Title: Revenant, Ch. 4
(Cleveland, the new Watchers Council headquarters)
Robin Wood looked over at Faith, then at Vi and Andrew.
"It's been three days, and still no sign. I hate to say this, but let's make the call."
"God, this is gonna kill Willow."
_*_*_*
At the Hyperion Hotel, a phone rang.
"Watcher's Council west, Ms. Summers speaking!" Buffy all but chirped into the phone.
"B, we gotta talk." Faith said quietly on the other end.
Xander flinched at the loud crunch the phone made as the receiver was crushed in Buffy's suddenly white-knuckled hand. Spike started to move forward, but stopped when Buffy held her hand up.
_*_*_*
"Thanks for walking me back to the Hotel. After that guy pick- pocketed me, I didn't have enough for the cab fare." Dawn said to the Slayer on her left.
"Hey, no problem, it was the least I could do."
"Well, I gotta say, it's really nice of you. When you first came with Giles and the others, I thought you were such a bitch, always dissing Buffy and mouthing off to her. I'm glad to see you've changed." She turned to her companion, and gasped as Kennedy's face morphed from her normal appearance to vampiric game-face.
"Yeah." Kennedy hissed as she lifted Dawn by the throat. "I've changed. A lot."
_*_*_*
"Willow," Buffy began, pale as she looked at her oldest friend, "That was Faith. I'm afraid her and Robin have some bad news. It's Kennedy. She vanished while on patrol three days ago, and they're afraid she might be dead."
"Well, I can honestly say, I'm not dead, but you will be." Vamp- Kennedy stood at the doorway of the Hyperion, holding Dawn off the ground by her throat. "Catch."
"Dawn!" "Nibblet!" Buffy and Spike yelled. Buffy leaped to catch Dawn as Vamp-Kennedy threw the girl at the oak front desk, and Spike hurled himself at the undead ex-Slayer. Both Summers' girls heads connected with the hardwood desk with enough force to knock both out cold, and Kennedy drew a weapon from behind her back.
The jet from the super-soaker caught Spike directly in the eyes, and he howled in agony, blinded. Vamp-Kennedy then grabbed the velvet- upholstered couch and hurled it at Willow, burying the witch under its mass before she smashed a lamp over Spike's head.
"Y'know, I didn't know if Holy Water would work on poor William, here, him having a pulse and all, now," She said, as she stalked towards Xander, "which is why I used bleach, instead."
Xander grabbed for a wooden stake someone had left on the front desk, but Kennedy's undead speed outclassed him.
"What did Caleb say when he gouged out your other eye? 'You're the one who sees everything.' Is that true, Xander? Did you see this coming, you little Cyclops?" She grabbed Xander by the head, slammed him against the wall, and began to squeeze. Xander grabbed her wrists and tried to force them away, to no avail.
"You're dust, Ken, dust! The others'll –"
"The other's will DIE, you over-glorified handyman! I'm going to kill you, Dawn, and your precious Buffy! Then I'm going to turn Spike and Buffy, and stake her as soon as she rises, and turn Willow, so that she and I can be together, without you, forever!"
"LET! Xander! GO! Kennedy!" Xander gasped as the pressure on his skull let up slightly, and he saw over Kennedy's shoulder Willow, standing wiping blood from her nose as she glared at her former girlfriend.
"Willow, honey! You weren't supposed to wake up yet, I should've hit you harder. Don't be upset, baby, he'll die, and you'll die, and then I'll bring you back, and we can be together again, like it's supposed to be!" She turned back to Xander, and began squeezing again. Xander gasped as his jaw dislocated on one side, not hearing the quiet words of Latin, then Kennedy's hands were being forced away from him.
"Ooh, Willow, are you going all black-eyed and veiny on me? You gonna kick my ass, like you did Buffy's?"
"You're not Kennedy, and I don't care who you are." Willow said quietly, power flowing around her like a strong wind. Behind Willow, the mahogany coffee lifted up into the air, then splintered into a hundred sharp edges. "No one hurts Xander. No one." The table shards quivered for one split second, then dove forward like a flock of crows all diving for the same breadcrumb.
Vamp-Kennedy gasped, with an almost hurt look on her face, then crumbled into dust.
Xander gripped his head gingerly as he slid down the wall, then pulled Willow into his grip as she fell to her knees.
"Buffy? Dawn?!" Spike yelled as he struggled to his feet. "Where are you?"
"They're out cold, Spike! Hang on, we'll help!" Xander yelled. "C'mon, Wills, we gotta grieve later, the others need us." He whispered to the redhead. The two pulled themselves to their feet, then Willow waved one hand and whispered "Occularae".
"Thanks, Red, much obliged." Spike said, as the burning chlorine instantly vanished from his eyes. "Nibblet!"
"Owww.." Dawn whimpered as she and Buffy slowly came around. "Now I know how Giles feels."
"Willow, what happened to Kennedy?" Buffy asked.
"I.. she.. Xander.." Willow waved her hand at the pile of dust next to the wall, tears in her eyes, and Buffy and Xander pulled her into a mutual hug as the wicca crumbled.
"C'mon, Nibblet." Spike said quietly, "Let's get you taken care of."
"But, but Willow.."
"Red needs Xander and Buffy right now. We can do the comfort thing later, right now we need to see if you've got a concussion or not. Giving Red some space right now'd be the best thing for her from us." With that, he took the wobbly-legged teen and led her to the door.
T.B.C.
(Cleveland, the new Watchers Council headquarters)
Robin Wood looked over at Faith, then at Vi and Andrew.
"It's been three days, and still no sign. I hate to say this, but let's make the call."
"God, this is gonna kill Willow."
_*_*_*
At the Hyperion Hotel, a phone rang.
"Watcher's Council west, Ms. Summers speaking!" Buffy all but chirped into the phone.
"B, we gotta talk." Faith said quietly on the other end.
Xander flinched at the loud crunch the phone made as the receiver was crushed in Buffy's suddenly white-knuckled hand. Spike started to move forward, but stopped when Buffy held her hand up.
_*_*_*
"Thanks for walking me back to the Hotel. After that guy pick- pocketed me, I didn't have enough for the cab fare." Dawn said to the Slayer on her left.
"Hey, no problem, it was the least I could do."
"Well, I gotta say, it's really nice of you. When you first came with Giles and the others, I thought you were such a bitch, always dissing Buffy and mouthing off to her. I'm glad to see you've changed." She turned to her companion, and gasped as Kennedy's face morphed from her normal appearance to vampiric game-face.
"Yeah." Kennedy hissed as she lifted Dawn by the throat. "I've changed. A lot."
_*_*_*
"Willow," Buffy began, pale as she looked at her oldest friend, "That was Faith. I'm afraid her and Robin have some bad news. It's Kennedy. She vanished while on patrol three days ago, and they're afraid she might be dead."
"Well, I can honestly say, I'm not dead, but you will be." Vamp- Kennedy stood at the doorway of the Hyperion, holding Dawn off the ground by her throat. "Catch."
"Dawn!" "Nibblet!" Buffy and Spike yelled. Buffy leaped to catch Dawn as Vamp-Kennedy threw the girl at the oak front desk, and Spike hurled himself at the undead ex-Slayer. Both Summers' girls heads connected with the hardwood desk with enough force to knock both out cold, and Kennedy drew a weapon from behind her back.
The jet from the super-soaker caught Spike directly in the eyes, and he howled in agony, blinded. Vamp-Kennedy then grabbed the velvet- upholstered couch and hurled it at Willow, burying the witch under its mass before she smashed a lamp over Spike's head.
"Y'know, I didn't know if Holy Water would work on poor William, here, him having a pulse and all, now," She said, as she stalked towards Xander, "which is why I used bleach, instead."
Xander grabbed for a wooden stake someone had left on the front desk, but Kennedy's undead speed outclassed him.
"What did Caleb say when he gouged out your other eye? 'You're the one who sees everything.' Is that true, Xander? Did you see this coming, you little Cyclops?" She grabbed Xander by the head, slammed him against the wall, and began to squeeze. Xander grabbed her wrists and tried to force them away, to no avail.
"You're dust, Ken, dust! The others'll –"
"The other's will DIE, you over-glorified handyman! I'm going to kill you, Dawn, and your precious Buffy! Then I'm going to turn Spike and Buffy, and stake her as soon as she rises, and turn Willow, so that she and I can be together, without you, forever!"
"LET! Xander! GO! Kennedy!" Xander gasped as the pressure on his skull let up slightly, and he saw over Kennedy's shoulder Willow, standing wiping blood from her nose as she glared at her former girlfriend.
"Willow, honey! You weren't supposed to wake up yet, I should've hit you harder. Don't be upset, baby, he'll die, and you'll die, and then I'll bring you back, and we can be together again, like it's supposed to be!" She turned back to Xander, and began squeezing again. Xander gasped as his jaw dislocated on one side, not hearing the quiet words of Latin, then Kennedy's hands were being forced away from him.
"Ooh, Willow, are you going all black-eyed and veiny on me? You gonna kick my ass, like you did Buffy's?"
"You're not Kennedy, and I don't care who you are." Willow said quietly, power flowing around her like a strong wind. Behind Willow, the mahogany coffee lifted up into the air, then splintered into a hundred sharp edges. "No one hurts Xander. No one." The table shards quivered for one split second, then dove forward like a flock of crows all diving for the same breadcrumb.
Vamp-Kennedy gasped, with an almost hurt look on her face, then crumbled into dust.
Xander gripped his head gingerly as he slid down the wall, then pulled Willow into his grip as she fell to her knees.
"Buffy? Dawn?!" Spike yelled as he struggled to his feet. "Where are you?"
"They're out cold, Spike! Hang on, we'll help!" Xander yelled. "C'mon, Wills, we gotta grieve later, the others need us." He whispered to the redhead. The two pulled themselves to their feet, then Willow waved one hand and whispered "Occularae".
"Thanks, Red, much obliged." Spike said, as the burning chlorine instantly vanished from his eyes. "Nibblet!"
"Owww.." Dawn whimpered as she and Buffy slowly came around. "Now I know how Giles feels."
"Willow, what happened to Kennedy?" Buffy asked.
"I.. she.. Xander.." Willow waved her hand at the pile of dust next to the wall, tears in her eyes, and Buffy and Xander pulled her into a mutual hug as the wicca crumbled.
"C'mon, Nibblet." Spike said quietly, "Let's get you taken care of."
"But, but Willow.."
"Red needs Xander and Buffy right now. We can do the comfort thing later, right now we need to see if you've got a concussion or not. Giving Red some space right now'd be the best thing for her from us." With that, he took the wobbly-legged teen and led her to the door.
T.B.C.