Under the Sun
Author: enigmaticblue
Rating: PG-13
Archive: Sure, if you already have my stuff. If not, just ask.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters herein; Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and other lucky folks do. Of course, I'm not the one making money off of them.
Summary: Set after Avocation in an alternate S4 where many events of canon get thrown out the window. This one won't make any sense if you haven't read the previous story.
A/N: The title comes from Ecclesiastes, which most people know from the phrase, "A time for everything, and a season for everything under heaven." Really, this story is based on the entire book, which is probably my favorite in the Bible. It talks about making the most of what one has now, and while some find it depressing, I love it. If you've got the time, I'd really recommend you read the whole thing.
Chapter 35
"Hold your soul open for my welcoming./Let the quiet of your spirit bathe me/With its clear and rippled coolness,/That, loose-limbed and weary, I find rest,/Outstretched upon your peace, as on a bed of ivory./Let the flickering flame of your soul play all about me,/That into my limbs may come the keenness of fire,/The life and joy of tongues of flame,/And, going out from you, tightly strung and in tune,/I may rouse the blear-eyed world,/And pour into it the beauty which you have begotten." ~Amy Lowell, "The Giver of Stars"
Wesley picked up the phone on the second ring, answering absently. "Hello, this is Wesley."
"We have a problem." Giles said immediately. "Faith is awake."
He sat up straight, dropping the pen he'd been using to make notes on the text he was reading. Wesley had been refreshing his memory on some of the Watchers' diaries; they made for fascinating studies on Slayers and their methods of operation, and he'd thought he might get a few ideas on the best way to handle the Initiative.
It sounded like they would soon have more Slayer troubles. "When did it happen?"
"Yesterday evening sometime, rather late, I think," Giles replied. "She apparently woke up, then beat another girl badly and took her clothing."
Wesley rubbed his temple, where he could already feel a headache beginning. "I suppose it's too much to hope for that she woke up in a less murderous frame of mind."
"It seems that way." Wesley could hear Giles sigh. "I've already called Buffy and Spike. They were planning on coming back to town today, so they should be here in a couple of hours."
Wesley let out a breath. "I see. Are we meeting once they get into town?"
"I think meeting at Spike's place would be best," Giles said. "Riley Finn came by the house yesterday. He's supposed to be meeting me at the bookstore just before I close. I'd prefer to keep Buffy and Spike away from him, if at all possible."
"Giles—" Wesley began, surprised that the older man would even consider a meeting with one of the soldiers.
Giles cut him off. "He appeared honestly concerned for Buffy's safety, and he seemed to have no idea of what had happened. Besides, I have no intention of joining. I merely want information."
"I'm not sure Spike or Buffy would see it that way, but I'll keep them away, if that's what you want." Wesley wasn't quite sure about that idea himself, but he could see where Giles was coming from.
"That would be helpful."
"And Faith?" Wesley asked.
"Be careful," Giles advised him. "There's no telling what she's capable of at this point. It would be better to err on the side of caution."
"You'll get no arguments from me," Wesley said. "We'll see you when you arrive."
The knock at his front door had him rising, feeling a little apprehensive about answering after what Giles had told him. Not that Wesley thought Faith would be at his door—it would be quite difficult for her to find out where he lived—but he knew that it was entirely possible that she might decide to target him.
Wesley had been her Watcher, and he'd failed her; he was well aware of that.
When he peered through the peephole, however, he could see
"Come in," Wesley said, greeting her with a kiss. He
managed a smile for
"Good," Willow replied, giving him an odd look. "Is everything okay, Wes? Because you've got something-face."
He grimaced, wishing that he was a little less easy to read, and led the way into the living room. "Why don't we sit down?" he suggested, waiting until they were all comfortable before speaking. "Giles just called. Apparently, Faith is awake and already engaging in mayhem. He's already called Spike and Buffy, and they're on their way back to town."
"Be careful," Wesley said, repeated what Giles had said. "I'm not sure that we can do much more than that, at least not until Buffy and Spike get back. As a Slayer, Faith would be more than a match for any of us."
"Oh! I'm sorry,"
"Faith is a Slayer," Wesley explained. "A few years ago, Buffy was dead for a few moments, long enough for another Slayer to be activated. Kendra was killed by a vampire, and Faith was activated. She—well, she went bad."
"With a vengeance!"
"We'll sort it out," Wesley said, projecting a confidence he didn't feel.
~~~~~
Faith was terribly disoriented; she wasn't sure how to react to the idea that she'd just lost months of her life. Waking up, only to find Sunnydale much as she'd left it and the Mayor dead hadn't even been a possibility she'd thought of.
The Mayor was supposed to win, and instead the good guys had defeated him. It was disappointing, to say the least.
She wandered around town aimlessly, trying to figure out what her next move ought to be. Faith knew she probably ought to figure out what Buffy and all her goody-goody friends were up to. At least she knew that Spike was dust, since there was no way Buffy could have saved him without Faith's blood.
Faith went to the old school, staring at the wreckage; the building was nothing more than a burned-out shell, and she couldn't help but wonder if anything would have been different had she won and Buffy lost.
She'd let him down—the Mayor had been like a father to her, a real one.
Faith turned away from the building blindly, trying not to think about what the destruction meant. Her next order of business was to figure out where Buffy and all her super-friends were, but stopping by Giles' apartment didn't give her any clues. His place was locked tight and shrouded in darkness, with the feel of a home that hadn't been lived in for quite some time.
She frowned, her steps taking her towards the middle of town. Faith knew that Buffy's house was an option, but it was unlikely that the other Slayer would be there. Besides, she still wasn't quite up to full strength. Give it another day, and she'd be able to give Buffy a run for her money, but Faith wanted a chance to warm up a little first.
As she walked past the shops in downtown Sunnydale, Faith froze in front of a bookstore window. The sign above the door read "The Reader's Corner," and she could see Giles through the window. He was sitting at a wooden table in the middle of the store, talking to a good-looking guy who looked to be a few years older than Faith.
She thought about walking in, giving the old man a scare, but decided that it wasn't the best idea. Buffy was the one she wanted; she could be patient for a little longer.
Turning away from the shop, Faith kept wandering, heading down an alley as a shortcut, thinking she might find a place to break into and stay for the night. She was hungry, too, and she needed to find something to eat.
Then, perhaps, she'd find Buffy on the college campus. Faith couldn't wait to see the expression on her face.
~~~~~
Buffy knew the call was serious as soon as the phone rang. It was a Slayer's sixth sense, as well as the awareness that everyone knew they were coming back to Sunnydale today—just as soon as she'd done a little shopping. Even if she hadn't sensed it, the expression on Spike's face would have given it away, though. He definitely didn't look happy.
"What is it?" Buffy demanded as soon as he hung up the phone.
Spike tucked his cell phone in his pocket. "Faith's awake. Apparently, she came to yesterday evening, beat a girl up, and stole her clothing."
Buffy closed her eyes, knowing that this was the last thing that they needed. Even though the Initiative was supposed to be backing off, there was no real guarantee that they would. They'd had enough to worry about, and the way their luck was going recently, it was unlikely that Faith would be in a better mood after spending eight months in a coma.
Buffy had plenty of guilt where the other Slayer was concerned; she'd shoved a knife into Faith's gut, and although she still felt as though she'd had little choice in the matter, that didn't do much to assuage her conscience.
"I guess it's a good thing that we were planning on heading back today," Buffy commented, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice.
Spike looked over at her, and Buffy could see the concern on his face even though the sunglasses hid his eyes. "You okay?"
"Sure," Buffy replied. "It's good to be needed, right?"
Spike stopped, taking her by the arm with his free hand.
Like the good boyfriend he was, he'd offered to carry her shopping bags.
Although Buffy had planned on hitting a few more shops before they left
"What's up, luv?" he asked.
Buffy swallowed. "I just—I hate being the Slayer sometimes, Spike. That's all it is. I'm sorry, I should just... I don't know."
"Yeah." He looked down the street; the car was a few blocks away, and they'd been heading back that way to drop their purchases off anyway. Spike only wished that they didn't have to hurry back. Dealing with the Initiative had been worrisome enough, but add in a rogue Slayer, and it was that much more stressful.
Not for the first time, Spike wanted to whisk Buffy away. The last week away had been good for the both of them, and good for their relationship; he could understand why she wouldn't be in a hurry to get back to Sunnydale.
"When this is all over, I promise we'll get out of town
for a couple of weeks." Spike touched her cheek. "We'll go to
Buffy looked torn between hope and doubt. "The Hellmouth—"
"Will survive without us for a week or two," Spike replied. "We'll leave Wes in charge, and he can take his vacation later. Between him and Red and the others, it'll be fine."
She took a deep breath. "Okay."
"Okay?"
Buffy nodded. They would do this; they would go back to
Sunnydale, and deal with the Initiative and Faith. They would come through in
one piece, and they would go to
Spike started walking again, relishing Buffy's arm looped through his. "Hell if I know," he admitted. "If she's not willing to deal with us, we're going to have to make some tough decisions. The cops wouldn't be able to handle her, and the Council was bloody useless last time."
"I know," Buffy responded grimly. "That's what I'm afraid of. Faith is my responsibility, but I don't want to kill her, Spike. I don't want it to come to that."
"Maybe it won't," he soothed. "The Mayor's gone; there's no reason for her to stick around. Could be if we offer her a chance to leave town, she'll take it. I'd even give her a bit of dosh to speed her on her way, if necessary."
Buffy gave him a sour look. "You're very forgiving."
"Bribery often works wonders," Spike replied with a smirk. "Didn't say I was doing it for her; I'd be doing it for us. Of course, if she does want to change her ways, we could use another Slayer to go up against the Initiative."
"It's not supposed to get that far," Buffy reminded him. "But if it does, you're right. We could use anybody we can get."
~~~~~
Riley shook his head. "You're lying. You have to be."
"I'm most certainly not lying," Giles shot back. "You were the one who came to me, wanting information about Buffy. You wanted to know her side of the story; I just gave it to you."
"Professor Walsh wouldn't hurt Buffy!" Riley insisted. "She wanted to bring the Slayer on board. We're on the same side, and there's no reason to hurt her."
"Even if your boss doesn't believe her to be quite human?" Giles challenged him.
"Of course Buffy's human," Riley said, scoffing. "She's as human as I am. She's just stronger than most people."
Giles sighed. "I'll grant you that Buffy is human, but she's something more, as well. The Slayers have always possessed a mystical strength. It's not based on your science; this is something you know nothing about, and your professor couldn't help but be curious—and greedy." When it appeared as though Riley was going to renew his protests, Giles continued. "Buffy was getting close to something called '314.' We have reason to believe that this is something dangerous, that's best left alone."
Riley frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about. I've never heard of anything called '314.'"
"That doesn't mean it does not exist," Giles replied. "You'll pardon me for saying so, Riley, but I don't particularly care if you believe me or not. Your friends nearly killed my Slayer, and if it wasn't for Spike's quick action, she most likely would be dead by now. The only reason I'm here is because you wanted the information."
Riley frowned. "Wait, Spike? Buffy's boyfriend?"
"That's right," Giles said smoothly.
"But they were attacked by vampires," the soldier objected.
Giles shrugged, not hesitating to lie. "That may be so. I'm certain that Spike did not stick around to be sure that your men would be able to defend themselves should something happen along. He was too busy making certain that Buffy was going to stay alive."
Riley let that go; Giles explanation was certainly feasible. Sunnydale was rife with vampires and demons; that was one of the reasons that the Initiative was here in the first place. He was too focused on the story that the older man had just told.
Forrest and his squad had tried to kill Buffy—a girl, and a civilian. Maybe she was stronger and faster than most of them put together, but she was still an innocent, one of the people they were supposed to be protecting.
No, worse, she was one of the people on their side, trying to make the world a better place. Riley was certain that if you took out one of the good guys, no matter what your intentions might be, you couldn't be doing good work.
If what Giles had just told him were true, that would seem to suggest that something inside the Initiative itself had gone terribly wrong.
He wasn't sure he could handle that right now.
"I have to go," Riley said, standing. "I don't—I can't believe this."
Giles merely nodded. "Believe what you like. You have the truth, Agent Finn. What you do with it is up to you."
Riley was afraid that might be all too true.
~~~~~
Walsh was furious. Of course, she hadn't planned on going after Buffy Summers again, mostly because she didn't know that there would be a need. According to Agent Gates, he and his men had been attacked by a vampire, one that was unusually strong. Although it had appeared that the hostile had been aiding Miss Summers, that was highly unlikely. Maggie Walsh had been certain that the vampire had merely wanted a taste of Slayer's blood, and had seized its chance.
Now, it appeared that she had not only survived the creature's attack, but that she also had friends highly placed within the government. Her superiors had been very direct—she was to stop any efforts to recruit or otherwise use the Slayer. Her boss's exact words had been, "The Slayer is on our side, but she plays for a different team. Leave her alone."
That didn't sit well with her, especially now that Buffy had seen so much of the inner workings of the operation. Walsh didn't think they needed to worry about Buffy going to the press or the public. The Slayer operated in secrecy from everything she had discovered.
It wasn't fear of what secrets the Slayer might reveal; Walsh simply didn't like the idea of anyone coming between her and her project. Buffy Summers represented an unknown—the prospect of creating an entire race of super-soldiers was not so far-fetched when you considered the possibilities.
All she had to do was to find out what made the Slayer tick.
Walsh hadn't given up all hope, however. The Slayer would be no match for Adam, and she had learned that it was sometimes better to beg pardon than to ask for permission. If Buffy Summers was dead, there would be nothing anyone could do about it.
~~~~~
Buffy took the cell phone from Spike, seeing the sign saying "Welcome to Sunnydale" out the window. "Hello?"
"Buffy?"
"Hey, Mom," Buffy said, glancing over at Spike, who couldn't quite hide his worry. She knew that he still blamed himself for her getting hurt, and that he was worried about facing her friends and family after what he saw as his failure. It was silly, and that's what she'd told him, but they both had their own share of guilt.
"Are you back in town yet?" Joyce asked.
"Just crossed the city limits," Buffy replied. "We're going to stop at Spike's first, and then we'll come by the house."
"I'll meet you there," Joyce stated, her tone brooking no arguments. "There's no need for you to come over when I know you'll both be tired from driving."
"We don't mind," Buffy said.
"I'll see you there in a few minutes."
Buffy stared at the phone, realizing that her mom had cut the connection. "What was that about, I wonder?"
"She was worried," Spike said quietly. "Probably didn't want to wait a moment longer to make sure you were okay with her own eyes."
It made a lot of sense now that he'd said it, and Buffy sighed. "Another thing I hate about being the Slayer: worrying my mother. It looks like we're not getting any alone-time for a while."
Spike reached over and took her hand in his, squeezing briefly before releasing her hand to work the gear-shift. "We'll sneak some. Figure no one will question us spending a lot of time together for safety's sake."
Buffy gave him a smug smile. "Thank you."
"For what?" he asked.
"For finding me the perfect excuse to move in with you for the time being," Buffy replied. "The dorm would be too close to the Initiative, and you're the only one who has a shot at protecting me."
Spike just smirked. "Always glad to be of service."
Their eyes met briefly, and they shared a look, knowing that they were going back into battle.