Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow II: The Rising Sun

Notes: Thanks for the reviews, keep them coming.

Previously:

Faith shook her head slightly, with tears streaming down her face. She didn't seem to notice them. Buffy's heart broke for her. "Just hold me," Faith finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. Buffy quickly gathered the other girl in her arms, rubbing soothing circles on her back as Faith silently sobbed into her chest. Closing her eyes, Buffy let a single tear course down her cheek.

Chapter Twenty:

Cassius awoke to find himself lying on his back on soft, green grass in one of Sunnydale's many parks. The sky was blue above him and white, puffy clouds rolled passed. He laid there for a long time, watching the slow passing of the sky, as the sun failed and began to fade. He wasn't entirely sure how he had gotten there, but he knew he was no longer in Kara's body. Blinking away the haze that had settled on his mind, he retraced the events of the last several days.

In Kara's body, he had stabbed Willow, one of the Coven's most powerful witches. However, the witch had survived. Shortly after, he had been given an opportunity to kill Lucian, but squandered it. Faith and Cordelia had stopped him and held him captive. After that, things got strangely blurry in his mind. He remembered that someone came and expelled him from Kara's body, but he couldn't remember who had done it. However, he knew that the only person with the power to do so was one of the Powers that Be and Lucian had yet to discover his abilities.

"That's right, a new Power has been called," a voice said from his left. Cassius sat up and brushed the grass off his sleeves.

"Who might you be?" Cassius asked. Squinting his eyes and lifting a hand to block the light of the dying sun, Cassius saw a tall, youthful man standing in front of him with bright, green eyes.

"A friend, if you desire one," the man said and moved closer, until he was standing only a few inches away from Cassius. Then he extended his hand to help Cassius up. Cassius accepted his hand and let the man pull him to his feet. "Seems like your little plan isn't going so well," the man commented, smirking as Cassius eyed him warily.

"What do you know of it?" Cassius asked, instantly taking a dislike to the man.

"More than you would suspect. I know everything that happens here and everywhere else. I've always wanted to meet one of you, one of the Powers that Be," he said, smiling warmly.

"You seem to know quite a bit about me, yet I know nothing of you," Cassius replied. "A name, perhaps, might facilitate my trust."

"Of course," the man said. "But which name shall I give you? I have many, you know."

"Oh?"

"Yes, but I suppose you should call me Lucifer," the man said, smiling as Cassius' eyes widened in recognition. "I have an interest in what you're trying to do here. I thought perhaps you could use my help."

"And what would your help require in return?" Cassius asked.

"An alliance between the Powers that Be and darkness would be powerful indeed. Perhaps, you could use a partner," Lucifer suggested, smiling widely when Cassius nodded.

"I accept your offer," Cassius said, knowing in his heart that he had no other choice.

"Good. Come, we have much to talk about," Lucifer said, walking passed Cassius. Cassius watched him go for a moment before walking after him, feeling a cold dread seep into his heart. This was not what he wanted.

……………………………

"I'm worried about her," Buffy said, sitting down at the kitchen table with Kara. "She hasn't said anything. She just sits in the dark staring out the window like there's something there I can't see. I don't know what to do for her."

"Maybe I should talk to her," Kara said, as she sat a peeled potato down in the bowl sitting in front of her. She and Buffy were helping Joyce prepare that evening's supper, as the group was meeting again to discuss their next move in regard to Cassius.

"I don't know if that will do much good," Buffy said, shrugging her shoulders. "But it's worth a try if you want to."

Kara nodded and pushed out of her chair. Walking out of the kitchen, she ascended the stairs and stopped just outside of Buffy's old bedroom, where Faith had been sitting for most of the day. Kara knocked softly, but Faith didn't respond. Pushing open the door, Kara frowned when she saw Faith sitting by the window in the dark. "Okay, seriously, enough is enough," Kara muttered under her breath and flipped on the light.

"What are you doing here?" Faith asked, without looking over at her.

"I wanted to talk to you," Kara replied, moving over to the window and sitting across from Faith. "Buffy says you aren't doing so well."

"Is it that obvious?" Faith sarcastically asked. Looking down at her hands, she whispered, "I hit you."

"You didn't hit me, you hit Cassius," Kara replied, reaching over and taking one of Faith's hands in her own.

"It was still you. You were in there somewhere. I promised myself that I would never be like my mother. Guess I'm more like her than I thought," Faith said, laughing mirthlessly.

Kara sighed and looked out of the window. "I never really got a chance to know you or Buffy in my old world," she said, her voice taking a distant quality, as it did whenever she talked about the future she had came back from. "But I remember that when I was with you both, I never felt more loved. You and Buffy were like idols to me. I had this photograph of you both for a while. I used to look at it all the time, trace over your faces with my fingers. Somehow it made me feel like you were there even when you weren't."

"I guess what I'm trying to say," Kara said, looking up at Faith, who was watching her intently, "is that you're nothing like you think you are. You have this idea that you'll always be the psycho slayer with a troubled past. You think that you'll never overcome it. But the thing is, Faith, you already have. You just can't see it."

Faith sighed and leaned forward, resting her head against the glass. "I haven't overcome it yet. There's still one more thing I have to do," she whispered.

"What?" Kara asked curiously.

"I have to go back," Faith said, looking over at Kara. "I haven't been back there since I left. I need to go back and put it all to rest."

"You should. We'll be fine here," Kara said. "But you shouldn't go alone."

"Why not?" Faith asked.

"For one thing, it's not safe. Secondly, you and Buffy are in it for the long haul. She should be there. She feels so helpless not knowing what to do for you. Maybe going there with you would help," Kara suggested.

Faith nodded absently. "Okay, I leave as soon as I can with Buffy. I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I'm going back to Boston."