Title: Maybe, Just Maybe
Disclaimer: Please don't sue. The characters I created are mine. So steal my idea, or 'borrow' without my permission, and I will be the one to sue. Other characters remain...not mine.
Pairings:Buffy/Faith
Feedback: Always, please )
Rating: R


Chapter 16

The sun was just about setting for today, and after much discussion, I'd sent my mom away, in fears of losing her to those demons. She agreed to call every night, and I appreciated that she was safe, away from THIS hell. She called, letting me know she was boarding a plane to New York. She was going to stay with old friends she'd known from when we used to live there. Thank God.

I put down the receiver and gazed into the space in front of me. Tonight we were contacting the guy who had written the "Machmachra," and everyone was collecting various ingredients, looking at various materials. We'd been talking, meditating, pretty much spending the day together at mine, just figuring out how to further our plan.

I thought I was alone in my mom's room until I heard that sensual voice communicate with me, and as I heard it, I turned to face it. 'You know what my mom would say if she was still alive?' she began, and I watched her beautiful form, leaning against the doorframe in nothing more than jeans and a white turtleneck sweater. I loved the way it looked on her.

I shook my head slowly, and she proceeded to entering the room. 'She would tell me that I would amount to all I'd ever proved I could be in life.' She sat down on the end of the bed and I approached her, and soon found comfort in front of her on the carpet at the foot of the bed. 'Know what she said that was?'

I shook my head, my every thought focussed upon hearing what she was going to say. 'Nothing.' She shook her head, her eyes beginning to glaze over as I imagined he re-living that moment her mother had told her those words.

I moved a hand to grasp hers, most of her hand engulfed by the sleeve of the sweater. She looked straight into my eyes, their purity piercing every inch of me. 'You know what?' She blinked and a smile came to my face. 'You're everything. To me.'

She rolled her eyes away from me and huffed. 'You don't have to do this-'

'No, Faith, I mean it. You mean EVERYTHING to me.' I reached up and pushed back a curl from her forehead. 'Your eyes. You look at me...and I just...I feel the whole world is watching me. But they make me feel important. Your voice. I hear it and everything I ever doubted, I'm sure of because I'm sure of you. Your lips. Every time they touch me, I feel SO loved. You can touch me anywhere and I'm excited by it; by you. And I'm greedy because I always want more. And I feel deprived when you're not touching me. But at the same time I feel so lucky to have you. No one listens to me the way that you do. And no one understands me the way that you do. Not even Angel. And...I don't want that...YOU...to ever fade away.

'Faith...I see the world in your eyes. I see mountains higher than Everest and oceans deeper than the Pacific. I love who you are so much because you're full of all of the emotions I've ever wanted to experience, and you can tell stories with your senses. I try to block out senses and you always seem to re-awaken them within me. So your mother may not have loved you, or thought anything of you, but that's because she never saw what I can see...and hear...and touch, and smell...' By this time she had cried, laughed. I shushed her. 'You know what I see? I see a wonderful woman. I see the world in you, Faith. You're my world. And I love that.'

She smiled coyly and entangled her fingers within mine. She knelt down in front of me and moved in and wrapped her arms around me and I wrapped my arms around her shoulder, pulling her in close to me. 'Remember when I said I wanted to love you?' Faith began.

I smiled, leaning my head upon her shoulder. 'Yeah...'

'Well...I love you, Buffy. God, I love you so much.' I smiled and held her tighter. 'I can see oceans in you, too. And mountains...and all that other crap that you said. But it all melts away when I realise that all I need is you. And I feel so fucking nervous because I have that.' She inhaled and I felt her heart beating against me, relaxed as it was. 'You are my world.'

At the door Willow stood, having been sent to get us, so we could start this séance. But as she stood at the doorway, she smiled, just absorbing what her eyes were telling her.

- - -

Once again we were united around that same circle that conjured the spirits of the authors of those ancient books. Willow once again recited some words, Giles, Faith and myself stood around the circle, whilst Angel, Xander and Oz sat back and watched.

As he materialised, I drew in a breath, quietly muttering, 'Here we go,' to Faith, who raised her eyebrows momentarily.

It only took us moment to realise that this time there were two spirits, one of which we'd conjured before. 'It has come to my attention that the Erachnii shall enforce apocalypse upon the world in three days time.'

I looked at Giles, who urged for me to speak. I cleared my throat and looked at the spirit, who once again had that eye-piercing, intimidating glare about him. 'Yeah.'

The other spirit (the one from before) began to speak. 'It is utterly imperative that you stop this, he stated, looking at me, then at Faith.

'We're trying all we can. It's just that we're unsure of what we're doing. The clues you left us are so hard to understand, we barely understand them and that's just us two. Giles, our Watcher, well he...he's been trying all he can-'

'Where is this "Giles?"' the other, older, shorter one asked.

Faith pointed. 'He's right behind you.'

The spirits both turned, Giles looking a little intimidated by them. 'What have you discovered?'

'The specific time, and date of the apocalypse. The tool they use for it, and where it is. We found that we needed a spell to reverse the tool, to disintegrate it. We think we know what we have to do.'

The younger one spoke. 'Good. Except for the spell...requires power and strength, do you have that?'

Giles inhaled. 'We'd like to believe so. We've tried charging ourselves, preparing for the ritual.'

'It seems you know what you have to do.' They both turned to me, and I inwardly cursed for that. They were so freaking creepy-looking. 'IF, however, the ritual does not perform in the way you expect, do not worry...with a damaged tool the Erachnii shall retreat. The transformation cannot begin if they cannot use the tool. It is what keeps them above ground; de-activates that powerful tool that keeps them from living above ground. Destroy it the best you can. But do not try to fight Erachnii.'

The other one continued. 'Imagine the possibilities. The tool destroyed for good. The Erachnii will retreat. Proved nearly invincible, these creatures shall continue to try. But without this tool it is impossible for them to complete the transformation above ground and exterminate every living human being. They will never be able to try again. Not without a guaranteed fail.' He looked towards the other spirit, who nodded at his thought.

'You say...transformation...' Giles began and they turned to him. 'What transformation?'

'The transformation of the Earth. It becoming suitable for them to live on. You see, the tool of Sanctimony reflects the tool of the Dedicated; used by us to reflect their energy to enable them to live upon the earth. But as long as the tool of Sanctimony is being used, the Dedicated cannot overpower it. Allow this to happen and you shall be lost. You...along with the rest of the world.'

With that, they both disappeared. I sighed and rubbed my hands together. 'So we have two tools to put right now?'

Giles nodded. 'I'll start looking at what I can for this Dedicated thing, maybe it's in that book.'

'I'll help you, maybe I can translate it,' Faith said as she moved away from the circle. I remained, just thinking, and Willow also. Who I hadn't noticed had been watching me for a while. The rest followed out of the room and I began to clean up the candles and what not from the séance.

I heard Willow sigh and begin helping me clear out the items. 'So two days, huh,' she began. I glanced over at her and nodded.

'Two days. Then, in three we fight...maybe...'

'Yeah, if that spell doesn't work,' she continued. I sighed a little.

'Hopefully we won't have to worry about that.' I placed the items down on the table and wiped the debris on my trousers, and watched as Willow pretty much did the same.

'Yeah...hopefully.' She smiled to herself and looked around. 'I, er...I actually wanted to tell you something,' she began, her voice gentle calming as it always had been. Less edgy than usual, however. She seemed so serene, tired almost. I wouldn't blame her. We all were. We were all sleep-deprived, awake on coffee, or adrenaline (or the other stimulant), scared. Unnervingly edgy about all of this. 'If we don't make it through...'

'Will, we-'

'No, just...let me finish.' She took in a deep breath. 'You're my best friend, and...I love you. Thanks...for everything. For being my friend and...putting up with me and...letting me fight with you.'

I just stood back a moment, absorbing every word she'd just said to me. Her eyes were welling up with tears that I think were threatening to fall. 'Willow...'

'I just always wanted to be there. Part of something, you know? I never imagined it would be like this, though, you know?'

'What?'

'The end. I can't say how I imagined my life to be, but...I think I've lived a bit more than I expected to at this age.' She inhaled. 'And you gave me that, Buffy.' I felt a tear challenge another for my chin, and she smiled timidly upon finishing her sentence.

I pulled her in for a hug and she sobbed a little, and I did too. 'I love you too, Will.' I held her head a little before grasping her shoulders, tears well and truly falling from my eyes now.

I had spoken to Faith about how this wouldn't be the end for us. But what if it was? I'd never thought properly, "What IF we don't make it?" And now, with Willow...I'd begun to think about it. She reviewed the possibilities, and I couldn't believe how much fear I could see in her eyes. She was so strong, though. And I saw that in her eyes, too. An unbelievable amount.

'We have to make it,' I whispered into her ear, and she sniffled.

'I hope we make it, just so I can see the look on our faces when we do,' she told me as we both pulled back. I moved a hand to her cheek and she held my hand above it. 'We have to do this,' she concluded.

I nodded, and was thankful for a moment's peace. 'Do you think crying is a waste of energy?'

She chuckled and I released my hand from her face.

- - -

The cool breeze of the outdoors provided an almost perfect setting for us, as we all stood at our respective points. I begun speaking, a rolling sentence of Latin emitting from my mouth. I was astounded at how the words fit together so well. Somehow they made sense. Then Faith followed...Willow, then Angel. And then we all went together, and as we joined hands a bright white light engulfed us, a quick flash circling us, creating a circle. I could feel the power flowing through me, and I could see it flowing through everyone else. I could see the red energy surrounding Willow, and the grey energy surrounding Faith, and the blue energy surrounding Angel. The bright white light encircled us so much, flowed through us so much that I could feel everyone else's bodies against mine. I could see everyone's sped up breathing, the power slightly overwhelming. Then finally, the energy threw us apart, and as we broke the chain, the power shot up towards the sky, before dissolving.

There we all lay, scattered about the garden, the circle too much energy for us to be able to maintain. I straightened out, and so did everyone else. And as I looked around, immediately I saw the expressions upon everyone else's faces. Anxiety. Fear. Determination. All of those emotions rolled into one. We all wanted to do this, but we were all scared, worried...but over all, determined. Driven. By the fact that we wanted to save this world.

I followed Willow inside who seemed as if she'd begun a mission to find something, or someone. Figures that mission was to find Giles, because soon she was calling for him, and as Angel and Faith followed closely behind us, I worried that they were wanting to talk to him about the same thing we were talking about. 'Giles!' she called again, and soon he came down the stairs.

'What is it, Willow, did something happen?' he asked, his voice genuinely apprehensive.

She followed him as he headed through into the dining room and we all seated ourselves around the table. 'Something most definitely happened. Energy alright. I've never...ever seen energy like that in all of the rituals I've ever done. This is larger than anything I've ever seen. More importantly, we've got too much power.'

'Too much?' Faith chimed in.

She nodded. 'SO much that we can't sustain it.'

Silence. Everyone was contemplating her words. 'Giles, what do we do, how do we get this under control?' I asked him.

We all watched him for a moment as he thought about it. 'Keep trying. Practise. Practise again and again.'

'But isn't this draining us of the energy we have?' Angel asked, seeming a little concerned that what he'd enquired was true.

Willow thought. 'Well...kind of, but...'

'We've somehow learned how to channel that energy through us, therefore what we have doesn't matter, we can draw it from anywhere,' I began, a little amazed that I just knew this, right off the bat.

'You're right. It doesn't matter that we don't HAVE, have that energy because we can draw it from anywhere. Everything is linked. The chair to the ground, my feet to the ground, to the trees, the water, the air, I'm connected to you, and that's how it works. So, in answer to your question Angel...no.'

'Right, so...' Faith began again. 'Do we try again?'

We all exchanged looks before rising from our seats and heading for the back garden again, only difference being Giles came with us. 'I'll note the activity, see if I can help in any way.'

'Did you find anything on the Dedication yet?' I asked him.

He nodded. 'All we need to know is there. Pretty much what they told us. I'll inform everyone later. Tomorrow. It'll be alright.'

'Okay,' I told him, and headed out for the circle again.

There we stood again, in the same places, at our north, at our south, at our east and at our west. At our respective points. And I began. Then Faith. Willow...and Angel. And it started again. The energy rose as before, and this time I could see what Willow meant. I could see it drawing up from the earth, into us. And not just the earth, I could see it diffusing into Faith from the air, and I looked up, saw the rain begin to fall, and as the droplets fell to us, they fell into us. I could see the blue gleaming, the droplets shining, and as I held hands with Faith, and held hands with Angel, I could feel their elements engulfing them, the power consuming them. I wondered if they could feel that with me.

And then I realised something...as the white circle shot around us, again and again...we weren't just absorbing energy...we were creating it. I looked around us and could see a ring of fire beginning to follow us round, just as the white circle did, only larger...and the rain...the breeze.

And as Giles stood back, he furrowed his eyebrows, and removed his glasses. His lower lip hung and he looked astounded at what we were doing. Then it happened again. We flew apart. The rain stopped, the wind, the fire disappeared.

I looked across at Giles, who had begun to walk towards us. 'What do we do?' we all straightened out and waited for his reply.

After much thought, he replied. 'Focus. Concentrate. Concentrate on how much power you're channelling...' He seemed a little...off-beat and I reached out to him.

'You alright, Giles? You look a little...'

'It's just that...' He looked into the space before us for a moment. Then looked to me. 'I've never seen anything so powerful in my entire life,' he concluded with a little bit of a modest smile.

- - -

Everyone had decided to stay at mine for the duration of the apocalypse...just so that we had more time to collect ideas, practise, what not.

So I'd given Willow my bedroom, Giles the spare room, and Xander the fold-out bed in my room. I gave Angel a sleeping bag in Gile's room, but he said he'd take the couch.

I closed my mom's bedroom door and crossed the room to the bed, where I stripped off my clothes and changed into my night wear. I heard the door click shut again and I looked over my shoulder to see who it was. 'You never said where I could sleep,' Faith mused as she approached me. I smiled and continued pulling the cami over my head.

'You can take...the floor...' I joked, and I felt her wrap her arms around my waist, then inhale against my neck, and kiss the skin there.

'Hmm,' she said, low in her throat, before sliding round me and jumping onto the bed. 'So...that thing tonight...some pretty powerful stuff, huh?'

I nodded as I folded my clothes and placed them in a pile on the chair across the room. 'Amazing stuff.'

I joined her on the bed, folding my legs over one another and taking both of her hands in mine. 'Think we could do it now?'

She scoffed. 'Well, B, you're usually a little more subtle, but I guess you have your ways, you know,' she started and I playfully hit her on the upper arm.

'That's not what I mean, dumbass,' I said with a laugh, and she laughed also. 'I mean that thing that we just did out there. With Will and Angel. Think you and me could do that, just the two of us?'

'Like...now?' she said.

I nodded. 'Let's try.'

'But it wouldn't work without the other two,' she told me, and I grasped her hands again.

'Let's give it a try.' I cleared my throat and shuffled a little as she did the same. 'Just...close your eyes.'

I began speaking those same words from outside, and immediately I could feel the energy beginning to muster. Then Faith spoke, and I began to feel her energy flowing through me. And as we held hands, the energy grew, flowed, and flowed, and flowed. When I opened my eyes, it was not what I had expected. Purple. Just continuous purple. Then the white. The white orbs that surrounded us outside. I thought about it for a moment, then decided to try telepathy.

I tried thinking. Thinking the command. Open your eyes, Faith. It astounded me when she did, because of when she did. Immediately after I'd thought about it. Did you hear that? She nodded, and I smiled. You try.

I watched her eyes and she smiled also. You look so hot in that shirt. That would be my Faithy.

This is weird...I started. Faith...can you see this purple light too? She nodded and I my smile began to fade, as did hers. I think this is a new kind of element.

You mean you and me? I listened to how her words echoed into my mind. That's because of who we are. It's really warm, you feel it too? I nodded.

I never knew that we could raise this much energy, just by words, and thinking and focussing. This much energy. And what Giles had said...the most powerful thing he'd ever seen. He believed in us. That gave me strength.

I didn't hear the knock at the door, or the door opening, but as I gazed into Faith's eyes, and she gazed back into mine, her brown eyes gleaming from so light, that was all I wanted to know.

Across the room Willow stood, her eyes agape...her mouth agape-r. She brought a hand to her mouth to cover, and clutched at the doorframe as her eyes told her a story of the Slayer's Power.

She stepped back out of the room, closing it as she went. 'Oh my god...'