Buffy spun around. Nothing. Just the empty night air and her friends running towards them.
"Faith! Faith stop it!" Willow shouted. She gestured emphatically, Faith tensed, but nothing happened.
Won't use magic to save yourself, won't use magic to save her. At least you're consistent. Faith thought, her eyes still searching the air behind her. There was…someone there.
Buffy looked for a moment longer, turned and kicked Faith off Kennedy, whose face was slowly turning back to its normal colour. She lay, gasping on the ground, eyes angry. Willow knelt at her side. "Are you okay Kennedy?" she asked quietly.
"What the hell was that?" Buffy demanded. "You nearly killed her!"
Faith stood up, brushing off her jeans. "Whatever."
"Not whatever." Buffy grabbed her arms, hard, and shoved her backwards.
"What is wrong with you?"
Faith sneered. "Nothing B. Time that piece of shit got what was coming to her anyway."
"What happened? What did she do?"
Faith hesitated. She glanced over at Willow who was checking Kennedy's neck with her fingers and talking to her quietly.
"I gotta go."
Buffy shook her head. "No. Say, talk to me."
"I wish I could but I'm wanted somewhere else."
"I want you here."
Faith smiled, shook her head. "This is not an 'I've gotta run away' talk. I'm leaving the graveyard, not you."
Buffy blushed. Xander moved from his spot near Willow, taking a stance in front of Faith. "What was that?"
"Move it X-man."
Xander shook his head, lowered his voice. "What do you know that you should be telling me about?"
"Nothing," Faith snapped, "I have to go."
"Not before you tell me what's with that? Did Kennedy do something?"
"Fine." Faith pulled Xander close to her and whispered in his ear, "Willow didn't use magic, did she. Why do you think that is? Ask Kennedy."
Then she ran.
Come on come on where are you?
I saw you, now where are you? Why me Tara? I barely even know you.
Pick on Buffy; she's a slayer and your friend. Why the hell did I come back to Sunnydale? Bloody apocalypse.
"Come on, let's just go home." Willow said pleadingly.
"I'll kill her. I'll smash her head in." Kennedy replied, glaring at her girlfriend.
Xander laughed, hands splayed. "Yeah I'd be pissed too but lets not get all homicidal."
The group walked home together, Kennedy staying silent for the most part, tension radiating off her in waves. Buffy and Xander walked behind in an equally awkward silence, neither really knowing what to say to Kennedy.
They reached the house, and Kennedy stormed upstairs. Willow followed, though Xander and Buffy both made moves to stop her.
"She probably wants to be alone. She's angry slash embarrassed." Xander reasoned.
"When did you become such an expert on the female mind?" Buffy asked.
"In England. I give good, manly advice to young slayers." He smiled, briefly, before becoming serious again. "Buffy, what did Faith mean?"
"What did she say?"
"She told me Willow hadn't been using magic, and did I wonder why?"
"That's rubbish. Giles told her, its part of her, there's no reason not to use it." Buffy said.
"What does Faith know that we don't?"
Later
"She…did you see what she did to me? I don't know if I should call the police or just take a sword and fix her myself." Kennedy said, angrily pacing the room.
Willow sat on the bed watching her. "I can't believe she attacked you like that…"
"Now you know, right?" Kennedy said with fierce intensity, turning to her. "Now you know why I wanted you to stay away from her- she's dangerous! She's a killer Willow. Never forget it."
Willow frowned. "I killed people Ken."
Kennedy turned to her, smiled sadly, and for a moment Willow closed her eyes and heard Giles' voice.
I've not forgotten…Do you want to be punished?
"I just want to be Willow." The redhead whispered.
You are. In the end we all are who we are, no matter how much we may appear to have changed.
Overlain on top of his voice was Kennedy's, just as sympathetic but not nearly as reassuring. "You? Not anymore. You're not like her…I've got you under control."
Willow frowned. For months, in control had been her mantra. The spell she'd done to change the slayers had changed her too, and control seemed less difficult, as easy as you control your breathing.
But then there was Kennedy. Kennedy was different, since she got her power, she was darker, scary. Kennedy…told her she was out of control…told her she was dangerous, and Willow believed her because of the nightmares she had. Tara, staring at her with disgust. Warren accusing her of murder, sobbing onto Tara's shoulder as the pretty blonde Wicca smiled at him.
"I could still do it." she said into the quiet air.
No, a voice whispered. You wouldn't. You're too good for that. But Willow ignored it, ignored the voice that told her maybe she wasn't as bad as she felt. A familiar voice that faded as Kennedy laughed.
"Is that a threat?"
Willow shook her head hurriedly, and Kennedy laughed again. "I think it was. Maybe that's what you and Faith talk about, comparing your respective deeds?"
"No!"
Kennedy laughed again and kissed her. "My dear girl, you are a filthy murderer, one that needs to be kept on a short leash."
Willow slapped her.
Kennedy raised one hand to her cheek. She felt the red mark Willow had left, Willow who still stood staring defiantly. "Well, this has been a good day for me. Choked by Faith, slapped by you, the only reason neither of you are dead is because I have some shred of decency left in me."
Speaking of decency, she slapped the witch back.
"Slap me? Fuck with me behind my back? You did nothing when she was trying to kill me! Buffy, of all people, was the only one who did anything! She's sleeping with that bitch and she still kicked her ass off me!" Kennedy's eyes were teary, her face red, and with each emphatic statement her grip tightened on Willow's arm.
"You bitch!"
Willow staggered under the blow to her face, just under her left eye. Kennedy bared her teeth.
"I love you!" she cried, following it with a blow. All her slayer speed and strength used, she gripped the witch and shook her until her teeth rattled and the world went blurry.
"How can you do this to me?"
"Hey Kennedy I brought you an ice-" the door to their room opened. Buffy stood, ice pack in hand, her mouth open.
"What's going on in here?"
Kennedy didn't flinch, moving her hands quickly into something resembling an embrace she pulled Willow against her.
"Nothing Buffy. Bit of a lovers tiff is all."
"Will?" Buffy asked. "I know what I saw, and that was not a tiff!"
Willow looked up. Her face was tired, and she suddenly looked ten years older.
"This is none of your business Buffy." She said slowly. "Kennedy made a mistake…we all make mistakes…leave us alone."
Buffy stared incredulously.
"You expect me," she said, looking more at Kennedy, "To just leave my friend to get hurt by an immature brat of a slayer?"
Kennedy smiled triumphantly as Willow answered.
"Yes Buffy, I do expect you to keep your nose out of my business, unless you'd like to lose a friend."
Buffy bit her lip to keep from retorting angrily. Her gaze switched between Willow's dead look, and Kennedy's smirk.
She shattered the doorknob on her way out.
Taking the steps three at a time, she threw herself out the door and began to run.
After jogging for a few minutes Buffy realised something was following her so she picked up her pace.
The footsteps still dogged her.
She sped up again, and still the footsteps followed.
At last Buffy turned, realizing that no normal human could have kept up with her, which left her with three alternatives.
It as was a particularly stupid vampire she should stake.
It was a vampire she knew. Not Angel, not now!
It was a slayer.
Faith jogged easily up to her, feeling a twinge of annoyance.
"You couldn't have stopped a bit sooner?" she asked.
"I didn't ask you to follow me." Buffy replied.
"I needed the run." Faith said lightly. "So what's up?"
"Willow."
It seemed to Buffy, that with that one word, Faith tensed up.
"What's up with her?" Faith said guardedly.
"Buffy?"
Both slayers whipped around. They'd heard nothing, felt nothing, but there was someone else there.
Faith took a step back. Was that…?
Buffy's eyes went wide. Her hand flew to her mouth.
"Tara…?" she whispered.
"I'm so glad to see you." Tara walked forward calmly and gave the stunned slayer a hug, just as if she came back from the dead everyday.
Then Tara turned to Faith.
"Are you a demon?" Faith asked unthinkingly.
"No." Tara smiled. "I'm just alive. And I have a message for you."
"What?" Faith said gruffly. "I don't want any messages from death thank you very much."
"But this isn't from there. It's from Life."
"What?" Faith said warily, making sure she was out of arms reach. Tara smiled beatifically. "Thank you for helping her. Thank you for loving her."
Faith stepped forward, tears starting in her eyes. "I didn't! I couldn't! I couldn't do anything."
Tara shook her head. "Willow always saved me, always. She can't save herself, and she couldn't let you do it. Now she needs me to save her."
Picture book of memories, how we used to be
Some people spend a lifetime waiting for their dreams
But I won't find the answers by looking at the stars
I will find my strength in the beat of your heart