I Wanna Know The Truth, Instead of Wondering Why
by Kayleigh
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Joss and co. own all BtVS characters. Linkin Park own the lyric, which is the title.
Author's Notes: It's part 6 of a series.
Dedication: Stacey, for being there for me. And not freaking. It means a lot to me. :)
Feedback: Mucho appreciated. :)
Giles sat on the couch warming his hands on a cup of tea, when someone pounded on his door.
"Okay, Okay, I'm coming" he called as he placed the cup on the table. As he pulled the door open the first thing he saw was a soaking wet Buffy. "Quick get her inside" he told Willow and Tara, as he opened the door a little wider. "What happened?" He asked.
"We found her like this. She's alive but she's not answering us" Willow explained as she and Tara wrapped her in a blanket.
"Was Faith with her?" Giles enquired.
"No" Willow looked around. "Where's Xander?"
"I'll phone him," Giles said, already reaching for the phone.
Several minutes later he hung up; "He's not at home. And Anya hasn't seen him either." He explained. "And next time we have to phone Anya I'm not doing it. I'm not having another lecture on how time spent with us could be time spent having orgasms."
Willow grinned, at Giles before turning back to Buffy and clearing up the bruise on her face. "You don't think Xander's gone to Faith's do you?"
"It seems like something he would do doesn't it."
Willow stared at nothing for a few seconds, contemplating whether Xander would be stupid enough to visit Faith, and she decided. "Yeah."
"You've got a playstation!" Xander exclaimed as Faith sat back down in front of the television. "Can we play?"
"Sure, I've only got old games on it though. Tekken okay?" She said as she rummaged through her games.
"Tekken's great!" Xander bounced up and down, grinning. Faith looked at him and burst out laughing.
Xander stopped bouncing and looked at her confused. "What?"
"I can't believe you're getting high on some ancient game," Faith said after controlling her giggles.
"Well I can't believe you think Buffy would stab you in the back like that, but I'm not laughing at you" Xander retorted, he knew he was walking a fine line, and there was a good chance he would get a punch in the face for that remark. But he knew he had to make Faith see sense.
"Just play the game," Faith said coldly, handing him a controller.
"OH YEAH! Who's da man?" Xander roared.
"Ssh. Keep it down. The police think this place is empty." Faith berated him, then began bashing the buttons on the controller.
"Hey. No fair. You started without me" Xander picked up his controller again and hit the buttons.
"Come on. Is that the best you got?" Faith taunted.
"So.... You and Buffy were kissing?" Xander asked. If he couldn't beat her, he'd distract her.
"Yeah. Not that it's any of your business" Faith answered, not taking her eyes of the screen.
"You two are a thing?"
"No."
"You were?"
"Keep your nose out of it okay."
"Sorry. It's just last time I checked. Buffy was heartbroken, because Riley shot you."
"Whatever. Why are you even here anyway?"
"Willow and Tara had gone looking for you and Buffy. I had this feeling you weren't at the graveyard anymore so I headed over here."
"Yeah well Buffy's a two-faced bitch. No offence. But I remember her saying 'I am madly in love with you. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Then she goes and gets her boy toy to shoot me while I'm distracted. If that isn't two faced, I don't know what is."
"Buffy wouldn't say something like that unless she meant it." Xander said, then paused the game. "Come back to Giles' with me. Buffy's probably waiting there for you."
"Why are you even being nice to me. I tried to kill you not so long ago."
"I can see you've changed." He said then turned the playstation off.
"Hey. I was beating you" Faith protested.
"Are you coming or not?" Xander walked towards the door.
"Okay, just let me get my jacket" Faith disappeared into another room.
Willow and Tara stood outside Faith's apartment door, Tara lifted her hand about to knock, when Willow reached up and took her hand. "Wait." She whispered. "Listen." She motioned her ear to the door.
"...You've changed" They heard Xander's voice. Then a sudden raise in Faith's voice "Hey I was beating you." Footsteps came closer to the door. "Are you coming or not?" Came Xander's voice again. "Okay. Just let me get my jacket." A pair of footsteps became distant.
"Knock" Willow whispered to Tara.
Xander opened the door cautiously. "What are you two doing here?" He asked quietly, so Faith couldn't hear. "Get back to Giles', we'll be there in a second." He said then shut the door on them.
"That was rude," Willow said to Tara, after the door was slammed in their faces.
"Let's do as he says" Tara took Willow's hand and they made their way back to Giles'.
"Who was that?" Faith asked, picking up her keys from the bed, where she'd dumped them last.
"No-one." Xander answered quickly, perhaps to quickly because Faith gave him a dubious look. "Just some kids, mucking about" he cleared up.
"Right, lets get this over with" Faith opened the door, behind her Xander held his breath, expecting to see Willow and Tara mid-chant. But he was surprised to see they had gone.
"Yeah lets go" Xander agreed.
"Come on Buffy" Giles talked to the still prone figure lying on his couch, they had changed her clothes with great difficulty, then Willow and Tara went to Faith's apartment. A knock at the door indicated they were back. Giles took a last look at Buffy before answering the door.
"Xander was there. I think he's bringing her back here. He didn't look hurt." Willow summed up. "Anything new?" She asked indicating Buffy's frozen body.
"It's not magical or slayer related. She's just being stubborn." Giles explained.
"That's our Buffy" Willow said, smiling. "Hopefully Faith can fix her."
Faith and Xander walked to Giles' abode in silence. Xander wouldn't talk because he feared he said the wrong thing, and Faith would snap. And Faith didn't say anything because she was too busy thinking. Thinking of what she was letting herself in for, once she was in Giles' apartment, there was no getting out, it was Scooby territory. They played by their rules. Not her own. She wouldn't be in control of the situation. And that scared her. It scared her a lot.
...continued in I Want to Belong...