Chapter Nine

Faith stood face to face with the demon, her stomach churning just thinking of what she'd gotten herself into. She couldn't do this. How could she trust a demon to keep its word? She knew she couldn't, but she was worried they'd never find Buffy if she killed the demon who knew exactly where she was.

Or was the demon lying and this was just another one of her sadistic games.

"You gonna tell your friends to get gone?" Faith asked, her voice even and thick. She was hiding her fear, her doubts. "Or are you the type that likes it when others watch?"

"Boys?" The demon said sweetly as she turned to the dozen vampires behind her. "What do you say? Do you boys want to stay and watch?"

Faith used that moment to tackle the demon to the ground, white-hot rage burning through her body. The demon roared as she threw Faith off of her and the vampires descended upon her, ready to attack. Faith looked over at Kennedy as she took on three vampires by herself, leaving nine of them circling Faith, every second the ticked by brought them closer to her.

Frantically, Faith looked around for the demon, yet saw her nowhere. The same white-hot rage burned through her again and she attacked, taking out the two vampires closest to her, not bothering to fight them, just staked them and created an opening for herself. She ran to Kennedy and yanked the vampire that had her in a hold away from her.

"Jesus," Kennedy panted as she stood at Faith's side as the vampires advanced towards them. "A little warning would have been nice here, Faith."

"What? You wanted me to yell out "I'm gonna go after the demon, watch my back" with her standing right there?"

"Well, at least you could have signaled or something!"

"We don't have time for this, Kennedy. Come on, we got some vampires to kill," Faith said and she yelled out as she ran towards one and leapt through the air, her foot connecting hard with the vampire's chest and sent him flying into a few behind him.

Doing something she hadn't done all night, she started running. Looking back once to make sure Kennedy was right behind her, she led the group of vampires on a wild goose chase through the streets. She had a plan and it involved not getting Kennedy killed and she could feel the first rays of sunlight about to rise up over the horizon, giving them just another advantage over the vampires chasing them down.

Kennedy was having trouble keeping up and Faith could sense her distress just by hearing how hard she was breathing and every pained step that she took was saying that running that hard and that fast was nearly impossible for a slayer without any borrowed power.

Faith knew she was running out of time. She could practically taste the sunlight and feel the warmth of the first rays of the morning. Making one last turn, she lead the vampires into a small cemetery.

"Stay," she said quickly to Kennedy as she pushed her behind a large headstone.

"Faith, what-"

"Just stay there, Kennedy!"

Doubling back she kicked the rusty iron gates closed and hoped that the twelve foot walls would keep the vampires locked in there with her just long enough for her to watch them burn. Twirling her stake in her hand, she stood there with a smile on her face as she watched the vampires stop, turn around and run towards her.

Flinging her stake through the air, she cracked her knuckles as she watched the vampire she'd thrown the stake at turn to dust. pulling out her cigarettes from her pocket, she casually lit one and watched as the vampires roared out in pain as the sunlight peeked over the walls of the cemetery. After the last of them burned to dust, the sunlight flickered over what was left behind, a strange looking device that intrigued Faith.

"Huh," she said as she picked it up. "What the hell is this?"

"Something we need to have Andrew around to tell us."

Andrew. Still very much missing. Faith hadn't forgotten, not completely. The borrowed power had her running on just the slayer alone, no thoughts, just the need to chase, to hunt, to kill. It was all fading now that the sun had risen and the demon was still out there, somewhere and Faith felt like she'd missed the one good chance she had to kill it.

"Come on, let's get out of here, Faith," Kennedy said as she pulled her by the arm towards the gate.

"Uh," Faith groaned as she opened the gates and they stepped out onto the street. "You got any idea where we are?"

"No, but I know how to hail a cab," Kennedy replied and with a sharp whistle, she stopped the passing cab and they climbed in the back. Kennedy gave the disgruntled and tired looking driver the address to the house.

Faith looked at the strange device in her hand. It looked like demon tech and she knew it probably was. Whatever it was, it didn't belong to the vampire who had been carrying it or else it too would've-should've turned to dust. Kennedy was right about one thing, they did need Andrew around to help them figure out what the strange looking device was and if it was any use to them, or just another piece of scrap metal, a useless gadget that perhaps the vampire who had it in its possession had thought it had some kind of value to it.

Finally feeling the long, almost endless night of slaying, Faith looked out the window, dirty with grime and watched the world go by.

Giles inspected the strange device over and over again, confused and completely dumbstruck as to what it actually was. Faith watched him tinker with it, trying to get it to work or do whatever it did and he tossed it on the kitchen table in frustration.

"I have no bloody idea what that thing is," he muttered as he took his glasses off and pulled his silk handkerchief from his pocket. "You must be exhausted," he said to Faith as he wiped the lenses clean. "Why don't you go get some rest, Faith?"

"No," she shook her head, ignoring the fatigue that made her feel like she was being weighed down by a hundred thousand pounds. "Not yet. Any progress with the witches?"

"Unfortunately no. Sabine and Calais worked with Willow throughout the night and they've cast a very powerful protection spell around the house, to protect themselves and all those who are inside not just from the succubus, but any other demons."

"Do we trust them now?"

"Not entirely, no," Giles replied quietly and looked to the kitchen doorway to make sure they were still alone. "But we do not have much of a choice but to aide them in return for their help."

"They're very powerful witches, Giles. What the hell are we going to do for them that they couldn't do for themselves?"

"We cannot fight," Calais said as she appeared in the middle of the kitchen. "We are powerful and strong, but we cannot fight like the Slayer can. We gave you borrowed power to defeat the succubus and you failed."

"Look," Faith said as she stood up from the chair. "She had herself a dozen vampires acting like bodyguards. I tried, all right? I lunged at her, but still, she was stronger than me."

"And you let her get away."

"Hello, did you even hear a word that I just said? There were a dozen vampires! They had me surrounded. Wasn't like I could just run after her."

"You do not have much time," Calais continued. "The power that Sabine gave to you, well, lets just say it has an expiration date and the clock is ticking."

"How much time do you figure I got then? At least tell me that."

"Less than twenty-four hours."

"Great," Faith groaned as she sat back down in the chair. "Just fucking great. Got a day to find Andrew, find Buffy, track down the succubus and kill it. In case you haven't realized this by now, that's what we've been trying to do for more than just a fucking day!"

Calais clicked her tongue as she approached Faith. "Your anger, the fire inside of you, it's why Sabine chose you."

"Your point?"

"Control it and embrace the borrowed power that was gifted to you and then you will see all that you need to see, you will know all you need to know."

"Some gift if it's just gonna be gone in a day."

"Faith," Giles said sternly and she rolled her eyes. "Perhaps you should switch gears for a moment and look at this from another point of view."

"Yeah whatever," Faith huffed and she looked up at Calais as she rose from the chair. "So, what do I gotta do then? How do I control it? And don't you think you guys should've told me this before?"

"Come," Calais said as she turned and walked towards the door that lead outside. "Faith? Come with me, it's all right. You're safe with me."

"Faith," Giles said with a curt nod towards the door. "Please go with her. We have nothing left to lose at this moment."

Rolling her eyes, Faith followed Calais out onto the back patio. She sat down at the table when Calais pointed her to and she pulled out her cigarettes. Calais shook her head and pulled the unlit one she just placed between her lips and tossed it to the ground.

"Oh come on, I can't even sneak in a quick smoke before we do whatever it is you brought me out here to do?"

"Are you familiar with meditation?"

"Yeah. What's that got to-"

"I want you to close your eyes and focus on your breathing. I can help you open up your mind, but you have to be willing to let me help you do this."

"Don't see how this is gonna help us any."

"You truly do not understand the borrowed power that is flowing inside of you, Faith. It's more than just strength and speed, it's magic."

"Great, more magic."

"Faith," Calais said sternly, her patience not wavering at all.

Sighing, Faith closed her eyes and tried to get comfortable in the chair. She'd learned how to meditate while she'd been in prison, that memory alone not something she wanted to think about right at that moment. For a long time she associated meditation with trying to escape from where she was, to find a moment of peace in all the chaos and destruction in her mind and all around her.

Near her, Calais was chanting softly and she could feel a soft, warm buzz flow through her body at the sound of her voice. The darkness she was seeing, started to turn into a soft light. She could see the faintest outlines of trees, of a few buildings and she could hear people just over the sound of Calais' voice.

As the images became clearer, she recognized the street. It was only a few blocks from where they were, near where Lucian's home was. She could hear over the voices of the people in the streets, over Calais' soft, soothing chanting, the sound of a man whimpering from inside the building. With a whoosh, she was inside, the building dark, dirty, abandoned. She felt a pull, something was making her move within the place she'd been thrust into and she allowed herself to be taken further in. A cellar door with a heavy padlock came into view and with another whoosh, she was descending down the stairs into darkness.

"Help me."

Andrew. He sounded weak. Scared. Alone.

"Please help me. Somebody."

Even in the darkness, she could see him. Beside him lay the body of the man she'd seen in the streets being chased by vampires with his female companion and then again in the abandoned building where she had come across the demon's before the succubus beat her nearly to death. The man was dead, his neck full of bite wounds clearly caused by vampires. Several of them. In the pit of her stomach, she knew that he would turn and when he did, Andrew would be his first meal.

A stronger whoosh pulled her clear out of the building and back out on to the street. She saw the number forty-six painted just above the doorway, the paint chipping away. Light turned to darkness, but it wasn't like the darkness one would see when their eyes are closed, but the night. Everything around her changed and she was back in front of the same building she'd fallen through the skylight. Inside she could hear laughter that belonged to the succubus demon. She didn't have to see it to know that it was her.

Like before, she was pulled inside the building and she saw the succubus standing in the middle of the same room, a woman whose face she could not see was tied to the chair. Blood dripped down from her fingertips as the succubus laughed and circled around her. And suddenly, Faith wasn't looking at the demon and the woman tied to the chair, she was in the demon and looking at the woman before her. Kate. Severely beaten and hanging on by just a thread.

"Jessie..."

"Your sister has proven to be a most wonderful associate."

"If you hurt her-"

"If I hurt her? Oh no, dear Katherine, I will not hurt her. She's the reason we're all here right now. Oh that's right, you didn't know, did you?" The demon laughed as she bent down to stare Kate right in the face. Faith could almost taste her fear and the betrayal. "Your sister is and always will be far more powerful than you. You hated that, didn't you? Resented her for that."

"Why would she-"

"A slayer came to her, seeking help, seeking revenge."

"Buffy?"

"No, another. Now what was her name?"

Faith was pulled away from inside the demon's body and she watched as she paced around in front of Kate. Faith could feel her energy draining and she couldn't stay in that state for much longer, but she had to hold on, she had to see what would happen next.

"Beautiful girl," the demon continued. "In love with Buffy dearly and feeling betrayed when her affections were not returned. She sought out your sister, having known her from saving her from a nest of vampires months before. She knew Jessica would help her as Jessica owed her her life."

Satsu.

"Jessie would never-"

"Oh but she did, Katherine, she did. If it wasn't for her, I would not be here. You wouldn't be here. That damn slayer who is a thorn in my side would not even be on this side of the world if it wasn't for her." The demon snarled, spitting as if it all disgusted her. "You ever wonder what she did, Katherine? Do you wonder how she was able to walk into that castle and perform that spell that released us? Do you wonder how it is we got to you? It was not out of nowhere, child, oh no. It was your sister who cast a spell upon herself, disguised as an old woman. She freed us. She freed us for that slayer. A woman scorned by someone she so desperately wanted and knew, after being rejected, was someone she would never have."

Satsu.

"Why?"

"Oh, I don't know why, but I'm sure glad she did," the demon laughed and she grabbed Kate by the front of her blood stained and shredded t-shirt. "The things one does when it loves someone they will never have as their own. In my entire existence, it's always love it boils down to. Love. Disgusting. Love is what will destroy everyone in this world."

"You're wrong," Kate replied, a slow yet confident smile appearing over her cracked lips. "Love is what will save us. This girl? The slayer? What is her name?"

Satsu.

"And love?" Kate continued when the demon only shrugged. "Love is what will defeat you because that slayer who has become a thorn in your side, she's doing this because of love. Because she's in love with the one whose body you're wearing."

Faith gasped as she opened her eyes. Calais stood in front of her, watching her carefully, closely. Tiny beads of sweat dripped down her back and she stood up, feeling lightheaded from the head trip she'd just gone through. Calais opened her mouth to speak, but Faith shook her head no and headed inside. She charged up the stairs and into the room she was using as her own and she pulled out the sword she had placed under the bed.

Without pausing to think, to come up with a plan, she headed back down the stairs and pushed Giles out of the way when he tried to stop her from walking out the front door. She knew what she had to do. She had seen all that she needed to see. She didn't look back, walking down the street holding the long broadsword at her side, ignoring the looks of the people she passed by for wielding a sword in broad daylight.

With nothing but drive in her step, she knew exactly where she was going now. She knew where Andrew was and she knew, just from a feeling, that it wouldn't be much longer before the man woke as a new vampire and feasted on Andrew.

She'd rescue Andrew first and then she would go after the succubus. It couldn't be the other way around, it wasn't what was shown to her and she had to follow the answers that had been given to her.

Turning down the next street, she spotted the house and the faded number forty-six painted above the door. The street was deserted, quiet, not even the sound of the breeze could be heard. Faith walked up to the front door, lifted her leg and kicked it in, the wood splintering away from the frame easily. Gripping on to the sword, she walked through the dark house and found the door to the cellar in what used to be a small kitchen.

She listened carefully for any sounds, any sign that what she'd seen was real and not just a figment of her imagination fuelled by a magically induced meditation session. She heard someone breathing, shuddering as if they were cold. Taking her chances, she used the sword to break through the padlock and yanked open the cellar door.

"Help me."

Andrew. She could hear his cries for help as she climbed down the old wooden ladder into the cellar. She jumped down from the last few steps and let her eyes adjust to the darkness.

"Please help me. Somebody-Faith?"

"Hey Andy," Faith said as she stepped into what little light shone in from the cracks in the foundation.

"What are you-but how did you-Faith, this man, he's going to-"

"Turn into a vampire," she finished for him and she helped him to his feet, cutting away the rope that bound his hands together behind his back and around his feet. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"What about him?"

Faith pushed Andrew towards the ladder and turned back to the man. He had been feasted on and he had dozens of bite marks all over his neck. She raised her sword and brought it down, decapitating his head just as he opened his yellow eyes. With that done, she practically had to pull Andrew out of the cellar and out to the street.

"But how did you know where I was?" Andrew asked softly as he squinted in the bright morning sunlight.

"Get back to the house. Someone there will bring you up to speed on what's been going on since you were taken."

"Kidnapped."

"Same diff, Andy, now go. Now," she said sternly and she turned away from him and headed down the street in what she hoped was the right direction to the abandoned building where she'd find the succubus and Kate.

All she wanted was for this to be over. All she wanted was to finally find Buffy, safe and sound and go back to her life in Cleveland-or wherever else Giles would need her to go. All she wanted was anything but this, for the whole situation to have been as simple as Buffy having turned rogue and was on the run.

Sticking to the less busy streets, now fully aware that people had noticed her walking down the street with a big sword, she wasn't willing to attract anymore unwanted attention to herself.

With the building in few after walking for a good ten minutes, she stopped behind a low-rise wall on the other side of the street. Walking in through the front would be too easy and there was no telling what would be waiting for her when she walked in like she belonged there. If the succubus had vampires with her during their last encounter, it was likely that it had more inside with her.

The roof. It was how she made her grand entrance the last time and she was willing to bet that the skylight was still broken from her last encounter with it. Smiling to herself, she quickly made her way around to the back of the building. Making her way quickly up the fire escape up to the roof, she moved swiftly across the flat roof, the skylight still broken only now covered with a tarp.

"Faith," Kennedy said as she climbed up on the roof behind her. "Don't do what I think you're going to do."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Faith hissed at her as she stormed over to her and grabbed her by the front of her shirt. "Get the hell out of here, Kennedy!"

"You're going to get yourself killed!" Kennedy said sharply as she pushed Faith away from her. "Seriously, Faith, stop and think for a second about what you're doing here."

"I have. You're just slowing me down."

"What the hell did you see when Calais had you meditating?"

"What I needed to see to get this done and over with. I found Andrew, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but-"

"I'm going to kill her and not you or anybody else is going to stop me."

"Without any backup?"

"I don't need backup."

"No, but you've got it anyway. If you're going to do something stupid, at least let me be there to watch your back and drag your sorry ass out of there when she beats you down. Again."

"Not going to happen, Kennedy."

Faith winked at her and walked back over to the tarp covered skylight. Knowing she'd have to move quick, she tore the tarp off and jumped in. Landing hard on her feet, she gripped the sword and spun around, smirking as she saw the stunned demon staring at her with her mouth open. Just a few seconds later, Kennedy dropped down and landed roughly next to her, but recovered from it quickly by rolling out of the landing and jumped up on her feet.

"Wow, you really are a thorn in my side these days, aren't you, Faith?"

"What can I say? Good," she said as she pointed to herself. "Evil," she said as she pointed at the succubus. "And right now? I'm here for a little something I call sweet, sweet payback for you kicking my ass."

The demon smirked and it looked all wrong with Buffy's face. There was a darkness in her eyes, something Faith hadn't seen before. She was angry, beyond pissed and she had her sights set on killing Faith, not just hurting her.

Faith looked over to her left and saw Kate, bleeding and barely breathing, tied tightly to a chair. Pushing Kennedy towards her, she turned back to face the demon, ready to fight.

"Feeling a little bit afraid, are you?" The demon asked, laughing as Faith cocked her head to the side.

"Nah," she replied as she glanced down at her sword for a second. "Just confident that I won't be leaving here until you're dead."

"Cocky too," the demon laughed and she blew her a kiss. "It's too bad I chose Buffy. You would've been so much more fun, you know that, right?"

Faith licked over her lips and blew her a kiss right back. She could see Kennedy as she frantically tried to untie the ropes that bound Kate to the chair and she lifted her sword and let it drop to the ground, the clang of the steel hitting the cement floor echoing through the otherwise empty room.

Cracking her knuckles, Faith walked right up to the demon until she could feel her hot breath on her face. The demon laughed as she stared hard into Faith's eyes.

"Maybe you're just a little too confident. Did you ever think about that, lover?"

Faith ducked out of the way of her fist and slid into a fighting stance. She knew she had to move quick, make every strike count. There was no room for even a small mistake. Even with borrowed power, the demon still had an advantage over her, a small one, but it was still there.

The power, she could feel it more than ever flowing through her veins, embracing every inch of her body and her very soul. The air around her seemed to change and she could feel a tiny ripple of electricity flowing all around her. This time, she saw the next punch before it happened and all she had to do was move to the left a few inches before the demon's fist came flying at her.

It startled the demon just long enough for Faith to make her first move. Pulling all the power she could feel inside her, she clipped the demon hard in the face with a fast, powerful right hook. She spun around with a roundhouse kick to the demon's chest and she dove out of reach, rolling across the floor and grabbing her sword before she leapt up to her feet.

The demon growled and spit out a mouthful of blood. The fire in its eyes shone bright as she lunged for Faith, pure rage driving her now. It was exactly what Faith had hoped for and she knew she had the upper hand. She was going to win this fight and she was going to kill the-

Faith groaned out in pain as the demon tackled her, moving at speeds she hadn't even expected. Struggling with the demon as she tried to grip at Faith's throat, she brought the sword between them and yelled out as she tried to force the demon off of her.

"You never did tell me if it was good for you too, lover."

"Fuck you."

"Even if you kill me, you will never be able to get rid of me."

"Promise?" Faith winked as she could feel the witches nearby.

The succubus growled, blood dripping from her mouth and down on to Faith as they struggled against each other. Faith couldn't hold her off much longer, she could feel the muscles in her arms straining under the force the succubus had her under.

She felt that electricity in the air again, but it was different than before, powerful and it tasted of magic. With a wink, Faith blew her a kiss just an instant before she was blown away from on top of her with a very powerful burst of magic.

"Did I make it just in time?" Willow asked from the doorway, smiling as Faith got to her feet. "Oh, goodie, I did."

"Just in time, Wil," she replied, returning the smile. "Sabine and Calais with you?"

"They're here, just outside. So, what are you waiting for, Faith? Kill her already."

Faith turned in the direction that the succubus had been thrown and found her in a pile of broken bricks and plaster, momentarily stunned by the force of magic Willow had thrown at her. Grabbing the demon by her leather jacket, Faith pulled her out of the debris and tossed her to the floor.

"You're never going to be able to find her if you kill me," the succubus rasped as Faith pointed the tip of the sword to her chest, just over her heart. "She'll waste away and fade away to nothing without me."

"Funny, you haven't asked how I even knew you were here," Faith said as she stared down at her. "Go on, ask me."

"Magic."

Faith smirked and she pressed the tip of the blade just hard enough to pierce through the leather jacket. "I'll find her," Faith said and she leaned over the demon, staring it straight in its eyes, eyes that didn't belong to her, eyes that belonged only to Buffy. "She's not gonna fade away. You know why?"

"Because you're in love with her and will stop at nothing to find her."

Faith heard Willow gasp from where she stood, but she didn't let it unnerve her. Faith pressed the sword a little hard and the demon gasped as it cut through her flesh.

It's not really Buffy. You know this.

The way her eyes welled up with tears had Faith believing, just for a moment, that she was killing Buffy and not the demon. She knew it wasn't true, but seeing her laying there, on the edge of death, the vulnerable look in her eyes along with the tears had her doing a double take, a second guess, doubt that what she was doing was the right thing.

Anger flooded through her as she stared down at the demon wearing a copy of Buffy's body. She had nearly killed her before, fucked with her in her dreams, made the entire operation a wild goose chase and for what? Shit's and giggles?

"She'll never love you, you know?" The demon chuckled sardonically.

"Doesn't matter. It doesn't make any difference to me."

"Yet it does, underneath it all, doesn't it? All you ever wanted was for her to love you, accept you."

"Over it."

"Always hiding behind that cocky swagger and confidence when I can practically taste just how much you crave her."

The demon laughed, blood pouring from her mouth as Faith pressed the sword a little bit deeper. "This is the thanks I get for giving you a little taste of what you could've had with her if she ever loved you back?"

"No," Faith smirked, peering down at her with a steely hard glare. "This is payback for what you did to her, to me, to Andrew and everyone else whose lives you've touched and fucked with. See you in hell, bitch."

With one last thrust, Faith pierced the heart of the succubus and watched as it turned before her very eyes into it's true form. Yanking the sword out, she took a few staggering steps back, breathing heavily as the words the demon had spoke to her rang loudly in her head.

She'll never love you, you know.

All you ever wanted was for her to love you, accept you.

She'll never love you...

...you crave her...

Faith continued to back away from the lifeless body of the succubus, ignoring Willow as Sabine and Calais came in to quickly get rid of the demon once and for all. She ignored Kennedy as she ran out of the building and into the morning light, focusing just on the feel of her boots hitting the pavement as she ran with every last bit of strength and energy she had inside of her.

She didn't know where she was running to, she just knew she had to get out of there before she lost it completely. As she ran and pushed herself harder, faster, she could feel the sting of the tears in her eyes she furiously tried to blink away. And it wasn't over yet. She still had to find Buffy and the only way she could do that was to go back to Scotland and have a little confrontation with a little slayer named Satsu.

"That lying little bitch. She's dead."