(LA Night)On the Road (not actually in L.A.)

[Charlotte]

((Rogue, please could there be a section for 'other' places for threads such as this. Thank you))
It was just another cheap bar, easy to get drinks when underage (and when you're with a telopath) and like so many before. I was going lightly but Maya seemed to have drunk far far too much; if I didn't know she had good reason (and that it would hardly affect her) I would hav had her onto the OJ by now. We hadn't spoken much, we had ridden most of the day stopping only to check into one of the hundreds of dingy motels along the highway to somewhere...I didn't even know where yet, something seemed to be telling Maya but not me.
Suddenly Maya slammed down her glass and opened the conversation.
"How could he fucking well do that, the bastard?"
"Come back?" I asked.
"Go away."
"But..."
"He died. In my arms, wretching and screaming, and he didnt tell me that he knew there was a way to come back. He didnt tell me."
"He would've told you if he knew, he loved you Mai." She looked at me and I realised that we could talk about this 'til domesday but there would always be that question, the one that had no logical explanation. Why didn't he tell the girl he loved? Why did he put her through so much pain when it could so easily be avoided? I just hoped we were going somewhere Maya could find her answers because I sure as hell couldn't provide them.

(Maya was writing this with me so don't get mad at me for writing her character in-she wrote her in! Also please no one else post in this thread 'cause only the two of us are there. thanks -and g-d bless the biology field centre for having the internet! )

[Maya]

I had barely spoken to Charlotte since we left LA... she'd asked if i knew where we were going once or twice, but i just shrugged and told her i wasn't sure. She didnt believe me, and with good reason. I knew where i was going... i just wasn't certain that i wanted to be there yet.
So i sat in the bar, the reek of stale alcohol and smoke invading my senses, and downed glass after glass of some indescribably foul beer. Thank goddess i had never really seemed to be affected by alcohol... except that one time... but thats another story...
Now and then, i would look Charlotte over, not quite glancing, but widening my senses to encompass her presence... It was strange, but just having her there was comforting- someone who didnt know every little thing that had happened in my past, someone who did not judge me or quiz me, but accepted me for what i gave up front, and was willing to stick with a friend she'd had for less than a fortnight. It wans't that the others couldnt comfort me... but somehow they were just too close.
My little outburst about Joshua seemed to worry her. She understandably tried to make me feel better, and it warmed me at least to hear the words, but deep down i knew there was more to it, and it hurt more than i could say that Joshua would have with held that information from me. For all this to have happened, he must have known that it was at least possible before, more than just the whole spell he'd told us about- he had known he could come back in a saber, and he hadn't told me.
"Are... are you ok?" Charlotte asked, wincing even as she said it, no sign of the agressive side i'd seen the night we met. I smirked,
"Honestly? I dont know." I replied.
"Its a stupid question." She said. I shook my head,
"No... I just... i'm a little screwed up right now. I just wish that it was all a really bad dream."
"Thus all the beer?" She said with a grin. I chuckled,
"Na, thats just me."
"You wont feel like shit in the morning?"
"Nope. Its wierd... I'd say it was a slayer thing, except that i've personally seen Buffy after a heavy night, and...."
"Buffy?" Charlotte asked, eyes wide, "You mean... Buffy Summers? The Buffy? The one who destroyed the master and..."
"Whoa, watcher junior in the house!" I chuckled, "Yes, the Buffy. And she's really not all that."
"But, she..."
"Already know the resume honey." I said, cutting her off.
"So... how did you meet her?"
I shrugged,
"The lot of them were searching for all the new slayers after the First went down."
"Taking the council with it." She added bitterly. For a moment i couldn't reply- i knew this was a touchy subject, and to be truthful i wasn't the best at being tactful.
"That... you know that wasn't B's fault, right?"
"Of course... it was the bad guys... they killed hundreds of people..." She said quietly.
"But it's so much worse when its someone you know." I said. She nodded with a odd smile that i understood completely.
"The wierdest thing is when you realise that the bad guys can change." She said, "I didn't believe it til i met you guys... It was actually so much simpler- badguy goodguy, badguy goodguy, nice and clear."
"We went and complicated things." I said grinning. She elbowed me, but smiled. "Yeah." I sighed, "SOmetimes the line gets pretty smudgy... you've heard of Faith?"
"Of course. The rouge slayer."
"Yeah. Well she's one of the best people i ever met. She trained me, taught me to deal with the crap in my past... Her and Willow... and Willow went wonky for a while too..."
Charlotte suddenly grinned widely. "What?" I asked.
"Thats where we're going, isn't it?" She said. "We're going to them."

((Wow, joshua style post... i mean in length, not in 'allpowerfuliness'.))

[Charlotte]

I was grinning manically. We were going to see Willow- I was suddenly relieved, there we could get some help, they would know how to comfort Maya properly. On a selfish note too I was going to meet Willow! My Dad had told me so much about the legendery 'Scooby gang' and I was actually going to meet some of them, I was so excited.
"Come on." I said. "You may not get drunk but this is doing nothing for your liver. Maya grinned and shook her head but stood up anyway.
"You have a lot to learn girl." She said as she followed me out of the bar. Outside we turned towards the motel but Maya was stumbling slightly.
"Thought you didn't get drunk." I said and she looked at me with a worried expression that matched mine.
"I-I don't." She muttered holding her head as if dizzy then she shook herself and stood up straight again.
"Rough day?" I suggested and she nodded.
"Really was." Maya agreed and as we continued back we thought no more about her strange turn.

[Maya]

Why in hell was my head pounding like this? I dont get drunk- i dont! And my mind was perfectly with it, thinking straight... i just felt incredibly crappy... i had had an atroceous few days. I sighed, pressin my fingers to my temples as i lay in the hard bed in the motel room which smelt of damp. I let magickal energy flow, trying to relieve the ache, but i didnt fade. Great, what i lovely night i would have.

For the next few days, we just drove, pretty much not stop, exept for the call of nature, and to sleep at night. On the third day, around noon, i pulled into a service station, and Charlotte frowned,
"Loo stop?" She asked.
"Na..." I said, dismounted and sitting down on a grassy verge. "I just... i feel a little tired is all."
"You sleep ok?"
"I slept crap." I replied bluntly, "But thats no change- i a vampire slayer, i barely ever sleep... i dont know what it is, i just dont feel too great." I wouldnt usually have admitted this to anyone, but over the past few days, Charlotte had definitely grown on me- i knew i could trust her implicitly.
"You've just had a rough time." She said. "And besides- i bet Willow will sort you out in no time."
I chuckled,
"Yeah, she probably will. Wont be long now, and we'll be there- i just bloody well hope the cleveland hellmouth isnt playing up, cos i am not in the mood for tentacles."

[Charlotte]

I was relieved by Maya’s light-hearted comment. They had been few and far between, spaced by a comfortable but tremendously sad silence or serious conversation usually centred on loss or fighting of some sort. a change of tone, even if only for a moment made me smile.
Over the next couple of days we continued to stop every now and then and though Maya continued to claim tiredness I couldn’t quite believe her, I knew it was something else, perhaps the pressures of the past weeks, but I didn’t say anything, she was a slayer…I didn’t need to worry even though I knew something was wrong.
I always knew because I knew her by now. I knew when she hurt, when her heart was breaking over Joshua, when she cried, lying in bed at night silently though no tears spilled I could feel the wrenching grief inside her. I knew when she slept fitfully, dreaming of horrors both of the past and future and when she lay awake or in that in-between state when dream or nightmare can multiply to a crushing pain or soul-lifting euphoria. I knew her strength and I knew her soul. And I knew she needed help as surely as I knew she would never use her strength against me. I knew her and I trusted her, I hoped she trusted me as much.

It was on our fifth day of travelling that we passed the sign, ‘Welcome to Cleveland.’ Well a slayer’s entry into a Hellmouth town can’t just go unnoticed can it? We had barely entered when we were ambushed by a small crowd of vamps. Twilight had just passed and Maya had pulled over for a brief stop. We sat on the road’s edge, in our friendly silence, not awkward but of understanding. Neither of us had to say anything to appreciate how far we had come and just what had been left behind. The moment was broken by the bastards springing at us. There were quite a few, five? six? No problem for two of us but I was glad Maya was there too. I unsheathed my blade, holding the gorgeous mahogany handle and swinging at the neck of the nearest vamp. He dusted and I flipped to the stake, grappling with another.
‘Maya?’ I called in my head expecting to hear her reassure me that she was in the fight but there was no answer. “Maya?” I spared a split second to glance around and I saw that she was struggling, a female vamp closing in on her neck. “No.” I screamed but I was being cornered by two fanged guys. The girl’s fangs grazed Maya’s neck and I closed my eyes not wanting to see her end. When I opened them though there was a pile of dust where Maya had stood and a dark haired girl stood there with a crossbow pointing at me, Maya in a dead faint on the floor. “Maya” I yelled again and quickly dispatched the last two vampires before running over to the slayer who had become pretty much my best friend in the world.
“She’ll live.” The dark haired girl said casually. “Hi, I’m Faith.”

(oops very long-sorry just wanted to move on a bit ‘cause then we can get to the fun bit which lots of you know about hee hee!)

[Maya]

As a strong smell invaded my senses, I heard, very distantly, a rather familiar voice,
"Mai? ...hey... Wakey wakey... Maya? Can you hear me? ..."
"She'll be ok, right?"
"I told you, she'll be fine- i've seen this girl get through much worse than this. Maya?"
"Wha's... huh... !?" I sat up suddenly, my eyes snapping open, and my head spinning. I knocked the person before me back of her haunches as i flailed out, the memory of the last moment i was conscious returning, "Get off..." I stopped, blinking.
"Hey, hey, Mai, its ok, it's me." Said the girl.
"Faith!"
"Yeh- you ok?" She put the little vial of smelling salts away, lookng warily at me.
"I'm not sure... tell Charlie to stand still and then i'll make up my mind."
Charlotte, standing perfectly still as she had been the whole time, looked sideways at Faith.
"She aint movin', Mai."
"Oh- in that case, no." I fainted again.
"Oh boy." Faith sighed, and lifted me, passing the crossbow to Charlotte, "Follow me and watch out for more vamps."

[Maya]

((third person))

Faith carried Maya, Charlotte following with the crossbow, and Faith noticed that she was vaguely impressed at the clearly experinced way the girl held the bow.
"Erm... Faith?" Charlotte said.
"Ya?"
"Her bike..."
"Oh shit, yeah, grab it- this girl will kill me if that gets nicked, an' i aint exaggerating."
Charlotte ran to the parked bike, and wheeled it over.
"So... you're the Faith then?"
"What of it?" FAith asked with a curious sideways glance.
"Well, I... I just... i've heard a lot about you."
"From Mai?" FAith asked with a grin.
"Well, a little from her, but... my Father was a watcher."
Faith stiffened a little,
"Oh?"
"So yeah, i've read their files."
"Honestly gotta say i'm not all that dissappointed that the council went down." Faith said off handly. Charlottes eyes went glassy with anger, and Faith couldn't help but notice. "Ok... i said something wrong?" She guessed.
"My father died in that explosion!" Charlotte snapped.
Faith winced,
"Ouch, Im sorry. Major Cordy moment there... I'm sorry."
Charlotte frowned a little in confusion, but didn't push it.
"Here we are." Faith said a while later when they reach a tall house, all the curtains drawn, but light showing behind some of them.
"You live here?"
"Something like that." Faith replied with a grin. She let them into the house, and Charlotte just caugh a glimpse of two teenage girls racing through a door at the end of the hall, one yelling, "Give it to me!! Hey!!" Other voices could be heard elsewhere too, and Faith shouted pretty loudly,
"Will! I'm back!"
Moments later, a red head jogged down the stairs with a brunette close behind her.
"Great, did you find.... oh goddess." Willow gasped, seeing Maya. "You found Maya."
"Well you said she'd come." Faith replied.
"I didnt say shed be unconscious!" Willow moaned. "Get her in here." They moved through a door to the left, into a sitting room, where Faith laid Maya on a couch. "What happened?" Willow asked.
"I dunno... Mai and this one were attacked by vamps... and Maya just... fainted."
"FAinted? Faith, thats crazy, i've seen this girl take on douzens of vamps single handed, she wouldnt just..."
"I know! Thats why i'm worried!" Faith snapped. She looked to Charlotte, "So, new girl- what happened?"

((sorry to kinda dominate, but i really wanted to write this bit! You can change it if ya want, Charlie))

[Charlotte]

((It was cool Maya))
"The name's Charlotte." I snapped. I knew it wasn't fair to yell at Willow but Faith's comments about the watchers' council had pissed me off. I had to forget about my issues though because Maya was lying there, still unconcious and they were waiting for an answer. I wished I could give them one. "I dunno. Mai's not been feeling too great recently, we figured it was just because of the rough time she's been having but now... We were coming to you for help." I finished realising that there was probably a lot of back story they were missing.
"Help?" Faith asked. "Charlie-girl in our line of work you're gonna have to get a whole lot more specific than help, and 'rough time' for that matter."
"It's the guy right?" Willow said softly. "He died." I looked at my feet, I think Faith was doing the same.
"Yeah. Right before he kinda came back." Willow and Faith shared a look which said plainly 'big trouble ahead.'
"That's rough." Faith agreed "But can we deal with the unconciousness first Will."
"I'm on it." The witch said busily collecting some things together. A minute later Maya was sitting up and clutching her head.
"Morning sleepyhead." I said, relieved to see her awake but horrified by how pale she looked.
"Hey Charlie, Faith, Red."
"Well that name's gonna get a little confusing." Willow said looking at my hair. "How're you feeling?"
"Like I just got turned inside out and stuffed with sawdust." Maya replied. "But alive." I suddenly couldn't help myself, I wrapped my arms around Maya in the tightest hug I could.
"I thought you were gonna die." I murmured. "I was so scared."
"It'll take more than a bug to get rid of me Charlie." Maya said lightly but it was obvious what we were going to say. It was Willow who said it.
"This has to be more than a bug Mai. Not that I'm not glad to see you but it'd have to be something pretty bad for you to turn up passed out and beaten up by some random vamps."
"Do you have any idea what it is Willow?" I asked.
"I think we'd better get right on it." Willow replied looking worriedly at Maya as she retched onto the floor.

[Maya]

Clenching my fists, i reached for any power i could still find to hold myself still, groping for a shred of remaining dignity. I forced myself to sit up straight, and look steadily at my friends,
"Its good to see you guys." I told Faith and Willow. Then i had a thought, and opened my mouth to ask the question, but Faith cut me off,
"We got your bike- shes fine." She said with a wry grin. I sighed, and smiled,
"Thanks."
"No problem. Now you just sit there and get your ass better, k? Me an' Will will get the girls on the research."
"The girls?" Charlotte asked.
"Yah. The girls, the SIT's" Faith replied as if everyone should know what that meant, "What did you think this place was?" She shook her head, and with a quick squeeze of my shoulder, she walked out with Willow. Charlotte looked at me,
"SITs?"
"Slayers in Training." I replied. "This is a Slayer house."
"Oh! ...wow...." Charlie looked around with a whole new interest. I chuckled,
"Watcher junior forever." I said. She looked at me sharply, before realising it wasnt an insult. She sighed,
"Are you ok?"
"I dont know." I replied truthfully. "Its like... when i tried to fight... when i reached for my strength... it just wasn't there... i guess its lack of sleep or something..."
"Nu-uh." Charlotte said immediately, "I know damned well that you wouldn't let tiredness or grief or any of that get at you in the face of a fight- this is something bigger, Maya."
"Why me?" I asked dispairingly.
"Cos you're a teenage wiccan slayer." She replied."
"Thanks a lot." I said quietly.
"We'll figure this out." She said. I just nodded. "We will." She insisted.
"yeah." I said, forcing a smile. I lent back against the back of the couch, hands resting on my stomach. I could put on a brave face for as long as i liked, but i knew, and i knew that Willow, if not the others, knew, that 'something bigger' was a major understatement- i knew something was happening to me, i'd even go as far as to say it was killing me... and part of me didn't care.

[Maya]

There was a bit of an awkward silence as we both sat there, each knowing the other was not sharing all her thoughts or fears.
"I think maybe i'll try to rest a bit." I said after a while, "I feel kinda beat."
"Ok." Charlotte said, though it clearly worried her. "I guess i'll go see if i can help with research."
I nodded, and curled up on the sofa, hugging a cushion to me- i wouldn't admit it to the others, but i was in quite some pain. I hadn't slept properly the whole time we'd been travelling, but after only about a minute of lying there, i felt my eyelids droop, and i fell into a deep sleep i had needed for a long time...

[Charlotte]

I wondered into a pannelled room at the other end of the house from Maya where Willow and several slayers were sitting around a large oak table with books and computers spread all around. Pretty soon I was lost in the research-I hadn't spent all that time with the council for nothing. I was reading through the third useless book of the night when it suddenly struck me how rude I'd been. Willow seemed to know I wanted to talk to her and came over.
"I'm sorry I never really said hi." I began. "I'm really honoured to meet you. My father always spoke very highly of you, he said you really knew your stuff." (Why was I suddenly sounding even more British than usual?)
"Do I know your dad?" Willow asked with a small frown.
"He was a watcher."
"Was?"
"He was in the council buildings when...when they blew up." (How come the same things seem to come up time and time again in such a short while yet you can put them to rest for such long periods usually)
"I'm sorry." Willow offered. What else could she say? "So where do you live?"
"With Maya at the moment but I've been all over...searching for something. Wasn't sure what 'til I came here, seeing Del, meeting the guys, I guess LA's pretty much my new home."
"Why Del in particular?"
"She vamped my mother."
"Oh." She didn't need to say anything else but was obviously going to. I really wanted to change the subjet so I asked the first thing that popped into my head.
"So who else lives here then?"
"Mostly people pop in and out. Giles is often here.."
"Giles? Rupert Giles?" I interrupted.
"Yeah."
"My dad told me about him too. I met him when he came to England a while back. Is he around now?"
"I wish." Willow murmured but saw what must have been an incredibly disappointed look on my face-I had quickly warmed to the olfer watcher and I knew his presence would have helped me calm down a bit.
"I'll make a call." Willow said.

[Maya]

*dream*
I stretched out as i stirred, wrinkling my nose as something tickled it. I opened my eyes to look up at the towering trees of a forest. I frowned, sitting up and looking around me. I had been lying on a bed of leaves, the colours of autumn all around me. But what really struck me was the silence- there were no birds singing, there was no rustling in the undergrowth- the only sounds were my own breathing and the crinkling of leaves as i touched them. I stood, ambling through the wood bathed in the dappled sunlight. I sensed a clearing up ahead, and made for it. When i emerged from the trees, they disappeared completely, leaving me alone on a cliff in the fading light...
I know this place...

[Joshua]

Didn't exactly take a super-genius or Merlin to figure out what was going on, but Maya was pretty smart anyway.

"Hi," I said, walking up behind her.

"Hi," she mumbled, not sounding surprised, or really anything really. Mostly she just sounded tired.

"Did you remember to put yourself in a regeneration sleep before I joined your dream?" I asked as I joined her on the edge of the cliff, the sun frozen in place, neither rising nor setting.

"I thought I asked to be left alone," she finally snapped at me.

"I didn't force my way into your dream Mai, I asked permission," I told her. "If you didn't want me here, I wouldn't be here."

"Is Avalon here also?" she snapped.

I frowned at the hostility. "No," I finally answered. "We're in your mind, not hers."

We just stood there in silence for the longest, but incalculable amount of time. Until . . .

"So what did you need to speak with me about?" she asked me.

"I may have let you into my dream, but you had to be knocking at the door first, so to speak."

"I love your euphimisims," I remarked with a gentle and calming smile. Amazingly, even after all that the both of us had been through, it had the same effect as ever on her.

"We need to talk . . ."

[Maya]

"About what, Joshua?" I asked... i didnt mean to be so hostile, but my heart felt like it was about to burst right out of my chest- it wasnt fair that he was here, so close yet so so far away.
"About... about you." He replied.
"Me?" I exclaimed, accidently breaking my resolve as i turned to him in question- big mistake- goddess i missed him. "No... wait- why didn't you tell me?" I remembered my anger.
"Maya we dont have time..."
"Then make time- you must have known about the whole soul saber thing, at least some of it- so why didn't you tell me!?"
"Maya, please- you know this whole dream thing doesnt stick for long- i have to tell you something important! When you tried to save me, taking back your half, you mixed our essence, and a tiny part of each was left behind when we were separated..."
"Shut up." I said, turning away again.
"Maya!" He snapped in frustration, "Its important..."
"I already know, Joshua." I said quietly. He frowned,
"You...?"
"You've been in my mind for several minutes now, and i've looked in your eyes, AND i know my own body... i know what you want to tell me- i dont see how its possible... but i know."

[Charlotte]

After hours of fruitless book hunting I went back into the room where Maya lay and I was glad to see her still asleep. She looked peaceful, happy even her long hair surrounding her face like a halo, a small smile on the corners of her mouth. I heard soft footsteps behind me but I didn’t turn around, there was no one in this house who would hurt me…besides I was transfixed by the contentment Maya embodied, it had been a long time since I’d felt like that.
“Lottie?” A male voice asked and I stiffened.
“Not any more.” I snapped roughly “Lottie’s gone.” and I turned around only to find myself face to face with Giles. “I’m sorry.” I said as he wrapped me in an embrace that felt so secure I didn’t want to break it, so familiar that I burst into tears.
“Shh.” He whispered and we stood there as Maya slept on. Finally I pulled away but Giles held me by the shoulders at arms length. “What’s wrong?” He asked gently and I wondered how to answer. Did I give the whole story? Say that I was crying, something I had done more of in the last couple of weeks than in my whole life, because I suddenly missed my father more than I could say. Did I tell him that just seeing him, hugging him was bittersweet-it was like having my father back…only it wasn’t him. Did I tell him that I was still dealing with meeting the vampire who changed my whole life? That I was becoming friends with my mother’s killer? Did I tell him that I was drained from spending every minute I could fighting, hunting all over the world for an elven vampire with a soul only to find her fighting my fight? Did I tell him of the horrors I had seen, not just in L.A. but everywhere? Of things I had seen done to others, things that had been done to me? No, not yet. I couldn’t tell him any of it because there was someone else to look after first…someone who rarely needed it but did now.
“It’s just being worried. Something’s wrong with Maya, we needed to get help and we…she…needed to get away for a bit.” Giles sat down opposite Maya.
“Willow is doing research. I’m sure she can help Maya. Maybe we should help Lottie for a while?”<br> “Please. Don’t call me that.”<br> “Why not?”<br> “Da…my father called me Lottie. She died with him, I’m Charlie now.”<br> “Charlie.” Giles repeated.
“Yeah. Charlie the not quite vampire slayer.” We both smiled wryly knowing how ironic it was that so many had been chosen and yet not those to whom the fight meant everything. A moment later we were looking at the face of someone who had been chosen as Faith walked in.
"How's she doing?" the slayer asked and we looked again at Maya who didn't look quite as calm as before...a small frown creased her forehead but I think only I noticed 'cause Faith immediately offered dinner on seeing Maya still asleep and Giles and I both got up quickly...it felt like days since I'd eaten properly.

((A bit pointless really but I wanted to post something and I can’t interfere with your dream so hope you don’t mind.))