26

1 YEAR LATER

Faith had been many places but Italy wasn't one of them.

Evil obviously didn't take a day off but since Buffy and herself wasn't the only chosen ones anymore, Giles suggested that they have a little holiday.

Faith had been more than eager and thankfully, Buffy had been too.

It had taken her a while to recover from her wounds of the great Hellmouth battle but Buffy was absolutely fine now.

Faith had taken care of her completely. She became a little over protective when anyone tried to intervene but Willow had seen the signs in Faith and she had pulled her aside and said she understood what was going on and how pleased she was that Buffy had someone like Faith to love and care for her.

Faith ignored the slight pain in her chest when Willow had said that and just smiled, nodding that she accepted what the red head was saying.

One night, Buffy and Faith decided to go out to a club.

Music blared from the doorway as they stepped inside and saw a huge crowd of people dancing and drinking.

Faith grinned at Buffy and they both took to the dance floor straight away.

As the night wore on, Faith started getting what Buffy would call a little 'too friendly' with some of the clubs patrons but she ignored it until a guy managed to get Faith to go to the bar with him.

Buffy watched with pursed lips as Faith sat chatting to this guy.

Faith kept Buffy in her sights as she talked to the guy.

"So, who's your friend?" He asked.

"Girlfriend." Faith corrected him but her tone was sharp, just matter of fact.

The guy looked slightly shocked but then smiled.

"Oh right! Ok cool! I'm totally down with that."

Faith laughed and took a swig of the bottle in front of her.

"You two make a cute couple." The guy told her.

Faith looked back at Buffy who was now dancing with some random and making sure that Faith saw her.

"Yeah..."

The guy noticed Faith's fallen expression and he frowned slightly.

"You ok?"

Faith nodded but a sad smile crossed her features.

"Yeah sure."

"You don't seem it. Are you two not ok?"

Faith chuckled brokenly and took another drink.

"She is. I'm not."

The guy's frown deepened a little more.

"You don't wanna be with her anymore?"

"Oh course I do! I mean, I love her, man but she-she doesn't love me."

The guy looked at Faith, then to Buffy and back to Faith.

"Well she doesn't look too happy that you're talking to me."

Faith grinned.

"She doesn't like someone taking something that's her's, that's all. Listen man, I know she doesn't love me. She's got this thing for her ex and she always will do."

"He's not a good guy?"

"No he is...when he's not happy." Faith added grinning at the inside joke.

The guy just shook his head and laughed.

"Well for what it's worth, you seem like a great girl and she's stupid if she can't see it."

Faith looked at him, took in his appearance, dark hair, green eyes, tanned skin; he was definitely a cutie, that was for sure.

"You wanna dance?" Faith asked suddenly.

They had been dancing before but now Faith wanted another shot at it and this time, she would up the ante for Perfect Little Miss Summers over there.

The guy nodded and followed Faith back to the dance floor where Faith made sure to stand in front of Buffy as she danced with her back to the blonde haired guy.

Buffy's hazel eyes locked with Faith's dark ones as Faith moved against her guy, making sure that there wasn't any space between them.

Buffy's eyes blazed with white hot anger when the guy slipped his arms around Faith and held her to him.

Faith brought her hand up and touched the hair at the back of the guy's neck, bringing his head down.

The guy grinned at Buffy as his lips ghosted over Faith's neck.

Faith arched her back and turned around, getting as close to him as possible.

Buffy watched as the guy's hand came down and gripped Faith's ass. She waited for Faith to punch him or something else but she laughed and went with it so Buffy pushed away from her blonde guy and grabbed Faith's hand, spinning her round to face her.

"We're going." Buffy shouted over the blaring music.

Faith shrugged and let Buffy pull her out of the club and into the street which was quiet and the music from the club was muffled now.

"What the hell was that?" Buffy snapped, letting go of Faith's hand.

"What?" Faith said innocently, a smile on her face.

"That guy! The way you let him touch you!"

"Come on, B it's just a little fun."

"Fun? He was groping you!"

Faith shrugged.

"Yeah so? He wasn't showing me his dick."

"I don't think it would've taken much." Buffy spat.

Faith sighed and brushed her hair back.

"What's your problem, B?"

"My problem is that my girlfriend is making herself look easy."

"You know I'm not." Faith said, folding her arms.

Buffy narrowed her eyes at her.

"Were you trying to make me jealous?"

"Yeah. I was. Worked, didn't it?"

"I'm not jealous, I just think that when someone is in a relationship, there's a certain way they should act-"

"Like they belong to someone and so no one else can have a good time with them?" Faith cut in.

"Yes-No! That's...that's not what I meant." Buffy said, her voice getting calmer now.

"Then say what you mean." Faith told her sharply.

Buffy shook her head as though she was disappointed.

"I just-I don't understand why you would entertain a guy like that. I mean first you were dancing with him, then you were talking to him and then you danced with him again. He probably thought he had a shot with you."

Faith frowned and shook her head, looking back at the club.

"He wasn't like that. He was actually pretty decent."

"How can you know that?"

"Because I've met my fair share of losers, B. He wasn't one." Faith answered.

"Oh because you're such a good judge of character!"

"You're one to talk!" Faith exclaimed.

Buffy looked down, pursing her lips and folding her arms.

"What were you guys talking about anyway?"

"You." Faith answered, kicking at some stone on the sidewalk.

"Me?" Buffy asked, looking a little surprised.

Faith nodded.

"I told him we were together."

Buffy frowned in confusion.

"But he was all over you during the second dance."

"I wanted him to." Faith admitted.

"Why?"

"Because he was nice. I dunno... he was into me."

Buffy stepped forward and took hold of Faith's hand, a sweet smile on her lips.

"You don't have to go to anyone else to feel like that, Faith. You know that."

"Do I?"

Buffy's smile faltered.

"I don't...I don't know what you mean-"

Faith licked her lips, pulling her hand back.

Oh fuck, here it comes, what you've been avoiding for the better part of a year. Faith thought with inward sigh.

"This isn't real, B. I've known it for a long time. You and me, it's comfortable, it's easy... but it's not real."

"Of course it's real! How can you even say that?!"

"Because it's the truth!" Faith raged.

Buffy took a step back as Faith's anger got the better of her and everything she'd been feeling came rushing out.

"You love Angel! You always will! I'm just here and like Spike, I'm convenient and I went along with it because this is all I ever wanted, I was content to be your second choice but I dunno...maybe I'm not ok with it anymore. Maybe I don't wanna be someone you sorta care about."

Buffy's frown became a full on scowl and she clenched her teeth.

"Sort of care about you? Do know how hard it is for me to see you with other guys? Do you know how much I want to punch some guy that thinks it's ok to touch you?"

Faith nodded.

"The only reason you feel like that is because we're together. You think I'm your's and y'know what? For a while, I was but you can't own people, B."

Buffy's eyes widened as she couldn't believe what Faith was saying.

"I don't want to own you, Faith. I want..." Buffy trailed off, finding that she couldn't finish that sentence.

"And there it is. You don't know what you want."

Buffy looked down and Faith swallowed as she watched the blonde slayer realize what this really was.

When Buffy looked up, she had tears in her eyes and Faith wanted to look away but she didn't. That wasn't what Buffy needed right now.

"I thought...I thought we both wanted this." She said, her voice small and soft.

Faith nodded.

"One of us did but I don't think it was you."

"I did...but then..."

"But then you started thinking about the future and you started wondering if maybe you and Angel could give it another shot." Faith said, almost as if she was reading her mind.

"Faith...I'm so sorry." Buffy said, her voice breaking on the last word.

She knew it was true.

After they'd closed the Hellmouth and she was focusing on getting better, all she could think about was Angel and seeing him again but she'd pushed it to the back of her mind because of how good Faith was being to her.

Faith gave her a forced smiled.

"S'okay, B. We had a good run, didn't we?"

Buffy nodded but tears fell down her face.

Faith pulled her into a hug as Buffy cried and Faith clenched her teeth and tears filled her own eyes.

"We're still friends, alright? No one is gonna walk away completely here." Faith said reassuringly.

Buffy nodded, her head resting on Faith's shoulder.

"I'm sorry for giving you false hope."

Faith chuckled.

"Wouldn't be the first time, B. But I'm a big girl, I'll get over it and as I said, we're still friends, right?"

Buffy stepped back and nodded.

"Of course we are."

Faith brushed a strand of Buffy's hair out of her eyes and smiled.

"Cool. So we're still gonna be able to able annoy each other. I hear Giles wants us to check out that Hellmouth in Cleveland after we're done here."

Buffy nodded and sniffed.

"He does."

"But for now how about we go back to the hotel, put on one of those lame ass films you like so much and just chill out, sound good?"

Buffy nodded.

That was one of the things Buffy loved about Faith, she was so easy going and kept her cool when everything was falling apart. She guessed after prison, not much could phase the dark haired slayer.

Faith put her arm around Buffy's shoulders and they walked back to the hotel.

Just as she'd said, Faith put on one of Buffy's favorites, made some snacks and drinks and brought them into the main room.

"I'm just gonna wash up. I'll be out in a bit, you get comfortable." Faith said.

Buffy nodded and Faith went into the bathroom.

Faith said was ok with it.

She said they would still be friends.

She said that she would get over it.

She was a liar.

As Faith shut the door, she lent back against it, hand over her mouth to muffle the sobs that shook her body as she cried.

Buffy didn't want her.

She didn't love her.

She wanted to find Angel. She wanted to see him again and Faith had known that for some time but she'd decided to go into denial and she was happy there but tonight, reality had come crashing down all around her and Faith would have to learn to be part of Buffy's life with Angel back in it.

She could do it.

She'd be ok with it.

She liked Angel and she liked that he cared for Buffy almost as much as she did.

She wiped the tears from her face and let out a shaky breathy.

She could do this.

Her feelings for Buffy would fade eventually and then she could move on and not wonder what they could've been had Buffy been on the same wave length.

She could live like this.

Being with Buffy but not actually being with her.

It would be fine.

Faith had hope.

Faith knew she could do this.

Faith was a liar.

END

A/N- so this is the end of this one. I'm sorry but I couldn't let Faith be happy with Buffy, she always was such a tragic character anyway but maybe she'll find happiness with someone who deserves and cares for her.

Let me know what you thought and I really do hope you enjoyed this.

Thanks for reading x