STARRING:
Eliza Dushku as Faith
James Marsters as Spike
Iyari Limon as Kennedy
Shane West as Robert
And
Michelle Trachtenberg as Dawn
GUEST STARRING:
Mercedes McNab as Harmony
Alexander Siddig as Preston Mathers
Nicholas Brendon as Xander
And
Gareth Barnes
CREATED BY:
Gary Boshears
Based on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' & 'Angel' created by Joss Whedon
WRITTEN BY:
Gary Boshears
This is the third part in a multi-episode, virtual spin-off to Buffy the Vampire Slayer with 22 total episodes planned. Any other fan-fic authors interested in helping to write the series, please send an e-mail to: slayer@easdarkthunder.com as people are needed to both write some episodes and help designing and outlining the story as a whole.
Be sure to read Episode One: Adjustments & Episode Two: Microevil also available on this site!
Reviews of all stories welcome and encouraged!
I'll be releasing this episode act by act instead of as a whole. Seems like it gets a better response if I update it as I'm going rather than releasing the entire thing at once.
OVERTURE
Faith was alone. Alone in the graveyard as she patrolled, alone with her thoughts. It had been more than a week since they had put Tyler's spider robots out of commission and since then, nothing aside from the normal doses of evil beings had found their way to Sunnydale. That however didn't stop her from patrolling every night this week. Normally Kennedy or Dawn would accompany her on these outings but recently she had told the girls to stay home.
Spike's sudden decision to back out of helping their fight had left the Slayer shaken. Faith knew it shouldn't bother her, she didn't need Spike, didn't really care about him but something about it still bothered her. It made her realize, perhaps for the first time, that she wasn't doing as good of a job as Buffy did here. She couldn't help comparing herself to the other Slayer. Faith conceded that was probably why she didn't want Dawn or Kennedy along with her, she was afraid that the group might further breakup. Better to face the evils on her own than risk any further division.
Nights like this reminded Faith that, in theory, the battle was a simple one. Good vs. evil. It was just her against whatever the forces of evil chose to throw at her this night and in the end, one of them would die. Nights like this allowed her to delude herself into believing this battle she fought was simpler than it really was. Tonight, she didn't have to worry about friends or allies, what they thought of her or their safety, only the fight. When she glanced to the top of a hill in the cemetery, she knew the fight was at hand.
Standing near a mausoleum were three figured who Faith could tell were vampires even from this far away. She slowly walked up the hill, all three of their heads turning to face her when she neared them. "Now sometimes you all just make this job too easy," it was rare for her to find groups of vampires such as these lurking about during her patrols, making it far easier than tracking them down individually.
"Slayer," one of the vampires hissed as the three of them formed a semi-circle around her, one in front and one on to each side. "You should not have come her tonight." The vampire lowered his voice in an attempt to make it sound menacing.
Faith was not phased. "Let me guess, you're going to kill me?" She'd hear that line many times before with many other vampires looking to make a name for themselves by killing the Slayer. All of the vampires growled an affirmative response. Faith smiled. "Give it your best shot." The vampire in front of her charged. Faith punched his nose with an open hand, sending him falling into the ground.
The fight was on. The vampires at her sides simultaneously charged. With the one on her right approaching faster than the other, Faith turned her attention to it first. She dropped to the ground, sweeping the vampire's feet from underneath him. The last charging vampire grabbed her by the shoulders, his head moving to feed off her neck. Faith threw her head back, striking the vampire's face. She immediately followed by swinging her elbow around, striking it in the chin.
Faith sprung back to her feet, hitting the vampire behind her twice in the face and once in the stomach. With it stunned, she reached into the back pocket of her tight black jeans, grabbing a stake from it. She ran forward, knocking the vampire's guard away from its chest with her free hand and driving the stake into its heart. She barely had time to watch it turning to dust before the other two vampires were back on their feet, quickly approaching from behind her.
She kicked backwards, striking one in the chest, causing it to fall back and leaving only one closing to attack. The vampire swung madly, Faith ducking and sliding out of the way of her enemy's attacks. As the vampire swung, she grabbed one of its arms, getting a firm hold on it before twisting and listening to the bones snap. She immediately followed through by driving her hand into its nose and the stake into its heart.
As the cloud of dust in front of her vanished, Faith was grabbed from behind. The vampire held her tightly by the chest, preventing her escape but Faith was determined that she would be the one to walk away from this fight. The Slayer stepped on his foot, kicked his knee and rammed her elbow into his ribs. With his hold broken, she spun around, landing a fierce right cross on his jaw.
With adrenaline surging through her veins, Faith pressed her attack against the now weakened vampire. She leapt into a spinning kick, striking him in the neck, followed by another similar move that knocked him to the ground. With a blinding speed, she ran at the vampire, stomping her foot in his stomach while he was still down. This was followed by striking his face repeatedly with her fists. Blood ran from his lips as all energy and ability to fight vanished from his body following the barrage of blows from the Slayer.
With no challenge left from the vampire, Faith finally drove the stake into its heart almost effortlessly. Faith relaxed, taking several deep breaths as she placed the stake back in her pocket. "Score three for the good guys," she knew no one was listening because she knew she was still alone. It had been simple though a fight of good vs. evil and good had won this night. Later, there would be another fight and that was all there was to it.
"Sloppy!" Faith instantly turned in the direction of it when she heard a voice with a slightly English accent coming from behind her. Ascending the slight hill she stood upon was a clean cut man with neatly combed brown hair wearing a dark blue suit and red tie. Faith gave him a quizzical look, wondering what manner of evil would see fit to insult her before trying to make the kill. He stopped walking less than three feet in front of Faith. "You lack form, style, precision and discipline. We'll need to work on that," he added with a slight grin.
Faith, taken aback by his comments, could think of only one reply she saw suitable. "Who are you and please tell me a stake through your heart is the fastest way to get rid of you."
"Hmm … an irrepressible temper and a quick tongue, not necessarily good qualities for a Slayer," the man continued his train of insults against her, leaving Faith to wish he would just skip to attacking so she could deal with him. "I suppose we'll have to work on that as well."
Now she was really becoming annoyed. "Look, I'm a little short on time, have to be at work early in the morning so could you just skip the game and vamp out already so I could kill you?"
He chuckled, something that aggravated Faith even further. "I assure you Faith, I am no vampire, therefore, I do not believe you will want to kill me."
"You sure about that?" Regardless of what type of demon he was, Faith was entirely behind the idea of killing whoever this new menace was.
He gave her a knowing look in the eyes. "I might have been misinformed, but I thought you no longer enjoyed killing humans."
That struck a nerve with the Slayer. Faith took a challenging step forward, standing face to face with the annoying man who did not waver or back down from the Slayer. "Look, I don't know who you are but I do know that I don't like you, so why don't you get the hell away from me before I get back into some bad, old habits and smash your face in."
"I'm afraid Faith that it is rather difficult for me to get the hell away from you." The mocking tone he had at the beginning of their conversation had disappeared, he now sounded completely serious like he was no longer joking.
"Oh not so hard," Faith spoke quickly, she was about ready to pop. "Just put your legs in gear and scurry on out of here," Faith made little motions with two of her fingers, illustrating her point.
"You don't understand Faith?"
"I don't understand what?"
"I am Preston Mathers, your new Watcher."
***
Spike was seriously considering writing a letter to the television networks. Although he didn't have the greatest selection of stations in the crypt, he still thought he should be able to find something worth watching during primetime. As it stood, all he could find was a typically boring sitcom, a drama that was completely implausible and news talking about the latest virus that was spreading across continents, news that didn't have as much appeal to him as it used to.
As the vampire aimlessly searched through channels, there was a loud pounding at the door to the crypt. In the past week, since he had dusted the Ellis brothers, this was something he had grown accustomed to. As he slowly rose from the chair, he grasped a stake on the end table and walked towards the door. Readying the weapon in his hand, he flung the door open, revealing a large, muscular, dark skinned vampire standing on the other side.
"Die Spike!" He flexed his massive muscles and his voice rang through the crypt. Spike wasted no time. He nonchalantly rammed the stake through the vampires heart, a pile of dust immediately covered the area in front of the door which Spike immediately closed. He walked back to his chair, placing the stake back on the table and picking up the remote as he sat back down.
"Eighth bloody one this week!" Spike began flipping through channels. It was the eighth attempt on his life since he had dispatched the Ellis brothers and since he had told Faith he was done helping her. Apparently whoever wanted the Slayer dead hadn't gotten that message yet. He was now more convinced than ever that something was coming. Something that wanted the Slayer and anyone else that might oppose them out of the way, leading Spike to wonder how he had gotten to the top of that list.
Another knocking on the door. This was the first time they had gotten brazen enough to make two attempts on his life in so short a time. He grabbed the stake by the pointed in, grinned and prepared to throw it over his back at the door. "Come in," Spike said with great anticipation.
The door flew open and Spike waited for his command to die before throwing the stake. Instead of something telling him to die however, he heard an all too familiar voice, one he had hoped to never hear again. "Spikey!" The stake fell out of his hand as Harmony took a step inside the crypt.
Spike's eyes grew wide, mouth hanging open, wishing it was someone sent to kill him rather than this. "Oh god no," this was the last thing he needed at the moment.
"I'm back!"
"Please no."