|
|
How to Treat Your
Lover
by Tami
Chapter 12-A
Step 1: Infatuation (Part 12-A)
Giles’ Apartment
Buffy, Xander, Willow, Riley and Giles were discussing the best way to defeat the Initiative’s cyborg, Adam. So far, they had come up with nothing that was a feasible plan. Buffy sat down on the arm of Riley’s chair and put her arm around his shoulder. While the gang talked over other ways, Buffy silently studied her new boyfriend.
Buffy hadn’t heard from Angel since he had shown up a little over a month ago and helped rescue Willow from Ta’Hoffryn. That didn’t seem right though. She still had no idea why he was in Sunnydale. He and Spike seemed awfully close. Of course there was the whole openly claiming Spike that threw her. She didn’t understand that at all.
Since that day, Buffy grew closer to Riley. They officially started their relationship after Angel had claimed Spike and went back to Los Angeles. Everything had been going fine for the last month. She was concentrating on college and slaying. She had a steady boyfriend. She had seen very little of Spike, but enough that he was becoming a pest. At times during her patrols, she could feel the blonde vampire but didn’t see him anywhere around. Then, last night while she slept she was pulled into a dream with Spike and Angelus. Only Spike wasn’t Spike. He was different. They both were. The scene she had witnessed was raw, disturbing and erotic. They went at each other like starved animals. Even now she remembered it as clearly as a Slayer-dream. The phone rang and jolted her out of her thoughts.
Giles picked up the phone. “Hello. What? Yes, she is.” He motioned to Buffy with the receiver. “Um . . . it’s for you.”
Buffy looked up surprised. Who would be calling her here? As far as she knew her mom was fine. She took the phone from Giles. “Hello?”
Faith was outside the apartment watching Buffy from the window.
“What sort of emergency?” Buffy was asking with a frown on her face. “No, I haven’t.”
Faith stepped away from the window and disappeared.
“Thank you, I’ll let you know,” Buffy said and put the phone back on its base.
“Well? What is it?” Giles asked apprehensively.
Buffy looked up at Giles and then around to all of her friends. “It’s Faith. She’s awake.” Willow and Xander looked surprised. Riley looked confused. Buffy went on to explain, “She beat someone up, took her clothing and disappeared from the hospital. No one knows where she is.”
Xander rolled his eyes. “I’d say this qualifies for a ‘Worst Timing Ever’ award.”
“What do we do?” Willow asked worried.
“We’ll have to find her,” Giles stated.
“What about Adam?” Willow inquired.
“Yeah,” Xander agreed. “I’d hate to see the pursuit of a homicidal lunatic get in the way of pursuing a homicidal lunatic.”
“Well, Faith’s not exactly low-profile girl. I’ll patrol and wait for her to make a move,” Buffy concluded.
“But, then what?” Giles asked.
“Oooh! I have an idea! Beat the crap out of her!” Willow suggested.
“Good plan!” Xander agreed.
Buffy nodded. “Good on paper. But we still have a decision to make. Do we hand her over to the cops? They wouldn’t know what to do with a Slayer even if they knew we existed.”
“What about the Council?” Willow suggested.
“Been there, tried that. Not unlike smothering a forest fire with napalm as I recall,” Xander said.
“Well, what about the Initiative? They do have containment facilities,” Giles suggested.
“One word: Evil,” Xander said.
Buffy sighed. Well, she wanted a distraction from the dream she shared with Angelus and Spike. She guessed this was the thing to distract her. “There’s no way around it. Faith is back and whether I like it or not, she’s my responsibility.”
“Yeah, too bad,” Willow pouted. “That was our first coma ever.”
“We have no idea where she is. We don’t know what she’s thinking, what she’s feeling . . .” Buffy was saying.
“. . . Who she’s doing,” Xander added petulantly.
“She could be terrified. Maybe she doesn’t even remember. Or maybe she does and she’s sorry and she’s alone hiding somewhere,” Buffy ran through the options of the possible conditions Faith could be in.
“Well, perhaps there’s some form of rehabilitation we just haven’t thought about,” Giles supposed.
“And, hey, if not, ass-kicking makes a solid plan B,” Willow said brightly.
“I’m not going to rule it out,” Buffy said. “First thing, we need to do is find her. Then we can take it from there.”
Riley had sat back and watched the whole conversation play out. There was mention of some girl named Faith. He didn’t know anyone but his cousin Faith back in Iowa. Whoever this girl was, she had managed to get Buffy hackles up and make Xander and Willow nervous. “Who’s Faith?”
**************************
UC Sunnydale Campus
Buffy and Willow were walking along the campus between classes the following day.
“What did you tell Riley?” Willow asked.
“The truth?” Buffy hedged. “That she’s my wacky identical cousin from England, and whenever she visits hijinks ensue?”
Willow nodded solemnly. “It’s good that you guys have such an honest relationship.”
“No, I told him the story. I vagued up a few bits, but no flat-out lies,” Buffy assured her friend.
“That’s fair. How’d you handle the Angel-y parts?” Willow asked half-curious, half-teasing.
“I did some editing,” Buffy confessed. It’s not that I’m trying to hide anything from Riley, it’s just that’s a longer conversation, and I had a Faith-hunt to do.”
“Any luck on that front?” Willow inquired.
“I couldn’t find her. I don’t know exactly where to place that little up-continuum,” Buffy replied.
“At least you’re not alone on this. I bet every cop in Sunnydale is out there looking for her right now,” Willow assured her.
“The pressure’s definitely on. I’m telling you, if I were her, I’d get outta Dodge post hasty,” Buffy quipped.
During their conversation the girls had managed to walk the campus grounds toward the notice board. There was a group of students standing around it. Buffy had been within earshot of the group when she had said that last comment.
Faith turned away from the notice board and looked Buffy up and down disdainfully. “But you’re not me.”
Buffy’s head turned around so fast at the sound of Faith’s voice she nearly gave herself whiplash.
“So . . .” Faith said, “check you out B. Nice, the big girl on campus thing’s really working for you.”
“I’ve been looking for you,” Buffy said nonchalantly.
“I’ve been standing – well, lying – still for eight months, B. How hard did you look?” Faith asked sarcastically.
“Are you all right,” Buffy inquired.
“Five-by-five. It’s that thing about a coma. You wake up all rested, rejuvenated . . . and ready for payback,” Faith said with a false smile.
“So much for the pleasantries, huh?”
“What did you think, B? I’d wake up and we’d go for tea? You tried to gut me,” Faith sneered.
“You’d have done the same to me if you’d had the chance,” Buffy sneered back.
“Let’s have another go at it. See who ends up on top,” Faith said snidely.
“It doesn’t have to be like this, y’know,” Buffy tried for calm and rational.
“Actually, I think it has to be exactly like this,” Faith nodded.
“Faith, these are innocent people,” Buffy said.
Faith looked around at the students milling around the campus. “No such animal.”
“I guess it was too much to hope that you’d use your downtime to reflect and grow?” Buffy asked sarcastically.
“I could say the same for you. I mean, you’re still the same better-than-thou Buffy. I mean, I knew it somehow. I kept having this dream, I’m not sure what it means, but in the dream the self-righteous blonde chick stabs me, and you wanna know why?” Faith lectured.
Willow was sliding her backpack off her shoulders slowly as she watched the exchange. Maybe if she could get the drop on Faith and help Buffy, then the rogue slayer would be contained until the police showed up.
“You had it coming,” Buffy answered.
“Well, that’s one interpretation,” Faith conceded. “But in my dream, she does it for a guy.”
Willow inched closer towards Faith from behind, wielding the bag.
Faith cocked her head and said, “Try it Red, and you’ll lose an arm.” She refocused on Buffy and continued, “So, I wake up to find the blonde chick isn’t even dating the guy she was so nuts about before. I mean, she’s moved on to the first college beef stick she meets. Not only has she forgotten about the love of her life, but she’s forgotten about the chick she nearly killed for him.” Faith shrugged. “So, that’s my dream. That and some stuff about cigars and a tunnel. But tell me, college girl, what does it mean?”
“To me?” Buffy asked. “Mostly, that you still mouth off about things you don’t understand.” At that moment police sirens sounded in the distance and were coming closer. “Uh oh, I guess somebody knows you’re here.”
Faith punched Buffy in the face. They fought as the police cruiser approached. Willow finally got a chance to make a move and attacked Faith from behind. She turned and was grabbed by Buffy and yanked out of the way.
“You took my life, B. Payback’s a bitch,” Faith sneered.
“Look who’s talking,” Willow countered. Okay, not the greatest comeback line in history.
“See you around,” Faith said. She ran off, throwing a police officer aside, jumped onto the hood of the car, knocking another officer out of the way and ran across a field pushing students aside with Buffy in pursuit. Faith leapt over a wall. Buffy ran over to it only to find that Faith had disappeared.
**************************
Downtown Sunnydale
Xander and Giles were in the streets searching for Faith. They had been looking since Buffy had come to the apartment with news of her sister Slayer being on the loose. They had scoured the northern part of Sunnydale from Giles’ home to the Sunnydale Commons where they were now. Well, to be honest, Giles was looking for Faith. Xander was babbling.
“The point being, I could be the target here,” Xander was saying. “Faith finds Mr. Xander Harris still in town; she goes tighter than cat-gut.” He nodded affirming his own comment. “She’s got a lotta pent-up feeling there that’s all I'm sayin’ . . . .”
“Yes, I'm sure,” Giles said, wearily.
“See, I can't be held responsible for the effect I have on women,” Xander went on to gloat.
“No . . .” Giles started to say as he rolled his eyes. Teenagers. Xander.
“See, Faith and I have a history . . .” Xander said cutting off what Giles was about to say.
The boy shut up when they both heard rattling coming from an alleyway they were passing. They glanced around, but saw nothing. While they cautiously ventured into the alley, Xander charged the blaster gun he was carrying. As they moved closer towards the sound, Spike stepped out of the darkness.
“Spike?” Xander asked angrily.
“What are you doing here?” Giles inquired in a similar tone.
“Me?” Spike asked petulantly. “Hey, I'm not the one out of place here.”
“For your information, smart ass, we've got a rogue Slayer on our hands. A real psycho-killer,” Xander informed him.
“Sounds serious,” Spike said with mock concern.
“It is,” Giles said solemnly. “What do you know?”
“Well, now, that depends . . . what do you need?” Spike smirked.
“Her,” Xander said and went on to describe the missing Slayer as, “Dark hair about yea tall,” he indicated her height in comparison to himself. “Goes by the name of Faith, criminally insane.”
Giles rolled his eyes at Xander’s theatrics and turned to Spike. “Have you seen her?”
Spike furrowed his brows as if in concentration. “Is this bird after you?”
“In a bad way, yeah,” Xander drawled out.
“Huh,” Spike nodded. “Tell you what I'll do then. I'll head out, find this girl, tell her exactly where you are and then watch as she kills you,” Spike said with a hint of teasing. His face became sober when he saw the looks of surprise and irritation on their faces.
Spike closed his eyes and shook his head. “Can't any one of your damn little Scooby gang at least try to remember that I hate you all? I’m only here to baby-sit the blonde bint not help her. Just because I can't do the damage myself because of Angel’s Sire-claim, doesn't stop me from aiming a loose cannon your way. And here I thought the evening would be dull.”
“Go ahead,” Xander spat. “You wouldn't even recognize her.”
“Dark hair, this tall,” Spike reiterated Xander’s description right down to indicating how tall she was, “Name of Faith, criminally insane. Like this girl already.”
Xander and Giles watched Spike turn to leave. “We're dumb,” Xander concluded.
Giles let Spike get a few feet in front of them before he called out, “What would Angel say or do to you if you didn’t help us?”
Spike stopped and turned at those words. He walked back to stand in front of the Watcher. “Angel told me to look after her, watch out for her. He never said anything about hunting down a demented Slayer.”
“As your job is to watch out for her, I feel compelled to inform you that if we do not find Faith soon, she will harm Buffy,” Giles said.
“I’ll see what I can find out, but if that girl has already gotten to Buffy before I do, I won’t step in to help with the fight,” Spike finally said with a sigh and walked away shaking his head.
Just because he had to baby sit the blonde Slayer, didn’t mean he had to defend her. Personally, she and this Faith chick can have at each other for all he cared, as long as neither of them came at him with anything wooden or pointy.
**************************
In another part of town, Faith walked along the street. She stopped at a window of the sporting goods store to admire the knife display. In a blink, she heard the sound of a police radio and saw a squad car come around the corner onto the street. There was a group of teenagers walking towards her as well and Faith melted into the crowd as they crossed the street ahead of the cruiser. When they reach the other side Faith ducked into a nearby alley. She stuck close to the wall as they cruiser passed by on the street.
“Faith!” she heard a stranger call out.
Faith turned and looked down the dark alley to see a hairy-faced demon step out of the shadows and walk towards her.
When the demon saw the confused look on her face, he moved closer as he explained, “A friend sent me. I got a little remembrance from him --”
When the demon was close enough, Faith grabbed him and pulled him down so that she could wrap her arm around his neck, getting him into a forward headlock. She jerked on his neck until there was a cracking sound. She jerked a second time until there was a louder snapped that echoed through the alley. Letting the demon go, his dead body fell to the ground and his coat fell open to reveal a stuffed manila envelope.
Faith stepped over the demon and grabbed the package up. By then, the police car was making another sweep of the back alleys. She rushed over to the wall of a worn building and quickly climbed the fire escape ladder. She was just barely out of sight when the police halogen light illuminating her boots as it swept across the area and drove away.
Faith found an entrance to the building only to find out it was a pawn shop. She opened the envelope and pulled out a small box and a video tape. Looking around, she located a TV and VCR set-up. Turning the TV on, she loaded the tape into the VCR and pressed ‘PLAY’. When a picture appeared it was of Mayor Wilkins sitting behind his desk.
“Hello, Faith. If you’re watching this tape, it can only mean one thing. I’m dead,” Richard Wilkins said.
Faith was standing behind the counter watching the screen with a dumbfounded look on her face. Dead? Well yeah, technically morphing into a demon you have to be a little dead. But then wasn’t he immortal anyway?
Wilkins went on to explain, “And our noble campaign to being order to the town of Sunnydale has failed . . . Utterly and completely.” He stood up and continued, “But on the other hand, heck! Maybe we won.” He rounded the desk and leaned back against it as he chuckled to himself. “And right now I’m on some jumbo monitor in the Richard Wilkins Museum surrounded by a bunch of kids sitting Indian-style and looking up at my face, filled with fear and wonder.” That sparked another chuckle out and he leaned forward. “Hi, kids!” he called out indulgently and laughed.
Faith smiled knowingly at that.
Mayor Wilkins’ voice took on a serious tone as he resumed his position of leaning back on the edge of his desk. “The realist in me tends to doubt that. Now, Faith, as I record this message you’re, uh . . .” his expression showed signs of pain, “. . . sleeping. And the doctors tell me that you might never wake up. I don't believe that,” he said resolutely. “Sooner or later, you will wake up and when you do, you'll find the world has gone and changed on you. I wish I could make the world a better place for you to wake up in, but . . . tough as it is to accept, we both have to understand that even my power to protect and watch over you has its limits. See the hard pill to swallow here is that . . . once I'm gone . . . your days are just plain numbered.”
Faith stared at the screen with a miserable expression on her face. On the screen, Mayor Wilkins held up his hands in surrender. “Now, I know, I know you’re a – you’re a smart and capable young woman in charge of her own life. But the problem, Faith, is that, uh, there won't be a place in the world for you anymore. Right now, I bet you're feeling very much alone. But you're never alone. You'll always have me. And . . .” he turned and picked up a small black box from his desk. He held it up for the camera. “. . . you’ll always have this.” He chuckled. “Go ahead. Open the box.”
Faith picked up the same box and examined it.
“Don’t worry. It’s not going to bite,” Mayor Wilkins urged from the tape and then laughed, “That’s my job. Go ahead! Open it!”
Faith gave the man on the screen a wary glance. She slid the panel of the box open and peered inside.
“Surprise!” Mayor Wilkins called out from the screen with glee. “See, you don’t get these in any gumball machine. When you’ve been around as long as I have, you make friends. And some of them forge neat little gizmos like the one you’re holding right now.”
Faith held up a strange looking device to examine it more closely. It’s shiny, metal, and fit in the palm of her hand with three little loose stems with rings on the ends.
“And here’s the good news,” Mayor Wilkins continued chuckling. “Just because it’s over for my Faith, doesn’t mean she can’t go out with a bang.” He smiled at her as if he were standing right in front of her.
**************************
Summers’ Residence
A knock at the front door brought Joyce Summers into the foyer from the dining room. She opened the door and was shocked to see Faith standing there.
“Hi, Joyce,” Faith said with a false smile.
Out of nowhere, Faith threw a punch that knocked Joyce to the ground and unconscious. Faith stepped inside the house and shut the door behind her. “Mind if I come in?”
Faith pulled Joyce into a sitting position and then hauled the older woman over her shoulder, using her Slayer strength to lift her up and carry her upstairs to her bedroom. She sat the woman on the bed and went about tying her hands and feet together. Then she sat down at Joyce’s vanity and sifted through her make up drawer, sorting through lipsticks. Around this time, Joyce was coming to.
“Tsk, tsk. Ruby Sunset,” Faith said, reading the labels and dropping the tubes to grab another, “Burgundy Skyline. Oooh, Harlot. Hmm. Way to go, Joyce.”
At that moment, Joyce was shifting to sit up on her bed and lean against the headboard. There was a bruise forming on her left cheek close to her eye. She was eyeing Faith with a worried expression. She didn’t even feel this much fear when Spike was in the house last year or two years ago.
“Now normally,” Faith was saying. “I wouldn't be going with a color this dark, but I read in some magazine, eight months in a coma will damage a girl's natural skin tone.” She carefully applied the lipstick. “Good thing pale is in this year. Or was it last year?”
Faith stood up and leaned forward and kissed the mirror, leaving her lip print.
“Anyway. For real, now,” Faith continued as she was watched Joyce through the mirror. She took her jacket off the back of the chair and put it on. “I'm gonna ask you something and you got to promise you'll be honest, and not spare my feelings just ‘cause I can kill you. You promise?”
“I promise,” Joyce said solemnly.
“Okay. How do I look?” Faith inquired as she turned to face Joyce.
Joyce gave a dramatic pause before saying, “Psychotic.”
Faith didn’t show any anger at the assessment. “Hmm. I was shooting for sultry, but hey. Bet I know what you’re thinking?”
“Really?” Joyce asked, unconvinced.
“You're thinking . . . ‘You'll never get away with this!’” she said dramatically. “Warm?”
Joyce cocked her head to the side and stared straight at the dark Slayer. “Actually, I was thinking my daughter is going to kill you soon.”
“Is that a fact?” Faith inquired.
“More like a bet,” Joyce said matter-of-factly.
“Whoa,” Faith said, smiling. “You got a pair on you, Joyce. I like seeing that in a woman your age.” She moved closer to the bed. “Guess you can afford to talk that way. I mean, in the world according to Joyce, Buffy is gonna come crashing through that door any minute.”
Joyce didn’t acknowledge or deny that statement, though she was trying to remain calm.
“But . . . look what I found,” Faith chirped as she grabbed a bundle of envelopes from the nightstand. She flipped through the pieces of mail ticking off each letter, “Buffy Summers. Buffy Summers. Buffy Summers. Buffy. Buffy. A lot of letters. She, uh, hasn't been by in a while, huh? And you'd think with a crazy chick like me on the loose -- crazy chick with a wicked grudge against her, no less – she’d call and give you a heads-up. But Buffy's too into her own deal to remember dear old mom.” Faith tossed the letters aside and stood up in front of the bed again.
Joyce’s eyes narrowed at the haughty way this girl was conducting herself. “You don't know the first thing about Buffy. Or me,” she said.
“Don't I?” Faith asked raising an eyebrow. “I know what it's like. You think you matter. You think you're a part of something and you get dumped. It's like the whole world is moving but you're stuck. Like those animals in the tar pits. It's like you just keep sinking a little deeper everyday and nobody even sees.”
Joyce closed her eyes wondering when she would fall asleep listening to incessant Faith’s tirade. “Were you planning to slit my throat anytime soon?” she asked in a bored tone.
Faith continued like Joyce had never spoken. “Don't tell me you don't see it, Joyce. You served your purpose. You squirted out the kid, raised her up, and now you might as well be dead! I mean, nobody cares! Nobody remembers! Especially not Buffy-fabulous-super-hero! Sooner or later you're gonna have to face it. She was over us a long time ago, Joyce.” Her anger was rising with each statement as well as her voice. “Too busy climbing onto her new boytoy to give a single thought to the people that matter! I mean, you're her mother and she just leaves you here to die!” Faith grabbed a large butcher knife she had left resting on the vanity and headed for Joyce.
Behind her, the window shattered inward as Buffy dove through, taking Faith down in a tackle. She quickly rolled to her feet and slammed a fist down on Faith's face as the other Slayer tried to get to her knees.
Buffy spared a glance at Joyce and called out cheerily, “Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, honey.” Joyce was relieved to see her daughter. She didn’t know how much longer she would have been able to keep up the bravado. It wouldn’t have been long if Faith had succeeded in whatever plans she had for her with that knife.
Faith was on her feet and Buffy turned just in time to block her backhand, but Faith followed through with a roundhouse kick and hit Buffy in the face. She tried to slam a knee into her midsection. But, Buffy blocked that and countered with an inward crescent kick that sent Faith stumbling back against the vanity. Buffy grabbed her from behind and pulled her out into the hallway. Joyce tried to keep an eye on the fight as she quickly reached for the phone and dialed 911.
Out in the hall, Buffy still had the upper hand with Faith. She slammed the brunette into a closed door, hard. Faith faced her just in time to block a backhanded fist but Buffy grabbed that arm and sent her other fist into Faith's side, then brought her fist up into a backhand to her face in quick succession. Then, she swung Faith across the hall causing the other Slayer to slam face first into the wall by the open stairwell. Trying to recover, Faith raised a knee to stop Buffy's mid-level roundhouse kick and grabbed her by the shoulders.
They struggled with each other, both of them slamming into the closet door and then rebounding across the hall. They fell into the stairwell where they slid headfirst down the stairs. When they reached the bottom, landing in the foyer, they rolled away from each other and came up in fighting stances.
“Thought I'd go after the clean marine, didn't ya?” Faith asked with a grin. “He's a cutie. Looks like he could use a good roll in the sack.”
Buffy launched an attack but Faith blocked her strikes. She countered with a right hook but Buffy ducked it.
“You're not his type,” Buffy said. “He's not real big on sleaze.”
Buffy attacked again, this time hitting Faith with several punches to the stomach and head. Faith managed to catch her arm on the last punch and slammed Buffy back against the dining room wall.
“He's probably just never tried it,” Faith said, smirking.
“Going for the boyfriend again?” Buffy asked sarcastically. “That's so tired.”
“Just something to remember me by once I've moved on,” Faith said before she threw her fist straight at Buffy's head but the blonde ducked at the last instant and it went through the wall. She threw herself at Faith driving the brunette further into the dining room and sending her across the surface of the table, clearing it of the candles, a glass bowl of wax fruit, and knocking down chairs as she fell off the other side.
“Did it ever occur to you, Faith that the reason we all forgot you is because we wanted to?” Buffy inquired.
Faith was pulling herself up by holding onto the silverware cabinet. Enraged at hearing Buffy’s words, she grabbed a large flower vase and threw it. It hit Buffy in the side and shattered but she was unharmed. Faith pulled out one of the drawers and dumped all the silverware to the floor as she swung it at the blonde. As Buffy ducked the flying drawer, Faith snatched up a long two-pronged fork and attacked her. Buffy dodged the lunges and shoved Faith against the table.
**************************
Giles’ Apartment
Giles opened the front door and stepped inside. As he closed it, he flipped the light switch but the lights didn’t come on. A second later the lamp on his desk is clicked on and Giles saw three men in leather jackets were in his home waiting for him. They are ‘The Team’ from the Watcher’s Council that had arrived earlier that night. And, they've made themselves at home.
The man that Giles’ assumed was the leader of the group was sitting at his writing desk with a cup of tea in front of him. His two other companions were sitting on the bar stools. One was holding a drink in his hand.
“Hello, Rupert,” the lead man said in greeting, casually lighting a cigarette.
Giles let out a perturbed sigh. He was not happy to find that his home had been broken into by three goons from the Watcher’s Council. But he was a little worried as to why they were even in his home to begin with.
**************************
Summers’ Residence
Back at Buffy’s house, the Slayer’s Match was still in progress as their enhanced abilities of strength and endurance that were meant to be used against demons was currently being put to the test against each other.
Faith swung the two-pronged fork at Buffy's face but the blonde ducked away and it was buried in the wall. Before Faith could pull it out, Buffy grabbed her from behind, swung her around, and slammed her against the dining room table again. Faith quickly hit Buffy in the face with a back elbow, freeing herself. At that moment she heard the police and ambulance sirens approaching the house.
“The cops,” Faith said angrily with a tinge of fear in her voice. She scrambled across the top of the table and ran for the living room. Buffy was right behind her. Too close it turned out as Faith reached the open doorway. She grabbed one of the glass-framed French doors and swung it in Buffy's face. The blonde crashed right through it and stumbled into the living room. She hadn't even regained her balance when she threw a left-right combination hitting Faith in the stomach and face. The action sent the brunette falling into the coffee table and onto the floor as the structure shattered under her.
The flashing red lights of the police cars just arriving shone into the room through the gauze-curtained windows. However, both girls ignored it. Buffy tried to hit Faith again as she got to her knees, but Faith caught her arm, held onto her and drove her across the living room where she sent the blonde into the glass bookcase.
Taking advantage, Faith pivoted with a roundhouse kick at her face but Buffy managed to block it and answered with a backhanded fist across Faith's face. Faith countered with another roundhouse kick, this time hitting Buffy and effectively knocking her down. She quickly reached the fireplace and grabbed something off the mantle. It was the Mayor's present to her. Faith slipped the rings of the device onto her thumb, index and fourth fingers, keeping the small device in place in her palm.
Buffy was on her feet. She ran over to slam a left hook into Faith's face. She quickly followed that with a right hook, snapping Faith’s head back. Before she could hit her again, Faith grabbed her hand and held it tight with the small device clutched between their palms. A glowing light started to emanate from their hands as the device activated. Both women reacted as if hit by a shockwave.
Buffy, who was now Faith, looked at their clasped hands. She looked up and seemed surprised as she stared at Faith, who was now . . . her. [Buffy] pulled her hand back and hit [Faith] hard in the face with a right hook, sending her to the floor, effectively knocking her unconscious.
Just then, Joyce hurried into the living room. “You okay?” she asked whom she thought was her daughter.
[Buffy] was still examining the strange device with an awed expression on her face. “All things considered,” she answered distractedly.
“What is that?” Joyce asked, seeing the device.
“A weapon of some kind,” [Buffy] replied. She threw it down on the floor and stomped on it with her boot. There was a flash of light as it was crushed. “Didn't work whatever it was.”
At that moment, there was a loud pounding on the door. “Ah, the police,” Joyce said gratefully.
[Buffy] looked at the front door then down at [Faith] who was lying on the broken coffee table. “She's their problem now.”
Joyce nodded in agreement. “You're sure you're okay?” she asked concerned.
[Buffy] pondered the question as she stared down at [Faith]. “Five by five,” she replied, tilting her head slightly as a grin started to form on her lips. |
