Fanfiction: Three Fights
When they walked into the kitchen, Buffy was peering into the refrigerator. As Dawn and then Faith entered from the basement, she passed her sharp gaze over them.
Faith nodded at Buffy. “I was thinking spaghetti, since everything’s running a little late. Dawn, would you get the water boiling in that huge pot? Get some of the tomatoes and saute them a bit in olive oil, we can throw them into that jarred crap with some basil and it won’t be half bad. I should be down by the time you’ve got that going.”
“Sure.” She started for the cupboard. “Hey, Buffy, Janice asked me to this scavenger hunt she’s having Saturday night from nine till midnight. Can I —”
“Are you out of your mind?” Buffy looked to be steeling herself for an argument, only to be thrown off guard when Dawn gathered her into a hug.
“Thanks. I love you, sis.”
Faith grinned at Buffy’s puzzlement and headed toward the front of the house. She was almost at the stairway when she heard a swift tread up the carpeted steps, followed by a low voice from the living room. “Why don’t you go easy on him, Anya?” Xander.
“Why should I? And you’ve certainly enjoyed picking on him.”
“Well, maybe I’m not feeling so cool with that right now.”
“And what brought that about? Has the near-death thing made you go all Gandhi all of a sudden, or are you just mellow from the prospect of having a regular sex partner again?”
Jesus. Where exactly had he dug up this harpy? Faith took a step closer to the living room, revealing herself to Xander, but his flicker of expression told her not to break in here.
Anya was no slouch in the subtle facial readings department. She turned to find its target and gave Faith a frosty smile. “Oh look, it’s the lovely missus. Why don’t you come sit with us and chat awhile?”
“I’d love to, Anya, but to be honest, I stink. I’m gonna shower and then get back in the kitchen. You two have some quality time.” She favored Anya with a sweet smile and headed upstairs.
Andrew was putting clean towels in the linen closet. He pulled out the third from the top and handed it to her. “This one’s the thickest.” He followed with a washcloth.
“What is the deal with that bitch?”
“Who? Oh, Anya? She’s a little scary when you first meet her. All kind of Janeway, only with the ex-demon thing happening. But once you get used to her, she can be a real hoot.”