Important: For those of you interested, I have drawn up the floor plans of the mansion for this story. To see them and grasp the character's movements through the mansion better, check my profile where there is a separate link for each of the three floors and the basement.
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"So where would you like to start? The house or the backyard?" Xander stuffed his hand in his front pockets, a small grin on his face.
"How about the house? I mean, I'll probably be spending more time in here anyway," Faith shrugged.
"You say that now," Xander's grin widened, "Don't ask. You'll see what I mean. Come on; let's start with the top floor."
As they left Willow's study and moved up the stairs, Faith thought about what he said, but shook it off, "Don't you guys all live up there?"
"Yup."
"Then why show me?"
"Grand tour my dear. Everyone sees the whole house at least once. How often everyone comes all the way up here depends on several things," Xander explained.
"On what?" Faith turned to look at Xander as thy came to the top floor, it seems the same so, whoa…that is one fucking big room. Faith stared into the first room on her left, the door wide open, a TV playing quietly inside. "Fuck that's huge."
"Yeah, that's Willow and Kennedy's. They are the only other bedroom with a personal bathroom," Xander smiled, "In fact; I installed and re-mastered all the bathrooms in this entire house."
"Other? Who else has a private bathroom? Fuck," Faith shook her head, peeking into the room just a little more, seeing a door to the right open slightly, the visible white floor tiles leading Faith to figure that was the bathroom.
"Uhh, Buffy, actually. She has the master bedroom," Xander motioned for Faith to follow him down to the end before saying who had which room.
Once they had reached the end, Xander leaned against the wall next to the set of double doors that effectively ended the hall. Hooking a thumb over his shoulder, Xander spoke, "This is the master bedroom, Buffy's room. It has a private bathroom as well as the only private deck. Now, this first door on your right is my room, c'mon in."
Faith followed Xander into his room, her mouth opening slightly as the spaciousness of the room.
"This isn't the master suite? Wow," Faith continued looking around before her eyes landed on a pair of women's panties and a bra folded on the top of Xander's dresser, "Xander? Is there something I should know?"
Xander chuckled at Faith, "No, nothing bad, it's my girlfriend's." Girlfriend? And here I thought he'd never get over Anya. "She's a slayer; she's with her family for the week for her sister's birthday."
"What's her name? Or better yet, how'd you meet?"
"I don't think you ever asked this many personal questions ever before," Xander laughed, but continued before Faith could respond, "Her name is Sandra. We met at the Watcher's Council in England. She had arrived not ten minutes after we had this one time and came barging in, demanding to speak to whoever was in charge," Faith's eyebrows rose slightly, "Giles stepped forward and asked her what was wrong, and she said that she had just watched her husband get killed by a group of vampires and asked why the hell the general public wasn't being made aware of the existence of vampires and demons."
Faith smirked; I could see that going over well with the police force. Carry both a pistol and a stake, garlic spray and pepper spray, oh that would get bulky. Not that the cops would look much bigger than they already do…
"And you know how Giles tries to be, all calm and very careful with his word choice. He tried to explain that if everyone knew, people would be terrified of the dark, and they shouldn't be. They should just be cautious. Well, Sandra basically yelled 'bollocks' right into his face and turned to walk out, but I grabbed her sleeve to stop her because we need all the help we can get," Faith smirked, "She spun and slammed me across the room into the wall. I blacked out, but when I came too, Buffy was sitting down at a table wit her, and was calmly talking to her."
"So she was won over by B instead of Giles? Wow, points to her," Faith smiled, "So you two hit it off?"
"As friends for a long time, like two years. She was trying to get over her husband, and I had lost Anya…It wasn't easy for either of us," Faith nodded and put her hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly, "But yeah, we eventually hit it off, and now, here we are, or I am, seeing as she isn't here right now."
"That's great Xander, really, I'm glad you've found someone after everything," Faith smiled softly.
Xander sighed, nodding his head, "So, shall we continue?"
Walking out into the hallway again, they walked back towards the stairs.
"This door on your left is Andrew's, then on the right comes the main bathroom. With the huge communal bathrooms on the second floor and the half-bath on the first floor, privacy can be lacking, so anyone can use this bathroom. Unfortunately, any guys in this place are limited to the top and bottom floor bathrooms because the communal ones are for the slayers, but you don't need to worry about that. Next on the left is Giles' room when he's around, and Dawn's is across from that. She has the best closet, as she asked me to fix hers and make it a walk-in closet."
"Damn. I bet Buffy wishes she had one," Faith laughed.
"Well, they share clothes once in a while, but Buffy is happier about her own bathroom. Anyway, you saw Willow and Kennedy's so that brings us to a close with the top floor. Down to the second."
Faith followed Xander down to the second floor, and stopped when he stopped in front of the communal bathroom entrance next to her room.
"Okay, this floor is easy, no walking. Each end of the hall has a communal bathroom and showers. There are six bedrooms that have two slayers residing in each, and you have the only extra bedroom, which is a single, used mostly for any guests or extra slayers. Next floor?"
Faith nodded and moved back to the stairs, this time in the front. When the came down to the main floor, Xander led then to the left over to where Willow's study was, and started walking down the hall.
"Now, Andrew has his study right next to Willow's and even has an adjoining door to hers for easy access when they are researching. You've seen the kitchen, the dining room and the living room, so all that is left is the half-bath at the far end here, and the little joy of ours, the stairs to the cellar in the dining room." Xander smiled, as if he had a secret that Faith would like to know.
As Faith followed Xander back into the dining room, she noticed a door in the corner she hadn't seen before, "Joy, what little joy?"
"Oh, you'll like it down here. C'mon," Xander walked down to the bottom of the stairs where they emptied out to either side of the cellar and walked to the left, "Okay, through these doors is what we have nicknamed the Trauma Ward. It's basically where anyone who is injured out slaying or training can come here to get fixed up."
"Cool," Faith peaked through the door, staring at the amount of medical supplies, "How did you…"
"We have a few slayers that are also doctors; they helped us out in the supplying department. So, down here is Willow's magicks stuff; it's basically where all her supplies for anything are kept under lock and key. Then we have my workshop," Xander pushed open the door he pointed to as he slowly circled the basement with Faith, "You break anything, tell me. I'll take care of it."
Faith nodded, impressed with the expanse of tools. As she watched Xander continue to the last door, she wondered what the smile on his face was about.
"And here, is the best part of the whole place," Xander shoved open the double doors, Faith right behind him, her mouth dropping open. Holy shit. This place is huge.
Xander smiled at Faith's reaction to the sight before her, "Welcome to the Pit."
"You call this a pit? I call it a fucking shrine to all training rooms around the world. Damn."
Xander chuckled, "No, we call it the Pit because it has a sunken sparring area over there, but yeah, it is a training room."
"I think you'd be wrong that I would rather be outside than inside. This place is wicked."
"Oh, we have the same thing in the barn out back," Xander shrugged, watching Faith's head swivel to look at him.
"Another one? Why would you need two?"
"Shits and giggles?" Xander shrugged, then became serious at the expression on Faith's face, "No, it's for the serious sparring, when Buffy has the slayers do their hard-core training that might be just a bit too loud for the neighbors. It's a just-in-case room. Buffy doesn't want to draw any unwanted attention to the real goings-on here. The young slayers already have to cover up what this place is really for when they are at school; we don't want to put any other pressure on them. Come on; let's go outside, there are still a few more things to see."
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Faith stood next to Xander looking out towards the barn from the edge of the grass by the woods to the side of the house. They were at the entrance of a trail, that much was evident, but a trail to where?
"Okay, we own ten acres of land here. Seven of which are woods, and we're leaving it like that. Starting here is a trail that winds through the woods. Part of it is an obstacle course, part is just a trail. This entire yard is surrounded by woods for privacy and about six different protection spells that warn us of any supernatural attacks. The trail is almost two miles long, and it is used for training. Kennedy named it the Gauntlet just to scare the younger slayers," As Xander spoke, they walked along the edge of the woods, just skirting the edge, before finally coming upon a large barn set at the back of the cleared land. Xander opened one of the heavy wooden doors and allowed Faith to go in first before following her in and flicking a switch to the right on the wall, "Here is the second training room. Off to your right is a small medical area for any relatively minor injuries sustained while in here. Same set up, but no lifting equipment and more weapons. Also, in the back, through those far doors is a meditation room. Buffy and Willow are both known to frequent it. And that seems to be the end of our little tour."
Faith nodded and followed Xander out as they walked back towards the house. Upon entering, Fait excused herself to use the training room for a little while. Once she was down there, Faith fell into her Tai Chi exercises that Angel had taught her via sending books to her in prison about it. As she moved, Faith allowed her brain to settle and relaxed. Before arriving back in the states, Faith had been in Laos and before that, Taipei. However, in Laos, she had run into someone, literally, who had said something to her that she never forgot, "Slow down and keep your eyes focused or you will make it through this street as you will make it through life." Now, at that exact moment, Faith was running after a demon gang and what the women had said didn't sink in, but later, when she was showering off the nights' battles, she remembered.
That sentence had changed how she viewed both slaying and living. She no longer thought of slaying in terms of "I win, you lose" but rather to focus on the battle and not the outcome. That sentence also made her think of her life. Sure redemption was her lifestyle of choice, but that lifestyle, at that moment, changed her completely, instead of just in helping people. She no longer looked for the one night stand. She hadn't for a long time, but she didn't think about it until that moment, and it wasn't until that moment that she understood why. Buffy. The moment she had taken the blonde in fully-after staking that pesky vampire of course- that woman had changed her world. Not in the sexual way one might think, no, it was more of an "I'm no longer alone" kind of way. Sexual came later.
Much, much later. Try about five years, one prison sentence, and apparently five official averted apocalypses. Now, with only a flight of stairs and a shit load of wood separating them, Faith didn't know how long she could keep herself closed off. Emotions were a tricky thing she had learned, and Buffy didn't seem to keen on talking about their true problems from four years ago. She would focus on their "friendship" or Faith's nocturnal departure, but not on the possible reasons for her leaving, especially if it could lead back to Buffy herself. Faith knew it wasn't because Buffy couldn't accept the blame that she drove Faith away, because she knew she could, she could see it in her eyes. No, it was because Buffy still hadn't comes to terms with what they had done, as if the very idea of it was too hard for her to wrap her head around. As if.
It was along this train of thought that Faith remembered suddenly what she had wanted to talk to Buffy about earlier this morning before Kennedy had wanted to talk with her. Finishing up her exercises, sweat lightly coating her skin, Faith suddenly could feel Buffy's presence much more strongly than before. Fuck I was thinking too much to notice. Oh hell, a bomb could've gone off and I wouldn't have noticed. Faith turned, her breathing normalizing and saw Buffy leaning against the wall next to the entrance to the training room, her arms crossed under her chest, watching Faith silently. Faith walked towards her, the forgotten question on her mind.
"Hey B, enjoying the show?" The cocky grin was in place, shielding all honest emotions.
Buffy grinned and shook her head, sighing; "Only you would say that, Faith, only you."
Faith decided to let her off for the moment and got straight to the point, "Hey, I have a question for you," Faith waited, and upon seeing Buffy nod for her to continue, she took a breath and plunged forward, "Can I stay here? Like, could this be my home? I mean, I know I've left you guys, and I don't have a great track record with you, but I don't need to go see the world anymore. I'm all set, and I want to, I mean I would like to be able to settle. I've never really had that, mostly because I don't count my mother, when she was alive, as family, and I would like one, and I think this place could provide that, even without blood relations. So, do you think you have room for one ex-con slayer?" Faith smiled shakily, knowing how far out on a limb she was, but hoped for the best.
Buffy swallowed, various emotions shifting across her features, "Faith," Buffy stopped, surprised at the dark slayer's admission, "We've…I've always kept a spare room for you. Just in case you ever came back. If you want it, it's yours."
"That's not what I asked, B. I asked you, if it would be all right if I lived here. Not because I wanted to, but because you want me to," Faith knew she was pushing, but she needed Buffy to say it, even if it wasn't exactly the way she wanted it.
Buffy sighed, before meeting Faith's gaze, "I would like you to stay with us Faith, because we need you." We – nice touch.
Faith cocked her head to one side, a smirk twisting half her mouth up and moved into Buffy's personal space. Just close enough to feel the small slayer's hot breath on her damp collarbone when she opened her mouth to breathe.
"We, B? Or you?" The question was asked in a deep, husky voice, and Buffy swallowed audibly before opening her mouth to breathe again, her gaze dipping to Faith's lips before flicking back up to her brown eyes. Gotcha.
"I don't… know what you mean," Buffy stammered, her chest rising and falling a bit quicker. Anticipating something Blondie?
"Mmm," Faith ticked her gaze down to Buffy's lips, and while looking at them, spoke, "I think you do," Faith's eyes flicked to Buffy's, "And when you admit that to yourself, come find me," Faith smirked again and pulled away, moving past Buffy to the doors and leaving the smaller slayer alone in the training room.
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After Faith showered, she wandered downstairs, not quite sure what she was looking for. Upon hearing familiar voices coming from Andrew's office, Faith peeked in, seeing Andrew and Dawn in the middle of a conversation- apparently about her.
"Do you think they'll get along?" Dawn asked from her position on the couch.
Andrew shrugged and leaned back further in the chair opposite Dawn, "I don't know. You know their history far better and more personally than I do. From what I've been told, they never had the greatest track record…" Andrew trailed off.
Dawn shook her head, "No, not until the last few months before she left. They were getting along great. There was definitely something else going on though."
"URST," Andrew stated.
"What the fuck is that? You know I don't speak geek as well as you," Dawn quirked an eyebrow, a smile appearing suddenly.
"You ever hear of fan fiction?" Dawn nodded, "It's a shorthand term meaning 'unresolved sexual tension'. They totally had that."
"Fuck," Dawn shook her head.
Faith decided it was her cue to enter, "No, we never did that Dawnie."
Both Dawn and Andrew jumped at Faith's sudden appearance, and Faith walked into the room fully, shutting the door behind her as she went.
"How long-" Dawn began.
"Long enough," Faith cut her off, her eyes traveling between the two.
Andrew shifted nervously and suddenly jerked up, pulling a cell phone out of his pants pocket. His face softened upon looking at the phone, and looked to the two women, "I'm sorry, it's Dan, could you guys give me some privacy?"
Dawn smiled and stood, motioning Faith to follow her out. Dawn brought Faith up to the third floor and into her room where she shut her door and motioned Faith, who was currently staring at the entertainment system, to take a seat in the desk chair. Faith sat down, watching Dawn pull off her shoes and sit on her bed.
"So, who's Dan?" Faith asked, her mind momentarily sidetracked by the reason they were now up here.
Dawn smiled, "Andrew's boyfriend. They met at a club. Oddly enough, one of Dan's sisters is a slayer, so it wasn't hard for him to grasp our lifestyle."
"Boyfriend?" Faith was stuck on that though, the last time she saw him he was straight, "When did he come out?"
Dawn thought for a moment, "Almost three years ago. We went clubbing one night, and Kennedy dragged us to a gay club. After the shock wore off, we had a ton of fun, Andrew more than the rest of us."
Faith smiled, then thought back to the grand meeting they had earlier, "How come he sat next to Willow earlier? I would think that you would if anyone."
"Oh, yeah. Usually when we do large brainstorming it's the three of us, but Andrew is a full Watcher, so he and Willow work together a lot on research," Dawn shifted when she finished, getting more comfortable, "I thought you were more of an observer? I never took you for making inquiries."
Faith smiled at that and shook her head, "Sometimes I like to know what the sitch is without guessing. Plus, how would I know about Dan if I didn't ask?" Dawn nodded in agreement, "So what about you?"
"Me?" Dawn straightened up, "Well, I'm a sophomore at Cleveland State, majoring in Classics. I'm also a watcher in training, and my boyfriend works with Giles on the Watcher's Council."
"Boyfriend eh? Nice. So who is the lucky boy?" Faith grinned.
"His name is Peter, he's 23. We met at the funeral that was held for the original men and women on the Watcher's Council before Caleb blew them all up four years ago. His father was one of the watcher's killed," Dawn trailed off, her eyes drifting away from Faith.
"I'm sorry," Faith swallowed, then decided to try a different tack, "Is there anything you would like to ask me?"
"I thought you were all avoidy of personal questions? I mean, you totally brushed off Willow today, which equals- in this place at least- you won't talk to anyone," Dawn knitted her brows together in confusion.
"Not in front of everyone I don't. I talk in one-on-ones, that way; people can't gang up on me. It's just a precaution that I've lived for too long to stop using now," Faith explained.
"Gotcha. Okay, I guess the most important question I have is if you're planning on staying now. As in not peacing in the middle of the night," Dawn looked Faith straight in the eye.
That is your most important question? Huh, and here I thought you'd be yet another person, desiring to know what made me leave. Faith nodded, "Yeah, I'm staying," Faith paused, "I'm surprised that was your first question."
"I know why you left," Dawn stated with a shrug, as if reading Faith's thoughts.
"But, just downstairs, it seemed as if Andrew knew more than you," Faith cocked her head to one side.
"Oh, I just wanted to see how good his powers of observation could be," Dawn shrugged, "No, I knew. Buffy never told me, not specifically at least, but she alluded to something physical going on between you two that didn't involve fighting. I think she was more afraid of the fact that it was you than the fact that it was woman, and that is why she's all sketchy right now."
"And here I thought only Willow noticed that besides me," Faith laughed surprised at Dawn's revelation.
"You think you have to a slayer or a witch to notice Buffy's attitude today? I was talking with both Xander and Andrew about it. We all pick up on shit like that, no ones thinks we do though. Normal people have the ability to read others as well." Dawn shook her head.
"Sorry Dawn. Anything else you wanna know?" Faith switched topics.
"Mmm, no not right now. Maybe later when I can think of something," Dawn smiled and stood.
Faith stood as well, "Ai'ight, thanks Dawn, you've turned out to be pretty good. You're lucky," Faith sighed and moved past the younger brunette.
"I'd like to thank Buffy for that," Dawn called out as Faith reached the door.
Faith turned her head to look back at Dawn, "So would I."
