Fic: Mercy 6/?

["nykademis" <antigone845@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Disclaimer: See Part 1
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Spike leapt from the rough bed ready to fight.

The entity stood before him, calmly watching.

"What the bloody hell to you want?" Spike snarled getting back into 
the bed.

"I need to learn more about his human world" the girl said simply.

"Turn on the tele' you can learn stuff from that" Spike waved her 
off and lit a cigarette.

"I do not believe things show there are accurate. If they were you 
wouldn't need me to destroy the world. It would already be done" 
moving to stand next to the bed she eyed the vampire "Besides, if 
James were really cheating on Gretchen with Sherry, she would have 
shot him. I do not believe she is a forgiving type of woman"

"What? She found out? Wait what time is it?" Spike leapt from the 
bed to check his clock "I missed Passions!"

"I just explained it to you" the girl sighed.

"I wanted to see it for myself" Spike fought the urge to pout.

"I believe I should attend school" the girl continued as if Spike 
hadn't interrupted.

"You need legal papers and stuff for that" Spike sat on the bed "You 
got those? Birth certificate and such?"

"Show one to me and I will" the girl smiled.

Angelic. And Deadly.
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"Damn that Travers. All he can think about is getting his hands on 
her now that she's gifted" Isabelle paced her office.

Sat sat on her desk kicking her booted feet against the finished 
wood "He can't have her. I won't let him"

"Neither will I Faith" Isabelle crossed her arms "He just doesn't 
understand. This is not something the council can just take over. 
There's something serious going on here"

"What gave it away? Z's sudden visions or the fact that this place 
is the Mouth of Hell!" Faith rolled her eyes "Something happened to 
her in her own bedroom Isabelle. People aren't safe in their own 
homes"

"I'm not going to send her away Faith. I can't. She'll be safe here 
with me" Isabelle's eyes teared up as she even 'thought' of being 
without her child.

"I'll protect her too Isabelle. But these visions. They're in 'her' 
head. Can you protect her from her own mind? Her own gift?" Faith 
hopped off the desk "If you can tell me how. 'Cause I'd give 
anything to keep her from the pain she was in"

"I don't know how Faith. I don't like being scared. Whatever it is 
that's doing this, stop it please?" Isabelle was crying openly 
now "I can't do this alone. The council only wants to exploit 
her...I- I" her voice trailed off.

"Isabelle. I know. I've never trusted the council" Faith was 
becoming uncomfortable with all the emotion "I'll protect her from 
them too if need be. Nothings gonna hurt our girl okay? Nothing I 
can fight will 'ever' touch her" Faith grasped the womans arms and 
met her eyes "Do you trust me with that much ?"

"I'd trust you with her life" Isabelle sniffed and wiped her eyes.

Faith smiled, overcome "I gotta go slay"

"It's light out Faith" Isabelle bit her lip and smiled at the slayer.

"I'll stick to the woods. You know, get 'em in their sleep" Faith 
backed out of the office.

"That's not very sporting"

Faith nearly ran into Z in her rush to get out.

"I don't slay for sport. I slay to.." Faith was at a loss for words.

"Slay?" Z shrugged "You slay to protect people I know, Just be safe" 
she moved around Faith and into her mother's office.

"I will"

Faith ran for the door. Looking back once she took off into the 
tree's.
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Willow stood on a plane of white. There was nothing anywhere. Just 
ever extending, shifting, whites and silvers.

"What is this place?" her voice reverberated.

"I don't know" 

Willow turned to find Mercy standing behind her looking equally 
astonished.

"Didn't you bring us here?" Willow held out her arms to the girl. 
She was pleased when Mercy stepped into her embrace.

"I don't think so" Mercy said into her chest.

"I brought you here"

Willow spun, shoving Mercy behind to.

"Why? What do you think.." she stopped her rushed speech when she 
saw who the voice belonged to.

A small blonde boy stood before her. He reached to about her ribcage.

"I need your help" he said simply "There's something on the 
HellMouth. It's old, powerful, not even the slayer can stop it alone"

"The Slayers dead" Willow cradled Mercy's waist pressing her into 
her back "I saw the Master kill her"

"Then you killed the Master" the boy blinked slowly taking a deep 
breath "There's good in you Vampire. Like the good in your witch. 
You'll need each other to survive this"

"I'm a demon kid. You know undead, soulless, blodsucking murderer of 
innocents" Willow rolled her eyes "I've killed more people than I 
can count"

"But you've never killed a child" he pointed out "And you won't kill 
Mercy"

Willow took a deep un-needed breath "I can't kill Mercy"

"Why can't you?" he already knew the answer.

"She's everything that brings light to my world" Willow said 
honestly "Without her, the darkness is stifling, and I'm nothing"

"With her your a saviour, a protector, your needed" the boy 
agreed "Well I need you. And if you don't help me stop this, there 
won't be a world for you to protect Mercy from"

Mercy stayed silent, she didn't know what to say. She was needed, 
obviously wanted, protected.

"What do I have to do?" Willow's voice was serious.

"Well it's hiding.." the boy began.
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"Mom, stop pacing your making me dizzy" Z complained from her perch 
on the short couch.

"Well I'm nervous dear I tend to pace when I'm nervous and if your 
dizzy go lay down" Isabelle sipped her tea with shaking hands.

"Um. There's a man at the door for you Mom. He's the old slayers 
watcher. Or he was supposed to be. But something happened and she 
didn't..." Z stopped speaking.

"Darling there isn't anyone at the door you must be.." Isabelle was 
cut off by a knock at the font door "I'll get it dear"

Cautiously Isabelle moved down the stairs. Z stayed up top waiting 
for her.

Sliding open a small door at eye level she looked out "Can I help 
you?"

"I'm Rupert Giles ma'am. I'm a Watcher as well" the specticaled man 
introduced himself.

"Ah Rupert Giles. I remember hearing your name. You were fighting on 
the HellMouth waiting for your slayer to arrive" Isabelle opened the 
door and shot a look up at her daughter.

Z shrugged and moved away from the stairs into her own wing.

"Yes, yes. It turns out that a Vengence Demon named Anyanka-" Giles 
moved into the house.

"Isn't she like a matron of scorned women?" Isabelle interrupted.

"Yes she is. She granted a wish that didn't allow the Slayer to come 
here. But since there is a slayer here now I believe the spell I did 
works" Giles pulled off his glasses and cleaned them "Uh is the 
slayer here now?"

"No she's out Patroling for nests" Isabelle ushered him into the 
kitchen "Tea?"

"That would be lovely" Giles smiled and took a seat "I've been 
fighting here without one for so long. It feels good to know that we 
have a slayer. What's your Slayer's name?"

"Uh Faith" Isabelle filled the pot with water "She was supposedly 
further down the line, but she was called"

"Faith? Wasn't she considered troubled?" Giles spoke without 
thinking.

"She's made her share of mistakes, but my Faith is a good girl and a 
wonderful slayer" Isabelle said defensively "It wasn't her fault she 
went through what she did. But she's strong now"

"Thats good to hear I meant no offense" Giles assured the woman. She 
seemed to be wound a bit tight.

"Well I'm sorry, but the Council was always turning her down for 
things, like new weapons and training materials. We had her working 
out at a public gymnasium. We were constantly paying to repair 
things like walls and punching bags" Isabelle brushed her thin brown 
hair away from her face.

"Well they certainly are as stuffy as when I left them" Giles 
muttered.

"Yes they are, and even more grabby. My daughter now has visions and 
the only thing Travers cares about is keeping her under the councils 
thumb" Isabelle poured the hot water into two cups and dropped in 
tea bags.

"Your daughter has visions? Of what exactly?" Giles accepted the cup 
and saucer.

"Death. Everything bright and lively dies. A flowing river of blood, 
a massacre. And children" Isabelle's hands shook so badly she was 
spilling tea all over the saucer and herself.

"Children? Are they dead?" Giles frowned trying to recall something 
he'd read years before.

"No, they're laughing, playing, dancing. But everything around them 
burns" Z walked into the kitchen "Death stands among them, but 
brings no harm. Destroy's everything around them. But not them"

"Suffer the children" Giles sipped his tea.

"But they aren't suffering" Isabelle ran tired fingers through 
mussed locks.

"Not yet they aren't. But in the end. Everything is sacrificed" Z 
calmly poured herself a glass of water.

"They suffer. With everything gone, they'll slowly die off" Giles 
removed his already spotless glasses and cleaned them.

"Or be eaten. In the end everything suffers" Z sipped her drink and 
wandered out of the kitchen "Excuse me, I have some exploring to do"

"Zeynep don't go too far into the house. I don't want you to have 
one of your spells and be alone" Isabelle called.

"If I do Faith will find me. She always will" Z ran her damp fingers 
across the walls "Faith will always take care of me. She promised"

Giles and Isabelle exchanged a glance.

"What was that about?" Giles thumbed his chin trying to process the 
strangness of the women in this house.

"I have 'no' bloody idea"
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