Chapter Six
Faith sat still, and aside from one brief stretching break, she had not moved from her spot. She was completely concealed as she sat studying the building, getting a feel for the place as she learned just exactly what the perimeter security was all about. The only way she could get that information was to sit and watch, so Faith sat and watched.
She saw right off where her advantage lay. The vampires were overly confident, and why not? There was no one left to challenge them, they had the Slayer locked up, and they had the numbers, boy did they have the numbers. So far Faith had counted upwards of sixty, and that was just in the area. What did they have to worry about? It was all going their way.
There were four guards posted at the rear entrance, and they moved in a rote pattern that Faith now had memorized. Somehow she was going to make that work for her, she just didn't know how at the moment. She was close enough to overhear the random snippets of conversation, the jokes and insults, and the intense longing the vampires had to get out of Sunnydale. The biggest topic though was the speculation on just how much longer the Slayer could hold out.
She sat there and listened while she waited, and she had it all figured out perfectly. She wanted to make her move about twenty minutes before sunrise, that would give her and Buffy the chance to use the sunlight to their advantage. There were still about two hours to go so she waited patiently, a word seldom if ever associated with her, and it was tough.
She desperately wanted to get Buffy now, but she knew she had to play this smart. She couldn't just charge in and hope for the best, she had to take it slow and wait for her opportunity.
It was going to be nearly impossible to get Buffy out of there, and if she screwed it up they were both going to wind up dead. There was no backup coming, there were no other options. There was just her, so she sat and waited.
Then suddenly there it was...her chance came just like that. Sure it was at the most perfectly wrong time, but it was there and staring her right in the face.
"Rick found a human!"
The vampire who'd come running up looked so excited, Faith wanted to stake him where he stood.
"Alive?! Are they alive?!"
"Oh yeah, they're alive. Come on!"
Two vamps turned to go without even thinking about it, but the other two hesitated.
"You guys coming or not?"
"The Boss said to stay at our posts."
"How's he going to know? He's back in with the Slayer, and you know how he gets when he's with her. Come on, we'll be back before sunrise, he'll never even know."
"I don't think so. You guys go, I'm staying put."
"Jimmy?"
"I'm going to stay here too. But you guys go, we'll cover for you. I was there when they found the last one, sure was fun. They screamed and...Go on, enjoy yourselves."
"Okay, maybe I'll bring you back something."
That left just two guards, # 2 and # 4. No sunrise was in sight for two hours yet, but there was no way Faith could pass this up. She knew she could take out two guards without anybody making a sound. This was her chance and she was taking it, ready or not.
She notched the arrow, drew back the bow, and waited. She didn't move for eleven minutes, her body as still as a statue, and then it was right in front of her. The guards' lazy and predictable patterns took them right in front of each other, and for just a split second they were perfectly aligned. Faith's arrow caught them both in the heart.
They never made a sound before they dusted, and she was already at the door before their remains had fully settled. She tried to scatter their dust piles out of sight, but she couldn't afford to stay exposed for long. She entered through the unlocked door, another sloppy mistake, and stood still as she let her eyes become accustomed to the gloom.
The stairwell was to her immediate right, but she avoided it. Instead she lifted herself up into the ceiling and made her way to the elevator shaft. Once there, she leapt onto the cable and began her ascent to the third floor. She made it easily, and once there she crept back into the ceiling.
She wasn't exactly sure where Buffy was, so she knew she was going to have to rely on their Slayer connection to lead her in the right direction. She sat still and did her best to relax, and it was when she began drifting off that she felt Buffy.
Faith crawled slowly and silently until she was directly over the room where Buffy was being held. She was just a few feet away, and normally she would have been detected by every vampire in the vicinity. Not this time.
Willow's spell was supposed to last for a few more hours, and Faith had absolute confidence in her abilities. Especially when it came to helping Buffy. There was no way anybody was going to know she was anywhere near.
Now for the hard part. Faith sat unmoving again, listening to everything that was going on below her, and everything in her wanted nothing more than to drop down and start kicking ass. But she couldn't, not if they were going to get out of this alive.
She could smell blood, Buffy's blood, and she could hear how much pain she was in. The sound of a whip slicing into flesh had Faith flinching with every blow, and the fact that Buffy was screaming and crying made Faith's heart feel as if it were breaking. Then she heard his voice...Spiran.
It was weird because his words sounded exactly like Willow talking to Buffy:
"Gee Buff, why are you making me do this? Do you think I enjoy watching you suffer? Well yeah okay I do, but evil now remember? The point is, it doesn't have to be like this. All you have to do is say the magic words and then we can go back to being the bestest of best buds. Don't you want that?"
There was no sound except for the soft whimpers and groans coming steadily from Buffy, not until the whip cracked again. Buffy screamed and Spiran laughed.
"Wow, we've gone over this like a thousand times already, and you still can't get it right. Now I know you're not stupid, so I'm guessing that means you're being all stubborn again. But just to be sure, I'm going to explain it to you one more time. Whenever I ask you a question, I want an answer. It doesn't get any simpler than that, so let's try it again. Buffy, don't you want to say the magic words and be best friends again?"
Buffy remained silent and the whip laced into her again.
"Answer me Slayer or I promise you, there won't be a strip of skin left on your back by the time I'm through."
"F...Fuck you."
The whip struck again and again and again, and after way too long a time, Buffy was quiet. She'd obviously passed out, and Faith was thanking whoever was in charge of stuff like that.
"Damn it! Bring me The Brothers, I want her revived...NOW!"
"...Sir we cannot do as you request. The Brothers are..."
"Right, that's right. How long before they return?"
"At least an hour sir."
Faith heard the sound of his fist connecting with Buffy, the chains clinking as her unconscious body was shoved back.
"This bitch is proving quite the challenge."
"Sir, there are only twenty days left. What will we do if..."
"Silence! Do you think I'm not aware of how much time remains? She'll break, I can assure you of that. I want guards on both doors, and remind them what will happen if they leave their posts. No one enters this room or touches her for any reason, not if they wish to go on living. Are we clear?"
"Yes sir."
"I'll be in my quarters."
The other vampires nearly fell over themselves as they cleared a path for him, and he strode imperiously from the room.
'Shit, why's he always gotta tell us the same goddamn thing every goddamn time?"
"Guess he wants to make sure we understand the rules."
"Well I think I've got it now, no touching the bitch. No staying in here with her, no leaving guard duty, blah, blah, blah. I'm not an idiot."
"You want to complain to him? Go right ahead, but I'm just going to concentrate on doing my job."
"Mmm...smell that? Man, would I love a little taste."
"Yeah, they say Slayer blood is the very best."
"I can believe it, just the smell's driving me wild."
"Come on, let's go. We can't have any so..."
"Why not? We could just lick it off her. How would he ever know?"
"He'd know. Come on, it's not worth getting dusted over."
"I'm not so sure about that...Shit! Okay, let's go."
"I guess we know now why he doesn't want us in here with her."
They left, closing the doors firmly and locking them. Faith counted slowly to a hundred, then lifted the ceiling tile and dropped silently into the room. She landed less than two feet from Buffy, and for a second Faith thought she was going to vomit. Shit.
Buffy's arms were manacled to a hook in the ceiling, her feet not quite touching the floor. She was naked, and Faith couldn't see a spot on her body that wasn't discolored or bloody. She hung awkwardly in her chains, one of shoulders clearly dislocated. The only sound was the raspy noise she made every time she took a breath, that and the slow steady dripping of her blood as it spattered onto the carpet.
When Faith walked around to look at her back, she could not stop the horrified gasp that escaped through her clenched teeth. Buffy's back was a bloody mess, a road map of total destruction. The blood was running down her back to her ass to her thighs, and then downward until it dripped almost leisurely from her feet. Faith had never seen anything like it, and she was wishing she never had.
She felt something running down her cheeks and realized she was crying. God, she had to get Buffy out of here. The chains were strong, really strong, but Faith didn't care. She tried to pull them loose without making too much noise, but then Buffy started coming to:
"No...
She began moaning softly at first, but gradually she became much louder, forcing Faith to clamp a hand over her mouth.
"B, shhh...I know it hurts, but ya gotta keep quiet."
Buffy's eyes were open now, and she was staring at Faith with total confusion.
"Fa...Faith?"
"Yeah, it's me. Gotta get these off so we can..."
"No, you're not...really here. Go away."
"B, I am here and we gotta..."
"No...She makes me...see things...No, this isn't...real."
"He's been messing with your mind, but this time I'm really..."
"I won't...tell you. I'll never...tell you."
"Please B, ya gotta pipe down."
Faith easily recognized the stubborn look on Buffy's face.
"You're not her...You're not...Faith."
"I know you're confused, but I swear to you it's me. Let's..."
"Don't be...lieve you."
"Okay then look at it this way, you got something else to do? Just go along with me for now. If I'm not real, what have ya lost? If it is me, I'll explain it all later. But right now we gotta get the..."
"Alright...but I know...this is a...lie. That's all...it is. You don't...love me...either. You...hate me."
"No I don't Buffy. Later for that, for now let's get outta here."
Faith began working on the manacles again, but there was really no way to do that with jarring Buffy all over the place. Her pained groans were quiet at first, but as the agony escalated, so did the volume of her cries.
"B, I know it hurts but you gotta..."
"...Can't...Hurts...too bad. I...can't be...quiet."
Buffy started crying then, and Faith could barely take it.
"Not your fault B. Shit, I gotta."
"Got to...what?"
Faith smashed her forearm into Buffy's temple, and Buffy was out cold.
"Sorry B."
She went back to work on the chains, but they weren't budging no matter what she did. They had to be under some kind of spell. Just terrific..
Faith walked away from Buffy and stared out the window. It was a nice third floor view. A jeep with a flat tire was parked outside, and the sun was nowhere in sight.
The best thing to do was to leave Buffy and come back for her another time. Tough as that was, what else could she do? She couldn't pull her loose, the timing was all wrong, and whatever she did from here on out would make a shitload of noise they couldn't afford to make.
She had to leave her and come back later, that was the smart thing without a doubt. The thing was, nobody'd ever accused Faith of being all that smart, and there was no way in the world she was going without Buffy. She pulled Willow's "whatever" out of her pocket, said some gibberish, and then tossed it into the air near where the hook was sunk deep into the ceiling.
All was quiet at first as a really pretty pink and purple flame glowed. Then there was the loudest fucking explosion in the history of explosions, and the hook pulled loose from the ceiling. Buffy hit the floor in a heap, the shackles still securely around her wrists. A few more confusing words, a few quick Slayer strength tugs, and the fucking things finally got the fuck off of Buffy.
It was all of the good, except for the fact that there were now about ten vampires crowding around both doorways. They were screaming for help, and from what Faith could tell, they were getting a big response.
"Hiya guys! Hey, anybody know where the nearest emergency exit is?"
She stood at the ready, but to her surprise none of them rushed her. Then she remembered they were under strict orders not to enter the room. Wow, talk about being pussywhipped.
They just stood there growling and yelling, so Faith bent down and lifted Buffy up into her arms. It wasn't too long before Mr. Big Shot himself appeared. He leaned casually in the doorway and smiled as he looked her up and down:
"And who might you be?"
"Might be lots of people. When I was a kid, wanted to be a fairy princess. Ya get older, gotta give that shit up."
"I believe you're holding something that belongs to me."
"Really? Nope, don't see your name anywhere. Not a surprise, last time I checked Buffy wasn't anybody's property."
"My name is Spiran, and you are?"
"Not impressed, and just itching to ram a stake up your ass."
"...There is something familiar about you."
"I get that a lot. Hey, what high school'd ya go to?"
"Twenty of my people are here. You won't be leaving."
"Twenty to two, tough odds for sure."
Spiran laughed:
"'Twenty to two'? I doubt Buffy will be of much help to you."
"Oh I don't know. She's been kicking your ass for more than two weeks now, so gotta say I'm way comfortable with her on my team. Comes down to it, my money's always on her."
The fury flashed across his face, but he squashed it down:
"Well aren't you just the bold and spunky one?"
"Just calling'em like I see'em. No hard feelings."
"It's interesting, but I can't seem to sense you at all. Magic, perhaps?"
"It's a crazy ass world. Guess anything's possible."
"You are amusing. Please do me the courtesy of sharing your name. I know we've met."
"Really like to, but we gotta go. Don't bother calling a cab, figure on walking it. Mind clearing the way now?"
"Sorry, but I must insist you stay a while. I'd really like to get to know you, and I'm not at all finished with Buffy. I'd suggest you put her down and focus all your attention on begging for mercy."
"Gee, sorry. Never was good at taking suggestions."
Spiran was no longer leaning casually, he'd straightened to his full height and the vampires gathered in the doorways were just waiting for his orders.
"I won't kill you, not right away. There is something...important about you, and I wish to know what it is."
"If wishes were horses, yeah?"
"You're going to pay dearly for your insolence."
"Usually do."
Faith couldn't even tell how many vampires were there, they were crammed so tightly in the doorways and hall, it was impossible to get an accurate headcount.
"Put Buffy down, and do be gentle. I'd hate to see her hurt by anyone but me."
"Like to, really. But I'm thinking she's better off with me."
"I'm not going to ask again."
"Got that right."
Faith whirled and headed straight for the window. She tucked Buffy's face inward and spun at the last second so that her back crashed first through the glass. As they fell three stories, Faith twisted her body so that she hit first, cushioning the impact for Buffy. Thank fucking Christ the jeep was there.
They smashed onto the roof, denting it and exploding three of the windows outward. Faith felt the pain shoot all along her back, but she ignored it and rolled to her feet. She was carrying Buffy like a baby, but as she rounded the corner, she quickly flipped her up onto her right shoulder.
Faith's left hand now held a stake, then it was gone and buried in an approaching vampire's heart. She never broke stride and scooped up the stake cleanly from the dirty street as she flew past. Vampires streamed out of the building, way too many to fight even if she didn't have an unconscious and brutally beaten Buffy on her shoulder. Fuck, even a full-powered Buffy wouldn't have helped all that much.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a tiny crystal.
"'Kay Red, let'em have it. Incendiere!"
She threw the crystal at the vampires and about fifteen of them burst into flames and disintegrated. The others backed up, scared and blinded by the flash of bright light in the darkness. Faith didn't stick around to see what was happening.
She was off and running, roaring down alleyways, clearing fences and other obstacles like they weren't even there. Her memory was coming back as she ran on pure instinct, but there had been a few changes since she'd last roamed these streets. She could hear her pursuers gaining, and she knew what she had to do.
She flipped Buffy back into her arms, secured her head firmly and then leapt as high as she could. Her footing was precarious to say the least, but she jumped again without hesitating. Then it was another leap and another and another until she only had one left to go. She tossed Buffy back onto her shoulder and jumped again, grabbing for the ledge above her.
She caught it with just the fingertips of her left hand, and they dangled over the street, six stories up. Vampires ran below them, never once looking up because only a fool would try to escape that way. Clearly they didn't know Faith.
Her arm shook as she fought to hang on, Buffy's dead weight doing nothing to help her out. She almost laughed because without a doubt this was the craziest thing she'd ever done, and she'd done some really crazy shit in her fucked up life. Oh well, it was all about the living and the dying, everybody had to go sometime. Or not.
Faith began swinging from side to side, trying to pick up enough momentum. She kept rocking, going faster and faster, and just as she felt the skin tearing from her fingers...she let go.
Yep, was all about the living and the dying and the taking of your chances. And right now? Well right now she was taking Buffy's chances too.
It would have been a piece of cake if Buffy hadn't been draped over her like a sack of potatoes, but she was and there wasn't a thing to do about it. But right then, suspended in mid-air just hovering high over their impending death, Faith started thinking prison wasn't so bad when you got right down to it.
She knew they weren't going to make it, they were going to come up short. The flagpole was too far away, and they were going to miss it and smash into the sidewalk way too far below. As they began falling, Faith tightened both arms around Buffy, somersaulted, and just managed to snag the pole with her leg.
Her tendons protested immediately as they stretched much further than they were ever meant to go, and then her back slammed into the building's ornate overhang. Her arms went almost completely numb from the impact, but all she could think was "almost ain't it", and she hung onto Buffy. It was touch and go for a couple of minutes, but then she was able to swing her other leg around the pole as well.
So there they were, the Chosen Two hanging upside down six stories above a street just swarming with vamps that were searching for them everywhere they could think to look. So far? Not one had thought to look up.
After taking a minute to catch her breath, Faith got a good grip on Buffy with her right arm, then swung herself up so that she could grab the flagpole with her left. She began inching them slowly and carefully towards the building, and after what seemed like a hundred years, they made it to the ledge.
There was just enough room for Faith to sit, her legs dangling over the edge with Buffy cradled in her lap. She sat there quietly trying to catch her breath, and she thought about how far they were from her brilliant and well-thought out escape plan. Oh well, she never did do well with plans. She figured it was some kind of character flaw.
She was trembling from the strain she was putting her body under, and her muscles felt like they were on fire. She knew if she just rested for a few, her body would bounce back and she'd be good to go. And that's what they needed to do: get going.
Just hanging around wasn't helping them at all. Every minute they sat still made the possibility of them getting spotted all the more likely. But Faith knew if she didn't take a break, they'd have no chance of making it anywhere good.
What she wanted most of all was to get somewhere safe and give Buffy some desperately needed medical attention. She had a place already all set up with supplies and stuff, they just needed to get there. So far it seemed to be an easier said than done thing, but that didn't mean she couldn't do it. It never did.
From the looks of it, the sun was at least an hour away, and they sure as hell couldn't just sit where they were and wait for it. Sooner or later they'd get spotted, and there was way too much shade all around them to make it a safe place. If they stayed put, they'd get boxed in and be captured just after sunset. Definitely not an option Faith wanted to consider.
She was going to rest for a bit longer, and then they were going to get moving again. Buffy was still out and Faith was hoping that was going to hold until they got to where they were going. If she woke up she'd be hurting, and hurting bad, and Faith knew she'd have to knock her out again. It was hard enough doing the things she was doing, there was no way she could manage with an awake and in pain Buffy.
Still, she'd really like to avoid cold cocking Buffy again. She already had plenty of problems, there was no good in adding a concussion to the list. If she had to, she of course had to, but she was keeping her fingers crossed that it wasn't going to come to that.
At least she had a good view from where she was. She could see that the search was headed away from where they wanted to go, and that was a huge break. If she could just get them down from the building without killing them in the process, they should be able to slip through a couple of tough spots and have it made. First things first though, they had to get down.
The easiest way would be to go in through the nearby window and take the stairs all the way down to the street. That'd be just great, but they couldn't. Although Faith didn't have a clear view of her building's entryway, she could see they were searching all of the surrounding buildings. No way was she stupid enough to think that her building was somehow exempt.
Even so, there couldn't be that many inside. She could probably take them, but she couldn't be sure they wouldn't somehow get word out to the others. If that happened, there would definitely be way too many for her to handle, and that would be it. No, the key to winning this game was to remain unseen, so that was how she was going to play it.
It was time to go. There was a fire escape to her right, but no way in hell was she going to get on it. They were always noisy, unreliable, and the first place anybody'd be looking. No help there.
She knew what that meant, it was time for her high wire act again. Just the thought of it had her dreaming of her good old days back in prison. Maybe getting tossed into "The Hole" wasn't as bad as she remembered it.
She looked around and planned it out about five moves in advance. That was as far as she could see, so after Move # 5, she was going to have to wing it. She wondered if anyone gave a shit that she was scared of heights.
"Okay B, here we go again. Consider yourself lucky ya get to miss this part...Fuck."
She stood carefully with Buffy hanging over her shoulder, and inched her way slowly along the ledge. As she got to the corner, she tightened her grip on Buffy and sprung upwards. She twisted her body as she went up and around some freaky looking gargoyle thing, her boot pushing off on it as she went past, and just caught the lip of the roof.
They dangled over the street again, then she pulled herself up just high enough to peer carefully over the edge. The coast seemed clear so she slung Buffy up and over. She winced when she heard her hit, then she was flipping herself to relative safety as well.
She bent down and checked on Buffy. Although she was still out, she seemed to be showing some signs of coming around. Faith had no idea how long it would take her, but she was hoping for at least another hour.
Just as she picked Buffy up, someone started pounding on the access door. Faith dashed behind some roof thing she couldn't name, and gently lowered Buffy to the ground. The door finally banged open and two vampires came strolling out.
"...and I'm just saying it's a big waste of time. Only a Slayer could climb up here, but not in the shape she's in. There's no way."
"Yeah but she is The Slayer. Maybe she..."
"Listen, I saw her just yesterday and she looked worse than ground beef. She'd be lucky to make it five steps."
"Well what do you want from me? I don't make the decisions, I just do what I'm told. They said check out this building including the roof, so that's what I'm doing."
"I know, it just pisses me off that they've got us wasting our time."
"Wow, it's quite a view from up here."
"Yeah, I wasn't all that crazy about it when they put up these high rises, but I like it now. I'd love to drain somebody up here."
"Yeah, it's not really the same with a rat, is it?"
"Damn, I'm starving."
"Let's look around. Maybe we'll get lucky and spot them."
"Right. They're probably dead in a dumpster somewhere."
Faith could hear the gravel crunching beneath their shoes as they began walking around.
"I wonder what the dark-haired one is. She has to be something to take a fall like that and just hop right up."
"I heard she's a witch. They say she did some magic and killed about twelve guys at once."
"Well I heard she might be a Slayer."
"A Slayer?! But there can only be one at a time!"
"That's what I thought too. It's just a rumor, you know how it is. Let's go, there's nobody up here."
But the other vampire had his eyes closed, his head tilted back in the breeze.
"What?"
"Do you smell that?"
"What?"
"Blood...human blood."
"...Nope, just getting some cat and maybe a little..."
"No, it's definitely human."
"It's pretty windy up here, maybe you're picking up the scent from..."
"No, it's closer than that. It's..."
He headed straight for the Slayers.
"Hey, maybe it's bat. I can never tell that from dog unless there's a lot of it. I don't smell human at all, and you can bet if it was here I'd..."
He never got to finish his sentence, he was dust and never realized it. Faith was already on the bloodhound, her knife removing his head quietly and efficiently. She had it back in its sheath before the wind had fully blown him away.
"Okay B, that makes it three for us, twelve for Red. Sure she's ahead for now, but I'm not worried. Know we're gonna catch up 'fore it's all over. Now let's get the fuck offa this building."
No one slept that night, no one pretended to. Their pretense took place at the dining room table as they sat down to continue on with their research. It was a fruitless attempt, the letters merely a series of confusing shapes and squiggles that refused to give up their secrets to anyone.
Still they stayed at their posts, fighting to maintain the charade of normalcy until finally the strain became too great and they had to move. They went silently into the living room, moving as a single entity with only one shared purpose. No words were spoken, none were needed. They knew instinctively that they could not survive the night apart, and so they stayed together.
They sat quietly, voices muted as their minds were assailed by the terrifying images of what was most likely occurring somewhere they could not be. Imagining what might be happening on the other side of the barrier was not a new experience for any of them. For over two weeks now, they'd been living with the horrifying thoughts of just what might be the fate of someone they loved, and it was a fate they could do nothing about.
But tonight, well tonight there was a difference. Tonight there was hope, and the irony that a dark and dangerous savior was offering them that hope, was not lost on any of them. They had never believed in her before, had never trusted in her or her abilities, yet tonight they could do nothing else. They had to believe that her heart felt what theirs did, that her motives were their own.
She was moving now through their visions, lighting the way through the darkness and letting them believe that maybe, just maybe all was not lost. Her goodness and courage seemed to shine out before her, giving to them the hope that she could do this, that she really could pull off the impossible because she was a Slayer too, and that had to mean something. It just had to.
So they sat and waited, each moment plodding along until it grudgingly moved forward into the next, demonstrating with painful clarity that the waiting really was the hardest part. Time was their master now, and as the night went on it made them huddle even closer together. They had nothing else to cling to except their prayers that their faith had not been misplaced, a play on words that amused no one.
Logically they knew the end of this long night should bring no answers. To expect otherwise was unfair and more than unreasonable, but they could expect nothing else. No matter what they said, no matter what games they tried to play, they knew the answer they sought was just a handful of hours away.
That was just the way it was, there could never be any other way. They were all too aware of who was involved and what was at stake to exercise any patience. Logic had nowhere at all to stand, and calm soothing words were just that: words which had no value as the hour drew near to them.
The sun finally began its slow ascent over the horizon, blazing forth reluctantly into the Eastern sky. They roused themselves to prepare a breakfast no one wanted, then sat around the dining room table feeling just as useless as before. The silence seemed to envelop them, but inside nothing was quiet.
Inside it was all chaos and panic. A simple prayer repeated itself over and over as if on an endless loop, surely it was not too much to ask. Not for the Slayer who had already given so much, and surely not for the girl they all loved.
The minutes ticked by until they resentfully added up, giving the clock no choice but to strike high noon. When it did, Giles was right there, refusing to let the moment escape their grasp:
"Shall we?"
No one hesitated, no one was unclear as to their mission. They piled quickly into the jeep, Xander at the wheel as Willow broached the question:
"Do you think we've given her enough time?"
"There is every chance we've not, but surely there is no harm in looking."
His answer was a lie in every way. They all knew Faith had had plenty of time, and they all knew there was plenty of harm in looking. But no one said any of that, choosing to keep the obvious to themselves.
Outwardly they presented a calm front. They knew each other well enough to know they were all in the same boat, and they knew talking about their terror would only snap the tenuous grasp they held on their façade of professionalism. They knew they had to hang on and so they did what they had to, just like they always did.
But a closer inspection revealed the small telltale signs that they were slowly falling apart. Dawn and Willow were holding hands much too fiercely, their fingers already turning white. Anya had found some change in the backseat ashtray, and she kept counting it over and over and over as if she somehow expected the amount to change.
The front seat had its own strangeness to contend with. The driver was oddly quiet. There were no jokes, no songs, no amusing commentary about the other drivers. In fact, there was no sound at all. There was just a young man desperately focused on the task at hand as if he could do nothing else.
His companion was a dignified and restrained man, yet despite his best efforts he was revealing more tension than all the others combined. He sat rigidly straight in his seat, nothing abnormal there, but his fingers could not stop moving. They tapped incessantly, first on the window frame, then the dashboard, followed by the gearshift, and finally his own leg.
He struggled to stop, but his success would last mere moments before his hand would resume its victory dance. The staccato rhythm sounded out loud in the car, meshing perfectly with the clinking of Anya's coins and Willow's periodic sighs. Dawn's muted whimpers and Xander's total stillness provided flawless background accompaniment.
They went from checkpoint to checkpoint, turning up nothing. There was no sign from Faith, and it was beginning to look like there never would be. Giles had long ago given up his attempts at pumping up the troops, his own fear and despair refusing him even that small comfort.
Xander parked alongside the next to last checkpoint, and when he turned off the engine no one moved. They sat demoralized and they sat in sorrow. It didn't look good, and maybe that in itself was the only sign that Faith would ever be able to give to them.
It was Giles who made the first move. He sighed deeply and opened his door, forcing everyone else to follow suit. They moved slowly as if under water, none of them eager to get any closer to what seemed to be their new reality. They had no desire to face the truth of what had gone on behind the barrier last night, and none of them knew how they were going to live with the knowledge that there was nothing they could do.
Eventually they spread out into what was now a familiar search pattern, looking intently for something, anything that would indicate the Slayers had been there. After several minutes, they had to face it. It was just like all the other times before, there was nothing. Not a speck of hope, not even the glimmer of a chance. There was nothing at all.
Dawn could no longer hold back her tears and as they streamed down her face, Willow moved to embrace her. Xander's silence finally came undone as he began to cry, rushing over to pull them into a hug that offered up what solace it could. The three of them stood there weeping for everything they'd lost, and it was a lot.
Giles could do nothing but watch, his own eyes sad and glistening with the tears he was trying his best to contain. He felt helpless, knowing that any words he had to offer were meaningless and stupid. He felt the desire to comfort these children he thought of as his own, but he knew there were no words in any of the languages he spoke that would ever make this all right. Nothing was ever going to be all right again and...
"Um...excuse me?"
The crying had increased in volume. Xander's heartbreaking sobs had merged with Willow and Dawn's as if they were one voice, and Anya was forced to shout in order to be heard:
"Excuse me...Guys!"
"...Not...now Anya."
"But I see something. I don't have any idea what it could mean, but you said to look for anything out of place so..."
"Now is not the time for...Pardon me? Anya, what exactly are you saying?"
Anya looked at him as if he were somewhat feebleminded:
"I'm saying again that I see something that seems out of place. If it's a sign, well it's really subtle, but you did say it would have to be..."
"Yes, that is correct. A certain subtleness would be essential, but I don't see anything amiss."
The tears were still falling, but Willow, Xander, and Dawn were now peering intently through the barrier trying to see what Anya saw.
"Well I don't know about 'amiss', but it sure looks weird."
"Please Anya, just tell us as succinctly as possible what it is that you see."
"Stones."
"Stones?"
"Yes, stones."
"Honey, we're outside. Of course there are stones."
Giles began cleaning his glasses, his shoulders slumping as all his hope faded.
"I'm afraid I must concur with Xander. The appearance of some stones does not constitute the sort of anomaly that..."
"But why are they there?"
Giles put his glasses on with a gesture that plainly expressed his growing anger.
"I do not wish to be rude Anya, but I'm quite certain I've not the patience for this kind of..."
"But there aren't any others around like that, and these are just sitting there in two groups."
"Honey, Giles is right. Two little piles of rocks aren't..."
"Are you people blind or something?! The first pile has five stones in it and so does the second one. They're just sitting there next to each other!"
Giles appeared stunned and stood completely unmoving for a moment. Suddenly the biggest smile he'd ever smiled was on his face, and he began laughing almost hysterically. He embraced Anya, lifting her off her feet as he twirled her around and around, and no one knew what to do.
They'd never seen such a reaction from him before, and they had not the first clue what was going on or how they could help him.
Willow approached him slowly:
"Hey there Giles...Um, hey Giles?"
"So Giles, feel like maybe...oh I don't know, putting An down?"
He lowered Anya back to her feet and turned to face them, clearly elated.
"Hey, maybe Will can get you a cold cloth and..."
"Don't you see?! The stones are not next to one another..."
"Xander's right, we should get you home and..."
"...they are five by five!"
There was absolute silence, and then pure chaos erupted. Anya stood there puzzled as she watched the celebration. She knew whatever it was it was good news, even a fool could see that, but she had no idea why or what it all meant.
It was a long time before everyone calmed down but the instant they did, Anya was ready with her question:
"Could someone explain to me what 'five by five' means?"
"It means dear girl, she has her. Faith has Buffy."
They reached their hideout not a moment too soon. As Faith ran through the woods, Buffy began coming around. Her loud moans made it more than clear that being jostled all over the place was not a pleasant experience for her.
"I know B, just hang on. We're almost there."
Faith kept going and let out a sigh of relief when she spotted the red handkerchief. As they passed by, she pulled it down and stuffed it into her pocket, never breaking stride.
She moved towards an area that looked identical to the surrounding woods, but once she crossed a certain point, it became clear that there was nothing ordinary about the place they were now standing in.
"We're here B. We're safe."
Buffy's only response was a pain-filled gasp as Faith lowered her gently to the ground.
"Gimme a sec. Gotta heat up some water and grab the first aid stuff."
She moved quickly, pouring two large bottles of water into a pan, then propping it over an already set up campfire. She struck a match and the fire roared to life instantly. She adjusted the pan, picked up the first aid supplies, and headed back to Buffy's side. She put down the bag, and then cautiously stepped outside the circle.
As she stood there she noticed that even the faint smell of smoke had disappeared, and even though she was staring right at the spot where she knew Buffy was huddled, Faith saw nothing but the woods. Willow's concealment spell was working like a charm.
She re-entered their little magic circle and knelt down next to Buffy.
"We're good here B. Now let's see about helping you feel better, okay?"
Faith dug into the bag and pulled out a jar of Willow's special ointment. It was supposed to speed up the healing process, plus it had the added benefit of numbing the pain. That was great because if anybody needed some pain numbed, it was Buffy.
Faith lifted her into a sitting position as carefully as she could, but it was easy to see that it hurt Buffy anyway.
"Sorry B, but I gotta get this stuff on your back. It's gonna help it heal and should ease the pain some too."
She scooped out a generous amount of the cream and began applying it as softly as she could, but Buffy was clearly not a big fan of the procedure. She began squirming and crying, and it wasn't long before it reached the point where she was seriously trying to fight Faith off. She was becoming almost frantic in her efforts to get away, hurting herself even more in the process.
There was nothing Faith could say to calm her, there was really nothing that could be done. Buffy was in agony and Faith had to make it worse before she could make it better. She never hesitated, she knocked her out again.
She made the most of her time, popping Buffy's shoulder back into place, cleaning her up as much as possible with the assistance of the now warm water, dressing all the wounds she could, then spreading Willow's special goop all over her back. Her hands were shaking by the time she finished up...Jesus, Buffy was in bad shape.
Faith held her for a while, avoiding what she knew was next on her "to do" list. Finally, reluctantly, she laid Buffy down, trying to angle her to the left to avoid placing pressure on the two broken ribs on her right side. The ribs had to stay unwrapped because there was no way Faith could put something around Buffy's back. It'd be best, healing and pain-wise to just leave her back exposed.
It sucked, but Faith knew she had to treat the worst wounds first, and nothing anywhere could be worse than Buffy's back. It was something that had to be seen to be believed, but nobody in their right mind would ever want to look at it. It wasn't just bad, it was a fucking nightmare.
Faith rolled her jacket up and placed it under Buffy's head, then covered her up to the waist with a blanket. It was nowhere near the luxury accommodations you'd get at a five star hotel, but it was a damn sight better than getting the shit stomped out of you. As Faith stood there looking down at her, she dreaded what she knew was up next.
No matter if she liked it or not, she needed to go leave a sign for The Scoobies. A part of her just couldn't wait to share the great news, but there was a big problem. More like what Faith would call a big huge fucking problem.
She was going to have to leave Buffy alone. The closest checkpoint wasn't too far off and Faith figured she could get there and back in just under an hour. The odds were plenty good that Buffy would be out a lot longer than that, but no matter what the odds had to say, it was still a scary risk.
Buffy was for sure in no shape to run, but if she somehow managed to stumble her way outside the magic area, well it could be trouble. She could get spotted, maybe even captured... Obviously the safest thing would be to tie her up.
Right. Faith wasn't going to kid herself about that. Buffy had been restrained for weeks, and now that she was free again, well there was no way Faith was going to take that away from her. Not even for an hour, not even when she should. She just couldn't.
Technically the gang shouldn't even be expecting any word yet, but then again there was nothing technical about any of this. No matter what they'd agreed to, no matter what common sense had to be screaming at them, Faith knew they were just counting down the minutes until they could start looking. How in the hell could she blame them for that or even expect anything else?
Yeah of course they should be patient and wait...just like Faith should have been patient and waited for a better time to pull Buffy out of there. They could all play the stupid "should have" game forever, but what did it matter? Things were what they were, and when it came to Buffy, none of them could be patient. It just wasn't in them and they all knew it.
The situation they were in now was simple. The Scooby Gang was going to come sniffing, and if they didn't find some kind of sign that their girl was out of that hellhole, well they were going to be devastated whether they should be or not. It wouldn't matter what logic had to say to them, it wouldn't matter that she had told them it could take awhile. All that would matter was the possibility that she had failed and their hopes were gone for good.
Still she hesitated, wondering how she could possibly leave Buffy all alone, and then it hit her. Buffy would want her to go, no question about it. She'd be all worried about everybody else, and she'd want nothing more than to let them know that she was safe. That was just the way Buffy was, and there wasn't anything anybody could do about that either.
Faith began laughing then. Even unconscious Buffy was in charge, and she could still make Faith jump through hoops to please her. Okay then, that was settled. It was time to roll the dice again, all on the Slayer's say-so. She could live with that.
Her body was tired, but she took off running anyway. Stuff needed doing, and right now she was the only one who could get it done. She'd volunteered for this gig, there'd been no gun to her head, and that meant she had nothing to kick about.
Sure it was tough, it was hard, and she was tired. But she figured she'd rest great when she was dead, which could turn out to be a lot sooner than she was planning on. Whatever. The point was rest later, deal now.
She arrived at the checkpoint in about fifteen minutes but she stayed back, hidden among the trees. No way was she just going to charge down into a trap. Who knew where and how they'd caught Buffy in the first place? They could know all about the checkpoints and be waiting for her right this second. She wasn't stupid enough to just waltz her ass right into a setup.
Twenty minutes passed as she stood motionless, letting her eyes scan relentlessly for any sign of movement. All of her senses were on high alert and by the end of her surveillance period, she was pretty damn sure nobody but her was around. Still it wasn't anything she was going to bet her life on, and it sure as hell wasn't the sort of thing she was going to count on for long either.
There was plenty of deep shade all around, there were even a couple of buildings sitting way too close for comfort. No way had this been a popular spot with Buffy, if she ever came here it was only because she had to. This location was nothing but dangerous, and Faith knew she needed to move quickly. Just leave a sign, then motor her ass as fast as she could.
But what could she leave for them to find? No way could it be anything obvious, their campsite was way too close by to start leaving clues all over the place. The vampires would just love to know she'd been there, it would give them a great place to start their search from.
She had to think and she had to think fast. It had to be something only somebody looking hard would see, and it had to make sense only to the Scoobies. That way, even if Spiran's crew did spot it, it wouldn't make any sense to them. They'd skim right over it and they'd miss it.
It was a fucking great idea, but she didn't have a clue what she could do that would fit all of those requirements. She was pissed off now, she should have thought this part through before she got here. Of course she had been a little busy fighting for their lives. It wasn't like she was some slacker going to a picnic or something, and it sure as hell wasn't like everything was all five...
A smile crossed her face as the idea came to her. She bent down and cleared off a small area, then gathered up ten rocks. She arranged them carefully, making sure the Scoobies would have a clear sightline from a bunch of different angles.
As far as signs went it was pretty subtle, more subtle than she'd ever been in her whole life. But it was a good sign, and it did stand out if you were looking for it. She just had to hope they weren't too panicked to see it.
She looked it over one last time, then slipped back into the woods. She stood there waiting until she'd slowly counted off five minutes and when she still didn't sense anything, she took off. It was time to get back to Buffy, and she wasn't leaving her again.
It was strength in numbers now, and two Slayers were better than one, no matter how beaten up they were. She hoped for their sake they saw the sign, it seemed way clear to her and the message was simple. She had Buffy and she was going to keep her safe. Then when Buffy was healed up enough, well they were going to rain down holy hell. That was definitely five by five with her.
