FIC: These Roads We Travel (6/?)

[Kimber <kacoe@xxxxxxx>]

TITLE: These Roads We Travel (6/?)
AUTHOR: Kimber (kacoe@xxxxxxx)
DISCLAIMER: All BTVS characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.
SUMMARY: The long awaited next story in "The Road Series".
SPOILERS: Everything is fair game.
DISTRIBUTION: The usual suspects. Anyone else, e-mail me please.
AUTHOR?S NOTES: This comes because I've had so many great responses to the series and
many people begging for another. Be careful what you wish for.

{{Indicates flashbacks}}
-----------

"Laurel, look out!" Faith yelled.

The girl looked up just in time to see a vampire headed right for her. She ducked and
tripped him, sending him flying into the mausoleum wall. He got his balance quickly and
charged her again.

"You dead guys sure don't know when to quit." She pulled a stake out of her jacket and
hit him with a right hook. He was stunned momentarily and she grabbed him by his shirt.
"Someone needs to teach you that dead," She pulled the stake back and rammed it though
his chest, "Means dead." He dissolved into dust.

She sauntered over to where Faith was sitting in the grass. "Two for two." She put her
hand down to help her up. "I'd say I'm on a roll. Wouldn't you?"

Faith glared at her. "Don't get all cocky on me, kid. I'm a little off my game tonight."

"A little? You're getting sloppy in your old age, *auntie* Faith."

"Go ahead little girl, gloat now. We'll see who's sore in the morning now won't we?"

Laurel smiled at her but didn't answer. The truth was, she hadn't been sore after patrol
in a long time. Maybe even for the past year. She just kind of got into a groove where
slaying was concerned and she didn't question it, or the other two Slayers. Since her
mother's death, she'd been testing her limits and found out that not only could she keep
up with Faith and Buffy, but she could excel far beyond what they were capable of. She
silently figured out that she, being the daughter of two immortals and one being a Slayer,
had attained Slayer powers herself.

-------------

The two of them walked into the house and Faith called out for Buffy. "Yo, B! You
around?"

Buffy emerged from the kitchen with a tray full of food for the two of them. "'Yo, B?'"
Buffy shook her head and set the tray on the coffee table. "One would think you've
reverted back to your teen years, Faith."

She flopped down on the couch and took a giant bite of the sandwich she'd just picked up.
"And who's to say I ever left 'em?"

"So how'd it go tonight?" Buffy directed her question to Laurel.

"Not bad. It was kinda slow, actually. You think something might be brewin?" She
quirked her eyebrow up and took a healthy bite of the sandwich.

"No, I don't think so." Faith answered. "Just to double check, I'll stop by G's
tomorrow."

"Laurel, why don't you head upstairs and get ready for bed. I'll be up in a few."

She was about to protest, but Buffy's expression told her to just do as she was told.
"Um, okay." She bound up the stairs, leaving Faith and Buffy alone.

Buffy turned to her when she heard the shower go on. "So how'd it *really* go tonight."

Faith rolled her eyes. "We didn't stop by Giles' if that's what you mean. We patrolled
for two hours before we saw any real action. Two fangs in a row and we were on our way
home."

"How much action did Laurel see?" Buffy went though this every time Laurel and Faith went
on patrol. They'd formed a very strong bond right from the day she was born, it was if
they were sisters, and Buffy had to play mother to both of them. She waited a few moments
then tried again. "Faith. . "

"Both. She got both. No problem. She was great, Buffy. And no, she didn't give me
attitude. Seems like you're the only
one she gives it to." Faith sat back and looked at Buffy. Really looked at her. "Have
you even slept more than two hours at a time in the past six months, B? Keep this up and.
. ."

"And what?" She rose to her feet and glared at the Dark Slayer. "I'll die? Cause you
know, that sounds like a really good prospect right now, *F*." She wrapped her arms
around herself and tried to keep some kind of composure. "What's the use anymore. . .I
mean really? Will's gone, Xander's off doing his job more than half the year, I'm not
even speaking to Giles and I don't know if I ever will and Laurel. . .Laurel tells you
more than she tells me. She confides in you and trusts you and looks to you for advice.
And when Will was here, she. . .she was the one that put the band-aids on the bruises and
chased the monsters out from under the bed. What good am I anymore?"

Faith rose and looked her in the eye, angrily. "You're no good to anyone, Buff, not like
this. Not fallin apart at the seams and lookin' like you're gonna collapse any minute!
What the hell happened to 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'? Where is she cause I'll tell ya
somethin', B, she sure ain't standing here."

"You don't know! You don't understand how. . ."

"No I don't understand. No one does. Since Red. . .since Willow's been gone you're just
closed up to everyone, especially your daughter. She told me. . .told me she walked in on
you and Xander talking. She said she was happy that you could open up, even if you were
badmouthing her grandfather and. . ."

Buffy's anger flared. "He's *not* her grandfather." She turned around. "He's not
anything to anyone." She bit out.

Faith turned her around forcibly and held onto her arms. "He's all you ever had. . .all
any of us ever had, B, and you know it! God, you're pathetic." She let Buffy go and
shook her head. "That's not even what this is about. Is it?"

Buffy wiped hot tears away from her eyes. "Then tell me, oh wise one, what exactly is
this all about?"

"It's all about you. . .as usual. Willow's gone. She's not here to pick up your pieces
anymore or hold this family together. She's gone, B, and you can't see straight. I'll
tell you something, you either get your act in gear or you're gonna loose that kid," She
pointed to the stairs. "She's gonna turn on you so fast your head will spin."

"How the hell would you know?"

"I'll tell you." Faith said evenly. "Cause I was there. My father died when I was eight
and my mother slowly got sucked into herself day by day and month by month. She couldn't
sleep, she couldn't eat, she couldn't function after a while and *I* had to take care of
her. She lost him and it was like. . .like she fell into this deep dark pit that not even
I could pull her out of." Faith paused, trying to collect her thoughts. She didn't
expect for all of this to come rushing out. . .especially now. But she was too far gone
to stop it, or to even care. "She resented me, said she hated me, hated my face 'cause it
reminded her of him. Do you have any idea what that's like? To have your mother tell you
to get out because she couldn't stand to look at you anymore? I was eleven years old, B,
eleven." Faith wiped her own tears away and took a deep breath. "You gotta come to peace
with this, Buffy. If not for yourself, then for you daughter." She stepped closer to
Buffy, who still looked at her defiantly. "Say it."

"Say what?" Suddenly, it dawned on Buffy what Faith was trying to do. "No. I won't. I
won't ever say it."

Faith grabbed her arms. "Say it, B. Willow's dead. She's not coming back. Say it!"
Each word was punctuated by a slight shake. "Willow's dead. She's not coming back!"

Buffy broke from her grip and struck her square in the jaw with all her strength. "No!"

Faith grinned at her menacingly. "That all you got, Slayer? I know a fungus demon that
punches better than *that*." She slugged her back with as much, if not more, force.
"Willow's not coming back, B. Face it!"

Buffy snapped. She started wildly throwing punches at Faith's face, "No! I won't say
it! I won't! She's not dead, she's not!" She tried to land a roundhouse kick but
misjudged and broke the coffee table in half as her foot came back around. This only
angered her more and she stepped up the pace of her attack. Every punch she threw, Faith
countered it and sucker punched her, taunting her, forcing her to bring it on even more.
"Willow's not gone. . .she's not. . .Willow's not gone, Willow's not gone. . .Willow's. .
.oh, God." She collapsed against Faith and began to sob uncontrollably. "She's gone,
Faith. . .Oh, Will. . ."

The Dark Slayer caught Buffy easily and slid them both to the ground safely, kicking the
remnants of the coffee table out of the way. She held onto her tightly, stroking her
blonde hair soothingly. The tears continued to stream down her own face, silently. "I
know, B. I know."

When Laurel was satisfied that everything was alright down in the living room, well,
everything except for the poor coffee table. . .she silently crept to her room and closed
the door. The last thought she had before she drifted off to sleep was that maybe, just
maybe, Buffy had a chance at healing finally.

--------

"You alright now?" Faith whispered. They were still on the floor of the living room and
she couldn't even begin to imagine how long they'd been there. Both she and Buffy had
thoroughly cried their eyes out, and hadn't said a word since.

"Yeah." Buffy responded. Her voice was hoarse from crying and her eyes bloodshot. She
looked up at Faith and gave her a little squeeze. "I never knew. . .about your parents."
Faith merely nodded. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything to be sorry for. It wasn't your fault." She whispered.

"It wasn't yours either." She shifted slightly so that she was able to see Faith's
reaction. "You know that. Right?"

Faith closed her eyes and sighed. "I know. Now I know, but then," She shrugged. "Back
then was a whole different story."

Buffy understood. She'd been turning everything around and around in her brain since
they'd been sitting there. What Faith revealed about her parents explained a lot of her
behavior and her bad ass attitude when she first got to Sunnydale. She saw the same
attitude in Laurel occasionally and it frightened her. It frightened her not that Laurel
could be like Faith, no, what scared her was that she was capable of hurting Laurel the
way Faith's mother hurt her. That she had the power to make or break who she was, or more
importantly, what kind of person she grew up to be.

Buffy reached up and touched Faith's cheek to get her attention. The Dark Slayer looked
down, and a tear fell from her eye. Faith could live to be a hundred years old, her eyes
still betrayed her. They had an intensity and 'age' that always exceeded her years, like
she'd seen too much too soon and her body was always fighting to catch up to everything
her eyes had seen. "You knew. Everyone knew, but only you'd go toe to toe with me."

Faith nodded almost imperceptibly. "I couldn't let you do that to yourself or to Laurel.
It's no way to live. For either one of you." She smiled. "Besides, even being immortal,
Xander woulda walked away with a few bumps and bruises. This was a Slayer thing."

Buffy nodded in agreement. She looked up at Faith again after a few moments. "I love
you, you know. Maybe not in the way I---"

"Don't." Faith shook her head. "Don't drag up the past."

Buffy sat up and shook her head. "I'm not. I'm thinking about the future." She leaned
in and kissed her gently.

------

"Willow, are you okay?" Jesse placed his hand on her shoulder. She was shaking and
tears were streaming down her face.

"I remember what happened now." She opened her eyes and looked at him sadly. "Oh God,
Jesse. I remember."

"What happened?" He asked softly.

"I. . .I had too much magickal energy flowing though me. It was overkill." She
sniffled. "The cells reverted back to normal and started the cycle of regenerating
again. I knew I only had a short amount of time to make the process work. I was careless
and I. . .I rushed it and lost my concentration. When you lose concentration during a
spell it's. . .it can be disastrous. I panicked and lost control and I. . .I. . .Oh,
Jesse." She fell into his arms and sobbed. "I still can't remember. Everything went
black and then I found myself here with you."

"And where is here, Will?"

She looked around, helplessly and whispered. "I don't know."

-------

A few days after Buffy and Faith's confrontation, Buffy and Xander stood alone under a
tree. She was leaning up against him and he had his arms wrapped around her waist. She
realized that she did that a lot lately; lean on him. She smiled and knew, had it not
been for him especially, she never would have made it though these past few months. "It's
so peaceful here." She commented.

"Yeah, Will would have liked it." He squeezed her almost imperceptibly.

Laurel was about one hundred feet or so away from them and she was kneeling in the grass.
Flanking her on both sides were Faith and Giles. She pushed some leaves away from in
front of her and placed fresh flowers in a vase. "What do you think, Papa?"

"They're very lovely, Laurel. Your mother's favorite I believe."

She nodded. "Yeah, fire and ice roses. Tough to find but," She shrugged. "I think it's
worth it." Laurel turned back to tending the grave.

"Looks good, kid." Faith nodded. She smiled at Giles and walked over to him then turned
to where Buffy and Xander were standing. "Think they'll come over here?" She whispered.

Giles frowned. "Not likely but, I can't complain. At least I get to be here at all."

"I heard that." Laurel stood up and walked over to them. "I'll bet she'll come over if
*I* ask her."

They both looked at her quizzically and Faith was the first to speak. "How did you. . ?"

"Slayer hearing. I'll be right back." She walked off towards Xander and Buffy.

"Did she just say what I think she said?" Faith looked to him.

"Oh, dear." Giles shook his head and took his glasses off. "How did she find out? How
could she possibly have any idea that," He trailed off then looked to Faith. "The other
Slayer, in Europe. They, ah, they couldn't locate her. Her Watcher said she'd call when
she found her. This could only mean,"

"She's dead and Laurel's the active Slayer." Faith sighed. "Damn it!"


--
Your humble bard,
~~Kimber


Official Noodle wetter and distributor, Gutter-Slut and Vice President and Treasurer of
the Riley/Oz neutering society and garden club...Personnel Recruiter for all main gutter
and sub gutter affairs.



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