"Faith"
Based on the Episode "Faith, Hope & Trick" Written by David Greenwalt
The following story is copyright © 2022 by Mark Moore.
It was lunch hour at Sunnydale High School. Seniors were coming and going along the sidewalk past the stairs at the front of the school. Tara, Amy, Katrina, Cordelia, and Harmony crossed the street.
They began walking into the small park in front of the school. They saw Buffy just inside the park. She had laid out a blanket in the shade of a palm tree by a bench and was setting out serving plates of food and bottles of Perrier. The group began to walk toward her.
Amy smiled. "Hey, Buffy."
Buffy smiled. "Hey."
They kneeled on the blanket.
"What's for lunch?" Katrina asked.
"Oh, I just threw a few things together."
Cordelia was impressed with Buffy's offerings. "When did you become Martha Stewart?"
"First of all, Martha Stewart knows jack shit about hand-cut prosciutto." Buffy handed out the Perrier bottles.
Tara took her bottle. "I don't believe she slays, either."
Harmony looked at Tara. "Oh, I hear she can, but she doesn't like to."
Buffy opened her bottle. "Second of all, way too much free time on my hands since I got kicked out of school." She took a drink.
"Oh, I know they'll let you back in." Tara took a drink.
"Don't you and your mom have a meeting with Principal Snyder?" Amy asked Buffy.
Buffy nodded. "We're seeing Snyde-Man tomorrow." She noticed a boy and leaned over to Cordelia. "Yo, Scott Hope at eleven o'clock."
Cordelia looked.
"He likes you. He wanted to ask you out last year."
"Oh?" Cordelia asked.
Buffy nodded but then shrugged. "But I heard it's because he likes when you do that thing with your mouth that boys like."
Cordelia snapped her head around at Buffy and gave her a shocked look. Buffy chuckled.
Scott finished talking with his friends and came toward them. Cordelia watched him approach.
As he passed, he looked over at Cordelia and smiled. "Hi, Cordy."
Cordelia smiled back. "Hi."
Scott just continued on his way.
"I think that went very well. Don't you think that went very well?" Buffy asked her, mildly interested.
"He didn't try to slit our throats or anything." Cordelia nodded. "That's progress." Then she sighed and looked at Buffy. "Look, I'm not trying to snare Scott Hope. I just want to get my life back, you know, do normal shit. Shop and hang out and go to school and save the world from unspeakable demons. You know, I wanna do girly stuff!"
At the Bronze, Cordelia and Angel danced slowly to the music. They held each other close and looked deeply into each other's eyes as they slowly danced.
"I miss you." Cordelia moved her left hand with her Claddagh ring down Angel's arm to take his hand.
The ring was loose on her finger, and, before she could clasp his hand, it fell off and clinked on the floor. Cordelia and Angel both looked down at the ring. Angel reached down to pick up the ring. The music faded out. Angel stood back up, holding the ring. He gave Cordelia a wounded look. She looked at the ring, frightened. Suddenly, she flashed back to the mansion and saw herself thrusting the sword through Angel - and his surprised and pained face as the vortex closed and he disappeared into Acathla's mouth with it.
Cordelia started crying. "I had to."
Angel's breath was shaky. He looked down at the ring in his fingers. He clenched it in his fist. Blood began to ooze from between his fingers and drip to the floor. He looked intensely at Cordelia. "I loved you."
Cordelia watched aghast as the blood continued to drip. Then a bloodstain appeared on his shirt at mid-chest. It grew quickly and began to soak the front of his shirt.
Cordelia drew a frightened, worried breath and reached out to his wound. "Oh, God! Angel..."
"Go to Hell!" Angel stared at her with intense anger in his eyes.
Cordelia looked up from his chest wound to his face. It had turned green, and one side was rotting.
Angel smiled and laughed smugly as he looked back at her. "I did."
Cordelia woke from her dream with a start and jerked her head from the pillow. Realizing it was only a dream, she put her hand to her head and pulled it back through her hair. She sat up in bed and looked over at her night stand. She reached over, pulled open the drawer, and lifted out a chain on which she had placed her Claddagh ring. She sat up straight in her bed and looked closely at the ring again: two hands for friendship, a crown for loyalty, and a heart for love.
The next morning, in Snyder's office, he sat behind his desk, calm. "Here are the terms of your re-entry, Missy. Take 'em or leave 'em."
Buffy took a letter opener from his desk and began to play with it.
"One: that you pass a makeup test of every class you skipped out on last year."
Buffy looked around absentmindedly and tapped the letter opener on her hand.
"Two: that you provide, in writing, one glowing letter of recommendation from any member of our faculty who is not an English librarian."
Buffy's tapping was beginning to annoy him.
"Three: that you complete an interview with our school psychologist, who must conclude that your violent tendencies..." Snyder stood up and walked around his desk toward Buffy. He paused for a moment, then snatched the letter opener from Buffy's hand. "...are under control."
Joyce looked at him. "I'm not sure I like your attitude, Mr. Snyder. I spoke with the school board, and according to them-"
"I'm required to educate every juvenile who is not in jail where she belongs." Snyder walked back around his desk. He stopped and looked out the window with his back to them. "Welcome back."
Joyce and Buffy gave each other a smile.
Buffy stood up. "So let me get this straight. I'm really back in school, because the school board overruled you."
Snyder faced her.
"Wow. That's like having your whole ability to do this job called into question, when you think about it."
Joyce got up also. "I think what my daughter's trying to say is...Nyah, nyah-nyah-nyah, nyah."
She gave Snyder a defiant look, and the two women turned and walked out of the office, proud of themselves.
Tara and Buffy walked into the library. The place seemed to be empty of people.
"Giles say what he wanted?" Buffy asked.
They stopped at the counter.
"No. I think he just wanted to check in with you."
Giles suddenly rose up from behind the counter, startling the girls.
"Sweet fucking Jesus!" Buffy exclaimed. "Could you not give me a heart attack on my first day back?"
"S-Sorry." Giles was preoccupied and nodded absently. "Buffy?"
"That's my name. Ask me again, and I'll tell you the same."
"Er, yes, very cute. Buffy-"
"That's my name. Ask me again, and I'll tell you the same."
Giles searched beneath the counter. "I have some things for you."
"Giles, contain yourself. Yes, I'm back in school, but you know how it embarrasses me when you gush so."
Giles looked up from his searching.
"Let's just skip all that and get straight to work."
Giles slowly straightened up. "Oh, ahhhh..." He paused. "Well, I, um..." He paused again. "Well-W...O-O-Of course, it's wonderful to have you back; i-i-it goes without saying."
Buffy raised her eyebrows at him and smiled.
Giles found what he was looking for and put a stack of books on the counter. "Books for your classes."
Buffy frowned and whined. "Oh, yeah. Guess I'll need those, huh?"
Tara smiled. "Yeah, they'll probably come in handy."
Buffy checked her watch. "Oh, shit, I have to go take an English makeup exam." She got her pile of books from the counter. "They give you credit just for speaking it, right?"
She just got looks from Tara and Giles.
Buffy whined. "Oh..." She kissed Tara on the lips and headed out the door to go take her exam.
That night, Buffy and the Slayerettes went to the Bronze - as spectators, not performers. The band tonight was Darling Violetta, playing "Cure". Most couples were dancing normally, but there was one couple that was a bit more energetic about it.
The gang found an alcove furnished like a turn-of-the-century parlor, with a loveseat, a couple of armchairs, tables, and a lamp with a pink shade. Amy and Katrina were sitting on the loveseat, having some romantic smoochies. Tara was sitting on an armrest of the loveseat. Cordelia and Harmony were sitting in the armchairs.
Buffy left the bar, carrying drinks, and headed for them. Cordelia stood up and went and sat on the loveseat's other armrest.
Buffy sat in the chair. "Don't let me interrupt."
Amy and Katrina looked up from their kissing. Buffy smiled and passed out the drinks.
Katrina looked at her. "So how'd your first day back go?"
"I passed my English makeup exam."
Amy smiled. "That's good."
Scott approached them. "Hi, Cordy."
Cordelia smiled at him. "Hi, Scott. What are you doing here?" She shot Buffy a look.
Buffy shook her head.
Scott gave her a smile. "Hi."
Things were a bit awkward now.
Scott looked around for something to comment on. "Don't you love this song?"
"Uh, yeah! Actually, I do." Cordelia grinned. "It's like my theme song!"
"Well, would you like to...?" Scott indicated the dance floor.
"Dance? Um...I don't know. I'm bad with...well..." Cordelia fidgeted. "Thank you for asking, it's just that there-"
"Okay, you know what? I'm just gonna go stand by the dance floor. If you change your mind, you can mosey on over, and then if not, then you don't mosey. No harm, no foul, right?"
"Right."
Scott walked off to find a place to wait. Cordelia rolled her eyes and flopped her head back.
The gang just sat in silence for a while, drinking.
"Check out Slut-O-Rama and her Disco Dave." Cordelia pointed and looked onto the dance floor.
They looked and saw an energetically dancing couple. Although the girl's style was more contemporary, the guy was dancing way too fast for the music - with an unmistakable '70s disco influence.
"What was the last thing that guy danced to, KC and the Sunshine Band?" Cordelia asked.
The couple continued to dance, getting close and touching each other at one point, then separating again. Buffy began to really wonder about them. The couple got close again, and the girl extended her arm, pointing at the door. The guy took the hint and led her out with his arm around her. Buffy watched them go, suspicious of his intentions. She saw him say bye to his buddy and head for the door.
"I don't think that guy thrives on sunshine." Buffy quickly put down her drink, stood up, and started out after them.
The others stood up and followed her.
As Cordelia crossed the room behind the dance floor, Scott saw her coming and stepped over to intercept her.
"Hi."
Cordelia stopped short, startled. "Hi." She frowned. "Oh, no, I..." She pointed at the door. "I-I have to-"
"Oh. Uh, uh, sorry, my bad."
"I-I-I have to go." Cordelia hurried out.
Buffy strode out of the Bronze first and looked around. Tara walked out right behind her, followed closely by the others.
"Where'd she go?" Buffy took a few steps down the alley to the left to check things out.
The others looked around also.
Cordelia looked at Harmony. "I bet it's nothing. She's probably just giving him head."
Buffy walked back over to them.
"Hey!" a girl called out in a complaining tone.
They also heard a loud noise, as though something was just broken. Amy pulled a stake out of her jacket. Buffy took it from her and headed in the direction of the noise. They all followed Buffy.
They came across the couple from the dance floor. The boy had the girl up against a section of temporary chain link fencing that was leaning against the building.
"Stop struggling. This won't hurt." The boy moved in to bite the girl.
She grabbed him by the neck, pushed him away a bit, and elbow-jabbed him in the face. He staggered back and regained his balance as she jumped onto a crate. She did a jumping roundhouse kick to his face, knocking him to the pavement.
The girl noticed Buffy and approached, smiling. "It's okay, I got it. You're, uh, Buffy, right?"
Buffy was taken aback. Just as she was about to answer, the vampire came up behind the girl and grabbed her by the shoulders. She snapped her head back to head-butt him in the face and grabbed onto his arm.
"I'm Faith." She twisted the vampire around and shoved him into the section of chain link fence.
Harmony looked at Cordelia. "I'm gonna go out on a limb and say there's a new Slayer in town."
Cordelia crossed her arms. "About time she showed up."
Faith kneed him in the gut from behind. The vampire whirled around and tried to backhand-punch her, but she easily ducked it. She punched him in the gut and then again in the face. Everyone just watched her fight. She did a high side kick to the vampire's jaw, grabbed onto his shirt and neck, and threw him to the ground. The vampire did a no-hand front roll to control his fall while Faith reached over to Buffy for the stake and jerked it from her hand.
"Can I borrow that?" Faith asked her.
The vampire used the momentum of his roll to get back to his feet and ran at Faith, throwing a punch as he came. She ducked it, hooked her hand on his shoulder, turned him around, and pushed him back into the fence. She raised the stake and jammed it cleanly into his chest and jerked it back out. The vampire fell to the ground, dead. Buffy stared in amazement.
Faith faced her and handed her back the stake. "Thanks, B. Couldn't have done it without you."
She walked past them all. Buffy turned to stare after her, unsure how to react.
They went back into the alcove, where Faith joined the gang. Buffy and Katrina sat on the loveseat, and Tara and Amy sat on their respective girlfriends' laps. Harmony sat on one of the loveseat's armrests. Cordelia and Faith sat in the armchairs.
"Let me introduce you." Buffy gestured at each of her friends in turn. "Tara Maclay, Katrina Silber, Amy Madison, Harmony Kendall, Cordelia Chase."
Faith nodded. "Faith Lehane."
Tara grinned in delight. "Oh! Bandia duit!"
Faith stared at her in confusion. "Huh?"
Tara shook her head. "Never mind. So, Faith, tell us some of your stories."
"The whole summer, it was, like, the worst heat wave. So it's about a hundred-eighteen degrees, and I'm sleeping without a stitch on. And all of a sudden, I hear this screaming from outside. So I go tearing out, stark nude, and this church bus has broke down, and there's these three vamps feasting on half the Baptists in South Boston. So I waste the vamps, and the preacher comes up, and he's hugging me like there's no tomorrow, when, all of a sudden, the cops pull up, and they arrested us both." Faith tore into the muffin that she was holding. "God, I could eat a horse. Isn't it crazy how slayin' just always makes you hungry and horny?" She gobbled a piece.
The others all turned their heads to look at Buffy.
Buffy stared back, wide-eyed and suddenly uncomfortable. "Well...sometimes I-I crave a cheeseburger afterwards. And I sleep in the nude, but that's mostly for comfort."
Faith smiled teasingly at Buffy. "Suuure, B."
Buffy blushed. "So, Faith, you're from...?"
"South Boston. But my Watcher is a professor at Harvard, so I've been living in her place in Cambridge."
"But why were you called here?" Katrina asked Faith.
"Well, I wasn't. My Watcher went off to some retreat thing in England, and so I skipped out. I figured this was my chance to meet the infamous Buff and compare notes."
Buffy gave her a little smile.
"It must have taken quite a lot of cash to get from Massachusetts to here, and you don't exactly look rich, so how'd you manage?" Cordelia asked Faith.
Faith felt a bit offended but smiled. "Well, I got a job over the summer circumcising babies. The pay wasn't that great, but I got to keep the tips."
Buffy spat out some of her soda.
"Is that a lucrative career path?" Harmony asked Faith.
Cordelia rolled her eyes.
"So, B, did you really use a rocket launcher one time?" Faith asked her.
Buffy leaned forward. "Uh, yeah, actually, it's a funny story. There was this Big Bad known as the Judge. It was written no weapon forged could defeat him. Well, as Amy pointed out, that was written a long-ass time ago, so I called up the Sunnydale PD and asked them to call up the nearest Army base, and they got me the launcher. Blew him to bits at the mall."
"Wait, so the police know you're a Slayer?" Faith asked her, surprised.
Buffy nodded, took out her wallet, opened it, and showed Faith her police identification. Faith raised her eyebrows. Buffy closed her wallet and put it away.
"Oh, there's this Big Daddy Vampire out of Missouri who used to keep alligators as pets. So he's got me rasslin' one of 'em, okay? The thing must have been twelve feet long." Faith shook her head. "I tell ya, I never had more trouble than that damn vamp." She looked at Buffy. "So what about you? What was your toughest kill?"
Buffy thought for a moment. "Well, I wanna say the Master. He was the first Big Bad that I went up against. I actually died a little."
Faith took a sip of her drink. "Yeah, I saw."
Buffy stared at her in surprise.
"I dreamed it."
Buffy nodded, a bit weirded out.
"So what's your stance on witches?" Amy asked Faith. "'Cause Tara and I practice."
"Hey, as long as you don't go hexin' me, we're five-by-five, you know?" Faith asked.
Amy nodded. "Fair enough."
"The vamps, though, they better get their asses to Defcon One, 'cause you and I are gonna have fun, you know, Watcherless and fancy-free." Faith pointed to Buffy and smiled.
"Watcherless?" Buffy asked, confused.
Faith looked around at everyone, confused. "Didn't yours go to England, too?"
The next day, Buffy and Tara picked up Faith on their way to school. They went to the library and filled Giles in. Buffy and Faith sat at the table. Tara sat on it.
Giles stood at the end of the table with his hands in his pockets, reminiscing about the gatherings. "There's a Watchers' retreat every year in the Cotswolds." He walked to the other end of the table and smiled. "It's a lovely spot. It's very s-serene. There's horse-riding and hiking and punting and lectures and discussions. It-I-It's...It's a great honor to be invited." He frowned, a tad bitter. "Or so I'm told."
Faith smiled flirtatiously. "Oh, it's boring. Way too stuffy for a guy like you."
Buffy made a face. "Um, maybe I should introduce you again. Faith, this is Giles."
Tara smirked.
"I see him. If I'd've known they came that young and cute, I would've requested a transfer."
Giles took off his glasses.
Buffy was grossed out. "Raise your hand if 'ew'." She raised her hand.
Giles chuckled, went to the copier, and grabbed the current newspaper. "Well, um, uh, leaving aside for a moment my, uh, youth and beauty, I'd - I'd say it was, um, fortuitous that Faith arrived when she did." He came back with it.
"There's big evil brewin'?" Buffy guessed.
Giles nodded.
Buffy looked at Faith. "You'll never be bored here, Faith."
Faith grinned at her.
"'Cause this is Sunnydale, home of the big brewin' evil."
"Yes, well, I don't know how big an evil it is, but, uh, two people have disappeared from the Sunset Ridge District." Giles handed Buffy the newspaper.
She and Faith quickly scanned the article.
"Well, I'm good for patrolling. Late-ish, though. I promised Mom I'd be home for dinner." Buffy handed Tara the paper.
Tara nodded toward Faith while looking at Buffy with big eyes.
Buffy turned her eyes to Faith and got the hint. "Um, to which you're also invited, of course, dinner with us."
"Dyin' to meet the fam. I'm in."
"Great! Great, then we can patrol, also together."
"Hey, don't you have that health science makeup?" Tara reminded Buffy.
Buffy looked at her. "Oh, shit, yeah. Actually, I could use a little coaching."
Tara hopped off the table, smiling, and looked at Faith. "You know, you can hang out with me while she's testing. You wanna?"
"Okay." Faith looked at Buffy. "Hey, later." She stood up and looked at Giles. "We will talk weapons."
She followed Tara out of the library.
Giles watched her go and pointed. "This, um, this new girl seems to have a lot of zest." He sat on the table and smiled.
Buffy nodded absently, lost in thought. She stood up and pulled on her backpack. "Giles, look, I've got makeup tests to pass, missing people in Sunset Ridge, and a zesty new Slayer to feed." She grabbed her books. "I gotta book it."
Giles nodded. "Yes, yes, of course."
She walked out of the library to go take her test.
Tara and Faith walked in through the door at the end of the hall. Tara was giving Faith the tour.
Tara pointed at the door. "And over here, we have the cafeteria, where we were mauled by snakes." She pointed down the hall. "And this is the spot where Angel tried to kill Amy." She pointed and smiled. "Oh, and over there in the lounge is where Spike and his gang nearly massacred us all on Parent-Teacher Night."
Faith was finding it all pretty incredible and smiled. They reached the stairs.
Tara pointed up to the landing. "Oh, a-and, up those stairs, I was sucked into a muddy grave."
They stopped walking.
"And they say young people don't learn anything in high school nowadays, but, um, I've learned to be afraid." Tara smiled.
Faith grinned and laughed. "You're a hoot and a half. If I'd had a friend like you in high school, I...probably still would've dropped out. But I might've been sad about it, you know?"
Tara gave her an understanding nod.
Faith crossed her arms. "Hey, so what's up with B? I mean...she seems wound kinda tight. Needs to find the fun a little? Like you."
"Well, um, she-"
Faith spied the drinking fountain and pointed. "Oh. Water."
Tara turned to watch her go to the fountain.
Cordelia approached behind her. "What is it with you and Slayers?"
Tara jerked around to face her. "Holy shit, Cordy!"
Cordelia smiled teasingly.
Faith finished her drink. Scott came out of the cafeteria and almost bumped into her. She jumped back.
"Oh. Excuse me."
"Sorry." Faith looked at him curiously. "I know you from somewhere."
"The Bronze. You're friends with Cordelia, right?"
"Yeah. I'm Faith." Faith held out her hand.
Scott accepted it. "I'm Scott. Nice to meet you."
Faith grinned. "Nice to meet you!"
They let go of their handshake.
Buffy hopped down the stairs and joined Tara and Cordelia. "Well, I'm two for two with makeup tests. Proud, yes, but also humble in this time of darkness."
Cordelia stared at Scott talking and laughing with Faith. "Does anyone believe that is her actual hair color?" She rolled her eyes in disbelief and walked away. Then she sighed and decided to head over to Faith and Scott. She smiled. "Hey!"
"Hey, Cordy! Uh, Faith has been telling me all about you."
Cordelia smiled big. "She's funny." She took Faith's arm. "And she's leaving. She has to go. She's got a dinner date with Buffy."
Buffy blushed in surprise and stifled a laugh.
"Oh..."
Faith looked at him. "Bye."
Cordelia pulled her away and down the hall.
Faith gestured back. "He's a cutie. Is he seeing anybody?"
Cordelia just ignored her and continued down the hall, Buffy and Tara close behind.
That evening, at the Summers' house, Joyce was serving dinner to Faith.
"So you're a Slayer, too. Isn't that interesting?!" Joyce smiled. "Do you like it?" She set down the bowl.
"God, I love it!" Faith replied.
Buffy wanted the bowl. "Uh, Mom?"
Joyce waved her off. "Uh, just a second, honey." She scooped broccoli onto Faith's plate. "You know, Buffy never talks that way. Why do you love it?"
Buffy gave up and grabbed a pair of tongs to take some fries for herself.
"Well, when I'm fighting, it's like the whole world goes away, and I only know one thing: that I'm gonna win, and they're gonna lose. I like that feelin'." Faith dug into her food.
Joyce smiled at that and took her seat.
Buffy smiled weakly. "Well, sure. Beats that dead feeling you get when they win and you lose."
Faith shook her head. "I don't let that kind of negative thinking in."
Tara was impressed at that.
Joyce pointed at Faith. "Right." She shook her finger. "Right. That could get you hurt. Buffy can be awfully negative sometimes." She looked at Buffy. "See, honey, you gotta fight that." She smiled.
Buffy smiled back weakly. "I'm working on it." She kept taking fries.
Joyce noticed Faith's empty glass. "Oh, Faith, can I get you another soft drink?"
Faith handed over the glass. "Oh, you bet."
"Right." Joyce went into the kitchen.
"She's really cool, huh?" Faith asked Buffy.
Buffy nodded. "Best mom ever."
"So how come you're here, T?" Faith asked Tara.
Tara chewed on a couple fries. "My, uh, my mom died last week, and my dad and brother are assholes, so Mrs. Summers took me in."
Faith grinned and nodded. "Wow! How about that?!"
"As I said, best mom ever." Buffy looked back into the kitchen. "Excuse me." She got up and left.
Faith grabbed a bottle of hot sauce, gave it a sniff, and poured a lot of it over her fries. She picked up a handful of fries, stuffed them in her mouth, and grinned. "So B's not driving stick."
Tara was surprised and blushed. "W-W-W-W-W-Well-"
"W-W-W-W-What? You gonna get that sentence out sometime tonight?" Faith asked her.
Tara lowered her head.
Faith felt ashamed and tried to lighten the moment. She grinned at Tara. "Or pussy got your tongue?"
Tara looked at her in surprise. Faith laughed, and Tara nervously joined in.
Buffy walked into the kitchen.
Joyce got out a bottle of regular Pepsi, brought it to the island, and opened it. "I like this girl, Buffy." She poured the soda.
"She's very personable." Buffy sat on a stool. "She gets along with my friends, my girlfriend, my Watcher, my mom." She leaned back and looked into the dining room. "Look, now she's getting along with my fries." She leaned forward.
Joyce closed the soda bottle. "Now, Buffy-"
"Plus, at school today, she was making fuck-eyes at Cordy's not-boyfriend. This is creepy."
Joyce crossed her arms. "Does anybody else think Faith is creepy?"
Buffy pouted. "No, but I'm the one getting Single-White-Femaled here. Mom, I'm just getting my life back. I'm not looking to go halfsies on it."
"Well, you went halfsies on it for most of your life."
"Oh, yeah, that was fun. I never figured out how Dawn was able to snap my Belinda CD in half."
Joyce laughed. "Anyway, there are some things I'd be happy to see you share. Like the slaying. I mean...two of you fighting is safer than one, right?"
"I guess."
"Unless, I mean...you heard her. She loves the slaying." Joyce leaned over the island. "Couldn't she take over for you?"
"I've actually been thinking about that, but...she's still too new to the job."
"But you're going to college next year. I think it would be-"
"Next year is next year. A lot can happen between now and then. Faith could be recalled to Cambridge or reassigned elsewhere. One of us could die."
"Die?" Joyce straightened back up.
Buffy realized she'd just said way too much.
Joyce started to pace nervously. "Oh, I hate this. I hate your life."
"Mom, I-"
Joyce faced her daughter. "Look, I-I know you didn't choose this; I know it chose you." She took a breath, suddenly very solemn. "I have tried to march in the Slayer Pride parade, but...I don't want you to die."
Buffy lowered her eyes, shook her head, and gave her mother a warm hug.
"Oh..."
"I'm not gonna die. I know how to do my job." Buffy released the hug. "Besides, like you said, I've got help now."
She looked into the living room to see Faith picking at everything in sight and stuffing it into her mouth.
Buffy raised her eyebrows. "I've got all the help I can stand."
Later that night, Buffy and Faith strolled along in an alley, looking around for any vampires. There was construction equipment lying around.
"Didn't we, um, do this street already?" Faith asked.
"Funny thing about vamps. They'll hit a street even after you've been there. It's like they have no manners."
Faith shrugged. "Mm. You've been doing this the longest."
"I have."
"Yeah. Maybe a little too long."
Buffy looked at Faith. "Excuse me? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing."
"You got a problem?"
Faith spread her arms. "I'm five-by-five, B, living entirely large, actually wondering about your problem."
"Well, I may not rassle alligators-"
"Maybe it's time you started, 'cause obviously something in your bottle needs uncorking. What is it? That guy you killed?" Faith gestured wildly and kept looking around.
Buffy stopped in her tracks. "What do you know about that?"
Faith faced her. "Just what I've heard at school: definitely disproportionate retribution, possibly murder, longtime anger issues stemming from your parents' divorce and separation from your sister. You oughta deal and move on, but you're not."
"I am trying, but it's very difficult. It's not just something that I can get over." Buffy stepped closer. "I got an idea: how about, from now on, we don't hear from you on Ted or my parental issues or anything else in my life? Which, by the way, is my life."
"What are you getting so strung out for, B?"
"Why are your lips still moving, F?"
"Did I just hear a threat?"
"Would you like to?"
"Wow. Think you can take me?"
"Yeah." Buffy looked over Faith's shoulder. "I just hope they can't."
She shoved Faith aside as a vampire attacked, making her fall to the ground. Buffy punched the vampire in the gut, and he went flying onto his back. A second one came in and took a swing at Buffy, but she ducked him. She middle-blocked his wide punch and low-blocked his next punch. She then punched him in the face and the gut. She took his head in both hands and twisted. His body followed the motion, and he log-rolled down to the ground. Faith got back up and grabbed a nearby trashcan. A third vampire ran in and punched Buffy in the face. He went around behind her and tripped her with his outstretched leg, making her fall to the ground.
Behind him, Faith crammed the trashcan down over his head, blinding him. She took hold of the can and pushed him into a sheet of drywall. The board broke and fell on top of him as he fell over. One of the others dove for Buffy, but she rolled out of the way and onto her feet. Immediately, she crouched down and staked him in the chest. The other one grabbed her from behind and pulled her away. Faith's opponent was back up, and she spun around once and did a side kick, getting him in the stomach. The kick forced him back, and he knocked his head hard into a low pipe behind him. Buffy's attacker threw her onto a stack of plywood. She hit the wall behind it but quickly got to her feet. The vampire jumped onto the stack just in time to be side-kicked in the stomach. He flew back and landed on a dumpster hard on his back, rolled off, and fell to the ground. Faith's assailant punched her in the face, but she wasn't fazed in the least. She blocked two punches with her forearms and then backhand-punched him in the face.
"My dead mother hits harder than that!" Faith grabbed him by the sweater and threw him onto a couple of sheets of drywall laid across two sawhorses.
They broke instantly under his weight. She ran up to him, grabbed his sweater, and punched him in the face. Buffy flipped her opponent in an awkward open front layout, and he landed hard on a large duct pipe, which crushed under him. She looked over at Faith, who was whaling away on her vampire with continuous punches to the face.
"Faith! Stake him already and give me a hand!" Buffy told her.
Still another vampire grabbed her by her jacket and threw her to the ground. She landed on her stomach near a piece of wood lying there. The vampire and her original attacker both made a grab for her.
Meanwhile, Faith kept whaling on her victim, punching every few words. "This is me, you undead bastard!"
Buffy reached desperately for the piece of two-by-four in front of her.
"For Kakistos, we live! For Kakistos, you'll die!" a vampire declared.
Buffy glanced up at him for an instant, then continued desperately clawing for the hunk of wood. "Faith!"
Faith paid her no attention and just kept punching her vampire to a pulp.
"Oh!" Buffy kept reaching for the two-by-four.
Faith continued her pounding.
Buffy finally managed to grab the board, and she swung it up and beaned one of the vampires in the face with it and, turning to the other, push-kicked him off her. She quickly got to her feet and looked over at Faith. "Faith!"
The one that she kicked off made a grab at her from behind, and she instinctively turned and jammed the makeshift stake home. The vampire died. She reached into her jacket for a proper stake and headed over to Faith.
Faith was still whaling on the vampire, long after he was too dazed to fight back. "You can't touch me!" She shook the vampire a bit before going back to punching him.
Buffy walked up behind her, grabbed her by the waist, and pulled her off him. She then thrust down with her stake and killed him. Without skipping a beat, she confronted Faith with her behavior. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about you 'living large' on that vampire!"
"God, if doing violence to vampires upsets you, I think you're in the wrong line of work!"
"Yeah, or maybe you like it a little too much."
"I was getting the job done."
"The job is to slay demons! Not beat them to a bloody pulp while their friends corner me!"
Faith shrugged. "I thought you could handle yourself." She walked off.
Buffy let out an exasperated sigh.
The next day, at school, Buffy and Giles walked out of the cafeteria and toward the library.
"What you must realize, Buffy, is that you and Faith have very different temperaments." Giles sipped his coffee.
"Yeah, and mine's the sane one."
Giles chuckled.
"The girl's not playing with a full deck, Giles. She has almost no deck. She has a three."
"You said yourself that she - she killed one. Sh-She-She's just a plucky fighter who got a little carried away. Which is natural. She's focused on the slaying. She doesn't have a whole other life here, as you do."
"She doesn't need a life. She has mine."
"I think you're being a little-"
"No, I'm being a lot. I know that. But she nearly got us both killed. The girl needs help."
"All right. I'll see if I can reach her Watcher at the retreat." Giles checked his watch. "They're eight hours ahead now. I guess they're probably sitting down to a nightcap."
Buffy continued on toward the library, but Giles just stood there and started to stare off into space.
"I wonder if they still kayak. I used to love a good kayak."
Buffy turned around and walked back over to him.
"You see, t-they don't even consider..." Giles saw her looking at him. "Sorry. I digress."
They both continued walking.
"The, um, vampires that attacked you, can you furnish me with some details that might help me trace their lineage? I mean...ancient or - or - or modern dress. Amulets, cultish tattoos..." Giles sipped his coffee.
"Uh, no tats. Shitty dressers. And, uh..." Buffy paused and thought. "Oh, the one that nearly bit me mentioned something about kissing toast. He lived for kissing toast."
"You mean 'Kakistos'?" Giles asked her.
Buffy tried to remember. "Maybe it was taquitos. Maybe he lived for taquitos." She whined. "Now, I want taquitos." She realized he had said something and looked at him. "What?"
"Kakistos." Giles headed into the library.
Buffy frowned. "Is that bad?" She followed him.
Giles quickly paced in and set his things on the counter. "'Kakistos' is Greek. It means the worst of the worst." He headed behind the counter. "It's also the name of a vampire so old that his hands and feet are cloven." He went into his office and came out with a book, setting it on the counter and leafing through it.
"Now, this guy shows up a few days ago, right? Right around the same time my bestest new little sister makes the scene."
Giles looked up and considered. "You think he and Faith are connected?"
"Giles, there are two things that I don't believe in: coincidence and leprechauns."
"Well, Buffy, it's entirely possible that they both arrived here by chance simultaneously."
"Okay, but I was right about the leprechauns, right?"
Giles thought for a moment. "As far as I know, yes."
"Good. Okay, you get England on the phone. I'm gonna talk to Faith, see if 'khaki trousers' rings-"
"Kakistos."
"Kakistos rings a bell. Or an alarm."
"Right."
"Right." Buffy headed out.
Buffy strode toward the lounge and was about to round the corner toward the exit when Cordelia and Scott approached her from opposite sides, inadvertently blocking her path.
Scott smiled. "Hi."
Cordelia was surprised to see him. "Scott!"
"How are you?"
"Uh, o-okay."
Buffy raised her hand. "You know, I-I gotta-"
"Think of this as my last-ditch effort. I realize that one more is gonna qualify as stalking. I've given it a lot of thought - some might say too much thought - to - to how I might be a part of your life. It begins with conversation. We all know this. Maybe over a cup of coffee, or maybe at the anime festival playing on State Street all this weekend."
Cordelia found this to be a very sweet overture and smiled warmly. She took a moment to consider his offer. "You know, come to think of it, I-I am an anime fan. I...I like what I've seen of it so far. I...I think it might be time to see a little more."
Scott took and released a breath, smiling. "Cool. Oh." He reached into a pocket. "Um, I got you a little present." He pulled out a small box and held it out to her. "The guy in the retro shop said that it represents friendship, and that's something I would very much like to have with you."
Cordelia took the box, looked up at him, and back at the box. She took off the lid and looked at what was inside. It was a Claddagh ring.
"You like?"
She immediately had an anxiety attack and dropped the box. The ring fell free of its padding and hit the floor with an echoing clinking. Giles came down the hall toward them just in time to see it fall.
"I can't. I-I-I-I can't do this." Cordelia took a quick breath.
Scott bent down to pick up the box and the ring. He looked at her and at the ring. "Okay. I get the message." He left.
Cordelia just stood there as if in a trance.
Buffy reached out to her. "Are you all right?"
Cordelia shoved off her caring hand, not realizing who it was. "Uh..." She looked at her friend. "Buffy, I, uh..." She wiped a tear. "Yeah, I'm fine." She tried to settle herself.
"You sure?" Buffy asked her.
"Yeah, thanks." Cordelia walked away.
Buffy noticed Giles. "Hey, did you reach the retreat?"
Giles looked at the floor. "Yes, I did."
"W-What did her Watcher say?"
"Her Watcher's dead."
Buffy stared back in disbelief.
Buffy pulled up to a cheap hotel in a run-down neighborhood. She parked her van, got out, and made sure to lock and close the door. She headed to Faith's room.
The hotel manager was having a talk with Faith. "The room's eighteen dollars a day. That's every day."
"Yeah, I know. I'll get it to you by tomorrow, I swear."
The manager sighed and shrugged. "It's not like I own the place."
Faith gave him a smile. "But I bet you will someday."
"Not if I listen to broads like you."
Buffy arrived at the door and stepped in.
The manager indicated Buffy. "Roommates are extra."
"I'm just visiting."
The manager gave up and walked out of the room. Buffy reached for the door to pull it shut.
"So...what brings you to the poor side of town?" Faith asked.
Buffy slammed the door closed and faced Faith. "Cloven Guy. Goes by the name Kakistos."
Faith was taken aback. "What do you know about Kakistos?"
"That he's here."
The look on Faith's face betrayed her apprehension at hearing this.
"We're not happy to see old friends, are we? What'd he do to you?"
Faith quickly grabbed her bag. "It's what I did to him, all right?" She put it on the bed and started to stuff her things into it.
"And what was that? Faith, you came here for a reason. I can help."
Faith looked up from packing. "You can mind your own fucking business." She pointed at herself. "I'm the one that can handle this."
Buffy nodded. "Yeah. You're a real badass when it comes to packing."
Faith gave her a look.
"What was that you said about my problem? Gotta deal and move on? Well, we have the 'moving on' part right here. What about dealing? Is that just something you're gonna dump on me?" Buffy asked her.
Faith finished packing. "You don't know me. You don't know what I've been through. I'll take care of this, all right?" She headed for the door.
"Like you took care of your Watcher?" Buffy asked her.
This stopped Faith cold. She let go of the doorknob and looked down sadly. A moment later, she turned to Buffy.
"He killed her, didn't he?" Buffy asked.
Faith was angry. "They don't have a word for what he did to her."
There was a knock at the door. Faith looked through the peephole and saw it was the manager, looking very strung out.
Faith sighed. "Oh, what now?"
"Faith, you run, he runs after you."
"That's where the head start comes in handy." Faith opened the door and saw Kakistos standing behind the dead manager, holding him up. Faith stepped back into the room, aghast.
Kakistos dropped the manager's body and smiled at her. "Faith." He roared and grabbed Faith by the neck.
She grabbed his wrist and tried to pull him off her, but he was too strong.
"No!" Faith cried.
Buffy rushed up between them; shoved Faith back into the room, forcing Kakistos to let go; and slammed the door on his arm. He yelled in anger and pain and eventually had to pull his arm out.
Buffy slammed the door shut, locked it, and put on the safety chain. "I just bought us a little more-"
Kakistos punched through the door and tried to reach for Buffy.
"-time!" Buffy finished.
Faith panicked. "No! Nooooo!"
"Scream later! Escape now!" Buffy ran for the bathroom, dragging Faith behind her.
Faith kicked out the bathroom window and scrambled through. Buffy jumped through right behind her. They landed in the alley behind the hotel.
"Let's go!" Buffy yelled.
She took Faith's hand again, and they started to run. They reached a fork in the alley and took the left one. Without looking back, they sensed they were being followed.
They reached a warehouse. Buffy jumped and went crashing in through a window, and Faith jumped in behind her. They scrambled to their feet and saw the vampire chasing them run right past.
"We're okay." Buffy faced Faith. "What happened?"
Faith was too freaked out to think straight.
"Faith, what happened?" Buffy asked again.
Faith was frightened. "I...I was there when he killed my Watcher, and I saw what he did to her...what he was gonna do to me. I tried to stop him, but I...I couldn't. And I ran."
Buffy was breathing hard. "Faith, first rule of slaying: don't die. You did the right thing. Okay? You didn't die. Now, you do the math. One of him, two of us."
Faith looked past Buffy, shaking her head. "No."
"Yes."
Faith was getting panicky. "No."
Buffy turned around to see what she was looking at. There on the floor lay bodies.
Faith stared at the bodies. "This is his place."
"He drove us here."
One of the vampires arrived at an entrance and growled at them. They began to run through the warehouse. The vampire gave chase. Two others came in the other side and tried to head them off. Buffy stopped by a bucket and, putting her foot in, kicked it into one vampire's face. He stumbled backward and over a chair. She did a full spinning hook kick to the other vampire and a side kick to another one behind her. He fell backwards over a table. Buffy ran and jumped onto the table, log-rolled over it, and kicked him in the back as he tried to get back up. Kakistos walked into the building, his one-eyed gaze fixed on Faith. Buffy rolled to a stand on the table. She picked up a crowbar and swung it baseball-style at yet another vampire advancing towards her, hitting her squarely in the neck and knocking her down and out.
Buffy saw Kakistos advancing on Faith. "Faith!"
Faith looked at her.
"Don't die!" Buffy threw her the crowbar.
Faith caught the crowbar in mid-air, but, before she could swing it at Kakistos, he punched her hard and knocked her into a bunch of large wooden beams leaning against the wall. She hit the floor as the beams went tumbling. Buffy knife-handed her attacker in the neck and threw him into an assisted front tuck off the table. Kakistos calmly stepped up to Faith as she scrambled up against the wall, cowering. He reached down and grabbed her by the shirt, picking her up off the floor.
"No!" Faith yelled.
Once he had her up, he punched her squarely in the face. Buffy was no longer on the table, and she roundhouse-kicked over it, knocking the legs out from under a vampire standing on it. He rolled off the table and onto his back, and Buffy staked him cleanly. She looked up at Faith being whaled on by Kakistos. Kakistos finally hit Faith hard enough to knock her from his own grip onto the floor. He roared loudly. Buffy jumped up and ran over to attack him. She roundhouse-kicked him in the back of the knee, spun around, and tried to backhand him in the face, but he blocked it. She spun around the other way and backhanded him in the face. Buffy tried to stake Kakistos, but the stake couldn't easily penetrate his thick hide and so had no effect on him. He grabbed Buffy by the hair, lifted her, and threw her back. Buffy backhanded Kakistos, landing a hard punch. He swung at her, but she ducked. She stood up and tried to stake him again, but, even though the stake went in deeper this time, it still had no effect on him. Again, he grabbed her by the head and shoved her back into the wall. Faith recovered from her daze and saw him looming before her - but looking at Buffy instead of at her.
"I guess you need a bigger stake, Slayer!" Kakistos laughed maniacally.
Faith saw one of the fallen beams had a broken end. She lifted it up over her shoulder, and, before Kakistos could turn his attention back onto her, she thrust the beam through his chest and out his back. He looked down at it and back up at Faith, and then he fell over, dead. Buffy stared in amazement. Faith heaved a few heavy breaths. Buffy pulled the hair back from her face and stepped over to Faith, who looked around to make sure nothing else was about to attack. They both looked down at the body of Kakistos.
"You hungry?" Buffy asked Faith.
"Starved."
They both headed out of the building.
The next day, at Sunnydale High School, Giles got up from his desk and walked out to the table in the main room of the library. "The Council has approved our request. Faith is to stay here indefinitely." He walked around the table. "I'm to look after you both until a new Watcher is assigned." He picked up some papers.
Buffy was sitting on the table, and Faith was sitting in a chair.
"Good. She really came through in the end." Buffy slid off the table. "She had a lot of shit to deal with, but she did it. She got it behind her." She looked at Faith and smiled.
Faith smiled back at her.
In the hall, Cordelia was waiting behind a classroom door for Scott and stepped out into the hall when she saw him come out. "Scott."
Scott stopped. "Uh, hello." He pulled on his backpack.
"Hey. Uh, I was, um, I was waiting for you to get out of class."
"Oh. Um, why?"
"Um..." Cordelia paused. "There was someone a while ago, and, uh, the ring sort of confused me. But I liked what you said about friendship. I liked it a lot. And anime. Big fun. And I'm capable of big fun, even though there's no earthly way you could possibly know that about me. Wow. If I knew I was gonna go on this long, I probably would've brought some water." She sighed. "Uh, what I'm trying to say is, um...if you would still like to go to the anime festival, and I would understand it if you didn't, I'd pretty much love to go with you."
Scott looked around awkwardly. "Uh...Ahem." He shrugged. "I don't know, Cordy. I'm - I'm really gonna have to think about this."
Cordelia nodded in understanding.
Scott started down the hall for a few steps, stopped, and immediately came back. "Okay. You know what, I thought about it, and I'm in. When do you want to go?"
Cordelia smiled. "Uh, well, I have one thing that I have to do tonight, and then I'm good."
Scott smiled. "Good."
Cordelia smiled back at him warmly.
Cordelia went to the mansion that night. She slowly walked into the great room where Acathla stood from a side door to the spot where she slew Angel. She looked down at the floor, and the tears began to come. She slowly crouched down and looked at her Claddagh ring. "Goodbye." Gently, she placed the ring on the floor. She reflected for a moment before standing back up, looking at the great hall around her. She turned around and slowly started to walk away, toward the main door.