DISCLAIMER: See Part 1

Forgotten Conscience
Two roads, one path
By Christopher Andrews

 

Chapter 71
Slayer bonding rituals that actually involve bondage


Faith's POV


"Is that it?"

It sounds like nothing much, but if it does what I think it does then I guess it can't be nothing.

"Yeah pretty much a little rope, a little incantation and the spell should be broken."

"And then you guys can stop worrying about Faith hurting people."

God am I glad B and I worked things out. I was so sure that she was gonna hate me forever after what I did to her, but she doesn't seem to. Maybe she meant what she said last night about what happened wasn't about us. Maybe we really will have our night of beautiful passion the way we're meant to. I hope we will once this whole spell thing is over and done with. We could use a little happiness after everything I've put her through.

"All right then all we have to do is to wait for Xander to get back and we can begin…"

Someone comes in through the door.

Thank god I didn't have to wait too long.

I turn around to see Spike come through the door with a blanket over his head.

"You know most people need a good morning jog to get their juices going except of course us slayer types we can get our juices flowing any time eh B?"

I punch her playfully in the arm and she looks at me with reserved panic, looking around to see if anyone else got the inside joke.

That's the great thing about inside jokes no one gets them except the people on the inside.

I sit back down as he loses the sheet and pats himself down to put out any possible fires, even though I doubt there are any fires on THAT body… eww.

"But seeing as how you don't have any juices to get going you might wanna reconsider the whole morning jog thing."

"Hey I just came to see how the end of the world was coming along."

Buffy jumps in with her own insult.

"You couldn't find a less flammable time of day to worry about the apocalypse?"

She's so cute when she's punning.

"Wow, feeling the love in this room."

Buffy makes her punning known again.

"We don't love you Spike, in fact we don't even like you. Actually it'd be easier to say we hate you with a fiery passion."

Spike pulls a stool over to join us.

"Right then, bugger that."

He spots the headline from the paper on the table.

"Oh hey, I heard about that. So what big baddie are we gonna hunt now?"

I'm not sure how to answer that but lucky for me, in more ways than one, B steps in.

"Um first of all Spike, you should probably take the, we involving you and us from your vocabulary. And second of all there's no big baddie to hunt, at least not that we know of."

"Really…? Wow you Scoobies are really slipping. Usually by now you'd have the demons name, haunts and favourite TV shows figured out by now."

"There's no demon Spike."

"Right um… didn't the police say they were stabbed with a knife? Buffy didn't you say Faith used to stab people with a knife?"

Buffy glares at him.

"Shut up Spike before I shut you up."

I had the same thought.

Spike looks around the room before he sits back comfortably.

"Oh I see, we already think the little tart here is doing the deed."

He smiles at me and I'm already sick of him. I jump out of my seat and grab him by the throat. I look down at him choking in his seat, which is weird since vampires don't breath.

"You know Spike I'm starting to realize just why it is that everyone hates you."

I pull my arm back in a staking position putting my hand out flat.

"Someone hand me a stake and I'll put peroxide boy out of his misery."

"Ooh, can I do it?"

I look up to the door and Xander is standing at the door with donuts in his hands.

"Have I missed all the fun?"

"No I was just about to stake myself a useless vamp."

I feel someone take my staking hand in theirs and I don't even have to turn around to know who it is.

It's hers. I'd know those hands anywhere. Soft and gentle yet powerful and commanding, they're unmistakable.

"Faith, don't."

What?

I finally decide to look back at her.

"Why? He's just some pathetic vampire."

"You're right Faith. He's a pathetic excuse for a vampire who couldn't scare anyone if his life depended on it. He's not worth the stake Faith."

The muscles in the arm she's touching starts to relax.

"Don't… for me."

I look over at Xander who had decided to get a closer look, and then down at Spike.

She asked me not to do it, so I won't.

I let go of Spike's neck and straighten up.

"Thanks."

She lets go of my hand and goes to sit down. Spike straightens out his collar.

I should still give him a scare.

I grab him by the shirt collar and pull him up till his feet are a couple inches off the ground.

He's got a scared look on his face, good.

"Buffy asked me not to kill you so I'm not gonna, lucky you."

I shake him a bit to make sure he's paying attention.

"But if I find out you're responsible for those girls or you're helping whoever did not even Buffy will stop me from hunting you down."

I throw him down on the couch.

"Got it?"

He looks up at me with an angry look.

"All right I get it and by the way I ain't working for anyone."

"You better not be."

I go back to my seat next to Buffy and sit down.

"So what's the word? Are you gonna do this counter spell or not?"

"Yes Xander, I'm gonna go through with it. We're gonna do the counter spell."

"Good, did we start yet?"

"We were waiting for you."

Xander puts the dozen donuts down on the coffee table in the middle of the room.

"Well I'm here now, let's get to it."

I don't usually agree with Xander but that sounds like…

"Music to my ears, do we have everything we need, Will?"

My thoughts exactly B.

"Yeah we do, and Giles here has graciously offered his floor for the spell."

Buffy and I get up and so does Willow.

"The floor?"

"Yeah we need to make a circle on the floor to keep the magic focused on you guys and not spread out and stuff."

"Okay so where do you want us to stand?"

"Well here…"

Willow comes over and starts moving the table.

"Lets move the table and we'll do it right here."

"Good show, you'll do it where I put my coffee table so you can cover it up later rather than buying a new rug."

Willow rolls her eyes before turning to Giles.

"It's just salt Giles, don't freak out."

"I shall remind you of that when we go buy a new carpet."

The table is finally moved far enough away and Willow comes back over.

"Okay I need you guys to come over and stand facing each other.

B and I move away from the couch together and face each other.

"A little closer please…"

Willow moves to push us together but looks at me and decides not to touch me.

I have no problem with Red not touching me as long as B doesn't stop touching me.

Willow shoves Buffy a little closer to me and I smile at her. She smiles at me as we get about a foot and a half from each other.

We've been closer, much closer, and if I have my way we'll get closer when this is all done.

Willow starts pouring salt around us in a circle.

I'm glad we're okay again, well as okay as B and I can be right now.

The circle is finished and Willow stand beside us.

"Okay now Faith, I need you to hold out your hands out face up like you're accepting a gift."

I put my hands out like Willow asks.

"Thank you."

Wow, Willow's being all courteous to me and stuff. It's kinda weird.

"All right Buffy? I need you to hold out your hands too and I need you two to hold each other's wrists while I tie them together."

Buffy does as Willow asks and we grab each other's wrists as Willow goes to get the pieces of rope to use in the spell. I run my fingers along the underside of her arms and I swear I almost hear her giggle as she smiles at me playfully. She runs her fingers against my wrists and it makes me twitch. We smile at each other as Willow comes back with a pair of silky ropes.

"Okay I'm gonna go ahead and tie you together. Are you sure you wanna do this?"

"Yeah we're sure Will."

"Yeah Red, go ahead and get your Wicca on girl."

She looks at me for a second before starting to tie B and me together. She wraps the rope around my left wrist and B's right several times before tying the loose ends together then does the same to my right and B's left. I keep staring at Buffy and she keeps staring back with those incredible eyes of hers. I have to use all my strength not to just pull her to me and make out with her here now.

She wouldn't be able to get away what with our spell time bondage.

"Okay so I think we're ready to start. Where'd I put the book?"

She looks around for a second before Tara hands it to her.

"Oh, thanks Tara."

She opens the book and finds the right page.

"All right, we're ready."

She stands to my left between us and starts to read from the book.

"Here my pleas Diana let this woman be unburdened of that which plagues her. Let her heart be uncaged, let her be bonded to her obsession and let her soul be cleansed and her thoughts be unfettered. Diana, hear me bond these two minds and let them be free."

I lose my eyes, expecting something to happen, but nothing did. At least I don't think anything happened.

I don't feel any different.

"Is it over? Do you feel any different B?"

"Um, not really."

I open my eyes and Buffy is looking at Willow.

"Did it work Will?"

Willow looks through the book for a second.

"I don't think so."

"What happened?"

"I dunno… there should've been a magical energy transfer of some kind."

"Well I didn't feel anything, did you B?"

"No, should we… should we try again?"

Willow starts scanning through the book.

"I don't understand it should've worked. Why didn't it work?"

"I dunno Red, did you screw something up?"

She flashes me an angry look before going back to the book.

"No I followed everything to the letter. It should've worked."

Buffy starts to move her hands to loosen the rope so I help her.

"It's okay Will, I'm sure you'll figure out what went wrong."

"But it shouldn't have gone wrong that's the thing."

We get out of our little bondage situation and B moves to reassure her, stepping out of the circle.

"It'll be okay Will, you'll find out what went wrong and then we'll try again."

If the counter spell didn't work… then I'm still a threat.

"What if I can't find the answer?"

"You will find it. You've got Giles and the gang to help, and most of all you've got Tara. You're both very powerful witches, if you can't find a way in the research you'll make one up, either way it'll all work out."

I'm still a threat to Buffy. I shouldn't be around her while the spell still works, she could get hurt.

"Well while you guys go deal with that I'm gonna go deal with some demon types."

I step out of the circle and head to the door.

"Faith, wait…"

I turn around and keep walking backwards. I point at B suggestively with a wink.

"Hey no worries, you guys are better at the whole research thing anyway. Give me a call when you figure it out."

I turn around as I reach the door and leave.

We're okay, that's all that really matters.

Chapter 72
The good within


Buffy's POV


"Faith, wait…"

We should talk alone.

She turns and gives me a buddy Christ look as she heads out the door.

"Hey no worries, you guys are better at the whole research thing anyway. Give me a call when you figure it out."

She walks out the door.

I should go after her. I need an excuse though. I gotta think of an excuse.

I start to move slowly toward the door.

"I'm um… I'll be right um, right back."

Oh bravo.

I get up to the door and leave.

I should give myself an Emmy for such a great excuse.

I hit the top of Giles' outside staircase and she's standing a few feet from the bottom, looking out on the street.

"F…"

I stop myself from calling out to her.

The gang might hear me and I'm not sure I could explain it.

I start down the stairs and Faith doesn't turn around.

Her slayer hearing should have heard me coming by now, unless she's ignoring me on purpose.

I glide down the last few steps and the momentum makes it hard to stop. At the last second Faith turns and grabs me, using my momentum to dip me into a scorcher of a kiss. I reach up and wrap my arms around her neck to hold myself up. After a few incredible seconds we finally break our kiss but she doesn't let me up. She just smiles down at me with that sexy smile of hers.

"Were you waiting for me?"

I caress her cheek and she finally lets me up.

"What gave you that idea?"

I chuckle at her.

"Yeah, as soon as I left I had this feeling you might follow me."

"Well why did you leave in the first place? I was hoping we could talk after the meeting."

"The meeting's over for me B. I was only there to do the counter spell and it didn't work. Besides, it's better for everyone if I leave."

Better for everyone?

"For everyone? It's not better for me I want us to spend every waking moment together."

I take a few steps back.

"I want that too Buffy but until the spell is broken I'm a threat to you."

She closes the gap between us.

A threat?

"You don't feel like a threat to me."

"But I am."

She wraps her arms around me, my head against her shoulder; I close my eyes and feel the warmth of her body against mine.

"I promise B, the second Red finds a way to break the spell we'll have everything. We'll have that first date you wanted. We'll have everything we deserve just like you wanted."

We stand there locked in each other's warm embrace.

What about what she wants?

I pull back a bit to look her in the eyes. I brush the hair out of her face and kiss her lightly.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Well I mean what about what you want? You deserve to be just as happy."

"I am happy B. Making you happy IS what makes me happy."

"But…"

She quiets me with a kiss.

"B, I've spent my whole life trying to make myself happy. I went from person to person to person trying to find someone who could make me happy."

She runs her thumb along my cheekbone and it makes my whole face tingle.

"It wasn't until last night that I realized I wasn't looking for someone to make me happy, I was looking for someone who I can make happy. And that's you B."

God she can be so sweet when she wants to be.

I kiss her deeply, pushing my tongue between her lips as I do. I suck on her bottom lip gently as I break the kiss. She gasps audibly as she revels in the taste of our lips.

"And that's why I have to stay away form you."

What? Why?

"But what about…"

"At least until I can be sure you won't get hurt."

She runs her fingers through my hair.

"I would never forgive myself if I hurt you, or one of your friends."

She's trying to do what's right for everyone I can't hate her for that.

I run my hands over her back.

"You're right Faith, we have to do the right thing to make sure we don't end up hurting each other."

She cradles my head in her hands.

"I promise, the second you guys find a way to break the spell I'll come running straight to you B."

"You promise?"

I look into her eyes and I could swear she's staring into my soul.

"I promise."

"Okay then, go… before I can't stop myself."

She shoots me a sexy smile and kisses me before breaking our embrace and heads away from Giles' place. I watch her leave.

I knew there was a good person in there somewhere, a person who wants to do the right thing. She was just buried under years of pain and mistrust. I saw it in her when she had no memory and ever since then I've tried to reach that part of her and I think I finally did.

I start back up the stairs as I see her wave at me as she turns the corner.

We're gonna be happy I just know it. As long as I can trust in her and what we have then we can be happy.

I reach the top of the stairs and stare at Giles' open door.

We will be happy soon, but for now I have to concentrate. I have to concentrate on making sure we can be together without either of us being hurt.

I walk through the door and into Giles' living room. Everyone's already looking through books. I go over and pick up a book on the table. I sit down on the couch and join them.

It's time to help do the right thing.

Chapter 73
Changes you didn't see coming


Someone's POV


He rushes over to us.

"It's her."

I knew it.

"Are you certain? I do not wish to go anywhere near that hell hole unless we know for sure that it's her."

"We are sir the M.O. is too similar to be coincidence. And we have confirmed that she was able to give our operatives at the hospital the slip, but we have confirmed she is in town."

"Very well then, prepare the helicopter. We must go to Sunnydale California immediately."

"Aye sir."

He runs off toward the copter pad.

We have to stop the slayer before she does something WE'LL regret.


John's POV


"Adam, what is it?"

"He has returned."

"Good."

I move over to the monitor Adam's watching. Riley's back from his patrol with a few less soldiers.

He looks upset, good.

"Can we get audio? I wanna know what they're saying."

Adam presses a few buttons and fiddles with a knob and the audio springs to life.

"I don't know Forrest I'm really worried about her."

"Look Finn, she broke up with you. If I were you I would I would say good riddance to bad women. That girl is trouble."

"You're not me Forrest. She was so distraught and the next day she broke up with me…"

Buffy broke up with Captain Cardboard? Damn it.

"I gotta go talk to her. Maybe I can get her to give us another chance."

"Riley, don't."

"I have to, I love her."

He leaves.

He's going to see Buffy, this is perfect. The best way to drive a wedge between the two of them is to kill someone close to them.

"Look um… Adam, I have to go report this to my master. I'll be back in a while and we can finish plotting the end of the world."

He ignores me as I start to leave.

Probably working on his master plan. It's probably best he doesn't know where I'm going. He'd probably tear my head off if he knew I'm about to screw up that little plan of his. That moron is all about his big plan he'd be lost without his big plan. Unlike me who can just go with the flow.


Faith's POV


I can't believe I just did that.

I nearly take the vamp's head off with a round house kick.

ME! Ms. Get some and get gone being all noble and doing the right thing and all that.

The vamp gets up and I come at him with a few lefts and rights, connecting happily with his face. I manage to block any he throws back.

I really must be in… I really must have fallen hard for B. I'm actually trying to be good.

I kick him in the stomach and he goes flying over two headstones and crashing into the third one, breaking it in half.

I passed up a chance to get into B's pants in favour of doing the right thing.

I watch the vamp try to get up and I decide to let him come to me this time.

She probably would've given it up to me too if I'd have asked for it.

He crawls over to one of the gravestones and pulls himself up to his feet.

But I didn't ask her. I didn't take her home and screw her brains out till she can't walk straight. That's not what she wants, she wants to take things slow and when I think about it that's what I want too. She was right. I want our first time… our real first time… to be different than any time I've had before, anything either of us has had before. Maybe I should buy some rose petals for the bed, and scented candles and stuff. It's not really my thing but I know B would like it. Who knows it may grow on me.

I pull a stake out of my jacket pocket as he comes at me. I try and stake him but he dodges the stake and grabs my arm under his armpit.

Umm, eww undead B.O.

I try and punch him with my other arm but he grabs that one too.

God damn it.

I try and pull me hands out but he's got me tight.

I knew this guy was gonna give me a headache.

I head butt him, he's dazed but doesn't let go. I hit him again with my head and again he doesn't let go.

This guy is really getting on my nerves.

I use what little room I have to grab his shirt with my hands. Before he can react I use my slayer strength to do a belly to belly suplex, forcing him to let go as he goes flying over my head. The move lands me on my back staring up at the sky.

I knew my professional wrestling fetish would come in handy someday.

I flip myself up to my feet and turn to look for him.

Where is he? Damn, where is he? If he ran away like a coward I'm gonna…

I start to feel that fun down low tickle followed by a hunger in my stomach I get when a vamp gets away….

Have to find the nearest burger place. Or maybe I should go see B. We are on speaking terms after all. Maybe I could get in a little make out time before bed. Just because we ain't sleeping together yet don't mean we can't have fun.

I catch a glimpse of something about 5 or 6 tombstones away.

Is that him?

I start moving toward him slowly to get a better look.

It is him. How the hell did he get over there? Did I really throw him that far? I've never been that strong before, I should report this to B. I probably don't see it but there's probably a bad side to this.

I'm so caught up in my own thoughts I don't notice the vamp regain his balance and run away.

For crap's sake.

I start to run after him but he's got too much of a head start, even with my slayer speed I'd never catch up. I slow down to a halt. That tingly/hungry feeling I'm used to gets deeper.

Damn, now what am I gonna do? Hmm, I'm only a few blocks from campus.

I start toward it.

I hope she's home.

Chapter 74
Wheels in motion


John's POV


"Dave, get a few of the men together."

"Why?"

"Damn it man, can't you just follow my orders without you questioning me?"

"I'm sorry John, but the last time I followed your orders I ended up tied to a chair and nearly staked. I'm not following your orders unless you tell me what we're doing."

"We're going to kill someone."

"So? You don't need our boys for that. You've killed hundreds if not thousands of people without help. What do you need us for?"

"This one is different. We're going after Buffy's ex."

"Angel?"

"No you moron, Riley."

"She broke up with him?"

"Yeah."

"But that means…"

"Yes…. Yes I know. It means they're getting closer, which means we're one step closer to annihilation."

He gets this look of fear on his face I've seen way too many times.

"So umm, what do we do?"

"Well this is where you getting together a couple of the boys comes in handy."

"Right…"

He turns away to follow orders and then quickly turns back.

"But if she broke up with Riley then why does it matter if we kill him or not?"

"Because, by now Buffy and her band of mini-superheroes have heard of my handy work and are worried that Faith has returned to her old ways, whether she wants to or not. If someone close to them dies the slayerettes will be more convinced than ever that Faith is killing again."

"Okay… but won't Adam be pissed that we killed off one of his major players?"

"Yeah but you and I both knew this whole truce thing wasn't a permanent thing. Besides with Riley dead Adam will be forced to step up his plans. Not to mention his plans involve a whole mess of dead bodies and with any luck two of those dead bodies will belong to the slayers."

"Right…"

He starts to walk away but then turns back.

"But…"

"Jesus man, just do what I tell you, I know what the fuck I'm doing."

"All right."

He had off to round up the boys. I pull the knife out from my belt line and look at it glimmer against the overhead lights.

Buffy's never gonna forgive her when she finds this.


Buffy's POV


"Damn it."

I slam the book closed.

"This isn't getting us anywhere."

I can't concentrate. I haven't been able to concentrate since Faith left. I can't stop thinking about her. That hungry and horny feeling I sometimes get has been creeping up on me ever since that last incredible kiss she gave me before she left. These donuts aren't making any difference.

"What do you suggest we do Buffy?"

I look at Giles.

"I don't know I just… I feel like I should do something other than sit here and read books. I need to do something to help Faith."

"You are doing something Buff."

"What do you mean?"

"You're staying away from Faith, that's doing something to help."

"Not to mention helping us by being here without her so she can't murder us."

"Anya."

"Look guys I know you're worried about me being around Faith too much and I love ya for it, especially since you're worried that spending time with her is gonna get me hurt…"

"Or killed…"

I glare at Anya for a second.

"Or killed, but I'm telling you she wouldn't hurt me, intentionally or otherwise."

"How can you be sure?"

I take a deep breath.

Faith told me she would never hurt me and on my love for her I trust her.

"I just know okay? I know she wouldn't hurt me. Now look, this research isn't getting us anywhere. I think I'm gonna go home and change, maybe I'll go beat up on Willy for some info on that vamp cult of ours."

I get up to leave.

"We'll keep working on a way to help Faith."

I smile at Tara.

"Thanks Tara, I appreciate that. I'll see you guys soon."

I turn and leave.


Watcher's POV


I step off the helicopter and move away crouched so as not to have the propeller take my head off. As I get far enough away I straighten up and stare out on the town.

So this is Sunnydale is it? A quaint little town. Who would've thought it would be home to such unspeakable evil?

I see my subordinates come up beside me. I yell orders at them over the engine.

"All right. We'll go check out the bodies and then we shall go see an old friend."

The three of us walk over to the rooftop stairwell.

Chapter 75
The last stand of Captain Cardboard


Faith's POV


I hope she's home, otherwise I'm gonna have to find SOMETHING to do till she gets here.

I start down the hall toward Buffy's dorm room.

It's oddly quiet for a college dorm at night. I guess all the wild parties must be some place else tonight.

I get a few doors down from her room.

It's probably better that way, B and I can get in some quality make out time without all the rattling of party goers around the dorm.

I walk up to her door and try and turn the knob. It's locked. I lean against the wall next to the door. I sigh.

I can't have any fun out here. Well I could but I wouldn't want a bunch of horny college boys gawking at me. Not that it wouldn't be fun I'd just rather Buffy be the one gawking.

I hear something moving in Buffy's dorm.

She must be home.

I move to knock but stop myself.

She's probably doing something important like… taking a shower. The imagery makes me stop and think for a second. Maybe it would be more fun if I just walk in on her unannounced.

I reach down and pull out my trusty pocket knife. I drop to my knees as I use my favourite blade to jimmy open the lock. After a few minutes of jimmying the lock comes loose and the door clicks open. I walk into her dorm room and stop a few steps in as I see whose inside.

"Speaking of horny college guys…"

Riley looks up.

"Faith, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I'm not the one breaking into Buffy's room in the middle of the night, besides I asked you first."

"Ah, the good old I asked you first rule, how very school boy of you."

He glares at me with a not so convincing angry look.

I've seen angrier looks on dead bodies, actual dead bodies not undead ones.

"Fine, if you really wanna know I'm here to see Buffy. Now what are you doing here? I'm obviously not the only one breaking into Buffy's room at night."

"I have a key Buffy gave it to me when we got closer. I suppose I should give it back, all things considered."

All things considered? There are things being considered?

"What do you mean all things considered?"

"Buffy broke up with me last night."

She broke up with him? I almost don't believe him.

"Really?"

She broke up with him.

"Yeah, she said she was going through stuff… and then she mentioned something about how she thought she was in love with someone."

She admitted it to someone?

I hold back my need to jump up and down like a giggly little school girl.

I wasn't sure she would ever admit it but she did.

"Faith, have you seen anyone?"

Seen anyone?

"What?"

"I mean you've been living with her, has she shown any interest in any other guy?"

Guy?

"Well actually I just recently moved out so we don't really spend that much time together."

Okay that sorta sounded like a lie. Not that I mind lying to soldier boy here. I'm still mad at him for the torturing me thing.

"Oh well, but you still go slaying with her right? Buffy talks a lot when she patrols. Has she mentioned any new guys in her life?"

"There's no new guy."

"But she said…"

"TRUST ME Riley, there is no guy."

I hold back the urge to break out laughing.

"Well you know her really well I mean you're both slayers right?'

"Uh yeah I guess."

"She obviously cares a lot about you I mean she freaked out when she found out what I wanted to…"

He stops in mid sentence and I look at him. He's looking at the floor and all of the sudden it's like something dawns on him. He looks up at me slowly.

He knows.

"It's you, isn't it?"

He definitely knows. I'm not sure if I should admit it to him or not.

"It's you she's in love with isn't it?"

He gets up close.

"Is she in love with you?"

He looks back at me with this look of painful desperation. He grabs me and shakes me a bit.

"Is she?"

Okay this is getting a little too violent for me not to fight back.

I push him away.

"So what if she is? What does it matter? It's like you said she broke up with you."

I shove him away again.

"What does it matter how she feels about anyone?"

"Are you… are you in love with her too?"

I step back a bit a little shocked at the question.

Am I in love with her? Am I in love with Buffy? I know I care about her. I know I care about her more than I've ever cared about anyone, but love? I don't even know what the word means. I don't even know how it's supposed to feel. He's looking at me, I don't like it.

"Hey, my life is none of your god damn business. Why don't you just butt out Captain Cardboard?"

"You are aren't you?"

"Shut the hell up."

"I should go, I-I-I have to go."

"Yeah, I'm thinking that's a good idea."

He moves past me and out the door.

Good riddance you stupid moron. She could never love anyone like you.

I move over toward the bed.

Now all I gotta do is wait for her to come home and then the fun can begin.

After a second I hear something going on outside.

Probably just Riley hating himself.

"What the hell do you want?"

Course you usually don't talk to people when you hate yourself.

"What are you doing?"

Maybe it's Buffy, maybe I should get involved.

I turn and look at the door.

No, I'm not gonna get involved in all that. I'll just wait for Buffy.

I hear a fight followed by a punch and Riley goes flying across the doorway down the hall. A couple of vamps run across the doorway toward Riley.

Maybe I should get involved, that's definitely not Buffy.

I go toward the door but a vamp sees me and closes the door.

Damn it.

I get to the door and grab the doorknob, pulling on it to get it open but it doesn't.

Where the hell is that weird extra strength I had earlier?

Riley yells out.

"STOP!"

What ever they're doing I've got to stop it, for Buffy. She'd hate me if I didn't do everything I could to save him.

I pull as hard as I can on the knob and it breaks off.

Oh good job. Gotta do this the hard way then.

I step back long enough to ram my shoulder into the door. After a few thrusts I finally break the door in. I rush through the door to see Riley, about 10 feet away, being held up to a couple other vamps by some flunky vamp. I run at them but I'm too late, they stab him. They stab him several times before I can stop them. I throw each of them off Riley, sending him crashing to the ground.

"What the… what the hell is wrong with you people?"

"We're vampires."

I look down at Riley's convulsing body, the knife still in him.

That knife…

"Come on boys, we're out of here."

Out of here?

"You're not going anywhere."

"So you're gonna kill us all and find time to save army man?"

I look down at Riley for a second and up at the little vamp gang I can only assume are part of the cult, and then back at Riley.

He's right, I can't do both… what do I do? Do I slay the bad guy or save the victim? Ah screw it.

I drop to my knees beside Riley as the bad guys get away.

What do I do? He's bleeding all over the place.

I look up to see the cult vamps turning.

"I'm gonna hunt you down and kill you for this. Come on Riley you gotta stay with me."

I frantically start check for a pulse.

It's weak and getting weaker. He's looking up at me, struggling to breath.

"Come on Riley, I can't have you dying on me. Buffy would never forgive me if I can't save you."

I've got to… I've got to stop the, the bleeding.

I grab the knife to pull it out.

Wait, if I remove the knife he'll bleed to death quicker. Okay, gotta stop the bleeding.

I put my hands against his wounds to stop the bleeding as much as possible but it doesn't help.

I have to do something to stop the bleeding or B'll never forgive me.

I feel for his pulse again and it's even weaker.

"Come on Riley don't leave me, you have to pull through this."

He stops gasping for air and I think he's stopped breathing.

What do I do? C.P.R… it's supposed to save lives. But I've never done it before, what do I do?

I put my palms on his chest between his ribcages.

This is how you do it right? I've never tried to save someone this far gone.

I thrust against his chest every few seconds to get him breathing again.

Come on Riley breathe, breathe Riley breathe.

I check for a pulse.

I think his heart stopped.

I start thrusting harder and harder against his chest but I don't think its working.

"Sir, sir she's coming."

"But…"

I look up at a vamp standing over me.

I didn't hear him coming.

"She's coming sir, we have to go."

They run off.

She? I don't have time to worry about that.

I pound on Riley's chest to get him going but it's not working. I feel for a pulse and it's not there.

Damn it, he's gone.

I look down at my hands, covered in blood.

He's dead, he's dead cause I couldn't save him. I should've saved him. If Buffy were here, she would've saved him. She could've saved him, but I couldn't and now his blood is on my hands. Another life destroyed because of me.

I feel myself start to cry.

I wish Buffy was here.

"Faith."

Oh god that voice.

I look up from Riley's body, my hands covered in blood.

"Buffy?"

Part 76

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