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The Slayer	By : norwalker Category: BtVS AU/AR > FemmeSlash - Female/Female Views: 19613 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS), nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 31
- 32
- 33
The Slayer

By Norwalker

Part 31 of a multipart story.

Summary: What if Faith came first? If she were the slayer before
Buffy( if Buffy even became a slayer)? Just my take on what might have
happened. AU, of course.

Pairings: Cordelia/Faith; Willow/ Xander; other than that,
pretty much liquid. Even those might not be 'permanent'.

Rating: M( R )

Disclaimer: Characters depicted in this story, except for
original characters created by the author, are the sole property of Mutant
Enemy, Fox and Joss Whedon.

1

"Hey!"

He's startled at the touch on his back, and not being
particularly graceful, almost trips over his own feet. You can see the tension
in his back, his arms, and his body. He's obviously wound tightly, and isn't
very comfortable in who he is or in the role he's forced to play in life.

Walter Kendall whirls around quickly, his face showing his
annoyance. He scans the street behind him, but he doesn't see anyone.

"Cut it out!" He yells to no one, since no one is
really there. "I know you're there� I can see you!" He lies, peering
in the shadows formed between the pools of lights thrown by the streetlights on
this warm Sunnydale night. "It's not funny anymore," he calls out,
trotting back a little the way he came.�

He looks around, and not seeing anyone, he makes a disgusted
noise.

"Stupid jerks" He grumbles, turning back towards home.

Walter Kendall thought for sure that now that Harmony had
disappeared�died?� things would be different.� After all, without big sis around to torture him,� humiliate him, and generally make his life
miserable, he was sure things would be better.

They weren't. His parents still ignored him, more interested in
finding Harmony, their 'star.' He was still picked on at school, he was still
pretty much a nerd, and overall, life still plodded along at it's slow,
torturous pace for him.

But there were new things. He had the sense of being followed
now. He could never see who it was, but he was pretty sure it had something to
do with Harmony; probably her friends torturing him in another, even crueler,
way.

Strangely, the one person who should probably be torturing him
the most, actually treated him the best. For some reason Cordelia Chase seemed
actually friendly towards him. Maybe it was the weirdness of prom and sympathy
over Harmony; maybe it was her own ostracism from her former 'friends', maybe
it was she was as much an outsider now as he was. Whatever it was, she went out
of her way to be nice, talking to him when she saw him, and treating him with
an unprecedented amount of respect.

That doesn't matter right now, however. What does matter is he's
sick of being hounded by a bunch of Neanderthal creeps. He knows they're there,
lurking in the shadows, taunting him. God, what's their trauma, anyway? What
the hell did I ever do to them?

He has a plan for them. Pulling what looked like a gun with no
barrel and a set of prongs out of his pocket, he touched a button on the side
and a small arc of electricity buzzed between the prongs. He'd picked this baby
up off the Internet, and he was going to use it on the next creep that touched
him� if he could only turn around fast enough to catch them!!!!

Walking along the street, head down and stun gun in hand, he's
just crossing the entrance to the alley behind the Bronze when he feels the
hair on the back of his neck rise. Fuck it, I know someone's behind me!

Without warning, he whirls around and thrusts out the gun,
knowing this time he's going to get the creep or creeps who are stalking him.
He can't wait to see the asshole writhing on the ground, at his mercy. Maybe
he'll give them a few kicks, just for laughs�

Nothing. There's nobody behind him.

"Shit! What the hell is�"

Suddenly, something grabs him from behind, and startled, the gun
drops from his hand. He's pulled into the dark alley behind the Bronze.

"Gaaagghhhh," is all he manages, as a strong arm goes
around his neck. He feels himself pulled roughly and tossed into a heap near a
corner of the alley. He almost loses his bladder, knowing that the game has
moved to a new level, and he's probably going to be beaten up. Badly.

He doesn't know the half of it.

He turns to face his attacker, and his heart leaps to his
throat. He feels all of a sudden as if he can't breathe.

Standing in the moonlight, hands on hips with a scornful and
slightly mocking expression is the last person he'd ever expected to see
again.

"Well, hello, little brother. Long time. Miss me?"

* * *

"Harmony?"

Walter stares up at the figure before him, then shakes his head
as if to clear it.

"Harmony?" He repeats,� still not believing his eyes.

"Hey, Walter," Harmony cocks her head to the side.
"Gee, no hugs for big sis?" Her tone is lightly facetious.� She pauses for a moment.

Walter, still in shock, doesn't move.

"Well, I guess not then," She goes over, and grabbing
his collar, drags him to his feet. "Still a wimp I see�" And she
gives him the once over "And a fashion victim. Do you even realize how
wrong that shirt is with those pants?" She shakes her head in disapproval.

"Where� what� " Walter trips over his words. "Mom
and dad, they've been� where the heck have you been? The pods are like frantic
about you�"

"Aw, really?" Harmony says, "Isn't that too
sweet? Did they even interrupt their party schedule and everything?" She
asks brightly.

Walter just stares at her owlishly.

"You're just a regular fount of knowledge, huh? Sooo� how's
school. Is like just everybody talking about my disappearance and stuff?"
Her tone is almost eager.

"Well, actually�" Walter hesitates. "Most figure
that you're hiding out or something after what you did to Cordelia�" he
catches her expression. "But some of the jocks think you're really
missing�"

"Oh?" She pretends indifference.

"Yeah, I mean, they've been giving me a ration wanting to�
anyway, that doesn't matter. You're safe, that's what matters, right?"

"Yeah, I guess�" She doesn't sound convinced.
"What about Cordelia. Is she like lower than pond scum now?"

Walter hesitates. On the one hand, Cordelia has been decent to
him lately.� On the other hand, Harmony
has him in a firm grip, and he's rather scared of her. More than usual, even.
He's not exactly sure he wants to say anything.

"Well?" Harmony shakes him.

"Uhhh� well, yeah, for a couple of days, she was like
totally ignored�"

"YES!" Harmony does a fist pump with her free hand.

"The cool kids and jocks and stuff won't have anything to
do with her�"

"YES!" Another hand pump.

"Funny, she doesn't seem to care much though�"

"What?" That gets Harmony's attention.

"Well, last week, someone wrote "DYKE" on her
locker, and she got all upset�"

"Oh man, I would've loved to have seen that�" Harmony
chortles.

"And she kinda disappeared from school for the rest of the
day�"

"Oh, this is better than I even thought!"

"But well, when she came back? She kind of� seemed not to
care anymore� the last weeks she's just been keeping a low profile, pretty
much, but she doesn't seem to think what happens in school is all that
important�"

"Excuse me, how would you know what she thinks?" Harmony arches a
brow.

"Well�ummm, I talked to her�"

"You talked to her?"

"Yeah, she's been way different. Real nice and all� and
anyway, she keeps saying there's life after high school, and she talks about
what she's going to do after she graduates, and stuff like that�"

Harmony gives him a look. Then, she raps her knuckles on his
head.

"Hello, anyone home?" She says mockingly. "Get
real, Walter. Figure it out. When in this universe would she talk to you?
Unless she figures that somehow, what she says will get back to me?"

"Geeze stop hitting me already!" Walter whines.

"Well, wake up, stupid, and maybe I will. She figures I'm
hiding out, and she's using you to try to make it seem like she doesn't care I
humiliated her in front of the whole school. Like I'm gonna buy that�" She
shrugs. "Not that it really matters, anyway�"

She lets out a low growl, and her face vamps out.

Walter lets out a scream.

"God, you're such a wuss, Walter," vamped Harmony
giggles. " and anyway, I'm still rather pissed at you leaving me there
with that vampire�"

"God, Harmony� what happened to you� nooo� don't�"
Walter starts to wriggle, trying to get away when he realizes what Harmony has
in mind.

"Shut UP!" She slams him into the wall. "I hate
wiggly food, it's gross, you know? Now, just hold still� and let me have a
taste �" She leans in to bite him on the neck.

"Ewww!"

Harmony feels her head jerked back suddenly. It feels as if her
hair is being pulled out by the roots.

"OWWW!" Harmony yells, trying to swing around to
confront her sudden tormentor.

"You know that's just sick, don't you?" Buffy shakes
her head, frowning. "In some states, that'd be incest!"

"Let me go!" Harmony shrieks, trying to free herself
from Buffy's grip. "Let go, you stupid � hair puller!" She claws
behind her, trying to get at Buffy.

Buffy, however, manages to keep just out of her range.� She notices Walter still against the wall,
shaking.

"You� hello, yeah, you -- the almost victim? You can go
now�"

"But�" Walter starts to approach her. "How
�?"

"Go, ok? Kind of busy here, no time for fans�" She
feels Harmony trying to wriggle free of her grasp. "Unless you want me to
let her go?"

"No� no� I'm gone�" Walter turns, and runs out of the
alley, not looking back.

"God," he pants, looking back briefly at the alley
he's just deserted. "That was too close. I've got to get out of this crazy
town. The loonies are taking over�"

"Well, hello, pumpkin�" A female and slightly accented
voice seems to come out of nowhere

Walter is yanked out of the street, into another alley.

There waiting for him is a tall, dark brunette woman,
accompanied by someone with platinum blonde hair slicked back on his head.

"Didn't I tell you, pet? Just wait around and they
practically run into your arms. I swear, this town is almost too easy."

"What?" Walter goes pale, feeling a cold sweat break
out on his forehead. "Who are you?"

"Well, tsk, tsk, where are my manners?" the blond
haired male says with a definite English accent. "This is Drusilla, and my
name is Spike. And you�" He grabs Walter by the neck, shoving him further
into the alley.

Walter stumbles, going to his knees.

"� you are dinner�"

Walter screams as the two surround him.

"Did you hear something?" Buffy asks, pausing for a
moment as if listening. "Oh well, doesn't really matter�" She shoves
a booted foot into Harmony's rear, letting go of her hair at the same moment.

Harmony goes flying into the wall, face first. She manages to
brace herself, and quickly bounces off the wall, turning to face Buffy.

Buffy pulls a stake out of her coat, holding it casually in her
hand. She stands there, confronting Harmony.

"Who are you?" Harmony growls at her, pausing a moment
to look her over. "Do I know you?" She shakes her head, vamping out.
"Frankly? I don't care. I think I'll just kill you now�"

She lunges at Buffy, who deftly sidesteps her, allowing her to
pass right by her. She kicks Harmony, again in the rear, helping her to hit the
wall.� Rushing her, she grabs Harmony by
the collar and slams her up against the wall, face first.

"What is your problem?" Harmony whines. "What did
I do to you?"

"My problem?" Buffy asks, jerking Harmony and shoving
the stake up under her chin. "Gee, I dunno. Maybe I don't like your
clothing�"

"I'll have you know these are designer clothes�"

"By who? Bozo the clown?"

"That's so RUDE!"

Harmony, infuriated, comes out swinging, knocking Buffy back.
She kicks and scratches at her, which Buffy manages to block. She keeps at it,
however, and drives Buffy back against the opposite wall of the alley. She pins
Buffy against the wall.

"So, Miss Smarty, who's pinned now, huh?" She
chortles, grabbing Buffy's hair. She tugs on it. "Doesn�t feel so good,
does it?" She tugs it again, hard.

Buffy, bent over by Harmony's grip, manages to land her fist
into Harmony's stomach. Harmony immediately lets go, and Buffy comes up
swinging, smashing her in the face a couple of times to drive her back.

Harmony cringes back, covering her face from the blows.

"God, don't hit in the face! Are you CRAZY?" She
whines, backing away. "Why're you picking on me? Who ARE you?"

"Well, duh. Didn't the stake give you a clue? I'm the
Slayer�"

Harmony starts to laugh, disconcerting Buffy. She stands there
for a moment, staring at the vampire.

"What the hell is so funny?"

"You are you moron!" Harmony leaps on her, knocking
her down. She pins Buffy down, sitting on her waist as her legs pin her arms.
"The Slayer? You? Yeah, right, and I'm the Easter Bunny�"

"Only if the Easter Bunny has a really bad dye job�"

"Shut UP!" Harmony slaps Buffy across the face.
"I'll have you know I'm a natural blonde!"

"Sure, sure, if that gets you through the night�"
Buffy wriggles underneath Harmony, trying to get leverage. "So what's the
big joke, anyway?"

"Huh? Oh yeah," Harmony starts to giggle. "You, the
Slayer. That's funny. I'll give it to you, you're pretty strong for a runt, but
puh-lease!� The Slayer? I know the
Slayer, and you're no slayer�" She giggles. "I mean, the real
slayer is bigger than you, and brunette� and oh� she's dating my ex-best friend�
so� you are�?" She grins maniacally. "Not that it really matters, cuz
I'm going to eat you anyway�"

"Oh� well, let me answer that with this�" Buffy, with
some effort, manages to free her arms, and grabbing Harmony by the neck, head
butts her. Harmony, stunned, reels back � that's enough for Buffy to flip her
off, and suddenly , the positions are reversed.� She hovers over Harmony, with a stake directly pointed at her
heart. Harmony's eyes go wide.

"Now, let's see, I've got the moves, the speed, the strength,
and oh yeah, the stake. Now, who's the Slayer?" Buffy asks mildly, poking
the stake in Harmony's chest.

"Uhhh�." Harmony looks at the stake, and the insane
girl sitting on her chest. "You are?"

"Good� now see, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Buffy
pokes the stake in her chest. "Was it?"

"No, no� but�"

"But?" Another poke.

"Well, there's this other girl, and SHE says SHE is the
slayer, so�" Harmony swallows loudly, looking at the wicked stake pointed
directly at her heart. "� but of course you're �the slayer�"

"Well, I'm so glad we got that cleared up, "
Buffy mocks her. She pokes the stake a little harder in Harmony's chest.

"Ouch! Watch it! That hurts!"

"Yes, it's kinda supposed to�" She leans over a little
bit. "So, I'm looking for someone. Maybe if you give me some information,
I might be persuaded to let you go�"

"Really?"

"Maybe�" Buffy says coyly. "So, what do you know
about Angelus?"

"Who?"

Another poke.

"EEEHHHH! Wrong answer!" Buffy pokes her again.
"Angelus."

"I've never heard of no Angelus�" Harmony whines, not
liking this.

Of course, I find the STUPIDEST vamp on the block�

"How about Angel? He sometimes goes by Angel�"

"Oh, yeah! Angel, sure, everybody knows Angel�"

Duh!

"So, where can I find him? Where's his nest?"

"What? How should I know? It's not like I hang out with
him. He's� weird�"

"Weird." Talk about the pot and the kettle,
Buffy thinks. "Look, you're not being all that helpful� and I'm in a
hurry�" She pushes a little harder on the stake.

"OWWWW! Wait ok, ok. God, be careful with that thing�"
Harmony shudders. "Look, nobody I know knows him. I mean, really, they guy
is a case, you know? He doesn�t hunt, he doesn't drink� except Pig's blood�
he's got a soul� who�"

"Soul?" Buffy, for the first time is a little thrown.
"What do you mean? He really, really likes Aretha Franklin?"

"Who?"

"Never mind. What're you talking about?"

"He has a soul. Some curse or something. He can't like�
bite anyone�"

"Ok, that's it! I'm tired of this game�." She starts
to push on the stake.

"Wait! Wait� you might talk to Willy. The bartender at� Willy's place�" Harmony speaks quickly,
afraid psycho girl will shove that thing in her any second. "He sometimes
hangs out there. If anyone would know, Willy would�"

"Where's this Willy's?"

"I could show you�"

"No, we're not playing show and tell. Only tell. Where is
it?"

"Uhhh� ok� It's over in the commercial district. Off Main
and Jefferson�" She keeps staring at the stake in Buffy's hand. "�
it's in an alley, so you have to look around a little�" If she could
sweat, she'd be sweating buckets by now. "So, ummm� you're going to let me
go now, right?"

"I dunno�" Buffy presses against her chest. "You
could be lying to me�"

"No, no not lying. I told you� I'll take you there, if you
want�."

"Ok�" Buffy, still holding the stake to her chest,
gets up and backs off a little. "Get up"

Harmony scrambles to her feet, watching Buffy warily.

"It's that way�" She points west.

"You first�" Buffy waggles the stake in her hand.
"And, don't try anything, ok?"

"I won't� I promise�"

Harmony, biting her lip, turns and starts up the alley.

"Vampire?"

"Huh? Oh, no, my name's Harmony�"

"Oh. Harmony?"

"What?" She sounds a little irritated.

"Just kidding�"

Before Harmony can react, Buffy throws the stake, striking her
directly in the heart.

For a moment, Harmony can't believe her own eyes. She looks at
her chest, surprised, then looks up at Buffy.

"You �"

She turns to dust.

Buffy walks over, and looks at the pile of dust that used to be
Harmony Kendall. A satisfied little grin comes over her face. She bends over,
retrieving her stake from the pile.

"Waste not, want not. That's my motto." She puts the
stake in her coat.� She waits a few
beats, then calls out. "You can come out now�"

Silence. Nothing moves in the shadows.

"Ally, Ally Oxen free. The bad vampire is all dead now. You
can come OUT now�"

There's a movement amongst the shadows, then a figure emerges
from the corner of the alley.

Merrick looks less than pleased, and is huffing a little, wiping
his brow.

"I would've assisted you if you required it. However, you
seemed to have things in hand� even if you were a little sloppy in your
technique in taking out that vampire. I mean, really, Buffy. She could've
easily have dodged your stake and gotten away�"

"Well, she didn't, did she? Oh, and good flanking there� on
the OTHER side of the alley. Yup, you would've been a great help I'm
sure�"

"There is no need for sarcasm, Buffy. After all, it's a
watcher's primary duty to train a slayer for her duty. Me being in the thick of
the action certainly wouldn't help you learn to fight vampires and any host of
demons�"

"Of course, much better I get my bones broken and stuff,
right? I mean, slayer healing and all that.�
And anyway, I'm replaceable�"

"Buffy, I didn't mean it like that�" He sees her
expression, and lets out another huff. "Exactly what DO you want,
anyway?"

Buffy shuts her eyes, her whole facial expression tightening up.
"What do I want?" She asks, in a low voice. "I want Ford. I want
my Billy back. THAT'S what I want! We knew each other since we were kids. I
think� I think I always loved him.� And
we � we were supposed to be forever. But he's dead, by some monster vampire,
and I can't have him back, can I? I can't HAVE�
MY BILLY BACK, CAN I?"

For a moment, the hardened exterior, the cynicism drops away,
and all that's left is a young woman. A vulnerable young woman, heartbroken and
hurting.� For a moment, tears blind her
eyes, and she hugs herself fiercely, trying to shut out the bad and just get
herself back under control.

Merrick comes over to her, and puts a hand on her shoulder. She
shrugs it off.

"What I want� is for you to do your job," She says, in
an almost eerily calm voice. "We've been here long enough to find that �
thing that killed Ford, and yet� it takes ME to find any kind of lead�"

"It's not as easy as you're making it out to be,"
Merrick stalls, "This is a Hellmouth, after all. There are all sorts of
places he could lay low�"

"Just find him."

"But�"

"FIND him�" Buffy's tone is terse. "I want to
find that bastard, and kill him. And then, I want to get the fuck outta this
town�"

"I hardly think that's practical, Buffy. After all, you're
only 16�." Merrick says quietly. "Where would you go?"

"What the hell do you care?" Buffy says in a deadened
voice. "I really don't care. As long as it's not here�"

"Buffy, you're not thinking. You can't go off by
yourself�"

"Who's gonna stop me?" She whirls on him. She advances
towards him, and the look in her face makes him back off. She passes by him,
heading for the mouth of the alley. "Didn't think so�" She says
quietly. Then in a louder tone. "Find the son of a bitch, Merrick, cuz,
otherwise, I might just decide you don't want to find him. That would make me mad� and you don't want me mad, do
you?"

Without warning, she
turns on a garbage can, and kicks it violently. So violently it flies across
the alley, nearly hitting Merrick. He ducks, and comes up, looking a little
anxious.

"I'll find him. I
have some leads, I'll find him. I promise�"

"Good. Do it like
yesterday�"

Without another word,
she turns and heads out of the alley.

He stands there awhile,
his anger rising. Finally, he pulls out a cell phone and dials a number.

"Yes, this is
Merrick. Yes� she's getting out of control. You've got to bring Angelus into
play soon, or she'll� what? Yes, I know, but� fine, fine, whatever, but don't
blame ME if she loses it� right, yes, of course� right�"

He hears a click in his
ear, and for a second he holds the phone, debating whether to throw it against
the wall or not. Finally, he pockets it. Frowning deeply, he leaves the alley.

The bonus he promised
better be pretty damn sweet,
Merrick grouses, hating his job more than ever.

2

Giles closes the book
sharply, letting out a small curse.

The mess in his office,
the general state of his dress and grooming all tell what he's been doing since
Faith was released from the hospital. He's almost locked himself in his office,
searching for a way to defeat the threat facing them.

He fishes in the pocket
of his coat, pulling out the chain he 'acquired' from Cordelia. He stares at
the stone, watching the small dull glow at the center seem to throb. His tired
gaze seems locked on it for a moment. Then he looks away, frowning.

He places the necklace
on his desk, and referring back to the book in front of him, he shakes his
head.

If it's possible, his
frown deepens. He has his answer, but it's risky at best. At worst, it could be
a disaster. If it doesn't go
exactly right, we could all be killed.

That thought doesn't improve his mood. The alternative, however,
is unacceptable.

He looks up suddenly when there's a sharp knock followed by the
door of his office opening and closing. He rises, waving to the only unoccupied
chair in his office.

"I'm glad you're here. Please, take a seat�"

"You look awful."

"That doesn't matter now. I need to speak with you."

He walks over, locking the door to his office.

3

"This just isn't
working, Faith�"

Faith and Cordelia are
sitting in the library. It's after school, and both are waiting for the others
to arrive. Each has a rather large, old book in front of them� one off the
stack in the center of the table. Cordelia is looking at Faith, who has her
nose buried in her book.

"What? Well, just
try another one, then�" Faith doesn't look up.

"I'm not talking
about the book," Cordelia says, sighing. "Though, could they write
these things any duller? Geeze, If I see one more 'thee' or 'thou' I'm gonna
scream!" She flips through the book, making a disgusted noise. "They
should translate these things�"

Faith looks up, and
glances at Cordelia's book.

"That's in
English."

"Perchance, wither thou goest, so goes thy
doom!"� Cordelia gives Faith a look. "What kind
of English is that?"

" Middle English,
I think."

"Well, try
something we actually speak�" She slams the book closed. "This
sucks."

"Well, we've got
to do it�"

"I'm not talking
about the research."

"What are you talking about then?" Faith leans her head on her hands.

"This� all of
this�" Cordelia waves her arms around dramatically. "It's not
working�"

"Could you narrow
that down a little?"

"Not being able to
go home, not getting any fresh clothes�"

"Oh�"

"And Joyce was a
little suspicious of me staying at the Harris' while I was supposed to be
taking care of you�"

"Did she buy
it?" Faith looks concerned.

"Yeah, after I did
some fast talking about Willow's place getting fumigated and all�"

�"Well, if she bought it, I don't
understand. I'm sort of confused�"

"You're
confused?" Cordelia laughs, sounding slightly hysterical. "You're
confused!?!? Give me a break, ok? My whole life has been turned upside down in
the last week. My father turns out to be some big bad demon, I've run away from
home, my standing at school has becomes a joke� even the nerds are shunning me
these days, and I'm living in Xander Harris' basement! God, could things get
ANY crazier?"

"Cordelia,"
Faith tries to be patient. This isn�t the first time she's heard this litany.
"It's only temporary. Until Angel shows up again. Then I'll have him find
someplace safe you can stay, without you having to live with the Harrises.
Ok?"

"Well, I wish he'd
get back from whatever he's doing," Cordelia says, impatiently. "I'm
really hating this big time."

"Me too. I'm sorta
getting worried about him,"� Faith
says, looking out the window for no good reason. " He's not usually gone
this long. I hope something hasn't happened to him."

"He's probably off
boinking some willing female vampire or something�"

"Cordelia, it's
not like that. He�"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah,
he has a soul. You've told me like a dozen times now. " Cordelia sighs.
"He's a big boy now. He can take care of himself. Can we get back to me
now?"

Did we ever 'leave' you? Faith thinks, feeling a little annoyed.
"Sure, ok�" She braces for the flood.

"Why do I have to
live there, anyway? I mean, god, the BASEMENT? That place is dark, and damp,
and smelly, for goodness sakes. And they have the washer down there. Do you
know what privacy is? Because, I don't anymore! They come in an out of my
'room' at any time to put in a load of wash!�
And the bed is lumpy� I swear, camels would be envious of the lumps in
that so called mattress I'm sleeping on. And � and � I miss you. Why can't I
stay with you?"

"Cordelia, we went
over that. Once your dad gets back from his 'business trip', and realizes
you're no longer at Casa Chase, where's the first place he's going to
look?"

"Ok, ok, I get it.
But why not with Mr. Giles, then?"

"Cordelia, how is
it gonna look if you're staying at Giles'? A seventeen year old girl with a man
old enough to be her father?"

"You stayed
there!" Cordelia tilts her head�
and smiles. "What about that?"

"For like a night.
When I first came to town, and nobody knew I even here. EVERYBODY would know
you were staying there, and well�"

"Well, I can't go
back to Xander's again�"

"Can't?"

"Won't. I mean,
it's � creepy�"

Faith makes an
impatient noise.

"Well, it IS. I
mean, the Harris' are fighting all the time, and that Mr. Harris�"

"What about Mr.
Harris."

"He gives me weird
looks. Like� he's trying to look up my dress or something�"

"That's just
ridiculous�"

"It's so NOT
ridiculous. The guys a pervert!"

"Cordelia�"
Faith tone gets that familiar warning note in it.

"But the worst is
that she is always there�"

"She?"

"Willow�"

"Ooooh�"
Faith finally gets it. "That's what this is all about?"

"God, she's almost
moved in there ever since I went to stay there. And she's always at me� always
needling me�"

"I'm sure you're
just imagining things�"

"I am not!"
Cordelia stands suddenly, pushing her chair back in a huff. "I'm you're
girlfriend, Faith Lehane. You're supposed to be on my side!"

Faith gets up, and
crossing around the table, puts her arms around Cordelia.

"I am on your
side, baby," She says softly, holding her close. "but really, this is
about you and her getting along�"

"I try� I really
do," Cordelia whines a little, still nestling herself in Faith's arms.
"but she doesn't. All she does is make fun of me�"

"How so?"

"Oh, c'mon, she's
always making snide little remarks about me, and giving me looks, and � just
being mean, you know?"

"Do you
think�" Faith says gently, "you might be being a little
oversensitive?"

"No!"
Cordelia breaks away, and sounds offended. "There you go again, taking her
side!" She stands with her back to Faith.

"I'm not. I'm just
trying to suggest that maybe� just maybe, you're looking at this all wrong.
Maybe it's because you and she haven't exactly been good friends in like� well,
I guess never� and maybe you're mistaking her sense of humor for something a
little more sinister�"

"I am not�"
Cordelia turns to her, face reflecting her upset. "I know what I know,
Faith. I'm not a child. And I really don't like being treated like one�"

"Well, you're
acting like a child," Faith says, a little irritated. "You're not
making any sense!"

Cordelia stares at her,
her lips pursed tightly. She shakes her head slowly.

"You really don't
get it, do you?"

"Get what?"
Faith feels as if she's walked into the middle of a Kafka novel. "Maybe you
should explain it to me?"

"Are you really
the dumb? Oh, and blind?"

"I guess I
am," Faith's voice gets edgier. "You know us Irish Catholics. Dumb as
a post. So, what the hell are you babbling about?"

"You don't have to
get snippy with me!" Cordelia pouts.

"Well, you don't
have to get obscure with me, either," Faith is counting to 10, every
slowly. "If you got something to say, just say it, Cor. Ok?"

"No, I don't think
so!" Cordelia says somewhat petulantly. "If you can't see it, I'm
surely not going to tell you!" She crosses her arms over her chest.

Faith feels the anger
surge inside her. She has the sudden urge to pound the table hard enough to
rattle it, to get Cordelia's attention. Or, maybe, just throw her up against the closest wall. What the fuck
kind of game is she playing here, anyway?

She refrains. She knows
Cordelia has been through� a lot this
last week, learning about her father and to a degree, herself. It's been tough
going, and the last thing Faith wants to do is scare her now. She may at times,
like now, make Faith crazy, but Faith really does love her.

So, she gathers the
threads of her temper tightly, and walks over to Cordelia, once again slipping
her arms around her. She pulls her close.

"Baby, if there's
something bothering you, tell me. If you got something to say, say it."

"You'll get
mad," Cordelia finds comfort in Faith's arms about her, but still shivers.
She knows Faith's temper.

"Promise,"
Faith brings her lips to Cordelia's ear, causing a shiver for an entirely
different reason. "I won't get mad."

Cordelia screws up her
courage. This isn't going to be easy, she knows that. But she has to point out
the obvious.

"God, don't you
see it?" She says, turning around in Faith's arms so she's facing her.
"Willow is so in love with you. I'm pretty sure she wishes I were like,
disappeared so she could have you�"

She braces for the
explosion, closing her eyes, and waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting.

She peeks, to see Faith
looking at her like she's grown an extra set of eyes.

Then the worst thing
possible happens.

Faith begins to laugh.

"What? It's NOT
FUNNY!" Cordelia protests, shoving Faith away this time.

"Oh, yeah it is.
My god, that's like the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Faith starts to
laugh harder.

"It's NOT STUPID!
And it's NOT FUNNY!" Cordelia feels her anger rising. "The only
stupid thing around here is YOU!"

"Oh, c'mon, you're
not serious. This is gotta be a joke�"

"Serious as a
heart attack! God. Don't you even see the way she looks at you? Like you just
stepped off some cloud or something? And she's all nice to me around you, but
when you're not around, OH Boy. She's as bitchy as she can get away with. There
are more times I wanted to slap her silly than I can count, she's so rude. But
not around you. Because she wants you to see how sweet she is, and how stupid I
am, and how much better off you'd be with her instead of me. And that doesn't
sound right, but YOU know what I MEAN!"

"Yeah, I know what
you mean, and you couldn't be wronger!" Faith makes an annoyed noise.
"Have you seen the way she almost drapes herself over Xander? She's always
snuggling and kissing him. God, I sometimes think she wants to crawl in his
pants with him. She totally adores him. " Faith shakes her head briskly in
disbelief and wonder. "Where you get your ideas sometimes, I just don't
have a clue�"

"Well, duh, you
don't have a clue. That's not news!" She rolls her eyes. "God, how
can you be so blind, anyway? Sure, she acts like that around you. But she's NOT like that when you're not around. I'm not saying she's
treating Xander like a dog, but I swear sometimes she should just put a collar
on him and get it over with. And she pretty well makes sure I don't interact
with Xander unless there's no other choice. God, she's like a kid. She wants
her candy, and my candy, too."

"So, I'm M&M's
now?" Faith� throws up her hands.
"I'm not listening to this crap now, because its� crap! I don't know why
you're jealous of Will, but let me spell it out for you. We're friends. That's
it, and only it. Friends. Nothing more, got it?"

"Yeah, sure, maybe
that's how you see it, but that's not how she sees it�" Cordelia feels the
fury, the anger and the frustration that's been building up in her over the
last week spill over. "I can't believe you're so incredibly stupid that
you can't see what's going on�" Then she stops. She glares at Faith, and
slowly a sneer ruins her otherwise pretty face. "Or maybe you do see
what's going on�"

"What the
hell?" Faith feels her own anger rise. "What's THAT �supposed to mean?"

"Maybe you do know
what's going on�" Cordelia says in a voice dripping with acid. "Maybe
you like the fact that she fawns all over you. Like having the attention
without the mess of having a girlfriend. Maybe YOU wish I weren't around, so things
could go back to the way they were. That's it, isn't it? You wish I were gone,
don't you? You want her, and not ME! God, how could I be so stupid!"

"That�s IT!"
Faith roars, her fist slamming down on the solid oak table, causing it shudder.

Cordelia blanches before
Faith's anger. She instinctively starts to back away.

"DON'T MOVE!"
Faith commands, her fury up. She literally sweeps to where Cordelia is
standing, grabbing her. "What the hell is you're problem? WHY are you
acting like THIS!"

"Like WHAT!"
Cordelia yells back at her.

"LIKE A JEALOUS
BRAT!"

"I AM NOT
JEALOUS!"

Cordelia slaps her.

Faith stands there, her
eyes going wide. The color drains from her face, except for two bright red
spots on her cheeks. Her dark eyes glitter in anger.

Cordelia feels her
stomach clench, and her knees go weak. She knows she's crossed the line, big
time.

At that moment, the
doors to the library open, and Xander, followed by Willow, enter.

"Hey, guys, what's
going on ? We heard the shouting� whoa!"

Xander fades out as he
sees the two women, glaring at each other, looking like they're about ready to
come to blows.

"Oh, Oh! Looks
like there's trouble in paradise," Willow cracks, sarcastically.

Hearing Willow's voice,
Cordelia suddenly turns towards her. Her face flushes red.

"You� you�.
BITCH!"

Losing it, she rushes
at Willow before Faith or anyone can stop her. She almost leaps on Willow,
knocking her to the floor. She starts to bitch slap her.

"This is YOUR
fault!" She yells, slapping her again and again.

"WHAT THE
HELL!" Willow screams, trying to protect herself against the nest of
hornets known as Cordelia attacking her. "Get off me! GET OFF ME!"
She yells out to no one in particular. "GET HER OFF ME!"

Faith and Xander, both
stunned by Cordelia's fury, freeze for a moment. Then, as if a switch is
thrown, both go to separate the warring women,

"You little bitch!
You like this, don't you?" Cordelia slaps her. "You like me and Faith
fighting! You want her to hate me! You want her for yourself! Don't you? DON'T
YOU! Admit it, you skanky little SLUT!"

"Get OFF me you
CRAZY BITCH!" Willow swings at her wildly, hitting her half the time.
"YOU'RE A NUTJOB! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU�
TALKING ABOUT!????"

Faith grabs Cordelia
around the waist, and none to gently pulls her off Willow.

Willow, her anger
burning like a torch, scrambles to her feet. She starts at Cordelia, her fists
up.

"You lousy, stupid
BITCH!" She yells at her, trying to get at her around Faith. "I knew
being NICE to you was a mistake! You CRAZY BRAT! God, you've been doing nothing
but whining and complaining all week, and we've put up with it, cuz Faith asked
us to. But this is�" She charges Cordelia, not caring if she hits Faith in
the process anymore.

She's stopped when she
realizes her feet are no longer in contact with the floor. Xander has grabbed
her, and is holding her up off the floor so she can't advance.

"LET ME GO,
XANDER!" She screams, her arms and legs flailing. " It's time that
CUNT learns her place! LET ME GO!"

Faith pushes Cordelia
against the table, holding her in place despite Cordelia trying to get around
her at Willow. "ARE YOU CRAZY? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

"WRONG WITH ME?
WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? CAN'T YOU SEE WHAT SHE'S DOING?"

And once again, she
slaps Faith across the face.

"That's it�"
Faith's voice goes deadly quiet.

Before Cordelia can
react, she shoves Cordelia over the table, nearly slamming her face into the
wood. She grabs her skirt, and throws it up, revealing her panty clad bottom.

"What� What are
you doing? What're you going to do?" Cordelia's voice has more than a
touch of fear in it.

Faith's hand comes down
hard on her� ass.

"NOOOOO!"
Cordelia cries out in pain and humiliation. "DON'T!"

But Faith isn't
listening. Again, and again, her hand comes down hard on Cordelia's rear,
causing her to jump and wiggle out of the way.

"STOP IT! STOP
HITTING ME!"

Faith is adamant. All
her stress and frustration and anger and fear come out, and she is damned if
she's going to take more humiliation from her crazy, jealous girlfriend. That
last thing she needs right now is to be humiliated.

Xander and Willow are
frozen in place, agog.� Neither knows
exactly what to make of this, and are afraid to breath, much less move or
speak.

"YOU'RE HURTING
ME!!! STOP IT , YOU'RE HURTING ME!" Cordelia cries out, wriggling under
Faith's harsh blows, trying to escape. But Faith has her pinned, and there's no
way she's going to get free until Faith releases her.

Faith delivers a series
of well placed blows on Cordelia's bottom, Cordelia struggling and screaming
all the time. She rears back to deliver yet another when the doors to the
library burst open.

"WHAT in HEAVEN'S
NAME is going on in here!"

Giles, looking not at
all pleased, is standing in the doorway.

All of them, except
Cordelia, turn towards Giles.

Faith, disgusted with
herself, and her lack of control, angry with Cordelia for making her lose
control, pulls Cordelia up off the table, and then moves away, hugging herself.

Willow and Xander stand
silent, looking strangely guilty.

Cordelia stands alone,
humiliated. She looks around the room, and her eyes fix on Faith.

"I hate you�"
She says, her voice low and harsh. She turns on the others. "I hate ALL of
you!"

Without warning, she
pushes through them, deliberately shoving Willow and almost knocking Giles over
at the doorway. She stops, and turns, her face flushed red.

"I hope he kills
you all!"

With that, she storms
out of the library.

"Well, good
riddance is all I've got to say!" Willow, looking flustered, spits out after
she's gone.

"Shut up,
Willow!" Xander says, clearly upset.

"What?"
Willow looks at him, annoyed.

Faith, steaming, pushes
her way towards the door, giving Willow an extra hard shove. She disappears
through the swinging doors.

"Faith!"
Giles calls after her. "What's going on here? Would somebody explain what
I just saw?"

"I think she's
going after Cordelia," Xander says, his tone sounding strangely distant.

"God, why? Let the
crazy bitch go! We're better off without her," Willow grumbles, trying to straighten
out her clothing.

"What happened
here?" Giles repeats, his tone measured. "We've got a lot of trouble
going on, and the last thing we need is this fighting and drama. Why was
Faith�" He blushes, and instinctively, reaches for his glasses to clean
them. "Why was Faith� doing that to Cordelia?"

"The crazy bitch
attacked me for no reason!" Willow exclaims. "God, she deserved
it!"

"No reason?"
Xander asks, his tone edgy.

"Xander?"
Suddenly, Willow isn't liking that tone.

"I think she has
plenty of reasons�" Xander frowns at her.

"What're you
talking about?"

"I'm not stupid,
Willow. I saw the way you were treating her all week. She was right. This IS
your fault. And frankly�" He moves to the doorway. "� I don't think I
want to be here anymore."

"Xander! Wait,
I'll come with�" Willow starts towards him.

"No, you're not
getting it. You stay. I'm going. I don't want to be here, because you're here. And, frankly, I don't want to be here with you� or anywhere with
you � right now."

Xander pushes out the
doors, letting them swing behind him.

Willow stands looking
at the doors swinging, agape. She turns to Giles, but he looks as clueless as
she.

"Xander!"
Willow calls out, running out the doors after him.

Leaving Giles alone. He
stands in the library, suddenly feeling very small, and very weak. He settles
into one the chairs, exhaustion overtaking him. Leaning on his hand, he mutters
to himself.

"We're
doomed."

There isn't a hint of
irony or sarcasm in his voice.

To be continued
- 31
- 32
- 33
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