Together We Stand Divided We Fall

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Chapter 4
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Friday night Dawn rolled around in her bed unable to sleep so she decided to go see Faith. She knew the young slayer would be awake and she really needed to talk. Buffy was out with Willow and Amie on a patrol and then to the Bronze for some grown up time.

Dawn slipped out of her room and down the stairs to the living room. There was a small lamp in the corner but the room was still poorly lit. Dawn made her way to the basement door. “Faith you still up?” she called as she opened the door. The dark slayer had heard Dawn walking in the living room.

“Yes Dawn, I’m awake. Are you coming down?”

Dawn walked slowly down the stairs. She didn’t really know why she was so scared to talk to the dark slayer. They talked all the time before Faith went bad and tried to kill everyone. ‘Okay so that could be a big part of my problem, but now I can see how she’s changed, and she has changed in some really good ways. So she still acts all tough and dresses in the leathers, but she’s nice now…isn’t she?’

“So what’s up Dawnie, couldn’t you sleep?” Faith had taken the time Dawn was debating on coming down or not to get dressed.

Dawn walked into the room and took a deep breath and looked right into Faith’s dark brown eyes. “Faith I couldn’t sleep because I was thinking of Kevin and what we talked about today at school.” She then dropped her head and sat on the bed next to Faith.

The dark girl sat up full when the teen sat down. “Okay so spill what did you talk about…never mind, I think I know. Sex right?” Faith smiled to herself.

Dawn’s eyes widen. “Yes, but not about me and him, but about me and someone else.” She turned red when she thought about telling Faith how she felt.

“Dawn, what are you talking about...Do you have a thing for another guy?” Faith asked.

“No!” Dawn yelled she was becoming really upset and lost all thought. She then blurted, “No, we broke up because I like you!” She then realized what she had said and ran out of the room.

Faith sat up the rest of the night trying to come up with a way to help Dawn without hurting her. The rest of the weekend, they avoided each other.

Monday morning Dawn was up and gone by 6:40 and Faith was nowhere to be found in the house.

“Okay, so the teen and the horny slayer are gone,” Xander states as he walked around Buffy’s kitchen.

“I don’t know who you were calling horny, little man, but it better not be B…or I’ll have to hurt you,” Faith ran her mouth as she walked through the back door.

“You can’t hurt me, you promised Buffy!” Xander said with a big smile.

“No, but I will tell your wife…your very pregnant wife…that you were talking about me and Buffy in a very high school dirty way,” Faith giggled to herself.

Buffy walked into the kitchen half awake. “Morning.”

“Buffy…Faith has gone evil again. She said that she would hurt me.” Xander ran behind the blonde slayer.

“Okay, but do it quietly!” Buffy moaned.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” Tara put her arm around the blonde’s shoulder.

“I didn’t get much sleep,” Buffy huffed.

“I’m sorry I was just happy,” Tara pouted

“Okay I’m sorry dear…but aren’t you suppose to wait until you’re married to kill me off?” The blonde slayer let her head drop onto the island with a thud

“What do you mean married?” Xander stepped away from Buffy and ran into the wall behind him.

“Oh for fuck sake. Xander…tell anyone and you're a dead man. We haven’t told Dawn yet!” Buffy popped her head up quickly and popped her shoulder out. “Ow…fuck, Faith my damn shoulder is out again. Xand, if you like having children you won’t tell anyone!” Buffy walked into the living room with the dark slayer and lay on the floor.

“Okay that was what…what got into her…Okay I don’t want to know!” Xander walked out the door.

“Please visit the Maxi Pad again!” Tara yelled to Xander as the door closed behind him.

Tara walked into the living room. “Hey that was really good, Tara…”

The witch cut Faith off. “I’m going to school, I’ll be back later!” Shaking her head Tara walk around to face Buffy. “I hope you don’t kill anyone while I’m gone,” she snapped.

“I won’t…look I’m sorry I just don’t feel good.” She looked up at Tara.

“Well sunshine I’m tired and hurting too but I’m not being a mega bitch to my best friends…see ya later.” She opened the front door. “I love you!” With that, she slammed the door.

“Damn, B into pissing off the witch, not a good idea!” Faith smiled and brought her knee down hard on Buffy’s shoulder popping it back in place.

“Fuck!” The blonde yelled. “Why are you trying to hurt me too?” Buffy cried.

“I’m not but someone needs to give you a good ass kicking.” Then Faith was gone too.

***

Faith walked to the school in search of Dawn. With the teen leaving so early in the morning, she couldn’t help but think Dawn was up to something. Faith found Kevin’s car sitting about two blocks from the school and both him and Dawn were in the car. She saw Kevin lean over and kiss Dawn. This was something the dark slayer didn’t want to see. Faith could feel the anger rise and she thought of only one way to get Dawn out of that car. The slayer creped to the car and opened the back driver’s side door. “What’s up?” she called when inside.

“Oh, shit…Faith, don’t do that!” Dawn cried

“Oh I think I do that. What are you two doing? I hope nothing I would!” Faith then went pale at the thought of Kevin’s hands on Dawn. “Dawn, out of the car!” She pulled at the teen girl’s shirt.

“Faith, what’s wrong? What did I do?” Dawn cried seeing the fear in Faith’s eyes.

“Nothing I hope…will you get out of the car? Or…just move.” Faith pulled Dawn out of the car and she fell to the ground.

“Damn it, Faith, that hurt…I should tell Buffy!” Dawn yelled at the dark slayer.

Faith stood over the youngest Summers and stared. “Go ahead and tell big sis but just remember I could also spill with the whole ‘I’m going to sleep with jock boy’ talk you were having.” Faith put out her hand and helped Dawn up. “Now, we can keep this between us or we can go home and get B all worked up…even more than she is already.” The slayer took Dawn’s hand and turned for home.

“Wait I can’t skip…what do you mean get Buffy more worked up?” Dawn stopped.

“Oh nothing, she just woke up wrong.” Faith thought and then turned to Dawn. “Look we’ll go to the Magic Shop and I’ll call Amie and get you out of school for the day. Then we can talk!” Dawn looked deep into Faith’s eyes. “I wasn’t talking about sleeping with him…I was telling him good-bye. I want to be with you.”


They walked to the Magic Shop in complete silence. Faith took Dawn’s hand when they walked into the shop. “Go over there no one will see you and I’ll call Amie.”

“Wait isn’t Amie working for Anya…so she should be here!” Dawn shook her head.

“Well if she is here then Willow may be here as well and she’ll never go for you staying out of school!” The dark slayer stated. With that, Faith walked into the shop looking for one of the girls. “Hey…I’m here who’s here with me?”

“Hey Faith, what’s up?” Amie walked out of the back.

“Amie that’s right working for the mother to be. Are we alone?” Faith, glanced around the shop.

Amie confused by the slayer’s question started to back away. “Yes…I’m alone. Faith what’s going on?”

Seeing the younger girl’s reaction, Faith soothingly said, “Oh, I have Dawn and she needs you to call her in sick. Some things have come up and we need to talk. So will you call her in?” Faith moved closer to Amie to show her that everything was good.

“Why me? Why can’t you?” Amie calmed down a little.

“I’m not on the list and I can’t lie like you.” Faith said matter-of-factly.

“I can’t lie.” Amie looked shocked then shook her head with a defeated voice. “If you get caught then YOU tell the slayer that I did it under protest! Okay what do I say?” Amie walked to the phone.

“Cool you got my word…just tell them she’s sick!!” Faith hugged Amie and ran out of the shop snagging Dawn on the way.

***

Buffy walked into her office at the school and found a note on her desk.

Miss Summers,
Mrs. Barton wanted me to drop off Dawn’s homework.
She asked me to pick up all her classes for her
I’ll be in later with more.
Rachel

Buffy read the note over and over then called the office. “This is Buffy Summers I’m calling about Dawn.”

“Oh yes Miss Summers we know Dawn is ill today will you be staying home with her?”

“No…I’m here at my desk…I just wanted to make sure she was called in.” Buffy started to tap her pen on the desk.

“Oh yes dear, a young lady called her in.”

‘That could be anyone we live in a house filled with Estrogen.’ Buffy thought to herself. “Oh yes I told one of the girls to call her in because I wouldn’t be here in time.” She started to feel her neck getting red with anger.

“Yes here it is…Amie called said she was ill and wouldn’t be in. She said that Dawn was running a temp but should be in tomorrow,” the school nurse told her.

“That’s what I thought…I just didn’t know who called in…thank you.” Buffy hung up the phone and called the Magic Box.

Amie was cleaning Buffy’s training room when the phone rang. “Hello…Magic Box this Amie, how can I help you?”

“Well first off, you can tell me what the hell is going on. Then you can tell me why I shouldn’t kick Dawn’s ass!” Buffy tried not to yell in to the phone.

Amie’s face paled in fear. “Buffy I’m sorry. You should talk to Faith.”

“No! I’m talking to you and you better spill now!” The blonde raised her voice.

Amie was thrown by the way Buffy was speaking to her, but anger started to set in. “Look, Faith has the answers…all I did was make the damn call. So get off my back!” the witch yelled into the phone.

The slayer started to speak but she broke the phone in half. “Oh fuck…now I have to walk to the office.”

Amie hung the phone up and called Faith.

Faith answered. “This better be bad…I’m really busy!”

“Buffy just called. She knows. So, whatever you two are doing, stop it! She’ll be here soon,” Amie said angrily.

“Why would she come there…you did tell to talk to me right?” Faith asked while she reached for her shoes.

“Yes, I told her…then…I yelled at her.” Amie’s voice was small.

Faith stopped in mid reach. “You yelled at Buffy?”

Dawn was looking for her sweatshirt when she heard the Slayer’s last statement. “Oh, Buffy is so going to kick my ass!”

“Okay we’ll be there!” Faith slammed the phone down. “Get dressed we need to get to the Magic Box before Buffy!”

Dawn stood looking at the dark haired slayer. ‘She makes it sound like we were up to something.’ The teen blushed.

Faith grabbed her black leather jacket and turned to Dawn. “What…you’re blushing…fuck it let’s go!” Faith grabbed Dawn by the arm and ran up the stairs.

On the way out the front door, they ran into Tara. “We need to get to the Magic Shop wicked fast. So lets…car…drive.” Faith ran to Tara’s jeep. “NOW!” she yelled.

Tara started to ask Dawn questions as they ran to the car. “What is going on?” She jumped into the drivers set and tore off down the street.

Dawn was sitting in the back quietly scared. She was caught twice and not by one but two slayers. She knew Buffy was going to be mad about her skipping but she going to be pissed when she hears the rest.

They were a block away when Tara had enough of not knowing. “Okay, one of you better speak up and fast!”

“What, you’re going to do run get Buffy?” Faith mouthed off.

“Listen Faith, I don’t need Buffy. I can take care of myself! So why don’t you tell me what’s going on. Or are you out to piss me off? If so keep acting stupid!” Tara yelled with true anger.

Dawn slipped down in the seat. She has seen Tara like this before and knew this was only the beginning. The teen could never forget the night Buffy, Willow and Tara got into a fight. Dawn was trying to calm Buffy down when Tara blew. She punched Willow in the mouth and kicked Buffy with a sidekick. Even with her slayer strength Buffy was kicked across the room. Then Tara turned on Dawn. She grabbed her and threw her into the wall. The teen had hit the wall and fallen to the floor. Tara then ran out of the house. “Tara please…don’t get mad…but I skipped school.”

Tara looked at the young girl in the back seat. “Why?” She saw the fear in Dawn’s eyes and her heart broke.

“I spent the day with Faith at home…in her room.” Dawn confessed.

Tara slammed on the brakes outside the Magic Box. “Okay you skipped school and stayed home, that I get.” She turned to Faith with fire in her eyes. “Why was she in your room…you didn’t …did you?” Her eyes were begging Faith to say the wrong thing.

“Tara! No…nothing happened…please can we go inside and I’ll tell you everything…I promise!” Dawn was pulling at Faith to get out of the car.

The three walk into the shop. Amie was at the table writing. “I should be writing my will but instead I do inventory. Buffy is on her way and she’s going to rip my mouth right off my face.”

“Yes, she could do that. She is very strong and may just kill you. Oh and in much of the way Faith killed that guy,” Anya rambled on without care.

“Okay Anya, that’s enough stop talking,” Faith walked to the table and sat down.

“I feel I have the right to inform those who work for me,” the mother-to-be stated.

“Anya, would you please shut the fuck up?” Tara pulled a chair from the table and slammed it down. “Dawn, sit. Now!” She gave her demands. “Okay I’m going to sit…if I can and calm down, then one of you are going to tell me everything!” As she sat down, she began to babble. “I have a teenager skipping school with a slayer doing gods knows what in her room. Then there is the witch…yes, I know Amie…that is scared that my girlfriend is going to rip her mouth off. And now I have to put up with the pregnant ex-demand that runs her mouth more then I fuck. You know, I’ve had it you don’t have to tell me. Maybe I should let Buffy kick your ass and I’ll just watch with ease. At least then all I’ll have to worry about is vampires and patrol!” She then got up and walked into the training room.

“Okay what was that?” Faith turned to Dawn with wild eyes.

Dawn shook her head and tears ran down her face. “She can get really mad at times…but we really need to worry about Buffy!”

“I’m here and someone is going to be in a world of hurt! Where’s Tara?” Buffy yelled. “I know she’s here or did you take up stealing cars now, Dawn?” Buffy yelled in her sister face. The slayer grabbed Dawn’s arm and pulled her to the floor.

Dawn fell to the floor face first and started to cry. “Fuck Buffy what are you doing?” Faith yelled running to the teen’s side.

“Get out of the way, Faith!” Buffy yelled. “This has nothing to do with you!” The blonde slayer kicked Faith to the side and pulled Dawn’s head up by her hair.

Dawn’s forehead was bleeding and tears rolled down her cheeks. “Buffy please…don’t hurt me!” Dawn cried.

“That’s enough Buffy leave her alone…I mean it…Buffy, look what you’re doing to her!” Faith screamed as she straddled Dawn and stopped Buffy from doing anymore harm. Dawn feel back again this time hitting the back of her head on the floor with a loud thud.

“Tara…Tara…help! Buffy is going to kill her.” Anya ran to the training room.

Amie mumbled something in Latin and Buffy flew back into the bookcase behind her.

“I know you’re really mad at both of us…but Buffy look at her.” Faith held Dawn in her lap and let her cry into her shoulder.

“It’s okay now she won’t hurt you…she’s okay now baby.”

“Why would I be mad at you Faith…?” Buffy started to ask when she seen and heard the way Faith was with her sister. “I don’t believe it I’ll kill you!” Buffy was up and about to attack the dark slayer when she saw her sister’s blood on Faith’s shirt.

While Tara, Amie, and Anya looked on Buffy fell to her knees and cried. No one moved as everything calmed down around them.

Faith sat smoothing Dawn’s hair and kissing her head. “She's alright now…she’s okay…I promise, love,” she told the teen over and over as tears fell form the dark slayer’s eyes.

The door opened and Willow skipped into the shop only to be stopped by the sight of the recent fight. “What in the flurry heck is going on here?” Willow asked walking over to Tara. “So did I miss something?” she asked her ex.

“Yes, you did. Faith and Dawn skipped school together and were in Faith’s room all day. Then Amie yelled at Buffy and Tara yelled at all of us. Then Amie magically threw Buffy into my wall!” Anya told the redhead witch.

“Okay…so what happened to Dawn?” She turned to Anya knowing that the girl would tell her.

“Buffy got mad and I fell.” Dawn looked up from Faith’s shoulder. “I should have stayed at school. I’m sorry.” Then she turned back to Faith’s safe arms.

Willow walked over to Buffy and took her arm. She led the slayer into the back room. Closing the door, she turned to Amie. “We’ll talk about this magic thing later. Just so you know I won’t be lied to!” Then she closed the door.

“Dawn sweetheart, you need to let me go now. I have to get my things from the house.” Faith lifted Dawn’s head and looked into her big brown eyes.

“Faith you don’t have to leave, but we do need to talk about this,” Tara sighed as she put her hand on the dark slayer’s shoulder.

Dawn pushed back onto her knees and went to stand when she felt faint. “Faith please don’t…” She fell back to the floor.

Tara looked at Faith’s t-shirt. “Oh Goddess, Faith there is more blood…BUFFY!” she yelled and ran to the training room door. “Buffy, Willow help!”

The two girls ran out of the room. “What?” both said.

Faith had her shirt off and wrapped around Dawn’s head. Holding her close, Faith started to cry. “She’s hurt bad…she needs help now…oh God, Buffy, help her, please!” Faith begged and cried even harder. “Hold on baby, she’s coming…hold on baby!”

Willow walked over to the dark slayer. “Faith let me have her…come on we’ll take her home.”

“NO! I’ll carry her…I’ve got you baby, no one is going to hurt you now.” She turned to Buffy. “No one. I promise baby…I promise!” Then Faith wrapped her strong arms around Dawn’s little body and carried the dazed teenager out of the shop.

“Faith…take her to the car, I’ll drive you home.” Tara spoke in her normal soft tone.

Buffy followed close behind. “Faith, you have to let Tara take you…you don’t have a shirt on. You’ll get arrested.”

The dark slayer turned to Buffy with hate in her eyes. “No I won’t, and nothing you say can stop me. Got it!”

“I get that Faith…I really do, but…you don’t have a bra.” Buffy pointed to the very exposed chest of the girl and sighed.

Faith stopped and climbed into the jeep. “Okay, but only for her.” She let Willow shut the door.

“Buffy, I think Faith is hurting really bad here…so go easy,” Willow told the slayer before she could open the door.

“Go easy? What do you want me to do let my little sister fuck who ever she wants?” Buffy raised her voice.

“What are you talking about…Never mind I’ll find out later!” Willow turned to open the car door.

“They skipped school together and were in Faith’s room you know she did something with her!” Buffy spat.

The red head shook her head and frowned. “You know, sometimes you act like a blonde. Dawn that is not the only one hurting here can't you see that. And Dawn is not fucking Faith. No, Buffy, Faith is apparently going through a series of flashbacks. You cannot just look at her and say you know she is sleeping with Dawn. I mean damn it can’t you see past your own personal fears for once!” Willow opened the car door for Buffy. “I love you and I know you’ll do the right thing!” Then she closed the door.

“You think I’m the one being closed minded here. I was talking about Dawn not Faith.” Buffy looked into the witch’s eyes and shook her head. Willow turned and walked back into the shop.

Buffy turned to the back seat. She looked at Faith holding her baby sister and rocking her. “You’re going to be okay Faith, we all are…I promise. You don’t have to go through this alone…not again.” She reached over and placed her hand on Faith’s. “We love you and Dawn too!”