We Need Each Other

--


Xander heard the knock at his door, as he was flipping through his movie channels and trying to pass the time. Something's gotta be on, other than infomercials for the `Ab-Doer'.

Then the knock. Great. Who is it now?

He got up from his couch and made his way to the door, making sure to check his peephole. Funny thing though, all he could see through the peephole was white. Scratch that. A white background, with a few black lines.

Ok, that's weird, he thought. His curiosity getting the better of him, he opened the door. Now in full view was a 3x3, white poster board, with the words "I'm Sorry" and a circled frownie face, drawn in magic marker.

Slowly, the sign lowered and there was Buffy's face. She had the classic Buffy pout, her bottom lip sticking out slightly. There was the slightest hint of a tear, in her eye.

Xander stood in his doorway, a stern look still on his face. However a stern Xander look is nothing in comparison to the power of a Buffy pout. He was still mad, yes. But the woman who was at his door with a giant cardboard sign had been one of his best friends for years.

"Geez, Buff. Just come in, already." He said, shaking his head and heading back into his living room for Buffy to follow.

--

"Are you sure we're talking about the same girl?" Xander asked. "Faith, right? Stands about five-foot-four, dark hair?" He couldn't believe some of the things that Buffy had been telling him.

"You have to see it to believe it, Xander." Buffy told him. "I'm learning so much about Faith that I never knew before. Heck, things that never even existed before. She's changed so much."

"Poetry?" Xander asked, still unable to process what he had been told.

"Before..when we had our thing..it ended bad. She was wrong. Something inside was broken."

"I'll say. But you really think the broken part of her is all fixed up now?"

Buffy thought a moment. "I don't just know it. I feel it. This past few days with her has been like a whirlwind. Just like before. What I feel for her isn't like anything else that I've ever felt. Please understand."

Xander thought awhile, his mind in a million different scenarios.

"I was a total bitch." Buffy finally broke the silence. "I just lashed out at you, because you said something bad about Faith..I'm sorry. She's the one that actually made me see that."

"Buffy.." Xander began. "I love you, and in the end..I trust your judgment. If she's what makes you happy, you know I'm not gonna stand in your way."

"She is. The past few days, I've been lost with her, and it was great. It was the first time in months that I allowed myself to forget the severity of what we're facing right now. This is the biggest and baddest thing that we've ever seen, Xander. I need everyone on board. Not just the Slayers and the Witches. But, I need my special friend, too..my special friend that I treated like crap."

Xander smiled at her. "I'm on board, Buff."

She smiled at him. "Thank you. Please give her a chance, ok?"

"You're not gonna bust my face, if I don't, are you?"

"No. I was never gonna bust your face. I was just talking smack. I guess, I've been watching too much pro-wrestling lately..and I know that you're not just jealous. I just wanted to say something to cut at you."

Then she hugged him.

"Well, maybe I am, just a little." Xander told her, smiling. "But, who wouldn't be?"

"Aww."

--

Faith was on patrol. She had struck out on her own, just after sunset.

Buffy had gone to Xander's place, so she could hash things out with him. That was a good thing. But, Faith had quickly become so bored that she decided to hit the graveyards for a quick sweep for whatever vampires were dumb enough to show their faces with two Slayers in town.

She wasn't disappointed.

"Hey, Slayer-number-two!!" She heard, and spun on her heel to face the voice. "I heard that you were back in town."

The source of the voice was still unseen, but Faith knew exactly where he was. In fact, she knew where his two friends were too. She took a few steps forward, feeling the old confident swagger come back to her.

"Yeah, well.." Faith called out to the darkness. "You come to give me the tour? `Cause that's really sweet, but I already know my way around. So, why don't you and your buddies get out here so we can dance?"

Needing no more invitation, the vampire that was hiding behind the oak to her left charged. She turned to face him, dropping into fighting stance. As he ran forward she stopped him with a side-kick to his stomach. She grabbed him by the shirt as he doubled over and flung him into the second vampire who was now rushing in from behind her.

The two bloodsuckers collided and toppled backwards over a tombstone, as Faith rushed forward, staking the one that had landed on top and watching him turn to dust. Immediately she was grabbed from behind, and she shifted her weight to throw the offending vampire off of her back, when suddenly she felt the arms that were grappling her disappear and heard a crash behind her.

She turned quickly to see the vampire that had been attacking her, from behind, sail through the air into a nearby mausoleum.

"Hey, sweet thing. I see you started without me."

Buffy advanced on the fallen vampire, while Faith took her fighting stance to deal with the remaining vampire that was now getting to his feet.

Buffy hit her adversary with a right cross, as he was getting back to his feet. `Don't give them a chance to regain the high ground' she remembered herself saying to the Potentials. She pulled `Mr. Pointy' from her waistband and moved in for the kill, when the vampire sudd blo blocked and struck at her hand. The stake she had been holding broke in half, but she was still holding the sharpened end.

Buffy plunged it into his chest, watching him fall to dust and letting the shattered stake fall to the ground. Then she turned to see her girlfriend twisting the head, completely off of her enemy who fell to dust. Faith turned and gave her a wink.

"Hey, B." she said. "Glad you could make it." Faith walked toward her and brought Buffy into a quick hug and kiss. Faith was more than a little surprised, and happy at the same time, to see her girl.

"Yeah, well.." Buffy said, catching her breath. "I'm always happy to help out."

She grabbed Faith's hand and began walking from the cemetery, looking down and frowning. "Poor Mr. Pointy. He's wit with me so long. Damn vampires."

"It's ok, B. We'll get you another." Faith said as the two of them walked home, hand in hand.

--

"So.." Caleb muttered from his vantage point. "The two dirty girls have a thing for each other. Interesting.."

He retreated from his hiding place, and began forming a plan.