DISCLAIMER: Because I would have let events unfold as they did... Riiiiiight!
SUMMARY: Faith, Buffy, Angel and Jealousy. With a spin.
TIMELINE: S3, before Faith went to the dark side. post-Amends, to fit the holidays spirit.
WORDCOUNT: 1545
DEDICATION: To Tiarra, I hope you have a lovely Christmas, sweets. *hugs*
THANK YOU: To Matt, for practically rewriting the story the beta, and Dana. *hugs* Thank you so much!
FEEDBACK: Would be nice.

SHADES OF JEALOUSY

by Leni

Faith has often seen them fight together, of course. From the sidelines. Like now. She understands why they're fighting and she's... not. It's hardly necessary to use three experienced fighters against a couple of vampires and, besides, she likes to watch. Really. Or she learned to like it after the fifth time Buffy and Angel dispatched their enemies by themselves, unconsciously pushing her away from the fight. They don't even know they aren't letting her help, Faith knows that, it's simply Buffy and Angel acting like Buffy and Angel.

So she tries to content herself with watching.

If she were a poet, Faith knows she'd find dozens of words to describe their movements. But she is anything but poetic, and her latest brush with a dictionary was when the group was desperate for an extra hand at the library. Even then she'd only had to search for it and hand it to Willow. So the only word that comes to mind as she watches the couple wouldn't be accepted in a G-rated movie, and its closest substitute goes between 'amazing' and 'unbelievable'. She'll ask Giles for the exact word one day. Maybe.

After they stop, there's only silence on the street. Faith knows their routine by now, they'll sweep the area carefully, unknowingly covering each other's backs. Then they'll conceal their weapons again, silently and efficiently. Finally they'll look at each other, gazes locking together for a second before they fumble away in discomfort. Must suck to be in their shoes, Faith thinks as she waits for her cue to return to them.

It comes after the third attempt to hold each other's stare. Buffy sighs, then straightens, as if suddenly remembering a detail. "Faith?" Angel blinks, surprised for an instant, before he recovers and searches for her too.

Faith raises a hand, a grin on her face as she walks to them. "Present!" She locks arms with Buffy and winks playfully at the taller vampire. "Did you miss me?"

Buffy freezes minutely, before forcing a smile and beginning a conversation. Faith grins again, letting the lovebirds attempt to have a normal talk. Who knows, maybe one day they'll make five minutes without embarrassed pauses or looking away. But she still tugs Buffy in the direction of the next cemetery. Yes, Faith knows it's late and Mama Joyce's curfew is almost past. But they have time for one last sweep, don't they? She hasn't had the chance to fight one-on-one - thanks to the frustrated duo at her left - and she is itching to hit something. Any other night she'd have ditched them already, left them to their awkward non-dates and even more awkward denial. But this morning Faith had an epiphany, and she's having too much fun proving it to leave.

They're jealous.

The both of them.

Of her.

When she realized that, she laughed harder and longer than she had in months.

Faith thinks herself a good judge of character, but it's taken her weeks to come to that conclusion. She almost rolled her eyes when all the facts and details slipped into place. As the other Scoobies often say, Duh!

Buffy has always walked in the middle, or quickly made her way into that position if she didn't start there. At first Faith thought that the blonde just wanted to have them at equal range, so neither of them would escape from the detailed telling of her day. Boy, Faith had never thought high-school could be that boring. But Buffy actually believed she was doing them a favour, filling them in with the occurrences of a more normal life and, who was Faith to disrupt her little goody-do action?

But lately the older girl has begun pushing her way between Faith and Angel, unapologetically using her knees and elbows when necessary. It was amusing. It was annoying. It hurt. Even Angel glared sternly at this girlfriend during their last outing. But Faith has to admit, she'd have never classified that behaviour as jealousy until Angel offered to walk her to her motel and Faith turned around just in time to see Buffy glaring daggers at her. The murderous look had instantly slipped away, of course. But it'd been there nonetheless.

Buffy. Jealous of her. Faith snickers. That's one for the books. Faith can't even fathom why her fellow Slayer would be like that. She and Angel have nothing in common; she Slayer, he vampire; she carefree and rebel, he... most definitely not. That's why he and Buffy get along so well, Faith assumes. So, whyever on the Hellmouth would Buffy perceive her as a threat? The guy's good-looking, Faith has to admit, and he actually seems to give a shit about her. He's always all protective around her and stuff, watches her back when Buffy can't come out to play, makes sure she gets to her own bed and eats her vegetables at night... Angel is the fussiest vampire Faith has ever met. Buffy can't possibly be jealous of that, can she? That's merely an older brother act, especially compared to the heartbroken Romeo he plays in Buffy's vicinity. Even if Faith wanted to make a move on him, she knows she could open her bedroom door in the nude and Angel would just keep his eyes on the ground and offer her his coat to cover up. That's how hung up on Buffy he is.

Yet Miss Slayer Extraordinary envies the little attention her boyfriend gives Faith, even though she has the entire Slayer Gang at her beck and call. Faith shrugs, whatever, let her boil in her jealousy. Serves her well for being so damn selfish.

And then there's Angel. Sweet, helpful, older brother Angel. Dumb Angel quizzing her about every moment spent with Buffy as he walks Faith to her place. He isn't as obvious as his better half; a couple of centuries must have taught him some subtlety along the way. But now that Faith has discovered his motives, the memory of his little questions irk her as much as Buffy's naïve moves do. Yes, she spends more time with Buffy than him. Yes, they train and patrol together almost daily. Yes, Faith knows lots of Buffy's private life first hand. But so do Willow, Xander, Giles and everyone in contact with the blonde Slayer. So, why must Angel bother only her?

Faith knows the answer, of course, and lets it calm her when she's not busy mentally bitching at the vampire. Because no one would volunteer the information as easily as Faith does.

Privately she believes Angel is jealous of everyone in Buffy's life who's not himself. Faith even agrees with him to a point. Everyone has a piece of Buffy just for themselves. She's Giles' Slayer, Joyce's daughter, Willow's best friend and so on. What does that leave for Angel? After all, the aspects where Buffy would be solely his are exactly those they're forbidden to explore. Must really suck to be him, Faith thinks with a sympathetic shake of her head.

Faith is jarred out of her thoughts when there's a rustle in the bushes ahead of them. The three move silently to inspect it, jumping over the hedge when they see the vampires on the other side. It's moments like these that exhilarate Faith. When they are six legs, six arms and three bodies working as one. Buffy uses her shoulder to balance herself, Angel throws a stake and doesn't need to yell before the two Slayers duck. Faith charges into the middle of the action, and for a second both Buffy and Angel move unconsciously to guard her back.

But then the illusion is broken. Buffy's stake grazes Faith's ear, making her jump back in surprise. Angel goes for the vampire Faith was aiming for, dusting it before she has the time to pull her punch. Her own momentum pushes her forward. Stumbling, she falls to her knees, where Buffy's foot inadvertently steps on her shin. Faith tries to recover and go after the vampire at Angel's back, but Buffy steps in before she can, lunging for her boyfriend's would-be attacker fiercely. Faith steps back, noticing dryly that there's no opponent left for her. Buffy and Angel are handling the remaining four efficiently, and any move on Faith's part would only distract them.

Damn.

It's the rule of the Hellmouth, Faith contemplates bitterly before rising to her feet. Only Buffy and Angel are to be engaged in Sunnydale's fights. Faith drops her stake, shaking her head as she walks to the sidelines. It's back to watching for her, silly for thinking it'd be different this time.

It's funny, in that way that would make Faith scream at the injustice of it - if she thought they'd actually hear her, of course. Here they are, both of them jealous of the third wheel in their party. They think Faith stands between them. How can they be so blind? Can't they see how the story really goes?

They can believe whatever they want. Yet at the end of the night it's always they who move synchronically - that's the word! - around each other, while she looks, alone, from the outside in.

Suddenly it looks like being Buffy and Angel doesn't suck too badly. Lucky them.

The End
20/12/04