Chapter One
Faith stood off to the side in the control room as the others listened to Willow lay out the plan she had to send each of them to Sunnydale. There wasn't much of a plan from what Faith overheard. They were to wait and then meet up at the Summers' house and go from there. Nobody wanted to be the first one to go and Faith had offered to be the first one after listening to Buffy, Xander, and Dawn bicker like children about it for nearly ten minutes.
"Before we go," Faith said as she joined the others. "What do we know about the First?"
"Our knowledge is rather limited just as it was the last time," Giles said and he shook his head. "We'll meet up in Sunnydale and try to find out what we can once we are there. I've put in a few phone calls to a handful of contacts in Sunnydale, but I haven't heard from any of them yet. I'm hoping to pay a personal visit to a friend of mine once I arrive there. He should have some very useful information for us regarding the First."
"Is this guy gonna turn out like Percy?" Faith asked him. She crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow as Giles fumbled with his glasses, unable to give her an answer. "After you brought Tweed in and he betrayed us, I'm finding it impossible to trust any of these guys in the new Council, Giles."
"No, he is nothing like Percy and I understand your concerns about the new Council, but I assure you, Percy is the only one who has turned his back and betrayed us. He will be dealt with, I assure you, but right now we need to stay more focused on getting back to Sunnydale."
Faith cracked her knuckles loudly, hating walking in almost blind. She needed a plan, something solid and something she never used to do since she'd always used to be more about the "kill now, ask questions later" part.
Buffy moved to stand next to her and she smiled when Buffy's hand easily slipped into her own. The last couple of days had been different between them and it was just the smallest things too. It was the way they always found a way to be near each other, touch each other even if it was as simple as holding hands. She knew the others had noticed it too, but she really did not give a fuck, and it was pretty clear Buffy didn't either. While the others started further discussing plans on what to do once they'd gotten to Sunnydale, Faith pulled Buffy aside.
"Are ya getting the feeling we're not gonna quite get to be alone for a while?" Faith asked quietly as she stared down into Buffy's eyes. Buffy nodded and leaned in for a soft, lingering kiss. "You're worried about what's gonna happened between us once we're back in Sunnydale, aren't you?"
"I don't know what's going to happen, Faith."
"Here's what's gonna happen, B," she said with a smile as she wrapped her arms around Buffy and held her close. "We're gonna go back to the 'Dale and we're gonna figure out what's the what. Then, you and me, we're gonna find a way to have a night all to ourselves."
"Sounds good," Buffy grinned as she ran her fingers over the back of Faith's neck. "Do you really think we'll be okay?"
"We'll be okay," Faith said softly, wondering why Buffy was so afraid something would happen that would pull them apart. "We've been friends for a while, right? I know we haven't been together too long and I'm not exactly an expert on relationships, but we'll make it work no matter what happens there."
Buffy smiled sweetly and pulled her in for a long, passionate kiss. A kiss that made every inch of her body tingle until Buffy pulled back at the sound of Dawn making gagging noises at them. Faith flipped her off and kissed Buffy again, keeping it short and sweet. Buffy moaned softly when she pulled back and she ran her thumb over Buffy's bottom lip, wiping away the smudge of lipstick that was there.
"That's all they've been doing for two days!" Dawn complained as Willow tried to lead her to the other side of the control room with the others. "God, don't they realize there are other people around when they do that?"
"Dawnie, they're in love. Leave them alone," Willow said calmly and she looked back at Buffy and Faith, smiling at them and pointed to her watch, indicating that it was almost time to go back to Sunnydale.
"She's such a brat," Buffy muttered under her breath. She stared into Faith's eyes and pouted.
"What?"
"We've gotta go."
"Yeah," Faith sighed and she looked over at the others standing by the monitors. "Guess I'll see you on the other side, B."
Buffy stepped back and walked over to where she'd left the scythe. They were bringing it along with them, finding it far too risky to be left behind. Faith looked back at Buffy as she joined Willow in the circle she'd formed on the floor and what Andrew had called the "portal to Sunnydale". Xander handed her the bag she'd packed and she made sure the sword and dagger that Buffy had bought for her was safely secured to the bag.
"So, guess I'll see you guys in Sunnyhell," she said with a smirk as she slipped the strap of her bag over her shoulder. "Willow? Where are you sending me? Got an exact location or what?"
"I'm going to try to place you just outside the Summers' house, but with the distance...it'll be a little tricky. The worst that can happen is you'll end up just outside of Sunnydale. Hopefully not too far."
"Great. Let's do it."
Faith looked over at Buffy and smiled at her, trying to reassure her that everything was going to be okay. She gripped onto her bag and braced herself as Willow held her hands up to her and began chanting softly. A soft glow surrounded her as she stood in the middle of the circle and she closed her eyes as she felt her body being pulled at. She absolutely hated being teleported, but they all agreed it was a lot easier and quicker than flying back to Sunnydale. She hated planes more than she hated teleporting.
It felt like hours although she knew it had only been minutes when the pull against her body stopped and she finally felt the ground beneath her feet once again. Blinking, she opened her eyes, feeling almost blinded by the bright Californian sun. However, she was a little surprised to find she wasn't outside but rather inside of a room she'd never seen in her life and standing by the open window that faced down to the street.
Clutching onto her bag, she quietly moved around the room until she reached the door. Despite having never seen the room before, she felt strangely at home, and it made her a little nervous. She opened the door after fiddling with the lock on it. It creaked on its hinges as it slowly opened and the smell of freshly brewed coffee hit her hard. The sound of voices made her back up into the room and shut the door. She locked it and held her breath as she heard the soft footsteps come up the stairs and down the hallway.
"Fai, are you awake?"
Faith's eyes went wide as she stumbled back and dropped her bag to the floor. "Ma?"
"You're running late," she said through the door. "You know how Mr. Giles hates it when you're late for your morning training."
Faith backed up further into the room and walked straight into the dresser, knocking over a few picture frames that had been on top. She bent down to pick them up and her breath caught in her chest as she saw her, Buffy, Willow, and Xander all looking happy and smiling for the camera.
"What the fuck?" Faith said under her breath as she placed it on the dresser and looked at the second picture. "What a mind fuck and a half," she sighed out as she placed the second picture, another taken of the four of them on the dresser.
"Fai, is everything okay?"
"Uh, fine. Everything is fine...Ma," she called out, feeling her insides twist up and a lump form in her throat as she looked into the mirror hanging on the wall just above the dresser. "Definitely a mind fuck and a half," she said as she stared at the reflection of her much younger self.
Buffy paced the control room floor as Willow recreated the circle. Her heart was racing and she felt more scared than she'd ever felt before in her life. She had no idea what was waiting for her back in Sunnydale other than the First and her mother. She'd overheard Andrew and Giles talking about how a wish like the one Faith made could have made some kind of a paradox that altered their past and she really wasn't sure if she was ready to face something quite like that.
"Buffy, it's ready for you," Willow said to her as she placed the jar of sand on the table and motioned for her to step inside the circle. "Ready for this?"
"Yeah," she nodded and grabbed her bag and the scythe and held them tightly. She looked over at Xander, Giles, and Dawn and smiled at them uneasily. "You guys are right behind me, right?"
"Right behind you, Buff," Xander said with a smile. "Actually, Dawnie will be right behind you, then Giles, then me, then Willow-"
"I know what you mean," Buffy laughed and she turned back to look at Willow. "See you at the house?"
"It'll be okay, Buffy. We're right behind you."
"I know, Will," Buffy nodded and took a deep breath. "Let's do it."
Buffy closed her eyes, waiting as Willow chanted softly, wondering why she was chanting a spell when normally teleporting was done in the blink of an eye. Trying not to think of it, she held her breath as she felt a lightness fill her body and darkness surround her. She knew it should've only taken seconds, but it lasted over a minute and when she finally felt solid again, she was almost afraid to open her eyes.
And she tried not to panic when she could no longer feel the scythe in her hand.
"Shit," Buffy said under her breath and she opened her eyes, blinking at the brightness that filled the room. She dropped her bag to the floor when she saw she'd been teleported straight to her old bedroom in Sunnydale.
Everything was quiet in the house and she figured it was early still. She picked up her bag and tossed it in her closet before she saw a picture that caught her eye, a picture she'd seen a hundred times and one that she thought was forever lost in the rubble. Only it was different. Faith was in the picture with them. Wondering how that was even possible since that picture had been taken long before they knew Faith existed, she shrugged it off and walked over to the window, opening it to let in the warm morning air. Something definitely felt off and she knew that just from the way she suddenly felt as soon as she'd been teleported into her old room.
At least she was accurate, Buffy thought and shrugged as she walked away from the window, smiling to herself as the familiarity of her old room and being back in Sunnydale began to sink in. She wasn't even sure how long she'd have to wait until the others showed up at the house, but she was hoping it'd be soon since she wasn't ready to face her mother all on her own.
Dawn was right behind her, yet she wasn't sure just how much time would pass before Dawn was there. Buffy paced her floor quietly, stopping every couple of paces to listen to see if she heard anything inside the house. Her nerves were starting to get to the better of her after nearly half an hour passed and the tap on her window nearly made her jump out of her skin.
"B, I think something really fucked up is happening," Faith said from the window.
"What?"
"Have ya even looked in the mirror yet?"
"Faith, you look-"
"Like I'm seventeen again?" Faith asked, rolling her eyes as she climbed inside. "I'm telling ya, B. Something is going on here that we didn't know was gonna happen."
Buffy took a deep breath and walked to her vanity. She looked in the mirror for the first time since she got there and her eyes went wide as the colour drained from her face. "How is this-no, this isn't possible. Faith-?"
"You wanna hear something even more fucked?" Faith asked as she started to pace the floor. "I'm guessing that wish did work 'cause I ended up in a room in a house I've never been in and the kicker? My mother is alive and if she's alive that means I'm guessing my father is too. Jesus, B, she's nothing like I remember her. She's..."
"I thought you said your mother was dead?"
"That's what I thought too," Faith sighed. "I don't know how this is possible, I mean I know the wish I made was a lot and maybe this is Danu's way of making it work?"
"I don't know," Buffy whispered as she stopped Faith from pacing and grabbed onto her hands. "Dawn hasn't shown up yet. She should've been here by now."
"Maybe she ended up somewhere else? I know we didn't just get teleported here by Willow. Something else happened as soon as she sent us here."
Faith was shaking and Buffy wrapped her arms around her in an attempt to calm her down despite the fact that she was scared and trying to figure out how this was possible and what else had happened in the time they were teleported from Scotland back to Sunnydale.
"Faith, when I got here, the scythe kind of just...disappeared."
"What?"
"I don't know what happened. It was just gone," Buffy said quietly. "Maybe once Giles is here he can help us figure this whole thing out."
"Everyone is coming here, right? I mean that was the plan," Faith said and she shook her head. "First thing I did after I calmed the fuck down was got my ass over here. I couldn't even look at my mother as I walked outta the house. Have you seen your mom yet?"
"No," Buffy said, shaking her head as Faith's hands roamed over her back slowly. "I haven't even heard anyone else in the house since I got here."
"Well, it's early and it's Saturday. Maybe she's still sleeping?"
"How do you-"
"Checked the paper on the front porch before I climbed up here. Get this, it's the beginning of August, B. I wasn't even fucking here the first time around until what, October?"
"At least you're here," Buffy said softly, smiling at her as she leaned in for a soft kiss. "Here with me."
"Alone," Faith grinned, sliding her hands down to Buffy's ass as she pulled her in closer to her. "Haven't been alone since that night."
Buffy laughed, wondering how Faith could think about sex at a time like this. The last two days and unable to be alone had definitely taken a toll on her too and it wasn't hard to just look at Faith and want to sneak off for some sexy, naked time together. Buffy laughed again, earning a curious look from Faith. She shook her head and pulled her in for a deep kiss, just wanting to get lost in Faith even if it was just for a moment. She didn't forget what was waiting there for them; she didn't forget that the First was back and that they'd have to deal with trying defeat it and whatever else came along with it.
"Think we can..." Faith trailed off once she'd pulled back from Buffy's lips.
"I-"
"I want you," she whispered huskily into Buffy's ear as she rolled her hips against Buffy's. "Fuck, I need you, babe."
"We-we can't. Not right now," Buffy said, frowning when Faith let out a sigh that sent shivers through her entire body. "There's too much we don't know."
"Yeah," Faith said, sighing again as she stepped out of their embrace. "Wonder how long it'll take everyone to show up? Maybe they're all too busy freaking out right about now."
Buffy shrugged and sat down on the edge of her bed and buried her face into her hands. It was too much, it felt like too much and she was far too afraid to walk out of her room and face her mother. It'd been over four years since she'd died and she wasn't sure how she'd handle seeing her alive and well again. She felt Faith sit next to her and felt the tears slide out as Faith wrapped her arms around her and just held her.
"B?"
"I'm fine," Buffy said, sniffling as she wiped away her tears quickly. "I'm fine."
"You have to see her," Faith said and she motioned to the door as they both heard the footsteps coming up the stairs. "You need to see her to know that it's real."
"What if I'm not ready to?"
"Don't think you're gonna have a choice," Faith whispered and she moved away from Buffy as the door opened slowly.
"I thought I heard you up, Buffy," Joyce said as she smiled at her. "Faith, what are you doing here so early? I didn't even hear you come in."
"Mornin' Scooby meeting," Faith said easily and smiled right back at her. "Me and B had a few things to discuss about patrol. Nothing big."
"Scooby meeting?" Joyce asked and she laughed as she shook her head. "I guess that means I've got to make everyone a nice big breakfast then, don't I? Faith, I'll make you those pancakes you love so much while I'm at it too."
"Great, I'm starved," Faith laughed and she nudged Buffy in the side. "You hungry, B?"
Buffy nodded, unable to take her eyes off her mother. She was acting like everything was...normal, which felt really strange since she'd never taken a strong liking to Faith before, not the way she was showing now.
"Oh Faith?" Joyce said as she started to walk back out of the bedroom. "You know you don't have to climb in through the window. You're more than welcome to come to the front door. We've been over this before. You know where we keep the spare key."
"Right, sorry. Old habits die hard, right?"
Joyce smiled and left the room, keeping the door ajar a few inches. Buffy shook her head and tried to stand up from the bed, but Faith pulled her back down. Neither could say anything as they just sat there and stared at one another. Buffy wondered what was going through Faith's mind and wondered how she could stay so calm when the situation was causing her to internally freak out.
She had forgotten how Faith looked before. She'd forgotten that softness in her eyes before everything had gone bad. She'd forgotten how Faith used to look at her, especially in the beginning. It made her heart race now seeing those same eyes, so innocent yet so deep, that lingering guilt still there, but the love she knew Faith had for her overtaking everything else in her brown eyes that completely captivated her. She lifted her hand to caress over Faith's cheek, smiling when Faith grinned at her, her dimples on full display.
"What, B?"
"You're beautiful," Buffy whispered. "I never realized-I never saw the way you-"
"You see it now," Faith said before Buffy could finish what she was trying to say. "You see and know now, Buffy, and that's all that matters to me."
"Faith, I-I'm scared," she sighed and she dropped her hand slowly. "I don't know if I can do this again. If this is real, this means I have to go to high school. Again!"
"Is that all you're worried about?" Faith laughed and she pulled Buffy onto her lap, her arms circling her waist. "Look at it this way, B. At least you'll know what to expect. Shit. I wonder if we gotta deal with the Mayor again. I mean we're back here, right? Things have gotta happen the way they did before, right?"
"I don't know."
Buffy was becoming more worried about what would happen, more worried about the timeline of events that would unfold and how much worse things could get with the First being around in supposed full force now. She was worried about Angel, remembering how he'd come back from Hell and the way he'd been-an animal-when he returned. She wasn't looking forward to having to live through that again. It was Angel that had driven her away from Faith, away from her friends. If she had to live through it again, she knew she wasn't going to let the same thing happen twice. She wasn't going to let him come between her and Faith. Not now that they'd found something deep and real within each other.
She felt like what she had with Faith now was the only thing that was going to keep her strong. She felt for the first time since they'd gotten together that Faith was her rock, her tether, keeping her together and making her feel safe. Nobody had ever made her feel that way before.
"What you thinking about?" Faith whispered as she tucked a few strands of hair behind Buffy's ear. "You got that faraway look on your face so that means you're either thinking of lovey-dovey shit or you're thinking about getting naked and sweaty with me."
"You wish," Buffy laughed and she found herself instantly spun around and pinned underneath Faith on the bed. "Faith...stop. Not now."
"Fuck, B. I'm going crazy here. I'd forgotten how it felt."
"How what felt?"
"Having those teenage hormones and urges and unable to control them."
"Faith," Buffy laughed as she pushed her off and sat up. "Just hold it together. We can't. Not now. Not here. We've got far more important things to deal with at the moment like why nobody else is here yet!"
"Can I ask you something?" Faith asked, watching Buffy as she got up from the bed and straightened out her clothes. "You gonna tell your Ma about us? We ain't gonna hide this, are we?" She asked, indicating between them as if Buffy didn't know what she was talking about. "I don't wanna take all these steps back, B."
"I-I don't know. I need some time to figure this out and I need to know what's going on and how all of this happened, how this is possible we went back six years. This isn't possible, Faith. Time travel does not exist. It's not possible. Andrew and Giles figured that out months ago, remember?"
"But Danu was working on a level of magic none of us had ever seen before," Faith pointed out. "And it is possible to be back here where we are now. We're here, aren't we? Unless we died when Willow sent us here and this is some kind of really fucked up version of heaven."
"I feel very alive," Buffy said absent-mindedly and she jumped when she heard the doorbell ring downstairs. "I really hope that's them."
"Let's go find out."
They all sat around the dining room table while Joyce stayed in the kitchen cooking breakfast for everyone. Faith knew something was bothering Buffy, something more than just being back to where they were now. Nobody had said much since they arrived at the front door and noticeably missing was Dawn. Giles told them quietly not to discuss anything in front of Joyce and Faith was just itching to find out what he knew. She knew Giles knew something they didn't. It was too evident in the way he kept looking around at them all.
"Anyone else find this weird?" Xander asked quietly. "I mean, we're back in our awkward teenage bodies, not that I'm complaining," he said as he pointed to his left eye. "It's good to have good ol' lefty back."
"Xander, we'll discuss this afterwards," Giles said firmly. "I'm still trying to come to the conclusion of how this is all possible."
"You mean you don't know?" Buffy asked and she reached under the table for Faith's hand. "How can you not know what's going on right now, Giles?"
"There are several theories, but nothing I can confirm at this moment. I need you all to stay calm and only when we're alone will we talk about this. We cannot allow anyone else, especially not Buffy's mother, to know what is going on. From the looks of things, she has no idea anything is any different from how she knows it as and we must keep it that way for as long as possible until we know for certain what just has happened here."
Faith already had her own theories but knew better than to voice them at the moment. Her thoughts were threatening to consume her, but the way Buffy was stroking her thumb against hers kept her grounded, kept her from falling away to those thoughts. Buffy was keeping her strong, keeping her grounded, and that lingering feeling she was making Buffy feel the same way made her heart feel full-too full, it was almost painful with every solid beat her heart made. And her mind was reeling over the same question she knew everyone else was thinking at that moment.
Where was Dawn?
Not even Joyce had mentioned Dawn or where she was and that got the wheels turning in her head even more so than they already were. What had happened to Dawn when Willow teleported them all back to Sunnydale? Did Dawn end up somewhere else while the others all were magically transported back into their seventeen year old bodies? Too many questions and zero answers were making Faith's head hurt and she let go of Buffy's hand as she stood up from the table. She needed out. She needed air and a cigarette.
"Faith, don't go," Buffy whispered to her as she reached out and grabbed onto her hand. "Stay."
"I need to get outta here, B."
"Stay," she repeated, pouting when Faith jerked her hand away. "Please?"
"I just need to-I need to get outta here for a minute," she muttered and she headed for the front door, ignoring Joyce as she called out to her that her pancakes were almost done.
Her hands were shaking as she dug out the worn pack of Lucky Strikes from her pocket and fumbled with the lighter, trying to light it. She wasn't sure if it was the surge of hormones she'd been feeling since she got there, but every inch of her wanted to take off running and never look back and she was finding it hard enough as it was to keep from doing just that. She couldn't take off and leave Buffy alone to deal with whatever was there waiting for them. She couldn't just leave Buffy after they'd come so far together.
Feeling torn between crying and screaming out in frustration, she sat down on the front steps with her unlit cigarette dangling between her lips. She managed to get her shakes under control just long enough to light the cigarette and she inhaled deeply, feeling the calm take over her that only nicotine could give her.
The laughter she could hear coming from inside made her feel uneasy. This wasn't normal. This wasn't how it used to be. She was never a part of them the way it seemed like she was now. She tensed when the front door opened, unable to relax when she felt Buffy sit down on the step next to her. Buffy grabbed the cigarette from her and took a drag, sighing heavily as she handed it back and laid her head on her shoulder.
"I'm glad you stayed," Buffy whispered as she reached for Faith's hand. "Come back inside?"
"In a minute, B. Just trying to get some shit sorted in my head."
"We're going to Giles' apartment after we eat. We're gonna figure everything out."
"I know," Faith sighed. "We always figure it out one way or another, don't we? Is it just me or do you think Giles knows more than he's letting on?"
"I'm getting the same feeling. Also getting a little worried about Dawnie. What if something happened to her, Faith?"
Faith squeezed her hand, not wanting to even begin to think of the possibilities of what could've happened to Dawn or where she could be. "Nothing happened, B," she said, forcing a smile. "I'm sure she just got sent somewhere else by accident."
"No," Buffy said under her breath. "I think I know what happened and why Mom hasn't mentioned her once. She never existed at this point, at least not here. Faith, she doesn't exist."
"I'm sure she's fine, B."
"No," Buffy said again and her eyes welled up with tears. "It makes sense now. Really, it does. We got thrust back here to a time when Dawn never existed so why would she be here with us now."
"I dunno. I'm sure Giles will help us figure shit out. So things are more than just fucked up right now. We'll get through it, babe. We can get through anything, right?"
Faith's own words surprised her, but they were true and she knew they'd get through just about anything that life threw their way. She'd been through a lot in her own life that made her strong enough to deal with just about anything that happened to her and with love on her side, as cheesy as it sounded in her head, she had no doubt she'd be strong enough to stand by Buffy's side until the situation with the First was dealt with.
She'd always been strong enough to stand at Buffy's side and it wasn't until she'd held the line before the Hellmouth and the rest of Sunnydale had collapsed did she realize that. They both turned to look down the front walkway when they heard the heavy footsteps quickly approaching them. She felt Buffy squeeze her hand hard, so hard she felt like the bones in her hand would break.
"Angel?"
There Angel stood just a foot in front of them now. Angel. In full sunlight and he wasn't on fire and Faith couldn't even feel the normal vamp vibes she always felt, especially around him. Buffy let go of her hand, but didn't move. She just stared up at Angel with her mouth open in shock. And the only thing Faith had running through her mind was:
What the fuck?