The Dawning of Faith
Chapter 19
"I love you, Dawn," Faith told her, "with all of my heart."
Bill and Ted leapt to their feet and applauded furiously, followed shortly by everyone else in the club. The gentle beauty of the song, and the joy that poured from Dawn and Faith as they danced had turned a night out into a night that none present would ever forget.
"Do you think if I crawled into his bed naked that he'd do me?" Rona asked the other Slayers.
"No," the girls agreed.
"Damn."
"FREEBIRD!" screamed Buffy and Willow, and a smiling Giles obliged.
Dawn and Faith returned to their table and accepted warm congratulations from Bill and Ted, who were still a bit misty-eyed. Chastity appeared with a huge tray of wings.
"These are from Mike," she told them, "also free drinks for your table and your friends over there."
"Well thanks!" Faith said. "How come?"
"Confidentially, he wants to try and talk your friend into playing here regularly," she whispered.
"Tell Mike thanks, and we'll see what we can do to get him on board, he's been pretty busy and could use a little fun.
"That's great!" Chastity exclaimed. "Oh, say, would you girls have any idea how long I might have to wait for that vanilla ice cream with strawberry syrup?"
"Not really," Dawn answered, "do you think you could come up with a cop car?"
"Whatever it takes," Chas answered as she watched Buffy and Willow dancing, "whatever it takes. Gosh, I'm glad you guys started coming here! Just wave when you need refills on anything."
"Oh shit," Bill muttered, "look who's here." Dawn and Faith followed his gaze, and their eyes snapped to each other's faces at the same time.
"That ogre is the only person I've ever seen Mike be afraid of," Ted told them. "He comes in here and tries to pick up whoever is drunk enough to fall for his line. Doesn't care from boys or girls, any warm body will do."
Faith handed her bag to Dawn, "Here you go sweetie," she said, "little present in there. All of a sudden I feel just like a worm on a hook." Dawn nodded in understanding.
"Wiggle pretty, darling," she told Faith. Faith pressed a kiss on her lips.
"I can't tell you how beautiful that sounds to me, Dawnie," Faith whispered. "Now, what am I?"
"My instructor," Dawn replied.
"Right you are, Slayer." Faith got up and walked over to the new arrival, she put her hand on his shoulder and whispered something to him, and they headed for the side exit. Bill and Ted were staring incredulously.
"What in the world…" said Ted.
"Won't take a minute," Dawn assured them as she rose from her chair, "we'll be right back." She followed Faith and the man out the door.
"Our new friends are really – kind of strange, aren't they?" Bill asked Ted.
"Far enough, asshole," Faith said as she confronted the man in the alleyway.
"Bitch, you are in for a surpr-"
"We should get back," Dawn told her as she handed Faith her bag, "I think the boys are worried. Nice stake sweetheart, perfect balance, feels good in the hand."
"Thanks love, it's my favorite."
"You're all right!" Ted exclaimed when Dawn and Faith resumed their seats. Chastity hurried over to their table.
"Mike was worried, that guy is horrible! Are you okay? Why on earth did you go with him?"
"Ted seemed to think that he wasn't a good influence, so I asked him to leave and Dawnie convinced him it was a good idea," Faith answered.
"It sure didn't take long," Chas said, clearly impressed.
"Dawnie has a way of getting to the heart of a matter," Faith conceded, "tell Mike not to worry about him anymore, and to let one of us know if any more like that show up."
"Sure will, thanks for your help," Chastity went back to the bar, puzzled, but pleased.
Buffy and Willow returned to the table. "Did we miss anything?" Buffy asked.
"Not much," Dawn answered, "Faith and I convinced a troublemaker to go on home. Usual stuff."
"Oh. So Faith, how long have you been in love with my sister?"
"My whole life Buff, just took a while to figure it out, is all. How about you and Willow?"
"It was that cute little jumper she was wearing when I met her," Buffy replied, "lost my heart then and there." Willow smiled and kissed Buffy's cheek.
"You just want me for my brains," she said.
"True," Buffy told her, "that and everything between them and your toes. And your toes, can't forget the toes."
"Oh, you'll remember the toes alright," Willow promised her.
"I'm not really ready for this, am I?" Buffy asked sheepishly.
"Lets' just put it that tonight I'm gonna be the Slayer, shall we?" she whispered to Buffy, nipping her ear gently as she moved away.
"Ohhh boy," Buffy mumbled as her face turned red. Giles picked that moment to return to the table.
"All right, whose idea was it to bring the crowd?" he asked severely.
"It was a conspiracy," Buffy admitted.
"Well I suppose it could have gone worse, but I'm quite sure that I have cemented my reputation as an old fogy," Giles sighed.
"I don't think so, Giles," Faith said, trying to suppress a laugh. Faith had seen Rona handing something to Chastity and talking seriously to her.
"Well thank you Faith, that's most kind of you."
"We thought you were just great, Mr. Giles, really," Bill assured him
Chastity arrived shortly with a squat glass containing a generous measure of a rich golden-brown liquid.
"Compliments of the young lady, sir," said Chastity formally as she presented the glass to Giles. He took a sniff, and his eyes lit up.
"Can this possibly be Caol Ila?" he asked in wonder.
"That's what Mike called it, he said it was the best we have. Not much call for it, though," Chastity answered.
"I rather expect not, I must thank this young woman, where is she, please?"
"Right over there," Faith said, pointing. Giles turned to follow her directions and saw Rona wiggling her fingers at him and smiling coquettishly.
"Oh my God," moaned Giles, but his manners forced him to wave in acknowledgement.
"What's the problem," Buffy teased, "she's over twenty-one."
"So is my jacket," Giles replied. "Still and all, good whiskey is never to be turned down." He took a sip and closed his eyes in bliss. "And this is very good whiskey," he said softly.
"Rona likes ZZ Top, if you want to do something in return," Dawn suggested.
"Really? There's more to her than meets the eye then," Giles admitted, and he took another sip. "Really very good whiskey…" A harsh buzzing broke his reverie, and he pulled out his cell phone. "I have to take this call," he said, rising from the table and turning to leave. He stopped abruptly and claimed his glass. "I'm not about to leave this unattended in front of the two of you," he said sternly.
"Wise man," Buffy granted.
"Can he really play ZZ Top?" Ted asked.
"Swear to God," Willow said, her hand held over her heart.
"Think Rona has a shot with Giles?" Dawn asked.
"I kind of doubt it," Buffy said, "but surprise has abounded lately, and I know he's partial to women with dreds."
"How does he feel about fit young men with stylishly trimmed beards?" Ted inquired.
"Pay him no mind ladies," Bill advised, "he's a bit of a slut."
"That's bad?" his partner responded.
"I kind of want to go home, Buff," Willow said softly.
"Me too," Dawn agreed, looking meaningfully at Faith. Buffy grinned, but a cloud passed across Faith's face. She quickly composed herself, however.
Giles returned with a pensive look on his face.
"Something I need to know about?" Buffy asked him.
"Well I don't think it's urgent, that was Audra calling, she did have some rather interesting news, though," Giles said cautiously.
"Audra?" Faith quizzed.
"Yes, you remember Audra, don't you Willow?" Willows eyes went round; Audra was a member of the coven in England where she had gone after the "Dark Willow" business.
"I surely do," she answered.
"I'm sure it can wait," Giles said, "no need to bore our friends here."
"Ted, listen! They're playing our song," Bill said as he stood and grabbed Ted by the arm.
"Nobody is playing anything," he protested.
"I have a song in my heart," Bill insisted, "come on." He dragged him out onto the floor and began to dance with him.
"I really like those two," Giles said in acknowledgement of Bill's tact, "they show good breeding."
"Word to the wise, Giles," Faith said seriously, "I wouldn't use the words "like" and "breeding" in the same sentence where either of them can hear you. Not unless you mean it."
"Oh, good God," he sighed, "why wasn't I this sought after when I was younger?"
"Audra?" Willow asked.
"Yes, she called to let me know that the coven has registered a surge in magical energy unlike anything since your near-cataclysmic episode."
"Am I veiny?" Willow asked in horror.
"No, babe, you're still my sweet Willow," Buffy assured her. "Great, I find love and the world dumps another apocalypse in our laps."
"No, no, nothing like that, they merely thought we'd be interested. In fact they said that this was the purest magical energy they had ever experienced. They're really overjoyed," Giles assured them.
"That's good, I guess," Willow admitted, "do they have a location?"
"Not really, Leticia is still incoherent from the experience. "Drunk with happiness", is the phrase Audra used to describe her. Absent her input, the closest location Audra could give me was simply, "everywhere"," Giles informed them.
"Did you sense anything, Willow?" Giles asked her.
"Nothing but Buffy, though that was a pretty big surge of joy," Willow said.
"Will, stop," Buffy simpered, "you're gonna make me blush." Willow gave her a look that did just that.
"I'm not a sensitive like Leticia is, I would have had to be listening on purpose," Willow explained, "do you think it could have been me?"
"No, they are sure of that, they are all familiar with the, forgive the expression, "taste", of your power. This is something different."
"I sense a disturbance in the Force", Dawn said in a deep voice. Everyone stared at her.
"Tough room," Dawn muttered.
"The four of us are thinking of calling it a night, Giles. Do you want to come with, or will you catch a ride with the girls?"
"I'll call a cab, I think," Giles informed them, glancing over at Rona, "but the audience seems receptive tonight, so I'd like to stay for a while. You go on home, girls, and congratulations to you all. I couldn't be happier about this," he added warmly.
They each hugged him and kissed him on the cheek as they left.
"Times like this make all of the others worth enduring," he said quietly. "Now for a bit of "Sharp Dressed Man", I think."
The new couples walked together to where they had parked, and Dawn handed the keys to Buffy.
"You're driving, Buffy. Faith and I are gonna make out in the back," Dawn said earnestly.
"Really?"
"Really," Dawn promised her.
"Dawnie," asked Buffy slowly, "are you turning into a slut?"
"Never," said Dawn softly as she raised Faith's hand to her lips, "I'm a one-woman-woman."
Faith shattered.
She wrapped her arms around Dawn, buried her face in her hair, and wept without restraint.
Dawn looked anxiously to Willow, and found her smiling.
"These are the good tears, Dawn," she promised, "this is wonderful, it means that she really believes that you love her. This moment, right now; this is the real magic in life."