Heya guys. Thanks so much (yet again) for all the reviews, it's really amazing!!
To all of you who sed you think I don't like Faith much- you made me laugh *grins*, have u read any of my other faith stories?
And to all of you who asked what's going to happen… not telling!! That's the point of the story!! *grins again*
Oh, and all you who said I clearly enjoy giving you all the stress of cliffies… well, you were right. :D So so fun. Lol.
So…
All go read witchlight, Becks89 and shootingstar19's stories cos they are extremely groovy.
!!HAPPY EASTER EVERYBODY!! (yey holidays, no school, lotsa writing time, and … L revision for AS exams… oh well)
This chapter is a little shorter than usual, but I think you will see, and hopefully understand, that I just got to a place where it needed to end.
Chapter 35-Five by Five
Landing cat like on the ground several floors below, Buffy winced, and straightened,
"Note to self, don't do that again." She murmured, then set off at a dead run towards the Hogwarts limits. She had tried to apparate despite what Harry had told her, but nothing had happened, so she'd decided to do the next best thing. She ran full speed until she passed through the Hogwarts gates, when she disapparated with a loud crack, and found herself in a field, not far from a huge old stone house which was the biggest marked building on the map. From the uber-creepy vibe Buffy was getting, it was almost certainly Voldemort's current base of operations.
Buffy ducked quickly behind a nearby bush, and carefully surveyed the area. There was nobody around. She could see no one at the windows, and no one guarded the door on the outside- clearly Voldemort didn't expect any visitors. Buffy patted her hair to ensure she still had her wand, and checked her trousers for a stake.
"Show time." She said to herself. She ran quickly towards the house, irritated that there was no more cover, but truly more bothered about getting in quickly. She peered through a couple of windows, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Moving to the front door, Buffy lifted the knocker, and knocked loudly twice. Then she quickly backed up, hiding just out of sight. She heard muffled voices, someone saying,
"I don't see anybody."
"You sure? There must be someone, that wasn't the bloody wind!"
"Look for yourself."
"The master isn't gonna be happy about this."
"Come on, we'd better check. Isn't that slayer meant to be bringing the Potter b…" But he never got to say more. That was all Buffy had needed to hear, so at that moment she had rushed forward and kicked the partially open door hard, knocking the man unconscious. The other one drew his wand, but never got to use it as a fist floored him in moments. Buffy shook her head in disbelief- this is what they put on guard? Though she had never voiced the thought, knowing everyone else was thinking it too, she had been sure that if Faith was working with Voldemort, the dark lord would now know that Buffy was the slayer. But if that was the case, then why was there only two incompetent Death Eaters on guard? Buffy proceeded more cautiously, her heart thumping in her chest as she went. She was in a long hall, with several doors leading off from it. Each door she tried was locked, and somehow she felt she should check them all before she started with alohomora.
Buffy turned the handle of the very last door, and met no resistance. Her heart in her mouth, Buffy pushed the door open, and slipped round the side. Buffy's eyes traced the room from the door in the opposite corner- it looked like a sitting room, decorated almost medievally. Suddenly Buffy froze. Leaning casually against the back of a sofa, was Faith.
"I was wondering how long it would take you." She said, a very disturbing smile on her face.
"Faith." Buffy said, stepping in properly and closing the door. "Your guards are crap."
"Yeah, Voldy has a serious ego problem, not big on the security."
"Pretty stupid, considering." Buffy replied. Faith's lips quirked in amusement. "Didn't you tell him your other half might be dropping in?" Buffy said stiffly. Now Faith full out smirked,
"I told him I could handle it."
"You really think you can? Three months in a coma can't do much for your skills, and I beat you before that."
"I remember. How'd it feel, by the way?" Faith said, sounding genuinely curious. "Y'know, sliding that knife right into me? Stabbing me like another worthless demon?" Buffy felt bile rising in her throat, her stomach churning, but she kept it from showing. "Oh, right." Faith continued before Buffy could say anything. "You think I'm worse than that, huh? Cos demons don't have souls, an' I do."
"I…" Buffy began, her mouth feeling incredibly dry. She bit back, knowing that Faith was trying to get at her. So she took control of the conversation. "Where's Harry?" She asked.
"The little bit? He's close enough by." Faith replied.
"Where is he?" Buffy repeated.
"You really love 'im, huh? Funny that you never mentioned that you had a little bro. What happened, your Mom produced him from a closet and said, oh by the way, this is your little brother?"
Buffy felt her teeth grinding.
"You have no idea." She said. Faith smiled sadly, and sighed,
"I think he loved you too, you know. The look in his eyes… it was like he was so shocked that you didn't make it, y'know? Like he couldn't believe it was ending without you."
"No." Buffy said weakly. "No. You didn't. You couldn't."
"Couldn't I?" Faith said, the smirk back. "Why the hell not, B? I'm a monster, remember?"
"No." Buffy repeated in barely more than a whisper.
"Yes." Faith replied with glee. Buffy starred at her in disbelief, studying Faith's face for some sign of the lie. She could see none, and as her eyes traced down, something caught her eye. Something on Faith's hand that was supporting her against the sofa in such a relaxed fashion. Red. Faith followed Buffy's gaze, and raised her hand, smiling, to show a streak of blood across her palm. She raised her eyes back to Buffy's and smiled.
Rage flared within the blonde slayer. She vaulted over a sofa, and cried in a barely human tone,
"You bitch… I'll kill you!"
"That's the spirit." Faith murmured, dropping into a fighting stance. Buffy swung a fist, and the dance began, each slayer dodging and striking, no holds barred. "Come on, B, you can do better than that!" Faith taunted. Buffy said nothing, just hitting every part of Faith's body she could reach. Faith spun away from a kick, and laughed maniacally. "You can't take me!" She declared, "No one can take me!" Buffy shut her mouth with a spinning kick, and Faith laughed again. "You have no idea, B." She chuckled.
"Then show me!" Buffy yelled. The battle stepped up to a level neither really knew existed, each moving so fast that conscious decisions were no part of it. Each knew the other's moves so well she could predict exactly what the other would do next, lashing and turning in perfect synchronicity. Each hit was countered immediately, neither faltering, until Buffy backhanded Faith across the face, and the dark haired slayer stumbled. A foot to the midriff took her down, and the next moment Buffy was straddling her waist, knees on the ground and stake raised. Her hand dropped quickly, but stopped as the tip of the stake grazed Faith's shirt. Faith was looking straight up, no shock or fear in her eyes. Her arms were free, and yet she made no move to stop the weapon. Buffy was breathing heavily from the most high speed fight she'd ever had, and she frowned. Faith looked up at her with annoyance.
"So you gonna do it or what?" She snapped. And something snapped within Buffy at the same time. She shook her head, not in answer, but something else. "You got this far, you've won. Do it." Faith snarled. Images and sounds were flowing through Buffy's mind, and her frown deepened, though she didn't raise the stake.
Triumph will not solve anything.
"No." Buffy said suddenly, standing up.
"What?" Faith exclaimed angrily. Buffy marched towards the door on the opposite side from which she had entered. "I killed your brother, idiot!" Faith cried. She ran after Buffy, grabbing at her arm as she reached the door. Buffy swung quickly, smacking Faith away. As Faith fell to the ground, Buffy turned the handle on the door, and pushed. Her world was in slow motion again, sound seeming dimmed to a minimum. She stepped into the room, and gasped. Sound, colour and speed rushed back as she ran to Harry's side. He was lying on the ground, gagged and tied, blood all around him, but wriggling, eyes wide- very much alive.
"Harry." Buffy exclaimed, pulling away the gag and starting on his ropes, "Oh god, Harry, are you ok?"
"Yeah." He said, sounding confused. "Yeah, I'm ok."
"She didn't hurt you?" Buffy asked.
"No." Harry replied.
"So where is Voldemort?" was the next question. In answer, Harry pointed with his newly freed hand. Buffy turned to look, and saw that a trail of blood lead from by Harry all the way over to a figure on the other side of the room. She frowned again- he was dressed in black robes, and as she walked cautiously over, she saw his skin was deathly pale. But he was unconscious, slumped on the floor. He too was bound with strips of some thick red material, and more blood was pooled on the floor around him. "What the hell?" Buffy murmured.
"I thought she was gonna kill me…" Harry began, but was interrupted by a terrible scream, of rage, rather than pain. Faith had reappeared in the doorway, and threw herself at Buffy, the fight resuming in moments.
"You have no idea what true evil is!" She yelled. Buffy dodged and hit when she could, but found her fury had faded into confusion. Faith shoved Buffy hard, and they rolled over each other back into the first room. As Faith yelled, "I 'm evil! I'm bad! You don't know what true evil is!" Over and over, things began to fall into place in Buffy's mind, and she no longer threw punches. She blocked Faiths shots as they came, and heard herself saying,
"I wont do it, Faith."
But still Faith continued, until her voice cracked, and the screams became sobs,
"Just do it!" She wailed, "I'm evil, so do it already! Just kill me! Why wont you kill me? Just do it! Just do it…" She seemed to crumble, her legs giving way, and Buffy sinking with her, supporting the other slayer with wide and comprehending eyes. "Just kill me…" Faith sobbed, tears flowing freely and Buffy wrapped her arms around the crying teen. Harry stood back, utterly bewildered, with no idea what to do. Apparently Faith was a lot more complicated than he had thought. Not long ago he had expected her to kill him, or to stand by and watch as Voldemort did, but now she was crouched on the ground, shaking like a child, though Harry hoped that no child would ever cry with such pain laced into every sob. Buffy clung to the other slayer, her face a mixture of relief, sorrow and confusion, but somehow understanding too. Harry felt his heart clench with pity for the girl he didn't know; for she who had bought him here, for some reason that he did not know.
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Hope you like- Any of you who watch angel will know that that was inspired by the scene where basically the same thing actually happens with Angel and Faith. It nearly made me cry when I saw it, so I just had to use it!!
I'm going away tomorrow (skiing, first time eva!!) and I wont be back til Easter, so I wont be able to update for a week, sorry!
So please review, and I'll update when I get back.
-Sam