Chapter Sixty-One

"End of days"

A/N OK, So pretty much the same plot for this one as they're all just preparing for the battle and stuff. The whole Xander taking Dawn away thing is pretty dumb so I'm leaving that out. And all the random talking Spike and Buffy do, coz a lil pointless.

Sunnydale, the world without shrimp 2003

Anya and Andrew walked through the empty halls carefully, wading towards one of the supply cupboards. They were carrying large pillow cases over their shoulders as they began to loot the hospital. "Ooh, look this one has oxygen tanks." Andrew said excitedly as began robbing the shelves of ointment, bandages, stitching equipment. And for a single excited second, this all felt very real - they were gathering supplies because they knew more people were going to get injuries, they already had injuries mounting up because of the bomb. Faith had sent out Xander, Anya, Willow and Dawn to look for Buffy, it was major tactics of keeping them out of the way so that they wouldn't be hurt. Anya knew that a little piece of Xander wanted to stay the fight, to prove he was capable, but he knew his place better than anyone, he'd had years of practice being at Buffy's side.

Tara had gone with Andrew to get food from the now very empty and abandoned grocery store. With the whole town deserted there was little less people to fight over the food and they piled it up easily. Tara a little wary that stealing wasn't exactly right but what other choice did they have, everyone was gone.

As they stuffed their pillow cases with cotton packing, the realness seeped in once more, Andrew had been blocking it out for a while, wrapped up in his stories he pretended the real world was fantasy most of the time. "It's going to be bad isn't it?" He said maturely, leaving his shell of what came easy to him.

"Yeah." She replied sullenly, walking through the tepid room.

"So, how come you're still here, you could just leave." He asked politely, somehow Anya remained somewhat of a mystery to him, yet he knew her and Xander had agreed to get back together, maybe he was the reason she was staying. It would make a great love story for the both of them if it was.

"I could, I mean I left once before." She wasn't going to continue but seeing the question mark etched into Andrew's face, she gave the answers. "Another apocalypse this one time, you know when the school was destroyed. I asked Xander to go with me, but he wouldn't. He'd stay for his friends even if he knew he was going to die, that's something I-" She cut herself off from revealing their renewed relationship. "Andrew can you keep a secret?"

"Yeah, cross my heart, hope to die, but not by uber vamps though, nasty." He replied amusingly to himself. The hilarity lost on Anya.

"Ok, so after you interviewed us for your book thing, well me and Xander got to talking and, we got back together." Andrew sighed at this information like he didn't already know, although it came out rather like a 'yeah, what else is new?' Not that Anya picked up on this, she was still talking and Andrew was intently listening although pretending he wasn't. "And things are different now, I mean, back then I hadn't been around humans too much, I didn't really get them. I still don't really get them. They do all this crazy stuff like killing each other and fighting and not expecting certain death. And they leave people. But they never leave when something is really important, they all huddle together like some crazy group of penguins because they never give up. And they fight for it. And they're lame morons for fighting but they never quit." She paused, taking a breath. "So I guess, that means I fight too."

Andrew smiled as broad as his cheeks would let him and gazed quite wonderfully at her. "That was kinda beautiful." He said, she blew him away with a puff of air and a small push her eyes at a slight roll. "You love humans."

"I do not!" Was the resounding reply, Anya's cheeks puffing out in a blush as she knew he was right. Maybe it hadn't been clear before but she'd been around their funny little ways for a while now and maybe it was starting to sink in how much she needed their hope and their stupidity.

"Yes, you do. You looooove them." The 'love' was spoken in Andrew's best singsong voice as he poked and prodded her.

"Fine, ok, I love them. But you can't tell anyone." She replied, giving him a point and looking sternly as she went back to robbing the supply cupboard. "And I love Xander, but you can't tell anybody that either." Andrew chuckled a little, in his head he was an old man laughing at the youth of today. But in his heart he liked she'd told him, he didn't have to feel bad about knowing anymore. And it felt like she trusted him with this.

"Anya Jenkins, I'm glad I know you. And if I die I'm glad it'll be as one of the funny little humans fighting for what they believe in." He tried shaking her hand but she shrugged him off to hug him, relief swarming through her that she didn't exactly have to keep this secret to herself anymore. Andrew was a good friend.

After Buffy had recovered the scythe and got the potentials out of the vineyard safely. Faith's injuries were superficial and being a slayer she'd heal fast with bed rest. Buffy was perched on the end of the bed, the house had calmed after the days events and they needed to talk. Faith had led the potentials into danger, she'd taken them to make progress but even thought that was a bust, they had the scythe. The weapon of the slayer and the power that it held.

As Faith held the scythe in her hands she marvelled at the power it gave her. The strength it would wield. But it belonged to Buffy. In some ways Faith was always a little jealous that she never got her proper turn at being the slayer, Buffy was always there too, getting in the way. But helping her, she'd never been alone in it and some part of her clutches to the familiar, to Buffy because she was the wisdom - the guidance and strength.

They'd been talking about the scythe when the mood shifted, Buffy's face fell as she thought of the night before, her leaving and Faith being in charge. "Did you ever resent me?" She said quietly, not meeting Faith's deep chocolate hazelnut eyes.

"For what?" She replied, there was a tone of sympathy in her voice that made Buffy want to tell all and have Faith be her best friend but something was screaming deep inside of the that they should be close.

"For me always being the one in charge, you never really got to do anything. You're a slayer too, you should've had your shot at being the slayer, but my being alive stopped all that." Buffy said honestly, in all her haste to keep her power and her friends and the world. She hadn't thought about the other side of it, that Faith had always been there too, on the sidelines, not being able to lead. The old Buffy used to think Faith deserved it for siding with evil and the mayor, killing that guy, but after that accident, it was her own unfriendliness that drove Faith away.

"Of course I didn't resent you B, I'm your second in command." Buffy shrugged. "Sorta, but the point is, no I didn't. I was lucky, you had to do this all on your own, I had you to guide me, to lead me when I had no idea how to be the slayer. We were the slayer together." Faith gave her hand a little squeeze, it was uncharacteristic but familiar, Buffy didn't mind having the comfort.

"Ok F." Buffy said with a smile, she thought maybe she was being funny but no.

"Yeah don't, don't do that." Faith said with a finger pointed out to the side. Buffy chuckled, Faith was still a mystery to her. But somehow she felt things mending between them, Faith had done some time, paid the price and she was over it. She was a new Faith, a mature Faith who'd risen from the aches of her dishevelled past and found a new place.

"Fine, but who is gonna lead the troops tomorrow?" Buffy's tone turned serious as she knew they had to decide, who was going to be the good slayer and the bad. Or did they? Who said they had to be one or the other? Buffy figured not. Faith thought for a few seconds, she knew she was going to let Buffy take it but she wanted to look at least a little studious. "Wanna do it together?" Finally Buffy emitted, she didn't want to be alone anymore and Faith understood, they could wield the scythe one by one but they would lead together.

"You sure?" Faith returned, internally grateful Buffy thought she could do it after leading the girls into a death trap. Buffy smiled, squeezed Faith's hand one last time and kissed her on the forehead, walking over to the door.

"Yeah girlfriend." She said with an added attempt at sass that just made Faith corpse into laughter. "Ok, I'm never saying that again." Buffy said halfway through the doorframe.

"I wouldn't." Faith scolded.

"Wow, and you slept with Xander." She almost rolled her eyes, but the brunette contained herself for one last comedic comment.

"I know right." And with that Buffy left through the doorway and figured she would get a head start on learning more about the scythe she went downstairs to the kitchen where there would be books. And find out what Willow and Giles learned in their research.