This part is a little 'unusual' in the sense that it is more of
a 'filler' episode for me.  However, I need to set the scene - things
will become more obvious later.

I will also say that you'll have to wait a bit longer for the next
bit now - not only am I about to start nights, I am desperately
trying to finish another fic that really deserves to get finished.


Steff.

________________________________


The Varos Triad  Part 8

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

Pairing:  Faith/Cordelia

Rating: PG-13   I think - but if anyone thinks it should be higher
let me know.

Feedback:  yes please:-  rebelgirl_uk@yahoo.co.uk 

Archive: Cordyslash, Disco Inferno and Miss K's sites are all
welcome.  Anyone else, please ask.

Summary:- Faith returns to Sunnydale in pursuit of a demon, but is
not well received by Buffy and the Scoobs.  However, it appears they
have to join forces with Faith and the LA gang when they discover the
history of the artefacts.  While celebrating Cordelia's birthday at
the Bronze, Faith is attacked by a shape shifter...

______________________________________________________



Tara sat back in her chair and rubbed her eyes as she rolled her
shoulders in an effort to get the stiffness out of them.  It had been
a  difficult night to say the least.  She and Willow had put yet
another protection spell over the Magic Box in an effort to safeguard
not just the artefacts but the occupants too.  Despite Willow's
amazing power as a witch and Tara's not inconsiderable talent, they
both knew that there were ways of overcoming the incantation and with
very little known about Varos' minions, no one felt particularly
safe.  Afterwards, while Gunn and Wesley tidied away the weapons, the
group huddled round together trying to speculate over the dark
slayer's condition without actually mentioning the
words 'Faith' , 'attack' or 'injuries'.  They had all seen the
renegade's stomach, dark and slick with blood and her face ashen
white with pain, yet none of her companions wanted to display any
emotions that could indicate concern for Faith.  The closest Xander
got was to mention how useful she could be in a battle and Anya
remarking that the sight of so much blood was reminiscent of one of
her revenge spells.  Her story was halted before she got the
opportunity to share all the grisly details. 

Tara was no so hesitant in showing her concern.  "You can dance
around the topic all you like, but I'm worried about Faith.  I know
you all think it's just a case of us needing her help as opposed to
actually wanting her here, but surely you can't believe that she
deserved to be injured like that.  I wouldn't wish what she's gone
through on anyone."

Willow snorted.  "Seems like she got a taste of her own medicine. 
She held a knife to my throat, remember?" She prompted.  The
conversation she had with Cordelia at the Bronze had been firmly
placed in the back of her mind.

"Four years ago, Willow," Tara pointed out, letting out an
exasperated sigh.  "And besides, she didn't actually stick the blade
in, did she?"

Willow's eyes went wide with amazement.  Once again, her lover was
defending Faith.  "I can't believe you just said that," the flame-
haired girl told her.  "Have you not listened to anything I told you
about her?"

"Yes I have.  However, what happened to forgiveness?" The blonde
witch retorted.

"Sorry, I go by the Old Testament.  'An eye for an eye'," her lover
quoted back at her.

"Well in that case, I can't understand what you've got against her,"
Tara responded, annoyed with herself for getting angry with Willow,
yet unable to stop her spiralling emotions.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"  Willow frowned, her brow
furrowing deeply at Tara's comment.

"The way you told me, Faith came back seeking revenge for Buffy
putting her in a coma for eight months.  That rather fits the 'eye
for an eye' tenet, doesn't it?"

"Wow, you should be a lawyer," interjected Xander as Willow gaped at
the blonde witch's argument.

"She held the knife to my throat before her revenge kick," protested
Willow, jumping back into the conversation.

"Does that *really* matter now?"  Tara looked at her companions.  "L-
look, I know I w-wasn't that affected by Faith but you have to move
on.  At the moment we have identifiable threats out there to face. 
We d-don't need to make our lives more difficult by adding Faith to
the l-list when she's already demonstrated that she's on our side." 
Inside, the blonde witch was furious with herself for stammering
again.


"I agree," interrupted Anya from behind the counter.  "All the time
she's helping us, she's more likely to be killed by the demons than
we are."

"That's not exactly what I meant," demurred the blonde witch.

"Good principle though," Xander agreed with his girlfriend.

Tara rolled her eyes in frustration.  "What has she got to do to
convince you?  You saw her wounds.  She's the only one of us who
didn't walk away from that situation."

"More's the pity," the construction worker muttered under his
breath. 

Tara didn't quite catch exactly what the dark man said but she could
feel the sentiment of his utterance.  "Fine.  Do what you like.  J-
just know that I feel s-safer knowing that Faith's on our side and
helping us out with Varos."

"I'm glad you've made up your mind.  What you seem to have forgotten
is that Faith sided with the Mayor while she was still on 'our
side'," Willow retorted, her voice strangely flat as she looked at
Tara.  "I'm not as trusting as you, and I've already been betrayed
once.  I'm not prepared to allow her to do that again."  The red-head
sat back defiantly, resolute with her original stance on the matter.

"Hypocrite."  Wesley's accusation stung her from across the room.

Willow glared at him.  "And what's that supposed to mean?" She
challenged, her arms crossed defensively.

"Well, it seems to me that you allowed Angel to be part of your lives
again when he spent an awful lot of his time hurting you all."

"That's different.  He had no soul as Angelus."

"We all have demons to deal with," Wesley responded softly.  "Faith's
actions may have been inexcusable at the time, but she's been
punished for that..."

"Three years in the slammer?  Hardly a punishment," interrupted
Xander, feeling the need to defend his oldest friend and siding with
her once again on her views about the renegade slayer.

"Yes.  On face value, it would seem an inappropriate sentence.  But
as none of you have bothered enquiring about her time spent in the
penitentiary, none of you could possibly know whether the punishment
was suitable or not," Wesley reasoned.  He swallowed in an effort to
keep his voice under control.  "I have greater reason than any of you
to mistrust Faith, even hate her.  But I can see the changes in
her."  He left the weapons store and came over to sit opposite his
audience.  "She may still talk in the same way and dress in the same
way.  She is, indeed, the same person in many ways.  I don't want her
to change  *every* aspect of her character.  It's part of who she is
and who she always will be.  More to the point, none of you have any
right to demand that she changes completely.  I still dress and talk
the same, yet you afford me far more courtesy now than you ever did
when I here as Buffy's watcher."  Wesley held up a hand to stop the
protests from Xander and Willow.  "However Faith *has* changed where
it matters.  Changes that are quite apparent if you can get past your
prejudice and actually see the girl for what she is now, not what she
was four years ago.  Those changes have made a huge difference to
me.  Now I would trust her with my life.  No buts, no exceptions. 
She's my friend."   

"Then more fool you," Willow retorted quietly before getting up and
moving away to distance herself from the young ex-watcher.  His words
had disturbed her in the same way Cordelia's words had at the
Bronze.  She knew that their arguments made sense but she didn't want
to believe them.  More to the point, how did Buffy feel about all
this?  Willow knew that if the blonde slayer still held the same
rancour for Faith, then she could never change her opinion.  But even
if Buffy mellowed, the red-haired witch wasn't sure she could be
swayed.  Willow had a deep-seated resentment for the younger slayer
that started long before the Bostonian sided with the Mayor.  A tiny
part of her was concerned that should the status quo be broken and
Faith be allowed to interact on more equal terms with Buffy and the
other scoobs, Willow might find herself playing second fiddle to her
again.  The wiccan already resented Tara's involvement with the
entire affair and was subconsciously questioning her lover's motives
for defending Faith.  Before Faith's return, had anyone wondered
about the strength of the relationship between her and Tara, Willow
would have laughed at the thought.  Now she was beginning to worry
about that too.  She resented the uncertainty that Faith had
unearthed since her return to Sunnydale.  And she didn't like the
feelings she was being subjected to.  Unwilling to face her dilemma,
she walked away from the rest of the group and headed towards the
back of the shop.  Perhaps milling round the storeroom would help
clarify her thoughts, or at least give her a better perspective on
them.  The red haired wiccan was also irrationally annoyed with Tara
and she didn't want to flare up at her lover and cause yet more
problems.  She sighed as she heard the blonde witch step into the
storeroom behind her.  "Tara, I came out here to clear my head," she
explained, not turning round.

"I know and I'm sorry," the taller girl replied softly. 

"You're sorry?  Why?"  Willow span round and looked at Tara curiously.

"Well, I distinctly remember telling you that I was entitled to my
own opinion, and here I am forcing my views onto you," Tara
explained, tripping over the sentence slightly as she struggled with
her emotions.

Willow took one look at Tara's face and her irritation melted away
instantly.  She closed the gap between them and pulled the blonde
woman into a close hug.  "I'm sorry too," she mumbled into the girl's
shoulder.  "Please don't let us argue over this," she pleaded softly.

"I don't want to fight either," Tara agreed.  She moved slightly and
rested her forehead against her lover's.  "I love you," she murmured.

Willow felt her arms tighten as she pulled the blonde girl into a
tighter embrace.  She revelled in the nearness of the other girl for
a moment, before leaning back just a fraction.  "I'm tired," she
explained, hoping that Tara would accept her hidden request and not
push things any further.  "Those protection spells and all that
action have worn me out.  I could do with some sleep."

Tara nodded her head against Willow's, signifying her concurrence. 
She knew that Willow was still avoiding the issue but she knew better
than to push the red head into a corner.  If Willow truly thought
that she was being coerced, it would set her resolve to unbreakable
levels.  "Come on.  Let's see if we can find somewhere to sleep for
what's left of the night."  The blonde witch took hold of Willow's
hand and led her back out into the Magic Box.  "We're tired," she
announced to the room in general.  Tara looked at Wesley carefully,
silently pleading that he wouldn't continue the confrontation.

Seeing the look in Tara's eyes, Faith's watcher nodded almost
imperceptibly and gestured to one of the couches.  "Yes, you must
both be exhausted," he agreed.  I'll see if I can find you a blanket."

Willow opened her mouth to protest but was interrupted by
Gunn.  "It'd be a good idea if you all get some rest."  He looked
round at the others.  "I'll keep watch by the door," he offered as he
inspected a plain yet functional looking crossbow.

"There should be no need to keep watch," Willow objected.  "The spell
we placed will warn us if the ward is broken," she explained.

"I'm sure it will, but I'd still be happier with a physical guard at
the door," Gunn replied, hefting a large club and resting it on his
shoulder as he moved to the doorway.  "Just think of it as extra
protection," he told the wiccan.

"You can't stand guard all night Gunn," the Englishman told
him.  "I'll take second watch," he declared.

Gunn looked at his friend steadily.  "Sure Wes.  I'll wake you when
it's your turn."

Anya emerged from the back of the Magic Box, her arms laden with
blankets.  "For some reason, Giles always seems to have a good supply
of these."  The blonde ex-vengeance demon hurried round and
distributed the blankets out evenly.  She even handed one to
Gunn.  "You might be cold sitting there," she explained at his
questioning look.

Xander's eyes shot up in surprise.  "Looks like you're getting the
hang of caring about people Anya," he told her gently.

"Am I?"  Anya smiled back at her lover.  "I didn't realise.  I didn't
want him to get distracted by the cold while he was standing guard in
case we got attacked.  I didn't realise that I was caring about him."

Xander shook his head silently and decided that it was too late at
night to go through a potentially torturous explanation with his
girlfriend.  "Great idea," he agreed.  "Now, which couch do you want?"

Finally the occupants were settled and after a few minutes of quiet
talking and soft bickering between them, everyone except Gunn managed
to drift off to sleep.  The tall black man hurried to answer the
phone when Giles rang and was frustrated by the lack of information
the older watcher shared.  Gunn was concerned for Faith.  She gave
off a tough aura and had a bad girl image and he was also fully aware
of her past with Buffy and Angel.  But despite all that, he genuinely
liked the girl.  He loved training with her and his confidence
battling against the evil in LA grew immeasurably when Faith stood
with him.  When he saw her lying there in Cordelia's arms, blood
soaking through her clothes and onto the ground, Gunn suddenly became
aware of her mortality and he didn't like that thought.  Suddenly,
their invincibility together was not certain.

The ringing of the phone prompted the shop's occupants to grill him
for news.  When they were satisfied that he had none to tell, they
settled back down.  Tara lay cradled around Willow, holding her tight
as she pondered over the day's events.  She only relaxed when she
noticed her lover begin to breathe more regularly and slowly,
indication that she had succumbed to her tiredness.

The next thing she heard was the door open.  Squinting through the
darkness, she made out the shapes of Giles, Buffy and Cordelia in the
shadows as they whispered to Gunn by the doorway.  The blonde witch
managed to pick up a few snippets of information, including the fact
that Cordelia had managed to talk with Faith and she drifted back
into the realms of Morpheus feeling slightly less concerned over the
fate of the Bostonian.

Tara's eyes shot open as she felt her arm spasm.  Sharing the sofa
with Willow had sounded like a wonderful idea at the time, and she
always revelled in being near the red-haired witch.  However the more
physical aspects of spending several hours perched on the edge of a
sofa that wasn't as long as she was with her arm trapped by her
lover's body was beginning to take it's toll.  Moving very slowly,
Tara extracted her arm from underneath Willow and then rolled off the
couch, looking closely at Willow for any signs that she had disturbed
her slumber.   Willow shifted slightly but stilled again without
wakening.

Tara stood and stretched, feeling the muscles around her lower back
and shoulders protesting at the sudden usage before she shook her
numb arm in an attempt to encourage the circulation back to it.  Once
she felt the buzzing in her digits that signified the return of blood
to her fingers, she tiptoed over to a nearby table and sat down.  She
scanned the room, her eyes now accustomed to the lack of light and
noticed Anya and Xander huddled motionless on another couch, Giles
and Wesley asleep on chairs and Buffy stretched out on the floor with
a blanket wrapped round her.

Tara sat back in her chair as she rubbed her eyes wearily and rolled
her shoulders in an effort to get the stiffness out of them.  The
blonde girl jumped as her peripheral vision caught movement to her
left side and as she turned her head to find out what it was, she saw
a slender hand place a mug full of steaming coffee in front of her.

"I couldn't sleep so I made a huge pot of coffee.  I assumed that you
could do with some," Cordelia whispered to her as she sat down at the
table, her other hand holding an identical mug, its contents steaming.

Tara wrapped her hands round the mug and allowed them to absorb the
heat it was radiating before raising the receptacle and taking a
cautious sip.  "Hmmm, it's good," she complemented before taking
another taste.

"Thank you.  One of my many talents as Angel's receptionist,"
Cordelia replied but the usual sarcasm that would accompany the
comment was missing.  "What are you doing up?"

"I woke up uncomfortable.  Rather than toss and turn and disturb
Willow, I thought it would be easier just to get up and restore the
circulation to my arm."

Cordelia nodded.  "I hope we didn't disturb you when we came in the
shop."

Recognising the comment as an opening, Tara took the lead and leapt
straight in.  "How's Faith?"  She asked, believing that Cordelia
would prefer that to skirting round the issue.

"She'll be okay," replied the Seer, a small smile gracing her lips as
she thought of the brunette.  "They operated on her and she's
recovering.  Buffy seems to think that she'll be out of hospital
today or tomorrow."  Cordelia couldn't help grimacing at mentioning
the blonde slayer's name but she hoped that Tara didn't notice.

"You're not a huge fan of Buffy are you?"

Cordelia rolled her eyes as she realised that her expressive face had
revealed her thoughts.  "Buffy isn't exactly Miss Squeaky Clean, but
she won't even allow Faith an inch to demonstrate that she's not the
same person anymore," she told the blonde girl, her voice straining
slightly as she tried to keep the volume low.

"You should have heard Wesley earlier," Tara commented, recalling his
speech.  "I think that before this 'adventure' is over, we will all
have had the opportunity of seeing what you, Angel and Wes see in
her."

Cordelia looked at the witch carefully.  "I suppose I just don't want
her to get hurt again," she admitted.  "Ever since she's been working
in LA with us, I think that she's actually got a sense of belonging. 
Something that she never had before.  She was able to let her
barriers down a bit.  Show the 'real' Faith and not the image she's
projected ever since she can remember."  The ex-cheerleader sighed
before taking a sip of her own coffee.  "Now she's back in Sunnyhell
I can see all those barriers rising again.  If that happens totally,
I don't know how we'll ever get through to her."

"You have a connection with her Cordelia," Tara replied.  "As long as
you're here, I don't think that Faith will ever isolate herself
completely."

"Is it that obvious?" Cordelia asked, realising that Tara knew
exactly the extent of her relationship with the renegade slayer.

Tara smiled enigmatically.  "To the people who look?  Yes, probably,"
she answered honestly.

"Oh God."  The tall Seer groaned at the thought.  "What about the
others?"

"I think Angel knows.  Wesley too.  I don't know about Gunn though,
he guards his feelings well.  As for everyone else?  I doubt it. They
haven't got past the 'psycho slayer is back' stage," Tara confided.

Cordelia grinned at the wicca's description before becoming pensive
again.  "Willow?" She suggested nervously, recalling the red haired
girl's comments at the Bronze after Cordelia had danced with Faith.

Tara shook her head and shifted uncomfortably before answering.  "I
think she was trying to goad you.  I'm sure that what she saw didn't
really sink in."

"You're probably right," agreed the ex-cheerleader.  "Never thought
that their defensive nature would work to my advantage," she mused.

"Advantage?"  Tara frowned at the brunette.  "Don't you want people
to know about you and Faith?"

"No, no.  It's not that at all," Cordelia protested.  "It's just..."
she hesitated, not knowing whether she could trust Tara enough to
confide in her.  "It's just that I'm not sure that there's much to
tell," she admitted.

Tara sat back and looked at her companion steadily.  "Have you not
been going out for long then?"

Cordelia smiled ruefully.  "We haven't gone out at all.  I only
kissed her for the first time tonight when she was in the Recovery
Room.  I'm not even sure  how she feels about me."

"Now that I don't believe," refuted Tara firmly.  "It's obvious that
she cares about you."

"You think?"  Cordelia couldn't help the question and she hated
herself for feeling so insecure about the situation.  But she needed
the reassurance that only an outsider to her predicament could give.

The blonde witch smiled again.  "I know," she amended
confidently.  "But it doesn't matter what I *think* or *know*.  What
counts is how you feel about Faith and her feelings for you."

"Thanks," Cordelia acknowledged her listener.  "Anyone tell you that
you'd make a great therapist?"  She only half joked.

"Not until now," replied Tara.  "And I'm not so sure that I would."

The some time actress felt the need for a change of topic.  Examining
her feelings left her emotionally exhausted and exposed.  She didn't
want to carry on the dissection.  "So what are you going to do now? 
Go back to sleep?"

"Not much point really," Tara replied, eyeing the couch where Willow
now lay sprawled across it.  "I thought I'd continue looking at the
binding spell for the artefacts."

"I take it that it's not simple then?" Cordelia probed.

Tara shook her head.  "There's one part of it that I just don't
understand.  I think we need to delve into the history books to get
more information.  Mind you, in a way I'm pleased that it's not easy."

"What?  That doesn't make sense," the ex-cheerleader told the blonde.

"I just feel that I'll have contributed more if this is difficult. 
Faith's risked her life more than once.  Me getting eyestrain is a
small price to pay." 

"Bizarrely, that makes a twisted sort of sense," Cordelia commented
before rubbing the back of her neck.  She clasped her coffee mug and
drained its contents.  "I ought to wake Buffy up.  It'll be daylight
soon."

Tara frowned in consternation at the Seer.  "What difference does
that make?  We've protected the shop regardless of the time of day."

"Angel's keeping watch at the hospital," Cordelia explained, noting
how Tara's face lit up with understanding.  "Buffy said that she'd
take over before daybreak."

"Good idea.  Much as I want to put a protection spell over Faith at
the hospital, it would pretty much be impossible to do, considering
the amount of people who need to gain access to the place."

"Thanks for listening," Cordelia voiced her appreciation a second
time.

"No problem."  Tara took a large draught from her mug.  "I think I'll
get a refill."

The brunette rose and approached the sleeping slayer.  "Come on,
Buffy.  Time to change the guard."  Cordelia resisted the urge to
shake the slayer awake.  She had done that to Faith on a couple of
occasions and had almost been decapitated with a thrown punch each
time.  The ex-cheerleader somehow suspected that Buffy would have a
similar reaction.

The blonde slayer grumbled and turned over, grabbing the blanket that
covered her and rolling into it more tightly.

Cordelia tried again, still keeping her distance from the older
slayer.  "Buffy.  Wake up."

Suddenly, Buffy spun round, arm raised and fist clenched, ready to
face her attacker.  The tall Seer raised an eyebrow.  "Been caught
out before," she told the girl as Buffy looked at her in surprised
admiration.

Buffy snorted before disentangling herself from the covers.  "What
time is it?" She asked groggily as she stood up.

"Shh," Cordelia tried to quieten her down and glanced around at the
other occupants of the Magic Box.  "It's nearly dawn," she told her.

Buffy nodded as she wiped the sleep from her eyes.  She stood up
gracefully and looked round, acknowledging both Tara and Gunn with a
nod when she met their eyes.  Satisfied that things appeared to be in
order, she made her way to the exit.  "Come on Cordy, let's go."


To be continued..