Chapter Text
Buffy Summers needed a break. Some time away from her daily and nightly responsibilities. The simple cheerleader she had been eight years ago had some reasons to be content for sure, but there was a part of her that yearned for the freedom of being an adult, of being able to make her own decisions. But fate had decided that she would have to grow up much faster than her peers. Being chosen to fight the forces of evil for the rest of your days had a way of making life feel a lot more adult-like.
But Buffy was an adult now. Working, paying rent, dealing with the types of daily issues that were once her mom’s department. But more importantly, she was living a life that was as close to normal as it had been in several years. A year and a half had passed since Sunnydale collapsed, taking the hellmouth and (hopefully) the last of the potential evil apocalypses with it. Her friends, those who survived anyway, had agreed to stick together for the most part, and were now living in a small suburban house in L.A. Buffy, Dawn, Willow, and Xander were all living here, with the three now adults doing their best to make a living while allowing Dawn to have some of the normalcy she desperately deserved.
It had taken some getting used too, being back in the big city. While she was originally from here, Buffy had grown quite fond of Sunnydale’s charmingly haunted vibe. But L.A. wasn’t so bad, and if she was being honest, being only an hour drive away from Angel was nice. Giles was still around, making his own way in the city and helping out where he could. While no hellmouth, L.A. still had its share of nasty things moving around at night, so having friends close by was reassuring. But among this list of people, one name was noticeably absent. The formerly only other slayer around.
Faith. After the dust had settled, she didn’t seem entirely sold on moving to L.A. with the rest of the remaining scoobies, so she’d decided to do some soul searching, driving across the country, visiting her hometown for the first time in many years. In the handful of times they’d spoken in the last year, it seemed like the trip was healthy for her, but Buffy would be damned if she didn’t miss having her around. Even after the…everything that had happened between them, her brief return during the slayer’s darkest hour had left quite an impression. She was still very much Faith just…warmer, less burdened by a past Buffy still didn’t know enough about and a string of very bad decisions. It was like all of the baggage was tucked away, and it made the memories of spending nights together and dancing without a care in the world seem less distant.
In any case, Buffy’s desire for a break from her day-to-day had encouraged her to reach out, and as luck would have it, Faith had concluded her business in Boston and was already heading west. Buffy had mulled over what to do when she finally arrived. She had no idea how long her fellow slayer was planning on sticking around, so she needed to find something special that wasn’t too far away, yet felt far enough from normal to be a genuine break. Willow had suggested Disneyland, and Buffy couldn’t think of a compelling alternative. Sure everything there was expensive, and the lines were a pain, but it was fun, freeing even. But there was more to it than that. When she was much younger, Joyce had taken her there, and she had nothing but fond memories of that day. Memories of places and things untainted by all the horrors that came in the following years.
Buffy was nervous that it wasn’t Faith’s speed, but too many things about this idea had clicked into place for her to dismiss it. So she sat in the front room of the modest house, looking out at the driveway, eagerly awaiting Faith’s arrival.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Buffy asked.
“Of course, who doesn’t love Disneyland,” Willow replied.
“But…what if…” Buffy started.
“She’ll enjoy it, besides you already bought the tickets,” Willow insisted.
“That’s exactly what I’m worried about, I don’t want to guilt her into going just because I spent money,”.
“Buffy, this is supposed to be a vacation. A short one, but still a vacation. Just relax,” Xander added.
Buffy took in a deep breath and made a conscious effort to calm down. Why am I so nervous? She had a few reasons, but there was something else that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Fortunately, she didn’t have to sit in this anxiety for much longer. A grey Honda rolled cautiously down the street before turning into their driveway. Buffy practically bolted to the door, pulled it open, and recognised the familiar brown curly hair of its driver.
“Nice place B, not in a bad part of town either” Faith observed as she climbed out of her car. She was wearing a navy blue denim jacket over a white tank top, with dark jeans and boots to match. Simple, unsubtle, and very Faith. Buffy naturally smiled as she approached, “It’s not hard to improve from a giant hole in the ground” she replied, earning a smirk from Faith.
“How ya been B?” Faith asked.
“Good, little bored. You?”
“Five-by-five,”
The other slayer followed her inside and warmly greeted the rest of the house. Willow and Xander were both happy to see her, and while Dawn wasn’t quite as enthused, her greeting was still a fair bit warmer than their last. Buffy then gave her a quick tour of the house. Upon passing the guest room, Faith asked “Want me to grab my stuff? You still haven’t told me what we’re doing tomorrow B”. Buffy leaned nervously against the opposite wall, mulling over what to say. “I told you I needed a little vacation, so I asked Willow for suggestions and…” Buffy flashed the pair of tickets “She had a pretty solid idea”.
Faith’s reaction was hard to read. “Happiest place on Earth huh? I thought you might’ve outgrown that by now B”. Buffy rolled her eyes and started walking away. I knew she wouldn’t go for it. “Hey, wait. I didn’t say I didn’t want to go” Faith blurted out. Buffy smiled slightly, and turned back around. “I booked a hotel nearby so we didn’t have to drive tomorrow morning, weekend traffic and all that” Buffy explained. Now it was Faith’s turn to smile. “You thought of everything. I’m ready when you are”.
After gathering what she needed for the night and saying goodbye to her friends and sister, Buffy walked out and threw her bag in the back of Faith’s car before sliding into the passenger seat, hotel address and a map at the ready. As Faith drove them away, the opening piano of Evanescence’ Bring me to Life floated through the speakers. Buffy's stomach fluttered and she smiled nervously. What is with me today? Buffy stared out the window for a moment, spacing out enough she nearly missed Faith’s question.
“How’s life in the big city treatin’ ya?” Faith asked.
“Not bad, less exciting than I remember. What about you? Enjoy your little adventure back east?” Buffy replied.
Faith sighed “Cleveland wasn’t too bad. Definitely evil, but not quite Sunnydale you know. Stayed there for a few months, but something about it just wasn’t feelin’ quite right. So I decided to hop over to Boston for a bit, see if it changed at all”
“Had it?”
“I didn't hate it, having some years from those memories didn’t hurt. Heard about this wicked incident of one of the bridges though. Some homeless kid died trying to save people from this big fire”
“Anyone we know?”
“Don’t think so,”
There was an awkward silence that hung for a few moments before Buffy finally blurted out a question, something that had been bugging her ever since Faith left.
“So are you and Robin still…” Buffy began.
“Nah. He wasn’t lyin’ when he said he’d surprise me, but just don’t think he was my type ya know. He’s helping hold down the fort in Cleveland”
“Oh…good” Buffy replied, earning a side eye from Faith.
“What do you mean by that exactly?” the other slayer asked.
Buffy’s cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. “I-Its just…when I found out you guys had…and the age difference-”
“Oh you’re one to talk about age difference B”
“It just seemed…wierd” Buffy finished, Faith shrugging in response.
After another moment of silence, Faith looked over coyly. “What about you? You been shopping around?” she asked. Buffy sighed and fell backward into her seat. “No. After everything I just…don’t think I’m interested in trying again, at least for a while” she explained. Faith nodded and for a split second, Buffy thought she saw…dissapointment? But why? Faith had never exactly been a fan of any of her partners over the years, something that had always puzzled her. She sort of understood with Angel and Spike, but Riley had none of the undead qualities, and yet Faith still seemed to despise him.
“How much farther we goin’?” Faith asked.
“About a half hour, there’s a reason I didn’t want to do this tomorrow morning” Buffy replied.
Faith stretched as traffic slowed to a standstill. “You want me to drive?” Buffy asked.
“No thanks B, I’ve seen you drive” Faith replied.
Buffy looked incredulously at her before delivering a playful punch in the arm, then leaning back in her seat once more. This is gonna be fun! Just need the outside world to hold on to any curveballs for the next few days.
…
Percy Jackson was tired. Despite his mom’s hopes, he had never really seen himself as a college type kid. Yet, when the opportunity to attend the one and only university for demigods beside the love of his life had come up, he wasn’t about to refuse. School within the safety of New Rome was the closest thing to a normal and stable life as he could imagine after…everything. But now that he had started, with his first semester just behind him, Percy was exhausted. Academics had never been his strongest suit, and even though the lessons taught within New Rome University were a major upgrade over his previous schooling, it wore him out. It didn’t help that his girlfriend had very high academic expectations.
“How did you do on your finals?” Annabeth asked, perched comfortably on the dorm room bed as Percy entered. “I passed, by the skin of my teeth,” Percy replied. Annabeth smiled, looking simultaneously proud and a touch disappointed.
“Look, school isn’t my best thing” Percy remarked.
“I’m aware” Annabeth replied.
“Then why do you seem-”
“-Disappointed? I’m not, I genuinely am proud. Besides, you had a great tutor” Annabeth explained.
Percy rolled his eyes before climbing onto the bed next to her. He turned and looked at her, taking in her long blonde hair and stormy grey eyes. Eyes that seemed less stormy over the last few months. It took a moment for Percy to realize he was starring, but Annabeth didn’t mind. She put a hand to his cheek, and they leaned in for a kiss, both smiling into it. After leaning back, Percy remembered something and walked over to his dresser. “I know we talked about doing something over the break, so I did a little research…” Percy opened the drawer and grabbed 2 small slips from within “...and someone told me you’d never been to Disneyland” he said, brandishing two all day passes.
Annabeth’s eyes lit up. “You haven’t been either have you?” she asked.
“No, but I’ve heard it’s pretty fun and…you know…there’s lots of cool structures and architecture there-” He explained.
“-You don’t have to convince me, I’d love to go!” Annabeth interjected.
Percy smiled and gave her a big hug. “How long do you need to get packed?” he asked.
“Not long, why?” she replied.
“Tickets are for tomorrow, we’ve gotta get moving” Percy explained.
“And you didn't think to tell me until now?” Annabeth critiqued.
“We were supposed to get our final scores yesterday, we would’ve had more time,” Percy replied innocently.
Annabeth rolled her eyes. “Just give me a few minutes, we should probably let someone know where we’re going though, just in case”
“Annabeth, nothing is gonna-” Percy began
“Nuh uh, don’t finish that sentence Seaweed Brain. Just because the fates have left us alone for a while doesn’t mean we need to tempt them” Annabeth explained.
Right. Percy should’ve known better. Little superstitions didn’t feel so little when you’d seen the threads of fate being woven and severed in real time. Can’t say I’d refuse a little excitement though. Life in New Rome had been more relaxed than any other time that Percy could remember. He was in a good, safe place, surrounded by fellow demigods and a few friends with no big prophecies or looming evils to worry about. Sure he and Annabeth still trained, but college life seemed dull compared to his last few years. The anxiety about the next big problem never completely went away, but had faded far into the back of Percy’s mind. He didn’t know which outcome was worse, something finally happening and proving his instincts right, or nothing happening and the anxiety lingering in perpetuity. Demigods had built in reflexes and instincts for dealing with danger, and they never fully calmed down. It was a major boon when fighting for your life as a teen/pre-teen, but when the danger passed it could be a major pain.
True to her word, Annabeth was packed in a few minutes, and the pair began walking out of the university, searching the city for the two Praetors of New Rome. It was late morning, and the signature bay-area fog had completely dissipated. It really was a quite pretty, if slightly chilly, December day. Frank and Hazel were taking a casual stroll around the perimeter of the small city, and they lit up as Percy and Annabeth approached. They shared a brief conversation, with Frank approving of Percy’s choice of destination, and Hazel letting them know they aren’t too far away if they need help. Annabeth had to stop Percy from making another comment about nothing happening, earning laughs from both of their friends.
Not long after, having walked across the camp boundary and into the Caldecott Tunnel, they entered the private parking garage reserved for students and made their way into Percy’s car.
“You’re riding shotgun, means you’ve got music” Percy explained.
“Any requests?” Annabeth asked.
“Just…well…who am I kidding, you know my taste well enough” Percy replied.
Annabeth searched through the cds in the center console before finding one she seemed to like and inserting it. A moment later, the signature guitar licks of Led Zeppelin’s Good Times Bad Times reverberated through the car, and Percy smiled.