“Enemies” 14/14

[sroni]

He was on patrol with Vi and Rona. She was supposed to be there, too, but when she’d tried to go, he glared at her, and that had made her back down. Xander didn’t glare at her. Not without good reason. So when he did, she paid attention. She was pretty sure he’d also told B to keep an eye on her, since the tiny Slayer was sitting cross-legged on the bed, watching her. “Faith?”

“Don’t start, B. I’m not in the mood.”

Buffy paused, but decided to say it anyway. “You need to tell him.”

Faith rolled her eyes. “No, I don’t. I don’t need to tell him anything.”

Buffy arched an eyebrow at her. “Sooner or later, he’ll notice. He’s not dumb, and guys tend to notice something like that. He may have no depth perception, but that doesn’t make him blind.”

Faith shrugged her shoulder. “Yeah, well, I plan on leaving sooner, rather than later.” Buffy’s surprise showed in her face. “Giles asked me to go to L.A. and help out Scarlet and her girl-toy. I agreed. Apparently, Angel might have switched sides on us. He’s taken over Wolfram & Hart, and no one knows what his real plan is. He’s not talking.”

“But you can’t just leave. Xander w–”

She cut her off. “Cyclops knows that I’m not one for staying. He’ll deal.”

Buffy gave her a contemptuous look. “You’re really dumb, you know that? You’re selling yourself and Xander short. You should know him better than that. He loves you, and you’re too blind to see it.”

Faith shook her head. “He doesn’t love me. He’s smarter than that.”

“What’s with you? Have you not seen the way he looks at you?”

“Oh, yeah?” she challenged the other Slayer. “And how’s that?”

“He looks at you like he’s never seen you before. Like he’d walk around the world just to see you again. He looks at you like he’d do anything, even dying, to keep you safe.” Faith opened her mouth to point out that he’d do that for anyone, but B shot her a glare, so she backed off. “He’ll be paying attention to someone else, and you’ll come into the room, and he’ll watch you out of the corner of his eye, still listening to whatever it is the other person is saying, but never letting you out of his watch.” The corners of her lips quirked into a soft smile. “He looks at you like he never looked at Cordelia or Anya. He looks at you like he used to look at me, long time ago. Of course he loves you, and it has nothing to do with his brain, and everything to do with his heart. See, you’re still comparing him to most guys. That doesn’t work with Xander. They see with their eyes and their groins. He never has. I mean, sure, he has a healthy respect for ‘The General’, but that doesn’t matter so much to him. Not like with other guys. He sees with his heart.”

“Are you done?”

“You’re really leaving?” Buffy asked incredulously. “Haven’t you heard anything I’ve said?”

“Yes, I heard, and yes, I’m leaving. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to hurl.”

Faith ran to the bathroom and heard the other girl mutter, “I don’t know why you told me if you’re not going to pay any attention to what I say.”

When she got back, she answered, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “I didn’t tell you anything. You figured it out, and decided it was your business, and told everyone except Giles and Cyclops.”

“I thought you should tell Xander yourself. That’s not the kind of thing he’d want to hear from me. And I didn’t tell Giles because I didn’t think he needed to know. I guess I was wrong.”

She cut off that line of thought quickly. “No, you weren’t, and you’re not going to tell him.”

“But —”

“No, you’re not. He doesn’t have to know. It’s nobody’s business if I leave and where I go.”

“Wrong. It’s Xander’s business. He deserves to know.” Buffy blew her bangs out of her eyes. “He and Willow are my best friends, and you’re treating him like crap. That’s not fair.”

“Relax. Once I’m in L.A., I’ll tell him. Just not now. I don’t need him worrying about this, too.” She rummaged through her drawer and tossed the package to B. “Here. I gave up a while back, and I’ve been meaning to get rid of this. I guess I’ve held onto it as a ‘just in case of emergency’ sort of thing.”

“Did you quit smoking before or after?”

“Before. Since we left L.A. This just cemented the decision.”

The door swung open and Xander entered the room. Buffy was the first to speak. “Xander, what happened? You’re soaking wet.”

“Word to the wise, of which I’m not: don’t get into a snowball fight with two Slayers. They will defeat you horribly and embarrassingly. Like jumping on top of you and shoving your head into the snow. I’m going to change real quick, because I’m freezing. Buffy, would you mind?”

“Oh, no, I wouldn’t mind at all.” She stood there for a moment, with Xander looking at her. “Oh, you mean you want me to leave.” He nodded and Faith snarled. Buffy grinned at Faith. “Not at all. See ya in the a.m.” She disappeared through the door.

As he pulled his shirt off, he asked her, “So, is there anything in particular you’d like to tell me?”

She tried to cover her unease. It was the first time he’d asked a question when it sounded like he knew the answer. “I’m drawing a big huge blank. Why?” It was also the first time she’d lied to him.

“Because Vi and Rona seemed to be saying something different.” He now had the new shirt on, and was trying to get out of his wet pants.

She felt the red tint wash over her face. “Oh, that.”

“Yeah, that,” he agreed. “So, I just have one question. I’ve tried to think of other ways to say it, but I figure the best way is to just be direct. I realize this isn’t actually the best timing, what with you emptying your stomach contents every five minutes or so, and me in no pants, but there ya go. Faith?” She nodded warily, anticipating the invariable, “Why didn’t you tell me?” Instead what he said was, “Will you marry me?”

She stared at him slack-jawed a moment. “You’re just asking me because Vi and Rona spilled the beans that I’m pregnant.”

He spoke defensively, even before her words registered. “No, that’s not it at —” He stopped. “You’re what?”

She spoke in a low voice. “You didn’t know?” Then she yelled, “You said you knew!”

He yelled back. “I did NOT! I said that I knew you had something you weren’t telling me. I thought it was something like, I don’t know, you loved me. I never dreamed that you were pregnant and had decided not to mention it to me. Why didn’t you tell me?” She clapped her hand over her mouth and took off running for the bathroom, he called after her, “That’s why you yak all the time, isn’t it? It’s not some sort of stomach bug.” He stood next to the door until she finished, then handed her a cup of water. “Rinse and spit. Don’t drink. After a few minutes, drink it one swallow at a time. Otherwise, it’ll come up again, and you’ll get dehydrated, both of those things are very un-fun.” He shrugged at her surprised look. “You pick up a thing or two working in a bar.”

She stalked back to the bedroom and he followed her. “There is a time and a place to talk to someone. In the bathroom while that someone is puking her brains out is not one of them.”

Exasperated, he asked, “Are you going to answer my question?”

“Which one? You asked four. Oh, wait. Five.”

“I don’t care. Pick one.”

“Okay. Yes, I’ll answer your question. There.” He glared at her. “No, it’s not a stomach bug.” He kept glaring at her. “Fine. Yes, this is why I spend more time with my head in the toilet than usual. There. I answered more than half of your questions.”

“Not funny. Why didn’t you tell me?” He was calm now.

She wasn’t. She was back to yelling. “Because it wasn’t any of your business.”

He gaped at her. “What planet are you from? You’re pregnant with my child, and it’s none of my business? What’s going on?” He stopped and looked at her. “The promise.”

“Look, I told you I wouldn’t hurt you. I promised. If I stay, it’s gonna happen, and I can’t stop it. But if I leave, I can’t hurt you if I’m two thousand miles away.” It was so logical in her head. Why didn’t it sound so logical when she said it?

He sighed. “Faith, don’t you realize that if you left right now, it would kill me?” He closed the distance between them and put his hands on both sides of her head and looked her square in the eye. “I release you from your promise.” He spoke with exaggerated slowness. “You’ve already met your end of the bargain multiple times. I love you, Faith, even if you didn’t tell me you were pregnant. And want to marry you, even if the first real fight we had happened because I proposed to you. But I’m proposing again. Will you marry me?” She leaned forward and kissed him hard. “So, is that a yes?”

She nodded. “It’s a yes. Oh, by the way, I’m leaving for L.A. next week.”

“Not without me, you don’t,” he growled.

“Giles thought you’d say that, so he booked two tickets. He wouldn’t let me talk him out of it, no matter how hard I tried. He told me that if I thought ‘a mere two thousand miles would detain you, I’d have to re-evaluate my ability to think.’ He was right.”

“Damn straight. You’re not getting away from me that easily. I’ve worked too hard for you, and I’m not letting you go now.”

“Oh, yeah? And how did you work for me?” She challenged, a smile in her eyes.

“Well, it all started when this new girl came to town during my senior year. She was really hot …”

END

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There you go. Hope you liked it.

Comments

[skarman.livejournal.com]

Aw, so sweet, cute, fluffy and typically Faith and Xander highjinks and misunderstandings.

Hope you do a followup. Love to see a Faith with moodswings and weird cravings.

[sroni.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I enjoyed writing it. At the moment, I don't see a sequel in the future, but I won't discount the possibility. If it happens, you'll be one of the first I let know?