Equinox - Prologue

Chapter 1.

Giles was running frantically around his apartment throwing clothes into a suitcase when Faith walked in.

“Hey, something going on no one told me about?” Faith leaned against the kitchen worktop.

“Oh..erm..Faith. You startled me, I’m..Well I’m packing.” Giles stumbled over his words. Startled and slightly agitated at faiths lack of manners.

“I can see that much, where’s the party at?”

“I have a lead on the scythe we’ve been looking for. I’m going to England to follow it up.”

“Ok, Buffy know bout this little trip.”

“Well..no not exactly I was going to call her from the airport.”

“She’s gonna be pissed. When ya off.?” Faith was now sat on the counter top tossing an apple in the air.

“Tonight, Now if you don’t mind I really must finish this what was it you wanted?.”

“Nothing I was bored is all, doin the rounds not much action” Faith shrugged and took a large bite out of the apple.

Giles carried on with his packing ticking off items on a list as he packed them. “Avoiding Buffy more like, this thing whatever it is between you two has to be dealt with. It’s doing neither of you any good fighting all the time.”

“My fault again, cheers G, Thought you might be on my side for once.”

“There are no sides here, you are both on the same team, the sooner you two work together the better for everyone.” Giles had stopped packing and was cleaning his glasses with a handkerchief.

“Yeah, yeah. Save the lectures for Buffy I’m outta here.” Faith jumped down from her seat tossed the apple into the sink as she left the apartment.

Once again I get the blame for everything that fucked up round here, you make one mistake, one wrong choice and your outta the gang never to be trusted. So why am I still here she thought? As she patrolled the cemetery for the third time that night hoping she would bump into something to take the edge off her frustrations.

“Well looky here, what’s a pretty girl like you doing hanging around a place like this?” Four vampires had gathered around her the leader of them stepping forward “we could have some fun with you, you won’t mind if we play with our food first would ya?”

“Hell no, bring it on.” Faith beckoned the vamps to her.

The leader stood back nodding the others to attack her. Faith stood bouncing slightly on the spot flicked her nose with her thumb and clenched her fists in a mocking gesture to her attackers. As they drew closer she grabbed the nearest vamp and threw him to the ground, kicking out her leg in a spin knocking the second vampire off balance. Jumping up she pulled a stake from her waistband throwing it to the third advancing vamp reducing him to dust.

“Come on thought you wanted to play.”

The leader stepped back a few steps “Get up kill her.” He shouted to his buddies.
Faith turned allowing the two to their feet. “ Come on tell ya what I won’t look.”

The vamps looked at each other and then to Faith, whose back was turned, they rushed at her. She turned her fist caught one of them in the head knocking him into the other a succession of kicks and punches followed stunning her would be attackers. Finishing them off she turned to where the last vampire stood watching the onslaught “You wanna play some?” she teased.
Before she could get her answer the vampire exploded, when the dust cleared Buffy stood in his place her arms crossed like a mother about to reprimand a child.

“Hey B.” Faith knew the look but she smiled anyway.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Getting some exercise and a little fun.”

“We know what happened last time you wanted a little fun, how about we do the job we’re supposed to be doing instead, before someone gets hurt.”

“Jeez B.. Chill out. You’re wound up tighter than Giles.”

“What?” Buffy snapped back at her. She knew she was wrong to talk to her the way she did but she couldn’t help herself the self control and her emotions seemed to rage inside her whenever she was around Faith. Was it jealously, disappointment, hate, admiration she didn’t know she didn’t care enough to find out all she knew was when she was near her she wanted to hurt her, when she wasn’t around she wanted to find her. She turned away to leave not wanting to get into another argument with her.

“Hey B.. Ya might wanna check in with Giles like ASAP.” Faith shouted after her.

Buffy stopped “Why? What’s going on? What have you said?”

“Whoa not me, I just thought ya might like to catch him before he leaves.”

“Leaves! Where’s he going?” Buffy walked back to Faith “He never said anything this morning at the magic shop.”

“No well I just got form his place and he’s off scythe chasing tonight. Said he was gonna call ya from the airport though.” Faith paused as an idea flashed through her head.

“What…What’s that look?” Buffy had a look of confusion on her face as to why Giles hadn’t said anything to her this morning, and at the now smug look that had appeared on Faiths face.

“I’ll come with ya to see Giles if ya like.. And I was thinking maybe you could talk him into letting me go on this little trip instead, you know you don’t want me here, I don’t wanna be here .So seems to me like a much better plan.”

Buffy pondered on the proposition for a second or two “You know that’s not such a bad idea.” Buffy couldn’t help herself “Least I won’t have to watch my back if your not here.”

Faith couldn’t stop the look of horror on her face at Buffy’s comment. She knew that she and the rest of the gang still didn’t trust her one hundred percent but she hadn’t thought that they didn’t trust her at all.

“K..Let’s go then.” Faith walked straight passed her eyes to the ground not wanting Buffy to see how much she had hurt her.

Buffy realised what she had said and how hurtful the words must have sounded tried to apologise but Faith was already to far away to hear the apology which seemed to stick in her throat coming out only
as a whisper. She ran to catch up intending to repeat her apology but the tension emanating from Faith told her it would fall on deaf ears.
They walked in silence to Giles apartment once again Faith failing to knock before entering. Almost hitting Giles in the head with the door as he bent down to pick up his suitcase ready to leave.

“My god Faith don’t you ever knock.” Giles reactions to the intrusion seemed justified as he tried to regain control of his heartbeat.

Buffy stood in the doorway looking down at the case “So it’s true, you were just gonna up n leave without telling me.”

“Now Buffy it’s not like that, I have another lead on the scythe. You know I wouldn’t be going if it wasn’t important besides I’ll only be gone a few weeks and you have Xander and Willow and Faith’s here of course.”

Buffy and Faith looked at each other raising their eyebrows in agreement. “Well we’ve been thinking about that and how about you let Faith go instead it’s probably gonna be a waste of time anyways.”

“Buffy” Giles snapped at her “This needs to stop.”

“What? I just thought that.. What if there’s like some demon thingy guarding it then you might be better with someone with a bit of muscle.”

“Cheer’s B.” Faith gave her the finger out of sight of Giles.

“You know what I mean.” Buffy tried to defend her statement still feeling a little guilty for her earlier comments at the cemetery.

Giles stood chewing the arm of his spectacles as he pondered the suggestion. “Actually that’s not such a bad idea.”

Buffy smiled all pleased with herself “See I’m not just pretty.”

“How would you like a trip to England Faith.” Giles put the glasses back on waiting for a reply.

“Wicked cool. Ya know I thought I was gonna have ta maybe knock ya out or somethin!”

“Erm.. I meant come to England with me, Buffy’s got everything under control here and it’s not for very long.”

Buffy stood the smile slowly falling from her face only to be replaced by a childish that’s not fair look. “Giles I meant her go instead of you, I need you here to help with slayer stuff.”

Ignoring Buffy’s ranting he told Faith to go quickly pack a bag while he reserved her a seat on the plane. Buffy was still mumbling her protests after Faith had left the apartment.

“Will you be quiet for one minute.” Buffy stopped and looked at Giles, his face now red with embarrassment at her rudeness and anger at her childish tantrum. “I have tried everything that I can think of to get you two working together and not fighting. I won’t be around forever to pick up the pieces and hold you together. Now it’s time you learned on your own how to be an adult and compromise.” Buffy tried to interrupt him “Listen to me very carefully I have to go and check this out even if it is another dead end .I’m taking Faith with me in the hope that you might actually appreciate just how much you need her on your side right now. Especially if this turns out to really be the big bad we’ve been expecting.” Giles walked to the door picking up his case as he passed her he wondered if his tough love approach with her might work. “There’s a telephone number on the bureau in the study if you need me. Goodbye Buffy.”

Leaving his apartment quickly he threw the cases into his car, not wanting to have to let Buffy see how much it hurt him to take a stern tone with her, He drove to the motel to pick up Faith.

Faith was ready waiting outside as he pulled up she threw the holdall into the back seat “Blondie ok then?”
“Yes. She will be, this really is a good idea, give you two some space. Let her have a little time on her own to prioritise things.”

“Yeah. Maybe.”

Faith looked out of the window for the remainder of the journey thinking about the nasty things Buffy had said earlier. As much as she wanted to hate her for them she couldn’t, she thought she deserved everything Buffy had to give. It somehow seemed like a part of her redemption for all the hurt she had caused her and the rest of the scoobies. The pain it caused her inside to hear and feel Buffy’s wrath sometimes made her want to give up and run away. That’s what the old Faith would have done.



TBC