Suffer

[stake_n_skank]

I was running full out, as fast as I could toward Joyce's house. The night air was cold. Well, colder than it should be in southern California. The wind whipped through my hair and was blowing so hard that it made it hard to breathe. I kept going though. I had to. I couldn't hesitate. Not again. I didn't even look back. I just had to get

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[oh_dear]

I stood up, from the couch where I'd been resting.

"Faith, you got here before the oth..." I trailed off, she looked hurt, and not entirely physcially.

"Faith, are you all right? Joyce is upstairs, sleeping at the moment." I walked closer to her. We'd never been friends, but she was on our side now, and I wanted to help. I'd never have the rapport with her I had with Buffy, but she was still my...I mean, the Slayer. She technically belonged to the ponce, Wesley. Wasn't sure I trusted him.

"Can I help?"

[stake_n_skank]

I pulled my right arm across my chest and pulled, poping the shoulder. I let out a sigh and bent over again from the pain of running so hard.

Standing back up straight I looked at Giles and lied.

"Five by five," I said with a grimace.

How had I gotten here before the others? What was taking them so long? You'd think with the amount of time that I wasted at the mansion that they'd be here by now. Had something gone wrong?

"Where are the others?" I asked hurriedly.

No time to think about my mistakes. There's be plenty of time for that when the sun came up. Right now, I had one thing to do. Protect these people. And that was sure as hell what I was going to do.

[oh_dear]

"Cordelia's car, I believe. I asked Willow to get here, with the spell to keep the vampires out, since both Angelus and Buffy have a free invite here. I haven't told Joyce." I sighed, and looked down.

"I'm not sure she'd let us spell Buffy out. Not yet anyway."

"Until then, we'd better prepare for a fight, just in case. It's possible they'll avoid Joyce," and me, I thought, "for a while. But that was never Angelus' MO."

[stake_n_skank]

I shook my head. They had to get here and work that spell before Buffy and Angelus got here. They just had to.

"They won't go after me."

I knew that was the truth. If they wanted me dead I already would be. Joyce was actually probably the first target. Was Giles mental or something?

"We should get Joyce somewhere safe. She's a definite target."

I ran over to the weapon chest and began pulling out every weapon that someone could use. We had to be ready. Willow and the others had to get here. NOW.

[wil_rosenberg]

Cordelia pulled up in the driveway of the Summers' house. I had the door open and was on the pavement before she fully stopped the car.

"Wes, Cordy, get Xander and bring him inside," I called behind me as I ran to the porch. I pounded on the front door. "Open up, it's Willow! Giles, do you have that spell?"

[stake_n_skank]

What the hell? Why wasn't she just coming in? Fuck it. I ran away from the weapons and toward the door.

Throwing open the door, there was Willow and the others were coming up behind her slowly.

"Get in here NOW."

I ran outside past Willow and grabbed Xander from Cordelia and Wes. I carried him into the house, laying him down on the couch.

[oh_dear]

"Cordelia, go upstairs and get bandages and the like from the bathroom!" I turned, in time to shut the door as Willow got inside.

"Yes, I found it hidden away in a book. Look it over, and tell me if we have the ingredients to do it here. Mostly, I think it's the spell, and a smudge stick, which we have. Plus,the crosses which Faith and I were going to nail to the doors."

"Faith, keep a watch out. Cordelia, help Xander, and I'll be with you as soon as we do this spell, to help out. And...wait, where's Oz?"

[stake_n_skank]

I stood by the door, watching, waiting. I felt helpless to protect them. Giles had said that I was all they had. Great. Thanks man.

Then it hit me. They were patient hunters. They used strategy. They might not come tonight. They would probably just go kill someone else. They wanted us, or at least me, to suffer.

It was working. They could be out there killing someone innocent kid and I was here thinking I was protecting these people.

But if I left them on a hunch and then they were killed...

Damnit.

"How's that spell coming?" I demanded.