Chapter Three: Paying Respects

A few days passed and Buffy found herself right at home in alter Sunnydale. It was hard not to when it was nearly like her Sunnydale except for a few odd changes. The biggest non difference however were her friends who still acted very much like friends. They hung out with her and shared things with her; if it weren't for Dawn she would have guessed that the past year had been a dream and now things were right again.

Still she hoped that Dawn was okay back home. That the others were taking care of her. That she wasn't being a huge pain in the ass like she'd been to her. Not that she didn't love her sister because she did. Totally did. But, well it was nice to be an only child again even if it weren't real. It was nice to just...relax.

Oh...though there was Faith. Miss. Stable, lemme cook you dinner Faith. Man she was of the freaky here. She did her own laundry and she didn't live large on any vampires. She just fought them, staked them and moved on to the next. It didn't make sense!

Would she prefer the out of control wild child who tried to kill her? ...maybe. Hey she never said she was coloring with every crayon in the box. Just the really pretty ones.

Walking down the sunny streets, dressed in a pink halter top and white pants, she turned down a familiar road and slowly came to stop in front of a house. Her house. Or what would have been her house had she not went swimming with the fishes. 1630 Revello Drive. It was just the way it was supposed to be, perfect. Warm. Moderately safe depending on what day it was.

Idly she just stared at the structure; at the pretty curtains and the newly planted flowers around the walk way. The front door opened and two little boys ran out carrying dump trucks. They parked themselves in the dirt and began to play, not noticing her at all. She smiled and felt herself getting choked up but she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because even though it was just a house, it still felt like her house. And it was nice to see her house happy.

Moving on before someone accused of her being a would be burglar or something, she strolled along past parked cars and then jogged briskly, rounding the twin iron gates of the cemetery. Carefully she treaded across the green grass and around graves before stopping to face a lovely gray headstone.

Buffy Anne Summers

1981-1997

Beloved Daughter

Total weirdness to be standing at her own grave. To know that under the ground in a hopefully stylish coffin, was a girl just like her. Was a girl that was her in many respects. The one who couldn't make it. But for the grace of Xander and his blowing air into her lungs.

Wetting her lips, she traced her name that was carved into the stone with her fingertips. Of course she was thinking it. It was hard not to think it when it was staring her in the face like giant clown head. That could have been her.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, not completely sure why she was apologizing.

Perhaps because there was guilt over living. Over being able to walk and talk, to eat yogurt. Over being able to take things for granted cause one assumes they have all the time in the world. Just more strange facets that were Buffy Summers in the realm of many.

She stared at the grave for a long while, letting her thoughts run rampant before finally moving on. No need to become Miss. Dwelly and cry over spilled milk. Who would cry over spilled milk away? Maybe a baby, though would a baby even be able to grasp the concept that its milk was spilled?

Rubbing her forehead, she snorted and strolled on the side walk and found herself entering the expansive Sunnydale Park. Two figures caught her eye near the middle, surrounded by Tupperware filled with an assortment of different goodies.

"Hey!" Willow smiled as Buffy walked up, waving to the spread blanket. "Want a cookie? Tara made them."

"No thanks, though I'm sure they are very yummy." She replied sitting down. "Still burnin' off the three course breakfast Faith made."

Tara smiled, tucking hair behind her ear. "Sh--she's a very good co--cook. I--I love her spaghetti." Pulling the sleeves of her blouse down over her knuckles, she cleared her throat. "So um, Willow told me about your um, ho--how you got here. Are you okay?"

Buffy nodded with a sigh. "I--I'm dealing. I mean it's not hard to be here considering I still got my buds, but there is other stuff. Not...bad stuff but stuff." She played with a few blades of grass. "I stopped by my--her old house and then I went by her grave."

The red head blinked. "That's kinda...morbid-ee."

She nodded again. "Yeah, it is. But I felt like I owed her or something. Five minutes are all that stand between us."

Willow rubbed her shoulder. "But ma--maybe things were supposed to be this way. I--I mean considerin' you're still alive and kicking. Destiny is a funny thing."

"I'm not sure it was destiny. I think it was more chance. I mean I did die, just like her. The only difference is that I got back up."

"You can't beat yourself up over that though. If some freak portal hadn't dropped you here, you wouldn't even know the what's what."

"True. But if I--she'd lived long enough, you'd know this is kinda modus operand-Buffy."

She smiled and leaned back on her elbows. "Well I think you should just relax until you can get home. Think of it as a vacation."

The blonde shrugged. "I guess I could. Do a little sunbathin', a little shoppin'." She lowered her voice. "I think Carly is sweet for letting me borrow some of her clothes but, I'd rather have my own."

"Still into fashion, huh? Sounds like the Buff I knew." Willow itched at her wrist. "But it's cool Carly is bein' nice to you. She's a peach to the gang."

Buffy nodded, then chewed on her bottom lip. Since curiosity killed the cat and not the Slayer, it appeared that it would be alright for her to pry. Prying was harmless. "It's weird to think of Faith with her. I--I mean it's weird to think of Faith all serious with anyone. Really reminds me that I'm in this Twilight Zone of a Sunnydale."

"They are so cute together." Tara replied with a smile. "Yo--you can tell they really li--like each other."

Willow flicked an ant away. "Remember how Xander freaked out, thinkin' he'd be next to 'turn' gay? I told him that was my master plan, gay up the world."

"Have they been together long?" Buffy asked, mostly making conversation.

"Um kinda. Almost a year or somethin' like that." The Wicca mused. "We can't really be sure cause they broke up somewhere along the line."

"Why?"

"Well, um, Faith had a wonderin' eye. Once."

Sounds more like the Faith I know. "Oh. It--it happens."

"True. And Carly forgave her so I guess things are even stevens now."

"Do you think they will like, last or whatever? Be together for oodles and oodles of time? Own tea cozies?"

"Honestly? Naah. They mesh well bu--but from what we know of Faith, she needs pop. Says that's where the fire comes from."

~*~

Training in the back of the magic shop had been Faith's idea, and Buffy had thought nothing of it considering it was just training. She also figured that she'd beat her if the past was any indication to their usual behavior. However she found herself more or less pleasantly surprised.

Alter Faith was much more poised in her actions. She telegraphed moves and threw no punches. She was much more controlled as well, and not simply letting loose with the fury. There was fury of course because that was one of the points of being a Slayer, but Buffy could tell the difference a decent upbringing made. She could always pick out the things that Giles had instilled in Faith, because they were things he'd hammered into her head as well.

Yet here she was, flat on her back with her knees to her chest, her arms being held down on either side of her head. Faith was on top of her and looking down with a smirky grin, flashing those cute dimples in her cheeks. Her long dark hair was pinned back in a messy bun and her attire was less bad ass today; a simple white tank top and tight yoga pants. They had only been sparring for about twenty minutes, but both females were panting, their chests heaving but their muscles not even a bit tired.

Ignoring the odd butterflies that had just entered her stomach, Buffy kicked her leg up and flipped the brunette off of her forcefully but gently. In seconds they were both on their feet, taking their fighting stances. Faith lunged at the blonde and delivered a punch which she ducked, smiling and tossing the hair out of her bright green eyes. She spin kicked, feeling her foot be batted away before it connected with a strong shoulder.

"You're good." Faith replied, holding her hands up in the time out gesture.

"Thanks." She chuckled, wiping at her sweaty neck. "So are you."

"Ya seemed surprised."

"Um, well uh, I guess I just didn't expect for you to be so good."

The brunette stretched and cracked her knuckles. "Is that why ya agreed to take me on?"

She had the decency to be embarrassed. "Maybe a little. I thought we'd train and then I could regal you with techniques or something. I've been told that I am weird."

"Yeah." Faith moved over to a bench and sat down. "But it's aight. I ain't exactly normal myself. And it was still hot to go up against someone like me."

Sighing, Buffy sat down beside her and fiddled with her gloves. "Yeah. I forgot how much fun it can be when you don't have to hold back."

"Who do ya think would win between the two of us?"

"I--I dunno. Really don't wanna find out."

The brunette noticed her expression and nodded, touching her shoulder. "No worries. Got no plans to bitch smack ya."

She smiled, trying erase the scene behind her eyes from that night on the roof. "So um, what happened to Cordelia here?"

"She's in L.A. tryin' to do the actin' thing. I've seen her on a couple of commercials."

"Guess that means she doesn't work with Angel."

"Wouldn't know. Never talked to him. Though I bet if ya gave him a call he'd freak the hell out."

"Although that would be fun, I'll stick to Sunnydale."

"Heard Giles say he's not sure he can get cha home. Must be rough."

"Not really. I've got really good company here to keep me busy."

~*~

The alter Bronze was just like the one she knew, expect everything was on the opposite side she was used to. It was as if someone picked it up and sat it around ass backwards. But the music was the same and the people having fun were the same, so things were good.

Maneuvering through the crowd with Faith holding to her wrist and pulling her along, she couldn't help but think about the last time they'd danced together. No. The last time she'd danced with Faith from her side of the other world tracks. The night had started out so good and then...badness. One wrong move sent them spiraling down into a vat of doom. Who knows what things may have happened if that had not happened?

Frowning at that weird thought, she continued to follow the brunette until they were at a suitable location in the mix of the people. One thing that hadn't changed was Faith's love of dancing and blowing off steam. They'd both agreed to rip it up after the training session. To just relax and have a bit of fun. Seeing no harm since nothing bad could occur this time, Buffy'd relented and here they were.

The song thumping from the speakers was loud and angry, with a hectic yet underlying techno beat. Faith wasted no time with words, instead just jumping into the dancing. Her long brown curls swung across her face as her body snaked and curved to the music. So far it was the only thing that didn't have Buffy's head doing the wacky. Faith plus dancing equaled her understanding, the rest didn't amount to a hill of beans in this one horse town.

'I think too much.' She thought idly, then shook her head. Dancing. Right. Doing that.

Wiping her mind clean, she fell into step with the brunette and it felt like old times. Their bodies fit so well together, even though it was very much unintentionally. It was like they just gravitated closer until skin rubbed skin, causing small electric shocks. It all felt so natural, especially for Buffy. She would have found being pressed closed to any woman that wasn't Faith strange, but because it was her in a way, there was no strange-ness about it. Just a deep rooted nostalgia that she had not even realized existed before.

Kinda like with the whole not being called B thing. You don't miss something until it's gone...forever.

And even though it had never truly occurred to her, she knew quite clearly that some part of her missed Faith. Probably the crazy part that helped her block out the idea of Giles and her mom having sex on the hood of a police car. Twice! Yeah Faith had did bad stuff but not all of it had been bad. Some of it had been down right...amazing.

A voice off to the side however broke her thoughts. "Can I cut in?"

Buffy looked over to see Carly with a cute smile on her face. "Oh--oh sure. I--I'm gonna get a soda." She then hurried towards the left, only to have to make her way to the right. Stupid opposite Bronze.

Leaning against the bar, Buffy ordered a Coke and then turned her attention to where Carly and Faith grinded with each other. They looked...she wasn't sure how they looked. Sexy would have been a good word, because they were both very pretty. But something was just off. There was an off-ness about them that she couldn't put her finger on. Sure they obviously liked each other, that was a given. Still...off-ness.

It was most likely because she wasn't used to alter Faith and her alter Faith ways. Or maybe it was because she could feel the ugly pig head of guilt wanting to rear itself whenever she thought about how stable Faith was here. And all because the Scoobies here gave a damn, pushed her to be the best person she could be. Even Giles was being like a Pop to her.

Maybe not killing Alan Finch was just one colored square on the rubix cube of their relationship. She could have came back from it. She was on her way until Wesley screwed it all up. All Faith had ever wanted was to be accepted, but she'd been too jealous to notice or to care. Yet with her dead, everyone else noticed and cared.

"I suck." She murmured, sitting down on a stool.

Well it was time to make up for all she had lost. This was like her second chance in a way to get to know what was under the abrasiveness she'd gotten from her Faith. To be her friend for a change instead of her enemy. She wasn't sure why that was suddenly so important now but it was.

After all, maybe that was the whole point of her trip to Oz in the first place. A total life do over. Didn't seem so bad when she thought of it that way. Too bad she hadn't went back to her pre Parker days though. She could have stopped herself from sleeping with him and saved herself a lot of money, what with not buying tons of ice cream to ease her pain. Oh well. Maybe next year.