Cordelia cursed silently, startled into messing up her last toenail by the sudden knock at the door. "OPI doesn't even make this shade any more," she muttered, trying to carefully erase the tiny smear of coral. "I can't afford to waste it. Phantom Dennis, can't you get that?"

But the door remained shut. Getting to her feet, Cordelia put the applicator back in the glass bottle and set it on the coffee table, then began inching her way towards the door, toes spread wide by the foam separators between them. "Thanks a lot," she said, grasping the doorknob. "Now, when I really need you, you're taking a coffee break. Or whatever it is dead folks drink."

But the door wouldn't open. Apparently Dennis wasn't on a coffee break, he'd just taken a tiny leave of his ghostly sense. "Dennis," she called out, looking up in frustration. "It's daylight. No vamps outside, remember?"

No matter what she did or how hard she cajoled, the ghost wouldn't let her open the door. Giving up, she leaned against it, hoping whoever was outside was still there.

"Hello?" She rolled her eyes, wondering what had given Dennis the heebie-jeebies. "Sorry, my door won't work."

"Cordy? Hey... Uh, it's Faith."

And that answered the question of what exactly had given Dennis the heebie-jeebies. Cordelia's cell phone drifted across the room and floated before her eyes, and she grabbed it and stuffed it in her pocket. "Dennis, it's okay. Really." She sighed. Convincing him that Faith had reformed wasn't going to be easy. "Faith, just give me a minute to...wait - what the hell are you doing here? No offense, but, um, aren't you supposed to be in jail?"

"No." The door shook a little as Faith tried to push it open. "Are you okay in there? What happened?"

"A geeky, way overprotective ghost," Cordelia muttered. "It's okay. Just, uh, stuck. So...jail update?"

Cordelia could practically hear the other woman shrug. "Oh. Well, long story short - those two Watchers said I was a good girl and let me come to England with them. Been brushing up on my Slayer homework. Kicking vampire ass. You know. So they said I was okay to come back to LA."

"Just like that?"

"Hell, I dunno. Maybe I impressed them. Plus they're probably gonna keep an eye on me." Faith tested the doorknob again. "Maybe you should call a locksmith," she suggested.

"Wait, back up a sec, Faith. So you're a Watcherless Slayer? And the Council's okay with it?"

"Nobody wanted the job."

"Oh." For once, Cordelia was speechless.

Faith laughed. "Kidding. I do have a Watcher. He's still in England for a few days, sorting stuff out with the Council. They actually have forms to fill out."

Cordelia nodded slowly. "So you're cool with him?"

"Yeah, Martin's not bad. For a Watcher. I guess I lucked out. So... here I am. What's new round here? Everyone's okay and stuff?"

"Everybody's fine except for one overzealous ghost who's ABOUT TO BE OUT OF A JOB." With one harried look at the ceiling, Cordelia grasped the doorknob. "She's not going to hurt me, Dennis. So let me open.. this.. door.. NOW." And with that, she pulled on the door with as much strength as she could muster. As Dennis chose that moment to let go, it opened rather more quickly than she'd anticipated, and she stumbled a little.

"Faith.. hi.." she said, smiling weakly. "I.. er.. got it unstuck." She stood in the doorway, still holding on to the door. "I guess you want to come in."

"Well, yeah." Faith was uncharacteristically humble. "Is that okay?"

After a brief pause, Cordelia moved to one side. "Come on in." Closing the door after Faith, she moved in front of her and led the way to the living room, plopping down comfortably on the overstuffed sofa. "So... what's the what? Not about you coming back to the country. Coming here, I mean. To see me."

"I... God, I suck at this." Faith paced back and forth at the end of the couch. She forced herself to stop. "Over in England, they had me running all over the place with tests and exercises and crap like that pretty much 24-7, but I still had a little time to think about... uh, stuff, ya know?" God, girl, get it together before she has that ghost kick you out the window.

"I mean..." Faith waved her hand in the air. "I was thinking. Sorting things out some more." She smiled nervously. "Easier than in jail. Didn't have to worry about getting shivved in the shower as much. Made it easier to sort out this whole 'good' thing."

Cordy turned abruptly to face the other girl. "It's all well and good to say you're 'good' now, but I wanna know something. Why? Why are you good? You come over here, knock me into next Tuesday, torture Wes with pieces of glass among other less pleasant thing, and the next thing we hear is that you turned yourself in. I didn't get to talk to you much last time you showed up around here, so tell me now. What happened to change you?"

"It..." Faith sat down. That was the million dollar question, all right. She'd spent most of the past couple years, and especially the past few months, thinking about it - wasn't much else to do - and still didn't know for sure. "Hit rock bottom, I guess. All that time, all those things I did... Up here, I didn't care," she said, tapping her forehead. "But I guess I knew somehow it was just pulling me down. Making me as a monster just like a vamp or whatever. And when those lawyers hired me to kill Angel, the one guy who'd ever even tried to do anything for me, that was it..."

"That was what?" said Cordelia, both voice and expression carefully neutral. "It certainly didn't seem to bother you at the time."

Faith looked back over at Cordelia. "I just couldn't go on like that, Cordelia... and Angel wouldn't kill me. I guess he figured that wouldn't help. And after you guys and Buffy took on the Watchers, it just hit me. Why the fuck would you do that? After everything I did. I needed... I don't know. Needed to pay for what I did. And I know I can't ever do that. But I had to *try*..." She laughed a little. "Figured prison was the best shot I had at doing that, and keeping myself out of trouble while I figured it all out. I'm not sure I'll ever do that, either."

"But I know I'm a Slayer, and that's what I'm gonna do now. It's all I can do," Faith concluded. She felt a little weird for laying it all out like that, but a little bit - a very little bit - of that weight was off her shoulders. Her Watcher had suggested it before she left him back in England, but she woulda done it anyway. At least, Faith hoped she would have.

Cordelia was silent for a long time, weighing the other girl's words. It was still hard for her to believe, after everything that happened. But at the same time, it wasn't that hard *not* to believe, either. Faith certainly hadn't done anything as bad as Angel in his Angelus days, and weren't they all working towards *his* redemption?

Did she owe that same kind of second chance to Faith?

"I guess I can live with that," she said finally. "So long as you don't screw this up and turn evil again. Cause if that happens, I should warn you--I carry a taser now." There was a glimmer of amusement in her eyes at that last, and her expression lightened a little. "And I'm not afraid to use it."

"Well, that settles it... it's a life of good for me," Faith said with a smile. She stood up and cracked her knuckles a couple times. "So, uh... you guys working on any big cases or anything now?" she asked, then grimaced a little. There were probably better topics for small talk...

Cordelia almost snorted. There was trusting Faith, and there was being a moron. Telling Faith all the company's business right off the bat would definitely put her in the latter camp. But keeping her in close range, on the other hand... "Tell you what," she said slowly. "Why don't we take it one step at a time. Maybe we can hook you up with something better to wear."

Faith looked down at her somewhat ratty outfit. Cordelia had a point there. The Watchers weren't big on forking money over for stylish clothes. I need some leather, she thought, then frowned slightly. 'But not black' had popped into her mind out of nowhere. "Okay."

Cordelia cast a quick glance over the other girl. "I may not be totally sure you're what you say you are, but nothing comes between me and a good makeover."

"Okay," Faith repeated, somewhat warily. The other woman was almost a little too friendly.

Or - of course. She just wanted to keep a close eye on Faith. Made sense.

"So... nice place you got here," Faith said, looking around the apartment. It really was. Business must be pretty good for them, she thought.

"I like it. I'd give you the tour, but there's not much else down here except for the kitchen, and I don't really.. hey.." Cordelia turned, her gaze appraising once more, but this time for a different reason. "I don't suppose they had cooking classes in prison...?"

* * * * *

Faith stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked weird - felt weird, too - wearing one of Cordelia's outfits, but there wasn't much choice. Her only real clothes hadn't been washed in more than a year. No way she was gonna put them on. And no way was she gonna wear the crap the Watchers scraped together.

She stopped, listening suddenly as she heard voices outside the apartment. With a little bit of effort, Faith relaxed. It wasn't someone creeping up on her. It wasn't another stupid Watcher drill. Just some guy heading home for the night. A normal guy doing normal shit.

Faith snickered a little. One day, she'd meet someone like that and ask him what it was like. All the people she knew now where deep into the Twilight Zone.


And what about Wesley? That wasn't a meeting Faith was looking forward to. But he wasn't here now, so there was no point getting all stressed thinking about how it would play out.

She glanced at her reflection one more time, then stomped back out into the living room. Cordelia was sprawled out on the couch, busily channel surfing.

"Hey," she said. "I'm back. And...umm... thanks again for loaning the clothes. I owe ya," Faith said, then winced. That was an understatement for sure.

"That may well be the understatement of the century," said Cordelia, glancing around as Faith stopped close to her. She flicked the television off and dropped the remote on the sofa. "But for now, we'll call it even. Mostly. Lucky for you I have such good taste in clothes."

Faith smiled. Couldn't really argue with that, even if Cordy's style was a little too modest for her. "Yeah. So..." She sat down on one of the chairs a comfortable distance away from Cordelia. "I don't suppose you're in the mood for some food? Cuz I haven't eaten since breakfast, and that was airplane food. I have some money..."

Cordelia was silent for a moment, staring at the other girl with an appraising brow raised, then a slow smile curved her lips. "You know, it might not be so bad having you around after all." She got to her feet, then cocked her head towards the front door. "Come on, let's go. We can get some take-out, take it over to the hotel for the others."

"Cool." Faith stood up and headed towards the door.

"Dennis? We're going out for take-out," called Cordelia as she grabbed her purse from a coffee table next to the sofa. The television flickered to life once more. "And you better not order any pay-per-view!" Without waiting for an answer, she pulled the front door open and headed outside.

"So, what's good around here?" Faith asked as the two of them left Cordy's apartment.

Fifteen minutes later...

"Mmm..." Faith smiled and took in a few deep breaths as they entered the Chinese restaurant. "It's been a while, okay?" she asked, slightly defensively, when Cordelia gave her a funny look.

"So what's good here?"

"Mmm, everything," said Cordelia, grabbing a couple of the paper menus and handing one to Faith. "Personally I'm partial to sesame chicken, but the egg rolls are to die for. The fried rice is good, and I usually have vamps... a-and blood..."

"What?" Faith turned sharply. "Cordelia - what the fuck?"

The menu fluttered slowly to the floor, and Cordelia frowned in concentration. "I think we're about to have some company. Vamps--several of them. They're going to break in.. *here*. In a few moments. We should.." She stopped, glaring down at the proprietor. He was waving both hands agitatedly. "What's he twittering about?"

Faith looked up at her, eyes wide. "I don't know... perhaps the fact that you're floating about three feet off the ground?"

"OH! That." Cordelia held out a hand. "Pull me down. This'll only last for a couple of minutes. But I'm afraid it may not wear off before..."

She was proven correct about two seconds later when the glass door was thrust open and several vampires burst into the room.

"Boy, do I love it when the PTB do this," said Cordelia. "That was a *lot* of help!" Digging in her bag, she came up with a handful of stakes. Taking one in each hand, she gave Faith a couple then turned to face the vampires, one leg hooked around the table to keep herself grounded..

Faith glared at the vampires, then slowly began to smile as her old fighting - hunting - instincts kicked in. It had been way too long... She winked at the vampires, then leapt into the fray.

A half hour later...

" - and did you see the look on the one vamp's face when I dusted him with the chopstick? That was so bitching," Faith exclaimed as she pushed the hotel door open with one elbow. She munched down on another handful of french fries and held the door open for Cordelia. "Damn, I forgot how hungry that made me. Can I have one of your burgers?"

"No way! I only got the one." Cordelia laughed a little, leading the way down the steps to the Hyperion lobby. They both came to a stop, facing Angel and Fred who were apparently having a deep and meaningful discussion. Or had been until the two women came in. Cordy cast a quick glance over her and Faith's appearances. They were bruised, bloodied, and more than a little bedraggled.

Smiling weakly, Cordelia held up one of the two bags she carried, both bearing familiar golden arches. "We got MickeyD's," she said. "Anyone hungry?"