Feedback: Duh! Feedback and criticism (but only constructive) is welcomed and appreciated.
Disclaimer: None of it's mine except the storyline, Chuck and Lucille and Commissioner Newtown. If it were, Angel wouldn't have left Buffy in the first place. This is therapy for me.
Rating: Pg - 13, for violence
Pairing: B/A, minor use of other ships e.g. W/O, S/F
Summary: AU. A universe where the gang are werewolves, living in L.A, and the Initiative are back for a little revenge over the Sunnydale fiasco.
-#-#-
..Base Control we have located the hostiles...
Roger that Commander. What are the coordinates?
...They are headed south-south easterly along Marilyn View Boulevard...
Understood. Proceed with track and retrieve. We only need two specimens. Kill the injured one. It was only bait.
...Roger. What shall I do with the carcass?...
Burn it Commander. Over and Out.
-#-#-
Tired and anxious, Buffy made her way upstairs to check on the kids. Peering into Dawn and Conner's room she saw they were both asleep. Smoothing back Dawn's hair from her face and pulling the duvet up over Conner she switched off the light and closed the door.
"Mom?"
Buffy sighed and pushed the door back open, the hall light flooding in. Two faces peered at her, pale and nervous.
"Yeah?"
"Dad and Spike will be alright won't they? They'll find Penn?"
Trying not to let her children see her fears for her mate's safety, she sat down on the edge of Conner's bed and smiled reassuringly at the twins.
"Of course. Hey, when they get back and the Clan get's here why don't we have a big party to celebrate huh?"
Dawn's eyes lit up. "Ooh, can I have something new to wear?"
Conner rolled his eyes at his sister's enthusiasm for shopping. Buffy smiled having distracted her children successfully.
"Sure. We'll see if we can persuade Cordy to take you. Not that she'll take much convincing."
Conner stared at her in horror.
"I don't have to go, do I?"
Buffy chuckled. "No."
Conner sighed with relief. His father had told him privately of the time he'd been shopping with his mother. His credit card balance hadn't survived the trip and his father nearly hadn't either. And that was just with his Mom. But Dawn and Cordelia?
He'd need therapy.
-#-#-
She closed the door behind her. It was only with it firmly shut that she allowed the smile to die on her face and a frown to replace it. She'd assuaged the twins fears but not her own. She moved slowly back downstairs. Willow came out of the kitchen, two mugs of coffee clutched in her hands. She gave one to Buffy.
"Here. You look dead on your feet."
Buffy smiled wryly.
"Thanks Will."
Willow smiled. "Me and Oz are off to bed, you should come and get some sleep."
She shook her head. "I'll wait thanks."
"I can wait with you if you like?"
"I'll wake you up if… when they get back."
Will gave her a hug. "They'll be back Buffy. And then you can give him some of your special treatment." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
Buffy smirked at her and feigned being shocked. "Willow! Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"
Willow just smiled "Goodnight Buffy." She headed upstairs after Oz.
"'Night Will."
Buffy sank down into one of the big squashy sofas in the lobby and let the warmth of the coffee mug seep into her tired limbs. She shivered and realised she was cold.
Padding upstairs she passed Xander's and Cordelia's rooms where they were sleeping soundly, their heartbeats rhythmic and slow. Then she passed Faith's room where she was slee…dead by the sounds of it. Why was there no heartbeat?
Buffy frowned and opened the door of Faith's room. The bed was unmade from yesterday. She checked the room and then the on-suite bathroom growing more and more anxious. There was no sign of her. She pulled out the large box under Faith's bed where she stashed her personal weapons. Opening it there were still some left, but her favourite stake was missing and her two knives (a birthday present from Buffy) were gone. She shivered. The room was cold and her eyes moved from the floor to the open window.
"Dammit Faith. You were always so stubborn," she muttered.
Running to her and Angel's room she opened the large cabinet and pulled out her crossbow and handgun. Strapping the gun to her leg, she reached into the wardrobe and pulled on her long black coat and then left, running down the hallway. Willow poked her head out of her bedroom door to see Buffy running down the hallway with a …crossbow?
"What's wrong?" She asked worriedly as her best friend jumped from the hallway balcony to the lobby floor.
"Faith," was her only reply.
-#-#-
Chuck was a man who wasn't afraid of much. When he was four and his sister had run screaming from the bathroom at a spider he hadn't been scared. He'd eaten it.
When he was seven and the school bully had demanded his lunch money he hadn't been scared. He kicked him where it hurt and demanded his lunch money.
When he was twelve and he had broken his leg and nose playing soccer he hadn't been scared of the size of the needle or of the bone sticking out of his leg. He'd been annoyed he'd missed the rest of the game.
And at thirty-six he hadn't been scared when he'd been shot twice in the thigh by robbers as he tried to apprehend them from taking their looted cash from the nearest bank. He'd ignored the pain and shot back, wounding one and allowing his partner and the back up team to catch them, earning himself an early retirement from the force and into being a lorry driver.
His angry wife on the telephone was also one thing Chuck wasn't scared of.
He was petrified.
It was a good thing the phone was hands free… having it any closer to his ear would have damaged his hearing.
"And why aren't you back yet?"
"Lucille I got caught up in all the …"
"Oh, here comes another excuse. What's it tonight? Extra work, caught in traffic? It's 4:15, what traffic is there at that time of night?"
"Well..."
"No, you will shut-up and listen to me for a change. I don't wanna hear anymore excuses do you hear me?"
"Loud and clear Lucille." He braked at the traffic lights and was extremely tempted to throw the phone out of the window. People were looking at him oddly.
"Tell me the truth."
"Well, you ain't gonna believe this but I'm surrounded by soldiers with…"
"Chuck dammit, I wanted the truth no a pack of lies."
"It's the truth Lucille I…"
"Sir step out of the vehicle."
"Chuck, stop it!"
"Sir, come out now with your hands up. We need to search your lorry. We think you may be harbouring dangerous criminals."
"Chuck!"
Chuck got out of the lorry; hands raised and stared at the soldiers with their guns trained on him. If people had been staring at him oddly before, they were openly gawping at him now as they drove past, the lights having turned green. One soldier got out a small remote control and scanned him.
"He's clear sir," he said to his superior, who was standing behind the men with the guns.
'It's always the way,' mused Chuck.
He coughed and decided to speak. "Course I am. I don't do drugs or alcohol. Heck, I don't even smoke." The soldier next to him said nothing but Lucille however had obviously caught the conversation.
"Chuck! You been stopped? When you get home you're gonna get the talking to of a lifetime!" He cringed. Why was the lorry door still open?
Ordered to search the rest of the lorry two soldiers went to the back, swung open the doors and scanned it, leaving three soldiers pointing their guns at him, the Commander and the soldier next to him. After five minutes they came out and shook their heads.
"Negative Sir. No hostiles in here."
The soldier next to him knitted his brows. "But the homing device location marker clearly says that they are in the truck."
Chuck looked confused. "Hostiles?" He asked.
"Quiet," said the soldier.
"Chuck! Answer me!" Lucille's tinny voice was still calling from the lorry cab.
"Search underneath the vehicle," ordered the Commander. One soldier went to clamber under the vehicle when he suddenly stopped and brought out a small black box from where it was blinking in one of the wheel hubs. The commander stared at it angrily.
"A decoy. But how did they…?" He turned to a bewildered Chuck.
"Sir, did you stop at any traffic lights recently, apart from this one?"
Chuck thought back. "Yep. There was the one oh, say a block ago or so."
The soldier sighed and ordered his men to stand down.
"Chuck! Chuck for god's sake answer me you son of a bi…" The Commander raised his gun and shot the phone, cutting off the nagging voice of Lucille.
Chuck's face split into a grin. It was the best thing that had happened to him all week.
-#-#-
...Commander to Base Control. Mission failure...
Control to Commander. Why is that?
...Control, they found the homing device. They put it on a moving vehicle and used it as a decoy. By now they will have gone underground...
Understood Commander. The General will be informed. Expect to be debriefed immediately on your return.
...Roger that Control. Over and out...
The commander ordered his team to move out. Five dead and no hostiles captured. He was going to be demoted down to private so quickly he'd be getting whiplash.
All of a sudden from the corner of his eye he caught a flash of brown and black moving in the bushes and the hostile scanner started beeping rapidly. He smirked.
...Commander to Control. Ignore that last report. Looks like we'll be bringing home a hostile tonight after all...
-#-#-
'Where the hell is Faith?!' Thought Buffy as she ran along the streets of L.A. She honed all of her senses into trying to track the stubborn werewolf. Scenting the air she caught the faintest whiff of copper. She took a deeper drag and now she could taste it, the scent filling her mouth, tasting bitter, metallic… like blood.
-#-#-
'Where the hell is Buffy when I need her?' Faith ducked a punch thrown at her head by one of the soldiers.
The fight had only started ten minutes ago, but already they were wearing her down. She'd managed to break their guns, viciously swiping at their hands with an outstretched foot, kicking them high into the air. They'd smashed on the ground, but that was her only triumph. Angered at their loss of weaponry, the soldiers had thrown themselves into the fight and she was now sporting a slash to her upper arm, where she'd been cut by a knife, and a black eye. She dodged a sweeping kick, jumping up, only to receive a brutal blow to her face causing her to lose her balance and fall to the floor. She spat out blood.
"Bastard," she called. The soldier just leered, and infuriated she flipped herself back up again, catching two soldiers under the chin with her flying fists.
Organised the others rushed her as one, but she was ready. She grabbed one's arm and twisted it, snapping the bones in his arm. His knees buckled, and he fell to the floor. Using him as a platform, she leaped lightly onto his shoulders to deliver a spinning mid air kick to the face of the leader. He staggered back, and she grinned in satisfaction as he crumpled, unconscious to the floor.
She never saw the soldier behind her. But Buffy did.
"Faith, look out!" She screamed.
Faith whipped round just in time to block the heavy metal bar held in the soldiers hands as it came crashing down towards her head. Snarling she twisted it sharply, hearing wrist bones crack. The soldier yelped, and with a strong backhand he flew backwards. The other soldiers were regrouping though and the looks they were giving the two women were not pleasant. Buffy look worriedly at Faith.
"How're you doing? I could smell the blood…"
"I'm five by five B, like always," countered Faith. Her face though was rapidly becoming paler, her movements slower as she lost more and more blood.
"If you get a chance," said Buffy, as the soldiers started to rush them, "get back to the Hotel."
"No way B, I'm not leaving you here!" Shouted Faith as she punched one soldier in the face and twirled to jab an elbow in another. Buffy growled as she head butted one commando, who had hit her.
"You punch like a girl," she taunted him, and the soldier sneered, slapping her across the face hard.
Faith was having a hard time staying conscious and Buffy tried to make her way over to her. Unfortunately, the commander was now fully conscious and giving as good as he got. Buffy gave into the urge to change slightly and she grew claws, fiercely raking them across his face, leaving deep red gouges. He screamed in pain, giving Buffy enough time to yell.
"Faith go!" The soldiers were heading over to Buffy and their injured leader, leaving Faith an opening.
"But…"
"Go dammit!"
"I'll be back B!" And with one parting look Faith took off into the night.
Buffy sighed. Now she only had to worry about herself.
Sidestepping a punch she ducked low and swept her feet out, knocking over an advancing soldier. But the leader was clever, and a good fighter, and with one swift uppercut from his boot, Buffy lay sprawled on the L.A tarmac. She went to get up, but they were already there, and she received a violent kick to the side. She fell back down, only to have a boot press down on her chest, constricting her airways. She tried to move her arms to get rid of the boot but the feet of two soldiers mercilessly crushed her wrists.
She screamed in agony as they fell uselessly to her sides. Her lungs felt like they were on fire, burning and chocking her. She gasped for breath as she started to see black dots dancing in front of her eyes. The boot was lifted off for a moment, before being brutally slammed down into her again to the taunts of the soldiers. She cried out as her ribs fractured, and she coughed, blood splattering onto the road. Everything was now hazy and grey, and she whimpered, wishing desperately for Angel.
With one sadistic kick to her temple she succumbed to the darkness.
'Angel…'
-#-#-
"Where is everyone?"
Angel stumbled into the lobby, with Spike, Penn and Lorne. The whole hotel was quiet, and it was very disconcerting in comparison with the way he had left it, a hive of nervous activity.
"Buffy?" He called out. She didn't appear but Willow did, her face pale and drawn, emerging from one of the small rooms they used as an office with Oz in tow. She smiled but it didn't quite reach her eyes and Angel immediately grew worried.
"Where's Buffy?" He asked. Willow didn't reply but Oz moved to help lay Penn down on one of the large sofas in the lobby. He groaned but remained unconscious.
"His healing's kicked in?" She queried as she leant over him, looking at his wounds.
"Yeah," said Spike. "Had to remove this nasty bugger of a homing device before it did though." Willow looked up sharply.
"Homing device?"
"Initiative used Penn as bait. They caught us just as we were about to get him and attacked us. We beat 'em but they woke up pretty sharpish and we had to scarper."
Angel was growling softly. "Willow, I'm waiting for an answer."
She sighed. "Buffy ran out of the lobby about twenty minutes ago, saying something about Faith. I checked her room, and she'd escaped out of the window."
Angel snarled. "I ordered her to stay here!"
Willow tried to defend Faith but with the way Angel was glowering it was enough to make it come out as a feeble attempt. "She only wanted to look for her brother. She was worried about his safety."
"Yes," said Angel menacingly. "And now I'm worrying about Buffy's."
-#-#-
'Where the hell is the hotel?' Faith groggily searched for home. Her vision was swimming and every few steps she stumbled as her healing kicked in and tried to cope with the amount of blood she had lost. Suddenly, walking round the corner of the block she spied the large, imposing hotel.
'Stop moving,' she grumbled at it, as the big building swayed and split into two and she staggered towards the lobby doors.
It would have taken all of her effort to push open the glass doors, but Angel was there already and he dragged her in, sitting her down on a chair with a speed he rarely used.
"Faith!" He growled.
"Angel?" She questioned woozily. His face was blurring and she had to squint to make him refocus.
"What happened? Where's Buffy?"
Suddenly his face came into sharp relief and she gulped as she saw his angry glare. He would be raging when she told him the truth.
"I went looking for Penn, I know what you said, but I was worried for my brother. The Initiative found me and the fighting got pretty intense. I was about to be knocked out when B appeared, and yelled at me to turn round. We fought them off but these guys just wouldn't stop coming. B wanted me to leave, but I didn't want to, she forced me to go, I said I'd be back…"
Angel's fists were bunched and his knuckles white. He didn't notice his fingernails had dug grooves into his palms and he was bleeding.
"Angel?" Asked Willow, but he shied away with a growl, and she backed off nervously, sensing he was having a hard time containing his fury.
"And she's still out there now?" He asked in a low voice, cold steel lining every word.
Faith nodded and bit her lip.
There was a loud roar and Angel smashed his fist into the large marble pillar by Faith's head, leaving a large hole.
"Angelus…"
Angel turned to Spike his eyes murderous.
"I'm going to search for Buffy now," he rumbled. "And Spike, keep your mate out of my way because if Buffy's hurt..." He trailed off and picked up his sword again, still red with the soldier's blood.
"If Buffy's hurt then God help Faith. God help us all."
-#-#-
Thank to all of my reviewers!
Hotjohnnylover – so you love Johnny too huh? Thanks for reading and reviewing my story. Sometimes I feel like there's no one out there reading it.
Triss Skylark – hope this chappie satisfied u. I'll try and get the chapters out a bit quicker, but I've got year 10 exams coming up soon so unfortunately I have to revise and that plus my hectic social life leaves me little time to write:(
Karmawiccan – cool name! Sorry if u got a bit confused with Chuck. He's just a lorry driver who gets stopped by the Initiative cos Angel and the guys put the homing device on his truck when he stopped at the traffic light so that they wouldn't follow them. Make sense now? I hope so and I'm glad you like my story.
Marielle – sounds like you're addicted to my story. If so I'm very pleased (does the happy jig of happiness yayyyyy!) sorry I can't update sooner but if u got my email you'll understand why. It's nice to have 'mature' writing, one day I want to write professionally, so this is kind of testing my abilities (it's also therapy – Angel should NEVER have left).
Please, please, please, read and review – I crave your thoughts on my stories!