"Dude, that was wicked awesome. Like a scene from Oz." Faith said with a grin as the trio walked through one of Sunnydale's many many graveyards.
"Yeah, dweeb boy, I was not expecting you to go all stabby on that cop." Cordeila put in her two cents.
"Like I said, we were over thinking it. The only danger we were in was if I missed and he was willing to demon out in public….probably not. Or if his partner was willing to shoot me after I surrendered and in front of all those witnesses." Xander countered, while creating a pulsating white/blue orb in his hand and tossing it back and forth like a baseball.
Still grinning, Faith hip checked Queen C, "So, are we going back in tomorrow night so you can shank a pig too?"
Laughing, Cordeila just shakes her head, "naw, I don't think we need repeats. And with you and the newly empowered scream queen over there, we could probably take out one of the less lame bad guys."
"Hey, I resent that. Its scream 'king'."
"But yeah, we could go after whoever you want. Though I still can't think of any non-lame bad guys. Barbas is still waaay out of our league. Maybe the dragon warlock in the second season finale?"
"Ooooh, what could he do?" Faith said with a bounce, a full belly and a night out with 'friends', had made her pretty giddy.
At Cordy's cocked eyeball, Xander explained, "he actually had a pretty cool set of powers. Super strength, flight, and he could breath fire."
"I could fly? Without chartering a plane? Ohhh, he is number one on the list."
Xander nodded, "sweet. We'll hit it tomorrow-," he trailed off as a group of vampires finally found them on this late night patrol. "I was hoping to try these puppies out."
The vampires grinned around their fangs, "I think the only trying that's going to happen tonight is when we pass your little girlfriends around."
"Hey, I'm his only girlfriend. We aren't Mormons." Cordeila snarked while pulling out a cross and stake.
"Well, I could be your girlfriend. So you'd have one of each," Faith said with a flirty grin while also grabbing a stake.
"If we're voting, can I vote for that?" Xander gave them both a crooked smile before turning to the vamps and letting loose his newly acquired demonic scream, "Ahhhhhhh."
While the five vampires clutched their bleeding ears, Xander re-created an energy ball and threw it at the closet one who promptly exploded in a dust bunny, and focused his scream on a single vampire until its head burst.
Faith not to be outdone quickly staked the third & forth vamps who still hadn't recovered from the scoobies scream, and kicked the last vampire in the face as it laid prone in the fetal position. From the blood pouring between its hands, the vampire's eardrums most have ruptured.
"I got one!" Queen C said, right before putting the pitiful create out of its misery.
"Huh, I did not expect his head to explode." Xander said, feeling pretty good about himself.
"Yeah, that was gnarly. I'm calling dibs after the cheerleader gets a set." Faith told him while searching to ground to see if her stake had survived the vamps dusting. There was always a 50/50 chance.
"Five vamps, no sweat. Let's see if princess Buffy can call us the B team now." Cordeila said, before seeing that Faith couldn't find her stake, so she handed the slayer one of her spares.
"So, flying. That's gonna be wicked awesome. Slaying from the sky, you are so gonna need to carrying me Superman style."
"Anything for my new 'girlfriend'." Cordy snarked, only half joking.
"Well, Homecoming is next week. What better way for our future queen to show off, then to show up with a brunette on each arm?" Xander gave told them as he rubbed his palms together Doctor Evil style.
Quirking her eyebrow Cordeila gave them a thoughtful look, "I do like to be the center of attention. And I bet Harmony wont even be able to pull off one date, let alone two."
"Really? Didn't she get caught blowing half the football team?"
"Oh, she's the school fluffer no doubt. But she always pretends her 'boyfriend' goes to another school. Better then saying that the guys who nut in her mouth never call her afterwards."
"That's just bad form, if I blow a guy he better call me or his ass is getting a stake." Faith told them, before deciding that one more circle around the graveyard was it for the night.
"Eh, I'll agree that a guy would at least owe you a phone call but a stake in the heart seems a bit much." Xander said with a shake of his head.
"If I'm swallowing and he doesn't call, his heart isn't where I'm gonna stick it."
"Ouch. But fair." Queen C gave her a nod.
Xander vowed that when the time finally came, he'd call. All might be fair in love and war, but no one wants a stake up the butt.
"You guys didn't need to come with me to tell Giles about the patrol." Faith told the pair while running her hand through her hair. If they didn't know any better they'd think she was being bashful.
"Well, it is on the way to drop off dweeb boy, "Queen C said as they walked through the empty halls, "besides we've still got to spill the beans on Xander's powers."
"I dunno, I think we should hold off till you get the dragon guys powers. Giles can be a stick in the mud about anything that isn't Buffy related."
In all honesty, Faith agreed with him. She'd hate for the watcher to be a dick and ruin this for her.
"So, how was patrol?" Giles questioned as the three took seats in the library. "I hadn't realized you three were patrolling together."
"Took out a handful of vampires, easy peasy, "Faith told him, "and is that a problem? I don't remember you saying anything when B goes out in a group."
"We went out as a group every night when Buffy took off the LA, "Cordeila said with a frown.
"And we didn't have a slayer for back up then either," Xander joined in, "so its not like helping Faith out was less safe then going out without supernatural backup."
"A different set of rules for each slayer doesn't sound fair to me. "Faith said while crossing her arms.
"No, no, that's not what I meant. I think hunting with a group in a fine idea," Giles said with raised hands. "I just hadn't realized you three were going out together. That's all."
Still frowning but unsure if he was lying out not, Cordeila turned to Faith & Xander, "wanna hit a drive through before going home?"
"I could always eat."
"Ditto."
"Well, alright then," Giles said to their backs as the left the library. "It's not as if I'd like a hamburger or anything."
"Bloody moody teenagers."
"Later X," Faith said as they dropped him off at his house.
"Night doofus," Cordy told him before gesturing for him to lean into her open car window and pulling him into a kiss.
"Ladies," He told them with a grin before heading inside.
"I do hope you'll be laying one of those on me, one set of rules for the boyfriend & another for the girlfriend isn't cool either." The slayer said with a smirk.
"Not tonight, but I was going to make the invite to Homecoming official."
"What, really? You know I was just joking," Faith's hand returned to running it's self through her hair.
Queen C was starting to see she had a tale.
"Faith, it was a good idea. We'll dance, be the center of everyone's attention, send the rumor mill turning and it'll probably win me that crown."
"Yeah, that'd be cool."
Cordeila was grinning now as they drove, more sure than ever that the big badass slayer was blushing. So much for being a maneater.
"Now, I don't think I have anything in your size. But you can go through my closet when we get to my house. You'll need something to sleep in anyway."
Turning to the cheerleader, Faith said, "wait, we're going to your place? I was sorta joking about laying a kiss on me too. Though I'm open to anything."
"Horndog, you're sleeping over. The motel is on the other side of town and it's getting late. Besides, you shouldn't be stuck there anyway. I've got a pool house you can stay in."
"Wha…what do I gotta do?" Bashful was out of the window now, Faith didn't look anything but earnest.
Frowning at her words however, Queen C continued, "Faith….you don't have to 'do' anything. Xander & I will tease you, but we'd never force you into anything. You're our friend."
Looking down at her hands as they drove through the streets of Sunnydale, Faith spoke, "in my experience no ones nice to you unless they want something from you. And I'm cool with it. You and X have been really nice, inviting me over, nice meal, patrolling together. If you want to fuck me, we can fuck. Or if you want to watch X fuck me, we can do that too. I'm fine with it."
They drove in silence for a few minutes while Cordeila worked out what she wanted to say.
"You know I give Harmony shit all the time? But she's my friend, she's been my friend almost as long as Xander & I have known each other. Waaay back before middle school."
"Even that crack about blowing football players. Which she did. But her bad taste in guys doesn't define her, or our friendship, no more then her trying to usurp me as leader of our little group."
"Not really following," Faith said.
"Harms my friend. She can be a needy bitch, and meaner then need be to nerds & outcasts like Buffy & Rosenberg. But that doesn't define her anymore then the stuff her uncle used to do to her."
"Wha?"
"I'm not going to pretend I understand what you've been through, or why you think everyone's just out to get something from you. I might not have experienced it myself, but it's not always safe being a girl. Not just because it's Sunnydale. But in general."
"She told her parents. They called her a liar. It went on till he moved away in 7th grade. It's probably why she lets guys treat her the way they do. You don't need to tell me, Faith. I wont pry. But you wont ever need to….pay me or Xander for being nice to you. You're our friend."
"….It's eh, it's fine. You can drop me off here. Its not that far from my place." Faith said, her voice no longer the cock sure tone it usually was.
"I can do that, Faith. Or we can go back to my place. You can eat your burger, hit the shower, grab one of my t-shirts to sleep in. We can talk about what dress you want to where to Homecoming. We can talk about whatever you want. And then you can go to sleep. I wont touch you. I wont ever make you do 'anything' that makes you uncomfortable."
"People say that. People say they're your friend, that they wont leave, that they won't make you do anything." Faith said forcefully, still looking out the window.
"My mom had an endless stream of shit guys coming in the house. All too many of them more interested in her kid then my mom's drunk ass. Trust me, I was made to do plenty."
"And then I was saved. My watcher found me. She gave me clean cloths, roof over my head, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She treated me like a person. Then a vamp raped her to death & made me watch."
"Maybe you're on the level, maybe you and Xander don't just want to use me to get off. But that doesn't mean I want to get close to you, knowing how this town is. Knowing that the next Kakistos could show up at any time and I won't be able to protect you."
Pulling off the street into the Chase family residence, Cordeila started down their long driveway towards the main house.
"That's fine. I don't expect you to believe me on face value, we'll earn your trust. And tomorrow night you'll help me stab a fire breathing dumbass in a tv show and get his powers & I'll be that much more able to protect myself from the next shitty vampire that comes to town."
"And next week we'll all go to a dance together, and patrol, we'll have each other's backs."
Turning off the engine, the pair sat in the car for a few minutes more. Processing.
Coming to a decision Faith hoped she wouldn't regret, "….I don't sleep in t-shirts, yo. We'll see how trustworthy you are sleeping next to me in all my glory." The slayer said with a small grin.
Returning her small smile, Queen C spoke, "as if, ten bucks says I'm gonna have to push you off the bed for getting handys with the girls."
Scoffing, Faith retorted, "please, your tits are barely bigger then mine."
Looking offended in her soul, Cordeila just starred, before the pair burst into much needed laughter.
"Now what dress you think I should wear, yo?"