FF: Redmption 2/2

["The Fool" <honouredfool@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Title: Redemption 2/2

Disclaimer: Joss and all those other tv type people own BtVS characters and despite repeated attempts to convince him of the value of a extensive soundtrack collection, he's not budging on the trade offers.

Feedback: The thought of it comforts me while at my hell job.

Authour's Notes: This was a long time coming due to no internet but I hope you like it. Contains further character death. :( When I grow up (Like that will ever happen) I'm going to name my first kid after Shyfox for all the beta she does for me.


Chapter Two.

Cordelia was angry. //No, angry isn't quite the right word. Cordelia is mad? No, that wasn't it. Enraged? No, not that either. Oh I know! Cordelia is livid.// Xander grinned inwardly at his brilliant choice of word.

"That goddamned-- Why the hell did she? Where? What was she thinking? Fuck! Xander are you even listening to me?"

"I hear ya C. I don't know the answers to any of your questions though. I don't really have the inside track on what goes on in that girl's head."

"Maybe she was unhappy with her orgasms." Xander groaned. //Thank you Anya.//

"You're an idiot you know that?" Cordelia turned and stormed from the room bursting into tears as she ran.

"You know Anya, sometimes you really can be a total idiot." Xander turned and headed for the door calling after his fleeing friend. "Cordelia wait! I know that's not why she left." He caught up with her in the living room. "Come on now, you know that's not why she left. She must have had a good reason. She'll be back soon and then you can ask her."

"Or punch her."

"I'm gonna go with not a very good idea Cordy."

"What's not a good idea?" Willow and Buffy came in from outside. 
"Punching Faith."

"Gotta go with Xander on this one Cordy." Buffy remembered the pain of hitting her fellow Slayer. And of being hit by her. "Trust me." That sort of made the former May Queen smile. //She'll be back. She loves me.//

***

//God I miss her. I wonder if she hates me now. I bet she's really pissed. Maybe dad will be able to calm her down. I wonder why he didn't try to stop me? Probably knew that I had to do this. I have to figure out why.// Faith wandered along the mountain path, not exactly sure where she was going, but knowing that she had to get there. She continued along the path for hours, never slowing or stopping until she stumbled into a beautiful clearing, with sun coming down through the branches. Faith's breath caught in her throat.

"It's like something out of a movie isn't it?" She whirled around to face the intruder. "What are you doing Faith? Why did you run?" The old man stared calmly out of deep blue eyes at the torn face of his surrogate daughter.

"I had to think. What you showed us. It confused me. Do I really love her? Or do I just want to hurt her because she's the most beautiful thing I have?" As she spoke tears welled in her eyes.

"Shhh?I can't answer you these things my daughter. I don't believe you'd ever hurt her, but you have to figure this all out yourself. Stay here, it is a place very conducive to thinking, I myself often visit. No one will disturb you. Hurry though, she was crushed by your leaving. All she does is mope about."

"She mopes?"

"It's a ghastly thing to behold. I'll go now. Goodbye Faith."

"Goodbye Father." The old man turned and walked out of the clearing, leaving Faith alone with her thoughts again. //Oh well, at least she doesn't hate me yet.//

***

"Willow? Hey Wills? I got us a table at The Hellmouth, you know that new place that Harmony opened? It's supposed to be really great, well for a place run by a vampire at least." //Something's not right.// "Wills?"

WE WIN

"Oh God. Oh no. XANDER!!!! GILES!!! HELP ME!!!" //She's gone.//

*** 
"THEY DID WHAT?!"

"They kidnapped her. We think." 
"That's against the rules. What the hell does he think he's doing? There was to be NO interference. DAMNIT!" Owen Roberts was actually on fire with anger, in that his fingertips were burning.

"Umm Master, your fingers are burning my couch."

"What?" the old man looked down at his hands. "Oh sorry Rupert." A quick shake and they were both put out. "Where's Buffy?"

"She hasn't moved from her room since Xander put her there two days ago. I don't think she'll be of much help." Giles sighed. //One Slayer crippled by grief, on missing in action.// Master what are we going to do?"

"Call Xander and Cordelia. Tell Spike to guard the Mansion. He's to kill anyone who comes near it who isn't instantly recognizable as one of us. I'll be at St. Patrick's. Bring Xander and Cordelia with you." Owen didn't even wait for Giles to acknowledge his instructions he just turned and left. Giles reached for his phone.

"Hello Xander?"

"What's the news Giles?"

"He's very angry. He accidentally burned my couch. Something about how the rules had been broken. He wants us to meet him at St. Patrick's. Bring Cordelia with you and meet us there."

"Sure thing Giles."	
"Xander I need to speak to Spike."

"You got it. See you in ten."

"What is it Giles?"

"How is she?"

"Helpless as a kitten. What's this I hear about a meeting?"

"You won't be there. Owen wants you to stay and guard the house. I believe his exact words were "He's to kill anyone who comes near it who isn't instantly recognizable as one of us." So I'd suggest you do just that."

"Got it. Giles?"

"Yes Spike?"

"You'd bloody well find her in good health or it will kill Buffy."

"We'll try."

"Don't try. Do."

"Goodbye Spike."

***

//Well you filthy wretch what do you have to say for yourself?//

//Brother, whatever do you mean?//

//You know damn well what I mean, magician.//

//Ouch. No, I'm afraid I don't.//

//You stole her. It's against the rules. Do you know what you've done?//

//I stole no one! Do you have any idea what my Master would do to me if I broke the rules? The very thought of it?//

//WE WIN. It was written in the wall. One of your creatures stole her.//

//I don't think?TALOS! He wouldn't have though, I told him so many times?//

//Talos? You actually kept that idiot around?//

//He has his uses, sort of like a sledge hammer. He must of thought he could ensure our victory by kidnapping her. That JACKASS! I'll have his eyes!//

//No you won't. I will. And I'll have the rest of him. This one's ours, I will broke no interference.//

//If you insist. It wasn't me though brother.//

//Don't ever call me that again. I am no brother to you and your kind. You betrayed me. Betrayed us all.//

World's away two old men turned away from each other wondering about what could have been. The thoughts rose unbidden in both and were quickly suppressed by walls of millennia old hatred. What was in the past was in the past. They had work to do.

"Master? We're here." Giles looked up at the choir loft to see if Owen was there. 
"I'm in the tower Giles. Hold on I'll be right down." Seconds later the old man emerged from a door at the far end of the church.

"How'd you do that?" Cordelia asked him, smiling for the first time since Faith left.

"Magic of course." The old man embraced his daughter's love. "She still loves you." He whispered in the girl's ear. "Now this is what needs to be done. Cordelia I need you to go straight to Buffy, she'll need another woman around until we can get Willow back. Try and distract her as much as possible. Plus Spike seems to enjoy your company and I imagine he's not too happy right now.

"Giles, I need you to hit the books, find out everything you can about a vampire named Talos. He's very old, very mean and inhumanly stupid. Try and find any clues about where he might hide if necessary. Avoid places that other demons would hide out too. He'll be avoiding other soldiers of the Dark as well as hiding from us. Work quickly because time is of the essence. 
"Xander, I need you to find Faith. I can give you a vague idea but other than that you're on your own. Begin by checking out the woods on the mountain, you should find her there. Just remember to concentrate very hard on finding Faith. Don't let your mind wander or you'll get lost. That's all."

"Master, what will you be doing?

"I have to talk to my own Masters. I don't think you quite understand what a precarious position this puts us in. I need their council. Good luck." With that he turned and strode out.

"Well that was less than encouraging." Xander noted as they watched Owen leave.

"Xander, shut up." Both Giles and Cordelia responded in unison.

"Well, we have our tasks, lets go to them." Giles said and he too turned and walked out of the church.

"Xan, when you find her tell her I still love her and I want her back k?"

"You got it Cordy. Don't worry I'll have her back in no time." She hugged him and they walked out of the church together.

***

"I'm looking for Faith. Looking for Faith, Oh I'm looking for Faith." Xander sang quietly as he walked through the forest. "Oh please don't eat me I'm looking for Faith." As he finished the chorus of his improvised masterpiece Please Don't Eat Me he entered a forest clearing.

"You found me ya big dofus."

"FAITH!"

"Xander. Uh what are you doing here?"

"Looking for you of course. Owen told me too. Willow's been kidnapped, Buffy's helpless, Cordelia and Spike are guarding her, Giles is reading books and your dad's gone to consult with his masters whoever they are. Oh and by the way." He paused for a breath, "What the Hell were you thinking?" Xander yelled at the Slayer. "You just left her, slipped out like a thief in the damn night. Do you have any idea what that was like for her? You just left her!"

***

Cordelia was sitting by the fireplace waiting for Giles to come over when the vision came. It was Willow. And she knew where the little red head was being held.

***

"Whoa, Xander slow down." Faith found herself actually backing away from his onslaught.

"No. I don't think you get it yet. You may as well have killed her. Why the hell did you do it?"

"Xander, We saw things, Buffy and me, we saw things that really freaked me out I needed to come up here to think about them. To think about her."

***

She had to go, there was no one else. She'd just go, sneak in, grab Willow and run. //The perfect crime.// She thought to herself as she got into her car. Anyway she had left a note on the table, if anything went wrong Faith would be there to save her, she knew it.

***

"So you drank her every night eh? So what? I mean sure that's pretty twisted but big deal. It wasn't you who was doing it, it was horribly twisted , nothing but evil, Vampire you. At least you still cared enough not to turn her."

"That's sort of the conclusion I had come to." Faith admitted sheepishly.

***

"Hello? Cordelia? Spike? Buffy? I found it, his hiding spot I know where it is." Giles called into the apparently empty house.

"You're too late mate, some else already found it." Spike wandered in from the kitchen, a scrap of paper clenched in his hands. "Read this."

***

"Talos, I found this one trying to sneak in." Cordelia found herself looking at the single biggest, ugliest looking vampire she had ever seen in her life.

"What are you doing here? How did you find us?" Cordelia shrugged inwardly, there was no point in lying.

"I'm a Seer. I had a vision. I'm here to rescue Willow."

"Rescue Willow?" Talos asked with a note of incredulity. "You?"

***

"I'll go after her eh? Maybe I can head her off, at least until Faith and Xander get back."

"Yes, that's a very good idea. She wouldn't have a chance against Talos. Not a chance. I'll try and summon Owen back."

"Right. See you in a bit mate."

"Good luck Spike." //Master? We could really use your help now.//

***

"It took you that long for you to figure all this out?"

"Well part of me knew it the whole time, but it isn't speaking to me right now because I left her."

"You're a damned fool you know that?"

"Yeah I realize that now. But I know it for absolutely certain now. Its like a scientific law now, you know, a sure thing. The fact that?

***

"Bring in the witch." Two of the rogue vampires dragged Willow in at their master's behest.

"Cordelia?" Willow was shocked to see her friend here. And horrified to see her in the hands of that monster.

"Hey Willow." Cordelia smiled ruefully at her friend.

"This is what I'm going to do witch. I'm going to wait for each one of your friends to show up here to rescue you them I'm going to kill them. One by one. In front of your eyes.

***

"I love Cordelia with all my heart and all my soul. I never let her go. I can't lose her man."

***

//She'll save me. I know it. Anytime now she'll come right through those doors.//

***

CRACK!

"Oh my god! You, You killed her!

***

"I can't live without her."

**********************************************************

Sorry 'bout that Cordy fans...



The Fool

Unofficial List Hermit and Skittles Addict.

ICQ: 6412938

AIM: honouredfool


Faith: You can't trust guys.

Buffy: You can trust some guys. Really, I've read about them.

--Revelations--



Signup for your FREE ZenSearch E-MAIL account at http://www.zensearch.net and win a Notebook PC