Chapter 9
"I think we have enough."
"Yeah, but if you want to eat Buffy, we don't."
"Who needs to eat?" Buffy laughed. Something had passed between her and Spike the night before. She had been ashamed in the morning, of crawling into his bed, but he seemed fine, even more concerned than before. That's why she felt generous enough to give him money for the guitar. The way she figured it was that you have to spend money to make money. The sooner they made money she could go back to Dawn and ask them all to forgive her. But did she really want that? She wondered if they were tracking her now, with a spell, angry and mad. She always ran away. She bet they would too, if they were in her shoes.
She finished lacing them and stood up. "You ready?"
"Yeah." Spike touched his hand, with the burn and grimaced. He hated going out during the day, even though he was with Buffy.
"Do you want me to go get it?"
"No. It's ok." Spike ran his fingers through his hair, the roots showing just the right amount. Buffy headed to the door and was about to leave she slammed it closed.
"Second thought. Do you mind if I do an errand by myself first? I'll be back and then we can go get it."
"Sure. I bet there's some porn on here somewhere." Spike snatched up the remote as Buffy made a face and left. Sometimes she forgot that he was also a man besides being a vampire.
She knew where it was without having the address. She had seen the place as a little girl. It was dreary looking. Cement gray, with a look of despair. She knew she needed this. As she came towards the door her breath caught in her throat and she had to continue on. She dug her nails into her palms. She had to do this. If she was to continue this path into the future she had to look to the past.
She hadn't seen Faith since their last fight, but Buffy knew how she was doing because Angel told her. Somehow she knew that seeing Faith, seeing what she was going through was going to convince her what she was doing was either right, or wrong. Either way she was desperate to find the right path. She was led inside and sat down in a little orange chair. A couple minutes later Faith was led into the room on the opposite side of the plexi glass. Her mouth formed a small o when she saw Buffy. Buffy gave an uncomfortable wave to the other slayer.
"This is a surprise B." faith said at last.
"How are you doing Faith?"
"I might venture to say better than you. I heard you like died again. Don't you stay dead?"
"Nope." Buffy shrugged, not bothering to laugh at the joke.
"So what can I do for you?"
"If you got out of jail right now Faith, would you go back to slaying?" Buffy blurted out the question. It hung in the air and this time Faith didn't have a quick quip to throw back. She looked at Buffy solemnly.
"Probably not B. It's what got me here in the first place. I'm not cut out to be a Slayer…"
"That's not what I asked. Yes or no?"
"No." Faith looked at Buffy for a second, confused. "You want me to answer the question if you weren't around would I?" Buffy nodded. "I don't know."
"I died Faith. And I came back. And I had to take it up again, because no one else can, or would. But it's miserable and I'm tired. And I came to LA to get away from it."
"You ran away again?"
"With Spike." Buffy waited for the jab.
"He always was a hottie. But I'm a bit surprised. Always thought you were the straight and narrow."
"Just like my coffin? I'm sick of it. Did you know I was in fuckin' heaven? Willow pulled me out so I could clean up Glory's little mess, because they were too wimpy to get over me."
"And the girl has balls. I bet you haven't told them that. I know you B. You probably have gone around lala until you couldn't take it. You bottle stuff up. And it isn't good for you. I know. I'm the queen. And look at me? I popped like a nuclear bomb." Faith smiled. "They got on ok without you. I say give it up. You don't need that gig anymore." Buffy stood to go. "But B?"
"Yeah?"
"There was nobody who could do it like you could."
"Thanks." Buffy stood up again. Damn that girl. She had convinced Buffy and then put in that one irritating thought at the end. Buffy pushed it to the back of her mind and left the correctional facility.
The day was fairly warm without being to warm. Buffy's stomach growled, reminding her she hadn't eaten. She wished she had extra money, and for a second regretted giving it to Spike for the guitar. But then she remembered the he looked the night before, seeing it in the window and it made her feel better inside. Somehow if he had a reason to go on with his pathetic life then so should she.
"Honey I'm home." Buffy entered the motel room. Spike was asleep on the bed, his arm thrown over his head. He twitched a little in his sleep. Buffy went over and sat on the bed lightly. He looked sweet in his sleep, something he wasn't when awake. Except to her. He looked innocent, which he could never be. She touched his face, tracing the sharp lines of his jaw. He opened his eyes and looked up at her. She drew her hand back sharply. "I'm back."
"Hey." He yawned. "Where did you go luv?" Something made her want to tell him. Maybe it was the wide blue eyes, as they woke to the world.
"I went to visit Faith. In jail."
"Faith." Spike murmured with a slow smile. "I mean, what did she had to tell you?"
"Nothing you would care about." Buffy stood up with a sigh. "Let's go get your guitar.
"I think we have enough."
"Yeah, but if you want to eat Buffy, we don't."
"Who needs to eat?" Buffy laughed. Something had passed between her and Spike the night before. She had been ashamed in the morning, of crawling into his bed, but he seemed fine, even more concerned than before. That's why she felt generous enough to give him money for the guitar. The way she figured it was that you have to spend money to make money. The sooner they made money she could go back to Dawn and ask them all to forgive her. But did she really want that? She wondered if they were tracking her now, with a spell, angry and mad. She always ran away. She bet they would too, if they were in her shoes.
She finished lacing them and stood up. "You ready?"
"Yeah." Spike touched his hand, with the burn and grimaced. He hated going out during the day, even though he was with Buffy.
"Do you want me to go get it?"
"No. It's ok." Spike ran his fingers through his hair, the roots showing just the right amount. Buffy headed to the door and was about to leave she slammed it closed.
"Second thought. Do you mind if I do an errand by myself first? I'll be back and then we can go get it."
"Sure. I bet there's some porn on here somewhere." Spike snatched up the remote as Buffy made a face and left. Sometimes she forgot that he was also a man besides being a vampire.
She knew where it was without having the address. She had seen the place as a little girl. It was dreary looking. Cement gray, with a look of despair. She knew she needed this. As she came towards the door her breath caught in her throat and she had to continue on. She dug her nails into her palms. She had to do this. If she was to continue this path into the future she had to look to the past.
She hadn't seen Faith since their last fight, but Buffy knew how she was doing because Angel told her. Somehow she knew that seeing Faith, seeing what she was going through was going to convince her what she was doing was either right, or wrong. Either way she was desperate to find the right path. She was led inside and sat down in a little orange chair. A couple minutes later Faith was led into the room on the opposite side of the plexi glass. Her mouth formed a small o when she saw Buffy. Buffy gave an uncomfortable wave to the other slayer.
"This is a surprise B." faith said at last.
"How are you doing Faith?"
"I might venture to say better than you. I heard you like died again. Don't you stay dead?"
"Nope." Buffy shrugged, not bothering to laugh at the joke.
"So what can I do for you?"
"If you got out of jail right now Faith, would you go back to slaying?" Buffy blurted out the question. It hung in the air and this time Faith didn't have a quick quip to throw back. She looked at Buffy solemnly.
"Probably not B. It's what got me here in the first place. I'm not cut out to be a Slayer…"
"That's not what I asked. Yes or no?"
"No." Faith looked at Buffy for a second, confused. "You want me to answer the question if you weren't around would I?" Buffy nodded. "I don't know."
"I died Faith. And I came back. And I had to take it up again, because no one else can, or would. But it's miserable and I'm tired. And I came to LA to get away from it."
"You ran away again?"
"With Spike." Buffy waited for the jab.
"He always was a hottie. But I'm a bit surprised. Always thought you were the straight and narrow."
"Just like my coffin? I'm sick of it. Did you know I was in fuckin' heaven? Willow pulled me out so I could clean up Glory's little mess, because they were too wimpy to get over me."
"And the girl has balls. I bet you haven't told them that. I know you B. You probably have gone around lala until you couldn't take it. You bottle stuff up. And it isn't good for you. I know. I'm the queen. And look at me? I popped like a nuclear bomb." Faith smiled. "They got on ok without you. I say give it up. You don't need that gig anymore." Buffy stood to go. "But B?"
"Yeah?"
"There was nobody who could do it like you could."
"Thanks." Buffy stood up again. Damn that girl. She had convinced Buffy and then put in that one irritating thought at the end. Buffy pushed it to the back of her mind and left the correctional facility.
The day was fairly warm without being to warm. Buffy's stomach growled, reminding her she hadn't eaten. She wished she had extra money, and for a second regretted giving it to Spike for the guitar. But then she remembered the he looked the night before, seeing it in the window and it made her feel better inside. Somehow if he had a reason to go on with his pathetic life then so should she.
"Honey I'm home." Buffy entered the motel room. Spike was asleep on the bed, his arm thrown over his head. He twitched a little in his sleep. Buffy went over and sat on the bed lightly. He looked sweet in his sleep, something he wasn't when awake. Except to her. He looked innocent, which he could never be. She touched his face, tracing the sharp lines of his jaw. He opened his eyes and looked up at her. She drew her hand back sharply. "I'm back."
"Hey." He yawned. "Where did you go luv?" Something made her want to tell him. Maybe it was the wide blue eyes, as they woke to the world.
"I went to visit Faith. In jail."
"Faith." Spike murmured with a slow smile. "I mean, what did she had to tell you?"
"Nothing you would care about." Buffy stood up with a sigh. "Let's go get your guitar.
