It had been years since she had been needed and that was the way she liked it. She still got her kicks, quite literally when she thought about it, because despite her best efforts there would always be trouble where ever she went, that's just the way it was.

The night was calm and cool in Athens and for the first time in a while she finally felt like it was time to stop running. It hadn't been easy at first picking up the language or adjusting to the culture, but now she was right at home.

Lithe and agile like a cat she curled up on her window ledge and stared up at the Parthenon. For once her body didn't feel as old as the ancient temple, but the scars were there just the same. A wry grin cracked her lips as she thought about the Gods that the Greeks had once worshipped, she had her theories on what they may have been and definitely had her doubts about the legitimacy of any God. She had already seen too much in her 25 years on earth to take anything as gospel.

A cool breeze pushed its way inside, gliding through the dark locks that flowed freely past her shoulders. She liked this time of day, the dry heat had subsided and the cool of the evening had set in briefly before darkness. Soon it would be her time, the time where she had all the power and her destiny was in her own hands.

Tucking a stray hair back behind her ears she jumped down from the window and grabbed her black leather jacket from the back of a rickety wooden chair tucked in against an old dusty desk. She didn't need luxuries or a desk really. She just needed the night.

A sharp knock at her door dragged her away from her thoughts and caused a tensing of her muscles, nobody should know where she was, yet alone be knocking on her door. Prepared for anything she pulled the door open and exhaled when she saw a familiar face. "Willow?"

"You're not an easy person to track down."

Stepping aside to clear a path for the svelte redhead, Faith Lehane; Vampire Slayer frowned a little, "That's because I wanted it that way. Since this probably isn't a social call you should come inside."

Willow Rosenberg raised a curious eyebrow at the Slayer but accepted the invite and walked into the open plan apartment. The living area was separated from the kitchen by a bench top and the room was sparse apart from the desk and chair by the window. "Nice Spartan look you have going here."

"Bare essentials these days Red, so what do you want?" Red was the nickname she used most because of the deep red hair that her friend, if she could call her that, bore. She indicated to the chair offering it to Willow, while taking up station leaning against the bench with arms crossed.

It had been at least two years since Willow had seen Faith. She had done her duty helping the new slayers and in typical fashion had run first chance she had. Faith never did play well with others for too long, she was too independent for that. In times past Willow had been both jealous and afraid of her, but that was a long time ago, both women knew who had the real power now. Willow took the seat offered to her and cast a brief spell to stabilise the chair before sitting down. She looked up at the slayer who was clearly not happy with her presence and smiled.

Faith fidgeted uncomfortably, having Willow sitting in front of her brought back too many bad memories. "Look, can you just tell me what you want, cause I got places to be."

"Buffy wanted me to check on you, make sure you were alright." Willow said matter-of-factly.

Buffy. That name cut deeply into the soul every time she heard it, a combination of unrequited longing and deep rooted feeling of inferiority to the chosen one that came before her, conspired to keep her from finding peace.

"You were chosen too, Faith."

"Stay out of my head Red!" Nothing was sacred when the Wicca was around.

"Sorry, can't help it you are radiating your feelings so strongly." Willow knew better than to verbalise the other feelings she could feel radiating from Faith at the mention of Buffy's name. "You know you don't have to stay separated from us, you're more than welcome to join us in Rome."

"Really not my thing to be all touchy feely, you know that. If there's nothin' else, I really gotta be gone." She made a move to the door, making it clear that in her mind the conversation was over. "It's been real."

Willow stood, but she didn't move towards the door. "Faith, it isn't just Buffy who is worried about you, I am too. You have to stop running from the past."

The Slayer stared long and hard at the Wicca trying to figure out what the game was. In the end her patience wore thin, she could see no reason why Willow would care about her enough to worry. Sure they had helped save the world together and sure things had felt better during that time, but in the end it would always come down to Buffy. It was always about Buffy.

Willow sighed heavily. "Faith the past is so far in the rear view mirror, when will you let it go?"

"I can't Will. I just can't."

The use of a friendlier nickname confirmed what Willow could feel radiating from her friend, an increased willingness to talk. Of course this didn't mean much because talking about anything beyond the next mission was not a strong point for the Slayer. "I do understand a bit about what you have had to deal with."

Faith scoffed, "Right, because when you killed Warren everyone wanted you gone and to face up to the legal ramifications." Her mind flashed back to the night she had accidentally staked the assistant to the only man she could ever call a father figure, Mayor Richard Wilkins. He might have been evil and destined to be grilled snake bits, but he had genuinely cared and since graduation she hadn't found that feeling, beyond a fleeting moment with Angel.

"Hello, miss invisible girl right here!" she referred to her return from England, where her fear had rendered her invisible to her friends.

"Scoobies took you back with wide open arms Will, not even close to the same."

"Killing Warren still haunts me Faith. Nothing takes that away…" Willow paused momentarily, contemplating whether or not to continue. "Buffy doesn't understand that, Kennedy doesn't understand that. The real difference is what you did was an accident in the heat of the moment, where as my rage took me over."

"And yet I'm the only one who did time." Faith didn't really resent Willow, in fact she begrudgingly respected the changes she had seen in her over the years, but she sure resented the double standards.

"You know Buffy regrets not doing more at the time."

"Sure, that's why she always looks at me like I am a moment away from being crazed psychopath rogue slayer again." Her fist slammed into the door. She glanced out the window, the sun had gone down. "Got places to be Red."

Willow tilted her head towards the window and looked out at the Parthenon, all lit up, before returning her gaze to the slayer. "Just be careful out there Faith, something is brewing and I get this sense that it is centred on you."

"Sure, see yourself out?" Without another word she performed a running leap out the window.