Glory's POV

What the hell is wrong with these god damn humans? I've been torturing this god damn sack of crap forever... well, several hours anyway, and still I've gotten nothing out of her. God damn humans are so god damn annoying. Why can't I just get what I want? All this stupid little slayer bitch has to do is give me the key. But no, she has to try and be all pathetically super-heroey and try to live long enough for another sack of crap to come rescue this one.

I really hate humans. Why can't they ever do anything the easy way? It would be so easy for them. All they have to do is give me my perfect little key and then I wouldn't have to lower myself to torturing this slayer. Most humans would've given up by now, but what I don't know is why. Why would the slayer protect the key this badly... unless she cared for it?

Humans are always doing that I'm told, protecting things that matter to them. But what could my key have been pressed into that could make her want to protect it so much? Some sort of mongrel maybe? Humans love to keep mangy little things as pets. No, I think she would've given up by now if it was just a stupid pet. I've done pretty much every non-lethal torture to this girl here, aside from letting my minions have their way with her, whatever the monks put my key into it must be pretty damn important to her.

What if... what if they gave my key its own little flesh and bone wrapper? Humans will tend to protect each other if they spend enough time together. Those damn monks, they're smart for humans.

I walk over to my happy little hostage and kick her in the shin to get its attention.

"Hey, slayer..."

All of the sudden I start to hear fighting somewhere in my house.

What the hell? How exactly did someone get past my snakey-wakey?

There are all sorts of crashing and screaming noises from my minions and it keeps getting louder.

Useless, every last one of them is completely useless.

I can hear them right outside.

"P-please... don't hurt me..."

"WHERE IS SHE?"

I hear a crash and I just know the moron told them. I grab my captive by the hair and look right in her eyes.

"What is it?"

A smile creeps out from under the pain on the slayer's face.

"Faith..."

What? Faith?

Next thing I know I turn and there's some brunette chick standing in the doorway.

"Let her go."

She doesn't actually think she's gonna give me orders does she?

"And if I don't?"

"Then I'm gonna kill you and take her anyway."

Wow, such a big threat from a tiny human. It's almost like she thinks she's a slayer.

I let go of my hostage's hair and cross my arms over my rather impressive chest to face the invader of my home.

"Really? So if I give you the girl then you won't kill me?"

"Actually I'm probably gonna kill you either way so you might as well just give up."

Oh how fun, maybe I should torture this one too, just for the hell of it.

My slayer hostage chuckles and I elbow her in the side to shut her up. Before my next victim can blink I'm inches from her but to my surprise she dodges my punch and fires back with one of her own to my face.

"Wow that actually almost hurt."

"Yeah? How about this one?"

She hits me again and for the second time it starts to bother me. I fire back with a few punches of my own, both of which connect but she only stumbles a bit.

What the hell is this human?

I go for her head with a little more power and she deflect it.

"What, are you hopped up on mystical LSD or something?"

"I'm a slayer, we live to fight."

A slayer?

"But isn't there..."

I don't finish on account of all the sudden I'm flying across the room and through the wall to the ground outside.

Damn, that actually kinda hurt.

I lift myself up to a sitting position.

Never fought a slayer that strong before, then again I only ever fought one before her and her... I don't have time for you right now, go away. No, if I don't get back up there that slayer thing is gonna steal my new toy and then I'll never...

Ben's POV

God my back hurts.

Faith's POV

It takes me a second to get over the shock of putting the demon woman through her own wall.

Whoa, how did I do that? I mean I know I've got a lot of power, but I haven't used that much since the fight with Omega. I wasn't even sure I had it anymore.

I clench and unclench my fists to work through the pain.

Course I don't really remember any pain after that fight, not physical pain anyway. Then again I wasn't exactly thinking clearly after...

I hear chains rattle with a slight groan.

Buffy...

I rush to her side and gently unwrap the chains from around her wrists, lowering her to the floor as I do. I kneel down and lay her head across my lap.

"Buffy?"

She smiles up at me, her eyes barely opening.

"Faith... I knew you'd, you'd come..."

"Of course I came, B."

Her face suddenly becomes sad, like she's gonna cry.

"I'm sorry..."

She's sorry?

"Sorry for what B?"

"I love you..."

She what?

Seconds later she goes limp.

"B?"

She doesn't move.

"Buffy?"

Oh my god...

I check her pulse, it's still there.

She's still breathing too, she must just be unconscious. She's sorry, she loves me? What the hell does that mean? Is she sorry she fell for me? I didn't realize we got a choice in that. Maybe she's sorry she didn't say it before. Then again maybe she thought it would be romantic because she was dying. I guess I'll find out when I get her to a hospital and she heals up.

I'll never get her to the hospital in our conditions. She may be small but in my not 100% condition I'll never get her the whole way without passing out and maybe dying myself.

I look around the room.

Is there a phone somewhere around here? I'm sure this demon chick won't mind me using her phone to save her hostage.

"What happened?"

I look behind me and he's standing a few feet away.

"Uh, it's Ben right? What are you doing here?"

"I uh, live in the neighbourhood and heard a loud crash, thought someone might be hurt. Is she okay?"

Well if that isn't a lame excuse...

"No, she's not. Help her, please?"

He comes over and starts tending to her.

"I think I saw a phone by the bed."

I get up and go over by the nightstand.

How the hell does he walk into a room and know exactly where everything is? I'll have to worry about that later.

I pick up the phone and dial 911.