"A/n: I don't own any of the characters, Joss Whedon does so I have no claim to them…there now that's out of the way…..I wish I owned faith though lol"

Chapter 2: Very Soon

Kennedy rolled over in bed, her hand searching for her lover. When she came up empty her groaned, not wanting to open her eyes to find the witch gone from the bed. "Here we go again" she growled, slowly opening her eyes to the empty space. Willow's side of the bed didn't look like it was slept in all night, and the cold chill from the sheets only confirmed that the witch had spent another night out of bed. A quick glance at the clock told her that it was a little before dawn, earning a frustrated growl from Kennedy, knowing full well she would never get back to sleep until she found her hacker. he young slayer rolled over on her back before swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, quickly standing up. The cold chill of the floor earned a muttered curse as the cold jarred her body to full consciousness.

"I'm in California dammit it's not supposed to be cold" she fumed, quickly padding across the floor to the stairs. She glanced at the desk as she reached for the railing. Willow's laptop was missing from its usually place. She shook her head as she began the climb out of their basement apartment, already hearing the clicking of Willow's keyboard from the dining room. Her shoulders sagged in defeat, her head shaking as she she detoured into the kitchen, grabbing herself a cup of tea from the pot she knew Willow would have made for herself. Sipping the cooling liquid she listened to the tapping of Willow for a few more minutes, trying to guess how long her lover had been awake. The sounds of the early morn echoed through the kitchen window. Kennedy closed her eyes, slightly smiling at the sounds of the world and her lover, a momentary sense of peace overriding her ire of having to search for Willow. It surprised her how she was able to find peace in the littlest things nowadays.

"That's because you thought the world was going to end" came Willow's voice in her head. She spat out the mouthful of tea she had in her mouth, a slew of spanish curses slipping passed her lips as her shirt was now soaked with the tea.

"I told you to warn me before jumping into my head woman" Kennedy angrily thought, walking into the dining room. Willow tried to stifle her giggle at the site of tea-soaked Kennedy, failing to hold back as Kennedy's eyes narrowed even more in anger. After a minute of Willow laughing, Kennedy's frown broke into a small pout, earning another round of giggles from Willow. She stood up from her laptop, her hands grabbing Kennedy's hips as she went to kiss her, smiling when Kennedy turned her head away.

"I'm sorry baby, I felt you wake up and I was wondering what you were up too. By the way why are you up?" Willow asked, stretching her back. The sound of vertebrae snapping back into place caused Kennedy to wince.

"Baby how long have you been sitting up here" Kennedy asked, forgetting about being angry. Willow sighed, looking at the computer on the table.

"Oh I figure about seven hours now" she said quietly, looking down at the floor not wanting to see the look of anger in Kennedy's eyes. She knew Kennedy hated it when she researched late into the night. She even understood Kennedy's logic, agreeing that she would be useless if she spent all night researching and then tried to use her magic. But the old hacker in her couldn't stop from researching. They have spent many nights angry at each other over this.

Kennedy sighed, lifting Willow's head, it was way to early to argue. "Well then my love..", she said looking her deep in the eyes, "since you have been up for so long researching then you can come back downstairs and get some sleep. Don't worry the big bad will still be here in the afternoon" Kennedy smiled as the hacker's eyes filled with confusion.

"Don't you mean morning" Willow asked, looking outside. The sun was just coming over the horizon, its rays peaking through the dining room curtains. "Oh" she answered, smiling sheepishly.

Kennedy chuckled as Willow closed the computer. "Now come on you nerd, it's off to bed" she said, putting her arm around Willow's waist. Willow huffed indignantly and started to pull away from her. Kennedy grabbed her shirt and spun her around into a deep kiss. She ran her tongue across Willow's lips, waiting for her to grant her access to her mouth. Willow moaned as she opened her mouth, moaning again as Kennedy's tongue entered, the taste of tea lingering in her mouth. They stood there, kissing each other passionately until finally Willow pulled away for much needed oxygen. Her lips swollen from the kiss. Kennedy's eyes were darkened, but she held back. Willow needed to get sleep, so she could hold out for a day or so. She and the witch walked back to their apartment. Kennedy watched Willow as she walked down the stairs, watching as her ass swayed. Kennedy moaned, rubbing her face, "Definitely have to take a cold shower later" she said, follow her lover to bed. Willow was asleep before she could even get settled in bed. Kennedy cuddled underneath her lover, sighing at the warmth coming from the redhead. "You have no idea what you do to me, Miss Willow Rosenburg. You have no idea".

________________________________________________________________

Buffy tossed, gripping the sheets tightly in her fists as the ghosts of those who lost their lives plagued her dream. Her body was covered in a thin sheen of sweat as she tried to block out the screams of rage and pain.

"What do you want from me!" she screamed in the middle of the darkened room. The ghosts of those who died because she failed kept coming after her, asking her why she failed, why they were dead, blaming her.

"Buffy why couldn't you have come a minute sooner?" her mother asked reaching out to her. Tara was next to her reaching out as well. "It was your fault that Warren came with a gun. You took me away from Willow, she almost destroyed the world! How could you" she screamed. Buffy rocked back and forth, her hands clamped over her ears as the tears flowed down her face.

"I'm sorry, please forgive me" she sobbed, trying to block out the cries from the people she loved. Suddenly everyone faded from the room, leaving Buffy in complete silence. Buffy looked up slowly, afraid of what she might find. A solitary figure stood before her, their hand out to her to help her to her feet. She looked at the outstretched hand for a second, unsure what to do. Her face was stained with tears as the figure, whose face was covered in the darkness, motioned for her to take their hand. Buffy sobbed as she grabbed the hand, pulling herself to her feet. The figure quickly stepped back into the darkness, their hand falling back to their side. The stood their in silence, Buffy's occasional sniffles the only break in world usually filled with screaming. "Who..." Buffy started before the sound of the figure stopped her.

"I have to wonder why a slayer would be forcing herself to go through this kind of agony. Are you masochistic or do you really think you deserve this punishment" said the voice. Buffy looked at it, tears still flowing down her face.

"Who are you" she asked, not being able to figure out of the voice was a boy or a girl. The figure chuckled, giving away a hint of femininity in the tone of her voice.

"You keep asking that. But I asked you first. Why is the most powerful slayer in nearly 3 billion years in oblivion letting apparitions torture her like it was her fault they were dead. They aren't even the original person, they aren't even an extension of their souls. They are just apparitions you created in your mind" the voice said, getting stronger.

Buffy blinked back the surprise, wiping away the last of the tears. "Because if it wasn't for me they would all still be alive" she answered angrily. The figure chuckled again as Buffy's anger rose.

"No they wouldn't have, more would be dead. But now is not the time for that discussion. I must take my leave."The figure turned to leave.

"Wait, you didn't answer my question. Who are you? Why aren't you showing yourself?" Buffy asked, crossing her arms. Defiance for this figure etched itself across her face. The figure stopped for a minute and turned its head.

"Now is not the time Slayer. It's sunrise" she said, looking at the sun that appeared over the horizon.

"Wait" Buffy called out, but the figure was gone.

Buffy sat straight up in her bed, her body shivering as beads of sweat worked down her face and chest. Her breath was uneven as she looked out her window to the rising sun. "What the hell is going on" she thought, collapsing back into bed. Her mind drifting back to the figure that has now twice seeked her out. "At least I know it's a girl" she said out loud, getting out of bed. She pulled her bathrobe over her naked body and was about to walk into the bathroom until something on the window caught her eye. She walked over to the winder, her head slightly tilted in confusion as she took in what lay before her, gasping as she realized what it was. A heart was drawn on the window, with a stake drawn through it. On the sill under it laid a beautiful dagger with a rose laid across the blade, a note stuck underneath it. Buffy pulled the note gently underneath the blade and opened it. The neat, ancient looking script caused her breath the catch in her throat as she read the message,

"To help you fend off those demons, both in and out. Soon slayer, very soon"

Buffy looked out the window again, gently tracing the dagger before re-reading the note. One thought played across her mind as the Sun fully broke over the horizon, "What the hell was going on?"