First
of all... And quite importantly: This story starts out many years after
the last episode. It does not, however, include the season 8 comic
books, as I began writing it before they came out, and their
storyline would not be easily worked into this one… so cannon at
the BEGINNING up through the end of season 7.
Disclaimer:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all things therein belong to Joss and
Mutant Enemy, not me. I hold no claim on them, and gain nothing but
my own satisfaction from using them. IE I'm just borrowing them,
I'll return 'em later, and I'm not making any money off of it.
I
don't have any money, I'm just a poor college student. Please don't
sue me.
As well, though it starts out at Christmas, it is nowhere near being just a Christmas Story, and will eventually work into being season rewrites.
She hunched a little into herself, tucking cold hands into her pockets and away from the bite of the wind. Around her lights twinkled and colors shone; merry songs played from almost every shop. Children with their parents laughed and toted packages to their cars. Life, as they knew it, was wonderful, with only their own simple problems to worry over.
Faith might have been like them, somehow, in another life. Perhaps she could have in this life even. After that last battle with the First, and the Great Choosing, as Red's spell had come to be called, she could have moved on and lived a mostly normal life. Like Buffy had. No, she hadn't though. She couldn't bring herself to even consider it. Faith had only just gotten out of jail, only just begun her repentance. And she had never quit. 15 whole years of the "good fight" and she hadn't ever given it up.
As she walked along, she tried to ignore the twinkling lights and bright decorations, blocking the songs from sticking in her mind. That was exactly what she needed, to start whistling Jingle Bells or Silent Night in the middle of patrol... even if Silent Night itself would be amusingly ironic.
Suddenly something buzzed from one of her pockets, breaking her from her internal musings, and then moved on to ring out with a fuzzy recording of "I wanna fuck you like an animal... I wanna feel you from the inside...". More than one parent nearby glared at her in reprimand as they hurried their children away. She merely smiled and internally cursed the day that she'd let Red fool with the device.
"What?"
"Ever the cheerful greeting, Faith?" A familiar voice said over the line, startling the woman into stopping. Faith quickly found an alcove out of the wind to talk. "Is that how you talk to everyone during the holidays?"
"Only when it's windy and cold as fuck outside, B. What's up?" She leaned against the brick wall of the small alley and looked out at the passing people. "Big bad? New girl need getting? Another renegade?"
"Hm, I don't know. Don't think so..." Buffy's voice actually sounded genuinely confused and thoughtful. It wasn't like the times she had merely bantered in a flirtatious manner before delivering what the latest job was. So Faith merely waited for Buffy to get to the point.
The two original slayers had gotten along, eventually even as pretty good friends, with time. Nevertheless, they still had their arguments, some of them more violent than others, and the last time they'd spoken and seen each other had been one of those fights...
"I
don't get it Faith. What've you got to prove? It's been years, Faith.
Years! Don't you think it's time to settle down?" Buffy's
expression warred between concerned and angry. When Faith didn't
answer, it settled on anger, and she grapped the brunette's collar
and fored their eyes together. "You could get hurt, killed!
There are plenty of slayers now, Faith. Not just you and me. Not just
new, wet-behind-the-ears kids, but trained, capable slayers. They can
handle it. Let them have their sacred duty. You're older than any
slayer before us ever was. It's time to retire." Faith
just looked quietly at Buffy, fighting the urge to throw her off or
kiss her. It was a hard battle to even decide which she'd have rather
done. "Ya just don't get it, B. I can't."
They hadn't come to blows, but more than once Faith had lost her cool and started yelling right back. Her mind was pulled back from the memory by a sudden shout over the phone.
"FAITH! Have you even heard a single word that I've said?" Faith, confused and a bit embarrassed, made a small grunt that sounded much more like she hadn't even understood that. "It really is windy over there, isn't it? I was trying to ask what you were doing for Christmas."
Buffy's voice had gotten louder, trying to speak over the supposed wind, and Faith had to smile at that. "I'll probably just go down to the kid's shelter again and play elf." Faith said with a groan as she answered, already expecting the resulting giggle. She couldn't believe it either.
"I... I mean We, were wondering if you'd come out to visit. Andrew said that he'd arrange for the ticket." Buffy sounded hopeful, but from the grunt she suspected that someone was there and had pinched her at that first mistake, but her voice was cheery. Faith, however, was surprised into silence at the request. "Wills and her new girlfriend are coming too, and Dawn's boyfriend is helping Xander to cook."
"I... um..." Faith finally managed, leaning her head against the wall behind her and turning it to look again at the passing families and shoppers.
"Faith..." Buffy's voice was quiet, and it sounded like she was whispering as she found a new place to talk. "Faith, please come. It's really not just Dawn and Xander or Willow. We all want you to come. I want you to come. I... I miss you Faith. At least think about it? Please?"
"Hey, B, ya sound all weepy." Faith said in a teasing manner with a smirk that reached her voice, but glossy eyes. "You know you can count on me. Have him call me tomorrow and set up a flight, okay. I gotta get goin." She paused and could just imagine Buffy nodding along. The blonde always nodded when she was on the phone, as if the other person could see.
"That's great! Okay, so I'll see you soon? Oh, um, Dawn says Hi."
"Yeah, sure." Faith smiled genuinely as she pushed off fo the wall. "And B?"
She heard the blonde's hesitation in the next word, "Yeah?"
"I miss you too." She could just feel the older slayer's smile, and said a quick goodbye before hanging up.
TBC