You Just Have to Believe
by Heather Sinclair
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Joss owns the character's etc. Blah Blah Blah.
Spoilers: Up to "Normal Again".
Author's Notes: After a long hiatus, I am back! This could be a stand alone
story unless you want more...that is a hint to tell me if you liked it or
not.
Feedback: You are kidding aren't you...I live on feedback.
"Do you think you can do anything for her?" Joyce pleaded with Faith.
"You had her for a while didn't you?" Faith asked.
Joyce nodded. "She seemed to be fighting the delusions then for some reason gave up."
Buffy's mother looked on her last legs. The years were catching up with her. Premature worry lines circled her face.
"You were her best friend, Faith. Before..."
Faith lay a comforting hand on Joyce's shoulder. "I am still her best friend, Mom."
Joyce smiled at Faith's affectionate name for her. Ever since Faith's real parents died in a plane crash, seven years ago, Joyce and Hank Summers had been like a second family. It was that which brought Faith and Buffy together in the first place.
Buffy had reached out to the younger girl when she was only a freshman in high school. Faith was still in eighth grade and was in desperate need of direction. Buffy had often found her next door neighbor in the company of a less desirable groups of kids. Smoking and drinking had been their tools of rebellion. Buffy changed that. She had taken Faith under her wing and guided her through the tough times... that is until her breakdown.
It was the first day of Buffy's sophomore year. She escorted Faith to homeroom and hooked up with the new boy Alex Harris. That was the last time Faith had seen Buffy sane.
The rumor mill had it by lunchtime. Buffy went off on one of her teachers, screaming that he was a vampire. She even went so far as to stab him with her pencil before several members of the junior varsity football team dragged her off to the nurse's office. The teacher was back at work the next week. Buffy Summers never came back.
"So can I go in and see her?"
Joyce nodded and started to follow the young woman through the door.
Faith stopped and turned. "Do you think I could talk to her alone?"
Joyce closed her eyes and nodded, backing out and shutting the door.
Buffy was laying atop the bed in an inclined position staring straight ahead, at nothing. Her hands were folded neatly on her lap. As Faith approached she noticed Buffy didn't move a muscle except to blink every now and again.
She walked to the opposite side of the bed and sat in the plastic lawn chair provided by the hospital. The last wooden one was destroyed by Buffy in an attempt to make stakes to slay her imaginary vampires.
"Hey, Buffy. It's me, Faith."
Buffy blinked.
"I'm lovin' the outfit." She look at Buffy's back, briefly. "I guess it doesn't get too drafty as long as you stay in bed, huh."
Buffy blinked.
Faith scooted her chair closer and took Buffy's hand in hers.
"Your mom thought I might be able to reach you. I don't know why. We haven't spoken for six years."
Faith stopped and looked down. "That doesn't mean that I haven't thought about you though. I've been at college."
She smiled and laughed a little. "Who would have thought I would make something out of myself? I was headed for doomsville and you pulled me out from the brink."
Faith absentmindedly stroked Buffy's hand. "I never forgot you, Buffy. I never forgot what you did for me. That is why I couldn't see you like this. That is why it has taken me so long...
"Your mom called me yesterday, and said you woke up for a while, from wherever it is you go."
"They tell me that you are a hero in your mind. Slaying dragons, or vampires, or whatever.
"You are a hero, Buffy. You don't need to hide in that place. You are my hero.
"I am what I am today because of you."
Faith let go of her friend's hand and stood.
Buffy blinked.
The younger girl sat herself along side the bedridden one, facing her, looking into her eyes. She cast a glance at the door, making sure nobody was watching.
"There is something I never told you."
She held her hand closely to her friend's face, letting her thumb slide softly along her cheekbone.
"I missed this face. I've missed you."
She cast one last glance at the door and turned back, lightly brushing her lips across her friend's. She held her face closely to her friend's and felt their breaths intermingle.
"Come back to me Buffy." She whispered. "Come back to me... I love..."
Something changed in Buffy's features. Her eyes cleared and focused a bit. Her breath seemed heavier. Faith felt something grab her hand, Buffy's hand was grabbing her hand.
"Buffy?"
The blonde's eyebrow's furrowed. "Faith?"
"Buffy? Do you know me?" Faith said, eagerness on her breath.
"You love...what?" Buffy whispered.
Faith suddenly realized what Buffy was asking.
"You... I love you." Faith finished and waited, not knowing if she should call Joyce or not.
Buffy's lips curled upwards ever so slightly.
That was the beginning. It took little time for the doctors to release her, almost a week, and only after Hank threatened to sue them if they didn't.
Faith stayed with her twenty-four hours a day. She didn't want anything to cause Buffy to relapse back into her delusions. Joyce and Hank didn't argue and even went so far as to bring in another bed, and clothes until Buffy's eventual release.
She wound up dropping her courses at U.C.L.A. for the Spring semester. She just wanted to stay with her friend... her love, until she was better. Nothing was more important.
"You don't have to talk about it until you are ready, Buffy."
The blonde girl nodded and took a sip of coffee from her cup. "I'm ready."
"Was I there?" Faith inquired.
Buffy nodded again and smiled. "You were a Slayer too."
"A Slayer?"
"In every generation a girl is called to defend the world against the vampires and the forces of darkness, she is the Slayer."
"Wow." Faith remarked. "And you and I were Slayers?"
Buffy nodded. "The first time I met you, you barrowed my stake to slay a vampire you picked up at a local club."
Faith's eyes widened. "I picked him up... as in... picking a guy up?"
Buffy laughed softly to herself. "You weren’t the same person in that world, Faith. You were..." Buffy glanced thoughtfully down. "You were darker."
Faith leaned forward on the table to hear better. "You mean I had a tan? I've been meaning to get out to the beach more, but..."
"No," Buffy cut her off, "darker as in kinda evil."
Faith blinked.
"Everyone was different there, Faith. Everyone I knew in L.A....everyone I knew in real life was different in Sunnydale."
Buffy saw a slight hurt look in Faith's face.
"It's not like that, Faith. You were kinda wild at first, but there was an accident. We killed a human by mistake and we took different paths after that, but in the end you faced the consequences."
"So I turned good again?"
Buffy affirmed her friend.
"Good."
"You wore leather a lot."
Faith laughed out loud. "Leather? Me in leather?"
"Black leather. And your make-up was always real dark. It was..."
Faith encouraged her. "What?"
"It was sexy."
Buffy blushed. "We had a thing even then. Kinda unspoken and untried, but there was a thing between us. We were girlfriends, we were Slayers."
Faith reached across the table and grasped Buffy's hand in hers. "Do you miss Sunnydale?"
Buffy got a far away look in her eyes. "I miss my friends. I miss being needed."
Faith sighed. "You are needed here, I need you."
Buffy's eyes focused back on Faith. "I know you do, but..."
"What?"
Buffy got up from the table and pulled Faith to her feet. "Come on, we are going shopping."
Faith grinned. "Now you're talking."
Buffy's idea of shopping had changed a bit in the last six years. They left the occult supply store after making several purchases and headed to the mall.
"Buffy, I'll look creepy in this outfit." Faith protested.
"Trust me, I know exactly what you'll look like, and it will be hot."
She let the blonde have her way, in this as in all things. That is until they hit the make-up counter.
Buffy made several more purchases, taking advantage of her parent's credit card.
"Buffy, your mom is gonna kill me. We've spent almost five hundred dollars today." Faith whined.
"Faith, I've been in an institution for the last six years on my dad's company's insurance. Do you know how much money I have saved them?" She laughed. "I figure a couple of grand a semester for clothes times six, not to mention a little sporty car and the insurance that goes with it. This is nothing."
Faith tried to see though the flawed logic, but failed to come back with a reasonable excuse to stop her from going wild with her parent's money.
It was evening when they pulled up to a small hotel on the outskirts of town.
"You sure you want to go through with this?" Faith asked.
Buffy grinned back. "It will just be for one night. We can call mom and say that we are at your friend's house."
Faith exited the vehicle and rented a room for the night. They parked the car and entered their room. The furniture was a bit Spartan, but it had the requisite bed, work desk and bathroom. That was all Buffy wanted.
After Faith secured the door she turned around and was met by Buffy's lips against her own. Buffy pushed her up against the door and searched Faith's mouth with a probing tongue.
The brunette responded with equal heat. That is until Buffy broke away.
"First this."
Buffy handed Faith one of the shopping bags.
"Get dressed, and do your make-up like I described before."
Faith realized that Buffy just wanted a little kink tonight for their first time. Well she wasn't going to be the one who said no. She took the proffered bag a headed to the bathroom.
"Be back in a jif."
Faith's voice came from behind the closed door of the bathroom. "You ready?"
Buffy responded. "Just one more second."
Buffy made a last minute preparation and called out to Faith.
"Okay, ready."
Faith opened the door and was slightly annoyed to smell some type of incense.
"Something burning, Buffy?"
"Faith, could you call me B."
Faith looked around at the room. Buffy had poured some sort of blue sand on the carpet around the bed, of which she moved out into the center of the room. Five large candles surrounded the bed and Buffy was laying down a hand full of... something that was smoking from its top. Faith heard her whisper something softly before setting the bushel of whatever it was in a brass bowl.
The lithe blonde motioned Faith over to the bed and drank her in with her eyes.
"You look... wonderful."
Faith looked down at her outfit. "I feel kinda slutty."
An evil smile crossed Buffy's face. "Wicked..."
"Huh?" Faith didn't hear her right.
"You feel wicked slutty, Faith... wicked slutty." Buffy clarified.
Faith figured out this was part of the game and responded in kind. "I feel wicked slutty... B."
Buffy smiled at Faith addressing her.
"Come here."
Faith moved toward the bed and Buffy leaned backward and pulled her down on top of her. Faith's hair cascaded around their interlocking faces. Their mouth's joined as one and their hands explored each other's bodies for the first time.
Buffy pulled Faith's black leather jacket off and made sure to drop it just over the bed, well within the circle-of-power. This was soon followed by the rest of their clothing until they were lying on the bed as God made them.
Buffy turned Faith around and forced her down onto the bed as she took the more aggressive role in their lovemaking. Her mouth trailed down Faith's neck, leaving small bite marks until she reached her breast.
She slowly took Faith's erect nipple into her mouth and suckled ever-so-slightly until a small moan escaped her partner's lips.
"Oh, B. That's it."
Buffy smiled at the used of her nickname and moved her hand in between Faith's warm and supple thighs. Her hand encountered the wet center of Faith's desire.
"Oh my God, B. That's it " Faith responded. "I've waited so long for this."
Buffy was not going to deny her lover's pleasure any longer. She inserted one and then two fingers into her depths. As she did, she moved back up to Faith's neck and nuzzled there briefly. Then on to her lover's waiting mouth.
Their tongue's battled again and again as Buffy urged Faith further and further down the road to a waiting release.
Buffy disengaged from Faith's mouth briefly and moved to her ear, whispering slightly.
"Are you ready, Faith?"
Faith nodded silently and sharply in jerking motions, gasping too hard to speak.
"Do you want to come with me, Faith."
Faith, jerked under Buffy's skilled hands. "Ya...ya...ya...Yes!" she replied.
"You have to say it, Faith. You have to say that you want to come with me." Buffy paused. She didn't know if she had Faith too far or not. "Say it for me, Faith. Say that you want to come with me."
Faith regain what little control she had and screamed it out. "Oh, YES B, I want to Come WITH YOU!"
And with her last words Faith climaxed and Buffy sighed in relief.
The morning sun woke Faith up. She felt her lover's form against the length of her back, spooning her with a careful arm encircling her waist, possessively.
Faith waited and enjoyed the feeling of new love, but knew it couldn't last forever when she noticed the time on the clock, mocking her from the nightstand.
"Buffy, wake up. It's ten-thirty. Your mom is gonna freak."
Buffy grunted her disapproval of being woken up, and tried in vain to rub the sleep out of her eyes.
"Spoilsport." Buffy commented.
Faith hopped out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Buffy looked over the side of the bed and retrieved her undies. That is when she heard Faith.
"Uh... Buffy, where are my clothes?"
"Over here by the bed."
Faith stuck her head out of the door. "I mean my real clothes not the leathers."
Buffy nodded. "That's all we brought with us, Faith."
Faith shook her head. "Buffy I left a royal blue blouse and a pair of blue jeans here not to mention my brand new Prada's. Buffy those shoes cost me three hundred dollars."
Buffy didn't even cast a glance Faith's way while she was getting dressed. "Just put these on and we'll go talk to the manager, ok?"
It only took a few moments to get dressed and grab their respective purses from the foot of the bed where Faith knew she didn't leave hers the night before. She could have sworn that she put it on the desk. A horrible thought crossed her mind and she pulled her wallet out. After checking the contents she sighed in relief.
"We weren’t robbed, Faith."
Faith replaced her wallet and looked up at Buffy. "Then what happened to my clothes?"
Buffy took Faith's hand in hers and led her to the door. She opened it and stepped out side, pulling Faith with her.
Faith looked around. "Buffy, my car is gone."
"No it isn't."
"Then where is it."
Buffy squeezed Faith's hand. "Your car isn't gone... you are."
"Huh?"
"That isn't right either. *We* are gone. Faith, welcome to Sunnydale."
"Sunnydale?" Faith repeats in obvious disbelief.
"Uh huh." Responds Buffy. "Come on, I want you to meet the gang." Faith follows her new lover's lead with a worried look on her face. She wonders if she is having a relapse and follows in hopes of 'waking her up.' However, Faith is stunned to lack of motion when she exit’s the parking lot of the seedy motel.
There is a small town where their should be the skyline of Los Angeles.
"Oh my God..." She gasps, covering her mouth with her hands.
Buffy slows and turns, smiling. "I told ya."
Minutes later the couple enter the occult shop owned by Rupert Giles, The Magic Box. Standing behind the counter, cashing a customer out is Buffy's friend Willow Rosenberg.
Buffy moves into the store and greets her long time friend, "Hey Wills, still no sign of Anya?"
Willow smiles upon seeing Buffy. "No, and Xander thought we should keep the store open until..."
Willow spots the person accompanying Buffy and is struck speechless.
"Uh..."
The Slayer lays a soft hand on her friend's shoulder. "It's ok, Willow. It's not her."
Willow turns back to Buffy in obvious shock. "It's not? Cause she is doing a pretty good imitation. With the leather and the heaving breasts and all."
Faith was lost in thought, standing by the entrance to the shop, not wanting to enter into what was obviously a case of mass hysteria of which she was a participant.
Buffy laughed at Willow's comment. "We need to get the gang together. I have some news."
A few phone calls and thirty minutes later the remainder of the Scooby-gang was present, Xander, Tara, and Dawn. Buffy had hid in the training room with Faith until everyone arrived, not wanting to answer questions anymore than she had to.
A knock came at the training room door from Willow. "Buffy, everyone is here."
Buffy turned to Faith. "Are you ready?"
Faith started to get really nervous. "Buffy, this isn't real. We are laying on the bed back at the hotel, asleep... possibly in a catatonic state."
Buffy shook her head. "Both of us...at the same time... in lala land?"
Faith nodded, wring her hands. "We gotta wake up, Buffy."
Buffy took her hand and pulled Faith lightly in the direction of the door. "Well if it is a dream then you have nothing to worry about. Just enjoy the ride."
After opening the door both of them entered the main portion of the shop. Xander, sitting at the research table, was on his feet in a second. "It's Faith! She escaped! Does everyone see that it's Faith! "
Willow concurred. "Yep, this is me seeing that it's Faith."
Dawn covered her mouth with both hands, stunned speechless.
Tara seemed to be the only one accepting of the fact that something was amiss. "Why are they holding hands?"
Xander, was still flushed and not comprehending what was happening. "Look, they're holding hands."
Buffy smiled widely and turned to Faith. "Should we tell them?"
Faith shrugged her shoulders, not knowing what to say until Buffy pulled her close.
"We're getting married."
Dawn, Tara, and Xander turn their heads in unison to Willow.
She was slack jawed as well. "I...I...I didn't do anything. No magic-girl here. Remember."
Buffy laughed out loud. "I'm kidding. I couldn't resist."
While she had everyone's attention and their ire for the joke, she introduced her lover.
"Everyone this is Faith. Faith this is the gang. The redhead is Willow, the blonde is Tara. They kinda have a thing going..."
"Hey!" Protested Willow.
"Well you do." Confirmed Buffy. Then she continued. "The little squirt is my sister, Dawn. And the guy with rambling of the brain is Xander."
"Hi." Faith said quietly with a little wave.
Willow stepped forward. "Buffy, you said that wasn't Faith."
Buffy nodded. "It's not. At least not the Faith you guys know."
Xander finally snapped and put two and two together. "Oh, I get it..." he look back an forth between the remaining Scoobies. He smiled the smile he saves when he alone gets something nobody else does.
"Alternate universe Faith." He thumbs at her.
Willow, Dawn, and Tara couldn't have rehearsed it better if they tried when all three replied, "OOOhh," and nodded in agreement.
Xander then follows on thought to another. "Then that means Anya is trying to get her amulet back. She's going vengeance demon on me again." He sat down defeated. "I'm in big trouble."
Faith, was more than confused by everyone's reaction and subsequent acceptance of her appearance. *Must really be an intricate dream...I hope.*
Buffy calmed Xander's nerves with her own revelation. "It's not Anya that did this, Xander. It's me."
"Finally!" Faith exclaims. "You finally admit this is all a dream?"
Buffy led Faith to the table and a waiting chair.
"Where is that chalkboard Giles used to use when he was feeling especially frisky with the slayage?"
Willow responded. "Back here, Xander give me a hand."
It only took a few moments for the two to wheel out a medium sized portable chalkboard.
"I'm not sure what I am about to show you guys is totally right. Maybe Willow can fill in a few holes."
Willow looked a little shocked. "Me?"
Buffy nodded. "Science stuff, Wills."
Her friend got her reference. "Oh, okay. I can do science stuff."
Buffy started off by drawing a lopsided circle in the center of the board and surrounding it with other, smaller, circles, and then surrounding those circles with other circles.
"It's a party, those are balloons." Xander surmised.
Buffy stopped. "This isn't Pictionary, Xander."
She finished up her circle drawing and started interlocking the circles to each other with straight lines, all eventually leading to the center circle.
"You guys remember when I got stabbed and poisoned by that demon, and I tried to kill you all?"
A couple of audible gulps were heard.
"Well something happened during that time. I was somewhere else."
"In the hospital." Offered Willow.
"In the nut house, Wills." Buffy corrected her. "Except it was real."
Willow shook her head. "But it was just the poison, Buffy."
"I don't think so. Look." She turned to the board.
"I saw this movie the other day on cable."
"We don't have cable. Not anymore anyway." Dawn countered, knowing they had to give up certain luxuries when they started getting slow on cash.
"Not here, Dawnie. In the other place."
"You've been having more delusions, Buffy. Why didn't you say anything?"
"Just a sec, Wills. You are getting ahead of the story."
Willow looked properly chided and sat back in her chair.
"Anyway, I watched this movie on cable about this guy that traveled between worlds." She continued.
"Star Trek?" Xander guessed.
"No."
"Star Wars?" Xander guessed again.
"No."
"Star Traveler?" He guessed a third time.
"It wasn't a 'Star' anything, Xander. Can I continue?"
"Sorry."
"He wasn't a traveler in space. He moved through alternate universes."
Willow jumped up. "Oh, I get it. The Einstein-Rosenfield model."
The redhead noticed the blank stares on everyone's faces. "It's a theory in Quantum Physics that basically says for each action that takes place in this universe there is another action that takes place in an alternate universe."
The blank stares kept coming.
Willow shook her head. But Faith jumped in "Okay, think of it this way. Hitler was an aspiring artist before he became leader of Germany in the thirties. One of the reasons he went into politics was because he wasn't accepted into a prestigious art institute. Well what do you think would have happened if he had been accepted?"
Understanding finally dawned on the gang even though it was explained by Faith. Willow was starting to understand that this was definitely not this world's Faith.
Willow continued. "According to the Einstein-Rosenfield principle there is a universe out there where that happened." Then she turned to Buffy. "Is this where you have been going?"
Buffy nodded. "I wasn't sure until Faith brought me out of my catatonia again." She smiled at her lover and Faith smiled back. "Then one night I saw this movie and the question came to me, What if?
"The next day, Faith and I stopped by a local occult shop and I did a little research on alternate realities and came across a ritual."
Faith interrupted. "Is that what last night was about?"
Buffy turned beet red. "The candles, incense, and sand...not the other thing."
Willow looked a bit puzzled. "One thing though, Buffy. How long were you in the other universe?"
"About two weeks, I think."
Willow nodded, in deep thought.
"So I performed the ritual and poof, Sunnydale here we come."
Xander connected the dots some more. "That is why you brought that universe's Faith along. For proof."
Buffy nodded again. "Well, two reasons. I needed to know that I wasn't Looney-Toons. Her presence would prove that, and... I'm in love with her."
Xander coughed, violently.
Faith patted him on the back. "You okay?" She asked beaming with pride.
Xander's coughing fit subsided. "Is every girl I have had a passing interest in, a lesbian?"
Buffy giggled. "It's not you Xander, it's the water."
Tara chimed in. "So you've been universe hopping because of the demon poison?"
"Looks like." Buffy answered.
"Then that means that wasn't really your ideal place to be. It was just a fluke that you landed there?" Dawn observed.
"Got it in one."
Dawn continued. "Then you really were telling me the truth when you told why I wasn't there."
"Yep."
Dawn teared up and hugged her sister, realizing that she really did want her in her life; that it was just a big mistake. She was really wanted.
"You gotta trust your big sister, squirt." Buffy whispered into Dawn's ear.
"Hey guys...there might be a problem in Buffy's analysis." Willow announced.
Dawn backed away from her sister and everyone waited for Willow's explanation.
"You said that you were there for about two weeks right?"
Buffy nodded and turned to Faith for conformation.
Willow continued. "Well during the whole poison incident, you faded in and out like you were daydreaming or something."
Buffy remembered. "Right." She confirmed.
"Well for the last two weeks everything has been like normal. You work, you slay, you go home."
Buffy blinked.
"You haven't been day dreaming, Buffy."
The Slayer couldn't make the connection. That is until the entrance to the Magic Box opened and the bell hanging over the door ting-a-linged.
"Hey guys why is the closed sign up?" Buffy Summers asked as she entered the Magic Box.
Faith looked back and forth between the two Buffy's. "Oh no..."
The two Buffy's eyed each other with shock.
Willow got up quickly before either of them could form a plan of action against the other.
"Wait, it's not what you think."
New-arrival-Buffy didn't brake away from staring at her counterpart. "It looks like that's me standing there."
Faith moved quietly in front of her girlfriend. "We have to leave now, Buffy. Something isn't right."
"Faith?" New-arrival-Buffy said in surprise. "Well that explains everything. Ok, who gets to go back to jail first?"
Willow intervened. "Buffy, that's not Faith, well it is, but it's not, and that's not someone trying to imitate you, it is you, sorta."
Both Buffy's turned to the redhead. "Huh?"
"Jinx." Xander quipped in the background.
"They are alternate universe you and Faith."
Tara, Xander, and Dawn joined together for the second time. "Ooohh."
Buffy backed away a few steps, taking Faith with her.
New-arrival-Buffy closed her eyes, grimacing, and looked as if a strong headache were coming on. "Okay, who made the wish?"
B, whom Faith had titled her universe's Buffy as opposed to This universe's Buffy of which she titled Buffy, sat down in confusion.
Xander looked down upon her and shook his head. "You ain't the only one, sister."
Willow, and Tara were pouring over a copy the book that B used to perform the ritual until Willow found something that perked her interest.
"Oh, Oh, I think I have it!" She announced.
Everyone looked up from where they were and silently urged Willow to continue.
"Buff...uh...B the ritual you performed, it included Faith too, right?"
B nodded.
Tara was reading the passage that Willow had noted. "Oh...OH!"
Willow looked down at her with her eyes a bit wide and nodded.
"Your universe was your universe." Tara noted.
"Huh?" Faith replied.
"What Tara means is you two are visitors to this universe, however that might explain a few things that happened during the poison incident." Willow stated then continued.
"See, we were under the assumption that our Buffy had been poisoned."
"I wasn't?" The two Buffy's said together. Then they turned to each other. "Stop that."
Xander leaned forward and grinned. "Oh, this is going to be fun. Okay, what number am I thinking of?"
Both of the Buffy's just glared at him.
"Ouch, double your Slayer pleasure."
Willow snuck a word in. "Anyway, from what B has told us of her life in her world, she was in a catatonic state for the last six years."
B nodded.
"I am guessing that while she was in that state, that she was somehow attuned to your experiences, Buffy. Kinda like your life in 3-D. Everything you experienced, she did also. She did have spells of lucidity in various times... like when you were dead, and during the poison incident." Willow explained.
Faith took over. "So when she performed the ritual, we were both serendipitously transported to this alternate quantum state?"
Willow's eyes widened a bit as she nodded in the affirmative.
Faith looked around at the rest of the gang, staring at her strangely. "What? I'm in college. I took quantum physics."
B hugged Faith closely and kissed her cheek. "They're just impressed, sweetie. The Faith here was somewhat...educationally challenged. She never graduated High School."
Faith looked down at her clothes. "Let me guess, tough girl, grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. Chip on her shoulder about the size of Rhode Island?"
"Give the girl a prize." Xander quipped.
"Is anyone going to ask it?" Buffy queried.
Willow replied. "What?"
B leaned back a bit. "She wants to know why I would want to come back to Sunnydale if I had a chance at a normal life."
Buffy nodded in agreement.
B gripped Faith's hand a bit tighter. "I have a few reasons, none anymore important than the other. First, the Slayer thing. I wouldn't be who I was if I thought that this world was Slayerless, and knowing the council like I know the council; I wouldn't put it past them to kill this world's Faith, in prison, just so they could have a fresh Slayer to boss around."
The gang nodded in agreement.
"Second, is Dawn. I would have missed her and I am the only blood relative she has left. I don't really count dad."
Dawn moved over and hugged B, letting her feel her appreciation of being thought of.
"The third reason," B squeezed Faith's hand, "I love Faith, and in our world it's a sin and a felony to have relations with the same gender."
Faith interrupted. "You mean...we..."
"Yeah, it's accepted here and even encouraged in some places."
"Like the local video store, for one." Xander snickered.
Dawn punch him in the arm.
"Hey!" He threw back.
"I've loved Faith since I first met her, both times. When my parents rescued her when we were kids in my world, and since I saw her make dust bunnies of that seventies reject in the alley behind The Bronze."
Then B looked up at Buffy who was staring at her shoes or something interesting on the floor, trying not to hear what her counterpart was saying.
"But I guess those were your feelings I was experiencing."
Buffy looked up and noticed everyone was staring at her.
"What, me and Faith? No way! She...I..."
She stopped trying to fool the rest and bolted out of her chair, to and through the front door before Willow managed to rise out of her chair.
"Buffy, wait!"
B stopped Willow before she got too far.
"Willow let her go. She needs to sort things out. It's not everyday that you get outted in front of your best friends by your duplicate from an alternate universe."
Buffy sprinted her way across four city blocks and the middle of Restfield Cemetery before she slowed to a walk.
Spike saw her before she noticed him on the way back from the groceries holding a single paper bag.
"Buffy?" He called out softly, not wanting to startle her.
It was no use, she jumped anyway.
His attention was drawn to her freshly tear streaked face.
"Spike, what are you doing here."
He smiled and pointed to the crypt not twenty feet away. "Just heading home. Are you okay?"
Buffy looked behind her, the way she came and turned back to face the vampire.
"I'm not gay."
"I should bloody well hope not, since I'm the one you've been shaggin' for the last two months."
Buffy got a determined look in her eyes as she developed an idea. She grabbed Spike's free hand and dragged him towards and into the crypt. After she closed the door, she dropped to her knees and unzipped Spike's jeans, pulling him out roughly.
"Hey now, watch little Willie. He's a bit sensitive."
Her mouth covered his hardening member as she worked her tongue up and down the length of him.
"Cor!"
She tried working her frustration out on him, but slowed when she realized she was still crying. Spike, noticing something amiss, pulled Buffy to her feet and then he sheathed little Willie.
"What's the matter, pet? Did the witch make a pass at you?"
Buffy shook her head no and sputtered a brief laugh. "No."
"Then what's the matter?"
"Are you sure it's okay, Willow?"
"Of course, you two can have my bed and I'll hit the couch... for tonight. Then tomorrow we can figure out a better sleeping arrangement.
Faith moved in and tried to hug Willow, but the redhead stepped back. Realizing her abruptness she moved back in and hugged Faith.
"Sorry, old habit's die hard." She released Faith. "Just get some different clothes. That should do the trick. Maybe some pastels."
Faith nodded in agreement.
Willow looked at her watch. "She's still not here. I'm starting to get worried."
B placed a hand on Willow's shoulder. "Don't be worried. She's at Spike's."
Willow look a bit perplexed. "How do you know?"
"It's on the way home and she will try to reaffirm her heterosexuality."
Willow blinked. "What?"
B's eyes widened. "Oops, I really need to start thinking before I speak."
"Oh my god... Spike?" Willow said in disbelief.
B nodded. "It's a little demented, I know, but she needed him. She needed someone that she couldn't lie to. She's never been able to lie to Spike, at least not that he couldn't read anyway."
"So she's...with Spike...right now?"
"Probably." B answered.
Everyone paused as they heard a key being placed in the front door lock. Buffy soon followed thereafter, entering and seeing them standing there...staring.
"What?" Buffy opened.
Willow looked a bit on the shocked side. Faith was smiling and B had a really guilty look on her face. Buffy added up one and one and it equaled something she wasn't ready to deal with right now.
"What did you tell her?" Buffy demanded.
B tried to apologize. "It slipped. I'm sorry."
Buffy looked back at Willow and her obvious shocked expression and announced. "I'm going to bed."
B tried to make things better. "Buffy I'm sorry, really."
Buffy stopped at the base of the stairs. "It was going to happen sooner or later. Forget it." Then back to Willow. "We'll talk about it tomorrow. Okay?"
Willow nodded.
Willow tried to show her new guests around, but B cut her off. "Will, I know where everything is, but thanks for being a good friend."
Willow leaned in and gave B a hug. "Get a good night's rest. Tomorrow is going to be a big day."
B countered. "Thanks mom, I will."
And with that B closed the door and turned to Faith who was stripping off her jeans. "Alone at last."
A lustful look was written on Faith's face when the jeans were soon joined by her French-cut black lace panties on the floor.
"Think we can be quiet?" She purred as she pulled the covers back.
B smiled and pulled off her own top. "We'll use the pillows. I know I will be screaming tonight."
B met her in the middle of the bed with a soul searching kiss. The feeling of their hardening nipples brushing one another sent waves of pleasure to all of the happy spots on her body.
"Oh, Faith. I've waited so long to be with you." She murmured in between kisses.
Faith stopped and looked into her eyes. "Just promise me that you'll never leave me again."
B looked back and became very serious. Remembering an old oath they used to say to each other years earlier, in another universe B spoke. "I love you, and I will never leave you again. May the mall gods take away my credit cards if I break this promise."
Faith laughed softly. "Good, now where were we?"
B slipped her hands underneath Faith's black spaghetti strapped shirt and lifted it off in one swift motion. She tossed it behind her and closed for another kiss, softly caressing Faith's nipple with the palm of her hand.
That is when a soft knock came at the door.
They both froze in mid-foreplay.
B tentatively answered the knock. "Yes?"
Buffy's voice came from the other side of the door, but became clearer as she opened it. "You guys asleep ye..."
Her mouth fell open slightly and a sharp intake of breath was heard escaping her lips as she saw herself and Faith kneeling on the bed, naked, and holding each other.
"Oops..."
B and Faith froze in place on the bed, in mid hug. Buffy stood, open-mouthed, at the door, not knowing what to do. Her first thought was to make a run for it. Instead, she just averted her eyes.
"Sorry!" she exclaimed.
B turned back to Faith and motioned to the terrycloth robe sitting on the armchair behind her. Faith stepped off of the bed and donned the robe. Her first guess was that it was Willow's robe, considering the small size. She was unable to close the top enough and her ample cleavage shone through, but not enough to expose any naughty bits.
B pulled up the comforter to cover most of her exposed skin.
"It's ok, now." She informed Buffy.
Buffy turned her eyes back up and watched as Faith retook her place on the bed, next to her alternate self. They almost looked right for each other. She noticed the comfyness of their body language and their lack of embarrassment, most of all.
B seemed a bit more bold and started the conversation off. "Buffy, I'm sorry about letting the news about Spike out to Willow."
Buffy shook her off. "It's okay, really. I'm almost glad that it is finally out."
There was an uncomfortable pause.
B tried to break the silence. "Did you get it out?"
Buffy looked up from examining the floor. She saw the look on her face and knew that she wouldn't be able to fool "herself."
"Yes and no... we started, but I couldn't go through with it." Buffy confessed.
"So what's your next step?" B asked.
Buffy moved to the armchair at the other side of the bed and sat down. Her hands cradled her face in defeat.
"I'm so screwed."
Faith looked at B, and was rewarded with a affirming nod. She got up and knelt in front of Buffy.
"Buffy?"
Buffy startled back.
"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you." Faith easily said.
Buffy nervously laughed.
"Do you love her?" Faith asked softly.
Buffy squeezed her eyes shut and slowly, almost imperceptively, nodded her head.
Faith placed a comforting hand on Buffy's knee. "So what's the problem?"
Buffy stared down at the brunette's hand. "It's not that easy, Faith."
Faith smiled. "Yes it is. You just walk up to her and take her hands in yours, and say 'I love you.'"
"She's in prison, Faith."
The brunette turned back to her lover, on the bed, to get conformation. B nodded. Then she turned back.
"So when does she get out?"
Buffy was still staring at the hand that Faith held at her knee.
"I have no idea." Buffy squinched up her face. "I haven't even been to see her, not once." She sobbed.
"Well then I guess we have a road trip tomorrow." Faith announced.
Buffy looked on in horror at the realization the she might have to face Faith, her Faith, as soon as tomorrow.
"I can't...I'm not ready."
Faith closed and opened her eyes slowly in understanding. "Then we practice until you are."
Faith looked at Buffy and back at her lover. "B would you mind?"
B smiled widely. "Mind? You couldn't drag me out of here."
Buffy still sat, very uncomfortably, on the armchair.
Faith stood up and adjusted the robe so that it wouldn't come loose easily.
"Okay, I know it will be a leap of... faith." She grinned. "But pretend that I am her."
Buffy smiled, feeling a bit better knowing that Faith was trying to lighten the mood.
"B, told me a little bit about your Faith so I will try to act like her, okay...so don't freak."
Buffy nodded.
"Now close your eyes and work with me here. I am going to set up the scene, and I need you to try to believe that I am Faith and everything I tell you is real."
Buffy nodded, closing her eyes.
"Picture a generic room, gray walls a few windows along one of the walls with steel bars on the outside. There is a table in the middle of the room with two chair's facing each other, on opposite sides."
Faith motioned to B for a chair to sit in.
"You see a door open and two people walk in. One of them is a guard and the other is me, Faith...your Faith."
B slid a chair behind Faith's knees allowing her to sit.
"Hey, B. How's it hangin'."
Buffy's eyes snapped open. The tunnel vision she created for herself only allowed Faith to be seen and she looked beautiful.
"Faith."
Faith laughed. "Hell, B. If I knew you were gonna be this talkative I would have brought my knitting needles."
Buffy closed her eyes again and brought forth the courage to defeat this panicked demon that she has been harboring for the last four years when it came to her feelings for Faith.
"I...Faith... um... how are you doing."
Faith leaned back in her chair. "You know me, B... five by five."
"I love you." Buffy said softly.
"Huh?"
Buffy tried to choke the words out again. "I'm in love with you, Faith."
Faith leaned forward. "What the hell, B. You can't just show up here and say shit like that..."
Buffy exploded. "For once in your life, Faith, can't you just shut up and think about what I am saying?"
Faith's mouth snapped shut.
Buffy stood up and crossed the empty space between them. "I'm saying that since the first moment I saw you, something clicked. I don't know if it is the Slayer thing, or even if it was just a momentary lapse in sanity that's lasted for four years, but I'm in love with you."
Faith's eyes widened just a bit. "You're serious."
Buffy nodded.
"Why now?" Faith questioned. "Why show up while I'm in prison and lay this shit on me."
Faith turned around. "Why couldn't you have told me when I was free?"
Buffy's face softened and she approached Faith from behind, laying her hands on her shoulders, softly.
"Would it have made a difference?"
Faith spun back around. "Hell yes, it would have made a difference."
Buffy searched Faith's face, seeing the hidden love that she held.
"Faith, I'm sorry...I'm so sorry."
Faith reached up and pulled Buffy into a tight embrace. She looked over her shoulder and saw that B had positioned herself behind Buffy, nodding for Faith to continue.
She felt the anger and tension being released form the girl in her arms and pulled back enough to look into her eyes. Tears pooled until they threatened to spill out, down her cheeks. She saw Buffy's need and desire hidden underneath those eyes and reached out to brush her lips against those of her lover's duplicate.
Buffy responded softly at first and then more and more emotion escaped her mouth as she attacked the brunette's lips with reckless abandon.
Buffy's hand slid down the length of Faith's body, feeling the curves as they did. The brunette responded with her own hands, sliding underneath Buffy's shirt to feel the soft skin and firm muscles of her back.
It was then that she felt more hands than Buffy should have, undoing the bathrobe and exposing her flesh to the open air. Lips trailed down her back and assaulted her mouth at the same time. The sensory input was overwhelming.
She did the only thing she could at this point and start pulling Buffy's shirt off. Their lips separated just long enough to for the cloth to pass between them, and they were back again, connected tasting each other again and again.
Buffy moved closer and felt their bodies touch for the first time, flesh against flesh. She felt the heat radiating off of Faith's body; the desire that could never be quenched for over four years is finally releasing itself.
Faith backed up to the bed and took Buffy with her, falling lightly, a mass of delicate flesh molding into one another. She turned until Buffy was underneath her body. She made her way to her neck, nuzzling and biting as she moved.
Soft moans escaped Buffy's mouth when she felt Faith's hand moving up and down her body, never staying in the same place for more than a fraction of a second. Then her mouth found a taught nipple. She lightly stifled a pleasured scream as Faith's tongue rolled around, her mouth lightly suckling at her breast.
Faith fingers slowed as she approached her lover's core. She could feel the burning desire and shear heat as she closed and closed further. It wasn't until she let her tongue trail down Buffy's flat stomach that she noticed another pair of hand caressing her back.
'Oh, this is way too hot.' She thought to herself.
She gasped slightly when she felt those mysterious fingers edging their way into her own tight entrance. Faith found Buffy's firm and silky thighs and lifted them over her shoulders as she lowered her self upon her waiting mound.
B had left the room momentarily to retrieve a surprise for her lover. She slid her hands down Faith's alabaster skin feeling the firm globes of the supple flesh of her butt and moved further until she reached the ever expanding moistness between her legs.
She slid, first, one then two fingers deftly into Faith's entrance, softly thumbing her clit as she did.
Buffy tried to stifle another scream when she felt Faith's mouth lay on her lower lips. She felt her tongue laying flat and slowly moving up to meet the tightest bundle of nerves in her whole body. Then she just couldn't hold it back any more.
"Ooh...Ohhhh... Ohhh Faith!"
The brunette grinned as she played with the blonde laying underneath her, but the grin faded as she felt something entering her from behind.
B knelt behind Faith and withdrew her priming fingers. Faith's behind wiggled in protest but not for long. She found 'Mr. Pointy' just where he always lay hidden, in Buffy's bedside drawer underneath a well worn issue of Cosmo.
She set the tip right against Faith's entrance and slightly pushed until she was allowed access.
This set Faith off and she renewed her attack on Buffy.
The blonde screamed a third time feeling a third finger entering her as she climaxed. The tearing of sheets ripped thought the air as Buffy's nails dug into the mattress in ecstasy.
B worked 'Mr. Pointy' about half way in when she twisted the control at the base of the vibrator. Faith stiffened and clutched Buffy's thigh with her left hand, and slipping a fourth finger into her trapped lover withering in the throes of passion.
Faith clamped down on the vibrator and wouldn't let it move an inch, if it were not for the careful ministrations of her lover from behind.
With a little bit of difficulty B pulled 'Mr. Pointy' back out and slid him in as she found a heated rhythm.
Buffy reached down and ran her fingers in Faith's long brown hair, urging her on and on. She gripped the intruding fingers over and over again, faster than she thought possible, until she felt the fifth and final intruder trying to make its way into her womb.
Faith felt Buffy relax and allow her to ease her thumb in slowly. But her attention kept being taken away from what she was doing by the vibrations between her legs. She tried not to let it distract her and pushed a little more, just past the knuckles until her hand had reached the apex and slid back down again easing her lover's gasps as her entire hand finally made its destination.
B slid a finger underneath the vibrator and found Faith's happy spot and gently massaged it while she continued sliding 'Mr. Pointy' round and round. She could feel the tension in Faith's body as she approached her climax and just kept up with the motions that she knew would put her over the edge.
Buffy stopped breathing when she felt herself wrapped around Faith's wrist. It was too much. She had too many orgasms as it was. Another would be the death of her, she was sure of it.
Faith felt her own climax seconds away and wanted to bring Buffy around before she herself passed out. So, she laid her tongue on Buffy's bundle of nerves and flicked it several times in succession.
"FFFFFFFFAAAAAAAAAIITHHHHH!" Buffy screamed out loud and strong.
Darkness descended.
The SUV ground to a halt in front of the L.A. County Correctional Institute for Naughty Girls where this world's Faith was incarcerated.
One of the back doors opened and a young lady spilled out of the back holding her stomach, in obvious distress.
B hopped out of the front passenger side and rushed to the girl's aid.
"Faith, what's wrong?"
The brunette was doubled over trying to keep this morning's breakfast down. "She drives just as..." she gulped, "just as bad as you. I think I lost three years of my life on that ride."
Buffy came around the front of the SUV. "It wasn't that bad."
Faith caught her breath. "Tell that to the kid on the bike that you almost ran down two miles back."
Buffy smiled. "I'll have you know that I missed him by a good five inches."
She closed on Faith, walking a bit bowl-legged. A slightly pained look crossed her face.
Faith stood straight. "You okay, Buffy."
B added her two cents in also. "Yeah you've been walking that way since we got up this morning."
Buffy smiled. "Don't worry... it's a good kinda pain."
Faith and B grinned ear to ear.
Buffy added one more thing. "Just stay away from me tonight. I don't think I could do that again... so soon."
B laid an arm across her alternate's shoulder. "I know when you are stalling, Buffy. Don't you think it's time?"
Buffy squinched up her face. "I'm really going to hate having you around. I'll never be able to lie to anyone."
B laughed. "But the fringe benefits are well worth it, right?"
"What do you mean she's not here?"
The admitting clerk pointed at the computer screen, sitting in front of her. "Says here that she was discharged yesterday."
Buffy glanced back at Faith and B then returned her anticipating glare to the clerk again. "Where is she... I mean did she leave a forwarding address?"
The clerk frowned a bit. "We aren't allowed to give out that kind of information, ma'am."
Buffy's face fell. The clerk realized that Buffy wasn't going to mean Faith any harm.
"However, I do have the location of her parole officer. She might be able to pass a message to her, during her monthly check-in. "
Buffy nodded. "That would be great... thank you."
The clerk scribbled the address of the Faith's parole officer on a post-it and handed it to the eager girl.
"Sunnydale?"
Buffy confirmed the address. "That's what it says. Come on we have to move if we want to catch her. The clerk says that she has forty-eight hours to check in with this person before she can settle down."
Faith grabbed the keys out of Buffy's hands. "I'm driving."
"Are you sure this is the right address?" Faith said as she looked at the one of many abandoned warehouses that littered the outskirts of Sunnydale.
Buffy appeared worried. "That's the address the clerk gave me."
B offered her thoughts. "Well I guess we wait for Faith."
Most of the afternoon drifted away with the three of them huddled in the SUV, sometimes making small-talk, most of the time sitting in silence. That is until about a quarter till five when Faith noticed someone dressed in black leather... strutting, for lack of a better word. The person crossed the street toward the warehouse holding a piece of paper, staring at it and back up to the building.
"Holy cow. B, you weren't kidding. She looks exactly like me."
Buffy and B turned in their respective seats to see the object of Faith's observation.
"It's her." Buffy whispered.
B looked back at Buffy. "It's show-time."
Buffy eyed the two girls, trying to build up her courage. Then she opened her car door and exited the relative safety of the SUV.
As she neared the curb in front of the warehouse, this world's Faith noticed the movement from the truck sitting in the parking lot adjacent, and expected the appearance of her parole officer, or at the bare minimum just a ordinary pedestrian. What she actually saw was something she had been dreading since her return to the Hellmouth, Buffy Summers.
She blinked her eyes slowly in dread of the upcoming fight.
"Faith!" Buffy semi-yelled from across the parking lot.
The recent parolee crumbled up her directions and address and stuffed it in the pocket of her leather jacket, tensing for anything.
Buffy approached in a half-walk/half-run, nearing to within mere feet of Faith in seconds. She noticed the apprehensive look on the girl's face and held up her hands in a calming manner.
"I'm not here to fight."
Faith allowed herself to breath again after realizing that she was holding her breath in the first place.
"I'm on parole, B. I got released. It's all legit. Check it out for yourself."
Buffy nodded. "I know. We just got back from the prison early this afternoon."
Faith's eyebrows went up in slight disbelief. "Checking up on me, B?"
Faith saw Buffy was acting skittish, holding/wringing her hands and slightly moving from side to side.
"No... not checking up. We...I...I went over to see you and they told me you had been released yesterday. I asked the guy at the prison to give me your address, but he wouldn't and so the only thing left was the address to your parole officer. Except he isn't here, just this warehouse. So we thought to hang around just in case you might have showed...and..." Buffy realized she had been taking lessons from Willow with her run-on sentences and abruptly shut her mouth.
Faith was even more curious. "Look, I'm here just to check in with the officer then I'm outta town." Faith looked around, anywhere but in the eyes of her past nemesis. "I didn't want to come back here, but they made me since this was the last place I lived, before... Anyway I'm not here to cause trouble and I'll be out of your hair by tomorrow."
Buffy shook her head and crossed her hands back and forth, negatively in front of each other. "No, Faith. That's not why I am here. That isn't why we went to see you?" Then she corrected herself. "That isn't why I wanted to see you."
Faith clinched and released her hand, hidden inside her jacket. "So what to I owe the pleasure of your wantin' to see me? Someone die and you want to stick another knife in my gut?"
Buffy flinched remembering her mother's demise almost a year ago.
Faith saw the look in her eyes. "Jesus, B. It was a joke, sorta."
"My mom died last year."
Faith realized her off handed remark hurt the blonde girl. She regretted it, but her pride wouldn't let her take it back, or apologize.
Buffy shook off the bad feelings. "A blood vessel burst in her head."
Faith again said nothing.
"But that isn't why I wanted to see you."
Faith's weight shifted on her hip. "You gonna spill anytime in the near future, B? I things to do before I leave tomorrow."
Buffy sighed. "I don't want you to leave, Faith."
The brunette's eyes widened in surprise. "No offense, B, but I ain't exactly welcome here."
Buffy closed her eyes. "Yes, you are."
Faith was at a loss for words. Not because she was glad to be pulled back into the open arms of citizens of Sunnydale, but because she was genuinely shocked that Buffy Summers would be the one to make the offer.
"I want you to stay."
Finally she was able to utter something. "Why?"
The question had been offered. Now Buffy had to respond with the answer she had practiced with the alternate Faith, the night before.
"I..." Buffy looked at the ground and back up into the eyes of Faith. "I love you."
For the first time in her entire life with the sole exception of when she was called as a Slayer, Faith's jaw dropped in stunned response.
"You what?"
Buffy stiffened her spine and resolved the look on her face. "I said I love you, Faith."
She really didn't see the right uppercut in time to avoid the full impact, knocking her off her feet and back ten feet into the brick wall of the warehouse.
Back in the SUV, B and Faith watched as Buffy bounced off the warehouse wall and landed on the cement sidewalk, face first.
B looked on in amazement as the girl sitting next to her commented. "Well that wasn't like last night at all."
"Come on." B motioned to Faith. "That hit she took looked pretty bad."
B and Faith exited the vehicle and sprinted toward the motionless body laying on the concrete. They heard the sound of the leather clad form issuing a challenge.
"Come on B, get up."
Faith yelled behind me. "You knocked her out, you ass."
This world's Faith looked up at the approaching figures. She took a defensive posture. "Who the hell are you two and why do you look like me and B."
B slowed before she reach striking distance. "We aren't here to fight." B motioned between her lover and herself. "We are from an alternate dimension."
Faith looked the both of them up and down and centered on her double. "Why are you dressed like a Vogue ad? And what's with the heels?"
B's Faith looked down at her dress. "In my world, I have taste, and I'm not a skanky ho."
B closed and Faith stepped back into her defensive posture.
"Give it a rest, Faith. I'm just going to look at her." She said pointing to Buffy.
"Is she okay?"
"I didn't hit her that hard."
"Then that would explain the blood on the back of her head."
"You are just as much of an ass as she is."
B looked up into the worried eyes of this universe's Faith. That is until Faith realized she was being watched. Then they turned a hard chocolate brown in defense.
"I'm guessing the two of you put her up to this." The brunette Slayer surmised.
"She loves you, you inconsiderate..."
B cut her Faith off before she did any additional damage. "Lets all calm down. Can we just see to Buffy's health for now?"
She saw to it they both backed down a couple of notches. "Faith, give me a hand getting her into the truck."
Both Faiths moved to grab Buffy's shoulders. B saw the confusion. She pointed to her Faith. "You go by Susanna."
A look of horror crossed her lover's face at the mention of her middle name. "You swore never to say that name again."
B sighed. "What else would you like me to call you. Faith one and two?"
Her lover considered for a moment. "That would be better than... that other name. Except I get to be Faith One."
"No way, sweet cheeks," Faith protested, "This is my universe. You are the visitor. You get to be number two." Then she turned to B. "And if I ever hear that name again, especially in front of her damn Scooby gang, you will regret it."
Buffy held the back of her head as she rose from the couch.
"Here, put some ice on that or you are going to have a really big bump."
Buffy took the proffered ice from Willow, and looked around, confirming that she was in the living room of her house.
"Did Faith leave?"
Willow shook her head. "They are all in the kitchen. B and both Faiths."
Buffy smiled inwardly because her head hurt too much to do it in reality. Nothing was going as planned, but at least Faith didn't leave. That left a glimmer of hope.
"I think I am going to be sick." She commented.
Willow helped her hold the ice up on the back of her friend's head. "You might have a slight concussion. They said your head hit a brick wall," she explained. "How is your vision."
Buffy cracked her eyes open and the world swam for a brief instant then focused itself. "Ducky."
Willow nodded. "Just take it easy tonight, no slaying and no fighting with Faith."
Buffy nodded before she realized that it was a bad thing to do so, which resulted in a shooting pain throughout her skull. She grimaced and tried to get up.
"You stay down." Ordered Willow.
"I have to see her Wills." Pleaded Buffy.
Willow got up from the couch. "I'll go get them. You stay here and keep that ice on."
Buffy was about to protest but Willow held her shoulder. "Remember this face?" She said pointing at her own stubborn look.
Buffy conceded. "Yes nurse Willow."
The redhead made her way to through the kitchen's swinging door. Faith two and B were sitting at the breakfast bar, and Faith was pacing back and forth in the main kitchen.
Faith stopped her pacing when she saw Willow arrive. "Has goldilocks finally woke up. Can I leave now?"
Willow closed the door behind her. "Yes and no you cannot."
Faith squared her shoulders and smiled. "You think you're man enough to stop me, Red?"
Willow stood her ground, daring the Slayer with her eyes.
B hopped off of the barstool. "Faith you really don't want to mess with Willow anymore. She's not the harmless maiden that you knew a couple of years ago."
Faith pffted her. "Seemed like she wasn't very useful when I took you... " Faith shook her head, realizing her error, "when I took Buffy on last time. That was not even a couple of years ago."
B edged closer to the brunette, inches away from her face and whispered. "Faith, less than one year ago, Willow took on a God, in combat. Something even Buffy had no chance against, even though she tried time and time again. And she has had even more time to strengthen that skill. "
B's eyes trailed to Willow and back to Faith. "She is the most powerful witch I have ever come across. Take my advice and listen to what she has to say before you piss her off."
Faith looked back and forth between B and Willow. She thought she saw something dim in the redhead's eyes. An almost blackness, before they returned to normal.
She sighed, not conceding and not pushing it any further. "Fine I'll talk to 'miss high and mighty' before I hit the road."
She pushed past B and gave Willow discretionary space walking out of the kitchen.
Once the door closed again, Willow stepped closer to B and Faith Two. "You know I gave up magic, right?"
B smiled. "She doesn't have to know that."
Faith entered the room cautiously. She saw the icepack and knew she was safe to move further in without the fear of revenge... at least for now.
"Hey." Faith commented, taking a seat in the armchair across from the couch.
Buffy attempted a smile. "I guess I deserved that."
Faith smirked. "Try telling that to your cheerleading squad in there." She motioned to the kitchen.
Buffy smirked.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to lay that on you, so soon..."
Faith cut her off. "Hey B, it's not like I didn't know already."
Buffy's eyes opened as far as she dared.
"Don't get me wrong. If you would have said something back before... that might have made a difference."
"What do you mean, might?"
Faith leaned back in her chair. "We had something back then, B. We were the chosen two, me and you. But in case you haven't noticed, I've been in prison for the last two years. I'm the bad seed, the evil one. We can't let little miss priss get her hands dirty."
"Faith, none of that..."
The brunette hit the floor on both feet. "Don't you dare say that none of that matters." Faith balled up her fists and paced the floor in five feet strips like she had been doing it for a long time.
"Do you know what it's like to be put in a cage with all of the other dirt of the state and be told what to do, when to eat, what to wear, who to fuck."
With the last phrase she looked right at Buffy to see the Slayer's eyes and their shocked expression.
"That's right goldilocks. Who to fuck. It's not like the movies, where you and a bunch of other falsely accused inmates get together and show the governor that the warden is pimping out his girls night after night to fuck his buddies."
She let it sink in.
"And what could I do about it? Write my congressman? Maybe tell my visitors? Oh, that's right, B, I didn't have any fucking visitors. Angel came one time...fucking one time!"
Buffy closed her eyes, not wanting to see the pain on her sister Slayer's face.
"Don't close your eyes. You are going to look at me!" Faith yelled.
Buffy snapped them back open, taking her punishment as she knew that she deserved everything that was being thrown at her.
"So I fucked them, and the warden got rich off of my tight ass, and he got his political connections, and I got pregnant."
Buffy gasped. "Oh my god, Faith."
"I don't want your pity. All I want is for you to leave me alone. I just want to leave this fucking town so I can get my life back in order. Nobody cared about me for my entire life, B, and now you say out of the blue that you love me?"
The brunette started taking her belt off. "If it just a piece of ass you are looking for then here it is. If it will get you and your damn Scoobies out of my life then fuck me and get it over with, but don't tell me that you love me."
Buffy sat horrified at what Faith had been through and what she was currently doing. She tried to take to her feet, but a wave of dizziness overtook her. Faith caught her before she hit the ground.
"Buffy?"
The silent blonde didn't reply.
"B...Buffy? WILLOW!"
The door to the kitchen flew open and slammed into the wall, sending a slight vibration through the house.
Willow moved as quickly as she could, followed by B and Faith Two.
"What did you do?" Willow snapped.
Faith didn't even take the time to respond, to throw a hateful remark back at the redhead. "She tried to get up. She just fell."
Willow kneeled by Buffy. "Put her down Faith. B call 911. She's got to go to the hospital."
Faith lowered Buffy ever so softly onto the carpet and pulled her hands away. When she did, her hand was covered with blood. She gasped and moved, stumbling back on her ass.
"Her...she's..." Her stomach heaved, but she was able to control the reflex.
Faith Two grabbed a hold of her double's shoulders and pulled her back. "Get a grip, Faith. Rule number one: Don't barf on the injured girl."
Faith turned and slapped her hands away. "Get off me, clone girl."
Faith Two took offense. "I'm not a clone I'm..."
Willow snapped again. "Enough! This isn't about you two right now."
Faith Two was properly chided and the other brunette held in her emotions enough to stay quiet, but not happily.
B returned from the kitchen. "Ambulance is on its way. They said three or four minutes."
Willow nodded, making sure she was still applying pressure to the back of Buffy head to slow the blood flow. "I really hate head wounds. There is so much blood."
B and Faith sat around watching Willow's attention to Buffy, while Faith Two stood watch outside, waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
B looked back and forth between Buffy and Faith. She watched the confusion of emotions moving from anger to concern and back to anger again, several times over.
She knew this girl had feelings for her Buffy, but she was just too stubborn to admit it. 'I hope it isn't too late to let her know, Faith.' She thought to herself.
The wail of sirens echoed in the distance. Faith whipped her head around in time to see her counterpart stick her head through the door. "They're coming."
Faith didn't waste anytime scooping Buffy up and into her arms. "Keep that compress on, Red. Let's go."
The two of them moved as one, out the door to meet the ambulance as it screeched to a stop in front of the house. The back door swung open and a man jumped out pulling a gurney with him. The passenger door opened at the same time as a female EMT exited the vehicle holding her hands in a halting motion.
"You need to set her down. You can't move a victim with a head injury."
Faith eyed the EMT. "Move, or I am going to move you."
The EMT blinked and stepped aside, allowing Faith to put Buffy on the waiting gurney. The EMT's started securing Buffy. "What happened."
Faith looked back at the one she snapped at moments ago. "Brick wall, head." Then she grabbed her arm. "Don't let her die, Doc."
"Ma'am, I'm not a doctor, I'm an emergency medical technician. And I can't guarantee anything. The wound looks serious."
Faith squeezed harder.
The EMT squeaked out. "Ma'am you're hurting me!"
Faith ignored her comment and pulled her closer. "Let's see if I can make this any clearer. She dies, you die."
Buffy grabbed onto the brunette's arm. "Faith, let them do their job."
Faith let go of girl's arm but still kept eye contact.
"She's ready, Jen. Let's go."
The EMTs got back in the Ambulance and hit the sirens as they drove off to Sunnydale Memorial Hospital.
Three hours passed since Buffy Summers entered surgery. Faith, Faith and B sat in the waiting room just outside of the operating room, waiting in silence.
Willow had long ago called Xander, and Tara, who were currently at the vending machines trying to procure some comfort food for the gang. Dawn was only just reached at a friend's house and she said her friend's mom would drop her off.
Faith paced back and forth for the thousandth time that evening, and finally came to a stop in front of Willow. "Can't you do anything...yanno, some mojo or somethin'?"
Willow bit her thumbnail. "Magic doesn't work that way, Faith. The doctors are doing more for her than I can."
Faith turned and walked off down the hall muttering. "I hate hospitals."
Willow nodded, "You and me, both."
Faith sat in front, on the hospital steps, alone. Thoughts flew through her head about the times before the death of Alan Finch, specifically the day of his death.
So much has changed since then.
"Hey."
Faith turned around and there stood her double.
"Come to abuse me some more, clone girl?"
Faith Two grimaced. "I'm not a... I'm not gonna fall for the act."
Faith smiled. "And here I was thinking that I was goin' to Hollywood on the next bus. Damn."
The standing girl walked down a couple of steps and sat down. "They may fall for it, but I know it's just an act." She paused. "I used to be you, Faith."
She eyed the leathers Faith was wearing. "Well, not totally like you, but I was on my way."
Faith sighed. "Is this the part where we have a heart to heart and become closer than sisters? 'Cause if it is..."
Faith Two stopped her. "Could you for once, drop the tough girl routine?"
Faith set her jaw. "Fine. Say what you got to say."
"When I was in eighth grade, my parents died in a plane crash. As a result I started getting pushed around from home to home. Needless to say I didn't like it." She paused and pulled a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"I started hanging out with the not-so-bright crowd. Oh, we didn't get into too much trouble. Mainly pushing around little kids, swiping stuff from the local Stop-n-Rob, yanno."
Faith nodded.
"But Buffy, my Buffy, she got her parents to take me in until a proper family could house me. Which is about the only thing they did, since I spent almost every waking moment with her... until she got sick."
Faith interrupted. "You mean you guys aren't Slayers over there."
Faith Two shook her head. "Magic doesn't exist over there, or at least I thought it didn't until the other night."
Faith grinned. "Well you are in for a treat, clonie. In this universe you're a superhero."
"I just want to be Buffy's girlfriend, I don't want to be a superhero."
Faith looked confused. "I thought B wanted me?"
"Not your Buffy, my Buffy." Faith Two corrected.
"Well, wait till you slay your first vamp. It's a rush."
"Let her help you, Faith. She loves you. She has loved you since she first saw you, but you won't let her tell you that."
Faith's face fell. "I can't. I gotta leave town tonight."
"Why?"
"I got pregnant in jail. It was the reason I got released so early. The warden didn't want to get busted, so he put a good word in for me with the parole board." She looked down at her feet. "I have an appointment in Sacramento tomorrow to get rid of it."
She continued. "I already missed my bus, and if I don’t make the next one, I'm screwed."
"Why?"
"The next day is the end of the first trimester, and they won't let you get one past that."
Faith Two let the subject go. "Anyway, I just wanted you to know that if you needed to talk..."
"Are you the girls that came in with Buffy Summers?" The doctor asked.
He had come out at almost the same moment Faith and Faith came back in.
Willow stepped up. "I'm Willow Rosenberg."
The doctor looked her over. "Are you family?"
Willow grimaced and turned around. "That's B...uh Beatrice, Buffy's twin sister."
B was right behind her. "We're twins."
Willow got a little jumpy. "Not B and me...uh B and Buffy."
The doctor smiled. "I think the resemblance says it all."
Faith stepped up. "Is she going to be okay, Doc?"
The doctor nodded. "She'll be fine. There was a bit of swelling in her brain but that is subsiding. That girl is a fast healer. Something like that usually a couple of days to ease up. And her blood has an amazing coagulant property that I would like to study at depth in the..." He saw the rest of the gang looking at him like a mad scientist.
"It's purely for the medical aspect. If we could harness the properties that help her stop her blood flow so easily we could save thousands of lives."
"It's not her blood, Doc. She's just special that way." Faith shortly explained. "Now when can we see her?"
The doctor, shook his head. "Not tonight. She is in recovery until the morning. You can see her then."
Willow laid her hand on Faith's arm. "Come on we might as well get a good night's sleep. We can come back in the morning."
Faith shook her off. "Where's she at, doc?"
"Ma'am I'm afraid you can't see her until...URP!"
"Faith, let him down!" Willow almost screamed, but not wanting to for fear of drawing attention of onlookers.
B, Faith Two and Willow all tried to pull Faith off of the doctor, to no avail.
"Where is she, Doc?" She repeated.
The doctor's face turned a dark shade of red rather quickly. Faith held him mere inches off the ground, by the neck. It had the desired effect of scaring the daylights out of the physician.
"URP!"
Willow tried hanging on Faith's arm. "He can't answer you if you kill him!"
Faith looked down at Willow and released the doctor.
"Fourth..." he croaked, "fourth floor, recovery."
Faith turned and headed to the elevators down the hall.
Faith paused before she opened the door to Buffy's room. Her hand hovered over the handle, wavered a bit and then rested on the door itself.
"What the hell are you doing, Faith." She whispered to herself. "This is the chick that stuck you like a pig, not too long ago."
Her hand slid slowly down, inches away from the chrome covered handle.
"This is also the chick that says she loves you." She continued.
Strong emotions crept across the brunette's face. "Screw it."
She pushed gently on the handle, and the door noiselessly swung back on its well oiled hinges. She noticed immediately that it was not a private room. The presence of two beds told her that. However, the first was empty. The second was concealed behind a thin white curtain draped around the bed, hiding the view from casual passers-by.
Faith closed the door behind her as silently as it opened and eased her way slowly across the dimly lit room. When she reached the curtain she found a opening of which she peeked around.
What she saw didn't surprise her much. She was aware that Buffy was in surgery. This meant that they had to work on her head, which also meant that in order to do this they had to shave a portion of her scalp.
Faith briefly mourned the loss of her golden tresses. With all of her blonde jokes aside, it was one of her most endearing traits. Everything else was surprisingly normal. No tubes going in and out of her. Just an IV tube hooked up to some clear liquid. She guessed it was a saline drip. She had seen enough episodes of E.R. in the clink to arrive at this deduction.
The other thing was the white gauze wrapped around her head, supporting a very large chunk of it poised in the back, covering the wound.
Faith watched the slight rise and fall of Buffy's even breathing and sighed softly. She was still alive. The doctor wasn't lying. A quick scan of the rest of the room revealed a gray cushioned chair that Faith slid next to Buffy's bed.
She picked the side that the IV wasn't attached to on purpose. She wanted to hold Buffy's hand.
"Hey, B." She said quietly, not wanting to wake her.
"Guess I screwed the pooch again, huh."
She squeezed Buffy's hand slightly in reassurance. "I just wanted to check on you...yanno...make sure you were okay before I took off."
Faith's head tilted downward. "Not that this means anything at all. Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not gonna go all mushy or anything stupid like that."
She rose out of her chair and leaned into kiss Buffy's head. "Get better, B. The world needs a Slayer that cares... I need..."
Faith considered her words and let them drop. She gently set Buffy's hand down and closed the curtain on her way out.
The loud speaker crackled. "Bus 475 to Sacramento is now boarding. Please have your tickets ready before boarding the bus. Thank you for riding Greyhound and leaving the driving to us."
Faith gripped her duffel and headed to the loading dock.
"She left?" B said in amazement.
Faith Two nodded. "She had too."
B was edging into a temporous mood. "I can't believe she left."
"Buffy, she had a reason. We may not agree with it, but she had a reason."
Buffy turned on her heal and headed to the exit doors.
Faith yelled after her. "Buffy where are you going?"
Buffy didn't even look back. "On patrol... I need to stake something."
Willow held a comforting hand on Faith's shoulder. "Let her go. She needs to work on a few things."
Faith turned and nodded to the redhead.
The back of Buffy's neck itched. That was usually an early warning sign that there was a vampire nearby; the feeling of being watched by the unseen.
"Come out already. I don't have all night." She offered to the darkness.
Before she knew what was happening, she was on the ground, being tackled by an aggressive vampire. However when she hit the ground, something was a bit different... it hurt.
She tossed the pain aside in her mind and rolled right, trying to get her staking hand free. The vampire laughed at his prey's attempt to wiggle free. Buffy just got more and more angry.
"Get off me, you stink!"
The vampire tried to act hurt. "Damn that Secret deodorant. It really was made for a woman!"
Buffy kicked up and rolled, which dislodged the vampire who didn't really care. He was laughing too hard at his lame excuse for a joke.
"Secret...get it... strong enough for a man...ha ha hah."
Buffy reached into her waistband and produced a makeshift stake that she had found earlier. She moved in for the kill when the vampire noticed her weapon and bounded up to intercept her.
He grabbed her wrist in mid swing and stopped the inevitable staking. "Uh uh Uhh, wouldn't want you to get a splinter, sweet cheeks. I'll just take that." And he did.
Buffy was dumbfounded. "Oh no."
She finally figured out why the initial fall hurt so much. She wasn't the Slayer!
The full moon had reached its apex for the night, and slivers of moonbeams found their way into Buffy's room at the hospital. The Slayer's eyelids flickered briefly before they snapped open.
"B!"
Faith Two had been pacing the floor relentlessly since her lover had left. Something was digging in the back of her mind. A relentless nagging that hadn't let up since her double's encounter with the doctor and their inability to drag her off of his neck.
Willow tried to ease the girl's mind to no avail, so she did the only thing she knew to do in order to snap her out of it. She grabbed her arm.
"Faith!"
The brunette was shocked out of her self-deliberations and pulled her arm out of the redhead's grasp...except she couldn't.
"Let go already!"
As soon as the words left her mouth she realized what was wrong earlier and what was seriously wrong right now. Her eyes widened.
"Buffy!"
Buffy did the only thing she knew to do to get the vampire to release her. She tried to scare him.
"Do you know who I am?"
The vampire stopped his razor sharp teeth inches from her neck. Curiosity got the best of him.
He blinked a couple of times and drew back. "Okay, I'll bite. Who are you?" Then he laughed again. "Get it... I'll bite! Ha ha ha hah."
"I'm the Slayer."
The revelation halted the vampire's laugh. He stopped and stared long and hard at his prey.
"The Slayer... ha ha ha ha ha...the Slayer. Eeek, help. The Slayer is gonna stake me...ha ha ha hah." He mocked. "If you are the Slayer then why am I not so much dust?"
Buffy gulped. "I'm feeling a bit lenient tonight?"
She knew it wasn't going to work by the look in its eyes. That is until they widened again. Except this time it was a look of distress.
"Aw man," were his last words before he exploded into so much dust.
Buffy looked down and back up at the leather clad brunette standing in front of her.
Faith waved her hand in front of her face, thinning out the dust floating in the air. "I guess he should have listened to you, B."
"Faith! You came back!" Buffy shrieked as she embraced Faith.
Her excitement went beyond the norm when she also planted a big kiss on her savior's lips.
Faith stood, struck dumb by the blonde's unexpected actions. Buffy finally let her go and grabbed her hand, pulling Faith in the direction of the hospital.
"Come on. Everyone is gonna be trippin' when they see you haven't left."
Faith followed, still holding on to Buffy's hand. "Them and me both."
Author's Notes: Oh, you are really gonna hate me after this chapter.
Buffy had managed to pull the IV out of her arm and the sensor pads off of her chest, however in her attempt to find her clothes she had fallen. The Slayer was not in top form or anywhere in top form's neighborhood.
She caught her breath and managed to find a plastic bag that accompanied her to the recovery room. She silently thanked whatever god happened to be listening that there was a nurse that had thought to leave her clothes.
It took her almost fifteen minutes to slide on her jeans and her button-up top.
"Come on Buffy. You have to get moving."
She slid her feet into her Doc Martin sandals and slowly moved to the door, fighting the waves of dizziness that inevitably followed.
Faith stayed quiet for most of the way back. She had made a very large decision in not getting on the bus to Sacramento to have the abortion. A decision that might one day come back to bite her on the ass, if she wasn't careful.
Once they had arrived at the hospital they made their way back to the waiting room to see if anyone was still there. Willow had remained, as well as Dawn and Tara. However there was no sign of Faith Two.
"Where's Faith?" B opened.
Willow turned to see her new friend arrive with the woman that caused all of this mess.
"She went out to find you." Willow answered.
"Where are you goin'" Faith asked B.
"I have to go find her, Faith. She doesn't know how to defend herself in this town!"
Faith growled. "I'll go. You don't know how to fight either."
The brunette checked to make sure she had her stake handy and made tracks back out of the hospital.
"What does she mean you don't know how to fight?" Tara asked.
B caught everyone's eye. "I'm not a slayer in this world."
"Now where would she go?" Faith Two said out loud to nobody in particular. She knew this was a bad idea; she was in a mythical town with no knowledge of the area, but her lover was out here thinking she was Supergirl or something. She had to do something.
Buffy slid into the back seat of the cab. The driver looked into the mirror. "Gheez lady, you don't look so good."
Buffy grimaced. "Restfield Cemetery, hurry."
The cabbie shrugged and flipped the meter. It wasn't his job to tell her to go back into the hospital.
Faith ran full out to the Restfield Cemetery. It was the closest to the hospital. She was taking a chance that clonie knew where she was going.
"Oh, Faith I love you." She said to herself sarcastically. "Oh, Faith stay and be hump buddies with Buffy." She puffed as she crossed the street, narrowly missing the front bumper of an oncoming car.
"Oh, Faith, keep your little fuck baby." She said as she leaped over a row of hedges. "Oh, Faith go save your clone."
Faith Two sigh in exasperation. "Where the hell am I?"
She rounded a corner and spotted an iron gate across the street. "Finally." The sign above the gate read, Restfield Cemetery.
The gate itself was broken and easily opened. Faith Two scanned the area and started to enter. That was until a cab came screeching up behind her and slid to a stop.
She heard the cabbie say. "Fast enough for ya?"
The back door opened and Buffy lumbered out slowly.
Faith Two ran up and helped an obviously staggering Buffy out of the cab.
"What are you doing here? You just had brain surgery." She scolded Buffy. "Come to think of it, how are you even awake?"
Buffy's eyes took a second to focus. "Faith?"
Faith Two shook her head. "I'm the other one, Buffy. We need to get you back to the hospital."
Buffy shook her off with amazing strength, considering her condition. "If we don't find B, she's gonna die out here."
Faith Two froze. "Dammit. How do you know."
Buffy staggered toward the cemetery. "I had a vision of a vampire attacking her."
Faith Two stopped in her tracks. "A vision?"
"Two more blocks. Miss clonie better be there." Faith puffed.
Buffy and Faith Two entered the cemetery and scanned the area. It was quiet, but that is always the case in Sunnydale, dead quiet or bloody screams.
Buffy patted her waist band. "You don't have a stake on you, do you?"
Faith Two shook her head no.
"Great."
They ventured further into the darkness, under a canopy of trees. Buffy knew where the vamps liked to hide. She kept Faith Two behind her for protection. She just couldn't decide if the protection was for her or Faith.
"I can't see anything. Are you sure we are going in the right direction?"
Buffy held a hand up to shush Faith Two. "Be quiet. Vampire's have excellent hearing."
"Yes, we do." The first vampire commented.
"One more block." Faith huffed. "I'm pregnant. Can't the powers that be fine someone else to stalk the freakin' night for a while?"
Faith Two screamed at the monstrous faces that were inches in front of her.
"Hey boys, we got a screamer!"
The rest woohooed.
Buffy took a quick inventory. Four vamps, one civilian who is freaking out right now and one really messed up Slayer. When Buffy saw the fifth and last vamp step out from a large oak she recognized him. It was the vamp from her vision.
It wasn't B that was gong to die, it was her.
She backed up and ran into Faith Two. "Faith ... RUN!"
You didn't have to tell her twice. Faith Two grabbed Buffy's hand and pulled her along. She knew they were dead, but she had to try.
The scream resounded across the cemetery. Faith heard it. It was her own voice. She hadn't heard herself scream like that since that night about four years ago when Kakistos was standing in her doorway, waiting to kill her. It was frightening.
The two girls didn't get five steps when they were tackled to the ground. Buffy tried to push Faith Two forward, but the girl wouldn't let go of her hand. Instead Buffy wound up tasting dirt.
The vampire that held Buffy, turned her over for easier access to her jugular. He started to move in for the kill when he stopped abruptly.
"Hey guys, look what I caught ... The Slayer!"
The remaining three backed away quickly, as if Buffy were going to dust them all.
One of them called out. "Get away from her man. Haven't you heard the rumors. You can't kill this one. She keeps coming back!"
The three vampires turned, and ran, leaving the one on top of Buffy and the one she had seen in her vision. Faith Two was on her feet again and trying desperately to find a weapon of some sort.
Buffy looked into the feral eyes of the vampire sitting atop her. "If I were you, I'd take his advice."
The vampire laughed. "You seem to be as weak as a kitten, Slayer. I think I'll stay and have a little snack, if you don't mind."
Those were his last words before he exploded into a dust cloud on top of Buffy. The blonde girl thought she was saved until the last vampire abruptly sat on top of her.
"I don't think I want to share this one, tonight." He smiled. "But just to be sure..." He pulled out a stake and slammed it home, into her chest.
Buffy's eyes widened and her mouth opened in a soundless scream.
The vampire gloated. "I was saving that for Spike, but you'll do."
He bent down to take his bounty from her neck, but Faith Two was a bit too quick for him. She tackled him from the side, screaming and cussing, pulling him off of Buffy's body.
"You BASTARD!"
The vampire struggled briefly with her. She was hyped up on adrenaline, kicking and screaming, scratching and biting.
The vampire laughed. "Well you are a little fireball, aren't you?" He threw her against the nearest tree, slamming her head into the trunk, knocking her out.
"I think I'll keep you." He looked back at Buffy and the lifeblood trailing out of her chest. "But her ... she's lunch."
Faith slowed her running to center in on the screaming. Once she got her bearings she was off again at full gallop. When she cleared a line of trees she saw the aftermath.
Buffy lay on the grass underneath the branches of the biggest oak in Sunnydale. Her arms were stretched out and her eyes were distant. Faith slid to a stop, landing on her knees beside her body.
"B ... Buffy?" She nervously said.
Buffy's eyes moved a little bit, centering on Faith's, and she tried to say something. Faith moved in closer to hear.
"Faith ... heard ... you coming ... got her, Faith ... save her ... love you..."
Faith's head turned. "Buffy..."
She saw the wounds to her neck and the stake plunged into her chest. Buffy Summers was dead this time. There was no getting away from it.
"Buffy, I love you too."
Faith saw the brief movement of Buffy's lips, a smile, before she passed.
Faith muttered under her breath. "Nonononononono."
She pulled Buffy up and embraced her. "Why'd it have to be you, B? Why'd it have to be you?"
Faith returned to the hospital, soaked in blood. It was late enough that -nobody had seen her carrying the dead slayer for several blocks. She entered the emergency entrance and laid Buffy on a empty gurney while she was being surrounded by nurses and orderlies asking what happened.
She ignored them and pushed through the small crowd, slowly making her way back to the waiting room.
The gang was still there with one addition, Xander.
B was the first to see her and the blood soaked clothes. "Oh, my God, Faith!" She didn't even get up for she knew her lover was dead and that was her blood.
Willow woke Tara who had fallen asleep on her shoulder.
The rest of the gang were up from their collective seats.
Faith held up her hand, and addressed Willow.
"Buffy's dead. Vampire's got the other Faith. I need your help, witch."
Willow sat dazed. "But Buffy's upstairs ... she's..."
Faith grabbed Willow by the front of her shirt and pulled the redhead to her feet. "I don't know what she was doing there, but she was there protecting the other Faith and she got a fucking stake in her chest for her troubles. Now are you going to help me or what?"
The group was stunned to silence at the news.
Faith shook Willow. "Wake up! The other girl could still be alive! We have to find her, before..."
The redhead finally let the news sink in. "Yes, of course."
Faith felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned, looking into the eyes of Buffy Summers. It wasn't her Buffy, but it was still a shock all the same.
What Buffy had noticed that nobody else had was the black make-up stains that trailed down Faith's face. "Faith, I'm so sorry." She hugged the brunette. Faith responded with her own arms gripping the blonde tightly.
"I'm gonna find her, B."
Buffy released her grip on Faith's torso and backed away. "Thanks."
Willow grabbed Faith's hand. "I need magic. We have to stop by the Magic Box." Her head turned to find Tara standing next to her with a very worried look on her face. "And Tara, I need you to keep me grounded."
Faith looked at everyone else. "You guys take Dawn back home and we'll call when we find something out."
The three girls left the waiting room hearing only the sobs of Dawn Summers in their wake.
Author's Notes: I had only intended to take it up through this chapter, but it looks like it might never end. And after Chapter 9, I kinda know what Joss felt like at the end of season 5 with all of the mail saying "You bitch/bastard! You killed Buffy!" LOL. Fear not my friends. I always have a happy ending. Well most of the time.
Willow, Faith and Tara entered the Magic Box using an old fashion key. Tara kept watch on Willow carefully. Her job was to keep Willow from going over the edge with the magiks. The redhead's use of a key was a good sign that she was in control. What happened next was up for grabs.
Willow walked to the center of the store, slowly rotating in a 360 degree circle as she moved. Tara heard slight mutterings of an incantation as she watched Willow. She wasn't familiar with the spell, but that wasn't unusual anymore, since Willow's last delving into magic included some of the darkest that Tara was scared to even look at, much less use.
Faith waited; her nerves on end. She had never seen Willow at the height of her power and was a bit nervous being so close to ... something ... something electric in the air.
Willow's forward motion came to a stop, but she continued to rotate and not of her on volition. She floated about six inches above the floor in a slow spin. White sparkles of light escaped her body and counter-circled at a faster rate of speed. Then they exploded away.
Tara and Faith stood awestruck as the little bits of light shot around the store touching various books and artifacts, trinkets and potions. One by one they returned, with blazing speed, to Willow. She shuddered and shook, feeling the impact of each one. Her head threw itself back and a ear shattering scream issued forth from the redhead's mouth, except her hair wasn't red anymore; it was darkening by the second. It was like Willow sucked every bit of Black Magic from the store and into herself.
A strong wind gusted up from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Books flew from their assign perches on various shelves. Glass shattered, first at the cash counter and then at the curio shelves. Faith and Tara covered their eyes and backed away.
Tara knew something was wrong. Willow could not mean to be doing this.
"WILLOW!" Tara tried screaming above the howl of the wind, but it was to no avail.
Faith saw the blonde girl start forward and she grabbed her arm for Tara's own safety. Tara looked back with anger and fear in her face. Faith understood but just the same, she couldn't let her go forward.
Then as quick as it started, it stopped. The wind died down. Willow dropped to the floor, on her feet. Her head moved forward revealing her black on black eyes as well as, her now, black hair, and lips.
"Jesus, Red!" Faith exclaimed.
Electricity cracked all around Willow's body. The power emanating from her, was massive to say the least. Faith and Tara stepped aside and watched as the witch moved to the front door.
"Come on. I don't know how long I can hold this." Willow's voice echoed darkly.
Tara noticed how Willow opened the door again, manually.
"She's still in control!" She commented to Faith. "We have to hurry. Willow's never held this much power before. There is no telling what may happen."
Faith looked back and forth between the two witches, "No shit."
Outside the Magic Box, Willow traced the air with her finger. Arcane symbols in the form of fire appeared and stood in mid air, until the spell was complete. Then a red strand of light replaced the symbols and trailed down the street and around the corner.
Faith took Willow's cue and pointed in the direction of the red light. "That way?"
The witch's head nodded and Faith was off in a blur of speed.
Faith wasted no time cutting across lawns, leaping hedges, jumping over cars parked on the street. Willow and Tara were right behind her floating along as fast as the Slayer.
That thought was running through Faith's mind as well. The Slayer. She was the one and only, now. The fate of the world rests on her shoulders. Countless lives were her responsibility, and she knew she wasn't up to the task.
It was one thing, living in Buffy's shadow all of these years. Being second best was something she had to accept. Now it was all up to her.
Her thought came to an abrupt halt when she noticed something. The light trail was fading. "Red!"
Willow noticed it also and she began tracing figures in the air again. Faith continued on, following the trail until it finally faded beyond her sight.
"Damn!"
The Slayer stopped and looked around at her location. She was in another cemetery, which one, she had no idea. She stood rock still and tried to reach out with her senses; trying in vain to feel any vampires in the vicinity.
Her labored breathing was all she felt. She had moved far enough to have lost sight of Willow and Tara. She was alone. The only thing she could do was carry on and try to find a single person in a town where her captor didn't want her to be found. No problem.
"I'm so screwed."
Willow's eyes showed her fury and frustration.
"Someone is blocking me."
Tara gasped at the revelation. This only meant that there was someone out there with just as much power, if not more, than Willow. This was supposed to be a vampire, not another magic user.
"Can you find Faith?" Tara asked.
Willow concentrated for a moment. "It must be a warding of some kind. Where ever Faith is, she's close to the source. I've lost her."
"Here vampy, vampy, vampy. " Faith called out softly.
It had seemed like hours since Faith said her last words of love to Buffy Summers. In fact it had been almost two hours. In another thirty minutes the sun would be up and any hope of finding clonie would be lost.
Faith circled the cemetery almost five times, checking every nook and cranny with no success. On her sixth and final tour she ran across Willow and Tara. The powerful witch was looking very haggard and tired.
"Any luck?" The Slayer asked hopefully.
Tara saw her and shook her head no.
"She is somewhere close. There is another player, a magic user that is blocking every attack Willow can come up with to break the warding."
Faith's face scrunched up. "What's a warding."
"Think of it as a invisible barrier that repels magic." Tara explained. "We have to get passed it to find them."
Faith considered her next move. "I have been around and around this place with no luck. If we could just narrow it down a little."
Willow looked up at the Slayer. "That's it!"
"What's it?"
Willow mumbled her final incantation of the night, took a deep breath and blew it out. The issued breath was much more than she took in. So much so that it seemed to cover about fifty yards in every direction in front of her. Once she finished exhaling, she collapsed.
Tara grabbed her before she could complete the fall. Willow was taking in shallow breaths.
"Is she gonna be okay?"
Tara looked back up at Faith. "She exhausted, but she'll be fine."
Then Tara looked up at the results of Willow's work. "Of course, how could we have been so stupid."
Faith followed her eyes to the dome like covering that seemed to be extended over the cemetery in about a fifty yard diameter.
"What the hell is that?"
Tara smiled. "It's the warding. Willow figured out that we couldn't penetrate the ward itself, so she did the next best thing. She painted it with her breath."
Faith wasn't getting the big picture. "And..."
"Don't you see? The spell caster is at the middle of that ward. It surrounds him like a mystical globe. Find the center and you find the user."
Faith looked back up at the dome and judged the center, then she sprang into action, leaving the two girls behind. It only took a few seconds to find the sewer entrance once she knew where to look. Leaves and dead branches covered the lid.
Faith popped the lid off and dropped down into the manhole.
...to be continued...