(Blame Sarah for the cake thing…if you haven't seen The Matrix Reloaded you may not get the cake thing…trust us, it's meant to be kinda funny. Then again, it's about three in the morning and we're high on sugar, so…it might not be.)
CHAPTER NINE: SWINGING
Faith awoke mid-afternoon, her head no longer throbbing painfully. The first thing she saw was her Watcher's worried face, staring at her intently.
"Hey," Joanna greeted quietly. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired, but…not as bad as last night," Faith replied tiredly. "What the hell happened?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Joanna replied honestly. "I think you got attacked by some of the vampires in that nest."
Faith sat up slowly in bed, trying to avoid a sudden head-rush. Joanna handed her a cup of tea that Faith gratefully took, sipping the warm liquid that gave her immense comfort.
"Yeah, I think I vaguely remember something like that happening," Faith said, trying to cast her mind back to the events of the previous evening. She couldn't remember anything after she'd been cornered by the two vampires in the corridor. She knew she'd taken a hit to the head.
She reached up and gingerly touched the back of her neck, Joanna immediately noticing.
"It's pretty much entirely healed," Joanna said. "You must have your full strength back."
Faith nodded, surprised by how much better she felt. She felt almost whole. She stretched out her tired muscles, feeling the familiarity of her strength rush through her.
"Any ideas why it went away like that?" Faith asked.
Joanna couldn't meet her eyes as she shook her head. "No. Perhaps you just became ill for a few days."
Faith sighed, wanting to know for sure what had happened to her. She wanted to make sure that it never happened again. She'd hated the helpless feeling that she'd had, and she'd hated the thought of having to deal with a 'normal' life.
"Well, as long as it don't happen again, I guess I'm cool."
"No…I dare say it won't happen again," Joanna said quietly. She stood and walked from the room, hating having to lie to her Slayer.
She walked into the living room and saw Quentin Travers seated on the couch, a cup of tea in his hands. He looked at her expectantly.
"She's awake?" he asked.
Joanna nodded. "She's still a little shaken. Perhaps you should just leave it to me to explain about the test." She had absolutely no intention of telling Faith about her betrayal, knowing that the Slayer had always had problems with trusting authority figures. If Faith ever found out about Joanna's role in the Cruciamentum, there would be no way of rebuilding the trust between them.
Travers hesitated before finally nodding. He knew that Joanna Braidwood was nothing like Rupert Giles, and he trusted her completely. She had administered the test and carried through with it faithfully. He had no reason to think that she wouldn't complete the ritual by explaining the Council's desire to ensure that their Slayers had both the courage and mental abilities to make it through the test.
"Of course. I'll leave it to your judgement," Travers replied.
Joanna barely managed to hold back a sigh of relief. She nodded formally, and the two Watcher's shook hands before Travers left. Joanna had never been more relieved in her life.
She knew that the test had very nearly killed her Slayer, and she knew that the only reason that Faith had even come out alive was because of Buffy, the Slayer that the Council considered to be reckless and a rogue. She didn't know why Buffy had come to Boston at this exact moment, but she knew that the other Slayer genuinely cared for Faith.
Joanna sighed and made her way back up the stairs, carrying a glass of water and several painkillers. She went into Faith's room and handed the medication to the girl.
"Was there someone else here?" Faith asked.
Joanna just looked at Faith as though she was slightly crazy. "No. Of course not."
------------------------
It was nearly five in the afternoon when Faith suddenly remembered the arrangements she'd made with Buffy to meet the evening before. She shot up in bed, startling Joanna.
"What?"
"Shit, B," Faith said, leaving the Watcher completely confused as Faith got out of bed and ran frantically around the room, trying to gather a clean outfit together.
"Uh…Faith…what are you talking about?"
"I made plans to go out last night," Faith replied, still looking for a clean shirt. "Now she probably thinks I stood her up."
It was at that moment that Joanna knew that Faith had no idea who or what Buffy was.
"And that would be different from your usual flings how?" Joanna asked.
Faith glared at her and pulled her newly found shirt over her head.
"It's not a fling," Faith replied defensively. She pulled on a pair of dark denim jeans and fumbled around the closet trying to find her boots. "This is different."
Joanna was startled by the intensity of Faith's statement. No one had ever affected Faith this badly before. She followed as Faith began running down the stairs.
"Do you even know where this girl lives?"
Faith shot out the door, shouting her answer over her shoulder. "I'll find her. Trust me."
------------------------
Faith ran across town, checking the coffee shop, the pizza place and the dance club before resigning herself to walking through random parts of town. Her run had slowed to a brisk walk, which had slowed to a depressed stroll. She walked into the park as the sun began to set, annoyed that she'd missed her meeting with Buffy the night before.
She walked to the empty swing set and sat down, looking down as her feet made patterns in the dirt. She sighed and hoped that Buffy would be at the club later that evening.
She felt a pair of hands touch her back gently, not to shove her off the seat, but merely to give the swing some momentum. She looked over her shoulder and felt her heart leap into her throat as she recognised the small blonde girl behind her.
"Hey," Faith greeted, thankful that her voice hadn't done anything embarrassing with that one word.
"Hi," Buffy replied, still pushing Faith gently back and forth. "You okay? You look kinda sad."
"Yeah, I uh…I'm alright. Just thinking."
"About what?"
A number of answers came to Faith's mind, most, if not all, involving she and the blonde and not a lot else. Except possibly a bed, a small amount of alcohol and possibly some sort of chocolate cake. (Matrix 2 style…*ahem*)
"Oh, just life in general."
"Gee, you wanna vague that up for me," Buffy replied dryly.
Faith shrugged and kept her head forward, somehow knowing that if she saw the blonde girl pouting, she would probably answer anything that Buffy asked.
"Well, what are you thinking about then?" Faith countered.
Buffy hesitated. If Faith's thoughts were anything like her own, she could understand why the brunette didn't answer. She coughed, slightly uncomfortable.
"Uh…"
"Yeah, see. That's why I'm not answering either."
Buffy blushed, immensely glad that Faith had her back to her. The blonde Slayer still didn't understand what was going on between them. Part of her wanted to run back to Sunnydale and bury her head in the sand, never to acknowledge the powerful connection that she and Faith had discovered between them, whilst the other part of her wanted to know what would happen if they acted on some of their desires.
Faith dragged her feet in the dirt to stop the swing from moving. She twisted the chain links so that they crisscrossed above her head, now facing Buffy.
"You're not mad about last night? With the whole me not showing up thing?" Faith asked.
Buffy shook her head. She'd nearly forgotten that she and Faith had made plans for the evening before.
"No it's cool. I figured you probably got caught up with something else," Buffy replied. "Unless you were trying to avoid me…you weren't right?"
"No!" Faith coughed uncomfortably and tried again. "I mean, no, I wasn't trying to avoid you. Stuff just came up and I couldn't really get out of it."
"Nothing too serious I hope," Buffy commented.
Faith shook her head. "No. I mean, I'm alive, so it can't have been too bad."
"Right…what doesn't kill you only makes you less dead and all that," Buffy quipped.
Faith grinned and stood up off the swing, the chains untwisting themselves loudly.
"So, are you up for some dancing tonight?"
---
Much thanks for the reviews!!
S&K