Don't Wake Me Up
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and no copyright infringement intended. I'm just borrowing the characters from the show, if anything, these characters own me.
Authors Notes: This basically came up from a 'what if' scenario. I hope you enjoy it! Please review and let me know what you think.
CHAPTER 1
Buffy's POV
She's cold, but warm - like rum and coke on the rocks. Liquid fire burning the back of your throat. So beautiful, better than the sunrise at the beach. The way she moves, entrancing and deadly. Her eyes are cruel, calculating, but buried beneath her vengeful glare is sadness, hurt and betrayal.
My fist flies for her face. Why am I hitting her? I don't want to fight, but that's what we're doing. I wish I could forget why we are fighting. I'd prefer none of it ever happened. I wish the deputy mayor hadn't died, wish my friends didn't react to her the way they did. I wish I'd never—
A hard right hook pulls me from my thoughts as I hit the floor with a crash. That feels like a bruise— and the coffee table. Sorry Mom.
She dives on top of me hurling her fists and for a moment I would swear there were tears in her eyes. I push through the punches and grab her face.
"Faith!" I yell. "Faith, it's okay!"
She screams as she pummels my body. I don't know if I can take much more.
"Faith, stop!" I say as she beats on me in a blind rage. "Please, Faith, stop this!"
"You're dead!" she screams her voice hoarse.
Now I know for sure... she's crying. I grab a handful of her hair and roll on top of her. She struggles, but I manage to pin her arms down.
"Are you going to listen to me?" I ask narrowly avoiding her spitting in my face. "Faith, I don't want to hurt you, please, stop struggling."
"I want to hurt you!" she snaps back at me.
Sirens blare from the front yard and I panic. Of course, Mom would call the cops. I can't let them take Faith. Someone is going to get hurt. I roll my eyes and release her arms. She stops and stares at me for a brief moment before I get off of her. She gets to her feet and I hold my hands up.
"I'm not going to stop you." I tell her. "Meet me at Angel's. We can finish this there."
One unfortunate cop comes through the front door and moves to grab her. She quickly dispatches his him knocking him out cold on the ground. She runs out the back door with officers hot on her trail. Sounds like she did some damage on her way out.
A few minutes later, Mom rushes down the stairs when they give the all clear and scoops me in a hug.
"Are you alright?" She asks fussing over me. "Did she get away?"
"Yeah, I should call Giles." I reply lowly. "Let the rest of the gang know."
"Are you sure you're okay, sweetheart?" Mom asks in concern.
"I'm fine." I say giving her an attempt of a smile.
I walk to the phone and dial my Watcher's number.
"Buffy, what's going on?"
"It's Faith." I reply. "She had Mom hostage."
"Oh, good, Lord," he says and I can almost hear him cleaning his glasses. "Is she alright?"
"She's fine." I reply.
"What about Faith? Is she—" he pauses, but I know what he wants to ask.
"No, she got away."
"I'm glad that everyone is unharmed." he says. "Buffy— you should know-"
"What is it?" I ask quietly.
"The Council— has informed me that they will be dealing with Faith from here on." he says snidely.
I know how much the Council irritates him.
"Faith is my issue." I say. "You can tell the Council to call off their dogs. I won't be handing Faith over."
"Buffy— this is out of my hands. We both know Faith is too far gone— we need to hand her over to the proper authorities."
"Proper authorities just got their asses kicked!" I hiss into the phone. "I have two officers outside crying about broken ribs and another about his nose not to mention the guy in the living room—"
"Buffy!" Giles says getting my attention. "They have the means to deal with a rogue slayer. We do not. I say we let them deal with this."
"You didn't see the look on her face tonight." I say quietly. "She's in there, Giles. I'm not giving up on her. Not again. You tell the Council if they come for Faith— they're going to deal with me."
"Ah— yes, of course." he says sarcastically as I hang up the phone.
I grab my coat and move to head out the door.
"Buffy!" Mom calls as she speaks to a large bulky officer. "They need your statement."
Irritation swells inside me. I can never just make a grand exit. I take a look at the mess that is all over the place. I hope Mom has rental insurance as much as this place gets ransacked and destroyed. It feels like this statement thingy is taking forever. I mean- I don't want to keep Faith waiting. I feel like it takes away from the dramatic fight that's about to take place.
If only I could reach her. If the Powers That Be were to heed my prayers, I'd ask them to show me the way to make this right. Give me the words, make me a puppet, I want to take it all back. I want a different story with a better outcome. I meant what I said before, with different circumstances I could have been Faith.
I already screwed things up once, but I won't let it happen again. As soon as I'm able I rush out the door and head to Angel's empty mansion. So many memories here. I can't remember very many good ones, but hopefully—.
When I walk inside the fireplace is roaring and candles are lit everywhere. She had time to set the stage I guess.
"About time you showed up," she remarks walking up behind me.
"That's really what you want to say?" I ask turning to look at her. "What is this— a western?
She's weak and tired. Probably not ready to be out of the hospital. I'm actually fairly certain it's just sheer hate and anger that's driving her right now.
"It's high noon somewhere," she says holding out her arms. "So, when do we do this? You hit me, I hit you. It's kind of what we're good at."
"No, I'm done fighting." I reply taking off my coat and dropping it to the couch.
"See," she gets in my face. "You don't get to decide that by yourself. I say what happens this time! Me! Not: 'Calls all the shots, Buffy' I bet you hate that."
She points at me with an accusatory finger.
"You hate not being the one in control," she continues menacingly in my ear. "Hate that I won't - jump when you tell me to— or maybe— that's what excites you about me."
"It is." I reply lowly. "The way you live your life is exciting, but there are consequences. The deputy mayor— he's a consequence."
"Yeah and we know how well that played out. On me! You were there, Buffy! But look who's perfect little image remains intact!"
"I didn't say it was right!" I argue back.
"I thought you were different," she says disgusted. "But you turned on me too! Just like everyone else. The mayor is the only one who cared about me and he's dead because of you!"
"He was—" I go to argue, but I stop myself.
"What?!" She screams at me. "Evil?! Yeah, to you. At least I meant something to him—"
She pulls at her hair as she fights back angry, heart broken tears.
"Now I have no one!" She continues punching a large hole in the concrete wall. "And you get to have EVERYTHING!"
She lunges for me and I fall with her to the floor. I said I wouldn't hand her over, I really don't want to hurt her, but I also don't feel like dying today. I shove her off of me sending her flying across the room. She hits the wall with a hard thud and she's back on her feet again coming for me.
"Faith, stop!" I exclaim digging my heels into the floor and grappling her as she fights to take me down.
She pummels me hard in the stomach and she breaks free from my hold so quickly I can barely register her hands around my throat. I struggle to breath as I try to fight her off, but the look in her eyes is wild. I throw out my legs and manage to free myself as something shiny in her hand distracts me.
Like lightning she grabs my hand and for a moment the world flashes in vivid technicolor. When my vision returns I'm staring at a mirror image of myself. Where is Faith? All of a sudden my reflection moves of it's own accord and punches me hard in the head. Everything goes black.
I don't know how long I'm out, but I vaguely recall myself being dragged and when I wake up I'm leaning against a hard surface. Every muscle in my body aches and my head is killing me. I move my arms and legs. They're heavy. I look at my wrists. Great. She brought out the chains. Couldn't even take me to dinner first.
Music blares from upstairs and I sigh. It's hard to tell how long it will be until she comes back. She's probably plotting something heinous, which reminds me. I should probably get out of these chains before she comes back.
I pull at my restraints. These things kept Faith occupied for quite some time once. I don't see me getting out of them any time soon. A cheerful humming comes rushing down the stairs when all of a sudden, I see what I can only describe as myself walking around without me.
"Faith must have hit me pretty hard." I mumble confused.
"Knocked you clean out of your body," the other me says— to— myself, but something sounds off. "Oh, you're going to wish you killed me."
"Faith?! What did you do?!"
"Just a switch-a-roo," she says offhandedly. "You should be fine in there."
"Where am I exactly?" I ask looking around wildly.
My hands shoot to my body. I have hands and a body, so— my eyes shoot to a mirror and staring back at me is Faith. She switched bodies, but—
"How?!" I ask almost in panic. "You have to put us back!"
"That's too boring," she says putting on some dark lipstick. "Here, see if I got my impression right: I'm Buffy Summers and I'm gonna slay you—"
She sways her hips and flips her hair seductively. Well— mine.
"Not bad." I reply with a shrug. "Though I didn't realize my ass was capable of doing what you just did."
"I can do things with your body that you've never dreamed of." Faith replies cockily.
"Please, go on like that and you'll be a dead give away." I counter sitting down calmly on the floor.
She laughs, but I can tell I got under her skin.
"W—well, what are you doing?!" She replies in irritation. "You're just sitting there not freaking out."
"I don't know, Faith." I reply kicking back like she does. "I think it's time I had a vacation. You go ahead and be me. You and I both know that's what you've wanted all along. My life, my friends and family. You know— maybe the mayor wasn't so bad after all. He really did care about you, but you're wrong."
"How's that?" she asks calmly for the first time tonight.
"I might have a lot of things you don't." I tell her as I make myself comfortable against the wall. "But I don't have everything. Life is what you make it. So, please, by all means—walk a mile in my shoes. I'm not going anywhere."
"You're not afraid I won't just kill you?" she asks with a smirk.
"No." I reply lacing my fingers together. "If you were going to kill me you wouldn't have chained me to the wall."
She lifts her eyes to mine and sneers.
"We'll see, Summers," she replies and walks up the stairs.
I move to take off Faith's jacket to get comfortable, but I realize— I'm in chains. No way that's happening, right now. Well done, Buffy. Good thinking. I sigh. She could have at least took this damn thing off me or— her before chaining me up. I could just tear it off, but it is a nice jacket. The mayor could have gotten it for her.
As much as I believe I did the right thing, I know it's hurting Faith. He almost killed me over her. Even though his intentions were evil he really was there for Faith in his own twisted way. A part of me wonders if maybe his gift was intended for this purpose. So she can realize that it's not so great being Buffy and that other than the evil, murderous, rampage there's nothing wrong with who she is.
I've had a lot of time to think about my relationship with Faith. People assume I don't think much while I deal with the forces of darkness, but I do. Girl's got to have some down time. I've been waiting for Faith to emerge.
I knew it was only a matter of time before she did, I had this whole scene scripted in my head that we'd have an emotionally charged battle with us somehow managing to talk this out, if she wasn't such a loose canon but no— this is much better.
Sure, there are so many ways where this could go wrong, but beneath it all— I trust Faith. She wants to be a good person. She's just lost her way. I close my eyes. I'm sure I'll be here a while. God, I hope I don't have to pee anytime soon.