Buffy had left within twenty minutes of hanging up with Angel. She had told only Dawn that she was leaving (because: sisters), and asked her to relay the information to Shield members in the morning. She assured her younger sister that it would only be a day trip, and if anyone should need her back immediately, they should call. Dawn expressed that she thought it was ludicrous to drive all night just to visit someone for a few hours, but she complied with sharing the message.

Dawn was the only person in all of the Academy who had a personal car, as she held a regular job at a bar as a server and bartender. She was not really involved in the Academy at all, though was gracious enough to "pay rent" which was well above and beyond her actual living expenses for a room in the building. She was also generous with lending out her car, giving the girls rides, or keeping the tank full for Shield needs. This was appreciated by everyone, and often the slayers showed their gratitude by cooking her meals or keeping the common area outside her apartment well-stocked with her favorite movies and snacks.

All other cars belonged to a "fleet", or rather, they were available for community use. Andrew had tried to implement a complicated inspection system that required tracking mileage and documenting such mundane things as the tire pressure before and after every trip, but he was outvoted by an overwhelming majority.

Buffy grabbed the keys to her favorite fleet vehicle, thankful that they were available. It was a 2001 Subaru Impreza. It looked a bit like a broke college student car, but it handled and drove like a dream. Buffy would sometimes go to the key box to run errands, see that the Subaru key was missing, and talk herself out of needing whatever it was she had planned to buy.

From Charleston to Augusta, time seemed to fly by. There was no traffic, very few lights along the interstate, and it felt amazing to be out on the road with the horizon stretching out ahead. She couldn't remember the last time she went somewhere alone, other than quick trips around Charleston, and even then she was never gone for more than an hour or less. She flipped through the radio, and when the FM stations seemed to get spotty, she turned to the AM. That was when she found Coast to Coast airing, and she listened to it for a solid hour. It was hilarious to hear all of the conspiracy theorists and fearful accounts of aliens, demons, and bigfoot. Buffy didn't know much about aliens or bigfoots, but she scoffed at the totally inaccurate stories of demons. One guy in particular had obviously seen a low-level vampire, perhaps one freshly turned.

In Augusta she stopped to pee and buy herself a Diet Coke. She checked her phone, there were no messages or missed calls. It had been the entire night since she had heard from Faith, which wasn't that odd since she had probably been long-asleep. Regardless, Buffy decided to send a text before getting back on the highway: "Headed to see Angel in ATL. Text me when you wake up?"

That seemed actionable enough to her, so Buffy felt satisfied that she would receive an answer. She hopped back into the Impreza and sped away on the final stretch.

Fortunately Angel had given her easy directions because there had been several Waffle Houses that she passed by. Each one made her think she was missing her exit, but she stuck to the map and directions he had described to her. She was already within the city limits of Atlanta when she spotted the final, correct place, and easily found her way to a parking spot. By her calculations there were a few more hours of darkness left so they could enjoy coffee before Angel would have to find a hide from the sun.

He was at a table waiting for her when she walked in, because: of course he was. He was immediate to jump up and throw his arms around her in a familiar, yet still forgotten, enveloping hug. She was easily taken back to flashes of memories, probably because he smelled the same as always. As he pulled back, he gave her a crooked smile and pointed to the table.

"I would have ordered something for you but I didn't know if you would want breakfast." He said, sliding into the bench seat. He gestured toward a laminated menu resting on their table. "I guess it might not be your sort of food. People seem to like it."

Buffy smiled genuinely at his thoughtfulness. "It's extremely popular down here, judging by the number that I passed before I finally found this one."

He nodded. "There is one only a few hundred feet from my new apartment. If I were hungover more often, I'd utilize it."

She followed his eyes as they glanced toward a college-age guy who looked as though he were having a particularly rough time of the morning, with his head down on the counter as he shoveled tiny waffle bites into his mouth.

"I can't say I've been there a lot, but I have been there." Buffy bemused.

As they were both semi-admiring the young man's ability to feed himself in this state, a waitress came by with a coffee pot and offered to fill them each a mug. Both obliged her, though Angel just let his sit there, all part of fitting in.

Angel brought his gaze back to the slayer, and he set both his hands on the table. "So, tell me what's going on."

Buffy took a few sips of her coffee, then set it down and looked off to the side, deep in thought. "Well… it's hard to know where to begin, because it's hard to know what's wrong. Faith left a few days ago to help in Utah, and I have been feeling off about her being gone. I thought it was just because of how busy we already are, and filling her shoes is an extreme amount of planning and delegating and straining everyone else. Then I have been realizing that I really didn't put effort into our friendship. She's been fighting alongside me since she left you in L.A.; basically no questions asked. Well, some questions asked."

"So you're friends now?"

She seemed to be choosing her words carefully, replying very slowly. "Yes. No. We are just now. I mean, I kind of asked her if we could be, and I feel like we are. I don't know about before, I've just been focused on doing what needs to be done, and I didn't pay attention to anyone. But when I think about how much time I have spent with anyone I care about in the past 2 years, I've spent equal amount with Faith. So I guess that makes her on par with Xander and Willow in my Buffy book of friends."

Angel's eyes narrowed in confusion but he didn't say anything to stop the roll she was on.

"I feel worried that she won't come back, and then she promised that she would. I am looking forward to that, because we have another chance to make everything better this time. I will know what to expect. But now I am worried she might not get through this Utah eye-blood demony thing."

"You think she's in danger she can't handle?" His voice sounded suddenly concerned, as if the meaning of this conversation were taking a turn.

"No… maybe. I am not sure. She said there are eighty sidekicks and then the demon. She could handle it if we were together, but without me, I worry they could over take her. She gets tunnel vision, sometimes."

Angel held up his hands, gently motioning them forward with palms turned upward, to motion that he had solved the puzzle with an obvious solution. "Then why don't you go there. Be there together. Make sure that the risk is gone."

"I…" she wanted to say it wasn't what Faith wanted. But wasn't it? Did she leave because she wanted to be away from everything, or had she simply left to get a break for a while? Buffy now knew firsthand how incredible and freeing it felt to be behind the wheel with somewhere to go and only the radio to keep you company. It was the kind of necessary selfishness that you were not accustomed to ever taking advantage of, when the whole world demanded you save it. Constantly. Maybe Faith needed to do something for herself, but that didn't mean that she wouldn't want a friend's help, did it?

"It seems like you know the answer to this one, Buff." He said in a softer tone. "Why don't we go together? I don't have to worry about whether or not she will be happy to see me. I already know. She will be ecstatic." His face remained serious but his eyes had a slight amusement to them.

Buffy took another drink of coffee and pulled out her cell phone as she did. There were still no messages, but she reminded herself it was even earlier in the morning, in Utah. The thought of waiting several hours to hear from Faith started to give her waves of that anxious feeling once again. It seemed the answer was pretty obvious, after all.

"Okay," she stated, setting down her mug and phone. "Who's gonna drive first?"