The Varos Triad  Part 9

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:  Disco Inferno, CordySlash and Miss K's sites are 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...

______________________________________________________


When Cordelia stepped back into the Recovery Room, she noticed that
Faith was still asleep.  The colour had returned somewhat to her face
and she appeared to be resting comfortably.  According to Angel,
there had been no trouble at all during the night, the only people to
enter Faith's room being the nursing staff who performed regular
observations on the girl.  The tall Seer peered at the chart at the
foot of the hospital bed and tried to make sense of the figures and
graphical representation but it meant nothing to her.  It was enough
to see the steady rise and fall of the dark slayer's chest and see
the regular trace of her heartbeat on a monitor high up on a nearby
wall.

Angel had left quickly to avoid a toasting in the new morning's sun
and hurried back to the Magic Box to see if he could be of assistance
with the research into destroying the artefacts.  Buffy had stayed
outside the room, not wanting to see the rogue slayer in her present
state but telling Cordelia that it would be easier for her to remain
on guard outside the door.  The ex-cheerleader hadn't bought the
excuse for an instant but did not want to enter into conflict with
the blonde slayer when she could make better use of her time watching
Faith.

She sighed as she sat down in the hard plastic chair that was
positioned at the side of the Bostonian's bed.  She had gone to the
rest-room as soon as she had arrived at the hospital to reapply her
make-up, wanting to look fresh when Faith finally woke up again but
she knew that no amount of concealer or foundation would be able to
mask the ravages the last few hours had inflicted on her face.
Cordelia knew that she looked terrible and could practically feel the
bags under her eyes grow by the second due to lack of sleep, but
being in Faith's presence, even if she was unconscious, somehow
invigorated her.  The taller girl relaxed into the chair, trying to
ignore the way it dug into the back of her legs and settled down to
wait for Faith to open her eyes again. 

The brunette ran her mind over the last night's events and, more
specifically, the kiss she had planted on the renegade slayer's
lips.  Was Tara right?  Could she be in a relationship with Faith? 
She certainly wanted it.  Cordelia also knew all about Faith's
reputation for being a 'get some, get gone' girl.  But she had seen
no evidence of that part of her character since her release from
prison.  Faith had certainly never flaunted any sexual conquests in
front of her in L.A.  Cordelia quickly dismissed the notion that
Faith might just be trying to get into her pants.  Though the way she
felt at the moment, Cordelia was unsure whether she would be able to
stop the girl if that actually was the case.  She had never felt so
charged by someone else before.  She couldn't deny that there was a
chemistry between them.  It had been slow to emerge, developing from
the initial mistrust and uneasy truce between them when Faith was
first released, becoming more concrete as their friendship blossomed
and they began to trust each other, till now.  The thought of having
a substantial, long-term relationship with Faith frightened
Cordelia.  Her last long term partner had been Xander and he had
cheated on her with Willow, of all people.  Xander wasn't anywhere
near Faith's league and the ex-prom queen knew that her feelings for
the dark-haired girl ran far deeper than she had ever experienced
before.  But somehow that made it worse.  For if she were betrayed,
Cordelia didn't think that she would have the strength to get over it.

The tall Seer sat up suddenly, annoyed for wallowing in such negative
thoughts and she shook her head slightly, as if to remove them from
her brain.  She returned her focus to the sleeping woman before her
and allowed herself to openly appreciate the girl's beautiful
features, from the wide dark eyes, the long wild tresses of rich
brown hair and slim, perfectly proportioned nose to the full lips,
her bottom one being slightly dimpled in the centre.

Once again, Cordelia recalled the kiss she planted on Faith's lips. 
She brought her fingertips up to her own lips as she remembered the
tingling sensation that seemed to last long after the kiss had
ended.  The girl smiled to herself ruefully as she mentally scolded
herself once again.  How could she have a reaction like that and 
doubt where she was headed with Faith.  She knew it wouldn't be
easy.  They were both far too prone to masking their feelings and
displaying only what others expected of them.  They were also both
compulsive and quick to anger.  Cordelia sat back and wondered if
they would have blazing rows.  Perhaps, she acceded.  But surely the
making up would be worth it.  As that thought crossed her mind, she
couldn't help a lascivious grin show across her face.  It was at that
moment that Faith chose to wake up.

"Hey C, keep lookin' at me like that and I might not be able to hold
myself back."  She wiggled her eyebrows impishly and mirrored
Cordelia's smile with an equally rakish one.

The ex-cheerleader rolled her eyes, even as she felt her heart
pounding.  "Oh, please!  Last time I kissed you, you fell asleep on
me," she retorted, amazed at how she still had the ability to speak
when her mouth was pulled into the biggest grin she had ever
displayed.

Faith looked at Cordelia as she remembered the fleeting caress from
the night before.  "And here was me, thinking that I'd dreamt it,"
she whispered.  Before the older girl could react, Faith shot an arm
out and grabbed Cordelia's wrist.  She pulled the girl from the chair
and towards her. 

To her chagrin, Cordelia let out a squeal at the sudden movement and
as she was yanked closer to the prone girl, had to put out her free
hand to steady herself and prevent her body from careering into
Faith's.  Somehow, she ended up face to face with the renegade
slayer, just a few centimetres apart, with her balancing hand on one
side of Faith's head, the other hand still clasped in the slayer's
and wedged between their bodies that were now touching.  She could
hear her own breathing coming in rapid gasps that had nothing to do
with the unexpected exertion.  Her heart rate soared as she could
sense a similar reaction in the woman who lay underneath her.  "How
the hell?" She began, barely having the breath to form the question.

"Slayer healing," Faith interrupted, equally softly.  She looked
deeply into the hazel eyes of the woman, noticing tiny flecks of gold
in her irises even as they gave way to the dilation of Cordelia's
pupils.  "Tell me I wasn't dreaming," she murmured.

Cordelia brought her lips down and brushed them softly against
Faith's.  The same tingling sensation flooded through them as she
continued the pressure and Cordelia felt desire course through her
body, making her body hypersensitive and feel more alive than she had
ever felt before.

Faith closed her eyes as she felt Cordelia's lips on hers and
relished the sensation.  This was a kiss that demonstrated love and
desire, not a prelude to a meaningless fuck with a faceless, nameless
person using her as much as she used them.  She was in deep.  So
deep, she thought she was drowning, and yet the more it frightened
her, the more she wanted to cling onto it.  This *thing* she had with
Cordelia was more important to her than anything in her life and she
was not going to ruin it or let it go.  Not without a fight.  She
moved her lips slowly, kissing Cordelia's upper lip and then lower
lip in turn, tugging on it slightly as the kiss grew.

Cordelia deepened the kiss, running her tongue over the full lips of
the Bostonian, and then pushing it into the slayer's mouth as Faith
parted her lips to accommodate her.  She groaned as she tasted
Faith's tongue on hers and relished the sensation.  The Seer felt
Faith's free hand cup her cheek tenderly before it drifted back to
play with the thick tresses of her hair.  They explored each other's
mouths slowly and sensuously, neither rushing the other as they
revelled in the sensations their tongues and lips shared. 

It was only the burning sensation in her lungs indicating a desperate
need for oxygen that pulled Cordelia away from her exploration.  She
gasped and opened her eyes as she rested her forehead on Faith's. 
For a moment they just gazed at each other, unwilling to say or do
anything that would break the spell they were under.  But as Cordelia
heard the door handle moving she sat back and settled herself on the
edge of the bed, allowing her hand to remained captured by
Faith's.  "That was no dream Faith," she assured the slayer, amazed
that she was still capable of coherent speech, and used her thumb to
wipe away a smudge of lipstick that had smeared across the younger
girl's lips.

The door opened to reveal a middle-aged man in a white coat with a
bright blue stethoscope slung around his shoulders, standard garb to
indicate his status as a doctor.  The man's eyes danced jovially
behind the large glasses he wore as he took in the scene.  He had
spent his whole career hiding his sexuality.  He was fortunate enough
to be in a relationship where his partner understood and respected
his decision, knowing that had they revealed their relationship, it
would have been virtually impossible for him to have gone so far in
his profession despite the public stance of the hospital.  To see
such an open display of affection delighted him no end and he was
also smugly satisfied that his gaydar had been correct the night
before.  "I do hope Miss Chase, that you're doing nothing to
overexcite my patient.  She needs rest."

Cordelia could feel every part of her face scorch with embarrassment
at the comment.  Even her ears felt hot, yet she made no attempt to
release her hand from Faith's.  Then the ex-prom queen felt her
embarrassment reach dangerous levels as she realised that the man was
the same surgeon she had spoken to last night, looking very different
now that he was no longer wearing scrubs.  She had thought that he
was much younger last night.  Perhaps it was lack of sleep that aged
him and she wondered briefly if she looked much older today.  The
Seer snapped her head round and turned her gaze furiously on Faith as
she heard her very unsuccessfully try to hide a snigger.

"What?" The dark slayer asked innocently, earning a slap on the arm. 
She laughed again.

"And if I find out that you were the instigator, I may find cause to
keep you in hospital for longer," the doctor continued, enjoying
himself at their expense.

Faith's laughter stopped instantly and she looked in horror at the
tall man.  Cordelia laughed at the expression on her face and
squeezed the girl's hand reassuringly.  "I think we've been played,"
she confided, glancing up at the Doctor who now had a wide smile on
his face.  She was surprised by his attitude but supposed that not
everyone would automatically object to them being together.

"I see I've been found out.  I must apologise if I've offended," the
Doctor smiled at both girls sincerely.

"I'm only gonna be offended if I have to stay here for long," replied
Faith, her face still serious at the idea.  "Er, no offence Doc," she
added as an afterthought.

"None taken," the tall surgeon replied affably.  "Now if you'll
excuse us Miss Chase, I need to examine my patient and make a
decision on the length of her sojourn here at Sunnydale Memorial."

"Huh?"  Faith crumpled her brow in confusion.

"How long you have to stay here," Cordelia explained gently.  She
squeezed the dark slayer's hand reassuringly before she rose from the
bed.  "I'll be outside," she told her.

The doctor smiled as the tall brunette strode through the open
doorway and he shut the door behind her.  "I suspect that despite my
previous knowledge of your powers of recuperation, I am going to be
surprised at the progress of your healing," the surgeon told Faith
conversationally as he drew back the covers and gestured for her to
lift up her gown.

"I feel pretty good Doc.  I think you did a good job."  Faith began
her battle for early release immediately.  The surgeon merely looked
at her with his eyebrows raised before looking carefully at the
bandaging covering Faith's abdomen.

The dark slayer allowed the man to unwrap her wound and tried to look
over his gentle hands as he carefully examined his work from the
night before.  To her surprise, his movements were careful and
delicate and instead of the pain that she had braced herself for, she
only felt a general discomfort as her abdomen was palpated.

The doctor supplemented his perusal with several "U-huhs" that seemed
to be directed at no one in particular.  Despite his gentle manner,
Faith found herself getting irritated by the examination and started
to fidget, hoping that he would get the hint and finish.

"Would you mind trying to stay still for just a while longer?" he
mumbled absently, not in the least put off by her movement.

The dark slayer sighed loudly but complied, shaking her head slightly
as the man continued.

The surgeon stood back up and looked down at the brunette.  "I need
to send you for another set of x-rays and get some more blood tests
done," he began and couldn't help but grin as Faith rolled her eyes
and groaned loudly.  "Finished?" He asked, raising his eyebrows as
the Southie slayer stared at him balefully.

"Just as I was starting to like you," she protested sarcastically.

"I'm touched.  Especially as I can see how much you adore being in
places like these."

Faith narrowed her eyes at the middle-aged man but couldn't help
grinning at him.  He just didn't act like a normal doctor, which was
perhaps the only reason she was still lying in bed.  "So, how long do
I have to stay here?" She cut to the chase.

"Well, depending on how quickly the results come back *and* if I'm
satisfied with them," he emphasised his words clearly, "I am prepared
to release you this afternoon on the strict proviso that you rest."

"Hoo-fuckin'-ray!" Faith exclaimed, at the same time wondering if she
could survive another hour in the hospital, let alone make it all the
way till the afternoon.

As if reading her mind the surgeon looked at her carefully as he
picked up the note board that had been clipped at the bottom of her
bed.  "I shall be telling Miss Chase of my recommendations.  I
suspect that she has a greater ability to persuade you to stay put
than I do.  I will also ask her to ensure that you *do* rest if I
decide to release you."  He grinned at the look of horror on the
young girl's face.  "I see that I'll be leaving you in safe hands,"
he smirked as he began to scribble across one of the sheets on the
clipboard.

"What about patient confidentiality?" The Bostonian asked.

"She doesn't need to know anything confidential, just my
recommendations for extra tests that require my inspection this
afternoon," the surgeon retorted smoothly.

Faith suspected that the doctor might well have had experience in
dealing with difficult patients before.  She had no comeback to that
last comment and realised that he had won convincingly.  The young
brunette flopped back on her bed and groaned again.  She might have
been able to get away with self-discharging herself this morning but
there was no way that was going to happen once Cordelia knew the
score.  The Seer was the only girl she knew who was more stubborn
than she was.  Grudgingly, she had to admit that had the tables been
turned and it was Cordelia lying in a hospital bed, Faith would
ensure that she left the hospital only when the doctors said so, and
she'd probably grill the doctors just to make certain that they were
sure.  There was no point in even attempting to persuade Cordelia
that she could leave early.  She would just have to wait it out and
hope that the doctor saw nothing to extend her stay past this
afternoon.

* * *

Willow stretched languidly and took in her surroundings as she woke
up.  The initial confusion of her location receded quickly as she
recalled snuggling down onto the sofa with Tara a few hours ago.  She
sat up and rolled her shoulders, trying to work out the stiffness and
smiled as Tara looked up from the book she had been immersed
in.  "Hey."

"Morning, sleepyhead," Tara smiled back.

The red-haired wiccan frowned slightly.  "Why are you up so early?"

"It's not that early," Giles called across from the counter.

Willow turned to face him and realised that everyone else was already
awake.  "Wow, I must have been tired.  Why didn't you wake me?" She
returned her gaze to Tara.

"You just answered your own question," returned her lover softly. 
She got up and poured the girl a large cup of coffee and then made
her way over towards the sofa.

"Buffy and Cordelia have gone back to the hospital.  Angel is here
and we've been doing research.  You obviously needed to sleep so we
left you to it."

Willow was grateful that there seemed to be no residual tension from
the night before and yawned before sipping at her coffee.  "How have
you done so far?"

"Not so well I'm afraid," supplied Wesley.  He had awoken in the
morning annoyed that Gunn had not called upon him to take watch
during the night.  However, when the dark man explained that he could
grab a few hours rest while everyone else was up to their necks in
books, the young Englishman had to acknowledge that he had made a
good decision.  "As much as we've researched the wording of the
spell, we just can't seem to say it fast enough."

Willow frowned in confusion.  "Fast enough?" She echoed.  "Why should
speed make a difference.?"

"The incantation must be evoked whilst burning certain ingredients. 
They must be spoken before the embers cool," Tara explained.

Her curiosity piqued, the red-haired witch got up from the couch and
went over to the table where many books were scattered.  "That
doesn't make sense," she murmured to herself, her mind ticking away
rapidly at the problem.

"I know," Giles agreed readily.  "As of yet though, I can find no way
round the problem."  He polished the lenses of his spectacles to
emphasise his frustration.

"There's something simple that we're missing," Wes supplied.  Both
Willow and Giles looked up at him in surprise.  "What?"

"Sorry Wesley," Giles apologised.  "Not used to you admitting that
you're not infallible, that's all."  The older watcher smiled to take
the sting from his words. 

Wesley raised his eyebrows at the comment before replying.  "A fair
comment.  I've had three years outside of the council influences now
though.  I tend to take a broader outlook on life."

"The simple thing everyone's missed is the *way* the incantation is
spoken, not how long it takes," Willow spoke up, leaving her fingers
part way down the page of an open tome in front of her so that she
didn't lose her place.

"What do you mean?"  All eyes were on the flame-haired girl now.

"Well, according to this, the invocation must be recited by the three
witches holding the three artefacts," Willow began, glancing at the
page for reassurance.

"We got that far honey," Tara pointed out.

"But they don't all repeat the whole incantation together," Willow
returned.  She was met with looks of confusion all round.

"What do they do then, gossip over a cup of coffee?"  Xander's first
attempt at humour for the day fell on deaf ears but he was quite used
to that happening.

"They each recite part of the incantation concurrently."  Willow
looked round as if the answer was totally obvious and was surprised
to find that the looks of confusion remained etched on her friends'
faces.

She shook her head and tried again.  "Each part of the spell is
broken down into three parts and given to a witch to perform.  Each
witch recites their own part at the same time as the others so the
time taken to complete the whole incantation isn't nearly so long. 
There should be plenty of time to complete the spell before the
embers die."

At last she was met with understanding.  Well, from the watchers and
Tara at least.

"That's brilliant Willow," Giles enthused eagerly.  "All we have to
do now is work out where the division in the incantations are."

"And that is going to be far harder than you think," Willow told him
assuredly.  "There's no way these witches would have made it this
easy for the incantation to be found if it could be sectioned without
any problems."

"Pessimist," accused Tara good-naturedly but she sat down next to
Willow heavily.  "Best we get to it then," she prompted.  Her words
spurred the others into action and the other occupants of the Magic
Box busied themselves once again with the research.

Unfortunately, Willow's words were well founded and the team
struggled to find out how to separate the spell into its correct
component parts.  They tried splitting it down into equal numbers of
words, approximately equal recitation lengths and used the obvious
verse breaks but had no point of reference to determine if they were
correct in their assumptions. 

Anya surprised everyone by finding out that the spell had to be
recited by witches of a similar age and the same sex.  This ruled out
Angel, Giles and Wesley to take the place of the third witch and
neither Willow or Tara felt confident about approaching any of their
associates at the Wicca circles they often attended.  Bringing in
someone new was too risky at this important stage.  It also meant
that it would be down to Anya or Cordelia to learn the third part of
the incantation.  Willow and Tara couldn't decide who would be the
more suitable, the ex-vengeance demon who was predisposed to
distraction and her own personal safety, or the ex-cheerleader with
whom they'd had no contact with for the last three years but who was
remembered as a fashion-absorbed, egocentric sarcastic bitch.  In the
end, Giles decided that both girls should learn the spell, if and
when they finally broke it down correctly and the one who proved the
most adept at its recital should take part in the destruction of the
artefacts.  Willow took great delight in telling the ex-watcher that
as it was his plan for both girls to learn the spell, he could have
the honour of telling Cordelia what was expected of her when she
returned from the hospital.  Giles then spent the next few hours
uncomfortably anticipating the Seer's reaction to his idea.

The Scoobs and LA gang worked ceaselessly well into the afternoon,
determined not to be defeated by the ancient invocation.  Xander
fulfilled his duty by doing the donut run for them and was glad to
get out of the shop for a while and at least contribute something to
the operation.

When the door opened again, none of the shop's occupants looked up,
expecting it to be Xander returning.  Buffy looked round quickly
before speaking.  "Wow.  Totally overawed by the welcome here guys."

Her voice had the desired effect as everyone looked up from their
work.  "Buffy," Willow exclaimed, glad to see her friend.  "How's the
psycho?"  She frowned as she asked the question, posing it more to
gauge the reaction of the blonde slayer than any real genuine concern
for the Bostonian.

"Still alive Red," Faith answered as she stepped through the door,
followed closely by Cordelia.  "You'll have to hate me for a while
longer."

The two girls exchanged looks of mutual dislike as Willow stood
up.  "That won't be a problem," the flame-haired witch retorted. 
Tara rolled her eyes as she realised that Willow was back at square
one regarding her opinion of the dark slayer.

"Willow, I think that Faith has at least done enough for us to give
her a chance.  If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't have any of the
artefacts," Buffy reasoned, approaching the table where Willow had
been at work and totally oblivious to the looks of astonishment both
Faith and Cordelia were directing at her.

"I can't trust her, Buffy.  You're asking too much," her best friend
told her candidly.

"I'm not asking you to trust her.  Just work with her," explained
Buffy carefully.  "Angel's explained that Cordelia's vision involved
*all* of us.  I think we have to go with that and see what happens."

Willow sat back down in her chair heavily.  "Just keep her away from
me," she muttered darkly and returned to the open reference book in
an effort to switch her train of thought.  She felt betrayed by
Buffy.  Her best friend had let the psycho slayer back in their group
and now everything would fall apart again.

Buffy turned back to where the two brunettes still stood.  "Are you
going to be okay now or do you need to rest?" She asked. 

"I'm five by five B," Faith replied easily.  "It only hurts when I
laugh."

"And there's not much danger of that happening round here is there?"
Cordelia interjected sarcastically as she tugged the dark girl
towards a vacant couch. 

Unfortunately, her comment provoked a stab of laughter from the dark
slayer that was promptly followed by a sharp intake of breath as she
winced at the pain.  "See?"

Cordelia looked round at the girl with concern.   "Sorry," she
apologised. "Sit down and rest," the Seer ordered, switching to a
more authoritative tone.

"Cordy," Faith protested at the instruction.

"Sit!"  The Seer accentuated the command with a pointing finger.

"Yes Ma'am," Faith retorted, flipping a salute at the taller girl
before obeying her and sitting on the couch.  Cordelia had been
fussing round her ever since speaking with the doctor that morning
and Faith was secretly enjoying both the attention and the proximity
of the ex-cheerleader.

Cordelia noticed the insolent look Faith gave her and crossed her
arms defensively.  "Oh well, perhaps it would be better if you spent
another night in the hospital as you obviously don't want me
bothering you."

"No, no.  It's fine.  I'll just sit here and shut up."  Faith shook
her head at Cordelia as the older girl raised her eyebrows at her and
grinned triumphantly.  "Bitch."

"I know.  And you love me really, so I win on all counts," Cordelia
returned and she sat down next to Faith on the couch.  The slayer
surprised her by grabbing her hand and entwining her fingers through
hers.  Cordelia looked at the girl expectantly.

"Don't suppose you've got a nurse outfit have you?"  Faith asked,
lowering her voice suggestively.

Before Cordelia could respond, Giles cleared his throat loudly,
attracting their attention.  "Well, I for one, am grateful that
you're recovering well.  But there is still a lot of work to be done
I'm afraid."

Faith groaned and laid her head back on the sofa.  "Oh, no. 
Research."

"We've been doing it all day, think yourself lucky," Willow
interjected acidly.

Faith levelled her stare at the witch.  "Sorry Red.  I was excused
this morning's class on account of how I was nearly gutted last
night."  She smiled coldly at the girl and refused to look away as
she saw her squirm uncomfortably.

"Er, yes well.  It was more Cordelia I was thinking of," the ex-
watcher explained.

"Me?  What have I got to do?"  The Seer was instantly suspicious.

"I need you to recite part of the incantation."  Giles thought it
would be better to come straight to the point.

Cordelia narrowed her eyes at the Englishman thoughtfully.  "I
haven't got to do any yucky things with frogs eyes or bat wings have
I?"  She pulled her face into a delicate moue of disgust at the
thought.

"No, no, no.  Not at all," the older man hastily reassured her.  "All
you would have to do is incant the spell.  But you need to learn it
exactly."  He emphasised his last comment carefully.

Cordelia looked at Faith and then at Angel questioningly.  He nodded
his support before speaking up.  "We need three witches of the same
sex and similar age to perform the spell."

"I hate to point out the obvious but I'm not a witch," Cordelia
replied.

"It doesn't matter in this case," Tara interrupted.  "W-willow and I
hold enough p-p-power to invoke the spell but it t-t-takes three
spell casters to actually perform the ritual. As long as you say the
incantation w-word perfect, we can destroy the artefacts."

Once again, Cordelia looked at Faith.  The Southie slayer smiled at
her reassuringly.  "Go for it," she encouraged and released her grip
on the Seer's hand.

"You'd better show me what I have to learn then," Cordelia told Giles
as she stood up.

Giles winced slightly.  "That's where we're having trouble.  We're
not exactly certain how to divide the incantation up."

The tall ex-cheerleader rolled her eyes.  "Great.  Does this mean
I've got to learn the whole spell?"

"No, I don't think so," Wesley answered.  "We were getting closer to
a solution when you entered.  I think I've finally deciphered where
the breaks in the incantation are."

Cordelia crossed the room to join the others but stiffened suddenly. 
She clutched her head as she felt the vision crash upon her and her
legs buckled as agonising pain enveloped her.

Faith was on her feet instantly and caught Cordelia before she fell
to the floor.  "Come on Cordy, I'm here."  She lowered the girl
gently to the floor and cradled her head in her lap, pushing a strand
of hair behind the Seer's ear.  She held onto Cordelia protectively
as she continued to deal with the image and pain, stroking her cheek
and continuously murmuring words of reassurance to the woman. 
Instinctively she felt Angel's presence and looked up.  "Hey big guy,
can you get a glass of water and C's bag?"  He nodded and hurried to
the task.

By the time he returned, Cordelia had opened her eyes and was
breathing shakily.  Faith dug around the ex-cheerleader's bag and
located her pillbox.  She popped a tablet out of the blister pack and
handed it silently to Cordelia.

The Seer took the painkiller and swallowed it gratefully.  It took a
few more moments for her to gather her wits and overcome the pain. 
She looked round at the concerned faces that crowded her.  "It's
tonight," she whispered.  "He returns tonight."

To be continued...