A/N Apologies about the non-formatting. The editor is once again playing up.
FIC: She's Gone (15C/?)
Thinking quickly, Clem punched the lead soldier square in the face, knocking him back into his companions, before slamming and locking the door. Turning, he winced at the terror in the Slayer's liquid brown eyes, if she knew who the Scourge really were she'd be even more frightened. He picked the Bostonian up in his arms, while all the time wincing at the banging at his door behind him. It wouldn't hold for long. "Come on Faithie," he soothed as he hurried towards the back door, wondering all the time what would greet him there.
He sighed in relief as he flung the back door open. Fortunately the Scourge had neglected to station a guard at the back door. Although, he grimaced as his floppy ears picked up the sound of charging feet, they were coming. He winced as he heard the front door splinter. He wasn't build for speed, he was built for power. If he left Faith… No, he mentally shook his head as he looked down at the trembling brunette in his arms. This little girl, which was all she was really even by human standards, had been abandoned too many times in the past, old Clem wasn't going to do that.
"We'll be fine Faithie," he lied between wheezing breaths. Already he could hear the soldiers gaining. "Just you see, Clem has a-."
Suddenly a car screeched to a halt in front of her and a door swung open. "Get in!"
Clem paused for a second, his mouth dropping open. Dawnie? Shaking himself, he climbed into the car. "You're not old enough to drive!" he declared in outrage.
"Gee!" Dawn snapped. "Do you think I should wait until a responsible adult turns up?"
Clem looked towards the rapidly approaching Scourge demons. "Uh no?"
"Good answer! "Now hold on!" the teen ordered.
Clem screamed as the car launched itself into the air like a shot fired from a catapult. Maybe the Scourge weren't that dangerous after all.
Xander blinked, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Turning, he grabbed his blood-stained coat. "Where are you going Dweeb Boy?"
"To get Faith," he replied without looking back at his ex, unable to show her his shame. He'd left Faith to face that alone? She was right; he was just like the other men she'd known.
"Not on your own you're not!" Cordelia shrilled. Xander winced, it appeared becoming an ascended being hadn't tempered the sharpness of the former High School queen's tone. "Angel, tell him!"
Angel sounded world-weary. "Why? It's not like he ever listened to me."
"Angel!" Cordelia squawked.
"But she's right," Angel continued. "Xander, you can't take the Scourge on your own. You need help." He reluctantly turned to face the Irish vampire. "And," the former Scourge glanced as he stood, pushing back the chair he'd been sat behind, at Cordelia, "we have a score of our own to settle." The vampire turned to the stairs. "Gunn, Groo! Get your stuff, we're going to war!" The vampire groaned as Cordelia walked across in front of him and towards the weapons cabinet. "Cor, what are you doing?"
"Doyle was my friend too." Xander blinked when the former head Cordette began to expertly wield a 19th century Civil War sabre. Apparently she'd picked up a few things since leaving the old hometown. "I'm coming with you."
"No way Cor," there was far too much familiarity in the way the Irish vampire had his hand on his ex's shoulders for Xander's tastes. "We need someone here to watch out for Giles and the busi-."
"And you've got Fred and Lorne for that," his ex interrupted.
"Gee Cor," he scoffed. "What are you going to do, give the Scourge make-up-."
In a flash, the brunette was by his side and, even more unbelievably, lifting him in the air by his collar with an effortless that made his eyes bulge. "Want to finish that sentence Dweeb?" his former girl-friend whispered in his ear.
Right at that moment in time there was nothing in the world he wanted less. "Uh," Xander gulped, unable to believe how fast Cordelia had moved. Not to mention with which the ease she was dangling him in the air. "I vote Cordelia can come."
"Damn it!" Xander threw his half drunk soda across the hotel garden and into the far wall, it clattered to the ground. "What's taking them so long?"
"They've got to find a discreet route into town."
He started at his first girl-friend's voice behind him. After a second he spoke. "I know but I've got to get back to her-, them," he corrected.
"You really care about her don't you?"
"I care about them all, Dawn, Tara, even Willow, but yeah, I care," he didn't turn to face his ex.
"She's a lucky girl."
He smiled with surprise at the compliment. "Thanks Cor."
"'Course, she's far more tolerant of your dress sense than I ever was."
Xander laughed. "Something I'm eternally grateful for." He sobered immediately, his eyes blurring with tears. "But I'm the lucky one."
"Hey," despite being behind him, his ex had somehow sensed his grief and engulfed him in a hug. "She's gonna be okay, Team Angel doesn't lose many."
"It's the 'many' and not 'any' that worries me," he muttered.
"So what makes Faith special?"
It was on his lips to say 'her chest', but conscious of Cordelia's new powers he decided it was wiser to go the more diplomatic and, if he was honest, more heartfelt route. "She's been through so much, but she's still got this spirit, she doesn't know how to give up, she makes me laugh, and when she smiles at me, man I feel like I'm gonna cry with happiness that she thinks enough of me to waste her time smiling at a guy like me." Xander's breath caught. And what if he'd lost her, after Buffy and Anya, he couldn't…. A pained gasp escaped his mouth before he realised it.
"Hey," Cordelia squeezed his shoulders. "She's going to be okay." His former paramour chuckled. "Or even five by five."
"Guys!" It was Angel. "We're ready!"
Xander nodded, the doubt shoved ruthlessly down into the darkest piece of his heart. She would be alright, she had to be… And if she wasn't, Xander growled, then Sunnydale would be painted in Scourge blood. "So am I."
"What's up with her?" Dawn demanded as she screeched around the corner, sideswiping both a car and a uniformed demon, crushing the demon between the two cars. Things were awfully chaotic. Strange demons all over town, Tara kidnapped, Xander and Giles missing, and Faith, she glanced across at the lithe brunette wrapped up in Clem's huge arms, a hysterical, shaking mess. But she was having fun, what a rush. She squealed with delight as she speeded up, careful not to allow the speedometer to drop below 100 kph.
"P..please Dawnie, keep your eyes on the road." For some reason Clem seemed really nervous. "Something's happened to Faith," the demon leaned towards her, his voice a whisper, almost as if Faith wouldn't be able to hear him. "She's lost her powers."
"WHAT!" this time her head snapped towards the demon, her eyes bulging. "How is that even -."
"DAWN!" Clem screamed.
Dawn's head turned back to the front. Her blood drained from her face as she realised they were heading straight for a shop window. "Hold on!" She might have done some stuff in her time, but not even Faith had ram-raided.
She hit the brakes until they were screaming in protest, but the car was still doing 50 when she hit the kerb in front of the shop, launching it into the air and through the shop window with a cataclysmic crash. Dawn winced as the car began to descend, this landing was not going to be pretty.
Suddenly Clem had his arms around both her and Faith, using his bulk to cushion them from the crashing landing. Still, it hurt, like she'd been punched in the gut and all her wind driven out of her body, and then she'd been worked over with a baseball bat. After a few seconds she managed to force a smile. "Thanks Clem," she groaned as she moved, this really sucked. Her smile broadened as she realised what the shop was they'd crashed into – a sporting goods store. "Hey!" she exclaimed as she stumbled out of the car and looked around, her eyes hungrily taking in the goods – those they hadn't destroyed. "We got lucky!"
"Lucky!" Faith screamed, her liquid brown eyes filled with disbelief. "You nearly got us killed!"
"I just saved your ungrateful ass," she replied back, her coolness belying her disgruntlement. "Now let's get some weapons together so we can fight -."
"Fight them?" Faith shook her head. "We can't fight them, I haven't-."
"HEY!" Dawn's never-long temper snapped. "So what if you haven't got your damn powers? Xander's fought vamps for over five years without any powers!" Seeing the flicker in her friend's eyes at the mention of her one-time crush, she pressed on. "Anything could have happened to him, he never gave up on you, are you going to turn your back on him?"
Faith swallowed before shaking her head. "It's best we hide, maybe we should try get to Angel -."
"Faith!" she slapped the other girl across the face. "Get with the program, we're all there is right now!"
A homicidal rage entered the Slayer's eyes. "You little bitch!" the Bostonian swore before leaping towards her.
Dawn went nose to nose with the de-powered Slayer. "What ya gonna do Faith?" she taunted. "Hide behind Clem and get him to beat me up for you?" God, she hoped Faith wouldn't hold a grudge if she got her powers back. Alaska was probably a nice place to visit. Or even live.
"Fine," the Bostonian was shaking, although with anger or fear Dawn wouldn't have been able to guess. "Let's get some and get gone."
Dawn did so hope Faith meant weapons and not sex. "I'll take this," grabbing a pool cue she shoved one end through a near-by glass cabinet. Ignoring the blaring alarm that erupted an instant later, she pulled out a crossbow and several bolts before taking two hunting knives. "What about you guys?"
Faith grabbed a pair of hatchets. "Light, I'll give them a go."
"Mark McGuire's a hero of mine," Clem picked up a baseball bat. "And I'll take a crossbow too."
"Okay." Dawn passed some binoculars and camping equipment over to Clem. If nothing else they'd be able to camp out, although how safe that was in Sunnydale, banishing such thoughts with a shake of her head, she turned to the others. "Let's make like a tree and leaf."
"Make like a tree and leaf?" Faith snorted. "Who says that these days? Where are we heading?"
Dawn's eyes widened slightly, surprised at Faith giving her command. "The Bronze," she finally decided. "That's where they seem to be taking everyone. Maybe whatever they have there is what is causing all humans to lose their powers."
"Yeah-, wait!" Faith grabbed her by her arm and spun her around to face her. "All humans? What the hell's that's supposed to mean?"
"Oh," Dawn realised she hadn't filled the others in on what had happened. "They turned up at our house, somehow took Tara's powers away from her. She told me to run so I did." Tears of shame rolled down her face as she remembered running out on her friend, the events of the past few hours catching up with her.
"Hey," the older girl had her arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug. "We'll get Tar back, she'll be five by five."
Tara groaned. Her head pounding, she just laid there, concentrating. Panic set in as she tried to remember what had happened. Oh yeah, some demons had broken into their house, stripped her of her powers and kidnapped her. Just a normal night in Sunnydale.
"Oooh," it hurt even to open her eyes. Her mouth dropped at what she saw. She was in the Bronze, but not the usual night-club she'd spent much of the last two years in. Instead it was a club bereft of the normal riotous pop music and flashing lights and she and maybe three dozen other humans were crowded onto the dance floor, surrounded by twenty or so uniformed and armed demons. With, she smiled softly, Willow beside her, holding onto her hand.
"This is not good," Faith muttered as she looked through the binoculars they'd stolen from the sports good store. Now she'd had time to think, she'd calmed some, the previous hysteria disappearing, but still, she was frightened, more frightened than her first night in the big house. "There's two, no make that three, guards outside the place. And," she directed her gaze upwards, "two more on the roof. In short we are fucked."
"What are we going to do?" Dawn whispered.
It was on the tip of her lips to say 'run like fuck'. But chances were X was in there. And she couldn't run out on him not after the way she'd spoken to him just a few short hours ago, if her dying in a blaze of glory saving him was what it took to convince him that she really loved him then so be it. A guy like X was worth ten of a worthless bitch like her. And, she smiled bitterly, Slayers were like buses, another would be along in a minute. "Clem's gonna take me in, say he heard there was a ransom on the Slayer. And then -."
"Your plan-making really sucks Slayer," a deep voice commented from behind her. "Anyone tell you that before?"
