August 31 - Realizations
Title: Realizations (Part 7/7 of ‘The Slayer and the Witchlighter’)
Author: 3am_moonlight aka mirrored_illusions
Summary: Faith joins Buffy, and Buffy realizes that something doesn’t add up.
Crossover: Charmed
Characters: Buffy Summers, Faith Lehane, Melinda Halliwell.
Rating: Gen, past Faith/Robin.
Word count: 2177
Challenge: The 2016 August Fic-a-Day. Day 31.
Timeline: Post-Chosen for BtVS, post-Forever Charmed.
Disclaimer: The Buffyverse belong to Joss Whedon. Charmed belongs to someone who is not me.
A/N: There’s no Wyatt in this ‘verse. Melinda is the oldest of Piper and Leo’s children. Prue is alive. Actually, it’s pretty AU in general.
A/N 2: This is the last part of 'The Slayer and the Witchlighter'. There may or may not be a sequel in the future.
Earlier in the day Buffy had met Primrose ‘Rose’ Halliwell, the youngest of Melinda’s siblings. The girl was a lot like Buffy herself had been back when she had been 15; happy, interested in boys, partying, friends, and killing off demons. Their way of doing the latter was different though, as she had mostly used physical violence and melee weaponry while Rose and her family were using magic and potions. Still, she could relate.
The meeting itself had been short as Rose had a date later on and needed time to get ready, but the introductions were made and everything seemed to be going well. So as far as meeting the Halliwell family went she was two siblings and one cousin down, only another eight cousins to go. Not counting the parental generation. Before the two sisters had left Buffy had been invited to dinner a week and a half later at the residence of Piper Halliwell and Leo Wyatt. The Witchlighter had even jokingly hand drawn a polite, formal invitation and handed it over with a big grin before she left. Melinda would pick her up from wherever she’d happen to be at that point and orb her to the house.
Now however, she was waiting for her fellow Slayer. Evidently the relationship between Faith and Robin had finally collapsed, and according to both Faith herself and Dawn the final showdown had been spectacular. Dawn had gone as far as describing it as an 'epic story on why one should never step out on a Slayer'. Which Buffy had translated to 'Robin cheated on Faith and Faith caught him in the act'. The end result had been that Faith decided to take a break from the Cleveland Hellmouth and just hit the road for a while. Robin had been kicked out of Slayer HQ by a large group of teenaged Slayers who were all offended on Faith's behalf.
Faith had already packed a bag and hit the road at that point, but she'd gotten the story relayed from several of the young girls involved who were sad that she chose to leave - even if it was only temporary. It was good that the other Slayer had finally gotten someone, or in this case several someones, who were willing to stand up for her and not just let her deal on her own. The road had beckoned though, and she'd asked for permission to join Buffy for a little while before she took off on her own to blow off some steam her own way. Buffy was honestly looking forward to Slaying again with the other half of the Chosen Two; it had been to long and hopefully they would have time for a couple of sparring sessions as well.
Two hours after her meeting with the Halliwell sisters and Faith had arrived on her motorcycle. She looked dusty from nearly a week on the road, but judging from the smile on her face she had taken out some of her anger on something demonic along the way. Chances were she'd gotten some else along the way as well.
As soon as Buffy had made eye contact with the other woman something at the back of her mind began to grate, and she got the feeling that something wasn't quite right. It had nothing to do with Faith, but there was something at the back of her mind that just wasn't adding up somehow but she couldn't pin-point what. She let it go and just let her sub-conscious ruminate over it while she caught up with her friend.
However after the fifth time she zoned out Faith called her out on it. "Yo, B. What's up with spacing out on me?"
"Sorry. It's just... Actually I'm not sure what it is, but it's like something's off. I can't figure out what. I saw you and this sense that I've missed something important began."
Faith frowned. "Is this something Slayer related?"
"No. Or, at least I don't think so." It was just outside of reach, but the thought or memory wouldn't come close enough for her to examine it.
"Is it about Xan?" Buffy winced as a thought occurred to her, and then she blanched as realization hit her.
"Oh my god!"
"Buffy?" Faith took in the blonde Slayer's horrified look, the sudden use of her actual name a testament to how unnerved she actually was by Buffy's outburst.
"I could've gotten him help, but it didn't even cross my mind. Xander's dead and Willow's right; it is my fault." Buffy put her hands over her own mouth to stop herself from babbling even more. What had she done? Or rather why hadn't she gone for the obvious solution to Xander's health problems?
"No! Whatever's just dropped into your head, it wasn't your fault. You were nowhere near him when he was taken, you didn't make him go on a date with yet *another* demon. You didn't torture him. You did kill most of the demons who tormented him, and you did everything you could to get him help afterwards."
"But I didn't do everything! I could've called on someone to heal him, someone who has the power to heal almost all injuries. He could've made it. Why didn't I call her? Text her?"
"Her who?" Faith blinked. The Slayer Organization had a number of witches and healers on staff, but they had all been called in and they had done their best save Xander. In the end they had all failed.
Buffy decided to throw caution to the wind and ignore the relayed, but very vague, warning not to tell any of her people about the other parts of the magical world. She needed a second opinion, a sounding board, and Faith always gave her own blunt opinion on things. She drew in a breath and centered herself to calm down before she slowly exhaled as she began talking again. "You know how I've been talking to someone while I've been traveling?"
"Yeah. I got the impression it was an old friend or acquaintance."
"It's not." Buffy debated with herself on how to explain Melinda; what she was, what she could do, and if she should include the witch part of the explanation or not. She shrugged mentally, this was Faith she was talking to. Nearly a decade of being tentative friends, enemies bent on killing each other, then tentative friends again, and finally allies, and she still had no time for long-winded expositions.
"Four, maybe five, months ago a teenage girl showed up in blue and white lights while I was patrolling a cemetery. After a few failed attempts she managed to explain that she was my guardian angel, or Whitelighter as she said her kind are actually called. They protect, help, and *heal* their charges and victims of various demons. She proved her healing ability by healing a gash on my arm."
Buffy looked down at the ground, before she met Faith's eyes again. "They can heal nearly all injuries, even if the person is really close to death. Basically as long as there is life there's a chance a Whitelighter can heal whatever it is."
"What did she say when you told her about Xan?"
"That's just it. She and her brother, who was also there so I could meet him, didn't react as if there was anything out of the ordinary. They gave their condolences. Melinda hugged me. They behaved like not calling for Melinda when one of my oldest friends was dying was completely normal. It didn't cross *my* mind until I saw you that I should've called for her. It's been more than two and a half months, why hasn't it come to mind before now?."
"Giles said Xan had several kinds of unhealable demonic toxins in his body. He said no one could've healed him, no matter what. None of the healers were able to heal even a small scratch on him. Neither could Willow. Not even when she channeled both mine and your power through herself and into him."
Before Buffy could reply a group of vampires in full 'grrr' face showed up looking for dinner. The park the two women had met up in was partly secluded, but still both of them took a quick look around to ensure that no one was looking before engaging the stupid young vamps in the dance of death. Rather than simply put a stake through their undead hearts the Chosen Two decided to prolong the fight so as to give themselves something to hit. Buffy because of her regret in not thinking of calling for her guardian angel to heal Xander despite the warning not to reveal Melinda's existence to her people; and Faith so she could deal in some aggression therapy to try and heal her broken heart.
Twenty five minutes and a lot of dust later, and they sat down on a nearby picnic table to continue their talk. Thanks to their the round of violence, and the endorphin's it caused, they were in a much better mood afterwards. Buffy opted to continue their talk as if they hadn't just spend nearly half an hour fighting and permanently killing six of the undead.
"I know that, and intellectually I understand that she most likely couldn't have done anything the other healers couldn't, but..."
"But you feel like it's your responsibility to fix everything, even when the person or people in question haven't been your friends in years. Have in fact blackmailed, ridiculed, tried to control you, and basically been a bunch of hypocritical bastards towards you since before Sunnyhell fell into a crater."
Then a though occurred to Faith, "Do you think the PTB did something so you wouldn't call for her and so your guardian angel wouldn't think it was weird?"
Buffy frowned, then she took out her smartphone and quickly typed in a short message before hitting send.
Faith gave a throaty laugh, "Did you just send a *text* message to your *guardian angel* on your *phone*?"
"What? She lives in the 21st century, too. Unlike Giles she isn't technophobic." Faith just looked at her. "Fine, we have a deal. If it's an emergency then I just yell out her name and she'll hear me and orb to me as quickly as possible. If it's not then I either call her on the phone or send a text message. Since it's not an emergency, and I already talked to her earlier today, I'm sending a text."
A little over ten minutes later her Witchlighter appeared in the familiar blue and white lights. Beside her she noticed Faith startle at the sudden light.
"Hi. That message was really unhelpful, you know." The young woman began speaking even before the orbs had gone away completely, but she suddenly tensed when she discovered that her charge wasn't alone.
"Who's your friend?" Beside Buffy Faith had crossed her arms underneath her chest.
"Melinda, this is Faith. The other half of the Chosen Two. Faith, this is Melinda. My guardian angel." It was a simple introduction, and straight to the point.
"She's not why I wanted to talk to you though." And without any preamble she just went straight for the question she wanted an answer to. "How come you didn't find it strange that I didn't call for you so you could heal Xander?"
Melinda blinked, then frowned. "I don't know. It's odd. Normally I should've sensed your distress and felt an increasing need to go to you so I could try and help with whatever was causing you pain if you didn't call for me first."
"Can you ask the Elders if they did anything?" At this point it wouldn't surprise her in the slightest. The Powers That Be was on the top of her list, quickly followed by the Elders. Both had the power to modify memories, but given who had the most secrets in this instance her vote went to the Elders. Melinda gave an affirmative reply and orbed out again.
"She's a looker."
"Really, Faith? Someone's been messing with my memories or perception or whatever, and all you have to say is 'she's a looker'?
"What? She is. Jailbait, too. Probably." Buffy didn't bother to correct the assumption and continued their conversation instead.
Nearly twenty minutes later Melinda reappeared, and she looked a little angry and very annoyed.
"It was the Elders. They temporarily made you not think of calling me in fear that you would reveal Whitelighters and so on to your group. And they are not happy about you telling Faith.
This time Buffy rolled her eyes. "Faith is fully capable of keeping her mouth shut."
Their scrutiny over the situation went on for a while before they decided to call it quits for the night. Melinda needed sleep, and the two Slayers needed something to kill just to take the edge off their anger at the Elders for interfering. However they agreed to meet the day after to talk it over some more.