Only minutes later
"So what do we do then Angel? It's been days now an' there's no sign of it. I hate to say it, but the only clue we have is… oh my god…" The group had just returned to the hotel, to find Wesley and Lorne surveying a bloody scene. "What happened?" Cordy continued.
"I don't know, I'm afraid, we were checking the perimeter when we heard a commotion. This is what we found when got back in. Angel?" Wesley had noticed that Angel seemed confused about something. "What is it? Is this human?" Angel just nodded.
"Hey, Angel? What the hell is going on cos I think I've seen enough blood to last me an' several other people a life time!" Gwen quipped, annoyed. She waved a hand in front of Angels face. "Angel? …That's it." She took off a glove, and reached out to him. He dodged just in time.
"I'm ok, I'm ok, watch it." He frowned. "It's just, it is human, and very familiar." Now Connor piped up,
"Who, Dad?" Angel walked towards the pool of blood near the counter, registering the trail to the door.
"Faith." He said.
"Who?" chorused Connor, Gwen, Gunn, Fred and Lorne.
"Faith?!" gasped Cordy and Wes. Angel nodded. Wesley continued. "I think she tried to call someone, maybe she came here for help. But isn't she supposed to be in prison?"
"Yes. Who'd she call? Fred, find out. I'm going after her, call me when you know." Fred nodded, and the others just looked clueless, except Wes and Cordy, of course.
"Angel, are you sure that's a good idea?" Cordy asked.
"Yes, Cordy. You didn't see her before. She's a good guy… kind of." Cordy stumbled backwards, grasping her head.
"Not for long…" she gasped, "Hurry, Angel!" Angel raced out of the door, grabbing a sword off the wall, and following the trail of blood. Cordy shakily made her way to the couch. The others were shocked at the effect the vision had had on her.
"Are you ok sugar?" Lorne asked, sitting beside her, "You seen pain before, what's so big that it hit's you like this?" Cordy shook her head slightly,
"I don't know what it was, something powerful, but that's not it. It's the way she screamed…" everyone looked to Wes, knowing that he was the only other who might know the significance of this. He didn't even notice, he was approaching Cordy,
"She screamed?"
Cordy nodded,
"I knew her well, a while ago," Cordy explained to the others, "We both did, and Angel, and I don't think I ever even saw her scared… but when I saw her, she was screaming and screaming… blood everywhere…I know her…"
"Guys?" Fred called over, "I got a number, but I don't recognise it. Maybe Wes or Cordy might?" she gave them the number, and both Wes and Cordy looked shocked. "What?" Fred asked.
"That's Buffy's number." Wes breathed.
"So now, little slayer, your time is up. No more pissin' around. It's as simple as life or death, killer. You join me, or you go to hell. You do realise that that's where you'll go, right?" the first smiled evilly at Faith, once more in the form of her ex-watcher. "What will it be? Me, or hell?" Faith breathed deeply, choking a little on blood, then managed to speak,
"Sorry? I couldn't hear you properly, I just heard 'hell or hell'." She spat a mouthful of blood at the furious apparition. The first made a swift gesture, and two harbingers pinned Faith against the wall that already supported her. Faith winced, and cried out, her eyes widening as she saw the glint of a knife for a fourth time. She wriggled as much as she could, which, granted, was not much, and screamed again as a dark figure swooped down from above her. Prepared for the worst, Faith was astonished when the figure knocked several harbingers flat. He was a whirlwind of fists, feet, and sword, only stopping when the threat was 'neutralised'. An evil laugh floated out of the surrounding shadows,
"Ooooh, a champion, scary! Good to see you, Angelus." Said Buffy. Angel froze in disbelief. "What's up, lover? Cat got your tongue?"
"What the hell are you?" Angel snarled, and Faith breathed a sigh of relief as she realised that he too could sense that it wasn't Buffy.
"Why do you all have to keep ruining my fun?" the First moaned, like a spoilt child. Then she morphed, "Remember me now?" she purred, in the form of Jenny Calendar, "or maybe now?" a victim from Angel's distant past. He stumbled backwards,
"The First?"
She grinned at him, then waved, and disappeared.
"Angel…" Faith gasped. He spun round to her, and crouched beside her where she now lay on the ground. "You have to… gotta…"
"Don't speak, were gonna get you help." Angel said, scooping her up in his arms. She dug her nails into one of his arms, the biggest gesture she could make. He looked at her, realising she really needed to say something.
"Must…warn…b,b,buffy…" she gasped, "killing them all…one by one…buffy, warn buffy…" Angel starred at her, hearing the words, but not understanding. He snapped back to reality when his phone rang. Holding Faith up in one strong arm, he answered the phone with the other,
"Yeh." He said. Wesley answered,
"It was Buffy. She tried to call Buffy."
"Yeah, that makes sense." Angel replied, still walking, "I found her, get Lorne to contact some of his mystical friends, anyone with healing powers, pronto."
"Is she alright?"
"Just do it." He hung up, put the phone away, and held Faith properly again. Her breathing was raspy, and her pulse very weak. Angel knew she had very little time.
When Angel burst in, dying girl in his arms, and covered in blood, everyone cleared off the couches to make room, and Gwen grimaced,
"Oh, lovely." She said. Angel laid Faith down on the couch and called out to Lorne, who entered moments later with three twittering girls in flowing white dresses. They floated across the room, smiling at Angel, and surrounded Faith. One touched her forehead, then nodded at the others, they held out their hands, and began to hum. Lorne gestured for the others to follow him outside.
"They like to be left alone when they're doing intense stuff. What the hell happened to that girl, Angel eyes?"
Angel, eyes not leaving the closed door, shook his head.
"I'm not entirely sure. She was attacked, stabbed at least three times, it's a miracle she's still alive." Cordy looked at him disbelievingly,
"She's Faith, Angel. She survived a knife in the gut and a drop from the top of a building." Angel tore his eyes away to look at Cordy,
"Yeah, well she was then in a coma for several months. We can't afford that now." He looked back towards the doors, "They will be able to help her, right?" he asked Lorne; it was a plea. Lorne nodded,
"There ain't an injury I've seen that they haven't been able to deal with, plus she is a slayer, isn't she?" Angel looked back again, sharply. Lorne shrugged, "The humming, they were channelling their power into her, and her vibe came back out, I couldn't help myself."
Angel then nodded,
"Yeah, she's a slayer, don't ask me to explain how there's two."
Cordy interrupted,
"Technically there should be three." Everyone but Wes and Angel was confused again. Gwen waved both hands at them,
"Hello? Lost again. Slayer? As in the rock band?"
Cordy rolled her eyes, that joke was getting very old. Much to Angel's surprise, Cordy rolled off the 'chosen one' speech without a hitch, and continued to explain the basics of Faith's story.
"So… she's a nut job?" Gwen summarised. Angel now intervened.
"No. She went off track for a while, but she's cool now. Trust me."
"Are you sure? If that's true, then why is she out of the prison? How do you know those people you saved her from weren't the good guys?" Wesley demanded. Angel turned on him, furious,
"I know! Ok? She hated herself for what she did! She turned herself in, damn it! And you didn't see those guys… the thing that attacked Faith is pure evil Wesley. It's called 'The First'."
"I for one know he's right." Cordy said quietly, in a way that made everyone look to her. "I felt that thing in my vision. I felt it's power, and I felt Faith's fear. It takes a lot to scare someone like Faith. She didn't leave the prison because she wanted to escape, she was running for her life…" she stumbled, putting a hand to her head. Connor supported her,
"What do you see?" he asked, as a tear trickled down her cheek.
"So many people… it had them all killed… all the guards… everyone thinks it was Faith!" Despite Lorne's warning, they all rushed inside, to the office, where they turned on the TV. A news reporter was standing in front of the LA jail Faith had been in.
The exact circumstances are unknown, but it appears that the young woman attacked her guard on the way back to her cell after a training session, then used his keys to get out, killing everyone she saw on the way. Only the first guard is still alive, barely, and is not yet able to speak. Internal security cameras cut out moments before the attack, but outside ones show the girl fleeing the scene, covered in blood. What is uncertain is who these people accompanying her are. They were not seen entering, and have left no trace of identification.
A short video clip showed Faith running down the front steps, clearly limping and clutching her stomach, drenched, as the woman had said, in blood. She was soon followed by the harbingers.
"Are they blind!" exclaimed Cordy. "Could it be any more obvious that she was injured and being chased?" Wesley shook his head,
"As far as they know, she could have been shot by a guard in self defence. That story makes a lot more sense than a load of men in cloaks…"
"Harbingers." Angel offered,
"Harbingers breaking into the jail, killing everyone and letting her out, to then chase her. Even we don't know what really happened. Let's just hope that guard survives."
"He'll be fine." Said a sweet voice from behind them. They all spun to see one of the sisters in the doorway. "In fact, he just woke up." They all turned back to the TV as the woman continued to speak.
The survivor has regained consciousness, and it appears that the turn of events is very different than how it seemed. The guard claims that he was just locking the prisoner in when he heard a yell. Then he tried to unlock the door again, as a sinister figure appeared in the corridor and attacked him. He insists that the girl had nothing to do with the attack and was actually trying to help him. He was left for dead, but heard the following events. He says that he heard a fight, and feared they had also attacked the girl. Then he heard many different voices, that all appeared to be the same person. The police say that he has not been able to say much more, but keeps repeating 'they stabbed her, oh god, they got her'. It is still not clear if he really heard all he did, it is possible that he was hallucinating due to blood loss, but at closer inspection of the video tape, it is possible that the girl was fleeing the robed men, not the prison. It is still, however imperative that you contact the police if you see these mysterious men, or this girl.
A picture of Faith was shown on the screen, and the story changed. Fred turned off TV, and they all turned back to the white sister, who smiled.
"She is healing." She said, and turned away. Angel and Cordy followed her to Faith's side. The girl was very pale, but her breathing was steadier. Where her vest top had been lifted up, four scars marked her bloodied skin.
"God." Cordy breathed, kneeling beside her. "She was stabbed four times?"
"No." one of the sisters answered. "This one was already there." She pointed to the faintest of the scars and Cordy realised where it was from.
"Oh." She said, wincing. She stood, and disappeared for a minute, returning with a bowl of water and a flannel. She began carefully wiping the blood away from Faith's face and neck. She smoothed back her tangled hair too, all with the gentlest possible touch. Angel stood back, then had a thought. He returned to the office to speak to Wesley.
"Did you speak to Buffy?" he asked. Wesley shook his head.
"I thought I should wait for you." Angel nodded, and reached for the phone.
A while later, Faith began to stir, feeling a warm dampness on her forehead, and noticing that nothing hurt as badly as it had before. She opened her eyes, groggily, and looked around. She was in a large bedroom, in a very soft bed, someone had changed her clothes she noted, and as she tried to move, she realised that someone was leaning on the bed. A girl with short dark hair was sitting in the chair beside the bed. Her head, facing away from Faith, was resting on her folded arms, on the edge of the bed. Faith sat up carefully, trying not to wake her, and felt a pain in her stomach.
"Urgh!" she couldn't prevent the cry that the pain pulled from her. Cordy sat up with a start.
"Faith. You're awake." She stated the obvious.
"Cordy?" Faith asked. "Oh, I dig your hair."
Cordy smiled, and nodded.
"How do you feel?" she asked, propping up the pillows so that Faith could sit more comfortably.
"Ok, considering… What happened? I think I passed out."
Cordy laughed shortly.
"Yeah, you did. Angel bought you back here and some of Lorne's friend worked their mojo on you."
"Lorne?" Faith winced as she tried to move again. Cordy pushed her back,
"Don't try to get up yet. They said it would take a while." As if she had just remembered what had happened, Faiths eyes widened suddenly,
"No! I can't stay here! They'll find me. I have to move. Have to tell Buffy. I have to." She tried to get up, and crumpled to the floor. Cordy rushed to her side, and helped her back into bed.
"It's ok. You'll be safe here. And Buffy already knows. Hell, she knows more than us." Hearing the yelling, Angel had raced up the stairs, closely followed by Gwen. He burst into the room, causing Cordy to jump.
"Everything ok?" he asked. Cordy nodded, and Angel realised that Faith was awake, and sitting up.
"Are you ok?" he asked her, quieter now. She nodded,
"Thank you." She said solemnly. Gwen surveyed the girl from a distance. She'd heard just about everything there was to hear about her, but this weak figure before her didn't fit the description. At that moment, Faith raised her eyes to meet Gwen's. Gwen was shocked by the strength she now saw therein, strength… and pain. Angel saw the connection and gestured for Gwen to enter.
"This is Gwen." He told Faith. Faith nodded to the other girl, sensing power within her too.
"Angel, I have to get to Sunnydale. Buffy said to go there… I used your phone, I hope you don't mind."
Now Angel laughed,
"That's ok, and I know that's what she wants, we talked. There's something huge going down. This thing, 'The First' has had its harbingers killing the entire slayer bloodline. All the potential slayers. There aren't many left now. Seems Buffy didn't think they'd come after you yet. She was really shaken, Faith. She thought they were meant to take out all the potentials, then move on to you an' her…"
"I know. It said that it got bored of going after them, that Buffy was making it difficult… I think it meant Buffy. Said it decided to get me while I was still locked up, an easy target I guess… it tried to… it said I was evil, Angel… it wanted me to join it, said that was my place…" She hung her head, as if she were ashamed,
"But you said no…apparently." He smiled, and his lip quirked,
"Yeah. But if it thought…" Faith argued. Gwen spoke for the first time, interrupting Faith,
"Even if I don't know much about this good an' evil crap, the way I see it, it doesn't matter what that bitch thought, or could feel from your past. What matters is that you said 'no'. you were very obviously faced with total protection under its wing, or death, and you picked death, rather than join it. That's what proves what's inside you, that's what I think anyway." Faith smiled at the stranger, a rare, and real, smile.
"Thanks." She said.
Later, after Faith had had a slightly wobbly shower and changed into some clothes she borrowed off Gwen, (Gwen fetched them from her apartment, sensing that Faith would be more comfortable in the sort of thing she wore rather than anything from either Cordy or Fred's wardrobes.) and she'd been introduced to the many new (and some green) faces, the group were all sitting in the lobby, discussing the next move.
"Obviously this is something big." Gunn said of the first, "but it's not like we don't already have our hands full. You have noticed the major lack of sunlight, right?" Angel rolled his eyes,
"Don't start, ok? I know this is big too, but this First is powerful, and I agree with Buffy that Faith should be in Sunnydale as soon as possible." Faith tried to interrupt, but he continued, "And you're not in any state to be tangling with those guys on your own! Some one will have to go with you."
"I'm not a kid, Angel."
"I know that, but you very recently got stabbed, in case you forgot, three times!"
"We need all the help we can get right here, Angel." Gunn insisted
"He's right y'know." Agreed Wes,
"On for god's sake, I'll do it." They all turned to Gwen, who'd been listening in silence. "I don't understand half the stuff you're talkin' about anyway, an' you were doing just fine before I came. Plus I have a bike, much better for out-stripping bad guys."
"But…" Angel couldn't actually think of an argument, he wanted Gwen here, that was all. She raised her eyebrows, waiting for his retort, but it never came.
"That ok with you?" she asked Faith, who nodded. Gwen was one of the few people here that Faith thought she might be able to survive the two hour drive with. "Great. When do we leave?" she smiled at Faith as the slayer stood up, shakily. Faith took a couple of steps, then her legs gave way again. Connor caught her before she hit the floor, amazing, she thought.
"I'm thinking just as soon as you can stand without that happening." It took her a couple of seconds to realise that it was Connor and not Angel who had said this. Why do I get the feeling that Connor is very like Angel? Faith thought abstractly. She thanked Connor and sat down again.
"I'll be ok in no time." She grinned.