A/N: Sorry my dear readers, I had to change the ending to this chapter since I can't find a good, logical way to fit a reason for fitting in Faith's dad's return to her life. I thought I had a good reason, but after writing what was the seventh draft of the next chapter, I decided to change the end a little bit. Hopefully this time I can write up a decent chapter 223. Hopefully I'll have the chapters for all my stories uploaded by tomorrow. Cheers everyone.
Stargate Command, Infirmary.
Willow was typing on her laptop, her leg in a cast while the back of her bed in the infirmary was locked vertically to prop the redhead up. She was looking through the data collected from the groundhog's 'Black Box', trying to understand what it was that cased the experimental vehicle to explode. In the meantime, Colonel Carter was off to Area 51 to talk to the design team while Faith, after having had breakfast with Willow, was training some new recruits to the SGC. With one hand on the mouse, her eyes staring at the columns of numbers on the screen, and her other hand rubbing her chin while deep in thought- Willow never heard the hurried footsteps rushing towards the hallway, nor did she hear the doors to the infirmary open as General Landry strode towards her bed.
"Major," the General said. Willow looked back up in surprise before glancing at the clock which read ten in the morning, and then back at the other bed, which were now empty, and then back at the General while thinking, 'it's been three hours?'
She then shook her head upon sensing worry from the General and closed the top of the laptop with eyes narrowed and wondering what was going on, 'something's wring'.
"Sir?" Willow asked, her heart racing as she thought about the scenarios that could have happened to get the General so worried, "is everything alright?"
"Miss Summers has been badly injured," Willow widened her eyebrows in surprise while the General continued, "she and the rest of her team have been injured- but Miss Summers took the brunt of it. She and the others are being cared for on the Phoenix and are on the way to the nearest Stargate. They should be here in five minutes and they will be attended to by the medical personnel."
"Okay," Willow said shaking her head, "but what happened to Dawn, sir? How bad is she injured? Does Buffy know?"
"We will be contacting Mrs Summers-Harris soon but before contacting her, there is something else I need to know," the General continued, "Miss Summers claimed they were being attacked by the Nirathi."
Willow's eyes went wide… wider than before and she started panting. Shaking her head as she remembered her lessons about the creatures on Atlantis and what they were capable of, Willow finally found her voice and stuttered, "D… Dawn and.. and the others…."
"Faced them and survived," the General assured Willow who closed her eyes and took in a deep breath to compose herself, "she placed a shield around herself and her team." Willow opened her eyes and nodded her head.
"Good girl," Willow whispered before turning her attention to the General once again, "sir, I am telling you that the Nirathi are dangerous."
"What can you tell me about them?" the General asked. And Willow explained in detail what her teacher back on Atlantis taught her and the other students. The General listened in stunned silence at what the Nirathi were capable of on a planetary scale. He then sighed, took in a deep breath, before continuing to say that one team sent to the planet earlier was already killed, as were the medical team that left with Dawn's team.
Willow listened before saying, "sir, those things cannot be allowed to thrive. I doubt they can use the Stargate on their own, but they can be carried through by other races that use the Gate network. If someone goes to that world to explore, such as the Tollan for example, then they could take those creatures back to their world and… well…"
"Ensure planetary wide destruction," the General finished while Willow nodded her head.
"I recommend a full nuclear bombardment, sir," Willow said as the General stared silently. Willow could see he was contemplating her request while she continued, "they have to be killed, sir. All of them. If there were other civilizations on that world before,, there's no one there now. The Nirathi would have wiped everyone out."
"Colonel Carter has been working on a new weapons platform called Horizon," the General said. Willow nodded her head before saying that she heard about the Horizon weapon- a weapon delivery system shaped like a bullet that could be fired from orbit. It contained ten missiles, six were enhanced with Naquadria while the other four were decoys. Willow nodded her head with an impressed expression on her face upon hearing about the weapon and what it could do- destroy an entire world.
"I'd recommend no decoys, sir," Willow said as the General pursed his lips, "the entire planet has to be destroyed, sir. Those things cannot live… they must not be allowed to live. The galaxy will be too much at risk if they live."
"Even if they can't use the Stargate," he plainly stated.
"Even if, sir," Willow answered.
"I will give the order to have the Horizon weapon ready for deployment," the General said taking a step back, "and I'll contact Mrs. Summers-Harris."
"And Jon?" Willow asked referring to Jon O'Neill.
"He's out on a mission," the General answered. Willow nodded her head before asking if she could be wheeled to the Gate room in a wheelchair. She explained that her healing ability could heal some of the more minor injuries, at least stop any bleeding. The General understood why she could use her powers to heal all of their injuries- if she did, then it was very possible that her own major injury would take a longer time to heal. The General then called on one of the nurses who hurried into the infirmary before being ordered to help Willow onto a wheelchair.
A few minutes later, the redhead was placed on the wheelchair and then pushed to the Gateroom where Dr Lam was already waiting for the Stargate to activate and for the injured to come through.
Unknown Location.
The last thing that Dawn remembered was a flash of light, followed by glimpses of people in white standing over her. And then she lost consciousness after sighing with relief that she and her team were saved. And now, she was looking at the brightly blue sky with wisps of white clouds floating by as she lay on a light blue coloured, with black accented, inflatable reclined lounger. She was leaned back against the soft velvet with a drink in the right cup holder.
Staring out through her tinted sunglasses. Dawn turned her head to the left and saw the five-story building in the distance. It was on a grassy hill with two stairs that led to and fro from the swimming pool. She then looked around at the empty bar, and then at the rows of blue and white stripped recliners that lined the pool area. She then, upon having the scent of the ocean waft into her nostrils, turned her head towards the right and watched swaying coconut trees dotting the sandy beach only meters away. She could see white specks on the blue ocean in the distance and watched as those white specks got closer to shore and rose as gentle waves before crashing onto the beach.
A smile on her face as she took in the peaceful atmosphere around her, Dawn breathed a sigh of relief and looked back up at the sky while her bikini clad body was being warmed by the sun.
'I'm safe now,' she thought to herself before clarifying as she thought about the rest of her team, 'we're safe now.' Dawn was glad that she was able to hold out as long as she did, but she didn't know why she wasn't waking up. However, for now, Dawn put that thought to the back of her mind and closed her eyes.
Suddenly, as she was reaching for the drink in the cup holder, Dawn felt the hair on the back of her neck rise. And then there was a chill up and down her spine just before a giggle and a splash of water hitting her legs and abdomen.
"Hey," Dawn exclaimed as she opened her eyes and sat up, the floating recliner shifting on the water as she moved. Dawn frowned and turned towards the direction the offending splashes had come from, and she widened her eyes as a grin formed on her face.
"Nice," Willow said as she leaned back on her own inflatable recliner floating on the calm waters of the swimming pool. She held up a yellow and red coloured drink with a tiny umbrella on the rim of the glass and smirked, "I like this whole resort like feel." Willow chuckled before taking a sip of her pineapple flavoured drink before placing it back into the cup holder at the right side of her recliner, "so, you've been unconscious for a few days."
"A few days?" Dawn asked in surprise, "but I was just beamed onto…"
"That was two days ago," Willow said as she gently pushed her floating recliner towards Dawn with her telekinesis, "Colonel Ferretti and the others are awake, but you… well, I healed the lesions in your brain and you should be awake now."
"Lesions?" Dawn asked before she nodded her head in realization, "I pushed myself too hard, didn't I?"
"You did," Willow said as she stopped alongside Dawn's recliner, the edges of the plastic touching. She reached over and gently held Dawn's hand before saying, "you saved them all, Dawnie."
"Not all of them though," Dawn sighed while recalling the accompanying medical team that died just after the Nirathi attacked SG-2. She knew that Willow was about to saying something, and so she continued, "and yea I know I couldn't have done anything to help them, but still…"
"You encountered the Nirathi," Willow said with awe, "and you not only survived, you saved your team. And now, the General ordered at nuclear strike on that world." Willow then told the surprised Dawn what had happened the day after Dawn returned. The brunette listened as Willow recounted the order General Landry issued to the Excalibur in regards to the Horizon weapons platform. Dawn raised her eyebrows in stunned silence as Willow explained how two of those weapons completely rendered the planet uninhabitable by any lifeform, "the Excalibur ran scans of the goop on the grass in the town and found several other areas on the planet that had that same goop. The people living in those towns and villages were all killed by the Nirathi."
"It was just dumb luck that we stumbled on that planet," Dawn said while Willow nodded her head.
"And it was dumb luck that no one else used the Stargate to travel there before you guys and SG_," Willow said recalling the first SG team that mysteriously vanished after being sent to that world… the very reason that SG-2 was sent in to investigate what had happened to the team and the townspeople. Willow let go of Dawn's hand and placed it on the armrest, "it's time to come home, Dawnie. I've already healed your mind and body and…" Willow then looked around at her surroundings before turning back towards the brunette, "and I know this place is hard to leave, but maybe it's time we had a little vacation? You, me, Faith, and Jon."
"Yeah," Dawn nodded her head with a smile, "but I haven't been hiding here just so you know. I just didn't know how to get out."
"I can help you with that," Willow chuckled. Willow then told Dawn to close her eyes. And she did.
The next thing that Dawn knew, she heard the 'beep-beep' of the heart monitor and the feel of a warm hand on the side of her head. And just like that, the feeling was gone as Willow gently spoke to another person in the room, "She's waking up." Opening her eyes slowly, Dawn closed them again upon the glare of the overhead lights before she turned her head to the left- towards Willow's voice.
"Hey." Dawn opened her eyes again, this time away from the lights and through her blurred vision, saw Willow smiling back at her as the latter sat on her wheelchair. Dawn's eyes then shifted towards Colonel Ferretti in his base-casual uniform. Dawn wet her lips before whispering, "good to see you too, Colonel."
"Summers," the Colonel said with his hands in his pockets, "you had us a little worried when you didn't wake up."
"Didn't know how to get out of that… well, dream, I guess," Dawn responded as her voice started to crack. It was then that Willow reached for the jug of water on the side table. She poured some water into a plastic cup and placed a straw inside. She then handed the cup to Colonel Ferretti who then reached down and placed the cup and the straw next to Dawn's lips. The latter then took a long sip before releasing the straw and nodding her thanks.
"The General's placed a commendation in your file," the Colonel said as a smile formed on Willow's face. Dawn was in surprise as the Colonel continued, "congratulations." He then patted her shoulder while saying, "Rest up, Summers. I want you back in full form by next week."
Dawn nodded her head after the Colonel added that it depended on Dr Lam's assessment.
"Does Buffy know about what happened?"
"I'm going to see General Landry," the Colonel said before adding he and Willow were going to notify Buffy about what happened and that Dawn was going to be alright. The latter nodded her head before giving them a small smile just as Faith, Lauren, and Grogan strode into the infirmary.
"Hey, look who's up," Faith said as she walked over to the other side of Dawn's bed and patted her shoulder. At the same time, Grogan and Lauren stopped at the foot of the bed with smiles on their faces as they thanked Dawn for saving them from the Nirathi.
Dawn nodded her head before Grogan and Lauren told her about how they were on the Excalibur when the Horizon weapons were launched. While they explained what they had seen from orbit, Dawn glanced at Willow- the both of their eyes met – and she felt relief wash over they both of them as they listened to the extermination of what could have been a great threat to the galaxy.
Somewhere outside Los Angeles,
Down on both knees in front of a mantle with lit black and red candles, the haggard old woman opened her eyes as a chill went through her body. He could feel the anger emanating from the sarcophagus, and a chill ran up and down her spine.
"Be calm, Illyria," the woman cooed, as one does to a child, looking over her shoulder and then back at the mantle where melted candle wax was dripping down onto the stone floor, "I sense the children, but they have yet to be born." She stared at the flames and whispered a spell. She watched as the candle flames surged upwards into the air before lowering back down to their previous height, the flames casting shadows on the walls all around that woman. Standing back up on her feet, she stared at the shadows cast on the walls and smirked.
"Reveal," she ordered while staring at the shadows.
She watched as the shadows went from objects of pure darkness to being filled out by skin, dresses, and uniforms. She watched as Tara cast a spell to protect not only Buffy, but the entirety of Sunnydale… a powerful spell that would alert Tara when some one who desired the babies Buffy carried arrived into the city. She watched as Buffy and Xander started moving some of their belongings to the guest rooms in the main BPRI building where they were given an additional layer of protection. She watched as the couple were bringing boxes in the room while Angel was talking to the two uniformed guards in the hallway just outside the door.
"Your children will be sacrificed to Illyria, Slayer," the woman said as she stared at Buffy laughing at Xander- their shadow forms now audible. The woman was watching current events in Sunnydale by using shadows as a means to spy on them without being detected, "the poor witch doesn't even know I'm watching her and her friends." The woman then turned back towards the sarcophagus and smiled, "patience, Illyria." The woman felt a tremble from the stone container once again, "you will get to choose your vessel from the two babes."
She stared at the sarcophagus and continued as she took several steps forward and placed her hand on one of the sides, carefully so as not to disturb the crystals on the cover, "so says Lilith."
Colorado Springs, 1600 hours.
Willow was sick and tired of the food provided by the Mess Hall in the SGC. As Faith walked out of their favourite Chines Take-Out restaurant, she recalled the redhead begging for some food from off-base. And with Dawn awake from her injuries and hungry for some Chinese food, SG-1 and SG-2 also craving some food- Faith picked the short straw for leaving the SGC to pick up the phoned in order from the only one restaurant in Colorado Springs that did not deliver.
"Hey Ken," Faith frowned at the owner of the restaurant as he held the door open with a grin, "one word… Delivery. Delivery, it helps."
The grey haired man gave Faith a thumbs up and the closed the door behind her as she walked towards the car four rows down. She sighed before taking a deep breath- she took in the smell of the food in her arms ranging from chicken and beef fried rice to Ginger Chicken, and her mouth immediately started to water. Nearly reaching her car, Faith heard the cell phone in her right jeans pocket.
"Hold up, hold up," Faith said as she placed the box of food on the trunk of her car. She then took out her still ringing phone and furrowed her brows at the 'Unknown' writing on her screen. "Who could this be?" Faith mumbled as she connected the call and placed the phone to her ear, "yeah?"
"Faith?" a female voice said. A voice that Faith thought sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it.
Faith frowned as she sifted through her memories for that voice while saying, "yeah. Who's this?"
"It's…" the voice suddenly sounded ashamed. And Faith was even more confused now, "it's been a long time, I… I didn't know if you would…"
"Who is this?" Faith asked once again as she wondered to the women in her past once the caller mentioned that it had been a long time. Suddenly, her eyes widened. Her arms trembled. A sense of fear started to radiate through her from her abdomen. She recognized that voice… she didn't recognized the shame in that voice - but she recognized who the voice belonged to. It was a part of her past that started to rush into her mind, a part that she never wanted to remember again.
"I've... I've made parole six months ago and... I've been sober, and… and I've been going to groups, and... and... I know I made mistakes," the woman said as Faith ground her teeth, the regular beatings coming to the forefront of her mind, "I know what I was like then. I hurt you.. I…."
"You hurt me?" Faith growled as she pushed… no, shoved the fear aside… and let anger take over as she recalled the dark haired woman standing over her when she was seven years old while Faith would cower in fear from the beatings before the woman would pass out drunk on the couch in their apartment's living room, "you hurt me?!" Faith didn't care if any passers-by heard her yell into her phone while trying to stop tears from welling in her eyes, "fuck you!."
"Faith, please…" the female voice begged, "I.. I'm in Colorado Spring and I got your number from…."
"How did you get my num…." Faith shook her head, "doesn't matter. You can go to hell, Eileen," Faith yelled into the phone as tears fell down her cheeks while Willow, who felt the sudden rush of emotional pain, mentally called out to her wife. Faith blocked Willow mentally while she yelled at the woman on the other line, "if you ever contact me again. Or if I see you or…" Faith stopped talking and breathed in and out in short bursts before continuing, "if I see you, I will call the police and have you arrested."
"Faith, please." Faith heard the sob, but she didn't care.
"Fuck off, Eileen… go fuck off." And Faith closed the connection as a memory of the woman slapping her, and then again, and then again came to her mind. Faith closed her eyes and begged herself to stop thinking about a little girl crying as another slap created an extremely sharp pain on her cheeks followed by another slap… no… a punch that caused a ringing in her ears.
Faith shook her head as she leaned back against her right tail light and whispered, just as Willow mentally contacted her and asked what was happening… why she was getting memories of such violence through their link. She also asked why she received images of Faith's mother through their link.
And all Faith could mentally say was, "she's here, Red. She's here."
TBC.