Lust

Memor

Willow laughed as Xander joked around in the kitchen, throwing pancakes up in the air and attempting to catch them back in the skillet. At the moment he had successfully gotten four pancakes stuck to the ceiling. “I think that you should definitely stick to carpentry” Willow chuckled as she watched one of the stuck pancakes plop down onto Xander’s head. He licked the batter as it ran past his mouth.

“Yum” he moaned as he flipped the rest of the surviving pancakes onto a plate. “Where is the Buffster, Kennedy and G-Man? They are going to be late for my breakfast” Xander said as he flashed a smile at the quiet Helena, who was sipping tea.

“I don’t know where Buffy is” Willow mumbled worriedly.

“Huh?” Xander said, scrunching his nose in confusion.

“Um Buffy wasn’t in her room this morning so I sent Kennedy out to look for her and Giles is downstairs calling around to try and find information about the situation” she said quietly.

Xander paused for a moment, putting his spatula down. “So all of this was going on and you didn’t tell me?”

“Well I did a locator spell for Buffy but it was kind of faded, but it was still there so she is still alive. She is probably just out for a walk. She has been doing that ever since the last battle. I think she is still reeling about the amount of girls that we lost. And now with all of this crap that is going on I bet she is really feeling the pressure” Willow said, picking up the plate, motioning the two into the dining room. The door opened and closed as they sat down, a tired Kennedy trudging into the hall, her coat half dragging off her arms. Willow stood up, hurrying over to her. “Are you okay baby? What did you find?” she asked leading Kennedy to the table. Kennedy sat down and put her head on the table.

“Nothing happened” she mumbled into the wood, resting her forehead against it. “ I couldn’t find Buffy anywhere and since you dragged me out of bed before dawn to find her I am tired and just want to go to bed. Buffy can take care of herself” Kennedy said, hoisting herself back to her feet as her jacket fell to the ground. She walked out of the room, the three people flinching with every heavy step as Kennedy went downstairs. Willow flinched again when a loud “Out” echoed through the house and a flustered Giles entered the dining room, rubbing his glasses.

“Well..uh… the texts will be here in a couple days” Giles stuttered as he looked around the room. Helena was smirking at the flustered look of the adults. She turned to her plate and dug into the pancakes.


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Buffy cocked her head to the side as she looked Amdis in the eye. “Faith” she repeated as she pulled her hand back. “That is a nice name” she said resolutely.

“Thanks it was given to me by an old friend” Amdis said motioning to the black leather couch in front of the fireplace. Buffy moved towards the couch as Amdis motioned in the air. Two glasses of water appeared on the table.

“Nice trick” Buffy said, picking up the glass and taking a sip.

“It comes in handy” Amdis said, sitting down at the opposite side of the couch, reclining against the side as she put her feet in the table. They sat in silence for a moment, Buffy looking around at everything but Amdis as she smiled at her. After a few minutes Buffy took a deep breath and faced Amdis.

“You said you had other names. Since we already established a name basis, what some of the things that we were called over the years. I know you used to be called Alala, but that is all that the demon told me” Buffy rambled, taking a deep breath when she finished.

“Well since your ex-watcher has already sent for books that might possibly pertain to me I might as well tell you. My human name was Ardere, but when I became a demon I was known as Amdis, the “Immortal”. Now don’t confuse me with that pompous ass Dorian who calls himself the Immortal. He is easily destroyed, I on the other hand, am not” Amdis said watching Buffy’s face.

“Amdis” Buffy said, shaking her head. “I like Faith better” she said smiling at her, suddenly turning into a frown as she processed the information Faith told her. “How do you know what Giles is up to?” she demanded

“I am very different then most of the demons you have faced, and one of the cutest I might add” Faith said, smiling at her. Buffy chuckled, then her face grew more serious as Amdis listened to her thoughts.

“What is wrong with me, God Buffy she is a few billion years old demon. Geez” she thought shaking her head. Faith smiled again.

“So umm, do you mind telling me why you are here?” Buffy asked.

“What do you mean?” Faith said, floating the glass to her. Being an Immortal has really made her lazy. Buffy watched her for a minute.

“Umm I mean at the mansion, the last time I checked Angel still owned it” she said looking back around. It looked better than it did when she last saw Angel here.

Faith opened her hand, a piece of paper appearing in it. She handed it to Buffy who looked at it in astonishment.

“He gave you the deed?” she asked.

“He is the head of Wolfram and Heart now, and he doesn’t have any real use for it really. I just calmly walked in and asked for it” Faith said, chuckling as images of what really happened flashed through her mind.

*Flashback*

Amdis looked around as she walked into the law firm wearing a black leather duster, wearing a red tank top and black leather pants, her docks thudding on the floor. She looked around as demons and humans continued to go on their merry ways not noticing her. She gently touched the amulet around her neck, thanking Eve for her protection after all these years. She felt the sorrow of her loss build up in her stomach, but she quashed it as she went to a desk with a blonde vampire behind it. “Excuse me” she said, her voice soft yet firm. Harmony looked up at her, squeaking at her.

“Wow you’re pretty…err umm I mean welcome to Wolfram and Heart how may I help you” the young vampire stammered, knocking over a cup of pens. Amdis smiled at her.

“Yes I would like to speak to Angel” she said calmly. Harmony smiled as she twisted her hair.

“Umm do you have an appointment because I am not supposed to let anyone see him without one” she said opening the appointment book. Amdis leaned down, resting her arms on the counter as she clasped her hands together.

“Well I think Angel will see me. It is in regards to Buffy Summers” she said, smiling again as Harmony’s head shot up.

“Buffy?” she squeaked loudly.

“Who wants to know about Buffy” a British voice said behind her. Amdis looked around, staring at another blonde haired vampire.

“William the Bloody” Amdis said, smiling at him. Spike faltered, staring at her as he took her features in.

“Yes I am pet but you can call me Spike. Why do you want to know about Buffy” he said, his voice getting defensive. She smiled again.

“A loyal vampire, I’ve only seen a few of them in my day, especially to a slayer. I must say quite a conundrum wouldn’t you agree Spike” she said as he straightened up.

“Well who wouldn’t she is a good person. What do you want with her” He demanded. Amdis looked around as everyone began staring at them.

“Well it concerns her at least, but I need to speak to Angel” she said, leaning against the counter.

“Well you have my attention” said a dark haired vampire who walked towards them.

“Ahh the infamous Angelus, well it was fun watching you two boys as you terrorized Europe. But I do have to say, the smell of souls on both of you seems to fit you better than evil” Amdis said smiling at their confused faces.

“You are not human” Spike said, earning a duh look from Angel.

“You are getting slow though” Amdis said, looking at Angel.

“Shall we talk in my office” he said, motioning towards his door.

“Polite too, you don’t find many vampires like that these days” she said, walking away from them.

Angel bent down to tell Harmony something but Amdis interrupted him, looking over her shoulder. “You don’t need to warn security Angelus. If I wanted to kill you you would already be dead” she said, disappearing into his office. Both Angel and Spike looked cautiously at each other as they followed her into the room, Angel shutting the door behind him.

“What is wrong with Buffy” Angel said flatly, taking his seat behind his desk, motioning for her to sit as well. Spike perched himself on a table in the corner of the room by the window so he could get a clear view of this woman.

“Guess I was quick with the polite compliment, no introductions are needed on my part then?” she asked, smiling at him.

“Who are you, it is apparent that you know who we are so how bout telling us who you are pet” Spike said bluntly, earning yet another smile.

“Oh I’ve missed this dimension. Well, I have many names but you can call me Faith” she said smiling at them.

“Okay Faith, what is wrong with Buffy” Angel said, leaning forward on his desk.

“Oh nothing is wrong with her for now, but she is in grave danger. But I am not here for that” she said nonchalantly. She crossed her legs and leaned back, her amulet falling into view.

“Is that why we can’t sense you” Angel said motioning to the amulet.

“Oh this, yes. You see I am quite old and very powerful. But there are some people after me and this protects my aura from being sensed if you will. Not that I can ever truly be destroyed its just that a big battle is coming up and I need time” she said, her face growing serious.

“You wear your age well” Angel said causing her to chuckle.

“So are you going to play cat and mouse or are you going to get to the point” Spike growled, his eyes glowing as worry for Buffy grew inside of him. Angel hid his outward emotion although Amdis could sense his worry as well.

“It is nice to know people worry about Buffy, but you will not be able to help her if you do not help me. See I am in the market for a nice place to hide away in. But see a small problem has been brought to attention. The only place that is close enough to help the slayer is held by a certain souled vampire. I am here to acquire it” she said, her voice getting businesslike.

“What makes you think I trust you around Buffy” Angel said smugly.

“Because I am the only one that can help her” Amdis said matter-of-factly. Spike growled at this.

“What makes you so sure that you are even worthy of being near her” he growled, his face shifting into his vampiric form.

“Why are you here?” she asked him, catching his off guard. His face changed back as he stared at her, confused.

“What?” he demanded. Amdis shrugged her shoulders.

“If you care for her then why are you here and not in Sunnydale?” she asked him. Spike stayed quiet as Angel sighed.

“You want the mansion” he stated quietly. She smiled at him.

“You are a smart one aren’t you. I am on the verge of something big, but I need room to work. You seem to have room. I am here for the deed of the mansion. It seems like such a technicality, but I don’t need your neighbors complaining about some strange person hanging around the mansion and have them calling the cops now do I. I certainly wouldn’t want to hurt anyone if they tried to use force on me, nor would I want them snooping around in anything that could get them hurt” she said, smiling as Angel pushed a button on his phone.

“Harmony” he said into the speaker. A loud voice screeched through the box.

“Yes Boss?” she said, Angel wincing. Amdis chuckled as Spike threw another glare her way.

“Go get Wesley and tell him to bring the deed to the mansion” he said, turning off the box.

“I have missed so much in the five hundred years” she muttered as she looked out the window. The city was huge, and there was a nice view of the ocean.

“Are you going to fill us in on everything that is going on?” Angel asked, pulling Amdis away from her thoughts.

“No” she simply answered smiling at them.

“And I thought you were cryptic peaches” Spike muttered, staring at Amdis.

“Things will be known in due time. And Buffy has a great support system. Your roles in all of this will be shown to you in due time” Amdis said, looking to the door. Angel and Spike stared at her when the door opened, revealing a disheveled looking man.

“You rang Angel” the British man said, handing Angel the deed.

“Thanks Wesley” Angel said taking it from him.

“And you are?” Wesley asked as Amdis stood up, holding out his hand.

“Faith. You used to be the bumbling watcher that tried to control Buffy after Giles was fired. It looks like your all grown up now” Amdis said, clasping Wesley’s outstretched hand. Wesley looked at her startled.

“Don’t worry mate she as been doing that all morning” Spike said, pulling out a cigarette.

Angel ignored them as he handed Amdis a pen and the paper. “Just sign” he said, watching her as she looked at the pen, then to the paper. She bent down and scribbled her name on the line Angel indicated to. “No last name?” Angel said, signing beneath her name. Amdis’s eyes grew sad as she thought back to Eve. She had given her a last name, but that was a long time ago.

“Never needed one” she said, taking the paper. She turned to walk out of the room. “Oh by the way Angelus, beware strange men looking for your alliance. Good and Bad are never black and white” she walking out of the room. All three men looked at each other before rushing for the door. Harmony looked at them in amusement, but Amdis was gone.

*End of Flashback*

Amdis laughed again as Buffy looked at her in wonderment. “Don’t worry B, I’ll let you know one day” she said as she leaned back in the seat.

“B?” Buffy asked, smiling at the nickname. “What is wrong with me dammit Buffy you are here to find out what the hell is going on, not to flirt with a billion year old demon who just happens to be female!” she chastised herself, Faith’s eyes dancing as she read her thoughts.

“I give people nicknames, no big deal. So now you know I have the deed, this is where I live, but I would like to keep that a secret for now” she said standing up. Buffy blushed as the shirt lifted up, exposing Faith’s stomach.

“Uhhh yea no problem. So are you going to show me around or what” she said, standing up. Faith titled her head to her.

“Yea no problem. You amuse me slayer, one minute you want to kill me the next minute you are talking to me like we have been friends for forever” she said as they walked into the kitchen. Buffy gasped at the beauty of the room. Beautiful wood floors shined as the sun filtered from the open windows. Beautiful cherry wood cabinets lined around the black speckled counter-tops. Buffy walked around the room, running her hand over the smooth counter tops as the light glistened off the silver in the room.

“The last time I was here all there was was a small refrigerator” she said looking at her.

“I know, which is why I redesigned. I like this modern look, c’mon I’ll show you the rest of the place” Faith said, walking out into the living room.

“I kept the living room about the same, except I took out the chains and things. And I added a few touches” she said motioning to the blood red carpet that replaced the stone floors. Mahogany book shelves took up most of the walls. The dark furniture made the room look so dark and dreary, especially the dark desk that sat in the middle of the room. “Research purposes” Faith said as Buffy continued her visual assessment. A tapestry hung over the fireplace depicting a battle. Buffy walked up to it, scrunching her nose.

“That is you isn’t it?” she said, pointing up to the tapestry as she faced Faith. Faith smiled as she nodded looking up at it.

“That was long ago when I was still human. That demon I’m facing is the demon you met a few days ago. We don’t get along” she said chuckling as she led Buffy upstairs. Buffy’s eyes lingered on the tapestry a few seconds longer, something inside of her drawing her to Faith’s portrait.

Faith quietly led Buffy up the spiral staircase and down a plush carpeted hall. “Up here is my training rooms. It used to be the bedrooms but I find meditation more restful than sleep” she said opening the huge doors. Buffy gasped as she looked at all of the weapons in the room.

“These are from every era” she breathed as she circled around the room. Wall to wall weapons filled every inch of the room, armor placed on stands dotted the floor. It was a warriors dream come true, with every piece of arsenal ever created set in a museum type setting. In the center of the room was the original armor Lucifer had given her when she was human. Gashes and tears ran across the leather, she never bothered to fix it. Buffy looked at her as she fingered the material.

“This room looks bigger than the house” she said as she walked down the wall that held nothing but swords, picking up a broad sword.

“The wonders of magic” Faith said, as she walked with her hands behind her back. “Each wall holds different weapons, and I own everything from quarter staffs to Excalibur” she smiled as Buffy raised her eyebrows at her.

“Excalibur was real?”

“Yea Arthur was fun to hang out with until Lancelot stole his girl. That was not a fun fight to break up” she said calmly.

“You have everything but guns I see” she said looking around. Faith shook her head.

“Never liked them, no honor in shooting a person. A real battle is when you get close to them, feel the power radiating off your opponent, the feel of victory as you defeat them” she said fingering a dagger that laid on a podium. Buffy thought she saw Faith’s eyes turn yellow for a second, but shook her head, walking over to her.

“What’s this one” Buffy said looking down at the dagger.

“This one was made for Dracula, but as he got more popular I took it upon myself to teach him a lesson, with his own weapon. He’s just full of hot air anyway” she said as she walked over to another wall, picking up a shield. “This was Charlemagne’s shield, made it for him myself. He was a decent guy” Faith said handing it to Buffy.

“By the sword by the cross right” Buffy said quietly. Faith smiled at her.

“You know your history” she said impressed.

“Well not as much as you obviously, but enough. Giles drilled things into my head it was excruciating” she said handing the shield back. They continued walking around the room, Faith picking up different weapons, explaining their background and her history with them. Buffy found herself becoming enthralled with Faith’s knowledge and quiet intelligence, along with her excitement over each piece of weaponry. Faith led her out of the room, showing her two other rooms, a meditation room that was bright and clean. The next room Buffy was surrounded by paintings and pictures of different eras,

“You are history” Buffy said looking from portrait to portrait. She stopped at one in particular, the biggest painting in the room. It was Faith with a woman, not much older than herself. Buffy looked at the nameplate below it as Faith watched her in silence. “Who was Eve” Buffy said softly, feeling sad as she looked at the painting, but she didn’t understand why.

“Eve was someone who I was very close with. She was the ruler of Atlantis and the most beautiful person I have ever met” Faith said, “Until now” she thought, stopping herself. “What the hell was that?” she thought again, pushing the thought into the back of her head.

“You look happy” Buffy said, admiring the portrait. Buffy stopped for a minute, Faith’s face contorted as she looked confusedly at Buffy.

“What?” she asked.

“I’ve seen her before, in a vision. You loved her” she said, looking over at Faith. Faith bowed her head, forcing her emotions back.

“C’mon I’ll finish giving you the tour” she said turning out of the room. Buffy turned back to the portrait, running her fingers over Eve. “What happened to you?” she asked. She walked out of the room. Faith showed her the rest of the upstairs and led Buffy back down to the main floor.

“Are you going to show me the basement?” Buffy asked as Faith walked quietly over to the desk.

“No” she said simply, her tone leaving no room for discussion.

“Well I should get back to the others before Willow sends out Kennedy to find me” Buffy said turning to the courtyard doors.

“She already has” Faith said, opening the tome on her desk. Buffy sighed turning to face Faith directly.

“I’m sorry if I brought anything up. It just all of this is weird. Here you are, this ancient demon who is showing me her house like we have been friends forever. I don’t know what to make of it. Why are you acting like this?” she asked.

Faith sat on the desk facing Buffy, looking her directly in the eyes. “I was never a gentle person, even when I was human, but I do know that in order to get help from humans you need to act like one. It doesn’t help the situation if I go around ordering you like I am a higher being. And even though I am, and even though I can kill you in an instant I choose not to. That is the difference between me and other demons. I don’t prey on those that are weaker than me, well, not anymore. And since I have been able to find my humanity after all this time I don’t think it wise to question it. Just accept the fact that I am here to help you, whether you like it or not. I…” she paused, taking an unneeded breath.

“A good friend of mine loved this earth with all her heart. It is in my debt to her to protect it. You will learn everything you need to know when you need to know it slayer” she finished, her eyes showing green flecks in them. Buffy bowed her head, nodding.

“Okay. Then I’ll see you around…Faith” she said turning to the door.

“Are we okay?” she asked, not turning around. “Why did I just ask that, am I stupid or something. What the hell is going on with me” She thought to herself, her grip tightening on the door handle. Faith smiled at Buffy’s thoughts,

“Five by Five”.

a/n: title means remembering.