A/N: Well this is it folks, the end of the road. I would like to thank each and every one of you who stuck around during this long process. Thanks so much for everybody who took the time to write me a review, your feedback always means so much and it was a great encouragement to get this finished.
After Faith eventually passed out from the sedatives she had been given Buffy settled herself on the bed next to the younger girl and let herself relax for the first time in what felt like years. She lay with her head resting on Faith's chest the constant and strong thudding of the other girl's heartbeat pounding comfortingly in her ear. Buffy was so happy she almost started to cry when Faith started to snore softly proof that the younger girl was most definitely alive and resting peacefully for the first time in forever.
Buffy shifted on the bed turning on her side so she could look up at Faith's face. She didn't know why it had taken her so long to realise the beauty of her sister Slayer. Her expressive eyebrows flawlessly framed her eyes and twitched a little as she dreamt. Faith's eyes were really the windows to her soul and their deep chocolate brown could reveal exactly how she was feeling even when she tried to hide it. Her skin was paler than usual after spending so much time indoors lately but it was smooth and just begging to be touched. The smattering of freckles on her nose gave an almost innocent air to a face that had witnessed more horrors in her young life than anyone ever should and the little mole at the corner of her mouth was so distinctive yet so subtle at the same time and in a way completely mirrored Faith's personality. Perhaps the most beautiful feature were the full lips that were slightly parted in sleep but could dish out both love and hate when they wanted.
"You really are beautiful," Buffy whispered into the silence entwining her fingers in Faith's long wavy hair.
"And quite the catch," a cheerful voice replied.
Buffy looked up sharply when she recognised the overly jovial tone of Mayor Richard Wilkins.
"You need to leave," she gritted her teeth hating that she couldn't touch the man that facilitated Faith's downfall into darkness.
"Now, now that is no way to talk to your elders," the man said, "My Faithy deserves to be with someone who has some manners."
"She's not yours," Buffy replied.
"I think I know a whole lot more about her than you do," the Mayor chuckled, "Because my gosh you sure weren't quick to let her into your precious inner circle."
"I didn't mean to," Buffy faltered before clearing her throat. She had to keep reminding herself that this wasn't really the mayor, this was the First Evil and it was trying to get under her skin.
"But you did and my poor Faithy got hurt in the process," the Mayor said, "And then you plunged that knife into her stomach and practically killed her. I've got to say that really isn't proper behaviour for a young lady."
"Well she was a younger lady than I was and you had her going out and sticking knives in the stomachs of professors," Buffy said angrily.
"And she did it with a smile on her face because she knew it would make me happy," the Mayor smiled brightly, "That girl would do anything for me and boy did I love her for it."
"You don't know a thing about loving her," Buffy sneered.
"I know a lot more about loving her then anybody ever has," the Mayor said matter of factly, "The truth of the matter is my Faithy had never known what love was until she met me and she loved me back for it. Do you think that's going to come between you? The fact that she could love somebody as evil as I am?"
"I don't think anything is going to come between us," Buffy said confidently gripping Faith's hand beneath the sheet.
"But something already has," Mayor Wilkins smiled, "She nearly killed you and my Faithy won't be able to handle that. She's going to always remember that she hurt you and it's going to break her."
"You're wrong," Buffy said, "You don't know her anymore and if it does break her I'll be there to pick up the pieces. I'll always be there."
"Will you though?" her own voice answered her back as the First took on her own image, "Look at your past, you can't make it stick."
"She's different, I've never felt anything like what I feel for her and I know in my heart that we can make this work. Which is more than I can say for you because any day now we're going to be kicking your ass so hard you're not going to know what hit you."
"You're so confident of that," the First chuckled, "It's almost comical. Don't you see how easy it was for me to break her. I can do it again just like that and there's nothing you can do to stop me."
"And why her? Why did you pick her?"
"It was one of my more genius ideas," the First said perching itself on the end of the hospital bed, "She was already alone, isolated from the rest of you and as selfish as you are you didn't even think of clueing her in on what was happening. It was so easy, she was already torturing herself over what she had done I only had to give her nightmares a body and with a little help from my magical friends I could control the prison guards, ordering them to torture her on a daily basis so that her stay in prison was literally hell. You are so adamant at doing what's right I would gain an advantage whatever way this went. Should you let her die and be turned she would be my most powerful ally and you would be so devastated you had killed her you would be off your game and not be able to stop me from pulling your friends and Potential Slayers apart. If it went the other way and she gets carried away she would drain you and even if she didn't she would be devastated that she had hurt you or possibly killed you and she would be useless and you would be gone."
"But I'm not," Buffy smiled for the first time since the First appeared, "I'm alive and she's alive so your master plan kind of went kablooey, bet that hurts."
"It may have failed but I'm not done with you ladies yet you can be sure of that," the First growled, "I'm going to make you bleed and I'm going to make you watch as I kill each and every one of your friends."
"But you can't do anything really right," Buffy said, "I mean you can't even touch us. You're just like this big hologram guy who is all talk but needs other people to do stuff for him. You know for an evil guy you're kind of sucky."
"I will dance in your entrails girl, I will make you beg for death and in a never ending shroud of excruciating pain," the First snarled.
"Big words for something that can't even touch me," Buffy said, "See this is how it's gonna go. You're going to leave and I'm going to enjoy some alone time with my girlfriend, who by the way is so not going to be happy to see you, and then when we get out of here we're going to destroy you. I think that sounds like a plan don't you."
"This isn't over," the First snapped before disappearing with a slight popping sound.
"I thought I just said that," Buffy sighed, "I swear nobody listens to me."
"It's 'cause your speeches are kind of long winded," a raspy voice said making her jump.
"I going to attribute that to your sedatives," Buffy pouted, "I've been told my speeches are nothing but inspirational."
"Inspirational in the how not to make a speech sense," Faith teased.
"You must be feeling better if you're teasing me," Buffy smiled brightly, "And also look at us, both alive and kicking, score one for the good guys."
"I'm sorry," Faith said, her smile instantly dropping, "I-I nearly killed you but I just couldn't stop."
"It's okay," Buffy promised, "Besides it gives another meaning to eating me out."
"B!" Faith gasped, "Did you just make a pun about sex? Did you suffer brain damage or something when I drunk from you."
"Nope, cogs are still ticking," Buffy said, "Guess I'm just happy and have apparently been spending too much time with you."
"Is that a bad thing?" Faith asked almost shyly.
"Never," Buffy said suddenly serious, "I have spent too much time without you that I never want to be apart, and don't laugh at how corny that sounds because trying to describe how you feel always comes out sounding corny."
"I feel like I will break in two if I don't kiss you soon because you are my other half and you complete me," Faith said.
"See corny," Buffy replied although inside her heart absolutely soared.
"And no less true," Faith replied, "I love you B, with all my heart. You make me feel like I've never felt before and it scares the shit out of me but I feel like together we can get through anything life throws at us. Fuck, why is it so hard to not make that sound corny."
"Because true love is clichéd and it's a cliché because everybody wants it. We've been to hell and back and it hasn't been easy but when we finally found each other, really found each other everything fell into place," Buffy said.
"I've never done this," Faith told her, "I've never been with someone longer than one night. I don't know how to."
"I'll show you," Buffy said softly, "It might not be easy but I know we can do it. I-I'm sorry, for everything, for how I treated you in the past, really I am."
"I am too," Faith said wrapping her arm around Buffy's shoulders, "You know while I was locked up, while all that shit was happening to me, thinking about you was the only thing that got me through."
"Talk about fate sending you a sign," Buffy chuckled.
"I always knew," Faith said softly, "From the moment I first met you and you were so pissed off in your little dress that I'd strolled in onto your turf and stolen your kill, I knew that I loved you."
"I can remember being slightly jealous that I didn't look that good in leather pants," Buffy blushed.
"Oh you look plenty good if memory serves," Faith smirked.
"So how are you feeling because I kind of promised a big bad we would go kick the snot out of him later," Buffy asked snuggling in under Faith's chin.
"Oh fuck yeah do I have a score to settle with that incorporeal bastard," Faith said.
"So that's a yes then?"
"Big fucking yes," Faith asserted.
"Such a way with words," Buffy chuckled, "I love you."
"I love you too," Faith replied, "Fuck it feels weird saying that but also right at the same time. We're really going to do this aren't we? Be together."
"Yeah we are," Buffy sighed happily, "Faith?"
"Yeah B?"
"Are you going to kiss me soon?"
"You better believe it girlfriend, and afterwards you and me we're going to go and kill us a centuries old evil."