A/N: Sorry this took so long to post. I had some location changes in my life and then my poor laptop is just limping along. But the up note is that I've posted! So thanks for the patience, and enjoy.
p.s. I don't know how to make the coding go away in the last chapter. I don't know why it sucks balls. Probably the universe just hates me.
Chapter 3
I really dislike waking up alone in bed. So that's the first thing to make me cranky. The second is standing at the door trying to look smaller than he is. I don't need a babysitter. I was really hoping to wander around looking for Faith. And trouble. I sigh deeply, like a DMV worker handing out driving permits to teenagers. "I appreciate the whole full service butlering but it's really unnecessary. I've even been known to walk and chew gum at the same time without falling."
Darwin tips his head to look down at me and smiles widely. Yeesh. Small tusks are still tusks. And I'm betting they could rend things to pieces. And by things I mean people. "Yes Lady. Of course. However Master Oz has accorded me the privilege of escorting you around The Council House. It is my honor to show you all you desire to see." All I desire to see. Hm. Well that's all I wanted anyway. And let's face it. I don't hate the flattery.
Okay. "Great. Then show me the secret, bad, scary room every evil lair has." I know there has to be one. Even I have one and I'm less of the evil and more of the... okay well I'm less evil than Kakistos but I wouldn't exactly say I'm more good. Because I'm certainly not that. I'm half expecting Darwin to affect an innocent expression and shower me with denials but he nods slowly.
"Would you like to start with the upper level and work our way down to The Pit?" Wow. More than one secret, bad, scary room? I wonder how much trouble I can get in to here. They say curiosity killed the cat but I'm already dead.
"Oooh you already know how to sweet talk a girl." Another rumbled laugh. I'm starting to like those. I slip my arm through his letting him lead me up the curving stone stairs up. It's that one gesture that clicks and I know why he seems so familiar. "So is there a demon race of butlers? Because I've got the mini model of you at home." Well. Gus isn't that mini but compared to Darwin he is.
The rust colored demon looks at me with swirling purple eyes. "Your servant is my brother from my mother's second brood." Just when you think you get a handle on demons, they say things like, broods, and you just have to sit there and scratch your head. "Ours was a race of warriors, once. Centuries upon centuries from the dawning of life on this world, we were trained to fight and savage all that we saw around us."
"Very Spartacus of you." He snorts again this time in disdain.
"He was a very small human." It makes me laugh and my cranky pants mood disappears. So. This is Gus' big brother. They don't look very much alike but something in the way they move, they way they treat us. You can tell there is definitely a connection there. I suppose it's like that with Dawn and I. I pause, my tentatively good mood vanishing. Dawn. "Do I offend, my Lady?"
I wave a hand idly and shake my head. "I was just thinking of my sister. She's from another brood too." Technically she's not even real but when I think of her, when I remember her in my living life, I can't seem to think of her as anything but real. She'd hate me now. I'm sure Giles has turned her against me like he did with Satsu and most of the other Slayers. It hurts a part of me I didn't know could get hurt. Darwin takes me down a dimly lit corridor that smells like fear and blood and lust.
It's enough to draw me out of my thoughts and look at the doors along the walls. "This is the first level of dungeons. Master Oz has very strict rules on this level. No death." I'm starting to wonder about Master Oz. I push open a door and raise my brows at the man I see bound in rope, knotted in a complex pattern. The vampire in the room hisses at me and I hiss back. Sheesh. Territorial little dickbag.
It's entirely possible that Faith has been influencing my inner monologue. Darwin closes the door quickly before a fight can break out. I didn't want his boy toy but another vampire in your feed zone sets off all sorts of alarms. It's instinctual. Protect what's yours or die for real. Bullies come in every species, why would vampires be exempt?
"So this is more play than anything else?" I run fingers through my hair, composing myself casually as we continue down the hall and down a dark and dank staircase I haven't been on before. The other one was old stone pavers but they were clean, it even had soft red lights at foot level every other step. This one is clearly the staff stairway.
"Correct. And this is where most of The Circle sleep when they visit." I nod as I recognize my door in a nook off the end of the hall. It's the most private of the rooms. I wonder if Oz did that on purpose or if Erzabet's age and power accorded her that privilege. I catch the faint whiff of werewolf and turn my head to seek it out. It's not Faith, it's stronger than her scent and more earthy. A door cracks and marble black eyes watch me with interest and mild amusement. "Good evening, Avi. May I introduce you to the Lady Buffy. This is Avi Silver Ear. Avi is..."
"A part of Oz's pack. So you're the infamous Buffy. I thought you'd be taller." It's hard to be annoyed at her good natured humor. Especially when her very warm hand grasps mine in a honest to goodness hand shake. I had almost forgotten people did that. I must be too used to people wanting to kill me. I grip her hand firmly and tip my head to the side as I regard her.
"You have no idea how often that's been someone's last words." It's not really a threat I just want to see how she takes it. Wolves are weird. They get ruffled easily over power challenges. And you know me, I like to poke the bear. Er. Wolf. Her laugh is full and just as earnest as her hand shake. It makes my lips pull in to a responding grin.
"I don't doubt that. The little ones are always the meanest." My gaze lingers over her toned body. She's more lean muscle than Faith but still curvy in all the right spots. I flick my eyes up to those oh so amused eyes noticing me checking her out. Crap. "So Darwin is giving you the nickel tour huh?" I nod slowly at that still trying to read past the facade but I can't.
"I asked to see behind the curtain, it's like Disneyland." For the undead. So she's part of Oz's life. Interesting. I want to know more but I also want to keep exploring. Avi saves me from having to choose an option.
"Mind if I tag along? Cabin fever, you know?" I just nod and gesture to Darwin to continue to lead the way. The wolf closes her door behind her, leaving no opportunity to see what her room is like. Wolves. So intensely private. Faith gets that way about her stuff too. I catch myself comparing Avi and Faith as I watch her idle, light footed gait. Even as a human you can see the lupine loping grace in her movements.
I break my gaze away to watch my steps down. Wouldn't it be just my luck if I took a header and biffed it all the way down these stairs. I don't think my pride would survive it. "So you're a werewolf huh? Spend a lot of time in fur?" I only ask because of the eyes. They haven't gone human even though she's most definitely human looking at the moment. The amused look doesn't falter even for a second and she looks at me with a mild shrug.
"It gets cold in here." It's a complete evasion by making a joke. That makes me even more curious about her. I can hear Darwin pulling out and fumbling with a large heavy key ring but my eyes are all for the wolf at my side. "You're going to stare at me until I answer your question aren't you?" Yes. Yes I will. She rolls her eyes, looking a slightly less amused. Slightly. "I once spent almost a decade as a wolf. They won't change back to human now."
A decade? Like. Ten years? She spent ten years as a wolf? I'm on the verge of asking about it when Darwin finally stops to unlock a door. This time the I don't smell the blood until he pushes the heavy stone door in. Then my mouth waters. Just a little. "Where are we?" I'm so interested in finding the source of the blood that I miss the humor slipping from Avi's face. She stays at the doorway as I follow Darwin in to a black stone room with a drain in the floor. It's empty but it hasn't been empty for long.
"This is the interrogation room my Lady." It's emptiness makes it all the scarier to me. Bad things happened here to a lot of people. I run a finger along a smooth wall. It's pristine, sterile almost. "It was my old Master's favorite room." That explains why the scent is so strong. It's then that I notice the complete silence from the werewolf. It doesn't take a mind reader to see this room bothers her. I wonder if I can get her in the room with me. I wonder if she'd let me bleed her in here. "Shall we go?"
The quietly compassionate tone in his voice makes me look up at him. For a warrior demon he's awfully considerate of others. I sigh softly and promise myself to come back to the room later with Faith. "Is that the worst of your secret rooms?"
"No." Darwin locks the door before slicing his own hand on his tusk. Blood rushes out and he places it against the door. It unlocks without a key and swings open, exposing a different room altogether. This one smells like electricity and herbs. Of blood and something else. Darker. More sinister than just pain and death. It smells of magic. I don't remember much of my rebirth but I remember enough and I'm just not all that up with magic right now. "This is for..."
"I get it. We can move on now." He glances at me over his shoulder in mild confusion but closes the door firmly. "You mentioned something about a pit?" I hope it's not like the pit of despair or anything. Though that wouldn't surprise me here. Avi finally shakes herself out of her stupor and clears her throat.
"The Pit is where we all go to blow off a little steam. Or settle differences. It's very primal." She says it with no inflection but there's a spike in restless energy around her. I can understand that. Right now getting dirty would go a long way toward making that magic ick feeling go away. I've got some questions about what's happening around here but I'd rather ask Oz that directly. Not that I think Darwin would lie to me but I want to hear it from my one time friend.
"Sounds right up my ally. Lead the way Frauline Fur." Damnit. Those witty nicknames sound so much cooler when Faith says them. Avi turns her far too amused for her own good gaze on me. I smile sweetly with just a hint of menace. "So I guess this Pit thingy isn't exactly a prayer circle."
Avi's laugh reminds me of cool stream on a warm humid day. It's a strange feeling but I'm starting to get used to her. Darwin rolls his shoulders in a shrug. His voice so deep and reverent it makes me do a double take. "Not all religion is to be found in a church, any more than all knowledge is to be found in the classroom." Right. Big warrior race. He probably does pray there. Great. Way to offend Oz's right hand man. I open my mouth to say something, anything to smooth over the sudden uncertainty in the air when Avi clears her throat.
"The Pit is different for everyone. For some it's just a way to pass the time, for others it's akin to a religious experience." Darwin turns his back on us to continue on and I follow along still trying to sort through all the information I'm getting.
"And what's it to you?" The silence is broken by a frenzied roar. Hey. I know that roar. A shiver skitters down my spine. I'm not the only one affected by the sound of Faith's defiance. Avi's body twitches in response and now I really have to see what's happening. We share a look before hurrying down the rest of the hall, spilling out in to a large round room with a high domed ceiling. Demons, humans, weres, vampires and everything in between flow like a surging wave against a low stone wall surrounding a big cleared spot in the center of the room.
Darwin's big body breaks the crowd enough for us to push our way to the front of the wall. The stone thrums under my hands with the echos of all this energy. Avi's body is very warm next to me, her power pressing against me almost chokingly. "Therapy." Say what now? I tear my eyes away from Faith's swagger as she stalks around the circle, taunting her opponent. "You asked what this is for me. It's therapy."
Hm. Wonder if that has anything to do with her being furry for ten years. Faith's opponent rushes her and it's a mistake. Her body moves effortlessly to the side, one long tanned arm reaching out to yank the demon back by his horns, laying him out hard on his back. It probably knocked the wind out of him but she doesn't stick around close enough to make sure. He's bigger than her but she's just playing with him. I wonder if this is therapeutic for her too. I wonder if somehow she needs something like this to help her keep her impulses and urges in check.
Because we all know I can't be her conscience anymore. She's got to be the voice of reason for both of us. The demon sits up slowly, shaking the stars out of his eyes as he kneels and puts a hand on either horn. It's gross and a little weird to watch it literally rip itself in half, making two demons instead of one. Darwin grunts and I get the very strong impression that while not breaking the rules exactly, it's considered a bitch move. Interesting.
Faith's eyes go devoid of anything human. Her smile widens enough to show gleaming white fangs. I want to be in there with her. She and I could tear these two apart, and keep tearing until there are no more little demons left. I can feel my body move before I've really processed what I'm doing. I'm up and over the wall, landing lightly with barely a bounce. Even though her back is to me I know Faith knows I'm right here. It's the subtle shift of her shoulders, the slight inclination of head as she listens for my foot steps.
"Why doesn't it surprise me to find you getting dirty with the boys?"
I don't hafta see her to know she's there. But I won't lie. I like lookin'. I take a step back with a smirk and glance over my shoulder at Buffy. "Took ya long enough. You sleep like the dead ya know that?" It's not that funny of a joke but she laughs anyway. It's that laugh that reminds me of her when she was alive. If I'm really bein' honest with myself I still miss the person she was just a lil bit. But when B brings her elbow up with a sickening crunch right in to a demon's face I suddenly remember what it is about her now that I love so much. It's not like I needed the help but I like it. I want it. Buffy presses her back to mine and laughs again. It's not the same laugh, just like she's not the same person, this laugh is rich and low in her throat. And it's sexy as hell.
"Someone kept me up way past my bedtime."
Heh. Oh yeah. My demon comes at me with a wide swing. I duck and punch him in the ribs a few times feeling them crack on the last solid punch. His skin is slick with sweat as he backs off a few paces, bumping in to his other half. Aw crap. They each reach up and grab a hold of their horns, tearin' an' rippin' until there are four of them. Son of a bitch. We could take 'em but it'll cost us a few good hits. Maybe some bumps and bruises. Maybe more. "No one plays fair anymore."
Buffy snorts softly in response an' I grin at her. If they had let me bring a blade in this pit I'd have already locked this shit up. "What exactly did you do to this guy, Faith?" Nothing. One pale brow raises in question an' I shrug.
Much. "Maybe I mighta insulted his mother. But how was I supposed ta know his mother really was a whore?" She dodges a swing and kicks out at a demon gettin' too close. They've got us surrounded an' I sigh. Probably I could have kept my mouth shut an' kept drinkin' but this seemed like a good idea fifteen minutes ago. "So what's the plan, B?"
Buffy tucks forward as I lean back, usin' her for a brace before kicking out with both feet to knock a demon ass over head. We break apart and without a word she's on the next demon in a hurricane of fists and kicks. A second before it happens, I feel the difference in her as her vampire rises to the surface makin' her face shift. She's likin' this almost as much as I am. "I say we just kill them."
I wish. But rules are rules. A soft thud makes us both look over at the short figure in fancy shoes that just dropped in to The Pit. Oz. It's like watchin' Mr. Rogers or somethin' the way he so casually takes off his coat an' drapes it over the wall. "Buffy, Faith." So we can't kill them. But we get an assist. Oz rolls his shoulders to loosen the muscles before he tips his head back and howls. The power in it makes a hush fall over the crowd.
"Nice entrance, ya big drama queen." He gives us a smile, pullin' power from the crowd around him as he partially shifts. I've never seen anyone do what he does, never felt anythin' like it either. "Three against four, I'm likin' those odds." There's a flicker of somethin' in the eyes of the demons watchin' us. Not fear exactly. But cautious for sure. For a second I think they're gonna back off when they all rush in at once.
There are four of them but it feels like more. They're every where at once an' I can barely keep track of everything around me. I can feel Oz and Buffy at my back, each of them just as busy as I am. The problem isn't makin' the kill. The problem is keepin' from killing every last one of these bastards. I take a hard hit to the temple, guess I zigged when I should have zagged. For a minute I'm dazed but that minute is all it takes. I see the glint of metal but my body isn't movin' fast enough to come between it an' Oz.
There's just a half second, a half breath before a roar of rage splits the air like a thunder clap. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end and I respond with a roar of my own as something black an' furry yanks away the demon with a knife. It's enough of a breather for me to get back in the game an' now I know what we're really playin' for. That knife wasn't coming for me or Buffy. It was for Oz. A scream of pain and the scent of blood hits my senses an' for just a second I lose it. Just for a second I get lost an' lunge at the closest demon. I bite down hard on his neck, feelin' the skin resist before it splits and hot blood fills my mouth. I bite down harder and pull back, rippin' the throat out with a deep growl. That's when I come back to myself.
There isn't time ta sit and think about what I'm doin', there's only time ta get between me and Oz and everyone else. A hiss over my shoulder is all the warnin' I get before a body goes flyin' past me. Buffy rests her hand on my shoulder just lettin' me know she's there. Another thick silence falls over the watchin' crowd an' all I can seem to sense is wolf power. Oz grunts as he gives his demon a hard kick ta the teeth, knockin' them out. He stands there for a long second just breathing but his face. His face is shifted, he lost some of his control.
"No one leaves The House. Darwin, show the guests to rooms. Please." It's clipped an' tight because he's holdin' in so much rage. I've never seen Fuzz like this before. Sure I've seen him annoyed but this is somethin' else. "Avi. Stop." The wolf is still goin' to town on that demon, shreddin' it's soft exposed guts an' dragging the carcass around as if she could kill it even more dead. "AVI!"
Nothin'. That wolf is lost an' I'm thinkin' now is a good time ta get the hell out of here before she turns on us. I back up a step an' crouch half in front of Buffy, keepin' her out of the wolf's line of sight. Oz has had enough though and when he roars it rattles my teeth makin' me almost want to cower down before him. The wolf whines softly an' belly crawls to his feet still tryin' ta lick the gore from her chops. "It'd be so nice not to be involved in assassination attempt sometime.." Ya got that right, B. I slowly raise to a stand an' smirk at my girl.
"Good times." She moves in close, snakin' an arm around my shoulders so she can lick the blood off my chin. "Hungry, B?" She shrugs like it's nothin' but she's still got game face on. But that might not be food hungry, and when she rubs her body against mine I know it's not blood lust.
"Maybe later. Right now I'm more interested in getting all cleaned up." She gives me a deep kiss not really carin' about anyone or anything around us. "And then after that I'll be wanting to have a talk with our furry little friend." She's not lookin' at either of them but she's definitely talkin' to them. "Someone has some 'splainin' to do." I nod and grip her hips, lifting her high enough for her to wrap her legs around my waist. I glance over my shoulder at Oz but his look is even more unreadable in his animal face.
"Hearin' that Fuzz?" He nods once an' glances at the wolf softly whining at his feet. "Bring her too." His shoulders go stiff an' the power echos in the now empty room. But I'm hurtin' for a challenge so I face him with a snarling growl that causes Buffy to give a whimper of her own. "You wanna make this a fight, Oz?" 'Cause I got it in me and he knows it.
"We'll meet you in an hour. With food." Good idea. I got a wicked case of the H and H's. I nod, not takin' my eyes off either wolf as I walk us to the stairs. B doesn't seem all that concerned as she lets her hands roam all over me, smearin' the blood on my skin in swirly patterns. I think I better make a call home ta check on everything when we get back to the room. Buffy bites my shoulder hard an' I slam her back in to wall at the base of the stairs, my growl deep as I kiss her hard like I need her ta breathe. She laughs rakes her claws down my back, bleedin' me. "Ya beggin' ta be hurt here, B?"
She knows what I'm like after a fight. Knows it's worse after a kill. An' she's pushin' all my control limits on purpose. I guess I can't say I mind 'cause I want this way too. I suck in a hard breath at the pain of it before I rip her shirt open and bury my face in her neck. My hands slide up her ribs, cuppin' those perfect fuckin' tits before I growl an' drag my claws down her sides. Blood for blood. Buffy squeals in pain an' somethin' else, draggin' my face to hers for another vicious kiss. "You always hurt me so good, Faith."
She doesn't even know the half of it yet. I snarl as she starts workin' the buttons of my vest, yankin' her hands away and holding them over her head, This is gonna be my game, my rules, my way. Buffy brings her head close for a teasin' bite but I slam her back against the wall again. It's hard enough for some of the old mortar to crumble loose and sprinkle down around us. I'm thinkin' we're not makin' it back to the room an' I don't even care. I don't care who hears her screams or my howls so long as I get what I want. An' B's gonna give it to me.