A/N: Mike, thanks for help on the dream sequence.
FIC: Cleveland Calling (11?)
Gellert felt his blood race as his men lifted the weakly struggling Slayer. "What a warrior," he muttered in admiration. He'd killed many a Slayer in his time, far more than the pathetic Council realised, eight in all, more than any vampire he'd ever known, but he'd never seen one to match her. All those century old vampires in a matter of ten seconds. And all elite troops from his bloodline, extraordinary. And that wasn't even counting the three he'd specifically used to get her into position. If only they had time for the Claiming, what a demon she'd make.
Shaking such regrets away, he pushed the secret door open and led the remainder of his party down the dusty tunnel to the cavern beneath. It was a pity things had come to this, but one had to make a stand.
He'd owned the Orpheus club for, he smiled as he realised this month would have been its 150th anniversary. Generally he ran his clubs discreetly, avoiding as much contact as possible with normals. There was no profit in indiscretions, but some sacrifices had to be made for the greater good, and discarding this club to bait the trap for the Slayer was just perfect. Turning a corner, he shoved open a door. "Bring her," he commanded.
Breena staggered as she sensed a vampire the strength of which surpassed any, even Angel, she'd ever faced. Shaking off her fear, she leapt into the air, grabbed hold of the top of the door frame behind her and kicked her opponent square in the face, knocking him into the far wall. Dropping back to the floor, she raced over to the vampire and crashed her stake home. Spinning around, she saw a wide-eyed Penda staring at her. "You felt that?"
Penda nodded. "I felt that," her friend replied, her voice thick not only with her African accent but with fear.
"We've got to find Miss Lehane!" After a second's hesitation, Penda nodded and followed her into the corridor. Heart racing, she raced down the passageway, stopping at the splintered open doorway. Rushing through, she found signs of a fight, dustpiles scattered across the floor, and the residue of the frightening presence she'd felt earlier. But no Faith.
"We'll have to go get the others." Breena shook her head at Penda's comment, she wasn't deserting Faith. "Think Breena!" exhorted her fellow Slayer. "We can't take that thing on alone. We need back-up. Besides vampires can track through smell. Angel will be able to find her."
Breena winced at the unpalatable truth in the last comment. "Fine," she snapped. "But let's hurry!"
"Leave us!" Gellert growled. His subordinates bowed in unison and hurried out, leaving him with just his two eldest childes, Gier and Sophos. And their prisoner, held between them, struggling, scared, but defiant.
Gellert felt his previous regret flare anew. Even in her battered state, the Slayer was an astonishing beauty, all fire and wantonness. If only he had the time to turn her…
"I am gonna rip your-, ahh!"
His back handed slap knocked the girl's face to the side, the blood from her mouth splattering Sophos stood to her right. "I DID NOT GIVE YOU LEAVE TO SPEAK!" he thundered. The girl glared at him when he tousled her raven tresses, her head twitched when he trailed his fingers down her flawless cheek. He chuckled when she spat in his face. Such spirit. After wiping it off, he looked at her for a second before stepping nearer. "If only I had the time," his men gripped the girl all the tighter as her struggles intensified as he leisurely unbuttoned her blouse, "your screams would be my sweetest symphony." Her blouse fell open, revealing the lush treasures within, allowing him to press his hand against the milky white skin of her left breast, fancying he could almost feel her pounding heart.
He could certainly smell her fear. The air was ripe, thick, with it.
Finally he sighed sorrowfully and stepped back. "Unfortunately I do not have time to attend to your breaking in person," he reached into his inner pocket and withdrew a syringe. He laughed at the growing terror in the Slayer's doe-like eyes. "Yes, Orpheus," he nodded. "But a very special strain. And in a dosage that will," his smile widened, "keep you under but not dead until you're very, very old."
"NO!"
He grabbed the Slayer around the throat and squeezed. In seconds, she was wheezing desperately. "Yes." He leaned into her, enjoying the feel of her writhing body against him. "Did you think," he yanked her head to the side and thrust the needle into her neck before injecting the drug, "there'd be no price to pay for killing my Yelena?"
Pulling the needle out, he watched in fascination the small trail of blood that trickled down the brunette beauty's neck. Looking into her eyes, he could already see them dulling, drool dripping from her mouth. Perfect. Dropping the empty syringe, he turned to his henchmen. "Time to leave, I think."
His childes nodded before dropping the Slayer on the dust covered floor. After a final lingering look at her twitching body, he followed them out and into the labyrinth of tunnels that led to his home.
"That's the last-," Xander's voice trailed off as the stairwell to the back of the bar suddenly filled with a vamped out Angel, Connor and Dana following hot on his heels. "What's wrong?"
"Where is he?" Angel looked left and right, eyes flickering with something close to fear.
"Where's -."
Again he was interrupted by more interlopers, Breena and Penda crashing through the door to the back of the club. But no Faith. He was beaten to the two by Angel. "Where's Faith?" Xander blinked at the intensity of the demon's growl. If nothing else, he'd never doubt the depth of feeling Angel had for the Slayer again. The two Slayers looked towards him, he nodded encouragingly.
"We were in one room, Faith was in the next, we sensed something," Breena stopped in her explanation to briefly shudder before plunging on, "we ran through, but she wasn't there."
"Show us!" Angel charged through the doorway the two Slayers had just come through. Xander opened his mouth to protest about Deadboy taking over. Deciding this really wasn't the time, he followed after the demon, conscious of the others trailing behind.
Breena and Penda led them down a tight, dimly-lit corridor and into a heart-breakingly drab room. Xander looked around, noting the dustpiles scattered everywhere, unable to prevent a surge of pride wrapped within his fear. Faith hadn't gone quietly, that was for sure.
"It's Gellert."
Xander's eye snapped towards Angel, the hoarseness of the demon's tone chilling him to the bone. "What?"
"I..I can sense him, Xander," Xander was rocked by the fear in Angel's eyes. "He's strong, way stronger than the Master."
"Great," Xander looked around, "question is where's -," he looked towards the far wall, brow furrowing as he watched Connor knock on it. "What are you doing?"
Connor continued his exploration. "They didn't come past you or Bre and Penda, therefore unless they used magic there must be," Connor turned towards them, smirking triumphantly, "a secret passage. There's a hollow panel here, all we need to do now is find the -," Connor's voice trailed off when Angel heel kicked his way through the wall, "kick the door in."
Angel's nose led him to his friend. His stomach shrivelled at the sight of her crumpled on the ground, body shaking, low keening sounds trembling out of her mouth. "What the hell!" he was surprised when Harris pushed past him and hurried to the Slayer, rolling her over and taking her in his arms. And was instantly thrown into the ceiling, near the far wall. Bounding forward, he caught the Watcher as he plummeted to the ground. "Deadboy, what's wrong with her?"
Angel noted at the concern in the boy's voice. It seemed Faith's concerns about Xander not caring were misplaced. Not that he was surprised, the boy might be a congenital idiot but he cared. Placing the youth back on the floor, he glanced towards Faith. "I don't kno-," his nose wrinkled and he grimaced. Looking around, he saw what he was searching for, and walked over to the syringe dropped on threadbare sitting chair. Picking up the syringe, he sniffed at it and growled, his suspicions confirmed. "Nightmare."
"What is it?"
"Nightmare, a brand of Orpheus," Angel continued to glare at the medical implement. "Wes and Gunn found out about it. The person injected," he steadfastly refused to look in the direction of the whimpering woman, "relives their worst nightmare, again and again, the vampire gets to feed off their fear. Nightmare junkies get paid the most, but last the least amount of time. This amount, on a Slayer she'll never come out of it on her own. I'll have to feed on her, go in, pull her out."
"No way."
Angel scowled at the young Watcher. "Xander this isn't about whose got the biggest set of-."
"Does anyone else think that allowing a vampire to feed on a drugged Slayer would be a very, very bad idea?"
Angel stared at Xander, surprised at the youth using something as base as logic. "It's not like we've got any other options," he tersely pointed out.
Xander swallowed. "Yeah, we have." He looked towards Faith. "I'll go inside, drag her out."
"That's insane!" Angel managed after a second gaping at the young Watcher. "We don't even know if Orpheus works on humans like that!"
"That case we're going to find out, worse case scenario it doesn't work," Xander shrugged, "you get to vamp out and try your stuff. We've got enough Slayers if things go wrong."
Angel winced at the reminder that Xander considered him very disposable. Shrugging that off, he grabbed the youth by the arm and, ignoring the watching Slayers' laser-point glares, dragged him into the outside corridor. "That is not the worse case scenario, you could end up trapped in there with her, reliving her terror again and again, but helpless to do anything!"
Xander's gaze didn't falter an inch. "At least she won't alone." The boy's face was as serious as the night he'd faced down Angelus. "I fouled up once before, couldn't reach her, when -," the youth's voice faltered and he shook his head. "I'm doing this. You helping or not?"
Angel briefly balanced the probability of Buffy killing him if something happened to Xander against the imperative of getting Faith help as quickly as possible, the longer she was under the worse, the harder, it would be to get her out. "We'll try it your way," he conceded.
Xander nodded. "Thanks," the boy muttered before heading back in the room.
He was briefly surprised by the gratitude but didn't let that stop him from asking his next question. "How do you intend to do this, you can't feed?"
"God no," Xander grimaced. "I'm going to use the syringe, take some blood, and inject it into myself."
Angel blinked, it might just work. If it didn't, well he'd try it himself when he tried to help. He would be better able to control the amount of blood he took at the very least. Although there was one problem. "You know how to take blood?"
"I learnt playing doctors and nurses."
Angel joined the others in staring at the Watcher. "That's not the way you play doctors and nurses," Breena objected.
Xander smiled tightly. "You didn't grow up with Willow Rosenberg."
Connor glanced at first him and then Xander, eyebrow raised. "And I thought my childhood was weird."
Xander chuckled nervously before taking the syringe. "Dead-, Angel," Angel blinked at the correction but then he guessed at least in this tense moment they were united, "Connor, grab her, hold her."
After a confirming nod from him, Connor and him approached Faith from the flanks. Grabbing a hold, he winced at her strength, in her drug-induced terror she was stronger than Buffy, almost as strong as the Beast. "Xander!" he winced as the Slayer attempted to bite him. "We can't hold her on our own!"
"Okay," the pain and anger he felt at Faith's predicament was mirrored in Xander's face. "Bree, Penda, grab her legs, Dana," Xander looked towards the Slayer, "I want you to cut her right shirt sleeve off, then help Angel to hold her arm steady."
"You need someone," he pulled away from another bite. "To hold her head still too."
"I'm on it," Dae whispered, the tiny Oriental Slayer, even shorter than Buffy, hurried forward and grabbed Faith's head in a chokehold from behind.
Xander winced before hurrying forward, and injecting the needle into the Bostonian's arm. Once it was full, he took a breath before taking off his shirt and injecting the blood into his arm. The instant the syringe hit empty, Xander's eyes dulled, and the youth pitched forward.
One of the other Slayers, Astrid he thought her name was, leapt forward, catching the Watcher. "I guess it worked," Connor commented, his voice tight before turning to him. "What next dad?"
Angel looked around. Realising everyone was looking at him, he quickly thought. "Back to base."
Faith moaned deep in her throat at the sound of the biker her mom was dating walking up the stairs. He'd be in her room soon, 'said it was her own fault for being such a -.
"Hey, Faith." She bit down on her pillow muffling her shriek as a tall, one-eyed man stepped out of the shadows by her bed. How had he got here? "I'm not going to hurt you."
"L..leave me alone," she sobbed. Oh god, there was two of them.
"I'm a friend of yours." The one-eyed man looked around the darkened room, face creased in puzzlement. "You're too young. You've not even been called yet. I thought your worse moment would be something Slayer-related."
"I don't know ya!" she shook her head. And she didn't have any friends, everyone knew she was trash, even her mom said so.
"Look," her eyes widened when the man waved his hand through the wall. "I'm not here and this isn't happening, not really, not now. My name's Xander and in the future you're this big hero, but you've been drugged by someone who hates you and I've been sent to help you."
"You're fucking nuts!"
"Now that sounded like the girl I know," Xander chuckled before his face turned serious again. "Okay, Faith I know you're scared. This isn't real, okay. You're an adult and more than capable of defending yourself against any nightmare."
"Great," Faith muttered. "Horny bikers. Now I get escaped loons too?"
The one-eyed man shook his head. "Right - you're obviously
not going to believe that 'cause that's just crazy talk from some
guy you've never met. And I've just realised I know absolutely
nothing about your childhood to make you believe we're erm,
friends.
Right, no-one said this was gonna be easy."
"Are you my boyfriend?" Faith suddenly blurted out, this guy might be wicked delusional but she kinda got the vibe he'd never even dream of laying a hand on her.
A muscle in the one-eyed man's face twitched. "No, you don't d-, you don't have a boyfriend. I'm a friend who helps you."
"Helps me?" Faith blinked as she looked at the man. She might only be twelve, but she had eyes and couldn't imagine a big man like this needing her help. "B..but I'm not a hero."
The man sighed and crouched down before her. "Listen Faith," she was surprised when she didn't feel any fear at the closeness, with her close proximity was usually a precursor to a beating or worse. But she somehow she knew this guy wasn't like the ones at her school or her mom dated, he was a good person like those knights in the books about King Arthur. "In the future you're going to laugh at the sort of scumbag-," the man looked quizzically at her.
"Joe," she supplied.
"Joe is. You're going to be somebody, someone who does great stuff, helps people." The big man leaned into her, his breath hot on her cheek. "But I'm going to let you into a secret. You're somebody now, somebody who can fight back. Powers aren't what make you special, heart is."
"You can fight him for me," she pleaded.
"Me? Help yo-," the man shook his head. "I wish I could," Xander smiled sadly. "Not here, remember." The man's face stiffened. "Look, you have to do this, otherwise neither of us can leave here, we'll be stuck here forever. I'm relying on you Faith."
Faith stared at the man before shaking her head. "Shouldn't do that, I'm unreliable, can't be trusted."
"Don't say that," now she was a little scared by the anger in the man's eye. "People rely on you now, you've friends who need you, you can't stay in this coma."
Faith gulped at the sight of the battered door handle turning. Before now, she'd been too scared to do anything, her mom had always said she'd tan her hide, but now. "Okay," she whispered. Leaping up, she dived out of the bed, dressed in her customary cargo trousers, t-shirt, and sweater she kept on to make things hard for Joe, and leapt for the window. Xander said she was tough enough, she didn't need her mom or anybody.
Xander gaped as Faith dived past him. "No Faith," he vainly grasped at the young girl but she ran through his ghostly arms and clambered through her window. Shaking his head and glaring at the opening door, if he was solid, he started for the window. "12, 22, it doesn't matter," he muttered, "how old does this girl have to be when she starts to listen to me?" Sighing, he ran after her.
"Faith! Wait!" The girl stiffened at his shout, turning to face him. He hid a wince as he realised her eyes were red-rimmed from crying. "You were meant to fight him."
The brunette shook her head. "I…I can't, he's like bigger than you. I'm too small. Don't be mad," she pleaded with the soft eyes that in just a few years would catch the heart of every man who looked into them.
"Faith, I'm not angry," he hastened. "We'll work this out."
"You're not gonna leave me?" the girl asked hopefully.
Seeing the ballsy, feisty Faith this needy, desperate, scared, made Xander's blood boil. Again, he wished he was solid so he could go back to her home and see her mom and her mom's wonderful boyfriend. And open a can of whup-ass on them. Forcing a smile, he shook his head. "'Course not, we're a team."
The girl's smile illuminated her face and almost the night. "Thanks. So," Faith licked her lips, "in the future, this hero, like what am I?"
"Um," Xander gnawed on his bottom lip, wondering what he could tell her. Deciding as this was a dream state, temporal rules didn't apply, he began to talk, telling her all about Slayers, about the good stuff she'd done, carefully avoiding any mention of Finch, the Mayor, and prison.
Soon the girl was dancing around him as they walked, eyes sparkling with an intensity he recognised from seeing her in fights, but the beaming, innocent smile was new to him. At this age, she was still a little bit of a dreamer, all of her childhood hadn't been ripped from her. Yet. "What's up Xan?"
Shaking himself, he forced a smile. "Noth-." Hearing a disturbance, he looked to an alley to their left, the stench of effluence wafting out of it. "What's that?"
Faith's eyes grew fearful. "We don't want any trouble."
"It'll be alright," he soothed before running into the alley. After a second, he heard the girl's footsteps behind him.
Entering the alley, he heard Faith gasp as they watched a vampire tear a man's throat out. "W… what's that?" a trembling voice queried.
"A vampire." He took a breath before continuing. "Faith, I know you're scared but Joe isn't a monster, he's just a sick prick that shouldn't be allowed anywhere near children. Faith, this is a monster, that creature there, feeding on those couple. That's a real monster. And he's what yo-"
He was interrupted by the small voice. "I hate them."
"Yeah," Xander smiled. "So do I. Faith, you need to believe me-"
He paused as the Slayer stepped past him, small hands clenched into fists, the little girl adopting a more confident stance. One definitely not designed for someone of such a tiny frame. "I fight them."
"With all your heart," Xander nodded, this wasn't what he expected, but maybe this was an escape route for both of them. "That's right Faith. You fight monsters like that and being able to do that means that no prick like Joe will ever get a chance to hurt you ever again."
Small knuckles cracked as the fists clenched even tighter. "Never hurt again."
Faith sat up, sweat pouring off her, chest heaving with rasping breaths. God, going through that, she thought she'd never be clean again. "You're awake!"
She gasped as Andrew tackled her in a hug, knocking her back down on the bed, any other guy and she'd be suspicious he was taking advantage. "Whoa, Andy," she wriggled free, looking left and right. Yeah it was her room in Cleveland, the Corbain posters gave it away. "Is everyone okay? Why isn't Angel with me instead of you?"
Faith kicked herself at the hurt look that flickered across Andrew's face. Ah fuck, she hadn't meant it like that. "Everyone's okay, Dana wouldn't let Angel sit with either you or Xander while you were out cold."
"Damn that girl," Faith shook her head. She appreciated Dana's devotion and loyalty, but she was a big girl, could take care of herself. "Well," she patted Andrew awkwardly on the shoulder, "thanks for sitting with me."
Andrew practically glowed at her praise. "You are my sensei."
"Yeah," Faith ventured a shaky grin, boy was nuts, "sure am grasshopper." She started to shove her covers off only to stop when she realised she was only in her panties and bra, "Andy, what happened to my clothes?"
"Um," Andy reddened and looked away. "You were in bed, I wanted you to be comfortable."
Faith raised an eyebrow. Maybe Andy wasn't as gay as she'd thought.
"Look Dana why don't you come with me," Angel broke off from arguing with the obstinate Slayer when the door to Faith's room swung open and Dana's even more mule-headed mentor walked out. "Faith! How are you!"
Faith winced. "Better at a lower volume, Angel." The brunette's eyes filled with concern. "Xander?"
"He couldn't wake before you, he had to follow you out."
"Damn fool man," Faith nodded before heading towards Xander's room.
Angel dropped in beside her. "I'd have gone in, but Xander insisted."
Faith chuckled. "That's Harris for ya, always wanting to save the girl. 'Sides, girl needs variety, can't just have one knight saving her." Faith stopped as they reached the door to Harris's room, face sobering. "Wasn't keen on ya feeding, right?" Angel nodded, the other reasons Xander had mentioned were his business, if the boy wanted to mention them to Faith, it was up to him. "He was right, if Angelus had turned up, you're good," Faith winked at him. "But my girls were trained by the best."
"Oh yeah," Angel smirked. "When does the best turn up?"
He grunted as Faith punched him none too gently in the stomach. "Asshole," the girl scolded before opening the door and walking in.
"Faith!"
Faith hid a wince at the collective scream that went up as she entered X's room, the Slayers gathered there charging her, grabbing her in a collective hug that had her gasping for air. "I might not have to breathe, but Faith does," Angel commented.
She nodded gratefully at the vampire when the girls sheepishly released their grip and stepped back. Faith grinned. "Yo, getting that pleased to see me, must be getting soft on ya," she joked to hide her emotion at the relief in her students' eyes. All the searching she'd done, ever since she hit Sunnydale all those years ago, she'd finally got what she wanted, a family. Turning serious, she glanced towards X. He was still under. "Right," she looked at the younger Slayers. "Angel and Connor are gonna take training today-," seeing mouths open in protest, she stared levelly at her trainees. Their heads dropped in unison. "I'm gonna sit with X for a while, I'm still a little weak," she felt like a legged-dwarf could kick her ass right about now, "now get."
The moment the door closed behind the others. Faith slumped exhausted in the seat beside Harris' bed, watching the man as he slept. And trying to keep her hearing intact, dude could snore. "Why you do it Harris?" she muttered. "All the shit I put you through, and you do a crazy fucking thing like that?"
After half an hour she still hadn't received an answer. "Boy likes his sleep," Faith shook her head and rose. With her strength returning, she was feeling increasingly restless, but no way was she leaving here before X awoke, she was gonna be the first person he saw.
Bored, she began to mooch around the untidy room, noting with amusement the clothes scattered across the room. "You'd never have survived in Stockton," she muttered. But then, her grin slipped, Harris wasn't likely to shove a stake through a guy's chest. Seeing a CD rack, she crouched down beside it and began to investigate, nose wrinkling at what she found. "The Mavericks? Garth Brooks? Dixie Chicks? Shania Twain? This don't impress me much."
"And of course Pearl Jam and Nirvana are so much better."
"Damn straight-." Faith spun around. "You're awake!"
"Really?" Xander raised a quizzical eyebrow as he struggled up into a sat position. "Only with me it's usually so hard to tell."
Faith ignored that. "I see ya still got ya clothes," she smirked. "Surprised those horn-dog girls didn't take their opportunity to see if you're a brief, boxers, or thong man. I mustn't be teaching them well enough. Andy couldn't wait with me, I woke up in my panties and bra. I'm gonna have to watch him."
Xander grinned through his blush. "Damn, I always sleep through the good stuff." Her Watcher's face turned serious. "You okay, Faith?"
"Five by five," Faith hesitated. "X, why did you do that?"
Xander shrugged. "G-Man would have done it for Buff. You're my Slayer."
"You might wanna stop judging yourself by G-Man or any other Watcher," she softly counselled. "Where I sit," she shrugged, "you're doing five by five off your own bat."
"Thanks," now it was X-man's turn to hesitate. "Don't bite my head off, but…"
Faith waited for a second for the man to continue. When he didn't she spoke. "But what, X?"
Despite the softness of her prompt, Xander gulped. "It wasn't your fault. Guys like Joe who treated you like trash were the problem not you. You're not trash."
"Thanks for the heads up, Harris," Faith smiled and stood. "I got that a few years ago, but it's always nice to hear it from a stand-up guy like you." Striding across the floor, she cupped her hands around Xander's face. After a long look into his single, remaining eye, she pressed her lips to his, eagerly working her tongue into his mouth.
Her eyes widened at the skilled massage he gave her tongue. Boy-toy had picked up some tricks. After a minute or so she pulled away with a gentle tousle of his hair.
Xander stared at her, eye widening and cheeks reddening. "W…what was that f…for?"
Faith shrugged, feeling more self-conscious than she'd ever felt in her life. "Last time you saved my ass, I fucked up saying thanks. So there you have it," she backed to the door. "Thanks."
