Title: Awkward Conversation

Rating: PG13

Pairing: Faith/Buffybot

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and I make no money from this.

Summary: Slightly AU Season 5. Faith's fresh out of prison and stumbles across Buffybot.

Sunnydale felt different. Everything felt different even though nothing looked to have changed from what Faith could remember. She wasn't sure why she felt the way she did but the feeling was there nonetheless.

Maybe it was because she'd only been out of prison two days. Some self-proclaimed do-gooder had found a mistake in her case and she was let go on a technicality. She almost told the prosecutor, her idiot lawyer, the cops, all of them, to keep her locked up. Faith didn't think she'd served nearly enough time but Angel had convinced her not to speak up. For some reason, he had more confidence in her than she did.

His plan was for her to stay in LA and work with him and she initially agreed. There were plenty of people to help there and Angel would help her fully reform but by the time they reached the hotel she knew it wasn't the right decision. It was the safe one and not what she needed.

After a heated debate with Angel he agreed with what she'd come to decide: the best place for a slayer was Sunnydale. There were so many things she needed to make up for, people she needed to make amends with, and she belonged on the hellmouth. No matter what Buffy or the rest of them thought the only place she'd ever truly belong was Sunnydale.

Angel gave her cash and some clothes and one boring bus ride later she was . . . home? Faith didn't know if she could describe it like that and she realized maybe that was why it felt different. She'd never tried to think of Sunnydale as home before.

There was no crappy motel this time around. Faith had gotten a tiny apartment earlier in the day, once again thanks to Angel, and then went straight to the town's many cemeteries. A few months in prison had made her more than ready to slay something.

She'd staked a few vamps in the first cemetery she walked through and started to think about Buffy as she walked through the second. Apologizing was something she knew she needed to do and hoped if she did run across her tonight that she'd be alone. Faith didn't know how to handle the whole gang at first try.

"Faith!"

Faith froze and turned to see . . . Buffy off in the distance. She was kind of far away and it made her wonder how she knew it was her. Unless, of course, she yelled Faith to every brunette in tight clothes she saw off in the distance but she knew that was unlikely.

After a moment of thinking of running, Faith only turned and waited for Buffy to walk up to her. She almost had to raise an eyebrow at the fact that Buffy looked almost happy to see her. She couldn't think of many times she was ever happy to see her.

"Uh, hey, B," Faith said, not liking how nervous she was with Buffy near her. "Guess you're wondering why I'm here, huh?"

"You're a slayer like me. You're here to slay vampires." Buffy smiled wide, making Faith more uneasy at seeing her.

"Yeah . . . I've gotten a few tonight," Faith said slowly. "Aren't you wondering why I'm not in prison?"

Buffy tilted her head to the side, like she was thinking over the question but didn't answer it. "Now that you're here to slay vampires that means I should go back to Spike."

Faith's eyebrows nearly shot off her head. "You're hanging out with Spike? Why the hell are you hanging out with Spike?"

"He's smart and sexy," Buffy said, again with a smile.

"Did you hit your head or something, B?" Faith asked, wondering if she stumbled in on some alternate universe where things were very, very wrong. "Are you under some sort of spell?"

"Oh, no, I like Spike. He's lotsa fun. We play these games . . ."

"Stop right there," Faith held a hand up, "I'm gonna be sick if you keep going where I think you are."

"He thinks it hot when I say I'm in love with you."

If Faith wasn't confused and shocked before at the conversation she was in, she definitely was now. "He what?"

"It's one of my most used programs. That and the one where we fight and I pretend to try to stake him and then we . . ."

"Stop!" Faith said quickly. "Never, ever describe any of that to me unless you want me to projectile vomit everywhere." She stopped and thought about the part of what Buffy said that didn't make her ill. "What the hell do you mean by program?"

Buffy smiled again and Faith realized she really hadn't stopped smiling the entire time they were talking. Something was definitely not right but Faith couldn't quite put a finger on what that was. All she knew was something was very wrong with Buffy.

Faith moved closer to Buffy and leaned in, trying to see if there was anything physically wrong with her. "Is that really you, B?"

Buffy nodded and Faith was slightly wigged at the fact she never really stopped smiling. She couldn't remember her ever being that happy. "Spike says I look just like her."

There was nothing right with that response and Faith knew it. She reached out and touched Buffy's arm, finding her colder than she should be. Her mind quickly went through the options of what could be going on.

She knew she wasn't standing in front of a vampire version of her fellow slayer. Faith wasn't getting that tingle she got was a vamp was near. Buffy probably wouldn't be as cold as she was if it was a spell either, or at least she didn't think she wouldn't. There wasn't a whole lot she knew about spells and curses and whatnot so she didn't know what to expect.

Then Faith remembered a story Willow and Xander had told her when she first arrived in Sunnydale. Buffy's mom had dated a robot at one point and Faith was willing to bet he acted a little off at times, just like this version of Buffy was doing right now.

"Uh, B, maybe you shouldn't go back to Spike right now."

"Oh, are we going to play a game?" Buffy asked excitedly. "I can use one of the programs Spike likes."

Faith considered what was happening for a moment. The opportunity in front of her right now was so tempting. She was just out of prison and she'd already slayed a little. She was definitely worked up enough to have a little fun.

There was also the secret attraction to Buffy. Ever since she'd met her, Faith had always wondered what it would be like to really have Buffy, to see her naked, to touch her everywhere. Sure, when they'd switched bodies she had gotten to see Buffy's body in all her naked glory and had some fun with it but this would be at an entirely different and much better angle. It would be what she always wanted.

Of course, then her common sense kicked in. She needed to start in Sunnydale on a good note this time or no one would ever believe she was trying to redeem herself. No, if she did anything stupid now they would think she hadn't changed at all and Buffy would never even consider forgiving her. It was a stretch she would ever do that anyway but Faith wanted the chance. Screwing a robot that was Buffy's double, something Buffy obviously didn't know existed, would kill that chance.

Faith sighed and took the robot's hand. "Come on, we should get outta here."

"Are we going to have some fun?"

"No, we're gonna go see your double and find out what she wants to do."

The Buffybot only nodded happily and followed Faith out of the cemetery. Faith was grateful for the silence because she knew if she kept hearing her voice she might break down and accept her offer. Now she could figure out what to tell Buffy once they arrived at her house.

The End