The Gunn Chronicles

Faith had no idea what had just happened, it looked as if Willow had just gone toe-to-toe with Mary in a power-off & caused her to explode! The force of the blast had thrown Cho across the room again & had even knocked Faith & Willow back, & they were a lot further away.

The smoking husk of Mary still stood but looked deep fried, Southern style, but something still felt off to Faith. As if in answer to her fears Mary's taunting voice rang out, seemingly coming from all around her. She gripped the shaft of her axe tighter as she looked around for Gunn.

He emerged, battered but alive, from a small side room. He looked like he had just lost a prize-fight with a Truck but he still managed to smile at Willow.

"You did it!" He said moving slowly towards Mary's broken body.

Faith noticed his grin get wider, almost too wide, & her Slayer senses went into overdrive. Something was seriously wrong with Gunn, a fact made all too clear when he backhanded the body like it was made of paper.

She stopped listening to him, concentrating instead on something Buffy had told her about one night on patrol. Clearing her mind as best she could she tried to project her thoughts to Willow, hoping the Wiccans power would enable her to hear them.

Red, somethings not right with Gunn!

Then, as Mary's body started to pop & crack back into shape Willow's voice spoke a single word in her mind. Posessed!

Gunn rushed at her, sword raised, his face changing to look like Mary's. He moved with surprising speed & if Faith hadn't been expecting the attack he could well have landed a killer blow. As it was she only just dodged the wild downward swing of his blade. She tried to grab his wrist, hoping to disarm him, only to recieve a punch to the jaw that Buffy would have been proud of.

Ow! That hurt.....That was some Power-up she gave him.....

She saw the blade coming again in a wide horizontal swing, just managing to duck under it & popped him one square on the chin with a blow that would put down any normal human. He staggered back slightly & paused for a second but then came at her again. This time though there was almost a hesitation at the start of the swing, as if Gunn was fighting Mary's hold over him, and even his eyes were not glowing quite so red any more.

That's it bro, fight it!

She easily dodged the next two swings, but any thought she had of keeping him busy till Gunn could take back control were dashed when she saw Mary, completely reformed, heading towards Willow. Out of time she stepped inside the next swing & countered with a flurry of punches that knocked him back then followed up with a powerful sidekick that sent him flying into the already damaged column where he slumped to the ground in a cloud of concrete dust.

Man, punchin out the boss in the first week has got to be some kind of a record, even for me!

She turned to face Mary who was still moving slowly towards Willow.

"Hey Nosebleed! You want me to get you some Kleenex? You look like shit!"

Mary didn't react, still moving towards Willow who was now backing up saying the words of a new spell.

As Faith stalked up behind Mary she had an idea which she quickly projected at Willow, who smiled & nodded once in reply.

She covered the last few feet & grabbed Mary's shoulder, roughly spinning her round to face her. Mary glared at her with piercing red eyes.

"How dare you touch me! You are but an insect compared to me"

Faith stared back defiantly causing Mary to break into a slight smile. She took a step towards Faith & in a seductive tone added.

"I like your futile defiance. I could use a stubborn mortal like you....would you like to join me?"

Faith snorted "You're really not my type bloodbag....right now I just wanna kill you!"

Mary sighed "should have expected that from the Dark Slayer....nothing but a killer!" Off Faith's look she added
"Oh I know all about you Faith". She virtually spat the name, then with an evil grin added "Killed any innocent humans recently?"

She heard Willows warning in her head. Faith! She's goading you, anger & hatred feed her, they just make her stronger.

Faith frowned for a moment. "Well" she said as a grin to match Mary's lit up her face.

Without warning & with incredible speed, she put all her Slayer strength behind a swing of her axe at Mary's neck. The attack took her by surprise & she only just got her hand up in the way in time. But such was the force of the blow that it chopped straight through her hand & almost halfway through her neck. As Faith pulled the axe free Mary peered at her hand as the fingers started growing back.

"If you really knew me you would know I swing both ways....."

She reversed her grip on the axe & swung with equal force at the other side of Mary's neck. Again Mary managed to get an arm in the way, losing it in the process, & the axe cut nearly met where the other one was still healing. Again the arm started to grow back, but more slowly this time.
Mary stared at her with a puzzled look on her face.....

"and you would know that I have this really annoying habit of getting right in the bad guy's face, just when they should be concentrating on something more important....."

Mary's red eyes went wide as the blade of Cho's sword suddenly thrust out through her chest & started ripping upwards.....
 
Cho -Ahn flew to the air yet again hitting the wall making a hole in it the size of her body due to her going into it a few inches before falling out of it to the ground the sword in her hand dropping to the ground as she hit the floor & lay there dazed & aching all over as she did so .



Cho looked up to see what was going on & saw Marry looking all beat up & Gunn heading toward Willow with a smile on his face before backhanding Willow a number of feet away . Growing in anger Cho started getting up before falling again since one of her shoulders was dislocated . She got to her feet & slamming her body against the wall popped it back into place . “ I going to kill Gunn “ she said a look on her face that the First Slayer would be proud of as she grabbed her sword & headed back into the fight . Cho seeing Gunn fighting Faith was about to run over & attack him when she got a message in her head from Willow



“Don’t attack him Baby He Possessed“ she said sounding nervous & scared , Sneak up on Marry instead “ she heard from Willow , Cho noded her head “Mary did try & take over my mind but the amulet helped “ she thought feeing how sore her chest was where she had it remembering how hot it had gotten when it had fought Mary off . She gripped the sword in both hands & started walking up behind Mary being very quite as she did so.


She wanted to run at Mary seeing her stalking Willow who was backing up but knew what had happened the last time she had done that keep it quite . Seeing Faith grab Mary & turn her Cho saw the chance to move faster & started heading toward Marry faster .


Cho heard Mary talking to Faith about people she had killed & got a vicious smile on her face “ That why Faith called the Dark Slayer “ she thought remembering another thing Andrew had told her while they were hiding in Buffy house . “And she still here helping so Mary doesn't know anything “ she thought sure of that since she hadn't said anything to her when Cho attacked her


Cho was listing to Faith & being very quite as she got behind Mary admiring how good Faith was at attacking her . And right when Faith stooped talking Cho sticked her sword thought Mary chest & ripped up opening her body up .


Cho forced her hand into the wound, & her fingers closed around Mary's still beating heart “ Nobody hurts Willow while I around “ she said in a deep growl burning with anger as she squeezed it & started to tear it out .
 
"Nobody hurts Willow while I around...“

"Oh, bless me... you want my heart sugar? All you had to do was ask." Mary said growling in pain as Cho Ahn plunged her hand in to the gaping wound. The wound healed over with Cho Ahn's hand still inside. Mary laughed, grabbing Cho's shoulders and pulled her close. In an instant, Mary's bleeding face was in Cho's....

"Now... give us a kiss!" Mary said playfully, as she planted a big bloody one on Cho's lips. The dark red blood now covered her face as it had done to Gunn's minutes before. Releasing Cho, she shoved her back into Faith. Toppling both women into a heap. she backed off a few paces, clearly phased by the additional damaged she received, but clearly not defeated.

"Slayers... I seen your type many times in all my years here. Little firecrackers, sure your strong now, but you never last. Goin' for the kill, never thinkin' about tomorrow. Now be smart Faith, your girl's going to be on my side soon enough. What I did for Gunn, I can do for you too... you won't be no sad second fiddle no more... " She said with a snide smile in her southern drawl.

"I'm immortal girlie, I am forever... a real power, and unlike the first, I don't have to get others to do my killin'" She said dramatically, threatening with a sickly sweet grin.

Gunn felt his body recover supernaturally, almost as if whatever was fueling Mary was being pumped to him. The magic she was imbued was stronger then he bargained for.

"But it is on occasion, fun." Mary said as she prepared turn engage them again.

'Charlie boy... I need you, and your gonna have some help... I just know Cho's going to be with us soon.' He heard her voice say in his head.

"Screw you! Cho Ahn's stronger then I am... you won't-" Gunn said, as he spat out blood. He was actively fighting her influence now. It wasn't enough, and slowly, his body obeyed her commands. Like a puppet on a tight string, his nervous system began to dance. Pain screamed through his mind like so many needles pricking him at once.

'Go with it.' He heard someone in his mind just then. Someone not Mary.

"What, who...?"

"It's me Willow. Go with it, let her in, all the way... if her possession works like I think it does, she'll show you where she's weakest."

"Get up... you little mortal and help me!" Mary screeched.

'Wait your plan is for me to get totally taken over? That's not a plan!' Gunn complained.

'Trust me, on the outside she's a freaking titan, but controlling that much power has to have a serious downside. I know magic, and there will be a way to shut her down.'

Angel, Faith and Wesley had all trusted her, and despite his reservations, Gunn relaxed his mind, and in moments, he was no longer in the heat of a battle. He was... somewhere else...

----

Medieval... England...

He could tell by clothes alone...

A woman in a black medieval gown kneeled before an executioner. The man bore a massive axe. The crowd yelled obscenities as the prostrating woman. He couldn't tell her crime, but whatever it was had made everyone raging mad.

The chants of kill her and the ravings of other women in the crowd was enough to make Gunn sick to his stomach.

"This... is me." The woman said turning her head to Gunn ever so slightly. "I die a thousand times... and this is always me." Mary said in almost a half wail.

"You live here. In this moment?" Gunn looking around as everything seemed to be moving slowly.

"Hate is power, rage and anger fuel, humans... they feed my every step." Mary said as the axe seemed to be perpetually moving downwards, but never quite reaching her neck.

The scene changed to a small cottage somewhere in the vast wide open fields, it looked to be somewhere with mountains, and farms. In the open field, several people were lying dead, and Mary was in the middle of them all, wearing a stunningly white dress and covered in blood. Time didn't seem to have meaning here.

"When I came here the first time, I had no idea how much food their was. How rich it was. In my world, hate is rare, and anger fleeting. Here I feasted night and day... I didn't know my own strength." She said and looked around with almost no emotion.

"Stay with me... I'm always alone... always ripped from one side to the other. Every time it feels worse then the last...Let me stay..." Mary said in a pitiful state, she was covered bruises and cuts, kneeling now all alone in the empty field with nothing but carnage for miles around. A battlefield, where men in skirts and mail, had shed each other's blood, had she been the cause, or were they fighting her?

"I'm, sorry." Gunn said mournfully. But then he realized she wasn't speaking to him. It was then Gunn saw another figure approach. He was covered in tattoo's, and bore a cloak that made him look like a classic druid. He whispered words...

Kruvinoji Marija trys

No! You cannot-!

trys

Please... not back there... not again...

trys!

The druid yelled the words once more and held forward something that shimmered brightly. Mary seemed to panic, then her form vanished, the man dropped the shiny object and shattered it with a rock-

"You aren't supposed to be here!" Mary screamed in his ear and he was brought back.

---

Faith was hitting Mary with everything thing they had, and Willow was preparing another magical attack. Through Mary he could feel she was simply feeding as she usually did, she didn't need their anger to get stronger, the longer she was in this world the tougher she would get, and they didn't have long before Cho... there was only one solution.

Willow... a mirror, we need to send her back through a mirror!

Kruvinoji Marija... trys trys trys!


Gunn said to Willow with whatever was left of his mind. While Mary's control pulled his body upwards and to his feet, he tried to get his mouth back in order.

"Faith, Cho Ahn, keep her busy... gotta give time for Will- to.... for Willow to..." He struggled to reassert himself, but Mary wasn't having it.
 
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Cho started pulling Mary heart out & had managed to get half of her hand out before the wound closed up around it . Cho manged to rip her hand out but not before Mary was able to kiss her causing her face to be smeared with blood . Then Cho felt her self being thrown at Faith & them both hitting the ground separate . Cho hit her head on the ground & just laid there .



Cho heard Mary in her mind telling her to get up & fight for her & yelled NO in her mind . Cho saw her girlfriend in High School being picked on & not being able to fight for her like she wanted to because her Watcher said to keep a low profile . She saw Chloe face & her keeping the fact they were close from everyone because she didn't tell everyone she knew how to speak English . “I failed the first two times but I not going to fail this time “ she thought her mind ablaze with anger at Mary . The fire in her mind merged with the fire from the Slayer in her mind & she threw her out of her mind for the most part.



Cho could hear Mary trying to get her to get to her feet but thanks to the fact she was partly in control of her body keep slipping as she tried to get to her feet. ‘ Cant fight her physically but I can distract her “ she thought as she keep failing to get to her feet while trying to wiggle away . Cho knew it wasn't much but also knew she was still fighting Mary & that was all that counted .
 
Faith was fast running out of options. She had hit Mary with some of her best shots & it didn't even slow her down.
To make matters worse, Gunn was back on his feet ready to attack her again & it looked like Cho had been infected with that creepy mind control blood as well.
Faith couldn't fight all three of them on her own...one at a time maybe, but not all at once....
She glanced across at Willow who seemed to be distracted, searching for something....

"Red, could use a little help right about now!"

Backing slowly away from Gunn, who was grinning like something out of a horror movie she noticed the light catch something on the floor, it looked like a small bone coloured knife. As Gunn moved towards it she suddenly lunged in his direction. As she got close she bent at the waist & aimed a flat footed kick to his chest sending him flying backwards. In the same movement she dragged a hand along the ground snagging the small knife.
Hoping no one had seen her pick it up she sneaked a quick look at it. A brief glance was all she needed, she recognised what it was & what it could do....had seen Angel use one once.
With Gunn down, again, & Cho still fighting the possession she turned her attention back to Mary.
Mary waved cheerily, almost comically....

"Hello, remember me?"
Her face darkened
"The one you tried to decapitate you ungrateful halfbreed...."

She stomped towards Faith fists clenched, her eyes glowing like pools of molten metal.
Faith waited until she was almost on her then swung a massive right hook towards her chin. As expected, Mary blocked the punch, nearly breaking Faith's arm in the process, but she ignored the pain as she used her left hand to ram the bone knife into Mary's throat as hard as she could. The knife was angled up towards where the top of the spine met the base of the skull & she used the palm of her hand to force it in as far as it would go.
Mary screamed & staggered back.
The scream seemed to be in Faith's head more than her ears as Mary desperately clawed at her throat trying the get hold of the end of the knife to pull it out. The pain seemed to have weakened her control over the others too as Cho started crawling away & Gunn, who had climbed to his feet again, collapsed in a heap on the floor.
Sensing her chance Faith ducked & shoulder charged Mary like a linebacker, picking her up & bodyslamming her into the already damaged pillar. With a loud crack the pillar broke in two & Faith dived to the side as the top section of the pillar came crashing down on top of Mary followed by a large piece of the roof.
Faith rolled & vaulted back to her feet scanning the roof to see if any more was in danger of falling in on them.

"Red, what ever you're gonna do, do it now!" "I've a feelin that lot isn't going to keep her down for long!"

She saw Cho was on her feet & making for the door & Gunn was sitting up groaning holding his ribs. She hauled him to his feet & started dragging him towards the door...

"C'mon man we gotta go...."

Willow appeared beside her & started to chant holding something out in front of her at arms length.......
 
Cordelia Say im wondering where are they now?. No one wonder im still alive?. I wish i was in Sunnydale and be with Xander. I miss Xander and Buffy and Giles, i was so silly and naive in la and working with Angel. Cordelia still continuing to walk and look for her friends.
 
Willow... a mirror, we need to send her back through a mirror!
Kruvinoji Marija... trys trys trys!

A mirror. Where the hell can I find one of those? Willows face lit up when she had an idea.
She looked around at the horrible scene unfolding around her, Cho-Ahn looked like she was almost about to give in the the womans power. "Just keep distracting her guys!" Willow ran to the car outside and tried to pull off the rear view mirror when Mary staggered outside.
"You cannot defeat me witch! You think you are so powerful. You don't stand a chance!"
With one hand Willow used her magics to push her back into the wall while dismantling the mirror with the other hand.
"Bored now." Willow smiled. How dare he tell her how to destroy me! Fear had consumed Mary. "What was that chant again? Oh right, Kruvinoji Marija. Trys trys trys!"
"I won't go back again! Noooo!" Mary shrieked. Her body started to twist and bend into a way no human body ever should. Her energy evaporated from her body and travelled into the mirror leaving behind a bloody mangled corps.
Willow looked at the car mirror. Marys bloody face had now appeared, her mouth gaping open in a soundless scream.
 
The voice in his head screamed...

"I want to stay... stay... stay... st-" Mary's control quickly vanished, banished back to whence it came.

"It's... done." Gunn said coughing a little as he regained control. Faith seemed to have saved him from being crushed as the warehouse collapsed.

As if mirroring the building's fall, Gunn collapsed, his body worn out by at least three separate beatings. She was gone, ripped from this world like splinter from a finger. He gave a look to Faith, a gaze that said thanks and sorry at the same time, words would come later.

The loss was jarring, as if someone had grabbed a piece of his soul and crumpled it like paper. Still he was alive, and conscious, so that was a plus.

"She, she was lonely. Alone... for centuries, maybe longer. All that solitude..." He said aloud, relaying to the team what it felt like to be in that things head. "I almost feel sorry for her." Then he took a look at the injuries it had inflicted on Faith.

"Almost." he corrected.

"I think... I need... a vacation." He said wistfully. Trying to sit up and survey the rest of the team. Faith and Cho-ahn looked a little better then him, but triumphal none the less. He smiled at them through a bloodied lip and black eye. The team had prevailed and it was all thanks to-

"Willow...I-" He stopped himself, realizing the physical violence he had inflected on her. He got to his feet, like a boxer after the final round. Leaning against Faith's powerful shoulder, he gathered himself, and turned to attractive the young witch who'd just saved all their lives.

"I-, I'm sorry guys. I know it wasn't me... but still," He said, his cheer at winning diminished by his knowledge of the pawn he'd been just moments earlier.
 
Faith brushed the dust off her jacket & slowly stretched her limbs, quietly checking herself for damage.
Though it looks like Gunn got the worst of it...mostly from me. Man why do I always end up hurtin the good guys?
She thought sadly as she finally got a chance to see how badly banged up he was.

"I almost feel sorry for her........almost"

The look Gunn gave her made her feel a whole lot worse.
Man I just put you down three times & you look at me like you're grateful....?

Faith was beginning to feel real uncomfortable & had to resist the urge to turn tail & run. That wasn't her any more, but it didn't mean she found gratitude any less un-nerving.
She had to look away when he came & stood a little unsteadily next to her & leant heavily on her shoulder as he spoke to Willow
Guy's in pretty bad shape & now he's sayin sorry to Red.

Gunn had just taken his place on the long & ever growing list of people Faith owed an apology.....

In the distance her Slayer hearing started picking up a siren headed their way.....it was time to move!

"Someone must have heard that lot come down & I for one don't wanna be the one who has to explain to the Cops why we trashed that warehouse....we need to go, now!"

Faith helped Gunn into the cab of his truck as fast as he could move, "You Drive" he grunted & scooted over into the middle of the seat holding his side painfully. Faith didn't have time to argue so she slipped behind the wheel & fired the truck back into life as Willow slid in beside Gunn from the other side. Cho hopped in the back & slapped the roof "Go!" she called.

Faith pulled away quickly & headed back the way they had come. They had not gone far when two patrol cars screamed past in the other direction. She held her breath for a moment but the Blue lights continued on their way.

She tilted her head slightly & glanced at Gunn

"Where we headed.....You need a hospital?"
 
Cho -Ahn got to her feet swaying a bit at first . She could almost hear Mary in the back of her mind begging to be let in & she wasn't sure if Mary was totally gone .



She looked over at the rest of them & saw that she was a whole lot more banged up then everyone except Gunn . He looked bad & since he was normal he could really be banged up . “ Guess he wishes he didn't follow me “ she thought to herself. “He so owes me some new clothes “ she said picking things out of her hair . Cho -Ahn saw Willow & started moving over to her but stopped when she saw what was on her clothes & decide to wait until she had taken a shower & got new clothes on her . “ She won’t like me hugging her with my clothes all matted with blood & Vampire dust “ she thought looking around & then picking up her weapons & putting them away with one hand since her other hand was hurting .





Cho looked over then at Faith . She had been every bit as deadly as she had thought . “ She really is the Dark Killer just like Andrew said “ she thought getting a bit nervous now that she knew that there was some truth to what he had & that he wasn’t just making that up.



Cho -Ahn hopped that what Faith had said about going both ways she was just making it up because if not she was so going to stay away from her since who knows what Faith might do to her or Willow since she didn't have anyone around who knew how to fight Faith . She patted her jacket & felt that her phone was still in one place . “Have to call Eve later & tell her all about this . She might have a idea on what to do about Faith “ she thought as she got close to them.



Cho – Ahn heard the sirens at the same time as Faith did & was already heading for the door & knowing how messed up she was didn't get into the car but waited beside it while they all got in it . She then hopped into the back her legs working all right & after banging on the roof & yelling “ Go “ hung on to something since she knew Faith driving was fast/bad.



She held her breath as the cops came up & relaxed when they speed by heading to the Warehouse knowing they were out of trouble for the moment . “ Hospital ?? “ Cho -Ahn said in a shocked voice as she heard what Faith said . “I know 3 reasons why we can’t do that “..



“One my clothing all torn up & their blood splattered on it with Vampire dust coated on it .

I got 2 broken fingers on my left hand & my right shoulder is dislocated . I got a broken nose which made my face bloody not counting the blood I got on my face when Mary kissed me . Plus I god deep bruises on my neck from when she Choked me . And I got blood half way up my right arm from when I tried to tear out Mary heart “ she said .



“Two . You look beat up too Faith & the fact I a lot worse could cause them to try & arrest you for beating me up & we don’t want to happen even if you have a clean record which I for one don’t know “.



And third “ Cho - Ahn said . “Even if Gunn can afford it do we really want to leave behind a paper trail since we don’t know what will happen after we get there “ She said to them looking back & forth as Faith drove .
 
"No hospitals...", Gunn announced simply. He limped forwards, clearly in a lot of pain.

"Got some meds and supplies back at the office. I'll be...fine", he winced slightly and continued. "Besides I have this thing about hospitals..."

He stopped to look at his battered friends.

"Cho... im sorry." He said clearly.

"This was my fault guys",He announced.

"I... I followed you. I didn't trust you and... well there aren't any excuses that will change what I did."

"A friend of mine made that mistake once... almost ended our friendship...and another told me that part of being a leader means knowing when you're wrong, and being humble enough to admit it. If we trust in each other, we win."

"Well... I hope I can earn your trust... and maybe we can work, you know, like a team... work... thing."

Man how did angel manage to sound so heroic when he did the speech thing. He thought to himself.

Sirens blared in the distance, as fire team and police approached.

"Thats our cue..."

He shambled forward with Faith back to the office with the crew in tow. The early morning hours were beginning, and the glowing street lights illuminated thw battered warrirors as they headed home.

....

In the bathtroom he applied a bandage to the bridge of his nose, he called out to Faith.

"Hey next time im posessed by evil incarnate, can you do like a vulcan neck pinch... thingy?"
 
They all wandered back into the office without another word. Everyone was too tired & lost in their own thoughts to speak right now.
Faith dropped her axe by the door & after liberating a beer from the fridge in the small kitchen flopped down on a chair in the main office. She saw Gunn head into the bathroom to clean himself up while Willow & Cho went into the back room talking quietly between themselves.

Faith looked down at her hands. The cuts & bruises were already beginning to heal, but the blood remained.
Once again she had the blood of a friend on her hands....literally! Although part of her understood that putting him down had been her only option short of taking another Human life it didn't make it any easier to look him in the eye.
Thoughts of hurting people she cared about made her thoughts turn to a certain Blonde Slayer....

Why do I always end up hurtin the ones I.......

"Hey next time I'm possessed by Evil incarnate, can you do like a Vulcan neck pinch... thingy?"

Gunn's voice from the bathroom snapped her out of her dark thoughts.

"Hey Bro, if you will keep chargin into danger like a red shirt I wouldn't have to keep savin your sorry ass!"

Gunn peered round the door at her, one eyebrow raised.

"You know I wouldn't have had you down as a Trekkie?"

Faith chuckled slightly
"When you're locked up in prison you get to watch all kindsa shit on TV"

Gunn's smile faded & he shuffled out of the bathroom & slowly lowered himself down onto the chair behind his desk.
"Right....Guess you do. Thanks anyway.....for saving my ass that is.

Now it was Faith's turn to feel uncomfortable so she brushed it off like she always did.
"We had to come save you....you're the dude with the money. Besides, if I let some batshit crazy chick recruit you into her gang I would have to take charge here & being a leader ain't my strongpoint...been there, didn't end well."

Faith took a long pull on her beer & got to her feet heading into the now empty bathroom. She held her hands under the warm water washing away the dried blood of friend & foe alike before splashing some onto her face, until finally she looked up at her reflection in the mirror. Dark tired eyes peered back at her from a face lined with streaks of Vampire dust running down to her jaw where a large bruise was slowly turning from black to a sickly yellow.
She just stood there for a moment before letting out a long sigh & bending down to wash her face properly. That done she started pulling a comb through her hair until a thought struck her.....
She stepped back out into the main office

"Hey Gunn. That crazy chick Mary wanted you to join her gang yeah? She even asked me......"

Gunn nodded frowning.

"Did she say what she wanted you for....?"
 
((for sake of time I'm fast forwarding to the next morning.... there is enough room in the office and the room above to sleep five, assuming Gunn slept on the couch))

Gunn sat down gingerly, as he had a moment to himself. Unlocking and opening the lower left desk drawer, he withdrew a small vial of red liquid . He took a quick peek around to see if anyone was looking. Assured he was alone, he uncorked the top, and gulped it down. He breathed deep, and quickly put the vial back. Locking the drawer back, he leaned back in the chair... as the effects of the tonic took affect his mind reeled.

He could feel torn muscles slowly recovering, and then a rib pop back into it's proper place. The rejuvenation was slow, and painful, but Gunn had learned long ago to stifle the pain, as he bit down on the end of a tough peace of leather. The worst moments were always the first, and the potion was slowly losing it's effectiveness. He didn't mind it though... compared to having ones heart cut out a few times a day for a few weeks, it was easy peasy. The potion did just enough to keep him going.

Hearing someone coming, Gunn straightened up doing his best to mask the changes happening, and flipped on the police scanner on his desk. Minutes passed, and Gunn just listened as various reports of violence filtered in. He laid down on the couch... pulling a coat over himself, and falling asleep.

"Got a 217 on 5th street, responding now-"

---

Good setup.

Wes?

I would prefer more windows...

You're not here.

I'm always here. Faith is good for you. Not sure if you're good for her. She's dreamy though.

I'm talking to a ghost. A new first... love those.

Or maybe I'm just your repressed emotions about the past pushing into your unconscious state.

You know you were less nerdy when you were alive.

Occupational hazard.

What is?

Death.

Suddenly Wes's face turned into a skull and screamed-

---

Gunn woke up with a start. Faith was there... and he had to shake off what he'd just seen.

"Hey Gunn. That crazy chick Mary wanted you to join her gang yeah? She even asked me......"

Gunn gave Faith a look at the last words. He knew that Faith had struggled before with the whole good and evil dice roll, and the look he gave showed a moment of understanding of how disturbing that could have been. Faith was an interesting customer, every time he thought he had her pegged, there was a new dimension that made him rethink his assumptions. Gunn nodded.

"Did she say what she wanted you for....?"

The question was direct, and Gunn swallowed hard and nodded slowly. Feeling better Gunn stood up slowly. He shut off the radio, and opened the small filing cabinet near the desk. He withdrew two small glasses, and bottle of scotch. He poured himself a finger scotch. He offered the same to Faith. Cho Ahn and Willow hadn't left the side room in a while, and so Gunn let them be. Red and the new slayer seem to have a growing bond, and Gunn wasn't about to interrupt it.

"No... not in so many words. It was more like a feeling." He said as he put the glass to his lips.

"She kinda made it sound like there was some big fight coming. A battle... a reckoning... something big... something bad." Gunn mused to the dark haired woman whose presence was oddly calming to Gunn's mind.

"So happy fun time for us." He said sarcastically. He he took a sip, and then another.

"That's the second big player to want us dead or on their side. So we're popular .... weird." Gunn replied tapping his finger against the glass thinking it over, and sitting down on the leather couch.

"You um... ever get weird dreams?" Gunn asked, remembering something Wes had said.
 
Cho- Ahn looked at Gunn as he said that he was sorry for following her ‘ OK” she said back not wanting to yell at him any more . “Well that one good thing that happened “ she though rubbing her nose & almost hearing something in her mind . Cho-Ahn shook her head to get the voice out of her head & followed the rest of them to his office hearing the police sirens in the background as they went back.

Cho-Ahn looked over at Willow “ I sorry if you got hurt in there & thanks for saving me back there from Mary “ she told Willow thinking that if it hadn’t been for Willow helping her & the Amulet Eve had givin her she wouldn't be there right now

Cho -Ahn shivered as she could still remember Mary begging her to help her & wondering if she ever forgot how desperate Mary sounded right before Willow sent her away .


“ I need a shower before I do anything “ she said to Willow wanting to stay with her but needing to get the stuff off of her before it caked on her . Cho-Ahn picked up one of her bags & went in the bathroom pulling off her clothes & dropping them on the floor knowing she would have to throw them out since they were so messed up .


Cho - Ahn could see the water running red for at least 5 minutes before getting everything off of her body & grabbed a towel out of her bag thinking she add it to the stuff Gunn owed her & after drying her self off taped up her nose & fingers so they grow right & slipped on some underwear & some sweet pants & a tank top so nothing would rub against her shoulder while she slept dumping her torn clothes & towel in the trash can in the bsthroom


“Willow ?” she called going into the side room they were sharing & saw Willow in bed sound asleep “Good idea “ she said getting in bed too & falling asleep too.

Cho - Ahn woke up cuddling with Willow her head on top of Willow enough so her nose was buried in Willow hair & both of them holding on to each other . Cho was feeling so fine she closed her eyes again to breath in Willow scent loving how it smelt before finding out she didn't hurt anywhere even though it should have taken the rest of the day for everything to heal . “What did you do ?” Cho -Ahn said she thought in her mind but instead out loud . Willow work up & pulling back a few inches looked Cho-Ahn with a puzzled look on her face “ We need to talk “ she said softy not moving her hands off Cho body . “Sounds good because I need to talk to you too “ Cho -Ahn said back .




Just then Cho Stomach growled “ I think I should get something to eat before I eat you “ she said before seeing Willow blush & mentally face palmed her self as she figured out what she had just said & blushing left the room fast .


Cho-Ahn was quite as she left the room since she was in her bare feet & went into the bathroom & while in there thought about how Gunn had said how sorry he was for following her & how he had said he was wrong . “ Sounds like he hasn't done that before but he did say he was just starting out so “ she thought before thinking that Faith was even more scary then she had thought & going into the main room heard Gun talking to Faith & once the were done walked in & sitting down puts her feet up on the table .


“There 5 things I need to tell you two “ Cho -Ahn said to the two of them just wearing sweatpants & a sleeveless tank top looking perfectly healthy not knowing how Willow had done that but not asking questions about it .

1. Where can we get breakfast & you owe me some new clothes .

2. Do you always get in fights like that because if so I might be leaving .

3. I can almost hear Mary voice in the back of my head still begging & how about you two since I felt that she wanted our help fighting something

4. Gunn you looking well for someone who was beat all up .

5. You were very good in there Faith but I have to admit I was scared seeing/hearing what I heard about you is true “ she finished with bending the last finger down .



Cho -Ahn looked nervous then “ And speaking of weird dreams I had one last night & Chloe came to me in it & “ she gave Faith a nervous look “ she told me what going on here except for the name of the people against us & that was because they hear it “ she said knowing that the government listened for key worlds on the phones they taped so why not a magical version .



Cho- Ahn thought while she was waiting for someone to answer her that if it wasn't for Eve she wouldn’t have keep her own mind & figured she really needed to talk to her face to face since she couldn't tell them she had the amulet .
 
“There are five things I need to tell you two"....

"Five...Cho... seriously? It's like seven in the morning... there's got to be a rule against lists before nine..." Gunn said still trying to shake off the sleep he'd been in a few moments before.

Faith had barely had a moment to react before the list came rolling out. Gunn swallowed a bit of alcohol to prepare himself.

"One...Where can we get breakfast and you owe me some new clothes..."

Gunn tilted his head at suggestion he owed Cho Ahn for new duds, but a look from Willow made him think better of voicing his discontent.

"Ok...I can spot you for breakfast... the clothes, I think there's a little shop uptown that owes me a favor or two. But nothing fancy, were not exactly rolling in dough here." He said preparing himself for the rest of what he was sure was not a list of fun things.

"Two... Do you always get in fights like that because if so I might be leaving."

Gunn put the glass down and smiled back at the young slayer.

"Always? No... but on occasion a good throw down can be a way to clear the cobwebs out. Last night was rough, but that's the job. Sometimes fighting evil means getting your bell rung, losing an eye, and wondering what the number of that mack truck was." He said stretching his arm and shoulder where the tonic had done it's work.

"You're a slayer, that means... well, hell if I know what that really means. But if it's anything like Ms 'kick-a-lot-of-ass' here, it means you heal fast, and can kill just about anything that goes bump in the night..."

'Also it means you look damn amazing while doing it, and sometimes you enjoy it way more then you should.' Gunn thought to himself, but didn't dare say it aloud.

"If that isn't you, you're welcome to check out. Ain't no shame if this isn't your deal. This job? You're gonna get your hands dirty. Fight or not, we'll still be here." His mind flashed back to all of the injuries he'd had while fighting alongside Angel.

"Three...I can almost hear Mary voice in the back of my head still begging and how about you two?... I felt that she wanted our help fighting something."

"Yeah... I got that too. Creepy huh? Oh, Creepy is also a part of the job. I should really write a handbook." He said musing to Willow.

"Four...Gunn you looking well for someone who was beat all up."

"Years of demon fighting has it's upsides, I've got a few tricks up my stained sleeves. We non-mystical types can't rely upon a superhuman healing factor, and creeps don't take vacations. Besides..." Gunn said bristling a bit at the question.

"You should see the other guys." He joked remembering that he did take down a few goons all on his lonesome.

"Five...you were very good in there Faith but I have to admit I was scared seeing/hearing what I heard about you is true “ she finished with bending the last finger down.

"Balls in your court on this one Faith." Gunn said as he got up to open the door to the kitchen area adjacent the small office.

He knew Faith hadn't answered his dream question, but that could wait. His stomach was speaking. Special tonic or no, food was needed.

"Willow, Faith? Toast or Whole Wheat Waffles? I'm also making eggs, but only scrambled. Don't ask why," Gunn said as he began grabbing utensils and ingredients. He remembered the first time Angel made him eggs. For a guy that had been dead for three centuries... he cooked a mean egg. He missed that man sometimes. He hoped that wherever he was, he'd approve of the new team, of Gunn keeping the whole operation running even without it's namesake. The only question was whether he could keep up with the slayers, the witches, and the incredible forces of good and evil seemingly around each corner.

Faith was a far better fighter then him, in almost every way, and even a few he couldn't fathom yet. Willow was a powerful mystic, and if Wes's report on her was true, the most powerful magic user on this and several other realms. Even Cho Ahn was a better choice to fight evil, she had the instincts of a great fighter, if not the experience. Still Faith seemed to trust him, and Angel had given him the ok to keep the name. He knew he could never be Angel, but that no longer mattered. The fight...the mission, that's what mattered.

He cracked the first couple of eggs, and shoved the thought aside for what mattered at the moment... not overcooking the eggs.
 
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Cho looked at Gunn "Neither am i but it not like i asking for a salary just to be fed & clothed . You cant fault me for that " she said to Gunn wanting to say more but Willow squeezed her shoulder & Cho didn't say any more .


Cho wanted to ask more when Gunn said that Mary had talked to him too but really didn't want to bring Mary up more since she could still almost feel her voice in her head & didn't want to bring it up more .


Cho frowned at what Gunn said wondering if he had made a pact or something to get better healing but didn't say anything since she was going to give Gunn a chance .

Cho -Ahn looked at Faith while sitting back waiting for her to say something . "Waffles & eggs please " she said to Gunn not looking at Gunn & giving Faith her attraction since she felt wary around her thinking "I so not going to tell Faith what Mary told me " while flexing her fingers .

Then remembered what was in her Jacket pockets & called out "You know any good pawn shops since all the ones i know are in Chinatown" she said to Gunn.

( I post for Willow latter )
 
( I subbing for Geo Bubbles as Willow right now)

Willow work up looking confused at the fact she was in bed with someone .
"I broke up with Kennedy so who am i with "Willow thought before looking down into Cho sleeping face .
Seeing that made Willow feel happy "She so much nicer than Kennedy. And i so glad she forgave me for what
i did in Sunnydale " she thought still feeling a bit guilty over what she had done to Buffy back there .
Buffy had always been there for Willow & she had thrown Buffy out of her own house . Willow had made up with
Buffy but she still hadn't forgotten what she had did then.

"I not surprised Cho-Ahn you were was scared of me since i wasn't showing my best side back in Sunnydale "
Willow whispered to Cho who was still sleeping . " I was such a mess back then & you losing your girlfriend
didn't help " she thought remembering how she had acted when Tara had died . Plus the fact she had not bothered
to find a way to talk to Cho had been another mark against her Willow thought .

"Here where i start making up for it all " Willow said looking at Cho battered body & putting a hand on Cho
shoulder sent some white magic into her body seeing the busies on her nose & throat go away as well as that on her
shoulder . When Willow could feel that she was all healed she stooped & feeling tired because of that rested her body
against Cho & felt asleep again .


Willow work up hearing Cho say something & looking at Cho puzzled since she was still not used to being in a bed with anyone &
then told Cho she needed to talk to her & hearing Cho -Ahn say the same . Cho opened her mouth to say something but Willow
beat her to it "I know you like me & i bending to feel the same . But you should know i haven't been with anyone for a long time .
I was hoping to see Fred here & finding her & Wes dead was a shock . I know you don't know those names but they both meant a lot to me " she said rambling a bit as usual. " And i don't know much about you & much of what i do is wrong so i like to get to know you some more before we leave the family section & i hope to show you the better side of me before you get closer to me since i would have been curious over how you came here but i want you not to be scared so i wont mention it & again & can we take it slow " Willow said before running out of breath .

"Slow is good as long as we not too slow " Cho -Ahn said a bit wide -eyed at how fast Willow had spoked to her causing Willow to kiss Cho forehead smiling .


Just then Cho Stomach growled “ I think I should get something to eat before I eat you “ Cho said causing Willow to blush before she could catch her self causing Cho to blush too before running away . "She looked cute when she blushed " Willow thought as she got ready & left the bedroom too .

Seeing Cho sitting in a chair walked over & placed a hand on one of her shoulders & keeped her calm while talking to Gunn & only letting go when Cho turned & looked at Faith waiting for her to speak.

"I so not getting involved with Faith right now "Willow thought looking away from Faith . "First she been avoiding me & then i never know about her & Buffy . Half of the time i think they going to kill each other & then there the times i want to lock them in a room until they work out their UST " Willow thought before hurrying over to Gunn not wanting to think of Buffy & Faith toghter right now .


Walking up to Gunn Willow said quietly " We really need to find out who brought Mary back to this place since she cant escape on her own & must have been let loose & there the chance they let her go again & this time she stay away from us " she whispered to Gun even thought she knew if the Slayers wanted to hear they would since they had such heighten senses.


"Also why was Mary trying to get us on her side & who would we then fighting " Willow asked . She then started making two plates of food from what Gunn was cooking . One big one for Cho & a much smaller one for her .


" And i know you used something magical to heal yourself & i hope for all our sakes it didn't come with a price tag
that we cant pay so don't think i not going to find out ' Willow said not looking at Gunn.

( I read over GeoBubbles posts & i didn't go off track. Just brought the relationship into the open )
 
Faith downed the shot Gunn had given her & shut her eyes letting the warmth spread through her.

Wow! That's the good shit! No wonder he keeps it locked away...

As she tipped the glass again, making sure she got the last drop of the golden liquid she noticed the worried look on his face & the way he was figiting with his glass. Something was obviously bothering him.

"You um... ever get weird dreams?"

The question took her completely by surprise.

Before she could come up with an answer to that Cho & Will entered the room saving her from having to answer a question she wasn't sure she really knew the answer to.......one that she was willing to let on anyway.
Her mind started to wander as Cho started giving Gunn some grief over the fight they had just had & she was just about to quietly sneak out of the room when Cho turned to look straight at her....

"Five...you were very good in there Faith but I have to admit I was scared seeing/hearing what I heard about you is true “

Everyone in the room turned to look at her & it took all her willpower not to tell them all to go to hell & bail....

Angel said there would be moments like this......oh well, time to face the music....

"Whatever you've heard about me.....probably all true. And my guess is you probably aint heard the worst of it."

She shoved her hands in her pockets & did her best to look Cho in the eyes.

"Yeah I've done some bad shit. Tryin to make it right, but I aint got enough years left on me to make up for all of it. If you're not comfortable around me...I can understand that, but I'm here to do a job. I'm here to right the balance, until someone puts me down.....Till then I'll keep swinging & die tryin."

No one said a word for a long moment until Gunn broke the silence by clearing his throat & asking what people wanted for breakfast.


Faith eat alone, away from everyone else.....she needed some time to think. Gunn's question about weird dreams was bothering her. She had never told anyone about the dreams. Never even really discussed it with Buffy. In fact the only reason she knew she wasn't totally crazy was because Buffy had confirmed that she was there too.
Normally she would never discuss anything so personal with anyone, she would just retreat behind her walls. But something about the dream she had shared with Buffy was nagging at her. Buffy had warned her that something dangerous was coming, something bad enough to worry even little miss Hey I've died twice & am still insufferably perky.....
Gunn deserved a heads up at the very least.....

Later she found Gunn sitting alone up on the roof again. She sat beside him looking out over all those people getting on with their lives totally unaware of just how many times the world had come close to ending.

"You ever hear about Slayer dreams?"

She was pretty sure Buffy had told Angel about them but Gunn's blank look told her he had kept it quiet.

"Is that anything like Cordelia's visions?" He replied frowning.

"Cordy has visions now? Wow, I'm way outta the loop.....she just thought she was one when I knew her....."

Gunn shot her a look but said nothing. After a moment Faith took a deep breath & started.

"Seems part of the Slayer package of extra's is weird dreams. They normally come as a kind of warning, don't know where from, but the warnings they give have an annoying habit of being right! Now here's the funny part....Slayers, there's only meant to be one. Me and B were not supposed to exist together so I think that's why I seem to be the one that gets dragged into her dreams to give her the low down on how to beat me, or whatever big bad she's facing this time."

She was silent for a moment while Gunn took all this in.

"Look I'm telling you this because I had one of those dreams yesterday. Only this Time B came to warn me that something bad was coming....she was cryptic as hell of course, but she seemed worried about it. An if this thing is bad enough to worry Buffy then we need to be payin it some attention...."

She let out a long breath. Staring out over the rooftops. Wishing for the third time in as many days she hadn't quit smoking....
 
The conversation between Cho-Ahn and Faith was terse, and Gunn was pleased that ended without sharp words. Maybe, just maybe the two of them were beginning to have an understanding. They were both so different, and yet he couldn't help but admire them both. They had gifts that Gunn couldn't fathom, strength beyond his, but power was nothing if you couldn't harness it, or make it work for you. Faith had clearly had her share of demons, literal and figurative, and had made at least a temporary peace with her darkness. Cho ahn however was yet to face her biggest tests. Perhaps it was fate that sent them to Charles' door step. Maybe it was they who needed each other, and not what 'ghostly' Wes had said.

Fate seemed to send him Willow... with words he didn't want to hear.

As she entered, Gunn could sense something. Her body language around Cho Ahn was different. But as she spoke, he decided to let it for the moment.

The breakfast was short, and the group seemed to enjoy a moment of calm as discussion turned back to the previous night.

"We really need to find out who brought Mary back to this place ...since she cant escape on her own, someone must have let her loose and there is a big chance they let her go again. This time she might stay away from us."

"So, she was summoned. Hmmm... still doesn't answer why, or who did the summoning." Gunn said grimacing. There were a lot of players in town. Without some clue as to who did it, the theories were useless.

"She's a minion... with delusions of grandeur. Like Darth Vader... the real questions whose the emperor pulling the strings?" Gunn said walking over to the white board on the wall with a post it note with the word "Mary" written in red ink. He pasted next to a picture of the evil warlock who had attacked them the week before. He stood back and studied a few of the other players.

Various names of evil and not-so-evil groups and associations were strewn along the bottom. Some had names, others symbols and small pictures.

upload_2017-11-13_9-40-7.jpeg

"My bet is Wolfram and Hart." Gunn said with steely conviction that was not comforting.

As a former employee of evil south central, it's just the sort of chaos they like to spawn." Gunn confessed. Mary was dangerous, but not the one in charge. He studied the board carefully a moment until Willow said something else.

"...And i know you used something magical to heal yourself and I hope for all our sakes it didn't come with a price tag that we cant pay so don't think i not going to find out".

"It's called Seimei's Lament. A potion taken by Samurai's and warriors since the dark ages. I lose a month of my natural life with every drink. So, there is a trade off, but only to me. Instead of taking a few months, I'm back on my feet in a day. I don't get powers, I don't lose my soul, my eyes don't turn black..." Gunn said he approached his desk, and pulled open the drawer, grabbed a vial of the potion, and tossed it to Willow with a gentle move.

"You don't know me very well Willow... we need to have a chat." Gunn said with a bit of an attitude.

"Now, I respect and trust you, because Angel and Wes respected trusted you. But they also respected and trusted me too. When the world was on the line and things were looking bleak, they still trusted me. You may be the most powerful magic user in the world, but this is still my agency. I have a job to do, and I'm going take whatever risks I deem necessary to accomplish that job. It's not about me, it's about the people out there who don't know whats around the next corner at two a.m." Gunn said pointing to the board.

"I don't put the people I work with at risk without there consent. Now...the potion has a price, and I'm more then willing to pay it. I choose to fight evil, and when I take a week off people die. You wanna be on my team? Great... but you're going to need to respect my decisions, and help me figure out and maybe stop whatever is coming."

Gunn stopped. "Good talk." He said as he turned and left the trio to finish the meal. He found his way to the roof, where he had a moment with his thoughts, until Faith joined him.

"Seems part of the Slayer package of extra's is weird dreams. They normally come as a kind of warning, don't know where from, but the warnings they give have an annoying habit of being right! Now here's the funny part....Slayers, there's only meant to be one. Me and B were not supposed to exist together so I think that's why I seem to be the one that gets dragged into her dreams to give her the low down on how to beat me, or whatever big bad she's facing this time."

"Oh... so the two of you weren't..." Gunn had assumed there had been a totally different type of relationship between the two slayers. One that he hadn't dared mention. That didn't totally explain why there seemingly slayers in every country in the world now, or what they were up to. Still Gunn was taken a back by the revelations.

"Wow. That's... wow." Gunn had no idea just how complicated the life of a slayer was. He has learned in his time to listen however, and so he didn't interrupt as she continued.

"Look I'm telling you this because I had one of those dreams yesterday. Only this Time B came to warn me that something bad was coming....she was cryptic as hell of course, but she seemed worried about it. An if this thing is bad enough to worry Buffy then we need to be payin it some attention..."

There was that name again.

"Buffy... every time I hear that name it's either an apocalypse or the prelude to one." Gunn said cryptically.

"At some point I'm going to have to meet this woman. The way you guys talk, it's like she's the damn center of universe. She must be something else." He said looking straight ahead.

"You think I went to far in there? I mean.. Willow is the most powerful Wicca in the world according... if Wes was to believed. Maybe laying down the law with someone who can turn me into a melty pile of 'afterperson' wasn't the best plan." Gunn said musing aloud.

"We work well together... as a team... I mean." Gunn said folding his arms a little awkwardly.

"I'm no slayer... but I did have a dream. I saw Wes. He told me... things." He hesitated. He knew that he had some burgeoning feelings for Faith. But now was not the time. She'd been through enough, the last thing he needed was to complicate matters. One crisis at a time was more then enough.

"Maybe it was just a dream. But it felt real. He... told me that you're good for the... team. Also he was a ghost." He chipped in.

Faith shot him a look.

"Yeah, I know... must be Tuesday." Gunn lamented, as the crazy of what he said sunk home.
 
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Cordelia went to out to go to breakfast, and done eating a breakfast, and went to the magical foundain of water and make a wish. Cordelia make a wish to hers3lf out lound, **i wish Angel, or Gunn, or Wesley or Fred or Someone find her, and know that she is alive. Cordelia throw a coin in fondain and went to the park and sit down on bench.
 
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