The Three of Us

This Chapter is unbeta'd, please excuse any errors.
Reviews are welcome.
'Enter Sandman' belongs to Metallica
'She's only a Woman' belongs to Billy Joel
***************************************************


The two girls walked up to the entrance to the bar. The neon ‘Carita’s’ sign fizzed over top of the door. Faith peered into the darkness that was the door and then up and down the alley. “Yer friend hangs out in real ‘nice’ places.” She took a couple of steps back and looked up the side of the building. “Is it just me, or is your slayer sense screamin’ at you to run?”

“Yup, but Cordelia said we aren’t allowed to kill anything when we’re inside.”

“W-what?” Faith sputtered. “She told you it was a demon bar?”

Buffy shrugged, “Not really, I just thought she was joking about us being slayers.”

Faith rolled her eyes at Buffy, “Did you even listen to any of the conversation? Are you sure you were talkin’ to the right girl?”

Buffy placed her hand on Faith’s arm. “We’ll be fine. We’re together, and we’re slayers, nothing to worry about.” Faith snorted, “Whatever B.” she bowed gracefully towards the blonde slayer. “After you.”

“Uh-uh, you’re the one packing.”

Faith smirked at her, “Now you know why.”

Faith raised her hand to pound on the door, as she did it slowly swung open to reveal a rather large troll. “It’s about time you made up your mind to come in. If you took any longer, I was going to drag you in.” Buffy and Faith stared at him open mouthed. “Carita’s is a mixed bar. Everyone inside is protected by magic. You couldn’t hurt anyone if you tried. You were getting all worried over nothing. Oh, and if you have any questions, my name is Olaf.” Quickly looking around, he lowered his head and quietly spoke out of the corner of his mouth. “I used to be married to Anyanka, don’t tell her I’m here, okay?” Buffy and Faith just nodded. “Thanks. The coat check is over there.” He pointed towards a small alcove, where a bored looking vampire was sitting.

She eyed the approaching slayers, “Welcome to Carita’s, I’ll take your coat for you.” She held her hand towards Faith and waited. Faith didn’t take her eyes off of her as she slid her duster off. The girl’s eyes widened as Faith appeared. They quickly flitted towards Buffy, then back to Faith. She smiled a genuine smile at Faith, “If there’s anything you need help with, just ask for me, I’m Jenna.”

“Umm, thanks.” Faith said as she stood there holding the tag for her coat and knapsack.

“Here,” Buffy said as she popped open her clutch, and held it towards Faith. “Just put it in here. See you’re not the only one that came prepared.” Faith’s face lit up as she smiled at Buffy, “Whatever B.” As the two girls headed down the stairs into the club, they heard the coat check girl muttering to herself, “That just made it worthwhile to be here.” Faith and Buffy both preened as they heard the words.

They stopped just before the bottom of the stairs and looked over the crowd trying to see Cordelia. A hush rolled through the bar as other patrons noticed them standing there. Faith slowly turned her head to Buffy and whispered, “We are so fuckin’ HOT!” A red tinge slowly started to creep up Buffy’s neck as she plastered a wan smile on her face. She could feel Faith feeding off the attention. With a gentle nudge she moved Faith down the last two steps. The noise from the crowd picked up again.

A green skinned demon slithered out of the crowd and stopped in front of them. “I must have died and gone to heaven.” His tongue slid over his bright red lips. “That’s the only reason I can think of for two angels to be here.” He smiled and extended his hand, “I’m Lorne, and I am very happy to be your host tonight.”

Faith looked at his hand, then back to him, “Right, we don’t need a, unh, ‘Host’. We’re lookin’ for a friend.”

“Oh, who would that be?”

Faith partly turned to look at Buffy, who was standing slightly behind her. “Cordelia, right?” Buffy nodded her head and Faith turned back to Lorne. “Cordelia.” she told him.
He looked at the two of them, “You must be Faith,” he looked at the brunette, “and you must be Buffy?” He peered around Faith to see all of Buffy.

“I’m going to have to have a word with Cordy,” he was smiling broadly at the two slayers, “She told me you were coming, but she didn’t say anything about breathtaking.” He turned away and started to move into the crowd. Looking back over his shoulder, he smiled again, “She’s waiting for you this way.” Buffy fell in behind Faith as they followed him through the crowd. He glided through the crowd, nodding and exchanging words with different people, vamps, and demons as he went. Buffy lightly touched Faith’s arm and whispered, “He seems to know everything in here.” Faith nodded. “Maybe he really is the host?” Buffy whispered again.

“Yeah, or the owner.” Faith whispered back.

Lorne delicately turned when he reached a booth at the back of the bar. “Here we are,” he turned to Cordelia, “You never said you were having two angels join you tonight. You should have told me, I’d have dressed better and met them at the door.”

Cordelia smiled and looked at Buffy and Faith. “I’ve never met Faith, and it’s been awhile since I’ve seen Buffy, so I didn’t know what to expect. But you’re right Lorne; they do look gorgeous don’t they?”

Faith looked at Cordelia, then to Buffy and raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, right, sorry. Faith, this is Cordelia Chase, and Cordelia, this is Faith.” Cordelia extended a well manicured hand to Faith, and smiled at her. Faith was watching Cordelia’s eyes as she shook the offered hand. She could feel a warmth run up her arm as they briefly held hands. Faith saw some loneliness and curiosity in her eyes that changed to surprise. The corner of Faith’s mouth turned up in a smirk as she realised the surprise was Cordelia’s reaction to holding Faith’s hand. Cordelia blinked as she let go of Faith and moved her hand towards Buffy. Faith saw a look of surprise in both pairs of eyes as their hands touched. ‘Hmm,’ she thought, ‘this looks like it should be really freakin’ interestin’.’

“Petrov,” Lorne called, snapping the three girls back. He waved at a waiter making his way over. “He’ll be looking after you tonight. I look forward to hearing the two of you sing tonight.” He turned and moved away from the three of them.

Faith’s jaw dropped, “Sing?” She looked between Buffy and Cordelia, “Nobody said nothin’ about singin’!” Buffy looked at Cordelia and raised an eyebrow.

“Lorne’s an empath,” she explained. “You sing and he reads your soul. It’s kind of like fortune telling, but a lot more accurate.” Buffy and Faith were staring at Cordelia when Petrov cleared his throat. The three girls looked to him as he quietly asked for their drink order.

“Just a Jack’n Coke for me thanks.” Faith replied.

“Can I have a Cosmo please?” Buffy asked. Cordelia smirked, “Those haven’t been fashionable since ‘Sex and the City’ went off the air.” she whispered. “Oh, umm, I’m not sure then...” Cordelia broke out into a huge smile, “I’ve still got it.” Faith noticed the smile this time went all the way to Cordelia’s eyes.

Buffy started to blush, “Fine, I’ll have a Cosmo.” she huffed. She stuck her tongue out briefly at Faith who was smiling along with Cordelia. “I’ll have the white. Thank you Petrov.” He nodded and disappeared towards the bar.

Buffy slipped into the booth and moved towards Cordelia who was sitting at the back. Faith followed Buffy in and sat next to her girlfriend. There was some tension in the air as the three girls looked at each other.

Faith looked at Cordelia, “So, what should I call ya?” Cordelia raised an eyebrow in response.

“Well, I’m B, Giles is G-man, Willow is Red, so you’re going to be anything except Cordelia. You should start getting used to it now.”

“And if I say my name is Cordelia?”

“Ain’t happenin’,” Faith smirked at her. “B told me how you used to behave in high school, so I was thinkin’....” she trailed off.

“You didn’t hurt yourself did you?” Cordelia asked with mock sincerity.

Faith grinned back at her, “Nah, thinkin’ about you ain’t gonna hurt.”

Cordelia pulled back a little in surprise. ‘I think she’s flirting with me!’ She blinked at Faith, ‘What’s surprising is I like it.’ A small smile crept to her lips, “She’s quick, I like that.” Now Faith was surprised. Buffy quietly followed the banter between the two girls, ‘This can go two ways, they’re going to kill each other, or be the best of friends. Either way, it’s going to be a heck of a ride!’

“As I was sayin’,” Faith continued, “I was thinkin about it and I decided you’re gonna be ‘Queen C’.” Cordelia glanced at Buffy, then looked at Faith. “Queen C,” she paused, “I can live with that. Anything else and you won’t know what hit you.”

Faith could feel the steel behind the statement. She smiled, “Fair enough. I suppose ‘Queenie’ would be pushin’ it? ”

Buffy gasped as Cordelia’s face went dark. “That was my grandmother’s dog.”

Faith smiled and nodded, “Ok, I was just checkin’, didn’t mean to offend.”

Cordelia looked down for a second, then looked up at Faith. She smiled and said, “I’m sorry, it’s not your fault, I never did like that dog.” Faith shrugged and looked to the end of the table. Petrov had returned with their drinks. They paid him and he slipped away into the club. The girls looked at each other for a second, then Buffy picked up her drink. “Here’s to building better friendships.” Faith looked at her and Cordelia said, “Your point would be what?”

“I just want the three of us to be good friends.” Buffy said. Cordelia nodded, but Faith’s eyebrows shot up. Buffy rolled her eyes, “I’m going to lose badly aren’t I?”

“Don’t stand a chance B.” Faith smiled at her girlfriend.

“You look so much better without your foot in your mouth.” Cordelia smiled sweetly at Buffy and batted her eyes at her. Buffy sighed and dropped her head. “Introducing the two of you is the biggest mistake I’ve ever made. Isn’t it?”

Faith smiled and looked at Cordelia, who was returning the grin. “We don’t think so.”

The lights in the club dimmed and a spot light focussed on Lorne standing on a small stage. He raised the mike to his mouth, “Welcome to ‘Carita’s’. For those who don’t know me, I’m Lorne and I am your host here. There are a few simple rules. If it’s your first time here, you have to sing before you can leave. Otherwise, it’s an open mike. We do have a large selection of music, so don’t be afraid.” He turned and handed the mike to a small orange skinned demon, and walked off the stage.

“Thanks Lorne,” he spoke to the crowd. “To start things off, we have Agnar!” A polite round of applause went up, and some customers were giggling.

Cordelia rolled her eyes. “He always goes first and sings the same song, so don’t run okay?”

“That bad?” Faith asked. The three of them cringed when he started to sing:

Feelings, nothing more than feelings,..

It sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

“Wow,” Buffy said, “He, umm, really puts a lot into it, doesn’t he?”

“That’s my girl,” Faith patted Buffy on the hand, “Always lookin’ on the bright side.”

“It does get a little tedious after an hour or so.” Cordelia reached out to pat Buffy’s other hand. As soon as she touched it all three girls felt the jolt run through them. They all pulled their hands back and stared at each other with wide eyes.

“What the fuck was that?” Faith asked. She glared at Cordelia, “What are you up to?”
Cordelia was looking at her hand, she looked at Buffy and at Faith, “I’ve never felt anything like that before!”

Faith looked at Buffy, “You think she’s a witch?” Buffy shook her head.

“No,” Cordelia spoke in a cold tone to Faith. “The Powers that Be send me these damn visions, but I have no power!”

“Calm down you two and listen.” Buffy spoke up. Both girls turned to her and waited. “I told you on the phone Cordelia, that I have a connection with Faith. I can feel her from a distance and when she touches me it’s a comfortable warm feeling.” Cordelia and Faith both nodded. “When I shook your hand tonight did you feel anything?”

“Yes.” She looked nervously at Faith.

“When I shook her hand, I felt kinda the same thing I feel when I touch you.” Faith said quietly. Cordelia’s breath hitched. Faith reached across the table and held her hand out to Cordelia. “I think what B’s tryin to say is that the three of us are connected.”

Buffy smiled, “She’s smart too.” She said to Cordelia.

“Just take my hand Queen C.” Faith was looking into Cordelia’s eyes when she asked. Cordelia was looking right back, and could see Faith was asking her to trust her. She slowly moved her hand into Faith’s. As Faith’s fingers wrapped around hers she could feel the warm pleasant glow travel up her arm.

“That’s what I felt before,” she spoke to Faith, “What does it mean?”

“I dunno,” Faith replied. “I’m gonna let go and I want you to hold B’s hand now.” Cordelia nodded and looked at Buffy who was extending her hand towards her. She steeled herself and reached out. The surprise registered on her face when they closed their hands together.

“It feels the same as when I was holding yours.” Cordelia gasped.

Buffy smiled, “It feels the same as when I touch Faith.” The blonde smiled warmly at Faith, but she was worried how the brunette was going to take it.

Faith looked at her girlfriend and Cordelia. “Just hold her hand and relax.” Faith said to Cordelia. “I’m gonna take B’s other hand and see what happens. I think the feeling we get is that much stronger when it’s the three of us.”

Buffy shrugged and looked at Cordelia. “Makes sense to me. Are you okay with this Cordy?”

She sucked in her bottom lip and looked at both slayers. “What’s the worst that could happen?” Faith laughed and Buffy smiled. “Don’t even go there.”

Faith held her hand out to Buffy. She smiled and took it gently. The three girls just looked at each other. They felt the current between them. The warmth, the joy, the peace.

“Wow,” Cordelia whispered, “I’ve never felt anything like that in my life.”

“Feels pretty good, don’t it?” Faith said. “Queen C.” Faith extended her hand to the girl. Cordy looked at it and smiled. She nervously reached for Faith’s. There was a surge when she closed her hand around Faith’s, and it settled after a second. It was stronger than before, but not uncomfortable.

“Are you having a séance or something?” Lorne asked as he slid in next to Cordelia. All three girls jumped. “Jesus,” Faith yelled. “You always sneak up on people like that?”

“Umm, no,” he replied. “But you were really wrapped up in what you were doing. What was it?”

“Just uh, just trying to read each others mind that’s all. It’s a, umm, game, yeah a game we used to play in high school, and uhh, we were showing Faith. Right?” Cordelia sputtered out. Faith and Buffy just nodded. Lorne tilted his head and looked at each of them in turn. “I don’t believe a word of it, but if you say so, I will.” He settled into the seat and put his arm behind Cordelia. “The reason I’m here is because it’s Faith’s turn to sing.”

All three girls realized the crowd was sporadically clapping for Agnar. He bowed with a smile as he handed the mike to the orange demon and left the stage. He looked at the list and spoke, “Next up is Faith! It’s her first time here, so a warm welcome please!”

Faith glared at Lorne then turned to Buffy and Cordelia, “Please let me kill him now.”

Lorne smiled, “You know the rules, you’ll be okay.” Buffy smiled as she touched Faith’s arm, “Break a leg sweetie.” People were starting to look around the club to find who was heading for the stage. Cordelia was smirking at Faith. “Your public is waiting.”

Faith huffed and slid out of the booth. She stood up and flipped her hair back, then headed for the stage. They watched as heads turned in the club to follow her.
“She can really work that.” Cordelia said.

“Yeah,” Buffy replied, “when she wants attention, she’s not afraid to grab it and throttle it.”

“I'm thinking this is just going to be brilliant.” was Lorne’s comment.

Faith got to the stage and took the mike from the demon. He said a few words and Faith bent over a book, quickly flipping pages. She stopped and pointed at a page, the demon looked at her quizzically. She nodded, then stepped behind the sound board with him. She started to adjust some dials and he started shaking his head. As he reached for the board she smacked his hand. He quickly pulled it back, shaking his head “No.” again.

“This is really going to be interesting.” Buffy said to her companions as they watched the drama unfold.

The demon was reaching for the dials again, when Faith yelled “Sit!”. Everything in the club that was standing immediately ran for a chair. One little gnome was running in circles, “Eeep, eeep, eeep!”, then he just sat on the floor.

“Wow,” Cordelia said, “Really good crowd control.”

“She definitely is a ‘Take Charge’ kind of girl.” Buffy smiled. Lorne just watched his emcee fuming in his chair with his arms crossed. “This is going to cost me big time.” he sighed.

Faith stepped around the sound board and onto the stage. She leaned over and pushed a button on the board, then straightened up and looked out at the crowd. The opening notes of the song slashed through the crowd and they jumped as one. The volume was much higher than normal. Faith brought the mike up to her face and started to sing:

Say your prayers little one
Don't forget, my son
To include everyone

Tuck you in, warm within
Keep you free from sin
Till the sandman he comes

Sleep with one eye open
Gripping your pillow tight

Cordelia stared wide eyed at Buffy, “What the hell is that?”. Lorne was looking at her with a horrified expression. Buffy shrugged, “It’s Faith, so of course it’s Metallica.” The reasonable way she said it did nothing to allay the fears of Cordy and Lorne. Faith was strutting across the stage now, her head tossed back:


Exit light
Enter night
Take my hand
Off to never never land

Something's wrong, shut the light
Heavy thoughts tonight
And they aren't of snow white

Dreams of war, dreams of liars
Dreams of dragon's fire
And of things that will bite

Sleep with one eye open
Gripping your pillow tight

Exit light
Enter night
Take my hand
Off to never never land

Now I lay me down to sleep
Pray the lord my soul to keep
If I die before I wake
Pray the lord my soul to take

Hush little baby, don't say a word
And never mind that noise you heard
It's just the beast under your bed,
In your closet, in your head

Exit light
Enter night
Grain of sand

Exit light
Enter night
Take my hand
We're off to never never land

As the last notes drifted into silence, Faith grinned at the crowd, “Thanks.” was all she said. She handed the mike back to the demon, who grabbed it and started busily readjusting his sound board. She stepped off the stage with a huge smirk plastered on her face into the silence. She took two steps and the crowd broke into applause and cheers.

“She certainly has an effect on a room doesn’t she?” Cordelia said as she was clapping. Buffy just grinned as her girlfriend approached their booth. Lorne was sitting there quietly with a pensive look on his face.

“So wadda ya think?” Faith asked as she sat down.

“Well the locals definitely don’t hear that very often.” Cordelia smiled. “I don’t think anyone dozed off while you were up there.” Faith grinned at Cordelia.

“I thought you were a little reserved the way you were bouncing around on that stage.” Buffy said with a straight face. “For the sake of the people in the front, I really hope you wore underwear.”

Faith laughed while Cordelia blinked at Buffy. Faith leaned forward and whispered in Buffy’s ear, “You’ll find out when we get back to Queen C’s.” Buffy snapped her head around to stare at Faith who sat back into the cushions smirking. “So, Lorne, now what happens?”

“Hmm?” he said, coming back to the conversation. “I’m sorry, I was thinking. It’s weird actually.”

Faith sat back up, “What’s weird?”

“Oh, nothing, nothing really. Just something I didn’t expect.”

“Are you gonna tell us or not?” Faith asked. Lorne paused for a few seconds and looked at each of the girls in turn. “No,” he said, “I’ll wait till after Buffy’s finished. I think that will make sense of it for me. Excuse me for a minute?” With a wan smile he slipped out of the booth and moved through the club.

“What was that?” Faith asked.

Cordelia shook her head, “I’ve never seen him do that before. Even if it was incredibly bad news.”

“Maybe you broke him?” Buffy said. The other two stared at her. “What, she might have! She’s not all that delicate some times!” Faith and Cordelia both broke out into grins.

“I didn’t ‘break’ him.” she smiled at Buffy. “But thanks for lightening the mood.”

The emcee had his sound board back to where he wanted it, and stepped to the stage. “Now to grace our stage is another first timer, Boofy!” Cordelia and Faith burst out laughing, as Buffy turned bright red. Lorne glided by the stage pausing for a second, then headed to the back of the club. “Sorry,” the demon said, “That’s Buffy. Give a hand for Buffy!” Faith slid out of the booth to let her girlfriend out. She was still grinning from ear to ear when the smaller slayer smacked her in the shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Boofy,” Faith and Cordy were laughing, “We’ll clap for you.” She just shot them a look and stalked towards the stage. Faith slipped back into the booth and faced Cordy. “If that demon thought I was gonna kick his ass...”she looked at Cordy, “Really he has no idea what’s comin’.”

“I believe you.” Cordy smiled. Buffy had reached the stage and snatched the mike from the demon. He had his hands in front of him trying to placate the blonde as she advanced on him. She backed him up behind the sound board and made him sit, then stomped back to the selection book. She flipped the pages back and forth, then called him over. He tentatively approached her and she pointed to a song. He nodded, then quickly retreated behind the sound board. She walked out on the stage and stood there. She turned her head and nodded slightly, he hit play and the opening notes flowed through the sound system. Her foot started to tap, then she started to sing:

She can kill with a smile
She can wound with her eyes
She can ruin your faith with her casual lies
And she only reveals what she wants you to see
She hides like a child
But she's always a woman to me

Cordelia moved next to Faith and looked at her with cautious eyes. “What?” Faith asked. Cordelia sighed and looked at her, “Is she singing to you?”

Faith pulled back and looked hard at Cordelia. After a few seconds Cordelia saw Faith’s eyes soften. “I dunno,” Faith said quietly. “The way she described you, it sounds like she could be singin’ to both of us.”

“That’s what I thought.” Cordelia replied. She started to move away, but Faith covered her hand and shook her head. “You don’t have to sit over there.”

Cordelia smiled, “Thank you.”. Faith pulled her hand back and they continued to watch Buffy.

She can lead you to love
She can take your or leave you
She can ask for the truth
But she'll never believe you
And she'll take what you give her as long as it's free
She steals like a thief
But she's always a woman to me

Oh--she takes care of herself
She can wait if she wants
She's ahead of her time
Oh--and she never gives out
And she never gives in
She just changes her mind

She will promise you more
Than the Garden of Eden
Then she'll carelessly cut you
And laugh while you're bleedin'
But she'll bring out the best
And the worst you can be
Blame it all on yourself
Cause she's always a woman to me

Lorne returned to the booth with drinks and sat beside Cordelia. They both looked at him because he had a concerned look on his face. He ignored them both and focussed on Buffy’s song.

Oh--she takes care of herself
She can wait if she wants
She's ahead of her time
Oh--and she never gives out
And she never gives in
She just changes her mind
She is frequently kind
And she's suddenly cruel
She can do as she pleases
She's nobody's fool
But she can't be convicted
She's earned her degree
And the most she will do
Is throw shadows at you
But she's always a woman to me

The crowd clapped appreciatively when she finished. She blushed slightly and bowed quickly. Tossing the mike over her shoulder in the general direction of the emcee, she proceeded back to the booth. There was a screech of feedback as the mike bounced off the demon. He was on the verge of tears.

Buffy rolled her eyes as she got to the booth and slid in next to Faith. She stared at the three of them in turn, “One Boofy comment and I’ll beat the crap out of all of you, regardless of who said what!”

Faith had a huge grin as she draped her arm over Buffy, “Great song B. I’ve never heard it before, where’d you find it?”

Buffy looked down at the table. “My dad used to sing it to my mom when they would dance together in the kitchen. I hadn’t heard it in a long time and it was just there.”

“Cool,” Faith replied seriously, “That’s really nice B.”

“Yeah,” Cordy spoke up quietly. “That is nice. I wish I had memories like that.” Faith and Buffy both looked at her. She sighed, “It’s a long story, and we can’t afford that many drinks.” Buffy and Faith both shrugged and looked to Lorne.

“So Lorne,” Buffy asked, “Can you tell us now?” He looked at the two girls sadly, and shook his head.

“I can’t really explain it.” He looked to the stage where someone had started to sing ‘Heartbreak Hotel’. Turning back to the girls, his eyes moved between the three of them. “I have an idea, but I’m not sure.”

Cordelia’s eyebrows rose significantly. “I’ve never seen you like this before Lorne. Is something wrong?” He lightly put his hand on her arm. “No honey,” he said quietly. “It worked, but it’s what it showed me, or rather what it didn’t show me. That’s what has me perplexed.” All three girls just looked at him. A small smile flitted across his face.

“What do we need to do?” Faith asked. “Is there somethin’ we can do to help? Or is it really bad and you don’t wanna tell us?”

“No, no,” Lorne shook his head. “Even if you were going to die in the next five minutes, I’d tell you. That’s the way it works. You get it whether you want it or not.”

“So what’s the problem?” Buffy quietly said.

“I’m sorry dears,” He moved to leave. “I’m going to think about this for a few minutes. I’ll be back shortly, okay?” The girls nodded and he left.

“This is really weird.” Cordelia reached for her drink. “I’ve seen him tell individuals the worst. But I’ve never seen him stumped like this.”

“Think it’s ‘cause we’re Slayers?” Faith asked.

“No, he told me it wouldn’t make a difference to what he saw.”