Disclaimer and Notes: Not mine, never will be. Written for the crossovers100 LiveJournal challenge, prompt #40: sight. Sequel to “Revelations in a Minor Key.” Thanks to Rhi and Dante for the beta.

The Dancers

By Raine Wynd

dayea@rainewynd.com

The lights of the dance floor seemed to spotlight the Hollywood-fabulous couple who swayed in perfect complement to the bluesy love ballad the band was playing. It looked as if someone had staged the circle of other pairs of people around them. The smooth choreography reminded Sara of some music box or some theatre show she'd seen whose name now escaped her memory.

Still, it was an unnerving sight. No one could explain how it started or how to stop the dancers from dancing or the band from playing. Nor could anyone explain why the same song was being played, over and over again. Sara stood by a table on the edge of the dance floor as she tried to figure out what had caused this unnatural phenomenon. Something was keeping the dancers and the band playing for hours, and she'd been called out to investigate. Other officers had been called to keep out the curious, and so it was only her, seven pairs of women and men, and the five-piece band. Sara had been sorely tempted to slice whatever magic possessed this group, but the Witchblade had already warned her that crossing into the circle blindly would cause the group to die. She needed better answers to solve her problem, but as she was stumped for the questions to ask, all she could do was watch.

She felt movement beside her, and turned to see a slender, dark-haired woman step up to her. A gray and black backpack was strapped to her back. She was dressed in a mid-riff-baring black top, jeans, and black motorcycle boots. Sara narrowed her eyes. Some part of her was not surprised to find a vampire slayer here, even though she'd just found out about them — and met Faith in particular — the night before. Warily, Sara asked, “What the hell are you doing here? Faith, right? How'd you get in?”

Faith grinned. “Front door, same as you.”

Sara eyed her suspiciously. “This is a possible crime scene. No civilians.”

Faith's grin just got wider. “Yeah, so? Did I not mention the whole part about good, evil, never-ending war?” She unslung the backpack, unzipped it, and reached in to grab a white paper bag, which she then held up. “Besides, I brought you dinner.”

The unmistakable aroma of an Italian grinder wafted Sara's way, and her stomach rumbled on cue, reminding her that she had been on her way to find dinner when Dispatch had called. “You think I'm hungry?”

“You've been watching them dance for half an hour, trying to figure the spell out. Hell, I got hungry just watching you watch them.”

“You honestly think food is going to make them stop dancing?”

Faith shrugged. “No, but it was a handy excuse,” she admitted, setting the food bag and her backpack down on the bar-height table. “Had to get to you somehow to tell you the puppet master to this musical is dead. Sucky part is: his death doesn't stop the spell. Sneaky fucker.”

“How do you know this?” Sara asked her suspiciously.

Faith rolled her eyes. “Because I was here when he started the damned spell, that's why, and I killed him trying to stop it.”

“Where's the body?”

Faith shook her head. “Ashes. You know, ‘Grr, arrgh, I'm a vampire'?”

Sara sighed. Ordinarily, she'd be less inclined to take Faith on her word alone, but the Witchblade wasn't giving Sara any reason not to believe Faith. “So now what?”

“Well, we could have dinner or –” Just then, Faith reached into the pocket of her jeans to pull out a vibrating cell phone. “Yeah,” she answered it inelegantly. “No, I just like wasting your time, Willow. Yes, I'm serious. No, I didn't steal the Witchblade, what kind of fucked-up idiot do you think I am? Yeah, right, like I want a double dose of destiny.” Faith listened a moment more, then looked at Sara. “Can you see the chains that are around the dancers?”

Sara took another look at the dance floor, using the Witchblade to see the invisible chains winding around them. When she'd looked at the dancers earlier, she had seen the chains as a single line of energy, but now she could see them more clearly. “Yes, why?”

“Good, because I was only guessing they were there.” To the phone, Faith said, “Yes, you can ask her all sorts of geeky questions later. We don't have that kind of time right now.” She listened for a minute, then sighed. “Damn. All right. I'll tell her. Yes, okay, I got the whole time thing.” Faith hung up the phone and put it back in her pocket. “Willow's a witch. She says the only way to break the spell now is to break both circuits at once.”

“Which circuits?”

“The ones the couples are traveling. The middle couple is dancing in a counterclockwise circle; the outer ones are clockwise.”

“Other people have walked between them and they don't move.”

“That's because other people aren't us. Other people aren't walking in expecting to see magic.” Faith rummaged around in the backpack again and pulled out a short sword.

“How the hell did you get that past the sergeant on duty?”

Faith looked at Sara. “I never left the building to get you that sandwich. The ceiling's a false ceiling. You can get into Petey's Subs next door without ever walking out.” She grinned widely at Sara's look of disbelief. “What can I say? Lifetime of partying in raves.”

“Never mind that you'd make a habit of knowing where the exits are anyway.”

“Knew I liked you for a reason,” Faith replied.

Sara decided she was better off ignoring Faith's comment and refocused her attention on the links binding the band and the dancers together. With her Witchblade-enhanced vision, Sara could see the links were actually thick chains wrapped around each person. Eying the chains critically, Sara observed, “The band's chained to the dancers. The dancers are chained to each other. If we break the links, what happens to them?”

Faith shrugged. “We'll just see, won't we?”

“That's not good enough.” Sara grabbed Faith's wrist before the younger woman could walk away. “We're not killing anyone.”

Faith shook her wrist, then cursed as she glanced down to see that her wrist was gripped by the Witchblade. “Yes, we are. If we don't cut the chains, those folks will dance to death.”

Sara looked into the younger woman's eyes and saw how serious she was. Reluctantly, Sara made the Witchblade transform and let Faith go. “Then I guess you'd better tell me where to cut.”

The Slayer stared at her a moment, clearly not trusting her. Finally, she said, “Willow said we need to form seven o'clock. Some mystical shit about seven, I guess. You take the little hand and I'll take the big hand. The band is twelve o'clock. How thick is the chain?”

“It's centered around the middle of all the dancers, about ‘hold a pitbull back from eating your leg size.'” Sara studied the chain a moment longer. “See the woman in the red dress on the outside circle? The middle of the chain is highest around her waist. Everyone else is an inch or two lower, at most. Whoever did this made sure it would catch everybody, regardless of waist height.”

“Got it. Oh, one more thing: if you touch the chain before you want to cut it, you'll be next in the happy dancing party, and I'm going to have a hell of a time cutting the chain in two places by myself.”

So saying, Faith carefully threaded her way under the chain of the outer ring and through the dancers.

“Tell me if I'm in the right spot.”

“One half step to the left—yeah, you're right there.”

Sara followed, positioning herself. In response, the chains became more visible, trapping Sara and Faith within them.

“Fuck. We'd better move. Ready?” Faith asked.

“Ready.”

“Then do it, damn it!”

Sara cut the chain using the Witchblade. She heard and saw the outer chain fall to the floor with an audible clunk as the dancers, still as one, passed out from exhaustion. Turning, she saw Faith had managed to partly sever the middle chain, but the short sword hadn't been thick enough and was now fused into the chain. Faith was frozen, stuck in the action as the center couple continued to dance, albeit with less grace than before. Sara didn't stop to think. She raised the Witchblade and cut where Faith had begun to cut. Magic sparked through the chain's links, and the chains became brittle dust. Faith groaned as she regained control of her body.

“Are you all right?” Sara asked.

“Yeah,” Faith said. “But I don't think they are.” Pointedly, she looked down at what remained of the middle couple: their clothes.

Horrified, Sara looked over at the band, who was still playing. “We didn't cut the chains around the band.”

Faith glanced at the band, then asked, “How big is the chain connecting them?”

“Not as big as the ones around the dancers. Looks…huh, that's odd. It looks like it's silver.”

“Step towards it, would you? Don't touch it.”

Sara did as Faith requested, and they both watched as the chain became visible and tightened. Oddly, there was something dangling from the center of the chain, stretching from the pile of clothing to the band.

“Uh-huh, what I thought.” Faith knelt and rummaged in the pile of clothing. She pulled out a silver necklace and broke the chain. The band stilled, then started to look at each other as if they'd woken from a dream.

Faith rose to her feet and handed the now broken necklace over to Sara. Sara saw, in that instant, a tale of love betrayed, a spell for revenge, and how Faith, reacting to the simple fact she'd seen a vampire casting a spell, had been unable to completely stop it. Sara let the necklace drop to the floor and took a deep breath. “You, ah, gonna stick around for the paperwork, or shall I expect you to just randomly show up in my life every now and then?”

Faith grinned. “Oh, random works.” She walked back to where her backpack was stashed and stashed the short sword within the pack. “Unfortunately —” she nodded her head to the officers coming into the club, alerted by the cessation of music “—I think I'm going to have stick around for a while.” The brunette grinned. “It wouldn't be good for me if I left the scene of a crime.”

Sara sighed; she was relieved that what happened wouldn't be something she alone would have to explain. Then she reviewed what Faith had said. “Let me guess — somewhere, you're wanted for something?”

Faith merely smiled. “What, that thing on your arm hasn't already told you all about me?”

Sara looked at her. Slowly, she said, “I better get you to an airport, then. I keep seeing you fighting a horde of dragons.”

Faith rolled her eyes. “Great, Cleveland. You sure you don't need me around? I kick some mighty fine ass, if I do say so myself.”

“No, definitely the airport,” Sara said as the Witchblade showed her the trouble to come if Faith stayed.

“In that case,” Faith said, dialing her phone, “I'm outta here. Willow — you guys need me in Cleveland?” She listened a moment, then smiled. “Been nice knowing you, Detective Pezzini.” With that, she literally vanished in a sparkle of light. Sara stared at her a moment, then shook her head. Magic or not, she had work to do.

Finis 9/6/06

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