Kathy's Revenge

Chapter 12
Faiths POV

As we arrive back at the hotel a little while after almost everyone goes straight up to bed. Kennedy announces that she is also going to bed as soon as Megan walks up the stairs. I glare at her back, mentally trying to burn a hole in the back of her head.

“I don’t know about you Will but the nights still early, how about you make me some more grub huh?” I say wiggling my eyebrows at her, hoping that she comes with me and doesn’t go upstairs to see Megan and Kennedy making out or whatever it is that they’re doing.

“Yeah okay. I’ve got way too much Pepsi in me to sleep anytime soon anyway.” I laugh at her statement, she’s like a little kid, if you expect her to go to bed at a normal hour she can’t have any sugar about an hour before she goes upstairs.

We go into the kitchen and Willow soon picks out sausage from the fridge along with pasta and sweet and sour sauce from the pantry. “Will that go together?” I ask.

“Just wait till you taste it.” She takes the sausages out of the wrapper and puts them into the pan.

“I trust you.” I say holding my hands up in surrender.

“Really?” the question catches me off guard.

“Well yeah. Why shouldn’t I?” Nice save. Go me! Then I ask the dreaded question. “Do you trust me?”

She seams to think about this as she turns the gas down as the oil comes up to temperature and begins to spit like only a frying pan can. “I guess so. Not really thought about it. I know I didn’t. You know the first year of collage. But so much has happened since then. I’ve been over to the ‘dark side’. I understand its pull now.” She turns to face me. “I kinda understand what you must have been going through.”

I smile. What else can I do? If nothing else at least someone trusts me again. “Thanks.” It’s feeble I know but it’s all I have to say.

The rest of the meal is cooked in silence and she serves up two plates and hands me one.

From the first mouthful I melt. “Oh my god you can cook.” I say this with my mouth still full “Where HAVE you been all my life?” This comes out without me thinking. The implications are evident. She gives me a little look and lets it slide. Can’t really deal with that kind of awkwardness.

“So what did Lorne tell you was in your soul then?” She knows how to pick the subjects doesn’t she?

“Nothing I didn’t already know.” Not a lie ‘coz I’m just not good at lying. It was technically read from Kennedy’s soul. Look at me clever loophole. “What bout you?”

“Not a lot. All he really said was follow my heart. Don’t know where it’s going though so how do I follow it?” She says it with a shrug.

Change of subject in order. “Did you find out what was up with Ken?”

“No.” Not promising “I don’t think it was anything to worry about ‘coz Lorne would have told us when we sang, right?” OH shit. How the hell do I tell her now?

“Yeah. Right.” Bare faced lie.

“What?” busted.

“Nothing. Just that you must be right.” Can I save this?

“Faith you’re a terrible liar. Now tell me what’s wrong.” She has her resolve face on.

I look down at my empty plate, wishing there was more food on it so I could busy myself eating it… or even a hellmouth to swallow me up when I need it. She is still looking at me, I can feel it. I look up at her, she’s looking right into my eyes. I hate it when people do that.

“I… erm…” I take a deep breath and try to get it straight in my mind.

She is still looking at me, a slight look on her face which sort of shows I’m in trouble if I don’t say what is going on.

“What? Faith! Please tell me.” She says at almost a shout. I guess the suspense is killing her, I still don’t know how to say it. I swing my feet back and fourth under the chair.

“Faith!!” she shouts at me.

I can’t help it, I just blurt it out… “She is cheating on you!” I shout back.

Willow sits as if frozen to the spot. I sit looking down at my plate again. A few minutes crawl by whilst we’re both sitting there.

“…Are you…?” I ask, not completing the sentence.

“You’re lying.” She states.

“Willow.” I use her full name on purpose. It makes people listen to me. “Red.” That was more to comfort her. “I can’t lie. You just told me I can’t.”

“Well your information’s wrong then.” She takes the plates and begins to busy herself washing them.

“Lorne read her soul. He couldn’t tell you. Some unwritten aura readers rules or something.” Her back is still turned on me. “Red. I didn’t want you to go up there and catch them. I’m….” I sigh, “I’m sorry.”

“Why?” Her voice breaks before she can say more.

Broken willow is something I’d rather not see thank you very much. So I do the only thing I can think of. I go over to her turn her round and let her lean on me while she cries into my shoulder. The hot tears almost burn my skin as it soaks through the material of my shirt. Every so often small words such as “Why?” or, “When” are pushed out between sobs. All the questions I can’t answer.

Eventually her tears subside and she begins to wipe her face. Being very embarrassed. Which I must admit is very cute. “I’m tired.” She states. Not being able to get much else out around the lump in her throat. I nod and she begins to walk to the door of the kitchen. She stops and leans on the frame. “I… I can’t go back to that room.”

I can see the tears starting again and I can’t go through that again. I’m sure she can’t. So I’m there in a blink of an eye. “Red.” I hold her face in the palms of my hands and make her look at me. “It’s ok. You can come up to my room.” It takes me a second to see how that sounds. “I’ll sleep on the floor or something. How does that sound?” She nods slowly and I begin to lead her up the stairs. Her emotions not leaving her with much energy which means she leans on me the whole way there.

I lower her down to the bed not wanting her to flop back and smack her head off the wall. As I go to pull away and find a comfy spot on the floor her grip on my shirt tightens. “Faith. I’m sorry.” She looks away as she says then next part of her sentence “I just don’t want to be alone tonight.”

I nod. And clamber into the bed next to her. She curls up by my side her head on my chest. I do my duty and rub her back till she goes to sleep. This could be quite a long night.