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Buffy hovered outside the door to Angel's mansion, pacing back and forth, her hands knotted together in turmoil. Forcing herself to stop, she drew in a deep breath and steadied her nerves. Decisively, she gave the doorknob a sharp twist and walked inside.
Angel sat on the floor next to a smoldering fire, a dusty book open in his hands.
"Buffy!" he exclaimed, shutting the book and jumping to his feet. "I wasn't expecting you. Is something the matter?"
"Something?" she blurted, "Why would you assume there's a something? Must there always be a something when I come over? Can't I visit over a nothing? A nothing is a perfectly good reason to visit someone."
"You're upset." He noted, "Is there anything you want to talk about?"
"It's nothing." She whirled and headed for the door. "I shouldn't even be here."
"Wait!" Angel called, "You can tell me."
She halted and turned back toward him, distress showing on her face. "It's really no big deal. I should probably get home anyway."
He walked around behind her and laid his hands gently on her shoulders. "Come on, Buffy. I haven't seen you for over a week. There's never been anything we couldn't talk about."
"It's . . . about a . . . guy." She whispered.
"Oh." He let his hands drop to his sides.
"Like I said, I should go."
"No, we're friends now, remember? We can talk about this. Just like we can talk about anything else."
"I don't know." She caught her lip between her teeth and folded her arms across her chest. "He moved here last week. His name is Gabriel. He's Giles nephew."
"So that explains your recent absence." He pursed his lips uneasily. "What's he like?"
"Heee's . . . nice." She hedged, trying to downplay things out of respect for his feelings.
"Nice wouldn't make you nervous like this."
"He's different." She elaborated carefully. She had not tried to put this new feeling into words yet and she wanted to be sure before she spoke. "Gabriel is smart, brave . . . loyal . . .I'm sorry. I know you don't want to hear this. I just didn't know who else I could talk to."
"So what's the problem?" Angel walked over to the fireplace and stirred the dying coals. He wouldn't be jealous, he told himself. He would keep a clear head about this and be there for Buffy because she needed him. It was hard, though, possibly too hard. "He sounds like a great guy."
"He is." She answered, "I just don't know what I should do."
"Are you worried about me?" he gave the fireplace one final stab, coaxing forth a single bright flame, before tossing a thin log on top.
"Um, helloo!" she threw her arms up in the air, "Excuse me for thinking this might have any effect on you. I was trying to be sensitive to you're feelings, but I guess there isn't any need."
"That's not it, Buffy." Angel shook his head, "I just didn't want you to make the wrong decision because of me."
"I don't even know what kind of decision to make." She paced back and forth, gesticulating sharply. "There's so much going on now. School's going to be over soon and I don't have a clue about what I'm going to do after graduation. Not to mention the Ascension. And then there's Willow and Xander and Giles and . . .you.' She paused, looking at him with wide, imploring eyes.
"Buffy, I don't want you to miss out on something good because you're worried about my feelings. I'm always going to be here for you, no matter what. But we both have to live our lives and let go of the past."
"What are you saying?" she whispered, her throat tight.
He pressed the back of his fist to his forehead and squinted in concentration. "I'm saying that we both still have our lives and we can't forget that because of what we've lost. I'd rather focus on what we still have."
"And what do we have?"
"We have friendship. Stronger than anything in the world." He wrapped his arms carefully around her. "Sometimes I miss you so much I feel like I'm going to die. But then I remember that you're still here. And I want you to know that I'm still here, too. No matter what happens." He thought about telling her now, but changed his mind. The time wasn't right. She was too confused. It would only make things worse.
"Thanks." She smiled sadly, holding on to his arm. "I'm glad I have a friend like you."
Gabriel awoke with a murderous headache. He groaned weakly and carefully sat up in bed. He wasn't in his own bed, or that of anyone he knew. And underneath the fine sheets, he was naked, he realized distantly. His throat throbbed and his stomach ached. Something was wrong; he needed his medicine.
"Looking for something?" a soft, sultry voice purred.
Gabriel started violently. The same shapely, dark-haired girl from the coffee shop sauntered across the room from the open doorway. "I-I-I need my medicine." He stammered, pressing his hand to his forehead and wincing.
"You mean this little thing?" she held a long fingered hand up, a tiny black globe pinned neatly between thumb and forefinger.
He grabbed for it, but she was quicker, drawing her hand back, just beyond his reach. He slipped out from under the sheets, following her blindly, his eyes locked on the small black pill.
She eyed his lack of shame approvingly. "I think this is going to be more fun than I thought." Placing the pill between her front teeth, she slid her hands across his bare shoulders and offered it to him.
His brow furrowed in discomfort, he snatched the medicine away from her and, jamming it into his mouth, retreated to the bed. Wrapping himself defensively in the sheets and, swallowing hard, he choked down the pill. He felt cold, but at the same time his face felt flushed. The medicine's unknown composition began flowing through him almost immediately. Gradually, the pain eased and his mind unknotted.
"You're the girl from this afternoon." he muttered from the depths of the bed sheets.
"Good guess. And it was last night, actually. You've been asleep for quite a while."
"Why did you bring me here?" he watched her suspiciously.
"You look like you're trying to imitate a teddy bear. Get up." She tossed a neatly folded pair of pants on the bed, followed by a shirt. "There's a shower in the next room. Clean yourself up. There's someone you have to meet."
Apprehensively, he gathered the clothes into his arms. He waited for her to turn around and let him pass with some small measure of his dignity intact, but had to settle for twisting the bed sheets around his waist and waddling to the shower room.
"Don't be long." She called teasingly, "The man doesn't like to be kept waiting."
Twenty minutes later, Faith piled him into a yellow cab. The car started to drive, following a complex, roundabout route until they arrived at the back of an official looking government building. Faith pulled him by the arm and lead him through an emergency exit. Inside, they started up a series of staircases leading ever upward. A short hallway later, they stood before a varnished oak door.
Faith had hardly been vigilant, carelessly forging on ahead, expecting him to follow of his own accord. Gabriel could have escaped at any time, he was sure, but there were too many questions he needed answered. He suspected strongly that the answers to his questions waited behind that door. Faith turned a small, metal key in the lock and pushed the door open. With a flourish, she swept her arm wide and waited for Gabriel to enter.
Inside, a middle aged man sat contently behind a meticulously neat desk, his hands folded in front of him. On the outside, he looked like a typical political figure, but, looking deeper, Gabriel saw far more. The man reeked of evil, with an aura of agelessness that defied explanation. Black magic was ground deep into his soul from decades of practice. This was no ordinary town mayor.
The man stood and offered his hand in friendly greeting. Gabriel glared at him darkly and made no move to return the handshake.
"All right, then," the man switched gears smoothly, "Formality aside. I trust you've been treated well during your stay here."
Gabriel refused to speak.
"I see that your extensive training failed to include professional courtesy. A pity, young people today have forgotten the social niceties. Faith?"
The dark-haired slayer moved obediently and jammed a sharp elbow into the small of Gabriel's back, driving him to his knees. Gripping him roughly under the chin, she forced his head up to face the Mayor. With conscious effort, he prudently kept his hands from grabbing her slender wrists.
"Now that's better." The Mayor smiled ingratiatingly,
"Faith?" Gabriel repeated softly. He looked at her disdainfully. "You're the other Slayer."
Viciously, she grabbed him by the throat. "I'm the ONLY Slayer."
"Now, Faith." The mayor raised a cautioning hand. Faith released him, roughly dropping his head.
The mayor nodded approvingly. "First off, let me welcome you to the team."
"What are you talking about?" Gabriel asked suspiciously.
"As of now, you work for me."
"You're crazy." He spat, "Let me go."
"We aren't in the business of keeping prisoners, Gabriel. May I call you Gabriel? Good." He stepped out from behind his desk, a small glass vial in his hand. "I, we, would prefer that you stay here of your own free will."
"So if I get up and walk out of here, you're not going to stop me?" Gabriel arched an auburn eyebrow incredulously.
"Absolutely." The Mayor assured him with a practiced smile, "You can leave at any time." Deliberately, he placed the glass vial on the desk, plainly in Gabriel's view.
Something inside the auburn-haired youth jerked at the sight. The sensation was similar to hunger only in that it was a need, an absolute requirement for existence. Every cell in his body recognized the tiny black globes within the glass vial and struck up a chorus of demand. He fought it, forcing his eyes away, and focused instead on Mayor Wilkins.
"Can you give me a ride to the park, then?" he asked casually. "I feel like an ice cream cone."
Faith jerked his head back so far that his throat was strained and looked down into his green eyes. "He's good. I almost believed he wasn't dying to grab that bottle and down it." She noted keenly. "The voice was good, but you can't cover that look in the eyes. Like he'd sell his soul for one more taste. He's hooked, alright. Bad."
"Sell his soul?" the Mayor rubbed his chin in consideration. "Now that's interesting."
"Where did you get those?" Gabriel demanded.
"I'm a very resourceful man, Gabriel. Something you should keep in mind when you consider my offer."
"What do you want from me?" Gabriel didn't like this at all.
The Mayor looked down at him beatifically. "I want you to think of me as your friend, Gabriel. Like a big brother. There are a lot of advantages to having a benefactor in my position. Someone of your talents could go quite far. Just look at how well Faith is doing. You won't find better fringe benefits anywhere in the country, I assure you. On the other hand, those who stand against me are taking their futures into their own hands."
He clapped his hands together and gave them a quick rub with a sterile towellette. "I think we're done here, Faith. Gabriel has a lot to think about, but he seems to know where everyone stands. Take him back and see that he gets set up in his room comfortably. We have to keep our boy happy."
Faith looked to the Mayor shrewdly and smiled. She released Gabriel's head and he let his eyes drop to the floor. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right about his medicine. Even now, so soon after a dose, he could feel the craving burrowing up from within. If this was only the beginning, he prayed for resilience.
"Oh, one more thing." The mayor called, as Faith pushed Gabriel toward the door, "There are two things I believe very strongly in. Cleanliness and loyalty. I think you should stay away from those friends of yours. They're a bad influence on you, trouble makers, all of them." Tossing the vial of pills to Faith, he sat back behind his desk and began sifting through a stack of paperwork. I'll leave it in your hands to see that he is rewarded for good behavior. And punished for his mistakes. Enjoy the ride home, I'll be in touch."
"You bet." She smiled, hooking her arm through Gabriel's and guiding him away.
Soon after, Faith returned him to the room where he had first awoken. The spacious and well furnished apartment was hers, it seemed. "You really shouldn't get all bent out of shape over this, Handsome." She kicked off her black, leather boots and sat back on the end of her bed. "You don't have a heckuva lot of choices here, so why don't you sit back and enjoy the ride. I mean look around. How many kids our age have all this?"
"Is it worth it?" he muttered, standing just outside the doorway.
"What?" she asked, baffled.
"This." He gestured around them. "All the possessions in the world won't change how you feel about yourself."
"Spare me the shrink lecture. I like myself just fine. I'll never know why people think denying themselves makes them into a better person. Some people are just born better, like you and me. I say get whatever you want out of life and let everyone else fend for themselves." She stroked the bed sheets next to her. "So do want to be on top or bottom?"
"You've got to be kidding me." He looked tiredly at her. "Where is my room?"
"Right here, Handsome." Faith rose and pressed her hands against his chest, sliding her long fingers under the neck of his shirt. "Boss man wants to make sure all your . . . needs are satisfied. Like I said before, this is going to be a lot of fun."
He angrily grabbed her by the wrist. "I heard him tell you to get me set up in my room. Where is it?"
"Suit yourself, " She spat, jerking her arm free. "You'll be back."
"Where?" he reiterated impatiently.
Faith turned away, rolling her eyes in disgust. "Whatever. Downstairs, first door."
He turned and left immediately, heading directly for the stairs.
"Remember what I said, Handsome." Faith's derisive chuckled followed him down the hallway. "You'll be back!"
Buffy was walking along a dark street, a wooden stake in her hand. Her mother was with her and they were looking for something. Or someone.
"You know Buffy, I think you should invite Angel over for dinner?" Joyce suggested, "He likes meatloaf, doesn't he?"
Buffy turned and found herself in her own kitchen. Her mother was gone and Angel sat at the table, pondering a cold plate of meatloaf. She approached him and he looked up. The meatloaf was untouched. "This smells so good, but I can't eat it. What would happen to the world?" He turned his head back and continued to stare into the plate.
"Angel? What's going on?" she asked.
His head snapped up and he pointed to the door with a shining silver fork. "It's for you."
The back door opened and a young girl of perhaps five years stood in the doorway. She had dark hair that hung in loose curls over the shoulders of her little black dress and her black-irised eyes glittered with mischief and intelligence. Strangely, she wore oversized black boots that reached to the tops of her thighs. "You wanna play?" the little girl asked, a shining black ball the size of a human head appearing in her hands.
"I-I don't think so." Buffy answered. There was something she had to find, but she couldn't remember what it was.
"I don't need you anyway." the little girl snarled viciously and threw the ball at her. "He'll play my game."
Buffy ducked under the ball and ran to the door. Gabriel knelt down in the grass, the forefinger of each hand encased in a small woven puzzle that she recognized as the Chinese Finger Trap. The little girl stood beside him, peering down at his hands.
"He's not as much fun to play with." She pouted, "He has a cold."
"What do you want me to do?" Buffy asked, watching Gabriel struggle to pull his fingers apart.
"Ask them." The little girl pointed across the yard to a painted white swing set. Two men sat on the swings, cloaked in a blanket of darkness, the one on the right swinging, the other stone still.
"He set up the game." The little girl indicated the still figure, "And he makes up the rules."
A cold, white light washed across them, illuminating their faces. The man on the right, she recognized immediately as the Mayor of Sunnydale, the other, however, was a stranger. He was tall, dressed in expensive clothes, his auburn hair carefully groomed. She placed his age at somewhere around thirty-five. He stared at her coldly, still as a statue, his eyes like yellow-green ice. He stood slowly, a solid looking sword, like the one Giles was keeping in the library only this one had a blade, appearing in his hand. He walked over to Gabriel and hefted the weapon high over the oblivious young man's head.
"It's payback time, Ripper." He whispered, bringing the sword down full force.
Buffy dove to intercept it, but time seemed to bend and she moved impossibly slow. The heavy metal blade connected with Gabriel's back and he shattered like a stained glass window, shards flying in all directions.
The little dark haired girl bent and began gathering up the pieces into her tiny hands. "The game is over now." she lamented, "I wanted to play longer."
"Buffy, are you all right?" It was Angel, dressed all in white and wearing dark sunglasses. "You're bleeding."
Shocked, she looked down to find a shard of glass embedded in her chest. The fragment was long and narrow, containing the image of a lengthwise strip of Gabriel's face, an inch and a half wide, running from just above his eyebrow down to his chin.
"Help me." He said, his jaw and lower lip disappearing into her wound each time his mouth opened.
She awoke with a start, jerking straight in her desk. Before her was a plain sheet of paper with her name scribbled in the upper left corner. Next to that was a photocopied page with ten questions in thick black typeface printed on it. She looked around to see her classmates, diligently scratching out answers on their test papers. Without a word, she stood up and went for the door. Ignoring the teacher's complaints, she bolted into the hallway and broke into a run for the library.
Giles rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That's a very interesting topic." He said to the young senior. "It's a bit late to be choosing a thesis but I suppose better late than never."
The young man shifted uncomfortably and waited patiently.
Buffy rushed into the room and walked straight up to Giles. "We've got trouble." She stated plainly.
Giles gaze flicked nervously from the student to her then back to the student again. "Check the auto-biographicals." He gestured absently with his hand. "In the back."
Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, the student grabbed his backpack and headed toward the far side of the room, thoroughly disgusted. Giles waited until he was an acceptable distance away before turning back. "Buffy, you really must be more discreet when speaking on matters that are . . . work related."
"Later, Giles, have you seen Gabriel since yesterday?" She watched him expectantly.
"Well, yes, he came in a little late last night, but I did see him." Giles forehead furrowed. "He was restless, though, and he went for a walk."
"When did he get back?"
"Well . . . I don't know. I was asleep soon after he left." Giles was a little confused but not worried. "I assume he came home all right."
"Check again," she reached over the desk and handed him the phone, "I hope I'm wrong, but I have a feeling he's in real trouble."
He stormed up the stairs, every blood vessel in his body on fire. The muscles of his upper body hovered on the edge of cramping and chill sweat gathered on his upper lip. He paused, leaning heavily against the wall just outside Faith's door.
"Open up, Faith!" he barked, carefully keeping his waning strength in reserve.
The door to her room opened slowly and she leaned casually against the jam, arms folded across her chest. "You bellowed, handsome?"
He shifted uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck in agitation. "I-I wanted to talk."
Her lips twisted in a bitter smile and she threw her arm wide, inviting him in. "I told you you'd be back. You must be Jonesin' big time. This is going to be fun,"
Hurriedly, he followed her inside, clasping and unclasping his hands.
"You know why I'm here." He said, dropping all attempts at pretense.
"Yeah, " she shrugged, looking him up and down, "I know. But it's not important."
He watched her close the door and follow him into the room, her dark eyes piercing him like an angry predator's.
"What matters now is what you're going to do to earn it." She pressed herself against his chest, her face barely an inch from his. She blew softly across his neck and scratched the fingernails of her opposite hand across his cheek. Gabriel's jaw tightened in disgust.
"Keep acting like this and a girl could get the idea that you don't like her." She teased, running her fingers roughly through her own tousled hair. "Lemme tell you something, Handsome. I OWN you, understand? You belong to me and when I want something, you damn well better be ready to give it up."
"Just give me the pill and let me leave." His folded his arms tightly across his chest. He could feel the tremors starting. He needed that pill.
"Forget it." She sneered. "You're going to jump through some hoops and you're going to learn to like it." She produced one of Gabriel's pills from behind her back. "Or don't you want it."
Longing filled his eyes and she knew she had him. He found it so hard to think lately. It seemed much easier just to let someone else make the decisions for him. No thought, no stress. Faith grinned and kissed him hungrily. He snapped out of his daze, breaking away from her and shaking his head. "No. Not with you. Ever."
"It's her, isn't it?!" Faith's eyes flared and she slashed her fingernails deep into his cheek. "Damn it, just once I'd like to turn around without that BITCH'S face showing up!" She slammed her fist against the wall and shoved Gabriel hard. He stumbled back, clutching his wound.
"You know how sick I am of hearing that name?! Buffy, Buffy, Buffy! What the hell is it about her?!" She paced, agitated, for a while, a dangerous glint in her eye. A devious plan was forming.
"I have the chance to get back at her now, thanks to you, make her pay for everything she's done to me. Come on, we've got work to do." Grabbing up a small carry bag, she headed for the door.
"Wait. The pill? Please?" he was appalled at how weak his voice sounded.
Without looking, Faith hit him with a backhand slap that snapped his head sharply to the side. "You'll get your pill when I feel like giving it to you. Now, come on."
He watched her leave, determined not to follow. The craving gnawed at him, though, and, his heart sick with self loathing, he trailed after her.
She led him downstairs and across the street to a wide, single level, brick building. It was well-kept, but definitely vacant. All the windows were painted black from the inside, Gabriel noted. Faith produced a sturdy key and slipped it into the lock on the heavy metal door. Gabriel heard a solid bolt click open from inside and then the door was opened. He walked inside, his stomach uneasy and his muscles sore from lack of the drug. It was dark inside and there was an oddly familiar scent of sterile age. He recognized it immediately as the stench of vampires. He hugged himself against an imaginary coldness and hovered close to the comfort of the light that streamed in through the doorway.
"What are we doing here?" he asked uneasily.
"You're here for some training. I want to see just how good you are." She allowed the heavy door to slam shut, plunging the room into complete blackness. A moment later, there was a sharp snap and the room was bathed in harsh yellow light from above.
A group of vampires, almost a dozen in number, surrounded them in a rough semi circle, grinning evilly.
"Boys, this is Gabriel." Faith purred, "Gabriel meet the boys. They're going to get you into shape before the big job."
"Job?" Gabriel narrowed his eyes skeptically.
Faith dragged a folding metal chair away from the wall and sat down on it backwards. "You'll find out when you're ready. Right now, I think you have more important things to worry about."
He barely turned in time to catch his first attacker, a ferocious, wiry vampire with wild, hate filled eyes. Ducking aside, he smashed his knee into the creature's midsection and knocked it back with a solid uppercut. Spinning, he took another one behind the knee with a quick foot sweep. He backed cautiously away, his hands ready.
"Come on, Gabriel!" Faith shouted, "I thought you were a fighter. Show me something impressive and you might get a prize!" She brandished one of Gabriel's pills between her thumb and forefinger.
The sight of the pill ignited something inside him. Outrage and shame fused with the evergrowing feeling of powerlessness that clung to him. Studying the group of vampires with bloodthirsty eyes, he relaxed into a predatory fighting stance. Here was on outlet, a place to vent his anger without consequence. The death of evil was nothing to be mourned. Wasting no time, he rushed the creatures, appearing amongst them in a fury of savage punches and swift kicks. Each time he took a vampire from its feet, he struck a blow for freedom, reminded himself who he really was. He killed them with innovative methods and imaginative moves, using whatever tools were available.
There was a muffled ringing from inside Faith's pocket and she quickly withdrew her cell phone.
"Yeah?" she answered. There was a short pause. "Already? But we're right in the middle of training." She paused again to watch Gabriel as he vented his rage on the group of vampires. "Yeah, he's not doing too bad. Sure. No problem. We'll be there in five." She closed the phone and stuffed it back into her pocket.
"Make it quick, Handsome." Faith smiled, approving of his efficient brutality, "That was Boss Man on the phone. Says its time for you to step up to the plate. We're out of here in five." She leaned back against the warehouse wall, folding her arms across he chest, and waited.
Seeming unaware of her, with a wild grin on his face, Gabriel brandished a shattered length of wood and thrust out his chin in challenge to the remaining vampires. Faith yawned and checked her watch, unconcerned. She and Gabriel were the only ones who knew, without a doubt, that not one of his opponents would still be alive in five minutes.
Buffy paced back and forth in agitation. "Where else could he be? Someone must have kidnapped him."
They had been looking for hours, despite the fact that they had no idea where to start, and found nothing. Even their most recent stop, the ice cream parlor he had visited with Buffy, had yielded no clues.
Giles looked up at her gravely from where he sat on the edge of the curb. "Perhaps not. He may have simply gone back to Edinburgh."
"Without any of his things." She furrowed her brow, perplexed.
"He hadn't really brought much with him. Hardly enough to keep him here, that's for sure."
"Call your brother. See if he's heard anything." She suggested quickly.
"I've been calling Gerritt for a week with no luck, but I'll try again. Check local transportation out of town. I'll make a few calls."
"I don't think he left on his own, Giles." Buffy reminded him, "The dream was definitely pointing the finger at dark forces."
"Right now, I can't think of any other options." Giles shrugged tiredly. It was clear that he blamed himself for Gabriel's disappearance.
Buffy laid her hand consolingly on his arm. "Go back to the library. Try and get some rest. I'll hit the bus station."
"Where is it, old man?" Faith growled, twisting Giles' collar tighter around his throat. His eyes bulged and he fell back, upsetting a stack of books he'd been cataloging. He could only hear them hit the floor dully through the rush of blood in his ears. She loosened her grip and let him breathe again.
She had taken him completely unaware, so engrossed was he in his own thoughts and worry over Gabriel. She and three vampires had burst into the room and, within seconds, she had had him immobilized.
"I-I sold it to a travelling circus." He coughed. "I imagine you'll find them somewhere near Prague by now."
"I don't have time for this!" she back handed him to the floor and viciously drove a pointed boot into his ribs. The librarian curled up, clutching his side. "You know I'm not the most patient girl around and you probably figured out how I like to hurt people, too. Save us both some pain and aggravation and just cough up the Sword."
"You-you're right, Faith." He agreed weakly, "I see no point in lying to you further."
"Well?" she tapped her foot, "Where is it?"
Giles sat up and shrugged. "You're too late. A pack of flying elephants arrived early this morning and carried it off."
Faith's face darkened with outrage and she kicked him hard in the midsection. He doubled over in agony, his lips still bent in a smile of triumph.
"I found something." One of her vampire minions announced.
Faith left Giles huddled on the floor and approached the metal cage that was built against the wall. Inside, she could see a metal bound box, etched with runes.
"You wouldn't be stupid enough to hide it here, would you?" she chuckled condescendingly as she threw her shoulder against the door, easily snapping the lock.
Giles struggled to his feet desperately, but the other two vampires quickly closed in from both sides.
Faith tugged the top of the box open and reached inside. She withdrew the bladeless Sword of Seals.
"Got it." She grinned, slipping the treasure into her backpack. "Let him go, boys. He deserves to be around to see the end when it comes."
The doors to the library parted and Buffy strode in "No luck at the bus station, Giles. You haven't heard from him yet, have you? I was-" She stopped dead in her tracks.
"Buffy, stop her. She has the Sword!" Giles cried.
The blonde slayer burst into action. Vaulting the main desk, she whipped a stake out of her backpack and speared one of the vampires holding Giles before it could even move. Leaving it to fall to dust, she kicked the other in the chest, knocking it flat. Half a second later, it was no more than a whiff of ash in the air. The third tried to take her from behind, but she deftly sidestepped and threw the creature over her shoulder. It landed with a loud crash and stared for a second at the three inches of wooden stake sticking out of its chest before it, too, turned to dust.
"Giles, are you all right?" she crouched to help the battered librarian to his feet.
"Go, " he said, pointing to an open window in the back. "Faith already has a head start on you. I'll be fine here."
Obediently, she leaped up and pulled herself through the small window. Dropping to the ground outside, she caught a glimpse of Faith disappearing down the street. Bolting after her, she cut across the school grounds and bounded over a rock wall. She pushed herself harder than ever before. If Faith got away with the Sword, their hopes of sealing the Hellmouth would be gone. There was no other choice. Faith had to be stopped. She rounded a sharp corner and saw the other slayer ahead of her, closer than she had expected. The dark-haired girl slipped into an alley, throwing trash cans behind her as she went. Buffy bounded over the obstacles easily, steadily gaining ground on her quarry.
"Give it up, Faith!" she shouted, "You're not going to get away!"
Faith shot a glance over her shoulder. "Watch me!" She sped down another alley with a mad cackle. Following close behind, Buffy spotted a black car waiting in the shadows at the end. No! If Faith reached that car, she would escape for sure. There was just not enough time to close the gap between them. The Sword was as good as gone and, with it, their hopes for the future.
Buffy's heart soared as a tall, dark figure stepped into the mouth of the far end of the alley. Faith skidded to an abrupt stop, barely a few feet short of him. Buffy slowed and closed on her from behind, watching her carefully.
"Where you going now, Faith?" she walked with her hands open and her arms slightly apart, ready for any desperate moves from the other slayer.
"Hey there, lover." Faith smiled cruelly and wrapped her arms around Gabriel's neck. Pressing her lips to his, she kissed him deeply.
Buffy looked on in horror. Her petite mouth quivered in shock and her eyes filled with moisture. "No." she whispered, her voice tight with hurt, "Gabriel, no, please, no."
As the two parted, Faith turned to face her, pressing her back teasingly into Gabriel, her arms switching grips over her head, still locked around his neck. "Your boy is mine now, B." Faith purred, "And this is just the first thing I'm going to take from you." She slunk around behind Gabriel, sliding her arms down around his waist. "Be ready."
Buffy's face grew stern with anger and she lunged forward, grasping for Faith's arm. Gabriel, silent and almost motionless until now, shot his hand out and caught her by the wrist.
"Let me go!" she cried, her emotions boiling over.
"Buffy, just let us leave." He said somberly, looking down at her, his face an emotionless mask. "Please."
"Wait, no." the words were barely audible as they left her lips, "You can't-"
Faith waved mockingly and climbed into the back seat of the car. Gabriel released Buffy's arm and backed away, his face stricken. She could do nothing but watch as he sank into the leather seat next to Faith and closed the door with an echoing thud. She flinched violently at the sound. It shot through her with chilling clarity, flooding her mind with painful memories. She was in Angel's old apartment and he was calmly explaining how everything that she had come to believe about their relationship was a lie, that she was just a foolish girl who meant nothing to him. It had felt like her whole world was collapsing around her, so harsh was the betrayal. She was reminded poignantly of that pain now. The car pulled away and it felt like her heart would turn to dust. She stood, silent and still, long after the car was gone until, finally, she let the tears flow.