For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1

Chapter 10: Winds of Change

I am deeply relieved when the Council informs me that Faith will be staying here with us for a while. She may be a handful but her presence has been a blessing as far as Buffy is concerned. Ever since she came back Buffy has been isolating herself from most of her peers, unable to connect with her friends as she once did and openly rejecting the overtures of a boy who had a crush on her, yet somehow she seems to have been able to connect with Faith almost from the start. I know there's something I'm still missing in this whole picture... several somethings in fact.

First of all there's her reluctance to share what happened in that final battle with Angelus. I know she defeated him --based on the fact that we are still here-- but I suspect there may have been more to that battle than I've been led to believe. The other thing that doesn't quite add up is her connection with Faith herself. It is true that there is almost no precedent for the interaction between two slayers --seeing how they are not even supposed to exist at the same time-- but what little information there is is based on Buffy's interaction with Kendra and the fact remains that her reactions to her two fellow slayers have been completely different.

Maybe it has something to do with how they met. Kendra's arrival came as a total shock to Buffy who had always thought of herself as the slayer, or maybe the difference has to do with Angel's absence. After all --at least in their first encounter-- Buffy and Kendra found themselves literally fighting each other and most of the time they were at odds because of Buffy's relationship with Angel, a relationship Kendra could never quite understand. In fact they only began collaborating after Angel had turned into Angelus... when they were finally able to agree on the need to take him down.

I don't know. For whatever reason Buffy has been able to bond with Faith in a way she never did with Kendra and right now that's all that matters. If Faith's presence is what it takes for Buffy to be able to relax then so be it. I know it's not fair to Faith, she is a slayer in her own right, not merely a tool for Buffy to use but the fact remains that I don't know her, not really. I even failed to see what was going on with her when Buffy tried to warn me that there was something wrong yesterday before I learned of her watcher's death. Regardless of everything else, Buffy is still my top priority but that doesn't mean I'm not going to do my best to help Faith too, and the fact that Buffy seems to have taken her under her wing will definitely make things easier for me.

No watcher has ever had to watch two slayers at the same time and if I'm to be spared having to deal with their 'sibling rivalry' I certainly won't complain about that small mercy. The idea of having to work with both of them if they were at each other's throats would be deeply worrying.

Now all I have to do is share the news with them... or at least with Buffy, seeing how Faith is not in school.

-o-

"So where will Faith be staying?" Is the first question that comes out of Buffy's mouth as soon as she hears what I have to say regarding her fellow slayer.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's not like we can leave her at the mutant roach inn," she mutters.

"'Mutant roach inn'?" I ask, wondering what on Earth is going through my slayer's mind.

"You know, the dump she's been lovingly calling home these past few days? Do you really want me to list the reasons why her staying there would be a bad idea? I could begin with the fact that given that it's a public building there's no invite rule and that means it would only be a matter of time before she winds up dead, not to mention the fact that unless the Council is actually paying her --which I seriously doubt and if they are I'm going to start wondering where's my paycheck-- there are not that many ways for her to be able to afford a room... after all, it's not like she can take a nine to five job even if she wanted to. She's younger than I am, for crying out loud!"

I must confess I hadn't even thought about that. Tradition dictates that a slayer live with her watcher but my flat does not lend itself to such an arrangement and for the time being I already have Buffy camping out on my couch. I am also disturbed by what Buffy is hinting at in regards to how could Faith possibly support herself. I can only hope that she is projecting based on her own experiences from this past summer rather than making an accurate assessment of the situation. She does have a point, however, when she says that --in spite of its almost limitless financial resources-- chances are that the Council is not paying for Faith's room and board... and for the first time ever I realize the unfairness of that situation. The slayer is seen as a tool of the Council, not even an employee. I had never really questioned the Council before I came to Sunnydale, all my training had been deliberately geared toward keeping me from questioning it --I can see that now-- but now I can't help it.

Buffy is an incredibly successful slayer in spite of the Council, not because of it. I saw the differences between her and Kendra and I know that even if Dru hadn't gotten lucky when she did, Kendra still wouldn't have lasted much longer. There have been other things too that I've learned in the past couple of years. I have seen how Buffy has benefited from her friends' help and support, how Xander helped her defy a prophecy that every single text indicated could not be defied... and in spite of what happened with Angelus, Angel taught me that there are more shades of gray than the Council is willing to see.

I can only hope that the fact that it seems like Faith too was an unexpected slayer may turn out to work on her behalf, and I hope that the fact that the Council has agreed to allow her to remain on the hellmouth will enable them to operate as a team on a regular basis, something else that could increase their chances of survival.

I pull myself out of my musings and I turn my attention back to my slayer and the matter at hand, namely where will Faith live while she's in Sunnydale. I know we don't have that many options... I guess I could move but I'm not sure whether or not that would be the best solution for Faith. Even though most slayers are raised by their watchers from early childhood, one thing I've learned from Buffy and her friends is just how ill prepared I am to face that challenge on my own.

"I don't know," I reluctantly admit, "I really hadn't given it much thought."

"Do you think that maybe..." Buffy says hesitantly before trailing off.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's crazy and she would never go for it."

"What's crazy and who wouldn't go for it?"

"My mom."

Okay, it is now entirely apparent that even after almost two years as Buffy's watcher and just as long working as a high school librarian I am still to master the complex grammar of that strange language known as 'California teen', which against all odds is proving to be far more challenging than several demon languages I am familiar with. All too often I find that while I can understand the words, their meaning escapes me. My confusion must have been quite apparent as eventually Buffy goes on.

"I was kind of wondering if maybe we could talk my mom into letting Faith stay with us. I mean we do have a storage room we are not really using and a basement that could easily be used for storage anyways so it's not like storage is that much of an issue even when mom wants to store some stuff from the gallery... and having us actually living in the same place could come in handy if we ever have to get somewhere in a hurry," she explains, babbling in a way that reminds me of Willow at her worst.

"Do you think your mother would agree?" I ask, not wanting to get my hopes up... it would be an ideal solution for everyone, especially since it would also force a change in the dynamics inside that house and that would make it easier for Buffy to move back in and actually feel like she belongs. Faith's presence would certainly make enough of a difference that the changes in Buffy would be more readily acceptable for Joyce simply because a direct comparison with the way things were in the past would become less likely.

"That's kind of the big problem... I really don't know," she mutters.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I ask her, well aware that even though right now Buffy is feeling very protective of Faith she is also an only child who has given some indications of being fairly jealous in the past. I remember how she reacted to Kendra's presence at first and I'm not sure she realizes what having Faith living with them would entail in terms of Joyce's attention. It is one thing for Buffy to feel like Faith's big sister when it comes to fighting vampires and demons and quite another for her to have to share her mother with her. I am torn. On the one hand --if everything goes well-- this would probably be the perfect solution and I can't think of anyone else I would trust to be there for Faith the girl and not the slayer --which isn't saying that much considering Willow's and Xander's parents, but that's not really the point-- on the other hand I can easily think of at least a dozen different scenarios in which this could turn out badly for both slayers right off the top of my head.

"Yes, she can't stay where she is and it's not like she can move in with you," Buffy insists and I can see that she's really determined to do this.

"Okay, I'll try and talk to your mother... do you think you are ready to move back in with her?"

"You are kicking me out?" she asks, sounding rather unhappy with the prospect.

"No, but I may have to use that as leverage to get Joyce to agree to take Faith in. Your mom wants you back, Buffy, desperately... and she will probably agree to just about anything to get you to come home. Besides, I think you are ready, you know I wouldn't suggest it otherwise."