Night Falls

Notes: San Diego was awesome. Sorry it took so long for a new chapter, but I've been working on some non-fanfiction projects. Hope you like this one.

Previously:

Hailey could easily shift to the right or left on the pole and do irreparable damage that would kill her before Caleb discovered her dead body hanging from the wall, but she had to survive; if for nothing else, but to preserve the Slayer line. None of the other Potentials were ready to become yet. All of the sudden, she could hear a voice echoing through her mind. It sounded vaguely familiar, but it was not her own. Hold on, we're coming for you, the voice said. It was young and innocent. "Dawn," she murmured, blood spilling from her lips and down her chin as she spoke. All she could taste was blood. But she smiled. They were coming for her.

Chapter Thirty-Five:

"You're not going and that's it," Buffy said angrily, gesturing wildly with her hands. Faith would have laughed if not for the pain throbbing in her head; a pain she was desperately trying to ignore.

"Yes, I am," Faith stated calmly. "I understand why you don't want me to go, but I'm not staying home."

"The rest of the girls need protection," Buffy said. "We can't just leave them here alone."

"Then you stay with them. Willow did a protection spell on the house. I may be with you, Buffy, but don't become a chain to me," Faith exploded, finally losing her patience. She immediately regretted her words when Buffy's face fell and she unconsciously stepped back. Faith rubbed her forehead roughly and shook her head. "I didn't mean that."

"You said it," Buffy declared. "Not me."

"Hailey is one of the only friends I have. She didn't give a shit about any of the things I did before, even though she knew all about them. She was just there for me. I can't turn my back on her now," Faith pleaded. "I have to go with you."

"If we're going to do this, we have to do it now," Spike said, popping his head in Buffy's room. "Willow's ready."

Buffy sighed heavily and nodded. "Fine," she said. "But if you start to feel strange at all, just get out of there, okay?"

"Okay," Faith agreed. The two Slayers walked out of the room, joining Spike in the hall.

"Does she have everything she needs?" Buffy asked.

"She's already started, I believe," Spike replied. Walking downstairs and into the living room, they watched from the doorway as Willow began chanting. They had agreed that the best way to find Hailey was a locator spell, which would sense her mystical aura and inform Willow as to exactly where she was being held.

Buffy dreaded the coming battle. Andrew had hastily pulled her aside and told her what he had learned by watching the cameras. Hailey was being held in Caleb's headquarters, where Andrew believed dozens of vampires were also being held. If his theory was correct about their use, dozens of Turok-Han vampires could be housed there as well. The room lit up in a sudden flash, which descended on the map lying on the floor in front of Willow. "There she is," Willow murmured.

"Let's go," Faith said eagerly. Willow gingerly picked up the map and moved to the front door, Buffy, Faith, and Spike stepping in line behind her.

"Wait," Dawn suddenly said, stepping in front of the door.

"We have to go, Dawn," Buffy said impatiently.

"I'm going with you," Dawn declared stubbornly.

"Why in the hell does everyone want to walk into the deathtrap?" Buffy muttered to herself. "No," she said, looking up at Dawn.

"This isn't your choice," Dawn said slowly. "I have to go with you. I don't know why, I just have to."

"What do you mean?" Faith asked, looking at her questioningly.

"It's like I can feel her, or something," Dawn explained. "There's this deep pain in my heart and it keeps growing every second we wait. I know that she's alive and I think she can hear me."

"What do you mean – hear you?" Buffy asked.

"I talked to her, in my head, you know? And the pain lessened. I know that she can hear me. I don't know why, but I know she can," Dawn explained.

"Okay, you're coming with us," Faith said. "But stay out of trouble."

"What?" Buffy said angrily.

"Like I said, you don't like it, you can stay home," Faith countered, moving out of the door with Dawn trailing behind her. Buffy looked flabbergasted over at Spike, who simply shrugged.

"You think I have a bloody clue what's going on around here?" He asked, disappearing into the night with the others. Buffy sighed, her sense of dread growing larger with every step that she took, and walked out of the light and into the dark.

………………………….

"Does God really hear us?" Hailey asked, looking over at her father with wide, innocent eyes. Quentin chuckled and kneeled down beside her on the floor next to her bed.

"Do you believe that he does?" Quentin asked.

"I don't know," Hailey said, troubled. Her brow creased and she looked intently at her folded hands. "He never says anything back."

"Not that you can hear," Quentin noted.

"What do you mean?" She asked, looking over at him again. He seemed gigantic to her eyes, his shadow casting a large, black shade on the wall behind him.

"God doesn't speak to your ears," Quentin said. "He speaks to your heart. Everything you say he answers, in his time, and in his way. It may not be the way in which you expect, but he hears you none the less."

"Are you sure?" Hailey prodded.

"As sure as I am that the sun will rise tomorrow," Quentin replied, though he was never quite sure of that. Knowing what he did about the world, he was never sure that the sun would rise and the world would wake peacefully again in the morning. He knew that one day it would not and chaos would reign. He looked down at his daughter, knowing in his heart that she was meant to become a Slayer one day. She would protect that world and make sure that the sun rose, protecting the hopes and dreams of countless generations of people.

"Pray with me, daddy," she said, smiling lopsidedly.

"Alright," Quentin replied. "I'll begin. Our father, who art in Heaven…."

"Hallowed be thy name," Caleb said, looking over at the First Evil. "Why, I'd dare say that we've almost broken her."

"She does look rather worse for wear," the First replied in amusement.

Hailey struggled to lift her blood shot eyes to glare at them, but she found the movement too much for her. Sagging in her bonds again, she closed her eyes. She felt nauseous, even though she had not eaten in some time. Blood dribbled down her lips and with every second that passed, she felt her life slipping from her. She struggled to hold on, to try to stay alive, but she knew that she was fighting a losing battle. Though she had looked forward to her destiny as a Slayer, she knew that one day she would perish because of it. Slayers did not die peaceful, happy deaths. They died horrible deaths, filled with pain and fear. She was just another statistic in a line of Slayers who were not good enough to live another day.

Caleb moved forward, until he was standing directly underneath her. Her blood dripped down on his hair and he laughed as he wiped it off with his hands. "Too bad we can't let loose one of those vampires on her," he commented. "He'd have a lot of fun."

"It's not time for that yet," the First replied.

"I know," Caleb answered. "But can't you just imagine it?" He asked, smiling back at the apparition. "I know I'd enjoy it."

"I think that's what she wants," the First said. "For us to just kill her. To put her out of her misery. I don't know about you, but I don't really give a shit about what she wants."

"No," Caleb replied. "No, I don't either. If she wants to die, well, I say she'll live and suffer too."

"That's why I put you in charge, Caleb," the First said. "You're just so….cruel."

"I do try," Caleb said laughingly. "Come on, I think she needs some alone time."

Hailey watched them leave the room, unconsciously letting out a sigh of relief. She did not know if she could handle another round of torture. Every part of her body screamed in agony. Blood was caked over her face and wounds, fresh blood running over the old, and creating a noxious smell of decay. Hailey…a voice whispered in her head. "Dawn," Hailey whispered to herself, painfully dragging her cracked and bloody lips in a broken smile.

We're at the door of the vineyard. Just hang on, Dawn's voice echoed through her mind. While Hailey was relieved that her friends were coming for her, a sudden wave of panic rushed through her as well. They could not fight Caleb, not on their own. "Be careful," she muttered.

………………………….

Buffy kicked open the door of the vineyard. Stairs immediately greeted her. "Okay, guys, it's go time. Be careful," she said. Creeping down the stairs, the group came to a main room at the bottom, which was filled around the edges with barrels of wine. Spike internally groaned. How a stockpile of alcohol sitting untouched in town had escaped him, he would never know.

"Well, well. Is this the cavalier rescue team?" Caleb asked, emerging from a side room. A group of Bringers follow directly behind him, as well as a group of vampires. Faith sighed in relief, not seeing any of the older, stronger vampires about which Andrew had warned Buffy. "You all must not care too much about that little bitch if this is all you brought."

"Is she here, Willow?" Buffy asked, looking over at her friend, but Willow had thrown down the map.

"She's here," Spike affirmed. "He's got her blood on his hands."

"Just give her to us and we'll walk out," Faith offered. "This doesn't have to be anything."

"Oh, I think it does," Caleb replied. "You're not walking out of here with her. In fact, I think you're all going to join her."

"I don't think so," Willow suddenly said. Buffy looked over at her and stepped back immediately. The redhead's hair was quickly turning black, her eyes filled with a darkness that only evil could produce.

"Willow," Faith hissed. "You have to stop."

"Not this time," Willow said. Thrusting her hands forward, Willow sent a spray of blue energy flowing from her fingertips like lightening bolts. The Bringers scattered, Caleb among them. The vampires were not so lucky. The bolt hit them, instantly turning them to dust.

"What?" Caleb wondered aloud.

"Get out," the First said, appearing next to him. "We can't fight her like this." Caleb nodded, escaping through a tunnel behind him, with the Bringers running after him. Willow's hair instantly returned to its normal shade, the witch shaking off the rest of the effects of her use of black magic.

"Where is she?" Willow asked, turning to Spike.

"Where's Dawn?" Buffy suddenly said, noticing her sister's absence.

"She's down here," Dawn suddenly said from the shadows of the doorway from which Caleb had entered the room.

"Are you sure?" Faith asked.

"Yeah," Dawn said. "Buffy, Spike, keep Willow up here. Make sure no one comes down after us."

"But," Willow began.

"You're not going down there," Faith said.

"She's my girlfriend," Willow countered.

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you kissed Kennedy," Dawn shot back.

"You shouldn't see her like this," Faith said, shooting Dawn a look. "I know a bit about torture. It's not something you want to witness first hand. Just stay here."

Faith and Dawn disappeared down another long stairway, into complete darkness. Finally, they reached the bottom, where two lone torches lit the room. Two doorways stood before them. "Which one?" Faith whispered over to Dawn.

"That one," Dawn replied, pointing towards the closest.

"Okay," Faith said, moving forward. She pushed the door open, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. Together, she and Dawn stepped into the room, both covering their noses to stay the smell of blood and rot.

"God," Dawn said, suddenly seeing Hailey, where she was nearly crucified to the wall. Faith averted her eyes, looking to the ground and fighting the urge to vomit.

"Is she still alive?" She asked.

"Yes," Dawn replied breathlessly. "We have to get her down."