Decisions
by Jacks
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: These characters are not mine, they belong to Joss, Mutant
Enemy, Fox, and the WB. No copyright infringement is intended.
Spoilers: BtVS "This Year's Girl" and the rest is made up by me.
Faith opened her eyes. Where was she? In a hospital? She slowly sat up and looked around the empty room. She didn't even know what day it was. The last thing she could remember was the look on B's face as she fell from the building; and that certainly wasn't an image that she liked to think about. Well, she sure as hell wasn't going to stay here. She pulled back the covers and started to get up. She felt a twinge of pain in her left arm, and saw an I.V there. She ripped it out and walked out of the room. She was walking down the hall, when she realized she couldn't go out in this hospital gown. She ducked into a storage closet. There were shelves full of scrubs and medical equipment. She put on a pair of scrubs. "These will have to do, for now," she thought. They certainly weren't anything close to her usual attire. Now, she walked out of the hospital, unnoticed.
Where could she go? She set off for the last place she'd called "home," the apartment the Mayor had given her. She passed a newspaper stand. February 25, 2000, the paper read. 8 months? I've been there for 8 months?? What had happened?? Did the mayor rise? Did B and the Scoobs actually defeat him?? She had to know. She started to run towards the apartment. She walked into the main door, and got on the elevator. She rode it anxiously to her floor and got off. "It's gotta be here," she said to herself. She reached under the rug and found the key, triumphantly she slid into the lock and opened the door. She stepped inside and looked around.
It was empty, except for a few of her belongings lying around. She realized no one had been there since. . . . since the fight. Oh god, that was the last thing she wanted to think about. She fell onto the bed and started to cry when she realized what she had done. All she wanted was for someone that she loved, to love her. B hadn't, the Mayor had. So what if he was evil and wanted to destroy the world? He made her feel special. He showered her with presents. But, as Faith lay on her bed, she realized, she would give it all up, all of it, for a place in the heart of Buffy Summers. Faith's mind wandered back to that fateful night, the night that changed both their lives. She thought they were becoming closer, forming a bond, that only the Chosen Two could have had. But, it was all ruined when she killed Allan. But, it was an accident. Yet, it destroyed any connection or bond that her and Buffy had formed up until then. She realized that night put her on a path to destruction. She wiped her eyes and looked up. Something caught her eye. It was a brown package, just lying on the dresser. She picked it up, and ripped it open. Inside, was a video and some silver gizmo. She popped the tape into the new, unused VCR, the Mayor had bought for her. She flipped the TV on.
There on the screen, sat the Mayor. He said, "if you are watching this, I must be dead. The doctors tell me you won't wake up, but I know better. You're a fighter. But, without me your days are numbered. There isn't a place for you in the world anymore. There is a present for you, also in the envelope. Just because it's over for my Faith, doesn't mean she can't go out with a bang." Then he continued to explain to her what it could do. When the tape was over, Faith looked at her new possession in her hands with awe. Could she use it?? Who would she use it on?? She knew the answer to that. If you can't be with who you love, BE who you love. Wow, she would have to think about it. It seemed so unreal. Then again, nothing was impossible on the Hellmouth. She put the present back into the bag and slipped it under the mattress. "I think I'll take a walk, see what's goin' on," she thought. She changed into some of her, more suitable clothes, and walked out the door.
About an hour later, Faith found herself standing outside of Giles' place. She crept up to the window and looked inside. There she saw them. The Scooby gang, and some other people she didn't know. She looked and saw her. B. Cuddling up to some beefy guy on the couch. What was this? Where was Angel? B had gutted her to save Angel, and now she wasn't even with him? She kept watching, when she heard the phone ring. She saw Giles give it to Buffy. Buffy's face paled, as she hung up the phone. "Faith has woken up, but now she is missing." That's all Faith had to hear, she moved from her hiding place to run back to her apartment. Her mind raced. She had to get some sleep, she had stuff to do tomorrow.
Meanwhile, back at Giles' house, Buffy was sitting in a state of shock. Her mind drowned out the voices of her friends, discussing their options. Riley was listening, then turned to Buffy and said "Who's Faith?" Buffy snapped out of her condition and uttered "I'll explain later." She stood up. "We'll look tomorrow, but I want to get back and go to bed." Riley walked her back to the dorms. "I want to know, it sounds important," he told her. "She's uh," what word could be used to describe the brunette rogue slayer? An enemy? A friend? Were they ever really "friends"? Buffy knew that somewhere, deep inside of her, that she was more than a friend. That they shared a connection, a feeling no one else could ever understand. But she had been to scared to explore that feeling, and ignored it. She knew she was a big reason in driving her fellow Slayer to the evil side, and to top it off, stabbed her to save someone who she thought was the love of her life. She gazed up at Riley, sighed, and said "Faith is another Slayer. She came here, and …..stuff happened and she went all bad. Listen, I'll explain it tomorrow." She reached up and kissed him. "I promise," she said and opened her door. "Goodnight," she whispered and closed the door. She walked into the room and let herself fall into the bed. It was going to be a long day tommorow. She hoped she could find Faith before she was able to do something bad. She knew it would probably be too selfish to think, maybe, just maybe, things could go to the way they were before Allan. Faith would probably come looking for retaliation. And could she blame her? But, dammit, she hated to admit it, but she missed her wild other half. She had fun slaying with her. Things had gotten all out of control. She just wished she could have recognized it sooner. Buffy then closed her eyes, and prayed for a sleep with no guilty dreams. And so the slayers fell into slumber, each on a different side of town, thinking of each other.
Faith was dreaming. Her and B were slaying again, like in the old days. And out of nowhere this demon appeared, he grabbed B by the throat and raised her up. She was gasping for air and managed to gasp out on two words, "Help, Faith." But Faith could not move. She was frozen to the ground. In fact, her entire body could not move. She was helpless. All she could do was scream out "No, B!!" as the demon slashed Buffy's throat with it's long fingernails. He let her drop to the ground and disappeared. All of the sudden, Faith could move, and she raced over to B's lifeless body. She knelt down next to her and cried "I'm sorry, B, I'm so sorry." Buffy's eyes fluttered open and she muttered out " 'You. . .have. . 'nother chance to….," and then her heart stopped beating. Faith woke up in a cold sweat. As she got dressed, she set out to find B. She knew that her dream had significance. All of her Slayer dreams did. Did she really have another chance? If so, Faith was sure not going to risk it. She headed for the U of Sunnydale.
The next morning Buffy found Willow at school. Willow anxious to see her asked, "Have you heard anything about Faith yet?" "Not yet," Buffy replied. "If I were her I would get out of town," Buffy said, knowing it was what Willow wanted to hear. She knew if she told Willow that maybe they should try to help Faith, the Scoobs would probably try to commit her.
Faith found Buffy and, ugh, Willow standing near some sort of posting board. She knew Willow was jealous of her, thinking she was gonna steal her best friend away from her. She walked up behind them. What was she going to say? Buffy was talking and Faith overheard her say "If I were her I would get out of town." So much for second chances, Faith thought.
"You're not me," Buffy heard a voice behind her say roughly. Taking a deep breath, she turned around and came face to face with an angry looking, dark-headed Slayer. She looked deep in her eyes. She saw hostility, confusion, and, maybe a flicker of hurt. It was quick, but it was there. "I've been looking for you," she said. "I've been standing still for eight months, B. How hard you look?" Faith asked with a tone of pain in her voice. Buffy looked at her, and as gentle as she could manage, she told her "it doesn't have to be this way." That made Faith think. It was an open window. Did she want to take it? No, she definitely was not ready to trust her again. "I think it has to be exactly this way," she replied, and swung at Buffy. B blocked it and swung back, and missed. Just then a police car came flying around the corner, sirens on. Glancing at it, then back at B, Faith took off, knocking over a few cops on the way.
Buffy watched her run, and without a doubt, sped off after her. She followed her pretty well, but Faith jumped over a wall, and was gone. Buffy slowed to a walk, and stopped. She would let her go for now, but she would look for her later. She was so confused. She wanted to help Faith, but did not want to betray her friends. She walked back to the campus, and with a depressing moan, realizing she was late for class.
Faith ran as fast as she could. She didn't even know where she was going. She realized that she did not have anywhere to go. So, once again, she headed back to the apartment. Once there, she laid down, trying to decide what she was gonna do. She would go out tonight! She had been lying still for 8 months. She would go dancing, like she used to. Faith set out her favorite party outfit, and hopped in the shower. "This should be fun," she thought to herself.
That night, the Buffy and the Scoobs set out to find Faith. Xander and Giles were together, looking downtown. Willow and Tara decided to check cemeteries. "Thanks for coming with. Hunting for a psychopathic super-bitch is definitely in the above-and-beyond category," Willow told her. " It's okay, really. So, what do we do if we find her?" Tara asked. " Run. Flee. Maybe skedaddle," Willow replied. Then, out of nowhere, came this real nasty lookin' vamp. "Well, what do we have here?" he asked. Willow screamed and he threw her down. Her stake flew out of her hands. Then he captured Tara and held onto her. He laughed at her, as she frantically tried to get away. Willow tried to get up from the ground, but the pain in leg kept her from moving. It was very painful. Her ankle had to be sprained at least. She looked up to see the vamp, in game face, teeth inches away from the blonde girl's throat. "No!" Willow cried.
Faith had on her favorite leather pants. This was gonna be fun. She'd find a club, go dancing, get drunk (as much as she could), and find some random guy. All of the usual things she did to avoid her problems. But, this was going to be a Buffy-free night. She strutted down the street. She was passing by one of the local cemeteries. Maybe she should do a run through it, check for vamps. Nah, this town had their Slayer. She would let her take care of it. This was Faith's Fun night. So, even though every sense in her body told her to go, she continued to walk past it. She walked about five feet, when she heard a scream. Shit, she thought, as she grabbed her stake, and turned to run into the dark graveyard. She came to a small clearing, where she saw the back of a vampire. His head was bending down, presumably about to snack on some young girl. Without a second thought, Faith dashed towards him and plunged the stake in.
Willow watched as the vampire's fangs touched Tara's bare neck. She closed her eyes, unable to watch. But she didn't hear a scream of pain. She slowly opened her eyes. But she did definitely not believe what she was seeing. The vampire was gone and there in front of her stood Faith, with a very pale, limp blonde in her arms.
Faith dusted the vamp, and caught the young blonde girl in her arms, as she was falling. The girl looked around, then up slowly, realizing what must have happened. "Thank you," she whispered, almost so quietly, only Faith's Slayer hearing allowed her to hear her. Now what? She looked up from the girl in her arms, and saw a very familiar redhead looking up at her, from the ground, in complete and utter confusion. Oh, fuck! Faith thought, she gently set the girl down on the ground. "W…what's goin' on?" Tara murmured. Faith looked up at Willow once more, then spun around, and hauled off as fast as she could.
Willow gathered herself, and crawled over to Tara. "Are you okay?" she asked gently. Tara looked up at her. "Yeah, I guess. I thought I was going to die. Who was that?" "Well, that was Faith," Willow explained, still not believing what had happened. "The same Faith we are looking for?" Tara asked. "Yeah, I . . don't know. Let's get back to Giles'," said Willow. She stood up, forgetting the injured ankle. She faltered, but Tara steadied her. "Okay?" she asked. Willow looked into her eyes and nodded, she hobbled back to Giles' with one arm around her friend's neck.
Well, so much for her night `o fun! Faith thought as she walked around the streets of Sunnydale. That kinda killed her party mood. She was so torn. It had felt so strange, to have someone be grateful towards her, and tell her. It was a very unusual feeling, but she kinda liked it. So what was she supposed to do? She knew she had hurt B and the others when she worked for the mayor. But, dammit, B had hurt her too. She remembered how mad she had been, when she found out Buffy was hiding Angel from everyone. The Scoobs were mad, too. But, not for the same reason. Faith was mad because, with Angel back, there was no chance for her. This was Buffy's big love, and there was no way for her to compete. And then, the rest of them just pretended nothing had happened. Buffy had started spending more time over at the mansion, and drifting away from Faith. But, for that one night, she thought she was getting through to B, making her look at slaying the way she did. Then, the accident happened, and Faith may have well been a stranger for the way B was treating her. Plus, she had that new, up tight, stuffy English guy there every time she turned around. She just snapped. The next thing she knew she was at City Hall, and helping the mayor. Then B stabs her, to save Angel. She stabbed her! That hurt the most. And not just physically, but emotionally. She couldn't just forgive that, could she? Maybe they were even now. No! She could have never, would not ever hurt Buffy. Did Faith mean that little to her? Faith looked up, and realized she was in front of Buffy's house. She walked up the lawn, quietly. She looked into the window. There she saw Joyce, sitting at the kitchen table, probably doing bills. She remembered back to Christmas, when she sat at that table with Joyce and Buffy. She was excited to be around Buffy, when they weren't on duty, and without Angel or any of her friends. Maybe this is what they needed to get to know one another. Then, Buffy just split, leaving her alone with Joyce and no explanation. She knew if she wanted to get revenge, this would be it. But, there was a little voice in her head saying "Joyce never did anything to hurt you." She also knew if she did this, there was no turning back. Oh, well. She shook her head, and walked up to the door. Her hand reached out to the doorbell, and pressed it.
Joyce heard the doorbell. She got up, and went to the door. Carefully, and slowly, she opened it and looked out. There was no one there.
Buffy decided she would be a one-woman search team. She went to the Bronze, through half of the cemeteries, Willow and Tara were covering the rest, and the old hotel room Faith used to rent. There was only one more place she could think of. But why would she go there. There were bad memories there. At least for Buffy there were. She started to walk to the apartment complex. Her mind floated back to that night. Buffy was so enraged at Faith, she couldn't see straight. They fought and fought, with Buffy stabbing Faith in the end. That is when Buffy realized it had gone too far. She looked at Faith, who had paled, and was stumbling backwards, with her own knife in her stomach. Faith looked down and back up at Buffy. The look on Faith's face was a vision that haunted Buffy's dreams ever since. It was a look of pure hurt, confusion, and most of all surprise. She was surprised Buffy did that. So was Buffy. But, before she could make a move, Faith jumped backward off the building. Buffy ran to the edge of the building, but there was no body on the street. Buffy looked up and realized she had come to that same apartment. She did not want to go up there. She scanned the windows for the one that was Faith's. It was dark, but Buffy could make out a shattered window. She shivered. It wasn't exactly below freezing at night, in California, but it could get cold. No one could stay there and stay warm enough to live there. What she had failed to see, due to the no street lamp factor, was a piece of plastic taped over the window. Buffy turned and headed for Giles', disappointed that she didn't find her brunette counterpart.
Willow sat next to Tara on Giles's couch. She was confused. Earlier in the day, it seemed as though Faith was going to be just as violent and hostile towards them, as she was before. But just now, she saved Tara. . and her. No smart comments, no evil looks, she just did it, and left. She looked around the room. Xander and Anya sat in a chair, together. Giles was standing. They were waiting for Buffy to get back, before they reported their search attempts. Willow looked over at Tara. She was so glad she was safe. Buffy and Xander were her best friends, but, with Tara, it was different. She was also a Wiccan in training. She understood the feeling of magick, what went through you when doing a spell. It was special. She knew Buffy wasn't feeling threatened when she spent so much time with Tara. Then her mind flashed to Faith. Was this how it was for Faith and Buffy? They were both Slayers, there must have been a special connection there. Only Faith could understand what Buffy was going through, really. Willow knew she had become jealous with Faith hanging around Buffy. She thought she would lose her best friend. All Faith wanted to do was just be their friend. She had just moved here, and didn't know anyone. So, Willow probably didn't help the entire situation much. That did not excuse Faith's behavior, but it did explain some of it. Willow was starting to feel bad, she would have to talk to Buffy about it.
She wouldn't have to wait long. There was a knock at the door, then Buffy came in. She threw herself down onto a chair. "No luck," she sighed. She looked up at the rest of the group with questioning eyes, "You guys?" "Well, we found Spike," Xander offered. Giles glared at him. "Sorry, Buffy," Giles apologized. "Listen, guys, when we find her, let's not. . . ," Buffy trailed off, and looked down. Xander picked up on it, "not what, Buff? Turn her into the cops, treat her like a crazed psychopath?" "I just mean. .," Buffy tried to answer. "that maybe we should give her the benefit of the doubt," Willow finished. All five heads in the room turned to look at Willow. Buffy gave Willow silent thanks with her eyes. "Wh . . why. . w. .would we do that," Xander asked, he was obviously flustered. "I would also like to hear your reasoning," Giles stated. Willow nodded at Tara. "Well, we kind of ran into her tonight," she told them as she recreated the night's events with her friends. When she was done, Buffy had an astonished look on her face. Xander, while still a little angry, sat quietly. Anya had a look of indifference on her face. Giles stood next to the couch, waiting for a response from Buffy. But Buffy didn't know what to make of it. She, too, was baffled by the two very different run-ins with Faith. "Maybe we can try to give her another chance," she thought out loud. Xander was not quiet now. Faith had used him for his body. Not that it was bad, but. . Focus! That's right anger. "Why should we just forgive her, like that?!" Buffy didn't have an answer, but, fortunately, she didn't need one. Anya spoke calmly, "you forgave me, didn't you?" Xander looked at her in surprise. "That's different," he said. "No it isn't," Anya replied, "we both did bad things that hurt people." Xander looked at her, and she stared right back at him. Finally, he nodded in understanding. "Look, I know we can't just automatically forgive her, or trust her, but I think everyone deserves a chance to right things," she told them, "including me." Buffy looked over at Giles, who was now sitting on a barstool, with his eyes shut. "Giles?" Buffy questioned. He looked up at her and said "I agree with you." Buffy felt a small wave of relief. "But, the Council may not," he continued, "Chances are they will be notified of her awakening, if not already." Buffy felt the relief leave her body, as she had forgotten about the Council. Just because she had "quit" doesn't mean they had forgotten about Faith. She felt a sense of urgency, and stood up. "Well, then I have to find her tonight," she informed them, "but I think I should go alone." No one argued. She said goodbye and walked out the door. Willow got up and looked at Tara. "I'll be right back," she offered. Tara nodded in patience. Willow ran out the door.
"Buffy," she called. Buffy stopped walking at the sound of her name, and she turned to find Willow coming towards her. "Oh, Willow, thanks for helping me out back there," Buffy expressed. Willow looked at her best friend with sympathy. "She didn't have to kill that vampire," Willow told her, "but she did, and even afterwards, she didn't try anything. She looked different too. Her aura was not filled with so much anger." Buffy looked at Willow with question. "Witch stuff," she answered. Buffy smiled and gave her friend a hug. Willow eagerly returned it. Then Buffy turned to go. "Oh, and one more thing," Willow said. Buffy turned and waited. "This time, don't hold back," she told her. Before Buffy could ask what she was talking about, Willow said "everything, your feelings, your dreams, everything." Buffy looked at her, amazed. Then she smiled gratefully and turned, running off into the night to find Faith.
I couldn't do it. Just couldn't. Did that make me a coward? Or did it mean that maybe I'm not really capable of evil? Probably the first one. She was thinking about her past, her present, her future, her entire pathetic existence, really. And what made a more perfect place to do that, then a greasy 24-hour diner. She sat in the corner, with a cup of old coffee and some fries, half covered in ketchup. Not that she couldn't afford anything more. When she opened up her drawer, to change her clothes, she found another surprise. An envelope, stuffed with cash, from the Mayor. She could probably make that last a while. She looked around the little restaurant. There were two older, bald men sitting at the counter, probably trying to sober up. She, however, hadn't been drinking at all. The idea didn't appeal to her tonight, and that alone surprised her. What was the matter with her? She was rough, tough street Faith. I'm not the one who questions my actions, she thought. I should be half-naked with some guy I met on the street. So why aren't I? I know someone else I'd like to be naked with. No! She had to push that thought away. She knew the chances of that happening were one in a million. Faith sighed to herself. This place is making me even more depressed. She took one last drink of the stale coffee, paid her check, and left.
Buffy ran. She ran as fast as she could. The apartment!! Faith had to be there. She HAD to be! She could feel it, she knew in her bones. Buffy ran into the building. She ran past the elevator, and went straight to the stairs. She took the stairs, two at a time. She reached Faith's floor in a matter of seconds. She stood in front of the door. Buffy's hand shook as she raised it to knock. She waited, no response. She knocked again. Again, no response. Buffy looked around, and saw a floor mat. Nah, that's too easy, she thought. She lifted the mat and there it was, the key. She grabbed it and thrust it in the lock. She turned the knob, and opened the door slowly. She entered the cold, dark room. She saw the window, covered with a thin, plastic seal and wrapped with tons of duct tape. She laughed to herself. Faith was staying here! She wasn't here now, but she had definitely been staying here. Buffy looked at her watch. 12:14 am. Faith had to be on her way home. Buffy sat down on the bed. What was she going to say to her? What could she say? Her eyes began to tear up. She gently laid her head down on the pillow. She took in Faith's scent from the bed. And while it made her most of her body relax, it made her heart swell. She needed to reach within herself to describe what it was exactly that she felt for her fellow slayer. It was stronger than what she felt for Riley, or even Angel. Did she love Riley? She definitely cared for him. She had loved Angel, but that had faded away. Her mind drifted to Faith. Her smile, the way it always came slow, and was lopsided. Her personality, the wisecracks and the passion she had for her "job." Buffy felt a nice, warm feeling inside, deep in her belly. Her smile grew even larger as she recognized the feeling. It was love. She loved Faith. Holy shit!
Faith took the elevator. She watched the numbers change from floor to floor. Deep down, she wanted to start over, to be good. But, she was afraid of their rejection. So she compensated for that with anger. Maybe she should just leave. That's it. She would pack tonight and stay, but tomorrow she would buy a one-way bus ticket outta here. Where should I go? I'll decide when I get there, she thought to herself. The elevator bell rang. The doors opened to her floor. Faith stepped out and walked slowly to her door. She reached under the mat, without looking, searching for the key. No key? She looked down. The key was gone. She knew she should have taken it with her, but there are no pockets on leather pants. She glanced at the door, it was cracked open. Damn! She was not in the mood to fight some lame-ass robber. She grabbed her handy stake, the only makeshift weapon on her, counted to three, and kicked open the door. It was dark, but Faith could make out a figure. It sat up quickly from it's place on the bed. Faith moved into the apartment, and let her eyes adjust. But even before they could, her body instinctively told her who it was. She shut the door behind her. "Why are you here?" she asked the intruder.
Buffy heard a noise outside the door, but before she could react, the door swung open. She sat up as quickly as she could and watched the person come into the apartment. She then reached behind her and shut the door. Buffy could not make out her face, but she knew it was Faith. "Why are you here?" Buffy heard the tired voice ask her. "I came to talk to you," she told her. Faith sighed and stepped forward and the light from a window highlighted her face. Buffy looked at her, really looked at her. She looked into her eyes. She saw fatigue and pain in them. Faith looked back at her. There it was! Buffy saw it, it was a tender look that showed compassion. But just as it appeared, it had gone.
Faith looked at Buffy, looking at her. "Look, B. . Buffy, I'm not really in any condition for one of your lectures, so let's just improvise. I have a solution. I am going to leave Sunnydale, well, California actually. I'm gonna travel the world, yada yada. So you don't have to tell me to stay away, I promise you'll never hear from me," she choked, "ever, again." She bent her head down, so Buffy couldn't see her eyes tear up.
Buffy couldn't believe her ears. Faith was leaving! She couldn't! Not after Buffy realized what she felt for her. And did she say Lectures?! "I don't want you to leave," Buffy told her as she stood up. Faith's head came up and her face registered confusion. Her forehead crinkled and she muttered "huh?" "And, I did not come here to lecture you!" Buffy said. "Geez, I am not Giles," Buffy whispered softly. The thought of the G-man, made Faith grin. "Then why. . ?" "I came to apologize," Buffy answered. Well, now Faith looked at her like she was crazy. "Ok, B, what have you been smoking, and can I get some?" Faith asked as she moved past her to sit on the bed. "I do not do drugs," Buffy said, with a smile. "Seriously, listen to me. I have had a lot of time to think about what happened between us, and realized there is a lot that I need to apologize for. And you are going to sit there and listen to every word I say," she informed her. Faith looked at her and shrugged. Buffy sat down next to her on the bed. "Okay, I guess to start with, I could have had a better welcoming party for you. I felt threatened by you. You were this wild force, you had passion in your fight, and you had slayed nude. You got along with my friends, my Watcher, and my mom. And I probably reacted badly; driving you away. And I know sometimes I didn't let you know what was going on, or didn't include you. And then we were getting along and I was having fun with you. You showed me a different side to slaying. But then . . .," she trailed off, "the whole Allan thing happened." Buffy noticed Faith cringe at the sound of his name. She quickly went on. "And I freaked out, and blamed you. When I should have been helping you shoulder half of the blame, I pushed you away. I thought Angel could help you, understand you better somehow, but he couldn't." Faith was listening, she wanted to say, "you were the only one who could have saved me," but she remained silent as a tear slipped from her eye. Buffy knew she was rambling, but Faith needed to hear this. She grabbed Faith by the shoulders and forced her head up, so she could look her in the eye. When she did she saw months of pain and hurt, in the form of tears. "But, what I'm most sorry for, is hurting you. I shouldn't have let it go that far. I . . ," she faltered, letting go of Faith, as she was choking back her own tears, "I am so sorry I did that to you, put you in a coma. And while I was trying to save the person I loved the most, I failed . . . because I just watched as she fell from the rooftop."
Faith looked up at Buffy in astonishment. She must be hearing things. When her eyes met Buffy's, they reassured her she heard correctly. "But, I betrayed you, and hurt your friends," Faith whispered. "If you can give me a second chance, I think we can give you one," Buffy said softly. Faith didn't know what to say, this had all come so fast and unexpected. Buffy had been completely open and honest with her. Inside, Faith's walls were crumbling, as she had made her decision. It was time for Faith to tell Buffy how she felt. She looked down at the ground and said "Buffy, I . . .love you. I have from the moment I saw you, and I always will. I'm so sorry I hurt you, too." She felt the older Slayer engulf her in a hug. Faith had never felt this good. She pulled back and gazed up at Buffy. Buffy smiled in return, and placed her hand on Faith's cheek. Faith leaned into the touch. Faith put her hand over Buffy's and leaned in. Buffy met her halfway, and gently kissed her. Buffy's lips were soft and inviting, and Faith's reassurance grew. They stayed that way for a while, in each other's arms. Then, Buffy put her head on Faith's shoulder and told her "it's too cold and dark in here for you. If you want, you can come stay with me." Faith laughed and said "in the dorms? Think Red will mind?" Buffy giggled. "We'll go to my house, I'm sure my mother won't mind. She asks me to come home all the time." Taking in a deep breath, Faith replied, "okay, this place is kind of lonely anyway." Buffy kissed her again. "What about the Scoobs, I mean the gang, they're probably not thrilled about me, huh?" Faith asked. Buffy looked uncertain, "It'll take a while, for them to be able to trust you, but they've agreed to give you a chance." At this, Faith smiled. "You got some pretty amazing friends, B." "Tell me about it," she replied taking Faith's hand. Soon after, they were walking out the door with Faith's packed bags, and leaving the past behind to start over.
...continued in I'll Stand By You