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Everything Is Different Now	By : Declan Category: -Buffy the Vampire Slayer > FemmeSlash - Female/Female > Buffy/Faith Views: 7516 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy The Vampire Slayer Television Series. Joss Whedon does. This is done for simple fun, I'm not making any money from this.

Chapter List
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Picking Up The Pieces 4 (What Was Lost And Found)

The swarm of the dead was nearing sixty percent critical damage when they all ceased to function. Adam withdrew his barb from the skull cavity of the mobile cadaver and watched with satisfaction as it fell to the ground. Then he saw that all the others had stopped moving in turn.
It had taken him approximately four seconds to calculate that the mysterious energy used to animate the corpses only dissipated when the brain stem or spinal column was decisively compromised. Decapitation, brain or back injury or colossal nervous trauma all resulted in loss of function.
Interesting.
And now all of them had become dormant. A loss of data perhaps, or an interruption in the command stream, had let to this. Remarkable but inefficient.
Adam dropped the inactive remains onto the large pile of copses and body parts that surrounded him and looked around at them all. Numbers were good; cohesion of force, the unity shown here was also effective. But ultimately these bodies were human, and too fragile. Life did not cling to them for long, unlike the demon he had previously encountered.
Adam stepped over the body parts, too old and used to garner any more meaningful data from.
Still, the information was important. He was learning what would be necessary.
Numbers. Cohesion. Clarity of vision. Freedom from the weakness of humanity. From the weakness of flesh.
As Adam walked off into the night he had an inkling of what he needed to work towards.
He would need an army.

*~~*

Buffy let out a shaky breath as she tried to get to her feet but she felt Faith plant a firm boot in the middle of her back and push against her so she stumbled and fell again.
Faith’s voice was cold and teasing. “Ah, ah, gotta show you my appreciation first. First off, thank you Buffy for chaining me up in a fucking bathtub!”
With that growl of anger she snapped a kick into Buffy’s ribs that knocked the breath from her lungs and sent her rolling across the ground. Buffy stopped and came up off the ground on her elbows, wheezing out a groan of pain.
Faith strutted closer. “Thank you Buffy for tellin’ me to tow the line or you’d hand me over to some Watcher clean-up crew.” Another kick to the ribs that flipped Buffy onto her back, she felt jagged white flashes of pain that seemed to emanate from her torso and travel up to flare across her vision.
Buffy managed to pull herself upright and crawl away from Faith. She looked at the other slayer in disbelief. “W-why?”
Faith smirked cruelly. “Why? God, you’re so pathetic. Only reason I came here and went through this is t’get free and t’have another shot at you. It’s that simple, B.” Faith shook her head and gestured sadly at Buffy, “I mean look at you, you’re easy, with all your hand-wringing and worrying and then you go and drop your guard. It’s actually kinda funny.”
Buffy felt a gravestone push against her back and stopped crawling. She blinked in confusion, none of this made any sense. Faith wouldn’t do this, they had been fighting together, it had been working and now Faith was just throwing all that away.
“No.” Buffy grimaced as she reached up, gripped the top of the headstone and pulled herself upright. She leaned back for support. “Y-you saved my life back there.”
Faith rolled her eyes. “Wouldn’t have been as fun otherwise, B. See, I sorta did have this one dream I wanted to recreate. Had it over and over during my near-death experience, it was real vivid. There was this cemetery, see, and you and me. And you were chasing me with a knife, my knife actually.” Faith gestured to the knife in her hand, “I guess this will do in a pinch. I’m pretty sure it was just symbolic anyway.”
Faith stepped closer, her eyes blazing. “Symbolic of all the things you took from me; like the slaying, the friends, the only guy who ever gave a damn about me, everything that ever mattered. You took it all, for nothing. And then you moved on like I was nobody.”
Buffy grimaced and shook her head. “I already told you that I–”
Faith stepped forward and backhanded Buffy so hard that she flipped clear over the tombstone and landed hard on the grass behind. In moments, Faith hopped next to her, grabbed Buffy by the hair and hauled her to her feet.
Buffy cried out as Faith’s strong fingers clamped down on her shoulders. “No more speeches, no more empty words, there’s just this; you and me, we finish it.”
She brutally shoved Buffy so she cart-wheeled backwards and slid across the ground on her face. Buffy stopped between piles of churned up earth and yawning open graves, the remnants of the dead.
She forced herself onto her knees, desperately ignoring the fatigue in her limbs and the burning, throbbing sensation in her chest that had nothing to do with pain. Weakness seemed to flood her, pooling in her limbs and making her bones ache with weariness. She managed to get a leg under her push herself upright as she turned towards Faith.
The other girl had her arms folded, knife still in one hand. She tilted her head as she sized Buffy up. “You’re not looking so good there, B. Maybe that demon took more outta you than I thought. I mean, I wanted you softened up some but not this weak-shit.” She paused as the sound of thunder rumbled across the dark sky, “Huh, looks like we’re in for some rain. That’s perfect; it rained in my dream too.”
Buffy huffed out a weak, desperate laugh. “So what, now we fight again? This is just sad, we fight, you lose, again, and then what? Or didn’t you think that far ahead?”
Faith grinned widely like she was having fun. “No way you’re gonna win, not with you shakin’ like that.” Buffy looked down at herself and tried to stop the trembling in her limbs.
“Nah, we’re gonna have to up the stakes, get you in the game a little.” Faith paced back and forth a little, before stopping and nodding. “I got it.” She snapped her fingers, “After I beat you I won’t kill ya off, not right away. Nah, I’ll just stick you in one of these holes for a while.”
She stepped forward, staring into Buffy’s eyes, “Then I’m gonna go to Giles’ house, kill him, kill Xander, maybe kill that chick that he’s with ‘cause, what the hell. Then I’ll have to go and find Red; I’ll make that one last I’ll tell ya.”
Buffy shook her head, despair welling up within her. “Faith, stop this.”
But Faith kept on, nodding in satisfaction. “Kill Riley? Definitely have some fun there. Then, maybe your mom? I mean, that’s kinda tired, and it’s not really a challenge but still, rounds Sunnydale off nicely. Then I probably should go all the way to LA and stake soul-boy. Do it right this time,” Faith gestured at Buffy with the knife, “After that I’ll come all the way back here, when you have nothing, when I’ve taken it all, I’ll apologise to your face.” Faith eyed Buffy coldly, “Then you’ll know how I feel, and understand why I’m doing this.”
Buffy wasn’t shaking anymore, she stood stiff as rain fell from the sky, hissing through the air to patter on obelisks and drench the ground. She didn’t feel the wet, or the cold. Her tiredness had faded and her despair was a dwindling, flickering voice in the back of her head. She allowed the slayer in her to take over. So she could end things.
Buffy shifted her stance and tensed herself. “Enough. If this is what you want, fine, but you’re not hurting anymore people.”
The sky rumbled again and opened wide, the heavens poured out a torrent. Faith growled and rushed at Buffy with her knife.
The dark slayer lashed out, her blade a leaping glint of silver in her hand as Buffy lurched away to avoid it. Faith’s strokes were angry and clumsy but fast, and Buffy had to be quick to dodge around the side of the other girl and counter her. She snapped out her arm, caught Faith in the side of the face but Faith countered with a roundhouse kick that knocked Buffy back against the slick stone of a statue. Faith stabbed at her and again Buffy saw the telegraphed move and twisted to one side. The blade scraped stone and Buffy kicked out, spinning it out from Faith’s grasp and sending it clanging against a headstone.
Faith cried out angrily and went at Buffy harder, punching her sides with a blazing ferocity. “Come on!” She cried and grappled Buffy back again, both spinning towards the ring of open graves. Buffy broke the other girl’s grip and struck out, fast punches that caught Faith in the chest and then the face, but the brunette pushed through the onslaught, grimacing as she threw a powerful right into Buffy’s shoulder that drove Buffy back. Buffy ducked a follow-up punch and spun to elbow Faith in the face. Grunting in pain, Faith shoulder barged Buffy and then back-handed her so they both tumbled to the ground. Faith went down on top of her, fists hammering Buffy’s sides and her stomach, stabs of pain that threatened to overwhelm her. “I’ll kill them, you hear me!”
Buffy surged upwards with newfound strength and threw Faith over her head. She flipped to her feet and spun to drive a heel under the other girls chin. Redirecting a clumsy counter, Buffy punched Faith hard, feeling something burst under her knuckles and saw Faith fly back and smack hard against a stone marker that lay flat across the ground.
Buffy saw her shake as she picked herself up and glanced back at Buffy, looking at her under a wet curtain of hair.
Buffy stepped back, hit by a sudden thought. The look on Faith’s face echoed one she’d seen on Faith, her Faith, on the night the truth finally came out. Her hateful rant, all that anger, and then afterwards in the library, Faith gave insight into what she would be thinking, what she would want.
“If all I did was hurt people, then I know that deep down I wouldn’t really wanna live. You’d... you’d probably be doin’ me a favour.”

‘Oh, god.’
Faith spat something and ran at Buffy, flinging fists in Buffy’s direction. Buffy ducked back and blocked a vicious right hook then a strong left cross. She pushed and struggled against Faith’s strength as the other girl screamed in her face.
Buffy pushed and then suddenly yielded, sending Faith stumbling past her and slipping on the slick mud. The brunette’s knees pounded the ground as she twisted and struggled to get up.
Buffy shook her head. “Faith, stop this.”
“Gonna die.” Faith snarled as she righted herself, barreling towards Buffy. Buffy blocked a right cross, and then a front kick aimed at her solar plexus. Faith’s rage, all that was fueling her, was spluttering. “You hear me! I’ll kill them all!”
Buffy grabbed Faith’s surging fist and twisted to throw her over her hip. Faith slammed against the sodden earth but snapped a leg up to catch Buffy in the face.
Buffy staggered back but didn’t fall. She steadied herself as Faith came at her again. “I won’t Faith. I won’t do it.”
Faith punched her, Buffy’s head snapped to the side more with the momentum of the blow than the impact. She turned, grabbed Faith’s jacket and shoved her back hard to the ground.
Faith slid and slipped in the mud, her hair flattened against her skull. She flipped it out of her face as she came up and collided with Buffy, stumbling as she tried to land a solid blow. She screamed against her face.
“Are you listening? I’ll kill them… I’m evil!” Faith’s hands slapped against Buffy, pushing the both of them back, “I’m evil!” Her fingers were knotted in Buffy’s clothes, pushing and pulling against her, like she had no strength left, “I’ll…I’m evil! I-I’m bad, I’m bad… you hear me… I’ll kill…”
Suddenly Faith’s feet slid out from under her and she fell, dragging Buffy down with her she knelt in the mud. “I’m bad!” She choked out as she pulled herself up. She looked at Buffy; her face was a crumpled mask of despair, “Please, Buffy… I’m evil… I’m bad! Just… please just kill me.” Her voice broke as she sobbed and collapsed, pushing her face down into Buffy’s lap even as Buffy put her arms around her.
Buffy pressed her head against the top of Faith’s head; she heard the sound of anguished cries and wet sobs over the thundering downpour of rain that beat against them both.
Stroking her hands through Faith’s hair, she made gentle shushing sounds as she cradled the other girl’s trembling form.
Buffy remembered the daydream she’d had, when she’d first heard Faith was awake. About how she would find her and take her and hold her and tell her everything would be okay. But now she had no voice: this was stark reality not some stupid fantasy. Cradling the broken girl in her arms, Buffy didn’t know how to handle this much pain in somebody else. Where could she begin to help?
All that she could remember at that moment was Faith’s voice, in the library. Her last words about the things she’d done in this world, about the person she had become.
“Don’t give up on me, B. Please.”
Buffy closed her eyes against her own tears and gently rocked Faith against her, murmuring. “I won’t. I won’t ever. I promise.”

*~~*

Ethan Rayne stopped at the entrance to the Watcher’s safe house. “I won’t be staying here”, he said flatly, his tone almost prim. He rubbed his now freed wrists as he gave the place the once-over.
Morley kept on moving into the cramped interior of the warehouse. “Of course not. Eventually the Watcher’s Council will pull strings, at some expense, and remove their men from incarceration to return here. This place is not suitable for any long-term operation, but there are things here we have need of.”
Rayne looked over the remnants left by the previous occupants, taking in sagging camp-beds and a beer-stained card table. “What could we possibly need here?”
“Money, for one thing.” Morley gestured to a briefcase on top of a pile of rucksacks, “Earthly resources always come in useful when you need somewhere quiet to work.” She walked over to one of the workshop benches and saw what she wanted, sitting there because the fools had not known what was in their possession, “And this.”
She scooped up the arcane mechanism that had briefly been in Faith’s hands before she’d had a chance to use it. This was what Morley had come here for; with some modification by a skilled chaos sorcerer, it would be perfect for her plans involving the two slayers.
Morley looked over other leftovers, electronic equipment, a police scanner, a few guns, modern crudities she had little use for. She turned back to Rayne. “I believe around here somewhere are refreshments.”
Rayne was already pawing through the packs, finding rolls of dollars and a bottle of amber liquid. “Single malt. Not bad. One of them had taste at least.”
Morley motioned to get his attention. “Not here. There are suitable clothes in the packs there. Change and then go to the Fairmont hotel and obtain a suite. Pay cash and wait for me there.”
Rayne thought about it and nodded readily. “Very well.”
Morley laughed at that. “You are so transparent Ethan. You think that with clothes and money you can simply disappear without repaying me for my generosity. And so you might, but you will not get far. I will inform the Initiative of your exact location and be done with you.”
Morley stepped closer, liking the wary look on Rayne’s face. He wasn’t used to being read so easily, “However, if you are at the hotel when I return I shall tell you my plan.”
“Yes, well the thing is I’ve sub-contracted in the past. It’s never really worked out to be honest.”
“And your enmity with Rupert Giles has?” Morley chuckled, “I offer you power Ethan. A chance at revenge not only at Rupert Giles but his beloved slayer as well.”
“Oh, I do like power.” Rayne replied with relish.
“Not only power but the chance at causing some real chaos. Unleashing anarchy. Does that sound like something that would appeal to you?”
Rayne gave Morley a measured look. “Fairmont hotel you say? I’ll be waiting, and I’ll want details before I commit to anything more.” With that, he walked towards the back with one of the packs.
Morley watched him depart and smiled. “As you wish.”

*~~*

Buffy limped as she pushed through the kitchen door. She stopped and gently guided an unresisting Faith into the gloom, out of the rain. The house was warm and dry and Buffy suppressed a shiver as she reached out and turned on the light.
She turned back to Faith just as her mom came into the room; Joyce was wrapped in her dressing gown and looked tired. “Buffy?” She saw Buffy and then saw Faith and the state they were both in, “Oh, my God. What happened?”
“We’re okay Mom...Faith and I; we fought a demon and got kinda beat up in the process. Please don’t worry.”
“I hadn’t heard from you since yesterday when you went... chasing off.” Her mom cast a look at Faith. The dark-haired girl wasn’t listening or aware, just staring down at the kitchen table, looking through it into a faraway nothingness. “Is she... are you sure you’re alright Buffy?”
Buffy tried to smile and it came out shakily. “Sure, just... Faith got hurt, so I’m gonna, I mean she’s gonna stay in my room, okay?” She saw Joyce about to object, “Just for tonight I promise, I’ll... I’ll be with her the whole time.”
Joyce took this in. “Well, okay. You get her settled; there are fresh towels in the hall cupboard. And then you and I should talk.” Her voice was firm and full of mom-authority.
Buffy nodded wearily. “Okay.”
Joyce watched as Buffy delicately took hold of Faith and led her out of the kitchen, through the dimly lit house and up the stairs. She took the girl to her bedroom and switched on the bedside lamp. She left briefly to grab a warm, fluffy towel from one of the cupboard shelves. When she came back Faith hadn’t moved form her spot, her eyes flicked aimlessly across the room, like she didn’t recognise where she was.
“Here.” Buffy said and draped the towel across her shoulders, “Sit.” She manoeuvred Faith to sit on the bed and lay on her side. The dark-haired girl trembled as she pulled the towel tight around her and drew her legs up, curling on the bed.
Buffy took a hesitate step back. “I-I need to go and talk to Mom... but I’ll be close by in case... I’ll come back.” She turned away.
“...Buffy.” Faith spoke softly, her husky voice had never sounded wearier.
Buffy turned around and put up her hands. “Just don’t, okay. I-I...God.” Buffy put her face in her hands, she felt like crying or screaming into a pillow. She felt like she was about to have an out-of body experience brought on by pure stress.
She brought her hands down when the moment passed and looked at Faith. The other slayer was looking at her now, had come back to herself. She seemed aware.
Buffy shook her head. “Ever since you woke up from that coma, my whole life– a life that I was managing to cope with- has just fallen apart. My friends, my boyfriend, everything seem so fragile right now.” Buffy sniffed and hugged herself; she made herself look at Faith. The brunette’s eyes never left her, wounded brown pits that seemed to flicker with something.
“Things aren’t the way they should be, they’re all different, and I thought that I could fix... I thought I could maybe try and make it like it was, just like that, if I worked hard enough at it. And it just seems like things collapse even harder, and I think ‘what’s the point’.”
Buffy stared hard at Faith before moving to sit down on the edge of the bed. She sensed Faith tense up as she watched Buffy come nearer.
Buffy half-turned and put a hand on Faith’s leg. “And then I see you and I remember. I remember you Faith, I remember who you used to be, who we were, before everything fell apart. That’s the point.” Buffy blinked back tears, “I know you won’t believe me, especially after tonight, but I know you, Faith. I know exactly who you are, in your heart, where it matters. Maybe you’ve forgotten, by I never could. We know, we sense parts of each other that nobody else could ever...” Buffy cleared her throat as she gazed at Faith. “I believe in you, Faith. And I believe in us. That’s why I know that we gonna get through this, that we’re going to fix things, together. I don’t care how long it takes, or if you fight me, or whatever. We’ll get back to where we were.”
Buffy sniffed and stood up, she felt Faith’s eyes on her. “Get some sleep; I’ll be back in a little while.”
Buffy left the room, leaving the door ajar slightly as she walked to the head of the stairs. She took a long, steadying breath, and then went down to talk with her mom, to offer some reassurance.
Buffy hoped that her mom believed her. She hoped that Faith believed her.
Hope was pretty much all she had left.
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Everything Is Different Now