Chapter Nine
"You find this amusing, Lord Henri?" Quentin asked. Twenty-one-year old Lord Henri Horace Kenticott was the only member of this board that he truly hated. Lord Henri was the man who had dared to call for a vote of no confidence before the entire Watcher's Council. The boy had come within three votes of having Quentin retired from the Council. The damned child who had used his House's standing, his twin sisters' beauty, and his own considerable charisma to steal a seat on the most prestigious governing Board in the Council. If Lord Winston was a hungry cat, then Lord Henri was a ravening wolf.
"Completely, old man," Henri said, smirking at Quentin. He then took his sisters hand and escorted her to the chair vacated by Roger. "I believe the term would either be 'game, set, and match,' or simply 'checkmate."
Travers bit his lip to keep from commenting on Henri's actions. The seats at the table were only for board members. Was the young monster putting his sister in charge of the seat he had been elected to? Not that that would make things easier for Quentin. If anything, Carlotta was even sharper and quicker than her brother.
"Like most of you, I was surprised at the news of the Reconfirmation," Henri continued. "But unlike the rest, even my old friend, Lord Winston." He paused to bow slightly to the older gentleman. "I had been prepared for it for some time." He pulled out a legal document and handed it to Quentin, much like Winston had earlier.
"As most of you know." Lady Carlotta began. "Neither my brother, nor my late father, have ever claimed to be the true Lord Kenticot. You have all made your jokes-behind our collective backs, of course-but the true Lord Kenticot is Lord William Samuel."
"And the time has come for Lord William to once again lead our House," Lord Henri finished with a tight-lipped grin.
Quentin gaped in wide-eyed astonishment like a prepubescent child before dissolving into hysterical, yet relieved laughter. "But Lord William disappeared one hundred and twenty years ago."
Lady Carlotta pulled her white blond hair back behind her slightly pointed ears and spoke one word. "Disolvo."
Her brother then handed him a picture-a very old picture. "Look like anyone you know?
The Gap, Sunnydale Mall
Despite his current whereabouts, William Kenticott was seriously relieved. Earlier that morning, a new Childe of the Order of Sinyea had risen, and his sixteen-year-old daughter had not reacted at all. A new Childe had risen and in every order there was only two ways to abstain from the lust filled orgies that such things inspired. To be Mated and away from your mate, or-and he smiled happily at his or-to be a virgin. He himself could hear the siren's song for sex, but without his mate nearby, it was but a faint melody. His oldest was completely oblivious. Life was good.
Joy had her tongue slightly out of her mouth as she shopped her way to revenge. It was one of the few times he had ever seen her enjoy buying clothes so much. Of course she was shopping her way to revenge, but still…very womanly of her. Would have made her mum proud.
He could have warned his younger self about the stupidity of buying his eldest pink, but honestly? There were some things a bloke just needs to discover on his own. Things like: never buy Joy anything pink, never interrupt Erin when she is meditating, and never, ever tell Buffy, 'but, love, that's no basketball. It's our baby,' when she is eight months pregnant
Doing any one of these things was enough to get the Summers-Kenticott revenge squad after you. He'd learned that the hard way.
To his experienced eye, Joy's pain through retail-and wouldn't Anya love that as well-was falling short of its mark. The silly chit had no idea how far a younger Spike would go to make his Buffy happy. The faded blue jeans and pastel colored, button-down shirts with matching sweaters might be more than her dad would wear, but the younger version would be willing to go much further to make the Slayer happy. He himself had gone much further than that. Then it happened.
The eldest childe of Darth Evilnella herself threw her piece de le resistance onto the counter and he almost bowed at her deep animal cunning and truly evil nature.
"Isn't this a little much, child?" he asked her, trying to mask his pride.
"My sensei always told me to never hold back, to attack with all of my skill and cunning," Joy replied as she bowed slightly to her father. "Because if I can do enough damage quickly enough, I may save the lives and pride of my team."
"You learned well, daughter," William informed her with a grin.
"Thank you, papa sensei," she replied before paying for the adult size super hero Underoos in Batman, G. I. Joe, and Barbie and Ken patterns.
Shuddering, William noticed that the Batman ones had a huge bat symbol covering the arse.
Mudville California State Prison
Faith Lehane was having a bad day. A truly terrible, all kinds of bad, things may never be five by five again day. Since she had been in prison, she had been on a self-imposed lifestyle of abstinence. It had been one of the ways she punished herself for her crimes. And until this morning it had worked. It hadn't been easy, but it had worked, and in some small way had made her feel better about herself. Until this morning when she had woke up so horny that she had literally been in pain. Since she had been such a model prisoner for so long, the guard captain had delegated Bubba to escort her to the med wing.
Now, fat-assed Bubba had been trying to screw her since she had gotten here, and she had been rather cruel in her insults to his masculinity, but not this morning…oh, boy! This morning, as soon as they had gotten out of sight, it had been Faith dragging him into a storage room and ripping off his pants. She had been pleasantly surprised that he was a bit bigger than the last guy she had been with, that soldier boyfriend of Buffy's. Even more so that even after he came so hard he passed out, good ol Bubba had stayed hard for more than an hour altogether. When he had been no longer able to perform, Faith had found herself forced to find someone else.
Enter young Brock, the buck-toothed, surfer-boy medic. If entering was the right term for having an opening forced upon you. Brock, however, had shown plenty of enthusiasm as they had demolished a sick room in their animal like couplings, but alas even young Brock had run out of energy eventually, and Faith had left the boy passed out on the floor with a toothy smile on his face.
Then Bubba had found her again as Faith had been hunting a restroom. Faith had been prepared to fuck the guy's brains once more when he informed her that she had visitors. Dawn and Joyce Summers, along with Wesley Wyndham Pryce.
She had barely been given time to wash off her face and to pee before being dragged out to see her visitors. She stank of old sex and sweat, which made the new Faith feel like a cheap whore. Even more disgusting was when fat-assed Bubba bumped into her and ground his cock into her ass, she wanted desperately to throw him on the floor and ride him at full gallop right there in the corridor. Give her a month with the guy and she would turn him into a lean, mean, sex machine.
She walked into the visitor's area feeling a deep mortification at what she was. She was trash and could never be better. Worse was the fact that her need for sex was still as strong as ever. It pained her to return to the lows she had lived in before, especially now that she had to face these three. Simply put; she loved Dawn like the sister she'd never had, and. Joyce was one of the few people that had treated her with any real kindness. Wesley? Wesley she owed big time. After all, she had tortured the guy.
As Faith entered the glass fronted booth she saw that Dawn was seated on the other side. She thanked whatever god might be listening for small favors. Dawn would be the easiest. She picked up the phone.
"I hate you," Dawn informed her through clenched teeth.
Okay, maybe she wouldn't be the easiest.
"I looked up to you, thought you were cool, and then you attacked my mom. My mom, Faith! I mean; beating on Buffy I understand, she is the uber bitch, and can defend herself, but my mom?
"I get that," Faith said slowly. "All I can say is I'm sorry."
"NO!" Dawn screamed. "You don't get to do that. You were this cool older sister that I wished I had, then this."
Faith looked across the gap of unbreakable glass. "Dawn," she began hesitantly. "You may never believe this, but I never wanted to hurt you or your mom."
"Then why, Faith?" Dawn asked with tears running freely down her face. "Were you possessed?"
"No. No, I wasn't," Faith answered, crying herself now. "But I was out of control. That's why I turned myself in. It's why I'm still here. This way, I won't hurt anyone else the way I hurt you guys."
"I don't know if I can forgive you," Dawn said looking Faith in the eyes for the first time. "But I do know that Buffy needs you, and that she's trying to get you out."
"What? Who? What?" Faith asked stunned.
"We have this Reconfirmation thingie that Buffy needs you for." Dawn stared at Faith with a questioning look before continuing. "It has something to do with this huge unknown evil that's rising. Which is weird, because we already had Glory, who-according to rumor-is a hell god. Now to fight this unknown thing, our side needs to get all of the warriors of the light on the same page."
"So Angel is-" Faith began, but Dawn cut her off.
"Angel is out of the picture," Dawn informed her gleefully, having never hidden her hatred of the broody one. "You want details, ask Buffy, but he's out of it."
Faith sat for a moment, wondering why this didn't bother her any more than it did. After all, Angel was the one who had helped her to decide to go to jail. Then it hit her.
"Dawnie, I can't leave here. I owe it to all of the people that I did wrong to stay."
The youngest Summers girl rolled her eyes before answering ruefully, "You gonna stay here and feel sorry for yourself, Faith, or come back to Sunnydale and do your job?"
Faith stared at her in shock for a few seconds before replying. "I love you. You know that, right?"
Dawn's eyes were still full of anger as she looked straight-faced back at Faith and answered in a droll tone. "I get that a lot. I'm just lovable like that."
Faith couldn't help her laughter as the teen was hustled away to make way for the next guest. Dawn's visit had turned out all right, but she doubted the next two would be the same. After all, she had tortured Wes and she had heard Scooby stories of Joyce attacking William the Bloody with an ax to protect her daughter.
When Joyce sat down, Faith felt herself draw up like a child awaiting punishment, possibly a severe beating. It got even worse when she heard Joyce's rueful chuckle.
"Relax, Faith," Joyce said soothingly. "I'm not angry with you. I was hurt at first, but I understand a bit of it now, and the thing is, we need you."
'Oh, great, Joyce,' Faith thought to herself. 'Make me feel even worse.' If Joyce had reacted in anger then Faith could have answered in kind, but Joyce being hurt just piled the guilt ever higher.
"You know, you were one of the few people that were ever nice to me," Faith said, studying the counter in front of her. "You were one of two people that I never wanted to hurt, and I hurt both of you."
"You ever think," Joyce asked gently. "That those of us that care about you are more hurt when you hurt yourself than when you hurt us?"
"I'm sorry," Faith said pathetically.
"I know," Joyce answered. "And it does get better."
"So," Faith began, hoping to change the subject. "How are you guys going to get me out?"
"Buffy has the Council pulling strings," Joyce answered.
"The Council?" Faith asked in a flat voice.
"Don't worry, dear." Joyce hurried to reassure her. "Buffy and Spike will be here to keep them straight."
"Spike? As in William the Bloody, Slayer of Slayers?" Faith squeaked. "Buffy is bringing the Council and the Slayer of Slayers to get me out of prison?"
Suddenly a six by six cell with Bubba and Brock wasn't looking too bad.
Meanwhile, back on Revello
Joy and her father knocked on the front door, both loaded down with packages and pizza. The pizza to feed the Orders newest childe, the presents Joy had designed her 'Aunt' and 'Uncle', and the gifts she had purchased solely for her dear 'Uncle Spike'. Somehow, Joy failed to be surprised when a very tired and bedraggled Buffy answered the door.
"So," Buffy said with a smile. "Spike's friend 'Spike' and the 'niece' he told me about."
"Yeah," Joy said, just barely refraining from rolling her eyes. She had grown up around her parents sexcapades and knew the look younger Buffy was wearing quite well. Right now, if she told her mom that she'd gotten blood on her favorite blouse while wrecking her new car, all Joy would get would be a dreamy smile. "Is it all right if we come in? We brought food."
"Uhm, sure," Buffy replied, seeming to finally break out of her trance. "I'll get Spike, or…the other Spike, or…oh hell, you know who I mean."
After she had stumbled off in a daze, Joy's papa glared at her. "Your mum and I are nowhere near that bad!" he protested.
Joy rolled her eyes at that bald-faced lie before turning away and waiting for Buffy and Uncle Spike.
tbc
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