Disclaimer: I do not own Buffyverse or anything else you may recognize
Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.
Also, the troll who's after my life used one of his alts to tell 'Critics United' about this fic while pretending to be a well-wisher but we all know he just wants to cause me more grief.
Plus CU's evidence against me is seemingly being associated with trolls who bully autistic people, LOL! Its hilarious because two of my best author friends on this site have autism.
And the CU also proved their complete hypocrisy. The Troll, for whatever reason, used his alt to report the story of Omni (my friend) he had plagiarized to give him grief on FUCKING CHRISTMAS!
CU's response is to say both authors are Trolls (because Omni once left an unflattering post in their forum months ago) and must not be given attention.
Hmm, I thought you were supposed to uphold rules and go after rule-breakers.
No matter what they think of Omni, his story got plagiarized, but they aren't gonna do anything about it.
Hypocritical idiots with messed up priorities.
Its pathetic they're trying to be fanfiction police, but what's more pathetic is they can't even do that right. The lack of self-awareness in this group is astounding.
And regarding their reasons for going after this fic, the site rules are pretty vague, plus the admins specified it was originally removed over song lyrics.
Now I had those at very few places, meaning they read enough to find where the song lyrics were and that got the removal happening, not any MST BS.
So more proof that CU doesn't do research and only wants to revel in their power over the innocent people rather than actually trying to deal with the guilty, they just turn a blind eye to that stuff.
Really I find it pathetic some people want to be Fanfiction police or whatever, and can't even do it right. You people really have nothing better to do other than play God here? It would be hilarious if it wasn't so pathetic.
Oh well, if this fic goes again, or if anything happens to my account, you know who to blame.
Chapter 99- Salvage
"Let's see how it gets better", Buffy said as she turned the recording on.
Angelus searched for Lilah before finding her bloody corpse, which disappointed him. Wesley and Gunn searched for Angelus nearby before finding him drinking from Lilah's corpse. He said it wasn't what it looked like as Gunn threw his ax which slammed into the wall inches from Angelus' head. He dropped Lilah's corpse as Gunn took out a stake and he ran down the hall, leaping out the window as Gunn chased him but stopped on realizing he was gone. Wesley silently stared down at Lilah's body.
"He did love her", Willow noted.
"Yes, deep down, he knew it was wrong, but he did", Tara nodded.
"Yeah, and this hurt him", Summers told them sadly.
"So, poor Wesley", Dawnster sighed. She didn't like Lilah for good reason, and she was disgusted by Lilah and Wesley together, but she did feel bad for Wesley for losing Lilah.
Lorne, Fred and Connor tended to Cordelia, Connor ripping out the bolt as Cordelia screamed in pain while Lorne handed Fred a belt which she used to wrap a bandage over Cordelia's thigh to stop her bleeding. Gunn then revealed Angelus had killed Lilah, Connor running up the stairs as Cordelia feigned shock, then had a hint of a smile. "It's started."
"Yeah, a little wrench in your plans for once", Dawn quipped.
"Can't wait to see that", Xander commented.
"Just wait and watch what happens in this one", Harris smirked.
"Yeah, it was kind of funny", Rosenberg agreed, remembering Angelus just stabbing the Beast like that.
All watched somberly as Wesley and Gunn wrapped Lilah's dead body in plastic. Connor wanted to go after Angelus but Wesley pointed out their reckless thinking had allowed Angelus to double and kill Lilah. Now, they must stay close, and then Lorne suggested his sanctuary spell, though Connor was disgusted by magick's mention. Cordelia had no idea how it had worked and told the rest not to blame Lorne either, so Gunn eventually blamed the Powers.
"No arguments there, the Powers are useless mostly", Buffy scoffed.
"Yeah, if they did anything, this could have been prevented", Harris agreed.
"But they didn't, and this happened", Maclay said sadly.
Connor said they had to destroy Lilah's body as she could have been turned, though Gunn said there hadn't been enough time, only for Wesley to agree with Connor as he took Gunn's ax. "I'll take care of it."
"Well, she won't be sired, since Angelus didn't really do it, but they don't know that", Tara noted.
"He wants to be the one to do it because he cares about her, right?" Willow asked.
"Yes, that's true", Summers nodded.
A bar was taken over by Vampires and Demons with humans being feasted on. Angelus arrived, shouldering past a burly Demon and whispering in a Vamp's ear as 2 Vamps called Paco and Karl saw him. Angelus strode into the bar and said. "That's right, brothers and sisters. The rumors are true. Angel has left the building and I am back." The demons and other creatures clapped and cheered and welcomed him back into the fold. "But hey, I'm no different than the next guy. I put my victim's skin on one leg at a time."
All watched, disturbed, as Buffy dryly said. "So he's popular."
"Angel was infamous among Demons, Angelus is famous", Rosenberg explained.
"We know", Giles commented grimly as they watched the scene.
A blonde Vampire called Rosaria tried to remind Angelus of herself from Tuscany in 1845 but got staked instead by a pool cue he snapped in two. Angelus then stood next to a horned Demon, asking for the Beast. He said it was an honor to talk to Angelus and asked him to sign something for his Hellspawn. Angelus took the offered pen and impaled the Demon's hand, grabbing his throat, saying he'd do it next time but he wanted the Beast now. The Demon didn't know as Paco revealed he'd seen him in buildings by the wash, so Angelus released the Demon and walked to Paco and Karl, asking to show him.
"Okay, never though the Demon community was such a huge fan", Willow noted, uncomfortable obviously.
"When you're as cruel and well-known as Angelus, you get a lot of fans who want to be like you", Summers sighed.
"Guess this Demon learnt to never meet your heroes, or villains", Dawnster quipped as there were chuckles.
"Yeah, and now he wants the Beast", Tara muttered.
Wesley stared at the plastic before unwrapping it when Lilah's eyes opened, saying he wanted her out of the picture to make his life cleaner. She got up, shrugging off the plastic and said he hated himself for being with her and loving it, and both knew it'd get messy for one of them anyway. She then walked around, telling him to ease up now as he wasn't encumbered with the secret shame of their relationship.
"She's not real, is she?" Buffy asked.
"No, it's all in his mind", Maclay confirmed in a sad tone.
"He feels guilt over everything that happened", Willow noted.
"But why?" Dawnster asked.
"He wanted to save her deep down, and couldn't", Rosenberg said.
"And now it is eating away at him", Tara sighed.
"It wasn't a relationship", Wesley countered. Lilah reminded. "There's a signed dollar bill in your wallet I think proves different. You knew how I felt." Wesley said. "You don't feel." Lilah started. "The only true thing I ever—" Wesley turned away. "You didn't love me!" Lilah was back on the table, cold and still. "You couldn't." Lilah walked out of the shadows behind him again. "We'll never know now, will we?" She was gone again.
"We do know", Willow said. "We can see it."
"Guess she wasn't stone cold then", Buffy muttered to herself.
"No, there was a very little bit of warmth there", Dawn told her.
"Only person to see it was Wesley", Tara realized.
"Just wondering, can it be the First?" Xander asked. "I mean, you lot said it was taunting you in the form of dead people you knew, and this around that time."
"I don't think it was", Dawnster said. "The First tried to get under your skin or get you to do something. It's not doing a very convincing job here."
"Yeah, this is Wesley's imagination, not the First", Summers agreed with a nod.
Angelus walked beneath a highway overpass with Paco and Karl, though Paco didn't remember where the Beast was headed, so Angelus grabbed his shirt and yanked him close, asking him to remember, before sniffing the air as he released Paco and walked off into the night, leaving the two behind as Paco said Karl had made Angelus nervous.
"In your dreams", Harris said as they chuckled.
"What is he after now?" Giles asked.
"Guess", Dawn smirked.
"Oh!" He realized as the rest put it together too one by one, Xander last.
"So a meeting between two evil Titans", Buffy quipped.
Fred and Gunn brought in supplies as Lorne talked to the Furies on phone, making notes, though they didn't have bloodroot, so Lorne was told Cloves would work too. He told the Furies to expect a 'thank you' bouquet before hanging up, and told the rest what they could do as Connor said when this was done, they could find and kill Angelus. Fred reminded of Wesley's order as Connor said he didn't care and wondered how long it took to chop off Lilah's head. Gunn agreed with Wesley's order as Connor said Angel had told him to kill him if something went wrong, Lorne quipping now Connor was listening to him.
"Because he has still not grown up from wanting to kill his dad", Dawnster muttered.
"Yeah, and he's got the perfect excuse too", Willow sighed.
"Oh he's gonna get his soon", Rosenberg assured. "It will make him grow a little….for a few minutes, but it will."
"Well, damn!" Xander said. "Though he seemed a bit nicer in the previous one, now he's less nice, no idea how."
"Yeah, we noticed too", Harris agreed.
Fred said Angel's soul was still out there so they could bring it back. Connor said many people would die before they did, but Cordelia said many more would die if Angel didn't save them. Connor said he had to be destroyed and he was the Destroyer as he left, while Cordelia tried to follow him but collapsed as Lorne, Fred and Gunn ran to help her, so Connor returned to help, and Cordelia passed out again as Connor helped her up.
"Why did she pass out?" Buffy asked.
"Don't wanna talk about it", Summers said, looking disgusted for some reason.
"Just see for yourself in a bit", Dawn told them.
"Then you'll know why we didn't want to talk about it", Maclay warned.
Gunn said Connor would kill Angelus first chance he got, though Lorne pointed out he'd die trying, and they couldn't keep that boy in check. Gunn asked. "Yeah, well, Angel aside, who could?" An exercise yard in a prison in Stockton, California was shown, and it was daytime there. It was an all-female prison as inmates played cards and exercised. Eddie, the chief guard, hung up the phone and called down the yard. "430019, coming out!" A buzzer sounded and a thick metal door slid open. Faith Lehane walked out into the sunlight and surveyed the inmates with a cold look in her eye.
"Oh my God, Faith!" Buffy gasped out, surprised to see her again after such a long time in these recordings.
"In daylight!" Dawnster added.
"Whoa, she looks good for someone in prison for this long", Xander quipped.
"Yeah, not too bad", Willow nodded.
"So she is the one coming now, isn't she?" Tara asked.
"Yeah, she is coming out of prison finally", Summers told them with a smile. "Now it's her turn to be a hero."
"She will defeat the Beast?" Giles asked.
"Well, not exactly, but just watch", Rosenberg said.
"But yeah, she's going to be a hero now", Maclay smiled.
"And that's what she always wanted, wasn't it?" Buffy asked sadly, wondering how she couldn't have seen it again.
"Yeah, she wanted to be a moral Slayer from the start, like you, we just couldn't see the signs", Dawn said.
"But now she has her chance", Harris assured them all.
Faith ignored the others, doing pull-ups on a high bar as a woman called Debbie made a beeline for her. When she was within striking distance, she whipped out a large and ornately curved dagger. Faith sensed the danger and whipping her legs around, wrenched the dagger from Debbie's grasp before kicking her head, sending her to the ground. Faith then did a twisting backflip and landed on the ground as Debbie picked up her dagger.
"Umm, is she crazy or something?" Xander asked.
"Desperate", Rosenberg corrected. "And just see."
Faith asked what she wanted as Debbie tried to strike but she avoided and elbowed her face. Debbie charged again as Faith kicked her shin, sending her backwards. Debbie swung the knife again as Faith cracked an arm against her knee and punched her throat while disarming her, making her fall as she said she needed the money. Faith casually lifted a 200-lb barbell with one hand from a nearby weight bench and slammed it into Debbie's head. "For a nose job?"
All cringed a little at how Faith had beaten Debbie but Summers pointed out. "A little extreme, but Debbie was persistent. She's not dead though."
"Yeah, improvement there", Buffy nodded.
Faith dropped the barbell and stepped back with hands raised as Eddie arrived. Faith said this was self-defense as Eddie revealed he'd seen the whole thing. The other inmates and a guard helped Debbie up, her face a mask of blood as Eddie said they were surprised. "I mean, who'd be crazy enough to try to take you out?" Faith noted a guard picking up Debbie's dagger and it wasn't a prison shank, rather an ornate ceremonial dagger as her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"The First", Buffy said as it hit them. "It tried to get to her in prison through this inmate."
"Yeah, it was the First", Maclay confirmed to them.
"And we didn't even inform her", Willow groaned. "We should have warned her."
"But why try to kill her? Shouldn't the First have tried after the Potentials were gone?" Giles asked.
"It wanted both Slayers in one place, so killing Faith could activate another Potential that was already with us then", Summers explained.
"And unlike Faith, that one wouldn't have proper formal training or experience", Rosenberg pointed out.
"Oh", Buffy realized. "Two birds with one stone sort of deal."
"But plan failed, Faith was too much for their inmate", Xander quipped.
"Yeah, there were some places even they couldn't get to, and those who could weren't qualified for the job", Dawn nodded.
Wesley looked past Lilah's corpse to see her sitting across from him. She said the reason it was taking him so long was he couldn't save her, from herself. Wesley asked. "Is that what you thought?" Lilah laughed. "Me? Lover, I'm not even here. I'm just a figment in your devilishly handsome head. So clearly, it's what you thought. For all your supposed darkness, your edge-of-the- razor mystique, there was always a small part of you that thought you could pull me back from the brink of my evil, evil ways. Help me find redemption." Wesley trailed off. "Redemption…" Lilah pointed out. "Angel's influence, I suppose. The whole "not giving up on someone no matter how far he or she has fallen". Oh, well. Too late for me."
"It was too late for you a long time before this, but he still tried", Tara said with a nod.
"Guess that was nice of him", Dawnster said, understanding the whole thing a little better now.
Wesley got up with the axe and stood in front of Lilah's body who said. "So let's just get it over with. That body's not going to dismember itself, you know." Wesley raised the axe. "I'm sorry, Lilah." Lilah quipped. "Oh, Wes, we don't have that word in our vocabulary. Not people like you and—" Wesley brought the axe down and severed Lilah's head. He was alone in the basement. Lilah was gone for good.
"There she goes", Buffy sighed, still not sure how to feel.
"Yeah, and as crazy as it sounds, she and Wesley were there for each other in this hard time", Summers told them.
"So losing her, was like losing a part of himself", Rosenberg nodded sadly.
"Still don't like it, but I guess I get it now", Xander muttered.
"They were lonely, and the only one they had was each other", Willow summed up.
"And now that's gone", Tara noted.
"Yeah, it is", Dawn nodded grimly.
Angelus looked for the Beast in a warehouse, quipping it had killed the chick he was chasing and lured him here with her blood. He found the Beast's dagger, still stained with Lilah's blood as the Beast arrived, towering over him but Angelus was unintimidated. Angelus asked if the Beast still wanted to kick his ass to which he said he wanted to kill him but his master had given him a different instruction. Angelus noted the dagger had nice craftsmanship and was made out of him, reaching out to it but was stopped as the Beast confirmed everything, including stealing his soul, was his master's plan.
"All so it could take over the world", Rosenberg snarled angrily.
"What's going to happen here?" Xander asked.
"Angelus doesn't like working under anyone", Summers told them.
"Especially not someone he doesn't even know", Maclay added.
"Well, something is about to happen then", Buffy said as all watched in apprehension.
Angelus wanted to meet his master but the Beast said he'd take orders through him. Angelus said he wouldn't since he didn't take orders from messenger boy, angering the Beast. "Look, you may have played those suckers at Angel Inc. but I don't like having my strings yanked. And I don't like being kept in the dark! Figuratively, anyway. And if your boss was half as smart as he thinks he is, he knows I won't take orders from a lackey." The Beast glared at him, barely restrained. Angelus taunted. "What? You don't like lackey? Well, how about toadie? Or lickspittle? Lickspittle's nice. Oh, wait. I've got it. Flunky. That's it. You're just a big, stupid, butt-ugly—" The Beast lunged at Angelus, throwing a punch but Angelus ducked and backed up, "slow-moving flunky!" Angelus deflected another blow and dodged two more. "Come on, rocky, if that's all you've got, you better throw in the towel and call it a night." Angelus dodged two more blows, then leapt high up into the rafters, landing on a catwalk far above. "When the Beastmaster is ready to peek out from behind your skirt, have him give me a call." Angelus ducked out through a panel in the roof, leaving the Beast fuming.
"Jealous that this bad guy is smarter?" Xander asked with a smirk. "Can't believe I was rooting for Angelus here."
"Horrifying nightmare coming true", Giles sighed, actually having been on Angelus' side himself, to his horror.
"Well, the Beast is pissed", Buffy quipped.
"Yeah, for once, someone did not take his or his master's crap", Summers nodded.
"And you know big bad guys really don't like being questioned", Maclay said.
Cordelia arrived, calling the Beast out for poorly handling the situation as he'd let Angelus bait him into a fight. The Beast apologized as Cordelia told him to learn patience, and Angelus would come around. If he didn't, the Beast could kill him. "Now give mama some sugar." She leaned up and kissed the Beast's lips passionately.
Everyone was cringing in disgust at this point as Xander asked. "What did I just watch?"
He shut his one eye as Buffy snarled. "I'm hating the possessor more and more with each second."
"You're not the only one", Rosenberg agreed.
"And that line? Yikes!" Dawnster gasped.
"Yeah, that made it even more horrifying", Dawn nodded.
"Let's forget it happened", Willow suggested.
"Fine by me", Tara shrugged.
"Yeah, best option", Maclay nodded.
"For all of us", Harris added.
Giles finished cleaning his glasses and put them back on. "Let us move on please."
"Right there with ya", Summers nodded as the scene changed.
At Hyperion, Fred lighted candles as Lorne chanted the spell. Nothing seemed to happen as Connor sat down, saying nothing worked. Lorne picked up a candlestick to whack his head but was thrown back by a barrier into Gunn's arms, saying it worked as Wesley walked up from the basement, being told the Sanctuary spell was working.
"Even if it wasn't, no harm done in this case", Xander quipped as they chuckled.
"Yeah, he needs sense knocked into him", Dawnster agreed.
Wesley geared up, putting on his coat, revealing they were going to bring in Angelus alive now, and he'd changed his mind from before. "We get rid of Angelus, then what? We still have a Beast we don't know how to kill. We know it's working for something much worse but we don't know what it is. We're caught in the middle of a maelstrom and we can't get out without our champion. We're going to save Angel… and I know who we need to help us do it."
"Quite some change there", Giles noted.
"Losing Lilah gave him some perspective", Maclay told him.
"He's getting Faith, right?" Buffy asked.
"Yes, time for her to return and be a hero", Rosenberg smiled.
At the prison, Faith arrived at the visitor's area, sitting at her booth to find Wesley waiting for her. She picked up the phone and said she'd been told her lawyer had come, asking if he was her lawyer. Wesley greeted her flatly, asking who she was as she said she was fine and hadn't thought he'd visit her in prison. Wesley said a lot had happened, to which Faith said it suited him since he looked good. She also knew Team Angel had their hands full due to watching the news of the permanent sun. "We need you", Wesley finally revealed. Faith said. "Well, I hate to wet the paper for you, Wes, but I'm kinda unavailable right now. Maybe you want to check back in a few decades when my parole comes up." Wesley started. "You need to know—" Faith nodded. "It's Armageddon again. I dig. Last thing you need is me in the mix. Besides, Angel will come shining through in the end like he always does."
"Why doesn't she want to come?" Dawnster asked.
"She wanted to stay in prison to atone", Rosenberg revealed.
"I think she is about to change her mind in a second though", Willow smirked.
"Oh yeah", Summers nodded.
Wesley revealed. "Angel's gone, Faith. Angelus is back." Faith stared at Wesley for a long beat, taking in the ramifications, then came to a decision. "Step away from the glass." She hung up the phone as Wesley stood up and backed away, then dove through the Plexiglas, shattering it. She tucked and rolled on the other side, rolling to her feet just in time to duck the swinging Billy club from one of the guards. She quickly dispatched him, then wrenched the arm of a second guard around and flipped him to the floor. She turned and grabbed Wesley, then dove through a nearby window.
"So she could have gotten out any time", Xander realized.
"Yeah, we're Slayers, prison is more like detention we can escape than actual prison", Buffy shrugged. "So she chose to stay there."
"Yes, and this proves her redemption was genuine, she stayed there instead of trying to run", Summers pointed out to them.
"But now she knows she's needed, go be a hero Faith", Willow urged her.
"Yeah", Buffy nodded, now seeing Faith in a proper solo adventure as a hero finally, and she had a feeling it would help her understand Faith better.
Faith and Wesley plummeted from the third-story window and crashed down onto the roof of a parked car, caving it in and shattering the windows. Faith rolled off the car onto the ground and saw Wesley wincing in pain. "You okay?" Wesley assured. "Five by five." She nodded and they ran off toward Wesley's car as the prison alarms sounded all around them.
The 'five by five' brought some chuckles as Willow said. "Never thought I'd hear someone else say it."
"Unexpected stuff", Buffy quipped.
"So Faith is back now", Tara commented.
"Yup, the hero they needed in this dark time", Dawnter said with a smile.
Faith changed her clothes in the back of Wesley's car as Wesley filled her in, and she was shocked about Angel's teenage son who'd been born a year ago and grown up in a Hell Dimension, while Cordelia had spent the summer as a Higher Being. Faith climbed to the passenger's seat, then said unleashing Angelus to help stop the Beast was like giving gas to flame. Wesley assured the police wouldn't come after her as with everything going on, an escaped convict wouldn't even register on their radar.
"Still haven't found her, since you know, different country and all", Willow commented. "And my tech magic."
"Oh yeah, that was fun", Rosenberg said, sharing a look and smirk with her past self.
Faith then said. "I'm not gonna kill him, Wesley. Angelus. Don't care what you thought you sprung me for. Angel's the only one in my life who's never given up on me. There's no way I'm giving up on—" Wesley revealed. "I know. That's why it had to be you."
"Yeah, he saw it all", Buffy said, remembering Wesley dropping his knife in the rain after seeing Angel trying to comfort Faith.
"Good move bringing her in, if you want to save Angel when the others don't, bring the one he saved when no one else did", Dawn agreed, as everyone felt a little guilt creep up again over not being able to help Faith.
Wesley pulled over to the side of the road beneath an underpass. "I'm just wondering if you're up to it." Faith was confused. "If I'm-" Wesley said. "You have no idea what it's like out there. It's a vampire/demon free-for-all, all the time. Maybe you're a little rusty." Faith agreed. "Maybe I am." Wesley suggested. "Maybe we should find out." Faith started. "Well, what did you have in—" A vampire suddenly yanked her out the passenger window by her hair and dropped her onto the pavement. A second vampire attacked from Wesley's side of the car but was flattened when Wesley slammed the door open into its head. Faith freed herself and decked her Vamp.
"Wait, what's he doing?" Xander asked.
"Testing her efficiency", Buffy told him as they watched seriously.
"She should be up for this, like he said earlier", Tara reminded.
The Vamp got back up but Wesley sent him back down to the ground again with a vicious kick. On the other side of the car, Faith fought two Vamps like Hell's own fury. The vampire on Wesley's side got to his feet again and started to charge him but Wesley held up his hand and pointed to Faith. "No, she's the one you want." Faith decked one Vamp and kicked the other back. The vampire realized what she was. "Slayer…" He ran off into the night wisely. Faith ducked the Vamp's blow and decked him as Wesley tossed her a pair of stakes. She caught them, one in each hand, and slammed them home, killing both vampires instantly. She watched the dust cloud settle as she caught her breath. Wesley asked. "Thought you could use a little release. Feel natural?" Faith tossed one of the stakes back to Wesley. "Just like riding a biker." Wesley had a funny look.
"We didn't need to know that", Buffy muttered, though at least Faith hadn't said 'just like riding another Slayer', granted they hadn't had their thing at the time.
"Oh come on, don't be jealous, we know you want her to yourself", Dawnster said to Buffy with a smirk, and her face turned humorless as Dawnster looked away with a gulp.
"Okay, sorry, but I won't take it back", Dawnster said as Buffy groaned.
"We were good, but there was a reason it didn't work out", Summers said, thinking of her lingering feelings for Spike at the time. If not for those, she and Faith could have been permanent.
"I know", Buffy nodded, having experienced it quite recently.
"Letting Vamps jump them so that Faith can have a release, thoughtful", Willow commented.
"Yeah, that was nice", Tara nodded.
"But he let one of them go, they have lost the element of surprise", Giles said grimly.
"Yeah, that was stupid", Rosenberg agreed.
Connor practiced with a sword in the upper balcony as Gunn said he wanted to be ready if Angelus showed up, and then Wesley arrived with Faith, saying they were. Faith approved of the hotel lobby as Wesley introduced her. "Everyone, this is Faith, the Vampire Slayer."
"One of the two, and the one who is going to save you", Buffy commented. "Since I was busy with the First."
"I can't tell which was worse, the First or this Beast master", Xander sighed.
Fred was about to introduce herself but Wesley had already told Faith of her. Cordelia then appeared, looking at Faith with hostility as Wesley assured she was here to help while Cordelia reminded of her imprisonment, and Faith gave the exact details. Cordelia commented Wesley had brought psycho-Slayer out of retirement to kill Angelus as Faith told her she'd every right to feel that way but she could save it for after this was done.
"She isn't Cordy, the being is clearly pissed that a Slayer is here to seriously mess up the plans", Dawnster quipped.
"Yeah, because from what I've seen of Cordy in this, she wouldn't be okay with this but she'll be willing to work with Faith at this point", Tara nodded.
"Well, as long as its plans are messed up, I'm good", Willow smirked.
"This is the start, a wrench", Maclay explained.
Faith looked around and took stock of the situation. "Okay, let's get down to it. We're gonna keep this hunting party tight. Gunn, right?" Gunn nodded. "Yeah." Faith quipped. "Love the name. Hear you're a good fighter." Gunn informed. "I hold my own." Faith said. "That's a shame. You're with me, Wes and the kid. Connor told her. "The kid has a name." "Connor", Faith turned to Gunn. "Arm yourself how you like but I want you to carry the trank gun. If I can't take him down, I want you to be ready to take the shot, yeah?" Gunn nodded, liking her style. "In case anyone has any other ideas, this is a salvage mission, not search and destroy. Okay?" Cordelia stared daggers at Faith but kept silent. Connor argued. "No. Not okay. You think you can just breeze in here, telling everyone what to do? You're not a part of this. If you think I'm not going to kill Angelus if he comes at me, then—"
"You'll kill him either way, so please stop talking, come on adults, do adult talk here", Buffy said.
"Besides, he does need to be told what to do", Rosenberg said to them.
"And he needs a little spanking so that he actually does it", Dawn added as they all laughed.
Faith cut him off. "Listen up, junior. When I need a bloodhound, I'll call you. If Angelus needs putting down, I'll be the one to do it, not you. So is there anything else you're not okay with?" After a beat, she said. "Good." She turned to Gunn. "Show me the weapons." As they walked over to the weapons cabinet, Connor watched Faith, impressed in spite of himself. His slight smile of admiration didn't escape Cordelia's notice and her gaze went cold.
"Jealous much? Think she'll steal your boyfriend?" Dawnster asked.
"I doubt she goes for boys like that", Xander shook his head.
"Yeah, she goes for men, and me", Summers said as they shared a chuckle.
"So, way out of your league, kid", Harris quipped to Connor.
A woman ran from two Vamps, right into the arms of Angelus who assured he'd got her. The two Vamps backed away on seeing Angelus. She said she didn't know how to thank him and he turned Vamp, telling her to scream for him, which she did, but before he could bite, he heard two Vamps talking about the Slayer in town. So Angelus released the woman and went to a phone booth, calling Dawn who confirmed her sister Buffy was at home, so Angelus hung up and realized who it was.
"What? Wanted a reunion kiss?" Buffy asked with a smirk.
"Oh he's never getting that", Summers told her.
"I didn't even know it was Angelus at the time", Dawnster said.
"None of us did until I was called by Fred", Willow reminded.
"Either way, once the word spread, not much anyone could have done about it", Dawn shrugged.
"So, shouldn't have let the Vampire go", Tara summed up.
"Yeah, because word really does spread fast", Maclay nodded.
Faith, Wesley, Gunn and Connor made their way through the shadowy back streets, searching for Angelus. They carried weapons. Faith had a loaded and modified crossbow held at the ready. Connor asked Faith. "So… Vampire Slayers. I was told about them. How come you're always girls?" Faith quipped. "I don't know. Better at it, I guess."
"Oh if only you knew the real reason", Buffy said, her and Summers exchanging a look of disgust with each other and Giles.
"Yes, quite terrible that was, though you ladies have proven your quality and taken it in stride", Giles told them and they smirked.
Connor boasted. "You haven't seen what I can do." Faith shrugged. "Let's not." They approached a chain-link fence topped with razor wire. Beyond was a shadowy warren of crates and garbage. "He was here. Just." Connor pulled up a corner of the fence and slipped through, followed by Faith, Gunn and Wesley. They moved slowly through the darkness aware that Angelus could be hiding anywhere. Faith ordered. "Eyes and ears peeled. Watch the periph. Nobody make a move until I—" A vampire leapt out in front of Connor and he instantly decapitated it with his sword. Faith slammed Connor up against the wall and held him there. "Are you deficient? What did I just say?" Connor argued. "He was attacking!"
"No, you thought it was Angelus", Willow said.
"Still not over that father killing", Rosenberg sighed.
"Yeah, he needed a lot to grow up. And people say I should grow up", Dawn rolled her eyes. [1]
"Other than me, I don't think anyone ever said that", Buffy noted.
"Yeah, we called you 'people'", Dawnster said as they chuckled.
"You thought it was Angelus." Faith released him. "If you can't listen, you're no good to me." She said to Gunn. "Get him out of here. Someone take him back to the hotel." "What?" Connor asked. Gunn quipped. "Yeah, easier said. The kid's got a history of not doing what he's told." Faith firmly said. "He'll do what I tell him." Yeah, sure I will." Connor started to head down the alley and Faith yanked him back, slamming him up against the wall again.
"Now you're gonna see what a Slayer can do", Buffy smirked.
"And he's not gonna like it", Summers added.
"The Slayer whoops the Daywalker", Xander quipped as chuckles broke out.
"And it's gonna be a flawless victory", Harris added, more chuckles breaking out.
Connor broke Faith's grip on him and tried to hit as she dodged or blocked. "I get it. You're a super-being." Connor tried to free himself and kicked but couldn't do a thing as Wesley and Gunn shared a look but didn't interfere. Faith punched Connor in the chest, whipping her crossbow up and cocking it, leveling it at his throat. "Are you a murderer? 'Cause I am." Connor stared as Faith declared. "And if it comes down to you or Angelus, you haven't shown me a thing to make me want to take your side."
"Us neither", Dawn spoke in support.
"Finally someone showed 'em", Buffy said.
"Sure did", Rosenberg nodded.
"Hopefully he can learn from this", Tara hoped. "Because he's not a bad person at day's end, just too misguided to see any sense."
"He will learn a little for a while", Maclay told her.
Faith and Connor stared at each other, then Connor raised his hands in surrender. He bent down, picked up his sword and walked back the way they came. Gunn told Wesley. "I like her." He de-cocked his rifle, handed it to Wesley and followed Connor.
"Me too", Buffy smirked.
"We all do", Xander shrugged.
"Yup", Summers agreed.
"Come on." Wesley and Faith emerged onto the roof of a gloomy warehouse, looking around carefully with each step. Wesley asked. "Do you know where we're going?" Faith told him. "Not especially." Wesley asked. "How do you expect to find Angelus without Connor?" Faith shrugged. "The old-fashioned way. The kid's not the only tracker. Something will turn up. Trail of bodies, tell-tale clue…" They rounded the corner to find a huge banner hanging from the far wall emblazoned with WELCOME FAITH "…maybe a carpet fiber." Wesley groaned. "So much for the element of surprise."
"You should not have let that one go", Giles reminded Wesley.
"Yeah, it should have been dusted, then there will be an element of surprise", Willow agreed. "They've lost it."
"Yup, but there's still hope", Dawnster said.
"Let's see how she does it", Buffy said as they watched with interest.
Wesley suggested. "We'll have to come at him from two sides." Faith's voice was distant. "You take low." Wesley looked around to find Faith had run the length of the roof in the blink of an eye. As he watched, she leapt from one ledge to another, an amazing display of supernatural agility. "I'll hit him high."
"Wow, badass", Xander said.
"Slayer stuff", Harris quipped.
"Just hope she isn't being reckless again", Buffy said, worried.
"She is, but that's something she has to work on", Summers told her.
Wesley watched her until she disappeared in the darkness then continued on. A fist suddenly flew out of nowhere, connecting with his chin. He went down and the rifle skittered away. It was Paco who leered at Wesley as he got to his feet. "Pretty ballsy, mister, creeping around my buddy Angelus. Come on, pretty boy!" Wesley extended his arm and a collapsible sword popped out. Wesley slashed the blade at Paco's chest and he staggered backward with a cry of pain. Then a boot slammed down on his sword, pinning Wesley. He looked up at Karl. "Our buddy."
"You're delusional if you think he'll stoop to being your friend", Buffy said.
"People like them usually are", Rosenberg shrugged.
"And they're too stupid to see it too", Willow added.
Faith dropped down from the rafters and took in her surroundings, her senses on high alert. Angelus called to her, his voice echoing throughout the vast building. "Hey, Faith. Nice to see you again. You're looking choice as ever. Oh, that's right. We've never really met, have we?" Faith challenged. "So what are you waiting for? Come out and give me a kiss." "No, no, no. You come to me. That's it… getting warmer." Faith came to a metal ladder and descended into the lower level of the warehouse. Now Angelus' voice was a lot closer. "Warmer… warmer… you're smokin' hot." He stepped out from behind a large crate and smiled. "But then again, you probably knew that."
"She always knows that", Summers commented as they watched, now really tense.
"Faith against Angelus", Dawnster muttered.
"Not yet", Maclay told her, to their surprise.
Angelus called out. "Honey, I brought a guest home for dinner." Faith turned around as the Beast appeared on the opposite side of the room. Angelus grinned at Faith and chuckled. "Let's eat."
"Oh boy", Xander said as all tensed.
"Angelus and the Beast both?" Giles asked.
"No, just the Beast", Harris said.
"Angelus is trying to play them both", Summers explained.
"Right, get them to take each other out", Buffy realized.
The Beast looked at Faith, perplexed. "What is this, Angelus?" Angelus replied. "This is a Slayer. Say hi to the nice Beast, Faith." The Beast asked. "You dare to bring a Slayer here?" Angelus pointed out. "Hey, doing you a favor, Stonehenge. She's here to seriously mess up you and your boss's plans. So the question is, what do you do, hotshot? What do you do?" The Beast stalked towards Faith. She raised her crossbow and fired but the bolt glanced harmlessly off the Beast's rock-like chest. She kicked it, then punched it, to little effect.
"That won't do much", Tara said grimly.
"You think you can beat it?" Dawn asked Buffy and Summers.
"The first time, probably not", Summers confessed. "It's too strong."
"With the Troll Hammer or the scythe, we could", Buffy pointed out.
"Yeah, those would work better", Summers agreed.
"So, Faith is screwed", Xander said as they groaned.
"You're about to see who's really screwed", Rosenberg smirked.
The Beast seized Faith by the throat and lifted her off the ground. Angelus quipped. "Smile, Faith. I thought you'd enjoy a threesome." "Sure…" She elbowed him back and broke free of the Beast, putting some distance between herself and her opponents.
That brought some chuckles as Buffy said. "Go Faith!"
"…let's get it on." Faith attacked the Beast with a roundhouse kick followed by a flurry of punches to its chest followed by the face. The Beast staggered back a step but the blows didn't hurt it at all. Angelus taunted. "Whoo-ee! Watch yourself, big guy. The girl's on fire." Faith gave 2 more punches to the face, then spun and punched again. The Beast sent her flying into some crates with a punch, covering her in debris. Angelus winced. "Oh… that's gonna sting in the morning."
"Come on Faith", Willow whispered in encouragement as they watched, concerned, wondering what would happen.
The Beast stalked forward and hauled Faith out of the crate's wreckage. Faith ducked a punch, then punched back and kicked its face with a flip before kicking it again, staggering him back. Angelus quipped. "Nice!" The Beast blocked her punch, then took her down, then swung her into a stack of steel conduit with tremendous force as Angelus laughed. Wesley swept Karl's feet from under him before trying to punch Paco who ducked and decked him. Wesley now picked up a dustbin lid and blocked their blows, smashing it into their faces as they were sent back. Paco then attacked with a chain as Wesley blocked and managed to get Paco on his other side.
"So badass", Dawnster commented.
"He's like Captain America but is English and using a dustbin lid instead of shield", Xander said, making them laugh.
"Not too bad even with that", Harris shrugged.
"The two must not be completely pathetic if he's having trouble with them", Buffy noted.
"Yeah, they aren't too bad", Summers nodded grimly. "But he's holding his own."
Faith was on her knees now. The Beast pounded her, one massive blow to the head after another. Her face was bruised, bleeding. The Beast brought one its cloven hooves down on her back, crushing her. Angelus taunted. "Come on, Faithy! You're not even trying." The Beast yanked Faith to her feet and she spat blood into its face. Enraged, it lifted her above its head and slammed her down on the floor with bone-crunching force, then kicked her across the room. Angelus shook his head in mock sympathy as Faith struggled to stand, gasping in pain. "You know, somebody should break this up."
"Oh my God!" Buffy said, horrified at how easily and badly Faith had been beaten.
"No", Dawnster whispered, worried for Faith.
"The Beast is….too strong", Willow realized in horror.
"Crap!" Xander said.
"They were prepared for Angelus, not the Beast", Tara sighed.
"What can be done now?" Giles wondered.
"Well, Angelus is going to do what he set out to", Summers quipped, confusing them.
"It gets cleared up in a second", Maclay assured.
Faith crawled to the center of the room, her face contorted in pain as the Beast approached and stood over her. The Beast sounded disappointed. "This is all you are. I had heard the Slayer possessed great strength… but there's no real power here. My master's power is beyond all limits. Beyond your petty imagining. You are weak. You are nothing. You could not even defeat me." Angelus sidled up next to Beast and smiled down at Faith. "Ain't that the truth? I mean, look at this guy. Pretty much the only thing that could do damage to that thick stony hide… is himself. Or maybe, I don't know… maybe a piece of himself." Angelus whipped out the Beast's dagger and slammed it into the creature's back. The Beast screamed in agony and batted Angelus aside. It writhed about, trying to reach the dagger buried in its back as cracks started to form all along the length of its body.
"What the….?" Buffy trailed off as all watched with wide eyes.
"Angelus did this?" Dawnster asked.
"Yup, Angelus saved the world for now", Dawn quipped.
"Damn!" Xander said.
"His reasons were selfish but yeah, he did it this time", Rosenberg sighed.
"Bloody Hell!" Giles exclaimed.
"Would be my reaction if I was English", Harris quipped.
"Well, at least Beast is gone finally", Tara pointed, and that made them sigh in relief.
"Yeah, one big bad guy down", Willow smiled.
"The bigger one is still to go", Maclay said grimly.
"And that is the real deal", Summers muttered as they watched the screen.
Radiant blood-red light poured out of the fissures as the Beast's screams reach a crescendo pitch. Angelus said. "I knew it! I knew it!" The light came together in a coherent beam and shot out of the Beast's mouth and eyes up into the sky. Wesley knocked his opponents back as it slammed into the mysterious cloud obscuring the sun and annihilated it. Sunlight instantly blazed forth, bathing the city in a golden glow. Wesley shielded his eyes as the sunlight poured down onto the roof of the building. Paco and Karl looked at each other for a brief moment, horrified, before they both exploded into flames and disintegrated. "Faith…" Wesley ran off to find her.
"The sun is back!" Dawnster said happily.
"They're lucky it was daytime when this happened", Willow pointed out.
"Yeah, made the thing look more dramatic", Rosenberg said, making them all chuckle.
"And of course, killed the Vamps that Wes was fighting", Buffy pointed out, and they nodded again.
"Yup, lucky timing", Dawn smirked. "And you're about to see more of why."
Faith lay crippled on the floor, watching as the Beast became petrified, then crumbled into a pile of rubble. Across the room, Angelus looked up in disgust at the sunlight coming through the windows high above. "Aw, crap! You mean killing the Beast really does bring back the sun? I thought that was Angel's retarded fantasy. Oh, well… what are you gonna do?" He got to his feet.
"Yeah, bet you didn't like that", Summers said, all of them watching.
"Sun is back, time to limit your time around", Dawnster quipped.
"Yeah, it's time", Xander smirked.
Faith looked up and grasped the chains dangling from a loading winch above her and pulled herself to her feet, using the chain to keep herself upright. Angelus told her. "Anyhow, I just wanted Beastie-boy here to soften you up. I like my meat nice and tender." He licked his lips and leered at her lasciviously. With an agonized scream, Faith hurled the loading winch at Angelus. It slid along its rails toward him but slowly. Angelus easily stepped out of the way. "Oh! A swing and a miss, slugger! Sorry—" The winch continued on past him and crashed through the window, letting in a broad swath of sunlight. Angelus barely managed to dive into the shadows and avoided incineration. Faith lay on the ground right in the center of the sunlit floor, unreachable.
All sighed in relief as Buffy said. "She's safe, she saved herself."
"One down, one to go", Harris said. "At least out of these two."
"So the powerful brawny one is out, now they need to take out the less powerful but more intelligent one", Tara pointed out.
"Which means thinking outside the box", Maclay warned.
"I think I know what you mean", Willow noted.
Angelus stood up and chuckled. "God… okay, well, I gotta give you props. Nice move. Really. I guess we'll just have to take a raincheck on that whole eviscerating you thing. It's just you and me now, Faithy." He winked at her and smiled. "Catch ya later." And then he was gone. At Hyperion, Lorne and Fred stood in the courtyard looking up at the blue sunlit sky just as Gunn and Connor returned. "Whoo! Check it out. We got sun." Lorne quipped. "Well, ding-dong, the Beast is dead!" Fred commented. "I've never seen anything so beautiful in all my life. Where are the others?" Lorne asked. Yeah, yeah… let's hear the war stories. How'd you bring that monster down? Gunn informed. "Well, it wasn't us. Not Connor and me, anyway. Connor realized. "She must have fought it. Faith. The Beast must have attacked her and she must… it's gotta be. Hey, where's Cordy? Does she know?"
"She knows, and really isn't pleased", Rosenberg said.
"Yeah, since she caused that", Harris snarled. "The being behind her."
"And this wasn't even Faith, rather Angelus", Giles pointed out grimly. "Of course either way, they have the sun."
"Faith was trying to do the right thing, Angelus just wanted to serve himself, as usual", Summers reminded.
Fred informed. "She's up in her room." Connor ran inside and headed up the stairs. Lorne asked. "Hey, what about Angelus?" Gunn shrugged. "Well, if that girl can take out the Beast, my money says she'll have Angelus hog-tied and back here by dinner time." Cordelia stood at her window, looking out at the sunny day, her eyes narrowed in anger. The door opened and Connor ran in. "Hey, isn't it incredible? Cordelia feigned happiness. "It's… wonderful." He closed the door, a huge smile on his face. "She did it. Faith. She's… amazing." Cordelia called out. "Connor… Connor was awed. "I mean, I had no idea what a Slayer could do. Cordelia quipped. "A weakness for Slayers. You're definitely his son."
"It was just one, and he cared about us both in different ways", Buffy pointed out.
"Yeah, but this being's head is too far up its ass to see that", Xander shrugged.
"So, Connor is getting manipulated again, huh?" Willow asked.
"Worse than anything before", Maclay said grimly as they watched.
"Be prepared", Dawn warned.
Cordelia took Connor by the hand and sat with him on the bed. "Connor, we need… there's something you need to… I don't know how… well, I know how but…" Connor asked. "What? What is it?" She smiled at him. "We're having a baby." She lifted her shirt to reveal her swollen belly. Connor stared at her in shock. "Touch it." He tentatively reached out and put his hand on her abdomen. "But this… it's impossible. How could—" Cordelia said. "All I know is there's a life growing inside of me and it's ours. We're connected now." She caressed his face, then leaned toward him and kissed him. "You… and me… forever." She pulled him close and kissed him again, more passionately this time. The screen went black.
The past people watched in complete horror and disgust again, and so did the future people, even if they knew what had happened.
"What the…..?" Xander trailed off. "Pregnant again?"
"This…." Buffy snarled, now really angry as she clutched her fists. "How dare that thing?"
"Cordy….." Willow trailed off again, rubbing her face.
"I might throw up", Dawnster warned, and would have if her breakfast hadn't digested by then.
"This is bad", Tara shook her head, looking at the screen in sympathy for both Cordelia and Connor, since the former had been violated and used, and the latter was being manipulated like this.
"Horrible", Giles muttered to himself.
"Third time she got a demonic pregnancy", Summers scoffed in anger and disgust.
"The Powers really showed their love here", Harris scoffed too.
"One of the many reasons we don't like 'em", Rosenberg sighed.
"For all their talk of champions, they can't support their own", Dawn snarled.
"This being a big example", Maclay gestured to the TV.
"All of its messed up as hell, I know", Harris sighed.
"I went from loving this to hating that ending", Buffy muttered.
"Right there with you", Willow agreed.
"Yeah, the ending scene was horrible and disgusting", Summers agreed with a sigh.
"Well, there is one more to go before lunch", Maclay pointed out.
"Let's go", Buffy said, coming to the next one.
This is just like 'Waiting in the Wings', amazing all the way through with a horrible ending scene.
[1] Honestly, I find it ridiculous when people say Dawn is a whiny teenager and needs to grow up. Let's see, in Season 5, she starts annoying but eventually she does grow into a much better character, and it's visible to see too if you're actually paying attention. Basically, she annoys me at first, then grows on me, like an actual little sibling would. Now in Season 6, I agree she could be annoying at times, but let's be honest, that Season made most of the characters do horrible stuff. Like, are we gonna forget when Buffy almost killed her friends or Xander dumped Anya at the altar? And I haven't even brought up Willow and Spike, though to be fair to the former she'd lost the love of her life (and I'd react similarly if mine was anything like Tara) and absorbed Giles' coven magic which made her feel everyone's emotions and she couldn't take it. While the latter was a soulless being at the time, not that it justifies what he tried to do. Tell me, is anything Dawn did half as bad as any of those? No it's not. And after 6x17, she does start growing in that Season too. The scene where she finds Tara's body and says she didn't want to leave her alone always makes me cry. And in Season 7, Dawn was really mature. I think she grew up by, like 3 years, in the summer between Seasons 6 and 7. I think Season 7 Dawn was like Buffy when she was the same age, and actually better than Buffy at that age. As for Connor, I feel a lot of sympathy for him, but he's the one who didn't grow at all for one full Season, he only got any growth in the final 2 episodes of Season 4, and was much better in Season 5, but he is the one who took infinitely longer to grow, Dawn actually did grow up in a natural way, her haters just can't acknowledge it.
Also, many may not agree with me, but I found Faith after her redemption to be more heroic than Buffy personally. It's easy to be good all the time, but doing what Faith did, owning up to it, and coming back from it and being a good person again is much harder, but that's all my opinion.
I also consider Season 7 Dawn to be a better example of the straight, heroic kind of character than Buffy herself, though not to say Buffy isn't a bad example of that either, she's a good example of that as well.
Anyway, hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter. Stay safe from the coronavirus ya all!