Author's note: Sorry for the delay in updating, I've been really busy with work and college and what with trying to maintain a social life at the same time, it ain't easy I tells ya. Hope this chapter is okay for you guys. You know the drill if you give me reviews I give you chapters lol. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns everything
Chapter 26
CLEARING - WOODED AREA
Buffy stared in shock at the substance coating her fingers. She knew better than anyone the dangers that silver posed to a werewolf. Buffy's attention was drawn back to her girlfriend as she moaned in pain. She saw that Faith was struggling to get up again, she'd managed to pull herself up into a sitting position and was in the process of trying to climb to her feet.
"Need to go to them." she mumbled. Buffy moved behind Faith and wrapped her arms round her waist, gently pulling her back so that she rested against her chest.
"Faith they can wait, okay." she placated. "You're no use to them in this condition." she brushed some hair out of Faith's eyes.
Faith leaned back into Buffy's arms and looked around at her surroundings in confusion, "Where'd the fog come from?" she slurred. Buffy looked around the clearing and couldn't see any fog.
"Baby there is no fog." she replied frowning. She felt Faith getting heavier in her arms, and saw that her eyes where drifting closed. "No, Faith you need to stay awake for me." she said shaking her roughly.
"Too…..tired." Faith said, her eyes blinking open for a second before closing again.
"No, Faith wake up, you need to stay awake." she said, she shook Faith again but this time she didn't stir. "Faith, wake up!" She squeezed the wound on Faith's injured leg, hoping that she would react to the pain, but she didn't move. She put her fingers against Faith's pulse point on her neck, her pulse was there but it was rapid and weak. "C'mon baby stay with me." Buffy pleaded holding Faith tighter. "Giles will be here soon and we'll take you home, everything will be okay." she said trying to convince herself. Deep down she knew enough about silver to know that it was fast acting and that if they wanted to save Faith they didn't have much time.
WATCHER'S COUNCIL - ENGLAND
Quentin Travers sat at his desk, contemplating the phone call he had just received. Apparently the slayers involvement with the Garou was more personal than he had first thought. According to Wesley she was in a relationship, if you could call it that, with a Garou that was out of control and had already managed to kill four people. And if Wesley was to be believed nobody was doing anything about it, which didn't surprise him. Buffy Summers had already proved to be a difficult slayer to control, and he had no doubt that she wouldn't slay someone she loved. This of course meant that yet again, he had to clean up another one of her messes. He pressed a button on the intercom on his desk, "Send them in." he ordered.
He turned to face the door as the three men entered. "Good evening gentlemen, I have a small assignment for you. I suggest you pack your bags as you will be catching the next flight to California. It seems that we have another mess to deal with in Sunnydale."
CLEARING - WOODED AREA
The sound of a car horn broke through the silence causing Buffy to jump, she could just make out the headlights through the trees. That'll be Giles she thought absently. She looked down at Faith who was cradled in her lap, she still hadn't regained consciousness. Her skin was icy cold, and she was deathly pale. If it hadn't been for the sounds of her laboured breathing, Buffy would have thought she was dead. Keeping a reign on the panic that was threatening to consume her, she climbed to her feet. With Faith cradled in her arms, she began to carefully pick her way through the trees towards the car.
On reaching the road she was surprised to see Wesley standing next to Giles.
When he noticed her presence he raised the tranquilliser gun, however when he realised the condition that Faith was in he saw that there was no threat and quickly lowered it. Buffy ignored him and continued walking towards the car.
"Dear lord what happened to her?" Giles asked in concern, Faith looked like death warmed up.
"Silver…….. I'll give you the details in the car. Faith doesn't have much time." she said quietly. She gestured her head towards Wesley who was nearest the car. "Open the door." she ordered firmly. Wesley hurried forward and opened the rear door of the car for her whilst Giles got in the drivers seat and started the engine. Buffy gently lay Faith across the backseat before climbing in next to her, and lifting Faith's head into her lap. Wesley shut the door behind her and ran round to the passenger side. He had barely gotten into the car before Giles peeled out of the dirt track, heading down town.
Giles glanced in the rear view mirror and saw Buffy absently stroking Faith's hair, the tears on her face reflecting the passing streetlights. "Buffy, what happened back there?" he asked gently, breaking the pained silence that had filled the car.
Buffy sniffed and looked down at Faith's face, her hand never ceasing as she ran it through Faith's hair. "Kennedy appeared, spouting her usual crap, saying that she had a surprise for me. Turns out she was able to control Faith, using some sort of disc. She ordered Faith to kill me. And she would have if I hadn't pulled the disc off her." Buffy swallowed hard at the memory, Faith's roar of agony still ringing in her ears. Her voice was shaky as she continued. "Kennedy ran off when she realised that she could no longer control her. When Faith came round she was okay, so I went to phone you, but when I came back, she was……she was sick, she wasn't making any sense. The disc was full of silver and when I ripped it off, it must have gone into her." fresh tears slid down her cheeks. "I didn't know." she finished quietly.
"Buffy, it isn't your fault, you weren't to know. This is what Kennedy wanted to happen." Giles said. "We will cure Faith." he said firmly, Buffy didn't acknowledge him, she couldn't help but feel that this was her fault, if she hadn't touched the disk Faith wouldn't be lying here dying. She always seemed to fail the people she loved. The rest of the journey was made in silence, the only sound was that of Faith's laboured breathing.
BRONZE
"So that is basically everything that you need to know about Sunnydale." Willow said. She had just finished giving Tara a sugar coated summary of life in Sunnydale, minus the dark, brewing, evil, side of things which could probably wait till later, or maybe never.. It all depended on how soon she ran into trouble. "So are you enrolling in Sunnydale high?" Willow asked curiously.
"N-No I g-graduated at m-my last school. I-I'm joining Sunnydale University." Tara replied.
"Really, I was thinking of going there, well, after I graduate. Which won't be for a few weeks yet, and it all depends on whether the schools still standing." Willow said.
"W-why? Is t-there a l-lot of e-earthquakes h-here?" Tara asked in concern.
Willow was about to babble her way out of the hole she was about to dig herself, when she was saved by her phone ringing. "Excuse me for a second." she said apologetically to Tara, grabbing her phone she made her way outside, away from the noise of the club. Looking at the screen her caller I.D said it was Buffy.
"Hey Buffy, what can I do for you?" Willow said cheerfully. The red head was silent as she listened intently to her best friend. Her face fell when she heard what had happened to Faith, she couldn't help but notice the grief in Buffy's voice. She absently noticed Tara coming out of the Bronze and walk towards her. "Buffy I'll be there as soon as I can, tell Giles to start preparing everything now. I'll bring the rest of the ingredients." Hanging up she looked up at Tara. "Look I'm really sorry but I have to go, one of my friends has been hurt."
"I-I can g-give you a l-lift if y-you w-want." she offered "M-my cars just r-round the corner."
"That would be great, we'll have to stop off at my house on the way, I have to pick up some things." Willow said, Tara nodded and they both set off running towards the car.
GILES'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM
They had brought Faith to Giles' house. It was closer than Buffy's and he had the herbs and books necessary to cure Faith. Wesley and himself where currently downstairs preparing the necessary herbs and Buffy was upstairs with Faith. Wesley stood back and watched as Giles ground some herbs with a mortar and pestle. "Why are you doing this?" he asked curiously.
Giles looked up at him briefly before getting back to his task. "I would have thought that was obvious." Wesley raised a brow and crossed his arms. "Exactly where in the council guidelines did it state that watchers should help murdering werewolves?" he asked.
Giles threw a glare at him. "I don't follow council guidelines. Faith is our friend and ally, I want to help her because I care."
"You aren't in the least bit concerned about the fact that she has killed people and will probably kill us when she is healed?" Wesley said in surprise.
"Faith has never harmed any of us in the time that she has been here." Giles stated as calmly as he could, busying himself with his task.
"Apart from nearly ripping you all to shreds." Wesley exclaimed.
"That was unintentional, she had lost control of her wolf due to the Daywalkers poisoning her."
"Well what about killing those people and tonight, she very nearly killed Buffy!" Wesley exclaimed.
"If I recall, that was because she was being controlled by Kennedy, who if I remember correctly was your slayer!" Giles shouted, he saw Wesley wince and knew that the comment had affected him.
"Well I for one think that we shouldn't cure her." Wesley said quietly, Giles looked at him sharply. "The council will kill her anyway, why bother curing her when she will be captured and killed." he explained, shrugging his shoulders. "If we take our time making the antidote Faith will die and Buffy will be none the wiser." Giles was shocked at the casualness in Wesley's tone. He was about to voice his opinion when he saw Buffy standing on the stairs.
Giles looked up at his slayer and could see her barely controlled fury. He knew that Buffy was looking for something to direct her anger over Kennedy at, and at the moment Wesley was her intended target. Glancing at the man next to him, he could see his face pale as he realised that Buffy had heard everything. Giles almost felt sorry for him. He watched as Buffy slowly walked down the stairs until she was standing in front of Wesley, who was desperately trying to maintain an air of authority. Giles barely saw Buffy move, but the sound of her palm hitting Wesley's cheek seemed to echo round the living room, causing Giles to wince.
"How dare you!" Buffy spat, her eyes ablaze.
Wesley turned to face her and fixed his glasses, trying to regain his composure. "I was thinking of your best interests-" he began, but he was cut off by Buffy.
"My girlfriend is dying, and you think that allowing that to happen is in my best interests!" she exclaimed. "What the hell gives you the right to make that decision! In fact save it, I don't want to hear anything else you have to say, get the hell out of my sight!"
Wesley turned and headed towards the door, before leaving he turned back to face them. "I have taken the correct measures and informed the council, but know this Buffy, they are not the enemy, she is." he said, neither Giles or Buffy said anything, they merely watched as he left, closing the door behind him.
"Bloody pillock!" Giles cursed as he went back to preparing the antidote. Buffy watched him as began mixing the ingredients into a red paste.
"How much longer?" she asked hesitantly, her fingers absently tracing patterns on the surface of the table.
"The antidote is nearly ready, it just requires the ingredients that Willow is bringing." he glanced up at Buffy and saw the tears that where beginning to fall down her face. "She's strong Buffy, she will pull through this." he said gently. Whatever words of comfort he was going to offer her where cut off, as Willow burst through the door, followed by Tara.
"Hey we got here as fast as we could." Willow panted. She saw the look of puzzlement on there faces, as they looked over at Tara. "This is my friend, Tara, she gave me a ride over here." she explained. "How's Faith?" she asked Buffy, as she handed the ingredients to Giles, so that he could finish the antidote.
"She's bad Wills." Buffy choked out. Willow wrapped her arms around her and drew her into a hug.
"She'll pull through Buffy, she's a fighter." she said, running a soothing hand up and down Buffy's back. "Why don't you go and sit with her. I'll bring the antidote up when it's ready." she offered. She pulled back from the hug and watched as Buffy wiped the tears from her face and nodded. She watched Buffy as she headed upstairs before turning to Giles. "Do you need a hand with the potion Giles?" she asked.
"No, it's nearly complete. Thank you, the pair of you. If you hadn't have gotten here sooner then I dread to think what would have happened."
"It's okay Giles." Willow said. "Is it okay if we wait here, at least until we know that the antidote worked. I want to be there for Buffy." she said.
"Yes, yes of course. Take a seat." he said gesturing towards the sofa's, before getting back to the task at hand.
They both moved further into the living room, and sat down opposite each other. Willow sighed, Tara was probably wondering what the hell was going on. "Your probably wanting to know what's happening." Willow stated.
"I-I have a r-rough idea.." Tara stuttered. "T-the a-antidote that h-he is m-making is one t-that is used t-to c-cure w-w-werewolves."
Willow stared at her wide eyed. "How do you know that?" she asked.
"I-I'm a w-Wicca and an e-empath." she said sheepishly. Of all the things that Willow had expected her to say this was not one of them.
Tbc.
A/N: hey sorry I cut the chapter short but writer's block has kicked in again, lol. I'll try and update within the next few days.
