The teenager giggled, stirring the brown liquid with the straw. "Are you sure Willow's okay?" she asked, looking over toward the bathrooms. "She's been in there ages."
Tara took a sip of her iced mocha, relishing the chill after the August sun and followed Dawn's gaze, her expression shifting to one of tolerant amusement. "She'll be fine. She knows she can't handle three mochas in one morning, but she just can't help herself."
Dawn couldn't help smiling at the flash of pure adoration in Tara's eyes as she talked about her girlfriend. A sudden thought flashed across her mind. How come I'm okay with that? Why didn't the monks make me homophobic? You'd think they'd hate the idea of two women in love. With a mental shrug, she tossed the question aside, knowing she'd never get an answer. "So, what's it like living with Willow's parents?"
"Not what I expected. I mean, her dad barely notices us at all, a-and her mom treats me like some kind of counter-culture icon." Tara looked bemused for a moment, before her faced melted into a smile. "But it's worth it."
"And Mom hasn't tried to burn either of us at the stake yet." Willow said from behind them, enjoying a moment of uncharitable pleasure as the two at the table started in surprise. "Which is progress."
As Willow slipped into the vacant chair at the table, Tara leaned over for a welcoming kiss. She blushed as she noticed Dawn smiling at them. "I'm sorry, we'll be good now."
"Don't you dare!" Dawn replied, her smile widening. "I've really missed seeing you guys together."
"Yeah, we have been kinda absent lately." Willow said, sheepishly.
"It's okay, you guys deserve some alone time after what Glory did to you." Because of me. Dawn fought down the spark of guilt and forced a mischievous grin onto her face. "Just so long as you remember to put clothes on once in a while."
"Dawnie!" The two witches protested simultaneously. "We're not... we don't... it's not like..."
Dawn burst out laughing as their faces burned. "Methinks the ladies protest too much!"
"Anyway," Willow said forcefully, "how're things at Slayer Central?"
"Kinda weird. Living with Faith, it's... it's taking some getting used to."
"What do you mean?" Willow asked.
"Well, for one thing, morning person. It's not like she wakes Buffy and me up, but she's always awake ages before us, and way too perky for that time of the morning, even when she's been out patrolling 'til God knows when." Dawn shuddered at the thought. "And the doors! She never shuts her bedroom door, not even when she's changing. I mean, she closes it a little, it's not like it's wide open, but still..."
"Dawnie," Willow asked, her face mock-serious, "have you been peeking? 'Cause we've talked about this..."
"What! No, no!" Dawn blurted out. "No, God, that's... I mean, it's not like I have a problem with, you know, I mean I love you guys, and I think you're great together and more power to you, but no, still liking the boys here!"
Tara and Willow made an effort to control their amusement at Dawn's babbling, but couldn't keep themselves from laughing. "What was that you said about protesting too much?" Willow got out between giggles. Dawn glared for a moment, then she too began laughing.
Willow was the first to regain her self-control. "So, has Faith told you what the open-door policy's for?
"No, she hasn't said anything." Dawn answered. "Me and Buffy have talked about it, but we haven't asked her yet."
"Maybe she's just trying to be open?" Tara suggested.
"Can't get much more open than Faith." muttered Willow.
Tara ignored the interruption and continued, "I mean, maybe she's just trying to show she isn't hiding anything?"
Dawn considered the idea. "Could be. The best idea I could come up with was that she just hates closed doors. You know, after being in prison and all. But I don't get why she'd do it. I mean, it's not like we're monitoring her all the time, demanding to know where she's been and what she's been doing."
"I know, sweetie, but she might feel like she has to prove something." Tara said. "I'm sure she just wants you to feel comfortable with her around.
"Yeah, I know, it's just taking some time. I mean, I was just getting used to it just being me and Buffy, and now there're three of us in the house again, like when Mom was alive, but not." Dawn's face clearly showed her sorrow. "Sometimes I'm glad, 'cause it's not so quiet any more, but sometimes it just reminds me that she's not there, you know?"
Willow immediately wrapped her young friend into tight hug, while Tara took Dawn's hand in both of hers and squeezed comfortingly.
After a few moments, the embrace broke and the three girls separated, Dawn wiping tears from her eyes. "Thanks, guys."
Willow seemed reassured, but Tara caught something in Dawn's demeanour that bothered her. "Dawnie, is something wrong? S-something else, I mean?"
For a second, Dawn was ready to deny it, but the look of honest, open concern on Tara's face broke down her reservations. "I don't know... it's Buffy and Faith."
"What about them?" Willow asked, rather more sharply than she had intended, immediately on edge.I knew something would go wrong, I knew it!
Dawn, distracted by her worries, missed both the cutting tone of Willow's question and Tara's warning glance to her girlfriend. "I don't know, something changed a couple of months ago, after you guys took out those demons in the warehouse. I mean sometimes they're fine, great even, laughing together... you remember how Buffy was when she got the letter to say she had been re-admitted to college? It's like that, and then other times it's... it's almost like when Mom and Dad were getting divorced. They both get really quiet, barely even talking to each other, and at the same time they're both going out of their way to be nice to me."
Tara's heart ached at the distress in Dawn's voice. "Do you have any idea what's upset them?"
"No. And I don't think Faith does either. It's like she's as confused as me about it!"
In the absence of any real information, Tara went for raw optimism. "I'm sure they'll be okay, Dawn. Remember, they've got a lot of history, but they'll work it out."
"D'you think?"
"Absolutely." Tara glanced over at Willow, hoping for some support, but the redhead stayed silent."
Dawn managed a watery smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She gulped down the rest of her milkshake. "C'mon, we don't want to miss the movie."
As they gathered their things together, Tara quickly whispered in Willow's ear. "I could've used some help there."
"I'm sorry, I just couldn't lie to her."
The music stopped. Faith rolled over on the bed and saw Buffy standing by the door, her finger on the 'Stop' button of her stereo.
"Thought I'd stop by."
Faith sat up, a cocky grin on her face. "Is he dead yet?"
"He's not going to die." Buffy replied, her voice cold. "It was a good try, though. Your plan?"
"Uh-huh. The Mayor got me the poison. Said it was wicked painful." Faith got off the bed and stood facing her enemy.
"There's a cure."
"Damn. What is it?"
"Your blood." Buffy felt a surge of vengeful joy as she saw Faith's mask slip for a moment, surprise and fear showing on her face. "As justice goes, it's not un-poetic, don't you think?"
Faith began stalking forward, closing the distance between them. "Come to get me? You gonna feed me to Angel? You know you're not going to take me alive."
"Not a problem."
Faith smiled, almost glad that it had finally come to this. "Well, look at you. All dressed up in big sister's clothes."
"You told me I was just like you." Buffy advanced into the middle of the room, and the two girls began circling each other slowly. "That I was holding it in."
"Ready to cut loose?"
"Try me."
"Okay then." Faith stopped, less than a yard from her adversary, the air around them practically crackling with barely suppressed energy. "Give us a kiss."
Buffy jerked upright, struggling frantically to free herself from her bonds, until she realised that it was just her covers that had become tangled around her. Breathing heavily, she lay back and tried to drive the nightmare away.
It didn't work. Shortly after three in the morning, Buffy gave up and began pulling on her clothes. Around her, the house felt claustrophobic.
At the top of the stairs, Buffy paused, then silently moved the few feet to Faith's door.
The younger Slayer was lying on her side, facing the window. Even asleep her body seemed tense, a tension Buffy recognised growing in herself. For a few heartbeats, Buffy just stood there watching. Then she turned and crept down the stairs.
As she heard the front door close, Faith opened her eyes. After a moment, she reached out to the bedside table and picked up the stuffed panther Dawn had given her. Clutching it tightly, she pulled the covers around her and tried to sleep.
The gravestones had a cold gleam in the moonlight. Branches rustled quietly in the night breeze, which carried a faint tang in from the sea. Beyond that, the cemetery was silent but for her own footsteps.
"Haven't seen you 'round here for a while, luv. Something up?" Buffy jumped as Spike sauntered out of the shadow of a crypt right behind her, smirking as he lit up a cigarette.
"You ought to know better than to sneak up on people with weapons!" Buffy snapped in reply, brandishing her stake to emphasise the point.
Spike just laughed. "Actually, I'm surprised I managed it. What's the matter, Slayer? Mind not on the job?" When the blonde just turned and began to walk away, his demeanour changed. "Buffy!"
She stopped and turned to face him again. The smirk and swagger were gone, replaced with worry. "I mean it. If you're distracted, you shouldn't be out here. There're plenty of things that'd just love to take a bite out of you, and right know you wouldn't even see them coming."
"Things like you, for instance?" Buffy regretted the words as soon as they were spoken, hating herself as she watched Spike recoil from her as though she'd slapped him. "I'm sorry, that wasn't fair."
"You're damn right it wasn't!" Spike snarled. "Listen, Slayer, I know you've had a tough time of it the last year, but I've had it with being your whipping boy!"
"Spike, please... I'm sorry for what I said, and I'm sorry I've been avoiding you lately. You deserve better after everything you done for me." Buffy sat down on a gravestone, unable to meet his gaze. Suddenly, she gave a bitter laugh. "God, who'd have thought I'd actually care that I hurt your feelings?"
Spike's anger melted as he saw tears gleaming in the moonlight. "Buffy, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. Everything. I don't even know any more." Buffy stared up at the moon, the tears coming more freely now. "I don't understand this. It felt like everything was great, and nothing's changed, but now everything hurts."
Spike perched beside her on the gravestone, silent.
"I forget about Mom." The girl's voice was flooded with guilt. "That can't be right, can it? It's only been six months! I live in her house, I sleep in her room, in her bed, and I can go days without thinking about her! What sort of person am I if I can do that?"
"Buffy..."
She ploughed on, barely even aware that he'd spoken. "And Faith! God, I owe her so much... I thought I was past everything she'd done, I should be, but..." For the first time she looked Spike in the eye. "Sometimes, I see her, and the first thing I think is 'Murderer!' And in that moment, I hate her. I hate what she did to me."
"Do you hate me like that?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"You never betrayed me." Buffy cut Spike off as he was about to protest. "Adam doesn't count, I had no right to expect loyalty from you then."
"So she betrayed you, and you wanted her dead."
"Worse." Buffy's voice dropped to a whisper. "I wanted to kill her." The tears flowed faster. She didn't resist as Spike put his arms around her and held her as she wept.
Eventually, the sobbing slowed and stopped. Spike gently released his hold and brushed a few loose strands of hair away from Buffy's face. "Feeling better?"
"Kinda. Thanks."
"Any time. Look, what you said about loyalty... you know you have it now, right?"
Buffy nodded. "When did you turn into someone I could talk to?" she asked, smiling faintly at him as she wiped the tears away.
"Not a bloody clue, luv. Still can't quite believe it's happened." Spike stood up and smoothed out the back of his coat.
"You were right." Buffy's voice was almost a whisper. "What you said to me, at the house, before we went after Glory. I don't think I'll ever love you."
Spike looked away, the words hurting even though he had already said them himself. "I know."
"Sometimes I wish I did." Spike looked back at her in surprise. "I know you'd always be there for me, and for Dawn."
Spike just nodded, unable to speak.
Buffy got off the gravestone and put her hand gently on his shoulder. "I don't love you, but I do trust you, Spike."
"Well, that's something." Spike turned his face away from her, hiding the tears.
"Look, I'm going to go visit Mom's grave." She reached out and took his hand. "Walk with me?"
Spike gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "As my lady wishes."
As they walked off into the darkness, Buffy said, "Remember the old days, when things were simple? I wanted to kill you, you wanted to kill me, Mom still thought I was a delinquent... you ever miss that?"
"No. You had this really annoying habit of beating the crap out of me, remember?"
"Magnificent, isn't it?" Roger Wyndham-Pryce said, gazing at collection of weapons in the displaycase. "The burial horde of Raedwald, King of the East Saxons. You can say whatever you like about our pagan ancestors, but they certainly knew how to give their leaders a good send-off."
"Yes, sir." Julian Graves replied. "I trust you are aware that the identification of Raedwald as the occupant of the grave is at most an educated guess?"
"That's quite correct, Mr. Graves. And completely irrelevant to our meeting." Wyndham-Pryce turned from the display and began walking briskly through the galleries of the British Museum. "I have discussed the issue of the two Slayers with several of our esteemed colleagues, and they agree that there is cause for concern. However, they will require more definite information about the situation in California before they will be willing to act. Can you arrange for some discrete surveillance?"
"I've already made the arrangements, sir. One of our regular intelligence-gathering units is scheduled to go on leave in two weeks. I can easily re-direct them to Sunnydale and ensure that their reports come to me personally."
"Good. Contact me as soon as you have any information."
On the stage a trio of twentysomething girls were strumming their guitars with more enthusiasm than skill and singing off-key, while on the floor below, the Saturday night crowd danced, talked, laughed and drank. Faith took a sip of her drink and swept her eyes over the crowd once more, the shadows on the balcony wrapped around her like a cloak.
"Never thought I'd see you up here on your own." Xander said, walking up to lean on the railing beside her. "Shouldn't you be down there with a half-dozen guys drooling all over you?"
Faith never took her eyes from the scene below. "I'm working."
"Working?" Xander asked innocently.
"Patrolling."
"That's funny." Xander's voice took on a more sarcastic tone. "Patrolling looks a lot like getting tanked at the Bronze."
Faith's eyes flickered to him for an instant, anger flaring in their depths. "There's nothing happening on the streets, so I figured I'd come see if anyone's trying to hunt here. And it's Diet Coke." She raised her drink to him in a mock toast.
Xander bit back the angry response that was his first instinct and tried to set aside his mistrust for a moment. "You're flying solo tonight?"
"B's studying with Red. She's got some big catch-up exam Monday, they've been hitting the books pretty hard." Faith tossed back the last of her drink. "Anya with you?"
"Yeah, she decided to hit the bathroom as soon as we got here."
"Cool." Faith searched her mind for a way to keep the tenuous conversation alive, but came up with nothing. "Okay, then. If you guys are going to be here keeping an eye on things, I'll get back out there. Anything kicks off, page me." She turned and hurried away.
Xander watched her push through the crowd and mentally kicked himself. Damn it!
"Lucas, are you sure about this?" Sean asked, nervously pacing the floor of the warehouse office.
Lucas pulled on a battered leather jacket and replied, his voice patient, "Yes, I'm sure. I haven't left the nest in far too long, Sean. I want to smell the night air again. Besides, I don't want the troops to see me spending all my time in here, it's bad for morale."
"I know, I just wish you'd let me come with you."
"I have been on a hunt before, Sean, I know how it's done. Remember, you're my second in command, not my bodyguard."
"Why can't I be both? And are you sure it's a good idea to bring the kills back here?"
"Sean, we need recruits. Planting them and waiting for them to sprout isn't working. The Slayers cover all the cemeteries, check all the new graves - we're not even getting one in ten through. We have to control the process, or we won't get anywhere."
Sean sighed in defeat. "You're right, I know. Just be careful, okay?"
"How bad is it?" Buffy asked, her voice a whisper.
Willow put down the sheet of paper and smiled. "It's fine, Buffy. You're going to get through this exam no problem." She took a quick look at the clock on the library wall. "I think we covered everything, you want to call it a night?"
They quickly packed their books away and headed off in the direction of Willow's dorm. Willow chattered happily about the topics that they'd covered that evening, while Buffy remained almost completely silent, her eyes constantly scanning the darkness. Finally, she spoke. "Thanks for doing this, Will, I know you've got a lot on right now."
"Hey, what are best friends for?" Willow replied, her pleasure in teaching clearly evident. "Besides, if the last one's anything to go by, I definitely want you at my next graduation."
"Of course I'll be there! I just might not be graduating with you."
Willow glared at her friend for a second, slightly annoyed by the doubting tone in Buffy's voice, before the 'Resolve Face' slipped into position. "Sure you will, you'll be sitting right beside me, complaining about the commencement speaker and waiting to be attacked by monsters."
Buffy laughed quietly at the image her friend had conjured. "God, I never thought I'd say this, but it's great being back at college!"
"Yeah, I'm glad you're here." Willow slipped her arm around her friend's shoulders for a brief hug. "I wasn't sure you'd be coming back once the paycheques started rolling in."
"It was kind of a shock just how much they were sending me..." Buffy acknowledged. "I still don't want to count on the Council's money, though. I figure I'll put aside what I can and try to finish college before they decide to screw me over again."
"Sounds like a plan." Willow agreed, sharing Buffy's lack of trust. "What about Faith, is she doing anything apart from Slaying?"
Buffy shook her head, her earlier good cheer dissipating. "I don't think so. I mean, I get why she doesn't want to go back to high school, but it kind of cuts down her options. Sometimes, it feels like all she does is train and patrol."
Willow easily picked up the undercurrent of tension in Buffy's demeanour. She stopped walking and turned to face her friend. "Buffy, is something wrong? Something about Faith?"
The response she got was barely audible. "I think it's something about me."
"I don't understand."
"Why can't I forgive her, Will?" The mask Buffy had constructed crumbled under the witch's concerned gaze, and the heartache she had been concealing began to show through. "After everything she's done, I should forgive her, shouldn't I? I want to, but... What's wrong with me?"
"Oh, Buffy..." Willow wrapped her arms around her friend. "There's nothing wrong with you! I mean yeah, I'm really glad she saved Dawn, and I'm all for the world not ending, but she did that sort of thing before, remember? She helped us close the Hellmouth, and that was, what, three weeks before she joined up with the Mayor? Maybe this is your Slayer-sense warning you to watch your back."
"No, she's different now, I know she is." Buffy whimpered, sounding almost as if she were trying to convince herself.
"Maybe she is." Willow said, not wanting to contradict her friend in this state. "Look, Buffy, whatever happens, I know you'll do the right thing. And I'll be there to back you up, okay?"
Buffy nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. "What would I do without you, Will?"
"No point asking the question, 'cause it's never going to happen."
With a final sniff, Buffy set them walking again. "Come on, I'm pretty sure there's another blonde out there waiting for some Willow-time." She managed a giggle as the redhead blushed. As they walked away, she turned the conversation to less personal matters. "How's the magic research going? Any luck finding a spell to fix Amy?"
"Nothing yet. Hecate's invocations are really hard to break unless you're the one who cast them. I've got some possibilities still to look at, though, and you wouldn't believe some of the stuff I found while I was researching."
"Interesting stuff?"
"Oh yeah, and some of it'll be really useful. You know, if I can ever make it work..."
The area around the intersection of Third Street and Pacific Drive had never been one of Sunnydale's showcase neighbourhoods, and things had only grown worse when the bakery closed in the 1960's, depriving many of the residents of their jobs. Now the neighbourhood was the nearest thing Sunnydale had to a real slum. Low-rent apartments stood side-by-side with abandoned buildings, and from the outside, it was often hard to tell which was which.
When she first came to Sunnydale, Faith had been drawn to those few blocks. The area was almost an anchor for her, a reminder of the home she'd left behind across the continent, and whenever she had patrolled alone she almost always included a sweep there.
This was her first visit since her return. She had avoided this part of town since coming back to Sunnydale, afraid that it might still feel like home, that it would tell her she hadn't really changed, that this was till where she belonged. As she walked slowly along the poorly lit streets, Faith could feel the sense of deprivation and hopelessness washing over her, clinging to her skin.
No! This isn't who I am any more. I got out, and I'm staying out! I'm just here to do my job.
Suddenly, Faith's reverie was interrupted by a squeal of brakes from around the next corner, closely followed by a scream that was abruptly cut off. Breaking into a sprint, Faith rounded a corner in time to see a vampire bundling a young woman into the back of a battered grey van, while her date was dragged toward the van by two others. As soon as the woman was inside, her captor sank his fangs into her neck. Faith whipped a stake out of her belt and charged.
At the sound of her footsteps, the vampires looked up in surprise. Lucas yelled, "Leave him!" and pushed his companion toward the van, before seizing his victim's head in both hands and twisting savagely. The young man fell into the gutter, his head flopped to one side at an impossible angle. Lucas jumped into the back of the van, pulling one of the doors shut behind him. His companion was still outside, paralysed by the sight of the Slayer bearing down on him.
"Come on!" Lucas yelled, and the vampire turned to the van, but it was already too late.
Faith crushed him against the back of the van, repeatedly slamming his head into the closed door before driving her stake into his back. As the van began to move off, Faith tried to scramble inside. Lucas' fist shot out from the darkness inside, and Faith just barely managed to dodge, but in the process she lost her balance and was left clinging to the edge of the closed door with one hand, one foot trailing on the road as her other hand desperately sought anything to grab onto. Before Lucas could pull back, the hand closed on his arm and pulled, yanking him toward the door. Faith's eyes widened in horrified shock as the street lamps illuminated his face. Lucas snarled and flung another punch at her face. It hit home squarely on her cheek, and she was too stunned to resist, losing her grip and tumbling onto the road in the van's wake.
Giles was relaxing with a cup of tea and Paradise Lost when he heard a tentative knock at his door. A look through the peephole showed a rather shaken Faith on his doorstep. Giles quickly unlocked the door and opened it.
"Hi, Giles. Uh, can I come in?" Faith asked awkwardly.
"If you need an invitation, then no." Giles replied, years of painful experience overriding his immediate concern for Faith. He held the door open for her as she crossed the threshold. Gesturing for her to take a seat on the couch, Giles returned to his armchair. "Now, what can I do for you?"
Faith remained silent for a moment, trying to find some way to explain what had happened. "I'm sorry I bothered you, it's just... something happened on my patrol tonight. I ran into this group of vamps. I-I knew one of them."
Giles' expression of professional detachment immediately turned to concern and sympathy. "Faith, I'm so sorry. To see someone you know, who's suffered that fate, it's always difficult-"
Faith interrupted him. "That's not what I meant. I knew him... after he died."
Lucas watched as two of his vampires unloaded the woman's corpse from the van and took it into the warehouse. He turned to the fourth member of his hunting party. "Hannah, take the van. Dump it somewhere out of sight and torch it. The Slayer's seen it, we can't risk keeping it." Hannah nodded once and got back behind the wheel.
Turning on his heel, Lucas stalked through the warehouse to his office, noting without surprise that Sean was already there. Closing the door behind him, Lucas finally let his anger at the night's events show.
"Not a word, Sean, not one fucking word!"
"Are you sure it was him?" Giles asked, his voice devoid of emotion.
Faith nodded. "I think so. I mean, I only saw his face for a second, but... yeah, I'm, sure." She kept her eyes fixed on the coffee table, unable to meet Giles' cold, professional gaze.
"The others will have to know. You'd better get home now, get some rest. Tell Buffy I want to see both of you at the Magic Box tomorrow, ten o'clock. I'll call the others and let them know to be there."
"Yeah. Okay. Goodnight, Giles." Faith let herself out. Climbing the steps from the small terrace outside Giles' flat, she tried to fight of the wave of despair that washed over her.
I'll never be free of him...
"How can you eat that?" Buffy asked, her face contorted with disgust.
Dawn, sitting next to her sister on the couch, looked at her in confusion. "What?" She asked, around a mouthful of cold pizza. "I like anchovies, okay?"
Buffy looked slightly queasy. "Yeah, I can accept you liking them, but on cold pizza? You're starting to eat like Xander."
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
Buffy's response was cut off as the front door opened, and Faith walked in. Buffy got off the couch, her worries about her relationship with the other Slayer suddenly returning. "Faith, hi! I-I looked for you, but... big town, two people, you know."
"It's cool, B."
"You want some pizza? It's got anchovies." Dawn asked, trying to break the tension.
"No, thanks. Buffy, Giles wants us at the Box tomorrow, ten a.m. I ran into something tonight, Giles wants everyone to know."
"What happened? Are you hurt?" Buffy asked, alarmed.
"I'm fine, just wiped. I'm going to take a bath and sack out." Faith disappeared up the stairs without waiting for a response.
In the living room, silence reigned for a moment before Dawn spoke. "You think she's okay?"
"Yeah." Buffy nodded, as much to convince herself as Dawn. "She's okay, Dawnie. Whatever she ran into, we can handle it." She turned back to face Dawn. "I'm pretty tired too, I'm going to get some sleep. Don't stay up too long, okay?"
Buffy kissed her sister goodnight and began climbing the stairs. Before she had reached the top, she could hear the sound of water pouring into the bath. God, if the demons knew how much Faith likes bubble baths, they'd die laughing, she thought. As she reached the top of the stairs, her attention was caught by movement beyond the open door to Faith's bedroom.
Her breath caught in her throat.
The room was gently illuminated by the table lamp beside the bed. Faith was facing away from the door, getting undressed. As Buffy stopped, mid-stride, she pulled her shirt off and began to pull her sports bra over her head.
Standing in the doorway, Buffy was transfixed by Faith's movements, the way her muscles moved under her skin, the interplay of light and shadow over her body as she tossed her shirt and bra aside and began to remove her jeans. Stepping out of them, she leaned over to pick up her bathrobe from where it was lying on her bed, the generous curve of her breast coming into view, the light gleaming softly on her pale skin.
Buffy forced herself to close her eyes and step away before Faith could turn around. As quietly as she could, she fled to the sanctuary of her own bedroom. Leaning against the door, she took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart.
What the hell was that?
Willow and Tara were the last to arrive the following morning, both witches looking like they were barely awake. They quickly joined Xander, Buffy and Dawn at the table, accepting the cups of coffee Xander offered with murmured thanks. Giles and Anya were both occupying themselves with minor jobs around the shop. As the witches seated themselves, Faith appeared from the training room. Anya took a seat next to Xander as Giles began, "Thank you for coming, all of you. Something rather unusual happened on Faith's patrol last night. Faith?"
Giles stepped aside and leaned against the counter. Faith came to stand by the table, radiating anxiety. "I was patrolling down near Third and Pacific, and I ran into a bunch of vamps. They were trying to grab this couple off the street and haul them off in a van. They took off as soon as they saw me."
"Okay," Xander interjected, "not the standard M.O., but vamps aren't exactly unusual..."
"I knew one of them, I think he was the leader." Faith's voice failed her for a moment. "He... he used to work for the Mayor."
"Oh." Xander kept his expression carefully blank.
"I thought we got all of them on Graduation Day." Buffy said, her voice low.
"So did I." Xander agreed. "All the ones who were there, at least."
"So who is he?" Anya asked.
Faith took a deep breath. Just focus on the facts... "His name's Lucas, Lucas Miller. I only met him a couple of times, but if anyone was going to survive G-Day, my money'd be on him."
Buffy looked directly at Faith for the first time. "Why?"
"He's a thinker, a planner. Doesn't have the usual vamp impulse-control issues, either. He's dangerous. The Mayor thought a lot of him, used him for a lot of special jobs. That's why I hardly saw him. He was down south somewhere making sure that spider-box got here on time when I..."
"Switched sides?" Willow finished, her voice harsh.
"Yeah." Faith had seen Willow flinch at the mention of the box. "He only got back about a week before Graduation."
"And now he's here again." Giles said from behind her. "Do you have any idea as to why?"
Faith shrugged. "Revenge, maybe? Most of the Mayor's vamps were with him
'cause he was the big nasty in town, but I had a feeling Lucas actually believed in the guy. He might have a grudge against you guys."
Tara spoke for the first time. "What else do you know about him?"
"Just what I told you. The Mayor wasn't into giving out background, and I never asked."
"I've contacted the Council to ask for any information they have." Giles put in. "Hopefully, we'll hear from them in a day or so. In any case, we should begin looking for information here as well."
"Yay, research." Xander said without a trace of enthusiasm.
"Watcher diaries, Giles?" asked Willow.
"Yes, that would be a good place to start." Giles picked up a stack of old volumes and began handing them around.
Buffy stood up. "Meanwhile, I'll go see if Willy's awake yet."
"Anything to get away from the books, huh?" Dawn muttered, already scanning one of the diaries.
Buffy smiled without much humour. "Pretty much. You coming, Faith?"
"Sure."
Hours later, Faith returned to the Magic Box alone. The visit to Willy's had been a complete bust; the snitch knew nothing and had nearly died of fright when Faith walked in. After that, Buffy had gone to see if Spike had ever heard of Lucas, while Faith opted to look around town on the off chance she spotted the van Lucas had used. That search, at least, had turned up something - the burned out remains of the van, dumped in a side street. The brunette was feeling thoroughly despondent. She had been brought face-to-face with a past she had thought she was finally leaving behind, whatever progress she thought she had made with the rest of the group seemed to have evaporated, and she had no idea where Lucas was or what he was planning.
Faith was just putting her arm out to open the door when she became aware of the voices from inside. Several of them, apparently engaged in a heated discussion. As the door opened, the bell jangling, the voices stopped dead. Everyone turned to look at her. "Hey, guys. You got anything?"
"Er, no, I-I'm afraid we haven't." Giles said, taking of his glasses and reaching for his handkerchief. "Did you have any luck?"
"Found the van. They ditched it."
Xander closed the book he was reading and tossed it onto the stack on the table, oblivious to Giles' pained expression. "This is hopeless. Faith, are you sure you don't know anything else about this guy?"
"You think I'm holding out on you?" Faith snapped, reacting to the hostile note she thought she heard in his voice.
"No, that's not what I meant."
"Enough!" Giles slammed his book down on the table. "I'm sorry. Look, we've all had a frustrating day, let's call a halt. Everyone take a book or two with you, look through them at home, and we'll meet up again in a day or two." There was a general chorus of agreement, and people began reaching for bags and jackets.
"Oh! Tuesday night, the Bronze!" Willow said suddenly. "We're still on for that, aren't we? Tara's birthday?"
"Yes, of course." Giles replied. "Are we still meeting there, at eight-thirty?"
Everyone nodded, and Buffy said, "Faith and I are going to do a quick patrol after sunset, then we'll be there"
The gang filed out of the Magic Box, discussing their plans for the party. Faith brought up the rear, in silence.
"Faith, talk to me." Buffy said, the first words to pass between the two Slayers since they had left the house on their pre-party patrol. "I know something's bothering you, you've barely said a word since Sunday."
"I'm leaving." Faith's voice was calm, almost subdued, but to Buffy's ears it seemed to resound in the night air, echoing back from the walls of the narrow alley they were walking down.
"What?" Buffy stopped dead in her tracks and grabbed Faith's arm, spinning the younger girl around to face her. "Leaving? What? Why?"
"Because this isn't working, B!" Faith wrenched her arm free and stepped back. "This whole me being here thing, it's not working!"
"Faith, what are you talking about?"
"Oh, come on, Buffy! The only person here who doesn't have a problem with me is Spike! A frickin' vampire!"
Buffy took a step toward her, one arm half-outstretched. "Faith, I don't understand..."
"Fine! Let me spell it out for you." Faith paused a moment for effect. "I'm still the bad guy. That's still how you guys see me. I've tried to change that, but I can't. Nothing I can do will ever make up for what I did to you. The only way I can get past it is if you guys let it go, and you won't. Or can't. And you know what, I can't even blame you. You've got every right to curse me 'til the day I die and then dance on my grave, but I'm through trying to play Brady Bunch with people who hate me!"
Buffy's face was distraught as she reached out to her old enemy. "We don't hate you, Faith. It's hard, but please, you've got to give it more time..."
"Why, Buffy?" Faith dodged back out of reach. "Every time Willow looks at me she remembers me holding a knife to her throat. I tried to kill Xander. Anya and Tara are caught in the middle, trying to be nice to me without turning against the people they love. Giles wants to be all open-minded and welcoming, but you'll always be his Slayer, and he'll never forget that I betrayed you! And you... don't even try to deny it, B. You think I haven't noticed, but I have. I've seen the look in your eyes sometimes. The same one you had when you stabbed me!"
Buffy staggered back a pace, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. "Oh God, Faith, I'm so sorry I let it come to that..."
"Yeah? Well, right now I wish you'd finished the job!" A scream pierced the night. "God damn it!" Faith took off at a run, barely aware of Buffy's faltering steps behind her.
Bursting out of the alley, Faith sprinted across the road and scrambled over the fence into Sunnydale Park. Ahead, she could see a vampire feeding on a feebly struggling woman.
Sean cursed mentally as the dark Slayer charged down on him. First Lucas, now me! How the hell does she know? He tightened his grip on his intended victim. When Faith was less than ten feet away, he hurled the woman straight at her.
Faith darted to the side, stumbling momentarily as her foot caught on a flailing arm. Sean was already turning to run, but Faith's momentum carried her on, and she ploughed into him, Slayer and vampire tumbling to the ground in a tangle of limbs. Sean finished up on top and was bringing his arm up for a punch when Faith lunged forward, head-butting him in the face. Taking advantage of his momentary disorientation, she flung him aside and began getting to her feet. Unfortunately, she hadn't thrown him as far as she wanted, and Sean was able to kick her legs out from under her, then swing his leg back the way it had come, driving the heel of his combat boot into the side of Faith's head. The Slayer landed flat on her back, her senses reeling. Mindful of his orders, Sean left her there and began to retreat again, but had got barely ten yards when Buffy burst out of the trees, hurdled a park bench and slammed straight into him.
The elder Slayer was on her feet in an instant, the tracks of tears on her cheeks distorted by the enraged snarl on her face. Before Sean could properly regain his footing, Buffy was on him, fists and feet swinging relentlessly, powered more by the raw emotions coursing through her than any hint of technique. For a few moments, it kept Sean off balance, but no more.
As Buffy brought her fist back for another punch, Sean's leg lashed out and caught her in the stomach. As she doubled over, the vampire grabbed her by the throat and slammed her backward into a tree with all the force he could muster. Buffy's head crashed into the trunk, and she collapsed to the ground, unmoving.
For a moment, Sean debated whether to finish her off, but Faith was on her feet again, stake in hand. Sean ran.
Faith skidded to a halt beside Buffy. The blonde Slayer was lying on her back, her eyes shut. "Oh God, Buffy, wake up, please..." Faith reached out a trembling hand, her fingertips gently touching Buffy's cheek.
Buffy's eyelids fluttered for a moment, then opened. "Ow. That hurt."
Faith breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Are you okay? Do you need a doctor?"
"No, I'll be okay. Barely even a concussion." Buffy sat up slowly. "Did you get him?"
"No, he ran. I couldn't leave you like that."
Buffy gave a sarcastic snort. "Couldn't leave me. That's funny." Faith was about to say something, but Buffy cut her off with an angry wave of her hand. "I don't want to hear it." She pointed to the woman Sean had dumped, who was trying to get to her feet. "Let's get her to a hospital, then we've got a party to go to."
About the only good thing Buffy could say about the music at the Bronze that night was that it wasn't aggravating the dull ache in her head. The pain had receded since she had arrived at the club, and now she barely noticed it. The pain of her fight with Faith was proving harder to subdue.
Skirting the edge of the dance floor, Buffy took a moment to watch Willow and Tara dancing happily together, as oblivious as always to reactions, positive or otherwise, of those around them. She and Faith had agreed not to mention what had happened that night, so as not to spoil the celebrations, and both Slayers had been putting up a façade of good cheer.
Leaving the happy sight of her friends dancing, Buffy wove through the crowd until she was standing by Faith, in the shadows beneath one of the staircases. "We need to talk."
"We really don't."
"Faith, I'm sorry for what said. Please, talk to me?"
Faith looked down at the smaller girl, her dark eyes glinting in the lights. "What's there to say, B?"
"You could say you're not leaving." Buffy whispered, her voice full of desperate hope.
"I'm not." Buffy's burst of joy died as Faith continued. "Not until we deal with Lucas. He's part of my past, I shouldn't just leave you guys to face him. After that, I'm gone."
"Where?"
"I don't know." Faith shrugged. "The Council'll probably think of something - there's got to be other places that could use a Slayer."
Buffy placed her hand gently on Faith's shoulder, the touch almost ephemeral. "There's no way you'll stay after that?"
"What have I got to stay for, Buffy?" Faith whispered. Gazing intently at Buffy's face, she unconsciously took a step forward. "What do you want from me?"
"I..."
Faith took another step, drawn in by the pleading look in Buffy's eyes. After a moment, she leaned forward, and their lips met.
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