’s time for you to die.” He rushed at the shorter girl.
Waiting until the last moment, Faith dodged. Her ankle buckled, but she avoided the demon’s grasp. She turned to face the vampire, knowing it was too late to run. “Looks like it’s just you and me. Don’t like your chances,” the Slayer bluffed.
Growling, the big demon took a step toward her and swung. Ducking, Faith returned the blow, catching the vampire in the stomach. He grunted, but didn’t go down. Cursing, she tried a kick, but her anchoring leg couldn’t take the additional weight. She fell and her opponent took advantage of her weakness. Lashing out with a booted foot, he made solid contact with her head. Faith curled into a ball, struggling to stay conscious. Her vision greyed around the edges. She had to get up. If she went down now, it was all over. Palms flat on the pavement, the Slayer pushed, trying to get up. Her arms gave out before she was more than a few inches off the ground. Closing her eyes, she waited for the end.
***
“Hurry, Giles!” Buffy snapped at the older man. “Doesn’t this rattle trap go more than twenty?”
Concentrating on the road, the older man spared a glance for the anxious teen. “Indeed, Buffy. However, we aren’t sure where we are going. Should I rocket down the street and perhaps pass Faith up?”
Her rapid-fire delivery was rewarded with a beaming smile. “Way to go, Will. You’re right. Pull over, Giles. I need to be stationary to do this.” Smirking, she couldn’t resist adding, “Of course, we’re barely moving now. It might work right here.”
The car nosed up to the curb and stopped. Holding up a hand to ward off any chatter, Buffy reached out with her Slayer senses. For the first minute, it appeared the action wouldn’t work. However, as she regained a bit of inner calm, the Slayer could feel the vampires clustered near the Sunnydale theatre. “The theatre, Giles.” The exploration with her senses heightened her awareness of the other girl’s emotions. The pain was overwhelming and fear mixed with the brunette’s despair. Faith was giving up.
Having a location, Giles pushed the Citroen to its limits.
They careened through Sunnydale, ignoring traffic signals and the occasional
car. Screeching to a stop in front of the deserted movie theatre, the three
Scoobies jumped out of the car. Buffy hesitated, making sure they had the
correct direction. “This way.” She took off, leaving Giles and
Following the trail of emotions, Buffy ran for the alley
near the end of the block. Rounding the corner, she saw a vampire repeatedly
kicking a body on the ground. Rage surged through the Slayer and she grabbed
the vampire and slammed it into the nearby wall. Letting emotion control her,
the blonde continued to pound the vamp into the bricks, not caring that he was
unmoving in her grasp. Giles and
“Go back for the car. I’m going to carry her and meet you halfway.” Not waiting to see if they followed orders, Buffy knelt next to the taller brunette. Faith barely seemed to breathe and blood matted her hair and trickled from her nose. Carefully, the Slayer slipped her arms under the injured girl and lifted. The disparity in their heights made the job awkward, but Buffy cradled her former enemy against her chest and paced slowly down the alley. With the close contact, the blonde was inundated with Faith’s emotions. Bowing her head at the lingering fear and throbbing pain, she pressed her lips to the brunette head. “I’ve got you, Faith. I promise.”
CHAPTER 13
It took far too long for Buffy to meet up with Giles and
“Head for the Mansion, Giles,” she ordered.
“I’m afraid her injuries might be too severe for that.” The older man took a corner too sharply, and Faith moaned as she rolled across the seat.
The blonde waited until the injured girl quieted before replying. “No, Giles. We won’t be able to keep her safe at the hospital. If we can get her to Angel’s, the Mayor will have a bit more trouble getting to her. Angel can guard her at night. One of us can take the day shift.”
Always the student,
“Will, we have a week til we graduate. I don’t think they’ll fail us if we miss some classes.” Buffy glanced back at Faith again. She was still out. Reaching down the link, the Slayer flinched. Lots of pain there. Frowning, Buffy considered the emotion. She didn’t think all of the pain came from the other girl’s injuries.
A few more minutes passed before they wheeled up to the large Mansion that Angel called home. “Will, see if Angel’s in. I could use his help with Faith.” They climbed out of the small car and Buffy kept her senses fully extended. Only one vampire popped on the radar. Good. She didn’t think the Mayor would expect them to bring the brunette here. “Giles, I’m going to stay here tonight. Can you let Mom know what happened? I’ll be by there in the morning to get ready for school.”
“Are you sure this is the right thing to do?” Giles’ cultured voice asked. “You seem certain that Faith is back on our side, but perhaps she is working both sides of the fence.”
“We’ve been over this before.” Buffy was impatient. “In fact, you were the one who suggested I go to Faith to get information on the Box.” She glared at her former Watcher. “Why can’t you trust me? She’s on our side. Hell, look at her, Giles! The Mayor sent his vamps after her because she helped Will.”
Giles looked down. “Yes. It does seem the logical explanation. Faith has fooled us before, though.” He took off his glasses and cleaned them with a rag he pulled from his pocket. “I will stop at your house and speak with Joyce.”
“Good.” Buffy felt Angel approaching. “OK, Giles. Help me get her out of the car. Angel’s on his way.” Pushing and pulling at the brunette, they managed to get her out of the vehicle and leaning against the shorter Slayer.
“Buffy, Giles, what happened?” the tall vampire asked. He moved to pick up the injured Slayer.
“I’ll explain,” Buffy said. “Giles, go ahead and take Will home and talk to Mom. I’ll meet you in the library before school tomorrow. We can work on a schedule for guard duty and do that research we didn’t get to tonight.”
“If you want, I can take the shift tomorrow,”
Smiling in relief, Buffy grabbed the taller girl in a crushing hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” She pulled away. “Great. Let’s get her settled in for the night, Angel.”
The vampire retreated to the courtyard entrance of his home. “Thanks again, guys. I’ll see you in the morning.” Buffy trotted after her boyfriend.
***
Faith bit back a groan and opened her eyes. Dim light stabbed at her and she dropped her lids. Peering between her lashes, the brunette Slayer saw a tangled mop of blonde resting next to her hip. Carefully, she levered herself up until she leaned against the wall behind her head. Angel’s, she thought to herself. Then the person sitting beside her must be…”B?”
The blonde head snapped up and tired hazel eyes blinked sleepily. “Faith?” More life lit the eyes. “Faith!” Buffy smiled and grabbed the brunette’s hand.
“B, how the hell did I get here?” Faith tried to keep the panic from her voice.
Buffy felt the panic and hurried to reassure her companion. “We found you in the alley behind the movie theatre. Some vamp was kicking the snot out of you.” For some reason, the blonde Slayer didn’t want the other girl to know about the connection between them.
“Yeah. He got the drop on me.” Faith looked away from Buffy. Fuck. What do I do now? They have to know I ain’t working for the Mayor anymore. Bitterness followed that thought. She had nowhere to go now. She’d betrayed the Scoobies and her Boss. She didn’t belong in Sunnydale.
“The Mayor wasn’t real happy with you helping Will, was he?” Buffy questioned gently.
Instead of answering, Faith drew back, refusing to meet the probing hazel eyes.
“Hey, come on.” The blonde gently shook the hand she held. “You saved her and you got us some information.”
“Yeah, well, as Red pointed out, it’s too late.” Faith pulled her hand away.
Buffy looked closely at the other girl. This was the longest conversation they’d ever had. Well, the longest talk that hadn’t revolved around Slaying or guys. “Too late for what?”
The blonde Slayer felt the reluctance in Faith’s next action. Brown eyes left off staring at the blanket and locked with hers. “Too late to be a Scooby.”
She had to tread carefully. Buffy instinctively knew the other girl wasn’t ready for complete forgiveness. The brunette ached with guilt. “Faith…It won’t be easy.” She paused, hunting for words. “I don’t know how quickly the gang will be to forgive and forget. But, Will offered to come and be with you during the day tomorrow.” She smiled. “And you know how much she hates to miss class.”
It was the right thing to say. The scared brown eyes warmed with laughter. “Fuck, yeah. Red’s kinda weird that way.”
Buffy leaned back and stretched. “You feeling OK? I think you took a pretty good shot to the head.”
“Doing OK, B. Bit fuzzy around the edges, but Slayer healing’s on the job.” The younger girl fell silent, staring moodily into space.
The older Slayer propped her chin on her hands next to Faith’s legs. She wanted to know what the other girl was feeling, but it didn’t seem fair to keep using the link. Yawning, Buffy looked up. “Hey, you need anything? I’m a bit hungry and can grab something for you while I’m up.”
“Nah. I’m good.” She was lying, and Buffy knew it. The blonde waited a long minute, but the other girl stayed silent.
“I’ll be back in a few. Just call out if you need me.”
“Sure.” Faith seemed to pull in on herself.
***
Sighing, Buffy wandered off in search of a late night snack. The blonde kept a light touch on her link with the injured Slayer. Not enough to pry, but she wanted to know if Faith bolted while she was gone. Angel’s kitchen was a massive space that rang with emptiness. The only part of the area in working order contained a refrigerator, a microwave, and a hot plate. The hot plate was Buffy’s. Yanking open the door, Buffy peered at the various containers of blood, looking for real food. Only old take out and a bag of brown lettuce met her requirements.
She stepped back and closed the door. She ‘looked’ for Angel with her Slayer senses. Her boyfriend was out in the courtyard. Brooding, I’m sure she commented to herself. She followed his aura and found him, as expected, leaning against the courtyard wall, staring moodily at the moon. “Anything new up there?” she asked.
He smiled slightly. “Just the usual. How’s Faith?” He pulled her in front of him and wrapped his arms around her. Leaning back against his muscled frame, the Slayer thought about the events of the past few days.
“She’s coping, not well, I might add. Will said a few things at City Hall and she’s depressed.”
“I can talk to her if you want.” His cool breath caresses Buffy’s cheek and she shivered. “We were connecting before Wes showed up that night.”
Without thinking about the strength of her reaction, the Slayer said, “No! I don’t think Faith is really up to any heart to hearts right now,” she explained, moderating her tone. She pulled out of the embrace and wandered back into the barren courtyard. “She’s fragile, Angel. I don’t think she can take much more.”
“She made her choices, Buffy; now she has to learn to live with the consequences.” Angel’s offhand comment irritated the blonde.
She whirled around and glared at the demon. “Oh, for God’s sake, Angel, stop with the moralistic crap. So she made some bad choices. She nearly got killed trying to make up for it. You all need to cut her some slack.”
Angel stared at her without speaking. Finally, he straightened to his full height. “Buffy, you can’t treat this like she just hurt your feelings or ruined your favorite blouse. She went, all on her own, to the Mayor. She chose to align herself with evil.”
“We sent her there, Angel. After Finch died, we all stopped
trying to help. All we did was say crap like: ‘It will be OK’ or ‘Let’s talk
about it.’ We never really helped her deal.” Buffy paced the courtyard. “Why
didn’t we ever tell Wes to fuck off? Or have
Shocked at her vehement defense of the brunette Slayer, the vampire backed off. “Maybe I should take off for a bit, do a sweep of the cemeteries.” Pressing a perfunctory kiss on her cheek, he stalked away from the Mansion.
Buffy stood in the courtyard, staring after the departing vampire. Deep inside, she knew he had a valid point, but she needed to protect the younger Slayer. The emotions that bled through their link broke her heart. She shook her head at all the heavy thinking, and returned to the kitchen.
Despite Faith’s refusal, the blonde knew the other girl had to be starving. She may have lost the fight in the alley, but the adrenaline from the fight probably had her hungry for any kind of food. Ignoring the empty fridge, she pawed through a couple of cabinets and found some bags of microwaveable popcorn. Praying she didn’t blow the bags up with her limited culinary skills, she tossed them into the microwave and waited.
For once, her prayers were answered. Carrying the non-smoking bags carefully into the main room, Buffy hoped Faith would be cooperative. Force feeding another Slayer didn’t sound like great entertainment. “Found some popcorn. There’s enough for two,” she announced cheerily.
She was sure Faith would make a snide comment, but her stomach growled, halting the refusal. Smirking, the blonde opened one of the bags and dropped it in the brunette’s lap. “Eat up. I think I even managed to get it cooked right.”
“Thanks, B.” The words tumbled out, barely audible.
Before Buffy could answer, a new voice rang out. “Hello, girls. I thought I’d stop in to see how the patient is doing.”
CHAPTER 14
Munching on a handful of popcorn, Buffy turned to see her mother standing behind her. “Hey, Mom,” she mumbled indistinctly around her mouthful.
“Good to see you listened to all those lessons in manners I taught,” Joyce said, raising an eyebrow. Buffy just grinned and kept chewing. “Hello, Faith,” the older Summers greeted the silent and withdrawn brunette. “How are you feeling?” She moved past her daughter and perched on the edge of the bed.
Faith picked at the blanket covering her legs before answering. “Doing OK, Mrs. S.” Both blondes looked disbelieving. “Ah, yeah, well, maybe a little less than OK, but I’ll be fine.”
A warm chuckle brought the Dark Slayer’s head up. “Buffy, why don’t you go look for Angel? I want to talk with Faith alone for a minute.”
“Mom-“
“Mrs. S-“
“Really, girls, I’m not going to hurt anyone. Now,” she leveled ‘Mom Face’ at the blonde standing protectively near the brunette, “go.” She pointed at the French doors to the terrace. “I want to talk with you, too, young lady. So make sure you don’t get lost on patrol with Angel.”
This time, Faith laughed. “Yeah, B, don’t get lost out their looking for Soul Boy.” She grinned at the discomfited older Slayer, her dimples peeking out.
Buffy felt her unaccustomed happiness and relaxed enough to smile back. “I promise, Faith.” The words seemed far too serious for the situation, but Buffy wanted to make sure her sister Slayer understood she meant them. “I’ll be back soon.”
“OK, B.” The smile dimmed, and Buffy felt the other girl slipping back into depression. She hesitated, but left at the glare she received from her mother. Strained silence filled the cavernous room once the Slayer disappeared.
Joyce hesitated, seeing the defensive posture and lowered eyes. “Faith-“ The brunette flinched at the sound of her name. It pushed her into Mom mode. Sliding across the bed, she pulled the reluctant girl into her arms. “Oh, Sweetie, I’m not here to yell at you or hurt you.” Faith was rigid in her arms, but Joyce didn’t let go. She held on tightly until her daughter’s fellow Slayer began to relax.
“Buffy talked to me about Deputy Mayor Finch the other night.”
Fuck. Please, please don’t make me talk about that, Faith begged the older woman silently.
“I wish she’d told me sooner, Faith. I think we could have helped you deal with everything.” Joyce sighed, and squeezed the brunette tighter. “Sometimes, I think my daughter and her Watcher are two of the dumbest people on the planet.”
The unexpected comment drew a snort from Faith. She’d never expected Buffy’s mom to be so down to earth. “Hey, I wasn’t joking,” Mrs. Summers commented. “Mr. Giles spends all of his time looking up demons, and my daughter, well, I love her. But she can be a little dense sometimes.”
“It wasn’t all their fault, Mrs. S.” Despite the sick feeling in her stomach, Faith couldn’t stay silent. “I wasn’t much for admitting I’d screwed up. They tried to help until I spit on them once too often.”
“So you admit you were part of the problem?” Joyce pressed.
Faith’s jaw clenched, and her next words were forced out between her teeth, “Fuck, yeah.”
“I’ll ignore the language this time, young lady.” A blush climbed up the young girl’s face at the warning tone.
“Sorry, Mrs. S.”
The elder Summers dropped her arms and simply sat next to the younger girl. “Rupert told me how you risked your life to get them information on the Mayor and the Ascension.” A tear trickled down Faith’s cheek. “I know that had to be hard for you. Thank you.”
“Why would you ever thank me?” The words burst from Faith. “I’m the reason the Mayor even has a shot at his Ascension. I killed a demon so he could get the Box. I had a chance to destroy it, and I didn’t take it.” She dragged herself out of the bed, wandering slowly over to the courtyard doors.
Joyce watched the tormented girl. “True. All of it.” The tears fell faster. “You did all of those things. You chose to do them.”
The dark-haired Slayer put her hands on the door handles, the urge to run pushing at her. Mrs. Summers was hammering at her fragile defenses. Before she could flee, however, the next round of questions arrived.
“Would you make the same choices again? If you and Buffy were in the alley with Finch, would you still make the same decisions?”
The concept brought Faith up short. She spun around, staring at Buffy’s mother. Finally, she returned to the bed and sat down. Faith showed surprising maturity when she asked, “Does it really matter? I can’t change that night, or any of the stuff I’ve done since then.”
Joyce nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry. That was a stupid question.” She met the brown eyes calmly. “The gang is researching the information you got them. If they find what they need, will you help them defeat the Mayor?”
The brunette Slayer was sure her heart would stop as pain ripped through her. “I-I don’t-“
The younger girl’s obvious grief stopped the inquisition. “Shhh, Faith. Don’t answer.” She drew the brunette back into her arms, feeling tears dampen her shirt where the brunette head rested.
“It hurts so much,” the broken girl whispered. “He was like my father – the father I always wanted. He loved me. I know he did.”
***
Buffy watched her mother rock a sobbing Faith. The other Slayer’s pain had drawn her back to the Mansion at a dead sprint. She’d been talking with Angel when the emotional pull came. The confused vampire now stood at her back, also watching the touching scene. Motioning silently for him to follow, the blonde Slayer backed out of the room and headed for the kitchen.
“Buffy, what the hell is going on?” he demanded as soon as they were out of earshot.
Hopping up to sit on the counter, the blonde regarded her vampire boyfriend. He looked irritated and confused. She decided to tell him part of the truth. “I noticed when I had the Aspect that I could also pick up emotions. The first time, I felt Faith’s in her apartment. She was on the fence about being with the Mayor. It’s why you and I were outside City Hall last night. Giles thought I should talk to her about rejoining the Scoobies.”
“So that’s why you kept asking me all those questions.” He smiled a little, and Buffy glimpsed just a hint of smugness in his smile.
Tamping down on an angry response, the Slayer nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t realize you were immune to the talent.” She moved on, away from the empathy. “She really put herself out there for us. I’m worried she might do something stupid.”
Black eyes regarded her seriously. “You’re sure she isn’t just playing both sides like the last time?” Angel remembered when the other Slayer had come to him, covered in blood, begging for his help.
“I’m very sure.” Buffy knew just how much Faith wanted to be a part of the gang, and how much the younger girl was hurting right now. “It’s going to take a lot of work for her to forgive herself.”
The ancient vampire moved to stand between her knees. “You’ve really changed your tune. Just a few days ago, you wanted to kill her.” He ran cold fingers down her face, caressing her lips. Maybe it was the exhaustion weighing her down, or the memory of Faith’s reaction to the tall vampire, but Buffy shuddered at the touch.
Trying to smile, the Slayer moved away and got off the counter. “Yeah. It’s weird. Everything changed when I could feel her emotions. She’d say the most incredibly horrible things, but underneath…” Buffy frowned. “I just can’t think of her like I used to. She’s vulnerable right now, Angel. I have to protect her.”
“Buffy, she’s a Slayer. An evil, manipulative Slayer,” the vampire exploded. “Even if she’s ready to try redemption, you have to be careful. She could backslide at any moment.” He tried to explain how the process worked. “It isn’t an easy path she’s chosen, Buffy. Most people, most humans, don’t make it.”
It was a sobering message. The vampire rarely talked openly about his struggle to atone for his demon. “What can I do to help her?”
“Honestly? I don’t really know.” He thought for a minute. “When she was here the first time, before Wes showed up, she told me she had nightmares. That’s a good place to start.”
The blonde nodded. She hoped the younger girl would eventually trust her enough to talk about those night terrors. She felt along the link. It had been quiet for a while, and she discovered Faith was asleep. “I’m going to go talk with Mom. You should probably get some rest while I’m at school. Gonna be a long couple of days with a lot of research and guard duty.”
She walked slowly into the main room of the Mansion’s first floor. Joyce sat with a sleeping brunette cradled gently in her arms. The Slayer felt tears behind her eyes. The other girl desperately needed a parent’s love, and her mom was the best, despite their differences of opinion. The older Summers looked up and smiled at her daughter. Gently slipping away from Faith, she walked quietly toward the other blonde.
“I don’t want to leave her alone, but I’d like to talk,” Joyce began.
Nervous at the serious look on her mom’s face, Buffy agreed. “OK. We can step out on the terrace. We can keep an eye on her through the doors, and if she wakes up, she’ll be able to see us.”
“Good thinking.” Joyce put an arm around the Slayer and they moved in silence outside. The sun was just beginning to slip above the horizon, and the sky was an eerie gray. Rubbing her hands up and down her arms to get warm, Mrs. Summers leaned against a stone column. The location let her watch the sleeping girl inside and enjoy the beauty of the coming day. “Buffy, I want to talk to you about Angel.”
Suddenly wishing she was with Giles reading dusty books, Buffy wiped damp palms on her jeans. “OK.”
“I’m worried about you two.” Joyce looked intently at her daughter. The teen looked stunned, at both the topic and the adult way her mother was treating her. “I don’t really have to tell you that you and Angel are from different worlds.”
“No, Mom,” the younger blonde agreed. “Strangely enough, that point’s been made pretty often lately.” The Slayer leaned against the cold stone wall, and waited for the rest.
“Honey, I’m not saying this to hurt either one of you. I just want you to think about what’s been going on.” Checking to make sure Faith was still in bed, Joyce pulled her daughter into her arms. “You know, when I decided it was time to have this conversation, I intended to have it with Angel.” Buffy stiffened.
“Then why didn’t you?”
Resting her chin on Buffy’s head, Joyce thought about that question. “I think I realized when you had the Aspect, that I couldn’t keep treating you like a little girl.” She laughed uneasily. “You are, and always will be, my baby. But you are also the Slayer. You’ve had to deal with a lot; grow up fast. I want you to know I respect you, and I think you’re capable of discussing this in a mature fashion.”
The Slayer pulled out of the hug. “Wow.” When Joyce waited for more, Buffy shrugged. “I was going for something more detailed, but, well, wow seems to cover it.”
“Are you ready to talk frankly about Angel?”
“I think so, Mom. And, to be honest, I’ve been giving the topic a lot of thought lately.” Buffy pulled her jacket closed in front and regarded the older Summers quietly. “What did you want to talk about?”
“Despite what I just said about your maturity, I don’t want you to lose out on the rest of your childhood, Buffy. I’m worried about what the continued stress and world-saving will do. You’re still just a girl.”
Buffy sensed a theme. “And Angel’s old enough to be my grandfather – a couple times over.”
“I’ve been thinking about this a lot, dear,” Joyce continued. “When I thought you might leave Sunnydale, it wasn’t so bad. But,” she held up a hand to stop her daughter’s protests, “I realize you can’t leave. Buffy, there are some tough choices ahead for you, and I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to make the tough decisions.” She met pain filled hazel eyes. “Are you ready to make those on your own?”
CHAPTER 15
Buffy gazed into her mother’s hazel eyes. “I think so, Mom.” She tried a grin. “It’s not going to be easy, though. Will says I’ve got a Romeo and Juliet thing. Kinda tough to pull out of the whole doomed love.”
“Try. Hard,” her mother replied dryly.
“I will. Suggestions on how to get the ball rolling?” Part of the Slayer was overwhelmed by the conversation. She’d always been close to her mother, but this felt different somehow.
Unfortunately, the older Summers shook her head. “Sorry, honey. I’m afraid my experience with brushing off two-hundred year old already dead boyfriends isn’t the best.”
Making a face at the older woman, Buffy replied, “You aren’t going to let that go, are you?”
“No, dear, I don’t think so.” They shared a laugh. “You
should go, honey. Mr. Giles and
“Research. The best way to start any day.” Stretching, the shorter blonde wrapped an arm around the other woman. “You’re the best, Mom.” At Joyce’s disbelieving look, Buffy reaffirmed. “Hey, we don’t always agree on stuff, but come on! How many other parents would be OK with their kid being the Slayer, dating her sworn enemy, and having friends on the lam from the cops?”
Joyce laughed. “Well, when you put it that way…” The two hugged and reentered the Mansion. In deference to the still sleeping Faith, Mrs. Summers commented in a near whisper, “I’ll stay here until school’s out. I have coverage at the gallery until five.”
“OK. One of us will be here by then.” She grimaced. “Probably me. I need to have that talk with Angel.” Suddenly feeling ten again, she mumbled, “Love you, Mom,” and bolted from the Mansion.
***
Buffy tapped her pencil on the book in front of her, mind not fully engaged in yet another session of Ascension research. Two days ago, her entire world had been focused on surviving long enough to take Angel to the Prom and graduate from high school. Survival was still high on her mental to do list, but the rest of the teenage coming of age activities no longer held much appeal.
“Any luck?” Giles enquired, emerging from his office looking tired and rumpled.
The four Scoobies gathered around the table shook their heads.
“Marvelous.” He snatched off his glasses and began furiously polishing them. “The day of the Mayor’s Ascension is fast approaching and we still don’t know what to expect.”
Xander closed his own tome with a thump. “What about those pages from the Book Faith gave Will? She risked her life for those. Don’t tell us they’re worthless.”
Perhaps sensing how close they all were to a breakdown, Giles approached the table and sat down. “No, Xander. On the contrary. We now know the Ascension refers to the transformation of a human into a demon who is the living embodiment of an Immortal.”
“Sounds pretty bad,” Buffy lamented. “But, hey, at least we know more than we did yesterday.” Her Watcher looked at her in disbelief. “Wow. You need some more sleep or something, Giles. You’re even grumpier than usual.”
“Buffy-“
The Briton’s angry retort was interrupted by a shout from
“Found who, Will?” Buffy moved around the table, peering over the redhead’s shoulder. A grey-haired man in a striped shirt and bow tie gazed back at her. “Hey, did you dump Oz? Is this your new date for the Prom?”
Buffy lost track of the conversation. Kill someone? That bastard actually wanted her to deliberately kill a human?
“How can you be sure?” Giles inquired.
“Well, I can’t be completely sure, but I finally hacked the Mayor’s computer system. Um, OK, I’ve been able to access the phone records, at least. ” She grinned. “In the last week, he’s called Professor Worth,” a slim finger pointed to the man on the screen, “over two dozen times. I checked. The good professor is a Volcanologist.”
“Intriguing.” Giles stared at the screen, lost in thought.
“Hey, Will, wanna tell the rest of us why a guy who studies Vulcans is important?” Xander inquired.
Absently, Giles responded to the question. “Not Vulcans, my boy. Volcanoes. The professor studies
volcanoes.” Shaking himself, the Watcher patted
The teens stared after him. “You thinking what I’m thinking?” Xander asked no one in particular.
“Well,” Oz responded laconically, “is it really thinking? Or just acting like a typical high school student?”
“Good point.” Xander got up and stretched. “Your house, Buff? I’ll grab doughnuts on the way.”
The Slayer nodded. “Perfect. Mom’s at the Mansion with Faith, so we can take over the kitchen. Will, walk with me?”
Sensing a best friend talk in the works, the novice witch smiled at her boyfriend. “Why don’t you go with Xander, Baby? I’m sure he can use a hand with the food. Get enough for Faith and Mrs. Summers and we can run them by on the way home, later.” She jammed her laptop into her bag and stood up. “Ready when you are, Buffy.”
“Let’s motor.” Buffy ignored the raised eyebrows at Faith’s old saying. As the two girls snuck out of the library, the blonde grabbed her friend’s hand, linking their fingers. “So, things got a bit intense with Mom this morning.”
“About Faith? I’m sorry. She didn’t even listen when I said I’d watch Faith. It was like-“
“Not Faith.” Buffy slowed their pace, staring moodily at her shoes.
“Angel.”
“Oh.”
“Me, too.” Buffy smiled sadly. “But we were wrong. She thinks he’s too old; that he’s all wrong for me. Basically, the normal mom objections to a boyfriend, but it’s all made worse by the Slayer/vampire thing.”
“But…but she’s wrong, Buffy. You and Angel-“
“-shouldn’t be together, Will.”
***
Faith opened her eyes, expecting to see one of the Scoobies standing guard, but the room was empty. Her body ached, but the pain was manageable. The brunette slowly sat up. The heavy black drapes that normally covered the windows had been pulled back. Sunlight poured into the austere room. Guess Angel ain’t here. She crawled out of the bed and stumbled to the French doors, peering out. The courtyard looked hard and barren in the bright light, and the Slayer squinted.
Her stomach rumbled, and Faith cursed the biggest side effect of her calling: the Hunger. She needed to eat, soon. Unfortunately, the young brunette had never been on a tour of the large home. After several false starts, her enhanced sense of smell picked up the scent of bacon frying. Nearly drooling, she hurried down halls and around corners like Bugs Bunny chasing down carrots. Despite the enticing odor, she hesitated outside the kitchen door, not sure if she was up to another Benefits of Redemption chat with Buffy’s boyfriend. Finally, giving in to the demands of her stomach, she pushed open the door – and breathed a sigh of relief.
Mrs. Summers turned strips of bacon in a large skillet. “Smells good, Mrs. S.”
The older woman looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Perfect timing, Faith. Have a seat, and I’ll have breakfast on the table in a minute.”
“Yeah.” Not sure how to act, the Dark Slayer ambled over to the large table and dropped tiredly into a chair. “Um, you the only one here?”
“For the moment. Well, I think Angel’s upstairs, sleeping, but I haven’t seen or heard him all morning. Buffy and the rest of the gang are at school.” She placed eggs, bacon, and a stack of toast on a plate before delivering the feast to her companion. “Think this will be enough, honey? I’ve got a little more bacon and a few eggs left.”
It took all her willpower to keep from face planting in the food and answer the question. “It’s more than enough.” She took a bite and nearly groaned. Damn, this was good. With no regard to manners, she began shoveling the breakfast down as fast as she could. After clearing most of the plate, the teen noticed Joyce watching her in open amusement. Her muscles tightened, and the old defenses snapped into place. “Kinda surprised B and the Super Friends didn’t leave me chained to the wall. After all,” she bared her teeth in a mocking smile, “I might get up to more evil deeds.”
“Oh, stop it. Buffy might be blonde enough to fall for that, but you don’t fool me.” Joyce left her position by the stove and joined Faith at the table. “Finish your breakfast before it gets cold.”
Picking up the empty plate and heading for the sink, Joyce commented, “Be glad she didn’t try anything more complicated. She might have managed to burn down the Mansion.” At Faith’s disbelieving laugh, Joyce said, “Buffy may be a force to be reckoned with in the demon world, but put her in the kitchen, and nothing is safe.” She smiled at the young girl’s open merriment. “I did some exploring while you napped. There’s a bathroom just down the hall. Why don’t you go clean up while I make a grocery list for later?”
“Yeah. That sounds good.” Faith glanced at the filthy clothes she was still wearing. “Think Fang’s got anything I could borrow? I don’t really want to wear these another day.”
The older woman shook her head. “He might. But I don’t think an all-black wardrobe will help your new image.” Hazel eyes held the brunette’s puzzled brown ones. “It’s time to grow up, dear. It’s time to stop playing at the world-wise street tough, and start being a Slayer. I stopped and picked up some jeans and shirts, along with the food, on the way here this morning. They’re waiting for you in the bathroom.”
“What I wear ain’t got anything to do with being a Slayer,” Faith fired back. She might be off her game thanks to the Mayor’s boys, but she didn’t have to take this crap.
“You’re right. You could wear summer dresses and sandals like Buffy, and you’d still be a warrior,” Joyce responded. “It matters to you, though, if you’d just admit it. The leather, the attitude – it’s how you see yourself. Who taught you that anyway, Faith? Why can’t you get past the ‘Bad Girl’ persona and let the real you out to play?”
It was just too much. Shaking with a mixture of rage, embarrassment, and grief, Faith exploded out of the chair. “Who the fuck made you my mother?”
“No one, Faith. That’s the problem. You need a mother, and a father, too. People who care and won’t let you just brush them off with an airy ‘five by five’ and a cocky smirk.” Joyce moved into the Slayer’s personal space, staring down at her.