They caught a taxi back to Faith's house, where Lupin paid the taxi driver
and walked Faith to the door. She smiled at him and said,
"I've had a great night, it was really good getting to know you. Do you want to do the same thing again soon?"
Remus grinned and said,
"What bout tomorrow night, you and your friends come back to Sirius' house? Just remember when your looking for it what you read on that piece of paper Willow gave you."
He offered out his hand to her and she shook it,
"Tomorrow sounds good, not sure how many of us it'll be probably three maybe four."
"Till tomorrow then."
Remus said watching as faith walked into her house. Before pulling his wand out of his pocket and apparating back to Grimauld place with a pop.
Faith looked at her watch it was nearly one. She didn't lock the door knowing that Spike wouldn't be back til close to dawn, especially since this was one of his poker nights. She took off her duster and hung it on one of the hooks Xander had set up in the hall. After weeks, of everyone complaining about the assortment of coats, jackets and scarves being bundled on the floor behind the door.
She pulled of her boots, and dropped them in the pile in the hallway. They may have sorted out the coats, but they hadn't got around to buying a shoe rack yet. She would have gone straight up to her room but there was a light shining under the door of the living room, so she decided that she would go and see who it was that was up and about.
She walked in and was not at all surprised when she saw that it was Xander sitting on the sofa, the TV blaring with some random movie playing on it. He was spread out, his body covering the whole of the sofa. His head balancing precariously on one of the cushion on the arm of the chair, and a small trail of drool dribbling down his chin. She guessed that he had been asleep for a while, she often found him like this especially on nights when she went out on patrol, he would always wait up for her.
She leaned over his sleeping form and grabbed the chenille blanket which was folded over the back of the chair, unfolded it and spread it over him making sure he was well covered. After that she lifted his head up cautiously not wanting to wake him and secured the cushion more firmly under his head. In a fashion, which would guarantee the minimal amount of neck-ache in the morning.
After she had done this she squatted down next to him and kissed on the lips lightly saying
"Night Xand, thanks for waiting up for me."
Before turning off the light and shutting the door, when she got upstairs she poked her head round the rooms in which slept the training slayers, Making sure they were ok before turning in herself for the night.
The next morning she woke up to the smell of coffee, which was being enticingly wafted, under her nose. She opened her eyes and grinned when she saw Xander standing there with a tray.
"Morning Xand, sleep well?"
"Like a log, thanks for sorting me out last night."
She grabbed a piece of toast of the tray as he sat on the edge of her bed,
"How do you know it was me who sorted you out?"
She asked with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes,
"Well it sure as hell wasn't Spike he came in just before dawn and nearly sat on me!"
Faith exploded in peals of laughter, while Xander sat there eating some toast a humorous look on his face.
"So, come on, details."
She laughed and said
"You know what Xand? Your turning into a right old gossip."
Xander dropped his toast onto the plate and put both his hands on his chest over his heart and said,
"How dare you? I'm just showing casual interest with a hint of nosiness defiantly no gossiping here."
She laughed and said,
"It was great, we had a good talk told him all bout me and he told me about himself and how he met Willow..."
The minute she said she saw the difference in Xander, his eyes darkened and he dropped the piece of toast, which he had been eating.
"Willow? As in our Willow?"
Faith nodded and said,
"I thought I told you?"
He stared right at her, his eyes steeled towards her,
"No I think you forgot to mention that small fact."
He got up off her bed and started walking out of the room, Faith jumped up out of the bed and grabbed his arm,
"Xander, I'm sorry I must have forgotten." "Faith Just let me go ok. I need time to be on my own before I say something which I know that I'll regret."
She let go of his arm and watched as he walked out of her room slamming the door behind him. She couldn't believe how stupid she had been, she knew how much Willow had meant to Xander. How hurt he had been when she had left without even saying a proper good bye. In the space of twenty hours he had lost two of the woman he loved. It had left him so upset he became almost catatonic sitting for hours staring at the roof of the bus. Refusing to take part in the world or to even acknowledge its existence. Buffy had been to tired after the final battle, after they had left Sunnydale she had fallen into a deep sleep which no one had been able to wake her up from, or even tried to.
She had sat and watched Xander grow more and more distant from the world before she had made her move. She had stood up and sat next to him. She hadn't really known what to do after that, but once he had felt someone sit next to him he had made the first move. He had leant against her and cried. She had held him for hours while he cried his heart out, not making a sound, there was no need for an explanation she understood the pain he felt. She knew what it was like to loose everyone.
Somewhere around the outskirts of La he had stopped crying, sat up straight and wiped the last tears from his eye. He had leant over and kissed her chastely on the cheek, and from that moment they had become firm friends.
When they had moved to London and had been dividing themselves out into supervisors of the different council houses, it had been given that the two of them would be placed together. She knew that most people expected them to get together. If she was honest, sometimes she thought that they were going to get together. She loved him as a friend, a deep love the likes of which she had never felt before. He respected her, and her feel like she was floating on air. She knew that given the chance she would probably fall in love with him, but she had never allowed herself thus far as she knew that if she fell then she would fall hard, and she didn't want to have to go through the pain of getting over him if it turned out that he didn't feel the same way.
She drank the last of her coffee and decided that it was time to get dressed. After her shower she walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out a pair of hip hugging low risers and a purple tank top. She didn't put socks on or slippers, she preferred to walk around the house bare foot, loving the feeling of the soft polished wood and luxuriously thick carpets.
She carried the tray downstairs and smiled when she found Louise and Katie sitting at the table in the kitchen watching cartoons and eating coco puffs.
"Morning Girls,"
Faith said as she cleared the tray and put the dishes in the dishwasher.
"Morning Faith."
They answered near simultaneously it always creped her out when they did that. But she was beginning to get used to it. Semi mind reading especially of other slayers seemed to be a common gift between the training slayers.
"Has any one seen Xander this morning?"
Louise turned away from the TV and said,
"He was down here earlier said something about going to the council for a bit this morning."
"Oh."
Faith muttered softly to herself before mentally shaking herself,
"So what plans have you got for today?"
She enquired as she poured herself another mug of coffee and sat at the table with them.
"My mum's coming to take me out for the afternoon."
Katie said,
"She's bringing my new baby sister, Jezzabella. She wants to know if there is some kind of test you can do to see whether Jezzie will ever become a slayer."
Faith crinkled her forehead and said,
"I'm not sure whether it's detectable in babies but I'll give Giles a ring later. What about you Lou? What are you going to be up to today?"
Faith had always felt closer to Louise than most of the other slayers she looked after. They had similar backgrounds; Louise's parents had both been killed when she was six years old. They had died in a car crash, so she had spent the majority of her childhood living with different family members. Aunts, uncles, cousins whoever would take her really. That was until four years ago when the council had tracked her down using a locating spell Giles had developed.
"Me, I was thinking of going shopping, need a new pair of jeans. Do you want to come with me?"
She asked finishing the last of her cereal, Faith thought for a moment and said,
"Yeah that'll be fun, you can help me find a respectable dress to wear tonight when we go out for dinner to my uncles."
Three hours later and faith was standing in front of a dressing room mirror wearing a three quarter length black dress which was off the shoulder and had was made from a mixture of silk and velvet. It was very flattering and clung to each of Faith's curves. Louise was standing next to her saying,
"Come on Faith, you have to get that one."
"Do you really think this is suitable for meeting my uncles friends?"
Louise grinned at her and said,
"Of course not, but I'm sure Xander would like it."
Faith blushed slightly and said,
"He would wouldn't he?"
In the end she bought the black dress and a navy cowl neck top, which had small silver, stars sewn onto it on the seams.
When they had left the shop they went to Albert's Café for dinner. They sat for in silence for a while drinking coffee before Louise broke the silence and said,
"What's your uncle like then?"
Faith thought for a moment before saying,
"It's weird, I have an uncle. I've not had a family for so long. Not a blood on anyway that it feels strange now thinking of him as my uncle. But he's nice; he's everything you would want for an uncle. I just find it difficult you know?"
Louise looked thoughtful and drank some of her coffee saying,
"I think I understand, I mean when my parents died I was so scared and lonely. I would live with different people but they never really wanted me I could tell, and it wasn't the same. I'd come home from school some days and there'd be no one home until late. My mom never worked, she would always come and pick me up from school, when we got home she'd always have something waiting for me a cookie or brownie or something. She'd play with me till my dad would come home, then she would start tea and I would sit on his lap while he read the paper to me. I don't really remember them ever shouting out at each other or me. But when they died I was alone and that scared me. But now I feel safe and I have a home. I've got you, Xander, Spike and the other training's. But if I had the chance to have my family back, my mom and my dad, then I think I may give it all up. It doesn't mean that I love you guys any less, I just love them more than anything."
Faith rubbed the younger girls hand reassuringly and said,
"You know what I always think before I go into a battle or a fight?"
Louise shook her head.
"I go in knowing I'm going to win, but that if I don't then I will never truly loose. When I die I'll be with her again. Heaven is a place where warriors go to when they die. It's their reward for the life they lead. Our reward for what we loose out in on life to be able to look after the crowds of people who don't know and thing and don't give a shit when they see you in the street. People like us, don't ever loose cause we've got all the exits covered in this life and the next."
Louise smiled tears brimming in her eyes,
"How can you know that though?"
Faith grinned and said,
"I don't have to know it, it's all in here."
She said tapping her heart,
"Now have you finished? Cause we need to get back."
Louise nodded and waited as Faith paid the bill and the two of them left. It was only a short walk back home but they relished in it walking slowly, enjoying the warm sunshine of the afternoon. When they got back Faith went straight upstairs with her purchases while Louise went into the living room and flopped in front of the TV.
When Faith got to her room she found Xander sitting on her window seat staring out of the window. She put her bags on the bed and walked over to sit with him.
"You have fun shopping?"
He asked not turning his attention away from the window to look at her, she sat down and drew he knees up to her chest and said,
"Yeah it was fun, my and Lou slayerly bonding, what bout you, how was HQ?"
"Boring."
"So how are you feeling now, I'm sorry about willow, I thought I'd told you that I'd seen her."
Xander's eyes seemed to steal over again as he said,
"Well you didn't, I know it wasn't deliberate or malicious so I'm going to let it pass this time. But any more of my long lost friends jump out of you, make sure that you tell me bout it ok?"
Faith nodded and grinned when he opened his arms up to her and she leaned into him for a hug, when she was lying with her head on his chest he closed his arms around her and they sat contentedly together looking out of the window, watching as the sun set.
"I've had a great night, it was really good getting to know you. Do you want to do the same thing again soon?"
Remus grinned and said,
"What bout tomorrow night, you and your friends come back to Sirius' house? Just remember when your looking for it what you read on that piece of paper Willow gave you."
He offered out his hand to her and she shook it,
"Tomorrow sounds good, not sure how many of us it'll be probably three maybe four."
"Till tomorrow then."
Remus said watching as faith walked into her house. Before pulling his wand out of his pocket and apparating back to Grimauld place with a pop.
Faith looked at her watch it was nearly one. She didn't lock the door knowing that Spike wouldn't be back til close to dawn, especially since this was one of his poker nights. She took off her duster and hung it on one of the hooks Xander had set up in the hall. After weeks, of everyone complaining about the assortment of coats, jackets and scarves being bundled on the floor behind the door.
She pulled of her boots, and dropped them in the pile in the hallway. They may have sorted out the coats, but they hadn't got around to buying a shoe rack yet. She would have gone straight up to her room but there was a light shining under the door of the living room, so she decided that she would go and see who it was that was up and about.
She walked in and was not at all surprised when she saw that it was Xander sitting on the sofa, the TV blaring with some random movie playing on it. He was spread out, his body covering the whole of the sofa. His head balancing precariously on one of the cushion on the arm of the chair, and a small trail of drool dribbling down his chin. She guessed that he had been asleep for a while, she often found him like this especially on nights when she went out on patrol, he would always wait up for her.
She leaned over his sleeping form and grabbed the chenille blanket which was folded over the back of the chair, unfolded it and spread it over him making sure he was well covered. After that she lifted his head up cautiously not wanting to wake him and secured the cushion more firmly under his head. In a fashion, which would guarantee the minimal amount of neck-ache in the morning.
After she had done this she squatted down next to him and kissed on the lips lightly saying
"Night Xand, thanks for waiting up for me."
Before turning off the light and shutting the door, when she got upstairs she poked her head round the rooms in which slept the training slayers, Making sure they were ok before turning in herself for the night.
The next morning she woke up to the smell of coffee, which was being enticingly wafted, under her nose. She opened her eyes and grinned when she saw Xander standing there with a tray.
"Morning Xand, sleep well?"
"Like a log, thanks for sorting me out last night."
She grabbed a piece of toast of the tray as he sat on the edge of her bed,
"How do you know it was me who sorted you out?"
She asked with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes,
"Well it sure as hell wasn't Spike he came in just before dawn and nearly sat on me!"
Faith exploded in peals of laughter, while Xander sat there eating some toast a humorous look on his face.
"So, come on, details."
She laughed and said
"You know what Xand? Your turning into a right old gossip."
Xander dropped his toast onto the plate and put both his hands on his chest over his heart and said,
"How dare you? I'm just showing casual interest with a hint of nosiness defiantly no gossiping here."
She laughed and said,
"It was great, we had a good talk told him all bout me and he told me about himself and how he met Willow..."
The minute she said she saw the difference in Xander, his eyes darkened and he dropped the piece of toast, which he had been eating.
"Willow? As in our Willow?"
Faith nodded and said,
"I thought I told you?"
He stared right at her, his eyes steeled towards her,
"No I think you forgot to mention that small fact."
He got up off her bed and started walking out of the room, Faith jumped up out of the bed and grabbed his arm,
"Xander, I'm sorry I must have forgotten." "Faith Just let me go ok. I need time to be on my own before I say something which I know that I'll regret."
She let go of his arm and watched as he walked out of her room slamming the door behind him. She couldn't believe how stupid she had been, she knew how much Willow had meant to Xander. How hurt he had been when she had left without even saying a proper good bye. In the space of twenty hours he had lost two of the woman he loved. It had left him so upset he became almost catatonic sitting for hours staring at the roof of the bus. Refusing to take part in the world or to even acknowledge its existence. Buffy had been to tired after the final battle, after they had left Sunnydale she had fallen into a deep sleep which no one had been able to wake her up from, or even tried to.
She had sat and watched Xander grow more and more distant from the world before she had made her move. She had stood up and sat next to him. She hadn't really known what to do after that, but once he had felt someone sit next to him he had made the first move. He had leant against her and cried. She had held him for hours while he cried his heart out, not making a sound, there was no need for an explanation she understood the pain he felt. She knew what it was like to loose everyone.
Somewhere around the outskirts of La he had stopped crying, sat up straight and wiped the last tears from his eye. He had leant over and kissed her chastely on the cheek, and from that moment they had become firm friends.
When they had moved to London and had been dividing themselves out into supervisors of the different council houses, it had been given that the two of them would be placed together. She knew that most people expected them to get together. If she was honest, sometimes she thought that they were going to get together. She loved him as a friend, a deep love the likes of which she had never felt before. He respected her, and her feel like she was floating on air. She knew that given the chance she would probably fall in love with him, but she had never allowed herself thus far as she knew that if she fell then she would fall hard, and she didn't want to have to go through the pain of getting over him if it turned out that he didn't feel the same way.
She drank the last of her coffee and decided that it was time to get dressed. After her shower she walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out a pair of hip hugging low risers and a purple tank top. She didn't put socks on or slippers, she preferred to walk around the house bare foot, loving the feeling of the soft polished wood and luxuriously thick carpets.
She carried the tray downstairs and smiled when she found Louise and Katie sitting at the table in the kitchen watching cartoons and eating coco puffs.
"Morning Girls,"
Faith said as she cleared the tray and put the dishes in the dishwasher.
"Morning Faith."
They answered near simultaneously it always creped her out when they did that. But she was beginning to get used to it. Semi mind reading especially of other slayers seemed to be a common gift between the training slayers.
"Has any one seen Xander this morning?"
Louise turned away from the TV and said,
"He was down here earlier said something about going to the council for a bit this morning."
"Oh."
Faith muttered softly to herself before mentally shaking herself,
"So what plans have you got for today?"
She enquired as she poured herself another mug of coffee and sat at the table with them.
"My mum's coming to take me out for the afternoon."
Katie said,
"She's bringing my new baby sister, Jezzabella. She wants to know if there is some kind of test you can do to see whether Jezzie will ever become a slayer."
Faith crinkled her forehead and said,
"I'm not sure whether it's detectable in babies but I'll give Giles a ring later. What about you Lou? What are you going to be up to today?"
Faith had always felt closer to Louise than most of the other slayers she looked after. They had similar backgrounds; Louise's parents had both been killed when she was six years old. They had died in a car crash, so she had spent the majority of her childhood living with different family members. Aunts, uncles, cousins whoever would take her really. That was until four years ago when the council had tracked her down using a locating spell Giles had developed.
"Me, I was thinking of going shopping, need a new pair of jeans. Do you want to come with me?"
She asked finishing the last of her cereal, Faith thought for a moment and said,
"Yeah that'll be fun, you can help me find a respectable dress to wear tonight when we go out for dinner to my uncles."
Three hours later and faith was standing in front of a dressing room mirror wearing a three quarter length black dress which was off the shoulder and had was made from a mixture of silk and velvet. It was very flattering and clung to each of Faith's curves. Louise was standing next to her saying,
"Come on Faith, you have to get that one."
"Do you really think this is suitable for meeting my uncles friends?"
Louise grinned at her and said,
"Of course not, but I'm sure Xander would like it."
Faith blushed slightly and said,
"He would wouldn't he?"
In the end she bought the black dress and a navy cowl neck top, which had small silver, stars sewn onto it on the seams.
When they had left the shop they went to Albert's Café for dinner. They sat for in silence for a while drinking coffee before Louise broke the silence and said,
"What's your uncle like then?"
Faith thought for a moment before saying,
"It's weird, I have an uncle. I've not had a family for so long. Not a blood on anyway that it feels strange now thinking of him as my uncle. But he's nice; he's everything you would want for an uncle. I just find it difficult you know?"
Louise looked thoughtful and drank some of her coffee saying,
"I think I understand, I mean when my parents died I was so scared and lonely. I would live with different people but they never really wanted me I could tell, and it wasn't the same. I'd come home from school some days and there'd be no one home until late. My mom never worked, she would always come and pick me up from school, when we got home she'd always have something waiting for me a cookie or brownie or something. She'd play with me till my dad would come home, then she would start tea and I would sit on his lap while he read the paper to me. I don't really remember them ever shouting out at each other or me. But when they died I was alone and that scared me. But now I feel safe and I have a home. I've got you, Xander, Spike and the other training's. But if I had the chance to have my family back, my mom and my dad, then I think I may give it all up. It doesn't mean that I love you guys any less, I just love them more than anything."
Faith rubbed the younger girls hand reassuringly and said,
"You know what I always think before I go into a battle or a fight?"
Louise shook her head.
"I go in knowing I'm going to win, but that if I don't then I will never truly loose. When I die I'll be with her again. Heaven is a place where warriors go to when they die. It's their reward for the life they lead. Our reward for what we loose out in on life to be able to look after the crowds of people who don't know and thing and don't give a shit when they see you in the street. People like us, don't ever loose cause we've got all the exits covered in this life and the next."
Louise smiled tears brimming in her eyes,
"How can you know that though?"
Faith grinned and said,
"I don't have to know it, it's all in here."
She said tapping her heart,
"Now have you finished? Cause we need to get back."
Louise nodded and waited as Faith paid the bill and the two of them left. It was only a short walk back home but they relished in it walking slowly, enjoying the warm sunshine of the afternoon. When they got back Faith went straight upstairs with her purchases while Louise went into the living room and flopped in front of the TV.
When Faith got to her room she found Xander sitting on her window seat staring out of the window. She put her bags on the bed and walked over to sit with him.
"You have fun shopping?"
He asked not turning his attention away from the window to look at her, she sat down and drew he knees up to her chest and said,
"Yeah it was fun, my and Lou slayerly bonding, what bout you, how was HQ?"
"Boring."
"So how are you feeling now, I'm sorry about willow, I thought I'd told you that I'd seen her."
Xander's eyes seemed to steal over again as he said,
"Well you didn't, I know it wasn't deliberate or malicious so I'm going to let it pass this time. But any more of my long lost friends jump out of you, make sure that you tell me bout it ok?"
Faith nodded and grinned when he opened his arms up to her and she leaned into him for a hug, when she was lying with her head on his chest he closed his arms around her and they sat contentedly together looking out of the window, watching as the sun set.