The Gift, Take Two

Title: The Gift, Take Two – Chapter 2: Progress
Email: Dafmeister@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: The Buffyverse is owned by Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox and a bunch of other people who aren’t me. No infringement of copyright is intended blah blah blah… A lot of the dialogue in this chapter is lifted straight from “Intervention”. I could have re-written it, but if it ain’t bust, why fix it?
Distribution: Faithfanfiction.net, Mystic Muse, Shades Of Grey, Slayer's Fanfic Archive, A Sorta Fairytale, Oralfxatn, anyone else who tells me first.
Rating: R
Timing: End of Season 5
Feedback: Yes please, it really helps keep my morale up when my muse is being difficult.
Spoilers: Everything up to the end of Season 5
Summary: With Buffy struggling to come to terms with Joyce’s death, Riley’s departure, and the revelation of Dawn’s true nature, Faith has escaped from jail and returned to Sunnydale, claiming she’s had a prophetic dream about what’s coming and wants to help.
Author’s Notes: Huge thanks to Kaz, beta extraordinaire, and to Leila, my friend and sounding board. I’m also indebted to everyone at Buffyworld.com – without their episode transcripts writing this chapter would been a hell of a lot more work.

* * * * *

A few days later, Giles sat in the living room of the Summers’ house as Buffy tried to explain how she felt inside, how she thought she was losing her ability to love.

“There is something in the Watchers' diaries. A quest.”

Buffy looked at Giles in surprise. “A quest? Like finding a grail or something?”

“Not a grail. Maybe answers. It would take a day, perhaps two.”

Shaking her head, Buffy replied, “I’m not leaving Dawn. Not with Glory looking for her.”

“Sure you can.” Dawn said from the doorway. “What's the deal?”

“Some Slayers before Buffy found it helpful in regaining their focus, learning more about their role.” Giles looked hopefully at Buffy “There's a sacred place in the desert. It's not far.”

”But I can't go. I'm not leaving you, Dawn.”

“If you have to go learn, I mean, if it'll help you out, I think you should do it. I can hang with the gang. I'll be okay.”

“What about Faith? I can’t leave her unguarded for two days…” Buffy looked anxiously toward the basement door.

“Has she broken the rules, even bent them?” Giles asked, knowing the answer was no.

“See? Even Caution-Guy thinks I’ll be fine.” Dawn ignored Giles’ glare.

Buffy slipped her arm around her sister’s shoulders. “I love you, Dawn. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I love you too.” Dawn replied with a smile.

“I love you... really love you.”

“Getting weird…” Dawn’s smile got a little freaked out, but it was clear she appreciated her sister’s declaration.

“Sorry. But it's important that I tell you. Weird love's better than no love.”

* * * * *

Faith was putting herself through an exercise routing she’d formulated in jail when Buffy came down the basement stairs. The two girls had barely seen each other since Faith’s arrival – Faith rarely left the basement and Buffy hadn’t tried to make contact, simply looking in every so often to make sure Faith was behaving herself. Usually she found Faith exercising or simply lying on the camp bed they’d set up for her, staring at the ceiling.

“’Sup, B?” Faith asked, not breaking the rhythm of the sit-ups she was doing.

Buffy stood silent for a moment, arms folded across her chest, watching Faith. “I’m going to be out of town for a day or two. Giles and I are going to do a ritual thing, has to be done someplace out in the desert.”

Faith stopped her exercises and lay propped up on her elbows. “What about Dawn?”

“Dawn’ll be staying with Xander.”

“Right.” Faith got to her feet and took position by the punch-bag. “Anything you want me to do while you’re away?”

“Other than not stab me in the back? No.” Buffy turned on her heel and ascended the stairs. She didn’t see Faith’s fingers tracing the scar on her stomach.

* * * * *

Faith lurched upright in her bed, gasping for breath. The tiny amount of moonlight filtering in through the basement window was just enough for her to see by.

God damn it, why are they sending me that dream again? I’m here, aren’t I? And it’s not as if I don’t know how it goes. I told them what happens, I can’t MAKE them trust me! Course, I didn’t tell them all of it – even if they believed me it would break them…

She screwed her eyes shut, trying to drive away the image that always lingered after the dream. She’d told everyone that she saw them looking at something on the ground and crying, but she hadn’t mentioned that she knew what it was. No, who it was. Buffy, lying dead on a pile of rubble.

It’s not gonna happen… I won’t let it…

* * * * *

“Whoa. Group hang time?” Fresh from her encounter with the spirit-guide in the form of the First Slayer, Buffy entered her house to find the gang pulling weapons out of the trunk in the lounge. They all looked up at the sound of her voice.

“Th-that was quick,” Willow said nervously.

Buffy scoffed. “Didn't seem like it to me. Death is my gift? Ha!”

Xander tried to be reassuring. “Buffy, we need to talk.”

The attempt failed, Buffy immediately went on alert. “What's wrong? Is Dawn okay?”

“Dawn's fine,” replied Willow

Xander had another go. “Buffy, we care about you, and we're worried about you. The way you're acting, the things you're doing-“

“It's wrong.” Anya interrupted. Willow immediately tried to calm the moment. “Wait. This shouldn't be about blame.”

“Blame? There's blame now?” Buffy was completely at sea.

“No, there's only love. And… some fear.” Willow’s assurances weren’t helped by the freaked out expression on her face.

“We’re just kind of thrown by the you having sex with Spike.” Blunt as ever, Anya drove right by Willow to the heart of the issue.

“The... who whating how with huh?” Buffy looked at Anya like she’d just given money away.

“Okay, that's denial. That usually comes before anger.”

“I am not having sex with Spike!”

Anya nodded. “Anger.”

“No one is judging you. It's understandable. Spike is strong and mysterious and sort of compact but well-muscled.” Xander tried to sooth the irate Slayer.

Buffy was having none of it. “I am not having sex with Spike! But I'm starting to think that you might be.”

“Buffy, I saw you. Anya too.” She nodded as Xander continued, “We saw you and Spike... with the straddling.”

The BuffyBot chose that moment to return from upstairs. “Spike's mine. Who's straddling Spike?”

Everyone gaped in surprise.

Buffy gasped. “Oh my god.”

“And so say all of us.” Xander looked from one to the other, trying to understand.

The Bot looked Buffy over. “Say, look at you! You look just like me! We're very pretty.”

“Two of them!” Willow squeaked.

Xander promptly leapt to the wrong conclusion. “Hey, I know this! They're both Buffy!”

Buffy glared at him. “No, she’s a robot. She acts just like that girlfriend-bot that Warren guy made. You guys couldn't tell me apart from a robot?” Offended didn’t begin to cover it.

“Oh, I don't think I'm a robot.” The Bot said chirpily.

“She's very well done,” remarked Anya, prompting a smile from the Bot.

To his credit, Xander caught up quickly. “Spike must have had her built so he could program her to…”

“Oh god.” Buffy felt nauseous.

Willow gasped. “Yikes! Imagine the things…”

Buffy cut her off. “No! No, no imagining, any of you!”

“Already got the visual.” Xander held up his hand in shame.

The Bot interrupted the flood of disgust. “People. Friends of mine. You're forgetting the most important thing. Glory has Spike, and she's going to harm him.”

Buffy paled. “Glory has Spike… FAITH!”

Xander laughed nervously. “We were gonna bring that up.”

Anya tried to help out her boyfriend. “We were getting weapons.”

“Grab 'em. We're going now. I have to kill him. FAITH!”

Faith, who had deliberately ignored the shouting until Buffy yelled for her, opened the basement door. “Jeez B, what’s the ma- Oh my God!” She caught sight of the two Buffys. “Okay, did I get hit with a two-by-four and no-one bothered to tell me?”

Buffy tossed an axe to her; Faith was so surprised she barely caught it. “Glory has Spike, Spike knows where the Key is. We have to get him out then kill him. A lot.”

“Buffy, we don't even know where to look,” Willow pointed out.

Buffy thought for a moment. “I know where to start.”

* * * * *

Spike, battered, cut and bleeding, hung from the chains on the ceiling of Glory’s apartment. “It's that guy...on TV... what's his name?”

Glory frowned in confusion. “On the television?”

“That show... the prize show... where they guess what stuff cost…”

“The Price Is Right?” Murk offered.

Jinx piped up, “Oh, Bob Barker!”

“We will bring you Bob Barker! We will bring you the limp and beaten body of Bob Bark-”

Glory interrupted Murk impatiently. “It is not Bob Barker, you scabby morons! The Key is new to this world, and Bob Barker is as old as grit.” She smiled venomously. “The vampire is lying to me.”

Spike’s answering giggle was barely audible. “Yeah, but it was fun. And guess what, bitch - I'm not telling you jack. You're never gonna get your sodding key, 'cause you might be strong, but in our world, you're an idiot.”

“I am a god!”

“The god of what, bad home perms?”

“Shut up! I command you, shut up!” Glory’s divine dignity was feeling a little punctured.

“Yeah, okay, sorry, but I just had no idea that gods were such prancing lightweights. Mark my words, the Slayer is going to kick your skanky, lopsided ass back to whatever place would take a cheap, whorish, fashion victim ex-god like you!”

Glory’s extremely short fuse burned out, and she launched a vicious roundhouse kick at Spike’s chest, tearing him free of the chains and sending him through the apartment door to land in a heap at the end of the hall. Getting painfully to his feet he muttered, “Nice plan, Spike…”

* * * * *

The elevator doors opened in the lobby of the apartment building. Spike pulled himself upright just as Murk clattered down the stairs, at the head of a pack of his scabrous brethren. “You do not insult Glory by escaping!”

Just then, the building’s front door crashed open. Buffy and Xander charged in at the head of the Scooby Gang.

The fight that followed was brutal, but brief. Several of Glory’s minions were killed. The Buffybot took the brunt of the damage on the Scooby side, everyone else got away with nothing worse than minor cuts and bruises.

* * * * *

That afternoon, Tara slipped away from the others and went to the basement. Faith was sitting cross-legged on the bed. If Faith was aware of her presence, she didn’t acknowledge it as Tara walked down the stairs. Tara was about to speak when she noticed the tracks of tears on Faith’s cheek, gleaming faintly in the dim light.

“Faith, what’s wrong?” Tara rushed over and knelt in from of the other girl.

Faith finally looked up when she heard her voice. “Nothing, it’s nothing… psycho-murderer stuff, y’know…” She smiled weakly and tried to change the subject. “So, what is it with B and vampires, huh? First Angel, now Spike. What’s next, Dracula?”

“Umm…” Tara wasn’t sure what to say to that.

“You gotta be kidding me!” Faith tried to laugh, but it came out more like a strangled sob.

“Faith, please…” Tara’s heart ached seeing the young Slayer like this.

“I… I forgot how good all this felt. Buffy, the others, fighting beside them… just being around them. I never realized how much I miss it.” The tears began to fall silently again.

Tara took one of Faith’s hands in hers. “Is that why you stay down here all the time? So you won’t have to see them?”

“It’s not as if they want to see me. ‘Sides, it feels more dungeony down here. Won’t be as much of a wrench when I go back.”

“Back?”

Faith laughed a little at that. “To jail. Murder Two, twenty-five to life, remember?”

Tara couldn’t think of an answer to that, so she just hugged Faith, and then stood up. “Is there anything I can get you?” Faith just shook her head.

As Tara began to climb the stairs again, Faith spoke. “I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry. For the shit I said to you last year.”

“Thank you.” Tara looked over at the young woman on the camp bed. “Why apologise to me, and not the others?”

“’Cause you might accept it.”