Chasing the Girl

Disclaimer - part one

Part 12

"Ok," Faith said. "where the fuck are we?"

Buffy mumbled in the seat next to her before raising her head.

"How the hell should I know?"

"Ok, first of all, it was a rhetorical question. Second, can't really get rid of the bitch mode, can ya?"

Buffy started to say something when Faith cut her off. "And third, shut the fuck up and go back to sleep."

"Mississippi." Buffy said.

"What?"

"Missi-ssip-pi." Buffy said, speaking slowly.

"Again, huh?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "We're in Mississippi. See the signs." Faith glanced at the road.

"Oh." She mumbled.

"Okay, Faith, as much as this little road trip is amusing me, when are we going to stop?"

"Now." Faith said, sharply turning into a parking lot of a motel.

"Okay." Buffy said, holding onto the door.

"Look, I'm gonna get a room. Look in the trunk of my car and see if there's anything we can sleep in, in there." Faith told her, getting out.

"Aren't you afraid I'll leave?" Buffy asked.

Faith leaned back in the car.

"Look, sister, you're walking a real thin line here. If I come here and you're gone, I'm getting back in my car and driving back to New Orleans. I mean, you're making it pretty easy for me to tell you to fuck off. Don't give me a reason."

"Whatever." Buffy sighed, as she got out of the car. "How the hell do you pop the trunk?" she asked.

The girls walked into the room and Buffy threw the cloton ton the bed.

"You always keep things to wear in your trunk, Faith?"

"Yeah. I don't ever know if today is a good kidnapping day or not. A girl's gotta be prepared." Buffy rolled her eyes.

"I'm gonna take a bath."

"Ok, I still need to call Willow."

"Sure." Buffy deadpanned.

"Uh, B?"

"Yeah?"

"When will it start?"

"When will what start?" Buffy asked back.

"The withdrawals. You know, from the drugs and shit."

"I've never had them."

"What? Not in rehab?"

"Nope, figured Slayer metabolism and all, it runs through my system too fast."

"So, you're not really addicted." Faith stated and Buffy gave her a questioning look, "If you were addicted, you'd have the withdrawals."

"I guess." Buffy shrugged.

"You mean to tell me you've been doing this, all this time, and you're not addicted."

"I don't know, Faith, it just felt good. I did what felt good."

"Go take your bath." Faith forced out.

"What's wrong?"

"Look, Buffy, I'm about two seconds away to slamming you through that wall - 'it just felt good.' You are fast making me reconsider this whole deal. I was wondering what it would take for me to get over you. Jeez, if I had known it was spend a few hours with the new 'feel good' Buffy, I'd been down here years ago. As it is, the thought of hurting you keeps entering my mind, and I'm starting to think it's too bad I'm reformed." She said, clenching her fists.

Buffy shrugged again. "Do what you have to Faith. If you think you can." And then walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

Faith picked up the vase sitting near the phone and slung it against the wall before picking up the phone to call Willow.

Willow hung up the phone and looked at Kennedy.

"Well, apparently they are somewhere outside of Biloxi, Mississippi." She said, "Faith sounded a little strained, but she said everything was cool."

"Well, at least you didn't have to do the tracking spell," Kennedy answered. "and it's probably good she didn't kill her or anything." She added.

"Which one?"

"Oh, I am thinking the murderous tendencies could go either way with those two." Kennedy said.

"Well, anyway..." Willow said, ignoring her. "I talked her into coming back. She said to call Giles, see if maybe they could come here."

"Why? You actually think that'll work? I mean Dawn pretty much...I don't know, everyone is sick of her, Wills, I don't even see Xander driving across town for her."

"Faith said she needs tough love."

"Ohh, does that count physical pain, cause I'm up for that. I should've slugged her that night she left."

"No. You can't hit her. I'm not really thinking that's what Faith meant. As a matter of fact, I don't really think Faith knows what she means. She didn't describe how she got Buffy to go, but it sounded like it wasn't exactly voluntary."

"I guess we'll see." Kennedy said, she looked at Willow and sighed. "We're Queens of Second Chances, aren't we?"

"Way I look at it," Willow said. "somebody has to be."

Buffy came out of the bathroom dressed in the shirt and shorts she found in Faith's trunk.

She had removed the makeup she had on, and Faith felt a pang of remorse, staring at Buffy. She thought she could see the old Buffy there.

It didn't last long.

"Rush Tri Delta." Buffy said, looking down at the shirt she had put on. "Didn't know you were in a sorority, Faith. I didn't even know you went to college."

"It's been six years B, there's a lot of things you don't know about me." Buffy raised her eyebrows. "Ok, I wasn't in college, doesn't mean I wasn't in Tri Delt."

"The sorority?"

"Well, maybe just one of their sisters." Faith said.

Buffy smiled. "Do I want to know?"

"Not really here to talk about me, are we?"

"I guess not, but why are we here?"

"I don't know. We should go to bed." Faith answered.

"And then what?"

"And then tomorrow we're gonna head back to New Orleans."

"Dare I ask what that little trip will entail?"

"Well, if you don't want to know then I wouldn't ask." Faith said, taking off her jeans and getting into the bed opposite of Buffy's.

"You can sleep with me." Buffy said. "I really won't bite this time."

"I'd rather gouge my eyes out." Faith said, lying down and turning away from Buffy. "If it's all the same to you, that is?"

"That mouth is gonna get you into trouble one day." Buffy said, lying down as well.


To be continued