When Buffy walked out of the abandoned high school, her hand drenched with
mostly Kylub's blood but also of Faith's from the splinter. The noon sun
was high up in the sky and the heat was almost blinding. But Buffy had
another reason to have a fuzzy vision; it was the tears that hadn't stopped
running since Giles' words had been echoing in her head. She closed her
eyes and dashed in the almost abandoned city that she called home, where
she was surrounded with friends and family that didn't leave her even in
the face of ultimate evil but were more than willing to send Faith to the
Hornet's nest. "Hey send me to the Hornet's nest if you want to B, I would
willing go." Faith had told Buffy only couple of days ago and that's where
she had ended up. Faith certainly knew that basement was the hell mouth and
even Buffy wouldn't have gone there alone, but why had Faith gone there.
She knew better than to fall for the lies that Giles must have fed her, yet
she had gone and now, her image was formed by the First. How could First
take her image? She couldn't be dead she told herself. She knew that, all
she needed to do was pick up the phone and call the Halliwells to clear her
doubt but she just couldn't bring herself to do so. It was almost like she
was running away from finding out, scared of what the other end might say.
She refused to think as her heart bled and her eyes just blurred everything. She didn't even know why she ended up in the Magic Box, but she did. She walked in and headed directly towards the cash counter unaware of Phoebe comforting Tara who was just recovering from her fall. The two witches were surprised to see their friend who looked worn down in everyway, throwing and emptying out the drawers. She was scavenging for something but she certainly didn't look like she was in the mood for company, yet it was Phoebe who dared to speak to the slayer.
"Buffy what are you looking for?" She asked. "Giles keeps spare keys to the car in here." She answered surprised that she even had a reason for her search. "Where are you going?" Tara asked now moving towards the cash register trying to speed up Buffy's search. "To the Halliwell's. They have Faith." That's all she said as she smashed another drawer looking for the key. "Faith is in San Francisco?" Phoebe asked as a question not as a statement. The thought of Faith being in San Francisco reminded Tara of the meeting that she had left and made Willow promise to bring it to a halt. She feared the worse as she asked the distraught slayer, "Is Faith all right?" That was all that Buffy needed to let go of everything. She knelt down on the floor as uncontrollable tears started to drown her words but she had to get it out, "They sent her to the Hell mouth, all alone. I was too late. I was too late. The sisters took her to Leo. I need to be there. Please I need to find the key." Though the thought of Faith being injured did not go very well for Phoebe at that moment she cared more about the slayer in front of her who was close to breaking down with helplessness. She knelt beside her and lifted her up slowly, comforting her, "I'll call home and find out. Leo can heal everything so don't worry." As for Tara, Willows words were playing in her thought, "I promise you baby." She had said and kissed her. And yet she had let Giles send Faith to the Hell mouth. She didn't have a word to comfort Buffy but just walked to the two women who were now locked in a comforting hug and just touched them both.
Leo tried to remove his hands from the top of the lying slayer but Piper didn't let him. "You can't give up Leo. You have to try. She can't die." She said not willing to let Leo tell her that her Faith was already gone. That was not possible. She had lost her sister and now she was loosing the only person who had managed to heal that wound. She would not let that happen, but then there was nothing she could do but just hold Leo's hands on top of her till that light thing he did started to work again. It had to work. Leo having his heart filled with love cried with his ex wife not being able to see her pain while Paige just hugged her sister from behind trying to loosen her grip on Leo's hand. But Piper didn't budge. She hated being helpless and above all she being helpless and letting the people she loved down. She just stared at lifeless faith lying beside her as the room turned bright and three women orbed into their living room. The shimmering light formed an image Piper let go of Leo's hand and raised her own hands to blast the intruder. Buffy felt Piper's blast inside trying to burst her from inside. It took every particle in her slayer body to fight not being blown to pieces by the witch's power. Seeing that her first hit was being absorbed, Piper was ready to repeat her action when Phoebe stepped in front and stopped her sister. "Get out of my way Phoebe. She is the reason Faith is dead." Piper ordered her sister as her eyes stared at the dumbfounded slayer. As soon as Buffy had heard Piper's words she had stepped back to the wall as her body had lost any will or strength to hold her weight. "Don't even dare to act distressed. The only reason she went there was because of you. It was you who walked in here and took her back to Sunnydale. She was happy here but no, you couldn't stand that. You and your friends always wanted her dead; and here you got it." Piper finished her rage just to end it with another loud sob as her heart couldn't even hold another emotion other than the loss. Paige and Phoebe took hold of her sister and took her to the couch. Leo moved towards Tara still stunned at what he had seen, "You orbed?" He asked. "Yes. I just wished that I hadn't given up my destiny and I felt it inside me." She explained but her eyes moved from his eyes to Faith's body. "She was already dead when I came. There was nothing I could do." Leo replied feeling responsible for the death in some ways. Tara walked slowly towards Faith, who now lay more peacefully than she had even seen her. She moved her hands on top of the body when suddenly she grabbed Leo's hands. "She has not crossed over yet." She managed to say before she pulled Leo down to scoot beside her as they both put their hands on top of the dead slayer. Buffy had known that Tara could sense souls when Faith had done a body switch with her years ago. Tara had also told her that she had lost that power when she gave up her destiny. But, now when she heard Tara speak those words a hope flickered in her heart and she moved closer to look at the glowing hands of the two white-lighters. Four women watched in anticipation as the light faded and Faith opened her eyes. Without wasting any moment, Piper rushed beside her lover and poured kisses on her face as Faith blinked several times to adjust to the light. Buffy watched from a little distance as Faith grinned at the witch who was not shy of expressing her happiness. "Easy there Perfect." Faith said trying to catch a breath between Piper's butterfly kisses. "Yeah, let her catch her breath Piper." Phoebe suggested from behind. "She is physically healed but seems like her body took in quite a lot of beating so she might feel exhausted." Leo said trying to explain the weariness in Faith's face. Piper finally paused and looked at Faith whose eyes were already almost closed. She smiled and just held her close to her heart, soothing her back with her hand. Every cell in Buffy's being wanted to jump and hold Faith, but she didn't want to intrude. After all, Piper had been right, Faith had been happy there before she had come to take her away. She looked down unable to watch them, just as Faith opened her eyes just a slit to look at her standing away but obviously like a person who had cried for hours for her. Faith smiled at the sight of Buffy before she gave into her tiredness and let herself drift into the world of dreams. Piper waited for several minutes before she slowly put Faith's head down on the floor and looked up at Leo for help. Rather Buffy stepped up and looked at Piper for permission. Under any other circumstance Piper would have never taken help from Buffy, but right then she knew that regardless of what had happened one of the reason Faith was alive was also because of Buffy. So, she stepped aside allowing Buffy to carry Faith in her arms as she led them to her bedroom. Tara and Leo looked up simultaneously and looked back at the remaining sisters. "We have to go. They are calling us." Leo said. "Wait a minute, even you can go up there?" Paige asked Tara. "My destiny was to be a white-lighter. Now that I have accepted it, yes I have to answer to them." Tara said as she simmered into thin air after Leo.
Buffy sat on the steps of the Halliwell manor watching the people and cars pass by. After she and Piper had put Faith to bed, she had cleaned herself up and found peace outside the manor. All sort of thoughts were going inside her head. More than anything she wanted to be angry at her friends but somehow she had already forgiven them. It wasn't their fault as she had reasoned with herself. They were normal people faced with the impossible; they were just trying their best to save their own skin. After all, that's how the world worked. All her life that's what she had fulfilled. She had even given her life so that the world was a safer place, so for them to sacrifice Faith was not a surprise to her. "We face the worst and the world just walks on, unaware and happy." Piper said breaking the slayer from her thoughts. "Is that what you were thinking?" Piper asked. "Along the same line." Buffy replied. Piper walked up to her and sat right beside her. "When we lost Prue I was so mad at my fate that I had even started summoning demons just to vanquish them. After all, the more I vanquished them the closer I was towards getting rid of my destiny, that's what I had thought." She said staring right ahead. "And it never works. It never ends." Buffy ended Pipers thoughts grimly. "Yep. It never ends. And it never is easy. Especially when we come close to loosing someone we love." Piper looked at Buffy with comforting warmth. Buffy turned to look at Piper with a new found admiration for this woman who had actually come out to comfort her. "I know you love her and you have had to make very tough decisions. But, things are different now. She knew about the basement, yet she went there alone." "You don't have to convince me. I trust her. But I don't know if she should trust me. You were right you know, she was happy here before I came in." Buffy confessed and before Piper could protest, continued, "No, Piper before you say anything. This is the best. She doesn't need to come to Sunnydale. Tara told me that Kennedy has already been called, so I guess Giles did get what he was looking for. We'll make sure the world doesn't end as long as you promise me that you'll keep her happy." Buffy stood up but Piper didn't agree, "Neither Faith or I are bystanders." "Let this be my fight too, please." Buffy requested as she opened the door. "Do you really think even now that it is your choice?" Piper asked halting the slayer. Piper didn't even look back, she just stared into the horizon as she continued, "It's not your choice Buffy and that's the mistake you always made. Its Faith's choice to make and even now you want to take that away from her. No, wonder she runs from you." "What would you do?" Buffy found herself asking automatically. "I am just waiting for her to wake up." Piper smiled. "Well, I don't have the luxury to wait." Buffy was a little agitated. "Well, its not luxury that should govern us. It should be the necessity. It's funny when I walked into Faith's apartment for the first time. All she had was a bed and a punching bag. When I asked her why so little, she said she had the necessities. I filled it up later on you know. Decorated it. But the bottom line is Faith only seeks necessities and for you Faith is a luxury." Piper finished her sentence with tears in her eyes. "I wasn't there, and you managed to fill it up." Buffy said as she walked in looking for Paige. She knew Piper was right, it wasn't her choice to make, but Faith was happier before she walked in and she was not going to take that away from her, not again. "But you were there. That's why the punching bag was there." Piper whispered to herself as she wiped her tears and thought about the solo bag hanging on the end of the room; at the end of Faith's home, a necessity.
Piper stayed for a good hour on the same spot before she walked inside and went to her bedroom to check up on Faith. She was surprised to find the bed empty. She followed her instinct and stood in front of the bathroom and tried the door which was unlocked.
"Look who is up." She said as she pulled the shower curtain and smiled at the naked brunette. "Don't you knock?" Faith asked as she smiled at her witch. "Are you shy?" asked the witch instead. "No!" Faith said as she pulled the fully clothed Piper into the shower with her. "What's on your mind?" Piper asked breaking away from a kiss. "Well, back from the dead, just need to remind myself to be alive." Faith replied pulling Piper into another kiss. This time Piper obliged without holding anything back.
As her soaked clothes found their way out of the shower, the two lovers who nearly lost each other engulfed one another, bringing to life every cell in their intertwined bodies with their passion and uncontrollable hunger. Their rhythmic motion and each touch fused them together and brought them to the height of their pleasure in unison as they both healed each other's pain and wounds with their heat. Climaxes put both the women, whose day had started with wounds on their hearts, laid on each other's arms as they drifted to sleep.
Piper could still feel Faith's kiss on her lips as she slowly opened her eyes to look at her beauty beside her. To her surprise the side of her bed was empty. She got up and looked around her room. Faith's clothes were gone too. She stared blankly at her own image on her mirror, half wrapped up in the blanket all alone in her bed.
Faith had gone. Faith had gone to Buffy.
She refused to think as her heart bled and her eyes just blurred everything. She didn't even know why she ended up in the Magic Box, but she did. She walked in and headed directly towards the cash counter unaware of Phoebe comforting Tara who was just recovering from her fall. The two witches were surprised to see their friend who looked worn down in everyway, throwing and emptying out the drawers. She was scavenging for something but she certainly didn't look like she was in the mood for company, yet it was Phoebe who dared to speak to the slayer.
"Buffy what are you looking for?" She asked. "Giles keeps spare keys to the car in here." She answered surprised that she even had a reason for her search. "Where are you going?" Tara asked now moving towards the cash register trying to speed up Buffy's search. "To the Halliwell's. They have Faith." That's all she said as she smashed another drawer looking for the key. "Faith is in San Francisco?" Phoebe asked as a question not as a statement. The thought of Faith being in San Francisco reminded Tara of the meeting that she had left and made Willow promise to bring it to a halt. She feared the worse as she asked the distraught slayer, "Is Faith all right?" That was all that Buffy needed to let go of everything. She knelt down on the floor as uncontrollable tears started to drown her words but she had to get it out, "They sent her to the Hell mouth, all alone. I was too late. I was too late. The sisters took her to Leo. I need to be there. Please I need to find the key." Though the thought of Faith being injured did not go very well for Phoebe at that moment she cared more about the slayer in front of her who was close to breaking down with helplessness. She knelt beside her and lifted her up slowly, comforting her, "I'll call home and find out. Leo can heal everything so don't worry." As for Tara, Willows words were playing in her thought, "I promise you baby." She had said and kissed her. And yet she had let Giles send Faith to the Hell mouth. She didn't have a word to comfort Buffy but just walked to the two women who were now locked in a comforting hug and just touched them both.
Leo tried to remove his hands from the top of the lying slayer but Piper didn't let him. "You can't give up Leo. You have to try. She can't die." She said not willing to let Leo tell her that her Faith was already gone. That was not possible. She had lost her sister and now she was loosing the only person who had managed to heal that wound. She would not let that happen, but then there was nothing she could do but just hold Leo's hands on top of her till that light thing he did started to work again. It had to work. Leo having his heart filled with love cried with his ex wife not being able to see her pain while Paige just hugged her sister from behind trying to loosen her grip on Leo's hand. But Piper didn't budge. She hated being helpless and above all she being helpless and letting the people she loved down. She just stared at lifeless faith lying beside her as the room turned bright and three women orbed into their living room. The shimmering light formed an image Piper let go of Leo's hand and raised her own hands to blast the intruder. Buffy felt Piper's blast inside trying to burst her from inside. It took every particle in her slayer body to fight not being blown to pieces by the witch's power. Seeing that her first hit was being absorbed, Piper was ready to repeat her action when Phoebe stepped in front and stopped her sister. "Get out of my way Phoebe. She is the reason Faith is dead." Piper ordered her sister as her eyes stared at the dumbfounded slayer. As soon as Buffy had heard Piper's words she had stepped back to the wall as her body had lost any will or strength to hold her weight. "Don't even dare to act distressed. The only reason she went there was because of you. It was you who walked in here and took her back to Sunnydale. She was happy here but no, you couldn't stand that. You and your friends always wanted her dead; and here you got it." Piper finished her rage just to end it with another loud sob as her heart couldn't even hold another emotion other than the loss. Paige and Phoebe took hold of her sister and took her to the couch. Leo moved towards Tara still stunned at what he had seen, "You orbed?" He asked. "Yes. I just wished that I hadn't given up my destiny and I felt it inside me." She explained but her eyes moved from his eyes to Faith's body. "She was already dead when I came. There was nothing I could do." Leo replied feeling responsible for the death in some ways. Tara walked slowly towards Faith, who now lay more peacefully than she had even seen her. She moved her hands on top of the body when suddenly she grabbed Leo's hands. "She has not crossed over yet." She managed to say before she pulled Leo down to scoot beside her as they both put their hands on top of the dead slayer. Buffy had known that Tara could sense souls when Faith had done a body switch with her years ago. Tara had also told her that she had lost that power when she gave up her destiny. But, now when she heard Tara speak those words a hope flickered in her heart and she moved closer to look at the glowing hands of the two white-lighters. Four women watched in anticipation as the light faded and Faith opened her eyes. Without wasting any moment, Piper rushed beside her lover and poured kisses on her face as Faith blinked several times to adjust to the light. Buffy watched from a little distance as Faith grinned at the witch who was not shy of expressing her happiness. "Easy there Perfect." Faith said trying to catch a breath between Piper's butterfly kisses. "Yeah, let her catch her breath Piper." Phoebe suggested from behind. "She is physically healed but seems like her body took in quite a lot of beating so she might feel exhausted." Leo said trying to explain the weariness in Faith's face. Piper finally paused and looked at Faith whose eyes were already almost closed. She smiled and just held her close to her heart, soothing her back with her hand. Every cell in Buffy's being wanted to jump and hold Faith, but she didn't want to intrude. After all, Piper had been right, Faith had been happy there before she had come to take her away. She looked down unable to watch them, just as Faith opened her eyes just a slit to look at her standing away but obviously like a person who had cried for hours for her. Faith smiled at the sight of Buffy before she gave into her tiredness and let herself drift into the world of dreams. Piper waited for several minutes before she slowly put Faith's head down on the floor and looked up at Leo for help. Rather Buffy stepped up and looked at Piper for permission. Under any other circumstance Piper would have never taken help from Buffy, but right then she knew that regardless of what had happened one of the reason Faith was alive was also because of Buffy. So, she stepped aside allowing Buffy to carry Faith in her arms as she led them to her bedroom. Tara and Leo looked up simultaneously and looked back at the remaining sisters. "We have to go. They are calling us." Leo said. "Wait a minute, even you can go up there?" Paige asked Tara. "My destiny was to be a white-lighter. Now that I have accepted it, yes I have to answer to them." Tara said as she simmered into thin air after Leo.
Buffy sat on the steps of the Halliwell manor watching the people and cars pass by. After she and Piper had put Faith to bed, she had cleaned herself up and found peace outside the manor. All sort of thoughts were going inside her head. More than anything she wanted to be angry at her friends but somehow she had already forgiven them. It wasn't their fault as she had reasoned with herself. They were normal people faced with the impossible; they were just trying their best to save their own skin. After all, that's how the world worked. All her life that's what she had fulfilled. She had even given her life so that the world was a safer place, so for them to sacrifice Faith was not a surprise to her. "We face the worst and the world just walks on, unaware and happy." Piper said breaking the slayer from her thoughts. "Is that what you were thinking?" Piper asked. "Along the same line." Buffy replied. Piper walked up to her and sat right beside her. "When we lost Prue I was so mad at my fate that I had even started summoning demons just to vanquish them. After all, the more I vanquished them the closer I was towards getting rid of my destiny, that's what I had thought." She said staring right ahead. "And it never works. It never ends." Buffy ended Pipers thoughts grimly. "Yep. It never ends. And it never is easy. Especially when we come close to loosing someone we love." Piper looked at Buffy with comforting warmth. Buffy turned to look at Piper with a new found admiration for this woman who had actually come out to comfort her. "I know you love her and you have had to make very tough decisions. But, things are different now. She knew about the basement, yet she went there alone." "You don't have to convince me. I trust her. But I don't know if she should trust me. You were right you know, she was happy here before I came in." Buffy confessed and before Piper could protest, continued, "No, Piper before you say anything. This is the best. She doesn't need to come to Sunnydale. Tara told me that Kennedy has already been called, so I guess Giles did get what he was looking for. We'll make sure the world doesn't end as long as you promise me that you'll keep her happy." Buffy stood up but Piper didn't agree, "Neither Faith or I are bystanders." "Let this be my fight too, please." Buffy requested as she opened the door. "Do you really think even now that it is your choice?" Piper asked halting the slayer. Piper didn't even look back, she just stared into the horizon as she continued, "It's not your choice Buffy and that's the mistake you always made. Its Faith's choice to make and even now you want to take that away from her. No, wonder she runs from you." "What would you do?" Buffy found herself asking automatically. "I am just waiting for her to wake up." Piper smiled. "Well, I don't have the luxury to wait." Buffy was a little agitated. "Well, its not luxury that should govern us. It should be the necessity. It's funny when I walked into Faith's apartment for the first time. All she had was a bed and a punching bag. When I asked her why so little, she said she had the necessities. I filled it up later on you know. Decorated it. But the bottom line is Faith only seeks necessities and for you Faith is a luxury." Piper finished her sentence with tears in her eyes. "I wasn't there, and you managed to fill it up." Buffy said as she walked in looking for Paige. She knew Piper was right, it wasn't her choice to make, but Faith was happier before she walked in and she was not going to take that away from her, not again. "But you were there. That's why the punching bag was there." Piper whispered to herself as she wiped her tears and thought about the solo bag hanging on the end of the room; at the end of Faith's home, a necessity.
Piper stayed for a good hour on the same spot before she walked inside and went to her bedroom to check up on Faith. She was surprised to find the bed empty. She followed her instinct and stood in front of the bathroom and tried the door which was unlocked.
"Look who is up." She said as she pulled the shower curtain and smiled at the naked brunette. "Don't you knock?" Faith asked as she smiled at her witch. "Are you shy?" asked the witch instead. "No!" Faith said as she pulled the fully clothed Piper into the shower with her. "What's on your mind?" Piper asked breaking away from a kiss. "Well, back from the dead, just need to remind myself to be alive." Faith replied pulling Piper into another kiss. This time Piper obliged without holding anything back.
As her soaked clothes found their way out of the shower, the two lovers who nearly lost each other engulfed one another, bringing to life every cell in their intertwined bodies with their passion and uncontrollable hunger. Their rhythmic motion and each touch fused them together and brought them to the height of their pleasure in unison as they both healed each other's pain and wounds with their heat. Climaxes put both the women, whose day had started with wounds on their hearts, laid on each other's arms as they drifted to sleep.
Piper could still feel Faith's kiss on her lips as she slowly opened her eyes to look at her beauty beside her. To her surprise the side of her bed was empty. She got up and looked around her room. Faith's clothes were gone too. She stared blankly at her own image on her mirror, half wrapped up in the blanket all alone in her bed.
Faith had gone. Faith had gone to Buffy.