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Summary: In an attempt to get over her grief for Spike, Buffy has cut herself off from her past life, and anything that reminds her of the vampire that's still in her heart.  But when a news story brings her attention to the battle in LA, the Slayer finds herself once again facing old betrayals and old faces.  Returning to LA she finds even newer betrayals and the possible death of her most secret hope.


Faded Hope

by bitchee

Chapter 9



Dawn flushed, Spike gaped, and Buffy closed in on both of them.

As the Slayer advanced into the room, Spike, unconsciously, took a step back.

She was looking a lot less upset, and a lot more like the Buffy he remembered.
If it hadn’t been for her little ‘She’s right’ comment, Spike would have put the look on her face down to her usual attitude of, Stake first ask questions later.
A bloke never did know whether he was coming or going with her. Surely the wounded act from earlier proved that.

Dawn panicked.

“Uh, Hi Buffy. Gee, I didn’t expect you back so soon. So what did Willow say? Oh hey yeah…um , Spike and I were”… darting a quick glance at Spike Dawn weighed up the chance that Buffy had only caught part of their conversation. And hopefully not the part with her doing the yelling. She gulped nervously at the look in her sisters’ eyes.

“Um, you know, we were talking… Just catching up. So… Hey, where’s Will? she asked doing her best to look innocent.

Dawn was praying that her sister hadn’t overheard too much of their conversation, Buffy may have loved Spike but her temper could get the better of her at times. It wouldn’t do either of them any good if she staked him in a momentary fit of rage.

Spike for his part, had donned his ‘who gives a toss face’.

Watching Dawn slip into ‘I am so busted mode’ he concentrated on all the reasons he had to not get involved in whatever had brought the two of them back into his life.

He still had no clue what was going on with the slayer, but Dawns’ words and the slayers change of tune told him thing were about to get interesting. And he was determined, even if it killed him, again, not to care. Sooner the slayer was out of his life, the better.

Watching her face though, he couldn’t help being just a bit curious.

How long had she been standing there, what had she heard, and why was Dawn looking like she was about to be grounded for the rest of her life?

Trying to shrug off the guilt he felt as he recalled some of his harsher words, Spike did his best to tell himself that it served her right if she’d heard the lot. Not like it wasn’t the truth.

Bloody woman, why couldn’t she have stayed in Rome. Fuckin' typical, life starts to look up, an the bloody Slayer has to come along an bollocks up my existence all over again.

Wishing he hadn’t left his cigarettes with Faith, Spike did his best to resist the sudden urge to fidget as the slayer looked directly at him.


Buffy studied the two of them; Dawn was babbling, which told her that she was feeling guilty about something, and Spike was doing his best big bad impression.

Ok, apart from the few snippets she’d caught, what the hell had Dawn been saying?

Sure, she was a tad pissed that Dawn had been the one to tell him how she felt, and yes, it devastated her to know that Spike believed she had used him.
Hmmm, narrowing her eyes she took in the deer in the headlights look on her sisters’ face, and the half sneer on Spikes’.

Seeing Dawns’ eyes dart between the two of them and the unconscious way she was nibbling on her lower lip, Buffy realized that Dawn was not worried for herself so much as for the vampire.

Just what had the bleached menace been saying? that had the girl who’d been yelling at him only minutes ago, suddenly switching to protecto mode? And Spike? She knew the vampire well enough to know that the snark was a cover.

Boy, am I glad I only caught the tail end, if Dawns’ face is anything to go by, it must have been pretty bad.

She tensed as a dozen possibilities ran through her mind.
God please don’t let it be about him and Faith, surely they haven’t had time to…

She didn’t have time to complete her panicked thought, as the slayer in question entered the room.


Faith had gone back to her room initially; she had been more than willing to give Spike his space with the girl she knew he loved, second only to her sister. And when Buffy had turned up a little later she had squashed her worry and waited to see what the older slayer would do.

It had been to that end that she had decided to hang back just out of range of their forthcoming (cough) conversation, intending only to be on hand in case things got a little heated.

Which knowing the both of them, she had no doubt it would.

Thinking to kill two birds with one stone she had stationed herself at the top of the stairs, she figured she’d be within shouting range if Spike needed help, and if anyone else turned up she could head them off at the pass, so to speak.

Buffy had barely entered the room when she had sensed what she’d hoped for the least. Angel was headed her way.

“Crap” Swearing softly she slid to her feet and casually strolled down the stairs.

Halfway down Angel entered the lobby making a beeline for the stairs.

Double crap! How the hell was she supposed to keep him from sensing the other slayer?

She loved Angel… really, she did, but when it came to Buffy, he could be a little… unreasonable. And finding out that she was upstairs talking to his granchilde when he didn’t even know she was in his hotel…well it would not be of the good.

Sure, Spike had fought by his side, and they got along…mostly. Yeah ok, they argued like they were married or something, and there was the occasional thrown fist. Still they were family it was to be expected.

It was just that Angel… Oh who was she kidding. Angel could barely stand the fact that Spike had been with Buffy, he’d go damage bound if he knew she was cosying up to him in one of Angels own hotel rooms.

He talked the talk about as well as Spike when it came to the blond slayer. Moved on my ass.

Faith had heard all about his little werwolf chickie and his whole Buffy’s moved on and so have I speech. Spike had been shit loads of vocal on the subject. But she for one wasn’t buying it.

She, unlike Spike, had been around for a good portion of the angst fest that was the Buffy and Angel show, and unlike the others, she knew what it was like to crave something you couldn’t have. You might accept it, but it didn’t mean you had to like it, or for that matter, stop wanting it.

Buffy had been Angel’s goal for so long, that she doubted he even saw the girl herself anymore. And if it looked like Spike might have a chance… she winced. Oh yeah that is so not gonna be pretty.

“Hey Angel, so what’s up?”

Angel jerked in surprise; he had been so lost in thought that he had not even sensed Faith until she was nearly on top of him.

“Oh, hello Faith, sorry didn’t see you there”, Angels mouth twisted into a wry smile.
“I thought you were still upstairs, do you need something?”

Unconsciously directing a brooding glare in the direction of Spikes room, he missed the relieved expression on Faiths face.

“Well, now that you mention it fang boy, I’m really jonesing for some takeout. Don’t suppose you have any menus lying about? Preferably, ones that do the delivery thing? You know, what with me being on the lam an all.”

She grinned at his discomforted look, the reminder that she was still a wanted felon in the states, and as such had risked her freedom, just by turning up to help, jolting him out of his usual brooding look.

“Uh… well. I really don’t know, that was Cordy’s area”, I… she… ah used to keep them in a draw behind the reception desk”.

At the sudden sad and lost look on his face, Faith felt her conscience twinge a little over her hurriedly thought up distraction.

Still, he’d be a lot more unhappy if he went up those stairs anytime soon.

“S’cool, I suppose I could risk a quick run down to that Mexican place on fifth”, chewing her lip uncertainly she watched him beneath lowered lashes.

“Hell, if it’s anything like Sunnydale, Cop’s are probably givin’ this area a pretty wide berth after the whole Dragon thing."

With her best ‘I don’t want to be a bother’ look on her face she waited a beat before looking up to meet his uncertain gaze.

“Don’t sweat it man it’ll be five by five” Shrugging nonchalantly, she turned as if to go.

As expected Angel immediately did what all good hero’s do.

“No Faith, you’re a guest. Forget it, you’re not going out there again, you’ve done enough without risking getting caught for something as simple as dinner”. His smile was genuine as he guided her back towards the stairs.

“Go upstairs, take a shower, relax. I am sure I can find my way down to fifth to order takeout without screwing it up too badly. Fred dragged me there enough times, that I could probably find it blindfolded”.

His expression again teetered between brooding and melancholy at the mention of the former A.I member and Faith shifted uncomfortably as she mentally smacked herself upside of the head for picking Mexican.

Fuck, good going, remind him about his dead friends some more why don’t ya.

Smiling weakly, Faith told him what she wanted, feeling doubly guilty since they had raided his kitchen less than an hour ago.

Ok, so what if the food that Spike had scrounged, barely fulfilled the criteria of edible. Considering some of the things, she’d eaten in her less than memorable childhood she felt guilty as hell manipulating the guy into getting her more.

Her guilt didn’t lessen any when he waved off her attempts at giving him the cash to pay for it, insisting as she was his guest, and had Quote ‘pulled his ass out of a tight spot’, so it was only right that he pay.

Turning away from her with an offhand wave at her attempted thanks, he slipped silently out into the night.


Shaking off her continuing and annoying desire to feel bad, Faith headed back upstairs.

Sheesh Faithy you’re really taking the white hat thing too far, S’not like you lied to the guy. Its for his own good. Faith rolled her eyes at her own thoughts.

Fuckin A, I so don’t need the whole Buffy gotta be a good girl vibe. Shit, I shot the guy full of poison and I’m tripping over sending him for takeout.

She snorted, the irony of her thoughts underling just how much she’d changed in the past year.

Somewhere between breaking out of jail and joining up with Giles’s merry band of do gooders her whole outlook on life had gone and done a complete 360.

Shit, I’ll be helping little old ladies cross the street if this keeps up.

Sniggering to herself, she shook her head and entered the room, only to hit a wall of tension so thick her first thought was to wonder if anyone had a knife sharp enough to cut it.

Then again, she stiffened, her hackles rising as the blond slayers gaze locked with hers.If the look on B’s face is anything to go by, I should probably rethink the whole knife thing.