A/N: I introduced a key player this chapter. There is a lot of broken speech that is broken up by commas.
Dean woke up feeling like something wasn't right. Buffy felt cold, dead cold. He shot up in bed and looked over at her. The right half of her body was completely covered in markings. Her chest wasn't rising.
"Buffy," he said quietly. Tears shined in his eyes. "Buffy?" He shook her before he placed two fingers against her jugular and he felt no pulse. Tears escaped his eyes. "Buffy!"
Buffy watched and she felt her heart clench. It scared her. The night before they had mind blowing sex, said I love you and ate ice cream in bed. It was perfect and it was all torn away. She looked down at her almost see through night gown. She covered herself up a little.
"It's not your time Buff." Tara told her, Buffy just looked on. Dean was shaking with anger. Silent tears rolled down his cheeks.
"It's my fault," she heard him say.
"Damn it Dean, no it's not!" She screamed, she grabbed a picture frame and whipped across the room. It smashed against the wall. Dean looked up.
"Buffy?" He asked hopefully, Buffy hated herself. She couldn't talk to him. She banged her hand against the wall twice. She decided if ghost hunters thought two knocks were the universal sign for "yes", then she at least had to try. What's the worst that could happen?
She smiled, Dean breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"I will get you out of this." He promised.
Willow, Faith and Sam ran up the stairs of Buffy's house. They found a very distraught Dean. He tugged on a flannel shirt, grabbed his bowie knife and pistol before walking out.
"We have this," Faith said. Willow was sobbing. They knew that Buffy had communicated with Dean. But it seemed hopeless. Sam rushed down stairs and fought Dean outside.
"Dean!" Dean just ignored him. Sam ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Dean!" He bellowed, Dean stopped and looked at Sam.
"She's dead, Sammy." His voice broke, "we ignored that mark and she died." He let a tear fall.
"We are going to find a way to save her." Sam said,
"How?!" Dean snapped,
Buffy looked on in dismay.
"Buffy, come with me. They are going to find this out." Buffy nodded, she took a deep breath and walked with Tara. "We can't do anything. But they can. The Powers... they know it's not your won't be for a long while, but they are going to get you out of this."
Willow snapped her fingers and a circle of dried roses formed. She had Faith lay Buffy on the floor in the training room at the Council building. She cut her hand open and let blood drip into a bowl.
"Ego dea. Et non est in tempore.
Et ego ad te, o sancte cal.
Audi vocem meam, mitte nos in eam!
Et vocabis nomen deae. Ego me aquaeductum circumdare vestrum gratia sanitatum." She watched as the circle of roses slowly took fire.
"I offer you my blood. Goddess I call!
I offer my body. Goddess I implore!
And to you, I offer my eternal soul. As rite for your presence." The building shook. She listened as thunder boomed and lightning crackles. Rain began to pour. Sam, Dean who had agreed to work with Willow after much reluctance, Faith and Giles walked in. They could feel the magic in the air.
"Goddess I call to you, heal her!" She screamed,
"In your presence she shall be healed!" She raised a knife and made a large cut the length of her forearm. "Let her be healed!" She willed the blood to form into a large droplet that hovered in front of her before the wound closed.
"Sanguinem." She said, "blood is life." There was a blueish white light surrounding her. "Anima," she let the blood fall into the bowl. "The soul of the fallen." A am a bright light hovered above Buffy. "Mors," she picked up the bowl and walked into the circle. She dribbled the blood on the markings. "Death shall be stripped away."
Willow's head snapped backwards and she started to hover in the air. Sam and Dean cocked their guns.
"No!" Faith barked, both their guns were out of their hands within seconds. "She knows what she's doing." They all turned their attention back to Willow. Buffy looked on with Tara.
"Willow Rosenberg. You dare summon me?" A voice boomed around them.
"Arianrhod," Willow said. She lifted her head and her body was slammed against the wall. It cracked and she bit her cheek against the scream. Showing weakness in the presence of a goddess would either get her killed or Buffy permanently dead. They all watched as blood began to drop behind Willow.
"Yes, now why have you summoned me?!" A woman materialized. She was wearing a silver and green robe. She had long ebony hair and dark blue eyes.
"It isn't her time." Willow said, her voice strong. Dean and Sam could tell that she would die if the Goddess released her hold Willow would die. "You represent time and Fate. Goddess look upon her and tell me if it is her time." Willow said, she knew how to bargain. Hell, she could make a deal with Lucifer and walk out without a scratch.
Arianrhod look over at Buffy's body.
"Buffy, when you wake up... It will be with a gift."
"This isn't another death is my gift things is it? Because been there, done that."
"No, I can't tell you."
"Both of you! You can now be seen by the mortal folly." The goddess said. Tara pushed Buffy to the ground and they both knelt before her. "You..." She said pointing at Tara. "You work with the Powers that be."
"I do M'lady." Tara said, her voice sounding just as strong as Willow's. This surprised Buffy. Arianrhod looked at Willow.
"Witch be healed." She waved her hand and Willow's injuries healed. She then sunk to the floor. "Your name is Tara, I am the one who weaved your fate. You were meant for greater things, beyond this plain. You were always loyal to me and to my sisters." She looked at Willow, "you may go to her."
She then looked at Buffy. The images the rushed through her mind caused her to stumble.
Two children that looked like Buffy and Dean.
A woman, with power that only rivaled the creator.
An omen of darkness in the form of fire.
Her death. Yet she had to let it pass, for it was her time.
"Mrs. Winchester." She said, Buffy and Dean both went slack jawed. "Child, I made your destiny. The Powers don't control fate as much as they'd like. I have written the destinies of thousands Slayers before you. I knew of both your deaths, how long you shall live. The man you were meant to fall in love with," she nodded at Dean. "Rise to your feet, you needn't be humble."
Buffy stood,
"When I laid eyes on your spirit I saw something... Even with my gift of foresight I couldn't see until now. Your children with Dean. A woman who had power that rivaled the creator." She said,
"Her name is Amara." Buffy said,
"An omen in the form of fire... And my death." She held her arms open and Buffy felt compelled and walked into them. "My embrace shall give you life once more. This will not be the last time you see me..." She blinked out of existence.
Buffy opened her eyes. She then was hit with a rush of emotions. She had died. Again. She then felt something shift in her body. She clutched her abdomen and let out a scream. When the pain passed she just began sobbing. She felt strong arms wrap around her.
"Buffy," Dean whispered.
Kennedy stood in front of Crowley.
"M'lord,"
"We no longer need to stand by formalities, Kennedy." He told her,
"This is annoying." She said, "I'm tired of this fucking charade. Can't I just tell them I'm evil? In a big way?" She asked with a mischievous smile.
"Well, that sounds like a really good idea." The First appeared. Even though she was possessed, Kennedy still had full control of her body. She flinched, "I always knew you'd switch teams. The bringers were never going to kill you."
"I'd say... Kill one of the Slayers... One of the younger girls. For, you know, emotional impact." Kennedy smiled brightly.
Rona was walking the halls chatting with Ashley.
"Look, I'm the youngest girl here. I also struggle with a lot more. I'm fifteen, I have bipolar with suicidal ideation. I'm also schizophrenic..."
"Ashley, what's going on?" Rona asked, the girl had a far off look in her eyes.
It's time now, kill yourself. No one will miss you.
Ashley watched beyond Rona's shoulder. The man with the deformed face had appeared. It looked horribly burned. Rona turned around but nothing was there.
"Ashley," Rona shook her. Ashley grabbed her arm and snapped it before slamming her head against the wall. She bolted. Ashley ran as fast as she could and ended up in the training room. Everyone in the room looked at the girl. The doors burst open and Vi grabbed her. She started screaming in terror.
"Let her go," Faith said. "Vi!" Vi let go,
"She broke Rona's arm and gave her a concussion."
"I don't give a damn." Faith walked over to her, "come with me." Faith led her to her temporary office and closed the door. "What's going on Ashley?" She poured a drink and without a second though gave it to her. The girl accepted it.
"I'm starting to hallucinate again." Faith noted the marks and burns on her arms.
"Your meds aren't working."
"It's worse this time. I tried overtaking my meds." Ashley had tried to commit suicide the night before. Her Slayer body ended up healing her.
"We make sure we don't give you your bottles anymore." Faith said quietly.
"I've been cheeking them for a month." Faith nodded and sat on her desk.
"I'm not Buffy. Or Willow, or Vi. I'm not gonna sugar coat this shit. You need to be in the hospital. I know when we found you, you were in lock down and under suicide watch. You remember what happened with those demons. I know you are scared but you have to."
"I can't!" Her entire body was rigid and she started shaking. The girl had a bad life growing up. She watched her parents get murdered in front of her, then she found her grandmother dead on her tenth birthday. She ended up in a foster family and then she ran away when she was eleven. She lived on the street until a year ago.
"Hey, calm down. Finish your drink. I'll stay with you while you're in placement."
"Are you sure you're Faith?" The girl asked quietly with a small laugh.
"That's an issue, see... You're not gonna live to see that hospital." Kennedy said, she used her powers and Faith slammed against a wall. Ashley felt a blade get crammed into her stomach.
"Why?" She sputtered. She coughed and blood was forced out of her mouth. Kennedy just smiled and ripped the blade out. She slashed her throat and wrote a message on the wall.
"I will fucking end you!" Faith screamed, Kennedy's eyes turned wihte.
"No you won't." She disappeared. Faith slid down the wall. For the first time in almost twenty years a tear escaped her.
"We have a code blue!" She screamed, she got up and ran into the training room. Buffy and Dean were screaming at each other.
"Are you really gonna patronize me?" Buffy asked,
"You are not going out on patrol, you just came back from the dead!"
"Hey! Code blue," Faith said. She was shaking and had a wild look in her eyes. They all followed her. Willow covered her mouth. There was a blonde girl standing next to her. That's when they saw the message,
'I decided to change teams. Hope you like the message. Love Kennedy.'
Buffy turned on her heel and walked out. Dean and Sam followed her.
"Buffy..." Sam started.
"Don't," she said.
"What do you mean don't?" Dean asked, his tone had an edge to it. "Are you really going after her? Are you fucking insane?!"
"I am not insane! I am doing what I do best, being the Slayer!"
"Oh, sorry warrior princess. Didn't mean to make you angry," his voice riddled with sarcasm.
"Why don't you shut the fuck up." Buffy growled,
"I'm not losing you again!"
"Both of you calm down!" Sam piped up, Buffy glared at Dean before shoving past him.
Tara grasped Willow's arm.
"How are you here?" Willow asked quietly.
"I don't know..." Tara felt power surge through Willow. "Willow,"
"She's gonna pay."
"Are you really gonna walk away?" Dean called as he followed Buffy.
"I don't need protecting. You above all people should know that." He rolled his eyes,
"Sure didn't look that way when I saved you from Crowley." Buffy whipped around,
"Don't you dare." She said, "don't you dare say that. I could've gotten out of there."
"He would have killed you." Dean said with stony resolve.
"Me and death are very non mixy things." Buffy said, "I just came back from the dead for a third time."
"I don't want it to happen again." Dean said quietly.
"I get it. You are over protective to an annoying extent." Buffy said,
"Then stop doing stupid shit!" Buffy shook her head,
"I'm doing my job."
"There are thirty other Slayers here. Send one of them."
"It's not gonna work! I'm not sending one of them to their death." Buffy said coldly. Dean had only seen this side of Buffy once. He did what he knew how to do best. Be an asshole.
"Yeah cause that'll work out so well. What's your problem sweetheart, afraid I'm right?"
"Are thou serious right now?" She asked,
"I don't know, am I?"
"Don't do this." Buffy said, "please don't do this."
"I don't know what you're talking about princess." Buffy glared at him,
"You're an ass," she said. "You can either support me or not, but I am still going after that bitch." Dean and Buffy's faces were exactly alike. An unwavering mask of stubbornness. Shockingly Dean dropped his gaze. "That's what I thought." She said, she walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him.
"I'll be okay," she assured.
"You'll be okay if we go home." She rolled her eyes and huffed in annoyance.
"You're impossible." She said stepping back. "You know, I thought I was stubborn." She began, "like, really stubborn. But then you waltz into my life and I'm like, yeah I can deal with this. But no, I did not expect you to be this stubborn. You are giving Dawn a run for her money mister. I didn't see you like this when we were together last time."
"Buff, you aren't going after her." Willow's voice sounded. When she turned to face the door her heart sunk. Willow's hair and eyes were grey. "I am. Buff... You're not strong enough. She's a demon and she's gonna pay." Willow said with a smile.
"Thank you!" Dean said, Buffy glared at him.
"See you around Buffy." Willow disappeared,
"We're all gonna die," Buffy whispered as a lone tear escaped her.
Faith glared at the punching bag. Expecting it to somehow burst into flames. Finally she punched it full force and the chains snapped. The bag soared across the training room. She screamed in frustration. Throwing knives ended up embedded in the brick. Axes chopped off the heads of training dummies and throwing stars stuck into the doors.
She then walked to the brick wall and started punching. As hard as she could, over and over. Hoping to feel something. When she felt a hand on her should her elbow moved faster than she could think.
"Damn it," a voice exclaimed. She turned around and was caught off guard by Sam standing there. She then looked down at her hands. She didn't even feel nauseous when she saw the bone of her knuckles in a few places. She then looked at the wall. The brick work was cracked and a good bit of it was crumbled on the floor.
Then she felt the pain she had known would come. She just gritted her teeth.
"Son of a bitch." She gripped, Sam gave her an empathetic look.
"Are you okay?" He asked, she snorted.
"Sure, we'll go with that. I'm fucking fantastic." She rubbed her wrist.
"You really destroyed this place." He said looking at the damage.
"A girl died under my watch." She said, "I was there and I couldn't do a damn thing about it." Faith balled her fists. She looked down at her hands again. At least they'd started to heal. "I need a smoke. Nice talking to ya Sam." She turned on her heel and walked out. A lot of the girls had shocked expressions. She realized her hands were covered in blood and Sam didn't follow her out.
"He's fine!" She snapped at one of the girls who tried to ask her. Once she made it outside she finished her pack out of her pocket along with her lighter. The night air nipped at her skin. It was cold, unusually cold for September. That made her uneasy. It was the very beginning of September, it shouldn't feel like the middle of November.
She tugged her jean jacket closer around her. The cherry of cigarette illuminated her face as she took a drag. She couldn't help the overwhelming feeling of dread that was building up inside her. Faith was already a very paranoid person. But when she could feel a set of eyes on her and her Slayer instinct kick in she knew something was off.
She dropped her cigarette and looked around. Being in such a small town added to the feeling of paranoia. Her eyes scanned the darkness. Nothing was there. She turned to walk back inside when she felt a searing pain in her side. She had been stabbed. She grunted. Her adrenaline set in and she spun around with a closed fist.
"What the hell!" She heard Buffy yell in pain. She clutched the knife in her side. The blood flowed from the wound.
"B..." Faith fell to the ground.
"Faith!" She tried to rush over. Buffy had just gotten back from her house after changing. Perks of living right around the corner. Easy access to a private shower to wash away demon blood when she needed to. She saw the silver gleam of knife in the moonlight and a lot of blood. "Can you hear me?"
"Behind you," Faith managed to say. Buffy felt someone grip her shoulders. She slammed her foot down on the things foot before sending her elbow backwards. She heard ribs crack. When she turned around she came face to face with the scariest thing she'd probably ever seen.
It was ebony black. Black flesh, hollow black eyes that somehow glowed at the same time. Extremely malnourished body log arms to the point it's hands were almost touching the pavement. That's when it happened. The most terrifying noise came out of it. It was a bellow combined with a high pitched scream. Before Buffy could blink she felt a weird pain and she looked down.
Its slender hand had punctured through her right above her collarbone. She grabbed its arm and squeezed. She heard a satisfying crack and it's hand retracted. It screamed, or wailed. Faith pulled the knife out of her side. She felt lightheaded. She fumbled for her phone.
"Red, you need to get outside." She passed out completely. Willow appeared. When she saw the creature she could feel darkness radiating from it. She let her magic flare. The creature was incredibly fast. By the time she had attacked it was gone with Faith.
"What the fuck was that thing?!" Buffy asked, "where is Faith?"
"Buffy, go inside and stay there. It was a cave dweller."
"You seriously can't expect me to-"
"Now!" Willow barked, Buffy new that if this thing was scaring Willow. If Willow was using both sides of her something was wrong and she needed to listen. "You and Giles need to do research. They haven't been seen in over 4,000 years." Buffy ran inside. Her arm was limp and her nerves were screaming at her.
When Dean saw her he rolled his eyes.
"Don't you start with me. This wasn't me going after Kennedy. It was cave dweller."
"What the fuck is that?" Then he noticed the blood and the gaping wound in her shoulder. "Buffy," he began.
"I am well aware there is hole in my shoulder. Get Giles and Sam. Tell them to come to the infirmary. We have some research to do." Buffy said with a nod before walking away.
"Damn it. Vi!" Buffy screeched,
"I gave you the bottle of booze for a reason. We ran out of that numbing stuff..." She was searching for the word but couldn't remember it.
"Novocaine," Buffy said through gritted teeth as another stitch was pulled through her skin. She relented and took the bottle of tequila and chugged a good deal of it. By the time she had made it to the infirmary the wound had sealed to the point she needed stitches. At least there was no gaping hole. At least that's what Vi had told her.
Buffy finished off the bottle within twenty minutes. She was drunk, which made the pain very insignificant. Yet it didn't stop her from complaining.
"Vi!" Buffy pouted, "this hurts..."
"No it doesn't," the redhead responded.
"Yes it does!" Buffy slurred in protest. Giles walked in, followed by Dean and Sam. Buffy waved at Dean. "Vi looks, 's my boyfriend. Hi Dean!"
"Before you all start with the judgement we ran out of Novocaine." Vi said before returning to the stitches.
"Dean," Buffy whispered loudly. "I'm drunk." She broke down into fits of laughter. Vi smacked the side of her head. "Hey!"
"Quit moving, I'm about to put the last two in." Vi finished quickly. "Fifty stitches." She said, "that injury could have been fatal if you didn't come strait here."
"Don't say that in front of him" Buffy said drunkenly, trying to point in Dean's direction. "He won't let me do anything ever again. Controlling asshole." Buffy said with a pout. Dean looked like a deer caught in the headlights.
"At least I'm not the only one who thinks so," Sam muttered. Dean slammed his boot down on Sam's foot. "Jerk!" Sam yelled,
"Bitch," Dean retorted. Buffy giggled.
"Now, Willow said it was a Cave Dweller?" Giles asked,
"Yes," she slurred. "She said they were ollld."
"What's a Cave Dweller?" Vi asked,
"A sub human specifies they warped by an ancient dark magic." Giles said, "this is quite extraordinary."
"They have Faith!" Buffy sobbed. "It stabbed her and then it took her."
"Yes, but Willow went after the creature did she not?"
"Yeah," Buffy said.
"I'm gonna go grab my laptop." Sam said, "this may make it quicker."
"No! I have my books." Giles protested, "I actually have a three volume series that was made by the being who created them."
"And who was that?" Sam asked; Dean felt completely lost. They were sucking away about Shit he didn't care about. Did Buffy really think he was that controlling?
"Hecate," Giles said. "The God's of Europe have existed since the creation of earth." He explained,
"You want to risk pissing off a God?" Sam asked incredulously.
"I'm afraid we don't have any other option."
Willow found a cave in the woods not far away from the Council building. What cued her in as to where the creature had taken her was the immense dark magic that poured off it. It was intoxicating. She felt her power clash with it.
She walked in and was struck off guard by the size of the cavern the gleaned bellow her.
"Utriusque lumen," she said. A giant orb of white light appeared. She willed her magic and it floated down into the hole. It illuminated a chamber. She muttered something under her breath before jumping. She landed on her feet gracefully and the light followed her.
There were large pillars the surrounded the hole on all sides. She then realized the hole wasn't natural or not anymore that is. What made her stop and think a was how advanced the architectural work was. There was no way the creatures did this. They were simple minded, driven by hunger and hatred. She looked around and saw a large do door at the far end of the open room.
It was carved in stone and had strange markings, but a door none the less. As she walked forward she heard strange noises all around her. Then there was the sound of running. She let all her power surface and there was a horrifying screech. She turned around and came face to face with one of the creatures.
"Hi, I'm Willow." It's jaw started to unhinge. Then a foul smelling black liquid began to pour. She realized it was blood.
"Graak, miir, un, ney, chi." It could talk... Its long arms started to stretch out. "Graak, miir, un, ney, chi." It repeated, Willow twisted her hand. A strange sound escaped it. It fell to its knees and bowed at her feet. "Graak, miir, un, ney, chi." Its voice didn't remotely resemble a human. It sounded like ones would if they had just woken from a coma and hadn't talked din years. It was gravely and dry.
"You took my friend." Willow said, it nodded. Again, that had her thinking. Architecture, primitive speech. What the hell was going on?
"Hecate," it said. It rose into a kneeling position. It stretched its arm out and pointed a finger at Willow. "Hectae. Graak, miir, un, ney, chi." Hecate, it thought she was the goddess of monsters and darkness... That was rather humbling.
"No, I am Willow." She said, over pronouncing each word.
"Wil... Willow. Graak, miir, un, ney, chi." What the hell was it saying?! She felt a strange feeling wash over her. Before she could stop herself she spoke.
"Creature rise! Where did you take her?" It rose to its feet. It was on the other side of the room before she could blink. It stood next to the door. Willow reached the other side of the room in two minutes. It pointed at the door.
"Graak, miir, un, ney, chi." It emphasized its point by tapping its finger against the door. So it was talking about the door. Interesting... By this point she was extremely curious. But she held her tongue.
"Is this where my friend is?" It nodded, it mimed cutting its palm and then pointed at the door. Willow extend her hand. It took out a beautiful silver knife and cut her palm. It showed her what to do once more.
"In, there." It said, how is this possible? She had become what she hated most. A prejudice person. She judged before she knew the truth. Willow how dare you? Her conscience spoke. She had come here with murder in mind... Though this things treated her... Like a God. Like Hecate.
"Do you think I am Hecate?" It nodded, it completely understood what she said.
Buffy was curled against Dean's side. They were in the library.
"I don't think you're a controlling asshole." She spoke up. In an hour she had sobered up almost completely. "There is a reason drunk Buffy stays locked in a cage." Dean scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Okay you are a controlling asshole. But you are my controlling asshole and I wouldn't have it any other way."
"We need to get out of this town. I'm getting stir crazy." He said,
"After Kennedy gets dead then yes. We can go on a huntcation." He raised an eyebrow at her, "it's a hunt but also a vacation. Huntcation." He smirked, "don't you dare, that was one of my better ones."
"What ever you say princess." Buffy rolled her eyes. She laid her head against his chest.
"Aha!" Giles exclaimed, he then slammed his fist down on the table. "God damn it! What language is this written in!"
"Rupert," Rowena tsked. "Mind your language, there are children present." Of course she had to help. Buffy could tell Dean hated her with a burning passion. Sam seemed to hate her more. She looked at the pages. "Of course you can't read it. It's in Enochian."
"Why would a Greek goddess write three volumes in the language of the Angels?" Giles asked angrily. "Fuck these books!" He smacked them off the table and ripped his glasses off. He pinched the bridge of his nose, "I can handle archaic Latin, Sumerian, Babylonian, bloody Mesopotamian and every language in between. But of course it had to be in the one language that no human knows!"
He slammed his fist on the table.
"Bullocks!" Buffy had never seen the man disrespect books. The severity of the way he was acting led her to believe something else was going on.
"Guys, I need to talk with Giles." Dean, Sam and Rowena gave her questioning looks. "Slayer business... Aka my payment plan. So scooch." She lied but they all bought it. All except Rowena. "I know how to kill witches. I don't need anything special either." Rowena rolled her eyes and walked out.
"Giles, what's going on?" He just hung his head,
"Olivia... She," he couldn't finish.
"Oh god..."
"Vampires," he said. Buffy walked up to him and hugged him tightly.
"You'll get through this. You always do."
"Buffy this situation is entirely different. I called her here because..." He stepped back and whipped away a stray tear. He pulled out a small jewelry box. Inside was beautiful engagement ring. "I was going to propose tomorrow." Buffy's heart shattered.
"Oh my god, Giles..." She felt horrible for him.
"She took the lot down with her. So in that regard I am beaming with pride." He said bitterly.
"You need to go home." Buffy said, "we can work this without you. You need to go home. Drink stuffy old people scotch and rock out to some serious tunes." He smiled slightly, "see? My wildly insensitive self can still make you smile. There is still hope." She said, though she could tell he was completely heartbroken.
"Are you sure you don't need help?" He asked,
"In sure we do. But you need to not be here." For the first time ever Buffy watched Giles walk away from his work completely. There would be no calls of helpful tips, there would be no disappearing but still lending a hand. He was actually just walking away to do something extraordinary. Take time for himself. Buffy had never seen him look so broken. Yeah, he loved Jenny. But he was actually ready to tie the knot with Olivia and it all blew up in his face.
Faith woke up and groaned. Where was she? What was that thing? She looked at her surroundings. She was in a stone cell. She could hear a familiar voice but it was muffled. She could also here an extremely creepy, gravely voice.
"Graak, miir, un, ney, chi."
"What the fuck?" She got up. The wound in her side was... Bandaged. What the hell, usually evil things didn't take care of you. Another thing. She was on a bed... Sort of. It wasn't completely dark either. There was a candle, alone on the wall. Just enough light so she could see. "Hey!" She screamed. Then panic began to set in. There was no door. She was in a stone cell, completely trapped.
Then there was a rumbling and the door opened. A bright white light cast a silhouette of a woman and a very tall figure.
"Did I die?" She asked out loud.
"Nope, I'm staging a jail break." Willow's voice was very welcomed.
"Red, you have no idea how glad I am to see you." There was one of those creatures standing next to Willow.
"You need to leave." Willow snapped her fingers and Faith was gone. She turned to the creature. What she was about to say was the most cliche line ever. "Take me to your leader." The creature walked away a human pace so Willow could keep up. It started pointing at things like it was having conversation with her. Honestly she felt like a tourist. She then remembered that she was hunting Kennedy.
"I have to leave. I have to find Kennedy."
"Leader, help, you." It said, Willow would take all the help she could get. Even if it was from ancient, creepy humanoids. "Not, creepy."
"Can you read my mind?"
"Yes," it said. "That, how, I, speak, you, language. You, look, like, leader. You, look, like, queen." Willow didn't know what it meant. She only knew it was a Cave Dweller because of a description and image he had seen in a very old book.
"Are you the only one here?" It made what sounded almost pained.
"Had, brothers, sisters. I, am, left. Alone. I, am, last, one."
"What happened to your brothers and sisters?" She asked,
"Girl, with, red, blade. Kill." It looked st her, "scythe, burns. Slayer." The Slayer had eradicated the species.
"Are you actually evil?"
"Yes, no. Slayer, not evil... She, do, job. I, do, job. I, am, balance. Between, good, hatred."
"I thought Elaure is that balance?"
"I, am, balance, good, hatred. The, Key, is, balance, of, all, things. I, serve, her, and, my, queen. I, keep, balance, in, their, absence. Alone, I, remain." Willow understood what it meant. The Key, or Dawn, or Elaure was the balance of all things. But in her absence it was this creatures job and it's job alone to maintain it.
The scythe was used to eradicate every single one of them except him or her. This must have happened a long time before the scythe was sealed away.
"I, am, boy." It clarified,
"Can you please not read my mind?" She asked,
"My, job. I, see, all, I, read mind, of, all." She understood that... On some level. There was a creepy factor to it. That he could see all people's thoughts. But it was his job. What he was created for. The more and more she got to know him, the more her heart felt for him.
"Do you have a name?" She asked,
"I, am, nameless. Forever, shall, I, remain, nameless."
"Can I call you Rasp because of your voice?" She asked with a giggle.
"I, like, Raspy." He decided after a long moment, "I, never, had, name. I, was, created, before, Slayer, was, created."
"You were created over twenty thousand years ago?" She asked him, "we're you ever human?"
"Once, was, I? Yes, human, I, once, was."
"Why did you attack Buffy?"
"She, hurt, me." He sounded so sad. "I, always, hurt. People, no, understand. I, am, nice. I, am, pure." Willow then felt it. Pure magic had almost a similar feel as dark magic. Only if you focused hard enough you felt calmness and peace. He had been alone for thousands of years! Misunderstood! Shame on the people who judged him. Shame on herself!
"I'm sorry I thought you were evil." Willow amended.
"You, never, did." It said with certainty. "You, were, trying, to, save, friend. But, I, had, to, get, you, to, come, here." They can upon a set of doors made of iron. It pushed them open. Willow saw a massive thrown. Sitting in was an ebony haired woman.
This scared Willow... Because the woman looked just like her.
"Hello, Willow." She felt the power the leaked from her voice.
"Hecate."
Faith face planted against a hardwood table.
"Son of bitch!" When she picked her head up to look around she realized she was in the library at Council HQ. Buffy was wide eyed.
"Hey B, miss me?" She climbed off the table and dusted herself off.
"Where the hell is Willow? Yes I missed you, but why didn't she come back?"
"She said that I had to leave. Then proof I slammed face first into a table."
"Dean, we have to go get her!" Buffy exclaimed,
"No, you aren't going anywhere. In fact, we are going home."
"But-"
"B, I gotta agree with pretty boy there. Red can handle herself. Go home and catch some Z's... Or have a nice long fuck." She said, Buffy's cheeks turned bright red as Dean exclaimed,
"I am not pretty!"
"Sure you aren't. Dude, no offense, but you look like a KenDoll."
"I do not! I am a rugged, sexy beast." Buffy just sunk into the couch.
"As if," Faith scoffed. Buffy realized how Faith worked. Ashley was dead and Faith was moving on like nothing happened. It was the only way the girl knew how to cope. If Buffy was being honest with herself that's the only reason she hadn't broken down.
"Seriously dude, male model. B, come on, you have to agree. He's a pretty boy."
"No, I am a rugged, sexy beast."
"Sorry Faith, Dean's got you on this." Faith rolled her eyes,
"Thank you sweetheart."
"If my opinion matters, Dean does look like a KenDoll." Sam chimed in as he sat down.
"You're biased," Buffy said.
"Not really." Vi said from the door way. "Sorry, you do look like a male model." This went on for another half an hour. Then Willow appeared with the creature.
"Don't shoot! He's not evil!" Willow exclaimed as Dean and Sam had their guns trained on the creature. Buffy and Faith had dropped into fighting stance. And then there was Vi who looked extremely lost.
"What happened to kill first and ask questions later?"
"Buff!" Willow whined, "you know? You are prejudice! I understand how it feels to be oppressed and left alone. No one needs that. Just because he's different doesn't mean he doesn't have feelings, damn it!" Buffy couldn't make sense of the situation. Though she realized Willow's eyes and hair had returned to normal.
"Where did that come from? I'm not prejudice. Damn thing stabbed me!"
"You hurt him. He reacted." Buffy shook her head.
"God, he's ugly." Dean said, "seriously man. I have seen some ugly fucking things hunting. But you," he whistled. "You take the cake."
"Yeah, seriously!" Faith said, "you ever try moisturizer? It really helps with those wrinkles."
"Not, ugly. Unique." Rasp said,
"You tell em' like it is, Rasp!" Willow cheered, Vi ever the clueless. She decided instead of going about it like every one else she would use a different approach.
"Its very nice to meet you, Rasp. I'm Vi." She said with a smile. Though in truth he freaked her out. Major creep factor. But if Willow trusted him then she would too.
"Rasp! You named it?!" Buffy exclaimed,
"Him!" Vi and Willow yelled at her. Tara walked in. She didn't know anyone was in there. She had come to think. It didn't make sense to her why she was still here. She was a higher being. She shouldn't be here still.
"What do you think Tara?" Buffy asked, Tara looked up, startled. In front of her was a Cave Dweller.
"I-I..." She steadied herself. She was no longer that girl. She straightened her back and walked forward. "It is nice to finally meet you." She bowed, this creature worked behind the scenes.
"Tara, Maclay. You, show, kindness. I, thank, you."
"He is good." Tara said, "but why did you leave her?"
"She, said, go, with, Willow." Tara nodded,
"W- Willow, can I talk to you. The rest of you. Treat him with respect."
"I don't want his creepy ass starin' at me!" Dean exclaimed,
"Rasp, come with me to my office." Vi said with a smile, as she walked away she stuck her tongue out at Dean. Sam was the only one who didn't say anything.
He was outside of Lucifer's prison. He saw his eyes. Sam had sat down almost immediately after Willow said it wasn't evil. He had gotten a splitting headache.
"Hey," Lucifer said. "God, it took me two days to crack through her ward. Phew, is she strong." He meant it too.
"What the fuck do you want?" Sam asked, he really was sick of this. "You know, I actually actively prayed. For a sign from God about how to defeat Amara. But I bet it was all you."
"Guilty," he said. "Sam! Come on. Look, just say it. Yes..."
"Fuck off."
"I remember when being an Archangel used to get you respect. Now it's just, wah, my life sucks. I want the newest IPhone. Not, holy shit, I'm talking to Lucifer. I should watch my mouth." He sucked in a breath, "did I go too far? Sam, if I have offended you, in any way, just tell me."
"What the hell is your problem?" Sam asked,
"What the hell is yours? It's been five years! God! So much sexual tension, I'm dyin' over here Sammy! Don't you love me?" Sam rolled his eyes in disbelief.
"Put me back," he said evenly. "The answer is no. It will always be no."
"Come on," Lucifer said with a smile. "We had so much fun together!" He shrugged, "i'll get ya."
Sam had collapsed grabbing his head. He couldn't make tails of what was going on. Just that there were a lot of concerned voices around him. His eye couldn't focus on anything. He didn't know what was going on. He felt like someone had hit in the head with hammer and from experience he knows how that feels.
He felt like he couldn't breathe. His entire body burned like it was on fire. His eyes stung with tears, or so he hoped were tears.
"Sam? Sammy!" Dean called. Sam's eyes weren't able to focus.
"What the hell is going on?" Buffy asked.
A/N: So, I love writing Lucifer.
Thank you to, Scaramou, for the helpful hints for writing Dean. I have been reading fics left and right to get help with getting his snark down.
All of you who are reading I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Leave a review, they really help keep me going.
