Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow II: The Rising Sun

Previously:

Suddenly, they could hear howling echoing down the street and something thumped against the front door. Kara looked back at it wearily. "You guys might want to get some weapons."

Chapter Twenty-Four:

Faith could see the sun rising through the window of the airplane. Golden beams spread out over the clouds. "It's morning," she said, smiling over at Buffy, who was just waking up.

"We should be landing soon," Buffy replied, shifting so her head was resting on Faith's shoulder.

"Yeah. I guess the first thing we should do is check into a hotel," Faith commented, looking down at her partner.

"I'm sure there's one by the airport," Buffy replied, suppressing a yawn. Faith nodded.

"Thanks," she whispered softly. Buffy looked up at her in surprise.

"For what?"

"For coming with me," Faith said. "I know you don't understand what I'm going through and I'm pretty sure I haven't been the greatest person to be around lately. But it means a lot to me that you're here."

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," Buffy replied. She took Faith's hand in her own and lifted it up, pressing a kiss to her open palm.

"After we find someplace to stay, there's this little café on my old street. Serves good breakfast if I remember correctly. We should go there," Faith said, smiling slightly at the memory of the place. The owner used to give her free meals when she would come in. He knew that her mother couldn't afford much and Faith had been a scrawny child. She wasn't even sure if the café was still there, but it was one of the few places in Boston that she had felt safe and comfortable in.

Buffy smiled. "Sounds good," she said. She had been afraid that by going back to Boston, Faith would only be able to focus on the negative aspects of her life there. However, she seemed to have latched onto one of the few memories she had of the place. Buffy was hopeful that would be enough to get her through. Buffy could feel the plane start to slow as they began to make their descent.

"You know, I hear that when planes are taking off and landing, they're most likely to crash," Faith said, her grip tightening on the seat rest.

"Way to see the glass half full, baby," Buffy sighed and gently patted her hand.

"Don't I always?"

………………………………..

"This absolutely sucks," Dawn said, slumped over against the basement door. The doorframe rattled and she could feel a hellhound throwing itself against the door.

"Just don't let it in," Kara said, sitting next to her.

"There's one at the window," Anya said, holding onto her broom like a sword.

"Don't worry. We replaced the window with extra thick glass since the last time the town got taken over by demons," Xander said confidently, throwing his wife a half smile.

"Are you sure? 'Cuz that thing looks mighty fierce," Kennedy replied, from her position next to Kara. She, Kara, and Dawn were using all of their weight to keep the hellhounds from crashing through the door. Meanwhile, Joyce was tending to a rather nasty cut on Spike's temple, courtesy of a renegade paw. Willow and Tara were searching through some magic books that were being stored in the basement, in hopes of finding some kind of protection spell for the house, or even the town. Anya and Xander were huddled on Spike's bed, each clinging to some household item in hopes that it would defend them against attack.

"I wish Buffy and Faith were here," Dawn whined.

"Thanks, nice to see our efforts mean so much to you, kiddo," Kara said sarcastically.

"So are we just gonna hide out in the basement all night?" Spike asked as Joyce bandaged his wound.

"You got a better plan, Spike?" Kennedy asked, bracing herself as a hound threw itself against the door again.

"Well, jumping out the bloody window and killing the bastards sounds pretty good to me," Spike replied, smiling his thanks at Joyce as she walked away.

"Got any weapons down here?" Kara asked, evaluating their chances. Spike smiled. "Is that a yes?"

Moving over to a cabinet in the corner of the room, Spike fished a key out of his pocket. Sticking it in the lock, he turned it and threw open the door. "These good enough for ya, pet?" Spike asked, motioning to a row of shotguns. Kara smiled in appreciation.

"I think we've got ourselves a new plan."

…………………………..

Faith and Buffy stepped off the plane into the already busy Boston airport. After collecting their bags, they hailed a taxi and headed toward the nearest hotel. They arrived several minutes later and paid the driver. "Well, here we are," Faith said, slinging her carry on over her shoulder. They walked into the hotel office.

"How long are we staying?" Buffy asked as she paid the hotel manager for the first two nights.

"As long as it takes," Faith replied, looking out of the front windows of the office at the busy street outside.

"Come on," Buffy said, dangling the key in front of Faith. "Let's go get some real sleep." Faith smiled. They went to their room and quickly unpacked, both rolling into bed. "Should I call home?" Buffy asked as she curled up with Faith, her head resting on Faith's stomach.

"Nah, I'm sure everything is under control."