Turning the Tables
Part 6
Author's Note: I'm still referring to Buffy and Willow as such cause last time I had a fic where we changed people's names, everyone got all confused. It wasn't pretty. So, while other people will call them Cross and Pentacle, I'll still call them Buffy and Will, okies?
Disclaimer: Yes! I own it! I own it all!
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NEXT MORNING
"She was weak. You could have killed her." Willow said, aimlessly swinging her legs. She sat atop a rather decadent coffin in the basement of the crypt they had been using. Buffy made a noncommittal noise, continuing to filter through the weapons she had found. Spike pulled cigarette out of his mouth and exhaled with a puff of smoke.
"Not to gang up on you, sweets, but Pentacle has a point. That was an easy kill. You could have bagged a Slayer, and we wouldn't have to worry about her anymore." Buffy stretched and turned back to them.
"And another one would be sent. Let's have fun with this one for a while longer. She hasn't been trained. An easy kill, sure. But a fun one? Uh-uh. Let Giles toughen her up a bit, then she'll be a Slayer we can brag about."
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LATER
Giles morosely flipped through the pages of the Watcher's Diaries, not really reading them. There was nothing here that could help him. The Council had told him to continue his research, but there was nothing. No Slayer had ever been changed. Vampires wanted to destroy the Slayer, not make her one of them. He had never in his wildest dreams guessed Buffy might be turned. It just was not done. But Spike changed all that. Count on one rebel vampire to ruin everything. The double doors swung open and Giles turned, expecting to see Xander, possibly Oz or Cordelia. Last night they had been forced to explain the horrible situation. Oz was, understandably, particularly shaken. But the young woman who had entered was one he had never seen before.
"You Rupert Giles?" She asked, snapping her bubble gum. He shuddered.
"Yes, I am. Who might you be?" She grinned at him.
"Well, I might be your new Slayer."
"Ooh," he scrambled to his feet, "You're here, that's wonderful. It's very, very nice to meet you, Miss?"
"Faith. Just call me Faith." (A/N: Yes, I know Kendra came before Faith, but I don't like Kendra, so just assume she was killed after she left.)
"Faith, then. It's a pleasure. You got here safely, obviously."
"Pretty much. I had a bit of a tussle with some vamps last night. Real cocky ones too."
"You staked them?"
"Actually, they just walked away." Giles frowned and started cleaning his glasses. That was very odd. They must have known she was the Slayer, why would they leave? Unless..
"Can you describe them to me? I'm familiar with most of the 'master-vamps'," he felt a twinge of nostalgic sadness at the term Buffy coined, "In Sunnydale."
"Well, there were three. Two majorly skanky chicks, blonde and red-head, and some lame-ass punk wannabe with bleached hair." Giles bit his lip and cleaned with greater fervor. Buffy. Willow. Spike. Faith noticed his sudden tension and raised her eyebrows.
"What, are these like, special vamps or something?" Giles stared at her, innocent, well, at least of what horrors lurked in Sunnydale. She had faced vampires and demons before of course. But a vampire so horribly perverse he would change a Slayer? A Slayer bent on destroying her friends? It was so much for such a fragile mind to handle. He made his decision.
"They're very powerful. Not to be underestimated."
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THAT AFTERNOON
Angelus rubbed his temples and growled under his breath. This was going no where. All he had managed to get from Drusilla were giggles and whispers about 'naughty William'. This was not getting him anything interesting and he was tired of it. Sure, Dru could be fun sometimes. But her mind found it impossible to just focus. And he was getting very impatient with her. He heard Drusilla suddenly moan and turned half-heartedly. He might as well hear it.
She crouched down to the ground and hugged her knees to her chest.
"Oh, William…my poor William…"
"What now, Drusilla?"
"He turns to ashes…she burns him, oh he burns…"
"Who burns him? Give me something to work with Drusilla!"
"Can't say…she'll come…can't tell Daddy, can't tell him…she'd burn Miss Edith, the stars tell me so…"
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SUNSET
Xander gasped for air and paused to pant. Great ideas Giles, send me with Faith. I can watch over her…if I can keep up with her! She had just disappeared. Damn Slayer stamina! Scanning the horizon, he tried to figure out where she had gone to. With no hints as to what direction Faith had headed, Xander glumly decided to try the most high-traffic cemetery. Slayers liked to go where the vampires were, right?
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He shivered and pulled out a stake to make himself feel safer. It was fully dark now. No sun. Perfect vampire weather. Passing numerous headstones, he wondered why he hadn't run into Faith yet. It had been at least an hour he'd been looking for her. Shouldn't some of that handy Slayer-sense be kicking in now that someone needed her help?
"Faith, I need some help," he sighed out loud in exasperation. He heard giggling behind him and froze. Not good. Giggling in a cemetery. After dark. With him all alone and Slayerless. Not good not good not good. He turned around slowly, hoping not to work up whoever was giggling.
"Oh, you need lots of help, Xand. But you're not getting it from Faith," Buffy said with a sunny smile. Xander choked, first at seeing his two best friends in those skanky, horrible, sexy bad Xander! Not sexy! Not sexy! outfits. Again at seeing them hanging off each other.
"Buffy? Will?"
"Doesn't ring a bell. You must have the wrong number." Willow said seriously. She then leaned over and whispered something in Buffy's ear. Well, part of it was whispering. There was definitely some kissing and licking going on. Buffy giggled again and whisper/kiss/licked Willow right back. Xander winced.
"Come on, you don't even remember that you're both straight?" He asked weakly.
"They're pretty straight. They just get bored when I'm not around." Great, just great, Xander cursed his luck when he heard Spike behind him and the vampire's hand curled gently over his exposed neck. Buffy blew him a kiss.
"Let us have this one? Please?"
"I dunno…he looks pretty tasty," Spike teased, pretending to ponder the matter. Buffy bounced up and down unhappily.
"No…I want him. Please, Spike? Pleeeease????" Spike smiled and loosened his grip slightly.
"Bored now." Willow lay her head down on Buffy's shoulder and pouted. Buffy started to comment but paused to sniff. She smelt something. She remembered smelling it before, and instinct told her to recognize it. Slayer. Buffy quickly searched for the source of the Slayer-smell and spotted her, seconds before the tip of a stake protruded from Spike's chest.
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AT THE SUMMERS'
Joyce shivered and took a long drink from her steaming cup of tea. She really wasn't feeling very well…maybe she was coming down with something. Then again, it could just be the added stress. Everywhere she looked, she saw monsters. Afraid to go anywhere after dark, now she knew vampires were lurking in the shadows, ready to spring out at her. And now people who had just seemed strange before were evil. She was pretty sure a few of her neighbors were instruments of the darkness.
The doorbell rang, and Joyce jumped, spilling tea on her lap. She sighed and grabbed a dish towel on her way to answer the door. She opened it to see Cordelia, one of Buffy's friends. Well, Buffy had mentioned her at least. She looked very worried.
"Hey, Mrs. Summers. Can I come in?" Joyce narrowed her eyes and backed away.
"Oh no. You aren't going to get me like that. I know what you are and what you're up to. I'm not going to invite you."
"Mrs. Summers, I think Xander is in trouble! I can't find him anywhere, and he was out helping the new Slayer and I'm confused." Cordelia ranted, getting fairly teary, "And I'm not dead!" When Joyce didn't answer, Cordelia rolled her eyes and walked in. Joyce breathed a sigh of relief, and apologized profusely for not believing she was still human. But Xander…he was such a sweet boy! Then again…Willow had been the sweetest girl.
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THE CEMETERY
Buffy and Willow shrieked impulsively, and Spike looked down at the point of wood coming out of him. Xander quickly dove out of the way.
"Two things. You are the worst aim I've bloody well ever seen," he whipped around and punched Faith full in the face, "And you stake like a girl." Buffy clapped excitedly and a ghost of a smile haunted Willow's face. Spike grabbed the struggling Slayer by the hair and pulled her up, examining her neck hungrily.
"Gonna play." Willow said happily. She started forward, but a red-faced Giles sprang out of nowhere and shoved a cross full in her face. She hissed and tried to maneuver around him, but he managed to get an arm around her neck and held the cross millimeters from her cheek. She whimpered and Buffy cried out.
"Let Faith go," Giles growled from between clenched teeth. Spike tightened his grip and glowered at the Watcher.
"Let Pentacle go." He slid into game face fueled by fury.
"I will release her as soon as you release Faith."
"I'll kill your Slayer!" Spike was getting extremely hot and bothered now. But Giles stayed calm and cool.
"Then I'll kill your lover." Buffy resisted the urge to wail in unhappiness. Seeing Pentacle…Willow…so close to a cross. It hurt.
"Spike…trade with him."
"But luv,"
"Just do it!" Tears were welling up in Buffy's eyes. Spike saw at once she was serious and walked forward, dragging Faith along with him. She tried to fight him off, but he just yanked on her hair. He stopped a few feet from Giles, eyes burning.
"Take her," he shoved Faith toward Rupert who carefully backed away, cross still next to Willow's face. Faith growled under her breath, but Giles pushed her back. Once they were a safe distance from Buffy and Spike, he pulled the cross away and held it protectively in front of him while Willow angrily stalked back to her lovers.
"You'll pay for that," Buffy said, eyes narrowed to slits.
"You're just a stupid old man," Willow spat, while Spike rubbed the place where the cross almost touched with concern, "I can't believe I ever thought I could learn something from you. You have nothing you can teach me."
"That's true," Giles said slowly, backing away still, "There was a world of things I could have taught Willow, but there's nothing I can teach you…"
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