Part 4 - The Vision Begins
"What "things" did she mean?" Buffy asked. Angel shook his head.
"Not now. Later. You look tired," he said carefully. "You look like you could use some sleep."
Buffy nodded silently, staring at the floor. He leaned down in front of her, placed a finger under her chin, and tipped her head up so he could see her face. "It'll be OK, Buffy. You'll be fine. You're with us now. We can help you," he added. So strange, to be looking at Faith and know it was Buffy. He looked at her helplessly for a moment. He would have to control his feelings. And from the look in her eyes, she would have to as well. "Come on."
* * * *
Buffy had slept away the remainder of the night and most of the following day, no nightmares haunting her sleep this time. He'd spent some of the time going through books with Wesley, staying as far away from Buffy as possible, to make keeping control easier. She'd slept in a T-shirt of Angel's and looked with distaste at Faith's clothes, when she'd woken up. Seeing the mute appeal on her face, Angel had sent Cordy to her apartment to fetch Buffy something to wear, other than the crumpled leather and T shirt outfit, and for takeout food. She'd sniffed, critically eyed Buffy, and returned an hour later with baggy grey sweatpants and a sweatshirt, and some cartons of Chinese in a bag.
"They're all I have that's clean," she said, smiling sweetly as she handed them over. She indicated the bag with a wave. "Also, I didn't know what you liked. So I got different stuff, we can share it out later if we can drag Wesley away from his books."
She was still clearly suspicious that it was Faith she was lending clothes to, no matter what she'd said about the real Buffy-wearing-Faith being in town or the spell, but Buffy had shrugged tiredly, thanked her, and headed into the shower. Cordy had sighed and headed back to Wesley and the research, not surprised to find that Angel had joined him, as he flipped slowly through spell books and works on just about everything even remotely connected with the occult.
She jerked a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the bathroom. "What's with Miss Energy in there? She looks kinda like she's been hit by a truck." She frowned. "And she was asleep for hours."
Wesley mumbled something, engrossed in a book, even though they'd been researching all day. They'd broken for some sleep the night before, once Buffy had been taken care of, but not, in Cordy's opinion, nearly enough.
"What? I didn't hear that," she said sharply.
Angel looked over. He looked fresh and alert, but that, Cordy thought, was because he probably didn't need sleep, being a reformed vampire and all. "He said, because she's been forced into a body-change, she's gradually losing energy – and life-force. Or something. He thinks the change must have happened a while ago. She's got a while to go yet, though. And now the loss of her Slayer powers – well, it hasn't helped."
Cordy's face brightened. "But, hey, that's good! Coz, all we gotta do is find Buffy, sorry, Faith," she corrected, "wherever she is, and that'll be easy coz she's all weak too, now, right?"
Wesley shook his head, grimly looking up for the first time. "No. She'll be stronger than ever. Whatever life forces Buffy loses, are being drawn back to her body. Where she should be."
"Oh. Like, a superweak Buffy and a superstrong Faith?" Cordy said thoughtfully. "Huh. Not loving that. Not one little bit."
* * * * *
Buffy sat now at the table in Angel's kitchen, carefully rubbing at her dark, wet hair with a towel, watching as he emptied the cartons into bowls, her spirit lifting slightly at the prospect that finally, things might begin to happen. That everything might eventually be returned to the way it should be. Cordelia had wandered in, announced that she was happy they – obviously, not including Angel, she'd said - were finally ready to eat, and hurried away to drag Wesley from his books.
"What "things" were you talking about, with Cordelia?" she asked suddenly. "It's something to do with – with Faith, isn't it? Cordelia said she was here. How do you know?"
Angel's turned to look at her, still holding a half-full carton in one hand. "I think we should wait till Cordelia comes back with Wesley. Then, we'll tell you what we know. Which – isn't much." He quickly finished tipping the contents into the last bowl and transferred them onto the table. Buffy looked at them, and grinned.
"What's funny?" Angel asked.
She shook her head and made a slight face. "I – it's odd that you have plates and stuff," she answered, gesturing at the table. "I mean, you don't eat – why do you have them?"
"Cordelia made me buy them," he replied wryly. "She said it was rude that I didn't have anything for them to eat off – her and Doyle, and now Wesley. Sometimes, I think she might as well live here, she tells me so often what I should and shouldn't buy."
"Oh. You're close, then?" She felt a stab of jealously. "Who was Doyle?" changing the subject, picking up a comb and grimacing as she started to pull it through her clean but tangled hair.
"We're just friends, Buffy," Angel said softly. "I still – I still love you, but you know we – we can't be together. Ever. Not the way we both want to." Buffy nodded, face still. "And Doyle was – he was……" Angel turned away. "A friend. A good friend."
Cordy entered the room, Wesley just behind her, in time to catch the end of Angel's last remark. "Yeah, and it's him I have to thank for these wiggy visions he gave me, him and his being a link to The Powers That Be," Cordelia added, "Not to mention the outlay on pain killers for the headaches they leave me with."
"Visions? You – have visions?" Buffy questioned, eyes wide as she glanced at Cordy, then at Wesley, who smiled proudly. Almost as if he'd caused it to happen.
Cordelia nodded smugly. "Yup. How do you think we found you? Luck? Like we told you, I get the visions," she pointed at Angel, "out we go, he finds, we help. We get paid. Everyone's happy." She sat down at the table. "And now, thank God, we get to eat."
Angel explained what they knew so far. The murders. Carved with the symbol that Faith had used before. They were halfway through the meal, Angel watching and commenting now and then while Wesley voiced his thoughts on various spells and theories he'd found, when the inevitable happened. Cordelia's fork brought silence crashing down as it fell, ringing loudly from her plate, spraying rice over the table. Buffy's Faith-dark eyes widened and she half rose from her chair, staring in horrified alarm at Cordelia.
Cordy shuddered. Eyes wide and staring, she stiffened in her chair, tipping over to one side, gasping for breath. "Another woman………" she managed to moan. "It's dark, so dark……
