Part VIII
FIONA
The ability to withstand massive exertion is the birthright of the royal family of Amber, and I possess the quality in substantial measure (though none of us has come close to matching Brother Corwin in this regard). However, I was beginning to feel the stress of the situation. Behind me, Bleys and Willow continued to chant softly, and the energy matrix was growing brighter and brighter moment to moment; unfortunately, it would be several minutes more before it reached threshold energy and severed the link between the Hellmouth and the Logrus. Xander and Oz were standing by with raised crossbows, guarding us and waiting for opportunity fire against any of the demons being held off by the three frontline fighters. All three were fighting defensively, trying to buy us the time we needed. Angel was using his superior strength to wield two broadswords and was holding off two of the Chaos demons, though he was wounded in several places. Xander had managed to put a crossbow bolt in the shoulder of one of the demons, after which Angel had managed to avoid being wounded. Giles was wielding Bleys' Pattern sword Evening Star, and using it skillfully: the fight was a standoff for the moment, with both sides having taken scratches. Faith was having the roughest time of it: she was clearly unused to fighting defensively, and the demon had reach on her. Still, the demon she was fighting had been wounded worse than the others, also, and the question seemed to be who would drop first.
The fight between Buffy and Brand had been brutal. I could see multiple bruises on Buffy's face and arms, and though his vampiric body didn't react the same way to damage as a human's, Brand was clearly feeling the pain. Fortunately for Buffy, Brand was not as physically powerful as most of his brothers, though he was capable in combat, having been trained by Benedict. I was vigilant, hoping he would give up trying to use his special powers so that I could aid Buffy more directly, but he recognized the danger and kept trying to teleport or use Logrus at odd moments, demanding my attention. I could see the frustration on his face: we were holding our own, and time was running out.
The glow behind me grew brighter and brighter. . .it would only be seconds now. I saw Brand's vampiric visage assume a determined look, then he knocked Buffy's arms aside and grabbed her head, staring into her eyes. I saw her grab his arms to prevent his breaking her neck, but I knew that he had another purpose. Angel, seeing the action and thinking Buffy was about to be killed, shouted, "NO!!" and was distracted enough that one of his opponents was able to get around him and headed straight for the circle. Xander and Oz discharged their crossbows, but the bolts struck non-vital areas and the demon swept them aside, bearing down on me. . .
. . .as I felt Brand's attention being totally brought to bear on Buffy, allowing me to concentrate on the problem at hand. I grabbed the arm that the demon was raising to sweep me aside and locked eyes with it. I felt it recoil in horror as it realized the problem it now had, but my will paralyzed it as I spoke three Words of Power. The creature wilted and dropped to the ground, its mind gone. At that moment, there was a massive burst of light from behind me and all three conscious demons wailed in pain and dropped their swords. As if choreographed, Angel, Giles, and Faith raised their blades simultaneously and decapitated their foes, sending their bodies crumpling to the ground.
Everyone paused for a moment in shock, then everyone turned to where Buffy and Brand were locked together, staring blankly into each other's eyes. Angel recovered first and was moving quickly towards them with a stake when I found my voice again: "Angel, no!"
Angel, still wearing his vampiric face, snarled, "Why not? He's going to kill her!" Bleys, sizing up the situation, hastened to explain, "He has her in a mind lock. If you kill him now, the shock could be fatal to Buffy." After a moment, Angel nodded, and his features returned to human appearance. Giles walked over to hand Bleys his blade, then turned to me and asked, "What can we do, Fiona?"
Frowning, I replied, "Brand knows he is defeated, and he is trying to salvage the situation. The form he has taken is temporary and probably cannot function outside this shadow; on the other hand, Buffy is an Amberite, and a relatively inexperienced one. He hopes to take over her mind and use her to escape, knowing that we cannot hurt him without hurting Buffy. If he succeeds, we may lose her forever."
There was an appalled silence, then Xander broke the silence by asking, "Can we help her?" I frowned and replied, "I can't break the lock directly, but we may be able to help her through encouragement." I beckoned everyone over and explained, "We need to form a circle around them. . ."
BUFFY
Brand grabbed me, and all I could think of was that he was going to break my neck. I grabbed frantically at his hands, and that's when he locked eyes with me. The eyes were the Master's, but I could see the even deeper menace there. I tried to break away, but I felt myself being sucked in. . .
Abruptly I was standing in the library, which was empty except for me. . .and a slim man of modest height, blue eyes, and red hair, who was watching me with an amused expression on his face. From the picture on his Trump, I knew him to be Brand. I laughed and called out, "What's the matter, didn't like playing the big, bad Master any more?"
Brand smiled, and the look of it was more evil than anything I had seen from the Master. "We're in your mind, Buffy. You and your friends have won your little victory and saved your shadow from destruction. . .but now you are in my realm, and you have no hope here. I will take control of your mind from within and use your body to escape. I might even stay permanently. . .you have a strong body, and with my superior intellect and other charms, that is a good match."
Fighting the chill that went racing up and down my spine, I looked around, and a thought occurred to me. "Why are we still in the library, if this is my mind?"
For a moment, a look of genuine puzzlement crossed Brand's face, then he was in command again. "Why, Buffy, this place is the nexus of all of the evil that has plagued your shadow. . .it may be sealed out there, but here it represents the place of greatest peril to you. . .the place you will die. Unless, of course, you cooperate. We could be partners rather than adversaries. You have a great deal of talent compared to the other bastard puppies our family has spawned. I could make it worth your while. . ."
The voice was soothing, and for a moment I was tempted. I was so damned sick of fighting. . .so damned sick of being beaten down over and over again. Brand watched my inner struggle with a cruel smile on his face, and I was in a state of utter dismay when I began to hear the whispers: "Buffy. . .don't listen. . .Buffy, fight him. . .Buffy, we need you. . ."
The voices came from behind me, and I turned to see ghostly shapes forming in the room. I saw an image of Fiona kneeling next to two bodies locked together, apparently Brand and myself. Her hand was on my forehead, and Bleys was holding her other hand. The others were linked in a circle around us, and Bleys grasped one of Willow's hands to link them with the rest of us. I could hear them murmuring further encouragement to me, but there was no response when I shouted back. Brand snickered, and I whirled back to him. "They can't hear you, Buffy," he explained, walking up to me, contempt on his face. "They are mere phantoms who cannot fully penetrate the barriers I have set up. In fact, I can block them completely. . .and I will." He waved a hand theatrically, and the images vanished.
I felt a pang of loss and desperately wished for the images to return. . .and, just like that, they did. Brand looked startled and waved his hand again: the images faded but did not disappear. I locked eyes with him and concentrated on strengthening the images. They grew in brightness and definition, and the voices grew more clear. I heard Willow clearly say, "Buffy, can you hear us?" I turned and actually met her gaze: her reaction made it obvious she could see me. "Loud and clear, Willow. Save me a seat." I saw her blink at the flippant reaction, then I turned back to Brand who suddenly looked less confident. I smiled at him, with an expression that had not been on my face since the night the Anointed One kidnapped my friends to try to bring back the Master, and I calmly told Xander and Angel I was going to kill every vampire in the room as a distraction.
Brand threw a straight right at me, but I blocked it effortlessly and struck him hard in the jaw: he went staggering back. "I just figured something out," I commented as we traded blows, with my punches and kicks seeming unhurried while his had the obvious look of wildness. "We're not in the library because it is your conception of a good place to kill me. We're here because. . .this place is my home, more so even than the room I sleep in at night. I spend most of my free time here with friends, planning things that have made a difference to a lot of people." I pointed to the spot under the skylight. "The Master died there two years ago, and I died under this very spot that night. . .or, should I say, the Slayer died. I lived, and that created a little problem for you, didn't it? You probably just realized it yourself. . .you've been feeding power into the Hellmouth for years now, and you've been wondering why it has taken so damned long to reach the critical point: you must have been desperately trying to emerge before Fiona or someone else noticed what you were doing. What you didn't know was that a young Amberite had come into a measure of her power right on top of the Hellmouth, and that the result would be a drain on the energy you were attempting to build up. . .into me. Oh, there would be side effects: increased paranormal activity in the area, unexplainable events. . .but in Sunnydale, none would be the wiser. I should have been a pushover in our fight. . .but I wasn't: I was too strong, and you were forced to come back before you were ready. So you brought me here, hoping to take through intimidation and force of will what you couldn't get out there. There's just one problem, Brand." I stepped up the pace of my blows, and Brand was reduced to all out defense, his expression changing to one of desperation. I laughed out loud and knocked him down with a sweep kick, then reached behind me and broke a chair leg off: the end was quite jagged enough to make a lethal weapon. "I've had to face a demon with the face of the man I loved in a fight to the death, then sent that man to hell. I've been dead and come back for more. After all I've been through, Brand, the sad fact is that you're just another demon for me to kill. This is my place, and you don't belong here." With that, I took the chair leg with both hands and brought it down, hard. Just before it would have struck home, Brand's body glowed as brightly as the sun, blinding me for a moment.
When my vision returned, I realized that I was lying on the floor with a serious headache, and Fiona was standing over me, smiling. I blinked and asked, "Uh. . .what happened? I was about to stake Brand and he disappeared. . ." Fiona pointed behind me, and I looked and saw a small pile of ashes, still smoldering. I turned back to Fiona, who explained, "The Master's body flared and turned to ash just before you came out of it. . .I believe that Brand forcefully disengaged the link and used most of his remaining mental energy to project himself back into the Abyss of Chaos. Unless I'm greatly mistaken, it will be a while before he can try something like this again. . .if ever."
I shook my head and tried to gather my thoughts: that had been a close one. I wondered at my last words to Brand, and I turned to Fiona. She smiled and explained, "Brand had you in a very deep mind lock, Buffy. In that state, both parties have conscious access to that which we call intuition. You made a number of connections between disparate facts that would have been very difficult to put together in a normal waking state. . .but you did it all on your own. Congratulations."
Obeying an impulse, I hugged her, and though I had the feeling that she wasn't ordinarily the hugging type, I felt her return the embrace warmly. At that, the others came up, offering congratulations, hugs, and kisses. Faith walked up and clasped my shoulder, saying, "Way to go, B. Listen, I'm gonna bail. See you later." I hardly heard her words, being startled at the effect that the momentary contact between us had, but I managed to nod as she left. Bleys held back, apparently wanting me to enjoy the moment, but after a minute or two everyone had moved back, noticing me watching Bleys. After a few more seconds, I hesitantly walked over to Bleys and looked up at him. He said nothing, but I could see the twinkle in those blue eyes. Annoyed, I put my hands on my hips and demanded, "Well?"
Bleys studied his fingernails for a moment, then looked down at me and replied, "Let's see. . .you've saved your shadow and all of your friends from utter destruction, gained great power and a new family, and beaten one of the most dangerous beings in the universe at his own game. Not bad. . .for a beginner." He actually managed to keep a straight face for five full seconds as I gave him the A version of my death stare, then smiled broadly and clasped forearms with me, then leaned over and kissed my forehead. He straightened and commented, "Well done indeed, Buffy. . .but we will need to train you more. From what I've seen, by the time Benedict and I finish with you, Brand won't last five minutes in the rematch. . .if there is one."
I groaned at the thought. "Gee, Bleys, that sounds. . .great." I remembered something that I needed to take care of and turned to Xander. "Hey, I need to run an errand. Order us some pizza. . .I'm starving and I bet the rest of our little defense squad is too. I'll be back in about an hour." Xander nodded and I jogged out the door, leaving Giles clucking at the mess in his library as I departed.
FAITH
I finished telling the Boss what had happened, and he was less than thrilled. "So your little playmate Buffy has gained archetypal power from a noble extra-dimensional bloodline, huh? That's not the kind of news I like to get. . .but at least we're not about to be shredded by an exploding Hellmouth. That's the key to life, Faith: look on the bright side of things." He began shuffling some paperwork as I toyed with the letter opener in my hand, restless and worried about what the deal would be now that Buffy had become seriously dangerous. The Boss saw the expression on my face and chuckled, "Faith, you worry too much. We'll deal with this: heck, I've had bigger setbacks than thi-OUCH!"
He pulled a finger back from where it had run along the papers he was holding, and I could see blood dripping from a nasty paper cut. . .that wasn't healing. Startled, I pointed and commented, "Uh, boss, you're bleeding." He noticed, and turned pale as he began babbling, "This can't be. . .the ceremony should have made me invulnerable for one hundred days. . .wait, oh no, it can't be." He looked up at me and asked, "Faith, did you say that the Amberite sorceress told you all that the Hellmouth would be closed by the ceremony?"
I frowned and thought a moment. "Yeah, she said that. . .no, wait, Boss, she said that the ceremony would seal the Hellmouth, not close it. Does that make a difference?"
I saw his face turn angry for a moment, then soften as his normal personality reasserted itself. He took a deep breath and replied, "Yes, Faith, it does. The magical environment that was sustaining my invulnerability. . .and that was going to make my Ascension possible. . .has been radically changed. It's all gone. . .my plans are ruined. Darn, that's disappointing. Oh well, guess I'll have to tough it out another fifty years or so." He went back to writing notes on the papers in front of him, not watching me.
I frowned again and asked, "So you aren't invulnerable any more, and you aren't going to become an all-powerful demon on Graduation Day?" He chuckled and replied, "Seems not, Faith. Oh well, plans change, and there will always be a place for you in my organization. Why do you a-ukk!"
His head turned to where the letter opener had pierced his heart, then he looked at my cold expression as I replied, "I just wanted to know where we stood, Boss." His face twitched, and he said something that sounded kind of like, "well gosh," before he staggered out of his chair and dropped dead to the floor. As I watched, his body-clothing and all-turned into a puddle of orange goop. I made a face and turned-to see Buffy standing in the open doorway, calmly watching the scene. I felt like I had just been gut-punched, and I said nothing as she walked over and examined the mess that had been the Mayor of Sunnydale. She smiled coldly and commented, "Well, there won't be a body to worry about this time, but the janitor is going to be seriously pissed off."
I nervously looked around for an escape route; naturally, there was nothing available, so I tried one of the golden oldies: "Uh, I can explain, Buffy." She laughed at that, and began circling me like a vulture around a corpse as she commented, "Really, Faith? You can explain how it was that you decided to switch sides and work for the head bad guy in Sunnydale. . .how you were willing to let Willow get killed to protect your boss' dirty little secrets. . .how you've been lying to all of us for weeks now. . .you can explain, huh? This ought to be good."
I was too taken aback to manage any reply, and she continued, "Thing about Amberites, Faith, is that we can read the minds of people who touch us. I might not have noticed, but you were so frantic to get back to the Mayor and figure out how to sell him down the river now that you knew the score with me that you might has well have shouted the whole thing in my ear. The question is, now, what am I going to do with you?"
I was more afraid at that moment than I had been since Kakistos had us cornered when I first came to Sunnydale: whatever the last few days had done to Buffy, it had certainly made her less picky about killing. . .if I didn't tell her what she wanted to hear, I was dead meat. I stayed quiet as she continued, "On the one hand, you just did us all a big favor by taking out the Mayor. . .nice to know that we won't have to worry about him any more. On the other hand, you're a treacherous little bitch who sold us down the river so that you could have a nicer place to sleep and be the big shot in this town. . .a lot of people would probably sleep better if I dumped you where you dumped Mr. Finch last month." Moving more quickly than I had ever seen her do before, she reached out and grabbed me by the throat. I grabbed her arm to try to loosen the grip, but she was too strong. I could feel myself losing consciousness, then suddenly she released her grip and shoved me to the floor. I managed to keep a relatively composed look on my face, but I knew that she could see the fear in my eyes. I stood up and looked at her for a long moment before asking quietly, "All right, what do you want? If you want me gone, I'm gone. I can be on a freighter before morning. . ."
Buffy laughed, and the sound of it was harsh in the quiet office. "That's always the solution for you, isn't it? Run off and leave everyone else to clean up your messes. It's not going to be that easy, Faith. If you want to leave this office alive, you're going to have to commit to being useful." She pointed to the Mayor's visitor's chair and indicated for me to sit. I did, and she sat behind the Mayor's desk. She looked at me for a long moment, then explained bluntly, "I want you to be the Slayer, Faith."
I was startled, and she could see it on my face as she elaborated, "I'm going to be away a lot now, Faith. This whole Amber thing is going to mean a lot of specialized education and training that I can't get here, and even though Fiona says that with the Hellmouth sealed that vampire and demon activity will be down worldwide, this place still needs a Slayer. . .and you're the only one left now. I'll be back a lot, and I'll be training you with some of the tricks I'll be learning in Amber, but you'll be the Slayer. . .what you've wanted all along, if I remember correctly." Buffy saw the dawning hope on my face and snapped, "But if I can't trust you, Faith, I'm just going to have to dump you in the river and take my chances with the next Slayer." I recoiled, and Buffy's face softened for the first time and continued softly, "Look, Faith. Personality issues aside, you're good at what you do. Get rid of some of those self-destructive impulses of yours, and you might live a long life even being the Slayer. But I'm trusting you with the safety of my friends, and if you don't come through. . .well, if you thought I was rough on Angel, just cross me on this and see the hell I leave you in." Buffy looked at me for a long moment, and added one more thing: "I'll tell Angel what the score is, but if you agree, none of the others will ever hear what happened with you and the Mayor. You get to be the Slayer, get all of the attention, the whole ball of wax. How about it?"
It wasn't a hard choice, really. Death is highly overrated as a career move, and the situation she was going to set up for me wasn't that bad. Besides, it would still be possible to sneak in a little fun now and then. . . Buffy extended her hand, and from the expression on her face, I knew that she knew that I wouldn't cross her. . .at least for now.
As always, comments are welcomed and desired.
FIONA
The ability to withstand massive exertion is the birthright of the royal family of Amber, and I possess the quality in substantial measure (though none of us has come close to matching Brother Corwin in this regard). However, I was beginning to feel the stress of the situation. Behind me, Bleys and Willow continued to chant softly, and the energy matrix was growing brighter and brighter moment to moment; unfortunately, it would be several minutes more before it reached threshold energy and severed the link between the Hellmouth and the Logrus. Xander and Oz were standing by with raised crossbows, guarding us and waiting for opportunity fire against any of the demons being held off by the three frontline fighters. All three were fighting defensively, trying to buy us the time we needed. Angel was using his superior strength to wield two broadswords and was holding off two of the Chaos demons, though he was wounded in several places. Xander had managed to put a crossbow bolt in the shoulder of one of the demons, after which Angel had managed to avoid being wounded. Giles was wielding Bleys' Pattern sword Evening Star, and using it skillfully: the fight was a standoff for the moment, with both sides having taken scratches. Faith was having the roughest time of it: she was clearly unused to fighting defensively, and the demon had reach on her. Still, the demon she was fighting had been wounded worse than the others, also, and the question seemed to be who would drop first.
The fight between Buffy and Brand had been brutal. I could see multiple bruises on Buffy's face and arms, and though his vampiric body didn't react the same way to damage as a human's, Brand was clearly feeling the pain. Fortunately for Buffy, Brand was not as physically powerful as most of his brothers, though he was capable in combat, having been trained by Benedict. I was vigilant, hoping he would give up trying to use his special powers so that I could aid Buffy more directly, but he recognized the danger and kept trying to teleport or use Logrus at odd moments, demanding my attention. I could see the frustration on his face: we were holding our own, and time was running out.
The glow behind me grew brighter and brighter. . .it would only be seconds now. I saw Brand's vampiric visage assume a determined look, then he knocked Buffy's arms aside and grabbed her head, staring into her eyes. I saw her grab his arms to prevent his breaking her neck, but I knew that he had another purpose. Angel, seeing the action and thinking Buffy was about to be killed, shouted, "NO!!" and was distracted enough that one of his opponents was able to get around him and headed straight for the circle. Xander and Oz discharged their crossbows, but the bolts struck non-vital areas and the demon swept them aside, bearing down on me. . .
. . .as I felt Brand's attention being totally brought to bear on Buffy, allowing me to concentrate on the problem at hand. I grabbed the arm that the demon was raising to sweep me aside and locked eyes with it. I felt it recoil in horror as it realized the problem it now had, but my will paralyzed it as I spoke three Words of Power. The creature wilted and dropped to the ground, its mind gone. At that moment, there was a massive burst of light from behind me and all three conscious demons wailed in pain and dropped their swords. As if choreographed, Angel, Giles, and Faith raised their blades simultaneously and decapitated their foes, sending their bodies crumpling to the ground.
Everyone paused for a moment in shock, then everyone turned to where Buffy and Brand were locked together, staring blankly into each other's eyes. Angel recovered first and was moving quickly towards them with a stake when I found my voice again: "Angel, no!"
Angel, still wearing his vampiric face, snarled, "Why not? He's going to kill her!" Bleys, sizing up the situation, hastened to explain, "He has her in a mind lock. If you kill him now, the shock could be fatal to Buffy." After a moment, Angel nodded, and his features returned to human appearance. Giles walked over to hand Bleys his blade, then turned to me and asked, "What can we do, Fiona?"
Frowning, I replied, "Brand knows he is defeated, and he is trying to salvage the situation. The form he has taken is temporary and probably cannot function outside this shadow; on the other hand, Buffy is an Amberite, and a relatively inexperienced one. He hopes to take over her mind and use her to escape, knowing that we cannot hurt him without hurting Buffy. If he succeeds, we may lose her forever."
There was an appalled silence, then Xander broke the silence by asking, "Can we help her?" I frowned and replied, "I can't break the lock directly, but we may be able to help her through encouragement." I beckoned everyone over and explained, "We need to form a circle around them. . ."
BUFFY
Brand grabbed me, and all I could think of was that he was going to break my neck. I grabbed frantically at his hands, and that's when he locked eyes with me. The eyes were the Master's, but I could see the even deeper menace there. I tried to break away, but I felt myself being sucked in. . .
Abruptly I was standing in the library, which was empty except for me. . .and a slim man of modest height, blue eyes, and red hair, who was watching me with an amused expression on his face. From the picture on his Trump, I knew him to be Brand. I laughed and called out, "What's the matter, didn't like playing the big, bad Master any more?"
Brand smiled, and the look of it was more evil than anything I had seen from the Master. "We're in your mind, Buffy. You and your friends have won your little victory and saved your shadow from destruction. . .but now you are in my realm, and you have no hope here. I will take control of your mind from within and use your body to escape. I might even stay permanently. . .you have a strong body, and with my superior intellect and other charms, that is a good match."
Fighting the chill that went racing up and down my spine, I looked around, and a thought occurred to me. "Why are we still in the library, if this is my mind?"
For a moment, a look of genuine puzzlement crossed Brand's face, then he was in command again. "Why, Buffy, this place is the nexus of all of the evil that has plagued your shadow. . .it may be sealed out there, but here it represents the place of greatest peril to you. . .the place you will die. Unless, of course, you cooperate. We could be partners rather than adversaries. You have a great deal of talent compared to the other bastard puppies our family has spawned. I could make it worth your while. . ."
The voice was soothing, and for a moment I was tempted. I was so damned sick of fighting. . .so damned sick of being beaten down over and over again. Brand watched my inner struggle with a cruel smile on his face, and I was in a state of utter dismay when I began to hear the whispers: "Buffy. . .don't listen. . .Buffy, fight him. . .Buffy, we need you. . ."
The voices came from behind me, and I turned to see ghostly shapes forming in the room. I saw an image of Fiona kneeling next to two bodies locked together, apparently Brand and myself. Her hand was on my forehead, and Bleys was holding her other hand. The others were linked in a circle around us, and Bleys grasped one of Willow's hands to link them with the rest of us. I could hear them murmuring further encouragement to me, but there was no response when I shouted back. Brand snickered, and I whirled back to him. "They can't hear you, Buffy," he explained, walking up to me, contempt on his face. "They are mere phantoms who cannot fully penetrate the barriers I have set up. In fact, I can block them completely. . .and I will." He waved a hand theatrically, and the images vanished.
I felt a pang of loss and desperately wished for the images to return. . .and, just like that, they did. Brand looked startled and waved his hand again: the images faded but did not disappear. I locked eyes with him and concentrated on strengthening the images. They grew in brightness and definition, and the voices grew more clear. I heard Willow clearly say, "Buffy, can you hear us?" I turned and actually met her gaze: her reaction made it obvious she could see me. "Loud and clear, Willow. Save me a seat." I saw her blink at the flippant reaction, then I turned back to Brand who suddenly looked less confident. I smiled at him, with an expression that had not been on my face since the night the Anointed One kidnapped my friends to try to bring back the Master, and I calmly told Xander and Angel I was going to kill every vampire in the room as a distraction.
Brand threw a straight right at me, but I blocked it effortlessly and struck him hard in the jaw: he went staggering back. "I just figured something out," I commented as we traded blows, with my punches and kicks seeming unhurried while his had the obvious look of wildness. "We're not in the library because it is your conception of a good place to kill me. We're here because. . .this place is my home, more so even than the room I sleep in at night. I spend most of my free time here with friends, planning things that have made a difference to a lot of people." I pointed to the spot under the skylight. "The Master died there two years ago, and I died under this very spot that night. . .or, should I say, the Slayer died. I lived, and that created a little problem for you, didn't it? You probably just realized it yourself. . .you've been feeding power into the Hellmouth for years now, and you've been wondering why it has taken so damned long to reach the critical point: you must have been desperately trying to emerge before Fiona or someone else noticed what you were doing. What you didn't know was that a young Amberite had come into a measure of her power right on top of the Hellmouth, and that the result would be a drain on the energy you were attempting to build up. . .into me. Oh, there would be side effects: increased paranormal activity in the area, unexplainable events. . .but in Sunnydale, none would be the wiser. I should have been a pushover in our fight. . .but I wasn't: I was too strong, and you were forced to come back before you were ready. So you brought me here, hoping to take through intimidation and force of will what you couldn't get out there. There's just one problem, Brand." I stepped up the pace of my blows, and Brand was reduced to all out defense, his expression changing to one of desperation. I laughed out loud and knocked him down with a sweep kick, then reached behind me and broke a chair leg off: the end was quite jagged enough to make a lethal weapon. "I've had to face a demon with the face of the man I loved in a fight to the death, then sent that man to hell. I've been dead and come back for more. After all I've been through, Brand, the sad fact is that you're just another demon for me to kill. This is my place, and you don't belong here." With that, I took the chair leg with both hands and brought it down, hard. Just before it would have struck home, Brand's body glowed as brightly as the sun, blinding me for a moment.
When my vision returned, I realized that I was lying on the floor with a serious headache, and Fiona was standing over me, smiling. I blinked and asked, "Uh. . .what happened? I was about to stake Brand and he disappeared. . ." Fiona pointed behind me, and I looked and saw a small pile of ashes, still smoldering. I turned back to Fiona, who explained, "The Master's body flared and turned to ash just before you came out of it. . .I believe that Brand forcefully disengaged the link and used most of his remaining mental energy to project himself back into the Abyss of Chaos. Unless I'm greatly mistaken, it will be a while before he can try something like this again. . .if ever."
I shook my head and tried to gather my thoughts: that had been a close one. I wondered at my last words to Brand, and I turned to Fiona. She smiled and explained, "Brand had you in a very deep mind lock, Buffy. In that state, both parties have conscious access to that which we call intuition. You made a number of connections between disparate facts that would have been very difficult to put together in a normal waking state. . .but you did it all on your own. Congratulations."
Obeying an impulse, I hugged her, and though I had the feeling that she wasn't ordinarily the hugging type, I felt her return the embrace warmly. At that, the others came up, offering congratulations, hugs, and kisses. Faith walked up and clasped my shoulder, saying, "Way to go, B. Listen, I'm gonna bail. See you later." I hardly heard her words, being startled at the effect that the momentary contact between us had, but I managed to nod as she left. Bleys held back, apparently wanting me to enjoy the moment, but after a minute or two everyone had moved back, noticing me watching Bleys. After a few more seconds, I hesitantly walked over to Bleys and looked up at him. He said nothing, but I could see the twinkle in those blue eyes. Annoyed, I put my hands on my hips and demanded, "Well?"
Bleys studied his fingernails for a moment, then looked down at me and replied, "Let's see. . .you've saved your shadow and all of your friends from utter destruction, gained great power and a new family, and beaten one of the most dangerous beings in the universe at his own game. Not bad. . .for a beginner." He actually managed to keep a straight face for five full seconds as I gave him the A version of my death stare, then smiled broadly and clasped forearms with me, then leaned over and kissed my forehead. He straightened and commented, "Well done indeed, Buffy. . .but we will need to train you more. From what I've seen, by the time Benedict and I finish with you, Brand won't last five minutes in the rematch. . .if there is one."
I groaned at the thought. "Gee, Bleys, that sounds. . .great." I remembered something that I needed to take care of and turned to Xander. "Hey, I need to run an errand. Order us some pizza. . .I'm starving and I bet the rest of our little defense squad is too. I'll be back in about an hour." Xander nodded and I jogged out the door, leaving Giles clucking at the mess in his library as I departed.
FAITH
I finished telling the Boss what had happened, and he was less than thrilled. "So your little playmate Buffy has gained archetypal power from a noble extra-dimensional bloodline, huh? That's not the kind of news I like to get. . .but at least we're not about to be shredded by an exploding Hellmouth. That's the key to life, Faith: look on the bright side of things." He began shuffling some paperwork as I toyed with the letter opener in my hand, restless and worried about what the deal would be now that Buffy had become seriously dangerous. The Boss saw the expression on my face and chuckled, "Faith, you worry too much. We'll deal with this: heck, I've had bigger setbacks than thi-OUCH!"
He pulled a finger back from where it had run along the papers he was holding, and I could see blood dripping from a nasty paper cut. . .that wasn't healing. Startled, I pointed and commented, "Uh, boss, you're bleeding." He noticed, and turned pale as he began babbling, "This can't be. . .the ceremony should have made me invulnerable for one hundred days. . .wait, oh no, it can't be." He looked up at me and asked, "Faith, did you say that the Amberite sorceress told you all that the Hellmouth would be closed by the ceremony?"
I frowned and thought a moment. "Yeah, she said that. . .no, wait, Boss, she said that the ceremony would seal the Hellmouth, not close it. Does that make a difference?"
I saw his face turn angry for a moment, then soften as his normal personality reasserted itself. He took a deep breath and replied, "Yes, Faith, it does. The magical environment that was sustaining my invulnerability. . .and that was going to make my Ascension possible. . .has been radically changed. It's all gone. . .my plans are ruined. Darn, that's disappointing. Oh well, guess I'll have to tough it out another fifty years or so." He went back to writing notes on the papers in front of him, not watching me.
I frowned again and asked, "So you aren't invulnerable any more, and you aren't going to become an all-powerful demon on Graduation Day?" He chuckled and replied, "Seems not, Faith. Oh well, plans change, and there will always be a place for you in my organization. Why do you a-ukk!"
His head turned to where the letter opener had pierced his heart, then he looked at my cold expression as I replied, "I just wanted to know where we stood, Boss." His face twitched, and he said something that sounded kind of like, "well gosh," before he staggered out of his chair and dropped dead to the floor. As I watched, his body-clothing and all-turned into a puddle of orange goop. I made a face and turned-to see Buffy standing in the open doorway, calmly watching the scene. I felt like I had just been gut-punched, and I said nothing as she walked over and examined the mess that had been the Mayor of Sunnydale. She smiled coldly and commented, "Well, there won't be a body to worry about this time, but the janitor is going to be seriously pissed off."
I nervously looked around for an escape route; naturally, there was nothing available, so I tried one of the golden oldies: "Uh, I can explain, Buffy." She laughed at that, and began circling me like a vulture around a corpse as she commented, "Really, Faith? You can explain how it was that you decided to switch sides and work for the head bad guy in Sunnydale. . .how you were willing to let Willow get killed to protect your boss' dirty little secrets. . .how you've been lying to all of us for weeks now. . .you can explain, huh? This ought to be good."
I was too taken aback to manage any reply, and she continued, "Thing about Amberites, Faith, is that we can read the minds of people who touch us. I might not have noticed, but you were so frantic to get back to the Mayor and figure out how to sell him down the river now that you knew the score with me that you might has well have shouted the whole thing in my ear. The question is, now, what am I going to do with you?"
I was more afraid at that moment than I had been since Kakistos had us cornered when I first came to Sunnydale: whatever the last few days had done to Buffy, it had certainly made her less picky about killing. . .if I didn't tell her what she wanted to hear, I was dead meat. I stayed quiet as she continued, "On the one hand, you just did us all a big favor by taking out the Mayor. . .nice to know that we won't have to worry about him any more. On the other hand, you're a treacherous little bitch who sold us down the river so that you could have a nicer place to sleep and be the big shot in this town. . .a lot of people would probably sleep better if I dumped you where you dumped Mr. Finch last month." Moving more quickly than I had ever seen her do before, she reached out and grabbed me by the throat. I grabbed her arm to try to loosen the grip, but she was too strong. I could feel myself losing consciousness, then suddenly she released her grip and shoved me to the floor. I managed to keep a relatively composed look on my face, but I knew that she could see the fear in my eyes. I stood up and looked at her for a long moment before asking quietly, "All right, what do you want? If you want me gone, I'm gone. I can be on a freighter before morning. . ."
Buffy laughed, and the sound of it was harsh in the quiet office. "That's always the solution for you, isn't it? Run off and leave everyone else to clean up your messes. It's not going to be that easy, Faith. If you want to leave this office alive, you're going to have to commit to being useful." She pointed to the Mayor's visitor's chair and indicated for me to sit. I did, and she sat behind the Mayor's desk. She looked at me for a long moment, then explained bluntly, "I want you to be the Slayer, Faith."
I was startled, and she could see it on my face as she elaborated, "I'm going to be away a lot now, Faith. This whole Amber thing is going to mean a lot of specialized education and training that I can't get here, and even though Fiona says that with the Hellmouth sealed that vampire and demon activity will be down worldwide, this place still needs a Slayer. . .and you're the only one left now. I'll be back a lot, and I'll be training you with some of the tricks I'll be learning in Amber, but you'll be the Slayer. . .what you've wanted all along, if I remember correctly." Buffy saw the dawning hope on my face and snapped, "But if I can't trust you, Faith, I'm just going to have to dump you in the river and take my chances with the next Slayer." I recoiled, and Buffy's face softened for the first time and continued softly, "Look, Faith. Personality issues aside, you're good at what you do. Get rid of some of those self-destructive impulses of yours, and you might live a long life even being the Slayer. But I'm trusting you with the safety of my friends, and if you don't come through. . .well, if you thought I was rough on Angel, just cross me on this and see the hell I leave you in." Buffy looked at me for a long moment, and added one more thing: "I'll tell Angel what the score is, but if you agree, none of the others will ever hear what happened with you and the Mayor. You get to be the Slayer, get all of the attention, the whole ball of wax. How about it?"
It wasn't a hard choice, really. Death is highly overrated as a career move, and the situation she was going to set up for me wasn't that bad. Besides, it would still be possible to sneak in a little fun now and then. . . Buffy extended her hand, and from the expression on her face, I knew that she knew that I wouldn't cross her. . .at least for now.
As always, comments are welcomed and desired.