Part 9 - Back in Sunnydale
They arrived in Sunnydale just before dawn two days later. Giles blinked sleep from his eyes as he opened the door and gestured them in, mildly surprised when Angel didn't follow Wesley, hesitating instead at the doorway. He opened his mouth and then realised what was missing; the invitation to enter.
"Oh. Oh! Come in, Angel," he said. "Sorry. How stupid of me. I didn't think."
Angel smiled faintly and stepped through, glancing round the room, seeing Willow and Xander at the table, heads awkwardly pillowed on the books they'd been researching through. He shook his head slightly, smile widening at the sound of Xander's snores. Anya had pulled her chair as close to his as possible, and sat half-leaning over, cuddled next to him. The chair that was half pulled out from the table was evidence that they'd not been the only ones to succumb to sleep.
Angel's eyes settled then on the huddled form under a blanket on the sofa; Faith, sleeping lightly, face and lips pale, eyes surrounded by dark circles, black hair tangled and wild. He looked then at Buffy, slumped wearily in a chair next to her. A hand came out from under the blanket, and was clutching tightly onto Buffy's. She looked up, face lighting up as she saw them, watching them enter the house, smiling as she saw Angel. Gently she released Faith's hand, tucking it back under the blanket, and rose to her feet. Giles watched for a moment as they stared at each other, eyes locked, oblivious to anything but each other, then cleared his throat. It broke the silence and their gazes; Buffy blushed and glanced away, and the moment was gone.
"Let's go into the kitchen," Giles said quietly. "The nightmares are so bad now that Faith is scared to sleep; this is the first time she's been able to and I don't want to wake her."
"Have you found anything?" Buffy asked urgently, as soon as they were in the kitchen. They stood close together in the small room, almost shoulder to shoulder. Buffy unconsciously moved as close to Angel as possible, their arms touching, feeling the cold leather of his coat against her hand. Gently Angel took her hand, cradling it in his. "We have to do something, Faith's - well, she's not going to last much longer. She's getting worse, she says she can feel - this thing, all the time now. It knows where she is; she says - it's getting closer."
"Don't worry, Buffy," he tried to soothe her, voice deep and quiet. "We think - Wesley thinks - he knows what's happened. We've come to help. You'd better tell them what you found." Angel looked at Wesley, who cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"Ah. Well. Yes. You explained things on the phone, and, and, um." He gestured to the bags that he and Angel had brought it with them; they sat by the door. "I've brought the Book with me, the one where I found the invocation to help Faith. And. And, I've read through it in a - little more depth." His gaze moved to the floor as he miserably continued. "The - ah, spell. Yes. While it took away Faith's urges to kill, it - it released something. That's another reason while the spell wasn't used that often, despite the good it can do." He raised his eyes, looking at Giles. "It released all Faith's pent-up guilt and - the urge to kill. And it focused it on the thing she felt most guilty about, the thing that had been pushed to the back of her mind all this time. The fact that she might - oh dear - might have killed her mother."
Giles stared at Angel and Wesley. "So you're saying," he said slowly, "that somehow - you took Faith's rather, um, psychotic urges, and you - let them out. Gave them focus and apparently, form." He paused. "And Faith is still linked to everything?"
Wesley nodded in confirmation. "Yes. You said on the phone that her mother - dabbled?" Giles nodded. Wesley pressed on. "And that Faith said her mother was, ah, crazy? Enough to kill at least once?" Giles nodded again, frowning slightly, wondering what Wesley was getting at. "With the advent of, ah, the spell on Faith - well. Faith's guilt and killing streak - the energies have somehow - raised - her mother." Wesley nervously rubbed his hands together and shivered once. "With the description of the writing, the blood in the hospital - she obviously wants some sort of revenge on Faith. But she'll kill whatever she finds in her way - and especially anyone close to Faith. You're all just part of the fun now." He indicated Buffy, Giles, the peacefully sleeping forms of Xander, Willow and Anya with a broad sweep of his hand.
He carried out after a moment's stunned silence. "I think the reason it's so much worse now is that - well, because the thing, her mother, call it what you will - is so much closer. She's linked to it; after all, it's her guilt, and her urge to kill that drives it and it's feeding from her, somehow. Faith is mutliplying the madness that was already there. That's why she was so badly affected in the hospital, but then she must have had enough strength to somehow protect Buffy and Willow from the - the killing spree. But now - the energy that has been released is stronger than ever and it's feeding from Faith's fear and from her continued guilt; it's gorging from her. I very much fear that Faith won't be able to stop it. And I think it's going to come looking - very soon. Very soon indeed."
Giles turned away, looking through the archway at Faith, who was stirring slightly under her blanket. A small sound escaped her before she subsided and lay still again.
"What happens - if this thing keeps feeding from Faith?" Buffy said quietly, fists clenched at her sides, glancing up at Angel who had been silent throughout as Wesley spoke.
Wesley's face was serious as he looked at Angel then at Giles and finally at Buffy. "It will kill her," he said simply. "One way or another, it wants her dead."
They arrived in Sunnydale just before dawn two days later. Giles blinked sleep from his eyes as he opened the door and gestured them in, mildly surprised when Angel didn't follow Wesley, hesitating instead at the doorway. He opened his mouth and then realised what was missing; the invitation to enter.
"Oh. Oh! Come in, Angel," he said. "Sorry. How stupid of me. I didn't think."
Angel smiled faintly and stepped through, glancing round the room, seeing Willow and Xander at the table, heads awkwardly pillowed on the books they'd been researching through. He shook his head slightly, smile widening at the sound of Xander's snores. Anya had pulled her chair as close to his as possible, and sat half-leaning over, cuddled next to him. The chair that was half pulled out from the table was evidence that they'd not been the only ones to succumb to sleep.
Angel's eyes settled then on the huddled form under a blanket on the sofa; Faith, sleeping lightly, face and lips pale, eyes surrounded by dark circles, black hair tangled and wild. He looked then at Buffy, slumped wearily in a chair next to her. A hand came out from under the blanket, and was clutching tightly onto Buffy's. She looked up, face lighting up as she saw them, watching them enter the house, smiling as she saw Angel. Gently she released Faith's hand, tucking it back under the blanket, and rose to her feet. Giles watched for a moment as they stared at each other, eyes locked, oblivious to anything but each other, then cleared his throat. It broke the silence and their gazes; Buffy blushed and glanced away, and the moment was gone.
"Let's go into the kitchen," Giles said quietly. "The nightmares are so bad now that Faith is scared to sleep; this is the first time she's been able to and I don't want to wake her."
"Have you found anything?" Buffy asked urgently, as soon as they were in the kitchen. They stood close together in the small room, almost shoulder to shoulder. Buffy unconsciously moved as close to Angel as possible, their arms touching, feeling the cold leather of his coat against her hand. Gently Angel took her hand, cradling it in his. "We have to do something, Faith's - well, she's not going to last much longer. She's getting worse, she says she can feel - this thing, all the time now. It knows where she is; she says - it's getting closer."
"Don't worry, Buffy," he tried to soothe her, voice deep and quiet. "We think - Wesley thinks - he knows what's happened. We've come to help. You'd better tell them what you found." Angel looked at Wesley, who cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"Ah. Well. Yes. You explained things on the phone, and, and, um." He gestured to the bags that he and Angel had brought it with them; they sat by the door. "I've brought the Book with me, the one where I found the invocation to help Faith. And. And, I've read through it in a - little more depth." His gaze moved to the floor as he miserably continued. "The - ah, spell. Yes. While it took away Faith's urges to kill, it - it released something. That's another reason while the spell wasn't used that often, despite the good it can do." He raised his eyes, looking at Giles. "It released all Faith's pent-up guilt and - the urge to kill. And it focused it on the thing she felt most guilty about, the thing that had been pushed to the back of her mind all this time. The fact that she might - oh dear - might have killed her mother."
Giles stared at Angel and Wesley. "So you're saying," he said slowly, "that somehow - you took Faith's rather, um, psychotic urges, and you - let them out. Gave them focus and apparently, form." He paused. "And Faith is still linked to everything?"
Wesley nodded in confirmation. "Yes. You said on the phone that her mother - dabbled?" Giles nodded. Wesley pressed on. "And that Faith said her mother was, ah, crazy? Enough to kill at least once?" Giles nodded again, frowning slightly, wondering what Wesley was getting at. "With the advent of, ah, the spell on Faith - well. Faith's guilt and killing streak - the energies have somehow - raised - her mother." Wesley nervously rubbed his hands together and shivered once. "With the description of the writing, the blood in the hospital - she obviously wants some sort of revenge on Faith. But she'll kill whatever she finds in her way - and especially anyone close to Faith. You're all just part of the fun now." He indicated Buffy, Giles, the peacefully sleeping forms of Xander, Willow and Anya with a broad sweep of his hand.
He carried out after a moment's stunned silence. "I think the reason it's so much worse now is that - well, because the thing, her mother, call it what you will - is so much closer. She's linked to it; after all, it's her guilt, and her urge to kill that drives it and it's feeding from her, somehow. Faith is mutliplying the madness that was already there. That's why she was so badly affected in the hospital, but then she must have had enough strength to somehow protect Buffy and Willow from the - the killing spree. But now - the energy that has been released is stronger than ever and it's feeding from Faith's fear and from her continued guilt; it's gorging from her. I very much fear that Faith won't be able to stop it. And I think it's going to come looking - very soon. Very soon indeed."
Giles turned away, looking through the archway at Faith, who was stirring slightly under her blanket. A small sound escaped her before she subsided and lay still again.
"What happens - if this thing keeps feeding from Faith?" Buffy said quietly, fists clenched at her sides, glancing up at Angel who had been silent throughout as Wesley spoke.
Wesley's face was serious as he looked at Angel then at Giles and finally at Buffy. "It will kill her," he said simply. "One way or another, it wants her dead."