Actions & Consequences (16/19)
Xander smiled darkly as he felt the bracelet that Wood had given Faith heat up, a sure sign that the locater spell a heavily protesting Willow had put on it for him had worked. Sensing somebody ahead he stepped into the shadows and waited until the approaching figure drew with him before shooting out a fist and catching the unprepared man square in the throat. The guard’s mouth opened in a scream, but in an instant he had his palm over his victim’s mouth, muffling any sound. A half-second later and he’d driven his knee into the man’s groin, grabbed him around the scruff of his neck and driven him headfirst into the wall. He watched dispassionately as the bleeding body slumped soundlessly to the ground, unconscious. “Woodie, you might be as bald as a cueball, but in a few minutes you’re going to be screaming like a red-headed step-child.”
* * *
“Il Primo Vampiro,” Angel battled the demon inside him for control as he stared down at the monstrous demon beneath them.
“What is it?” Buffy demanded beside him.
Angel was unable to move his gaze from the terror stood below. “I recognise that from one of Wes’ books, it’s the pure-blood vampire that bit the last human before leaving this dimension. It’s what vampires look like in their unadulterated form.”
”Damn Fang,” Faith muttered from the opposite side to Buffy, “who’d have thought
someone as pretty as you on the outside could look so ugly under the skin?”
Faith’s voice turned business-like. “What’s the 411 on big and ugly?”
“He’s strong, much stronger than even the Master and heals any wound in seconds.” He heard Buffy’s sharp intake of breath. “He also has huge hypnotic powers, Will, you’ll have to block him.”
”On it,” the red-head whispered.
“Stakes through the heart won’t get it done. Fire, sunlight, and beheading are the only things that’ll work. And even then, he’s got more resistance than most to sunlight and beheading can only be done by a magical weapon.”
“Lucky I bought the Scythe then,” Buffy muttered.
Angel took an unneeded breath. Faith in particular wasn’t going to like what he said next. “When we grab the kids, I’ll have to help Connor get them out of here-.”
“What!” Faith hissed. Even as he opened his mouth to explain, the raven-haired Bostonian pulled him round to face her. “You’re going to just run out on us?”
Angel hid a wince at the look of pained betrayal in his protégée’s soulful eyes. “Faith, being so near to Il Primo is making control of my demon hard. In the heat of battle I might snap.”
After a second Faith nodded. “K, so what’s the plan?”
* * *
Lord Pain cast a wary look at the still imprisoned demon stood snarling in the pentagram. He hadn’t expected him to be quite that big. Looking down at the children tied on the altars flanking him, he smiled, but with their deaths, El Primo would be enthralled in servitude to him by rite of blood, and his age of supremacy over the vampire world would begin.
Chuckling slightly he spread his arms, raising his meat cleavers over the
throats of the two quietly sobbing children. They had their parents’ nerve he
had to give them that, they hadn’t broken down until Il Primo had arrived, but
now it was time for them to die.
“I don’t think so,” suddenly his elbows were grabbed from behind.
”Uncle Angel!” yelled the boy brat.
Pain began turn towards his assailant only for his head to explode in pain when the Irish vampire smashed his forehead into his face, knocking him away from the children. “Connor!!” Angelus ducked under a meat cleaver aimed at his head and replied with a hook under his armpit. “Untie them and get out, I’ll follow you in a moment!”
“You won’t be following anyone!” Pain bellowed, his blood boiling. Already he could feel his control on Il Primo loosening. Soon, the demon would be free. He threw one of his cleavers at the younger vampire, but his adversary simply plucked the knife out of the air and flung it back at him. Cursing, he ducked, allowing the blade to fly over his shoulder and clatter into the wall behind him. He looked up in time to see the ensoulled vampire’s heel an instant before it collided with his head, knocking him on his ass. Eyes gleaming golden, the younger vampire took a step towards him before scowling and disappearing after his son.
Confused as to why the Scourge hadn’t followed up his advantage, he climbed to his feet and looked around. What he saw made him curse. Although heavily out-numbered, the Slayers that had accompanied Angelus and his spawn were cutting a swathe through his minions. Worse still, Il Primo was loosening from his metaphysical chains. All his work, his centuries of building the Brotherhood ruined. Angelus was going to pay. And those brats were going to be his playthings.
* * *
Andrew Lexington moved through the building’s corridors, his heart pounding. Oh bugger, he was in trouble. Just five minutes ago those two human cohorts of Angel had broken into the place and started taking out his agents. If he got away he could re-group the Order….
His heart skipped a beat when a man stepped out of the shadows before him. “Now tell me,” Rupert Giles demanded. “What sort of General runs out on his troops?”
Lexington swallowed, the Slayers might be infinitely more skilled than the Watcher, but he had little doubt who was the more ruthless. “Rupert, there are things you don’t -.”
He grunted as the younger man crashed a left hook into his face, shattering his orbital bone and knocking him to his knees. Before he had chance to rise, another blow to his temple knocked him on his back. A half second later, his fellow country-man had one knee across his chest, pinning him to the ground. “Bloody right there’s stuff I don’t understand,” Giles’ tone was cheerful, but Lexington couldn’t miss the steel behind it. “Like how you betray the Council by acting as a double agent? How could you betray your Slayer’s trust by brain-washing her child? And,” his fellow Englishman’s face darkened, “how could threaten two innocents, the father of whom is one of the finest people I have had the pleasure to know and their mother one of the bravest?”
“Rupert,” Lexington wheezed. The weight on his chest close to unbearable. “The children don’t have to be hurt. We can work something out where we have custody but the parents are -.”
Suddenly the Watcher shook his head. “You know the questions I asked? I really don’t think you have the answers I need, because I could never understand what makes a man like you tick.” His eyes widened as the younger man pulled a knife out from inside his jacket. A second later there was only pain as Giles thrust the dagger through his throat.
* * *
”And for that,” Giles dispassionately wiped his knife clean before returning it
to its place inside his jacket, “I thank god.” After checking the corpse for a
pulse he nodded and stood. The unpleasant taste in his mouth and churning in
his belly was worth it if it kept his grand-children safe, Lexington wouldn’t
have stopped coming. “Cut off a snake’s head and it stops,” he muttered.
* * *
Faith ducked beneath a clumsy right, coming up inside her assailant’s guard with a stake to the heart. Despite the seriousness of the sitch, she couldn’t help but smile. After the Turok-huns, taking down normal vamps was, feeling a hand on her shoulder, she drove her head backwards, spun around and staked, like shooting fish in a barrel. Even better she’d seen Fang grab her babies and get them out. If nothing else they were safe. Even if she didn’t make it out, X would look after them.
Suddenly an ear-splitting howl tore through the air, momentarily causing a halt in hostilities. Faith’s smirk withered and died as Il Primo turned towards her, her legs turning to jelly and her stomach hollowing in fear. If this was how the monster’s whammy felt with Red up on the balcony blocking most of it, she was wicked glad the witch was here to stop them from being hit by its full power. “Come get some,” she muttered through trembling lips.
“Always eager to get in on with the ugly.” Faith’s smile returned as Buffy stepped in beside her. “I’d have thought you’d have worked out a stricter admissions policy by now.”
“Hey, I’m not the one with a record of humping things that go bump in the night,” Faith pointed out.
“You know you’re going to pay for that remark next training session?”
“All talk Summers, you always were,” Faith’s tone hardened. “We taking him down?”
“Let’s.”
Dropping her stake and drawing her broadsword in one smooth motion, Faith charged the beast’s right side, Buffy did the same on the left. Sidestepping an uplifted knee that would have shattered her pretty little face, Faith thrust her sword into the beast’s hip, even as she saw Buffy send the Scythe into the monster’s side.
Faith’s eyes widened when the creature’s only response was to grunt and send a hard right cannoning into her forehead. Dazed, she only just managed to duck under the huge hand grabbing for her throat. “Fuck!” her mouth dropped when she realised that already the wounds that both her and Buffy had caused had healed. This was not of the good.
Quelling her fears, she leapt into a one-footed drop-kick that smashed into the demon’s chest a half-second before his backhanded slap exploded against her jaw knocking her to the ground. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the monster’s heel hurtling towards her face and rolled out of the way, even as she saw the giant vampire backhand her blonde counterpart into the far wall.
Groaning slightly at the pain moving caused her, Faith stood. In time to catch a foot to the stomach that flung her into the near wall. Head ringing, she saw that the monster was moving towards the exit Angel had used. “No fucking way,” spitting out a mouthful of blood, she staggered into the monster’s path. If it ended here it ended, but there was no way this bastard was getting her babies.
“Faith!”
Her eyes not shifting from the demonic juggernaut charging her, her hand flew up to grab the Scythe her sister Slayer had thrown to her. Faith grinned through the pain as she felt power from the Scythe race through her. Taking a breath, she stepped in front of the doorway. She’d only done one untainted thing her entire life and the only way this fucker was getting to her babies was over her hot little corpse. “You want some of this?” she began to twirl her weapon over her head. “Come get some!”
* * *
Xander grinned as the bracelet heated up some more. It was almost burning him, but more importantly it meant the bastard was near-. Suddenly a clubbing fist smashed into his face on his blind side, knocking him into the wall opposite. Turning, he caught a glimpse of Wood before his world exploded in pain as a foot slammed into his groin, sending him to his knees. “Just think,” he heard the former principal’s scornful voice through the wind roaring through his ears, “a beautiful girl like Faith could have chosen any man in the world to father her children –they’d be lining round the block for a chance with her.” Xander groaned as a foot crashed into his ribs. “And instead she ended up dropping two brats to a loser like you. Women, not very bright are they? But then again Harris, neither are you.”
* * *
Angel cursed under his breath as he hurried away from the battle. “Uncle Angel! That’s a naughty word!” shouted a scandalised Hoppy.
“Mommy used that word yesterday,” put in Lex. “Did you teach it her?”
Somehow he thought it was probably more likely he learnt it from her. “No I didn’t,” he replied, a reluctant smile tugging at his lips. Inwardly though he seethed. He’d felt Angelus growing stronger and knew the act of killing Lord Pain would have cost him control. So he’d had to flee, leaving the bastard alive.
Suddenly he tensed. “Fu-, fungus,” he amended what he’d been about to say
before placing his precious cargo down, his eyes fixed warily on the shadows
ahead. “Look kids I want you to go with Connor,” he thumbed at his son stood
behind them.
Lex looked up at Connor. “Who the hell is he anyway?” the toddler demanded suspiciously.
Three years old and he was already talking like his mother. There was no hope. “He’s my son,” Angel explained, realising he should have done the introductions earlier. “And I trust him to look after you.”
”Why can’t you?” Hoppy pouted, her bottom lip quivering and tears forming in her
eyes.
“I rather think I’m the reason,” Lord Pain stepped out of the shadows ahead, a vicious grin firmly in place.
FIC: Actions & Consequences (17/19)
Sensing Wood’s foot coming in for another kick, Xander reached up, snatched a hold at the ankle and twisted savagely. The former principal grunted as he stumbled back into the wall. Taking advantage of the temporary respite, Xander leapt upwards, gritting his teeth against his body’s painful protests at the sudden movement. “This ends now!”
* * *
“It is dishonourable for a warrior to run.”
Angel resisted the temptation to roll his eyes at his son’s pronouncement. Instead he kept his eyes on the smirking vampire in front of him, his tone even as he replied. “That’s as maybe, but it’s far more dishonourable for a warrior to leave the helpless unprotected.”
There was a silence. “Very well, come children.”
Lord Pain chuckled as the sound of Connor’s feet receded into the distance. “Your son, the freak.” Angel growled. “You know I’m going to hunt him down and kill him don’t you?” the older vampire continued.
Angel felt his face shift into its demonic visage. “I know you’ll try.”
Pain smiled, revealing his fangs. “Oh I’ll do rather more than try Angelus. And those sweet children too.”
* * *
Faith bit her bottom lip as the massive demon charged her. At the last second, she darted to the demon’s right, her Scythe flying up in a smooth motion to rip through three fingers of the beast’s hand, dropping the digits to the floor.
Even as the monster roared in agony, Faith let out a triumphant yell that turned into a croak when the gargantuan’s fingers immediately grew back. Stunned by the beast’s amazing recovery, she failed to react when the creature grabbed her by the back of her neck and flung her into the near-by wall.
The back of her head slammed into the wall, causing her to black out for a second. Legs failing her she fell forward, onto her knees. Before she could recover her footing, the demon was on her, his heavy fists smashing into her back with devastating impact. Again and again she tried to rise, but again and again, the monster’s power pounded her down.
* * *
Buffy’s heart leapt into her mouth as she saw the beating her fellow Slayer was getting. Slowly but surely her and the other Slayers were wiping out Pain’s childes, but Faith was going to get killed and, she winced as she blocked a shot to her head on her shoulder, nothing she could do about it.
* * *
Wood glared at him, wincing slightly as he put weight on
his ankle. “Neat trick Harris,” the Kalian double agent complimented him. “I’m
almost glad you managed it, I’m having so much fun kicking your ass.”
“Kicking my ass?” Xander raised an eyebrow. “And that’s what happened last time we fought.”
Wood shrugged. “You got lucky, it happens. Not this time though.”
“We’ll see,” Xander readied himself for the principal’s next onslaught. But when it came he was completely unprepared.
“You know you were always a joke to Faith,” the principal smiled. “The eager little virgin she deflowered. She told me the thing that worried her most about coming back here was seeing you with your tongue hanging out, too dumb to get the message that the only connection you had was skin. Always said she was relieved she’d moved onto a real man. Me.”
Xander stopped dead, Faith wouldn’t say that. The old Faith sure, but now? Distracted by his thoughts, he failed to note his adversary’s advance until the principal’s fist exploded against his forehead, knocking him back against the wall.
* * *
Angel sensed Lord Pain’s attack an instant before his rival exploded into action. Sliding under the bigger vamp’s right cross, he retaliated with an uppercut that knocked his adversary back a step. Anxious to press his advantage, he stepped forward - right into a headbutt that squashed his nose against his face. Tears of pain blinding him, he stumbled backwards but the older demon was relentless, driving blow after blow into his body.
Finally, exhausted, Angel dropped to one knee. Before Pain had chance to launch another attack, he reached up, grabbed his rival behind his knee and pulled.
His rival let out a surprised gasp before falling backwards. Angel lunged forward, only to catch the tip of his opponent’s foot square on his chin, knocking him onto his back, the back of his head cracking painfully on the ground.
* * *
The principal grabbed him in a headlock, attempting to choke the life out of him. Reaching into reserves he didn’t know he had, Xander looped an arm around his assailant’s waist and propelled him through a near-by office window. Unfortunately for him, his opponent failed to release his hold on his head and as a result the teacher’s momentum also carried him through the window.
His fall came to an end on a hard, unforgiving desk just inside the room, the effect of being sandwiched between the table and the principal forced the last air out of his body. In the distance he could hear Wood cursing as the teacher climbed to his feet. He winced as the African-American grabbed him by the hair and pulled him off the table and onto the floor, further jarring his already battered body. “Gotta give you credit Harris,” his opponent emphasised the remark with a kick to the ribs. “You’re tougher than I thought.”
“Shut up!” Xander’s hand flew up, the shard of glass he’d snatched up off the table embedding itself deep into the shaven-headed man’s left thigh.
“Ah shit!” a look of disbelief on his face, Wood toppled backwards, falling onto the room’s other desk and onto the floor behind it.
“God, I thought teachers were annoying in my day, but you take the biscuit.”
Groaning at the effort, Xander forced himself to his feet, ignoring the pain pulsing through his ravaged body. Seeing his opponent was also struggling upright, he snatched up the computer monitor on the desk between them and flung it at the unprepared principal’s head.
The monitor hit its target, snapping his adversary’s head to one side with such force that he heard the man’s neck crack and watched with relief as his rival fell soundlessly to the floor, finally dead. Exhausted, he lent onto the desk behind him. “Thanks Unc,” he muttered. If not for his Uncle Marcus teaching him that anything could be used as a weapon he’d have lost that fight.
“Xander!” he looked up to see a panting Giles stood in the doorway. “You’re alright!”
“I won,” he corrected wryly. “Alright is a whole different thing.” His face turned pensive. “Any news.”
“Not yet,” Giles replied. “Let’s head back to the hotel.”
Xander nodded wearily. He really needed a hospital, he suspected his left shoulder was dislocated, and knew Wood had cracked some of his ribs, and given him a concussion Giles would be proud of but he wasn’t going anywhere until he’d seen his children.
* * *
For a moment, darkness beckoned, but sensing the other vampire rising, Angel shook it off and leapt to his feet. His fangs showing, Pain leapt at him. Angel waited until the last second before sidestepping and driving his knee upwards at his rival’s groin, Pain’s eyes widened as he saw the trap, and his opponent managed to partially twist away and catch the attack on his thigh.
Cursing, Angel tried for a right hook to the head. Again though Pain avoided his attack, this time by squatting beneath the punch. Angel grunted when the older vampire responded by burying a left in his gut and driving a heel into his shin. Still woozy from the inadvertent kick to the face he’d received, Angel stumbled backwards.
Pain beamed. “Well this was pathetically easy,” the older demon taunted. “Once you’re dead I think I’ll hunt down your boy and the brats, kill them. They’re no use to me now that you ruined the ceremony.” The vampire’s face beamed. “But then killing’s its own reward.”
“Shut up!” Angel lunged forward, his demon rippling to the surface as he sunk his fangs deep into Lord Pain’s thick neck. Surprised, the demon began to bombard his body with punch after punch. Angel ignored the havoc being wrecked on his body to hold on, draw his stake, and plunge it deep into his rival’s heart. Pain’s eyes widened in furious shock, a second later he exploded into dust.
Exhausted, Angel slumped against the wall, forcing his demon back under control. Finally satisfied he had Angelus chained he looked up. “You can come out now,” he raised his eyebrow as Connor led the children out of the shadows behind him. “One day, you’ll listen to what I say.” Although it was lucky he was a vampire, because he didn’t fancy holding his breath waiting.
“Are you alright Uncle Angel?”
Angel smiled at Hoppy’s concerned face before sweeping her
and her brother into his arms, ignoring the weariness sweeping through his
body. “Are you two okay?” he asked, the children both nodded. “In that case
I’m fine.”
“Do you think Mummy will be alright, that demon was awful scary?” Lex commented.
Angel hid his concern behind a smile. “Your mummy’s real tough Lex,” he replied. “She’ll be fine.” God, he silently pleaded, don’t make me a liar.
* * *
Faith screamed as she rolled onto her side and kicked out blindly, hoping to hit the demon to give her body a respite from the savagery it had endured. She winced as her entire body jarred with the connecting impact even as she rejoiced at her attacker’s surprised grunt. Discarding her abused body’s whimpers, she leapt to her feet.
Seeing the demon’s sledgehammer sized fist hurtling towards her face, she ducked beneath the assault and slammed a right into her assailant’s stomach. Tears that combined pain and frustration sprang into her eyes when she cracked two knuckles with her attack. How the hell was she supposed to fight something she couldn’t even hurt?
She groaned when the monster grabbed her by the shoulder and lifted up into the air, his iron grip splintering bone. She was helpless to prevent the beast from backhand slapping her across the face, the blow sending blood flying and shattering her nose. A half-second later and she was flying through the air and back into the wall. “This is starting to get really old,” she muttered through battered lips, the viscera from her mouth leaking onto the floor.
Hope flared as she saw the dropped Scythe some thirty feet away. Normally such a leap would be effortless, but in her weakened state… Seeing the giant closing on her she started to half limp, half run to her hoped for salvation, diving the last few feet. As soon she grasped the weapon she felt renewed vigour flow through her veins, pushing away the pain of just a few seconds ago. Smirking, she leapt to her feet.
And into a raking left to the chest that both tore her muscle vest open and left
a trio of bloody furrows across her bosom. “Ah fuck!” Her chest bathed in
fiery agony, Faith staggered backwards before leaping forward, feinting with a
swing at the demon’s right before turning the Scythe and slamming the shaft end
into the monster’s groin. “How you like it shithead?” she snarled.
The demon’s response was immediate and painful. Letting out a howl it sent a heel crashing through her guard and into her stomach, lifting her into the air and flinging her through the door Angel and her babies had fled through.
Sweat and blood pouring down her frame in more or less equal measure, Faith
staggered to her feet, her hands still wrapped around the Scythe. She winced as
jolting pain shot through her left knee, obviously she’s hurt it in the fall.
As the demon squeezed through the doorway, she limped to meet it. Seeing its
hand sweep down to grab her hair she ignored the temptation to duck and allowed
the beast to lift her into the air. When she was level with the creature’s
chest she thrust out with her Scythe, slicing through the beast’s neck.
Instantly the beast exploded into dust, sending her crashing face-first to the ground. Her body trembling with the effort, she placed her hands in front of her and started to stand. “And still the champion,” she croaked through bloodied lips. And then it all went black.
Actions & Consequences (18/19)
Xander winced as he stared through the door’s window to the slumbering body inside. He himself had ended the night with a dislocated right shoulder, three cracked ribs, two broken fingers, and a concussion, but next to Faith he’d got off lucky. Her injuries consisted of two broken fingers, three cracked vertebrae, a cracked sternum, a broken right shoulder, four broken ribs, a lacerated liver, broken nose and jaw, torn left knee ligaments, and considerable blood loss. It was a miracle she was alive at all, doubly so when you considered Buffy had driven the car to the hospital. If it wasn’t for that fact she was a Slayer she’d probably be walking with a stick for the rest of her life. As it was, Faith was looking at least a week’s hospital stay even with her powers. Whatever she thought of him, he grimaced as Wood’s words repeated themselves in his head, she really loved their kids.
“Daddy, is Mummy,” Hoppy took a rattling breath. “Is Mummy going to die?”
“No, of course not,” he smiled down at his two children. The last two days had been hectic, Faith had been such a mess that Giles, Angel, and him had jointly decided that it was best for both her and the children to keep them separate until she’d healed up some to prevent any upset.
At least that was the theory until Lex and Hoppy had started their obviously highly practiced wailing duet which had led Giles to comment ‘children of a Slayer? Wesley, be a good chap and see if there’s any prophecies about the children of Satan.’. After two days they’d caved in to the children’s demands. And for some reason he’d been volunteered for the duty just when he wanted to avoid all possible contact with the Slayer. “She’s a Slayer.”
“But Vi and Rona were Slayers and they,” Lex’s bottom lip began to tremble, “died.”
Xander’s heart tightened at the thought of the two Slayers who’d died protecting
his children. ”They were hurt much worse than your mother.”
“Yeah,” commented his designated driver, “only Wolverine-.”
”Andrew?”
”Yes Xander?”
”Shut up,” Xander turned to his children. “When you go in be quiet and be sure
not to touch your mummy.”
“Not even a hug?” now Hoppy’s eyes watered. “But mummy gives wicked hugs.”
“Your mummy’s very sore and you don’t want to hurt her, okay?” the two toddlers nodded. “Good. Now you go in and I’ll watch from the door.”
“Are you not coming with us daddy?” Lex queried.
”I want you to have some time alone with your mummy,” he lied. Right now he
couldn’t stand to be in the same room as her.
* * *
Hearing the door creak open, Faith opened a swollen eye, a curse on her battered lips. All these fucking doctors prodding and poking at her, if she didn’t look like shit right now she’d think they were copping feels. Her curse died unspoken when she saw her kids stood in the doorway, nervous expressions on their beautiful faces. Heart pounding hard enough to hurt her aching ribs, she smiled, ignoring the pain in her jaw. “Hi babies, come to see mummy?” Angel and G had said they were okay, but until now, until she’d seen them, she’d not really believed it. Too much had gone wrong in her life for her to easily believe in something going right.
“Are you gonna be five by five mummy?”
Faith was stuck between amusement at hearing Lex use her
catchphrase and guilty happiness at the worried looks on her children’s faces.
Somebody, not just somebody her babies, actually cared about her. Her mom was
wrong, she wasn’t worthless. “This,” she winked, “is nothing for a Slayer.
I’ll soon be as pretty as ever. Now why don’t you come and lie next to me, one
on each side. There’s nuff room.”
“Daddy said we weren’t to touch you ‘case it hurt you,” Hoppy commented, her voice timid.
“Hurt me? My kids hurt me, you wouldn’t do that would you?” her children shook their head. “Then that’s settled, over here now.”
Beaming smiles splitting their faces in two, her children ran over to her, one climbing on either side of her bed, the pain she felt from their slight frames resting on her pummelled body more than offset by the buzz she got from their closeness. She looked up to see her unsmiling fellow parent stood in the doorway, she’d kinda hoped he’d come to see her over the last couple of days so they could talk about their plans for the children, something to look forward to but nothing. “Hey X,” she greeted. “Wanna grab a seat?”
To her disappointment the man shook his head. “I’m fine here thanks, thought you could do with some alone time with them.”
“K,” Faith nodded. There was something else going on here,
but she was lost as to what. She turned her attention back to her children.
“Now, have you been being good for your daddy?” they both nodded their heads.
She chuckled. “Somehow I doubt that.”
“We have momma,” Hoppy’s bottom lip quivered. “’Cause if we were bad, God might decide we didn’t deserve to have another chance at a mummy and daddy, and take you away.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” gritting her teeth against the pain, she pulled her babies closer. “Remember, none of this is your fault, okay? Now, what ya being doing that’s so good?” She listened with interest as Hoppy told her about Granpa Giles teaching her to spell everybody’s name and how Connor was teaching Lex to fence.
Before she knew it Xander was speaking . “Kids, time to
go.”
”But daddy-.”
“Lex,” Xander’s voice turned firm. “Your mummy needs her rest to get better. Besides Aunties Willa and Kennedy are bringing you tomorrow.”
“Okay daddy.” Lex kissed her on the right cheek just as Hoppy did on the other side. “Bye bye.”
“See ya tomorrow kiddos,” Faith beamed at her babies. Xander turned to lead the children out, licking her lips, she spoke. “X, can we talk?”
“I’m sorta of busy, I need-.”
“Please,” she pleaded. She hated to beg, but she had to know what she’d done. What if tomorrow morning he’d disappeared with the kids because he was pissed with her and she never saw them again?
“Fine,” Xander nodded before crouching by the children. “Now you two go and stand with your Uncle Andrew, and be good, okay?”
“Okay daddy,” the duo chorused. “Bye mummy!”
“Bye.” The atmosphere chilled by several degrees as the door closed behind her proudest achievements. For a long second the two of them stared at one another. Finally she spoke. “Pretty harsh bruises X, you get them off Wood?” G had told her about Xander dealing with the double-agent.
Bitterness flickered in Xander’s eyes. “Yeah, your wonderful ex.”
Faith was confused, was Xander jealous of her and Wood? No, that couldn’t be it, he wasn’t interested, unless… “I wasn’t thinking of grabbing the kids and going on the run with Wood or anything like that Xan, I wouldn’t do that to you-.”
The male Scooby’s bitter laugh interrupted her. “Sure you wouldn’t, yet you spent plenty of time telling him what a pitiful excuse for a man I was!”
“Uh,” Faith shook her head. She’d said so no such thing, whenever Wood had bagged on Xander for not talking to her she’d told him about what a great guy the founding Scooby was. “I never said that.”
“That’s not what he said.”
”And you believe him!” Now Faith was leaving confused behind and motoring
straight on to pissed. “After all he tried to do!”
“It’s not like you and honesty have a great track record. Besides he knew ‘it was just skin’.”
Faith flinched as Xander flung her words from all those years ago back at her. Oh crap. “Xan, truth is, he asked me about all of you, what I’d done, Why,” she looked down, “why you hated me. Say,” she looked up, “he was awful interested in you, Wes, and G. Think he was trying to scope out a possible father?”
Xander’s look of distrust hadn’t completely disappeared.
“Could have,” he shrugged. “Or just been playing the role of concerned
boyfriend.” The man turned to go, then turned back to her. “What did you think
of me back then?”
Faith took a breath. Time for the truth. “You were just B’s hanger-on,” the man winched slightly. “’Til the night you saved my life and we slept together. I mean first you give enough of a crap about me to risk your life to save me and then for the first time in my life a guy’s treating me like a woman and not a sex-toy. I might have laughed about you to B,” in fact she was pretty sure she hadn’t, “but it touched me. No guy ‘sides Riley who thought he was boning B at the time,” not her proudest moment she admitted, “as ever been so tender with me. I thought maybe we could have something.”
“Then why didn’t you let me help you?”
“Fuck Xan,” Faith shook her head. “I was sinking fast, first I just wanted to scare you away so I didn’t drag you down with me. When you wouldn’t leave I got mad, I was doing it for your own good, I didn’t mean-.”
Suddenly she was crying, memories of the night she’d nearly killed Xander together with the trauma of the past few days over-whelming her. “Hey, hey,” Xander’s arms were around her. “It’s okay, I just wore turtlenecks for a week and told everyone you gave vicious hickeys.” Xander paused. “Which was also true.” She giggled tremulously. “I’m sorry for believing him.”
“Not like you got any reason to believe me,” Faith looked
up. “What about Wolfram & Hart, they’re still in the game?”
Xander grinned. “Wanna bet?”
* * *
“I’m sorry,” Buffy grabbed the several hundred pound reception desk, tore it up from the steel bolts pinning it to the ground and flung it across the lobby. “I don’t have an appointment.” a burly and extremely stupid security guard leapt at her, she grabbed his hand, squeezed until fingers broke, and flung him into the near-by wall. “But I’m jumping the queue. Anyone mind?” When no-body spoke, she beamed. “Gee. You people at W&H really are all about the common people.” In an instant her smile was gone. “Willow with me, Kennedy take the Slayers and kill anything vaguely non-human.”
* * *
Georgina Ram strode the boardroom floor, her face a mask of rage. The last few administrations had been singularly unimpressive. But that changed now. Why she was -.
She fell screaming to the floor as the wooden double doors exploded inward. “Nice trick Will,” commented the diminutive blond who walked in through the ruined doorway like she owned the building. “David Copperfield’s got nothing on you.”
“Thanks Buffy,” commented the pretty red-head who followed the blonde into the boardroom.
Buffy? Will? Ram felt the blood drain from her face. The longest-lived Slayer of all time who Death was afraid of? The Wicca who’d almost ended the world and just days ago had caused the empowerment of potentially hundreds of Slayers? Deciding bluster was her best defence, she rose and stepped forward. “Now see here, I’ll have you know that W&H employ a full body of security cam-.”
“Turned ‘em off before we entered,” the witch smiled. “It’s amazing what you can do with a little bit of magic.” The Wicca winked. “Magic’s real you know.”
“Security will be -.”
“I think,” she gasped when the blond lifted her up by her collar and dropped her into the nearest seat, “they’ll be occupied with the other four Slayers looking for demons to kill.”
“Maybe we should have introduced a point system as an incentive scheme,” suggested the red-head. “You know, kill a fledgling get a watch, a Master a clock, and a Polgara a microwave.”
Buffy nodded approvingly. “Good thinking. I’ll bring it up at the next council meeting,” the blonde turned to her. “She’s the brains, I’m the muscle.” The legend’s face turned serious, her eyes growing cold enough to chill the room. “Listen up and listen good, Xander, Faith, and their children are off limits.”
Georgina remembered the first thing she’d ever learnt, deny everything. “I’m sure nobody at this law firm-.”
She was interrupted by the Slayer picking her up, flinging her onto the boardroom table and wrapping an impossibly strong hand around her throat. “I’m sorry contestant,” the Slayer said, her voice sing-song, “that’s the wrong answer.” Once again the small woman’s eyes hardened. “How many Slayers we got world-wide Will?”
There was a pause. “Three hundred and thirty-eig-, wait thirty-nine, another one’s just hit puberty and been called.”
“Three hundred and thirty-nine Slayers,” there was nothing soft about Buffy’s smile. “I’ve got my own little army. Your people take this office and move off dimension.”
“That’s not my -.”
“Willow, you got that list of Wolfram & Hart’s clients?”
“Fresh off their computers this morning.”
”I think I’ll start killing the A’s tomorrow,” Ram swallowed. “Soon every demon
in this dimension will know that doing business with you is a very bad idea.”
Buffy released the grip around her throat. “You’ve got 24 hours to close this
place down or I’ll be back.”
* * *
“Angel,” Giles sat down opposite him. “I have a proposal to make. Watching your team work over the last few days has convinced me of the changes in both Wesley and yourself.” He opened his mouth to ask what changes but the Englishman beat him to it. “While in Sunnydale I always had the feeling you were in the fight for the sole reason of impressing Buffy. Here though, you’ve built something, pulled a group together who believe in you. To this end.” The middle-aged man’s voice trailed off.
“Go on.” Angel encouraged.
“I’d like to make Wesley the head of Watcher West, place maybe half a dozen Slayers here for training with yourself and the others. Both Wesley and Fred are more than adequate with the occult and yourself, Gunn, and Wesley are more than capable fighters.”
For a moment Angel stared at the Watcher, dumb-struck by the suggestion, before smiling. “If the others are interested, yes. Two conditions though, I’d like to hire my son and a detective Kate Lockley as Watchers too. You’ve seen how Connor can fight,” he grinned at the pride he heard in his voice, “and Kate is dogged and determined, a good role model for any Slayer.”
“I’m agreeable,” Giles nodded. “I’ll increase the numbers of Slayers to eight in that case.” The Englishman looked puzzled and then distressed as he glanced through the window. “Oh dear, I do believe your son’s lifespan could well be measured in seconds.”
Angel paled as he looked over his shoulder to where his son and the others were. “Oh crap.” And he thought Faith was an unwise choice.
* * *
“Hi, Connor.”
Hel-,” Connor’s greeting died when he stared into Dawn’s eyes, mesmerised by the beauty he saw there. Holtz had always taught him the way to impress a young lady was to act with reserve. Drawing himself up to his full height, he spoke. “Good day Miss Summer-.”
”21st century Connor.” He was cut off by Dawn pressing the softest
lips he’d ever tasted to his.
* * *
“Oh good lord,” Wesley commented.
”Perhaps somebody,” he glanced over his shoulder to see his fellow Englishman
hurrying out of the office, “should warn him about Buffy’s psychotic tendencies
regarding her sister.”
“Hey, this is the guy who threw us over for Jasmine,” Gunn pointed out. “I’m not warning him.”
“Gunn,” Angel protested.
”And locked you in a box underwater for three months,” Wesley added.
“Ah well,” an Angelus like look appeared on his friend’s face. “It would be a shame to interfere in young love and it’s not like he listens to me.”
Actions (19/19)
Jul ‘04
“Fuck!” Faith groaned as she stared at the test result. Wouldn’t you fucking know it, her life starts going good. Now this. She chuckled bitterly, every test she’d had, she’d failed. She had to speak to someone but who? Xander was out for obvious reasons. B, nah, they still had a mutual hate thing going on. Angel wouldn’t exactly be unbiased. Giles? Nah, Faith grinned, the old guy was getting on, this news might cause a short-circuit. But there was always… Grabbing her cell, she quickly dialled a number and waited impatiently for an answer. “Yeah Red, I need some urgent help-, fuck Red!” she half-fell off the toilet seat when the red-head teleported into the bathroom beside her. “You shouldn’t be doing that to a woman in my condition.”
“Is there something wrong with Xander, the kids, or,” Willow’s mouth dropped open. “Your condition?”
“I believe the term is bun in my oven.” Her eyes widened as Willow fainted. “Ah crap. I thought she’d take it better than that!”
* * *
Willow’s vision swam for a few seconds upon awakening but upon it clearing she looked up into Faith’s worried doe-like eyes. “Hey Red,” the Slayer drawled, her tone casual. “Making a pregnant woman carry your fat ass is not advisable.”
“Sor-, wait!” Willow’s eyes flashed. “Do not have a fat ass.”
“Felt like it,” Faith’s eyes rolled theatrically. “If not for Slayer strength.”
“Ha ha,” she pouted for a second. “So pregnant,” oh gossip, she loved gossip. “Who’s the father?” She nearly asked ‘do you know?’, but decided to give Faith more credit.
Faith glanced to the floor. “Xander.”
“Again!” She squawked. Then, noting the younger girl’s grimace, continued in a softer tone. “Sorry, but I didn’t know you two were..”
“Making the beast with two backs? Bumping uglies? Doing the horizontal hula? Banging bodies? Humping like dogs on heat?” Faith supplied with a grin.
Willow reddened. “I was going to say involved.”
“Yeah,” Faith’s face sobered. “Things were wicked hard at first. X started his carpentry business and I got a part-time job teaching self-defence to women. We didn’t argue or nothing, but Xander was distant, kinda like you’d be to someone you knew from work but not to talk to, I didn’t expect him to be all over me or nothing, but I thought maybe we could be buds, but it wasn’t working out like that. We were just two people who happened to share a house and two kids.” Faith’s smile brightened her face. “That changed at Christmas though.”
* * *
“Damn it,” Faith looked down at the cooking tray. She’d fucked up again, sixteen pounds, it should be ready now. Her heart shrivelled as she looked at the measurement table and realised that instead of the three hours she’d put the turkey in for, she should have put it in for four and three quarters. “Oh crap.” X was going to kill her, especially as he’d wanted to go to the Christmas shindig with G and the others but she’d put her foot down. She’d wanted to have a Christmas with just her, him, and their babies, to make up for all those with them that they’d missed. And now she’d screwed up.
“Need help with anything?”
She almost jumped at Xander’s voice from the doorway. Refusing to look up to see the condemnation she knew would be there, she replied. “Not a lot of point,” she replied bitterly. “I messed up the cooking time. Dinner’s a bust.” Should stick to what she’s good at, fucking and fighting. She waited for his explosion.
“No big deal.”
“No big deal!” Angry now, she turned towards Xander. “I wanted this to be perfect for them!” She pointed towards the lounge. “I wanted to show you that I was a good mother! That I was better than -,” her voice trailed off.
“Better than yours?” Xander shook his head. “You’re way better than yours and mine ever were. Who decorated the house with me, who took them to see Santa, helped me shop for the kids’ presents?” Xander rolled his good eye. “Who insisted that I go three hundred bucks over the budget to get Hoppy’s doll-house and Lex’s train set? Let’s face it, what kid likes turkey anyhow?”
And who spent that last six weekends building a clubhouse for their children outside in the middle of winter? It wouldn’t be a carpenter she knew would it? Faith smiled. “It really doesn’t matter?”
“Faith, it really doesn’t matter,” Xander winked and turned. “Kids!” he hollered. “Me and your mom have decided turkey’s boring. We’re going to have pizza!”
“Yaaa!”
Xander turned and grinned at her. “Seems they’ve had your cooking, waaay too
many times.”
“Asshole.”
* * *
“After that things were way better, we played with the kids, took them out together. Then it was New Year’s Eve and we had too much to drink and I was horny, he was horny. The sex, man,” Faith shook her head. “It blew my mind. Back in the day, X was a twenty minute man.”
“Ugh,” Willow shuddered. “Too much detail.”
“But that night, man we were on fire.” Faith’s eyes widened. “Seven times! I mean I can go all night, but I’ve never met a guy who could manage more than five!”
Willow felt as if her cheeks got any redder she’d catch fire. “So then you were a couple?”
Faith’s face fell. “No,” she shook her head.
* * *
A Cheshire grin on her face, Faith rolled off Xander. “Hey X, learnt some tricks,” she praised before placing a tender kiss on her partner’s stubbly cheek while running a soft hand down her lover’s chest. Xander had lost a lot of the extra fat he’d been carrying after Sunnydale and looked damn good on it too, throw in the air of danger the eye-patch gave him and he was a million miles away from the geeky virgin she’d boned a lifetime ago. “Built up your stamina too.”
Xander chuckled. “Anya wouldn’t,” her partner’s voice
trailed off and in the half-light, she saw his face tighten. “Oh god, Faith,”
his head shaking Xander rose. “I’m so sorry, this is a mistake.”
“A mistake?” Faith felt her stomach hollow in pain. “But we’ve just had amazing sex. We really could have something spec-.”
“I’ll sleep in your room tonight, you stay here.” Immobilised by shock, she could only watch as Xander stumbled out of the room. Faith’s eyes burnt, a cold loneliness gripping her. This was how he must have felt after she’d thrown him out.
* * *
“That was harsh,” Willow said for want of anything else to say.
Faith shrugged. “Guy loves her, not like me. I’m just convenient, a pretty face and kick-ass body that’s always ready to go.”
“I’m sure Xander doesn’t think like that at all.”
”Maybe, I don’t know, I mean.” Faith fell silent. “Things were real hard for a
month. We lost the closeness we’d had over Christmas, there weren’t anything
fights or nothing, he just wouldn’t talk, couldn’t bear to look at me.”
“Oh Faith,. I’m sorry,” sometimes Xander had the sensitivity of a brick.
“But, things got better. Valentines’ day I went to work, got three Valentines’ cards, my first ever.” Willow blinked, but Faith was gorgeous, had guys hanging off her like limpets. Faith chuckled at her expression. “Guys I hung with back in the day weren’t exactly romantic Red. Their idea of showing a girl a good time was telling her not to bother with underwear ‘cause she wouldn’t be needing it by the end of the evening. Then when I picked the kids up from school two of the dads gave me cards too.” Faith winked. “And one of the other moms too. But nothing from Xander until I got home.”
* * *
“Momma!”
Faith looked up at her son’s shout. “Lexy, I’ll get you a juice in a minute. Okay sweetie?”
“Momma I think you should come out to the garage.”
Faith sighed. There was an urgency in her baby’s tone that wouldn’t be denied. “Five by five.” Seconds later she was stood in the dimly-lit garage looking at Hoppy holding a huge card that was nearly her height and Lex struggling under the weight of a teddy bear that was even taller than him. “What’s this?”
“It’s an apology,” Xander stepped out of the shadows, his face nervous. “Over the past year you’ve really tried with the kids and made this place a great home. And most of the time I’ve acted like an ass. I was wondering,” Xander’s feet shuffled nervously. “I was wondering if you’d like to go out on a date to Il Firetitos.”
“That’s the classiest place in town,” Faith protested. “They won’t let you in in leathers.”
“Ah,” Xander reddened. “That’s the other part of your present. There’s a black cocktail dress on your bed.” Xander’s blush deepened. “And no way am I shopping for one of those again. If you want to?”
In answer she pressed her lips to Xander, sliding her tongue into his mouth. “Dad! Mom!” Heedless to the disgusted cries of her children Faith continued kissing Xander for some time.
* * *
Faith’s eyes shone. “It was wicked. He’d ordered a freaking horse and carriage to take us there, and when we got there, there was a bouquet of roses waiting for me. And afterwards, man that guy knows how to be tender when he makes love to a woman. We’ve been together ever since.”
“And now you’re pregnant?”
“Yeah, and I’m scared Red. I mean last time I was pregnant, I didn’t get morning sickness, didn’t change nuthin’ ‘cept stop smoking. But this time I’m gonna see myself fat,” the horrified look on Faith’s face was almost comical.
Almost. “But that’s not what’s really scaring you is it?”
“No,” Faith looked down on the floor. “I know X won’t run
out on me, but I want more, I want his heart.”
Willow did so hope Faith didn’t mean on a silver platter. Pushing aside the uncharitable thought, she spoke. “I can’t advise you except to say you should be having this conversation with Xander and not me. And you deserve one another.”
“Thanks,” Faith’s brow furrowed. “Hey! Was that an insult?”
* * *
“X,” Xander looked up to see the Slayer stood in the lounge doorway, her face nervous. “I need to talk to you about somethin’.”
“Okay,” this sounded bad. He threw down the paper he’d been reading. “Is it the kids? Are they ok-.”
“They’re cool, Miss Cleaver has them. X,” Faith took a rattling breath. “This thing we have isn’t just sex is it?”
“Faith, of course not. I like you a lot. What’s this about?”
“You don’t love me?”
“Faith,” he was about to say no and then he realised that
in fact he did “Faith, I can’t imagine what it would be like to never again
wake up with your head resting on the pillow next to me. Or never watch you
when you make breakfast, or hold your hand while queuing in a store, or to hold
you in my arms. Or to see your eyes light up when the kids make you proud or
hear you laugh at something they say. So, yes I do. Faith, what’s this about,
are you ill?” Could Slayers get ill?
“Kinda,” Faith took a breath. “I’m pregnant.”
For a second Xander stared stunned at the table before him. Then, he smiled slowly. “I’m going to be a dad again?”
“Yeah,” Faith whispered.
Xander’s grin spread until he was sure it was cutting his face in half. Pulling the ring-pull of his coke can, he dropped onto one knee before the Slayer. “Faith, will you marry me?”
* * *
Dec ‘04
“Oh god!” Faith felt a rare moment of self-doubt as she stared into the full-length mirror, the long flowing white, virginal white now there was a laugh, dress she was wearing looked out of place on her. Even worse she was seven months pregnant and fat. Everyone was going to laugh when they saw her. “I look ridiculous.”
“You look beautiful to me.”
Spinning around, she grinned at Angel stood in the doorway looking damn hot in his tuxedo. “You came!”
The vampire smiled at her before walking in and giving her a kiss on the forehead. “Give up the chance to give a girl away on her wedding day?” he chuckled. “Besides, it’s not likely I’d turn up the opportunity to have a father of the bride talk to Xander.”
”Don’t you dare,” she growled. “You do that and I’ll,” she searched for a
threat. “Dip your dick in a glass of holy water.”
Angel shuddered. “I’ll consider myself warned. Wes, Connor, and Lorne came with me.”
Faith grinned. “Greenie gonna sing?”
“He promised. Faith,” her mentor hesitated. “You sure about this, marrying Xander?”
“Fang, he looks after me. I never thought I’d have a guy be proud to be with me like he is, make me feel so wanted.”
“Despite everything between us he’s a good man,” Angel nodded. “But if you ever need anything….”
“I’ll call you,” she finished.
“Make sure you do,” Angel offered her his elbow. “Shall we?”
”I
was standing
All alone against the world outside
You were searching
For a place to hide
Lost and lonely
Now you've given me the will to survive
When we're hungry...love will keep us alive”
Faith’s breath hitched at the sight of Lorne standing next to a bewildered looking vicar, the demon’s voice blasting out throughout the crowded church filled with their friends from the old life and new. Giles was there, sat with B, Wes, and Con. Kennedy and Dawn were too, the former looking less than happy at the bridesmaid’s outfits her and Dawn were wearing. All the people from her work were there and many of the friends they’d made since moving to Hardin, Texas. “You look like a princess mummy.”
“And you,” Faith crouched down beside Hoppy, her flower girl. “Are the most beautiful little girl in the world. And look,” she pointed to the front of the church where Xander was stood with Willow as his Best Person, and Lex as the Ring-Bearer, “don’t your daddy and brother look handsome?”
“Yeah,” her daughter nodded.
”You ready Faith?” she nodded. “You know,” the vampire whispered in her ear,
“I’m proud of you.”
”Thanks Fang,” she replied before turning her gaze back to her husband to be.
“I love you,” she mouthed through eyes shining with happy tears at the stunned
look on her lover’s face. Today Boston biker bitch Faith Stone was buried and
homicidal Slayer Faith Wilkins put to rest. Today Faith Harris, loving mother
of two, soon to be three, wonderful kids and loyal wife of the world’s sweetest
guy, was born.