On Your Marks

Chapter 5

"Elena take your hand off me," The sheriff ordered to Elena's satisfaction. Her fangs dropped fully and her eyes were immersed in inky blackness. Before the Salvatore brother's brain could create a motor function or form a thought, a blur of tamed brunette curls crossed their vision. Faith grabbed Elena by the shoulders and launched her into the wall behind them. She hit it with a crack that could be heard over the sound of heavy rap music echoing about makin' money and smackin' hoes. Elena fell to the ground and held her head dazed.
Suddenly, Caroline emerged into the fray and made for Elena after seeing the terrified face on her mother. Stefan held her back while Elena gave Caroline a proud and sly look; one that reminded her of Lucifer from Cinderella. "Caroline, stop," Stefan said as Caroline fought to free herself from his grip.

"I'm going to ring her skinny little neck!" Caroline exclaimed. "She went after my mom, Stefan!" With the focus on Caroline, Elena made for the front door leaving only a cracked wall and spinning empty cups in her wake.

"Great," Damon breathed, raising his hands to shoulder height, dropping them to his sides and then folding them in frustration.

Faith began, "okay here's what gonna' go down-"

"Who put you in charge?" Caroline snapped before receiving a deadly look from Damon that shut her right up and sent her to her mother's side.

"-blondie and I will patrol for the kid, D, Stefan and the sheriff, work on clearing out the ravers, everyone cool?" she finished.

"I think Damon and I would be best looking for Elena, we know how she thinks," Stefan opened, fearful of angering the slayer.

"Yeah I mean we know where she's likely to run off to," Damon added.

"Naah, I been here five minutes and can already sense that girl wants nothing more than to do the opposite of what you guys say," Faith echoed. "Besides, the girls emotions are on a blackout, nobody knows what she's thinkin'. Plus, who better to show me around than the kids besty?"

"Oh goody," Caroline said feigning enthusiasm and rolling her eyes. Stefan crossed his arms; admitting defeat.

While Liz arrested the drug dealers, Stefan picked up garbage and Damon threatened the entire senior class, Caroline led Faith to the woods. They weren't the Slayers usual haunts, the urban California vamps usually populated cemeteries and bars while Virginia's finest seemed to prefer fine mansions and creepy blair witch locations.
The fog rolled lazily over the moss and twigs that made up the forest floor under her shoes, making quiet snapping noises as she honed her hearing, preparing to set off at break neck speed or block a quick attack. "Elena!" Caroline yelled, "Where the hell is she?" she sighed.

"She's right where she wants to be. She called the party as a diversion so she could get away, s'what happens when you guard a ticking bomb," Faith replied as she realised listening for Elena's footsteps was pointless with Caroline's angry stomping and loud shouting.

"Sounds like you're talking from experience," Caroline jabbed, meeting a glare from the Slayer. "So what's your deal anyway?" she queried, changing the subject. She figured if Stefan walked on egg shells around this girl there must be a reason other than she could kick ass.

"How about we catch the bad guy before we do the show and tell," Faith retorted.

"Elena's not 'the bad guy'," she defended, "she's just a little...broken."

"You must really be BFF's if you still think that after she almost went single white female on your mom," Faith said. Caroline eyes darted to the floor and slowed her pace through the woods. Thankful for the new silence, Faith focused on the sounds of the woodland. After a while Caroline turned to Faith.

"This is pointless, she isn't here," she announced. Faith's head jerked to the side, her brown her following the tilt of her neck "What?" Caroline asked.

"Spidey senses," Faith replied. "Alright you stay here and keep looking, if not check in town, I'll check the road." Still reluctant to take orders from the newbie, but eager to find Elena and get back to her mom, Caroline complied. Faith knelt to the ground and grasped a sharp piece of wood, holding it tightly in her hands.

"What do you think you're doing?" Caroline sniped.

"I know this is strictly recon not search and destroy, but I aint dyin' tonight. My deal's with Damon not his bond girl," Faith replied.

"If you see her just snap her neck, you don't have to kill her," Caroline added. Faith's grip loosened on the stake at the worry in Caroline's eyes. Was she going soft? Suddenly two hands gripped the blonde by the head and twisted. Caroline's body fell limp to the floor revealing Elena's silhouette.

"Did I do that right?" she smiled as she stepped into the moon light. Faith tightened her grip on the stake.

"We don't have to do this the hard way, kid," Faith opened. Elena paced a short distance in front of Faith while the slayer kept static in her fighting stance, stake raised.

"You think you can coo me into chanting my kumbaya's and going back to that fun sucking hell whole, gotta say not," Elena stated as she started at Faith. Faith rebounded the attack and tossed Elena into the tree line. She landed on her side but shot right back up again. "So a slayer huh? What's that like? I mean you're strong but you're not a vampire. So I guess that means you're not fully human either."

"Haven't got the time to reel off the Slayer drill, I'm only to help Damon do a Houdini and make you into a real girl again. Besides, the story only sounds good in a British accent," Faith sounded. This time Faith made for Elena. She dealt a serious of kicks to Elena but a large portion of her punches and jabs were rebounded back at the Slayer. Elena backed away from her. "Well you got more goin' for you then blondie over there."

"Had a good teacher," Elena breathed lowly, realising this may be a fight she couldn't batt her eyelashes out of.

"Look I feel your pain, you don't want to be caged but I'm taking you back dead or alive, it's no skin off my back," Faith added.

"Don't you mean nose?" Elena grimaced as she lunged and dealt a punch to the slayers face. Faith's head jerked back and her stance wavered. However, recovering quickly, Faith scissor kicked her opponent dealing powerful blows to the chest and chin. Elena retreated again. "They don't get it! I don't want the cure! And y'know something else? Maybe they're the ones that need to turn it all off! Or get a life and leave me and mine alone!"

"Save the sob stories teeny, I don't care one way or another," dismissed Faith, "also, I'm not really feelin' this whole turn taking fight dance thing we've had goin' on anymore," Faith launched her stake and it glided swiftly through the crisp night air before it skewered through Elena's leg. She fell to the ground yelling in pain. Faith walked calmly to Elena's side. "And for the record, that was anger you were feelin', frustration, agitation, keep hold a that." She reached in her pocket, picked out her phone and dialled.

"Please tell me you kept to the no killing rule," Damon said as a greeting, his voice coming from the speaker.

"We're on our way back," she replied.

Caroline met her mother back at home and Faith dragged Elena back to the Salvatore boarding house, now empty of any evidence of drug and alcohol consumption, and threw her at Damon by the ear. She and him then disappeared upstairs. Hearing the flickering of the fire, Faith headed into the living room. The main decor of the room being floating dust, walls of books and fine heavy curtains. Stefan stood ominously in front of the fire, a glass of bourbon in hand watching the embers burn, Faith wasn't even sure he'd heard her come in. "Drinkin' alone?" she said.

"I guess not for much longer," he smiled turning to lock eyes.

"The kid's upstairs with big brother getting scolded," she added.

"Yeah thanks, you really came through for us today."

"Hey don't get me wrong if it came down to her or me she'd be dust...or whatever happens on this hellmouth." (Stefan's brow furrowed just as Damon's did). "Gotta say though, can't see why you're still in the picture after big bro stole your girl." Stefan smiled and his gaze switched from meeting hers to contemplating the rooms flooring.

"Damon filled you in then huh," he replied.

"Yeah I got the skinny on the Salvatore love triangle, now and then," she announced, subtly acknowledging the fact that she knew all about Katherine.

"Curious," Stefan opened, changing the subject, "how did Damon rope the chosen one into helping us with our problem. I mean we're natural mortal enemies."

"True, slayer vampire conflict is kinda' in the job title...but like I said, D helped me out of a pretty tight spot a while back and I guess it's my time to repay the favour."

"What could he have possibly done to get the one girl in all the world," he'd obviously heard the speech in his day, "wrapped around his little finger?"

Faith began, "well for starters, not just the one, 'least not anymore, and-"

"And it's long story," he cut in.

"Actually, not that long."

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