Chapter 1
Disclaimer:
buffy, dark angel and any characters associated to/with this story do not
belong to me.
Prologue:
think season 3. buffy and faith are cool.
"Okay
it's Friday night and I am beyond bored."
Buffy
babbles as she and Faith enter the library finding Giles and Willow buried in
books. She tosses "Mr. Pointy" on the library's only table.
"Giles,
can't we like, make the vampires come? I mean, Mr. Pointy and I are really
getting restless. There must be some really big evil coming. Someone's up to
something; as my watcher you should be overseeing these things. Watching-to
make sure there's still something out there for me to kill."
Faith
giggles at her counterpart's jokes.
"Calm
down B. We should take this night to just chill at the bronze."
Faith
declares with a wiggle. Having her head buried in a book, Willow excitedly
emerges:
"We
could do a few spells. Something interesting, just for fun."
Willow
exclaims in her innocent toned squeak.
"I'm
getting a lot better you know."
Willow
continues, but Giles firmly interrupts. Within the past year or so he's gotten
used to Buffy and her friends and has solemnly become a father figure to them
all; sometimes a little more.
"Be
careful Willow. Magic is not the place to lay one's interests."
Everyone
looks at him. He begins to stutter.
"At
least not all of them."
Buffy
plops down in a chair; restless with unease, an unease to take action. She's
never been this way before well, before Faith that is. Any other time she'd
lock herself up in conversation with Angel in the graveyard, but tonight for
some reason she felt like getting high off of the dust of vampire.
"Where's
Xander and cordelia? Wait! Answered my own question."
It is
now that Faith realizes just how considerably "off" Buffy really is. Granted-on
the battlefield she's a powerhouse, but come deep thought-she's as helpless as
the world they protect. Maybe a spell or two wouldn't kill them. At least it
was something to do.
"Okay
I'm in for the hocus pocus, but no transformations or make up…or pizza."
Willow didn't know what to make of Faith's
rsvp, only that she was trying.
"What
about you Buffy? Wouldn't be the same with out you."
Buffy
agrees. As they exit the library, willow more enthusiastic than ever, Giles
screams to them:
"You
girls be careful…"
The
door slams.
"…This
may prove to be too much for even you Buffy."
¨
Buffy
and Willow toss cheetos at one another as Faith watches in awe. She's never
done a sleepover before which explains why she's the only of the three dressed
in her black leather street clothes. She stands slowly to her feet, glides to a
nearby window and peers through the blinds. Faith was never the type to "slow
her roll." Trouble is tattooed permanently on her soul. Suddenly she feels a
small speckle bounce violently off her back. She ignores it. She peers to the
left out the window and almost notices a shadow. As she turns she is drenched
in cheeto cheese snacks.
"You
still with us or is your imaginary friend out there calling?" Buffy teases.
A feeling
of strong camaraderie comes over Faith and she is suddenly overcome with the
feeling to wrestle with her…friend. She fights it:
"The
bronze is starting to look really good about now."
Willow
hops up at the thought and reaches under her bed. From under it she pulls the
key to tonight's adventure; a large, black book with rusted lightly colored
rhinestones engraved on it.
"Flea
market bargain, eh? Willow I'm very disappointed." Buffy jokes.
She
ignores her friend's mindless dribble and begins flipping the pages of the
oversized book:
"How
about a time spell? It's said to show your mind, body, and soul when you're
needed most. "
Faith
looks concerned, almost frightened at the thought. She begins to wonder where
this spell could take her; where she could end up. Her most important time may
be in death. How could anything of importance to herself, being the slayer, not
first and for most involve Buffy Summers? Regardless, she had always been
spirited and at times, mildly headstrong. She now had a thirst; a thirst to
know if she could ever come out of the shadow she was now thrust into. The
shadow of one blonde bombshell with a hoard of loved ones to back her in any
and all turmoil. Faith was now determined to know her destiny; of why she was
declared second slayer and not the first.
"Let's
try that." Faith insists.
Willow
gazes at Buffy in disbelief. Why would Faith suddenly want to be close and
open? She hesitates at first and doesn't plan on performing the spell all the
way through, but something happens when she begins to speak the words. As if
her tongue is no longer hers they come out with the greatest of ease (not to
mention perfect pronunciation). There is no strong wind. No bolt of lightning
and no blackout; only a missing person. A person that was never really welcome
in Sunnydale to begin with.
¨
This is
the highest up she's ever been. She takes a deep breath and eases toward the
edge. She looks over. Whoa! It is now that Faith realizes she is
obviously no longer in Sunnydale.Sunnydale is Buffy's and now I've got
something that can be mine. She smiles at her new glory. She is now free of
her shadowy prison deep beneath the blonde hair of Buffy Summers. Her face has
never been so bright or bruised! As Faith turns around she is fisted in the
jaw. The momentum sends her rolling to the edge of her new surface for this is
the hardest she's ever been hit. Her body rolls violently, but she quickly
takes control and is able to grab the edge of the building. She now dangles
over 150 feet from the ground and a dark figure stands above her. At first
glance it appears to be an angel, but she knows it otherwise. All Faith can do
now is look into the dark face of her attacker. Her heart beats faster with
every passing second and her stomach begins to cramp.
"Who
sent you?" her attacker commands.
Faith
is speechless.
