Robin froze when he walked into the room. A black duffle bag lay open on the bed, and he could see that it was nearly full with clothes. A noise in the corner of the room caused him to turn his head, and he saw Faith rifling through their closet.

"Are we going on vacation?" he asked, trying to keep his voice light.

She jumped at the sound of his voice, turning around with her arms full of clothes and a guilty look on her face. Opening her mouth, she tried to think of some way to sugarcoat what she was doing, to soften the blow, but in the end she reverted to her straight-forward attitude and just shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm leaving."

His face fell, but he tried desperately to retain some of his composure.

"Okay…for how long?"

"I don't know," she answered, stuffing the contents of her arms into the bag and zipping it shut.

"Where are you going?"

"L.A."

Robin frowned.

"Why?"

Faith turned to face him, an apologetic look on her face.

"I've…got some unfinished business there."

"A guy?" he asked, his voice tight.

"Yeah. My watcher."

"The Watcher's Council is gone, Faith."

"He's still my watcher. And he needs help."

"Did he call you?"

"No."

"Then how do you know he's in trouble?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's hard to explain. But I can…feel it. When something's not right, when his life is in danger. I can feel it. And I can't ignore it anymore."

He stepped across the room and took a firm hold of her arm.

"You told me about this guy, Faith. What has he ever done for you that you think you owe him something?"

She shook him off.

"He saved my life."

"He put your life in danger."

"If it hadn't been for him, I'd still be sitting in prison. He got me out."

"To use you. Because they couldn't handle Angelus on their own. After THEY let him out."

"Look," she cut in sharply. "I don't expect you to get it. But something's wrong, and I can't just leave him."

Robin looked down at the floor, his jaw clenched.

"Are you coming back?"

She avoided his gaze as she bent down to pick up another bag, which he assumed had weapons in it.

"I'll take that as a no," he said. "So when are you leaving?"

"Xander's waiting downstairs to take me to the bus station."

"So you talked to him about this?"

"Look, Robin –"

He held up his hand. "No. You don't have to explain. Just go."

She nodded and moved for the door before stopping and turning back.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

888888888888

The Hyperion was dark and cold when she walked in. Dust lingered the air, and Faith was suddenly struck by the knowledge that no one had been there in months. Frustration began to sink in as she tried to think of somewhere else that they could all be. The possibility that they were dead snuck in and took up residence in the back of her head, but she refused to focus on it.

She went through the hotel room by room, astonished by how empty it was. If she hadn't known any better, she could have believed that no one had lived there in years, and that her visit nine months ago had been nothing more than a figment of her imagination.

A wave of despair threatened to overwhelm her, and Faith silently cursed herself. If Wes wasn't here, then she would just have to move on. She would ask around, see if anybody knew where Angel and company had disappeared to.

As she walked down the hallway and moved back towards the stairs, a sound caught Faith's attention. She slowed, pulling out a stake and pushing her body against the wall. Inching forward, she followed the noise and found herself standing in front of a door that was left open just a crack. She peered inside, and nearly laughed out loud, putting her stake away.

"Looking good, Lorne," she smiled, leaning against the doorframe.

The demon nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of her voice. Turning around, he gave her a nervous smile in return.

"Faith, sweetie. What are you doing here?" he asked.

Her smile faded as she noticed that his hands were shaking even as they threw clothes into a suitcase.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said.

"Lorne, you suck at lying."

He sighed.

"Well, baby cakes, it's like this. Angel and company have decided to take their last stand."

"Then what are you doing here?"

Lorne turned back to his suitcase, avoiding her eyes.

"I'm not so good with the fighting and dying for a cause, Faithy."

"So you're just going to leave them?"

"I have my part. Angel gave me one last job. But after that I'm done. I'm outta here faster than you can say 'the end is here.'"

"So that's why they're not here?" she asked. "Because of this last stand?"

"What? No. Sweetheart, we moved out of here months ago."

"To where?"

He looked uncomfortable.

"Wolfram and Heart."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute. I thought they were the bad guys."

"They were. And then we took over."

Faith frowned.

"I remember now. B was talking about this. Said you guys were traitors."

Lorne's face took on a pained expression.

"It's not like that."

"Then what's it like, Lorne? You're living where the Big Evil set up shop. You're using their resources."

"But we used them for good."

"All of them? Are you trying to tell me that all of your clients just fell on their knees and repented? Promised to live the good life?"

"No."

She nodded, expecting no other answer.

"Look, where's Wes?"

"His mark is Cyvus Vail."

"Who?"

"A member of the Circle of the Black Thorn. A very powerful Warlock. Wes' job is to take him out."

"Where?"

"Faith, look. This is the end of the line for us. Why don't you just go back to Buffy? The new slayers could use your help."

"Don't make me use my stake, Lorne."

The demon sighed.

"Truvail Street. 666 Truvail Street." She turned and walked toward the door. "What are you going to do?" he called after her.

"Save my Watcher."

8888888888888

She was surprised and slightly unnerved by how easy it was to get into the house. There were only three guards, and Faith made quick work of them, killing them before they could raise any alarm. As she moved down one of the many corridors, she noticed how swanky the place was – there were statues and tapestries everywhere, and she was fairly certain that the edging around the columns was made of actual gold.

Finally, she came to two large wooden doors, also edged in gold. She stepped forward quietly, leaning closer so that she could hear what was going on inside the room.

"Did you really think you could beat ME, Wesley?" a raspy voice sneered.

"I had to try," her Watcher responded in his clipped accent.

"Too bad it's the last thing you'll ever do."

Faith didn't even think about it. She burst through the doors, running straight for the source of the voice, which she noticed was a short red demon with long white hair. Her brain barely registered that he had Wes suspended in the air before she crashed into the thing, knocking him down and releasing his hold on the man. Behind her, she heard Wes fall to the ground, but her only focus was the demon underneath her.

She pummeled him with her fists, not really knowing what else to do. The rage that had exploded inside of her at the thought of her Watcher dying caught her off-guard, and all she wanted to do was cause the thing extreme pain. She saw the blood that was beginning to stain her knuckles, but she honestly wasn't sure if it was the demon's of her own. She was so engrossed with the task at hand, that Faith didn't see Cyvus raise his right hand. She didn't see the deep amber ball of light begin to form in his palm. She even missed the predatory glint in his eye.

Sudden shots fired from behind her, and Faith immediately rolled to the side to get out of their path. Watching in shock, she saw Wesley standing above the demon, a gun in his hand. With a look of cold determination, he fired three more shots into the thing's chest.

"You fool," Cyvus rasped. "A gun can't kill me."

"No," Wesley admitted. "But it slowed you down enough for me to do this."

Stretching out his left hand, he muttered a string of indecipherable words. Faith watched him in awe, her eyes widening even more as a stream of green and blue light shot down his arm, encasing his hand and forearm like some kind of mystical armor. Kneeling, he leaned over Cyvus, a cruel smile faint on his lips.

"The reign of the Circle of the Black Thorn is over," he whispered.

Then he plunged his armored hand deep into the demon's chest. He searched for a moment and then seemed to find what he was looking for, a triumphant gleam in his eye. With one swift move, Wes yanked his arm back out, a throbbing black mass in his hand. A scream of pain and rage erupted from Cyvus, but it was the last thing he ever did – without his heart, his body imploded, leaving nothing but a withered husk on the ground.

"Wow," Faith breathed, pushing herself back onto her feet. "Nicely done, Wes. That angry rogue thing really works for you –"

"What the hell were you thinking?" he hissed at her, rage flaming in his eyes as he stalked towards her.

"I saved your ass," she pointed out.

"I didn't need saving."

"Wes, in case you hadn't noticed, Red over there was about to kill you –"

"I DIDN'T WANT TO BE SAVED!" he bellowed.

"So what?" Faith yelled back. "I was supposed to just let you die?"

"Yes! You've never had that problem before, Faith."

"What the hell happened to you, man?" she asked. "Since when have you not wanted to fight the good fight, no matter what the cost?"

Wes' head dropped down, and the fight seeped out of him.

"I don't want to live without her."

"Without who? That lawyer chick? Because let me tell you, Wes – you can do WAY better than that –"

"Without Fred," he said quietly.

"Fred? The cute little mousy girl with an obvious crush on you?"

"Yes."

Faith straightened up, a concerned look on her face.

"Did something happen to her?"

"She's dead."

"Wes –"

"A demon consumed her and is now using her body. There was nothing we could do."

Hesitating slightly, Faith reached out a hand and rested it gently on Wesley's arm. He looked at her, frowning in confusion, but not shaking her off.

"I'm sorry," she told him.

"We have to go."

"Where?"

"If we survived, we're supposed to meet Angel for our last stand." He looked at her for a moment. "You don't have to come, Faith. You did what you came here to do."

She shrugged, giving a nervous laugh.

"What's the point in saving you if I'm just going to let you go die in some huge epic battle. I'm in."

He nodded, surprised at how relieved he was at her words.

"Let's go then."

88888888888888888

"You made it," Angel breathed as Faith and Wes approached him through the rain. When he saw the Slayer, he frowned in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

She shrugged. "Figured Wes could use a hand." She looked around the dark alley, nodding in appreciation. "So this is where we do it?"

"Do what?"

"This last stand thing."

"Faith you don't have –"

"You know, I'm starting to think you guys really don't want me here."

"It's not that," Gunn said, walking up from behind them. "We just know that the chances of us coming out of this are slim to none. You're too cool to die so young."

"Part of the job description." She narrowed her eyes at him. "You're bleeding."

"Minions tried to kill me."

"You gonna be okay?"

He smiled at her. "Five by five."

A thud sounded to their left, and they all turned to see Illyria land beside them, her blue hair drenched.

"It is done," she said firmly.

Faith chanced a look at Wes, frowning when she saw the look of pain on his face. She found herself wondering what exactly had happened before Fred's death. Then she shook her head – it was none of her business, and Wes would never open up to her. She wasn't good at the people thing.

A roar erupted through the alleyway, and they all turned to face forward. Shadows danced along the sides of the buildings, and war cries soon reached their ears. The ground shook with the force of the throng surging toward them.

"Well this looks fun."

Everyone turned to see Spike standing behind them.

"I was starting to think you hadn't made it," Angel said.

"Sorry, mate. You're stuck with me for a little while longer."

Another roar and a belch of fire grabbed their attention once again. They pulled out whatever weapons they had on them and grouped into a loose fighting formation – against a horde of that size, they would be split almost immediately. Faith steadied herself for the coming onslaught, but her eyes widened as a creature of impossible proportions marched into view.

"I kinda want to slay the dragon," Angel mused as he took the creature in.

"Race ya to it," Faith grinned.

888888888888888

The battle raged on into the night, the continuing rain making the streets slick and the visibility poor. But they kept fighting, ignoring the wounds that were increasing in number, and ignoring the exhaustion that threatened to steal over them. Despite their steadfastness, however, there were only six of them against hundreds upon hundreds of demons and other-worldly creatures. The odds weren't just against them – they ignored them completely.

"I don't suppose we have some secret weapon?" Faith called out over the din of battle.

"Sorry, love," Spike responded as he battled a Tuatha demon. "We're it."

"Stellar plan, guys."

A sudden commotion from the other side of the demon horde distracted them all, and there was a brief pause to the fighting. Faith tried to peer through the rain, but all she could see was water and demon.

"Need some help?"

Faith spun around to see Buffy suddenly standing beside her, her blonde hair matted to her scalp, a small smile on her face.

"What the hell?"

Buffy shrugged. "Got word that you guys were fighting the good fight – and you didn't even call to invite us."

"Not that we don't appreciate the help, Buffy," Angel broke in. "But I don't think one more person is going to change the tide."

"Of course it's not, mate," Spike broke in. "But how about a few more Slayers added to the mix?"

Faith watched as the all the color drained from Buffy's face. She stared in disbelief at Spike – the last time she had seen him he had sacrificed himself to save them all.

"Hello, Buffy," he said quietly.

"Look, I bet this is gonna be some great epic reunion," Gunn interjected. "But can we save it for later? Demon hordes bearing down on us and all."

Buffy shook herself and turned back to Faith.

"Right. Fight first. We brought reinforcements."

"How many?"

"Will a hundred Slayers help?"

Gunn whistled and Angel's eyes widened. Faith just smiled.

"I'd say that evens things up a bit more."

88888888888888

Hours later, it was over. They hadn't been able to kill everything they came up against, but anything that survived had run off to lick its wounds and find a new place to wreak havoc. Buffy and Faith stood in the middle of the alley, taking in the damage. The buildings all around them were practically destroyed, knocked into heaps of rubble. Bodies were strewn all across the street, and they weren't all demon. At least fifty Slayers had been killed in the fighting. In the distance, Faith could see Willow kneeling beside Kennedy's body, Xander holding her as she cried. Giles walked up to the two Slayers slowly, a slight limp hindering him.

"We sustained heavy casualties," he started. "But we won. This battle, at least." He looked at Faith with sad eyes. "I'm sorry, Faith. But Robin didn't make it."

She nodded, pushing down the sadness that threatened to overwhelm her. She knew she hadn't loved him, but he had been a good fighter. A brave man.

"Who else?" she asked.

Angel joined them.

"We lost Gunn," he said quietly. "And Illyria." He turned to where Wes was standing over her body. "I didn't think anything could kill her."

"She got into a fight with a demigod," Giles pointed out. "They practically destroyed each other."

Xander walked over then, his arm around Willow's waist, holding her up and lending her whatever support he could.

"So what now?" he asked. "I don't suppose this means that Evil has been defeated and we can all go to Disney World."

"Sorry, Xand. We've still got a lot of fighting to do." She turned to Faith. "There are still tons of Slayers that need finding. You game?"

The brunette shoved her hands into her pockets and looked down at the ground.

"I don't think so, B. This group stuff…moving in a pack…it's just not for me."

Buffy nodded, understanding.

"Where will you go?"

"There are other Hellmouths, aren't there?"

Giles nodded.

"There's one in Chicago, actually."

Faith thought for a minute.

"Then that's where I'll go. See if I can't clean up the town a little." She looked over at Buffy. "You guys need me, just call. I'll come."

Buffy laughed. "Since when did you become a team player?"

"Since I realized that Evil sucks and I want to kick its collective ass."

"Here, here," Xander said.

8888888888888

Before she left, Faith walked over to Wes, who was still standing over Illyria's body.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

He sighed. "It's better this way. Now I won't have to look at her and be reminded of what became of Fred."

She nodded. "So what now? Are you going to go off with Angel and company? Or are you going to join the hunt for the new Slayers?"

"Neither. You?"

"Neither. I figure there's a nice little Hellmouth in Chicago. Maybe they could use some help."

He looked at her for a long moment, apparently lost in thought.

"Earth to Wes. You're spacing out on me, English."

"I want to come with you," he said suddenly.

"What?"

"I have nothing left here, Faith. I don't want to go on a worldwide hunt for Slayers. I don't want to look at Wolfram and Hart ever again. I just want to…I need to help. But it needs to be somewhere other than here. And last time you and I made a pretty good team against Angelus."

"We both almost died."

"But we didn't."

"Don't you think it's weird?" she asked.

"What?"

"Us. Going off together. Being a team. If you look at our history together, this doesn't exactly make sense."

"Or it makes perfect sense," he argued. "We nearly destroyed each other, Faith. And ourselves. Maybe the only way either of us can find redemption is with the each other."

"That's almost poetic."

"So may I?"

Faith frowned. "May you what?"

"Come with you."

She laughed. "Geez, Wes. Cut the formality. Of course you can come with." She nudged his shoulder slightly as they started to walk away from the others. "I'll be lucky to have you watching my back," she said quietly.