Author's Note: I changed Ford's gender because of Buffy's sexual orientation in this story since Buffy's a lesbian. So Ford is female instead of like in canon where Ford was male.
Chapter 45: Lie to Me Part 1
Paige and Piper orbed into the Summers' home. "Joyce?" called Paige.
"In the kitchen, Paige," came Joyce's voice.
Paige and Piper walked through the dining room and into the kitchen.
"I'll let you two talk. Piper call for me and I will come get you and orb you back to the Manor. Right now, I'm going to be late for school." said Paige who orbed out.
"What can I do for you, Piper," said Joyce as she turned and looked at her daughter's step-mother.
"I wanted to talk to you about Dawn," said Piper. "Some things happened over the weekend. And it made me realize something. I should start at the beginning. As you know Buffy and Dawn came down to see Wyatt's preschool play. While there we found out that a Possessor Demon had possessed Wyatt's room mother and kidnapped Wyatt. We also found out that Magic School has been taken over by demons. How we found out that was Billie, Paige's charge, had used a potion that sent her, Leo and Dawn to Magic School. Billie forgot to bring a potion to return them to Manor. So, they were looking for a book that Leo knew held a spell that would bring them back."
Piper paused to take a breath. She noticed that Joyce was withholding saying anything till she was done. "While they were there the Possessor Demon shimmered in with Wyatt. Leo and Dawn sent Billie back to get us as the Possessor Demon used Wyatt to resurrect The Source."
"My god," said Joyce her hand going to her mouth.
"When we got there. I saw Dawn she was protecting Wyatt, held him in her arms. I know Dawn, like Buffy, isn't mine? But in that instant, I found that I cared for Dawn as if she were."
Joyce nodded. "I had a feeling when they returned last night something had happened. Seeing how happy they both were. I take it you telling me this you want my permission to while not officially because well officially your dead and it would look weird for a distant cousin to adopt my daughter. But unofficially that's what you want to do."
"Yes," said Piper.
"You don't have to ask, Piper," said Joyce. "Our families are already confusing as it is. With your sister dating Buffy and Buffy being Leo's daughter and your step-daughter. I would be happy if you considered Dawn your daughter."
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Paige, Buffy and Dawn waited as Giles and Ms. Calendar finished their goo-goo eyes session. They came up to them and said, "Hey."
They began to walk together toward the library. Giles asked the sisters, "Did we hunt when you got back from San Francisco last night?"
"Dawn and I made a couple of quick sweeps, you know, downtown," admitted Buffy.
"No encounters?" he asked.
"Nothing vampiry," admitted Dawn.
"Well, I've been researching our new friend Spike," said Giles. "The profile is fairly unappetizing - but I still haven't a bead on why he's here."
"You'll figure it out," said Buffy
"I was thinking Buffy and Dawn could have the night off," said Paige. "They had a busy weekend. Had to fight some demons who was after Wyatt."
"Your half-brother?" Giles asked as he looked at Buffy.
Even though Giles expected Buffy to answer it was instead Dawn, "Yes. Our little bro was used to resurrect The Source."
"Dear lord!" said Giles as he removed his glasses and began polishing them.
"Piper vanquished him again," said Buffy.
"Then go ahead and take the night off," said Giles. "As Paige keeps reminding me, you are young and you can't spend all your time fighting the forces of darkness. No slaying this evening. Perhaps you can concentrate on your homework instead."
Buffy and Dawn looked at each other. "Do they know about "fun" in England?" said Buffy.
"Yes, but it's considered very poor taste to have any. Very well. Do whatever it is you like," said Giles.
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"So how was the trip?" Willow asked Buffy and Dawn as they walked down the hall. Piper had called for Paige who had went to orb Piper back to San Francisco.
"Other than a demon vanquish, good," said Dawn.
"Hey," said Xander as he caught up with them. "I was thinking crazed dance party at the Bronze, tonight!"
"We just got back, Xander," said Dawn.
Someone said behind Buffy and Dawn, "I'd suggest a box of Oreos dunked in apple juice, but maybe Buffy's over that phase."
Buffy and Dawn knew know that voice anywhere. They whirled around. "Ford?" They threw their arms around the tall, dark-haired girl. "Ford!"
Ford hugged the sisters back. "Hey, Buffy, Dawn, how you two been?"
Both sisters thought it was neat that their friend from Hemery was there. "What are you doing here?" asked Buffy.
"Matriculating," Ford said as if that explained everything.
Buffy and Dawn looked at each other, having no idea what he meant. "Huh?" they said.
"I'm finishing out my senior year at Sunnydale High. Dad got transferred."
"This is great," Buffy and Dawn said.
Ford looked kind of shy. Buffy remembered Ford's long bangs and her rounded face. She, Dawn and Ford used to joke that Ford looked like the heroine of a dozen Japanese anime cartoons. "I'm glad you think so. I wasn't sure you'd remember me."
"Remember you?" said Dawn. "Duh, we were in school together for seven years. You were Buffy's giant fifth-grade crush."
"So. You three know each other?" Xander cut in.
"Oh!" Buffy said as she and Dawn looked at their friends. Holding Ford's hand, they led the girl to the chairs where their best friends—correction, best friends from Sunnydale—sat waiting to be introduced, and said, "Sorry. This is Ford. Uh, Lisa Fordham. This is Xander and Willow." She pointed at them in turn.
"Hi," Xander said with one of his polite, fake smiles that sometimes accompanied Cordelia's history
rambles.
"Hey," Ford replied.
"Nice to meet you." Willow smiled very sweetly.
"Buffy, Ford and I went to Hemery together, in L.A." Dawn smiled at Ford. "And now you're here? For real?"
"Dad got the transfer, and boom. He just dragged me out of Hemery and put me down here."
"This is great!" Buffy gazed at Ford, remembering more normal days. Fifth grade had been way before she or Dawn had known she was the Slayer. Before their mom and Hank started fighting and eventually split up. Ford was a symbol of all that, and it made them feel warm inside to have her standing next to them. "Well, I mean, it's hard—sudden move, all your friends, delicate time, very emotional—but let's talk about us: this is great!"
Willow said, "So you and Buffy were sweeties in the fifth grade?"
"Not even," Buffy told her. She looked at him slyly. "Ford wouldn't give me the time of day."
"Well, I was a sixth grader just discovering my orientation," explained Ford. "Couldn't be bothered with someone that young, boy or girl."
Buffy said brightly, "It was terrible. I moped over you for months. Sitting in my room listening to that Divinyl's song, 'I Touch Myself.'"
Ooops. She ticked her glance over to Willow and Xander, then to Ford. "Of course, I had no idea what it was about."
Ford scratched her cheek and Xander gave a we-knew-that wave and politely waited for Buffy or Dawn to move on. Willow just sat there.
Move on Dawn did. "Hey," she said to Ford, "are you busy tonight? We're going to the Bronze. It's the local club and you have to come."
"I'd love to," Ford said. "But if you guys already had plans . . . would I be imposing?"
"Only in the literal sense," Xander assured her.
"You're coming. I have spoken," said Dawn.
"Okay then." Ford sounded very pleased. "I got to find the admissions office, get my papers in order."
Buffy said, "Well, Dawn and I'll take you there." To Willow and Xander, she said, "See you guys in French."
"Good meeting you," Ford said.
Xander and Willow returned the compliment.
"This is Ford, my bestest friend of all my friends. Jeez. Didn't they know any fat girls?" asked Xander.
"I'm more wondering what Paige will think of Buffy's first crush coming back into her life," said Willow.
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Bank shot!
Or something. As the music rocked and the usual suspects danced the night away, the eight-ball dropped into the pocket of the pool table.
"Ford, you made it," Buffy said, as she and Dawn joined Xander, Willow and Ford.
Ford was lining up her next shot while Xander anxiously chalked up the tip of his cue. She smiled at Dawn and Buffy. "It wasn't hard to find."
Willow said, "Dawn, Ford was just telling us about the ninth-grade beauty contest." She smiled. "And the, uh, swimsuit competition."
Dawn frowned in mock seriousness, even though it was a pretty embarrassing story. "Oh, God, Ford. Stop that. The more people you tell about it, the more people I have to kill."
Ford hit the nearest ball with his cue. "You can't touch me, Dawn. I know all yours and Buffy's darkest secrets."
Xander drawled, "Care to make a small wager on that?"
Buffy shot a warning look from Xander to Ford and she said, "I'm going to go grab a drink. Ford, try not to talk." She walked to the bar. "Diet Coke," she told the bartender.
Buffy felt a presence behind her seconds before she felt arms wrap around her. "One guess who I am," said the person behind her.
"Billie?" answered Buffy.
"Buffy!" said Paige as she spun Buffy around to face her.
Buffy smiled as she leaned in and kissed Paige.
Ford looked over at Paige with Buffy. Dawn said helpfully, "That's Jo. She's Buffy's girlfriend."
Ford studied Paige. "She's not in school, right? She looks older than Buffy."
"Actually, Jo is only a year older," said Dawn knowing that Ford could only see Paige's alias and not the real person. "And she is in school with us."
Buffy broke the kiss and smiled at her girlfriend. "You know I had to tease you," she admitted.
"I know," Paige said as the bartender set Buffy's drink on the counter.
Buffy picked up her drink and they walked back toward the others.
"Hey, Jo," Willow greeted Paige.
"Hi," Ford said.
"This is Lisa Fordham, we call her Ford though," said Buffy. "Dawn, Ford and I went to school together in L.A."
Paige held out her hands and Ford shook it. "Nice to meet you," she said. Her face was a mask as she regarded Ford. "So, you're visiting Buffy and Dawn?
"No. I'm actually here to stay," Ford replied. "Just moved down." Ford and Paige were facing off. Buffy and Dawn had to admit that Ford pretty much held her own against the older woman.
"Is Paige jealous?" Dawn whispered into her sister's ear. Buffy shrugged.
Perhaps to smooth things over, as she often did, Willow gestured to the pool table and asked, "Jo, do you want to play?"
"You know, it's getting really crowded in here tonight," Buffy blurted. "I'm a little hot." She looked at Ford. "Do you want to go for a walk?"
"Uh, sure," Ford said. "That'd be nice."
Buffy looked first at Paige, Willow and Xander. She murmured, "See you tomorrow." She then looked at Dawn. "See you at home." She and Ford peeled off.
Paige stood stonily as they passed her. "Good night," she said stiffly.
"Take care," Ford answered.
An awkward silence followed the awkward scene.
Xander piped up, "O-kay. Once more, with tension."
Paige's eyes narrowed. "She just moved here?"
Xander lined up a shot. "Yeah. And, boy, does she move fast." Zing!
"Tell me about her?" Paige said looking at Dawn.
"Not much to tell, really," said Dawn. "Ford, Buffy and I went to Hemery together. In fact, Ford was Buffy's fifth grade crush."
"Really?" said Paige as she looked at her charge.
"Really," said Dawn. "Ford is a year older than either me or Buffy so she's a grade ahead of us. When we were in the fifth grade, Ford was in the sixth grade. Ford and Buffy never dated though."
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Outside the Bronze Buffy and Ford walk down the side of the building. "So, that was your girlfriend?" Ford asked innocently.
"Yeah," said Buffy.
"So, what else do you do for fun around here?" Ford wondered.
As Ford was speaking, Buffy heard the sounds of a scuffle around the corner. Time to think fast. Superman would look for a phone booth. And she?
"Um, uh, my purse!" Buffy cried. "I left my purse at the Bronze. Could you get it for me? Thanks!"
"Uh, okay," Ford said.
"Good. Run. Thanks."
Taking off at a trot, Ford left to do she asked. As soon as her back was turned Buffy raced around the corner.
Intrigued by Buffy's behavior, Ford stopped walking toward the Bronze and turned around. She started moving slowly toward the alley. A girl raced past her, sobbing with terror. Ford glanced at her, then inched closer to the corner, more intrigued than ever.
Sounds of fighting broke the stillness of the night. A trash can lid sailed through the air like a Frisbee. Ford turned the corner.
It was not a very good vampire. Stupid, slow, and easy to hit. However, it wasn't all that easy to tire. Finally, Buffy threw it against the wall and staked it. There was that moment where it shrieked and held its shape in dust, then exploded.
She whirled around and headed back to the Bronze. Talk about your awkward interruptions. All she needed now—
Was what she had. Ford was staring at her.
"Oh, you're back," Buffy said awkwardly.
"What's going on?" Ford asked.
Thinking on her feet, she blurted, "There was a cat." Yeah, right.
Ford was going to believe that in a million years. Still, Buffy had to finish what she had started. Keeping her eyes big and innocent, she spun her very bad web. "A cat, here, and then there was, another cat. And they fought, the cats, and then they left." It was a not-good lie delivered in a not-good way. Maybe she should be proud that she was so honest.
Ford said simply, "Oh. I thought you were just slaying a vampire."
Buffy's eyes, still wide for her cat routine, bulged. "What? Whating a what?"
Ford smiled at her. "I know, Buffy. You don't have to lie. I've been trying to figure out the right time to tell you. I know you're the Slayer."
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Dawn lay on Buffy's bed, wearing her bunny slippers, talking with Buffy. She said, "Just like that? He told you?"
"Just like that. Said he found out right before we got booted from Hemery," said Buffy.
"This worries me, Buffy," said Dawn. "If she figured that much out. She could figure out we're witches, that your part Whitelighter and that you're the Guardian of Pandora's Box."
"I know," said Buffy.
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In the dark, Ford walked cheerfully along the highways and byways of warehouses and other assorted rundown buildings. When she got to a particularly dilapidated structure, he pounded on the large metal door. Above the door was a painted sign: no words, just a picture of a setting sun.
A little window in the center slid open. The doorman peered out at him, saw who it was, and slid the window shut
The door opened.
Ford walked through to door number two. She patted the arm of the black-lipped guy who was welding the door hinges, propane torch hissing, sparks flying. Yeah, there'd be plenty more sparks where those came from.
Then Ford entered another world, the world of the Sunset Club. He stood on a balcony lined in blue neon, which cast an eerie, sickly glow on the club's patrons. It was the way they liked it. Below her, couples danced to ethereal music and dreamed of other, darker worlds. They wore black roses and lace, ruffled shirts and capes and, if they could have afforded them, would have slept in satin-lined coffins. The tablecloths were deep, blood red, and everyone drank from goblets. He knew what they were thinking: if only their lives could really be like this . . .
She started down the stairs. As she reached the bottom, she was accosted by none other than Marvin, the nerdiest vampire wannabe who ever walked in sunlight. He wore a ruffled shirt and a sparkly blue cape that only added to the total pathetosity of his being. No Tom Cruise, this. No Brad Pitt. Marvin he was, and Marvin he would always be.
"Ford? Hi, Ford," Marvin said edgily.
"Hey," Ford replied, wishing—not for the first time—that she had someone else to deal with.
"Well? How did it go?" Marvin was all aflutter, like some girl.
Ford could hardly stand to be around him. "Went good," she replied dismissively.
"Good? That's it? That's all? Well, when are we—"
"Soon," Ford assured him. And that, at least, was the truth.
But Marvin was rattled. He said, "Oh, soon. Oh, okay." He huffed. "You know, you could give me a little more information here. I'm trusting you. I'm out on a limb here—not to mention the lease is almost up on this place. Who's going to cover that?"
"Marvin," Ford cut in, eager to staunch the flow.
"Diego," Marvin corrected him, looking around to make sure no one else had heard the name that must not be spoken. "Come on, it's Diego now."
Ford had nearly forgotten. Marvin had changed his name to something more sinister, more romantic.
"Diego, Ridalin," he advised his hyper friend. "Everything's going to be fine."
A slinky blond in a long, black, lowcut dress with white, white makeup and crimson lipstick glided up to Diego and Ford with a couple of goblets. Her name had once been Joan, but like Marvin, she had adopted a new persona. Now she was Chantarelle.
Ford took one of the goblets, popped open her prescription bottle, and washed down a pill. She continued, "Just make sure you're ready when I say." She smiled at Chantarelle.
Chanterelle smiled back, nervous but excited. "I can't wait."
"Well, I still think I should be in on the plan," Diego grumbled.
"Diego, you gotta trust me," Ford said, glancing past him to the video monitors hung in strategic places throughout the club. Jack Palance was playing Dracula on the video monitors around the room. Ford stared at the one behind Marvin as she sipped from her goblet. She knew every line, every gesture.
She knew the lifestyle.
She knew the promise.
She went on, soothing her front man, "A couple more days and we'll get to do the two things every American teen should have the chance to do. Die young"—she smiled at Diego and Chantarelle— "and stay pretty."
Then she lost himself in the movie, speaking every syllable just as Dracula himself spoke them, for it wasn't really a movie, was it? More like a documentary:
"So, you play your wits against mine. Me, who commanded armies hundreds of years before you were born. Fools!"
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Willow's bedtime ritual was nearly complete: a swift face wash, followed by astringent for potential zits, then teeth, and now, her long hair. She had to comb it out every night.
Suddenly blue and white orbing lights appeared behind her reflected in her mirror as they solidified into Paige.
"Oh!" Willow cried, stunned. "Paige." She spun around to face Paige. "What are you doing here?"
"I need you to do some more hacking," said Paige.
"Oh!" Willow said excitedly. "Great! I'm so the Net girl." She crossed to her desk, sat down, and booted up.
"We'll hack into the school," said Paige.
Willow was already in the zone. Poising her hands over the keyboard like one of the Hansons, she said, "What's the name?"
"Lisa Fordham," Paige replied shortly.
Willow stopped. Then typing, she ventured, "Uh, Paige, if I say something you really don't want to hear, do you promise not to be mad?"
"Are you going to tell me that I'm jealous?" Paige asked.
"You and Buffy both do sometimes get that way," replied Willow.
Paige nodded. "Yeah, I get jealous. But I know people and my gut tells me something is wrong with this girl."
"Okay." That was enough for Willow. She trusted Paige's gut. After all she considered Paige her Whitelighter alongside Buffy, Dawn and Joyce; even though Paige actually wasn't. So, she continued her search. "But if there isn't anything weird . . . hey, that's weird."
Paige looked at the screen. "What?"
"She's not in the school records. I mean, usually they transfer your grades and stuff. But she's not even registered." Now a little concerned, Willow typed faster.
Paige said, "She said she was in school with us, right?"
"Let me see if I can—"
From the hall, Willow's mom called, "Willow? Are you still up?"
"I'm just going to bed now, Mom," Willow called back. She looked at Paige. "I'll keep looking."
Paige nodded. Then she added, "Don't tell Dawn or Buffy what we're doing, all right?"
Willow wasn't happy. "You want me to lie to them? It's Buffy and Dawn."
"I promise I will mention it to them both as soon as we have concrete evidence that something is up," said Paige. "Till then just don't bring it up."
"Okay." That wasn't lying. Exactly. "It's probably nothing."
Paige said sincerely, "That'd be nice."