Chapter Five - Cold Double Meat Burgers
Buffy stood in the entryway of her kitchen, her
face screwed up in a frown. Typical Faith. The world goes
monumentally screwy in a matter of minutes, and she heads
for the fridge. HER fridge.
"I didn't know the Pony Express was still in
business."
Faith's head appeared over the door, a leftover
Double Meat fry protruding from her mouth. "Mhat?" She
quickly swallowed.
"Either that or your letter was rerouted for
Anthrax inspection. I only got it tonight." She was Not
Happy over this turn of events and wanted to confront her
the moment they could be alone. She hadn't even given
Faith permission to return -- let alone kidnap her sister
and friend. Buffy still hadn't forgotten what she did the
last time she had *visited*. She had driven a wedge
between her and Riley with that body-switch -- granted,
not the only wedge, but it had been big enough
nonetheless.
The brunette sighed and leaned her elbow on the
door. "Couldn't be helped, B. I thought you'd have time to
let the news sink in, but the Council wanted the
Willow-switch taken care of yesterday. I hightailed it
here as soon as I got my walking papers."
Buffy raised an eyebrow. "But not before you stopped
at Billy Bob's House of Slutty Clothes?" She eyed her
rival's black leather pants and quite revealing red tank
top to make her point.
Faith grinned at her slyly and pulled out a hamburger
from the fridge, unwrapping it as she spoke. "I know what
you're thinking, B. But I didn't steal it. I gave a hooker
my last fin in exchange for the threads."
Buffy, not familiar with Boston slang, wondered
how Faith managed to swipe a fish. "Well, it's good to see
you're reformed," she muttered, her tone dripping with
sarcasm. "Now what's this about the soon-to-be-slayed
Council keeping my friend locked in a trophy?"
"I'm not down with the 411," the other Slayer
explained, attacking the hamburger with as much gusto as
she did a demon. "God, I'm starved. Talk about prison
reform! They should start with the food."
"Faith..." Buffy said warningly.
"Yeah, yeah. O.K., I know it's weird. I don't know
much myself. It seems the Council's been keeping tabs on
both of us. This old letch who called himself *Quentin*
came to visit me and said he could get me released
if I'd get rid of your little problem. He said they'd
been watching Katie-in-Willow for a while, but her powers
were growing too strong now, and she had to be stopped.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not the Council's lackey --
never have been -- but since I owe you a favor or two,
I didn't tell Quentin to shove it." She disappeared back
into the fridge to find some cola and wash down her
dinner.
"That bastard," Buffy muttered. "He didn't tell you
how Willow got trapped instead of Katherine?" The more
this nightmare unfolded, the clearer the memory of that
day became. Willow. God, what she must have gone
through. The fact that none of them could tell for five
years -- that's what caused the fury and guilt to race
through her veins. She was relieved, despite herself. Any
emotion at all was good at that point.
"Something about transferring herself to the weakest
vessel at the last minute, and she and Xander were just
outside the room. I'm surprised she didn't go for him if
she was looking for weak." Faith's voice was muffled in
the fridge.
"You call Xander weak in my hearing again, and prison
will seem like Candyland," Buffy ordered, her voice like a
whip-crack. More quietly, she said, "Besides, he was good
enough for you once."
Xander's earlier slip-up hadn't fooled her.
Not hearing the last comment, Faith finally emerged
from the refrigerator and apologized about Xander before
issuing a satisfied burp. She laughed at Buffy's
disgusted expression. "I'd take that as a compliment,
B." She quickly sobered. "But that's not important
now. We've got a crazed hell-bitch with a jones for
hurting you and Willow on the loose. We've gotta get Giles
and figure something out."
"Boy, have you missed a lot," Buffy murmured,
quickly filling in her old rival before they rejoined
Willow and Co.
"All right, I called Xander and Anya like Buffy
told me, and they're bringing Tara here," Dawn explained
as she re-entered the living room. Since Faith had
disappeared into the kitchen with Buffy hot on her heels,
the teen now joined Angel and Spike as they stood staring
at a frightened Willow on the couch.
'Yeah, this won't unnerve her more,' Angel
thought, looking to Spike and Dawn. The only one to have
shared a similar experience, he took up the
reins and approached the fragile redhead.
"Willow? Do you remember what's happened to you?" He
reached a tentative hand to her.
She cringed away violently. This was a -- a
MAN! A grown-up man! With grown-up man hands and grown-up
man parts, speaking to HER! Her hands curled up in fists.
"Aah, uh, oh," she squeaked.
"Yeah, those are vowels all right," Spike declared,
throwing himself into a nearby recliner. So, this was what
Red was like at 15. He had to admit -- he liked the other
one better. Oh yeah, she could have done a thing
or two to him. And a lesbian? He loved that in a woman!
"Wh-who are you all?" Willow said softly, on the
verge of tears. Her gaze landed on Dawn, who seemed to be
the least threatening of the three.
The younger girl had settled daintily on the arm of
Spike's recliner, her hair a shiny brown curtain around
her face.
"So those bleedin' monks didn't see fit to send
The Key Newsletter to those living in statues. Amateurs."
Spike shook his head.
"Shut up, Spike," Angel ground out through clenched
teeth. They had to handle this carefully. From what little
he knew of the Willow of five years ago, she had been
almost painfully shy. "I'm Angel, and that's Dawn
and Spike. Dawn is Buffy's sister, and we're friends of
her and Xander. well, except for Spike, who's
unimportant."
The blonde vampire growled in his grand-sire's
direction, but Angel ignored it. From the few
correspondences between Sunnydale and Wes and Cordy,
he'd learned of Spike's integration with the Scoobies, but
that didn't mean he had to accept it.
"Buffy has a sister?" Willow asked, confused. "I --
I don't understand." Her chin trembled, and a moment
later, her face completely crumbled. She wept into her
hands and was immediately taken into the embrace of Buffy,
who had emerged from the kitchen with a well-fed Faith.
"It's all right; it's all right," she cooed, stroking
her friend's hair. Dawn looked on, a hint of jealousy and
hurt on her face.
Suddenly, the door slammed open. Buffy, Angel
and Spike all instinctively jumped into a defensive
fighting posture. Only Angel remained with his fists up
when they saw it was Xander. Tara and Anya quickly
followed him through the door.
"Where is she?!" he demanded frantically, his eyes
wild.
When Willow saw her ex -- make that her current --
crush, she issued a whimper and rushed into his arms, her
fear of boys forgotten. She had only known Buffy for a
week; Xander was the only truly familiar face. The
only one who she could tell about the agonizing eternity
she spent bound and restrained, helpless as she watched a
multitude of people go by in a blurry haze. Her limbs and
tongue still felt uncertain to her. Five years! They had
said five years!
"Xander, it's not like she was dead. She was merely
held captive within a copper alloy monument for half a
decade," Anya told him sternly, her arms crossed. She was
trying to understand his actions, but she wondered if
he would be as worried about her. What if she broke
something? Like an arm or -- or a lamp? Would he rush to
her rescue as quickly?
"Yes, a walk in the park," Tara replied, her usual
stutter disappearing in her anger at Anya's
in-sensitivity. She was nearly in shock herself. From
what Xander told her of Dawn's sketchy outline over the
phone,
she learned another person -- a BAD person -- had been
inhabiting her Willow's body. It wasn't even her Willow
anymore. How could she have fallen in love with someone
evil? Tara suddenly wanted to take a shower and wash off
the grime she felt covering her.
"We don't have time for this." Faith's voice soared
over the melee. She stood next to Angel in the center of
the room.
Buffy felt familiar jealousy rising within her but
quickly stamped it down. She was going to have to talk to
her ex soon.
"She's not up for this now," Xander seethed, still
clutching a terrified Willow. He felt like he was being
visited by the Spirit of Willow Past. Scratch that. This
was Willow AGAIN. FINALLY. His guilt was a tremendous
thing. Of all the others -- even Tara -- HE should have
known. He should have seen it. An uncharacteristic sob
rose from deep within him as she buried her face in his
chest. He didn't deserve her blind faith.
"It doesn't matter," the corporeal Faith now told
him. "We don't have much time. I can feel it, and I know
B can too."
Buffy nodded in assent, her hand on Willow's
shoulder. "This woman is cracked. We need a plan. I'm
thinking busting some heads?"
"I agree," Xander muttered. "And after that, I'm
writing a strongly worded letter to the Council."
#
Buffy stood in the entryway of her kitchen, her
face screwed up in a frown. Typical Faith. The world goes
monumentally screwy in a matter of minutes, and she heads
for the fridge. HER fridge.
"I didn't know the Pony Express was still in
business."
Faith's head appeared over the door, a leftover
Double Meat fry protruding from her mouth. "Mhat?" She
quickly swallowed.
"Either that or your letter was rerouted for
Anthrax inspection. I only got it tonight." She was Not
Happy over this turn of events and wanted to confront her
the moment they could be alone. She hadn't even given
Faith permission to return -- let alone kidnap her sister
and friend. Buffy still hadn't forgotten what she did the
last time she had *visited*. She had driven a wedge
between her and Riley with that body-switch -- granted,
not the only wedge, but it had been big enough
nonetheless.
The brunette sighed and leaned her elbow on the
door. "Couldn't be helped, B. I thought you'd have time to
let the news sink in, but the Council wanted the
Willow-switch taken care of yesterday. I hightailed it
here as soon as I got my walking papers."
Buffy raised an eyebrow. "But not before you stopped
at Billy Bob's House of Slutty Clothes?" She eyed her
rival's black leather pants and quite revealing red tank
top to make her point.
Faith grinned at her slyly and pulled out a hamburger
from the fridge, unwrapping it as she spoke. "I know what
you're thinking, B. But I didn't steal it. I gave a hooker
my last fin in exchange for the threads."
Buffy, not familiar with Boston slang, wondered
how Faith managed to swipe a fish. "Well, it's good to see
you're reformed," she muttered, her tone dripping with
sarcasm. "Now what's this about the soon-to-be-slayed
Council keeping my friend locked in a trophy?"
"I'm not down with the 411," the other Slayer
explained, attacking the hamburger with as much gusto as
she did a demon. "God, I'm starved. Talk about prison
reform! They should start with the food."
"Faith..." Buffy said warningly.
"Yeah, yeah. O.K., I know it's weird. I don't know
much myself. It seems the Council's been keeping tabs on
both of us. This old letch who called himself *Quentin*
came to visit me and said he could get me released
if I'd get rid of your little problem. He said they'd
been watching Katie-in-Willow for a while, but her powers
were growing too strong now, and she had to be stopped.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not the Council's lackey --
never have been -- but since I owe you a favor or two,
I didn't tell Quentin to shove it." She disappeared back
into the fridge to find some cola and wash down her
dinner.
"That bastard," Buffy muttered. "He didn't tell you
how Willow got trapped instead of Katherine?" The more
this nightmare unfolded, the clearer the memory of that
day became. Willow. God, what she must have gone
through. The fact that none of them could tell for five
years -- that's what caused the fury and guilt to race
through her veins. She was relieved, despite herself. Any
emotion at all was good at that point.
"Something about transferring herself to the weakest
vessel at the last minute, and she and Xander were just
outside the room. I'm surprised she didn't go for him if
she was looking for weak." Faith's voice was muffled in
the fridge.
"You call Xander weak in my hearing again, and prison
will seem like Candyland," Buffy ordered, her voice like a
whip-crack. More quietly, she said, "Besides, he was good
enough for you once."
Xander's earlier slip-up hadn't fooled her.
Not hearing the last comment, Faith finally emerged
from the refrigerator and apologized about Xander before
issuing a satisfied burp. She laughed at Buffy's
disgusted expression. "I'd take that as a compliment,
B." She quickly sobered. "But that's not important
now. We've got a crazed hell-bitch with a jones for
hurting you and Willow on the loose. We've gotta get Giles
and figure something out."
"Boy, have you missed a lot," Buffy murmured,
quickly filling in her old rival before they rejoined
Willow and Co.
"All right, I called Xander and Anya like Buffy
told me, and they're bringing Tara here," Dawn explained
as she re-entered the living room. Since Faith had
disappeared into the kitchen with Buffy hot on her heels,
the teen now joined Angel and Spike as they stood staring
at a frightened Willow on the couch.
'Yeah, this won't unnerve her more,' Angel
thought, looking to Spike and Dawn. The only one to have
shared a similar experience, he took up the
reins and approached the fragile redhead.
"Willow? Do you remember what's happened to you?" He
reached a tentative hand to her.
She cringed away violently. This was a -- a
MAN! A grown-up man! With grown-up man hands and grown-up
man parts, speaking to HER! Her hands curled up in fists.
"Aah, uh, oh," she squeaked.
"Yeah, those are vowels all right," Spike declared,
throwing himself into a nearby recliner. So, this was what
Red was like at 15. He had to admit -- he liked the other
one better. Oh yeah, she could have done a thing
or two to him. And a lesbian? He loved that in a woman!
"Wh-who are you all?" Willow said softly, on the
verge of tears. Her gaze landed on Dawn, who seemed to be
the least threatening of the three.
The younger girl had settled daintily on the arm of
Spike's recliner, her hair a shiny brown curtain around
her face.
"So those bleedin' monks didn't see fit to send
The Key Newsletter to those living in statues. Amateurs."
Spike shook his head.
"Shut up, Spike," Angel ground out through clenched
teeth. They had to handle this carefully. From what little
he knew of the Willow of five years ago, she had been
almost painfully shy. "I'm Angel, and that's Dawn
and Spike. Dawn is Buffy's sister, and we're friends of
her and Xander. well, except for Spike, who's
unimportant."
The blonde vampire growled in his grand-sire's
direction, but Angel ignored it. From the few
correspondences between Sunnydale and Wes and Cordy,
he'd learned of Spike's integration with the Scoobies, but
that didn't mean he had to accept it.
"Buffy has a sister?" Willow asked, confused. "I --
I don't understand." Her chin trembled, and a moment
later, her face completely crumbled. She wept into her
hands and was immediately taken into the embrace of Buffy,
who had emerged from the kitchen with a well-fed Faith.
"It's all right; it's all right," she cooed, stroking
her friend's hair. Dawn looked on, a hint of jealousy and
hurt on her face.
Suddenly, the door slammed open. Buffy, Angel
and Spike all instinctively jumped into a defensive
fighting posture. Only Angel remained with his fists up
when they saw it was Xander. Tara and Anya quickly
followed him through the door.
"Where is she?!" he demanded frantically, his eyes
wild.
When Willow saw her ex -- make that her current --
crush, she issued a whimper and rushed into his arms, her
fear of boys forgotten. She had only known Buffy for a
week; Xander was the only truly familiar face. The
only one who she could tell about the agonizing eternity
she spent bound and restrained, helpless as she watched a
multitude of people go by in a blurry haze. Her limbs and
tongue still felt uncertain to her. Five years! They had
said five years!
"Xander, it's not like she was dead. She was merely
held captive within a copper alloy monument for half a
decade," Anya told him sternly, her arms crossed. She was
trying to understand his actions, but she wondered if
he would be as worried about her. What if she broke
something? Like an arm or -- or a lamp? Would he rush to
her rescue as quickly?
"Yes, a walk in the park," Tara replied, her usual
stutter disappearing in her anger at Anya's
in-sensitivity. She was nearly in shock herself. From
what Xander told her of Dawn's sketchy outline over the
phone,
she learned another person -- a BAD person -- had been
inhabiting her Willow's body. It wasn't even her Willow
anymore. How could she have fallen in love with someone
evil? Tara suddenly wanted to take a shower and wash off
the grime she felt covering her.
"We don't have time for this." Faith's voice soared
over the melee. She stood next to Angel in the center of
the room.
Buffy felt familiar jealousy rising within her but
quickly stamped it down. She was going to have to talk to
her ex soon.
"She's not up for this now," Xander seethed, still
clutching a terrified Willow. He felt like he was being
visited by the Spirit of Willow Past. Scratch that. This
was Willow AGAIN. FINALLY. His guilt was a tremendous
thing. Of all the others -- even Tara -- HE should have
known. He should have seen it. An uncharacteristic sob
rose from deep within him as she buried her face in his
chest. He didn't deserve her blind faith.
"It doesn't matter," the corporeal Faith now told
him. "We don't have much time. I can feel it, and I know
B can too."
Buffy nodded in assent, her hand on Willow's
shoulder. "This woman is cracked. We need a plan. I'm
thinking busting some heads?"
"I agree," Xander muttered. "And after that, I'm
writing a strongly worded letter to the Council."
#