Faith swore to herself. She didn't know what the hell she was
supposed to do. Was she supposed to hug B? Or just wave as she walked away?
She leaned back against the wall from her perch on the counter, wishing she
had a cigarette. She'd bum one from Spike, but she knew it would piss Buffy
off, like sharing cigarettes meant she was on his side.
Not that she wasn't. The way she figured it, Buffy could have at least taken a break from her boy toy while they were here, just out of respect for her exes. Angel didn't seem as tore up about the whole thing as Blondie, but she knew it had to bug him.
Where was the big man anyway? He'd disappeared with Superboy a while back, leaving Giles and the Scoobies standing around waiting to say goodbye. Except Willow. The witch was working on a spell to teleport Dawn's body back to the English countryside, so they wouldn't have to answer any questions. One of the few girls they'd left behind was supposed to call as soon as the body arrived.
She wondered where Illyria was. Spike had filled her in on how the body takeover had went down, how Illyria had once been the supreme ruler of something or other but was stuck in the body of Angel's friend. The difference was startling. She had met Fred once, long enough to be amazed by the physical changes. Spike said she had been hit pretty hard by the death of Wes, which Faith could understand. She still couldn't believe her old watcher was died, brought down by one old wizard. The guy had survived her worst, outsmarted Angelus, and knew more about magic and mystic forces that anyone she'd met, except for Giles, and when it was all over, he'd died of a knife wound. It made you think.
A few minutes later, Caitlin descended the stairs, followed by Connor and Angel. The kid, Faith noted, was sticking pretty close to Caitlin. She hoped he wasn't getting all excited, because there was one girl who wasn't looking for a good time. The way Caitie told it, she'd had it pretty rough, first as a kid, then as a runaway right here in LA. She rated guys somewhere above cockroaches and below slugs. Faith knew she was supposed to be a good role model and tell her good guys were out there, but she couldn't do it. To the best of her knowledge, the only good guys left were right here in this room, and they all had problems. One day she'd teach the girl that men had their purpose – get what you wanted and get gone.
She came to attention, realizing she was missing the tearful goodbyes. Caitlin hugged Giles and Xander, and tried to say something to Buffy, but the older Slayer just ignored her. It obviously hurt, but Caitlin moved on, touched Tiffany lightly on the shoulder and giving Kennedy a mock salute. She came over to stand by Faith. "You okay?" Faith asked.
"Yeah, fine."
Right. Faith slid off the counter and went over to say her own peace. "I'll give you all a call in a few weeks, unless something comes up."
Giles was cleaning his glasses, and replaced them on his face. "Call anytime, Faith. Even if you don't need something."
"Yeah. Uh – You cool, B?" she asked hesitantly.
Buffy nodded. Faith couldn't get a handle on what she'd be feeling. She didn't think it had even really hit Buffy yet that all the wannabes were gone. She turned and went over to Spike. Screw it, she needed a smoke. "You got any cigs?" She muttered when she was close enough.
"Yeah," he said, rising. "Why don't I keep you company?" He shot Buffy a long look, then squared his shoulders and led the way to the courtyard.
"Cab's waiting." Giles announced. "Angel, take care of our girls."
Buffy muttered something.
Angel chose to ignore her. "Yeah, you bet. But maybe you could look into the visions, see if there's a way to get rid of them?"
Giles opened his mouth to say something, but seemed to think better of it. "Of course. Willow?"
"One more minute!" she called.
They left, Willow following a moment later. Angel stood by the doorway, watching the cab pull off. Connor had been slowly, nonchalantly working his way to the counter where Caitlin stood, and now he was about a foot away, leaning against the end like he had always been there. Faith and Spike reentered the lobby. "Now what, boss?" Faith called.
He turned to face them. "Now we go back to the fight. A guy I knew said the world was sliding toward empathy and degradation. I say, we did some damage to the forces causing the empathy and degradation, but that's not all we can do. We go back to helping people, person by person, case by case."
"Uh, that's great, real stirring and all." Spike said. "But how do you propose we do that?"
Angel was silent for a minute, deciding what to say. He looked at each person looking at him, waiting for the answers. "We-"
A cry escaped Caitlin's lips, interrupting him. Her knees buckled with the pain of the vision ripping through her head – claws and blood, cold green eyes, and kids, two kids. Connor moved to catch her, but she turned away, steadying herself on the counter. She breathed in, trying to get her heart to slow and her eyes to focus. Finally she looked up. "We start with two kids. Matt and Chrissy. 1348 Euclid. Demon."
No one moved. She turned back to Angel. "What are you waiting for? Go save the world."
Coming soon ...As everyone adjusts to their new roles, someone very familiar comes to town – Drusilla.
Not that she wasn't. The way she figured it, Buffy could have at least taken a break from her boy toy while they were here, just out of respect for her exes. Angel didn't seem as tore up about the whole thing as Blondie, but she knew it had to bug him.
Where was the big man anyway? He'd disappeared with Superboy a while back, leaving Giles and the Scoobies standing around waiting to say goodbye. Except Willow. The witch was working on a spell to teleport Dawn's body back to the English countryside, so they wouldn't have to answer any questions. One of the few girls they'd left behind was supposed to call as soon as the body arrived.
She wondered where Illyria was. Spike had filled her in on how the body takeover had went down, how Illyria had once been the supreme ruler of something or other but was stuck in the body of Angel's friend. The difference was startling. She had met Fred once, long enough to be amazed by the physical changes. Spike said she had been hit pretty hard by the death of Wes, which Faith could understand. She still couldn't believe her old watcher was died, brought down by one old wizard. The guy had survived her worst, outsmarted Angelus, and knew more about magic and mystic forces that anyone she'd met, except for Giles, and when it was all over, he'd died of a knife wound. It made you think.
A few minutes later, Caitlin descended the stairs, followed by Connor and Angel. The kid, Faith noted, was sticking pretty close to Caitlin. She hoped he wasn't getting all excited, because there was one girl who wasn't looking for a good time. The way Caitie told it, she'd had it pretty rough, first as a kid, then as a runaway right here in LA. She rated guys somewhere above cockroaches and below slugs. Faith knew she was supposed to be a good role model and tell her good guys were out there, but she couldn't do it. To the best of her knowledge, the only good guys left were right here in this room, and they all had problems. One day she'd teach the girl that men had their purpose – get what you wanted and get gone.
She came to attention, realizing she was missing the tearful goodbyes. Caitlin hugged Giles and Xander, and tried to say something to Buffy, but the older Slayer just ignored her. It obviously hurt, but Caitlin moved on, touched Tiffany lightly on the shoulder and giving Kennedy a mock salute. She came over to stand by Faith. "You okay?" Faith asked.
"Yeah, fine."
Right. Faith slid off the counter and went over to say her own peace. "I'll give you all a call in a few weeks, unless something comes up."
Giles was cleaning his glasses, and replaced them on his face. "Call anytime, Faith. Even if you don't need something."
"Yeah. Uh – You cool, B?" she asked hesitantly.
Buffy nodded. Faith couldn't get a handle on what she'd be feeling. She didn't think it had even really hit Buffy yet that all the wannabes were gone. She turned and went over to Spike. Screw it, she needed a smoke. "You got any cigs?" She muttered when she was close enough.
"Yeah," he said, rising. "Why don't I keep you company?" He shot Buffy a long look, then squared his shoulders and led the way to the courtyard.
"Cab's waiting." Giles announced. "Angel, take care of our girls."
Buffy muttered something.
Angel chose to ignore her. "Yeah, you bet. But maybe you could look into the visions, see if there's a way to get rid of them?"
Giles opened his mouth to say something, but seemed to think better of it. "Of course. Willow?"
"One more minute!" she called.
They left, Willow following a moment later. Angel stood by the doorway, watching the cab pull off. Connor had been slowly, nonchalantly working his way to the counter where Caitlin stood, and now he was about a foot away, leaning against the end like he had always been there. Faith and Spike reentered the lobby. "Now what, boss?" Faith called.
He turned to face them. "Now we go back to the fight. A guy I knew said the world was sliding toward empathy and degradation. I say, we did some damage to the forces causing the empathy and degradation, but that's not all we can do. We go back to helping people, person by person, case by case."
"Uh, that's great, real stirring and all." Spike said. "But how do you propose we do that?"
Angel was silent for a minute, deciding what to say. He looked at each person looking at him, waiting for the answers. "We-"
A cry escaped Caitlin's lips, interrupting him. Her knees buckled with the pain of the vision ripping through her head – claws and blood, cold green eyes, and kids, two kids. Connor moved to catch her, but she turned away, steadying herself on the counter. She breathed in, trying to get her heart to slow and her eyes to focus. Finally she looked up. "We start with two kids. Matt and Chrissy. 1348 Euclid. Demon."
No one moved. She turned back to Angel. "What are you waiting for? Go save the world."
Coming soon ...As everyone adjusts to their new roles, someone very familiar comes to town – Drusilla.