The Quickening

Previously:

"There is much that you need to know. But I am not the one to tell you all. Some you must figure out on your own. I am only here to impart one thing to you," the woman explained. "You must first pass the test."

Chapter Sixty-Six:

"Test?" Faith asked as a sinking feeling permeated the pit of her stomach.

"Yes," the woman answered. "We must know that you are worthy."

"What kind of test are we talkin' about here? In case you all forgot, I never was one for the book learning," Faith said.

"This isn't a written test, Faith. It's a test of your character," the woman replied.

"My character?" Faith asked suspiciously.

"We must know that you won't use the information that we give you for ill," the woman explained. "There is much darkness in you, Faith. It fills you. But there is also light."

"So you're testing me to see which will win out in the end?" Faith asked.

"Yes," the woman responded. "Darkness is created by anger, despair, jealousy, and sadness. All of these things you have experienced. But you keep them locked away, Faith. They fester inside, threatening to boil over into the person you've become. Were that to happen, I fear that the darkness in you would destroy everything that is good."

"I don't understand," Faith said slowly.

"In order to overcome what haunts your dreams at night, you must experience them again. You must accept them and move on," the woman explained.

"Experience them again?" Faith asked, not sure she liked the sound of what the woman was proposing.

"Perhaps it would be easier for you to understand if I showed you," the woman said. Smiling gently, she clicked her fingers. The desert shifted, swirling in front of Faith's eyes in a blur of light. Slowly, it became something else entirely. Faith gasped as she began to recognize her new surroundings.

"What am I doing here?" Faith demanded, looking over at the woman standing beside her.

"I told you. You must overcome that which pulls you into darkness," the woman said.

"No, this is too much," Faith said as her surroundings materialized around her and she found herself standing in the middle of her old apartment in Boston. The lights flickered above her head and Faith instinctively wrapped her arms around herself to fight off the cold of winter in Boston.

"We all suffer, Faith," the woman said softly. "We all have secrets that haunt us. Everyone carries around a hidden pain. But in order to become – to transcend – you must let go of everything that holds you back."

"Fine, I'll let it go, just get me out of here," Faith pleaded.

"Where are you, you little bitch?" A woman's voice cried out through the apartment. "I told you to bring me back my cigarettes!"

"Mom," Faith muttered, tears threatening to spill down over her cheeks. She watched as a little girl emerged from another room, clutching a pack of cigarettes tightly against her chest.

"I'm coming, mommy," the little girl said.

"I told you not to call me that," the mother said, emerging from her bedroom. "I told you to be back in five minutes, where the hell were you?"

"There was a line at the store," little Faith murmured, looking down at the ground.

"Look at me when I talk to you," her mother said, roughly grabbing her chin and yanking her head up. "You didn't waste any of my money buying candy for yourself, did you brat?"

"No," Faith instantly denied, her face turning red.

"You're a shitty liar, you know that?" Her mother said, laughing humorously as she lit up a cigarette. "You need to learn respect. That was my money you spent. Now I have to take something of yours so you know what it feels like to have something stolen from you."

"I didn't mean to disrespect you, I swear," little Faith declared, looking up at her mother with big eyes. Grabbing Faith by the arm, her mother pulled her close; her face only inches from the little girl's as she leaned down to meet her eyes.

"But I wouldn't be a good mother if I didn't punish you for what you do wrong, my little firecracker," her mother sneered as she pressed the lit end of her cigarette against the tender flesh of the girl's arm.

Faith looked away as the girl squirmed in her mother's grasp, trying to escape the pain. "Hard to watch, isn't it?" The mysterious woman standing next to her asked.

"Yes, it is," Faith agreed. "So make it stop."

"I can't. Only you can do that," the woman replied.

"What are you talking about? I don't even want to be here," Faith said angrily.

"You hate that woman with every fiber of your being because of what she did to you," the woman said. "But that hate is going to catch up with you. You have to let it go."

"I can't do that," Faith said obstinately.

"Then you can't leave," the woman replied. "Not until you do."

………………….

"Well, don't leave me in suspense, what happened with our girl?" The Mayor asked, smiling widely as Mr. Trick entered his office.

"She won't be waking up anytime soon," Trick replied.

"Which leads me to believe that she's not dead, like you assured me she would be," the Mayor responded.

"I did my best. The girl's resilient," Trick said nervously. The Mayor scared him beyond any other being that he had worked under. Kakistos had been evil down to the core of his being, but it was a different kind of evil. The Mayor was evil wrapped in a happy, friendly, and almost wholesome package that belied the true darkness swimming within him.

"She is a slayer, after all," Wilkins said. "Listen, I don't like loose ends. I want you to finish this, Mr. Trick."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Trick asked. Wilkins looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but motioned for the vampire to continue. "The other slayer will be protecting her, not to mention all of the other humans that she associates with."

"Don't tell me you're afraid of some little, pathetic humans?" The Mayor said with a laugh in his eyes. "You didn't finish the job. I want you to finish it. You have to remember, Mr. Trick, that you're just another vampire to me. You can easily be replaced. Don't make me replace you," the Mayor warned.

Trick gulped and nodded warily. "I'll finish it," he said.

"Good," the Mayor said, clapping his hands together giddily.

…………………………….

Cordelia stood in front of the payphone at the hospital with her change in hand, trying to find the nerve to call the Mayor's office and quit. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she picked up the phone and slid the change into the slot. Dialing the number of the Mayor's secretary, she steeled herself for the coming conversation. "Hello," she said into the phone. "This is Cordelia Chase. I really need to speak to the Mayor."

"Of course," the secretary said. "I'll connect you."

"Thanks," Cordelia said. The phone rang several times before the Mayor answered it. "Hi, I'm sorry to have to call you like this," Cordelia began, "but I'm afraid I won't be able to finish my internship."

"Oh, that's too bad. May I ask why not?" The Mayor asked curiously, though he already knew the answer to his question. Cordelia was clearly friends with both slayers.

"I don't think I'll be able to handle the work load and my obligations at school at the same time," Cordelia explained. "School is my first priority."

"As it should be," the Mayor said. "Well, we'll be sorry to lose you, but I understand completely. Thanks for the call."

"You're welcome," Cordelia said, hanging up the phone and sighing with relief.

"Went well?" Giles asked, walking up behind her.

"Yeah, maybe a little too well," Cordelia replied. "I'm scared, Giles. I don't think the Mayor is just going to leave Faith alone."

"You think he'll send someone to finish her off?" Giles asked.

"Yeah, I do," Cordelia replied. "I think someone should be here with her at all times."

"I agree," Giles said. "However, it will be difficult arranging for someone with the strength to protect Faith to be here."

"No it won't," Cordelia said. "I think I know someone who would be up to it."

"Oh?" Giles asked.

"Angel," Cordelia said. "He and Faith seem pretty close. Besides, I can't imagine that he likes hanging out in that mansion all day doing nothing."

Giles nodded and glanced back at Faith's hospital room. He did not like the idea of leaving Faith in the hands of Angel, though the souled vampire had proven himself worthy of being a part of the gang again. "I'll speak with him," Giles said, turning back to Cordelia and smiling. Angel would be able to protect Faith, but he would not be doing it alone. Giles was going to spend every waking moment by her side until her eyes fluttered open again. He knew that Faith had been abandoned many times in her life and he was going to be there when she woke up.

…………………

"Pain is a part of life," the woman standing next to Faith said.

"I get that," Faith said, watching the younger version of herself cry in a corner of the apartment. The lights were off and the apartment smelled of cheap beer and sex. She could hear the sounds of two people moaning and grunting in the other room. The little girl had been awoken by a nightmare and wanted someone to hold her. But she knew better than to go into her mother's room when the man was there. Faith slowly moved over to the little girl and sat down next to her, pulling her knees up against her chest and resting her head against the wall.

"I just wanted someone to comfort me. No one was there, so I told myself that I didn't need anyone – that I could take care of myself. I couldn't rely on anyone because in the end, everyone disappoints you," Faith said. "But I know that isn't true anymore. I have people that I can rely on now. They care about me." Faith could feel some of her walls breaking apart as she spoke. The little girl next to her slowly faded and the sounds in the next room ceased. "What happened?" Faith asked.

"You're moving on," the woman said. "And so must we."

"There's more?" Faith asked, accepting the woman's hand as she reached out to help Faith stand.

"Much more," the woman replied. "And it will only be worse."