Mercy

Disclaimer: See Part 1
___________________________

Spike leapt from the rough bed ready to fight.

The entity stood before him, calmly watching.

"What the bloody hell to you want?" Spike snarled getting back into the bed.

"I need to learn more about this human world" the girl said simply.

"Turn on the tele' you can learn stuff from that" Spike waved her off and lit a cigarette.

"I do not believe things shown there are accurate. If they were you wouldn't need me to destroy the world. It would already be done" moving to stand next to the bed she eyed the vampire "Besides, if James were really cheating on Gretchen with Sherry, she would have shot him. I do not believe she is a forgiving type of woman"

"What? She found out? Wait what time is it?" Spike leapt from the bed to check his clock "I missed Passions!"

"I just explained it to you" the girl sighed.

"I wanted to see it for myself" Spike fought the urge to pout.

"I believe I should attend school" the girl continued as if Spike hadn't interrupted.

"You need legal papers and stuff for that" Spike sat on the bed "You got those? Birth certificate and such?"

"Show one to me and I will" the girl smiled.

Angelic. And Deadly.
__________________________

"Damn that Travers. All he can think about is getting his hands on her now that she's gifted" Isabelle paced her office.

Sat sat on her desk kicking her booted feet against the finished wood "He can't have her. I won't let him"

"Neither will I Faith" Isabelle crossed her arms "He just doesn't understand. This is not something the council can just take over. There's something serious going on here"

"What gave it away? Z's sudden visions or the fact that this place is the Mouth of Hell!" Faith rolled her eyes "Something happened to her in her own bedroom Isabelle. People aren't safe in their own homes"

"I'm not going to send her away Faith. I can't. She'll be safe here with me" Isabelle's eyes teared up as she even 'thought' of being without her child.

"I'll protect her too Isabelle. But these visions. They're in 'her' head. Can you protect her from her own mind? Her own gift?" Faith hopped off the desk "If you canll mll me how. 'Cause I'd give anything to keep her from the pain she was in"

"I don't know how Faith. I don't like being scared. Whatever it is that's doing this, stop it please?" Isabelle was crying openly now "I can't do this alone. The council only wants to exploit her...I- I" her voice trailed off.

"Isabelle. I know. I've never trusted the council" Faith was becoming uncomfortable with all the emotion "I'll protect her from them too if need be. Nothings gonna hurt our girl okay? Nothing I can fight will 'ever' touch her" Faith grasped the womans arms and met her eyes "Do you trust me with that much ?"

"I'd trust you with her life" Isabelle sniffed and wiped her eyes.

Faith smiled, overcome "I gotta go slay"

"It's light out Faith" Isabelle bit her lip and smiled at the slayer.

"I'll stick to the woods. You know, get 'em in their sleep" Faith backed out of the office.

"That's not very sporting"

Faith nearly ran into Z in her rush to get out.

"I don't slay for sport. I slay to.." Faith was at a loss for words.

"Slay?" Z shrugged "You slay to protect people I know, Just be safe" she moved around Faith and into her mother's office.

"I will"

Faith ran for the door. Looking back once she took off into the tree's.
_________________________

Willow stood on a plane of white. There was nothing anywhere. Just ever extending, shifting, whites and silvers.

"What is this place?" her voice reverberated.

"I don't know"

Willow turned to find Mercy standing behind her looking equally astonished.

"Didn't you bring us here?" Willow held out her arms to the girl. She was pleased when Mercy stepped into her embrace.

"I don't think so" Mercy said into her chest.

"I brought you here"

Willow spun, shoving Mercy behind to.

"Why? Wdo ydo you think.." she stopped her rushed speech when she saw who the voice belonged to.

A small blonde boy stood before her. He reached to about her ribcage.

"I need your help" he said simply "There's something on the HellMouth. It's old, powerful, not even the slayer can stop it alone"

"The Slayers dead" Willow cradled Mercy's waist pressing heto hto her back "I saw the Master kill her"

"Then you killed the Master" the boy blinked slowly taking a deep breath "There's good in you Vampire. Like the good in your witch. You'll need each other to survive this"

"I'm a demon kid. You know undead, soulless, bloodsucking murderer of innocents" Willow rolled her eyes "I've killed more people than I can count"

"But you've never killed a child" he pointed out "And you won't kill Mercy"

Willow took a deep un-needed breath "I can't kill Mercy"

"Why can't you?" he already knew the answer.

"She's everything that brings light to my world" Willow said honestly "Without her, the darkness is stifling, and I'm nothing"

"With her you're a saviour, a protector, you're needed" the boy agreed "Well I need you. And if you don't help me stop this, there won't be a world for you to protect Mercy from"

Mercy stayed silent, she didn't know what to say. She was needed, obviously wanted, protected.

"What do I have to do?" Willow's voice was serious.

"Well it's hiding.." the boy began.
_______________________________

"Mom, stop pacing your making me dizzy" Z complained from her perch on the short couch.

"Well I'm nervous dear I tend to pace when I'm nervous and if you're dizzy go lay down" Isabelle sipped her tea with shaking hands.

"Um. There's a man at the door for you Mom. He's the old slayers watcher. Or he was supposed to be. But something happened and she didn't..." Z stopped speaking.

"Darling there isn't anyone at the door you must be.." Isabelle was cut off by a knock at the front door "I'll get it dear"

Cautiously Isabelle moved down the stairs. Z stayed up top waiting for her.

Sliding open a small door at eye level she looked out "Can I help you?"

"I'm Rupert Giles ma'am. I'm a Watcher as well" the specticaled man introduced himself.

"Ah Rupert Giles. I remember hearing your name. You were fighting on the HellMouth waiting for your slayer to arrive" Isabelle opened the door and shot a look up at her daughter.

Z shrugged and moved away from the stairs into her own wing.

"Yes, yes. It turns out that a Vengence Demon named Anyanka-" Giles moved into the house.

"Isn't she like a matron of scorned women?" Isabelle interrupted.

"Yes she is. She granted a wish that didn't allow the Slayer to come here. But since there is a slayer here now I believe the spell I did works" Giles pulled off his glasses and cleaned them "Uh is the slayer here now?"

"No she's out Patroling for nests" Isabelle ushered him into the kitchen "Tea?"

"That would be lovely" Giles smiled and took a seat "I've been fighting here without one for so long. It feels good to know that we have a slayer. What's your Slayer's name?"

"Uh Faith" Isabelle filled the pot with water "She was supposedly further down the line, but she was called"

"Faith? Wasn't she considered troubled?" Giles spoke without thinking.

"She's made her share of mistakes, but my Faith is a good girl and a wonderful slayer" Isabelle said defensively "It wasn't her fault she went through what she did. But she's strong now"

"Thats good to hear, I meant no offense" Giles assured the woman. She seemed to be wound a bit tight.

"Well I'm sorry, but the Council was always turning her down for things, lnew new weapons and training materials. We had her working out at a public gymnasium. We were constantly paying to repair things like walls and punching bags" Isabelle brushed her thin brown hair away from her face.

"Well they certainly are as stuffy as when I left them" Giles muttered.

"Yes they are, and even more grabby. My daughter now has visions ahe ohe only thing Travers cares about is keeping her under the councils thumb" Isabelle poured the hot water into two cups and dropped in tea bags.

"Your daughter has visions? Of what exactly?" Giles accepted the cup and saucer.

"Death. Everything bright and lively dies. A flowing river of blood, a massacre. And children" Isabelle's hands shook so badly she was spilling tea all over the saucer and herself.

"Children? Are they dead?" Giles frowned trying to recall something he'd read years before.

"No, they're laughing, playing, dancing. But everything around them burns" Z walked into the kitchen "Death stands among them, but brings no harm. Destroy's everything around them. But not them"

"Suffer the children" Giles sipped his tea.

"But they aren't suffering" Isabelle ran tired fingers through mussed locks.

"Not yet they aren't. But in the end. Everything is sacrificed" Z calmly poured herself a glass of water.

"They suffer. With everything gone, they'll slowly die off" Giles removed his already spotless glasses and cleaned them.

"Or be eaten. In the end everything suffers" Z sipped her drink and wandered out of the kitchen "Excuse me, I have some exploring to do"

"Zeynep don't go too far into the house. I don't want you to have one of your spells and be alone" Isabelle called.

"If I do Faith will find me. She always will" Z ran her damp fingers across the walls "Faith will always take care of me. She promised"

Giles and Isabelle exchanged a glance.

"What was that about?" Giles thumbed his chin trying to process the strangness of the women and this house.

"I have 'no' bloody idea"
___________________________--