For the next week, the whole group spent most evenings together, either in the Gryffindor common room (it took a while to convince the fat lady to allow Draco and Luna in), Faith's room, or one of the guest rooms that had been produced for the SunnyDale group. Most teachers had given up on teaching, as all the students had their minds on Christmas, with not the slightest thought to work of any kind.
On Thursday, the night before most students would leave, Buffy found herself wandering the grounds, for some reason unable to deal with the animated chatter of the rest of the group. She breathed in the cool night air, and thought, as she hadn't really had time to before, how peaceful and tranquil the school grounds were at night. She settled down beside the lake, and watched the surface ripple in the slight breeze. She heard Faith coming, but didn't turn to greet her. The two slayers had not been alone at all, all week, and Buffy really didn't know what she was meant to say.
"Dawnie was wondering where you were." Said Faith, knowing that Buffy knew she was there.
"Those guys get a bit much after a while- how do you take it?" Buffy replied, more easily than she'd expected. Faith chuckled,
"I haven't really been part of the big group for long… y'know me an' my moods."
"You ok?" Buffy asked after a pause.
"Fiv…" Faith began, then sighed, "Yeah, yeah, I'm doing good."
Buffy smiled into the darkness.
"Good- Dawn seems happy."
"Yeah, I think she is, despite everything."
"Everything?" Buffy asked.
"Y'know, the whole Voldemort deal, then the match, and the whole Snape thing…"
Buffy nodded. They were silent for a moment, while Buffy thought.
"So what about this Draco dude? I never got a chance to really think about him before." She asked. Faith chuckled.
"Malfoy is ok once you get to know him- to everyone else he's a git. But Dawn… he cares about her, a lot. One second with them can tell ya that loud an' clear."
"Yeah… what about you and Charlie?" Buffy asked with a grin, finally twisting to look up at the other slayer behind her. Faith blushed- she couldn't help it. And that made her grin in embarrassment.
"What about me an' Charlie?"
"You tell me." Buffy replied.
"Nothin' to tell." Faith shrugged.
"Yeah right!" Buffy exclaimed. She hooked an arm about Faith's knee and toppled her to the ground. "Tell. Now."
Faith was shocked. She hadn't been ready for the attack, and fell hard- not that it was anything to what she took in battle. She frowned at Buffy, who smirked back, sticking out her tongue in a flare of childish triumph. Faith couldn't help but laugh.
"You're an idiot." She said. Buffy shrugged,
"I know. Now tell!"
Faith sighed.
"Seriously B… I dunno how much there is to tell…"
Buffy sobered a little,
"But… things have happened, right?"
"Yeah… but that's not exactly incredible for me, is it?" Faith said sourly. Buffy sighed,
"What happened?" She said simply.
"I was pissed off, worked up, and hadn't had a decent fight in quite a while. He told me to release."
"Ah." Buffy said. But she could see the confusion in the other slayer's eyes. "What?" She asked. Faith didn't answer right away, trying to figure out how to say it. Then,
"It wasn't meant to mean anything. It never did before. But when I woke up, and he was there, and he was… Charlie… I freaked, and kicked him out. I told him the whole deal with me, and threw him out."
"He made you feel." Buffy said. Faith looked at her sharply, but Buffy wasn't joking or teasing. She was perfectly seriously. Slowly, Faith nodded. "And now?" Buffy asked.
"You heard about going into Hogsmeade, right?" Buffy nodded, "Well… I got pissed at him for interfering, and he said he didn't see why he even bothered, and walked off…" She choked a laugh, "It felt different when he walked away from me."
Buffy smiled sympathetically, but then her brow puckered, and she grinned,
"You went after him." She said. Faith frowned, irritated that even after all this time Buffy could still read her so well. But she nodded,
"Yeah, I did. I told him why I acted like that… ie, hey, I'm a bitch… and…." She grinned widely. "and… well, then it got soppy, and in order to preserve my rep. I can say no more." She finished quickly. Buffy slapped her leg in annoyance, but Faith just kept grinning.
"Now its your turn." Faith said.
"Huh?" Buffy was genuinely surprised.
"You and blondey boy." Faith said.
"What did he tell you!?" Buffy exclaimed. Faith cracked up,
"Well saved B. He denied it. Now tell."
"Nothing to tell." Buffy said unconvincingly. Faith gave her a withering look. After about a minute of that stare, Buffy dropped her gaze, fiddling with the edge of her jumper. When she spoke, it was very quiet, and full of sorrow. "When I came back… everything felt so numb. At the end of the whole musical thing… I … We… I just wanted to feel…" She considered this a moment, "The line was actually 'this isn't real, but I just wanna feel.'"
"Now that's true love." Faith murmured sarcastically. Buffy swallowed, nodding,
"I know… but the only time I felt anything was when I was with him…" She looked up at Faith significantly, "He made me feel." She said.
"And now?" Faith said quietly.
"Now we're over… I was using him… it was wrong… and it was killing me. Instead of facing things, I turned to him."
"An' how did he handle that?"
"He didn't really get a choice." Buffy told her. Faith smiled sympathetically.
"Its not really fair, is it?" She said.
"What isn't?" Buffy asked.
"Well… that I'm the screw up; the botched job; and you're the good, strong, never-stops-fighting slayer, yet you're the one that gets all the f*cked up relationships."
Buffy shrugged,
"You've had your fair share. I guess its just your time for one to go well." She said seriously. Faith broke eye contact.
"But I don't deserve it." She said.
"Does he thinks you do." Buffy said.
"He's a dope."
"He's the one it concerns. If he thinks you do, you do." Buffy insisted, "And besides, I think you do too."
"Really?" Faith exclaimed.
"Really. Stop being a drama queen and go get with your hunny." Buffy all but ordered, pointing up the lawn. Faith half grinned, glancing up to the castle.
"You be ok?" She asked.
"Always." Buffy replied. Faith squeezed the other slayer's hand, and jumped up, heading back inside.
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Its been bought to my attention that this story has kinda been seriously faith-ified. Sorry for the lack of Dawn detail recently, more will come soon. Just with the whole Charlie deal it got sorta faith tracked. But more Dawnie is planned…