The Missing Half

Chapter 19 – Don't Eat the Red Snow

A/N: No time has elapsed since the last chapter, it picks right up where the last left off. Happy reading!

(Buffy's POV)

I walk out of the Magic Box and look around eagerly for Faith. I can feel her lingering presence around here somewhere. I turn into an alley by the shop and my heart breaks upon seeing the scene laid before me.

Broken glass litters the blindingly white snow. Footprints and indentations in the snow stare me in the face. But then I see it and my heart catches in my throat.

Blood.

Small droplets of red blood that have tinged the snow into a pinkish color.

Her presence is strong here. Along with something else. Power. Not just Faith's, but evil power.

Something has my girl. And I am going to get her back, whatever it takes.

(Faith's POV)

I've woken up in chains before, but something tells me this is not going to be a pleasure thing. At least not for me.

I open my eyes and lift my head. That hurts. I feel stickiness on the side of my face. Oh joyous days. I'm bleeding. I look around the room and feel the unmistakable feeling of the familiar. Waking up here before, head hurting like a high school band member played drums on it. Waking up here, in Spike's crypt.

Except B's not with me now. No one to hold my hand and stroke my hair telling me its gunna be alright. Cuz something tells me it's not.

(Buffy's POV)

I storm back into the Magic Box. "GILES! Giles she's gone!" I yell to my mentor.

He rushed into the room. "Missing? Did she leave? Is she ok?"

"I don't think so Giles. There was glass and blood and footprints and big indentations in the snow and –"

"—Buffy calm down. If you want to find her, you're gunna have to take a breath first." I release the air I had held in and Giles continues. "Was there anything else? Anything that could tell us of her whereabouts?"

"There was this power. An evil feeling hanging in the air. The feeling that I get when there's a vampire near, except stronger. And sunlight. Vampire would have gotten all full of dust. It was…different. Giles I need to go look for her. You have my cell if anything happens."

Giles lays a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Buffy, she will be ok."

I can only hope.

(Faith's POV)

I wonder what B's doing right now. If she's noticed that I'm gone. Probably thinks I skipped town. I just hope she knows I wouldn't leave her again.

"Slayer, look a' you. All scandalous in those chains. Gimme a whip an' call me Daddy." Spike says as he walks towards me.

"Not even if you were the last sexually active male in the universe," I snarl.

Spike chuckles. "If I know correctly, it seems that being a male doesn't quite cut it anymore."

"Leave B outta this. And please, cut through the bullshit. What the hell do you want Spike?" I'm not sure the answer is gunna be something that I like.

"Ooh a feisty slayer. I like 'em like that. Let's start with introductions." Spike reached his hand out and grabbed mine in his. "I'm Aldinach. It's a pleasure to meet you."

I knew it. I knew it, I knew it I knew it. Not Spike, but this stupid Egyptian demon. Stupid—

AGGH! Aldinach tightens his grip on my hand and I swear I feel a bone in my finger snap. He holds it in that position until tears form in my eyes. But I refuse to let my pain show itself by screaming.

Aldinach releases my hand and I'm afraid to look at it. Finally, I suck it up and look at my hand. Shit. It's bent at the fingers in a few places. Not the way it's supposed to be.

"So, not a screamer then? I can change that."

(Buffy's POV)

She's been missing for three hours now. I've searched high and low all over town, and am just now hitting a few of our many graveyards. I'm hoping to be able to sense her. Feel her presence. But so far nothing.

Hold on Faith, I'm coming.

(Faith's POV)

I'm scared. But I'm not gunna let him see it. My hand hurts something crazy right now. After our special handshake, Aldinach left me there. I really hope Buffy comes. That she hasn't given up on me. God, what I wouldn't give to be in her arms right now. To be—

"Slayer. How are you holding up?" Aldinach mocks from across the room.

"Better than you are going to after B's done with you."

"We'll see about that," he replies. He walks calmly across the room and backhands me in one swift motion. The coppery taste of blood fills my mouth and my lips splits from the force. Definitely not Spike, he's not that strong.

"You see Slayer, I believe its you a' my mercy. I wouldn' be sayin' anythin' that makes me an unhappy hell beast. I'll give you more than just the pouty lip."

At his mercy. How he gets his power. He wants to absorb my power. Screw that.

"Whatever Hellboy, it takes a lot more than a few fists to get what you want. What's mine is mine."

He shoots his first out in anger and catches me on my cheekbone. I instantly feel feel a thin line of blood dripping from my cheek. I continue to stare at him defiantly…and receive another fist, a fist that nearly breaks my nose. Another punch whips my head backward into the stone wall behind me.

Suddenly I'm looking at not one, but three Spike's. That last punch sent my senses reeling.

I'm still not gunna back down. "I don't like to share," I growl at him through gritted teeth.

An uppercut beneath my chin clamps my mouth shut. I really hate the taste of blood. I raise my eyes to meet his swirling blue ones.

Ready. Aim. Fire.

I spit a mouthful of blood in his face. Score one for Team Faith, it hits him right in his hypnotizing eye. He angrily wipes the nuisance from his eye.

"Slayer!" He roars. "I don't have time for this. Save mercy for the other Slayer. You? You just piss me off."

With that he launches a barrage of fist my way. Punches are raining on every part of my unprotected body. The air rushes out of my chest as he lands a fist in my solar plexus. I feel another punch smack my nearly healed ribs. Pain flows through my body. Not so almost healed anymore.

With a primal howl of rage, the beast that inhabited Spike's body fires a kick at my chest. The force behind it causes the chains to snap and I feel myself flying through the air. Then my body hits the cement and the wall crumbles. But I'm still going.

I cannot believe how strong his kick is. After I got through the first wall, I keep soaring through the air until I hit the wall of the crypt next to Spike's. Once again the wall collapses, but I finally stop.

Unfortunately my brakes come on at the wrong time, cuz the whole goddamn crypt is collapsing on top of me.

"Oh f-- " I start to say, but am cut off by the enormous pieces of stone falling around and on top of me.

For the second time that day, my world goes dark.

(Buffy's POV)

I'm walking around the cemetery, searching high and low for Faith. Nothing.

"GODDAMMIT!" I scream in frustration and kick a nearby tree. The thing snaps at the trunk and topples over. I want Faith. Now. It feels like my heart is going to snap like that tree.

Everything was going so well! Dawn was happy. The Scoobs seemed to accept my new relationship for the most part, and we had a weapon to kill the new demon. And I had Faith.

Now I don't.

She's been missing for the longest eight and a half hours of my life. It's well after midnight now. But I simply refuse to believe that Faith is gone. I will find her no matter what.

(Faith's POV)

That freaking hurts. My body feels like it went three hundred rounds in a blender then got repeatedly smashed by sumo wrestlers. Not to mention that it is colder than a witch's tit out here. I feel sorry for my body, I'm thinking it wants to go numb from the cold, but the pain is saying no.

I can't move at all. Pieces of stone are using me as their bed. Yeah thanks guys, thanks for making me your place to rest.

It feels like my entire body is broken. But I have to get out of here. I have to see B again.

So I push with all my might, as little as I have. I push up and try to remove the crushing weight from me. My body protests with the small movement and new strain of my muscles.

I just keep thinking of my girl. The one with angel blonde hair, green eyes that light up my world. The one with the lithe frame but perfect muscular tone. The one who makes me crazy, crazy in a way that I can't think of spending a life without her. I think of her and it's like my strength grows tenfold.

I dimly hear the sound of shifting rocks before my body succumbs to the pain and lull of unconsciousness.

(Buffy's POV)

I'm freaking out. Going completely crazy. If I do not see Faith in the next three seconds I will explode.

One. My heart beats heavily in my chest.

Two. I feel the tingles that only she gives me.

Three. The sound of rocks grating against each other catches my ears somewhere in the distance.

It has to be her.

I sprint, as fast as you can in the snow wearing boots with two-inch heels. I sprint in the direction of the noise. The noise that gives me hope. The noise that will hopefully give me Faith.

It's blindingly white out here. And cold. Really freaking cold.

But I don't care. All I can do is run my little heart out. Run to my first and only lead of where my girl is. And there it is. The feeling I get from her. The one that makes me wild with happiness. It's close.

But I can't see anything. Just white. White and more white. Except…

There! About 30 yards away! A mound of rocks, of what looks like a former crypt. I run towards it and the tingles grow stronger. She's in there.

Oh God Faith. She is trapped under all that stone. Please let her be ok.

I near the stone mound and see it. Her hand. Her beautiful hand lying listlessly out of the rocks. I grab the first large piece of stone and move it away. One by one, I remove my Faith from her rock prison. One rock at a time, I bring myself closer to returning my love to me. To saving her.

I can see her body now. A sob catches in my throat as I remove the final rock pinning her down.

I don't know what to do. She looks so…broken lying there. She's bleeding, bruised and freezing.

I'm afraid to move her, but I know I have to. There's no way an ambulance could drive through this snow to us.

My hands shake as they reach down to grab her prone body. She's so cold. I lift her up and away from the rocks and start to walk away.

"Leavin' so soon Slayer?" A familiar voice asks, positioning his body in front of mine.

"Spike. I don't have time. Move it bleach boy. I need to get her to a hospital."

"Ooh ouch. That hurt our feelings." What? Our feelings?

"Got a mouse in your pocket Spikey? Or have you just gone completely insane?"

"Nope, no mouse. But insane? I think we might be."

We? Oh wow this vamp is so off his rocker…oh. Oh shit.

"Your Aldinach."

Spike claps his hands, the noise sounding out of place in the winter tundra surrounding us. "Figured it out faster than our little Faith over there. Guess there's more to your blonde hair and cheerleader act."

Oh God. He had her. He had my Faith. "You bastard," I growl. "You took her. You did this!" I scream. I put on the most fury-filled face I can muster. "Move out of my way, or I will dust you."

"Not gunna happen Slayer. As long as I'm in control of William the Bloody, he can't be killed. So, gimme what I want, an' your girl can live."

What he wants. I if do that. I'll unleash him on our earth. I can't do that…but Faith. I look down at the beautiful brunette in my arms. Her lips have lost their normal vibrant color. She's going to die of hypothermia if I don't get her to a hospital quick.

"Get down on your knees and beg Slayer."

I can't. But I have to. Faith is going to die if I don't. If he rises to power, we still have the weapon to defeat him. If Faith dies, that's it. No second chances. If I let him come to power, we can still beat him.

"Plead for her life."

I lower myself to my knees, the cold wetness of the snow seeping through my jeans.

"Now beg," Aldinach commands.

"Let us go. Please. Let me take her to safety."

"More," he cries gleefully.

Tears run down my face. "Let us go! Let her live!" I sob.

That must have done it because a light shoots out of Aldinach's eyes and enter mine. I feel power being drained from my body and my legs grow weak. I can no longer support myself and I fall over sideways in the snow.

"Thanks Slayer. But it seems you're at a bit of a loss. Too bad, you can't help your girl. How does it feel to know you've ended the world and lost the girl? Not bloody good eh? I'll be seein' you Slayer."

And with that, a red light erupted from Spike's body and disappeared deep beneath the earth. Spike's body crumpled to the ground and stayed there.

I can't move very much. My legs feel so weak. But Faith's lying there, freezing to death, and I need to make her warm. I reach down through the snow and into the grass buried underneath. I pull myself across the ground, inching my way closer to my girlfriend. After a long thirty seconds, my body is next to hers.

I pull her unconscious form close to mine and rub her body, trying to warm her up. I don't know if it's working, but I am willing to try anything.

I don't know what to do. I can't move my legs, no matter how hard I try. Aldinach must have sapped some of my strength when he took the power. All I can do is sit here, wait it out, and pray that Faith's body can too.

A/N: Don't you just love snowstorms? I'm pretty sure our slayers don't. Hurry up and review before they freeze to death!