Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow
Previously:
"Come back to the dorm afterwards and we'll see what happens," Willow said. "If Robson is working for the First, what're we gonna do?"
Kara sighed and absently ran a hand through her long, dark hair. "We'll figure that out when we get to it."
Chapter Fifty-Seven:
"Well?" Kara asked, leaning up on her elbow and looking over at Willow. Willow lifted the lid of the laptop and grimaced.
"Nope," she said, slamming the laptop lid back down.
"I think I finally understand that whole 'slayer stamina' thing," Tara muttered from her place leaning against the pillows on the bed. "They've been goin' at it for like two hours."
Kara groaned and slammed her head back down on the desk. "Please never say the words 'goin' at it' in relation to my parents ever again," she said irritably. Tara smiled.
"At this rate, Robson's never going to get a chance to steal the amulet," Willow grumbled, leaning back next to Tara.
"They still have to patrol," Kara said, quickly rising to her feet. "I'm gonna go grab some coffee. Anyone want?"
Willow and Tara both shook their heads. Shrugging on her jacket, Kara opened the dorm room door and stepped out into the hallway. Closing the door behind her, she sighed. She could hear the sounds of a party going on down the hall. Music was pumping through the walls, some dance song. She could imagine the students gathered in the room, drinking beer and having fun. She chuckled mirthlessly, realizing at that moment, that she had never done anything like that. Her entire life had been devoted to quelling the forces of darkness, or at least hiding from them.
Turning from the sounds of normalcy, she shoved her hands in her pockets and began walking. Her footsteps echoed in the stairwell as she walked down. Opening the outside door, the cold air hit her in the face, momentarily stopping her. Wrapping her coat around her body, she stepped out into the night. A patch of clouds covered the moon and it seemed darker than usual. She smiled, remembering when she was little, and had been afraid of the dark. Like most children, she was terrified of all of the things that went bump in the night. The only difference between her and the other children, however, was that she knew those things were actually real.
She felt so safe with her mothers, knowing that their jobs, their destinies, were to destroy all those evil things that terrified her. After they died, her fear only increased. There wasn't anyone to keep her safe. She understood that the others tried, but no one made her feel like Buffy and Faith had, until Spike took her in. Spike had a silent strength that transferred over into everything he did, whether it was fighting a demon or smoking a cigarette on the porch steps.
Kara was ripped from her musings by a scream that pierced through the night. Running toward the sound, she saw a young woman being attacked. Grabbing her attacker by the collar, she threw him back several feet. "You okay?" Kara asked the woman, who nodded fearfully. "Go home." The woman complied, running off toward the dorms.
"What the hell is your problem?" The attacker said, getting to his feet. He wiped off his jeans and stared at her incredulously.
"My problem?" Kara asked, about to whip out her stake. But something stopped her. She stared at the man for a moment before her mouth dropped open in shock. "You're human...," she muttered to herself.
"Of course I'm human. Look, I was just trying to scare her. You didn't have to attack me," the guy muttered.
"Attack you? You were attacking her," Kara said, feeling anger swell up in her heart. She could understand demons attacking humans. Demons didn't have souls or consciences. Their sole purpose was to thrive on the misery and suffering of humanity. But Kara could never understand why a human being would attack another human being without a legitimate reason. It was almost as if people were slaves to their every whim and desire, unable to control their basest impulses.
"Whatever," the guy said, turning and walking away. Kara watched him for a moment before walking up behind him. Grabbing him by the back of the head, she slammed his face down onto the concrete of the sidewalk.
"Listen to me very carefully," she said lowly, her voice threatening. "There is enough evil in this world without stupid people like you adding to it. If I ever see you again, I'll kill you," she growled. Rising to her feet, she watched him scramble away from her and run. She realized that she probably shouldn't have done that, but a piece of what made Faith so dangerous lived in her heart as well, that knowledge of evil and the reluctant acceptance of it. Turning, she continued walking toward the cafeteria.
When she arrived back at the dorm room, Willow and Tara were having a thumb war. "You guys must really be bored," Kara muttered, closing the door behind her. The witches smiled up at her sheepishly. "Have you checked on them recently?"
"Nope, wanted to wait for you to get back," Willow said, flipping up the laptop lid again. "Ooh, progress," she said excitedly. "They are now fully clothed."
Kara internally breathed a sigh of relief. "About damn time," she muttered, walking over to the bed. She took a sip of her coffee, relishing in its warmth as it slid down her throat. She paused for a moment, temporarily lost in a memory. She could clearly remember sitting around the kitchen table with Spike and Callum late one night, drinking whiskey and playing cards. She had thought the same thing then, the warmth of the whiskey on her throat making her smile.
"Hey, you okay?" Tara asked, looking over at her in concern and touching her arm.
"What?" Kara asked, snapping out of her daze. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said.
"You kinda spaced on us there," Willow said, concern evident in her eyes as well.
"Long night," Kara replied, turning her attention back to the screen. Buffy and Faith were stocking up on weapons, shoving stakes up the sleeves of their coats. Faith took out a knife and slipped it into one of her boots. Then they turned the lights off in the room and stepped out.
The light from the hallway and the streetlamp outside the window illuminated the room just enough for them to see. Willow, Tara, and Kara sat tensely on the bed, waiting with baited breath for something to happen. After about ten minutes, they saw a figure enter the room. They immediately recognized the figure as Robson when a glimmer of light fell on his face. "He's faking the limp," Kara said, immediately noticing that Robson was walking perfectly fine, without the aid of a cane. "That little bastard."
"Told ya so," Tara said jokingly, smiling over at Kara. Her levity lightened the mood in the room and Willow looked over at her in appreciated. They both knew Kara wasn't going to take Robson's betrayal well.
Robson looked around the room for a moment before spotting the weapons chest. Lifting the lid, he rummaged around for a moment. Then he lifted out the first layer, finding the hidden bottom. They saw him pause for a moment, apparently eying the amulet appreciatively. He lifted it up and slipped it into his pocket. Then, he removed another amulet from his other pocket. Closing his eyes, he put his hand over the amulet and whispered some words Kara couldn't understand.
"He's doing a glamour," Willow explained as they watched the second amulet transform into the first. "Making that amulet look like ours, so we won't notice the difference."
Kara nodded, her eyes fixed on the screen. Robson cleaned up and closed the lid of the weapons chest, swiftly standing. His eyes shifted around the room for a moment, unknowingly landing on the camera. Kara could see nothing of the kindness in his gaze that she had seen earlier. Then he slipped out of the room.
Leaning back, Kara sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Well, shit," she muttered.
Willow closed the laptop and set it on the ground. "What do we do now?"
Kara closed her eyes, remembering the fear she had felt coming off the guy she threatened earlier. It had felt amazing to have that kind of control over someone else. Opening her eyes, she said grimly, "I'll take care of it."