Act2

The door closed and the girls found themselves in a shadowy corridor. They stayed a few minutes just standing there, waiting for their eyes to get used to the darkness.

The corridor was short and narrow. The walls were smooth and grey. The ceiling was low. In front of the girls was a door just like the one they had just gone through.

Faith and Tara looked at each other and headed for the door silently. Faith pushed it open a second later and both girls were almost blinded by a bright light. They had to close their eyes and to re-open them slowly to become accustomed to this sudden brightness.

“Oh God…” whispered Faith when she was able to look around.

“Goddess…” added Tara in her turn.

They were now in another corridor, completely different from the one they had just left behind. It was much longer, brightly lit, and they could see several intersections in the distance.

Here, the walls and the ceiling were totally made with mirrors.

Faith and Tara were surrounded by reflections of themselves.

“Goddess…” Tara repeated.

Faith examined the mirrors sending her back her image for several minutes before turning to Tara:

“Damn guy didn’t tell us about the mirror part of the deal.” the Slayer grumbled.

Tara walked several feet away from Faith, looking distractedly at the mirrors around and above her.

“Wanna go back?” the blonde asked, turning to the brunette.

Faith frowned and shrugged.

“Of course not,” she said after a silence. “I said we’d find our way through this labyrinth and we will.”

She caught up to Tara and both girls started to advance up the corridor.

“So, what’s up with the mirror part?” the witch asked.

Faith sighed. She stopped again and opened her arms in front of her in a dramatic gesture.

“Look around you,” she said pointing at the mirrors surrounding them. “It’s a labyrinth. A labyrinth of mirrors. Just me, myself and you. Sounds like the best day ever.” She finished ironically and eagerly stressed ‘ever’.

“It could be worse.” Tara declared casually.

“Worse?” Faith asked in a disbelieving tone. “Worse than being trapped in here with you, surrounded by my own reflection?”

“It could be just you and yourself y’know.” Tara grinned.

“Uh?” grimaced Faith.

Tara’s hint of smile vanished from her face as she saw the Slayer’s expression.

“I… I w-was t-trying to be funny,” the blonde explained. “But obviously I wasn’t.”

Faith looked dumbfounded for a few seconds.

“Well…” she began carefully. “I’d say you need some more practice.”

Tara didn’t answer and the girls resumed walking along the corridor in silence.

“I’m getting weird vibes,” Faith announced a few moments later, as they reached the first intersection.

Tara nodded and moved instinctively closer to Faith.

“I feel them too,” the witch said. “What do you th-think it-it is?”

Faith shrugged to show she had no idea.

“Dunno,” she confirmed. “It’s not a presence or something. It’s just…” she paused and appeared to search for the right word. “… weird,” she finished, nothing better coming to mind.

“May… maybe we really should go back?” Tara suggested.

Faith seemed to give that idea some thought but finally shook her head.

“No,” she said. “I’m the Slayer. I wanna find out what’s going on here.”

Tara opened her mouth to say something but finally kept quiet. She wrapped her arms around her body and glanced around several times before asking:

“So, what now?”

Faith looked at each side of the intersection and observed that the new corridors were covered with mirrors as well. Many other intersections were visible further on.

“Great!” she exclaimed. “What do you wanna choose? Mirrors or mirrors?”

“Mirrors maybe?” Tara replied hesitantly.

Faith turned to her and rolled her eyes when she noticed the almost grinning expression on the witch’s face.

“Thanks Tara. You’re helping.” Faith replied in a half-amused, half-annoyed tone.

The Slayer then turned again to each side of the intersection, trying to determine which direction was the right one. As her eyes travelled along the reflective surfaces, something suddenly caught her attention. Faith’s eyes focused on a point in the mirror on her left and she frowned. She looked at her boots carefully, then at their reflection in front of her. Something was strange but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She looked up slowly from her feet’s reflection up to her legs, her hips, her torso, her face.

Her mouth opened wide in surprise.

In the mirror in front of her stood Faith. But instead of being the perfect reflection she was expecting, the girl in front of her was different. It was indubitably her features, her look but her clothes were different, her hairstyle was different and the grin on her face was definitely different.

Faith checked her reflection again. She blinked to clear her vision but when she opened her eyes again, the girl in front of her hadn’t changed.

“Tara,” she said, turning to the blonde. “Can you see that?”

She pointed at her reflection in the mirror. Tara turned to what Faith was showing her and frowned.

“Wh-what?” the blonde asked, obviously not understanding.

“Me!” Faith exclaimed, gesturing to her reflection in the mirror. “Look at this, damn it!”

“Wh-what?” Tara repeated.

Faith looked between her reflection and the blonde, upset that she didn’t see what the Slayer wanted her to see.

“Me, damn it! It’s me but not me!”

Again, Tara turned to Faith’s reflection in the mirror. She looked closely at it and her face turned pale a few seconds later.

“Goddess…” she whispered.

Her gaze was now glued to the image in front of her and Faith asked excitedly:

“You can see it, can’t you? I’m different!” an agitated Faith exclaimed. “See, not the same clothes, not the same hair, but it looks like me!”

“N-no, F-Faith… You’re the same.” Tara said, finally looking away from the mirror.

“What?” Faith asked. “Why have you turned so pale then?”

“You’re the same,” repeated the blonde. “But I am different.”

“What?”

Faith looked again at the reflection in front of her. She still saw herself grinning back at herself with her hair in a bun, spotless tight blue jeans and a short grey nylon jacket with a fur collar she was sure she would never wear. She looked down to her own worn leather jacket and her dirty jeans as if to be sure she was still wearing them. Beside that version of herself, the Tara she could see perfectly mirrored the one standing at her right.

“You’re not…” the Slayer whispered in a low voice, looking at Tara.

“God! What’s up with this damn labyrinth!” she sighed a few seconds later.

“Well, I think we know what’s weird in here now…” the witch said.

Faith shrugged and her eyes returned to the mirror in front of her. She felt strangely attracted to that smiling version of herself and was just unable to look away from that vision.

For a moment, she forgot about Tara beside her. She forgot about the labyrinth she was supposed to find her way through. She forgot about everything.

There was just one thing she wanted to know now, as she couldn’t look away from her mirrored self: why was she smiling that way?

As the question emerged in her blurry mind, the vision in front of her changed. The grinning Faith that was supposed to be her reflection turned her head as if she had been called and a landscape suddenly appeared around her. Night, moon, trees and a house at her back.

***

The night sky was an inky black and it would probably have been impossible to see a thing if it wasn’t for the nearly full moon and the thousands of stars shining in the sky. The air was cool but it was pretty much nice considering the fact it was December. A slight breeze was blowing and lifting the leaves of the trees edging the Restfield cemetery.

A loud crash immediately followed by screaming suddenly pierced the silence reigning over the place.

“Faith!” hissed a high-pitched female voice. “What on earth are you doing?”

“Slaying vampires!” came the reply in a cheerful tone. “Isn’t it my job?”

In the north-west corner of the cemetery, two young women were fighting three tall and strong creatures who appeared to be vampires. One of the girls was blonde, short and thin while the other was a little taller, dark-haired and more athletic. The fight probably looked unfair considering the girls’ size compared to their opponents. But it was not. The girls even got the better of their enemies quickly; and soon, there was just one remaining. He let escape a frustrated growl when he realized he was alone and considered the smirking women in front of him for a second before scampering off.

When he was around thirty feet away, the blonde threw the wooden stake she was holding at full force toward his back. It lodged itself precisely in the center of his heart and the vampire crumpled to dust.

“B!” exclaimed the brunette in an irritated tone. “Was my turn!”

“Faith, are you suffering some sort of unknown disease that prevents you from remembering my full name?” the blonde asked calmly as she checked herself out. “I’m the eldest, I’m the one…”

“Oh my God!” she exclaimed without finishing what she was about to say. “Look at this!”

She raised her right arm under her companion’s nose and gestured to her to look at the torn sleeve of her red leather jacket.

“Can you believe this?” she went on in a defeated tone. “I bought this jacket less than a month ago!”

The brunette grinned, obviously amused by her friend’s demeanour.

“Mine is fine.” she announced as she checked out her own jacket, this one being grey and made from nylon.

“How’s that?” whined the blonde. “Usually, you’re the one tearing your clothes apart.”

“Dunno,” replied Faith. “Maybe it has something to do with luck?” she suggested.

“Or…” emphasized the short blonde, “…it has to do with the fact that you should have backed me up instead of engaging the third vampire.”

“God, B…uffy,” Faith corrected herself. “You keep telling me you can handle yourself. You could handle yourself on that one. It was more important to catch the third.”

“No, you know the rules,” protested Buffy. “First, back up your team and second – only second – engage new enemy.”

“Well, you forgot something about the rule,” replied Faith. “The first rule is: back up your team IN NEED. You didn’t need my help on that one.”

“Obviously, my jacket did,” pouted the blonde Slayer.

Faith’s grin got wider at the blonde’s admission.

“Woo! You’re admitting I’m right!” Faith whistled with fake admiration. “I can’t believe it!”

“But hey, wouldn’t want to be in your shoes right now: either you admit you needed my help – and you hate admitting you need my help- or you admit I was right on the rules part – and you hate admitting I’m right on the rules part. God, how hard it would be to be Buffy Summers right now!”

“Faith, if you keep making fun of me, I really might slay you!”

“Hum…” A new voice interrupted. “Girls, I’m not certain this quarrelling is necessary.”

Buffy turned around at lightning speed to face the newcomer. A man and a woman in their early fifties were standing there, both of them generously engulfed in their coats.

“Giles,” Buffy resumed. “What do you think? Wasn’t Faith supposed to help me against the taller one before attacking the third one?”

“Not that I needed her help,” she added quickly. “But, you know, in theory?”

“Hum…” began the Watcher hesitantly. “I…”

“Well, Buffy, I’m not sure we can say you really needed help here. To me, you looked like you were able to handle that particular fight by yourself.” said the woman with an apologetic smile to the blonde.

“Tada!” exclaimed Faith in a victorious tone. “See? I was right!”

“Miss Marple is your Watcher Faith,” Buffy said. “Of course she’s backing you up in this. Which…” she turned to Giles suspiciously. “… is not what MY own Watcher is doing!”

“Hum…” Giles tried again. “I’m trying to do my job the best I can and…”

“Giles is backing up Miss Marple!” Faith exclaimed, grinning widely at Buffy, like a kid.

“Yeah, right,” Buffy pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. “What are you doing here by the way?” she asked in a more serious tone.

“Obviously we’re having a walk at night in a cemetery.” Giles replied.

“We’re still your Watchers ladies,” Miss Marple explained. “So we came to check on you.”

“We don’t need to be looked after,” Buffy said seriously. “You, on the other hand…”

“It’s not too bright to come here by yourself at night,” Faith added. “You should know this.”

“Well, we’re really touched by your attention and worry,” Giles began.

“But we’re not totally helpless,” went on Miss Marple.

“And we knew we would find you both here,” Giles specified.

“Which we’re happy we did,” finished the other Watcher.

“That’s right,” confirmed the Briton. “Not that we needed your help.”

“You, on the contrary…”

Faith and Buffy exchanged a knowing glance at the scolding tone of their Watchers.

“What’s up with the ‘we need to be two to make a whole sentence’?” Faith ironically asked.

“Your fighting abilities are weakening.” Giles asserted.

“Weakening!?” exclaimed both Slayers in unison. “How’s that?”

“We’re not weakening,” protested Faith.

“Well, it’s not our f….” began Buffy.

“Hey! You!” interrupted a female voice.

The small group turned around to where the sound had come from and Giles rolled his eyes when he recognized Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris standing a few feet away The newcomers with huge grins on their faces quickly closed the distance to the Slayers and Watchers. Xander offered everyone popcorn from the giant bowl he was holding and Faith and Buffy were happy to accept.

“Good timing X-man,” Faith said as she gulped down her first handful.

“What are you doing here by yourselves?” Buffy said, narrowing her eyes at them and with hands on her hips. “Is the new fun thing in Sunnydale to walk at night in cemeteries?”

“Relax Buff,” Xander said casually. “With Will and her giant fireballs, I’m all protected and stuff.”

“Remind me why I’m going on patrol with YOU and not with her?” Buffy asked Faith with a fake smirk on her face.

“It’s her night off.” Faith replied.

Willow smiled proudly before adding:

“With two Slayers around, there’s not too many baddies who dare go out at night lately!” she cheerfully exclaimed. “And since Faith’s dusted Spike and we’ve defeated Glory, who would challenge you two?”

“Yeah, you’re right, it’s pretty much safe around here now.” Faith said.

“Well, before you interrupted us,” Giles scolded Willow and Xander. “We were precisely talking about this.”

“Precisely?” Buffy arched a skeptical eyebrow.

“Where are your girls and little Sum?” Faith asked without listening to Giles at all.

Giles frowned severely at the dark-haired Slayer and even more a second later when Buffy turned away from him to face Willow.

“What did you do with my sister?”

“She’s doing math,” replied Xander as the group started to walk along the cemetery main path. “At your place. With Tara and Anya.”

“My sister’s a brain. Why would she doing math with Tara and Anya?”

“Well, Buffy, y’know…” began Willow carefully. “Dawn’s more interested in boys than math lately…”

“Oh yeah!” Buffy exclaimed. “And here I’m wondering who’s at fault!” she added, turning an accusatory glance to Faith.

“Hey!” Faith protested, raising her hands as if to surrender. “Don’t look at me like this! I’m not guilty for everything!”

“You’re a bad influence.” Buffy stated.

“Anyway.” Faith shrugged. “You don’t have to worry. I’ll teach her about boys and Anya and Tar will do the math part. Then she’ll get a complete education.”

She paused then turned to Willow with a puzzled expression.

“Wait, you said that Anya was doing math with lil’ Sum?” Faith asked in a disbelieving tone.

“Well, I think she’s more on the learning side of the deal.” Xander informed her.

“So, are we done for tonight?” Buffy asked as they reached the cemetery’s main entrance.

“I guess we are,” Faith replied.

She turned to the cemetery, appeared to breathe in the air and finally shrugged.

“We slayed four vampires and a demon tonight. Was a big night. I’m not sure there’s a demon left in here.”

“I believe Faith might be right,” Giles added. “The nights should be quiet for a few days.”

“So, what are we doing?” Xander asked.

“You can all drop in at home,” Faith suggested. “We’ll order some pizzas. And I think there’s a giant tub  of ice-cream left.”

“I call that a miracle.” Giles mumbled.

“I heard you G-man,” Faith grinned. “Slayer’s hearing. Are you in?”

“Pizzas and ice-cream with all of you?” Giles ironically asked. “What a delightful evening you’re offering!”

“I do not believe I’ll attend, Faith,” Miss Marple said. “I am going to return home.”
“Oh! Sara!” Faith complained. “You can’t do that to me! Mom hasn’t seen you in a while, you have to come!”

“Your mother is at home?”

“Yeah,” Faith said, rolling her eyes. “Waiting for me to come back safe and sound.”

“Perhaps your mother will not be pleased to have all of us over at such a late hour.” Giles commented.

“Don’t worry, Giles.” The dark-haired Slayer replied. “She’s used to see the gang scarfing down our ice-cream after patrol.”

“C’mon G-Man.” She insisted. “She’ll even make you some tea.”

“If there’s tea then…”

“Sara?” Faith asked, turning hopefully to her Watcher. “You coming?”

“If Rupert’s coming,” giggled the woman. “Then I’ll be happy to visit with your mom.”

“Great!” Faith said happily. “Everybody’s in?” She asked then, turning to the younger members of the group.

“Ice-cream and pizzas at Faith’s?” summed up Xander. “Sounds like a plan.”

He put his arm on Faith’s shoulder and they all walked out of the cemetery.

“We’re following you Slayer!” He said emphatically.

Faith smiled and walked in the lead with Buffy beside her.

They reached Faith’s house less than ten minutes later. The house was three blocks from Buffy’s, located at the back of a small street. It was smaller and older than the Summers’ but really well decorated, especially around Christmas.

Faith climbed the steps leading to the nicely lit porch in front of the house. She opened the door and gestured to the group to follow.

“Mom? It’s me!”

As she entered the small lobby, a woman came from a door on the right. She was as tall as Faith but thinner. She looked like an older version of the dark-haired Slayer.

“Faith! Are you ok?”

Faith rolled her eyes and mumbled something like “five by five Mum” as the others couldn’t help but giggling. Then she left for the kitchen as her mother welcomed the group. She obviously knew and appreciated each of them very well.

“And you Buffy? Are you hurt?”

The blonde Slayer shook her head but found it comforting to complain about her torn sleeve to her friend’s mother.

“I’ll see if I can do something about that.” She answered warmly after examining the jacket carefully.

“Sara! Rupert!” she exclaimed with obvious pleasure when they came inside in their turn as the Scooby gang entered the living room.  “I hope she didn’t give you a hard time…Sometimes she can be…”

“Mom!” Faith yelled from the kitchen. “I can hear you!”

Her mother grinned and gestured to Sara and Giles to follow her into the living room where Buffy, Willow and Xander – obviously used to the place – were already slouched on the sofa.

Faith returned to the room a little while later, carrying a tray with a steaming pot and cups.

“Here’s the tea,” she announced. “I made it so I can’t guarantee anything.”

“Well, it’s just boiling water Faith,” Giles remarked.

“I’m not sure she can even boil water!” Faith’s mother grinned.

“Hey!” Faith exclaimed.

“Don’t ‘hey’ us!” replied Buffy. “You know you can’t.”

Faith pouted and was about to answer but Willow spoke first:

“That’s not something you should be ashamed of. I think it’s a Slayer thing.”

“Hey!” Buffy protested.

“I researched it!” Willow explained.

“What?” Faith asked in a dumbstruck tone. “You researched the fact that Slayers can’t cook?”

Willow nodded proudly and Faith remained looking at her disbelievingly for a time.

“God.” She concluded.

“Well,” interrupted Xander. “Will, Slayers can’t cook, that’s a point. But can they order pizzas?”

A cushion flew through the air and landed on Xander’s face.

“It’s already done.” Faith said and grinned at him. “And there’s TWO giant tubs of ice-cream left.”

“Double miracle,” Giles mumbled and sipped from his cup of tea Faith had just handed to him.

She then offered one to her own Watcher before slumping heavily on the sofa between Buffy and Xander.

Nearly two hours passed by between pizzas, ice-cream, tea and bad jokes before Giles suggested it was time to leave the Lehanes alone. After a lot of thank you’s, everyone was at the door, ready for departure.

“Need me to walk someone home?” Faith asked.

“Nope,” Buffy replied. “Gonna take care of that.”

“It’s very kind of you Faith,” Giles answered. “But as you said earlier, it’s rather safe around here right now. We should be able to manage.”

“Right.” Faith nodded. “Good night then.”

“’Night Faith.” They all echoed. “Thanks, Mrs Lehane.”

“And don’t be late for class tomorrow.” Buffy grinned. “Mr. Johnson hates it when you’re late!”

Faith grinned back and stood on the porch looking at the group moving away while her mother went inside and began to clean up the living room.

“So, are you sure you’re okay?” she asked Faith while doing so.

Faith rolled her eyes and sighed.

“I’m fine Mom,” she said in a bored tone. “Nothing big tonight.”

“You were late tonight,” her mother explained. “I was worried.”

“You’re ALWAYS worried,” Faith grumbled.

“I’m your mother, it’s perfectly normal,” replied her mom.

“Yeah, right.”

The brunette rolled her eyes again, came in and closed the door behind her. She helped her mother to clean the kitchen, and mother and daughter were finally ready for bed.

“Go to sleep Faith, I don’t want you to be late for school tomorrow.”

Faith sighed openly in front of her mother, clearly bored.

“Mom, I’m not a kid anymore,” she bitched. “And I’m not going to school.”

“Well, I don’t want you to be late for university tomorrow,” corrected Mrs Lehane. “University is im…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah!” Faith exclaimed, annoyed. “Important, I know. I’m going to bed.”

She headed for her bedroom at the back of the corridor. She stopped at the door and turned again to her mother who was about to say something else.

“And I’m fine.” Interrupted Faith, stressing each syllable.

The older woman kept quiet and grinned.

“’Night Mum,” said Faith as she opened her door.

“Good night, little firecracker,” Her mother concluded warmly before turning around to enter her own room.

***

Faith blinked several times and shook her head slightly. Her eyes were open wide; her breath was short. She stared at the mirror in front of her, at the reflection that wasn’t her but was at the same time. She raised a trembling hand to touch what appeared to be such a vivid vision. But her fingers just met the cold surface of the mirror’s glass.

Behind it, she could see a house she had never known and a girl she could have been, bitching to a mother she didn’t remember that way.

Faith was split between two conflicting emotions. On the one hand, she wanted to cling to her reflection, to absorb a part of the light and grace she saw on this other self’s face. On the other hand, she wanted to banish as far as she could that vision of a life she knew deep in her heart she could have had.

She inhaled deeply and took at step back with her eyes still locked on her smiling reflection’s ones.

“Tara…” she whispered. “Did you see that?”

Tara didn’t answer immediately but Faith didn’t notice, as she was too engrossed in her contemplation.

“Wasn’t it weird?” She asked again. “It was like…”

She paused a second, replaying in her head the scene she had just witnessed.

“…like I’ve just seen the life I’d have had if my mother had loved me…” Her voice trailed off. “Is that possible? Does it make any sense?”

Again, she fell silent for a moment, her gaze still glued to the mirror in front of her where her reflected self was now fussing in a small bedroom.

“You’re the witch here. D’you think a spell can do that?”

She still didn’t get a response. After a moment during which she appeared to wait for an answer, she turned to her right when she finally noticed she hadn’t gotten one.

“Tara, what…”

The words died in her throat. Tara was nowhere to be seen.