Title: Five by Five
Summary: Faith's twin sister Hope has come to Rome in search of her sister. When two sisters meet everything seems to brighten but does something supernatural threaten to end this new reunion of sisters? And the question of whether Hope is a Potential is overpowering but will she bow down to the ways of the slayer?
Disclaimer: I own Hope but I don't own any of the other main characters.
Author Notes: Reunion is this chapter. Hence the title of the chapter. Reunion. Yeah. Let's see... I don't think there's much to comment on. Explanation of 'Five By Five' shall be done. Hm, going to the share house, meeting people and so on.
Chapter 3: Reunion
Buffy stopped in front of the share house that the gang had rented to make their headquarters for the whole Potentials thing. It was the place that they took them to test them, recorded the details, trained and occasionally gave a home. More than in one instance had a potential been a runaway or homeless girl. So the share house was more of a mansion that had once been grand and expensive. Now it was more run down, used by squatters and came at a bargain per week.
Hope gave the house a once over and thought that it was pretty decent for someone who didn't make money out of the slayer business. She followed Buffy up the stairs and onto the porch. There were a few dead pot plants and chimes and other old paraphernalia around but the thing that drew Hope the most were the two punching bags secured to the ceiling of the porch. Sure they looked like they were about to fall off from the strain they were being put through but they were punching bags and what's more fun than punching bags?
Hope walked inside the house and took a good look around. It wasn't half bad. A new coat of paint, some new plaster and this place would be good as new. But they probably did have to change the floors which looked like they were ready to collapse any second. Now Hope felt like camping outside. It sure beat falling through some weak floor boards. Hope secured her duffel bag and gulped inwardly. There were so many girls walking around and a few were throwing mean looks at her.
"Don't mind them, they just don't know you yet." Buffy said sideways to Hope.
"Right..." Hope said while getting a dirty from a red head with a group of girls around her.
Faith went to meet the two at the entrance and started off the conversation not really noticing Hope.
"Hey B. Tiff wants to know if..." Then she looked at Hope and stopped. Her eyes widened ever so slightly.
"Who's this?" She asked Buffy without looking at her. She stared at Hope but managed to keep her calm somehow. Hope gave her props for that. She knew some people who would freak if they saw their long lost twin sister. But then there was Faith. You could always depend on Faith for silence at all the wrong times and talk at all the wrong times.
"Uh Faith, this is..." Buffy trailed off when Faith cut her off with a hopeful tone in her voice.
"Hope?" She asked and Hope grinned and eased her duffel bag off of her shoulder. She guessed she would be standing here for a bit longer and the strap was wearing into her shoulder.
"How are ya Faith? You five by five?" Faith grinned the exact same grin as Hope only it was bigger.
"Above and beyond girl. Above and beyond." The two sisters stood there grinning like idiots until Xander Harris walked up and broke up the silence but even he wasn't able to stop the grin fest.
"Hey Buff, some of... Woah. I'm like seeing double. But not..." He looked at the two brunettes and blinked a few times before turning to Buffy.
"Did I miss something here? Did everyone except for me get the memo about Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum?"
"Hey, we are not short and fat!" Hope exclaimed at Xander and he turned to her.
"Well hello future Miss USA." Xander said with such a typical crush expression on his face that it just made Faith crack up really hard. Hope just raised an eyebrow at Xander's attempt of a pick up line and said,
"It's great that when you look at me you see a bimbo whose only thoughts are about world peace, fashion and make up." This caused Buffy to follow Faith in the ways of cracking up, after trying so hard to keep it in, and they both were in hysterics practically rolling on the ground as they saw Xander's expression at the come back.
"I'll just be over there then." Xander muttered and walked off. Hope grinned at the two slayers who were desperately trying to pull themselves together.
"So sis. It's been like what, ten years?"
"Eleven." Hope said matter of factly with a slight grin.
"Man where've you been?"
"With Dad." Hope said and both girls lost some of the warmth in their expression and voice.
"Right." Faith said, not able to say anything else. She was remembering what happened before they had been split.
"Right." Hope replied in the exact same way and watched Faith closely.
"Dad." Faith said with a slight sneer in her voice and Hope noticed it.
"Could've come with." Hope said with a slight frown on her face and Faith looked at her and lost all coldness. The knowledge that Hope really cared about her probably did that. And Faith losing her coldness made Hope lose hers.
"Nah. I was still under mom's spell." Faith said offhandedly.
"You're always under someone's spell." Hope smirked at Faith.
"Seems like that eh?" Faith asked rhetorically with a grin on her face.
"Yeah, you know last year this principal..." Buffy started off and Faith cut her off with a particularly fine glare. Hope bit the inside of her cheek to stop from laughing at the showdown that Faith and Buffy were having through looks. Then she couldn't hold it anymore and burst out laughing. Then she got both of the Looks focused on her and she backed off.
"Sorry." She said with a big grin on her face. Faith grabbed Hope and messed up her hair.
"Hey!" Hope cried out and Faith grinned. She gave the hair a last shake up. Hope ducked from her hand and gave her a look.
"What? You reckon I'd stop just cos we've hit the big two-one? You're still my little sis." Faith said with a smug expression on her face.
"Little sis? I thought you two were..." Buffy began and Hope explained before she finished.
"Twins yeah. But since Faith got born a few minutes before me I'm officially the 'little' one." Buffy couldn't help but smile at this.
"Aw come on sis. Don't be grumpy." Faith said and messed up her hair again. Hope gave her a look and Faith backed off.
"We should all probably get to sleep now." Buffy chimed in and the two twins looked at her confused.
"Giles is giving me the stern parent look cos its midnight." Buffy explained and the twins then looked at Giles who looked sheepish at the sudden attention and walked off not really taking into account the similarities of the two sisters and thinking it was just another potential.
"Aitte lets pack it in for the Brit." Hope said and picked up her duffel bag containing her precious few possessions. Including her many specialised guns for many special occasions.
"You can stay in Faith's room." Buffy said and Faith groaned.
"Am I that bad?" Hope asked incredulously and Faith explained.
"Nah, it's just that you're gonna be the fifth person in a room that isn't big enough for one." Faith said in a slightly whiny tone.
"Hey, five by five yeah?" Hope said and Faith smiled slightly.
"Yeah."
"Well this is a welcome change." Faith smiled in the darkness of the bedroom. Hope could pack sarcasm into a single word like nobody's business, never mind an entire string of words known as a sentence.
"It's not that bad." Faith defended the room unlike what she'd done before.
"You would say that." Hope muttered under her breath even though she knew that Faith could hear her loud and clear.
"You're the one who doesn't mind crowds." Faith retorted.
"Yeah, but you're the one who's used to sleeping with complete strangers." Hope threw back at her and Faith winced. How the hell did she know about that? Well it became apparent that everyone knew, not that Faith tried to hide it, when a giggle erupted in the darkness from an unknown female.
"Thankyou, thankyou I'll be here all night. And the one after that. And the one after that. And the..." Hope said and Faith interrupted her twin at this point.
"Hey little sis you're scaring them."
"Don't listen to her young uns. Truth o' the matter is I am actually the same age as this once criminally insane person."
"You ever going to let that go little sis? Or you always gonna use that in our little slinging matches?"
"Tell you what, I'll let it go when Buffy does."
"So never."
"Pretty much. Cos I know that when Buffy lets it go you won't care about it anymore."
"You mention it again and I'll share that piece of info that is your biggest secret." There was a silence and you could practically hear the other girls' ears straining to hear the next line. It came softly and with a slight tone of defeat laced around the edges,
"Fine."
"That's my girl." Faith said beaming at her victory.
"If you let slip..." Hope warned.
"I won't I promise." This time Faith was serious and Hope knew it.
"Thanks."
"Hey what are big sisters for?" Faith said and Hope growled in the back of her throat.
"Reminding you I'm the one with the guns."
"And I'm the one with the slayer strength."
"Can you dodge a bullet?" Hope asked and she knew the answer already. There was silence and Hope knew that she had won this round and that both twins knew it.
"No." Faith replied barely moving her lips.
"Well then..." Silence then came and Hope shifted on the mattress that was her oh-so-comfortable bed. She was half asleep when Faith called out.
"You know I love you yeah?" Hope groaned at the sentence that woke her up.
"Yeah." There was silence and Hope was just about to get to sleep when...
"You love me right?" Hope groaned louder this time.
"Yeah, I love you Faith." Then, finally, there was a silence that lasted for the rest of the night in the bedroom.
TBC
Tomorrow morning Faith is gonna play typical annoying prankster sister and it's gonna end up with a discovery… So yeah. Read on…. Please…. P
