The Varos Triad
Part 3:-
Disclaimers:-
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all the characters belong to Joss
Whedon, Warner Brothers and anyone else who own them - and that does
not include me. I am making no profit from this - I'm just borrowing
them to write a story and entertain.
Author:- Steff
Information:-
This may seem a little weird but I have never watched Buffy the
Vampire Slayer. I have, however read a ton of fanfic and been
totally enthralled by it. So much so that I wanted to write a story
myself. With that in mind, I can safely say that there should be no
spoilers in here! Please remember that I have no idea about canon
though - so if I put Buffy living at home with her mum, then don't
worry about it too much. It's the characters that I'm borrowing not
the plotlines!
Having read a fair bit of fiction, I have set this approximately
three years after Faith confesses to the police in LA. I have not
included the Dawn/Glory storyline as that just confuses the hell out
of me. Any other glaring errors should just be glossed over - just
enjoy the story (I hope!)
Rating: PG-13 I think - but if anyone thinks it should be higher
let me know.
Pairing: Faith/Cordelia along with W/T A/X
Feedback: Yes please. Steff
______________________________
Faith spent most of the next day repairing her bike. She went into
town after assessing the damage more thoroughly and collected the
parts she needed as well as purchasing a small tool kit.
Fortunately, Angel paid her enough so that she had enough funds to
cover the expense. If she'd taken more notice of her account, she
would have realised that the Mayor had ensured that she'd want for
nothing, but the young Bostonian used her cash card only when
necessary, conditioned after years of deprivation. She forced
herself into the local grocery store and shopped for the bare
essentials, but was constantly on the lookout for anyone she might
recognise and who might not want to see her. The brunette slayer
also had the foresight to invest in some new clothes, knowing that by
the time she finished working on the bike, she would be covered in
grease and oil.
Now, cleaned up and sporting a bright red tank top and tight black
jeans, Faith found herself hesitating as she looked at the entrance
to the Magic Box. Buffy had been right, it hadn't taken her too long
to find the place, and consequently she was early. However the
Southie slayer knew that the others were already inside and braced
for her arrival. Faith sighed and ran a hand through her thick black
mane as she psyched herself up for the confrontation. She knew that
this was going to be extremely difficult. None of the scoobs trusted
her. In fact, it would be more realistic to say that she was hated
by all of them, except perhaps Tara. Faith smiled slightly at the
thought of the quiet blonde witch. She knew that the "old" Faith
would never have given Tara the time of day and would have
mercilessly mocked her. She hoped that she might be given an
opportunity to get to know her. There was a calm aura about Tara
that Faith found appealing.
Squaring back her shoulders, she pushed the door back and stepped
into the shop. The rogue slayer was met by six pairs of eyes and a
sudden silence that descended heavily onto the room. Faith looked at
the faces trained at her steadily before moving fully into the shop
and closing the door behind her. The Bostonian then continued to
move and stepped up to Giles. She noticed a slight tic pulsing at
the ex-watcher's forehead, indication enough of his discomfort.
Reaching slowly into the left side pocket of her jacket, Faith pulled
out the jade artefact and handed it to the British man. "The
artefact," she stated just to take the silence away. "I think you
need to study it."
"Er, yes. Quite," agreed Giles nervously as he accepted the object
from Faith's outstretched arm. He pushed his metal framed glasses up
his nose and slowly turned the statuette in his hand, inspecting the
whole surface carefully. Within moments, he was absorbed in his
task, drifting back to the counter to consult a large open tome, the
bearer of the artefact totally forgotten about for the time being at
least.
Faith raised her eyebrows at his actions but said nothing, feeling
the others' eyes still fixated on her. She looked round once more
and noted their defensive positions. Anya was behind the counter,
using it like a barrier, with Xander close by but on the opposite
side of the hard wood surface. Willow and Tara were seated closely
together on a sofa, their hands entwined in an almost painful grip.
Buffy stood near the ex-watcher, her hands folded across her chest
and one hip jutting slightly in an aggressively defensive posture.
Faith noted that Riley was nowhere to be seen but decided not to make
any comment on anyone's presence or absence. Spying a free chair,
she threw herself deep into it and looked nervously at her
audience. "I know you don't want to hear this but I just wanna
say..."
"Say nothing." Buffy told her venomously. "You're right. We don't
want to hear anything you have to say."
"Wait up B," Faith interrupted. "I know you hate me but.."
"There are no buts, Faith. You used up your chances. In fact, you
used up more chances than anyone has a right to. What makes you
think you have the right to come back in here so you can do something
that makes *you* feel better while the rest of us just remember what
you did to us?"
Faith stood up angrily. "What's the matter Buffy?" She asked, barely
keeping her voice under control. "Scared that if you hear me say the
word 'sorry' you might just realise that I mean it?"
"You don't know the meaning of that word Faith," Willow spat at the
brunette slayer. "How can you even use the word?"
Faith stared at Willow, and she saw open hatred displayed on the
witch's features. "You're wrong Red," she whispered.
"I don't think so," demurred Buffy harshly. "You're needed here. It
doesn't mean that you're wanted here. Just remember that."
Faith forced herself to sit back down in the chair. She looked at
her clenched fists, her skin totally bleached as it was pulled
tightly over her knuckles. She waited until they became less tense
before she spoke again without looking up. "That's how you all feel
is it?"
"Yes," reacted Willow instantly.
"Definitely," agreed Xander. Anya nodded her sentiment before
realising that Faith couldn't see her. "I don't know you but I know
I don't want you near Xander," she stated candidly.
"I want you here," said Tara softly.
Faith snapped her head up in synchronisation with everyone else
except Giles who was still buried in the depths of a book.
"What?" Exploded her girlfriend. "You can't mean that."
"I do mean that. I t-t-told you l-last night that you should respect
m-my opinion," the blonde wicca reminded her lover.
"But she's evil," protested Willow, ignoring Tara's last statement.
"Is she?" Tara asked. "How do you know that's still true, Willow.
You haven't given her a chance to make any redemption."
"She had her chances," Buffy interjected firmly. "She blew them. I
don't want to be made to feel the victim anymore and I'm not going to
give her the opportunity to do just that." She turned to look at the
younger slayer. "We'll just do what needs to be done and then you
leave." Her tone left no room for negotiation. The blonde slayer
thought she saw Faith flinch slightly at the words but she was in no
mood for her acting. Buffy looked away and approached Giles. "Any
luck?" She asked.
"Yes. I, er, rather think there is." The ex-watcher looked up from
his research and adjusted the position of his glasses. "But it might
be better to wait until the others get here. It would save me going
through the same information twice," he explained.
Buffy nodded in agreement but stayed where she was, looking at Faith
silently.
The silence stretched on and the atmosphere in the Magic Box grew
more tense by the second. The Southie slayer decided that there was
no point saying anything to the group and started watching the door
surreptitiously, eager for some less hostile company. She could see
Tara watching her with a concerned face and pulled her mouth into the
barest of smiles in acknowledgement. Willow caught the look and
began whispering to her girlfriend in an effort to divert attention
away from the rogue slayer. Faith knew that everyone else was
watching her but kept her face a neutral mask of disinterest and
tried not to fidget under the scrutiny. The oppression continued and
Faith knew that she had to leave before it got any worse.
Suddenly the door burst open. "Well, this *is* nice," exclaimed
Cordelia, soaking up the ambience instantaneously as she swept into
the shop. "Don't any of you know how bad tension is for the
complexion?"
Instantly Faith grinned, all thoughts of leaving vanishing
instantly. "Hey Queen C! You've obviously been having lessons.
That entrance was almost dramatic," she complimented laconically.
"Thank you Faith." Cordelia turned to face the smaller
brunette. "Oh and by the way, you don't have to prove how 'good'
you are now by giving your patronage to the charity clothes shops,
you know," retorted the ex-cheerleader, making her point obvious by
looking the Bostonian up and down with an imperious gaze.
Faith opened her mouth for retribution but was stopped by Wesley as
he followed Cordelia into the Magic Box. "Now, now, children," he
warned good-naturedly. Both brunettes grinned at him and each
other. The actress crossed the room and sat on the arm of the chair
Faith was currently occupying. "You Okay?" She asked quietly.
Faith shrugged noncommittally. "I went up to about two and a half by
five the moment you entered. I think I was actually in the minus up
until that point," she answered softly.
Before Cordelia had an opportunity to continue the conversation, Gunn
rushed through the door, holding a blanket over a body that ran in
with him. "Hey Faith," he called, jutting his chin towards the
younger slayer.
"Hey Gunn. You finished pretending being a body guard?" She asked,
gesturing at the body still enshrouded by the blanket that was
smoking slightly.
On queue, Angel shucked his cover off and pulled his lips into a
small smile at the Seer and second slayer sharing the
chair. "Faith," he greeted.
"Hey big guy," she returned, fighting but failing to stop the broad
smile that broke out on her face.
"Well, now that your fan club's here, perhaps we can get down to
business." Buffy's voice dripped sarcasm. She and the others had
been shocked at the way the LA group had spoken to Faith. There was
an obvious bond between them all, with no hint of distrust, even from
Wesley. Buffy found it disconcerting. She didn't know what stunt
Faith had pulled to trick all of them so successfully, but it put her
on her guard to watch the rogue slayer even more closely.
Angel frowned as he looked pensively round the room, accurately
gauging the mood of the scoobs. Before he could comment on the
situation, Wesley stepped forward, a large ancient looking text book
in one hand and the gold artefact in the other. He placed the object
next to the Jade statuette and then stared at the two for
comparisons. Giles quickly joined him.
"Fascinating," Giles breathed. He could not see a single flaw in
either item. Nor could he see a single difference except the
material they were made from.
"Absolutely," agreed the other ex-Watcher. "Have you got any
information on them?"
"Yes." Giles stood up and took his glasses off, rubbing the lenses
carefully with his handkerchief before returning them to his face.
He picked up the book he had been studying and turned to face the
room. "According to this, the Varos Triad is comprised of three
identical figurines. Each artefact is made of a different material
that is representative of the power of the earth. Gold, a pure
metal, Jade, a precious rock or stone and the third is made of Yew, a
tree that has long had it's roots, so to speak in the realm of magick
and religion."
"Isn't the Yew tree one that's often found in graveyards, well in
Europe at least?" Queried Faith. Her question provoked looks of
astonishment from the other occupants of the room.
"I had a lot of time to read in jail," she reminded them.
"Not enough," murmured Willow under her breath. It was loud enough
for both Buffy and Faith to hear the comment. Faith stared at the
witch neutrally, feeling Buffy's intense gaze as she did.
"Quite. And, yes they are, Faith," Giles responded. "The Yew is
regarded as an ancient and powerful tree, providing protection for
the dead and warding off negative magick." He flicked his eyes over
the open book on the counter before continuing. "When combined, the
artefacts can be used to summon the demon Varos, who was a powerful
warlock in ancient times. His obsession with dark magick became his
downfall and he was turned into a demon when he tried to control all
the dark forces and crush the world."
"Sounds like a familiar story," drawled Buffy, unimpressed so far.
"Sounds like the Mayor," added Xander vindictively, watching Faith's
face carefully for any sign that his barb might have hit home. He
was not disappointed as the younger slayer closed her eyes
momentarily at the inference.
"The Mayor already was a demon, Xander," she reminded him, the timbre
of her voice low with emotion.
"It's a shame you didn't realise that at the time," he riposted
acidly.
"Yeah, it is," she agreed sadly.
The construction worker said nothing in response but was surprised by
Cordelia's actions though as he saw her reach down and squeeze
Faith's hand in a reassuring manner. Their hands remained connected
as Wesley coughed, drawing attention to himself as he picked up the
tale, glancing at the large book he had brought with him.
"When Varos was vanquished to Hell, it was done by a powerful
triumvirate of witches. Using the power of the Earth, the witches
bound his power within the statuettes and were then able to overpower
him. The three figurines were then separated and hidden around the
world."
"Not hidden well enough then," remarked Anya blandly.
"Er, well, no." Wes became nervous after the interruption but
pressed on. "The summoning requires all three artefacts to be bound
together during the invocation, in a basic reversal of the ceremony
the triumvirate used to bind him."
"Wait a minute, back up," interjected Buffy. "Why didn't they just
destroy the artefacts once they performed the vanquishing act?"
"Circumstances beyond their control," replied Giles cryptically.
"Which were...?" The blonde slayer prompted, gesturing with an open
hand.
"They were exhausted after the binding spell and physically unable to
perform any further spells that day. According to the books I've
researched, a civil war broke out when it was discovered that Varos
was no longer present and it was impossible for the triumvirate to
invoke the spell to destroy the artefacts they created. The best and
safest option was to use couriers to separate the artefacts and hide
them in secret locations in the knowledge that as soon as the war was
over, they could bring them back together and complete their task."
"What happened?" Asked Tara, fascinated by the tale.
"They were killed in the war," stated Faith dully, guessing the
answer before either of the ex-watchers could answer the question.
Wesley nodded glumly. "With their deaths went the knowledge of the
artefacts locations."
"What about the couriers who hid them?" Angel asked, equally
intrigued by the story.
"They were ordered to commit suicide as soon as the artefacts were
hidden," Giles supplied as he polished the lenses of his glasses once
more.
"So who's behind their reappearance then?" Enquired Cordelia.
"Varos must always have been aware that his powers are trapped on
Earth somewhere. I can only assume that he has found followers that
have been looking for the artefacts," supplied Wesley.
"And they've been successful. So what do we do?" Pondered Buffy
getting to the heart of the problem.
"Well, we could go searching for the third statuette as we already
have two," suggested Willow, looking at the artefacts with a new
respect.
"It might be easier to let these demons do the leg work and find the
other artefact. After all, they found the others," suggested Gunn.
"They might already have the third artefact," suggested Tara. Her
comment brought all eyes to her and she blushed at the sudden
attention.
"Which will make them more than eager to retrieve these artefacts,"
reminded Giles, looking at the twin statues carefully.
"They were certainly on the case last night. I had two demons to
contend with at the mansion." Faith rubbed her side unconsciously.
"Were you hurt?" Wes asked, stepping forward as if to check the young
slayer out.
"I'm cool, Wes. Slayer healing." She grinned at her watcher.
Wesley found himself smiling back in relief. It had taken a long
time and some quite extraordinary events to change Wesley's opinion
of Faith but now that she had won his trust, he was totally devoted
to the raven-haired girl.
"We need information before we can act. We have to find out where
these demons are and whether they have the third statue," Giles was
quite forceful in his reasoning.
"The first thing we need to do is find a safe stash for the pieces we
already have," commented Faith.
"Oh, and who made you leader?" Asked Buffy scornfully.
"Buffy!" Admonished Angel, shocked at the blonde woman's outburst.
"It was just a suggestion, B," replied Faith, surprised by another
verbal attack.
"Well we don't want your suggestions. Just do what you're told and
then go home." Buffy was surprised to sense the whole LA group
stiffen at her words but before anyone else could comment, Faith
spoke again.
"So you're not interested in anything I have to say regarding how we
deal with Varos then?" Faith lowered her voice to hide the emotion
she knew would resonate through. Unfortunately, the lower tone gave
her an aggressive timbre and the tension in the Magic Box heightened
rapidly.
"I'm not interested in anything you have to say period," retorted
Buffy icily, crossing her arms and looking directly at Faith
challengingly.
Faith leapt to her feet with a grace she didn't know she
possessed. "As I'm obviously not required for this meeting now that
I've delivered the artefact that I recovered, I'll just head back to
the mansion and wait around for you to call when you want some extra
slayer muscle. No need for me to be involved at all really. Why
break any old habits?" With that, Faith stormed out of the Magic
Box, her hand just managing to catch the door before it slammed and
instead allowing the door to close with a click that resonated with a
far more significant impact than any slamming would.
"Great people skills, Buffy." Cordelia wasted no time in laying into
the blonde slayer.
"Oh, and Faith has? None of us want her here. It's probably a good
thing if she stays away until we need her." Buffy justified her
outburst.
"Hello? You've just treated her exactly the same way you always
did. Never allowing her in on the scoobie meetings. Never wanting
her opinion. Just letting her sit in some shitty motel until you
needed her for her slaying abilities. And you wonder why she
couldn't talk to you. To any of us. How could she turn to the Mayor
when she had such good friends as we all were?" Buffy didn't fail to
notice how Cordelia included herself in the berating. "And then you
wonder why she went evil? Wake up Buffy. How about treating her
with a bit of humanity?" Cordelia was furious. She couldn't
remember the last time she had been this angry.
"She doesn't deserve it," spat back Buffy, annoyed that anyone would
question her actions.
"Take a good look in the mirror Buffy. In fact, all of you do it.
You're so self absorbed and concerned that Faith is out to get you.
News flash, the world does not revolve around you. And your
behaviour is no better than hers was when she was psycho."
"How can you say that?" Gasped Willow in outrage.
"Easy. When she was rampaging through here, she didn't give a second
thought to anyone else's feelings but her own. What are you doing
now?"
Willow's mouth opened and shut several times as she tried to form an
answer. Tara squeezed her lover's hand gently in support but the act
perversely made Willow feel worse. She had deliberately blocked out
what the blonde witch had to say about the rogue slayer, uninterested
in any excuses or explanations as to her reappearance or new
demeanour. All she had considered was that Faith had held a knife to
her throat and had threatened her. An event that had occurred over
three years ago. Judging from the look on Buffy and Xander's face,
she was not alone in contemplating her behaviour.
Buffy, uncomfortable with what Cordelia had said, concentrated only
on her last statement. "What do you mean when she *was* psycho? How
do you know that she isn't now?"
"Because I saw her when she got out of prison. I saw what she had to
go through. Have you even asked her what happened..."
"Cordelia!" Both Angel and Wesley interrupted her at the same time
and Cordelia looked at them both with widened eyes as she realised
what she had almost said.
"What happened when?" Tara caught the exchange and wanted to know
it's significance.
"It's nothing," mumbled Cordelia. She reddened slightly before
controlling her emotions. "It's not for me to say."
"In which case, let's get on with what we're doing and deal with her
later," suggested Xander. He had never seen Cordelia get so
emotional before except when events affected herself. Unfortunately,
her outburst was also painfully truthful. But Xander didn't want to
deal with that right now, so he diverted attention back to the
original topic of discussion.
Satisfied that her point had been made, Cordelia stood up and
emphasised her next sentence carefully. "I'm not *needed* here
either. Angel has all the details of my vision. I need a bath to
get all the travel dirt and tension out of me. I'll see you back at
the mansion." She acknowledged the remaining members of the LA gang
and left the shop quickly.
Buffy stood and looked at the closed door for a long moment. Then
she focused on one aspect of Cordelia's parting statement. "Vision?
What is she talking about Angel?"
The tall vampire sighed. He knew from bitter experience how
difficult the road to redemption was. He wasn't sure if Cordelia's
outburst had helped Faith or not, but he was glad that she had
interjected. The Sunnydale crowd needed to see how much support
Faith had. It might just help them deal with her. The more pressing
need was to explain how the one time cheerleader and prom queen was
now stricken with painful visions, and how her own suffering had
spurred her onto helping others less fortunate than her. Angel
considered himself to be a lucky man to know both Cordelia and
Faith. He would make sure that Buffy and the Scoobs knew how he felt
about them before the meeting was over.
To be continued...
Part 3:-
Disclaimers:-
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all the characters belong to Joss
Whedon, Warner Brothers and anyone else who own them - and that does
not include me. I am making no profit from this - I'm just borrowing
them to write a story and entertain.
Author:- Steff
Information:-
This may seem a little weird but I have never watched Buffy the
Vampire Slayer. I have, however read a ton of fanfic and been
totally enthralled by it. So much so that I wanted to write a story
myself. With that in mind, I can safely say that there should be no
spoilers in here! Please remember that I have no idea about canon
though - so if I put Buffy living at home with her mum, then don't
worry about it too much. It's the characters that I'm borrowing not
the plotlines!
Having read a fair bit of fiction, I have set this approximately
three years after Faith confesses to the police in LA. I have not
included the Dawn/Glory storyline as that just confuses the hell out
of me. Any other glaring errors should just be glossed over - just
enjoy the story (I hope!)
Rating: PG-13 I think - but if anyone thinks it should be higher
let me know.
Pairing: Faith/Cordelia along with W/T A/X
Feedback: Yes please. Steff
______________________________
Faith spent most of the next day repairing her bike. She went into
town after assessing the damage more thoroughly and collected the
parts she needed as well as purchasing a small tool kit.
Fortunately, Angel paid her enough so that she had enough funds to
cover the expense. If she'd taken more notice of her account, she
would have realised that the Mayor had ensured that she'd want for
nothing, but the young Bostonian used her cash card only when
necessary, conditioned after years of deprivation. She forced
herself into the local grocery store and shopped for the bare
essentials, but was constantly on the lookout for anyone she might
recognise and who might not want to see her. The brunette slayer
also had the foresight to invest in some new clothes, knowing that by
the time she finished working on the bike, she would be covered in
grease and oil.
Now, cleaned up and sporting a bright red tank top and tight black
jeans, Faith found herself hesitating as she looked at the entrance
to the Magic Box. Buffy had been right, it hadn't taken her too long
to find the place, and consequently she was early. However the
Southie slayer knew that the others were already inside and braced
for her arrival. Faith sighed and ran a hand through her thick black
mane as she psyched herself up for the confrontation. She knew that
this was going to be extremely difficult. None of the scoobs trusted
her. In fact, it would be more realistic to say that she was hated
by all of them, except perhaps Tara. Faith smiled slightly at the
thought of the quiet blonde witch. She knew that the "old" Faith
would never have given Tara the time of day and would have
mercilessly mocked her. She hoped that she might be given an
opportunity to get to know her. There was a calm aura about Tara
that Faith found appealing.
Squaring back her shoulders, she pushed the door back and stepped
into the shop. The rogue slayer was met by six pairs of eyes and a
sudden silence that descended heavily onto the room. Faith looked at
the faces trained at her steadily before moving fully into the shop
and closing the door behind her. The Bostonian then continued to
move and stepped up to Giles. She noticed a slight tic pulsing at
the ex-watcher's forehead, indication enough of his discomfort.
Reaching slowly into the left side pocket of her jacket, Faith pulled
out the jade artefact and handed it to the British man. "The
artefact," she stated just to take the silence away. "I think you
need to study it."
"Er, yes. Quite," agreed Giles nervously as he accepted the object
from Faith's outstretched arm. He pushed his metal framed glasses up
his nose and slowly turned the statuette in his hand, inspecting the
whole surface carefully. Within moments, he was absorbed in his
task, drifting back to the counter to consult a large open tome, the
bearer of the artefact totally forgotten about for the time being at
least.
Faith raised her eyebrows at his actions but said nothing, feeling
the others' eyes still fixated on her. She looked round once more
and noted their defensive positions. Anya was behind the counter,
using it like a barrier, with Xander close by but on the opposite
side of the hard wood surface. Willow and Tara were seated closely
together on a sofa, their hands entwined in an almost painful grip.
Buffy stood near the ex-watcher, her hands folded across her chest
and one hip jutting slightly in an aggressively defensive posture.
Faith noted that Riley was nowhere to be seen but decided not to make
any comment on anyone's presence or absence. Spying a free chair,
she threw herself deep into it and looked nervously at her
audience. "I know you don't want to hear this but I just wanna
say..."
"Say nothing." Buffy told her venomously. "You're right. We don't
want to hear anything you have to say."
"Wait up B," Faith interrupted. "I know you hate me but.."
"There are no buts, Faith. You used up your chances. In fact, you
used up more chances than anyone has a right to. What makes you
think you have the right to come back in here so you can do something
that makes *you* feel better while the rest of us just remember what
you did to us?"
Faith stood up angrily. "What's the matter Buffy?" She asked, barely
keeping her voice under control. "Scared that if you hear me say the
word 'sorry' you might just realise that I mean it?"
"You don't know the meaning of that word Faith," Willow spat at the
brunette slayer. "How can you even use the word?"
Faith stared at Willow, and she saw open hatred displayed on the
witch's features. "You're wrong Red," she whispered.
"I don't think so," demurred Buffy harshly. "You're needed here. It
doesn't mean that you're wanted here. Just remember that."
Faith forced herself to sit back down in the chair. She looked at
her clenched fists, her skin totally bleached as it was pulled
tightly over her knuckles. She waited until they became less tense
before she spoke again without looking up. "That's how you all feel
is it?"
"Yes," reacted Willow instantly.
"Definitely," agreed Xander. Anya nodded her sentiment before
realising that Faith couldn't see her. "I don't know you but I know
I don't want you near Xander," she stated candidly.
"I want you here," said Tara softly.
Faith snapped her head up in synchronisation with everyone else
except Giles who was still buried in the depths of a book.
"What?" Exploded her girlfriend. "You can't mean that."
"I do mean that. I t-t-told you l-last night that you should respect
m-my opinion," the blonde wicca reminded her lover.
"But she's evil," protested Willow, ignoring Tara's last statement.
"Is she?" Tara asked. "How do you know that's still true, Willow.
You haven't given her a chance to make any redemption."
"She had her chances," Buffy interjected firmly. "She blew them. I
don't want to be made to feel the victim anymore and I'm not going to
give her the opportunity to do just that." She turned to look at the
younger slayer. "We'll just do what needs to be done and then you
leave." Her tone left no room for negotiation. The blonde slayer
thought she saw Faith flinch slightly at the words but she was in no
mood for her acting. Buffy looked away and approached Giles. "Any
luck?" She asked.
"Yes. I, er, rather think there is." The ex-watcher looked up from
his research and adjusted the position of his glasses. "But it might
be better to wait until the others get here. It would save me going
through the same information twice," he explained.
Buffy nodded in agreement but stayed where she was, looking at Faith
silently.
The silence stretched on and the atmosphere in the Magic Box grew
more tense by the second. The Southie slayer decided that there was
no point saying anything to the group and started watching the door
surreptitiously, eager for some less hostile company. She could see
Tara watching her with a concerned face and pulled her mouth into the
barest of smiles in acknowledgement. Willow caught the look and
began whispering to her girlfriend in an effort to divert attention
away from the rogue slayer. Faith knew that everyone else was
watching her but kept her face a neutral mask of disinterest and
tried not to fidget under the scrutiny. The oppression continued and
Faith knew that she had to leave before it got any worse.
Suddenly the door burst open. "Well, this *is* nice," exclaimed
Cordelia, soaking up the ambience instantaneously as she swept into
the shop. "Don't any of you know how bad tension is for the
complexion?"
Instantly Faith grinned, all thoughts of leaving vanishing
instantly. "Hey Queen C! You've obviously been having lessons.
That entrance was almost dramatic," she complimented laconically.
"Thank you Faith." Cordelia turned to face the smaller
brunette. "Oh and by the way, you don't have to prove how 'good'
you are now by giving your patronage to the charity clothes shops,
you know," retorted the ex-cheerleader, making her point obvious by
looking the Bostonian up and down with an imperious gaze.
Faith opened her mouth for retribution but was stopped by Wesley as
he followed Cordelia into the Magic Box. "Now, now, children," he
warned good-naturedly. Both brunettes grinned at him and each
other. The actress crossed the room and sat on the arm of the chair
Faith was currently occupying. "You Okay?" She asked quietly.
Faith shrugged noncommittally. "I went up to about two and a half by
five the moment you entered. I think I was actually in the minus up
until that point," she answered softly.
Before Cordelia had an opportunity to continue the conversation, Gunn
rushed through the door, holding a blanket over a body that ran in
with him. "Hey Faith," he called, jutting his chin towards the
younger slayer.
"Hey Gunn. You finished pretending being a body guard?" She asked,
gesturing at the body still enshrouded by the blanket that was
smoking slightly.
On queue, Angel shucked his cover off and pulled his lips into a
small smile at the Seer and second slayer sharing the
chair. "Faith," he greeted.
"Hey big guy," she returned, fighting but failing to stop the broad
smile that broke out on her face.
"Well, now that your fan club's here, perhaps we can get down to
business." Buffy's voice dripped sarcasm. She and the others had
been shocked at the way the LA group had spoken to Faith. There was
an obvious bond between them all, with no hint of distrust, even from
Wesley. Buffy found it disconcerting. She didn't know what stunt
Faith had pulled to trick all of them so successfully, but it put her
on her guard to watch the rogue slayer even more closely.
Angel frowned as he looked pensively round the room, accurately
gauging the mood of the scoobs. Before he could comment on the
situation, Wesley stepped forward, a large ancient looking text book
in one hand and the gold artefact in the other. He placed the object
next to the Jade statuette and then stared at the two for
comparisons. Giles quickly joined him.
"Fascinating," Giles breathed. He could not see a single flaw in
either item. Nor could he see a single difference except the
material they were made from.
"Absolutely," agreed the other ex-Watcher. "Have you got any
information on them?"
"Yes." Giles stood up and took his glasses off, rubbing the lenses
carefully with his handkerchief before returning them to his face.
He picked up the book he had been studying and turned to face the
room. "According to this, the Varos Triad is comprised of three
identical figurines. Each artefact is made of a different material
that is representative of the power of the earth. Gold, a pure
metal, Jade, a precious rock or stone and the third is made of Yew, a
tree that has long had it's roots, so to speak in the realm of magick
and religion."
"Isn't the Yew tree one that's often found in graveyards, well in
Europe at least?" Queried Faith. Her question provoked looks of
astonishment from the other occupants of the room.
"I had a lot of time to read in jail," she reminded them.
"Not enough," murmured Willow under her breath. It was loud enough
for both Buffy and Faith to hear the comment. Faith stared at the
witch neutrally, feeling Buffy's intense gaze as she did.
"Quite. And, yes they are, Faith," Giles responded. "The Yew is
regarded as an ancient and powerful tree, providing protection for
the dead and warding off negative magick." He flicked his eyes over
the open book on the counter before continuing. "When combined, the
artefacts can be used to summon the demon Varos, who was a powerful
warlock in ancient times. His obsession with dark magick became his
downfall and he was turned into a demon when he tried to control all
the dark forces and crush the world."
"Sounds like a familiar story," drawled Buffy, unimpressed so far.
"Sounds like the Mayor," added Xander vindictively, watching Faith's
face carefully for any sign that his barb might have hit home. He
was not disappointed as the younger slayer closed her eyes
momentarily at the inference.
"The Mayor already was a demon, Xander," she reminded him, the timbre
of her voice low with emotion.
"It's a shame you didn't realise that at the time," he riposted
acidly.
"Yeah, it is," she agreed sadly.
The construction worker said nothing in response but was surprised by
Cordelia's actions though as he saw her reach down and squeeze
Faith's hand in a reassuring manner. Their hands remained connected
as Wesley coughed, drawing attention to himself as he picked up the
tale, glancing at the large book he had brought with him.
"When Varos was vanquished to Hell, it was done by a powerful
triumvirate of witches. Using the power of the Earth, the witches
bound his power within the statuettes and were then able to overpower
him. The three figurines were then separated and hidden around the
world."
"Not hidden well enough then," remarked Anya blandly.
"Er, well, no." Wes became nervous after the interruption but
pressed on. "The summoning requires all three artefacts to be bound
together during the invocation, in a basic reversal of the ceremony
the triumvirate used to bind him."
"Wait a minute, back up," interjected Buffy. "Why didn't they just
destroy the artefacts once they performed the vanquishing act?"
"Circumstances beyond their control," replied Giles cryptically.
"Which were...?" The blonde slayer prompted, gesturing with an open
hand.
"They were exhausted after the binding spell and physically unable to
perform any further spells that day. According to the books I've
researched, a civil war broke out when it was discovered that Varos
was no longer present and it was impossible for the triumvirate to
invoke the spell to destroy the artefacts they created. The best and
safest option was to use couriers to separate the artefacts and hide
them in secret locations in the knowledge that as soon as the war was
over, they could bring them back together and complete their task."
"What happened?" Asked Tara, fascinated by the tale.
"They were killed in the war," stated Faith dully, guessing the
answer before either of the ex-watchers could answer the question.
Wesley nodded glumly. "With their deaths went the knowledge of the
artefacts locations."
"What about the couriers who hid them?" Angel asked, equally
intrigued by the story.
"They were ordered to commit suicide as soon as the artefacts were
hidden," Giles supplied as he polished the lenses of his glasses once
more.
"So who's behind their reappearance then?" Enquired Cordelia.
"Varos must always have been aware that his powers are trapped on
Earth somewhere. I can only assume that he has found followers that
have been looking for the artefacts," supplied Wesley.
"And they've been successful. So what do we do?" Pondered Buffy
getting to the heart of the problem.
"Well, we could go searching for the third statuette as we already
have two," suggested Willow, looking at the artefacts with a new
respect.
"It might be easier to let these demons do the leg work and find the
other artefact. After all, they found the others," suggested Gunn.
"They might already have the third artefact," suggested Tara. Her
comment brought all eyes to her and she blushed at the sudden
attention.
"Which will make them more than eager to retrieve these artefacts,"
reminded Giles, looking at the twin statues carefully.
"They were certainly on the case last night. I had two demons to
contend with at the mansion." Faith rubbed her side unconsciously.
"Were you hurt?" Wes asked, stepping forward as if to check the young
slayer out.
"I'm cool, Wes. Slayer healing." She grinned at her watcher.
Wesley found himself smiling back in relief. It had taken a long
time and some quite extraordinary events to change Wesley's opinion
of Faith but now that she had won his trust, he was totally devoted
to the raven-haired girl.
"We need information before we can act. We have to find out where
these demons are and whether they have the third statue," Giles was
quite forceful in his reasoning.
"The first thing we need to do is find a safe stash for the pieces we
already have," commented Faith.
"Oh, and who made you leader?" Asked Buffy scornfully.
"Buffy!" Admonished Angel, shocked at the blonde woman's outburst.
"It was just a suggestion, B," replied Faith, surprised by another
verbal attack.
"Well we don't want your suggestions. Just do what you're told and
then go home." Buffy was surprised to sense the whole LA group
stiffen at her words but before anyone else could comment, Faith
spoke again.
"So you're not interested in anything I have to say regarding how we
deal with Varos then?" Faith lowered her voice to hide the emotion
she knew would resonate through. Unfortunately, the lower tone gave
her an aggressive timbre and the tension in the Magic Box heightened
rapidly.
"I'm not interested in anything you have to say period," retorted
Buffy icily, crossing her arms and looking directly at Faith
challengingly.
Faith leapt to her feet with a grace she didn't know she
possessed. "As I'm obviously not required for this meeting now that
I've delivered the artefact that I recovered, I'll just head back to
the mansion and wait around for you to call when you want some extra
slayer muscle. No need for me to be involved at all really. Why
break any old habits?" With that, Faith stormed out of the Magic
Box, her hand just managing to catch the door before it slammed and
instead allowing the door to close with a click that resonated with a
far more significant impact than any slamming would.
"Great people skills, Buffy." Cordelia wasted no time in laying into
the blonde slayer.
"Oh, and Faith has? None of us want her here. It's probably a good
thing if she stays away until we need her." Buffy justified her
outburst.
"Hello? You've just treated her exactly the same way you always
did. Never allowing her in on the scoobie meetings. Never wanting
her opinion. Just letting her sit in some shitty motel until you
needed her for her slaying abilities. And you wonder why she
couldn't talk to you. To any of us. How could she turn to the Mayor
when she had such good friends as we all were?" Buffy didn't fail to
notice how Cordelia included herself in the berating. "And then you
wonder why she went evil? Wake up Buffy. How about treating her
with a bit of humanity?" Cordelia was furious. She couldn't
remember the last time she had been this angry.
"She doesn't deserve it," spat back Buffy, annoyed that anyone would
question her actions.
"Take a good look in the mirror Buffy. In fact, all of you do it.
You're so self absorbed and concerned that Faith is out to get you.
News flash, the world does not revolve around you. And your
behaviour is no better than hers was when she was psycho."
"How can you say that?" Gasped Willow in outrage.
"Easy. When she was rampaging through here, she didn't give a second
thought to anyone else's feelings but her own. What are you doing
now?"
Willow's mouth opened and shut several times as she tried to form an
answer. Tara squeezed her lover's hand gently in support but the act
perversely made Willow feel worse. She had deliberately blocked out
what the blonde witch had to say about the rogue slayer, uninterested
in any excuses or explanations as to her reappearance or new
demeanour. All she had considered was that Faith had held a knife to
her throat and had threatened her. An event that had occurred over
three years ago. Judging from the look on Buffy and Xander's face,
she was not alone in contemplating her behaviour.
Buffy, uncomfortable with what Cordelia had said, concentrated only
on her last statement. "What do you mean when she *was* psycho? How
do you know that she isn't now?"
"Because I saw her when she got out of prison. I saw what she had to
go through. Have you even asked her what happened..."
"Cordelia!" Both Angel and Wesley interrupted her at the same time
and Cordelia looked at them both with widened eyes as she realised
what she had almost said.
"What happened when?" Tara caught the exchange and wanted to know
it's significance.
"It's nothing," mumbled Cordelia. She reddened slightly before
controlling her emotions. "It's not for me to say."
"In which case, let's get on with what we're doing and deal with her
later," suggested Xander. He had never seen Cordelia get so
emotional before except when events affected herself. Unfortunately,
her outburst was also painfully truthful. But Xander didn't want to
deal with that right now, so he diverted attention back to the
original topic of discussion.
Satisfied that her point had been made, Cordelia stood up and
emphasised her next sentence carefully. "I'm not *needed* here
either. Angel has all the details of my vision. I need a bath to
get all the travel dirt and tension out of me. I'll see you back at
the mansion." She acknowledged the remaining members of the LA gang
and left the shop quickly.
Buffy stood and looked at the closed door for a long moment. Then
she focused on one aspect of Cordelia's parting statement. "Vision?
What is she talking about Angel?"
The tall vampire sighed. He knew from bitter experience how
difficult the road to redemption was. He wasn't sure if Cordelia's
outburst had helped Faith or not, but he was glad that she had
interjected. The Sunnydale crowd needed to see how much support
Faith had. It might just help them deal with her. The more pressing
need was to explain how the one time cheerleader and prom queen was
now stricken with painful visions, and how her own suffering had
spurred her onto helping others less fortunate than her. Angel
considered himself to be a lucky man to know both Cordelia and
Faith. He would make sure that Buffy and the Scoobs knew how he felt
about them before the meeting was over.
To be continued...