Was It Worth It?
Chapter 2
by Miss Binks & Richess
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"So how long has Buffy been gone?" Giles asked as he walked into the Summers' house.
"She's been gone for a couple of hours, Mr. Giles, and I'm starting to get worried." Joyce said, concerned. She had a sinking feeling that something was wrong. She sat down on the sofa, quietly staring at the weather report.
"Did she say where she was going?" Giles asked Faith, ushering her to the dining room out of Joyce's earshot.
"She said that she had to do something and that Angel was here. She seemed pretty freaked out and rushed out the door. That was over two hours ago." the dark-haired Slayer answered.
A wave of dread passed over Giles making him almost nauseous, "Oh my God. She came to see me but she never told me that…"
"Yeah, he was here in her room or something and she was just freaked and wanted me to stay here with Joyce." Faith informed Giles.
Xander huffed as he burst threw the door. "I had a hell of a time getting here. Snow is actually fun for, like, a second and then it's crappy the next. What's the big crisis?"
Xander shook off his jacket and hung it in the closet as Giles and Faith began to explain the events of the night.
His plan was perfect.
He hoped the invite was still valid. That her little witch friend hadn't revoked it.
Everything that went wrong in his unlife over the last two years was her fault.
And now his plan was going to work. Buffy was going to be his third Slayer. He waited for her, intently, to walk into her house, unsuspecting and feeling secure.
Spike smiled. His plan was going to work; he just had to be patient.
Angel cried the whole journey, carrying Buffy. He cradled her close to him and could feel the coldness and stiffness in her body. He nearly tripped going up the first step on the porch and that's when the door swung open.
Joyce yanked open the door hearing the noise expecting to see Buffy walking up the stairs. Instead, she saw her daughter's lifeless body in the arms of the man that her daughter loved.
"Oh no. Noooo." Joyce gasped. She saw the torn flesh on her neck and panic swept through her. "NOOOOOOO!"
Faith was the first to Joyce's side.
Angel's throat felt dry as his voice croaked, "I'm sorry. I'm soooo sorry."
"You fucking son-of-a-bitch." Faith yelled as she heard Joyce's cries of fright, and saw Buffy in Angel's arms. Tears stained his face.
Xander grabbed Buffy away from Angel as Faith's anger boiled.
"You did this to my daughter?" Joyce looked at Buffy's lifeless body cradled in Xander's arms.
"Joyce I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"
Giles punched Angel in the face. The vampire staggered backward.
"She trusted you again and YOU did this to her." Giles advanced angrily as Joyce openly wept, stroking Buffy's face.
"Noooooo. Oh God no." Joyce said as she saw the dried blood at the corners of Buffy's mouth.
Xander looked at Buffy and realized what Angel had done. "Giles, he made her feed."
"You're dust." Faith yelled as she charged at Angel. The Slayer and the vampire tumbled through the doorway to the porch and then onto the floor.
Spike couldn't believe what was unfolding before his eyes. He knew this girl must have been the new Slayer. She was a fury of fire. He had seen Angel carrying something. But he wasn't exactly sure what it was. He kept his Desoto at the end of the block and watched as the event unfolded before his eyes. Two scuffed black boots hit the dash as Spike sat back and watched the show. He rustled through the many pockets of his duster before he found what he was searching for. A click, followed by a hiss sounded as he lit a cigarette, his hand cupping the flame, not to protect it from the wind, but to keep the light from escaping the darkness of the car. He screwed lid from a battered silver flask and took a deep pull, the harsh whiskey warming his cool body.
The battle began with a flurry of distant movement and Spike inhaled the smoke and watched the furious slayer and the shamed vampire exchange blows. From his seat across the street, Spike could tell only one person was going to walk away.
Angel tried to block the fury of kicks and punches.
"Faith, please." Angel pleaded.
Faith gave Angel a hard right to his jaw, and then pulled a stake out of her boot.
"B trusted you. She loved you," Faith punched him again, and he began to cry at her words. He looked up at Faith who had a cold expression on her face one of pure hatred. A single tear streamed down her cheek. "She fought me for you. She went after you to help you and this is what you do to her. Turn her into something that she hates and that I'll have to kill."
"No," Angel pleaded. "Willow can give her back her soul."
"Well, I see we had this planned out, huh?" Faith said with bitterness in her voice. She gave Angel a vicious kick to the ribs and then punched him twice in the face.
"Please, Faith, we need to save her. Before…"
"Before what? She becomes a cold-blooded killer like you? I gotta stake her for that, thanks to you." Faith spat out as she punched Angel again. He lay on the lawn, not moving, not fighting back.
"Fight, you son-of-a-bitch, FIGHT!" Faith yelled at him. Angel slowly picked himself up off the ground. Joyce's hysterical cries could still be heard inside the house. "You did this, and you're gonna pay."
Faith lunged at Angel with her stake. Angel dodged her attempt and slammed his fist into her back, knocking Faith to the ground, who quickly recovered.
"We need to focus on Buffy," he sighed with emotion laced in his voice. " I'm so sorry."
"You said that already. And, yet, It still doesn't seem to phase me." Faith charged at the vampire, who swung her around, her shoulder slamming into the large oak tree on the Summers' lawn.
Angel advanced on Faith, who quickly recovered. She kicked her leg back and caught Angel in the throat with her heel. The vampire staggered back.
Giles walked out on the porch, crossbow in hand to see Faith and Angel in a battle to the death. And Giles knew who would win this battle. His heart lurched as he thought of Angel taking away yet another person he'd loved. First Jenny, now his Slayer. He leveled the crossbow, waiting for an opportunity and cringed as he heard Joyce begging for Buffy to wake up.
Faith turned toward the vampire, gave him a scissor kick to the face, and then swept his feet out from underneath him. Angel's head hit the concrete of the driveway stunning him. Faith jumped on top of him straddling the vampire.
"What were her last words to you, huh? 'Angel please stop'? Or did she even have a chance to say anything, Angelus." Faith blared.
"No, Faith, please. I'm still Angel. Not Angelus. I still have a soul."
"To tell you the truth," Faith paused, driving the stake into the Angel's heart. "I don't care."
He looked down at the piece of wood embedded in his body and then up at the hatred in her eyes. And that was the last thing he would ever see.
Spike watched as Angel turned into a pile of dust underneath the new Slayer. Spike smiled at the unfolding events.
"Whatever Angel just brought in that house cost him his undead life. And what could that have been?" Spike thought aloud as he got out of his Desoto.
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