The Three of Us

This chapter is unbeta'd, please forgive the errors.
Reviews are welcome.
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Later that day, the Scoobies were all sitting in Giles’ living room. “What or who are we waiting for?” Xander asked.

Buffy spoke up as she walked into the room. “Spike. He should be here shortly, it’s almost dark out.”

“Okay. Where’s Faith?” he asked.

“We were downstairs sparring; she’ll be up in a minute.” Buffy flopped down on the couch. Willow looked at Buffy and smiled gently at her. "Are you feeling a little better now?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's still a lot to process, and you're right, it's going to take a while."

Xander worriedly looked at Buffy. "What's wrong?" Giles' face had become quite serious. As he was about to speak, Willow interrupted, "Girl problems."

"EEP! Uh, okay, umm, enough info already. Anything new on Kakistos?" Xander and Giles shifted uncomfortably in their seats. "Yes, well, Spike will bring us up to date and then we can formulate a plan." Giles cleaned his glasses rather vigorously. Tara quietly nudged Willow at the research table. "You're b-bad!" she whispered. Willow and Buffy were trying very hard not to laugh.

At the knock on the front door, Xander got up and went to let Spike in. " 'ello kiddies, we're all well are we?"

"Yes, thank you" Giles answered for the group. Faith crept up behind Spike. "BOO" she said into his ear.

"Bloody Hell!" he yelled as he jumped. "Ya coulda given me heart failure!"

"Faith laughed, "Little late for that ain't it?"

That’s not the bleedin' point," Spike muttered at the dark slayer.

"Can we please get on with the matter at hand?" Giles spoke up as the laughter in the room died down. "Please tell us what you found out last night." Spike and Faith relayed the info they had come up with to the rest of the group. Giles pulled up the town plan of Sunnydale to locate the warehouse, while Willow hacked into the town database for a building plan. They discussed a plan of attack for the following day.

"If we kick open the doors to the loading dock about 4:00 in the afternoon," Buffy said, "we should fill about half the warehouse with sunlight." Faith nodded her head. "That'll cut down anythin' caught in the open."

"Tara and I will set up a protection spell in case something is trying to use magic."

"That's good Willow," Giles replied. "Xander and I will protect you and keep an eye out for any demons that try to make a break for it. It will be up to Buffy and Faith to clear the warehouse of course. Spike, will you be able to cover the sewers?"

"Why do I always get the bloody sewers?" he groused.

"If you want to wait in the parking lot with G-man, we can get Xan to look after the sewers." Faith smirked at the vampire.

"No need to get all nasty now. I was just askin'"

"Right," Giles said, "Everyone knows what their responsible for tomorrow. We'll meet here at 3:00 and then go from here. Any questions?" He looked around the room and everyone just nodded.

Standing on the loading dock, silhouetted by the sun, Faith turned to Buffy, "Ready B?"
"Yup." Buffy waved at Willow and Tara; using magic they destroyed the two doors in front of the slayers.

"Wow! That's pretty impressive." Faith muttered as she entered the warehouse with Buffy. "Willow's pretty powerful; she just has an occasional problem with control." Buffy said as she looked around. She pointed to a door ahead of them. "We'll have to go through there." As they headed towards it, the floor above them collapsed, dropping four vampires and Kakistos behind them. "Two slayers!" he roared, "I'll be more famous than ever!" Pointing at Faith, he yelled, "Take her and hold her. She can watch me kill the little one before I kill her. She won't get away again!" The four vamps swarmed Faith and forced her away from Buffy. "You think you're better than a Hell God?" Buffy asked as she circled with Kakistos. "Oh wait, she's dead!" She attacked him in the middle of the warehouse, feet and fists flying, making contact, but not doing a lot of damage. "Magic." he smiled, his fist connected with the side of her head knocking her to the ground. Buffy rolled away and got to her feet, she smirked at him. "Girly-man." was all she said, and then she attacked him again.

Faith was facing off against the four vamps. She stopped moving back and gently tossed her hair back. Smiling coquettishly, she licked her lips and motioned them forward with her finger. They cautiously approached feeling safe in numbers. Like a cobra she pulled two stakes out of her duster and lunged forward, dusting two vamps. Surprised, the two left stepped back, and then attacked her. She smiled as her fists and feet contacted her two foes. The blood singing in her veins, she rejoiced in the physicality of her being. ‘This is what I was born to do!’ She kicked one of the vamps in the chest to send him skittering across the floor. The one still standing leapt at her thinking he had an advantage. His face barely had time to realize his error as the stake tore through his heart. Faith was laughing as she faced the last one scrambling to his feet. He turned to run and Faith threw her stake with such force it cleared his heart before he too exploded into dust.

Buffy was still struggling with Kakistos, the combination of his strength and magic was wearing her down.

"I'm comin' B."

Faith charged towards Kakistos back, the anger in her eyes changing them from chocolate to coal black. Just as she reached him, he flung out his hand and yelled, "Refuto!"

With that one word Faith was flung clear across the warehouse into a brick wall. It collapsed and buried her with the impact. Buffy stared into the cloud of dust, "Faith!" she screamed. Kakistos laughed.

"She is still alive. You will die knowing she wasn't strong enough to help you. She will die slowly knowing that she is still weak and powerless against me." Buffy attacked him again, "Over my dead body!"

"As you wish slayer!" Kakistos connected with a kick to Buffy's ribcage sending her sprawling to the floor. She tried to get back to her feet but couldn't. Panting she watched him pull out a long, wicked knife. "I'm going to peel the skin off you, one piece at a time. I'll make you last, the pain will be incredible and you'll know how weak you are. You'll beg for me to kill you, and I will. On my terms."

Looking towards the cloud of dust where Faith was lying, "I'm sorry Faith." Buffy whispered.

"Hey, Fuck stick." Faith emerged from the dust. "I'm not done yet." Holding the two katana in the sunlight she twisted them and the reflected light scorched two tracks up Kakistos' back. He arched and roared with the pain.

"Silicis!" He yelled, as he turned on Faith. His massive fists turned to stone. Swinging his arms over his head he tried to crush her into the floor. Slipping to her right as his left hand hit the concrete, she kicked him in the leg. The satisfying crunch of broken bone made him stagger.

"I."

Sliding in behind him, both swords razored through the skin on his back.

"AM.

Rolling to her right again, she shot her foot out into his upper right leg and it shattered as well. Kakistos stumbled to his knees.

"NOT."

Swinging his right arm to try and knock her down, she leapt over it, cleaving his fist from his arm.

"POWERLESS."

She twisted as she landed bringing her other sword down to cut his left arm at the shoulder.

"ANY."

She stood directly in front of him, staring into his eyes. Kakistos was summoning the magic to try and heal himself. Faith crossed her arms in front of her chest. The two katana, dripping with his blood, pointed up and out. With a sound of ripping silk as they sliced through the air, she turned her wrists, and uncrossed her arms at full force.

"MORE."

Her chest heaving, she stretched out her right arm and placed the sword point between Kakistos' eyes. A gentle nudge and his head rolled backwards. Faith stepped back as his body started to lean forward and then exploded into an oily green mist. Towards the back of the warehouse a brightly lit portal appeared. It sucked the green mist in and then disappeared.

"You really know how to make an entrance." Buffy groaned.

"I just wanna leave a good impression." Faith sat next to Buffy, and gently put her arm around her. "Are you okay?"

Buffy leaned into Faith and rested her head on her shoulder. "I'm much better now that I know you're okay." Faith went rigid.

"No, don't do that Buffy," she gently pushed her upright. "Don't get close to me. I'm not dependable and it never turns out. So just don't."

"Faith..."

"Are you girls alright?" Giles yelled as he came through the loading dock of the warehouse with the rest of the Scoobies. "Where are you?" he blinked trying to adjust to the dim light. "There they are!" Xander pointed and ran towards Buffy and Faith. Faith stood and put her arms around Buffy and gently helped her to her feet. Xander and Willow pushed her out of the way as they tried to see what was wrong with Buffy. Faith quietly stepped back, picked up a katana and started to clean it.

"D-don't mind them." Tara said as she stood next to Faith. "A-are you ok-kay?"

"Five by five, Blondie," Faith smirked at the witch. "Thanks for askin'." Tara beamed at the dark slayer. "M-my pleasure."

"Hey," Willow turned her head from Buffy, "quit flirting with my girlfriend!"

"I ain't lookin' for trouble Red, Just talkin' to her." Faith winked at Tara. She blushed, lowered her head and giggled. "Yer just so damned cute Blondie."

"You n-need to f-find a b-boyfriend."

Faith laughed as she cleaned her other sword. "Yer perfect blondie."

"Faith." Giles called to her. "We'll be going back to the house now and going over what happened. I shall expect you to be there."

"Yeah G-man, I'll be there."

"And Faith, one other thing. Thank you for helping Buffy."

Buffy watched Faith's eyes change to a warm dark brown, then back to a cooler shade. "No trouble G-man, I couldn't have done it with out her." Buffy bit her lower lip. ‘What did I just see in her? I think she likes me, she just won't let me in.’