Chapter 3
"So are we gonna bag this bug B?" Faith was treating this like a game, and Buffy well knew it, she always did, nothing came seriously to Faith.
"Faith it's not a bug ok. It's different, it's, it's, and ok I don't know what the hell it is. But I do know that some thing is going on that we don't know about, so it would be good to find her and find out."
"Again with the 'her' it's a fucking demon B! You, Giles and Willow are all personifying it. I mean come on, it's weird, it's unnatural and it's not human." That was almost the secret to Faith's remorseless slaying. If she didn't put a face to her enemy she could defeat it in anyway and not feel the guilt of getting to close. The exact opposite of Buffy.
"I know Faith. But there's just something different about this one. Now let's just shut up and let's see if we can't find us something to do. Ok?" Faith's response was cut short by the sound of company, both the slayers heard it and carefully together they moved in to see what was going on.
***
Midnight and again Sable found herself in the park, but she was here for a purpose, a last minute meeting had been called, and her client wasn't happy. She arrived in the assembled group; both the men from the previous meeting were there and so were the client surrounded by bodyguards.
"Good evening gentlemen. What can I do for you tonight?" Sable tried her best to show that everything was going to plan for both her client, but if not more for her commander.
"Good evening Sable, this is our present client; I don't think you have met?" Sable lent in to shake their hand, but they stood there with a cold piercing stare.
"I trust that you are all on task? I would hate to be making a foolish investment in you all."
The present client that Sable was serving was one of Sunnydale's ever growing vampires. But he was an entrepreneur, an up and coming leader of his kind; though he had one problem, many of his kind were disappearing almost as quickly as they came to be. His problem was the slayer.
Buffy and Faith looked on taking their surroundings in, and waiting to attack. They had found the perfect spot, dark and downwind. From experience they had found that an ambush was quickly ruined with just the slightest breeze; a vampire's senses were almost as honed as the slayers' so it paid to not be caught.
Even with all this in mind the girls could not control the weather, a change in the wind brought a potentially devastating element to their stake out. They both felt it and exchanged panicked looks, wondering who would discover them first.
"What, prey tell, is that smell?" The vampire had smelt them first, instantly changing and ready for the kill, "That, if I am not mistaken ladies and gentlemen is the smell of the slayers." He growled and moved towards the out crop where they hid. Sable panicked she knew they were there she had for an hour or so,
"I think Sir that may be me..." She trailed off hoping that he would bite the bait. Her client turned puzzled but clearly hooked and waiting for an explanation, "I was around the slayers earlier, monitoring their techniques in the field, ready for the final phases." She tried to make it as convincing as possible, but he was buying it, begrudgingly, but he was.
He nodded to her and made similar gestures to the rest of the assembled company and made his exit. Her kin also regarded her with similar looks of intrigued confusion, but they trusted her and did not question. When they had left, she remained in the ever present cold and damp of the darkness. Checking once more to see if the coast was clear, and with her back to the bush she called.
"You can come out now slayers."
The girls once more exchanged bemused looks, but obliged and hesitantly moved into the ambient glow of the moonlight.
"Hey man! How'd you know we were there?? That's not fair!" Faith seemed angered by the being in front of her. She still didn't want to be able to identify them; she longed to detach herself from the problem to make it all the easier to solve.
"You are in no position to be asking me questions. What on earth do you think you were doing listening in to a private meeting, with a potentially deadly assembly? Do you have any idea what would have happened if he had found you?"
"Forget this B, I'm ending this right now." Faith ran towards Sable before Buffy could even respond,
"Faith No!!" Buffy yelled after her, but in vain. Faith had to learn how powerful Sable truly was; and that lesson would come quicker than even Buffy had anticipated.
Faith pounced on Sable's back clutching around her neck trying to weigh her down. In an instant Sable ripped her wings painfully free from their hiding place; beating heavily she raised both her and Faith high into the air.
Silence fell on the air borne slayer, fear had taken control and all she could do was hold on. Buffy stared on in the same frightened silence; she saw Sable fly out of sight into the dark; without hesitation Buffy turned tail and ran for all she was worth back towards the school.
Sprinting down the road she heard the familiar heavy beating of wings once more; she turned to face her follower only to be scooped up off the ground in a split second.
***
Giles, Willow and Xander were all waiting in the library fervently awaiting the results of the patrol. Willow feared for everyone's safety, Buffy for the vampires, Faith for Sable; and most of all Sable for Faith. The readiness of Faith's abilities scared her so deeply.
Buffy and Faith silently walked into the expanse of the room; the assembled waited for a boasting report trademark to the pair trying to out do each other.
"Well," Giles tried to prompt a response.
"..." Nothing came from either.
"Did you find her?" The pair nodded in unison.
"Did you try and capture her?" Giles couldn't comprehend the silence, it cut through him with an irregular feel.
Once more they nodded together.
Giles was beginning to become impatient, "Well, were you successful?"
Willow raised her head praying that her fears had not been brought to life. The slayers shook their bowed heads.
Before Giles could respond; a clatter of an open window caught the group's attention,
"Now why would you want to go and capture me for?" Sable was sat at the giant table legs crossed and arms folded.
Silence fell among them all. It couldn't be that easy surely, to have her here so close that they could chain her. There was something about her voluntary presence that provoked the imagination and explanation of her motives.
Giles quietly walked over to his weapons chest hoping that her gaze had not followed him.
"Don't even think about it. I had the decency to come here; you could at least be a little more co-operative. Now what is it exactly that you want from me?"
Giles was stunned but obliged and returned to the table; he gesticulated for the rest of the assembled to join him.
"So are we gonna bag this bug B?" Faith was treating this like a game, and Buffy well knew it, she always did, nothing came seriously to Faith.
"Faith it's not a bug ok. It's different, it's, it's, and ok I don't know what the hell it is. But I do know that some thing is going on that we don't know about, so it would be good to find her and find out."
"Again with the 'her' it's a fucking demon B! You, Giles and Willow are all personifying it. I mean come on, it's weird, it's unnatural and it's not human." That was almost the secret to Faith's remorseless slaying. If she didn't put a face to her enemy she could defeat it in anyway and not feel the guilt of getting to close. The exact opposite of Buffy.
"I know Faith. But there's just something different about this one. Now let's just shut up and let's see if we can't find us something to do. Ok?" Faith's response was cut short by the sound of company, both the slayers heard it and carefully together they moved in to see what was going on.
***
Midnight and again Sable found herself in the park, but she was here for a purpose, a last minute meeting had been called, and her client wasn't happy. She arrived in the assembled group; both the men from the previous meeting were there and so were the client surrounded by bodyguards.
"Good evening gentlemen. What can I do for you tonight?" Sable tried her best to show that everything was going to plan for both her client, but if not more for her commander.
"Good evening Sable, this is our present client; I don't think you have met?" Sable lent in to shake their hand, but they stood there with a cold piercing stare.
"I trust that you are all on task? I would hate to be making a foolish investment in you all."
The present client that Sable was serving was one of Sunnydale's ever growing vampires. But he was an entrepreneur, an up and coming leader of his kind; though he had one problem, many of his kind were disappearing almost as quickly as they came to be. His problem was the slayer.
Buffy and Faith looked on taking their surroundings in, and waiting to attack. They had found the perfect spot, dark and downwind. From experience they had found that an ambush was quickly ruined with just the slightest breeze; a vampire's senses were almost as honed as the slayers' so it paid to not be caught.
Even with all this in mind the girls could not control the weather, a change in the wind brought a potentially devastating element to their stake out. They both felt it and exchanged panicked looks, wondering who would discover them first.
"What, prey tell, is that smell?" The vampire had smelt them first, instantly changing and ready for the kill, "That, if I am not mistaken ladies and gentlemen is the smell of the slayers." He growled and moved towards the out crop where they hid. Sable panicked she knew they were there she had for an hour or so,
"I think Sir that may be me..." She trailed off hoping that he would bite the bait. Her client turned puzzled but clearly hooked and waiting for an explanation, "I was around the slayers earlier, monitoring their techniques in the field, ready for the final phases." She tried to make it as convincing as possible, but he was buying it, begrudgingly, but he was.
He nodded to her and made similar gestures to the rest of the assembled company and made his exit. Her kin also regarded her with similar looks of intrigued confusion, but they trusted her and did not question. When they had left, she remained in the ever present cold and damp of the darkness. Checking once more to see if the coast was clear, and with her back to the bush she called.
"You can come out now slayers."
The girls once more exchanged bemused looks, but obliged and hesitantly moved into the ambient glow of the moonlight.
"Hey man! How'd you know we were there?? That's not fair!" Faith seemed angered by the being in front of her. She still didn't want to be able to identify them; she longed to detach herself from the problem to make it all the easier to solve.
"You are in no position to be asking me questions. What on earth do you think you were doing listening in to a private meeting, with a potentially deadly assembly? Do you have any idea what would have happened if he had found you?"
"Forget this B, I'm ending this right now." Faith ran towards Sable before Buffy could even respond,
"Faith No!!" Buffy yelled after her, but in vain. Faith had to learn how powerful Sable truly was; and that lesson would come quicker than even Buffy had anticipated.
Faith pounced on Sable's back clutching around her neck trying to weigh her down. In an instant Sable ripped her wings painfully free from their hiding place; beating heavily she raised both her and Faith high into the air.
Silence fell on the air borne slayer, fear had taken control and all she could do was hold on. Buffy stared on in the same frightened silence; she saw Sable fly out of sight into the dark; without hesitation Buffy turned tail and ran for all she was worth back towards the school.
Sprinting down the road she heard the familiar heavy beating of wings once more; she turned to face her follower only to be scooped up off the ground in a split second.
***
Giles, Willow and Xander were all waiting in the library fervently awaiting the results of the patrol. Willow feared for everyone's safety, Buffy for the vampires, Faith for Sable; and most of all Sable for Faith. The readiness of Faith's abilities scared her so deeply.
Buffy and Faith silently walked into the expanse of the room; the assembled waited for a boasting report trademark to the pair trying to out do each other.
"Well," Giles tried to prompt a response.
"..." Nothing came from either.
"Did you find her?" The pair nodded in unison.
"Did you try and capture her?" Giles couldn't comprehend the silence, it cut through him with an irregular feel.
Once more they nodded together.
Giles was beginning to become impatient, "Well, were you successful?"
Willow raised her head praying that her fears had not been brought to life. The slayers shook their bowed heads.
Before Giles could respond; a clatter of an open window caught the group's attention,
"Now why would you want to go and capture me for?" Sable was sat at the giant table legs crossed and arms folded.
Silence fell among them all. It couldn't be that easy surely, to have her here so close that they could chain her. There was something about her voluntary presence that provoked the imagination and explanation of her motives.
Giles quietly walked over to his weapons chest hoping that her gaze had not followed him.
"Don't even think about it. I had the decency to come here; you could at least be a little more co-operative. Now what is it exactly that you want from me?"
Giles was stunned but obliged and returned to the table; he gesticulated for the rest of the assembled to join him.