Hey guys!! So, I was hoping I'd have the whole chapter ready by now, but of course once I got everything ready to get started, school had to ruin everything. Ah school…why must you torture me so? Anyways, so, here's the intro…it's short…semi pathetic…and it's going to upsat some of you, but let me say--I'm glad that you liked the last chapter, and didn't really mind the wait. This is really, really, my final 'in-between'--The chapter as a whole is definitely a different sort of chapter, and the actual chapter is really nothing like it's intro. Like I said, it's going to explore what it would be like if everyone was…happy. I hope that all of you enjoy it when I get it all done. I promise that the actual chapter is comical, chaotic, while also being dark…you should have known it'd have to be a little dark. Thanks for reading, and please review this tiny intro…if you have time..-*ThomThom*

P.S. title is a song by--Death Cab For Cutie….little bit of a change from Radiohead.

Introduction To: Blacking Out the Friction

Dawn turned over onto her back, letting her eyes open slowly, so they could adjust to the light of the room. It wasn't terribly lit, not at the head of the bed anyways, but since the window in the room was open, it was still bright enough to where there was a slight pain in her eyes. She could see a tree outside the window; hear a bird singing within it--More of a peaceful waking, especially compared to having her mother yell for her to get up, so she wouldn't be late, or waking up in pain from having to sleep on the couch. However, the peacefulness that came with the warn sunlight, combined with the light breeze flowing into the room, and the notes of a bird's song, were not able to overshadow the problem that was placed in front of her--She was not at home. The covers that covered the lower half of her body were not her own, that window did not look out into her neighborhood.

The day before had had multiple turns of events. First starting with her exchange with Leah, to seeing Kennedy in her bedroom, and finally her arrival at Junes house. None had been planned, or expected, but they had happened, and though she had hoped to unravel her problems by then end of the day, she had only created a new one to wake up with the next morning. They had talked, and talked. Speaking of the way things were, and what they should have been, or wanted them to be. Hopes of a less complicated life--Something that for once would make sense, instead of a strand of things that never seemed to fit together. Of course, there were things that were left unsaid, as well. Things that Dawn knew were not going to come from the other teens lips, no matter how deep she herself was in the conversation. That was just a part of it all. There was always something that couldn't be said. Sometimes to spare feelings, but for the majority it was for a deeper means of protection. That, she supposed, and felt to be true, was Junes reason for not simply admitting why she had rejected Faith. There was something more complicated behind it that no one could know, but still, no matter how dangerous the situation, or how important, Dawn had found it hard to truly grasp how easily they all hurt one another. How they could so easily abandon everything that they wanted, 'What is it?' she wondered, 'What is it that she's hiding?'

"It's funny--" June said, as she walked into the room, "No one other than me has ever slept in this room. Minus the people who lived here before me. And, considering everything, I wouldn't have expected the first person to stay in my room to be you. No offense."

"None taken. Didn't exactly plan any sleepovers with you, either," she sat up, propping the pillow up behind her, "I haven't really stayed anywhere but at home since we moved to Sunnydale, so me waking up here, isn't exactly…But, I'm glad I came here," June didn't say anything, instead she just walked over to the window, the light making her skin glow. Once again, something wasn't being said, but Dawn knew that asking really wouldn't get her anywhere, "Sure, the conversation wasn't really on the light side of things, but at least I got some good food. You should be a chef."

"Yeah," she laughed, "I should be a chef--Hell, I should open my own restaurant. Become some sort of legend that brings something new to the world of food, 'cause of course it would become a world renowned kind of thing. Hey, you could totally be my assistant or something. My inspiration--I'd finally make a difference in the world," she rolled her eyes at her own sarcasm. Her become something other than what she was, doing something other than what she was doing. No, that wasn't possible. Sure, the world didn't get to witness what 'difference' she was making, but abandoning her job for an actual life--

"Why not?" Dawn questioned, "I mean, you're good at it, and I'm quite the inspirer. You'd have to wait until I'm old enough to move out, but still. You could have this whole new life if you wanted, and considering your recent actions, I'm thinking you're in desperate need for one of those. Leave all the complications behind. Do what makes you happy, instead of worrying about everyone else, because a lot of the time, I find, not many people are worried about you. Everybody's got something going on, here. Evils to fight, secrets to keep, relationships to screw up. So, why not go for something bigger if you can? Or even make the best with what you've got?"

June stuck her hand out the window, pointing a finger out at the tree, "Everything that we do has an effect. Every word we say; every look we give. It all goes from one thing to another; one person to another. Never stopping, even when the thing, or person, cease to exist," just as she expected, a dove landed outside of her index finger. It just looked at her, it's head twitching from side to side, but it's eyes locked with hers, as a soft coo escaped it, "Some people can," she finally said, speaking softly, feeling Dawn's eyes on her, "They can go out into the world, and leave everything behind. They can be free. But there are some of us," lifting her hand slightly, she prompt the bird to fly away, stretching her arm out further with each try, with their eyes still locked, "who are buried so deep that no matter how hard we try, or how much we want to--We just can't," her last word more aggressive, she pulled her hand back suddenly, obviously catching the bird off guard as it began to fall. She could hear Dawn gasp, and get up to come to the window, out of the corner of her eye, "Until we've got nothing else to lose."

Just as Dawn came up beside June, the dove flew up past the window, and then off into the blue sky above. She sighed in relief, "I'm guessing you're one of those people," that, she could see. But, what she couldn't see was what June really had left, "Still, I think that you should maybe think a little bit more about yourself, and worry less about everyone else," in her mind she added, 'Especially since you just push them away,' but saying it aloud was not an option.

"You would say that--Why should I be here worrying about all these people who don't give a damn about me? People who think I'm out to get them?" she paused, "Why do I sacrifice everything, when they give me nothing in return?"

"Because you're a martyr," Dawn answered.

The blonde nodded, "You would say that."

***************************************

Buffy stretched her legs, and took a deep breath, as she finally let herself come out of her sleep, which had been hard to get, considering how uncomfortable the bed was. She wondered, for a moment, why she smelled smoke, but then realized where it had to be coming from, "You should really stop," she said, turning onto her side, so she could see Faith, who was on the other side of the bed, sitting up against the headboard smoking.

Faith shrugged, "Maybe," she mumbled, staring forward, "How's your back? I know you're not used to the cheaper variety mattress. I sure as hell wasn't when I first started livin in these places."

"It's a little achy, actually, but I can deal. I've been to a few places, back in my run away days, so this is sort of a reminder--I like comfy beds," she tried to laugh, the smile already on her face, but for some reason, she was unable to make the sound come from within her. Instead, she could only look at her. She could only study that face that seemed to have no emotion; searching for what was beneath it all. Despite her staying over, the brunette had not opened up to her, at all, just as she said she wouldn't. They hadn't sat for hours, and then began to talk about all the things that had been going on since Faith and Kennedy had left, or anything that had happened since their return either, "I forgot to ask," her eyes drifted down, landing on one of Faith's hands. It was gripping the sheet, "how was your flight?" this time, she was able to laugh a little, but it still wasn't enough to remove the blank expression on her friend's face.

Thinking back to the flight, Faith pictured her sister sitting next to her, being quiet, which was no surprise at all. In that moment, she had not been worrying about her younger sister, but was instead thinking about her building nervousness, as her plan to go see June was really being set into motion. Before, it had just been a sort of notion. There had been thoughts of maybe going to see her, or maybe just waiting to see what happened after being back for a few days, but by the time she was on that plane, she had had it set in her mind. Nothing was going to stop her, not even her own fear of screwing things up, "The flight," her grip on the sheet grew tighter, "It was good," it had been good. It was what had happened later that fell on the other side of things.

"Good," she wondered if it were a lie, seeing that Faith's knuckles had turned white, 'Did something happen on the way back?' but as soon as the thought fully went through her mind, she knew that whatever was going on with Faith had nothing to do with the flight at all. Every part of her wished that she could find some way to get her to open up. To tell her what was wrong, so she could try to fix it, even if it was completely unfixable. She was just so far away-- "I had planned to go home and wait for you and--" if she said she had been waiting for Kennedy, really waiting for both of them to arrive, instead of Faith, it would have been a lie. It wasn't that she hadn't been looking forward to Kennedy coming back, too, but mostly she had wanted to see the girl next to her. To fix what she had done--Or better yet, what she hadn't done, "I was going to wait for you, so I could tell you how sorry I was--And, not because your father died, which I am sorry about--"

"It's not like you killed him," she mumbled.

Buffy ignored that, "I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you when you were still here. When you found out. Before you left. I should have been there for you, but I wasn't," she saw those lips part, letting her know that the brunette was about to respond to her words, but she didn't want to hear the response, "You don't have to say anything," the response, she knew, would have been something along the lines of, 'Don't worry about it,' or , 'Doesn't matter,' and those were words she didn't want to hear. They were lies, and she'd rather Faith say nothing, then to lie to her, "It was just something I wanted to tell you, so you'd know that I do care, and I felt bad for being such an idiot. Everyday that you were gone, I had wished I would have said bye. Told you everything was going to be okay. That's what I should have done…You would have done it for me."

Those last words were said so quietly that Faith had almost not heard them, but her slayer hearing had enabled her to hear it as a faint whisper, "It wouldn't have made a difference," the words, though she had not meant for them to, had a harshness to them. Carrying a connotation that she had not meant for them to carry, "I-I was already gone, then," the scene of her going to June's the day she left to go home played in her mind. She could hear herself yelling at June; could hear, 'All you can do is be strong.' in that moment that June had made it all okay, "There was nothing you could have done."

"Already gone?" she questioned, "Does that meant you're still…" how could she ask that question? It was obvious to her that Faith wasn't really in the room with her, but she needed to hear what the other slayer had to say. To hear something that gave her some kind of clue as to whether there was some kind of hope.

"It's different," her answer was honest, "When I found out that my dad had died, it felt like a reminder," she could see Buffy frown, could even feel it, without really looking at her, "It was a reminder that my life could never be simple. A reminder of the fact that I can't forget who I am, and where I came from. I can't shake this shit that follows me around, fucking up everything. Anytime I forget, it shows up. I think it can't get worse. It can. My watcher; my mother; my father; my--" sister was the word she was going to say next, but she stopped herself, making sure to not say something like that when there was a chance…Just that little chance. Was it because there was a chance that something bad had to happen to her? One door always opened, just as another one closed, "At least that's what I thought. I had made myself think that nothing could ever go right for me, but while I was gone I saw that maybe that wasn't true. Maybe I wasn't gonna always be at the shit end of the stick. That'd I have something good happen for me…Then, I came back here, and it was just taken from me," she sighed, "Or, more like, it left me. Now, I'm lost, again. I don't know what to do, or what to think."

Hesitantly, the blonde reached for Faith's hand, that was still gripping the sheet, but she found that when she reached it--Feeling that soft skin, heated by her grip--she had not reached it at all. Her gesture was one that was empty, or not full enough to reach Faith. To really touch her, and make her feel that someone was there, and that she was safe. How could Buffy truly protect her, if she didn't know what she was fighting against. She needed a book to tell her what to do, a watcher to give her instructions, but all she had was her hand reaching to push past something unknown, in order to find that bit of strength with her friend, "I wish," she began, clearing her throat, after it cracked, "I wish I could touch you there. Wherever it hurts," her body was tense. So tense that her aching muscles began to hurt even more, 'But you won't let me,' she thought, 'And why should you?'

Closing her eyes, letting her head tilt back, she took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, "I wish you could, too," how much easier her life would have been, in that moment, if she had still only had Buffy in her eyes.

**************************************

Kennedy couldn't help but watch the redhead sleep; her nose occasionally twitching, and quiet sighs sometimes escaping her parted lips. It had been so long since she actually felt that she was at least somewhat alive, and not some empty shell wondering around, saying things that shouldn't be said, or things that weren't true at all. Of course Willow had been the one to bring her back, 'It's always her,' she reached towards her, pushing a strand of her off of her face, 'When she's sleeping…I can't tell the difference,' as usual, along with the thoughts of good, came a sort of lingering question, 'but what about when she opens her eyes? Who will I be looking at? Talking to?'

When she had woken up, hours before, haven gotten the most rest she had had in weeks, seeing the redhead next to her had thrown her off a bit. It made her question where she was--or better yet, when, seeing how chaotic, and jumbled things had become--however, as soon as her eyes looked to the four walls around her, she knew where she was, and sighed. No, she wasn't disappointed, not completely, but she wasn't exactly relieved, either. Things were so much harder were she was, for some reason. It was hard enough as it was, whether she was asleep or awake, something was always eating at her; tearing her apart with no mercy at all, but when she woke up where she was, wherever that was, it was so much harder. It was harder to breath; to move; to feel. Everything was harder.

Willow's eyes began to move behind her eyelids, first in twitching movements, and then more smoothly, "Hmm," she frowned, "I don't want to wake up," Kennedy's staring eyes were pulling her, trying to get her to open her own, but the urge to fight it just wouldn't die down. Opening her eyes had so many different possible outcomes. She could open them to see a smile on Kennedy's face; she could open them to see tears streaming down her face; or she could open them to see nothing but empty eyes staring at her. The chances were against here, there was only one possible good outcome.

"You can't sleep forever," she whispered, understanding her girlfriends fear of waking up in the world they were in--In more ways than one--Things were never simple where they were, no matter how much they all longed for it to all be so black and white, there was always something going on. Willow, still reluctant, opened her eyes slowly, and Kennedy gave a weak smile, "See, it's not so bad, is it?" it was more of a question to herself then to the redhead beside her. Things were okay in that moment, sure, they were, but for her things could change drastically. In the next moment she could be having a meltdown, beating herself up, sometimes literally, trying run from what was inside her--Whatever that was. She looked away, then, thinking about what she had done.

Noticing the change within Kennedy, Willow frowned, "Hey," she whispered, getting the other girl to look at her, "I--You're…" for some reason, her mind, though trying so hard to find something to say, kept coming up blank. She'd have the beginning of something, but was unable to keep the thought intact. Would her words be enough? There was something there, something that she was unable to grasp, but felt looming beneath the surface, "Sometimes," her voice was childlike, quiet, and questioning, "I feel that you think I want something from you--" she shook her head. That wasn't what she had meant to say--She didn't know what she meant to say, "Or like…like maybe you're wanting something from me," was that right? Was that what she had meant to say? "Something that I can't give you. But, I can't stop trying…"

The conversation surprised her. They had just woken up, or Willow had. It was like there was a whole new idea coming to life; one that involved a certain amount of honesty that wasn't required from either one of them before--Honesty…Something that Kennedy felt she would never completely be able to identify with ever again. How could she be honest? With what she had done, honesty would be the end of everything she knew. But, it was true. What Willow had said was true. There was something that Kennedy wanted from her. It wasn't that it was impossible, in fact, it was beyond possible, but it just wasn't the time. It couldn't happen in that moment, "I try not to want that from you but sometimes…" she looked deep into the redhead's emerald green eyes, searching for something; someone that she needed to see--But, she just wasn't there. Those words began to echo in her head, again, 'We're the same, Kennedy. We are all the same,' but it wasn't enough, "It's not fair to you that I can't--" her voice went out, died in a sort of crack, forcing her to clear her throat, "It's not fair, to you, that I can't stop wanting…"

"Fair?" her brows furrowed, "Kennedy, so much has happened to you--Fair…That word doesn't mean anything to me in terms of you and me, not right now, at least. Right now, you have every right to want something that…" she didn't know what Kennedy was wanting, that was something she never truly understood, but she knew why, and that's what mattered--Wasn't it? "something that helps you deal with all of this stuff that keeps piling on. It's okay that you don't feel we're enough to help you. We're still going to keep trying, and trust me when I say, I'm not worried about any sort of fairness."

If it had been a different moment maybe those words would have been enough, but she could see that Willow wasn't truly grasping what she was saying. The death, and the chaos, yeah, that had always been there, since they had met, but what she was searching for…that had come at a different time; replacing feelings for one person with feelings for another--At yet, the same person, at the same time, "No, it's not fair to you that I can't look at you without--" that calm and peace within her was fading; beginning to pull her back into that darkness the redhead had pulled her out of, 'That makes sense,' she thought, closing her eyes for a moment, only to see blood. With what she was saying; what she was doing, it made sense that her world would start to crumble, "I told you that I loved you…" tears were forming in the corners of her eyes, but she wouldn't let them fall. No, not when it was someone else that she was hurting. But, she felt she had to do it. For some reason, she had to be honest, despite the fact that her words were definitely deadly, "But when were trapped in the factory that day, and I told you--" maybe she was saying it because Willow showing up when she had, when she was almost gone, gave her hope that if she really did finally slip away, she'd find herself staring into the eyes she longed to see, "When I told you that I loved you…"

"Yeah?" there was a sense of dread within her, one that was telling her to run before her girlfriend finished the sentence. Yet, she found herself unable to move. It was as if something was holding her down, making her sit there when things were obviously about to go so horribly wrong, "Kennedy…" she began, but the words wouldn't come--They just wouldn't.

"…I didn't mean it…I don't love you," any chance of explaining was lost. Before she could even begin to speak again, Willow was up, and heading out of the room. Who was she to stop her, then? It was time to let go…And hopefully, go to a place she wished to call home.

--TO BE CONTINUED--

Alrighty folks that's the intro. See, not too bad...right? Yeah, I know, I know--The ending...but remember, next chapter will be a strange one (insert description of chapter, given at beginning of this intro), so no worries, it will not be depressing forever--Thanks for reading, let me know what you think.-*ThomThom*