Note: OK, we are getting to the last battle, I promise. Just stay with me.

Quote of the chapter(I forgot about this trying to get some chapters up):

"I'm a fraud. The Council was right to sack me. Yes, I was fired. I had two . . . two Slayers in my care. One turned evil and now vegetates in a coma. The other's a renegade. Fire me? I'm surprised they didn't cut my head off." --Wesley from "Parting Gifts"

Chapter Nineteen – Reinforcements

As Faith came to, she noticed how cold her limbs felt. Raising her head proved to be a challenge because it pounded relentlessly. And whatever was left in her stomach wanted to make a reappearance.

Dammit, she was sick and tired of this nonsense. Those demons had another thing coming if they thought they'd break her. She wished she knew where they had taken her. The link with Wes was still there though. And it had gotten a little stronger from the last time they had talked mentally.

Stretching her muscles, Faith arose to look around her cold cell. She looked for a way out and found none. The bars were solid. Much more solid than they had been in the prison she had been incarcerated. She always wanted to tell those yahoos that she could smash out of those without breaking a sweat. Solitary confinement was not her goal though.

A figure in a red robe walked down the corridor to her cell. Thrusting food through the bars, it retreated without a word. Kind of like the guy was in a trance. What was it that Wes said? Demons who had blood vengeances were working together. That was it. What if they weren't doing it under their own free will?

Yeah, kill the leader, break the hold. All chaos breaks loose and I go down in the process. Great plan. The one that says 'I'm so dead'. But what other plan could she think of?

The one thing that worried her at the moment was her strength. Her body just didn't feel the same. Like she'd been zapped of most of her power.

Which meant no touching the food or any other foreign substance, unless she absolutely had to. But that even scared her more. She couldn't go that long without food or water, especially not the condition she was in now. There had to be a way to get out of this prison. Always was a way and she had to find it quickly.


Dawn had been moving for hours in and out of the disgusting sewers without any breaks. The two men kept up a brutal pace, which left her exhausted, leg throbbing. But thoughts of finally seeing her sister again made her put one foot in front of the other.

They had mostly kept quiet so as to not attract any more attention. The sewer system seemed to have a life of its own. Creatures of all shapes and sizes moved around like it was their own city.

"Up we go," Lindsey announced as they rounded a bend.

Gunn climbed a ladder and opened a trap-like door. He motioned for Dawn to follow. Lindsey brought up the rear.

They were outside again. The sun had just arisen in the east bathing a warm glow over the landscape. Before them was some sort of industrial area.

"Where are we?" Dawn whispered.

Gunn put up a finger to shush her. Must still be in danger, she thought. As they traveled in the fresh air, they mostly kept to the shadows of the buildings. Dawn saw no one. But for some weird reason, she felt that there were people all around her. And not just the two men.

Gunn finally waved her through a door of an abandoned building, shutting it quietly behind them. She heard the distinct cocking of a gun, halting their forward progress.

"It's Gunn. I'm back."

The person holding the gun immediately backed off a little.

"Step into the sunlight," the voice called. Through the windows, there was a sunbeam that hit the ground right before them.

"You first." Gunn wasn't taking any chances.

The man with the gun complied. Gunn then stepped into the sunlight. "Come on, little girl. Your turn."

"Not a little girl, you know," Dawn stated as she walked into the sunbeam. Lindsey shortly followed.

"Hey man. Any word?" Gunn asked as the man led them to a set of stairs that went down.

"Lots of movement. I think something big is going down. But the guy's power is slipping. We made at least three trips inside their zone with no detection."

"Yeah, well, plan's changin'. He just got the last piece."

Dawn's brain was dizzy with the corridors and stairs they traveled, plus the hunger, til finally they came upon more people. Lots more people. The room that Gunn had led them to was teeming with people.

"Come on, Dawn. Let's find that sister of yours."

That cheered Dawn up immensely. She didn't think she could take losing her sister again. Not so soon after losing Spike and Anya in the battle with the First.

"If we send a squad in here."

Dawn heard her voice before she saw her. Since Buffy was so short, lots of bodies blocked her view. But she'd know that voice anywhere.

"Hey, slayer. Brought a present for you," Gunn called out.

"Now what could you bring me . . . ." Buffy stopped when she saw her baby sister. "Dawn?"

"Hey," Dawn said, tears shining in her eyes. "Not Tuesday, you know. Got out of trouble myself this time."

Buffy ran and threw her arms around her sister. Dawn had never been so happy in her life.

"I'm so sorry I didn't come back for you," Buffy told her, crying now too.

"It's OK. I know it wasn't your fault. Wes found me and got me out of there."

"Who?" Buffy asked, a little baffled.

"So, English saved your ass. Wonder where he disappeared to. Thought he was dead."

"And likewise. He thought you were dead too. The hotel had burned to the ground by the time he got back."

Gunn wiped his hand over his face. "He thought we died there?"

"Found some charred bodies. Just assumed that it was you."

"OK, OK. Start from the beginning. Where have you been and what is going on Dawn?"

"Oh, I'm here to rescue you." Gunn, Lindsey and Buffy laughed at that. "Well, that was part of the plan. The part that actually worked out in a weird way. Wes kept asking everyone why they put him in charge."

"His plans are usually pretty solid,' Gunn added.

"Oh, do I have lots to tell you."

"This isn't Wesley we're talking about, because he couldn't plan his way out of a paper sack." Buffy had hit a nerve. Dawn glared her best unhappy face at her big sister.

"As I said, Buffy. A lot has changed."

"Still mean as a snake?" Gunn asked the girl.

"Oh yeah, with lots more weapons and strength. Kind of scary if you ask me."

"Wait. This isn't the same watcher you're talking about. He'd trip over his own two feet." Buffy still didn't know.

"The stories I have for you guys." Dawn was pleased with herself. She'd found her sister, lots of allies, and hadn't gotten herself killed.

"Not now, Dawn. We need to plan. Tell me what you found, Gunn." Buffy brushed her off, sitting down at a table that held blueprints.

"This can't wait, Buffy," Dawn urged her.

"Nah, it can't. She's right. These stupid priests managed to capture Faith. The ritual is on," Lindsey announced.

"See. Told you. Are you ready to listen?" Dawn stood up straight so that she could tower over her sister. She may not have the power, but she sure did have the height.

"Girl has info. Spill," Gunn told her as he had a seat.

"Well, it all started when Faith came looking for you and me. She ended up finding me, and Wesley and Connor."

"We have been lookin' all over for that boy," Gunn said.

"Shh," Buffy told him.

"Giles fool heartedly sent her in to find us. Wes got us out. We assembled a strike team and came back in."

"What? He let you come? What moron?"

Dawn didn't know if Buffy meant Giles or Wesley. Gunn put out a finger to shush the slayer.

"Not a moron, Buff. We were ambushed just outside of Tahoe. They obviously had been looking for Faith."

"Yeah, since it didn't work with me," Buffy said a little gruffly.

"Not a contest, Buffy," Dawn reminded her.

"I assume some of them survived the assault and are heading here. I know that Wesley and Connor did survive because Faith told me so."

"OK, all I have to say is, huh?" confused Buffy said.

"How would she know if she'd been kidnapped along with you?" Lindsey wondered.

"Wesley and Faith have developed some kind of telepathic link over the past month."

"Yeah, right. Psycho-slayer Faith and her ex-watcher that she tortured. Doesn't make a lick of sense." Gunn was a non-believer.

"The problem right now is catching up with the team. They'll walk right into this mess and get captured or worse, killed."

Gunn shook his head no. "We'll find them. Got my people ringing the city now. Not gonna let that happen."

"Just be careful. They're armed to the teeth and Wes could go off at any moment."

"What's wrong with him?" Gunn asked, concern etched on his face.

"Well, in addition to this telepathy thing, he sort of turned into the psycho-slayer Faith. You know, like she was in Sunnydale. So they share everything, including her strength. But with Faith not there to control him, I'm not sure what's happening."

"Could any of this get any weirder?" Buffy wondered.

"Scary considering that Faith had the ability to take down Angel," Gunn said, thinking back to the very recent past.

"I'm just afraid he'll go all Rambo and try to break Faith out by himself."

"And ruin our plan," Buffy stated. "Find them, Gunn. Before the big bad does."


Wesley looked down at his bruised and bloodied knuckles, contemplating what had happened earlier. He had let his baser instincts take control of his thought processes. Those slayer instincts of hunt and slay the enemy roared through his brain.

Faith and Buffy faced that every day. With Buffy, her bond with Giles had made her into a successful and very much alive girl. With Faith, Wesley had failed miserably. Was it just their personalities that had shaped the way they slayed or their training? Faith's first watcher hadn't lasted long enough to create a bond and Giles had already created one with Buffy.

So if they had bonded at first, could Faith have controlled herself? If what raced through his brain before was any indication, Faith had fought a losing battle. Only by being taken out of slaying for a while and gaining maturity had she been able to overcome those urges to slay with abandon.

If they were linked long enough, he might be able to do the same. But Lorne said their link was created by something not of this world. How cryptic was that? Someone turned on the link, they could bloody well turn it off.

He knew he shouldn't do it, so that Faith could reserve whatever strength she needed, but he needed to talk to her in the worst way. It would seem that he needed the telepathy like it was a drug. Maybe it might even calm him somewhat.

Concentrating, he touched her mind softly so as to not intrude if she was sleeping. Her mind was slightly panicked at her incarceration.

Faith, it's all right, love.

He could feel her outward calm battling with her inner turmoil.

They put me in a cell. It's small and cold.

Listen. Listen to me. We'll find you. I can assure you of that.

I'm scared. Something's wrong with me.

He could feel her thirst, her stomach churning over and over.

They may have drugged you.

Oh, God. Not good. Not good. What'll I do?

Just sit tight. We're getting closer.

Dawn got away. She'll know.

Good. That's good.

I'm so tired.

Rest, sweetheart.

We'll be ready. Just hurry.

He eased off his link to her. None of his borrowed power had disappeared. Why had hers? The only thing he could imagine was a drugged Faith. So she wouldn't be much help once they found her.

The two vehicles pulled to a stop midday, sun shining overhead.

"Why are we stopping?" Connor started.

They had been traveling since the night before. Wesley climbed out of the vehicle with the rest of the troops. His muscles came alive almost immediately. But the urge to hit slowly receded to the back of his mind. Maybe that was because slayers generally worked at night.

"Oh, my back," Lorne groaned as his feet hit the dirt.

"Oh, my bladder," Xander cried as he climbed out last.

"Where are we?" Wesley asked Riley. They had actually stopped at a real rest stop. The thing was intact since it didn't offer anything to steal or destroy.

"We have at least another day before we reach LA. You?"

"I think we can safely say that I'm calm and under control."

Giles joined the conversation. "You are?"

"Much better, thank you. Faith seems to be OK at the moment. Giles, she's scared. Thinks that they may have drugged her. I can feel something isn't right about her."

"Easier to control her, I would assume. Is your link becoming stronger the closer we come to her?"

"Yes. It would seem to be working that way."

All the men and girls, including Lorne gathered around Riley as he pulled out a large map of the Los Angeles Basin.

"OK. Lorne says we need to get to here to have sewer access. Once we do that, we can move around a little less conspicuously."

"I've heard rumors that there are at least three cells of resistance. If we get to at least one of those, they surely will know where the bad guys are hanging out so we can find our little slayer and get rid of the bad guy." Lorne's info sounded solid. "Someone mentioned Reseda."

Wesley laughed. "Never did find out whether the beast of Amalfie arose. Damn Nyazian Scrolls."

"Wesley?" Giles asked.

"Yes, Rupert."

"Focus."

"Sorry. Go on."

"So we find these resistance fighters. What then? We going to send in old Wes and talk them to death?" Xander piped up.

"We can just send you in and bore them to death. Shouldn't take much." Wes had forgotten how much he disliked Xander.

"Civilians," Riley mumbled.

TBC

Next, the bad guy, Faith loses it, and a Buffy moment. Stay tuned.