Mercy

Disclaimer: See Part 1
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When Z regained consciousness she immediately became aware of the racket in the hall.

Faith as well as her mother, were banging on the door, calling her name in worried voices.

Shaking off the sluggesh feeling, Z moved to open her door.

Jace followed close on her heels, his fluffy tail swishing from side to side as he pranced out the door.

Faith and Isabelle stood in mute shock when Z opened the door, tired and yawning as if she hadn't screamed mere minutes before.

"What?" she played off, looking dumbly at both of the women before her.

"I've been trying to get into your damn room for almost an hour. You screamed then nothin'. Now..." Faith stopped her rant to take a deep breath "Z what the fuck is up with you?"

"What's up with me?" Z questioned adopting an attitude simular to Faith's "There's 'nothing' up with me miss 'piss her off this morning and kiss her aft afternoon'."

"Kiss?" Isabelle turned her previously mute attentions to Faith.

Faith's eyes widened, surprised Z had called her on it. And in front of her mother no less.

She suddenly regretted their shower meeting that morning.
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Willow started to worry when the sun set. There had been no word from Jenny or Mercy since they'd left together earlier that evening.

As lastlast rays of light dipped below the sea, Willow left her apartment.

Having only a vague idea of where Mercy once resided she turned to her instincts.

Which immediately told her something was wrong.

She set off at a dead run through the park, much as she had done the night before. Heading in the direction Mercy had come from before being attacked, she followed her nose.

Mercy's scent was hard to pin down, with so many diluting if from the days activities. She reached the edge of the park. The busiest corner, which housed in intersection, that didn't help make her search much easier.

She really needed to look into cell phones.

Looking all four ways she growled low in her throat. Her deep green eyes turning their frightening gold colour as she angrily vamped out.

"Oh my"

The redheaded vampire turned to her left.

A man sat in his car, staring at her, not in fear, but in surprise. She immediately recognized him.

"White-hat" she hissed, taking a step towards his car, death in her eyes.

A sudden breeze caressed her face. Turning her attention away from the man in the car and back to the matter at hand.

"Mercy?" she whispered as she sniffed the air around her.

The warm breeze brushed her cheeks, wrapping around her face, and blowing her hair gently in the direction of the idling car.

Giles tensed as the vampire stepped towards him. He didn't move however, when her noticed the far away look in her eyes.

She crossed the street, behind his car, and took off into the night.

Giles breathed a sigh of relief until he realized what had just happened. He'd let a vampire go. A vampire he was quite certain was about to kill an innocent. He cursed himself as the light turned green.

He took the left turn recklessly, squealing his wheels, as he sped into the night.
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"Kiss!?" Isabelle made the single word sound both like a question and an accusation.

"I was apologizing?" Faith lied hoping to keep the Watcher from chewing her a new asshole.

"Faith I love you, I really do. But my daughter is too young to have your lips 'anywhere' near her" Isabelle ranted beginning to pace.

Z choked down a laugh "Mom I'm 16. Faith was kissing long before she was 16"

Faith shot the girl a look, that little comment hadn't helped at all.

"Yes darling but she doesn't need to be kissing 'you' while you're 16" Isabelle cupped her daughters face, noticing her tired eyes "You should be resting"

"I wanna talk to Faith first, then I'll sleep like a good little girl, no fuss no bother" Z promised giving her mother her most innocent smile. Something she found hard to accomplish after the things Mercy had just suggested she pull on Faith, which were far from innocent.

Jace choose that moment to remind them he was there. He placed his front paws on Isabelle's leg, moving her slightly to the side and away from the two girls.

"Well if you're sure you're okay Zynep" Isabelle reached out and ran her fingers over her daughters brow, she was a bit warm but nowhere near feverish "I'll be back later to check on you"

"Okay Mom" Z smiled and kissed her mother's fingers "I'm fine, don't worry, it was just a nightmare"

Isabelle gave her a disbelieving look but gave into Jace's urgings and headed down the hall "Are you hungry cat? Is that why you keep pushing me? Because if you don't stop with your overbearing manner I'll make Cat kabobs out of you" she remarked to Jace as he followed her down the hall.

Faith chuckled "She's talking to the cat"

"The cat talks back" Z mumbled shaking her head "So Faith.." she waited until she had the slayers attention.

"Yeah kid?" Faith pushed back her hair, running her fingers through it nervously.

Z shoved her back "Don't call me kid, I'm not that much ger ger than you"

"I'm 18 you're 16" Faith pinched Z's cheek, amused when her hand was batted away.

"Oh what a 'long' 2 years it is" Z smirked at her "Maybe you're just scared"

"Scared of what?" Faith demanded her voice growing cocky.

Z shrugged turned on her heel and re-entered her room.

"Scared of what?" Faith demanded again following the girl inside.

Z flopped down on her bed, seemingly ignoring the slayer, she grabbed a magazine and started to flip through.

"I'm talkin' to you Z" Faith stated calmly waiting for the girl to acknowledge her.

Z continued to flip through the magazine, not really seeing it, but counting in her head. She wondered how long Faith would wait before getting all 'bad ass' slayer.

"Z" Faith said her patience growing thin.

Z counted to 30.

"Dammit" Faith grabbed the magazine out of the girls hand 'gaining' her attention "Scared of what?"

Before she could react Z leapt into her lap, pushing her flat on the bed, and pressed their lips together. For a few startled moments Faith didn't react, then she returned the surprisingly good kiss. Capturing Z's tongue where it had been tracing her lips, bringing into her mouth to dance with her own.

When Z started to back off Faith let her go. She was positive it was too much for the girl.

But when Z turned her head and took a breath before diving right back in, she ended it herself.

"Whoa baby, didn't your Mom just tell us to keep our lips apart?" Faith croaked holding the girl firmly away by her shoulders.

"Since when do you listen to my Mom?" Z smirked sitting back on Faith's hips.

"Only when it comes to you" Faith informed her with a look.

"Yep you're scared" Z smirked.

"Scared of what?" Faith was quickly growing exasperated.

"Scared of me" Z giggled tracing Faith's cheeks with her fingers.

"I am not!" Faith grabbed her hands, pulling them firmly down into the girls own lap. Those fleeting touches were coming way to close to her neck, and certain 'spots' that she couldn't help but shiver at.

Z gave her and unbelieving look. Then rolled her hips, grinding herself into Faith's pelvis.

Faith groaned, her hands released Z's to grasp at her hips and keep her from repeating the motion. She was already worked up from their earlier confrontation, and having her in this position wasn't helping her cool down.

With her hands free she wrapped her arms around Faith's neck, pulling the older girl firmly against her, and buried her face in the wavy dark hair.

Mercy was right, this wasn't hard at all. Especially if you wanted them anyway.
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Mercy sat up straight, breathing deeply and pushing her sweat dampened hair from her face. Haphazardly she destroyed the circle, not even looking up into Erica's eyes while she made sure her unplanned 'trip' wouldn't happen again.

"Have fun?" Erica asked non-chalant though she was slightly panicked.

"Not at all" Mercy breathed "Where's Jenny?"

"Here" the woman in question said handing the girl a glass of water.

Mercy accepted in, drinking it down gratefully.

Both women began to fuss over her, Jenny rubbing warmth into her suddenly cold skin, and Erica checking for injuries.

None of them heard Willow enter.

Mercy felt a warm breeze carress her, bringing more warmth to her form than the combined efforts of Jenny and Erica. Turning she met the gold green eyes of the vampire.

"Willow" she breathed reaching out.

"What happened?" Willow snapped rushing to her and scooping her into her arms.

"She stepped in the circle and collapsed" Jenny stood with them and touched her fingers to Mercy's cheek "She just came to"

"What happened to you baby? Did you have a dream?" Willow whispered in Mercy's ear.

The girl merely nodded, burying her face deeply into Willows leather clad form "I wanna go home"

"I wasn't going to take you anywhere else" the redhead rolled her eyes over Mercy's head and gave both Jenny and Erica a stern look "I send her with you for protection, and she passes out"

"Which wasn't my fault. She left a sacred circle, open, on her floor" Jenny defended getting into Willow's face "She stepped in it by accident. If you don't believe me ask your little friend" she growled pointing to Erica.

Willow looked at the little brunette who dared to invade her personal space, when she was holding Mercy no less, and have not an ounce of fear in her eyes.

"Are all witches as strange as you?" she asked calmly staring Jenny in the eyes.

"I suppose so, and I'm a Techno Pagan" Jenny cocked her hip to the side and leveled a glare at the redhead.

"A witch by any other name" the vampire shrugged before turning her gaze to her undead colleague who stood quietly taking it all in "Did you need something?"

"I just came to tell you, there's some new big evil brewing, and it doesn't have your name on it. But this is much more interesting" Erica leaned against the wall, watching as Willow, who had become well known for her unflinching brutality, gently cradle the shaking witch in her arms.

"Something big that doesn't have my name on it? In my town?" Willow blinked calmly.

Her demeanor threw Erica for several moments, making her uncomfortable "Yeah, some ancient being thingy was called forth, by the devil knows who. From the sounds of it, not a pretty picture"

"Hm, I don't like that. But at the moment I have more important things to attend too" Willow spun on her heel, leaving Mercy's apartment, and two very confused women behind her.

They looked at each other, then scrambled down the stairs after Willow.
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Faith was lost. Her one and only weakness was sitting in her lap, wrapped around her body, breathing onto one of her spots.

Z just enjoyed being allowed to be this close to Faith. Up against the warm soft skin, breathing in the scent of her hair, feeling it's texture in her fingers.

Faith's hands on her ass.

Z began to grind against her when she realized that Faith had released her hips.

"Z, baby, no" Faith muttered even as she pressed the girl against her more firmly.

"But...I want..." Z's new found courage deserted her. She couldn't bring herself to say it. No matter how much she wanted Faith, there was a tiny shy part of her that couldn't quite let the slayer know
how deeply she was loved.

Unfortunately, there was a tiny shy piece of Faith that needed to know she was deeply loved. As it stood, she felt that Z merely wanted her for her body, which the girl was rubbing her left hand up and down, while the right held a firm grip in her hair.

"You want what?" Faith pulled back, actually managing to get some distance between them.

"You, I want you so badly" Z whispered burying her face in Faith's thick dark hair.

Faith gently tugged the girl a bit away from her, just enough to press their lips together in a chaste kiss "You'll always have me. Whatever you need, Faith's got ya" she placed Z gently on the bed, licking the left over taste of the girl off her lips "Your mom wants you to rest. So I'll leave you alone"

Fatih turned quickly and left the room, she didn't want Z to see the hurt look in her eye, she willed herself not to turn back.

But had she turned, she'd of seen the deep look of love the girl was shooting in her direction.

But she didn't.
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Mercy dozed lightly in Willow's arms, subconscioulistlistened to the conversation between the two vampires, but not really listening at all.

"No one knows who called it forth?" Willow said barely above a whisper, she didn't want to wake Mercy.

"Nope. Just that this thing is powerful, and more evil than the Master" Erica checked her nails again as she filed them "Why do they keep growing?"

"Huh?" ow sow said thrown off by the sudden change of subject.

"We're dead right? Why do our hair and nails keep growing?" Erica checked them over once more, satisfied she moved on er oer other hand "I mean, I'm over 300 years old"

"You don't look a day over 15" Willow chuckled eyeing Erica jokingly "How do you do it?"

Erica stuck a pose "Exercise, and eating young girls who take vitamins" flipping her dark hair over the other shoulder "Well that and I died when I was 15"

"Cradle robber" Willow shifted Mercy more comfortably in her arms.

"You've got no proof. Besides I don't kill my food" Erica pulled off one shoe and sock, then reached for the nail polish on the end table to her left.

"Usually" Willow sighed softly, suddenly unable to meet her true Sire's eyes.

"You were a special case" Erica stopped her pedicure and looked at her friend "We clicked before I ever tasted you. And when I did...gods you were delicious"

Mercy whimpered bring both vampires attention to her.

"I don't think she likes that thought" Erica chuckled turning back to her toes.

Willow pulled the witch closer, nuzzling her tangled curls "Mmm, such a fragile thing my Mercy"

"As humans tend to be" Erica's eyes took on a faraway look. She stared into space for several minutes, lost in her own memories.

Willow allowed the silence. She pressed a kiss to Mercy's brow, and settled ___ ___________________________________________

Giles stood outside the apartment building, wondering whether or not going in was a good idea. For all he knew it was vampire owned and operated. As many of the private apartment complexes were. If he entered and asked the wrong questions, it'd be a quick trip to death's door for him.

He decided against it. Maybe he'd just stake out the building, see how many vampires actually lived there.

But from what he remembered of the redheaded vampire, she was nothing like the others, save for the bloodlust.

And she'd been carrying a girl. Just another innocent Giles had faito sto save. He'd learned long ago that blaming himself didn't do much good. He was just one man, and Sunnydales human to vampire ratio was 4:7.

It was simply impossible to save all the people all the time.

But now that there was a slayer on the HellMouth, he'd have help.

Making up his mind he headed back to Isabelle's mansion.
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