Authors Note: I'm not good with timelines so for this story just pretend it's somewhere in Season 7 not in any particular episode. Also this is not a femslash story, it is purely friendship so sorry for all you femslash fans out there. Read it anyway.
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon is God and he owns all.
CHAPTER ONE
Buffy Summers strode slowly through the deserted streets of downtown Sunnydale. The streets had long since been emptyed with most of the residents of the Hellmouth fleeing with the threat of The First. Not that they knew exactly what was happening, but most were smart enough to realize that Sunnydale was not a place one wanted to be at the present time, so bags were packed and houses vacated as everyone left. Those that were not smart enough to leave at least realized that staying in after dark was a wise choice.
So Buffy found herself alone with her thoughts as she walked through the town. Ever since The First Evil had shown up Buffy found herself feeling more and more alone, which was sort of ironic she thought to herself considering her house was currently filled to it's maximum capacity with Potential Slayers, sisters, witches, Watchers, a Vampire with a Soul, a carpenter and a former not so evil geek.
Then of course there was Faith. Buffy didn't know how to act around the younger Slayer. Willow had told her what Faith had done for Angel, how she had saved his soul, which was a sure fire reason to believe she had changed because at one point in time she had tried to remove it, but Buffy still found it hard to trust the girl. This, she thought, wasn't hard to believe considering what Faith had put her through in the past.
Sighing as she remembered the trials of her senior year, Buffy kicked with her shoe at the dirt of the road, immediately regretting this as she noticed the scuff in the leather. Sighing again, she decided that a new pair of shoes would definitely be in order if they beat the First Evil.
Her thoughts crept back to Faith, Buffy had this niggling feeling that she couldn't quite place when it came to the other girl. She had been angry at first of course when she learnt of Faith's betrayal, and that anger had eventually dissipated into hurt at what Faith had taken from her. But there was something else, something there and it was eating at the core of her.
"Ugh" Buffy muttered out loud, once again kicking her shoe to the ground creating a cloud of dust. What was this that she was feeling? Sure, Faith and her had been friends before, Buffy had always felt a special connection with the girl. Giles had suspected it had something to do with the both of them being Slayer's, a sense similar to the one she got when she could sense evil around.
The night of the death of the deputy Mayor still caused Buffy to get much more then the wiggins. In fact, some of her scariest nightmares revolved around that night. They always ended the same, with Faith's words of how she didn't care that she had killed a man. An image of the two of them in that dingy motel room flashed suddenly through her mind, and Buffy was left with an image of those dark brown eyes boring into her soul.
There was something about those eyes that drew you in. Through the touch exterior those eyes were the ones that betrayed every emotion of their owner, they were, and Buffy cringed at the corniness of her next thought, the window into Faith's soul.
That's when it had struck her, what she had been feeling all along. That day in the motel room, when she had gone to confront Faith about Finch's murder. Faith's words had stung, made her seem callous and cold, but her eyes had said otherwise. Buffy could remember it all to clearly now, the way that Faith's eyes had almost screamed at her to help her, how they betrayed how much she was drowning and in desperate need of saving.
But Buffy had just left her there, pretended that she hadn't noticed the emotions running through the younger girls eyes. It was easier to pretend they weren't there, to pretend that Faith had felt nothing rather then deal with the emotional baggage that would have come with staying. The more Buffy distanced herself from Faith, the more the murder became less of a problem for her. Instead of staying, she had left, left the younger girl to deal with what she had done on her own, while she herself had run to the safety of her friends and Watcher.
Faith had been scared and she had been all alone, Buffy had left her all alone. She couldn't imagine being in the same place as Faith and not having the love and support of those around her. It was no wonder the younger girl had clung onto the love the Mayor had showered her with. He was probably the first person in a long while to make her feel like she mattered.
Her breath hitching in her throat, Buffy realized that that day had not been the first time she had let the other Slayer down. She knew Faith's character, her belief that asking for help and showing any sort of emotion was a sign of weakness. She knew that part of the reason the younger girl acted so tough was that she was really usually it as a shield, using it to hide what she was feeling. Buffy remembered when she had visited Faith after Gwendolyn Post had shown her true colours. She had seen it in the other girl's eyes then, even when she had protested and said she didn't need help, she had seen it in her eyes, even heard it in her voice a little as she called her name. But once again, Buffy had taken the easy road, she hadn't pushed the girl harder, she had given up too easily, once again leaving Faith to deal on her own.
Guilt. That was what she was feeling. She felt guilty, even after all Faith had put her through. She felt guilty for not trying harder to help her, she almost felt like she had forced Faith to the other side by being to preoccupied with her own life to really see how fast the other girl was falling into the darkness that had eventually swallowed her up.
Lost in her thoughts Buffy failed to see the lone figure sitting in the gutter and walked right into the figure and proceeded to trip and fall to the sidewalk.
"You really should watch where you're going," an unmistakable husky voice slurred out.
"Faith?" Buffy asked turning from her spot on the road to look at the other figure who swayed slightly where they sat.
"Yeahit's me B," Faith drawled.
"Have you been drinking?" Buffy asked coming to sit next to the other girl.
"Nah B, I'm fivebyfive," Faith replied, her words coming out all jumbled together.
Buffy could smell the alcohol on her breath and the smell seemed to be coming out of her pores.
"We're on the verge of an apocalypse and supposed to be leading a group of young girls into war, what sort of example do you think this sets?" Buffy almost growled at her, frustrated that once again she was forced to be the responsible Slayer.
"Dunno, they don't look up to me nyways, s'all you B," Faith said her eyes slipping closed.
"It's as much your responsibility as mine," Buffy said her words causing Faith to reopen her eyes.
Faith shook her head the movement causing her to become a little queasy. Buffy noticed the colour change in the other girls face and quickly slid away from her.
"You're not going to be sick are you?" Buffy said eyes wide.
"Nah, B it's allgoooooood," Faith said drawing out the last word and laughing a little at herself.
"Seriously Faith, the other girls look up to you, they are relying on you to get them ready for this, they need you," she said carefully putting her arm around Faith's waist who had begun to sway again. She didn't know if it was the pep talk she seemed to be giving (again) or the fact that she was almost certain the other girl wouldn't remember it in the morning but she felt herself adding,
"I need you."
Faith sighed, and lowered her head so it rested on Buffy's shoulders. This action caused the other girl to jump; it was so uncharacteristic of the younger Slayer she didn't really know how to react.
"You dunneed me," Faith mumbled into her shoulder, so quietly Buffy thought that without her Slayer hearing she might have missed it.
"You're wrong," Buffy replied and surprisingly found herself running her fingers soothingly through the other Slayer's dark curls, "I do need you, I need you there fighting beside me, I need you just to be Faith.
"Ok, B," Faith sighed from her place on Buffy's shoulder. Buffy felt the other girl start to relax, her body seeming to slump onto her even more.
"Oh, no you don't missy," she said. Missy? Where had that come from?
"You're not going to sleep yet, let's get you home," she said standing up and rousing the nearly slumbering girl.
Reaching down she pulled Faith unsteadily to her feet. Faith swayed and nearly pitched forward. She would have as well if Buffy had not put a strong arm around her waist, pulling Faith's other arm to rest across her own shoulder's. Faith once again dropped her head to Buffy's shoulders, the alcohol in her system making it nearly impossible for her to have control over her limbs. Practically supporting the younger Slayer's body weight the two began the slow walk home.
A/N: Review please. Update soon.