Two Months Later

Loud music pounded through The Red Virago. There was a small room directly above the strip club that was vibrating along with the techno beat. Buffy had her head underneath the pillow on her cot as she mulled over her present situation.

Someone rapped on the door but Buffy couldn't hear it above the music.

Lily opened the door and peered into the little room.

"Buffy. We kinda need you."

Buffy peeked out and looked at the clock above Faith's messy cot. Sighing, she pulled the pillow off her head.

"I'll be right there. Let me get changed."

Lily nodded. After she had closed the door, Buffy pulled off her loose t-shirt in favour of a tight red leather corset top that belonged to one of the strippers'. She left on her jeans, which had been a hand-me-down from Ampata.

She left the sanctity of her and Faith's little room and clomped downstairs in her high-heeled shoes to help Lily and Ampata with the bar. Unless it was really crowded, usually the bar only required two or even one of the three to work it but tonight was New Year's Eve and the place was packed.

Buffy noticed that Faith was occupying The Red Virago's main stage tonight. This was new. When Ampata had brought in Faith and Buffy, Darla--the owner of The Red Virago--had offered them a place to stay in exchange for free labour. Buffy knew she'd never be able to strip so she'd stuck to the bar but Faith had taken to it like a fish to water. Up until now, Faith had only been allowed work in the cages but Darla had finally let her take centre stage.

Sighing, Buffy glanced at the clock. It was 11:13.

By 12:45, she was ready to kill someone. If she heard one more lewd comment about why she wasn't stripping too or if she accidentally broke another glass...

"Try not to grip things so hard Buffy," Ampata said as she swept up the broken glass and walked to the garbage can at the other end of the bar.

Buffy watched her retreating back for a split-second before turning to the other bartender.

"Lily, I need a break."

"O-okay Buffy. I guess you can have one."

Buffy forgot to thank her as she turned and marched outside into the cool air. She went around to the alley adjoining the left side of the building and sat down on an overturned crate.

She was sitting there for only a few minutes when Faith came out for a smoke.

"Hey B. What's kicking?" She said as she pulled a cigarette from its pack.

When Buffy didn't respond, Faith looked down. Buffy had her head in her hands.

"B?"

"This is killing me," she finally said, looking up.

"What?"

"The stripping and the bartender-ing and the-the lewd comments...I can't do this."

"You don't strip."

"Yeah. Why do you?"

Faith didn't answer. She sucked in some more smoke and blew it out again before responding.

"It makes me forget what they di--it makes me forget. When I'm up there, there's nobody but me and what I'm doing to those boys. And I fit in this world. It's want, take, have and I'm loving it. I belong here."

"Well, I don't."

"And whatever you need comes first right?" Faith snapped.

"That-that's not what I meant."

"Sure."

"I just...I can't stay here...in this place. It feels so low to me."

Faith threw her cigarette down.

"Oh excuse me for being beneath Your Highness's morals," she said angrily.

"Faith, it's not like I think you're below me. I just...have to leave...tonight. I'm going tonight," Buffy said, coming to a decision.

"Just because you think you're better than us, you're going to abandon me?"

"Us?"

"Forget it. Go on. It's not like dirt has any feelings right?"

"Faith..."

But Buffy was met with the slamming of the side-door as Faith slipped back inside the bar, leaving her alone in the alley.

After taking a few shaky breaths to try and hold back the tears Faith's bitterness had caused. She scampered inside, up the stairs, and into her room. Taking a duffel that didn't belong to her, she quickly packed in the few decent pieces of clothing she had been given by some of the working girls. The jeans were too big for her but she managed.

Then she reached underneath her cot and pulled out a jar filled with money she had saved from tips she had received and her silver cross necklace.

"So, you're, like, ditching us?" A voice said from the doorway.

"Yeah Harmony. I'm going," Buffy said, zipping up the duffel.

"Whatever. Maybe you should go join the circus. You could be with other freaks like you."

Harmony cracked up at her own jeer as she tossed a crumpled piece of paper at Buffy's head. She always loved to poke fun at Buffy for her seemingly inhuman strength. Buffy scowled as Harmony left--still chuckling--and looked at the flyer in her hands, which happily proclaimed information about the travelling circus in town. They'd be staying all summer in the carnival grounds.

Hoisting the duffel over her shoulder, Buffy left the room without looking back, leaving the flyer on her cot.