Hello, and welcome to this special birthday celebration chapter. No, it's not my birthday, though I wish it was 'cause then I'd be getting presents. It's a characters birthday. I'll get to which character in a moment. See, I hadn't planned on this chapter being a birthday kind of thing at all…of course there's more to it than it just being someone's birthday, but still…I mean, I am still me, meaning there has to be a lot of stuff going on . The point is, I had a point A and a point B, but somehow I ended up writing the layout down, and it ended up revolving (slightly revolving) around someone's birthday. There will be drama; there will be secrets; there will be blood (sorry just watched that again); and there will be lots of other things…including an introduction of a new character, who just happens to know someone that all of you love so much (cough). Anyways, I think it's going to be very entertaining, keeping up with the level of drama and suspense that I put in the last couple chapters, and I hope you guys really enjoy it. Oh, and it's Dawn's birthday…if that says anything (is anyone else laughing?). Um, yeah, enjoy, and tell me what you think. -ThomThom
P.S. I put an author's note up on the other site, the day before I posted this chapter. It gives some detail on the next couple of chapters, so I'm showing it to you guys, too:
An unexpected guest makes an appearance, making June's task difficult, and sending Kennedy further into a downward spiral that begins with a tragic loss. Faith finds clues to who June is, and gets some unsettling news about what's really going on. Willow finally thinks she's gotten through to Kennedy, only to find herself being pushed even further away, after the girl returns from a trip with Faith. Dawn has to deal with the fact that things never seem to be what they really are. Buffy worries about Faith being so 'involved' with June after some odd coincidences are revealed. And, Kennedy is shown what really happened the night her mother died.
It's going to be over a three chapter arc that all this goes on. The first introducing the guest, and sending Kennedy and Faith back home; the second showing what really happened the night Kennedy's mother died, and pushing her further away from everyone; the third one leading Faith towards the unknown, and Kennedy further into an unseen truth.
The first one's going to be very light at first, but as a whole the next three chapters are going to be very dark, and will start us on the downward trip that is this season, so be looking forward to that. I think that they're going to be really good, and I don't usually think so highly of my writing…but I'm thinking they're going to be awesome, and I hope you guys will think so too.
Chapter Sixteen: No Surprises (Please)
She had just fallen back asleep, after working out some last minute plans with Joyce, and dealing with the waking from yet another nightmare, when the doorbell rang, making her fall off the couch. For once she had happily given Dawn her room back so she didn't have to hear the girl, and her friend, up talking all night about all the drama surrounding the other kids at their school. The only problem with sleeping on the couch was the fact that she had found it impossible to keep the covers from falling onto the floor, and wrapping herself in them to prevent them from falling only made her feel like she was going to suffocate, so she had basically froze over night, and was only relieved from the winter chill when Joyce woke up and turned the air conditioning off, seeing herself that it was cold downstairs. Now, however, the good sleep she was finally able to get, was cut short by the sound of the doorbell, and the impact of her body hitting the floor.
Groaning, she sat up slowly, as the doorbell rang again. It wasn't until she heard both Buffy, and Dawn yell for someone to get the door, that she actually rushed to open it, "I got it. Shut the hell up," she yelled, as she walked over to the door, pulling her pajama pants up a little higher, so she wasn't walking on them. Her first instinct was to yell at whoever was ringing the doorbell, figuring that it was going to be some guy selling some random religion, but as soon as she saw who was at the door--or the back of their head as they turned to leave, more accurately--anger turned into confusion, "Did you need something?" she asked, getting the woman's attention.
The woman turned around and walked back up the steps she had started to descend, revealing that she was taller than the girl who had answered the door. There was a bright smile on her slender face that, along with her black hair that was pulled back into a bun--accept for what she left down for swooping bangs--accented her high cheek bones, and dark green eyes. She was wearing what looked like a pantsuit minus the jacket; black on black striped dress pants, a long sleeved white collared shirt that was buttoned at the wrists, but wasn't buttoned up to the collar, therefore tempting anyone to look at her barely hidden cleavage, and a tight black vest that showed just how slim she was. Her boots were black as well, slim and heeled, and her finger nails--which were only noticeable at the moment because she was holding a white coffee mug in her hands--were also black.
"Bonjour," she said, with a smooth voice, "Est-elle Leah ici?"
Kennedy scratched her head, and then smoothed her hair out, realizing how she must have looked. She laughed nervously, "Why did I skip French, again? Right, all the converting," she thought for a moment, "Um, sorry. Tu parlez anglais?" she asked, hoping that she hadn't just said something completely ridiculous. The woman laughed an impossibly beautiful laugh, making Kennedy laugh, uneasily, "I just said something really stupid, didn't I?"
"No," the woman smiled, "I'm sorry," she said, with a obvious French accent, but it wasn't harsh or hard, it was smooth, soothing even, "I'm just so used to, uh…knocking and speaking Français," she rolled her eyes, "I meant French."
"It's fine," she said, looking the woman over once again. It was strange, but she felt like she knew the woman in front of her. She just gave her the weirdest feeling that reminded her of someone who she couldn't quite make out in her mind. Everything about her screamed, 'You know her'; her voice; the way she moved--All of it, but she just couldn't figure it out, "Don't mean to be rude, but did you want something?" she asked.
"Right, you probably think I'm some weird older woman who knocks at the crack of dawn. I'm Isabel," she said, putting her hand out for the girl to shake, "Leah's mother," she added, seeing that the name didn't make the girl look any less confused.
"Oh, okay," she said, seeing the resemblance between the two of them; the natural laid back impression they gave; the swooping bangs; and both of them having oddly cool voices, "I think she's probably sleeping. Her and Dawn were up all night gossiping--Or Dawn was gossiping and Leah was laughing," she corrected, "Did you want me to give her a message, or something? I can do that."
The woman looked around, "No not really. I just want to make sure she is here, and not off into trouble at some random place," she turned back to the girl, "Are you Buffy?" she asked.
Kennedy laughed, slightly, "No. My name's Kennedy," she said, leaning on the door.
"Yes, okay. I'm sorry to wake you, then, Kennedy. It's just that Leah is not the most…well," she thought for a moment, trying to think of the word, but it wasn't coming, "She's not exactly an angel, let's say that. Finding out that she is actually spending time somewhere where I can actually even knock on the door, is," she gave a sigh of relief, and laughed, "Finally, I can keep track of her."
For some reason, Kennedy couldn't help but laugh as well along with the woman, while she leaned on the door and repeatedly messed with the doorknob, which she hadn't noticed until the woman looked down at her hand. She pictured herself as an obviously sleep deprived teenager, staring with blood shot eyes, and crazy hair, basically undressing the woman with her eyes--though she wasn't doing that at all. That's just how she assumed she looked.
"So she has been behaving, right?" the woman asked, taking a sip of her coffee.
"Yeah," Kennedy shrugged, "There was that really inappropriate joke that she told that one time, but she made it past the bumpy part, and has settled in pretty nicely."
"That's nice. I am glad that the jokes didn't get her banned from your home. Sadly, I have to admit that she got that habit from me," she laughed.
Kennedy laughed, "Wow," she said, covering her mouth, "That's--Wow."
"Yes. See I am, uh, also the type to make people nervous by revealing that I am not too old to make sexual jokes," she rolled her eyes, "Despite what my own mother thinks. I have probably just embarrassed my daughter by saying all that, but oh well," she lifted her arm slight, shaking it to make her sleeve come down to look at her watch, but it wouldn't go back, "Do you mind…helping me?" she asked.
At first Kennedy didn't know what the woman meant, but when she figured it out, she moved quickly to help the woman with her sleeve. She unbuttoned it, and pulled it back slightly, so the woman could see what time it was--noticing how smooth the woman's wrists were--and then buttoned it back, once the woman said the time aloud.
"Thank you," she said, smiling yet again, "Well, it was nice to meet you, Kennedy," she said, offering her hand again.
Kennedy shook it, "Yeah, you too."
The woman turned, and started to descend the stairs again, but then stopped. She turned back around, having an expression that showed she was had forgotten something, "Oh, uh, sorry," she said, seeing that the girl was just about to close the door, "Do you have any sugar? We are out."
"We should have some," Kennedy said, moving aside to let the woman in, "You can come in, while I look," she offered. The woman nodded, and walked in, then Kennedy guided her into the kitchen, "You can sit down if you'd like," she said, as she put up all the junk food that they had eaten the night before that was splayed across the counter tops.
"Thank you," she sat down on a stool at the island, and watched the girl move about the kitchen, "Do you like Sunnydale?" she asked.
"Sure," she opened a cabinet, and moved some stuff around, swearing at Buffy in her mind for moving things around, "The people are okay, and it's sunny," she laughed, "I definitely couldn't live here forever, though. If I would have been here when I was younger, I'm sure I would have gone crazy," she said, kneeling down to look in the lower cabinets by the refrigerator, seeing that the sugar wasn't in the top ones.
"Leah said that Dawn has lived here for a while," the woman said, with a confused look.
Kennedy stood up, thinking for a moment, before she headed over to the pantry, "Uh, yeah, Dawn has, and so has Buffy, and Joyce--Ms. Summers--But I've only been here for about, I don't six or seven months, maybe a bit longer. I'm not sure."
"So you're not related to Dawn?" the woman asked.
"No, I'm not related to anyone here. Well, I have a sister that lives in Sunnydale too, but she doesn't live here with us. We're just friends of the family, really, but I kind of consider them to be my family, too. Just 'cause they're always there for me, and they put up with my slight rebellious streak," she laughed, "They're good people."
"That's good to know, since my daughter spends so much time here. She has told me the same thing; that you are all nice--I think she said that you were, uh, cool. And, uh, Buffy is weird. Ms. Summers is sweet. Dawn is funny," she nodded, "I guess that comes together as good people," she sat her mug down, and got up from her stool, "From how you have treated me, I will take her word on it."
Kennedy turned and watched the woman walk over to the top cabinet by the refrigerator, opening her mouth to question her, but stopping when the woman reached in, moved a few things around, and pulled out the bag of sugar. It wasn't that she didn't still have a question to ask--no, she wanted to ask one more than ever--but, she was struck speechless.
The woman smiled, "I saw you push it aside, while you were looking," she looked around, "Do you have a--" she looked down, and mumbled, "cuillère," then she looked up, "A spoon," still silent, the girl brought her over a spoon, which she thanked her for. Then, she walked over and put a teaspoon of sugar in her coffee, stirred it, and then put the sugar back in the cabinet, and the spoon in the sink, "Thank you. I'll go and get us some sugar from the store, later," she walked up to Kennedy, too her hands in her own, and kissed both of her cheeks, "Again, it was nice to meet you. I will come back for the birthday party to give Leah the gift she bought. I guess you could tell her that."
"Okay," was all she could manage, as the woman exited the kitchen, and then the house. After a moment, Kennedy went over to the cabinet, again, "I could have sworn--"
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Faith walked out of the restroom, already in some shorts in a tank, drying her hair with a towel. She walked past her bed, throwing the towel on it as she did, and picked up her pack of cigarettes off the dresser, only to find it empty, "Shit," she said, throwing the pack into the trashcan that she had put next to the bed. On the bed was the book that she had taken from June, which opened as she threw away the cigarette carton, "Great, what do you want?" she asked, walking over to it. She read it, "You know what? I'm sick of everyone ridin' my ass about smoking…No, I don't give a shit what anyone thinks…because, I--No, no one likes to always here the same shit over and over," she walked back into the restroom, ignoring the fact that words were continuing to appear on the page, "You know the only reason I haven't set your ass on fire yet is 'cause I'm waiting for you to explain what you said about my sister. You know that little thing about her dying," she walked back over to see its response only to see that it was erasing itself, "Hey, don't do that. You have something to say, don't go erasing it when I come to read it--No, I'm not going to do something about it," she rolled her eyes, "You're a pain in the ass."
"Many people have said that about you."
She huffed, "You can tell them to go fuck themselves," she sat down, "Do you know how stupid I feel, talking to a book like this? I bet the hookers next door think I'm nuts…They can't be nothin' but hookers, wearing stuff like that--I do not dress like them," she said, seeing that it made a comment about her clothing, "I'm not into six inch heels, for one thing. Look, I know that you said you'd tell me in time, but I'm really going to need you to explain what you said…like, now. Now, would be nice, and not just some of the things you've said, either. All of it. The thing about June not being strong enough--strong enough for what; the thing about Kennedy going crazy, and not to mention the part where you said she'd die unless I took you; the thing about my destiny; and--"
"The thing about one of the others being the cause of you sister's death," a moment, "I understand that you are in a rush to know about all of the things that I have mentioned, but you have to be patient. Patience is the key to all of this. It is even what prevents the truth from being seen. Not having patience is the key to unleashing a chaos that will destroy everything around you. If you're not patient…you'll never know the answers to any of your questions."
"That's great, so you're not going to tell me today, either," she sighed, "I'm gonna set you on fire. Yep, that's what I'm gonna do. Then, I'm gonna track June down and get her to tell me what the fuck is going on."
"And you think she'll tell you? That she even knows, herself?"
"She has to at least know what the fuck you are, and whether you're full of shit, or not," she said, reaching over and closing the book, but it just flew back open, "If you're not gonna tell me anything that I need to know, then just don't say anything at all. I'm not in the mood to be insulted anyways."
"I will tell you something you need to know."
"Yeah, and what is that? That I need more cigarettes? 'Cause I already know that, and--" she read the next line, and frowned, "Are you serious? Now?" she put the book under the covers, and sat back against her pillows, trying to look like she was just lounging around, as usual. Then, she looked around, and waited for the girl to just appear in the room suddenly, like the book had said, but she saw something different instead.
Instead of just appearing with no sort of warning, June made more of a dramatic entrance by making some papers--which Faith had jotted down things the book had told her on--fly around the room, and then appearing, walking towards the bed, "Where's the book?" she asked, through gritted teeth.
"I'm not really a reader, so--"
"Don't screw with me, Faith," she cut in, "Give me the damn book, now."
It was weird to see the girl as upset as she was--No, not upset. She was furious. Like the most important thing in the world had been taken away from her, which made Faith wonder just how important the 'book' was. Was what it had told her really true? Did it know all the things it claimed to know? There was no way that it could be just a complete flop with the way June was acting; it had to mean something--be something, and Faith wanted to know what. She just had a feeling that June wouldn't be the one to tell her.
"Look, June, I don't really know what's goin' on with you, but I really don't know what book you're talking about," she said, as easily as she possibly could, "Maybe you're just gettin' ahead of yourself, thinkin' I took something from you."
June stepped forward, "Are we really going to do this?" she asked, knowing the slayer would understand what she meant; that her next step would probably result in them fighting, "Just give me the book, Faith. I don't want to hurt you."
Faith stood up, "Oh, so now you're threatening me. That's a big change of character from the usual flirting, but I can get used to it, too--If it comes to that," she said, also knowing that she was being understood, "Seeing that we're not the best of friends anyways. Not anymore."
"Faith, I'm warning you--"
"Yeah, I got that a second ago. Now, I'm warning you. Leave. Now."
June sighed, "Faith, I really, really don't want to do this. You have no clue how much I don't want to do this, with you. You know how I feel about you--How much I care about you, but--"
"Oh, so, now we're spreadin' the love again?" she asked, "Here I thought we were about to throw down."
"No, I'm trying to get you to give it to me, so I won't have to take it from you, because if I have to take it--You don't stand a chance against me, Faith," she said, getting to the point. She knew that if they started to fight there'd be no competition whatsoever, because she'd fight with everything she had to get that book back. The slayer would be down before she could manage to take her next breath, "Now, just give me the book," she demanded, as she walked over to her, making sure to lock eyes with her.
Faith wanted to step back. For some reason, she wanted to step back, but she knew that she'd only hit the wall behind her; that there was no where to go. The girl had power, she knew that, and so she didn't want to fight her--Not because she though she'd lose, but because she knew that she'd have to fight her to the death, and she wasn't sure she wanted to do that over a book…she wasn't sure she could bring herself to it, "What makes you think I have this book, anyways?"
"What makes you think I wasn't watching you, when you took it?" her next step was quick. So quick that it took the slayer by surprise, and made her stumble and hit the wall behind her. She pinned the girl in her place, putting her forearm against her chest, and pushing just enough to make sure that Faith wouldn't be able to make any sudden movements, "I know that it has probably been telling you things--Things that you don't understand, but I need it back, okay? I don't just want it back--I need it back. Don't make me look inside you to find it. I don't like to invade people like that."
Faith lurched forward, trying to push the girl away from her, but it didn't work. Instead of getting control of the situation, she was slammed back against the wall, knocking all the breath out of her lungs, and June's arm slid from her chest to just below her throat. She lifted her hands to the girl's side and tried to push her away, but she didn't budge, so she moved to her shoulders and pushed, but still she didn't budge. It was like pushing a brick wall, but even that couldn't really describe it, because Faith could get through a brick wall--It would take a minute, but still.
"I'm sorry," June said, looking down for a moment, "I have know choice."
When the girl looked up at her, her eyes--usually bright blue--were black, and she was saying something Faith couldn't understand, in a deeper warped voice, "What--?" Faith's head went back suddenly, as a sharp pain made it through her head, along with the sound of a loud squeal. It was like someone had cracked open her skull, and were digging their finger around her brain; pushing, and grabbing, and pulling. But it was quick, despite how it felt--It was quick. The next thing she knew, she was falling to the ground, and June was stepping away from her, "What--?"
"I'm sorry," she said, panting. She reached over onto the bed, pulled back the covers, and grabbed the book, "I wish I could tell you. I wish--" the book opened in her hands, and she read it quickly in her head, "But--" more words--she read quickly, then she looked at Faith for a moment--her eyes turning back to their usual bright blue, "Fine," she nodded. She threw the book back on the bed, and then turned to leave, "You protect this with your life, got it?" she said, angrily. Then she was gone.
Faith sighed in relief, having been holding her breath since the moment she hit the ground. She closed her eyes, and put her hands to her face, pulling her knees up as she did. After just sitting there for a moment, she got on her knees and went over to her bed, hearing the pages of the book turn--
"A few hours from now, you will go to her. You will apologize for taking me, and hand me to her. Then, you will ask questions. She will get mad--you will apologize again, for everything that you've done. After you've had a lighter conversation, you will ask her to go to the party, and that will lead you to the answers you seek."
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Buffy walked into the kitchen to see that Kennedy was already awake, to her surprise, "Hey, you're up already?" she asked, as she got a bowl out of one of the cabinets, "I thought you'd be out for a while, seeing that you actually had to deal with Dawn and Leah for so long last night."
"I thought about staying up with them, but then they got to gossiping, and I made my way to the couch," she handed Buffy the box of cereal she knew the slayer wanted, and then sat down on a stool, "So, I was thinking, since you don't have a patrolling partner at the moment, that maybe we could go tonight. After the party, of course."
"Really?" she asked, surprised that Kennedy was offering to tag along. It wasn't that Kennedy wasn't capable, or anything, it was just that they never patrolled together--Not since back when Spike and Druscilla were around, and even then Faith was there, too. Since Kennedy had come back, she hadn't really been doing any fighting evil stuff, minus that incident with the crazy jealous boyfriend, that just happened to be downing experimental drugs, "You'd really do that?"
"Sure," she shrugged, "I could use the workout, anyways. Plus," she smiled, "it'll be like bonding time with my girlfriend's best friend. I hear that it's good to be on their good side, just incase there's any sort of mishap."
"Mishap?" Buffy frowned. She went over to the refrigerator and took out the carton of milk, "What kind of mishap? Why would there be a mishap?" she asked.
"Well," Kennedy said, mischievously, "Sit down and I'll tell all about it," she pat the stool next to her, and waited for the slayer to sit down, laughing at the look she was giving her.
"Tell me about this hypothetical mishap," the blonde said, as she started to eat her cereal.
"So this morning--I'm pretty sure I met the sexiest woman alive, who just also happened to be the weirdest, and creepiest woman alive, too," she added, thinking back to how the woman had acted. The jokes; the questions; the sugar; the obvious way of trying to make conversation--that Kennedy hadn't seen until the woman was gone.
"You're not talking about my mom are you?" Buffy asked.
Kennedy laughed, "No, but I did see her this morning, too. She said to get her something else."
"Seriously?" Buffy asked, pouting, "Fine," she said, getting over it, "Tell me about this woman, so I can decide whether I want to beat you up for mentally undressing her."
"I did not--" she rolled her eyes, "Anyways, so--Leah's mother stopped by this morning."
"Oh, really? What does that I have to do with--Oh, no, you have to be kidding me. Kennedy, seriously?"
"Uh uh, you have not seen this woman, or heard her talk--in French or English. When I heard the doorbell ring this morning--"
"That's who it was? I thought it would be some guy selling some random religion."
"Exactly what I thought, too. And, I would have still that thought that--because she was all professional looking--but since she started speaking French to me, I figured not. I mean, I doubt they'd send someone who didn't speak English to conform--Well, she did speak English too," she shook her head, "The point is, this woman is like walking sex…a sex goddess."
"Wouldn't labeling her that require you actually having sex with her?" Dawn asked, as she walked into the kitchen, still in her pajamas as well--which consisted of shorts and a shirt, "Who are we talking about?"
"Oh, my, God, Dawn," Kennedy said, while following the girl--with her eyes--around the kitchen, "Why didn't you tell us how hot--no, beautifully sexy," she corrected, "Leah's mother is?"
Dawn laughed, "What? I've never seen her mother, for one thing. And you really need to stop perving over peoples' mothers."
Buffy nodded, "Agreed."
"What?" she looked between the two of them, "You haven't even seen her. I'm telling you…"
"That's great," Dawn said, sarcastically, "You have a girlfriend. Now, can you please tell us why she was here, and not what she looked like while she was here. That would probably interest us just a little bit more."
"She was just making sure that Leah wasn't off getting into trouble."
Buffy got up to rinse her bowl out, "Funny how her own mother doesn't even know where she is. Guess she didn't go straight home after she ate all of our food. I knew she was bad news."
"What are you talking about?" Dawn asked, looking at her sister like she was an idiot, "Leah's upstairs, she spent the night. Kennedy," she said, turning to her, "please tell me that you're not as idiotic as my sister. You did tell her mom that she was here, right?"
"Yeah," Kennedy said, simply.
"What do you mean she spent the night?" Buffy asked. She looked her sister over, "And please tell me that, if she did, you didn't sleep in that."
"What's wrong with what I sleep in?" she asked, angrily, "And yes, she did spend the night. It was dark by the time she even thought about leaving."
"So, what? She lives, like, practically across the street. Surely, since she acts so tough, she could walk across the street. And your so called pajamas are scanky, that's what's with what you're wearing. I mean, look at you," they both looked down at what they were wearing, "Hello, Hookerville."
Kennedy cleared her throat, as Dawn started to argue back, getting their attention, "By the way," she smiled at Dawn, and then glared at Buffy, "Happy birthday, Dawn."
"Thank you, Kennedy," she smiled, "My sister seems to have forgotten."
"I did not forget," Buffy rolled her eyes, "Happy birthday…scank."
"Hey, you be nice to me. It is my birthday, after all," threw an arm over Buffy's shoulder, "I get that you're being all protective, but there's no reason to be. Leah and I are just friends. She's nice."
"Not as nice as her mother," Kennedy smiled.
"Ew," Both sisters said, in unison.
"I'm telling you, you wouldn't be saying that if you saw her," she turned around, hearing someone walking down the stairs, "Hey, Leah."
"Hey," the girl said, sleepily, as she walked into the kitchen. She lazily sat on the stool next to Kennedy, and put her head down on the island, "Happy birthday, Dawn."
"Thanks," Dawn said, smiling brightly.
Kennedy looked between the two of them, and smiled, "You know if I were any other person, with the way Dawn is dressed--or lack there of--and with the way Leah's all--I would so make assumptions right now. I would think that maybe the two of you--"
"Kennedy!" Buffy said, cutting the girl off, "Why don't you tell Leah about the fact that her mom stopped by."
Leah shot up suddenly, "My mom stopped by?"
"Apparently, she wanted to make sure you were here," Buffy answered, "According to Kennedy."
"What exactly did she say?" the girl asked.
"Nothing really…I mean she said that you weren't an angel, that you got your inappropriate joke making skills from her, and that telling me all that would probably embarrass you, which," she said, seeing that Leah's eyes were wide, "I think she was right about. Then, she came in for sugar."
"What, she came inside? Why did she come inside?"
"I'm guessing sugar," Kennedy nodded, "It's not a big deal really. It was totally embarrassing for me, 'cause I'm sure I was staring, and because I couldn't find the sugar for a while…then, she got up and got it from the cabinet that I could have sworn--"
Leah rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I bet she did. God, she's so--Then, she left right?"
"Yeah, she left, and she said she'd stop by later," Kennedy remembered.
"Great," the girl said, with a sigh. She looked down for a moment, then she looked up, "Can I use your shower?" she asked.
Dawn nodded, "Go ahead. There are some towels in there already," she watched her friend walk out, and then shrugged, "Guess they don't get along."
"Guess not," Kennedy said, turning back after watching the girl walk out. For some reason, her first thought was, 'Something's not right,' the girl had reacted too strangely, in her opinion, but she wasn't going to question it. Dawn might have been right, after all, maybe they just didn't get along.
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June sat on the floor at the end of her bed, leaning against her blue linens, and sighed. She had gone straight home after leaving Faith's, and jumped into the shower, hoping to calm her nerves, but it hadn't worked. Neither had smoking, or drinking, or anything else she could think of--that didn't require any sort of dark magic--Her hair was wet, making her cold as the air conditioner blew from the vent above her, and the lack of clothing--she was only wearing dark blue underwear and a light blue tank-top--wasn't helping, but feeling something, even just feeling cold that her body shook, somehow calmed her down a little. It told her that she hadn't gone numb; that her task hadn't pushed her into the darkness she had to escape from many times before, and because of that--though it wasn't a good feeling--it made her come back down to earth.
She could still feel the magic looming within her, from what she had used to break into Faith's mind, and it threatened to pull her in; to devour her, but she wouldn't let it. Couldn't let it. Things like that always followed her around--dark magic, her past--all of it seemed to show itself at the most inconvenient time. The times she hadn't expected it, or hadn't wanted it. Any magic that she performed now had this effect on her, no matter how small the spell--even teleporting was becoming an issue. It wanted her, and she felt it. She knew the day would come; would even think, 'It's only a matter of time', but she hadn't thought it would be so soon. That after being able to toy with it for so long, it would so easily start to win, but that's what happened with dark magic, and she knew that; she had always known. One can only indulge in it for so long before it begins to devour from the inside out. The problem that she had was that; with facing that fact, was that she hadn't done what she was meant to do yet. She would happily face that darkness if she had already complete her task, even welcome it just so she could laugh in its face, and prove that she had one. But, if it won--If it took her down before everything was set in motion, not only would she be unable to laugh, the rest of the world wouldn't either.
It wasn't that she couldn't really handle the magic within her, either, which is also what bothered her. It was the fact that there was no sort of real training for what she had to do. There was nothing to prepare the mind, soul, or body, for the job that she was meant to have--That she had been given with trust, and hope. Her kind had come so far, only to be withered down into a few, hiding out wherever they could. She was the only one left for the job, really. The only one willing to stand out and the open, and do all the things that could get her killed, along with a lot of other people she cared about. It was her destiny; she had been chosen for it, and yet--she repeatedly failed. She had read every book, gone through every detail, gone through each scene over and over, but still it seemed to all go wrong. From the beginning, she had been told that it would be hard, and dangerous, but she was getting more than she bargained for. There was always something she seemed to miss, and she didn't have much time left before it would all go down hill again, and she'd have to go back to the very beginning, after explaining why she failed yet again. That's why she couldn't believe it when he had told her to leave it there--To leave him with Faith. It was like he was trying to make her fail; teaching some kind of lesson in some warped fucked up way, but she knew not to argue, though she had started to. Then, having him say it again--Something was changing, and she wasn't being let in on it. She knew now, that she hadn't missed anything at all. It was that she hadn't been told something.
"Maybe," she thought, turning her head to the side, and looking out her window, "this is all just a game, and I'm like Mrs. Packman. Left out and second best to Mr. Packman. He gets all the goods, and I get the leftovers…if that, really. Or," she pulled her knees to her chest, "this is really it, and all the other times were really just trail runs, not only in a sense of me working it out in my head, but also in a way for me to be tested, and brought to this level of severe meltdown. That would explain why she's here, to make it final, and to tell me that it's now or never. The only way to find out is to talk to her myself, but if they see me with--Then they'd suspect her, and she'd have no choice but to--There has to be a way to get to her without going through them. Without taking the risk of--" she looked to her door, feeling a presence making their way through her house. The fact that she was that late in detecting it told her that he was with her, that she had him in her hands, and that he had himself shielded from her, again. She could then hear her mother, repeatedly saying, 'You can't go in there, she doesn't want to see you,' but she knew the woman couldn't stop her--wouldn't stop her when she saw what she was holding.
The door flew open, and Faith walked in, "I need to talk to you," she blurted, just as Catherine was about to tell her to leave, again. She had made it that far, there was no way she was going to leave now. It was all mapped out in her head; apologize, give the book, ask questions, she gets mad, apologize for everything, play nice, invite, and get answers. She was ready.
June looked at the hand the book was in, and then at her mother, who then nodded and left the room, "What do you want, Faith?" she asked, as she got up and went into her closet to put on a pair of pants. There was no need for an answer, she got it before she had even asked it--he told her; pushed the words into her mind. He was sending her to not only who she needed to see, but also to someone she didn't want to see--Someone in a higher position, "I'm really not in the mood for--"
Step one, "I'm sorry," she said, cutting the girl off. She waited for the girl to walk over to her, and then lifted her it towards her. Step two, "Here," she said, giving her the book. June was reluctant at first, but then she took it, and went over to sit on her bed. Faith looked around for a moment, realizing that she had never seen the inside of the girl's room. Two of the walls were painted dark blue, and the other two a lighter shade of blue. The covers on her bed were a pattern of dark and light blue. The tall silver lamp had a blue lamp shade on it. The desk a few feet away from her wall was painted dark blue, along with the chair in front of it. The carpet was dark blue. When she looked over at back at June, she noticed that the girl was also wearing both shades of blue, along with the fact that her eyes were also blue--not that she hadn't noticed that before.
June realized why Faith was looking at her weird, and nodded, "It's my mom's favorite color. She thinks mine, too. I just go along with it."
"Right," she stood there for a moment, dealing with the uncomfortable silence, and then went back to what she was doing. Step three, "That book told me some things," she started, immediately getting the girl's attention, and already noticing the slight change in the room, "I want you to tell me why it said that my sister was--Why it said that she was gonna get hurt. I want to know--What are you not strong enough for?" that was the last straw, and she knew it. Whatever what she said meant to the girl, she knew that it was enough to make her crack, faster than it usually took her to. Usually, you'd have to do something that would hurt her feelings--leave her in a motel after sex, take something from her--but that one question was enough at the moment.
"What gives you the right," she stood up, "to come here and ask me anything?" she asked, angrily, "Haven't you done enough as it is? You leave me like I'm a worthless piece of shit after we have sex; you come over here assuming that I'd hit the road, as if you could brake someone like me that easily; then you take something that belongs to me, and lie about it when I ask you to give it back; and now you get to ask questions? I'm thinking not. You have no right to be even be in this fucking room."
Anger, check. Now, for step four, "You're right," it pained her to say it really, but not because it wasn't true. It was because of the fact that she was saying it in order to just get information. That the lighter conversation she was going to lead them to, wasn't going to be completely real. They weren't really about to make up and become friends again, and that's what bothered her. From what she knew, and what she felt, June wasn't evil, but that didn't matter anymore. What mattered is the information she'd get from doing what she was doing; whether it be that the book was full of shit--which she preferred--or whether someone close to her sister was also the cause of her death, "Can we just," she motioned towards the girl's bed, and they both sat down. Then, she continued, "You're completely right, and this time I'm not going to try to turn it around and blame it on you, I promise. I really mean it when I say that I'm sorry for everything that I've done to you. All of it; leaving you, yelling at you, lying to you. I'm really sorry."
She knew that Faith was playing at an angel, trying to get answers just like she was, but she also knew that she meant what she said. If things had been simple, they could have been completely honest with one another, and things would be easier, but she knew that neither one of them could say what was really going on. They were on two different paths, with two different sets of direction. This is all they would get. This is all she would ever get, "I'm sorry, too," she said, looking away from her, "I wish I could answer your questions, really, but I don't know the answers to them," she said, honestly. She didn't know why he had told her that Kennedy going to get hurt, or what she herself wasn't strong enough for--If that was true though, then she was screwed. That, she did know.
Moving past that, she went on to step five, "So," she paused, "how much does Catherine hate me right now?" she asked.
June huffed, "Probably almost as much as I do. She's very protective. I am her 'baby' after all."
"You're also her favorite client," she said, gesturing to the room around them, "She obviously wanted to be one of those interior decorator people. Guess, she had to settle with you, though, once she had you. Being a doctor pays more, anyways."
"About that," she smiled, "My mom's not a doctor," Faith gave her a look, and she shrugged, "She's a stripper."
Faith laughed, "Seriously."
June nodded, "Yeah, has been since the age of sixteen. Apparently she's good at it."
"Really? I mean--that's…Wow, I didn't really expect that. I mean, not that she's not good looking--Not that I check out your mom or anything. It's just--Catherine is--"
"I'm kidding, Faith," she said, cutting the slayer off, "I'm going to stop you before you start saying things I never want to hear about my own mother," she said, laughing, "You totally fell for that, though. Does she really look like she could pull it off? You know what, don't answer that. Now I know that you've been perving over my mother, though, which is creepy."
"I don't know, you guys look just alike," she laughed.
"Uh uh, I do not look her. I don't look anything like my mother. I'm not pale," she pointed out, "and I don't have hazel eyes, either."
"You're not pale, because you tan. What doctor that you know has time to tan. As for the eyes, I'm guessing they run on the other side of the family--" she stopped for a moment, noticing that the girl had never talked about her dad, and then went on figuring it wasn't good for 'light' conversation, "But the sense of humor, the protectiveness--you definitely got that from her," honestly, she had almost forgotten about her 'mission' for a moment, which wasn't surprising, seeing that June always made everything else in her life disappear, but the fact that the girl didn't tell her certain things brought her back to the task at hand. Step six, "You want to go to a party?"
-- TO BE CONTINUED --
Okay, no…this isn't the whole chapter, and damn it I didn't want to, only getting to this point, because I didn't really get any of the good drama started--yes, there's more drama. But, I'm not sure I'll have any time to actually write tomorrow, 'cause I'm sure my mother will be breathing over my shoulder--and I'm very paranoid, so I'm putting this up just incase I end up busy over the weekend, because people like to plan my weekends for me. Anyways, there's going to be a part two (which doesn't take away from the fact that what's starting now will be a three chapter arc) here's some of what's in the next (and final) part: The surprise party is underway! Buffy tells Willow that she knows June is coming to the party, but Kennedy doesn't. Isabel comes to help out with the party. Dawn suspects that Leah is wanting to turn their friendship into something more, and starts to panic, while Leah bumps into a familiar face--the bad kind of familiar. Faith continues on her path to getting answers, while June is a little worried about her task being cut short by someone of higher power. All of the Scooby's have to come together to celebrate Dawn's birthday--despite all of their current drama. Kennedy continues to worry about Faith being so chummy with June. And, the night ends badly for two of the main characters--along with a few others. See, lots of drama. I hope you're looking forward to that, and I hope that I'll get it up by tomorrow, but…who really knows. Thanks for reading, and please review. -ThomThom
P.S. sorry for any typos.