Did you miss me?

["sochankitsune" <annelise@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm just back from the Land Down Under.

Miss me?

--



"Who's there?" No answer. But then Buffy Summers hadn't expected 
one. "You may as well come out," she said to the seemingly-empty 
graveyard. "'Cos I know you're there..." She sighed. "Somewhere."
"No flies on you." Spike admitted, leaning against a gravestone that 
had moments before been unoccupied. He lit up a cigarette.
Buffy frowned. "Okay, so where were you hiding?"
"Who said I was hiding, love?" Spike contemplated his cigarette. It 
didn't really do much for him - It was just for the look of the 
thing. After all, it wasn't like he was going to die of lung cancer 
anytime soon...
Buffy stepped closer. "Okay, Mr. Mysterio, be like that." She 
leaned back against the same gravestone. Her feet were killing her 
anyway, and she felt she probably deserved a break for a few minutes. 
Besides, things'd been really quiet of late. Which, she knew, wasn't 
all that much of a good thing - most likely a prelude to something 
bigger and badder on the horizon in fact - but still... until 
whatever was going to happen, well, happened... Boredom City.
"Have you noticed how quiet its been lately?" She asked Spike.
Spike nodded slowly. "Something's definitely in the air, love." He 
shrugged and stood up straight, turning to face her. "But I've no 
idea what it is." His serious gaze drew the Slayer's attention. "You 
know I'd tell you if I knew."
Buffy knew all right. Ever since Spike'd shown up in the aftermath 
of Willow's... relapse, things'd become subtly different between 
them. Somehow, she felt that she could trust him. 'You must be mad!' 
her inner-Xander railed. She grinned.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Spike asked.
Buffy's grin faded. "I dunno. Its just too quiet. I kinda wish 
*something* would happen. Nothing end-of-the-worldy, of course. 
Although... even that would be..." She tailed off, searching for a 
suitable adjective.
"Normal?"
Buffy nodded. "Yeah, normal!"

*

"Where am I?" The voice was raspy, parched.
"In my room, in Sunnydale," the soft feminine voice replied.
A coughing fit that could have been an attempt at laughter rose and 
faded. "Ah, Sunnydale."
"Yeah." The owner of the appealing voice turned away and spoke to 
another entity in the room, one that floated ethereally above the 
floor. "Is he, like, going to be okay?"
The entity, a robed figure with two pinpoints of red light 
glistening beneath a hooded cowl, chuckled. "As opposed to his 
previous state?" it questioned in leaden tones. A soft breeze like a 
sigh. "My work here is done, and now we must speak of payment..."
"I was dead," the raspy voice interrupted.
Faith turned. "Yes, you were."
"And you brought me back?" The ex-Mayor asked.
"I did." She threw him a sparkling smile. "You'd be surprised how 
much of that's going around!"

* - *

Faith stumbled as her eyes took in the prone form of the Mayor. His 
mocking eyes, usually so full of devilment and paternal affection... 
were now sightless. Dead. Again! She fell to her knees as a sob 
wrenched itself from her throat. "You..." Words failed her. Grief 
once more caressed Faith with its heavy mantle, and wreathed her in 
anger. "You took him away from me again!" She rose fluidly and 
flailed at Buffy, who sidestepped and slapped Faith hard across the 
face.
"You just have no clue, do you?" Buffy asked. A kick caught her in 
the upper-thigh and pain clouded her vision momentarily. Faith 
followed with a vicious downward blow that drew blood, and Buffy's 
world blurred.
"Sanctimonious bitch!" Faith screamed, lashing out at Buffy's prone 
form with her right foot. Something broke, and Buffy both moaned and 
whimpered.
To Buffy, time seemed to have slowed. The whole world was moving as 
if it were in jello. She realised, not for the first time in her 
life, that she was going to lose, maybe die... and it wasn't for a 
noble or righteousness cause... But for petty jealousy and the 
partial insanity of a deranged young woman. The pain enveloped her in 
wave after wave, and she waited for the final blow... Which didn't 
come.
"Leave her alone, you cow!"
Buffy tried to raise her head when Dawn shouted, but the attempt 
drew her to the brink of unconsciousness, and she could only lie 
there as Faith's mocking laugh rang out.
Horrified, Buffy tried to appeal to Faith. "Don't... Please... 
Dawn..." But her voice remained a whisper unheard, and Buffy lost her 
own fight against the darkness.

*

Cool and damp, the cloth pressed against Buffy's forehead as she 
lay prone upon the floor. Feeling returned to her body, lighting up 
in her mind like radar. Bleep. I'm here. Pain.
"What..." She choked and coughed, rolled, and opened her eyes. Dawn 
was kneeling next to her, a dripping cloth in her hand that had once 
perhaps been a sweater. "Faith?" Buffy's eyes darted around and 
glimpsed Faith's unconscious body on the floor a little distance away.
"I took care of her," Dawn said, her voice high-pitched, shock and 
fear warring within.
Buffy fought a compulsion to giggle. "How?" she managed.
"I..." Dawn shook her head. "I just did." She looked around. "We 
should go... The police will be here anytime soon." She chewed her 
lip. "I called them."
Buffy nodded slightly and struggled to her feet. She swayed, 
drunkenly, and Dawn's arm helped her keep her balance.
"Let's get you out of here," Dawn said, a note of affection 
colouring her voice. Buffy let her sister lead the way.

*

End Snippet.