Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns and created all of the Buffy characters. I own the rights the original characters and this computer though.
The Roosevelt Hotel
Hollywood, California
June 16, 2007
11:42pm
Faith wakes up with a jolt and sits up. She nervously starts looking around to find out where she is, 'Déjà vu.' She notices bloody gauze at the end of the bed then remembers all the things that happened earlier that night.
She quickly gets up and heads to the closest mirror. She gives herself a once over, relieved that the majority of her bruises have healed but she could feel a dull pain in her chest. She lifts her shirt to find the lower part of her chest was bandaged, 'He didn't do a bad job.'
She gets closer to the mirror to inspect the gash that she had got over her eye. The wound had healed itself but there was a small scar, 'Don't I have enough scars?' She steps away from the mirror and pulls her wife beater down and heads the main room, where she finds Demitri on the couch reading something on a laptop.
Faith not knowing what to do stands behind the hitman as he reads.
"Good morning, Faith. Hope you slept well."
Faith feeling comfortable to move again, she situates herself right next to Demitri. She looks down at the coffee table and sees quite a few cigarette butts in an ashtray.
"You didn't go to sleep last night, did you?" Faith asks as she grabs a cigarette off the table.
Demitri shakes his head, "I normally sleep three days a week. Just a habit from my last profession. Can't break the habit."
Faith lights the cigarette and then looks around the room, "Where's the kid?"
"After I dropped you off here, I drove the kid back to Laguna Beach and dropped him off two blocks from the police station." Demitri answered without looking away from the laptop.
"How did you get me up here?"
Demitri looks at her for a moment, "I carried you up here."
"Didn't they ask you why you were carrying me up here?"
Demitri turns back to his laptop, "They were to afraid too. You still had blood all over you."
Faith became a little anxious at Demitri calm demeanor, "What did you tell them?"
Demitri paused for a moment and then closed his laptop, "I told them the truth… you got into a fight… and you won."
Faith stands up furious, "D, I just got out of prison and the last thing "we" need is a cop to start asking us questions."
Demitri, still unfazed, tries to calm down the woman in front of him, "Faith, they will not ask any questions or call the cops. Trust me."
Faith takes one last drag and puts out the cigarette. She looks at Demitri to find any type of false body language coming off of Demitri. After a few moments, she sits back down in a chair across from Demitri.
"So, what happened last night after I passed out?" Faith asks
Demitri just looked at her, 'How am I going to explain this to her?' He stands up and walks over to the patio. Faith noticed how tense Demitri got as he walked away from her. Faith watches how Demitri, whose normally is very sure of himself, is have issues with the question she asked. Demitri releases a large sigh and turns to Faith.
"Have you heard of a demon by the name of Whistler?"
'Whistler… Whistler… where have I heard that name before?' Faith ponders the question in her mind until she remembers Angel talking about this guy, "I remember Angel talking about a Whistler back when I was in jail the first time saying that because of him Angel is who he is now."
Demitri gets pained look on his face and then he sits back down on the couch, "We need to find Angel… we have to find out more about this Whistler character and the Powers That Be."
"The Powers… those are the guys that told Angel to become a guardian." Faith perked at the mention of the PTB but once the word left her mouth she watched Demitri's face revert back to the emotionless face that she saw last night, "What's wrong?"
Before Demitri answered, heard his phone ring. He quickly puts the earpiece in and answers the cell-phone.
"Drake speaking… Hello Giles…"
Faith strains her ears to hear the conversation but she can't make anything that is being said on the other line. She watches as Demitri continues to stay emotionless as Giles continues to talk.
"Giles, you know I don't like having someone keeping tabs on me but…" Demitri looks at Faith right in the eyes, "but after everything I have seen, I'll make an exception."
Faith becomes conflicted after the look Demitri gave her. He was doing something he wouldn't normally do… for her. The conversation continues as Faith sits there, contemplating the look.
"Giles, ask Summers if she has ever heard of a demon by the name of Whistler… he's a person of interest."
Faith knocks herself back into the conscience world and, again, begins to listen intently.
"Also Giles… I need you to do a little more research on a puzzle box of mystic origins. I did a quick search on it and if it what I think it is…"
Silence is accompanied for a moment when Demitri nods his head, "Thanks Ripper… take care."
Demitri hangs up the phone and pulls the ear-piece out from his ear. He then stands up and heads for the bedroom and Faith, after a few minutes, follows. She finds him at the foot of the bed with his hands on his head.
"What did Giles want?" Faith timidly asked.
Demitri runs hands down is face then turns to Faith, "Giles wanted to let us both know that he is sending someone to assist me in getting you home," he looks back down at the ground, "It seems that Harris had a massive vision about the slaughter of hundreds of slayers. In the vision, you and Summers are crucified in front of thousands of vampires and monsters alike."
Faith sits on the floor and looks at Demitri, "Who is Giles sending?"
Demitri continues to look down at the ground, "He didn't say… he just let me know that they just boarded the plane and should be out here in the next fourteen hours."
Faith stands up and pulls Demitri out of the bed, "You know… we should do something tonight. It's been a while since I was in LA."
Demitri just looks at her and then grins, "I think I'm going to rest before we do anything… so I'll think about it."
Demitri flops down on the bed and closes his eyes. He feels a presence looming over him and finds Faith three inches away from his face, "Who said I was giving you a choice."
Demitri smiles and closes his eyes, "I'm going to sleep now… wake me up in a few hours."
Faith smiles and walks towards the door. Before exiting, she turns around, "Thank you for saving my life back at the mansion."
"You're welcome, Miss Lehane. Good night."
Faith smile gets wider and she walks out the room. Demitri smile disappears after a few minutes as he drifts to sleep.
Somewhere in the Himalayas…
Whistler walks into an old temple as four monks are carrying someone behind him. At the temples entrance, he allows the four monks to pass.
Whistler looks around the temple and smirks, "The Powers sure do know how to pick the place."
He walks in tow with the monks as they walk down a hall. Whistler takes a look at the engravings in the wall. Some of them are very violent in its storytelling. One shows a man, with a sword in one hand, looking to strike at a peasant as it holds its baby.
Whistler continues down the corridor until he reaches a set of double doors being guarded by to monks. As he gets closer to them, they tense up as like they are prepared to attack.
"Relax," Whistler say as he bows to the monks, "I'm here to see the Powers."
The monks look at each other and then at Whistler. They step aside and the doors open themselves. He walks in slowly to see three individuals looking down at him.
"Aren't the theatrics getting a little old? The monks… the temple…"
Whistler doesn't get a response at his attempt at humor towards the Powers That Be. So he continues…
"I have found your so called 'vessel.'"
The individuals look at each other before responding, "Was it damaged?"
"The Tortured One got a hold of him before I got to him." Whistler strolls over to a pillar and leans against it.
"The Tortured One… Did he take the offer?" One of the Powers asked.
"I warned him away from the slayers and their friends, but the man is not as smart as you thought. Oh… and get this… he stated that if try to attack the slayers in any way, he will test out your immortality."
Whistler chuckled until he didn't get a response from the Powers. He then looked at them with concern, "Who is this guy?"
"Nothing to worry about at the moment, Whistler. All will be explained at a later time. When will the vessel be ready?"
Whistler relaxes, "That Demitri guy did a number on him. Almost every bone in his body broken… and the man is almost clinically brain dead. The healing process is going to take awhile."
One of the Powers speak up, "What do you suggest?"
Whistler smiles, "Does your vessel have to be human?"