Kathy's Revenge

Chapter 29
Buffys POV

Faiths quarterstaff smashes into my ribs and I lose my footing. I get it back again in just enough time to step onto the beam. Thank god that was there or I would have been off the mat. Can’t lose can I? Gotta prove I’m still on top. I turn on the ball of my foot and step back onto the security of the matt.

She’s not moving. I would have expected her to poke me in the butt with that thing and knock me off. Instead she’s just looking at me. Something I can’t place in her eyes. Something is wrong, or maybe this is a new tactic, gotta give it to her it has distracted me maybe I should try it when sparring with people I know. Mix it up a bit.

“That’s mine.” She sneers at me. Her eyes are kind of glazed over she is looking at me but it’s like she doesn’t see me.

“What’s yours?” I could not be more confused. “What are you on Faith?” I don’t have time to finish as she raises the staff over her head and begins to let it fall heading right for my skull.

I move to the side and out of the way of the dangerous strike. I turn and lunge my staff at her. She steps to the side catching my arm mid lunge. What he hell? It’s like she knew what I was doing, really do have to mix it up a bit.

She throws my arm with me attached to it over the beam. I drop my staff and it lands on the floor with a crash. I manage to stay on the blue mat and roll onto my back. She jumps over the beam throwing her own staff away. Again so not Faith like. She takes hold of both my arms just above my elbows and pulls me to my feet. As I’m pulled closer to her face I can see something in her eyes. “Faith what is going on?” She’s doesn’t see me, she doesn’t hear me.

She looks over the side of the mat seeing something that I can’t. I take this opportunity to try and get her off me, I’m not falling for her little mind game. I manage to get her to release one of my arms and I try to get the other one free. In the struggle I manage to land a hit in her stomach.

She lets go as if I burned her and holds the point, which I struck. It doesn’t take me a long time to realise I hit her old scar. I don’t know if it still hurts her it was pretty deep. I feel my face drop, I didn’t mean to actually really hurt her. Just the usual sparring pain was all I wanted. “You did it.” She whispers.

“I’m so sorry Faith I just forgot. We can….” I never get to finish that thought as her fist connects rather sharply to my face sending me back over the beam and landing back on the other side of the mat. I’m going from one side to the other like an eff-ing yoyo. My face stings as I use my hand to caress it. My cheek bone aches.

I look over to the darker haired slayer. She’s looking down at her hands. There’s nothing there Faith. “What are you on?” I ask again sitting up, rather annoyed at her. This was meant to be a good sparring session for the new slayers to see, not a Faith freak show.

“Ya killed me.” She’s whispering again. Stepping up onto the beam.

“Oh shit.” This isn’t Faith being a freak. This is Faith in the past being a freak. Faith in her own world, I’m not liking this very much. I took my own scars from this confrontation. I don’t want to relive it.

She looks down again, slowly bringing her eyes back to me again. “Still wont save your boy though.” She pauses. “Should have been there B.”

She looks down again and steps back to the edge of the beam “Gotta ride.” She then falls backwards and onto the floor.

Everyone is staring at me… I look around at everyone. They all look really confused and don’t get me wrong, I am confused too, only thing is that no one knew the particulars of that fight except me. Oz looks at me whilst putting a piece of popcorn in his mouth.

I cant seem to move, the shock is keeping me firmly on the ground. My head is spinning. What the hell is going on? I swing my legs underneath me, kneel on the floor then stand up slowly.

I cautiously walk towards the beam, step over it and kneel down next to Faith. I look at her and her brow furrows. I place my hand on her shoulder, wondering if this is the best course of action, but what else have I got? “Faith…” I gently shake her.

“What the fuck?” She groans, her head lolling to the side; she still hasn’t opened her eyes.

Before I know what is happening everyone is crowded around Faith on the floor. “Faith, come on stop fooling around.” I command putting on my best ‘mom’ type voice.

“Everyone out of the way, this isn’t a fucking zoo!” Willow shouts. Everyone listens including me. “Get her to bed, I’ll get Giles.” Willow tells me before running up the stairs.

I gingerly put one arm under Faith’s legs and the other arm behind her back. Xander helps by putting her arm around my neck.

I walk up the stairs gently trying not to jerk her around. I get to the top of the basement stairs where we meet Giles.

“Take her to her room.” Giles says taking his glasses off and pinching the bridge of his nose.

I carry on up the next set of stairs and take her to her room, I gently lay her on the bed.

In a flash Willow is sitting next to her holding her hand. “Honey? Faith…” She stirs slightly then sits bolt upright narrowly missing head butting Willow, her eyes are still distant like she isn’t quite with us.

She looks down at her stomach and feels it with her hand. “She killed me, She killed me.”

Willow hugs her in what looks like a tight embrace. “It’s okay sweetie, I got ya.”

Faith looks up and then looks around the room, her eyes changing from the wild, wide-eyed expression from earlier to the usual alert gaze. “What…?”