Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. They belong to Joss and ME
Chapter 3
It was too much. Angelus had hired assassins to kill her parents. And now he was planning to kill her.
"My God," Elizabeth dropped her head into her hands "This man has held me in his arms. Has kissed me and confessed his undying love to me. He is a monster, a monster." She began crying uncontrollably. She cried for her parents. She cried for Faith, and she cried for herself.
"You have to leave here tonight Buffy. You can't go through with this marriage. He wants your father's estate, his lands, his home, and his money. Buffy it was all part of his plan. I doubt he ever really loved you." Faith brushed the hair from Elizabeth's tear stained face.
"My mother and father, Faith.' She looked at Faith, 'he killed them. I won't let him get away with this I can't. He won't have this, none of this. I'll see him in hell first!" She leaped up and ran out of the bedroom.
"Buffy no!" Faith ran after her, and quickly caught up. She grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back to face her.
"Where do you think your are going? You cannot fight him. He is too powerful." Faith tried to shake her out of her anger.
"What am I supposed to do? Let him go on with this sick plan? Then what? He kills me, gets my fathers fortune and becomes even more powerful, so that he can do what, kill more people?" She pulled away
"He will get his Buffy, but not like this. This has to be thought out. He can only be beaten by his own game. For now all I know is you cannot marry him. Leave this place tonight."
The little bit of world she had left had crumbled to pieces and she knew she had made to make a choice. Marriage was out of the question, Faith was right about that. She would never give him the satisfaction of becoming her husband. That was the point after all. To marry her have her killed and steal her fathers fortune. She also knew that he had killed her parents, and for that alone she would make him die a painful death. But she had no power and she was afraid. She wanted to die.
"I want to die" She said
"What?" Faith's eyes narrowed
"This life means nothing to me anymore. I loved my parents so much, and they are dead at the hands of the man I was going to spend my life with. I thought it was him Faith. The man I always thought would come and sweep me off of my feet. I had dreams of him. A man who would come for me and take me out of the darkness, out of the loneliness. I stopped having the dreams long ago, after I met Angelus. I foolishly thought it was him in my dreams. But know what will I dream? My parents lying dead and bloodied at the hands of an assassin hired by my fiancé. No. This will end for me. I want to be strong, I want to have power and make him beg for his life, as my parents begged for theirs. Make me like you Faith." Faith walked to her and took her by the hand
"There are consequences in being like me. I am a killer Buffy. I have to kill to survive. I hunt like an animal. I have to live with that. My soul is gone. I can't do this to you. I didn't come here for this." She started to walk towards the doors that led to the gardens.
"So what? You come back here, after letting every one think your dead for months and throw this at me and now your leaving?! No! You have to do this for me Faith. I want him dead! And the only way I can make that happen is for me to be strong, to be unafraid. To be like you." There was fire in Elizabeth's eyes. Faith cursed under her breath, and looked away from Elizabeth. She knew her cousin well, and she knew that if she didn't do this Elizabeth would do something that would get her killed.
"All right. But I won't do it. I'll ask Wesley to. But Buffy, I, we can't help you fight Angelus, not now. Wesley and I have to go back to Ireland." Faith and Wesley had to continue their unfinished business in Ireland before they could help. She was afraid to leave her cousin alone, but Wesley needed to get back. Elizabeth nodded. Faith put her hand on Elizabeth's cheek and smiled.
"But we will come back." They walked out into the night together. They reached the edge of the gardens that lead into the estate now owned by Angelus. They sat on the ground and waited for all of the lights to out form the windows.
"Faith, I think I may have thought of something to keep Angelus from getting his hands on the estate." She had been thinking of a plan since they left her home. "Do you remember Xander Harris?" She asked
"You know I do" Faith nodded and smiled wickedly
"Well he is a solicitor. After father died he came to me and told me about fathers will. The estate belongs to me, as was fathers wish. I will need to confide in Xander. I cannot do this alone, and I will need assistance in the matter of my estate. If I disappear Angelus will no doubt try to take over the running of all of the estate matters. The only way to keep him from doing that is to leave it in someone else's hands. I can give Willow power of attorney over my properties in my absence. I will have a messenger give Angelus a note telling him that I need more time because of my grief over my parents death, and that I need to be away for a while. I can tell him I will be in Italy." She smiled "It will humiliate him. There are people coming in form all over Europe and America. The note will be delivered to him as he is waiting for me to make my walk down the aisle. I wish I could be there to see his face when he reads that note."
"But, Buffy, what if he tries to hurt Willow?" asked Faith.
"Sir Giles will not let any harm come to her." Buffy said
"How can you be sure?" added Faith.
"Angelus is afraid of Willow. He has never said it in words, but he fears her because of the magic. And do not forget, it is Giles who is teaching Willow the fine are of magicks." Elizabeth rested her head against the tree she had been leaning against. She continued telling Faith her plan.
"I know Xander can have all of the papers drawn and notarized before the afternoon. I can then go back and start to prepare for my lovely wedding." Faith looked at her with surprise.
"I need to go on with the charade until I can leave. No one in the village or the manor can suspect anything. Angelus will not expect to see me tomorrow until the wedding, so I will have time to make all of my arrangements. I will speak to the messenger while I am in the village. Oh Faith, Angelus will be furious. He will naturally think I have left the country, but I will be here. I am sure I will be all right to stay with Giles. Angelus does not know Giles formally and he does not know he was my tutor."
She had planned it out perfectly. She knew that it would be a difficult thing to make her trusted friends understand. Then upon thinking more she started to wonder if they might even be afraid of her when they knew what she was to become. She would no doubt need the help of Giles and Xander to continue with her plan as well as Willow. She had known these people since she was a child, and knew she could put her trust in them, well she had hoped. In the end, it would be to all of their benefits for her plan to work. God knows what would happen to them, to this place, to this country if Angelus kept gaining power.
Chapter 3
It was too much. Angelus had hired assassins to kill her parents. And now he was planning to kill her.
"My God," Elizabeth dropped her head into her hands "This man has held me in his arms. Has kissed me and confessed his undying love to me. He is a monster, a monster." She began crying uncontrollably. She cried for her parents. She cried for Faith, and she cried for herself.
"You have to leave here tonight Buffy. You can't go through with this marriage. He wants your father's estate, his lands, his home, and his money. Buffy it was all part of his plan. I doubt he ever really loved you." Faith brushed the hair from Elizabeth's tear stained face.
"My mother and father, Faith.' She looked at Faith, 'he killed them. I won't let him get away with this I can't. He won't have this, none of this. I'll see him in hell first!" She leaped up and ran out of the bedroom.
"Buffy no!" Faith ran after her, and quickly caught up. She grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back to face her.
"Where do you think your are going? You cannot fight him. He is too powerful." Faith tried to shake her out of her anger.
"What am I supposed to do? Let him go on with this sick plan? Then what? He kills me, gets my fathers fortune and becomes even more powerful, so that he can do what, kill more people?" She pulled away
"He will get his Buffy, but not like this. This has to be thought out. He can only be beaten by his own game. For now all I know is you cannot marry him. Leave this place tonight."
The little bit of world she had left had crumbled to pieces and she knew she had made to make a choice. Marriage was out of the question, Faith was right about that. She would never give him the satisfaction of becoming her husband. That was the point after all. To marry her have her killed and steal her fathers fortune. She also knew that he had killed her parents, and for that alone she would make him die a painful death. But she had no power and she was afraid. She wanted to die.
"I want to die" She said
"What?" Faith's eyes narrowed
"This life means nothing to me anymore. I loved my parents so much, and they are dead at the hands of the man I was going to spend my life with. I thought it was him Faith. The man I always thought would come and sweep me off of my feet. I had dreams of him. A man who would come for me and take me out of the darkness, out of the loneliness. I stopped having the dreams long ago, after I met Angelus. I foolishly thought it was him in my dreams. But know what will I dream? My parents lying dead and bloodied at the hands of an assassin hired by my fiancé. No. This will end for me. I want to be strong, I want to have power and make him beg for his life, as my parents begged for theirs. Make me like you Faith." Faith walked to her and took her by the hand
"There are consequences in being like me. I am a killer Buffy. I have to kill to survive. I hunt like an animal. I have to live with that. My soul is gone. I can't do this to you. I didn't come here for this." She started to walk towards the doors that led to the gardens.
"So what? You come back here, after letting every one think your dead for months and throw this at me and now your leaving?! No! You have to do this for me Faith. I want him dead! And the only way I can make that happen is for me to be strong, to be unafraid. To be like you." There was fire in Elizabeth's eyes. Faith cursed under her breath, and looked away from Elizabeth. She knew her cousin well, and she knew that if she didn't do this Elizabeth would do something that would get her killed.
"All right. But I won't do it. I'll ask Wesley to. But Buffy, I, we can't help you fight Angelus, not now. Wesley and I have to go back to Ireland." Faith and Wesley had to continue their unfinished business in Ireland before they could help. She was afraid to leave her cousin alone, but Wesley needed to get back. Elizabeth nodded. Faith put her hand on Elizabeth's cheek and smiled.
"But we will come back." They walked out into the night together. They reached the edge of the gardens that lead into the estate now owned by Angelus. They sat on the ground and waited for all of the lights to out form the windows.
"Faith, I think I may have thought of something to keep Angelus from getting his hands on the estate." She had been thinking of a plan since they left her home. "Do you remember Xander Harris?" She asked
"You know I do" Faith nodded and smiled wickedly
"Well he is a solicitor. After father died he came to me and told me about fathers will. The estate belongs to me, as was fathers wish. I will need to confide in Xander. I cannot do this alone, and I will need assistance in the matter of my estate. If I disappear Angelus will no doubt try to take over the running of all of the estate matters. The only way to keep him from doing that is to leave it in someone else's hands. I can give Willow power of attorney over my properties in my absence. I will have a messenger give Angelus a note telling him that I need more time because of my grief over my parents death, and that I need to be away for a while. I can tell him I will be in Italy." She smiled "It will humiliate him. There are people coming in form all over Europe and America. The note will be delivered to him as he is waiting for me to make my walk down the aisle. I wish I could be there to see his face when he reads that note."
"But, Buffy, what if he tries to hurt Willow?" asked Faith.
"Sir Giles will not let any harm come to her." Buffy said
"How can you be sure?" added Faith.
"Angelus is afraid of Willow. He has never said it in words, but he fears her because of the magic. And do not forget, it is Giles who is teaching Willow the fine are of magicks." Elizabeth rested her head against the tree she had been leaning against. She continued telling Faith her plan.
"I know Xander can have all of the papers drawn and notarized before the afternoon. I can then go back and start to prepare for my lovely wedding." Faith looked at her with surprise.
"I need to go on with the charade until I can leave. No one in the village or the manor can suspect anything. Angelus will not expect to see me tomorrow until the wedding, so I will have time to make all of my arrangements. I will speak to the messenger while I am in the village. Oh Faith, Angelus will be furious. He will naturally think I have left the country, but I will be here. I am sure I will be all right to stay with Giles. Angelus does not know Giles formally and he does not know he was my tutor."
She had planned it out perfectly. She knew that it would be a difficult thing to make her trusted friends understand. Then upon thinking more she started to wonder if they might even be afraid of her when they knew what she was to become. She would no doubt need the help of Giles and Xander to continue with her plan as well as Willow. She had known these people since she was a child, and knew she could put her trust in them, well she had hoped. In the end, it would be to all of their benefits for her plan to work. God knows what would happen to them, to this place, to this country if Angelus kept gaining power.