Authors Notes: Thanks for your great reviews. Keep it up! :) Hello,
Darklight, Cordy is great idea. I thought about it, but she hasn't got a
good place to stay for Faith. Her parents aren't exactly the welcoming
party. Somebody else is the real source of help.
*****
Faith took care of the puppy for a few more hours. She played with her. First stubbornly and mad, proving herself how well she could take care of the pup, but it changed quickly into the joy and love from a little kid. When time passed she realized more and more again that this wasn't meant to be. Not for her. No matter how much it meant to her. The sun was almost rising as she pulled herself into her leather jacket and gently laid the sleeping black cuddleness in her basket. The dark Slayer looked for one long time at the cute little doggy and sighed as she bit at her lowerlip. she thought to herself and opened the door.
She stepped out and not onto the floor as she lifted herself up in the air when she stepped on something soft. She looked down and recognized Xander lying on the ground. He groaned, turned around and looked into her stunned gaze. she thought. "What are ya still doin' here?" she asked as she allowed him to stand up.
"I was waiting," he simply answered, cool and calm.
"Waiting? For what?"
"'Till you got out, of course."
Faith blinked. This was the first time she actually had seen a guy waiting whole night long for her to get out of her room when she had the door shut in his face. Especially when she had done it already before with him only a few nights ago. She quickly restored her composure. "Why?" she asked.
"If you think you gonna get away with this than you're wrong."
"With what?"
"The dog, of course."
She looked into the basket and than back and Xander resolved face.
She shook her head in unbelief. "You're so messed up, I simply can't believe it."
"Then don't. I don't care. But I will follow you where ever you go, until I know for sure that that puppy is in good hands."
She had to chuckle a bit. "You must be kidding me."
"No."
"Well, than go ahead and stalk me. But I am not giving this puppy up." She pushed him aside and walked away.
Xander quickly followed her and grabbed her by her shoulder. "Faith . . ." She grabbed his hand and shove him away. "Faith, I know you wanna take care of it. And if I knew how I could help you . . ." he shouted. She turned around and stared at him. "Not my basement, Faith," he tried as convincingly as possible.
"Oh, where then?"
"I don't know. But at least let me help you to find something."
Faith sighed as she realized that he wouldn't give this so quickly. "Okay, *suppose* you have helped me," she said calm., before she snapped. "Would you then get the fuck *out* of my life!?"
The door next to Faith's room opened and a big man stepped out, furious. He walked toward Xander with his fist balled. "Hey, calm down. I'm sorry for the noise. We gonna go . . ." he said with an apologizing tone as he barely was able to dodge the swing of the man arm directed at his face.
"I will make sure of that, stalking asshole," he growled as he moved his arm for another swing.
Faith pushed the guy to the ground and took Xander by his arm, almost ripping it off. "Time to prove yourself, buddy."
Before the man could follow, they were gone.
*****
They jumped in Xander's Chevrolet and took off.
"Where are we going," Faith asked.
"Uncle Roary . . . he letted me rent this baby 'till he's mobile again."
"Mobile?"
"Stacked up the DUIs"
Faith frowned. "He has a place?"
"Not really. But I am sure he knows a way to help."
"How?"
"I don't know? It's the only person I know who might help us."
Faith looked at his face and thought about the words.
She chuckled inwardly Then she frowend a little.
"Why not Red?"
"Willow? No, her parents won't allow it. Besides, its not that you or Willow are exactly friends."
She stared in front of her and slashed a sly smile. "No, that's right."
Xander turned his face to her. "Look, I know you are not very fond of . . ." He paused.
She faced him again, quickly. "What? Who?"
"Giles."
Faith rolled her eyes.
"He is pretty nice. I'm sure he will gladly take you at his home and . . ."
"I don't care, Xander."
Xander sighed. "Alright . . ."
"Right!"
Xander waited for a while before he broke the silence again. "Joyce?"
Faith gave him a look that would make the Ripper run away.
"Just joking," he defended himself, holding up a hand.
"Not funny."
"Joyce is a nice woman, you know that."
Faith stared at him and nodded. "She is the best." She moved her gaze to the road in front of her again. " And miss 'I wanna have everything' can't appreciate that even a little bit."
"I'm sure Joyce would wanna help . . . She is better than uncle . . ."
"Joyce would wanna help?" Faith quickly interrupted. "You believe that? You know what B is gonna say about that?"
"Faith, if you think I am that naive, than you are wrong. Of course she is gonna be angry. But Buffy can't say everything to her mom. And when she knows how you live then . . ."
"I am NOT going!"
"Faith, this is your puppy, remember? See that little doggy there? She needs a home, a good home. Not a 'I hope my uncle Roary has a place' kind of home."
Faith turned her head unconsciously around. A pair of little puppy-eyes scanned her features - showing her the same desperation, the same fear she once felt, but most of all the same hope she still had - were enough to convince her. Those feelings she had almost given up, even though that fire still smoldered deep inside of her heart. She surpressed it, with the power of her will, to let it flame again as she had felt the devastating hurt of extinguishing it in one smash too many times now. But this was for her and not for her little friend as she hadn't experienced the same pain yet. She sighed as she ripped herself out of the unwanted thoughts. "Okay, Joyce."
*****
Faith took care of the puppy for a few more hours. She played with her. First stubbornly and mad, proving herself how well she could take care of the pup, but it changed quickly into the joy and love from a little kid. When time passed she realized more and more again that this wasn't meant to be. Not for her. No matter how much it meant to her. The sun was almost rising as she pulled herself into her leather jacket and gently laid the sleeping black cuddleness in her basket. The dark Slayer looked for one long time at the cute little doggy and sighed as she bit at her lowerlip. she thought to herself and opened the door.
She stepped out and not onto the floor as she lifted herself up in the air when she stepped on something soft. She looked down and recognized Xander lying on the ground. He groaned, turned around and looked into her stunned gaze. she thought. "What are ya still doin' here?" she asked as she allowed him to stand up.
"I was waiting," he simply answered, cool and calm.
"Waiting? For what?"
"'Till you got out, of course."
Faith blinked. This was the first time she actually had seen a guy waiting whole night long for her to get out of her room when she had the door shut in his face. Especially when she had done it already before with him only a few nights ago. She quickly restored her composure. "Why?" she asked.
"If you think you gonna get away with this than you're wrong."
"With what?"
"The dog, of course."
She looked into the basket and than back and Xander resolved face.
She shook her head in unbelief. "You're so messed up, I simply can't believe it."
"Then don't. I don't care. But I will follow you where ever you go, until I know for sure that that puppy is in good hands."
She had to chuckle a bit. "You must be kidding me."
"No."
"Well, than go ahead and stalk me. But I am not giving this puppy up." She pushed him aside and walked away.
Xander quickly followed her and grabbed her by her shoulder. "Faith . . ." She grabbed his hand and shove him away. "Faith, I know you wanna take care of it. And if I knew how I could help you . . ." he shouted. She turned around and stared at him. "Not my basement, Faith," he tried as convincingly as possible.
"Oh, where then?"
"I don't know. But at least let me help you to find something."
Faith sighed as she realized that he wouldn't give this so quickly. "Okay, *suppose* you have helped me," she said calm., before she snapped. "Would you then get the fuck *out* of my life!?"
The door next to Faith's room opened and a big man stepped out, furious. He walked toward Xander with his fist balled. "Hey, calm down. I'm sorry for the noise. We gonna go . . ." he said with an apologizing tone as he barely was able to dodge the swing of the man arm directed at his face.
"I will make sure of that, stalking asshole," he growled as he moved his arm for another swing.
Faith pushed the guy to the ground and took Xander by his arm, almost ripping it off. "Time to prove yourself, buddy."
Before the man could follow, they were gone.
*****
They jumped in Xander's Chevrolet and took off.
"Where are we going," Faith asked.
"Uncle Roary . . . he letted me rent this baby 'till he's mobile again."
"Mobile?"
"Stacked up the DUIs"
Faith frowned. "He has a place?"
"Not really. But I am sure he knows a way to help."
"How?"
"I don't know? It's the only person I know who might help us."
Faith looked at his face and thought about the words.
She chuckled inwardly Then she frowend a little.
"Why not Red?"
"Willow? No, her parents won't allow it. Besides, its not that you or Willow are exactly friends."
She stared in front of her and slashed a sly smile. "No, that's right."
Xander turned his face to her. "Look, I know you are not very fond of . . ." He paused.
She faced him again, quickly. "What? Who?"
"Giles."
Faith rolled her eyes.
"He is pretty nice. I'm sure he will gladly take you at his home and . . ."
"I don't care, Xander."
Xander sighed. "Alright . . ."
"Right!"
Xander waited for a while before he broke the silence again. "Joyce?"
Faith gave him a look that would make the Ripper run away.
"Just joking," he defended himself, holding up a hand.
"Not funny."
"Joyce is a nice woman, you know that."
Faith stared at him and nodded. "She is the best." She moved her gaze to the road in front of her again. " And miss 'I wanna have everything' can't appreciate that even a little bit."
"I'm sure Joyce would wanna help . . . She is better than uncle . . ."
"Joyce would wanna help?" Faith quickly interrupted. "You believe that? You know what B is gonna say about that?"
"Faith, if you think I am that naive, than you are wrong. Of course she is gonna be angry. But Buffy can't say everything to her mom. And when she knows how you live then . . ."
"I am NOT going!"
"Faith, this is your puppy, remember? See that little doggy there? She needs a home, a good home. Not a 'I hope my uncle Roary has a place' kind of home."
Faith turned her head unconsciously around. A pair of little puppy-eyes scanned her features - showing her the same desperation, the same fear she once felt, but most of all the same hope she still had - were enough to convince her. Those feelings she had almost given up, even though that fire still smoldered deep inside of her heart. She surpressed it, with the power of her will, to let it flame again as she had felt the devastating hurt of extinguishing it in one smash too many times now. But this was for her and not for her little friend as she hadn't experienced the same pain yet. She sighed as she ripped herself out of the unwanted thoughts. "Okay, Joyce."