TITLE: Secrets and... 6/?
AUTHOR: Claudine
EMAIL: claudine423@yahoo.com
PAIRING: W/G
RATING: PG
FEEDBACK: Yes, please...I am a junkie.
NOTES: AU - This story takes place in the future, when the majority of the gang has reached the age of 30. Buffy died at the end of "The Gift" but she was never brought back to life. The explanation of what happened between that year and the time of this fic will unravel in the story. It starts off a little slow, but I promise all the characters will be introduced.
DISCLAIMER: Permission to use these characters relating to BtVS & AtS has not been given. Joss, Twentieth Century Fox, UPN, WB & Mutant Enemy own TM and copyrighted them. This is purely for fun, and no copyright infringement is intended. Oh how I wish Giles was mine, though. Sigh...
Willow stirred, the sound of footsteps outside her door too clumsy to ignore. When she looked over Giles was in a deep sleep, his eyelids fluttering rapidly. She hated that she'd been lying to him. She hated keeping secrets but she knew it had to be done. He'd never approve. But once he saw the results of her actions he'd come around. She was sure of it.
She slipped out of the bed, surprised that it was already 8 in the morning. Though she wasn't sure what time it was that Giles finally found his way to bed, she knew it must have been late because she was still awake at one and he hadn’t been to bed, yet. She decided to let him sleep. If nothing else, she was giving her conscience a break - if she didn't have to see him she didn't worry so much about keeping the truth from him.
She showered and changed quickly and when she finally made it to the kitchen she found Faith eating alone at the table. “Hey,” she said in lieu of a more emotional greeting.
The Slayer responded the same way. Tension? Maybe a little. Maybe a lot.
Just as Willow was about to make some small talk Xander and Dawn entered the room. “I see you two are catching up,” Xander said.
“All caught up,” Faith said and shot Willow a knowing look. It seemed they would have to agree to disagree without actually ever discussing anything. They were both ok with that. For now.
“Giles give you the 4-1-1?” Dawn asked.
“Every detail,” Faith said. “You got any coffee? I know things are scarce, but…I need some caffeine.”
“Yep,” Xander said and took her mug from her. He was busy for the next few minutes making breakfast for the rest of the gang.
“So, Faith…what’s the plan?” Dawn sat down between Faith and Willow at the kitchen table. It was a large table, big enough for eight to fit around, though they often used it more for tactical briefings rather than family dinners.
“Yeah, we start killing stuff. We burn down lairs. We do it big and loud – no hiding out here during the day. We go in, torch the place, take their weapons,” she said.
“We’ve tried that,” Xander said.
“Not my way we haven’t,” she said.
“What’s different about your way?”
“Hostages,” she said. “This place have a basement? Someplace we can lock them up.”
“Yeah,” Dawn said, skeptical.
“Fine. Tonight we round up the lackeys and torture them for the next ten days. The guys who think they’re tough shit always have lackeys. If they’re vampires we burn them with sunlight and holy water until they’re so disfigured they won’t even be recognized until they speak. If they’re demons we have Wes figure out what hurts them and then we do it big.” She stood up and looked around. “We’re gonna take back this town, one block at a time if we have to. If you think you can’t handle the gruesome stuff, find another way to help.” She walked over to Willow. “Your magic strong enough to hold the prisoners if we can’t find the right supplies to hold them by force?”
“That won’t be a problem,” Angel said as he entered the room. He could hear the conversation through the door – love those vampire senses. He had an entire dungeon beneath the mansion that nobody knew about. He’d had it bricked over years before Giles and the others started using it for headquarters, years before he’d even left for LA. “I’ll take care of it,” he said. Somewhere inside, in the deep, dark chasm that the demon Angelus always occupied, he felt a genuine, diabolical happiness at the thought of torturing things again.
“Good,” Faith said. “We need help. You guys got any friends anywhere we need them here. Send out the bat signal if you have to,” she said, “I don’t care if we have to go to Cleveland to pick them up.” She looked around at their faces, every pair of eyes fixed on her. It felt good. She felt like she was needed. And respected. “Is there anybody left in town who can help?”
“No,” Xander responded quickly, conflicting with Dawn’s “Yes.”
Willow looked at the two of them. “No, Dawnie,” she cautioned.
“I’m not a child, it’s Dawn. And, yes, Faith there is someone who can help.”
“Dawn,” Angel started...
“Look, you can all sit here and brood all you want but there’s some serious shit going on out there. He can help,” she said.
“He won’t,” Willow said. “And we don’t even know whose side he’s on.”
“He will,” Dawn said and grabbed a jacket from the back of one of the chairs. “He’s strong, stronger than any of us. And I know what side he’s on – he’s on my side. If I ask him he’ll help. He promised Buffy.”
“I don’t want him anywhere near here,” Angel said, “He can’t be trusted.”
Dawn looked him in the eye and did not back down from him. “You have until sundown to get over your issues. I’m going to get him.” She stormed out of the room.
“What was that all about,” a sleepy Giles asked as Dawn rushed past him.
Everyone but Faith answered in unison, “Spike.”