"So you don't use the Slayers' Axe because it makes things too
easy," Tara said, "you're worried it might become a kind of crutch." She
looked over at her companion and asked, "Did Willow's coming back
surprise you?"
"I never really expected her to come back here at all, honestly.
After B's sacrifice, Willow seemed to change, drawing in on herself
somehow. She began to study her magic more intensely even as Giles and I
started to get all the young Slayers sorted out, and when she finally
announced she was leaving town, I wasn't too surprised," Faith said
quietly.
Tara nodded thoughtfully, her long black hair flowing around
her. Willow was resting on the couch, the stress of sending her vampire
twin home having wiped her out. Faith had suggested they go outside the
Magic Box for a bit, give Willow some peace in which to rest.
"Did her not taking Kennedy along with her surprise you?" Tara
asked curiously.
Faith smiled ruefully at that question, "All right, that was a
surprise. I had thought that the two of them were just the perfect
little happy lesbian couple." She looked sideways at Tara and added, "No
offense meant."
"None taken," Tara smiled back. She hesitated, then asked her,
"So what caused Willow and Kennedy to break up?"
Faith hesitated, "I really shouldn't say." Tara simply looked at
her steadily, a slight smile on her face. "That's really unnerving," she
muttered softly. Tara continued staring, and Faith finally 'fessed up
"Willow never really got over you."
Tara's face was grave, "And I never got over her." Another smile
as she looked over at her, "So how did the two of you become involved?"
"Kennedy and I?" Faith smiled slightly. "After Willow left and I
broke up with Robin Woods we sort of went out together to drown our
sorrows. Beer lead to a bit of slayage, and we kinda ended up in bed
together by the morning."
"That easily?" Tara blinked, thinking of her long, nervous
courtship of Willow back when they were students at Sunnydale
University.
Faith shrugged, "I've always just followed my instincts. It
didn't mean that it was going to develop into something more serious,
though." Her expression softened a bit as she said, "That only happened
over time."
"Time is what it takes," Tara agreed. She added, "You two seem
to fit together pretty well."
"That we do," Faith agreed. "I'm tough enough that she can't get
away with any of her bratty behavior," she smiled, "and she's strong
willed enough to stand up to me when I'm wrong."
"A good partnership," Tara agreed.
They stood there in front of the shop for a while, looking out
into the night. Sunnydale had changed since the First incident, there
did seem to be less people around overall. Many of the people who had
fled during the craziness hadn't come back, and some of the newcomers
who replaced them weren't entirely human.
"Speaking of partnerships," Faith looked over at Tara intently
and asked, "how have you and Willow been doing?"
"Making steady progress," Tara smiled back at her comfortably.
"I'm not quite the same girl that Willow once knew, and she's not
exactly who she was way back then either, but we're both adapting," she
finished.
A ghost of a smile crossed Faith's face, "Are you sleeping
together?"
Tara blushed slightly, a bit surprised at the bluntness of the
question, "Yes."
The next smile that Faith gave Tara was practically wicked as
she asked her, "And is Willow any good?"
"Oh, Goddess," Tara blushed furiously, covering her face with
her hands.
"Come on," Faith grinned impishly, "if you're gonna grill me,
you'd better be ready to get as good as you give."
"Is Willow any good?" Tara repeated the question. There was a
slight drawl to her voice as she answered, "You have no idea."
"You've always got to watch out for the quiet ones," Faith
agreed with a laugh.
The shop door opened and Giles stepped out having caught enough
of the conversation to ask, "What about the quiet ones?"
"Nothing, nothing," Tara blurted out.
Giles looked back and forth between the smirking Faith and
blushing Tara and just decided not to ask. "Willow's resting
comfortably," he reported, "so if you don't mind I must be going. I've
got to close up the shop, not to mention make sure Dawn and the others
are all right."
"I sent Kennedy home first," Faith told Giles, "she'll tell them
I'll be home in a bit."
"The I'll join them for a cup of tea, maybe," Giles said and
with a wave he was gone.
Tara took a look inside, noting that, indeed, Willow was still
asleep on the couch. She returned to Faith's side, "He really looks
after Dawn, doesn't he?"
"We all do," Faith said quietly, "him, me, Xander, Andrew and
the rest." She smiled sadly at Tara, "Least we could do for Buffy, under
the circumstances."
Tara opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again.
"What?" Faith asked.
"I want to ask you a question," Tara smiled slightly, "but it's
personal and none of my business, so you don't have to answer if you
don't want to."
"Those are the best kind of questions," Faith shrugged, "shoot."
"Were you in love with Buffy?" Tara asked.
"Ouch," Faith made a face. She smiled slightly, muttering under
her breath, "Times like this I wish I still smoked."
"Never mind," Tara said softly.
"Yeah, I was in love with her," Faith surprised her by
answering. Tara turned to see Faith looking out into the darkness, her
expression unreadable. "All my life there was only one person that tried
to be my friend, went out of her way when I had no right or reason to
expect her to," she said, "no wonder I loved her." A grim little smile,
"And I went on to screw her, not to mention almost everyone that she
knew."
"Why?" Tara asked softly, though she rather suspected why.
"She loved Angel," Faith shrugged sadly, "heart and soul. I knew
there wasn't a chance in hell for me, so I tried to get close to her by
taking things away, I guess."
Tara gently put her hand on Faith's arm, "Do you think she
knew?"
"I ever told her," Faith smiled, "though I kinda wish I had."
"I guess there's things we all wish we'd told Buffy," Tara
agreed.
The door jingled slightly and Willow looked outside at them
blearily. "Wha's going on?" she asked them, blinking owlishly.
"You should be lying down," Tara told her, smiling slightly at
the tuffs of hair that were sticking up on Willow's head.
"I'll leave you two lovebirds alone," Faith chuckled softly, "I
should be getting back home to Kennedy anyway."
As Faith was walking away Tara called out, "Have a good night."
Faith answered with a wicked laugh, "I plan to!"
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