Buffy's Covenant

Chapter Ten: Message Delivered

Disclaimer: The Covenant and Buffy the Vampire Slayer are not of my own creation. They belong to Sony Pictures / J.S. Cardone & Joss Whedon.

Summary: His remains weren't found in ruins left by the burnt down barn. No one knew what happened to him or where he went, but he was back now and intent on draining the power of the one person he underestimated...

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Buffy's Covenant

by PhoenixRae

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X. Message Delivered

OH MY GOD!" SHRIEKED DAWN when she answered the door and had Faith nearly fall on her, but thanks to Reid he managed to hold on to the knocked-out Slayer before she landed face first on the petite brunette. "Help! Faith's down and Reid looks like shit too!" she yelled to the top of her lungs to the people gathered in the living room. She helped Reid steady Faith until she heard footsteps coming from the direction of the living room come to their rescue.

"We got her, Dawn," Robin took Faith's limp arm and looped it over his broad shoulders, relieving the young Summers woman off the Slayer's weight.

Dawn stepped aside and allowed Robin and Xander to carry Faith upstairs to her room. She noticed that Reid was about to pass out and grabbed him before he fell backwards.

"Gotcha!" She grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him forward. "Pogue, I need help here with Reid!" she called to the first person she saw loitering about.

"Here, I got him," announced the long haired witch and took over helping Reid back into the house.

"Thanks," she smiled and stepped aside so Pogue could lead Reid to the living room. He didn't look worse than Faith, and he seemed to be fighting for consciousness at the moment. She closed and locked the door before following Reid and Pogue to the living room.

Pogue led a disoriented Reid on an armchair and helped him get settled. Willow soon appeared beside him with some salve for his bruises and Andrew was right behind her carrying some sort of drink. It smelled funny though and Dawn couldn't help from wrinkling her nose.

"What's that?" she asked and pointed at the glass on the tray Andrew was holding.

"Ask Willow. She just told me to make it," answered Andrew.

"Take that upstairs. It will help Faith heal faster or at least make her feel better. If Faith's as semi-conscious as Reid is here, she'll be able to drink that brew with a bit of assistance," Willow ordered and knelt down beside the groggy blond. "What happened?" she asked Reid, her face a mask of pure worry as she cleaned up the few cuts and bruises on his face and neck.

"We...were...attacked," Reid answered slowly, moaning and groaning each time he spoke each word out.

"Attacked?" Tyler squatted in front of Reid, his eyes searching his best friend's face. "Who attacked you?"

Reid only moaned. It was too painful for him to talk. The hits he took from Chase's attacks weren't the easy kinds. Sure he was thrown against a stack of bottles by Caleb that one time, but his best friend's attack was controlled; Caleb didn't mean to hurt him, he just wanted to prove a point to him. But Chase's attacks...holy shit, he wondered how Caleb survived it when he faced-off with the fucker during their senior year.

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BUFFY PACED THE FOOT OF Faith's bed quietly, her arms locked securely across her midriff. Tonight she offered to stand guard just in case the attacker decided to finish off what he or she started.