The Gift, Take Two

Title: The Gift, Take Two – Chapter 26: Listen to Teacher
Author: Dafmeister
Email: Dafmeister@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: The Buffyverse is owned by Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox and a bunch of other people who aren’t me. No infringement of copyright is intended blah blah blah…
Pairing: Buffy/Faith
Spoilers: Anything up to the end of Season 6 Buffy/Season 3 Angel
Distribution: Ask and Ye shall receive.
Rating: R
Feedback: Have you ever heard of a fanfic author who didn’t want all the feedback they could get their grubby little paws on?
Summary: The nightmare is over, now the lessons have to be learned.
Author’s notes: Huge thanks to Kaz, beta extraordinaire

*****

The early morning sunlight had long since begun to shine through the curtains, filling the room with a diffuse glow that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once. Faith watched the light shimmering in Buffy’s hair, a few loose strands drifting to and fro in time with her breath. She lay with Buffy’s head on her shoulder, one arm in a loose arc around her waist. She hadn’t dared move in the brief hours since Buffy had finally succumbed to sleep.

This is a mistake, Faith told herself. I’m supposed to help her be strong, not treat her like a scared kid. She couldn’t make herself believe it. The censuring voice in her mind couldn’t master the fragile peace on Buffy’s face, or her own need for someone to hold her and push back the fear she’d felt the previous night. She knew it was a lie, but for the first time she could remember, Faith felt truly safe, and she didn’t have it in her to break the spell.

However, the decision wasn’t hers to make. The alarm clock on the nightstand clattered into life, causing a moment of startled paralysis before Faiths stretched out her free hand to silence it.

Buffy let out a groan, screwing her eyes tight shut before opening them, blinking as she tried to adapt to the light. It took her a few seconds to remember she wasn’t alone. “Hey.”

“Morning, B.”

“Have you been awake long?” Buffy asked, noting the dark circles around Faith’s eyes.

“Half an hour, maybe,” Faith lied. “You know me and mornings.”

“Yeah,” Buffy replied, the word melding into a yawn. “Did I hear the alarm?”

“’Fraid so, time to go face the world again.”

“Can’t we just stay here instead?” Buffy asked. “Just for a little while. It’s… it’s nice, you and me, together.”

Faith had to muster all her self-discipline not to give in. “No time, B. You’ve got a kid sister to get ready for school, then we’ve got a date with Sigmund Giles for dream analysis.”

“The dream. I almost forgot.” Buffy’s voice sounded hollow. “Something’s coming, isn’t it? Something bad?”

“You tell me, girlfriend, you’re the prophecy vet.”

“I don’t want to be!” Buffy pushed herself away from Faith and sat up with her back turned. “Why can’t we ever have some time just for us?”

“’Cause then we’d be like normal girls?” Faith sat up and wrapped her arms around Buffy. “We’d spend hours talking about nail polish, and shoes, and getting all giggly. Can you imagine?”

“Yeah,” Buffy said wistfully. “Sounds nice.”

“Nice?” Faith repeated in horror. “Kill me now.”

“You don’t ever think about having a normal life?”

“I had a normal life, B. It sucked. I like who we are, I like that normal’s not a part of it.”

“I know, you’re right,” Buffy said. “I just wish…”

“Yeah, me too.” Faith kissed the back of her neck. “Time to go, girlfriend.”

*****

Giles sat back in his armchair and looked down at the coffee table, focussing on the cold cup of tea he’d forgotten was there. He took a moment to steady himself before looking back at the two Slayers sitting side by side the couch. “Are you sure it was the same dream?”

“We…” Buffy’s voice failed her for a moment. “We’re sure.”

Faith unconsciously put her hand over Buffy’s. “Same people, same places, same order. We checked.”

Giles took off his glasses and began cleaning them, condemning himself for his cowardice in failing to meet their eyes. “Well, yes, that would appear to rule out coincidence. Do you have any idea as to the, um, the cause of death?”

The girls looked at each other for a moment, then Buffy shook her head. “It was too dark inside the house, like the light couldn’t get inside. All we could see was the blood.”

“So what’s the skinny, Wise One? Who do I hit and where do I find them?”

“I-I really don’t know, Faith. Without more information, I’m afraid I don’t even know where to begin.”

“So the hell do we do?”

“At this point, there’s nothing we can do. We’ll just have to be vigilant.”

“That’s it?” Buffy’s voice began to crack, panic seeping in. “‘Be vigilant’, that’s the advice of the mighty Watchers Council?”

“Well forgive me for not having all the answers on a plate, Buffy, I’m afraid I’m not at my best this morning. You see, no-one’s ever foretold my death before.”

“Yeah, that’s usually your job. Kind of hits you in the gut, huh?” Buffy paused and glanced down as Faith’s hand tightened on hers. “I’m sorry, Giles. This one scares me more than the regular dreams. I don’t usually see people I care about dying.”

“Seems like that’s the only kind I get,” Faith muttered. “Should we tell the gang about this?”

“I think we have to,” Giles replied. “They need to be on the lookout.”

“And you remember how they were when we didn’t tell them about Dawn,” added Buffy. “Tonight, at the Magic Box?”

“Yes.” Giles hesitated, then added “Do you intend to tell Dawn?”

“She needs to know,” Faith replied.

Buffy said nothing.

*****

Faith danced back a few paces across the training room floor, easily staying ahead of her attacker. “Take it easy, Bitesize, you're not chopping wood here.”

“No,” Dawn replied between gasps for breath, “I'm trying to chop you.” She drew her practice sword back and launched it point-first at Faith again.

Faith flicked the attack aside with her own sword and sidestepped as Dawn staggered forward under the momentum of her attack. “You're over committing, leaving yourself wide open.”

Dawn tried to spin around and swing at the same time, a clumsy attack that Faith simply ducked under. “If I don't go in hard, how do I- ow! That hurt!” She clutched at the sore spot on her hip where Faith had jabbed her.

“Made the point, though, right? If your sword's got a good edge, you don't need a lot of force to cut with it. Any time you attack too hard, you're exposing yourself. Got it?”

“Yeah, I got - Buffy!”

Faith jumped around and saw Buffy in the doorway, arms crossed across her chest, lips pursed. “You're fighting children now?”

“Come on, B-”

“Don't. Don't talk, don’t move, don't even think. You,” Buffy jabbed a finger at Dawn, “go sit with Will and Tara.”

“But...”

“Go!”

Dawn flung her sword down and stormed out of the room. As the door closed behind her, Faith tried to calm the situation. “Look, B...”

“Are you insane?” Buffy asked in a near-whisper. “Did your brain get sucked out since this morning, is that it?”

“I'm just trying to look out for her.”

“By teaching her to fight?”

“She needs to know how, B.”

“No, she needs to know how to run!”

“And what if she can't? What if she's hurt, or she gets cornered, or she's just not fast enough? If she's going to be working with us, she's got to know how to defend herself.”

“She's not going to be working with us.”

“Why not, B? She's as much a part of this as anyone.”

“I don't want her to be part of this!” Buffy yelled. “I want her safe!”

“There is no safe, B! Even if we baby-sit her 24/7, things are still going to come for us. If we leave her alone, she's helpless. What're you going to do, send her to live with your dad? You think they don't have demons in Spain?”

“I don't want her living this life, Faith. I have to care of her. I want her to live in the light, not be surrounded by blood and pain and...”

“News flash, B, it's not up to you. She's your sister, really your sister, and sometimes she's so like you it freaks me out. You still think she's a kid, but she's growing up fast and she wants in. You want to stop that, you'll have to shut her out. You don't know what it's like being stuck on the outside. Keep it up long enough, and she's going to hate you for it.”

“Is that your excuse?” Buffy spat before she could stop herself. “Oh God, Faith, I'm so sorry, I didn't-”

“Yeah, you did.” Faith had to stop for a moment to clear the anger and hurt from her face. “I know what I did, B. I made a bunch of stupid decisions and everybody paid, but actually, yeah, being on the edge of everything didn't do me any favours. You don't want to make her feel the way I was feeling. If you don't let her in, she's going to go around you, and I don't know where she's going to end up.”

“But what if something happens to her, Faith?” The tears Buffy had been holding back finally escaped. “What if I can't protect her? She's all that's left of my family, if she-”

“I love her too, B.” Faith kissed her forehead, trying to quell the terror she saw behind Buffy’s eyes. “We've just got to do the best we can and hope.”

“What if it's enough?”

“It's all we've got.”

Buffy’s head dropped, a sob breaking free from her throat. Faith held her, but almost immediately Buffy pulled away, wiping the tears from her eyes with an irritated sweep of her hand. “God, look at me, how pathetic is this…”

Faith brushed a lock of blonde hair away from Buffy’s face, drawing a rueful smile. “Hey, no-one calls my girl pathetic, ‘specially not you. Got it?”

“Five by five.”

Faith’s jaw dropped and she gave Buffy a mock shove. Buffy’s smile turned into a full-blown giggle and she shoved back. Faith laughed in return. “You think we should go put the brat out of her misery?”

“Could… could I talk to her by myself?”

“Sure.” Faith went out into the shop and called to Dawn. “Yo, Bitesize, big sis wants a word.”

Dawn rolled her eyes and strode through the door, expecting another argument. She found Buffy turning one of the practice swords over and over in her hands. “Yes?”

“So Faith’s been teaching you some moves?”

“Yeah.”

Buffy threw her the sword. “Show me.”

*****

Faith closed the door and let out a sigh of relief. She leaned against the doorway for a moment, watching Giles and Anya attending to the last few customers and straightening things up, working together in an almost seamless routine. Willow and Tara were at the table, looking some of the books Giles had left out. Tara looked up for a moment and smiled at Faith. Willow ignored her.

Okay, here comes the hard part. Faith took a deep breath and began walking toward the table. She collected a bottle of chilled water Giles had left on the counter, then dropped into a chair across from the witches. “Hey Red, T-Bear, how’s it hanging?”

Willow looked up this time, but said nothing and returned her attention to her book. Tara gave Faith an apologetic look and replied “We’re good, thanks. Is everything okay with Dawn?”

“Five by five, it’s just B being Big Sis, you know?” Faith fiddled with the bottle cap for a moment. “Look, Red, I know this sounds pretty funny, but I need a favour.”

“You’re wrong,” Willow said without looking up. “That’s not funny.”

“Willow…” Tara said in a plaintive whisper.

“Fine…” Willow slammed the book shut, causing Giles to wince in the background. “What do you want?”

“It’s, what, three weeks to Christmas and I’ve got no idea what to get for B. I’ve never had to shop for a girl before, you know, and now I’ve got the cash to get her something nice. I figured, you’re her best friend, you’re a girl and you’ve got some experience, so maybe you could come look with me?”

“Jewellery’s good.”

“Jewellery’s out.”

“Why?”

“I already got her a necklace for her birthday; I don’t want to do the same thing twice.”

“So give it to her now.”

“Can’t, I’m getting it modified, won’t be ready ‘til after New Years.” Faith swallowed her pride. “Please, Red.”

Willow almost said ‘no’, but she felt Tara’s hand on hers and couldn’t do it. “The Espresso Pump, 11 o’clock Monday. If you’re late, the deal’s off.”

“Thanks, Red,” Faith replied, glancing at Tara as she said it.

“Whatever.”

Faith did her best to ignore the barb. She sat back and began leafing through one of the books, while Giles showed the last customer to the door and flipped the sign over to ‘Closed’. He looked over at Anya, totalling the day’s takings. “Will Xander be long?”

“He’d better not be, I told him if he’s late, I’m not having sex with him tonight.”

Faith and Willow both muttered “Yeah, right”. Willow shot a glare at Faith that she pretended not to notice. An uneasy silence settled over the table, broken only by the rustle of pages turning.

A car pulled up outside, and a minute later Xander came through the door. “Hey guys, what’s the crisis?”

“Hello Xander, take a seat, please,” Giles said. “Anya, would you fetch Buffy and Dawn?”

Xander took the empty seat beside Willow, while Giles sat next to Faith. Anya returned and sat between the two men, then Buffy and Faith joined them, Dawn failing to hide a smirk. They filled the gap between Faith and Tara. An anxious glance passed between Buffy and Faith, and they both turned to Giles for guidance as the others waited, a sense of unease growing in them as they realised how nervous the Slayers were.

Giles said quietly “I think it would be best if you explained what happened for yourself.”

Buffy and Faith began to describe what they had experienced the previous night. They spoke carefully. Hesitantly, trying to remain objective but all too aware of the effect their words were having on their friends.

“Wow,” Willow said when the story was over, breaking a stunned silence. She clutched at Tara’s hand under the table. “I mean, wow. So that’s it? Game over?”

“We don’t know that,” Giles said quietly.

“No, I’m sure it was just a cosmic crossed line,” Anya retorted.

Dawn was staring at Buffy and Faith. “Why are you leaving?”

“We’re not leaving, Dawnie!” Buffy replied. “Why would you even think that?”

“You said, in the dream, I said ‘Why did you leave us?’ I said it to both of you, there must be something-”

“We are not leaving! I don’t care what the dream said, we’re not.”

Faith let out a bitter laugh. “Good thing I didn’t book that Valentine’s Day trip to San Francisco.”

Buffy jerked around in her chair. “San Francisco? Valentine’s Day? What’re you-”

“It was just an idea I had, B. Get away from things for a few days, just you and me. Guess that’s out of the window now.”

“Aw gee, Faith, I’m real sorry our deaths are screwing up your vacation plans!” Willow stood up so fast that her chair toppled over and stormed away from the table. Tara followed her, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend. “Sweetie, it’s okay…”

“No it’s not!” Willow turned to face her, and the other saw the tears streaming down her face. “Tara, I can’t lose you again…”

“I guess there’s no point ordering the bridesmaids’ dresses now,” Anya muttered as she looked away from the two witches and swept her eyes over those still at the table.

“Ahn, I don’t think this is the right time for-”

“What do you want me to say, Xander? I was going to live forever, remember? I manage to deal with the fact that I’m only going to get a few more decades, I start making a life for myself and now that’s gone too, so what exactly am I supposed to be feeling right now?”

“That’s enough!” Giles snapped. As soon as the words were out he looked ashamed of himself. “I’m sorry, Anya, I shouldn’t have… My point is, this is a warning, not a certainty.”

“Oh good, we’re only maybe going to get slaughtered.”

“Look,” Xander said after a moment “maybe I’m turning into stupid high school Xander again, but what’s the big deal?”

Faith felt Buffy tense beside her and exploded “Were you even listening? Do you have any idea-”

“Whoa, hold on a sec, I know it sounds pretty awful. I’m just saying; Big Bad coming to get us, what else is new?”

“They saw us all dead, Xander,” Anya said. “Us, not other people.”

“She’s right,” Willow said. “This isn’t an apocalypse, Xander. This is personal.”

“So what?” Xander pushed his chair back and began pacing. “If it was an apocalypse, we’d be getting in the way anyhow. What’s the difference?”

“The difference is-”

“Nothing.” Buffy said quietly.

“Huh?” The others turned to see a new look of determination on her face.

“The difference is nothing,” she repeated. “He’s right. There’s always something that wants us dead. At least this time we know it’s gunning for us. We do what we always do: we find it, we stop it, we move on.” She looked over at Xander with gratitude in her eyes, and he quickly looked away, cheeks reddening a little. “I know we’re all thrown by this, I was thrown, but beating prophecy is what we do.”

“All right,” Faith said, flashing a proud smile at her girlfriend. “Where do we start?”

Giles cleared his throat and said “Well, I’d suggest we begin with what we already know.”

Willow rubbed one reddened eye and asked “Do you have any idea what killed dream-us?”

“Can’t say for sure.” Buffy thought for a moment. “Whatever it was, it was pretty violent. I couldn’t see any wounds, but there was a lot of blood. I don’t think it could have been poison, or a disease or anything like that. Do we think this is someone new, or someone we already know about?”

“Plenty of options,” Willow replied as she sat down and opened a notepad. “Lucas, the demon Hole-in-the-Wall gang, the black van guys, the diamond thieves... Even if Giles is right and the bank and the museum were done by the same people, that’s still at least two different groups.”

Giles spoke up. “No-one was killed, or seriously hurt, at either the museum or the bank.”

“So maybe it’s Lucas we should be focusing on?” Xander asked the Slayers. “We know he wants you guys dead, we’re probably on the hit list too.”

“Yeah, but in the dream it was daylight,” Faith pointed out. “Besides, how would vamps get in the house?”

“I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on the setting, Faith,” Giles said. “These dreams are typically vague and riddled with metaphor. Your finding us dead in your home could simply be an indication of an attack on that which you consider safe and familiar.”

“Or it could mean the people,” Tara suggested. “You know, your house being your family, like in Romeo and Juliet.”

Giles agreed. “It’s certainly possible.”

“That’s my girl,” Willow said with pride. “Anyhow, it’s not like we’re going to invite a vamp in, are we?”

Everyone looked at Dawn. “Hey! That was one time, and it was Harmony!”

Dawn’s annoyance broke what was left of the tension around the table, and after a few more minutes of discussion, the group broke up. As they all gathered their belongings, Giles spoke again. “I do have one piece of good news. The diamond that was stolen, well, isn’t a diamond.”

“I got this one,” Buffy said to the others before turning to face him. “Huh?”

“It’s a fake. A reproduction.” Giles allowed himself a slight smile. “The real diamond is one of the items that the Council keeps secured in the British Museum for safety. I could hardly believe that they would allow it to leave the museum, let alone send it to a small, low-security museum like Sunnydale, so I called Quentin Travers yesterday. The diamond is still safely under lock and key in London; what was stolen is simply a very well-cut piece of crystal.”

“What do you know, the Council’s doing its job for a change,” Xander remarked, and with Giles usual admonition to ‘be careful’, they went their separate ways.

As they got ready to go out on patrol, Faith noticed Buffy wincing as she flexed her wrist. “You okay, B?”

“How long have you been training Dawn?”

“Just today. Why, she land one on you?”

“She just clipped me, no big. She did better than I thought.”

“Yeah, she’s a pretty quick learner. Then again, you suck with a sword…”

*****

“…come on, B, I said I was sorry.”

“You told me I suck!” Buffy snapped as she stomped into the house after patrol that night. “Some girlfriend you are.”

“I said you suck with a sword, B. Which you do. You want me to lie to you?”

“First of all, yes, I want you to lie instead of telling your new girlfriend she sucks. Second, I do not suck!”

“Yeah, you do.”

“I’ve beaten plenty of guys with swords. Remember those duellist vamps? And I beat Angel.”

“Those vamps sucked too, and Angel’s not exactly the Fifth Musketeer.”

“Faith-”

“What’s pattern-welding?”

“What’s what?”

“What’s the difference between a high guard and a hanging guard?”

“Huh?”

“Who’s Hans Talhoffer?”

“Faith, what the hell are you talking about?”

“You don’t know crap about swords, B. Neither did the guys you’ve fought. I’ve seen them; they just wave the blade around and hack at you. You can take those guys with your bare hands, but if you have to go up against a real swordsman you’re going to get razored.” Faith took her by the shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. “I’m not going to lie to you about something that could get you killed.”

“Way to over-sell it…” Buffy muttered.

“Don’t!” Faith’s grip tightened on Buffy’s shoulders. “Don’t joke about this, Buffy. You’re a great fighter, most days you can take me, but give me a sword and I’d cut you in half.”

“Again with the ‘How Not To Talk To Your Girlfriend’.”

“Okay, look, can we not fight about this?” Faith brushed a lock of hair away from Buffy’s face. “How’s this: you and me, back yard, tomorrow morning. You prove me wrong, I’ll quit bugging you. I prove you wrong, you let me train you. Deal?”

“Deal. And you are so getting your ass kicked.”

Faith smirked. “You think you can stop staring at it long enough to kick it?”

“The way you keep trying to look down my shirt, I could take you blindfolded,” Buffy retorted.

Faith hooked her fingers into Buffy’s neckline and pulled her in for a kiss. “Get some sleep, girlfriend, you’re going to need it.”

“Sleep. Yeah.” Buffy looked nervously up the stairs. “I’m not sure I want to.”

“You think we’ll get the nightmare again?”

“I don’t know. After last night, I don’t even know if I’ll be able to sleep.”

“If something bad’s coming, we won’t be much good if we’re exhausted.”

“I know. I’ve still got those pills the doc gave me after the harpy, I’ll think I’ll try one. You want?”

“Not a chance, B, I don’t trust drugs.”

“Okay.” Buffy kissed her again. “Good night.”

“’Night.”

At the foot of the stairs, Buffy stopped and asked, “Faith, how come you know all that stuff? Pattern-weaving and everything?”

“Pattern-welding,” Faith corrected, a shadow seeming to pass over her. “It’s… old stuff. Maybe we can talk in the morning.” She squeezed past Buffy and up the stairs.

Buffy went through her night-time routine a little faster than normal that night. When she was finished, she sat on her bed and retrieved the bottle of sleeping tablets from the drawer of her nightstand. She looked at it for a moment, turning it over in her hand, listening to the pills rattle inside, and then she tossed it back into the drawer, unopened.