I don't even know how we could let this happen

[freddles]

When Charles had freed me from the handcuffs, I flashed him a quick smile and then shot a smug look to Faith. She was still stuck in that cage and with the way she was slamming around and acting and so I'm sure the last thing on Charles' mind was opening that cage door. Oh well. Worked better for me that Faith was acting like the psycho slayer she

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[freddles]

She felt bad for him? He might've had the entire female population running after him, but hey! He was the stupid one who asked me to do the spell in the first place! Not that I wasn't willing and ... okay, not so able to do it, but had I done the asking? No, I had not.

Yes, I was trying to logic myself out of the blame for this. Not that it was really working all that much.

I smiled a little back at Faith. At least she wasn't blaming or mad at me right? Facing the cage, I cringed at the mess. "Yeah, I guess we'd better," I said and walked into the cage after Faith lifted the cabients back up. Picking up a few papers, I just stared at them and then at one of the open drawers.

"So, I guess we have to actually refile this stuff and not.. just put it in here?" Yeah, Mr. Pryce would sure love that wouldn't he? Making a face, I searched through more of the files on the floor and picked up one. How did he have this stuff stored anyway? As far as I knew we'd probably do this all wrong and then he'd get even more upset and would just refile it all himself.

We'd just be saving him the trouble if we just left it like it was. Uhhuh. Right.

"I, um.. found Xander." Not looking back up at her, I kept my eyes downcast and focused on the files. Taking a quick glance at Faith, she looked like she wanted to know what happened. I stopped what I was doing and looked at her, an unsure look on my face. "I punched Cordelia in the eye."

Not just any kind of punch. No, I'd punched Cordelia Chase in the face over Xander.

[prodigal_slayer]

"Yeah," I muttered glancing through the files and papers as I picked them back up. "If we just shove all of it in there you know Wes is just gonna have us doin' the same thing tomorrow night, only we'll get a thirty minute lecture on the alphabet first."

I barely paid attention to what she was sayin' for a moment as I opened up the top file drawer and tried to figure out what Wesley's system was in here. Right. The alphabet. How long could that possibly take? I frowned as I glanced at the papers on the floor. Yeah, we were gonna be here awhile. Couldn't she just magick the file cabinet back together again? Next time she should look into cleaning spells instead of love spells.

But then what Fred said next really caught my attention.

"You punched Cordelia in the face?" I asked her seriously as she gave me another solemn look. I think I must've just been too shocked for a minute and then I really tried to picture it. When I did I started crackin' the fuck up. "Oh man, I wish I could've been there to see that. No chance of a reenactment anytime soon, huh?"

It was probably too much to hope for but something told me that everytime Cor pissed me off I'd be threatening her with Fred. Now that? Just fucking amused the hell outta me.

Picking up some of the folders I started to file them away in the top drawer as Fred started working on the bottom.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up too bad about this. Y'know Xander'll get over it, he's the retard who asked you to do it in the first place and Wes really only stays pissy for about ten hours at a time. Then he finds something else to get pissy about." I smiled at her.

[freddles]

She was laughing! It wasn't funny! I'd punched Cordelia over Xander. Oh crap. Xander didn't think I really that I wanted him to be mine forever did he? Or that I'd find a spell making everyone else disappear. Yeah, like that would work. With my luck I'd probably make myself disappear instead. I sucked at this magic stuff.

"Yes I did and no you're not getting a reenactment." I gave her a look then bent down to start filing again. Like I really needed to be reminded that I'd punched Cordelia in the face. Though... the look on her face when she saw me was kind of funny especially when I know I got her hard enough that she'll have a some kind of black eye.

Sighing, I shrugged and just sat on the floor with the files in my lap. "I know. I mean, I know I shouldn't have done the spell in the first place, but Xander asked and even if it was for Cordelia I couldn't just tell him no, you know? Even if the saying yes was mostly about getting to do my first real spell. I guess that didn't work out at all. And can you believe he wanted the spell so Cordelia would fall in psycho love with him?"

Mr. Pryce had gotten upset with me, but he got upset with everyone. Usually Faith, but I guess it was bound to be my turn sooner or later. God, he really had handcuffed me to a pipe. Hancuffed!!

"I kind of wanted to do the spell. Locator spells that set the rugs on fire aren't really anything fun the tenth time you do them. Though maybe that should've given me a heads up that this wouldn't work."

Looking up at her, I sighed again. "I guess I should take Mr. Pryce's advice for once and stop playing around with it. Well. For a while at least." Shrugging, I went back to the filing. "God, I really really hate filing. He can't possibly need all this stuff could he? Look, this one has a date on it from the 60's. 1967."

[prodigal_slayer]

"That boy is whipped for Cordelia, what do you want?" I asked her with a shrug as she motioned me over to look at a file from 1967. Glancing over it, it looked wicked boring to me. Why did Wes keep all this crap around anyway? I watched as Fred filed it away before I started workin' on the next batch. Actually it wasn't takin' nearly as long as I thought for us to get through it all.

I was workin' on S when I noticed it. One file with Buffy Summers written across it. Glancing up quickly at Fred I slipped out of the cage and sat down at one of the tables. I didn't know that Wes had a file on Buffy. I wasn't big on reading much of anything but as always when it came to B, my curiousity was more than piqued.

Reading through part of the file I realized that Wes knew about half of what I did when it came to Buffy. In fact most of his records and observations of her were followed by a question mark. That was B for you. One giant question mark.

After a minute I realized there was a shadow blocking my light. Glancing up I saw Fred standing over me with a question on her face. Glancing past Fred I saw that all of the files and papers had been picked up off the floor already.

"Sorry. I guess I got kind of caught up in this." I smiled at her a little bit apologetically. We'd both had one hell of a night, that was for damn sure. Thank you Xander. There was no way in hell I was ever lettin' him live this down. Or lettin' Cor live down the fact that Fred punched her out.

"Wes has a file on Buffy. I didn't even know he knew anything about her. I was curious."

I wasn't really sure how much Fred knew about B, or if she knew anything at all. For whatever reason I'd always kept B right under my hat. Never shared her with anyone. It was no secret that I'd been a little on the possessive side over her when she'd had a heartbeat but now that she was a vampire she haunted me more than ever.

[freddles]

We were staring to get through this stuff a little faster than I thought we would at first which was good since I really didn't want to be here longer than we had to be here. I'd had enough school time and even spell time to last me for weeks. We were finishing up when I saw Faith leaving the cage and sit down at a table with one of the files. Well, okay. Frowning a little, I shrugged and went back to the stack I was working on.

When I was finished with that there were only a few more from the stack Faith had been working on, so I filed those away and shut the last drawer. Finally finished.

Leaving the cage, I looked at Faith and walked up behind her to see what she was looking at. She turned to face me and I just shrugged when she apologized. "It's alright." I slumped down in the chair next to her and rested an elbow on the table. Who knew that being in love with Xander was so exhausting.

Buffy? I remember the name and remember Faith or Mr. Pryce mentioning her a while ago, but that's pretty much all I knew about her. Kinda got the feeling that there was a lot more to that story and it would take a lot of poking to get Faith to spill any of it, so I didn't bother.

"Anything interesting?" I asked her about the file. She could tell me what she wanted, but I was just too tired to worry about how much she was going to tell me if anything. What I really wanted to do was get out of here and forget that the both of us had been fighting over Xander. And that I'd punched Cordelia in the face because of him.

It's too bad I couldn't have punched her for some other kind've reason. You know, a reason like Cordelia just being Cordelia. Not because I was in love with Xander.

"Hey, when you're done with that you want to get out of here? I'd really like to forget the part of tonight where I was handcuffed to a pipe and was in head over psycho heels in love with Xander."

[prodigal_slayer]

"Not really." I said, giving the folder one last glance before closing it shut on the table. Some part of me was tempted to hide it underneath my shirt and keep it. Wes would be pissed for sure and it wouldn't take him too long to figure out that I had been the one who snatched it but I didn't like him havin' a file on her. God, why was I so possessive of Buffy? Tangling with her had never brought me anything but trouble. I needed to wash my hands clean of her, wash her right out of my life.

Really, I needed to kill her. Maybe one day I'd be brave enough. Until then, I needed to find a way to get through the day without thinkin' about her constantly. For as many times as I had screwed up she remained my number one botched job.

I smirked a little bit in Fred's direction when she said she wanted to forget about bein' in love with Xander. Yeah, it was embarrassing but I was already starting to get over it cause it hadn't been my fault. Fred, on the other hand? It might have been her fault....a little bit. She did cast the spell. So maybe she was feelin' it worse than me? I dunno. I was too busy knockin' myself out on the cage. Now that? I could live without.

"Yeah, let's get out of here." I agreed as I stood up and picked up the Buffy file. Walkin' over to the file cabinet I put it back in under S for Summers before turnin' around to look at Fred. "I'm kinda wired after everything that happened tonight. You wanna do something?"

I could go out and slay something, that might make me feel a little better but really? I could use some fun. I had the feeling Fred could too.

[freddles]

Faith was acting kinda weird with the file on Buffy, but I wasn't gonna and didn't know near enough about it all to ask her any questions. I knew that Faith had her secrets, I mean we all did, and it wasn't like I'd known her all my life or anything so if she wanted to look at some file, then who was I say 'no, you have to tell me everything in that file and more right now if you want to be my friend'. Because those talks just always turned out well.

Standing up from from my chair, I watched her put the file back and then come out closing the cage door behind her. Truth was, I was ready do to whatever as long as it was a girl's night only and not two girls and a guy night. Or even two girls and two guys night - meaning me, Faith, Xander, and Angel. Wouldn't that be something interesting? Yeah no.

"Yeah, anything is just fine with me. We could go back to my place for a little while since I really doubt either one of us want to see Mr. Pryce right now. Well, I don't know about you, but I don't and can do without another lecture about touching the dusty old books versus the really old and dusty books." Those talks were always a blast.

"There's always the Bronze I guess," I said with a shrug and stuffed my hands into my back pockets. "Or whatever I guess. I just really need to unwind and get my mind off everything that's happened today." There was always a certain way that I liked to unwind, but I could do whatever she wanted. "Or there's going back to my place for ya know.. a while and then walking around town for another while. Or the other way around. Whichever."

[prodigal_slayer]

"Nix on the Bronze." I said, wrinkling my nose a little bit at that. "Way too big a chance of runnin' into people." People like Xander or well, Angel. It wasn't like I was holding anything against the boys it was just that I'd had my fill of them today what with tryin' to seduce one (and pretty roughly at that) and havin' the other one throw my ass in a cage. Girls night out for sure even if I was tempted to go out just so I had the chance of runnin' into Cordelia to see if she had a big fat shiner on her face from Fred's fist. Now that was the shit I was pissed about missing!

Pickin' up my bookbag I fell in step with Fred as we started walkin' out of the library for the night. The school was deadly quiet, which was weird even for nighttime. Usually there was someone still kickin' around, like the janitor. I guess it was still better than the raging screaming girls that had populated the hallways not that long ago. I wondered vaguelly how Xander was doin'. Poor guy.

"I'm all about goin' back to your place and avoiding Wes right about now, even if for once he's not mad at me." I smirked at her a little bit cause let's face it? He might be pissed at her but how often was it that he was mad at someone who wasn't me? I was the troublemaker! It was kind've nice to be the good one once in awhile.

"We can go to your place. Do you have food there? I'm seriously starvin'. Maybe we could order a pizza or something."

And besides, Fred looked like she needed the company whether she was gonna admit that or not. Either way? I was down for hangin' out tonight. No school tomorrow, thank God and as far as I knew there was nothin' dire that needed to be slain.

[freddles]

Yeah, yeah, so Mr. Pryce wasn't mad at Faith this time. He was mad at me. Faith can have her moment and relish in how it was me who screwed up this time. Not that I thought Faith screwed up the rest of the time, but she usually was the one who got blamed for whatever happened.I just gave her a 'thanks so much for reminding me' look and keppt walking.

"Yeah, we should have something we can find to eat. Don't know what it would be exactly. Yeah, maybe we should just order that pizza then." We walked out of the school and I couldn't have been happier to leave that place for today. Of course going back home was just a reminder of my actually doing the spell but maybe I'd just use the bathroom down the hall instead of mine for a few days.

We got into the old trusty station wagon and started towards the house. Five or so minutes later and we were pulling up in the driveway. Daddy's car was gone so I guess they were out for the night. Once inside, I dropped my bag on the counter and searched around for the phone and phone book so I could order the pizza.

Finding the number and then the phone, I looked at Faith. "You can go ahead upstairs if you want, I'll be up as soon as I order the pizza. Anything you want.. or well, don't want on it? I can pretty much eat every topping they throw on it."

[prodigal_slayer]

I dumped my bookbag on the counter next to Fred's and was just about to hop onto it and sit and wait as Fred called the pizza place but she told me to go upstairs. With a shrug I headed up the stairs. The Burkle's house was so nice. I mean it wasn't like me and Wes were destitute or anything but it also wasn't like the Council was really gonna spring for a decent joint. Then again, I guessed anything was better than the divey motel room I'd first been stayin' at when I got into town. It wasn't just the house either really, it was like the whole vibe. They were a real live family. Her parents were even nice to me. It was weird, most parents don't usually like me.

Maybe if I'd been Fred my mom wouldn't have ended up a washed up piece of white trash who didn't give a crap about me. Kinda doubtful though. Still, just lookin' around her room? She had science stuff all displayed proudly.

Wrinkling my nose a little bit I picked up a piece of a rock and looked underneath it before setting it back down with a shrug. I was never gonna be good at this kind of stuff which I guess was good why I hung out with Fred too. She was pretty much the brains y'know when she wasn't makin' us all go psychotic over Xander.

Plopping down on the end of her bed I picked up a magazine to flip through when a small baggie came rollin' out and landed right on her bedspread. With a frown I narrowed my eyes at it. Was that.....what I thought it was? No way, I mean this was Fred and Fred played around with magic and stuff. Maybe these were just uhh...magical herbs?

Pickin' it up and lookin' it over I sniffed it a little bit before unrolling it and lookin' inside. Yep, definitely what I thought it was. Herb. And not the magical kind. At least not in the strictest sense of the word.

I heard Fred in the doorway and glanced up with a smirk.

"Someone's been naughty."

And for once it's not me! Man, I was on a roll today.

[freddles]

After ordering the pizza, I grabbed a couple drinks from the fridge and started up the stairs to my room. This was the first time Faith really had been in my house minus maybe some of the downstairs part. Usually we'd hang out at the Bronze or the library or something how weird was it that we all hung out at school when we didn't have to? Well, I guess I did that anyway sometimes, but not usually to just hang out with friends.

Walking into the doorway, I wasn't really paying any attention to anything when I looked up and saw Faith grinning at me and hey where did she find that?? Almost a little worried, I sat the drinks down on the nightstand and looked nervously at Faith. "It's not what it looks like." Was what it looked like a little weed because I guess that really was what it looked like.

"Okay, so it is what it looks like but I'm not some junkie or anything. Just a little sometimes to.." Faith was giving me this 'are you serious' look and finally I just rolled my eyes at myself.

As far as I was concerned this was the perfect time to pull out the bong and make myself feel better because after everything that had happened today? Exactly.

I looked up from the bag she still had in her hand and smiled a little at her. "Want some?"

[prodigal_slayer]

The corner of my mouth twitched up into a smirk as Texas suddenly started to backpeddle faster than I'd ever seen anyone else backpeddle before. It was pretty fucking hysterical if you asked me. Tryin' to tell me she wasn't a junkie. Well, no shit. It wasn't like I found a bag of coke in her room or something. Then I might raise some bigger questions and did I really have to remind her that just cause today I happened to be the good child didn't mean that every other day I wasn't the bad one. Actually, it kind of made me like her more. She wasn't my usual speed of friends, not that I'd had a ton of them in my day but the people I used to hang with back in Boston weren't like Fred at all.

They sure smoked alot of weed though.

"Yeah, I do." I nodded at her still smiling as she seemed to finally ease up on herself. Did she really think I was gonna come down on her for a bag of herb? Not likely. "Hold on, wait lemme guess. You seem like...." I stood up and thought it over for a second as I looked at her. "A glass water bong person, none of that plastic shit, am I right?" I asked her as she just kept starin' at me.

"Let's see." Walkin' over to her closet I pulled it open and stopped when I saw what was sittin' on the middle shelf right in front of me. Guess Mr and Mrs Burkle never needed anything out of their daughter's closet. Course if I had a kid like Fred I would trust her too.

There was just what looked like a giant glass beaker filled with water halfway with a hole punched in the middle of it. Turning it around you could the pipe part of it built into the top of the beaker.

"Wow." I said as I took the bong off of the shelf and openly admired it. "This is a work of art, Fred."

[freddles]

As I sat still on the bed, I watched as Faith went into the closet. Yep, right there on the shelf was the bong. Probably should find somewhere else to keep that since sooner or later Daddy or Mama would probably find it. Sure missed the little hardwood floors of my room back in Texas. Those boards just come right up.

Faith was admiring the glass bong and I just shrugged. "Thanks. I'm working on another like the one I had back in Texas, but it's still hardly finished yet. This was just a little something I spent a couple days doing in.. the science lab after school." Reaching over into the drawer of the nightstand, I grabbed a lighter. Daddy liked to smoke his pipe sometimes, so what was wrong with a little herb? I doubt he'd see it that way. Which is why he wasn't gonna find out.

Faith walked over to the bed with the bong and I went ahead and put some of it into the bowl, using the lighter to ignite it.

"I wonder what kind of speech I'd get from Mr. Pryce if he caught me with this," I said looking back up to Faith. Breaking out into a grin, I shrugged. Hey, he chained me to a pipe so he didn't get to say anything about me using a different kind of pipe for myself.

The smoke started to rise in the chamber and I leaned over, inhaling. Ahh, yeah. That pizza would come just in time. Grabbing one of the pillows on the bed, I held it in my lap and watched as Faith leaned forward to inhale some of the smoke.

[prodigal_slayer]

Dude, I could just fuckin' see Wesley's face if he walked into Fred's bedroom right now. Luckily that would never actually happen cause after the funny shocked expression? Would come the really angry one where I was in trouble again. This was a day of Faith not bein' in trouble. Let's remember that. I didn't wanna jinx myself now by thinkin' about Wes findin' out me and Fred were smokin' up. He'd have a fit, or whatever it is the British do.

Fred passed the bong over to me and I lit it up before inhaling. Shit, it'd been a long time since I'd smoked up like this. Maybe I should've asked Fred for it earlier, not that I would have ever guessed she'd be down. But seriously, after the last few weeks? We could all use some time to relax and kick back I was thinkin'.

Exhaling the smoke I passed the bong back to Fred still in total disbelief at the bong she'd been building in the science lab. The science lab at school? I had the best friend ever. Not only was she wicked smart but sneaky and badass too. Now if I could go without fucking this friendship up? I'd be doin' pretty good.

"So....you knew I was gonna ask." I said giving her a serious look with just a hint of a smirk so she'd know I was mostly bustin' her chops. "What's the deal with Xander and Cordy. Oh c'mon, you did the spell for him. He's been clammin' up on me, I think he's embarrassed or something which okay, Cordelia is fairly embarrassing but still, she's kinda hot. Xander could do worse, you know if she wasn't a total bitch."

[freddles]

Faith had this amazed and amused look on her face as I told her about building the bong in the lab and simply the fact that I had a bong at all. What? I wasn't just little miss science freak. Okay, mostly I was, but it sure came in handy when you need a self-made bong to go with your stash.

Taking the bong from Faith, I lit it up and glanced up at her as I inhaled again. Xander and Cordelia? Exhaling, I sat it down on the bed and shrugged. "I don't know, he's just being all mopey pants over her and wanting her to fall in love with him. He came into the library the day after that night at the Bronze all sad-faced while I was looking through a spell book. I'd never done a spell, well a real spell before so when he asked if I wanted to make a practice run I said okay."

Picking up the bong again, I inhaled then looked sheepishly over at Faith as I exhaled and handed it back to her. "Didn't think all of that was gonna happen." Was kinda funny though when you really thought about it. Well. It was right now anyway. I grinned.

"We all were kinda out there with the violent lovey dovey feelings though weren't we? I think I wanted to make everyone disappear or something." I rolled my eyes and laughed at myself. "Yeah, because I'm sure I could've pulled that one off. Probably would've made the world explode or something."

[prodigal_slayer]

My eyes got a little wider and i just blinked at her when she said she probably would have exploded the whole world. Could she really do that? I had no clue but with the way she made everyone at school act today? Maybe? Maybe Wes was right freakin' out about all this magick stuff. I didn't really pay that much attention to it cause I figured Fred could handle herself but hey, I was still the good child today so maybe I should encourage her to do more?

Leaning against the headboard I folded my legs underneath me indian style and leaned over to hit off the bong again before passing it back to Fred but just as I did the doorbell downstairs rang. "Pizza." I smiled at her as we both got up and walked downstairs.

While Fred went to get the door I walked into the kitchen and opened up the fridge. I had cotton mouth something fierce and so I pulled out a bottle of juice and looked at it for a second before shrugging and pouring some of it into a cup. Mmmmmmmm food. I could smell the pizza and I had the wicked munchies goin' on.

"Maybe we should go out tonight." I said with a shrug as Fred came back in with the pizza box in her arms. "We could always go and rent a movie, pop some popcorn."