Tainted Love
Faith's face paled for a second before instinctively reaching for Spike's hand. She felt his cool fingers slide in-between her slender ones, and closed their palms against each other.
"If you really cared about him B you'd let him be happy"
Buffy scoffed, her face creased into a look of revulsion at their joined hands, and the close proximity in which they stood; hip to hip, legs practically intertwined.
"This isn't happiness Faith, its abuse. You're abusing him"
"Like you're one to talk B!"
Faith shot back angrily, she made to advance forward, but then Spike placed a calming hand on her shoulder, and gently held her back. He turned towards Buffy, and the same face that had looked at her with so intense an adoration it was bittersweet, now looked at her hard and unforgiving.
"Faith's treated me like no one else ever has. The only person here who's 'abused' me Summers is you"
Buffy jutted her chin out, and spread her arms out either side of her, exposing her chest.
"Hit me all you want Spike, but you didn't leave me at that police station and I'm sure as hell not leaving you with her."
Faith let out a growl of frustration.
"What's your obsession B? Why can't you leave him alone!"
Spike turned to look at Faith then, and his face looked pained as he saw distress mar Faith's pretty features, he pulled her into his chest, wrapping his strong arms around her comfortingly.
"I said forever baby"
Faith pulled back a little so she could look into his face, she raised a hand to his face, caressing him lightly.
"I love you Spike"
Spike smiled, and pulled her back against his chest, tucking her head safely underneath his chin.
"Can't say it Spike? What's the matter, you've told me you love me thousands of times"
Spike, still with his back to her, closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.
"This ain't bout you Summers"
Something glinted in Buffy's hand as she slowly approached forward.
"I'm sorry you know, about how I treated you, what I said, what I did... I'm sorry about
everything"
Spike could sense her right behind him.
"And I'm sorry... About this!"
Spike went to whirl round, but felt a sharp electric jolt pass through agonizingly through his side, he let out a shocked cry, managed to turn around to see Buffy holding the exact stunner he had used himself on her and Drusilla, before blacking out. Faith came down with ease, and that time Buffy felt a vindictive satisfaction.
Buffy shoved Faith's unconscious body down the stairs, happy to it let bump and roll down Spike's hard steps and lie sprawled on the floor. But when it came to Spike she held him in her arms lovingly, silently delighting in actually touching him again, of feeling him in her arms and slowly descended. She stepped lightly over Faith's body and saw the manacles hanging from the ceiling...
I love you
It had been where Spike had first told her he loved her, she had been beyond disgust. Had felt sick to her stomach, and now the mere thought that Faith might have touched him, raped him even, made her blood boil. Slowly and carefully, she closed the cuffs over Spike's wrists, bracing him against her chest and shoulders.
"I'm sorry Spike."
She whispered, and as his body hung limply from his arms, she pressed a heartfelt kiss to his forehead, before turning and hardening her face as she looked at Faith. It would kill Spike to watch the person he perceived to be his greatest love die in front of him whilst he was helpless to stop it, but he would realize how wrong he was. Faith would die and her awful enchantment would end and Spike would be free. All she had to do now was wait for Faith to wake up.
Buffy wondered how long Spike had been left to pace up and down as he'd waited for her and Drusilla to come round. To her perception it had practically been instantaneous, she could see now it actually must have been a considerable time. She tried to wonder what it must have felt like for Spike, to look at her unconscious body and know that when he bared his entire heart and himself to her, she would tear into it.
"I miss you"
Buffy whispered to Spike, before hearing a low groan, she watched detachedly as Faith shakily rose to her feet.
"Making a habit of this aren't you B? Sticking something nasty 'n' pointy in me for your vampire lover?"
"Oh I won't be making the same mistake this time, and you're right Spike is MY vampire lover"
Faith let out a feral sounding cry of outrage and charged at Buffy, Buffy sidestepped her in the last moment and aimed a sharp kick to her side sending her tumbling, but she wasn't down for a more than a second when she flipped herself upright. The two Slayers circled each other, like two lionesses, identifying and assessing her opponent's weaknesses.
"Why are you doing this B? And don't give me that 'I'm-in-love-with-him' crap, this is me you're talking too little sis"
Buffy lunged for Faith, but her move was already anticipated, and Faith simply grasped her by the shoulders and chucked her across the room. Buffy flipped back onto her feet and violently tugged the dagger Willow had given her, from her jacket.
"First off Faith we're not sisters, and if we were, you'd be the pain-in-the-ass little sister, but hey I guess you're that anyway!"
Slowly Buffy approached, her posture poised.
"The question isn't why am I doing this, the question is, why are you?"
And she ended it with a terrific flying kick, hitting Faith right under the chin jutting her head back, when Faith tilted her head forward, she was sneering.
"Oh you know why, kills you so much you can't bear to think about it, but that doesn't change a damn thing, I love him, and when we made love-"
At hearing the word 'love' Buffy charged Faith into the nearest stone wall, Faith let out a groan of pain as the back of her head made a truly sickening crunch.
"You didn't make love you monster! You RAPED him!"
Seeing Faith was disorientated, she grasped her upper arms and threw her away from the wall and onto ground, before standing over her and drawing her arms, holding the dagger, high over her head, the killing blow...
"F-Faith... FAITH!"
Spike's sudden cry stole Buffy's attention, the worry she heard in his voice, made her turn towards him, it was all Faith needed, and kicking first up against Buffy's trim midriff and then, tripping her up, Faith caught the dagger that fell reflexively from Buffy's grip, and laughed at Buffy tauntingly.
"Nice try B, any final words?"
"What are you trying to achieve Faith? You think killing me is going to make him love you? You raped him Faith, and the second you cast this enchantment or whatever, you abused him. It's all a lie Faith! He's never going to love you"
"What the hell is wrong with you bloody slayers!"
Spike shouted, struggling furiously against the chains that stubbornly bound him.
"Whilst the two of you have been happily tearing chunks out of one another we've got The First out there going for the bleeding jackpot!"
Faith kept her eyes fixed on Buffy, her eyes bright with hatred.
"We don't need her Spike, we can handle some spooky Casper"
Spike let out a roar of frustration as he put his all into defeating the chains.
"Faith you can't just kill her! Bloody hell we need her, alright? When it comes to the First we need every bleeding-"
Flipping onto her feet, Buffy punched Faith square on the nose, she heard a satisfying crack, and felt damp warmth spread over her knuckles... Faith made a muffled half scream, half groan as she cupped her face with both hands, dropping the dagger, Buffy gave her backward kick and Faith fell flat on her back.
"FAITH!"
Spike hollered, and roared out as the chains creaked under the pressure of his efforts. Buffy was about to plunge the dagger into Faith's heart when Spike cried out desperately.
"Buffy, please don't! Buffy, I love her! I really love her Buffy-"
"This is love Spike, I just wish it didn't have to come to this. I love you"
Faith and Spike screamed as Buffy plunged the dagger, falling to her knees in the process, into Faith's heart, her crimson blood coloring the red gem black.
Thank you for reading and as ever I eagerly await your views
Regards
Lisi the slayer