Part 12<\/b><\/p>\n
Wesley was confused \u2013 something was wrong with this picture. Angel was remarkably composed for a man who had just lost the love of his life, especially considering the fact that he was standing directly in front of her killer.<\/p>\n
The vampire\u2019s eyes shifted towards him then, and the puzzled Englishman was witness to the gamut of emotions swarming in those deep brown orbs. Steady resolve was the dominant trait, with implacable anger running a close second, but Wesley saw no grief in that unwavering gaze and that completely mystified him.<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia?\u201d he forced the name past his split lips, his voice thin and reedy in quality.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s fine,\u201d Angel quickly assured his friend.<\/p>\n
\u201cAngelus! You\u2019ve gone and spoiled mine an\u2019 Wesley\u2019s little joke now. How very unsporting of you,\u201d the Orb-possessed slayer pouted, and then began to laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat joke?\u201d the vampire demanded, his tone hardening as he turned his attention back to his adversary.<\/p>\n
\u201cMe an\u2019 watcher-boy have been having so much fun while we\u2019ve been waiting for you to show, haven\u2019t we darlin\u2019?\u201d
\nThe Orb bent down and deliberately pushed the blade of her knife into the ex-watcher\u2019s throat, puncturing the skin and drawing fresh blood to emphasise her point.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t kill her,\u201d Wesley stated the obvious, white-hot anger boiling up inside of him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I didn\u2019t \u2013 not yet anyway. Your pathetic reaction to the news of her demise was highly amusing though. You ought to keep an eye on this one, Angelus \u2013 I think he has the hots for your mate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel ignored the Orb\u2019s taunting, and instead got ready to strike at their enemy, his dark eyes darting about the apartment as he assessed the battleground. Wesley was currently being used as a human shield, so the vampire slowly began to walk across the room, forcing the Orb to move round to the side of the chair to keep him within her line of sight.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter, vampire? Cat got your tongue?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo \u2013 just waiting for you to say something that\u2019s actually worth responding to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having cottoned on to Angel\u2019s tactics, Wesley chose that moment to throw himself backwards, tipping his chair over with a loud crash. The vampire reacted instantly, kicking the slayer hard in the midriff to knock her away from her fallen hostage. The Orb\/Faith landed heavily on her backside and slid a short way across the polished wooden floor, before rolling over and springing agilely to her feet. Seizing a makeshift stake from the kitchen counter, she rushed at Angel with her weapon held aloft, a low battle cry erupting from the back of her throat.<\/p>\n
The momentum of her charge drove him backwards into a supporting pillar, but the vampire caught her up-raised arm and wrestled the stake from her tightly clenched fingers. The grappling pair crashed into the structure with such force that the plaster cracked and came loose, raining down over them in a shower of dust and white hailstones.<\/p>\n
As the apartment shook with the power of the vampire and slayer\u2019s violent skirmish, Wesley ceased his desperate efforts to get loose of his bindings and, using his hands against the floor, painfully levered his chair around to call out to his friend.<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel \u2013 Faith, she\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, the rest of the ex-watcher\u2019s words were drowned out by the vampire\u2019s hoarse yell of pain as the Orb drove her knee up into his torso, hitting his stab injury dead-on and opening up the healing wound again. Clutching at his chest, Angel doubled-over, and the Orb took the opportunity to stalk back towards Wesley, determined to shut him up before he gave too much away.<\/p>\n
Sensing the Orb\u2019s murderous intent, Faith tensed in preparation to do everything in her \u2013 albeit limited – power to save her watcher\u2019s life. Her planned intervention wasn\u2019t necessary though – the Powers That Be\u2019s Champion was not so easily beaten.<\/p>\n
Sucking in an unneeded breath, Angel straightened and moved with super-human speed to grab hold of the slayer\u2019s upper arms. Effortlessly lifting the struggling woman off her feet, he tossed her to the other side of the room as if she was nothing more than a rag-doll. She ended up sprawled facedown on the plush sofa, where she lay dazed, stunned into momentary inaction by her crash landing.<\/p>\n
\u201cFaith \u2013 she\u2019s awake in there. She doesn\u2019t have much control, but she can help you. You just have to tell her when,\u201d Wesley gasped out in a rush, as Angel bent down and ripped the rope bindings away, freeing his friend in one fell swoop.<\/p>\n
The vampire nodded in understanding, and then helped him to his feet, \u201cGo \u2013 get out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWes, don\u2019t argue, just go!\u201d Angel ordered, pushing the ex-watcher towards the door as he turned back to confront the Orb.<\/p>\n
Brushing the messy tangles of long hair out of her red glowing eyes, the enraged brunette rolled onto her back as the vampire cautiously approached.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that all you got, Angelus?\u201d she goaded, hooking her booted feet under the rim of the glass-topped coffee table that stood in front of the couch. \u201cTime to get in the game, vampire.\u201d<\/p>\n
With that, the possessed slayer kicked the table up into Angel\u2019s face, shattering the glass-top and sending shards of broken glass flying in all directions. As he lifted his hands to protect his eyes from the sharp missiles, she launched herself at him, wrapping her legs around his waist and slamming him into the opposite wall.<\/p>\n
Grunting as her strong thighs tightened painfully around his ribs, Angel immediately reversed their positions so that it was her back, and not his, that was now against the wall. Vamping out with a low growl, he grabbed her chin between his fingers and deliberately head-butted her in the centre of her forehead. The force of the blow caused the back of the slayer\u2019s skull to strike the solid brick behind her, and her grip on him loosened a little, enabling him to rip himself free from her vice-like hold.<\/p>\n
While she regained her footing, the vampire strategically backed away, his stance still poised to counter anything that she might throw at him. The Orb blew a stray strand of Faith\u2019s dark wavy hair off her face as the two circled each other, each waiting for the other to pounce, their predatory eyes locked together in a silent battle of wills.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou won\u2019t kill me \u2013 you can\u2019t,\u201d the Orb stated with an air of supreme confidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what makes you think that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you kill me, then it\u2019ll mean ending your precious slayer\u2019s life too. Your soul won\u2019t let you do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou *really* don\u2019t know me at all, do you? I\u2019ll do what must be done \u2013 just like Faith did when she tricked your sorry ass into infecting her seven months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re bluffing!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust try me, Ravaclesh,\u201d Angel deliberately taunted.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on \u2013 I\u2019m waiting,\u201d he added in a condescending tone, crooking his fingers at her in an arrogant come-hither gesture.<\/p>\n
Whoa! Way to push those buttons, Angel!<\/i> Faith observed as a red mist of pure unadulterated rage descended over her and the Orb\u2019s combined mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can’t take me! No one can take me!\u201d<\/p>\n
Screeching like a banshee, the Orb threw a clumsy punch at Angel\u2019s jaw, which he easily dodged before expertly kicking her legs out from under her, toppling her over onto her back. As he reached down to haul her upright, the possessed slayer tucked her knees into her chest, and thrust out hard with her feet, catapulting the vampire over the top of her head and into the glass display cabinet behind her.<\/p>\n
Shaking broken glass from his clothing, Angel scrambled to his feet, but stumbled back when the Orb swung a wooden chair at him. The piece of furniture splintered apart as it connected with the solid muscle of his chest, and the vampire roared as the throbbing pain from his stake wound flared up again.<\/p>\n
Breathing heavily with the exertion of their fight, the Orb bent and picked up a shattered chair leg from the floor, breaking it in half over her knee. Having created a new weapon for herself, she advanced on Angel, the impromptu stake clutched tightly in her right hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou’re gonna die!\u201d she spat out in fury, her eyes burning hot with the Orb\u2019s red fire.<\/p>\n
The vampire quickly grabbed a standard lamp that stood nearby and fended off her attack, shoving the circular base into her abdomen. Knocking the stake out of her hand with a well-aimed kick, he finished off the combination of moves with a spinning kick, which projected her up over the sofa so that she landed, with a dull thud, in front of the double window.<\/p>\n
Angel immediately vaulted over the couch after her, determined to keep the upper hand now that he had finally manoeuvred the Orb\/Faith into the position that he wanted them in. Oblivious to the vampire\u2019s plans, the possessed slayer flipped her body upright using the heel of her hands, landing lightly on her feet with the nimbleness of a cat.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on!\u201d she encouraged, a hint of psychotic madness creeping into her shrill voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay honey \u2013 seeing as you asked so nicely,\u201d Angel replied, barrelling into her, his broad shoulders leading the way.<\/p>\n
Banding an arm about her waist, he lifted her off the floor, keeping their forward momentum going until they burst out through the window, and plummeted headfirst to the street two storeys below\u2026<\/p>\n
A short while earlier\u2026 <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
After Angel had left them to go and confront the Orb, Buffy paced in tight circles in the alleyway outside, her body tense and her slayer senses on high alert. Although she could see the logic in her ex-boyfriend\u2019s two-phased plan of attack, sitting on the sidelines and waiting for something to happen just wasn\u2019t part of her genetic make-up.<\/p>\n
As the crash, bang, and wallop sounds of Angel and the Orb\u2019s ferocious duel drifted down from the apartment above, the instinctive need to be in the thick of things niggled constantly at the slayer, and she literally had to force herself to remain where she was.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe I should go and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo!\u201d Cordelia stepped in front of the on-edge Buffy, barring her path. \u201cAngel said to stay here. If you go charging in there, all guns blazing, you might knock him off balance. That could get both him, and Faith, killed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCordy\u2019s right, Buffy,\u201d Willow chipped in, placing a calming hand on her friend\u2019s shoulder. \u201cAngel\u2019s plan makes sense. The binding spell will open up a crack in the ground, so we have to force the Orb out of the apartment. We need to end this out here – unless we want that building to cave in on top of us, and everyone inside, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know Will, I know. I just can\u2019t stand this enforced inactivity – it\u2019s driving me crazy. Angel should have let me go up there; he\u2019s still injured from the Gauntlet for god\u2019s sake.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPfft! Like a measly little stab wound has ever stopped him before,\u201d Cordelia commented scathingly, \u201cAnd, besides, the Orb wants him, not you. Funny \u2013 why do I get the impression that\u2019s what\u2019s really bothering you, Little Miss I\u2019m-the-Slayer-so-everyone-must worship-me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy\u2019s anger flared at that, but Cordelia pushed past her before a hot-tempered retort could escape her lips.
\n\u201cOh my God, Wesley!\u201d<\/p>\n
As he staggered drunkenly out of the apartment block\u2019s side entrance, the seer crossed to her friend\u2019s side with a small cry of alarm. Every inch of Wesley\u2019s exposed skin appeared to be either cut or bruised, and his torn shirt was soaked through with so much blood that its original pale blue colour was barely evident amidst the patches of red.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh God! What did she do to you?\u201d Cordelia whispered, touching his swollen and lacerated face with gentle fingers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d the ex-watcher reassured her, leaning heavily against the wall to stop his weak, jelly-like, legs from buckling under him. \u201cThe potion, did you\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Willow and Lorne made five bottles worth \u2013 Angel\u2019s got two, Buffy\u2019s got one, and the rest are in here for safe keeping,\u201d the seer answered, holding up her shoulder bag to indicate the location of the final two bottles of potion.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood, good,\u201d Wesley said, nodding in approval. \u201cWhat about Willow? The spell?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll up here, don\u2019t worry,\u201d Willow said, tapping her temple with two curled fingers.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone get back!\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy shouted out a quick warning, just as the window above shattered and blew outwards, sending a shower of glass cascading down over them.<\/p>\n
Angel and Faith hit a dumpster with a deafening crash, and then rolled off the dented metal in unison, both of them coming to their feet in one continuous motion.<\/p>\n
\u201cOo! Now it\u2019s a party! Cool!\u201d the possessed slayer commented sarcastically, casting a quick glance about her before she jumped for a length of drainage pipe, which was sticking out of the wall a metre or so above her head.<\/p>\n
Using the metallic pipe as a parallel bar, she circled it once and drove the balls of her feet into Angel\u2019s sternum, sending the vampire flying across the alleyway to smash into the opposite wall. Dismounting her improvised gymnastic apparatus with a perfect somersault, she then twisted around to confront an advancing Buffy.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wanna take me on then, slayer-girl? Come on, sweetheart \u2013 make my day.\u201d<\/p>\n
The petite slayer took the bait and swung a clenched fist at her fellow slayer\u2019s face. The Orb easily blocked the blow with her left forearm, and countered with a punch of her own. That blow glanced off Buffy\u2019s left cheekbone as she twisted her face away to avoid the strike. Pivoting around on one foot, the blonde slayer kicked her opponent in the ribs, causing the Orb to double-over as the air rushed from Faith\u2019s lungs with a whoosh.<\/p>\n
While the two slayers continued to trade kicks, punches, and insults; Angel pulled himself to his feet and beckoned Willow over towards him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou ready?\u201d he asked her.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs ready as I\u2019ll ever be,\u201d the redheaded witch replied, her eyes wide and apprehensive.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay then \u2013 let\u2019s get this done,\u201d the vampire declared, reaching into his inner pocket to retrieve a bottle of the orange-coloured exorcising potion.<\/p>\n
Twisting off the cap, he placed his thumb over the neck of the plastic container, and moved into position behind the fiercely battling slayers.<\/p>\n
\u201cBuffy,\u201d he called out, holding up and showing her the item in his hand.<\/p>\n
The blonde slayer acknowledged him with a slight nod and danced back a few steps, forcing the Orb to close the gap between them. Her blue eyes carefully judging the correct distance, she waited until the possessed slayer came back within range, and then launched herself high into the air, folding her knees up into her chest in a tucked position. Whipping her legs out straight as she back-flipped out of the move, Buffy skilfully kicked the Orb\/Faith directly into Angel\u2019s waiting embrace.<\/p>\n
The vampire immediately slammed his captive face-first into the side of the building, digging his knee against the small of her back and holding her immobile against the wall with the heavy weight of his muscular body.<\/p>\n
\u201cFaith \u2013 you have to drink,\u201d he said urgently in the slayer\u2019s ear, as he brought the bottle of orange liquid to the hissing woman\u2019s lips.<\/p>\n
You are so going down, bitch!<\/i> Faith vowed vehemently to her hated body-jacker, once more wresting control of her mental and physical faculties away from the evil stone.<\/p>\n
The slayer coughed and spluttered a little as the thick bitter liquid hit the back of her throat, but she determinedly swallowed it all down, ignoring the howls of rage that reverberated around inside her head, as the Orb sensed its grasp on her mind slipping away.<\/p>\n
Welcome warmth spread through Faith\u2019s veins as the exorcising potion latched onto the Orb\u2019s nefarious presence in her bloodstream and removed its chilling influence, allowing her body temperature to return to its normal 37 \u00b0C. The magical concoction began to react violently with the stone\u2019s liquid essence, sending electrical bolts of energy sizzling through every nerve ending in her body.<\/p>\n
Luckily, she didn\u2019t have to endure the shooting pains for very long, because her vision quickly turned to grey and she slipped into unconsciousness, becoming blissfully unaware of what was happening to her.<\/p>\n
Angel hurriedly stepped back as Faith began to convulse, her limbs flailing about, and her head jerking on her neck like a puppet on a string. Catching her in his arms as she toppled backwards, he sank to the ground, cradling her head in his lap to prevent her from splitting it open on the hard cobblestones. He gasped as deep lesions suddenly appeared on the slayer\u2019s face and neck, her flesh cracking open in order to expel the unwanted parasite that was infecting her body.<\/p>\n
The vampire watched in horrified fascination as a stream of minute red particles burst forth from the openings in the slayer\u2019s skin, and began to swirl in a mini-whirlwind above their heads. The rotating dust-cloud emitted a high-pitched whine as the grains coagulated together and reconstituted themselves into the solid form of the Orb of Ravaclesh.<\/p>\n
Risking taking his eyes off the hovering stone for a moment, Angel glanced down into Faith\u2019s pale face, and saw that the open and weeping wounds on her body had vanished. The slayer\u2019s eyelids flickered and opened, and she stared up at him, her brown eyes dazed and confused.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay \u2013 you\u2019re alright,\u201d he whispered reassuringly, brushing her hair out of her eyes and lightly stroking her cheek.<\/p>\n
The ruddy glow from the Orb, illuminated the dark alleyway with its dirty red light, and even Angel shivered as the temperature plummeted several degrees in direct response to the evil presence in the air. The stone hung like a miniature fireball above them for a few moments, and then began to float with purpose towards the small group huddled together in the building\u2019s entranceway, obviously searching for another warm body to inhabit.<\/p>\n
\u201cWillow!\u201d Angel called out sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop!\u201d the witch demanded, as she leapt out in front of the Orb, her titian hair all aglow with the stone\u2019s crimson fire.<\/p>\n
The Orb came to an abrupt standstill in response to Willow\u2019s command and she raised her hands towards it, her palms facing outwards. The air around the stone shimmered with a bluish light and a snarl of rage emanated from the Orb as it fought against the magical restraints that she had imposed upon it.<\/p>\n
While the convoluted Latin phrases of the binding spell began to trip off the young witch\u2019s tongue, the rock\u2019s light flickered and waned and a shrill shrieking began to echo around the alleyway, forcing them all to cover their ears to block out the awful sound.<\/p>\n
Willow\u2019s slender shoulders heaved with the effort of having to hold the Orb in check behind her hastily erected force field, as she struggled to concentrate on the difficult incantation that she was reciting. However, her confidence grew with every word, and the witch\u2019s voice slowly increased in volume. When her spell finally reached its climax, she raised her face to the night sky and cried out loudly – in English this time – to the heavens above:<\/p>\n
\u201cLet the earth be torn asunder, and that which was unlawfully rent from its grasp, be once again returned to its rightful resting place.\u201d<\/p>\n
A deep groaning rumble started from somewhere far below, and the ground began to shudder and shake as the resonant sound spiralled to a deafening crescendo. Hooking both arms under Faith\u2019s shoulders, Angel scrambled backwards, as the earth began to crack and buckle upwards, near to where the two of them sat. The jagged fissure widened and extended lengthways until it ran from one side of the backstreet to the other.<\/p>\n
In order to prevent the violent earthquake from unbalancing her and breaking her vital concentration, Willow levitated her slim form half a metre off the ground. With her arms held up in supplication towards the angry stone above her head, she blinked and her eyes turned white as the powerful magic flowed through every cell in her body.<\/p>\n
Bringing her outstretched arms down to her sides with a swift cutting gesture, the young witch finally let her force-field drop, and the bluish light surrounding the Orb disappeared into the ether. Before the stone had the chance to react however, Willow\u2019s voice rang out loudly, bringing the binding spell to its conclusion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI command thee to return from whence thou came. Begone, I command thee. Begone!\u201d<\/p>\n
A column of brilliant white light shot up from the fissure in the ground, encapsulating the Orb within its bright radiance, before it retracted back into the earth as rapidly as it had emerged. The crack in street snapped shut with a thunderous boom, and then absolute silence descended like thick woollen blanket over the darkened alleyway.<\/p>\n
Her iris\u2019s returning to their natural hue, Willow sank wearily to her knees as she let go of the iron self-control that had been required to keep the potent white magic in check. Hanging her head so that her red hair curtained her face, she drew in deep calming breaths attempting to instil peace back into her drained mind and body.<\/p>\n
Angel could feel Faith shaking like a leaf in his arms, so he ran his fingers gently through her hair trying to calm her down. \u201cSsh \u2013 it\u2019s all right, you\u2019re safe now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh God!\u201d the slayer suddenly lurched upright, tearing herself out of the concerned vampire\u2019s embrace. Doubling-over on her hands and knees, she vomited the contents of her stomach onto the ground, and then began to sob, wrapping her arms around her head and curling up into a tight ball of anguish.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs everyone okay?\u201d Angel called out, as he knelt next to the weeping Faith, softly rubbing her back with long soothing strokes.<\/p>\n
The others gathered around as, one by one, they answered in the affirmative.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that it? Is it all over?\u201d Cordelia asked Willow, her hazel eyes questioning.<\/p>\n
The exhausted witch gave the anxious seer a faint smile and then gasped out in horror, when Wesley suddenly slumped heavily against her. Buffy and Riley rushed forward to help support the ex-watcher, and together they carefully lowered him to the ground.<\/p>\n
Wesley was unconscious, his eyes closed and his face a pasty white colour. Cordelia dropped to her knees beside her friend and took his hand in hers, shocked to find his skin cold and clammy to the touch.<\/p>\n
\u201cWake up Wesley,\u201d she whispered urgently to him, shaking him gently with her free hand. \u201cCome on Wesley. Please \u2013 you have to wake up!\u201d<\/p>\n