The F in Pike Chapter 9
An old friend in an alley
It's Pike... it's really him.
Eventually, we step back from the hug and I feel this slightly happy but uncomfortable feeling going through me.
I... I haven't seen him in... I don't know how long.
"Hey..."
My voice makes him smile this honest smile that's kind of comforting.
"Buffy..."
Pike looks me up and down in this way that somehow doesn't make me feel like he's checking me out but doesn't bother me either.
"You look good."
I smile at what he says and shift my weight on the balls of my feet. After a second or two, I look at him.
"You too..."
He grins in this non-male chauvinist overconfident way.
He's here. Like, actually here in front of me for the first time in forever. It's kind of this surreal blast from the past that I'm not really sure how to react to.
I watch him for what feels like a few minutes in silence because I'm not really sure where or how to start a conversation with him. Faith manages to take care of that fairly quickly though.
"So..."
Oh... right, Faith is here.
Turning slightly so I can look between Faith and Pike fairly quickly, I turn one hand towards Faith.
"Faith, this is Pike."
I switch to turn a hand to Pike.
"Pike... this is my friend Faith."
They look at each other with a bit of a smile and then Pike extends a hand for a handshake. Faith takes his hand in greeting.
"Nice to meet you..."
Pike pulls her hand up and kisses the back of her hand the way that an old time-y British person like Giles would when meeting someone.
"The pleasure is all mine."
For some reason, the slight grin on Faith's face as Pike lets go of her hand and smiles bothers me.
"Faith... Pike is... well..."
What exactly should I say he is? I've never really been sure. We were kinda friends for a while but he wanted more and I wasn't all that interested. Plus, we haven't really spoken in like 9 years or something.
Thankfully, Pike interjects during my pause.
"We're old friends."
I guess that works.
"Yeah, Pike and I are old friends."
Faith kinda looks Pike over and something about the way she does it bothers me.
"Old friends eh? How old exactly? Because, you know, I've known B for a few years now and I've only ever met one guy named after a phallic object in her life."
I look at Faith, slightly annoyed at what she just said.
"Really?"
"What?"
Faith and I stare at each other for a few seconds and despite being annoyed with her, I'm enjoying this sudden playful attitude of hers.
At least she's not angry or brooding. I guess I can deal with a little verbal jabbing if it lets her move forward.
"Only one eh? What was his name?"
"Um..."
"Spike..."
I shift my weight uncomfortably at Faith's mention of his name.
I may be pretty much over him, but I still don't like how we left things. Maybe I should find some time to call him at Wolfram and Hart and work things out.
"Spike? Really?"
Pike looks at me with a somewhat strange but amused look on his face.
"Yeah, I'd rather not talk about it."
He turns back to Faith, looking at her in a way that makes me more uncomfortable then talking about Spike and I'm not really sure why.
"So she hasn't mentioned me at all?"
Faith shrugs with a bit of a grin and I just have to jump in at that point.
"Uh, yeah, but the reason I didn't is because we were enemies for like, 5 of the like... 10 years we've known each other? And only really friends for the past 2 or so. Besides, talking has never really been our thing, has it Faith?"
She looks at me and chuckles.
"I guess."
I turn to Faith.
"Pike and I knew each other before Sunnydale, when I lived in L.A. after I first learned I was a slayer. We spent a lot of time together, as partners."
Faith grins.
"So you were groin buddies?"
I shove her half-playfully, half out of annoyance.
"No, not like that Faith."
Pike shifts slightly at Faith's suggestion and I feel a little twinge of pride at the thought of what that might mean. He interjects.
"We fought vampires together in L.A. Made a pretty good team of it too if I remember."
I smile at him when he looks at me.
"Yeah..."
Faith looks at both of us, slightly confused.
"So what happened? Where'd the history of you two become finite?"
"Finite? Really Faith?"
"What? I expand my vocabulary from time to time."
Rolling my eyes at her, I let out a bit of a sigh.
"We ran into some trouble on a trip to Vegas and things got dicey. We kinda... parted ways after that."
I shift uncomfortably for a few moments of silence, feeling kinda guilty.
"Yeah, about that Pike..."
He holds up his hands.
"It's cool. I understand. Fifteen years is a long time to deal with things Buff. Let's just call the past, the past and leave it there."
The way what he says comes off as final kinda bothers me but I try not to show it.
"Sure..."
Pike takes hold of a strap around his shoulder and adjusts it to where a pouch that looks not unlike a stake is centered on his chest. He puts his stake into the pouch and secures it.
"How about we take this conversation to a less dark alley type location?"
Faith seems a little too eager at the question and throws her thumb back to the door we came through from the bar.
"We were actually just having a drink when we caught wind of the vamps. Wanna join us?"
He seems a little more eager then I'm comfortable with to answer.
"I could go for a drink."
Faith turns to me somewhat eagerly and it bothers me.
"B?"
Despite myself and how completely awkward this is going to be, I smile.
"That'd be nice."
She glances back at the door we came into the alley from and then turns back.
"Damn, looks like the door's one way. Let's go through the front."
She steps forward towards him and then stops when he doesn't move right away.
"Oh, sorry..."
They smile at each other for a second and I really wish they hadn't. Pike moves out of the way so Faith can get by and she goes, then he motions for me to go, so I do.
I'm not sure I like where this is going.
End of Chapter 9
