Chance

Disclaimer: Joss owns, I don't. Deal. All I own is the plot for the story, Dusk and any other characters you don't know.

Note1: Everything in Italics is flashbacks.

Note 2: Almost all the text here is taken from the television show, but twisted in my own words to fit in with the storyline.

Buffy wandered through a once-well furnished apartment, but now everything was in boxes. She remembered that this was Faith's apartment, from the fight. Buffy saw a cat jump onto the bed.

"Who's gonna look after him?" Buffy asked herself.

"It's a she," came Faith's voice. "And aren't these things supposed to take care of themselves?"

"A higher power guiding us?" Buffy asked.

"I'm pretty sure that's not what I meant," Faith said. "But by all means have her, she'll come in handy when the spider comes along."

"I don't understand," Buffy told her.

"Hell if I do," Faith chuckled.

She walked forwards, towards the area where they fought.

"There's something I'm supposed to be doing," Buffy remembered.

"Oh yeah. Miles to go. Double Miss Muffet counting down from 7-3-0," Faith said quizzically.

"Great," Buffy paused. "Riddles."

Buffy noticed the cat on the bed was swishing it's tail.

"Sorry," Faith apologized. "It's my head, a lot of new stuff. They're never gonna fix this, are they?"

The very second Faith said this, Buffy saw 2 images of Faith on her bed, side by side, like how she looked in the hospital. Buffy ignored it.

"What about you?" Buffy asked.

Faith turned around and waved a hand over her face.

"Scar tissue," she smiled weakly. "It fades, it all fades."

Buffy looked down to both of her outreached hands, and Faith's dagger appeared in each of them, still bloody from the fight.

"You want another deal?" Faith asked slowly. "Human weakness. Never goes away, even his."

They exchanged a knowing glance, before a smile crept upon Buffy's face.

"Is this your mind or mine?" she asked lightly.

"Beats me," Faith laughed.

Buffy smiled, then looked down.

"Getting towards that time," Faith spoke up. "They'll be here soon, don't wanna miss the birth."

"Who's birth?" Buffy asked.

"But they're not gonna be born," Faith continued. "They'll be 5 by 5, 2 by 2 as well."

"How're you gonna fit all this stuff?" Buffy asked, changing the subject.

"Not gonna," Faith said, advancing towards Buffy. "It's yours."

"I can't use all of this," Buffy looked around the room.

"Just take what you need," Faith told her. "Double the princess gonna mean more trouble, right. You ready?"

Faith raised her hand and placed on Buffy's cheek, and Buffy was transferred back to reality.

Buffy stared down at her bed, the quilt was all in a mess, hanging over the edge of the bed and there were creases.

"Faith and I just made that bed," she pondered aloud.

"For who?" a voice came from behind her.

Buffy was about to speak, when she paused and turned around to see Tara stood there.

"I thought you were here to tell me," she replied.

Tara didn't reply so Buffy turned to face the bed.

"The guys aren't here are they?" Buffy asked. "We were gonna hang out and watch movies."

"You lost them."

"No."

There was a slight pause, Tara looked confused.

"No," Buffy confirmed. "I think they need me to find them."

Buffy glanced at her clock, it read 7:30am.

"It's so late," she commented.

"Oh," Tara frowned. "That clocks completely wrong. Here."

Tara outstretched her arms to Buffy, where she had a pile of Tarot cards, but Buffy noticed something weird about them, they looked more like horoscopes, because the top one was for Gemini. It had a blue background, and there were twin girls, one all in white and one all in black.

"I'm never gonna use those," Buffy said truthfully.

Tara put her arms by her side.

"You think you know," Tara said. "What's to come, what you are. You haven't even begun."

Buffy glanced upon the bed, which was now tidy and neat, with no creases and ironed cushions sat at the head.

"I think I need to go find the others," she said, confused.

She turned and walked out of the room, leaving Tara stood there.

"You're gone prior to dusk," she mutters. "Be back before dawn."

Buffy sat on her sofa, Giles next to her. How could she not have known? After all these hints the past few years, it was so obvious.

"They have no idea?" Giles asked.

"No," Buffy said slowly.

"Are you going to tell them?" Giles asked again.

"How can I? They'd freak and that's the last thing we need," Buffy sighed. "We have to keep them safe."

"This woman this... whatever she was," Giles said. "She knows you now. Should we be thinking about sending them some place safe?"

"Away where?" Buffy questioned.

"I don't know," Giles frowned truthfully. "Your father's?"

"Yeah, he's um...in Spain, with his secretary," Buffy confessed. "Living the cliché. I called him when mom got sick, he hasn't even..."

"I'm sorry," Giles cut in.

They sat in silence for a few moments, both thinking about Joyce.

"When he bailed on us," Buffy told him. "I remember they cried for weeks. Except they didn't... they wasn't even there. But I can still feel what it was like."

Giles sighed and shook his head.

"These monks sent them to me Giles," Buffy said sadly. "I really think that I have to take care of them. I want to."

"Do we tell the others?" Giles asked thoughtfully.

"No. No one," Buffy finished solemnly. "They'd act all weird, and it's safer for everyone if they don't know."

"Yes," Giles agreed, standing up. "We have to find out who this woman is and what she needs them for. If she comes after you..."

"She'll come," Buffy disregarded. "But Dawn and Dusk are staying here."

"But wouldn't they be safer somewhere else?" Giles argued.

"No," Buffy defied. "I know you're doing the whole 'watcher' thing again, but you can't come and take my sister's away from me."

"Fine," Giles gave in. "The twins stay."

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