She didn't feel any rage, no jealousy, no sadness . . . only a deep pain
running through her soul. Again her luck turned against her. Tears ran over
her cheeks as she dropped herself on her knees. #Why me . . . why always
me??#
Only by Slayer-hearing was she able to hear the rest of their words.
"I don't love you, Xander."
"Not even a tiny bit?"
Buffy sighed as she stared in his puppy-dog eyes and confessed something she hadn't felt before. "Only a bit."
Xander grinned as she made the small confession and cheered. "I knew it. Yes, you love me."
Buffy rolled her eyes and sighed as Faith felt an anger rising into unknown proportions as she unconsciously reached for her dagger. When she realized it wasn't there she simply balded her right fist.
Xander smirked for a while as Faith slowly stood up, with deadly fury in her eyes as she stared at his back . . .
Xander's smirk disappeared and went serious as he laid his hand on her. He sighed as he looked her in the eyes. "I love you, Buffy, but I just don't *love* you."
Buffy blinked. Faith blinked.
He sighed again. "My crush on you is over for a long time. I have dreamed of it, but knew it wasn't meant to be. My heart belongs to someone else now."
Buffy sighed, of course she imagined that Xander loved Faith and not her anymore. She accidently let herself go last night as she felt the need for comfort.
"It belongs to another Slayer . . ."
Faith didn't believe what she heard as a bright sparkle flashed in her eyes. She rushed forward and Xander in embrace. ". . . And I really lo . . ." The youth stared at her insurprise. Buffy saw with a tinkle of jealousy how Faith pressed her lips to his and gave Xander a deep and long kiss. She thrust her tongue between his lips and she had a feeling of deja vu as she felt something stiffening.
She released the boy and looked in his nervous eyes. She smiled. "You know I love you too, Xander." She felt a warm shiver running through her body as finally her biggest dream came true: someone who loved her. Someone who really loved her and who she loved in return. It felt amazing. She laid her head in the crook of his shoulder as she held him tightly. Xander stared nervously at a smiling Buffy as Faith cried a few tears of happiness. For a few minutes they stood there, while more and more students gathered around them. Faith tilted her head a little from his shoulder and saw at a distance the grinning face of Larry. He stood there between his friends. A short moment of eye contact and mutual understanding was enough for Faith and she swallowed as a huge smile appeared on her face.
"You are so fucking amazing," she whispered in his ears. "And I love you so much."
Xander faced her and smiled. "You're amazing too, Faith," he said.
Faith's gaze became misty, and asked with trembling voice, "Why did you sleep with Buffy then?"
Xander blinked, then understood after putting two and two together, he smiled his eyes filled with happy amusement. "Sleep, as in fell asleep, as in with clothes on, as in unconscious, as in she was unconscious next to me in pyjama's," Xander explained with a now giant smile.
Faith blinked, and understood her goof, and half-joked, "That's possible?" Oblivious to the people around, completely wrapped in their own world, they kissed again.
This time their kiss ended abruptly as an angry principle stood in front of them and shouted something about an orgy in his school. Faith faced him with disgust in his eyes as her trailed the little troll. "Well, *I* am not going to eat you, if you hoped for that!" she said and then continued with giving Xander a deep tongue kiss, engulfing him with her love.
Snyder wanted to protest so much as he watched this horrible scene pass in front of his eyes, but he knew she was the Mayor assistant. Faith stopped with kissing, flashed a teasing smile at the principle and walked away. The principle stopped her in her track. "Young Lady, I don't care if you are the assistant of the Mayor or of the president. *You* are not welcome here!"
Faith stared at him in disbelief. "Listen you little . . ." She stopped with talking as she felt a hand touching her back. She spun around and looked straight in the face of Larry as he shook his head gently. Then he walked over to the principle. "Calm down, she is a good friend of mine."
Snyder stared at him and sighed. "You're right. It's so difficult, you know. Years of kids seeing love each other, while you can't. Growing up as a loser, 'cause you have something to hide."
"Very good!" Larry exclaimed. He laid his arm over him and pressed him against his chest. He smiled at Faith. "He is gay," he said to her as he gave a little kiss on the head of Snyder. Faith, Buffy and Xander were stunned. He shrugged as he saw their surprise. "Hey, I fall for geeks with a heart," he defended himself.
Buffy and Xander both chuckled lightly as Faith still stared in total disbelief. "You are dating the principle??"
*****
Time for graduation was running out as Buffy, Faith and Xander walked towards it, when they suddenly saw Giles behind a chess board with all the pieces in starting position. "Xander," he said, "Come, sit down, I want to have a last word with you."
Xander rather wanted to go to the graduation ceremony. "We don't have the time for this, Giles."
"Don't worry, we have enough time for the inclination and it will be only a short talk."
Xander sighed and interested in Mayor's speech he wasn't either, so he sat down. "Okay, say it," Xander muttered.
Giles looked at the two waiting Slayers. "In private, please."
Buffy and Faith waited for a moment before they nodded. Buffy walked away as Faith looked at Xander. "It's okay, X, we can't arrive together and I have to go to the bathroom anyway."
Xander nodded and looked at Giles. "Xander, are you familiar with the game of chess?" Giles asked.
Xander stared and responded, "I know the rules, but . . ."
"You should learn it. It is a marvelous game to sharpen the brain for strategy and tactics. It will come in handy with your commanding . . ."
"You are gonna learn me to play chess right now?" Xander interjected bewildered.
"No, uh, of course not. I just wanted to talk with about the white and the black queen. You see the white queen is first at the move, she should also move at last . . . and the black queen . . ."
"What do you mean, Giles?" Xander asked, bored and annoyed by his riddles.
Giles leaned a bit forward and with a serious tone he asked. "Do you think it is a good idea to let Faith do this?"
Xander paused for a moment and answered, "Of course I do, Giles. I planned to let Buffy do it, but Faith convinced me . . . only she can do it . . ."
Giles interrupted quickly. "Behind her mask of self-confidence is a scared girl, Xander. And you know it."
Xander paused for a moment. "Giles, this isn't a chess game. It is about trust and loyalty." Xander stood up. "And about love," he added and walked away.
#I hope so,# Giles thought as he also stood up.
*****
Faith walked into the bathroom to clean herself up a bit. She walked over the newly placed mirror and looked into it. She watched at her own reflection, and it seemed to twist into a dark and ugly thing to her. Its arms and hand reached out of the mirror, grabbing Faith's neck and started to squeeze. Faith's eyes bulges with fear and shock, until she looked into the things eyes. Her mother was there, screaming at her, then the boys that had raped her and killed her father, and more men who had offered to 'help' her, the Scooby Gang ignoring her, wrapped up, being strangled even by their own problems, and finally the Mayor ordering her to kill and destroy. A calm settled over Faith, and she said, "You don't control me anymore. You are dead to me." The ugly demonFaith looked at her in surprise, and then slowly faded away. She sighed, still shaking, but gave herself a small smile.
Only by Slayer-hearing was she able to hear the rest of their words.
"I don't love you, Xander."
"Not even a tiny bit?"
Buffy sighed as she stared in his puppy-dog eyes and confessed something she hadn't felt before. "Only a bit."
Xander grinned as she made the small confession and cheered. "I knew it. Yes, you love me."
Buffy rolled her eyes and sighed as Faith felt an anger rising into unknown proportions as she unconsciously reached for her dagger. When she realized it wasn't there she simply balded her right fist.
Xander smirked for a while as Faith slowly stood up, with deadly fury in her eyes as she stared at his back . . .
Xander's smirk disappeared and went serious as he laid his hand on her. He sighed as he looked her in the eyes. "I love you, Buffy, but I just don't *love* you."
Buffy blinked. Faith blinked.
He sighed again. "My crush on you is over for a long time. I have dreamed of it, but knew it wasn't meant to be. My heart belongs to someone else now."
Buffy sighed, of course she imagined that Xander loved Faith and not her anymore. She accidently let herself go last night as she felt the need for comfort.
"It belongs to another Slayer . . ."
Faith didn't believe what she heard as a bright sparkle flashed in her eyes. She rushed forward and Xander in embrace. ". . . And I really lo . . ." The youth stared at her insurprise. Buffy saw with a tinkle of jealousy how Faith pressed her lips to his and gave Xander a deep and long kiss. She thrust her tongue between his lips and she had a feeling of deja vu as she felt something stiffening.
She released the boy and looked in his nervous eyes. She smiled. "You know I love you too, Xander." She felt a warm shiver running through her body as finally her biggest dream came true: someone who loved her. Someone who really loved her and who she loved in return. It felt amazing. She laid her head in the crook of his shoulder as she held him tightly. Xander stared nervously at a smiling Buffy as Faith cried a few tears of happiness. For a few minutes they stood there, while more and more students gathered around them. Faith tilted her head a little from his shoulder and saw at a distance the grinning face of Larry. He stood there between his friends. A short moment of eye contact and mutual understanding was enough for Faith and she swallowed as a huge smile appeared on her face.
"You are so fucking amazing," she whispered in his ears. "And I love you so much."
Xander faced her and smiled. "You're amazing too, Faith," he said.
Faith's gaze became misty, and asked with trembling voice, "Why did you sleep with Buffy then?"
Xander blinked, then understood after putting two and two together, he smiled his eyes filled with happy amusement. "Sleep, as in fell asleep, as in with clothes on, as in unconscious, as in she was unconscious next to me in pyjama's," Xander explained with a now giant smile.
Faith blinked, and understood her goof, and half-joked, "That's possible?" Oblivious to the people around, completely wrapped in their own world, they kissed again.
This time their kiss ended abruptly as an angry principle stood in front of them and shouted something about an orgy in his school. Faith faced him with disgust in his eyes as her trailed the little troll. "Well, *I* am not going to eat you, if you hoped for that!" she said and then continued with giving Xander a deep tongue kiss, engulfing him with her love.
Snyder wanted to protest so much as he watched this horrible scene pass in front of his eyes, but he knew she was the Mayor assistant. Faith stopped with kissing, flashed a teasing smile at the principle and walked away. The principle stopped her in her track. "Young Lady, I don't care if you are the assistant of the Mayor or of the president. *You* are not welcome here!"
Faith stared at him in disbelief. "Listen you little . . ." She stopped with talking as she felt a hand touching her back. She spun around and looked straight in the face of Larry as he shook his head gently. Then he walked over to the principle. "Calm down, she is a good friend of mine."
Snyder stared at him and sighed. "You're right. It's so difficult, you know. Years of kids seeing love each other, while you can't. Growing up as a loser, 'cause you have something to hide."
"Very good!" Larry exclaimed. He laid his arm over him and pressed him against his chest. He smiled at Faith. "He is gay," he said to her as he gave a little kiss on the head of Snyder. Faith, Buffy and Xander were stunned. He shrugged as he saw their surprise. "Hey, I fall for geeks with a heart," he defended himself.
Buffy and Xander both chuckled lightly as Faith still stared in total disbelief. "You are dating the principle??"
*****
Time for graduation was running out as Buffy, Faith and Xander walked towards it, when they suddenly saw Giles behind a chess board with all the pieces in starting position. "Xander," he said, "Come, sit down, I want to have a last word with you."
Xander rather wanted to go to the graduation ceremony. "We don't have the time for this, Giles."
"Don't worry, we have enough time for the inclination and it will be only a short talk."
Xander sighed and interested in Mayor's speech he wasn't either, so he sat down. "Okay, say it," Xander muttered.
Giles looked at the two waiting Slayers. "In private, please."
Buffy and Faith waited for a moment before they nodded. Buffy walked away as Faith looked at Xander. "It's okay, X, we can't arrive together and I have to go to the bathroom anyway."
Xander nodded and looked at Giles. "Xander, are you familiar with the game of chess?" Giles asked.
Xander stared and responded, "I know the rules, but . . ."
"You should learn it. It is a marvelous game to sharpen the brain for strategy and tactics. It will come in handy with your commanding . . ."
"You are gonna learn me to play chess right now?" Xander interjected bewildered.
"No, uh, of course not. I just wanted to talk with about the white and the black queen. You see the white queen is first at the move, she should also move at last . . . and the black queen . . ."
"What do you mean, Giles?" Xander asked, bored and annoyed by his riddles.
Giles leaned a bit forward and with a serious tone he asked. "Do you think it is a good idea to let Faith do this?"
Xander paused for a moment and answered, "Of course I do, Giles. I planned to let Buffy do it, but Faith convinced me . . . only she can do it . . ."
Giles interrupted quickly. "Behind her mask of self-confidence is a scared girl, Xander. And you know it."
Xander paused for a moment. "Giles, this isn't a chess game. It is about trust and loyalty." Xander stood up. "And about love," he added and walked away.
#I hope so,# Giles thought as he also stood up.
*****
Faith walked into the bathroom to clean herself up a bit. She walked over the newly placed mirror and looked into it. She watched at her own reflection, and it seemed to twist into a dark and ugly thing to her. Its arms and hand reached out of the mirror, grabbing Faith's neck and started to squeeze. Faith's eyes bulges with fear and shock, until she looked into the things eyes. Her mother was there, screaming at her, then the boys that had raped her and killed her father, and more men who had offered to 'help' her, the Scooby Gang ignoring her, wrapped up, being strangled even by their own problems, and finally the Mayor ordering her to kill and destroy. A calm settled over Faith, and she said, "You don't control me anymore. You are dead to me." The ugly demonFaith looked at her in surprise, and then slowly faded away. She sighed, still shaking, but gave herself a small smile.