Disclaimer: I own none of these wonderful characters. Faith and Buffy and the Scoobies are all Joss Whedon`s.

B`s fighting. I watch from the shadows as she stakes one vamp, then cracks the heads of the last two together. Oh, Heaven, she`s so beautiful. I`ve always, since the moment I met her, wanted nothing more to be at her side. It makes me horribly mad to think that she`ll never trust me again. Not after I switched our bodies. Not after I betrayed her. Not after I killed an innocent human if front of her.

She`s finished the vamps off by now, and I watch with that familiar sense of longing in my throat.

Buffy POV:

I tromped back toward home after slaying a few vamps. My body ached with pain and agony. I could barely walk. Oh, heaven, my back and abdomen...black starts to fill my sight, and I feel my knees start to fail.

Riley will kill me... The thought flashes through my head, then the darkness claims me.

Faith POV:

Buffy`s headed home, and I start tailing her, like usual. How pathetic. I wish I could get up the courage to talk to her. I wish I could use my seemingly endless bravado and become her friend again and regain her trust...and love. My feet have started to hurt from all the ground B`s covered tonight.

I frown, my forehead creasing. B`s started to stumble and is sinking to her knees! What`s wrong? Does she need help?

Rushing to her side, I catch her head before it can hit the pavement. Cradling B in my arms I brush the hair off of her face. Her funny shaped nose, her pink lips, her warm hazel eyes. Gulping, I check for any injuries on her body, and find aweful bruises all over her abdomen and chest. She needs to get to the hospital, or at least be kept in a safe place. How can this have happened to B, of all people?

Lifting B`s limp body, I smile tenderly. I won`t let anything happen to you, I promise. Then, with her in my arms, I start to make my way to the little apartment I call home. It`s located in the middle of town, in a crappy little run-down building hiding in the dingy alleys.

The guy at the desk gives me an odd look but otherwise doesn`t interfere. Opening the door, I put B down in the one armchair by the TV. Pulling back the sheets, I strech my sore arm muscles and tuck her into bed for the night. Looking down on her sleeping face, I know the bruises will heal. But her heart, I`m not so sure...

Standing at the window, I stare into space, thinking about what to do. A solution evades me, so I start to daydream about what life would be like if I hadn`t gone crazy.

Buffy POV:

My head aches. Rough, itchy fabric scratches my hands. Blinking tiredly, I find myself staring at a badly painted ceiling in a dingy hotel room. Confused, I sit up - to the protest of every muscle in my body - and see nothing to clue me in as to where I am. I search my memory and find nothing pertaining to a hotel room.

Slipping out of the bed, I find myself still fully dressed. Not knowing what to make of this, I look around in an attempt to locate some breakfast.

The door opens, and to my shock, Faith comes in. She`s dressed in her trademark leathers and knee-high boots.

"What`re you doing here?" I ask in confusion. She looks at me without surprize.

"`S my room, B." She replies with a shrug.

I try again. "I mean, what am I doing in your room?"

Looking at me, Faith sets down the two coffees and a small bag on the bedside table. She seems to be deciding how much to tell me.

"Well...you fainted, B. I found `ya and brought you here." Her voice is calm, but I can tell that there`s something else. Moving closer, Faith takes me by the shoulders. "B, why do you have bruises all over `ya? Someone`s been beating you, and don`t tell me everything`s fine!"

Shocked, I can only stare into her eyes. "You...you found..."

"Yeah. Now tell me."