REPOST: Salvage 1/?
Title: Salvage
Author: Edel
Email: no1buffy_angelfan@hotmail.com
Summary: see prologue…
Distribution: my update group: www.groups.yahoo.com/group/BeautifulDesire,
my B/A group: www.groups.yahoo.com/group/BlindedbyPassion. If you want it on your site, just ask!
Spoilers: Angel episode “Salvage”
Chapter 1
// I'm here without you baby
But you're still on my lonely mind
I think about you baby and I dream about you all the time
I'm here without you baby
But you're still with me in my dreams
And tonight, there's only you and me //
“Here Without You” by 3 Doors Down
In LA…
A woman ran around a corner and down a dark, deserted street, risking looking back as they quickly gained on her. Suddenly, she ran into a tall, dark and handsome man who caught and steadied her with his arms.
“Help me,” she pleaded. The vampires stopped in their tracks, seeing who he was.
“It’s alright now,” he assured her. “I’ve got ya.”
He put his arm around her, and they started walking away from the vampires.
“Sssh,” he said to the woman, who was sobbing quietly.
“I don’t know how to thank you,” the woman said, her hand on her heart.
“I do,” he said, spinning her around to face him. “Scream for me!”
And she did, seeing his true face. He growled and leaned in for the kill, but stopped as he heard a vampire ask,
“Slayer? You sure?” The girl ran away as fast as she could, but Angelus was too busy eavesdropping to notice. He saw the two vampires that had chased the girl talking to a guy. The said guy then replied,
“Just got word, she’s in town.” Slowly, an evil grin appeared on Angelus’ face.
* * *
He slid noiselessly into a lit phone booth, and let his fingers dial the number he knew off by heart. He waited, until someone answered on the other line.
“Hi, Dawn? Yeah, it’s me,” he said in a slight mocking voice. He laughed slightly. “Is your sister home?” he asked, looking outside the booth.
“She is?” He hung up, not hearing her reply. He exhaled.
“It’s the other one,” he muttered as he exited the booth.
* * *
“Yeah, I’ll… get her,” Dawn replied, confused as she heard the dial tone. She hung up the phone.
“Weird,” she murmured. She walked into the kitchen, and opened the refrigerator to look for some breakfast. When she closed it again, Buffy stood there.
“Jesus Buffy! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” Dawn exclaimed, clutching her heart.
“Who was on the phone?” Buffy inquired.
“Your ex-honey,” Dawn answered as she began making herself breakfast.
“But he didn’t seem like himself on the phone,” she added absentmindedly. She turned to face Buffy.
“He wanted to know if you were home, and when I said you were, he hung up! I tell ya, working with Cordy has finally gotten to him.” Buffy’s breath caught in her throat.
My dream, she thought. It’s true. He’s back. She hurriedly ran upstairs, Dawn following her.
“Buffy? What’s going on?” she asked, worry and confusion etched on her face.
“Get Willow, tell her to be prepared to follow me in her car,” Buffy replied urgently from her closet.
“Why? And to where?” Buffy looked over her shoulder, determination in her voice.
“I’m going on a roadtrip to LA, and I’m gonna need a witch.”
* * *
While Buffy raced to LA, Faith was busy fighting for her live. She shot an arrow at the Beast, but it reflected off him, and the Beast continued to walk closer. She kicked and punched him, but he remained unharmed. Suddenly, he caught her by the throat and she struggled to breathe.
“Smile Faith, thought you’d enjoy a threesome,” she heard Angelus say behind her. She glanced back at him.
“Sure,” she managed to say, and elbowed him in the face, and managed to break free from the Beast’s grasp.
“Oh,” Angelus said.
“Let’s get it on,” Faith said, as Angelus laughed. She looked back and forth between them, then decided to attack the Beast first. She delivered punches and kicks to his stone body, but he did nothing. She punched again, blow after blow reigning on his stomach.
“Ow,” Angelus said loudly.
“Watch yourself big guy. Girl’s on fire.” She hit him, landing several blows to his rock head, but they had no effect. Suddenly, he angrily hit her, sending her flying in the air to smash into a large wooden box.
“Oh,” Angelus winced, “That’s gonna sting in the morning.”
The Beast grabbed Faith, but she broke loose. He tried to punch her but failed, as she ducked and punched and kicked him once again in his hard stomach, then back flipped and kicked him in the head.
“Nice,” Angelus commented.
She tried to punch the Beast again, but he roughly caught hold of her arm and hit her in the face. He then swung her around and she landed on some hard plastic containers. Angelus sniggered.
* * *
Faith tried to stand, but the Beast punched her, sending her to the cold ground again. Several more times, she tried to get up, but was hit back down again. He kicked her harshly, as Angelus mocked,
“C’mon Faithy. You’re not even trying.” The Beast then picked her up, and she immediately spat her own blood at him. Outraged by this, he grabbed her, raised her high in the air, and let her fall to the now familiar ground.
“Better get up,” Angelus told her.
“Oh,” he winced, as he witnessed Faith being severely kicked in the air to land on wooden barrels.
“You know, somebody should break this up,” he suggested as he left Faith’s line of vision. She struggled to stand, but could only crawl. She looked up at the Beast, her breath coming out in shallow pants, as he slowly walked towards her.
“This… is all you are,” he said, spreading out his arms before him.
Faith looked around her something, anything to help her escape.
“I have heard that Slayers possessed great strength,” he continued. Suddenly, without warning, the Beast was attacked from behind.
“We do,” Buffy Summers answered, as she shoved a sharp piece of stone into his back. He screamed as he disappeared into a bright light.
“Faith,” she coolly acknowledged the injured Slayer.
“Hey B,” Faith rasped. The blonde Slayer held out a hand to Faith, and helped her to stand.
“Thanks,” she weakly said, then fell on Buffy.
“Whoa there, soldier,” Buffy gasped, trying to support Faith. “We don’t want you passing out on us here. Let’s take a look at those wounds.”
Faith winced as Buffy examined them.
“Well,” Buffy said, standing again, “my car’s parked just parked outside. C’mon.”
She helped Faith to stand. As they walked out of the warehouse, they noticed the sun shining brightly on them.
“Well, what do ya know? Killing the Beast really does bring back the sun,” Buffy joked. She helped Faith into her jeep, and sped away. Faith was looking out the window, when she remembered.
“Wes!” she said urgently, looking at Buffy.
“What about him?” Buffy asked as she stopped at a red light.
“He… he was at the warehouse too. He was fighting vamps.”
“Oh… well, he’ll be okay then with the sun and all,” Buffy answered as the light turned green. She began driving.
“Wait,” she said after a moment, “where are we going?” Faith looked at her, confused.
“I thought you knew,” she replied slowly.
“Yeah, well, I thought you knew!” Buffy shot back as she continued to drive.
“The Hyperion Hotel. That’s where everyone is holding up at the moment,” Faith told her. Buffy nodded.
“Okay, that’s fine. We’re on the right road.” Faith nodded in agreement. There was a brief silence. Then Faith spoke up.
“I wonder what happened to-” she started.
“I told you, Wes is a big boy,” Buffy interrupted as she carefully maneuvered the jeep through the narrow backstreets.
“No, not Wes,” Faith began, then stopped.
“Who then?” Buffy asked her. When Faith failed to reply, Buffy spoke again.
“What are we, in second grade here?” She immediately got a sense of déjà vu as Faith finally answered.
“Angelus,” she softly replied, looking out the window. Faith jolted forward as Buffy slammed on the brakes. She looked at Faith.
“Excuse me, WHAT?!”
TBC…