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CHAPTER 22: Not feeling so trust worthy


Buffy looked around before taking a sip of her beer straight from the bottle. They hadn’t even offered her a glass. Probably a good thing if she didn’t want to stick out like a sore thumb in that dive they called a bar. Her first thought had been to order a Cosmopolitan--her drink of choice--but the bartender at The Fish Tank probably didn’t even know what that was. And since the idea tonight was to blend in, she had looked around and ordered what everybody was drinking: beer.

She felt as out of place in the dark, rank bar as one can be, but she did her best to hide her discomfort. To the casual observer, the blonde girl in too tight faded jeans, black stiletto boots and simple black tank top was just another chick looking for a good time. But Buffy had a very specific reason for being there. She wanted a closer look at Angel and Darla. And since it seemed like this was the only place they ever frequented, her chances of seeing them there were pretty good.

Of course, Cordelia hadn’t been too thrilled to see her leaving so soon after Christmas, especially knowing that the reason behind Buffy’s early departure probably had something to do with Spike. But her friend had the decency to not say anything in front of Joyce. Buffy was grateful to her for this. Now, she was back in Sunnydale and ready to start her secret mission. She wouldn’t sit back and wait any longer. She had to act. Spike was not going to spend another Christmas in jail, ever. At least, not if she had something to say about it. She planned on becoming a familiar face at The Fish Tank. This way, the day she decided to finally approach Angel and Darla, it wouldn’t seem too odd. The last thing she needed was for them to put two and two together and find out that she’d been following them. If she was just another regular at the bar, they wouldn’t be asking questions.

Buffy’s head snapped up when the chair facing her was pulled. She let out a breath of relief when she saw that it was only Faith. She had to relax. She was so nervous that it probably showed on her face.

The brunette slumped on the chair and snickered. “Damn, B. You’re full of surprises, aren’t you? When you called me and asked if I wanted to meet you here, I thought you were making fun of me. This shit hole so doesn’t look like the kind of place where you’d hang out.”

Buffy smirked, before taking a swig of her beer. “And what IS my type of place, according to you?”

She had called Faith at the last minute to ask her to tag along. Buffy didn’t feel confident enough to go to the bar on her own. It was stupid, but she’d always gone to clubs and bars with friends in the past. She wasn’t one of those confident women who just sit behind the bar on their lonesome self, not giving a damn what anybody thinks of them. She thought it would be best if she’d take someone with her, at least for the first time. And Faith seemed like the best choice. Plus, Buffy enjoyed her company. The girl was a little rough around the edges, but fun. And she could teach her a thing or two about how to behave in such a place in order to get respect.

“Don’t know. Some posh place, filled with people that look nice, smell nice, and drink those fancy cocktails with a cherry and a straw. A place where folks whose annual income has at least six zeros go to socialize without having to deal with the scum. Somehow, I thought you were too classy for The Fish Tank.”

“Prejudice, Faith. I thought we were past that first impression?”

“Hey, I didn’t say you were stuck up. If you weren’t cool, I wouldn’t be hanging out with you. I’m not really a people person, in case you haven‘t noticed.”

Buffy laughed. “No kidding!”

“What I’m saying is, I think you’re too good for this place. That’s why I was surprised as hell when you called.”

“Believe it or not, I’m not the happy hour martini kinda girl. I’d much rather spend my evening here than sip on a cocktail and discuss philosophy with pretentious jerks. Here, the beer is good, the music is loud, and I don’t have to dress to impress. I can be myself.” She smiled warmly at the other woman. “There. Now, you know my little secret. Buffy Summers hangs out in dives.”

Faith gave her in incredulous look. “You’re too much, you know that?”

Buffy really hated lying to Faith. She was the first one who had befriended her and she could see that the brunette trusted her completely. But it wasn’t a big lie. She did avoid the more upscale bars in favor of more down to earth places. But she still would have never set foot in a place like this one if it wasn’t for her ulterior motive.

A big guy walked up to them and made a lewd comment, hoping to get lucky. Unfortunately for him, Faith’s sharp mind had a rude come back all ready for him, effectively breaking any kind of hope he might have had to get laid. But while Faith was busy rebuffing the jerk, Buffy spotted what she was looking for. The petite blonde woman she now referred to as Darla-the-whore, and the tall dark haired man, also known as Angel-the-murderer.

Something must have shown on her face, because Faith asked her if she was OK.

“You’re looking a bit pale there, B. Something wrong?”

She tried her best to smile at her. “Nah. I just thought I saw my ex. It’s not him though. Thank God.”

“Bad break up?”

“Yeah, I guess you can say that. He was a psycho.”

“I’ve dated my share of psychos, so I know how that feels. Why do you think I’m single? Hot chick like me flying solo, there’s gotta be a damn good reason, right?”

Buffy chuckled, trying to make it look like she was paying attention to what Faith was saying while still keeping her eyes on the couple across the room.

Darla was leaning against the jukebox while Angel was picking a song, and her high pitched laughter could be heard all the way to where Buffy and Faith were sitting. She was wearing a very short Catholic school girl skirt and a red t-shirt that showed too much cleavage, and her shoulder length, thin blonde hair was down.

**A grown woman dressing like a fifteen year old, how very pathetic** Buffy thought to herself.

“That bitch defines the word skanky. Did you see her? She should get her ass kicked just for wearing that.”

Buffy grinned. “Just what I was thinking.”

She winced at Angel’s choice of song, rolling her eyes when she recognized it. Other patrons gave annoyed looks to the man by the jukebox, but he didn‘t seem to notice.

Oh Mandy well,
You came and you gave without taking,
But I sent you away.
Oh, Mandy well,
You kissed me and stopped me from shaking,
And I need you today.
Oh, Mandy!

“Mandy?!” Faith exclaimed, outraged at the man’s bad taste. “Someone should knock that idiot unconscious for imposing this piece of crap on us.”

“Amen to that.” Buffy laughed, even thought she didn’t feel as amused as she let on. She couldn’t take her eyes off the happy couple. Angel was mouthing the words of the song to his wife. They didn’t have a care in the world. It just strengthened her resolve to take them down. It would be torture to pretend to be friendly with them, but she’d do it. She’d do whatever it took. She just had to wait for the right time.

“Buffy?”

Snapping out of her thoughts, she turned her attention to Faith who was now sitting side ways on her chair, her back against the wall and her legs stretched out in front of her. She was looking intently at her, obviously waiting for an answer to a question Buffy hadn’t heard.

“Sorry, what?”

“I said, do you want another drink?”

Buffy finally noticed the waiter standing next to their table, looking down Faith’s top unashamedly. The brunette didn’t seem to mind too much.

“Huh, yeah. Another drink would be great. Thanks.”

Faith was uncharacteristically silent for a moment. When she spoke, her good humor was gone.

“B, I just wanted to say thanks for being so nice to me even after what I’ve done. I thought you’d be more hesitant to hang out with me, you know?”

The confused look on Buffy’s face was genuine. “What are you talking about? What did you do?”

Faith opened her eyes wide, shocked that Buffy wouldn’t know. “You mean you don’t know? I’d thought that having big mouth Barbie working in your office, you’d be aware of all the gossip.”

“Well, Harmony and I don’t talk that much. What is it I should know?”

Faith seemed flustered. “I guess I should keep my trap shut if you don’t already know, but you’ve been a good friend since you started working at the prison and I want to come clean with you. I got the last warden fired. I’m the snitch who went to the authorities to report him.”

“And that’s bad? The guy was stealing money from the prison…”

**Guess it is bad in a way,** Buffy thought. **If she ever finds out I’m sleeping with one of the prisoners, she probably won’t be so friendly anymore…**

“Yeah, it is a good thing that I told. Nobody else had the guts to do it. But the reason why it’s bad is that Wilkins trusted me. He was my friend and my protector and I backstabbed him. That’s why I was worried that you wouldn’t trust me to be your friend. Let’s just say I don’t have the best of history with wardens.”

“Why do you say that? Is there something else?”

“I also dated the one before him.”

Buffy didn’t know what to say to this. “And… It didn’t end well? Wait. It wasn’t the one who..?”

“Offed himself?” Faith supplied helpfully. “Yes. Robin Woods. First man I’ve ever loved. Selfish bastard did it in my apartment. I had to move out after that, I just couldn’t sleep there anymore. The guy had issues, things he couldn’t deal with, including his mother being killed in front of him when he was a kid. He could never get over that. Unfortunately, people didn’t know all this and they started rumors saying that I pushed him over the edge. That’s when Wilkins arrived and took me under his wing.”

“Is that why you feel so guilty over reporting him?”

“Wouldn’t you?”

“I guess. But they guy was evil, Faith. I understand you feel like you owed him something, but at the same time, you’re not responsible for his actions. And knowing that won’t stop me from trusting you or being your friend. You did the right thing. People are quick to judge.”

“That, they are.” Faith finally managed to look Buffy in the eyes. “Thanks. Means a lot what you said. I promise to never let you down.”

“And I promise not to give you a reason to have to report me.” Buffy chuckled at the look on Faith’s face.

“Ha, ha. Lil’ Miss Muffet is a funny girl. Who would have known.”

**Yeah, I'm worthy of her trust alright.** Buffy thought sourly, trying to hide her sudden worries behind a smile **I already did give her a reason to report me. Let's just hope she never finds out.**

Buffy looked around the bar to try locating Angel and Darla, but with no luck. They were gone.

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