A Restless Revival

Authors: lirpa - liroa15yahoo.ca

shana -

Dedication: To all those who have inspired us.

Distribution: Our site, if you want it just ask.

Disclaimer: They belong to Joss and Titan Entertainment, not to us. If they really did this wouldn't be on the internet.

A.N: This fic just needed to be written, or at least we thought that it did. For those who are just tired of always running into Willow fics, and not much else. Also, Faith never went evil in out little world, k? Set after the end of the third season.

Shana

A Restless Revival: Chapter Six

By: lirpa and shana

Shawn was groaning as they stopped at a small dinner to refuel the car. Riding with Buffy was a trip, especially when she was digging for information in relation to how things were between him and Faith. His only consolation was that Faith was returning the favor with Hunter.

It made for an interesting car ride. Both girls came running towards the car suddenly. Something was obviously wrong by the looks that they wore.

"Yeah," Buffy was talking to someone on her cell, and it was obviously supposed to be a private conversation. Shawn stepped back, out of hearing range to respect their wishes.

"I can't believe it, B," Faith whined. "Why is he phoning now?"

"He's just trying to help, Faith. Giles must have let him know where we are. He probably just didn't want us to get ambushed."

"Doesn't detract from the fact that the guy's seriously on love with you."

"That's over. He left me to save his soul. It was dangerous for us to be together."

"So?"

"He's being honest, Faith, and he's just honestly worried about us."

"So what to do about the guys. They'll be hard to ditch."

"I know. I'd say that we just tell them, but then they'll think we're crazy/

"We'll have to decide later. The boys are coming back."

"Later then."

They all piled into the car to continue down the road. The next town was only a few miles away. The four had been travelling together since Buffy and Faith had joined the tour, so they had all traveled together quite a bit, and, so, had learned things about each other. One of those things was never to let Buffy drive.

Hunter slipped into the driver's seat, and the other's arranged themselves however they wanted. Then they were off.

"You two don't look so good," Shawn, riding in the passenger's seat, looked concerned.

"Just some bad news from home," Faith smoothly ad libbed.

"Oh?"

"Two good friends are fighting," Buffy filled them in. It was even sort of true, The gang was not too impressed with Giles for letting them stay and not forcing the issue.

Buffy felt herself growing more apprehensive as they approached the city, or town, depending on where you were from. The town's pleasant appearance simply served to set Buffy's teeth on edge. The darkness in this town was sheltered, possibly nurtured, by that pleasant façade. It was too much like Sunnydale, far too much like her former home.

"This place is weird," Faith muttered, from behind Shawn, and beside Buffy, in the backseat.

"I think it's sort of nice," Shawn responded.

"B's home town was like this, and it had a bad case of PCP infected street gangs."

Buffy shot her an angry look.

"That sounds nasty," Hunter commented, eyes still on the road.

"It had its scary moments," Buffy found herself admitting.

"This place feels a lot like Sunnydale," Faith muttered.

Buffy nodded, though it was barely perceptible. They would hit the streets in a patrol tonight, if they could ditch the guys.

The hotel was like all the others. They checked in and Faith managed to get a few hours of sleep in. Buffy was busy worrying about the newest threat that Angel had just told her about.

Too soon the guys appeared at the door so they could all go to the arena together. In her time waiting for the boys to arrive, Buffy concluded that they'd have to be told. Either they'd run screaming and terrified in the opposite direction, or they'd accept it. That came after they'd been given some proof, of course. Buffy wasn't sure exactly what to show them, but it would come to her.

Faith still needed a few more minutes to get ready, so Buffy told them they'd meet down stairs.

"What's wrong, B?" Faith asked as soon as the door closed.

"We have to tell them, Faith."

"NO!" She paused to look at Buffy. "What are you thinking? They'll think we're crazy."

"Then we'll prove it." It was a simple statement. Far too simple for the problems that it represented.

"How?"

"Bend something we shouldn't be able to, something they can't. A chair or something. Then they can talk to Linda."

Faith sighed. She hated the idea. Shawn was they best thing to come into her life, not related to slaying, in a very long time. "When do we do this?"

"As soon as we get to the arena."

Faith sighed again. Grabbing her stuff, she headed for the door, leaving Buffy to follow, with her feet dragging all the way down to the car.

The ride to the arena was somber and quiet.

Both Hunter and Shawn had tried to find out what was wring. All they had managed to get out of the Slayers was a, "Wait until we get to the arena." And, so, the air in the car was incredibly tense, but that was understandable

They ended the tension fraught ride in what would be Shawn's dressing room for the night.

"So what was it that had to wait?"

faith groaned, and sat down on one of the wooden benches. "You aren't going to like this," she muttered.

"Just tell us," Hunter commanded.

"Alright," Buffy snapped. "Vampires, demons, and all the things from your nightmares are real. And to even the odds The Powers That Be gave one girl in all the world the power and strength to fight and kill them. She is the Slayer. There's only supposed to be one Slayer. And when she dies the calling is passed on to the next in line."

"You're trying to tell us that you're this Slayer?" Shawn asked, incredulous.

"We are," Faith's voice was even when she spoke.

"But Buffy said that there was only one." Hunter's eyes darted back and forth between the Slayers.

"Nope. I said there is supposed to be one. I died during my junior year of high school. I was drowned by a powerful vampire, called the Master. My friends revived me, but another had already been called."

"Faith?"

"No, Kendra. Then she was killed by a crazy vampire chick, and Faith was called."

Hunter snorted. "That doesn't sound very probable."

Buffy motioned for Shawn to get off the folding chair he was sitting on. He rose and handed it to her. Holding it in both her hands, and in front of her, she took a deep breath. A moment later, the chair was bent in two.

Handing it to an amazed Hunter, she watched him try to bend it back.

"Give it to Faith," she suggested.

Hunter handed the mangled chair to the dark Slayer. A few quick flicks of her wrists later, the chair looked to be straightened.

"I wouldn't sit on that," Faith muttered, setting the chair down.

"No," Shawn said, his eyes flickering between the two women, "that doesn't appear to be a good idea."

Buffy broke the overwhelming silence. "If you need more proof, you can talk to Linda about it."

Hunter shook his head. "How?"

"How what?"

"How were you chosen to do this?"

"You're closest to the place where they need a Slayer," Buffy repeated the words, altered in small ways, of course, that Merrick had told her so long ago, a lifetime ago.

"That sucks," Shawn's voice was dry.

"Story of my life," the Boston bad girl replied.

Hunter shook his head again, as if trying to clear it. "How does this change anything?"

"It doesn't really, not from our point of view. I'm just so tired of living a lie."

"And now you know our great secret," Faith added.

"Now we know," Hunter repeated dumbly.

"And now you must choose." Buffy's voice held the wisdom, and the sorrow, that came with knowledge.

"Choose what?" Both men seemed mystified by the statement.

"To accept this and stay, or you're going to run away." Faith's dry voice was challenging.

"Why run away?" Hunter seemed wholly confused.

"Because it's damn scary," Faith snapped.

"But it's part of who you are," Hunter turned to look directly at Buffy, "and you're the person I fell head over heels for,"

Buffy took one look at the earnest blonde and threw herself at him. He caught the tiny blonde Slayer and hugged her close.

Faith closed her eyes, so that she wouldn't cry. Shawn wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm not going anywhere either, sweetheart. I know a good thing when I meet one."

"I've never been called a good thing before," her voice was husky, laced with unshed tears.

"I don't think they're going anywhere, B," Faith muttered. Then she pulled Shawn into a soul searing kiss.

"I think you're probably right, F," the last letter was stressed. Buffy's annoyance with that nickname was clear.

Shawn chuckled. "Hope and I should get going if we're supposed to be on near the beginning of the show, and we are."

Buffy settled down onto Hunter's lap. Shawn took this as a sign that no one was going to follow his reasonable suggestion.

He settled in behind faith and started to pelt both girls with questions. The questions were geared towards finding out how dangerous being a Slayer was. Both men were appalled to realize that most Slayers died before they turned eighteen, and that they had no, or very little, practical support.

"That's outrageous," Hunter nearly screamed when they finished.

"That's the way that it's always been," Buffy returned.

"But not anymore," Hunter vowed.

The four people were startled by the explosions that signified the beginning of Raw.

"Oh, shit," Faith muttered.

Shawn chuckled. "Let's get going Hope." He spared a thought for how aptly she was named. They were the hope of humanity, and one just had to have faith in them.

Just then another round of explosions erupted.

Fini Chapter Six.

Fini A Restless Revival.