Title: New Revelations
Author: Anne
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon and any others who own the characters of BtVS, I'm just dabbling. Please do not sue.
Spoilers: Revelations
Feedback: angels_flight_@hotmail.com
Notes: I have lifted huge sections of dialogue, so this is best when you have seen the episode. Which of course, you all have!!! I also skipped out large sections of plot that weren’t relevant to what I was getting at. Also, no beta reader yet again, and it is very late.
The Bronze.
An idea suddenly came to Willow. "Hey! Speaking of people and things they do that aren't like usual, anyone notice Buffy acting sort of different?"
"Let's see, uh, killing zombies... uh, torching sewer monsters, and... No, that's pretty much the, uh, same old Buffster." Smiled Xander.
"Well, I just mean, you know, she's off by herself a lot more, and she's kind of... distracted."
"Think maybe she has a new honey?" asked Cordelia, intrigued by the prospect of gossip.
"A boyfriend? Why wouldn't she tell us?" Willow was slightly hurt by the suggestion.
"Excuse me? When your last steady killed half the class, and then your rebound guy sends you a dump-o-gram? It makes a girl shy."
Now it was Xander’s turn to be slightly upset. "But we're the best of Buffy's bestest buds. She'd tell us."
"Tell you what?" Buffy’s sudden presence made them all jump.
"About your new boyfriend, who we made up. Unless we didn't?" Willow somehow managed to combine babble with being curious.
"This was a topic of discussion?" asked Buffy through raised eyebrows.
"Well, raised, but never discussed." Oz deadpanned.
Never one to be subtle, Cordelia went straight to the point. "So, are you dating somebody or not?"
Buffy looked around the room looking as if she had something to hide, but teasing them all at the same time. "I wouldn't use the word 'dating', but I am going out with somebody. Tonight, as a matter of fact."
Willow could hardly contain herself. "Really? Who?"
Just then Faith put a hand on Xander's shoulder and pulled him aside, squeezing in close between him and Buffy.
"Yo, what's up? Hey, time to motivate." She said to Buffy with a friendly punch to her arm.
Buffy gave Willow a look and smiled putting her arm around Faith. "Really, we're just good friends."
With that the two slayers walked off, leaving everyone more than slightly intrigued.
Later:
Patrol was slow. Cemeteries were dead. Literally. Faith and Buffy had reached the last resort of walking along the streets in the hope of catching a few night-life loving vamps. Still, there was nothing much here, and they had ended up talking as they walked along. Sort of getting to know each other.
"Jenny, deadbeat. Eve, klepto. Kerry... drummer. Eventually, I just had to face up to my destiny as a loser magnet. Now it's strictly get some, get gone." She looked at Buffy, who was giving her a puzzled look.
"Aren’t they girly names for guys. No wonder you had problems. Maybe you ought to... oh..." Buffy trailed off as she realised what Faith was saying. "You weren’t talking about guys were you?"
"Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been with my share of guys B. Just somehow end up getting more than pelvic with the gals. Well, did anyway". She laughed at Buffy’s shocked expression. "You telling me you never, you know," Faith did her best thrusting actions, "with Willow?"
"No!" This time Buffy was really shocked and that made Faith laugh even more. "So what about you?"
"You mean like, me and guys me?" Said Buffy, putting a little more emphasis on guys than was strictly necessary.
"Mm-hm."
"Not much to tell these days."
"Yeah, but you gotta have stories. I mean, I've had my share of losers, women and men, but you... you boinked the undead. What was that like?"
"Life with Angel's... was complicated. It's still a little hard for me to talk about."
"Well, try."
"Well, what’s it like being with a woman?" Buffy was not sure what made her say it. She knew she was trying to explain to Faith that emotions were something that you couldn’t just wrap up in nice little words, but somehow there was a hint of challenge to her voice. Even she noticed it. They suddenly stopped walking and faced off against each other.
"Why do you want to know?" asked Faith cocking an eyebrow. She took a large step forward so that her hip was pressed against Buffy’s. "And more importantly," she leaned into Buffy’s face, just far enough away, "Do you want to find out?"
"I thought slaying made you hungry and horny, and we haven’t staked anything tonight..."
"Not just slaying makes me horny you know. And I’m just about starving tonight." Faith was toying with Buffy now, knowing that the other girl was shocked and confused and more than just a little bit willing to try. Call it slayer sense, but Faith could see it a mile off. And she could see it in Buffy’s eyes. There was a chemistry between them. They were the chosen two. Faith was everything that Buffy could be and never dared.
"Faith, I."
"I know you are a 'strings attached' kind of girl B. But I’m making you a one-off offer here. And you did ask what it was like." Faith pushed a little harder into Buffy, and placed her hands on the blond slayers hips to steady them both. Buffy opened her lips slightly in surprise. Perfect. Faith could not resist, especially when she was sure she was not going to get a slap in the face for this one. Maybe this would be the first time without a loser. There was no way that she was going to pass up the opportunity of finding out.
"Relax B" she said as she leaned forward, gently pressing her lips against Buffy’s slowly at first, becoming unsure of the response. When Buffy did not pull away, she slid her arms round her waist pulling her in closer for more intimate contact. Buffy took a deep breath inwards when she felt the other slayer’s body pressed along the length of hers, and Faith took the opportunity to dart her tongue between Buffy’s lips. It was the briefest of things, but Faith knew that it was a now or never response. She found that she was holding her breath, waiting for Buffy to pull away. She didn’t, and Faith took that as a yes. She slid her tongue out again, and this time was met with Buffy’s pushing up against hers. Pushing against hers with the attraction that Faith had known had been there all the time. Faith slid her hand under Buffy’s top, her fingers playing along her spine, when Buffy suddenly gasped and pushed away.
"What?" asked Faith, suddenly surprised. She had thought that things were more than five by five.
"Look, Faith, what we were talking about earlier. Before... erm... all the Angel issues are still kind of with me, so I can’t... I can’t do this right now". Faith thought that there were tears in her eyes, but still she reacted the only way that she knew how. She shrugged her shoulders in an attempt at a defiant gesture.
"Yeah." She shrugged again. "Yeah, whatever."
Buffy looked away, unsure of what she had done, wondering if she had hurt Faith, and so desperately wanting to carry on.
"You know what? We're oh for six tonight. Why don't we just blow this off?" Faith made some attempt at normality.
"Yeah. I am kinda beat." Said Buffy, taking up the cue. "But - but Shady Hill's pretty close."
"I'll swing through it. It's on my way anyway."
"Alone? I-I don't know if I'd..."
"I got Miss Priss on my back now. I don't need another baby- sitter." Faith rolled her eyes at the mention of her new watcher. "I'll holler if I'm having any fun." Once again, there was double meaning in her voice, and Buffy picked up on it.
"Okay," she replied with a half-smile.
"Later." Was the double meaning still there? Buffy could not tell.
"Thanks." Buffy watched for a few moments as Faith walked away. Not knowing where to go. She certainly did not want to go home. There was a place that she needed to go for her own piece of mind. Angel’s.
Slaying was still slow, so Faith decided to see if there was action of any kind at the bronze. The thing with Buffy had got her more het up than she even wanted to admit to herself. She strolled up to the table where Xander was shooting pool, sinking the cue ball with his very first shot.
"You look pissed."
"Rough day" replied Xander without even looking up.
"Tell me about it." Faith could still smell and taste Buffy, and the 'get some, get gone' motto was quickly becoming an old one.
"Rather just shoot."
"Don't think I don't know what you and your pals were talking about behind my back today.
"And what was that?"
"More about this glove deal than you're saying." Faith still could not yet used to the whole scooby gang 'talking about everything' deal.
"The Glove of Myhnegon? Right. How'd you like a hit of some real news: Angel's still alive."
Faith felt her heart rise up in her throat and then sink straight down into her stomach. Then it swept over her like a cool clear wave. Jealousy. "The vampire". She muttered through clenched teeth. So that was why Buffy wouldn’t go through. She was still in love with him and she was not going anywhere with her while he was still around. No matter how much she wanted to, no matter how much she had moaned against Faith’s lips when they held each other close.
"Back in town. Saw him myself. Toting the popular and famous glove."
She did not care about the glove suddenly. "Angel" she was thinking out loud... "Guy like that, with that kind of glove, could kill a whole mess of people." A plan was starting to form in her head. One born of rejection just one time too many.
"Said the same thing to Buffy myself. Weird how she didn't seem to care." Faith had not been listening to him until his last few words.
"Buffy knew he was alive. I can't believe her."
"She says he's clean."
"Yeah, well, I say we can't afford to find out. I deal with this problem right now. I say I slay." There was only one way to deal with a problem in Faith’s book.
"Can I come?" Xander was eager. Little did he know it was for exactly the same reason as Faith.
Much later...
Angel had Gwendoline Post by the shoulder when Faith burst through the door armed with weapons and just the excuse she needed for tying up the loose ends. Now to see him attacking her watcher, well, that went in his favour, but she was not going to give now.
"Mrs. Post! I can't believe how much I'm gonna kill you" she said to Angel with all the anger and rage she had ever felt bubbling up inside her.
"You're not getting that glove."
"You wanna bet?" she started to fight with all the strength she can muster, knowing that this was the most she had ever wanted to kill anything that was already dead. She was angry and caught up in the thrill of the fight that she had even forgotten why she was doing it. She was just going with the blood that was burning through her veins, when suddenly a hand was on her arm and she no longer had the ability to move. She felt all rational thought drain away completely when she turned her head to see Buffy standing there, holding her firm. "What?"
Before she had chance to say anything else Buffy grabbed her by the waist and threw her away from Angel.
"I can't let you do it, Faith."
"You're confused, Twinkie." Faith smiled ironically at the double meaning that she had not even intended this time. "Let me clear you up." She pointed at Angel. "Vampire." She pointed at herself. "Slayer." She pointed at Angel for a final time. "Dead vampire." She knew that in many ways she was asking Buffy to choose.
"There's a lot that you don't understand." She wanted Faith on her side, but she could not just wipe away all that had happened between Angel and herself. And besides, she knew that Faith was doing this all for the wrong reasons.
"Faith..." Gwendoline’s voice was weak. "She doesn't know. She's blinded by love." This was the wrong thing to say to Faith, who despite herself was feeling vulnerable.
"Faith, no."
"Trust me." Gwendoline cajoled Faith.
"Faith, we can figure this out..." Buffy dropped her guard in a peace gesture. It was in vain. Faith launched a full kick to Buffy's face, hitting her hard and forcing her to drop to her knees. Faith was so charged by now that her brain did not even register who she was hitting. She was just high on the fight and the anger again. Story of her life. The trouble was, she was so caught up on it that she really was surprised when she heard Mrs Post’s voice. "Faith! A word of advice: you're an idiot."
That was when Faith realised just where the thrill of the fight had led her to again, and she noticed that this time Buffy looked as shocked and surprised as she felt. Gwendoline raised her arm to the sky. "Tauo freim!"
Buffy and Faith looked on in amazement, as Gwendoline shot the fire from the sky at everyone, rejoicing in the pure power of the glove. They had to throw themselves onto the floor to avoid its lightning bolt, holding onto each other. Faith was suddenly struck by her own blind stupidity. Luckily, Buffy seemed to be occupied elsewhere.
"Can you draw her fire?"
"You bet I can." Faith was quick enough to see redemption when it was staring her in the face.
"Go do it." Faith thought that Buffy was going to kiss her good luck, but realised that other things were more important now. She stumbled to her feet and ran through the mansion. It gave Buffy all the time that she needed to find a suitable weapon. Picking up a large shard of glass she threw it with all the slayer strength and spin that she could muster, taking off Gwendoline Post’s arm, and the glove that was attached to it. The next bolt that shot through the sky connected with her and her alone. Without the glove, she was nothing. The power was too much and soon she was gone, consumed.
Faith's motel room was dark. She lay on the bed, flipping through a magazine, trying to take her mind off how stupid she had been. And trying not to think what had caused her to be so stupid. There was a knock on the door, but she was so down, she could not even get up to answer it herself. Besides, she had a good idea of who it was. "Come in." Buffy opened the door, and peeked in the room, trying to get her eyes to adjust to the dim light.
"Hey." She looked around "The place looks nice." She was lying but did not know what else to say.
"Yeah, it's real Spartan."
"How are you?" Buffy noticed that Faith was avoiding making eye contact. She must have hurt her pretty bad.
"Five-by-five."
"I'll interpret that as good."
"Look, Gwendoline Post, or whoever she may be, had us all fooled. Even Giles."
"Yeah, well, you can't trust people. I should've learned that by now."
"I realize this is gonna sound funny coming from someone that just spent a lot of time kicking your face... but you can trust me."
"Is that right? From what I remember, you weren’t just kicking my face."
"I know I kept secrets, but I didn't have a choice. I'm on your side."
"Do you know something B? I expected more from you. More than secrets, more than reasons not to. Well, look, I'm on my side, and that's enough."
"Faith, I know I hurt you."
"You don’t know Jack, B."
"Give me a chance, Faith. It’s not always enough to have just yourself. I want to be there for you. With you."
"Is that it?" Faith desperately did not want her to go, but did not know how much more she could take without starting to cry. And she never cried. Not for anyone. So she just wanted Buffy to get out of there as fast as she could.
"Yeah, I guess".
"Alright. Well, then, I'll see you." She was sure she was going to cry now, and looked at the TV, hoping that Buffy would get the hint. She did. Faith wanted her to stay so badly, confused at this sudden sense of feeling that she appeared to have no choice over. Before she could stop herself she called out.
"Uh, Buffy?"
"Yeah?" The look of hope on her face was too much for Faith.
"Nothing." Buffy’s disappointment was there clearly to be seen. There was so much that they both wanted to say. But now was not the right time. As Faith stared at the back of the door, she wondered when that time would be.