Barely stifling a moan of protest, Buffy opened her eyes. The library was dark and still. Faith's deep, even breathing sounded above her. Ignoring her body's summons, Buffy snuggled closer to Faith. She didn't want to get up.
Coasting along their link, Buffy smiled. Just brushing Faith's sleeping mind felt good – warm, calm, safe. Buffy put her head back on her Slayer pillow. Under her ear, a rhythmic beat lulled her back to sleep. Buffy's touch on the link faded as sleep enveloped her.
Scant minutes later, the pressure on her bladder became more insistent. Growling inside, Buffy realized she had to get up. Now. Wiggling carefully, she slipped out of Faith's arms and stood. She stayed there for a minute, watching Faith. Buffy had never seen the other girl so relaxed, all her guards down.
Her body sent another reminder.
Stepping away from Faith, Buffy froze when her foot landed on something hard and metallic. The knives. She glanced back at Faith. Should she wake her? There was safety in numbers. Buffy shook her head at the internal question. She was eighteen. Surely she could make it to the bathroom and back on her own. Hopping over the row of weapons, Buffy paused long enough to take one of the daggers and tuck it into her belt.
Stealth mode engaged, Buffy crept out of the library. Even after all the late night research parties, Buffy found the dark and deserted hallways eerie. Her tennis shoes squeaked faintly on the floors as she hurried toward the girls' bathroom. She flicked on the light as she pushed the door inward, wincing at the sudden brightness.
When she'd taken care of Nature's call, Buffy closed the stall door and padded to the sink. Washing her hands, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Dark circles marred the skin under her eyes and her hair stuck up in odd patterns. They didn't need fire to stop the Ascension. All she had to do was pop out of a box in front of the Mayor. Just one look at her would scare him to death. Turning off the taps, Buffy pulled several sheets of paper towel out of the dispenser.
The coarse brown paper dropped to the floor, unused, as Buffy doubled over. A wave of evil crawled through her Slayer senses, overwhelming her.
Shivering slightly, Faith stretched against the bookcase at her back and reached for Buffy. Buffy would take care of the chill. Her grasping hands met empty air. "B?" Her eyes snapped open.
She was alone in their makeshift bed.
Fuck it all, where had Buffy gone? Faith scrambled up, peering through the library. Books, books, and more books. No Buffy.
Heart pounding, she grabbed a dagger and a crossbow and lowered her shielding, reaching for Buffy. The crossbow clattered to the floor and Faith went to a knee. She struggled to breathe. Something huge and evil was nearby… A demon…
B? she got out, forcing the thought through her screaming senses.
The answer was faint and garbled. …bathroom…going to check…numbers…
Faith surged to her feet, running for the doors. No way was Buffy checking on anything alone.
"Faith, wait!" She spun at Giles shout. "What's going on? I heard something crash." He ducked under the check out desk pass through, crossbow in hand.
Inching closer to the exit, Faith answered swiftly, "The Mayor's on the way. B's somewhere…" She waved a hand in the direction of the hallway. "She said she's going to check on how many vamps he brought along."
"Good Lord." Giles jogged toward her. "Why did you let her go by herself?"
"I didn't. I didn't know she was gone until I woke up." Damn it. How could he think she'd let Buffy do something this stupid? "When I felt the Mayor, I asked her where she was. It was hard to understand with all the humming in my head, but I'm pretty sure she's planning on a little recon."
Giles stared at her. She could see his confusion, and she twitched restlessly.
"Look, I ain't got time to explain. Me and B can talk to each other in our heads. End of story." Faith took another step.
A hard hand gripped her shoulder. "I'm sure I'll enjoy the rest of that tale after we defeat the Mayor," Giles commented softly. "However…"
Faith stiffened, hand clenching around the dagger she still held. She knew she wasn't going to like this.
"You cannot go after her. We can't risk both of you." Giles pulled her around, gesturing to the crossbow she'd dropped at the top of the stairs. "I've got the spell. Once we locate the Mayor, I'll light the match, and you can take the shot."
No. Faith wanted to scream at his plan. "I ain't leaving Buffy out there-"
"You don't have a choice," Giles snapped. "I can't make the shot. You can." Pressing his face close to hers, he stared deep into her eyes. "I understand, Faith. I do. Buffy is my Slayer." His lips tightened before he continued in a low, intense voice. "More, she is the daughter of my heart. Do you really think I want her to die?"
Tensed in his grasp and ready to run, Faith shook her head.
"Think, Faith," Giles demanded. "If the Mayor is here, he knows what we had planned. He won't be at the hospital tomorrow. This is our only chance to defeat him before the Ascension."
She didn't care. Buffy was all that mattered. Buffy… Slumping, Faith acknowledged the truth. She and Buffy were Slayers, the Chosen Two. Beating the Mayor and saving Sunnydale was what mattered – whatever the cost.
"What do you want me to do, G-man?" she asked tonelessly.
The link disintegrated as Buffy tried to explain her idea to Faith. All she was left with was an echo of Faith's fear.
"Guess I really am on my own this time," Buffy commented aloud. Closing her eyes, she sucked in a deep breath. She had to stay focused. Faith and Giles needed whatever information she could get.
Opening her eyes, Buffy stared at the ceiling – and her way out. She dragged the room's single trashcan over and upended it under the overhead vent panel. The thin metal gave slightly under her weight as Buffy climbed onto her makeshift ladder and reached for the grating. One hard tug and the panel flew open with a shriek.
Buffy jumped slightly, gripping the edges of the opening above her, and pulled herself into the dark, dusty air duct. The Mayor's power thrummed through her. She couldn't push it back enough to pinpoint his location. However, three years of nearly living in Sunnydale High School had to count for something. If the Mayor was planning some payback, he'd have the library and all of its access points blocked.
She needed to know just how badly he'd stacked the odds. Crawling away from the library, Buffy headed for the main Electrical Control Room and the roof access stairs.
The trip took too long. Buffy's muscles cramped from the crouched position and her knees ached from crawling through what felt like miles of ducts. The Electrical Room was below her. Doing a quick scan for vampires or other demon activity, Buffy pushed open the grate leading to her destination.
She dropped to the floor, groaning softly as she straightened up. "Giles is so paying for a chiropractor after this," Buffy griped to herself. Hand pressed to her lower back, she yanked open the door to the roof access stairs.
Giles didn't have a chance to answer. A window shattered to their right. Pushing the startled Watcher out of the way, Faith dove across a research table and leaped up the stairs to the stacks. She snagged the crossbow she'd dropped earlier. "Here! she shouted, tossing it over the railing to Giles. Not bothering to see if he caught it, she scrambled to the knives she'd scattered on the floor.
Blades now in both hands, she stood and assessed the situation. Three vampires ran toward her. More jumped through the now-open windows on both levels. They needed to move. Standing in the middle of the room with the Mayor's vampires pouring in was a bad idea. They were about to be surrounded.
The distinctive sound of vibrating metal announced Giles' discharge of a bolt. One of the vampires rushing in from the hallway disappeared in a cloud of dust.
"This way, Faith," Giles called from behind her.
Faith didn't hesitate. Spinning on her heel, she sprinted through the maze of shelves after Giles. He led them to the most defensible spot remaining – the Special Collections area on the mezzanine.
Back firmly against the inset shelves, Faith stared at the vampires swarming the library. "Wanna remind me why I re-upped in the Gang, G-man?" she asked. There were too many vampires. Knives were a liability. Faith broke off the spindles in the railing keeping her and Giles safe from the drop to the lower floor.
"Ah, at this point in time, I'm sure it seems like a poor decision," he answered. Raising one of his crossbows, he fired. Another bolt found its target. "However, I, for one, am glad you are here."
Chuckling at his verbal riposte, Faith stepped in front of Giles, swinging her makeshift stake at the first of the horde of vampires.
"You got any bolts left?" Faith called to Giles. She ducked a wild swing by the vampire in front of her, cursing when her foot slid through a puddle of blood, and she lost her balance. Grabbing at the bookcase behind her, she managed to stay upright.
A pair of dry clicks sounded to her left as Giles' crossbows dry fired. "No," Giles commented calmly just before he swung one of the weapon like a club at an encroaching vampire.
Stabbing with her stake, Faith dusted two more vampires. It was getting crowded on the narrow walkway. She and Giles were shoulder to shoulder, with vampires grabbing at them from below. More charged from the side. Faith glanced desperately around the room. They were trapped. There was no way out. Buffy! She tried calling through the link. She couldn't feel the other Slayer, and her momentary distraction was costly.
A hand circled Faith's ankle. She stomped at it with her free foot but couldn't break the grip. The world tilted. Faith's head slammed into the bookcase at her back then the floor. The room flickered in and out and Faith struggled to stay conscious. Swinging her arms frantically, she battered at the myriad of arms reaching for her.