Title: Chaos… and Karaoke

Series: Part 3 of Just Good Friends

Notes:  Um, Buffy is STILL straight and always will be through this series, hence the title.  Sorry people.

Part 1

Chaos…

     "Faith, it's an emergency.  Get here now!"  B squeals down the phone to me.

     "Chill, B.  I'll be right there.  Can you manage not to panic without me for five minutes?"  I reply.

     "Ok, but hurry."

     I hang up, grab a bag off stuff and haul ass to B's place.

     I arrive at B's breathless and exhausted.  I think I made a land speed records.  I let myself in with the key she gave me a couple of years ago.

     "So what's the problem?"  I ask, seeing my best friend at the bottom of the stairs in fits of hysterical tears.

     "It's so awful."  She moans, burying her face in her hands and starting a new batch of tears.

     I put an arm around her.  "Tell me, B.  What's up?"

     She cries on my shoulder for awhile, then looks at me.  "It's too awful to tell.  You'd better come and see."

     She starts up the stairs, hiccupping occasionally, and leads me to Dawn's room.

     I push open the door, imagining mass bloodshed, possibly a demon corpse… what I see is worse.

     I turn to her, hand on her shoulder.

     "B, what have I told you about trying to decorate without me?"

Chaos Part 2

     I manage to clean up most of the mess she's made.  I don't know how anyone can screw up painting a wall, but B did.  Admirably so.

     I help B drag everything out of Dawn's room and cover the carpet with old sheets so there's nothing left to destroy with B's lack of decorating talent and we start again from scratch.

     Dawn's away at summer camp and me and B promised to redecorate before she got back.

     We have the radio on and I sing along as we paint.

     B looks at me from time to time with that narrowed-eyes-I'm-planning-something look.  It scares me.

     "What?"  I finally ask.

     "What what?"

     "Don't give me that.  Why do you keep looking at me… I mean, I know I look damn fine in paint splattered overalls – pink paint no less – but what are you staring at?"

     "I'm not staring?"

     "Ok, not staring, but what's with the I-have-a-plan look?"

     "Not planning anything."  She gives me the wide eyed what me? look which blatantly suggests that something is going on in B's evil little mind.

     "Stop it.  You're scaring me."

     "Stop what?"

     De ja vu, never my thing.  I flick paint at her, she flinches and I almost fall off the ladder with laughter.  There's almost a straight line of paint flicks running down the middle of B.

     Uh-oh.  She's gonna retaliate.  I look for cover but find nothing.

     Fwish.

     I'm dripping in pink paint.  Life on the Hellmouth sucks.

     I flick my brush at her, but I'm almost out of ammo, so I grab the bucket of paint and hurl that too.

     B stands still for a moment, glaring at me.

     She finally speaks.

     "HUG!!!!!!!"

     She bounds over to me and hugs me tightly.  We're both covered in pink paint and Dawn's room looks worse that it did before I started helping.  She breaks apart from the paint drenched hug, moves her hand up to my face… and paints it pink.

Part 3

And…

     I'm showering when B barges into the bathroom.  There's no such thing as a locked door where we're concerned.

     "I've got my eyes closed."  She hollers.

     "No need, B."  I call, sticking my head over the opaque shower screen.  "It's fogged up in here."

     "Still got my eyes closed."  She replies.

     "Ok."  I reply, turning back to the task at hand, getting pink paint out of my hair.  Then I stop.  "What did you want?"

     "I've brought some clothes in for you."

     "I've got some already."

     "No.  Change of plan, we're going out."

     "We are?"

     "We are."

     She leaves.

     When I get out of the shower I'm a lot less pink than when I started.  I notice B's brought in a pair of leather trousers and my favourite top.  In case you're wondering where they came from, she gave me two of the drawers in her room to put my junk in.

     Half my stuff lives here on a permanent basis.  I have a toothbrush, shampoo, conditioner, you name it, I've got it here.  And vice-versa.  I have a lot of B's stuff at my place.  We didn't do that at first, but I got sick of using vanilla shampoo every time I stayed over, and B got sick of my lack of co-ordinating products.  I mean, who cares if you're using one brand's shampoo and another's conditioner, aside from B, that is?

     I steal some of B's moisturiser for my face.  It's the one product of hers that I use on regular basis, but it's better than mine.

     I finally exit the bathroom looking and feeling a lot better.

     "Hope you left me some hot water."  B says as she passes me.

     "Probably not."  I reply.  "I'm going for a cig while you shower."

     I pause in B's room and pick up Mr Gordo, before going outside and sitting on B's porch.  Mr Gordo sleeps between us when ever I stay over.  I think I like him as much as B does.  Or maybe we just need something to draw the boundary line between us.

     "Did she tell you where we're going tonight?"  I ask the stuffed pig.

     Naturally he doesn't answer and I feel like an idiot for talking to a toy.

     Eight cigarettes and two odd looks from B's neighbours later we're ready to leave.  B holds out her hand to me – something that's second nature to us now – I take it and we begin to walk.

     "Where are we going tonight?"  I ask.  "Bronze?"

     "No, it's a surprise."

     "B, I don't like surprises."

     "Yes you do."  She tells me.  "You loved those rainbow socks I got you.  They were a surprise."

     "No, B."  I explain slowly.  "I didn't love the socks, I loved that you got me a present.  The socks were as ugly as sin, and far to cutesy."

     She glares at me.  "I have a pair of those socks.  And besides, I've seen you wear them since I gave them to you."

     "You were hallucinating."  I tell her.

     The argument continues as we walk.

This part is dedicated to Karen, for telling me I can sing, even if I can't.

Part 4

… Karaoke

     "And next up we have… Buffy Summers and Faith Winter."  The greasy guy with the mike grins broadly and starts a nonsense spiel about our surnames.  Like B and I don't already know we're polar opposites.

     "No B.  Uh-huh, no way and never.  In that frigging order."  I say.

     "It's not so bad, Fai.  C'mon, don't be a wimp."

     "I ain't singing, girlfriend."  I tell her.

     "Buffy Summers and Faith Winter?  Are you here, or was it a joke?"

     B glares at me.

     "I can't do this, B."  I tell her.  Full blown panic has hit me in a big way.  I'm already trembling like a girl about to be deflowered.

     "I mean, who'd be called Buffy anyway?"  Greasy guy continues.

     I stand up.  "Hey!  That's my girl you're insulting."

     "Oh, you're here.  Come on up and sing."  He gestures for us to join him on the mini-stage and begs the rest of the patrons to give us a big round of applause.

     B smiles big and bounds up to the stage, I would run but she's got my arm in a death grip.  I swear that's gotta be cheating, using Slayer powers to bully someone into singing against their will.  I'm gonna report her to the council.

     All these thoughts flash through my head, but stop dead when I realise I'm standing on a stage with a mic in my hand.

     I give B a look, she smiles and whispers.  "You can sing, Fai.  I know you can.  You know you can.  We can do this."

     I bite my lip.  How bad can this be?  I mean, B really can't sing, but she's up here with me.  Why?  Because she knew that deep down, I really wanted to do this.

     It can't be too bad, can it?

     The opening bars of It's Raining Men starts.

     I stand corrected.

     Somehow, despite my nerves and B's voice we get a standing ovation.  Or maybe they're happy we've finally shut up.

     "Damn, girl!  You've got a mighty fine voice."  The greasy guy with the mic congratulates me.

     I grab B in a tight hug.  "Thanks."

     "Told you that you could do it."  She whispers smugly.

     She leads me back to our table, a few people comment on my voice on the way there.  I realise I'm trembling still.

     "Feel good?"  B asks.

     I nod.

     "Better than slaying?"

     "Same result though.  Hungry and horny."

     She giggles.  "I'm sure there are plenty of people who want you now."

     Not the right one though.  I smile at her, and wonder if it will always hurt when she tells me something good about myself.

     "I'm gonna get another drink.  I need to get drunk and forget I ever sang in public.  You want one?"  B says getting up.

     "Yeah, cheers."

     She squeezes my shoulder as she walks past.  I can see a few people eyeing us with curiosity, trying to work out if B and I are.

     A guy from the next table hands me the songlist and says, "Go up again, you're amazing."

     I grin and thank him, not sure how to take the compliments.

     "Gonna sing again?"  B asks, returning with our drinks.  She's, naturally, got one of those alchopop things.  99% sugar, 1% alcohol.  And damned if she hasn't talked someone into giving her another frigging umbrella for her drink.  She lives for those things, I swear.

     "Yeah."

     "What are you gonna sing?"

     "It's a surprise."

     "I thought you didn't like surprises."

     "Your kind scare me."  I reply with a grin.  "I don't mind surprising you."

     "And she's back!  Faith Winter is gonna dazzle us with her vocals again tonight, let's give her a big hand!"

     I get up and give Greasy Mike (my new name for him) a big fat smile.

     I pick the mic up and begin to sing, my eyes never leave B's for the entire song.

I have no confidence

And I can't see why I should

But I could do most anything for you

And you know I would

I try too hard then I give up way too easily

I'm the runner-up inside of you

And you're the winner inside of me

Lose your way

And I will follow

Here today

And here tomorrow

Let my freedom, I know

I'll never let you go

I still wish on the evening star

And I s'pose I always will

Every child loses something

A whole life can't fulfil

And when you cry

I feel the sky

Bust open in my veins

If loving you makes a slave of me

Then I'll spend my whole life in chains

Lose your way

And I will follow

Here today

And here tomorrow

Let my freedom, I know

I'll never let you go

Walk the line

I'll walk inside you

Change your mind

Let your love decide you

It's the reason I know

I'll never let me go

     "Lose Your Way" by Sophie B. Hawkins