"I wish we knew if this was a good thing or a bad thing," Willow sighed as she replaced the bandage over Faith's neck. The wound was still red and raised but the black veins that had been spreading across the dark Slayer's skin had faded and all but disappeared in the time that they had finished interrogating the Bringer in the basement.
"Don't we still have tongueless guy chained up downstairs? Couldn't we just ask him?" Dawn asked.
"Uh, well there was a knife and a Watcher who wasn't happy with what was said and then well, then there was no more tongueless guy to interrogate," Willow said.
"What did you get out of him?" Buffy croaked, hours of sitting silently by Faith's bedside making her throat scratchy.
"He told us the creature that bit Faith is called a Turok Han and that's pretty much all we could get out of him besides the usual the Slayer is going to die, the First Evil will rule the world etcetera," Willow said.
"So what did it do to her? Why is it making her like this?" Buffy asked watching as Dawn wiped the sweat from Faith's still fever ridden body.
"He wouldn't say hence the slicing," Willow said miming her throat being cut, "But at least now we know the name of what it is, it will make the researching easier and we should have an answer soonish."
"Soonish. Will, we don't have time for soonish. She could be dying and there is nothing I can do to stop it," Buffy all but yelled her frustration ending with the lamp on her bedside being thrown against the wall, shattering on impact. She swiped angrily at the few tears that had leaked down her cheeks and gave Dawn a warning glance when the younger girl tried to approach her, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to yell it's just I can't stand this just standing here and not being able to do anything. I told her I wouldn't let anything hurt her," she finished softly turning to face the prone Slayer on the bed.
"We'll figure this out Buffy I promise," Willow said approaching her slowly finally reaching her and touching her arm tentatively. When the blonde Slayer didn't throw any punches the witch pulled her into a quick and reassuring hug.
Buffy had never felt so helpless in her entire life. Here they were just mending their relationship, Faith had trusted her, relied on her, needed her and all she could do was sit and watch as the brunette suffered. Her sister smiled at her sympathetically knowing how much she hated to feel helpless and pushed her gently into the chair next to the bed Faith lay on. She was too mentally exhausted to help with the research, couldn't face reading about all the sorts of things that could be hurting Faith. Dawn seemed to recognise this and gave her shoulder a quick squeeze and dropped a kiss to the top of her older sister's head.
"I'll help, just stay with her."
Buffy moved to sit on the edge of the bed as soon as Dawn left the room, her hands immediately taking up the job her sister had been doing before she left. Faith's fever had been raging all through the night and her flushed cheeks stood out against her pale cheeks. The brunette had never wakened, had hardly even moved her fever ridden body not seeming to have the energy to do so even as she moaned in pain.
"If you die I will never forgive you," she said softly wiping the sweat soaked hair off the other Slayer's forehead, "I know I said I would never let them hurt you and I'm so sorry but you have to give me the chance to make this right. You have to fight this Faith, please for me, whatever this is in you, you have to fight it," she grabbed onto the prone Slayer's hand and gripped it tightly.
"Hurts," Faith moaned her eyes scrunching together.
Buffy's heart soared at that little word. She had been secretly afraid that the dark Slayer had slipped into another coma and was so relieved that she almost pulled the other Slayer up from the bed and kissed her. Instead she settled for gripping Faith's hand a little tighter as she tried to coax her awake.
"Faith? I know it hurts but you have to wake up for me you're wigging me out here a little and I really can't afford to lose my cool in front of all the Potentials, I have a rep to uphold you know."
"B?" Faith groaned and the blonde could tell that she was struggling to open her eyes.
"Yeah it's me, come on let me see those baby browns," Buffy said rolling her eyes at her own corniness.
"Hurts," Faith groaned again but this time she managed to open her eyes.
"Hey," Buffy said softly running the back of her fingers down Faith's cheek.
"B," Faith rasped, "What? Where?" the brunette asked..
"Ssh it's okay, you're okay. You're in my room. Do you remember what happened?" Buffy asked.
"You said....outside...bit," Faith rasped obviously struggling to form the words.
"It wasn't really me, it was the First pretending to be me. Giles has found out that the thing that bit you is called a Turok Han but we're still trying to figure out what the bit is doing to you," Buffy said.
The brunette sighed and let her eyes fall closed, for a second Buffy was afraid that she had passed out again but seconds later Faith opened her eyes again focusing on the blonde's face.
"Help," she murmured.
"I'm trying," Buffy replied sadly, "Do you need anything? Food? Water? A trip to the zoo?"
"Bathroom," Faith ground out her eyes scrunched closed again.
"Okay, just let me get one of the guys so that they can help," Buffy stuttered.
"No....you...please...don't....want....know," Faith said.
"Okay, can you walk or do you want me to carry you?" Buffy asked knowing that this must embarrass Faith.
"Can...walk," Faith said struggling to sit up, Buffy reached down to help her and once she had an arm around the dark Slayer's shoulders she helped her stand. Her arm was still wrapped loosely around the brunette's shoulders as the two of them stood from the bed and she had to wrap the other around Faith's waist to stop the brunette from falling.
"Can't," Faith groaned her forehead coming to rest on Buffy's shoulder in defeat.
"It's okay just lean on me," Buffy said soothingly.
She could still feel the heat radiating off the other Slayer as the two of them slowly made their way down the hall towards the bathroom. Faith leaned heavily against her side and Buffy found herself supporting most of the other Slayer's weight. As they reached the bathroom door Faith faltered and the arm that had been looped around Buffy's waist tightened before the brunette pulled it and with a pained groan clutched at her chest.
"Faith? Faith what is it? What's wrong?" Buffy asked panicked finding herself completely supporting Faith as both of the dark Slayer's hands clutched at her chest her eyes clenched closed.
"God....chest...fuck," Faith panted.
"Your chest hurts? Okay, alright well let's just get you back to bed then and we'll make it better," Buffy rushed.
"No....B....make it.....stop....please," Faith pleaded her eyes open with silent tears leaking from her eyes and running down her cheeks, "Oh God....please."
With that the two of them sunk to the floor Faith no longer able to hold herself up and Buffy sunk with her the pain at seeing Faith hurting so much making her weak.
"Okay, it's okay we'll just sit here, in the hall until it passes," Buffy said wrapping her arms around Faith's torso and pulling her onto her lap.
"Why?" Faith gasped.
"I don't know sweetie," Buffy said sadly, "But we're going to make it better."