Hi there. I hope no one's angry that it took me so long to finish the next
part of the story. But I have practically no time left for writing. An hour
here and there, but that's pretty much everything. And it'll get even worse
in the next months. So don't expect too much from me in the next three
months. Don't know how it's going to look like after that, I'll just have
to see.
*******
"Ouch," Faith winced when the needle entered her flesh for the seventh time.
"What's up Faith?" Xander asked with a teasing grin. "You're the Slayer. The bogeyman of the underworld. The Scourge of everything that goes bump in the night. And you can't take the pain caused by this little needle?"
"Oh, shut up," she responded with a glare. "Just finish this up and be done with it already."
"Be patient. Just three more stiches and we'll be done," he said and searched the counter for some bandages, only to realise that he had run out on them.
"You need some bandages?" Tara asked, an armful of already stained ones in her hands. Even if the battle against Glory and her minions had been a success, the usual wounds that accompanied such a fight still needed a lot of medical supplies.
"Yeah, we could use some," Xander told her with a nod. "Faith's been bleeding all over the place."
"I'll see if I can get you some from the training room," the witch told him. "We always have a full first aid kit there."
"Thanks," Xander replied and continued to patch the wounded slayer up. Three more stitches and a couple of complaints from Faith later, he was done with the task at hand.
"I guess that's it," he said, wiping his hands clean on his trousers. "All we need now are those bandages," he exclaimed.
Just when he said this he heard the sound of the training room's door opening. He turned his head in the door's direction, but to his shock not only Tara stood in the doorway. The man he had only known as Mr. Jones stood behind the young wicca, his hand tightly clamped around her mouth, preventing the witch from muttering any kind of spell and a gun in his hand.
Xander reacted immediately and aimed his own gun at the Tarakan. That action startled also the rest of the Scoobies who were at once on there feet and ready to face the new threat. Faith also hopped off the counter, but Xander made sure that she stayed behind him.
"Not one of you moves," Jones said in the direction of the Scoobies. "Or your friend here is dead," he exclaimed and pointed the gun briefly at Tara's temple before he aimed it at Xander.
"Hello Alexander," the Tarakan greeted him with a smile. "Miss me?"
"Didn't take the Brotherhood long to send someone after me," Xander replied. "I was wondering when one of you would show up."
"Well, you know me," Jones told him with a smirk. "I'm always fashionably late."
"And a coward on top of that?" Xander asked with a raised eyebrow. "Is this how you came to your position? By using innocent bystanders as human shields?"
"No, not always," Jones replied. "But she is much more than my shield. She's my insurance that I'll get out of here in one piece after this is over."
"Xander," Buffy asked. "Who is that guy?"
"Meet Mr. Jones," Xander told her, his eyes and gun still focused on the assassin. "If that's his real name. He was the one who recruited me for the brotherhood and he also was my supervisor for the last three years."
"Too much praise for me Alexander," Jones replied and turned his head in Buffy's direction. "But he's right. I'm the one who put him back on his feet when you broke his body. I'm must say, that I'm surprised that you're still alive. Seems that Alexander really has softened too much in the last few days. Something like this wouldn't have happened a few weeks ago."
"Now about you," Smith said and looked back at Xander. "I can't really express how disappointed I am with you. We gave you one little assignment. Kill the slayer and collect a nice reward for retirement. That's shouldn't have been so hard."
"Yeah, but I figured that sparing her life and rescuing the world was a bit more important than her termination," Xander stated
Jones shook his head at that. "Apocalypses come and go. Nothing special about them. Someone's always there to prevent them. But I'm not here to talk about ethics. I'm here to carry out the hit that was assigned to you. Now, If you will step aside so I can finish it."
"Won't happen," Xander said and made sure that Jones had no clear shot at the dark slayer.
"Hey," Faith exclaimed annoyed. "Don't I have any say in the matter?"
"No," Xander told her. "This is personal. So, if you want to get to her you have to go through me."
"I'm fine with that," Jones said with a smile. "And you? You think that the pupil can beat his teacher?"
"How do they say," Xander replied. "I'd be a bad student if I couldn't."
"Great," came suddenly a shout from their left. "Finally it's getting interesting. I was already bored out of my skull."
Both Xander and Jones turned their heads and were, like the rest of the group, surprised to see a small man sitting on top of the counter.
"What?" he said when he noticed the confused looks of everyone. "Oh, just ignore me. I'm just here to enjoy the show."
"Whistler?" Buffy asked, once she recognised the balance demon.
"Hey Buffy," the demon greeted her. "How are ya doin'? Slayin' still goin' smooth?"
"You know the pimp?" Xander asked surprised.
"Hey," Whistler replied and hopped off the counter. "No need to be rude, okay?"
"Who the hell are you?" Jones asked. "And why are you interfering with my contract?"
"Well, she already said it. I'm Whistler. Balance demon. Sent by the Powers that Be," he explained and pointed his index finger upwards to emphasize the point. "And second, this isn't really your contract anymore."
"What the hell are you talking about," the assassin begun, but was stopped dead in his tracks when his cell phone suddenly started ringing.
"You should get that call," the demon told him and stepped between the two assassins, making sure that none of them had a clear shot at the other. "And if you'll stop being trigger happy for a minute and let the man answer his phone," he told Xander. "Believe me, everything will be cleared after that."
Xander hesitated for a few seconds, but finally he released his finger from the trigger. On the other side of the makeshift barrier Jones did the same and retrieved his cell phone from his pocket.
"Jones," he answered.
"Ah, Mr. Jones," came the voice of his superior through the speaker. "How are you doing? Have you already finished the contract on the slayer?"
"No sir," Jones replied nervously. "I was just about to do it when you phoned me."
"Excellent work. But sadly I have to inform you that the contract on Miss Williams was .....altered."
"Altered?" Jones asked confused
"Yes. It seems that our customers kept a close eye on our actions. A very close eye. They are satisfied with our progress so far and don't want the contract to be fulfilled."
"But Sir," The assassin interjected. "That goes against everything the Brotherhood stands for."
"It's not your concern what the Brotherhood stands for," his superior replied annoyed. "Abort the assassination and report back at the Headquarters," he said and ended the connection.
"Yes Sir," Jones muttered disappointed and put the phone back into his pocket. "Guess it's your lucky day Alexander," he said and released Tara out of his grip. "Headquarter's just told me to leave you and your slayer alone."
"What?" Xander asked surprised.
"My reaction exactly," Jones said and looked at Whistler. "Apparently our 'customer' is satisfied with our progress and doesn't want us finish the contract."
"See," the demon said and beamed at both assassins. "No need for pointless violence."
"Not this time," Jones exclaimed and walked past the balance demon and the still surprised ex-Tarakan. "This isn't over Alexander," he said over his shoulder while he walked in the direction of the front door. "Sooner or later you're going to piss off the wrong people. And I'll be there to take care of you."
"We'll see," Xander told him a smile. "Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out."
"Of course not," the assassin replied with a matching smile and turned in Buffy's direction. "It was a pleasure to meet you finally in person Miss Summers. Good bye."
And with these words the assassin turned around and left the magic Box,
"Wheeww," Whistler exclaimed with a sigh. "That was a close call."
"Closer than you think," Xander said angrily, grabbed the demon by the lapels of his jacket and lifted him up in the air. "I hope you like to talk, cause I have a number of questions I want answered, you little pimp wannabe."
"Hey, no problem with that," Whistler replied with a shrug, obviously not scared about the situation. "But I'd rather do it with both my feet on solid ground. You think you can do that?"
Xander hesitated for a second, but finally he released the demon from his grip, letting him fall to the ground.
"Thanks," Whistler remarked sarcastically while he stood up. "So what do you wanna know?"
"First," Xander started and counted with his fingers. "Who are you? Second: How do you know Buffy? And third: What do you have to do with the contract on Faith?"
"That's easy," the demon said and began counting, mocking Xander's previous action. "For number one. Whistler. Balance Demon. Agent of the Powers that Be. Nice to meet you. For number two. I gave her the heads up when that lunatic Drusilla tried to end the world with Acathla's help. And number three. Well, I was the one who sent the Brotherhood after her."
Everyone was silent at that sudden revelation. Giles finally was the first
"You're telling us that you were the one who contracted the Brotherhood to assassinate Faith?" Whistler nodded at that. "And yet, you were the one who obviously aborted her assassination?" Again Whistler nodded.
"What?" Willow asked. "You sent the Brotherhood after Faith?" Again a nod from the balance demon. "I don't get it."
"Hey don't blame me okay?" Whistler told the group apologetic. "The Powers knew that blondie here wouldn't be able to defeat Glory on her own," he explained and took a few steps back when he saw the furious look on Buffy's face. "So they ordered me to send the Brotherhood after her." Everything looked confused at the demon. "Hey don't ask me okay? They just told me that everything would work out in the end. That not only Faith would help to beat that bitch into the ground, but that our friendly neighbourhood assassin would also hop onto the 'let's save the world' wagon. That's the way they're doing things. Never go for an easy solution when you can make it difficult."
"Fine," Buffy said, still a bit pissed at the demon. "You did your job. World is safe till next week. Now get lost."
"Can't do," Whistler replied and turned towards Faith and Xander. "See, the Powers have plans with you two. Long term plans," he told them with a smug grin.
Xander's eyes widened at that revelation. But before he could even move, Faith had already taken manners in her own hands or rather in her own feet. The dark slayer kicked the balance demon firmly between his legs, sending him down to the ground.
"You asshole," she shouted and would've done more serious damage to the prone demon, if Xander hadn't held her back. "You think you can fuck around with my life? Just like I'm some pawn in an intergalactic chess game?"
"Ouch. That hurts," the balance demon replied and stood up, obviously not in as much pain as expected. "Hey, I know that sucks. Those things are never easy. But wait till you heard everything before you start to decorate your living room with my head."
"Then start talking," Xander said as he restrained the still struggling Faith. "Or I'll join her beating you to a pulp."
"You won't," Whistler replied with confidence. "Your old girlfriend is in trouble."
Both Xander and Faith stopped dead in their tracks and looked with a mixture of shock and confusion at the demon.
"Cordy?" Xander finally asked. "Why should Cordy be in trouble?"
Whistler raised his eyebrow at that and looked at Faith. "Didn't you tell him?"
"Tell me what?" Xander asked confused and looked at Faith. "You said that Cordy's living in LA."
"Weeeell," Faith admitted after a second. "I never said that exactly."
"What the slayer wants to tell you," Whistler interrupted "Is that you ex is running a detective agency in LA that is specialized in... supernatural cases."
"What?" Xander exclaimed after a few seconds. "You're telling me that Cordy is fighting vampires, demons and co." Whistler nodded at that. "And that she's in trouble?"
"Big trouble, believe me," the demon said and handed him a piece of paper. "That's the address of her agency. The powers would be very grateful if you could assist her."
"I'm no one's lapdog," Xander replied angrily. "Find someone else to do your dirty work."
"You think you can fool me with that," the demon asked with a dry laugh. "Admit it. You can't just sit back and wait until something bad happens to her."
"It's that bad?" Xander asked worried.
"Even worse," the demon replied with a sigh. "She'll die if you don't help her."
"Anything specific?"
"No," Whistler said with a shake of his head. "That's all I got told. Everything else is up to you."
"Shit," Xander cursed and looked briefly in Faith's direction. The look on her face told him that she was also worried for the ex-cheerleader. "Okay, I think you can count me......" Xander started, but stopped when he realised that the balance demon had vanished into thin air.
"What the hell?" he cursed and looked around, noting that the rest of the Scoobies were equally surprised by Whistler's sudden departure.
"Man, that guy is sneaky," Xander exclaimed and looked at Faith. "You coming?"
"Count me in," Faith told him with a nod. "I won't leave Cordy hanging."
"Good," Xander said.
"Wait a second," Willow interrupted. "You basically just arrived. You can't just leave like that after three years."
"What do you expect me to do Wills?" Xander asked with a sigh. "You heard the man. Cordy's in trouble and if I don't help her she might die. You really want to risk that?"
"No, you're right," Willow admitted sadly. "I just hoped you could spend some time with us."
"Maybe some other time," Xander said. "But right now I have another friend who needs my help."
"Then you should go Xander," Buffy told him. "Go and help Cordy. Guess she needs you more than we do at the moment."
"Thanks Buff," Xander said with a nod. "We should get going now. Wasting time is a bit risky in a situation like that."
"Okay. Just remember that you have friends in this town," the blonde slayer said with a hopeful look on her face.
"I will," Xander said and walked in the direction of the front door. "Bye guys."
"Well, you heard the X-man," Faith said and followed his departing figure. "Was nice to see you guys again," she said and opened the door. "Oh, Red? Love your new lifestyle," she told the wicca with a smile before she disappeared, leaving a furiously blushing Willow behind.
*******
Epilogue
*******
"Hey. I think he's waking up."
The male voice that just said these words, was quickly replaced by a female, more softer voice.
"Doyle?" the voice asked. "How are you feeling?"
"I hope someone got the number of the truck that just ran me over," the half demon groaned and slowly opened his eyes, only to be greeted by Cordelia Chase's beautiful features. "Cause I'm going to sue every cent out of its driver's ass."
"At least you didn't lose your sense of humour," the brunette told him with a smile. "What did you see?"
"It has to be important, cause that was the worst vision ever", he exclaimed with a sigh before he gathered his thoughts. "Someone's coming. Two people. A man and a woman."
"Good guys or bad guys?" Cordelia asked.
Doyle though about that for another second before he answered. "It didn't seem to me that they were in any kind hostile to us. So, my guess is good guys."
Cordelia sighed with relief and walked up to one of the church's windows. "That's at least something," she said and looked at the all covering darkness that surrounded the small village they were currently staying in. "Cause right now, we could use every help we can get."
The End
*******
"Ouch," Faith winced when the needle entered her flesh for the seventh time.
"What's up Faith?" Xander asked with a teasing grin. "You're the Slayer. The bogeyman of the underworld. The Scourge of everything that goes bump in the night. And you can't take the pain caused by this little needle?"
"Oh, shut up," she responded with a glare. "Just finish this up and be done with it already."
"Be patient. Just three more stiches and we'll be done," he said and searched the counter for some bandages, only to realise that he had run out on them.
"You need some bandages?" Tara asked, an armful of already stained ones in her hands. Even if the battle against Glory and her minions had been a success, the usual wounds that accompanied such a fight still needed a lot of medical supplies.
"Yeah, we could use some," Xander told her with a nod. "Faith's been bleeding all over the place."
"I'll see if I can get you some from the training room," the witch told him. "We always have a full first aid kit there."
"Thanks," Xander replied and continued to patch the wounded slayer up. Three more stitches and a couple of complaints from Faith later, he was done with the task at hand.
"I guess that's it," he said, wiping his hands clean on his trousers. "All we need now are those bandages," he exclaimed.
Just when he said this he heard the sound of the training room's door opening. He turned his head in the door's direction, but to his shock not only Tara stood in the doorway. The man he had only known as Mr. Jones stood behind the young wicca, his hand tightly clamped around her mouth, preventing the witch from muttering any kind of spell and a gun in his hand.
Xander reacted immediately and aimed his own gun at the Tarakan. That action startled also the rest of the Scoobies who were at once on there feet and ready to face the new threat. Faith also hopped off the counter, but Xander made sure that she stayed behind him.
"Not one of you moves," Jones said in the direction of the Scoobies. "Or your friend here is dead," he exclaimed and pointed the gun briefly at Tara's temple before he aimed it at Xander.
"Hello Alexander," the Tarakan greeted him with a smile. "Miss me?"
"Didn't take the Brotherhood long to send someone after me," Xander replied. "I was wondering when one of you would show up."
"Well, you know me," Jones told him with a smirk. "I'm always fashionably late."
"And a coward on top of that?" Xander asked with a raised eyebrow. "Is this how you came to your position? By using innocent bystanders as human shields?"
"No, not always," Jones replied. "But she is much more than my shield. She's my insurance that I'll get out of here in one piece after this is over."
"Xander," Buffy asked. "Who is that guy?"
"Meet Mr. Jones," Xander told her, his eyes and gun still focused on the assassin. "If that's his real name. He was the one who recruited me for the brotherhood and he also was my supervisor for the last three years."
"Too much praise for me Alexander," Jones replied and turned his head in Buffy's direction. "But he's right. I'm the one who put him back on his feet when you broke his body. I'm must say, that I'm surprised that you're still alive. Seems that Alexander really has softened too much in the last few days. Something like this wouldn't have happened a few weeks ago."
"Now about you," Smith said and looked back at Xander. "I can't really express how disappointed I am with you. We gave you one little assignment. Kill the slayer and collect a nice reward for retirement. That's shouldn't have been so hard."
"Yeah, but I figured that sparing her life and rescuing the world was a bit more important than her termination," Xander stated
Jones shook his head at that. "Apocalypses come and go. Nothing special about them. Someone's always there to prevent them. But I'm not here to talk about ethics. I'm here to carry out the hit that was assigned to you. Now, If you will step aside so I can finish it."
"Won't happen," Xander said and made sure that Jones had no clear shot at the dark slayer.
"Hey," Faith exclaimed annoyed. "Don't I have any say in the matter?"
"No," Xander told her. "This is personal. So, if you want to get to her you have to go through me."
"I'm fine with that," Jones said with a smile. "And you? You think that the pupil can beat his teacher?"
"How do they say," Xander replied. "I'd be a bad student if I couldn't."
"Great," came suddenly a shout from their left. "Finally it's getting interesting. I was already bored out of my skull."
Both Xander and Jones turned their heads and were, like the rest of the group, surprised to see a small man sitting on top of the counter.
"What?" he said when he noticed the confused looks of everyone. "Oh, just ignore me. I'm just here to enjoy the show."
"Whistler?" Buffy asked, once she recognised the balance demon.
"Hey Buffy," the demon greeted her. "How are ya doin'? Slayin' still goin' smooth?"
"You know the pimp?" Xander asked surprised.
"Hey," Whistler replied and hopped off the counter. "No need to be rude, okay?"
"Who the hell are you?" Jones asked. "And why are you interfering with my contract?"
"Well, she already said it. I'm Whistler. Balance demon. Sent by the Powers that Be," he explained and pointed his index finger upwards to emphasize the point. "And second, this isn't really your contract anymore."
"What the hell are you talking about," the assassin begun, but was stopped dead in his tracks when his cell phone suddenly started ringing.
"You should get that call," the demon told him and stepped between the two assassins, making sure that none of them had a clear shot at the other. "And if you'll stop being trigger happy for a minute and let the man answer his phone," he told Xander. "Believe me, everything will be cleared after that."
Xander hesitated for a few seconds, but finally he released his finger from the trigger. On the other side of the makeshift barrier Jones did the same and retrieved his cell phone from his pocket.
"Jones," he answered.
"Ah, Mr. Jones," came the voice of his superior through the speaker. "How are you doing? Have you already finished the contract on the slayer?"
"No sir," Jones replied nervously. "I was just about to do it when you phoned me."
"Excellent work. But sadly I have to inform you that the contract on Miss Williams was .....altered."
"Altered?" Jones asked confused
"Yes. It seems that our customers kept a close eye on our actions. A very close eye. They are satisfied with our progress so far and don't want the contract to be fulfilled."
"But Sir," The assassin interjected. "That goes against everything the Brotherhood stands for."
"It's not your concern what the Brotherhood stands for," his superior replied annoyed. "Abort the assassination and report back at the Headquarters," he said and ended the connection.
"Yes Sir," Jones muttered disappointed and put the phone back into his pocket. "Guess it's your lucky day Alexander," he said and released Tara out of his grip. "Headquarter's just told me to leave you and your slayer alone."
"What?" Xander asked surprised.
"My reaction exactly," Jones said and looked at Whistler. "Apparently our 'customer' is satisfied with our progress and doesn't want us finish the contract."
"See," the demon said and beamed at both assassins. "No need for pointless violence."
"Not this time," Jones exclaimed and walked past the balance demon and the still surprised ex-Tarakan. "This isn't over Alexander," he said over his shoulder while he walked in the direction of the front door. "Sooner or later you're going to piss off the wrong people. And I'll be there to take care of you."
"We'll see," Xander told him a smile. "Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out."
"Of course not," the assassin replied with a matching smile and turned in Buffy's direction. "It was a pleasure to meet you finally in person Miss Summers. Good bye."
And with these words the assassin turned around and left the magic Box,
"Wheeww," Whistler exclaimed with a sigh. "That was a close call."
"Closer than you think," Xander said angrily, grabbed the demon by the lapels of his jacket and lifted him up in the air. "I hope you like to talk, cause I have a number of questions I want answered, you little pimp wannabe."
"Hey, no problem with that," Whistler replied with a shrug, obviously not scared about the situation. "But I'd rather do it with both my feet on solid ground. You think you can do that?"
Xander hesitated for a second, but finally he released the demon from his grip, letting him fall to the ground.
"Thanks," Whistler remarked sarcastically while he stood up. "So what do you wanna know?"
"First," Xander started and counted with his fingers. "Who are you? Second: How do you know Buffy? And third: What do you have to do with the contract on Faith?"
"That's easy," the demon said and began counting, mocking Xander's previous action. "For number one. Whistler. Balance Demon. Agent of the Powers that Be. Nice to meet you. For number two. I gave her the heads up when that lunatic Drusilla tried to end the world with Acathla's help. And number three. Well, I was the one who sent the Brotherhood after her."
Everyone was silent at that sudden revelation. Giles finally was the first
"You're telling us that you were the one who contracted the Brotherhood to assassinate Faith?" Whistler nodded at that. "And yet, you were the one who obviously aborted her assassination?" Again Whistler nodded.
"What?" Willow asked. "You sent the Brotherhood after Faith?" Again a nod from the balance demon. "I don't get it."
"Hey don't blame me okay?" Whistler told the group apologetic. "The Powers knew that blondie here wouldn't be able to defeat Glory on her own," he explained and took a few steps back when he saw the furious look on Buffy's face. "So they ordered me to send the Brotherhood after her." Everything looked confused at the demon. "Hey don't ask me okay? They just told me that everything would work out in the end. That not only Faith would help to beat that bitch into the ground, but that our friendly neighbourhood assassin would also hop onto the 'let's save the world' wagon. That's the way they're doing things. Never go for an easy solution when you can make it difficult."
"Fine," Buffy said, still a bit pissed at the demon. "You did your job. World is safe till next week. Now get lost."
"Can't do," Whistler replied and turned towards Faith and Xander. "See, the Powers have plans with you two. Long term plans," he told them with a smug grin.
Xander's eyes widened at that revelation. But before he could even move, Faith had already taken manners in her own hands or rather in her own feet. The dark slayer kicked the balance demon firmly between his legs, sending him down to the ground.
"You asshole," she shouted and would've done more serious damage to the prone demon, if Xander hadn't held her back. "You think you can fuck around with my life? Just like I'm some pawn in an intergalactic chess game?"
"Ouch. That hurts," the balance demon replied and stood up, obviously not in as much pain as expected. "Hey, I know that sucks. Those things are never easy. But wait till you heard everything before you start to decorate your living room with my head."
"Then start talking," Xander said as he restrained the still struggling Faith. "Or I'll join her beating you to a pulp."
"You won't," Whistler replied with confidence. "Your old girlfriend is in trouble."
Both Xander and Faith stopped dead in their tracks and looked with a mixture of shock and confusion at the demon.
"Cordy?" Xander finally asked. "Why should Cordy be in trouble?"
Whistler raised his eyebrow at that and looked at Faith. "Didn't you tell him?"
"Tell me what?" Xander asked confused and looked at Faith. "You said that Cordy's living in LA."
"Weeeell," Faith admitted after a second. "I never said that exactly."
"What the slayer wants to tell you," Whistler interrupted "Is that you ex is running a detective agency in LA that is specialized in... supernatural cases."
"What?" Xander exclaimed after a few seconds. "You're telling me that Cordy is fighting vampires, demons and co." Whistler nodded at that. "And that she's in trouble?"
"Big trouble, believe me," the demon said and handed him a piece of paper. "That's the address of her agency. The powers would be very grateful if you could assist her."
"I'm no one's lapdog," Xander replied angrily. "Find someone else to do your dirty work."
"You think you can fool me with that," the demon asked with a dry laugh. "Admit it. You can't just sit back and wait until something bad happens to her."
"It's that bad?" Xander asked worried.
"Even worse," the demon replied with a sigh. "She'll die if you don't help her."
"Anything specific?"
"No," Whistler said with a shake of his head. "That's all I got told. Everything else is up to you."
"Shit," Xander cursed and looked briefly in Faith's direction. The look on her face told him that she was also worried for the ex-cheerleader. "Okay, I think you can count me......" Xander started, but stopped when he realised that the balance demon had vanished into thin air.
"What the hell?" he cursed and looked around, noting that the rest of the Scoobies were equally surprised by Whistler's sudden departure.
"Man, that guy is sneaky," Xander exclaimed and looked at Faith. "You coming?"
"Count me in," Faith told him with a nod. "I won't leave Cordy hanging."
"Good," Xander said.
"Wait a second," Willow interrupted. "You basically just arrived. You can't just leave like that after three years."
"What do you expect me to do Wills?" Xander asked with a sigh. "You heard the man. Cordy's in trouble and if I don't help her she might die. You really want to risk that?"
"No, you're right," Willow admitted sadly. "I just hoped you could spend some time with us."
"Maybe some other time," Xander said. "But right now I have another friend who needs my help."
"Then you should go Xander," Buffy told him. "Go and help Cordy. Guess she needs you more than we do at the moment."
"Thanks Buff," Xander said with a nod. "We should get going now. Wasting time is a bit risky in a situation like that."
"Okay. Just remember that you have friends in this town," the blonde slayer said with a hopeful look on her face.
"I will," Xander said and walked in the direction of the front door. "Bye guys."
"Well, you heard the X-man," Faith said and followed his departing figure. "Was nice to see you guys again," she said and opened the door. "Oh, Red? Love your new lifestyle," she told the wicca with a smile before she disappeared, leaving a furiously blushing Willow behind.
*******
Epilogue
*******
"Hey. I think he's waking up."
The male voice that just said these words, was quickly replaced by a female, more softer voice.
"Doyle?" the voice asked. "How are you feeling?"
"I hope someone got the number of the truck that just ran me over," the half demon groaned and slowly opened his eyes, only to be greeted by Cordelia Chase's beautiful features. "Cause I'm going to sue every cent out of its driver's ass."
"At least you didn't lose your sense of humour," the brunette told him with a smile. "What did you see?"
"It has to be important, cause that was the worst vision ever", he exclaimed with a sigh before he gathered his thoughts. "Someone's coming. Two people. A man and a woman."
"Good guys or bad guys?" Cordelia asked.
Doyle though about that for another second before he answered. "It didn't seem to me that they were in any kind hostile to us. So, my guess is good guys."
Cordelia sighed with relief and walked up to one of the church's windows. "That's at least something," she said and looked at the all covering darkness that surrounded the small village they were currently staying in. "Cause right now, we could use every help we can get."
The End