Go time.

[impossible_son]

Tracking Faith together, my father and I, was definately a change. For the better I think. It had been the better part of 10 years, though I use the phrase lightly, since I'd seen him. That's a long time, but...he still seemed so unsure about my presence. It was like he was afraid that I was still just like I had been, fresh out of Quortoth.

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[the_god_illyria]

Angel and the boy started to pick up the pace and one could only assume that Faith's scent had gotten stronger. I followed closely behind them, and then as we neared a house. Wesley’s agitation had grown considerably, and Angel seemed just as eager to find her as Wesley and Connor. It was... as humans would say, nice, to see the vampire be the being he once was.

Suddenly there was the sound of shattered glass near by, I looked in the direction of the sound and saw the boy sprinting towards it. We all followed and seconds later, we saw the Slayer on the ground. The boy had been the first one to reach her, followed by Wesley and then Angel. They exchanged words and moments later she collapsed once more.

"We should get her back to the house,"

"And fast," I added.

"Whatever catapulted her through the window may still be there, watching." I wanted to investigate the situation, wanted to go after whatever had taken her. But if this 'something' was strong enough to make a slayer come to her knees, it would only be absurd to try and go after it without weapons, especially if this was the demon we were all looking for. I was angered by the situation. But I could see no way around it. Even with the slayer's healing abilities, it was obvious that she needed some medical attention, and every moment we spent here, we put ourselves at risk... we made ourselves easy targets.

[impossible_son]

As soon as Wes rushed to her side, I backed up. They all kept saying how we had to get out of there. How we needed to get her to safety...

And we did, but I wasn't about to turn back now. The thing that killed my family was in there, and there is no way I was just going to come back another day. I couldn't.

I stood there, staring at the broken window. Should storm the castle. Take him by suprise. "We can't leave now," I said softly, not to anyone in particular, really. Don't even know if it was loud enough for anyone to hear.

I took a few steps closer to the window, and I could see inside the place, it didn't look like anyone was on her trail...but I could feel his prescence, radiating like cold heat. Shaking my head, I turned back to face them. "We can't leave now. I can't leave. Have to do this..."

I don't think I was asking them for permission, and I don't know what held me back from jumping right in there. If this was 10 or so years ago, I would have been in the window. without even a glance back, in a heartbeat.

It needs to end here.

[_wes_pryce_]

This is going smashingly. We've just barely gotten out of Limbo, barely back to being alive and she's already jumping out of windows. I swear to several deities, that woman has a window jumping fixation. The last time she managed to drag me along with it, but she wasn't as hurt then. Whatever that bastard did, he'll pay for it.

But not now. He'll be prepared now. We'll need to get back to the house and regroup, come up with a plan. Faith can help us with that once she's healed. "If you attack him now, Connor, he'll win. Because you are not prepared. If you allow your anger to carry you through the fight, you'll lose and will have gained nothing."

Carefully picking up Faith, I move up to my feet and look at him. "Well get him, you can count on it. But in our own time, at our own terms."

Cradling Faith to my chest, I glance over at Illyria and Angel before turning back the way we came. If they want to stay here, then so be it. But they both probably know as well that we are ill prepared and Faith needs taking care off. Let's hope Tara has a well filled first aid kit. Then again, with Spike around, she probably does.

[mr_angel]

The tone in Connor's voice made me pause. He wanted to-.. he wanted to end this tonight. Not that I blamed him, but were we ready to simply barge in there and face Kakistos plus whatever else he had in there with him? If he'd managed to kidnap Faith and do whatever he had to her while she was inside.. we needed to be more prepared.

My eyes went from Connor to Faith in Wesley's arms then back to Connor again. I was torn between someone I cared about who'd ultimately been the one to have gotten me out of the world of doubt I'd been drowning myself in and then my son? I knew that if Connor was going into that building then I couldn't let him go in there alone especially now, but I knew we needed to be prepared. To have some sort of plan, be armed.

"Connor,.. I know that you're-" What? Angry? Grieving? Wanting some kind of revenge? "You can't go in there now, not like this. We don't know what all he's capable of or who he might have guarding him. He will pay for what he's done to.. he will."

[the_god_illyria]

I could feel the rage emanating from Connor. I could feel it in waves... pounding. I felt it too. I had been looking for the Kakistos for a long time. I rid the world of him, to make him pay for what he had done. I had seen it, seen what Connor had seen. The massacre, the blood and so, I felt the rage too.

But Angel and Wesley were right. This was no the time. We were not ready to face such a foe. Not yet. I turned to look in Wesley's direction as he carried Faith in his arms. He was already almost ten steps ahead of us.

I turned back around, and walked past Angel and stood in front of Connor. I was not going to let him walk in there and risk his life so foolishly. I tilted my head to one side and frowned slightly.

"Do you wish to die this way?" I asked.

"Do you wish to foolishly put yourself at risk and go in there blind? Is that something Dawn would have wanted you to do?" I didn't know what his reaction would be, and frankly, I didn't quite care.

"He will destroy you if you go in there now, and then what? What good will come of that? We need to be prepared for this, I want to destroy him as much as you do, for what he did, for everything he's ever done... but if we do this now, this way, then you and all of us die, and nothing will be accomplished. The death of your loved ones would have been in vain." I said. I stared at him for a moment, before turning around and making my way back from where we came.

[impossible_son]

One by one they all tried to talk me out of it. Words falling on nearly deaf ears. Could tell that Wes didn't want any part of me just running in there and trying to do this myself. Always the 'logical' one, he always wants to plan rather than attack. It's old and it gets annoying. "Nothing is on our own terms anymore," I said softly to Wes, watching as his lifted Faith up and left.

Things stopped being on our own terms the night he took Dawn's life. It was his game, his terms, and if we kept backing down like this, he'd end up winning anyway. I couldn't have that. Just couldn't.

When my father spoke, I knew he didn't know what to say. Didn't know what to do. I did know, however, that if I went in there, he'd follow. And that...that meant something. His words, however, struck something in me that nearly made me sick. He didn't know what I was feeling. Don't think I did either. Only...my mind went to how I had felt. Flashed back to the things I see every night in my nightmares.

Blood. Dawn's blood. My son's blood. Puddled on the floor and stained on the wall. My own tears mixed with their blood. Can never shake that off, he needs to pay. "He needs to pay now..." I said to my dad, but I didn't even recognize the thickness of my own voice. It sounded weak, and hurt. Can't let that take me now, can't be weak.

Just as I was taking a step to go in there, my eyes fixed on the inside of the house, not on anyone, Illyria stepped in front of me. Was going to tell her to move when she started speaking. Now...after Fred's...death, I never really trusted Illyria. Well, not as much as I trusted Fred, but...her words made sense I guess. Cut through the haze that was my own pain. But she was right. If I went in there, and I lost, caused them to lose, if none of us made it...then what would Dawn think?

She'd be disappointed? I think so. But, that would be the least of it. If we went in there and lost, then this bastard would be able to have free reign over whatever he wanted. More lives would be lost, and every thing that we ever tried to do to be heroes would have been in vain.

I didn't respond to her when she spoke, just watched as she walked off. I looked to my father for a moment. So many thoughts flooding my mind all at once. Memories. Dreams. Anger.

I looked down at my hands, only to see them shaking. Had to do something. If I couldn't take him down tonight than I had to at least leave him a message. I looked at my father again before jumping through the window. Didn't know how much time I had, just knew I had to leave him something. Make sure he knew I was here and it wasn't over.

Deciding how to leave my message, I pulled the dagger from the sheath under my shirt, and brought the blade across my hand. Barely even felt it. Letting the blood pool some in my palm, eyes fixed on it, I walked to the wall across from me. Threw the lousy, cheap, painting that was there, across the room and pressed my palm to the wall. Pulled my hand down it, leaving a red streak.

He's going to know I've been here. I know where he is. And I--we are going to get him. Staring at the mark for another moment, I replaced the dagger in it's place and jumped back out the window, eyes set on the ground, as I followed Wes and Illyria back to the house.