L.A. is a Battlefield

I do not own any of the character they property of Joss Whedon and Muntant Enemy. I do not recive any monetary compensation.

After the battle the gang starts to fall apart. Faith promise to help keep the gang together.

Chapter two: The Fall Out

After Buffy and Faith left Angel started to have a fit.

“I can’t get this out of my head, Faith and Buffy together. I mean what the hell does she want to bake into?”

“You know things could be worse she could still be in love with Spike.” Xander said pointing at the blond vampire.

“Hey”

“What?”

“No chip mind you...dumb ass!”

“Wow you lived for hundreds of years and that is what you can come up with. Not much to say for the old ones.”

“Okay you two need to shut up. Is this something you’re going to allow? I mean you’re Buffy’s watcher and you’re just going to let her be with someone that is dangerous and a killer?” Angel went on with his tangent.

“You’re mad because Giles let Buffy be with someone that is dangerous and a killer?” Xander looked deep into the vampire’s eyes “So do you want to be the kettle or the pot?”

“I was different I never hurt her...”

“Besides the time when you did...do we have to remind you off high school?” Willow asked with out looking at him.

“No but I lost my soul Faith didn’t.”

Willow stood and leaned down right into Angel’s face “No Faith didn’t have to lose her soul because she always had one. You’re a demon with a soul yes but at the end of the day you’re still a demon that happens to have a soul.” She then took her seat next to Kennedy.

“If you see me as a demon why did you come to help?”

“I had a friend in need.”

Illyria slammed her hand on the table. “The whining of worms is beneath me. I had to lie to my Wesley tonight and I wish to go find his soul among the stars and apologize. So to bring it down so you worms can understand...fuck this.” Then she walks through the door not without bothering to open it. Wood shards flew in every directions.

“Okay you think you seen it all and then a blue chick walks through a door.” Kennedy looks at the door then goes back to what she was doing.

Angel didn’t know what to do. He stood and walked around then he took a seat next to Giles.“If I was such a friend why did I have to open the gates of hell before you lifted a finger to help me?”

This time it was Giles turn to speak and he wasn’t going to candy coat anything for the vampire.“We couldn’t trust you. You took over the gateway to hell it’s self. Would you come running to help us if the shoe was on the other foot?”

Angel stood and walked to the door to leave. He turned and looked back. “I would because it was Buffy...that’s what family does!” He hit the wall beside the ruined door and stalked out.

“Well Rupert still know how to clear a room...I said it before you really need a good shag.” Spike said as he too walked out of the room.

“Maybe we should go after them.” Xander said he was still thinking of a way to tell the Scoobies that he was leaving.

“Quick Xander grab your crayons maybe you can find a color that Angel would like.” Willow said with dipping sarcasm. “Not yellow that’s mine! Does crayola make brooding?”

“Willow what is wrong with you?” Kennedy asked. “Why are you pushing all your friends away...Giles I know you don’t like that Angel took over Wolfram and Heart but you did jump on the bandwagon to help him. And you two why are you trying to hurt the person that you put you life on the line to help. It doesn’t make any since. Buffy trying to hurt Angel. Xander trying to hurt Spike okay that makes since but now Willow you’re trying to hurt Xander. What the hell is going on?” Kennedy asked the room of people.

“Kennedy makes a good point. It seems that there is something going on here.” Giles said as he took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Rupert Giles aka Mr. States the Obvious.” Willow said with a big smile. “Giles I’m sorry I guess it’s just coming down from the battle high.”

“I knew I was going to miss this but I didn’t know how much until just now.” Xander said out loud without thinking.

“What do you mean you’re going to miss this?” Willow asked “You mean when we split up again right? No you don’t mean that do you?”

“No Will I ‘m leaving...I’m going to wait to tell Faith and Buffy when we get back to Rome. So please don’t tell them.”

As they left the room Willow hugged Xander and started to cry. “You don’t have to leave you can come back with us. Maybe you just need a new place and new faces.”

“No Will I thought of that but it would be the same problem just in another country. You know I put my time in now my hitch is up. I started as a grunt now I’m a general and I did it in eight years. Hey don’t be sad we all knew that we couldn’t fight for ever. That one day we all will find a way to say good bye.” He told the red head and held her tight.

That night in Willow and Kennedy’s Willow was looking for a way to help keep Xander with the fold. “Baby don’t...he doesn’t want to stay. He was the one who lost the most.”

“What do you mean he lost the most? This can’t be about his eye Xander would never let it be. He didn’t loss the most hell Buffy and Dawn lost their mother and I lost...”

“Tara” Kennedy rapped her arms around her now crying lover. “You can say it I know you had a life before me. You can’t act like you didn’t and I would never ask you to. You all did loss a lot and there is no adding up who lost the most. But baby you have to look at it from Xander’s side. Joyce and Tara were natural deaths. A lot, never the less, but Xander’s family wouldn’t leave. They choose to stay and were killed with Sunnydale.”

“What, he said he had them all taken care of. He told us that everything was good.” Willow said in shock she got up from the bed and started pacing.

“Faith said that he couldn’t get them out and then in the battle he...” Willow cut her off with a sob.

With wide eyes Willow started cried. “Oh goddess he lost his family and Anya all in one day..Ken he lost everyone he ever loved in matter of hours.” Willow dropped to her knees and cried out to her lover.

Kennedy held her tight but she didn’t know what to do for her lover. So she picked the red head up and put her on the bed. “Not everyone baby, not everyone.” Then she reached for the phone and call Buffy’s number.

“Hello” a very tired Faith answered the phone. “What is it Ken?”

“Faith...no time I need you and Buffy to get over here right now. Willow just found out about Xander’s family and I think she has checked out.”

“Right...moving be there in a sec just need to throw some clothes on.” Faith slammed the phone down before any questions could be asked.

“Hey B we’re needed at Ken’s before Red goes and pulls an Ann Heche.”

“What Willow is Ann Heche...what?” Buffy rubs her eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“Ken just called and said Willow found out about Xander’s family and now she thinks Red has checked out. We have to get over there before we find Willow walking down some dirt road.”

“You are a very strange girl...hot but strange.”

“Yeah and your best friend has went and flipped out so we best be there to help out.”

Kennedy opened the door for the two older slayers. She gave Faith a look of ‘later I want full spillage’ and she pointed to Willow sitting on the bed holding a pillow rocking back a forth repeating “Everything in one day.”

“Faith I think you’re right about the whole Ann Heche thing.” Buffy took a seat on the bed. “Willow hey it’s going to be okay.”

Willow’s head shoots up Buffy could see that her eyes are black and jumps off the bed. “How can you say it’s going to be okay, he lost his whole family and lover all in one day and you think you can what make it go away because you say so.”

“Willow I don’t think I can make it go away but he’s dealing with it.”

Willow was now on her feet pushing Buffy “Dealing with it, dealing with it. How stupid are you he isn’t dealing with anything he’s going back to Rome and then he’s leaving as in never coming back. He doesn’t want this life anymore, he’s leaving the family.”

“Well at least he can leave, he can walk away from all of this and try and have a normal life.”

Willow pushes the blond as hard as she could into the wall. “How dare you play the poor me. He lost everything and you want to make it sound like you don’t have a choice that you can’t walk away from all of this. You can now remember it’s all over now you have not one slayer but thousands to do your dirty work. So maybe it’s time for me to walk too before I loss another lover.” Willow pulls back her hand and punches Buffy in the mouth.

Buffy spits out blood and then turns to her best friend “Okay I know I said it all wrong but I don’t know what to say. I’m not trying to play the poor me card and I don’t want Kennedy, Faith or anyone to do my dirty work I just want everyone to be okay again.”

“Well Buffy we’re not going to be okay, hell we haven’t been okay for a very long time. You just can’t see it can you. Every since you let Tara die I’ve hated you...”

“Let Tara die what are you talking about I had nothing to do with Tara dying. If you remember I was in the back yard bleeding from a gun shot too. If I could have saved her then I would but what did you want me to do?”

“You never forgave us for bringing you back so you pushed us away. There was a time that you would never let a thing happen to anyone but then you died and we betrayed you by bring you back so we no longer mattered.”

“Wow where are you getting this? Everything I ever did was to keep you all safe. How dare you say that to me and how dare you blame Tara’s death on me.’

“Very easily you were all about you and we all had to carry you because you didn’t want to be here and we were just your job. Well you pissed off the wrong person and now my life is over the only woman I have ever loved is died because you didn’t want to be here it’s like you pulled the trigger yourself.”

Buffy let the tears fall freely she tried to speak but she could only sob. Faith stepped in to help Buffy out of the room. Buffy put her hand up to stop her. “Buffy don’t you two don’t want to fight anymore hell you said too much already. Kennedy has already left haven’t you two hurt enough people tonight?”

“Willow I know you’re hurting but I will not be the blame for your pain. I did not make Xander’s family stay in Sunnydale I did not kill Anya and I did not let Tara get shot. So if these are the things you hate me for then we don’t have anything to talk about ever again. I love you and I always will I hope the best for you and Kennedy if you can ever apologize enough to her, I hope you have a good life. Now if you would let me pass.” Willow moved to the side to let Buffy go. “Good buy Willow.”Buffy sobbed as she left the room.

“Wow Willow I never thought I would ever say this again but you’re a bitch. You just let the best person you could ask for now walk out of your life.”

“Buffy was the best person but now I can’t see her more than a loser.”

“So was not talking about Buffy.” Shacking her head Faith left Willow alone in her room. Faith ran as fast as she could to get back to Buffy’s room. Pushing the card into the lock Faith through the door open to find Buffy lying on her bed crying. Faith took a seat next to her. “Buffy she’s just angry. Don’t let this get to you. I know easier said then done but everyone is still worked up after the battle and emotions are flying.”

Buffy turned to look deep into Faith’s eyes. “She blames me, do you get that she blames me for Tara. She never knew that I arranged for Tara and my mother to be moved to Cleveland before the First ever showed up in Sunnydale this last time. She was in England with Giles she never knew. And she never knew that I had them moved one last time to Rome. I loved Tara she was family how could she believe I would hurt her.” Faith took Buffy into her arms she didn’t know what to say but she did know that when she was hurting all she wanted was to be held tight.

Faith held Buffy while she cried herself to sleep. She wisped into sleeping ears. “I’m going to make this right I promise I’ll find a way and make what is left of your family stay together!” She then rolled over with Buffy still in her arms and fell asleep.

TBC** Please Feed Back