Tears Don't Flow
by Ophelia C.
Rating: R

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy and Faith, or anything else related to Buffy. I don't even own the characters in this story.
IMPORTANT: This is not a prologue. This is not a set-up to anything. This is a warning. The story that goes with this is pretty short, but really not for everyone. I do not mean this in a cruel way, or in disrespect, or just anything sick or twisted. I am not trying to offend anyone, or belittle anything. This came about during a rehearsal for a play I did about two years ago called "Lines in the Sand". (Don't be surprised if you've never heard of it, we wrote it ourselves.) I just felt like it was something that I had to share, because when we did it, it affected me so much, and everyone else as well. It's an experience that even now, years later, I still look back on and relive. And it's given me a new outlook on things. As an artist, I felt I had to share it. I wrote it a couple weeks after the exercise. Since then, it has sat neglected on my computer. If you do decide to read it, it would really mean a lot to hear back from you. Whether you liked it, or felt I went too far, or what. I'd like to know. Thank you. And thank you to Jen'fr for Beta-ing.
Spoilers: None.
Author's Notes: This came about from an acting exercise we did in rehearsal, and the idea just would not leave me alone. Some things have been altered, but this is basically how the exercise went from my point of view. It's a pretty short story, but it's not happy at all. Please send feedback, good or bad. I want people's honest opinions.

Faith POV

We were on vacation. Things were supposed to be good. It was just me and her, and nothing bad is supposed to happen when you're on vacation. But things went so wrong. So horribly wrong.

It was like the ultimate in cheese. One of those rinky-dink little tour buses, but B wanted to go on it so bad. I couldn't say no. It wasn't even a real bus. It was a short bus. You know, the one the "special kids" rode when you were in school. But it was nice, and B liked it, so I guess that's all that mattered.

We were some of the first people on, so I kinda enjoyed watching everyone else get on. There were a couple of fancy chicks in suits. A father and his son. This one chick got on with a guy that looked just a little older than me and B. He was one of those "special kids". Kept talking about his fish. This other little chick that sat down near us looked a little shaky. Well, to be honest, she was strung out, and I could see the track marks, but she was nice enough and started talking to us right away. There were more people. Just a variety of people. Probably about 30 total, counting the driver and the tour guide. I was kinda surprised that they weren't the same person, and I shoulda questioned when the guide looked a little thrown by the driver, like she didn't recognize him. But this is vacation, and nothing bad happens when you're on vacation.

So after waiting a little while the final crowd of people gets on, and the driver is right behind them. That's when the tour guide gets that look, but she shakes it off. So we start going, and she's pointing out this and that. Cute little thing, tiny and brunette. But it's just an appreciative look, because I've got B, and I love her more than words can say. She means the world to me. Hell, she IS my world. I put my hand on her thigh and gave it a little squeeze, and she just looks at me and gives me the brightest smile before doing the same to me. Then she turns her attention back to Ruby. That's the little druggie sitting next to us. She just jabbering on and on, like she's had way too much caffeine, but B seems to be enjoying the conversation. And I'm just enjoying watching her. Fuck the tour.

And then there's yelling. There's so much yelling and screaming, and I don't understand what's going on. And then I see it: Several passengers have jumped up from different spots on the bus, and they've all got guns or knives. And the driver's just ignoring them, and I think, "Oh, he's with them." And they're screaming, pushing people around, telling them to get down. I see one of the business suit chicks, staring at the aisle, tears streaming down her face. And then there's someone in front of us.

This angry ass chick, screaming at us to get on the floor. Ruby drops immediately, hysterical, screaming she doesn't want to die.

And I feel B move too, so slowly. And then there's a gun at my head, pushing it down, and I roll with it, bringing my head back up to just glare at her. I put all my hate into that one look, and just spell it out for her, that she's not touching my girlfriend.

She just watches me for a second and then walks off, going to harass someone else.

I look around. The father's across the aisle and up a row, trying to comfort his son, who couldn't be more than 12. Trying to assure him that everything's okay. The mentally slow guy is screaming up a storm, and the woman with him, as well as a few surrounding passengers are trying to calm him down. "Are we going to have a problem?" I hear one gunman ask. And he's answered with a very quick, "No. There's not a problem. He's just scared."

And then the angry chick's back. "Give me your cellphones!" She's screaming, and the gun is back in my face. We tell her we don't have any, but she doesn't hear us, because her attention is at the front of the bus. One of her partners just shot a passenger in the head. But it's not me, and so I see my opportunity. I'm about to launch myself, when another guy comes up from the back of the bus, and I drop down, unnoticed. I'm not one to stand for this sort of thing, but if I'm dead, I can't protect B.

But then her focus is back on me, and I know, I feel it in my gut, that I've just missed my chance. She screams again. "Give me your cellphones!"

"We don't have any!" I scream back.

"Everybody has a cellphone! Give me yours!" Then she looks at B. "Stand up. Give me your cellphone!" She's nervous as she looks around. Probably because there are about four passengers dead now, and I don't think things are going as smoothly as she and her friends expected. So B stands up, just following orders, and I can feel the anger radiating off of her at the situation.

We have angry chick's attention back. "What do you think you're doing? Get down!"

"You told me to stand up!" B's retaliating, and I'm praying, that just once in her life, she doesn't go stubborn, and that she just does what someone else tells her to.

"What, do you want to be smart? Get down!"

B opens her mouth to argue, as she slowly starts to move back down. She's moving, but it's not enough. And the girl presses her gun to Buffy's head, my Buffy, and pulls the trigger. And I hear her fall. And I feel my heart break. And I see her body lying across the seat we had chosen to sit in. And I feel something snap. And I'm gone. All I know is that the only thing I care about has just been taken from me. And I launch at the girl.

I can see she's not expecting it, and we struggle for a little bit. It feels like hours, but I know it's only a few seconds. I know I'm not going to make it off this bus alive, but I'm damn determined to take this chick with me. All I need is her weapon. Which is currently buried in my stomach. And she pulls the trigger, and I go down, across the aisle.

She watches me for a moment, catching her breath. Satisfied I'm not getting up, she aims the gun at Ruby, who is still hysterical, cowering on the floor where we left her. And I realize it's probably the smartest thing any of us could have done. And the girl knows she's not going to have a problem with the druggie, so she turns and walks off, towards the front of the bus. And I feel guilty. Because we've left her alone. B and I. We left Ruby alone.

"Why are you crying?" It's a male voice, loud and not far away. I look over and there's two guys, grabbing for the boy. And the father is begging them to leave his son alone. "Why are you crying?" The guy repeats as the other one helps him get the boy under control. "I'll give you something to cry about!" And then he slits the kid's throat.

And there's pandemonium. And chaos. I can hear them yelling. Screaming. I hear Ruby crying. I hear the retarded guy. I see Ms. Business suit crying. I see the father, hysterical, cradling his dead son, completely oblivious to everything else going on around him. And I see B. Buffy. I see the top of her head and her hand hanging over the edge of the seat. And I don't want to go out like this. I don't want to die without her. And I know I failed her. I should have protected her. And her hand is just out of reach.

Footsteps. I see boots. And two people's faces take over my vision. One of them kicks me, and I don't really feel it. Then I hear the other one. "This one is still breathing."

The next thing I see is his gun pointing right at my face. It's also the last thing I see.

The End