Electricity flows

Chapter: 2

Buffy ran full out after the vampire that had got away. She kept him in sight, but he must have been some kind of track star when he’d been alive and she couldn’t quite catch up.

She watched as he skidded around the corner at the end of the road and disappeared, heart beats later she reached the corner and …bam!

The son of a bitch had been waiting. His right upper-cut connected solidly with her cheek, splitting the skin as it snapped her head to the side and she stumbled backwards in surprise and pain. The stake she carried was dropped as her hand flew to her stinging cheek.

The creature used its advantage to land another blow to the same cheek, grinning in satisfaction, or maybe the anticipation of a good meal, at the Slayer blood on his knuckles.

“I thought you chicks were supposed to be the big bads.” He growled out before reaching out a strong hand to grab her by the neck and pull her closer. “But you’re nothing but a fwuffy liddle bunny wabbit.” He mocked as his fangs descended.

Buffy struggled, but she couldn’t dislodge the grip on her throat, when she tried sinking her nails into his wrist he just laughed and shook her roughly, until he spotted something over her shoulder which made him stop.

“Guess I’ll have to eat you later, Bugs.” He said and threw her into the brick wall at her back with enough force to break a mortal’s back.

He took off up the road and soon the curtain of rain that still fell heavily shielded him from view as she leaned into the wall panting, trying to get her breath back, her fingers gently touching the bruised skin at her neck. Faith was suddenly beside her and she realised why he’d run. He obviously didn’t think Faith was just a fluffy bunny rabbit.

“You okay, B?” Faith reached out to pull Buffy’s arm down so she could see the damage.

Feeling an irrational flash of jealousy at her colleague’s reputation she shook the brunette’s hand off of her arm and snapped. “I’m fine. Let’s get him.”

She set off in the direction he’d taken with Faith running easily at her side.

“Welcome to my side of town.” She muttered.

Buffy took in where they were and realised they’d run the length of the small commercial district Sunnydale boasted and into the “bad part of town”, as Cordelia had once called it.

“Think he’s heading to the Bronze?” The brunette asked as they ran past the alley way that held the entrance. She flicked her hair out of her face sending droplets upwards to meet the ones coming down.

“No idea.” The blonde admitted. She slowed to a walk and wiped a hand across her brow to stop the water dripping in her eyes. “He could have gone anywhere.”

Faith turned back in the direction of the club. “You think we should go check?” She had that little twinkle in her eye again and it made Buffy smile, despite herself.

“No. I’m tired, and wet, and sore and if I can’t kill the asshole that caused it, then I just wanna go home.” She watched Faith’s face fall. “You can though, if you want. Just, y’know, be careful.”

“Nah, it’s okay. Dancing in wet leather is really uncomfortable.” They turned as one and started walking briskly down the road.

“Thought you were going in there to Slay?” Buffy smirked.

“Gotta lure them out somehow, B.” Faith wasn’t in the slightest bit fazed about being caught out. She glanced over to see Buffy shivering. “You can come back to mine and get dry if you like?” She offered.

“No thanks, I just want to dry off and crawl into my nice warm bed.”

They turned onto the road that led to Faith’s motel and ‘Open Skies” cemetery, which was Buffy’s short cut home. A funny name considering it was surrounded on three sides by big looming warehouses and run down apartment blocks.

“My bed’s nice and warm too.” Faith grinned, earning her a nudge to the ribs from the blonde’s elbow.

“Behave.” She stopped at the low wall surrounding “Open Skies”. “This is my stop.” She hopped the low wall and stood facing her counterpart, the rain ran in rivulets down her cheeks and her hair was matted to her head. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Faith hopped up onto the wall. “Nu-uh, I’ll walk with ya. We don’t know where that blood-sucker got to and well, he got the jump on you last time so…”

“Faith, there’s no need, really. I’ll be fine. He took me by surprise before, it won’t happen again.”

“Save it Blondie, I’m coming with.”

“Are you nuts? We’re in the middle of the worst storm the world has possibly ever seen and you want to keep walking around in it when you don’t have too. Sometimes I really fear for your sanity.”

Faith snickered. “This is hardly that bad…” She began. A giant roll of thunder drowned out anything else she might have said, and behind them in the grave yard a tree burst into flames as it was struck by lightening making Buffy jump.

“See it is that bad.” She moaned. “Now get inside and let me get home before we both catch pneumonia.” She started to stride away.

“Buffy…”

“Faith, I don’t need a chaperone.” The blonde snapped over her shoulder.

“Buffy.” She hissed again.

This time Buffy turned around with an exaggerated sigh. “What?”

“I know where the blood-sucker got to.” Faith said quietly as she hopped off the wall on Buffy’s side and walked up to her. “In the lightening flash, I saw him.”

Buffy turned to look around them. “I don’t see him.”

Faith ducked down behind a tall head stone, and Buffy squatted next to her. “Shh, I don’t know if he saw us or not. He’s up on the mausoleum, over there.” She indicated where she meant with a nod of her head. “The one with the stone angel’s carved into the pillars at the front.”

Buffy’s hand went to her throat, feeling the bruised skin there. Tomorrow it would be all healed, but tonight…well tonight she was still pissed enough about it to forget that she looked and felt like a drowning rat in a freezer.

“So what are we waiting for? Let’s go get him.”

Faith caught her arm before she could move. “B…” She whispered. “He wasn’t alone.”

“How many?”

“Hey, boys and girls. Looks like its rabbit stew tonight.”

Both Slayers' jumped at the unexpected voice.

Looking up, Buffy tensed and groaned. "Oh, that many."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Authors note: (Did I spell authors wrong? it doesn't look right) Thanks for all the reviews guys, I would name you all here but I don't wanna embarrass the people who didn't review. So just an all encompassing 'thank you' to everyone who's read it. i hope the rest lives up to the beginning.