Author's Notes: Apparently there was a screw-up or something with the chapters when I tried to fix it, I made it worse, just please go back a chapter or two to the last thing you remember and read again. Sorry for the inconvience.
XOXOXOX
Faith roamed down the streets towards a coffee shop she'd wanted to try. She wanted to think about anything but Buffy, but they more she tried to think not to think about it, the more she did think about it. Buffy Anne Summers, the single greatest thing that had ever happened to her. She thought about her all the time, it was onl natural. Buffy's hair, Buffy's clothes, Buffy's smile, it was all in her head. Every moment she was away from Buffy, she wanted to be close to Buffy, and every moment she was close to Buffy, she wanted to scream for joy. Now, she wanted to do this day over, take back what they had said when they woke up. She wanted so badly to feel Buffy hug her and say it was okay, but she knew better. She knew she had to stay away from her for a little bit or this whole thing would repeat itself.
Faith angrily stomped through the door to coffee shop. She felt absolutely ridiculous buying coffee at 3:00 pm. She and Buffy had slept through most of the day, but there wasn't nearly enough time to get to where the vampire nest was and then take em' out. Faith ordered her coffee and leaned over the counter and waited for her coffee. There was a guy next to her blowing on his coffee. He was a little taller than Faith and had his hair gelled up in a very "cool guy" fashion, although he didn't look like he was trying too hard to pull off the look. He blew on his cup and someone bumped into him. Instantly, the coffee flew forward and he started to forward. Faith grabbed the cup out of the air and pushed the palm of her hand against the gu's chest to stop him from falling. Faith sat the coffee cup on the counter and helped the guy back up.
"Nice reflexes." He smiled, fixing his jacket and shirt.
"I work out." Faith shrugged.
"Have I seen you around here?" He asked.
"Maybe. I got in town yesterday, road trip sorta thing. Up all night." Faith said, taking her coffee and sitting down.
"Welcome to Santa Barbra then. I'm Jack. Jack Holt." He said, "Mind if I sit with you?"
"Faith... Lehane and sure, I need someone to talk to." Faith nodded. Jack sat down at the table, drinking his coffee. She didn't see him put much sugar in his coffee, but there wasn't very many check marks on the cup. Man takes his coffee strong.
"Don't worry, I was up late too. Got up a couple of hours ago." Jack said, drinking his coffee.
"What kept you up?" Faith asked.
"Fighting crime. Just like every other night. What about you?" He grinned, and Faith assumed he was just kidding.
I was fighting vampires, saving tons of people's lives and possibly yours she thought. "Something a bit different."
"Being modest? I'm sure you were saving the world." He said. Faith felt paranoia creep in for a moment, then realized he was joking and gave a nervous chuckle.
"Yeah, well, this super hero doesn't fight criminals." She said.
"No. You're crime is more of what goes bump in the night, am I right?" He sipped his coffee casually and ended that sentence with a serious note.
"Wanna tell me what you're talking about?" Faith stopped drinking her coffee as she felt every muscle in her body tense up. Her posture, however, remained relaxed. Jack leaned over the table, closer to Faith's face and dropped his voice to a low whisper.
"Demons, vampires, ghosts." He whispered.
"What do ya want from me?" She whispered back.
"I don't know what you are, but I know what you fight. I fight it too." He said, "I saw you fighting last night. I'm kinda running solo right now. Thought I could use a hire."
"Are you crazy?"
"Actually, no. You see, most people don't get the dedication, the work ethic, the need to kill to get everything off your chest and feel like you did the world a favor. Even fewer people understand that sometimes you gotta bend the rules. Sometimes you have to play god." His words ran through Faith's mind, they sounded like her thoughts. It was everything she had ever thought was right. It was like he was her... Almost a morphed reflection of her own morals. Jack put a business card on the table.
"Call me." he said as he got up and left. Faith stared at him as he walked out the door. She saw him move so casually, so confidently. She was staring a lot. Faith tore her eyes away from the guy and turned her attention back to her coffee. He was attractive, but she had Buffy... Faih glanced once more at the guy as he walked around the block.
XOXOXOX
What did she say? How could she have said that to Faith? She didn't mean to... She meant something else entirely... Or did she? Buffy felt her heart become heavy with worry. All of a sudden, she felt guilty, knowing Faith wasn't going to burst in through the door, getting very huggy and happy. She screwed up again and has nobody else to blame. Her thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the motel door.
"B?" A familiar voice said, the door shutting.
"I'm here." Buffy said in reply.
"Ready to tell me what's wrong with ya?" Faith sat down on the bed next to Buffy.
"Yeah... It's just that I'm worried that if we do what we've always done, we'll always get what we always got. I think what we got was awesome at times, but it could also suck so much. And this whole thing with Cordelia and the dreams..." Buffy started.
"You're dreaming about Cordelia? I thought I was the only girl you had the hots for, B?" Faith accused.
"No! Cordelia and I are just, like, old half-friends... I mean, she's a nice looking girl, but-" Buffy rambled, then looked at Faith who was smiling. Buffy actually laughed when she realized it was a joke, "I get it, Fay. Lighten up. Gotcha. Well, I just think we need to..."
Hug. Kiss. Hold. Go back to normal. Apologize. Have everything be okay. Be happy again. Forget it all happened. Faith would have bee happy with any of those things, but instead Buffy emotionally stakes Faith in the heart by saying, "Slow things down. Work through the problems first." It felt horrible to feel those words split Faith in two. One half was okay with the idea, knowing it's what Buffy wanted. She was madly in love with the girl, she could wait. Then, the other half knew that she was madly in love with the girl too, and was furious. Everything was fine until the Slayer dreams, which Faith had been having too, came back, then they both started wallowing in their fears and anxieties and it was all downhill from there.
"Okay. I guess, if that's what you want." Faith said, making no effort to disguise the disdain in her voice. Buffy needed to think, so she remembered what time it was.
"Faith, you know, it's almost five o'clock. I can go out and grab us some food." Buffy said. Honestly, they were both starving so it sounded like a good idea regardless.
"Yeah, fine." Faith said. Buffy threw on her marron jacket and headed out the door. Faith sat in silence for a few minutes before picking up Buffy's phone and dialing. The line rang for a moment, then a voice came on.
"Jack Holt, Supernatural Investigator."
