Waking up
by Lost
On Our Own
[reviews]
A/N: Sorry it's been so long since an update, things have been crazy, and ironically enough, Ive had this on my computer pretty much since I posted last time. However the internet decided not to work (and still doesnt) so.... I'm having my very bestest friend in the world post this from her computer. Alright, well, happy readings- L.
The Investigation was at a standstill. Kate had tried everything she could think of to get the girls to tell her exactly what had happened, but she some reason neither one of them seemed to be willing to tell her much of anything, where as Hank had come and blubbered on her shoulder about EXACTLY how much he knew regarding the kidnapping.
~~~~~~FLASHBACK~~~~~~~
It had been three days since the two girls and Xander had been found at the warehouse. Kate knew that they were a couple, but that didn't stop any other questions that she had about them. Why hadn't anyone said anything to her about the fact that they were dating? Did the people of this small town honestly believe that the sexual orientation of the victims would affect the investigation? She shrugged her shoulders as the thought that maybe just maybe they had been right not to make the two girls relationship a public issue. Maybe the two girls hadn't come out to the school or their neighbors, and maybe they'd catch hell if they did it on television.
She was sorting through papers when she heard a soft knock at her door. She glanced up and met the eyes of Hank Summers.
"Hello Detective Lockley," He said with a sad look in his eyes.
"Mr. Summers, how can I help you?" She asked as she glanced at the man. Honestly he had given her the creeps, but she was willing to take any info that he may have uncovered.
"I didn't say anything before, but earlier, when we were looking for the girls.... well, I had received a letter the day that went missing, and I tried to get her in time, but I couldn't make it. And when I did get here, they were already gone." He came in and sat down as he continued his story, the tears welling up in his eyes. Kate listened as best as she could and considered what he was telling her. "I would've said something earlier, but honestly I don't have the kind of money that the kidnappers were asking for."
Kate stared at the man in front of her. This pathetic excuse for a human. "Let me see the note. Now." She said, doing her best not to let her anger show.
Hank sighed dramatically before reaching into his pocket and withdrawing the folded sheet. He handed its lowly to the detective. Once she had it, he sat back down and buried his face in his hands. He just sat there while Kate left the office.
She slammed the symbologist's door shut and he looked up. "Yes Detective Lockley?" He asked, taking in her obviously agitated stance.
"Hank Summers just gave me this!" She said before handing him the note.
He stared at it for a minute before his eyes started going wide with surprise. "This is totally out of character for him." He stated decisively.
"I know!" Kate lifted her eyebrows a little bit to add emphasis.
Either the note was a fake or the kidnapping had been staged to look like all the others. "Will you send this over to the lab to be analyzed?" Kate asked. "I have to go and talk with Hank and Joyce Summers."
The questioning didn't take long. Hank claimed to have found the note on his desk at the crack of noon when he had strolled into his office. And swore he knew nothing else about the paper. Before long she had told him he could go and had gone to Revello Drive.
She knocked and waited for an answer. Joyce only took a few seconds to swing the door open. "Detective Lockley, come in." She said with a warm smile. Kate nodded her thanks before stepping over the threshold. She glanced around, not at all surprised to see the four teenagers crowded into the living room, watching a movie. Buffy and Willow were cuddled together on the couch while Cordelia sat in a chair with Xander sitting at her feet.
None of the teens looked up when she entered and so she quickly followed Joyce into the kitchen. She watched as the older woman made them both coffees before they moved to sit in the dining room across from one another. "What can I help you with?" Joyce asked.
"How are they coping?" She had come to find out more information about the note, but that was no reason to be rude.
"You can ask them yourself if you like. Honestly I haven't been able to get Buffy to open up much. You might have better luck than I have." Joyce said as she sat down her coffee mug and hollered for the girls to come in before Kate could protest. "Detective Lockley wanted to talk to you." She said as she stood up. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." With that, she turned and left the three of them in awkward silence.
"So how have you both been?" Kate asked after ten seconds when it was clear neither girl wanted to jump into a conversation.
"We've been better." Willow answered for both girls. And then as an afterthought added. "You?"
"Bout the same. We have some new information regarding your case, but it's not enough to share yet." She looked down at her hands as they picked nervously at a napkin. For some reason Buffy's silence was really bothering her.
"New information?" Willow asked incredulously. "We already know who he was, and he's dead. What else do WE need to know?" The redhead had a tone of indignation in her voice that the detective hadn't heard before. But to be fair she had only known both girls for three days.
During those days, she hadn't seen or heard Buffy speak to anyone except for Willow. And even then it was when she thought no one was around.
"Listen Buffy, I need you to talk to someone besides Willow. Actually I need both of you to start seeing someone. A professional." Kate stated strongly. This wasn't what she had wanted to come here to discuss, but she knew that sooner or later it would have to be done.
"I can talk just fine." Buffy said as she looked the detective squarely in the eye. "And we don't need professional help. We'll handle it on our own. Mom, Kate wants to talk to you." Buffy said into the kitchen as she pulled her girlfriend up the stairs and into her room.
Kate sighed as she began discussing their options with Joyce.
*****Upstairs*****
Buffy paced back and forth in her room while Willow sat on the bed. "Who the hell does she think she is?!" Buffy ranted. Willow stood up and stopped the blonde after a few minutes.
"Baby, its okay. I'm sure she just wants to help." Willow said as she did her best to calm the irate girl.
*******Across town at the Sunnydale Bus Station*******
A dark haired girl exited a greyhound and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. She scrolled down in the phone book until she hit her uncle's name and pressed the send button.
"Hello?" He answered the phone.
"I'm here." She said, sounding none too happy about the prospects of the small town.
"I'll be there shortly." He replied before disconnecting.
She watched the screen of her phone for a minute before she typed in a quick text message reading: I'm here, and shot it off. A few seconds later her pocket began to vibrate. She smiled as she read the display name and answered.
"Hey Babe." She said the smile on her face evident in her tone.
"Hey, I just wanted to make sure you got there okay?" The voice on the other end of the line asked.
"Yeah, five by five, Jeeves is on his way. When are you comin down?" There was a pause then a lot of static noise and the phone lit up. 'Call dropped' it read and she sighed as she tried to call back only to get the roaming message on her phone. She quickly dropped it back in her pocket, deciding to call again later.
A beat up gray car pulled up and the passenger window rolled down. "Faith!" Her uncle called out. She let herself in and shut the door.
"How was the ride down?" He asked.
"Fine."
"And you didn't have any trouble on the transfer?"
"Nope."
"How are-" He started to ask only to be cut off.
"Listen Jeeves, you don't have to make small talk with me. We both know why I'm here, so let's just leave it at that." She told him sullenly as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"You know, contrary to popular belief, I was a teenager once. And unbeknownst to your father I did some... experimentation of my own..." He trailed off and watched as a wicked looking smile lit up her features.
"You? No way!"
"Yes..." he paused. "Way."
They arrived at his condo and unloaded her one bag. He looked to her in confusion. "Where is the rest of your luggage at?"
"Tara is bringing it down with her sometime this weekend."
"Ah, well, your room is down the hall on the left, across from the restroom." He said with a gesture. "I'm assuming Tara will be staying here as well?"
Faith looked at him with puppy dog eyes. "Yes please?"
"For how long?"
"As long as I'm here. Mom and Dad think she's a good influence. Since she's so anti-drugs I mean." Faith nodded her head to a beat that only she could hear. "Oh and they said that they'd send twice as much since she'll be here too."
Giles looked at his niece as she stood before him and took in the changes in her. She looked thin and unhealthy in her baggy clothes. And while all of her clothes were either black or dark gray, her wrists were adorned with brightly colored beads. She also wore a neon orange and yellow choker that read 'PLUR'. On her wrist he saw a glow in the dark tattoo in the shape of a half of a broken heart.
She looked at him and attempted a small smile. "I really don't didn't get THAT into it. I promise Jeeves." She gave the man a hug and as she did so a sickly sweet smell mixed with sweat invaded his senses. "Is it cool if I take a shower?" She asked when she stepped back, "Cuz I kind of reek."
"Certainly. This is your home as well now." He told her as he walked into the kitchen. "I'm just going to make some tea. Would you like some?"
"Yeah, and some Tylenol please?" She asked holding one hand to her forehead and the other one out. When he handed her the medicine, he glanced down at her palm. While the rest of her body was still mostly olive complexioned, her palms were nearly translucent. He could see nearly ever vain (major and small) in her palm and he looked quickly away.
"There are fresh towels hanging up. You'd probably better go to sleep after you shower; you've got a long first day in front of you tomorrow. I'll just leave your tea on the night stand." She nodded her thanks and went to let the hot water loosen up her tense muscles.
*******************The Next Day*******************
Buffy and Willow walked slowly up to the school. They'd been out since they had been taken to begin with, and now, according to Joyce it was time to return. But they also had to meet with the guidance councilor once a week together and once separate. The together meetings wouldn't be so bad. They were group meetings and would include five other of Sunnydale's finest troublemakers. Buffy had protested of course. She saw no reason why the two of them should be grouped in with troublemakers. But Joyce had said it was either that or a real therapist, and so both girls had consented.
That would be their fist stop for the day, the office and the councilors. Upon entering the office, both Buffy and Willow took in the new raven haired beauty then looked guiltily at each other. Willow shrugged her shoulders and smiled slightly before reaching down and grabbing her girlfriend's hand.
"Ah Ms. Summers and Ms. Rosenberg, so please you could join us." The councilor said as they sat down with four other students. She turned and looked at the new girl. "Ms. Giles, whenever you finish with your paperwork we'll be right through that door." She said and pointed at a door in the back wall. Faith nodded and looked up. Her eyes froze on the blonde and the redhead and then on their clasped hands. She let a small smile play on her lips before turning back to her paperwork and thinking that maybe this small town wouldn't be so bad after all.
Both girls saw the look she had given them and as they walked past her, she smiled at them. Buffy raised her eyebrow as she turned to look where she was walking and Willow blushed. All six of them sat inside of the room, waiting five minutes before she came in.
"Now, lets all introduce ourselves!" She said with enough enthusiasm for the whole group. "Oh and please tell the group why you're here." She added as an after thought. She pointed to the guy on Buffy's left. "You can go first."
He stood up stiffly. He was a pale boy with jet black hair and all black clothing. "Now, tell us your name." The counselor (who had ironically enough yet to introduce herself) prodded. All the boy did was hold up his hand, palm flat and facing the woman. Buffy could see the word 'NO' carved there and she winced at how much that must have hurt. For a second, the woman's smile faded but it was instantly slapped back into place. "Okay well then how about you?" She asked as she pointed at Buffy.
The blonde stood up, albeit reluctant and looked at the woman. "My name is Buffy Summers, and I'm here because I have to be." She said in as monotonous of a voice as she could make.
Willow went next. "I'm Willow Rosenburg. And WE'RE here because we have to be." She sat down and grabbed a hold of Buffy's hand again.
The guy next to her quickly introduced himself as Brett and told them he was there because they were all crazy, and if they wanted anyone sane to talk to he was the man.
Then Faith stood up. "Who are you?" She asked jabbing a finger in the air at the woman.
"Oh silly me. I'm Ms. Trawick. Now go on dear."
"Faith Giles. Don't know why I'm here." She sat back down and the next two people went.
As Ms. Trawick droned on and on about what she hoped to accomplish, Faith looked over at the couple. Buffy was nearly asleep, and Willow looked like she was reading all of the posters in the room. The bell rang and everyone stood up to leave only to be stopped by Ms. Trawick. "Next week please bring an essay on what you like to do on your spare time." Everyone rolled their eyes and left regardless.
Faith saw Buffy and Willow quickly kiss goodbye and go their separate ways. She wandered to her next class only to find Willow sitting with her book open and pen and paper ready to take notes. She sat down next to her.
"Heya Red. Sup?" Willow just glanced at her.
"Hi."
Xander walked in. "Ah, there she is. How are you doing my brainy buddy?" He asked giving Willow a soft pat on the back that made her wince. "Oops my bad I forgot." He said, and apologetic look gracing his features.
Their history teacher came in and Xander sat in his seat ready to count the ceiling tiles. The lecture started and Faith heard Xander whisper under his breath "Let the fun begin..."
Faith turned to look at the redhead, wondering about the way she seemed to be in so much pain and noticed some bruises on her arm. She squinted her eyes, trying to piece the puzzle together and completely forgetting about the lecture.