Buffy outlined the discovery of the new bond with Faith. "Anyway, Mom, I'll know when Faith's ready for us to come home." She snuck a glance at Joyce. Her mother had been very quiet while she'd talked.
"I'm not sure what to say, Buffy." Joyce reached across the car and gripped Buffy's hand. "The fact the Mayor of Sunnydale may try to blow up our house doesn't seem very real."
"And the fact that Faith and I can talk to each other in our heads does?" Buffy couldn't help asking. She laughed. "Mom, everything that's ever happened in Sunnydale is like that. I mean, come on…Vampires, demons, big snakes?"
Shaking her head and chuckling, Joyce squeezed Buffy's hand and then released it. "Point taken." She turned back onto Revello. "Anything yet?"
"No." Buffy reached along the link. "Faith's…Faith must be busy." She didn't want to admit Faith was locking her out. They drove past the house. Buffy strained for any glimpse of Faith. Nothing. The house looked deserted. "One more time, Mom." If Faith didn't call her, Buffy was doing a little investigating of her own.
Joyce didn't say anything, but the car accelerated slightly as she continued down the block.
Faith slipped over a chain link fence, scanning the yard for spies or dogs. No dogs. Breathing a little easier, Faith trotted across the lawn toward the street. Buffy's house sat silent just across Revello.
A flicker of motion was her only warning. Dropping to the ground, Faith froze. Light reflected from something in the upstairs window of the house next door to the Summers' home. Hugging the ground, Faith crept along the side of the house until she could crouch in an overgrown row of bushes. The curtains in that upstairs window shifted, the outlines of a body and a pair of binoculars coming briefly into view.
Fuck. She briefly considered calling Buffy and getting backup. No. There were no blips on the Slayer radar. The lookout had to be human. Faith didn't need Buffy's help with a human. Heart pounding, she held her position until the binoculars retracted. With a burst of Slayer-enhanced speed, Faith sprinted across Revello and hurdled the fence leading to Buffy's neighbor's yard.
She examined the back of the house. It was nearly identical to Joyce's home with a door leading inside. Faith peered through the window into the kitchen, making sure there was no one sitting at the table. The coast was clear. She reached for the door handle, twisting and breaking the lock with almost no effort.
Listening intently, Faith took slow, exaggerated steps through the empty room. Her skin tingled, almost itching with the adrenaline rush. The door into the entry hall creaked as she slid it open. Hovering in the doorway, Faith listened. The downstairs was empty, but she thought there were at least two people moving in the front bedroom upstairs.
Faith moved into the entry hall, placing one foot on the bottom stair. Closing her eyes and planning her attack, she ascended the stairs. She hit the landing and exploded toward the partially closed door on her left. Kicking the wood with her left foot, Faith ignored the frightened shouts of the two men huddled over the bed playing cards. She reached the first one before he managed to stand. Slamming her fist into his chin, Faith never slowed. He toppled to the ground, unconscious. The other man scrambled to his feet, unholstering the gun at his side. Faith kicked the weapon from his hand, dropping him next to his friend with another punch.
B, you there? Buffy sat upright at the mental voice.
Waving her hand at Joyce, Buffy pointed to her head. We're a couple of streets away. Mom took a longer route this time around. Can we head home now? Exhaustion fogged her mind, making it hard to form and send the words to Faith.
After a short hesitation, a regret-tinged voice replied, No can do, B. The Mayor had some goons watching the house. I left 'em all tied up and grabbed some clothes for all of us. Can you pick me up at the corner of Revello and Chapala?
Give us a minute. Severing the open channel, Buffy looked up at Joyce. "Change in plans. Faith's waiting at Chapala with suitcases."
Thankfully, Joyce didn't ask any questions. Buffy closed her eyes, resting her head against the back of the seat. What now? They couldn't leave Sunnydale in case the Mayor avoided Wesley's arrow, and they didn't have the resources to fight a two-front war. She and Faith might be Slayers; but they had limits.
The Jeep whipped through a u-turn heading toward Faith. "Buffy?"
"Yeah, Mom?" Buffy forced her eyes open, ignoring the sudden pounding in her head. They needed a new plan – a way to survive until tomorrow.
"Are we all heading up the coast tonight?" There was relief in Joyce's voice, and Buffy felt bile burn her throat.
She didn't reply, though. The Jeep screeched to a halt and Faith dove into the back seat with a bag in each hand. "Head for the library, Mrs. S."
"What happened?" Buffy avoided using their link. She was so close to the edge, and she didn't want Faith to sense that.
"Found a couple of guys in the house next door, watching for us to come home." Faith grinned. "I guess the Mayor didn't tell them what a Slayer can do. It took about three seconds to put 'em out." The grin widened. "I'd like to hear their explanation when your neighbors get home from work and find them all tied up in the bedroom."
Concentrating on not falling apart, Buffy took several slow, deep breaths.
"You weren't hurt, were you, honey?" Joyce asked, and Buffy swung around in her seat, eyes examining every inch of Faith.
"Nah. I'm good." Faith's cheeks looked suspiciously pink at Joyce's concern. "Jumping fences and shit's way easier with Slayer strength."
Buffy relaxed enough to smile when Joyce's eyebrows shot toward her hairline. Then she sobered. "We're getting Willow and Oz out of town tonight," she announced. "If the Mayor's on the rampage already, I don't want him taking another shot at Will once the class starts leaving."
"You need to leave, too, Mrs. S." Faith held up one of the small suitcases. "I packed some stuff for you. Oz should have room for you in the van."
Buffy braced for the explosion.
Joyce didn't disappoint her. "I'm not going anywhere, Faith," she snapped. "You and Buffy won't be leaving. Neither will I."
Faith looked at Buffy, wanting some backup against Joyce. She rolled her eyes and grimaced when Buffy avoided her eyes. Great. Trying not to flinch at the look Joyce was giving her in the rear view mirror, Faith said firmly, "Yeah, you are, even if I gotta knock you out like I did those guys earlier."
The Jeep swerved slightly, and Faith swore steam poured out of Joyce's ears.
"You have to go, Mrs. S." This time, firm was replaced with near-pleading. "B and I got a job to do. Now, we're good at what we do. The best ever, maybe." She felt Buffy brush her mind in agreement. "How good d'you think we'll be if w-" she broke off, clearing her throat. "We won't be at our best if B's all worried about you."
Joyce's lips pressed together just before her shoulders slumped. "You're right, honey. I'd hate it if," she paused, looking directly at Faith in the mirror for a second, "Buffy got hurt because she was thinking about my safety and not her own."
The image of Joyce's face blurred for a second until Faith blinked away the sudden moisture. "Good," she mumbled. "Good."
The rest of the short drive passed in silence. The school lot looked the same as it had when they'd left. Faith scanned the grounds. She'd been tensed for so long, senses on alert, that she wasn't sure she'd see any danger before it was a problem. "B? You see anything?" Pride could take a flying leap. She'd take the help this time.
"No," Buffy replied tersely. Faith noticed she had tensed in her seat. They were both pushing their limits.
Frowning, Faith murmured just loud enough for Buffy's Slayer hearing to pick up. "Together, B?" Buffy's blonde head nodded slightly, and Faith reached. There was an itch in her head, and her vision flickered briefly. However, once the side effects wore off, Faith noticed things seemed…brighter, clearer.
She scanned the area again, feeling Buffy looking with her, through her eyes. Nothing.
"Let's go," Buffy ordered. She jumped out of the Jeep, jogging to Joyce's door. "Hurry, Mom." She yanked open the driver's door, pulling Joyce out.
As the two of them ran for the entrance, the shared link disintegrated, leaving a emptiness behind. Faith shivered at the loss, grabbing both suitcases and chasing after Buffy and her mother. They entered the school in a tight clump and continued their mad dash down the quiet hallway, bursting into the library.
"Giles!" Faith called out. She ignored the death glare from Oz as Willow woke up at her shout.
A disheveled Giles rushed out of his office, hastily placing his glasses on.
"We got to get Red and Oz out of here. Now." Faith's voice filled the stillness of the library.
Buffy saw Giles start to object. Raising a hand to stop him, she tried to explain, "The Mayor isn't sitting back and waiting for the Ascension. He had people watching our house. Mom's agreed to leave. I want her to take Oz and Willow, too." She met his eyes and smiled grimly. "You've always been about keeping the 'civilians' safe. Well, this leaves just the four of us who belong in the fight behind."
"Hey, Oz and I aren't civilians, Buffy," Willow's thin voice snapped from her nest of blankets. "What about the fire spell? You need me for that."
For just a second, Buffy bought Willow's comment. Then she saw Giles' lips thin. "No, I don't."
"Buff-" Willow tried again.
"You're going, Will. Giles can do the spell, can't you?" she directed her comment at her ex-Watcher.
He looked unhappy, and his reply was reluctant. "I believe so, yes. It's a fairly simple incantation." Giles avoided looking toward the electrified silence from Willow's area of the library. "We'll need to be very careful moving Willow. We don't want to reopen her wound."
"Could we put her on the cot you have in your office, Rupert?" Joyce joined the conversation. She moved passed Buffy and knelt next to Willow. "The girls can easily carry that, and Oz could pull his van up to the cafeteria loading dock."
"Way to go, Mrs. S." Buffy watched in shock as Faith gave her stunned mother a high five. "Get the Mystery Machine, Dogboy. B and me'll have Red waiting for you."
Everyone was moving now. Everyone except Buffy and Willow.
Buffy snapped out of her frozen state when Faith grabbed her arm and pulled her toward Giles' office. "Come on, B. Let's get moving."
Some of Faith's urgency tugged at Buffy through their link. It cleared the lingering cloud of exhaustion. "Right behind you, Faith." The thought that she spent a lot of time in that position flitted through her mind – along with a faint smile when she got a good view of Faith's butt in the baggy pants.
She was still smiling when Faith spun and glared at her. "Fuck, B, mind in the gutter, or what?" With one last irritated look, Faith resumed her trek. Buffy heard her mumbling, "And the Superfriends thought I was all about sex."