Certainly Unexpected
by Victoria
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Nothing except Alex, belongs to me.
Spoilers: Everything from Season 3 up in Buffy and all of Angel, Joyce is
still alive though and Anya has left.
Author's Notes: This was the first fic I ever wrote, I posted some of it on
another list-forever ago, but I didn't really like it. I re-did it and need
to know if I posted this, would you people be interested in reading more.
Feedback: Yeah...it would be great.
PROLOGUE
The murky stillness of the cemetery forced the blond slayer's poise to become uneasy. Her eyes scanned across the unnaturally quiet expanse. She could sense that there was something off. She could feel a presence that was familiar, yet completely new. The nervousness mounted within her as her eyes began to scan faster. She could feel this thing: its power. It was closer. With the wound from an earlier mishap with a knife-wielding vamp still freshly painful, the slayer knew she was not at full strength. She honed her senses; no it was not a vampire. A demon? No, it was not a demon. She began to calm herself and fell into a relaxed fighting stance, still searching.
"I know you're there!" Buffy called out, trying not to let her nervousness show. There was no movement, just silence. "Come out damn it! I know you're there!" She was fairly shouting. This thing was really powerful; it emanated strength. She could feel whatever it was watching her.
Then suddenly a second presence, a vampire, came rapidly into range. Buffy's eyes caught a ruffling in the bushes as the vampire flew out of them stopping only when his back smashed hard into a large headstone about twenty feet away. Buffy was stunned to say the least. The figure behind the bushes came sprinting out, a girl, Buffy realized. The girl ran at the vampire and the beast lunged with a snarl ripping the girl's legs out from under her. She was launched into the air and simply grabbed the edge of the headstone she pushed off backward landing on her feet. She jump kicked and her boots connected squarely with the unfortunate vampire's face. He stumbled backward holding his nose as she landed smoothly on the ground. Buffy watched from a safe distance as the girl drew a long slim sword from a sheath on her back. The blond slayer watched with curiosity as the girl neatly and with practiced elegance, beheaded the vampire. He shattered into dust a few seconds later. The girl grabbed her sword and reinserted it into the sheath.
Buffy got her first good look at the girl, though her dark hair still covered her face as she advanced. She stopped, standing about ten feet away now, and reached to uncover her face. Buffy gasped in surprise. Taking in the black leather and dark hair and she wondered why she hadn't noticed before. Buffy gathered herself, before speaking to the sheepishly grinning girl before her.
"Faith?" She said.
"That's me, for a minute I thought you forgot me B" Faith answered jokingly, still with that sheepish smile. "This isn't how I wanted to do this, stupid vamps and their damn bad timing!" She said mumbling more to herself than to Buffy.
"So it was you watching me, what are you doing back? When did you get out of prison?" Buffy said with a harshness that surprised even herself. "And what's with the sword?"
"I'm back because?" Faith started angry at the hostility, but stopped herself and began more calmly. She knew she deserved it. "I'm back because, Cordelia got a vision, something big is gonna go down and I'm reinforcement while Angel deals with LA trouble. Second question, I got out of jail thanks to some tampering by Fang's connections, something about not being able to redeem myself inside a cell." Faith said taking a deep breath. "The sword is because, um...I got in a big throw down in jail and injured my staking arm, and the whole thrusting motion isn't steady in my right. The sword is a smoother, softer movement and way more practical for demons." She said smiling.
"Ah...well I don't need or want your help so go back to LA." Buffy replied coldly.
How can she still be that pissed, Faith thought to herself, "Listen B, you don't have to like me or work with me even. I didn't wanna tell you, but in the vision two young girls die, you're there. There is one with straight brown hair, skinny, kinda cute, looks like fifteen maybe less?"
"Dawn?" Buffy asked with shock, the hostility dissipating instantly.
"Who's Dawn?" Faith asked rubbing her hands together, noticing Buffy's change of mood.
"Long story, so who is the other one?" Buffy asked.
"I don't know. But that one was a brunette, pale complexion, dressed in black."
Buffy interrupted her again "You realize you're describing yourself!"
Faith looked at her strangely "No, I'm not, let me finish. She had light eyes, green eyes and was like fifteen? Cordy said she looked a little like you, her face I mean."
Buffy noticed Faith shivering. For once, she set aside all her feelings about Faith. There was so much in the balance; Dawn was in the balance. She let herself admit that she could use the help and so could her friends. "C'mon, you're gonna stay at my house for tonight. Mom is...out, probably." Buffy said without emotion.
"No, B, its fine...I"
"NO! Just 'cause I am not forcing you to leave, doesn't mean I trust you. Let's go!" Buffy said forcefully.
"Wait, B, I can't. Angel paid to get the mansion all decked out and ready. It's stocked with food. It's his money B...I would go with you" Faith said, begrudgingly acknowledging that Buffy was justified in her anger considering her little stint last time she was in town. Why couldn't change be easy? The reparation of their friendship, if possible, could wait until they were safe.
"Oh...I'm staying with you, Let's get my stuff."
Faith nodded, knowing she was in no position to argue. They soon were at the mansion and settled.
Across town, in the aforementioned cemetery, a small light flickered. This light grew in proportion and began spinning creating a vortex. From the center of the vortex a hand emerged and soon the body of a young teenage girl was forcibly discharged. The vortex closed as the body raised itself up. The girl was clad completely in black, with a large hunting knife hanging in a leather casing by her belt and a stake tucked into the other side. She looked around a smirk on her full lips, her green eyes scanned the cemetery. She placed a lock of wavy brown hair behind her ear. She closed her eyes concentrating intensely. She smiled again and headed in the direction of the mansion.
Faith knelt in front of the fireplace, loading logs and starting a fire. Buffy watched from across the room, gingerly inspecting the light slash on her stomach. Vampires were not allowed to carry knives, not fair at all she decided. Faith stood and grabbed her sword from its sheath, testing the blade lightly across her finger. She smiled to herself. Sharp as hell.
"You can go to bed if you want, don't let me keep you up. Help yourself to anything in the fridge." Faith said stripping off her leather jacket. It was at this point that Buffy noticed her bandaged wrist. Faith picked up her sword and began a routine. It was obviously ancient, most likely Asian. She probably learned it from Angel, the blonde concluded. One has the chance to learn quite a bit when one has been around for two hundred and something years after all. Buffy was amazed by the grace that Faith possessed and she just watched for a bit, until a knock at the door jarred her.
"I'll get it!" Buffy said. Faith gently replaced the sword and straightened her hair. Buffy opened the door to reveal the dark girl Faith had described.
"Hey Buffy." The girl said giving a very Faith-like smirk.
"Um...hi?" Buffy said exchanging confused glances with Faith, who just shrugged.
The girl looked passed Buffy meeting Faith's eyes.
She smirked and waved "Hi, mom!"
Silence filled the room. The girl stood leaning on the doorframe her smirk still in place, just watching. Buffy and Faith stared at each other, neither knowing what to say until finally Faith regained her wits and spoke up.
"Mom? Sorry, I think you got the wrong girl!" She said cautiously noting that the girl had not yet entered the house. Was she a vampire?
"You're Faith right, Faith the vampire slayer?" The girl asked almost teasingly.
"Yeah, I can't have a daughter that's like three years younger, what the fuck are you trying to pull?" Faith said even more confused, still considering the girl a potential threat.
"Maybe not yet you don't. Or not here you don't. Not sure which one yet. You could have them in both places I guess!" Then trailed off talking loudly enough for Buffy and Faith to hear.
"What the hell do mean not here? What the hell are you talking about?" Faith asked in frustrated confusion.
Buffy asked calmly "Who are you?"
"I'm Faith's daughter from I guess not really the future, guess you call it a quasi-future." She answered smiling and stepping into the house. "God mom, how old are you? You're so young...and you too Buffy." She asked walking up to Faith.
"I'm nineteen, shit." Faith answered still wary, but more at ease now she knew the girl wasn't a vampire. "...Quasi-future?" She asked.
"How do you know me?" Buffy said leering untrustingly at the girl. She had forgotten the girl addressed her by name at the door. If she were Faith's daughter, why would she know Buffy?
"Um...hold on" Buffy and Faith watched cautiously as the girl drew a small notepad from her back pocket and began flipping through it. After a few seconds she said "Sorry, Buffy...I can't answer the question yet, it could..." The girl flipped through a couple pages and then began to read from one. "Distort the fragile fabrics of space and time and ultimately affect the ruling course of natural events." She smiled and closed the notepad. "In other words, sorry but you guys, or girls rather, have to figure it out by yourselves. Then I can tell you, I know stupid rules."
"You can't tell me?" Buffy said clearly not amused.
"Nope, 'fraid not," she said smirking. "My name is Alexis but you can call me Alex. Mom...you asked me about the quasi-future?"
"Don't call me that. How the hell do I know you're not a demon?" Faith said unwilling to believe this. "And how come you look like Buffy, if I'm your mother?" Faith asked.
"Yeah!" Buffy said. Faith certainly had a point there.
Alex looked between the two disgruntled Slayers. She could see both their brains were busily working away. Her grin widened, until it threatened to burst off face. Her eyes danced with silent laughter as Buffy's and then Faith's eyebrows rose and their confusion turned to realization. She could tell they were afraid to look at each other. Alex shook her head and answered in the most innocent tone she could muster "Gee I better go, it's getting late. Just thought I'd let you know I was in town."
Faith shook her head, sighing as she fell into the big easy chair in the corner of the room. "What the hell just happened?" Faith asked.
"I'm not sure...I don't know....I need to?...And my friends don't know you're her and that's really bad...so I should tell them? and what if Dawn came home...what if mom came home...damn it, I'm..." Buffy sat down on a bar stool in the kitchen. "I need to sit down...that was certainly unexpected." Buffy called out to Faith, who was across the room. They both sat in silence, until Faith addressed the blonde.
"Well I guess now is a good enough time as any, so hell here we go. Jesus, B I know you don't want to hear it, but I am sorry for everything I did, for not allowing you or Angel to help me when I was still salvageable, and for everything else." She paused, before continuing. "But, one thing I won't say is that it was all my fault, because it wasn't. We both made mistakes, B...we both did."
Buffy hauled herself up off the barstool and walked over to Faith. All the emotions she had been hiding since Faith first said Dawn was in trouble were resurfacing. It was time; they were finally going to have it out like they should have on the rooftop at Angel's. Buffy was more than ready for this. "You think you can just apologize and everything will be good again. That we'll be 'five by five'? Well, it doesn't work that way, you have no right to expect it to, Faith. You killed a man, you tired to kill?"
"Do you think I don't know that. JESUS, Buffy I asked you on the rooftop at Angel's...just tell me what to do to make it better. You can forgive Angel for killing one of your friends and torturing Giles, what I did wasn't any worse!"
"YOU TRIED TO KILL THE ENTIRE TOWN!"
"SO DID ANGEL!"
"ANGEL LOST HIS SOUL!" Buffy yelled because inside she knew that part of what Faith was saying was true, and damn that pissed her off. "Everything you did you chose to do Faith, every time you hurt me you did it, not because a demon was in control of your body, but because you chose to. And for what reason? We never treated you badly. I tried to be your friend. The reason is because what? You wanted to." Buffy finished punctuating every word with her back turned to Faith.
Faith was pissed off beyond belief; she could feel the anger rising up through her. She has always had quite a temper. It was familiar as she whipped Buffy around. Her clenched fists shook as she began to raise her voice. "You never treated me badly? You kept me on the outside and tried to make me think that I was one of you. Really B, how the hell many times did you call meetings and not bother to even tell me. You involved me only when it was necessary. You treated me like second best always. I am not your mother-fucking sidekick. You let me stay in a rotting motel room, never even thinking about what the hell I had to do to pay for it?" Faith stopped herself and agitatedly ran shaking fingers through her hair. Her voiced softened and underlying vulnerability peeked through. "What the hell was I supposed to do B, Jesus...I had someone offering me a way out and you offering nothing but 'Faith you killed a man, you need to deal with it'...I..."
"THAT'S NOT TRUE. I TRIED TO HELP YOU! I GAVE YOU EVERY CHANCE." Buffy had her own rage. So what if Faith had a point? Buffy was the good one. Faith was psycho-slayer.
"YOU GAVE ME EVERY CHANCE TO BE YOU!" Faith yelled, some of the edge falling out of her voice. "Look B, I didn't come here for this, I'm fucking trying here. God, just tell me what to do to make it better...please" Faith said softer, pleadingly.
"Nothing, Faith you fucked it all up too many times alright? You cannot fix this." Buffy said coldly. "Now you can stay in Sunnydale or go back LA. I can't make the decision, but I won't stop you from helping."
Faith felt tears stinging her eyes. "That's it then? fine. I'm gonna take a walk." She sure as hell wasn't gonna give Buffy the satisfaction of seeing her cry.
Buffy watched feeling her chest ache as a single tear slid down Faith's cheek. She realized she had just screwed up, that she definitely should not have said that. "Faith wait...I didn't mean." She said grabbing the younger slayer's hand.
"Yes, you did..." Faith growled throwing her hand off so hard that the blonde slayer fell to the ground. "Don't touch me...just don't" Faith said slamming the door behind her.
Alex sat watching the raging verbal battle, between Buffy and Faith from an 'oh so convenient' window outside the mansion. "Damn what the hell happened to those two? She could see Faith was at the cracking point, she'd seen her like this before, it meant she was on the verge of tears.
"God, Buffy just tell me what to do to make it better...please."
"NOTHING, Faith you fucked it all up too many times." Alex knew that was it and wasn't surprised to see Faith exit the mansion minutes later.
"Damn Buffy can be a bitch sometimes." Alex thought. She so wanted to slap the other slayer upside the head for hurting her mother. She ran to catch up with Faith. Her real mother had said she could tell her everything.
"Faith, wait up!" A voice came from behind her. Alex's voice she realized, she had completely forgotten about the girl.
"GO away, I don't want to talk about whatever it is right now!" Faith said walking a little faster, her voice was unsteady as result of the tears.
"I need to talk to you!" Alex insisted picking up her pace also.
"Not now, little girl" Faith said walking even faster.
"Yes, now." Was the last thing Faith heard before she found herself on her back on the grass beside the road. Alex was sitting on her stomach and pinning her down. Faith smiled a little at the familiar smirk on the girl's face through her still teary eyes. "Will you listen now?" She said trying to look menacing.
"Whatever" Faith said half glad for the distraction as she lifted the girl off her stomach. "What is so important?"
"Follow me" Alex said as she helped Faith up from the ground.
"Why?...Where are we going?"
"Somewhere quiet where there isn't the potential for late night vamp attacks" Alex replied smiling. "Besides you might wanna be sitting, some of it is kinda heavy."
"Ah" was her response. The twosome continued silently down the deserted Sunnydale streets, toward a nightclub which Faith was entirely too familiar with. Bad memories. "How do you know where the Bronze is?"
"I live in Sunnydale just not now or not here I'm..."
"Yeah I know, not sure which." Faith responded, she was obviously uncomfortable. They entered and retired to a table after getting sodas, sitting in a discrete corner of the dark club. As they settled back, Faith got tired of waiting for the girl to begin. "So what is this about?"
"Well, depends on what you mean by 'this'."
"What did you need to talk to me about?" Faith prompted irritably.
"Well, first off I need to ask you some questions that..."
"Why?" Faith interrupted.
"Cause I need to know how much damage there is in yours and Buffy's friendship. You know take stock of the work that needs to be done..." she responded in kind.
"Wait, wait, wait...you're here to patch things up between me and B?"
"Yeah, in a sense, but mostly to help with the upcoming apocalypse." She said nonchalantly.
"What apocalypse? How do you know about it? Where do you come from?"
"Okay, try to follow 'cause this is complex..." Alex said once again taking out the notebook. "I was conceived by means of a dimensional rift. There are alternate realities on all planes, or as I called them quasi-futures. These alternate realities occur on different time spectrums so the same people from one reality can differ in age, the actual speed of time can be slower or faster. Each reality is slightly altered...for instance in comparing our realities I would be a difference. You follow?" Faith half nodded as Alex flipped through a couple more pages before continuing. "I know what happened in order for you to be called. So let me put it like this. The potential for a dimensional rift occurs when there are deviances from 'the natural order'. Apparently there was one main deviance in your world, and several smaller ones. This deviance was killing of Alan Finch. He was apparently there in some freak occurrence, these things rarely..."
"So the event that turned my life freakin' upside down wasn't supposed happen at all?"
"Well, no. Um...hold on" she flipped through a couple more pages and then began reading "There was a drastic change on a higher level, maybe with the Powers that Be. I was saying these events rarely occur but when they do it is to steer the fate of an individual."
"One more time, my life is screwed up beyond repair because someone up there" Faith pointed to the ceiling "thought I needed a little direction. I could of done without the 'help'."
"No...but if your life was beyond repair I wouldn't be here, and you from what I know about your life before, you were heading for a fall" Alex stated flatly as Faith sat back taking it in. "So how did Alan die?"
Faith stared at the girl "You don't know??"
"I don't know anything about how he died or what happened after that, so you need to tell me."
Faith considered it for a moment. "Long sad story short. I killed Finch. It was an accident. B and me couldn't deal with it, and I kinda hooked up with this evil guy out to kill the town. Tried to kill Angel and Buffy stabbed me. Went into a coma for eight months, woke up and stole B's body for a while. I ran away to Angel who helped me and I went to jail, he visited. Got outta jail and came here." Faith said without emotion.
Alex folded her hands on the table and rested her chin on them, before turning her head to look at Faith. "Quite a past you two have. This is gonna take more work than I thought. Well, since you answered my questions, are there any you have for me?"
"Yeah, one...am I like your real mother?"
"Yes, even though I was conceived through supernatural means you still got all the perks of a real pregnancy, morning sickness and all, Buffy took pictures...they're hilarious." The girl answered smirking and shaking her head.
"Um...yeah about me and B in your universe?" Faith began uneasily.
"What do you want to know?" Alex said with a teasing tone in her voice.
"What are we?"
"You're together. Bosom companions, very very literally." She said with obvious disdain. Faith looked shocked and that was rare occurrence.
"Is she?...um...your father?" Faith asked not sure how to phrase her question or if she even really wanted to hear the answer.
"Not exactly or not in the traditional sense, she is the donor for the other half of my genes...And I guess there was a consummation between the two of you...eww" Alex was obviously uncomfortable.
"Fuck," was Faith's only spoken response. She rested her head against the back of the chair she was sitting in. "So um...how exactly did it work, with us...how did you...how did I get pregnant?" Faith asked seriously.
"Well...hold on, mom explained it..." Alex said flipping towards the front of the notebook. "When two people are fated to be together, they're soul mates, it is actually a rare occurrence that they find each other. You and Buffy are soul mates, regardless of dimension of age or consequently of sex. It has nothing to do with your physical attributes. Although, if it really had nothing to do with the physical attributes, then technically your soul mate could be a dog or an emu or something even stranger, but anyway..."
"Emu? What the fuck is an emu?"
"I think they're kind of like small ostriches, but that's not important. So, you and Buffy are soul mates. When two soul mates..."
"Angel is B's soul mate here, sorry to tell you." Faith said with ill-disguised bitterness.
"That is completely impossible, soul mates are soul mates in every dimension. Who is Angel?"
"A wicked old vampire with a soul, nice enough." She said sadly, looking a little lost.
"Well he can't be Buffy's soul mate. When two soul mates meet in two dimensions at the same time, which there is like a one in a million chance of, a dimensional rift is offered up. It lies dormant until there is a large concentration of opposing energies, in this case I guess it was you and Buffy's fighting and my mother's and Buffy's sappiness and inability to keep their hands off each other." Alex was clearly in an unpleasant mental place. She took a moment to collect herself before continuing. "Then the rift opens and the seed of a child is planted in the best candidate in the safest environment, during a..." Alex struggled for a word. "Sexual experience. This child will be a combination of the soul mates, and is born and raised with the tolerance for dimensional travel and with the ability of mind scanning."
"Mind scanning?" Faith asked.
"Oh this is fun!" Alex was clearly excited. "I can read you or Buffy's mind, regardless of where you are, unless you're in another dimension. Trans-dimensional mind scanning doesn't work. It's because I have a little bit of each of your souls in me."
"Really? Then how come you didn't just read my mind to find out about Alan?" Faith asked a little angry.
"I could have, but I just wanted to see you say it. Besides you weren't even thinking about it. I'll only read your mind if I want to, it's a choice."
Faith took a sip of the soda she had yet to touch. "Yeah? So what am I thinking?"
Alex closed her eyes. "A lot of things. Whether or not I'll be able to read your mind...If you should patrol...If you should go back to the mansion...If you were a good mother? what you look like when you're middle-aged, whether or not I have a place to stay, that's nice of you...that you didn't understand practically anything I said, which is okay cause I don't really understand it either..." Alex stopped for a moment "and Buffy. You love her."
Faith just stared at the girl. She felt very uncomfortable.
"And to answer the question on your mind right now, Buffy's thinking that she shouldn't have said what she said before, and she is going to her house. She's also going to call her mom, and Willow?"
"I wanna leave" Faith was drained.
"I know."
"You can stay at the mansion if you want."
"I know."
"Stop it."
"Sorry" Alex said smiling sheepishly as she got up pushing in her chair in. "I don't think we should patrol considering you don't have a weapon."
Faith nodded, she was just tired.
Buffy paced around the mansion; trying to find some way to distract herself from the guilt she was feeling. She should call home and maybe Willow, she left with Faith so abruptly. Buffy picked up the phone and dialed her number. She calmly explained the situation to her mother asking her to call Giles, and then called Willow and explained the situation to her also. It took some convincing but both reluctantly agreed that Buffy was doing the right thing. However both threw numerous cautions at her. She should find Spike and ask him if he knew about up and coming apocalypses, something that would explain Cordy's vision. Buffy realized she hadn't grabbed a coat when she stopped by her house earlier. She looked questioningly at the leather jacket thrown on the chair in the corner. Just as she was about to reach for it, the phone rung.
"Hello?" She answered slowly.
~Buffy?~
"Cordelia?" She asked surprised.
~Hi...Is Faith there?~
"No...she...um...she stepped out." Buffy could not keep the guilt out of her voice. Being perceptive as she is, Cordelia noticed.
~Did something happen?~
"No...why would you...no."
~Okay, did she tell you about the vision?~
"Yeah."
~Do you know who they are?~ Cordy agitatedly prompted.
"Yeah, one of them is Dawn...the other is more complicated."
~Dawn?~
"My sister."
~Oh the key! Yeah, Willow told me about that.~
"Yeah." It made Buffy uncomfortable to hear Dawn referred to as the key.
Sensing this conversation was going no where Cordy ended it
~Could you have Faith call me?~
"Yeah, sure, Bye?" Buffy hung up the phone. Looking warily at the Faith's jacket, she grabbed it for god knows what reason and slung it over her shoulders, making her way towards Revello Drive. She should grab a few more things, while she was out looking for Spike. Buffy noticed the jacket smelled like Faith, that strange but pleasant combination of leather, smoke, and something almost sweet. It kinda tickled her nose.
Buffy made her way toward the front door. As Buffy's outstretched hand grasped the doorknob she heard a faint rustling near the side of the house. Quietly she made her way to around the corner. What she saw stunned her beyond belief. There was Spike standing on her lawn staring up at her window.
"What are you doing here?" She demanded, clearly startling him.
"Hello, luv, I came to show you something." He said regaining his wits.
"Why were staring into my window?"
"Don't give yourself too much credit, I was just about to go up and get you. Why don't you follow me?"
Buffy shook off the experience. Too many weird things had happened tonight for her to really care. She watched Spike's retreating form, before running to catch up with him.
"It appears, luv, that one of your old mates has decided to return to Sunny-hell..." He said lighting a cigarette.
Buffy noticed the path they were taking looked familiar. "Spike, did you hear anything about an apocalypse?"
"No, not really, there are some new demons on the block, tiny little things not too much smaller than you, but their bloody push-overs." He said, giving her a strange off-putting smile.
Buffy just nodded narrowing her eyes at him. Noticing the mansion in the distance, she rolled her eyes, stopping mid-stride. "I know Faith is back, Spike I'm staying at the mansion with her."
Spike turned around giving Buffy a quizzical glance. "Oh, well then I best be off, pet. Places to be."
The blonde slayer walked toward the mansion and saw something flicker near the window. She inspected the area surrounding that side of the mansion, but found nothing. She reasoned it must have been a light from somewhere reflected by the glass. She entered the mansion tossing Faith's jacket back into the chair she had taken it out of.
Buffy had gone from tired to exhausted, Spike had told her nothing and she hadn't gotten the things she wanted from her house. Not to mention the fact that she had crushed Faith earlier today, and was feeling pretty guilty. Where was Faith anyway? Why wasn't she home yet? She slumped down in the chair, curling into Faith's oversized jacket and slipping quickly into a deep, but disturbed sleep.
Outside the house, a small lithely muscled figure, with completely black glossy skin, almost silently broke a window of the mansion and slipped inside, unnoticed by the occupant who was still dozing. It crept over in almost a dance like movement. Trailing the long nail of its index finger down the sleeping girl's cheek. He gently puncturing the tip of his index finger on the other hand, as he made a small incision on the side of the girl's face. The demon dripped its blood into her wound, before quietly slipping back through the broken window.
As Faith and Alex approached the mansion, Faith thought she saw something flicker near the window of the house, but ignored it. She slowly opened the door and stepped into the mansion with Alex following.
"You can take the room to the right" Faith pointed toward the room.
"K, night mom..." she answered, receiving a glare from Faith. "Faith."
Faith watched as Alexis exited the main room, and headed for the right-side bedroom. It had been a weird and deeply draining night. After Alex had disappeared Faith made her way toward the fireplace. She saw Buffy's blond hair peeking over the arm of the leather chair that sat by the couch. Faith silently made her way over to Buffy and was surprised to see that the girl was sleeping nestled in her jacket. Faith went to her bedroom and retrieved an extra blanket, laying it over Buffy. Her thoughts wandered to what Alex had said earlier. Was she in love with Buffy? Hell, of course she was, she had been for so long. As she watched the sleeping slayer, she felt a tear roll down her cheek. Disgusted with herself she wiped them away and left, going toward her bedroom.
However, on her way she noticed the broken window. Stepping closer to the frame she noticed that it looked almost as if the glass had been cut out. The break was so smooth. It was too small for Faith herself to fit through, but big enough for a child to crawl in.
"What the fuck?" Faith asked herself out loud.
"What's going on?" Alex walked over to where Faith was hunched over the window frame. She had gotten up for a glass of water.
"Look at this" Faith pointed to the hole.
"Weird" Alex commented running her finger along the smooth surface of the break. Off in the distance the younger girl noticed something flash, as if the light of the moon struck it just right. She squinted. "Did you see that?"
"What?"
"Nothing." It was probably a broken bottle or something, Alex reasoned. The two brunettes taped a piece of cardboard that they ripped off a box across the window and went to sleep.
Buffy awoke the next morning slightly disoriented. She stretched and a smile spread across her face as the unmistakable scent of coffee filled the air. She looked around. Where was she? Her smile faded as she remembered what happened last night. Maybe it was a dream. How likely was it that her and Faith had a daughter from another dimension? She laughed a little at the thought, after all it was anatomically impossible.
"Hi Buffy, thought you could use some coffee!" Alex said cheerfully placing the cup on the table next to Buffy's leather chair. The young girl then took her seat on the couch across from the slayer.
"Damn."
"What?"
"You're real." Buffy answered, sitting up and reaching for the mug.
"Good morning to you too!" Alex snorted slightly offended, but shook it off. Buffy noticed that she was still wrapped in Faith's jacket, but now there was a cover over it. She folded both up tossing them next to Alex on the couch. It was then that she noticed the window.
"What happened to the window?" Buffy questioned.
"We don't know. It was like that when we came home." Alex looked at Buffy. "You didn't see anything? Hear anything?"
"Nope, nothing, that's wiggy," Buffy commented, Alex nodded. "So what's the deal?"
"Hmm?"
"You adopted?"
"You mean in my dimension?" Alex clarified, wearing a cross between a smile and a smirk.
"Yeah" Buffy was waking up a little. She should have slept on the couch. Her back was killing her and her cheek, for some reason, was throbbing.
"No, not adopted." She took a good look at Alex for the first time. The girl from the neck down was practically a carbon copy of Faith, but her face, her eyes especially were pure Buffy. They were that sea green with specks of gold and her hair was lighter than Faith's. Her features were a little less dramatic than the brunette's, but she was a beautiful girl.
"Not sure I wanna know, but how were do you...where did you come from?" Buffy knew where this was heading, but she could not figure out how it was possible.
"I came from Faith and from you." Buffy looked warily at the girl.
"How?" Alex sighed, a little irritated that she would have to explain the situation all over again.
"I'm assuming you won't just ask Faith, so I won't have to explain this all over again?" The look on Buffy's face said it all. "Fine, it's like this. You and Faith are madly, passionately in love in my dimension. You two redefine the terms sappy and romantic. Really, it is sickening to be with you two for long periods of time."
"You're serious?"
"Unfortunately!" Buffy sighed uncomfortably, Alex picked up on it. "Hey, at least you don't have to see it on a daily basis."
"I still don't understand..."
"Give me chance." Alex chidded good-naturedly. "So, you and Faith are soul mates."
"In your dimension." Buffy tried to put in.
"In every dimension." Alex answered seriously. Buffy snorted.
"There is no way that Faith is my soul mate!" Alex felt her anger rise. She has Faith's temper. Most of the time her and Buffy got along well, but they definitely had their moments.
"Soul mates are soul mates in every dimension."
"Not in this one" Buffy said with a certain forcefulness.
"Wrong again. Look do you wanna hear where I came from, or do you wanna argue about the laws of the mystical universe?"
"You can't just come here and tell me..."
"You asked!" The two girls folded their arms across their chests and wore identical pouts.
"Fine." Both said in unison. It was at this moment that Faith walked groggily into the kitchen. Taking in the identical facial expressions, Faith tried not to smile.
Raising her eyebrow the dark slayer asked, "What happened here?"
Faith was still unsure about talking to the older slayer after last night's episode, but it was apparent that the wrath of Buffy was not being focused on her this morning.
"She's being difficult!" They answered at the same time, pointing fingers at each other.
"No, you are!" They both retorted, looking positively offended. Faith shook her head. It was too early for this. Coffee, she needed coffee, it was after all the best part of waking up.
Alex had got up about twenty minutes ago and the blonde had been resting on the couch ever since. Realizing that this was a good time to talk with Faith, Buffy walked into the kitchen where the younger girl was standing. She was making what appeared to be an omelet.
"Hey." She said, hesitantly.
"Hey" Faith answered breaking another egg and tossing the shell into the sink.
"I was wondering where the shower was..." Buffy began lamely. She wanted to apologize, but couldn't bring herself to.
"Alex might still be in there right now, but second door on the right, towels are in the closet." She had not looked at Buffy since the girl approached her.
"Um...okay...Faith?" Buffy rubbed the back of her neck. She was nervous.
"What?" Faith's indifference was not reassuring.
"Um...I...nothing" Buffy answered walking out of the kitchen. She saw Alex exit the bathroom as she turned into the hall.
She turned on the water and stripped down, testing it before climbing in. As the hot water hit her face, a burning sensation shot through the right side of her face beginning at her cheek. She jumped back a little, and touched her hand to her face. It felt normal and she peered out of the sliding door. It looked normal, a little red, but normal. She shrugged off the experience.
Instead, she just concentrated on the nice spray from the showerhead. It was almost as soothing as a massage and it was helping to relieve the tension that sleeping in that chair had caused. The blonde silently reveled in the heat. Her body became completely relaxed and it was then that she heard a voice as plain as day.
'Where the hell are those mushrooms??' Buffy's eyes shot open.
"Hello??" She called out. No one was there. Mushrooms?? She quickly dried herself off and headed to the room she had placed her things in. She dressed herself, still a little bewildered.
Alex was sitting on the couch watching the slayers ignore each other. The blonde had spent all morning on the phone with apparently everyone she knew. From what she understood, Buffy was organizing a meeting at the mansion this afternoon about Faith's return and the upcoming apocalypse. Buffy was apparently morally opposed to the idea of cutting Faith any slack. It seemed the blonde slayer was opting to leave Alex's appearance out of her conversions. Alexis had been scanning Faith when the girl found about the meeting. Well, since Faith had no one in her corner, Alex decided that she'd help the brunette slayer out.
The more she'd been thinking about Buffy's irrational reserve of anger, the more she realized how badly Faith must have hurt her. Her mother's Buffy was really very sensitive, even though she tried desperately to hide that fact. She looked at the two slayers from where she was sitting on the couch.
They were both so unhappy. The doorbell rang. "I'll get it" Alex yelled, bored to death. She opened the door to reveal a redheaded girl she thought looked a little like her Godmother, a blond girl she vaguely recognized as Tara, and a younger brunette she couldn't place.
"Tara, Willow?" She asked. The two looked at each other questioningly before Willow spoke up.
"Um...have we met?" Willow looked at the girl. Something about her was familiar, but she couldn't figure out what it was.
"Nope, not here." The answer further confused the witches and earned Alexis a look from the brunette. There was an awkward silence before Buffy yelled for them to come in from the kitchen. Alexis was thrilled by the arrival of the witches and the girl because now she wouldn't have to watch Buffy and Faith ignore each other.
Willow and Tara walked toward Buffy's voice throwing glances back in Alex's direction; the girl only smiled in response.
"So, whose your friend?" Dawn asked Buffy. The blond dried her hands on a nearby towel and looked to where Dawn was pointing.
"Alex, she's...well...she's from another dimension." Willow and Tara immediately seemed to take a deeper interest in the girl. Reading the older slayer's mind Alex found that Buffy wanted to leave the daughter part out. Not a chance.
"I'm Buffy's daughter!" Alex extended her hand towards the witches. The two girls were too shocked to even react. However, the young brunette that had come in with them took the offered hand. Laughing slightly.
"I guess that would make me your Aunt! I'm Dawn..." Both Alex's and Faith's, who had been quietly sitting by the fireplace, eyes grew wide at this radical new development.
"Buffy's sister?" Alex asked just to clarify, Dawn nodded.
"Weird" Faith and Alex mumbled together.
Willow, Tara, and Dawn turned their attention to the girl on the fireplace. The blonde Wiccan and the key regarded her with wary expressions, while Willow leered at the Slayer with abject hatred. After about five minutes of their staring, Faith met their eyes before getting up and walking out of the room. Alex watched the scene with a look of worry on her face.
"Faith, wait!" Buffy called after her, but the other slayer ignored her. She heard Willow mumble an insult at the brunette's retreating form. She thought the better of going after Faith, and started her meeting after the rest of them arrived. She realized about a half hour into the conference that Faith had no intentions of making an appearance.
Faith picked up the phone next to her bed and dialed the number for Angel Investigations. She drummed her fingers lightly on her thigh as she waited for someone to pick up.
~Hello? Angel Investigations.~
"I can't fucking do this!"
~Faith?~
"I'm coming back Cordelia. Tell Angel for me."
~What? No...you can't.~
"I told you...I'm not ready."
~Faith, my vision.~
"So send Angel."
~It doesn't work like that, Faith you were in my vision and that means you have to be there.~
Faith growled. Clearly frustrated. "Look, Cordy no one wants me here, especially me."
~Faith, what happened?~ Cordelia was concerned for Faith's well being. They had formed something of a friendship after Faith's release.
"What I knew would happen. Everyone would rather fucking kill themselves than forgive me, I mean for fuck sake, Buffy insisted on staying with me so she could remind me what a fuck-up I am every ten minutes and she invited her stupid friends over so they could fucking glare at me like I'm the fucking devil personified. Fuck it C I'm not ready to deal with this."
~Faith, geez...language!...I wish you didn't have to be there, but...~
"Yeah, you're not the only one, fucking PTBs!" The brunette chose to ignore Cordy's comment about her cursing.
~I'm sorry that...~
"Not your fault. Maybe I can just hide out in my room the whole fucking time." She answered excepting her fate.
~That's looking on the bright side.~
"You know me. Ms. Flowers and Sunshine" Faith half smiled.
~Ha, Did Buffy tell you I called? ~
"No, but we haven't been much for talking" Faith was becoming less angry, and more depressed as the seconds ticked by.
~Well, I was calling to ask if you knew who the two girls in the vision were. Buffy explained about Dawn?~
"Alex is the other girl."
~Do you know how she is connected to any of this?~
"Fuck, you're so not gonna believe this, but she is mine and B's daughter from another dimension. As if my return to the Dale wasn't complicated enough, but she seems nice."
~Daughter? Major-freakiness factor.~
"Tell me about it" Faith laughed lightly. "Look Cordy, it was nice to talk to someone who doesn't wanna kill me."
~Anytime...Faith Angel's back. He's going to say Hi. I'll call you later. K?~ Cordelia handed the phone to Angel as Faith Okayed her offer.
"Hey, Angel."
~Hey, how are you holding up?~
"Been better."
~Faith?~
"Yeah Fang?"
~If they won't see you that you've changed, then that's their choice because we all know you have. Try not to let it get you. Remember to relax yourself. Well, all right. Good luck. I understand how difficult this is for you. Going back at all should prove you're not the same person anymore.~
Angel knew if he could see Faith right now she would be rolling her eyes, but he knew it meant something to her none the less.
"Uh...thanks."
~Good Night, Faith.~
"Night" Faith gently placed the phone back on the charger. She was glad that she had people, even if they weren't with her now. It was nice. She sat quietly thinking with her hands folded, breathing deeply until there was a knock at the door.
"Yeah?"
"Hey" Alex walked in to the room, slowly closing the door behind her.
"Hey kiddo" Faith saw no reason to be mean to the one person who had no desire to cause her bodily harm. Besides, Alex's presence was a little comforting.
"That's what mom calls me." Alex smiled at the older girl, taking a seat on the opposite side of the bed. "Why did you just walk out like that?"
"What the fuck was I supposed to do?" Faith spoke through a sigh, with her eyes closed leaning her head against the headboard.
"Stay and listen, maybe."
"Stay and listen and have B and all her friends glare daggers at me? Stay and listen and have them look at me like I suggested mass genocide whenever I fucking open my mouth? No thank you." Faith retorted none too gently.
"But, I'm sure it wouldn't be like that," Alex answered sincerely. Buffy wouldn't let that happen. She was sure of it.
"Yeah? Well, I'm sure you haven't been here long enough." The sadness in the brunette's face contrasted with the anger in her words.
"Look, mo...Faith, Buffy didn't mean to say what she did yesterday and she is sorry, I don't think she would've..."
"Yeah? Well this isn't your dimension. Things are fucking different here. How the fuck do you know what B feels, what the hell she would or wouldn't do?" Faith half-glared at the girl.
"I can read your minds" Alex reminded the angry girl. She wasn't offended by Faith's aggression, she could tell that the slayer was more hurt than angry.
"Oh" Faith mumbled.
"Faith, if she apologizes, which she better or take her down, slayer or not..." She smiled at Faith, who looked away. "Will you give the two of you another chance?"
"To do what?" Faith was not one for subtlety.
"To be friends, or whatever you're meant to be here, you are soul mates and you need each other."
"Like a hole in the head." Faith replied frustrated, she flopped down on her back. Alex rolled her eyes lying on her stomach next to Faith. She reached her hand out to hold Faith's in a gesture of support. Faith jumped a little as their fingers touched.
"What are you doing?" Faith questioned staring at the ceiling, surprised by Alex's actions.
"Sorry, I was trying for comfort." Alex answered withdrawing her hand. This Faith was so much more guarded than her mother. So much more, for lack of a better word, damaged.
"S'okay." Faith said softly. "I...thanks."
Buffy sat not really listening to Willow explaining the "Faith" situation to Tara. She just picked up on key words 'Slut', 'psycho', 'evil', 'homicidal'. Tara looked astonished at the harshness of her girlfriend's words. She had watched Alex leave the room about half an hour ago, presumably to go talk to Faith. God, she had never felt so guilty in her life. She new what she said yesterday had crossed a line and she wasn't sure if things could ever be okay between them. If she was honest with herself, she knew that she wanted things to be better between them. She was just so angry at Faith. The small woman sat deep in thought when the voice from her shower returned. 'What a stupid name for a game.' The blonde was becoming worried.
"Buffy?" Willow was concerned. Her blonde friend was staring off into space, and she looked upset.
"Huh?"
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Why?" Buffy noticed everyone in the room was looking at her.
"You looked a little lost Buff" Xander answered from the floor. He surprisingly had been one of the least hostile about Faith's return.
"Nope, just tired. I'm fine, finer than fine, the finest." She flashed that 'I'm okay, really' smile and changed the subject, deciding against mentioning her possibly budding case of schizophrenia. "So, Apocalypse?"
Giles resumed his position as leader of the discussion, glad to see that the Faith-bashing session had died down. "Right, I believe it would be beneficial to speak with Faith herself about this, as she is the one who would probably know the most about this vision of Cordelia's."
"Can't we just call Cordelia?" Willow probed, trying to avoid involving the brunette.
"Willow, I understand your feelings, but Faith will not be excluded, she appears to be vital and they do insist she's turned over a new leaf."
Willow rolled her eyes. "People like her, can't change."
"Your opinion is duly noted Willow, but irrelevant at this juncture in time, she will work with us." Giles took off his glasses and rubbed at the bridge of his nose.
"Wow, this is so cool." Dawn unsheathed the sword that had been lying near the armchair since Faith set it there last night. She picked up the slim, engraved item of weaponry and waved it back and forth.
"Dawn, perhaps you should put that down." Giles suggested, feeling like the exhausted father.
"Yeah Dawnster, I'm not sure Angel would appreciate the exploration of his probably expensive weapons collection." Xander smiled at the girl.
"It's not Angel's" Buffy answered distractedly, "It belongs to Faith." Dawn set the sword back in its place.
"Oh so not only are you staying with a homicidal maniac, you're staying with a sword-wielding homicidal maniac." Willow rolled her eyes, at Buffy's obvious lapse in judgment. Giles sighed.
"Yes well now that we've re-established the fact that Buffy is indeed staying with Faith, we can reacquaint ourselves with the issues at hand...I think that Faith needs to be involved in this discussion, if it is really that much of a problem for any of you, I suggest you leave the meeting early."
Buffy watched as Willow and Tara got up and left. Buffy smiled her goodbye at them, telling Willow she would call her later. In truth the blonde was thankful to avoid a potential screaming match. She noticed that Giles and Xander and Dawn were all staring at her.
"What?"
"Buffy perhaps you could get Faith to join us?" Prompted Giles.
"I...me?" She pointed to herself, Dawn rolled her eyes and Giles nodded. "I can try."
Buffy knocked lightly on the door to Faith's bedroom. She heard a soft 'come in' and slowly opened the door. Faith and Alex were sitting on the bed playing some type of card game. They both looked like they were concentrating extraordinarily hard, it was funny.
"Hey" Buffy said hesitantly. She watched as they flipped cards from their hand onto a pile in the middle of them until suddenly both of their hands slammed down, Alex's just a millisecond before Faith's. Buffy jumped. Alex smiled triumphantly as she picked up the pile. Faith cursed.
"Hey" Alex waved. Faith nodded as a greeting without looking in the blonde's direction.
"What are you guys doing?"
"Egyptian Rat screw" Alex answered flipping over a card from the top of her pile. Alex slapped again, this time before Faith even noticed.
"Huh? Egyptian what what?" Buffy didn't think she heard correctly.
"Hovering, you were so hovering" Faith accused.
"I was not, you have slow reaction time."
"Slow reaction time my ass, you're just lucky" Faith answered, as she slammed her hand down.
"Rat Screw, It's called Egyptian Rat Screw, Damn it!" Alex answered, while Faith picked up the pile in the middle with a definite smirk.
"Ah, well, um...Faith you're needed in the other room."
"Why?" Faith asked still not looking up.
"Giles needs to talk to you about Cordy's vision."
"Why don't you just call Queen C?"
"Because you need to be involved in this" Faith just ignored the comment continuing with her game. "Faith, please look at me..." Faith continued with the game until Alex stopped it, which earned her a glare. "Look, Faith about yesterday I..."
"Forget it, B" Faith stopped her mid-sentence.
"No, I can't alright, just...Faith, I'm sorry." Faith looked Buffy in the eye and nodded following her out of the room.
"Well at least it's a start!" Alex mumbled as she collected the cards and hurried after the two slayers.
Author's Notes: First I would like to thank the people who have sent me feedback, thanks so much and the people who read the story too. Um...I'm pretty sure that Faith has no last name and I think I may have heard her referred to as Faith Ryan somewhere before, but I have a terrible memory...so credit is given if someone else came up with it. Also, tomatoes may be fruits, not vegetables. I always thought they were vegetables, so I apologize if this is wrong.
A man dressed in a gray two-piece suit stood just outside the Hotel. He had spent the day attempting to squeeze information out of the useless officers at the California Women's Correctional Facility, regarding a certain prisoner. It was just after nightfall and this was his last lead; maybe just maybe this was it. He knocked lightly on the door. A young brunette woman answered.
"Yes, hello I'm with the watcher's council of..." He was surprised as the door slammed in his face. Astonished, he knocked again.
"What?" She was clearly annoyed.
"Is there a Ms. Ryan here?"
"Who? No" The brunette made to slam the door again, but he caught it bewildered.
"Faith, Ms. Faith Ryan. Do you know her?" He watched as the brunette's eyes narrowed, but she nonetheless released her hold on the door. "It is imperative I speak with her."
"No, we haven't seen her."
"I was assured she was residing here." The man insisted.
"Well, you heard wrong."
"Please, if you do see her, inform her that watcher's council would like to speak with her." The girl looked as if he'd just threatened her. A man joined her in the doorway.
"Cordelia, it's okay." The man addressed the woman, who retreated. He leaned on the doorpost. "Can we help you?"
"Perhaps. Have you been in contact with Faith Ryan? I must speak with her!"
"You have some nerve coming here after the stunt you pulled last time she was in town."
The man was dumbfounded. "Perhaps you've mistaken me for someone else, I'm with the watcher's council of Britain."
"Just stay away from her. She has paid for her mistakes."
"Clearly you misunderstand my intentions, I only wish to..."
"Leave her alone."
"But sir, I must insist that you tell me her whereabouts, I have been searching for her and..." He found himself talking to a closed door. "Damn it all." He muttered to himself. He stood watching the door, until his cell phone rung.
"Hello...She is no longer here...Yes I'm aware of the time limitations...No, I...I'll have my people run a search, but... really?...yes, I understand...Sunnydale? Are you quite certain?...A day or so...you're positive?...no, I don't doubt that...yes, quite right." He hung up the phone with a relieved smile. The man quickly got into his car; he had quite a drive ahead.
Faith had told them all she knew, deliberately leaving out the part about the two girls dying. Buffy had informed Giles on his way out. After Giles' departure, Xander offered to drop Dawn off at the Summers' house. He stood up from the couch looking warily in Faith's direction. She met his gaze and rose from her chair.
"Come on Dawnster, I gotta drop you off at home. It's getting kind of late." He ruffled the girl's hair and she looked up at him adoringly.
"Xander..." Faith began. The boy turned around.
"Yeah?"
"Look, I'm sorry for the shit I pulled before...I never meant to...I was pretty screwed up back then...and...I'm just sorry." Faith looked around, seemingly waiting for a response. After about five minutes Xander answered her.
"What do you want me to say Faith? That it's okay? That all is forgiven? Because it's not..." The brunette slayer's dejectedness surprised him. Closing her eyes and worrying her bottom lip, Faith nodded. She had expected as much. For reasons he did not entirely understand, Xander felt the need to throw Faith a bone. "But maybe it will? Apology soon to be accepted." She looked at him and he gave her a weak version of the classic Xander grin. Grabbing his keys off the mantle, he waved goodbye to everyone. Dawn hurried out after him.
"Xander's cute at this age." Alex commented plopping onto the couch.
"You know him too?" Buffy asked ignoring her comment.
"Yeah, but he is like forty-something in my world. Not nearly so yummy."
Buffy shook her head at the girl, taking a seat in the leather armchair by the fireplace. The three young women sat quietly in the living room.
"Faith?"
"Huh?" Faith asked from her position on the floor. She had been polishing her sword.
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah we covered that." Faith was uncomfortable, but sheathed her blade to demonstrate that Buffy had her full attention.
"Not for the argument."
"Revoking your apology already B?" The dark slayer was both angry and hurt.
"What? No I'm still sorry for...god you don't make this easy!" Faith snorted. "I'm sorry for back then too." She looked into the blonde's eyes to make sure she was serious.
"So we're both sorry." Faith summarized wearing a mask of indifference. Inside, the brunette was ecstatic. Things were going her way tonight; a rare occurrence that she intended to enjoy fully, albeit silently.
"Yup." Buffy confirmed. Alex rolled her eyes.
"So get over yourselves and get on it." Two slayers glared at the girl who was now sipping loudly at her sprite. "Oh please! You know you both want to." Although an awkward silence followed her comment, there was an unspoken agreement between the slayers. Something was most definitely starting.
Tara watched Willow pacing about in her dorm room.
"Sweetie, maybe you should sit down." Tara tried, patting the bed.
Willow ignored the comment continuing her pacing, which earned her a sigh.
"Maybe she really has changed!"
"No, people like that don't change." Willow threw back.
"People like what?"
"Like Evil." Tara nodded slowly.
"Willow her aura wasn't the same" In Tara's honest opinion, the anger Willow was showing had to be about more than being kidnapped.
"She's a manipulator, Tara. She's evil and she's going to turn on Buffy."
"You can't know that Willow." Tara insisted softly, getting up and grabbing her girlfriend's hands. "What's wrong?" She touched her face gently.
"My best friend is staying with a psycho!" Willow gave Tara a look that was pure 'duh', but it appeared to be forced.
"For real Wills...What's going on here?"
"I...she just waltzes all friendly-like back to Sunnydale and suddenly it's all forgiven, she doesn't deserve that."
"Nobody forgave her honey" Tara interjected.
"But they will! Then her and Buffy will be all-buddy buddy 'it's a slayer thing' Willow, you don't mind do you? We'll hang out tomorrow? Yes I mind!" Willow was jealous. Tara couldn't believe that Willow was jealous. "And I'm sounding all jealous type now." She blushed.
Tara shook her head good-naturedly. "You're Buffy's best friend, you'll always be Buffy's best friend." Willow looked up at her and then down at the ground.
"I know." She relented.
"Give Faith a chance...just one." Somewhat reluctantly Willow nodded, sitting down with Tara. Curled around her girlfriend, the blonde soon fell asleep. Willow however, was still uneasy about the situation. In all fairness, Tara had a point. She hadn't even given the girl a chance, not even when the girl first came to Sunnydale. Maybe Faith had changed, then again maybe she plotting some horribly evil scheme of revenge.
"So, you guys hungry?" Faith began. Her stomach had been growling the entire meeting.
"Yeah" Alex confirmed.
"Definitely" Buffy agreed.
"Pizza sound good?" The three girls nodded.
"I'll get the phone book!" Buffy offered.
"B...I was actually going to...ah...make it."
"You cook?" The blonde questioned, amazed. Embarrassed, Faith nodded.
"Hell yeah she cooks!" Alex chimed in. "Mom is an amazing cook! Can't say the same for you though Buffy."
"Hey, I can cook!" Buffy defended.
"Yeah?" Faith questioned, smirking. "Wanna do dinner B?"
"I'd like to object...strongly!" Alex interjected.
"No, go ahead!" Faith wanted to see this.
"Okay, pizza! I can do that. I eat pizza all the time." Buffy reasoned.
"Troubles a brewin?"
"That's enough from you!" Buffy shook a wooden spoon at Alex, who stuck out her tongue.
The brunette slayer and her future daughter took seats next to each other at the bar to watch the show. They watched as the blonde rummaged through the fridge grabbing every conceivable food that could be considered a pizza topping.
"K, so tomatoes are in pizza." Her slayer determination was kicking in. She was going to make dinner and it would be damn good to boot. Buffy grabbed a large kitchen knife and took a good whack at the poor vegetable, which all but exploded.
"Jesus, Buffy! Save the slaying for the vamps." Alex exclaimed wiping the seeds and tomato innards from her face. Faith was stifling a laugh, having narrowly avoided be hit. Buffy turned to face her, glaring. This only caused the other slayer to burst out in loud full-bellied whoops. Pieces of tomato hung in the blonde's hair and seeds speckled her clothing.
"Not funny, F." The little blonde spat out.
"Look B, maybe I should take over from here." Faith answered, her laughter dying down a little.
"Whatever!" Buffy was flicking little pieces of vegetable from her hair. She made her way to the bathroom to clean herself up.
Buffy leaned over the sink, turning on the water. She let it run over her face. Her pride was definitely wounded after that display. Grabbing her hair, she pulled it under the water washing away the chunks of embarrassment. She grabbed a towel and quietly sat on the edge of the bathtub.
So much had happened in the past two days. Finally, Buffy allowed all the new information swirling around in her head to register. She silently reflected, chewing on the most startling bit of news. It was not that there was an apocalypse on the way, there was always something threatening human kind. It was not that her and Faith had a daughter from an alternate dimension, although that was unexpected. Alex said that Faith was her soul mate. Faith was 'her' soul mate. She searched for reasons why this was impossible, but found nothing beyond her own anger.
She had always felt drawn to Faith ever since that first night outside the Bronze...but it was a slayer thing. It had to be a slayer thing, but if it was a 'slayer thing' why hadn't she felt it with Kendra? Faith was a friend, but then why did what they had feel different from what she had with Willow or with Xander? Just because she felt more alive in Faith's mere presence then in the intimate embrace of any of her past lovers, did not mean that Faith was her other half. Uncertainty and fear crept into the mind of little slayer, and a frown dulled her countenance.
Any thoughts of the brunette slayer were momentarily forgotten when the scent of fresh pizza reached her nose. She stood up taking one last glance in the mirror. It was then she noticed a pale bruise on the upper portion of her cheek. She gently pressed it, surprised to find it painless. "Probably from sleeping in the stupid chair!" she mumbled. Buffy made her way to the kitchen toweling her hair.
"I told you!" Alex said to Faith while washing her hands and splashing some water on her face. "In my dimension Buffy's not even allowed in the kitchen, she accidentally set the toaster on fire the last time." She dried her face off and tossed the paper towel in trash as she sat down smiling.
Faith laughed a little. "Yeah?"
"Oh yeah, God, Buffy tried to put it out with water, a word to the wise, never try to put an electrical fire out with water. Woo boy!" She smirked. "Nice to you smiling finally." Alex commented swiveling back and forth in her chair. Faith arched her eyebrow at the girl and continued chopping vegetables.
The slayer felt a little better about the Sunnydale situation as a whole. For the first time in quite a while, she found herself thinking maybe the mess that was her life could work out after all. Faith was not one for hoping, but every once in a while she indulged herself.
"So, you miss it?"
"What?"
"Your dimension."
"A little, but you know destiny works in mysterious ways." Alex waved her hands through the air to emphasize her point.
"I guess." Faith answered kneading the pizza dough. Alex watched in silence as the girl made her pizza. It was strange to watch. Faith did everything just like her mother: the kneading of the dough, the chopping of the vegetables, the intense concentration, and the satisfied smile that adorned her face when she finished.
As soon as Faith slipped the pizza in the oven, the phone rang. "You think you could get that?" Faith nodded in the direction of the phone.
"Sure" Alex smiled warmly, grabbing the phone off its receiver. "Hello?"
~Hello?~
"Hi."
~Um...is Faith there, Buffy?~
"I'm not Buffy, but sure." Alex held her hand over the phone and hollered to Faith in the kitchen. "For you." Faith dried her hands and took the telephone.
"Hey."
~Hi, Faith it's Cordelia, who was that?~
"Alex. What's up C?"
~Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, welcome to my life, the council was here looking for you.~
"What the hell do they want?"
~I don't know, they said to 'talk', but it's probably nothing good Ms. Ryan.~
Faith's eyes widened considerably. No one had used her given last name since her watcher. "How do you...know?"
~They asked for Faith Ryan...Angel says just watch yourself okay? We don't think they know where you are.~
"Fucking council, you know me...I look out for my own...always, but thanks."
~Welcome, well...talk to you later.~ Faith hung up the phone a little less than gently.
"Shit! Can't fucking catch a break can I?" The brunette slumped into the armchair frowning, her good mood destroyed.
"What happened?" Buffy asked as she walked in from the bathroom towel drying her hair.
"The watcher's council."
"The council?"
"They were at Angel's looking for me." Faith rubbed at her closed eyes. "Probably still got it in for me."
"Do they know you're here?" Buffy asked draping the towel over the stone inlayed before the fireplace, to dry. She appeared concerned.
"C doesn't think so." She sighed heavily. "Fuck!"
"The council is after you? Bad guys here too, I guess." Alex asked stepping out from the kitchen where she had been dutifully watching the pizza.
"I don't know." Faith stared up at the ceiling. "Maybe."
"Well, they aren't so much as touching you without a damn good fight!" Alex exclaimed, looking to Buffy for support. "Am I right or am I right?"
"What?" Buffy appeared to be lost in thought. She glanced over at Faith who looked hurt, although she was trying to hide it and suddenly registered what Alex had said. "Oh...yeah, definitely, the council is borderline evil scum."
"Yeah!" Alex confirmed shaking her fist lightly (she loved a good fight). She sniffed the air. "Mo...Faith...I think your pizza's ready."
"Oh come on Buffy, that pizza kicked, just admit it." Alex pushed as they walked through one of Sunnydale's many graveyards. Faith was listening to their animated conversation, but had yet to speak since they decided to patrol. Alex insisted on coming and neither Buffy nor Faith felt compelled to argue with the feisty youngster. Looking to find a vampire whom she could take her anger out on, the brunette stalked the area. Faith could only imagine what a strange trio they made: Alex with her hunting knife near her waist, herself with her sword strapped across her back, and Buffy with a stake hanging loosely in her grip.
"Fine, Faith is a good cook, better than me, okay?" Buffy irritably answered. The blonde's infamous pout made an appearance. Faith smirked and Alex nodded in agreement. An elbow and a stern look from Faith stopped the young brunette from continuing her teasing.
"It's quiet tonight." Buffy commented scanning the terrain with her eyes.
"Too quiet" Alex added in a comically eerie voice.
"Ha ha." Buffy narrowed her eyes at Alexis, who simply smirked.
Faith saw a rustling bush off in the distance. "Do you see that?"
"What?" Alex asked. Faith pointed with her eyes to the offending piece of shrubbery. Buffy catching sight of the disturbance, moved silently toward it.
Alex squinted at the bush before being violently sideswiped by a vampire that went undetected. The young girl grunted as she fell to the ground. With a snarl she jumped up and launched herself at the creature. It was soon clear that Alex had the situation well under control. The young brunette was obviously enjoying trading blows with the demon. Another vampire ran into the fray taking hold of Faith's attention.
Faith swept her vampire and took up a fighting stance. He ran at her and she sidestepped, kicking him from behind. The stupefied vamp grabbed the coat of Alex's fighting partner as he stumbled and they fell into a heap on the ground. The first vamp dived for Alex's feet knocking her over for the second time; it appeared Alex had the smarter of the two. He dived at her and she kicked upward sending the vamp flying into the wall of a nearby mausoleum. Cursing, she chased after him producing a stake from her back pocket. The vamp was soon taken care of.
Faith hauled her vamp up and punching him squarely in the face. She watched, astonished, as he held his nose pitifully whimpering. She pulled back her fist and the scared vamp attempted to make a dash. She grabbed his shirt.
"NO, no please don't hit me, please, it really hurt." He pleaded, whining, sniffling, and wiping at a stray tear. Faith rolled her eyes and let him down. Before he could run, she beheaded him.
"That had to be THE most unsatisfying slay in fucking history!" Faith said under her breath as she rolled her shoulders, sighing as they popped. Her tension had not been eased. Alex made her way over to where Faith was putting away her sword.
"That was great!" Alex commented, bouncing lightly on her toes. She was pumped and rubbed her hands together as an outlet for the energy coursing through her. "Where's Buffy at?" They looked around, seeing no sign of the blonde slayer anywhere.
"Buffy?" Alex hollered, her brow knit in concern.
"B? Where the hell are you?" Faith called out surveying the area.
It was then that something flew out of the bushes in the distance. The dark creature was barely visible as it barreled off behind some tombstone. The brunette slayer hardly noticed the demon. It was not what had captured her attention because protruding slightly from that bush was the motionless hand of certain blonde slayer.
The door of the mansion burst open. Running with Buffy held tightly in her arms, was Faith. She laid the blonde gently on the couch as Alex worriedly prepared a wet cloth. Faith knelt by Buffy's side checking her vitals for the fourth time.
"What the fuck happened?" She was completely confused. Inspecting the slayer for wounds, Faith thought back to the graveyard. She tried unsuccessfully to rouse Buffy by calling her name and shaking her. It was almost as if the woman had fallen sleep because her expression was neither pained nor worried. Her eyes danced beneath her lids as if she were dreaming. Gently kneeling beside Faith, Alex laid the cloth across Buffy's forehead.
"I don't know." Alex answered sitting on the floor. She attempted to scan the blonde, but the pictures were jumbled and confused. "She's not dreaming." Alex turned her telepathic attention to Faith, whose face had turned a sickly pale.
~Is okay to take her hand? Would she want me to...of course she wouldn't. Damn it, B! If they fucking hurt you, I swear to god I'll kill them. You can't die...please. Okay? Please...Hell, if I had been paying more attention I would have noticed those stupid vamps...I,~ Faith's thoughts were turning sour.
"It's not your fault." Alex stated, looking purposefully into the brunette's eyes.
"What the fuck? How do you...?"
"It's not your fault Faith, no one noticed the vampires. You were thinking it was your fault, it's not." The seriousness in the young girl's tone left no room for argument.
Faith looked at the ground studying the patterns of fabric on the rug. She was completely and utterly uncomfortable with the mind scanning deal. Hiding what she felt, how the world affected her, was her most powerful defense. Alex's ability left her essentially defenseless and that was a feeling Faith had been unhappily familiar with during her childhood. Staring at the blonde, Faith noticed a faint bruising and a tiny scar on her cheek. She gently touched it, surprised when the skin turned a dark purple.
"Whoa!" Alex commented studying the bruise. As Faith released her finger, the obstruction slowly returned to its normal yellow hue.
"That's fucking weird."
"Certainly not normal." Alex concurred. "There's nothing WE can do...but, maybe we should take her to the hospital?" She suggested already aware of what the reaction would be.
"No, she hates hospitals." Alex chewed lightly on her bottom lip, thinking.
"Giles?" Faith sighed heavily, but one look at the little slayer reestablished her focus. Reluctantly the brunette slayer picked up the phone and dialed information.
Buffy looked around. She was walking on a sidewalk, a sidewalk in Sunnydale. She paced up a hill located just beyond the Expresso Pump. She felt she was being pulled somewhere. In front of a house at the top, she noticed two young girls: one a brunette and the other a redhead with freckles. Both girls could not have been more than eight. Though the blonde slayer could not place either, she felt compelled to watch them as they shoved each other good-naturedly and ran around.
Suddenly a young boy appeared, coming from the side of a car parked in the driveway. He tagged the surprised redhead.
"You're IT!" He laughed scurrying away and the brunette bolted in the opposite direction. Watching undetected by Buffy and the children was a black figure, perched in the driver's seat of the car.
Buffy couldn't help but smile at their playfulness. She watched as the little redhead chased the boy up the sidewalk a little ways, before he tripped loosing a shoe in the process. She was about to walk over and check on him when he got up laughing, hopping up and down to keep his sock clean. The two young girls giggled as he hobbled into the road to retrieve his shoe. As he bent down to grab it, a car came barreling over the hill. Buffy made a move to push him out of the way, but she fell through him like a ghost. The converging sounds of screeching car tires, thudding impact, and raw human screams augmented the horror of the moment.
"Shit, did you see that?" Faith pointed at the blonde slayer. Her body jerked suddenly upward as if she had fallen. Leaning over Buffy, Faith checked her vitals. They were fine, although her pulse had most definitely quickened. "I hate this!" she gently adjusted the pillow behind the blonde's head.
It was now early morning and Faith had slept very little. She had spent most of the night keeping a diligent watch over Buffy.
"Yeah," Alex attempted a scan, but the images were still jumbled.
"So...are you like a slayer or something?" Faith started a conversation, trying to stop from worrying about the girl on the couch.
"What?" Alex asked.
"You fight good and you didn't seem to have any trouble taking that vamp out."
"Oh thanks, but I'm not a slayer." She smiled.
"Well, you're not a normal human." Faith stated, eyeing Buffy as a precaution.
"Nah, I got some slayer strength, not like you and Buffy, but I can hold my own. I can't heal like mom and Buffy can, but not being a slayer or a demon it's a pretty sweet deal." Alex smirked and Faith nodded in agreement.
"I woulda liked to be born with it." Faith confided.
"It has its draw backs," the young brunette was clearly not going to elaborate on that statement.
"I guess."
"Giles should be here soon," Alex changed the subject. No sooner had those words left her mouth than the large knocker echoed loudly. Alex sighed her relief and got up to let him in.
"What happened here?" Giles was astonished as he saw the blonde slayer on the couch.
"Don't know, we went out patrolling and saw something screwin' around in this bush. We were gonna go check it out, when these two vamps came outta nowhere. Me and the kid took care of it, but when we finished 'em B was gone. We finally found her behind the same bush." Giles was surprised the extreme sadness in her eyes.
"Yes, well...did you see what caused the disturbance in the bushes?"
"No, but it was dark almost black," Faith looked to Alex for confirmation.
"Well, yes it was night." The slayer rolled her eyes.
"No the creature, G-man, it was black."
"Oh, yes. Sorry." Giles knelt down. Not entirely comfortable with Faith, he watched her out of the corner of his eye. While examining Buffy's vitals, he lifted her eyelids to check her pupil dilation. "Goodness." He exclaimed, backing away as if spooked.
"What?" Alex asked. She knelt to mimic his actions. "Oh, shit".
She recoiled in disgust. Beneath the blonde's lids, a thin dark purple film covered the surface of her eyes.
"Damn, that's fucking gross" Faith commented, her concern for her slayer friend increasing ten-fold.
The man adjusted his gray suit jacket as he waited at the Motel's front desk. He peered over the counter into the back room, seeing no one. Calling out into the dingy depths, he impatiently tapped the service bell.
"Hello? Madame? Sir?"
"Y'all hold your horses now!" A woman with curly red hair piled loosely on top of her head and clothes tight enough to restrict breathing emerged from the back. Despite the seedy environment, her clothing was immaculately cleaned and expensive in appearance. She was not unattractive and had a friendly, gleaming white smile. "What can I do you for suga'? A single? A double?"
"No thank you, I'm looking for a young woman who might be staying here."
"Mmm Hmm." The woman gave him a knowing smile.
"Faith, Faith Ryan...have you seen her?" Her inviting expression fell. She looked at him sadly.
"No, the little darling hasn't been 'round, since before Bill left." She looked off to the side.
"Bill?" The man asked.
"My husband, he used to run this little ole' motel. Up and died last year, just like that. Not the nicest man, if I do say so myself. Certainly didn't cut that poor girl any slack bout her rent." She shook her head.
"So, you've not seen her recently?"
"No, sir." He sighed heavily.
"Thank you for your assistance."
"Y'all want to know what, between you and me? she's just as sweet as apple pie." She smiled lost in some memory.
"Ah ha." The man adjusted his suit again as he prepared to leave.
"You just wait one minute, I think I know a man who could help you out." She seemed to remember something. She retreated into the dimly lit recesses of the back room, coming back with a paper. "You talk to him, he runs that club, and she knows him. If anyone knows where she is...it's this man. His name is Mister Anderson, Dave Anderson." Her southern drawl was almost over-whelming.
The man pocketed the address, smiling tightly. "Thank you Miss, your help is very much appreciated." He quickly left the office.
"Y'all come back now!" She hollered after him.
Buffy was gasping, shocked by the tragedy that she had just witnessed. Running her fingers through her hair, she composed herself enough to notice she was no longer on the sidewalk. Taking in this new place, she was a little repulsed. It was a small apartment as far as she could tell. It did not smell great and was quite ratty. When she walked she felt the knotted, worn carpet resisting her movement.
She looked around the place and jumped about a mile when the front door opened. She watched as a little girl with dark brown hair peered in, her chocolate eyes looking around the area. She was carrying a backpack that oddly enough appeared to be moving. Buffy watched the child with interest. Quietly closing the door, the little girl made her way through the apartment checking every room. Satisfied that there was no one else home she entered a small room off to the right. Buffy stealthily followed. A small, black, demonic figure crept silently behind her slipping into the closet, remaining unseen.
The little girl laid her backpack on top of a mattress shakily held on cinder blocks. On the bed was a single stuffed animal, a well-worn alligator. She unzipped her bag the rest of the way and out crawled a tabby kitten. It mewed softly as the little girl picked it up, speaking reassuringly to it.
"Hey there, kitty." The girl softly stroked between its ears. The kitten looked at the girl with big green eyes. "You lost your family huh?" The animal continued not to answer, but the girl was unconcerned. "I can take care of you."
"What the fuck is that animal doing in the house?" Both Buffy and the girl's heads whipped around to see an awful looking man leaning in the doorframe. His arms were crossed over his chest and his dark eyes were maliciously eyeing the kitten in questioned.
"I...I"
"I...I...what?" He mocked, stepping dangerously forward. The little girl's arms tightened protectively around the tabby.
"He was in the alley and..."
"And you just thought you take that piece of filth inside, thing probably has rabies, what the fuck is wrong with you?" He made a move to come closer. Buffy came to stop him, but he passed through her.
"What is going on?" Buffy yelled, but it was evident that she went unheard. She attempted to grab him again, but nothing worked.
"No, I'm sorry, he just was all by himself and..." the little girl stumbled through her words, wincing.
"Shut the fuck up and give me the cat."
"No...daddy...I...." He slapped her across the face.
"Give me the fucking cat! Now!" His voice had become more of a roar.
"Don't hurt it, please." The little girl pleaded cradling both her cheek and the cat valiantly. Buffy was attempting to leave the room, to find something to throw at him, but found herself unable to leave and unable to help.
His voice softened impossibly. "I won't hurt the kitty...just give it to Daddy...honey, I want to see the kitty, you have to let Daddy see it. Okay?" He smiled, but his kindness was so out of place. The little girl warily handed the cat to him.
Buffy tried to get it from him. Her hands just fell through it; she was helpless and it was killing her. He smiled at the little girl placing his large hand gently on the kitten's head. His expression hardened and he suddenly twisted the animal's neck until a tiny snap echoed through the room. The little girl screamed as the kitten fell to the ground and Buffy's hand covered her mouth in shock.
"Don't you ever fucking try anything like that again." The little girl stared at the kitten. He grabbed her chin moving over her tiny body. "Look at me!" She raised her teary eyes to his. "You know daddy can't just let you get away with shit like that. Don't you?"
"No...Daddy...please...I'm sorry...I'm." She pleaded trying to wriggle away, but he easily stopped this. Buffy tried to pull him off, but she could not grip him, she could not hold anything tangible. The blonde threw wild fists at his back, but she could do nothing.
"No...Daddy...please...don't," she was sobbing, trying again to slip out from under him. He smiled in a most off-putting way before pinning the child down.
"Shhhh..." He covered the little girl's mouth with one hand as the other reached to unbuckle his belt.
The three of them were completely stumped concerning Buffy's condition. The lull in conversation provided Faith with the opportunity to get in another apology.
"Look Giles, um...I'm sorry for all the stuff I did back then, I was fucked up, I know that's not an excuse, but I am sorry...For all of it."
The watcher seemed to consider this for a few minutes. "I cannot forget your transgressions against the others, especially Buffy..." Faith nodded. "However, if you have made your peace with her, then you have made your peace with me. Your apology is accepted and for what it is worth, I respect your efforts to change." Faith smiled gratefully at him, looking sideways at Alex who was also smiling.
"This is clearly demon related!" Giles stated. Alex and Faith agreed.
"Wait check this out, G-man" Faith remembered something. She leaned down to show him the mark on Buffy's cheek.
"I wish you would not call me that." He conversationally muttered. The brunette lightly pressed the bruise and it once again turned the deep purple. In fact, the three of them noticed it was the same color as the film over her eyes. "Quite odd." As Faith removed her hand from the blonde's cheek, Buffy's fists began flailing wildly and tears flooded her closed eyes.
"Shit!" Faith cried out ducking a punishing blow. "What the fuck is happening?" She ducked another wild punch.
"Nightmare?" Alex weakly suggested, from across the room. Her and Giles had quickly moved to safe distance. She once again attempted a mind scan, but was met with the same jumbled pictures. Faith climbed on the couch holding the blonde's swinging fists down.
"B? Come on, B! Hey, it's okay!" She spoke softly into the blonde's ear. The blonde just threw her fists out harder, tossing the unsuspecting slayer halfway across the room. She skidded on the stone floor. "Shit" Alex and Giles watched the scene beyond surprised. Lifting herself up, Faith ran back over to shaking slayer.
She tried to calm her again. "Hey, B, it's alright, you're good." She gently took her hands to stop the flying fists. Buffy's eyes shot up and she began jerking about, disoriented. The blonde fell off the couch and consequently into brunette's lap. Faith, unsure of how to react, softly touched the smaller slayer's head. "You're good," she whispered. Buffy raised teary green eyes to Faith's deep brown ones. Recognizing that it was Faith, something clicked for her. Clinging to the brunette with everything she had, she began sobbing uncontrollably. All Faith could do was hold her tightly, with wide eyes.
"How is she?" Alex asked, as Faith appeared from a bedroom.
"Don't know, but something's got her pretty fucking shaken up."
Alex sadly nodded. "She's asleep though, think she was pretty exhausted."
"How are you?"
"Not important." Faith sat on the couch, supporting her chin on her hands.
"It is." Alex insisted, taking a seat next to Faith.
"How the hell am I supposed feel? I feel completely useless. I can't fucking help her, I don't even know what the hell happened to her."
"No one does, except maybe her." Suddenly something clicked for the young woman. "Huh."
"Did something occur to you Alexis?" Giles asked as he took a seat in the armchair. He had just walked in with a cup of tea for both Faith and the other girl. Nodding her appreciation, Faith grabbed at the cup of tea on the table. The smell of the herbal tea itself had calmed the brunette enough to stop her shaking.
"Well, I tried to scan Buffy while she was out."
"Scan?" Giles had no idea what the girl was referring to.
"Read her mind." She clarified, smiling.
"You have this ability?" Giles was fascinated, when the girl nodded. "Fascinating!"
"The signals were jumbled." She said as if it were supposed to mean something to the other two people in the room.
"And?" Faith prompted.
"Well mind scanning is locking on to someone's telepathic symbol, I can do it because I recognize you and Buffy's signals...but her signal was scrambled..." Alex answered.
"And?" Faith repeated completely not getting it.
"Interference" Giles realized.
"Exactly!" Alex nodded. "I figure someone must already using her signal, I couldn't make a clear connection. The human brain only has one jack that a telepath can plug into, the only way I would be unable to do it, is if I lost the power, which is impossible because I can hear Faith thinking this is bullshit." The slayer glared at the girl. "Someone else has to be using it."
"So, you think someone else already is intercepting the information in Buffy's mind."
"It has happened before in my dimension." Alex answered. "The question is who?"
"And why the hell are you so smart, if you're me and B's daughter?" Faith added. Alex barely stifled a laugh.
"Well, perhaps we should get a research session together to investigate the potential demon threat and see if we can't find out what occurred here today. For tomorrow?" Giles suggested grabbing his coat. "I suggest we all get some rest tonight. I'll gather some books. Just make sure you check on her."
"No problem Giles" Alex said getting the door for him.
"Yeah."
"Well, I will see you all tomorrow! Are you quite sure you do not need help?"
"Yeah, we got it" Faith answered looking toward the door of the bedroom. He left quietly, stepping into the warm afternoon sun.
"Well, I'm gonna take a nap, I'm bushed." Alex stated as she picked up the coffee mugs and took them to the kitchen. She also slept very little last night. Faith was deep in thought, but drew herself out enough to wish the young girl a peaceful sleep.
Buffy lay on her side, eyes wide, staring at nothing. She could not figure out what was going on. What had happened? Why was she dreaming such horrible things? Why were they so vivid? When she found herself in the mansion, she thought it was another horrible nightmare, but she soon realized it wasn't. Faith had talked so sweetly and her eyes were so concerned. It was not a nightmare, but the blonde was afraid to sleep for fear that the dreams might return. Maybe it was something she ate? She had heard once that indigestion could make you dream strange things, but Faith's pizza was fine. She ate pizza all the time.
Buffy rolled on her back looking at the ceiling. Realizing there was going to be no sleep for her, she pulled herself out of bed walking into the kitchen.
"B?" A voice called from the living room, startling the blonde.
"Faith, what are you doing up? It's late."
"Looked outside B?"
"What??" Buffy asked confused by the response.
"It's like three in the afternoon." Faith smiled softly at the older woman. Buffy chuckled almost patronizingly at herself.
"So what are you doing alone in the living room looking all tired?" Buffy tried.
"You feeling any better?" Faith asked, ignoring the question. The only answer that had come to mind was 'worrying about you' and the brunette was not about to say that.
"Yeah, I guess." The blonde poured herself a glass of water.
"Um...you wanna talk about it?" Faith tugged at the sleeves of a jacket she had yet to take off from last night.
"No." Buffy swiftly replied. Talk about it? She didn't even want to think about it.
"That's cool." Faith swallowed looking at Buffy's almost pained expression. "I...I shit I'm sorry B, didn't mean to pry." Faith ran a hand through her hair. She was horrible at situations like this. She didn't know what to say, how to make it better for Buffy. How to rectify what ever had happened to the blonde or even how to begin. Faith was a doer, not a talker. Buffy looked at the brunette warily. Something she had just heard in the brunette's voice, that slight stutter, was eerily familiar.
She shook it off. "Don't be sorry...you didn't do anything wrong." Buffy sighed. "Do you know what happened to me...in the graveyard?"
"No...we were kinda hoping you could fill us in. We just found you behind a bush, you disappeared on us when those shit poor excuses for vamps attacked me and the kid." Faith felt so helpless. Not only did she not know what had happened, apparently no one knew what had happened to Buffy. The girl practically had a mental breakdown in her lap an hour ago, and there appeared to be no rhyme or reason to it. Buffy quietly took a seat next to Faith on the couch.
After a few minutes Buffy spoke. She put away what had happened to her today, she was unable to process it...yet. A question had been jumping around her mind, refusing to be forgotten. "Why?"
"Why what? B" Faith's brow knit in confusion.
"Did you go all evil on me? Was it really that bad for you?"
"Buffy...I...maybe this crap should wait, I mean something's happened to you, something fucking big. Maybe we should put it off."
"Faith, I really want, I need you to explain it to me...please?"
Faith sighed heavily, debating whether or not to lay her few cards on the table. Buffy's voice had been neither harsh nor accusatory and she had not given Faith a reason to think this would be a confrontational discussion.
"One condition." Faith warned.
"Okay, what?" Buffy was a little wary, but willing to comply.
"I get to ask you a question, no bullshit, be honest." The blonde's anger rose a little at the implications of a plea for honesty, but realized it was necessary. They had rarely been completely honest with each other, one or the other of them always hiding behind something, some excuse.
"Deal." They smiled at each other meeting in an awkward handshake. They were silent for quite a while. Faith was gathering her words before speaking.
Author's Notes: I've given up on natural endings. Thank you to everyone who reads this and who gives feedback. It is appreciated.
"I needed more than you were willing to give, B."
"I don't under..."
"Just hear me out?" Buffy nodded. "I came to Sunnydale cause I knew that you'd help me if he came." Taking in the blonde's confused expression she clarified. "Kakistos, he killed my watcher, fucking ripped her apart, I didn't think he'd find me, but I knew if he did that you'd help...plus, I was thinkin' two slayers? How cool is that? So, I met you at the Bronze that night and well, you know what happened." Not sure where this was going, Buffy nodded. "We started hanging, I got to know your friends and Mrs. S and it was cool...you know? Fuck, I guess I kinda saw us like one of those cartoon duos, like the super twins or some shit, only much more bad ass." Buffy smiled at the reference. "But, I guess no one else saw it that way. You didn't in tell me 'bout those meeting and it was like I was just there for backup. I was a Goddamn slayer too and the salt was just fucking grinded into the wound when the shit with Miss Mary Poppins wannabe watcher and Dead boy went down. I had this whole 'the world is out to screw me vibe', 'cause at that point it seemed like it was. It all got better for a while...we had some good times." Faith said the last part with a softness that her voice had not previously possessed. They shared a bitter smile. "We hung out, we went dancing and you invited me to Christmas at your house, and I was thinkin' maybe you were starting to feel..." Faith paused before she said too much.
"Starting to feel what?" Buffy asked. She had no idea how Faith planned on finishing the sentence.
"Jesus, B, sometimes. I swear to God I did everything I could fucking think of to show you without saying it, short of walking up and planting one on ya'!" The brunette decided to just be completely straight with Buffy. It was high time things were said, things that should have been said ages ago.
"Huh?" Faith rolled her eyes exaggeratedly.
"I'll break it down for you, B...all the problems, why I went all 'psycho'-slayer...I loved you, for fuck-sake I still do, you rejected me and I couldn't deal. You chose Angel over me, Buffy...When I killed Finch you didn't stand by me like you did with Angel, I knew the story, and I knew then you didn't feel it. Not like I felt it, don't know why I thought you did." Faith scoffed at herself. "I couldn't be with you everyday, hanging out, talking, slaying. It was fucking killing me and I mad as all hell that you would just dump the Finch shit all on me, so I took the easy way out. Am I proud of it? Hell no, but you wanted to understand. I needed more than you were willing to give, B! Damn, I needed all of you and you didn't want that. So, I wanted you to fucking feel something as strong I did...even if it was hate." Faith took a deep breath.
"I...don't know what to say." Buffy was shocked.
"Don't have to say anything, B...you asked and I was straight with you, I don't expect you to do nothing 'bout it." Faith spoke softly, half-ashamed at what she said. She could not help but wonder if she had just made a huge mistake, but was sick to death hiding this. The brunette slayer had planned it out so many times in so many ways during her stay in jail. It had to be said sometime. Why not nip their happy reunion in the bud? Attachments are painful anyway Faith thought bitterly. "My turn."
"Um...okay, what's your question?" Buffy was surprised that she herself had stayed in the room after what Faith just told her. Moreover she was surprised at how much it did not surprise her at all. The brunette slayer was quiet for quite a long time.
"Why the hell are so angry at me? I mean, why is it so hard for you to forgive me?" It was implied in the question-- as opposed to Angel and the others who had hurt Buffy.
"I..." Buffy was stunned. Faith had unerringly chosen the one question she didn't have an answer for. She relaxed, trying to clear her mind and thought hard. "I don't know."
Faith nodded slowly looking agitated. They sat in an uncomfortable silence for about ten minutes. Buffy needed time alone to think, to sort what had just happened out in her mind. It was too much for her to deal with.
"I...need to take a walk." Buffy got up off the couch and left. Faith watched her go, but thought the better of following her.
Buffy walked steadily down the sidewalk. It was around six and the cooler night air swirled calmingly through her blonde hair. What was happening to her? Faith. The girl was in love with her. Faith was in love with her. She could not think straight enough to consider it. Buffy exhaled deeply, deciding to head back to her own house. The mansion seemed to be the origin of all this weirdness. She knocked lightly on the door.
"Honey, your home!" Joyce welcomed her daughter home, hugging her.
"Hi mom." Buffy replied, her hug not quite as enthusiastic.
"What's wrong?" Joyce looked her daughter in the face, draping the back of her hand over Buffy's forehead, checking for a temperature. The blonde slayer smiled upwards shaking off the hand.
"I'm fine, I'm just tired." She replied.
"What happened with Faith?" The elder Summers asked, as Buffy sat on the couch.
"What do you mean?" Buffy was confused. How would her mother know something had happened with the brunette?
"Did she leave, honey? You said you didn't trust her so you were staying at the mansion to watch her." Joyce reminded the girl, looking worriedly at her.
"Oh, no she's still here, I...she's changed mom, I don't know what else to say."
"Well, you're sure Buffy?" She nodded reassuringly at her mother. "I'll trust your judgment, then." Somewhere inside, Joyce wanted to believe Faith had changed. She had always liked the girl. The brunette slayer was just desperately unhappy and she hoped, against the logical, that the girl would find whatever it was she needed.
"I think I'm going to stay here tonight."
"Honey are you sure you're okay?" She sat next to Buffy. She looked gently into the blonde girl's eyes, eyes that were swelling with tears. Joyce simply opened her arms up to her daughter and a completely overwhelmed Buffy let herself cry a second time.
Faith looked down and noticed how filthy her bandage had gotten during patrol. Glad that she had something else to focus on, she got up and went to her bedroom. Retrieving a fresh one, she retook her seat on the couch. The noise of the closing door, when Buffy had left, roused Alex from a light nap. Watching the scene in confusion, Alex spoke up.
"What happened to your wrist?"
"I got in a throw down in jail, big one with this chick." Alex cringed a little as she saw the slayer's wrist. It had the pale discoloration that skin acquires, when wrapped for extended periods of time. Beyond that it looked as though a bear had mauled her wrist. The bone was not even under the skin as if it had been slashed at or chewed on and pale scars were visible in various places. Although it did not look weak, the wrist looked permanently damaged. Alex guessed it was probably one of those things that looked a lot worse than it really was. Faith rubbed at the skin, twisting it as she clenched and unclenched her fist.
"How did it get like that?"
"She had low self-esteem and a home-made knife, pretty sure the bitch was hell-bent on hacking my fucking hand off, should have seen her wrist though when I got the knife away. The guards broke it up...and broke me up." Alex was surprised at the frankness with which the brunette spoke.
"Does it still hurt?" the girl asked cautiously. Faith rotated her wrist causing all sorts of pops and snaps.
"Not so much... shakes though." She held out her right hand and tremors ran gently through it. "That's why I use the sword."
"Right-handed huh? Couldn't you just teach yourself to do it with the left? You could be ambidextrous!"
"Ambi-what?" Faith asked.
"Ambidextrous, means you can do everything with both hands!?" Alex held up her hands wiggling her fingers while making an 'ooo' sound as a demonstration.
"Maybe, but the sword's pretty fucking cool."
"Fair enough." Alex nodded. "So, where'd Buffy go?" The young girl raised her eyebrow.
"I fucking told her" Her voice was filled with disbelief.
"Told her what?"
"I love her." Faith stared off into space.
"You didn't."
"Yeah." She sounded as though she regretted it.
"Wow. What did she say?" Alex was worried for Faith's emotional state.
"Didn't say anything, except that she didn't know what to say."
"Coulda been worse!" Alex added quietly, Faith reluctantly agreed. The slayer felt that she had not yet seen Buffy's true reaction, because with all that was going on, the blonde was too distracted to let such a development sink in. The phone rang.
"Hello?" Alex responded into the phone. "Buffy?...Hi...oh, okay...Yeah, Giles wants to have a meeting tomorrow...sure, your house is good...mm hmm...good night...I'll tell her...bye." She hung up the phone. "Buffy's staying at her house tonight, we're gonna have the meeting at her house tomorrow. She says good night. Okay?" Faith shrugged. Alex sensed the girl's inner turmoil, but let her alone.
The man held his gray jacket tight against him. The winds had swept in. He looked up at the sign above the building and again at the paper in his pocket. This was it! Pushing the doors open, he heard a jazz band playing softly somewhere off to the left. The smoky atmosphere of the joint caused his unaccustomed eyes to tear and itch. A man with a grin and a towel over his shoulder approached him.
"Hey there, what can I do for ya'?" He flipped the towel down wiping his hands on it, before extending one.
"Are you one Mr. Anderson, Dave Anderson?" The man inquired desperately, taking the offered hand. The ensuing shake was a little too firm for his liking.
"Depends, who wants to know Geeves, eh!" Dave burst into wheezy laughter elbowing the surprised Englishman.
"Ahem" the man cleared his throat. "Right, quite funny. Have you been in contact with a girl by the name of Faith Ryan?"
"Nope, she never let me, woulda liked to though!" Another wheezy laugh accompanied this remark. "No but seriously, I haven't seen the sweet thing around. Girl's got a voice like an angel though, beautiful!"
"You're quite certain she hasn't been around here?"
"Absolutely! Thing that nice, don't forget her. Used to sing here, drew quite a crowd, It's shame she's not still around." The man was beyond frustrated as he mumbled a thank you in Dave's direction. The club owner simply shrugged and went about his business. The man slammed his car door, driving back in the direction of his hotel. He grabbed his cell phone dialing a familiar number.
"She is not in any of the places where I was directed to search..." he began irritably, "Yes, the time limit...I don't believe she is here...Yes, I know this is what she wanted...I cared for her too...no, I am not refusing, but...yes, it is company policy...but, sir the girl is near impossible to locate and I can't very well...I am aware...four days?...my job? Sir you can't mean...yes, I understand, reputation sir." He heaved a sigh. "Very well...yes, you as well." He slammed the phone down, speeding the car up a great deal. "Damn it all to bloody hell."
Joyce had held her daughter while she cried and when the tears let up, allowed the girl to retreat upstairs for much needed sleep. However, sleep would not come tonight. Buffy sat cross-legged on her bed. She had called the mansion to let Faith know what happened. She needed space, time to think. The blonde had always been a girl who needed friends, just a couple close-knit buddies, but she was not one to talk out her problems and share. As a slayer, she had learned to internalize what she felt so it had little affect on her job. It unfortunately was a skill that fit in all to well with her natural desire for privacy. She spent many a night just thinking, sorting through the pieces of her life. Buffy felt no need to share most of her thoughts and private experiences with her friends, she preferred to deal on her own, but was not unwilling to ask for help when she needed it, reluctant maybe but not unwilling. She always tried to solve it herself first. As a result of this facet of her personality, much of her private life was unknown to her friends. They had a basic outline of her life, key facts without the intrusive personal details.
By herself, completely awake, in the silence of the night she could be completely honest with herself. She could allow those secrets, past and present, to surface in her conscious mind. At this point in time her memories and private thoughts revolved around one Faith-shaped world. Faith was supposedly in love with her. She had never felt that the brunette was incapable of love, just that she did not want it. However given the nonsensical nature of love itself, Faith may have unwittingly fallen victim. Buffy reflected on the time she and the brunette had spent together, a particular night popped into her memory. It was before the killing, a few days before they had gone out dancing. It was a night she had not shared with her friends, a night she did not feel anyone else need to know about, the night she first felt it.
Faith pushed herself up from the ground of the cemetery. Noticing how tender her foot was, she shot a malicious glare at the jagged outcropping that had caused her trip during her fight. She was mentally cursing herself for not wearing her usual docs. She and Buffy had been training before patrol and she had worn a pair of old well-weathered boots. She had opted for a pair of medium blue jeans, a red tank top, and a black leather belt.
"You okay?" Buffy walked over, breathing heavily. The blonde was flushed and glowing post-fight.
"Yeah, fucking rock!" Not thinking Faith kicked the stone with her newly sore foot, immediately she gasped in pain. She noticed her foot began to feel warm and a little wet. "Shit, it's bleeding."
"You're sure?" Buffy asked taking in the red spot seeping through the torn leather near the toe region. "Ouch, come on, we'll go to my house, I've got first aid stuff. I'll clean you up."
"It'd take a lot more than a first aid kit to do that, B" Faith waggled her eye brows jokily. Buffy shook her head smiling.
"Come on, you!" Noticing the brunette struggling on one foot, Buffy placed an arm round her waist, supporting her.
"Aww, B, I didn't know you cared!"
"You're such a dork." The blonde simply smiled at her and they slowly made their way to Summers' house. No one else was home. Buffy helped Faith up the stairs to her bedroom.
"Sit." She pointed to her bed. Faith obediently did as told. Buffy knelt down and rolled up her friend's pant leg to the knee. Unlacing the boot was simple, but removing it proved considerably more difficult.
"Fuck" Faith bit her lip in pain. "Damn it B, gently, I'm fragile." She added the last part with mock seriousness.
"Sure you are...wuss" Faith glared at the girl, who softened. "It's going to hurt no matter how I do it, so get ready." The blonde looked up into Faith's face. She nodded preparing herself.
"Owwwwww!" Faith yelped as Buffy pulled the damaged boot free of her foot. "Shit" Faith gritted her teeth.
"Are you okay?" Faith shook it off and nodded slowly. The blonde went for the girl's sock, the toe of which was rather bloody and torn up. Faith's fists clenched as Buffy rolled it off her foot. "It's not that bad!" Buffy was pleased. The brunette looked downward. It was very sore and she guessed she had stretched a few muscles too far. Her foot was skinned in multiple places, but none were very deep. Her big toe however, was not looking too hot. The nail had been bent backward. It would sting, but no permanent damage. The blonde slayer had come back with a first aid kit. She began cleaning the wound.
"Damn, B, that hurts!" The dark slayer was jerking every time the blonde applied iodine to the injured areas, making it exceedingly difficult for her to clean them.
"You know for a slayer, you sure are a big baby, Faith." The girl looked positively offended.
"It stings God damn it!" Faith attempted to defend her actions.
"Well what do you want me to do about that? We can't leave it, Faith. It will get infected!" Buffy shot back.
"Kiss it better?" The brunette tried, smiling crookedly. The blonde gave her a look in response.
"Just try to hold still." Buffy went back to her cleansing and Faith tried to keep her foot still. She put a dual pain relieving and antibacterial spray over the surface abrasions and used a gauze pad and medical tape to protect the nail on Faith's toe. "All better!" She announced.
"Thanks B, guess I should be going." Faith said, getting up unsteadily on her one good foot.
"What? Are gonna hobble home at this hour? Don't think so. You're so going to stay the night." Buffy winced in pain as she stood up. She stretched her back.
"What's the what, Buffy?" The usage of Buffy's entire name betrayed the depth of Faith's concern.
"My back's a little sore, it's nothing." She stretched some more.
"Let me give you a massage, least I can do. Hell, I just had you squattin' down on the floor..."
"What?" Buffy's eyes widened in shock. It took the brunette a minute to realize how what she had just said sounded.
She burst out laughing. "Damn B, I didn't mean it like that. You're fucking dirtier than I am!" It was the blonde girl's turn to be offended. Faith just continued to laugh.
"Not funny, how was I to know that little miss innuendo could overlook one that obvious!" The blonde pouted while crossing her arms, which stretched her sore muscles. "Ouch!"
"Let me give you a massage, B." Faith said as she tried to stop laughing.
"Fine." Buffy climbed onto her bed and Faith attempted follow, forgetting her sore foot. When the pressure was applied to it, pain shot up through her. In an involuntary reaction to the pain, she whipped her foot up off the floor. This caused her to fall over the side of the bed and flat on her ass.
"Oh my God Faith, are you okay?" Buffy tried to figure out what had just happened between muffled giggles. "Very graceful."
"I'm a fucking klutz, I know" Faith mumbled, laughed it off. Hopping up, she successfully mounted the bed. Buffy had never seen her smile and laugh so much, but she rarely spent social time with the brunette. She had a beautiful smile, which lit up her normally dark face. She seemed unusually happy. It was nice to just hang out with the girl. Faith was remarkably normal and fun to be with when she was alone with Buffy. She toned down the bravado and she was a friend, not a slayer. Her and Buffy had fun together, sometimes they got a little carried away, but it was fun.
Faith scooted up behind the blonde, running skilled fingers over her shoulders. She slowly made her way down Buffy's back working out the knots. The blonde could not stop the soft moans that escaped her throat. It was so relaxing for her and it felt so good. Faith remained silent throughout the massage, but Buffy felt the heat emanating from the girl's body against her back. She felt the slight tremor that would run through the other slayer when she vocalized her pleasure and she saw the accompanying goose bumps that rose on the skin of Faith's uncovered leg. And she most definitely felt her body's response. That was the last memory she had of the night.
Buffy awoke to the warm morning sun streaming through her window and a protective embrace. Almost unconsciously she snuggled into the arms; it had been so long since she was last held. Stretching out, she noticed how rested she felt. Her movement caused the person next to her to stir.
"Mmm." A distinctly female yawn. Buffy turned her head to see her sister slayer just waking up. She was surprised. "Morning lover" Faith whispered in her ear.
"Funny." Buffy responded, pretending not to be amused and trying to suppress the shiver that had run through her when Faith's breath tickled her ear.
"I thought so."
"How did this happen?" Buffy asked referring to their current position. Faith laughed sleepily.
"Someone fell asleep in my god damn lap while they were getting a massage. Didn't wanna wake you. You're so cute when you sleep." Faith smirked saying the last part in a sickly sweet voice. Buffy rolled her eyes. They stared at each other for a few moments. Buffy was surprised at the ease she felt with this and with Faith. "Damn B, get up already, my arm is killing me!"
Buffy decided to continue their play flirting. She sat up in the bed, "Way to spoil a moment."
"Moment?" Faith arched her brow, also sitting up. Buffy simply laughed tossing a pillow at the brunette.
Buffy smiled at the memory. Maybe she had encouraged Faith's feelings toward her, she flirted back. She realized perhaps she wasn't surprised Faith loved her, because somewhere inside she was aware of the seriousness behind the constant flirtation. A seriousness evident in the brunette's deep eyes. Her relationship with Faith was like her relationship with many boys in LA had been. A flirtatious friendship; one where she knew the guy wanted her and played with that. She had teased Faith, unwilling to assume it could mean something to the brunette. However she was aware and it surprised her and it scared the hell out of her. She felt it. That connection that Faith had spoke of-- she had touched it and it well and truly frightened her. She was not ready for something like that in her life, so she had pushed her away. She too had taken the easy way out. Suddenly it struck Buffy. She was so angry at Faith because she had made her feel something she did not want to. She was angry because Faith had drawn her in. With Angelus, Buffy did not feel the same level of torture when they fought as she did with Faith. She could rationalize the situation because Angel was not Angelus, he was a soulless evil, but Faith was Faith however she behaved. Her first truly human adversary was also someone she felt very deeply for, although not admittedly. She was angry because Faith made her feel. Angelus was just a demon and she knew how to take care of that, but Faith confused her emotions. On the rooftop at Angel's, Buffy remembered saying that Faith had made her the victim, but maybe it was not the type of victim she initially believed. She was a victim of feelings beyond her control, of love and the pain that it could bring. She had seen the both sides of Faith, and still Buffy felt it; that special connection she had only had with the other slayer. She picked up the phone to make an important call.
Author's Notes: This part is kind of an introduction for the villian, but the next part will focus more heavily on the B/F relationship.
"So how alike would you say me and your Faith are?" Faith decided to patrol to keep her mind of the damage she had most likely caused Buffy. Alex of course wanted to tag along, and Faith did not really mind.
"I'd say very alike, but I'm not sure." Alex smirked in the brunette's direction. "Can I ask you some questions?"
Faith looked skeptical, but agreed. "I guess."
"You used to eat play dough? Like all the time?" Faith laughed out.
"Yeah."
"Do you have a stuffed alligator with the eye half-falling off tucked away in your bag?"
The brunette slayer was a little embarrassed. "Take it everywhere, but no one knows about it." She whispered more to herself than to Alex.
"It hangs out with Mr. Gordo." She chuckled. "Now for the whammy!"
"Fucking hit me!" Faith was ready.
"In the very back of your CD case, do you have a copy of Hangin' Tough?" The dark slayer's mouth dropped open and her face flushed light red.
"Thought so."
"Fuck." Faith shook her head in disbelief. "You tell anyone,"
"I know...you'll kill me." Alex smiled "I'd say you and mom are pretty similar, but you have your differences."
"What differences?"
"Well, you're so much more defensive." Alex said carefully.
"I am not fucking defensive!"
"Really? That was convincing."
"Fuck you!" Alex gave Faith a look that said it all. "Sorry." She mumbled at the girl, who nodded. "So what else?"
"Are you sure you wanna continue this conversation?"
Faith sighed, "Yes."
"Well, she doesn't swear quite so often."
"Duck!" Faith yelled and the girl gave her a quizzical look before the slayer shoved her out of the way. Alex stumbled, but was able to regain her balance. She turned around to find Faith fighting a vamp, a really big vamp.
Buffy drummed her fingers on the nightstand as she listened to the ringing on the phone. No one was picking up. She needed to talk to someone. The blonde turned her head looking at the clock; it was 11. Not too late. Willow and Tara would probably still be up. Grabbing a jacket, she quietly crept out of her window.
She found herself once again lost in thought as she kicked a stone hard up the sidewalk. It rolled into some bushes. She was surprised to hear a yelp of pain. She ran toward the bush fearing she had hurt a dog or something. Pulling back the branches, she revealed a black figure curled up and cradling its head. The slayer realized there was something exceedingly familiar about the demon. Pictures from her patrol with Faith flashed in her mind. She remembered.
Buffy watched the bushes Faith had pointed out. She moved stealthily toward them, keeping low and quiet. A noise from behind caused her turn around. Faith and Alex were fighting a couple of newbies. Knowing the other slayer could take care of them; she continued to make her way toward the rustling foliage. Pulling back the branches she saw a demon lying on the ground, twitching. It was the size of a small human, but thin and lithely muscled. Its skin was a glossy, rich black and looked as if it were plastic. She walked around behind the bush, but it appeared not to notice her.
Placing a hand on her stake, Buffy gently nudged the creature with her foot. The demon's head spun around and it looked at her with icy blue eyes. She pulled the stake from her belt and backed away. The demon continued to stare directly into her eyes, standing up. Buffy found it impossible to look away and soon was nearly nose-to-nose with the demon.
Before she could react, the demon placed its hand upon her cheek lightly pressing on the small scar. Buffy remembered how quickly and smoothly it moved. As it cocked its head to the side, a deep purple film flowed over the ice blue almost like a second eyelid. Her vision blurred and faded away. She felt a light touch on her forehead and then it all went to black.
"YEAH, that fucking rocked." Faith yelled, dusting her jacket off and sheathing her blade. She had gotten a good slay, finally. She rolled her neck, extending her hand to Alex who had been laid flat by the vamp's right cross.
"Can't say I share your enthusiasm." She commented tasting the blood from her split lip. Faith shrugged, eyes alert and shining with energy. "Let's go back to the mansion?"
The brunette slayer did not appear too pleased with the idea. Slaying was the only thing that had given her emotions a rest, but she nonetheless conceded. Faith walked slower than normal, secretly hoping for another vamp to attack. They chatted about nothing as they strode side by side. Ahead of them, just a little ways up, was a blonde girl looking into the bushes.
Faith couldn't help but be reminded of Buffy. Noting a faint movement in the bushes the girl was watching, her slayer senses began to tingle.
"Not again" she mumbled. Alex, noticing Faith was distracted, followed her eyes. She instantly understood the other woman's concern. The slayer moved to warn the stranger, when something quite unexpectedly leapt out of the bush and knocked the girl on her back. Faith was too surprised to move as the dark creature crouched over the blonde, something dripping from its head onto her face. The girl did not seem to be resisting.
Coming back to herself Faith ran toward the scene, ripping the demon off the blonde. She was shocked to say the least to find Buffy lying disoriented on the sidewalk. This radical development distracted her enough for the demon to land a nasty slash on her left side.
Faith gasped in pain, whatever the hell that had just hit her was sharp. It had torn straight through her leather jacket and into her side. She was not surprised to see blood staining her fingers where she had touched her side. She whipped around to find that Alex had grabbed the demon and was fighting it fiercely. Moreover, she appeared to be winning. A hard punch from the girl knocked it out cold.
Buffy appeared to be coming out of whatever daze she was in.
"Faith??" The blonde was confused.
"B, what the fuck just happened?"
"I...don't know." She looked over at the lifeless figure on the ground and some of the fog lifted. "That thing...in the graveyard?"
"Not following ya'" Faith said gently, extending her arm to Buffy. She wasn't sure how to act with the blonde, the girl she loved. She had told her and Buffy had run. She said she was staying at her house, but apparently that plan fell through. The brunette slayer was unable to look her counterpart in the eye, wincing as Buffy took the offered hand. It pulled at the wound on her side.
"You recognize this thing?" Alex asked lifting the body a little with her foot. She walked over to Buffy, whose forehead had a purple substance on it. Alex wiped at it; the drip was still wet. She noticed the same color dripping from a wound on the demon's head. It was demon blood.
"The graveyard...ah, my head" Buffy answered through clenching her teeth. She had an amazingly horrible migraine, probably from slamming her head on the sidewalk when the demon hit her.
"When we patrolled?" Alex asked lowering her voice. Buffy nodded and then jerked her head as if she could shake off the headache. Alex looked to Faith, noticing the brunette pealing up the corner of her tank top. She was surprised to see four long slices in her side; they were bleeding substantially. "Jesus mo...Faith, take this!" She took off her jacket, folding it, and pressing it against the slices.
The demon came to a half hour after the three girls left it for dead on the sidewalk. It pulled itself painfully up, looking about. Cradling its wounded arm against its chest, it retreated into the concealing haven of the bush. The demon moved quickly and with agility through the graveyard, into the woods, until it reached the mouth of a cave. Stepping into the dark cave, the demon dropped its wounded arm and let it hang uselessly by its side. Ice blue eyes lit up the cave like torches and the little light showing through the rock formation bounced off glistening skin. In the center of the cave was a crudely fashioned chair, chiseled out of large stalagmite. Around it, sat at least twenty of these demons. The wounded creature took its designated spot, directly in front of the throne. Assuming a meditative air, the demons filled the cave with low rumbling hum. The occupant of the chair sat casually observing the scene, a smile twitching on her lips.
"We can't have a quiet night can we?" Alex laughed as she helped Faith through the door to Buffy's house. Buffy was already inside and watching. Her headache was slowly fading. "Got first aid?"
"I'll take care of it...her. You can sleep on the couch if you want." Buffy said. Alex shrugged tossing Faith's sword on the couch. The blonde slayer looked the brunette in the eyes. She hesitantly returned the stare. She placed her arm around the girl's waist, above the injury, and began to help her up the stairs. Faith was clearly not doing too hot, so she accepted the help without comment or argument. Her face was pale and her eyes drooped with exhaustion.
"Sit." She motioned to her bed. Faith did so, but winced as it caused the torn skin to rub painfully together. "Okay, maybe you should lay down...hold on." The blonde slayer ran to get a towel and laid it on her bed. The brunette obediently laid on it, positioning it near her wound. She unlaced the girl's boots, removing the muddied footwear from her comforter.
"This is familiar." Faith mumbled to herself. Buffy smiled sadly.
"Faith...I." She began, but stopped. "I need you to take that jacket off." The brunette nodded struggling out of the torn leather. Buffy gently helped the brunette, slowly rolling up her tank top. "It's not that ba