Despite her attempts to sleep, Buffy couldn't ignore the voices in her head. Even isolated on the second floor, thoughts from houses down the block and people walking by intruded. And, let's not forget all the heavy thinking going on downstairs, the tired Slayer thought. She knew her friends were doing their best; after all, she was privy to all of the ideas being investigated. However, they had yet to find anything useful and she could tell they were getting desperate. Grabbing a robe from her closet, Buffy decided to join the research party. No one was going to be comfortable with her presence, but it wasn't like she couldn't hear them thinking while in her room. They would all just have to learn to deal.
Donning the robe and some fuzzy bunny slippers, the blonde descended the stairs. Willow was the first to notice her from her spot by the dining room table. "Buffy! What are you doing up?"
She shouldn't be out of bed. We-we still haven't found anything. And, now she'll be able to tell we don't really know anything.
The pain increased with proximity. Buffy grimaced as the dull pain flared to a sharp stabbing behind her eyes. "Hey, Will, don't worry. I, um, I could hear you guys thinking upstairs. It's cool. We'll keep looking. We always find an answer." Her reassurance brought a beaming smile to the freckled face. "So, where should I start?" she aimed at Giles.
"Oh, well, I suppose you might try this treatise on unexplained supernatural phenomena," he stammered, holding out a thick tome.
"Great. Let's get to work," Buffy said, dropping into a chair and trying to focus through the swarm of mental voices.
Buffy was never really sure what went on for the next couple of hours. She knew she flipped pages and looked at the words. But everything kept blurring. Her mind refused to stay on a single topic, jumping from subject to subject as thoughts zinged into her head.
Suddenly, Giles sat up straight and gestured at the book he'd been reading. "Here. Apparently, there is an antidote." He stopped and read silently for a few minutes. "Unfortunately, it requires the heart of the second demon."
Standing up and grabbing his jacket, Xander said. "So, what are you waiting for? Let's go find this demon and cut him open."
"I only wish it were that simple," the older man said tiredly. "Unfortunately, as Buffy can attest to, this demon is very hard to subdue. Even if we were able to defeat it, I'm not sure how we can extract the heart without also being infected with the Aspect."
"So not what I wanted to hear, G-man." Xander dropped his jacket and sat down again.
Why did he even mention this if we can't do it? I mean, Buffy's sitting right here! We should concentrate on being positive.
The Slayer wanted to cry at the young man's thought. They were all pushing themselves to the limit for her. She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead on the table. It was getting harder to cope with the constant voices. She sat there, listening to the verbal and mental dialogues swirling around her.
"Giles, maybe we're looking at this from the wrong angle," Willow said hesitantly.
"What do you mean, my dear?" He looked at the redhead questioningly.
Tucking some hair behind her ear, she went on. "Well, we've been looking for a way to help Buffy block out the thoughts or on an antidote. We have an antidote we can't use and no idea how to block out the thoughts. I think we need to find another demon that is immune to the Aspect."
"I don't see how that is relevant." The strain was getting to Giles, too. He was very close to snapping at the well-intentioned Willow.
Buffy raised her head, intending to defend the young hacker. However, despite the fiery blush that climbed from neck to hairline, Willow met the older man's gaze. "If there is such a demon, Mr. Giles, they might be able to get the heart for us."
Silence filled the room – at least vocal silence. Buffy's mind still strained with the volume of mental voices. Trying to sound as normal as possible, Buffy broke the quiet. "Giles, is there a demon that can't be infected? 'Cause right now, the antidote sounds like a great thing."
"Yes, of course," Giles murmured. "Let's refocus our efforts on locating a demon immune to telepathy."
No one groaned out loud, which was surprising. The Scoobies as a general rule were anti-research. Buffy braced herself for the unspoken groans, but didn't hear any. Her friends' thoughts showed their exhaustion, but also faint glimmers of hope. Deciding now might be a good time to isolate herself again, Buffy slowly stood up. "I think I've had enough research for a while. Sorry to leave it all to you guys."
"Hey, Buff. No problem. We've got your back," Xander responded with a smile.
For the first time in hours, the Slayer smiled, too. Her friend's thoughts matched his words exactly. "Thanks, Xan. Let me know if you find anything, OK?" The blonde made her way back upstairs, closing her bedroom door before collapsing on her bed. Although she could still hear the voices, her body was finally tired enough to ignore them. She drifted into an uneasy sleep.
"Buffy," a voice said.
"Please, just go away," the Slayer mumbled. But as soon as she woke even a little, voices whispered in her mind. Whimpering, she grabbed her head. She didn't know how much longer she could endure the Aspect.
"Sweetie." Her mother sat down on the bed. "You said you wanted to know when we found something. Rupert and the children found a demon that is immune to the mind reading."
Hands still clutching at her hair, Buffy looked up. "Really? Which one? Is there one close by?"
The elder Summers smiled. "Yes. Very close by. Buffy, vampires are immune to the demon's blood. Angel is on his way to get the heart."
Faith walked into the Mayor's office without knocking. He was on the phone, his back to the door.
"Of course, Chief. I completely agree." His hands waved in the air as he talked. "No, I don't think you are unrealistic. Increasing patrols by the high school might cut down on the vandalism." Turning in his chair, he caught sight of the Slayer and smiled, face lighting up. He gestured for her to come closer and continued to talk. "Yes, Chief. That's fine. I'll bring it up at the next City Council meeting. Yes. Yes." He rolled his eyes at Faith. "Chief, someone just came into the office. I'll have to get back to you."
He hung up the phone just as Faith dropped into the chair in front of the desk, propping her boots on its surface. "Faith, how many times have I told you? Boots don't belong on desks." He stared at her reprovingly until she dropped them to the floor. "Those big things are more suited for kicking and stomping your enemies with." He stood up and came around the desk. "So, what has you in my boring old office instead of out partying with your little friends?"
"Buffy came to visit me today, Boss. Seems there's a new demon in town."
"Really?" The Mayor's tone made Faith's skin crawl. "And why would she give you this information."
"Oh, hell –" she began.
"Faith, language."
"Sorry. Anyway, you know B just can't resist making one last attempt to get me to rejoin the Super Friends." Faith chuckled at the idea.
The Mayor leaned against his desk and crossed thin arms over his chest. "And, you weren't the least bit tempted?"
"I'm here, aren't I?" the Slayer shot back.
"Well, yes, but I worry, you know. I don't really have much to offer you except a position of authority after my Ascension." He frowned slightly. "I've seen how working with the vampires gets to you."
Faith shrugged carelessly. "No problem, Boss. I just keep the end goal in mind."
Despite the easy smile on his face, the Mayor's eyes had hardened. "See that you do, Faith. I'd hate to think what would happen if you betrayed me."
Years of hiding emotions kept the Slayer's fear well hidden. Slouching further into the chair, the brunette smiled, dimples peeking out. "Never gonna happen, Boss. You're like my father, you know. You don't turn against family."
Her boss lightly touched her should and headed for the far wall. As he pressed the release that opened the hidden storage behind the wall, Faith heard her sister Slayer in her mind, pleading:
"Please, Faith. We're you're family. We need you."
She stood quickly, needing to do something to block the memory. "Hey, Boss, you want details on the demon, or are we good?"
"Patience, Faith. Just let me get a few reference books and then you can tell me all about it," the Mayor said, scanning the shelves in front of him. "Ah, there. I knew I left them here after Mr. Trick came to town." He pulled two leather-bound books out of the alcove and returned to his desk. "Now, my dear, tell me what the other Slayer had to say."
"Um, well, I guess it isn't much, now that I think about it." Faith hesitated. "B said the demon was tall and white. Before she passed out, she was talking about something called an Aspect that you could get if you touched the demon's blood."
"Ooh, sounds spooky." The Mayor flashed his quirky grin and opened one of the books. "The Aspect of the Demon? Sounds vaguely familiar." He flipped rapidly through the first book while Faith paced the room. "Did she mention anything else?"
Faith thought back over her strange conversation with Buffy. "Yeah. The demon didn't have a mouth."
"Really?" he asked, sounding very intent.
The Slayer stopped pacing and looked at the Mayor. "Wouldn't lie to you about something like that."
Despite pouring over the second book, her surrogate father waved an apologetic hand. "Didn't mean it like that, Faith. It's just a very interesting piece of news. I wonder…" He turned a few more pages. "Got it! I knew that demon was familiar. Here, Faith, come look."
Scowling, the brunette reluctantly joined the Mayor at his desk and glanced at the book. "Huh, I thought vamps were ugly," she commented after seeing the sketch.
Wilkins laughed. "Now, dear, beauty isn't what counts in the demon world. It's power. And this particular demon is a telepath."
Faith raised her eyebrows, a bored look pasted on her face.
Seeing this, the older man sighed. "Faith, Faith, Faith, what am I going to do with you?" He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her to his side. "I believe you mentioned that your blonde friend passed out?" When the girl as his side nodded, he went on, "Did she complain of headaches by any chance?"
Pulling away, the Dark Slayer said, "Yeah. How'd you know?" Fuck. Please don't let there be cameras or shit in the apartment.
"Simple," the Mayor beamed. "I'm willing to bet Buffy has already been infected with the demon's telepathic ability. It says right here," he pointed to a section of text, "that no human has ever survived after receiving the gift." He read a bit more and frowned. "Well, darn. It looks like there's an antidote."
Closing the book with a thud, he turned to look at Faith. "I think it's time you made sure Buffy isn't a threat to my Ascension any more."
He was watching the Slayer closely, but Faith kept her expression blank. "What's the job, Boss? You know I'm up for anything."
"Yes. Yes, I think you are," he said, his smile evil. "I need you to find the demon and kill it."
"Cool. Demon duty is right up my alley." Faith grinned with relief and started for the door. "I'll check with your boys and see if they've got a location."
"Not so fast, Faith." Startled, the brunette spun to face the Mayor. "There's more. You can't just kill this one. The antidote for the Aspect is to drink its heartblood. You'll need to remove its heart after its dead. That way, no one can keep Buffy from going insane."
Forcing herself to nod. "Got it, Boss. One dead demon without his heart. I'm on it." She turned back to the door, but Wilkins had one final piece of advice.
"One other thing, dear. You might want to be very careful when you kill this demon. I would be heartbroken if you were infected, too. There might not be another one around to provide the antidote for you. And two crazy Slayers, well…let's just take some extra precautions, OK?"