TITLE : Chosen sequel to Old Game
AUTHOR : Vincent Fretin
FEEDBACK : vincef2001@yahoo.fr
RATING : PG-13
DISCLAIMER : Belongs to Joss, Mutant Enemy, etc.
SUMMARY : Things are bad for the Scooby Gang: Sunnydale is trapped in the eye of a cyclone, the Scourge is everywhere and the Slayers are in England. In the meantime, Faith and Buffy, who are finally a couple, try to find a way to enter Sunnydale with the help of Angel and the mysterious Andrea.

PARTS 1-4   PARTS 5-8   PARTS 9-13

PART 1

The tide had just waken Andrea up, splashing water on her face. For the third day in a row, she had gone through the external part of the cyclone. Only this time, she had really believed that she had gone too far, she had nearly been taken away by the powerful winds that blew inside it.

Kelanu had told her that she had to determine her limits in testing herself again and again, first on a physical level, afterwards on a mental one. She had followed his advice in her way. The cyclone had been a wonderful opportunity to test her strength and, as she had never been patient, she had not done it step by step. Each day, she doubled the area she had run into the spiral, going beyond her limits. Until today, she had always been sure that she could go further... She did not believe it anymore... She had found what she had been looking for, had had to deal with her fear, her willpower, her faith in herself and had understood that they were the feelings she had had to comprehend. But the physical step was the easiest part of what had to be done... It was time to undergo the second and last step, the one she was the most afraid of, facing her mind, her inner fears, her past.

Andrea stood up, cleaned the sand out of her body thanks to a towel then, went to her bike, it was time to go and see Mrs Babsen... It would be their second meeting but this woman was seriously annoying her. Sometimes, she wondered how "she" had been able to bear it so long.

Spike had known lots of different states of mind. From depressing poet, to bloodthirsty vampire, he had also felt the pain of betrayal, the joy of love, the harshness of rejection. Now, he was wondering if he would be able to survive the feeling he had felt growing inside him during the last hours. He was indeed bored to death.

Tied in a torture table, surrounded by torture tools or devices with as sole companion, a very crappy waxy imitation of an executioner with a not so red but rather pink hood, and another dummy that was hanging on the wall on his right. They were not guys you could talk to for a little chat.

Thinking had been a good idea... for the three first hours then, it had become boring also and now, Spike did not know what to do. Maybe he could reconsider Nara’s offer, after all, why should he refuse a little fun? It is far better than boredom. The problem was that he knew why... because of a certain blonde slayer who stole his common sense... the bitch. That was another thing that forced Spike to give up thinking... He could not prevent himself to think about Blondie and Darkie, the vampire slayers, doing activities that were far from vampire slaying... the bitches.

Spike suddenly heard footsteps and saw a demon enter the room, a member of the Scourge as they were the only ones to dare to bear such faces.

"Hello, Frankenstein. Welcome home! Take a seat. Sorry for the mess, if I had known, you would come, I would have cleaned the place."

Trenchman smiled, or Spike thought it was a smile. He was even scarier when he smiled. He had no doubt that the guy was still single. Spike did not know a girl desperate enough to marry a demon like that.

"Thank you, Spike. It’s very kind of you."

"You’re welcome. So, what do you want? I have to tell you that I am a very bad bridge player. So, if you’re looking for a fourth man..."

"Nara was right. You’re a very special vampire. You know, I usually dust your kind first... pity. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against vampires but a man must remain faithful to the ideologies he teaches to his peers."

"OK, I get it. You’re the Scourge in chief... the guru who put all the "Humanity equals bad" bullshit into the minds of those demons. Congratulations, nicely done."

"Ha ha ha. Spike, I really like you. You know, the others are too busy doing some stuff and I don’t have to join my men before one or two hours. As I didn’t know what to do, I thought you might be a little bored and I think I guessed it right, did I?"

"No, you didn’t! I was just waiting for the O neg, the charming blonde waitress promised me five minutes ago. She won’t be long and I think she likes me."

"Oh, sorry. I just thought we could share some tales from our pasts. I’m sure you have lots of stories in stock and as I have had a long existence myself, I have some anecdotes in my bag... But, if you have a girl who is waiting for you..."

Trenchman stood up but was cut off by Spike.

"You know, you can stay till she’s back. Between you and me, she didn’t seem to have something in her brain... I prefer smart chicks."

"As you wish. Do you want to begin?"

"No. After you."

And Spike and Trenchman spoke during the next two hours. Spike did not like the man, too megalomaniac for his taste but, hell... it was far better than boredom.

"OK, Wes! I get it, let’s hope Gunn and Fred would find something."

Angel saw the sad look on the former watcher’s face and could only share his deception. For the last four days, since the cyclone had appeared right above Sunnydale, they had tried to find a way to enter the town. The cyclone was not natural, it was pretty obvious and it could only mean that something bad had happened or was about to occur... something big and Buffy and the others would need some help. They had looked into all the books of the office, Gunn and Fred were currently in the public library to find other sources but they had not found anything useful yet.

Cordelia was watching them from her desk. She shared her friends’ concerns. She had had no news from Sunnydale for a while known almost three weeks. She had always said to Angel that they had to organize a kind of reporting schedule between LA and Sunnydale just to prevent creepy things to come from one city to the other. It could also be used as a help line.

Suddenly, the too familiar pain caused by a vision came on her, she grabbed her head between her hands and went backwards, taking her chair with her in her fall. Fortunately, Angel was already there to catch her but she did not notice it as she was experienced the most painful vision she had ever had.

... Sunnydale... black pyramid... Buffy... Faith... demon... Faith again, mmmmh other hair cut... golden eyes... golden hair mixed with dark ones... Xander and the gang fleeing... demons... ritual... Spike screaming... man with Egyptian outfits... people with Egyptian outfits... fight... fights... big boom... darkness...

Cordelia woke up and saw her two friends smiling. Her headache had not disappeared but she was glad to notice her head was still there in one piece. Angel gave her his toothpaste salesman smile and asked:

"Feeling better?"

"Yes, I just don’t think I would stand up for a while... or work today."

"Don’t worry! So, what did you see?"

"Bad things. It’s not very clear. There was a bad pyramid in Sunnydale, Buffy was there, Faith too."

"Faith? Asked a now worried Wesley. She’s not in jail anymore?"

"The last time I went to see her, they told me she was ill, some kind of food poisoning but, I know that she was about to be released."

"OK, then, so psycho slayer bitch is back among us... and according to my vision we’ll have to deal with her... OK, Angel... holiday time for me." and she stood up.

Angel was about to reply to Cordelia when they heard:

"You’re going nowhere!"

Angel, Cordelia and Wesley were surprised, they had not heard Buffy coming. She was just in front of the entry of the Hyperion and seemed a little upset. She was holding the front door and they were expecting her to join them. Then, they heard another voice coming from the outside.

"B? It’s not that I want to complain but Melody Boy, here, isn’t feather light."

Buffy quickly turned her body towards the place from where the voice had came.

"Sorry, Fairy. Let me help you."

Angel, Cordelia and Wesley had not had problems to recognize the voice. They remained speechless, saw Buffy grab and pull something that appeared to be a wheelchair with a man sitting in it. Even if they knew that the rogue slayer was there, Cordelia and Wesley could not prevent themselves to say in a mix of surprise and worry:

"Faith!"

Angel did the same but it was not the name of the brunette that escaped his lips. He had recognized the man in the wheelchair.

"Whistler!"

PART 2

"What is she doing here?"

"Whistler, how come...?"

"Why are you not in Sunnydale?"

Other waves of questions or comments came after the Slayers and Whistler had entered the Hyperion and neither Buffy, nor Faith had had the time to try to answer one of them. Yet, in the middle of this hullabaloo, the Slayers could notice that Cordelia’s comments were all directed to Faith and not kind at all, that Wesley was more concerned about the fact that they were not in Sunnydale while Angel was wondering what the hell Whistler was doing with them.

Buffy smiled to her girlfriend, sighed loudly before shouting:

"ENOUGH!"

The three associates remained silent, looking at Buffy.

"First of all, hi guys, it’s been a while."

"Oh, sorry Buffy, hi..."

Faith could not prevent a smirk when she saw her girlfriend interrupt Wesley by raising her right arm. Then, the blonde Slayer turned her attention to Cordelia and said to the ex-cheerleader with a harsh voice that convinced Cordelia not to reply to her:

"Cordy! Faith is with me, now. She has proven that she can be trusted, so if you ever spit on her like you’ve just done again, you’ll have to deal with me."

OK, so Buffy was now in the "Don’t mess with my girlfriend mode" and Faith noticed that she liked her that way. It was new to her but, hell, it was good to see Buffy stand up for her. God, she loved that girl and, as she did every time she had that thought, Faith smiled widely.

"Wes, Angel, we’ll answer your questions later. Now, we have to talk to Angel, alone."

Whoa. Big time had come. Faith’s heartbeat increased when she heard Buffy say it to Angel. They had agreed to announce their relationship to the broody guy as soon as they would meet him. And it was time to do so.

"OK, then follow me." Angel replied.

And the Slayers followed the vampire to one of the Hyperion’s rooms.

Angel sat behind his desk and looked at the Slayers. They seemed nervous, no, they were nervous, anxious. Faith leaned on the wall and crossed her arms, Buffy did not sit, put her hands on the back of the chair facing his desk and leaned on it.

"So? What do you want to talk to me about?"

OK, Faith was looking at Buffy who looked everywhere but on Angel’s direction. The vampire guessed that it must be something big, not Apocalyptic big, Buffy had never had problems speaking about it... must be related to private matters.

"Er... Angel, I... we... you..."

OK, Buffy had problems to find her words giving to Angel the confirmation of what he was thinking. Then, he noticed Faith moving towards Buffy and putting her hands on the blonde's shoulders. Angel was surprised by this move that was not in the dark Slayer habits but he saw also that this simple gesture seemed to have calmed Buffy down. Could it be possible that...

"Faith and I are together, as together in the in love with each other way and we wanted to tell you before anything else because we both care about you and do not want to hurt you by not telling it to you right away."

Angel could not prevent a smile. The sentence had been said with such a speed, it was so funny.

"That’s not funny!" Buffy said, trying to look angry but failing miserably.

She quickly followed Angel in his laugh. Faith joined them, leaving her anxiety behind her thanks to this laugh.

They laughed during a couple of minutes before Angel said:

"What can I say, except that I’m glad for you?"

"You’re cool with it?" asked a far less nervous Buffy.

"Yes. I know and I appreciate the two of you, so, seeing you together can only please me and I don’t care you are both girls. It’s the feelings that count. Besides-"

Angel cut his sentence off, suddenly embarrassed.

"Besides what?"

"I think that Soul Boy was going to say that he prefers to see you with me than with some GI Joke kind of guy."

"His name is Riley... Geez, why are you so mean to him, he is a nice guy."

"Yeah, B. He probably is but he wasn’t your kind of guy. Now, if you want to pout, do it. You know I like you when you pout."

"Grr, you’re the devil."

"No, I’m your devil." Faith said with a wink.

"Er... girls, I’m still here and if you have nothing to add, we could go and join the others."

Both girls shook their head and followed Angel who had already exited the room. Before exiting it herself, Buffy turned her head towards her girlfriend and saw a wicked smile on her face.

"What was that?"

"What was what, B?"

"You had your 'I know we are in big trouble but I just thought about something really cool' kind of grin. So, what’s so funny?"

"Bad idea, B."

"Wanna share, Fairy?"

"Wanna see Queen C speechless, B?"

It was Buffy’s turn to grin.

"Fairy, tell me you’re not thinking about what I think you’re thinking about."

"Yes, I am and you like it. You have your sexy 'I’m gonna like this' kind of grin printed on your face."

"OK, I’m in." She then closed the door. "I just need a minute to rehearse."

Laura was in the middle of the ritual room of the museum. The sarcophagus had just been taken out of the boxes, giving an image of mausoleum to the pyramidal room. In two days, the last ritual would begin, ending the Game.

"Hey, kiddo. What are you doing here?"

Laura turned her head and smiled to her mother. She had heard her coming and had not been surprised by her arrival.

"Thinking."

"It’s difficult to become an adult, isn’t it?"

"I hadn’t had the choice."

Nara hugged her daughter and said:

"I know, but it was now or never. We couldn’t wait. You only age once a century. Can you imagine the time we would have had to wait if we hadn’t done the growing up ritual?"

"A millennium."

"Yes, you can guess but you can’t imagine. I have been living for five millenniums, Laura and I can tell you that it’s a damn long wait."

"I know. It’s just that yesterday, I was just a kid and dad’s lessons were just theoretical. Now, I’m a grown up and I have just understood the importance of it... It’s... it’s scary and overwhelming and I don’t know if I would make the right choices, if I would be faithful enough to MAAT, if..."

"Shhhhh. Your father and I are aware of it, we both know that it’s a difficult time for you. But we trust you, we know you’d make the right decisions. Otherwise, your father would never have done the ritual."

Nara pulled her daughter to her and held her for long minutes, giving her all the support she needed.

"What are they doing? I thought they were following you." Cordelia said while she was looking at Angel.

"They’re coming." The vampire replied.

The Slayers had been in the room for five minutes now and Angel did not dare to go and see what they were busy at. Something said to him that they would not want to be interrupted.

The door opened finally and the Slayers went to their direction. Cordelia glared at them, Wesley calmed down a bit, knowing full well that his questions would be answered soon and Whistler looked at them, intrigued.

Faith sat on the sofa, Buffy sat on her lap and... Angel could not believe it. Buffy bowed her head to meet Faith’s lips. The Slayers kissed deeply during two long minutes before pulling apart then, the first thing they did afterwards was to turn their heads towards Cordelia who was looking at them, shocked. Angel could not hide the smile that appeared on his mouth.

"Ho... Yo..."

"15-0 for the Slayers, B. We did it."

"Yep, and she is not the only one surprised. Look at Wesley, love."

Angel looked at the former watcher and the smile was back on his lips when he saw him, his mouth open in shock. But the fun time was over. Time to go back to work.

"Whistler? Now, that we all know about the Slayers' new relationship, I think it’s time to tell your story."

"Yes, Angel. It’s time. It’s rather easy in fact. The whole story can be summarized in two questions. What is the oldest game on Earth? What is MAAT?"

PART 3

The submarine had surfaced fifteen minutes before and the last box had just been carried away from the grotto. Trenchman smiled, the last elements for the ritual were here. In two days, the moon would be full, in two days, the Game would be over, in two days, he would enjoy a holiday break for the first time in his life... Retirement, he had never thought he would be so happy at the sound of that word. Trenchman saw one of his men coming to him.

"Any problem?"

"No, sir. Everything is ready. But, if I may say so, why do we destroy this place? Because of the cyclone, this is the only way out of this town."

"It is also the only way in, soldier. I don’t want to receive uninvited guest. You have your orders, dismiss."

"Aye, Sir."

Trenchman looked one last time at the place then went to the stairs. His men knew what they had to do. The fools had been trained to follow his orders and he had no doubt about their faiths in him. They would accomplish their missions, they did not need him anymore today. The only things he intended to do now was to see his niece, to play chess with Nef and, why not, have another talk with the vampire. He was in the bar when he heard the explosion. There was no way in anymore.

Dawn woke up in a place she could not recognise first. Then she remembered the events of the previous days. The Scourge had hunted them day and night and they had been lucky to escape them so far. Remembering the faces of these horrible demons made her sick.

She looked at the room, they were in the basement that had been Xander’s home for a couple of years. The parents of the carpenter were on a family trip so, they had not had trouble in squatting it. She could see Xander sitting on the stairs, awake, with a riffle in his left hand while he was caressing Anya’s hair with his right hand. The former demon was asleep, her head resting in his chest.

In the other side of the room, she could see Tara, asleep too. She was laying next to Willow who had not regained consciousness since her encounter with Narahi’ti. Even if her injuries were not as bas as they looked like, they were all very worried about her.

Dawn thought at Buffy and Faith. The Slayers should know about the situation now and she was sure they were trying everything to come in Sunnydale and help them. But the questions were 'Could they find a way in?' or 'Would they be here on time to save them?' And what about Spike? Was he still alive? So much thoughts, so much bad thoughts and no rainbow on the horizon.

"OK, so, 'What’s the oldest game on Earth' and 'What is MAAT'?"

Wesley was the first one to break the silence. The Slayers knew the answers already and both Angel and Cordelia had not spoken a word yet.

"I don’t know about the game but, I know that MAAT was an Egyptian goddess... The goddess of Equilibrium."

Whistler nodded to Wesley. Then with a second nod, he asked him to continue.

"According to Egyptian beliefs, the goddess MAAT was represented by a bird and it was with one of the goddess’s feather that was used to judge the souls of the death. When a man died, he was judged in front of Osiris, the God of death and his forty-two judges. A man was said worthy to enter the paradise if his heart was lighter than Maat’s feather."

"Student Wesley, I give you 10/10." Whistler said slapping him on the back before pursuing the speech.

"So, Maat was one of the names given to Equilibrium. It’s not a goddess though, it is a need. The Egyptian knew that the world would be in chaos if there was no balance... men and women, darkness and light and, as Faith said the first time we spoke about..."

Whistler raised his hand towards the brunette, asking her to repeat what she had said a couple of days earlier.

"Cops and robbers."

"Exactly, and this is the oldest game on Earth... Cops and robbers or... Good versus Evil."

Further to Faith’s intervention, Cordelia had wanted to say something about the dark Slayer and her knowledge of the game she had just mentioned but a glare of Buffy prevented her to do so... as if the blonde Slayer had known what she intended to say.

"OK, I see what Maat is but, what’s the link between the events of the last days?" asked a confused Angel.

"The PTB aren’t the only one who are involved in the fight between Good and Evil or the Old Game as we name it. It was also part of the duties of the watchers of Maat, the forty-two judges I spoke about a minute ago."

"The watchers of Maat?"

"Yes, Wesley, there is a link between them and the Council of Watchers, I’ll come back to it later. These judges were also responsible of the preservation of the Equilibrium on Earth. Balance between Nature and Buildings, between sexes, etc... They lived on Earth but could go to the realm of Osiris whenever they wanted to or when the God called them. They were his chosen ones."

Whistler stopped his lecture to drink then continued.

"During the Egyptian era, everything was fine but, when foreign invaders came with new faiths and habits, the powers of Osiris and his judges faded away. They couldn’t guarantee the Equilibrium anymore, especially the Equilibrium between Good and Evil. The forces of evil were ready to strike to bring chaos on this word. So, the watchers of Maat chose one of their own to continue their task, they sacrificed their existence to give power and immortality to one of their peers... Nefer-tem."

"Also known as Leo." Buffy added.

"Yes, that’s his current name. Nefer-tem was a priest of Amon and was famous for his devotion to his duties. He was married to a former Slayer, Narahi-ti. When his wife died, saving the world from a powerful demon, he pleaded Osiris to let her help him in his task. It was before the arrival of the foreigners in Egypt. Osiris asked Anubis to perform the last part of the mummification ritual and Narahi-ti was given a second life as a mummy. Not a mummy like in the movies, now, she had become a beautiful immortal, like her husband."

"I still don’t see the link with the Council." Wesley said.

"Nefer-tem had to keep the balance between Good and Evil so, he needed tools and allies. He was a close friend of a demon called Tren, who had also received the gift of immortality. Tren knew Nefer-tem mission and agreed to help him even before the judges sacrificed themselves. He had been Nefer-tem’s ally in the forces of darkness for millenniums and is currently the head of the Scourge."

Whistler stopped, noticed that Faith’s hand was caressing Buffy’s neck, tracing patterns on it and on the higher parts of her back. He looked at the petite Slayer who tried to remain focused on what he was saying. He saw her bite her lower lip but she did not stop her girlfriend, visibly enjoying the touch. The Slayers already knew what he was saying, he chose to let them do whatever pleased them. Soon, they would risk their lifes once more.

"So, Nefer-tem had an ally on the evil side, he had to find allies on the Good side. He chose to create them, to gather the good ones in an organization he called the Council of Watchers and succeeded in convincing the Slayer to work for them. And, for millenniums, he stayed in the shadow, guiding the Old Game, helping the forces of good when it was needed to preserve the Equilibrium, siding with evil when it was needed, ordering the Watcher Council not to intervene when evil needed to win, etc..."

"And he was the fucking bastard who decided I had to go evil."

Faith’s tone was full of venom, she had stopped her caresses on Buffy’s neck and her girlfriend had been quick to grab the brunette's hand in her own, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Yes, he said that having two Slayers on the same side would break the Equilibrium some day. In the opposite, having a Slayer on each side would be perfect. He hired Il Maestro for that, knowing full well he was a specialist of this kind of mission. Again, I’m sorry, Faith, really."

Faith calmed down a bit, enjoying Buffy’s tender moves on her hand.

"And you work for him." Angel said, cutting the awkward silence that had followed Faith’s words.

"Yes, I worked for him. Even if Nefer-tem had allies on both sides, there were times were these allies couldn’t help him, so he trained some demons or other supernatural creatures to be his private operators when the need was there."

"So, now, we know who Nefer-tem is and what the Old Game is but, what have the troubles in Sunnydale to do with it? Is it an Equilibrium problem there?" Angel asked then.

"NO, it seems that Nefer-tem has gone insane. I don’t know what he is up to but I learned he had hired Il Maestro again to kill the Slayers. I went to ask him his reasons and he locked me in an oubliette in the Watchers’ Council castle."

At that time Buffy spoke, still having Faith’s hand in her own.

"That’s where we found him. We found evidences of the Watchers’ Council involvement with the hiring of Il Maestro. We went to England and with the help of Giles, discovered that the whole Inner Council worked with Leo. They are all dead now and Giles is busy restructuring the organization. By the way, Wes, he will need your help."

"Oh." was all the former watcher said, still shocked by what he had just heard.

Andrea left Mrs Babsen’s office. She had had trouble in convincing herself not to knock the woman out, but had succeeded in remaining calm. She sat on her bike, took her cell phone and dialled a number.

"Sunshine, it’s me. I’m going see your uncle. Yes, I know I shouldn’t but you know me and wisdom... I feel ready, Sunshine. We keep in touch."

She put the phone in her pocket, started the engine and went to the desert.

PART 4

The silence had replaced Whistler’s lecture. Each person was lost in his thoughts, trying to find a solution. They knew now who their enemy was, a powerful and ancient creature who had been chosen to keep the balance between Good and Evil on Earth. But, they still did not know what his plans were and, more important, how to go to Sunnydale to fight him. In the middle of this silence, the telephone rang.

"I take it." said Cordelia, too happy to go away from this oppressing silence.

It was also the time Faith chose to ask:

"Can we kill him? This Nefer guy, he is immortal but can we kill him by cutting his head off like in the movie?"

"Well, it’s not the same kind of immortality. Nefer-tem and his wife are immune to ageing or illness but can be killed like you and me..."

"Hey, see guys, that’s good news."

"But I suggest you not to kill him because of the curse."

Buffy was the first to react:

"A curse?"

"Nefer-tem has been chosen by powerful forces to fulfil his mission and maintain the MAAT between the two sides. These forces, knowing that one side or the other could be tempted to hurt or eliminate Nefer-tem, warned them that a death curse would be cast on anyone who would attempt to the life of their 'Chosen One'. No one has dared to touch him, ever."

"Well, honey, I think your good news have turned into bad omen."

Buffy said that and kissed her girlfriend’s cheek at the same time. A move that made the younger Slayer smile. Buffy could not prevent her own smile. A month ago, she was not sure if Faith would have smiled in the same circumstances. Now, her lover was more confident towards her feelings and could express them more openly. It was mainly in Buffy’s presence or when they were alone. And such signs as the little smiles that crossed her face when she kissed her or when she protected her like she had done with Cordy earlier were proofs of Faith’s new attitude, an attitude Buffy was proud to be the cause of. An attitude that made her love the brunette more and more each day. They had been a couple for less than a week but the events of the previous days had strenghtened their relationship. The dangers, fears and feelings they had gone through lately had consolidated their love and understanding from each other to reach a level normal couples reached only after years of common life. That was the point that gave to Buffy an incredible faith regarding the future, their future. She then heard Cordelia coming back.

"It was Fred. They have discovered an old teleportation spell. The problem is that it only works for three persons... three human beings, which excludes Angel and Whistler."

"OK, so Faith and I can go there, that’s a plus. I suppose that when you say it only works for three persons, it means that being three is a necessity?"

"Yes but don’t count on me, I’m not a fighter. Take Wesley or Gunn, they would be more useful than I would." Cordelia replied.

It was Angel’s turn to speak.

"Cordelia? Who did you see in your vision?"

"Queen C had a vision?"

"And it is only now that you say it?" Buffy added.

Angel made a pleading look to the Slayers, who did not insist, then turned his head towards the seer.

"No, I didn’t see them."

"Try to remember Cordelia. All information can be vital."

"I know, I know. I don’t like to be pushed and you know that. OK... So there was a black pyramid... people with Egyptian outfits that were sexy even if it is also so passé... I saw the gang running, Spike screaming and our beloved couple here."

Glares and growls that were coming from the Slayers, warning Cordelia not to venture on that area anymore followed her last comment.

"Anything else, even a dumb thing?"

"Actually, yes. Faith, I didn’t know you liked ponytails."

Faith was surprised.

"How do you know?..."

"You like ponytails, Fairy? I’d like to see you with a ponytail."

"Shtt, B." Faith said softly before continuing. "It’s been a while since I made a ponytail... Did I have this hair cut in your vision?... That’s strange."

"Yes, you had a ponytail and shorts, Lara Croft style, still in leather though. Brown leather."

Buffy could not repress a grin. Faith would make a very sexy tomb raider. Then she felt someone pinching her left thigh. Faith whispered then to her words that almost made her burst into laugh:

"Not the time to think about such things, young lady."

"Hello... not teasing time."

"Er, sorry Queen C. You were saying?"

"I was just wondering if you had shorts in your bag. If I remember correctly, your wardrobe is kinda limited."

"No, I haven’t. I-" Faith stopped then asked "Did you only see me with that look in your vision?"

"Er... no, I saw you with the clothes you’re wearing right now too. Why?"

"NO WAY!" Buffy exclaimed, suddenly nervous.

"YES WAY!" Faith replied.

"Yes way... What does that mean?"

"Not the point, B. We’ll need her and you know that."

"I won’t let her come with us. She can’t be trusted. Besides, she’s not human. End of discussion."

"Oh nonono, girlfriend. Don’t you remember what Anya told us about it? She is fully human now. She can come with us."

"Faith!"

"Buffy, remember what you said. If we had been able to accept our feelings, to deal with Finch’s death together, we could have avoided lots of problems. Agree?"

"I don’t think, I’ll like what you’re going to say but, yes, I agree."

"She is trying to find her place in the world, she wants to redeem herself and she needs help. You know that I want to give her that help and you know that if you support me in this case, her chances of success would be higher."

"As I said, I don’t like it but, you’re right."

And then she was interrupted by Faith’s lips on hers.

"You’re the best, B. I’ll be right back, guys, I need to use the phone.

Buffy’s anger had disappeared with the kiss. She was supposed to be the one who calmed Faith down with the kissing trick, not the other way around but damn, that felt so good. Then she noticed the others, they had seen the interaction and were smiling lightly.

"What?"

Wesley was the one to reply:

"Nothing... except... who were you talking about?"

"Oh... long story. See, when Faith worked for the Mayor..."

Willow felt really bad but she was glad to be alive. Hearing voices around her she opened her eyes and blinked several times before being accustomed with the light that was coming from the window right above her. She was in Xander’s basement, the one he lived in before moving to his new apartment. The whole Scooby Gang was there except Buffy, and Tara was at her side, smiling.

"Hey!"

"Hey! Yourself feeling better?"

"Well, I’m not ready for the Olympics but I’ll survive. What happened?"

"Will, you’re awake." Xander stood up while saying it and soon, they were all gathered around the red head.

"OK? Let her breathe, please." said Tara. "You’ve been unconscious for days now. Do you remember the woman who did this to you?"

"Yes, I remember the street, the syringe then, the fire..."

"She is a thousands years old Slayer. Spike protected Xander’s retreat and we have no news from him. There is a cyclone just above Sunnydale that prevent anyone to move out or in and the Scourge is hunting us. I think that’s pretty much summarised the situation."

"OH, so, there is no need to panic... I think, I can return to coma land, then."

"Do you want to drink or eat something? I’ve managed to feed you during your coma but you must be starved."

"Yes, I’m hungry."

Tara left to go to the kitchen. Willow asked Xander then:

"Any news of Buffy or Faith?"

"No, Will. The phone lines don’t work anymore because of the storm."

"Bad situation, hey?"

"Yes, but we’ve known worse."

Buffy had just finished explaining the two Faiths miracle when the brunette came back, a worried expression on her face.

"Is she coming?"

"Er... no, I’ve just had e-girl on the line. She is not with her now and..."

"What has she done?"

"Er..."

Andrea was facing the cave. There were thick curtains on each side of the entry. These curtains would be closed just after she would be in. She could see the smoke, could feel the heat, could smell the incenses coming from the cave. She looked at Old Timer who nodded then she entered the cave and everything was dark. Her only light was coming from the fire that burned in the center of the cave. She quickly undressed herself then, just wearing her panties, she sat next to the fire, crossed her legs, closed her eyes and let the incenses penetrate her body.

To be continued in PARTS 5-8