Sorry about whatever that was before with the same chapter. Happy reading!
Faith walked out into the parking lot. After Lilah had told the slayer that everything thing was even now and that her services were appreciated, Faith gave the lawyer the finger and walked out to the parking lot.
Personally, Faith had a survivor instinct, and faced with the lawyers threatening to kill her or do worse, she took their offer to be set free and do one job. Now that she was officially done with them, what she really wanted was to get out of this city. This state even, and just go away. Somewhere away from Angel, and Buffy, and demi-gods that would probably try to kill her-
She stopped as a cool breeze blew around her.
“You know, I hear it’s not nice to try and kill a blonde’s boyfriend. They have this tendency to stab you in the gut.”
Spoke too soon, she thought involuntarily shivering from the magical wind blowing about.
Faith turned to face Katherine. “Yeah? Well, now I’m five by five. What are you gonna do?”
“I’m going to kill you. Then, while your body’s cooling, get you to Spike so that he can drain you dry.”
Katherine had no empathy for the slayer. As far as the blonde was concerned, Faith had done something unforgivable. And she was going to pay for the mistake she’d made in hurting Spike.
“Want to test that theory?” Faith asked, tensing her body for a fight.
Katherine didn’t answer, flying at the slayer, punching her three times in quick succession and following through with a kick to the brunette’s gut.
Damn, she hits hard, Faith thought as she sailed through the air. This was a big mistake if Faith ever knew one. And looking back on the past four years, she knew mistakes.
Faith flew into the hood of the car. “You’re serious.” She hopped off the dented vehicle, stretching out her muscles and coming back at the demi-god. If she was going to die tonight, she’d die fighting. Fighting to the last breath Katherine had threatened her with.
“And you’re not.” Katherine blocked every punch Faith threw at her. She took an uppercut punch to the stomach and sent a roundhouse kick straight to Faith’s chin.
Faith flew onto her back and Katherine couldn’t help taunting her. “Buffy got more hits in.”
Buffy. If Faith really thought about it, she didn’t hate Buffy. Buffy had originally tried to help her and Faith threw her trust out the window, threw whatever bonding progress they’d made right along with it. She’d been so messed up; and still was a bit, if you really thought about it. Things had gotten out of control and it seemed better to be on the Mayor’s side because, one, he was winning at the time, and two, he appeared to get her. Like her and want her around. Maybe that was her problem. Throwing out a vibe that she didn’t need anyone.
Katherine grinned when Faith was up and flying at her. She tackled Katherine into a car, a dent now marring the expensive vehicle. The blonde tossed the slayer over her onto the roof and jumped to her feet, firmly planted on the hood. Faith got to her feet and punched Katherine in the jaw five times.
The blonde grinned again. She then lashed out again, kicking Faith in the gut. With the Slayer doubled over, she elbowed the brunette in the back and the human fell to her knees, rolling off the roof and onto the hood. The blonde kicked her in the ribs and she flew into the wall.
Faith groaned as she tumbled to her feet. She watched as her current enemy jumped off the hood of the car and stalked towards her. Katherine kicked her in the face and uppercut punched her in the jaw.
If Faith had to die today, the last thing she was going to do was make it easy for Katherine. Let Katherine take her down without a fight. She didn’t like to lose. And especially not her life.
In a burst of pure desperation, Faith tackled Katherine around the waist and they flew to the ground. She hit the other female incessantly until Katherine threw her off.
The demi-god flipped to her feet and came at the slayer in a fury. She jumped in the air, sending a flying kick to the face and ending it in a back flip. She spun quickly, back-kicking Faith in the chest and the slayer flew back
Under the hard determination to help Spike, Katherine’s mind ran rampant. Would she really have to kill Faith? Would Spike be okay until she got back? Would it be a possibility to just go and get Buffy, end this now? But the other part of her, the part riding on the surface wanted to tear Faith from limb to limb for attacking what she still considered her family. For being successful. And it was just so much easier to give in.
Faith struggled to her feet. “Shouldn’t you be killing me?”
“Yeah.” Katherine said. “Shouldn’t you be on the path of redemption?”
“Can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Thought you knew that.” The brunette came at Katherine, punching her for all she was worth. She backed the eternal being towards a wall, her will to survive strangely overshadowing Katherine’s strength and will to save Spike.
Katherine took each punch, the blows only barely registering. You have to cure Spike, she thought as the slayer landed a hard punch to her face that had Katherine stumbling back. The vampire you love. That is dying. From a poison the girl kicking your ass administered.
Faith kicked Katherine in the gut and followed with a second to the face.
Katherine ducked the punch coming her way and delivered a sharp kick to Faith’s chin. The slayer flew back on impact and Katherine reached for her.
Faith winced as she was yanked to her feet by her hair. Katherine punched her in the face and kicked her in the ribs and she fell to her knees.
This was getting old to Katherine and she was determined to find out what Faith had hidden under her bravado. She made the brunette look at her and a charge ran through her as she saw the future.
“So this is for you, Faith. Even a century later, we still remember you. We’ll always remember you.”
Katherine pulled back as she thought of what that meant before looking into Faith’s eyes again.
“You’re up.” Katherine said, entering the hospital room.
“Are you here to kill me?” Faith asked suspiciously.
“No. It’s a different mission this time, Faith. One we’re on the same side for. You up for it?”
“Got a car?”
“The coolest blue convertible ever.”
The blonde let Faith go and stepped back as her conscience began to war with her need for vengeance. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t kill a slayer for Spike. The last thing she needed was-
She held up her hand and a bullet appeared. She held it up for the human to see. “’S so tiny. Can’t b’lieve this thing could kill the first few mortal friends I allowed myself to have. And you’d have killed them. For that,” Katherine smiled slowly. “You die, bastard.”
Faith didn’t move from her position on the floor, debating whether she should just give in. Yeah, Faith, just give in. You’ll just end up in a hospital again. In a coma. For nearly a year.
Faith stumbled to her feet while Katherine wasn’t paying attention and tripped the demi-god. “Not goin’ down that easy, Blondie.”
Angel watched over Spike like Katherine had asked of him. And only because she’d never asked him for much the entire time she’d known him and that he knew how much she cared about the bleached blonde.
“You think you two would learn that hanging together gets you into trouble.”
The soulful vampire muttered to himself as he thought of what Darla had told him last year.
“We would be having sex right now, but a little birdie told me that was a bad idea.”
“What birdie would that be, Darla?”
“Katherine. You know, a mob almost killed her and Lynn in ’69 Italy. She was with Spike and Dru, so I’m not all that surprised.” Darla replied.
“Katherine was almost killed?”
“Many times. And each time it’s with Spike. They’re going to be the deaths of each other.”
Silence lapsed. “Darla?”
“Yes, lover?”
“When you leave this room, don’t come back. The next time, I will kill you.”
Angel thought on the memory and how prophetic Darla’s words were. He had to wonder whose idea it had been to come bother him in the first place and had a feeling it was Katherine’s.
Katherine was trying to kill Faith. Angel still had this desperate need to go out and find the demi-god before she killed the slayer. To stop this and save Faith, but something about Katherine’s determination told him that not even their bond would stop her when it came to this. When it came to saving Spike.
Angel could understand that. If given a chance, he’d do anything for Buffy, Darla even. And now, Cordelia. Cordelia was a different story. Something about Katherine had attracted Cordelia into wanting to help Spike. It may have been the fact that Katherine was a friend of Angel’s and liked Spike, or it could be that she genuinely liked Katherine and wanted to help. Either could be a possibility, but he was willing to bet it was the latter option.
Angel stood, taking a minute to look at Spike. He left the room and found his friends sitting around downstairs, all looking to be in deep thought. He interestedly wondered if Katherine thought she’d have this much of an effect on Los Angeles.
Katherine flipped to her feet, kicking Faith in the face twice for her troubles. She could feel him, fighting for his life, fighting to not turn into dust, for her. For Buffy and Dawn. Because he loved them.
Somewhere deep inside, it registered that it wasn’t the way she wanted. That he loved her only in a platonic way, the way he loved Dawn, but at the moment she couldn’t think about it, taking the emotion and running with it.
Lilah could see, from the protection of her surveillance camera, that something had changed in Katherine.
The lavender haired demi-god caught Faith’s fist and squeezed. She smiled coldly as bones popped and the slayer’s hand broke. She shoved Faith back and sent a kick to Faith’s chest.
Faith stumbled back, the pain in her hand spreading up her arm. She threw her left fist and Katherine caught it, using it to propel the brunette into a wall.
“He loves me.” Katherine said, kicking Faith in the chest, then the face, and the chest again.
Faith flew back into a wall and slid down it. Katherine grabbed Faith by the hair and the slayer struggled in her grasp, head butting the other female.
Katherine only grinned, cracking her neck and lifting Faith in the air to toss the slayer into a car. Faith crashed through the front window, rolling onto the front seats.
“He loves me, an’ I’m not going t’let him die.”
Lilah made a ‘tsk’ sound as she viewed the scene. “Love as motivation…such a deadly thing.”
Katherine reached in and dragged the slayer out. Faith laid on the floor, slowly bleeding to death in Wolfram and Hart’s parking lot.
The demi-god reached down and yanked her to her feet. “Dinner for a Mister Spike.”
“We should probably call Buffy. She might want to know.” Cordelia said gently, coming into the room with Fred and Angel. “I mean, if she and Spike had some kind of truce.”
“Angel, I think Cordelia’s right.” Fred agreed with the Sunnydale native.
“Katherine will come-“ Angel paused when Katherine came into the room with a badly beaten Faith in her arms.
The three moved out of the way as she knelt by the bed. “Hey, Will. I’m here.”
She nodded to Angel and he helped her sit Spike up. She then moved Faith so that Katherine easily held her wrist. She used her dagger to slash the slayer’s wrist and moved it to Spike’s mouth and watched the blood slide down his throat.
Angel heard Faith’s heartbeat slow to a near stop. That was when Spike pushed Faith away from him.
Katherine’s eyes met Spike’s and Katherine nodded before disappearing with Faith.
“Where did Katherine go?” Fred asked.
“To take the slayer to the hospital.” Spike answered, sitting up.
Angel gave Spike a look. “You’re unneeded trouble, you know that?”
“What can I say, Brood Boy; it’s a gift.”
Katherine entered the hospital, half carrying Faith so that she wouldn’t be seen as too strong. She handed the rogue slayer over to the doctors and they told her the female would be in a coma. It was possible she wouldn’t come out of it. Katherine then decided to foot it back to the hotel.
YOU NEARLY KILLED HER TO SAVE HIM.
“And she nearly killed him to save herself.” Katherine answered, putting her hands in her pockets.
SHE IS HUMAN. HE IS A VAMPIRE.
“You still don’t get it, do you? Humans aren’t good by nature. They choose to be. And she chose evil to keep her life. She’s lucky he let her go.” Katherine left at a corner.
YES, HE DID. WHY WOULD HE DO THAT?
“Because he knew I didn’t want to nearly kill her. She just made it that way. I didn’t choose the ending in this.” Katherine explained.
They didn’t answer and it made her wonder. She stopped a thought coming to mind. “Why wasn’t I shown?”
WHAT ARE YOU ASKING, DEMI-GOD?
“Why didn’t I know about this?” Her mind flashed to when she mentioned Spike getting a job. “It was a test. His test. He passed his test?”
YES, THE VAMPIRE PROVED HIMSELF.
Katherine’s eyes widened as her experience flashed in her mind.
“Shit.”
She took off down the street, disappearing all the while.