Chapter Three: Carry On
Willow strides down the alley just looking for something to take her mind off the events of the last few minutes, she desperately needed something to take the edge off. Behind her two vampires, dressed in well cut business suits, step out of a side alley. "Willow Rosenburg," the first vampire inquires.
She stops smiling to herself as her prays have been answered. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," she informs the pair.
"Then we won't talk," he answers nudging his partner as they move in on the attack.
Willow sidekicks the silent vampire causing him to stumble back as the talker lunges for her. She manages to latch onto his shoulder first flipping him to the ground. Turning she sees his partner back up. A hook kick to the side of his head staggers him, but doesn't take him off his feet. Moving back in he throws two punches that Willow easily blocks before delivering a punch to his head. Dazed, Willow grabs his shoulder and flips him over slamming him to the concrete.
The other lunges at her again only to have her foot smash into his ribs knocking him off his feet. He jumps back up quickly grabbing hold of her shoulder. Willow grabs his hand keeping it in place, as she presses down on his shoulder with her other hand flipping him over to his back. Having never let go of his hand she jerks back hard snapping the wrist causing him to grunt.
Not giving him the chance to get back to his feet Willow quickly straddles his chest which prevents him from rising. "You've made me cranky," she tells him as she brushes her finger over his.
"There's been a mistake here. We were sent after a human," he pants out his reply.
Willow slightly intrigued by this, "really?" Somebody in this town thought she was human, "who do you work for"
"I'm not telling you a thing," he says in a hoarsely defiant voice.
With smiles crookedly as she takes one of his fingers in her hand and snaps it. The vampire screams in pain as Willow's smile broadens. She enjoyed torturing vampires even more then she did humans. They didn't die nearly as quickly as humans did and she could do so much more to them. "Who do you work for?" She asks again hoping he would try to hold out.
"Wilkins. The Mayor," he gasps giving in too quickly for her liking.
Taking another finger she snaps it as well causing him to scream again. "Who do you work for?" She asks suggestively.
He smiles at her as he finally understands the meaning off her question, "you."
She drops his arm moving off him as he friend gets back up rubbing the back of his head. Willow smiles a vicious grin, "get your friends. Bring them here. The world's no fun anymore. We're gonna make it the way it was. Starting with the Bronze," she commands and the pair nod to their new boss.
Buffy rested her combat booted feet on one of the high back wooden chairs that surrounded the table she was currently sitting on. She tilted the chair back on its hind legs as she rested her arms on her knees. To say she was a picture of a bored slayer would have been comparable to saying the Sahara was hot at noon. It was so obvious it didn't need to be said.
She glances over at the brunette leaning back in the chair next to her, Faith. She was tall, taller then her anyway, long limbed and sleek. The younger girl exuded casual danger, almost draped it over herself like a cloak or a suit of armor. Faith had her dark sneakers resting the table, despite several admonitions by Giles, so close to Buffy they were practically in her lap. With her arms folded over her chest, and the partial sneer on her lips, she was the essence of an angry young girl.
"So you're a slayer here?" She finally says having nothing better to do then talk with this raven hair girl.
"So you're from a different reality?" Faith retorts.
Buffy smirks at her response, "so what are you doing sitting around cooling your heels for?" She gestures outside, "when you could be out there doing what you're meant to be doing."
"Do you always asks this many annoying questions?"
"Only when I'm bored," Buffy answers the brunette with a slight shrug.
Faith glances at Willow who's at the other end of the table with her nose stuffed in a book. It wasn't quite the dead the boss was going for, but it was better then nothing. At least she was still alive. It was one thing Faith was glad about. "Wanna get out of here?"
Buffy grins allowing the chair to settle silently to the floor. "I thought you'd never ask," she says getting up.
Faith follows suit rising silently to her feet as well. Together the two slayers leave the room without making a sound until the double doors swing close behind them. Willow glances up as the wide doors swoosh shut. "Shoot," She gasps getting to her feet and rushing out the doors. After looking both ways down the empty corridors she sighs knowing there was no way she was going to be able to track down the two slayers. Turning back around she re-enters the library through the doors she just ran out. "Giles," she calls out softly as she approaches the table.
"Ow," Giles mutters a moment before she hears a soft thud followed by a "bloody brilliant Rupert."
"Are you okay?"
"Fine," he says stepping out from the stacks carrying a large volume in one hand.
"You're bleeding," she tells him worriedly seeing the small cut in the center of his forehead.
Giles winces slightly as he touches the tender spot. Feeling the blood on his fingertips he says to Willow, "perhaps you should go fetch the first aid kit out of my office."
She nods her head saying, "you should probably sit down. I'll be right back, before you even know I'm gone," she adds as she disappears into his office. Giles places the large book on the table as he sits in one of the sturdy chairs surrounding the table. Stepping back out a few seconds later, "there bet you didn't even know I was gone?" She asks as she sets the first aid kit on the table. Pulling out the antiseptic she cleans out the wound before applying a bandage.
"...all my fault," Buffy says as Xander holds the door open for her. "If I had..."
"Holy!" Xander shouts seeing Willow leaning over Giles. Without thinking he rushes forward as he shouts, "get the hell away from him!" Pulling a large wooden cross out of his back pocket he adds, "back you blood sucking fiend!" As he presses the cross to the side of Willow's head pushing her away from Giles.
"Have you..."
"Hey," Willow shouts swatting at his hands.
"...lost your bloody mind?" Giles asks grabbing hold of Xander and pulling him back.
"What are you doing?"
Xander blinks, "it didn't burn?" He says questioningly.
"Of course..." She begins as first Xander and then Buffy crash into her in an ever tightening hug.
"Thank god," Xander nearly sobs.
A statement followed quickly by Buffy's whimpered, "you're alive."
Anya saunters up to the bar sitting down on one of the stools on the short end of the wrap around. "What a day," she says wearily to the bartender a bare moment before she adds, "Gimme a beer."
"I.D." He replies in a straight face. Anya's eyes go wide as she gives him an incredulous look that doesn't effect him in the slightest as he repeats in the same flat monotone, "I.D."
Anya smacks her fist on the table as she loses her temper, "I'm eleven hundred and twenty years old! Just gimme a frigging beer!"
"I.D." He says once again completely unimpressed by her tantrum.
Anya sighs in defeat, "gimme a Coke."
Across the Bronze Oz and Devon set up their equipment for the gig they're going to be performing later that night. "Man, we need a roadie," Devon comments wistfully as he adds, "other bands have roadies."
"Well, other bands know more than three chords. Your professional bands can play up to six, sometimes seven completely different chords," Oz replies in his normal stoic tone of voice.
"That's just, like, fruity jazz bands," he responds looking at Oz for confirmation.
"Oz," Angel says appearing beside the young men.
Oz looks up, "hey, man. You looking for Buffy?"
Angel gives a slight nod to his head as he glances around the bronze before returning his attention to the young guitarist. "As always," he verbally confirms.
"Well, no sightings as of yet, but I think she said she'd show," he replies as the door to the club opens.
Nearly a dozen vampires walk in quickly threading their way throughout the crowd. The large vampire that Willow had been fighting earlier grabs a nearby boy and hurls him into a table. "That doesn't look good," Oz whispers quietly to Angel.
"Everybody, shut up!" He yells to everyone in the club. From her seat at the bar Anya begins to take an interest in the vampires. "Alright. Nobody cause any trouble or try to leave... and nobody gets hurt."
"Why don't I believe him?" Angel questions quietly.
"Well, he lacks credibility," Oz answers just as softly as he notices one of the vampires prevent a guy from leaving through the back door. Keeping his voice just as quiet he asks, "can you get outta here?"
Angel cast a quick glance up as he says, "skylight in the roof. I can make it."
"I think we need some backup," Oz replies worriedly
Angel looks around the Bronze as he says, "I think I'm needed here."
Oz quirks an eyebrow at the vampire, "ten to one. Could get pointless."
The door opens again as another vampire enters the building. Walking close by is Willow who cast a glance around at everyone extremely pleased by the results so far. At the far end of the bar Anya straightens slightly even more intrigued by the events taking place.
Willow smiles as she reaches the middle of the dance floor. "Look. Everyone's all afraid," she says before she lets out a blissful sigh. "It's just like old times."
"Get Buffy. Do it now," Oz whispers hoarsely as he tries to comprehend what he's witnessing.
Angel wheels around without a word and quickly ascends the ropes to the ceiling. Devon moves up to Oz with a smile tugging at his lips, "dude. Check out your girlfriend."
Willow leisurely strolls around the Bronze until she comes to a girl sitting by herself. In a sweet voice Willow asks the girl, "what's your name?"
"Sandy," the terrified young woman replies.
Willow lightly brushes her hand along Sandy's arm. Taking hold of her hand she slowly pulls her to the middle of the dance floor. Smiling at the girl she tells her, "you don't have to be afraid... just to please me." In a louder voice she says to everyone else, "if you're all good boys and girls, we'll make you young and strong forever and ever." Slowly she turns Sandy to face the stage as she moves behind her. Still fondling with her shoulders and head she continues to address the crowd, "we'll have fun," she says enticingly.
Sandy flinches when Willow pulls her hair to the side forcing her to tilt her head. Willow takes a long, slow stroke with her tongue as she licks Sandy's neck. Lifting her head she looks around the crowd with a clear warning in her voice as she says, "if not." Her true vampire face slides on as she smiles, gives her lips a light lick before savagely sinking her fangs into Sandy's neck and drinking the young girl down in a matter of heartbeats.
Oz tries to go to Sandy's aid but is easily stopped by one of the vampires as Devon says, "no, man!"
Willow lets Sandy's lifeless body fall back to the floor as she morphs back into her human guise. Idly she says to the crowd, "Questions? Comments?"
"Willow. You don't wanna do this," Oz says trying to get through to her.
She turns around approaching Oz, "I don't?" She asks as a proud smile blossoms on her face. "But I'm so good at it."
The vampire holding Oz lets him go. The young musician quickly rushes forward to meet her. "Who did this to you?" He demands horrified that his Willow was a vampire.
Recognition slowly lights her face as she remembers him. Disgustedly she says, "I know you. You're a White Hat," her eyes narrow suspiciously, "how come you're talking to me like we're friends?"
Unafraid of the vampires Anya walks up behind Willow. Stopping a foot or so away she says, "because he thinks you're someone else. He thinks you're the Willow that belongs in this reality."
Willow looks at Anya as she says, "another me?"
Anya nods slightly, "you know this isn't your world, right? I mean, you know you don't belong here?"
"No," Willow says softly. "This is a dumb world," she adds. A moment later a wistful smile graces her lips, "in my world there are people in chains, and we can ride them like ponies."
"You wanna get back there," Anya makes the obvious statement.
Willow nods, "yeah."
"So do I," Anya adds.
Buffy walks down the partially light alley alongside Faith without any worries. Even if she had been alone she still wouldn't have felt bothered by being in the dark corridor. With Faith at her side she felt the added security of having a fellow slayer at her side. It was a felling she had never know before.
"You never answered me," the tiny blonde grumbles as she keeps her pace even with Faith's despite the brunette's longer strides.
Faith glances at Buffy. It felt strange to have the blonde at her side and not feel the tension that had built up between the two of them over the past few weeks. She wasn't sure if she wanted to lose that feeling of instant camaraderie that was there. "Which question was that? You asked enough of them," she manages to inquire somewhat diplomatically.
"Why you were sticking around the library," Buffy answers. "You don't seem like the sit around kind of slayer. You're more of a, live life by the seat of your pants, kind of girl."
She could lie, but she knew that Buffy would find out the truth eventually. All she would have to do was ask any of the Scooby gang and she would here an earful of their truth. She takes a deep breath and says, "I killed a man." She tenses slightly as she waits for Buffy's disdain to wash over her. Only there was nothing.
All Buffy did was say, "and?"
Faith blinks. That had definitely not been what she had been expecting. "And what?"
"So you killed someone," she says with a shrug. "Sometimes it's necessary. Sometimes accidents happen in the heat of battle."
Faith stares at Buffy as she begins to understand the blondes attitude. "You've killed people," the brunette states stunned.
Buffy give a light shrug of her shoulders as she continues down the alleyway. "When I've had to," she replies stonily. "Evil humans. Evil demons. I usually don't have the option of playing nice," she says slowing down to allow Faith to catch up with her. "So where are you taking me?"
Faith looks up, a slight gleam in her eyes as she answers. "The Bronze."
Buffy glances at the brunette as she asks, "any vamps?"
Faith rolls her shoulders as she says, "I'm sure there'll be a few. Looking for an early meal, but they'll probably take off once they realize we're there." She gives a soft laugh as she adds, "they get a little nervous when we're around."
"Only you haven't been around a lot lately, hugh?"
Faith shrugs again, "just so we're clear. I did go a little crazy for awhile. Then again I didn't have a whole lot of support from my friends either," she says bitterly as she places a special emphasis on the word friends.
"So they left you to hang all by yourself?"
She shakes her head as she give Buffy a half hearted look, "you left me out on my own."
Buffy stares dumbfounded at Faith's comment, this time she's the one that has to hurry to catch up. As she comes alongside Faith she asks the younger girl in disbelieve, "I was there?"
"Right there with me," Faith answers unable to keep the anger out of her voice.
Buffy can't believe that. She can't believe that she would abandon a fellow slayer no matter what the reason. There wasn't nothing that she could say. It wasn't her that left Faith to her own devices, yet she still felt responsible. So instead of saying anything she kept silent and simply walk along beside Faith. Without thinking she took Faith's hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.
At first Faith flinched at the contact. She had been going to pull her hand away, but instead she decided to leave it where it was. It wasn't often that anybody showed her any kind of support. Beside she liked the feel of Buffy's warm hand in hers, liked the feel of their interlaced fingers.
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Carry On - Pat Green
Baby's just a little bit tired of the city
Billboards and bullshit got her down
Seem like you need a little hill country
A Little backroads driving
little bit of the old top down
Yeah, everybody gotta get away sometime
Forget about yourself for awhile
Seems to me that all you need is a ragtop car to ride with me
I'm ok, I'm alright
Just might get a little high tonight
I'm ok, I'm alright
Carry on
Ol' Walt Wilkins lives up in Nashville
You know his eyes have seen the miles
Walt why don't you jump in Jim T's caddy
Come down to Texas and drink with me awhile
Yeah, everybody gotta get away sometime
Forget about yourself for awhile
Will go down to El Arroyo have some tacos and beer yeah and let ourselves go
I'm ok, I'm alright
Just might try to get right tonight
I'm ok, I'm alright
Carry on
I'm gonna make sure that you got your troubles
I'm gonna make sure that you work too hard
Ain't nobody that don't get tired
Watch your troubles pile up big in your own backyard
Sometimes you've got to grab your world with your own two hands
Set it spinning off on a course all your own
Take yourself a big bag for your shoulder
Find yourself some good times
Bring them on back home
Yeah, everybody gotta get away sometime
Forget about yourself for awhile
Lay your whole life upon a shelf
Got no one to blame but your own damn self
Ok, alright,
Heaven only know what gonna happen tonight
I'm ok, I'm alright,
I'm ok, I'm alright,
I'm ok, I'm alright,
I'm ok, I'm alright,
Oh carry on, yeah -