Disclaimer: I don't own the show or any of its characters, if I did the show wouldn't have ended…cuz I'm greedy like that and I miss my BTVS. LOL
Title: Time, It's All We Have
Pairings: Buffy/Faith
Summary: Faith never went to prison, she did kill the guy, but she let Buffy help her, and because of that help, they have become what they did in my story…re-write of season 7.
Chapter Sever: Same Time, Same Place Part One
~Buffy's POV
Spike went and got his soul back, for me. Looking at Faith I take a seat in the comfy chair that she insisted we get for the bedroom. I love her, I really do, and I would do anything so that she is happy. But I can't do the one thing that she wants, what she needs to trust me, it's the one thing I cannot do. I know deep down she wants me to cut Spike out of my life. She asked me to marry her and for her that is a huge step and it is for me to, yet I don't understand why I'm so blinded when it comes to Spike. I don't know if it is because of the evil that's coming and there is something in my gut telling me I need him, or if it's just the history that we have. I don't know, but I do know that if I don't figure it out I'm going to lose her, and that's not something I'm willing to do.
Faith is not someone I am willing to lose. I have spent years trying to convince everyone that Faith is the one for me, but inside I think that I was just trying to convince myself. I was never someone who trusted easily, Faith knew that, but she stayed with me anyways. She helped me through all the tough times, especially when my mother died, she was there. And she didn't expect anything in return. After that, that was when I started letting her in, when I started letting myself love her and be with her the way that I knew I could. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Looking over at the bed Faith is looking at me with sleepy eyes. She runs her hands through her messy hair. "Willow comes home tomorrow, you said you wanted to be there early," she says pushing the blankets aside. "Come back to bed," she says.
Willow does come home tomorrow, Giles said she has been making good progress but she isn't one hundred percent. I explained to him that we didn't need her right now, but he insisted that we do. He knows something about what is coming but he isn't sharing, and I'm not sure why. Getting up from the chair I walk over to the bed but I don't get into it. Instead I kneel down and look at her as she lays her head back on the pillow. Playing with the ring on my finger I look her in the eye. "I love you," I say. She reaches out and takes a hold of my hand that is lying on the bed. "I can't wait to tell her," I say getting up and crawling into bed. Faith moves in behind me and wraps her arms around my waist holding my body tightly to hers.
By the end of the day tomorrow.
Everything will be different.
...
Airports weren't my favorite place, and I'm guessing the same thing goes for Faith, considering she didn't want to come along to greet Willow. I talked to Giles before I left the house and he said that she got on the plane in England and she should be arriving on time. Yet he didn't sound too sure, something tells me that the Willow were getting back isn't going to be the one that we love. Now I'm not saying that I'm not going to love the Willow that comes home, but I know she isn't going to be the Willow I'm used to. I guess I'm just scared.
"You sure she can see it?" Xander asks from where he is standing beside me. I look around him at the sign he had made for Willow's return. Being the loving Xander he is made it in yellow crayon, which I guess has something to do with a moment he and Willow shared while she was trying to destroy the world.
"Xander I don't think anyone can," Dawn says jabbing him slightly in the side. "It's in yellow."
"Well." He says waving his hand on front of him. "It saved the world," he says looking at us. He must have told us the story of how he saved the world a hundred times, thus the yellow crayon. Something, a moment; that he and Willow shared a long time ago, long before I knew either one of them. I guess sometimes you don't have to be a superhero to save the world; sometimes you just gotta love someone. "Do you wanna hear it again?" he asks looking at the both of us.
"Yes of course, because we haven't heard it yet," Dawn says sarcastically.
"Rude," Xander says playfully pushing her.
"Hey look," Dawn says pointing to the women closing the door. "I guess everyone is off the plane," she adds looking around.
"So where's Will?" I ask not seeing her. I called Giles, he said she go on the plane in England.
...
~Faith's POV
I didn't go with Buffy, I know she wanted me too, but I do airports. At least that's what I told her, and that isn't exactly the truth, they don't really bother me. I mean I fight vampires and demons every night, I have a better chance of being killed by one of them then by being in a crash, right? But I didn't want to go. She has been acting weird ever since I told her about Spike and his soul. Like last night, I wake only to find her not in bed, instead I find her sitting in a chair across the room. I don't know what's going on with her, and every time I ask she says its nothing. But I know it isn't nothing. Spike, she always becomes closed off when it comes to him, she doesn't like to talk about him, especially with me.
"I bet she's still evil," looking across the table I notice Anya playing with her food. "That's why Giles is sending her back here," she says looking up at me. "What? I'm just saying what all you guys are scared to say," she says.
"Giles wouldn't send her back here if she was still evil," I say.
"How do you know that?" She asks. I don't have an answer for her. Because honestly I don't know w if everything is okay with her. Willow tried to destroy the world, that isn't something you just come back from. I mean I killed someone and look how hard it was for me to come back from that. She killed someone and tried to kill everyone else. I don't know how she is going to come back, but I know it isn't going to be the bubbly Willow we all used to know.
She's going to be different.
...
My feet are moving before I tell them too, leading me downstairs. I take a look at the clock on the wall and I notice that it is half past midnight. Willow should have arrived hours ago, and now she is just getting home. Maybe Anya was right, maybe she still is evil. When I get to the bottom of the stairs I don't see anyone. "What the," I say to myself as I peek into the dining room only to find it empty. Making my way into the kitchen I also find it empty. "That's it, I'm going crazy," I say to myself rounding the corner to the living room. "AH!" My hand slaps to my chest as I notice Willow standing before me.
"Faith," she says reaching out to me. "Are you okay?"
"No!" I shout and she steps back. "Did you just hear me? The girlish scream that came from me, it's embarrassing," I say looking at her as I lean down placing my hands on my knees.
"You're secret is safe with me," she says with a smirk.
I look past her. "Where is everyone?" I ask knowing they had a welcoming party for her at the airport.
"I don't know, I was hoping they were here," she says looking sad. "I thought they were going to meet me at the airport but no one was there," she explained. "They aren't here?" She asks.
"No," I say standing up my mind going to slayer mode. "Last I knew they were at the airport waiting for you. The only ones here are me and Anya," I say walking past her to the phone. "I'll call Buffy," I say reaching for the phone but she stops me. "What?"
"I'm not ready," she says shyly.
"Will," I say stepping closer to her. "You don't have anything to worry about. Look at me, I killed a guy too and they don't hate me...well anymore." I say smirking. "Buffy isn't someone to hold grudges...well except with me," I pause closing my eyes. "I'm going to stop trying to help now," I say opening my eyes and looking at her. "Don't hold this against me, I'm tired," I add when I notice she's smiling.
"Deal." She says. Then she looks at me, confused. "Anya's here?"
"Yeah her and Xander moved in to help with the bills," I say walking back towards the stairs.
"So where am I supposed to stay?" she asks following behind me.
"Xander has been adding on to the house," I explain. "Your room is still in the process of being built," I say trying to comfort her. "You're going to be staying in Dawn's room for the time being, he said something about the room being ready sometime next week." I explained. She nods. "Don't worry, everything will be back to normal before you know it," I say handing her a couple pillows and a blanket.
"So vampires and demons," she says.
"Yup," I say. "Normal."
...
I feel the bed dip. Rolling over I notice Buffy climbing into bed next to me, yet looking past her at the clock on the bedside table I notice that it is past two. Her eyes look tired and I know she doesn't know I'm awake and that's why she's trying not to wake me. But before she lies down I place my hand on her arm, her eyes find mine in the darkness, and her surprise is evident. "Faith, I thought you were asleep," she says.
"Where have you been?" I ask ignoring her question.
"What do you mean? I've been at the airport," she says pulling her arm away suddenly noticing the jealous tone in my voice.
"Yeah right Buffy it's after two," I say rolling over and turning my back to her.
"We thought Willow caught a later plane so we stayed," she says crawling up next to me and wrapping her arms around me. "But it appears she got off the plane in England or something because she never made it here, we waited there all night," she explains placing her chin on my shoulder.
This causes me to turn around, jealousy gone. "What? She's here, at the house, she said you guys weren't there." I explained getting up.
"Where are you going?" She asks me.
"Dawn's room." I say and Buffy gets up and follows me. Opening the door to Dawn's room I notice she is just getting into bed, looking at us confused, I mentally tell myself to apologize to Buffy later. But the next thing that I notice is that Willow is nowhere to be found. "She was here, I told her this is where she would be staying until Xander finished the add-on," I said turning to Buffy. "I swear, I saw her," I say.
"You sure you weren't dreaming?" She asks.
"Buffy." I look at her with an 'are you serious look.' "Why would I be dreaming about Willow?" I ask.
"Gross," I hear Dawn say behind us.
"Right," Buffy says.
"Giles wouldn't send her home unless she was a hundred percent right?" Dawn asks. Buffy and I look at one another, neither one of us saying anything. "Right?"
"Giles said she didn't complete her treatments," Buffy said look not at Dawn but at me. Silently telling me what might happen. Dark Willow isn't someone I want to mess with again, last time her and I went at she seriously kicked my ass.
"We might as well get some sleep," I say. "There isn't anything we can do tonight," I say leading Buffy out of the room, and closing the door on Dawn's complaining. "Why didn't you tell me what Giles said?" I ask once we are back in our bedroom. "Don't you think I would have liked to know that little piece of information," I say turning away from her, but then I hear her sniffling. "Buffy," I say walking up to her and wrapping my arms around her and she clings to me desperately as if she is going to disappear. "It's going to be okay," I say.
"I just want my best friend back," she says in a muffled reply.
"I know baby, I know," I say kissing the top of her head. "I'm sure there is a perfectly good explanation to this," I say further moving so that I can look her in the eye. "I'm sure of it," I add.
...
That night I didn't sleep. I couldn't. The whole Willow thing along with the Spike thing weighing on me. I almost thought Buffy wasn't going to be able to sleep either but eventually she cried herself to sleep, and I was there the whole time. I didn't move away until I was sure she was asleep. Now I'm downstairs, sipping a cup of coffee, and staring off into the nothingness. I don't know how she deals with this kind of this day in and day out. Buffy isn't someone who breaks down like she did, she holds everything inside, and deals with it her own way. But even this was too much for her, but I know this would even be too much for me.
The guy that tried to rape her is back, and says he got his soul for her.
Her best friend is supposed to come back.
But instead she's disappeared and possibly evil.
It's a lot for one girl to handle, especially when there is this threat of a new evil making its appearance. I don't know what to do for her. I don't know how to make all of this better.
I have never felt more helpless than I do right now.
...
Buffy's cell phone ringing woke me up the next morning, but of course she is still sound asleep. I have no idea how she sleeps through the things that she sleeps through. Reaching over her I grab it off the bedside table. It's Xander. "You better be dying," I say rubbing the sleep away from my eyes. Buffy and I didn't have to be up for another hour.
"Is Buffy awake?" He asks.
"No," I say soundly annoyed and I hoped he noticed.
"Well wake her, you two need to get down here, there is a dead body on the site," he says hurriedly.
"Then call the police," I say angrily. Buffy makes some weird noise and then rolls over. "Xander," I say getting up. "We do not investigate every dead body in Sunnydale, there are people who do kill people, normal people," I comment.
"Oh I know that Faith," I ignore the jab. "But this guy was skinned alive, like..."
"Like what Willow did," I say suddenly realizing. "We'll be right there," I say. Closing her phone I look over at Buffy's sleeping form. She isn't going to like this and I know this is going to break her just a little more, a part of her that believes that people can change is going to break. "B," I say leaning over and kissing her on her shoulder. "Wake up," I say smirking and pushing her off the bed.
"Faith!" I yell.
"Time to go," I say getting up and walking into the bathroom. "Xander called, he needs us," I say tossing her phone on the bed as I walk into the bathroom.
"I hate you," she says rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"No," I comment throwing my t-shirt at her. Her eyes widen as she catches it. "You love me," I say throwing my shorts at her. That gets her attention and she gets up joining me in the bathroom. I may not be able to help her with her problems all the time, but when I can't, I sure as hell can help her forget about them for a little while.
...
Author's Note: REVIEWS PLEASE! Update soon.
