Disclaimer: All Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters belong to Twentieth Century Fox Studios and Joss Whedon respectively. Their use in this fan fiction is purely for pleasure and pays no profits.
-Chp 4: The turn-
"They took the journals."
The Scoobies had marched into the library Monday morning to find it in complete disarray. Books and papers were spread out over the floor, chairs were broken into pieces and Giles' office door was hanging by one of its hinges. As soon as he saw the disaster, Wesley had run straight to the office. It had only taken him seconds to find out what was missing there.
"All my journals, my notes. They left nothing." he blabbered with indignation.
There was a gasp by the weapon's cage and Buffy came out of it stomping in anger.
"My favorite ax! And that nice set of throwing knifes you gave me Giles, this is a low blow. How petty can you be?"
"About as much as it takes to write down deriding messages." scoffed Giles as he examined the broken down remains of the meeting table. The words 'Booya, Suckers' were spray-painted in its surface.
"We might as well spread out and search for anything else missing." he ordered wearily.
Willow, who had been skulking around the check out desk, found the broken monitor of the library computer. With a depressed face she mourned the loss of her trusty research helper. Then she took notice of another missing item.
"Giles, they took the rifle too! Oz needs that. For-for accidents."
"We'll get another one Willow. Right now, we need to find out who did this."
"Isn't it obvious? The Mayor clearly doesn't know how to flunk with dignity. And we don't have any other baddies after us."
"You got that right Buff" chipped in Xander. "All that's missing here is some peed on carpet. Op! I spoke to early. Guess we'll need new training mats too."
Buffy groaned in disgust and dismay.
"If it was really the Mayor, it seems a bit…childish for his taste." Giles took off his glasses to frown in thought. The robbery and vandalism gave the appearance of being done more by rebellious students than any supernatural threat.
"He had a sudden flashback to his Greaser days?" suggested Buffy weakly.
"Mr. Giles, Buffy may be right." Wesley walked to Giles with a list of his missing property.
"Really? I never pegged him as a biker. He speaks so dorkishly."
"No, I meant about the Mayor. Not only are my journals gone but so is my copy of the Dewittian Grimoire. All my other common spell books remain." Wesley looked frighten as he prepared to deliver the next sentence. "Mr. Giles, I wrote very detailed descriptions of the procedures I performed on Faith to prepare her for the mind spell."
Giles paled in horror as the implications set in.
"Wesley, tell me the Sleep Command wasn't in those journals."
"No! Good heavens no. I never wrote down the commands, but the journals could tell him which Sleeper mind spell I used. The perception sense chosen to receive the commands. Once he knows what kind of, of key he needs it could be a matter of time before he finds the right um shape that fits."
"Call Faith. We must warn her." ordered Giles.
"The Mansion doesn't have phones. But I can get there in 40 minutes if I run fast."
The Slayer was already dropping off her school bag to head out unhindered by any unnecessary weight. But to her confusion Giles grabbed a hold of her before she could continue.
"No Buffy, you got classes to attend. If you miss them you could jeopardize your graduation."
"Giles, Faith is more important than some stupid classes."
"I know. That's why I'll go in the car. You stay here and don't give Principal Snyder any more reasons to ruin your future."
"But…But. I want to go too."
"Don't worry Buffy, in the car I'll be faster. Besides, Angel will be there." With those parting words, the British man exited the destroyed library, leaving behind an indecisive Buffy.
"You notice how the G-man left us to clean up the mess?"
-x-x-x-x-x-
In Faith's apartment, Mayor Wilkins was laying down a pink floral printed sundress across one of the sofas. His face was decorated with a wistful smile as he took careful dedication to smooth out any wrinkles in the dress. It was going to be a gift for Faith so she had something nice to wear to the Ascension. Now he could only imagine what the day would have been liked, thanks to that disrespectful Summers girl. But he could still make it possible for his Faithy to wear his gift.
He brushed out one last invisible speck off the dress before sitting down in a chair to look over the contents on top of the coffee table. Several small journals and an old book laid before him, one of the journals opened in a page discussing auditory hypnosis. He had already read through all of the Watcher's notes pertaining the Sleeper spell he chose to use. The easiest out of them all, he noted. But then again an easy mind spell is still one of the most complicated and dangerous magic one can conjure.
The immortal man glanced then to the brown leather book whose pages displayed a person laying down while someone else whispered into his ear. On top of the image the page was titled 'Emissarius Somnus Auditor' in gothic letters.
The Mayor read through some of the pages before skipping down to another page depicting a different image. The contents narrated below it drew a triumphant smirk out of him. It was time consuming and difficult but still doable for a warlock of his skill. He now knew of a way to bring Faith back to him and stop his enemies from ever stealing her again. All he needed now was to send out someone to get her.
He searched the breast pocket of his slate suit and took out a photo he had pilfered from the Watcher's office. In it three teenagers were hugging and smiling to the camera.
They would not be smiling much longer. No siree.
-x-x-x-x-x-
"Alright guys, Boss just called!"
A sandy haired vampire entered a spacious warehouse that had been turned into a sort of bachelor pad/ punk hang out. With various clothing garments thrown about the floor; spray painted walls; foosball table; skateboards and roller blades; all items clearly depicting the living space as belonging to young people.
In a large pleather sofa, three youths were sitting down hammering their fingers on to game controllers. The young men's attention was utterly ensnared by the large screen and so they completely ignored the call made by the newly arrived vampire.
"Hey. Hey! Pay attention you idiots!" shouted the vampire.
"Wait. Wait . Wait. In a minute, we're almost done." answered one of them, never taking his eyes off the screen. This deeply annoyed the sandy haired demon.
"Oh fail, Rip! Trey got you there. Jump over him you idiot."
"Shut up man. Still got enough for a combo."
"Give it up. No combo is gonna—dammit!"
"Booyah! And now for the finishing move."
—Zzzzpp—
Before the young man could perform said finishing move, the screen went dead. From behind it, the vampire that had joined them came out with all the plugs on his hand.
"What the—Aw c'mon man. I was gonna beat Trey for once."
"Yeah I wanted to see that happen too."
"Shut up and listen!" yelled the vampire so exasperated that he actually growled. "The Boss, has another job for us."
"So soon? Those pansies must still be crying after we crashed their base." said the young man named Trey.
"Besides it's still early, why is he—"
"We'll be driving the Lincoln in a retrieval mission. A Ctharl demon is going to come with us." explained the vampire.
"That sounds boring man" said the young man. "The last job had us breaking something. And we got goodies out of it too."
"Yeah, that was one sweet job." said Rip, remembering all the stuff he got to break.
"Well this one is even sweeter." The vampire grinned widely. The manner in which he proposed it got the attention of the other youths pretty fast.
"We're going out after the Traitor."
The youths started grinning at the possibilities coursing through their minds and then with a roar all three of them vamped out.
-x-x-x-x-x-
Buffy couldn't concentrate at class. She was a jittery mess. Bouncing her feet, tapping her pencil and checking the classroom window for the venue of Giles' car into the parking lot. After several intervals of looking attentive then taking glances out the window she finally sighted the Watcher's clunky Citroën. She focused intently on the passenger window of the grey car, trying to discern if there was someone there.
"Señorita Summers!"
Buffy jumped up in surprise. The Spanish teacher was looking sternly at her.
"I know you students believe coming here is a waste of time, but if you do not complete all your school hours you may not be eligible for graduation. Not many job prospects out there without a diploma."
"I'm listening Ms. Cruz. Just had…too much soda." Buffy answered then translated with a grin. "Mucho Refresco!"
The teacher beamed in approval and went back to write down some sentences on the blackboard. To Buffy's fortune, the bell didn't take long to ring and within minutes she was making her way outside. She saw Giles walking into the school. Alone.
"Where's Faith?"
The Watcher sighted and ran a hand over his hair.
"I was hoping she'd be here. Angel said she went out to meet us."
"May-maybe she's in the library waiting." she muttered and started power-walking to their usual hang out, Giles following closely at her heels.
When they got to the library they only found Wesley sweeping out some debris. He looked up at their entrance and stopped sweeping.
"Did you find Faith?" he asked with undisguised anxiety.
Both Watcher and Slayer remained silent.
"….You didn't see her on the way here?" Buffy asked softly.
Giles shook his head sadly in answer.
"I'm going looking for her."
"Buffy—"
"No Giles! I don't care! I'm going and that's it."
She only took a few steps out the doors when she heard a commotion by the back entrance of the school where a crowd of students was forming.
-x-x-x-x-x-
-Minutes before-
The delicious smell of warm pastries wafted under her nose, teasing her to open the box in her hands and take a bite. This was usually Xander's job but today she woke up in a good mood. It was such a bright sunny day. She even beat some good money out of Angel at a game of Parcheesi so she thought she might as well share her spoils with the Scoobs. Besides, reading musty old books was an up over sitting through Angel's sob songs. Faith admired many things about him…except his taste in music.
She was rounding the corner to walk the path that led to the back gates of the school when she heard tires squealing. A peek over her shoulder revealed a black sedan with highly tinted windows. Heading straight for her.
Alarmed, she broke into a run, zig-zagging on the street to stop the car from running her over easily. The car followed her movements closely. Then, the front passenger window was slightly lowered and out stuck the barrel of a rifle.
In one of her backward glances she detected it aiming at her and with quick reflexes, she jumped out of the line of fire of a dart. But the move caused her to land in front of the moving car, only having enough time to give a small jump when the car impacted her. The Slayer slammed into its windshield and rolled over the roof and trunk before landing in a heap on the pavement.
Faith rolled on to her back wincing and feeling like a jackhammer had its way with her. The box of donuts she bought was sent flying in the impact and now its contents were splattered all over her and the street. That was such a waste of jelly donuts. In her pain she heard shouts of alarm from the students near the gate.
"Oh my god, someone just got run over."
"Is she dead?"
"No look, she's moving her arms."
"Call for some help!"
"The car is turning around. Maybe they'll help."
Faith weakly raised her head and indeed saw the car making a U turn before accelerating towards her crumpled for.
Shit! Shit! Shit!
She was staggering to get up and as the car approached she knew she wasn't going to make it out completely. She threw her body side ways but still felt the wheels of the car trampling over her legs.
Starburst of agony exploded inside her legs and she couldn't help letting out a pain filled scream. The crowd of students started screaming as well. This was no accident, but some kind of murder.
The car stopped not too far and one of the doors opened. A hulking horned demon with huge side burns stepped out. Faith saw the rope in his hands and started frantically crawling away from him. In seconds, the demon loomed over her pathetic form-when a pastel colored blur collided with him and sent him crashing to the pavement.
Buffy was on top of the demon furiously pummeling his clammy face. As soon as the demon was down the car took off in a squeal of tires, abandoning his previous passenger..
The Slayer got in several good shots before the demon pushed her off of him and scrambled up. With a roar, he used the rope as a whip and struck out against the little Slayer. Buffy twisted out of the way of one strike then managed to grab the rope on the second one and tugged the demon over to meet her fist. While he was doubled over from the hit to his gut, she used the rope in her hand to wrap it around his throat. Fending off his scrabbling hands, she tripped his legs and dragged him to a nearby alley. Once hidden in the shadows she flipped him face down and pushed his face on the grimy floor.
"Who sent you?" she demanded.
"…Not…..telling." the demon managed to strain out of his constricted throat.
"It was the Mayor, right? Fancy car gunning for Faith. Dot meet dot."
The demon beneath her tensed and growled in anger which was about all she needed as a response.
"The Slayer…will fight…with us again."
"Wrong. She's staying with me."
Buffy took a good grip on the rope and strangled the life out of him. When the demon's limbs stopped twitching she let out a sight and turned to exit the alleyway. Jogging to where she last saw Faith, she found Giles and Xander by the other Slayer's side helping her stand up. Faith was protesting and battling against them.
"I can get up on my own. Go help Buffy."
"Faith for the last time, you were run over by a car. You need medical attention."
"I don't need no crap hospital." But the way she winced as she tried to move her legs said the contrary. "Okay it hurts, but the Slayer healing is kicking in. I feel better already."
"Tell that to the bone sticking out of you leg" said Xander with a queasy look on his face.
"What?"
The Slayer looked down and saw the strange bloody protuberance winking at her.
"Oh. That." she managed to say before her eyes rolled up and she fell limp against Giles' arms.
"Buffy get my car."
The Slayer caught the keys thrown at her and without a word sped over to the school fence, jumping over it easily like she was a professional gymnast. The crowd of students stepped aside without question while she ran to the school parking lot.
"Buffy!"
Buffy looked over to see Willow and Cordelia following her.
"No time guys, I need to take Faith to the hospital."
"I'll come with you then."
"Sorry Wills, Giles' car isn't exactly space-gifted. Go tell Wesley to meet us there."
With a quick goodbye the Slayer was in the Citroën, gunning it for all its worth.
-x-x-x-x-x-
Buffy, Giles and Xander were sitting around waiting for the operating doctor when Willow and Oz entered the waiting room, followed by Cordelia and Wesley.
"How's Faith?" immediately asked the young Watcher.
"She's got bruised ribs and fractured bones in her left leg, nothing big there. But the car managed to break some in the other leg." Buffy answered. She stood up to look around for the doctor. "They're operating on her now. The doctor said it wasn't going to take long."
"So it's not bad. Good. Uhm do you know who it was, that hurt her?"
"Yup. Questioned an ugly before I broke him. Definitely sent by the Mayor."
"You're sure?" questioned Giles.
"She's gotta be." agreed Cordelia. "A car like that? It screams 'paid by tax dollars'."
"Well then that means the Mayor has made his move. Faith may not be safe here. But we can't take her with us until she's given leave which may take a day or two."
"I'll watch over her." stated Buffy like it was a no-brainer. Seeing Giles about to protest she continued. "Graduation's tomorrow Giles. I'm only missing three classes and a study period. If Snyder makes a fuss about it then he can talk to my mom. Right now, I'm not moving from here."
The middle aged man sighted tiredly and took off his glasses.
"Can't convince you otherwise." he muttered rhetorically.
"No."
"Yes, well… All that's left is to find a way to stop the Mayor before he reaches Faith."
Their discussion didn't get a chance to start as at that moment Faith's doctor, along with some nurses, came out of the operating room rolling a bed between them. Buffy ran to them and saw Faith covered in blankets and shivering madly in the bed.
"What's wrong with her, you said it wasn't bad!"
"Miss, it is just a reaction to the anesthesia. Completely normal. You have nothing to worry about. In fact why don't we go tell your other friends how the operation went while Ms. Lehane gets settled in."
"I sort of wanted to go with her. Can..can I…"
"No, not a problem at all."
Buffy nodded in relief but her attention was diverted back to Faith when the Slayer grasped one of her hands. Faith's grip obliged her to move with the nurses so she waved goodbye to the doctor and her friends and continued along the hallway.
"Hee-ey Bu-bu-beee. You're he-heere." Buffy saw Faith trying to give her a tremulous smile.
"Yep, you're very own guard dog...only without the dog part. Not into slobbering all over you….and not very well phrased."
The nurses didn't look like they caught Buffy's embarrassing slip or they didn't let it show anyway. They worked in harmonious sync prepping up the bed on the service elevator and soon they were going up to where all the stay-in rooms were.
"Naa-ahh, Bu-beee I think I h-had a c-cat. Like…Mu-maww maww."
The funny noises almost made Buffy break into a laugh but she managed to contain herself behind pursed lips.
"Really, a cat? When, in Boston?"
The elevator doors opened and soon the nurses were wheeling the bed down another hallway. Faith had closed her eyes and Buffy thought she had gone to sleep until she spoke again.
"Nuuh…dun-n-noo….ap-pu-part-ment…o-oow."
"Faith, don't strain yourself. Better, go to sleep."
"Ok-kay"
The Slayer actually did as she was told. Maybe Giles should order some of that anesthesia.
They arrived at a three bed room which to her luck was empty of any other patients. The nurses made rapid work of passing Faith's body to the bed inside, hanging up her leg cast and setting up an IV. They then showed Buffy the emergency button in case Faith needed anything in her stay and left in their squeaking tennis shoes. The whole thing took only a minute leaving the blonde Slayer baffled at the nurses' efficiency.
Maybe Sunnydale gives out a bunch of experience.
Her eyes went back to the sleeping Slayer looking tranquil. She thought back to when she saw her body disappear under the car. Her heart had jumped a beat.
She thought she had lost a friend. A very dear friend. That's what Faith had become to her. Buffy couldn't imagine now how her life would be without her. She had shared laughs with her; worries about her future; her duty as a Slayer; even her deepest pain. The brunette was such an integral part of her life and now someone wanted to take her away.
Buffy would kill them first.
There was a knock on the opened door. Wesley and Giles walked in first. Xander and Cordelia followed behind when they noticed the room didn't have any one else. Noting Willow and Oz's absence the blonde slayer sent a questioning look to her Watcher.
"I've sent Willow to research invulnerability charms on the computer. Oz had to take her to her house since the library's computer met the same fate as the books. We're rather…vulnerable at the moment."
Giles came to stand behind his Slayer while Wesley took a seat across from Buffy. Xander and Cordelia opted to stand awkwardly by the foot of the bed.
"Don't worry Giles, if anyone can find out something, it'd be Willow. Now what did the doctor say?"
"He said it was a clean break. They set it back without a problem. But Faith will need to stay off that leg for a month." explained Giles
"What about with Slayer healing?" asked Buffy.
"That uh, I wouldn't know well to give a definite answer. Perhaps a week? Or two?"
"That's gonna suck" croaked Faith.
All faces turned to the awakened Slayer who was watching them all with bleary eyes. The Slayer made to sit up but winced when she felt her ribs throb in response.
"Faith, you barely slept." The blonde slayer admonished her friend but either way helped fold the bed so Faith could sit up.
"Slept through whenever they put that rock on my leg. Had a weird dream too. For some reason I'm craving Twizzlers."
Buffy jumped off her seat with a smile.
"I could go get you some. There's a vending machine on the second floor."
"It's alright B, you don't have to—"
"Sorry but sick people don't get voting rights. They just get coddled. Be back soon!"
And the blonde shot out of the room before Faith could get a say in. The California blonde could be so random sometimes, but the fact she was happy to please her made Faith feel like she was special to her. And with service like that, maybe this invalid thing wouldn't suck so much. Thinking about her current state made the Slayer turn to the Scoobies to ask what in the world happened to her.
"So, did I stake Don Vito's vamp kid or something?"
"He he. More like you're Connie and the Don wants you back." quipped Xander.
"You're shitting me."
The meaning behind the words left her stumped. Xander just confirmed what she sensed the day the Big Bad came for a visit. Her Other self didn't only work for this guy, she actually played happy families with him. And the guy took his papa bear role quite seriously. If she'd known that night at the docks that Wesley's crazy mojo was going to come with a free stalker baddie, she would have given it a second thought before accepting. This guy wanted her so badly when he clearly knew it was all a lie. She didn't get it.
"I shit you not great mafia princess."
"But he knows, about the mind stuff. That it was all a spell. He can't be that stupid to think I'd go to him anyway. And making pizza out of my legs didn't make me consider it any better."
"Faith…he uh. The Mayor can make you join him." stuttered Wesley.
"What? How?"
"He stole Wesley's journals." answered Giles solemnly. "The details of the mind spell put on you were there. He may um, he may have found a way to put you to sleep…and awaken your Other mind."
"…shit."
"That's great!" said Cordelia in a bright tone. Everyone turned in unison and boggled at the happiness she was exhuming. "What? If Psycho Faith comes back now then we shouldn't even break a sweat. I mean, how hard can it be to take down a useless invalid?"
"…Thank you Cordelia, for so tactfully putting things in perspective." Giles supposed he shouldn't still be surprised by the girl's undeterred honesty.
"That's Cordy for you. Never misses a chance to crush on your pride." And Xander couldn't miss a chance to gripe at Cordelia either.
"It's still a very valid argument. More than you've done" grouched the tall brunette while rolling her eyes at their sensitivity.
"I can still walk you know." muttered Faith in indignation.
"Yes but what Ms. Chase referred to was that perhaps you would be less...agile? The cast is certainly daunting and should we've…should anything happen then apprehending you would be far manageable I believe." said Wesley.
"But that goes both ways too right? Feeble Faith if she goes Hyde is good. But she also makes for a perfect victim for the kidnapping Mafiosi."
"Feeble?" said the Slayer in increasing annoyance.
"Xander's right." Giles paused as an uncomfortable feeling curled in his stomach "I believe those words actually made me ill."
"Ha, see! I said something smart too."
Cordelia sent the smug boy a look that clearly displayed how immature she though he was. Meanwhile, the Slayer was having enough of being thought as some fragile new born. That, and the growing pressure on her bladder thanks to the IV, gave her enough reasons to get her ass off of bed. Dismounting her leg and pulling out her IV, she pushed off her blankets and jumped out off bed.
"Whoa cowgirl, there should be stopping of the horses before you break off more bones."
"Get outta the way, I need to take a piss." she growled at Xander who was blocking her path.
"Moving out." He responded quickly.
Faith hobbled past him and out the door in her search for the bathroom. The hospital robe flapped around her body in her rush causing Wesley to choke in a coughing fit.
"That's a nice moon." said the wide-eyed boy receiving a head slap from both Cordelia and Giles.
Then from the hallway, the four inside the room heard a voice confront the brunette Slayer.
"Faith! What are you doing up? You should be resti-and where the hell are you're pants?"
"With the pervy doctors I assume."
"Then d…don't go walking around until I get you something! Hey, why are you still moving? On your broken leg?"
"I'm taking a piss! God!"
"Then you wait for me to help you! Don't give me that look. What did I tell you about sick people?"
"Fine! Hold my hand why don't you."
Their bickering continued all the way down the hallway until they couldn't be heard over the other hospital noises.
"Maybe not that feeble." pondered Giles out loud.
-x-x-x-x-x-
Sitting inside a car outside the hospital, four vampires discussed the prospects of infiltrating the building.
"We still got a chance. The hospital is public property." commented one of the young vampires.
"Yes but I bet the white hats aren't gonna leaving her side Ricky." added Rip.
"So? We eat whoever's with her. The Traitor won't be much trouble after the job Dafoe did on her legs."
"We don't know that! And I'm not taking any chances here." Willy Dafoe, the sandy-haired leader was much older and thus less impulsive than the rest. "We're lucky the Boss is too busy setting up the welcoming party or he'd be on our asses demanding answers."
"The Boss is already going to be mad because we ran her over. Maybe we should have listened to the Ctharl."
"No Rip, that bitch deserved that and more. Is bad enough we're going to have her lording over us again." Dafoe's hands clenched around the steering wheel as he contained his anger at the prospect. "No, I needed that."
"Well your needs just made our job harder." said Trey.
"I know dammit! We can still do this. We need to take her out of the building without alerting the Slayer at least."
"And how do you plan to take the Traitor from under the Slayer's nose?" asked Trey in uncertainty of the success of such a task.
"I'm thinking." The leader was going over all possible distractions that could be created in a hospital. Most of them would only make the Slayer highly suspicious so they wouldn't work for this job. No they needed to make the Slayer leave the Traitor of her own will. Give her something else to worry about.
"Man, Ricky. If only you weren't such a suck shot then we wouldn't be stuck in this car waiting."
"You try and hit a moving target…in a moving car!"
"That's it. Give me the rifle." ordered the leader.
"Why?" Ricky whined then off his vexed look the youth acquiesced quickly. "Here."
The dark-haired vampire opened up the rifle to take out a dart that was loaded inside. Examining the dart he observed where the capsule with the tranquilizing agent was inserted. Enough to lay down someone for an hour or two.
This could work. "Let's roll boys! School will be out for summer soon."
-x-x-x-x-x-
"Nothing again. Argh, this is so frustrating. All I've found is what we already know. Invulnerability is like a cheap cheat code. Once you put it on, it's easy pickings and no worries. Short of asking the Mayor to kindly change out of his invulnerable body we got nothing." Willow was laying on her bed surrounded by several opened magical books. Behind her, Oz was searching on the occult magic websites on the Internet.
"I haven't found anything useful either." said Oz while still working the net.
"Ouuh. I can't even be good at what I'm good at."
"…There's a sound argument in there somewhere." Oz spoke though his face displayed some doubt.
"I mean who am I kidding?" the girl continued as if she hadn't heard him "I'm no witch. I can't even change poor Amy back into a person and now Buffy is going to know I failed her and she won't ask my help for magic stuff and then she won't need me anymore, is just gonna be her and Faith slaying. Can you believe she told her about her and Angel first? I didn't find out until after Prom. Even Xander's liking her back again and Giles is all teacher and stuff, is like I'm back to being invisible and I don't matter anymore and—"
"Willow." Oz stopped her gasping rambling by grabbing a hold of her trembling shoulders. The red haired witch looked at her boyfriend with teary eyes. "You matter. A lot."
"I'm a horrible person." she whimpered.
"No you're not. You could never be. You're too sweet. My sweet Willow."
"Oh Oz….it's just….Sometimes I find myself thinking that it was better when Faith was an evil skank. Because then I could hate her with-with Buffy and Xander a-and it wouldn't be wrong to hate her for steali-...But is wrong because she's one of us………I just feel so unloved."
Oz stared at her, concern weighing his brows. He got up from the computer chair to sit besides Willow in her bed. With tender hands he took her face and laid a soft kiss on her lips. Willow responded instantly and after a while she finished the kiss.
"What are you doing?" she whispered breathlessly.
"Loving you." And with another kiss they fell onto the bed, each movement of their bodies becoming more passionate and involved.
-x-x-x-x-x-
"Want some more Twizzlers?"
"Ugh no. Don't take it wrong, they're wicked good but they're giving me a headache and I feel all twitchy. I think the stuff in my IV is making me all kinds of sick."
"It's only water aaand calcium it says. So watery milk." Buffy paused, thinking over what she said. "Eww. You're right, it's sick."
"Anything on the research front?" asked the brunette to take her mind off her aching head.
"Willow hasn't called yet so nothing new on the magic department. Mayor's still untouchable." Buffy had a worried expression on her face. Every second they spent without a clue on how to beat the Big Bad was a second more Faith was in danger.
"Don't worry so much B, or you'll wrinkle like troll. You're already short so—"
"Faith!" Buffy slapped the brunette on her arm. "I'm not short. And I can't stop worrying. I'm afraid." The blonde grabbed one of the Boston-born's hands and started tracing the patterns there in. "If he manages to take you….I don't….I don't know what I'd do. You're….I can't lose you."
"B….I won't ever leave you. No matter what. You're the best thing that's happened to me since…ever!" Thinking about how unusually expressive she was being, Faith lowered her eyes in sudden shyness, settling to just look at their intertwined hands. "You can't… understand what being your friend is like. I can't understand it either. I just know that when I'm with you, I feel like nothing can go wrong. Life doesn't suck and I'm not just some weird kid because you're there. You get me. And I get you. When you're happy, I'm happy. And when you're sad I am too. We're like…two sides of the same coin…"
The Slayer trailed off before looking up at Buffy. The blonde's face had an indescribable expression on. Faith broke the silence by laughing nervously and scratching the back of her neck.
"Wow…Don't know where that came from." she said.
"Candy sickness? I've seen some give people a second childhood." said Buffy with a twitchy smile.
"Wasn't that chocolate?"
Just then, Xander appeared in the doorway.
"Checked all the rooms in the hallway, no one suspicious or allergic to sun and I heard talk of chocolate. Are there any around?"
"Nah Xandman, but you can take my Twizzlers."
"Ooh neat." The smiling boy took a seat besides the bed and started munching on the red candies. "So, what are my next orders General Buff?"
"I'm all out of ideas. We just need to protect Faith until the hospital lets her go. Then…I don't know."
"Willow still hasn't called?" Receiving a negative shake, the Zeppo continued. "Well I think weapons wouldn't be bad to have while we're doing the protecting. I could go get some from the library. What's left of them, anyway."
"Oh then bring me that knife, you know the long one with the wicked grip?"
"I think they stole that one." said Buffy.
"Dammit! I liked that knife." cursed Faith with a pout.
"I'll bring you something else. Either way I have to go pick up my fashionable graduation robes. Left them in my locker." With one last bite of a Twizzler, he stood up. "Well ladies, got to go look for a poisonous snake to give me a ride to school. If you're wandering by snake I mean Cordelia."
"We got it." Buffy answered quickly.
The young man nodded an okay and left the room.
"He's in for a sight." commented Faith with a laugh.
"What do you mean?"
"Cordy's with Wes on the second floor. And with the tension there…"
"….EW! So didn't need to know."
"Didn't need to know what?" said Giles as he came in the room. Then thinking it better he shook his head. "No, I believe I don't want to know either."
-x-x-x-x-x-
Willow and Oz laid in bed together, their clothes spread all over the comforter and the floor. The shy witch had a wide eyed breathless look on her face. She couldn't believe they had really done that.
"I feel different. You know? I guess that makes sense. Do you feel different? Oh no, you've already…you probably, not a big change for you, but it's nice…was it nice? Should this be a quiet moment?"
"I know exactly what you mean."
Willow smiled in contentment, then stopped in confusion.
"Which part?"
"Everything feels different."
With an impish smile, Willow turns and starts kissing him. But before things could get steamier they were interrupted by a loud crash outside her house followed by a car alarm.
"That's my van." said Oz while running to her bedroom window. Outside he saw a red jeep had rear ended his parked van, burying most of their front bumper. No one was getting out of the car.
"You think they're hurt?" asked Willow anxiously.
"I don't know. Can't tell much from here."
"Then let's check it out."
The red head started dressing up hurriedly. Oz took another look at the unmoving car before grabbing his pants…and the stake he kept in them.
The two teens came out the door and called out to the driver. They could barely see anything behind the tinted glass of the car. That detail registered in Oz's mind and made him instantly suspicious.
"Willow wait." He held her arm to halt her approach.
Willow made to ask what was wrong when she felt a pinprick on the back of her shoulder. She cried out while Oz twisted to where he sensed the danger come from-and received a dart to the chest.
"Nice catch. But a bit late m'man." said a grinning Ricky from under the small awning of the house.
Oz growled in anger but he could do nothing as he was already feeling the effects of the tranquilizer. Both he and Willow crumbled onto the grass when the doors to the jeep finally opened. The last thing he saw were two smoking blankets coming for them.
-x-x-x-x-x-
"This is extraordinary."
Doctor Patel, Faith's doctor was examining a set of x-rays of the Slayer's leg. Wesley had come back from his patrol of the hospital hallways and was now writing down the facts he remembered about his notes in the stolen journals.
"Not really." said Buffy but the Doctor didn't hear her comment.
"Truly a marvel. The amount of healing on the bone already, no wonder she felt sore. Her muscles were cramping because of calcium deficiency."
"But isn't that what you're giving her?"
"Yes, but her body has absorbed that and more than expected. It's like the healing agents are working double time-maybe triple. They've gathered most of the calcium in her body in order to rapidly heal the break in her leg. Quite a medical wonder."
"Yes doctor. Fascinating. Does that mean Faith can go? Since she's already advanced so much." asked Giles. The sooner they got Faith discharged the sooner they could mount a better defense somewhere else. This building had too many points of entry.
"Oh no, this kind of healing is abnormal and highly unprecedented. I couldn't possibly discharge her without finding out if there was any anomaly I might have missed."
"But I'm feeling great now. All I need is some bags of that calcio stuff and am peaches." protested Faith. She was tired of laying on her ass all day.
"We'll keep you for one day. If nothing else occurs then you'll be able to go. Now if you feel any more cramping you call okay. I'll check up on you later." The doctor sent her a polite smile before taking his leave.
"This is so not cool." said Faith dispirited.
"We must be patient. While we wait we could do some of the meditation exercises." suggested Giles.
"Whooppe, more headaches." muttered Faith.
The Watcher smiled at the rather unenthused Slayer but then a thought crossed his mind, knitting his brows.
"Faith, have you been getting headaches every time we meditate?"
The Slayer thought back on all her sessions before nodding in hesitation. The conversation had caught Wesley's notice as the young Watcher paused in his writings.
"What? Did I screw up?"
"No, I should have noticed. Faith, the headaches could be the aberration we've feared." explained Giles worriedly.
"Is there anything else besides the headaches? Nose bleeding? An image? A sound?" asked Wesley restlessly. The possible outcomes of the headaches distressed him deeply. He had read in the Grimoire some examples of what the residuals of a bad Sleeper spell could do to a mind. The thought that he had made a mistake, and that his magic blunder may be suffered by a charge entrusted upon him by the Watcher's council...his slayer. It was strangling at most.
"I..I don't think so. No. I just've gotten the headaches and they're not that big a deal either. They go away after a minute."
"Excuse me?" A nurse had knocked on the door. She had a folded fuzzy pink sweater on her hands. "A friend of yours left this at the desk, Miss. He said you were missing it."
The nurse laid the sweater on Faith's bed before turning in her white sneakers and walking out.
"That's definitely not mine." said Faith
Buffy stood up and slowly took the sweater in her hands.
"This is Willow's sweater. She was wearing it today." Buffy's voice was tense. She didn't like this.
"Maybe she left it in the waiting room?" proposed Wesley.
But that theory fell when as Buffy unfolded the garment, a note came out from inside. The blonde Slayer picked up the note with stiff fingers and read.
"Nine little piggies hanging like bait. One tumbled off and then there were eight. Been to sc…school lately?" The Slayer looked at her Watcher with wide frighten eyes. "Giles."
"I'll call her house." said the Watcher walking out of the room.
"It must be a ruse. They're trying to get you to go out and leave Faith alone." theorized Wesley.
"Ruse or not, I'm finding out. Willow hasn't called back all day. If they've done something…" The Slayer couldn't finish. Her emotions were going haywire at the thought of Willow coming to harm. She should have called her. Asked what was taking so long.
"Hey don't get all worried yet. We don't know what's happened, I mean Wolfboy was with her and they were alone so maybe…you know."
Giles ran inside with a flustered look.
"No one's answering."
The Slayer dropped on her chair numbed. She knew this was a trap. It couldn't be more obvious even if the Mayor walked in the room and said it. But she couldn't take the luxury of letting it pass by. The life of one of her best friends was hanging on it. Or she hoped it was still hanging. With that terrifying thought she got up off the chair.
"Giles, take me to school."
"You can't possibly be thinking of following up. It is clearly a trap." exclaimed Wesley.
"I know. But they've got Willow." she answered in hard voice.
"You don't know that. Don't you see what's happening? They did this to distract you. To keep you out of the Mayor's way so he could waltz in and take Faith. And it's working. We can't act without first planning a strate—"
"I've got a strategy. I'm going to the school and then I'm getting Willow back."
"That is not—"
"Wes, let her go. I'll be fine. I'm not completely helpless." The Slayer looked intently at the blonde Slayer. "You take Fang then call here when you get to the school. That way we both know if we're alright."
The blonde Slayer nodded at her in gratitude and then both Watcher and Slayer were gone.
-x-x-x-x-x-
Back in the vampire's warehouse the vamp boys were busy preparing for the coming of the Slayer. Furniture was moved, lights were set up, bodies were hanged and traps were laid out. It was time to see what all the hype about the Slayer was about. The phone in the garage rang and Trey went to answer it. In seconds, he came back with a fanged grin twirling a long ax in his hands.
"Willy D says: Hook, Line and Sinker baby! We caught us a Slayer."
Both Ricky and Rip sniggered maliciously. Rip looked at the figures above him while licking his bloody teeth.
"You hear that piggies. If she gets here quick enough no one else becomes dinner."
The vampire was well satisfied by the frightened whimpers he provoked. Soon enough the games would begin.
-To be continued-