Together We Stand Divided We Fall

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Chapter 3
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Buffy walked through the cemetery looking for Faith. “I don’t know, should I talk to her about it?” she asks herself aloud. “I don’t know, maybe I should talk to Dawn…but she’s only a teenager…I don’t know!”

“Sounds like your having a problem with you and yourself…should I leave you two alone to work it out?” Faith asked, jumping from behind a tall headstone.

“Cute…very cute. And funny. Faith, when you change, you change. What do you think of Tara? I mean I know everyone loves her…of course, what’s not to love? You know we have been together for seven months and she’s the best thing…and I love her I mean really love her, so I should right?” Buffy gave Faith a blank look as she finished her little rant.

“What…Okay...Tara is…what?” Faith stood staring at the other slayer in total confusion.

“Faith, have you ever loved someone so much that you couldn’t bear one day without them in your life?” Buffy asked, catching the other slayer’s brown eyes and holding them.

“No…well yes,” the dark slayer confessed.

“I want to ask Tara to spend the rest of our lives together…what do you think?” Buffy still held Faith’s brown eyes.

“DUCK!” Buffy hit the ground and vamp dust drifts down on her back. “I don’t know. In our line of work ‘the rest of your life’ could be today,” Faith says as she helps the blonde up and brushes her off.

“Not with you around to watch my back.” They looked at each other.

“Well, why not? She knows the deal and yet she stays. I guess it couldn’t be that bad.” The two slayers turned and walked instep.

After some silence, they stop to listen to a noise. “Maybe I should get some flowers and…” Faith jumps to the other side of Buffy as two vampires run towards the slayers. With a flip over a headstone, Faith kicks one of the vamps towards Buffy. Then she flipped back over the headstone. Buffy threw a full slayer punch to the other vamp’s chest, making him fall on to the first vamp’s back. Then with a fast swing of their stakes both vampires turned to dust at the same time.

“Cool! Synchronized slaying,” Faith said with a giggle.

“Just like old times,” the blonde states. The two slayers exchange a high five. “Five and zip you wanna call it good?” Buffy and Faith spin their stakes and walk out of the cemetery.

Buffy started the conversation up again. “So you think I should ask her?”

“Sure, the worst she could say is yes, right?” Faith smiled.

“Faith, something has been on my mind for a long time,” Buffy said. The girls slowed to a stop.

“Okay, I give. What?” Faith stood staring at Buffy.

“What does ‘Five by Five’ really mean?” The blonde smiled and then giggled.

“It means I’m still ‘good,’ still alive!” Faith laughed.

“I don’t get it…” The blonde slayer stood blinking her hazel eyes at Faith.

Faith grabbed Buffy’s arms and brought her as close as she could. “See I’m 5’5, so if I’m in the pink then I’m five by five.” The two young women stood face to face for a few seconds.

“Faith can I ask you another question?” Buffy’s breathed, her pulse quickened.

“Maybe you shouldn’t…leave well enough alone B.” The dark slayer moved her hands down Buffy’s arms slowly.

The blonde took a slow breath. “When you said you loved me…how did you mean it?” She slowly looked up into Faith’s eyes.

“Buffy, stop…you can’t!” she murmured, not conscious of having moved closer to the other slayer.

“Faith…” Buffy whispered as the dark slayer leaned down inches away from Buffy’s lips.

“I did, but now you’re happy. Don’t ruin that. Tara is a great girl. Dawn told me what Willow did to her…Buffy don’t hurt her too!” Then she let the blonde go and walked away.

Buffy stood alone with the feeling of pure love racing through her veins. Not for Faith but for the girl at home sleeping in her, their bed. She knew now that she could ask that beautiful woman to spend the rest of her life with her. After standing there for a while, Buffy ran at full slayer speed to catch up with Faith.

“Faith…wait!” She ran around the corner to find Faith waiting for her in the dark alley. “How did you know?”

“You told me B! The look in your eyes told me that you did love me at one time, but never like you love Tara.” Faith smiled and put her arm around Buffy’s waist. “When Giles told me that you were dead I knew I had to change to take your place. I had to be what you wanted me to be and then much more. I knew with you in the world I was safe but when you were gone, the world wasn’t. I had to step up and become the chosen one…the slayer. I only thought about how you would choose me at one time and be proud that I was the one and only other slayer.” Faith’s eyes slowly turned red as tears filled them. “I know, I would be the chosen one, but not the real Slayer. I will always prefer to have you here and fight by your side than not have you here at all. I know that you love Tara with everything you have and you will die for her! I will love you until the day I die…and hell, if Willow is still around that could be many days of dying!” Faith took Buffy into her arms and kissed her for the first and last time.

Breaking the kiss, Buffy took a breath. “You told me once that we were the chosen two…we will always be the chosen two!” The two slayers walked the rest of they way home in comfortable silence.

***

Amie stood at the Espresso Pump in total silence. She had been walking home from the Magic Box and stopped for coffee. She knew Willow would be up studying. For a moment she hoped she was wrong, that she wasn’t seeing right. Then the two slayers broke from their kiss and walked towards her. Amie ducked behind the door and stood there until she knew it was safe. On her way home, the witch didn’t know what to do so she decided to keep it to herself. That would mean lying to Willow, something she promised never to do again.

She walked into the house to find Willow was asleep on the living room floor again. Setting the coffee down, she woke up her lover and took her to bed. After Willow is sound asleep again, Amie crept out of the room hoping Faith still awake. She quietly walked down the stairs to the living room and made her way in the dark to the basement door. She could hear Faith’s music playing through the closed door. The witch quietly walked down the basement stairs to find the slayer standing at the bottom. “Faith, were you coming upstairs?” Amie stood very still with a fearful look in her eyes.

“No, I heard you coming down the hall…Buffy may be still listening so you better come on down.” Faith moved out of her way.

“I need to talk to you.” Amie’s hands started to shake.

“Did you get hurt…maybe I should get Buffy?" The slayer started for the stairs then stopped. “No…you wouldn’t come to me if you were hurt and not alone. Red would be with you, along with Buffy.” The dark slayer walked over and sat in the chair, offering Amie the end of the bed.

“No, I wasn’t hurt…I saw you and Buffy.” She took a deep breath. “I was at the Espresso Pump and I saw you two…well, you know, you were there.” Amie felt like her chest was going to collapse and suffocate her.

“Hey, you okay…I know what you saw but it wasn’t like it looked. Yes, I kissed Buffy, but it wasn’t like we were…hell, she would never do that to Tara!”

Upstairs in her room, Buffy sat up straight in bed. She had to ask Tara now. “TARA!” Buffy shook her lover.

“What…Dawnie!” Tara jumps over Buffy and out of bed, hitting the floor hard on her side. “Oh, ow…fuck!”

Buffy sat with her eyes wide open with tears running down her face. Now fear was rampaging through her veins where moments before love was.

“Buffy, what’s wrong? Dawnie, Willow!” Tara yelled at the top of her voice.

“Tara, no. Wait!” Buffy tried to calm her lover but it was too late. The bedroom door flew open and two very sleepy women stood silhouetted in the doorframe. “Tara, I’m sorry…I had a dream I couldn’t find you!” She gave her best fake giggle. “Dawnie, Will, go back to bed…I’m sorry!” Buffy sat in the bed blushing.

The two sleepy people went back to their beds without a word of complaint or a second thought.

“Tara, something did happen tonight…out on patrol Faith and I were talking.” She took a deep breath.

“You…were talking?” Tara pushed for her lover to finish.

“Yes…we were talking about how things were before.” Buffy slipped out of bed and began pacing the floor.

Tara pushed herself away from where the shorter blonde had been sitting and sat up completely straight. “Buffy what is it…Are you leaving me for Faith?”

Buffy felt like her world was falling apart at the words that pierced her ears. “No, hell no…where did that come from?”

“Sorry, sleepy…go on love,” Tara said as she wiped the sleep gunk from her eyes.

Buffy took a deep breath, “Tara, spend the rest of your life with me!” She blurted out her question almost like a demand.

“What?” The blonde witch sat in total shock.

Buffy moved closer to her lover and took her into her arms. “I love you and I want you by my side forever…will you spend the rest of this life with me?”

“Oh Buffy…yes of course I will…I love you!” Tara hugged the slayer tightly and started to cry the tears of love. “Buffy I think I could run through the streets yelling with joy,” Tara giggled and started crying harder. Tara wanted this but she didn’t think Buffy had room in her life for a wife. Now she knew that they would be together and they will someday soon be as one in soul and in love. With their hearts and hands tied together in the eyes of friends and the love of the Goddess!

“Tara I don’t think we should tell the rest of the family right now; at 3:46am that is. So maybe you should lower your…” The door flew open, hit the wall, and interrupted Buffy.

“Buffy…Amie’s gone!” Willow cried.

“Maybe she’s still at the shop?” Tara voiced her idea.

“No, she came home and put me to bed. Now she’s gone…Buffy, Amie’s gone!” Willow fell to the floor crying.

“Ok, I’ll go get Faith and we’ll go look for her…but while I’m doing that you should look in the house. I’ll look out back on my way to get Faith.” Buffy pushed up and was out the door before she finished her sentence.

Buffy jogged down the stairs jumping over the banister. She made her way towards the back door but stopped when she heard Faith laughing.

“Faith?” Buffy called as she opened the basement door.

“Hey, what’s up B?” Faith called back.

“Is Amie down there?” She started down the steps.

“Yes Buffy, I’m here…what’s wrong?” Amie stood at the end of the stairs.

“Willow woke up and you weren’t there, so she freaked. I was coming to get Faith to go looking for you.” Buffy was now in the basement and paused a moment to look around. “Looks like you really have the feel of the place,F,” the blonde slayer smiled at Faith.

“Yeah, got the whole Spartan thing going. I don’t need much,” Faith smiled back at the blonde slayer.

“Buffy, is Faith here?” Willow yelled from the kitchen.

“Shit…Will. Yes and so is Amie!” Buffy turned to look at the witch. “Why are you down here anyway?” the slayer quizzed.

“I’ll tell you later, okay…please not now, too many ears,” Amie gave the dark slayer a nod.

“Okay, let me get Tara back to bed and we can talk.” Buffy went to leave and turned back from the door to grin at Faith. “She said yes!”

Faith stood smiling at Buffy as she left the room.

“They were just talking. Amie couldn’t sleep. So she found Faith to bug instead of you!” Buffy summed the night up in a nutshell.

“Okay…hey sexy?” the hacker called down the stairs.

“Yes, pussy willow!” Faith called back in a singsong voice.

“Funny…Amie, I’m going to bed. Don’t be too long.” Willow and Tara made their way back to the living room giggling.

“Okay, our girls are in bed, so what’s the what?” the blonde sat on the bed in Faith’s room.

“Amie saw us tonight…kissing,” Faith told the older girl.

“Oh, that…what!” Buffy looked to the floor.

“Yeah!” Faith copied the blonde’s move.

“Okay, so I saw you, but Faith here told me what was going on and I’m cool with it,” Amie told the two women.

Buffy looked into the witch’s eyes and smiled. “So you’re cool. No coming back to haunt us?”

“No haunting I swear!” The witch chuckled.

“And you’re cool right?” Faith pushed the ‘cool’ issue.

Buffy flipped her hair with a smile. “Yeah…I’m five by five!” They all laughed.

“Well I’m going to head to bed…good night.” Buffy started up the stairs and stopped halfway. “Amie…I’ll make sure I close the door this time! No more magic,” she called over her shoulder.

Amie stood rooted in place, her mind bathed in pure fear. ‘How did she know?’ she thought to herself.

“We’re slayers, we know everything around us…why didn’t you tell Buffy you were a witch?” Faith took Amie by the arm, pulling her down to a seat.

“Only Willow knows…we didn’t know how everyone would react,” Amie lied.

“Cool, we could use another witch, I guess,” Faith said with a gesture to the stairs. “I need some sleep. I have to go and find a job and get my books for G.E.D classes.” Amie took her cue to leave and walked up the stairs.

Faith dressed for bed and turned out the light. “Lie to me…we'll see what you and Red are really up to.” Then Faith fell asleep.