Faith sat with her head against the wall. It had been hours. She hadn't moved, but she felt totally drained. She didn't see how Dawn could keep it up so long. She was just a kid… but a thought kept coming up: no she's not. She has great power. Voldemort kept saying it. Plus, she's a Summers Faith added to herself, so she's as stubborn as hell. She was trying to lighten the mood for herself, but it didn't seem possible. She'd been hearing screams for far too long.
Eventually, she heard footsteps approaching. Praying that it would be Dawn coming back, Faith looked hopefully to the door. Several death eaters came instead. One entered, magically taking the chains.
"Stand." He ordered.
"Bite me." She replied. He murmured something with a flick of his wand, and Faith found her mind drain of all thought.
[Just stand up. Don't argue. Just stand]
[Just stand?] She nearly did, but then she frowned, [why?]
[Just do it.] The calm voice insisted.
[Erm, no.]
[Stand]
[No, I don't think I will.]
"Stand, slayer!" the death eater yelled.
"Bite. Me." She repeated. Thoroughly furious, he yanked the chains and began to drag her. Faith managed to find her feet, awkwardly as she was chained, and struggled all the way, not that it did any good. She was dragged into the large chamber where she had been tortured before. There was a fire roaring in the fireplace, and deep red furniture filled the cosy looking room. Voldemort was sitting with his finger tips pressed together thoughtfully, in a huge winged chair. Dawn was tied to another chair near by. Faith could see that the girl had been beaten as well as magically tortured, but she was still conscious. Faith was impressed.
"Ah, Faith." Voldemort said, as if greeting an old friend. She glared at him, and he smiled. "I have been thinking, and I can't help but feel that you and my young guest are… connected. You know her." Faith briefly glanced at Dawn, and the teenager recognised the steely look in her eyes that reminded her of the time when they'd first realised she had turned against them.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." The slayer said.
"Yes you do. You have killed many people in your time, yes?" Dawn noted that Faith found it hard to keep her head up as Voldemort said this. Faith swallowed slightly.
"Yes." Her voice was hard and cold. "So what?"
"You are a murderer. Yet when I threaten this girl…" He approached Dawn, and bought out his wand. Dawn braced herself for the hit of the cruciatus curse. Faith wrenched at the chains, as Dawn's body shook, unable to help herself. Voldemort smiled again, and released Dawn from the spell. "… you object. You care for this child." Faith choked a laugh.
"No. You idiot, I don't."
Voldemort actually looked shocked. All trace of emotion, other than anger, had left Faith's face. Even Dawn could not tell whether Faith was acting or telling the truth.
"Then why do you try to save her?"
"You want to know? You really want to know how I know this girl?"
Dawn's throat tightened, oh god…she thought. Faith continued. "The reason I don't want you hurting that little bitch is this: I tried to kill her once or twice- she is mine! No one takes any one away from me, you piece of crap! No one kills her but me!" Voldemort's smile widened. He could see the flame in the slayers eyes. Dawn wasn't sure whether to be terrified or elated. She'd felt sure Faith was about to tell Voldemort everything.
"Is that so, my dark child?" Voldemort purred to Faith. "In that case…" he snapped his fingers and the chains around Faith disintegrated. "Then prove it: help your self." He handed her a huge knife, and Faith's eyes widened in what could have been anything from pleasure to terror. Faith looked from Dawn to Voldemort.
"But it's no fun if she just gets to die." Faith said. Dawn looked into the other girl's eyes, and saw a terrible, wild spirit. Some part of her kept reminding her that Faith was a wicked actor, she'd fooled them for quite a while back in Sunnydale, but another part wanted to scream.
"You may do what ever you wish, Faith." Voldemort said, almost proudly. Faith walked to Voldemort, hips swinging, until she was so close she might have kissed him. She circle him a couple of times, and smiled playfully. Her fingers brushed his robes as she circled even closer. Dawn nearly smiled at how un-comfortable Voldemort looked, but this was overridden by her thoughts of EW! Then Faith suddenly turned away from him, to look at the death eaters in the room. She made a face like a spoilt five year old.
"I don't like audiences."
A flicker of doubt now crossed Voldemort's face, but he nodded.
"Leave us."
"But Sire…"
"GO! Now!" He bellowed, and the death eaters all but ran. Faith smiled wickedly.
"Much better." She sauntered up to Dawn, gazing into the younger girls face. "You scared, kid?" she drawled.
"No." Dawn replied stubbornly, producing a smirk on Faith's face.
"She's spunky, isn't she?" Faith said conversationally to Voldemort, who simply smiled. Faith circled the girl, and crouch down just behind her so that she was level with Dawn ear. "Do you like knives, kiddo?" Dawn swallowed as she felt the cold steel by her wrists. Faith grinned, "I do." Faith told her. Voldemort noticed the jerk of Faith's arm, and Dawn's wince. He smiled. Faith stood up, still holding the knife tight. Voldemort's eyes widened in pleasure; there was blood along the blade. Faith flashed him a smile and crouched before the girl. "What would you do if you weren't tied up, kid?" Faith asked menacingly.
"I'd kick your ass!" Dawn spat. Faith smiled.
"I bet you would. I know your type. Too stupid to think of what's best for them. I mean think of it- surely the best possible thing you could do would be to run like hell, right? It's not a guaranteed escape, but you have a chance! Someone once told me that the first rule of sl…life… is don't die." She grinned, a glint in her eyes. "What kind of chance would you have against both of us? Huh?" she finished. Voldemort laughed, throwing his head back dramatically, and missing the second jerking strike. Faith stood up, facing him. "What are you laughing at?" she snapped. Voldemort frowned.
"That child would have no chance again both you and I, Faith."
Faith nodded, smiling.
"I see, that last question. One prob, Voldy." Faith grinned, " I wasn't talking to her." She switched the knife into her other hand and held up a bleeding palm as Dawn stood up behind her, the cut ropes falling to the ground. Voldemort's eyes widened, and he reached for his wand. Faith retrieved it from the waistband of her trousers, "Looking for this?" She asked. Dawn took out her wand she'd nicked back earlier. Voldemort opened his furious mouth to shout for his men, but before any sound came out, Faith had crossed the room in a couple of spectacular leaps, and snap kicked him in the face, ignore the agonising pains that attacked her body when ever she moved. He hit the wall hard, but soon began to stand again.
"Faith, move!" Dawn yelled, and the slayer obeyed, looking a little confused. "STUPEFY!" Dawn cried, her wand pointed at Voldemort's heart. This time the red jet of energy blasted from the wand, hitting him with a physical force. Faith looked from the unconscious wizard to the bedraggled teenager. Faith too could now feel the power radiating from the small girl.
"Damn." Faith said, smiling. Dawn wracked her brains and remembered how to conjure ropes to bind the Dark lord. She knew it wouldn't hold him long, but it was something. Faith shook her head slightly. "I'm not even gonna ask… not right now anyway. Let's go." Faith said. They took the opposite door from that which the death eaters had left through, and the two shocked guards spun just in time to see Faiths fists as they impacted their faces. The two girls crept quickly down the corridor, and stopped when they reached a door behind which they could hear many excited voices talking. The sound was very creepy. Faith swallowed.
"There has to be twenty of them in there. At least!" she whispered. Dawn nodded.
"We can't take them all on. They'll all have wands."
"Yeah, what is with this wand stuff? Will' never used a wand." Faith asked. Dawn raised her eyebrows.
"You mean they never explained it all to you?" She gasped. Faith shook her head.
"Tell me later, right now we need to get out."
Dawn nodded, and looked around. Her eyes fell upon a very ordinary looking broom leaning against the wall. A grin spread across her face.
"What?" Faith asked, following her gaze. Dawn lay the broom on the floor, and said firmly,
"UP!" It leapt into her hand, and she grinned wider. "This is our ticket outta here." She mounted the broom (awkwardly, she was still wearing the prom dress) and told Faith to sit behind her.
"You gotta be kiddin' me." The slayer exclaimed.
"Just do it." Dawn said, rolling her eyes.
"Dawn, are you crazy? It's a broom, we ain't in a fairy tale!"
"Faith, you are a vampire slayer." Dawn said, cocking head to one side with a withering look. Faith thought about this, then nodded,
"Good point." And mounted the broom behind the young girl, about the same time as they heard an enraged cry from the room they'd left, and the door beside them flew open. "Go, go, go!" Faith yelled, grabbing on to Dawn as she leant forward and pushed off, propelling the broom through the nearest window. Angry yells followed them as Death eaters reached after them. Faith heard Voldemort scream,
"CATCH THEM!!" before they soared out over the dense forest surrounding Voldemort's hideout.
Note: please don't ask me to explain how the hell Dawn rode a broom stick it that dress, cos I don't know either. Just deal with it.
Reviews please!! -Sam