Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow

Previously:

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."

Chapter Twenty-Five:

Kara surveyed the group assembled before her. Each Scooby had been outfitted with a shotgun and enough ammunition to launch a war with. "I gotta say, Spike, I have never been more appreciative of your penchant towards violence before in my life," Kara said, nodding in approval.

"Thanks, pet," Spike said, loading up his shotgun.

"Is everybody ready?" Kennedy asked from her position at the door. The Scoobies mumbled a collective 'yes' and Kennedy smiled. "Let's go kick some ass then."

"On the count of three, back off the door. When those bastards come in here, they're not gonna know what hit them," Kara said, raising her gun and aiming it at the door. The group followed her example. "One…two," she said, before Cordelia interrupted her.

"Ah, before we actually get to three…could someone show me how to use this thing?" Cordelia asked, referring to the gun limply hanging in her grip. Lucian smiled and walked over to her.

"Just pull this," he said, tapping the trigger lightly.

"What happens when I run out of bullets?" Cordelia asked.

"Use it as a baseball bat," Xander quipped, smiling as Cordelia rolled her eyes. Then turning to Willow, he whispered, "Whose idea was it to give Cordelia a gun anyway?"

"Guys? Can we focus, please?" Kara pleaded. Shaking her head slightly, she turned back to Kennedy and Dawn, who were positioned by the door. "I'll be surprised if any of us live through this," she muttered. "Ready?" She asked the two girls. They nodded. "Okay then…three."

Dawn and Kennedy scrambled away from the door. Barely a second later, it crashed open. Two fierce looking hellhounds stood on the other side of the shattered door, growling menacingly. They leapt at the assembled group and a chorus of gunshots rang out. The two hellhounds crashed to the floor, skidded forward a few feet, and stopped dead, smoking. "Well that went well," Kara muttered in relief.

"Cordy?" Lucian said, looking back at her. "We're aiming for the demons," he reinforced. Cordelia smiled and glanced at the barrage of bullet holes above the doorframe.

"They're not all mine," she argued.

Lucian laughed, quickly stifling his reaction at her hurt look. "I'm sure they're not," he said, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Although you were the only one aiming in that general direction."

"Shut up," Cordelia said.

"Quiet, guys," Kennedy said, looking back at them. "We don't want the entire demon population of Sunnydale to know that we're coming, do we?" She said as they began to creep out of the basement. The rest of the house was quiet. They moved silently to the front door. Once they were gathered in the foyer, Kara grasped the doorknob with a shaking hand.

"Let's go save the town," she said and pulled the door open.

………………………………..

Faith groaned and rolled over in the hard, hotel bed. The sun was streaming in through a slit in the blinds. Squinting her eyes, Faith looked over at Buffy. "You awake?" She whispered. Buffy stirred and opened her eyes.

"Yeah," she whispered back. "How did you sleep?"

"I didn't," Faith replied, her voice tainted with a weariness that practically hung from her limbs. "You?"

"I kept waking up," Buffy said, scooting over toward Faith until she could rest her head on Faith's stomach. "What time is it?"

"Ten," Faith replied. She absently began running her hand through Buffy's hair as she stared up at the discolored ceiling above them. "I don't know about you, but I could use some coffee right about now." Faith grinned as Buffy nearly jumped out of the bed.

"Hell yeah," Buffy said, smiling and pulling Faith to her feet.

Nearly a half hour later, they were exiting their hotel room. "That café I told you about is only a couple of blocks from here," Faith said, grabbing Buffy's hand and leading her across the parking lot.

"Good, I'm starved," Buffy replied. Traffic whizzed by them as they walked. Buffy watched as the city began to change around them. Their hotel was located in a fairly affluent part of the city. However, within a few blocks, the cityscape began to change drastically. Smoke stacks appeared on the horizon. The roads, before well maintained, had potholes and cracks running down them. The buildings began to change as well, becoming more and more decrepit as they walked.

"Welcome to my neighborhood," Faith said.

"This is where you grew up?" Buffy asked, looking around and realizing, perhaps for the first time, just how different Faith's life had been from hers. She always knew that Faith hadn't grown up in the nicest of places, but seeing it for herself, she realized that they really had come from two entirely different worlds.

"Yeah," Faith replied. "Not exactly like Sunnydale, huh?" She said, smiling slightly over at Buffy. Then she stopped walking. "Here we are," she said, looking up at the faded and rusted sign of 'Charlie's Café.' Faith pulled open the front door and a little bell over the top cheered gloomily.

There weren't many people in the café. Only a couple of booths were occupied. Faith led Buffy up to the counter, where they sat on some stools covered in cracked, red plastic. "I'll be right with you," a gruff voice said from the kitchen.

"Is it safe to eat here?" Buffy whispered over to Faith, looking around. Faith smiled and laced her fingers with Buffy's.

"Yeah, it's safe to eat here, B," she said. Buffy flushed red with embarrassment. "It's cool. Girls like you don't usually wander into parts of the city like this."

"And what about girls like you?" Buffy asked, giving Faith's hand a loving squeeze.

"We come from parts of the city like this," she answered.

"What can I get for you?" A man asked, appearing in front of them with a pad and pencil in his hand. "Wait a second," he said, looking up at them and seeing Faith. "Well I'll be damned…Faith?" He asked, smiling widely.

"Hey, Charlie," Faith said, with an equal smile on her face. "How's business?"

"You know, booming," Charlie said, motioning with his free hand to the mostly empty seating area. "I never thought I'd see you again, kiddo. What're you doing back here?"

"I thought it was about time I saw my mom again," Faith said, her smile fading a little. Charlie noticed.

"Well, before you do, old Charlie's gonna make sure you have a hot breakfast in you. So who's the girl?" He asked, leaning forward and whispering conspiratorially with Faith. Faith smiled.

"This is Buffy, my wife," she replied. Charlie wiped his hands off on his jeans and extended one.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said as Buffy shook his hand with a timid grin on her face. "You picked a winner here, Faith," he said, winking over at her. "I'll have two specials up in no time."

"Thanks," Faith called after him as he scurried back into the kitchen.

"He seems nice," Buffy said.

"Yeah, he was like a father to me for a while," Faith said. Buffy stood and motioned over to the pay phone in the corner.

"I'm gonna call home real quick," she said, moving away before Faith could stop her.

"I'm sure they're five by five," Faith called after her. "I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"