Faith felt hollow as she dressed for the party at the warehouse. The house was all but silent - enforcers and de facto servants already at the venue herding naive hopeful people into the football field sized warehouse. She was given a new jacket for the occasion, something fitting more to his sensibilities than hers but it fit. She just didn't ask where it came from. She also failed to ask about the new sword as it was pushed into her hands, presumably to kill Buffy and Xander if they dared to interfere in the master plan. She took the beautiful weapon and slipped it onto a sheath, strapping it onto her back like some sort of knight.
"Rupert," she whispered, twisting the ring on her finger. "If things go sideways tonight, if I have to choose, forgive me."
It was a useless plea, but she made it anyway. She wanted to prepare him for the worst, ask him to forgive her in advance because, after all, she was a Slayer. Her destiny was to save the world even if meant destroying herself - literally or figuratively. There was no way to get him the message without his own personal demon knowing about it, so she asked nothing at all. Forgiveness wasn't really her expertise, anyway.
He came for her and gave her a once over before gesturing to the door with a smile. Wordlessly, and unable to meet his eyes, she moved to the waiting car. The ride was silent as she stewed, though she'd expected him to brag all the way there about his assured victory. Her veins felt like they were pumping ice and she tried her best to thaw them. She needed her wits about her. She needed her whatever strength remained. She needed the element of surprise. She needed every ounce of the very little she had left in the tank to keep all hell from breaking loose.
Half of her wished that Buffy would stay away but only half.
They arrived without fanfare, that would come when they were inside. He looked pleased, straightening the collar on his shirt. He'd dressed up for the occasion and if he were anyone else she would have admitted he was still devilishly attractive. But for him she wouldn't even think it, seeing the demon beyond the guise of her lover. He took her hand and led her inside. She gasped, feeling a knot clench in her stomach again. The place was packed - a wall to wall crush of people that seemed to go on forever. Her breath caught in her throat and she stepped back from him. He didn't mind, receiving the applause and adoration he expected and craved. They looked at him like he was a god, as if he was about to perform a miracle right in front of them. She couldn't fathom what they'd been told to make them walk to willingly into this mousetrap.
"Come on."
A guard named Quinten grabbed her by the arm. She only knew him in passing and didn't care to learn more.
"The boss said I'm supposed to take you to the waiting area."
"Right."
She forced herself to go through his plan again, what she knew of it. She was to wait in the safe zone behind the stage. Her close proximity to him would ensure her safety from his spell, but no one else. She nodded and let herself be led to the side of the room where the stage was. He was already on the raised platform, his hands held up high. The noise was thunderous all around her with a racket that could probably wake the dead.
She stood behind him and watched him play to the crowd. She was close enough that she could smell his aftershave. One quick thrust of her sword and it might be over. Sever his head from his shoulders and it could all be finished.
She...couldn't. Her hands refused to do it even though she ordered them to silently a hundred times. Feeling angry and ashamed, she let her head drop.
"My friends!" He cried. "My friends I bid you welcome!"
That landed with more rapturous applause, a chant of Ripper emanating from the crowd. He smiled and gestured them to quiet again.
"You are here for a most wondrous event. Here you will see things you had never thought to see in all your days. More power than you've ever known will take root inside of you and we will be related, you and I."
To them it just sounded like lofty promises. She heard the ring of truth in his misleading words.
"I beg you to trust in me. Lend to me your strength, your spirit, and your devotion. I will return them tenfold."
She let out an incredulous sound that thankfully he didn't hear. The crowd went wild, picking up the chant of his name again as he bowed his head. This time he began to chant, putting his hands out in front of him as if holding a small ball. The lights overhead began to hum, flickering as the crowd fell quiet. Everyone was straining to lean forward and listen to what he was saying. Light began to glow around each person there, softly at first and then stronger the longer he chanted. She noticed the light was not equally dispersed. She assumed that some glowed brighter because of their greater magical abilities. That light began to streak from the bodies to the space between his hands, gathering as his chanting grew louder. The feral language he was using sounded harsh to the ear. She'd never heard it before.
Alarm started to rise as the light grew dimmer in the crowd and brighter in his hands. A few fell to their knees.
"Mallakeus the Damned, I command you to stop immediately!"
Faith's eyes shot to the lone sound that carried over the din. They had never been so happy to settle on the blond slayer in as long as she'd known her. Then panic stabbed at her.
"No, Buffy."
She spell halted as the demon inside of Giles was called out by Buffy. Thankfully, the brunette saw neither Xander or Willow with her. A loud growl sounded as the demon tried to resume his plans. He was unable, trying to form the words and failing.
The crowd was easy to navigate while weak from his spell. He still held their energy, but could no longer use it. She weaved her way through it like water, striding confidently toward him.
"Kill her!" He commanded darkly.
"Not on your fucking life." She responded. "I'm done being your puppet."
"I'll kill him if you resist. I'll tear his soul into a thousand pieces."
She looked him dead in the eye, looking past him to where her lover surely was beyond. "Then I hope he understands why it has to be this way."
She drew the sword and met the blond in front of him. She saw his eyes go wide.
"Kill them!" He commanded to no one particular. Everyone. "Kill them and you shall be rewarded."
"You made them too weak to fight back."
She gestured to the weak and confused crowd around them. No one had been in the safe zone but her, so confident he was in his plan's success. He searched the stone visage of the woman he'd kept and tortured for weeks and knew his power was broken there. Inside, the Watcher glowed with pride and resignation, whatever the outcome now.
"Mallakeus the Damned, get on your knees."
With difficulty, he fought it every step of the way, he sank to his knees with jerky motions. He glared fire and daggers at them.
"You little hell-ridden bitch. How did you learn my name?"
"Your brother Shazzius says hello,"
"That traitorous wretch! I'll destroy you all and then take my vengeance out on him when you are dispatched."
"Oh, I don't think so. You see, I have your name now. You can't disobey me. Willow's outside right now with the magic to pull you out of that body."
Faith nearly sank with relief.
"No, you don't have to do this. We can come to some arrangement. I will hold this body to the last!"
Faith moved forward and wrapped a hand around his throat, lifting him from his knees to be eye level with her. His feet drug the ground and he gasped as she held him aloft. She didn't think about whose body it was, hardening her heart to address only the demon.
"I owe you every second of pain you caused me. I owe you for every second of torture you caused him. I will take it out of you piece by piece until you so much as think about Earth and you'll remember the pain I'm gonna cause you."
She let him fall, moving back to the blond, who looked concerned but said nothing.
"Mallakeus the Damned I command you to give back all the energy you stole from these people."
He swore bitterly at that, raging as he brought his hands together, clapping and then spreading them wide, dispersing the energy he gathered. It traveled back to the people there, surrounding them with light before the glow faded. Those on their knees slowly began to get to their feet.
"Run." They were prompted by an impatient slayer.
It didn't take more than one word for them to obey. Even the enforcers did not care to stick around now that their leader was so obviously out of control.
"Faith, wait!"
Her gaze whipped from the retreating crowd to the man on his knees in front of her. His face was contorted in pain, blood trickling from his ears and eyes.
"Rupert!"
"Make it stop." He pleaded through gritted teeth. "Faith, please, make it stop."
"I can't."
If it was him she just had to wait until the demon was ripped out of him. If it wasn't, this was as fucked up as he could get. Buffy grabbed her hand to reassure her, offering her a brief glance. She returned it with a shake of her head, willing it all to just be over.
"AH!" His head shot back and his body went rigid. She tried to move but was caught by the other girl, who shook her head.
"Buffy, let me go!"
"Look. It's working!"
Sure enough the same black darkness she'd seen when they summoned the other demon was pouring out of his mouth. It was horrifying, swirling around above him as more and more of it was pulled from the Watcher's body. Once no more could be expelled the air seemed to split directly above it. Dense red and violet light came pouring from the rift and the darkness began to be sucked in. Faith realized what was happened and broke away from the blond.
"No!"
She pulled her sword and swung it through the darkness. It failed to respond to the attack, disappearing into the rift. She swiped again, her sword not damaging anything in front of her. The tear mended once the darkness was gone and there was nothing there to attack.
"No." She let the sword drop, hearing it clatter on the concrete flooring. "What did you DO?"
She turned around with her hands balled in fists. The other slayer's eyes widened and she shrunk back a step.
"I sent him back where he came from."
"He tortured me, Buffy. He RAPED me. He doesn't deserve to just go back to where he came from. I needed to, I needed to make him hurt! Don't you understand what he did to me? How could you let him go?"
While she ranted large tears started streaming down her cheeks. The words started getting stuck as she formed them before breaking down altogether. She sank to her knees, beating the floor with both of her fists until she let out a long, anguished scream. She curled into herself and sobbed, all the strength inside gone. She felt herself getting scooped up and barely recognized Xander as he carried her outside to the waiting car. Buffy was helping Giles, who seemed to be awake but only just barely. It was a somber drive back to Giles' flat. She'd stopped sobbing by the time they parked but everything else was numb.
She let them put her to bed and fell into oblivion.
