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First there was Wicked Raygun’s “Disbelief”, once upon a time. And then there was liz-marcs’ AMAZING follow up, “ Dismay”. I love that story. Followed some time later by learnedhand_dj’s “ Discern”. And then followed by Lori Bush’s “ Distortion”.
And now there’s this one. The sad part is, I found Distortion … Oh, God, MONTHS ago, if not a year or more ago. I loved it. I love this series. The shining star, in my opinion, is Dismay, but I think that’s because, as much as I love Lori Bush, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Liz Marcs as a writer. Seriously. She is absolutely amazing. Lori writes the type of things I would write. She matches up closer to me than Liz. But Liz … the woman is a writing goddess.
Anyway, I read Distortion. I loved it. And I decided to write a follow up.
And then forgot about it. Whoops.
So. Story.
I lit up a cigarette as Dawn sat across from me, earnestly pleading her case. “Let me get this straight. B’s upset and crying. Cyclops is hurling and his apartment is trashed. And you think you might know something is going on, but want my help in finding out if you’re right. But you’re not willing to tell me your theory because you don’t want to ‘color my opinion’, never minding the fact that neither B or Cyclops will tell me jack shit, and let’s not even get started on Red, because while I’m not at the bottom any more, I’m still not on the top of their favorite people list. Do I got it all?”
Dawn nodded, her face shiny and so damned young that I didn’t have the heart to say no. I’d never been young the same way that Dawn was.
I rolled my eyes, whether at Dawn or myself, I didn’t know. “Okay. I’m in. You might regret this, but I’m in.”
***
First stop was Xander’s place. Amazingly enough, even after the whole popping his cherry and then trying to kill him thing, even after taking his best friend hostage (I think that’s the one that was hardest for him to forgive me for, actually. Hurt him? No prob. Hurt his friends? You’re on his shit list for life.), even after trying to kill the golden girl who just so happened to be his other best friend -
Even after all the crap that I did to him, and how much more personal it was for him that it was for B, even after all that, he and I get along better than B and I do now.
I didn’t bother knocking on the dented door. I just opened it up and stepped in. Dawnie and Red had done a good job cleaning up. I could see where things used to be and weren’t any more, but the glitter of broken glass wasn’t on the floor.
I brought water with me. I knew better than anyone in that group, with the possible exception being Xander, that the best cure for a hangover isn’t more beer, but lots and lots and lots of water. He was curled up around the toilet, having stopped worshiping the porcelain gods of water and glass, but not able to summon up enough energy to move.
Hey, I’ve been there. I know how it feels.
Instead of something like that, however, what pops out of my mouth is infinitely less sensitive. “Hey, Cyclops. Heard you got lucky last night. Word on the street is, Red’s not happy with you for taking advantage of some poor girl last night.”
He just groaned. “Faith. So not the person I wanted to deal with today.”
I sat down next to him, handing him a water bottle and watching him guzzle it down greedily. “See, now here’s liquid you can get behind, what with the whole healthy and the not inducing states of drunkeness thing.” I opened one up and drank some myself. “So. What’s going on?”
“Go away.” The words came out ineffectual - it was obvious he didn’t mean it.
I shrugged. “Can’t. Promised Dawn I’d come by. Jesus, that girl can wrap anyone around her little finger just by flashing those big eyes at someone.”
He pulled himself into an upright position, slouching against the side of the tub. “Yeah, she can.” He closed his eyes wearily.
The grin melted off my face. “Seriously, Xander. I know I’m not one of your gal pals, but I worry about you. If you got drunk enough to take advantage of someone, there’s something wrong.”
His eyes popped open and he glared at me without malice. “You know, considering all the girls I keep company with, and how many demons I’ve accidentally gone on dates with, it’s entirely possible that she took advantage of me. Just to point out.”
“Did she?” I met his gaze evenly, my two eyes looking into his one eye, and yet again, I felt a flash of guilt at not having moved quick enough to save his other eye.
His eyes closed again. “No.”
I pushed. “But there was a girl?”
He sighed heavily. “If I say no, you’re going to call me a liar.”
Which didn’t answer the question, and yet, it did. “Was she hot?” I think I’m incapable of saying the right thing, I really do.
He smiled in spite of himself. “The hottest girl I’ve ever seen.”
“Did you like her?” Okay, so maybe sometimes I can manage to have the right words, appropriate words, come out of my mouth.
He nodded. “Yeah, I did.”
I leaned against the wall. “Do you have her number?”
“I have ways of getting ahold of her.” He answered without looking at me.
“Just don’t go all stalker on her. Look, way I see it, you saw her. You liked her. You know how to reach her. The sex was obviously fan-fucking-tastic. And not unwanted, since I don’t see any bruises on you and you didn’t get your ass maced. So call her. See about setting up another time. It’s not that hard. And call B, and reassure her. Because apparently, she walked in on you and nameless girl doing the dirty and she thinks you hate her. Don’t ask me how she made that connection. I’ve long since given up understanding how her brain works.” I am so not the right person to be giving relationship advice. Seriously. Only actual relationship I’ve been in was Robin, and we all know how well that worked out. As in, it didn’t.
Xander shut me out completely. “You don’t know the situation, Faith.”
I nodded. “You’re right, I don’t. Only things I know is what Dawn told me after talking to B, you, and Red. I have no clue what’s going on. But we don’t like seeing you hurt.”
A thought hit me that hadn’t he and Buffy gone out the night before to some club to try to hunt down a vamp? But no, if he’d gone anywhere with Buffy, he wouldn’t have looked at any other girl.
The thought then struck me that maybe Buffy was the “unnamed hussy”, as Red had called her.
And that thought almost made me pee my pants when I started laughing, before I dismissed it completely. Because B and the X-man? So never gonna happen. Which sucked. Anyone with eyes could see that he was what she needed.
And she was what he deserved.
But no, B would never open her eyes long enough to see what was right in front of her.
I kept laughing, unable to explain to X just why I was laughing.
And now there’s this one. The sad part is, I found Distortion … Oh, God, MONTHS ago, if not a year or more ago. I loved it. I love this series. The shining star, in my opinion, is Dismay, but I think that’s because, as much as I love Lori Bush, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Liz Marcs as a writer. Seriously. She is absolutely amazing. Lori writes the type of things I would write. She matches up closer to me than Liz. But Liz … the woman is a writing goddess.
Anyway, I read Distortion. I loved it. And I decided to write a follow up.
And then forgot about it. Whoops.
So. Story.
I lit up a cigarette as Dawn sat across from me, earnestly pleading her case. “Let me get this straight. B’s upset and crying. Cyclops is hurling and his apartment is trashed. And you think you might know something is going on, but want my help in finding out if you’re right. But you’re not willing to tell me your theory because you don’t want to ‘color my opinion’, never minding the fact that neither B or Cyclops will tell me jack shit, and let’s not even get started on Red, because while I’m not at the bottom any more, I’m still not on the top of their favorite people list. Do I got it all?”
Dawn nodded, her face shiny and so damned young that I didn’t have the heart to say no. I’d never been young the same way that Dawn was.
I rolled my eyes, whether at Dawn or myself, I didn’t know. “Okay. I’m in. You might regret this, but I’m in.”
***
First stop was Xander’s place. Amazingly enough, even after the whole popping his cherry and then trying to kill him thing, even after taking his best friend hostage (I think that’s the one that was hardest for him to forgive me for, actually. Hurt him? No prob. Hurt his friends? You’re on his shit list for life.), even after trying to kill the golden girl who just so happened to be his other best friend -
Even after all the crap that I did to him, and how much more personal it was for him that it was for B, even after all that, he and I get along better than B and I do now.
I didn’t bother knocking on the dented door. I just opened it up and stepped in. Dawnie and Red had done a good job cleaning up. I could see where things used to be and weren’t any more, but the glitter of broken glass wasn’t on the floor.
I brought water with me. I knew better than anyone in that group, with the possible exception being Xander, that the best cure for a hangover isn’t more beer, but lots and lots and lots of water. He was curled up around the toilet, having stopped worshiping the porcelain gods of water and glass, but not able to summon up enough energy to move.
Hey, I’ve been there. I know how it feels.
Instead of something like that, however, what pops out of my mouth is infinitely less sensitive. “Hey, Cyclops. Heard you got lucky last night. Word on the street is, Red’s not happy with you for taking advantage of some poor girl last night.”
He just groaned. “Faith. So not the person I wanted to deal with today.”
I sat down next to him, handing him a water bottle and watching him guzzle it down greedily. “See, now here’s liquid you can get behind, what with the whole healthy and the not inducing states of drunkeness thing.” I opened one up and drank some myself. “So. What’s going on?”
“Go away.” The words came out ineffectual - it was obvious he didn’t mean it.
I shrugged. “Can’t. Promised Dawn I’d come by. Jesus, that girl can wrap anyone around her little finger just by flashing those big eyes at someone.”
He pulled himself into an upright position, slouching against the side of the tub. “Yeah, she can.” He closed his eyes wearily.
The grin melted off my face. “Seriously, Xander. I know I’m not one of your gal pals, but I worry about you. If you got drunk enough to take advantage of someone, there’s something wrong.”
His eyes popped open and he glared at me without malice. “You know, considering all the girls I keep company with, and how many demons I’ve accidentally gone on dates with, it’s entirely possible that she took advantage of me. Just to point out.”
“Did she?” I met his gaze evenly, my two eyes looking into his one eye, and yet again, I felt a flash of guilt at not having moved quick enough to save his other eye.
His eyes closed again. “No.”
I pushed. “But there was a girl?”
He sighed heavily. “If I say no, you’re going to call me a liar.”
Which didn’t answer the question, and yet, it did. “Was she hot?” I think I’m incapable of saying the right thing, I really do.
He smiled in spite of himself. “The hottest girl I’ve ever seen.”
“Did you like her?” Okay, so maybe sometimes I can manage to have the right words, appropriate words, come out of my mouth.
He nodded. “Yeah, I did.”
I leaned against the wall. “Do you have her number?”
“I have ways of getting ahold of her.” He answered without looking at me.
“Just don’t go all stalker on her. Look, way I see it, you saw her. You liked her. You know how to reach her. The sex was obviously fan-fucking-tastic. And not unwanted, since I don’t see any bruises on you and you didn’t get your ass maced. So call her. See about setting up another time. It’s not that hard. And call B, and reassure her. Because apparently, she walked in on you and nameless girl doing the dirty and she thinks you hate her. Don’t ask me how she made that connection. I’ve long since given up understanding how her brain works.” I am so not the right person to be giving relationship advice. Seriously. Only actual relationship I’ve been in was Robin, and we all know how well that worked out. As in, it didn’t.
Xander shut me out completely. “You don’t know the situation, Faith.”
I nodded. “You’re right, I don’t. Only things I know is what Dawn told me after talking to B, you, and Red. I have no clue what’s going on. But we don’t like seeing you hurt.”
A thought hit me that hadn’t he and Buffy gone out the night before to some club to try to hunt down a vamp? But no, if he’d gone anywhere with Buffy, he wouldn’t have looked at any other girl.
The thought then struck me that maybe Buffy was the “unnamed hussy”, as Red had called her.
And that thought almost made me pee my pants when I started laughing, before I dismissed it completely. Because B and the X-man? So never gonna happen. Which sucked. Anyone with eyes could see that he was what she needed.
And she was what he deserved.
But no, B would never open her eyes long enough to see what was right in front of her.
I kept laughing, unable to explain to X just why I was laughing.