This is all I've got written,and since I'm focusing on finishing Real Me right now, I'm not positive that I'll have more ready by next week. Hopefully, I'll find the time to write both fics, but I make no promises...




“Morning, Dawn,” Buffy said pleasantly, holding out a pan. “Pancakes?”

Dawn tossed her hair, hitting Buffy with the long strands on her way to the fridge. She pulled out a muffin and put it in the microwave, making a point of ignoring the older girl.

Buffy sighed. Okay, so far her big “win Team Faith over with her awesome cooking skills!” plan wasn’t looking good. Maybe Faith would want some…

Giles looked up from the table. “You’re running late, Dawn,” he said with disapproval muted by the pancake in his mouth.

Dawn shrugged. “So sue me. I was up late celebrating my sister’s miraculous rebirth.”

Buffy grinned. Only in Sunnydale would they accept that as a valid excuse…

Giles frowned. “And yesterday?”

“Up late listening to my sister and her boyfriend celebrating,” Dawn said dryly. “Sucks to be me.”

“Well, I can drive you to school if you need a ride. The principal has already spoken to me once this month,” Giles informed her.

“Snyder still ragging on everyone?” Buffy asked. Bonding over hating the Sunnydale High faculty. There’s an idea.

But Dawn stared coolly at her. “Principal Snyder was eaten by the mayor when Faith was a senior,” she informed Buffy.

“Oh.” Buffy stopped. “Wait. Did you say eaten?”

“One of the few casualties at graduation,” Giles offered.

“Ah.” Buffy shook his head. “What is it with Sunnydale High principals being eaten? First Flutie, then Snyder…though I bet no one mourned him.”

“Buffy!” Giles said reprovingly. Buffy gave him a look. He cut another piece of pancake. “No, not really.”

“Anyway, I was thinking I could get a job!” Buffy said brightly. “Maybe another restaurant, like in Rileyville…”

But Giles was shaking his head. “You used a different ID there, correct?”

She frowned. “So… What? It doesn’t matter as job experience?”

“I suppose you can try,” Giles said doubtfully. “Perhaps use your full name, so if potential employers call for references, your previous employers may recognize you.”

“Plus, the whole fact that I walked out and never came back might work against me,” Buffy pointed out.

“Yes, there’s also that.” Giles stood. “It’s time, Dawn.”

She sighed expansively and headed for the door.

“Where’s Faith?” Buffy asked Giles.

“She sleeps late. Maybe you two can spar when she wakes up?” Giles said hopefully.

“Yeah. Because Faith would love the idea of you sanctioning her beating the crap out of Blondie,” Dawn snickered.

“Maybe I’d beat the crap out of her!” Buffy called after her.

Or maybe I’d just try to give her a pancake, she thought dejectedly, turning off the flame. Time to look at Wanted ads.

--

“Get the hell out of my kitchen,” Faith said, rubbing her eyes blearily.

“Good…afternoon, Faith.” Buffy managed a smile. It was painful to be this cheery.

“Get out of my way.” Faith moved past Buffy’s chair with extra force, shoving the chair to the side and jamming Buffy’s leg against the wall. Buffy jerked it back to its position, slamming it into Faith. Faith glared at Buffy. Buffy stared back silently. With Willow and Xander, she’d walk on eggshells out of guilt. With Faith, she had no such compunction.

Faith just gritted her teeth and went to the fridge. Buffy went back to padding her resume. Not bad for a high school dropout, she thought with pride, scanning what she’d written.

“They won’t forgive you, you know,” Faith said suddenly, taking the seat opposite Buffy’s.

“Huh?”

“Xander, maybe. But I was there to pick up the pieces after you ran off. Willow’s not gonna forgive you anytime soon.” Faith bit into her slice of pizza. “You’re not one of the group anymore. While you were out living the carefree life, they were fighting for their survival. Stuff like that brings people together. And phases other people out.”

Buffy shrugged. “Give me time.” She wasn’t going to let Faith get to her.

Faith smirked. “You’re a damn coward.”

“So you’ve said.” Buffy leaned back against her chair, tapping her pencil against the table irritably.

Faith’s brow creased. “Huh. So you heard that.”

“You kept me entertained every night all summer,” Buffy said flippantly, then winced at Faith’s snort. “Not like that and you know it!”

“Aw, B, if you want me so much, all you need to do is ask.” Faith aimed carefully and tossed the pizza crust over Buffy’s head and into the garbage. “Course, I don’t do spineless Slayers who can’t handle their duty.”

Buffy gritted her teeth. “Try killing your lover and getting kicked out of your house and then see if you don’t need to leave town for a while.”

Faith stood up, her eyes glinting dangerously. “I don’t ditch my friends.” She turned to leave. “This town, and maybe the whole world, would be gone if you hadn’t died that one time and made me Slayer. Just something to think about.”

She slammed the front door moments later. And Buffy thought about it.

--

Later that night, she headed out to patrol, at Giles’s suggestion. “You might run into Faith and Spike. It’ll be good for you three to grow accustomed to fighting together.”

Buffy was pretty sure that Faith wasn’t interested in fighting with her, and she knew that she didn’t want to fight with Faith. Except for in maybe the hair pulling and nose breaking kind of way. But she was trying to play nice for Giles’s sake (in front of Giles, anyway), so she left for the closest graveyard.

A scream brought her running toward the east end of the cemetery, just in time to see a young couple being backed against a crypt by one rather large vampire.

Buffy grinned. “I don’t think they seem interested in a three-way. Even if it’s just a little necking.”

The vampire scowled at her. “Who the hell are you?”

“Don’t they teach you anything in vamp school? The word Slayer ring a bell?” Buffy produced a stake from her sleeve.

“The Slayer’s a brunette,” the vamp smirked, lumbering toward her. “But you do look tastier than those two. Wannabe Slayer for breakfast sounds delicious.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so.” Buffy somersaulted in midair, kicking out at his jutting chin and knocking his head back. He recovered quickly, swinging his arms towards her clumsily, and Buffy ducked, kneed him hard enough in the stomach that he tripped backwards over the tombstone behind him, and sent him crashing down with his back on the ground. “Tempting as it is, I’m more of a dinner girl myself.” Stake in, dust out. And the vampire was gone.

Buffy turned to the teenagers clinging to each other. “Get out of here.” They ran.

She felt an unfamiliar glow in her chest, and it took a few minutes before she realized what it was. Back in Rileyville, she had rarely fought off demons when they were attacking humans. And saving lives like she just had…it felt good.

This is what being a Slayer is about. This is what I’ve been missing.

“Just what I needed to make my night complete!” Faith said sarcastically. “B in my patrol route. The one demon I can’t kill.”

“Thought that was me, love,” Spike said, coming up from behind her. He smiled at Buffy, and she felt an answering warmth rise within her body. “Evening, pet.”

“Hey.” She smiled back, uncaring of the way that Faith’s eyes narrowed and moved from vampire to Slayer in sudden suspicion.

“Gotten any slaying done yet?”

Buffy nodded at the dusty ground in front of her. “Just one. But he was really ugly.”

“Counts as two, then,” Spike quipped, grinning. “You gonna join us?”

“Sure.” Buffy stepped forward, but Faith held up a hand.

“You’re not coming with us,” she said in a low voice. “It’s bad enough that you’re living with me. I’m not going to patrol with you, too. Sunnydale’s got a Slayer already. We don’t need you.”

It was true, and it hurt, and suddenly, Buffy just didn’t want to deal with it anymore. So she spun around and headed away, far from Faith and the cemetery and everything that was wrong these days.

It was time to escape from her troubles.

--

“That’s right, scamper! It’s what you do best!” Faith shouted after Buffy.

Spike frowned at her. “Was that really necessary? The girl’s in pieces as it is. No need to make it worse.”

Faith scowled at him. “Oh, do you think I’m stupid? Like I don’t see your little lovey-dovey oh-she’s-so-hot-and-vulnerable-I-think-it’s-time-to-fuck-a-new-Slayer eyes?” She shoved him hard, and he staggered backwards. “Stop trying to make things good for her. You’re on my side, remember?”

“This isn’t about sides,” Spike said irritably. “We’re all fighting on the same side, and if you’re going to get all high school political then I really don’t want to be around for the fallout.” He turned to go.

“Spike!” Faith pulled him back around to face her. “Don’t you dare.” Despite her bravado, there was a pleading in her voice, a vulnerability that he’d never heard before. It worried him more than anything else that had happened lately. Faith was always so strong. And if she broke…

He sighed. “I’m just gonna go to Willy’s for a bit. I’ll meet you at my crypt after patrolling.”

Faith grinned, the weakness gone. “See you then.” And she slinked forward, yanked down his pants, and gave him a mind-blowing orgasm that left his legs shaky and weak. “Later.” And she was off.

Spike finally managed to stand up normally and headed for the bar. He wondered where Buffy had gone. Probably back to the house. S’not like she’s going to run again… Or would she?

Suddenly worried, he turned and hurried back in the opposite direction to Giles’s.

Dawn was home. “Spike!” She threw her hands around him. “Aren’t you supposed to be patrolling now?”

Spike shook his head. “Nah, I’m off to Willy’s. Just thought I’d stop by and check on your visitor.”

Dawn wrinkled her nose. “Why would you do that? She’s annoying. And weird. And tries way too hard to make friends with me.”

Spike stifled a laugh at the image of Buffy trying to befriend a stubborn Dawn. People had killed themselves over lesser things. “Just want to say hello. She here?”

Dawn shrugged. “You can check.”

He climbed down the stairs to the basement, smiling at Buffy’s room. She’d tried to make it a little homier, draping some colorful cloths over the dresser and putting up a few pictures that she must have had with her from before she’d first left Sunnydale. It didn’t really help much; the basement still looked glum, but it did seem a little brighter.

“Buffy?” But she didn’t seem to be around, and her things were still unpacked. Spike noted with relief that Buffy’s suitcase was still there, open and empty at the foot of the bed.

If she hadn’t tried to run, she was probably okay. Convinced, Spike headed back on his path to Willy’s.

The bar sounded louder than usual. Spike could hear raucous laughter from several blocks away, and he quickened his pace. Wonder who’s in there. A new Big Bad, maybe? We’re due for one sometime soon.

But it wasn’t a Big Bad at all, he discovered when he entered the bar. It was a very drunk Buffy who was the center of attention at Willy’s.

“And now I kill thingsh again, shyeah! If F would let me do my job,” she moaned to a large Barakh’nar demon that sat beside her, handing her a bottle whenever she stopped talking and guffawing loudly with his friends.

“Tell us about your trip again!” a vampire chimed in. “Show us how you got here!”

Buffy rose unsteadily onto her chair and spread her arms out wide. “I flew on a plane!” she announced, rocking back and forth. She tripped over her own feet and started to topple to the ground, and Spike moved to catch her before she hit the ground.

She gazed up at him through woozy eyes. “Look, it’sh Shpike! He got way hotter shince I left. Why didn’t I notish that you were thish gorgeoush back then?” She frowned. “Maybe it wash the wheelchair.”

“Show’s over!” Spike announced, helping Buffy to her feet and glaring at the surrounding demons.

She leaned against him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Comfy.”

“Slayer-slut,” a scaly little demon near the door muttered.

Spike heard. He set Buffy down near the door. “Just a minute, pet.” Then he tore off the demon’s head, ignoring Willy’s nervous interjections, and swept off with Buffy again.

She clung to him as they headed back to the house, teetering off a few times to throw up on the curb. Spike was thankful that at least she’d missed him, mostly, and only his shoes had a little vomit on them.

They finally reached home, and Spike lifted her up into his arms to climb up the stairs into the house, knowing that Buffy couldn’t handle steps in her current condition. She fell asleep instantly, and Spike prayed to all deities in hell that Faith wasn’t home to see them.

His prayers were answered when Giles opened the door. He raised an eyebrow at the lightly snoring Slayer.

“She’s adjusting,” Spike said apologetically.

“I see.” There was a hint of disapproval in his voice. “And Faith?”

Spike shrugged nonchalantly. “Still patrolling. I’ll meet her later.” Why did all the Scoobies try to keep him on a leash? If he ever got the chip out… Okay, he’d probably just bitch about it and maybe smack Harris upside the head once or twice. But still! He was his own man, and still evil, and…okay, not evil, really, but he was perfectly capable of making his own decisions! “I’m going to take the Slayer downstairs.”

Giles nodded, his expression still concerned. “If that’s what you think is best.”

“It is,” Spike said firmly.

Buffy awakened as he climbed down the stairs, smiling sleepily up at him. “Why are you carrying me?”

Spike set her down on her bed. “Pushing you down the stairs was too noisy,” he stated matter-of-factly.

She giggled, a girlish sound that he didn’t remember hearing before. “Why is it so easy to be around you?” she wondered, pulling her shirt off and searching for her pajamas.

Spike watched her unashamedly, letting his eyes run up and down her mostly unclothed body with unconcealed lust. “Suppose because you know how you feel about me. You’ve always hated me, and now you’re confused about which of your friends you might hate now.”

“Not hate,” Buffy said dreamily, finding it too difficult to find her pajamas and curling up on the bed in her underwear. “Not you.” Her eyes fluttered closed and she fell back asleep.

Spike wrapped her securely in her blanket. “Goodnight,” he whispered, impulsively brushing his lips against her forehead before leaving to go find Faith.

Buffy smiled.