Chosen Destiny
Chapter 8
The phone rang once, and then again. Dr Possible calmly reached over for the phone. 'Hello, Possible residence.'
'Mr, Dr, P. Its me Ronald.' The boy sounded a little tired, not surprising because of how early it was
'Hello Ron. The boys said that my Kimmie was with you on a mission last night. Is everything alright? We expected her home by now.'
'Everything's fine sir. The mission was a bit longer than it should have been and Kim slept over, I hope you don't mind.'
He looked over the mornings paper that had only just been delivered. The front page headline read: "Murder increase in Middleton, unconfirmed reports that religious cult is responsible". 'From what I've just read that wasn't a bad idea.'
'What was that?'
'The paper has something on a spate of local murders, seem to be taking place at night.'
There was an almost pregnant pause. 'That doesn't sound good.'
'I believe that's an understatement Ron. Tell my daughter to be careful at night.'
'Yes sir, I've got to go now. Bye'
'Good bye.'
Ron placed the phone down slowly but firmly before breathing out. Quietly he started to collect some supplies from the kitchen.
In the basement Kim came around. Gently tensing mussels in order she found most of the beating she had taken had healed to something just more than a bad bruise. It was an effort to get up and move but something told her that if she didn't at least try things would get worse. She felt incredibly weak and was exhausted after only a few steps. She looked around for Ron, instead she found his pet. Rufus slept peacefully on a small table that was nestled amongst all the training gear.
It wasn't a partially neat table either, a CD player and a couple of books took up almost all of the room and lay haphazardly half open. Stumbling to the seat next to the table she lifted one of the incredibly heavy books onto her lap.
A happy smile crept across her face as she read it. As she turned the page Ron came down the steps carrying some things in his arms. 'Morning Ron.' She said in a hollow voice.
The boy-watcher span on his heels 'KP your awake! How are you feeling?'
'Like I was trampled half to death by an army of vampires.' She felt her cracked lips crinkle when they touched. 'You saved me.'
'Yes. That was a very stupid thing you did last night.' He turned around and sat next to one of the chests next to the weapons cabinets.
'I… I didn't think. I thought it would be like fighting Draken and his henchmen. Not that many though.'
'Last time I checked KP, Hench co didn't hire out psychotic blood suckers that can bench press half a ton with ease. Especially not in dozen lots.'
'That must be it.' She tried to smile 'What are you doing.'
'Making you a healing potion, here it is.' He stood up with a large glass in his hand. The potion was clear but it did have a red tinge to it. 'KP this has some ingredients that will help you recover. But you have to drink it in one try.'
'All of it?'
'Afraid so.'
'Down the hatch then.' She stood up and stumbled the hand full of feet to him. 'There isn't anything dangerous in there is there.'
'No just some herbs and an iron substitute for your blood.'
With trembling hands Kim held the glass to her mouth and gulped it down. The first taste was awful but the second was better. By the time the glass was empty it was absolutely gorgeous. 'I liked that. Can I have some more?' She already felt better, it was amazing.
'Urm. I don't think so. Lets let that one settle first okay.'
'Sure Ron. Whatever, it's no big.' She shrugged. For some reason he shoulders were much loser than they were before. 'Hey, I saw your books!' She waved to the table with an extraordinary lose arm. 'You've hidden a comic in them! Bad, bad Watcher.' She poked him in the chest, which had the effect of pushing her off balance.
Fortunately he caught her. Finally her mind caught up with what her body was telling her. 'Was the something naughty in my drink Ron?'
'You need to sleep. Don't worry it's a harmless side effect.'
'Bad, bad Ron. I should send you to your room with no supper.' She was now cradled in his arms. Seeming he was there she kissed him on the nose. 'Thank you for saving me from myself.' She said before changing the kiss to something much more heated.
Ron could feel his legs weakening and it wasn't anything to do with the weight of the woman in his arms. After the moments passed he watched her head roll to his shoulder and she began to snore quite loudly. Unable to wipe a goofy grin from his face Ron carefully put her on the bed and stroked her hair strait. Already some colour was coming back to her face.
Faith got off the plane in Upperton and headed to the bus depot. It didn't take long for her to find the right bus and to get a ticket. She was glad she had packed light.
It wasn't long before she made it to Middleton. She had noticed on the way that there was also a "Lowerton" near by. At the time she found it mildly amusing. Looking around the bus stop she pulled out the map Giles had given her and made her way to the house marked on it.
Knocking on the door Faith waited. She knocked again. Still no answer. She was about to try knocking the door down when Ronald opened it. 'Faith! You're the back up uncle Rupert sent?'
'Who did you expect?'
'Well not you… Come on, we're in the basement.'
He took her downstairs. The kid was fast asleep on an inflatable bed, a rough blanket covered her from chin to toe and Ron's pet was combing her hair for her. 'Is she alright.' She asked Ron as he sat down at what she assumed to be his table.
'Probably. I've done all I dare. Physically she'll heal in a day or so but as for what happened to her mentally.' He yawned and left it hanging.
'Then that's my job. You need some sleep.' Faith walked up to him.
'I'll sleep when I know Kim is alright.'
'All right fine. You get to sleep or I'll have my revenge for you shooting me. That sound fair?' A plan was forming in her mind.
'Take whatever "revenge" you want. I will not abandon KP.' He stood up and matched her glaire.
'Whatever.' Shrugged the dark Slayer before punching his lights out. Looking around Faith tried to find something to do. When she saw the punch bag hanging in the corner she had an idea.
Kim woke up to a rhythmic thumping behind her eyes. 'Urr… How many times can one Slayer be drugged in a week.' She muttered before sitting up.
'Wakey, wakey Kiddo. Have a nice nap?'
'I don't know if I feel better or worse after that drink.' Kim closed one eye so she could focus the other one. 'Faith! What are you doing here.'
The older Slayer was pounding at the punch bag. Each time she hit it she sent the bag flying away. Then she would, sometimes, dodge the bags return and hit it again. Other times she wouldn't dodge. Kim watched in awe as the dark haired woman kept it rocking for almost two minutes, each punch harder and faster than before. 'Ron called the G-man and I got the job.' She began kicking the bag. 'Heard… we heard you had a fight.'
'Sure if you call losing to a vampire army a fight.' The teen hero picked up Rufus and dropped him in her pocket.
Faith stopped the bag. 'An army? How many were there?'
'Enough.' Kim got up on shaky legs and fought back a wave of light headedness.
' "Enough"? As in four or five.'
'I staked five of them Faith, it was the other dozen or so that got me.' Gently her head began to clear, she did fell a lot better.
'Hang on you went up against more than a dozen vamps!'
'I think there was twenty four of them when they started.' Kim shrugged.
'TWENTY FOUR! Do you have a death wish or something? One Slayer can't take on twenty four vamps! Eight at once is pushing it but that many! No wonder you lost.'
'I didn't know there was that many.'
'Ever heard the saying "look before you leap"?'
'Possibly. Say are you hungry?'
'A little bit.'
'Lets get something to eat.' Kim stumbled up the stairs and then into the house. The older Slayer followed closely Kim guessed that she was ready to catch her if she fell. It was a humbling thought not being able to walk up a flight of stairs with out an escort.
Eventually Kim made it to Ron's kitchen, she noticed that it was well into the day and school must have been in full swing. Fortunately because of the time both Ron's parents were at work. 'I don't think Ron would mind us raiding his fridge.' The injured girl said as the two tucked in.
'So what's up with you and Ron?'
'Huh' Kim asked with a cold nacho inches from her mouth.
'Come on, the two of you. You know.'
'Know what?' Kim masked still confused. Looking down at the key staple of her diet she frowned wondering what was wrong with it before realising "nothing", save for the fact it was untouched. She quickly corrected the oversight.
'You know what I mean! He boy, you girl and the beast with two backs.'
Kim almost spat the nacho back out. Once she swallowed she fixed Faith with a glare that had evildoers shaking.
Faith laughed, the Kid had a good glare. Not as good as hers or B's but good enough. 'I take that as no, ever thought of it?' Faith stopped herself form bursting out with laughter as the young girl blushed to the roots of her hair.
'No. He's my best friend I love him… Not that way I mean.'
'Stop. You're already in a big hole, no need to keep digging.' Again the Kid blushed.
'It's just up until this last week he was just Ron you know. The goofy guy who gave Goofy a run for his money but now. I always knew he was better than he pretended, I didn't think he tried enough. You know? But now he's all stealthy and smart and strong. It's like he grew up behind my back.'
Faith was shocked when the little critter spoke 'He did. Had to.'
'I know that now Rufus. Those things he's got to protect me from, I think I… He's always been there for me to cheer me up and now he's here to save me. I don't think I can ever repay him for any of it.' The Kid took a deep breath and set her jaw. 'Yes Faith I love him and sometimes I wish he loved me in the same way but he doesn't and I can take that.' Kim's sad smile was almost infectious, what the Kid didn't know was Rufus had glanced at Faith and winked.
They spent the next few minutes is silence, the Kid was dwelling on something that was easy to guess and Faith decided not to tell the G-man. Slayers and their watchers weren't supposed to get involved and Giles would have a fit if he found out things were merely six words from exploding in love hearts down here.
Kim felt like she was starving, even after the third nacho Rufus microwave-ed for her and said so.
'That's the funny thing about slaying, everyone needs a five course snack right after a fight.' Faith laughed. 'You're beginning to look a bit better Kiddo, you were a sight this morning I can tell you.'
'Thanks, you try looking your best with a major neck wound.'
'Hey! Been there.' Kim winced as Faith pulled her hair back to show an old, scabbed over, bite mark.
'Whoa sorry…'
'Had worse, spent a year in a coma 'cause B stabbed me in the gut. With my own knife.' Faith shrugged
This shocked Kim 'Why would one slayer hurt another, aren't we all on the same side?'
'There was a time I wasn't.' The Boston Slayer admitted in a quite voice.
'Is that something to do with the crimes I was supposed to find you for.'
'What you want a life story?' Faith half-joked.
'You've heard mine.'
Faith shrugged again. 'Not much of a story. Dad was a right basterd and left Mom before I was born. That cut her up inside and she went into a bottle. I got kicked out of school, no friends and my only family was so dunk that she couldn't remember my name half the time. I grew up fast, if you know what I mean.' Kim blushed at that. 'Then I was called as a Slayer, the second slayer to B. The watcher who was the closed thing I had to a real mom was killed in front of me. Me and B killed the vamp that did it…' Faith broke off and looked at the table. 'The rest, it's a little complicated but I ended up on the wrong side.'
'Wrong side of what?'
'Good and evil. I made a mistake, then another and another. Each one pushed me from the only people who ever really cared for me. Eventually I turned my back on the gang and went all the way, I didn't think I had anything to lose. The big bad around at the time was the mayor of the town, Mayor Wilkins. He… he became a father to me, or who I had become and made sure I made more mistakes. Mistakes for him.'
'What sort of mistakes? Kim didn't want to ask but the words were there before she could stop them.
Faith smiled sadly 'The sort of mistakes that leaves blood on the floor and over a knife. Then came the whole coma thing. Woke up a year latter to find that B had killed the mayor and moved on. Things happened on the revenge front but something went wrong. I… I finally saw who, what I had become, a murderer and a force for evil. Gave up the whole getting even and found a way out.
Kim was gob smacked. 'What way out?'
'Get killed. I couldn't let B do it cause she'd become me, so I left and went looking for death. I found someone who had gone through the same thing and he taught me that all I was trying to do was running from myself. I went to jail for a bit but things in this wacky outside world just kept trying to pull me back out. Finally I bust out when L.A. went to hell this last year and then I helped B close the Hellmouth.'
'And you say that's nothing much?'
'We'd be here all year Talking about B you know.'
'One thing I don't understand, When you say this mayor was like a father to you, did he adopt you?'
'Yes but I changed my name back.'
'Back to what?'
'Nothing. You'd think it was tacky.'
'Living in this town you don't think anything is tacky, specially not names.'
'Revere, Faith Revere. Originally from Boston.'
'Is that a joke?' Kim called on all her strength to keep her face straight.
'Nope.'
Chewing her bottom lip Kim started kicking herself in the effort not to laugh.
'Its all right, you can laugh if you want.'
Kim did, but only for a short time.
'Be back in a moment Kiddo.' Faith got up and left for the stairs. 'You wouldn't know where…'
'At the top turn right door at the end.' Kim smiled
'Thanks'
When Faith left ear shot Kim whipped out her Kimunicator. 'Wade?'
'Kim!' Answered the boy genius. 'You didn't check in. Are you alright? You don't look to well.'
'I will be. Can you look someone up for me, in Boston.'
'Who?'
'Probably a missing person's report, name; Faith Revere.'
'Same Faith as before?'
'That's her real name.'
'Checked. One result. Her mother posted it almost ten years ago. No responses and the description matches.'
'Can you find anything about her?' Kim asked a plan forming in the back of her mind.
'Sure. Her name's Jessica Revere. Several accounts of petty theft when she was young, single parent, arrested for drunk and disorderly twice and sentenced to rehab for a few months. As far as I can tell she posted the missing persons report the day she got out. I have her phone number and address if you want it.'
Ron cursed silently and got out of the chair. Both the Slayers were gone along with Rufus. 'I hope he keeps them out of trouble' Ron muttered before heading to the stairs. He found Kim using her Kimunicator as a phone.
'Hello is that Jessica Revere?' Ron watched unobserved from the doorway. 'You posted a missing person report ten years ago?… Your daughter Faith?… My name's Kimberly Possible… Yes that's me, I don't know how to put this… No she's fine that's what I don't know how to say. Your daughter is a friend of mine. I'm calling to tell you that she's alright… It's no big, this is a favour for her… No I'm sorry, I haven't told her I was going to contact you.'
Ron smiled but Rufus's expression caught his eye. In the other doorway Faith was looking at Kim, her face was the battleground for the conflicting emotions the Slayer obviously felt. One second betrayed the next almost thankful. Eventually the woman turned and left the doorway. Kim oblivious to this continued to fend off the person she was calling's demands to talk with her daughter.
Slipping past Kim without her knowledge Ron followed Faith to the living room. The second most powerful Slayer was curled up in his fathers chair, crying. 'Faith?' There was no response. 'Faith are you alright?'
'Wh… Why did she do that?'
'For you. I don't know much about your life but I know you got some hard knocks and fell quite a way down. Kim likes you. I don't know if you heard her but you're a friend, she chooses her friends carefully and she's a good judge of character.'
'But mom wants nothing to do with me. I might not be a brainiac but I know that much.'
'Your wrong Faith.' Kim said coming in. She was still having some trouble standing without swaying like a leaf in strong wind 'Your mother did everything she could to find you when you left. She was even arrested, that's how I found her.'
'Why?'
'The things Ron said and what you said. Every family you had rejected you or corrupted you. I had to check, it's what friends do. Here, your mothers still on the line.' Kim handed Faith the devise. The other Slayer took it in both her own shaking hands.
'Mom…' Faith said, a world of emotion in that one word.
Silently Ron took Kim into his arms and guided her back to the kitchen.
End Chapter 8
Authors
NoteA longer
chapter than the others, next chapter is the last one of the story so
keep your eyes pealed for it. To be honest I have no idea what
Faith's "Real" name was so I made something up.
This is
officially my least reviewed story to date! I'd like to thank those who
have taken the time to read and enjoy it so far and I hope the next
chapter rounds things off nicely for you. If you do like it, tell me.
The review button is only a click away and it will make my day
