Buffy & The Four Ch. 03

NOTE : This story is set within an alternate Buffyverse. Faith has stayed with the Scooby gang and has become Buffy's secret girlfriend. Dawn is now nineteen and at college. Willow and Tara are still together. Although a separate story, this series starts two weeks after the events of Buffy and The Exiled.

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Buffy leapt at Giles. To most people, he looked like a stuffy, middle-aged man who would have been far happier with his nose in a book, rather than physical activity. They would have been badly misjudging him. One half of a Watcher's job was book lore, true, but the other half was studying all the fighting styles possible and teaching them to the Slayer.

Even Buffy was surprised that he managed to dodge backward from her grasp. She slid forward and took a handful of his shirt. Instantly he grasped her elbow and hand, rotating them sharply to break her hold and force her upper body to bend in order to prevent her arm from snapping. He knew he only had a second to get the better of her.

As Buffy used her far superior strength to force her arm back, he swiftly reversed his hold and spun her the other way. She somersaulted like a pro because it was either that or have her arm dislocated. Giles let her roll free and turned to dash back into the basement. Anya blocked his path.

"Going somewhere, Rupert?"

He hit her hard and fast. Every fibre of his being screamed that it was wrong to hit a woman, but his mind overrode it and pointed out that Anya was really an eleven hundred year old demon. Unfortunately that also meant that his punch only rocked her head to the side and she shot him a scowl.

"Did you think that would work?"

"I rather hoped it might," he confessed.

"Giles," Buffy said, walking up behind him. "This is cool. Don't worry; you'll still be yourself once you become one of us. Just because you will be possessed does not mean you'll have to give up cups of tea or saying 'uhm' or 'ah' a lot."

"It's painless," Willow told him. Then she made a little pout and added, "Mostly."

"Painless?" Anya said, disbelievingly. "Painless? Have you forgotten about these tears in my blouse? This is pure silk. Do I have to remind you about the cost?"

"You didn't ask the forty-odd other times," Willow grumbled.

"Guys, if we could just get back to the possession," Buffy said, wearily.

Anya did not look placated, but she did nod and grab Giles by the throat with one hand, lifting him off his feet. The Watcher choked and spluttered, grasping both of his hands onto hers to try to alleviate the pressure.

A shovel struck Anya in the back, making her stagger forward and drop Giles. Xander raised it again to threaten another strike. "Sorry, Honey."

"What do you think you are doing, Xander?" Buffy asked, amused.

"Get back or you'll get the same as my girlfriend," he warned, hefting the tool behind his head ready for a big swing. "And again with the sorry, Ahn," he added, seeing her stand and put her fists on her hips in vexation.

"Get with the serious for a moment," Buffy said pleasantly. "Do you think that we couldn't take that from you?"

"Something's going to get broke if you try," he replied, making more threatening motions.

"Your arm, most likely," Anya sighed.

He considered it and then nodded his agreement. At that moment, Willow uttered a word and the shovel leapt out of his hands and into hers. She cocked her head to one side and grinned. "Now what are you going to do?"

He shrugged apologetically. "Not sure. Kinda hadn't thought this through."

At that instant, a small white light burst just before each of the possessed women's face. Their reaction was to blink and recoil in surprise as they were blinded for a second. Dawn raced out of the cellar and grabbed Giles' arm, yanking him to his feet. Xander turned and grabbed Tara as she tottered up the steps. Together, they tried to escape.

"Thespia bind them!" Willow commanded. Green rings of churning energy encircled all four of them before they could reach the gate. The early morning sun was glittering through the branches of the trees at the bottom of the garden, bathing the patio in a warm yellow glow that sparkled on the mystic bonds.

Buffy blinked the last of the after-image of the dazzle from her eyes and shook her head. "Nice try guys. Props for effort but there is no way you can beat ol' Will. She can counter anything you come up with."

"Can she counter this?" said a voice just behind Willow. As everybody turned to the familiar cocky tone, a trash can was slammed down over Willow's upper body and, before she could even squeak in surprise, a kick to the can sent her rattling back into the wall. She bounced off, comical because just her legs protruded from the metal cylinder, and collapsed in a clanging bang.

"Pow! Strike Two! A girl could get used to this, Red," Faith grinned.

Buffy and Anya moved fast. Both charged the brunette Slayer. Faith backhanded Anya off her feet and ducked beneath Buffy's swinging fist.

"Two at once? That's hardly fair... Ooof!"

Buffy had dropped her shoulder as her fist sailed past and launched herself into Faith's chest. The body blow lifted the rock chick off her feet and both Slayers barrelled over the grass.

"Déjà vu?" Buffy asked as they rolled to their feet, face to face, ready for the fight.

"I'd... answer that... if I had any breath left," Faith gasped.

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As Anya got back to her feet to join Buffy, a slim blur with long brown hair dived past her. Dawn rolled like a gymnast and scooped up the shovel that lay beside the unconscious Willow. The moment the witch had blacked out, her spell had been cancelled. Dawn stood and twirled the handle until it slapped down into her free hand and she held the shaft like a quarterstaff before her.

"Stay out of it, Anya," the teen warned.

"Or what? You'll pout me to death? Get real, Dawn, you're no match for me."

"Maybe not," the young girl admitted. "But it's not me you should be worried about."

With a quick jerk, she threw the shovel past Anya and smirked. The demoness spun to see where the makeshift weapon was going in time to see Giles snag it from the air.

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"Let us help you, Bee," Faith said as the two warriors circled each other.

"Let us help you, Eff," her girlfriend taunted back. When she spoke, Faith seized her chance. She darted in to attack, using a backhanded blow followed by an uppercut and an elbow strike. Buffy danced backward, blocking each attack as she went.

"That is so not gonna get it done," she teased before returning three quick strikes of her own. Arms moving like a windmill, Faith blocked the attacks and struck back, to no avail. The Slayers took it up a gear and the blows and kicks became almost a blur.

Feinting with a karate chop, Faith struck for Buffy's knee with her foot instead. Knowing her lover's fighting style, Buffy was ready and cartwheeled straight backward, both feet connecting with Faith's chin as she went. Staggered, the denim clad Slayer was not prepared enough for the next attack.

A fast roundhouse struck her hard, her block soaking up some of the impact but not enough. She was flung head over heels, crashing down heavily and Buffy was on her in an instant. The brunette only just managed to snag hold of both of her girlfriend's wrists in time to stop them raking her face. The fingernails had lengthened into claws and a black oil-like substance coated them.

Muscles strained as Slayer tested Slayer. Buffy's face was screwed up with hate and Faith's with effort.

"I don't suppose you wanna kiss and make up, Bee?"

"Sure. Pucker up."

Faith bucked and twisted, turning Buffy to the side. Together the two women struggled and rolled across the lawn into the undergrowth of the nearby trees. Somehow, Buffy came out on top, yet again.

"Give it up, Faith. I'm better than you and you know it! I always have been and I always will be!"

Faith could not spare the breath to reply because she was struggling to force those claws back from her face. Suddenly, taking her completely by surprise, Buffy relented. She snatched her arms back, dragging Faith's with her, and then curled her fist and slammed it down into the brunette's face. Blow followed blow; each one knocked the sense from Faith and making it easier to land the next.

"I told you!" Buffy yelled. "I win! I win!" A fist punctuated each word until Faith lay dazed and helpless beneath her.

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With astonishing speed, Giles whirled the shovel around and struck the demoness three savage blows. The first hit was the butt of the handle straight into Anya's solar plexus. As she doubled forward, he flipped the shovel swiftly upward, the back of the blade whapping into the demon's jaw. The blow straightened her up instantly, knocking the curl out of her body. Without let up, the Watcher swung the shovel around his head in an arc and swept her feet from beneath her. As she pitched onto her back, he drove the handle down into her belly to blast the remaining breath from her.

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Faith felt herself slipping into unconsciousness and Buffy just kept hitting her. The blonde's face was knotted with hate and she seemed unable to stop her rain of blows.

"Who's the best, now, Faith? Still think you can take me? You've always thought you were the better Slayer, but you're wrong. Even on my worst day I could take you with one hand tied behind my back. Your problem is that I'm so much faster than you are; it's not your fault, you're simply slower because you're... bulkier."

Finally, Buffy seemed to realise she had gone a little crazy and sat back on Faith's belly. To compose herself, she brushed a lock of blonde hair out of her eyes.

"Sorry, Eff. I got a little carried away there."

As she spoke, she spread the two sides of Faith's denim jacket open with a tender caress. The dazed girl's breasts rose and fell inside her tight red vest as she struggled to stay conscious. Buffy stroked her clawed fingernails over her girlfriend's nipple. "Ready for me?"

"Get fucked," Faith managed to moan, earning a happy giggle from her girlfriend.

"Sure, but afterwards, okay?" For a moment, Buffy looked soft and friendly before her face hardened. "Time's up. Welcome to the fold."

She drew back her claw and slashed it down at the helpless Slayer. At the same instant, a root shot out of the undergrowth around them and coiled about her wrist, yanking it back.

"What the...?"

More roots and branches whipped out to ensnare her. They tightened and dragged her violently into the bushes. As writhing leaves smothered her, she caught a glimpse of her friends. Giles was standing over a helpless Anya; Xander was using his belt to tie Willow's hands behind her back before she came round and Dawn was stood just behind Tara's shoulder. The young Wicca was kneeling as if in prayer. Her hands were outstretched, her eyes closed, and she was mumbling a spell. So that was what had brought the plants to life!

"You'll pay for this!" Buffy shrieked as she thrashed about and struggled to rip her way free of the entangling vegetation. For each root she snapped, several more took its place.

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With Xander and Giles supporting Faith, and Dawn helping Tara along, the group hurried through the early morning streets.

"Any ideas on where we can go now?" Xander wanted to know.

"It seems that they will find us no matter where we go. All we can do now is determine what has happened, and how to free them," Giles said.

"And the Oscar for stating the obvious goes to..." the young man declared, hefting Faith's arm further over his shoulder as he did so.

She had been hanging limp between the two men, but now she put her feet down and took her own weight. "Did anybody get the licence plate of that truck?" she groaned, before slipping free of their grasp.

Rubbing at the bruises and scratches on his throat from where Anya had grabbed him, Giles fretted as he studied the Slayer's condition. The tingling in the side of his neck felt strange, but he was more worried for the well-being of the battered young woman. "Are you okay?" he asked, concern filling his croaky voice.

"Five by five. Or at least I will be. You should know me by now, Giles. I take a licking and keep on ticking." Her face crinkled as she gingerly touched her cheek, "Although I gotta say it's a habit I'm trying to break."

As he looked at her, he noticed a strange necklace around her throat. It seemed to be made of knuckle bones and had a rough blob of amber hanging from it like a pendant. After a moment, he recognised it. "Is that a Miknar spell ward?"

She stretched like a cat to ease the aches and pains in her back and chest. "Yeah. I figured Red would be able to find me pretty easily, so I went to the Alibi room and convinced the Miknar to let me use it."

"That was nice of him," Dawn said brightly, until she thought about it. "Oh."

"That was a very clever move," Giles told his Slayer.

"Thanks dad," she said, a little hurt that he sounded so surprised. "I guess this leaves us only one place to go, huh?"

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Xander was impressed; not even on his best day could he make a mess like this. The small bedsit room was littered with clothes; they draped the chair, the bed and almost succeeded in hiding the floor completely. The sink and draining board were straining under the weight of unwashed dishes and some of the pans on top of the cooker looked like they had evolved into rudimentary life forms.

The curtains were drawn to blot out the daylight and the whole room smelled slightly animal.

"Gotta say I love what you have done with the place, Ru."

The small, sleazy blonde was stood rather awkwardly in the centre of the circle of friends. She was dressed only in a skimpy pair of panties and a tattered black tee shirt. In fact, almost all the clothes that could be seen were tattered and torn. Ru looked out from under the long fringe of her blonde bob. She had a naturally pouty look on her face and her bee-stung lips were devastatingly inviting. She flashed Xander a 'fuck you' smile and turned back to Faith.

"So why come to me? Anya has already been here looking for you. She was kinda weird, but it's hard to tell with her."

"We need a place to take a breather." The Slayer jerked a thumb at Tara who looked almost comical in her ankle length white nightgown, even though all the bandages could be seen through the almost translucent material. "Injured. If she has already been here, so much the better."

"Is Oz not home?" Dawn asked.

The quick flash in Veruca's eyes seemed to hint that Oz's absence was a sore point, but she answered civilly enough. "No. The Dingoes got a gig in L.A."

"I thought they let you sing with them sometimes?"

"They do, but let's just say that Devon MacLeish and I have some difficulties getting on."

"Why?"

"Because he's an insufferable prick and I hate pricks."

"That's not the rumour I heard," Xander said, before he could help himself.

When Ru swivelled her eyes onto him, he felt the glare of the predator inside her and an icy chill gripped him. Back-pedalling, he tried to change the subject to something less focused on him. "How long has Oz been gone?" He remembered from college that Oz had his own relaxed style, but the stocky man had never been untidy. For the room to get this bad Xander assumed that the little man must have been gone for the last fortnight.

"Four days, but he's due back sometime today," Ru said, once more turning back to Faith. The two women got along far too well for most of the Scooby gang's liking. Maybe the free-spirited warrior in Faith saw common ground with the untamed wildness of the beast within Veruca. "Okay, you can crash here, but keep the noise down. I've only just got to bed and I get pissed off if I don't get my den rest."

"How did all your clothes get ruined, Ru?" Dawn asked. She was the only other one of the Scoobies who actually liked the rebellious werewolf.

"Kinda hard to keep the stuff brand new when it gets torn from your body every night."

"But you only change into the wolf three nights a month, don't you?"

"Who said it had anything to do with the werewolf?"

Beside Dawn, Tara turned crimson, Giles looked uncomfortable and Faith grinned.

"Way to go Oz," Xander mumbled in respectful awe.

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"But Buffy," Willow said, pouting slightly. "The mistress wants us to put all our efforts into finding the others."

The blonde Slayer sat down with a shrug. "So? Who gives a fuck what she wants?"

Willow's eyes widened in surprise. Anya also seemed shocked, but as usual, was more immediate about it. "Did you just swear?" She turned to glance at Willow, "Did she just swear?" After receiving an unbelieving nod, Anya turned back to Buffy. "You never swear! What is wrong with you?"

"What makes you think anything is wrong?" Buffy smirked, putting her feet up on the research table. Pressing with her heels, she tilted her chair back so that it balanced on its two rear legs as she cupped her hands behind her head. "I am just getting sick of doing what I'm told. Especially by that Marilyn Manson wannabe." A questioning frown crossed her beautiful face, "Is it hot in here?"

"We have to do what the dark mistress wants..." Willow tried, once more.

"No, we don't, Will. Why should we? After all, I'm the Slayer; you're a badass Wicca and Anya's a scary... well... Anya."

"I think it's the essence," Anya told Willow, from where she was sat on the Magic Box's sales counter.

"Getting stronger, you mean?" The redhead looked thoughtful and then nodded. "Could be."

Buffy rocked her chair. "Who're playin' at the Bronze, Will? Are Dingoes Ate My Baby? I'm kinda in the mood to party."

"Perhaps because it is mixing with Slayer blood it is getting too strong for the mistress to control," Willow continued to Anya, ignoring Buffy.

"Or maybe we could go to the Fishtank. Or even the Alibi rooms, if we just wanna get pissed."

"Buffy, please!" Willow scolded, definitely not used to her friend's language.

"Oh relax, poopyhead. I am just so jazzed up, you know?"

"What d'ya mean?"

"I dunno. Tingly. Hot. Very hot, as a matter of fact, but also the good hot. Horny. Thirsty. I want to dance and chug beers and fuck like a bunny..." She chuckled as she twirled a lock of blonde hair between her fingers, "Maybe that should be fuck like a Buffy."

"Well you can't have Xander," Anya informed her, trying desperately to rid her mind of the nightmare of bunny sex.

"Could if I wanna," Buffy said lightly, meeting her stare.

"Oh no you couldn't."

"Yes, I could."

"Oh no you couldn't."

"Guys!" Willow interrupted. "Pantomime this later. For now, let's just do what the mistress wants, okay?"

"No," Buffy said, standing. "I'm gonna go and get laid." Her eyes slid back to Anya's, challengingly. "And if the lucky guy happens to be Xander..."

Willow stepped between them. "Okay, that's one idea, but how about we turn the others first?"

"Nope, I wanna go dancing."

"Buffy, you can't go dancing at the Bronze," Willow said, putting on her 'resolve' face.

"Give me one good reason why."

"It's nine o'clock in the morning."

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"Summers' sister is one tough little bitch!" Ruth cursed. She settled herself down on the floor, shaking her arms to loosen her body a little, then took several deep breaths and began to gather the magic around herself.

It was amazing!

Before, she had felt the flow of mystic energy as a very light tingle, hardly perceived even when she was concentrating her hardest. Now it was completely different. If she compared it to water, the normal feel was like a slow drip from a leaky tap, but now, with the aid of the Machina Demonica, it felt like she was stood directly in the path of a water cannon! Magic surged through every fibre of her body and she knew - just knew - that she could not be matched by anybody.