Chapter 9: Pieces: Part I

LATER THAT NIGHT AT - HIGH ON THE HELLMOUTH - DEMON BAR

KENNEDY'S POV

"Tonight was a bust." I take another sip of my beer. It's late and the three of us are sitting at the bar over at Willy's place. No one seems to know anything about a new Big Bad coming to town.

"Not completely, Faith and Willy had a chance to re-connect." Buffy teasingly looks over to Faith, "I never knew you guys were so close..."

"You kidding me?" Faith shakes her head, "he was my only friend in Sunnydale. We had nice long chats almost every night. He was my confidant, my bud."

"Sorry." Buffy murmurs.

Faith put a hand on hers, "It was another time."

"Exactly," I butt in, I don't do invisible well, "we have to find someone to start talking about this dark Goddess and soon. How do you think Emma knew its name and why did she blurt it out once she touched Faith?"

"Touched? Fuck me; I thought I was being electrocuted." She finishes her Jack and coke then makes a circle motion with her hand to Willy to set us up with another round. "You know what; it kinda felt like I could feel her energy going through me. Man, how can I describe it... it was like I felt her power mix with mine and create something bigger. Then BAM we knew the Goddess' name... funky."

Buffy is staring off into the crowd a little spacey. "It has to have something to do with what the PtB did to change you and the power her parents evidently gave her. We need to get Willow on the phone with the Coven. If her father was as powerful a witch as she says, they had to have known him."

Faith and I nod our agreement.

"I think the PtB aren't telling us something."

Faith turns to me, "That's not how they work Ken. They tell us as much as they can, the tricky part is trying to figure out what they're saying."

"If you say so, I just don't trust them Faith, not after Cordelia. They gave her a raw deal and it sucks they have their claws so deep in you." I finish my beer and get up. "None for me Willy, thanks." Turning back to them, I put my hand on Buffy's shoulder, "I'm gonna head home. I'll tell Will what you said about asking the Coven in the morning. Later."

BUFFY'S POV

I watch Kennedy leave the bar, "Well, that was kinda weird."

"Yeah, she's pissed, well that and she wants to get home to Red." Faith said with that smirk.

I narrow my eyes at her, "You are not using your power for trivial gain!!"

"Guilty as charged." She bows her head sheepishly. "I just wanted to make sure she was alright."

"You're incorrigible; I have half a mind to tell the PtB on you. How do..." I'm suddenly cut off in mid-sentence by a voice I haven't heard in years.

"Buffy? Buffy is that you? Why it is you! I thought it was! It's been absolute ages. I've been in Pylea hanging out with Lorne so long I almost forgot what it feels like to be on the Hellmouth. Well it's just like old times isn't it? I saw Kennedy outside and now here you are with Jess - "

Faith turns around then looks him up and down.

"Ahh, sorry, you're not," he turns to face me, "eh, Buffy?"

Getting up I bring him into a big hug. "Hi Clem, it's good to see you. Why don't you join us?"

"Ah, sure thing." Bringing over a stool, he looks back and forth from me to Faith, who's been absolutely silent this whole time. "So..."

"Clem, this is Faith, Faith, Clem."

"Very pleased to meet you," he extends his hand. They shake then he freezes, "wait, are you the Powers that Be's Faith?"

Still not saying a word, she nods her head. Finishing her drink she signals Willy for another.

"Wow, you're like inter-dimensionally famous." He says reverently as he picks up his own drink and gulps it down. Willy refills them both.

Faith reaches into her jacket pocket, pulls out her cigarettes and lights one. "That so?"

While their little conversation is going on I'm having a mini-freak-out. I know I have to tell him what happened but I'm not sure I'm ready to talk about it in front of Faith. Shit, why does everything have to be so complicated?

"You ok?" She looks at me a little concerned.

"Um, yeah," I lie.

I take a deep breath and begin, "Clem I'm really sorry to tell you this, I remember how much you two liked each other, but um," I bow my head, "Jessie died a couple of years ago."

"But Jessica was a Slayer," he said disbelievingly. I sigh and shake my head. Clem was the only person she would allow to call her by her full name. Jessie had a real soft spot for this kitten poker playing, baggy skinned demon.

"We die too Clem," I point to Faith and myself, "mystical beings, but still human and definitely not invincible."

He just stares at me, stunned and very upset, shit. I look over to Faith; she's just staring at her drink.

Reaching out I put my hand on his, "It was a M'Fashnik demon. He snapped her neck while we were rescuing a witch's daughter from the mercenary demon's lair. I never even found out who paid him to take the kid. I just grabbed her and ran to the Coven."

"But there was no funeral?" His head is down now. I know he's crying.

Still staring at her drink, Faith cut in, "There wasn't time to get the little girl out and bring Jessie's body back. Buffy needed to get the kid safe, Jessie would have understood."

I can't believe what I'm hearing. My eyes open wide as I look up at her, "Oh my God, you were there!"

She meets my gaze and nods, "The PtB knew you were in shock and close to giving up, they sent me to you, to help you," she pauses, "to make sure you and the kid got out of there alive."

I open my mouth, then close it. I have no idea what to say.

"Guys I'm sorry, but I, I have to go. I'll catch up with you later." He gets up and practically runs out of the bar.

FAITH'S POV

So the two of us are just sitting there then Willy comes by and gives us a round on the house. Still not talking, we each take a sip.

"Do you know everything that's happened in my life since you've been gone?" Buffy is concentrating hard on her glass.

"Those first five years, yeah, the last five, not so much, you know other dimensions - "

She cuts me off, "What did you change Faith?"

I shake my head, "I told you, I didn't change things as much as I guided events - "

"Enough with the fucking cryptic bullshit - don't you think we've had enough for one fucking day!" She slams her drink on the bar for good measure. The place gets real quiet as her glass shatters into a million pieces.

"Sorry Willy," she says softly.

"It's ok Slayer," he mops it up.

She's staring at me, forcing me to look at her.

"Buffy I didn't - "

"Please Faith," she sounds so utterly exasperated, "please?"

I hang my head. I knew I was going to have to have this conversation with her at some point, but I didn't think it was going to happen this fast. Fuck, can't I enjoy one God damn fucking day! "Can we not have this conversation here?"

"Ok."

Willy says no charge but I still leave a pile of cash on the bar as I swipe a bottle of Jack and a couple of glasses. "See ya buddy." I call out to him as we leave.

"Where are we going?"

"Where it doesn't matter if things get a little heated," I answer.

"Your place?"

"Yeah."

FAITH'S APARTMENT

FAITH'S POV

When I open the door I can't remember where the light switch is so I fumble for a minute slapping the wall looking for it. "Here it is," Buffy says as she flips it on. "Very nice," she looks around. The doorway leads into a short hall, there's an open kitchen to the left, the living room straight ahead, bath to the right and the bedroom is off the living room. "I like the layout."

"Thanks." I put the glasses on the counter and open the freezer, sweet, there's ice. I load them up and pour the Jack. "I know it's not your favorite, but…" as I hand her one.

"But I'll probably need it right?" She sits on the couch and takes a tentative sip, "it's not awful." She looks up at me, "Come on, tell me."

I sit down and look at her. "After I couldn't save Angel or Wesley, I was scared I would be too late for you and the others too. So I went to the PtB and told them I wanted to help your lives in anyway I could. I promised them I'd remain their Champion and they let me take Xander to the alternate universe. After I got back they showed me all the possible paths the rest of you guys could take and how no matter what road you chose you would always end up at the same spot." I look up and Buffy seems a little confused.

"I'm not following; yesterday you said they were worried we would stray from our paths if you took Xander?"

"That's why I just snatched him one night after he was actually starting to do better. So it was still sudden, you were still helpless to do anything about it, just as you would have been had he died."

"Got it, now what about these roads and ending at the same spot?"

Trying to think of a different way to describe it, I finally come up with: "It's like you guys all went back to school, right? So you can study hard and get the degree, or you cheat on your tests and get the degree, or you make up a degree with a graphics program. So in the end you have a degree, but you could have gotten there many different ways."

She nods, "Continue."

"So, like Giles, he was fated to live in England on his estate retired from all Slayer duties. And regardless if I interceded, he would have. But he didn't need to be a hermit, depressed and a borderline alcoholic. So when I saw that one path led him back to his relationship with Olivia, I guided events to that path."

"Jesus, Faith, you chose our lives? You decided what was going to happen to us?" Buffy was disgusted.

"NO! It wasn't like that!" I got up and started pacing. "The PtB showed me all the possible ways you can get from point A to point B and I just tried to get you guys there with the least amount of pain as possible. You always had free will to choose whatever you wanted, I just made options available." I gulp down my drink and look at her.

"So what would have happened if you didn't change Giles' life?" She still doesn't believe me.

"He would still be in his house, retired, just lonely and depressed."

"So you played cupid?" She asks incredulously. This is not going well.

"Kinda, but it works on so many levels. You see, in a few years one of Olivia's students will become a famous Barrister in London and he'll, um, well that probably too much information. They would have met at some point but by having her marry Giles it just sped up the timetable."

"Now you're changing other people's lives too? This is getting very confusing." Buffy sighs and takes another sip.

"Yeah it really messes up the whole six degrees of separation rule. Like you said last night – God was it only last night – it' a lot of work."

She narrows her eyes at me, "What about Dawn?"

"Would have gone to school in Spain then traveled around the world upgrading the databases she created and activating sleeper Slayers. You guys barely saw each other; it made you both very unhappy."

"But she does all that from here."

"Exactly, now she does." I sit back down and play with the ice in my glass.

"I think I'm getting it. Willow?"

"Her and Ken had a huge fight – don't ask – they broke up and Ken moved to New York. They were both still very involved with the Slayer work which was very hard on them and you. Although they were a tremendous help to you, their personal lives were miserable. They ended up getting back together but it was many years later."

She looks down, "Me?" She says is very softly.

"You sure you want to know?"

She thinks for a moment, "Yeah, well I think so, yeah I do."

I hold her eyes with mine as I take a huge breath then release it. "You never met Jessie or anyone else for that matter. You threw yourself into your work and liked to tell everyone you were quite happy just being the Slayer. You still built the school, still brought in the troubled girls; you just never let anyone get close."

"You made her come into my life?" She looked at me as if she didn't understand then turns away shaking her head. "Faith, that's a little weird."

Reaching out, I turn her chin to me. "I wanted you to be happy. I made your life so miserable for so long. Christ, Buffy, I tried to kill you and everyone you loved. Disaster couldn't even begin to describe what I've been to you over the years. So when the PtB showed me how happy you two were together, for almost seven years, there was no choice, I had to do it." Buffy stares at me in shock. I sigh as I turn away, "Any happiness is always better than none."

"So you knew she was going to be killed?"

"She actually would've died three years earlier if she hadn't met you, vampire." Now her head's down, she's nodding, letting everything I've said sink in. She reaches over to touch my hand; I lace her fingers in mine and wait until she looks up at me. "Fate's a crazy thing Buffy. No matter how much you think I changed things, it all came out the same in the end, don't you see?"

She moves closer to me and puts her head on my shoulder. "Yeah, I think I do." She starts to say something else then stops. She waits a couple of minutes then softly speaks, "Thank you, for bringing her into my life." I pull her into my arms and she clings to me. "I can't imagine how that would have made you feel. I - I just can't believe anyone would do that for someone else, that you would do that for me." She shakes her head, "How much it had to hurt you to…"

"Just because I couldn't get my act together to make a life with you, didn't mean you shouldn't have been with someone who could."

"But Faith, that was... I don't know... huge... and, and the PtB? You told them you'd remain their Champion?"

I nod.

"Forever?" she whispers.

I nod again.

Once again she's incredulous as she sits straight up, breaking away from me, "You forfeited your life to the PtB just to make ours less painful?" She pauses. "Are you fucking insane?"

Shaking my head I allow myself a cold laugh, "B, I had no life remember? I had no friends, no family and I was an escaped convict. It would have only been a matter of time before the cops picked me up. I had nothing to lose. The PtB gave me a chance to make amends. They believed in me when no one else did, so I gave them the only things I had left: my word and my life. Considering what I asked of them, it seemed like a fair trade at the time." I stop and put my hands through my hair. "Look Buffy, the PtB aren't the bad guys you and Ken think they are. They didn't trick me into it, I asked for this." Looking back at her I continue, "Being with you made me forget that for a little while, they just reminded me."

She was silent again, then, "Will they ever let you go?"

"I don't know." I put my hand on her leg and squeeze, "are you ok with this?"

"Just trying to wrap my mind around it. For Christ sake, Faith it's a little overwhelming; my head is spinning from everything you've told me"

"Yeah, I guess." I hang my head. Fuck, this is too much for anyone to take, what am I expecting here, miracles? Then I feel her hand cover mine.

IT'S 3:00 A.M. IN THE CITY OF CLEVELAND

WILLOW'S POV

I'm wrapped in Kennedy's arms, a place I usually drift off to sleep with ease, but tonight I feel like something is just off. It's not us, cause we were completely "on" when Ken got home, no doubt about it. A warm smile comes to my face as she brushes her lips against my forehead.

There's something or someone, I just can't nail it down, it's a feeling, a foreboding.

"Go to sleep baby." Ken murmurs to me.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you."

"You're thinking too much. Come on," she lifts my chin and kisses me again, "sleep. There'll be plenty to worry about tomorrow; I think I can promise that."

"Ok sweetie." I melt into her as I close my eyes.

The phone rings.

ANDREW'S POV

We've been researching all night. I think we've found some good stuff but we're still at least an hour away from the end of the trail. I'm making coffee and Dawn is out on the back porch getting some air. I think I'll bring her a cup al fresco…

She's sitting with her back to me on the steps. I walk up to the edge then balancing carefully; I bend down and sit on the step behind her. I bring her mug around and she takes it with one hand as she rests the other on my thigh. "Thanks honey."

I nuzzle the back of her head, "Anything for my girl." I take a sip of coffee then wrap my free arm around her waist.

She leans further back into me, "Hmmm, we need to go on another vacation, Mexico was too long ago."

"Yeah, or we can finally break down and actually tell everybody we're together, you know they all know, right?"

She deep sighs, "I know."

"It's never going to be a 'good' time to tell them." There is no way I can count how many times we had this conversation. To this day I have no idea why she doesn't want to fess up about us. The rest of our incestuous group has all hooked up. Why should we be any different?

"Yeah, you're right. Faith spied it on the first day, you notice?"

I laugh, "Well, yeah."

"Let's just do it tomorrow ok?"

"Really?" I can't believe it.

"Yes really." Her hand travels up to the back of my neck and she pulls my head down for a kiss.

The phone rings.

EMMA'S POV

Good God I can't sleep, they are making me mad, stark raving mad! I'm surrounded by Slayers, not to mention Willow, and all their thoughts and feelings. I thought it would get better at night, but now I have to deal with their dreams, shit! Thankfully Faith and Buffy aren't here, that would just put me over the top! What was my mother thinking not teaching me how to block this out?

I really need to talk to Faith tomorrow. I don't think I can make it through another day like this. She needs to teach me how to control it before I truly go mad.

It feels like I'm at a party and everyone's talking at once so you can't hear anything clearly, but you get snippets of many different things. And tonight I can almost feel something trying to break through but I can't seem to hold onto it and something is telling me I don't want to.

The phone rings.

BUFFY'S POV

"I can't sleep." I sigh then kiss the bare shoulder I'm laying on.

"I know." Faith replies sounding very wide awake herself.

"Well neither can you..."

"Don't want to waste our time together sleeping." She pulls me closer.

"Mmmmm," I snuggle into her, "this is nice."

"Very." Her hand trails down my waist to my hip where it lingers for a moment before continuing its journey southward.

I laugh, "You need to sleep Faith."

"So do you, B."

"Know what?" I glide my hand up her arm.

"What?"

"I love being able to sense you again," I kiss her ear softly, "being back in synch. When you were on the road from the PtB this afternoon, I could feel you getting closer to me," I slowly run my hand through her hair then down her cheek and sigh. "I missed feeling you."

Her fingers are now tracing slow circles on my back. "I've never wanted anything but this, ever." She whispers as she pulls me closer to her.

God, this feels so perfect... almost too perfect. "Everything is happening so fast, Faith."

She scoots up and leans against the headboard, "I'm sorry, I know we should have taken things slower, I just, this morning, you were so, and I…"

"No," I prop myself up on my elbows so I'm facing her, "I didn't mean just us, I meant everything: Emma's got the weird hybrid thing going on, then you come back all powerful and sexy, then the PtB say there's a new Big Bad to look out for…all in three days?" Looking at her though the darkness I feel something almost click, then it's gone. "I've been doing this too long Faith, it's all connected somehow, I just can't put it together, it's like there's a piece missing."

The phone rings.

WILLY'S POV

What a night, I made a killing – HA, HA – 'a killing' I crack myself up. Glad I got to close at 2 a.m. tonight and no one gave me a hard time. Damn cops have been real ball breakers about staying open late. Good to see Faith too, man it's been ages. She's still a great tipper even if she took that bottle of JD, ah; I'll just tease her about it later. It looks like she finally hooked up with Buffy – well good for her. I never did like Buffy, she was always a bitch to me but Faith has had it bad for her since they were kids, so I guess it's ok.

I hear a commotion outside. What the fuck is that?

"Where's the new Slayer? I know she came to town a few days ago."

"I told you I don't know so fuck off you ugly bastard!"

Hey, I know that voice... I peek out the window.

This huge demon grabs a vamp by the throat "I will destroy you, make no mistake." Now the vamp is struggling, then – poof – he's gone.

Holy shit, that fuckin' M'Fashnik demon just dusted Pete! Shit! I jump away from the window before the crazy demon sees me. After about ten minutes I look out again and he's gone.

He was asking for the new Slayer, ah crap, where did I put Faith's cell number? I start to rifle through the scraps of paper on the bar. Didn't she tell me she just got here a couple of days ago? Man, I wouldn't want to be her, having a mercenary demon on your tail, fuck; they don't stop till the job is done. Shit, well if I can't find it I'll just call the house. Oh, wait, what's that..."