TITLE: Episode 11-Dark vs. Gray
SERIES: Faith, Rogue Slayer
AUTHOR: elizafan568
EMAIL: elizfaith568@yahoo.com
FEEDBACK: Yes, please.
ARCHIVE/DISTRIBUTION: This site. If you want to post on your site, just ask.
SUMMARY: The final battle with Zen.
SPOILERS: Buffy season 7 and Angel season 5
CONTENT/WARNINGS: Violence
RATING: Hard R
DISCLAIMER: All character are property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc. I do not own them. Written for fun not profit.
NOTE: Set post-"Not Fade Away".
Episode 11: Dark vs. Gray
"So Faith, how does it feel to have just doomed your world to eternal pain and suffering?" Zen asked with an evil grin on his face. He drew his sword and took stance.
"You want me, you bastard? Come and get me." Faith replied with a smirk as she braced herself for battle. Before Zen could make a move, however, Connor charged at him, axe in hand. Zen easily parried Connor's attacks and quickly knocked the axe from his hands and kicked him in the gut, followed by a knee to the face, knocking him down.
Faith charged Zen, her attacks fueled by rage, and more on the mark and flawless than Zen had ever seen. Zen, caught off guard, found himself backed up against the wall. *Her attacks shouldn't be this flawless and well aimed. What's going on?* Zen thought as he pushed Faith back and knocked the sword from her hand with a kick. Faith spun around with the motion of the kick and landed a kick of her own in Zen's hand, causing him to drop his sword as well.
Both combatants backed off and took stance. Connor got to his feet and the three of them formed a triangle of sorts atop the altar. "Well, I must say, your certainly at the top of your game, Faith, but it won't change anything." Zen remarked slyly as he dropped his guard. "Come at me. Lets see what your made of."
As Faith charged him, Zen fully expected to dodge her attacks with ease and catch her off guard as before. As he began his dodge as always, Faith matched in completely and her fist slammed into his face, making him stumble backwards, holding his face. *What the hell is going on her? She shouldn't have seen me move. Why isn't the spell working? Damn this bitch.* Zen thought as Faith came at him again and followed his movements again, landing a kick to his chest and a right cross to his face.
"So, it seems you finally figured out my little trick and broke it, eh? It doesn't matter. You're still mine!" Zen remarked as he charged Faith with a flurry of punches and kicks. She blocked some, others landed. They fought back and forth as Conner watch in awe at their speed and skill. Faith blocking and countering some of Zen's attacks and Zen doing the same to her.
Connor then charged Zen from behind and nailed him in the back with a flying kick, breaking his dance with Faith. She took full advantage and landed a flurry of attacks on Zen, stumbling him. A final spin kick to the head knocked him down for the first time. Zen rolled quickly across the floor and got to his feet while recovering his sword. Faith jumped back and recovered her sword as well.
"You're the first opponent to ever knock me down. Now, no more holding back. Prepare yourselves." Zen spat as an aura of dark power seem to start coming of him in waves. Connor and Faith braced themselves as Zen charged with unbelievable speed and fury.
******************
Lorne sat on the bed next to Willow as Gwen paced around the room. Lorne was caressing Willow's hand as Gwen wore a hole in the carpet.
"Could you please stop pacing and sit down and try to relax?" Lorne said, trying his best not to wake Willow.
"How can I? Right now, Faith and Connor are facing that bastard alone with the fate of the world at stake. How can I relax?" Gwen exclaimed as she continued chewing her finger nails.
"You get used to it…eventually. Although that's not something I'm proud of." Lorne answered back. Becoming rather complacent about such things was nothing to be happy about, but such as it was for people like them.
"That's it. If I have to stay her and wait, I'm gonna have to get drunk. It's that or I'm going to snap. You want anything?" she asked Lorne.
"God yes. Bring the whole cabinet if you can." Lorne exclaimed, giving up on being logical about it. Gwen headed downstairs to get whatever she could carry. Lorne hoped that they would succeed, but he had his doubts. Hopefully, the alcohol would cure that.
******************
Faith lay on the ground, bloody and beaten, her sword broken in half. Connor was being held in mid-air by the throat by Zen. "Out of my way, boy. This is out of your league." Zen snarled at Connor as he tossed him into the far wall, landing right next to an extremely frightened Andrew.
Zen walked to the center of the altar, Faith's blood coating his sword. With a flick of his sword, the blood splattered on the small statue at the center and the whole place began to shake. Faith pulled herself up, blood coming from her lip and a nasty cut on her right hand. It hurt just to breathe, much less move and fight. *No. I can't let this happen. The ritual has already started but maybe if I kill Zen, that'll stop it. it's the only thing left I can try.* Faith thought as Zen turned to face her.
"What's this? Still want more even though it is done? As the prophecy states: "The blood of the second Second will open the gates to the land of the Highlanders. Death will surround her and only the life's blood of herself, the dark one, and that of her first real professed love will close them. Which is something we all know you will never know, much less be able to express in the simplest way." Zen laughed as he looked up and saw a portal begin to form above them. Dark light and energy flowing around it.
Faith wasn't sure what the prophecy meant, but it didn't matter. Real love was nothing she would ever really know or be able to express. The only thing she could do now was kill Zen. It was all that was left before the portal could form.
Faith charged Zen with everything she had. He waved his hand and used portals to block all of her attacks. A kick to the chest sent her flying back onto the ground yet again. "Give up, Faith. It's over." Zen laughed, looking down at Faith with disdain. Again, Faith picked herself up and came at Zen. However, when he tried to make more portals, they wouldn't form and her attack landed, stumbling him backward. "What's the matter Zen? Powers on the fritz?" Faith spat at him, a mix of saliva and blood.
"Heh, the portal to my dimension must be interfering with my own portals. No matter, your past the point of being a threat anymore." Zen remarked as he charged Faith yet again. A flurry of punches and kicks knocking her back and spinning her around. Zen slashed across Faith's back with his sword, splattering blood onto the ground and again coating his sword with it. Faith screamed out in intense pain and fell to the ground.
Faith attempted to crawl to her feet but only made it to her knees, looking up at Zen with utter disdain. "Last chance, Faith. Join me and embrace your darkness…or die." he said in a tone of finality. Faith simply answer by spitting blood into his face.
"Pity." Zen said. He raised his word and charged Faith, aiming for her chest.
"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" Connor yelled out of nowhere as he jumped in between them, taking Zen's sword in the back of his shoulder, coming out the front and jabbing into Faith's shoulder, their blood mixing on Zen's sword as well as splattering onto the ground and each other.
"Idiot boy.' Zen remark as he withdrew his sword from them and tossed it to the ground. "Looks like I'll have to get a new sword, your blood has just ruined this one. I prefer using my bare hands anyways." Zen said as he walked away from the two to watch the portal clarify and await his brethren's arrival.
Faith looked up in complete shock at the nearly limp form of Connor leaning over her. "I…told you, Faith. I'd be there for you….ugh…no matter what." Connor whispered as he coughed blood onto the ground and felt the life draining out of himself.
"Connor…why? I deserve to die after all I've done. Why give your life to save me?" Faith asked, her heart sinking and how much she really cared for Connor becoming evident to her at last.
"Because…the world still needs you Faith….you're a good person…I need you…I…love you." Connor whispered out, his strength quickly leaving him.
Faith placed her hand on Connor's face and looked deep into his eyes. "Connor….I…I love you too. I really do." Faith said, tears flowing down her face. As she watched Connor lose consciousness, it hit her, the meaning of the prophecy. The one thing that she thought she would never have, much less to be able to fully and openly admit, she had just done. True professed love. Something impossible for her in times past was now a thing of fact. She glanced over at Zen's sword on the ground, coated with Connor and her blood. Faith bit back against the pain and laid Connor down on the ground, giving him a kiss on the forehead.
Faith stumbled over and picked up Zen's sword. "I suppose I should get rid of the riff raff before my brethren get her." Zen remarked as he turned back toward Faith. As he turned faith charged at him and yelled, "Zen, you bastard, this is the end!!!" Zen charged at her, coming at her with his fist raised. As they reached each other, Faith used the last of her strength to leapt over Zen's swing, going high into he air. As Zen looked up to follow her, Faith came straight down with the blood-coasted sword, right at his head, piercing straight through his face and coming out the back of his head.
As Faith landed on top of Zen, the sword, still in his head, stabbed into the statue in the center of the alter. The blood of Faith, Connor, and Zen splattered all over the statue. Faith bent down to Zen's face as his life left him. "Looks like I just made your whole race my bitch." Faith spat at him. A giant flash of light and power erupted from the altar, knocking Faith back into the wall. Faith looked up as the portal closed and Zen screamed out in pain as his body dissolved into nothing.
*I did it. I really did it. I saved the world, but at what a price. Connor…* Faith thought as darkness overtook her and she lost consciousness.
*****************
"Faith."
"Faith, can you hear me?"
"Faith" a voice called to Faith, seemingly from miles away. Faith opened her eyes to find herself in a hospital bed. If it was one place Faith couldn't stand, it was hospitals. As her vision slowly returned to her fully, she could make out Gwen, Andrew, and Willow standing over her. "What the hell happened?" Faith asked, her voice low and raspy.
"Well, after you killed Zen. I was able to get myself free and get you two to a hospital." Andrew exclaimed, overtly pleased with himself.
"Two? But Connor's…" Faith started as Gwen and Andrew stepped aside to reveal Connor in the bed next to her. All bandaged up and awake. "Connor…you're alive."
"Of course. I told you, I'm not going anywhere. It'll take more than that to kill me, heh…ow." Connor remarked as he was reminded of his injuries. "Not much more though."
Faith fought back the tears of happiness. For the first time, she saw a light at the end of the tunnel. The chance at some semblance of real happiness. She knew they had a ways to go, but just the idea that they had a real chance was more than she could have hoped for.
"Faith…" Willow spoke up, breaking the silence. "I want you to know that I understand why you did what you did and I don't hold it against you. But it doesn't change anything. I'm still just someone that brings pain so I better go. You guys will be alright now." Willow said as she started for the door.
"Red, wait…urgh." Faith said as she tried to sit up but was held back by the pain. 'Stay…just for a little while. I want to talk some before you go…when I get out of here."
Willow looked back at Faith and took a deep sigh. "Alright, at least until your out of here, but if you don't mind, I'm going to head back to the hotel. I'd rather be alone right now." With that, Willow was gone.
"I don't get it. If she wants to go, why not just let her go?" Gwen asked.
"Because there's a lot more to what Willow's going through right now than any of you can see. Trust me, I know. If I can, I wanna help her. After all, she did help us" Faith said as she laid he head back.
A nurse appeared in the doorway, interrupting the conversation. "Excuse me, but visiting hours are over and they really need to get some rest." she said.
Andrew and Gwen said their goodbyes and left. Faith noticed Connor fiddling with the remote for their TV. "So, what are we watching?" she asked.
"Classic Steven Segal movie. This guys awesome at the action stuff." Connor said, completely engrossed in the movie.
"Oh you have got to be kidding me. He couldn't act his way out of a paper bag. Give me that remote." Faith said as she reached over the take the remote away.
"No way! Finder's keeper's." Connor taunted.
"That's it, you're so going to get it when I can walk again." Faith shot back. It was the first time in her life, she felt some peace, felt that she had a real place in the world. She didn't know what was coming next, but whatever it was didn't matter. As of now, she was ready for anything.
**********************
"It seems the Rogue Slayer was able to stop Zen after all." A dark figure sitting at a long table said, one of twelve.
"Yes, it would appear so. It doesn't matter though. She did us a favor by eliminating a future threat." Another figure said.
"Her presence is definitely something to take into consideration before we move into LA." Yet another figure said.
At the head of the table, the leader of the group silenced them all by slamming his fist on the table. "It doesn't matter. It's just another speed bump in our quest to control the underworld. She's nothing to be concerned with. To more important matters, how goes our negotiations with Wolfram & Hart?"
End of Season.
