Buffyverse
Voices pierced the darkness. They wavered in and out, as if someone were playing with the volume of a television. Still, it meant she was coming round, waking up from that deep sleep that the red head had put her in. She was too tired to open her eyes, but Faith could still listen in to what they were saying. "So, she was there right in front of you?" Giles asked.
"She was right there Giles!" Xander confirmed. "Right there on the hospital with nurses saying there had been no change in months! What the hell is going on here?!" They spoke in low, hushed tones but thanks to slayer hearing she heard every word. She recognised their voices belonging to her friends but even they sounded different. Alexander was more panicked, more emotional while the way they spoke to each other was more teacher/student less comrades in arms. What kind of crazy shit had happened here?
"I think I have an idea," Giles replied chewing his glasses thinking about the ramifications of what Xander had told him. "Willow is looking into a theory of mine. She says she has a friend who is well verse in spell casting. Is Anya still at the hospital?" The Englishman asked with the look of thoughtful concern still occupying his face.
"Heh! No! She is sitting this one out," Xander replied. "Something about crazy psycho slayers and regular human life expectancy not mixing." Psycho slayer? So that is what Alexander thought of her now well that's nice. Whatever that just confirmed that something was going on. Something wrong was happening. Alexander didn't think of her like that she knew that much. They were close… maybe not in the way she might have wanted… oh no! Now was not the time to entertain that idea again.
"Well, we may need her," Giles muttered.
"Why? What's going on?" Xander asked.
Relenting Giles decided to explain his theory. "I don't think this Faith… is one we are familiar with," he began. Faith's ears perked up at that, so the Watcher had a theory. "Do you recall last year our encounter with the vampire Willow?" Giles asked Xander.
"Yeah, vamp Willow all leathers and bad attitude." Xander's eyes then went wide. "Wait you think that Faith is from other one of these worlds?!" Xander exclaimed pointing to the living room where Faith was being kept. He feared her. Faith could feel it in his voice. Right, she had heard enough now so it was time to get out of here for a time to gather her thoughts. Blinking slowly, she looked around the apartment. She was alone in the living room with both men in the kitchen that was good she could do this without an audience.
"It would explain everything!" Giles confirmed. "Her appearance! Walking and talking! How familiar and yet unfamiliar she was with us? The other Faith lying in a hospital bed! It all fits! She is from another one, that world full of vampires."
"What as opposed to this one full of fluffy bunnies?" Xander replied with sarcasm.
"In any case she is from a different world with different versions of us, different events, different situations and different experiences," Giles explained to the young man. "All of this has shaped her into a very different young woman and not the same one we are used to dealing with." He would have said more but there was a sound of a crash from the living room. The two men looked at each other and quickly made their way there. Faith was gone with the ropes that held her in place on the floor in pieces and one of his windows smashed open. She was gone.
"Yeah, very different," Xander commented looking around the room. Running away from trouble was kind of her thing already.
Giles was beginning to feel quite frustrated. It almost seemed as though there were a conspiracy going on, one intent on taking two steps back while he was trying to move forward. Normally living on the hellmouth would cause for concern however it would seem that this latest turn of events was going to difficult particularly with Faith's uncertain presence in town. "We have to find her," Giles said with determination. He moved over to his phone. "I will contact Riley, perhaps he can have his team look out for her."
XXXXXXXXX
Wishverse
"He misses her," Buffy stated causing Giles to look up from the scroll he was reading and following her eyes to see Alexander carefully reading a book.
"I believe so," Giles agreed. "He and Faith have become rather close since she has arrived. They have been sparring together and developed as quite a team."
"I don't think he misses his gym buddy Giles," Buffy deadpanned causing Giles to frown at her. She was right of course as he was not blind to seeing the closeness that Alexander and Faith had developed in recent times. Giles too had taken a sincere liking to the moody Slayer seeing her as a young woman who had endured untold hardships and betrayals. He as her Watcher had worked hard to earn her trust not only physically preparing and training her for battle with the dark, but psychologically as well. He had grown fond of the trouble young girl and knew Alexander had as well. To both men Faith was a girl they were so desperate to protect. Not just because as a slayer she was a valuable assert but more than that she was a young woman who had come to mean something to the both of them. The vampire seemed to identify with Faith's pain and seemed to be willing to do anything to ease it. The looks he had caught Alexander give her where not his imagination nor where the ones that Faith had secretly returned when Alexander was not looking. Still to properly think of the two as a pair was more than a little confusing.
Almost reading his mind Buffy spoke up again. "It won't work out or can't happen," she stated rather firmly as if she was laying down the law. "The curse would be broken then you would have another soulless vampire to deal with."
"The curse?" Giles quizzed not understanding what she was referring to.
"Xander's or rather Alexander's soul curse," Buffy replied. "He and Faith get it on, he gets happy, and he loses his soul. That is not a situation you want to happen trust me," she said as she shrank back into her seat, hugging herself slightly recalling the events when Angel went bad. Those were some bad days.
"I assure you that the magic I used however dark will not cause that to happen. Alexander's soul is permanent and safe I have placed various protections upon it. He will not became evil again," Giles said quite firmly.
"So, what he can't lose his soul like that?!" Buffy asked sounding rather angry. Giles simply shook his head, and she didn't know if she should laugh or cry. Once again it seemed that the fates where openly mocking her. Here in this universe or reality or whatever you wanted to call it there was a spell that could restore a vampire's soul and make it permanent. How many times in her own reality had Buffy wished, begged, or longed for such a spell? She had lost count. Maybe… just maybe there was something like that in her own reality… a chance to restore Angel's soul…
Seeing the wishful expression on the blonde's face Giles spoke up. "The magic I used is highly dangerous, forbidden and was not easy to come by." He warned her causing her to look at him. "I doubt the people I had to deal with are anything less than evil in your reality just as they are in mine. The lengths, favours, and debts I had go to so that I could get even a look at such a spell were great. If I was your watcher, I would not hesitate to rule any attempt of obtaining a similar spell as out of the question no matter who or what is for."
Biting her tongue from firing back Buffy sighed and put this upon the list of something else to curse to the gods and fates to going back to her book to do more research… for all of five seconds before pushing it away and moving over to where Riley was cleaning his guns. "Hi," she tenderly said to the man. Her dealings with him had been very short and to the point as she had found him moody and all business. A far cry from the friendly and very reliable man she is used to being around with on her world.
"Hello," came Riley's short reply. He didn't even look up from his gun.
"Because I don't know you and we got nothing to say to each other," Riley stated coldly.
Well, he certainly wasn't as charming as the Riley she was used to dealing with. "I just wanted to talk to you… in my universe we know each other… we are close," Buffy finished blushing slightly feeling a little embarrassed.
The brown-haired man didn't look up from his handgun which he was cleaning, nor did he appear to react. "Sounds good for him," was all he said.
Buffy was getting a little frustrated. In all her dealings with the man she had know he was never this short. She recalled the first time he tried to flirt with her. At the time it only confused her more about the man due to his awkward ramblings, much to his later embarrassment but the point was there was a certain charm to him. Not in this version it would seem. "I just thought that you that might want to talk- "
"Look what do you want from me?" Riley interrupted her looking finally. "So, you know some version of me that your dating! Probably goes home every thanksgiving, to stay with at his grandparent's house where he and his family would have thanksgiving dinner. In Church every Sunday and leads a great team of men. What does knowing that or discussing that do anything for me?" The man asked before raising his weapon. "This is all I want to discuss as this is all I know. It's kept me alive and kept me killing every godless creature I have faced. That guy you met! The other version of me! I never met him, and I don't plan to!"
This was a complete waste of time Buffy decided. Was there any version of anyone she knew the same? Was everyone in this world twist beyond measure and recognition? Buffy didn't know and was fed up with looking for answers. Grabbing a jacket of a chair she decided she had enough of bothering to dealing with these people for the time being. "Where are you going?" Alexander asked looking up from his book.
"Out," came Buffy's short reply.
"That is not wise," Giles said rising from his seat. "This world is very dangerous. The Master's forces are spread across the town."
"And I'm a slayer," Buffy responded. "I'll go slay some of his forces." And with that she was out the door. The men in this room had quickly worked out that this slayer was strong willed and not to be argued with… much like the one they were used to dealing with.
XXXXXXXXXX
Buffyverse
Xander walked tiredly back to his house, long hours of research had proved fruitless and so far, Riley had reported that his team had not found the missing Faith. A version of Faith who was from another reality, Xander shook his head as he opened the door to the basement where he lived he was still wrapping his head around that. Tossing his jacket on a chair he stopped short frowning with what he saw in front of him. Faith. Faith the vampire slayer sitting on his bed in his basement/room. Okay this was not what he expected. Her eyes rose to meet his, a dark expression on her face. "You going to scream like a girl or you going to be cool?" she asked in a demanding tone.
Xander frowned further. For a moment he hesitated, unsure if he what he should do make a break for it? attack with something? Scream as loud as he could? None of them would be any good against a slayer he decided. "I'll be cool," he said his voice breaking slightly. Feeling tense and nervous as hell he slowly took a seat on a chair opposite her. "I didn't realise you knew where I live." Keep her talking he figured was the best plan now plus silences tended to make him uneasy… or worse than he was feeling right now.
"Alexander… your other self," she corrected herself in a distracted tone, as if her mind had been elsewhere. She swallowed and looked at him. "We patrol together he mentioned he used to live here one time we were walking down the street… I took a shot to see if somethings were still the same in this reality."
So, in that reality he patrols with Faith? That's good so they are like co-workers maybe even friends. Good so maybe she won't kill him because of it Xander thought to himself hopefully. He realized neither of them had said a word for over a minute. She just sat there, staring at him, sometimes switching her gaze so she looked anywhere besides him. He was feeling unnerved by her looking at him, it was like she was searching for something. "Have I got something on my face?" He lamely joked to break the silence.
Snapping out of her daze Faith blushed slightly. "Sorry it's just freaky," she said quietly almost to herself, staring at his face. "You look just like him."
"I *am* him," he reminded her.
"Not in a lot of ways," she said looking around the basement with a grimace. This Xander from what she saw almost shuffled along without a purpose. His lack of confidence was almost worn like a badge. Alexander on the other hand was almost menacing at times, moving like a man who knew how to take care of himself and always ready to face the world head on. "He's a vampire... with a soul." She explained which stunned Xander. I'm a vampire with a soul?! I have to blood with my coco pops! God! Deadboy would no doubt get a happy just hearing about that! Xander considered darkly. Things were never simple on the hellmouth no matter what universe one was in. While he looked like he have a fit over the news Faith took a look around the dingy and dusty basement. Cramped would be the word to define this version of Alexander's living quarters. "You live here?" she asked him. "What are you parents doing with your room?"
"Um, nothing," Xander swallowed. "It's empty."
Faith frowned. "Then why do you have to stay down here?" Why would anyone want to live here? She was pretty sure she saw a rat dart behind the dilapidated washer.
He shrugged. "It's only temporary anyway, until I save up enough to get an apartment." Which will be on the long side of never given the pay he gets from whatever job he can find. Plenty of dead-end jobs just not the ones that pay well. Despite the fear he felt right now he was curious. "Where am I staying in your world?"
"Alexander lives with me and Giles," Faith explained. "On the couch while I got the spare room. Not the greatest of living conditions but G figured its best we are all together. Strength in numbers and all that." She looked around again unimpressed with his dwellings. "Better than here anyway," she muttered.
Despite being wary of her and very much aware of what she was capable of Xander couldn't help but feel more than a little outraged. "Hey! I don't need your pity okay! I'm sorry this isn't the palace you and the Xander there are used to, but you don't know me and don't know my life over here so just stop the judgement looks okay!?" It was more than a little harsh, but he was getting more than a little fed up with being judge and dismissed by everyone and anyone. The living breathing liability of the Scooby Gang as this year was being made painfully clear to him was his current status and despite whatever he seemed to do, no matter whatever job he took or how hard he tried he couldn't seem to break the cycle. Ever week he was hanging on to gainful employment by his fingernails and ever other week seemed to be unemployed. His friends were all focusing on their studies and new lives now to be too interested in him.
"Okay I'm sorry," Faith held up her hands as if to say she didn't mean anything by it. Guess I stuck a nerve she considered seeing how a passing comment can rile him up so bad. But it was almost worth it as that was a flash of Alexander that she was used to. A little flame of the anger and determination she was used to seeing but at least it was something. In any case living like this can't be healthy and surely would mess with one's head. Speaking of things that mess with one's head Faith took a deep breath gaining a small amount of courage for moving to the subject that she wanted to talk about. "Can I ask you something?" Xander nodded. "What really happened with us?" Faith asked him quietly. "I mean me and the group. All you people seem so afraid of me, frightened at what I might do."
DANGER! WILL ROBINSON! DANGER! He gave her a goofy grin that was tight around his mouth as he struggled to hide his nerves and awkwardness. "What do you mean?" She was looking at him right in the eyes.
"I've seen the way you guys look at me. Heard how you and Giles describe me… with fear," Faith replied calmly but there was also a sense of worry. "I can see it in your eyes now. You have to tell me Xander. I have a right to know."
He breathed in deeply, not sure what to say. She was looking at him so hopefully. He didn't want to tell her. He had to tell her. "You...you hurt us… betrayed us," he said finally.
"How?"
"You fell into working with the mayor, who was this evil warlock." Xander explained recalling the events of last year. "You sort of went all Darth Vader on us, going full tilt to the dark side and tried to kill us on occasion." He finished very wary of how she might react. But to his relief Faith to take the news well… in some ways. She didn't snap, yell, mock or try and kill him so that was in the win column. However, she seemed to shrink and flinch like she didn't really like the news which admittedly he knew wasn't the nicest things to hear. She looked like it had almost confirmed her worse fears and gosh he could relate to that right about now given he seemed hell bent on confirming that he was nothing more than the loser everyone had decided he was a long time ago. He couldn't help but try and save things. "Hey! That wasn't you! That was the other you! Which all took place under very difficult circumstances! Different, unusual, and difficult circumstances. I'm sure you are more well adjusted and in a far better shape than the Faith here."
"If I am your idea of well adjust you got issues man," Faith deadpanned. So, in this place she wasn't the slayer but rather the killer. Wonderful! Something else was nagging in the back of her head. An itch she just had to scratch. "And you," Faith asked in a small voice. "Did I hurt you?"
He had never seen Faith like this. He had seen her smug, seen her cool, seen her filled with lust and seen her murderous but never so vulnerable. "Early on I... I came to talk to you," he explained carefully. "About, something bad that happened. That happened to you. I wanted to help you, and you got mad. Things didn't end well."
"Did I say some rough shit?" she asked.
"Yeah, I guess." He felt stiff as his mind recalled her doing a lot worse than just saying some 'rough shit' like wrapping her fingers around his throat and squeezing the life out of him. He almost felt more than a little anger at the fact that nobody really asked him about it or help him deal with it. The group naturally had far more going on with Willow's vampire self-coming to town, The Mayor and Buffy's mind reading skills coming into play rather than worry about the state of the Zeppo's mental health.
"I can be brutal when I'm mad, I know it," she said. "Do you hate me now? The other me?"
Xander swallowed having not been asked how to describe his feelings for Faith since the events last year. He could close his eyes and recalling her cruel grin as she chocked him to death, squeezing the life out of him. He could remember her lustful kisses from when they had sex, her entertaining stories of vampire slayer and her too cool for school vibe. She was always this wild, playful free spirt living in the moment which was something he envied as he feared for his future. Looking at her now she was so beautiful. Even now as she looked so miserable. Feeling deciding to give her an answer he gave her the only one that felt right. "No," he whispered. "I could never hate you… You were my first." He admitted. He recalled Faith laughing in his face for thinking they had a connection and explaining to him in rather violent detail that it was all just skin. Want, take, and have, all so simple and all so easily thrown in his face. But he had to admit he still held out some hope of a connection. She could have just kicked him to the curb but instead she engaged in sex with him. That had to mean something, right?
She was his first well that was something at least and secretly cheered her up a little bit. It was nice to hear that in some universe she and a version of Alexander got together. It was something that only recently she was coming to terms with was her crush on Alexander. All the time they had spent together training, patrolling, and surviving together had planted the seeds of feelings for the dark-haired man but sadly she had no idea how to express them. Even recently she had been kind of trying to hint at Alexander that she likes and respects him, but sadly he is being pretty clueless throughout. She suspected this version of him was just as blind in some departments. "You guys back at Giles's place… you were scared of me. Afraid of what I might do… then later I heard you talking about visiting the hospital." She looked so scared and small a far cry from the Faith he was used to dealing with. "Am I dead or something?" she asked in a small voice. She was already feeling pretty emotionally exhausted by that point thanks to what she had learned but she was determined to get answers.
"In a coma," Xander confessed, and Faith lowered her head so that he couldn't see the tears forming. She had really screwed up on this planet. Her mother was right all along, she was nothing more than a screw up and… a mistake. Xander for his part was now extremely unsure of what to do but he couldn't help but obey an impulse and move over to where she was sitting. Hesitate at first, he reached out and wrapped an arm around her. At the feel of his touch, she instantly melted to his touch leaning against him. He wasn't Alexander and, in that moment, he didn't have to be.
He was just enough as he was.
XXXX
Wishverse
Peter Clarner had not been a vampire for long, only a few days but already he held lofty ideas and ambitions. With his scientific mind and knowledge of formulas he planned on making himself the strongest vampire known in existence. Others of his kind said that it could not be done, that he couldn't cheat what others like the Master and Kakistos were granted thanks to their extreme old age. While vampires did not age as living humans did, the passing of centuries did benefit them as strength, agility, senses, speed, and endurance improved with age. It was suggested by a few of his followers that the Master's advanced age made him able to kill his victims "before they could draw breath." But Peter was not satisfied with waiting. True it had been suggested to him that when you're immortal, patience is all you need to make sure your plans unfold properly but Peter didn't believe in that. He believed he could enhance himself as a vampire the same way he had improved himself as a man for Debbie.
Debbie, he slowed his pace as he looked around the university grounds looking out for the slayer and the other white hats. As a mere man he had created a special potion with the intent of it making himself stronger and more desirable to Debbie, afraid that she would leave him. It had worked making him far stronger than he could have ever hoped for, he was even capable of matching the undead vampires in this town for pure brute force. However, Debbie time and time again had warned him that the formula was unstable and therefore making him unstable. She told him that his disfigured and altered appearance was simply the tip of the iceberg and that the affects to his mind where even worse. Why was nothing he ever did good enough for him? Why did she always belittle him and make him feel inferior? He had created the formula for her! It was all for her! Everything he did! Wasn't that enough for her? Why did she have to go and whore herself out to other guys at the school and then lie to his face about it?! Why did she react in horror learning that he had killed those guys in her name!? Didn't she know that he loved her? He growled in anger before shaking it off and calming himself down. He had to be cautious as one never knew where the slayer was. She had been very active throughout this entire area the past few weeks and her habit of working out whatever frustrations she might have on the local undead night- life was now widely known in various circles.
As a man he had felt bad for killing Debbie in one of his 'rage black outs' but then she had brought it on herself by threatening to leave him and worse expose his formula and his killings to the authorities. His parents especially his top researcher of a mother would never look at him in the same way again and no doubt would find himself with tubes up every opening and blood samples being taken in a daily basis. No that was not a life he saw for himself, so Debbie had left him with no choice, it was all her fault he told himself. He had thrown himself into his work determined to continue what he had started. Getting sired by a vampire was not part of his plan but now he saw it for an opportunity. He felt a sense of clarity that Debbie for so long had been holding him back but now rid of her and his fragile mortal body he would rise into being feared and respected by many and all.
Still being a vampire came with various limitations regarding their physiology Peter had found out. Hence why he had begun setting up a lab at the university so he could study and eliminate many off the issues and downsides with being a vampire such a subjected to sunlight. Again, fellow vampires he knew scoffed at the idea claiming over magic such as something known as the Gem of Amara which had been described as a mere myth for centuries could rid a vampire of their weaknesses, but Peter was not interested in such crap as children's magic and stories. Science was his religion, not magic. It would only be a matter of time before he was able to take everything he knew of biochemistry, the properties of his formula and apply to his now vampire self.
One thing he would not change about being a vampire was feeding he smiled to himself as he moved quickly but sedately out of the grounds and headed towards the centre of town. The rush of a victim's blood hitting his lips, the feel of their life force being drained by himself, and the sight of their empty corpse was thrilling and something he would not want to change. Just the thought of it made him decided to go and look for something to kill. It was, after all, dinner time: time to see who's on the menu. It didn't take long to find one victim which was unusual for a town whose folk were taking every precaution. She was walking down a street right out in the open, clearly stupid. She had blond hair just like Debbie, longer but still it reminded Peter of his former girlfriend… for that alone he would kill her and suck her blood until their was nothing left.
Moving in confidently he wondered if she would scream first before running. Like anyone apart from the annoying white hats were going to come out at night and risk their lives to save someone! They were too busy worrying about themselves. He was close now right behind her and vamped out as it would only add the fear in her blood which he swore improves the taste. But then just as he was about to reveal himself the victim spun around surprising Peter with a punch that caused him to cry out at the sheer force of it.
The victim a small blond wasted no time in beating Peter back into an alley throwing out impressive kicks and punches that knocked him into a wall like a mere ragdoll. She was strong this one, but he would never ever lose to a woman! Growling and spitting out blood Peter rose to his feet determined to make such this one showed him some respect as he launched into an attack. The first two strikes were blocked, while a third completely missed. The fourth was dodged, and a counterattack broke through Peter's defence with a speed that was obviously supernatural. Who was this girl? Was all he could think and voiced that question out loud. "Who are you?" he croaked out now back against the wall again.
"I'm Buffy! The vampire slayer," came the reply from the blond. "I see you are still praying on helpless little girls Pete! Guess some things never change," she added before she whipped out a stake and plunged it into his undead heart.
Peter Clarner almost immediately felt his body began to disintegrate, it was a curious sensation and very serious. He wanted to ask how this blond knew him as he didn't recognise her at all, but he didn't have the time as he fell to ashes. All he had to think was that he could have swore he was told that the slayer was a brunette… and wasn't that short.
XXXXXXXX
Buffyverse
Giles turned off the kettle and cautiously peered out the window, trying to see who it was at the door. When he saw that it was Willow, he quickly opened the door and smiled with relief at finally having the opportunity to talk to her. "Willow, good morning!" He greeted the redhead, as he stepped back to let her in. "You, said on the phone that you might have made some progress last night.
"We may have, I mean I may have, it's complicated," Willow said hurriedly biting her lip a little when she thought about Tara. She wasn't ready for the group to learn about the Wicca friend that she had made. Focusing on the present. "And you said that had found Faith," Willow asked, concern in her voice as she followed Giles into his apartment.
"Well yes it would appear she had a change of heart," Giles replied before explaining. "Xander called late last night she turned up at his house. She stayed there with him."
"Xander!" Willow practically screamed. "She is at Xander's house! Oh my god is he is, okay?! Is he hurt?!"
"Xander is fine," Giles answered her. "Like I said he called last night the pair of them are quite alright. Faith stayed at his place last night."
"Faith stayed at his place?!" Willow again near yelled causing Giles to wince at the volume. "How could he be so stupid?! Has he got a death wish?! She could kill him without even breaking a sweat and he what offers her a place to crash! Has he lost his mind?! Don't tell me he is falling for that cleavagy slut bomb again?!"
"Calm down, Willow and please sit down," Giles interrupted her and the redhead became silent but did not take a seat. Giles sighed and spoke to her carefully. "Like I said Xander said that she was there when he returned home, they talked, it would seem she was interested her other self here as I suspect any one of us would be. Upon receiving news of… Faith's… situation here," he said choosing his words carefully while grimacing. "She became quite upset and vulnerable." Giles said before looking at the young woman straight in the eye. "Willow this is not the same Faith we are both familiar with. She is a different person than we are used to dealing with and she is all alone here without any help, and it is help that we must give her. I believe that and so does Xander."
"I thought we were trying to help Buffy," Willow snapped at the former watcher.
"We can do both," Giles replied indicating a chair for her to sit on which Willow finally took but clearly wasn't happy. "What has your research come up with?"
"Well…" Willow taking a breath while he sat down at the edge of his couch. "We have been going over the notes from last year when we met vampire… me," she answered him recalling the events involving her alternative self. "We have crossed referenced some different pieces of the spell and Tara, my… friend is out gathering the ingredients for the spell. I think we can perform it again."
"And pull Buffy from that world as you did your other self?" Giles replied hopefully.
"In theory but I even know for sure how Anya and I brought my other self to this reality last time!" Willow pointed out. "I mean I'm pretty confident I can send Faith back there," she said and with a fair amount of determination the Englishman noted. "But bringing Buffy back," Willow continued. "I don't know if I can do it or the damage it might do to her." Her statement was clear to anyone who might have been in the room.
Giles sighed pinching his nose, it was never easy living on the hellmouth. "In any case I think we need Anya to provide us with more guidance on the matter."
Willow rolled her eyes at the mere mention of the ex-demon. "This morning just keeps getting better and better," she grumbled. "Why do we need Anya's help?" She asked knowing she was going to regret the answer.
"Well, you yourself have freely admitted that you have a limited amount of knowledge on casting the spell," Giles explained before adding, "I too am at a loss." Seeing the look of frustration upon the redhead's features Giles decided to speak up. "Willow, while I know that you have never harboured any overwhelming feelings of friendship or camaraderie towards Anya and given your past history and hers, I understand why. But I also know that you possess a very strong sense of responsibility, fairness, and justice. If Xander is willing to put aside his issues with Faith and help her then I expect you will be able to do the same."
Willow grumbled and was clearly not happy about it but nodded her head. "Fine… but I'm dialling her number!" Giles accepted this as he had a feeling it would be a condition of Willow's agreement leaning over to reach his phone when Willow spoke up again. "Giles does Anya know that Faith crashed at Xander's last night?" She enquired.
"No, I don't believe so," came the former librarian's reply.
Willow couldn't help but smirk at that. "Well, I guess there will be some kind of entertainment provided." No doubt Anya would give Xander hell for that, she would enjoy seeing Xander squirm over this at least.
"From what Xander tells me it was strictly platonic," Giles told her. "Nothing happened between them."
Willow snorted at that statement. "Giles this is Faith we are talking about. Unless she is a nun over there there's going to be flirtation."
Across town at the home of the Harris's, in their basement was Xander Harris just waking up from a rough night. He frowned and blinked in confusion as he realized he was not in a bed. Sun streamed in from the window along the basement walls as he glanced over to the lump that currently occupied his bed. The lump's name was Faith. She was a slayer. A slayer in his bed with her hair was spread in a halo about her head. He and Faith had talked long for a few more hours before finally getting some sleep. Xander tried to imagine how she'd suddenly injected herself back in his life. He was reminded that even though see was from another universe and he'd seen a side of Faith that was entirely alien to him, she was still herself at the core. A wildcard to the end; that was Faith. You never knew when her hand would be played, and what cards she'd be holding.
"So, you're awake now," Faith remarked turning over to face where Xander was resting on his chair. Her face held none of the hardness he'd come to associate with her. The angry, defiant stare was gone. The perpetual mocking smirk that seemed to hint that she was constantly pulling one over on you was not present instead she was just… neutral.
"Yeah," he said clearing his throat. "Sorry did I wake you?"
"No, you get used to not sleeping at a lot over there." Faith replied stretching her back willing it to pop. Both of them were unsure of how to proceed after last night. Faith was always very self-conscious about how she presented herself to other people. She always wanted to come across as confident, competent, and in control, and was terrified that they would someday see through her. She always wanted to keep people on her terms and yesterday she had broken down in front of someone who was basically a stranger.
Xander at the same time was at a loss of what to do. He knew Buffy, Giles and even Willow were better equipped at dealing with someone in Faith's situation and emotional state but yet she had come to speak to him. Like so many other times in his life, he was winging it. Hopefully he wouldn't mess up too badly. "Can I have a shower?" Faith said snapping him out of his thoughts.
"What?" He asked slightly wide eyed.
"I've been in a big fight with vamps including the Master, tied to chair and running around town the last few days," Faith stated. "I would like a shower." It was a simple request plus what was she supposed to do when she just woke up with him there? Open her eyes and say, "Good morning, thanks for holding me while I cried and begged you for help last night?"
"Um, yeah sure… the bathroom's kind of ick," Xander admitted glancing in its direction.
"Does it have hot water?" Faith asked the young man to which he nodded. "I'm in." A shower would help her feel clean and buy her sometime to think before dealing with what this reality would throw at her next.
"Okay, well, there's towels under the sink and even though they don't look it, they're clean." Xander assured her. And he couldn't help but gulp at the sight of her bare legs as she pushed back the covers, he had forgotten that she had taken off her jeans. She was a very beautiful woman, and it was way too early to deal with her in this form.
Moving towards the bathroom Faith had to bite back a smirk as she knew she the affect that she was having on him. Despite the rawness of last night and the seriousness of her current situation it was still fun to see she could drive a guy up the mental wall. Entering the small bathroom, she wasn't too fazed by it. He had mentioned it was ick but as she flicked on the dim lights, she decided it wasn't that bad. It wasn't the Ritz but again she had never been there plus it wasn't the nastiest bathroom she'd ever been in. Slowly she removed her tank top and underwear letting them drop to the floor. Moving less than two steps, she was at the shower. She contemplated it. Turning, she grabbed a green towel and wrapped it around herself. Faith opened the door and peeked out. "Hey, Xand?" He looked up from where he was standing drinking some water from a mug. "How do you work your shower?"
Letting out a small laugh, Xander set his mug down and moved towards her "Sorry. I forgot that other people actually have showers that work normally." Brushing past Faith, Xander said, "My dad, when he wasn't so. . .drunk, built this bathroom. Can you tell that he had no idea what he was doing?" The brunette moved into the bathroom farther as Xander leaned over a little. "You have to flip this thing here and then pull that thing there down. And then," he said as he turned on the water, "magic! There's the water!"
Turning around a little too quickly, he came face to face with Faith. They were so close that her breasts were tightly pressed up against his lower chest. Xander's jaw clenched, and he breathed deeply. Teasing him and slightly smirking at his alarmed state Faith kept her eyes focused on his brown ones while aware that his where going down south to where the towel had slipped down a little along the slope of her breasts giving him a decent view. "Xander" Faith whisper with an amused smile on her face and voice thick with honey "I'm up here"
Snapping out of his daze "Sorry" Xander mumbled stumbling backwards hitting the drywall as she held the towel in place. This guy was way easier to play with than Alexander she thought to herself as she watched him stumble out of the bathroom giving her a terrified smile. "Enjoy the shower!" and slammed the door shut.
Xander cursed himself closing his eyes trying to get the sight of her face oh so close to his and made an informed decision to have a very cold shower after she was done with his.
