Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow II: The Rising Sun

Notes: Sorry for the long delay, but my internet has been down for a very long time. I'm posting this when I can, so bear with me, please.

Previously:

Faith nodded her agreement as she dragged Kara over to another chair. Sitting the girl down, they cuffed her hands behind her back so she couldn't move. Ripping off the sleeve of her already ruined shirt, Faith bound Kara's mouth to keep her from talking. "Check on him," Faith said, motioning to Lucian as she did so.

Chapter 14:

They were almost halfway to Sunnydale. Angel had the convertible top down and the wind whipped through the car. Callum thought his face was going numb. Though they had talked a little in the beginning of the trip, the conversation had faded into a pleasant silence. Callum could feel his eyes starting to droop and leaning his head back, he closed his eyes. Blackness greeted him and lulled him into a comfortable sleep. At first, he didn't dream. The darkness around him embraced him and rocked him in a gentle sway. But soon, images began to creep into his subconscious.

He could see Kara tied to a chair in the living room of Joyce Summers' house. She had blood dribbling down her chin from a cut on her lip. Callum instantly recognized Cassius within her, hatred pouring out of her eyes from the blackness of his soul. Faith was there as well, pacing back and forth in the hallway by the front door. She was waiting for something or someone, perhaps. Moving through the house like a phantom, he pushed open the kitchen doors. Cordelia and Lucian were sitting at the island counter, each gripping a cup of steaming tea. Despite his injuries, Lucian seemed to be in good spirits. He was lucky to be alive.

Callum looked intently at Cordelia. A strange light enveloped her in a golden hue. He didn't know why, but it didn't seem natural to him. Though he hadn't heard much about her, he seemed to know her entire life story. He knew there was a reason why he was in that house with her. Something was clawing at the edge of his mind, something important, and something he needed to tell her. Cordelia Chase was an emissary of the Powers that Be. She had visions that told of events that would happen in the not too distant future, events that needed to be changed.

"Let me see," Callum muttered to himself. The room around him shifted and suddenly, he was standing in a hospital room. In front of him, Willow was lying on a bed, wires and tubes coming out of her. Tara was sitting next to her, gripping her hand tightly. Willow, though always pale, looked far paler than usual. She had lost a good deal of blood. At the moment, she was unconscious, but Callum could see her slowly beginning to wake up.

Willow's eyes fluttered open. "Hey," Tara said, leaning forward at once and brushing a strand of her red hair out of her eyes. "How do you feel?"

Willow turned her head and looked over at her lover, smiling slightly. "I can't feel anything," she said slowly, her voice slightly slurred.

"That's the painkillers," Tara said, her voice low and steady. Her eyes were puffy from crying and Callum could see that she was using all of her strength not to break down in front of Willow.

"Oh," Willow said. She laced her fingers around Tara's, squeezing gently. "I don't feel so good."

"You're gonna be fine," Tara swore, gently running her hand through Willow's hair. "The doctors are doing everything they can. You're in good hands."

Callum frowned. Moving over to the other side of Willow's bed, he leaned over and rested his hand against her forehead. She was bleeding internally. "Hang on," he whispered, planting a kiss on her cheek. "I've got you."

"What is it?" Tara asked, noticing a sudden change in Willow's demeanor. It was as if someone else was with them. Willow turned her head and looked toward the other side of the bed, smiling slightly.

"I know," Willow said.

"Get some rest, okay?" Tara said, smiling when Willow turned back in her direction. "You need your strength."

"She's right, you know," Callum muttered. "Go to sleep."

"Okay, I will," Willow whispered, closing her eyes again. "Callum."

Tara looked up at her in surprise, then glancing about the room. "Callum?" She asked, suddenly feeling the presence of another person in the room. Callum walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. He felt her tense and he smiled. "She's gonna be just fine."

Suddenly, Callum was standing back in Joyce's kitchen. "That was weird," he muttered to himself, ignoring a wave of dizziness that passed through him. Walking over to Cordelia, he leaned over and whispered in her ear. Then he woke up, bolting up in his seat in Angel's car.

"Hey, you okay?" Angel asked, looking over at him in concern.

Callum nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I'm fine."

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

Cordelia could feel the vision coming just before it hit. Grabbing her head, she cried out and fell to the kitchen floor. Lucian was at her side in an instant, holding her as she struggled against the pain. "Faith!" He yelled. Faith burst into the room moments later.

"What is it?" Faith asked, rushing over to them.

"She's having a vision," Lucian replied. Cordelia's cries quieted and she stopped struggling in his embrace. "Cor? You okay?"

Cordelia's eyes fluttered open and she took several deep breaths. "Something's wrong with Willow," she said.

"What?" Faith asked.

"She's bleeding internally. Her doctors missed it. She's going to bleed to death if they don't fix it," Cordelia replied.

Faith leapt to her feet and raced out into the hallway, grabbed the phone. She quickly dialed the hospital's number, demanding to speak to Willow's doctor. Then she handed the phone off to Cordelia, who could better explain the situation. "You think they'll be able to stop it in time?" Lucian asked, moving over to Faith.

"I hope so," Faith said. She knew losing Willow would crush Buffy. They were pulled out of their thoughts by the sound of the front door opening.

"Uh, Faith? Why is Kara tied up in the living room?" Buffy called from the front foyer.

"You didn't tell them?" Lucian asked, looking over at her.

"It's a little hard to explain," Faith said as she and Lucian walked out into the hallway. Xander, Anya, Giles, Joyce, Spike, Dawn, and Buffy were gathered there, staring into the living room.

"She's not Kara anymore, is she?" Anya said, watching as Faith and Lucian walked toward them.

"No, she's not," Faith said, sighing deeply.

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Spike asked in confusion.

"She attacked me," Lucian explained. "Except it's not really her, it's Cassius."

"Wait, Cassius stole her body?" Buffy asked, dread sinking into her stomach.

"Yeah," Faith replied.

The room was completely silent, each person thinking about the ramifications of what had happened. Xander finally spoke up, "Well, how do we get her back?"