summary:

TITLE: It's An Unlikely World Part 8 of ?
AUTHOR: halfofone
RATING: NC17 for language mainly
CODE: F/W with some B/F and W/T
SUMMARY: This is a Buffy The Vampire Slayer fic. Faith is thrown together with an old enemy in prison.

disclaimer:

DISCLAIMER: BTVS is the property of Mutant Enemy and Twentieth Century Fox. I'm just playing with their toys.

warnings:

Warning: This story includes same sex relationships between women. If you are offended by this or it is illegal where you live or you are underage then please read no further.
NOTES: This jumps off from the end of BTVS season six and there are some spoilers. What happens next bears no relationship whatever to the events of season seven. Except since now I have seen season 7, I will steal anything that I see fit.

Full warnings, credits and disclaimers can be found in the contents page and chapter 1.

credits:

FEEDBACK: Yup. Tell me the truth.
ARCHIVING: If you want ... I would quite like to know where.
CREDITS: Not beta'd so beware and this is my first BTVS story.

text:

"Evening Ma'am. Sorry to disturb you. Are you Mary Torrance?"

"Yes I am."

Willow was hiding in the bedroom at the top of the stairs. Peering through the just open bedroom door, Willow could hear their voices reasonably clearly and could see Mary's back and head, and beyond Mary she could make out the face of the police officer barely illuminated by the light from the hall and partially obscured by a uniform cap pulled low over his eyes.

"Well Ma'am we'd like to interview you about the breakout."

Willow held her breath.

"Okay," said Mary non-commitally. She turned away and started to walk back into the house.

"Are you going to invite us in?" asked the police officer mildly.

Willow held her breath. 'Don't try to be clever Mary,' she begged silently.

"I ain't stopping you." Mary sounded tense.

There was a silence.

"I would prefer it if you asked us in. We don't want any misunderstandings. This can be a sensitive neighbourhood."

Willow swore silently. This didn't look good. Maybe these guys really were following some police etiquette or maybe they were vampires; she wasn't inclined to believe the Southern California police were that polite.

Mary remained solid. "I ain't saying more than I've said. If you want your interview you can have it. I'll be in my kitchen or we can do it here if you prefer."

Willow could see the police officer's face twist in a scowl. Mary disappeared from view and Willow couldn't make out what was happening until a moment later when she heard Alvin's voice.

"Mary! What the hell are you doing leaving them out there. Just ask them in and get it over with. It's fucking with my brain, them just standing on the doorstep."

"Alvie! Mind your language and just... mind your own business!"

Alvin appeared by the front door. "Get in here," he barked angrily at the cop.

Mary half-screamed from the interior of the house, "Alvie! I told you to stay out of this!"

The face of the police officer split in a satisfied grin.

"Thank you sir. That makes our job a lot easier."

Mary was screaming at Alvin. Willow held her breath. The policeman took a step forward and then another. His face flattened almost comically against an unseen barrier and he staggered back. He growled and swore and vamped out.

"What the hell?" Alvin yelled. "What the fuck?" The second police officer charged the door and also bounced off the invisible barrier.

Mary was having to yell above her screaming guests. "I been trying to tell you Alvie all evening. They are vampires. Real live vampires. That's what we escaped from at the prison."

Alvin sagged against the wall as Mary stormed past him.

"Get away from my home spawn of satan," she screamed at the undead policeman.

"We prefer to be thought of as real undead vampires and we're no-one's spawn," sneered the vampire. He smirked at Alvie who was still leaning against the wall, fear and disbelief warring on his face. "Since we're still out here, I guess this isn't your house sir but thanks for trying anyway. I'll remember to kill you quickly."

"You ain't coming in here."

The vampire grinned and said something. Willow strained to make out what he was saying above the cacophony of terrified people in Mary's hall. It wasn't reassuring.

"The boss'll be here very soon and she's bringing some backup that isn't so particular about invitations." He paused to allow that information to sink in. "You could make a run for it I suppose but we got you covered front and back." His grin became a snarl.

Willow had heard enough. She turned back into the room where Faith lay unconscious. Danny was still fussing around her.

"Is there another way out of here?" Willow asked.

"What are you talking about girl and what is all the screaming downstairs?"

"The bad guys have arrived."

"You mean the cops? Most people would think you were the bad guy Rosenberg."

Willow smiled thinly. "Sometimes they would be right but not today, not yet anyway."

Mary burst into the room, Alvie, Tori and Justin in tow. The two youngsters looked excited and scared. Mary was terrified. Even Alvie looked a little frightened beneath the permanent scowl

"What are we going to do? They're bringing some other kind of monster," Mary wailed. "You have to save my little girl."

"I have to call my friend."

"There's no time. The Chief Warden, Ms Carlisle, is here. You said she was the worst of all."

"Where is she?"

"She's just at the door, she wants to speak to you."

"Did you say we were here?"

"No but she didn't believe me. She says we have five minutes to hand you over. I said we didn't know where you be now but she just laughed. What are we going to do?"

"I say we hand them over," growled Alvie.

"Shut up Alvie."

"I'll talk to her," said Willow. She had made her decision and a strange feeling of calm had overtaken her. She knew that whatever the consequences, she wasn't going to let Faith fall into Jennifer Carlisle's hands or let these good people die. Willow advanced on Mary and hugged her tightly.

"Mary. When you get out of here you have to find my friend Buffy Summers. She lives in Sunnydale - she'll protect you."

"What are you going to do?"

"Trust me."

Willow descended the stairs, she could see the tall slender figure of the Chief Warden, standing on the doorstep, illuminated by the hall light. The vampire saw her approaching and smiled. Willow felt her heart skip a beat. The vampire was unearthly attractive; a small part of Willow even wondered whether it would be such a bad thing to be killed by something so beautiful.

"Good evening Ms Rosenberg," said Jennifer in her low sweet voice. "Where's Faith?"

"Watching the back of the house," Willow answered smoothly.

The raging storm of panic from Mary's friends had diminished to anguished weeping and quiet appeals to their saviour. Jennifer Carlisle's smile widened and her blue eyes twinkled merrily. She whispered, as though to a fellow conspirator, "Poor souls. They have no idea do they?"

Willow returned the smile and Jennifer Carlisle looked a little disconcerted.

"What do you want with us?" Willow enquired.

"To return you to prison of course. The state cannot have convicted felons roaming about."

"I'm not actually a convicted felon to be picky, but leaving that aside, if we came quietly would you leave these people alone?"

"Absolutely," Jennifer assured her, looking completely sincere.

Willow nodded slowly. "Okay then. You know I can't agree. I mean, you being a vampire and all, you wouldn't keep a promise like that. I guess my counter offer is that we'll stay here, keep away from you and leave you to get on with your great apocalyptic whosit."

Jennifer sighed regretfully. "You know I would love to believe that was a serious offer. I mean how perfectly civilised. Unfortunately my associates would kill me were I to be quite so naive..."

Willow grinned sheepishly as though she had been caught out in a minor white lie, "You're right of course - we couldn't let you destroy the world - it would be one of those pyrrhic victory thingies. Not much point in surviving today, if poof tomorrow! No world left. Okay my final final offer is leave Faith and these people alone and abandon your world domination scheme too."

Jennifer began laughing. "Forgive me Willow if I seem a little dense but why would I agree to those rather comprehensive demands when I can just have all of you killed?" Behind Willow a fresh round of wailing and screaming began as some of the frightened inhabitants whispered what they had overheard to the others.

Willow ignored the hubbub. "What if I kill you first?"

"You can't."

"Can too!" Willow exclaimed and then felt foolish as Jennifer lifted an amused eyebrow. "Why can't I?" she asked apprehensively.

"Because I took the precaution of bringing along those rather unpleasant hairy shamans that you can see chanting behind me and they are protecting me...well some of them anyway. The others are removing the vampire barrier. Should be about ten minutes they tell me."

"Oh," said Willow. This was it then. She had no choice. Her promise to Faith as hollow as everything else and Willow was angry, mostly she was angry with Faith for making her avow something that was never going to be an option. Did Faith really think that they were going to avoid magic? The dark blood circulating thickly in her veins, called out to the witch for fire and pain and she knew how to answer that call. Intelligence and imagination: Giles had warned her that she was uniquely powerful because she brought those two human qualities to her witchcraft. Most supernatural beings were stupid or close-minded which was usually why their plans were foiled. The few exceptions like Angel and herself were much more deadly.

Willow took a deep breath as she contemplated the end of her opponents. The shamans were easy actually. She would incinerate the air around them, scorching their lungs which would certainly get their attention and it would halt any chanting or attempted retaliation. Her options were more limited with the vampires. Vampires are not difficult to kill but she didn't know how many there were or where they were located. The most powerful spells for the destruction of vampires were impossible without the correct magical accessories and ingredients, none of which she had to hand. She smiled. Improvisation was the key.

Jennifer took a step back. She was not a stupid person and the sudden transformation of the green-eyed California college girl to a leering, white-faced witch with hell-blackened, blood-rimmed eyes glowing with hatred was not to be taken lightly. When the highly paid professional shamans behind her began to scream and roll on the ground as the very air around them burst into flames, sucking more air into the void, creating a powerful vortex, stoking the explosion of gases to even greater temperatures, Jennifer knew that she had a few seconds to run for her undead life. She backed away slowly, then turned to run: she had only gone two paces when her flight was interrupted by many screeching tyres and flashing lights that cut off her retreat. The vampire gazed fearfully at the noise and explosions of light; she was expecting to explode herself. A microphone was shoved in her face and a very well dressed woman with unnaturally rigid blonde hair, began to yell questions as cameras popped and flash guns fired so continuously that the whole area in front of the house was lit up.

"Ms Carlisle, Ms Carlisle have you found the convicts?"

A moment later there were three more microphones and more voices were screaming for answers.

Jennifer glanced behind her - any sign of the magical mayhem that was raging only seconds before had vanished. Willow had disappeared from the door, the shamans had disappeared too, swallowed by the supernatural conflagration which had dissipated without trace. Everything appeared normal except that to the disoriented vampire nothing seemed normal. She tried to gather her thoughts as the press of human flesh against her, further assaulted her senses, arousing her blood. She fought the temptation to vamp-out and feed on the infuriating vermin that surrounded her. She was vaguely aware of two of her henchmen who had not run away, staring at her, waiting for orders.

"No" she managed to say weakly. "There's no-one here." She gestured to the 'police' officers to leave. She didn't want them there if the real police were to turn up. They saluted and returned to their cars.

"I'm sorry what did you say Ms Carlisle? Can you speak up for the microphones?"

"I said there was no-one here. I can report that Mrs Torrance is home safely with her family but the convicts...have escaped."

A dozen of her interrogators peeled away to storm the house. The blonde reporter remained to interrogate the flustered vampire.

"Do you expect to remain as Chief Warden after this debacle. Are you aware that the governor has withdrawn his support?"

"I have not spoken with the governor but I can assure you that everything is being done to find and recapture them. I have no further comment."

"But Ms Carlisle..."

"No comment," Jennifer growled unable to hold back a feral snarl as the woman poked her face close to her own. The reporter withdrew slightly, unsure of what she had seen. Jennifer recovered, hid the snarl and smiled with her full charm. "I have to get back to the prison. Perhaps I could answer your questions in my car. If you wish to come." She gestured at the official black sedan with its darkened windows.

The reporter smirked. Typical politician trying to get round the press but this was an opportunity not to miss. The appointment of the new Chief Warden had stunk of corruption but no-one had been able to get near her. It was a scoop. The reporter followed the Chief Warden to her car and climbed in. The doors slammed shut and the car drove away, and as one of the large crowd of curious onlookers attracted by all the noise and commotion said to his friend: 'It was peculiar because he could have sworn he heard a woman scream.'

Back at the house, the Torrance family were holding back the crowd of reporters trying to get in; Alvin and Jordan shoulder to shoulder at the door, desperately trying to prevent the horde of pressmen from seeing Willow slumped just inside the door; while Mary, with typical and previously undrawn courage, ignored the strange transformation of her guest from a scared young woman to a creature of darkness, stroking her clawed hands and patting her hell-raiser hair while whispering what she hoped were comforting words.

"Just relax right there girl, let all those bad, wicked feelings go. The Lord will protect you in this Valley of Darkness. He has looked after us up to now and as we both know, no-one would have believed that we could have survived. Think of Faith upstairs. She believes in you. Let the evil go."

Willow looked sharply at the big woman crouched beside her.

"Faith!" she scoffed and a shiver of fear passed through Mary as the contempt on Willow's ghost-white face became hatred. "She was wrong and a fool. She shouldn't have believed in me. I broke my promise to her and I'm glad. It was stupid of her to think that this could have played out otherwise. Now I'm free."

Mary resisted the urge to flee. "You don't mean that Willow..." Any further conversation was deferred by a fresh kerfuffle at the door. New voices could be heard and suddenly Alvin and Jordan were sprawling in a heap and cursing as several people piled inside the door. Mary screamed. "Run for your lives everyone. They're inside."

Mary's friends and neighbours did not need a second telling and the house emptied as people escaped through the back of the house and out of windows.

One of the invaders, a petite blonde woman, was forcing the door closed, pushing photographers back and yelling at the pack of reporters "Sorry. You have to go. Police protection. Why don't you talk to the ones running away." She gave a huge shove, skittling the whole press pack and slammed the front door, leaning against it with a sigh of relief. Almost immediately, knocking began on the door which she and her companions ignored.

The group of intruders, a white man and three white women including the small and obviously extremely strong blonde, stood with their backs to the door looking around at the remaining people in the hall. Terrified again - attacks by the forces of evil didn't seem to become any less scary - Mary gathered Tori and Justin behind her and prepared herself to face down wickedness for what seemed like the thousandth time that day.

"Get out of my house you seeds of hell. You have fallen on stony ground here."

"Biblical metaphor," commented a taller, thin blonde woman with an amused expression of nostalgic recognition. "One of the least good defences against evil. Throw one of the youngsters to us as a distraction. It's much more effective."

"You will not touch them," Mary howled.

"We're not going to hurt you," assured the man, a nice solid looking fellow with floppy dark hair. He smiled reassuringly. "We need your help."

The smaller blonde was now advancing cautiously, watching Alvin and Jordan when she caught sight of Willow still slumped against the wall.

"Will!" The woman rushed towards the witch but braked to a rapid halt when Willow raised her veiny blood-shot face.

"Oh my God!" exclaimed the third woman, a brunette who was the youngest looking of the group. "Buffy be careful. She's gone all evil again."

Mary's broad face lit up with hope when she heard the name of the blonde. But before she could speak there was a melee of competing voices.

"Quickly. Throw someone at her and lets get out of here."

"An! Enough with the advice! Willow won't hurt us. Will you? Will! Speak to me buddy."

"Where is Faith? Did she cause this? I knew I couldn't trust her."

"Are you Buffy Summers?"

"I don't care who she is. She and her friends can get their white asses out of this house, this very instant."

"Mom. Be careful."

"Quiet everyone! Alvie be quiet."

"Just hang in there Will! You're going to be okay."

"Sure. After she's filleted a few people...you didn't see what she did last time."

"Anya!"

"How could Faith leave you like this?"

"Don't you worry Sis. I'll get 'em. No skinny little girl is going to put me on my back twice."

"Jordan. Stay where you are."

"Buffy. Up the stairs. Look."

"Dawn. Stay back."

"QUIET!" yelled Doctor Danny from his position on the stairs where he stood supporting Faith, with his arm around her waist. "JUST SHUT UP FOR ONE MINUTE." The dark slayer was dressed only in a thin night-gown borrowed from Tori; she was swaying a little, in obvious pain, perspiration running down her face but Faith was smiling.

The group of humans fell silent.

"Hey B," Faith said huskily. Speaking was an effort, though she still had a touch of her normal insolence.

Faith's mocking smile became a frown when her eyes found Willow. For a second she looked hurt and then the vulnerability disappeared behind her normal sneer.

"What the fuck Red? A few hours alone and you're back for your mojo fix."

"Looks like it," Willow agreed coldly. "Someone had to save our butts."

"Poor excuse Red."

"Not from my perspective and since you're so smart, what would you have done Faith? Let everyone die to protect my virtue?"

"I would have used my brains. I might have called the TV news station. Got a little coverage from the press and a little cover."

"Was it you that called them?" asked Buffy.

Faith shook her head and grimaced with pain at even that slight movement. "Well no...I didn't. It was just an example But hey it worked. Someone used their head."

"Yeah. Who?" said Alvin grumpily as though he was contemplating taking out a law-suit against whomever was responsible.

Everyone present looked at each other and shrugged.

"We just got lucky I guess," said Jordan

"It was the Lord," exclaimed Mary excitedly. "Jesus saved us. He made the call."

Xander eyed her doubtfully. "Maybe, but don't most of these news hounds monitor police radios?"

"It was the Lord," repeated Mary firmly. Xander made a face to say you know best. He then shook his head at Anya who was quietly mouthing 'loony-toon' as she pointed her right index finger at her skull and mimed screwing it round. Mary ignored the gesture though the other members of her family bristled. Anya was not making any friends here.

Willow shrugged, "It made no difference - another minute and Jennifer Carlisle would have been dead or on the way to dead. Perhaps the vampires called the press. It saved their necks not ours and now she's free to go back to her apocalypse. I hope you all enjoy whatever she has planned. I know I'm going to."

Danny was struggling to hold Faith up. "I don't really understand what is going on here but I need to get Faith back to bed. You're bleeding again."

Faith shook her head.

"A few more seconds Doctor D. Help me down, I want to talk to Willow."

He rolled his eyes but helped her down the last couple of steps while Willow pushed herself to her feet. She was defiant. "Are you going to tell me what a naughty girl I've been? Or that I can still be redeemed because...I don't want to be. I like this me. I don't want to be cured or trained or muzzled like some pathetic magical pet, barred from fully realising my power because you're afraid of me."

Faith was now standing in front of Willow, wobbling unsteadily. She lifted her hand and gently stroked Willow's cheek. Willow just stared at her, her features softened and the darkness in her eyes receded for a moment. Faith smiled at her and despite the dark slayer's eminent weakness and suffering, the smile was as bold and brave as any.

"I'm not going to say any of that. What I wanted to say Red, was that I'm sorry I let you down. It was my job to protect you and I failed." The slayer continued to gently draw her fingers down the still smooth skin of Willow's face, tracing her thumb along the dark veins which seemed to fade as she touched them.

"That's okay Faith," Willow muttered staring into the slayer's dark eyes, looking for and finding something that she no longer believed in. She looked confused and then angry. She smirked nastily: "There's nothing to forgive because you could do nothing for me slayer. I can protect myself better than you. Like I told you I want to be like this. I am going to have some fun at last."

"Told you," whispered Anya under her breath. "Here come the guttings and disembowellings."

"Then forgive me for this Red." Willow watched mesmerised as Faith drew her fingers gently down the side of Willow's face to the witch's slender neck, gently cupped her fingers around the back and leant in apparently intending to kiss the dark wine-red lips. Everyone in the room held their breath. The kiss never came. Abruptly, her hand a blur, Faith pushed her rigid fingers, hard and sharp, into the nerves at the side of the witch's neck. Willow didn't even have time to look surprised or make a noise as she fell unconscious to the floor.

A second later, the last of her remaining strength exhausted, Faith followed the witch down, sinking to her knees, mumbling "she's all yours B. Look after her. I need...to lie down now..." Faith pitched forwards on top of the fallen witch and lay there unmoving, blood leaking from her bandages onto Willow's clothes and skin.

tbc.