Title: Five by Five
Summary: Faith's long lost 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 don't own any of the characters except for Hope. I do not own Mario either or his songs. If I owned Mario what would I do…. Ooh the possibilities.
Author Notes: Mario si mentioned here. I think this recent obsession is due to the recent buying of his album by me. The song mentioned is never actually named but I think it would be 18 or Boom. And if you're obsessively into BuffySpike might not want to read the very end of this chapter. Or the next one.
Chapter 15: Dancing
They both withdrew from the hug and grinned mischievously at each other, first in a line of many others. The first time in what would turn out to be a long line of mischievous looks that would worry the people around them. Sure enough the two vampires looked at each other, worry playing across their faces. Who knew what theses two could do when they were put together.
That night they went out slaying, Hope doing most of it with her two guns that she'd picked up from the cemetery which had been left where she'd dropped them. She hugged them to her when she got them, getting weird looks from the two vampires , okay just one Spike looked at her with less of a 'you're weird' expression and something else that no one present could describe. Faith just looked at her understandingly and Angel was the one who shot her a very subtle 'You're weird' expression.
After Hope's admission of her fear Angel had decided that they could deal with the threat of the super vampire. At least for the moment. The next time that Hope felt that another potential was being threatened they were going straight to Buffy and getting help. Until then the twins had rein over the vampire, knowing that they could bend each to their will. Faith could bend Angel's and Hope had Spike around her little finger.
Then, after Hope let Faith battle her own vamp Faith leapt up, next to Hope.
"How's that?" Faith asked and Hope made some noises that can be used to describe something that was alright but can be better. Faith looked at her.
"Aw, come on." Faith whinged and Hope shrugged. Faith rolled her eyes and then all of a sudden turned to Hope, all annoyance gone.
"Let's go dancing." Faith said suddenly and Hope turned to her, surprised at the sudden change of mood.
"Huh?"
"Dancing, you still know what that is right?" Faith asked and Hope rolled her eyes.
"Nah I'm totally clueless." Hope shot back sarcastically.
"You are?" Faith asked, falling into the trap, "Thought you had my memories…" This caused Hope to roll her eyes again.
"Yes, I do. I was being sarcastic." Hope explained slowly and deliberately, as if she was talking to a completely clueless person, which Faith was. She continued, "You know, sarcasm." This time Faith rolled her eyes.
"I knew that." She said and Hope was about to say something but she just shut her mouth. She was feeling sorry for the poor girl. Hehe, but she would use it later on to taunt her twin and she grinned to herself as she thought of this.
"So dancing eh?"
"Eh." Faith said, and nodded her head slightly.
"Aitte," Hope said and both sisters turned their faces forward and had matching smirks on their faces, "Let's go rock some guys' world."
After a quick explanation to the two vampires about how they would continue 'patrolling' that night without them. They quickly left for a club that Faith was, by now, infamous. They each grabbed a drink and only had a few sips before a new dance song came on and they both looked at each other before, moving in sync turned from the bar and grinned before making their way onto the dance floor.
As they left the bar they threw each other matching mischievous looks as they made their way to the middle of the dance floor. When they reached what satisfied their wants they surrendered themselves to the music. They danced together, apart, whatever, and they were always surrounded by guys. Then they both made their way back to the bar, having scored free drinks of their respective drooling men.
Then a new song started and Hope began dragging Faith back to the dance floor, forgetting about their men. She was surprisingly strong and, although Faith fought it, she found herself get steadily dragged to the dance floor. Hope was proclaiming how much she absolutely love this song and Faith just threw evil looks at the girl dragging her whilst trying to figure out what song it was. And then it occurred to her.
When Hope stopped dragging, Faith looked at her twin incredulously as she started to throw her body around to the beat of the song. Then, realising Faith wasn't sharing her vigour she stopped and stared back at Faith.
'What?" She asked defensively.
"You like this song?"
"Yeah." Hope said, nodding her head to the beat.
"Isn't this by…" Apparently Faith couldn't think of the name of the artist that upset her so much.
"Mario?" Hope inserted helpfully and Faith nodded wordlessly, unable to speak from being so incredibly shocked.
"Yes!" She said, finally summing up her feelings in a word filled with shock and almost disgust. Hope just looked at her disapprovingly.
"Well, unlike you, I don't like heavy metal." Faith just stared at her for a moment.
"We're not sisters." She said finally, with a heap of conviction. Hope grimaced at the amount of conviction her sister could pack in.
"Just cos I'm into R'n'B more than people screaming while playing their instruments really badly." She said and Faith's jaw dropped at Hope's blatant dissing of her favourite music genre.
"I don't even know you." She said and turned away stubbornly.
"Aw come on Faith, I'm sorry. Heavy metal isn't people screaming and playing their instruments very badly," Hope pleaded and Faith glanced at her over her shoulder and Hope continued, "it's people screaming and just playing their instruments badly. Not very badly. Just badly." That made Faith stop glancing and turned back again, in a huff.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Come on Faith," Hope said, in a pleading voice, "I promise to never diss Heavy metal again. Come one Faith, I'm sorry." Hope begged and Faith decided to consider possibly looking at her over her shoulder. Hope looked at her with the 'big innocent puppy dog' look. Then, after seeing this look Faith melted. She turned her body around fully and Hope's puppy dog look turned into a hesitant smile.
"Alright, but if you ever insult Heavy metal again…" Faith trailed off threateningly and Hope held up her hands in surrender.
"I won't. I promise." Hope promised looking into her eyes and Faith knew that she meant it by the look in her eyes. Anyone else would've thought that they had a much more serious conversation from the look in Hope's eyes. Faith smiled at Hope and Hope's smile turned from hesitant to wide.
"So you like Mario." Faith said innocently and Hope saw the look that she had when she said that. It was forced.
"Uh, well…. Yeah. Kinda. Sorta." She said, only telling Faith with her eyes that she absolutely loved Mario. Faith did see it and she just nodded at Hope.
"Well, let's dance." She said as a new dance song came on and as Faith danced with Hope a thought came into her mind. Hey, I know this song.
It was the song that she had danced with Buffy to and then later on in LA whilst bashing up the people around her.
The sisters crept into the hotel room, holding their boots in their hands. They were about halfway across the foyer when the light snapped on and Spike was standing there. Hope clutched her chest.
"Jesus Christ, Railroad. You scared the shit outtta me." Hope hissed at the vampire who was standing in the doorway to the bedroom. He gave up his stern parent look to snicker at her and she went over to him and swatted his arm. Faith looked at the two get into a scuffle with one eyebrow raised and she discerned something very interesting. A certain vibe from Spike. She grinned at made a note to mention it to Spike later.
They were still in that situation when Angel creeped into the room. He looked incredibly funny with his shoes in hand and trying to make his tall, well built figure as small as he could. Then he realised that there were three people staring at him. He met their eyes and then they cracked up and he was left looking incredibly stupid.
"Looks like we weren't the only ones out and about." Hope said, holding Spike in a head lock.
"He was at work." Spike grunted, speaking for Angel who looked like he was drunk and not sure exactly how to speak without sounding drunk. Then Spike struggled with Hope who kept her grip on him coolly.
"Really?" Faith asked and then walked up to Angel and sniffed, "Cos he smells drunk." He straightened up from his hunched up position which he had been in all this time.
"Well…." He said and swallowed before trying to talk again, "It was a meeting. And we had to drink. You know. A lot. Otherwise we'd offend the…. You know.. Clients." Angel said, slightly slurring and definitely swaying on his feet. A loud grunt cam from Spike and then he escaped the headlock and looked at him with an accusatory stare.
"Are you telling me I was stuck here playing Betty Crocker or Martha Stewart or some other pathetic housewife when you were all out drinking and partying?" He asked, almost getting to a stage were he seemed hurt. Hope patted him on the back reassuringly.
"If you're really good we'll take you next time Railroad." He looked at her and she grinned at him reassuringly and the start of a smile appeared. Faith grinned to herself. Yup definite talk is needed later, she thought. Then she made eye contact with Hope and a silent conversation seemed to pass between them and when they snapped out of it Hope did what Faith asked.
"I'll go get Ace cleaned up." Hope volunteered and went over to collect Angel who leaned heavily on her to the bathroom. Leaving Faith with Spike, for that talk.
"So Spike… You like Hope eh?" Faith asked, subtlety was never really her strong point. And Spike just stared at her wordlessly, a look of wonder on his face.
TBC
Hehe, the next chapter Faith's gonna play a little matchmaking. Just a bit, nudging of Spike. And then the rest is up to Spike who will o something incredibly sweet but also incredibly corny. Action is on hold for a while, as you probably have realised. For the romantics, your gonna love the next chapter.
