Buffy was impressed. Christine was very good. Buffy stood off to the side watching as Christine and Kennedy spared. Christine just delivered a drop sweep kick on Kennedy knocking her to the ground and then straddled her waist.
"I win," Christine said smiling while holding Kennedy's wrists above her head. Kennedy looked up at her trying to ignore the heat that now rose from her lower body. She was a bit surprised that Christine could beat her. The moment was broken when Willow came out of the back door and called for Christine.
Faith still sat on the counter waiting for the redhead to return. Willow didn't say anything to her about her phone conversation, but only went outside to the backyard and called for Christine.
Willow watched as Christine rolled off of Kennedy and got up. Time slowed again as the potential made eye contact with the wicca as she walked to her.
Step- Christine in the hospital holding her dying grandmothers hand,
Step- Christine getting a letter jacket in high school,
Step- Christine's arm broken in half, dangling as a bone jutted out of her skin,
Christine felt weak all of a sudden. Like she was being drained. She wobbled a little bit but gained her posture again. She looked around her to see if anyone noticed. Upon looking back at Willow, the potential noticed how pale she turned. Whatever happened to Christine, she figured, happened to Willow as well.
Buffy didn't know what was up but trusted that whatever Willow wanted was important. Kennedy watched a little bit as Christine left. One of the potentials snorted causing Kennedy to turn around.
"What?" she asked looking at the girl who laughed.
"Nothing..." the potential answered. Kennedy narrowed her eyes at the girl and turned back around seeing Christine wobble a bit.
"Cough cough...whipped...cough," came from behind Kennedy. She whipped around.
"What was that?" she asked the potential from before. The others knew this wasn't funny and looked at the brunette. The potential merely shook her head replying nothing again.
"I think you said you wanted to do fifty push ups. Do them...now," Kennedy said sternly. The potential, losing her humor, lay on the ground and started her push ups. By the time Kennedy looked back up, Christine had already gone into the house.
"WHAT!?" Christine exclaimed after Willow finished talking. They sat in the living room. Faith sat on the top part of the couch listening. Christine had asked for her to come.
"You are seeing parts of my memories?!" Christine asked. She was confused.
"I think it's because of The First. I believe that The First has some kind of magical field on you," Willow explained as Faith crossed her arms. Christine paled.
"What do you mean?" Christine asked. The redhead sighed.
"I don't know why but, The First is using some kind of magic to speak with you," Willow explained. Faith frowned.
"Is there a spell to stop it?" Faith asked leaning forward.
"I don't know. Maybe I can do a warding spell to repel The First," Willow stated thinking, "Christine...you should have told someone this. What has The First been saying to you?"
Christine looked uncomfortable and wouldn't answer. Just then Buffy entered the house.
"What's going on?" she asked walking into the living room. Christine looked at Faith who tried to give her an encouraging smile.
Kennedy, Xander, Anya, and Andrew finally finished in the backyard for the day and headed inside. Kennedy and Xander walked into the living room where Willow and the others still were.
"That's what Giles told me and that's what we were discussing. I think I can do a spell..." Willow was saying as she saw Kennedy and Xander. Xander lifted an eyebrow.
"What's going on?" he asked folding his arms. Christine looked at Kennedy.
"Kennedy! I've been wanting to talk with you," Christine boosted with fake emotion while jumping up and dragging Kennedy from the room.
"Christine!" came Willows call.
Meanwhile, Faith was growing more uncomfortable being in the same room as the blonde haired slayer. Buffy, for her part, kept stealing small glances at the other dark slayer. The blonde couldn't help but finally notice that Faith had changed. The way she moved, acted, and everything else seemed to be different. Willow sighed getting up.
"I'm going to look for a spell...Faith?" Willow questioned bringing the younger slayer back to reality.
"Yeah?" Faith answered.
"You're the only one that Christine is close with...try to talk with her and find out what The First has been saying to her. This is a matter that can't be taken lightly...remember what happened last time?" Willow explained trailing off. She glanced at Buffy. "You should fill Xander and Anya in. I'll be with Dawn if you guys need me. We need to keep an eye on Christine..."
"What was that about?" Kennedy asked when Christine drug her to the backyard. The potential hesitated.
"I just had to get out of there..." Christine explained becoming uncomfortable. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to be with Kennedy. The girl made Christine nervous...because she was attracted to her.
Kennedy decided to let the subject go. It was obvious that Christine didn't want to talk about it. They both sat by the garden in silence looking up into the sky. Christine felt so alone. She always had. That's why she was glad to finally have met Faith. But it still wasn't the same.
Things were happening to Christine that scared her. Things in which Faith could relate to but others in which she couldn't. Christine was always alone. And it saddened her. Christine looked over at the potential next to her and gazed at her. She was so beautiful and Christine felt that she didn't even deserve to be next to her let alone be with her.
Kennedy felt Christine's eyes on her and turned to look at her. They just gazed at one another in silence trying to understand the other. Christine reached out and grasped Kennedy's hand sliding her thumb over the girl's knuckles lightly. Butterflies rose in her stomach.
Something just pulled Christine to Kennedy. She had the sudden need to touch her...kiss her. Christine started to lean in a little, gazing into Kennedy's eyes.
"Yo Chris!" came Faith's voice from the back door as Faith approached it. Christine let go of Kennedy's hand moved away from her. Kennedy came out of her daze as Faith opened the back door.
"I need to talk with ya," Faith said looking at Christine then at Kennedy. What were they doing before she came out there?
Christine got up, avoiding Kennedy's gaze. What was she doing?! She almost kissed her! Christine knew that she couldn't and shouldn't get close to the other potential. She would only screw up and lose her anyway like everyone else.
Willow flipped through the pages of her spell book. The whole thing was rather odd to the redhead. The images she saw, The First talking to Christine, Christine avoiding the subject, among other things. It all just seemed so weird. And why would The First choose Christine of all people to talk to?
Christine and Faith walked through the kitchen on their way to the living room when Faith stopped dead. "Faith? What is it?" Christine asked as Faith stared straight foreword. Buffy came around the corner and saw a woman she never saw before standing in her living room.
"Faith?" Christine asked again as Faith stepped forward in a trance towards the woman. That's when Buffy saw Faith and then Christine, who was moving in behind the brunette, trying to get her attention.
"Mom?" Faith whispered stopping. The women gave a cruel smile.
"Hi there Faithy...miss me?" the woman asked shrugging her shoulders. Faith looked about ready to cry.
"You're not real...you're dead," Faith stated taking a step back.
"Oh really now? Oh that's right, you watched me die didn't you?" the woman said smiling folding her hands behind her back.
"Shut up," Faith whispered.
"And you watched as he beat me to death...see..." the women stated. Then bruises, gashes, cuts, and fractures appeared on the women's beautiful face, as well as the rest of her body, turning her into a monster.
"Oh!" Buffy gasped as more injuries appeared. Christine just held still.
"Stop it," Faith said through clenched teeth closing her eyes.
"That's right. You're useless just as always. Standing by watching people die...or killing them," the women stated then morphing into Allen Finch.
"Why? Why do you do this?" Allen asked, blood appearing from his chest and also trickling down his mouth. Faith stumbled backwards into Christine, who caught her.
"Don't listen to it Faith. It's The First messing with you," Christine whispered to the brunette slayer. Allen snickered turning into Angel. Buffy gasped.
"Kill me...Kill me..." Angel stated in a whining voice trying to mimic Faith. He walked a few steps then stopped. "Isn't that what you wanted? Isn't that what you begged me to do? Kill me...ha ha ha haaaaa. What a joke you are! I mean, you couldn't even get Buffy to kill you and you tried so hard at that," Angel stated snickering. Buffy looked at Faith who ignored her.
"Shut up!" she yelled as tears threatened to spill. Christine was growing angry. She couldn't have The First hurting Faith like that. Christine moved to get around Faith to The First but Faith stopped her.
"Oh you'll see death soon. I promise you that...weather you have the guts to do it yourself or not," Angel/The First said before disappearing. Buffy was shocked and couldn't speak. Faith looked as though she was about to cry or throw up. The brunette slayer pushed Christine away not saying a word and walked to the stairs where Buffy was at.
Faith didn't look at her. She couldn't. "Faith..." Buffy started but Faith continued up stairs, pausing for a moment, not looking back at her.
"Don't..." Faith merely stated then started walking again and went up stairs closing the door behind her. Buffy stood at the bottom and looked up at the closed door feeling horrible. Did what she just saw...was it real? Was it true?
"Leave her alone," Christine stated lightly from behind her. Buffy just merely looked at her as Christine began to walk away. Then Christine stopped hesitating. "You've already done enough to her..." she said looking sideways. Then she continued disappearing around the corner.
What did she mean? Buffy couldn't help but wonder...
Christine sighed as she walked out of the bathroom. The day had been a long one. Faith had locked herself in Dawn's bedroom and Willow was neck deep in research with Dawn right beside her. Buffy closed herself off from everyone leaving the house after the whole Faith incident with The First.
Christine spent the rest of the day in front of Dawn's door trying to get Faith to let her in. She finally got up to get ready for bed. She had lost her appetite and didn't want dinner at all. She was just going to skip it. She had ignored every person who went by her upstairs. She was ready to sleep in front for the door if she had to. She just wanted Faith to know that she cared.
Christine nearly collided with Kennedy as she went to enter Willow's room to grab a pillow. "I...uh...sorry..." Christine mumbled avoiding Kennedy's eyes as she moved around her.
"Christine," Kennedy sighed noticing the change in her from earlier. She was afraid of this. It was obvious that the two cared for each other. Christine ignored Kennedy and walked to the bed reaching for the pillow.
"Christine," Kennedy tried again stepping closer and reaching out to the other girl, placing her hand on Christine's waist. Christine sighed grabbing the pillow in both hands as Kennedy wrapped her arms around Christine's waist. Her breath trickled down Christine's neck causing her to close her eyes at the sensation.
Kennedy pressed herself against the other girl as she removed the pillow from Christine's hands, entwining their fingers together and placing them on Christine's stomach. Christine sighed again as Kennedy placed a kiss on her shoulder causing her to turn around.
"Kennedy...I..." Christine barley whispered as she looked at Kennedy's full lips that were not to far from her own.
"Shhhh," Kennedy interjected as she leant foreword capturing Christine's lips with her own. The kiss started out slow and gentle as Kennedy ran her finger tips down Christine's back. Christine tangled her hands in Kennedy's hair pulling her closer and deepening the kiss.
Kennedy ran her tongue along the bottom of the other girl's lips wanting access. Christine opened her mouth and Kennedy's tongue slipped in claiming her as her own. Christine felt tingles everywhere as her knees hit the bed causing her to fall backward with Kennedy on top of her.
< Ha ha ha haaaaaa. I wouldn't do that. She'll hurt you like the others. You can't get close. She'll see you for what you really are and leave you. You're nothing and will never be hapy... > The First's voice rang in her head haunting her, sending her back to the world.
Christine pushed Kennedy off of her. "I I I'm sorry...I can't do this..." Christine stuttered getting up and turning from Kennedy heading to the door.
"Christine....wait," came Kennedy's plea who was a bit shocked from Christine's sudden change. Christine ignored her and went to Buffy's room, which was open. Kennedy kept calling to her but she ignored her closing the door before Kennedy could get to her and locked it.
Both girls stayed in the rooms till dinner time refusing to come out. Buffy showed up just as dinner was about to be served. "Where have you been?" Willow asked as she saw Buffy enter the kitchen.
"Oh, just checking out local places seeing if there was any new information," Buffy replied some what telling the truth.
"Find anything?" Willow asked walking to the sink.
"No, nothing new," Buffy replied glancing into the back yard to see if Faith was out there.
"Faith has been in Dawn's room all day," Willow answered for her noticing Buffy glance out back. The blonde slayer merely nodded and walked into the living room with out saying another word. Willow sighed heavily.
