Impressionable Sorrows
by DawnBTVS
Part II: Reassembling the Gang
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It had been about a month since I had joined up with Angel and his group of friends. Things were going smoothly, on the physical activity side of things. I was holding my own, being a Slayer, that wasn't that surprising though. Cordelia and Wesley still didn't speak to me. If I were lucky, they would say hi in the morning. Gunn seemed a bit more accessible. He listened to the horror stories. He was quiet around me at first. Took him a couple weeks to start talking with me. We mostly talked about work though. Talk about anything else was usually ended quickly, by me, as it always seemed to be. Angel and I still talked. Mostly about work, but he was teaching me how to meditate. It was nice. It was a lot like floating away to paradise, just forgetting life. Forgetting my past, my present, my future, and just focusing on the sandy beach, blistering sun, and such.
I was seated against the brick wall of some factory. I don't know. I had gone out for a walk, was basically chilling the night away. I took a drag off my cigarette, savoring the taste, and exultation that came with exhaling it into the cool night air. I picked up on the habit in my brief stay in jail. Fighting tended to get me respect, so I would fight to bum packs off the other inmates. It worked, as if that was any real consolation. I wiped the sleeve of my black leather jacket against my cheek, trying to get some semblance of warmth. I stabbed the butt out on the dark pavement, and wrapped my knees against my chest. I just sat there, taking in the night, and the piercing sirens of numerous police cars racing by. My attention was quickly caught when a voice hung through the air.
"Buffy! Catch!" shouts the one voice that I knew had always hated my guts. Wesley and Buffy hated my guts after the fact. Willow hated me from day one, and I can't say I blame her much either. I tried to steal Buffy from her...then threatened to gut her when Wilkins wanted his Box of Gavrock. I'm so glad I missed that ceremony too. I could hear the wail of some dead demon. I rise to my feet, keeping my back pressed tight against the wall. I slowly inch my way towards the action. I see another demon creeping up behind the redhead. So I do the bravery thing, and risk getting my guts spilled for it. I sneak up behind the demon, grab its head from behind, and coolly twist its head until I hear the neck snap. Buffy has just killed her demon, and spins to see whom the intruder was. Red whirls around, stake in hand. I wouldn't put it past her to stake me, regardless of the fact that I'm not a demon. I watch her eyes, and for a second, I see her contemplate that exact notion. Doesn't give me great comfort. She lowers her stake though, backs up, Buffy wrapping a protective arm around her waist. I smirk. I can't help it, and it's likely the wrong thing to do in that situation, but I can feel the sexual tension and fear drifting off both.
"Hey, B...Red," I say, trying to be nonchalant, but how can I be? I just saved Red's ass from being demon food, yeah, but I was really hoping that we would meet under better circumstances. What those better circumstances entail, I don't know. Probably would be me sitting in a jail cell. Red glares. I wonder if she knows that when she glares, she's frightening. I mean, Buffy can glare, and it cuts through you. When Willow does it though, it cuts into you. Like a knife diving into your gut, twisting, and turning. Buffy has her lips pursed, and she's angry. I can tell she's glad that I saved Willow. I hope that scores me some brownie points somewhere.
"Faith," she says, neutral, exactly like Angel. Why can't these people ever scream at me? I stand there, again holding my left arm around the elbow with my right hand. I'm starting to wonder if it's a tell tale sign that I'm nervous. I probably picked it up in England, an unconscious thing of course. Willow's glare has softened a bit. Now she's regarding me like I'm some lab animal, which has escaped, and done something naughty. She seems like she's weighing her options in terms of what to do for punishment. Buffy steps forward, now putting Willow behind her. Good thinking, because blondie didn't trust me. I couldn't trust myself in this situation either.
"I got out a month ago. Rehabilitated. I'm with Angel's crew now," I say, I guess I'm trying to show Buffy that I'm good now. I may've saved Red, but that can only last so long. My words don't bear much weight I'm sure, but I hope they mean something to Willow.
"Angel told me...us," Buffy replied. I nodded my head. Of course, Angel should've told them, and smartly had.
"So...you two are together huh?" I ask, not sure why. Maybe it's the overwhelming sense of love lingering in the air between them. Could just be my hormones talking though. I notice Willow and Buffy shoot each other worried looks. I can already read what they're both thinking. How did I know? Now I realize that they haven't told anybody yet. What about that other girl that I met last year...T...Tara, something like that?
"Uh...W-Well...We-We're not...just fr...you knew?" Buffy asks, finally giving up on dancing her way around the issue. I grin, step forward, but do it slowly so as not to alarm them. I nod my head.
"It's kind of obvious. Maybe it's just because I'm a Slayer, but you two are seriously lusting right now. I could see it from a mile away. I was just around the corner though, minding my own business, taking in the night," I reply, sweeping my arm up at the night as if to prove beyond a doubt it was what I was taking in. Well, I was taking in my cigarette, but whatever. Buffy and Willow both blush when I made my mile away remark though. I must've been the first one to find out. Wow...that's both neat and amazingly awkward. That, or they told everybody else, and just hoped I didn't notice.
"Oh..." says Willow, meekly. I smile, suddenly feeling giddy. I just want to run around, spread my arms, and cheer for joy, that kind of thing. Reminds me of when I first came to Sunnydale and met the gang. I was running then, no big surprise in my life, but it was nice to be accepted.
"How's Sunnydale?" I ask, genuinely curious. If Buffy and Willow are an item, I wonder what the hell else changed while I was gone. Buffy shrugs her shoulders. I can see both girls relaxing, which eases the tension that has wound up in my body since I literally burst onto the scene.
"It's Sunnydale. Big brewing evil is happening right now. Mayhem, carnage, the usual fun," chirps Willow, beaming. It's nice to see the redhead smile. I never seemed to see her smile much when I was around, the limited time I was that is.
"We could use your help," Buffy whispers. I heard it clear as day though. I eye her, not hard, but enough to try and figure what the angle is. I'm surprised to see her head bowed. She looks embarrassed. Man, these surprises just keep coming don't they? I guess the fates are finally smiling down on me.
"How bad is it?" I ask, not sure I want to leave what I have here. The apartment, I could definitely leave, but I have my role in Angel Investigations. If I leave, my world could crumble, and I'm not sure I want to chance that. I don't know if I'd survive that risk.
"Nothing major, yet. There were two Xanders...I met Dracula...and some bitch kicked my ass, pretty good," says Buffy, wincing. I can barely contain my smirk. Somebody kicked Buffy's ass? Wow...I'm impressed.
"Really?" I drawl. Buffy rolls her eyes, as I finally unleash my smirk. I step forward. I breathe a deep sigh.
"Can you give me until tomorrow to come down? I just want to say goodbye, and thanks to certain people," I say, quietly. Buffy and Willow both just nod, understanding what I want to do. It's small comfort, but I take what I can get now. "Thanks," I reply, rubbing the back of my neck. I'm not good at walking away from others without feeling like a dolt. There's suddenly an awkward silence between us.
"Yeah..." says Buffy, not adding anything to it. I get it, as does Willow. We depart our separate ways. This is gonna be hard, when I do my goodbye tomorrow. I'm worried how Angel's going to take it, especially since he was the one who trusted me, and took me in.