On Your Marks
Chapter 10:
It was a busy Saturday in Mystic Falls. Shoppers and leisure seekers occupied the streets, passing her without a second glance as she walked past the town hall. In an attempt to conceal herself from being recognised as the country's top news story. She wore a large pair of sunglasses over her eyes and tied her hair up in a pony tail, something she vowed that she'd never do again when all this was over.
The plan was falling apart. D was in jail, Stefan was out of allies, blondie and her mom couldn't do much more without getting in serious trouble and for all she knew the kid and her original partner were halfway to Katherine by now, and the way D talks it up Rebekah's pretty jonesin' for the cure. The news that Kakistos may still be alive unsettled. The news that he was close unsettled her even more. She couldn't do nothing. But she had to tie up a few lose ends first.
"Salvatore!" called a guard into Damon's cell. He looked up broodingly, the peeling white paint doing nothing for his complexion, at an officer, "you got a visitor."
"Oh goody," he grinned half-heartedly, not knowing whether it was little brother to the rescue, Faithy returning the favour or some defence lawyer trying to make a name for themselves. His cell door opened and the officer led him to a tiny box room with fencing over the windows, pasty walls and pipes clanging above. Damon met the gaze of Klaus as he sat leaned back on the chair, legs and arms folded, scowling at him. Damon returned the scowl with a look of confusion. He sat down and the officer left the room. "What're you doin' here?" Damon asked sceptically.
"I just received a rather interesting phone call from Rebekah and Elena," Klaus announced expressionless, "I thought you were handling this Damon. My sister wants nothing more than this cure and if she gets it then-"
"Your army of hybrids goes out the window like a bad smell, I get it. But I'm a little tied up at the minute," Damon said cunningly, he knew Klaus had a plan to get him out of this mess.
"I ought to leave you in here to rot," Klaus spat, leaning in towards him.
"But you won't," Damon grinned leaning in too, "cos you need me." Klaus pulled away in frustration. "So what's the plan?" Damon asked.
"I've told them you were in Los Angeles visiting your dying aunt and that the only explanation for the Slayer being in the car with you is that you must have picked her up from the side of the road," Klaus explained.
"And they bought that?" Damon asked through furrowed brow.
"I greased a few palms," he admitted reluctantly.
"So I'm free to go?" Damon almost applauded.
Klaus paused, "find my sister and Elena and the cure, Damon. Or I'll leave you to rot somewhere far worse than a jail," he threatened.
"So this guy," Elena began, "had his heart ripped out after tripping for days on a wolf bite...and you think we should-"
"If you have any better ideas Elena I'm all bloody ears but for now this is all we've got," she interrupted.
"No, no," Elena said back, gesturing open palm surrender, "this is all getting kinda complicated, just making sure I'm still on the same page. So what exactly is our next move?"
"Your lover seems pretty sure that this Will person must've been in contact with Katherine recently, calling the police on the slayer won't have slowed them down for long but it gives me-us, a decent head start," explained Rebekah as she grabbed a set of keys from the wreckage that was the floor and started toward her car.
"A head start where?" Elena called after her in frustration.
"New York," she called back.
"Goody," Elena replied half-heartedly, "but can we stop for snacks first?" she asked as she followed her accomplice, I haven't eaten anyone in like 4-" before Elena could finish, her face was met with sudden force from a fist that sent her off her feet and crashing to the pavement. Rebekah whirled round and her eyes met Faith's in a stare that burned holes through both their skulls.
"Sorry, couldn't find the doorbell," Faith smiled.
"Rebekah, Faith, Faith, Rebekah," Elena winced as she started getting up.
"I don't believe we've had the pleasure," Rebekah began nervously, the tales her father told of the slayer playing like Polaroid's in her mind.
"So New York, huh? That's where Katherine is?" Faith asked. Rebekah just tore holes in her skin with her stare, watching Elena get into position in her periphery. "You gotta' be the first blonde I've met that-"
"Why do you even care about the cure?" Rebekah cut in, "I've seen the news, convicted on murder charges, assault, battery, theft...you'd have been locked up till your hair turned grey and the oceans swallowed half of the south pacific, you could be anywhere in the world right now and yet you stand in the way of something your 'supposed' destiny has no concern for."
Faith dwelled on this for a second or two. Rebekah was right. Where had this innate sense of duty started from? A duty to D for helping her out way back when. A duty to avenge Diana, however many times it took. The prospect that she could board a plane anywhere in the world, one of those soon to be swallowed islands in the south pacific maybe. And yet, here she was in Mystic Falls. "You wouldn't understand," she breathed. She felt Elena try to grab the collar of her jacket in a surprise attack, Faith was hesitant to start anything with Rebekah, as was Rebekah with her, the original vs. vampire slayer playing field being ambiguous, but Elena she knew had no chance. Faith cupped Elena's hand in her, twisting out of her grasp and swiping her daylight ring from her finger. The sun singed her skin as she winced in pain and bolted back into the house. "Not lettin you get that cure, blondie."
"Just try to stop me," Rebekah advanced towards her. She grabbed Faith by the shoulders and tossed her through a window in the house. The glass tearing shears in her clothes and skin as she landed on one of Rebekah's expensive Persian's, blood staining the pattern. Rebekah whipped Elena's ring from the paving and tossed it to her. The pair were in the car, flying down the drive and out of sight in seconds.
"What happened?" a familiar voice called. Faith turned and found Stefan's gaze as he paced toward her.
"Great timing little S," she retorted sarcastically. "Rebekah and Elena just made a break for Katherine."
"They know where she is?" he asked eagerly.
"New York," she scowled.
"Well let's go."
"New York's a big place, Stefan," she replied as she made to exit the scene, the wreckage that was now Rebekah's house was going to be swarming with cops any second. Stefan jogged up to her.
"Where are you going?"
"No offence, Stef but I've never been one for team work. You guys sprung me to get this done and I will...my way."
"Getting your ass handed to you by an Original, yeah, really working out for ya," he jibed. She shot a glare at him that rattled his spine. "Look I just mean we should regroup. Damon's out of jail and back at the house with Caroline so instead of running of half cocked we need a plan."
He ranted at her until they reached the end of the road and she agreed to head back to the house with him. If it would shut him up and she could get a good night's sleep she was more obliged to give in.
"Is it even safe to have America's most wanted back here?" Caroline said as Faith joined them in the living room in a fresh set of clothes. Caroline, Bonnie, Stefan and Damon gathered around in a circle, the fire crackling in the background.
"The police have been through here with a microscope, and since my good name has been cleared this is probably the safest place for her to be," Damon replied.
"What are we going to do about Elena?" Bonnie asked, "her and Rebekah are hours ahead of us." Faith hadn't met Bonnie until now, something about her made her bad juju sensors peak.
"Well we have to do something we can't just wait and hope this 'werewolf Will' is a dead end," added Caroline.
"The cure isn't going to just turn up at the door, we have to be smart about this, Elena is a volatile and Rebekah will do just about anything to get her hands on the cure," Stefan mirrored.
Everybody's attention was caught by the doorbell ringing about the house. "Or I stand corrected." Faith was closest the door and so turned to answer it. There was the sound of the lock turning, the door opening and then...nothing.
"Faith," Damon called, brow furrowed. She came back into view, walking backwards, eyes wide, hands shaking, atmosphere electric, gaze fixated on something not yet in view for the others.
"You didn't think I'd find you did you," a voice declared. A figure of blonde hair falling on a dark blazer entered the sitting room.
"B, i- it's not what you think," Faith stammered nervously. Buffy surveyed her surroundings, taking in the faces looking at her in confusion and apprehension, then she had to do a double take. Stefan rose to his feet.
"Anne?"