FIC: Closer to the Heart - Chapter 14
Title: Closer to the Heart
Chapter 14: Dirty Girls
Rating: PG-13?
Warnings: If you're not offended by the episode, you shouldn't be offended by this fic.
Summary: There's a new player in town.
:::
"What're we gonna do about her?" Faith gestured to the girl lying in the hospital bed. A message for the Slayer and her kin.
"Uh, I guess we should find Buffy, tell her what's going on." Willow answered, having difficulty keeping her head clear. "I-I tried calling home. Dawn says she's out patrolling."
"Let's go look for her," said Faith decisively, turning to leave. "Cemetery's more fun anyway."
"Wait," Willow said quickly. "Somebody should wait here in case she wakes up."
"Fine, sit tight," Faith instructed. "I'll be back."
"W-w-wait," Willow repeated. "Uh, maybe you meeting Buffy alone isn't the best idea."
Faith turned around.
"You told her the sitch, right?" asked the Slayer. "She knows I'm comin'. Probably been up all night hangin' streamers," she added with a sarcastic grin.
"Yeah, but…" Willow frowned in concentration, "it's not like you're study buddies, exactly. Maybe it'd be better if I - eased her into the whole thing."
"I can't stay here, Willow," Faith pointed out restlessly. "Spent way too much time in hospitals. We don't click. Don't worry. I'm sure we'll get along just fine."
She turned and left.
:::
"Buffy!" Willow exclaimed as the blonde Slayer entered the waiting area.
"Hey," she said quietly.
"Hey, do you know your cell phone's dead?" Willow questioned.
"Found that out when Spike delivered your message," replied Buffy as she pulled the witch into an embrace. "He's taking the rest of the patrol. What's the story here?"
"We found her in the middle of the road," Willow pointed to the bed where the girl was lying still and silent. "There was a truck just a few yards ahead of us. We won't know much until she wakes up. You didn't really need to come all the way out here."
"You're here," Buffy said softly, grasping the witch's hand. "And - you know, Faith. Thought we should probably talk about - well, everything. Where is she anyway?"
"You - you, uh, just missed her actually," Willow informed the Slayer. "She went out to look for you."
"Oh great," Buffy sighed. "I should probably go find her. You coming home tonight?"
"I should stay here," Willow answered sadly. "I'll call home again as soon as she wakes up."
"Okay." She gently squeezed Willow's hand. "I love you."
"I love you too."
They kissed briefly.
"I should probably go find Faith before she runs into Spike."
:::
"Okay, catching up," Faith mumbled, massaging her jaw. "Anything else I gotta know?"
"Nice to have you back," Buffy said kindly.
"Well that one's definitely new," the brunette Slayer mused as she and Buffy began walking. "Oh, hey," she said suddenly, "before I forget, Willow's down at the hospital with-"
"I've been," said Buffy shortly.
"I was home when Willow called the Niblet," Spike explained, striding along casually a few paces behind them.
"I told Spike to finish the patrol," continued Buffy, "then Willow said I'd just missed you, I thought I'd try to find you before you bumped into Spike…"
"And I was there for the rest," Faith finished.
"I meant it," Buffy assured her fellow Slayer quietly. "When I said it's nice to have you back. You're still not exactly my favorite person in the world - but we need fighters. And I know you're good at that."
"Takin' anyone you can get now?"
"I guess we are scraping the bottom of the barrel," said Buffy dryly.
"Looks to me like redemption's kind of a running theme." Faith jerked her head toward Spike.
"I guess it is," Buffy mused thoughtfully. "I mean, Spike's doing the soul thing, Andrew killed a guy, Anya slaughtered a bunch of frat boys."
"Which one's Anya?" Faith interrupted.
"Xander's girlfriend. Er…ex-girlfriend. I'm not really sure about that."
"They've been together," Spike supplemented helpfully. "Recently."
"So do you just sniff everyone?" retorted Buffy.
"No," Spike said defensively. "They did it on my sodding cot. Can't get the smell out."
"Oh." Buffy cringed.
"And…" Faith spoke quietly. "Willow - said she tried to destroy the world?"
"Yep," said the Slayer. "Did, uh - did she tell you anything else?"
"Lots of stuff," said Faith with a shrug. "Sounds like you got something specific on your mind though."
"Well…she and I - we…"
"Oh, no way!" Faith exclaimed. "You and Red are doin' the dirty?"
"That's one way to put it," Buffy admitted. "I'm guessing she didn't tell you then."
"Damn!" Faith mused with a grin. "So you're swingin' for the other team now?"
"Um - both teams," said Buffy with a blush. "But - Willow and I are, you know, in a relationship. We love each other."
"Well, good on you," Faith congratulated. "I mean, I always knew you liked to look, but didn't really see that one coming."
"She's, uh, gonna be moving into my room soon."
"When did that happen?" Spike questioned.
"Obviously not tonight," Buffy continued casually speaking to Faith, "a-and you'll have to share with Kennedy - but it's a room if you want it…"
"Thanks, B," Faith said softly. "Oh, check it out," she added as they reached 1630 Revello Drive.
"Come on in," said Buffy, opening the door.
"Whoa, memory lane," Faith reflected. "Same old house."
"Yeah, well," Buffy shrugged, "every piece of furniture's been destroyed and replaced since you left, so, actually, new house."
"Buffy?" Dawn called out from the dining room. She stood and crossed her arms, glaring at Faith.
"We have a new house guest," Buffy said quietly.
"Hey," said Faith to Dawn and Giles, who was behind her. "Got a spare bed for a wanted fugitive?"
"Hello, Faith," Giles said with a nod as he stood.
"Well, I guess 'wanted' wasn't really accurate," she clarified.
"Does she have to stay here?" said Dawn, glancing from Buffy to Faith. "Because there's some nice hotels that welcome tried-to-kill-your-sister types."
"Check it out," said Faith with a smile. "Brat's all woman-sized."
"Look, I should probably get back to the hospital," said Buffy, having no desire to deal with the multiple layers of tension in the room.
"Willow's still there," Giles assured her. "She's gonna call if the girl wakes up."
"Fine." Buffy glared contemptuously at her former Watcher before leaving the room.
"Well, Faith," Giles mumbled awkwardly, "we better, um, see if we can find some place to squeeze you in for the night."
:::
It was morning before Willow finally called. Buffy had gone in to work, only to be fired. Upon returning home, she walked in on some sort of awkward moment between Faith and a shirtless Spike. She wondered if she might be reading too much into it. And then she questioned why she should care even if they had been doing more than talking. Before she could address any of these issues, Dawn had interrupted with Willow's message.
"He was a minister, or something…" the girl, Shannon, explained. "At least, he dressed like one. I thought he was trying to save me…at first."
"He - he picked you up on the side of the road?" Buffy verified, unsure of how to tread the line between caring and practical.
"Bringers were chasing me," said Shannon. Buffy sighed heavily. "He said they were his boys…right before he burned me." She grabbed the bandage on her neck and shifted it aside, revealing the mark that had been burned into her flesh. Willow pulled a digital camera from her purse so she could take a picture of the mark.
"He wanted to tell you something," Shannon added. "Before he…cut me…he told me to give the Slayer a message."
"What is it?" Buffy asked, not knowing what else to say.
"He said, 'I have something of yours.'"
"Okay," Buffy said quietly. "You get some rest now. This guy - he's gonna get back everything he did to you - twice."
"Thanks," said Shannon weakly.
"Come on, Will," said Buffy as she turned. "We've got a target now and it's time to open fire."
:::
"We need to start arming the girls," Buffy announced to the living room at large.
"We still don't know where we're going," Willow pointed out.
"'S why I figured we'd do a little recon first," said the Slayer as she turned to Faith. "You up for it?"
"Point me where you want me," said Faith with a shrug.
"And you're certain this is the best course of action?" Giles challenged. "You don't even know what this man has of yours - if he, in fact, has anything."
"It could be a girl," Buffy supplied, "a potential trying to get to us."
"Could be a stapler," Giles countered.
"Going in anyway," answered Buffy, feeling the need for action. A corporeal target had finally presented itself and it was long past time to take the fight to them.
"With the girls?" asked Giles. "Most of whom have yet to be in the field, let alone in a life or death situation."
"Then it's time we test them," said Buffy levelly. "Look, I'll just take the ones that have been here the longest. The rest can stay behind."
"Could be that's just what he wants you to do," Spike reasoned. "The old bait-and-switch."
"Yeah," Willow agreed, "he lures you away and then kills the girls we leave behind."
"I know," Buffy assured the group. "That's why I need you to stay here with them," she said to Willow. "You're my most powerful weapon, Will. I know you can keep them safe if anything happens."
"One of these days," replied Willow, "can we have a plan where I'm not our best weapon? I don't feel very weapon-y."
"I trust you, Will," Buffy stated firmly. "I love you."
"Buffy," Xander interrupted, "an unknown man breezes into town, says he has something of yours. This thing's got 'trap' written all over it."
"He won't be expecting a full attack - not this soon," the Slayer insisted, "that's why we have to move."
"We know nothing about this man," Giles argued. "We cannot go into battle unprepared. We have to have more time."
"Giles, we don't have time," Buffy dismissed. "And you're not going into battle." Giles sighed in exasperation. "I need you to stay behind with the others. Help the girls who still need a teacher."
"Ready to motor, B?" Faith asked from the front door.
"One more thing," said Buffy. She pulled Willow close and kissed her passionately. "Start moving your stuff into my room."
"I love you, Buffy," Willow said softly.
"Love you too."
:::
Now it's a simple story. Stop me if you've heard it.
Willow sat by a hospital bed, holding Xander's hand as he recovered from the loss of his eye.
I have found and truly believe that there's nothing so bad it cannot be made better with a story.
Buffy stared blankly at Xander's bandaged head. How had it all gone so wrong?
And this one's got a happy ending.
*Come here,* Willow requested mentally, not wanting to disturb Xander's rest, but also not wanting to leave his side.
*I can't, Will.* Buffy sighed and turned her glance to the floor. *I need a walk.*
*Please don't go.* Willow looked pleadingly into the Slayer's eyes.
*I can't deal with this right now.* Fighting back her tears, the Slayer turned. *I'll come back later.*
There once was a woman…
Wounded girls lay bleeding on any flat surface they could find. They all turned to each other, a bunch of frightened, crying girls, united by their fear and mourning. They were connected; Buffy felt distant.
…and she was foul, like all women, for Adam's rib was dirty - just like Adam himself - for what was he, but human.
Dawn watched as Buffy left the living room. The Slayer, the one girl in all the world, mocked and scorned by fate itself. She left because there was no help to be had there. Surrounded by people, she felt more alone than ever.
But this woman was filled with darkness, despair, and why?
She walked down the streets of Sunnydale, blankly forcing herself to keep moving because there was nothing else.
Because she did not know. She could not see.
Evil had dealt a crushing blow.
She didn't know the good news, the glory that was coming.
She had taken the fight to them and they had laughed in her face.
That'd be you.
The First Evil had locked wills with the Slayer and it was winning.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever.
*Help me,* Buffy thought as she returned to the hospital yet again.
*Come here,* Willow requested a second time.
They grasped hands as Buffy pulled up a chair.
*I feel alone.*
You show up, they'll get in line.
*You're not.*
*It's winning.*
*We'll fight back.*
'Cause they followed her.
*Why is it always me?*
*I'll help you. You're strong and you're not alone.*
And all they have to do is take one more step and I'll kill them all.
*I feel so lost.*
*I'll always find you.*
*I can't hold on.*
*I'll help you. I've got so much strength, I'm giving it away. Lean on me, Buffy.*
*These girls are gonna die.*
*We'll find a way. There has to be something and we will find it.*
*What if there's nothing?*
See? I told you it had a happy ending.
:::
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