Chapter 15

We got problems. I lift my body in nice, steady, even pull-ups. I know we got problems even before I spy Prophet headin' my way. She's gonna hafta wait til I'm done. My muscles flex and constrict along my shoulders as I rise again; this time I hold where I am until I'm not ready ta scream anymore. With a heavy exhale I lower my body an' hang by my arms for a second before I drop to the ground.

"We got problems."

See? Told ya we had problems. I grab the towel that Buffy tosses at me an' wipe my arms an' neck down.

"Yeah?" I kinda figured with the way things have been goin'. "Bulls tossin' cells again?"

It's been happenin' a lot lately. As soon as the inmates started gettin' along the guards got scared. They know somethin' is up.

"Bigger."

Bigger? I glance at Buffy who frowns an' shrugs.

"Big T is in the infirmary. Fuckin' pigs beat her down in the showers. Shonda said T went to reach for a towel and they clubbed her down. She didn't even try to fight back, man."

Bigger is right. Buffy scowls an' I sigh. She's getting' her mad on. That's not the bad part. The bad part is that we can't do anything about it just yet.

"Did anyone tell the Warden?"

"Psh. Associate Warden won't even let us get near him. My guess is the old man croaked it up there and she's running the show. Wouldn't surprise me none if his boney-ass body turned up stuffed in a janitor's closet."

Buffy gives me a slight smirk at that an' I nod. Proph is probably right. We can't afford ta wait any longer.

"This has to end. Faith, you have a knack for getting in to and out of...tight spots. You and Ramsey should look for a place we can set up that is harder to get in to than it is to get out of."

I smirk at Buffy. Yeah I know all about getting' in ta her tight spot. Buffy rolls her eyes at me even though she was thinkin' it too. Heh.

"Just to be on the safe side, we should have Cori keep an eye on the infirmary."

Yeah. I think that'd be a good idea. I doubt that the guards are gonna fuck with her any more.

They've started what they want so far. They want a reaction. They can't break us now. We're too strong. An' pretty soon we're gonna creep up on 'em. Pretty soon the wild things are gonna reclaim what's ours.

"What about the rest of us?"

This time Buffy looks ta me for input.

"We're not pullin' this off without a distraction, B."

She's givin' me that look. She's not happy. We've had this talk already about a million fuckin' times.

"No."

I sigh heavily.

"Buffy."

"Faith! We are not risking or endangering anyone else. It's not their fight."

The hell it isn't. They're the ones gettin' beat down. Theyr'e the ones gettin' their cells tossed. Gettin' kept away from family an' friends. I growl an' turn away with my hands on my hips. We don't see eye ta eye here.

"Anyone mind telling me what fight ain't my fight?"

We both turn to look at Proph who's got her arms crossed over her chest in defiance. She's not gonna like it.

"It's like this, you're probably right about the Warden. The A.W. has been runnin' this show for awhile but she's just a baby-sitter."

I flick my eyes to Buffy who nods at me to continue. "She's here ta keep an eye on my girl. She didn't quite bargain for me."

I flash a big dimpled grin at that, an' rock on my heels. Man I love fuckin' up people's plans.

"Right. So now we get to the question everyone in this motherfucker has been asking. Why the fuck is Princess in here anyway?"

Uh huh. And they're strangers. I raise my brows at Buffy and grin when she gets huffy about it.

"Long story short she was set up. So was the kid." Same bum rap for the same made up story.

"We're not your normal kinda chicks. We're...special."

This time it's Prophet rollin' her eyes at me.

"No shit. You're fucking Slayers. You think I'm retarded?"

Okay well at least I'm not the only one with my chin scrapin' the ground.

"Dumbass white people think they're the only ones that know shit about shit. My little cousin Angelique used to get picked on a lot. Skinny, knock-kneed lil thing. One day...poof. She started walking different, acting different. And all of a sudden some stuffy assed white dude is tellin' us she's special."

Uh. Guess we've been told. I bet that stuffy assed white dude was Giles. It'd make me laugh if I didn't think about the fact that Angelique is a local Slayer. Which means if she hasn't already been tagged ta go down she will be soon. And she'll end up here.

"Alright ya know what we are. Makes it easier ta get to it then. This shit right here, all this bullshit that's been goin' down is because the A.W. is keepin' us penned up for her boss. We've gotta get the fuck out an' the only way we can do that is if we have a good enough distraction."

Not just good. Big. Real big. Prophet just raises her hands to her head and sighs out.

"Motherfuckers. You can not be fuckin' serious about this shit."

"It's life or death here, P. No lie." I look to Buffy who moves up to my side and leans in ta me.

"There's this demon named Dante. He's setting up Slayers one by one and we're all ending up in prison. All in all not the worst that could happen."

True. The worst part is comin up.

"Except for the fact that he needs massive amounts of power, both to keep us locked up and to make sure we power him up."

First he drains us of hope. Then desire. Then the will to live. Then he'll drain our bodies of even the spark of life.

"Lil Angelique could end up here. Or anywhere."

She's close ta breakin'. I can feel it. I just gotta push the right buttons for both Buffy an' Prophet.

"Only one way ta make it right."

We gotta get out of here. I pin Buffy with my look. This part is more for her than Prophet anyway.

"We need ta get out of here, Buffy. You lasted a long time alone, but other Slayers might not, we don't have time ta play hide an' seek with the guards. We need a diversion."

"Faith...no."

"It's not your choice, Princess. What do we gotta do?"

Good. Buffy sighs an' resigns herself ta lettin' it happen. She was right. We need the help.

"This is Faith's thing. I'll go...do the looking around thing with Ramsey."

I reach out an grab Buffy's hand as she walks away. The tattoos in our hands shift an' curl towards each other as we touch.

"Be careful Faith."

I will be. I lean forward an' touch her forehead with mine before lettin' Buffy go. It's necessary. Makes for a shitty sitch but it's gotta be done.

"Alright. How many Lifers we got here?"

Proph shrugs. "Maybe about a dozen that I know personally. Probably maybe thirty total here."

I doubt there's that many, but we'll work with it.

"Good. How many of them are ride or die?"

She shakes her head. Not that many. Okay lemme try this a different way.

"How many people we got that wanna see a pig bleed?"

Her eyes light up at that one an' I nod. Yeah that's what I thought.

"You won't have no trouble with that, cuz." Oh, so now I'm cuz. Well don't I feel special?

"What's the plan?"

"The plan is ta take back the prison. Most of the guards are puppets. Just clockin' in an out. But some of these fuckers gotta die. They're in the wrong army in the middle of a war an' I don't take any fuckin' prisoners."

 I'd like ta shove a cattle prod up a few asses myself, but I know I'm not gonna get ta play this time. Sometimes it's not about how many skulls you get ta crack. There's a bigger picture for me now. I'm not just a foot soldier. Pride flows down the connection, makin' a nice warm spot on my lower back as if Buffy's hand were there.

"Shouldn't take long to pick out the right people for it."

I nod at that. She's our people person. Everyone talks to us through her. It's better this way anyhow. When we leave, the rest of the inmates will need someone ta keep them together. Someone strong. Someone like Prophet.

"What else?"

"I need ya ta give up the rotation schedules."

She gives me a deeply pissed look.

"C'mon P, I know ya traded your best bitch ta get the schedules, but we need them if we're gonna know where and who ta hit."

"Fine. You realize your favors are adding up, right? Next time you ask me for something I'm getting some pussy for it. You hear me?"

Yeah, yeah she's gonna get some pussy. Whatever.

"Don't give me that look girl, I intend to be fucking you and your girl if this shit don't pan out this time."

I blink at that.

"Yeah, you heard me. You're gonna be lickin 'my pussy while I eat your girl out. So you better hope you get out."

I give her a look as I start to walk away. Buffy's gonna kill me. I'm barely three steps away when she slaps my ass hard enough ta make me jump.

"Oh, I'm so tellin' B on you...."

Yeah. Let that one sink in, asshole. I flip her off as I jog away. I gotta get some supplies. We're not takin' out the prison with our bare hands. I've got a lot of shivs ta make an' not a whole lot of time. But I've got a good idea where I can go ta get the stuff I need. It doesn't take me very long to get to the library. I take a quick look around, takin' inventory. Yup. That should work. No one is in here now. Not even a trustee which is good for me. I start pullin' the cellophane covers off  books.

And here I thought that was going to be the hard part. I roll up the cellophane an' stick it down the leg of my jumper. I get caught with these they'll lock me down for sure. I whistle as I amble along the corridors. No one bothers me. They never do. I make it all the way to the commissary before I run inta trouble. Ditto is leanin' against the counter chattin' up the trustee in charge. Fuck. That's gonna make this a problem. Well. Maybe. I glance around before headin' straight toward the bitch.

Who said I couldn't have fun at all?

"Hey piggy."

She doesn't have enough time before I slam her head down on the counter a few times.

"Been meanin' ta pay ya back for the shoulder."

I slam her head down again just for fun before lettin' her stumble back. Her fists ball up and she lowers her head like a bull about ta take a charge.

"Tsk tsk tsk. Temper, temper Ditto. You wouldn't want your meat here ta know the truth do ya?"

That she's not human. She'll never be human and once the girl behind the counter gets a look at Ditto she'll tell everyone. And the people she doesn't tell are the people that already know anyway.

"Doesn't much matter does it, Faithy?"

I hate it when people call me that. It makes my teeth itch.

"Might be right about that. How about a go then, huh? You an' me. See who wins this time. Beauty or the Beast. I'm the Beauty in case ya wondered."

Because I sure as hell ain't playin' beast when she's the one with tusks. I can see her thinkin' about it. Really thinkin' about it. She wants to. With a deep growl she lunges at me tryin' ta take my legs out from under me. I side step and use her momentum ta fling her past me down the hall.

There's the sound of cloth rippin' and I know she's startin' ta shift. I look at the confused and terrified trustee and shrug.

"What's going on?"

Ditto lumbers down toward us and the girl's eyes bug outta her head.

"I'm thinkin' now is a good time ta get gone. Don't you?"

She nods and beats feet out of there. I just grin at the open door to the commissary.

"Alright Ugly. Let's get this over with. I got shit ta do."

It's totally predictable that she lunges at me again. This time I let her make contact and drag her down to the ground with me. We struggle for a second before I kick out and get some distance between us. I watch those small black eyes pin my movements.

She's waitin' me out. We crouch across from each other for a long time. I can hear the guards coming already. The meat musta squealed on us. My time just ran out. This time it's me who lunges. It surprises her and we go down hard. I grab her head and bring it down hard on the concrete twice. She's out cold. Too fuckin' easy. No time ta crow about it though so I haul ass in to the store room and jack a box of toothbrushes and some lighters. If Buffy finds us a hidey hole ta work in, we might just make it out of here alive.

"How about the staff room?"

Ramsey looks at me and shakes her head.

"I have never been to the staff room. I do not even know where it is."

Okay. Well that's out. I don't suppose there are signs on the doors and we probably wouldn't be able to get past the block gates anyway.

"Perhaps the laundry again?" 

No way. That's the first place they'll go just to make sure. I shake my own head at that and sigh. It's not going to be an easy job finding a spot for us to open a portal.

"Library?"

 It's a thought and it's one of the places we should keep on the list for now.

"Maybe. It has enough space but it is not easily defensible. If Faith is planning what you say...we will need a place away from the chaos."

That's my girl, the bringer of chaos. I grin at that. Well at least she's doing it for the right team. Besides, she gets all riled up and aggressive when she's up to something and I like it. Wow. How things change huh?

"Where is the last place that the guards would be likely to look?"

Oh. Huh. Who knew random sex thoughts could prove useful?

"How about the showers? It'll be a tight fit in the quarantine shower but it has that vestibule with the heavy door."

She thinks about it for a moment then nods with a shudder. Hey, I get it. That shower was the worst part about becoming a new intake. The guards must get some sadistic joy out of spraying us down with cold water from fire hoses. I'd probably question the legality of that, but why? They're doing it and it doesn't matter if it's legal or not. It's just another tactic that they used to break us down and make us compliant.

I can't believe I'm going to say this but...damn the Man! Intense humor trebles along my connection. Well at least she's amused by that.

"We should check it out before hand to be sure."

Good idea. A couple of women pass us in dark blue jumpers. One in an orange jumper. And one in red. Like me. Her eyes slide from the other women, dismissing them as insignificant before falling on me. We stare at each other as we walk toward one another from separate directions. She drops her gaze first with a slight nod of acceptance. Good.

Ramsey nods to the door to the shower and I duck in to check it out while she leans against the wall, keeping look out. It's pretty icky here but it won't matter if we get a portal open. I give the door to the quarantine area a knock to test out its durability. Fire door. Good. It's perfect. Better get out of here before someone comes in and finds me checking this place out.

"This is it. Let's find Faith." I take one direction and she takes another.

We'll both end up in the same place, but why be obvious about it? Cori falls into step behind me as I pass the infirmary. A few other women slink down the hall like alley cats. Always someone looking out now. Faith's cell door is slid open and there are a few people leaning against the outside with intimidating gazes and thickly corded muscular arms. They step aside immediately for me and I smile.

"Thanks guys."

Never hurts to be polite. Besides, I like how one of them turns pink and gets a flustered nervous chuckle. It's cute.

"Stop harassin' my look outs, B." I slide in to place behind Faith on the floor and lean against her back.

"But they're so cute when they get all stammery and red."

She chuckles and flicks her lighter to light up something. It stinks.

"Ugh. What the hell is that?"

Faith chuckles again and moves to scrape whatever it is on the floor to sharpen the edges.

"Wrapped the head of a toothbrush with cellophane from a book. Burn it an' shape it. Then ya sharpen it and..." She doesn't need to illustrate the deadliness of her shank but she does with a violent thrust at the air. If the space had been a person, it would have been right in the side of their neck. Faith is so not fucking around. I swallow hard.

"Are you totally prepared to ask these women to murder for us Faith?"

I would do it myself ,but we've got other things we need to deal with.

"It's not just blood on our hands this way."

Her shoulders slump and I think I just realized what this is costing her.

"I know, Buffy. And believe me, if I thought there was another way I would do it. But these women aren't just helpless women. Or street thugs. Or whores. They're soldiers. This is war."

I look down at the ink decorating my skin and nod. War paint. She's right.

"Okay. Can I help?" She smiles at me, making my breath catch in my throat.

"Yeah. Here." She hands me a lighter and a toothbrush. I take a bit of cellophane and start wrapping. "Oh yeah....uh, if this doesn't work, Prophet is gonna make us her bitches."

Um. Excuse me? I stop what I'm doing to glare at her. "Come again?"

Faiths throat tightens. "It's the price of her help."

"You'd better hope this works out, missy." Or else.

I give her a narrow eyed look then nudge her playfully. My spirits have lifted with the knowledge that we're not just waiting around for things to happen anymore.

"Speak of the devil..."

Prophet looks behind her then at herself before stepping fully into the cell with Ramsey.

"Aw baby, don't be like that. I promise I'll make it good for you."

Oh please. I scoff at that.

"Cold hearted. Damn."

I think I'm going to miss the easy-going teasing when we're gone.

"What's the what?"

"We're set. Got those guards you wanted checked out. They all have rounds tonight, got one or two subs but it's mostly your boys."

Faith's smile gets predatory and she lights her toothbrush again.

"Good. How'd it go with findin' a place, B?"

Oh! Me!

"Quarantine shower. Ramsey and Cori can defend it easily while we work our mojo."

I should not have said that. Even Ramsey snickers at that.

"Yes, children I said work the mojo." I doubt even a mild glare would help. It'd probably make them laugh more. "So...this is it. Tonight we do it. When the buzzer goes off for lockdown tonight."

Prophet nods at that and rubs her jaw idly.

"Get some of your girls ta light up rolls of toilet paper an' chuck em over the rails. Rattle cages, whistle, yell, I don't care. Just cause enough confusion to get the bulls off balance. Then we execute."

Faith's a natural leader. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if she were in my place and I were in hers. I have the feeling that the world would be a good place to live. I reach out and run my fingers through her hair.

"And then?"

And then Faith and I disappear from this hell.

"I mean, don't get me wrong here. I'm all for the greater good in this situation, but once you two bail what then?"

Faith holds up her lighter and flicks it a few times before raising her brows at me.

"We were kinda hopin' you had some ideas."

 Well, we can't think of everything.

"If it were up to me I'd kill all of them. But I somehow don't think you're gonna let me get away with that."

Definitely not.

"Wrong answer. Try again."

She sighs heavily and shakes her head, making her beads clack softly together.

"I'll see what I can do to keep it together here. At least until we can maybe get some media coverage. Bring up all the bullshit inhumane crap they pull. No one will notice a few missing prisoners in the hustle to cover asses."

Good. But I have to make sure she knows this.

"You don't have to do this Prophet. We can find another way."

She smiles at me and lights up a cigarette.

"This is the way. Your way."

Because her way is too violent. I get it. There's a moment of silence between us all before I call it a night for now.

"I guess we should all go our ways until tonight."

I don't think I'll see Prophet again for a long time, so I stand and hug her tightly. I don't think she was expecting it. But I also notice that she doesn't waste any time letting her hands roam. 

"Okay, so much for the affectionate goodbye."

"Sorry baby, I was just checkin' out the goods for when this shit fails again."

She doesn't mean it. It's like saying break a leg. I think. God. I hope. Faith laughs and tosses her next weapon into the small pile.

"C'mere, B."

I go to her as if I were drawn there with every breath. Faith's arms open and I snuggle down in to them.

"We're goin home tonight baby. You an' me."

Best thing I've heard all day.

Chapter 16

It's gettin' down to the wire now. Tick Tock and all that. I rest my forearms lightly on the cross bar of my door an' wait. I can hear a guard comin' down the line. He's clacking his baton against the bars as he goes. I hate that. We all hate that. I take a long drag off my cigarette an' flick the ash on the ground.

"You keep hanging your arms out that door like that an' bad shit is gonna happen."

I know. I give Proph a slightly annoyed look before flickin' my eyes back to the line. Two cells down.

I'm so ready ta get the fuck outta here. C'mon ya little bastard, just a little bit closer. Another drag an' he finally notices me loungin'. I don't even have to see the smile on his face ta know it's there. I keep my head down lettin' the smoke curl around my head. He's just about ta step into my line of sight when I flick the butt of my cigarette at his feet. His leather boots creak softly when he pulls up short. My head tips up slightly an' I raise my eyes to his. Whatever he sees or doesn't see makes him afraid.

An' like all assholes, what makes him afraid makes him mad. The second I see the anger in his face I know this is the time. Tick Tock motherfucker. The guard brings his arm up with the baton ready ta smash it down on my arms, only by the time he swings down I'm already back in my cell. He starts toward the cell door when the buzzer goes off. He looks up at the speaker for a second. Never could figure out why people did that. It's not a fuckin' clock. But it's what I need.

I yank my cell door all the way open and grab the guard. This one liked ta rape the new intakes. I say liked, because right now the only thing he's feelin' is my fist bustin' his nuts.

"Don't worry, it'll only hurt for a second, bitch."

I nod at Prophet who books it out of the cell to take his place.

"You, my friend, are gonna be part of a new world order. You're gonna be the first in a long line."

He looks at me in pure fear and confusion. Yep. He's gonna be the one to lead the flock ta slaughter. I give him a good hard left jab, dazin' him before I slam the door home, decapitating the guard.

Fucker deserved a lot more than that. I spit on his body and tip my head back to let out a gut- deep roar of rage. A war cry. Voices pick up around me from different cells on different floors. Every block howls out in defiance as burning paper filters down. A pulse in the back of my mind brings me back to myself. I dip my fingers into a pool of blood an' streak them down my face before takin' the catwalk at a sprint. Alarms are starting to go off but it's no use. If everything is goin' right there's no one in the command centers ta hit the auto-locks.

Women spill out of their cells, some of them with murder in their eyes. A part of me wants ta be ashamed about that, but the bigger part of me that wants us all ta survive says fuck it, be proud.

So I'm just gonna be proud, and I let it show in the wild grin I give them all. It's about all the pep talk I can give 'em. A tentative touch at the end of my connection slows my sprint. It's not Buffy. My focus tightens on her just as a stab of fear makes me stumble on the stairs. Fuck. I stop on the landing. If I keep going down the stairs I get to the showers. If I head down this line and down the next block I find Cori.

We're not leavin' without her. I grunt an' push out my focus to include Buffy. I can feel her makin' her way to the showers. My feet slow as I stop to listen. It's not easy, I hafta tune out the crush of other sounds around me. She's here, I know she is. A scream rings out, an' I rush toward it without much thought. Cori is stuck in a tangle of women, rough hands holding her down and rippin' and tuggin' at her jumper. I don't even pause, I just fling my whole body into the fray.

We all go down in a tangled mass of arms and legs. We're all so piled, that for a second everyone is just blindly hittin' at anything that moves. I'm pretty sure that last kick had Slayer power behind it. A hard tug on the back of my jumper flings me backward. I hit the wall and shake my head to clear the stars from my vision. When I'm not seein' double I take in the scene before me.

Ramsey is a demon. I know this, right? I know it right down to the soles of my feet. So why is it that I'm surprised ta see her lookin'…well…demon like? Cori crawls quickly out of the pile an' I grab her hand to pull her free and clear.

"You alright, kiddo?"

She gives me a nod that's a lil too quick for my tastes. She's all shook up, an' that's not what we need. But then I'm pretty sure what shook her up was seein' her friend tearin' the throats out of women.

"Jesus…"

Blood sprays in a wide arc catchin' us across the shins in a wave of hot metallic lava. I think the kid is gonna be sick. We don't have time for this. I grab my Slayer's arm an' give her a hard shake to make her focus on me an' not the massacre happening in the one place she thought was safe. At least as safe as prison could be.

"You listen to me. You are a goddamned Slayer. Now start actin' like one!"

I give her a hard shove to send her down the line.

"Get to the showers. Tell B we're on our way."

Another hard shove sends her runnin' and I turn on Ramsey. The way she's tearing at the bodies makes me think she doesn't realize they're dead. My steps in her direction are halted by the soft whine of her tail cuttin' air.

I duck just in time. Concrete from the wall crumbles and dusts me. Thank baby Jebus for quick reflexes. I wait for the whipping tail to lash out again before I leap takin' her down to the ground.

"MURDERER!"

Yeah that's me, but I don't think I'm the murderer she's lookin' for. Her tail comes up an' I kick it away before grippin' her tight around the middle and holdin' on like all hell.

"Stop! RAMSEY STOP!"

She struggles against me for a few minutes before she realizes she can't get free. I'm not stupid see, I'm not about ta let her go until I'm good an sure she's not gonna freak out.

"Hey…hey…shhhh. It's good, Ramsey, it's just us. We're good. Everything is gonna be okay."

It's all bullshit. I'm just sayin' anything I can to get through to her right now. Her tail gives a weak thrash before she collapses into me with a deep shaking breath.

I'd give B all the money in the world ta trade places right now.

"He's gone…"

I know. I know he's gone. I can feel her loss like a chill on my skin. It seeps down into my flesh and bones, markin' my soul with it.

"He's gone but we're still here. You're still here." With us. Running feet pass us and I realize that some of the prisoners have the guards on the run. "C'mon. We need to get the hell out of here."

"Leave me."

Fuck that. I grab her collar and drag her up to stand by me. Ramsey fights me weakly and I give her a good hard shove into the wall. My patience isn't great to begin with but I'm getting real tired of having ta butch up the troops.

"Listen up an' listen good cause I'm only gonna say this once. I am NOT leavin' my sister behind."

Her head tips up so she can look at me.

"Unless all that talk was just bullshit ceremony."

But it wasn't. I know it wasn't. She knows it wasn't.

"We can mourn him later, right now we need to open the portal."

It's reluctant but she nods. Good. I wait for her to start down a way before I look over the mutilated bodies on the floor. The scent of blood and hate and fear makes red flash behind my eyes and I hafta lean against the wall to take a few breaths.

Once I'm calm enough I start after Ramsey. Everywhere I go I see streaks of blood and hear the echoing screams. Smoke is curling up in wispy tendrils and I think our time just got cut in half. If this place burns it's takin' us all with it. I might have started this little party, but it didn't need me ta get out of control. The riot has a mind of it's own now. I take the last set of stairs in one big jump, landin' in a crouch at the foot of the staircase.

Another person goes streakin' by. I think it was the prison doctor. Can't be sure and it's not really important. It's just one of those random things you notice when too much is goin' on to process it all. A note of urgency rings through my connection and I hurry the fuck up. I'm comin', baby. My shoulder hits the door to the showers as I bolt through it. No time ta catch my breath though.

"We ready or what?"

Buffy gives me the biggest grin at that. I'm guessin' that’s' a big fat hell yes. That's what I'm talkin' about.

"Cori get the door. Ramsey…do you have everything we need?" I don't see any of the stuff she had the first time she tried this with her brother. Which is kind of worrisome. If there was something that we might need there is no way to get it now.

"You do not need it."

No? I kind of wish we had gone over all of this already but there just wasn't enough time. And here I thought I had nothing but time trapped inside of these walls.

"Your bond to Faith is much stronger than the bond I shared with Vikrant. You have only to bind yourselves for the marks to work."

A booming crash knocks us all off our feet. Uh oh. That's not good. I scramble up and grab Faith's hand.

"Now or never, B."

She's got that right. The second our skin touches I push everything I have through our connection. Faith gasps, her head flung back as she tries to sort through everything I'm feeding her.

Now that the connection is open I'm not really sure what to do, but I don't think that's my deal to worry about. I watch Faith open her eyes, golden light spilling from them. I should be blinded by it but I'm not. And then it hits me. Her eyes are just like mine. She smiles at me and traces a line along my jaw. I shiver at it and wait as she grips my hand tightly and pushes right back into the connection.

Oh.

We are one. We are the Dumajin. The door to the showers crashes open and from the corner of my eye I can tell there's a fight going on around us. I just can't seem to move. Not the way I want to anyway. My body is on autopilot now. Faith is using all of her concentration to keep us locked in union as we will a portal into existence. A pin prick of pale blue light pulses between our clasped hands. Hello pretty.

As if I've always known how, I pull my hand back slowly making the orb of light grow. Static crackles against my skin sending really unpleasant prickles skittering down my nerve endings. I snap my eyes closed and hiss as the unpleasantness becomes pain. Oh god. Something fills me to the point of bursting and I echo out Faith's scream. It's too much power for us to contain. We're not enough. Faintly I can hear a voice pushing back against the tide of pain.

Ramsey. I can't tell what she's saying. It's too loud in my head. My fingers start to slip away from Faith's and I know that's wrong. We can't let go. In a desperate lunge I grip her harder, pulling her against my body as the power pushes against us like a tidal wave. We cower down against it when something slams in to our connection. I don't have time to think about it. I only know that whatever it is has bought us some time.

I open my eyes and find Cori curled tightly against Faith's left side. Her head is tucked down and her face is twisted in agony. Oh no. I start to let go but Faith won't let me. She holds me tighter and shakes her head with gritted teeth.

"Let her in the connection!"

I..cant. I don't know how.

But I do. I've done it before. I focus all of my willpower on one thing. Our Connection. It bursts open like a dam, power flowing over us in a pale yellow brilliance. I can feel them all. Every Slayer in every prison, in every home, in every graveyard. I feel them all, heads tipped to the sky, hands gripped tightly. And I take. I take it all and surround the three of us with that power.

Faith's eyes come open and she growls out her determination. Our portal expands slowly with the force of our will. We are all. We are many. We are one. It's almost big enough to get through right now. I turn my head to find Ramsey fighting for her life against Ditto. I start to leave the circle of power surrounding us, but it's too late. I'm too late to stop the shank from puncturing Ramsey's body over and over again.

I'm too late. I know I must have yelled though I can't hear myself. I know because Ditto looks up at me with her big wet snout and hairy ears. Her mean little eyes narrow in glee before she plunges her shank right into Ramsey's heart. A small fountain of blood sprays up and lands in fat beads around them. NO!!

But I'm too late. And Faith isn't waiting for the dead. I reach out my hand just as the cooling feel of pure energy closes over my fingertips pulling me out of that reality and into the void. It's like being pressed between two mattresses really. Almost smothering. Who would have thought that nothing would feel so heavy? My lungs burn with the effort to pull air and I think they're going to burst just before we pop back into reality. The solid ground beneath our feet is enough of a shock to send us all reeling. No no no no no.

This isn't right, we have to go back. We have to get Ramsey. A half second after that thought flies through my mind, her body tumbles out of the air above us, dropping her heavily on the ground. Cori has just enough time to leap on Ramsey and roll her out of the way before a heavier, smellier body drops in on us. Ditto.

A snarl curls her lips as she lands hard. First things first. I give Faith a look and she nods taking up a spot over Ditto with her arms crossed. I scramble over to Ramsey and take her big hands in mine.

"Hey you…"

She's just barely alive. If we can get her help…where the fuck are we anyway?

"Just stay still, okay? We're going to get you some help. Okay?"

Her hands flex once, not very tightly over mine and she coughs out a gurgling spill of blood.

"No…time."

Yes. Yes, there is. Why couldn't we have teleported to a hospital?? I look up glancing around to try and get my bearings. There has to be help nearby. There has to be. Faith kneels on the thick grass next to me.

"Looks like we made it home. Coulda probably been closer. Red's on her way."

I look where she's pointing and nod with relief at the cadre of staff pouring out of the massive front doors of Headquarters.

"Hear that Ramsey? Plenty of time. We made it."

But when I look down she's gone. Her body is here. But everything that was Ramsey is gone with the last listless twitch of her tail.

"No…you can't…no…"

Faiths arms curl around me, but I push them off. I don't want comfort, I want revenge.

I fall on Ditto like a woman possessed, striking out at any part of her I can. She's not nearly strong enough to fight me off with the power of thousands of Slayers behind me. And I really don't want to waste my time making her hurt for every little thing I suffered. No. I just want her to hurt for taking my family from me.

Her tusk comes off in my hand. I look at it before gripping it in both hands and raising them over my head. Black rage bubbles up and I wonder if this is how Faith feels when she loses herself. But I don't have to wonder too much. I'll never let ya be alone in the dark, B. Never. Never. Our eyes meet as I bring my arms down with enough force to drive the tusk right through Ditto's head.

Faith doesn't flinch. Doesn't look away. She just holds out a blood stained hand for me. I take it, noticing that my hands aren't exactly clean anymore. But then…they never really have been.

This is who I am. This is who we are. All of us. The fury ebbs but not nearly enough. It'll never be gone enough.

"Is this what you live with every day?"

I turn my gaze on Faith, noting for the first time the trails of dried blood down her face. How does she do it? Carry that inside of her all the time?

"Only when you're not with me."

Oh. A flurry of activity around me brings me out of my thoughts. Thoughts that the Slayer Nation doesn't need to know about. I close down our connection from everyone else and sag in to Faith's body.

"It's not over, B."

No. It's really not. Dante has to pay. They all have to pay. I look up at her, tears spilling down my cheeks.

"She's gone, Faith. Over or not, she's gone." And we cant bring her back no matter how badly I wish we could. Faith gives me a nod and kisses the top of my head.

"I'll tell you what I told her. We're still here. You an' me. An' the Kid."

Cori's slumped shoulders straighten at that and I put an arm around her, holding her close to us.

"We got work ta do."

Yes, we do. Faith bumps me with a little of her inner strength and I turn to face Giles as he approaches.

"Buffy…"

No time. I hold up my hand and swallow hard.

"We have to talk. But not right now."

He gives me a short nod and tucks his hands into the pockets of his slacks.

"Assemble two teams of Slayers and a team of mixed support. Magic and human."

Faith's lips curl in to a wicked grin at that.

"We're getting them all out."

Maybe not today. Maybe not even all of them this week. But I'm not stopping until all of my family is liberated.

"Gonna lay down some serious damage, huh?"

Oh yeah. Giles turns to get things in order while I look at myself.

"Not until after I shower." Ugh. I sniff myself and roll my eyes. "With a hot shower. And…"

"Real shampoo."

Yup. She's so my soul mate. I grin at Faith and take her hand to lead her into the building.

"And you."

She nods at that. I need the comfort. I need her to hold me and tell me that it's all going to be okay. And even though I know she'd never lie to me like this, I wish she would tell me we won't lose anyone else.

"You're not going anywhere, right?"

Not that I think she would bail on me now, but that little insecure part of me needs the confirmation. 

Faith stops us on the steps. Her head tips up, eyes closed to the sun.

"Can't. Every time I disappear, you end up with your ass in a sling. Gotta stick around just ta keep ya safe."

Good enough for me. More than good enough for me.

"I'm just going to have to arrange the end of the world every week to make sure it stays that way."

Her smile is brighter than the sun above when she turns her gaze on me.

"Just another Tuesday night, huh?"

Oh yeah. The buoyant feeling cools the edges of pain I feel at losing Vikrant and Ramsey, but it won't take it away. They're gone but they will never be forgotten. I run my fingers over the black swirling lines of ink on my arm. They'll live in us forever. A sense of finality settles me and I step up into the building, leaving desperation of the past year behind me. I. Am. Free.

The End