Cursed Love
Chapter Three
“B!” Faith nudged her lover who was basking in the warmth of the sun and their newfound love. “As much as I love this whole Garden of Eden scenario; you …me…lying naked here with absolutely nothing to give a shit about…But something is not right.”
“It’s right. Nothing has ever felt as right as it feels right now …right here…right with you… right this way.” Buffy disagreed with a smile that refused to vanish. She hugged the once dark slayer tighter as she kept her eyes closed and listened to the rhythm of Faith’s heart.
“That’s all five by five babe. But how long do you think we’ve been here?” Faith again asked.
“Not long enough.” Buffy replied with a renewed interest trailing kisses along Faith’s neckline, confirming her statement.
“Seriously B.” Faith interrupted the older slayer by holding her face with both her hands. “How long do ya think?”
“I don’t know…couple of hours.”
“That’s what I thought.” Faith turned the blonde to what she was facing. “I aint a rocket scientist but don’t ya think that by now the sun should have set?”
Buffy narrowed her eyes trying to collaborated Faith’s assessment. She immediately sat up and looked around.
“It’s like the time has stood still.”
And Faith was right.
“What does that mean?” Kennedy asked even though what Willow had just read from the ancient book in front of her was English. She just could not make head or tail out of it.
“It means that while mourning for the dying love, the lover cursed the town with love.” David Anderson, Madison Haze’s husband and the town’s Deputy Sheriff answered.
When Willow and Kennedy had returned from the cave the second time the whole town was waiting for them in the town hall. According to them, whenever a cursed love was trapped within the cave the time stood still till the curse was played out in full.
“Maddy said that before too, and you said that the curse has to play out in full what does that mean?” Kennedy didn’t mind to be perceived as dumb but the plain truth was nothing was making sense to her.
“We don’t know what the curse is or what happens to the ones who are trapped.” Maddy started trying to clarify.
“All we know is only one becomes a statue and the other disappears. Then time stands still till whatever that has to happen to them happens. Look at the sun; it has been in the same position for hours now. That sun won’t set till your friends …” David paused unable to find the right word to say that their friends would be lost forever. “We always try to help them though. We have tried breaking the statues, we have tried burning them. Everything we could think of to bring them back.” He then turned to Willow. “You said you were a witch, may be you can do what we couldn’t.”
“If you knew that was going to happen and you are so damn wanting to help now, why the fuck did you send us there?” Kennedy charged at the Deputy whose intentions she doubted.
“Because when a cursed love enters our town, town gets haunted. The cave starts to consume us trying to find them. So when we suspect a forbidden love we send them in before one of us face the wrath.” David answered as though what he did was heroic.
“You might have sent our friends to death…you son of bitch.” Kennedy pushed off couple of townsmen who were in her way and once again pounced on David. Several other men quickly went to the Deputy’s rescue but with slayer’s strength and training, Kennedy overpowered them all. Her hand was squeezing on to David’s throat as men tried their best to loosen her grip, when Willow slammed the book close.
“Ken let him go.” Willow said calmly but sternly. “These people are just being people. Trying to save their own skin.”
Willow offered her hand so that Kennedy would come to her letting the Deputy go. “We don’t have much time. For all we know they are already living the curse. We have to warn them.”
“How can you do that?” Maddy, who was now beside her husband, asked.
“You said the time is still till the curse is played out. That means the curse has to be played out by them. In other words they are not dead yet. They just exist in different plane. We just have to find a way to cross the threshold and reach their dimension.” Willow explained as she cleared the table throwing its content on the ground. “A simple dimensional sweep spell should enable us to find where they are….” She turned to the men who were looking at he like she was ghost and continued. “Now if you want to help get me five candles white some rose water …”
“Willow ….”
“Kennedy…..”
The chosen two were screaming on the top of their voices as soon as they entered the Jackson’s house.
“They might have disappeared with the rest of them.” Faith figured recalling the empty streets when they had come back.
“No…..It can’t be…” Buffy wasn’t willing to give in to the obvious yet. “Willow….” She screamed once again.
“Buffy…” A voice answered with matching volume.
Buffy ran towards the front door…and yes…it was Willow and Kennedy walking in.
“Oh my God! Buffy….” Willow said running to her best friend. The slayer met her half way and gripped the wicca in a hug.
“I thought you were gone…or disappeared.” There were tears of relief in the slayer’s eyes.
“We thought you were gone.” Willow’s reaction mirrored her friends tightening the hug.
The two dark haired slayers watched the watery best friends as they exchanged polite hellos.
“When I saw no one in the town…and hell the time seems to have stopped and you were not here…”
“I know…the time has stopped…because of the curse.” The red head explained as they moved out of the hug.
“What curse?” Faith who had quickly taken her place right behind her slayer asked.
“YOU!…You have to go.” The wica said instead pointing at Faith as though she was a demon. “I won’t let it happen.”
“What are you talking about Willow? This is just Faith.” Buffy tried to explain.
“No, Buffy…it cannot happen. You don’t understand…This is forbidden.” Willow turned to the youngest slayer and continued. “You know the whole thing. Kennedy please take her away from here.”
“I know babe…but come on.” Kennedy hesitated.
“No…baby NOW…before the time starts to move again.” Willow insisted.
“Willow…” Buffy yanked her best friend to face her. “What the hell is happening here?”
“First throw her out.” Willow stubbornly repeated again.
“I want to see you try Red.” Faith dared even though like Buffy she had no idea what was happening.
“No one is throwing anyone out.” Buffy said between her gritted teeth glaring at Willow whose eyes turned dark and her hair quickly followed suit.
Buffy’s hand unconsciously moved back and grabbed on to Faith’s recognizing the transformation.
“What the fuck…?” Faith managed to exclaim before a jolt emerging from Willows hand hit her and flew her right out the door. Buffy tried to get past the wica but Willow put a barrier with her other hand as she turned to the astonished face of her girlfriend. “Make sure she stays out.” A voice barely resembling the red head’s barked.
Kennedy immediately ran out while the oldest slayer used all her power to break the barrier. After a moment or two, Buffy gave up in distraught and fell to the ground. Seeing tears stream out of her face, the darkness that Willow had enveloped slowly started to fade and the softhearted wica ran to her best friend’s aid.
“Buffy you have to understand. I am doing this for you.”
“No…you don’t understand…I love her.” Buffy was sobbing but she still found her voice to declare her love. “I love Faith.”
“But…your love is forbidden. It should not happen…this town…” Willow had only started but Buffy had already got up and ran towards the door. She kicked the door open and walked into the street, just in time to see Kennedy floating in air barely alive and Faith at least a couple of feet away weekly getting up. She ran towards her best friend’s girlfriend almost at the same time Faith did too. Before both their eyes some invisible force broke the youngest slayer’s spine and her body fell right in Faith’s arms. Buffy was still couple of inches away when she slowed down watching Faith put her down. Just then…
“KENNEDY”
They both heard the shocked scream of the wica. Buffy turned right back to see how the scene looked like Faith had just killed Kennedy. The consequence of the wrong assumption made her panic as she quickly rushed to take Kennedy from Faith.
“Faith leave now.” Buffy wishpered.
“But B…I didn’t kill….”
“I know …” Buffy said looking right into her lover’s eyes. “But you have to leave now.” They both turned to see the red head falling on the ground with pain. “When she stops crying she’ll start getting angry and you don’t want to be there when she does.” Buffy explained hurriedly recalling the last time Willow had lost her girlfriend.
“I don’t want to leave you.”
“Meet me by the caves…” Buffy said giving her love a quick peck on the lips and pushing her at the same time.
Faith got up and ran, while Buffy stared at the pale face of the dead slayer. Willow still couple of feet away was on her knees screaming her tears out as a silhouette watching the whole scene from far fizzled away.
“Kennedy…sweetheart, please wake up….” Willow was holding her girlfriend’s body.
Maddy, David and the whole town were surrounded around the two women watching with tearful eyes.