Faith had a firm and smug smile on her face when she walked through the doors of Henry's bar shortly before noon. After everything Angel had told them and after Julie's drop-in at the house, she knew what she had to do and couldn't let it faze her. They needed as much information as she could get freely from Henry, his wife, the bar's regular patrons, and Julie.
"Faith," Henry nodded as she approached him. "Right on time."
She just nodded and walked behind the bar. He rambled on about what she was expected to do and she just nodded her head, barely listening to a word he was saying as her eyes scanned the dimly lit bar. While it wasn't unusual for a bar to have blacked-out windows, she now noticed that the few free-standing tables were located well away from the door and any sunlight it might let in. Three vampires sat in a booth in the far corner and she had felt them watching her every move since she opened the door.
"Who're they?" Faith asked, interrupting Henry mid-sentence. "They come around a lot?"
"Oh, yes," Henry nodded, not even bothering to look over at the vampires in the corner. "Just serve them. This place is friendly for all as long as no blood is spilt and I would very much like to keep it that way."
"I won't have a problem with them if they don't have a problem with me," she said through clenched teeth, the smile fading as she stared the vampires down.
"They just want a drink," Henry mumbled under his breath as he walked away from her.
"Right."
Faith looked over at Henry as he spoke with his brother Sam. He hadn't looked over at her and yet she could just feel his eyes on her. He and Henry spoke quietly for a moment in a language she didn't recognize, causing her to roll her eyes as she turned to look around the bar once again, eyeing the three vampires that continued to stare at her.
Two of the three were men with dark hair and even darker eyes. The third was a woman with striking features, jet-black hair, and steel blue eyes. Faith felt like she'd seen her before, there was some sort of familiarity there, but she quickly tore her eyes away from them as she heard Henry walking back over to her. He looked over at the three vampires before letting out a soft sigh.
"They are Julie's...friends, if you can call them that," he said quietly. "You do not charge them for whatever you serve them."
"Fine," she replied as she shrugged. "What else do I need to know?"
"Of course you already know that most of my customers are those you'd slay outside of here. Inside, however," he said, speaking in a voice barely above a whisper, "they are to be treated as nothing more than another customer."
"Gotcha."
"I'll need you here on the days we discussed the other night from noon to a little after four. Just to start and then we'll see," he said with a warm smile as he patted her on the shoulder. "One more thing: No drinking on the job and no breaks unless I am here to tend to the customers. Any problems, you can find me in the back in my office."
He gave her a quick nod before he turned and headed for the door marked private. As soon as he disappeared inside and the door was shut behind him, the woman vampire rose and slowly approached the bar, her eyes boring into Faith's with every step that she took. She sat on the stool and grinned at Faith as she beckoned her to come closer.
"I'm Vera," she said softly, her voice husky as she leaned forward. "You are Faith, I assume?"
"What can I get you?"
"A moment of your time," she responded as she reached out for Faith's hand before she could step back. "Just a moment, Slayer. That's all I'm asking."
"What do you want, Vera?"
"Short for Veronica."
"If you say so," Faith replied, laughing dryly as she pulled her arm from her tight grasp. "Your moment is passing."
"It doesn't even make any sense, does it?" Vera laughed, ignoring Faith as she scraped her long fingernails across the top of the bar. "The boys and Juliet started calling me that once I was sired. Some things just stick, you know what I mean?"
"Tick, tock...patience is running low here. You wanna talk, or you gonna keep spoutin' useless shit I ain't interested in hearing?"
"I can't get to know the new girl? I'm hurt."
Faith just laughed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Can see why you're 'friends' with Julie. You're just like her."
"You see them?" Vera asked as she motioned back to the two vampires still sitting at the table. "The one on the left is Nick. You've already become," she paused as she looked Faith up and down for a second, "acquainted with James. Shame you turned Nick and I down. We could have shown you a better time."
"If that's what you're here for, I'm not interested."
"That's right. The other Slayer," Vera tittered as she shook her head and let out a very exaggerated sigh. "She's quite...famous, isn't she?"
"Whatever."
"Are you—wait, no," Vera laughed as she stood up from the stool and leaned over the counter. "I know what you are to her. Second best. Nothing more than her...sidekick…who has already turned bad once. Oh yes, I know all about you too, Faithy. Funny how word spreads fast among my kind."
"If you don't want anything then..."
"Look at you," she smirked as she reached out and grabbed onto Faith's jaw roughly. "All reformed former bad girl. Tsk, such a shame. What a waste."
Faith clenched her jaw, biting back the blinding anger she felt boiling deep inside of her. The Slayer in her was begging to reach for the stake in her jacket she had yet to take off, but she didn't move. She barely blinked until Vera let go. She had to keep reminding herself why she was here. Her reasons now were more than just needing a job and she needed to stay in the game, keep her head and her sanity, and keep her anger firmly under control.
She thought back to the last thing Giles had said to her before she left the house. He wanted her to keep her eyes and ears open, play the 'game' Julie had set up and hope to hell that Henry wasn't aware of Julie's drop in at the house the night before. If she was to be going to have a chance at stopping Julie, she had to get as much information as she could about her and the...things that associated with her along with her family especially. She could play this game, even with someone like Vera now in the mix.
"Good Slayer," Vera whispered as she stepped away from the bar. "We'll have another pitcher of...the red tap."
"What's in the red tap?"
"What do you think?" Vera asked, laughing as she walked back to the booth and sat down.
Faith grimaced as she grabbed a clean pitcher and pulled the red handle, watching as the thick, dark blood filled it slowly. She tried not to cringe at the smell and the look of it as she walked over to the table and placed it down in front of the three vampires. She flashed a cool smile at the three of them as she picked up the empty pitcher and headed back behind the bar. She wasn't sure how much she'd be able to take and she really wasn't sure how long she'd be able to keep up the façade.
Faith placed the empty pitcher in the small sink and filled it with hot water, her eyes never leaving Vera or the other two sitting at the booth. She was startled by Sam as he slammed his hand down on top of the counter. Forcing a smile, she walked over to him where he then ordered a tall glass of ice water with a shot of vodka on the side. She watched him eyeing her up and down as she filled his glass with ice and water and placed it in front of him. She scanned the bottles lined up on the shelves behind her and picked up the only bottle of vodka she spotted.
"I keep telling that dear old brother of mine that he needs to stock this place better," Sam said, laughing dryly as Faith placed a shot glass in front of him and poured him his shot of vodka. "What's the Slayer doing working in a dive like this?"
"Need the money."
"I could have offered you something a little more...substantial than this," Sam said as took a sip of his ice water. He reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out a business card. "Call me if you want to make some serious cash, Slayer."
"Not sure I even wanna ask what I'd hafta do for it."
Sam motioned for her to come a little closer and he lowered his voice as he spoke, "I'm not sure you are aware of this, but the law around here are quite aware of the supernatural beings that roam the city. You ever wonder how they keep things under moderate control?"
"How?"
"A couple of more experienced officers have been, let's say...'highly trained' when it comes to controlling the creatures that roam during the night."
"So, you want to pay me for doing what I'm already doing every night? What's the catch?"
"There really is no catch," Sam chuckled. "The only thing is, my niece and her friends," he said as he motioned to the three vampires that still sat at the booth, "are to be left alone. You think you could handle that?"
"What about Buffy and Kennedy?"
"The others?" Sam asked, shrugging. "Have them come in to the station with you tonight. I'm sure we can work out a fair salary for the three of you."
Faith didn't like this. Something seemed a little too fishy about the whole thing, but in her mind she was thinking one thing. She was being offered a salary to be a Slayer. The problem, of course, was that she didn't trust Sam. There was just something about him she still couldn't quite figure out. Sam tapped on the counter to get her attention again and he smiled a wickedly sweet smile that made her cringe.
"But really, it'd be best if it was just you alone that shows up at the station tonight. The less that know about this arrangement, the better it is in the long run. You do understand, don't you?"
"Sure."
"I'm sure a young woman such as yourself would like to be independent. Such a thing is hard to do when you live with the others, is it not?"
"Yeah, what about it? It ain't like I can afford a place of my own here," she replied.
"I could help you with that, if you like. You come and work for me and the boys and I can set you up with a nice apartment not too far from here."
"Sounds too good to be true."
"It's been a good long while since we've had a decent Slayer here. It wouldn't be too much to offer you whatever it is you need in exchange for your...services."
Faith reached out, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and pulled him partly over the counter. "I'm gonna ask you one more time. What's the fuckin' catch, Sam?"
"I told you, Julie and her friends are to be left alone. Everything else is free for all. Now," Sam said as he pried her hands from his shirt, "are you interested in working for me and the boys or would you rather work in this dive for god knows how long?"
"I'll give it a shot," she replied after she thought for a moment. "What time do you want me to show up tonight?"
"Before the sun sets. We'll go over a quick briefing with you before we send you out."
"One problem, Sam," she sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I do things my way, not anyone else's way. And the others, Buffy and Kennedy, are in on this. I'm not doing this alone."
Sam just nodded his head wearily at her and she smiled sweetly at him. She watched him as he downed his shot of vodka and drank the rest of his ice water. He placed a twenty dollar bill on the counter and left without another word. She knew what Sam was offering her came with a catch he wasn't going to easily tell her. For him to say that she had to leave Julie and her friends alone made her wonder just how involved he was with his own niece and with whatever plans she had to open the Hellmouth. She'd find out whether she found someone willing to talk about it or not.
She glanced at the clock and groaned when she saw only half an hour had passed. It was going to be one very long, slow, and boring afternoon.
****
Faith looked down at the small business card Sam had given her as she stood outside the large building. From the looks of it, the place was Cleveland's police headquarters and just being around so many cops made her nervous. She shrugged as she walked up the steps and opened the door. With a deep breath, she walked inside and immediately spotted Sam and a few officers standing near the elevators. Unknown to Sam, she'd gone back to the house and spoken to Giles before she headed for the station. Giles told her to go at this alone after all and to keep the others in the dark about what she was getting herself into.
"Play the game, Faith. Keep your head clear, your ears and eyes open, and play their game."
Everything was just a game. Life was a game and she knew she was just one of many pawns the fates, the Powers that Be—whatever was out there—used to play the game of life. She took yet another deep breath and forced a smile as she approached Sam and the two officers standing next to him. Sam just nodded at her and motioned for her to follow him into the elevator.
"I'm glad you decided to show up," he said softly as the two officers stepped into the elevator with them. "This if Officer Perry and Officer Marshall. They are in charge of the force that controls the demon population. We'll brief you on the basics and..."
"Just point me to where ya want me," Faith said as the elevator doors closed. She looked at the two officers, both of them in their mid-thirties, both wearing wedding rings, and both looked like they were in the best shape of their lives. "Which one of you is Perry?"
"I am," the taller one said as he reached out and shook her hand. "Faith, is it?"
"Yeah."
"You got a last name, Faith?" Marshall asked as he eyed her up and down slowly.
"Lehane."
"So, you're a Slayer?" Perry asked as the elevator came to a stop and the four of them stepped out. "You know how long it's been since we've had a Slayer here?"
"Too long," Marshall said before Faith could respond. "Come on, Lehane. Let's get you set up with some gear and send you out. Soon as we get through the briefing, of course."
She forced another smile, hating that she was willingly playing along with their games and not having a damn clue how things would end up. She followed them through a series of corridors to a large room behind a heavy steel door. There were racks of uniforms, all black, and the weapons—god, the weapons made her nearly cream in her jeans when she saw just how many were there and organized in a way that she knew if Giles saw it he'd be both pleased and jealous. Perry led her over to the rack of uniforms and looked her over once more before pulling one off the hanger.
"Oh hell no," she laughed as she shook her head. "I'll work with ya, but I won't wear that."
"It's—"
"I don't give a shit," she said to Perry as she grabbed the hanger from him and placed it back on the rack. "Look, I'm a Slayer. I don't need nothin' to protect me other than a couple stakes, maybe a nice sharp knife. Crossbow is optional, depending on the sitch."
"Faith?" Sam called out from where he stood by a large table with Marshall. "If you would join us, we can get started."
"So, what's the deal here, Sam?" Faith asked as she joined him and Marshall and looked down at the map of the city spread out on the table. "We just kill 'em, right?"
"Yes," he laughed. "What else would we do with them? Bag 'em, tag 'em, experiment on 'em?"
"Wouldn't surprise me if you did," she muttered under her breath. "Long story, one which I really don't know the details of."
"We've highlighted the red areas with the most activity," Sam explained as he pointed to the very same areas Giles and Xander had highlighted that first night before they'd gone out on patrol. "Perry and Marshall will take you around, but after tonight you'll be on your own. We do shifts of five hours a night, give or take, depends on the amount of activity that's going on. At the end of each shift, you are to come back here and fill out a detailed report."
"Paperwork?" Faith scoffed as she shook her head. "I don't do paperwork."
"It is just to keep track of things," Sam said calmly. "Now, the weapons," he said as he motioned to the rows of hardware behind them, "you may take what you need for the night and at the end of each shift you must return them here. Lost or damaged weapons are to be reported in your nightly detailed report. You will be paid every night as soon as your report has been filed. Any questions?"
She had a lot of questions, but knew that asking them would cause the others to look at her suspiciously. She just shook her head no and smiled brightly over at Perry and Marshall as they stared long and hard at her.
"I do have one question," she said as soon as Perry and Marshall had gone off to gather a few weapons for themselves. "You said something about an apartment?"
"Ah yes," Sam smiled as he reached into the front pocket of his blazer. "It's not much. Fully furnished and most of the rent is covered by ah...the city, if you must know. There are other officers on this force and each one has been provided with housing that suits their lifestyle. Seeing how I'm not familiar with yours, I hope it'll suit your needs."
"Great. Whatever. Where is the place?"
"Perry will take you there before you head out on patrol. I'm glad you've decided to come on board, Faith. We could really use a Slayer around here to help us out."
"Hey, long as I'm gettin' paid you'll have as much help as you can stand."
"You mentioned the others earlier," Sam said as he followed her to the first row of weapons, knives of every shape and size. "Were they not interested?"
"Nah," she said as she shook her head and reached for the first knife that caught her eye. "Thought I'd give it a go on my own first after all."
"Ah, I see."
"Lehane?" Perry called out from the other end of the room. "You ready?"
"Perry is in charge. You answer to him. Any problems that you run into, you let him know. If you have a problem with him or Marshall, you come to me. Understood?"
"Crystal fuckin' clear."
Faith ran her finger down the blade of the knife she'd picked up and smiled to herself. Weapons always made her blood run a little hotter and the anticipation of using it in a fight was almost too much. Sam left them there in the room after he'd given Faith the key to the apartment. She slipped it into the front pocket of her jeans and waited for Perry and Marshall to finish packing up a bag of weapons. They exited through the double doors that led right into the underground parking garage. Within minutes she was sitting in the back of a black Escalade with Perry behind the wheel and Marshall in the passenger seat next to him.
Everything felt strange to her. She wasn't comfortable working so willingly with people she knew nothing of. They could be evil; there was a very, very high possibility of that, as Giles had warned her. Neither Perry nor Marshall said a word as they came to a stop in front of a small apartment building just a few blocks from the station. Marshall stayed behind as Perry and Faith got out of the Escalade.
"Fifth floor, apartment 5D. Check it out. I'll give you ten minutes, Lehane. Got to get this show on the road."
"Sure," she nodded, forcing a smile as she walked for the main doors. There were two keys on the key ring and she used the bigger one to let herself into the building. There were no elevators, just a set of stairs at the very end of the long hallway.
"Ten minutes, Lehane!" Perry called out as the door shut behind her.
"Yeah, yeah," she muttered under her breath as she walked to the stairs and began the climb up to the fifth floor.
The building, at least the hallways and the stairs, were clean and it was quiet, almost a little too quiet. Faith walked straight to the door with 5D engraved into the dark wood and slipped the key into the lock. She didn't even ask herself if this was what she wanted. She needed this despite whatever would come of her working for Sam, Perry, and Marshall. She ignored the whispered voices in her head that reminded her of her days when she worked for the Mayor. This wasn't the same. Over and over again she tried to convince those whispered voices—the ghosts of the past—that it wasn't. She held her breath as she opened the door and reached inside, feeling for a light switch and smiling to herself when she flicked it on.
"Fuckin' ace," she said under her breath as she stepped inside and shut the door behind her.
The apartment was no bigger than the one the Mayor Wilkins had set her up in. It was mostly open concept with high ceilings, minimal furniture and a small kitchen that looked a little worse for the wear. Before she checked one of three doors along the furthest wall, she walked into the small kitchen and opened the fridge. It was empty aside from a jar of what looked like relish and she let out a soft groan as she slammed the door shut. She walked over to the big floor-to-ceiling window, the only window in the place she could see out of, and looked outside.
"Five minutes!" Perry shouted from the street as she opened the door next to the window and stepped out onto the balcony. "Clock is ticking, Lehane."
She rolled her eyes as she stepped back inside and checked out the bedroom, the bathroom, and the smaller and very empty room that she guessed was a second bedroom. In the bedroom there was a large bed that took up more than half the space and the window behind it was covered with black velvet drapes. Sam might not know her, but this place was almost too perfect for her. Minimalist with just enough space not to feel too snug and cozy in there. She spotted a phone sitting on the end table next to the small couch in the center of the room, but she knew she didn't have time to call Giles to tell him what was going on.
Her only worry now was running into Buffy and Kennedy while she was with Perry and Marshall. She wasn't ready to explain things to them just yet, not when she barely knew herself just what was going on. She didn't feel right about keeping them in the dark, but she really had no other choice. At least that's what Giles had convinced her of and what she was still trying to convince herself of.
She was back down and in the Escalade within her allotted time. Perry looked a little pissed off as she smiled sweetly at him once she was sitting in the back seat. She saw him glare at her as he looked in the rear-view mirror before he drove off. She had to keep her head straight and clear and she was finding it harder to with the flood of thoughts that battled with the whispers in her head.
****
It was nearly three a.m. by the time Faith got back to the house. Patrol with Perry and Marshall had been uneventful aside from the nest of vampires they came across in the warehouse district. They didn't patrol the many cemeteries that littered the city. As Perry had told her, ever since she and her friends had come into town, they'd all avoided the cemeteries in order to avoid the Slayers. They weren't bad guys, but they made it feel more like a chore than her destiny, her calling. And she absolutely hated it.
She found Buffy sitting in the kitchen with the lights off. She saw Buffy look up from the yoghurt she was eating as she walked in and even in the darkness of the kitchen, Faith could see the smile on her face that quickly turned into a scowl.
"Hey, B."
"Where were you?"
"On patrol," Faith replied easily as she opened the fridge and pulled out a cold beer. "What, ya miss me or somethin', B?"
"You forgot, didn't you?"
"Forgot? What the hell did I forget now?"
"Midnight," Buffy said harshly as Faith joined her at the table, choosing to sit across from her rather than next to her. "Glenview cemetery. Ring any bells?"
"Sorry. Got caught up."
"You are such a shitty liar, Faith. I really thought things would be different now."
"Fuck, B," Faith groaned as she twisted off the cap of her beer, took a few swigs, and let out a sharp breath. "It's a long story."
"Oh, it's a story now?"
"Would ya cut it out, B? I didn't come in here to get reamed by you. Been a long fuckin' day and all I wanna do right now is chill out."
"Right, like it hasn't been a long day for all of us," Buffy replied, the sarcasm just dripping from her hushed voice as she visibly struggled to control her anger.
Faith clenched her teeth, too tired to get into it with Buffy now. She really did want to tell Buffy the truth. She wanted to tell her everything, but she knew she couldn't. Not yet. If that meant she had to be branded a 'shitty liar' by Buffy, then so be it. Their relationship had gone through a lot and she figured what was one more thing to add to that long list of everything that went wrong between them.
This was the first time she'd seen Buffy all day and she really hated the fact that Buffy was downright annoyed with her. She thought things were changing between them and that Buffy had seriously pulled that stick out of her ass and lost the bitchy attitude somewhere along the way. It was just one more thing she was wrong about and it didn't make her feel good about anything going on. She wanted to tell Buffy about her day, about the vampires she'd met in Henry's bar, about Sam, Perry, and Marshall. She wanted to tell her about the apartment and the fact that she was getting paid to do what she did best, slay the baddies that roamed the streets at night.
"Sorry about tonight, B," she said softly as Buffy stood up from the table, leaving her barely touched yogurt on the table. "Just got caught up, alright? Won't happen again."
"I've had a really...bad day," Buffy sighed as she grabbed the container and the spoon off the table quickly. "Call me crazy, because I probably am, but yes I did miss you."
"Oh, ya did, huh?" Faith smirked as she stood up and followed Buffy over to the sink. "I knew it."
"Don't be so smug about it," Buffy laughed softly as she tossed the spoon into the sink before she turned to look at her. "Please don't lie to me anymore, Faith. Tell me where you were tonight. You weren't skipping out on patrol again, were you?"
"No, B, I—"
"Then tell me the truth."
Faith sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair. "How much time ya got?"
"As much time as it takes for you to tell me what the hell is going on."
"The cops in this town have a few guys who go out and take out the baddies," Faith said softly, not knowing if that was a good place to start, but it was something. "Kinda workin' for 'em now. Gettin' paid too. And before you give me shit, B," she paused to take a sip of her beer, then placed it on the counter, "Giles knows. I wasn't gonna walk into this alone, but he wanted me to. Gotta play the game right, B. Who the fuck knows what Julie's—"
"You are working for the Cleveland police?" Buffy asked, laughing as she shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "You better not be lying to me, Faith."
"Why would I lie about something like that?"
"You'd lie about anything to make yourself look like you're the good Slayer now."
"Fuck you," Faith spat as she grabbed her beer and walked out the back door with Buffy hot on her heels. "You wanted to know so I fuckin' told ya. You want me to get into the dirty details about what we're all getting into?"
"No, you are in this alone, obviously. Why didn't you just tell me what was going on?"
"Didn't have a fucking chance to and besides, Giles said..."
"I don't care what Giles said!"
"Ya wanna keep your voice down, B? Unless you wanna wake up the whole goddamn neighbourhood," Faith muttered under her breath as she walked down to the picnic table and sat down. "Look, the shit I saw and heard today...we have no idea what the fuck is gonna end up happening here. There's a whole lot more to this than what we know."
"Explain one thing to me, Faith—how the hell did you end up working for the cops?"
"Sam hooked me up."
"Sam?"
"Henry's brother."
"Right," Buffy scoffed as she looked away from her. "God, why are we even arguing about this?"
"Hey, you started in on me, B. Besides," Faith smirked as she licked her lower lip and watched as Buffy watched her carefully, "it's what we do."
Buffy just sighed as she sat down next to Faith. "Were you ever going to tell me?"
"About what? About the job...or what?"
"About everything you seem to be getting involved with. I feel like I'm sitting here doing nothing while you..." Buffy trailed off, letting out yet another sigh as she shook her head. "I shouldn't get so worked up over this. It's not like I have to do this on my own anymore. I just...I feel like I've been doing nothing aside from patrol, which you know how it's been so far. Slow. Really, really slow."
"I was gonna tell ya, B. Don't think for one second I wasn't gonna," she said softly as she turned to face her. "How come you had a bad day?"
"It's nothing."
Faith cocked her head to the side as she reached out for Buffy and pulled her closer. Even in the near darkness, with only the pale light from the moon, she could see every inch of Buffy's face. She watched as a string of emotions went through Buffy, each of them easy to see and yet not so easy to figure out.
"Tell me," Faith whispered as she leaned in close to her as if she was about to kiss her. "Tell me and then tell me how I can make it better, B."
"After last night I kind of hoped I'd see you this morning before you left," Buffy said so softly that Faith had to lean in closer to hear her. "It's crazy how...attached I'm getting when it comes to you."
"Nah, it ain't crazy, B. Ya don't see me complaining', do ya?"
Buffy just shook her head and smiled as Faith gently kissed her. What was meant to be just a soft, chaste kiss quickly turned into a wildly wanton kiss that left them both breathless within a matter of minutes. Faith was still feeling the adrenaline from taking out the nest of vampires and she knew that Buffy felt that same ache that she desperately needed to satisfy. Even though she knew she should be focused on Buffy at that moment, her mind began replaying everything that had happened in the last eighteen hours. She pulled back from the kiss, stopping Buffy from trying to continue it, and reached for her beer she'd set down on the table, taking a few small sips.
She flashed Buffy a small, easy smile as Buffy rose and stood there for a moment before leaning down to plant a light kiss on her lips. She whispered goodnight before she turned and walked up to the house. Faith just sat there watching her, staring at the door long after Buffy had disappeared inside. She stayed out there just long enough to finish off her beer before she headed back inside and up to her room. She stopped outside Buffy's door, listening for a moment, and all she heard was the soft, steady breathing that told her Buffy was already fast asleep.
The day just kept on replaying itself in her head as she walked into her room, stripped out of her clothes, and climbed into bed. From the moment she stepped inside Henry's bar, to the moment she met Sam at the police station, to the moment she walked into 'her' apartment, and to the moment where she, Perry, and Marshall stormed in the rundown warehouse and took out the nest of vampires with ease. All those moments in between replayed themselves over, but not necessarily in the same way they had unfolded. She thought of the confrontation she'd had with Perry an hour before they discovered the nest of vampires. He called her irresponsible and she'd called him easily replaceable.
The thing with Vera bothered her. She knew the vampire had a few screws loose and was the pure definition of bat-shit crazy. Why she was letting the nutjob affect her, she really didn't know. She thought that maybe it was the fact that Vera had been sired by Julie. Maybe it was the fact that Vera had so easily gotten to her last nerve with the way she'd spoken to her. To stand there and not be able to just dust her was getting to her too.
She pulled the pillow over her head and tried so hard to quiet the thoughts running rampant through her mind. After an hour of tossing and turning, she gave up and got out of bed, pulled on the clothes she'd worn all day and headed out. She walked the streets without a destination in mind and smoked cigarette after cigarette until the first rays of sunlight began to peek over the horizon. She stopped at the little restaurant she'd been to with Xander just a few days before, relieved that it was already open so early in the morning.
"Coffee, black," she said to the tired looking waitress behind the counter. She sat down on the stool and watched the waitress as she grabbed a mug and poured her a cup of coffee. "Thanks."
She closed her eyes as she took a sip, not caring that it burned her tongue. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and her body hum as she heard the door open. She didn't even need to guess, she knew it was Buffy. She turned and looked at her, smiling as Buffy sat down next to her. All it took was one smile from Buffy and all her worries just seemed to fade away. Not for good, but just for the moment.
