Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow II: The Rising Sun

Notes: Review and make me a happy writer, please!!! Thanks.

Previously:

"Funny thing that," Callum said. "I came back. Seems I'm one of the Powers that Be now."

"Wow," Buffy said, obviously impressed. "Should I be bowing to you or something," she said, laughter in her eyes. Callum frowned in mock anger, then smiled brightly.

"No, but you can show me where Kara is," he said seriously. "I have some work to do."

Chapter Seventeen:

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Buffy asked, sidling up to Angel as Callum and Giles entered the room where Kara was being held captive.

"Sure," the vampire said, following Buffy outside and onto the front porch. "What's up?"

Buffy closed the door behind them and shoved her hands into the pockets of her hooded sweatshirt. It was muggy outside and she instantly felt suffocated in her jacket, despite the frigid, air-conditioned environment she had abandoned. "It's Faith," she said, her eyes not quite meeting her ex-love's.

"What do you mean?"

"She took off a little while ago and she seemed pretty upset. I'm worried about her, but I can't leave Kara, not if Callum can help her. I should be here when she's back to her old self," Buffy said. "I was hoping you could look for Faith."

Angel sighed and resisted the urge to throw his hands up in frustration. It was bad enough having to see Buffy without being able to express his feelings for her. But to have to chase her wife all over Sunnydale and drag her back home was beyond his call of duty. "Fine," he said as cheerily as he could. "I'll bring her back."

"Thanks," Buffy said, smiling brightly. "I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem," Angel lied. Buffy nodded and went back inside the house, leaving Angel standing out on the porch alone. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he turned and started walking down the street. He didn't know Faith that well, his most notable encounter with her involving a poisoned arrow. From what he had heard, she had changed quite drastically since then. Still, he wasn't entirely comfortable around her. Despite this, he was confident he knew the best place in town to look for an upset, recovering psychotic vampire slayer – a very loud, very crowded, and very smoky bar.

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

"Want another?" The bartender asked, moving over to Faith. She nodded and he poured a stream of amber liquid into her empty glass. Once he moved away again, Faith picked it up with a still trembling hand and tossed it back. The liquid burned in her throat and she closed her eyes in satisfaction. Images played on the backs of her eyelids, haunted memories of a life she so desperately wanted to forget.

It was pitch black. The dark was so thick it felt like water surrounding her and pulling her under. For a second, she thought she couldn't breathe. Then a small light crept through under the closet door. Faith backed away from the light, gathering herself into a tight, little ball in a corner of the closet where the light couldn't touch her. She could hear someone moving about inside of the apartment. From the sound of the footsteps, she assumed it was her mother. The clang of keys hitting the kitchen table reverberated through the empty room. It sounded like a jackhammer to her small ears.

"Faith!" She heard her mother's harsh voice yell. Faith rested her head on her knees, letting her dark hair fall in front of her face, shielding her. She hardly dared to breathe for fear that her mother would hear. Faith didn't want to be found tonight.

"Where are you? Get your ass out here right now!" Her mother yelled. Faith had been a very bad girl. It was nearly ten o'clock at night and she hadn't eaten since the morning of the previous day. Tired of waiting for her mother to get home from work, she decided to make herself a meager meal of crackers and grape juice. However, with her clumsy five-year old's hands, she accidentally spilled the juice on the already stained carpet. She knew her mother would see it.

The closet door suddenly sprang open. Squinting her eyes from the harsh light of the uncovered bulb dangling from the ceiling, Faith looked up at her mother's angry face. "Get outta there, you stupid, little bitch. Did you think I wouldn't see it?" The mother growled angrily, grabbing Faith by the arm. Her fingernails bit into the skin on her arm and Faith struggled to pull away. She could see a shadow pass over the light and then her mother's hand came down hard on her face.

"Hey," Angel said, sitting down next to Faith. Faith jerked in her seat and looked over at him, pulled out of her reverie. "How's it going?"

Faith blinked several times. "What are you doing here?" She finally asked.

"Buffy asked me to come bring you back home," Angel replied candidly. "So here I am."

"You sound so enthused," Faith murmured, motioning for the bartender.

"Are you sure you haven't had enough?" Angel asked.

"I'm a slayer, with slayer metabolism, it'll take a lot more than this to get me drunk," Faith said, throwing back another shot. "You want one? I'm buying," Faith said, slapping some bills down on the counter. Angel considered for a moment. "Come on. You're sitting in a bar with the chick that stole your true love away. Now, I'm buying, so drink up."

Angel looked over at Faith for a moment before smiling slightly. "If you insist," he said. The bartender came over and poured two more shots for Angel and Faith. "To true love," Angel said raising his glass. Faith smirked and nodded.

"I can drink to that," she said, smiling widely as Angel grimaced when the alcohol hit the back of his throat. "Don't worry," she said, nudging his shoulder with hers, "you'll get used to it in a couple of hours."

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

"Well, well. This is a surprise," Cassius said through Kara's voice. "Kara will be so excited. Oh wait, no she won't. She's into women now," Cassius said, sneering.

"I suppose that works on some people," Callum said, smiling graciously. "But, I've decided that I don't particularly like you. So I'm pretty much going to ignore anything you say."

"Brilliant," Cassius said. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"I think I'm just smarter than you," Callum replied. He pulled a chair up in front of Callum and sat down, resting his palms on his legs.

"What are you doing?" Cassius asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"I'm going to help her," Callum said.

"How do you propose to do that?" Cassius asked.

Callum leaned forward and smiled. "We're not so different you and I."

"I don't know how you got back here, but I assure you, we're quite different. I'm a god," Cassius growled.

"And so I am," Callum replied. Then he reached out and pressed his hand to Kara's forehead. A bright light exploded through the room. Buffy rushed in when she saw the light. It faded and Callum sat in front of Kara, who was blinking wildly. Looking around the room, Kara's eyes settled on Callum.

"Am I dead?" She asked.

"No, you're very much alive. And so am I," Callum said. "Can we get the cuffs off her please?" He asked, looking over at Giles, who had been standing silently in the corner for the entire exchange.

"Of course," Giles said, moving forward.

"What's going on?" Kara asked in confusion. "Why am I handcuffed?"

"You don't remember anything?" Buffy asked, kneeling down beside her and taking her hand in hers.

Kara shook her head. "No."