Come on, show yourself, you little bastard... The crossbow pistol was leveled at the corner of the wall, its target still veiled in shadow. She circled to the right, hoping to get a clear shot...
There was a blur of movement from the shadows, a gleam of light from feral eyes and sharp teeth. Her finger tightened on the trigger and the bolt shot forth.
"Damn it!" Cordelia shouted to no one in particular as her shot ricocheted off the marble floor of the Hyperion lobby at least two feet behind the rat, which scuttled off into the shadows by the basement access. Muttering curses, she began to reload.
"Hey, Cordy."
"YAAGH!" Cordelia jumped as Angel's voice sounded behind her. "God, Angel, didn't anyone ever to tell you not to sneak up on people with crossbows?"
"Sorry." Angel chuckled at his friend's look of chagrin. "If the rats really bother you that much, you should just call in an exterminator."
"Oh no, this is personal. I'm gonna get them all, especially that one with half its ear missing." Cordelia turned to glare at the basement door. "Oh yeah, rat-boy, your time is coming." She walked over to the reception desk and put down the crossbow. "Speaking of nasty little rodents, how's Faith?"
Angel sighed at the venom in Cordelia's voice. "She'll live. She has a lot of bones that need healing, but she'll be okay." He sat down on the circular couch. "She did a lot of good, and she damn near died in the process. Would it kill you to just give her a chance?"
Cordelia looked over at him, her expression unforgiving. "If last time's anything to go by, it might. In fact, I seem to remember that it almost did get you killed."
"People change, Cordy. I did a lot worse than anything Faith tried."
"Yeah, well, Faith isn't you." Cordelia replied, before changing the subject. "You should probably go see Fred; she's been asking when you're coming back every time we've looked in on her."
Angel stood and looked up toward the balcony. "Has she been out of her room at all?"
Cordelia followed his gaze. "No, she just sits up there and writes on the walls. Wes says it's 'either some of the most advanced math he's ever seen, or it's complete gibberish'."
Angel started up the staircase. A few steps up, he paused and turned back. "I'm going to have to leave again as soon as it gets dark."
"What?" Cordelia asked in shock. "You just got here! Where are you going?"
"Oklahoma. There's someone I have to see... about Faith." Angel replied as her disappeared up the stairs.
Who the hell's in Oklahoma? Cordelia wondered before realization sunk in. Oh God, not him!
Quentin Travers was in his office, sipping his tea and leafing through Giles' report of the final battle with Glory when the call came. He was, to say the least, surprised to hear Giles' voice. "Is everything all right, Rupert? It must be almost one in the morning over there."
"Nothing untoward has happened, Quentin. Buffy and I want to talk to you about Faith." Giles replied.
"Miss Summers?" Travers' tone was questioning.
"Hello, Mr. Travers." Buffy's voice came over the line. "We've been discussing what should happen her now, and we think it would be better all round if she stayed in Sunnydale."
Travers' eyes narrowed. "Miss Summers, I agreed not to move against Faith on the understanding that she would be returned to custody once the situation with Glory was resolved."
"We're aware of that, Quentin," Giles said, a little sharply. "And if you've read my report, you'll know how important her presence proved to be."
"Yes, Rupert, your account of Faith's actions makes for interesting reading." Travers flipped open the file and re-read Giles description of Faith's injuries. "However, this does not alter the fact that Faith is a convicted killer and has shown herself to be dangerously unstable. She is entirely capable of-"
"I know what she's capable of, Quentin!" Buffy interrupted. "I also know that things could have been a lot different if Wes and your hit squad hadn't blundered in. And if the Council had told us that Gwendolyn Post had gone crazy, maybe Faith wouldn't have stopped trusting us in the first place!"
No one spoke for a moment after Buffy's outburst, then Travers sighed quietly. "What exactly are you proposing, Miss Summers?"
"Faith stays here with us. Being in jail isn't helping anyone, it's just punishing her. She's already made the decision to change, and who better can help her better than people who actually know who and what she is?"
"Think about it, Quentin." Giles added. "Six months ago you didn't have one Slayer to call on. This way there can be two of them guarding the Hellmouth. You know it makes sense."
"With you acting as Watcher for both of them, I suppose." Travers said dryly.
"You think it's a good idea to send someone new?" Buffy asked. "Didn't work out too well last time."
Travers thought for a moment, then asked, "Assuming the Council approves this plan, what will you be wanting from us?"
Buffy replied, "I want you to get the cops off Faith's back. I don't care how: parole, pardon, whatever, just so long as she isn't looking over her shoulder the rest of her life."
"Very well, I'll put your proposal to the Council." Travers said. "If I were you, though, I wouldn't get my hopes up. I'll contact you once a decision has been made." He hung up before they could reply. For a few moments he sat at his desk thinking, before he got up and left the office.
His assistant was at his desk going through a report on vampire activity in Eastern Europe when Travers called to him. "Julian, I'll need to speak to the head of our North American section and someone from the legal team with a good knowledge of American law. We may have some business to conduct in California."
Julian picked up the phone and began dialing. "The Summers girl, sir?"
"When isn't it the Summers girl?"
Dawn knocked again on the crypt door. Again, there was no answer, so she pushed open the door and stepped inside, taking a moment to savour the cool air after walking through the afternoon heat. "Spike?"
There was no sign of the vampire on the upper level, so Dawn stuck her head through the hole in the floor and called again. "Spike? You here?" Where the hell else would he be?
"Niblet?" Spike appeared in her field of view, shirtless, limping slightly and covered in dirt. "What're you doing here?"
Dawn put on her best teenage pout. "What, I can't come visit my guardian vampire? And what the hell are you doing, anyway, mudwrestling?" Ooh, hello lusty wrong thoughts...
"Eh?" Spike looked puzzled for a moment before realising what she was talking about. "Oh, I decided to do some re-modeling down here. Look, if you want to chat, can you come down? I don't like tackling the ladder while my sodding leg's acting up."
Dawn nodded and scrambled down the ladder. Looking around, she immediately noticed a pickaxe and a stack of wooden planks beside a hole in what had been a wall. Moving closer, she could see the hole was actually a tunnel, roughly ten feet long and shored up with timber. She turned to the vampire, an unspoken question on her face.
"Decided to put a back door in." Spike said. "After Glory's little wankers nabbed me, I wanted a way out I can use in daylight, without bursting into flames. If I'm reading the plans right, I should hit that big electrical service tunnel in another twenty feet or so."
"I never knew you could do this kinda stuff." Dawn remarked, gesturing at the tools and timber.
Spike looked a little sheepish. "I picked up a thing or two while I was digging for that Gem of Amara trinket..." Looking around for something to change the subject to, Spike finally noticed the bag hanging from Dawn's shoulder. "You back at school?"
"Yeah, even world-destroying Keys need an education."
Spike laughed, then picked up his pickaxe again. "Look, Niblet, it's not that I'm not happy to see you, but I'm a tad busy, so..."
"I just wanted to thank you, for everything you've done for me the last few weeks. I know everyone's been going on about Faith, but I haven't forgotten about you. Buffy hasn't either; she's just been so caught up with worrying about Faith and taking care of me, and then Angel showed up... I came to thank you, for both of us." Dawn stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. "I'd hug you, but, well, eww..." She indicated his grimy state.
Spike chuckled as he said, "Thanks, Niblet. Now scamper off home before Big Sis starts panicking again."
With a last smile, Dawn climbed the ladder again. Spike hefted his pickaxe and disappeared into the tunnel.
The sun had just set when the phone rang.
"Angel Investigations, we he-"
"Cordy, it's Willow."
"Oh, hey, Will! How are you?"
"Still a 'Great Big Lesbo,'" Willow deadpanned.
Cordelia grimaced. "You're never going to let me forget that, are you?"
"Someday. Probably. Hey, is Angel around? I've some info he asked me to find."
"Yeah, he's in the kitchen packing blood for his little road trip." Cordelia covered the mouthpiece. "ANGEL!" When he emerged from the kitchen, carrying a freezer bag, Cordelia handed him the receiver. "It's Willow."
Angel placed the bag on the counter and put the receiver to his ear. "Hi, Willow."
"I found him. At least, I think it's him - the name's right and he moved in around the right time. He's in a town called Heyburn, just off I-44, about sixty miles east of Oklahoma City."
Angel jotted down the address. "Thanks, Willow, great work. I really appreciate this."
Buffy quietly opened the door to Faith's hospital room. The dark Slayer had her eyes closed, and for a moment Buffy thought she was asleep. Then she noticed the earphones, almost invisible under Faith's dark hair, leading to a small cassette player on the bedside cabinet.
As Buffy sat down on the edge of the bed, Faith opened her eyes. "Hey, B!" Faith smiled her old crooked smile as she stopped the tape.
"How're you feeling?" Buffy asked.
"Not so bad. I get these dizzy spells once in a while, but the doc says that's normal after a bad knock to the head. Everything else just aches. By the way, the food in here sucks!"
Buffy laughed at that. "Yeah, I remember." She cast her eye over the small stack of tapes by the cassette player: The Clash, The Ramones, The Jam, The Sex Pistols. "I see Spike's been by."
"Yeah, he dropped in just after sunset. It's not my usual thing, but it's not bad."
"Well, if you get tired of it, I brought you a few things." Buffy held up a carrier bag and took out a bunch of grapes. "You can't be in hospital and not have grapes, it's like a rule or something." She pulled out a selection of comic books "Also, a little light reading." Buffy couldn't help laughing as Faith's eyes lit up. "I got Xander to pick them out; I wouldn't even know where to start. And finally..." Buffy took out a small stuffed panther, which she tucked under Faith's uninjured arm. "From Dawn. She wanted to come with me, but she started back at school today and she's got a lot to catch up on before finals..."
"It's okay. Tell her I said thanks - and please don't tell the others about this, I got a rep to protect!" Faith grinned, idly stroking the stuffed toy.
"My lips are sealed! Slayer's honour."
Two nights later, Angel walked into a bar in Heyburn. Trying to ignore how out of place he looked, he looked around for his quarry, and finally spotted him sitting at the end of the bar. Angel walked up behind him, grateful that the bar didn't have one of those long mirrors for him not to show up in.
"Hello, Lindsey."
Chapter 9: Asking The Right Questions
"Hello, Lindsey."
The former lawyer's head jerked up in surprise. He turned on his barstool to face the vampire behind him, a decidedly unfriendly look on his face. "What do you want?"
Angel had the decency to look uncomfortable as he replied, "I was hoping we could talk."
"You think we have something to talk about?" Lindsey tossed a couple of bills onto the bar and turned to walk out. "What was it you said? Oh, yeah, it was 'Don't come back.' Well, that one goes both ways - I stay out of your town, you stay out of mine." He headed for the door.
Angel followed a step behind him. "I need an expert opinion, and you're the only expert available. Believe me, I'm not happy to be here."
"So you're going to turn up every time Wolfram and Hart hits you with something you don't see coming? I told you before, I'm out. It's not my problem any more." Lindsey pushed through the door, out into the cool night air.
Angel waited for a moment before following. "Actually, this is your problem, seeing as you helped create it."
Lindsey paused, his hand on the door of his truck. "What're you talking about?"
"Faith."
Surprise passed momentarily over Lindsay's face before the mask of indifference settled into place again. "I thought she was in Stockton."
"She was. She broke out to help deal with Sunnydale's annual apocalypse." Angel walked over to the truck and leaned against the side.
"And you want me to find some way to keep her out?"
Angel shook his head. "Actually, we've got that covered. I need to know if Wolfram and Hart are going to come after her."
"Which part of 'not my problem' don't you understand?" Lindsey opened the truck door, and barely got his fingers out of the way as Angel slammed it shut again.
"You don't like me, that's fine. I don't like you either." Angel leaned in close, his voice dropping to a threatening whisper. "And let's face it, we've got history. You hurt my friends, I cut off your hand and locked you in a wine cellar with Darla and Dru. You want to walk out on that, be my guest. Hell, I'll hold the door for you. But you dragged Faith into our little dynamic, and now you're going to help deal with the fallout."
"As I recall, she didn't need to be dragged into anything." Lindsey said, refusing to be intimidated. "As soon as she found out you were the target, she couldn't take the job fast enough."
"So your defence is that you took advantage of a messed-up teenager? Not helping your case, Counselor!"
"You think I'm trying to make a case here?" Lindsey snapped. "You're the one on the epic journey to redemption. I just want to get on with my life."
"The sooner you give me what I want, the sooner I leave you alone."
"All right." Lindsey fell silent, working the possibilities out in his mind. Finally, he shrugged. "I think she'll be okay."
"Are you sure? She screwed you guys over pretty badly."
"You're asking the wrong questions." A hint of irritation entered Lindsey's voice. "Wolfram and Hart, the firm, the Senior Partners, don't care about Faith one way or the other. From what I read in her file, they looked at trying to recruit her after she went rogue, but they decided she was too unpredictable to be useful. Beyond that, she's just a Slayer - killing her would just mean another would pop up somewhere. It would be a waste of effort."
"So, if that's the wrong question, what's the right one?"
"You're confusing the firm with the people in it. You should be thinking about who within Wolfram and Hart has a reason to go after Faith." Lindsey gazed off into the distance, a wry smile on his face. "You keep making the same mistake. You think of Wolfram and Hart as this evil monolith with one goal. That may be true for the Senior Partners, but the rest are just people, and they've each got their own agenda. The only people with a reason to go after Faith are the ones who ended up looking stupid after she didn't kill you. That's me, Lee Mercer-"
"And Lilah." Angel broke in.
"Exactly. I'm out, Lee's dead and Lilah's got enough to deal with. She's vulnerable, and she knows it. Everyone knows she came off second best at the evaluation, and until she secures her position in Special Projects, she can't afford to use the firm's resources to go chasing some private vendetta. If she's half as smart as I know she is, she'll be throwing herself into every assignment that they give her, which probably means you. Watch your back."
"Always do." Angel stepped away from the truck. "Thanks, Lindsey. I won't be back."
"Good." Lindsey opened the door and climbed in. As he put the key in the ignition he turned to face the vampire again. "Lilah probably won't come at you directly, she'll go for the people around you." He drove off before Angel could respond.
Buffy had been patrolling for hours without success, and she was just wondering if there were any demons left in Sunnydale when she heard a scream. Finally! She thought, taking off at a run. Rounding a corner into an alley she came upon two vampires closing in on a teenage girl. "Oh, I'm sorry, is this a private party?"
The vampires snarled in rage and charged her. Buffy looked over to the terrified girl and snapped "This is the part where you run!" before darting to one side as the lead vampire threw himself at her, his momentum sending him tumbling into a pile of garbage bags.
The second vampire's more cautious advance was no more successful. Buffy's foot lashed out, the toe of her boot catching him just below the kneecap. As the demon stumbled, clutching at his knee, Buffy kicked him smartly in the side of the head, knocking him to the floor.
The first vamp was on his feet and charging in again, arms outstretched to grab her, but Buffy easily ducked under the attack and, seizing his shirt and belt, tossed him headfirst into a wall. The second vamp was picking himself up when Buffy's knee crashed into his chin and sent him sprawling again, an easy mark for her stake.
The remaining vampire was struggling to get up, shaking his head in an attempt to clear it, when Buffy reached him. As she grabbed him by the collar, the vampire seized the first object that came to hand and lashed out. The broken bottle sliced through Buffy's lightweight jacket and into her left arm, just below the shoulder.
"Ow! Damn it!" Buffy slammed her fist into the vampire's face, her blow fuelled by anger and unexpected pain. The dazed vampire collapsed against the wall and was staked a moment later.
Tucking her stake back into her pocket, Buffy shrugged off her jacket and inspected the wound. It hurt, but the cut didn't look to be a deep one. The vampire's intended victim had fled, so Buffy decided to call it a night.
Dawn was dozing on the couch when Buffy opened the front door, but woke up as Buffy crossed the living room and switched off the television. The teenager yawned hugely as she sat up, and it was a few seconds before she noticed the bloody tear in Buffy's sleeve. "You okay?"
Buffy shrugged, immediately wincing as the movement sent pain buzzing along the cut. "It's just a cut, Dawn, I'll be fine."
Dawn took her hand and began to lead her toward the stairs. "Come on, let's get it cleaned up."
"Really, Dawn, I can take care of it. You should be in bed, anyway."
"Buffy!" Dawn glared at her sister, her face set in her version of Willow's "resolve-face". "Would you stop it? I know you get hurt, and I wanna help. We have to take care of each other now - isn't that what Mom would want?"
Buffy felt tears form at the mention of their mother, but held them back. "Actually, I think Mom wouldn't want us to have to deal with stuff like this, but you're right," she said grudgingly, following Dawn up to the bathroom.
Buffy stripped off her jacket and shirt as Dawn collected the first aid supplies. Having first washed away the congealing blood, Dawn cleaned the cut out with antiseptic, ignoring Buffy's faint gasps and winces as the stinging liquid cleansed wound.
"You sure it doesn't need stitches?" Dawn asked, gently dabbing the wound dry and examining it critically.
Buffy shook her head. "It's not that deep. As long as I don't pull it about too much it'll heal in a couple of days."
"Okay." Dawn tore the backing strips from a sterile dressing and carefully positioned it over the wound so that the edges of the cut were held together. "There, all fixed up."
"Thanks, Dawnie." Buffy smiled and used her uninjured arm to wrap her sister in a loving hug. "Dawn, there's something we need to talk about..."
A little concerned by Buffy's tone, Dawn stepped back and looked her sister in the eye. "What's the matter?"
"They're probably going to let Faith out of the hospital before she's fully healed, so even if she does end up going back to jail she'll need somewhere to stay for a while before that..."
"She's staying with us, isn't she? I mean, I assumed she would be." Dawn said.
Buffy smiled at her sister. "Yes, Dawnie, she's staying with us. It's just, we need to think about where everyone's going to be sleeping. I mean, we have three bedrooms, but..."
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Buffy, it's okay for you to move into Mom's room. I know it'll be weird, but we can't just not use the biggest bedroom, right?"
"You just want to get your hands on my room, don't you?" Buffy teased.
"Hell no!" Dawn replied, smirking at Buffy's look of shock. "I've just got my room set up the way I want it, I'm not moving now. Besides, it'll be way funnier putting Faith in your 'shrine to girliness'."
"My what?" Buffy's eyebrows shot up her forehead.
"Oh, come on Buffy! Your room looks like it came out of a doll house."
"Unlike yours, which was clearly modeled on the city dump!"
"That is so not true!"
"I think that's why you don't want to move, you're afraid you'll have to clean up!"
"Oh, that's it! I am never helping to patch you up again, not even if you're bleeding to death..."
Giles had just finished showering after his morning run when the phone rang. Cursing under his breath, he pulled on a bathrobe and went to answer it. "Hello?"
"Good morning, Rupert." Quentin Travers' voice came over the line.
"Whether or not it's a good morning depends entirely on why you've called, Quentin." Giles replied dryly.
"The Council has reached a decision."
"Already? It's only been four days since I called you."
"Sarcasm is not a laudable trait in a Watcher, Rupert, especially one responsible for two Slayers." Travers replied, a touch irritably.
Giles almost dropped the phone in surprise - he hadn't let himself hope for a positive outcome. "They agreed?"
"Yes. Faith is to be returned to active duty as soon as she recovers, under your charge." Travers said, his voice completely neutral. "The details are being taken care of now. Speaking of which, one of the details is in Sunnydale, and since you and your associates are on the scene, so to speak..."
"Yes, of course." Giles jotted down a few notes as Quentin explained. "That shouldn't be a problem, we'll take care of it."
"You'd better be right about Faith, Rupert. I've stuck my neck out on this one, don't make me regret it." Without another word, Travers cut the connection.
When Buffy arrived at the Magic Box for her regular training session, she found Anya re-arranging the candle display, while Giles was going through the order book. "Hi guys!"
"Hi Buffy." Anya replied absently, her attention completely focussed on getting the perfect balance of cedar- and pine-scented candles.
"Hello, Buffy." Giles looked up from his work. "If you'd like to get warmed up, I'll be with you in a minute."
Buffy nodded and was soon limbering up in the back room. After a few minutes Giles appeared in the doorway. He immediately spotted the dressing on her arm. "You're hurt?"
Buffy paused her exercise and glanced at her arm. "Ran into a vamp with a broken bottle last night. It's just a cut, my jacket took most of it. It'll be fine in a day or so."
Relief showed on Giles' face. "As long as you're being careful. The fact that you've defeated some extraordinary opponents doesn't make vampires any less dangerous."
"I know, Giles." Buffy began her warm-up sequence again. "I learned that one last year. Got my own stake in the stomach, remember?"
Giles suppressed the memory of the fear he'd felt that day, and changed the subject. "I had a call from Quentin this morning."
Buffy stopped abruptly and turned to face him. "And?"
"The Council has agreed to your proposal, Buffy. Faith can stay here." Giles winced as Buffy leapt over and hugged him harder than his ribs were comfortable with.
"God, I can't believe it!" Buffy said, releasing her hold on her Watcher and smiling brightly. "Travers actually came through for us!"
Giles smiled slightly at that. "I must confess, I was a little taken aback as well. I don't know how he persuaded the rest of the Council." Giles sat down on the bench under the windows. "Buffy, there is something we need to do here in order for this plan to work."
Buffy sobered slightly. "What is it?"
"We need to find out if Faith ever had a dental examination here, and if she did then we need to switch the records for another set that the Council will provide. Quentin already has someone dealing with her records in Boston, and it seems she never had an examination while she was in jail. He wants us to get a copy of any records on file, including computerised records, and send them to him. He'll then send us forged records to put in their place."
"Looks like Will and I are gonna be doing some breaking and entering." Buffy said with a slight frown. "I hope Will's okay with that. She really isn't happy about Faith being here."
"She'll come around, Buffy." Giles said soothingly. "You know as well as I do how passionately Willow holds her views on others. Breaking down her mistrust and anger will take time, but will happen."
"I hope you're right, Giles."
****
Faith was sitting up in bed when Dawn poked her head around the door that evening. "Hey, Bitesize!" she called as she saw the younger girl.
Dawn was at the bedside in a flash, hugging the dark Slayer. After a few moments, she took a step back and looked Faith over. The bandage around her head was gone, as was the sling immobilising her left shoulder. "You're looking so much better!"
Faith broke into her characteristic lopsided smile. "Yeah, they took the stitches out of my head this morning, and my shoulder's healing great so they say I can use it a bit now. They're gonna take some more X-rays of my hand and leg in a couple of days to see how they're healing. The docs keep telling me how amazing my recovery is, but it doesn't seem to bother them much; I guess Red and Blondie's spell really works, huh? Hey, is B with you?"
"I'm here." Buffy said as she came through the door. "I stopped off at the nurses station to make sure you're behaving yourself!" Buffy pulled a chair over to the bed and sat down, while Dawn perched on the bed itself. She held out a small bag to Faith. Faith opened it, a little nervously, and pulled out a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste. "I wasn't sure if they'd given you one, but I didn't remember seeing one in here so..."
"Thanks, B."
"Please don't encourage her! She's so overprotective already, it's like having three parents at once." Dawn said with a mock scowl.
"You shouldn't take chances with dental hygiene." Buffy said, glaring at her sister, before looking back at Faith. "I mean, have you even seen a dentist since we first met?"
Faith's expression clouded as Buffy spoke. "Once. Uh, the Mayor made me see the one he used..." Faith's voice was barely above a whisper.
"Oh God, please tell me it wasn't Dr. Fredericks!" Buffy burst out. Faith stared at her in surprise. "What? I'm sorry, but the idea that I sat in the same chair as a wannabe demon snake gives me the wiggins!"
Faith surprised everyone, including herself, by bursting out laughing at that. "You're safe, B, this guy had a weird name, Russian or something."
Gotcha!
It was after midnight when Buffy and Willow approached the office of Dr. Raymond Laskowski, DDS. A brief incantation from Willow had the lock open, and the two of them slipped inside. Buffy immediately began going through the files while Willow started up the computer.
"I can't believe I'm actually doing this." Willow grumbled. "Okay, I've broken into the morgue a few times, and I've spent a lot of time in other people's computer files, but this..."
"Will, I've said thank-you like, a hundred times." Buffy replied. "Besides, we finally found out what Faith's full name is."
Willow giggled. "Yeah, that was almost worth it."
Buffy pulled out Faith's file and moved over to the photocopier. By the time she had finished making the copies and returned the file to its' rightful place, Willow was into the patient database and pulling up Faith's records. A few seconds later, the data was copied onto a disk, and Willow was busy erasing any of her intrusion.
Eight days after the break-in, Buffy and Willow were back in the dentist's office, switching the old files for the new ones Travers had supplied. Six days after that, the doctors finally agreed to release Faith from the hospital.
"Christ, it's good to be out of there!" Faith exclaimed as the Jeep pulled away from the hospital. She was in the front passenger seat, which was pushed all the way back to accommodate the cast on her leg. The fracture in her kneecap was taking the longest to heal, and the doctors had told her that even with the "extraordinary progress" she was showing it, would be at least another week before the cast could come off.
"How's your hand?" Buffy asked, without taking here eyes off the road for a change.
Faith flexed her fingers slightly before answering. "Still hurts a bit, but all the bones are back together. I just gotta take it easy for while."
A slightly tense silence settled over the Jeep. Once the emotional turmoil of the battle with Glory had receded, some of the old awkwardness has crept back between the two Slayers. Both felt it, both hated it, but predictably, neither would talk about it.
Finally, Faith broke the silence. "Uh, B..."
"Yeah?"
"What happened about the hospital bill? I mean, I don't have insurance or anything..."
"Oh." Buffy wasn't sure whether to be disappointed or relieved at the new topic of conversation. "Giles took care of it. He's charging it to the Council - expenses incurred during world-saveage."
"It feels weird, y'know. You working for them again." Faith's eyes wandered over the seemingly endless stream of neat, suburban houses. "After all the shit they pulled, I didn't think you'd ever go near them again."
"Yeah, well, they had the information we needed about Glory. Basically, we agreed to stay out of each other's way." Buffy glanced over and noticed Faith surveying the view, her expression slightly pained. "Something wrong?"
"I just realised, I've hardly ever seen your street in daylight." Faith replied with a bitter smile on her face. "Once when Giles came and got me before we all skipped town ahead of the Bitch God, and..."
"What?"
"Christmas Day." Faith turned her head away, hiding the tear trembling in the corner of her eye. "You were still out with Angel, and your mom and I just sat and watched the snow falling. I never thought snow could be beautiful."
"What's wrong with snow?" Buffy asked, turning the corner onto Revello Drive. "I mean, I haven't seen it very often, but I always thought it was pretty."
"Bad memories."
"What do you mean?" Buffy knew she was pushing, but just for once she wanted to get inside Faith's armour.
"When it got cold in Boston, we had to choose between heat and food. My mom couldn't pay for both, not without cuttin' into the liquor budget." Faith laughed briefly, joylessly. "Maybe all the Jack Daniels kept her warm."
"I'm sorry, Faith." The words sounded trite even to Buffy's ears.
Faith barely even noticed Buffy had spoken, her eyes gazing into a past Buffy still barely knew anything about. "Every Christmas, she'd be passed out by noon. And then, I'm sitting there in your house, and I'm watching the snow, and it's beautiful. Best Christmas of my life." The dark-haired girl hung her head. "So, of course, I find some way to fuck everything up." And I never got to apologise to her. I never even thanked her.
Buffy pulled up in front of the house. "That's all over now, Faith. Come on, let's get you inside."
It took a little while to get Faith settled into Buffy's old room, and as much as Buffy had objected to Dawn's 'shrine to girliness' comment, she had to admit that Faith did look a little out of place in the midst of the pastel colour scheme. Once Faith was comfortable, Buffy went down to the kitchen to fix them both something to eat. She was searching for something other than peanut butter to put in a sandwich when Dawn got home from school.
As usual, Dawn's first port of call was the kitchen. "Hi, Buffy! Did they let Faith out?"
Buffy pulled her head out of the cupboard. "Yeah, she's upstairs." Beckoning Dawn over, she lowered her voice. "Giles got the package this morning."
Excitement flooded Dawn's face. "Have you told her yet?"
"No, we just got back. Give me a hand with this, and we'll talk to her together."
The two sisters soon put together something resembling lunch. Buffy picked up the tray and said to Dawn, "It's in Mom's- my room, on the dresser." Dawn raced off upstairs, as Buffy followed at a more sedate pace.
"Here you go. Hope you're hungry." Buffy said, setting the tray on the bed beside Faith. "What am I saying? Of course you're hungry."
"Thanks, B." Faith picked up a sandwich and took a huge bite from it. She ate with obvious pleasure, but her face soon grew solemn again.
"Something wrong?" Buffy asked.
"Look, Buffy, thanks for doing all this for me. I just don't want to get too comfortable, y'know. Stockton doesn't have room service."
"I don't think that's going to be a problem." Dawn stood in the doorway, holding a large envelope with UPS markings.
Faith replied with her mouth full. "What do you mean?"
Buffy sat down on the bed beside Faith. "They don't tend to lock up dead people."
Faith's blood froze. What the hell? She's gonna kill me? Why now? Why not just let me die?
Buffy, oblivious to what was going through Faith's mind, took the envelope from Dawn and pulled out a sheet of paper, which she handed to Faith. Quickly scanning the text, Faith saw a lot of Spanish that she couldn't begin to translate. The only thing she recognised was near the top. Her name. "What's this?"
"That, Faith Amanda Shaw, is your death certificate, or at least a copy of it." Buffy replied, smiling broadly.
"B, what the hell is going on?"
Buffy giggled at Faith's agitation. "Well, from what I understand, it began when an tourist driving through Mexico picked up this girl hitchhiking near Ensenada. American, brunette, twentyish, ring any bells? Anyway, they're driving along, when the girl suddenly goes nuts about something he said and pulls a knife. There's a struggle, the car swerves off the road and into a ravine. The driver comes to pretty quick and gets out, but she's still unconscious and trapped when the gas tank goes up. She's so badly burned up they have to ID her from her dental records. The description the tourist gives the Mexican cops matches an escaped convict from California they've heard about, so they pull her records to compare, and they get a match. Which means that Faith Shaw died in a car wreck in Mexico last week, and can't really be put in a cell."
"What? How?" Faith's capacity for rational thought was swamped under a tide of conflicting emotions.
Buffy laughed out loud at the look of utter confusion of Faith's face. "I think I just explained the 'what'. How? Well, we got in touch with the Council, persuaded them to help, and they set this up. Willow and I switched your dental records here, someone else did it in Boston, and they set up a new identity for you."
The fog of confusion was lifting now, slowly replaced by a single distinct emotion, and not the one Buffy was expecting. "Why?"
"Because you earned a second chance, and we were able to give it to you." Buffy reached out to take Faith's hand, but the younger Slayer snatched it away, the anger she was feeling pouring out across her face.
"And you never bothered to tell me, to ask me if this is what I wanted? What the hell were you thinking, Buffy? I'm a murderer, remember?" Faith was practically snarling now. "How could you be this stupid?"
Dawn took a faltering step forward, her face ashen. "Faith, what's wrong?"
"I'm a killer, that's what's wrong! You think you can just wave some magic wand and make that go away?" Faith shook her head angrily. "
"It'll be different this time, Faith. We'll be here to help you if you need it." Buffy tried to make her voice soothing, but it came out with a hint of desperation.
"Damn it, B, it's not safe! I need to be locked up somewhere, I can't take the chance that I..." Faith turned her head away from the two sisters, unable to finish the sentence.
"You're a Slayer, Faith. You have a chance to make a real difference." Buffy stopped trying to soothe the situation and began to fight fire with fire. "Do you want that, or do you want to sit in a cell and hide from what might happen?"
Dawn sat down on the other side of the bed. "You saved my life, Faith. I trust you. I believe in you."
Somehow, the look of faith, for want of a better word, on Dawn's face cut through the anger and the undercurrent of fear roiling through Faith's mind. For a few, long moments she was silent, then she slowly turned to face Buffy again. "You sure this is a good idea?"
"I'm sure." Buffy replied. I have to be sure. I need someone else.
Faith forced a slight smile. "So, who am I? You said something about a new ID."
Dawn pulled another sheet of paper out of the envelope. "Your new birth certificate."
As soon as she saw the name on the certificate, Faith's eye widened in shock, before closing tightly as she fought off a swarm of unwelcome memories.
"What is it?" Buffy asked, totally confused. She already knew the name, having gone through the contents of the envelope as soon as it arrived, but she looked again in any case, wondering if she had missed something. "Faith Emily Harper. So? I mean, Emily isn't really you, but-"
"Emily Harper was my first Watcher." Faith interrupted, her voice barely above a whisper.
Buffy practically leapt off the bed, her face distorted with fury. "Those bastards! They couldn't just do what we asked, they had to find some way to make it hurt! I'm gonna-"
Faith cut her off again with a wave of her hand. "It's okay, B, it was just a shock." A really big, nasty, Kakistos-shaped shock...
Buffy calmed slightly, but her fists were still clenched so hard the knuckles were white. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah." Faith looked up at her with a sad smile on her face. "Miss Harper was... she was more like a mother than my mom ever was. Having her name feels kinda right."
"Okay." Buffy relaxed again. "In that case, pleased to meet you, Faith Harper."
"Welcome to Sunnydale." Dawn added. "It sucks, often literally."
"Speaking of things that suck, don't you have homework?" Buffy asked, slipping into 'Mom' mode. Dawn just rolled her eyes toward Faith and headed for her room, leaving the two Slayers alone.
Buffy sat down again on the bed and looked Faith in the eye. "This must all be a bit... Are you okay?"
Faith nodded, with less than complete conviction. "Yeah, I think so, it's just..."
"Just?" Buffy prompted.
"I'm scared, B." Faith said in a whisper. "What if I fuck up again? What if I can't do this?"
Buffy gently laid her hand on Faith's shoulder and smiled slightly. "Do you want it to be different this time?"
Faith nodded silently.
"Then it'll be different." Buffy said. "I'm not saying it'll be easy, you'll have to put some work into winning over Xander and Willow, but you can do it." You have to. We need you here. I need you here.
Chapter 10: A Question Of Xander
"Hi, Anya, thanks for coming." Buffy held open the front door and waved the former demon through to the lounge. "Was Giles okay with you leaving the store in the middle of the day?"
"I told Giles I'd seen a dominatrix outfit in that Goth store on Robson Avenue, and I wanted to get it before Xander finished work. He started stammering and turning that funny purple colour - he couldn't get me out of the door fast enough." Anya sat down on the couch and cast a slightly apprehensive eye over the pile of folders and paperwork on the coffee table. "Anyway, it's pretty quiet at the moment. Sunnydale people just don't seem to understand how the capitalist economy works. So what's the big mystery, and why didn't you ask Willow or Xander to help with it?"
Buffy perched herself on the corner of the table, the slightly forced smile with which she had greeted Anya fading away. "I've, uh, I've got a problem, and I thought you would be the best person to ask about it." She picked up a file.
Giles looked up as the bell over the door jingled. "Welcome to the Ma- oh, hello Willow, I didn't expect to see you. I thought you and Tara would be enjoying your free time now that college has finished for the summer."
Willow tossed her bag onto the research table as she replied. "She'll probably be here soon. My mom wanted the two of them to have a 'getting to know you' talk while we're staying at the house. You might want to keep the chamomile tea handy - maybe the scotch too."
"Yes, of course." Giles had only met Sheila Rosenberg a handful of times, but the woman always left him feeling in need of a stiff drink.
"Thanks, Giles." Willow beamed at him. "Hey, do you mind if I have a look through some of the magic books while I'm here?"
Concern washed over Giles' face as he looked across at the young witch. "Of course not, Willow. Is something wrong?"
"Huh? Oh, no, nothing's wrong!" Willow said. "It's just, with no school and no Big Bads on the horizon, I thought I'd dust off a few old projects."
"Oh, well, help yourself to the library. Is there anything in particular you're looking into?"
Willow's eyes dropped to the floor, and for a moment she was the nervous sixteen-year-old Giles had first met. "Well, I was, uh, I was kinda hoping to find something I could use to restore Amy. I haven't really tried anything for months, and now I have the chance..."
"Yes, of course. You might want to start with the Codex Aemellianus. It has a lot to say about the older shape-shifting magics."
"I'll give it a shot." Willow skipped up the staircase to the balcony, pulled a heavy tome from the shelves and began flipping through it. Restoration, restoration... why couldn't one of these guys have invented the index?
"So, basically, you're telling me I'm broke?" Buffy asked, laying the last of the folders back on the coffee table.
"You're not broke - not yet. But you do have a definite money problem and it's going to get worse." Anya sat back and looked over the notes she had taken one more time. "Your mom made arrangements so that you and Dawn would be secure, at least until you graduated college, but her medical bills pretty much wiped all that out. With what you're paying to keep this house running, I figure you've got three, maybe four months before..."
"Before I'm completely screwed?" Buffy stood up and began pacing. "God, I never thought I'd miss being in high school."
"What about your dad, could he help you?"
Buffy snorted derisively at the mention of her father. "He still hasn't replied to the message we sent him when Mom first got sick. I don't think he even remembers we exist."
Anya easily noticed the pain underlying the venom in Buffy's tone - she really wasn't as insensitive as she let on. "Maybe the monks did something to his memory to keep him out of the way while Glory was around."
"Or maybe he doesn't care about us anymore." Buffy shook herself slightly, forcing herself out of the foul mood she was falling into. "I guess I'm gonna just have to get a job. So much for going back to college next semester..."
The two young women were silent for a few awkward moments, neither knowing what to say. Finally, Anya picked up her bag and stood. "I'd better be getting back."
"Thanks for coming, Anya. At least now I know what I'm up against." Buffy walked with her to the door.
"How's the evil twin doing?" Anya whispered to her, inclining her head toward the stairs.
"Anya, please..."
Anya sighed melodramatically. "All right, how is your friend and comrade-in-arms?"
"Going quietly stir crazy, I think. She's stuck upstairs most of the time - the doctors told her to stay off her feet as much as possible."
"Is she going to be like this much longer?"
"She's having an x-ray in a couple of days. It's supposed to be just a status check, but I'm hoping she'll be healed enough for the cast to come off." Buffy lowered her voice. "I think she's just frustrated. Now that she's going to be an active Slayer again, I think she just wants to get on with it."
"Good. As long as she leaves Xander alone, we'll be fine. I may not be a vengeance demon any more, but I still know people."
Buffy smiled slightly at the threat. "I don't think you need to worry. Faith's not really interested in return visits."
Anya nodded silently, and opened the door. As she walked away down the road, she began mulling over an idea.
Buffy closed the door and headed up the stairs. The door of what had been her bedroom was wide open, as had become normal since Faith had moved in - whether it was because Faith was trying to show she wasn't hiding anything or because she simply liked knowing she could leave the room any time she wanted, Buffy didn't know. The dark Slayer was, as usual, lying on the bed, flipping channels on the small TV in a vain effort to find something that could hold her attention for more than a few seconds.
Faith looked up as she caught sight of Buffy. "Hey, B."
"Hi. I was just gonna make some lunch. What do you feel like?"
"I'll have whatever you're having. You know me, I'll eat anything." Buffy was turning away when Faith spoke again. "B."
"Yeah?"
"I heard you and Demon-girl talking, about the whole cash sitch."
"Don't worry, I'll think of something."
"I can help. I've got some money put away."
Buffy looked at her in surprise. "How?"
Faith's eyes dropped as she answered. "The Mayor. He set up an account for me, back when..." She bit her lip and continued. "I blew a bunch of it on stuff I didn't need, but there should be a few grand left. I wasn't planning on using it again, but if you need it..."
Buffy stood silent for a moment as the thought of what even a couple of thousand dollars could mean warred with the memory of what Faith had done to gain the money. Finally she opted for the most neutral response she could muster. "I'll keep it in mind."
"Okay."
"Giles! I'm back!" Anya yelled as she opened the door of the Magic Box.
Giles winced, his ears ringing. "Yes, thank you Anya. I actually hadn't made the connection when you came through the door."
"Aren't you going to ask me how my shopping trip went?"
"I think, in this case, ignorance may well be bliss." Giles started cleaning his glasses rather vigourously.
Glancing around the shop, Anya spotted Willow up on the balcony, engrossed in one of the books. "Oh, hey, Willow." No response. "Willow? Willow!" The witch's head shot up, a surprised expression on her face. Anya glared at her. "I said 'hey, Willow'. I was trying to be friendly."
"I'm sorry. Hi, Anya." Willow replied, her attention already drifting back to the book in her lap.
"What is it with people?" Anya moaned. "They tell you to be more friendly, they tell you to act more human, then when you make an effort, what do you get? Nothing!"
Giles sighed. "It's all right, Anya. We've all noticed the effort you've been making recently. Willow's just... engrossed in her research."
"Research? There's research?" Anya looked up at him, worried. "Is something happening? Is there going to be another apocalypse? Because, I've told you before, I'm not doing another apocalypse until after Thanksgiving at the earliest."
"It's nothing like that. Willow's just looking for a way to help Amy."
Anya's brow furrowed in confusion. "Who's Amy?"
"I'm sorry, I thought you knew." Giles gently guided Anya toward the counter. "Amy was a friend of Willow's in high school, a witch. She turned herself into a rat to avoid being burned at the stake a mob of the townspeople during their senior year, and Willow hasn't been able to break the spell."
"Wow, I'm sorry I missed that one." Anya smiled for a moment, then her eyes shot wide open. "Wait a minute! Witch-burning, angry townsfolk... was there a demon that appeared like two little kids?"
"Yes, how did y-" Giles didn't get a chance to finish.
"What happened to it?" Anya snapped, her expression more intense than Giles could ever remember seeing it.
"Well, I-I found a spell to reveal the demon's true form and Buffy killed it."
"Yes!" Anya pumped her fist in the air. "Hallie is going to freak! I mean, there were rumours, but there've been rumours before. No one actually believed..."
Giles was hopelessly lost. "Anya, what are you talking about? Who's Hallie?"
"Halfreck. Old friend. Vengeance demon, specialises in neglected and abused children. She's had it in for that thing since it started the Children's Crusade!"
"A demon was responsible for that?"
Anya rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Giles! A bunch of kids march off across Europe to capture Jerusalem? You really think humans are stupid enough to come up with that one by themselves?"
Giles just looked at her, one eyebrow raised questioningly.
"Good point. So Buffy killed it, huh? And now Willow's trying to fix her friend?"
"Indeed. Now that she has some free time, she decided to make a concerted effort at reversing the spell. I recommended she start with the Codex Aemellianus, and she hasn't moved from that spot since."
"That's nice." Anya looked up at Willow, whose fingers were gently tapping the black leather covering the book as she turned a page. I could have sworn the binding on the Codex was red. Oh well...
When Xander arrived at the Magic Box after work, he found the whole of the Scooby Gang (or at least, the people he considered to be the Scooby Gang) already there. Willow and Tara were helping Dawn with a post-final assignment, or 'big waste of time' as Dawn was referring to it, Anya and Giles were tidying up the store, and Buffy was just coming out of the back room after a workout session.
"Hey! You're early!" Anya skipped over and kissed him, before suddenly jerking back. "You didn't get fired, did you?"
"No, Ahn, I didn't get fired." Xander replied in his most patient voice. "We had to close down early. There's been a problem getting some of the structural supports from the supplier, so we're pretty much stalled until that gets fixed. It could be a week before we can start up again."
"I can't believe they're actually building another school on top of the Hellmouth." Buffy grumbled. "I mean, I'm a professional Hellmouth guardian, you'd think my opinion would count for something."
"Well, it might, if you could actually tell anyone about it." Tara offered.
"So, does this mean you get to slack off for a few days?" Dawn asked.
Xander shook his head. "Actually, no. The boss found a quick job we can do while we're waiting. The city council finally decided Glory's tower's a danger to public safety, so we start dismantling it tomorrow." Xander was silent for a moment, thinking his next words over. "Speaking of new beginnings, Anya and I have something to tell you."
Anya looked up at him in surprise; she hadn't expected this tonight. "Now?"
Xander looked deep into her eyes and nodded. "I think we waited long enough." He turned to face the others. "We're getting married."
There was a moment of stunned silence, then total pandemonium broke out around the table. Buffy and Willow raced to be the first to hug Xander, nearly knocking him off his feet in the process. Giles settled for slapping the young man on the back as he went to hug Anya. Tara broke into one of her radiant smiles as she, too, embraced the bride-to-be, while Dawn opted to pile in behind Buffy and Willow.
"When did this happen?" Buffy asked as she let go of her old friend.
Xander blushed slightly. "I actually proposed in the basement here, just before we went in against Glory, but with everything that happened that night it didn't seem like the right time to tell you all, and then we just... kept not telling you. Then I came in tonight, saw you all here together and I thought 'What the hell are we waiting for?'"
"Quite right, too." Giles remarked, clapping the young man on the back. "We should celebrate. Anywhere but the Bronze."
"Willy's it is, then!" Xander quipped, laughing at the look of exasperation on Giles' face.
Buffy looked over at Dawn. "Our place? We don't have much party stuff, but we could stop off on the way..."
"You don't think we'd be disturbing Faith?" Tara asked, gathering her things together.
Giles relied, "Actually, I think she might welcome a little disturbance at the moment."
Xander was about to object, but he caught the silent plea in Buffy's eyes. "Okay, sounds like we have a plan!"
As they all headed out the door, Anya asked, "Does this mean I get to wear the ring now?"
"Yes, Ahn, you get to wear the ring now..."
Faith was reclining on the couch, her injured leg propped up on the coffee table, when the front door opened and Dawn burst in. "Hey, Bitesize! Big sis with you?"
Dawn, who had been about to run up the stairs, turned suddenly at the sound of Faith's voice, her expression wavering between excitement and annoyance. "What are you doing down here? You know you're not supposed to use the stairs when there's no one else in the house. What if you fell? Huh?"
"Dawn, my leg doesn't even hurt any more. We both know I'm just playing along with the docs to keep B happy, so just ease off, okay?"
"I know, I know, I just don't want to see you in a heap on the ground again."
Faith's reply was cut off before it began as Buffy led the others into the house, carrying several bags of drinks, snacks and decorations. "Whoa, did I forget somebody's birthday?"
Buffy and Xander were both about to answer but Anya beat them to it. "We're getting married!" she burst out, her engagement ring glittering in the light as she waved her left hand at Faith.
For a moment, Faith was taken completely aback, but she soon rallied. "Okay, you better be talking about you and Xan 'cause, no offence, but you're not my type."
"Very funny, Faith." Xander retorted, while Anya just looked confused for a moment.
"Hey, I got to take my laughs where I can get them." Faith smirked. "Seriously, congratulations."
"Uh, guys?" Willow cut in from the back of the group. "Heavy bags, not getting lighter..."
"What? Oh, right." Buffy began moving some of the bags into the kitchen.
An hour later the living room was decked out with streamers. Anya was regaling Buffy, Dawn and Giles with the story of how Xander had proposed (complete with more detail than any of them felt was necessary) and Tara and Willow were dancing together, lost in their own little world.
Xander was in the kitchen microwaving some popcorn when he heard something behind him. Turning around, he realised it had been the sound of Faith's crutches on the kitchen floor. "You want something?"
"Just needed some air." Faith replied, heading over to the back door.
"Fine." Xander turned back to the microwave.
Faith took hold of the door handle, but stopped short of opening the door. "I meant what I said."
"What?"
Faith kept facing away as she spoke. "I meant it. I'm happy for you."
A humourless laugh escaped Xander's lips. "Is that supposed to mean something?"
"Maybe. I know you hate me, I know I hurt you, but-"
"What, you're going to apologise now?" Xander cut in, his voice scathing.
For the first time, Faith turned to face him. "Would it help?"
"Since when does it matter to you, anyway? You've never cared what anyone thought of you."
You have no idea what I care about... "I care because Buffy cares. She thinks I've got a chance here, but it can't work if she has to chose between me and you guys. I'll leave town before I let that happen, but I really don't want to go, so I have to at least try to make things right here."
"So very noble of you."
Faith pulled the door open. "Go be with your friends, Xander." She was outside and closing the door before he could reply.
Out on the porch, Faith gingerly sat down on the steps. Fumbling in her pocket, she pulled out a crumpled pack of cigarettes and a lighter. The acrid flavour of the smoke filled her mouth, but couldn't drive out the bad taste Xander had left behind.
A few minutes later, she heard the back door open, but ignored it.
"You know those things will kill you." The fact that it was Anya speaking came as a surprise, but Faith still didn't look at her.
"I started in jail, just for something to do. Besides, I'm a Slayer. You think I'll live long enough for cancer to get me?"
"You upset Xander." It didn't take a Slayer's acute senses to detect the undercurrent of naked hostility on Anya's voice.
Faith took a long drag on the cigarette before responding. "Yeah, I'm good at that."
Anya sneered. "No, Spike is good at it. You're an expert."
"What do you want, Anya?"
"Just stay away from him, okay?" Anya's voice was harsh, almost shrill. "We're happy together, we're getting married, you can't have him!"
Faith finally turned to look at her. "Have him? What are you talking about? You think I want another roll in the sack with him?"
"I've been told all about you, Faith! The whole 'Get some, get gone' philosophy. Well, you're not going to be 'getting some' from Xander, not this time!"
"Anya, I do not want Xander! And even if I did, do you actually think he'd ever touch me again?"
"No, but... that's not the point!"
Faith just stared for a moment, then she suddenly burst out laughing. "Oh my God! You actually think every girl that meet's Xander want's to get his pants off, don't you?"
"They do! You had sex with him, Willow and Cordelia were both heading that way... okay Buffy never tried anything, but she wouldn't notice a good catch if you nailed him to her..."
Faith tossed her cigarette on the ground and stamped it out. "Okay, look, let's just get this straight now. Yeah, I screwed Xander, and it was fun. And yeah, the only thing I regret about it was kicking him out the door the way I did. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't done that, but it was more than two years ago." She hauled herself to her feet and picked up her crutches. "You can't change the past. You either deal with it, or you don't. The most I'm ever going to want from Xander is to be his friend, and I don't think that's ever going to happen, so just take a chill pill and go cheer up your fiancée." With that, Faith headed back indoors, leaving a rather confused former vengeance demon behind her.
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