Title: One Last Final Goodbye

Author: Kimberly aka last_days_of_pern

Rating: PG-13 (language)

Disclaimers: I don't own anything, please don't sue me.

Summary: Faith finally gets out of jail and goes back to Sunnydale to make her amends, but is it too late?

"So what you're telling me is I'm getting out?" Faith asked the stout little man in front of her.

The little lawyer put on his best `I'm the greatest, I know' look and shook his head, "yup, next week to be precise."

"One week, that's it, they're just…letting me go?"

"Yup." The little man stated obviously very proud of himself.

Faith couldn't help it, she was so happy; she jumped up and hugged the fat little man. `Probably the closet he's gotten to a woman…ever' she thought to herself. "I'm getting out." Faith's voice got quiet and she sat down, letting the news finally sink in to her brain. Jail was the easy part of her redemption path; this would be the real test to see if she could handle being on the straight and narrow. Her chance to see Buffy again.

"Congratulations." Angel gave Faith one of his rare smiles, and she smiled back in kind. She was free! Angel picked her up once the sun went down and took her back to the hotel where Cordelia, Gunn and Wesley were waiting. It had taken much bribing and begging to get Wesley and Cordelia to allow Faith to be around. Cordelia now had two whole new wardrobes, and Wesley had any and every book his little ex-watcher mind could dream of having.

"You're not evil anymore are you, `cause if you are, I want more cloths."

Faith looked at Cordelia like she had lost her mind, then answered the part of the question she understood, "naw C, evil and me parted ways long time ago."

Cordelia gave her a suspicious look, but let it go for now. Faith could tell that the one time self-pronounced queen of Sunnydale would be watching her though. "Sup." Was all the greeting she got from Gunn before he went back to doing whatever it was he was doing. Seeing as she had no idea who the handsome black man was, that was fine with her. The person she was most concerned about was Wesley, who wasn't even able to look at her yet.

She couldn't really blame the man, she had tortured for quite some time. Of all the suicide attempts ever thought up, she guessed, that that was the worst. Not only was she trying to get Angel to kill her, but she almost took Wesley with her. Knowing it was going to take a long, undetermined length of time to get the man to acknowledge her, much less forgive her, she didn't bother saying anything to him. It wouldn't do any good to freak him out her first day out of the big house.

"Well um…I set up a room for you…upstairs, so that you could… you know stay awhile." Ok this was not Angel's strong point.

"No sweat soul boy, ain't staying." Faith's slayer ears picked up the sigh of relief from Wesley. "Headin' back to SunnyD tonight."

"Faith maybe that's not the best idea. I mean lately stuff has been happening there, and…"

Faith cut him off before he could tell her what he know he needed to, "Angel, I know I did a lot of shit there, to them, but I have to at least apologize. I'll come back once I do, I swear."

Angel knew he should tell her what happened, but looking into her sincere eyes, he couldn't. He would let her find out for herself what had happened in Sunnydale while she was sitting idle in prison. Without further argument Faith walked out of the hotel, and towards the bus station. It was time she told a certain blonde just how sorry she was for what she did. And there were a few sidekicks she really needed to say sorry to as well.

*Sunnydale*

Faith got off the bus and looked at the large clock in the terminal. Eleven p.m. "B I sure hope you're on patrol." Faith headed out on to the street; steering towards the cemeteries she remembered Buffy frequenting.

The first cemetery she got to was one of the newest ones. So obviously that's where all the vamps would be springing up. Faith wasn't there three minutes when she was attacked from behind. She was way out of practice so it took her five minutes to kill the newborn vamp, where before it would have only taken a minute if that.

Faith hopped up onto her feet and looked at the headstone in front of her, all ready to give a witty reply about fighting on the person's grave, but as her brain processed the name on the stone all the color in her face drained away.

Buffy Anne Summers

1981-2001

She saved the world

A lot

Faith crumpled to her knees in front of the stone. "Aw shit B. Why didn't anyone tell me?" Tears were stinging at her eyes, and Faith did nothing to stop them from falling down her face. "Um…I ah… I came here to say how sorry I am…I guess I jus' figured you'd still be here you being the great and powerful B and all. Um…so I'm sorry…

which damn doesn't even begin…at least I don't have to worry about you beating me to death huh?" Faith let out a half laugh half sob. "Damn B, I was s'pose to go down before you…that way you'd have a good slayer sidekick, not skanky me…I'm so sorry, for what I did to you…and Willow and Xander…ah hell I'm pretty sure that any friend you have…had…I pissed `em off at some point…and I'm sorry."

Faith heard footsteps approaching her; she figured it was another vamp, so she said the one last thing she could think of to say before she had to fight again. "Um…I'm sure you don't want to hear this…but Jesus B…I love you. Always did. Always will. Goodbye, for the last time I guess."

"You know you could have save a lot of heartache had you said you loved me in the first damn place," an all to familiar voice said from behind Faith.

Slowly Faith stood, and then turned around to see someone she never thought she would see again, "B?"

"Yup, I'm working on getting that thing torn down, seeing's how I'm not dead and all."

"But…but…how?" Faith sputtered.

"You're crying." Buffy stated more than asked; she could see the tear tracks in the moonlight. "Long story…" she reached out her hand and Faith slowly took it, "patrol with me and I'll tell ya." Faith held Buffy's hand tighter and nodded her head.

"Any time B."

As the walked off, the moon above their heads, anyone who was listening would have heard, "Oh and Faith? I love you too, but I'm still gonna kick your ass for all you put us through." Then both girls laughed some, although Faith had no doubt Buffy was gonna do just that.