Part 4 (Moving Forward)
by Nicholas
As everyone sat in the Summers home ringing their thoughts in an attempt to find a way to release Willow Sonya Garrison reflected on recent events.
She now knew Rita and Kelly were involved in trying to bring forth the first. She wanted to walk over, put her hands round Kelly's neck and squeeze till the life was gone out of her but knew better. She knew if the women suspected she was on to them, it would make it that much harder to form a semblance of a plan to rescue Willow.
She was also aware that once the portal to unleash the first in all its evil glory was opened, as it had closed with the untimely death of Tara Maclay, a pretty young woman who was totally unaware of the power she held, that of pushing back the first with ease, the rising of Tara in whatever form she was to take must be done at precisely the correct moment or they'd be on their own and who knows what could possess the woman.
Darian had fulfilled her life's destiny. The blood she shed at the hands of Kelly would be placed over the grave by herself then in a few weeks Ms. Maclay would be ready to fight.
"Ms Garrison," Rupert Giles said walking over to her. "We're so sorry for your loss, Darian seemed to be quite the loyal person and very brave."
"Unlike Kelly here." Anya said hissing at the girl who sat beside Xander.
"An please, move on, I have." Xander said sharply. He was glad to have found a human, one who had no demon background or anything and Kelly had seemed very helpful with research the last couple of days.
"I'll tell you what," Buffy got to her feet. "I will take Kennedy and Anya with me, maybe the rest of you can get done faster, or at least rest." She motioned for the door.
"I'll be glad to go help patrol." Kelly was smiling and eager as she spoke.
"No, you stay with Sonya, she might need you." Buffy said matter of factly as the women went out the door.
"I gather you don't trust her either?" Anya enquired hopeful that her friends were gaining some sense.
"No Anya I don't. I'll pick the word of my friends any day over those people. I've learned that hard lesson." Buffy said as her eyes scanned the air with senses sharpened, hoping to get a feel for something, anything to lead them to Willow.
**********
"Pure and utter evil, it's near," Spike babbled as Willow tried to make sense of what he was saying. "She shall rise up and lead us to victory. Oh what a sad day, a monster with a soul, I'm but a shell of my former self. Can you feel it?" He continued darting his eyes around like a crazed animal.
"Spike whatever you're talking about, I can't help, I'm in no shape to do it. I don't have the strength for anything and don't whine about being evil, I know all about it so you'll get no pity party from me." Willow said angrily. What he'd done to her friend was unforgivable in her eyes, now she was stuck here with him, unable to get out.
Suddenly he had his game face on and tried to lunge at Rita who had just entered the room. "Now now vampire," she said flickering her hand sending him back down. "It's not time for you to be used. I have great plans for you when my use of the pretty witch here is complete."
Willow was suddenly filled with rage and her eyes blackened as the ropes that bound Spike were stripped from him.
***********
The gang had been walking slowly trying to figure out which way to turn when Buffy broke into a dead run and crashed through a large door. "Spike is in here, lets go." She shouted as two demons were beheaded with ease.
"Can you watch the killing there Buffy, I don't want their blood all over my new shoes." Anya said sarcastically as she assisted Kennedy in taking out one that had jumped up behind the slayer.
"This is to easy, something's just not right here." Kennedy added wonderingly as the door to a hidden room suddenly burst open in flames.
"You guest it there potential gal, it's big bad evil Willow." Anya added as the room fell silent and Willow's eyes went green.
"Buffy." She said racing to her best friend who quickly collected the shaking redhead and raced out the door. "I guess that leaves us to collect soul-boy." Anya said trying to get Spike's attention to follow her.
Part 5, Moving Forward Continued
by C&S
A few days later everyone seemed to have gotten settled in from the previous trauma. Though it still rang in their minds as to how easy this entire rescue process had gone.
Buffy stood on the porch, eyes scanning the sky, searching for something though she knew not what it was. She shifted from one foot to the other her eyes catching a figure moving slowly off in the distance.
As she wondered who it was her mind drifted back to the demon of the first slayer in her dream, seeing the potential slayers being butchered like sides of beef and with such ease she mentally added.
She pulls herself out of thought turning to go back inside.
**********
Faith stood in the kitchen of the prison when a woman holding a dagger jumped her. No one was that crazy Faith thought, as she spun around and began to beat down the woman all the way into the activity area outside.
Once the guards had gotten it broken up, not blaming Faith in the least as they knew she didn't mess with anyone if they left her be, and no one in their right mind had messed with her since a couple weeks after she arrived in the prison, Faith went to lay down on her bunk. This redemption path was old and sometimes she itched to get out but she knew she deserved what she'd gotten. Suddenly Buffy appeared standing in front of her. "Faith, you know you have the darkness within, you used to tell me that all the time, I know now you were right." Buffy said smiling. "The difference is, I will be the best dark ever, you were always and will continue to be second best."
A sudden rage ran through the slayer as the words rang, then she thought, Buffy would never do this, as she swung a fist at the image she realized she couldn't touch her. "Damn it!" She shouted rising to her feet.
She ran round to a guard, took him down with ease, got his keys and gun and was out the prison doors with to easy of a time she thought. She didn't like it that she'd gotten out so easy, she'd wanted to be able to get rid of a little energy but guessed now it was destination Sunnydale.
************
Back in Sunnydale, Dawn seems to be whining over something once again.. Her temper tantrum is highly noticeable and loud. The gang just goes on there way as she screams and yells..
"Geez doesn't that kid ever shut up, This has gotten really annoying, when will the brat grow up?" Anya is piling books onto a shelf, color coating them.. "Blue with Blue," She mutters to herself to drown out Dawns screams
"Whine all you want Dawn, It doesn't matter to me, you are not getting it." The slayer stands tall as she speaks to Dawn. But still doesn't have a impact on her.
The Door busts open , The gang just stops and stares at who was standing there. Even Dawn stopped her whining.
Buffy yells to Anya, "Go get Willow! Next time listen to me people when I tell you I think I saw or felt something evil coming."
"We might just do that but you forgot to tell us in light of the brat and her latest tantrum." Anya says triumphantly.
*************************************
Meanwhile back upstairs into Willows room sat Willow and Kennedy.. In very Deep conversation. "It's unfair that u ask me these questions. I know your not ready to handle what you want to know. So please just drop it." Willow sits uneasy on the bed and starts to play with her own fingers. looking down into her lap.
Kennedy seems a bit pushy at the subject and wants to know more. She has an excited look on her face but also a nervous twitch in her eye to know the truth. But still insists on Willow to tell her everything. "Come on Willow. I really want to know how it felt when u went all dark and stuff. Is it true u done all that, you could have destroyed the world? Man I wish I could have seen that, kick those guys butts." Kennedy stands up and starts kicking the air like she was all tough.
"Kennedy it isn't all fun and games. You seen me when u went to the sanctuary, I didn't want to live, I wanted to die and be with Tara. But something inside me just kept pulling me back. It wouldn't let me go. But it wasn't all that great. You try to kill somebody and look at yourself in the mirror in the morning. If you can, Kennedy you would have no heart. This tares a person so deep, and so tremendous, That it's hard to go on with life as you did before it happened. It changes a person and not to the better.. Now I have this darkness inside me, I'm Terrified to let out. I have to keep locked away or maybe next time innocent and many more people including my friends may die. I cant have that on my shoulders."
Willows eyes fill with tears as she thinks of her friends dying at her hands, Then seeing Tara's grave sitting all alone in the cemetery.. "I should be there next to her," she thought to herself..
The depression she felt was coming over her again, but then she felt that warmth, the loving feeling again that brought her back to her senses. When all of a sudden Anya pops in the bedroom. "your needed downstairs Willow, we have a visitor"
Willow dried her tears and headed towards the door as Anya disappeared downstairs.. Kennedy was about to call out Willows name when Willow put her hand in front of Kennedy's mouth, not looking at her and tell her it's enough. Then walks out the door, carefully but quickly goes down the stairs. Kennedy is left speechless on the bed, but then quickly follows.
The gang are all standing around quietly, you could hear the deep breathing by everyone. Nothing is moving, everything seems to have went to a stand still.
The slayer stands in front of everyone, standing tall. But no one says a word. The door closed behind this person making a loud bang ring threw the house. "I didn't think my coming would cause all the speechlessness, but hey I'm good at that." Faith said trying to keep her cool attitude and not let them see how badly she was feeling as the gang who couldn't yet see her as the darkened room and Buffy blocked their view, knew that all to familiar voice but hoped it wasn't her.
Buffy walks slowly, "Well well well, after all these years you decide to show your face here" She stops a few steps away from the dark slayer.
As Faith moves out of the darkness and into the light.. You can hear the sudden take a breath by everyone in the house from shock, they'd hoped not but now that they could see her, no mistaking to the rest of the gang, it was definitely the evil psycho slayer. Faith stands there breathless and speechless.
Willow steps down the steps even quicker now, as she seems to be the only happy one to see Faith. As Willow gets closer to Buffy, Buffy puts her hands up in front of her to stop her from going any further. "So Faith, What do u want here?" Buffy asks as she stares into Faiths dark eyes which give her the stare right back.
Faith breaks the stare and pushes her way past Buffy. "Slayer don't start with me, I just had some Bitch try to kill me in jail, I just ran here after kicking the guards ass, breaking out of the place.. Was way to easy let me tell u that though, like they wanted me to leave."" Faith plops herself on the couch as Buffy walks towards her
"
"So why come here, you are not wanted here, or needed. We have a slayer."" Buffy stares down at her once again.
The tension builds rather quickly between the two as the group starts to move around uneasy now.
Dawn steps up about to say something when Xander goes into his pocket grabs 20 bucks and gives it to Dawn to shut her up. Dawn smirks, ""I knew I would get it!"" and walks off towards the Kitchen.
Faith's stare is getting rather dark now, the anger builds inside her so quickly she's ready to jump off the couch and grab Buffy by the throat. Wanting to strangle her right there and then. But she held back. Knew she had to control herself. But was so tempting to take Buffy out. Faith still has the anger from the jail inside her. She wants, she needs to release it.. All of a sudden from no where. Faith jumps up grabs the lamp on the couch and throws it against the wall smashing it to pieces.
About the same moment Giles and Sonya enter the room, having been down in the basement trying to make some sense out of Spike who only continued to ramble on aimlessly. "Well, I see we've all arrived." Giles says stiffly feeling the tension in the room.
"Buffy, those dreams you mentioned, obviously Faith is involved since she's a slayer and in that case she has every right to be here." Dawn finally pipes up from the kitchen area with Kelly standing behind her.
"She's right Buffy, she at least has as much right to be here as I do," Willow says lowering her head.
"She's here less than ten minutes and already busting my furniture!" Buffy scrunches up her face raising a fist but Faith sits motionless, not daring to do what she wanted to do and give Buffy the satisfaction.
As they bickered back and forth Sonya's eyes briefly met those of the dark slayer, it had been so long since she'd seen the girl, before her sister, Faith's watcher died. She could tell the young woman had been through a great ordeal and hoped she'd not only keep them knowing each other a secret for the time being but would let her help her out, she believed this is what her sister would want after all. Not to mention the slayer may prove useful when it came time to bring Tara forth.
Kelly however, had other ideas. This was the rogue slayer, no doubt having one on their side would be a plus but she knew what the first would want, or rather whom.
Part 6, Moving Forward Continued
by AnyaRocks
Sonya Garrison moved quickly to the estate with her new, more powerful charge following closely behind. She banged on a door till Rita opened and grimaced. "You're no match for me Garrison, you miscalculated it all over the years. Not only will Darian's death bring forth your hopeful savior but it has reopened, or allowed me to reopen the portal. The first is already out!"
"Yeah, yeah, we got that," Faith snapped. "It's this stupid little thing you can't see who appears as people who died and tries to scare us." Sonya clapped her hands, she'd filled Faith in on everything on the way to the estate and really believed she could count on the slayer to help her in whatever way was necessary.
Rita pulled a sword and swung it at Faith who sidestepped the would be fatal blow before grabbing Rita's arm and wrenching the sword from it. "We're gonna need to bring Red into this, I ain't going to jail again." Having said that she swung and decapitated the woman not knowing what she'd set off as Kelly sat in front of a monitor watching and laughing.
*************
Buffy is on patrol when the ugliest looking vampire she'd ever seen came at her. She couldn't quite be sure where it came from but it looked like the school. She drove the stake in deep before it easily flung her off sending her slamming hard into a scaffold which came down on top of her.
The big vampire lumbered towards her growling as she fought to get free of the scaffold. "You so didn't want to do that!" She shouted kicking free as he picked her up and threw her then began kicking with all his might.
She lay on the ground, her head swarming in every possible direction, for a split second wondering if this was time. "Buffy dear," a voice that sounded a lot like her mother said let me help you.
All the things they'd discussed earlier in the day rant through her mind like a flash, she didn't want Faith and this new woman to be right, she was the law, the slayer and was supposed to be the one with all the answers. "You're not my mother!" She screamed finally giving into the realization that indeed, they were dealing with the first. The very one who tormented Angel so badly a few years ago.
She picked herself back up, ran full tilt and managed to knock the big ugly off his feet but he flipped her over by her arm into the scaffolding once more.
********
Spike sat in the living room with Dawn and the young helper of Ms. Garrison, Chance. He'd seemed to finally be gathering his marbles and was glad of it. Why he'd ended up this way he wasn't certain but deduced it was part of gaining a soul, one he'd gone to get for Buffy at the time. Of late, however, he'd realized this was bigger than Buffy and what he'd done to her as a soulless vampire, it was a redemption path and he was ready to take it though he hoped she would be part of the package. "Well niblet, I think this young chap is much to old for you." Spike said shaking his head out of thought.
"It's not like that Spike," we're trying to give Willow and Kennedy some bonding time." She half smiled, missing Tara terribly but knowing Willow had to move on.
"Sure let them bond while Xander gets it on with evil Kelly." Anya snapped as she appeared in the room, Buffy is in trouble, Turok Hans, where's Giles?"
Spikes face went white, he knew all to well what these vampires were, the master race of vampires, the vampires which put the fear into every vampire he'd ever met and yes that included himself. "Bloody hell." He said rising as Faith and Sonya bolted in the door and Anya hung up the phone.
"I've called Xander, he'll help me get Buffy. I'd suggest everyone get some sleep tonight and form a plan before those big ugly's get hold of the rest of us." She was gone in an instant.
"I'll go get Ms. Willow." Chance leapt to his feet with Dawn heading for Giles' room. "So what's the big ugly crises?" Faith asked lighting a cigarette and politely offering Spike one.
"Turok Hans, evil bastard vampires from the plane of Danzithar. They have no fear, can put the fear into any demon around here though." He said stiffly knowing he would be of little help in fighting these things.
"Well we got a worse big bad, we got confirmation it's the first and after looking through some files, vengeance woman is right, that Kelly chick is involved so it looks like seven-minute-boy Xander lucks out again." Faith claps her hands triumphantly as Spike smiles at her sharp wit but both of them knew good and well the seriousness of the situation.
*********
Willow had just finished telling Kennedy the entire horrid story of it all, all she'd done and so on when the door flung open. "Ms. Willow, Buffy the slayer is in trouble." She jumped to her feet and raced out the door with Faith behind her not even asking Kennedy if she'd like to come. "Sorry Kennedy, she's hurting, she'll come around int ime." Chance said offering as much help as he could give.
*********
"Anya!" Xander yelled seeing the vampire crouching over Buffy.
"Oh my God!" Anya shouted and burst over in a big flash of light sending the vampire backwards before he scattered off. "Xander she's breathing, come on."
They pick up the unconscious slayer and race up the street as Faith and Willow come down the alleyway from another direction. "Looks like the demon and Xander got her." Faith said looking at the busted up scaffold, shards of glass, Buffy's torn up jacket and more. "Must be a real bad ass huh Red?"
"It looks like she'd been bleeding badly," Willow points to the blood dripping off the wrecked scaffolding.
"Lets get movin' Red, rule is don't stand in one place to long or," Faith's words were cut off from Willow's mind as she saw him, the one she'd killed in the name of her lover. How stupid was she, Tara would have never forgiven her for murdering someone, then she goes and kills in her beloved name.
"That's right, you're a screw up, but you have potential," said Warren. "The blood is where it's at Willow." The gunshot rang in her head as he laughed and disappeared.
Willow began to tremble and shake then sank to the ground trying to fight off a wave of tears. "Red, redemption is a tough gig, but we all gotta do it ya know?" Faith said kneeling down and scooping up the now sobbing redhead. "I hear this Kennedy chick wants to help you. You'd be lucky to have some help, I had only myself. It's not easy Red, we've both screwed up big time, your friends still love you, they want to help you and it's ok to let them. The trick is forgive yourself for the mistake, only then you can move forward."
"Moving forward sounds nice." Willow said her sobs subsiding. "I'll miss Tara, never forget the evil I've done because it still lives inside me. Maybe though, if I try to move forward I can deal a little better and gain control of it."
"Yeah Red, that's the trick and you got a lot of people here to help you. Hell if I did chicks, I bet I'd beat that inexperienced potential slayer to the girl." Faith blinked her big dark eyes at Willow as they stepped onto the porch knowing she'd probably gave her her first real smile in a long time but wished she could be more certain as to how long it would last.
"So lunch with Kennedy is good then maybe, um, maybe if I get to down, we can do the penance therapy session?" Willow asked as Faith put her down on the couch in the living room of the now quietened house.
"Deal Red," Faith said finding it hard to keep the tough act up with Willow. For the first time she felt like she had a friend, someone who could understand her and maybe by helping Willow she too could finally move forward.