The Bronze was busier than one would expect for a school night. Most of the teenage club goers were likely blowing off steam, getting over the stress from the first day of school and trying to unwind by listening to the slow, yet upbeat alternative band that was playing on stage. Unwinding and relaxing was precisely what two of the occupants who were gathered around a pool table were there to do.
Spike circled the table, pool cue in one hand and cigarette in the other, scanning for the perfect shot. "So tell me," he spoke to Robert but concentrated on lining up the shot he had just found, taking a healthy drag off his cigarette. "What was the Slayer like in prison?" Spike sent the cue ball rolling into the number twelve ball, both bouncing off the sides of the table, missing the pocket by an inch, the vampire cursing under his breath. "Was she a bad girl?" Spike gave an almost practiced super villain smile with that comment.
"Wouldn't you like to know," Robert was the model of serenity as he slowly worked his way around the table, already having chosen his shot.
"Yes I would," Spike was annoyed, having tried for the better part of an hour to get Robert to give up some sort of juicy gossip about Faith. Robert sunk his shot in the corner pocket, the cue ball rolling into a position that perfectly lined up another shot for the demon hunter. "Bollucks." Spike continued his attempt as Robert prepared another shot. "Surely you've got a few stories."
"What kind of stories are you looking for Spike?" Robert's shot fell short of the side pocket but left the cue ball in a position where Spike did not have an easy shot.
"You know," the vampire put out his cigarette and focused on the game, scanning the table for anything that could conceivably cut the three ball lead Robert now held over him. "I've seen the way she looks at you." This took Robert by surprise as he wasn't even aware of the way Faith looked at him. "Surely you two must have used the handcuffs for something aside from the obvious or played a few games of guard and prisoner." Not getting a reaction, Spike continued to press. "There must have at least been a little through the bars action." Spike missed another shot and Robert instantly went to lining up his.
As he sank another ball, the demon hunter looked up at Spike and smiled. "That's private Spike."
"So you did," the vampire's grin grew larger.
He circled the table, lining up a trick shot with one ball remaining. "A gentleman never talks about his conquests Spike, you should know that." He sent the cue ball, bouncing off the side of the table, into the final ball, sinking it in a corner pocket. "Game."
"You know, you should really give me a handicap for this," Spike felt the need to justify his defeat.
"Because you suck?" The two sat down at a nearby table, both drawing more than a few long looks from a group of scantily clad high school girls at a nearby table, talking and giggling amongst themselves.
Spike took a long swig of his drink, some odd combination Robert had suggested he try. "Because vampires get nervous playing games with pointed wooden objects. One wrong slip and you'd be playing pool with a pile of dust. Makes it hard to concentrate."
"Well, next time we can play darts," Robert polished off his own drink. He looked around the room, surveying the crowd, scanning it for a particular person and not seeing her. "Didn't Faith say she was going to show?"
"You know, she probably stopped to save the world on the way."
"Probably so," in his looking for Faith, Robert noticed something interesting. A man dressed in clothes that never escaped from the disco-era talking to a shy looking young girl at a table by herself.
"So you're going to stay in town?" Spike asked after taking the time to order another drink.
"Yep, for a while at least." Robert stood as the man and girl he had been watching walked towards the front door. He pointed them out to Spike who also noticed the peculiarity of it. "Vampire," Robert pointed out the obvious.
Spike grinned and shot out of his chair, following Robert to the door. "You and I are going to have some fun."
***
Faith sat, silent and still, gazing out the window of her room, or more correctly, Buffy's room. In the three months she had lived in it, she hadn't bothered to change a thing. There were some things she could do without, everything seemed too light and frilly for her tastes but it never seemed right to do any of those things.
She had spent the last hour going through her closet, trying to find her most responsible looking outfit for the meeting with the school's psychologist tomorrow. It was then she realized that she didn't have any responsible looking outfits and borrowed something from Dawn. As she watched the city block, street lights and lights in windows burning like tiny flames, Faith heard Dawn's question echoing in her mind though not in the context it was originally intended.
"What am I doing here?" She whispered, knowing no one else would hear it. Dawn and Kennedy were working downstairs on their school assignments, Robert and Spike were at The Bronze. She considered, how easy it would be, to pack a bag, take the car and leave. She would be out of town, on the road to living her own life before anyone noticed she was gone. Maybe that was the best thing to do. Then she looked at the people, walking on the street. It was the job of the Slayer to keep them safe. This town needed the Slayer.
She heard footsteps on the floor and continued looking at the window. She locked her eyes on the reflection of the doorway, seeing nothing in it as the footsteps stopped. "When did you get here?" She did not turn around before speaking, knowing precisely who it was.
"Just a few minutes ago," Angel's voice was soft as he stepped into Faith's room, hands held in the pockets of his black blazer. "Dawn let me in," not that Faith needed or cared about an explanation for Angel's sudden appearance at her door.
"Come to check up on me?" Faith still did not turn around. "Make sure I haven't killed everyone yet."
Angel shook his head and sat down on the side of the bed closest to Faith. "I'm not worried about that, no one is." Faith smiled at that comment, glancing at Angel from the corner of her eye. "I just wanted to see how you were adjusting to your new life."
Faith shrugged. "Fine I guess, considering it isn't my life." She turned around, looking at Angel who cocked his head, an unspoken request for an explanation. "I've got Buffy's room, Buffy's house, Buffy's car, Buffy's job, Buffy's friends, Buffy's sister and Buffy's sacred calling." Angel was beginning to see where she was coming from. "This is Buffy's life Angel, I'm just filling in while she's gone."
"You're right Faith," those were not the words she had expected to hear from him. "Buffy gave you her life but she also gave you something else at the same time. A second chance at your own." Faith smiled but lowered her head. It might have been a second chance but it was a chance to lead Buffy's life, not her own. Angel put his hand under her chin, raising her face and looked her in the eye.
"But this doesn't have to be her life, you can make it your own." Both of them knew he couldn't stay long and Angel had said what he needed to say. With Faith still in her thoughts, Angel began walking out of the bedroom but stopped and turned around when he reached the doorway. "You up for it?"
Faith stood, looked at Angel and again looked at the window, crossing her arms in front of her. "Yeah," she said with a genuine smile on her face. "I'm up for it."
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
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