L.A. is a Battlefield

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOLUD I GO


The dark room was lit with sunshine. Shadows played on the wall as the two girls sleep, still wrapped in each others arms. Faith moved closer to the blonde beauty next to her. She looked down at Buffy and sees that the pain had deepen. Tear tracks had streaked her face; there were dark circles under her eyes. She would toss and turn and cry out in her sleep. ‘I’m sorry Tara.’ Faith would clench her fists tight. “I will fix this B!” With that Faith untangled herself from Buffy and dressed.

Walking out into the hall she thought about what she would say to the hurting hacker. As she turned the corner she found Kennedy sitting in the hall two or three rooms down from her own door. “So Fred, the cat jumped through the window again?”

“Yeah ‘Wilma.’ No I didn’t want to wake Willow up by pounding on the door.”

“So you didn’t grab your key as you left last night?”

“Okay but it sounded better my way. What are you doing here? You feel left out and come to get your misplaced blame too?”

“No I‘m here to see if I can help. Why is she so pissed?”

“I have no idea. I’ve never seen here like this. Have you?”

“Hi,I’m Faith. Have we met? Yeah, Willow was big with the pissy back when we first met.”

“So she didn’t like you much?”

“And the duh comment of the day award goes to...No she didn’t like me much. In fact she hated me with good reason. I think it had something to do with the time I tried to kill her.”

“Yeah, well, you know grudges. She’s been really anxious lately but it wasn’t until you called that she really got angry. She started a fight with me and then fought with most of the girls. It was like she wanted us to hate her and I have no idea why.”

“I think I do.”

“Well what?”

“Later, I need to talk to her.” Faith walked pass Kennedy as they walked she turned to the younger slayer. “While I’m in here will you go get Buffy, Giles, Xander and Dawn? I think it’s time to bring this group back to the beginning. They have been apart for so long they have forgotten that it was them that started this whole thing.”

“Sure I’ll get them, but what the hell are you talking about? They started this, I don’t get it.”

Faith rolled her eyes. She couldn’t believe how much this girl didn’t know. She couldn’t figure out why she didn’t know anything, but she’s with one of the first warriors that help defend against the Hellmouth. “Don’t talk much? Tell me what you do know about Willow. It sounds to me that you don’t know her as well as you should.”

“I know that she has been with Buffy since high school. She doesn’t talk about her past much.”

“Yeah got that...look you need to be here then too and then you two need to talk.”

Kennedy looked down at her feet shaking her head. “No good. Won’t have to talk cuz I’m not going to be here long enough.”

“Leaving too, wow if that isn’t a shitty thing to do. Last night you were all big with the worry and now you’re taking off. And why? Cuz she said something you didn’t like. Do you know how may times Buffy told me I was nothing like Angel or worse, Spike? Hell one time she told me that Andrew was better than me and do you see me running off?”

“I’m not running I just can’t take the fighting anymore. She can be so hurtful.”

“Oh get over it Ken, she’s hurting here too and you’re worried about how much it hurts you. Damn, way to be there for your girl she’s plainly crying out for help but you can’t hear her cuz you’re to busy crying cuz your little feelings got hurt. Damn, how much of a spoiled brat are you.” Faith didn’t give her a chance to talk.

She grabbed Kennedy and threw her into the door. As Kennedy hit it, the door popped opened with a loud thud. Faith push the young girl into the room and over to the bed. She pushed Kennedy down. “Take a seat...hey Red look who I found whimpering in the corridor...shh I think I hurt her little feelings.” With an evil grin Faith looks over to Kennedy. “You’re not going to run off are you...I hope not cuz I need have a talk then I’ll get back to you. So be a good little puppy and Stay.”

“Damn Ken what did you do?”

“No worries about that...look we need to talk about last night, Buffy’s a mess and I don’t think you hate her and I think you’re hurting but you have no one to turn to. Well if you keep acting like this then you’re going to lose everything you have left. About Xander, yes he’s leaving but he isn’t really leaving the fold. The part he didn’t tell you was he’s going to go stay with Oz for a while.”

“Buffy is...Buffy has...Buffy will always be. Hell I don’t know what to say.” Willow takes the handkerchief from her bedside table and wiped her still very red eyes.

“Well then you shouldn’t have blamed her for things that she had no control over. What the hell is wrong with you? You need to talk to her. I can’t stand seeing you two like this.”

“Friends fight on occasions.” Kennedy tried to help at least she thought she was.

“Not them, the four of them don’t let things get this far. If they do then innocent people get hurt.”

“That’s a lot to ask. Well now they don’t have to worry about it anymore their fight can be over.” Kennedy walked to the door and opened it. Faith grabbed the first thing she could and threw it at Kennedy. The alarm clock bounced off her back, landing on the floor in two pieces. “I know I miss things but I’m fairly sure I didn’t say you could leave.”

“Listen nutcase, you don’t tell me what to do...” She picked up part of the now broken clock and went to throw it at Faith.

“Oh Ken baby, I wouldn’t do that. You could get hurt.” Willow walked over and took the clock from her. “Or she could be nice and just kill you. I’m sorry about last night I didn’t mean the way that came out. I do love you and I don’t know...I was just in the moment.”

“In the moment, hell being in the moment I should have been out of breath and sweaty, no I was left thinking I should have never wasted my time. You can’t keep doing this to me I’m not here for you to love whenever it suits you. I do have feelings and I’m tired of you walking all over them. So you figure out what the hell is going on, or I’m gone. For good.” She pulled her arm away from the red head. “Buffy didn’t deserve what she got last night.”

Faith stood looking out the window half ass listening to the two lovers talk. There was something that Kennedy said that made her think. “What did you say, something about they don’t have to worry about fighting anymore? I think I know what’s going on with you all. Red you and stupid here meet me in the large conference room in thirty. I’ll get the rest of the scoobies.”

Without another word Faith pushed Kennedy into the wall as she ran out of the room. Faith pulls a piece of paper out of her pocket. The paper had everyone’s room number on it. She sat in the hall outside of Buffy’s door and started to call everyone for a scoobies meeting. “Hey Xand you need to come to the large conference room, we need a meeting. Before you ask, no, there isn’t a big bad.” She shut the phone before he could ask any questions. She then called Andrew. “Hey freak, meet us in the large conference room in like 20 minutes and bring your markers for the big board.”

She then pulled the card from her back pocket taking a deep breath she slid it into the lock on the door. As she walked into the still dark room she looks around for the blonde slayer. “Hey, B look I’m calling a scoobies meeting.” Faith walks over to the bed and finds Buffy lying on the bed unmoved. Faith sits down and starts playing with the girl’s hair. As she rubs down to Buffy’s cheek she felt cold. “Oh gods no...Buffy...what did you do?” She reaches for the phone. Dialing the number she tried to keep her composure until Giles answered. “Giles you old fart, pick up!”

“Yes Faith what do you need?”

“Giles, it’s Buffy.” Faith cried into the phone. She tried to keep the tears out of her voice. “Giles I need you...please help!”

“What is going on?”

“Giles please just come. Oh gods please.”

He slammed the phone down and ran out of the room. He had thoughts from her being sick to her lying in a pool of blood. He ran into the room seeing a crying Faith sitting over an unmoving Buffy. “Oh lord what did she do? Buffy! Buffy!” He cried he turns his gaze onto Faith “What have you done?” He could see the question was hurtful and Faith cried out harder.

“I didn’t do anything you shit! I just found her then I called you. Why would I hurt her?”

“No dear, I meant did you do CPR call 911. What did you do?”

“Giles make her better!”

Giles reach for the phone and called Xander. “Xander call Dawn and Willow then get over to Buffy’s room.”

“I thought we were meeting in the large conference room?”

“You blasted child just do as your told. Now!” Giles slammed the phone down so hard that the receiver cracked.

***
Buffy walked down Revello Drive turning onto the walk up to 1630. She walks into the house, pleasantly surprised to see her old home standing. Walking in, she sees the moving boxes and smells the new house smell that had faded her second year of high school. She walks into the dining room and sees someone moving about in the kitchen. “Mom?!” Buffy cries, darting through the arch. But instead of Joyce Summers, she finds the first slayer moving dishes around the counter. As Buffy skids to a halt, the first slayer pierces her with an intense stare.
“You again? Come to give me another ‘gift.’ I had my eye on a yellow sweater.” Buffy said with a hollow feeling in her chest.

“No. Not unless you consider this a gift. You and your friends are done.”

“What? We’re done?”

“Yes. Your destiny has been fulfilled. There are others, now, who can and will take up the fight. You and your friends can now rest.”

“Resting is good. I always jump on a cat nap when I can. But what about the demons, the vampires?”

“It is no longer your fight.”

“So what are we to do now?”

“That is none of my concern. Beating back the armies of hell has given you a chance to live your life as you wish.”

“I’m being retired? Not young and perky enough now? Because I can still flip my hair and bounce up and down with the best of them,” Buffy said, an amused note in her voice.

“See it as you wish.” The house began to fade away, the first slayer as well. “We won’t meet again.”

“Wait! If I choose to still fight...” The house was gone, as gone as it was in the real world. The first slayer’s voice floated out of the smoky darkness.
“Your help will be welcome, but you are no longer necessary.”
****
With a small gasp, Buffy opened her eyes. The noise in her room was crushing. Willow was hanging on Kennedy, crying, while Faith yelled at her “You had to be such a bitch to her last night, huh? Now look at her!”

Meanwhile, Giles was speaking into the hotel phone, which was cracked, something Buffy did NOT remember from last night. “Yes, yes, I have no idea what happened to her, we came to check on her this morning and she was not breathing and cool to the touch. Yes, please, by all means, summon the doctor immediately.”

Xander and Dawn sat on the couch under the window, holding each other and sobbing. Dawn was making incoherent noises and Xander was patting her back, murmuring “Hush, hush Dawnie, it will be okay,” even as tears traced down from his one good eye. Andrew sat staring at the floor, a devastated look on his face. He darted his head up, stealing a glance at the slayer’s body before freezing in shock when her eyes locked with his. “She’s alive,” he whispers. No one looks at him.

Leaping to his feet he screamed “SHE’S ALIVE!” Even in his excitement, he can’t help but draw it out in a spooky voice. Everyone in the room whips around to stare at the nerd for a moment before looking to Buffy.

“So that’s number three, then?” Buffy whispers. “Can I get some water, please?” Everyone jumps for the sink and Faith backs everyone off with a look. Bringing the glass to Buffy “I love you B. Don’t you EVER scare me like that again!”

“I’ll take that under consideration.” Gulping the water, she looked to Giles, who had made the proper phone noises to get off the line and had hung up. “Giles, I just had a vision of the first slayer. She said I’m done fighting. I’m...retired...for lack of a better description. My destiny is fulfilled and all that mumbo jumbo.” She looked up at him. “Does that mean I get to skip this week’s training sessions?”

Taking off his glasses to give them a good polish, “Yes, of, of course Buffy. But, ah, what else happened?”

“Did she give you a gold watch? Or a gold stake, considering?” piped Dawn from the couch.

“Uh, hey! I got gypped! I want something gold! Anyways, we met in my old house, in the kitchen. She didn’t like the dishes. It felt like it was all new again, like I could do it all over.”

Faith pushed her way to the edge of the bed again, “Yeah, so now you can live a normal life. Keep your friends closer. Stop this whole drifting thing you all seem to be doing. And maybe this stupid fighting will stop.”

“Buffy can you do it? Can you really walk away? I can’t see you sitting on the beach somewhere not worrying about the big bads of the world.” Dawn said as she too took a seat next to Faith. Taking her sister’s hand “I’m proud of you and I love you. For once take this chance and just be Buffy!”

“There isn’t a Buffy without this. Without watchers, who’s going to train the new slayers?” Buffy takes Faith’s hand. “Someone has to be there for them.” She looks deep into the dark haired beauty’s eyes. “So where do we go from here.”

“So shit are we going to sing again? “ Xander jumps up covering his ears and starts to hum.

“No Xander we’re not going to sing!” Willow places a hand on his shoulder. “Xander, Xander, you dumb ass stop the humming!” she yells.

“Okay well the new slayers need training and we can’t walk away. So we become the new council. We all move to Rome and start working to make the next generation stronger and better than we were!” Faith tells the room of people without taking her eyes away from Buffy’s. “Besides Giles here is looking a little rough around the edges. It’s only a matter of time before he unravels.” She smiled at the old watcher.

“See here I will have you know I was fighting demons before you could walk.”

“Not helping your case, Giles.” Buffy laughs.

“Yes well we have research. Xander,” Giles calls to the young man still humming in the corner.

“So our destiny has been fulfilled? Good thing we’re still hot chicks with wicked powers,” Faith tells Buffy.

“Yep no more destiny...Angel is going to be so pissed!”

TBC Please feedback
***For those of you that don’t know the line , ‘So Fred, the cat jumped through the window again?’ was a reference to the opening of the Flintstones. Wow showing my age.***