I appologize for taking so very damn long to update this. Hope some of you are still around for the ride.
It WILL be completed. I promise.
That said: Woo-Hoo. I'm baaack... and turbulence lies ahead.
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Previously on Buffy:
As he watched Giles leave Xander couldn't help but run over their conversation again in his head. Operatives...Multiple Watchers... What if they'd hedged their bets yet again? Suddenly it came to him. He could see it in his mind's eye. Everything clicked in a moment of absolute clarity.
Twisting his body to the left, Xander drew and pointed his pistol in one smooth move.
"While we're on the topic of questioning and then getting rid of Watchers..." He stated grimly. "How long have you been one Robin?"
Silence prevailed for a moment as everyone looked back and forth between Robin Wood and Xander.
"Awww come on X..." Faith started. "Now you're losing it. Tell him Woody... Woody?"
.
Drusilla looked up through her bangs as she finished casting a truth inducing Spell centered on the room.
.
Twice Robin attempted to open his mouth and say something but no words came out. Suddenly he grimaced and shook his head. "Since I was taken in by my mother's Watcher after her death. How'd you figure it out?"
Silence reigned after he asked the question.
.
A pin dropping would have sounded like a hand grenade inside of the Dinning Room where everyone present turned to look at Faith.
Have you ever heard the sound of a heart breaking?
All present would never forget the lack of sound as the Boston Slayer stood there with head bowed and tears streaming down her face.
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Storm Breaking
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Ever notice that sometimes when time flows, it doesn't?
Everyone's experienced it in some form or another. In the middle of a sports game, watching an accident, being in an accident, in the middle of a firefight with bullets whizzing by overhead, there are times when time itself seems to speed up or slow down.
When words become a whisper and silence becomes a shout.
This was one of those times.
#Flash# Buffy standing next to Spike, mouths dropped in almost identical expressions of surprise.
#Flash# Willow, Anya, Andrew, Dawn, and surprisingly enough, Kennedy, all staring at Robin in wonder/anger at what he just revealed.
#Flash# Xander's hand held steady as the index finger starts to tighten on the trigger of a Colt 45.
The blow came out of nowhere.
Literally. Even with the amped-up senses of over half the people there, no-one actually saw the blow.
One moment she was standing there in grief. Head bowed, tears streaming down her face.
The next moment Robin Wood was attempting to do a credible imitation of an owl as his head was whipped savagely towards his right.
There was no exclamation to be heard, nothing more than the solid smack of a fist meeting jaw and then he fell.
It was almost fitting that Robin didn't fly backwards at all from the force of the blow, he simply dropped, fate lending an insulting hand as his head bounced off the table as he did so.
"You miserable son of a bitch!" Time seemed to speed back up suddenly as Xander released the trigger and exhaled explosively and Faith started to kick the now comatose Watcher.
"God-damned-lying-sack-of-shit-no-good-cocksucking-asshole-reaming-motherfucka!" Faith yelled as she stomped Robin in a place that Xander was all too happy that he couldn't see as judging from the expressions on Spikes and Andrews face he was very certain as to where the kick had landed.
#Damn Faith, tell us how you really feel# and #Hope Robby wasn't planning on having kids anytime soon...# were the irreverent thoughts that went through Xander's head.
Faith continued to kick him a couple of more times and then finally just stopped.
She looked drawn out and worn down, the tears still falling. Several people there could feel their hearts breaking at the total loss on her face.
Shaking like a leaf she fell back a bit leaning against the wall unsteadily.
Amazingly enough, Willow and Drusilla reached the Boston Slayer first and wrapped their arms around her as they lead her away from the table and towards the living room, Dawn and Kennedy following behind.
Buffy still stood silently, crying herself, held in Spike's embrace as he in turn stared at Xander in a 'Now what do we bloody do?' look.
Sighing loudly, Xander holstered his pistol and gestured towards Andrew to help him as he made his way around the table and looked down at the now unconscious Watcher.
"You grab the legs, I'll take the heavy end" Xander said pointing Andrew towards his task.
Whe.. Where are you taking him?" Buffy finally managed to get out.
"I'm gonna drop him off at Gile's. He's a Watcher. Let him deal with the prick."
"Just dump the fucker out in his precious High School." Came Faith's voice from the Living Room as he and Andrew hefted the body and started towards the door.
"Faith, some Vampire would eat him." Came Willow's voice in reply.
"Serve the fucker right. Probably give the poor vampire food poisoning though."
"Faith!"
"What? You expect me to give a shit after he... Gad damn it. I wouldn't piss in that fucker's mouth right now if his teeth were on fire."
"uhmm.. can we go now? He's getting heavy."
"Shut up Andrew."
Drusilla walked up to them for a moment and handed something to Xander with a small whisper.
"Okay Dru, I will"
"He's really getting heavy..."
"Shut up Andrew."
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"What the?" Rupert Giles was startled as his front door suddenly swung open to reveal Xander.
"Brought you a present Giles." Xander said with almost no inflection in his voice as walked in through the doorway to Giles' house while carrying the limp form of Robin over his shoulder.
Unceremoniously he dumped him onto the couch and stepped back as Giles came over and started to check over his injuries.
"W...What did you do to him?" Giles asked with a more than a bit of anger as he took in the state of the man.
"I didn't do shit, Giles. For which you and he should be real thankful. I was all for shooting the bastard. That..." he said while pointing at Robin. "That is what you get when you truly piss off a Slayer. She didn't kill him even though I'm sure she wanted to. She's come a long ways since she was that frightened girl you Council bastards stuck in her own little hell." Xander paused for a moment and looked down at the still sluggishly bleeding Watcher. "Personally, if I ever see him again I'm gonna shoot him."
Xander turned and started to leave even as Giles rose from the couch side. "Surely you don't mea..."
Xander swung back around suddenly, his eyes glowing more than a bit with a sullen amber glow. "Don't push it Giles. I mean it. You have NO idea how much I'd like to off that little prick and you too for that matter." Xander started to step forward and then visibly checked himself, his eyes dimming a bit. "You betrayed us Giles. You betrayed US! We were a family." Again, for just a moment, his eyes glowed feral amber yet again for just a moment as he stalked towards the older man. "We were a Pack. I followed your lead. We all did. You were like a father to me, Hell, you were more a father to me in the last six years than Tony was in the previous sixteen. Willow looked up to you, Buffy believed in you. We all loved you."
Xander stopped his forward momentum and just regarded the haggard man with the bowed head in front of him for a moment.
"You betrayed us to your precious Council."
Xander's hand flashed down to his belt line and Giles felt something strike him with a dull thump in the chest even as he flinched away from the unexpected attack.
Not feeling any actual pain from the blow he looked down to find a small pouch lying at his feet where it had bounced from off of him.
With a look of askance on his face he bent to retrieve the pouch even as Xander turned away and headed towards the door.
"Dru asked me to give that to you as a 'going away present' if you will." He said over his shoulder. "I didn't look in it, but, if it's what I think it is, well I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you share with your friend there."
That being said, Xander was gone, and Giles could only stand there quietly as he poured the contents of the pouch onto the coffee table.
-
He was a bit surprised at how small and pitiful a pile of thirty silver pieces made.
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"How is she?"
"She's... doing." Willow said tiredly. "She's up in her room. Buffy tried talking to her but she told her to go away. Drusilla is still with her."
"I know."
"C-Can you tell where she is?" Willow asked. "I-I mean, can you feel her presence?"
"Sorta Wills. It's kinda hard to explain. I know roughly where she is physically, I'm much better at knowing where she is emotionally."
"Oh?"
"Ya-huh. She's in her 'Protection' mode. The gods better have mercy on whoever tries to mess with Faith while she's like this, cause Dru sure as Hell won't."
"Oh."
Willlow's answer, or rather lack thereof, sent warning tingles down his spine.
"What happened?"
"Huh? What?"
"What happened Wills?" Xander repeated while fixing her with the Xander version of the Resolve Face.
"Uhmm... Kennedy started to mouth off about Robin."
"Uh-oh."
"And about men in general."
"Ouch."
"And Drusilla pretty much told her to go away."
"Okaaay."
"Or else."
"Uh-oh again."
And then Kennedy, well she got..."
"Pissy?"
"Pretty much."
"And then?"
"Well, Kennedy started to say something else and Drusilla cut her off."
"She WHAT?"
"Not literally. Geez Xand, come on."
"Whew."
"Yea, well sorta."
"Sorta?"
"Well Dru told her that Miss Edith's eyes were getting a little old and faded and that if (These are Dru's Words not mine) If you don't leave us alone right now you silly cow I'll tear your eyes out and put them in Miss Edith."
"Daaamn... That's my Dru."
"Yea, pretty much. When Kennedy started to open her mouth one more time, Faith finally looked up and told her to go away or else she'd help Dru."
Xander actually laughed out loud at that comment sure in the belief that Willow had left out several choice cuss-words out of Faith's comments.
"Well, this ought to be stunning." He said as he gave her a brief hug and then started to head upstairs. "What you going to be doing?"
"Dawn, Anya, Andrew and I are looking over the Codex and trying to find out how we are going to restore the balance."
"Any hope?"
"Not sure yet. We still have a lot to look at."
"Where's Buff?"
"She and Spike are down in the cellar." At seeing the grimace on his face she quickly added. "They're arguing again."
"Oh." Xander visibly shook off his aggravation "Well, if you need me I'll be..." He nodded towards the upstairs."
"Go." She said pointing upwards.
"Yessim Mistress."
"And don't you forget it buster."
Xander lifted his hand for the second time in order to knock but hesitated yet again.
"Damn it Boytoy, just fucking come in already."
Sheepishly he opened the door and walked inside, quietly closing it behind him.
"Slayer hearing ya know..."
"Oh." He looked around the room for a moment. Anywhere but at her sitting there on the bed, her back to the headboard looking very small and lost. Drusilla sat on the edge of the bed with a pensive look on her face.
"Would you like me to leave Faith?" Drusilla asked quietly.
"Huh? Naw, it's cool. Well as cool as it's ever gonna be." She turned from the Vampiress and looked at Xander with an expression he'd never seen on her face before. "Still can't look at me can ya? Don't really blame you none. Not after..." Her voice trailed off and Xander crossed the few feet separating him from the bed and sat down on it staring at her intently.
"You think I can't stand to look at you because of who and what you are?" Xander leaned forward and reached out towards her, brushing a fallen lock of her hair out of the way so he could see her better.
Dru knew what was to come and leaned back a little in order to just watch the two of them. It was fitting in a way that the three of them formed a triangle sitting there.
"Faith, I have problems facing you, talking to you because of the way I let you down."
"You What?!" Faith couldn't quite believe her ears. Yea, the letters she'd received while in jail had hinted at this, but to actually have him come out and say something like this...
"I let you down. I knew how you were living. I can guess what kind of time you had growing up, seeing as how mine was no parade either, I can probably relate better than most anyone here. I... I should have stood up for you better when it all went down over the Mayor. I... I'm sorry Faith."
"It wasn't like I was all share-feelings-girl either." Faith responded weakly.
"Look Faith, I'm sorry that I slept with you..." At seeing Faith's face harden and hearing the growl come out of Dru's mouth he hastened to clarify "Wait, I don't mean that I'm sorry, sorry. I just mean that I'm sorry."
"I'm waiting on a real answer here X, and I'm already in a pissy mood at men in general right now."
"Look, I don't regret actually having sex with you, alright? What I mean is that I'm sorry that because you and I had sex, the having of which was pretty damned spectacular if I may add, that I wasn't able to get you to listen to me and open up to me when you needed me. I failed you because I couldn't resist you.
"Are you for real?"
Xander winced at the tone of her voice. He just knew he'd screwed up again. The worst part was that the thought that Faith would now truly hate him hurt. It hurt him down to his soul that he'd failed her.
Faith could only look at him in amazement. She'd received letters from him the entire time she'd been in jail. Letters that told of the happenings here in Sunnydale, couched as him writing her a story in case the letters were confiscated.
She cherished each and every one of them.
The most cherished one though, was the first one she'd ever received: In it he'd told her that he figured she hated him and the rest, and that he didn't blame her. He also said that while it would probably only piss her off, he accepted her apology in advance for almost strangling him. He didn't hate her for it. He knew that she was in a bad place and if she'd ever need him, he'd be there for her. No strings attached, no sex needed. He simply told her that when, not if, but when, she got out that if she wanted her own Scooby, then all she had to do was tell him and he'd be on his way to wherever she was.
He was very right in one thing. The letter had in fact pissed her off beyond belief. It had been crumpled up and thrown more than once. She'd come close a couple of times to just lighting it on fire or flushing it, but she never had. And more letters followed. One every week. No matter what, the letters arrived. She'd learned about the good times and the bad. The horrifying and the hilarious.
And in each one he simply re-affirmed what he'd said before. one thing had stayed a constant: His obvious feelings towards her.
Xander sat there with his head bowed and unshed tears in his eyes. He'd screwed the pooch again. He'd failed to get thru to her his real feelings. He'd...
She reached out and lifted his head up with her hand under his chin. Looking deep into his eyes she could feel his feelings for a moment. The depth of which scared her.
"It's cool Xander." She said with a quiet voice.
"Honest?"
"It's down right five by five."
"You mean it?" He asked unsurely. He had been certain that she was going to hate him.
"Yes damn it. I'm still more than a little pissed at Wood and G right now, but I know you're not them. I mean, the Council dicks are dicks, but my Scooby is still here right?"
"Well, I kinda come as part of a package deal now, but yea. If you still want me."
"Well, I'm not up for trio right now..."
At seeing him visibly gulp she couldn't quite help but add a "Yet." onto that sentence.
It actually made her laugh, the expression on his face was damn near priceless.
It didn't help that Dru looked back and forth between the two of the them and simply purred out "Yumm." Which caused even Faith to blush a little.
"Uhmmm... Not that I'm complaining mind you, but why this all of a sudden?" Xander felt compelled to ask, hating the fact that he was breaking the mood, it just all seemed a bit fast and surreal.
"That would be my doing Kitten." Dru spoke up hesitantly
Xander turned towards her questioningly. "Dru, honey, what did you do?" He asked in a nice quiet tone of voice.
"It's not her fault X. She did it for me"
"Okay, now with the Huh?"
"We got to talking while you were busy taking out the trash. Kennedy opened up her pie-hole and was mouthing off about guys in general. I was starting to agree with her a little till Dru here shut her up and then she decides to show me that all guys aren't like most of the fucks I've dealt with in the past.
"And she did this how?" He was really dreading the answer to that question.
Faith actually looked away, feeling an unusual feeling for her: embarrassment. "Well, she kinda gave me access to the way you feel thru her link to you." She said quietly.
"Oh. Is that all..." Xander's voice trailed off as he thought thru the implications of what he'd been told. Suddenly his head snapped up and he stared at Dru.
"I'm sorry Kitten."
"Damn it X, don't be mad at her! She was trying to help. And she did. Course she overdid it a touch at first." This last sentence was mumbled but Xander heard it anyways.
"Meaning?"
"Huh?"
"The 'overdid it' part."
"Uhmmm... Well..."
"I boo-booed, Kitten."
"Dru," He was visibly getting worried at this time. ""What did you do?"
"I didn't account for her Slayerness and I kind of linked her to your feelings. And Mine. And Willows too." She added in a little voice.
"Oh. Oh shit." That pretty much summed up his opinion on the whole matter.
"Uhmm... yea, I kinda got the bonus plan ya know?" Faith said with a lop-sided grin.
"And?" Xander could only ask what was probably a very loaded question.
"Well, I know EXACTLY how you feel about me for one thing..."
At seeing him wince, she quickly added "Damn it Xander, I get it already. I know that you really do love me. Now just fucking get over how we both screwed each other up and deal with it already. I am."
"Oh."
"Yea. Oh."
"And I now know what Red's prob was."
"You what?"
"I said; I know what Red's problem with me has been."
"And that would be? And does she know that you know?"
"Yea, she knows I know."
"It would be impossible for her not to know Kitten. She's way to powerful a Witch for her not to know when the link occurred."
"Oh."
"You seem to be saying that a lot."
"Yea well, it's kinda a shock is all."
"It gets better, X"
"And that would be why?" He stopped for a moment and then grinned at her "See, I didn't say 'Oh' that time."
"Whatever, you goof." Faith said in an instant comeback. "And as for Red... Well, her biggest prob was she was jealous."
"I could have told you that." Xander pointed out.
"Yea, well, seems she was jealous of me doing you AND she was jealous of you doing me..."
Xander sat back with an almost audible 'woof' of escaped air exploding from his mouth. "Uh... Oh... Uhmmm...."
"Real articulate there Boytoy." Faith said with a sardonic grin. "Yep, seems Red's problem was she was really wanting to be the filling in a Xander/Faith sandwich and she didn't know how to deal with it back then..."
Xander's brain went into overdrive for a moment as he analyzed the situation. Granted, Xander would be the first one to tell you he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but one thing he was normally an expert on was Willow. Damn... I can NOT believe I missed the signals back then. Hell, the clues were all there, ESPECIALLY with the Vamp Willow...
"Well... Shit."
"Yea, that pretty much sums it up X. Me an Red talked it out and we're cool now."
"That was a quick talk." Xander wasn't kidding. It would have had to have been quick. He wasn't gone that awful long earlier.
"Well, the link kinda let us talk mind to mind ya see... And Red was right here when D here cast the spell so..." Faith trailed off leaving the results of said spell unsaid but understood.
A few minutes passed in relative silence as the three of them just enjoyed the break. Finally, like all good things though, it had to come to an end.
"So... now what do we do?"
"Well, Willow and the rest are trying to figure out how to restore the Slayerness to where it belongs."
"Oh" This time it was Faith's turn for the comment.
Xander didn't need any spell to know where Faith's thoughts had turned. "That Slayer is you Faith, Not Buffy. It was us bringing her back from the dead that screwed this all up in the first place. You are the Slayer."
That said they headed downstairs towards the research group.
Things downstairs were beyond chaotic. Any of the Potential with an ounce of research abilities had been handed a tome and told in rough terms what to look for and to ask if not sure.
Xander made the rounds of all present trying to get a feel for the changed group dynamics. Sparing a quiet smile here and a small joke there he worked to relieve the tensions and make it all work.
Dru looked up from where she was studying a particularly thick tome and smiled a warm smile over at Faith who was also watching Xander's antics from a corner of the room. She smiled back at the Vampiress in silent agreement in the Xander-ness of his actions and then went back looking at her book as well.
Dawn finally sighed and had to take a small break, shrugging her shoulders and trying to loosen up the tension in her neck. Finally she stood and pulled Xander away from the living room towards the front door.
"So, what happened?"
"What happened where Dawnie?"
"At Gile's you super goof..." Her voice trailed off for a moment before she spoke again in a strong voice. "What did you do?"
"I made a delivery Dawn. I gave him back his garbage and told him not to be seen leaving it in our yard again."
She playfully smacked him in the arm. "Darn it Xander," she said in only a slightly laughing voice, "Is... Is it ever going to be the same?"
"You mean with Giles?"
"Yea you doofus. I mean with Giles."
"Honestly? No. I don't think so dawn."
"Thanks."
"For what?"
"For telling me the truth. For treating me like an adult."
"Not a problem Dawn."
"What about... You know... Wood."
"Honestly?" At her small nod he continued. "I told Giles that if I ever see Wood again I'll shoot him."
"Really?"
"Really. I have had it so damned much with those damned Council pukes I think I'll just shoot the next one of them I see." As he said this Xander pulled the heavy pistol out of its holster and brandished it slightly as Buffy or Faith would a sword.
At just this moment a knock occurred at the door and Xander turned and opened it fully without regard to who or what might be on the other side.
The pistol automatically came up into position as the startled visage of Wesley Windham–Price filled the sights.
Angel and Cordelia's faces could be seen looking over Wesley's shoulder as they stared open mouthed at Xander pointing the gun in the ex-Watcher's face.
"Uhmm... I say, did we come at an inopportune time?"
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And another chapter bites the dust.
Yea, Cordelia's there. Deal with it. Joss screwed her over on the Angel show.
QSK