Episode 6.10
Turning Over a New Slayer
By Karen

Gunn walked down the street. He had told Spike he had something to do, but the truth was, he just had to get out of there. The girls were driving him crazy, Briana's talking, Sarah's bossiness, Jade's melancholy.

Because they remind you of the sister you lost.

That wasn't true at all, they weren't anything like his sister. She was sweet, and innocent, and caring. She was nothing like them.

No, Jade is more like you, grieving over a sibling she was supposed to protect, just like it was your job to protect Alonna.

How long has it been since you last thought about your dear sister? What about the people you called friends for years? Do you wonder what they're doing now that the city has fallen down around their ears?

They were probably having the times of their lives. If they were alive, that was.

He found himself in the park where he had carved Alonna's name into a tree, because she would never get a gravestone. He found the tree quickly and ran his fingers along the grooves, quickly whipping out his pocketknife to reopen the scars on the tree, to make her name more permanent.

After gazing at the name a bit more, he turned and went back to Hotel Hell. Walking back through the streets, he watched as people sifted through the remains of homes and businesses. It had been over a month since the night they had all died, and those that had fled that horrendous night were slowly trickling back into the dead city, slowly picking up the pieces of their lives.

Coming through the door, he found Angel and Spike fighting.

"What's going on here? What'd I miss?" he asked.

Angel and Spike looked at him, before glaring at the other vampire, "He started it!" they said as one. "No I didn't, you did!"

"I'm not sure how we got here, but it's making me kinda hot, so they can continue whenever they like," Faith said with a sly grin.

"It's good to see you back," Angel said, but not asking the questions he wanted to, not wanting to pry.

"I just went for a bit of a walk, to clear my head is all," he told them, "Had to do some thinkin'."

"Well, it's been a long night, so if no one else minds, I'll be upstairs getting some shut eye," Faith said, before quickly going upstairs to her room. Spike, the one standing closest to her, looked at her strangely as she retreated.

"Hello?" she said, after closing her door, locking it against intruders.

"Long time no hear, Faith. I supposed you haven't forgotten about our little deal?"

"No, I haven't."

"Just checking." The phone went dead.

"Who was that, luv?" the voice made her jump, and she looked over at Spike, who had come in through the door connecting their rooms.

"No one, wrong number," she said, stuffing the phone into her pocket where it had come from just moments before. "Why did you follow me?"

"Thought I heard something funny, decided to check it out," he said, walking farther into the room. She swallowed slightly, wondering just how he had heard it if she had had it on vibrate, dreading such a call. "So, haven't heard you crying for awhile, did those nightmares finally leave you be?"

She looked at him, confused, before she remembered, "Nah, just got used to 'em, is all," she said, trying to be flip, trying to brush him off.

"Faith, you don't have to pretend with me," he told her softly, moving to stand directly behind her, "I had thought we'd gotten past that point."

"What point?" she asked, turning to him, stepping back, not realizing he was so close to her. She hadn't given herself a chance to go over the things she was feeling, not so much because she hadn't had the time, but because she didn't want to.

"I don't know," he said frustrated, before quickly putting a hand to her cheek and kissing her. She was startled, and then she returned his kiss, knowing more than anything that it was something she really wanted to do. They stumbled around, clinging to each other, before the back of her knees hit the bed, and she fell backwards onto it, pulling him with her.

He lay on top of her, his body pressed against hers, his lips against hers. Then he pulled away. She saw something in his eyes as he stared down at her a moment, before he quickly pushed away from her. She sat up, staring after him as he rushed from the room, confused. What was that about? It had felt right to her, so right it scared her. But was the feeling only on her side? Did she truly have feelings for one of the things she was supposed to fight?

She sighed. She knew he was good, he had a soul or a chip or whatever he had now, but that didn't change what he was, what he had been. Why was it that she felt differently about Spike than she did Angel? Why did she trust Angel, even though personalities and looks aside, they were the same thing? Both were contradictions, and yet she trusted the vampire she knew to have been more violent.

Maybe it was the trip through his past, seeing the worst side of someone generally brought about empathy, even if she wasn't one for empathizing. Maybe that was why she trusted Angel so much more than she trusted Spike, because she had walked in Angel's shoes, while she knew next to nothing about Spike.

But it wasn't like she wanted to. She did want to know things about him, she just didn't know the best way of going about finding stuff out. It wasn't like a background check had been required in the past to get into her pants.

Would it be better to go about finding information by simply asking Spike, or going behind his back, to Angel, or even Willow or Buffy or Giles, calling them for information?

She decided that the best thing to do was be open with Spike, to ask him and let him tell what he wanted. And if she wasn't satisfied, then she'd go to Willow or Giles.

She stood, happy that she now had a plan of attack. She was always better when she knew what she was going to do. She went to the adjoining door, and after trying the knob and finding it locked, she was about to knock when she heard his voice. Quietly, she pressed her ear to the door and listened, before she had heard enough. Quickly she grabbed her coat and wallet and stormed out of the room, closing the door with more force than necessary on the way out.

---

Back in his own room, Spike quickly locked the door adjoining their rooms. He leaned against the door, shaken and confused. Confused about the things he felt, things that he shouldn't feel.

He sat down on his bed and put his head in his hands, trying to think. Things just didn't add up. How could he have dedicated his life to Buffy for four years of his un-life, sworn up and down that she was the one for him, that he loved her more than he had ever loved anything ever, only to feel something for someone else?

It was the distance, he decided. He hadn't seen Buffy in over a year. He hadn't even talked to her in over a year, not since she had told him…

He had to know. He had made some flip comment, telling her that she didn't feel anything, but he could have been wrong, right? What if she really did feel something for him? What if she chose him over Angel?

He scoffed, like that would ever happen.

But there was a slight chance. Nothing was impossible, after all. He had to know, once and for all what she felt for him, whether he was just a good thing during a bad time, or if she really did care about him as she had proclaimed.

After sitting there for only God knows how long, he went to the main door to his room and locked that one as well, before sitting on his bed, staring at the newly installed and activated telephone. It was the only way he could ever know. After a moment, he picked up the headset and quickly dialed the number he had memorized.

"Hello?" her voice came over the phone, and he couldn't help but smile.

"Hey, pet," he said into the phone.

"Spike. Long time no hear," she said, her tone unreadable. He couldn't tell if she was annoyed that he had called, or pleased to hear from him.

"I'm not one much for the phone, so I'll cut right to the chase. When you said you loved me, back in Sunnydale, I know I gave you a flip response, but did you mean it?" he asked.

He heard her sigh, and knew the answer, "I'm sorry, Spike. I just thought it was what you needed to hear. I-If I had known you would be back within a few months, I probably wouldn't have said it. I feel guilty about leading you on," she explained softly, her voice music to his ears.

"That's okay, luv," he told her as the wheels in his mind began turning, half formed thoughts and ideas.

"What's this all about?" she asked.

"Nothing, just covering my bases. I had planned on visitin' you last year, before all this happened, but…"

"I never thought you to be the type to jump on the Angel wagon," she said, and he could hear her smile through the phone.

"Me neither, pet. And I'm sorry about, you know, not telling you that I was back. I was gonna, but didn't know quite how to phrase it. Then thought about just showing up, but didn't know how you'd take that either, if you'd kill me or not. So I stayed put."

"It's okay, I forgive you."

"Oh, by the way, luv, he thinks about you all the time," he said, a smile forming on his lips as he said the words. He realized that it had been nothing but lust he had felt for her, wanting to feel what Angel had felt, why Angel would dump his family for a petite stick set on killing them. Now he knew. He also knew that the only relationship that would ever work out between them was friendship.

And more than anything, he wanted her to be happy.

"What? Who?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.

"Not like he says anything, but I can tell, you know? He just gets this look on his face, and it's clear as day he's thinking about you. I'd even take a guess and say he still loves you, pet," he said with a smile on his face, "Well, I'll let you get back on with your day, if you need someone to talk to, just give me a ring," he gave her his number, then said, "Goodbye Buffy," and hung up, without giving her a chance to answer.

He took a moment to put his thoughts into order, then unlocked the door to Faith's room, knocking slightly before pushing the door open. "Faith?" he called, looking around, only to find the room empty. Entering the room, he checked the bathroom, but she wasn't there. Leaving the conjoining door ajar, he exited the room through her door, and headed down into the lobby, where he found Jade and Briana sitting on opposite sides of the slightly damaged round couch, reading.

"Have you two seen Faith?" he asked, heading towards the office, though he knew her scent was old.

"Yeah, she stormed out about half an hour ago," Jade told him.

"I think she was headed towards the bar that recently reopened on North Grand Avenue," Angel said, coming out of his office. He crossed his arms across his chest. He had only caught a glimpse of the slayer as she had rushed out, but she looked a mix between hurt and pissed.

"Thanks," Spike said, heading towards the door, "Oh, uh, don't be surprised if you get a call from a hot blonde," he said, before leaving. Angel stared after him, just a bit confused.

---

He ran most of the way to the bar, a seedy joint that most respectable people wouldn't enter, but that didn't really matter if it was the only joint in the city that had decent beer for decent prices.

He pushed open the door and entered the underground facility, and his eyes instantly found Faith. She was sitting on a stool at the bar, nursing a drink. He sighed in relief at having found her, before sidling over, sitting next to her and motioning for a beer for himself.

"Go away," she said, downing the shot in front of her with a flick of her wrist, setting the glass down and pouring herself some more whiskey from the bottle on the bar in front of her.

"Didn't figure you one for the whiskey, luv," he said, snapping the cap off the beer set before him.

"That's me, a whiskey girl, need some thing with a little more pain, little ragged 'round the edges." She threw back another shot, before looking over at him, "Sorry, my roomie had a thing for Toby Kieth," she said without humor.

"Good thing I like it rough," he said with a wink in her direction, "So, what's the occasion?" he asked, nodding towards the shot she was pouring.

She turned to look at him, incredulous, "I heard you! On the phone, with B, asking if she still loved you! You string me along, get me to start thinking that you just might last longer than a one night roll, and then you cast me aside!" she yelled at him, "I heard you call her 'luv' and 'pet!'"

He looked at her a moment, then laughed, taking a swig of his beer.

"What's so god damned funny?"

He swallowed, then turned back to her, "I was calling B, because as you know, I had the hots for her for awhile, and I was confused. My blood doesn't exactly rush to my head, and though I knew there was never anything between us, I had to make sure," he stared her in the eye, "I was…clearing the air, turning over a new leaf, Faith."

"Why were you confused?" she asked, setting down her most recent shot to turn and look at him.

He chuckled, "Well, let's just say I've never met anyone that kisses quite like you do, luv. I wanted to see how far you'd let me go, and yet I had this nagging doubt that I was being untrue to Buffy," he told her softly, "It wasn't until after I called her and she confirmed my suspicions that I realized that there had never been anything between us but lust."

"Really?" Faith said, leaning back against the bar so the hem of her white cropped tee left the top of her low slung jeans.

"Really," he told her, "What do you say we get out of here? This place ain't for types like us," he said, straight faced, and she laughed.

"Sure ain't." He threw a couple of bills on the counter, and she hopped off her barstool, and they headed towards the stairs. When they reached the stairs, she turned around and went back to the bar, threw some more money into the pile, and grabbed the half full bottle of whiskey. You never know when a bottle of whiskey could come in handy...

.END.