To Live in Die in LA:Book Two-Part Two
Dean and Faith came around the corner in a rush. Seconds later police sirens could be heard in the distance. "Time to leave." Dean said moving past Sam and Buffy and into the room. Faith didn’t even glance at Buffy as she helped Dean grab their supplies and head for the car. Sam took a few bags from the slayer as they moved to the Impala as one.
Dean and Sam dumped their bags in the trunk as Faith and Buffy silently glared at each other. Tucking under the trunk Dean said to Sam "Look I need you in the back seat with Buffy." Sam shot him a look that bordered on hurt and Dean rolled his eyes "You really want two super powered chicks who hate each other within arm’s reach?" Sam’s face fell as Dean offered "Unless you want to drive and me and Faith can take the back seat." Dean’s smirk forced Sam to sigh and roll his eyes. Anything was better than watching that in the rear view mirror.
As Sam moved around the car to Faith’s side he jerked his head towards shotgun, making the slayer give him a questioning look. He just nodded and got in the back seat. Faith was perplexed, but gratified she didn’t have to sit the whole way with Buffy. She got into the front, flashing Dean a small smile of thanks. As soon as Buffy closed her door Dean backed out of the parking lot and took off across town. In the rear view mirror he could see cop cars turning into the motel.
"We got maybe fifteen minutes on them." Dean said watching for any followers.
"Running from the cops." Buffy said crossing her arms "Must feel like old times, Faith."
Faith went to turn around but Dean’s voice stopped her cold. "Look bitch, you just walked into the middle of a demon exorcism and allowed an innocent victim to run free. Then you hauled off and started spouting garbage you knew was going to set her off and get the police. So unless you have anything positive to add right now shut the fuck up." he sighed as he watched the road "No time for Vampire Slayer Barbie and her witty comments."
Buffy leaned back and crossed her arms. For the moment, she was outnumbered and outgunned at the moment. Sam said there was stuff she didn’t know; she could wait to hear it. But this was getting old. She was not used to being the odd one out. That was usually...Faith's gig.
"Thirteen minutes, Sam" Dean said looking at him in the mirror "Where to?"
Sam closed his eyes and summoned up a mental map of the area "Head towards the freeway." he said "We can head South towards L.A. and stop at a diner or something." he looked back at Dean "It’s too small a town to try somewhere else."
He saw his brother nod and began moving towards the interstate. Sam looked over at Buffy who was rubbing the side of her leg. Scooting over slightly, the younger Winchester asked her, "Does it hurt?" She looked at him with eyes that made him think she was a little frightened. She nodded slightly and he said in a low voice "You want something for it? We have some pain killers or Advil…"
She watched him for a few seconds, again he couldn’t tell if she was judging him or wary of him. Odds are it was both. She just shook her head "I’ll be ok in a while."
Sam nodded and moved back to his side. No one talked as they hurtled down the freeway. He sighed as he looked out his window…it was going to be a long ride.
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"Uh-huh" Xander said into the phone as he scribbled something down "Ok" after a few seconds and more scribbling "Well yes…I suppose." he stopped writing and shifted the phone "If we do I promise." small pause "Thank you lieutenant." and he hung up.
Walking back to the table Xander tried to get Giles' attention as he looked over a rather large tome with stuffed shirt number two…or three. Hard to tell in this light. Xander stared at the elder Watcher, trying to focus whatever mental powers he might possess to get his attention without alerting the others. His face was growing red from the effort, he was going to give himself an orgasm or an aneurysm, either one a step up from this nightmare.
Now Buffy was missing and the police on the scene said witnesses had seen two women fighting in the pool before a man, or a small giant depending on who you asked separated them. So far they had found nothing and no one, Buffy supposedly left or was taken with Faith and her partners. Which meant things were getting even worse.
"Do you have something to say Mr. Harris?" stuffed shirt number One asked from behind him. Xander almost gave up his bladder for a second as he stopped trying to 'Professor X' Giles and turned around "What? Me? No? I mean come on…" he said smiling "What was the question?"
The man sighed as one did with an unruly child or a particularly dull pet "Do you have any information on the slayer?"
Xander stopped himself from asking which one, knowing that the council did not recognize Faith as The Slayer or even A Slayer. She was always just Faith. If he recalled correctly one of the stuffed shirts had been on the team the council had sent to America to stop Faith and carried a grudge the size of New Jersey when it came to her on his shoulder. Instead he said "No. No information. None here. Informationless Xander. That’s what they call me." he said rocking on his heels.
The man sighed and rolled his eyes in that British way making Xander doubly glad we had kicked their ass back in the Civil War. Or the other one. The war where the British got owned. That one. Seeing the other stuffed shirt walk away from Giles, Xander walked as quickly as he could over to him and said "I have some information."
Giles closed the centuries old book and said "Yes, I gathered from your exchange with Reginald you might be withholding something." Xander looked at him in shock and Giles said "I cracked your clever code."
Xander rolled his eyes now. Watchers. "Buffy isn’t at the motel and witnesses are saying there was a Thunderdome type fight in the pool before the cops showed up." Giles just stared at him "Tina Turner? Mad Max?" in a voice he said "Two men walk in…"
Giles held up his hand "I am aware of the movie, Xander. What else?"
Xander tried not to show his amazement that Mr. Watcher had seen a movie after 1966 but moved on in his head "They are saying Faith has two guys with her." he said very low "Most likely the hunters."
Giles stopped in mid-step "They took Buffy?"
"Or Buffy could have gone with them." Xander added trying his best at playing devil’s advocate.
Giles stared at him with THAT stare and asked "How likely do you think it is that Buffy went with Faith and two unknown males willingly?"
Xander just smiled pathetically "Um…it is within the realm of…not impossible?"
Giles put the book away and began to walk over to Wesley.
Yep. Definitely getting worse by the minute.
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The four of them sat in the truck stop and waited for food to arrive.
It was uncomfortable to say the least, Faith sitting across from Buffy glaring as Sam sat across from Dean with that look that meant ‘Say something!’
After about five minutes Dean finally said "So, your leg going to be ok?"
Buffy nodded but said nothing else, looking around the diner ignoring him.
"I was trying for just a flesh wound." he said "I didn’t want any permanent damage or something."
She stopped looking around and looked at him "You shot me." she said with steel in every single syllable.
Faith's eyes narrowed as she wanted to remind Buffy she was a fucking Slayer and should get over it. After all, Dean had taken his punch to the face without all this hankie twisting bullshit. She held her tongue since Dean was trying to make some headway here.
He met her gaze "Yeah, because you jumped down like you were Wonder Woman and screwed up an exorcism." His voice was just as stern.
"I didn’t know." Buffy defended, not liking how Dean's eyes sliced into her.
"Oh well then that makes it ok." he said raising his hands in exasperation "She didn’t know the situation and just stuck her big nose in without thinking. So that makes it ok."
"I was sent here to collect her." Buffy said jabbing a finger at Faith, pretty much confirming Faith’s fears.
"She had the situation under control." he countered before Faith could respond.
"What are you her boyfriend or something?" Buffy barked "She can’t talk for herself?"
Dean opened his mouth but Faith cut him off. Under the table, her hand rested to his leg, giving a faint squeeze. "I can talk just fine." she said never blinking from Buffy "So far you haven’t spoken to me."
Buffy sighed and said "What the hell is going on, Faith?" she asked as condescendingly as possible "You were sent down here to investigate missing girls and you burn a motel down and kill a pizza delivery guy."
"That wasn’t her." Dean said quickly.
"I wanna hear it from her." Buffy demanded.
Faith’s eyes widened in true disbelief. "Why? You won’t believe me. So why should I say anything? Guilty until proven innocent, right? You know all the answers, B. Why even bother acting like there's a missing piece?"
Buffy smirked "Because I am dying to find out what excuse you have this time."
"She was possessed, you fucking blond." Dean growled. Both Sam and Buffy looked at him "The thing that is inside the girl you let go was inside of Faith." he said jerking his thumb at Faith "And it almost killed her." he leaned forward towards her "So you wanna dial down the bitchness or is that even possible with you?"
Buffy stopped, her face trying to control her shock. Faith possessed? Her natural instinct was to ask if she was ok, but by the time it reached her mouth it came out as "Wow, your body was taken over by someone else and they did horrible things with it? Did she screw anyone you were dating at the time?"
Faith’s eyes were dead cold as she just stared across the table at Buffy. She had thought after Sunnydale and all that they had come to some kind of middle ground between them. The hatchet may not have been entirely buried, but Faith had at least thought it partially covered with dirt. But here Buffy was, bringing up the time they had switched bodies and she had ended up sleeping with Buffy’s boyfriend Riley. She thought of a scathing reply and then thought about how it would feel if Meg had fucked Dean in her body. If anyone fucked Dean beside herself. How would that feel?
And she suddenly realized how horrible Buffy must think her.
Faith had had no reference point before this. One guy was pretty much the other and Riley had thought her to be Buffy at the time anyways. Faith had always shrugged it off as just sex and Buffy being a prude…but now. The thought of Meg in her body cozying up to Dean…her hands clenched into fists and she looked at Buffy for a moment "I was a bitch and completely wrong to do that." she said causing Buffy’s eyes to widen "And I don’t blame you if you never forgive me. But I didn’t kill that guy they found and I didn’t burn down that motel." she looked to Dean "Let me out please. I’m not that hungry anymore." Dean moved aside and let her out as she walked out of the diner’s door. Dean looked at Sam and followed her out. Leaving Buffy and Sam alone at the table.
Sam smiled the best he could "So you’re from around here aren’t you?’ he tried.
She nodded slightly, not believing he was going for small talk "Yeah, just a couple of hours from here." she said "It’s a huge sinkhole now."
He nodded "Ah yeah." he said tapping his fingers "I heard about that."
She kept staring at him for a second "Are you going to tell me what’s been going on?"
He looked at her and then sighed "I guess I have to." he said slipping out and sitting across from her "See my brother went to L.A. on a job…"
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Faith almost broke the diner door as she pushed her way out and into the parking lot. It was one of those dust and gravel things just off of nowhere. She kicked the dirt as she walked towards the car. She watched the cars on the freeway whizz past; families settled in for a well deserved vacation at Disneyland and wondered for the millionth time in her life.
What did she deserve?
Dean came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her back. She resisted for half a second but she found she didn’t want to fight him. She didn’t want to pull away and be all strong and independent. When she was around him feeling like this, she wanted to just surrender and let go. As she leaned into him he wrapped his hands around her and she could smell the leather and gun oil surround her. He said in her ear "I hope you realize how serious this is." he said "I’m missing pie as we speak."
She smiled despite herself "Well then it must be serious."
His voice was low like a rumble "You have no idea."
She liked this, the port in the storm for just a second. Her, him, that jacket…it was easy to pretend she was an island. Completely cut off from her past and not connected to the long line of chaos and violence that led to this point. And Dean, not seeming to care about anything she had done.. Just wanting her because. She sighed "I screwed her boyfriend once." she said finally.
"Yeah, I gathered that." he said with no accusation in his voice at all "You guys switched bodies?" She nodded as he chuckled "If I was in Sam’s I swear I’d go and get that boy laid. Twice."
She smiled as he took the impossible and made it a joke. "It wasn’t very nice."
He sighed now "No, doesn’t sound like it." he said after a second "But then it sounds like you two enjoy kicking each other in the balls a lot also."
She craned her neck back to look at him and he smirked "What I’m pretty sure you have bigger balls than me AND Sam put together."
She turned back around and said "I hope not." she could feel his body react to the flirt.
"Seriously though" he said "It sounds like all you two do is take turns trying to hurt each other." she had to admit that sounded like Buffy and her "So you did what you could do to hurt her. Sleeping with her boyfriend sounds bout right."
"It wasn’t right." she said.
"No" he had to agree "But it also isn’t the end of the world." he hugged her a bit tighter "You can’t keep running from her and the world, Faith. So you did things wrong, stop letting people use them against you." And even softer he said "You beat yourself up enough already. Stop letting other people do it as well."
He was right. She hated to admit it, but he was right. She needed to stop letting Buffy use the past like a knife against her throat. There was more at stake here than their idiotic past. She stood up and turned around to hug Dean. She held on while being held, wanting that strength that radiated from him to surround her. "You’re kinda smart for being so cute." she said leaning in and resting her forehead against his.
He smirked "Shhh…don’t tell anyone." he whispered "I’m supposed to be the stupid one."
Her lips touched his "Show me how stupid you can be."
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Buffy was quiet as Sam ate Dean’s pie.
"Wow" she finally said "That’s a lot…a lot of stuff."
Sam nodded as he gulped down as much as he could "They’ve been running ever since. When you showed up that demon had come out of nowhere."
"And I screwed it up." she said more to herself.
"You didn’t know." he said with more compassion she had ever heard uttered from a guy before. She looked up at those huge soulful eyes and then away. While she looked away he gestured to the waitress to take the empty plate away "So we need to get back to L.A. and…"
"I need to call England." she said cutting him off.
He stopped and then nodded slowly "Yeah, ok…those are your bosses?"
She took out a cell phone "I wouldn’t call them bosses." she said pushing the speed dial.
"What would you call them?" he asked smiling.
She just shrugged "Anything but my bosses." she said as Xander picked up the line and asked "Buff?"
"Hey it’s the little Watcher who could." she said smiling into the phone "Are they wigging yet?"
"So past wigging and straight into all fucked up alert." he said whispering into the phone.
"Why are you whispering?" she asked.
"Because they are trying to figure out who is going on the insertion team to recover you as we speak." he explained.
"Crap" she said "Let me talk to Giles."
"Can’t" Xander said even lower "He isn’t here, took off to talk to Agatha Christy."
"Agatha Harkins" Buffy corrected referring to the Watcher’s council private coven of witches "Wesley?"
"In full on leader mode." he hissed.
"Let me talk to him then." she said.
"OOkay." Xander said, obviously not liking that idea at all..
There was some muffled talking and she was on a speakphone. "Buffy?" Wesley asked.
She was still getting used to the grown up stubble wearing Wesley action figure. All she ever saw was the uptight, greener than green Watcher that fell in love with Cordellia and left for L.A. Wesley as leader of the Watcher’s council was still a bit funny to her "Hey Wes…how are you?"
There was a pause "How are you Buffy? Are you captive?"
She snorted "Do I sound like I am captive?" nothing in return "Look this is a bit more complicated than we imagined, I am going to see if I can work with Faith and try and sort things out."
"Faith is with you?" he asked carefully.
"Yep, and she’s hip deep in demons. With a capital D and that rhymes with…um B and that stands for me I guess." she said wishing she was funnier.
"What about the dead body and motel?" he asked.
"Total mistake." Buffy said "Not her fault…demonic possession." she said.
"I can send some people out there…" he started to say.
"No need." she cut him off "So far the bad guys have had the jump on us. Time to turn some tables." she said.
Another burst of silence and Wesley said "Are you sure you don’t want any assistance Buffy?"
She made a face at Sam as she said slowly into the phone "No Wesley.. I am fine." she covered the phone "Jeez"
"Very well" he said "If you insist."
She said back into the phone "This is me all insisty."
"Good luck" Wesley said before she hung up.
She held the phone for a second as she looked up "Now that was a weird conversation." she said more out loud "Why do I get the idea I forgot to tell him something?"
Dean and Faith came in, Faith sitting next to Buffy as she scooted over. There was a kind of truce in place as the two Slayers relaxed next to each other. It reminded Faith of the few times they had gotten along, and how it had felt to have a friend. She let her shoulder graze Buffy's and saw a tiny smile from the blond. It was some progress.
Dean looked down and then to Sam "Where’s my pie?"
Sam looked innocent and shrugged "She forgot it?"
Dean narrowed his eyes "Breathe on me."
"What?" Sam said pulling back "No!"
"Breathe on me and prove you don’t have pie breath." Dean said leaning closer.
"No way, Dean." Sam said covering his mouth.
Dean kept staring at him for several seconds, knowing he had something to do with this missing pie.
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Wesley closed the line and stood there.
"Have you heard enough?" stuffed shirt number two asked.
"I’m afraid so." Wesley said with a heavy sigh "Assemble your team, I will give the go order."
He nodded and walked out sharply. Xander gaped at him open mouthed "What? But she said she was fine!"
Wesley looked up "There are code words, Xander, phrases that are to be said to acknowledge you aren’t being held against your will." he explained slowly "She didn’t give one of them."
Xander sputtered "But she said she was ok."
"And Faith could have been there forcing her to say that." he countered.
Xander’s head was spinning "But she sounded fine."
Wesley looked up "She didn’t say the code words."
Xander exploded "This is Buffy we’re talking about! If it isn’t The Devil Wears Prada she doesn’t remember anything!" he moved over to Wesley "You can’t just send a bunch of Watchers in to attack!"
"They will assess the situation and report back to me." Wesley said icily "And in the meantime, Xander, you are hereby ordered not to contact Buffy or Faith again." his voice was stern "This is now an official Watcher investigation and all communication is considered forbidden."
Xander looked at him in shock, no words came out of his mouth as Wesley took Xander’s cell phone away from him. Leaving the youngest Watcher in complete and utter shock.
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Faith watched the back and forth of the waitress. See, Lizzy, the waitress? Might not have caught anyone else's attention- but Lizzy was salivating over Dean and yeah, Faith noticed. She noticed how the waitress simpered when Dean called her over and how she tittered like he was saying something dirty asking for more pie. Of course, the way Dean said 'pie' you almost wanted to be pie yourself- but that was not for Lizzy to say. Faith narrowed her eyes on the waitress as the new piece of pie was brought over. In her mind, Faith was ready to tell the waitress that if she kept eye fucking her boyfriend then Faith would use her steak knife to skull-fuck her. She considered it and recalled Dean saying 'low profile'. Miracles could happen. Faith managed not to threaten the woman's life, just watching her like a cat would an unknowing mouse until Buffy's voice tugged her from her dark thoughts.
"I called the Council and told them we’re ok for now." Buffy said to Faith, who was picking at some cold fries like she didn't remember how to eat them.
Faith looked over in shock. Buffy had totally thrown her for a loop. "You vouched for me?"
Buffy shrugged "For now."
Faith was beyond stunned. Buffy looked at Dean "So, what now?"
Dean took a bite of his newly delivered piece of pie "We need to get back to L.A. and find Jessica." He saw the quiet anguish in his brother’s eyes but pushed on "Find her, find the girls I bet.."
Buffy half nodded "How do we do that then?"
Dean looked at Sam "Bobby?"
Sam nodded "Bobby."
Dean looked at her "We call in Bobby."
Leaving Faith and Buffy to wonder, who the hell was Bobby?
Previously on To Live in Die in L.A.
Prelude// Part One// Part Two/ Part Three/ Part Four/ Part Five/ Part Six/ Part Seven/ Part Eight/ Part Nine/ Part Ten