"You'll take care of yourself, right baby sis?" Fay said. Max nodded, smiling,
"Always do, Fay. And you too." She turned to Buffy. "You keep this girl outta trouble, k?"
Buffy smiled,
"Not entirely sure that's possible." She replied.
"It was good to meet you guys." Max told them all, bumping fists with Buffy and waving to the others. Then Fay caught her in a hug.
"I'm gonna miss you, Maxie." She said.
"You too, sis. Contact me if you find anyone, yeah?"
"Of course. You too."
"See ya." Max smiled, put on her yellow shades, and mounted the bike. She raise one hand in a short wave, revved the engine, and peeled out into the street.
The scoobies went back into Buffy's house- her mom was away for the weekend.
"You ok, Fai-Fay?" Buffy asked. Fay smiled,
"You can keep callin' me Faith if ya want. I don't mind. And yeah, I'm five by five."
"At least here in Sunny Dale, it's unlikely that they'll find you." Willow said. The others frowned, not understanding, so she continued. "With the huge number of demons, all the slayer activity… the Manticore people probably wont realise that one of their escapees is splat bang in the middle of it all."
Fay shrugged,
"It's a point." She said, but then looked worried. "You guys aren't mad I didn't tell you, are you?"
"No!" Buffy exclaimed. "I understand why you didn't, Faith… And it doesn't matter anyway, cos you're still you. It doesn't matter where you came from." The two slayers smiled at each other. Fay had never thought she'd find someone that had never experienced Manticore, who could still understand her and accept her so truly.
"Thanks, B." She said.
The two slayers became very close over the next few months, culminating in the events of 'Bad Girls'. After destroying Balthazar, Buffy went to visit Faith, knowing that the other girl must feel just as bad, if not worse than her. Faith threw this back in her face when Buffy proclaimed,
"You don't get, you killed a man!"
Faith replied calmly
"No! You don't get it, I don't care!"
-----------------
Buffy gaped at the girl she had gotten so close to recently. She couldn't believe the words she'd just heard.
"Faith…" she gasped.
"What, B? You got a problem with that? It's what I was built for!"
"No, Faith, Being a slayer is not the same as being a killer." Buffy spat, disgusted.
"Yeah? Well long before I was a slayer, I was a killer. Remember the whole made in a government lab thing? It's what I am, B! I am a killer."
"No." Buffy managed.
"Yes."
"No, Faith, you escaped, you turned your back on it. That is not what you are! If you give in to this, then you give in to them! You will be handing yourself back to Manticore!"
"Get out." Faith breathed. Buffy could see her shaking in what she could only presume was rage.
"Faith… Fay…"
"Get. Out!" Faith cried. Buffy let out a frustrated breath, and stalked out of the room. Fay slammed the door, still shaking, but it had nothing to do with anger. As soon as the blond slayer had left, she collapsed against the door, the seizure wracking her body as a single tear trickled down her cheek.
Much later…
Faith kissed Buffy on the forehead and fled. Buffy sighed, closing her eyes briefly before turning to Angel. It was so hard to see someone so close to her act like an enemy, even when she knew it was an act. She embraced Angel as he apologised for the things she knew he hadn't even meant. She breathed deeply, determined not to show quite how much the situation had affected her- she couldn't let Angel see it.
Willow and Buffy sat in the slayer's room, talking.
"I can't believe she's really… damn." Willow said. Buffy simply nodded. "Do you think… I mean, should we try to find Max?"
"What?" Buffy exclaimed.
"Y'know, her sister. Maybe she could help." Willow continued, not understanding the panicked look on Buffy's face.
"Oh… no. I don't think we should… we can deal… and anyway, we don't know how to contact her." Buffy was clearly on defence mode- her best friend wished she knew why.
"Oh, god, Buffy, you don't think she would join Faith?" the redhead gasped.
"No. No… I just… no."
"But Buffy…"
"I have to patrol."
"Buffy."
"See ya later, Will." The slayer left, fleeing the conversation before she had to say another word. She wasn't happy with the way things were going; she knew all too well that her actions and words from here on out could get her, or any of her friends killed. Strange that this became so painfully clear now.
The scoobies found it strange fighting the fight against Faith, their former friend. Buffy wished this didn't have to happen. She wished that Faith was back at her side, and they could party and slay, and be sisterly, as they once nearly were; instead of this…
Angel walked through the cemetery, keeping watch for any vamps. He heard muffled voices not far off, and headed towards them, soon recognising one as Buffy's thought he still couldn't hear the words. Then there was an intake of breath,
"Someone's comin'. I gotta jet."
"But Faith!" Buffy exclaimed. Angel stiffened at the name.
"See ya, girl friend." Angel rounded the bush just as Faith disappeared.
"You're still trying to get through to her?" Angel asked, startling the slayer. Buffy sighed, reaching for composure she wasn't sure she had.
"Yes."
"No luck I'm guessing?"
"No. No joy."
"I'm sorry, Buffy." He embraced the small girl, and she buried her worried face in his coat.
The box of Gavrok. Buffy swallowed hard, and let Angel lower her down. She carefully lifted the box, only to curse loudly when an alarm blared. Angel started winding her back up, but the mechanism jammed.
"Damn it Angel!" she yelled. The mayor's hence vamps piled in, only to find a pissed off vamp-with-a-soul and a stringed up slayer. Buffy performed some serious 'tomb raider'-bungee-cord-entrance-hall-action and dusted the vamps, before detaching herself from the 'mission impossible gear' and exiting as quick as possible. It was only when they met up with the rest of the group that they realise Will had never made it back to the van.
(I don't remember whether Buffy did use the ropes to swing round and batter the vamps, but she should have, so in my world she did!! HA!)
Buffy stood in the library, the argument simply washing over her. Faith had grabbed Willow. Somehow she just knew it had been Faith. A sick knot was curling in her stomach as she wondered how many serious mistakes she had made recently. She was wrenched out of her own little world when a huge crashing sound filled the room. It took the slayer a few moments to work out that the source of this was Oz smashing the ritual items on the floor. She smiled inwardly, seeing his love for the small redhead. If the question was Willow or destroying the box, he had just sabotaged one choice, leaving the other. He would not let the mayor have Willow. So they set up the deal.
Buffy felt she would almost be sick when she saw her fellow slayer enter, a knife at Willow's throat. A very nice knife, Buffy thought abstractly. The mayor began his annoying 'I'm invincible so I'll say what I like' bit, and Angel retorted bitterly. Buffy's heart wrenched as this made Faith tighten her grip on the witch. He then moved to the subject of Buffy and Angel, of course, and Buffy tried not to full out attack him, knowing it would no-doubt be the end of Willow, as well as doing no good. As the trade was about to commence, Oz, his eyes glued to his terrified girl, noticed Faith whisper in Willow's ear, and a flicker of confusion crossed the redhead's face. The werewolf frowned, wishing he could hear the dark slayer's words. Angel stepped forward with the box, and traded with Faith.
"Well, that went smoothly." The mayor said smiling. A very creepy grin spread on Faith's face.
"I'll say." She agreed, before spinning to slam the mayor in the face with the heavy box, sending him flying into Snyder and the security guards as they rushed in. "Willow!" Faith yelled, hefting the box towards the witch, who just managed to catch it, running to the back of the room to begin the spell with the supplies Faith had just slipped into her pocket.
"NO!" the Mayor screamed. He glared at Faith as his cronies engaged the scoobies. He leapt up, throwing Snyder aside, and advancing as fast as possible towards Willow. Unfortunately for him, 'as fast as possible' happened to mean getting past two slayers, standing side by side. Two right feet hit his chest, sending him back through the cafeteria door.
"Damn you scared me for a minute." Buffy gasped, smiling at her dark haired counter part.
"Told you I was the best actor in the world!" Faith replied, her eyes gleaming in mid-fight excitement as she staked a vamp. When all the cronies were dust, the mayor, ignoring a whimpering Snyder, strode furiously into the room.
"You cannot fight me! I am invulnerable!" he bellowed. Faith made a tsk tsk sound, shaking her head.
"Only while the ascension is on track. Meaning the box is in tact." She glanced over her shoulder, where Willow was in the final stages. "Sorry pops." Faith grinned. A crack and a poof of smoke declared the destruction of the box, and Faith delivered a spinning kick to the mayor's face, knocking him out cold. "Ascension's cancelled." She told his limp form. She turned to Buffy. "You guys all ok?" She asked. Buffy nodded, the others just looking confused. Faith shrugged, "What? You really think I'd roll with that loser? He wanted me to wear a flowery dress!"
Buffy cracked a smile, hugging the other slayer like a long lost sister.
"God I missed you." She murmured.
He he, confused? : ) U'll see…