Part 12 - Aftermath and Leaving
Between them, Angel and Buffy forced it back, pinning the animated, reeking corpse into a corner. Angel turned, dark blood oozing down his face from the scratches, eyes glowing and features bestial. Buffy cast a single glance at the face she loved - vampire or no - and continued her attack. Even cut off from Faith, the damage its crusted nails could inflict was bad enough - and even though it was no longer able to feed, it still had the Slayer strength it had gained before.
It was more than a match for them, and Buffy had the niggling doubt in her mind that, were it not for the magic being invoked above them by Giles and Wesley, she and Angel would have had trouble stopping it. How did you kill something that was already dead and rotting? She turned, jumping, kicking out, catching the corpse in the midsection with a wet sound that made her feel sick; it lurched forwards and she slipped as she landed, yelping as it lashed out at her and caught her shoulder with its putrid, blackened nails, slicing easily through the fabric of her clothes.
Angel growled and drove in from the other side and dimly Buffy heard Giles and Wesley's voices shouting, somehow now one voice, louder and louder and louder, drowning everything and everyone, deafening, echoing .........
She twisted to one side and clapped her hands over her ears, trying to shut out the noise, backing away, screaming in pain and watching as the thing grinned even more widely and started towards her. It deftly avoided Angel as he staggered backwards, senses momentarily disrupted by the wall of sound that hit them with the force of a tidal wave.
Every light in Giles' apartment flared suddenly, the light brighter than anyone would have thought possible, like the sun at midday. Buffy squeezed her eyes tightly shut; Angel stumbled into her and she felt him shaking against her as the light seared into his flesh, the sensory overload stunning, impossible to bear for long. Giles' and Wesley's voices stopped, the sudden silence as the end of the invocation was reached leaving a void, an emptiness. The flaring brightness of the lamps lasted for no more than a few seconds, before the bulbs imploded, throwing yet more glass shards up into the air. The thing started to howl, a bubbling, rising, shrieking, mind numbing sound that drowned even the screams still issuing from Faith, accompanied by a hissing, spitting, crunching noise as - something that Buffy didn't want to think about in too much depth - happened to it.........
* * * * *
They walked down the street together, hands lightly clasped. A few passersby gave them odd looks; but Buffy didn't much care what they thought. She glanced at Faith and smiled. The sunlight glowed on her skin, made the dark hair shine like oiled wood in the warm sunlight. Faith grinned back at her and swung their clasped hands up, almost skipping. She still looked tired, but her cheeks had regained some colour and her lips glistened glossily red from the lipstick she still liked to use. Buffy knew that Faith still woke screaming, some nights, but the dreams were receding and eventually, Giles had assured them both, they'd stop altogether. Hopefully. The final spell to get rid of the walking corpse that had come for Faith hadn't harmed her at all, as promised, and she remained calm and happy, finally normal. Buffy was almost glowing as they wandered down the wide avenue, heading back towards Giles' apartment, yet her happiness was tempered by a slight sting of sadness.
The flaring of the lamps, the fiery brightness, had had the same effect as sunlight would have had on Angel; the vampire's pale skin had burned and it had been some time before he had been able to see again. As well, the injuries that he and Buffy had suffered during the fight had become infected; the first time Buffy could ever remember such a thing happening. For a change, her Slayer power had failed her; and her shoulder still pained her, the furrows deep but starting to heal, the poison finally leached out. They'd spent the time resting, talking, taking comfort in the presence of the others, all recovering together. Even though they'd stayed out of the fight, Willow still woke screaming at night, seeing the creature that had been Faith's mother in her dreams. Xander was shaken - Anya was the only one who seemed to be unscathed. Buffy put it down to being an ex-demon. She'd probably seen much worse things, and Buffy really didn't want to know what they could have been.
Buffy and Faith had skipped out for a while today though, and as they walked, the sky above them was cloudless and blue; the day was perfect. But Faith was leaving. Going back to LA with Angel and Wesley, away from the Council, away from the wreckage of the hospital, away from the memories of the - thing that had come back from the grave for her.
They'd talked over Faith's decision, all of them, and had become convinced that it was the right thing for her to do. To remain in Sunnydale would risk her incarceration at the hands of the Council again; at least in LA she could do some good, could help Angel. And Giles had seen enough, they all had, to know that she was fine, that the last vestiges of guilt and anger had gone - with the thing that had once been her mother.
"I still wish you didn't have to go," Buffy said softly as they walked back to Giles'.
Faith nodded. "I know. And I want to stay, B, but, I can't. The Council will come for me eventually, you know they will. They'll never believe that I'm, I'm not what I used to be." She paused and looked around. "And perhaps, away from Sunnydale, I can find myself, who I really am. And perhaps I can somehow find the redemption for those things I did - before Wesley and Angel, um, helped me. You know?" Her eyes were shining as she looked at Buffy, who nodded.
"Yeah. I know," she replied. "But I still wish you didn't have to go."
Faith smiled. "Can't help it, B. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Especially in the soul saving department. And I'll have an expert teacher in Angel, for that. But don't worry," she stopped walking suddenly, swinging Buffy round and into a tight embrace, her voice suddenly hoarse as she fought back tears, "everything'll be fine. And I'll come back to visit - it'll be OK." She stood back slightly then, looked into Buffy's eyes for a moment and, leaning quickly forward, she dropped a light, gentle kiss on her surprised mouth. "We're fine, B. We're five-by-five. And anytime you're ready, you know I'll be waiting - don't you?"
Between them, Angel and Buffy forced it back, pinning the animated, reeking corpse into a corner. Angel turned, dark blood oozing down his face from the scratches, eyes glowing and features bestial. Buffy cast a single glance at the face she loved - vampire or no - and continued her attack. Even cut off from Faith, the damage its crusted nails could inflict was bad enough - and even though it was no longer able to feed, it still had the Slayer strength it had gained before.
It was more than a match for them, and Buffy had the niggling doubt in her mind that, were it not for the magic being invoked above them by Giles and Wesley, she and Angel would have had trouble stopping it. How did you kill something that was already dead and rotting? She turned, jumping, kicking out, catching the corpse in the midsection with a wet sound that made her feel sick; it lurched forwards and she slipped as she landed, yelping as it lashed out at her and caught her shoulder with its putrid, blackened nails, slicing easily through the fabric of her clothes.
Angel growled and drove in from the other side and dimly Buffy heard Giles and Wesley's voices shouting, somehow now one voice, louder and louder and louder, drowning everything and everyone, deafening, echoing .........
She twisted to one side and clapped her hands over her ears, trying to shut out the noise, backing away, screaming in pain and watching as the thing grinned even more widely and started towards her. It deftly avoided Angel as he staggered backwards, senses momentarily disrupted by the wall of sound that hit them with the force of a tidal wave.
Every light in Giles' apartment flared suddenly, the light brighter than anyone would have thought possible, like the sun at midday. Buffy squeezed her eyes tightly shut; Angel stumbled into her and she felt him shaking against her as the light seared into his flesh, the sensory overload stunning, impossible to bear for long. Giles' and Wesley's voices stopped, the sudden silence as the end of the invocation was reached leaving a void, an emptiness. The flaring brightness of the lamps lasted for no more than a few seconds, before the bulbs imploded, throwing yet more glass shards up into the air. The thing started to howl, a bubbling, rising, shrieking, mind numbing sound that drowned even the screams still issuing from Faith, accompanied by a hissing, spitting, crunching noise as - something that Buffy didn't want to think about in too much depth - happened to it.........
* * * * *
They walked down the street together, hands lightly clasped. A few passersby gave them odd looks; but Buffy didn't much care what they thought. She glanced at Faith and smiled. The sunlight glowed on her skin, made the dark hair shine like oiled wood in the warm sunlight. Faith grinned back at her and swung their clasped hands up, almost skipping. She still looked tired, but her cheeks had regained some colour and her lips glistened glossily red from the lipstick she still liked to use. Buffy knew that Faith still woke screaming, some nights, but the dreams were receding and eventually, Giles had assured them both, they'd stop altogether. Hopefully. The final spell to get rid of the walking corpse that had come for Faith hadn't harmed her at all, as promised, and she remained calm and happy, finally normal. Buffy was almost glowing as they wandered down the wide avenue, heading back towards Giles' apartment, yet her happiness was tempered by a slight sting of sadness.
The flaring of the lamps, the fiery brightness, had had the same effect as sunlight would have had on Angel; the vampire's pale skin had burned and it had been some time before he had been able to see again. As well, the injuries that he and Buffy had suffered during the fight had become infected; the first time Buffy could ever remember such a thing happening. For a change, her Slayer power had failed her; and her shoulder still pained her, the furrows deep but starting to heal, the poison finally leached out. They'd spent the time resting, talking, taking comfort in the presence of the others, all recovering together. Even though they'd stayed out of the fight, Willow still woke screaming at night, seeing the creature that had been Faith's mother in her dreams. Xander was shaken - Anya was the only one who seemed to be unscathed. Buffy put it down to being an ex-demon. She'd probably seen much worse things, and Buffy really didn't want to know what they could have been.
Buffy and Faith had skipped out for a while today though, and as they walked, the sky above them was cloudless and blue; the day was perfect. But Faith was leaving. Going back to LA with Angel and Wesley, away from the Council, away from the wreckage of the hospital, away from the memories of the - thing that had come back from the grave for her.
They'd talked over Faith's decision, all of them, and had become convinced that it was the right thing for her to do. To remain in Sunnydale would risk her incarceration at the hands of the Council again; at least in LA she could do some good, could help Angel. And Giles had seen enough, they all had, to know that she was fine, that the last vestiges of guilt and anger had gone - with the thing that had once been her mother.
"I still wish you didn't have to go," Buffy said softly as they walked back to Giles'.
Faith nodded. "I know. And I want to stay, B, but, I can't. The Council will come for me eventually, you know they will. They'll never believe that I'm, I'm not what I used to be." She paused and looked around. "And perhaps, away from Sunnydale, I can find myself, who I really am. And perhaps I can somehow find the redemption for those things I did - before Wesley and Angel, um, helped me. You know?" Her eyes were shining as she looked at Buffy, who nodded.
"Yeah. I know," she replied. "But I still wish you didn't have to go."
Faith smiled. "Can't help it, B. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Especially in the soul saving department. And I'll have an expert teacher in Angel, for that. But don't worry," she stopped walking suddenly, swinging Buffy round and into a tight embrace, her voice suddenly hoarse as she fought back tears, "everything'll be fine. And I'll come back to visit - it'll be OK." She stood back slightly then, looked into Buffy's eyes for a moment and, leaning quickly forward, she dropped a light, gentle kiss on her surprised mouth. "We're fine, B. We're five-by-five. And anytime you're ready, you know I'll be waiting - don't you?"