FIC: Like...Fate

[Patrick Kelly <bandits@xxxxxxxxx>]

Title: Like...Fate
Author: Pat Kelly
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Takes place during "Faith, Hope, and Trick". Buffy and Faith's first meeting
goes...a little differently then we've seen before. More parts to come.
Disclaimer: Joss and Mutant Enemy only. I do not own..
No money is being made.

LIKE&FATE

Buffy was leading the gang around the side of the Bronze; a little suspicious about a
couple that had just exited the club. More specifically, she thought that the guy was a
vampire. It was nice to be with her friends again. She had just recently returned to
Sunnydale after leaving for the summer. To break it down, she left because of certain
"issues" and guilt that she felt she couldn't deal with if she had stayed.

Skewering her souled vampire boyfriend and sending him to Hell is what had occupied her
mind the most, but there were also numerous other reasons for fleeing the town. Her belief
that she caused her best friend to end up in a coma (by not being there to protect her),
the fact that she had been expelled from school, and that her mother had practically
thrown her out of the house. Then, of course, she had allowed her watcher and father
figure to be taken and tortured for hours.

When she had come back, she realized just how much she had hurt everyone. Her mother had
been worried sick, her watcher had been flying all over the country searching for her, and
her friends thought it was their duty to slay vampires in her absence. They were risking
their lives doing her job. Talk about friendship. And to top it all off, she wasn't there
for her best friend as she went through the biggest change ever in her life. It had been a
big summer.

It was rocky at first. There was yelling, crying, and arguments. Hesitation,
distrust&which Buffy realized she had brought upon herself by going missing for three
months. But that was slowly being put behind them now. They were becoming the Scooby Gang
again, and she felt good. Supported. She thought she could deal with things on her own,
but all she learned during her "away time", was that she couldn't run from who she was.

Being around people who cared about her was helping her heal a lot quicker than her
excursion had. And she'd never try to escape her problems again. She made that promise to
herself. Her mother had welcomed her back to the house with open arms, and she was no
longer expelled because she had been there to face things head on. And to not be afraid of
the outcome.

Kind of like what she was going to do with this vampire. Face him, and not back away. If
she could find him and his human date before something bad happened.

"Where'd she go? Buffy asked her friends.

"I bet it's nothing. They're probably just making out." Cordelia said.

They heard a girl scream and some loud, clanging noises. Xander gave Buffy a stake.

"That's not what making out sounds like, unless I'm doing it wrong." Willow said to her
boyfriend Oz.

The gang moved around the back of the building, and saw the vampire move in to bite his
date. As Buffy was going to rush in and stop him, a brown-haired girl seemingly appeared
out of nowhere and grabbed the unsuspecting vampire by the neck. She then pushed him away,
and elbowed him in the face. He staggered back and regained his balance, as she jumped
onto a crate. She did a jumping roundhouse kick to his face, knocking him to the pavement.


The girl approached the group with a smile, and then focused on Buffy with a look of
disbelief.

"Buffy?"

"Faith?" Buffy questioned, with that same look.

The vampire came up behind the girl the gang now knew as Faith, and grabbed her by the
shoulders. She snapped her head back, head-butting him in the face. She grabbed onto his
arm.

"This is too cool."

She twisted the vampire around and shoved him into the section of chain link fence.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say there's a new Slayer in town." Oz said.

"Yeah, and Buffy knows her." Willow said.

Faith kneed him in the gut from behind. The vampire whirled around trying to backhand her,
but she ducked. She then punched him in the gut and then again in the face. Everyone just
watched her fight. She did a high kick to the vampire's jaw, grabbed onto his shirt and
threw him to the ground. The vampire did a front roll to control his fall while Faith
turned to Buffy, pointing to the stake.

"Mind?"

Buffy handed it over, smiling. She couldn't believe it.

The vampire used the momentum of his roll to get back to his feet and ran at Faith,
throwing a punch. She ducked, hooked her hand on his shoulder, turned him around, and
pushed him back into the fence. She raised the stake and jammed it into his chest and took
it back out. The vampire turned to dust.

Now that the danger was gone, Buffy gripped the brunette in a hug. Faith returned it,
while handing the blonde back her stake. They separated, and Buffy was trying to find
words to form a thought.

"Oh my God&when? How? What?" Buffy asked.

"Forgot 'Who' and 'Where'." Faith said with a grin. "This place got food? I'm starved."

"Yeah&come on." They started moving, Buffy dragging Faith by the hand. She remembered her
friends, and was instantly apologetic. "Sorry, guys. This is Faith."

"Hey." The gang chorused.

"How's it goin'?" Faith asked in greeting.

"We'll explain." Buffy promised, seeing all their puzzled expressions.

"Good enough for me." Xander said, eyeing the new slayer while trying not to salivate too
much.

They all began to head back into the Bronze.

***

Xander had insisted on welcoming the new arrival by showing her the delicacies that the
Bronze had to offer. While they were getting grub, that left Oz and Willow together on a
couch, Buffy across from them in a loveseat, and a disgusted Cordelia sitting by herself
on yet another couch. The redhead took the opportunity to lean forward and question her
happy friend.

"So? Where do you know her from? Is there a slayer camp?" Willow asked.

Buffy was amused. "I had no idea she was a slayer until five minutes ago. So no. No slayer
camp, Will."

"Oh." The hacker was even more confused than she was before.

Xander and Faith were returning, him leading the way. He reached the group first, and sat
beside his girlfriend. She slapped his arm. He rubbed the attacked area, and looked at
Cordelia with a "What?" expression on his face. Faith sat on the arm of Buffy's loveseat,
and took a bite out of a muffin she had purchased.

"Explanation time, I guess?" Buffy asked.

Four nodding heads answered her. And Faith, her mouth full, gave a thumbs up.

"It was five, no four, years ago. Right?" Buffy waited for confirmation.

"You told me you were going into 9th." Faith answered. "This all happened before we were
drafted."

Xander, Cordelia, and Willow were a little slow.

"Pre-Slayer days." Oz cleared up.

"Ohhh." The enlightened trio made "continue" gestures.

"Yeah. So it was the summer just after I had graduated 8th grade. I was gonna be starting
Hemry in the fall. My parents weren't divorced yet, but they still fought a lot." Buffy
sighed.

"So they did break it off, huh?" Faith asked, and Buffy nodded. "Man, sorry, B."

The blonde shrugged. "It's not like either of us could of done anything to prevent it.
Anyway, we went on our last family vacation that summer. My aunt had a house just outside
of Boston, and invited us to stay with her until I had to start school.

"Then, my mom and dad were still trying to work things out, and they figured if they got
away from LA and just had a few months to themselves, they could find the&whatever, that
made them fall in love and get married in the first place. And it looked like it was
working. They were happy, I was happy&but because I didn't have to worry about them
fighting, I got bored."

"Boston's where all the cool stuff was." Faith said.

"I was big and tough at fourteen, and I wanted to take the bus into the city."

"So you begged." Xander said.

"You can still get away with that at fourteen if you don't overdo it." Buffy said with a
smile. "My aunt came on my side,"

"As all good relatives should." Willow agreed.

They didn't notice Faith's sad expression.

"- and she said that Boston was a really safe place, yadda yadda, and they caved. I got
money to go and to get back. I had to be home at 8:30 though, so I had to get on the 8:05
bus to make it in time." Buffy looked at Faith. "Wanna take over?"

"Thought you'd never ask, B." Faith said, smiling. "I lived in Boston. I was thirteen, and
home was&boring," She hesitated there, "so I walked around, got to know the hotspots. I
was in the Commons one day, and I saw this blonde girl feeding some ducks in one of the
ponds." She grinned. "I had nothing better to do, so I went up to her."

"And you just hit it off?" Cordelia asked.

"Pretty much." Faith said. "It was cool having a friend. I was a loner, I guess, and we
clicked. Hung out while she was there. I was so amazed that she was going into high
school."

There were chuckles from the listeners.

"We didn't just hang out. I went to the city every day. She took me everywhere. We were
inseparable. I even got her to come to my aunt's house for dinner." Buffy explained
further.

"Best I ever ate." Faith said as a compliment.

"I never got to see your home, though."

"It was nothing special." The brunette dodged.

"Is there more?" Xander asked.

"Uh&nope." By the look on Buffy's face, and the grin on Faith's, there was more.
But she wasn't going to go into it. "I left the last week of August, we said goodbye, and
never saw each other again. Until now."

"This is so neat. Meeting up four years later, both slayers&like it was fate." Willow
said.

"When did you know?" Buffy asked Faith, remembering her questions that had gone
unanswered.

"My watcher looked me up 'bout two years ago. She told me all the mumbo jumbo, that the
slayer that was already on the front lines had just moved to a place called Sunnydale, and
that I was gonna train and take care of the local vamps till I was called up to the major
hellhole."

"This is the hellhole, all right. Welcome to it." The blonde slayer said sarcastically.

Faith smirked. "She told me your name, but I didn't think it was the same 'Buffy' till I
saw ya."

"How many people do you think have the name 'Buffy'?" Cordelia asked.

That remark got a glare from the older slayer.

"She must have been called after Kendra died." Willow thought aloud.

Buffy looked away.

"Kendra?" Faith asked, the name not ringing any bells.

"See, a new slayer isn't called until the current one dies," Xander said.

The brunette was shocked. "You died, B?"

"Temporarily. But Xander brought me back." She smiled at her friend.

"Like I'd let you leave us." He smiled back. "There was this major mix-up and Kendra, the
'new' slayer was sent here -"

"She died." Buffy said simply, cutting off any further discussion of the deceased slayer.

"Your watcher send you here?" Oz asked, getting to the point.

"Something like that." Faith answered, avoiding the topic. She looked down at the empty
plate she had been holding. Her stomach growled, and they all heard it. She grinned then.
"Isn't it crazy how slaying always makes you hungry and horny?"

Everyone coughed, and Buffy turned red.

***

Later, Buffy opened the front door to her house, and let Faith in.

"We'll talk to Giles tomorrow, and figure out stuff. You can stay here for as long as
you&stay in town." Buffy offered. She hoped the brunette would be around for awhile.

Faith was looking around the spacious house.

"B, really, I got a room at this motel. I don't wanna be -"

Buffy shook her head. "That motel was built for roaches. I'm not letting you live there.
If you have clothes, we'll just get them tomorrow sometime. Mom'll want to see you again."


They headed into the living room. The slayers weren't ready to sleep, so they sat on the
floor, and Buffy made sure to snag the remote so they could see all the good infomercials
bound to come on.

"She owns a gallery here. She goes to auctions to buy new pieces. I think she's in
Washington right now."

"Oh." Faith said quietly.

The Bostonian backed up and sat against the couch. Not realizing it, Buffy positioned
herself so she was leaning back against her old friend. Faith realized it first, and
started to laugh. Once it dawned on Buffy, she joined in.

"Old habits die hard, I guess." Buffy smiled.

"That tree. Damn. I almost forgot."

"We sat for hours under there. I wish things could be that simple again."

"You and me both." They were lost in their thoughts for awhile. "So does Buffy Summers
have a guy?"

"I did." Buffy responded, pain in her voice.

"Entering bad territory." Faith held her hands up. "Backing out now."

"No&it's okay. We always told each other everything, right?"

"Yeah&" Faith said, trying hard to erase the guilty tone from her voice. "We did."

"What's your stance on vampires?"

"Uh&stake, heart, ash&next please." Faith said without hesitation. "Do you use a different
method or something?"

Buffy took a deep breath, and explained the whole "Angel" situation. The curse, their
"getting together", his evil escapades, and sending him to Hell. Faith sat in a stunned
silence for several seconds.

Buffy shrunk, waiting to be reprimanded. "I'm a bad slayer, I know."

"Jesus Christ, Buffy." Faith breathed. "No wonder they respect you so much. They hate your
guts, but they respect ya."

"Who's they?"

"The watchers. Well&mine used to talk about you." There was hurt on her face as she said
that, but she shook it off. "You're a hot topic."

"How come that doesn't make me feel good?" Buffy asked rhetorically. "So you don't hate
me?"

"Nah. You kiddin'? Going through that&damn." She squeezed her friend's hand. "I don't know
if I could make that choice."

"It was the right one. I know that now."

"How was he?" The brunette asked with a grin, trying to get on a more pleasurable topic.
"Bet you got rid of that undead chill."

"It was pretty incredible." Buffy blushed, the memories still vivid in her mind.

"Did it just get hotter in here?"

She elbowed Faith lightly. "How about you? Guy?"

Faith didn't know if she should tell her or not. But she would probably find out soon
enough, so it was better to just say it now. Buffy wanted an answer; she'd get one.

"I've *had* several, yeah." The blonde was quiet. Faith took that to mean that she was
disappointed in her. But they weren't thirteen and fourteen anymore. "Things change, B."
She shrugged nonchalantly.

"You never loved any of them?" Buffy asked finally.

"Hard to do when you kick 'em out the day after." It was quiet again. "If you want me to
go&"

Buffy turned so she was looking at her fellow slayer, and gripped her arm, to keep her
from moving.

"Do you really think I'd&I don't want you to go anywhere." They just sat there, looking at
one another, until the trance they had found themselves in was broken.
"You tired?"

***

The girls went up to Buffy's room, and the stuffed animals covering the bed amused Faith.
She picked up the pig that sat above the rest on top of the pillow, as she sat on the
mattress.

"I can't believe you still have this. Not that I have anything against Mr. Gordo."

Buffy was ruffling through her closet, looking for pajamas to change into, and chuckled.
"He came everywhere with me. My protector."

She found a large nightshirt, and retrieved it while she kicked off her shoes. Then she
slipped the straps of black flower-covered dress off her shoulders, and let it slide down
to her ankles, leaving her only in a bra and panties, which Faith couldn't help but
notice.

She whistled. "Filled out quite a bit in four years, I see."

Buffy put her arms over her chest in embarrassment. "Geez. I didn't even realize."

"Hey, it's not like we don't come with the same accessories. I don't mind. Hell, show it
off. Nothing to be ashamed of."

The blonde flushed, and she slipped the shirt over her head. "Uh&thanks. You want
clothes?"

"Wanna see me strip, B?" Faith teased. Buffy cleared her throat. "No, I'm good."

"Oh&okay. Then let me just get you a pillow and blankets so you can be more comfortable&on
the floor."

"Cool." Faith said, studying a teddy bear.

"I'll just go&to the closet. That's in the hall." She pointed out the door, to make it
clear where she was going.

As Buffy vanished, Faith got up and looked around the bedroom. She saw all the pictures of
Buffy and her friends on the mirror above the desk. They seemed like good people. She
always knew that Buffy was the type to get a close circle of friends, and she could tell
that they had been through a lot. She noticed that there was a small picture book on the
desk, with a Dog Beanie Baby sitting on top of it.

Faith began flipping through it. The pages were filled with photos of them from that
summer. Buffy had brought a camera with her, and insisted on taking pictures every five
minutes. They were good times. Faith smiled. Had she really been that innocent? Well, in
actuality, she wasn't innocent back then either, but in the Commons, with Buffy, she
certainly felt that way.

She situated the book back where it was, and saw the ice skates hanging off the chair.

"That ice skating thing ever pay off?" Faith asked.

"Nope. Never got the Gold." Buffy called from the hallway. "Only time I ever really used
them was when my dad took me to the rink. Let me put it this way, the blades are pretty
dull now."

"Bummer."

"Hey, what did your family say when your watcher came to you? Did they believe it?"

Faith was instantly speechless. She had to come up with something.

"Oh&you know how it is." Faith cursed softly, and shook her head. "Brilliant."

Buffy came back in with a few blankets and pillows. "Yeah." Faith was hiding, and Buffy
was a little stung by that. "I&I didn't know how cushion-y you liked your pillows, so&"

"Much obliged, B."

"No problem."

They cleared a space on the floor, and sat up Faith's sleeping area. Once that was done,
Faith laid down and Buffy hopped into bed, careful not to disturb her animals. She grabbed
Mr. Gordo, and turned off the light. After a minute she tossed the pig down to Faith.

"What's this for?"

"He told me he wants to keep you company."

"Think he likes me?"

"Mr. Gordo doesn't sleep with just anyone, you know. I mean -"

"I get it." Faith smiled in the dark. "Thanks."

The brunette slayer couldn't sleep, and neither could the one above her. But Faith felt
guilty, that's why she couldn't enter into slumberland. As much as she didn't want to, she
had to tell Buffy about her family life. She should have told her four years ago, but was
too ashamed. And it had been eating away at her ever since. She never felt like she could
talk to anybody about it, and by the time she had gotten close enough to Buffy, and worked
up the courage, the blonde had to leave Boston.

"Hey, Buffy?"

"Yeah, Faith?"

"Still wanna know about my folks?"

"I'd like to&but you don't have -"

Faith cut her off. "Yeah, I do. You told me everything about you. About your dad and mom
fighting, how much you hated it, and I was I kid you had just met. I owe it to you. And I
need to. I don't feel comfortable enough with anybody else."

Buffy reached for her lamp.

"Could you leave it off?" Faith asked.

"Sure." Buffy leaned over, so she could see the other slayer. "Go ahead."

"They&they were alcoholics. Way beyond any AA, 12 step program. My dad used to pound on my
mom, but once I got old enough to speak, he stopped with her, and they both started on me.
They finally had a hobby they could do together, I guess."

Faith took a deep breath. "But I healed quick. Didn't know at the time that it was cause I
was slayer, though. Since the bruises went away pretty fast, they started using things
other then their fists. Belts, a bat&whatever they were still sober enough to pick up.
Went on until I was a little older, then my dad decided to teach me sex ed. Just until he
got off. But I won't go into details."

"God&" Buffy breathed.

"But wait, there's more." Faith said, mocking every game show host on the planet.

"Faith -"

"Let me say this."

"Okay." Buffy said softly.

"That all went on pretty regularly, and then uh&I met you. I was able to go out during the
day, cause they had massive hangovers, and I had to get them a new beer supply."

"I always wondered what was in that bag."

"Now you know. Anyway, those few times I slept at your aunt's&I had to be a little bit
more sneaky."

"What if they caught you?"

"Spent the day in the basement."

"I'm sorry." Buffy said guiltily. "I wouldn't have asked if -"

"Hey, it was worth it. You left and&I went through 8th grade. I'm still surprised they let
me go to school. Probably cause they got sick of me. I went all the way to the middle of
ninth, and they made me drop out. They were so wasted that they needed me to do
everything. Cook, clean&and when I wasn't doing that, they were dishing it out.

"When I was fifteen, that's when everything changed. My mom musta realized a father
screwing his daughter was wrong, and during one of the rare times she was in full control
of herself, she tried to stop him. He&uh&strangled her to death, and then passed out. The
next morning she was still lying there when my watcher showed up at the door.

"I didn't ask any questions. I just knew she was my only way out. And I took it. I never
saw my dad again. When my watcher told me what I was, the strength I had&I've been taking
it all out on vamps ever since. And I toss so many guys out, and don't stick around&"

"Because you're doing to them what you couldn't do your father."

"I never knew I could be satisfied too. That's the end. I'm just a slutty headcase,
produced by an All-American couple."

***

There was quiet.

"Here comes the pity."

Buffy waited a few seconds, and then switched on her lamp. When the light came on, she
slid off her bed, and sat beside Faith on the floor. She shook her head.

"I don't see that when I look at you. I see my friend, who gave me the best summer of my
life. I see a very strong person."

"I sat back and did nothing. How is that strong, B?"

"You're here, aren't you? You survived. And of course you didn't do anything. They were
your parents."

"Yeah, and they really acted like it too. What parent calls their kid a whore and a
bitch?"

"A parent that has lots of problems. None of which you caused. You didn't believe what
they said, did you?"

"After you hear it enough -"

Buffy pulled Faith up into a sitting position and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Listen to me. You proved them wrong. You're a slayer who destroys the forces of evil.
You're a good person, and I like you. I think you're nice, and brave, and funny. That's
who you are. Okay?"

"If you say so." Faith looked at her hands. "Look, do me a favor? Don't tell your friends
or your watcher, okay? Just between you and me."

Buffy nodded. "If that's what you want."

Faith needed to get off her past. "Hey. Remember at your aunt's when we 'experimented'?"

Buffy giggled. "Oh my God. Kissing practice. So we'd know what we were doing, when the
'older boys' asked us out." Something occurred to her then, and her expression changed.
"Did that make you uncomfortable? I mean, did your dad -?"

"No. I was too dirty to kiss, according to him."

"Bastard. Not that kissing your dad that way is something you'd wanna do, but -"

"Yeah, well&you were my first."

"I'm honored."

Faith had a wicked-looking grin on her face. "Wanna do it again? For old times sake?"

Buffy's eyes bugged out. "You serious?"

"Why not?" Faith challenged.

The older slayer couldn't back down from a challenge. "For old times sake."

They were both waiting for the other to make the move, but the longer they waited, the
more important this act seemed to be. Buffy found herself studying Faith's face, and
looking underneath the pain that was on the surface. What she saw then, was a
seventeen-year-old girl, who she had had feelings for since she was fourteen years old.
But she had been too young to comprehend it then. The kissing had been quick pecks on the
lips, followed by laughter. But they seemed to both enjoy it. Beyond the game.

Faith was the only one, even now, that she had been totally open and revealing about her
life with. She only told Willow bits and pieces of her childhood, but Faith knew it all.
That was the summer that she had just let it all out, and now that Faith had opened up to
her, it was if things were finally coming together.

She reached her hand out, and brushed a lock of stray hair behind Faith's ear. It was like
she wasn't in control of herself.

"You know what else I see when I look at you?"

"What?" Faith asked. Buffy could barely hear her response, and knew the brunette was
feeling it too.

"Someone who I happen to think is very beautiful. You've always been beautiful."

Cutting off any words from Faith, Buffy leaned in, and captured her lips. Once they both
got over the shock that the kiss wasn't simply a friendly peck, they just continued
sitting there, learning each other's mouths, the contours of lips&when they broke off,
Buffy noticed Faith crying.

"What is it?"

"That one&kiss&meant more than..." Faith started to sob. Everything hit her all at once,
and Buffy was there to embrace her, as she started crying too. "Years building up a tough,
bad ass exterior, and it gets torn down in one night."

"It's our secret. No one else has to know. Just you and me, right?"

Faith nodded into Buffy's chest, feeling happier than she had felt in a long time. The
last time she felt even remotely close to happy, was the summer of her thirteenth year. It
was one of those "full circle" things. No, it was like&fate. When they ran out of tears,
they fell asleep next to each other. Buffy never got back into bed.


--
"I wanna set the record straight. I thought the cop was a prostitute." (Homer J. Simpson)

"You think you know? What's to come? What you are? You haven't even begun."
(Tara to Buffy, BTVS)


"Since when is there a cowboy in 'Death of a Salesman' anyway?" (Willow, BTVS)