Willow was horribly worried, she kept pacing around the hospital's corridor, hoping Oz, Xander and Cordy would come soon, she hated being alone because her brain wouldn't stop working for a moment. She feared Buffy would get seriously hurt, or worse... it was the alternative she didn't wanna think about and she just hoped Faith would wake up soon and recover quickly.
A cranky Slayer was a careless Slayer and Willow wanted Buffy to be really careful and strong enough to defeat the Mayor.
The red-haired witch amateur wanted to be able to cast a spell to fix everything somehow, but she was well aware she wasn't powerful enough for that kind of magic...yet. Above all else Willow was a nerd and always determined to learn stuff she was interested in. Magic was definitely on top of the list.
Just when Willow wanted to try to call Oz again, her quiet werewolf boyfriend ran to her, followed by Xander and Cordelia, who were bickering as usually.
"Guys, I'm so happy you came!"
"The Buffster's not back yet? How's Faith?"-Xander asked and Oz just put his arms around her waist without saying a word. He wasn't much of a talker, but he always knew how to make her feel better. It made Willow feel better straight away.
"No news about any of them... I've been worrying so much... Maybe you and Cordy should head to the Mayor's office to see if Buffy's ok. Oz can stay with me..."-Willow suggested and Xander agreed with her and said to Cordy:
"Come on, my lady, let's go find our Buffster!"
"You called me a lady? It's probably gonna snow in Sunnydale again soon."
"Yeah, probably, so don't get used to it..."-Xander teased her and she hit him playfully and they left.
Buffy managed to stop crying and actually move from the spot about ten minutes later. She couldn't remember ever being so relieved she managed to kill the Big Bad. The Mayor was a tough one and he managed to hurt her, not just physically, but emotionally too, when Faith got hurt. She didn't think anything would hurt more than being molested by her former lover when he lost his soul, but seeing Faith hurt terrified her. Her ribs hurt, but she ignored the pain and forced herself to walk fast, towards the hospital, to her Faith.
While walking, she finally became fully aware of what had just happened and she smiled widely. The sun looked brighter, Sunnydale looked like a very peaceful town where people only worried about whether or not they should have a shopping spree. For the first time in ages, Buffy felt like a normal girl who was on her way to her normal girlfriend and things were fine.
She wished her friends had been with her to witness the major victory over the Mayor, and just when she thought about them she heard Xander's voice: "Buffy! You're all five by five, does it mean the Mayor's not?"
Xander and Cordelia ran towards her and Buffy pulled them both in a tight hug. She had never hugged Cordelia before and they were both surprised of that sudden burst of affection.
"Mayor's dust. Well, he didn't go poof when I killed him, but I bet he did when I blew up the building!"-Buffy smiled and looked quite pleased with herself, especially when she noticed the shocked looks on her friends' faces.
"I never doubted you for a second, I knew you'd go all super-Slayer on him!"-Xander said and Cordy argued:
"You totally doubted her! You kept saying he was too tough even for Buffy and you were worried none of us would make it out alive!"
Buffy pretended to be all shocked, and Xander looked at the floor and said: "Well, maybe for a tiny moment!"
"Do you have any news about Faith?"-Buffy asked and got serious again, she was really worried about her girlfriend.
"No, but I don't think you have anything to worry about. She's a tough cookie. You both are."-Xander tried to make his friend feel better. He didn't like to see Buffy sad, she was his hero and he wanted her always to be happy and alive. He wasn't too good with words, but he would have given his life to save Buffy's if she ever needed him to.
"Thanks, Xand."-Buffy said and hugged him again. He returned the hug, relieved he wasn't turned on by her as much as a few years back.
"Take your paws off of my man..."-Cordy said, not liking the fact that her blonde petite friend was holding onto her boyfriend like she'd never let go. Cordy knew the pang of jealousy she felt was stupid, Buffy had turned gay after all, but she couldn't help thinking that Buffy and Xander shared a bond she would never have with Xander.
"Aww, jealous? He's my Xander shaped friend, not my love interest... Hey maybe I'd like him better if he had boobs like Faith!"-Buffy joked and Xander agreed:
"I think I'd like myself better if I had boobs like Faith too!"
"You guys are weirdos. I don't know why I lov- ohh..forget it."-Cordy said, feeling uncomfortable she was so close to telling them she loved them. It was true though and she couldn't deny it.
"Awwwwwwwwwww, I knew you had a heart somewhere in your chest, hidden by your boobs!"-Buffy joked again, feeling quite silly suddenly for mentioning Cordy's boobs. Now that she thought about it, they were quite nice. Bad thoughts, Buffy, bad thoughts!-she warned herself and flinched a little when Cordy hit her and said:
"You've been checking out my boobs? You little dirty... I'll tell Faith..."
"Don't you dare... I'll kick your ass all the way to L.A. so you can be so close to that many shoes."
They continued to fool around until they got to the hospital and Buffy liked it, for a short while she relaxed. It was well known that Buffy, the big bad Slayer, who made demons and vampires tremble, was terrified of hospitals.
"Buffy! Thank god!"-Willow exclaimed, finally feeling like she could breathe again, and she hugged her best friend so tightly Buffy was surprised by her strength.
"Hey. Summary: Me kill Mayor, he dead. How's Faith?"
"Still unconscious, but the doctor said she'd be fine."
"Uh, I'm so relieved... Gotta call Giles!"-Buffy felt a little quilty she didn't go see Giles straight away, but Faith was her priority and she knew he'd understand.
Giles was really proud of his Slayer when he heard the news. She was really extraordinary...He just hoped Faith would be ok, it was obvious that Buffy cared about her a lot. Plus, they were stronger together...
Buffy was half asleep sitting on a chair next to Faith's bed, holding her hand gently, when she felt a tiny movement. It was like she got electrocuted, she was wide awake the next second.
"Faith? Faith! Oh, baby, you're waking up!"-Buffy's eyes teared up when she saw Faith's tired eyes watched her with so much love.
"B..."-Faith whispered any tried to squeeze Buffy's hand.
"Yeah, I'm here... You're gonna be fine. The Mayor's dead. I kicked his stupid ass, ha!"
Faith was happy to hear the news, but still too exhausted to react the way she wanted: To pull Buffy into her arms and kiss her passionately, then pin her against the wall and reward her with the best sex she ever had.
So she had to find another way to make Buffy happy and she whispered: "I love you."
"I love you too... I was so worried..."
"It's gonna be five by five, B."-Faith whispered and went back to sleep.