The Final Prayer: Words of Longing
by cheekacherrycola
Dawn cried into Anna’s neck as the thoughts of Anya’s dead body flooded her mind. Her head shot up quickly when she heard Buffy crying out, and shout words of longing. The tears stopped flowing immediately, fear began to pump throughout her veins instead of sadness. Her eyes only meet Anna’s for a moment before both girls had jumped off the bed in the darkened room. The two potentials in the corner were on their feet too, and all four ran out of the door. In the hall, five other potentials exiting from random rooms were all beginning to run down the stairs. Dawn and Anna ran past them, and the Slayer’s sister almost fell off the steps when she saw Faith grabbing her sister by her shoulders.
Faith picked up Buffy by her shoulders and threw her to the ground on her back. The knife handle hit the ground, and the force of her body falling on it made the handle pitch up into her back. The tip of the knife protruded from her stomach and Buffy cried out. Faith went to kick her, but Dawn jumped through the air in a fury and landed on her back. She pulled the dark Slayer’s hair and managed to rip out a handful as she was flung onto the couch. Faith turned on her, emptiness and darkness filling her eyes.
“Faith?” Dawn quietly asked. “Why? Wha…what are you doing?”
Faith only turned and gave Buffy a swift kick to her stomach, and the sporked Slayer whimpered in pain once again and attempted to move. She failed and Faith went to kick her again when seven potentials all launched themselves at her, Anna not included. The newest potential ran to Dawn’s side and held her back, calmly telling her she needed to see if she got hurt. The other potentials all clawed at Faith, who kicked and pushed them off easily.
Rona and Molly sat in the backyard watching the sunrise from its hidden spot behind the earth. They sat in two lawn chairs, their hands connecting them. The coroner had taken Anya away just a few minutes ago, Xander and Willow leaving with them. Andrew, Spike, and Kennedy had gone out to try and find Buffy, leaving the two in charge. Molly had called Giles who was on some trip to China to try and stop any new potentials from being sent over. He had been all over England, Germany, France, Belgium, and Norway trying to get word across to everyone to stop the sending of potentials to Sunnydale. Anna had been sent the last month before the First had been defeated, but new one’s were still being shipped off to the U.S. for ‘safety reasons’. Giles had been exhausted from the fight, but he tried to round up as many girls as possible and send them back home.
Their thoughts of peace were interrupted by a blood curdling scream from inside the house.
Molly and Rona entered the living room through the kitchen, and when they saw Faith attacking Buffy, and potentials attacking Faith, they pretty much got the big picture. Molly launched into action and kicked out at Faith, but was tossed back into Rona. The front door opened then, Spike, Kennedy, and Andrew all entering. The potentials all got to their feet and began launching themselves at Faith again, who pushed passed them and tried to run past Spike. The vampire managed to grab her wrist and punch her in the face before she ran off into the night. Andrew poked his head out the door and shut it a moment later.
“She’s gone. What was that all about anyway…..” His voice trailed off as he noticed Dawn crouched down next to Buffy’s side, her sobs loud enough for everyone to hear.
“We came down and Faith was attacking her.” Anna told them. “She’s got a knife in her, we need to call for an ambulance.”
Buffy couldn’t bare to look at her friends faces. Willow, Xander, Dawn, and Molly were all standing at her bed side. The other potentials, Spike, and Andrew, had stayed home to protect the fort and keep out of the way.
“What happened, Buffy?” Willow pleaded for the third time in a row. “You have to tell us, we need to know why Faith..” She cut off when the Slayer looked at them.
“The Master…I went out looking for who killed Anya. I found the Master, a vamp-you, and a vamp-you.” Buffy said nodding towards Xander and Willow.
“Wha…They’re here?” Willow asked.
Buffy only nodded, and continued her story. “I ran. God help me I ran, I was so freaked out. To freaked out to even realize that something was wrong with Faith when I met her outside on the porch. We both came in…and…” She gulped, and Willow took her hand, squeezing it gently. “She told me that she loved me, so I turned my back to her, and told her that I didn’t love her, not the way she wanted me to. She screamed something about how she had said loved, past tense, and that I was a bitch. She stabbed me.” Buffy’s eyes watered as she remembered the pain and betrayal. “I was so exhausted from running away from the Master and the you-vamps, that I couldn’t fight her back. It hurt so much. I fell over, and she started to attack me. That’s when the potentials and Dawn came in. You guys came in just a few minutes later.”
Everyone shared silent looks of fear. They had a Rouge Slayer on their hands again.
“She seemed weird.” Dawn stated. “Faith I mean, she seemed weird.”
“She had this look in her eyes too. They were all dark.” Molly agreed, her heavy accent acute on every word.
“I noticed that too. I think that something is wrong with her. I mean, it’s almost like…”
“The First had control of her?” Willow asked, finishing Buffy’s sentence.
“Yes. And I wouldn’t pass up the idea of the First being back in business and running on full juice again. I mean…with seeing the Master here and all…” Buffy started.
“Anything’s possible.” Dawn concluded for her. She just hoped that no one else would die. She just didn’t know how wrong she would be.
Faith paced in front of an old mausoleum with vines growing up the sides of it. The morning sun shown down on her, and dried out the blood on her hands. Cursing, she kicked the front side of the mausoleum, cracking it.
“Don’t blame yourself.” An English accent told her. Annabelle. She hopped down from on top of the mausoleum and smiled at Faith. “They’re to blame. They stopped you from saving them.”
“Saving them…they all think that she’ll save them. That she’s some precious little God.”
“She’s a bitch – she’ll get them to believe whatever she wants. She deserves to be gutted like a fish.”
“And Spike…”
“Is a rancid vile thing that needs to be taken care of. Tonight.” Annabelle’s eyes began to glow ebony, a crooked smile forming across her lips.
“They’ll have everyone on full alert tonight.” Faith thought aloud. “I’ll need to slip in unnoticed. No doubt he’ll be at the house, holding down the fort. No one will see the master plan.”
“This is growing up Faith – no more guessing. No more movie sneak previews to give away the big picture. Do it this time – and do it right!” Annabelle snapped. “Everyone who follows her must die tonight.”
The Master dropped the dead body onto the ground, sighing. Around him were dead bodies scattered throughout the Bronze. On the stage, Willow dropped a dead girl and stood up, wiping the blood from her lips onto the back of her hand. Xander stood beside her, his face vamped out. He slid an arm around her waist and brought her lips to his.
“A-hem.” The Master said in annoyance. The two pulled apart and jumped down from the stage and to the Master’s side. “We have much work to do tonight.”
“I know.” Willow said, her voice sad and droopy, almost puppy dog like. “I was here before. It wasn’t any fun. All of the people run around free like wild animals. There are no cages, and Puppy is friends with the Slayer.”
“Ah, yes. She will prove to be more of a problem that I had first thought.” The Master mused. “She killed me in her world…”
“We’ll kill her here.” Xander said, an evil grin appearing across his face. “Nothing like being brutally murdered by your best friends.”
Buffy pulled the I.V. out of her hand for the millionth time that day, just as a nurse walked in. Tsk tsk-ing her, she grabbed the sighing girls hand and plucked the needle back into her skin.
“How many times have I got to tell you, Hun, keep that darned thing in.” the nurses voice was thick and tired. Her black hair matched her flawless skin and worn out face. “I’ve been working here fifteen years, and I’ve got to tell you that I’ve dealt with kids worse than you. So just listen to what I tell you.” She checked the machines, wrote down a few things, and left Buffy to herself.
A few moments later, Willow walked in, a smile on her face, coffee in hand.
“Hey Will.”
“Hey, Buffy. How you holding up?”
“Good. What time is it?”
The witch glanced at her watch. “Noon.”
“When can I get out of here again?”
“Tomorrow afternoon.” Willow said as Buffy groaned. “Don’t worry, everything is fine. Xander took Dawn and Molly home a few minutes ago while you were sleeping.”
“But I need to get out of here now, Will. With Faith on the loose, the Master, two vamps disguised as my best friends, and the First back in business – I need to be out there.”
“We don’t know that it’s the First, Buffy – it could be something completely different.”
“Oh, come on, Will. Faith going evil again, the Master showing up – the word coincidence isn’t in the dictionary in Sunnydale. You know that.”
Willow sighed, their was no winning in this situation. She was just about to tell Buffy that she could be wrong, when thunder rolled in the clouds above. The sky overhead turned dark, and through the glass window, both girls could see rain beginning to fall. The red head gave Buffy a worried look – the clouds had rolled in in just a matter of seconds. Buffy sighed and gave her the ‘I-told-you-so’ look.
“Coincidence, huh?” Was all the Slayer had to say to make her friend turn away.
Dawn sat on the couch in the Summers living room, her knees brought up to her chest, her back facing the room, her eyes staring out the window. The thunder cracked in the sky above, followed by a lighting bolt a few moments later that lit up the room. Kennedy clicked off the T.V. and sat beside Dawn, bringing herself into the same position as the Slayer’s younger sister.
“News said it’s a freak storm from the Pacific or something like that. They say it’ll be getting pretty bad.” Kennedy told her.
“I hope Xander, Andrew, and Spike get back soon.”
Xander had gone to the funeral home to make arrangements for Anya. Upon being instructed by Spike to do so, Andrew followed the mourning man. Spike had left just as the storm had started, where to, Dawn and Kennedy did not know. They, Rona, and Molly had been left in charge. Molly and Rona were upstairs with the other potentials trying to get some rest. The past nights events had left little time for sleep, and everyone was exhausted. Dawn glanced at her watch.
“It’s twelve-thirty. When do you think Xander and Andrew will be back?” Dawn asked.
“Probably in a few hours. I mean, Xander just dropped you and Molly off about forty minutes ago.”
“I guess…I just wish that someone was here. I don’t feel safe without them.”
“We’ll kick anyone’s ass who tries to get in here who shouldn’t.” Kennedy told her. “Besides, I’m almost a Slayer myself, and your Buffy’s sister – together we can kick anyone’s butt.”
A loud smack of thunder cleaved the air, and Dawn jumped. The lights flickered above the two teens, and Kennedy jumped too as their world was thrown into darkness.
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