The Spell Unspoken
by Nykademis
A Reconciliation of Sorts
[reviews]
Disclaimer: See Part 1
Rating:R for language
Archive: Here!
The Spell Unspoken/A Reconciliation of Sorts 10/?
______________________________
Jana shook the slight dizziness away. She remembered little of the past few days. Once she'd realized her heart had been stolen she'd concentrated on nothing, but how to get it back.
"Leah" her voice was low and rough. Her throat felt dry and her arms and legs were heavy. Whoever had taken her heart was draining it's power, quickly. "Leah" this time her voice was louder and carried through the heavy door that seperated her chambers from the rest of the house.
Leah rushed in at the sound of her name called again. "Yes Mistress. Are you feeling better?"
"What happened?" Jana slouched. Leah was one of her most trusted Minions. She was fond of the woman and trusted her not to take advantage of her weakness.
"These bouts of insanity are becoming more frequent and lasting longer" Leah approached Jana slowly not wanting to spook the woman. Even at her sanest, the missing heart caused the High Witch to be paranoid.
"Oh lord. Leah did I hurt anyone?" Jana faced the young woman with pain in her gaze.
"No ma'am. But you went to visit the little mystic" Leah offered "Do you remember that?"
"No. I didn't do anything to her did I?" Jana hoped she hadn't done anything to stress her friendship with Hakida. She'd been fond of the child.
"No. She was in the company of the Slayer, and a possible High Witch. Not to mention that rejected Vengance demon. You roughed Anyanka up a little but that was all" Leah smiled a bit at that.
"Why did I do that?" Jana wondered aloud.
"I don't know Mistress" Leah frowned slightly "But I think she insulted you somehow"
"Oh" Janamunta sighed "I sense something"
"Is it bad Mistress" Leah said panicking.
"No. Though our enemies seem rather interested in it. The desire to possess it is strong within them" Jana sat up straight "Whatever it is, it's heading right for them"
"For whom" Leah sat at the High Witches feet and gazed up at her lovingly.
"For the Slayer. And the little family she's created" Jana sighed sadly "But I cannot tell if it is friend of foe.
"Or both" Leah chimed.
__________________________________________
Kida stood in the shower shaking. She rinsed the last of the gooey substance from her hair and was preparing to wash and rinse a final time. She wondered what had caused to goddess to choose such a punishment for her. She knew Artemis wished for her to let go of her painful past and move on to her promising future. But some things she wanted to cling to for just a while longer.
Tears mixed with the water, and Kida let herself go for the first time since her family was destroyed.
Down the hall Dario felt the sorrow wash through her and knew that Kida was finally facing her past.
"What?" Buffy asked when she noticed the faraway look in Dario's eyes.
"Just praying" Dario whispered as she did just that.
"For what?" Buffy asked looking at the Mystic with concern.
"Peace" Dario opened her eyes and smiled at the Slayer.
"We could all use a little bit of that" Buffy smiled back at her.
Suddenly they both stiffened.
"My spidey sense just went wiggy" Buffy narrowed her eyes and attempted to concentrate on what her instincts were warning her about.
"So did mine" Dario admitted.
"Well I guess your alot better trained then I first thought"
Buffy and Dario leapt to attack positions at the sound of the unfamiliar voice.
"Calm down my goddess. You act like I'm a demon or something" The young woman joked holding out her empty hands as if to show she carried no weapons.
"That stands to be proven" Dario said and she relaxed. Buffy to relaxed trusting her new friends judgement.
"What are you doing here anyway. Don't you have a certain wayward Slayer to be gaurding?" Dario felt Buffy stiffen at her back.
"I am. She's here. Standing outside. She's not sure if she should come in or not. Or even if she should make herself known" the woman smirked at Buffy's stiff stance. "And I believe her cautiousness is for a damn good reason"
"She's here? Faith is here? In my yard? Oh god this is the 'last' thing we need right now" Buffy screeched at the top of her lungs.
A squeal could be heard from the room next to her's.
"I think you just woke the little one" Dario thumbed in the direction of the wall.
"Shit" Buffy sighed.
"Shit is right" Hakida agreed. She stood in the doorway wrapped in only a towel. Her wet hair dripping down her back. "Is she friend or foe?"
"That's for her to tell you" the woman said cryptically.
"We can't take that chance" Dario growled.
"You'll have to" the woman smirked.
"We can't dammit. Tinkerbell's here" Hakida stormed into the room coming toe to toe with the stranger.
"Permentantly?" jet eyebrows shot up. The stranger was surprised by the revelation.
"According to 'her' yes" Kida stressed the pronoun and flipped her head upward.
"Wait, wait, wait" Buffy waved her hands rejoining the conversation "I get the whole, you three knowing each other thing. But who the hell is this goth chick that just happened to bring Faith back the Sunnydale?" Buffy was once again nearly screaming.
"Faith's back" Willow's voice sounded small and scared "When, where, is she close?"
"Oh Wills" Buffy went to comfort the two redheads. The one she loved, and the little one who seemed made in her image who resided in her arms.
"Who's she?" Willow asked pointed her Buffy and Rowen free hand at the dark stranger.
"That's what I wanna know" Buffy turned to face the new comer with a stern look.
"She's Nerida" Rowen said semi-happily "She's a Mystic, like Dario and- Kida your hair!"
"She's a Mystic? Is she a good Mystic? She did bring Faith" Willow babbled before catching the last of Rowen's statement "Oh my your hair! It's- it's out, and it's longer"
"I like it" Nerida spoke reaching around to touch it. Before her fingers could connect to the dark strands, Dario's hand shot out and smacked it away "Ok got it don't touch your girl"
"Can we talk about the hair later" Kida pleaded "We gotta Rebel Slayer thingie to deal with"
"Yeah Faith" Buffy frowned. Could this day get any worse.
________________________________________________
"You....the cloud one!" Anya squealed when she entered the room "Your Hakida's mate. I know you are cuz the Shadowy one is Aika's"
"Um Anya" Xander said entering moments later "Calm. Being calm is a good thing"
"But I found out her who mate was" Anya whined "But I still don't know her name"
"We might not know her name but I heard Faith. I distinctly heard someone say Faith was back" Xander said semi-seriously.
"Yeah. And the shadow master here brought her" Buffy said glaring at Nerida.
"Nerida, Ne-ri-da, say it with me Slayer Ne-ri-da" Nerida said slowy as if talking to a slow child.
"I'll stick with shadow master" Buffy taunted.
"You little bitch-" Nerida sentence was cut off when a knock sounded at the door.
"Is she friend or foe" Kida demanded pointing down in the general area of the door.
"That remains for you to find out" Nerida said cryptically once again. She vanished in a cloud of purple light.
"She wouldn't bring something evil to us without warning would she?" Hakida questioned Dario frightened for the child in Willow's arms.
"I hope not" Dario whispered.
_____________________________________________
Dawn had gone downstairs to get a drink of water unable to sleep. She was still upset about meeting the child in the hallway.
Something about her gave Dawn the wiggin's.
The sudden unsure knock at the door didn't seem all the threatening to Dawn who had no idea what was going on upstairs. She answered it half paying attention and half going through the recognition she had with the child in her head.
"Well well, if it isn't the Summers baby"
Dawn froze when she recognized the voice "Faith"
"Ah so you do remember me?" Faith stepped over the threshold.
Dawn instinctually backed away when the Rogue Slayer advanced inside.
'Well atleast I know she's not a Vamp' Dawn thought as she backed away.
"What? Your not gonna offer me something to drink? Not gonna scream to big sis for help?" Faith taunted as she advanced further.
Dawn continued to back up "Are you thirsty? And I wouldn't scream for help unless you were gonna hurt me. A-are you gonna hurt me?" Dawn backed into the wall between the kitchen and the dining room.
"No. Well maybe" Faith flipped her dark hair back over her shoulder "But it'll be a good hurt" Fait continued to advance until her was flush up against Dawn's body. "What do you think the Slayer would do if she found out, that I put my tainted hands on you?"
"Put your hands on me how?" Dawn foolishly asked in her innocence.
"Like this" Faith said as she pressed her lips to Dawn's in a way that made the younger girl weak in her knee's.
____________________________________________
"The knocking's stopped" Anya pointed out needlessly.
"Does that mean she's gone, or does it mean someone answered the door?" Xander asked listening carefully.
"Everyone's in here" Willow pointed out.
"Everyone but Dawn" Anya said cheerfully.
"Dawn's asleep" Willow said holpefully "Or she said she would be when I saw her in the hall"
"Are you sure she's asleep?" Buffy hoped Willow would answer in the affirmative.
"I- I dunno" Willow's face dropped.
"I'll check" Xander rushed out of the room.
"Yeah and we should vacate" Buffy said gently ushering Willow and Anya out "No matter how good she looks in that towel, Kida need's to get dressed"
"You like her don't you?" Anya bugged "Buffy like's your naked friend in the towel Willow"
"Anya shut up" Willow grouched.
"She's like one of those furby things" Dario said loud enough for all five women to hear "It's getting them to shut up that's the trick"
Buffy and Willow's laughter erupted in the hallway.
_______________________________________________
Xander rushed back out into the hall after checking all the upstairs rooms.
"She's not up here"
The laughter immediately died.
"What? Oh god she answered the door" Buffy released Willow from the grip she'd unknowingly had on her and rushed for the stairs.
When she reached the bottom she froze at what she saw.
Dawn sat with her back up against a wall while Faith stood smirking over her. Dawn was staring directly into the Slayers eyes but she showed no fear.
"Get away from her Faith" Buffy growled ready to attack at a moments notice "Or I'll kill you where you stand"
"No" Dawn whispered so softly that both Slayers had to strain to hear.
"What?" Buffy asked confused by her sister's tone given how softly the word was spoken.
"She's on our side" Dawn said slightly louder.
"That's impossible" Willow said from the stairs. She'd come down when she'd heard Buffy's angry voice.
Willow's arms were empty and she moved to stand next to Buffy "She can't be good. She's like the evil skank incarnate"
"Skank" Faith scoffed "You just said that to my face? OH my Lord when did Red get a backbone?"
"About the same time you got a second chance" Dawn said standing. She moved towards Faith with a determined look on her
face "If your here to start trouble I think it's best to leave now"
Faith moved back as Dawn advanced, a parody of her entranced into the Summer's home.
"I'll be good. I promise" Faith help up her hands as if in surrender.
"Yeah good" Buffy scoffed under her breath "But for how long"
____________________________________________
"I don't think we need to worry really" Rowen tired to convince Anya to release her hold.
"Well, Willow said to hold you up here until she was sure it was safe" Anya pulled the child tighter to her and continued to face the door.
"Do you feel evil anywhere in this house?" Rowen huffed. She wanted to be in Willow's arms, not the annoying ex-deomons.
"I lost my seventh sense when they took my powers" Anya pouted.
"No you didn't. It's just harder to tap now" Rower rolled her eyes "Try?"
"Okay fine" Anya closed her eyes and cleared her mind attempting to actually 'feel' her surroundings. She felt anger, surprise, disbelief, and hope. But no evil.
"Your right. She isn't evil"
"So let's go downstairs" Rowen said persuasively.
"No. Willow will kill me" Anya said firming her hold on the child again.
Rowen sighed. She really hated being young.
______________________________________________
"You don't have anything to wear" Dario pointed out.
"Then I'll create something" Kida tried to think of something she'd like to wear.
"Why don't I dress you for a change?" Dario waved a hand as she silently invoked. A complete outfit appeared on the bed moments later.
Kida picked up each piece as if to inspect it "You get a kick out of this don't you" she said after a moment.
"No, I just wanna see you in it" Dario smirked.
"It doesn't even cover my midriff" Kida pointed out tossing the clothing back on the bed. she changed the length of the top with a thought. "Whoa"
"What did you do" Dario asked as she picked up the now longer shirt.
"It's never been that easy before" Kida took a deep breath.
"I think you just bent reality" Dario said her eyes widening "What exactly did the Goddess say to you when you spoke?"
" I dunno something about my lowly status" Kida tried to remember "Tell me again why they wipe parts of our memories away when we leave the sacred place?"
"Because if they didn't it would make life 'way' to easy" Dario joked.
"Sometimes I hate it when your right" Kida laughed.
______________________________________________