Twist of Fate: Chapter 27
by Lisette
Legalese: See Chapter 1 for disclaimers and ratings.
As the elevator doors swept open to reveal the dimly lit parking garage, Miss Parker, Jarod, and Giles hurried out, Faith still cradled in the Watcher's arms as a stunned nurse remained huddled in back. Pausing briefly, Jarod's frantic eyes swept over the structure, his breath catching in his throat until he sighted the dark van parked nearby, three sets of startled eyes meeting his before the van roared to life. "There," he said, indicating the van that was slowly lumbering towards them when the sound of a car door pulled his attention in another direction.
"Jarod, there's Jarod!" the unmistakable voice of Mr. Lyle rang out in the parking garage as he, Willie, and two other sweepers emptied out of their dark sedan.
Freezing, three sets of eyes swung towards the new arrivals, obviously heralding the untimely arrival of the Centre. "Damnit, Oz, hurry," Giles murmured not quite believing their luck as his eyes swept back towards the Centre operatives - just in time to watch as an unmistakable blonde head bobbed out of the dark car and into view. "Buffy," Giles whispered, tears instantly burning his eyes as he hungrily took in the vision of the slayer that he had quietly begun to fear he would never see again.
Seeing the Watcher's dilemma, Jarod quickly took the comatose girl from the man's hands, grunting as his ribs protested against the movement - and just in time, it seemed, as Giles' knees buckled beneath his weight. Shaking his head, Jarod began towards the van as it careened to a stop beside him, watching as Miss Parker quickly helped the Watcher to his feet, restraining him as he tried to move towards the girl that he loved so much - had missed for so long.
"Not now," Miss Parker murmured, straining against the older man as she began dragging him towards the doors to the van. And then, as if their present troubles weren't enough, the door that led to the stairwell, the one that stood between themselves and her idiotic brother, burst open, releasing the four members of the Watcher's Council.
At that moment, everything froze as everyone stared warily at everyone else. But that moment didn't last long enough as Mr. Travers turned, following Giles' frantic gaze and locking on the little blonde slayer that stood behind their group - a Slayer that he had been all too content to write off for good. "Buffy Summers," he murmured, his soft words echoing in the thick silence as his eyes locked on the blonde girl that stood amongst a small group of dark-clothed men. "Grab her," he ordered, ignoring Faith and focusing on the girl that had been a thorn in his side for far too long.
Almost simultaneously, Mr. Lyle looked past the group of strangers and locked eyes with Jarod, almost oblivious to the young, dark-haired woman he had cradled in his arms. "Kill the others," he ordered, his words directed to his Slayer. "Kill everyone but Jarod," he added, his eyes moving until they locked on his sister's narrowed eyes. "Everyone but Jarod," he repeated as his Slayer burst into motion and hurtled across the garage.
"Uh oh," Jarod murmured as he quickly turned and finished the distance to the van, just as its side door rolled open, revealing Xander and Willow within. Without a word, the two teens quickly struggled with Faith's dead weight, pulling the unconscious girl inside before Jarod joined them in the confines, quickly followed by Miss Parker. Which left only Giles, his tall frame frozen beside the van's open door, his eyes locked on his Slayer.
With an inhuman speed that Giles recognized, he watched as Buffy darted towards them, pausing only when met with the forces of the Watcher's Council. But then, to his horror, he could only watch as Buffy tore through the Council members as though they were a pack of vampires. No, worse than vampires or any demon she ever faced. Cringing, he watched in dumb horror as the group of men were dismembered before his eyes, his Slayer's movements so vicious and primal that the area was drenched in crimson. Soon, only Quentin Travers remained, his babbling pleas for mercy lost to his Slayer. Her face was an emotionless mask as her foot collided with his chest with the force of a semi, the wet sound of bones and tissues melding into one echoing in the room as the man who had been an adversary of Giles for so long flew back until his body collided with a concrete beam, the back of his head exploding on contact in a wave of red and gray matter.
Gasping, Giles felt himself begin to hyperventilate as Buffy's cold, deadened eyes locked with his own. Then, as she began towards them, her steps slow and deliberate, he felt arms wrap around him as he was drug back and into the van, the vehicle springing into action before the door was even closed behind him. Numb, Giles leaned back where he was placed, his eyes focusing on nothing as Jarod tried desperately to get him to control his breathing.
"Giles?" Willow asked frantically, her wild eyes dancing between the Watcher and Xander, his eyes just as panicked as her own. "Giles, what's wrong? What happened?" she demanded, her eyes finally settling on Miss Parker.
Sighing, Miss Parker tried desperately to silence the echoing screams of those men in her mind as she focused on the slim redhead. "Buffy was there," she replied simply, understanding that none of the teens had seen their friend... that no one had witnessed the ensuing bloodshed.
"Buffy was there?" Xander asked quickly, his eyes growing wide as he dove towards the front of the van. "Oz, man, you have to turn back!" he ordered, his voice desperate. "Buffy was back there!"
"No," Jarod countered as the van began to slow. "Keep going," he ordered, catching Oz's eyes in the rearview mirror.
And then, before Xander could protest further, Giles' quiet voice filled the van. "It wasn't Buffy," he murmured, his eyes locking on the hands that were curled in his lap. "Not our Buffy," he amended before slowly raising his eyes to look sorrowfully at Willow and Xander, the two members of the Scooby gang that had been with him from the start - that had been a constant in the lives of he and Buffy. "The Council was there as well and Buffy... Buffy tore through them like they were the worst sort of demon." Pausing, Giles considered his words before he quietly changed his statement. "Like she was nothing more than a demon herself."
At his bleak description, a thick silence fell over the van. Tears quickly filled Willow's eyes, falling unnoticed down her pale cheeks as Xander slumped back against the side of the van, looking as though his entire world had just crashed down around them. In a way, it just had. Oz was the one to break the silence as he timidly looked to Giles through the mirror above him. "So, am I supposed to be heading back to the apartment?"
"No," Jarod said quickly, hunching over as he moved to the front of the van and claimed the passenger seat beside the short teen. "Lyle will know about the apartment."
"The Watcher's Council will as well," Willow added, piping in from the back as she cast worried eyes to the quiet Watcher.
"Well is there anywhere else that we can go?" Miss Parker asked, voicing everyone's question aloud as she turned dark eyes to the Sunnydale crew. "Jarod's right in that my brother most likely had you all under surveillance from the time we first met until when he took Buffy. Wherever we go, it has to be somewhere that both the Watcher's Council and the Centre won't know about - someplace that you haven't visited or mentioned since that first meeting."
As a thick silence fell over the group, Xander shifted slightly from his place on the van floor, silently debating with himself. I... I think I know of a place."
Sighing, Mr. Lyle took in the carnage that surrounded him and his men, wrinkling his nose as he wiped away a bit of blood that had splattered onto his highly polished black shoes. "Well, Mr. Raines," he began, unperturbed by the bloodshed, "it seems as though your procedure was a success."
"An unequivocal success," Raines concurred, his eyes sweeping over the girl that stood at attention by his side. Smiling slightly, he noticed that during her massacre, she had somehow avoided getting a single drop of blood on her. She was good. His girl was good, alright. "So now what?" he rasped, his eyes sweeping back to the man that led the little group - the upper echelon of the Centre, what with both Miss Parker on the outside looking in and her father... well, if the video surveillance Angelo had found for him was correct, it seemed as though Mr. Lyle had taken care of his father himself. He had learned long ago that there was nothing a Parker wouldn't do to ensure his position on the throne of the Centre.
"Well, unfortunately neither Jarod nor my sister will be stupid enough to return to any location that previous surveillance has revealed," Mr. Lyle admitted with a small scowl. "For now, we'll return to the hotel. They know that we have the Slayer and knowing Jarod, he and her friends will make themselves known soon enough. We just have to be ready for them," he said, smiling boyishly as he turned to Willie. "Therefore, I want another team sent out - at least ten men. I don't want any mistakes this time."
On rusted hinges the double doors swung open, admitting the large group into the abandoned building. First came Willow and Oz, bags of supplies and miscellaneous food stuffs in hand. Then came Giles, a stack of books piled against his chest as Jarod followed on his heel with Miss Parker trailing behind, phone pressed to one ear. Last came Xander, the comatose dark-haired slayer cradled in his arms.
Stopping in the foyer of the old mansion, Giles casually allowed his eyes to sweep over the empty room, memories of past times flitting through his mind. Torture at the hands of a monster, apocalypses, betrayals... this room, this mansion, had seen much heartache and irreparable damage during the stay of Angel and his demon counterpart. It had also seen much hope and unconquerable love. Sighing, Giles slowly closed his eyes against the memories as newer ones fought for control - memories of his beloved Slayer tearing through his fellow Watchers, bathing the cold garage in blood. For a second, Buffy's deadened eyes swam in his vision before he slowly pushed the memory away. Now wasn't the time for dwelling on the past, for whatever difficulties - whatever dangers they had faced in the past... they all compared little to what the group was facing today.
"Willow, Oz," he spoke, his voice sounding thunderous in the oppressive silence, "unload the groceries in the kitchen and find places for the rest of the supplies," he ordered, watching as the two teens disappeared down a darkened corridor. "Xander, put Faith in the bedroom over there," he continued, nodding towards the door off to his left where he knew Angel used to sleep. Then, alone with the two other adults that were caught up in this vicious game, Giles followed Jarod further into the room, bending slowly to deposit his heavy load on the small table that sat before a cold fireplace.
"Okay, Sydney is clearing out of the apartment as we speak," Miss Parker called out, joining the men in the living room as she slid her small phone back into her jacket pocket. "And yes, he's bringing the supplies that you wanted," she cut in before the question had even left Giles' mouth, smiling slightly before settling herself on a dusty couch. For perhaps the first time in a long time, the grime went unnoticed as she instead closed her eyes wearily, shifting slightly on the furniture.
And then the couch groaned once more as another weary body settled beside her. Without even looking, Miss Parker knew immediately who that body belonged to - knew it with every fiber of her being. "Sydney is going to take the girl and leave," she murmured, her voice filling the void as she slowly opened her eyes and turned to the Pretender beside her.
"How does he plan on getting her out of the city?" Jarod queried, unable to mask the concern he held for his mentor.
"I asked him the same thing," Miss Parker admitted with a small frown. "He said that it was a surprise - that we'd all see when he got here," she murmured, her frown deepening. Sydney knew that she hated surprises - had hated them from the day that her mother died. Since then, it was almost impossible for her to look at a surprise without wondering what horrible secrets it held, for rarely, in her opinion, could a surprise be good or innocent.
"Why did you come here?"
Startled from her thoughts, Miss Parker met Jarod's eyes once again, noticing the way they looked at her with such concern. Concern... now that was a laugh. After all, she was just doing what he had asked of her. Where was the pride that she had been expecting? Hoping for? Instead, his expressive brown eyes held only concern for the 'friend' that had spent the last four years making his life a living Hell. "An old friend convinced me that it was the right thing to do," she murmured, her voice soft as her eyes shifted back to the empty grate of the fireplace before them. "I figured that it was about time I tried doing the right thing... it seems that I've been doing the wrong thing for so long-"
"Not the wrong thing," Jarod countered as he shifted slightly, bringing him imperceptibly closer to the woman beside him. "Just what you thought was right. You've come a long way from the little girl that I once knew," he added, his tone thoughtful as he seemed to look at her, really look at her for the first time. "You got lost after your Mother died, and your father set you on the wrong path after that. You can't blame yourself for only finding your way back now."
Even as she understood the truth of his words, Miss Parker bristled at the slight against her father. It didn't matter that she knew her Father was inherently wrong, that he had condoned so many of the things that her mother had fought against... he was still her father, the only one who was supposed to love her in this cruel world, and she was still his Angel. But then, as she thought to the friends that she had made at the Centre, Sydney and Broots, and the man that she had spent so long chasing - maybe a father's love wasn't the only thing any longer. And then Jarod's words came back to her and a small, derisive laugh escaped her lips before she could stop it. A laugh that was black and ugly with self-degradation. "Parker, you are an amazing piece of work," she muttered quietly, her eyes flashing slightly. "It only took a girl getting her whole life torn apart for you to find your way back."
"Hey," Jarod said softly, finally closing the distance between them as he tentatively put a strong arm around her small shoulders. To his surprise and relief, instead of recoiling away from the touch, Miss Parker leaned into it, nearly falling against him as her soft cheek rested against his chest. "All that matters is that you found your way back. That's all that really matters," he whispered, his breath fanning against her cheek.
She knew that she should pull away, should let some cutting and sarcastic remark fly from her painted lips... but she didn't. She couldn't. This was the first time that she could remember being held like this, like she was important, since before Tommy's death. And she was so tired. Maybe she would stay like this, just for a little while until Sydney returned to them... just for a little while...
From a nearby doorway, Giles watched this display with shuttered eyes. As Xander moved into the bedroom doorway opposite of him, he quickly held a finger to his lips and waved the lanky teen over. Together, they left the Pretender and Miss Parker to their respite and moved further into the mansion, joining Oz and Willow in the kitchen.
"So, now what?" Xander asked, breaking the heavy silence in the room. "Jarod said that he may be able to reverse the drugs or whatever... so how do we get Buffy back without her killing us so we can try?" he asked, all humor replaced by a seriousness that was strange to see on the dark-haired youth.
"That is the million dollar question," Oz supplied, nodding his head slowly as all eyes slowly turned to the Watcher.
Sighing, Giles wearily lifted a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes, that is the question," he replied, wishing he had the answer that they looked to him for.
"Well, let's break it down," Xander said, falling back on the barely remembered training that his experience as a soldier one Halloween provided. "What do they have?"
"Guns," Willow supplied, nose wrinkling slightly.
"Lots of men and resources," Oz added.
"And Buffy," came Giles' response, his tone hollow.
"Good. And what do we have?" Xander asked, his eyes searching those of his friends.
"Well, not the Watcher's Council," Giles quickly refuted, trying unsuccessfully to banish the memory of hearing Quentin Travers beg for his miserable life - all to no avail. His Slayer was not in the state of mind to be granting mercy. Actually, it didn't seem as though she were in her mind at all.
"We've got weapons," Willow added.
"Demon-fighting experience," Oz supplied.
"Demons, being on the Hellmouth and all," from Willow.
"-and the GI Joes," finished Oz with a small shrug.
"Okay, put it all together and what do we have?" Xander asked, turning back and forth from Oz to Willow.
But his answer came from neither of the teens as a slow smile began to lift Giles' lips. "We have the beginnings of a plan."