TITLE: 'The Nature of the Beast' Outtakes
AUTHOR: Cherry <cherry@thekeep.org>
RATING: PG-13
PAIRING: B/F
SUMMARY: The way it didn't happen.
ARCHIVE: http://www.thekeep.org/~cherry/
SPOILERS: S6 'Wrecked'
FEEDBACK: Yes, please.

** NOT From Part One **

	It was in the third cemetery that she felt the presence. Something
not vampiric, not demonic.  No longer familiar, exactly, but it once was.
She paused, back turned, and waited.  The silence stretched out painfully
long.

	"You might as well come out."  Her voice was soft, not angry like
she had convinced herself it should be.

	Behind and to her left, there was the soft rustle of someone
pushing through the bushes.  She turned her head in that direction, not
quite far enough to look yet.  "It's been a long time.  How are you?"

	The response was slow, as if it had to be carefully considered.
When it came, it sounded faintly amused.  "Hey."

	Buffy wheeled around in shock.  "OZ?!"

*****

	Faith's face registered surprise as she took a few steps closer.
It tighted a moment later, her jaw clenched.  "I haven't forgotten what
you said, but I can't not.  I'm sorry, Buffy."  Her eyes screwed shut as
she tensed, expecting hard fists.  And Buffy delivered, knocking her to
the ground.  After a moment, she pried one eye open to look, to see Buffy
cocking the crossbow and pointing it at her.

	"I told you not to say that."

*****

	"Hey B, I think this one was trying to cast a magic spell."

	Xander was the first to react, unconsciously echoing his earlier
query, "What the hell is she doing here?!"

	Before anyone could respond, Amy grabbed at the dried herbs with
her free hand and chanted a few words in Latin.  Faith pulled tighter on
her arm, but Amy managed to finish the spell.  A flash of light covered
the entire room as the spell went off.

	She smirked at the room, looking at the seven rats.  "I knew I
could do it."

** NOT From Part Two **

** NOT From Part Three **

	Faith's ear twitched when she felt the first tentative touch on
her head.  Thinking it was Buffy being affectionate, she relaxed into the
touch, rumbling quietly in contentment.  A moment later she heard a
giggle, followed by a child's voice, "She's purring!"  She lazily opened
one eye to see a cute little girl in a pink dress squatting next to her,
petting her.  She could feel Buffy stirring beside her, and glanced that
way to see a look of amusement as the girl suddenly decided that since
they were awake now, it was perfectly alright to start hugging Faith.

	A few seconds later, her mother began screaming as the two cats
ate the little girl, Faith's powerful jaws crushing the skull to get at
the tasty brains inside.

** NOT From Part Four **

** NOT From Part Five **

-- End Outtakes
$Revision: 1.4 $
$Date: 2002/06/15 05:40:43 $