Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow

Previously:

"Hey, that hurt," Spike howled, watching as his blood flowed out and dribbled down onto the seal.

Suddenly the ground began to shake. "Really not good."

Chapter Twenty-Seven:

"Having fun yet?" Kara smirked, wandering up to Spike who was still hanging above the seal.

"Stop mocking and get me the bleeding hell down!" Spike yelled, though he wasn't particularly angry. On the contrary, he was absolutely elated to see his friend and roommate back in Sunnydale. Studying her face for a moment, however, he could see that there was something incredibly different about her. She radiated with a hidden power, something the others wouldn't notice, but with his vampire senses, smacked him in the face.

"Fine, fine. Take away all my fun," Kara said, sighing dramatically. Pulling a knife out from one of her booted feet, she gently cut the binds on Spike's arms. With the last of them cut, Spike fell face first onto the ground.

"A little warning would have been nice, pet," Spike said, his voice muffled in the dirt. Picking himself up, he wiped the dust off his clothes and surveyed his wounds. "Bollocks," he whispered to himself.

"Don't worry. It's not that bad," Kara said, peering over his shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get the hell outta here, huh?" Spike responded, looking around the room.

"Come on. It's this way. There's nobody around right now," Kara said, taking him by the hand and leading him out through a tunnel. "Don't worry, it's nighttime."

"Good. 'Cuz if your big plan was to rescue me only to get me burned to a crisp, well, that wasn't too bloody brilliant," Spike commented, smiling at the glare Kara shot back at him.

Once they were free from the confines of the high school, Spike and Kara visibly relaxed, each slowing their pace to a stroll. Kara shuddered. "You can feel the evil coming off that place from a mile away," she said.

"Well, that is why they say high school is hell," Spike retorted, rewarded with a laugh from his counterpart. "So, about Dawn..."

...........................................

The next morning found Kara at the doorstep of Giles' apartment, waiting for him to open to the door. "Yes?" Giles said, swinging the door open. He smiled upon seeing Kara, opening the door a little wider. "Ah, you're back I see. Do come in."

"Thanks," Kara said, stepping into the apartment. It looked and smelled distinctly of Giles, which made her smile.

"Where did you go exactly?" Giles asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Africa," Kara said quickly. "But that's not why I'm here. I need to go to England, and I need you to come with me."

"England? Why England?" Giles asked, though he already knew the answer.

"I need to see some members of the Watcher's Council. It's important," Kara said, looking the man directly in the eye. He hesitated, seemingly getting lost in her gaze.

"There's something different about you," he finally said, his voice low, almost reverent.

Kara smiled. "So will you come with me?" She asked expectantly.

"Of course," Giles answered.

"Good. We leave tonight. I suggest you tell the others and pack. There are things I need to do first," Kara said, turning and walking back to the door of his apartment. "I'll be back here at seven."

....................................

"Do you really think she cares?" The voice sneered, enveloping Faith. She stood in front of the mirror in her and Buffy's room. She couldn't see a reflection, but she knew the woman was there. Turning, she saw her mother lounging against the wall a few feet away.

"You're not real," Faith whispered, her voice almost childish.

"I'm as real as it gets, baby. This is a nice set up you've got here. Sleeping in her bed, eating her food, ravaging her body. How long do you think it'll be before she gets tired of you? You do tend to grate on the nerves, Faith. I mean shit, what I wouldn't do to get away from you – always nagging, always hanging on my every word. You're such a nuisance," her mother spat, standing and sauntering over to Faith.

"Get out," Faith growled, her hands curling into fists, hanging uselessly at her sides. Her fingernails dug into her palms and she could smell blood.

"You're nothing but a whore, Faith. People use you and toss you like a piece of garbage. She doesn't love you. She loves your tongue. She loves your fingers. But she doesn't give a shit about you. And she never will."

"Faith?" Dawn asked, knocking on the door. "You in there?"

"I'll be seeing you, baby," the woman said, before disappearing.

Faith stood alone in the middle of the room, with blood dripping down from her hands. Turning back to the mirror, she gazed at herself. "Faith?" Dawn asked, opening the door. "I heard voices, what's going on?"

Dawn walked into the room, watching the dark haired slayer. Then she saw the blood. "Shit, Faith, what did you do?" Dawn asked, rushing over to her. Faith just stared in the mirror, unhearing. Grabbing one of Faith's hands, Dawn stuck her finger in the wound.

"Ow!" Faith yelled, turning to glare at the teenage key. "What did you do that for?"

"You weren't paying attention," Dawn simply stated. "What happened?"

Faith sighed. "Nothing, just something like the ghosts from last night. Came and paid me a little visit," she said, glancing down at her hands, seeing the wounds for the first time. "Shit, B's gonna kill me," she muttered.

"Come on," Dawn said, grabbing Faith's arm and pulling her out into the hallway. They marched into the bathroom. "Sit," Dawn instructed, pointing to the edge of the bathtub. "I'll fix you up."

Faith did as she was told, the words of her mother replaying through her mind. "You ever feel like none of this is real?" She asked suddenly. Dawn knelt down beside her, rubbing alcohol and bandages in her hand.

"All the time," she answered softly.

"What convinces you it is?"

Dawn grabbed Faith's hand, applying pressure to the wound with an alcohol laden cotton swab. Faith hissed in pain. "You feel that? If all of this wasn't real, that wouldn't have hurt." Faith smiled. Dawn finished her ministrations, gently bandaging Faith's hands. "I heard what she said, you know. All those things. They're not true," Dawn said, putting her supplies away.

"How do you know?"

"When Buffy looks at you, she gets this light in her eyes. It's like you show her the way. You're this candle in the dark," Dawn answered thoughtfully, her mind wandering to Spike. She smiled, knowing that he was her candle in the dark.

"You're pretty smart for a mystical blob of energy," Faith joked, rising to her feet. She felt better, calmed and reassured by Dawn's words, though she feared doubt would always linger in the back of her mind.

"Come on, I think breakfast is ready. Besides, Buffy should know a ghost was here," Dawn said, grabbing Faith by the arm and pulling her out into the hallway again. Faith chuckled.

"I can move of my own will you know," she said as Dawn halted at the top of the stairs and shot a glare back at her.

"Yeah, but we all know how well that works out."

.............................

"When can we tell them?" Anya whined, glaring over at Xander. They were the only people in the Magic Box that morning. Willow and Tara were in class, Giles had yet to surface, Callum was at the site, Spike was probably asleep, and the Summers household was just embracing the idea of consciousness.

Xander smiled. "Well we can't very well tell them now can we? There's no one here," he said jokingly.

"Not funny. I want to tell them. They should know that we're engaged and happy and having terrific sex. It'll make them glad," Anya stated, getting up to count the money. Whenever she was irritated or stressed, counting the money calmed her.

"I think maybe we should just tell them about the being engaged," Xander said. "I'm not so sure they want to know the rest."

"Of course we do, Xan," Kara said, stepping out from the back training room. "The fact that you're having terrific sex makes my life worth living," she teased, joining him at the table.

"You heard everything? You won't tell the others will you? I want to tell them," Anya pouted.

"My lips are sealed," Kara said, smiling indulgently at the ex-vengeance demon.

The bell over the door roared into life. Perking up, Anya smiled widely and went to greet the costumer. "If you don't marry her, Xander, you're the stupidest man alive," Kara said, looking over at him pointedly.

"I take it I did something stupid in your world?" Xander asked meekly.

"Of course. This demon came and convinced you that you'd turn out like your father and that Anya would be better off without you. Fact is, none of it's true," Kara said thoughtfully, her eyes turning wistful. "You're nothing like your father." She clearly remembered the times her daddy spent with her. There was so much love in his eye. She thought he was the greatest thing in the world.

"If it was a demon, why did I listen to it?" Xander asked, mentally smacking himself.

"It took the shape of an old man, claimed to be you, and showed you things. All of them were lies. The point is, Xander, if you don't marry her, I will kill you myself," Kara threatened, her eyes deadly serious, then she smiled softly.

"Check. Marry Anya or suffer violent and torturous death. I think I got it," Xander joked, though the point of Kara's message was clear. He had seriously screwed up in her world and he was not going to do it again.

"By the way, Giles and I are going to England for a little while. We need to talk to the Council. Tell Anya she's in charge of the store," Kara said, rising to her feet.

"Why do you need to talk to the Council?" Xander asked, his dislike for them clear in his voice.

"Don't worry about it. Be careful, Xan. Ask Buffy about the apparitions she, Faith, and Dawn saw. Tell her that it's not a ghost. It's the First Evil. It paid Angel a little visit back in '99. It's incorporeal, so it can't hurt anyone, but it has messengers. Bringers. They're looking for all of the potential slayers and watchers, trying to kill them, to end the line of slayers. Tell Buffy her dreams are real. We'll be back as soon as we can," Kara said, smiling at Xander before disappearing out of the back door.

Xander banged his head on the table. "Why do I get the feeling this is gonna end badly?"