"Anybody home?" Faith screamed walking past another door in the labyrinth
below the school. "Damn Spike I think I liked your other crib better." She
thought aloud as she kicked opened another door.
"Welcome to my parlor, said the spider to the fly." Faith turned around to
face the man with a white color.
"T'is the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy." He continued with
the rhyme.
"What is that?" Faith asked.
"Its a little rhyme I learned as a kid. Don't you remember?" He asked
instead.
"Oh! The school stuff. Well, I must have been absent that day, or the
decade." Faith replied.
"It's a nice rhyme. The way up to my parlor is up the winding stairs, and I
have many pretty things to show once you are up there." He moved closer
with both his hands on his lips, as though he was praying.
"Well, I am sure you do, but I'll pass for now." Faith tried to walk past
him but he grabbed her and threw her up the wall.
"Now Faith what kind of an evil would I be, if I let a slayer who has been
handed to me on a platter walk out of here alive." He smiled at her, amused
by his own witty sentence.
"I came here for Spike." Faith said getting up.
"Spike.Spike.Oh! That little vampire. He has been gone for days." He again
resumed his hands to its former position.
"I don't need to take this." Faith said under her breath as she charged and
punched Kylub on his jaw. She was surprised that he was still standing even
though Buffy had told her that he was stronger than anything they had ever
fought.
"Nice hit for a little girl." He said as he merely slapped her and she was
swept across the room.
Tara's face was illuminating with the steam of the potion they were brewing and Phoebe could not help but smile. Tara had this really innocent look and her eyes were so deep, all Phoebe wanted to do was be able to stare into them forever. She closed her eyes and immediately stopped her thought and told herself that Tara has a girlfriend. "What are you thinking?" Tara broke the silence. "Oh! Nothing." She said, with a little blush on her cheek. "Nothing really." She continued. "Well, I was wondering how you knew Leo." "Oh! He was my white-lighter till I gave up." Tara replied casually. "You gave up?" Phoebe asked, now very interested. "Well, I am a born witch too, you know. Unlike Willow who is a witch through learning. Not that she is not a powerful witch. You know she even did a mind swap with a God ..." She paused herself realizing that she was going off on a tangent. "Anyway, I had this destiny thing that I was destined for and Leo was there in the beginning to guide me. That's all." "But you said you gave up. How do you give up destiny?" Phoebe had to ask. "When you have another destiny to fulfill." She replied trying to avoid giving details. "No, no, no. You don't get away with answers like that. There have been times in my life if I had a choice I would choose not to be the Charmed One, but endured it because it was my destiny. Not to mention the millionth time that Prue or Piper has used that word to make me do what I had to. So, you have to tell me how you turned your back on your destiny." Phoebe didn't want to be pushy but somehow she felt that she had a right to know this. "Phoebe please, it's not like I don't feel guilty already." Tara said once again trying to end the topic. There was a silence and Tara didn't want to look up but she did. The moment she did she knew she had to continue. "Well, I was falling in love with Willow. Then Leo came and saw that I was neglecting my duties as he put it. That's when he told me who he was and told me about my destiny. Basically the path of my destiny was away from Willow and I just could not do it. So, I just gave it up. For that I lost my powers as a witch, but Willow and I do well with our learnt powers so I have never really missed them you know." "Wow! You gave it up for love. That is so romantic." Phoebe said touching her own heart to show how touched she was. "Not really Phoebe, love can be blinding at times. It's in a relationship that you know love, otherwise how do you really know love anyway." Tara stated it with absolutely no emotion which surprised Phoebe. "Why do you say that?" Phoebe asked. "Oh! It's nothing; just that Willow and I have gone through a lot of ups and downs that's all. And sometimes you just get disillusioned out of your own definition of love." She tried to explain but she knew she failed. "I understand." Phoebe said placing her hand on Tara's. "When Piper and Leo got married, everyone thought that there was no greater love meant to be. But from the day that they felt anything for each other, it was a constant battle with one obstacle after another. Finally when they were no more obstacles, they got divorced. Not because they didn't love each other, but because their love had just turned into this big fight that after it was won they both were lost." She squeezed Tara's hand one more time for support. "Seeing a love like that fizzle out, doesn't that scare you?" Tara asked, wanting to know more about Phoebe. "No, it just makes you aware that there are many kinds of love. If you failed in one doesn't mean that you don't have a chance in another." She smiled, wanting desperately for Tara to do the same. "How do you know Love?" Tara asked still with a solemn face. "You just do when the time is right." Tara finally smiled a little. She had to, the Charmed One's charm was not easy to resist for long.
"Kennedy stop acting like you are drunk, I know you are not." Willow commanded stopping right on her tracks. The young potential smiled at the pouting witch. "If you knew I wasn't drunk then why did you agree to walk home with me instead of driving home? You must have known that I was lying about being car sick." "I was just humoring you but now it's getting too much, you don't have to fumble and walk, just walk straight." Willow said. "I am not straight enough to walk straight." Kennedy stated and walked normally as the red head glared at her with her mouth open. After realizing the effect of her words, the potential turned back to still stunned Willow. "Come on now, you are gay too so why are you so shocked?" "Its not that, it's just that. I have never heard people be so out and cool about it." Willow said trying to get her thoughts back together. "Hey I don't have a girlfriend like you do that I can flaunt it around and make it clear to people. So when I need people to know I have to use words. It's Simple." She told still stunned Willow, who just nodded in acknowledgement. "Or, I could have just kissed you to let you know I was interested but thought I would tell you first." Kennedy threw another shocker. Willow stopped walking for the third time, "Uhh.Ahhh." She tried to get her words out but it just didn't obey. Then she finally closed her eyes as Kennedy just stood in front and watch the baffled Willow, who she thought was really sexy. "Are you flirting with me?" Willow finally was able to ask. "Yeah." Kennedy retorted like a reflex. "I have a girlfriend and." Kennedy put a finger on Willow's soft lips to pause her words and she said slowly, "I know, but look there. That's a beautiful sunrise to a new day and you are walking with me. I know you have Tara. It's just the moment. Can you just humor me for a little while longer?" Kennedy stared into Willows eyes and gave her best pouting face which she knew the red head could not refuse.
Faith was bruised all over but she still found the strength to get up. "You sure are not like the other one." Kylub said as he got himself out of the pile of fallen rumble. Faith jumped right on him and punched him deeper. "I sure am not." Faith admitted as she took a huge piece of wood to hammer Kylub with. "Well well well look at her rage." Said a voice behind her. Faith turned to face Buffy. "You still don't get it do you Faith." Buffy continued. "Why are you standing there B? Give me a hand." Faith said as she turned back and hit Kylub one more time but this time he blocked it and pushed her to the wall. "She is not here to give you a hand." Kylub said as he dug himself out. Faith was loosing her energy but she managed to kneel and catch some breath when Kylub kicked her on her stomach making blood spur out of her mouth. "She is here to give me a hand." He kicked her one more time but with greater force. "Oh! Poor little slayer. She really thinks she is smart and yet always gets herself trapped. Isn't that a pity?" Buffy said as she walked to Faith who was now coughing blood. "What do I have to do to kill you?" She said again making a mock face for Faith to see. The last ounce of energy that Faith had preserved had now gone. Kylub picked her up, so that Buffy was right on her face now. "Faith can't you just do us all a favor and die?" Faith only stared at the blond slayer, losing any strength or motivation to even speak as tears broke out. "Oh! Look now the dark slayer is crying." Buffy continued; while Kylub pounded few hits on the already given up body.
Paige looked up at her sister who hadn't stopped pacing since they had come to the manor. She closed the book knowing that she had to speak. "What is wrong Piper?" "I don't like Giles." Piper said not stopping to look at her younger sibling. "Yes, and I don't like Sunnydale. I don't like Buffy. I don't like ." Paige stopped as Piper stopped. "No, Paige. He is up to something. He seemed so desperate for us to leave." She voiced out her thoughts. "It's not like their place is so grand, why are you so upset about?" Paige certainly didn't understand what Piper was trying to say. "Paige." Piper screamed. "Don't you get it? They need Faith to die for any one of the potential to be called." Paige stood up and guided her sister to the couch. "I know but Faith is on their side now, they don't want her dead. The potentials are out there just in case something happens, and we won't let anything happen to Faith." She reassured her sister. "No, they don't trust Faith. And for them to send us out in the middle of the night, it just doesn't fit." Piper poured her heart out to her sister. "Why didn't you tell me this before?" Paige wondered why they left in the first place if Piper had so many doubts. "Well, Faith really wanted to please them or show them that she trusted them, I think, and I didn't want to give her a hard time. So, I agreed." Piper confessed as Paige hugged her sister for comfort. "That's fine, I'll do a locater spell for Faith or slayers, and I should be able to do that since they are mystical too. Then we'll orb to her and see if everything is fine ok."
Dawn walked into the kitchen to find Buffy making breakfast. "Good Morning little sister." Buffy said when she saw Dawn walking in. "Want some breakfast?" "Sure," She replied baffled at the scene in front of her. "You are very happy today." "Of course, why shouldn't I be?" Buffy asked her little sister as she poured a glass of orange juice. "Well, I don't know, with the world might end scenario to deal with I just didn't expect you making breakfast I guess." Dawn said trying to wake Buffy from her dream as she thought. "Oh! The world is always about to end. That is my work and this is home. And this is Buffy making breakfast." She smiled and continued, "So, Dawn any idea how Faith likes her coffee?" Dawn was thrown aback by Buffy's question. Even though Dawn had not participated in Giles' decision about Faith, but when Xander had told her about it, she had agreed to it like the rest of the Scoobies had. Dawn was lost in her dilemma, when Buffy snapped her fingers in front of her to bring thoughts back to Buffy. "She is back from the patrol right?" Buffy asked unaware of Dawn's clouding face. "Yeah, but you know she might be with ." "With that witch, I know." Buffy cut Dawn, "You know little sister what I realized, Faith has never really seen this Buffy, the one who wants to make her coffee and breakfast to wake up to, one who wants to just stay with her the whole day doing nothing yet having the time of her life. She has just met the slayer side you know. Kick ass and kill one. Well, it's not a surprise she is with that witch for now, but once she sees this side of me, things are going to change around here." Buffy told her sister with her new found confidence. "Come on now even I am not that naïve." Anya walked in voicing her opinion as always. Giles and Xander followed her. "I don't care what you say Anya, I love her." Buffy informed the ex-vengeance demon firmly. "Are you really sure about that Buffy? After all she is with someone else now, is it really worth hanging on to?" It was Giles who took his turn to sway Buffy's feeling. "I am sure Giles. I know she is with someone else, but if there was no pulling I wouldn't be hanging on." She replied and smiled not being able to keep her thoughts about waking up Faith out of her mind. "As for that little witch, well she just has to go, right guys." She looked around the room for support but was met with grim look. Anya moved to the counter and gulped down the coffee and looked disgusted as she spoke, "Oh! Ok I can't take it anymore. You can't love Faith Buffy because Faith has to die. She is too unstable to be a slayer and if she dies one of the potentials will be called whom we can make sure will fight on our side. So, there now kill your little orgasm fantasy and forget about Faith." Whole room was shocked with Anya's outburst which to Anya was a surprise because by now she thought these people must have been used to her directness. Buffy took a moment to take in her words and then looked at Giles for answers. "Look Buffy, this is the right thing. Faith was easily swayed by the Mayor and the First is greater evil than him. It'll use any means necessary to break our force and it is best for us to have stable key players. Especially power like a slayer's power should not be with someone we can't even trust." Giles finished satisfied that he convinced his charge. "I trust her Giles. I trust her with my life. Did anyone of you think that before you decided her fate?" She asked now taking turn to look at her so called friends and family. "We knew you would understand Buffy, after all you have always put being a slayer before everything. This being the ultimate fight you have to let go of your feelings." Xander explained. "No, Xander you are wrong. I don't care if this is the first fight or the last. I am in love with her. Does anyone in this room even care about the words I just said? Or I am just this slayer thing for you all to do your dirty work for?" She screamed with anger and agitation at her friend's thoughts. "Oh! Come on. You have always been slayer first; now that we've done something to help your fight, you all of a sudden become this chic in love. Well, grow out of it and get the slayer back." Anya raised her hand in irritation. "What do you mean by done something?" Buffy quickly caught Anya's slip of word. "Where is Faith?" She commanded at Giles. Even though Giles was a little scared with Buffy's reaction but he decided to stall her a little longer, "I am still a watcher Buffy and I know better. You might be all powerful but you still can learn things from me. Its time you concentrated on the battle and stop acting like a general but be one." Buffy knew what Giles was up to. "No, Giles I think I have learned everything I have to from you. I don't need a watcher, so why don't you tell me where Faith is so that I can leave you in a condition to be watcher to those who might need one." She stared at her former watcher ready to show her strength. "She is in the school's basement." Dawn screamed from behind scared to what her sister might do. Buffy walked straight towards the door when Xander stepped up, "You have to go through me." Buffy chuckled, "I don't mind." She said as she pushed Xander out of her way and stormed out.
When Faith came to, she was still being beaten up by Kylub who was sharing a laugh with Buffy. She wondered why she was still alive and why she just didn't die before she had to watch Buffy amuse herself with the game of her death. Kylub picked her up like a piece of furniture and tossed her on the wall and she fell like she had no bones in her body. Buffy walked and scooted right next to her and glared at her bloodied face. "Does it hurt my poor little slayer?" She chuckled and brought her hand to brush Faith's hair, but her hands went right through her face. Faith opened her eyes wider as she now knew what was happening, "You are not Buffy. You are the First." She said aloud. The First, in the form of Buffy got up, "Opps the fun is over now. Kill her." She said as she disappeared and Kylub stood in front of Faith with a large piece of splinter in his hand. "You heard the lady." He said as he plunged it inside Faith.
"This is weird." Paige made a face as her crystal landed on a spot in the map. "What is weird?" asked the older witch. "Both the slayers are in the high school." She replied still not believing her find. "The basement of the school is the opening for the hell mouth." Piper informed her sister as she pulled her up, "Come on hurry orb." She commanded as they simmered. Luckily Piper and Paige had orbed right on the opening of the hell mouth where Faith lied drenched in blood and Kylub was on top of her. As their body came to full composure the wall behind them fell and Buffy appeared from behind them. Before Piper could even think, Paige concentrated on the splinter inside Faith and called for it so that it appeared in her hands, covered with Faith's blood. Kylub turned around to face the three women who had come for rescue. "Lookie now, we have more company." He said as he got up. Buffy picked up heavy piece of metal from the rumble and flung it on the man dressed as pasture, "I'll take care of him, you take Faith to Leo" She screamed as she lunged at the man who was now on the floor. Piper and Paige ran to Faith's side and simmered as Faith watched Buffy thrashing the man who was laughing at her face just moments ago. Her heart warmed a little while her body went cold.
"Wow! You are so good at this." Tara told the young Charmed One was demonstrating her levitating power. "So, tell me what were you destined for that you gave up." She asked Tara as she came down from air. "Its past Phoebe, let it go." Tara replied. Phoebe stopped Tara from walking away, now that they had spent some time she felt closer to the timid witch. "Come on you can tell me." She insisted. "Well, I was supposed to be a white-lighter. Or something like it. As I was born a witch with a white-lighter heart, you know that white-lighter's are chosen because of their pure heart. Anyway, I was supposed to be this witch with a white-lighter's heart so I had few more perks than a white-lighter but basically the same ball park work." She told Phoebe as she started to clean up the mess they had created while making the spell. "Why do you look down when you talk about it? Do you feel that guilty?" Phoebe asked. Tara looked up with a sad face. "I do. Sometimes I do feel very guilty." Phoebe walked behind Tara and hugged her new friend from behind, "Do you ever wish that if you could have it back? Would you take your powers back?" Tara closed her eyes and leaned back on Phoebe's arms and exhaled a long breath and said the words that she always thought would be wrong to say when she was with Willow, "Yes, I wish I could take it back." Just as the sentence finished, Phoebe felt a jolt of electricity from Tara's body that threw her back. When she got up Tara was lying on the floor unconscious.
Willow stopped right inside her door and looked at the charming young woman in front of her. Even though she felt guilty, she could not deny that she had enjoyed the walk. She felt awkward now that the walk had ended and she didn't know what to say. She looked inside and then at her escort and said, "Here, this is me. My stop. My room." "Yes, and I should go." Kennedy said but made no attempt to move. Instead she walked closer to Willow. "But before I go I had to say something." She said as her face was only centimeters away from the witch. Willow closed her eyes as she barely managed to whisper, "What?" Kennedy did the same as she said, "This" and locked their lips. As soon as Willow felt the soft lips on hers, she welcomed the intimacy by parting her lips. When the kiss came to an end, Willow slowly opened her eyes and waited for Kennedy to do the same. Kennedy's eyes opened but wider like she was shocked not pleased, and her body flung to the other end of the room landing on the dresser.
Buffy grabbed another huge rock and smashed it on Kylub's head. Buffy was not just a slayer but after she had witnessed the state Faith was in, she was a slayer with a vengeance that even Kylub's extraordinary strength could not defeat. Buffy could have easily ended his pain, but she wanted to see as much blood as she had witnessed on Faith's body. Her mind that usually betrayed her when she was on a kill was somehow with her today, every moment her mind was reminding her of Faith's face as the light had taken her. She walked to the other side and picked up the splinter that had once caused the life to spill from her love. She turned around just to be halted by what she saw. "You sure are full of rage B." Faith said as Buffy stared at her. Buffy didn't say a word as Faith stood there with a semi smile on her face as though everything was just a jest. Buffy smiled back at the image of Faith as she told the First, "You are not Faith." First as a Faith pouted, "You are no fun at all. I liked Me better." Buffy walked past the airy image of Faith as she took hold of unconscious Kylub and stabbed the splinter inside of him. As her hand repeated the action again and again the words that echoed in her head were of Giles'. "First only takes the form of the dead."
"Wow! I admit I have never kissed more than one woman but I sure couldn't have been that bad." Willow said as she watched the young potential at the other end of the room. "I don't know what happened; I just got this jolt that threw me." Kennedy said as she got up and walked towards the red head. It was Willow who was staring with a shocked expression on her face as she walked towards Kennedy and then past her to the dresser where the potential had landed. The dresser was smashed to pieces. Kennedy looked at the dresser and whistled with amazement, "Damn! I never knew I was that strong." Willow didn't take her eyes off the dresser as she said in a solemn tone, "You are a slayer."
As soon as Piper and Paige arrived at the manor, Piper screamed at the top of her voice, "Leo, Leo get your butt down here right now. Leo. Leo. Leo" Leo appeared and as soon as he saw the slayer on Paige's arm he knew the emergency. He knelt down on her side as he placed his hand on top of the brunette. Piper waited with all her patience as Leo slowly looked up at his ex-wife with tears on his eyes as he said, "Piper, you know I can't heal the dead."
Tara's face was illuminating with the steam of the potion they were brewing and Phoebe could not help but smile. Tara had this really innocent look and her eyes were so deep, all Phoebe wanted to do was be able to stare into them forever. She closed her eyes and immediately stopped her thought and told herself that Tara has a girlfriend. "What are you thinking?" Tara broke the silence. "Oh! Nothing." She said, with a little blush on her cheek. "Nothing really." She continued. "Well, I was wondering how you knew Leo." "Oh! He was my white-lighter till I gave up." Tara replied casually. "You gave up?" Phoebe asked, now very interested. "Well, I am a born witch too, you know. Unlike Willow who is a witch through learning. Not that she is not a powerful witch. You know she even did a mind swap with a God ..." She paused herself realizing that she was going off on a tangent. "Anyway, I had this destiny thing that I was destined for and Leo was there in the beginning to guide me. That's all." "But you said you gave up. How do you give up destiny?" Phoebe had to ask. "When you have another destiny to fulfill." She replied trying to avoid giving details. "No, no, no. You don't get away with answers like that. There have been times in my life if I had a choice I would choose not to be the Charmed One, but endured it because it was my destiny. Not to mention the millionth time that Prue or Piper has used that word to make me do what I had to. So, you have to tell me how you turned your back on your destiny." Phoebe didn't want to be pushy but somehow she felt that she had a right to know this. "Phoebe please, it's not like I don't feel guilty already." Tara said once again trying to end the topic. There was a silence and Tara didn't want to look up but she did. The moment she did she knew she had to continue. "Well, I was falling in love with Willow. Then Leo came and saw that I was neglecting my duties as he put it. That's when he told me who he was and told me about my destiny. Basically the path of my destiny was away from Willow and I just could not do it. So, I just gave it up. For that I lost my powers as a witch, but Willow and I do well with our learnt powers so I have never really missed them you know." "Wow! You gave it up for love. That is so romantic." Phoebe said touching her own heart to show how touched she was. "Not really Phoebe, love can be blinding at times. It's in a relationship that you know love, otherwise how do you really know love anyway." Tara stated it with absolutely no emotion which surprised Phoebe. "Why do you say that?" Phoebe asked. "Oh! It's nothing; just that Willow and I have gone through a lot of ups and downs that's all. And sometimes you just get disillusioned out of your own definition of love." She tried to explain but she knew she failed. "I understand." Phoebe said placing her hand on Tara's. "When Piper and Leo got married, everyone thought that there was no greater love meant to be. But from the day that they felt anything for each other, it was a constant battle with one obstacle after another. Finally when they were no more obstacles, they got divorced. Not because they didn't love each other, but because their love had just turned into this big fight that after it was won they both were lost." She squeezed Tara's hand one more time for support. "Seeing a love like that fizzle out, doesn't that scare you?" Tara asked, wanting to know more about Phoebe. "No, it just makes you aware that there are many kinds of love. If you failed in one doesn't mean that you don't have a chance in another." She smiled, wanting desperately for Tara to do the same. "How do you know Love?" Tara asked still with a solemn face. "You just do when the time is right." Tara finally smiled a little. She had to, the Charmed One's charm was not easy to resist for long.
"Kennedy stop acting like you are drunk, I know you are not." Willow commanded stopping right on her tracks. The young potential smiled at the pouting witch. "If you knew I wasn't drunk then why did you agree to walk home with me instead of driving home? You must have known that I was lying about being car sick." "I was just humoring you but now it's getting too much, you don't have to fumble and walk, just walk straight." Willow said. "I am not straight enough to walk straight." Kennedy stated and walked normally as the red head glared at her with her mouth open. After realizing the effect of her words, the potential turned back to still stunned Willow. "Come on now, you are gay too so why are you so shocked?" "Its not that, it's just that. I have never heard people be so out and cool about it." Willow said trying to get her thoughts back together. "Hey I don't have a girlfriend like you do that I can flaunt it around and make it clear to people. So when I need people to know I have to use words. It's Simple." She told still stunned Willow, who just nodded in acknowledgement. "Or, I could have just kissed you to let you know I was interested but thought I would tell you first." Kennedy threw another shocker. Willow stopped walking for the third time, "Uhh.Ahhh." She tried to get her words out but it just didn't obey. Then she finally closed her eyes as Kennedy just stood in front and watch the baffled Willow, who she thought was really sexy. "Are you flirting with me?" Willow finally was able to ask. "Yeah." Kennedy retorted like a reflex. "I have a girlfriend and." Kennedy put a finger on Willow's soft lips to pause her words and she said slowly, "I know, but look there. That's a beautiful sunrise to a new day and you are walking with me. I know you have Tara. It's just the moment. Can you just humor me for a little while longer?" Kennedy stared into Willows eyes and gave her best pouting face which she knew the red head could not refuse.
Faith was bruised all over but she still found the strength to get up. "You sure are not like the other one." Kylub said as he got himself out of the pile of fallen rumble. Faith jumped right on him and punched him deeper. "I sure am not." Faith admitted as she took a huge piece of wood to hammer Kylub with. "Well well well look at her rage." Said a voice behind her. Faith turned to face Buffy. "You still don't get it do you Faith." Buffy continued. "Why are you standing there B? Give me a hand." Faith said as she turned back and hit Kylub one more time but this time he blocked it and pushed her to the wall. "She is not here to give you a hand." Kylub said as he dug himself out. Faith was loosing her energy but she managed to kneel and catch some breath when Kylub kicked her on her stomach making blood spur out of her mouth. "She is here to give me a hand." He kicked her one more time but with greater force. "Oh! Poor little slayer. She really thinks she is smart and yet always gets herself trapped. Isn't that a pity?" Buffy said as she walked to Faith who was now coughing blood. "What do I have to do to kill you?" She said again making a mock face for Faith to see. The last ounce of energy that Faith had preserved had now gone. Kylub picked her up, so that Buffy was right on her face now. "Faith can't you just do us all a favor and die?" Faith only stared at the blond slayer, losing any strength or motivation to even speak as tears broke out. "Oh! Look now the dark slayer is crying." Buffy continued; while Kylub pounded few hits on the already given up body.
Paige looked up at her sister who hadn't stopped pacing since they had come to the manor. She closed the book knowing that she had to speak. "What is wrong Piper?" "I don't like Giles." Piper said not stopping to look at her younger sibling. "Yes, and I don't like Sunnydale. I don't like Buffy. I don't like ." Paige stopped as Piper stopped. "No, Paige. He is up to something. He seemed so desperate for us to leave." She voiced out her thoughts. "It's not like their place is so grand, why are you so upset about?" Paige certainly didn't understand what Piper was trying to say. "Paige." Piper screamed. "Don't you get it? They need Faith to die for any one of the potential to be called." Paige stood up and guided her sister to the couch. "I know but Faith is on their side now, they don't want her dead. The potentials are out there just in case something happens, and we won't let anything happen to Faith." She reassured her sister. "No, they don't trust Faith. And for them to send us out in the middle of the night, it just doesn't fit." Piper poured her heart out to her sister. "Why didn't you tell me this before?" Paige wondered why they left in the first place if Piper had so many doubts. "Well, Faith really wanted to please them or show them that she trusted them, I think, and I didn't want to give her a hard time. So, I agreed." Piper confessed as Paige hugged her sister for comfort. "That's fine, I'll do a locater spell for Faith or slayers, and I should be able to do that since they are mystical too. Then we'll orb to her and see if everything is fine ok."
Dawn walked into the kitchen to find Buffy making breakfast. "Good Morning little sister." Buffy said when she saw Dawn walking in. "Want some breakfast?" "Sure," She replied baffled at the scene in front of her. "You are very happy today." "Of course, why shouldn't I be?" Buffy asked her little sister as she poured a glass of orange juice. "Well, I don't know, with the world might end scenario to deal with I just didn't expect you making breakfast I guess." Dawn said trying to wake Buffy from her dream as she thought. "Oh! The world is always about to end. That is my work and this is home. And this is Buffy making breakfast." She smiled and continued, "So, Dawn any idea how Faith likes her coffee?" Dawn was thrown aback by Buffy's question. Even though Dawn had not participated in Giles' decision about Faith, but when Xander had told her about it, she had agreed to it like the rest of the Scoobies had. Dawn was lost in her dilemma, when Buffy snapped her fingers in front of her to bring thoughts back to Buffy. "She is back from the patrol right?" Buffy asked unaware of Dawn's clouding face. "Yeah, but you know she might be with ." "With that witch, I know." Buffy cut Dawn, "You know little sister what I realized, Faith has never really seen this Buffy, the one who wants to make her coffee and breakfast to wake up to, one who wants to just stay with her the whole day doing nothing yet having the time of her life. She has just met the slayer side you know. Kick ass and kill one. Well, it's not a surprise she is with that witch for now, but once she sees this side of me, things are going to change around here." Buffy told her sister with her new found confidence. "Come on now even I am not that naïve." Anya walked in voicing her opinion as always. Giles and Xander followed her. "I don't care what you say Anya, I love her." Buffy informed the ex-vengeance demon firmly. "Are you really sure about that Buffy? After all she is with someone else now, is it really worth hanging on to?" It was Giles who took his turn to sway Buffy's feeling. "I am sure Giles. I know she is with someone else, but if there was no pulling I wouldn't be hanging on." She replied and smiled not being able to keep her thoughts about waking up Faith out of her mind. "As for that little witch, well she just has to go, right guys." She looked around the room for support but was met with grim look. Anya moved to the counter and gulped down the coffee and looked disgusted as she spoke, "Oh! Ok I can't take it anymore. You can't love Faith Buffy because Faith has to die. She is too unstable to be a slayer and if she dies one of the potentials will be called whom we can make sure will fight on our side. So, there now kill your little orgasm fantasy and forget about Faith." Whole room was shocked with Anya's outburst which to Anya was a surprise because by now she thought these people must have been used to her directness. Buffy took a moment to take in her words and then looked at Giles for answers. "Look Buffy, this is the right thing. Faith was easily swayed by the Mayor and the First is greater evil than him. It'll use any means necessary to break our force and it is best for us to have stable key players. Especially power like a slayer's power should not be with someone we can't even trust." Giles finished satisfied that he convinced his charge. "I trust her Giles. I trust her with my life. Did anyone of you think that before you decided her fate?" She asked now taking turn to look at her so called friends and family. "We knew you would understand Buffy, after all you have always put being a slayer before everything. This being the ultimate fight you have to let go of your feelings." Xander explained. "No, Xander you are wrong. I don't care if this is the first fight or the last. I am in love with her. Does anyone in this room even care about the words I just said? Or I am just this slayer thing for you all to do your dirty work for?" She screamed with anger and agitation at her friend's thoughts. "Oh! Come on. You have always been slayer first; now that we've done something to help your fight, you all of a sudden become this chic in love. Well, grow out of it and get the slayer back." Anya raised her hand in irritation. "What do you mean by done something?" Buffy quickly caught Anya's slip of word. "Where is Faith?" She commanded at Giles. Even though Giles was a little scared with Buffy's reaction but he decided to stall her a little longer, "I am still a watcher Buffy and I know better. You might be all powerful but you still can learn things from me. Its time you concentrated on the battle and stop acting like a general but be one." Buffy knew what Giles was up to. "No, Giles I think I have learned everything I have to from you. I don't need a watcher, so why don't you tell me where Faith is so that I can leave you in a condition to be watcher to those who might need one." She stared at her former watcher ready to show her strength. "She is in the school's basement." Dawn screamed from behind scared to what her sister might do. Buffy walked straight towards the door when Xander stepped up, "You have to go through me." Buffy chuckled, "I don't mind." She said as she pushed Xander out of her way and stormed out.
When Faith came to, she was still being beaten up by Kylub who was sharing a laugh with Buffy. She wondered why she was still alive and why she just didn't die before she had to watch Buffy amuse herself with the game of her death. Kylub picked her up like a piece of furniture and tossed her on the wall and she fell like she had no bones in her body. Buffy walked and scooted right next to her and glared at her bloodied face. "Does it hurt my poor little slayer?" She chuckled and brought her hand to brush Faith's hair, but her hands went right through her face. Faith opened her eyes wider as she now knew what was happening, "You are not Buffy. You are the First." She said aloud. The First, in the form of Buffy got up, "Opps the fun is over now. Kill her." She said as she disappeared and Kylub stood in front of Faith with a large piece of splinter in his hand. "You heard the lady." He said as he plunged it inside Faith.
"This is weird." Paige made a face as her crystal landed on a spot in the map. "What is weird?" asked the older witch. "Both the slayers are in the high school." She replied still not believing her find. "The basement of the school is the opening for the hell mouth." Piper informed her sister as she pulled her up, "Come on hurry orb." She commanded as they simmered. Luckily Piper and Paige had orbed right on the opening of the hell mouth where Faith lied drenched in blood and Kylub was on top of her. As their body came to full composure the wall behind them fell and Buffy appeared from behind them. Before Piper could even think, Paige concentrated on the splinter inside Faith and called for it so that it appeared in her hands, covered with Faith's blood. Kylub turned around to face the three women who had come for rescue. "Lookie now, we have more company." He said as he got up. Buffy picked up heavy piece of metal from the rumble and flung it on the man dressed as pasture, "I'll take care of him, you take Faith to Leo" She screamed as she lunged at the man who was now on the floor. Piper and Paige ran to Faith's side and simmered as Faith watched Buffy thrashing the man who was laughing at her face just moments ago. Her heart warmed a little while her body went cold.
"Wow! You are so good at this." Tara told the young Charmed One was demonstrating her levitating power. "So, tell me what were you destined for that you gave up." She asked Tara as she came down from air. "Its past Phoebe, let it go." Tara replied. Phoebe stopped Tara from walking away, now that they had spent some time she felt closer to the timid witch. "Come on you can tell me." She insisted. "Well, I was supposed to be a white-lighter. Or something like it. As I was born a witch with a white-lighter heart, you know that white-lighter's are chosen because of their pure heart. Anyway, I was supposed to be this witch with a white-lighter's heart so I had few more perks than a white-lighter but basically the same ball park work." She told Phoebe as she started to clean up the mess they had created while making the spell. "Why do you look down when you talk about it? Do you feel that guilty?" Phoebe asked. Tara looked up with a sad face. "I do. Sometimes I do feel very guilty." Phoebe walked behind Tara and hugged her new friend from behind, "Do you ever wish that if you could have it back? Would you take your powers back?" Tara closed her eyes and leaned back on Phoebe's arms and exhaled a long breath and said the words that she always thought would be wrong to say when she was with Willow, "Yes, I wish I could take it back." Just as the sentence finished, Phoebe felt a jolt of electricity from Tara's body that threw her back. When she got up Tara was lying on the floor unconscious.
Willow stopped right inside her door and looked at the charming young woman in front of her. Even though she felt guilty, she could not deny that she had enjoyed the walk. She felt awkward now that the walk had ended and she didn't know what to say. She looked inside and then at her escort and said, "Here, this is me. My stop. My room." "Yes, and I should go." Kennedy said but made no attempt to move. Instead she walked closer to Willow. "But before I go I had to say something." She said as her face was only centimeters away from the witch. Willow closed her eyes as she barely managed to whisper, "What?" Kennedy did the same as she said, "This" and locked their lips. As soon as Willow felt the soft lips on hers, she welcomed the intimacy by parting her lips. When the kiss came to an end, Willow slowly opened her eyes and waited for Kennedy to do the same. Kennedy's eyes opened but wider like she was shocked not pleased, and her body flung to the other end of the room landing on the dresser.
Buffy grabbed another huge rock and smashed it on Kylub's head. Buffy was not just a slayer but after she had witnessed the state Faith was in, she was a slayer with a vengeance that even Kylub's extraordinary strength could not defeat. Buffy could have easily ended his pain, but she wanted to see as much blood as she had witnessed on Faith's body. Her mind that usually betrayed her when she was on a kill was somehow with her today, every moment her mind was reminding her of Faith's face as the light had taken her. She walked to the other side and picked up the splinter that had once caused the life to spill from her love. She turned around just to be halted by what she saw. "You sure are full of rage B." Faith said as Buffy stared at her. Buffy didn't say a word as Faith stood there with a semi smile on her face as though everything was just a jest. Buffy smiled back at the image of Faith as she told the First, "You are not Faith." First as a Faith pouted, "You are no fun at all. I liked Me better." Buffy walked past the airy image of Faith as she took hold of unconscious Kylub and stabbed the splinter inside of him. As her hand repeated the action again and again the words that echoed in her head were of Giles'. "First only takes the form of the dead."
"Wow! I admit I have never kissed more than one woman but I sure couldn't have been that bad." Willow said as she watched the young potential at the other end of the room. "I don't know what happened; I just got this jolt that threw me." Kennedy said as she got up and walked towards the red head. It was Willow who was staring with a shocked expression on her face as she walked towards Kennedy and then past her to the dresser where the potential had landed. The dresser was smashed to pieces. Kennedy looked at the dresser and whistled with amazement, "Damn! I never knew I was that strong." Willow didn't take her eyes off the dresser as she said in a solemn tone, "You are a slayer."
As soon as Piper and Paige arrived at the manor, Piper screamed at the top of her voice, "Leo, Leo get your butt down here right now. Leo. Leo. Leo" Leo appeared and as soon as he saw the slayer on Paige's arm he knew the emergency. He knelt down on her side as he placed his hand on top of the brunette. Piper waited with all her patience as Leo slowly looked up at his ex-wife with tears on his eyes as he said, "Piper, you know I can't heal the dead."