Chapter Five - On the Outside Looking In

I'm on the outside
I'm looking in
I can see through you
I see your true colors
Inside you're ugly
Ugly like me
I can see through you
I see the real you

-- Staind - "Outside"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"I can't believe I have to spend detention with a bunch of Gryffindors." Malfoy said, though a sly little smile crossed his face. Faith will be there too. It's nice to be dating the professor's assistant.

"It's your fault we're here Malfoy, so stop whining." Hermione said, frustrated. It was all because of his little prank that she, Head Girl, had ended up with a detention. If he had just kept his mouth shut and left Neville alone she wouldn't have had to step in. 'At least Harry's here too.' She smiled briefly.

"Oh, bite me Granger." She knows she wants to.

"I'd really rather not." Harry on the other hand...

"Back off Malfoy." Bite you. Like she'd ever bite you...would she?

"Hey, I'm not trying to steal your girlfriend, Potter. I'm looking elsewhere." Speaking of elsewhere... Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Faith sneaking into the shadows. He smiled at her. They "hooked up" after class that day, and now they were "dating".

"She's not my girlfriend." Although I wish she was.

"He's not my boyfriend." He said that WAY too fast. So much for mutual feelings. The two of them sighed.

"Yeah, and I'm dating a bloody slayer." Wonder if they understand the art of sarcasm.

"Who's dating a slayer?" Faith asked, stepping out of the shadows of the dungeon. She smirked as everyone but Draco jumped.

"Not me." Draco walked over too Faith. "Last time I checked, I was dating you."

Ah, the irony of it all. Faith thought grinning and kissed him briefly before leading the three of them into Buffy's classroom.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Buffy looked at the three students in front of her. She smiled. "Welcome to your detention."

The three of them looked at each other and then at Buffy. "What is?"

"The three of you should consider yourselves lucky. Because we're giving you an inside training session."

"Why is this considered detention?" Draco asked.

"Because you are going to be in pain afterwards. A lot of pain. And I can guarantee that." Faith said smiling.

"Oh." Damn her.

Faith shrugged at him. He knows he loves me.

And so the "detention" continued - two hours of self-defense that left the three students exhausted, out of breath, and in a significant amount of pain.

Buffy and Faith didn't even break a sweat. "Congratulations - you've survived the training class."

Harry groaned and stood up, "Are you this hard on everyone you meet?"

"No, not EVERYONE." Well, let's see, I punched a guy for Xander, Oz had been locked up, Willow's been knocked out, Angel's in hell...yeah, maybe I am...

Faith started laughing as if she could hear Buffy's thoughts. Maybe this girl isn't as much of a goody-goody as I thought.

"Hey, I resent that remark." Buffy said glaring.

"What remark?" Draco asked.

Buffy eyed Faith. "Didn't you just say something?"

"No - why, did it sound like I said something Wait - didn't you?"

"No, I've been silent."

"Okay, obviously you two have some major issues - "

Buffy glared at Draco in a way that said 'back off or I'll make you back off.'

"Okay, shutting up now." Damn, that girl is moody...

"C'mon Draco, we have to go speak with Professor Dumbledore about the Halloween Dance."

"No you don't - Ow!" Harry rubbed his arm as both Hermione AND Draco hit him in the arm. "I mean, yeah, and I'll go with you too 'Mione."

The two of them walked outside and Harry glanced at them. "Okay, what the hell was that about?"

"Have you noticed that the two of them have been acting very strangely? They're out in the Forbidden Forest all the time, Professor Rayne and Buffy are always fighting, and - Lemon Drop - there's just something not right about this."

"As much as I hate to admit this Granger, I think you're right."

"You what?!" The two of them said together.

Before Draco could answer, Dumbledore was at the door to his office. "Yes Ms. Granger?"

"Professor, I was wondering if I could speak with you about something - well - it concerns the new professors sir."

Dumbledore's eyes got that familiar twinkle as he smiled. "Ah, yes. Do, come in."

The three of them stepped into the office and Hermione was about to say something when an owl swooped into Dumbledore's office, dropping a letter on his desk. It bore the official seal of the Ministry of Magic, but there was something different about it. On the bottom was a small pentacle and in the center were the letters W.C.

"Excuse me, just a moment." Dumbledore opened the letter and read it. First, he looked surprised, and then relieved. Then - he smiled.

"Good, good, very good." He folded the letter back up and looked at Hermione. "Now, what was it you were about to ask me about the new professors?"

Hermione bit her lip. Do I ask or not? "Nothing. Nothing at all - just if Buffy and Faith could help us plan the Halloween Ball, that's all."

Harry practically fell off his chair. Hermione? Lying to a PROFESSOR? This is NOT good.

Draco, on the other hand, was not at all surprised. I knew there was a little evil in there somewhere. He smirked.

"Well, if that is all, I would ask that you go back to your Common Rooms. I have some work to do, a response to write - Hermione, I trust you will speak with Buffy and Faith about the Ball?"

"Of course."

The three of them walked out and Harry looked at Hermione. "'Mione, you lied to a professor."

"So, she has a backbone, big deal. Grow up Potter." Harry glared.

"Stop fighting like two year olds. I'm going to find out what's going on, and I'm going to do it on my own, so are you going to help me or not?"

"Will it involve Weasly?"

"YES." Harry and Hermione answered abruptly.

Draco sighed. "If it's not necessary, no. If becomes so, you can find me in a broom closet somewhere snogging Faith senseless." He grinned evilly and walked off to his Common Room, Harry shaking his head and Hermione scowling behind him.

*~*~*~Sunnydale, California~*~*~*

Xander sat on the couch in Willow's apartment his arm around Cordelia. Oz sat across with him, watching Willow pace back and forth.

"Willow, will you please sit down? You're making me queasy." Xander said.

"How can you be so calm? We're - we're in a crisis here!"

"We're not in a crisis - well, just because there's a murderous fiend locked up in the basement alone with Giles - "

"Cordelia, queen of all things un-tact." Xander said, clapping once, "Not helping."

"Sorry. I just don't see what the big deal is about. So, Angel's back. We get in touch with Buffy, tell her her boy's back, she comes home, and everything's cool, just as long as they don't get with the happies again."

"It's not that simple." Giles said, coming up from the basement. All eyes turned to him. "Angel has been in hell for three months, which is equivalent three thousand years of torment there. He's - wild. Uncontrollable. I've finally been able to sate him, and he's restless. He was uttering Buffy's name in his sleep."

"So, maybe Buffy can come back and control him." Oz said.

"I don't want Buffy to know yet."

"WHAT?!" Willow was officially not only freaked out - imagine her surprise when she walked past the mansion and heard sounds and Angel was there on the floor staring up at her - but incredibly pissed. "You can't be serious!"

"Willow, I understand - "

"No, you - you don't understand! Buffy's been having these dreams lately that Angel was coming back, and now that he has, you're going to keep it from her?"

"Dreams? Dumbledore never told me about any dreams."

Willow bit her lip and closed her eyes. "Oops."

*~*~*~Hogwarts~*~*~*

"Buffy, you heard my thoughts."

"And you heard mine."

Faith sighed. "Okay, so, I get that we have this slayer sisterly bond thing going for us here, but this is a little more then I bargained for."

"Ditto. The last thing I need is you dream-walking me."

"Why? You have lusty, bad thoughts about your boy?"

Buffy just looked at her.

"Sorry. Wasn't thinking."

"I know. I would have heard you if you were."

"Ha. Ha. Funny."

Buffy walked over to the door. "We need to speak to Dumbledore. Now."

"This is just NOT my night." Faith grumbled, and Buffy cringed.

"Ugh! SO did not need to know that!"

Faith grinned mischievously. "What? We're dating now. Stop whining."

"Just stop thinking until we get upstairs, will you?"

Faith shrugged and walked out behind her.

*~*~*~Sunnydale, California~*~*~*

"She's been having dreams? And you never told me?"

Willow grumbled something under her breath that sounded vaguely like, "I wasn't supposed to tell anyone."

"Willow, this is serous."

"I know damnit!" Willow said, getting up. She ran a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry." She sat back down. "Look, I would have told you, but she begged me not to." Willow reached into her bag and pulled out a letter. "Here. This just came today. The whole owl thing kinda scared me, especially since, you know, six in the morning when I'm barely seeing straight."

Giles opened the letter and read it to himself. He sighed. "Good lord."

"Share G-man."

Giles glared. "Do NOT call me that." He cleared his throat. As he read the letter, he could practically hear the pain in Buffy's voice.

After all, she WAS practically his daughter.

Dear Willow,

Hey, how have you been? Sorry I haven't written. And also, sorry I just took off like that, but like I told Giles, it was just something I had to do. I needed a break from life, and this seems to be exactly what I need.

Let me give you a few updates. I'm teaching this class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and my assistant, Faith, is a slayer. Before you go off on a tangent, remember - Kendra came because I died. Faith is here now because Kendra - well, you know. And guess who the Potions teacher is? Never mind, you never will - Ethan Rayne. Ethan fucking Rayne (pardon my language, it seemed appropriate.) But - I don't know. He seems changed somehow. Not that I don't still hate the guy. I do with a fiery need for revenge, but I'm dealing.

And speaking of dealing...yeah, dealing - RIGHT. I'm trying Will, but every time I get even a little closer to getting over Angel - I have these dreams. And I've been having them A LOT lately. All night. Every night. And ever since I got here, he's been saying the same thing to me - "Soon baby, I promise." I know, I know - wishful thinking. But here's the thing - the first time he said it, he put my clauddagh ring back on my finger, and when I woke up - there it was. Talk about freaky. I don't know Will. Did you ever get the feeling that you just want the whole world to disappear so you can just go numb for a while? Cause that's how I feel. I feel like I'm on the outside, and the whole world is looking in at me, and all I want to do is just stop. Make it all go away, just for a little while.

And on top of that, some of the students are getting suspicious. They know that Faith and I aren't "normal", and they're getting too curious for their own good, especially the Terrible Trio and Faith's new boyfriend (don't ask). I just want to be able to be open with them, that's all. But I know I can't. Because that's me - all secrets. No heart on my sleeve.

::Sigh:: Oh well. Tell Xander, Giles, Oz, and Cordelia I say hi. Talk to you soon.

Love you,

Buffy

"Oh. Wow. That was -"

"Deep?" Cordelia offered.

Xander nodded. "Yeah."

"So - what are we doing?"

Giles shook his head. "I'm writing to Dumbledore. It seems I have a few things to discuss with him besides this."

"Like?" Xander asked.

"Well, it seems that there's an apocalyptic prophecy - "

Everyone in the room groaned.

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