Title: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Author: Phantom's Muse

Rating: T - for some adult language

Genre: Drama

Summary: Set after the episode 'Who Are You' in Season 4. Being in Buffy's body has changed Faith so she decides to come back to Sunnydale and apologize to Riley for what she did. But it seems he nor any other member of the Sunnydale gang is ready to forgive Faith anytime soon. Probably one shot...might continue if the story gets good reviews and the readers would like me to continue.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

by Phantom's Muse

"You…" There was no condemnation in his voice, but curiosity and puzzlement.

"Yes." She spoke calmly yet obviously apprehensive of his reaction to her presence here. However, though in her mind she had slept with him, he was still unaware that before him stood Faith, the blood-thirsty slayer Buffy had so warned him about.

"Who are you?"

His question startled her for she didn't know whether or not he would know her by appearance.

She hesitated before answering him afraid of what his reaction would be should he know that she was the one who had taken over his love's body to seduce and use him for a night of meaningless sex, not to mention all the other damage she had done.

"I'm…Faith." Her response seemed unusually timid for her reputation.

"Faith…" Riley's voice rose in anger as the name escaped his lips.

At the sound of hername with his voice made her wince inside and regret ever coming here at all.

"So…you're the slayer Buffy told me about. You're the one who's caused so much damage…not caring if your actions cause others grief or harm."

Faith's brow furrowed as Riley's words sounded eerily like a conversation she would hold with the blonde slayer.

"Listen, I'm sorry…" Her voice sounded feeble as his voice, strengthened in anger, rose against hers.

"You're sorry? You've come all the way back here to say you're sorry and then what? Did you think that would make everything better?"

She opened her mouth to respond but was cut off once again as he continued.

"You think 'sorry' is going to make up for what you've done to Buffy? You think 'sorry' is going to make up for what you've done to her friends?"

Suddenly, his voice dropped to a slight whisper as though his next words hit him a little more personally.

"You think 'sorry' is going to make up for what you've done to me?"

"No, I…" Faith's voice now sounded panicked and desperate.

"Why would you even come back and bother apologizing? It's not like you care for anyone other than yourself. It doesn't matter who you hurt as long as you get to have a good time."

"That's not true!" Now, Faith's voice rose to match his in anger.

"Yes it is and you know it!" Riley's statement seemed to set something off within Faith and he was not allowed to continue any further before Faith got her say in.

"Don't you pretend to know anything about me. You have no idea who I am or what I've been through!"

As there argument finally became two-way, Riley spoke up in response. "I know what Buffy has told me…from the looks of it, she pretty much hit the nail on the head!"

Faith suddenly took a defensive stance physically and defended herself verbally."How dare you talk about me as if you ever even knew me. You have no right…"

"How dare I? … I have no right! After what you did, you have the audacity to tell me what I have a right to do!"

It was quite obvious the two would've like to beat the crap out of each other and would have probably done so if not held back by some foreign, unseen force of civility.

"I love Buffy! And you possessed her body just so you could have some fun and then you decided to sleep with me. To you, it might have been meaningless sex, but to me…to me, it was Buffy and it meant something. It was the best time because I was with her. And every time I'm with Buffy, it's the best time."

With that off his chest, he seemed relieved and calmed down slightly. His next words were softer but seemed to have just as much passion as the last.

"After what you did, you have no right to be here at all."

Civility?

Since when was civility or any other word with a related meaning used in reference to Faith?

Having enough of what he had to say, Faith lunged towards Riley and sent her fist towards his face.

Riley had not been expecting that, however, in addition to his natural reflexes, he was a soldier and was trained as one. He caught her fist before it reached his face.

In response, she sent her other fist straight for his face, but was unfortunately met as Riley caught her fist in his other hand.

With a cry of frustration and anger, Faith slammed her head into Riley's face. He released his firm grip on her fists and backed up with his face in his hands.

"You son of a bitch! I came here to apologize and all you can do is stand there and tell me the same bull shit I've heard almost my whole fucking life!"

Riley lifted his head and it was now visible that she had drawn blood as the red liquid seeped from his nose. She could have guessed the damage was as much.

"Well, you'd think you'd take the hint." His voice was pained due to the damage Faith had inflicted upon him.

An angered expression, seemingly signature for Faith, was all he received in response. She took a second to think about his words. To her, his words held more meaning than what he had meant.

Being in Buffy's body had done something to her. She believed it had changed her somehow…so she thought she would come back to Sunnydale and apologize. She should have guessed it wouldn't be that easy.

With a sigh of exasperation, Faith threw up her hands. "Forget this. I tried to apologize…I tried to play nice. I guess you and the rest of the Sunnydale gang can't take to change so easily. Very well, we'll have to do this the hard way."

It seemed there was some sort of epiphany contained within her words as determined expression joined the anger in her face. With that, she ran from the room slamming the door on her way out leaving Riley some-what confused.

AN HOUR LATER

Riley's door opened suddenly and for some reason, he almost expected it to be Faith. He sighed in relief when Buffy walked in and shut the door behind her.

He rubbed his hands over his face and winced as he applied pressure where the impact of Faith's head had done the most damage.

"Long day?" She asked in an almost joking manner…till she saw the mark on the bridge of his nose and the dried blood around the edge.

"Riley…what happened!" She asked concern as she moved to sit besides Riley's form lying on the bed.

He sighed unsure of whether or not he should inform Buffy of Faith's visit. She would probably not take to it so lightly.

"Well," He began, sitting up and leaning his back against the headboard of his bed, "Faith decided to pay me a visit earlier. It didn't turn out quite as I expected…or as she expected, apparently."

"Faith was here!" The surprise and anger was all too evident in her voice as she rose from the bed. Riley turned so his legs hung off the edge of the bed and reached the floor.

"Yeah, but we just talked…"

"So I see!" Buffy quickly cut him off and at her response Riley stood up and walked over to her.

"What did she want?" Buffy asked after a moment, her voice now calmer.

There was hesitation in Riley's eyes and Buffy noticed, but it was not hesitation out of regret…but confusion.

"She…wanted to…apologize." He spoke as though he still didn't believe it himself.

"Apologize!" The surprise and anger quickly returned to her voice and for a moment, when no further words came from her, she seemed just as stunned as Riley had when Faith had tried to apologize to him.

"How dare she!" Buffy turned from Riley lost in her own reverie of hatred for the blood-thirsty slayer.

Riley turned her towards him, his voice trying to bring her back to reason. "Buffy…Buffy…she's gone."

Buffy stared at him a moment in confusion. Her next question asked in an almost timid voice. "What do you mean…gone? Gone…where?"

It was Riley's moment for a loss of words. He simply shrugged his shoulders and pulled Buffy into his embrace attempting to comfort her from the damage he knew even the mention of Faith's name could do.

"I don't know…"

They stood there together unbeknownst to the fact that somewhere beyond the room, out on a dark, lonely street somewhere in Sunnydale, Faith was walking alone making her own plans to stay here for quite some time; at least until allwho had known and cursed her for a blood-thirsty slayer knew she had tried to play it nice…and she wasn't finished. She had learned it the hard way…she had learned…

no good deed goes unpunished.

Author's Note: I hope everyone enjoyed the story. I have to admit I've seen all of Angel but I haven't watched a lot of Buffy, just enough to know something, so I'm not sure what happens later on in Season 4 with Faith, or Buffy and Riley, but I just wanted to write a story because I curious what would happen between Faith and Riley should they meet after the incident in 'Who Are You'. If anyone would like me to continue, I might consider it. It would interesting to continue Faith's campaign to "right the wrong" particularly the stuff she had done, or she might decide right just isn't the path she's meant to walk. I humbly await your reviews.

I remain your humble servant.

- Phantom's Muse