Episode 15: Fire and Ice
Fray felt her bones and her blood warm as the ball of fire struck her in the chest. She quickly felt it melt away though as she opened her mind and allowed a wave of cold air to wash through her. She clenched her fist and when she opened it a small ball of cool blue ice was hovering a few centimeters off her palm. Hunter smiled at her and a ball of his own, yellow and orange flame, formed in his own palm. "Catch this," he said.
Winding up like a baseball pitcher he let the fire go and it flew towards Fray. She was ready though and she let hers go just in time to slam into the ball of fire. They came together and disappeared in a little puff of steam. Fray knelt down, felt another wave of ice roll through her body, and threw a small ball towards Hunter. He dodged it just as it went by, freezing the edge of his pants. He held up both hands and shook his head. "Enough," he panted. "It's not fair that I can only use one hand."
Fray smiled and put her hands down, pushing back the wave of ice that threatened to burst out of her hands. She was getting better with the power that a few days before she hadn't even known that she had. Back when she had started training she had frozen a punching bag. Now though, she was able to control her ice, make it bigger or smaller, and even call it back to her. She still had to work to stop them though.
Fray wiped a few beads of sweat off of her brow and sat down on a weight bench. Hunter sat down next to her and took a long drink out of his water bottle. Most of the slayers that belonged to the Coven were gone, allowed one long weekend at home with their parents every once in a while now that they were able to take care of themselves. Also, at the moment, no one was hunting the Slayers.
Buffy was also home with Giles, both of them had flown in just two days ago out of London and they were amazed at the progress of New Sunnydale. "This is so cool," Buffy had said, looking out the living room window in Willow and Kennedy's apartment. "It looks just like I remember it."
"There is one main difference," Willow had said, smiling at her friend.
"What?"
"Less cemeteries."
The friends had laughed and Fray had happily given her room to Buffy. Giles was going to sleep at the Coven with Dawn and Andrew while he helped them go over some training techniques. Fray looked around the quiet gym and shivered slightly. It was getting colder, close to winter now, and even though New Sunnydale never got cold, it was still cool, a biting wind blowing outside.
"We should probably get going," Hunter said, snapping her out of her daydreams. "We told Willow we'd be back in two hours. She's planning a big dinner for everyone to give them a chance to catch up."
Fray nodded. "I wonder if she won't mind me skipping it."
"What," Hunter said, turning to look at her. "But I thought you liked Buffy and Giles, I mean, they're pretty cool."
Fray smiled. "Are you kidding, I love Buffy and Giles is great but I feel so out of place. They're all talking about Sunnydale as they used to know it and all I can do is smile and nod and not know what they're talking about."
Hunter smiled and stood up. "Don't worry about it," he said. "Willow invited me too so we can both feel out of place together."
Fray laughed. "Oh goody," she said, her tone sarcastic.
Hunter laughed with her and they waved to Dawn and Andrew before walking out of the warehouse. Hunter's car was parked in front and Fray climbed in beside him. "I'll take you home first and then I'll go back to my place and change. It shouldn't take me too long and then I'll be back over."
Fray nodded and they drove quickly to Willow's. Buffy and Kennedy were standing outside the apartment building, looking around and talking. "You should come to the Bronze 2 with us tomorrow," Kennedy said.
Buffy shook her head but smiled anyway. "Sorry Kennedy," she said. "You know, I almost wished they had made it look nothing like Sunnydale. There are too many bad memories here. Too much blood and too many tears spilled. Everywhere I look it makes me think of Anya or Spike or Tara. I can still see Spike walking around with that leather duster on. I can see Anya flitting around the house trying so hard to act normal and failing so badly. I can even see Tara walking out of the magic shop with her arms full of books."
Buffy sighed. "But I can also see Anya taking a bringer's knife to the chest. I can see Tara with a bullet through her chest that should have been the second one in mine. And I can still see Spike with bright rays of light jutting out of his body."
Buffy's voice wavered when she started talking about Spike and Kennedy laid a reassuring arm on her shoulder. Fray walked slowly up the sidewalk, hearing Hunter driving away in the background. She didn't want to disturb them but they were blocking her way to the house and she did kind of want to get inside. Kenney looked at her just as Fray was thinking about how she was going to politely ask them to get the hell out of the way. "Sorry Fray," she said, stepping to the side.
Buffy looked up and smiled when she saw her. "Your boy's got a nice car."
Fray smiled and blushed slightly. "He's not my boy," she said. "But yeah, he does have a nice car."
Buffy just nodded and smiled lightly. Fray wondered if her words had sounded as unconvincing to Buffy as they had to her. "So," Kennedy said, looking at both of the girls. "When are we going to show Buffy around the Coven?"
Fray smiled at Buffy. "That's right," she said. "You haven't been there yet. We can take you tomorrow if you want to."
"Sure," Buffy said. "I don't have anything else to do. And maybe after that we can go to the Bronze 2."
Kennedy tilted her head as she looked at the older Slayer. "Are you sure?" she asked.
Buffy nodded. "I need to get over this and reacquaint myself with the town. I might want to move back some day. I mean don't get me wrong. England's great and I love London but I miss home, and Dawn, Willow, Xander. I miss everything and everyone."
Kennedy smiled and the group made their way up to the apartment. Willow was in the kitchen, bustling around and clinging pots together. She stuck her head out when she heard the door close. "Hey guys," she said.
Kennedy smiled and Buffy walked over and hugged her best friend. Xander stuck his head out around Willow's shoulder and shook his head. He stepped beside her and Fray had to muffle a laugh. "Look at what she put me in," he said, indicating a flowered and ruffled apron that was tied around his waist.
Kennedy smiled. "Abusing him again?" she asked.
Willow laughed. "Just a little but he deserved it."
"What did you do Xander?" Buffy asked, putting her hands on her hips.
Xander held up both of his hands, one covered in an oven mitt that closely matched his apron. "Don't look at me, I didn't do it."
Willow shook her head and handed him a spoon. "Here," she said. "Go stir the sauce."
Xander ducked back into the kitchen, muttering under his breath. Willow laughed and joined the others out in the living room. "How's it going Fray?" she asked, looking at the young girl.
Fray smiled and held up her hand, a slight flake of ice rested there for a second before disappearing. "I'm pretty good at control but I have trouble turning it off. I mean I can feel the ice flowing through me and I like it. I don't want it to leave."
Willow nodded. "Don't worry," she said. "It will get easier as time goes on. It's good that Hunter agreed to train with you though. I'm still tired but by tomorrow I might be able to help some."
Kennedy shook her head from where she stood behind Willow's shoulder and Fray smiled. Willow had been captured just a few days ago by a group of Timers that were after Fray. They had taken Willow instead and had nearly killed her, taking most of her power and life and putting it into a small orb. Willow was still tired and her jaw still looked bruised. Fray had been able to rescue her at the BRONZE 2 a few days earlier and that was where she had discovered her magickal talents.
"Don't worry about it," Fray said. "Hunter's good to spar with but I think he's a little sore about losing so much."
Fray took her leave, walking into the bathroom and turning on the water. Willow, Buffy, and Kennedy stayed outside, sitting around and talking, their conversation interrupted on occasion by comments from Xander. "Whoops," he said, followed by a large crash.
Buffy smiled as Willow craned her neck around to see what he was doing. "That's our boy," she said. "How's he doing?"
Buffy didn't have to elaborate. Willow knew what she was talking about. "He hasn't dated anyone since. He won't even look at most girls. If I didn't know I'd think he was gay. I just happen to know that he's heartbroken."
Buffy smiled sadly. "I know the feeling."
A few minutes later the front door opened and Dawn and Andrew bounded in followed closely behind by Giles. The watcher was furiously cleaning his glasses with the edge of his shirt. Buffy glanced at Dawn. "What did you say to him?" she asked.
Dawn sniggered and looked at Andrew. Andrew shrugged and rolled his eyes. "I was just talking about Vulcan mating rituals. I was just saying that to copulate, the male puts his."
"Yes thank you," Giles interrupted. "I think we've all heard quite enough."
Dawn laughed and walked into the kitchen. Andrew just shrugged again and followed her. "Don't ever ask that boy what his favorite TV show is," Giles said, collapsing on the sofa next to Buffy.
Buffy smiled. "Thanks for the advice."
Fray came out of the shower a few minutes later, her long blonde hair tied in a wet ponytail. She smiled at Giles as she walked into the living room. She saw him clean his glasses again and her smiled widened. "Andrew told you about the Vulcans didn't he?"
Giles looked down at his glasses and put them on quickly. "Can we just not talk about that anymore? The mental picture that I got from that was absolutely awful."
Fray nodded and sat down in a nearby chair. "Where's everyone else?" she asked.
"Robin was getting off work a little late; he had to supervise an expulsion meeting. Faith's coming with him. And Hunter's the only other one missing," Buffy supplied, counting off the names on her fingers.
Fray nodded. "He'll be here soon. He just went home to change."
Hunter and the others came in just a few minutes later. They all sat in the living room talking and listening to the crashes coming from the kitchen and Dawn and Andrew's shouted warnings. Finally a slightly disheveled Xander stuck his head around the doorframe and smiled slightly. "Dinner's served," he said.
As the group crowded in to the kitchen table they were greeted with a large bowl of pasta, salad, a plate of bread and a few uncorked bottles of wine. The wine was passed around first and the food came next. Fray noticed that Buffy frowned slightly as Dawn poured a small amount of the red wine into her glass but she didn't say anything. Dinner conversation was mostly one sided. Buffy asked the questions, the others answered them and Giles, Hunter, and Fray remained quiet for the most part.
The watcher almost choked on a piece of bread when Xander jokingly asked Andrew about Star Trek and the boy started launching into a very animated explanation of the show. "So," Giles said, interrupting him again. "Fray, how has your visit in New Sunnydale been?"
Fray smiled. "It's been great," she said, watching Andrew's face fall. She smiled at him as he rose his head back up and he smiled back. "Everyone here's been really nice and understanding."
Giles smiled. "Well it's good to see that not much has changed. I've done a little research on Faders and unfortunately there isn't much. Besides Angel, only one other person has ever had contact with them. He died fifteen years ago though."
"Well," Hunter said. "I guess we can count him out."
Giles nodded. "The Fader's name was Lau'dan. He was a warrior Fader that was supposed to train this man in fighting ways. He was a Watcher actually. He came about in a time when our kind was almost extinct and for a time he was the only one. He had to be trained by this Fader so he could train the next Slayer."
"Lau'dan," Hunter said, looking up from his plate. "I know that name. I read it in a book somewhere during my studies. He was the last Fader to go before Fray."
Fray looked at him and she frowned slightly. "Do you notice that everything that I've heard about Faders doing is connected to the Slayers? I mean Angel worked with Buffy for a time, and then this other guy training a Watcher. I mean, it's got to have something to do with them. Whatever my mission is. That's why I was drawn to the Hellmouth."
Buffy looked over at Fray. "You've been to the Hellmouth?" she asked.
Fray nodded and looked down at her plate. "We found the amulet," she said. "But it was lost. We traded it for Willow."
Buffy's face fell for a moment but she smiled at Willow. "It was worth it."
Willow smiled and looked at Fray, nodding and letting her know that she hadn't said anything wrong. "We have to go back though," Fray said.
Buffy glanced at her again, her eyes tight. "When?" she asked.
"Day after tomorrow," Fray said. "We didn't find what we needed so we have to look around a little bit more. I know that it's down there though. I just have to find it."
"I've got some of the girls going with her. Willow, Faith, Hunter, and I are going too."
Buffy nodded. "I'm going as well. I know my way around down there. I still remember it."
She closed her eyes tightly for a minute and looked back up. "Alright," she said. "I'll be ready on Saturday."
Fray nodded and looked back down at her plate. For some reason, she knew that this was her last chance. If she didn't find what she was looking for down in the Hellmouth, the world was doomed.
After dinner Fray walked outside and sat down on a bench just outside the apartment. The group was sitting in the living room talking about old times and all that was pre-Fray so she decided to butt out. Kennedy had looked at her as she left but Fray just smiled at the Slayer and she had nodded and smiled back. Fray just needed to be alone. Unfortunately that wasn't going to be the case. She heard footsteps crunching on the pavement. "You left pretty quickly," he said.
"I needed some time to think," Fray said, looking over her shoulder at him.
"Do you want me to leave?" he asked.
Fray smiled and scooted over. "Never," she said.
Hunter smiled back and sat down next to her. "You were really quiet at dinner after we talked about the Hellmouth. What's on your mind?"
"I feel like time is running out," Fray said. "This is our last chance and I want to succeed but I dread it as well. As soon as I complete my mission we have to go back."
"Yeah," Hunter said, looking down the dark street. "Something like that."
Fray glanced at him and leaned back on the bench. "What's the deal?" she asked. "Every time I talk about going back you get more distant than I do."
Hunter smiled and laughed slightly. "I'd hoped that you wouldn't ask that question."
Hunter sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "This is a one time deal for me," he said. "I can't go back. I'll die on the way and that's how it's supposed to be. I'm sort of a call a friend life line. You can only use me once and even if I give you the right answer, I can't get you any farther. You'll go back to our time but I'll stay here for about a week longer and then I'll die. They'll unplug me from the system and my life force will slowly run out."
Fray looked at him, a mixture of shock and pain on her face. "You sound like you're fine with that," she said.
Hunter smiled. "I've come to accept it."
"Yeah," Fray said. "Well I can't."
Hunter looked at her and their eyes met. He smiled lightly and shook his head, breaking away their glance. "As long as I keep you safe I really don't care if I die," he said.
Fray turned to him and this time her eyes trapped his and held them. "What do you get when you combine fire and ice?" she asked.
"Water," Hunter answered.
"After that."
"Steam, and then nothing."
"Nothing," Fray whispered. "But what about us."
She held out her hand and a blue mist began to rise off of it as she channeled the cool air that flowed from her chest. "It's like a spark," she said. "I can feel it in my chest." Fray let her hand flutter across Hunter's chest right over his heart and felt him shiver slightly. She let her hand continue its path as she spoke.
"I can feel it running through my chest, into my shoulder, down my arm and into my hand where it becomes active."
She took his hand in hers and could feel the ice mix with the heat that he contained in his palm. She shivered herself. "But in the end," she whispered, looking up into his eyes. "It all comes back to the heart."
Hunter leaned forward and his lips met hers in a kiss backed by passion and longing. Fray was the first to pull away after a few long minutes. By the way that her lips lingered though, you could tell she wanted more. "I'm going to tell Kennedy and Willow that I'll be at your place tonight," Fray said, standing up.
Hunter stopped her, his hand still on hers. "Why?"
"Because," she said. "Buffy's got my bed and there isn't enough room for both of us on the couch. Besides, I don't want to wake anyone up."
Hunter's eyes lightened as he caught the hint. "I'll get the car," he said, reluctantly letting go of her hand but taking off in a dead run when he did.
Fray laughed slightly and started back upstairs.
Fray felt her bones and her blood warm as the ball of fire struck her in the chest. She quickly felt it melt away though as she opened her mind and allowed a wave of cold air to wash through her. She clenched her fist and when she opened it a small ball of cool blue ice was hovering a few centimeters off her palm. Hunter smiled at her and a ball of his own, yellow and orange flame, formed in his own palm. "Catch this," he said.
Winding up like a baseball pitcher he let the fire go and it flew towards Fray. She was ready though and she let hers go just in time to slam into the ball of fire. They came together and disappeared in a little puff of steam. Fray knelt down, felt another wave of ice roll through her body, and threw a small ball towards Hunter. He dodged it just as it went by, freezing the edge of his pants. He held up both hands and shook his head. "Enough," he panted. "It's not fair that I can only use one hand."
Fray smiled and put her hands down, pushing back the wave of ice that threatened to burst out of her hands. She was getting better with the power that a few days before she hadn't even known that she had. Back when she had started training she had frozen a punching bag. Now though, she was able to control her ice, make it bigger or smaller, and even call it back to her. She still had to work to stop them though.
Fray wiped a few beads of sweat off of her brow and sat down on a weight bench. Hunter sat down next to her and took a long drink out of his water bottle. Most of the slayers that belonged to the Coven were gone, allowed one long weekend at home with their parents every once in a while now that they were able to take care of themselves. Also, at the moment, no one was hunting the Slayers.
Buffy was also home with Giles, both of them had flown in just two days ago out of London and they were amazed at the progress of New Sunnydale. "This is so cool," Buffy had said, looking out the living room window in Willow and Kennedy's apartment. "It looks just like I remember it."
"There is one main difference," Willow had said, smiling at her friend.
"What?"
"Less cemeteries."
The friends had laughed and Fray had happily given her room to Buffy. Giles was going to sleep at the Coven with Dawn and Andrew while he helped them go over some training techniques. Fray looked around the quiet gym and shivered slightly. It was getting colder, close to winter now, and even though New Sunnydale never got cold, it was still cool, a biting wind blowing outside.
"We should probably get going," Hunter said, snapping her out of her daydreams. "We told Willow we'd be back in two hours. She's planning a big dinner for everyone to give them a chance to catch up."
Fray nodded. "I wonder if she won't mind me skipping it."
"What," Hunter said, turning to look at her. "But I thought you liked Buffy and Giles, I mean, they're pretty cool."
Fray smiled. "Are you kidding, I love Buffy and Giles is great but I feel so out of place. They're all talking about Sunnydale as they used to know it and all I can do is smile and nod and not know what they're talking about."
Hunter smiled and stood up. "Don't worry about it," he said. "Willow invited me too so we can both feel out of place together."
Fray laughed. "Oh goody," she said, her tone sarcastic.
Hunter laughed with her and they waved to Dawn and Andrew before walking out of the warehouse. Hunter's car was parked in front and Fray climbed in beside him. "I'll take you home first and then I'll go back to my place and change. It shouldn't take me too long and then I'll be back over."
Fray nodded and they drove quickly to Willow's. Buffy and Kennedy were standing outside the apartment building, looking around and talking. "You should come to the Bronze 2 with us tomorrow," Kennedy said.
Buffy shook her head but smiled anyway. "Sorry Kennedy," she said. "You know, I almost wished they had made it look nothing like Sunnydale. There are too many bad memories here. Too much blood and too many tears spilled. Everywhere I look it makes me think of Anya or Spike or Tara. I can still see Spike walking around with that leather duster on. I can see Anya flitting around the house trying so hard to act normal and failing so badly. I can even see Tara walking out of the magic shop with her arms full of books."
Buffy sighed. "But I can also see Anya taking a bringer's knife to the chest. I can see Tara with a bullet through her chest that should have been the second one in mine. And I can still see Spike with bright rays of light jutting out of his body."
Buffy's voice wavered when she started talking about Spike and Kennedy laid a reassuring arm on her shoulder. Fray walked slowly up the sidewalk, hearing Hunter driving away in the background. She didn't want to disturb them but they were blocking her way to the house and she did kind of want to get inside. Kenney looked at her just as Fray was thinking about how she was going to politely ask them to get the hell out of the way. "Sorry Fray," she said, stepping to the side.
Buffy looked up and smiled when she saw her. "Your boy's got a nice car."
Fray smiled and blushed slightly. "He's not my boy," she said. "But yeah, he does have a nice car."
Buffy just nodded and smiled lightly. Fray wondered if her words had sounded as unconvincing to Buffy as they had to her. "So," Kennedy said, looking at both of the girls. "When are we going to show Buffy around the Coven?"
Fray smiled at Buffy. "That's right," she said. "You haven't been there yet. We can take you tomorrow if you want to."
"Sure," Buffy said. "I don't have anything else to do. And maybe after that we can go to the Bronze 2."
Kennedy tilted her head as she looked at the older Slayer. "Are you sure?" she asked.
Buffy nodded. "I need to get over this and reacquaint myself with the town. I might want to move back some day. I mean don't get me wrong. England's great and I love London but I miss home, and Dawn, Willow, Xander. I miss everything and everyone."
Kennedy smiled and the group made their way up to the apartment. Willow was in the kitchen, bustling around and clinging pots together. She stuck her head out when she heard the door close. "Hey guys," she said.
Kennedy smiled and Buffy walked over and hugged her best friend. Xander stuck his head out around Willow's shoulder and shook his head. He stepped beside her and Fray had to muffle a laugh. "Look at what she put me in," he said, indicating a flowered and ruffled apron that was tied around his waist.
Kennedy smiled. "Abusing him again?" she asked.
Willow laughed. "Just a little but he deserved it."
"What did you do Xander?" Buffy asked, putting her hands on her hips.
Xander held up both of his hands, one covered in an oven mitt that closely matched his apron. "Don't look at me, I didn't do it."
Willow shook her head and handed him a spoon. "Here," she said. "Go stir the sauce."
Xander ducked back into the kitchen, muttering under his breath. Willow laughed and joined the others out in the living room. "How's it going Fray?" she asked, looking at the young girl.
Fray smiled and held up her hand, a slight flake of ice rested there for a second before disappearing. "I'm pretty good at control but I have trouble turning it off. I mean I can feel the ice flowing through me and I like it. I don't want it to leave."
Willow nodded. "Don't worry," she said. "It will get easier as time goes on. It's good that Hunter agreed to train with you though. I'm still tired but by tomorrow I might be able to help some."
Kennedy shook her head from where she stood behind Willow's shoulder and Fray smiled. Willow had been captured just a few days ago by a group of Timers that were after Fray. They had taken Willow instead and had nearly killed her, taking most of her power and life and putting it into a small orb. Willow was still tired and her jaw still looked bruised. Fray had been able to rescue her at the BRONZE 2 a few days earlier and that was where she had discovered her magickal talents.
"Don't worry about it," Fray said. "Hunter's good to spar with but I think he's a little sore about losing so much."
Fray took her leave, walking into the bathroom and turning on the water. Willow, Buffy, and Kennedy stayed outside, sitting around and talking, their conversation interrupted on occasion by comments from Xander. "Whoops," he said, followed by a large crash.
Buffy smiled as Willow craned her neck around to see what he was doing. "That's our boy," she said. "How's he doing?"
Buffy didn't have to elaborate. Willow knew what she was talking about. "He hasn't dated anyone since. He won't even look at most girls. If I didn't know I'd think he was gay. I just happen to know that he's heartbroken."
Buffy smiled sadly. "I know the feeling."
A few minutes later the front door opened and Dawn and Andrew bounded in followed closely behind by Giles. The watcher was furiously cleaning his glasses with the edge of his shirt. Buffy glanced at Dawn. "What did you say to him?" she asked.
Dawn sniggered and looked at Andrew. Andrew shrugged and rolled his eyes. "I was just talking about Vulcan mating rituals. I was just saying that to copulate, the male puts his."
"Yes thank you," Giles interrupted. "I think we've all heard quite enough."
Dawn laughed and walked into the kitchen. Andrew just shrugged again and followed her. "Don't ever ask that boy what his favorite TV show is," Giles said, collapsing on the sofa next to Buffy.
Buffy smiled. "Thanks for the advice."
Fray came out of the shower a few minutes later, her long blonde hair tied in a wet ponytail. She smiled at Giles as she walked into the living room. She saw him clean his glasses again and her smiled widened. "Andrew told you about the Vulcans didn't he?"
Giles looked down at his glasses and put them on quickly. "Can we just not talk about that anymore? The mental picture that I got from that was absolutely awful."
Fray nodded and sat down in a nearby chair. "Where's everyone else?" she asked.
"Robin was getting off work a little late; he had to supervise an expulsion meeting. Faith's coming with him. And Hunter's the only other one missing," Buffy supplied, counting off the names on her fingers.
Fray nodded. "He'll be here soon. He just went home to change."
Hunter and the others came in just a few minutes later. They all sat in the living room talking and listening to the crashes coming from the kitchen and Dawn and Andrew's shouted warnings. Finally a slightly disheveled Xander stuck his head around the doorframe and smiled slightly. "Dinner's served," he said.
As the group crowded in to the kitchen table they were greeted with a large bowl of pasta, salad, a plate of bread and a few uncorked bottles of wine. The wine was passed around first and the food came next. Fray noticed that Buffy frowned slightly as Dawn poured a small amount of the red wine into her glass but she didn't say anything. Dinner conversation was mostly one sided. Buffy asked the questions, the others answered them and Giles, Hunter, and Fray remained quiet for the most part.
The watcher almost choked on a piece of bread when Xander jokingly asked Andrew about Star Trek and the boy started launching into a very animated explanation of the show. "So," Giles said, interrupting him again. "Fray, how has your visit in New Sunnydale been?"
Fray smiled. "It's been great," she said, watching Andrew's face fall. She smiled at him as he rose his head back up and he smiled back. "Everyone here's been really nice and understanding."
Giles smiled. "Well it's good to see that not much has changed. I've done a little research on Faders and unfortunately there isn't much. Besides Angel, only one other person has ever had contact with them. He died fifteen years ago though."
"Well," Hunter said. "I guess we can count him out."
Giles nodded. "The Fader's name was Lau'dan. He was a warrior Fader that was supposed to train this man in fighting ways. He was a Watcher actually. He came about in a time when our kind was almost extinct and for a time he was the only one. He had to be trained by this Fader so he could train the next Slayer."
"Lau'dan," Hunter said, looking up from his plate. "I know that name. I read it in a book somewhere during my studies. He was the last Fader to go before Fray."
Fray looked at him and she frowned slightly. "Do you notice that everything that I've heard about Faders doing is connected to the Slayers? I mean Angel worked with Buffy for a time, and then this other guy training a Watcher. I mean, it's got to have something to do with them. Whatever my mission is. That's why I was drawn to the Hellmouth."
Buffy looked over at Fray. "You've been to the Hellmouth?" she asked.
Fray nodded and looked down at her plate. "We found the amulet," she said. "But it was lost. We traded it for Willow."
Buffy's face fell for a moment but she smiled at Willow. "It was worth it."
Willow smiled and looked at Fray, nodding and letting her know that she hadn't said anything wrong. "We have to go back though," Fray said.
Buffy glanced at her again, her eyes tight. "When?" she asked.
"Day after tomorrow," Fray said. "We didn't find what we needed so we have to look around a little bit more. I know that it's down there though. I just have to find it."
"I've got some of the girls going with her. Willow, Faith, Hunter, and I are going too."
Buffy nodded. "I'm going as well. I know my way around down there. I still remember it."
She closed her eyes tightly for a minute and looked back up. "Alright," she said. "I'll be ready on Saturday."
Fray nodded and looked back down at her plate. For some reason, she knew that this was her last chance. If she didn't find what she was looking for down in the Hellmouth, the world was doomed.
After dinner Fray walked outside and sat down on a bench just outside the apartment. The group was sitting in the living room talking about old times and all that was pre-Fray so she decided to butt out. Kennedy had looked at her as she left but Fray just smiled at the Slayer and she had nodded and smiled back. Fray just needed to be alone. Unfortunately that wasn't going to be the case. She heard footsteps crunching on the pavement. "You left pretty quickly," he said.
"I needed some time to think," Fray said, looking over her shoulder at him.
"Do you want me to leave?" he asked.
Fray smiled and scooted over. "Never," she said.
Hunter smiled back and sat down next to her. "You were really quiet at dinner after we talked about the Hellmouth. What's on your mind?"
"I feel like time is running out," Fray said. "This is our last chance and I want to succeed but I dread it as well. As soon as I complete my mission we have to go back."
"Yeah," Hunter said, looking down the dark street. "Something like that."
Fray glanced at him and leaned back on the bench. "What's the deal?" she asked. "Every time I talk about going back you get more distant than I do."
Hunter smiled and laughed slightly. "I'd hoped that you wouldn't ask that question."
Hunter sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "This is a one time deal for me," he said. "I can't go back. I'll die on the way and that's how it's supposed to be. I'm sort of a call a friend life line. You can only use me once and even if I give you the right answer, I can't get you any farther. You'll go back to our time but I'll stay here for about a week longer and then I'll die. They'll unplug me from the system and my life force will slowly run out."
Fray looked at him, a mixture of shock and pain on her face. "You sound like you're fine with that," she said.
Hunter smiled. "I've come to accept it."
"Yeah," Fray said. "Well I can't."
Hunter looked at her and their eyes met. He smiled lightly and shook his head, breaking away their glance. "As long as I keep you safe I really don't care if I die," he said.
Fray turned to him and this time her eyes trapped his and held them. "What do you get when you combine fire and ice?" she asked.
"Water," Hunter answered.
"After that."
"Steam, and then nothing."
"Nothing," Fray whispered. "But what about us."
She held out her hand and a blue mist began to rise off of it as she channeled the cool air that flowed from her chest. "It's like a spark," she said. "I can feel it in my chest." Fray let her hand flutter across Hunter's chest right over his heart and felt him shiver slightly. She let her hand continue its path as she spoke.
"I can feel it running through my chest, into my shoulder, down my arm and into my hand where it becomes active."
She took his hand in hers and could feel the ice mix with the heat that he contained in his palm. She shivered herself. "But in the end," she whispered, looking up into his eyes. "It all comes back to the heart."
Hunter leaned forward and his lips met hers in a kiss backed by passion and longing. Fray was the first to pull away after a few long minutes. By the way that her lips lingered though, you could tell she wanted more. "I'm going to tell Kennedy and Willow that I'll be at your place tonight," Fray said, standing up.
Hunter stopped her, his hand still on hers. "Why?"
"Because," she said. "Buffy's got my bed and there isn't enough room for both of us on the couch. Besides, I don't want to wake anyone up."
Hunter's eyes lightened as he caught the hint. "I'll get the car," he said, reluctantly letting go of her hand but taking off in a dead run when he did.
Fray laughed slightly and started back upstairs.