Chase This Night

Part 10

What am I doing? I can’t believe what I just said. Of course I know why she’s here! She told me on the train… in that safe warm fantasy. She proved it by showing up tonight… open and trusting and real… she gave me everything. Her eyes just so full of…

Oh... Fuck...

I look down at my hands, the rain has washed away her warmth… but I can still feel it, desperate clutches around my fingers. God, I was inside her, more than her body… in her soul. It was a soft, hot heaven… she gave it to me, and now, this is hell. The look in her eyes was devastating. Pain, regret and fear… it looked like she was torn apart. I did that. But that’s gone now and all that’s left in her is ice.

Willow just threw down the gauntlet, and Faith looks ready to bolt. I gotta fix this. She’s gotta know that I didn’t mean for it to go this way. I need to get her alone again.

I should have said it back…

“What are you doing here Faith!” Will demands, and I watch as that slow grin pulls over Faith’s mouth. It’s that old Faith smirk and I realize with a gasp that I can’t feel her anymore.

A new wave of panic washes through me.

I want to take it back… I want to go back to just a few minutes ago. Before it all went so wrong. Back to when I could feel her heart pounding with mine… so nervous we were both shaking, but wanting it too much to stop. Where she was calling my name, coming in my arms, holding me so tight, like she was scared I would ever leave her. God I didn’t think I could.

“Well Red, thought I’d come back and re-live some old times…” She cocks her hip, she lifts an eyebrow…

“Shake things up a little, been a wicked long time and all.” She’s playing a part... putting that ominous thread in her voice. I don’t know if it’s for my sake or to protect her self… maybe a little bit of both. But God, she sounds so dead… now that I know her real voice… thick with longing. She told me I saved her…

But I’ve killed her now. And the knowledge of it feels like a knife to my gut.

That’s some irony.

“Faith don’t…” I sound like I’m begging… I wish I could drop to my knees. I finally get Riley’s arm off of me and take a step towards her. I feel myself stumble a little.

I can still taste her kiss…

“Don’t what B?” she’s so hollow. I’m so sorry Faith. I can’t even speak, its like her glare freezes the words in my throat… I’ve lost her.

“D-don’t do this…” I’m trying damn hard to keep the tears from falling but I can still hear them in my voice. I wish I didn’t have to talk in this damn code. She scoffs, like she can’t believe I’m even trying. But I’ve GOT to try...

Everyone is just standing around now, watching Faith and I have our own little silent showdown. Its one sided though, ‘cause her eyes aren’t talking to me anymore… she’s gone. I have to bite my lip to keep the sob from escaping my chest. I can’t let the others know… they wouldn’t understand it… hell I barely understand it!

Through all this tension time is drawing out like a blade… the seconds cold and unforgiving. Then she looks away, shaking her head in a dismissive motion.

“Look I didn’t come back here lookin’ for a fight ok?” She begins, and she sounds defeated.

“Oh well that’ll be a first now wouldn’t it?” Xander again with the sarcasm, please somebody shut him up! I see Faith’s eyes narrow and I can feel her muscles tense even from 5 feet away.

“Think you can take me Xan?” She looks him up and down with a smirk and its like everyone is holding their breath. Waiting for her to make a move. Its so silent its creepy, like more creepy than the average grave yard.

But things never stay quiet on the hell mouth.

There is something you should never do in this town… and despite the years of experience I always seem to fall into the trap. Just when you think things can’t possibly get any worse… that’s exactly when they do.

The first one came out of nowhere, and Riley is knocked on his back before any of us can even blink.

“What the hell?!” I hear him shout and he’s already trying to scramble to his feat, looking for what blindsided him.

And that has to be the ugliest… vamp? I have ever seen!! Its kinda small, no hair, it’s hands look more like claws and I can hardly tell the difference between its skin and the shredded leather its wearing as clothes. And God what is that smell?! Its eyes glow orange as it lets out a fierce growl, and two more just like it emerge from the shadows.

There is a moment of absolute stillness before all hell breaks loose. And this happens to be the only spot on the planet where such a thing can actually happen. I see a flash a brown hair as Faith sprints past me catching the first stinky son of a bitch with a hard right that should’ve sent the thing flying.

Yeah, it should have. Instead it turns it’s head back to her, it’s morbid features contort into what I can only guess is a smile. Faith looks totally shocked for a second before the thing lashes out and sends her sailing through the air. She smashes into a gravestone with a sickening ‘crack’ and I feel my heart stop for a second.

It starts up again as she pushes herself to her feet with a groan.

“Ok so maybe X-man was right…” It’s mumbled as she pulls a stake from her jacket. I do the same and suddenly its on.

Me, Faith and Riley jump right into it, each of us taking an uber-vamp and proceeding to get our asses thoroughly kicked. These things are strong. I’m taking blows left and right, so fast I can hardly keep up, so hard its dizzying. I know Faith can’t be doing any better, especially with her injured arm.

I see Riley slam into the muddy ground and I know he’s out for the count. The thing doesn’t even try to bite him though, it just turns it’s attention to Faith. Luckily, I just got the upper hand on the one I was fighting slam the stake in hard as I can. I look into the thing’s face, where I should’ve seen it dissolving to dust before my eyes…

Again, should have. I dodge the counter blow as I try to see how faith is doing.

“Faith! Look out!!” I shout and she spins around just in time to dodge a blow from her second attacker. She plunges her stake into its chest and again, nothing happens. She gets a kick to the ribs for her trouble and I see her spitting out blood as she hits the ground.

This is so not good.

“Buffy!” Xander shouts from behind me and tosses his axe. I catch it, spin around, and slice the vamp’s head off all in one motion. It poofs with a piercing howl. Finally!

But Xander’s yell had drawn attention to the rest of the group. One of them charges so fast I can barely see it. But I see Will’s eyes go black. The Vamp pauses its attack when it sees this, and if it was capable of fear it was definitely feeling it at that moment. It’s suddenly on fire before anyone realized what’s happening. When did she learn to do THAT?! She falls into Tara’s arms, obviously drained.

“Darkness be your tomb!! Mother!! SHE IS RISEN!!” The thing on fire manages to screech before it bursts into ashes. What the fuck is that supposed to mean?

I turn to see Faith kick the last one off of her, and I quickly run/limp to try to help. She’s back on her feet again and about to attack when the vamp seems to realize that it’s the only one left. It takes off in a flash disappearing into the murky drizzle. None of us are in to shape to follow

Faith turns to face me then, breathing hard and bleeding. The creepy silence is back. I take a step closer to her, I want to hold her make sure she’s ok… not just physically. I need her to know I messed up, I just got a little freaked. God, I need her to…

Understand… oh so this is what it’s like.

She’s trembling slightly and I know it’s a mix of pain and adrenaline. I’m feeling it too. That dark part of me that loves the hunt, lusts for the kill. It’s rushing through my veins telling my body to sprint after that last vamp, screaming for me to grab Faith and crush that soft powerful body against mine.

I hate this part! I need to be rational right now, figure out this situation. I need to take care of my friends. But I don’t feel rational and that dark part of me has forgotten that my friends are even here. All that’s there is the need, it’s a primal fire and I can see it burning in Faith’s eyes too.

She steps closer and I feel my breath hitch in my chest. Her voice is liquid and rough when she starts to speak.

“You ok B?”

“What the fuck were those things!” Xander shouts, panic still in his voice. So I don’t get a chance to answer. To tell her how much I want US to be ok.

I turn and see him helping my boyfriend to his feet as Tara and Anya help Willow to rest against the wall of the crypt. The same wall I had Faith pressed into just a while ago… I swallow back the lust so they wont hear it in my voice. It’s hard to do.

“I- I don’t know.” Damn I seem to be saying that a lot.

“We need to get out of here, tell Giles, regroup.” Ok that’s better, fearless leader. I turn back to Faith, fully intending on bringing her into the mix. Getting her home and safe where I can fully explain to everyone what the hell is going on here… well maybe not fully.

But I can’t, because she’s gone.

TBC