Mercy

See Part 1 for disclaimers.
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Mercy came awake slowly. She groaned at the soreness in her limbs and the small ache's that seemed to cover every inch of her body.

She panicked momentarily when she felt a presence leaning over her. She opened her eyes to the demon that had 'saved' her the night before.

Willow was leaning over the girl, smelling the power, the very breath of life within her. She was savoring it, cataloging it's scent, it's taste.

She wanted to 'know' the essence of this girl, this witch, this Mercy.

"Ahh the little doll has awakened" Willow tilted her head and examined Mercy from another angle.

Mercy's eyes were riveted on the ruby red lips and pale features before her.

"Are you going to eat me now?" Mercy whispered.

"Do you want me too?" Willow said straddling the reclining girl. She leaned over until her crimson lips were mere inches from Mercy's pale pink ones.

"No" Mercy whispered. There was something deeply hypnotic about the Vampire, she realized, it was comforting yet frightening. She wondered if this was how she usually made her kills.

Mercy sighed.

Willow sucked in her breath, as if the act would breathe the life back into her undead body. She pressed her body into the girl.

Mercy gasped when she felt the pressure in certain area's. She also became suddenly over-aware of Willow's lips inches, now cenimeters from her's.

Willow was having similar problems. She could feel each shuddering breath that the girl took. She could smell her fear, and her arousal.

She carefully placed her hands on either side of the girls head and leaned down until their lips met.

Mercy pressed up as Willow pressed down, and they shared a sweet kiss that surprised them both with it's intensity.

Willow felt a spark that actually warmed her body, down to the bone. She pulled back quickly looking and feeling stunned.

Mercy hadn't fared much better.

She was dazed and her eyes were clouded. She blinked them clear and stared up at the Vampire in wonder.

"I....you..." she was at a loss for words.

Willow simply stared back down at her. A strange feeling filling the emptiness inside of her. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound emerged. She took several deep breaths and tried again.

"You're a strange little doll" she remarked takingreatreath she didn't need.

"You're an unusual demon" Mercy countered.

"I\n unn unusual demon with a strange little doll" Willow ran her eyes slowly up and down the girls body. She'd memorized the curves and lines of it already, watching her through the night and following day.

"You don't own me" Mercy challenged sitting up and scooting away from the vampire.

"Don't I?" Willow crawled forward so the girl stayed the same distance away.

Mercy hit the headboard and had nowhere else to go "Are you going to bite me now?"

"Do you want me to?" Willow asked invading her personal space.

"I want you to let me go" Mercy whimpered.

"You'll come back to me" Willow told her calmly "But I'll never truly let you go"

"No I won't" Mercy shook her head, tears fell to her cheeks.

"Yes you will" Willow reached up and touched the tears, catching them on a pale cold finger.

"Why would I?" Mercy was strangely calmed by the vampires actions.

"Because your mine" Willow kissed her again.
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"Now this is a kick ass house" Faith said turning in a circle in the front yard "but the townne tne to hell. Libraries, Museums, and Magick Shoppe's galore. But no Mall"

"Oh no Mall" the dark haired girl said from behind the slayer "Way to go Mom. You move us to bumfuck California, and the place doesn't have a Mall"

"You hardly ever left the house in Boston" Isabelle tossed the lighter bags to her daughter and saved the heavier ones for Faith.

"Does it atleast have a phone line?" the girl continued to slump and roll her eyes "I mean they 'have' heard of the internet here right?"

"Damn Z what's got your panties in a bunch?" Faith asked brushing past the girl and retrieving the bags Isabelle was flagging her down for.

"She moved us to the other side of the continent" 'Z' snapped rolling her eyes at the slayer.

Faith, with her hands full of bags, advanced upon the teen "You gotta problem? Wanted to stay with your 'dad'? Or do you just want me to kick your-"

"Faith please, taunt her later? We should really get these bags inside before nightfall. This is the HellMouth" Isabelle passed the two bickering girls and pushed into the house.

They rolled their eyes at each other and followed.

The open room was ornate. There were tapestriesatueatues, and even a few suits of armor visible from the front door and foyer.

"Okay, so it's beautiful" 'Z' shrugged "But does it have a phone line?"

"You've just graduated to DSL. I want my phone line open" Isabelle climbed the stairs "There's 15 bedrooms so I don't want you two fighting over which one you get"

"15 bedrooms? Are we expecting guests? Is this gonna turn into some 'Old, Booky, and Twead Convention'" 'Z' complained.

"No, it's just a big old house" Isabelle gave her a rather British look "I do not wear Twead"

"Actually-" h trh tried to talk around the many bags in her arms.

"Shut up Faith" Isabelle quickly made her way down one of the 3 halls "This is my wing. Get your own!"

"We get our own wing? Awesome" 'Z' headed down the wing furthest from her mother.

"Hey that's mine!" Faith yelling after a few bags fell off and she saw which way 'Z' was heading.

"Why is it yours?" the girl asked pugnaciously.

"Do you want me to wake you 'and' your Mom up when I come in late at night? I shouldn't be in the middle" Faith said honestly.

"You just wanna sneak girls in. You want that wing so she won't hear you" 'Z' smirked.

Faith grinned "That too"

"You're disgusting" 'Z' took the middle wing.

"You love me" Faith called to her and sorted the bags. She placed them all in the respective owners wing and made her way down hers.

'Z'ned ned against the door inside the first room she'd come to "Goddess I wish I didn't"
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Mercy didn't know if she was shaking in relief or fear.

The Vampire had let her go. She's simply allowed her to walk out of the Motel room and into the begginings of dusk. With nothing but a warning of getting home before full dark.

She was finally at home, sitting in her kitchen rocking herself on one of the bar stools.

"That was the strangest vampire I've ever met" she spoke outloud to herself.

"She didn't bite me. She treated my wounds, and kissed me"

She finished her sentence in a whisper.

"God how she kissed me. Demons shouldn't have lips that soft. It's a sin to a sinner"

Mercy shook off the strange memories and began to take off her clothes as she made her way to her shower.

"I gotta get her out of my head"

She ran the water hot, and stepped in without testing it. Only flinching once.

She stood in the shower until the chill left her body. Her hair lay wet and curled, stuck to her neck and shoulders.

Everytime she closed her eyes, she saw those of the demon staring at her. The look in them was gentle and posessive.

'You'll come back to me'

She couldn't forget the surety in her voice when she said those words.

Suddenly she was chilled again. But for a different reason.

She quickly dried off and ran to her circle.

Nude, Mercy sat on her floor releasing her mind from mortal holds.

She drifted slowly within the astrial plane in seconds. With a skill that breathed of practice, she made her way through the still unfamiliar scape, to the soft burning of a single candle.

She grapsed the intangible shaft in her astrial hand and began her chant.

"Imoge nefere kliover jenb"

The images came to her slowly.

Fighting, then a flash of light.

Birds, a spotted cat, and children.

A metallic butterfly dancing, laughter...

And screams.

Pain, anger, hate, fear.

It was all so close now.

Mercy snapped back into her physical body.

She was shaking from a cold she felt inside and out.

"This isn't right. It can't be happening"

Pulling on random clothing, Mercy fled into the beginnings of the night.
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'Z' decided to explore the house. There was nothing else to do but sleep.

Or lock your door and turn up the trash you called music.

Well that's what Faith did.

'Z' found a long hall to wander down. There were tapestries of women, dressed in colorful clothing dancing around a fire that seemed meant to glow blue and purple. There were small children gathered on another. They all seemed to be looking up to something in wonder. 'Z' automatically followed their woven eyes and noticed an amazingly beautiful painting on the ceiling of the hall.

There were swirls of colors. Light, dark, nuetral. They seemed to make up pictures that vanished before your eyes only to reappear as something different. Staring at it too long made her dizzy. So she moved further down the hall.

She came upon was seemed to be family pictures. Painted centuries ago, and preserved. Fancy dressed women. Men in strange suits, small children in dresses and the short pants that were stylish then. There were many of them. Leading to a back stairway, where more were hung to view as you climbed the spiral stairs.

She came to a particularly odd painting. Odd to her because unlike in the other paints. In this one, no one was smiling. Not even the small angelic looking boy. His eyes were ice blue and sad. He stared out of the canvas and seemingly directly at her. 'Z' stared back, feeling mournful that the child seemed so unhappy. She eyed the rest of the family and understood why. The mother was gorgeous. Her features slightly pointed including her eyes, making her look fairy-like. It was obvious where the boy got his angelic looks from. She was as misty pale as he seemed to be.

There was a girl, a few years younger than 'Z' herself, who sported darker features, but no less beautiful. But unlike the boy or the mother, her face wasn't pointed or baby round. It was clenched in an angry frown the seemed to surpass the ages.

The father was a gruesome creature. Large dark and loaming. He wore a frown that matched his daughters and seemed to shadow the beauty of his son and wife. If she looked to long it seemed as if he turned into a shadowy beast. 'Z' was frightened by what she thought she was seeing and turned her back on the picture.

And met ice blue eyes identical to that of the boy in the picture.

She let out a smscrescream before she realized it was a cats eyes she was staring into.

"Z!" Faith called from the landing seperating their wings "You alive down there?"

"Yeah. But there's a cat in here! It scared me that's" \" 'Z' called back rubbing her arms warm.

"A cat?" Faith's voice came from behind her causing her to jump and squeal.

Faith caught her in strong gentle arms and hugged her quickly "Kinda jumpy tonite huh kid?"

"I'm only 2 years younger than you. Don't call me kid" 'Z' pointed to the cat that watched with both with keen interest "You wanna cat?"

Faith picked up the snow white feline "Are you a girl or a boy huh kitty?" she cradled the cat in her arms and rubbed her nose in the pristine fur.

The cat rolled onto it's back purring and effectively showing off proof of his maleness.

"Someone's a big boy" Faith joked and headed back up the stairs.

'Z' was too busy calculating in her head "Faith how long has this house been closed up?"

"I think you Mom said something like 70 years" Faith turned back nuzzling the cats soft fur "Why?"

"How did the cat get in here?" 'Z' pointed out raising her brow.

"Who cares. He's here now. Aren't you-? Fuck what do I name him?" Faith held the cat away looking into his eyes.

'Z' looked at the picture of the small boy, who's eyes reached out to her "How about Jace?"

Faith considered the name for a second. The cat gave a furitive mew and Faith nodded "Jace it is. Way to go Z. Not bad for a girl with a dorky name like Zeynep"

"My mother gave me that name" 'Z' rolled her eyes "and you constantly remind me of it"

"It's cuz I love ya baby!" Faith hopped up the stairs holding the cat as the cat held on for dear life.

"I wish that was true" Z whispered.

Faith heard her, But ignored it.
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