Time for Chapter 4. It isn't my best work, but it's a moving chapter. It's gonna make it semi-possible to introduce the real plot.
Disclaimer: You know the drill. Taineyah doesn't own anyone except Thomas and Artemis.
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"Krystal, she's only a little girl. She can't understand all this talk about demons and dying." Artemis' grandmother was telling Artemis' mother off, unaware that Artemis was hidden behind the couch.
"She's a future Slayer. She can handle it. She's practically a superhero."
"She's a six year old girl. No child can handle the knowledge you're imparting on her."
Krystal sighed. "She needs to understand, so she'll know what she has to die to protect. When she becomes the Slayer, she'll be stuck at wherever she's assigned. Artemis will never get to see the world if we don't show it to her now."
"She'll never have friends or any part of the real world if you don't send her back to school."
"She'll be fine. I took her out of school because she was causing fights and because I want to spend more time with her."
"And what will happen the day you and Matt decide to have another child? How will she accept that she isn't your only focus anymore?"
"Mum, we can't have anymore children..."
"You told me you could never have children, but Artemis is here now."
"She's strong. She'll deal with anything life sends her."
"She's also very fragile. You're going to destroy that little girl. You're going to make her too old to be a child. You're going to kill her."
"I'd never hurt my princess. Never. I'll kill anyone who lays a hand on her."
"I don't mean her body. Who do you think she's going to become, being raised as she is?"
"The strongest Slayer the world's ever known. No other Slayer's known what she was and beened trained from the moment of her birth."
"No other Slayer's parents went to a demon and had their unborn child's entire future read, either. She's going to grow up and hate the world that she has to save. She needs to gain the love of others."
"She has our love. That's all she needs!"
******
"What the hell!" Buffy exclaimed. "You're supposed to be in jail."
"I broke out. Wesley needed help recapturing Angelus, so I escaped." Faith tapped the doorjamb impatiently.
"Angelus? What happened? What's going on?"
"Let me in and I'll tell you."
The green demon spoke, for the first time. "Honey-hair, can we come in? I might start calling unwanted attention from the neighbours." He looked pointedly at a bright window across the street.
"Who are you?" Buffy asked, unwilling to let random demons into her house.
"You must be Buffy. I'm Krevlorneswath of the Deathwok Clan. Call me Lorne. I've heard so much about you from Angel and Cordy." He extended a hand to Buffy.
She turned to Faith. "Is he evil?"
Faith smirked. "I'm a great one to ask. But no, he's not."
"Really, I'm a great guy. I left my home dimension because I wasn't evil."
Buffy let them in. Faith marched straight into the living room.
"That one of the Potentials?" Faith asked, pointing to Artemis.
Buffy was dumbstruck. "How do you know about the Potentials?" she demanded, as soon as she found words again. She reached over and tapped Faith on the shoulder. Faith was not ghostly or passy throughy.
Faith stepped away from Buffy, brushing imaginary dirt from her sleeve. "All the demons in Sunnydale are talking about the new "Slayer Street Gang." Apparently they've seen the Potentials training and stuff."
"Faith felt it neccesary to make a quick patrol before we came here," Lorne added.
"Okay. Fair enough. Except for the part with Faith breaking out of prison to capture Angelus!"
"I guess that needs some explaining."
"Just a little."
Thomas was still standing in the middle of the living room. "Who are you?"
"Not one to waste words, are you? I'm Faith, the other Slayer and former murderer. You are?"
"Thomas Lavigne. Watcher and swordsmaster."
Buffy gave him a questioning look before turning back to Faith. "Quit stalling. Spill, or I kill you."
"You won't. I'm the murderer, not you," Faith shot back. "But I'll tell you anyway." She paused. "This big, unkillable Beast turned off the sun in L.A., so Wesley had someone take out Angel's soul, because they thought that Angelus knew something."
Buffy looked stunned.
"Angelus was typically unhelpful, and then they discovered that Angel's soul was missing. They couldn't replace it, unless they could find it. They tried this spell, that was supposed to return it, even if they didn't know where it was. Lorne apparently read that he had a soul and they thought it had worked."
"Read?"
"Shut up, okay? So anyway, Cordelia let Angel out of the cage they had him in. It turned out he was still Angelus."
"But he's okay now, isn't he?"
"Wait for it. I'm the one telling the story. He left and then Wesley came and told me. I busted out through the glass in the visitors area. Angelus killed the Beast and the sun turned back on. Angelus was still loose, so after I recovered from some serious Beast inflicted wounds, I captured him. Right now, he's locked up in the basement of the Hotel. They're trying to fix him right now."
"So that's it?"
"That's the story. I decided to come out here because I heard some rumours that the Hellmouth had gone hyperactive. Lorne was sick of listening to Angelus, so he came with me."
"Angelus thought it was funny to make me read him, over and over again. It was downright painful."
"Reading him?"
"When people sing around me, I read their auras and such. When Karitas was still in business, I kind of acted as a therapist."
"Karitas?"
"A bar and nightclub. Demons couldn't be violent in there. It was one of the few places where humans and demons could coexist peacefully, until Angel had to blow it up."
"Oh."
"So, do you need our help?" Faith looked at the chaos in the living room. It hadn't been cleaned up from the night before, when the first two Austin Powers movies had been playing on TMN.
"Not really," Buffy said, nervous at having Faith around, and still unsure about the new demon.
"Yes we could." Thomas was looking at them, his arms crossed.
"Thomas, you don't know Faith very well. Or at all. I get that, but she's dangerous."
"Which is why we need her. She could be a real asset to our side."
"She's a murderer. That means she's killed people. Human people. We can't have her here, not with the Potentials."
"I'm still here." Faith was looking at Thomas, trying to figure out why he was standing up for her.
"I know. Thomas, let's take this to the kitchen, okay?"
"No. She needs to stay. We can't pass up any opportunity that comes knocking at our door."
"With her track record, she's no opportunity."
"Sensei always told me that people can change, and that we can't judge someone based on their past."
"Fine. I'll let her stay until Giles wakes up. Then I'm gonna let him put an end to this."
***
Giles, who had spent the night on the floor in Buffy's room, stretched and yawned. When he noticed Buffy sitting on the bed, he scrambled to find his glasses. Once he put them on, he noticed that Buffy was aiming a small crossbow at the door.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Faith's here."
"How long has she been here?"
"Most of the night. Thomas wouldn't let me kick her out. She has a friend with her."
"Someone from the prison?"
"No. A demon. Lorne. She says he isn't evil."
"Why didn't you send her away?"
"I tried! Thomas thinks she'll be a useful ally."
"He may have a point there... She is a good fighter, as well as being the Slayer."
"A Slayer. And a murderer. And a jailbreaker. She's bad news, Giles. What if the First gets to her in the night and she murders all the Potentials. It's not safe to have her here."
"Then we'll find her somewhere else to stay at night. She may indeed prove to be useful."
"And what about her demon friend?"
"He can stay with her. We don't know yet what skills he may have for our battle."
Buffy looked at Giles. For the first time in her life, he had chosen a side that she wasn't on. For the first time, by Buffy's estimation, Giles had chosen to side with evil without having a spell cast on him. "I hope she kills you first."
Giles wiped his glasses tiredly. It was going to be a long day...
******
Artemis clenched her eyes shut against the bright sunlight streaming in the living room window. Her head was pounding, and she didn't have a clue how she'd gotten back to Buffy's house.
"Get up." Thomas towered over his Potential. "It's time to train."
"Tom, I'm sick. I don't feel like getting up."
"You have a hangover. With those Slayer healing abilities you have, you'll be fine in about ten minutes. Now get up."
"What crawled up your ass and died?"
"You lied to me."
"So?"
"You need to learn discipline. You must train."
"You mean you're punishing me?"
"If that's how you choose to see it."
"I'm not even dressed."
"Your clothes are by your feet. Take them up to the bathroom and get dressed. I'll be waiting in the basement."