Faith was sitting on a bar stool in the dark oak paneled coffee bar that was going for that hipster look of trying to look like a real oak paneled bar from the seventies. It didn't. Not with all the hipster art on the wall that looked like some housewife's scrap book exploded. You could tell even by looking at Faith's back that she wasn't like the rest of these little hipsters. Her hair was too long and her highlights were too home-done and growing out and her hoodie was too plain and black while all the other girl's exploded in fashion victim color. Kennedy saw Faith's face in the mirror of the bar. It was still and serene where the corners of her heart shaped lips were turned up. Her brows eyes were looking into the mirror but not at herself. She was watching the sky. The setting sun. Kennedy felt like she hadn't seen Faith in a long time or something. It almost looked like it wasn't her. She looked older, but in a good way. Like she was thinking about something that made her really think without getting that frown. She looked thoughtful and she looked like she was on the border of being happy about it. That was when she turned to Kennedy and grinned, and Kennedy almost felt bad that she stopped this girl, this woman, from thinking. Kennedy saw Faith smile and look at her like she had some joke to share while she shifted forward on the bar stool. Any regrets Kennedy had of interrupting Faith from looking different disappeared. She was all Faith with that smile—all Slayer, and Kennedy was all Potential and she had finally got there with Willow. Kennedy wanted to brag to The Slayer about that, about Willow.

"There's my dyke, marching in," Faith said.

"I'm so not yours," Kennedy retorted as she hopped up on the coffee stool after her dirty look chased some guy that was considering sitting there away.

"You're a way too butch for me. And saying stuff like that is what makes Willow not want to come—"

"Yeah, she's so the kinda girl that needs that Norah Jones love song crap," Faith said.

"You'd be surprised," Kennedy said, "All we needed was the floor in her office in Summers' house to make the earth move."

"And she needs the ground that B used to walk on to get off or something? What's wrong with our house?" Faith's sotto voice said lightly as she looked away.

"Number one fuck you and number two, it's my house, and no mortgage crisis is gonna take it from me. Just you and you're loud boyfriend and the cougar bait. I'm moving out."

Kennedy felt her chest heave with excitement and her smile break wide even though she was trying to keep her cool. Why should she even try to be cool? Kennedy was the coolest. She was moving in with Willow Rosenberg!

"Hey, I was kidding about the B thing," Faith shrugged with a fake two second grin and then looked away "But, I guess it's time I stopped playing house with you guys anyway; I'm not exactly the suburban wife type. We should all get our own places before something--

"Put your abandonment issues in the penalty box, Captain" Kennedy said and held her hand up, "Willow just asked me to move in with her is all. The house stays. I know you need a place where you can supervise the skinny vamp spawn when the rich and powerful patriarch isn't here, and I'm more than happy to provide the holding station. I may not agree with your lifestyle choice of screwing the mouthy super model-cheeked one, but as long as you get the job done…"

"Wait you're shitting me. Willow asked you to move in there? Into B's house where B and the dead ex used to live? Isn't she worried Dawn will go all goth if you do that? So you finally get the wedding bells you were after. Who cares if it's legal? It's more fun that way. I'm sure."

Faith's eyes were connecting right into Kennedy's now. She smiled casually now.

"No one is talking about weddings but you. Twice now, which is about as common as Sarah Palin going to a Pride Parade sponsored by PETA and as creepy. Spike wouldn't do something stupid like ask you to marry him, would he?"

Kennedy expected a snort and a laugh and some awesomely rude comment. Instead her friend turned away but not before Kennedy could see the color of her face changing which was really rare. She had only seen that happed once before when she told Faith Angel was her father figure, which was extremely obvious. But, not as obvious as the latest stupid move Spike had made.

"No way!" Kennedy said and laughed, "He really is a total moron. I know he knows you as well as I do and yet he does something that's gonna make you do your psycho chick thing and take off for the hills."

"I never said he asked. Wouldn't even be legal anyway. He just…he just told me he'd do is all. Then the bastard started to feel bad that he mentioned it without thinking, like there's any other way he does stuff. As if I'd want him to ask permission from my dead drunk parents or something! I never asked him for anything, ya know? After B left I just pretended I needed his help so he wouldn't get depressed. Fast forward a few years and he wants me to be the good virginal bride? Might as well ask me to somehow get my Slayer strength back again and be the blessed virgin while I'm at it!"

Faith said all of this quietly while shredding her coco stained napkin into nothing. It never had a chance. Then she looked at Kennedy like she couldn't believe she just said all that but wanted an answer. Kennedy knew that later they'd go out protecting the clueless masses, like the hipsters in this place. Faith would be ordering her to stand down to hide behind Connor or some other dude if things got too rough, and Kennedy would do it. She might bitch about it, but she would do it. But now Kennedy had to pull her weight.

"Only you could twist someone wanting to give you everything into them asking you for something. Well, maybe not only you. I do have some experience with some other powerful women who are love-learning-disabled. Trust me, Spike is not still thinking about the other girl he was in love with who's long gone. I know how someone is when they do that too."

Well, what do ya know? She wasn't expecting to say all of that either.

"Screw this relationship shit!" Faith said, "Kennedy, you know you deserve better than that. If Willow can't get over that blonde chi—"

But, unlike Faith, Kennedy didn't want an answer.

"Don't worry about me," she said to Faith, "I'm a brat; I can take it. It's you, Miss-hardened-criminal, that cracks under this relationship shit."

"I do not crack. I stayed good and hard when Spike went all Mr. Darcy on me. And trust me, Spike did too with my mad skillz," Faith grinned at her own joke.

"So, no 'Congrats on moving in with your girlfriend, Kennedy.' Or even 'Hey, sorry I made fun of you for liking 'Pride and Predjudice' but I'm gonna make reference to it now.' She told me she loved me for the first time last night. You get to hear that from the vamp 24-7 and I'm supposed to be the brat."

"I'm happy for you, okay. Even a clueless idiot like me can see how long you've wanted this with Red and you more than earned it. But, we have to get one thing straight," Faith said looking straight at Kennedy, "Just because I was bored and watched that tight-ass Brit movie with you doesn't mean that I didn't think it was gay."

"Gay, huh?" Kennedy snorted, "No, the gay version is me and Willow. I'm Mr. Darcy and Willow is Lizzie and I have to win her over."

"Cool, okay," Faith said, "Talk more about the hot girl-on-girl action because I didn't like where the talk was headed before. It sounded like you wanted me to be hugging you and squealing because you're moving in with your beloved and I do not do squealing."

Suddenly, something—someone--- was right up against Faith's back. Kennedy knew the sun just set. She immediately thought about how she could use this hot coffee as a weapon before she could find some wood.

"You have bewitched me both body and soul," the vamp said grinning into Faith's ear.

"Christ, Spike!" Kennedy said, "If I admit you have way more game than any human with a penis, knowing when were referring to you as a Jane Austin character and quoting him with perfect timing will you stop doing the pop-up vamp thing? I could accidentally kill you one day, especially after Willow makes me into a Slayer."

"I might kill him on purpose if he doesn't quit it," Faith said, "I don't do romance, especially the Victorian tight-assed kind."

"Much like how you don't do squealing?" he asked with a cocky head-tilt as he circled around Faith to face her slowly and deliberately, "Because there have been a few nights—

"Fuck off," Faith grumbled but it was more like a purr, but then she looked down, "See. To do Victorian romance you have to be classy and smart."

"You—" Spike began with his annoyed look, but Kennedy decided his game was annoying her and interrupted.

Kennedy could only take so much cockiness from a guy.

"Maybe you could be smarter, Faith with trying to die for Spike twice, but you are kind of classy. Spike is your damsel in distress," Kennedy reminded Spike.

"Haven't heard your mouth lately, has it been busy with Willow?" Spike asked Kennedy.

Faith nudged him wordlessly towards the stool next to her.

"It takes a lot more than mouth to land the woman that's the one, Spike", Kennedy said, "It takes a lot of patients and subtlety."

"You're shit out of luck then," Spike told Kennedy, "Best come back to the house. My girl won't say it, but she misses you, and all your angry-at-men-magazines are piling up."

He managed to already get a beer from the bartender when Kennedy hadn't even realized they served it.

"I don't need people to say things to know how they feel, and if you do you're the one who's shit out of luck, old-school. I'll have you know my persistentance has paid off and Willow asked me to move in with her. She's even making a spell for me so I can reach my full Potential Slayer strength."

"Well, good on you. Le's drink to our persistence," Spike said holding up his beer.

"To wearing our women down," Kennedy held up her coffee mug.

"We're built for it."

"Fuck you both," Faith said with her grin, "It always ends the same. I confide in a chick and she betrays me. The two of you, teaming up to wear me down."

"Only when it comes to love, pet," Spike said a little too earnestly now.

"Hey! No betrayal here. I'm just preparing him. In the end it will help you get what you want," Kennedy said

"A rare old-school punk play-list, an order of spicy wings, and a new flame thrower?" Faith said.

"How can I not love you?" Spike responded with that earnest thing again.

"Kennedy's right," Faith rolled her eyes, "You drop the l-world way too much. It's fuckin' annoying."

"Thought you were on my side," Spike said to Kennedy while Faith was now in his space drinking his beer and going through his pockets for cigarettes.

"Nah, I'm always on team girl. I just feel for ya," Kennedy said to Spike, "If I ever think it's hard loving an all powerful MENSA Wicca I can just look at you and see you with your Southie Slayer who loves to keep you in your place."

" Nothing is hard for me. There's no other place I'd rather be than where I'm kept now. No force could make me leave it," Spike said he pulled Faith around to face him on the stool.

"Well, I wouldn't say nothing is hard," Faith said as Spike brushed her hair back and held her between his legs facing him, "You do have that—Dawn, Harris. Hey."

Kennedy saw Faith take a big step back from Spike in one motion as she turned to face Dawn and Harris who came in. Harris looked out of place with his button down shirt and leather brief case. Dawn just looked straight at Faith, her expression unreadable to Kennedy.

"Just wanted to do a debriefing on the whole zombie-Nazi, Dawn-sucking-them-all-into-Hell-thing," Faith said her arms gesturing to make a big hole and sucking motion.

"You don't have to do that," Dawn said.

Kennedy wondered if Dawn had inherited her mellow drama trait. Faith was bending over backwards to avoid PDA with Spike, and she still was making demands. If Kennedy could be in charge of her for a second, Dawn would drop the mellow drama faster than she had all those cutsie girlie clothes over the years.

"Hey," Faith held her hands up, "I'm not even thinkin' about butting in with advice on your new cool power. I just wanted to let you know that even though it's been quiet we gotta watch out for--"

"No," Dawn said, "I mean, you don't have to be nervous to be Spike's girlfriend around me."

Wait. Was the girl earning her mature preppy yet sexy wardrobe?

"Nervous," Faith said and smiled, "I don't do nervous, kid."

"No," Spike said as he jumped off the bar stool, "but she does guilt pretty good."

"Shut-up," Faith said as she elbowed Spike behind her and looked at Dawn, "So, you're new sucking-big-bads-into-Hell-power is wicked cool! You sis would be proud."

"Yeah, turns out I'm really good at sucking," Dawn said excitedly.

"I think every girl has to get there at some point," Faith said.

"Yeah, well, I'm there. Oh, how's Connor? Wait, forget I just said that thing about being good at sucking. It was meant to be a joke, but not that kind of a—Forget I asked how Connor was after that joke."

"I'm already really trying," Harris said, "Can we please move on to where the latest death and dismemberment took place? Oew, I bet there was one right here. These hipper-than-thou coffee places are always prime for—Do they serve beer, good beer? We have to protect this place."

"It's on the list. There hasn't been any real dismemberment since the Nazi thing," Faith told them.

Kennedy heard someone's cell phone ringing, not that she hadn't been hearing that all night in this place, but the "Sex Pistol" ring-tone stood out from all the techno and "Pussy-Cat-Doll" ones. It was Spike's. He seem to stare at his phone confused for a second, and then he told Faith he'd be right back and walked outside. She kept her eye on Spike, but it didn't seem to piss her off as much as Kennedy thought it should. If she was really doing a debriefing he shouldn't leave.

"I've done some configuring and it seems like vamp attacks are at an all time low. Down to the summer after Buffy killed The Master," Dawn said to Faith.

Okay, Kennedy knew the whole sister thing was a bond and all, but The Slayer bond was something Dawn couldn't know about. But, Faith was The Slayer now and talking about Buffy wasn't going to help her lead.

"That's 'cause we have the boys, not to mention you guys," Faith said as she hopped up on a stool and smiled, but then she looked severe, "But, that doesn't mean I want to coast. We need to investigate shit more. Get contacts. I want to be on top of things so crap like the zombie Nazis will never even get the chance to happen."

"I agree," Kennedy said, "We need to get everyone here and get a team strategy for investigating."

Before Faith could speak Spike came back in looking tight-faced and serious and something Kennedy had never seen on him before—nervous. He didn't even look nervous when Faith was lying to everyone and telling him he was crazy so he wouldn't be able to die for her, so she could die for him. But, like her Willow would say "that all worked out okay." He paced in a circle and everyone in the place noticed him.

"A'right," he said and then he knelt at Faith's stool, "There's no easy way to do this. Faith, love, you're my soul mate—"

"Crap," Kennedy interrupted, "I was afraid of this. Spike, stop what you're doing. Don't you realize that Faith isn't your typical Scarlette if you propose to her and try to sweep her off her feet she'll react—"

"Don't tell him how I'm gonna react," Faith said, "You'll tip him off that I'm gonna rip his—"

"It's-it's not that—" Spike gritted his teeth and glared at Kennedy and then turned back to Faith with those puppy eyes.

"Wow, purposing!" Dawn said. Kennedy noticed she didn't exactly look like she was mourning her long lost sister.

"It's not--Dawn, I should've known—I wish I thought—" Spike shot up next to Dawn now.

"Okay, I don't like where the serious is going, even if Dawn will be legal in a few months," Harris joked.

"Spike, it's okay," Dawn said, "I'm not a kid anymore. I know you loved my sister and I—I know you love Faith and I know she---I'm not some brat who's going to fall apart if you move on with your life. I'm not going to trap you in a house."

"I do love Faith, more than—" Spike stammered at Dawn, "But, your sis--- Something awful has happened."

"Something I couldn't feel. For the first time I don't know how to tell you something," he said as he turned back to Faith.

"Spike, what happened? Did you kill again?" said in a much more mature calm voice and look now that she realized he wasn't purposing. .

"It'll be all right," she said going to Spike's side, "We'll take care of it. Do what we have to do. Make sure you get rehabbed for good this time."

"Spike wouldn't kill---Spike did you--"

"Faith you can't—"

Harris and Dawn objected as they looked shocked that Faith would cover up a mistake for someone she loved.

"Let's go talk alone," Faith said to Spike, only looking at him.

"No, I should—I have to tell them. I should've told you about it. I should have told you about it a long time ago, but I couldn't, I just couldn't and now—I promised her. We promised her, you see?" Spike pleaded and seemed to look at Faith but then at Dawn.

"What did you promise, baby? Who?" Faith asked. Wow, she was pretty good at getting to the point while be soothing. Kennedy should take a page from her. She wanted to rip Spike's head off for not spitting it out already.

"Buffy," Kennedy heard a familiar no-nonsense voice—Willow's.

"And we don't have time for this," she barked at Spike, "I told you to say 'goodbye' and that was it. I told you not to tell them, damn it! We're the only ones that can save Buffy and you're already not focused."

"Buffy!" Kennedy had some barking of her own to do, "You're 'psycho magic chick' in London is Buffy. The crazy girl attacked by a god or whatever. How could you not--"

"Kennedy, I do not have time," Willow barked louder, but then softened, "I tried to call you, but you didn't answer. What's the point of having a cell phone if it's never with you?"

"I didn't take my phone because I didn't want to interrupt you from working on my that Slayer spell for me before you went to London to help some poor girl that couldn't handle her power. Now I find out Buffy is that girl," Kennedy said hoping Willow would tell her it wasn't true.

She didn't.

"There's a note and something for you at my--Buffy's house," Willow said instead.

"Buffy's in London? There's a temporal disturbance there. She was attacked by a god?" Dawn said.

"Wait, how can B be back here?" Faith said "Did something evil take her out of that dimension because they want The First to show up again? That sucks. We should all--"

"This isn't about you! You'd like that if I had to send Buffy away again, wouldn't you?" Willow snapped at Faith.

"Hey!" Spike began but Willow cut him off.

"Buffy is not going back to that dimension. She's been back here for a while now and The First has stayed away. Buffy belongs here but the longer Spike and I wait to go to London the harder it will be to save her from Hell."

"Look--" Spike began.

"Wait, Buffy's been back here for awhile? Wait, Buffy's in Hell?" Harris asked.

"Not really, mate. She was attacked by a god-witch," Spike said.

"Buffy was attacked by a god-witch?" Harris said, "What's a god-witch?"

"A god-witch is a mythical being from another dimension with divine power among mortals. They only come down here and intervene when something huge is happening, or if their dimension is at war," Dawn said, "There have been stories of them ever since history has started. Sometimes people say they're all powerful demons in charge of Hell. Sometimes they say they are really cute with wings. The Counsel concluded they are a myth and doesn't really write about them much."

"Again people, this is all in my note, accept, wait--How did you know all that?" Willow demanded, "I don't think Giles knows that much. He just told me--"

"Giles?" Harris started, "Buffy is with Gi--"

"She knows," Spike said, "Because when she was in 8th grade she went through an angel phase, and she wanted to learn all about them."

"God-witches are angels. The Counsel calls them god-witches, because they had but god-like and mystical powers," Dawn said and she shared a wistful look with Spike.

"You wanted them to be real so bad," Spike said to Dawn, "Of course, I think I killed that wish went I showed you all about what it said in the back of the bible with them being nasty, warring, vengeful, virgin-shagging herpharodites. Looking back that really wasn't appropreiate. Sorry, bit."

"Don't be," Dawn said, "I was sad about the angels being yucky, but it was so fun watching mom's face when I told her what a herphofrodite was. You always told me the truth and got me ready for what was really going to happen. Do it now. Tell me how bad it is with Buffy."

"The bugger put a nasty spell on her making her go through agony in her head. Giles and his almost-all-powerful-witch said it's trying to really kill her so she can't come back. It's trying to destroy her soul."

"I didn't think someone's soul could be destroyed until I found out about that god-king thing I saved Fred from," Dawn said.

"God-kings, god-witches," Harris said, "Who here misses just plain gods?"

Kennedy did not miss just plain gods, wasn't the guy who helped put Spike in that coma and then tried to rape Faith in Spike's body one of those? Kennedy knew she did not miss The First Evil the last thing she knew for sure was if Buffy Summers lived here The First would soon become their neighbor and start killing all The Potentials. She didn't get how this was not going to happen again, or how the Chosen Slayer that refused to bow out gracefully had made her way back here again. Kennedy did get that people here missed Buffy, and that there was this thing between Spike and Dawn that she had totally missed before, and that Dawn Summers was pretty cool. But she didn't have time to care about that because her girlfriend who she loved more than anything lied to her, and was taking off but not before acting like Kennedy was the one that did something wrong.

"So, cool," Faith said, "We know who the big bad is and what it wants. So, let's get going."

"It has to be just Willow and I," Spike said, "We're taking a page from your book, love, and we're going into Buffy's head and getting her out of the spell. We're teleporting to London straight away. Willow says time's a factor."

"Which is why Willow wrote a note," Willow said, "And Spike was just supposed to say 'goodbye.'"

"You won't be able to teleport us for another few minutes until the planes line up," Spike said to Willow like she already knew that, and Kennedy was sure she did.

"You shouldn't be teleporting at all," Kennedy said. She felt like she'd been silent forever, "That's a really addictive spell for you, Willow. And how are you going to do all this mind-melding magic without me there to help balance you."

When Willow didn't answer Faith spoke with her smirk that came out when she thought people were expecting her to go psycho, but she never did, not with Kennedy.

"You guys can't be too balanced if you are getting ideas from me. I'll bet just like in my genius plan odds are you won't make it out," Faith said plainly but her eyes looked glassy as she took a few steps away from the group.

"You do have stupendiously bad ideas, love," Spike said as he followed behind her tentatively giving her space, "They always go strait to dying for someone who doesn't deserve it. But, if you haven't noticed I'm pretty bad at dying for those who do deserve it. And unlike you, I'm smart enough not to go into someone's head alone. I'll have a really powerful witch with me who's being very rude to you right now, so I'll have to live so I can give her what for later."

"You have to live, but because you're a Champ, not because you get off on avenging my honor that I don't deserve," Faith said turning to Spike as she crossed her arms.

"You're right, you don't deserve my white knight old hat, do you? You deserve a lot more," Spike said walking up to her slowly and caressing her face, "I'll do everything I can, use all I've got to get back here to give it to---"

"You mean--" Dawn's voice was trembling and it made Kennedy want to shut her up.

"Wait!" Kennedy yelled.

Spike had great game knowing how to walk up to Faith, saying that he would do anything to get back to her, saying that he would defend her honor. And Faith, one of the hardest nuts to crack falling half shelled in his hands. Only it was all wrong! Spike was really taking off for some other girl, and Willow, her girl, who had finally been without any shell with Kennedy was too.

"You're mean to tell me you're both going into Buffy's head!" Kennedy demanded of Willow who had been standing closest to the door the whole time.

"I may not be some wicca chick, but I know how dangerous the last spell was for you when you just put Faith in Spike's head. Why are you doing this, Willow? Why does it have to be you? Giles--"

"I'm Buffy's sister," Dawn began, "If anyone should be going into her head it's me. I'm not afraid to die, and I should for her, so she can stay here. This is all my--"

"No," Harris said lowly and firmly.

"Don't be stupid, Dawn. You have your cool new power going. My time has come and gone. Besides B would kill me if I let anything happen to you. Why don't you take me and I'll go in?" Faith said, "B and I are both Slayers and our minds—"

"No," Willow and Spike said in unison.

"Oh, I get it!" Kennedy said as her throat burned, "It has to be you two because you don't trust anyone else with your precious Buffy."

"It has to be us because Spike and I know Buffy better than anyone," Willow said plainly, too plainly now.

Kennedy wished Willow sounded angry again, or half as angry as Kennedy was.

"Yeah, because you don't tell us anything about her, like her my space page landed on this dimesnsion," Harris said to Willow and Spike, "I may not be the greatest deducer, but I'm deducing that Buffy has been living in London with Giles for a while and she had you lie to us all about it. And now…now she's in trouble so I shouldn't be focusing on that. So, I want to help, but it sounds like you two have decided I can't. And you two and Spike teaming up behind our backs, very parallel universe wrong-ish by the way"

"I couldn't agree more," Kennedy said.

"You have to understand," Willow said, "No one could know she was back for her safety and the safety of the world. If the demons knew she was back--Faith is the known Slayer in this world now and it was safer to have the world think that it was just her."

"It had nothing to do with the world. It was all about what Buffy wanted, which wasn't helping us deal with anything. Faith gave up her physical power to save Spike. Don't you think with all that has gone on with a whole demon clan trying to kill and rape her that she could have used some help?" Kennedy said to Willow.

"Listen—" Spike began looking at Kennedy now.

"Faith made her choices; Buffy never got that luxury," Willow said coolly as she looked at Faith, "Buffy always had to be The Slayer."

" Buffy didn't have choices?," Kennedy said, "All Buffy ever had were choices because of you being stupid and falling under her spell, and now you're doing it again!"

"No, K. Your girl is right. You weren't around when I--." Faith started.

"If I hear you go through you're repenting speech one more time, Faith…You're right I wasn't around when you went over to the dark side, but you know what? You came back. High school has been over for twice as long as it went on now and you aren't the bad teenage head case you were and Buffy is not the cheerleader. I hate to break it to you but, you're all actually getting kind of old. How do we know who Buffy is anymore what side she is even on now?"

"Hey!" Harris exclaimed, "We're not old. We're not even close to 30 yet. And Faith didn't go to our high school. And Buffy had to quit cheerleading; and most importantly Buffy has always—always been for the good. Except that one time she was driven crazy and thought she was living in a different reality, which I guess is kind of like now, maybe. But, she wasn't really evil then either and…"

"And you trust her no matter if she's living in reality or not," Kennedy said, "Tell me. What choices did Faith and I ever have thanks to Buffy?"

"We got to be Slayers," Faith said.

"Not like her!" Kennedy demanded, "We didn't get to chose whether we could be Slayers or not, we didn't chose to be alone and give up everything while she had the people we are supposed to be with, and we certainly didn't chose to fight a battle losing countless sisters while The First wreaked havock on the Slayer line and the world because they just wouldn't let her die, so other girls could have their choice, their chance."

"I can't listen to this," Willow said ran out of the coffee shop with almost magic speed.

Willow ran out of the coffee shop and Kennedy was quick to catch her as Kennedy was running in jeans and Willow in her emerald green skirt she wore whenever she was going somewhere she was excited about. Kennedy remembered how seriously Willow took words, and she knew she had to slow down or Willow would just keep running. When Kennedy grabbed her arm Willow turned to her.

"Willow, wait," Kennedy said softly, "You know I didn't mean I wanted Buffy dead. In a different world we'd probably be shopping buddies. I just kind over-react when I hear the woman I love is going to most likely die because—"

"Goodbye, Kennedy," Willow said flatly.

Kennedy was ready to argue back that she had a point. But before she realized what Willow said her witch held out her palm and blew something white and ethereal into Kennedy's face. Kennedy fell on cold ground that she could make out was green grass in the disappearing dusk. She felt something, something more that the hollow pain of breathlessness and anger. Kennedy knew this feeling. Kennedy knew this feeling, she knew this feeling way more than being left by the one she loved. It hummed in her head and her body only this time it was violent. She had to fight the urge of someone helping her up because she knew it wasn't Willow. She realized they had all followed them outside: Faith, Spike, Harris and Dawn.

"Better watch you power there, red. Unnessary roughness on loved ones is how you start going over the line," Faith said to Willow as she hauled Kennedy up.

"There was nothing unnescessary about that roughness," Willow said, "I just gave her the only thing she ever wanted, her choice. She has her chance now."

Willow was curt, like she was reffing some game and had come to a fair decision.

"I don't get it," Faith said, "How does smacking her around, albeit mystically, give her a chance?"

Kennedy did get it, but she hadn't wanted it. Not this way.

"I don't want this! How can you not know the only thing I want is you?" Kennedy said her voice breaking her muscles wanting to explode with her new strength she couldn't do anything with, "and I have no chance, no choice if you're going to leave me for Buffy."

"That's not what she's doing!" Spike said with breathily his voice wavering but not breaking like Kennedy's had.

"That's not—How could she say--" Spike continued to stammer, "Faith, I'm not leaving you for Buf-- Well, I am leaving but not—I'm leaving you to save---She needs-- I'd never—I love—"

Faith pulled Spike to her. Kennedy waited for the sound of Faith's fist hitting Spike's face. She waited for Faith to swear her lying, pretty-much-cheating boyfriend off. It never came because Faith kissed him, full and wet an open mouthed like you kiss a girl you always wanted to kiss and had to act fast because who knew how long her experimental phase would last.

"You always talk too much, baby," Faith said as she broke away from Spike, who then went back and kissed her again.

"Willow, say something," Kennedy demanded, "You can't leave like this."

Kennedy saw her girlfriend's face look focused and blank. Kennedy thought she saw a silver spark from the corner of her eye, but soon the sparks were abundant and were at the center of her vision where Willow stood. They started covering her.

"We have to go. Now," Willow said.

Kennedy tried to get to her but the silver sparks now funneling around Willow seemed to work like the opposite of maganants and push her back.

"Look, I know you aren't a fan of me speaking my mind on this subject, but the blood is not really pumping to my head right now. So here it goes: I'm completely and truly in love with you. I know that's hard for you to believe, but I think you were starting to believe it and I hope you never stop believing it," Spike said to Faith.

Kennedy could hear Spike talking to the other Slayer, but she couldn't see him or Faith because she wasn't looking at them. All Kennedy was focusing on was Willow with her silvery dancing lights as she faded in her brilliant green. Her eyes were shut.

"B may've believed in you first, but I l—" Faith said to Spike.

"Please, love," Spike said, "Don't tell me you love me. I'm not askin' for that—ever. I just—"

"I don't care if you don't love me anymore," Kennedy's voice broke, "I don't care if you ever loved me because I love you. I love you, Willow, and you deserve better than to be ripped away from someone who loves you more than anything to die for someone who loves you less."

Kennedy tried to get to her girlfriend but the silver sparks now funneling around Willow seemed to work like the opposite of maganants and push her back. Spike and Faith moved closer to Willow than Kennedy could get, all the while they were kissing again. Spike took off his duster and rapped it around Faith. Kennedy could see the duster's blackness reflect the silver of the sparks surrounding her girlfriend. Kennedy grunted with all her new Slayer strength to get as close to Willow as Faith and Spike were. She only ended up falling near Willow's feet and ripping off a piece of hem from Willow's skirt.

"I don't care if you don't love me anymore," Kennedy's voice broke, "I don't care if you ever loved me because I love you. I

"Let go," Willow said as she opened her eyes.

"I won't!" Kennedy said.

"Let go and wrap your arms around me," Willow commanded.

"I can't get any closer to yo--" Kennedy began.

"Now, Spike," Willow said and Kennedy turned to see where her girlfriend directing her command to see Spike let go of his embrace on Faith and step into the silver sparkles that were starting to look like angry mirrored flies that reflected nothing but their own white light.

Spike then rapped his arms around Kennedy's girlfriend who looked silvery, gorgeous and powerful with her clothes all shades of rich green flowing around her, her hair shinning a deep red. She looked as beautiful as when she made all The Potentials into Slayers, only she looked more like herself. Radiant and far away, her eyes focused on something past all of them. Spike was like a fading white-washed aging goth with his short bleached blonde spikes. He only looked back at Faith. He wasn't fit to hold Willow. No one was. Kennedy knew everyone was awed by her beauty as she began to disappear with Spike. That's when the noise started it was like a rumbling or a sucking sound, or the opposite of a sucking sound. Kennedy's brain didn't have words for what she heard—the sound of her girlfriend leaving with her best friend's boyfriend so they could most likely die for some other girl who they had lied about.

There was no sound but the wind in the park. It was cold for Southern California, even in this time of year.

"Well," Faith looked at Kennedy with her big brown eyes, but they still seemed far off, like she couldn't or wouldn't notice Kennedy's tears.

"Looks like it's a whole new line-up on the Hellmouth, but they'll just have to deal with two brunettes for now," Faith smiled.

She was actually smiling as she adjusted Spike's coat on her shoulders.

"It's a whole new kind of fucked!" Kennedy yelled at no one in particular.

She kicked a park bench completely over and it splintered in half.

"I think that's one thing you won't have to worry about, K, but if there is any never before seen adult content at least it will just be in B's head," Faith said, "Willow and B are as tight as war buddies and Spike and B—"

"Don't you dare compare them!" Kennedy demanded as she grabbed her friend by her boyfriend's duster, "Willow is nothing like—I'm not-- You gave up all your power for that bastard who just left you to die for some lying blond. Do you know what Willow just did for me? or are you two clueless being satisfied by you blood sucker's coa--"

Suddenly Kennedy was toppled with Faith over her.

"I may be a little slow in some areas, but I knew the second Willow made you a Slayer again when she blew that magic dust in your face. I could feel it. We're all connected, brat."

"So, Willow's spell gave you your strength back too. We're both Slayers."

"That we are," Faith said, "But don't get jealous. Your girlfriend didn't give me shit. I'm still as weak as a kitten."

"But how did you—"

"I may not be a quick study but, I've had plenty of lessons on Slayers angry, out of control Slayers who are broken hearted because they think their girl betrayed them."

"I'm not out—Willow didn't—"

"Willow gave you this for a reason, and it's not just you're dark sex appeal. Maybe it's because she doesn't trust me or maybe it's because she sees the obvious strength in you. But, It doesn't matter how strong you are if you are too fucked up to see what's coming at you, like my weak albeit strategically placed kicks," Faith said, "I am older than you. I learned how to fly solo with anger and power the hard way—with nothing. You, you're all about the have, you don't know anything about the have not. You need the structure you fight against. Me, I just need one thing-- for you to get in line."

"Okay," Kennedy said.

"Cool," Faith said, "Because I really didn't want to have to take down a friend who went dark over a chick. It's been done. It doesn't end good, ya know?"