***Here's Part 2 of Revelations***
CHAPTER 11
The Scoobies were positioned intermittently around the room. Willow and Tara, looking angsty as ever, had taken Buffy and Spike's place in the recliner, with Tara sitting on the chair's arm. Xander leaned against the mantle, hands pocketed to hide any signs of fidgeting. Dawn had bravely taken a seat on the floor, closest to the girl, but far enough to give her space. They both sat with their legs folded over one another; elbows propped up on their thighs. Dawn's face rested comfortably in the palms of her hands. Spike sat on the couch with a pensive slayer. Lines of fatigue and concern were etched on her otherwise flawless face. Her posture was rigid and fear circulated through her. It took all that he was not to draw her close and whisper words of comfort to her, just as she had done earlier with Faith. He had made a promise never to leave her. And no matter how much she pushed him, he was going to be there. His vow was inclusive of all Summers', including the newest addition.
Faith studied the intricate patterns of the carpet, trying her best to stall. Who am I kidding, she thought tersely. When Emerald had told her what she needed to do, she had salivated over the chance to confront her mother, Buffy. Her time at the hands of Seth was more than unbearable. He had reduced the world's only hope, the Slayer, to a ragged mess. She had been nothing more than a toy to him, to do whatever he wished. She shuddered at the thought, a wave of nausea bubbling within her. She did not want to think about that. Not now. Her suffering was insignificant to the destruction doubtlessly being wrought throughout her future world.
She raised her head slowly, locking eyes with the only person in the room she held ambivalence toward. Buffy looked back at her, her concern indisputable. It was a far cry from the cold hopelessness she had seen the last time they had been face to face…
"Look at me mother. Look at me!" Faith shouted at the broken form of Buffy Summers. The latter had done nothing while her daughter pummeled her into the ground. All she could do was whimper. And when Faith's arms grew weary, Buffy had crawled back to the spot he had once occupied. All that was left now was a pile of dust mingling with the heated winds.
"Look at me, you bitch!" The younger girl screamed, hot tears barreling down her cheeks. She pulled Buffy up by the collar, shaking the older woman repeatedly. Finally, the wreck of a slayer looked at her daughter.
"Faith…" she forced out through her cracked jaw. "I'm so sorry." Faith wanted to scream and pound her more but couldn't. The look in Buffy's eyes had taken all the anger and hate away. All that was left was a hollow pain she knew they both shared…
Faith forced herself out of the unbearable memory and she automatically turned to Spike. That had been the last time she had seen him. She never even got a chance to say goodbye. She closed her eyes tightly, forcing the tears back. One rebel tear escaped and it ran parallel down the scar that marred her face. She took a deep breath, and lowered her head.
"I'll tell you as much as I can. Not trying to screw up the future here. Anymore than it already is," she added tiredly.
"What do you mean?" Buffy asked. "I mean, is it that bad?"
Faith snorted and again locked eyes with the slayer. She wanted her hate and anger to show but it wouldn't. She was so tired of hating. "Bad? It's worse than bad, mum," she looked away sheepishly, "Buffy. I mean with dozens of Hellmouths open in the good old terra firma…"
"Dozens?" Xander interrupted. "But how?"
Faith rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, whelp. I'll get to that if you'd be kind to respect the narrative flow." She winked at Spike after using his affectionate term for Xander. He smiled lightly though she knew he was holding back his amusement. "Anyway," she continued, "like I said, there are dozens of Hellmouths. Here. Montana. Alaska. Ohio. Florida. Texas. Maine. Louisiana. And a few more located in the States. They tend to be the smaller ones, however. Not like the big ones elsewhere. Don't really know why. May have to do with the Native Americans that lived here before the Good Old Euros came callin'. Not sure, never really asked Maria…"
"Maria?" Buffy chirped in again and apologetically put her hand to her mouth. Faith smiled. Ever the impatient one. They both were. Forty-plus years did nothing to change that.
"Yeah. She was my girlfriend," she shot a seductive look at Tara and Willow before busting into cackles. She glanced around the room and saw that the joke didn't take. "Geez, give a girl a little break, I mean, traveling forty years…"
"Forty years?" Dawn said almost absently. Faith turned to her future aunt and smiled. The original nibblet. She had always spoiled Faith rotten. God, how she missed her.
"Okay guys," Faith said, not without understanding, "I know some of this stuff I'm gonna tell ya is gonna be hard to swallow but please, can we hold questions to the end of story time?" They all shook their heads and she gave a genuine smile. But the minute gestures were enough to make her truly feel safe.
"Now where was I? Oh yeah, Maria. Well, you see, Maria was my watcher."
"Watcher?" They all exclaimed in unison.
"Just like her father, Rupert Giles."
"Giles' daughter?" Faith had to smile at the flabbergasted looks on everyone's face. I better just throw out any possibilities of an uninterrupted story, she mused. Scoobies at their best.
"The British man had a daughter," Xander said to no one in particular. He held up his hands in dismay. "But that would mean he'd have to have had a…Okay, disturbing mental picture clouding my thoughts. Giles? With a daughter?"
"He is sorta, I don't know Xander, human," Dawn said sarcastically.
"Yeah, but…I mean…c'mon Dawnster. It's Giles!" he pled.
"Yeah, Watcher Boy's not dead, you know," Spike chimed.
"Unlike some people," Buffy added. She playfully shoved the vampire with her forearm, her hand coming to rest on his thigh. He was astonished when she did nothing to remove it.
"We can talk about what Giles can and can't do later," Buffy said, taking charge again, "But right now, Faith has a story to finish."
The younger girl smiled sadly at the slayer when her face contorted into a frown. I'm supposed to hate her, Faith. Remember what she did…
"Right. Like I said, Maria was a watcher. My watcher," she watched their jaws drop. "Yes, people, I am a slayer. And I know, a slayer having a child is not what you would call an everyday event." She pondered that. "Well, actually, a once in a million type thing. It was prophesized, of course. I mean what isn't these days."
"What was the…prophecy?" Tara asked. "Do you remember?"
Faith thought about it. She stretched her legs out and leaned back, propping herself up on her elbows. "Yeah, I do. Maria made sure not to hide anything from me," she said, shooting accusatory glances at both Spike and Buffy. Spike was taken aback, as it was the first time that the girl's eyes held anything but affection for him.
"Anyway, it goes something like 'From the body of the Slayer, twice crossed the beyond, shall come children of light…Within one, the blood of purity tainted, darkness abounds. The other, conceived in love, the fates rest upon.' That's all I remember." She didn't share the rest. Not with them and certainly not with herself. Because if she did, she would be just as responsible as her mother.
The room was silent for several minutes. Faith took the time to gather her remaining thoughts. Emerald had warned her not to disclose everything to these people. Even through her anger, it was hard to keep the truth from her mother.
"I have a daughter," Buffy whispered. And it was then that she knew. This wasn't a doppelganger from a parallel world or a work of evil. This was her daughter. She had come from her. Conceived in love. She stole a glimpse at Spike.
"What about the father?" Spike asked, his words echoing Buffy's thoughts. He hoped that no one had heard the unspeakable pain he felt at the thought of Buffy loving someone else. He shook off the hurtful pang resonating deep within his stomach.
"I mean, is the bloke mentioned in the prophecy at all? Being the father and husband to slayers and all."
"No," she lied. "I never knew him. But…" she hesitated.
"What?" Spike prodded gently. She looked up at him and it was all he could do not to run to her. The tenderness in her eyes let him know that she was no doubt a Summers. Only Summers' women had that effect on him.
"I always looked to you as my father," and for the third time, the room went deathly quiet. Not even Xander dared break the moment between vampire and future slayer.
Buffy, surprisingly was the first to recover. "Did I ever…tell you about him?"
"You didn't speak much about him, but I know you loved him," Faith winced as she felt the pain radiate from Spike's now rigid form. She knew each word was another twist of the stake in his heart, but she couldn't tell him the truth, Emerald had been adamant about that.
"Was he human?" Spike asked, his voice carrying none of its usual flair.
Faith bit her lip. This is gonna hurt even more, Spike. I'm so sorry. "No. He was a vampire."
Small gasps escaped from everyone's mouths. "Angel?" Willow hissed, speaking for the first time. Spike's eyes were the only ones that didn't turn to a teary eyed Buffy.
"Angel," she echoed hollowly.
"Buffy…" Willow consoled.
"What happened to him?" she asked Faith. The young girl studied her legs, refusing to meet her future mother's gaze. She hated herself for having to do this. But it had to been done. What she didn't realize that for each granule of self-disgust she poured onto the scale, her anger towards Buffy slowly crumbled.
"He died. You never told me how. Just that he did." That part had been true. Angel had died, though the shell that was his body still walked the earth.
"Okay, then," Buffy said before the silence got too thick. "Tell up the rest."
"Like I said, since my father was a vampire, I have certain vampiric abilities."
"No reflection," Spike stated.
"Yep."
"I saw her, or rather didn't see her, in the rear-view mirror," he replied sardonically. Only Buffy and Faith knew that he was putting on a show but they both remained quiet.
"I also have environmental adaptive abilities like vamps. Don't really get too cold or too hot. I'm not too crazy about holy water for some reason, either."
"Are you…" Dawn stuttered out. "I mean do you…"
"Have a soul? I know that I am like one-tenth demon. That may explain the holy water thing. But a soul? Don't know. But I don't think that matters much," she looked poignantly towards Spike. "Only thing that matters are your deeds. And your reasons behind 'em." She looked back to Dawn. "The thing is, Dawn, you always have a choice, no matter what. A soul doesn't make us good or evil. The choices we make decide that." She reached out and touched Dawn's exposed foot. "And no matter what bad choices we make, no matter how bad people think we are for those choices, we hold the key to our own redemption. As long as you exist, you can still strive for atonement. And that goes for everyone," her eyes locked with Spike's then Buffy. The latter got the not so subtle hint and dropped her eyes.
"Faith," Dawn called.
"Yeah, sweetie?"
"What are all those marks? And that tattoo thingy on the back of your neck?" She could tell the teen was uncomfortable asking but she did anyway. Besides, it was pertinent to everything that she had to explain.
"Remember when I said that there were dozens of Hellmouths open throughout the world? Well, a man named Gabriel opened them. No, he wasn't a man. He was the most powerful vampire that ever lived. The things he could do…were incredible. I mean, he wasn't just your garden variety blood sucker…no offense," she said to Spike.
"None taken. Besides, who said that the Big Bad was ever garden variety." Everyone, including Xander had to smile at the comment. He nodded when Spike looked up at him. It was a truce of sorts. What Faith had said about choices really hit home and Xander knew he had to rethink his opinion on Spike.
"But this guy was into the darkest of magic. I guess that him being a vampire allowed him to take the brunt of the effects better." She looked to the Wiccas for confirmation.
"I…I think…she…I mean you, Faith, may be right," Tara spoke up. "What happens with magic and why people get addicted to it," she put a reassuring hand on Willow's tensing shoulders, "is two-fold. One is on a physical level and the other is on a more psychological level. Will…Willow was more along the lines of psychological. The rush of power, the feeling of being able to do anything." She gave a reassuring smile to Willow before continuing.
"Darker magic, on the other hand, involve just as much a physical addiction as psychological. Maybe even more. That…that's why most people that get heavily into dark magic are lost. Most of the times, their bodies just whither away…"
"Like Senator Palpatine in 'Return of the Jedi'," Xander quipped.
All eyes cast on Xander with admonishment.
"And the King of the Pop Culture References awakens," Spike muttered.
"Well…actually, Xander, that's a pretty good analogy," Tara said. "The thing is, with people, no matter how evil they are, cannot contain something tr…truly dark without consequences. All that dark power doesn't just flow idly through your veins. It feeds off the life of the person…sort of like a leech. But the person is usually too far-gone by then. With a vampire, though…"
"There is no real life force to feed off of," Willow finished. "But the demon part of a vampire must somehow satiate the flow of dark magic. But…"
"But the problem would be that the host would constantly crave power. Whether it be blood or de…destruction," Tara added. The small amount of tension between the two when the conversation had turned to magic was gone. The Wiccas hadn't even realized that their fingers were now intertwined with one another's.
"And hence the reason for all the Hellmouths open. Gabriel draws power from these Hellmouths and from Emerald. She is almost limitless…"
"Emerald?" Buffy asked.
"Yeah, she's the person that sent me back here."
"But…if she's working with this Gabriel guy…" Dawn let the question linger.
"I don't know, Dawn," Faith answered truthfully. Although she had a feeling that restitution for her deeds had been a part of it. Yet another detail Faith had to hide. If they really knew who Emerald was…
"So has anyone tried to take this Gabriel bloke down?" Spike asked, half-interested. He was so numb at Faith's revelations that he couldn't seem to care. Might selfish of you, he knew. But knowing it was selfish didn't change the way he felt.
"Too many," Faith replied, her voice small.
"Ummm, excuse me," Dawn interrupted, her eyes bright with wonder. "I know I said it awhile back and all, but we didn't finish. You say this happens forty years from now?" Faith nodded. "But how? I mean, I know Buffy's the slayer and all, but you mean to tell me that she'll still be going strong at like, what? Sixty?"
Faith had to laugh at Dawn's rationalization. "Well, sweetie, that's true. But remember, this is a Hellmouth and your sister's not what you'd call normal. Even by slayer standards."
"Hey, slayer right here," Buffy broke in, animating wildly. "But she is right. How is that possible?"
"Well, when Willow brought you back that second time, you didn't come back all together human. It's not Willow's fault though," she added reassuringly. "Actually, I'd wager it was those pesky Powers That Be. Made you immortal, they did." Faith let it sink in a bit before continuing. "Now, don't go thinking you're Ms. Invincible all of the sudden," she gave Buffy a wry smile.
"Great," Buffy said, leaning back into the couch, not noticing Spike wince as she finally removed her hand from his leg. "I'm gonna be a slayer at the age most people are into mandatory retirement," she thought for a moment. "Do I get any benefits?" she asked dryly.
Faith laughed. "Mum, you're always…" she stopped at the use of 'mum'. No, it wasn't the use of the word but the feeling behind it. She and Buffy stared at one another, unanswered questions clouding their vision. Willow saw the unease and broke in.
"So…what about me and Tara? Are we two rockin' Wiccas of sixty as well…or are we resting up in a nice retirement home out in the country?"
Faith smiled sadly at the two Wiccas and everyone knew what that meant. Faith couldn't hide it, so she decided to tell the full truth at least once tonight.
"You, both of you, were pretty much my aunts. You didn't live too far from us and you even taught me some bits of magic. Not very much though."
"What…what happened?" Tara asked. The sadness exuded by Faith was apparent.
"You died. Both of you. Saving our lives," she cast a meaningful glance at Buffy and Spike. "It was the first time that Gabriel had been able to find us. I was seventeen. He sent at least three dozen of his best warriors after us, not to mention dozens of other minions. And he was there as well. As good as we were, we were still outnumbered at least ten-to-one," she paused, lost in the bloodbath that was the beginning of the end of her hope for a good future. "I had just taken out six vamps and two Fyarl demons when one blind-sided me. My leg snapped and there I was, wrestling this thing in a tangle of dead bodies and dust. Even though I did manage to kill it, I was done for. But mum," her eyes flitted to Buffy then back to the ceiling, "she stood over me, protecting me. I don't know how many demons she killed but I could tell that she was almost done too."
"What about me, baby bit?" Spike asked. He was concerned about not being there when they needed him. He had always promised Buffy he'd never leave…
"We got separated. I vaguely remember you screaming our names. But Gabriel was in your way. Well, he was, and then he wasn't. I think it was Tara who 'pushed' him into the wall. When you finally got to us, you put me in your arms and made your way over to you," she was looking at Tara, " you were hurt pretty bad. And you, Willow, you had wiped out his royal guard-even though they were protected by a magic ward."
The Wicca smiled at that. "Cool."
"But it was hopeless. They just kept coming."
"Couldn't they have done some type of spell to wack….you know, demons and all?" Xander asked.
"Well, yeah, but Spike was there. He had said the same thing, willing to sacrifice himself to save his girls but we wouldn't have it. That's when Tara whisked us away." Tears were again streaming down Faith's eyes. She was so lost in the moment to notice that everyone else was also choked with emotion. "You told us that you loved all of us and…and that you'd always be with us in spirit. You told us to take care of one another and no matter what happened, remember that nothing was stronger than the love between us. Not even death…" she trailed off, unable to stay the sobs that cried out from within her. She covered her face and cried. Everyone had been so affected by the moment that only Dawn had the wherewithal to comfort the young woman.
Dawn cooed her future niece with sounds of understanding. Words were meaningless right now and she had decided that her embrace was the best she could offer. She looked over to the couch where her sister stared at them with watery eyes, biting her thumbnails. Spike had scooted next to Buffy and put his arm around her. If not for the circumstances, Dawn would have smiled at how her sister melt into his body.
"I…I didn't even get to say goodbye to Willow," she cried into Dawn's hair. The pain within Faith was not lost on Dawn. It wasn't a year ago that Buffy had died to save her. She had been helpless as her older sister told her what she had to do. Dawn prayed that she'd never feel that again.
"What…about me?" Dawn heard herself ask. Faith's body tensed underneath the teenager, her arms tightening around Dawn's thin frame. She didn't answer for a long time. What could she say to Dawn? "Did I die?" Dawn prodded gently.
"No," Faith replied. Her voice was still raw with emotion.
"Where was I? What happened to me?"
"Dawn…" Buffy said, trying to intercede. Whatever had happened to her sister, she didn't want to know. From the looks of Faith, it could only be bad. And there was only one thing she feared more than her sister dying…
"Was I…was I a vampire?" her voice was soft. If it weren't for the utter silence in the room, no one would have heard her.
"No," Faith said, hoping her words would offer comfort and an end to this particular line of questioning. It didn't.
Dawn pushed Faith away to arms' length and looked her in the eye. But Faith would not meet the girl's gaze. That one gesture told Dawn what she had feared about herself during the whole Glory ordeal.
"I knew it. I told you," she looked to Spike, her eyes brimming with new tears.
"Told me what, pet?" Though it pained him to do so, he broke contact with Buffy and walked over to the two Summers', present and future, seated on the floor.
"That I'm evil. Or at least not good. I mean, how can I be? I only hurt the ones I love," she didn't see Buffy shudder at the last statement.
Spike glanced to the downcast visage of Faith and ran a cool hand down her bare arm. The self-inflicted wounds were healed, the blood dry. Some of the pain they were both feeling dissipated with that simple touch. Some, but not all.
He then took Dawn's tear-streaked face in both hands. His blue eyes locked onto hers. "Listen to me, bit. You haven't hurt any of us. It's rot to think that you are anything but a Summers' woman. Strong. Good. And willing to do anything for the ones you've loved," his face softened. "Point of fact is, dear old sis over there wasn't the first Summers I really loved." Spike could feel eyes on him but all that was important was Dawn. "Took me awhile to come around to her. What with the fist and fangs flyin' everytime we were around each other. But you," he held her chin between his thumb and forefinger, "you, had my heart the first time I saw you." He drew her towards him and kissed her tenderly on the forehead.
Dawn was speechless. She wanted to deny it. She wanted to tell him how everyone got hurt that was around her. Him. Xander and Anya. Tara. Willow. Buffy. But there was someone even bigger that she had felt responsible for. And though Spike's words had touched her like none before, she could not let it go.
"Mom," she croaked.
"What do you mean?" Buffy asked, joining them on the floor.
"Mom died because of me." There, she had said it.
"Bollocks," Spike said immediately.
"No?" Dawn retorted harshly. The disgust she had with herself was suffocating and she felt as if she would die if she held it in any longer. "Then why did she get so sick out of the blue? Why, six months after I came here did she die?"
"Dawnie…" Buffy comforted, reaching out to her sister. But Dawn wasn't having it. She stood, her body trembling.
"No! Stay away from me. All of you. Mom died because of whatever it is within me that Glory wanted so much. She died because of me," she could barely speak through her desperate sobs. "And no matter how hard I try and no matter what anybody says, I know in here," she pointed to her heart, "that if you all stay with me, the same will happen to you. I couldn't…I can't…" but she didn't finish. Instead, she turned and ran up the stairs, her feet pounding on the floor until there was a decidedly loud banging of a door slamming closed.
"Dawn…" Buffy started but was held fast by a warm iron grip.
"Let me," Faith said earnestly. The petite woman stood, her shoulders sagging slightly. "I know there's still a lot you don't know about me or Gabriel and his Order of Sigma," She took in their questioning gazes, "fill you in later. But not now. What I need from you now is to find my locket."
"It must have come off near where I found you," Spike said, focusing on their newest mission.
"Good. I need it. It's the only way I can get home." And it's all that I have left of my true parents.
"Speaking of home, do you know why you were sent here?" Buffy inquired.
"Later. I promise," though she didn't know the full reason herself, "but now, I need you to get that locket."
"It's more than your way home." Spike said. It wasn't a question.
"No," she said softly. "It's all that I have left of home." And with that, she left the room and glided up the steps.
***Well I hope the weeklong wait was worth it. And I hope it wasn't too angst-ridden. I'll try my best to get the next part up by Wednesday. The Chapter 12 will have Buffy and Spike patrolling in 'Backs Against the Wall'. Chapter 13, 'Choices', will have a very important conversation between Faith and Dawn…and of course some Spuffiness***
Kindly let me know what you think.