By the time Xander and Giles looked up from their books, Willow had gone.
"She said she had something to look up on her computer at home," Faith said by way of explanation.
"Strange that she didn't say anything before she left," Giles murmered.
"She's been a bit weird lately anyway," Xander added. "Something's up with her."
"She seemed ok to me," Faith shrugged. "So anyway, whats the buzz? What's going on here in good old Sunnydale?"
Xander smiled. "Bad guys, prophecies, end of the world....the usual."
"Gee, nice to see nothing ever changes, " Faith said, rolling her eyes. "So, who is gonna fill me in on the goss?"
"Goss?" Giles asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Goss...gossip," Faith said. "What's been happening? Who's ass are we gonna beat on this time?"
"I wish we knew," Giles replied.
"So what do you know?"
~*~
She hadn't changed. Last night had been an act, Willow thought to herself. She'd never trusted her and her mistrust had been justified. But why was she the only one to see Faith for what she was? Xander, as always, thought with the wrong head as far as Faith was concerned. Plus add to that now his guilt over 'killing' her. Pity she hadn't stayed dead, Willow thought bitterly. Then there was Buffy. She had been so glad that there had been another Slayer in town, someone to share the load, that she hadn't seen the darkness in her.
Willow threw herself down onto her bed and picked up the book her mother had given her. She'd read most of it before she'd found Faith the night before and her mind was still boggling from it. But now Faith was back, no-one would believe her if she told them what she knew now.
She slowly flicked through the pages. Why hadn't her parents told her of this before now? It would have certainly answered a lot of questions she'd been having in the past few months. She'd thought her magical abilities were coming from the things of Miss Calender's that she had found and been going through. Now she knew it was an ability she'd been born with. Something passed down to her from her ancestors.
She smiled as she thought of her parents' reactions to this. They probably did that selective memory thing they were so good at. Her parents had the ability to forget or totally ignore anything they didn't want to know. Sometimes she envied them.
The light was flashing on her phone.
"Oz," she whispered as she reached for her phone. He should have been back by now. He had probably called to let her know he was home.
"Hey baby. I'm sorry for not calling sooner. Well, obviously I'm not back. We're staying here a bit longer and should be back....hey guys, I'm on the phone...should be back next week. I love you."
She put down the phone, trying hard to hold back the tears threatening to overflow her eyes. Oz, the one person she knew she would be able to count on wasn't coming back anytime soon.
~*~
Xander could see something had changed the second Buffy and Legolas walked through the door. She almost glowed with happiness, something he hadn't seen in a long time. The Elf couldn't take his eyes off her, not that Xander could blame him. Part of him wished he had been the one to affect Buffy like that, but he knew it was something that would never happen.
"Looks like someone had a happy....night," he observed, trying to keep the jealousy out of his voice.
Buffy shot him a look that he was glad couldn't kill.
"I said night," he mumbled to himself.
Buffy ignored him and wandered into Giles' living room. She stopped in shock as she saw him deep in conversation with someone very familiar.
"Faith?" she gasped.
Giles and Faith looked up from the books and things they had been discussing.
"B," Faith smiled.
"How...? When...? Why...?"
"Already had that conversation," Faith grinned. "And the answer is...I still don't know."
"But we think we may know now," Giles added. "Meet the Daughter of Fire."
"Ok," Buffy said slowly. "This is making no sense at all. How can Faith be the one we have been looking for? And why isn't she dead? I thought you said Faith died Xander."
Faith shot Xander a look. "Left out a few details didn't you," she commented. "Yes I was dead, but I was sent back."
"That's the one part I can't explain," Giles said.
"Elves are immortal," Legolas started saying before being interrupted by Xander.
"But if Elves are immortal, how did I manage to kill Faith?"
"You killed Faith?" Buffy gasped. "No wonder she's pissed at you."
"It was a long time ago and it doesn't matter now," Xander snapped. Turning to Legolas, he asked, "How is it possible?"
"Elves are immortal," he said again. "We don't die, but we can be killed. When this happens, we go to the Halls of Mandos and if we wish, can be reborn into a new body, identical in every way to the one we had before, except we become like children until we grow in experience and knowledge. Only then does our past life become known to us."
"So Faith has been reborn?" Buffy asked.
"It appears so," Legolas replied.
"Cool," smiled Faith. "Reborn...as me."
"But why?" Buffy continued. "Why was she sent back and why now? Giles, are you sure she's the Daughter of Fire?"
"Someone sounds a bit jealous," Faith said raising one of her eyebrows. "Afraid this time you won't be the centre of attention?"
Buffy laughed. "Puh-leeze, as if," she retorted. "I just want to make sure."
Faith said nothing, just smiled to herself.
"Almost 100% sure," Giles said. "We cant be totally sure, but the prophecy spoke of the Mountain of Roses, and Faith said she had been in a dark place surrounded by roses until she was sent back here."
"Looks like this time I will be the winner," Faith whispered in Buffy's ear before she walked towards the door. "I'll be back soon," she called over her shoulder. "I need to grab something from my old place. If its still there."
Buffy watched her go in silence, but inside, she wanted to rip her head off. "You had better be right," she said to Giles through clenched teeth.
~*~
"So we agree. Boromir shall be nothing more than a red herring for the Slayer. We'll set him up to distract her from what we will be doing and then, whilst she is busy neutralising him, we will make our moves and by the time she figures out what's going on, it'll be too late," Angelus grinned.
"You do have the most interesting ideas," chuckled Richard. "Ridding yourself and us of two threats in one move. I like it."
"I would like to be the one to take the Slayer out, but this is more important," replied Angelus. "And anyway, Buffy might survive. I can stay dead in hope."
"From what I've heard and seen, she is a tricky little lady and I wouldn't be surprised if she did."
"And Xander?" asked Mara. "What of Xander?"
"That is up to you," Richard replied. "He is insignificant in the scheme of things. Just the Slayer's puppy dog."
"Xander is no puppy," she growled. "He is...was...my maker, my lover and my master. You underestimate him greatly."
"I think you overestimate him," snapped Angelus. "He is a child. Little more than a pathetic boy who hangs on Buffy's skirt-tails. You seem to think he is a threat to us, but you are wrong. Xander was always nothing, and he still is."
Mara rose off her chair and grabbed Angelus by his throat, lifting him off the ground. "You looked shocked that I could do this to you," she purred. "I was the second of our kind ever created. Imagine what the first can do. Xander is the father of us all. He is the one who made me, made us all. You should fear him for what he is and what he is capable of doing foolish one."
"Please children," Richard said, rising from his chair. "Play nicely together or I'll be forced to take away your toys."
Mara growled again, but she released Angelus who fell to the floor, rubbing his neck.
"Wow, you have toys," came a voice from behind Mara. "I always liked toys. Never had many though. My 'mother' spent all her money on booze and men instead of things like toys."
"Faith," snarled Angelus, his face changing.
"Not a good look for you," Faith quipped. "You look sexier without the fangs."
"Faith? Oh yes, the spare Slayer. I heard you were dead," Richard said.
"Do I look dead to any of you?" she asked. "And long time no see Mara. In fact, I haven't seen you since...that day Xander killed me."
"He didn't do a good job," Mara replied.
"Oh Mara, you should know your history and lore," Faith admonished. "Sometimes...Elves come back. And I'm back better than ever."
"But why Faith? What have you come back for? Revenge? Xander's not here," Angelus said as his face returned to its former state.
Faith smiled. "I've seen him. And no not for revenge."
"Then why?" asked Richard.
"You look like him, you know," she said, changing the subject.
"Look like who?" he asked again, suspicion growing in his eyes.
"Your ancestor," Faith replied. "Gandalf."
"She said she had something to look up on her computer at home," Faith said by way of explanation.
"Strange that she didn't say anything before she left," Giles murmered.
"She's been a bit weird lately anyway," Xander added. "Something's up with her."
"She seemed ok to me," Faith shrugged. "So anyway, whats the buzz? What's going on here in good old Sunnydale?"
Xander smiled. "Bad guys, prophecies, end of the world....the usual."
"Gee, nice to see nothing ever changes, " Faith said, rolling her eyes. "So, who is gonna fill me in on the goss?"
"Goss?" Giles asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Goss...gossip," Faith said. "What's been happening? Who's ass are we gonna beat on this time?"
"I wish we knew," Giles replied.
"So what do you know?"
~*~
She hadn't changed. Last night had been an act, Willow thought to herself. She'd never trusted her and her mistrust had been justified. But why was she the only one to see Faith for what she was? Xander, as always, thought with the wrong head as far as Faith was concerned. Plus add to that now his guilt over 'killing' her. Pity she hadn't stayed dead, Willow thought bitterly. Then there was Buffy. She had been so glad that there had been another Slayer in town, someone to share the load, that she hadn't seen the darkness in her.
Willow threw herself down onto her bed and picked up the book her mother had given her. She'd read most of it before she'd found Faith the night before and her mind was still boggling from it. But now Faith was back, no-one would believe her if she told them what she knew now.
She slowly flicked through the pages. Why hadn't her parents told her of this before now? It would have certainly answered a lot of questions she'd been having in the past few months. She'd thought her magical abilities were coming from the things of Miss Calender's that she had found and been going through. Now she knew it was an ability she'd been born with. Something passed down to her from her ancestors.
She smiled as she thought of her parents' reactions to this. They probably did that selective memory thing they were so good at. Her parents had the ability to forget or totally ignore anything they didn't want to know. Sometimes she envied them.
The light was flashing on her phone.
"Oz," she whispered as she reached for her phone. He should have been back by now. He had probably called to let her know he was home.
"Hey baby. I'm sorry for not calling sooner. Well, obviously I'm not back. We're staying here a bit longer and should be back....hey guys, I'm on the phone...should be back next week. I love you."
She put down the phone, trying hard to hold back the tears threatening to overflow her eyes. Oz, the one person she knew she would be able to count on wasn't coming back anytime soon.
~*~
Xander could see something had changed the second Buffy and Legolas walked through the door. She almost glowed with happiness, something he hadn't seen in a long time. The Elf couldn't take his eyes off her, not that Xander could blame him. Part of him wished he had been the one to affect Buffy like that, but he knew it was something that would never happen.
"Looks like someone had a happy....night," he observed, trying to keep the jealousy out of his voice.
Buffy shot him a look that he was glad couldn't kill.
"I said night," he mumbled to himself.
Buffy ignored him and wandered into Giles' living room. She stopped in shock as she saw him deep in conversation with someone very familiar.
"Faith?" she gasped.
Giles and Faith looked up from the books and things they had been discussing.
"B," Faith smiled.
"How...? When...? Why...?"
"Already had that conversation," Faith grinned. "And the answer is...I still don't know."
"But we think we may know now," Giles added. "Meet the Daughter of Fire."
"Ok," Buffy said slowly. "This is making no sense at all. How can Faith be the one we have been looking for? And why isn't she dead? I thought you said Faith died Xander."
Faith shot Xander a look. "Left out a few details didn't you," she commented. "Yes I was dead, but I was sent back."
"That's the one part I can't explain," Giles said.
"Elves are immortal," Legolas started saying before being interrupted by Xander.
"But if Elves are immortal, how did I manage to kill Faith?"
"You killed Faith?" Buffy gasped. "No wonder she's pissed at you."
"It was a long time ago and it doesn't matter now," Xander snapped. Turning to Legolas, he asked, "How is it possible?"
"Elves are immortal," he said again. "We don't die, but we can be killed. When this happens, we go to the Halls of Mandos and if we wish, can be reborn into a new body, identical in every way to the one we had before, except we become like children until we grow in experience and knowledge. Only then does our past life become known to us."
"So Faith has been reborn?" Buffy asked.
"It appears so," Legolas replied.
"Cool," smiled Faith. "Reborn...as me."
"But why?" Buffy continued. "Why was she sent back and why now? Giles, are you sure she's the Daughter of Fire?"
"Someone sounds a bit jealous," Faith said raising one of her eyebrows. "Afraid this time you won't be the centre of attention?"
Buffy laughed. "Puh-leeze, as if," she retorted. "I just want to make sure."
Faith said nothing, just smiled to herself.
"Almost 100% sure," Giles said. "We cant be totally sure, but the prophecy spoke of the Mountain of Roses, and Faith said she had been in a dark place surrounded by roses until she was sent back here."
"Looks like this time I will be the winner," Faith whispered in Buffy's ear before she walked towards the door. "I'll be back soon," she called over her shoulder. "I need to grab something from my old place. If its still there."
Buffy watched her go in silence, but inside, she wanted to rip her head off. "You had better be right," she said to Giles through clenched teeth.
~*~
"So we agree. Boromir shall be nothing more than a red herring for the Slayer. We'll set him up to distract her from what we will be doing and then, whilst she is busy neutralising him, we will make our moves and by the time she figures out what's going on, it'll be too late," Angelus grinned.
"You do have the most interesting ideas," chuckled Richard. "Ridding yourself and us of two threats in one move. I like it."
"I would like to be the one to take the Slayer out, but this is more important," replied Angelus. "And anyway, Buffy might survive. I can stay dead in hope."
"From what I've heard and seen, she is a tricky little lady and I wouldn't be surprised if she did."
"And Xander?" asked Mara. "What of Xander?"
"That is up to you," Richard replied. "He is insignificant in the scheme of things. Just the Slayer's puppy dog."
"Xander is no puppy," she growled. "He is...was...my maker, my lover and my master. You underestimate him greatly."
"I think you overestimate him," snapped Angelus. "He is a child. Little more than a pathetic boy who hangs on Buffy's skirt-tails. You seem to think he is a threat to us, but you are wrong. Xander was always nothing, and he still is."
Mara rose off her chair and grabbed Angelus by his throat, lifting him off the ground. "You looked shocked that I could do this to you," she purred. "I was the second of our kind ever created. Imagine what the first can do. Xander is the father of us all. He is the one who made me, made us all. You should fear him for what he is and what he is capable of doing foolish one."
"Please children," Richard said, rising from his chair. "Play nicely together or I'll be forced to take away your toys."
Mara growled again, but she released Angelus who fell to the floor, rubbing his neck.
"Wow, you have toys," came a voice from behind Mara. "I always liked toys. Never had many though. My 'mother' spent all her money on booze and men instead of things like toys."
"Faith," snarled Angelus, his face changing.
"Not a good look for you," Faith quipped. "You look sexier without the fangs."
"Faith? Oh yes, the spare Slayer. I heard you were dead," Richard said.
"Do I look dead to any of you?" she asked. "And long time no see Mara. In fact, I haven't seen you since...that day Xander killed me."
"He didn't do a good job," Mara replied.
"Oh Mara, you should know your history and lore," Faith admonished. "Sometimes...Elves come back. And I'm back better than ever."
"But why Faith? What have you come back for? Revenge? Xander's not here," Angelus said as his face returned to its former state.
Faith smiled. "I've seen him. And no not for revenge."
"Then why?" asked Richard.
"You look like him, you know," she said, changing the subject.
"Look like who?" he asked again, suspicion growing in his eyes.
"Your ancestor," Faith replied. "Gandalf."