Note: This chapter is violent, so you are warned. I hope I don't offend anyone.
Quote of the chapter(in honor of Fred):
Fred: "Who's Darla?
Gunn: "Angel's old flame."
Fred: "The one who died?"
Gunn: "The other one who died. And came back to life."
Fred: "Y'all have a chart or something?" --from "Offspring"
Chapter Twenty – Columba
"Hello, slayer. What is your name, I wonder?" a man's voice echoed off the cold, stone walls.
Faith sat on the floor with her back against the wall. She'd dozed on and off for hours, trying to conserve what little strength she had. Silently, she looked at the man through the bars.
"You haven't eaten or drank anything since you've been here. I really don't want you to die on me just yet. We have a while longer. Why don't we share it together?"
"Why don't you go to hell?" Faith responded.
"Quick temper, I see." The man motioned for the two guards to open the cell.
Since Faith was already against the wall, she couldn't back up any further. He looked like a man, but her senses told her something wasn't right about him. She sensed the man was decaying from the inside out.
"Time to eat, my sweet."
The two guards wrestled her up from the floor.
"Beautiful women have always intrigued me."
Faith snorted. "Why don't you just torture me and get it over with."
"Now why would I want to mar that beautiful skin of yours when I already have something for that kind of enjoyment."
The man led her under guard past other cells, all empty. Up ahead, she heard a male scream. Maybe they were going to torture her after all.
The guards led her past the room where the scream had come from. A quick glance in told her all she needed to know. Although the figure's back was turned towards the door, there was no mistaking that tattoo on his back.
Angel was alive and there wasn't a damn thing she could do to help him at the moment. She struggled against her guards anyway.
"Don't hurt him."
"Ah, Faith then. The vampire with a soul. One of a kind, you know. He has a great power running through his undead body. Just like yours."
Power trip. Figures, Faith thought. The guy wanted more power, so he took people he thought were powerful.
"Power hungry monster."
"Oh, I'm not a monster. I'm human just like you. A little older by more than a millennia, but human nonetheless."
"Which means when I get my hands around your throat and choke the shit out of you, you'll die."
The two guards shoved her up some stairs to a foyer. They were in a house. A really large and expensive house.
"I don't think that will happen. Now, these gentlemen will escort you to get cleaned up for dinner. I suggest you cooperate."
"Or else what? Cause there is always a threat."
"Your friend downstairs gets hurt. I know so many ways to make it hurt."
And so did Faith for that matter, so she cooperated with her guards. They set her up in a room with windows, but when Faith tried to break one, her fist was repelled. She didn't have the strength to do much else.
When she saw the white dress on the bed, she laughed out loud. Well, if this guy was thinking virgin sacrifice he had another thing coming. That was so far from the truth to be downright comical. If Wes could see her now.
So, she cleaned herself up, drinking water from the faucet, hoping that it hadn't been tainted, because she was getting lightheaded from dehydration.
In defiance she put on her black bra and her boots with the flowing white dress. One of the guard's eyes opened wide when he saw her stomp down the hall.
"Columba will not be pleased," one of them told her as they came down the stairs.
"Do you really think I fucking care?" Let him play his little games, she thought. She just needed to stall until Wes found her.
Dammit, she hated relying on someone else, especially a man. Especially a man that could make her melt with one look.
"You look . . . ." Columba started.
Faith crossed her arms over her chest. No heaving bosom here. She was even getting some of her strength back.
"What? You thought I'd go all screaming virgin on ya. You're fucking nuts, you know that."
One of the guards raised a hand to strike her, but Columba stopped him.
"Don't worry. She will pay for her sins soon enough."
"Yeah, well since I've broken practically every commandment, that might take a while."
"Sit, please."
The guards led her forward to a chair at an elegant dining room. Faith sat at one end, Columba at the other.
"Damn sorry. You may think you know how to show a girl a nice time, but this is too much," Faith sarcastically told him. "And ya definitely ain't gettin' lucky tonight."
"Silence," Columba yelled.
"Temper, temper. And I especially don't like some jackass kidnapping me."
"The other one was so much more even tempered. Even quite pleasant at times."
"What other one?" Now Faith's interest was piqued.
"Your blonde sister."
"Buffy?"
"I think that was her name. A shame it didn't work out."
"Where is she?" Faith said, starting to rise from her chair.
"Disposed of her, of course."
"You bastard." The two guards pushed her back down, although it wasn't as easy as before for them.
"I am a child of God, never a bastard. Now, you will be quiet as a mouse, and we will eat."
"Not hungry."
"The threats just don't seem to help, do they? I wonder if they will now. I was going to wait until afterwards to give you your present too."
Columba uncovered a platter to reveal Brianna's severed head.
"Oh, God," Faith said as her head spun, falling to the floor. The water she had drunk all came up making her dizzy and disoriented.
"Obedience, my dear girl. That's all I've ever asked for."
Wesley remembered that strong emotions were the first sign of their special bond together. Faith had just experienced an emotion so strong, he gasped in pain.
"Wes, what's happening?" Connor tried to reach him.
They'd already gone through the barricaded towns that he had encountered so long ago and were getting closer to the city. It was amazing how fast you could go if one didn't have to search for food, water and gas.
"Faith," he whispered.
Some of the soldiers turned to look at the two in the backseat. They were ready in case he lost it again. It took him almost an hour to pull himself together enough to talk to Connor again.
"Hey, you with us? These soldier boys don't look too happy with you freaking out again."
Wesley swallowed hard to keep from vomiting.
"Is she OK?"
"Brianna's dead, Connor. That's all I could get from her. She's not talking to me. She's shut down, trying to shield me."
"Try again. Maybe she can talk now. She needs you, you know."
Faith didn't need him. She may want him, but she didn't need him. No one had ever needed him in his life. So why should anyone start at that point. Although his head still hurt from the strong emotion thrown his way, he tried to establish contact with her.
Faith, honey.
No. No. No. Go away.
I felt what happened. Are you OK?
Go away.
She was crying. Huge sobs were racking her body. He wished he were there to take away all the hurt.
Not going anywhere. I love you too much for that to happen.
Don't come here. He'll kill you. Please don't.
You know I can't do that. We'll get you out.
He'll kill them too.
Faith's mind was one big, confusing jumble. He didn't understand what was happening to her.
Have you eaten?
Can't. Sick to my stomach. Oh, God. He cut her head off just to make a point.
So that's how Brianna had died. No wonder Faith was so distraught.
You have to be strong.
I don't want to be strong. I just want to make it all go away.
I'm not going away any time soon. Got it?
Yeah.
Please eat. I want my girl to be strong when I get there.
Have to eat. Have to protect it.
Now that didn't make any sense to Wesley. But she was probably dehydrated.
Please. For me.
I will. Bastard Columba put me in a white dress.
Virginal white?
Yeah. Thought you might find that hilarious. Your head hurts.
I'm OK.
I wanna sleep now. Love you.
The connection that they had eased off some. Faith was now the one with control issues. She was falling apart. When the Beast had beaten her that time, she fell apart. But she had violently taken it out on his shower. She hadn't turned into a quivering mass. Her way to fall apart was to hit. Just like she had tortured him and tried to kill Angel.
It was he in its purest form, he concluded. He's the one who turned into that quivering mass after he almost killed Fred. And drowning his sorrows in alcohol for weeks on end after Connor was taken. He needed her strong, willing to fight back. And all he got was himself.
"Hi ya. Would ya like somethin' ta eat, 'cause if ya don't know who to ask, it'll never happen."
"I'm fine, Fred. Dawn might need something though."
Dawn squealed beside her. Buffy had no idea what was up with her sister. All the nonsense that she told them. Unbelievable. But Gunn's people had believed her. Whatever.
"You're alive too. This is so great."
"Yeah. Charles told me what happened. Poor Wesley. He's been through more stuff in the past year. With stealing Connor, Justine slashing his throat, sleeping with that skank Lilah, that really gave me the chills. Evil Cordy, her sleeping with Connor. Now that was too icky for words, and Angelus reappearing. Thank goodness for Willow."
"Wait, wait. Angelus?" Buffy asked as Dawn was still gasping at the Connor thought.
"We needed his knowledge to defeat the Beast since, hey, only one to have it. Sort of miscalculated on that one. Evil Cordy stole Angel's soul that Wes had stored in the safe. But Faith captured him and Willow re-ensouled him."
"Willow never told me any of that."
"Oh, probably didn't want you to worry."
"I'll bet." The world had almost gone to hell and her best friend hadn't said a peep. The girl next to her could say more in one breath than she could in an hour. Since Angel was not the conversationalist it probably drove him up the wall.
Buffy still couldn't believe Angel's team. Gunn, with his street fighting skills, could come in handy. But the rest of them, no way. Fred was a physicist for goodness sake, Cordelia was just Cordelia, although Gunn did say she had visions, and Wesley was never good for anything other than getting knocked out. If you added Faith to that mix, she didn't see how Angel ever helped anyone, much less themselves.
"Connor slept with Cordelia?" Dawn was still stuck on that one.
"It wasn't her. Some evil, skanky power took her over," Fred filled in.
"Wesley slept with Lilah?" Lindsey said, joining the conversation. "I'm surprised she didn't stab him in the back while he slept."
"Lilah evil?" Buffy asked.
"Put her in the ring with Angel, and she might just come out the winner."
Buffy liked her little group just fine. Except Willow had gone around the bend before, Giles really had done some questionable things, and Xander could annoy the hell out of a nun. Maybe she shouldn't judge.
"And you should talk, Lindsey. You lucky that Angel just took that hand of yours," Gunn added.
"You evil too?" Buffy asked Lindsey.
"Had an epiphany. After I ran Angel over with my truck a few times."
"Kicked your ass, didn't he?" Dawn said, looking him straight in the face.
"Dawn, language. What has Faith been saying?"
"She's fine, Buff. She's Faith."
"That's what I'm worried about."
They all set about doing the tasks that they were assigned, except for Dawn. She paced around, wanting to contribute something to the cause. But Buffy knew that she was just her little sister. One day, maybe, she could be a member of the Scoobies, but not yet. She wanted her sister to stay young and free. Nothing like Buffy was at the moment.
Gunn reappeared not too long after with news. "I have my people ready to spot them when they get close enough."
"Remember what I said, guns," Dawn reminded the man.
"No, it's Gunn."
Dawn gestured to him with her finger in the shape of a gun. "Weapons. Those military boys are just a little trigger happy sometimes."
"Wait, the military's involved too." Buffy kept learning bits and pieces of the story. Not the whole story though.
"What I think she's sayin' is she, Connor, Faith and Wes fought their way outta hell, only to come back in with lots more muscle, in a nutshell. Makes sense." Boy, when the physicist started making sense, they were all doomed, Buffy thought.
"Hey, good summary, Fred. I don't know if Riley will like being called muscle though. Xander might."
Buffy turned to gape at her sister. "You left that part out too," she screeched.
"Sorry, I forgot."
Buffy threw up her hands. "Nothing will surprise me anymore."
"How about Faith and Wesley being groin buddies."
Even Lindsey yelled at Dawn's use of language. All the adults looked at her in shock. Buffy was going to kill Faith when she found her.
"Explains a lot," Gunn mumbled.
"She tortured him," Fred continued, mouth agape.
"Fine line between pleasure and pain," Lindsey added.
"You'd know about that, wouldn't you," Gunn finished.
Buffy shot the 'if looks could kill glance' at each of the adults. "We are so done with this subject." Besides, it was like thinking about Giles and females. Her brain just didn't want to go there.
Fred led Dawn away to feed her again. Now Buffy had a chance to ask about Connor. Gunn seemed to know enough about this person to ask.
"Gunn, question?"
"Yeah?"
"Connor. Angel's son. What's he like? I mean, you know."
"A nineteen year old hormonal mess if you ask me. Makes you wonder what Angel was like at that age. Nah, take that back. I think Angel said all he liked was drinking and women. Connor is so much more like his father today. Broody as hell."
"The reason I'm asking is because Dawn talks about him way too much."
"Just be careful."
"Why?" Buffy asked as Gunn started to walk away.
"You'd have a hard time takin' him down, if you know what I mean. Like father, like son."
Was there something between her sister and Angel's broody son? All she knew about was infant Connor, not come back all teenagery from a hell dimension Connor. She didn't want to see her sister hurt.
"It's getting dark," Xander replied as they watched the sun start to set. He'd transferred to the other vehicle when he started driving Riley crazy.
They were getting closer. Wesley could feel his link with Faith getting stronger. He hoped they were on time. Since he and Connor were not in the lead vehicle any more, he couldn't ask Finn how much further.
"We'll get there in time." Connor was so sure of himself. Whereas not six months before, he believed in an entity that ate people whole. "I know I'm not the poster boy for stability." And sounding more and more like Dawn. "But I have learned a thing or two from my father."
"And what might that be?"
"Gotta keep fighting. I just wish I'd figured that out six months ago."
"Connor, sometimes it's better not to fight at all. Something I'm sure Holtz never taught you. Also, revenge is not that sweet. It's never worth the price that you have to pay."
"What price?"
"Your soul. Just remember that the fight has to be just."
"Like fighting for Faith."
He wondered what the boy meant by that. Was it fighting to retrieve Faith, or fighting to keep her once they did?
The vehicles slowed down considerably. That didn't bode well for the group.
"Looks like trouble up ahead, guys," Xander called out to the occupants. "Vampires."
Just then, the driver of their vehicle floored it, following the lead one. Riley's men had already started firing their weapons to clear a path.
"Yeah, real slealthy," Xander added. "Does everyone have his or her seatbelts on?"
"Why?" Connor and Wesley asked in unison. The few slayers in their car checked theirs quickly.
"Roadblock up ahead. And Riley's going through."
The lead vehicle cleared a path for them to follow. Maybe his idea of just Faith and he had been a more sound one. If they didn't get to friendly territory in a hurry, every demon in Southern California would know they were coming.
"Santa Clarita, here we come," Xander joyously pointed out.
If that was where they'd pick up the sewer system, then it would take them weeks to get into LA proper. And by the feelings he was getting from Faith, they didn't have that long. Maybe days at the most.
TBC
Next up: more Faith, more Buffy/Lindsey (hey, it could happen), and Wesley gets into another fight (will wonders never cease)
