Chapter Twelve: Taking the Plunge

My jaw dropped open.

"No."

Niki giggled. "That'd be a yes, darling. Or as Magnus would call us, m'dear."

That got to me. Magnus had dated her. No. Freakin'.Way.

"Magnus never told me he was a vampire," Niki continued, "I found out on my own. Then, of course, I tried to slay him, knowing he was Lucifent's beta at the time."

"Oh, yeah, you really loved him," Charity said sarcastically, but there was a strange look in her yellow eyes.

"I did!" Niki shouted, "Maybe he didn't loved me enough to tell me!"
"No," Came an icy cold voice. "I didn't."

All three of us turned to find Magnus, leaning against the wall of a shack. His beautiful blue eyes were peircing into us, and black locks skimmed over his forhead.

"So... it's true," Charity whispered, "You were with her."

There was a long pause. "Yes," Magnus finally said, "I did date Niki for a year."

"A year?" I asked, "Oh, so it was serious?"

"More or less," He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "But Faith-"

"Everybody just stop it!" I screamed, "This is too much! TOO MUCH!"

"Oh..." Charity backed away up to Magnus, and I paced around, to nervous to say anything.

Charity's POV

"I knew this would happen," I hissed to Magnus as I stood at his side. He was simply watching Faith, concern and sadness in his face.

"Hey loverboy! Pay attention!"
He jerked his head over to me. "What?" He snapped.

"Faith's finally having a breakdown," I muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"A nervous breakdown," I continued, "The stress is too much. Her mind is temporarily gone into partial insanity."

"That's not normal for a nervous breakdown," Magnus murmured.

"Not for a normal human," I sighed, "Faith's a vampire shifter. Breakdown's are magnified for her."

"Exactly."

Faith's POV

"You know what?" I yelled, "My life is RUINED! No, wait, it's been ruined since the day I met you." I turned to Magnus.

"Let it pass," Charity murmured to him. Wonder what she meant.

But Niki wasn't going to do that.

"Yes, Faith," She smiled, "I sympathize with you. Magnus does things like that, doesn't he? Doesn't he deserve some kind of punishment?"

Something came over me. "Yeah. He does." I grabbed the stake that I was hiding in my coat.

"Faith," Charity warned, eying the stake, "Don't do it!"

"No, Charity," Magnus said calmly, "I do deserve it. Go ahead, Faith. I don't mind."

"She's gonna stake you, Mag!" Charity yelled, "What part of NERVOUS BREAKDOWN do you not understand?"
"I understand that I deserve whatever Faith does," Magnus spoke slowly. "And I've been a vampire too long."

Charity was silent as I walked up to Magnus. "Thanks, my love," I hissed, taking the stake, ready to plunge it in.

"You're welcome."

Just when I was about to stake him, Magnus scooped me up into his arms like I was a little girl. I kicked and struggled, but he was calm.

"I'm really not in the mood to be staked right now."

"WHAT!" Niki yelled.

"Let me go!" I growled. Magnus looked at me with those eyes that held love for me.

"I'm sorry I've done this to you. I promise that once you're ready, I'll tell you everything."

I glared at him, but something was softening in me. I was becoming my self again.

Gently, Magnus set me down and I turned to Niki, stake replaced with dagger.

"You know who I think should be punished?" I smiled, "You."

And with that, we were all in battle mode. It was three against one, but Niki was skilled and kept dodging.

Suddenly, as if in one second, it happened.

Niki ran at me, and pushed me to the edge of the dock. I stumbled, and stood at the edge, trying to gain my balance. A malicious look came into her eyes, and she shoved me again.

This time, I couldn't regain my balance.

"No!" I heard Charity cry.

"Faith!"

Magnus.

As I plunged into the water, my head hit a rock, and I felt myself sinking, too weak to swim. I sank deeper, and only one thought registered in my mind:

Magnus.

He had been worried about me. I still do love him, even if he doesn't feel the same way.

Goodbye Charity. You're the greatest friend I ever had.

Goodbye Magnus. I'll always love you.

Goodbye...

Charity's POV

I felt frozen as I watched my best friend plunge into the water. "No!" I screamed, barely hearing Magnus's cry to her.

Magnus ran over and dove into the water, desperate to help her, but all I felt was sadness and horror.

And then anger.

"You." I hissed, looking at Niki. This wasn't a human hiss, this was a real vampiress hiss. I let my fangs elongate, and I took a few steps closer to her. Niki's blue eyes widened, and she began to back up.

"C'mon," She cried.

"Too late!" I yelled, the pain of losing my best friend in my choked voice.

And then I wrapped my hands around her throat and began to strangle her.

I smiled at her choked cries.

"Please..." She gurgled.

I grinned a vampire grin.

"Now you know what Faith felt like."

A convulsion went through Niki's body, and she was dead.

At that moment, Magnus surfaced, Faith's body in his arms.

"She isn't breathing!" He yelled, carrying her over, "But her heart's still beating, I can hear it."

I tuned my vamp senses and heard her heart beating, faintly, but surely.

"Please stay alive," I murmured as I threw Niki's body into the water, making sure it sank. Didn't want anybody to think that this was more than an accident.

As Magnus dialed 911, I huddled next to my friend, trying to get her to breathe. Magnus can't give her mouth-to-mouth, since vamp breath'd make her worse, but I gave the other form of CPR(forgot what it's called) trying to bring her back.

Finally, the ambulance arrived, and medics took her into a gurney, wheeling her into the ambulance. Jesse, Suze, and Nick were there, looking horribly worried.

"Oh my gosh!" Suze cried, realizing the magnitude of the situation and climbing into the ambulance with Faith. Magnus and I exchanged glances and found a hidden area to transform.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Are these two allowed to hear what's going on?" Dr. Robert nodded toward me and Magnus. Suze and Jesse nodded.

"Faith would want it."

"OK," The doctor sighed. "Faith has brain injury, due to hitting her head and not recieving enough oxygen. She would be dead if this man," He gestured toward Magnus, "Hadn't gone after her, and this girl," a gesture to me, "Hadn't done CPR."

The praise fell on unhearing ears. Magnus and I wanted to hear how she was now.

"But," Dr. Robert said, "She's in a serious coma, on life support right now. We're... we're not sure if she'll make it."

For the second time in my entire undeadness, I cried. Not sobbing, but big, silent tears. Magnus rubbed my shoulders comfortingly, but there was a look on his face. He had lost someone he loved.

We all had lost someone. A friend, a sister, a daughter.

A beloved.

The End

for now...

Stay tune for the next fic in the series...

Blood for Blood

Faith's in a coma. And it's all the Slayer's fault. But Niki's dead... right? And if Faith wakes up, will she remember her history, wonder about the many mysteries? And will she find love-love that's not Magnus or Ben? Whatever happens, for Magnus and Charity, it's blood for blood...