Risen

Summary: Since their defeat of the First, tensions in the supernatural world hidden from the mortals have grown stronger. Demons are banding together, declaring open season on the Slayers. Buffy falls in battle against a small army of vampires, and Faith is helpless to save her, she can only keep fighting, slaying. Vampire Buffy+Alternate Reality Vampire Willow

Chapter 1

We're fightin' a small army of vamps. There's only about a hundred or so, but we only have ten Slayers with us right now. The rest of our forces are off fightin' elsewhere. We left ten Slayers here at our... well, I guess you could call it a headquarters or somethin', but it's really just a shack covering up a system of tunnels and caves underground. We're somewhere in the desert, where no one would notice us. We left ten Slayers there, figurin' nothing would get past the ones out there right now, fightin'. We woulda gone to fight on the front lines, too, but the rules say that we gotta keep at least ten of the best Slayers back home to protect all the information we'd gathered over the years. I hate rules, but B swears by 'em. So, I follow 'em, too.

Anyway, as I was sayin', we're fightin' a small army of a hundred vamps. We have the ten best Slayers here, true, but there's only ten of us. They outnumber us ten to one. B and I, of course, as always, fight side-by-side. Neither of us'll admit it, but we love each other, and yes, in that way. Nothin's ever happened between us, we never acted on this, figured we'd have the time once we settled the baddies down and everythin' got back to normal, but I'm thinkin' things might not get back to normal anytime soon. So, when I finally have a few seconds to think, I decide I'm gonna change that. After this battle, I'm gonna talk to B about what we have. I'm gonna press her up against a wall and just kiss her, like I've wanted to since I first showed up in Sunny-D. Like I know she's wanted me to do since almost that long herself.

Three Slayers go down quickly, but they each took down at least five vamps before they got took. Then two more fall, leavin' only five of us against more than fifty vamps.

We all group up, a last stand, though we refuse to see it as such. We each hold a stake in each hand, several glass vials of holy water are strapped to our waists, and we've got garlice draped around our necks. That way, even if we get killed, the vamps won't be able to bite us, and we won't turn. Regular vamps are bad enough, the last thing we need is a bunch of Slaypires runnin' around.

Another Slayer goes down, her stakes going straight through the hearts of two more vamps, dustin' them with her last actions. We're in a circle now. B's to my left, another Slayer directly behind me, and one to my right. The remainin' vamps are circling us, waiting for one of us to lose our nerve and break formation before they strike. I manage to keep my cool by countin' the piles of dust. 49 vamps have been dusted, and we've already lost six Slayers. That leaves four Slayers to take down 51 vamps. That means an average of about 13 more vamps for each of us. Knowin' B an' me, we'll get more than our fair share, lighten the load a bit for the other two, so it should all work out fine.

Since B's been Slayer the longest, she's technically the one in charge, and we all know it, so we wait for her signal, which usually works out fine. She sees somethin', and nudges me. I see it too now. One small group of vamps are getting impatient. They'll be clumsy. I nod to her, and we wait a few more seconds, until the rest of the vamps are getting antsy as well. She whistles and the four of us lunge forward in all directions. I take down two of them at once, then kick one more in the throat before I ever touch the ground. He staggers back and brings two others down with him. My stakes take out four more before they find their feet. Then, I kick one in the head and take out his two pals.

The three I'd knocked down found me again and attacked. Just as I always do, I kill two of them at once. Two stakes come in handy sometimes. But the other one sinks his teeth into my neck as he comes up behind me, then stumbles back, hissin' as the garlic burns his entire face. I'm bleedin' bad, though. I quickly kill the one I'd kicked in the head and stake one more, then watch as the one who'd bit me disintegrates from the garlic.

I look over and see that B has one more vamp left, but she's havin' trouble. This one has experience. She goes to stake it and it sidesteps, knocking the stake out of her hand, and it ended up behind her. I started runnin', though I knew it was too late.

I hear the blood rushing in my head, but it was all I could hear. I couldn't hear the snarling of the vampires all around. I couldn't hear myself screaming as I watched the vampire's fangs sink into Buffy's neck. The neck that was missin' the string of garlic.

I wasn't fast enough. I was already light-headed from losing blood. But I managed to stake the vamp just after he dropped Buffy to the ground, dead.

I don't care about anythin' in that moment. I don't care that one of the other two Slayers just fell. Never even knew her name. I don't care that the other one just flew into a rage and finished off the vamps.

"Faith..." The other Slayer said softly when she saw me cradlin' Buffy's body, tears streamin' from my face. I don't care about my tough girl image right now. I don't care that other groups of Slayers are returning from their battles, or that Red is with them. I don't care about anythin' but the girl lyin' in my arms, the light already gone from her eyes. I didn't even hear any last words.

"Faith, we should burn her body." The other Slayer said. It was logical. Buffy had been killed by a vampire, she could rise. She might rise. She would rise.

"No!" I snapped, and she flinched back. It wasn't logical. Buffy could end up a vampire. Worse, she could end up a Slaypire. A vampire stronger than other vampires. If a Slayer has the strength of a vampire when she's alive, then she's even stronger as a Slaypire, and Buffy was one of the strongest Slayers. She could end up a powerful Slaypire, and a real pain in the neck. But I'm defending her.

"No. We're gonna bury her. Properly. No burnin'. Just... Just a burial."

"Then we should at least put some garlic around her neck or something. Maybe drench her body in holy water."

"No. We're gonna leave her as she is. I'll... I'll clean her up. I'll put her in somethin' nice. But we're gonna give her a proper burial. A nice funeral. Respectful. We're not gonna treat her as a monster."

"Faith, if it were any other Slayer, or anyone else, would you do the same?" Willow asked.

"Of course." I lied, but it was transparent.

"No you wouldn't. If it were me, or Kennedy... or even yourself, you'd have us burn the body... or take some kind of precaution against letting her rise." Willow put her hand on my shoulder, and I flinched away.

"I don't care. We're not doin' anythin' to her until we know for certain. When she first wakes up, if she does, she'll be weak. If she wakes up... I'll kill her myself."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Happens with all newly deads. They haven't fed yet, and they exhausted themselves dyin', then comin' back, then diggin' their way outta their graves."

"No. I mean, are you sure you'll do it?"

"Well, yeah. Tell everyone if they see B comin' outta her grave, don't engage her. I'll take her out."

"I mean will you be able to do it? Emotionally, I mean. Will you be able to bring yourself to do it?"

"I'm gonna have to, now, aren't I?"

"I guess so." Willow patted me on the back, like it was actually comfortin', and went and spread the word throughout the troops.

I picked up Buffy's body and carried her out into the desert. I found the place I was lookin' for easily. It was a large cemetary, full of dead Slayers. Of course, none of them had been killed by vampires. Those ones would have been burned already. Some of the survivors were already setting to work buryin' the freshly killed Slayers. I wove my way through graves, and listened to the gasps of disbelief as they all saw Buffy in my arms. Yeah, they were surprised she was dead, but that's not what they couldn't believe. All Slayers are gonna die. More than likely die young, too. No, they were gaspin' at the bite marks of Buffy's neck, knowin' as well as I did that she was gonna rise, a Slaypire. And she was definitely gonna kill some Slayers before I took her down. I made a bad call, I know that, but it's one I'm gonna stand by.

Buffy just doesn't deserve to be killed when she can't defend herself, that's all. She deserves a fightin' chance. I owe her at least that much, though even if I die, she'll never suvive. We got an army of almost a thousand Slayers still, all of 'em are here, 'cept maybe a few that are still out fightin'. The only way either of us is gonna survive is if I kill her and survive. Then again, seein' as I broke protocol, the higher-ups'll probably have my head, anyway, so we're both doomed. Oh well. At least we'll go out with a bang.

I find a spot secluded, away from the rest of the dead Slayers. I make a point of drawing lines in the sand. Sure, they'll probably disappear after a while with the wind, or little desert critters walkin' all over them, but my point is made as I look each and every single Slayer still alive in the eyes who can see me.

Don't cross this line. The lines are a good twenty feet long, and they surround a square area I picked out for Buffy's spot. One of the Slayers walk up to me and nods, holdin' out a shovel. Her point is made, too. IfI wanna bury her, I'll have to do it myself. I didn't have a problem with that. I was gonna do it myself, anyway. I take the shovel and set to work diggin'

The sun's come up now. It's nearly noon, so it's hot as Hell out, literally. I finally finished the digging. You'd be amazed how hard it is to dig a grave in the desert sand, when the wind keeps blowing the sand back into the hole. But finally, it's done. I stick the shovel into the ground by the hole and look around.

I can see everyone that ever meant somethin' to B standin' around, not crossin' the lines that were now barely visible, but I can see in their eyes the thanks. Giles. Willow. Xander. Angel's wearin' that gem of Amarra thing, or whatever it's called, so even he's here. Dawn... Little Dawn. They're all thankin' me in their eyes for doin' this for Buffy, so I nod back. I think back to everyone else that'd mattered to B. Really mattered, I mean, 'cause B was the type that saw everyone as important as each other. Strangers... even strangers. But I mean those that had known Buffy.

I think of Spike. Personally, I didn't much care for him. He was a vampire, I'm a Slayer, we're kinda natural enemies. But, he saved B's ass a couple times, and he and I got along well enough when we hung out in B's basement, until he went and martyred himself to save the world.

I think of Joyce. Joyce Summers was like a mom to me for a while. Until I went rogue, that is. Sucks that she's not here right now, though she would be if she was alive, I know that.

I think of that witch... What was her name again? I don't really remember if I ever even met her, but I saw her picture every day at B's house. Buffy definitely cared about her. The one that turned Red gay. The one that got shot. Way she's talked about... kinda wish I'd known her myself.

I plop down on the sand, exhausted. I see a scorpion next to me, but I don't bother. Too many living things have died already. The gang all gathers around me and helps me up again. Red used some kinda magic to bring a bit of water to the surface for me to drink, then lets it all flow back into the ground. I look over and see Dawn wrappin' Buffy's body in a nice silk sheet. Buffy always did like the soft, smooth stuff. The dry ground around them grows dark every few seconds when their tears hit the ground.

I watch as they cover her face. I still can't believe she's dead... I feel, rather than see Red bury her face in Xander's shirt, sobbin', and I smell their tears. The smell of mine quickly joins theirs, and I don't even try to stop them. What's the point? I only ever put on that tough girl act for Buffy, and now she's gone...

"Damn it." I say so only I can hear.

I say that I wouldn't let anyone kill Buffy because she deserved a fightin' chance, but the truth is... I just never got to say what I wanted to say. I can't let that fly. I won't let that fly.

I walk over and start to pick Buffy up, but Xander stops me. He pushes me away gently. The message is clear.

It's our turn to do something for her.

He and Giles team up. Giles wraps his arms around Buffy's torso, and Xander gets her legs, and they jump into her grave, careful not to let her fall. They set her down gently, then climb back out. Angel fills the hole in again, and we all just stand by and stare. I hear Willow muttering something under her breath, then watch as the sand above Buffy's head starts to rise on it's own, and change. When she's finished, Buffy has a headstone made of glass. I can clearly read the words.

Here lies Buffy Anne Summers. A friend. A sister. A Slayer. A hero. We owe her our lives.

She didn't put her birth date or any of her death dates on the marker. Somehow, it just makes her seem... immortal. Like some kind of goddess. And I like that.

Giles took Dawn home soon after. It was going to be a long flight back to England, where the two of them lived. Angel had to get back to LA, too. Somethin' that needed to be cleaned up or somethin'. Xander and Willow left, too, though they didn't say why.

I stood in the hot sun, just waiting.

Finally, late that night, I see the sand shift. Not long after, a pale hand slowly claws its way up out of the ground.

I watch Buffy come up slowly. First her hands, then I see her hair, then her face. Once her shoulders are up out of the ground, she has no difficulty getting out of the ground.

I shiver at the sight of her grotesque face. The face of a demon.

"So. You let me rise." Buffy said, and her voice sounds almost... disappointed.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"'Cause I couldn't stand the thought of kickin' you while you were down. If you're gonna die, you'll be able to fight tooth and nail."

"Hmm, you know, if I were still human, I'd probably smack you. You don't ever let a Slayer become a vampire. But... seeing as I'm not... I'm actually kind of glad you decided to ignore the rules this time."

"Figured as much. I mean, I know you're not actually Buffy anymore... You never will be again. Buffy's gone. That's it. She's gone. You're just a shadow. But... I don't know, I just figured it might give me some kind of relief if... If I can say it..."

"Say what?"

"Something I told myself I was gonna say it after the battle... but you... she died."

"Okay. Fine. As a courtesy for letting me rise, I'll let you say what you need to say before I kill you."

Ow. That really hurt. It's not actually Buffy sayin' it, of course, but it still hurts to see her lips forming the words.

"Alright." I swallow. "Buffy... I know you're probably not really in there, but I'd still like to say this, anyway. Because, ya never know, right? I mean, you've died and come back twice already, what's a third time, right? Anyway... I... I love you, Buffy."

I see surprise flicker across Buffy-vamp's face, then disappear.

"Oh, I see. You thought you'd throw me off with that, and you'd be able to kill me easily."

"No. It's the truth. I know Buffy would never let somethin' like that stop her. I know it won't distract you. I know we're gonna fight, and I know there's a good chance I'm gonna die. I just... I had to say that, at least once. I love Buffy. I really love her." As I say that again and again, I find tears welling up again in my eyes, and I try to stop them this time, knowing they'll get me killed, but then I realise something. I don't care if I die.

I let them fall, and I fall with them. I've never felt so vulnerable... not even when I woke up from my coma. I'm starin' a deadly vampire in the eyes, knowin' she could easily kill me any time she wanted, but I don't care. In fact, I think some part of me wants to die. Maybe I'd find Buffy wherever I went.

"Faith?" I hear Buffy-vamp ask curiously. She kneels down beside me and brushes my hair from my face.

My survival instincts kick in, though I really don't want them to. I want to die, but my body craves life. I find myself straddlin' Buffy, my stake pointin' at her chest, touchin' her sternum between her breasts.

"I should have known it was a trick." Buffy growls angrily, though she resigns herself to her fate.

I close my eyes and sigh as I throw my stake away and roll off of her.

Buffy jumps to her feet and growls, but her eyes betray her confusion.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I... I can't kill you." I say, and it's as much a revelation to me as it is to her. "So you might as well just kill me. Get it over with. 'Cause I'm not gonna fight you."

Buffy grins and lunges at me, fangs shining in the moonlight.