Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow II: The Rising Sun
Notes: Thanks for the reviews and keep them coming.
Previously:
"So where are we going after this?" Buffy asked, poking at her food nervously.
"Just eat it, B," Faith replied, watching her out of the corner of her eye. "After this, I was thinking we'd go see my mom."
Chapter Twenty-Seven:
"You know, it's funny, but no matter where you go, the cemeteries all look exactly the same," Faith said as she and Buffy walked through one of Boston's larger and newer cemeteries. The sun was shining down on them, warming them as they walked. Though they walked side by side, a great wall seemed to stand between them. They could have been miles apart, though they were only several feet. The cemetery was empty and silent. It seemed that everywhere Buffy looked, for miles around her, all she could see were headstones marking the places where dead people lay.
Faith was correct in her observation, however. It struck Buffy that just as everyone was the same in death, everyone was the same in birth. Everyone was formed out of the same act, the same matter, the same circumstances and medical wonder. Likewise, everyone died and when they did, they turned into bone and ash. No matter how rich or important the person was, he or she turned into the dust that fed the poor and hopeless. Buffy shivered, despite the warmth of the sun beaming overhead. She rarely visited cemeteries during the day and she found that she didn't particularly like them.
"Are we almost there?" Buffy asked. It seemed like they had been walking through the sea of headstones for hours, though in reality, it had only been ten minutes. Faith was walking slowly, as if trying to remember exactly where her mother lay.
"I think so," Faith replied. "I haven't been here in a long time. But I think she's here somewhere." Buffy nodded and continued walking. She didn't know what she would do when her mother died. She couldn't imagine living without her. Even though she wasn't living in her old house now, she visited it frequently. Her mother had nearly become her best friend since she and Faith got married and moved out.
"It's just up there," Faith said, stopping suddenly. Her hands were in her pockets and her hair whipped in front of her face in the breeze that was blowing through the oak trees in the cemetery. "If you don't mind, I think I need to be alone," Faith said, turning to Buffy. Buffy nodded uncertainly and turned, walking back to the road a few yards away.
Faith stood still for several long moments, vaguely looking at the headstone a few feet ahead of her. Finally, her feet propelled her forward. She walked slowly toward it, stopping when she was standing in front of it. The stone looked cold. The grass in front of the headstone was longer than in front of the others. Unlike the other headstones, her mother's didn't have any flowers lying beside it. Faith sighed, mentally kicking herself for not bringing any, and kneeled down in front of the stone.
"Been a while, huh?" She asked. "Or have you even noticed," she muttered bitterly. "That's not why I came here though," she added thoughtfully. She remained silent for several minutes, as if trying to find the words to say. The birds chirped in the trees interspersed through the cemetery. Faith looked over and saw Buffy idly wandering along the road.
"I don't want her to know you," Faith said suddenly. "You wouldn't like her very much, I don't think. She's from one of those nice families you used to hate so much. You know what I'm talking about, the ones with money? Well, that's the kind of people she comes from. Not like you and me."
"But that's not true anymore either. You'd probably hate me now too, even more than you did before. I've become one of those people, even though I can't really see it. I know you'd say that I'm not good enough for her, and despite myself, I'd believe it. But I'm starting to see now that I am good enough. I always have been," Faith paused and let her gaze linger back to the headstone in front of her. Reaching out, she traced her mother's name with her fingertips.
"I understand now. You didn't want to be the person you became, but nothing made you change. Something made me change, though. She did," Faith said, referring to Buffy. "You didn't have that and you wasted away. I get it now. And I don't hate you for it. I know it always pissed you off when I told you, but I love you. Even now, I still do. I guess it's normal to love your mother, even if she was like you," Faith said. "I'm sorry I didn't visit you after the funeral. I meant to. But things just happened."
"I can't say that I'll ever come here again. I probably won't. I'm living in California now. It's nice there, sunny. I have friends…family. Everything I always wanted," Faith paused again and drew back her hand. "I hope wherever you are, you have the peace you never had in life. Maybe the next time we see each other, things will be different," Faith said, her voice thick with emotion. She remained kneeling in front of the stone for several long minutes, memorizing the look of it. Then, she stood and walked away, walking back to Buffy.
"You ready to go?" Buffy asked when she saw her. Faith smiled and nodded, reaching out and taking Buffy's hand in her own.
"Yeah, let's blaze," she said. She felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Buffy smiled, noticing the change in her. Together, they walked hand in hand out of the cemetery, neither to set foot there again during the course of their lives.