Title: The Buffy Effect

Author: Alan Hitchen

Email: darkmere2000@yahoo.co.uk

Disclaimer: BtVS belongs to Joss Whedon and others.

Rating: PG-13

Information: Sequel to The Cordelia Effect. Set after the episode 'The Yoko Factor'.

Summary: Faith is with Kate and Cordelia is with Angel. What could possibly go wrong?

"Hi, Cordy," Buffy hailed Cordelia as she entered the office of Angel Investigations.

Cordelia's face registered this information with an expression normally found on a rabbit facing the imminent approach of an eighteen-wheeler.

"Oh, hello, Buffy," she responded with sickly smile, automatically slipping into client greeting mode and hoping she was going to wake up very soon.

"Is Angel about?" Buffy enquired hopefully.

The rabbit that was Cordelia was struck by the full force of a Mack truck doing fifty-five. No, she wasn't waking up, this was no dream, this was a living nightmare. The moment that she had feared ever since Angel returned from Sunnydale had finally arrived.

"Yes, he's in his quarters, I'll buzz him for you." She smiled again at Buffy whilst hoping that a rogue meteorite might strike her dead before he could appear.

"Go away! He's mine!" she screamed, without opening her mouth, without making a sound, without moving a muscle.

"So, what brings you here?" Cordelia forced herself to ask.

"I've come to take Angel from you and make your life a living hell!"

"What was that?" ejaculated the startled Cordelia, realising she hadn't heard a word Buffy had actually said.

"I said, I've come to tell Angel to take care. There's trouble brewing."

"When isn't it?" Cordelia said irritably. "And why the personal appearance, don't phones work in Sunnydale any more?"

"Yes, but they also have bad guys listening in on them." Buffy was curious. "What's got into you, Cordy? I came to give you a warning, not pick a fight."

Just then Angel arrived.

"Hello, Buffy," he said cautiously, his eyes sliding sideways to see how Cordelia was coping. He could see eyes ablaze with anger - no - terror. She was clearly expecting him to sweep Buffy into his arms and carry her off into the sunset. He couldn't help smiling at the thought.

Cordelia saw the smile, apparently aimed at Buffy, and her heart stopped dead. She rapidly pushed herself up from her seat, eager to escape this supreme moment of humiliation. As she did so the world turned monochrome, before rapidly becoming pitch-black as she slumped down again in a dead faint.

Sometime later, Cordelia's eyes fluttered then slowly opened. She glanced up to see Angel looking concerned and Buffy looking happy.

"Dear God, take me now," she muttered under her breath.

"Let me," said Buffy to Angel. He nodded. She bent down to address Cordelia as she lay on the couch. "Angel's told me that you two are are an item now." She smiled warmly at Cordelia and took her hand. "I'm very pleased for you both."

"You are?" said Cordelia in surprise as she sat up with Buffy's help.

"Of course. I'm with Riley now." She turned to look at Angel. "We've both made our decisions and we're both happy with them."

Angel smiled in agreement. Buffy sat down next to Cordelia and patted her knee.

"So, if we're all 'five by five' with our love lives, that leaves me with the reason I came here - Faith.

"What about me?" said the voice from the doorway.

"What about me?" Faith asked.

Angel moved to interpose himself between the Slayers.

"It's okay, Angel. As I told Cordy, I'm not here to pick a fight."

"That'd make a change, eh, B?"

"Faith," Angel interjected. "I thought we agreed. The past is the past and we've moved on from there."

"Okay." Faith relaxed her stance. "Let's hear it, B."

Buffy looked to Angel. "Can we talk privately?"

"Sure, use the office. Delia and I will be downstairs."

After they had left the room Buffy tried to open the conversation on a positive note.

"Cordy and Angel, who would have thought?"

"What's this? Rub my nose in it time? Angel has Cordy. I've got Riley. You've got nothing. Is that what you've come to say?"

"No, not at all."

"Good, cause I have got someone. Someone who cares about me, someone who loves me."

Buffy was surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah, really," Faith spat back sarcastically.

"Anyone I know?" asked Buffy.

"Slightly, it's Kate."

"Kate? Kate Lockley? Your arresting officer? But... I never knew..."

"That I was a dyke?"

"Yes. No. Whatever," Buffy said in some confusion.

"Bothers you does it? Knowing how close we once were?"

"We were close?" Buffy retorted. "You talked about ex-boyfriends, not girlfriends. You never said you liked girls, but then you never said a lot of things, did you?"

"Whaddaya mean?"

"I mean you lied to me, to all of us, from the moment you arrived in Sunnnydale to the moment you left. Here in LA, you've told me that you're sorry, that you've changed, and now, that you've found love. Well, that's just great, but how do I know if any of it is the truth?"

Faith stood there, thinking hard about a killer response, but she had none. Her defiant expression crumpled.

"You don't," she admitted. "I screwed up big time I know, but that's a mistake I don't intend to repeat. I told Kate everything. The bad, the very bad, and the just plain ugly. And you know what? It didn't bother her, cos she knows I'm not that person anymore. Maybe you can't see it, but she can, and she loves me, and I love her."

"That's nice," Buffy said with a genuine smile. 

"Yeah, it is." Faith smiled back, her anger suddenly forgotten. "So, why are you here?"

"To warn you all to watch your backs. Giles has heard that the Watchers Council are determined to drag you back to England. The word is that they have decided to use some local muscle with the tools for the job. The Initiative."

"Riley's toy soldiers?"

"Yeah. They've got Sunnydale pretty well covered. That's why I couldn't risk a phone call. But they've got their hands full at the moment, so I don't think anything's likely to happen just yet, but I thought you ought to know, just in case."

"Careful, B, I might just get the idea that you care about me."

"I do." Buffy looked pensive, her voice was regretful, "I always did, but you'd never let me get close, would you?"

"No."

Faith considered telling Buffy how she really felt about her, why she had kept her distance, but in the end she decided it wouldn't be right. After all, she had Kate and Buffy had Riley, and perhaps that's how it was always meant to be. So she said nothing more.

Buffy seemed to be disappointed by the lack of response but then she surprised Faith by extending her hand in a formal gesture of forgiveness.

"For what it's worth, I'm happy for you and Kate and I wish you luck. Just take care of yourself, will you?"

"Sure," Faith replied, now reluctant to let go of Buffy's hand. "You too, B, you too."

"How do you think they're getting on?" Cordelia asked Angel, eyes cast upwards at the ceiling.

"Well, I can't hear anything. So, unless they're throttling each other, I reckon they're getting on fine. So, did you really think I was going to run away with Buffy?" Angel teased, whisking Cordelia into his strong arms and kissing her before she could reply. He broke the kiss and looked deep into her golden brown eyes.

"The song says, love the one you're with. I'm with you now, Delia, and it's you I love, okay?"

"Okay," Cordelia said flatly, still embarassed by her stupidity.

"Hey, don't I get a smile from my best girl?" he asked.

"Best girl?" She beamed at him. "For that you get the works," she said and moved in close to smooch him senseless.

Wesley entered the office to find Faith all alone, staring out of the window in sombre mood.

"Hello, Faith, are you all right?"

"B was just here," she replied.

"Oh, and you've had another fight, is that it?"

"No, we made up," she said sadly, wishing that they had made out and feeling intensely guilty for this betrayal of Kate.

"That's good, isn't it?" Wesley observed, wondering why Faith didn't see it that way.

"Yeah, that's good," she replied mechanically.

Good old Wes, she thought, always looking on the bright side, but then he doesn't have to explain his feelings to his girlfriend. I only hope Kate can forgive me.

At the apartment, Kate drew her disconsolate girlfriend close.

"So, you wanted to make a move on Buffy. You felt she might be receptive to the idea, but you didn't because it would hurt Riley and me. And I'm supposed to be angry with you, because?"

"I let you down," Faith said almost inaudibly, staring at the ground.

"No, you didn't. Don't you see? You have changed, Faith, and that's just one of the reasons why I love you."

"You do? But I thought..."

"I know," interrupted Kate. "You thought I'd kick you into touch. But you told me anyway. I'm so proud of you, Faith." She kissed her. "And I love you." She kissed her again. "and I want to go to bed with you." She kissed her one more time. "But if I hear you call out Buffy's name, there'll be trouble, get it?" she said with a laugh.

"Got it," replied Faith, snuggling up to Kate, basking in the warmth of her love and trust and marvelling at the result of her own actions. 

Who'd have thought that the truth could be so rewarding, she thought, as Kate led her gently to the bedroom.