New Paths

Joyce glances up as Giles settles beside her after he filled out the admittance paperwork for Tara. Gently running her fingers through Buffy’s hair she looks askance at him.



“They’re running cat scans right now, blood work and x-ray’s have already been taken. It’ll be a while before they get back the results to find out what is wrong and whether or not they’ll have to take her into surgery.” He looks up at the rest of the group, Gunn has his arm wrapped around Fred, Cordelia surprisingly enough was talking softly in the corner with a recently arrived Faith while Wesley paces back and forth, obviously in deep thought.



Buffy rubs a hand over her eyes before finally shifting and setting her feet on the floor. Having quietly been listening to the discussion between Cordelia and Faith as the Seer was letting the slayer know that the PTB sent her a few different visions of the slayer, and that she thinks it was their way of letting her know that the slayer would be working with them in LA, taking the place of the vampire. Slowly standing she makes her way over to the two women. “Why didn’t they send a vision to you about what was going to happen to him?”



Cordelia looks up and smiles sadly at the blonde slayer. “They only send me visions of things that are to help me understand future events, or that is supposed to be changed, Buffy. I don’t think he was supposed to be saved.”



“What about the Shanshu Prophecy?” Wesley finally speaks up, frowning at the thought.



“We were never sure that it was speaking of him.” Giles comments softly as he gently rubs Joyce’s shoulder as she leans against him. “And I always wondered if it wasn’t a vampire that had either kept his or her soul when turned or one that actually sought out his soul that it was talking about. The whole being cursed with a soul always didn’t ring quite right with the prophecy.”



“Is that possible?” Fred looks curiously at the older watcher before turning to the others in the group. “Can a person be turned and keep their soul?”



“There’s been no documented cases that we know of, but…” Wesley shrugs, honestly not knowing.



“Anything’s possible.” Buffy tucks her hands in her jeans, frowning as she feels them ache, pulling them back out to look at the somewhat still mangled flesh. “I’m going to go clean up.” Buffy leaves, her slumped shoulders and lack of fire worrying everyone that knows her.



Seeing Joyce about ready to stand, Faith shakes her head. “I’ll go check on her, Mrs. S. She may need somebody to yell at or somethin’. I’ve always been able to press her buttons.” Faith smiles somewhat bitterly at the thought before she stands and quickly follows the slayer. Silently wondering if she is meant to go to LA and pick up where Angel had left off.



“I can’t believe he’s gone.” Fred finally whispers, tears slowly coming to her eyes for the vampire that had saved her and brought her back home.



“Yeah, well, I wasn’t too happy with the way he acted when he came back from Sunnydale. And shit! He acted like a total prick on the way here to Sunnydale, like he had a bad taste or somethin’ in his mouth to come and help Tara.” Gunn growls somewhat loudly. “Yeah, he ended up saving her in the end, but would he have ever been able to come to terms with Buffy and Tara being together?”



“I don’t think so.” Cordelia finally looks at the group, all of them looking at her. “The PTB has been sending me just snippets of visions of Faith since before Willow and Oz had come to stay with us over spring break. I think they knew how this would more or less play out and that Angel wouldn’t be with us much longer. I know in my gut that Faith is going to take his place and end up being their new Champion. Someone that’s worth redeeming, that deserves another chance.”



“Maybe a second chance for more than just her.” Wesley runs a hand over his three day old beard, scratching his chin. “Maybe this is my chance to make up to that young woman my own transgressions and stupidity in the past.”



“Time will tell.” Giles looks up at the ex-watcher. “But honestly, I like the thought of another slayer being within calling distance of us. Who knows how this might have played out without her here to help us, and if we should happen to get any more ‘Big Bad’s’ her help could be invaluable.”



“Maybe we should work together a little more than we have been.” Wesley nods his head in agreement with himself at the thought.



“Now that there isn’t the whole Angel/Buffy angle and angst to work around it would probably benefit us all.” Giles smiles at the ex-watcher before he notices the slow smile on Cordelia’s face.



“I believe that’s exactly what the plan is.” Cordelia allows the smile to crease her face fully as the thought settles inside and seems perfect. “A couple times I wanted to contact you guys for your help and thoughts on a few things, but Angel always grumbled that we could handle it. I can’t help but think if we’d contacted you and picked your brain, that some of the things we could have brought to a close a lot quicker and with less pain. And the PTB’s know that I could have used Willow’s hacking skills on more than one occasion.”



“Wasn’t here, didn’t see it, couldn’t stop it if I was.” Giles smirks as he makes the comment he’d made a couple years ago in the high school library with something the redhead was doing that was illegal.



Cordelia chuckles at the remembrance and nods her head. “Exactly.” Taking a deep breath, she relaxes back into the chair. “Now to convince a certain stubborn dark-haired slayer that she’s meant to come with us back to LA.”



“I’m sure there won’t be a lot of convincing needed. Just give her a little while to become used to the idea. I have a feeling she’s wanting to be here to make amends to us for what happened before. Once we convince her that she doesn’t need to make amends to us, everything else should fall into place.” Joyce finally offers her thoughts on the matter, not having anything to say about Angel, since she never really cared for the vampire to begin with and honestly thought it was to the best that he was gone.



Everyone nods their agreement, as they relax nothing much else to be said about the matter as they tell each other some of the things that had happened in the year since the high school had been blown up.



***



Faith stops at the nurse’s station and whispers to one of the nurses and grins engagingly at the woman until she finally nods and disappears in back. When she comes out with a small bag with the requested items, Faith winks at her. “Thanks.” Striding towards the bathroom Buffy had disappeared into, Faith gently pushes the door open and looks at the last sink where Buffy was leaning against it and washing her hands slowly.



Buffy glances up with a defeated look at Faith before turning her gaze back to her hands watching as the pink water swirls down the sink.



“Fuck, B!” Faith shakes her head and strides towards the slayer tossing the bag in the sink besides Buffy before yanking the slayer’s chin up to look into hazel eyes. “She ain’t fuckin’ dead and she ain’t gonna die, B. So climb out of the fuckin’ self-pity gutter you’ve climbed into and think about your girl.” Faith yanks down a handful of paper towels and wets them with water before squirting some soap from the dispenser on them and washing the slayer’s face roughly. “Did blondie fall for this shit? Because if that’s the case, I’ll show her what it’s like to be with a real woman.” Faith grunts loudly with the expelled air as she gets a slayer-powered fist in her stomach.



“Bitch!” Buffy snarls, her eyes flashing with anger. About ready to lay into the other slayer until she sees the sad look in Faith’s brown eyes, it finally occurring to her what the other slayer was doing. Sighing heavily, Buffy relaxes and has to allow a small smile to cross her lips at the thought of Faith trying to knock some sense into her for a change.



“Finally.” Faith rubs her stomach with a wince before easing her ministrations as she continues to wash the slayer’s face and neck. “B, she ain’t gonna die on you. She ain’t in that bad of shape. She may have some serious bruises, maybe a cracked rib or other broken bones, but he didn’t have enough of a chance to fuck her up badly.”



“He shouldn’t have ever had his hands on her to begin with.” Buffy grumbles, watching as Faith gently washes her hands then opens the bag and brings out the bandages, antiseptic wipes and antibiotic cream.



“No, he shouldn’t have.” Faith agrees as she works on cleaning Buffy’s hands. “But I’d argue that teenage girls shouldn’t have the weight of the world on their shoulder’s, either.” Faith looks up at the quiet snort that comes from Buffy.



“So, you’re basically saying we’re all screwed.” Buffy relaxes even more as Faith wraps her hands. “Thanks, Faith. For everything.”



“Didn’t do that much.” Faith shrugs off the thanks. “Now, let’s hunt down some of that sickening sweet coffee ya’ like to drink and go back to find out what’s happenin’ with your girl.”



Taking a deep breath, Buffy nods, having to admit that the slayer’s choice comments and attitude had snapped her out of her somewhat catatonic state. Straightening her back, she smacks Faith on the shoulder. “I would have expected some kind of smart ass comment from you about me hooking up with a woman.”



“Nah. Not from me. I’m an equal opportunity fucker.” Faith grins wickedly at the blonde slayer as Buffy busts out laughing. Following the slayer out of the bathroom, she feels a little better for helping the slayer out of the dumps, now she silently prays that Buffy’s girl is going to be okay.



***



“You are one lucky lady.” Dr. Garry smiles down at the blonde as she finally comes around and is coherent.



Licking her dry lips, Tara focuses in on the Doctor. “Wh-wh-…”



“Here.” Garry grabs the pitcher of water and pours a small amount in a cup and sticks one of the bendy straws in it, gently placing the end of the straw between Tara’s lips.



Tara looks gratefully at the doctor before sipping the water quickly. Licking her lips after she finishes the fluid, she looks up at the doctor. “Where’s Buffy?”



Garry frowns as she tries to figure out who Buffy is. As it occurs to her, she smiles. “Small little blonde that seemed completely lost and disheartened that you were hurt when she had to let you go?”



“That would be the one.” Tara groans as when she automatically started to smile at the doctor’s words, it put pressure on her swollen, bruised face.



“I wanted to make sure you were conscious and settled comfortably, before I went and got your SISTER.” Garry winks at the woman before stepping back away from the bed. “No serious damage was done, other than a concussion, the bloody nose, split lip and some serious bruising pretty much over your whole body. I do want to keep you in for a day or two to keep an eye on the concussion, but after that you can go home. Let me go get the young woman and bring her here for you.”



“Thank you.” Tara looks thankfully at the doctor.



***



Buffy jumps up as soon as the Doctor enters the waiting room. “How is she?”



“She’s going to be fine, she’s in room 218…” Garry shifts out of the way quickly as the small blonde darts past her at the speed of sound. Chuckling and shaking her head as she looks back at the group of people. “Are you here for Miss Maclay?”



“Yes.” Pretty much all of the group stands and answers the doctor as they step forward.



Joyce eases in front of the group with Giles and looks at the doctor. “What…?”



“She has a concussion that we want to keep an eye on for the next day or two. She also had some internal bruising, along with the busted nose and lip. Pretty much she’s just swollen, bruised and going to be hurting for a few weeks while everything heals. Thankfully there wasn’t anything really serious. It’ll probably take a month for her to be completely healed from everything, but she’ll be fine.” Garry smiles at the woman. “I’d rather keep her visitors down to two at a time for now. She’s going to need to rest to help her on her way to recovery.”



“Go, dear.” Giles orders softly as Joyce looks at him. Smiling as she hurries from the room. “Thank you, doctor.”



“Just doing my job. Can someone tell me how she was hurt?” She looks curiously at the group.



Giles hesitates for a moment before answering the doctor. “An ex-boyfriend of Buffy’s had kidnapped her and before we could locate him and get her back, he’d beat her.”



Faith fights the smirk wanting to cross her face, because for all intents and purposes, Giles was telling the complete truth.



“Well, I hope he got what he deserved.” Garry nods her head at the snort of laughter and the wicked grin crossing the dark-haired woman’s lips. The gleam in her eyes answering her non-question.



“I think maybe we should go find a hotel to stay in for a couple days until things settle down and we head back to LA.” Wes looks at Cordelia, Gunn and Fred.



“Don’t go to a hotel. You can stay at my apartment.” Giles pulls out his keys and slides off an extra key to his apartment and looks from Cordelia to Wesley and back again. “You remember where it is?”



“Yes, thanks, Giles.” Cordelia accepts the key and looks at the group. “I think I’ll stay at Joyce’s house. I’m sure she won’t mind me crashing on her couch tonight.”



“I was plannin’ on goin’ out on patrol later for B, so she can relax.” Faith offers softly.



“I’m sure Buffy and Joyce both wouldn’t mind you staying at the house.” Giles relaxes even more, knowing Cordelia would be at the Summers’ residence, having honestly planned on taking Joyce home and staying with her as long as she needed, but feeling a little better thinking about the young Seer keeping her company, and if Faith is there that gives them the added protection of the slayer.



“I’ll make sure, first. Gotta go by there and get my backpack, anyways. It’s got my clothes and shit in it.” Faith admits finally shifting back and relaxing into a chair, kicking her feet out in front of her and crossing them at the ankles.



Cordelia unconsciously lets her eyes travel up the slayer’s body, having to admit that she looked good. And when a remembered viewing of Buffy and Tara entangled together floats through her brain, she feels her heartbeat pick up at the thought of being with a woman. The two blondes slowly being replaced by herself and the dark-haired slayer. “Oh, my.” Cordelia whispers at the thought, blinking as she spins around and walks over to one of the windows and looks out, silently wondering where these thoughts are coming from.



Faith quirks an eyebrow at Queen C as she strides away, wondering what her deal is before watching as Wesley, Gunn and Fred say their goodbyes and leave the waiting room.



Giles settles beside the slayer and smiles softly at the young woman. “I want to thank you for your help today, Faith.”



“Don’t, G-man. B already thanked me, and honestly that was more thanks than I think I deserve.” Faith waves off the watcher thanks, closing her eyes and relaxing. “Getting blondie back together with B is thanks enough.”



Cordelia blinks and turns around to look at the slayer, the seriousness in the woman’s voice undeniable. A slow smile crosses her lips at the thought that Faith had at some time grown up and was a little more relaxed than she used to be. Though the ‘old slayer’ was still in there with the attitude and the cockiness but tempered with age and understanding. Nodding her head at the thought Faith would probably be a good choice to lead the group in LA. And one of the pesky problems about Angel would be taken care of, since the slayer didn’t have an allergy to the daylight that hampered them quite a bit.