Gladiatrix

Rating: R ************************************* Glory lay bonelessly in her minions' arms as they carried her on their shoulders to her vanity. Her human flesh still burned where the slayer had slashed her. Glory had fed twice since her fight with the slayer and witch but the scar was still there. She suspected the slayer's knife had been blessed. She reached up, touching the cut and hissing in pain when her fingers made contact. Her time was running short. She had to find the key or she'd be trapped in this dimension forever. "Hurry up!" she snapped. Her body was weak, and needed more sustenance. The scar wouldn't heal until she replenished her energy. She'd gone out in search of a meal when she found the blonde witch sitting alone. Instead of toying with the girl, she should've taken her from the park and left before the slayer arrived. She'd heard such wonderful things about the dark slayer from the lesser demons that roamed Sunnydale. But one look at her and Glory could see the bright aura that surrounded the PTB champion. The slayer had crossed over to the side of good. Her mentor would be disheartened when he learned of her betrayal. She found the witch's power just as surprising. Glory had been drawn to her like a moth to a flame, picking her easily out of the crowd. In her previous run-ins with the witches, she'd assumed the magical signature she'd sensed came from both of them. She frowned, remembering the shield the blonde had put up. It had been strong enough to interfere with Glory's power. Never had she encountered a witch who could manipulate magic without casting a spell. Her minions lowered her down to a Louis XIV chair. She sat in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection. The cut ran from the top of her cheek down to the bottom. She stuck a finger inside pulling the skin back exposing a layer of pink flesh. "Am I still beautiful?" she asked the group of demons groveling at her feet. As one they answered, "Yes, mistress." "LIARS!" Glory screamed at the top of her lungs. She jumped to her feet, smashing the mirror with her fist. She kicked the minion closest to her. "How dare she touch me! How dare she try to ruin my perfection!" She screeched kicking the next minion. She stared down at him, images of the slayer flashing through her mind. In a fit of rage, she stomped on his head. The three inch heel she wore pierced his eye ball. She kept kicking until he lay dead on the floor, brain matter leaking out of the back of his head. She cocked her head, staring at the carnage. "Mistress! Look what we've found. He was sneaking around outside." Glory looked up, ready to punish the fool that had interrupted her. The reprimand died on her lips. "We have seen him with the witches, mistress. He may know where the key is." Glory held out her leg. One of her minions bent down and used his cloak to wipe the gore off of her shoe. She walked over to her prisoner, looking him up and down. She reached out, touching a smooth cheek. She could feel him tremble under her touch. Curling her fingers into a claw, she dragged sharp nails across his tender flesh. "Aaahhh," he gasped, struggling against his captors. "Release him," Glory commanded. She easily captured his fist in her hand when he swung at her. She squeezed her hand, crushing his fingers. He dropped to his knees in front of her. "Tell me where the key is, and I might let you live," she offered increasing her grip. He groaned in pain. Glory raised a hand above her head. His eyes widened in fear. "Wait, wait," he gasped. "I'll tell you." The hell god eased her grip. She lowered her hand and petted him on his head, tussling his dark hair. "Good boy," she praised. He nodded. "Okay, I wanted to tell you," he paused, looking up at her. His dark eyes staring into her crazed blue. "I wanted to tell you-------KISS MY ASS!" The demon grabbed a handful of his hair. "When I'm done with you, you'll pray to your false god for death!" Glory yelled. She backhanded him across the face. The single blow knocked him to the ground. Glory stared at his unconscious form. "Chain him to the ceiling," she instructed. "And bring me my toys." ******************************************* Giles fidgeted with his glasses, cleaning each lens. He perched them on the tip of his nose, staring at Tara over the frames. "Are you certain?" he asked for the third time. Tara smiled, explaining again what she'd seen. "A champion's aura is gold, like Buffy's. Faith's is yellow with flecks of gold. When I first met Faith, in Buffy's body, her aura was black." Willow and Tara had gone to the Magic Box after class. Buffy, Giles and Anya were already there. "It's a slayer's nature to protect. Faith accepts who she is now. We should accept her, too." Willow held Tara's uninjured hand in hers. "I wanna believe you, Tara, but Faith's evil. I don't think I could ever trust her again," Willow said. Tara gazed at her girlfriend. "If you can't trust Faith, then trust me. Faith is here to help." Blue eyes pleaded with the others to listen. "I don't care if she's good or bad as long as she stays away from Xander. He's mine now," Anya stated. Willow looked around for her best friend. "Where is Xander?" she asked. Anya huffed. The ex-demon didn't like being seperated from her boyfriend. Even when they weren't having sex she enjoyed his company. "He's picking up Dawn from school. They'll be here soon," Anya confirmed. "Why does everyone think it's okay to go out alone? I can't be in two places at one time." Buffy looked at Tara. "We need to stay together." Tara lowered her head. "It wasn't Tara's fault. It was mine," Willow defended her girlfriend. "I was being a butt head and said some things I shouldn't have…" Willow trailed off when all eyes turned to look at her. "Did you hurt Tara's feelings?" Anya demanded. "Next to Xander she's my favorite." The outspoken blonde glanced at Tara. "Heriditary witches are not only powerful but they give good orgasms." Anya announced. Buffy turned her head to stare at Tara. Giles erupted in a fit of coughs. Tara turned bright red then lowered her head. Willow shrieked in outrage. "That's none of your business!" The red head snapped. Anya glared at Willow ignoring her outburst. "I may not be a vengeance demon anymore but I still have connections." She arched an eyebrow. "I'll be keeping an eye on you," she warned Willow. The red head rolled her eyes, dismissing the threat. "Ladies," Giles admonished. "Let's stay focused, please." He turned to Tara. "Did anything else happen during your encounter with Glory we should know about?" he asked. "Y-yes," Tara said. "Faith hurt Glory." Buffy's eyes widened in surprise. "S-she cut Glory," Tara made a slashing gesture down her cheek." Tara bit her bottom lip. "Glory seemed shocked by the sight of her own blood." Tara said. Giles nodded his head. "Crossing over to this plane, in human form, weekend the demon." Giles stated. He furrowed his brow in concentration. "Glory may be getting weaker. Which means she'll escalate her search for the key, and increase her attacks on innocents to maintain her current strength," he explained. The door to the Magic Box opened. The bells on the door jingled, signaling a customer. Anya turned, a fake smile plastered across her face. "Welcome to th…" Anya's greeting was cut short when Dawn, Buffy's sister, stepped into the shop. The younger Summers stared at the group in surprise. "How come no one ever tells me when there's a Scooby meeting?" Dawn whined. "You think with Glory running around you'd wanna keep me in the loop. This is a meeting about Glory right?" Dawn asked. "Um, Dawnie?" Willow asked, cutting off the girl's babble. "Where's Xander? He was supposed to be picking you up from school." Dawn threw her hands up in the air. She stomped up to her sister. "I'm not a pre-schooler I can walk home by myself. I don't need an escort." Buffy's brows were drawn together. "So Xander isn't with you?" she asked, glancing behind Dawn. The tension in the room was thick as they waited for her answer. "No, I haven't seen him." ******************************************* Faith hefted the grocery bags in her arms. She ducked into an alley when a patrol car appeared in front of her. Her heart raced as she waited for it to go by. She watched it disappear in the opposite direction before stepping out of the alley. "Fuck!" she muttered. She didn't need this bullshit. It would've been easier if she'd just stayed in LA. If she'd stayed in LA then Tara might be dead right now. Faith straightened up, walking quickly. She knew the area well and was only a few blocks from the Mayor's condo. Faith slowed down when her spidey senses started to tingle. The sound of rapid footsteps approaching made her turn around. All she could see was his hair. It was almost white. He passed under a street lamp, and his pale face was revealed. The leather coat he wore billowed around him like a wave. "Spike," she said out loud. She could still remember his slack jawed look when she'd flirted with him in Buffy's body. At hearing his name, he froze. The two stared at each other, not moving. The vampire held up his hands, walking slowly towards her. "Faith?" he asked, a little more than surprised at seeing her. "Angel's probably told you I've been defanged." He paused, waiting for her reaction. She continued to stare at him. "I work with Buffy n' the gang now. You don't wanna mess with me. I'm an important member of the group." His chest seemed to puff out with his last statement. Faith dropped the grocery bags. They landed on the ground with a thump. She pulled a stake out of her back pocket, twirling it between her fingers. Spike stared wide eyed at the piece of wood. "I was on my way to tell Buffy about the boy." Faith took a step towards Spike. "Glory has Xander." He rushed out, backing away from her. "What!" She snapped. She gripped the stake tight in her hands. "If you're lying to me, I swear to God I'll stake your dead ass to a tree and watch you turn to dust at sunrise," she warned. "I saw her minions grab him earlier today. I can take you to him." Faith narrowed her gaze. She looked down at the watch on her wrist. "When you say earlier today, how early are we talking? Cause it's not early anymore." Spike shrugged his shoulders. "Couple hours, give or take a few." He shifted nervously under her intense gaze. "It was bloody daylight; what was I suppose to do? I had to wait until the sun went down." She gritted her teeth. "It's after 10:00PM. The sun went down hours ago." He looked around. Faith grabbed him by the collar of his coat sensing he was going to run. "Take me to him – NOW," she commanded. (tbc)