Ski Trip

Faith didn't want to wake up. Her brain had unhooked itself from her body and she couldn't move. She knew there was something she suppsupposed to be worried about, but she couldn't hold on to a thought, and anyway, maybe it was better to be paralyzed. Felt pretty good. Actually, it felt pretty fucking amazing.

"Faith, honey?" Joyce called. There was a cheerful knock on the door. "Are you awake?"

"Unnngggh," Faith said, hoping to stop the knocking. Apparently, though, groaning was a signal for "yes, please come in; I'm particularly chipper this morning" because Joyce stuck her head around the door.

"Rise and shine!" she said. "I've made eggs. Buffy's been up for a while. She wants to get to the hill."

Buffy. Skiing.

Massage.

You fell asleep. During the massage.

"Faith? Okay?"

You fucking FELL ASLEEP.

Faith burrowed deeper under the covers. "Unnnngggggh."

"All right. Don't take too long, your breakfast will get cold." Joyce closed the door softly.

Faith listened to her footsteps heading down the hall, and finally forced herself to push her face off her pillow. She scrubbed a hand over her eyes and swung her legs over the side of the bed. It took a second of blinking to realize that the "we wear pyjamas in my bed" rule apparently wasn't written in stone.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK." She was still wearing the bottom half of her bikini. After a moment of digging, she found the top buried under the covers of the bed.

When had that happened? How long had Buffy stayed awake last night? Long enough to massage the knots out of Faith's legs, at least, by the feel of it. And then what? Did she just sit there watching her sleep--getting a good eyeful?

Hardly. Maybe Buffy couldn't wake her up to get her to change. Then she'd fallen asleep herself. No big. Buffy was as straight as they came.

Are you sure?

Faith snatched her clothes off the floor and started pulling them on. Of course Buffy was straight. She wanted the ski boys. She'd practically drooled at Craig the Wonderbread Boy. And, hello, Angel. If you managed to live around Buffy for a couple of months and miss that saga, then you were seriously stupid.

But yesterday morning...

Was a mistake. She was asleep.

And the way she looked at you all day yesterday.

We're friends. Friends smile.

And all the times she's said "This is our special weekend..."

She's getting over Angel. She's moving on. That's what it's about.

Faith shook her head. It was just dumb, to think that there was anything more to Buffy's actions. Last night she'd been drunk, that's all. She couldn't go around thinking that every little thing had to mean something. That was a good way to go crazy. God. She needed a cigarette. She started riffling through her jacket for the pack, until she remembered she hadn't brought any.

Mornings sucked.

With a sigh, Faith banged her way out of the room and down the hall to the kitchen. Joyce smiled at her and filled a plate with eggs, bacon, and hash browns for her. Faith took the plate to the table and plopped down in a seat. Buffy, sitting across from her, didn't look up from her mug of coffee. Looked like the girl couldn't take her morning-after medicine. Or else she was purposefully avoiding Faith's eye.

Faith frowned and started shoveling eggs into her mouth.

Joyce brought a newspaper to the table and sat between them. "So, Buffy, have you and Faith decided whether you'll join me at Mark's party tonight?"

Buffy shrugged. "I don't know."

"Craig seems like a nice boy, don't you think?"

Faith snorted softly. Buffy glanced at her over the rim of her mug, and immediately turned bright red. Faith tried to pass it off, act like she didn't care, but instead she felt her own face turning hot. Buffy had looked. Or, she'd seen, anyway. The universe was obviously conspiring against her--Buffy gets a peek, and she got nothing? She stared at her plate and pushed the hash browns around with her fork.

Buffy said, "Yeah. Nice."

Joyce smiled and propped her chin in her hand. "If you don't like him, Buffy, it's all right to say so."

Buffy put her coffee down. "I met him for about five minutes. I don't know him."

"Well, I just think it would be nice if you got to know some boys your own age. There's only Xander at school, and--"

"Mom, stop." Buffy pushed her chair back from the table. "Just because I'm not with Angel anymore doesn't mean I want to meet boys. I'm happy with--uh, I mean, for now--"

"Okay. I'm sorry, honey." Joyce tilted her head. "But it's not just going to be us old fuddy-duddies at the Hewitts' tonight. You girls could have a lot of fun."

"We'll play it by ear," Buffy said. "You never know. Faith and I might cook up a lot of fun all on our own."

Faith nearly choked.

*

Buffy was bouncy all day. She giggled and babbled and lead the way down green and blue runs, giving Faith pointers and zipping ahead to watch how well Faith applied them. At the end of the day, when they got off the lift for the last time, Faith stopped before Buffy could announce which run.

"All right, B. I'm tired of this easy crap. It's like, the last run of the day. Let's take Forest Paradise."

"The double black diamond? Through the trees?" Buffy turned longingly towards the blue square run she'd picked out as their route down to the chalet.

Faith smirked. "You not up for it, B?"

"Of course I am," Buffy shot back immediately. "I could ski down this blindfold and backward."

"There's a show I'd pay to see." Faith moved closer to the edge, to see where she'd be landing on her first turn.

"But you're a beginner--"

"That's right. So if you don't follow me," Faith said in a mocking singsong, "I might die..."

She leapt off the cornice and landed in hip-deep powder at the top of the run. Keeping her knees loose, she maneuvered around the moguls. Where the run got too steep for the snow to build up, she slid on a patch of black ice. She tried to dig in her edges, but she was going too fast, and instead of stopping, she slammed into the hillside ass-first. Her bindings popped open and she slid feet-first towards a stand of spruce trees. Pain erupted in her right knee.

"Shit!" Faith rolled over to look back uphill at the trail of equipment she'd left behind. With her hands, she dug her leg out of the snow and flexed her foot carefully. No slaying for a day or two at least, was her first thought. Sprained knee for sure. Nothing else bad. She watched Buffy ski down after her, collecting all the gear.

"Faith, you'd better not be dead down there!"

"Nope. Just wish I was."

"I'm going to get the ski patrol. You stay still!"

"Okay." Faith lay back in the snow, her skis crossed in an X above her on the hill, and waited. Pretty soon she heard the drone of a snowmobile. Two ski patrollers, with Buffy, helped her into the toboggan and drove them back down to their chalet. Buffy helped her out at the bottom.

"We can help you to your lodge, miss," said the snowmobile driver. "But it would be better if you came to the First Aid office."

"I can take her." Buffy glared the ski patrol into submission.

"Yeah, it's not so bad," Faith said. "I think I can stand on it."

"Oh, no, you don't." Buffy smiled sweetly at the two guys. "I'll make sure she gets the attention she needs." Another glare for Faith, then to the patrollers, "Thank you for your help."

The patrollers looked at each other doubtfully, then nodded to Buffy and took off on their snowmobile.

Faith wriggled under Buffy's supporting arm. "The door is thirty feet away. I can hop, okay?"

The full force of Buffy's glare was turned on her. "I told the ski patrol you'd keep off it." Before Faith could protest further, Buffy swept her off her feet.

"Hey! Come on, B, somebody'll see."

"Stop...struggling!" Buffy tightened her hold. "You're lucky it wasn't your head that hit that tree! Oh, wait, then you'd be totally fine, because your head is made of rocks! I can't believe you wanted to do a double black diamond run on your second day! I was so worried. I thought--"

"Put me down!"

"No! I'm not finished. You're a stubborn, crazy, risk-taking--" Buffy kicked open the front door and stopped dead.

Joyce and Mark Hewitt were kissing in the living room. They both jumped back. Buffy just stood in the doorway, looking around like she expected Candid Cameras to leap out and yell "Psych!" Faith was caught somewhere between laughing and trying to escape Buffy's arms and stand on her own two feet.

"Um, hi," she said. "I hurt my knee."

"Oh, Faith, are you okay?" Joyce was moving towards them, and Faith felt Buffy grip her even harder.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need to stay off it. You know." Faith prodded Buffy. "Buffy is, uh, helping me."

Mark followed Joyce. "Buffy, do you need some help? Faith must be heavy for you."

"No..." Buffy looked at Faith, then at Mark, then abruptly dropped Faith's legs. Faith stood on her left foot, one arm still around Buffy's shoulders. "I mean, yes. Oof."

Joyce hovered next to Faith, an embarrassed smile on her face. "We--got back early. I didn't realize the time...Are you sure you're all right, Faith? Do you need anything? An ice pack?"

Buffy frowned at her. "I'll get it. You have--a guest. I can manage a little further." She hoisted Faith again and headed for the bedroom. "They were kissing!" she hissed.

"Yeah, I saw that, B."

"In the living room!"

"Saw that too. Um--you can put me down now."

Buffy looked around the bedroom like she wasn't sure how they'd gotten there, then at Faith, still cradled in her arms. "Oh."

Faith rolled her eyes. "On the bed would be fine."

"Oh. Yeah." Buffy lowered her down and sat beside her.

"So, are you gonna freak?" Faith shifted herself up to lean against the headboard. "About your mom?"

"Well...uh...no." Buffy gave her a pained look. "I fully understand and endorse all Mom's relationships. She can date whoever she wants. I mean, it's not my business. She can even sleep with him and that's okay. Because I don't judge. Judging is of the bad. We need to accept, learn, and grow."

Faith snickered. "Been practicing that speech long?"

Buffy smiled weakly and smoothed the bedspread nervously. "Not that long."

*

They pulled the television into the bedroom and ordered in pizza, watching pay per view movies. Finally Buffy snapped off the TV with a bored sigh.

Faith shifted the ice-bag on her knee. "B, you should gone to that party. Sounds like it'll be kickin'."

"No, it's okay," Buffy said. "Can I get you anything?"

Faith shook her head. "I don't wanna stop you from latching on to a guy for New Year's. I mean, it's tradition. Right?"

Buffy opened a pack of cards and started shuffling. "What is?"

"Duh, B, getting kissed at midnight. Isn't that the point of all this?"

"Gin? Crazy Eights? Go Fish?"

"I just don't want to be messing with your plans. All that moving forward crap. And for shit's sake, poker."

"I'm not leaving you all by yourself with not even Mom around. What if you did something stupid and hurt yourself worse?"

"Stupid like what?"

"Like, I don't know, you try to get up--" Buffy glared her into silence. "and then you trip and fall and crack your head open and then when I get back your brains are leaking out of your ears and staining the carpet. Like that."

"Yeah, right. I'm a fucking slayer. In a couple of hours I'll be good as new and you know it. It hardly hurts at all now." She paused. "So, what, are you scared?"

"Scared? Of what?" Buffy dealt the cards.

"Of actually taking the first step. You don't want Chris--"

"Craig."

"--to get near the goods?"

"I'll move forward in my own way. Anyhow, Craig smells likeks.\ks." Buffy slammed the deck down and picked up her hand. "Do you have any queens?"

"Socks or not, you're messing with tradition."

"Faith. Queens?"

"Yes, God, here's your queen."

"You just want me to go so that you can sulk in private." fy afy arranged her queens on the bed. "We've done that, this is better. Anyway, you just don't get it. You--you think I'm going to abandon you for boys. Where'd that get us the last time?"

Faith scowled. "Do you have any twos?"

"No. Go fish."

Faith grabbed a card from the top of the deck. "I can't believe we're playing this stupid game."

Buffy sighed. "I can't believe my Mom stuck her tongue down Mark Hewitt's throat."

Faith laughed. "Yeah, that was pretty cool."

*

The cheering on the television screen swelled as the one-minute countdown began. Buffy turned up the volume. "I guess it's time."

"Yep."

"Fifty-one...fifty..."

"Faith, you know what you were saying before, about tradition?"

"Forty...thirty-nine..."

"Yeah? Kissin' somebody when the ball drops? Looks like you missed your chance. Greg's--"

"Craig."

"--probably all cosied up to some--"

"I don't think I have."

"Seventeen...sixteen..."

"--ski bimbo...Have what?"

"Missed my chance."

"Ten!"

"Chance? What the--"

"Seven!"

"To kiss somebody."

"Five!"

"--fuck are you saying?"

"Three!"

"Faith--"

"One!"

"Mmf!"

"Happy New Year's!"

*