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 38

"When I consider every thing that grows/Holds in perfection but a little moment./That this huge stage presenteth nought but shows/Whereon the stars in secret influence comment./ When I perceive that men as plants increase,/Cheerèd and checked even by the self-same sky,/Vaunt in their youthful sap, at height decrease,/And wear their brave state out of memory;/Then the conceit of this inconstant stay,/Sets you most rich in youth before my sight,/Where wasteful Time debateth with decay/To change your day of youth to sullied night;/And all in war with Time for love of you,/As he takes from you, I engraft you new." ~William Shakespeare, "Sonnet 15"

Tara couldn't believe that she was actually doing this—she was staking out a house in the hopes that a crazy Slayer would come and they would be able to warn the others in time. Spike had stationed them carefully, making sure that Faith wouldn't spot them if she did come to his house. He was far enough away to avoid her Slayer senses, and Buffy and Wesley were on their way.

She had accepted that there were risks in doing magic with Willow and Wesley, but she hadn't thought about what it might mean to actually get involved in the action. If Faith did see them, if she attacked them, Tara would be next to useless, and she'd told Spike that when he'd asked her to help out.

"I don't want you to fight, pet," he'd replied. "In fact, I'm going to insist that you don't. Best thing you can do is holler at the top of your lungs and send up a flare." He'd looked concerned then. "You can do that, right? Send up a light or something?"

That much Tara could do; it was easy enough, even for someone of her limited powers. Spike had left her with an encouraging smile, about half a dozen yards away from the front of the house on one side, with Willow equidistant in the opposite direction.

She nearly squeaked in fright as she sensed someone coming up next to her before she recognized Wesley. "How are you?" he asked in a whisper.

"Fine," Tara replied. "Any sign of her?"

"Not yet," Wesley said. "We met up with Spike, and he thought I should join you."

"He w-w-wanted to m-make sure I didn't get hurt." Tara wasn't sure whether to be touched or annoyed that Spike had sent Wesley to protect her.

"Spike takes his duties very seriously where it concerns those he's decided to protect," Wesley murmured. "He's taken a liking to you." At Tara's alarmed expression, he smiled. "It does seem that way at first—rather alarming, I mean. Knowing Spike can't help but change you, although I do believe it's for the better."

"Why me?" she asked. "He doesn't even know me."

Tara could see Wesley's eyes in the darkness, shining with amusement, as though he knew a particularly good secret. "He didn't know me either," was all he said, before turning back to watch.

Tara was left to turn that enigmatic response over in her head as they waited for the rogue Slayer to show up.

~~~~~

Buffy didn't like being bait; it was an uncomfortable feeling, waiting for Faith to jump out of the darkness at her, even knowing that she was surrounded by her friends.

She unlocked Spike's door with her key, calling out his name as though she didn't know whether or not he was home. "Spike? Are you home?"

"He's not, but I am." Faith strode out of his kitchen area, smirking at Buffy. "Funny how Spike never changed his locks, but I guess he wasn't expecting me to let myself in again."

"No, I guess he wasn't," Buffy replied. "I'll have to kick his ass for that later."

"Why not allow me?" Faith asked. "I'd be happy to help."

"I think I'll settle for kicking yours." Buffy attacked without warning, knowing that Faith would have done the same.

Their fight was fast and furious, much like the one they'd had when Buffy had confronted her after she'd poisoned Spike. Like the last time, they were evenly matched. Whatever lingering weakness Faith had from her months in a coma was there for Buffy as well, as the last of the drugs were just now working through her system.

Still, Buffy had a slight edge; she had been training with Spike for the last eight months, as sparring was just as much foreplay as duty. Faith, perhaps, wanted it more, however, because she managed to get a blow through Buffy's defenses. Her right hook caught Buffy on the chin, knocking her back into the wall.

Faith's hands were at Buffy's throat, choking her; Buffy fought the grip, clamping down around the other Slayer's wrists, trying to force her to let go. Faith dropped one hand, bringing the back of her fist down on Buffy's temple.

The world grayed out for a moment, and Buffy fought furiously to retain consciousness, knowing that if she blacked out, it would all be over. She wondered where Spike was, or if he even knew that Faith was here.

When she came to completely, Buffy found herself on her back, Faith straddling her middle. "Looks like I wound up on top this time," Faith sneered. "I'm going to stay on top, too, B. You'll know how it feels to be in my skin."

Buffy caught the glint of metal in Faith's open hand as she brought it down to grasp Buffy's.

~~~~~

Spike saw the flare of light from Willow's direction and took off running towards the townhouse, hoping that he wasn't going to be too late. He hated to stay too far away, but he didn't want Faith to catch wind of him too early in the game. They needed to keep her off her guard as much as possible; he wasn't about to underestimate the girl.

Willow called out to him as he passed, "I saw them fighting inside. I think Faith might have been here first."

Spike cursed, but didn't slow down, bursting through the front door of his house, seeing Faith sitting on top of Buffy, her hand coming down to strike Buffy's open palm. Spike lunged, grasping Faith's wrist and yanking her off-balance, allowing Buffy to buck her off.

Faith yanked her hand free, and then tried to slap Spike with the metal device strapped to her palm. Spike avoided her blow instinctively, ducking under her hand and rabbit punching her in the gut. Buffy hit her from behind with a forearm to the back of the neck, and Spike grabbed her wrist, stripping the metal device from her palm and bringing his heavy boot down on top of it.

There was a flash of light, and Faith cried out, "NO!"

"Thought that might be important to you," Spike said, keeping his grip on her wrist and yanking her around, her back to his chest and her arm twisted up behind her. "Look, Faith, we all know you got a rough deal, and that the cops don't have a prayer of holding you. We could turn you over, but you'd just break loose again, and then we'd be back where we started. So I'm offering you the same deal I did before. You leave Sunnydale, and we'll forget all of this. You'll get a fresh start."

"Bite me," Faith snarled.

Spike's face shifted. "Be careful what you wish for."

Buffy shook her head, rubbing the bruises on her neck that were already forming. "Don't, Spike. Faith, the offer is good for a limited time only. What's it going to be?"

"I don't need your charity," Faith snarled, and in one smooth movement that Spike wasn't expecting, she twisted free of his grip, bringing her boot down on his instep and catching his temple with a well-placed fist.

Buffy snap-kicked her in the stomach, then tried for a round house kick to Faith's head, but the dark-haired Slayer blocked her attack, shoving Buffy back into Spike and sending them both tumbling to the floor of the kitchen.

Faith was out the door moments later, both Buffy and Spike scrambling to catch up to her, realizing that they'd lost her once more when they made it to the door, finding Faith nowhere in sight.

"Bloody hell," Spike snarled as they were joined by their three look-outs. "You lot see where she went?"

"East, I believe," Wesley replied. "I wasn't sure that we should run after her."

"No, it's good that you guys didn't," Buffy replied. "There wouldn't be much you could do if you caught up with her."

"What are we going to do now?" Willow asked, sounding nervous. "I mean, if Faith's still out there, and obviously holding a grudge..."

Spike shook his head. "Stick together and hope that she takes the hint and leaves town anyway. I don't know that we've got another choice at the moment, although Buffy and I will be actively hunting for her." He sighed. "Tara, you should be safe enough; Faith doesn't know anything about you. If she came after anyone, it's going to be Buffy or me."

"Or me," Wesley said quietly. "I was her old Watcher; she has a grudge."

Spike winced. "Probably more than one. She's pissed as hell, and she's going to be a pain in our arses for the next little while."

"While we try to make sure that the Initiative isn't doing any more damage," Buffy sighed. "Crap. This is not going to be the most fun ever, that's for sure."

Spike shook his head. "No, I don't reckon so. You okay to stay here on your own, luv? I think I'll see the others home, make sure Faith doesn't try anything. I think she'll lay low for tonight, but it never hurts to be on the safe side."

"Wait, Spike," Willow protested, seeing the flaw in that plan. "Faith doesn't need an invitation to enter anyone's house. She could just barge on in."

Noting that she was looking directly at Wesley, Spike knew where most of her concern lay, and there was good reason for that. Willow was right; Faith didn't need an invitation, but he and Buffy were perfectly capable of holding their own against the rogue Slayer. Wesley—not so much.

"I'll sleep with a crossbow under my pillow," Wesley assured her. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

Buffy glared at him. "Wesley, how many times do I have to tell you not to jinx us?"

"Maybe Wes should bunk with me the next couple of days," Spike suggested, throwing an apologetic look at Buffy. "You might be better off with Willow, luv."

The Slayer sighed. "Fine. We'll pair up again."

Spike didn't think Willow minded Buffy's obvious reluctance much; she was giving Wesley the same wistful look Buffy was giving him. Until this was settled, none of them were going to be having much fun.

~~~~~

Before anyone could seek their beds, however, Spike had promised to see Giles and give him an update on Faith. Buffy was the one who had suggested that Spike and Wesley go, while she saw Willow and Tara back to campus. "It's late, and we've got class tomorrow," she said reluctantly. "I think it might be better if we go back to the dorms."

"Right then," Spike said with a sigh, giving her a lingering kiss. Wesley was speaking in a quiet voice to Willow, probably sharing a very similar goodbye. "See you tomorrow?"

"You'd better," Buffy said.

Spike's car wasn't really big enough for the five of them, but the girls assured him that they didn't mind walking. The trip over to the Summers' house was quick and made in silence. Giles met them at the door, a worried expression on his face. "She got away?"

"She did." Spike sighed. "Sorry about that, Rupert. I had her, but—"

The older man grimaced. "One of the Council's teams was here earlier tonight; they'll be looking for her."

"Good luck," Spike said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "They wouldn't know what to do with her if they caught her. They weren't of much use last time."

Giles raised an eyebrow, glancing over at Wesley. "This is a different sort of team."

Wesley's eyes widened. "The Council sent them?"

Spike followed Giles into the living room. "I take it they're a little more professional about matters."

"Professional is one way to put it," Wesley said. "In fact, it's whispered that they're essentially the Council's professional assassins."

Spike's eyes narrowed. "I'd heard rumors, but that was a long time ago. I had no idea that they still existed."

"They exist all right," Giles said. "And they essentially warned me not to get in the middle."

"Why would you want to?" Spike asked. "They at least have a better chance of holding Faith than the cops do. I offered to give her a free pass out of town, but she wasn't having any of it."

Giles shook his head. "Let's hope that with all those intent on finding her, Faith decides that Sunnydale isn't a good place for her to stay."

"What? So she can go do some damage somewhere else?" Xander asked.

"No, so we don't have to decide what to do with the girl," Spike said. "Think about it, mate. If Faith decides to stick around, we'll have to figure out what to do with her. That's not going to be pretty."

Xander winced. "Okay, I get it."

"Perhaps she'll surprise us," Wesley said hopefully. "It's possible that she could still be reached, see reason."

"Maybe, but I'm not going to hold my breath," Spike said. "And I'm not dropping my guard. Between the Council, the Initiative, and us, Faith may decide she'd just as soon find another place to go, and I can't say I'd be sorry for it."

Joyce interrupted them. "Why don't we have something to drink?" she suggested. "It's been a long night, and there isn't much more we can do tonight."

Spike gave her a hopeful look. "Hot chocolate?"

She smiled indulgently. "I think I can manage that. Wesley?"

"If you don't mind," he replied, enjoying the experience of being mothered, as he always did.

"Xander? Would you give me a hand?" she asked.

The young man followed her into the kitchen, and Giles glanced over at Spike. "You said Faith had something in her hand when you called."

"Some metal device," Spike confirmed. "Destroyed now."

"Do you think she had more than the one?" Giles asked. "I'd hate to think of what it might have been for."

Spike shook his head. "Doubt it. It looked like more of a one of a kind sort of thing to me."

"Let's hope that was the case," Wesley said. "Faith hasn't been awake for long, which means that she either knew about this thing before Buffy put her in a coma, or someone has already made contact with her."

~~~~~

Faith was still stinging from Spike's offer, although she couldn't have said why. She had nearly killed him—the only way he could have survived was if Buffy gave him her own blood, and they had given her a free pass.

So she could leave Sunnydale, huh? Well, that just showed that they weren't taking her seriously enough. Faith would show them just how big of a threat she could be; she would make Spike regret ever turning his back on her.

In reality, although Faith couldn't have put it into words, what hurt the most was the fact that Spike wasn't intent on revenge. Maybe he wasn't inclined to be her friend again, but the fact that he hadn't killed her—even though he very easily could have—seemed to suggest that he had forgiven her. The fact that Buffy was willing to go along with it said the same thing. Neither one of them were holding a grudge, at least not enough of one to hurt her.

The very idea that they might have forgiven her pissed Faith off. What she'd done was unforgivable, and they ought to be trying to kill her, not let her go.

She would show them—she would make them understand that she was irredeemable, that she was bad in the truest sense of the word.

Faith decided that she would make sure that Spike had no choice but to strike back at her; she would hurt him where he was weakest—she would hurt the people he loved.

She smiled; she would get her revenge at the same time.

~~~~~

Buffy opened the door of her dorm room, expecting to see Spike on the other side. Instead, Riley was standing there, looking uncomfortable and a little angry. "Riley. What are you doing here?"

"I needed to see you," he replied. "I had to know if what Professor Walsh told me was the truth."

She hesitated, and then stepped out into the hallway. "We can talk in the lounge," Buffy said, not wanting to be alone in her room with him, particularly if Spike happened to drop by. Besides, if this was some sort of trick, Riley would find it a lot harder to get the drop on her in a public place.

"What happened, Buffy?" Riley asked in an urgent whisper. "Professor Walsh told me that you were working with vampires, and Mr. Giles told me that Forrest tried to kill you. Your friends look at me like I'm some kind of monster every time I see them. What's going on?"

"Giles was telling the truth, Riley," Buffy replied. At the expression on his face, she raised an eyebrow impatiently. "What did you expect me to say? That my Watcher was lying and I really am planning on taking over the world?"

He grimaced, looking away. "I found 314," Riley admitted in a low voice. "It's a room in a secured area of the lab. I couldn't get inside to see what was in there, but it's one of Professor Walsh's projects."

Buffy leaned back in her seat. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I shouldn't even be talking to you. If someone sees me..."

"What have we here?"

Spike's tone indicated that he was not happy about finding Buffy with one of the soldiers, and after recent events, Buffy couldn't blame him. "Riley was just telling me that he's found out what 314 refers to."

Spike sat down next to her on the couch. "Do tell. Let's hear it."

Riley frowned. "Buffy..." He was obviously confused as to Spike's identity.

"Riley, this is Spike, my boyfriend. Spike, this is Riley Finn." Buffy had forgotten that they'd never actually met before. "You can tell him."

"In fact, I'm going to pretty much insist on it," Spike said. "I don't want you alone with my girl."

Buffy rolled her eyes at that showing of macho possessiveness, but she didn't argue; Spike had good reason to not want her to be alone with any of the soldiers. "It's okay, Riley."

Riley hesitated, and then said, "It's a room inside the Initiative, one of the professor's special projects. I couldn't see what was in there; all I could see was something on a table. It looked like a body."

"I don't like the sound of that," Spike said.

"Neither do I," Buffy admitted. She glanced at Riley. "Is there any way for us to access Walsh's files?"

Riley shook his head. "I don't think so. The Initiative has its own server, and it's all managed internally. There aren't any remote locations, and I know that the professor doesn't take her work home with her."

"Red might still be able to access it," Spike pointed out. "She'd know if she could hack her way inside."

Buffy nodded slowly. "We'll have to talk to her."

Riley looked alarmed. "I can't be a part of that. I told you this as a favor, Buffy. I don't want you hurt."

"I appreciate it, Riley," she assured him, "but the Initiative obviously had plans for me, and I'd kind of like to know what they were. I wouldn't be so concerned if they hadn't tried to take me alive, but..."

"You're right, luv," Spike stated. "She had something in mind for you, and we need to know what it was. Right now, though, we've got an appointment to keep."

Buffy nodded, knowing that he was referring to the search for Faith. "Let's go." She looked at Riley. "We've got something else we have to take care of. Be careful."

He nodded. "You, too."

As they left the lounge, Buffy looked around, realizing that she hadn't seen Wesley, and he was supposed to be with Spike. "Where's Wesley?"

Spike shrugged. "He's in your room, waiting for Willow. He thought that they'd be safe enough sticking together."

Buffy nodded. "I'm sure. He's come a long way over the last year."

"Red, too," Spike pointed out. "Besides, Faith always did like to sleep during the day. We should probably start with the hotels."

"Good idea," she replied, dismissing the twinge she felt at the idea of leaving Wesley and Willow on their own. Spike was right; Faith was unlikely to attack during the day, and there were plenty of people around. Buffy didn't think that the other Slayer wanted to risk getting caught by the cops again.