Summary: This is a sequel to my story A Creature I Don't Know which can be found here: s/8467907/1/A-Creature-I-Dont-Know
A/N: I strongly recommend a good understanding of season 5 to follow this: Checkpoint especially for this update.
Disclaimer:Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, UPN and WB Television Networks own the television shows, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Dark Horse and IDW own the Comics. No copyright infringement is intended, no money is being earned by myself. The title of each chapter, and the story as a whole, come from K's Choice songs/Album titles. (Given that I had soundtrack for the first I thought I should have one for the second).
Thank you all for your kind words and support for my last story. I hope you enjoy my continuation of it. I would love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts. Many thanks.
9. God In My Bed: Part I
Faith looked around the living room, the stray dishes and abandoned soda cans. While she did what she could to help Buffy, but she found that Buffy didn't want her help. She knew that the girl was grateful that she went out each night patrolling in the dark, but when she came to the house in the day she found she was not wanted.
She found that Buffy was pulling away.
"I'll just get that..." Buffy nodded at her, indicating that Faith could sit back down, as she went to the door.
Faith simply watched as she returned to the room with Xander and Anya in tow.
"Sorry I'm late." He smiled at the all as he waved his cast sheepishly around at them all. "This thing makes driving an adventure in steering."
Xander looked for a place to sit and Buffy was forced to grab a pile of magazines from the only remaining chair for him.
"Dawn left those here..." She said passing them to Faith for her to find somewhere for them.
"It's all right, Buffy." Giles reassured her as he watched her busy herself with more tidying. "I know this meeting is short notice."
"Mom's still not a hundred percent," she answered without really hearing what he'd said, "and I guess I haven't really been taking up the slack..."
"The place looks fine, Buffy." Willow smiled at her, receiving the stack of magazines from Faith.
"There's, like, a sweater under the sofa." Xander complained. "Well, I can't get it. Your troll broke my wrist." He added when he noticed Willow's dirty looks.
"My troll?" She questioned as Buffy took the sweater.
Faith watched her examine her jumper, she hadn't seen it for a couple of weeks. She imagined she must have left it when she and Buffy had shared their celebratory evening together. Buffy simply threw it at her and continued tidying the room.
"I didn't create the troll..." Willow continued, "I didn't date the troll... In fact I hate the troll. I helped deflate the troll-" she found Tara's hand on her knee indicating that it was time she stopped. "All done."
"I've had some rather... I've had some news." Giles tried to gather everyone's attention. "It seems that the Council of Watchers has found some information that may help us out."
"About Glory?"
"Presumably." Giles nodded at Buffy. "We'll find out when they arrive. It could be quite important."
"Arrive?" Faith and Buffy said in unison.
"They're coming here? Now? Why do they have to come here?" Buffy continued.
"Yeah, don't they have phones?" Xander asked before trying to put on a British accent. "Hallo, Buffy, here's some stuff we know, pip pip."
"Yes. Phones!" Buffy pointed to Xander. "I'd like them to phone!"
"Seconded!" Faith said.
"What's so bad about them coming here?" Tara questioned, looking around them all. "Aren't they good guys? I mean, Watchers, that's just like whole other Gileses, right?"
"Except they like to arrest and deport me." Faith sighed. "Though, admittedly England isn't as bad as I thought." She shrugged, pulling up the bottom of her sweater to reveal that she too was wearing an 'I heart LDN' t-shirt.
"They're scary and horrible!" Buffy added looking, almost pleadingly towards Giles.
"They come across a little, well, a little hard-nosed, but they do share our agenda. They want to save the world, kill the demons-"
"Kill the current demons, right?" Anya checked. "Current demons."
"Giles, I don't want them here." Buffy said. "I don't trust them. Make them not come here."
"They're probably already on the way." He looked back at her regretfully. "Our old friend Quentin Travers is heading up a delegation."
"They put me through that thing, that test and almost killed me-"
"Wes and his boys were pretty threatening," Faith nodded, "while I don't think Wes had the balls, I suspect the others would have offed me in an instant."
"Honestly, I cannot handle more almost being killed right now!" Buffy continued.
"I don't like the sound of this." Anya told Xander. "They don't sound ex-demon compatible."
"Are you sure they're English?" Tara asked Willow and Faith. "I thought English people were gentler than normal people."
"I met some tough ones in Soho." Faith shrugged.
"Maybe they won't be so bad this time…" Willow tried to comfort Buffy. "Plus," she looked to Faith, "you're good now, maybe they won't care enough to kill you."
"You weren't good?" Tara asked her.
"Re: wheelchair."
"Wheelchair?" Tara frowned.
"When did you start dating?" Faith frowned back at her looking between her and Willow.
"Enough!" Buffy suddenly announced bringing quiet to the room. "They're going to screw things up. Everything's kinda delicate right now. There's, you know, Dawn to take care of..."
"B," Faith rose to be at her side, "chill it."
"I can't chill it. I have Dawn to take care of."
"Yeah, but that's not new." Xander looked confused between the girls, "You always take care of her."
"I mean it's a dangerous time. Glory is out there somewhere and I don't want the council distracting me..." she looked to Faith, "…us…" she corrected "…or getting in the way. Giles, I don't need them looking over my shoulder when we're not even sure what we're dealing with..."
"But that's precisely why we need to talk to them..." Giles tried to persuade her, but her attention had left the room.
"Dawn! Are you listening?"
"I can get a snack if I want to." She called back to her sister from the hallway, her disgruntled footsteps back up the stairs clearly audible.
"She was listening." Buffy complained folding her arms across her.
"B!" Faith smiled nervously, an arm outstretched to her shoulder, "Chill it."
"I can't chill it." Buffy repeated, shying away from Faith's contact. "Sometimes we say stuff... I guess it's okay." She sighed noticing everyone's looks and the hurt she'd caused in Faith. "Giles, you were saying something."
"Just that if the Council knows something about Glory, her agenda, her origins, then maybe it will help us get a grip on what we're dealing with. Because, right now, I think we're a little lost." He looked to the girl across from him. The girl with her arms still folded across her. The girl that suddenly looked so old, so tired and so confused. The girl that was so lost.
Faith walked stride by stride with Buffy, while she could keep up with her along the street she found Buffy's mind a lot harder to follow. So far they'd discussed Rasputin, a mean lecturer, Spike, gratitude and then Rasputin again. Buffy suddenly stopped though and turned round to face her.
"I'm sorry," she apologised seemingly apropos of nothing. "I've been talking constantly since you met me. I've not even asked you how school was. You know, we don't focus enough on your school... uniform." Buffy said looking the girl up and down.
"You used to focus on it more." Faith smiled back at her. "But it's cool, you've had your mom, Dawn and this hell bitch to cope with."
"Yeah but you've had stuff too..."
"I've had math homework." Faith corrected.
"And Latin!" Buffy pointed out. "You take Latin too."
"Yup," Faith nodded as she opened the door to the Magic Box, "nothing is going to belittle my progress more than reminding me that I have Latin homework while you deal with your mom's can-" she stopped when she noticed a whole group of suited people staring at them. "If we walk away now they may not have spotted us."
"Told you I was having a bad day." Buffy sighed besides her.
"Miss Summers!" A man smiled broadly at her. "Good to see you again. And Miss Lehane," he held out his hand to Faith which she ignored, "while we've never met I've certainly heard a lot about you."
"Mr. Travers." Buffy nodded back at him.
"If we walk away now they may not have spotted us." Faith told her again.
"Mr Wyndam-Pryce said you had a sense of humour."
"Well time with Wes was just a laugh a minute." Faith sighed as she allowed herself to be led into the shop.
"Giles was just telling us about your training regimen. Perhaps you'll both favour us with a demonstration while we're here."
"You mean, like, right now?" Buffy asked, sending a nervous look towards Giles, "'Cause, already had my recommended daily dose of fights tonight."
"Did you then?" Giles appeared to be pleased by the distraction. "Very good! Very good. Tell us about it."
"A Vampire." Faith said with a roll of her eyes. "Spike dusted him." She simply held up one of her textbooks. "I had math."
"Well, I wouldn't worry about doing anything for us tonight." Mr Travers stated. "No need to rush you."
Faith and Buffy both looked towards Giles. "They may be staying slightly longer than I anticipated." He explained.
"We've already laid out our project for Mr. Giles." Mr Travers continued. "Nigel..."
"It's an exhaustive review of your procedures and abilities." Another Watcher elaborated, stepping forward towards the girls. "We'll observe your training-"
"Both of us?" Faith asked, pointing between them. "'Cause you fired me. I should be exempt."
"Talk to your friends-" the man tried to continue.
"Talk to my friends?"
"Yes. We understand you're still taking civilians along on your patrols-" Travers took charge of Buffy's interruption.
"You've got to be kidding."
"He's not kidding. He's a very serious man."
"Sorry. Who are you?" Buffy asked him.
"They're a little tight-lipped with the introductions." Giles sighed.
"Miss Summers, Miss Lehane - Buffy, Faith - I can sense your resistance. I don't blame you, but I think your watcher hasn't reminded you lately of the relative status of the players in our little game. The Council fights evil. The Slayer, Slayers, are the instruments with which we fight. The Council remains. The Slayers... change. It's been that way from the beginning."
"Yes, that's a very comforting, bloodless way to look at it, isn't it?" Giles sighed once more.
"Giles, let me talk to Buffy-"
"See," Faith pointed at the other Watchers before pointing back to herself, "fired!"
"-Because," Mr Travers continued, " I think she's understanding me." He spoke directly to the older slayer once more. "Glory is stronger than you. She's a more powerful instrument, if you will. But we can help you. We have information that will help. Pass the review and we give it to you without reservation. Fail the review, either through incompetence or by resisting our recommendations-"
"Resisting your recommendations? She fails if we don't do whatever you say?
How much under your thumb do you think we are?"
"How much do you want our help?" Mr Travers asked Giles, seemingly unfazed by the fact that Giles was getting riled up.
"They're not your bloody instruments! You've got no right to do any of this!"
"G!" Faith took his arm and tried to lead him back as another Watcher stood protectively over Mr Travers.
"Calm down. Calm down. I understand that you feel this is unfair." Travers indicated for both Watchers to step aside. "But there are factors which should motivate you to go along with the review. I don't want to do this, but obviously, we could shut this place down permanently."
"You can't do that. You don't have that kind of power." Buffy complained while Faith simply scoffed.
"Of course we do." Travers smiled. "And a great deal more. In fact, if you insist on fighting us - we'll arrange to have Mr. Giles deported within the day. Never set foot in this country again." He paused while both girls looked to Giles. "Not to mention the little matter of Miss Lehane and Mr Finch."
"What?" Faith asked, trying not to show that her legs were starting to give way. "You can't, I-"
"It may have escaped your notice but not ours, Miss Lehane, that you never faced trial for your crimes."
"But the hospital-" she couldn't continue. Her legs had given up. No one noticed though as Buffy had to fight to restrain Giles.
"Perhaps you're used to idle threats and sloppy discipline, Ms. Summers," Travers continued once Giles was a safe distance from him, "but you're dealing with grown ups now. Am I making myself clear?"
Thank you all for your continued support. Circus.