Mercy

Disclaimer: See Part 1
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Jenny eyed the apartment critically. Everything in it screamed 'practicing witch'.

Rugs adorned the floor and candles sat everywhere. Small baskets of tied Sage in every room, paintings and mini tapestries depicting faeries and other magical creatures, adorned the pristine walls.

A sacred circle sat cold in the middle of the floor. The ritual candle's gutted out.

"I was...searching...for peace on the astrial plain, and recieved a vision" Mercy said from behind the darker woman "I kinda dropped everything and ran to Willow. What I saw...it was so..." Mercy took a deep breath and met Jenny's inquisitive eyes "I could only think that I needed to be with her, near her, like everything would be right if we were together"

"Oh" Jenny nodded. She didn't really understand, but something in the way the witch spoke it made it seem right "Are you taking anything of your magic supplies?"

Mercy gestured to the soft leather satchel sitting by her feet "Anything I need after whats in here, I'll come back for"

Jenny shrugged "Willow will more than likely provide everything you need. You renting this place?"

"Actually I own it" Mercy looked around her home. "Sunnydale's RealEstate prices are amazingly low"

Jenny gave a humorless chuckled "That's because it's deathrate is through the roof. This town is the cheapest place to live in all of California"

Mercy smirked as she grabbed her bags.

"What did you do? Pack every article of clothing you owned?" Jenny asked as she hoisted several bags herself.

"No. I think there's an old pair of panties under my bed, and a bra or two in-between the mattress" Mercy put on a serious face "I didn't feel like reaching. But if you want to grab them-"

"I think I'll pass" Jenny rolled her eyes as she opened the door "Get everything near the door. I'll start packing the car" she left lugging atleast 5 overstuffed bags.

Mercy smirked at her back. She liked the woman. She'd come to learn that Jenny Calendar had known Willow before she was turned. And Jenny had told her some interesting stories about the redhead as a human.

Some Mercy had a hard time believing. Willow shy? Yeah right.
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Faith let her head rest against the closed door, she took several deep breaths and tried again "Z come on I'm sorry"

"Just go away" the girl cried from inside. Her voice was hoarse with tears as she tried to sort out the developments of the past few hours.

"Not until you let me see that you're okay" Faith tried again to get into the room. The knob wouldn't turn. She tried unsuccessfully to simply break down the door. Which did nothing but earn her a sore shoulder.

"What's going on?" Isabelle appeared next to her slayer "What have you done to my daughter now?"

"Nothing! She's in there crying, and she won't tell me whats wrong!" Faith kicked the door angrily.

Inside Z jumped at the loud sound "Just leave me alone!" she screamed at the door from her place on the bed.

She sat with her back on the headboard, hugging her knees, as she tried to forget the feeling of Faith's lips against her own. It had been a strange day. It had gone from their screaming match earlier in the morning, to the slayer kissing her that afternoon.

Her mind was a jumble of confusion. Jace lay on a pillow beside her, cleaning his face and watching her fight off tears. She looked from the cat to her computer and back again.

"So I'm supposed to help you? How do I help a cat? I mean I know you're not a 'cat' but.." she stopped to groan and pull at her hair "I'm flying blind here. The whole vision thing-" she cut off again as Jace suddenly sprang to his feet.

"I..I" Z tried to apologize but found herself suddenly dizzy and unable to complete the phrase. Jace's back arched as he hissed, the angry sound mixing with the scream that was ripped from Z's throat.
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Jenny returned to Mercy's apartment to find the girl sprawled on the floor. A pale dark figure crouched over her touching her neck.

"Get away from her" Jenny growled as she advanced upon the vampire. To her surprise the creature merely looked at her as if she were mad.

"She started screaming, then she kinda just fell" Erica met the dark eyes of the technopagan "I'd never lay a hand on her. Willow would have my head" she went back to monitoring the witch's pulse.

Mercy whimpered and shook, trapped inside what they could only percieve to be a nightmarish vision.

"Did she enter into a 'walk' without a cast sacred circle?" Jenny asked when she realized the strawberry-blonde was laying inside the cold circle she'd noticed before. But the vampire who touched her, by all accounts, should not be able to reach inside the cast circle.

"No. She didn't enter into it voluntarily. She crossed the circle" Erica looked to Jenny "she was getting me a blanket to shield me from the sun. She stepped inside and.." she looked back to the shaking figure inside the broken circle " this happened"

Jenny sat beside the vampire. Normally she wouldn't be willingly this close to a vampire without a stake. she fondled the holy water in her pocket.

Erica glanced her way, noting the hand patting the full pocket "Don't worry, not hungry. Not that I'd eat a friend of Willow's. Girl's got a temper"

"How would you know I'm a friend?" Jenny asked with a calm she didn't feel.

"She wouldn't entrust Mercy's safety with anything or anyone less" Erica turned back to the unconscious witch "But I'm afraid"

"Of what?" Jenny moved closer and saw how shallow and quick Mercy's breaths were getting.

"That no matter who she entrusts her witch with. No one can protect her from what lies in her own mind" Erica sighed and removed her hand from the erratic pulse at Mercy's neck. Opting to hold her hand instead.

"Good point" Jenny sighed and sat back. All they could do now was wait.
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Dianna Thune stepped into the midday sun. An act she hadn't done in nearly 200 years.

Around her, her classmates ran. Girlish screams, and boyish shouts rose around her as they enjoyed their recess from the oppressive atmosphere of the classroom.

"Hi new girl"

Dianna turned to find a classmate standing behind her. Several classmates actually.

""Hello" she spoke as she looked each of them over.

The four girls who stood before her were the same four she had identified as the leaders of the particular class. If any of them did something, it was copied immediately.

"I'm Lacey" the speaker introduced herself "Where are you from?"

Dianna shrugged as she'd seen many her apparent 'age' did "From here actually. I was home schooled before this"

"Oh" Lacey sounded slightly disappointed "Well" she turned to her friends "This is Carter, Maria, and Hope" she introduced them one by one.

Dianna nodded to each in turn, though her gaze held to Carter for a moment or two longer. There was something off about the girl. Her aura was completely different from the other three.

It was deeper, the undulating rs srs swirled around her, the light growing and fading. She was definitely different.

Dianna's eyes narrowed. A witch perhaps?

"We were wondering if you wanted to play with us" Lacy continued, though she noted the strange look the girl was giving Carter.

Dianna looked around, giving the impression of being just a little bit scared "Well, I have nothing more importan to do"

"Cool" Lacey offered her elbow.
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"Hello?" Z's voice echoed through the exspase of white "Is anybody here?" she rolled her eyes as her own voice echoed back once again in answer.

"Still figuring out it's pointless?"

Z spun at the voice, but found nng. ng.

"Who's there?" she said in a normal tone.

"Just me. I've been her forever. Well atleast it feels that way" the childish voice came again.

This time Z recognized it.

"Jace?"

"That would be me"

Before her eyes a spectre began to appear, first the silvery shadow of a tiny human form, then slowly discernable features appeared. Slanted elfin eyes, round button nose, and the smooth lips of a little boy.

He seemed vaguely familiar aside from the voice she'd been speaking to. The cats voice.

"Why are you a cat?" Z crossed her arms and stared the little boy down once he was fully materialized.

"My mother did it. It's a long story. I'll tell you later, but right now we 'have' to find her" Jace grabbed Z's hand and tugged her towards the vast empty whiteness.

"Find your mother?" Z asked as she stumbled along behind the curiously strong little boy.

"No. Mercy, we have to find her. She fell in" Jace stopped and spun on her suddenly "Which is a really bad thing. There's nothing to hold her here, she could lose herself"

"Well how did I get here? I didn't plan on coming" Z snapped starting to worry.

"I brought you here, and don't worry, you're tied to me" Jace stopped again and tugged her down "I won't let you float away" he whispered in her ear.

Z nodded and raced forward at his first tug.
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Mercy stumbled through the haze of the plane, wondering how she got there. One moment she'd been retrieving a blanket for Erica, the next. She was falling.

And the landing 'hurt'.

"What the fuck?"

Mercy's head snapped up as she heard a voice she never gave a second thought about.

"You? You're Mercy?" Z rolled her eyes and tossed her head, turning to the little boy at her side "I can't do this! She's a psycho in love with a vampire!" she screamed at him before storming away.

"Not just any vampire-" Jace spun on his bare heel and followed her.

"A vamp is a vamp kid, and 'she'.." Z growled pointing back at the startled girl "Fucks one. There's no helping her now. She's just psycho" Z patted the child on the head and turned to walk away.

Only to come face to face with Jace once again.

"That's freaky" Mercy shook her head to clear the dizziness. She looked up into the rigid back on the girl she'd beaten a the night before.

Z spun to find the girl only inches behind her, whereas she should have been yards. How'd you do that?" she questioned the tiny blonde boy.

"This is 'my' place" Jace shrugged "my rules. Now you two need eachother..."

"I 'need' to get away from her. Faith is 'so' gonna be pissed when she see's 'you' again" Z snarked at Mercy before trudging off again. She stumbled and fell.

Over Mercy's legs?

"How the hell are you doing that?" they both cried in unison.

"My Rules" Jace stated flatly "Now will you just listen?"

Two sets of blue eyes met.

"Fine"
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Isabelle Finch was suprised to find her slayer banging on her daughters door, begging for admitance.

"Faith? Dear are you alright?"

Faith threw herself up against the door once more. To Isabelle's surprised the girl bounced back almost comically and hit the wall behind her.

"She screamed" Faith grunted throwing herself against the door. It didn't budge.

Isabelle managed a frightened sound.
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Jace watched them both as they stared at him in rapt fascination.

"You're serious?" Z cut her hands across the air as if to push away any bullshit.

"Yes. It's the only way" his explanation came out as a whine.

"Well. I can wing if she can" Mercy shrugged looking to the other girl.

"But..." Z took a deep breath "You sure?" she questioned the witch beside her.

"As the sunshines" Mercy assured her holding out her hand "Truce?"

Z bit her lip in thought, turning her gaze from the boy to the witch.

She took Mercy's hand in a steel grip "Truce"
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