FIC: Cleveland Calling (2?)
Dec '03
Faith stared out of her bedroom window, gazing out onto Cleveland's streets, the sight of the snow blanketing the nearest blocks failing to lift her spirits. Rather it depressed her even further. A month ago she'd been planning her first Christmas with Woodie, planning the meal, his presents, buying the decorations. Then in a brief moment her world had been wrecked.
Again.
Hearing the sound of her door opening, Faith quickly wiped her eyes and spun to face the intruder. "Yo," Faith glared at the intruder. "You heard about asking before you come in?"
The intruder into her room appeared unfazed by her hostility. "If I'd asked you'd only have said no," Amy retorted. "Mood you were in at breakfast."
"I wasn't in a mood," Faith growled.
Again Amy appeared unperturbed by her hostility. "Really?" the witch arched an eyebrow. "Even Andrew was nervous around you and he's got a rhino's hide!"
Faith decided to ignore the comment. "What do ya want?"
"We're going out shopping, to get some decorations, gifts, that sort of thing."
"Right," Faith turned back towards the window. "See ya later."
"You're coming with us," the former Sunnydaler said firmly.
Faith didn't look towards the woman stood behind her. "Like hell I am."
"Yes you are," Amy's voice softened. "You've been here for five weeks. And you haven't connected with the girls one bit."
"Hey!" Faith looked over her shoulder, eyes flaring. "I don't tell you how to Wicca, don't tell me how to Slay!"
Once again, the witch appeared unfazed by her anger. "Oh sure, you've spent time training and patrolling with them, but other than that you're completely isolated from you, you never spend any time with them. Every time we got out, do something as a group, you sit it out."
"My job's keepin' em alive, not being buddy, buddy with 'em," Faith defended.
"No you're wrong," Amy shook her head. "You're part of a team, that means you have to act like it. These poor kids look up to you, maybe you should pay them a little attention. Would that kill you?"
Faith stared at the witch through hooded eyes, fighting back the temptation to give her a slap for speaking at her like that. Finally she shrugged. "Give me five to get ready, k?"
After a second the witch nodded. "Okay."
Amy closed the door behind her before letting out a relieved sigh. Looking down, she noticed her hands were shaking slightly. She didn't think the raven-haired Slayer had a clue how intimidating she was. But she couldn't let things go on the way they were, the way Faith was isolating herself was a lot like the way she'd isolated herself after her return from ratland. Xander either didn't see it, or saw it but was too intimidated to say anything to the Slayer. Either way, it was down to her to make sure the Bostonian didn't lose touch with the world.
Making her way downstairs, she was met by the sight of the others busily readying themselves for their trip out. "Faith said to wait, she wants to come with us."
"Really!"
"That's great!"
"Cool!"
Even as the Slayers exclaimed their excitement, Amy glanced at Xander. She inwardly winced at the flicker of wariness in his one remaining eye. Yeah, he definitely had trust issues with Faith.
Faith watched as they strode through the shopping centre, noting the excited shoppers, the screaming children, the garishly decorated shops inviting patrons inside, the Christmas trees every few shops, the smell of pine and cinnamon spices hanging heavy in the air, and seasonal music and sounds were being pumped through the mall's sound system. Bile rose in her throat as she remembered her childhood Christmases, wishing she had money to spend on presents, decorations, and food, and friends to share the experience with. Well now she had money, but still didn't have anyone to spend it on.
"Yo Faith!" Faith rolled her eyes at Breena's shout at her, grateful for the newly-purchased Aviator glasses that hid her disdain at a chick with a thick Irish brogue trying to talk Boston South in a further attempt to be like her idol. Her an idol, how fucked up was that? Turning, she saw the kid stood outside a tattoo parlour. "What do ya think, get a tat?"
"Hell no," pacing across the mall, she grabbed hold of Breena by the wrist and pulled her away. "Ya get a tat and change your mind about it, you're going have a bitch of a time getting it removed." And that wasn't even taking into account the creepy stalker thing going on. "Ya dig?"
"Hey girl, pretty ladies like you can get a discount," leered the man stood lounging in the doorway, a fat biker type.
"Thanks, but she doesn't need any tats," she shoved Breena towards the others. "And I've got all the ones I need." Shaking her head, she moved off to walk beside X, his nervousness around her somehow less bothersome than the girls' blind adulation. "What ya getting her?"
Xander shot her a confused look. "Who?"
"Kate," when Harris' puzzled expression failed to clear, Faith continued, enunciating every world as if talking to an idiot. Which, being Harris wasn't much of a stretch. "Your girl-friend?"
Harris' face paled. "I buried my ex-fiancee six months ago," he hissed, every word tight, controlled. "Do you seriously think I'd be getting into a relationship with someone I barely know?"
Oh fuck, another home goal. "Shit, X. I'm sorry I thought-."
"You thought just because I was friends with a member of the opposite sex," Xander stepped into her space, his usual nerves swept away by his anger, "I had to be humping them. Try not to judge me by your standards!"
"X…Xander," Andrew stepped between them, thus showing the kid had more balls or less brains than she thought. "Maybe -."
"Forget it." In a second Harris had spun away from them and moved into the shopping mall's milling crowds.
"Oh fuck," Faith closed her eyes. Every time she tried to move forward with Harris, she managed to put her foot in it.
"Hey X," Faith knocked on the door to Xander's study. "Can I come in?"
"Sure," came the less than enthusiastic answer.
"Thanks," Faith pushed the door open and strode in. The study, a well-ordered room with shelves filled with books and filled with the accompanying mustiness, seemed more suited to G than X, but then he wasn't the Xan she'd once used and discarded any more.
More was the pity. "Hey," it was on the tip of her tongue to try and apologise with for what she'd said at the mall, but decided against it. Instead she dropped her clumsily wrapped gift onto the desk. "Merry Christmas."
"Uh," Xander looked in turn surprised and then embarrassed. "I haven't-."
"Call it a thank you for saying I could come here," she interrupted. She shot the door a nervous glance, this was a really bad idea, before turning her gaze to Harris. "Ya gonna open that?" she prompted.
Xander nodded. "I suppose I better." He tore the reindeer paper off, shot her a curious look at the jewellery box and opened it. "Oh my god," Xander pulled out the silver chain and green-coloured pendant. "It's beautiful."
"No big," Faith shrugged, embarrassed by Harris' awed expression. It had come from the money she had saved to spend on Wood, but this was a better cause. "The stone's a peridot, they're for emotional healing, it fosters emotional balance, and helps us heal from past emotional wounds. Like Anya." And their general crappy past, Faith added silently. She licked her lips, unable to believe the corny crap she was about to say, but at the same time needing to say it. "The peridot is a friendship stone, I kinda hope we can be friends some time."
"Sure." Xander tore his eyes from her present and grinned. "On one condition."
"Oh yeah?" Faith was instantly wary, remembering other times guys had put conditions on their friendships.
"I understand someone won't partake in the fancy dress Christmas meal," Xander said.
Faith had to smile at his grin even as she shook her head. "No fucking way, I'll eat the meal but there is no damn way I am wearing a costume."
"Oh come on, get in the spirit," Xander pleaded.
"What ya going as?" Faith queried.
"A pirate."
Faith snorted. "I could try a biker chick."
"I somehow think that counts as cheating," Xander commented.
"A stripper?" Faith bargained.
"Interesting idea but it might kill Andrew off. Hold that thought."
Faith laughed. "Calamity Jane?"
Xander looked at her curiously. "Childhood hero?"
Faith reddened. "I loved the Doris Day film." She glared when Xander fell off his chair laughing. "It's not that fucking funny!"
Walking out of the house, Xander leaned against the porch wall and stared out into the Cleveland Christmas sky. He smiled sadly as he heard the sound of the Slayers laughing as they watched the television. One day off a year, surely there had to be a Slayer Union?
Knowing G-Man he'd probably employ leg-breakers to break any strike for better working conditions.
Xander snorted at the thought of G-Man doing a Hoffa.
"Evening Mr. Harris."
Xander looked down to see an excited looking seven year old with a slightly snotty nose and wearing what looked to be three jumpers as protection against the cold sat on a bike beside his front gate. Resisting temptation to shake his head, when exactly had he moved past being 'Xander' to 'Mr. Harris'? Xander walked over to the gate and crouched beside the boy and his bike. "Evening Buck," he greeted before making a show of inspecting the boy's gleaming bike. "Man, that bike's a beauty. Your mom and dad get you that for Christmas?"
The boy nodded excitedly, light dancing in his youthful eyes. "And a model plane kit, a lightsaber, the second Star Wars trilogy, and a train set."
"Wow, a lightsaber uh," Xander smiled. "I'll have to dig mine out and we can have a duel."
The boy's eyes widened. "You have a lightsaber?"
"You're joking right?" Xander jumped slightly at the unexpected voice by his left shoulder. Turning, he saw Faith in a pair of skin-tight, practically painted-on buckskin trousers, an Union cavalry jacket with the top three buttons undone, barely containing her chest, and a cap parked perkily on her head.
He was reasonably sure Doris Day had never quite looked like that.
Faith winked at him before crouching down beside him and looking at Buck. "Ya can't tell anybody but Xander here's really a jedi."
"Really?" Buck's eyes widened and the boy looked at him with awe.
"Oh yeah," Faith ruffled the boy's hair. "Now, it's getting late, how about you head home. Bet your rents are worried about you."
Buck looked at him, his expression puzzled. "'Rents?"
"Parents," Xander explained with a grin. "Faith talks in code," he grunted when the Slayer gave him a none too friendly elbow in the ribs. "But she's right," he looked up at the darkening sky. "You should be getting home."
"Okay," Buck nodded before cycling away, waving madly. "Bye Mr. Harris, bye miss."
"See ya sweetie," Faith waved at the kid before standing and turning to him. "Cute kid."
"Yeah," Xander smiled as he turned to face Faith. "He's a good boy."
Faith looked him in the eye for a second before glancing away, looking towards the front of their house, the lights he'd bought and brightly gleaming reindeer flashing on the roof. "Ya throw a hell of a shindig X," Faith snorted. "If ya were going to dress up as Santa Claus to give the girls their presents, you really shouldn't have lost that extra thirty pounds you were carrying back in Sunnyhell."
Xander shot the smirking Slayer a glare. Her face took on an innocent look that didn't fool him for a second. Finally he shrugged. "We forced them out of their homes, least we can do is make this place like a home for them."
"Yeah," Faith's expression sobered. "You ever think we did the wrong thing?"
The brunette's words hung heavy in the cold air. "The wrong thing?" he said, acting stupid. He thought he had stupid down pat, but Faith's raised eyebrow clearly indicated she wasn't fooled. "I don't know Faith, we were just so desperate, the First was getting stronger," Xander sideways kicked a stone. "What choice did we have?"
Faith shrugged. "We could have asked Fang-."
Xander snorted. "I know I haven't jumped on the Angel train like you and Buff, but even allowing for that, two Master Vampires, and two Slayers?" Xander shook his head. "We needed more muscle than that."
"Yeah, maybe," the beautiful Bostonian shrugged, looked thoughtful before smiling. "Ya take wicked care of 'em."
Xander shrugged. "I don't know about that. It's not like I'm a great fighter or no much about demons."
"Ya don't get it do you, you dumbass?" Faith shook her head. "You," the Slayer thumbed at the brightly lit house, the sounds of merry-making clearly audible, "make 'em feel like a team, like they're part of something, like you care." The gorgeous brunette's voice trailed off.
Suddenly it hit him. "We really fucked up didn't we?" Faith looked confused. "With you back in Sunnydale."
Faith shrugged. "Mistakes were made, some were mine, some were other people's. I'm over it." The Bostonian turned towards the house.
"Wood was a fool." The words were out there before he had chance to take them back. Xander swallowed when the Slayer turned to him, a strange look in her eyes. Oh great, just great, six weeks of carefully avoiding the reason that had brought her here, and what did he do? Shoot his mouth off. Blabbermouth. "Betraying a great girl like you, he'll be feeling all kinds of idiot for messing you two up." Xander smiled painfully. "I know I did when I screwed me and Cordy up."
"She the one, X?" Faith's eyes were filled with curiosity.
"You know Cordy and me, we always argued." He shrugged. "Even when we argued, we had passion, Anya," Xander looked down at the ground, good eye misting. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he looked up into Faith's surprisingly sympathetic eyes. "I cared about her, but somehow it always felt like we were together because we scared of being alone."
"Kinda like me with guys back in the day," Faith shook her head and smiled, the gesture seeming forced. "You know what? Fuck him, I've got a gang of Slayers who need me, a good bud in you. I don't need some dick who doesn't know what he's got. Right?"
Xander smiled at Faith. "Exactly," he agreed. "You want to go in?"
Faith grimaced. "Not really no, Andrew sent me out to get you, he's got the Lord Of The Rings Trivial Pursuits game out," the Slayer scowled at him. "Why the hell did you buy him that?"
Xander shrugged. "What else do you buy a geek for Christmas?"
The Slayer's laughter ushered them inside.
