Anyway, Faith was hiding something from her. That wasn't so big a deal though. Sure, they were both Slayers. And sure, she had had a connection with Faith like she never did with Kendra, and the pair of them had on occasion gotten along like gangbusters. But she truthfully wasn't that close to Faith, so it wasn't that big a deal.
But Xander was hiding something from her, too, and the last time that had happened, Willow had ended up broken-hearted. She knew, of course, that whatever it was they were hiding, they were hiding it together. They were around each other too much lately for it to be anything else. Plus, they had each been talking each other more than normal, until they had just stopped talking about each other at all.
It was suspicious. But, Buffy supposed she just had to trust that whatever it was Xander and Faith were hiding, they were doing their best not to hurt anybody.
It really sucked, though, because Buffy hated being left out of the loop, almost as much as she hated waiting for people. Patience and secrets: her two greatest pet peeves. Well, not counting evil gypsies who ensured that for the foreseeable future, her only form of 'entertainment' would come from that pulsing shower head that…
And why had those rumors about Xander and the girl's basketball team popped up, and then suddenly stopped? And why had Larry been so completely dismissive of them? And since when did he stop trying to look down her shirt? Was there something wrong with her boobs, all of a sudden, that they weren't good enough to ogle?
Not that she wanted Larry, of all people, ogling her, but that sort of thing sometimes made a girl feel nice about herself. When it wasn't all dirty, anyway.
"Hey, Buff," Willow said. She had just walked into the library, her hair not-at-all frizzy, somewhat to Buffy's jealous dismay.
"Xander and Faith are hiding something," was Buffy's immediate reply.
"Did you do something different with your hair?" Willow asked, squinting her eyes at the blonde Slayer.
"No," Buffy said, immediately on the defensive. "It's this stupid rain."
"Oh," Willow said. "My hair's never really done that. Although, it's kind of naturally flat. Just like the rest of me."
"Oh, don't say that," Buffy said. "You've got a great figure. You're so thin, and okay, maybe not the biggest, but I know people who would kill for a body like yours."
Willow sighed. "I guess."
"And hey," Buffy said, trying to cheer up her friend. "Oz doesn't seem to be complaining."
Willow grinned a shy, yet sly smile. "No," she said. "He doesn't."
Buffy looked at Willow inquisitively, her mind as far from the Xander and Faith conspiracy as it could be. "And how much doesn't he complain?" Buffy asked.
"I don't know if I should –"
"What's up?"
Buffy and Willow looked up as Faith strolled in. Willow seemed, to Buffy's eyes, to deflate a little. But that wasn't important.
"Hi, Faith!" Buffy said. Oh God, was that too obvious? "What's going on?"
Faith shrugged. "Thought it was time to check in."
"That makes sense," Willow said. "You know, because you haven't been here. In a while."
"Right," Faith said. She sent a small smile Willow's way. What was that about, Buffy wondered. Willow and Faith never got along. And why had Faith stuck up for Willow the other day? Okay, it was a good thing in the end, but since when did she care? Was Willow in on the 'keep Buffy out of it' loop? What was going on here?
"So," Buffy said. "I've been wondering –"
"Oh, hey," Willow interrupted. "Sorry, Buffy. Faith, did Xander tell you that… thing? About the, uh, probabilities?"
"Yeah," Faith said. "But not 'til later."
Willow nodded. "Good. You needed to know that."
Faith nodded back at her.
"Okay," Buffy said, her voice abnormally loud. "What the hell is going on here?"
"What?" Faith asked.
"You guys!" Buffy said. "You're… talking in code! You're, you know… friendly-ish! What's going on?"
"What?" Faith snapped. "I can't talk to people now? The great-and-wonderful Buffy has to dictate everything about everyone's life?"
"No, but you two are being weird! And Xander, too! And it's raining, and my hair is messed up, and everybody knows things but me!" Buffy sulked for a minute, switching between glaring at Faith and staring at Willow. When Willow opened her mouth to speak, but quickly looked to Faith for approval, it was too much for Buffy. She ran out of the library in a huff.
"Buffy!" she heard Willow call behind her. She ran around the corner and stayed there, waiting for what she hoped would be a Willow chasing her. She felt momentarily guilty about spazzing out like a drama queen.
But hell, it was that time of the month. She couldn't be held responsible.
"What the hell's up her ass?" Faith asked.
Willow frowned. "I should go after her," she said.
"Yeah?" Faith asked. "And tell her what?" She didn't want Buffy to know. If Queen B was that freaked about her talking to Willow, how'd she feel about Faith doin' the deed with Xander? Probably run away again.
"I'll make something up," Willow said. She grabbed her bag and ran out of the room.
"Whatever," Faith said. She kicked her feet up on the table.
"Feet," Giles said as he walked into the library, reading a newspaper. Faith grudgingly removed said feet from the table. "Good afternoon, Faith. How are you doing?"
"Not bad, G," she said. "Yourself?"
"I'm quite well, thank you. How are you liking your apartment?"
"It's tight," Faith said. Now that she was getting the hang of it a little, talking with the Scoobs – who for some reason seemed genuinely interested in her life – wasn't that hard.
"Excellent," Giles said. "Was there anything in particular you came in about?"
"Nah," Faith said. "Thought it was time to check in. See what's the what."
Giles rolled his eyes. "An appalling expression. You have been spending far too much time with Xander."
Faith chuckled nervously. Giles didn't know anything. He was just talking about words. But wait, she was starting to sound like Xander? That wasn't good. People might start to suspect things. Which, she reminded herself, probably wouldn't be an issue for much longer. Once she started to show – and she was happy it would be really obvious, being a Slayer kept her body in almost disgustingly good shape (read: she was really hot) – they'd all know what was going on.
"Wesley should be here soon," Giles said. "But I have some work to do. If you need anything, or, for some reason, just feel the need to talk, I'll be in my office."
"Cool," Faith said. As soon as Giles was out of sight, her feet went back up on the table. She quickly got bored, and was considering leaving again when Oz walked in.
"Hey," Oz said with a nod.
Faith nodded back at him, and Oz sat down across from her.
"You know, I heard this rumor," Oz said. Faith looked up. Oz almost never spoke. "Apparently, Xander got, like, the whole girl's basketball team pregnant?"
"You believe that shit?"
Oz shook his head. "Not much for gossip."
Faith nodded.
"Thing is, though, the rumor started because someone saw him buying a home pregnancy test."
"So?" Faith asked. What the hell? Oz was hinting at something. But Red wouldn't have told, she was sure about that. Willow was too afraid of losing Xander's friendship to do that. And that only left one person. She knew that whole 'good guy' thing was just an act. What a bastard.
"Just thought you might find that interesting."
Faith shrugged as casually as she could. "Don't see why I should care."
Oz nodded, and cocked his head to one side. "You look angry."
"Why the hell would I be angry?"
"I just thought since you slept with him and all, you might have some interest."
"I knew it!" Faith said. She was trying to keep her voice low, because she didn't want Giles to hear. "I knew that son-of-a-bitch wouldn't keep his mouth shut."
"The thing is," Oz said, "there was apparently another rumor that he had gotten Cordelia pregnant. She kind of confronted him with it, in front of a group of students."
Faith kept getting angrier. That would be just what the ass wanted. More people who he could tell about how he banged the hot girl.
"He didn't say a word, though. Wouldn't tell anybody who he slept with." Faith was surprised. But he probably –
"So then Will steps in and is like 'He bought that for me and Oz.' Which, imagine my surprise. Because, that's something which I'm pretty sure I'd remember."
Faith knew that her mouth was open in shock. She wanted to close it, she really did. It just wouldn't shut, though. Willow had done that? And Xander had gone along with it? He was willing to let his best friend ruin her reputation in the school because…
Because what? Because she didn't want people to know she'd had sex with Xander? What did she care, it wasn't like he was her first. What the hell was so different about him – other than the pregnancy – that made her care if people knew?
"Anyway," Oz said, standing from the table. "Just thought you might find that interesting. If you see Willow, tell her I went to practice."
Faith nodded idly as Oz left the library.
"Giles!" she called. A few seconds later, the librarian arrived at the door to his office.
"Yes?"
"I'm goin' home. If you need… something, you got my number."
"And if Wesley needs something?" Giles asked.
Faith snorted. "Tell him to shove it."
"Faith!" Buffy called out. It had stopped raining, and a little bit of sun was beginning to peek through a crack in the clouds. Buffy's mood was improved greatly.
"What, B?" Faith asked, her manner clearly indicating she was unhappy.
"I'm sorry about earlier," Buffy said. "I just… you guys have been all secret-y, and everything, and it's just been weirding me out. Anyway, there's no reason to be embarrassed about what you're doing. Willow told me your little secret, and I'm totally on board."
"You're…"
"In favor," Buffy said. She knew Faith hadn't had the easiest life, and didn't really like school that much. But she was trying to do something normal, and Buffy totally got that. Plus, if they did live longer than they had any right to (and really, Buffy already had… with just the one little hitch), then a GED could open up all kinds of doors for Faith. "In fact, if you need help studying, or wanna do flash cards or something during patrol, I'm all over it."
"Study?" Faith asked.
"You know, for the GED!" Buffy said. Faith obviously was having a brain-fart.
"Right," Faith said. "The GED. Which Willow is helping me study for."
"And Xander," Buffy said.
"Right," said Faith. "Xander, too."
"Anyway," Buffy said, "I just wanted to say that you're doing a good thing, and I'm sorry about earlier."
"It's cool," Faith said. "Listen, I gotta head. I'll catch ya later."
Buffy waved at Faith's departing form. Things, Buffy decided, were looking very much better than they had been twenty minutes earlier.
A huge crack of thunder boomed its way through the courtyard as lightning flashed across the sky. Buffy looked up just as rain started to pour from the sky in buckets.
'Well,' Buffy thought, as she looked down at her now soaked-through-to-transparency thin white blouse, which was showing off quite well the fact that the air temperature was chilly, 'at least boys will be looking at me.'
"Just my luck," Buffy said. She was strolling through a graveyard, with Angel at her side. "Rains all day, and cuts out just in time for patrol through muddy graveyards."
"Could be worse," Angel said. He pointed out a large puddle of mud so Buffy could avoid it. "You could be wearing heels."
"You'd just love that, wouldn't you?" Buffy asked. "All pushing my hips back and my chest forward. You're just a slave to your inner demon."
"Funny," Angel said, looking down at her. Buffy looked deep in thought, which didn't happen often unless something from her personal – by which he meant daytime – life was bothering her. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Buffy said. "Why?"
"You seem off, a little. Something bothering you?"
"Nothing big," Buffy said, with just enough of a sigh at the end that Angel knew he should pursue the topic more.
"Are you sure?" he asked, placing his hand on the small of her back. "Because you can talk to me about anything, you know. Even if it seems silly."
Buffy smiled up at him. Angel loved those smiles. There were days when Buffy's smiles were about all that kept him going.
"It's just, it's stupid. I just… Faith's getting her GED, which is great. It is. She's trying to do something with her life, something outside of the slaying. Which I'm pretty sure is like a huge step for her, because she's been so convinced we're going to die young."
"But…" Angel prompted.
"But how come she has to study using my friends?"
Angel did his best not to show any emotion – a skill he was well practiced in.
"See?" Buffy said, looking right at him. "You think I'm being selfish."
Apparently, the practice had not paid off. "A little," he said. "Buffy, you said yourself she's doing something good. And Willow's probably one of the most intelligent kids in your school. It's only natural…"
"I know," Buffy said. "And I know I'm in no danger of losing their friendship or anything… it's just, the last time Faith and them were really friendly, it was like she was almost stealing my life, sort of."
"There's no danger of that, Buffy," Angel said, swiping aside a few strands of her hair and tucking them behind her ear. He lifted her chin up so she was looking at him. "Your friends all love you. You're not going to lose them any time soon."
"Discounting Hell on Earth and horrible, painful death," Buffy said.
"Right," Angel said. "But those you can handle."
Buffy smiled gratefully at him, warming his heart as only her smiles could. Literally. Angel leaned down and pressed a soft but deeply felt kiss to her lips.
"Mmm," Buffy said. "You do manage to make things better."
"It's what I'm here for," Angel said. He paused. "Who else is helping her study? Besides Willow, I mean."
"What? Oh. Xander is."
"Xander, really?" Angel asked. That he had not suspected.
"Yeah," Buffy said, a little defensively. "Why? Xander can sometimes do okay in school."
"It's not that," Angel said. "I just didn't know he was helping her study. I thought they were just sleeping together."
Buffy walked face first into a crypt.
Willow was awoken by an incessant knocking at her balcony doors. Rubbing her eyes, she wondered what crisis it was that Xander needed help with now.
"Willow!" said the harshly whispered voice from outside. What was Buffy doing here?
"Buffy?" Willow asked. She pulled her robe on and opened the doors, letting her friend inside. "What's going on?"
Buffy was pacing back and forth in her room, now, as Willow shut the doors. She let her friend – who had graciously left her muddy shoes on the balcony – pace as much as she wanted. Unlike Xander, Buffy could not be rushed into declarations of things gone wrong.
"You need to sit down," Buffy said. Willow dutifully sat upon her own bed, still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "It's just… this is important."
"Oh, god, you didn't sleep with Angel again, did you?" she asked.
"What?" Buffy asked, clearly offended. "No! I'm not… no."
Willow nodded. What Buffy had to say, then, probably wouldn't be that bad.
"I didn't know if I should talk to you about this," Buffy said. "But… well, I really can't talk to anybody else. And I don't want you to freak out. Promise me you won't freak out."
"Uh… asking things like that? Not so conducive to the lack of freaking."
"Sorry," Buffy said. "You remember, um, those years where you were in love with Xander?"
"Uh huh," Willow said, with absolutely no idea where this was leading.
"Well, I know you're all… with Oz, now. But… are you over him?"
"Oz?"
"Xander."
"Oh," Willow said, still entirely clueless. "Yeah. I am." And immediately, she knew it was true. She hadn't been thinking about him, only about the baby, and Faith, and their lives and what might happen, and somehow, all of that had gotten her over Xander.
"Really and truly?" Buffy asked.
"Uh huh," Willow said, attempting to keep her joy at this fact out of her voice. "Totally."
"Good," Buffy said, dropping to her knees in front of Willow. "Because I couldn't keep this to myself."
"Buffy, what is it?" Willow asked.
"Faith and Xander are having sex!"
"Who told you?" Willow asked. She immediately regretted her answer, and showed it with a grimace.
"You knew?" Buffy yelled. Willow quickly shushed her, afraid that her parents would hear. "You knew and you didn't tell me?"
Buffy looked more hurt than anything.
"I knew," Willow said. "And I would have told you. I would have, but he swore me to secrecy. I wasn't even allowed to tell Oz."
"But –"
"You remember when I had said I didn't think I was being a very good friend?" Willow asked. Buffy nodded. "Well… I found out after that. It was a chance to… to get closer to my Xander-friend again. I couldn't not."
Buffy relaxed. "Well, that's okay, I guess. How did you deal?"
"Not great," Willow said. "But… I dealt. It was okay… I mean, not really, it wasn't. But Xander was great about the whole thing, of how I found out. When he realized I had… issues, he acted a lot more grown up. He really helped me through it, and we're really bestest best friends again."
Buffy's smile looked genuine, and Willow could tell that her own was. "That's great, Willow," Buffy said.
"It really is," said Willow. "I missed him."
"Okay," Buffy said. "Well, I won't say a word. Not even to Xander and Faith."
"How did you find out?" Willow asked.
"Oh," said Buffy. "Angel smelled it on them a while ago, and he just told me tonight. Some lame-ass excuse about it not really being anybody's business."
"Those vampires and their wacky sense of privacy."
"I'm really glad you're okay about all this," Buffy said.
"So am I," said Willow, still amazed by the fact that she was okay about all this. After a quick goodnight, Willow lay down to sleep, happier than she had been in weeks. And she was deliriously happy Buffy hadn't asked what the GED was really about.
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End Chapter 10