Saving Faith
The L.A. gang with the addition of Willow and Faith had quickly
decided on a plan of action for regaining Angel's soul. Willow knew
that if Angelus were in a distance of less than five miles when she
began the soul restoration spell he would try to stop it. So they
had to be smart about what they were going to do. The first part of
the plan had been getting Willow to bring all the spell ingredients
with her from Sunnydale so there would be no purchases to catch the
attention of anyone working for Angelus. They had decided upon using
the upper most interior room of the hotel as the ritual room.
Willow then proceeded to not only bless the space with the favor of
the Goddess, but to put a blocking ward on it as well. Even if
Angelus were able to enter the room he would not be able to do the
spellcaster any harm. She has sent Gunn, Connor, and Wesley to do a
bit of reconnaissance to find out Angelus' whereabouts. They were to
phone Fred when they had tracked him outside of the safe range.
Faith and Fred were to act as sentries at the door of the ritual
room. Willow had infused Fred with a strength that matched her
intellect. The spell for her would only last a finite amount of
time, but it would aid in holding off the vampire should he make it
back to stop the ritual.
Willow had explained to the group that she could not perform the
spell herself. Her brush with the dark magics had rendered her power
insufficient to the task. She asked Cordy to take her place knowing
that a Seer would be an appropriate replacement for the witch. She
practiced the spell with Cordelia for most of the day, until the girl
felt comfortable with the language and confident that she could
channel such dangerous magic.
The following morning Gunn rang to say they had located Angelus and
his cronies in a warehouse just outside the city limits. They were
ready to begin.
The ritual items were laid out, preparations were made, and Cordy
took her place in the sacred circle. Faith and Fred were at the
ready. It had been agreed that Willow would be hidden in case
something were to happen and they had to resort to plan B.
Cordy began the chant and she had expected to feel more power rushing
through her. She felt a bit of a rush, but nothing like what she had
remembered happening to Willow in high school. She shrugged off
her doubts and kept going.
The windows in the room began to rattle. Faith looked at Fred with a
worried look, the bookworm tried to reassure her with her eyes. And
as she looked away from Faith she looked into the feral eyes of
Angelus. On his heels were Gunn, Connor, and Wesley. He had been
too fast for them.
Fred threw a punch at his solar plexus that had no impact. "Is that
all you got, little miss bliss, I thought your young buck would have
taught you better than that."
Fred scowled and did a leg sweep knocking the vampire unceremoniously
to the floor. Faith then got in the game picking Angelus up and
thrusting him against the wall repeatedly.
"Aww, Faith is that anyway to greet an old friend? I thought we had
something special," Angelus intoned this at Faith like a scorned
suitor, "Guess not, maybe I'm just not your type."
"Shut the fuck up, you soulless piece of shit. I can't stake you,
but I can make you wish I had."
"Game, set, match, Faith. You can't stake me, but I am free to kill
you." With that he threw her twenty feet down the corridor. And he
was in the ritual room before anyone else could move to stop him.
"Well, well, Cordelia, trying to stop little old me? I am hurt. I
thought you were in love with our boy. Did that mean nothing to you?"
Angelus paced the circle around Cordelia as she continued the chant.
He began to feel energy entering through his toes and knew he had to
stop her. The energy was moving up through his legs, groin, and it
was almost to his chest. The part of him that was Angel was trying
to come back and he knew just how to stop that from happening.
He took the athame from the sacred space and bent directly in front
of Cordy. She seemed to not see him at all. If he could just
distract her it would stop. Then Angel in him was getting stronger
and would not let him kill her. He plunged the knife into her
shoulder and twisted the blade to the hilt. Cordy screamed in agony,
abandoning her chant. And as she did so a black cloud was released
within that scream and she fell back unconscious to the floor.
Well, that should do it, he thought. But the energy was still
moving. It had reached his neck and moved into his mind. He had
lost the battle once again. Angelus was no more.
"Fuck, what the hell was that? I thought he wasn't supposed to be
able to get into the room?" And just as Gunn asked the pivotal
question Willow emerged from her hiding place.
Wes stepped forward to offer his explanation of events. "Sorry for
the subterfuge, but the less people who knew of the true plan the
better. You see when Willow arrived she did a magical sweep if you
will of the hotel. She found something evil, pure evil, residing
here. It had to be inhabiting one of us." He looked into the room as
Angelus hovered over Cordelia tears almost falling for her.
Willow took over for Wesley. "Yes, I approached Wesley about what I
had uncovered. I could read his energy and knew it wasn't him. I
also knew it wasn't you or Gunn, Fred. It had to be someone with
supernatural ability. That ability masks the evil within the
person. I can only tell that it exists in this plane, but not inside
of whom." The others began to nod slowly in understanding.
"How did you know it was Cordelia?" asked Fred.
"I didn't at first, but Wes and I deduced that the evil had to have
been working from the inside for quite sometime, " Willow answered
matter of factly.
"Well, we didn't sonny boy, so we sent you off to play with the
others. And besides you didn't insist or manipulate your way into
staying, Cordy did. That kinda clinched it," Faith finished for
Willow.
"Well, that and the whole I was missing for three months, I was a
diving being, I slept with a child, and now strangely I am carrying
that child's child," Willow babbled. Connor glared at the witch and
Faith stepped in between them. "Don't even think it, junior. You
touch Willow, I kill you, got it?"
"Got it," Connor replied meekly. The group looked toward the room as
they heard Cordy stirring. "What the hell happened here?" "Good, to
have you back, Cordy." Faith said with a wistful smile. "Faith, when
did you get here?" "Oh, about three weeks ago. How are you feeling?
Do we need to dress your wound?"
"What wound, Faith?" Cordy replied with not a scratch on her. Angel,
still bent beside her, looked directly into her eyes and said, "I
love you, Cordelia."
All she could do in reply was to pull him to her and sob openly. And
as there bodies closed in everyone realized there was a baby no
more. "I guess there go you child support payments, Connor," Gunn
said with a bit of tongue and cheek. The young boy just glared at
him and stormed away. Gunn went after him.
"Well, then, I think we should leave them alone, don't you?" Wesley
said.
They all made their separate ways back to their rooms. Each feeling
exceptionally exhausted by the day's events.
In Faith's room she was just getting out of the shower when she heard
a familiar knock on her door. "Come on in, Willow." The smile on her
face was apparent in her voice.
"Don't mean to bother you, but are you up for a bit of friendly
cuddling, " Willow asked as she poked her head in the room. "That is
what friends are for right?" Willow came fully into the room and was
startled to find Faith wrapped only in a towel. "Oh, Goddess, Faith,
I didn't know you were decent," Willow blushed like a
schoolgirl. "Red, I have never been decent, you just now noticed?"
Faith retorted with a playful cock of her head.
"Uh..uh.I just mean you with the towel, small towel, over the
uh..private stuff. I am not looking, I swear." Willow dropped her
head in frustration and embarrassment. "Red, have you changed in
front of Buffy? Or her in front of you? It's the same thing. I am
your pal, no big, okay!"
"Okay," But in her head Willow thought I never noticed how nice
Buffy's thighs were. But I am noticing Faiths. Oh Goddess, I am a
leach. I should just leave until she is done. Oh, but that would be
even more awkward and just give me away. She looked up to find Faith
dresses and ready for bed. She found herself missing the sight of
Faith barely covered.
They were now both in bed with Faith spooning the witch. Willow
closed here eyes and listening to Faith sing her another children's
song. "My little playmate, come out and play with me, and bring your
dollies, three, climb up my apple tree, slide down my cellar door."
And they both drifted off to sleep not knowing what tomorrow might
bring.
TBC
The L.A. gang with the addition of Willow and Faith had quickly
decided on a plan of action for regaining Angel's soul. Willow knew
that if Angelus were in a distance of less than five miles when she
began the soul restoration spell he would try to stop it. So they
had to be smart about what they were going to do. The first part of
the plan had been getting Willow to bring all the spell ingredients
with her from Sunnydale so there would be no purchases to catch the
attention of anyone working for Angelus. They had decided upon using
the upper most interior room of the hotel as the ritual room.
Willow then proceeded to not only bless the space with the favor of
the Goddess, but to put a blocking ward on it as well. Even if
Angelus were able to enter the room he would not be able to do the
spellcaster any harm. She has sent Gunn, Connor, and Wesley to do a
bit of reconnaissance to find out Angelus' whereabouts. They were to
phone Fred when they had tracked him outside of the safe range.
Faith and Fred were to act as sentries at the door of the ritual
room. Willow had infused Fred with a strength that matched her
intellect. The spell for her would only last a finite amount of
time, but it would aid in holding off the vampire should he make it
back to stop the ritual.
Willow had explained to the group that she could not perform the
spell herself. Her brush with the dark magics had rendered her power
insufficient to the task. She asked Cordy to take her place knowing
that a Seer would be an appropriate replacement for the witch. She
practiced the spell with Cordelia for most of the day, until the girl
felt comfortable with the language and confident that she could
channel such dangerous magic.
The following morning Gunn rang to say they had located Angelus and
his cronies in a warehouse just outside the city limits. They were
ready to begin.
The ritual items were laid out, preparations were made, and Cordy
took her place in the sacred circle. Faith and Fred were at the
ready. It had been agreed that Willow would be hidden in case
something were to happen and they had to resort to plan B.
Cordy began the chant and she had expected to feel more power rushing
through her. She felt a bit of a rush, but nothing like what she had
remembered happening to Willow in high school. She shrugged off
her doubts and kept going.
The windows in the room began to rattle. Faith looked at Fred with a
worried look, the bookworm tried to reassure her with her eyes. And
as she looked away from Faith she looked into the feral eyes of
Angelus. On his heels were Gunn, Connor, and Wesley. He had been
too fast for them.
Fred threw a punch at his solar plexus that had no impact. "Is that
all you got, little miss bliss, I thought your young buck would have
taught you better than that."
Fred scowled and did a leg sweep knocking the vampire unceremoniously
to the floor. Faith then got in the game picking Angelus up and
thrusting him against the wall repeatedly.
"Aww, Faith is that anyway to greet an old friend? I thought we had
something special," Angelus intoned this at Faith like a scorned
suitor, "Guess not, maybe I'm just not your type."
"Shut the fuck up, you soulless piece of shit. I can't stake you,
but I can make you wish I had."
"Game, set, match, Faith. You can't stake me, but I am free to kill
you." With that he threw her twenty feet down the corridor. And he
was in the ritual room before anyone else could move to stop him.
"Well, well, Cordelia, trying to stop little old me? I am hurt. I
thought you were in love with our boy. Did that mean nothing to you?"
Angelus paced the circle around Cordelia as she continued the chant.
He began to feel energy entering through his toes and knew he had to
stop her. The energy was moving up through his legs, groin, and it
was almost to his chest. The part of him that was Angel was trying
to come back and he knew just how to stop that from happening.
He took the athame from the sacred space and bent directly in front
of Cordy. She seemed to not see him at all. If he could just
distract her it would stop. Then Angel in him was getting stronger
and would not let him kill her. He plunged the knife into her
shoulder and twisted the blade to the hilt. Cordy screamed in agony,
abandoning her chant. And as she did so a black cloud was released
within that scream and she fell back unconscious to the floor.
Well, that should do it, he thought. But the energy was still
moving. It had reached his neck and moved into his mind. He had
lost the battle once again. Angelus was no more.
"Fuck, what the hell was that? I thought he wasn't supposed to be
able to get into the room?" And just as Gunn asked the pivotal
question Willow emerged from her hiding place.
Wes stepped forward to offer his explanation of events. "Sorry for
the subterfuge, but the less people who knew of the true plan the
better. You see when Willow arrived she did a magical sweep if you
will of the hotel. She found something evil, pure evil, residing
here. It had to be inhabiting one of us." He looked into the room as
Angelus hovered over Cordelia tears almost falling for her.
Willow took over for Wesley. "Yes, I approached Wesley about what I
had uncovered. I could read his energy and knew it wasn't him. I
also knew it wasn't you or Gunn, Fred. It had to be someone with
supernatural ability. That ability masks the evil within the
person. I can only tell that it exists in this plane, but not inside
of whom." The others began to nod slowly in understanding.
"How did you know it was Cordelia?" asked Fred.
"I didn't at first, but Wes and I deduced that the evil had to have
been working from the inside for quite sometime, " Willow answered
matter of factly.
"Well, we didn't sonny boy, so we sent you off to play with the
others. And besides you didn't insist or manipulate your way into
staying, Cordy did. That kinda clinched it," Faith finished for
Willow.
"Well, that and the whole I was missing for three months, I was a
diving being, I slept with a child, and now strangely I am carrying
that child's child," Willow babbled. Connor glared at the witch and
Faith stepped in between them. "Don't even think it, junior. You
touch Willow, I kill you, got it?"
"Got it," Connor replied meekly. The group looked toward the room as
they heard Cordy stirring. "What the hell happened here?" "Good, to
have you back, Cordy." Faith said with a wistful smile. "Faith, when
did you get here?" "Oh, about three weeks ago. How are you feeling?
Do we need to dress your wound?"
"What wound, Faith?" Cordy replied with not a scratch on her. Angel,
still bent beside her, looked directly into her eyes and said, "I
love you, Cordelia."
All she could do in reply was to pull him to her and sob openly. And
as there bodies closed in everyone realized there was a baby no
more. "I guess there go you child support payments, Connor," Gunn
said with a bit of tongue and cheek. The young boy just glared at
him and stormed away. Gunn went after him.
"Well, then, I think we should leave them alone, don't you?" Wesley
said.
They all made their separate ways back to their rooms. Each feeling
exceptionally exhausted by the day's events.
In Faith's room she was just getting out of the shower when she heard
a familiar knock on her door. "Come on in, Willow." The smile on her
face was apparent in her voice.
"Don't mean to bother you, but are you up for a bit of friendly
cuddling, " Willow asked as she poked her head in the room. "That is
what friends are for right?" Willow came fully into the room and was
startled to find Faith wrapped only in a towel. "Oh, Goddess, Faith,
I didn't know you were decent," Willow blushed like a
schoolgirl. "Red, I have never been decent, you just now noticed?"
Faith retorted with a playful cock of her head.
"Uh..uh.I just mean you with the towel, small towel, over the
uh..private stuff. I am not looking, I swear." Willow dropped her
head in frustration and embarrassment. "Red, have you changed in
front of Buffy? Or her in front of you? It's the same thing. I am
your pal, no big, okay!"
"Okay," But in her head Willow thought I never noticed how nice
Buffy's thighs were. But I am noticing Faiths. Oh Goddess, I am a
leach. I should just leave until she is done. Oh, but that would be
even more awkward and just give me away. She looked up to find Faith
dresses and ready for bed. She found herself missing the sight of
Faith barely covered.
They were now both in bed with Faith spooning the witch. Willow
closed here eyes and listening to Faith sing her another children's
song. "My little playmate, come out and play with me, and bring your
dollies, three, climb up my apple tree, slide down my cellar door."
And they both drifted off to sleep not knowing what tomorrow might
bring.
TBC