Buffy sat on the couch in the living room flipping through a photo album.
She missed the days when her, her mother, father and Dawn would just huddle
together and laugh at old photos. So much had changed since those innocent
days. First she found out she was a Slayer, the one girl in all the world
with the power to stop the vampires. Then her parents divorce which had
pretty much been the last time she saw her dad except for two or three
visits and a quick summer trip. Buffy, Joyce and Dawn ended up moving to
Sunnydale.
Then it turned out Dawn really wasn't her sister, the memories were all fake. Everything about her was fake. Even the pictures of Dawn in a little princess costume for Halloween. Buffy smiled at the picture of Dawn in a pink gown and tiara. Buffy turned the page and there was Joyce, her mother. Looking completely healthy, there was no way of knowing then that she had an illness which would play a part in her death. Buffy sighed and flipped the large photo album to the middle.
Willow, Xander and Buffy with Xander in the middle grinning at having the two girls having all over him. Especially Buffy, back then he had, had a huge crush on her. It was so much simpler back then. But now, no matter what problems any of them had they knew they could count on each other. They had been through so much, happiness, sadness, apocalypses. Buffy flipped through the pictures of the three of them. They had become close so fast, they were the only reason she was glad they moved to Sunnydale. That would have never happened if she wasn't the Slayer. Buffy turned the page again and was surprised with a picture of Faith.
Buffy wasn't the only slayer. She had died briefly at the hands of an old Vampire called The Master. Kendra was called and in turn her throat was slit by Drusilla, Spike's ex-girlfriend and sire. And then came Faith. Who was truly undisciplined and wild, felt unloved and unwanted. Who felt she could never measure up, especially not to Buffy who everyone thought of as THE slayer. So what was a girl like that to do? She turned to the dark side. Had tried to kill Buffy's boyfriend, her soul mate. Buffy put her in a coma but still she came back and briefly stole Buffy's life but Buffy took it back. But that wasn't the whole story. Only what her friends knew.
Buffy pulled the plastic away from the picture and took the picture out meaning to throw it away. Buffy looked down at the picture, hesitating to throw it away. Things weren't always feelings of hate between them. At one time she had felt very different. She remembered when she first saw Faith, she thought Faith was an innocent. How wrong she was about that. She and Willow were hanging out at the Bronze talking about Scott who was crushing on her when Cordelia and Xander came over. Buffy looked into the picture and continued remembering.
Cordelia: Check out Slut-O-Rama and her Disco Dave.
She points and looks onto the dance floor as she and Xander sit on a low table against a wall. The camera cuts to the energetically dancing couple. Although the girl's style is more contemporary, the guy is dancing way too fast for the music, with an unmistakable 70's disco influence.
Cordelia: What was the last thing that guy danced to, K.C. and the Sunshine Band?
Willow and Oz both cock their heads to look at them. The couple continues to dance, getting close and touching each other at one point, then separating again. Buffy begins to really wonder about them. The couple gets close again, and the girl extends her arm, pointing at the door. The guy takes the hint, and leads her out with his arm around her. Buffy watches them go, suspicious of his intentions. She sees him say bye to his buddy and head for the door.
Buffy: I don't think that guy thrives on sunshine
. She quickly puts down her drink and starts out after them. As she crosses the room behind the dance floor, Scott sees her coming and steps over to intercept her.
Scott: Hi.
Buffy: (stops short, startled) Hi. Oh, (frowns) no, I... (points at the door) I-I have to...
Scott: (gets it) Oh. Uh, uh, sorry, my bad.
Buffy: (apologetic) No. I-it's mine. Really, it's mine, but I... (glances back at the others) I-I-I have to go. (hurries out)
Scott is very confused, and just watches her leave.
Cut outside. Buffy strides out and looks around. Xander comes out right behind her followed closely by the others.
Buffy: Where'd she go?
She takes a few steps down the alley to the left to check things out. The others looks around also.
Cordelia: I bet it's nothing. They're probably just making out. Buffy comes back. They hear a girl call out in a complaining tone.
Girl: Hey
! They also hear a loud noise, as though something was just broken. Xander pulls a stake out of his jacket. Buffy takes it from him and heads in the direction of the noise.
Willow: That's not what making out sounds like, unless I'm doing it wrong.
They all follow Buffy. Cut to the couple from the dance floor. The boy has the girl up against a section of temporary chain link fencing that's leaning against the building.
Boy: Stop struggling. This won't hurt
. The boy vamps out and moves in to bite the girl. She grabs him by the neck, pushes him away a bit and elbow jabs him in the face. He staggers back and regains his balance as she jumps onto a crate. She does a jumping roundhouse kick to his face, knocking him to the pavement. Buffy arrives. The girl notices her and approaches, smiling.
Girl: It's okay, I got it. You're, uh, Buffy, right?
Buffy is taken aback. Just as she's about to answer, the vampire comes up behind the girl and grabs her by the shoulders. She snaps her head back to head butt him in the face and grabs onto his arm.
Faith: I'm Faith.
She twists the vampire around and shoves him into the section of chain link fence.
Oz: (to Willow) I'm gonna go out on a limb and say there's a new Slayer in town.
Faith knees him in the gut from behind. The vamp whirls around and tries to backhand punch her, but she easily ducks it. She punches him in the gut and then again in the face. Everyone just watches her fight. Xander follows her moves with jerks of his head. She does a high side kick to the vampire's jaw, grabs onto his shirt and neck and throws him to the ground. The vamp does a no-hand front roll to control his fall while Faith reaches over to Buffy for the stake and jerks it from her hand.
Faith: Can I borrow that?
The vampire uses the momentum of his roll to get back to his feet and runs at Faith, throwing a punch as he comes. She ducks it, hooks her hand on his shoulder, turns him around and pushes him back into the fence. She raises the stake and jams it cleanly into his chest and jerks it back out. The vampire instantly crumbles into ashes. Buffy stares in confused amazement. Faith faces her and hands her back the stake.
Faith: Thanks, B. Couldn't have done it without you. She just continues walking past them all.
Buffy turns to stare after her, unsure how to react.
Then it turned out Dawn really wasn't her sister, the memories were all fake. Everything about her was fake. Even the pictures of Dawn in a little princess costume for Halloween. Buffy smiled at the picture of Dawn in a pink gown and tiara. Buffy turned the page and there was Joyce, her mother. Looking completely healthy, there was no way of knowing then that she had an illness which would play a part in her death. Buffy sighed and flipped the large photo album to the middle.
Willow, Xander and Buffy with Xander in the middle grinning at having the two girls having all over him. Especially Buffy, back then he had, had a huge crush on her. It was so much simpler back then. But now, no matter what problems any of them had they knew they could count on each other. They had been through so much, happiness, sadness, apocalypses. Buffy flipped through the pictures of the three of them. They had become close so fast, they were the only reason she was glad they moved to Sunnydale. That would have never happened if she wasn't the Slayer. Buffy turned the page again and was surprised with a picture of Faith.
Buffy wasn't the only slayer. She had died briefly at the hands of an old Vampire called The Master. Kendra was called and in turn her throat was slit by Drusilla, Spike's ex-girlfriend and sire. And then came Faith. Who was truly undisciplined and wild, felt unloved and unwanted. Who felt she could never measure up, especially not to Buffy who everyone thought of as THE slayer. So what was a girl like that to do? She turned to the dark side. Had tried to kill Buffy's boyfriend, her soul mate. Buffy put her in a coma but still she came back and briefly stole Buffy's life but Buffy took it back. But that wasn't the whole story. Only what her friends knew.
Buffy pulled the plastic away from the picture and took the picture out meaning to throw it away. Buffy looked down at the picture, hesitating to throw it away. Things weren't always feelings of hate between them. At one time she had felt very different. She remembered when she first saw Faith, she thought Faith was an innocent. How wrong she was about that. She and Willow were hanging out at the Bronze talking about Scott who was crushing on her when Cordelia and Xander came over. Buffy looked into the picture and continued remembering.
Cordelia: Check out Slut-O-Rama and her Disco Dave.
She points and looks onto the dance floor as she and Xander sit on a low table against a wall. The camera cuts to the energetically dancing couple. Although the girl's style is more contemporary, the guy is dancing way too fast for the music, with an unmistakable 70's disco influence.
Cordelia: What was the last thing that guy danced to, K.C. and the Sunshine Band?
Willow and Oz both cock their heads to look at them. The couple continues to dance, getting close and touching each other at one point, then separating again. Buffy begins to really wonder about them. The couple gets close again, and the girl extends her arm, pointing at the door. The guy takes the hint, and leads her out with his arm around her. Buffy watches them go, suspicious of his intentions. She sees him say bye to his buddy and head for the door.
Buffy: I don't think that guy thrives on sunshine
. She quickly puts down her drink and starts out after them. As she crosses the room behind the dance floor, Scott sees her coming and steps over to intercept her.
Scott: Hi.
Buffy: (stops short, startled) Hi. Oh, (frowns) no, I... (points at the door) I-I have to...
Scott: (gets it) Oh. Uh, uh, sorry, my bad.
Buffy: (apologetic) No. I-it's mine. Really, it's mine, but I... (glances back at the others) I-I-I have to go. (hurries out)
Scott is very confused, and just watches her leave.
Cut outside. Buffy strides out and looks around. Xander comes out right behind her followed closely by the others.
Buffy: Where'd she go?
She takes a few steps down the alley to the left to check things out. The others looks around also.
Cordelia: I bet it's nothing. They're probably just making out. Buffy comes back. They hear a girl call out in a complaining tone.
Girl: Hey
! They also hear a loud noise, as though something was just broken. Xander pulls a stake out of his jacket. Buffy takes it from him and heads in the direction of the noise.
Willow: That's not what making out sounds like, unless I'm doing it wrong.
They all follow Buffy. Cut to the couple from the dance floor. The boy has the girl up against a section of temporary chain link fencing that's leaning against the building.
Boy: Stop struggling. This won't hurt
. The boy vamps out and moves in to bite the girl. She grabs him by the neck, pushes him away a bit and elbow jabs him in the face. He staggers back and regains his balance as she jumps onto a crate. She does a jumping roundhouse kick to his face, knocking him to the pavement. Buffy arrives. The girl notices her and approaches, smiling.
Girl: It's okay, I got it. You're, uh, Buffy, right?
Buffy is taken aback. Just as she's about to answer, the vampire comes up behind the girl and grabs her by the shoulders. She snaps her head back to head butt him in the face and grabs onto his arm.
Faith: I'm Faith.
She twists the vampire around and shoves him into the section of chain link fence.
Oz: (to Willow) I'm gonna go out on a limb and say there's a new Slayer in town.
Faith knees him in the gut from behind. The vamp whirls around and tries to backhand punch her, but she easily ducks it. She punches him in the gut and then again in the face. Everyone just watches her fight. Xander follows her moves with jerks of his head. She does a high side kick to the vampire's jaw, grabs onto his shirt and neck and throws him to the ground. The vamp does a no-hand front roll to control his fall while Faith reaches over to Buffy for the stake and jerks it from her hand.
Faith: Can I borrow that?
The vampire uses the momentum of his roll to get back to his feet and runs at Faith, throwing a punch as he comes. She ducks it, hooks her hand on his shoulder, turns him around and pushes him back into the fence. She raises the stake and jams it cleanly into his chest and jerks it back out. The vampire instantly crumbles into ashes. Buffy stares in confused amazement. Faith faces her and hands her back the stake.
Faith: Thanks, B. Couldn't have done it without you. She just continues walking past them all.
Buffy turns to stare after her, unsure how to react.