They were on the road before the sun even set. It was a tight squeeze in the mini-van Giles had picked up and Faith found herself sitting in the far back, wedged up against the window with Xander, Andrew, and Dawn back there with her. They had only been on the road for a little under an hour before the first fight over what music to listen to erupted. Faith just sat there, fully amused at the words exchanged between Xander, Andrew, Dawn, and Kennedy. It was during that harmless fight, with the bickering and the poking and the slap Dawn had given Andrew, that she knew the long ride to Cleveland would be far from boring.
In the end, after Giles shouted at them like they were children to stop the bickering, he pulled over to a strip mall and gave them enough cash to buy whatever music they wanted to. Faith used that quick stop to buy a pack of cigarettes and she now leaned against the van, taking one drag after another while letting her thoughts wander. She tried not to listen to Giles, Buffy, and Willow as they spoke quietly inside the van about what they would do once they all arrived in Cleveland. Her mind was set on the short phone call she'd had with Angel just a few short hours before.
Angel told her he'd taken care of her police record. He promised her she wouldn't have any problems with the long and short arm of the law as long as she kept out of trouble. It all seemed too easy, but he assured her that it was for the better this way. She couldn't help save the world if she was locked away in prison. He knew that as well as she did. She couldn't fight for her redemption behind the prison walls; she had to do it outside if she wanted to do it right. Being trapped within herself was prison enough and those ghosts of her past would always be there, haunting her. Taunting her. Trying to coax her back to the darkness she was fighting day in and day out.
Sighing, she took one last drag of her cigarette, now thinking and wondering what the hospital was going to do with Robin's body. Angel had asked and she didn't have an answer. She didn't say a word. She had only fought back the tears just as she was fighting them back now. She wanted to know, though. She needed to know. Maybe it'd give her some sense of peace knowing where he'd be laid to rest. By the end of the phone call with Angel, he'd promised her he'd take care of things with Robin and let her know, but it didn't feel good enough for her. It just wasn't enough.
She got back in the van when she saw the others come out of the used music store they'd spent the last half hour in. The second round of pointless arguing started as soon as they were back on the road. She just closed her eyes and leaned her head against the window, trying to drown out the voices just for a couple of minutes.
"Faith," Xander said softly as he poked her in the leg until she opened her eyes and turned to look at him. "Pick one."
He held out the handful of CD's they had bought and she shrugged as she pointed at random, not even caring what she ended up picking for them. As long as it stopped the pointless arguing and got some music playing, she was good. He smiled widely as he handed the CD forward and within seconds the first beats of Iron Man blasted through the cheap generic speakers.
Faith smiled to herself as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the window. Even over the music, though, she could hear the soft sigh coming from Buffy as she sat in the front next to Giles. She opened her eyes and looked up at Buffy, catching her eyes for a moment when she looked back. Even under the soft glow of the streetlights as they passed by, she could sense something was bothering Buffy from the look in her eyes. It bothered her too; it was almost as if she could feel whatever Buffy was feeling. It also scared her a little, wondering if it worked both ways. Wondering if Buffy could also feel whatever she felt.
She shifted uncomfortably in the seat, nudging Xander a little bit as she tried to make a little room for herself. It was going to be one hell of a long ride to Cleveland. She let out a soft sigh as she slouched down in the seat and closed her eyes once again. The voices of everyone crammed in the van drained out with the sound of the music blaring through the speakers. She pulled herself into the void she was used to, the aloneness that she fell so easily into when she needed to. It filled her body like a drug. It sent her thoughts on vacation as she just welcomed that vast emptiness she'd slipped into.
Hours passed by, miles of road left behind with thousands of miles yet to go. She wasn't sure when she'd fallen asleep, but when she opened her eyes the sun was just rising and Giles was pulling into a gas station to fill up. Everyone scrambled to get out of the van to stretch their legs, go to the bathroom, and buy some coffee and breakfast from the diner across the road.
"How much sleep did you get?" Giles asked Xander as the three of them stood outside against the van while the service boy filled the gas tank.
"Couple hours. I should be okay to drive most of the day."
"Good," Giles replied with a relieved smile. "How are you holding up back there, Faith?"
"Eh," she shrugged. "It's not that comfortable being wedged up against the window, but I figure it's better than nothing."
"Better than walking or flying," Xander grumbled. "C'mon, Giles, you could have at least flown us out to Cleveland instead of spending god knows how many days on the road."
"A road trip is an experience," Giles reasoned, which made both Faith and Xander roll their eyes. "I myself have never been on the road like this before, and I'm sure we can all benefit from this experience one way or another."
"Right," Faith laughed as she pushed herself off the van. "What kind of experience would that be, Giles?"
"An experience, er..." he stammered as he removed his glasses to give them a quick wipe. "It is just an experience, that's all. Once in a lifetime thing, er...also gives us all an opportunity to..."
"Get on each other's nerves at all hours of the day?" Xander offered, he and Faith both chuckling as Giles let out a frustrated sigh. Xander turned to Faith, a playful smile curling across his lips. "How long do you figure it'll take for us all to want to kill each other?"
"I...are we gonna bet on this?" Faith asked with a wink as Giles groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Five bucks says Dawnie is gonna try to kill Andrew first by tomorrow then she's gonna try to kill Kennedy."
"Ten," Xander smirked as he stuck out his hand and they shook on it. "Giles, you in?"
"This is infuriating," he muttered under his breath as he paid the service boy. "I'm in, but," he smiled at them as he stuck out his hand to shake on it, "I call by tomorrow afternoon, not tonight."
"You underestimate them," Xander laughed as he shook his head and leaned over to Faith, keeping his eyes on Giles as he whispered to her, "Easiest ten bucks we'll ever make."
She nodded her head, trying to bite back the smirk as Giles looked at the two of them. He laughed as he shook his head and went around to the driver's side to get in. Faith and Xander walked across the road while Giles drove the van to park it in the small parking lot outside of the diner. Faith headed straight for the counter, avoiding everyone that sat in the booths. The diner was empty, completely void of customers other than their group, which was probably for the best considering how much food they had already ordered.
She ordered a coffee, black, and a stack of pancakes and stayed there at the counter, sitting on the last stool and mindlessly tapping the fork against the linoleum countertop. Andrew was telling everyone a story. What, exactly, she didn't know nor did she care, but he had them laughing and the only one she could hear ever so clearly was Buffy, even though her laughs were few and far in between. She blocked out the buzz, the connection, when she felt Buffy sit down next to her at the counter.
"Hey," she said softly, smiling when Faith turned to look at her. "How come you're over here all alone?"
"Dunno. Just am."
Buffy sighed as she motioned to the woman behind the counter to fill up her empty mug of coffee. They sat there for a few minutes, neither of them saying a word. Faith tensed a little as Buffy turned to her, sipping her coffee slowly. Her eyes trailed over the side of Faith's face and the rest of her body, burning into her, driving her insane with thoughts she didn't want to have, thoughts she shouldn't be having when it came to Buffy.
"What do ya want, B?"
"Nothing."
"Then what are ya staring at me for?"
"Trying to figure you out," Buffy chuckled, a teasing smile dancing over her lips as Faith looked over at her. "If you must know, I'm learning how to read your mind. Are you scared?"
She let the laugh escape past her lips, her own teasing smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she looked down into her cup of coffee and shook her head. "You're something else, aren't ya, B?"
"Oh you have no idea, F."
She wasn't used to this side of Buffy, but it was nice. She could feel the ease of the laughter that was shared between them. It was different than any time before when things were easy, or almost, between them. She could almost taste the hope between them that this was one of many steps they'd take before they could call themselves friends. It made her feel less alone, it brought a different kind of smile to her face, and for once, just once, she didn't doubt the hope she had for them to finally make amends.
Of course, she had to remind herself of what Angel had said to her over the phone. She had to give Buffy time, give her space, and give her the chance to get used to having her around again. She had to let Buffy make the first move in their friendship, let her take it that one step further when it came to talking and opening up and learning how to trust one another again. Angel told her she had remember that Buffy was hard to break, just as she was when it came to letting anyone in. If anyone knew either of them best, it was Angel. She trusted Angel and she would trust whatever he said to her when it came to Buffy.
"So, is this something I should get used to?" Buffy asked, smirking at her as she slowly turned to look at her. "This spacing out, getting lost in your own thoughts thing, I mean."
"I guess?"
"You guess?"
Faith nodded, stifling a laugh as she took a sip of her coffee. "Yeah. I guess. What, you want a better answer than that, Twinkie?"
"No. That's good enough. For now," Buffy laughed.
The woman behind the counter smiled at the two of them as she placed the plate of pancakes down in front of Faith. She dug right in, not realizing just how hungry she was until she took the first bite. She could see Buffy watching her out of the corner of her eye and every so often would glance down at the huge stack of pancakes on the plate. Faith reached for another fork and handed it to her without a word. She slid the plate over a little, doing something she never had before—offer to share her food, and with Buffy nonetheless.
"These are good," Buffy said after she'd taken a bite. "Really good."
"Good? They are fuckin' ace, B!"
Buffy raised an eyebrow as she reached out for more. She took one last bite and walked away to join the others. Faith just exchanged the look and went back to eat the rest of her breakfast alone. They were in and out of there in less than thirty minutes. She grabbed a coffee to go, ignoring Andrew when he told her she'd regret it once they were on the road for more than four hours at a time. It wasn't the first time she'd been on the road. She knew it wouldn't be the last, either. What was always the way it was for her would always just be that.
There were no fights over the music, no quiet talking. Nothing. Nothing for hours other than the sounds of the tires over the road. Miles of land passing by, becoming just another place, a small piece of memory that would soon be forgotten. It was in times like this she'd just shut off for hours at a time despite how many others were around her. The closer they got to where they'd spend however many years saving the world yet again, she felt it, and she felt that heaviness and the energy that surrounded it. The evil. So much stronger than anything she'd felt before.
They stopped a few times, mostly just to rest, to get gas, since what was the hurry. Running off to yet another Hellmouth, not knowing just what they were all walking into, was enough to make them want to take their time. Nobody had said it, but it could be felt hanging heavy around all of them. The seventh stop of the day was at the side of the road to change a flat. Faith had lost track of time since the last they'd stopped, but it was nearly dusk and they were in the middle of nowhere. Literally.
Through every stop they'd made, through the entire day, nobody had spoken. Too tired as the realization of everything that happened really began to sink in. It wasn't new for Faith, she'd felt things before, but not quite like this. It was a mix of old and new, something she didn't see coming. She stood at the side of the road, holding the flashlight for Xander as he struggled to change the flat.
"Shouldn't we try to help him?" Buffy asked as she moved to stand closer to Faith.
"Nah," Faith chuckled, finding it rather amusing as Xander gave up trying to twist the nut off. Buffy raised her eyebrow, again the way she had in the diner, and laughed softly as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You want to try?"
"Do you?"
"Nope."
"Me neither."
They both laughed as Xander turned to look at them. Faith had expected him to still be frustrated at not being able to get the wheel off and yet he knelt there and laughed right along with them. The smile and the laughter died off as Faith took a small step away from Buffy. The buzz deep inside of her felt too strong to handle and she almost felt slightly winded. It was one of those feelings that just hit her out of nowhere and she chose to blame it on being stuck in a van with seven other people. It was the same feeling she'd felt when she'd been locked up. She hated it yet embraced it all at the same time.
Things had changed, even if only a little. Still, she wondered if she could be everything she hadn't been able to be before. Just being among them was enough to question whether she should even be there or not. None of them had tried to push her away, tell her to leave, or that she wasn't welcome to stay around. It had been quite the opposite and she knew it was only because she had been there for them all, especially for Buffy, during the fight against the First.
In the end Faith ended up switching the tire, claiming the front seat and smirking at Buffy as she quickly slipped into the seat. Xander got behind the wheel, laughing under his breath as Buffy forced Kennedy to sit in the far back. Buffy sat next to Willow, smirking right back at Faith as she gave the seat a nudge with her knee. She laughed to herself as she picked up the Black Sabbath CD and put it on, flipping Buffy off when she nudged the seat again. She chuckled to herself as she pushed the seat as far back as it would go and stretched out her legs.
The sounds of bitten back laughter that escaped from everyone but Buffy gave her a smile, this sense of forgiveness in an odd way. They had to do things different, their way, and whatever their way was, they seemed to be figuring it out slowly. Giles had been right. A road trip was an experience and it wasn't just about the miles they'd driven or the places they passed. It was about slowly forming a bond between all of them, building up old and new friendships from the foundation up.
It was the middle of the night when Xander pulled over to the side of the road and let Willow take over. In the odd way everyone rearranged the seating, Faith ended up next to Buffy with Xander and Kennedy next to them and Dawn and Andrew in front of them. She leaned up against the window, watching the darkening landscape roll by as she tried not to just feel Buffy as she sat a little too close for her liking. She sat up most of the night, stealing small glances over at Buffy who laid against Xander as she slept, trying to figure her out in those moments she wouldn't be seen letting down those walls she had when it came to Buffy.
"We should stop for a couple hours," Giles said quietly. "We need to get some proper rest. I'd rather not have us spend one more day on the road than we have to."
"You couldn't have thought of that last night?" Dawn protested what everyone else was thinking right then.
"Dawn," Buffy said tiredly, not even bothering to open her eyes yet.
"You want me to pull over here?" Willow asked and Faith lifted her head a little to look ahead.
Giles only nodded his head and Willow pulled into the parking lot and parked the van next to the small office. Everyone climbed out, stretching out sore and tired limbs while Giles went to get a few rooms for the day. He was in the office for not even five minutes before he came out and ordered everyone back in the van. They left without a second word after Giles explained the owners had been killed by what he suspected were werewolves. He didn't want to rush to Cleveland, but he didn't want to stick around anywhere else on the way either.
It was only an hour before they found another motel. Faith grabbed a key from Giles and headed straight for the room. She barely had her boots off before she collapsed on the bed in exhaustion. Even through the walls, she could hear the muffled voices of Buffy and Dawn in the room next to hers as she drifted off to sleep. She welcomed the noise. Any noise. Just anything to drown out her thoughts long enough for her to sleep was the only thing she needed to get a few hours of decent sleep.
Faith knew she'd been sleeping for most of the day when the sharp knocking on the door woke her up. Without even waiting for her to answer, Giles told her she had ten minutes before they were out on the road. In the other room she could hear Buffy and Dawn jokingly discuss ways to dump Giles somewhere along the way just so they could get some decent sleep for a couple of days. It only made her laugh as she got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.
Nine minutes later she was back in the van, cramped up in the same seat with Xander next to her. She grinned, laughing softly as Xander pulled out a ten dollar bill from his pocket, returning her smile as she pulled out one of her own. Neither had forgotten the bet and it was only going to make the rest of the day and night just a little more interesting. They had to get some fun outta something, was her logic, one that Kennedy and Andrew ended up buying into, finding the fun in something so harmless.
It was little things like that which made the days and the miles go by quicker. It made those lingering thoughts disappear for a little while and it helped Faith learn to just be around the others. She was becoming friendlier with mostly Xander and Kennedy, the three of them finding some sort of a bond in the endless hours spent on the road. Little by little she'd find that one moment alone she shared with Buffy. Whether it was a laugh at the side of the road, or sharing breakfast, or even the soft smiles and the looks that lasted just a few seconds more with each one.
Whatever was happening between her and Buffy was something that never was there before. It was comforting at the same time that it was making her nervous. The nervous part was making her uneasy. Nobody had ever managed to make her as nervous as she felt around Buffy, yet it was different this time. She wasn't scared of Buffy; she was scared of what she was starting to feel for her. Those thoughts were swimming around, drowning out the others until it was all she could think about.
And all she could feel was the evil that kept drawing in closer with every mile that went by.
"You okay?" Xander asked softly as he turned to her.
"Fine."
"We're almost there," he said with a smile that quickly faded when Faith nodded her head. "Is something wrong?"
"No. Just itching to get out, be able to rest for a few days. Being cooped up makes me all kinds of...itchy," she said, trying so hard not to make it look like she was fumbling for words. Not wanting to let her nervousness and the anxiety she felt to be shown. It was a sign of weakness, and the last thing she wanted to do was show a side of herself that was vulnerable.
"When we find a place to stay, do you want to come with me and find a bar, have a couple of beers?"
"Sure," she replied and kicked the seat in front of her. "You two down for getting some beers with Xander and me when we get to the city?"
Willow shrugged as she looked at Kennedy. A smile and a nod was all Faith needed before flashing Xander a smile of her own. They all ignored Andrew when he asked to join them and then Buffy turned around to look at them all from the front seat, asking if she could come with them. Nobody said no, it was a continuous shrug of the shoulders with all eyes landing back on Faith as if it was up to her. It wasn't up to her. All she did was nod her head and slouch back in the seat, wondering what alternate reality she'd stepped into, while she listened to Andrew mutter to himself about being left out yet again.
Nobody was purposely leaving him out, he was just annoying and tagging along since he had nowhere else to go. Just like she did. She had nowhere else to go, but for some reason the others wanted her around. She saw it in everyone's eyes whenever they just looked at her, especially Buffy's. It was that look that told her that they were all over the past. They might not have forgiven her for all her wrong doings, but they were over it and only wanting to move on from there. She'd felt it every day they'd been on the road, too, and it was one of those feelings she was having a hard time grasping on to.
It was a mad dash to get out of the van as soon as Giles pulled up to an empty looking house. He explained the old Council had properties all over the world, that this house was one of them and now was theirs. Faith, Xander, and Kennedy were the first ones inside, all three of them running up the stairs to claim one of the six bedrooms as their own. There was some kind of hidden understanding that the master bedroom was off limits to the three of them. None of them complained when Buffy claimed the room as her own—nobody but Dawn, that is, but that was expected.
Every room in the house was sparsely decorated in second-hand furniture, but it wasn't empty and Faith figured that was a hell of a lot better than trying to live in an empty house. She stayed in her room, checking out the books that lined the bookshelf on the wall. Council approved books, hundreds of them.
"Giles," she said as she stepped out into the hallway as he walked past the room. "You should check out the books in there. I think there's more in there than I saw you have in Sunnydale."
"Indeed," he replied with a smile. "Every room has hundreds of books that will be useful for us. I was going to suggest we move all the books down to the living room."
"Sounds like a good plan; y'know, after we all sleep for a week or two," Faith laughed as she walked downstairs with him to join the others in the kitchen. "We're still heading out to grab a couple of beers," she asked as she walked up to Xander, "aren't we?"
"You and I are going on a beer run while the others go and buy some food. We're just going to stay in tonight. That cool with you?"
"Sure."
The lie slid past her lips so easily, but it didn't feel completely wrong. Although she did want to go out to a bar, or preferably a club, she knew it'd have to wait for another day. She knew she didn't have to go along with whatever they wanted to do, but that nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that had driven her insane for the last couple of days was telling her to stick around and hang out with the people she'd never actually been friends with. Until now. The bond she'd formed with all of them, even the small one with Buffy, made her finally feel that string of acceptance and she didn't want to lose it.
The store was not even a block away. She and Xander bought a few cases of beer—Bud Light since it was Xander's choice—and walked back to the house in complete, utter silence. They stocked the fridge and joined Andrew and Dawn in the living room as they tried to figure out how to get the old TV to work.
"Can't I have one?" Dawn asked as she motioned to the beer Faith had in her hand. "Buffy doesn't have to know if I have one, does she?"
"Whatever, kid."
"I am not a kid!"
"You're underage. Makes you a kid," Faith chuckled. "Better not, though, Dawn. I've gone this long without Buffy kicking my ass, kind of want to set some kind of a record."
They all laughed and settled around the old, worn couches in the living room. Andrew finally got the TV working, barely, and they sat there until the others came back with enough food to last them a week, if not more. It was finally sinking in that they were there in Cleveland, that they had a place to stay that wasn't just another motel, but a house they would soon be able to call home once they made it their own. Nobody wanted to listen to Giles as he explained that they would have to make a schedule for patrol and general household chores. After spending four days on the road, nobody wanted to think about what would happen the next day, next week, or month.
Faith slipped out onto the front porch by the time she opened her third beer. It didn't surprise her that Buffy followed her out and sat on the steps next to her without saying a word, much less casting a glance in her direction. By the third time Buffy let out a soft sigh, Faith turned to look at her, wondering if she should ask her what was bothering her. She didn't have to, though, since she could feel it. Buffy was feeling restless.
"Doesn't feel real, does it?" Buffy asked softly as she turned to look at Faith. "Being here, I mean."
"Nah, not really."
"I...can you feel it?"
"Feel what, B?"
"The energy coming from the Hellmouth."
"Yeah, I can feel it. Strong, isn't it?"
"Stronger than it was in Sunnydale, don't you think?"
"Definitely," Faith replied, smiling a little at her as she took a sip of her beer. "I've got a feeling we'll never be bored here."
"We were never bored in Sunnydale either," Buffy laughed softly. "At least this time...it's not all up to me to save the world again and again. I don't feel the weight of the world resting upon my shoulders like before. I'm kind of...relieved you are here."
"We got Kennedy too."
"Yeah, but," she laughed softly as she shook her head and looked away from Faith. "She needs to be trained and you and I both know how much work that is going to take. She's a little bit..."
"A little bit what?"
"Too confident and sloppy when she fights. Granted I've only seen her really fight as a Slayer once, but..."
"She's a hothead, B. Fights first, asks questions later, or doesn't ask questions at all. Goes straight for the kill after she's knocked 'em around a little."
"Sounds like someone else I know," Buffy smiled as she nudged her gently with her shoulder. "Not that it's a bad thing, it's just..."
"Not the right way. I know."
"No, it's right, it's just..."
"Just what, B? Irresponsible?"
"It'll get you killed if you fight like that. I know you know that now, but Kennedy doesn't. I tell you," Buffy sighed as she took a deep breath, "I am so not looking forward to helping Giles with her training."
"I'll take care of it, B."
"You will?"
"Why not? Kennedy and I are a lot alike in some ways."
"That's scary," Buffy laughed and moved away from Faith as Faith reached out to poke her in the arm. "It's scary because she's unpredictable. You know what I mean, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do. Doesn't matter though. We'll deal with it when the time comes, but you know what I want to do right now, B?"
"What?"
"I just want to sit here and chill out tonight."
"No you don't," Buffy chuckled as she moved to sit a little closer to her. "You wanted to go out to a bar, or a club, instead of staying in tonight."
"Maybe I did," she shrugged, fighting back the laughter that escaped anyway. "No big deal. Got plenty of nights to go out and have a little fun, dance for a couple hours, find someone to get a little pelvic with."
"Sure."
"What?" Faith asked, raising an eyebrow at Buffy as she let out another sigh. "You wanna come out with me one night, have a little fun? Or are ya gonna try to get me to quit that part of my life?"
"No! I mean, you can do whatever you want, Faith. I just realized we all can do whatever we want now, for the most part anyway."
"Damn right we can do whatever we want now, at least until the next apocalypse rolls around, right?"
"Right."
"Til then, Twinkie," Faith said as she wiggled her eyebrows, smiling when Buffy laughed softly, "you and me are gonna find the fun. The others can tag along with us, but nobody is gonna be able to touch the amount of fun the two of us are gonna be having."
"Fun?"
"What, you don't think we can actually have fun together?"
"Yeah, I'm not so sure if I consider your type of 'fun' the same as mine."
"And what is your type of fun then?" Faith asked, a small smile crawling over her lips as Buffy just shrugged her shoulders. "Let me guess," she teased as she raised her beer bottle to her lips and took a sip.
"Please don't," Buffy laughed as she stopped her before she could continue. "It's been too long since I've actually wanted to have fun."
"How long?"
"Too long."
"Right, you said that, but how long really, B?"
"Years. I actually don't remember the last time I just..."
Faith sighed as Buffy trailed off, suddenly lost in her own thoughts. She was lost in her own thoughts too, thinking about how that had been the longest conversation they'd had in recent memory that didn't end up with them fighting physically. She thought about how nice it was, how relaxing it was just to sit there with Buffy on the front porch as the sun began to set.
"How come you decided to stay on with us?" Buffy asked quietly as she turned to look at her. "I know that you didn't know where you were going to go or what you were going to do, but why?"
"Just did," Faith replied, not knowing what else to say to that other than the obvious. She'd thought they already talked about this too, about why she was there with them, but let it slide. "I'm a Slayer. I should be on a Hellmouth, fighting the good fight."
"What about...weren't you in jail?"
"It's been taken care of."
"So, what," Buffy questioned as she furrowed her brow, "you just get off easy despite what you've done?"
"I guess, but I wouldn't call it getting off easy, B. Spent two years in prison and I know I can't claim I've changed completely, but I'm working on it. Redemption is a long and hard path and Angel doesn't think that I..."
"Angel, huh?"
"Yeah," Faith nodded, leaving it at that.
Heavy silence filled the air between them. Angel was a touchy subject between the two of them, it always had been. Things were different now and yet at the same time they weren't. Buffy got up and went inside, saying a quiet goodnight before she closed the door behind her. Faith leaned against the railing and pulled out her pack of cigarettes, lighting one as she watched the sun set in the sky. For every step forward she had taken with Buffy, one little thing sent them right back to square one, just like that.
"Brought you another," Xander said quietly as he joined her out front, handing her a fresh bottle of beer as he sat down next to her. "You and Buff have a nice little talk?"
"Guess so. Was going good then..."
"Then what?"
"I mentioned Angel and it went for shit, just like that."
"It won't always be this way," Xander said as he draped his arm over her shoulders, staying tense for a minute until he realized she wasn't pushing him away. "Give her some more time to get used to you being around before you two start in on the heart-to-heart talks."
"Yeah," she breathed out as she turned to give him a half-hearted smile. "Time. Seems like we got plenty of that for now, huh?"
"For now. Until the next apocalypse comes around."
"How long do you figure before that happens?"
"I give it..." he trailed off, chuckling as he closed his eye for a moment. "I give it a week, no less. Once word is out that we're here now, things are bound to get bad."
"Yeah," she sighed as she closed her eyes. "Things always go bad when there's a Slayer in town. Can't help but think how much worse it is gonna be now that there are three Slayers here."
"Still," Xander said with a smile as he gave her a gentle squeeze before dropping his arm from around her, "it isn't anything we can't all handle. We fought the First and we won."
"We were just lucky and our luck is bound to run out sometime."
Faith hated to say it, but that's what happened. They were just lucky and with her experience with luck, it was bound to fall apart one way or another, and it was bound to happen sooner rather than later.
She just hoped they'd all be ready for whatever life was about to hand them next.
