Chapter 17 - Obedience
It was like
looking in a fun house mirror except Buffy’s image was self-animated. It kicked and fought as her vampires tied the
image to a chair. Faith was furious when she had woken up in Giles’ apartment
surrounded by the very people she wanted to avoid. So, Buffy had remained in
the background unwilling to antagonize her nemesis any further.
“Let me
go,” Faith hollered, kicking out as Spike attempted to tie her leg to the
chair. “I’m never going to give in to you.”
“Don’t have
to sweetheart,” Spike said. “You’re already tied up and in a matter of moments
Buffy will be back where she belongs and you’ll just be a loser in this game.”
Fury passed
over Buffy’s features before Faith used the only weapon she had left in her
arsenal. She spat in Spike’s face but it only made him laugh as he wiped it
off. Buffy hated this. She hated what Faith was doing; what she was doing with
her body, what she was doing to her mates and it made her angrier than she’d
ever been before. Her hand slipped into Spike’s for a moment to squeeze it
reassuringly before she sat in the chair next to the one Faith was in.
“Sorry
about this, pet,” Spike said, as he wrapped the ropes around her.
“It’s
okay,” Buffy said, smiling at the blonde before she looked at everyone else in
Giles’ apartment. Besides the three of them there was also, Giles, Jenny,
Angel,
Once Spike
was satisfied that she was tightly bound he stepped back. Angel and Spike were
standing so close but she couldn’t touch them and it was driving her crazy. She
wanted to be able to hold her mates and she wanted to find out if she was
pregnant or not. And mostly she wanted to be able to teach Faith a lesson she’d
never forget.
“Let’s do
this, please,” Buffy pleaded. “I want this over with.”
Angel came
to kneel in front of the two women. He smiled at Buffy before he placed the
katra in her hand then he took Faith’s hand and pressed them together.
Dizziness confused Buffy as their hands began to glow. She shook her head to
clear it and found herself back in the chair next to the one she started off
in. She looked around, blinked her eyes and smiled in satisfaction when she
found herself looking at Faith in Faith’s body.
“It didn’t
work,” Faith said. “Something went wrong.”
“It
couldn’t have,”
“Well, it
didn’t,” Faith repeated.
Buffy
rolled her eyes, turning to Angel. “It’s Faith faking it. Untie me.” There was a moment of hesitation in Angel’s
eyes and Buffy glanced up at Spike but he was glancing between the two women.
“Okay, fine, don’t believe me. Spike you have this mole on the inside of your
right thigh about two inches above your knee. And Angel there’s this spot below
your right shoulder that if it’s nibbled on, you get…”
“Okay,”
Angel said, cutting her off from spilling anymore intimate secrets. His hands
reached for the knots on the rope. “We get the point. You’re Buffy.”
“Thank
you,” Buffy said smiling down into his eyes. She waited until he was close
enough before leaning over to kiss him. It had been too long and she needed
him. His hand tangled in her hair as he returned her affection, pulling and
holding her closer to him. She sighed, thankful that he knew her enough to give
her what she needed.
“Oh, give
me a break,” Faith said.
“You’re
just jealous,” Spike said, holding his arms out for the freed Buffy. He pulled
her tight against him. “Missed you, pet,” he whispered right before he kissed
her.
“I missed
you, too,” Buffy whispered.
“Now what?”
Feeling
secure in the return of her body and the reunion with her mates, Buffy turned
to look at the other Slayer.
“How dare
you? How dare you think you can just take over my life?” Buffy spat unable to
contain her anger any longer. “Did you really think that anyone would let you
get away with it?”
“Oh, that’s
right, precious Buffy,” Faith said, struggling with her bonds, “the little
vampire fucking freak. Everybody just loves you so much.”
“More than
anyone will ever love you.”
“Buffy,
stop it,” Angel said, grabbing Buffy’s arm. He pulled her away from the other
Slayer. “This isn’t going to help anything.”
“Help what?
She’s getting turned over to the police,” Buffy said, heading for the phone.
“The sooner she is out of our lives the better off we are.”
“And what
are you going to do when she spills everything she knows,” Spike said. “She
knows too much.”
It was on
the tip of Buffy’s tongue to say that she didn’t care but she did. Faith could
cause them a lot of trouble. Trouble they didn’t need added to the mix already
polluted with Glory. She sighed as she looked around the room and at everyone
looking at her. Faith had to be handled with care. She wasn’t sure that the
rogue Slayer could be reformed at this point but she wasn’t if prison was the
way either. Maybe the Council could help them.
“I’ll take
her to LA and deal with it there,” Angel said.
“No,” Buffy
said. “No, you’re not taking her anywhere. I’m not letting you be alone with
her.”
“Buffy, we
can’t do anything with her here. It’s best to get her out of town and then
decide what to do.”
It was
logical but Buffy was beyond logical at the moment. Angel was leaving, again,
before they had time together, before they found out if she was going to have a
baby or not. Fury swept through her. Faith had taken too much of her life
already and she was still doing it. Everyone jumped at the crack of her hand
hitting Faith’s face. Buffy was getting ready to do it again when she was
grabbed around the waist.
“Spike,
take her home,” Angel said, handing her over to their mate.
“No,” Buffy
said, struggling. “No, you are not going anywhere with that bitch. I need you.
We need you. Let me go.”
“Stop
acting like a child,” Angel said as Spike’s arms wrapped around her. “Is that
your solution to everything? To act like a brat?”
If it was
the only way to get his attention what else was she supposed to do? Buffy
stopped fighting Spike, waited until he loosened his grip on her before she
pushed him away. She stepped between Angel and Faith.
“Please
don’t leave us again,” Buffy pleaded, tears blinding her. “We had plans, things
we have to do,” she took his hand and put it on her stomach. “I don’t care what
you do with her just don’t leave us.”
”Angel, maybe…” Giles said, putting an arm around Buffy’s shoulders in an
effort to comfort her. He’d been told earlier about the possibility of her
being pregnant and had been acting overly protective since then. “There has to
be something that we can do.”
“Like what?
Do you want to take Faith anywhere?” Angel said. “Do any of you want the
responsibility? Buffy can’t handle it, Spike can’t with the chip and that
leaves me. Come here.” He took Buffy’s hand, tugging on it when she hesitated.
Hoping that he would give her what she wanted, Buffy let him lead her outside
the apartment. Once the door closed behind them, Angel stepped back from her.
“Stop it now, Buffy.”
“I can’t,”
Buffy cried. She knew she was getting out of control but she couldn’t help it.
Everything had been piling on for weeks now and she needed Angel. She needed
him to make everything all right again and he wanted to leave. There was a part
of her that knew there wasn’t anyone else that could take care of Faith but her
duties, all of their duties, was the last thing on her mind. “Please don’t
leave.”
“You need
to stop this,” Angel said, shaking her. “Buffy, it can’t be helped and this is
only making it worse.”
“I don’t
care. I don’t care about anything but being with you. If you leave tonight
don’t come back because I can’t take this anymore. You don’t care about me
anymore…”
Something
snapped in her mate at her words and she found herself pulled against him with
his hand fisted in her hair.
“Listen to
me,” Angel snarled. “I’ve played your games as far as I am going to.” The fingers
of his free hand stroked her cheek. “Now, you know I love you so quit these
hysterics before this has to get ugly. I don’t want to have to teach you
obedience but I will if it’s necessary.”
“What are you talking about?”
Fear was
becoming a predominant emotion as she stared up at Angel. He’d never talked to
her like this before. She glanced at the door wondering why Spike hadn’t come
out to calm them down yet. He was always there but for the second time that
night, he wasn’t. Nothing had felt real in her life since Faith had shown up at
her mother’s house. Had something happened besides the body switch to change
her world?
“Spike
won’t interfere,” Angel said. “He understands things a little differently than
you do. See, he already accepts that you belong to me, that you both do, and
that there are just some matters that he shouldn’t interfere in.”
Buffy
struggled for a moment longer but Angel wasn’t budging at all. For the first
time in their relationship she didn’t feel his love for her. He was cold, so
cold, and she was afraid she was really losing him and that she couldn’t
tolerate.
“I’m
sorry,” Buffy whispered. “Please, I won’t say anything else.”
“Good
girl,” Angel said, kissing the corner of her mouth. “Go home with Spike and
I’ll call to let you know what we’re doing with Faith. Tomorrow night, I’ll be
home again, and we’ll talk more then.”
The
gentleness that she loved about Angel returned when she’d decided to acquiesce
to his wishes. He petted her for a few minutes, kissing her and whispering his
love to her before he sent her off to find Spike. Was it too much to ask? She
didn’t think so. Angel had lived a lot longer than she had and she’d always
turned to him before to give her advice. Why should this be any different? The
strength that she loved about him was as evident in the boundaries that he gave
as it was when she was in his arms. With a renewed feeling of security Buffy
went to find Spike as she had been told to do.
