She looked around.
"I know this place," she said softly to herself. But it felt more like a strange deja vu than a real memory. But there were flashes running through her head like scenes from a movie. And she was in them.
She sank to the ground, her hands cradling her head. She didn't want to be here. She wanted to go back to where she'd been. Back to where it was dark and peaceful and she was surrounded by the sweet smelling roses. Here it was bright and noisy and she could sense the evil all around. Why had they sent her back? Throwing back her head she let out a long scream of pain and frustration.
~*~
It was taking too long, he thought to himself. He should have found the books by now and his plan should be in action. He'd wasted time relying on the Gravitas Demons and it had cost him. Not as much as it had cost them. He chuckled softly then he noticed the dark Vampire staring at him. After collecting his thoughts, he addressed both of them.
"Enough time has been wasted. Its time for action."
"Well its about time," Angelus replied.
Mara smiled. "Now we find Xander?"
Angelus rolled his eyes. "Who cares about that snivelling, insignificant worm? Its time to make the Slayer pay for everything she's done."
"Revenge? Is that all you can think about?" Richard snapped. He needed to find better allies. "There is more at stake here then your petty quarrels with these people."
"But revenge is such fun," Angelus grinned. "Nothing beats the rush of pure and bloody revenge."
"You can have that and more once we find the books and once the power of Sauron is back where it should be. Once his Ring is mine, I will bring the Lord of Mordor back and the world will be his again and this time, no-one will stop him, or me. I will rule with him and you can have all the revenge and bloodshed you desire."
"You have a lot of faith in this dark Lord of yours," Angelus said. "Just how are you so sure he will be willing to share his rule with you?"
Richard grinned. "I already told you, my family goes back to the time of his rule. He knows who I have descended from and he will need someone in this time he can trust. Someone who knows how this world works today. So much will be different from the time of his rule."
Mara had sat silently, listening to the two men. Yes, he had said he was descended from someone whom she would know, but he had refused to name him. Her mind had been trying to think back to her time in Middle Earth, but it seemed like a lifetime ago. And technically, it was. Several lifetimes in fact. Her mind was still foggy and trying to adjust to everything in this new world. The old one she was from seemed like a dream now. But vivid dreams. She could hear voices, see images and feel the emotions behind them.
"Saruman," she said softly, looking straight at Richard.
"That name is known to me," he said. "But if you are thinking I have anything to do with him, you are very much mistaken little lady. Saruman was a fool who thought he knew better than my ancestor. He failed where I shall succeed. And I shall do what my ancestor didn't have the nerve to do. I shall take the Ring and with it, rule this world."
~*~
"Do you miss your world?" Buffy asked Legolas as they walked back to her home.
"I miss the woods, the rivers, the birds," he replied. "This land of yours is very...loud."
Buffy laughed as she watched Legolas struggling to cope with the concept of cars and traffic. They had been walking along the road for a while and she had given up trying to explain them to him. To him, they were Valarauko. Just demons.
Then the sadness hit her. He didn't belong here and maybe, one day, he'd go back to his own world.
"Its not fair," she said.
"What is not fair?" Legolas asked.
Buffy stopped walking. "I said that out loud didn't I?" She blushed as she tried to make up something to tell him. She didn't want him to know what she'd really been thinking.
"You are thinking of my returning to Middle Earth aren't you?" he said softly.
"No," she said a little too quickly.
Legolas reached down and cupped her chin, lifting her eyes up to his gaze until she was lost in it.
"It is unfair," he said softly as he slowly leant in and touched his lips to hers.
~*~
Giles might, she thought to herself as the red glow faded and she sat back down on her bed. Giles believed a lot of things that ordinary people wouldn't. But it was too crazy even for her to believe, and like Giles, she believed crazy things too.
Curling up into a ball, she thought back to the days when everything seemed so much easier. Before Buffy, Vampires, Demons and everything that had been going on the past few years. Maybe life would have been better if she hadn't found out the truth about those things that bit in the night. But it was too late now. There was no way to turn back time, erase everything she'd been through and now knew. If there was, she would gladly do it. She would give anything for things to go back to how they were. Xander would still be Xander and she wouldn't possess the answers they had been looking for.
She closed her eyes and waited for sleep to come.
And just as the darkness wrapped her in its embrace, a scream cut through the night air.
~*~
The scream eased into soft sobs as she remained on the ground, holding her head. She couldn't remember anything but she could feel and see things that made her sure she had been here before. But when? Who was she?
"Oh my god," came a voice from behind her. "Faith?"
She got to her feet and turned slowly around. "I know you too," she said as she stared at the small redhead standing in front of her. "But I can't...remember."
"Oh my god," Willow said again. "Faith? But Xander said you're dead. You died a long time ago, back when you went with him to..."
"Dead?" Faith said slowly. "I remember...nothing. I see...images in my head, but they don't make sense. I see...monsters and a small girl fighting them. I feel love then emptiness." She looked straight into Willow's eyes. "Is this hell?"
"Close," Willow laughed. "This is Sunnydale and you've come back Faith. But why?"
"I know this place," she said softly to herself. But it felt more like a strange deja vu than a real memory. But there were flashes running through her head like scenes from a movie. And she was in them.
She sank to the ground, her hands cradling her head. She didn't want to be here. She wanted to go back to where she'd been. Back to where it was dark and peaceful and she was surrounded by the sweet smelling roses. Here it was bright and noisy and she could sense the evil all around. Why had they sent her back? Throwing back her head she let out a long scream of pain and frustration.
~*~
It was taking too long, he thought to himself. He should have found the books by now and his plan should be in action. He'd wasted time relying on the Gravitas Demons and it had cost him. Not as much as it had cost them. He chuckled softly then he noticed the dark Vampire staring at him. After collecting his thoughts, he addressed both of them.
"Enough time has been wasted. Its time for action."
"Well its about time," Angelus replied.
Mara smiled. "Now we find Xander?"
Angelus rolled his eyes. "Who cares about that snivelling, insignificant worm? Its time to make the Slayer pay for everything she's done."
"Revenge? Is that all you can think about?" Richard snapped. He needed to find better allies. "There is more at stake here then your petty quarrels with these people."
"But revenge is such fun," Angelus grinned. "Nothing beats the rush of pure and bloody revenge."
"You can have that and more once we find the books and once the power of Sauron is back where it should be. Once his Ring is mine, I will bring the Lord of Mordor back and the world will be his again and this time, no-one will stop him, or me. I will rule with him and you can have all the revenge and bloodshed you desire."
"You have a lot of faith in this dark Lord of yours," Angelus said. "Just how are you so sure he will be willing to share his rule with you?"
Richard grinned. "I already told you, my family goes back to the time of his rule. He knows who I have descended from and he will need someone in this time he can trust. Someone who knows how this world works today. So much will be different from the time of his rule."
Mara had sat silently, listening to the two men. Yes, he had said he was descended from someone whom she would know, but he had refused to name him. Her mind had been trying to think back to her time in Middle Earth, but it seemed like a lifetime ago. And technically, it was. Several lifetimes in fact. Her mind was still foggy and trying to adjust to everything in this new world. The old one she was from seemed like a dream now. But vivid dreams. She could hear voices, see images and feel the emotions behind them.
"Saruman," she said softly, looking straight at Richard.
"That name is known to me," he said. "But if you are thinking I have anything to do with him, you are very much mistaken little lady. Saruman was a fool who thought he knew better than my ancestor. He failed where I shall succeed. And I shall do what my ancestor didn't have the nerve to do. I shall take the Ring and with it, rule this world."
~*~
"Do you miss your world?" Buffy asked Legolas as they walked back to her home.
"I miss the woods, the rivers, the birds," he replied. "This land of yours is very...loud."
Buffy laughed as she watched Legolas struggling to cope with the concept of cars and traffic. They had been walking along the road for a while and she had given up trying to explain them to him. To him, they were Valarauko. Just demons.
Then the sadness hit her. He didn't belong here and maybe, one day, he'd go back to his own world.
"Its not fair," she said.
"What is not fair?" Legolas asked.
Buffy stopped walking. "I said that out loud didn't I?" She blushed as she tried to make up something to tell him. She didn't want him to know what she'd really been thinking.
"You are thinking of my returning to Middle Earth aren't you?" he said softly.
"No," she said a little too quickly.
Legolas reached down and cupped her chin, lifting her eyes up to his gaze until she was lost in it.
"It is unfair," he said softly as he slowly leant in and touched his lips to hers.
~*~
Giles might, she thought to herself as the red glow faded and she sat back down on her bed. Giles believed a lot of things that ordinary people wouldn't. But it was too crazy even for her to believe, and like Giles, she believed crazy things too.
Curling up into a ball, she thought back to the days when everything seemed so much easier. Before Buffy, Vampires, Demons and everything that had been going on the past few years. Maybe life would have been better if she hadn't found out the truth about those things that bit in the night. But it was too late now. There was no way to turn back time, erase everything she'd been through and now knew. If there was, she would gladly do it. She would give anything for things to go back to how they were. Xander would still be Xander and she wouldn't possess the answers they had been looking for.
She closed her eyes and waited for sleep to come.
And just as the darkness wrapped her in its embrace, a scream cut through the night air.
~*~
The scream eased into soft sobs as she remained on the ground, holding her head. She couldn't remember anything but she could feel and see things that made her sure she had been here before. But when? Who was she?
"Oh my god," came a voice from behind her. "Faith?"
She got to her feet and turned slowly around. "I know you too," she said as she stared at the small redhead standing in front of her. "But I can't...remember."
"Oh my god," Willow said again. "Faith? But Xander said you're dead. You died a long time ago, back when you went with him to..."
"Dead?" Faith said slowly. "I remember...nothing. I see...images in my head, but they don't make sense. I see...monsters and a small girl fighting them. I feel love then emptiness." She looked straight into Willow's eyes. "Is this hell?"
"Close," Willow laughed. "This is Sunnydale and you've come back Faith. But why?"