He knew she could hold her liquor better when it wasn't special beer, but he couldn't pass up an opportunity to tease her relentlessly. Especially when he didn't get to do it enough lately.
She was right. It was definitely nice to be sitting down with each other, talking with no real fear that one of them would be soon called away to save the world yet again. They could just be them.
He smirked as she mentioned the last time they had gotten drunk together. It had started off innocently enough; they had just finished midterms and needed a good break. And the break had consisted of rented movies, popcorn, and more alcohol than both of them could handle.
That night had been the first night, and the last night, they had ever kissed. Two drunk friends sprawled out together on the couch of his off-campus apartment, watching crappy horror movies together. The kissing would have led to more but luckily for the sake of their friendship, Buffy had passed out on him before more could happen.
He took the beer from her with a grin. "Foamy?" he teased, taking a drink. "Have you reverted to the cave girl again?"
"Nope, no cave-girl," said Buffy with a grin, knowing damn fine Sam remembered the last time they'd got wasted together. It'd been in college, granted, and Buffy had developed a little more tolerance for the alcohol side of things but still...
Passing out back then had saved their friendship. Literally. Two month of avoidage later, Buffy had got the call to go home - it'd been simpler for them as friends, was all. And she'd managed to make herself forget that he may or not have been the total right guy for her.
"Nothing was ever simple with us, huh?" She said this with a gentle smile, though it was really a vast understatement. Most people - most normal people, at any rate - would've given up already. It was testimony to their characters that they'd held on as long, she thought. Stubborn as ever, they were in this for the long haul.
"And now you're stuck with me post-Sunnydale. Buffy Summers, she of No Official ZipCode... God, that sounds weird."
"Simple is boring," he said with a small smile and a nod.
Complicated was their relationship, no matter which way you looked at it. It started off simple enough, but the more time they spent together, the more complicated things became. And then her mom had gotten sick, she'd moved back home, and a girl named Jessica became his American Lit partner.
Telling Buffy about Jess had honestly been the worst feeling in the world, and he shouldn't have felt any guilt about the relationship. He and Buffy had always been "just friends" and Jess had been that normal girl he'd thought he'd always want to spend the rest of his life with.
Or maybe that's what he had convinced himself.
"So what's the plan then?" he asked, pouring them each another shot. "You and Dawn hitting the road like Winchesters? Holing up with Giles for a bit?"
She eyed the shot warily as he poured, wondering if this had been her best plan ever. Of course the taste of it was disgusting, which just proved to her that it wasn't... But then he was asking her plans and Buffy found that there were some things that Tequila held ALL the answers to.
Only this wasn't one of them.
"I don't have a plan. I don't even have a pl. I think Giles was kinda miffed 'cause I bailed on the new Slayers..." She'd been running from one apocalypse into another, hadn't had time to think about the rammifications of what she'd done yet. Buffy shrugged, "I'll figure something out, I guess. Starting with the closet." She gestured down at Faith's clothes and shook her head. "This was the best my slaying sister had to offer and with my stuff lying at a bottom of a crater..."
It wasn't like she could be picky or anything. "Anya died." She blurted that out without thinking, winced. Xander had been pretty cut up about it but he'd understood, at least, why she had to come down here. No longer the only Chosen, Buff, he'd said, giving her the nod. She'd come down here to put the serious hurt on the Yellow Eyed demon Sam had been hunting all his life - the one that'd effectively killed him - and the rest... Well, here she was.
"What about you?" She asked, wondering what was next for her current favorite Winchester.
It was hard to imagine Sunnydale gone. He'd only been there a handful of times, stayed a few times in the Summers house, but it'd been a touchstone. Kinda like Bobby's and the Roadhouse. It had been one of those places where it almost felt like he and Dean had a home, had family outside of each other.
But now it was gone. And it had been his touchstone but it had been Buffy's home. It'd been her life, and he could only imagine how that could feel to have that ripped out from underneath her feet.
"Giles'll get over it," he said, taking his shot. "He always does." He raised an eyebrow at her outfit, trying not to smirk and failing miserably. "And here I was thinking you got all dressed up for me," he teased.
The laughter in his voice died away as she mentioned Anya's death. He'd only met Anya a few times, and she had made one hell of an impression in a short time. He wondered how Xander was handling things, considering their relationship had him and Buffy beat in the complicated area. "Sorry to hear that."
And then she asked the question he wasn't sure how to answer. What the hell did come after all of this?
"I really don't know," he said with a hitch of a shoulder. "I guess we go back to doing what we do best--hunting people and saving things." And trying to get his brother out of a stupid deal. "You could always join in on the fun?"
And as much as he loved being on the road with his brother, he almost wished she'd agree to his insane invitation.
"When did I ever dress like this?" Buffy asked, laughing. Because though her issues with Faith were now done, the girl could still dress like something you would find selling her wares on a street corner. And that was not a good look, Buffy-wise. "If you tell me you like it, I may have to kick your ass."
Sam got quiet once she told him about Anya and Buffy thought of the look on Xander's face when they'd realized she hadn't made it out of the school with the rest o them, that she'd died in there saving Andrew, of all people. That's my girl. Always doing the stupid thing.
And then came the big question, the one he wasn't sure how to answer if the look on his face was anything to go by.
Saving people, hunting things... Buffy'd heard that in various guises over the last few years she'd known Sam. The family business. Which had kind of been her family business too, only... Not any more.
No longer the only Chosen, Buff. She could up and leave this life if she wanted, become the Normal Girl she'd always strived for... And deep down, Buffy had known that wasn't going to happen. It was why she'd come here after all - traded one apocalypse for another, though this was considerably less fight-y than the last.
"You want me to come with?" She raised an eyebrow at that, almost sure she knew what Dean's response to that would be. And Giles'.
Buffy sighed. "You know I'd love that, but after everything that's happened..." After everything what? Dawn was talking about enrolling herself in the nearest school, asking Giles to train her in the Watcher Capacity...
Faith, the others, they were talking about rounding up the new girls. Training them in a slightly less-mental-inducing Watcher-Slayer thing. For the first time in ever, Buffy felt like she wasn't needed and that was no bad thing.
"I'd probably kill Dean myself within a week," she joked, "he wouldn't need to wait for his deal."
But she bit her lip anyway. She was thinking about this - really thinking about it... And Sam had seemed pretty serious.
He knew she could hold her liquor better when it wasn't special beer, but he couldn't pass up an opportunity to tease her relentlessly. Especially when he didn't get to do it enough lately.
She was right. It was definitely nice to be sitting down with each other, talking with no real fear that one of them would be soon called away to save the world yet again. They could just be them.
He smirked as she mentioned the last time they had gotten drunk together. It had started off innocently enough; they had just finished midterms and needed a good break. And the break had consisted of rented movies, popcorn, and more alcohol than both of them could handle.
That night had been the first night, and the last night, they had ever kissed. Two drunk friends sprawled out together on the couch of his off-campus apartment, watching crappy horror movies together. The kissing would have led to more but luckily for the sake of their friendship, Buffy had passed out on him before more could happen.
He took the beer from her with a grin. "Foamy?" he teased, taking a drink. "Have you reverted to the cave girl again?"
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Passing out back then had saved their friendship. Literally. Two month of avoidage later, Buffy had got the call to go home - it'd been simpler for them as friends, was all. And she'd managed to make herself forget that he may or not have been the total right guy for her.
"Nothing was ever simple with us, huh?" She said this with a gentle smile, though it was really a vast understatement. Most people - most normal people, at any rate - would've given up already. It was testimony to their characters that they'd held on as long, she thought. Stubborn as ever, they were in this for the long haul.
"And now you're stuck with me post-Sunnydale. Buffy Summers, she of No Official ZipCode... God, that sounds weird."
Reply
Complicated was their relationship, no matter which way you looked at it. It started off simple enough, but the more time they spent together, the more complicated things became. And then her mom had gotten sick, she'd moved back home, and a girl named Jessica became his American Lit partner.
Telling Buffy about Jess had honestly been the worst feeling in the world, and he shouldn't have felt any guilt about the relationship. He and Buffy had always been "just friends" and Jess had been that normal girl he'd thought he'd always want to spend the rest of his life with.
Or maybe that's what he had convinced himself.
"So what's the plan then?" he asked, pouring them each another shot. "You and Dawn hitting the road like Winchesters? Holing up with Giles for a bit?"
Reply
Only this wasn't one of them.
"I don't have a plan. I don't even have a pl. I think Giles was kinda miffed 'cause I bailed on the new Slayers..." She'd been running from one apocalypse into another, hadn't had time to think about the rammifications of what she'd done yet. Buffy shrugged, "I'll figure something out, I guess. Starting with the closet." She gestured down at Faith's clothes and shook her head. "This was the best my slaying sister had to offer and with my stuff lying at a bottom of a crater..."
It wasn't like she could be picky or anything. "Anya died." She blurted that out without thinking, winced. Xander had been pretty cut up about it but he'd understood, at least, why she had to come down here. No longer the only Chosen, Buff, he'd said, giving her the nod. She'd come down here to put the serious hurt on the Yellow Eyed demon Sam had been hunting all his life - the one that'd effectively killed him - and the rest... Well, here she was.
"What about you?" She asked, wondering what was next for her current favorite Winchester.
Reply
But now it was gone. And it had been his touchstone but it had been Buffy's home. It'd been her life, and he could only imagine how that could feel to have that ripped out from underneath her feet.
"Giles'll get over it," he said, taking his shot. "He always does." He raised an eyebrow at her outfit, trying not to smirk and failing miserably. "And here I was thinking you got all dressed up for me," he teased.
The laughter in his voice died away as she mentioned Anya's death. He'd only met Anya a few times, and she had made one hell of an impression in a short time. He wondered how Xander was handling things, considering their relationship had him and Buffy beat in the complicated area. "Sorry to hear that."
And then she asked the question he wasn't sure how to answer. What the hell did come after all of this?
"I really don't know," he said with a hitch of a shoulder. "I guess we go back to doing what we do best--hunting people and saving things." And trying to get his brother out of a stupid deal. "You could always join in on the fun?"
And as much as he loved being on the road with his brother, he almost wished she'd agree to his insane invitation.
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Sam got quiet once she told him about Anya and Buffy thought of the look on Xander's face when they'd realized she hadn't made it out of the school with the rest o them, that she'd died in there saving Andrew, of all people. That's my girl. Always doing the stupid thing.
And then came the big question, the one he wasn't sure how to answer if the look on his face was anything to go by.
Saving people, hunting things... Buffy'd heard that in various guises over the last few years she'd known Sam. The family business. Which had kind of been her family business too, only... Not any more.
No longer the only Chosen, Buff. She could up and leave this life if she wanted, become the Normal Girl she'd always strived for... And deep down, Buffy had known that wasn't going to happen. It was why she'd come here after all - traded one apocalypse for another, though this was considerably less fight-y than the last.
"You want me to come with?" She raised an eyebrow at that, almost sure she knew what Dean's response to that would be. And Giles'.
Buffy sighed. "You know I'd love that, but after everything that's happened..." After everything what? Dawn was talking about enrolling herself in the nearest school, asking Giles to train her in the Watcher Capacity...
Faith, the others, they were talking about rounding up the new girls. Training them in a slightly less-mental-inducing Watcher-Slayer thing. For the first time in ever, Buffy felt like she wasn't needed and that was no bad thing.
"I'd probably kill Dean myself within a week," she joked, "he wouldn't need to wait for his deal."
But she bit her lip anyway. She was thinking about this - really thinking about it... And Sam had seemed pretty serious.
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