Somewhere In Between
by tainted_blood_chylde
Rating: PG
'I can't keep losing sleep over this no I can't, and now I cannot stop pacing. Give me a few hours I'll all this figured out if my mind would just stop racing. Cos I cannot stand still, I can't be this unsturdy. and this cannot be happening. This is over my but underneath my feet...'
Faith listened quietly to the radio. It wasn't her usual heavy metal, she actually hadn't much time inside to listen to music. But for some reason she couldn't turn it over. Instead she slumped down into a chair and listened to it.
Buffy and the potentials were asleep. Only Giles still bustled about the kitchen with Spike making idle chit chat over the progress of the young would-be's. It was still rather unsettling that there was someone going around slaughtering her heirs. What had they even done to deserve it? The Council were still missing and reports of young girls and teachers being found butchered were being reported all over the internet.
Willow's daily tally showed that they had lost six of them this week so far. It made her feel sick. She looked at them in the scrap book they'd made earlier that day to honour the girls who had already been killed. Giles had brought at least twenty books with him full of names of slayers from the last four centuries. Many of the others were lost in the fire at the HQ in London.
She was even more disturbed when she opened the book and found a separate page to be added for at least twelve of the potentials laying upstairs asleep. "So young, so already prepared to die" she mumbled to herself. Buffy's welcome wasn't what she had expected. Buffy seemed almost glad to have her back. She was harder now than Faith had remembered.
'And this cannot be happening. This is over my head but underneath feet, cos by tomorrow I'll have this thing beat.. and everything will be back to the way that it was...'
She flicked open the book and found a page that Buffy herself had added. It was of her and Kendra. Then Faith finally unstood Buffy's welcome. Around all the potentials she was still alone. They were only after all potentials. They didn't understand her fight. They didn't understand fully the loss and the responsibility. Faith looked at Kendra's picture. They didn't understand that everytime Buffy looked at them all she saw was her own name being placed in that book. Buffy didn't want Faith there. She just didn't want to be alone.
She slammed the book closed and grabbed a stake from the table and charged out the door. A small tear falling down her cheek as she remembered the cold feeling she had when Buffy had died.
Buffy turned in her sleep, unable to rest. Six new potentials slaughtered, it made her feel ill.
"Buffy?" Dawn whispered. "Are you awake?" she asked softly as she crept slowly into the room.
"I'm always awake Dawnie" she moved over as her sister crawled into bed with her. "You can't sleep?"
"No, Kennedy may look small but she snores something awful" Dawn giggled as she pulled the covers over her. "Besides.. I just wanted to see how you were doing, you know, with Faith being back and all."
Buffy fell quiet. "It's different having her here. I've been dealing with this on my own for so long.. it's nice to have someone to share it with."
"What do you mean on your own? You have me, you have Willow and Xander too. Hell even Spike if you'd untie him for two seconds" Dawn snapped.
"Dawnie you know that's what I mean. I mean being the Slayer. Having to look at the Potentials and see my death. You guys DON'T KNOW what that is like for me" Buffy replied softly.
"Yes we do, you think I like sleeping in that room with them Buffy? You think I enjoy getting to know them when I know that one day you're gonna be gone forever and I'll have to help one of them??" Dawn snapped as she sat upright. "It's harder for me than you think Buffy. It's really hard."
Buffy put her arms around the younger Summers girl. "I'm so sorry Dawn. I had no idea you felt that way."
"No of course you wouldn't, you're too busy preparing for the end of the world. Everyone is too busy preparing for the end of the world. But it doesn't mean we don't know, it doesn't mean we don't care" Dawn said quietly as she stood up.
A faint crying sound came from outside in the hall.
"Sounds like Hali, I better go check she's okay, they've all been having a load of bad dreams lately." Dawn said simply before leaving the room.
Buffy hopped out of bed, she needed to let off some steam. She needed to patrol.
The garbage cans made an effective weapon, Faith picked up her fallen stake and finished the second vampire off with a quick jab to the chest. Before she jumped in the air and kicked the first one in the head, decapitating him. Somewhere in the heat of the fight she got the distinct feeling she was being watched.
"Nice to see you haven't lost your flare" Buffy said as she watched Faith finish off the third and final vampire by throwing a garbage lid can like a frisby and having it cut through his torso.
Faith looked around startled. "How long were you watching me?"
"I think I came in somewhere between the kicking the head off and the slice and dice with council property" Buffy replied.
Faith looked at Buffy cautiously and noted the two twin axes in her hand. "So this the part where you give the REAL welcome home?"
"No, this is the part where I give you this axe and we go get a nest of Felced Demons. Hope you brought your sewer shoes, you're gonna need them" Buffy smiled as she threw Faith one of the axes.
Faith reguarded the older slayer and stood up straight. "You're the boss."
Buffy's smile broadened and she turned and led the way.
"Faith watch out for that tenticle!" Buffy yelled as the demon trashed and wriggled about.
"Huh?" Faith yelled as she cut the head off one of the demons and ducked a blow from a Sleutic minnion.
"The tenticle!" Buffy repeated as she broke the neck of another Sleutic demon. The Sleutics were man shaped demons that would take on the appearance of handsome men and attractive women in order to lure people down for the Felced demons.
Buffy looked over to see that her warning was already too late and that Faith was being hoisted into the air by the last remaining Felced demon. BUffy grabbed her axe and jumped onto the creature's back and started hacking at it. The demon let out a terrible squeal and finally released Faith and started to round on Buffy.
Faith looked on in horror as the Felced demon threw Buffy up in the air and swallowed her whole.
"BUFFY!!" Faith screamed before throwing a Sluetic demon out of her way and sent it hurtling into a wall. She jumped up in the air and pulled her axe from the crevice in the ceiling where it had gotten caught before landing down beside the demon and ducking its tenticles, she took one good blow at what she interpreted to be its stomach and then stood back as all the contents of its stomach spilled out on the floor and Buffy emerged choking and spurting out the demons stomach fluid.
The demon screamed and started trashing around like crazy. The walls of the cave started to shake and Faith thrust out a hand to Buffy and helped her up. Buffy lifted her axe and got to her feet.
"Faith, it's really great to have you back" BUffy told her ernestly.
"Niceties later, escape now!" Faith yelled as both girls ran out of the cave as it began to crumble around them.
Outside the mosaleum Xander was furious.
"I KNEW we shouldn't have let her come back!" he snapped.
"It's not like anyone could have known, she had shown definite improvement" Willow reasoned with him.
"Oh yeah? Well all I need to know is that Faith is a Killer, and Killers don't deserve a second chance" he snapped.
"Yeah? Well it's nice to know you think that way" Willow said, her voice breaking.
"You know I didn't mean you. What you did can be explained. Even justified. You didn't fully understand what you were doing. Faith doesn't have that excuse." Xander told her simply.
"She doesn't have what excuse? That she was lost? That she'd done something terrible and needed help but was too scared to ask for it because asking would be admitting it was real? That she deeply regrets everyday she's alive for the things she's done?" Willow proclaimed.
"I.." Xander began.
"That's right, you don't understand. You can't." Willow said simply before two of the Potentials came up behind them.
"No luck" Amanda said.
"Where can they be?" Willow asked.
"I don't know, we've tried The School, The Bronze, The Hospital and all of Faith's and Buffy's old haunts. We can't find them anywhere" Hali answered.
"Xander! We found them! They are back at the house!" Morgan called as she ran through the graveyard.
Willow and the six potentials walked into the house and were greeted by the sound of Buffy and Faith's laughter as they told the potentials already back at the house some of their stories about demon hunting and syncronised slaying.
"Where the hell have you been?" Xander demanded as he walked in and saw a slime covered Buffy and Faith.
"Patrolling, where else?" Buffy informed him.
"Have you any idea what we thought? How worried we were?" he spat at her.
"Yes, and I bet I know why. Look Xander I know the past was ugly but things have changed now. Everything is different. The rules have changed. We are no longer the hunters, we are the hunted, and we need all the allies we can get" Buffy told him sternly.
Faith smiled warmly at Buffy, feeling completely at peace for the first time since she had lost the connection with the older slayer.
Faith finished making the fold down bed in the living room. Giles was staying over at Xander's for the night so there seemed to be enough room for Faith to take his usual spot. No one actually said anything but Faith knew it was because he didn't want to be left alone with her.
Faith was still waiting for that usual zing to come back. The thrust of energy that being around Buffy could only generate. She couldn't feel anything, it worried her. Before Buffy's death she could almost feel her soul, they could move as one being because they were the same. Now she could feel nothing. There was only blankness. It left her feeling hollow.
She felt cold. Faith pulled her jumper off over her shirt and looked down at the scar on her stomach. Buffy's mark on her. She always thought it was kind of pretty, a little cresent shaped scar on her stomach. Faith fell silent and examined the scar. The only scar since her calling she'd actually suffered.
"You going to be comfortable enough down here?" Willow asked as she came downstairs and grabbed a pillow from the chair for Kennedy.
Faith stopped playing with her scar, startled by Willow's soft movements. "Uh-yeah, that should be fine." She covered herself up slightly, feeling uncharacteristically shy around the young witch.
"Don't worry, you ain't got nothing I haven't seen or kissed before" Willow said politely.
Faith widened her eyes in surprise. "Your?"
"Yeah, just don't mention it too much around the little P's. Don't wanna make them nervous around me, you know." Willow asked.
Faith nodded her head.
"And don't worry Faith, I forgive you. The things in your past, they can be forgiven. Everything can be forgiven." Willow said quietly before walking upstairs to give Kennedy the pillow.
Buffy turned over in bed, it was useless. Her stomach demanded food. There had simply been too much slaying, not enough food. She slipped out of bed and pulled her dressing gown over her petite frame and slipped out of her room. She tried to be extra careful to reach the bottom of the stairs and not cause too much noise. She cleared the last step and walked through the living room.
"Oaff!" Buffy complained as she fell over onto Faith's bed.
"Wha?" Faith said as she sprung awake.
"Sorry!" Buffy said, her cheeks already growing red in the pale morning light.
"What time is it B?" Faith asked.
"About five thirty." She answered calmly.
"why are you still awake?" Faith asked.
"Cos I'm hungry" Buffy said quietly and strained her ears to see if any of the girls were awake.
"Why am I not surprised?" Faith climbed out of the bed and got to her feet. "Time I made some PROPER food around here." Faith joked before she went into the kitchen.
"What are you doing?" Buffy asked, a half smile playing softly on her lips.
"Every morning when I'd come in from patrol my Watcher Gale would make us an Ulster Fry. Nothing hits hunger better, comes pretty close to a night of good old fashioned bump n grind" Faith smiled as she explained and lifted some pans down from the cupboard. She walked over to the fridge and Buffy took a small step backwards and sat down on the edge of the chair and watch as Faith practically danced around the kitchen and made enough bacon and sausages to feed a whole school.
One by one the Potentials, including Dawn and Willow, ventured downstairs, drawn by the smell of breakfast. Buffy chatted casually with Faith all morning about Riley and Adam and all the Big Bad's she had missed over the last few years. Then finally Buffy mentioned Heaven, she mentioned how hard it was for her to come back, and how Spike had been the only she felt anything in common with. Faith never mentioned that she had felt her passing. Or that she had not felt any kind of Slayer Bond with her since the incident.
Buffy sensed something was wrong with Faith. "You still haven't told me how you've been sleeping, I keep trying to unlock the legacy and use the prophetic power but there's nothing.. I can't seem to find anything anymore. It's like the First has blocked all my power."
"I've had dreams" Faith answered quietly.
"You?" BUffy asked quietly.
"In the dreams you are dead, and I'm holding some kind of scythe, leading a thousand young women into battle. Only to lose and watch the gates of hell open." Faith answered.
"Why haven't I had this dream?" Buffy asked Giles.
"Because you are dead, according to the legacy.. you died" Faith looked at her quietly and the rest of the room fell silent.
"I don't know how this is possible" Giles spluttered and took his glasses off to rub his eyes. Three of the Potentials who had been secretly listening to the conversation turned from their books on Hell Demensions they were meant to be studying and openly stared in question at the two slayers.
"All I know is, since her death, it's felt different. I can't explain it, I mean, she died.. so why aren't there THREE slayers now instead of two? The legacy is for one person alone. Buffy was a brilliant but totally unseen accident. But even after she came back, I haven't felt.." Faith's voice trailed off and she blushed.
"You haven't felt what?" Hali asked before realising she had spoken out of turn. Faith cast her dark brown eyes upon the young girl and continued her explaination.
"High, that's the only way I can explain it. Call it an adrenaline rush if you want to, but the fact of the matter is when I'm slaying it's like this entire rush of energy. Like my whole body is tingling and alert. But when I final started syncronised slaying with Buffy. Moving as one with her. Everything became magnified somehow, but now.. I don't feel that anymore and it's not through lack of fighting, I mean you saw the way we were sparring" Faith cast a glance at Buffy whose green eyes seemed clouded and self-conscious.
Faith remembered their sparring, the long ache she'd felt in prison to collide with Buffy's soft body. It was like dancing. Inside prison and even the vampires she fought didn't give her the right challenge that Buffy could offer. It was like a drug and she was addicted to it. But somehow today, even though she was sparring with Buffy until her legs hurt and her knuckles bled. It wasn't the same, there was something lacking.
"It just feels empty, so maybe something has happened to the way her slayer ablilities are effected after death to take away her dreams. I'm not saying she's broken, maybe there's some spell that can bring her back to full zest. But right now, there's something missing" Faith added finally.
Buffy looked around at the room of faces staring at her, judging her. "I'm in perfect zest" she snapped before storming out of the living room and upstairs. Faith sighed inwardly, she had known better than to mention it. But still, if it was effecting Buffy's ability to carry out her job, it's better that they know. Faith rose from her seat and followed Buffy up the stairs.
She pushed open Buffy's bedroom door to see the older slayer layed out on her stomach leafing through an ancient text on slayer lore. "It might just be you that's broken. All that time spent inside, out of action. Maybe it affected your ability to hold the connection" Buffy mumbled.
"That's a possiblity, but if so what about your dreams? Look Buffy I'm sorry it had to happen like that. I was going to tell you." Faith said softly as she closed the door.
"Yeah but did it have to be then? In front of my Watcher? The Potentials? God! I mean do you have any idea what it was like? Having everyone in the room just looking like you like you're out place, like you don't belong there.. constantly" Buffy began.
"Judging? Yeah I know exactly what that is like" Faith answered.
Buffy smiled, at least they still had SOMETHING in common. She sat up and made enough room on the book covered bed for the brunette to sit down. "Must have been hard for you to come back here" Buffy stated simply.
"Yeah well I didn't have a choice did I? Someone killing the little P's, gotta stop in and kick their ass." Faith smiled back.
"So, you can't feel.. anything from me?" Buffy whispered softly, if Faith knew nothing else from Buffy but she knew that Buffy was at her most vunerable right now.
"Not really, I do sometimes, when you smile or laugh I feel a slight tingle, but when you fight. It's empty, like you have nothing left to fight for" Faith replied honestly.
Buffy nodded her head slightly. "You're right. I have been losing hope lately, things are so hard. Until you came, I couldn't even smile. You give me assurance that I'm doing the right thing. Help to hold the burden, but you don't give me hope" Buffy answered finally.
"I know. I wish I could take you by the hand and tell you everything is going to be fine. That the hell mouth never existed and your Mom never died and that you could go to sleep and have normal dreams about degrees and jobs and boys, but I can't. All I can do is help you wade through the water and pray to God we have enough strength to reach the other side" Faith said quietly.
Buffy put her arms around the younger slayer and rested her head in her lap. Faith stiffened slightly and finally eased up before patting Buffy's head. Moments later the older slayer broke down in tears, Faith was almost awe struck. It was the first display of real emotion that she had witnessed from the older slayer since she had arrived in sunnydale. How long had it been since she'd had anyone to confide in? Anyone to let her guard down to?
Buffy had been alone in more ways than Faith could ever have imagined. Faith slid the books off the bed and nudged Buffy so that both girls slid further up to the pillows. It was different. Faith had never been in this role before, she had always expected Buffy to be the strong one, now Faith was cuddling her. Buffy's chest continued to quiver as she cried, Faith said nothing. She just held her until eventually both Slayers fell asleep.
By the time Faith woke up Buffy was already downstairs with the Potentials, Faith dressed herself. Still not remembering at what particular moment it was Buffy decided to lend her some a night dress. She looked down at herself, the white night dress looked more like a t-shirt on her than a night dress. She pulled her jeans over her slender legs and borrowed one of Buffy's scruncies to hold her head back from her face.
There was already someone in the bathroom so Faith ventured downstairs to get a glass of orange juice. She walked into the kitchen and looked across the street, the for sales signs were out in the front of the neighbour's gardens. Apparently the school was empty too, people in Sunnydale were shipping out. Some even left entire houses empty and just took all they could carry. The First must be some threat she thought to herself. She looked out into the back garden and saw Buffy and the Potentials training.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Faith jumped and turned around to see Spike standing behind her.
"Yeah. Pity they don't stand a chance" Faith mumbled.
"Yeah? Why's that then?" Spike asked cheekily.
"Because, it doesn't matter how you paint them, they're just little girls. Scared little girls, and even though they might one day BECOME the slayer, they ARE NOT slayers NOW" Faith told him plainly before turning to face the vampire.
"So you think we're screwed then?" he asked her blankly.
"Well I wouldn't say we weren't" she answered before opening the back door and going out into the garden to join Buffy.
"Alright! Everyone take five! We start patrol in an hour!" Buffy called to the Potentials who all sighed with relief and collasped onto the ground. Buffy rolled her eyes and walked over to Faith who was fighting with Xander and practising a few new martial techniques that Kennedy had shown her.
"You okay?" Buffy asked Faith.
"Me? I'm fine! I could go on like this for hours" Faith smiled.
"Yeah I know, it's just I think you're going to break the Xander Dummy if you dont stop" Buffy informed her.
Faith halted her next blow and looked at the padded Xander who was wincing in pain.
"Oh Shit! Xander I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Faith asked him as she reached out for his large stomach. Xander managed a few nods, and started to get his breath back.
"Do you want us to lay you down?" Buffy asked him, he nodded eagerly, Buffy and Faith then lay him down on his back and let him rest.
"I think you nearly broke him" Buffy joked.
"Wouldn't be the first time I broke him in" Faith giggled.
"Buffy! I think we've found something!" Giles called.
"Coming!" Faith and Buffy called in unison before they and the Potentials walked into the house again.
"Hey! Wait!" Xander called as he tried in vain to move but it was too late the door was already closed and no one could hear him.
"Come back!!" He yelled pitifully and started to wave his arms about in a desperate attempt to get up.
*Thunder roll*
He looked up at the sky and rolled his eyes as the first rain drop hit him in the head.
"AH-CHU!" Xander sneezed as he pulled the towel around himself a little tighter. Two hours had passed and no one had even noticed he was left outside. "Nothing in this world was harder for me than getting out of that leather, tomorrow, you wrap it around the tree!" he warned Buffy and Faith who were still giggling even as he dried his hair. The thunder from outside sounded a little louder, no patrol tonight.
"I can't believe we didn't even notice" Kennedy giggled.
"I need to get a warm bath" he complained as he huddled up beside the fire and Willow handed him a hot chocolate.
"So, so far all we can tell is that we need to reconnect your energies to Faith's. When you died, you left this dimension and were lost. The connection split, which means Faith has most of the abilities now. If we can reconnect those energies then I am sure we should be able to restore you to your former strength" Giles told Buffy.
"Reconnect?? How do we do that?" Buffy asked.
"Well there are various forms of Tai Chi and other such practises that focus on enhancing bonds between people. I feel they should be useful but until I know more the only thing I can suggest is that you go and spend as much time actively slaying as you can and see if you can spark something" Giles explained.
"And I can try looking in the books for a spell of some kind that will help bring your dreams back. Like an all the time telepathy thing between you and Faith." Willow suggested.
"Wow! Hey I don't like the thought of Buffy being able to run around my mind any time she feels a little lonely. That's an invasion of privacy" Faith protested.
"She's right, Willow. It may open a door we may not be able to close" Giles agreed.
Faith looked over at Buffy who was remaining unusually quiet. Being able to know what she was thinking wouldn't hurt so much sometimes Faith admitted to herself.
"Someone should patrol" Buffy stated quietly.
"But it's so wet outside" Dawn said.
"Buffy, you know that demons don't usually come out in this wheather because it's not the kind people usually venture out in" Willow reasoned with her.
"Yeah but it usually means there's a lot of them in the sewer, or in Willy's Alibi Room. Hell even the Mosaliums. Anywhere to get out of the rain. That's where I'll find them" she stated matter of factly.
"Then I'm coming too" Faith announced. "Spend as much time actively slaying as possible right?" she added with a smile.
The younger girls in the room reguarded the older girls with questioning glances. They both ignored the Potentials and left with swords into the screaming night.
From the corner in Buffy's room Spike watched the two Slayers leaving, he snarled. They might not know what was happening, the old watcher may want to deny it and Red certainly wouldn't say anything but Spike knew that there was something growing between the two woman, and it had nothing to do with the legacy. Buffy was his, and if Faith thought she could come and interfere with HIS TURN in her light, she had another thing coming.
"Look out!" Faith yelled at Buffy as the black haired vampire charged at her. She lashed out at the vampire in front of her and pivoted and beheaded the vampire charging at Buffy.
"Thanx!" Buffy yelled back before dodging a blow to her head and getting in a quick jab at the vampire's chest and sending him hurtling backwards into the wall where he was impaled on a jutting piece of wood. The old factory came in useful when trying to track vampires or new information.
"How many?" Faith yelled over to her.
"Twelve!" Buffy called back and Faith widened her eyes in surprise.
"No Shit!" Faith replied as she staked another vampire. "I'm only on eight!"
"Well just goes to show, guys always go for the blond!" she answered before wrestling her sword off a large vampire. She recognised it from somewhere.
"Now I know why my mother was such a lousy parent. She was a bad Slayer!" He yelled at her. Only then did Buffy realise who this demon was, Principal Wood. She looked in horror at him, and yanked the sword out of his hands.
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Buffy snapped at him.
"Oh no? Then tell me what kind of a woman would leave her children at home to pursue her vain attempt at making the world a better place?" Wood snarled at her before grabbing the blade and kicking her. "A dead one!" he screamed before lashing out at her. Moments before impact Faith intervened and deflected his attack and made him focus on her.
"Let's play!" Faith snapped before they started striking out at each other with their blades. "Now I KNOW why your mother left you!" Faith taunted him. "You can't fight!"
His eyes flared and he growled, abandoning his sword and lunging at her. Faith quickly reached into her jacket and pulled out a stake and rolled with him before laying out flat with the ashes over her clothes and blood pouring from her neck.
"Faith!" BUffy shouted as she ran to her side.
"I'm fine, really" Faith mumbled and clutched her neck.
"You maybe but we can't stay here. It's been raining like this for the last few days, the vamps around here will be drawn to you like a moth to a flame, and even we can't take on that many" she reasoned with her.
Moments later Faith nodded and both girls got to their feet.
"Looks nasty, are you sure okay?" Kennedy asked Faith as she patched up her neck with stitches.
"I'm certain!" Faith confirmed.
The other Potentials looked on in morbid facination. Faith turned to Buffy.
"It's getting late. We should really send them to bed." Faith told her.
"She's right, scoot" Buffy instructed them and one by one the potentials left the kitchen. "Giles is staying here tonight, so you should probably share my room."
"Sure, I mean as long as it's alright with you" Faith answered.
"Yeah, sounds like fun to me." Buffy replied and Faith smiled.
Spike's hand gripped the cloth in his hand and he bite into his lip to keep himself quiet. She was only back two nights and now she was sharing a bed with her. He looked at their reflections in the mirror and vowed to himself it would go no further.
"If I can't have you.." he hummed as he gave Buffy her coffee.
"Sorry I don't have anything longer" Buffy apologised as Faith stood practically half naked in the small night dress Buffy had given her.
"No it's okay, just as long as I don't have to wrestle you for blankets I'm sure it'll be okay and I won't freeze to death" Faith joked sarcastically before looking down at herself and feeling very subconscious. "Still don't understand why I don't sleep in with the girls" Faith said quietly as she walked over to the side of the bed and helped Buffy to pull the covers back before getting into the bed.
"I told you, Willow feels uncomforable sharing a bed with anyone right now and the girls would just pester you with questions about being the slayer" Buffy explained as they pulled the covers over themselves and got comfortable. "Besides, you less effort than a hot water bottle" Buffy joked and Faith pulled a face before hitting her with a pillow.
"OH!" Buffy squealed in protest before sitting up and hitting Faith back with her own pillow.
"Hey that's not fair!" Faith protested and sat up too, grabbing Buffy's pillow as she chased Buffy out of the room. Buffy ran into the bathroom and locked the door, Faith pushed once at the bolted door and then decided to take a short cut through Willow's room and out the window. She emerged just in time to see Buffy climbing up the garden tree into her room. Faith aimed the pillow and hit Buffy out of the tree.
"What's happening in here?" Hali, the short red head demanded as Willow woke up.
Faith flashed her a cheeky grin as she ran downstairs and locked the back door as Buffy reached it. She smiled at Buffy before turning on the water sprinklers.
"War" she said simply as she watched the older blonde slayer running around trying to escape the water.
"What's going on in here?" Spike demanded grumpily.
"We're just having a bit of fun" Faith informed him as he approached them and drew up beside her to watch Buffy running around in the water sprinklers. He stared at her for a few moments then flicked them off and unlocked the door.
"There's no time for fun, there's just been another report. Two more girls and a watcher have been found murdered. The Bringers," he said sharply as he walked back into the living room where the television was already telling the story. It was local. Both girls were killed at least three miles from where they were. Faith looked as the other girls looked at the screen in distress.
"That could so easily have been one of us" Hali said as it showed pictures of the bodies.
Kennedy stepped forward and wrote their names in the book on the table. Willow watched her and bent down and held her hand.
Faith looked on in silence and heard Buffy coming in smiling behind her. Buffy was smiling at first and drying her hair but then her face turned sour as she saw the news broadcast.
"Right, turn that off. Everyone else get to bed" Buffy snapped.
"But.." Hali began.
"But nothing!" Buffy yelled as she walked over to the book and tore out the page of names of the living Potentials. "I don't want anyone else adding their name to this list. You got me? You may or may not die but you're here and you're safe. Don't disrespect me or this house by writing this defeatist bullshit! We are fighting a war, and yes there will be casualties and fatalities, but we won't win if you have already deemed yourself dead."
Kennedy was the first one to stand up and nod respectfully and start up the stairs. "Yes Mam" she said quietly. Moments later all the Potentials had done the same and walked up the stairs.
Giles gave Buffy a worried look.
"I'm fine, I'm just sick of them acting like they have already given up" she snapped.
"I know" Faith said as she patted Buffy's shoulder. "But this book, right now it's all they have, in the morning we will look around all the motels in town and Willow can stay here and look after the little P's. See if we can't find anymore of them but right now we need rest" Faith added.
Buffy sighed and nodded, the water still dripping down her face and soaking through her night dress, turning it almost clear. Faith looked appreciatively at Buffy's petite frame as she walked up the stairs. Faith followed Buffy and cast one look at Spike who she felt watching her the entire way up the stairs. She didn't exactly know the true intention behind that look, but she knew it wasn't friendly. At best, she knew it wasn't safe.
"You sure its safe to have that Spike guy around?" Faith asked Buffy as she closed the bedroom door.
"He has a soul now" Buffy answered.
"Yeah but like you said yesterday he's still been running around killing people. What if he gets hungry and attacks one of the P- pods?" Faith asked again.
"He won't" Buffy reasoned.
"Are you sure? Because the way he was looking at me....??" Faith asked.
"I'm sure, he knows your reputation. I think he's more worried about YOU killing the P-pods than you are about him. It'll take him a while to get there but you'll see, you'll grow to trust him. Just like you did with Angel, just like I did with you." Buffy smiled as she pulled her dry night dress over her head and crawled under the covers.
"I think I'm going to check on the girls first" Faith informed her before walking into Dawn's room.
"I don't wanna die like that" Hali whispered.
"Neither do I" Faith heard the reply as she edged the door open.
"I promise to watch your back, if you watch mine" Hali declared.
"I'll watch yours too" Christine answered.
"We'll all watch each others back" the other girls agreed.
"Good" Faith said as she turned on the light. "Because I'm going to need a team, not an army of scared little girls who don't know what they are fighting for, I need friends, because friends will help each other survive" she added as they all looked up at her. "Now get some sleep" she said as she turned off the light and left the door open.
"Where do you think YOU'RE going?" Faith demanded as she saw Kennedy sneaking up to Willow's room.
"She likes me to sleep in there sometimes.. After the first started pestering her by appearing as Tara, she doesn't like to be alone" Kennedy answered.
"Okay. Just, don't bother her too much okay?" Faith said as Kennedy smiled back and nodded before walking back into Willow's room with the glass of water.
"Awe it's so sweet it's almost sickening" a voice said from beside Faith.
She looked over to see the Mayor's deputy staring back at her, smiling cruelly.
"NO!" Faith screamed.
"Yes!" He mocked her.
...continued in part 11...