It took Faith twenty minutes to find Andrew in the meandering tunnels – he was tied up with rope and a gag was tied firmly over his mouth. One of his trainers was also missing but Faith saw it off to the side - fluorescent yellow was a hard colour to miss.
When she pulled the gag off, it took him a moment or two to spit out what transpired to be one of his very own socks. "Wow, that is gross! Clearly they wanted you to shut up blondie. I'm Faith by the way - a Vampire Slayer." For a moment, she felt the old animosity stir at the fact that she could say the Vampire Slayer but she let it go.
Andrew paused in his monologue about Han Solo to look at her. "I'm confused - I thought there was meant to only be one... You know, like the Highlander."
Faith sighed at another reference she didn't get. "Short story - Buffy died, another was Called but she came back to life... So then there were two."
Andrew pondered on that for a moment. "Two is better anyway - like me and Warren... Or even me and Jonathan. I guess three works well too, is there another?" At Faith's glare, he went off on some rant about the perfect threesome in Star Wars - she had no clue as to what he was talking about.
It only took until Faith had completely untied him to understand why the Bringers would go to such lengths to make him be quiet. "Seriously dude, stop talking about sci-fi crap. Don't you think our world is bizarre and dangerous enough without you having to resort to living in Fantasy World?"
Andrew gasped indignantly. "It's not crap and it's not fiction," he felt the need to qualify, rolling his eyes as he did so, "for much longer anyways!"
Faith snorted. "Yeah whatever… you keep telling yourself that. Me, I live in the real world and fighting demons that want to kill us is bad enough without adding aliens into the mix." As she freed him from the last of the rope, she hauled him unceremoniously to his feet. "We need to get a move on – Buffy and Spike went on ahead of us."
Andrew, having been tied up for quite some time in a ridiculously uncomfortable position, fell down, face first on the ground. "Ow." He pouted as he was completely ignore by all the women. "Luke Skywalker would have had people lining up to help him." He muttered.
Faith rolled her eyes when he started complaining as the blood rushed back to previously numb limbs. "You have twenty seconds to shut up, stand up and starting moving or, I will forget that I'm meant to be good now and either beat you to a pulp or leave you here to take your chances with the rest of the Bringers… your choice."
Andrew gulped audibly, more than a little terrified of the dark haired woman, as his arm flailed uselessly about as he reached for the trainer that she had kicked in his direction. "I wish Buffy was here." One glance from Faith and he wisely shut up and stood as she had ordered him to.
eieio
The first was annoyed. It took a while to work out what exactly the emotion being felt was but, indeed, it was annoyed! Time to change from Jonathan to someone less volatile. After some consideration, it took on the form of Jenny Calendar. It was a form that it hadn't used in a long, long time - at least by human standards - but somehow it seemed that wherever It was, it was forced to choose forms of people that had lived and died in the area or who had family or friends there.
'Jenny' crossed her arms and drummed the fingers of her left hand against the skin of her upper right arm. A thoughtful look crossed her features as she decided what to do next. After a few moments, her face lit up as a plan formed: "What is needed is a Diversion!" She disappeared from the room.
When she reappeared, she stood somewhere in the Sewers and Tuk was standing nearby, looking at her. She almost purred as the old vampire bowed before her in deference to her supreme power. "Good, good… it's time to make your presence felt – I want you to snap a lot of necks so I can enjoy the sound and the look of horror on their faces!"
eieio
One minute the group were walking along, doing their best to tune out Andrew's inane chatter, the next all hell had broken loose… Perhaps things would have been different had Andrew not been with them – perhaps they would have been more focused on everything around them rather than playing 'Anywhere But Here' in their minds. It would be a question that would haunt Faith the rest of her days. The first sign of trouble registered as one of the Potentials – Violet - screamed in terror.
Faith hastily turned in time to see Kennedy's lifeless body slumping to the ground – Tuk had simply crept up on them as they walked on, oblivious to the world around them, and snapped her neck.
For a moment, all Faith could do was stare in shock – Kennedy was dead. She had been one of the few Potentials the Slayer had liked – at least when she was driving Buffy or the Watchers insane by asking them awkward questions and questioning their judgement on just about everything. Of course, it wasn't so much fun when the younger woman had started on her. Still, she had liked her… and now she was dead.
Her gaze turned slowly to the intruder whereupon her face paled visibly – standing in front of her was a creature not dissimilar to Kakistos – the very ancient vampire who had killed all those she had ever held dear back in her own home town what felt like a lifetime ago now.
For a moment all she wanted to do was to turn tail and run… run far away from the threat but she rallied a moment or two later – this wasn't Kakistos! This was something else... Her gaze flickered briefly to Kennedy's body... Something that was just as deadly! It could only be one of the uber-vamps that Buffy had spoken of. The Slayer swallowed hard as she pulled a stake from her jacket pocket and straightened – she could do this damnit - it was time to grow up and stop running!
She growled and rushed at the demon; intent on sending it back to the hell it had come from…
eieio
Tuk eyed the dark haired human that rushed towards him; a small piece of wood in her hand that he assumed was the weapon of choice. How pathetic! Did it really think that he could be killed so easily? He felt only disgust for the parasite – it and its fellow humans did not deserve to reside in this world – a world that rightfully belonged to him and his kin! He attacked ruthlessly.
eieio
As Buffy and Spike walked through the sewers, intent on getting 'home' to the Initiative, the vampire suddenly stopped dead. His eyes widened in alarm.
The young woman stopped as he stopped, her gaze turning to him, wondering why he'd stopped so suddenly. "Spike? What's wrong?" His expression caused butterflies in her tummy then, a bad sense of foreboding hitting her. "What is it?"
The vampire turned and gestured back the way they had come from. "Trouble. Someone screamed. That Vi chick, I think..."
Buffy didn't bother to wait and see if he had anything else to add - she took off, running as fast as she could back to the group. Spike did his best to keep up but he was still a little off after the beating he had received.
The Slayer arrived with the group seconds before Spike, just in time to see a bloodied and beaten Faith being flung into a wall hard. Faith didn't even move when she hit the ground. She was either out cold or dead… Buffy prayed it was the former.
Taking a quick look around, she registered Tuk, Kennedy's body and an axe held loosely in the grasp of Rhona who was clearly too shocked and stunned to remember any of her training – Buffy couldn't hold it against her as it was probably the first time she had seen someone slain in such a merciless manner before - the waste of life still sickened Buffy to the core but the Slayer in her was able to turn that to anger.
Without further thought, the older Slayer moved forward and grabbed the axe then turned to the uber-vamp. Ignoring Spike's worried 'be careful', she charged it.
Tuk only had time to snarl at the sight of his most hated adversary before the woman in question beheaded him without any preamble at all - the blonde didn't even bother with a pun when the deed was done.
Buffy let out a heavy sigh as she dropped the axe and dusted her hands clean of dead vampire ash. Her gaze then settled first on Faith then on Kennedy's body and her expression grew dark. She moved over to check for a pulse from the Potential but the angle her body was splayed and the fact that her eyes stared lifelessly ahead told her it was futile – and indeed it was.
Spike knelt down and checked Faith. "She's alive, love – pulse is strong. She'll live. Be a bit bruised and broken for a bit but Slayers heal fast, right."
Buffy nodded. "We need to get out of here." She lifted the young woman's dead body carefully into her arms as Spike did the same with Faith. The others might not remember Kennedy but she did – and she remembered how much she had done to help Willow, grounding her at a time when she had been completely lost. She deserved a proper burial and she would get it!
The Slayer gestured to the frightened group of remaining Potentials and Andrew to lead the way out – it would be easier to keep an eye on them if they were up front where she could see them.
eieio
It might have consoled them to know that they left behind a fuming First, currently wearing the body of the recently dead Potential. "They will regret the day that they ever met me and dared to challenge my plans!"
eieio
As they couldn't leave Sunnydale at a time when things were so hectic, Kennedy was buried in one of the local Cemeteries. The Service was overseen by one of the younger Watchers who went by the name of Michael - attractive in a stuffed-shirt-Wesley sort of way according to Faith. He had originally trained as a Priest until a vampire, right in front of him, killed his father. Only the presence of his father's well-trained Potential had saved him from the same fate. However, as an only child, he had felt it was his duty to take over from his father. He consoled himself with the fact that he was still doing God's work. Times like this, he felt that the change in career was for the best even more than usual.
It was a quick but beautiful service. Afterwards, Buffy stood at the graveside and stared vacantly ahead, thinking about lives lost. At least this time, she was making a full effort, right?
There was little comfort in that thought though - she should have stayed, made sure they were all fine instead of getting wrapped up in Spike - now Kennedy's name would be added to The List - people she had failed.
She sighed heavily as she knelt down to look at the grave in front of her, setting the rose she'd been holding since the start of the service at the top. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Kennedy. Sorry too that you didn't get to be with Willow this time around but thank you for being there when she needed you."
Letting out a heavy sigh, Buffy placed her hand on the grave in front of her for a moment. "Rest in Peace." She stood then and headed out of the Cemetery.
eieio
During the day that had passed, the First had fumed and roiled until finally coming up with a plan. 'Kennedy' glared at a Bringer. "That bitch seems to always be one step ahead of me. Every plan I have, she stops it… well, not this one! I've noticed a pattern – evil things come here, they attack and kill or turn every young person. That's what she expects."
She walked down the line of assembled troops, making 'eye contact' with each one in turn. "I shall go about it differently – go out and bring me every old," she wrinkled her nose at the notion that a creature that lived for less than a hundred years was old, "person you can find. Their blood will open the Seal and my army will pour forth into the land… the Slayer will never see it coming – and she will never know what hit her!"
All but one of the assembled Bringers dispersed (it was his sole duty to protect the dagger so recently retrieved from the Slayer's house, which would open the Seal) to obey as quickly as possible. Kennedy smiled with satisfaction – Tuk's ending had not been in vain as Kennedy's almost-military thinking had brought clarity to the First's thoughts and plans – the Slayer and her abominations were going down!
eieio
As Caleb snapped the last neck of his female parishioners, he smiled almost contentedly – it felt good to end the lives of those whiny, needy whores all so desperate for human love and affection, some even trying to woo him with their sinful and dirty female ways.
He had endured, satisfying the need inside by picking up homeless women, taking them somewhere secluded and strangling the life out of them. The Parishioners had provided cover - no one would ever expect a Man of the Cloth of such 'heinous crimes'.
He rolled his eyes. "'Heinous crimes'... Right. PROUD of what I did, removing those whores from the planet... Made it a better place."
Finally though - FINALLY! His wait was over. The First had come to him and his True Purpose was revealed - Hallelujah!
He was going to Sunnydale and he was going to murder the life out of every disgusting girl he found there!
He smirked as he looked at the dead bodies around him then turned to the Bringer who had brought word of his Summons and handed a can of gasoline to him along with a lighter. He gestured to the mass of corpses. "Take care of this, won't you."
Caleb beamed as he drove away half an hour later, the sight of a flaming Church in his rear view mirror most welcome.