Surprises

Disclaimer - see part one

Part 6
The club was packed and Faith could already feel her leather pants sticking to her legs. The fucking price I pay to look good, she thought, making her way to the bar. She could feel the eyes of the other patrons following her. Not that she actually gave a fuck. It was a common reaction to her entering a room, and she paid it no attention. The gang was sitting at a table they had found, practically screaming at each other over the music, to carry on any semblance of a conversation.

Xander was still self-conscious of his eye patch, and had opted to sit with his back to the crowd, therefore blocking Faith's view of Buffy. She figured that wouldn't last long, because apparently an eye patch is kind of cool to some chicks, and Xander was not lacking for conversation. Neither was Andrew, who was regaling his tale of heroics to some girl who was either too deaf or stoned to actually here what he was saying.

Faith placed an order for a drink, decided on a couple of shots for her and B as well, and made her way back to the table.

"And then there was this huge snake, and he ate the principal," Andrew was telling the girl next to him, "well, that's what I heard anyway. I wasn't actually there, but I do know the school was gone the next day."

The girl smiled sweetly at him and said, "non parle anglais," shaking her head fervently at him.

Andrew nodded, "yes, he was very scary and big, bigger than the school even," he told her.

The girl gave him a confused look and shook her head, but continued to smile. Foreign, Faith thought. I didn't think about that. She walked around the table, and placed the drinks in front Buffy.

Buffy picked up a drink and took a sip, "Eww, it tastes like motor oil," she said screwing her face up appropriately.

"Yeah, B. I ordered motor oil. Seems to be the drink of choice around here," she said, "How the hell would you know what motor oil taste likes?" she had to practically scream over the noise.

Buffy took another drink, "You know what I mean," she said, "it's gross."

"And yet, you still seem to be drinking it," Faith retorted, "Imagine that?"

Buffy turned the glass up again, and then looked at Faith, "well, I'm branching out. Broadening my horizons. If everybody else is drinking it, I guess I could jump on the bandwagon."

Faith finished her drink quickly, "Yeah B, I'm thinking more along the lines of you taking baby steps. I don't want you to get all drunk and suck the fun out of my good time."

Buffy finished her drink as well, "How would me getting drunk suck the fun out of your good time? That just makes no sense. Not that that is surprising, you being the girl most commonly associated with lacking good sense."

Faith looked around for a waitress, "I'm not going back up to the bar. That's ridiculous. Stupid crowds. And by the way, I'm going to ignore the no good sense comment. I prefer to think that you guys just don't see things the way I do. I would try to explain the complicated reasoning to you, but I'm not actually trying to confuse you tonight. Though, I have to say, when you do finally figure out what I'm talking about, it's like a little light goes off in your head, and you get all glow-y. It's kinda cute."

Buffy flagged down a waitress, "are you insulting me?'

Faith looked at her, "You'll figure it out sooner or later."

Xander was busy telling some girl about how he'd lost his eyes. Faith only caught a bit of the conversation, and tried not to snicker when she heard the words 'saving a small child' and 'really big sword.' Apparently, and fortunately for him at least, Faith noticed that the girl had the vacuous look of a half-wit. An incredibly attractive moron, though, she thought. After Buffy ordered the drinks, Faith pushed one of the shots she had ordered over to Buffy.

"What's this?" Buffy asked, picking up the drink and smelling it.

"Don't smell it B. You won't want to drink it," Faithd, pd, picking hers up as well, "just chug it, like this," she said, as she turned the drink up, "fuck," she muttered, trying not to make a face.

Buffy stared back, "Oh yeah, that makes me want to drink it. Nothing more appetite inducing as the staggering look of disgust from a friend," Buffy turned up the drink and swallowed, "Oh, god, that was awful" she said, grimacing, "I don't particularly get how people become alcoholics. This stuff tastes like shit. Isn't it much easier to get addicted to something sweet, like chocolate?"

Faith paid the waitress for the drinks, who set them down if front of the two girls, "for some reason, I don't think chocolate has the same effect." She reached for her drink and took a sip, "where's everyone else?'

Buffy looked around, pointing, "Willow and Kennedy are dancing. See?" she asked Faith, who nodded, "and Dawn is...Dawn is talking to some guy," Buffy was looking more closely now at Dawn who was sitting about 10 feet away, "with really big hands. That just happen to be on her upper thigh. Oh no. I don't think so," she said getting up.

Faith turned and followed Buffy's eyes, "chill B," she said putting a hand on the girl's arm and guiding her back to her seat, "he's not hurting her," Faith said, turning back to look at Dawn, "in fact, looks to me like she likes it."

Dawn was turned towards the guy, playing with her hair. Faith couldn't hear what they were saying. Actually she almost couldn't hear much of anything, but she could tell that he was amusing her somehow. How cute, she thought, Dawnie's all flirty. She made the mistake of voicing the last thought aloud.

Buffy tore her eyes away from the brute, who was, in her opinion, molesting her baby sister to respond, "Flirty? She is not flirting. I'm going over there and stopping this," she said, trying to rise again.

Faith stopped her, "Oh no you're not. You've got to lighten up, find the fun. Leave her be, okay?" Faith looked at Buffy, who did not reply, "I'll tell you what, if he even makes like he is trying to pull a move, you and I can take turns pummeling him into the ground. That make you feel better?"

Buffy pouted, but sat back down, "I guess," she said.

Faith smiled at her, "Good. Now I say you and I concentrate on getting so shit-faced that Xander and Andrew will have to carry us home on their backs."

Buffy laughed, "Yeah, right. Xander can't see straight even without the profuse amount of alcohol he has already consumed.," she stopped for a minute, "oh, God was that mean?" Faith shrugged, so she went on, "And as for Andrew, well he can barely pick up a drink without straining," she smiled at Faith, "so I'm not so sure how they could get us home."

Faith looked at Andrew and Xander, before turning back to Buffy, "well Xander may could, but if things go the way they are looking, he won't be coming home with us," Buffy followed her line of gaze as she continued, " and Andrew, well, ok you're right. But look, even Andrew is scoring," Buffy raised an eyebrow, "he's talking to a chick," Faith said, "and she hasn't ran out screaming or worse yet, laughed in his face."

Buffy smiled, "Well yeah, but she's foreign, so I'm not sure that she understands anything he is saying, and the night is still kind of young. So I wouldn't make any bets against it," she said, turning up her glass.


To be continued...