Act2

The meeting had finally come to an end. Buffy had spent most of her time talking low with Xander and some rare times with Willow. The latter was far too absorbed by Giles’ speech to fully join their conversation.

She had even cast a nearly severe glance to them when Buffy had failed to contain a short laugh to one of the carpenter’s joke.

Sometimes, when Kennedy switched off Giles’ uninterrupted waves of words, she slipped into the conversation for some minutes, most of the time invited by Xander.

But most the time, she just tried to follow what was said, just to know what Willow would talk about later. Which was better for Dawn, who never missed to cast her a dark glance whenever she opened her mouth.

The younger Summers for her part, seemed to be really interested in the Slayers’ last months activities reports and for the prospects about the Slayers’ training in the world.

Not too far from the group, Faith was swaying on her chair, obviously bored to death and totally inattentive. Her gaze was repeatedly traveling around the room and she was pushing long bored sighs.

From time to time, she cast a glance on Buffy and Xander who seemed to have way more fun than her. Other times, she looked at Robin who was fussing near Giles, nodding seriously to the former Watcher’s lecture and sometimes taking the floor to explain how the Council was

deploying its troops in the whole world for a year now.

Faith was wondering what had pushed her to answer Giles’s invitation to come to the meeting. Robin’s presence? Well, it had been weeks they had not seen each other and she did not need to come here and now if she wanted to see him. Buffy and the Scooby gang’s? Why would she want to see them? After all, they still saw her as a potential threat, a sub-Slayer likely to slip from the right road at any time. “Well, I’m exaggerating a little” she thought for herself after considering the weight of her thoughts. But just a little.

So she had come. She did not quite remember why but she had come. And the dark-haired Slayer had let out a deep relieved sigh when Giles had finally said the words, which allowed

everyone to get back to whatever they had to do.

Faith looked briefly at Buffy’s watch: it was already 8pm. Faith frowned heavily in surprise: she had just spent the last three hours in this room and could not already remember anything that had been told.

Maybe it was the thing with organizations: hierarchy, rules, congratulations and reprimands. And all this during hours for just everyone having his turn.

Faith turned her head the Scoobies who were getting up and were getting ready to leave the room. Buffy and Xander were now talking louder and Dawn was busy showing something to Willow.

“You took notes?” a dumbfounded Buffy exclaimed while pointing to her sister’s copybook.

Dawn turned around to face her and cast her an annoyed and severe glance.

“I did. I’m still interested in what’s the council doing. Unlike you”

« I’m interested, even if i don’t take notes » protested Buffy. “But… taking notes! See…” she added after a silence “even Will didn’t take notes!”

Saying this, Buffy turned to her best friend and pointed her empty hands.

“Well, you know, I’ve got a good memory…” began Willow

« She’s the brainy type, » added Kennedy without letting her finish her sentence. “She doesn’t need to take notes, she’ll remember everything!”

Kennedy was looking proudly at Willow, smiling warmly to her. Dawn groused something in a low voice for nobody to hear, before adding louder in a piercing tone:

“ ‘And that’s my girlfriend!” she exclaimed, mocking Kennedy’s tone.

Saying this, Dawn turned around quickly, not waiting for Kennedy or her sister to react. Buffy let escape a loud sigh before turning to the brunette Slayer:

“I’m sorry about this. Don’t pay attention, it’ll eventually pass”

Kennedy shrugged and did not answer. Willow came closer and put a soothing hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder and Kennedy shivered a little. Willow smiled to her before getting close to Buffy and asking as low as she could for the blonde Slayer to hear her:

“She’s still not getting used to it right?”

Buffy’s lips puckered up in something that could be read as a sympathetic smile. Then she shook her head and answered in the same tone used by Willow to ask her question:

“Not really”

Willow nodded, sharing the same sorry expression on her face with her friend.

« It’s not important, » she said, tapping amicably on Buffy’s shoulder. “She just needs more time. I understand”

Buffy shrugged, opened her mouth and closed it without saying anything. She did not understand. She did not understand that Dawn could be so openly unpleasant with Kennedy after all those months. That Dawn could not just be happy for Willow just like Xander and herself were was beyond her understanding.

“So ladies, we’re staying here or we’re going to the restaurant?”

Xander had gotten up in his turn and was now standing in front of both young women et was giving them a charming smile with his hands clasped in front of him.

“It’s already eight. Time for a good meal, what do you think ? I’m taking you?”

Saying this, Xander held on of his arms to each of her friends, who took it with a smile.

“Good idea, I’m starving!”

The three friends were about to cross the doorstep followed by Kennedy when Giles came to them. The former Watcher had his hands in his dark gray cotton flannel trousers’ pockets and an almost embarrassed smile when he addressed them:

“Hum, kids… you’re going out?” he asked in an halting tone.

“Actually, I was talking the girls into having dinner” Xander answered. “I have to say you kept us a long long time”

“Do you want to join us?” asked Willow.

« Les enfants… Vous sortez ? » demanda-t-il un peu hésitant

Then the witch’s face suddenly lighted up and she virtually batted her hands while adding:

« It would be great, a nice diner, all together just like… »

the end of her sentence died on her lips before she pronounced it and her face darkened briefly. So briefly that nobody had time to notice before Willow pulled herself together again.

“Are you coming with us Giles?” she asked, her eyes shining with hope.

Giles smiled kindly to the young woman’s demeanor. He cast a quick glance behind his back then turned again to the group with a sorry look on his face.

“Well, we still have some points to talk about with some council members. It’ll be hard for tonight… But tomorrow…”

“Not a problem Giles” interrupted Buffy. “Duty calls, you’re a great man with a lot of responsibilities now. We understand. But you have to promise to have free time for us during our stay. Or, I will be forced to use some Slayer strength to come and get you myself if I have and…”

Giles began to laugh and raised his hand to stop the Slayer’s rambling.

“Hopefully, it won’t come to that sort of things. I’ll be free tomorrow”

“Good. So have a good night and see you tomorrow” Xander said, taking Buffy and Willow by the waist.

« Have a good evening Giles, » the three girls added together.

« Hum, Buffy… »

The group was already getting away and stopped before turning to the Watcher.

“Do you have a minute please?”

“Yeah, sure”

The turning again to Xander, Willow and Kennedy, Buffy added:

“Go ahead, I’ll catch up with you later guys”

The three of them nodded and obeyed.

« See you later then » Xander said simply while the small group was going away in the corridor.

Buffy looked at them disappearing then turned to Giles, a quizzical look on her face.

« Well, I just wanted to talk with you a little, » explained Giles as he was polishing his glasses in a gesture Buffy had seen me do like millions times.

Buffy smiled and crossed her arms, waiting patiently that Giles went on.

“I wanted to know how was your new life, how you were getting used to all those changes?”

Buffy smiled again, amused by Giles’ obvious embarrassment, and made pretence to think intensely to the question.

“Oh, well, how to put this? No more vampires to slay every night, no more half nights to sleep, living by daylight, sharing moments with my sister without having to think about all the supernatural disasters I have to prevent. Hum…” she frowned heavily with exaggeration. “ I think those are changes I got quite used to without problems”

“So, you’re happy?”

Buffy’s face light up with a big smile and Giles saw her gaze shine in a way he could not remember having seen it shine for months and years, giving him his answer.

« Yes, Giles, I’m happy as I hadn’t been for a long while. I feel free. And good. And I have to say, after those years, well, quite hard. It wasn’t something I was expecting. But I’m good now. Really good.”

Giles smiled back to her and hugged affectionately.

« I’m really happy to hear this. Really I am.” Giles said, nodding his head convincingly. “And Dawn? What about Dawn?”

“Oh, I think she got used to our new life quite well too. She likes the town, she made new friends and she enjoys our common life a lot I think, even if she’ll ever refuse to admit she loves to live with me!”

Giles smiled favorably to that last comment.

“She sometimes asks when we’re gonna come back to live in Cleveland, or if I’m gonna come back to the slaying part. ‘Cause you know, there’s just one thing bothering her…” Buffy went on. “ Xander’s and Willow’s absence. And yours. She misses all three of you a lot. She’d like that we were all close to each other, living like a family where we see each other more than twice a year. But… I don’t want to have all this stuff too close to her. I tried so hard to protect her from my world without succeeding and she got through a lot of hard stuff. Too much hard stuff. Now that we can live a normal life, I don’t want to see her facing all this again.”

“You know Buffy, I don’t think that the worst things she had to face were all linked with the fact that you were the Slayer…”

“Well, if you’re talking about mom’s death, you’re right. But, being the Key? My death? My resurrection? Tara’s death? It was all about me being the Slayer. And it’s way too much for a so young girl.”

Buffy stopped a second; seeming lost in some far away thoughts, before she resumed with a laugh:

“Well, as she seems not to bear Kennedy at all, I think it’s better we’re far, she would drive her nuts!”

Giles smiled again before a preoccupied wince appeared on his face.

“Still not used to Kennedy?”

Buffy shook her head and let a long sigh escape.

“There’s nothing to do with that. She’s totally stubborn on that matter. Though, everything seemed to be good at first. I don’t get it. While Willow seems to be better… What do you think Giles? Xander, and Willow. They’re doing better, right?”

Giles nodded with caution.

“Yes, yes… That’s what I feel. They seemed to be better.”

Buffy smiled again to Giles’s confirmation.

“Well, that’s what I felt from what I heard from them in the last months. But, you know, you see them a lot often… I’m happy to hear this. I don’t want to be the only one to have a good life now…”

She stopped, her eyes riveted to the floor, deeply lost in thoughts, replaying in her head the last years’ events. Her mother’s death. Her own death. Her resurrection. Her difficulty to learn to live again. Tara’s death. Willow’s fall. The first. Anya’s death. A swirl of memories each harder than the previous tore a groan from her that Giles did not hear. She remembered a common saying she had read one day in Latin: Post tenebrax, lux.

“I’m good now,” She repeated firmly while raising her head to Giles again. “And all I want now is to share this new happiness with my friends”

After darkness, light.

It was all about that now. Buffy had gone through dark and cruel hours, days, months and years. And now all this pain was stepping aside slowly to let in something sweeter, lighter, brighter. Just more livable. And now that Buffy was saved at last, what she wanted the most was to be able to tell the same about the ones she had once claimed as her family and who had adopted her that way.

***

Faith looked at the Scooby gang getting up and going to the room’s exit. She saw them stopping by the door when Giles stopped them. She observed them talking some seconds, saw Xander getting away with Willow and Kennedy while Buffy was staying with Giles. She was about to get up and follow the group when a familiar voice rang out behind her.

“Faith ! You’re leaving?”

Robin. Faith was so engrossed in her attempt to build on her amazing Slayer’s hearing to listen to Giles’ and Buffy’s conversation that she had almost forgotten about him. Disturbed in her immediate project, she turned away regretfully from the blonde Slayer and her Watcher to face her past lover.

“I was thinking about going on patrol” she answered in a casual tone. ”Night falls, so you see what I mean: time for me to go out and kill some things.”

Robin frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. Faith thought she saw an annoyance look pass by his face but he pulled himself together again immediately.

“You know you don’t have to patrol tonight. There’re a lot of Slayers in Cleveland”

“And a lot of vampires too. It’s a good town to hunt”

Robin’s frown intensified a second.

“Maybe you can start this again tomorrow?” He offered. “This way, we could spend the evening together if you want. It’s a been a while we didn’t see each other and…”

Faith hesitated on what to do. She cast a quick glance behind her and noticed that Buffy was still with Giles near the door. She turned again to Robin, torn between her original plans and Robin’s offer to spend the night with him. After all, it has been weeks, even maybe months – Faith did not clearly remember – that between her not coming back to the council not too much and Robin going often in England, they had seen each other quite rarely lately. She could not really say she missed him. But she was not against having a fun night with him.

On the other hand, Buffy was in town and it was even rarer than her sex nights with Robin Wood. Faith knew that some years before, she would have choose quickly between a night with a man like Robin and a probably hard confrontation with a still resentful Buffy. But right now, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do.

“Faith?”

Faith decided to split the difference. First Buffy and patrol. Then Robin. And that solution would spare her all kind of flourishes. Directly the serious stuff when coming back from patrol. Just the way she liked it.

“Well, I’ll meet you in your room after patrol, what do you think?”

Saying this, she cast a new glance behind her to see Buffy getting ready to leave Giles. Robin followed her gaze and sighed.

“Hum…Buffy’s in town, so a patrol with her is in order, right?” he offered in a comprehensive tone.

Faith did not answer. But Robin knew the answer. And he would have to do with it for tonight. Most of the time, he didn’t know where to stand in respect to her, nor he understood her bewildering way to come to him before disappearing for weeks. She would come after patrol, he would have to go with it.

“See you tonight then” he added, without mentioning Faith’s silence. “Be careful”

Then, he got away without even thinking to hug the Slayer. She let a relieved sight escape her lips. Robin understood. Or at least, he pretended to understand. It was enough for Faith. She turned again to the door. She saw Giles hugging Buffy and wishing her a good evening before meeting three others Watchers who were still sat in the room. The blonde Slayer disappeared in the corridor and Faith gathered her courage to follow her.

***

“Hey ! B!”

Faith saw the blonde Slayer’s shrug and heard her long annoyed sigh telling her that this way in was probably not the best. But Buffy stopped in the corridor, and turned to Faith, an impatient look on her face.

“Faith” She said coldly. “What do you want?”

Faith caught up quickly with her and Buffy resumed walking.

“Well, I was thinking…maybe you’d like to go on patrol tonight?”

Saying this, Faith cast a glance to the blonde Slayer, in order to size her reaction up.

“Of course” Faith resumed quickly. “I know you’re kinda retired and all, but what about a good patrol ? It can do some good. And if you’re worried about your lack of training, no panick, I’m on top form and I can…”

Buffy stopped and put her glance in Faith’s. The dark-haired Slayer shut her mouth when she saw her companion stop.

“Faith, if you think I could need your protection, you’re SO wrong, I can totally handle myself. Sorry for disappointing you”

“It’s not what I meant B” Faith said with a sardonic smile on her lips while she buried her hands in her pockets. “I know you’re a big girl and that you’re the best Slayer, I didn’t want to take that from you”

Buffy noticed the sarcasm in Faith’s voice and rolled her eyes. It seemed that Faith would always exasperate her.

“Stop with that please. And I didn’t think to go on patrol tonight, I was getting ready to have dinner with my friends.

“After dinner maybe? There’ll still be vampires to slay after dinner y’know?”

“God, Faith, patrol and patrol again, is there anything else you can do?”

“Well, I don’t have anything better to do right now. I can waith for you if you want”

Buffy sighed again.

“Do you want to join us for dinner? And then, I’ll come with you. I’ll let out some steam this way”

“Really?”

Faith now looked at Buffy almost with enthusiasm.

“Why not patrolling before? You know how slaying makes hungry and…”

“Faith!” interrupted Buffy. “the others are waiting for me. So AFTER. Or not at all”

Faith raised her hands in front of her in a defensive gesture.

“Easy B! No need to get angry. After if you want”

“So, after!”

***

Faith had stayed a little away from the group, observing the Scooby gang members talking happily around a good meal offered by the council in the hotel’s restaurant. Each of them had told the story of his life since the end of the First with much details. The dark-haired Slayer had listened – with interest or boredom depending the case – to Buffy and Dawn talking about their new life in Rome – deeply boring according to Faith – then to Xander telling his adventures in Africa – more interesting thought Faith – and finally to Willow and Kennedy giving details about their mission in Brazil with much enthusiasm – and Faith was surprised to think that Kennedy had actually the best part. The dark haired Slayer looked at the way they were happy to see each other with some jealousy and dreamt about far-away lands with bitterness.

Of course, herself wasn’t exactly bored. But seeing Kennedy’s overflowing enthusiasm, she could not help but think that share her battle with someone you love and teach her skills to younger Slayers seemed to be worthwhile. Kennedy seemed really happy to live that life and never lost her excellent mood despite the bad jokes Faith could refrain herself from throwing at her and mostly despite the hurtful comments Dawn kept addressing to her.

Faith had noticed that real quick: Dawn did not like Kennedy and did not bother to tell her and remind her that she was not a real Scooby or never would. Faith had also noticed Buffy’s and even Xander’s severe looks to the younger Summers when she was doing so, and Willow’s sad ones.

Sometimes Willow and Xander shared a smile whose meaning was probably just theirs. There was something between them that linked them in a more particular way than before. That something, Faith thought she knew what it was: the loss of a loved one. The loss of THE loved one.

She had never known that kind of relationship with anyone nor known that feeling and wondered what was worse: losing the one you love or had never loved and being loved.

Finally life had not been tender with them either. Faith did not see them like well to-dos any more. The shadows left on their face by numerous ordeals they faced in the past, told her how much that little group had been damaged, bashed up, almost broken. But here and now, they were trying to live and believe in future again.

She had heard Buffy telling that to Giles before. It was something she had never been able to do.

“So, Faith, what about you?”

Faith jumped on her seat. She had not expected Xander asking her questions and to become the group’s focus.

“Oh, you know, nothing new. Patrol. Slay. Here and there. The drill!”

Xander nodded with an amused grin.

“The drill!”

“Still with Robin?” Dawn asked.

Faith found herself ill-at-ease. Talking about her was not what she was doing best. And there was not so much to tell on that matter. She gestured vaguely with her hand.

“Yeah… more or less…”

She was not really convincing. And the whole group was looking at her with a skeptical look. She decided to cut short when she saw the empty plates.

“So, this patrol, B, we go?”

“You’re going on patrol?” Kennedy exclaimed with her trademark enthusiasm.

“You’re going to patrol?” repeated Dawn in dumbstruck tone.

“Quickly” Buffy confirmed. “Just to let off the steam after a long plane trip and a very long meeting.”

“So, let’s go!” Faith said, getting up.

Buffy got up in her turn, then Kennedy.

“I’m going to pick stakes” Faith said, already getting away. “We’ll meet in front of the hotel.”

Then she disappeared without waiting for an answer. Buffy noticed then a group of six or seven girls gathered not too far and looking at her with insistence but not seeming to dare getting closer. Buffy gave them an engaging smile and finally one of them made a step forward.

“I’m Jenny” she said quickly. “Head of the Cleveland Slayers. We heard you talking about going on patrol and we were wondering if you’d be okay for us to come with you”

Buffy was a little surprised at first, then pulled herself together again. After all, Faith and herself were almost living legends for those girls.

“Yeah, sure. Go and pick your stuff and let’s meet Faith in front of the hotel.”

“Maybe, we can lend you something?” Jenny suggested. “We had really good stuff”

“Great!” Kennedy exclaimed from behind Buffy. « Let’s go see that! »

Buffy nodded and turned to Dawn.

“I won’t be too long Dawn, promise.”

“You’re coming with us, Will?” Asked Kennedy, turning to her girlfriend.

Willow smiled and put her arms around Dawn’s and Xander’s shoulders.

“No, thank you, I’m staying here to take advantage of my little Dawn and my Xander.”

Both of them smiled back and gave her back the tender gesture.

“Okay, see you later then”

“Be careful”

The two Slayers nodded, gestured to their friends and followed the Cleveland’s Slayers outside the restaurant.