On Your Marks
Chapter 7:
Faith turned to Damon and caught his gaze. They shared a look that to anybody else wouldn't be mistaken for anything other than a glance, yet they both shared the memory of that night. Although intrigue still prodded at the back of Stefan's mind, nothing was more important to him than Elena. "How is she?" he asked his brother. Damon descended further into the living room and took a seat on the arm of the couch next to Faith, careful not to spill her glass.
"She's pulling the twigs and dead leaves out of her hair upstairs," he said glaring down at Faith who looked up at him proudly. "Could be a while, this one gave her quite the whoopin'."
"Hey you wanted her back in one piece and that's what 'cha got," Faith smiled subtly.
"Still, we're no closer to getting the cure," Stefan pointed out.
"Well, little brother, maybe it's not so glass half empty," Damon added, standing up and beginning to pace around the rug.
"What'd'ya mean?" Stefan queried, his confused expression mirrored with Faith's.
"Events have lead us to a fork in the road," Damon began.
"Cut the cryptic D, s'been a long day," interrupted Faith.
Damon continued, "before I jetted off to the west coast I ran into an old buddy of mine named Will who Klaus thought might be a link to Katherine."
"Well where is he let's go talk to him," chimed Stefan as he ceased leaning by the fire place.
"Problem is little brother, Klaus bit through his neck with wolf fangs after Katherine sent him to tie up loose ends with that bitch Hayley," said Damon as Stefan exhaled heavily in disappointment, "he's dead."
"I'm not followin'," Faith added.
"Well I knew Will back in the 70's, he owned a bar up in New York where vampire's openly fed off of humans and could score some new identities."
"So you're thinking this Will was probably doing deals with Katherine pretty recently," assessed Stefan.
"And Will wasn't the strongest sailor on the ship but he was a smart guy. Which means he must've kept a log of his deals through the years," Damon replied.
"Find the vamp log...and we find Katherine," Faith finished.
"Exactly," Damon answered.
"Wait," opened Stefan, "what's this about a fork in the road?" he asked.
Damon began, "Faithy's story telling session reminded me that the Antemourh boys and Kakistos are hold up couple miles outside of town last I heard, can't imagine he'd be too happy to see us after what Faith did to his face and manhood but Katherine's smart and wouldn't wanna' lose an ally like him. He must have some idea where-"
"Slow your role there D, Kakistos is dust," Faith chimed.
"What do you mean dust?" Damon asked puzzled.
"Dust in the sense that I put a giant wooden beam through his rib cage years ago, it's a dead end," Faith's proud aura dimmed at the sight of a look shared between the brothers, "what?" she asked.
"Faith," Stefan opened, "Kakistos can't be killed, at least not completely." Faith's eyes met Stefan's and they reflected that of a terrified gothic teenager whom Faith had deluded herself into believing she no longer was.
"So if he didn't die in that warehouse back in Sunnydale why hasn't he come after me?" Faith argued.
"It's kinda' like Dracula, just less smoke and mirrors, he'll regain form eventually but it takes a decade or so before he's properly up and running," Damon added.
"So you're saying I've spent almost four years of braiding hair behind bars and he's been out there all this time?" Faith asked aggressively.
"Faith calm down," Damon issued as he turned facing her.
"You were there Damon! You-you saw what he did to her," Faith replied sickened.
"Faith, I-I didn't-" Damon stammered taken aback.
"Look we're not going to be making any definite decisions tonight so Faith just go ahead and pick any room to crash in and we'll talk strategy in the morning," Stefan suggested as the tension, anger and frustration rose ever higher within the vampire slayer.
"Screw that," Faith announced as she grabbed her black leather jacket and stormed purposely back into the crisp eastern night, the door slamming shut behind her.
Elena stood atop the stairs in a bathrobe with her hair up. She'd heard every word and, with a conniving grin, headed back to her room to grab her phone. She entered Rebekah's name into her phonebook and started texting: I'll be at your place tomorrow morning, I've got an offer you can't refuse. She pressed send before tossing her phone onto the bed and letting her hair fall down.
When Faith eventually calmed down she went back to the boarding house and did as Stefan recommended. The room she picked almost made her laugh when she put it in comparison with her prison cell. One thing she cherished was the thick blankets rather than thin flea ridden sheets. She stepped into the shower and stood for a solid 20 minutes, holding onto the feeling of something other than...disappointment. She was disappointed in the sense that after all Diana did for her, her murderer was still alive somewhere. Behind her eyelids played the memory of her younger self thrusting a giant wooden beam through Kakistos's chest, watching him fall to dust and walking away from the pain of her watcher's death with Buffy beside her.
After drying off and hours of tossing and turning in the comfiest of beds she'd ever lay in, Faith drifted into unconsciousness.
The next morning Faith emerged in the kitchen in a white vest and loose grey jogging pants. It was creepily empty and silent considering it was full of drunk and stoned 18 year olds just a few hours ago. Faith managed to find Elena's stash of food from her days as a human in one of the cupboards and poured herself a bowl of cereal. Before she could even ponder where everybody was Stefan emerged through the back door. His mouth and chin was covered in blood, his clothes infested with hair and his eyes still dark and surrounded by black veins. He caught sight of the slayer and his face returned to that of the living. Faith glared at him cautiously. She wasn't about to suddenly let her guard down around vamps."Faith," he breathed, "I didn't think you'd be up."
"Well y'know, the early bird catches the worm," Faith replied holding her intense gaze and tensing slightly so that she could spring to position at any moment.
"Am I the worm?" Stefan edged.
"Only if that's not Bambi's mom on your shirt," Faith replied.
"It stinks of dead Badger in here," Damon announced as he entered the kitchen and tossed a blood bag into the trash can. At this, Faith slowly released Stefan from her gaze and returned to her breakfast. He left the room to get cleaned up. "And how're you this morning?" Damon asked, "I know I said I missed your give 'em hell attitude but ya caught me off guard last night."
"Yeah well never been much for surprises and finding out scarface is still out there was a shock to the system," she replied before scooping the last of the cereal on a spoon and slurping the milk from the bowl. She got up and made to leave when Caroline barged into the room, knocking Faith on the shoulder and looking wildly around the room. "Pffft," Faith grunted; her brow furrowed.
"Where's the T.V remote?" Caroline asked. Damon picked up a small black device from one of the counters and tossed it in Caroline direction. A television in the corner of the room blurred to life, Damon laughed silently as he didn't even know there was a T.V in the kitchen.
"What is it?" Damon asked.
"Just listen!" Caroline replied quickly as she turned on the morning news.
Faith's prison mugshot flashed up on the screen of CNN news. The electricity in the air became vibrant as the three glanced at each other. The mugshot disappeared and was replaced with a female Asian news anchor. "Today's top story; Boston born Faith Lehane has escaped from Stockton Prison in California. She escaped some three days ago but security footage shows her leaving the institute without a hitch with a male resembling this description." A fairly accurate drawing of Damon flashed on screen.
"Well that's not exactly flattering, and my hair is not that long...is it?" he rambled.
"Shhhh!" Caroline echoed back.
"A full investigation has been launched into the prisoners escape and into the jail itself after Ms Lehane walked out without obstacle. Not much is known about her male accomplice but she was charged with multiple murder, assault, theft and destruction charges in the California area and was facing up to 25 years behind bars," continued the reporter. Caroline looked wide eyed at Faith as the reporter reeled of her offences. Faith however, kept her gaze solid on the T.V. "Viewers are advised not to approach the young woman as she is believed to be extremely dangerous, they are asked to inform the local police of any sightings of the man or woman and leave the scene as soon as possible for their own safety." Caroline pointed the remote at the T.V and silence filled the room once again. Faith crossed her arms and dropped her gaze, her hair falling slightly over her shoulders.
"Well things just got a lot more complicated," Damon said breaking the silence.
Stefan emerged in the threshold of the kitchen behind Faith. "Elena's gone," he announced. The three turned their gaze to him.
Yesterday, Sunnydale California.
Buffy and Xander returned to Buffy's house after dropping Dawn off at school. She closed the door behind them and tossed her keys on a cabinet. Willow, from the dinner table, looked up from her laptop and smiled at her friends. Buffy and Xander headed to the kitchen and Buffy took three glasses down from the shelf and began pouring her friends some orange juice. The phone began to ring and Willow made to grab it from the living room. "So what'd'ya wanna' do today, Buff?" Xander asked, "offer little kids some candy, let 'em run with scissors?" Laughing through her glass, Buffy made to reply before Willow entered the kitchen wearing a worried expression and handing Buffy the phone. Buffy furrowed her brow at her friend as she held the receiver to her ear.
"Hello?" she greeted.
"Ms Summers?" asked an unfamiliar voice.
"Speaking," she replied. Willow shot a worried look at Xander.
"Ms Summers I apologise for such a phone call so early, this is detective Logan with the Los Angeles police, I'm sorry to tell you that we believe you may be the target of an escaped convict and I need to meet with you urgently," he announced.
"Who? What?" Buffy stammered confusedly.
"Ms Summers, Faith Lehane escaped jail some two days ago." Buffy looked up wide eyed at her friends.
I'm sorry this took a little longer, my laptops f*cking up lately.
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