Sorry that it has been so long and that this is short. See first chapter for disclaimer, pairing, setting, rating, and so on. Notes are at the bottom of the page...

Leaving You: Part 3

It had been a few days. And here Faith was, sitting in the old apartment, fidgeting. The brunette slayer quickly stood up as she heard the door knob being turned.

"Andrew, I told you not to..." Buffy was saying as she was walking into the apartment with 2 big brown sacks, trying to juggle them while trying to open/close the door. Her voice died as she saw Faith standing in the middle of the apartment. What was she doing here?

"Hey," The brunette awkwardly stated as Buffy looked at her for a moment, surprised to see the younger slayer.

"Oh...uh...let me help you with that," Faith stated as she approached the older slayer and took one of the brown bags from her. The brunette then realized that it was a stupid gesture, being that the blonde could handle much more then 2 brown bags.

Buffy seemed to come out of her daze as she watched the retreating form of the younger slayer go into the kitchen area with the sack she had just taken from her. Closing the door, the older slayer followed her counter part into the kitchen. To say she was really surprised to see the younger slayer would be an understatement.

"Uh...Andrew let me in before you left...sorry for dropping in..." the brunette stated awkwardly as Buffy sat down her bag. The blonde slayer shut her eyes for a moment, images or rather memories of their last conversation running through her mind. It was only a moment, not even a second, and Buffy reopened her eyes and glanced at the brunette.

"Oh, no no. It's ok. Was just a little surprised to see you is all...but it's nice...I mean, to see you again..." the older slayer stated awkwardly, as she removed a few items from the bag she had just sat down.

Faith lightly smiled as she watched the blonde move about the kitchen. She couldn't help it. She missed Buffy. And a lot had happened in the past few days with the brunette slayer, and she had done a lot of thinking. She knew that coming back to the apartment and seeing the other slayer would be awkward...but she didn't care. She wasn't going to hide behind feelings or anything anymore. And she did need friends, or what equals to one...and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't totally shut the older slayer out of her life...

A voice, in the back of the brunette slayer's mind was telling her not to do this. Telling her to get the hell out of the apartment and run. A voice that she had become so used to. It whispered to her how she was only going to get hurt, how the blonde slayer would screw her over...again...but the younger slayer blocked it all out. It didn't have to be like that, or the way it was before. Faith knew better now, and she didn't have to totally shut everyone out. Besides, she got worried about the other slayer. She may be on her own and doing her own thing and finding her own place in the world, but she didn't have to do it totally alone.

Buffy could feel the younger slayer's eyes on her as she moved about the kitchen. The whole situation was a little weird, neither slayer not knowing what to exactly say to one another. But Buffy wasn't the one to show up at her apartment...it was Faith. So the older slayer chose to just be quite for the moment being, thoughts running through her head.

"Uh, I thought you would be out tonight. You know, with the Immortal guy or something," Faith stated. After she said it, she wished she could have taken it back. It was a stupid thing to say. But the brunette was never that good with verbal skills.

Buffy winced lightly. And it didn't go by unnoticed. "No. I stopped seeing him a while a go...while you were still away in Ireland. It was a mistake to have ever dated him anyway," the older slayer said as she finished putting a few drinks in the refrigerator. She really didn't know what else to say. And she was a little confused too. The younger slayer just shows up, and with everything that has happened...the blonde doesn't know what to think, let alone feel...

Faith was a little surprised. No wonder the older slayer seemed different when she had last seen her in the alley. Now the brunette was a little confused. Why would the blonde end it with the Immortal? Not that she really cared...or at lest that is what she told herself...but she seriously thought Buffy was into him...

"Oh...well how come? I mean, if you don't mind me asking. I just thought that you really liked him," the brunette stated, a little uncomfortable with the whole situation they were in right now and the conversation they were having. She wasn't the only one.

Buffy threw away the one bag she had finished putting groceries away from and sighed a little, wondering where this was all going and also not knowing what to say. "It was...I was...I couldn't do it. I didn't really like him all that much anyway, and I saw that there were more important things around me that I was missing while I was with him," the older slayer stated as she briefly looked up at Faith then back to the other bag on the counter that was beside the brunette slayer. She really didn't mean to say that. She didn't know what she was saying...

"I think I liked the idea of being with him more then I actually was with him. It's...it's complicated. Probably something you really don't want to hear anyway..." Buffy stated as she reached out for the other bag and started going through it. Faith hopped up on the counter, swinging her legs a little as she sat there.

"Try me," the brunette stated as she looked at the older slayer hoping to build what was once there, the friendship they once had. To show the other slayer that she wanted to start over... Buffy gave her a sideways glace. She knew that Faith was just trying to be nice, trying to be there as a lending ear, maybe even as a friend...but the blonde didn't really want to talk about it. But she didn't want to make it look like she was pushing the younger slayer away either. That was the last thing she wanted. The blonde sighed again.

"Well...have you...have you ever just, done something to just focus on something else? Like, it was easier to just..." Buffy actually tried to explain as she turned around to face the other slayer. Faith cocked her head to the side and Buffy stopped. "Uh...never mind..." the blonde slayer said, turning back around, at a loss of what to say. Then out of the blue, she smacked her forehead and shook her head. She felt like a retard. Why did she have to open her mouth?

A soft chuckle could be heard behind her as she turned back around. "You're one cute funny chick, you know that?" Faith questioned, still chuckling a little. Buffy smiled. It was almost like old times...the way things use to be before...before she messed it all up.

"Sorry, it's just hard to explain. I mean, it isn't that I don't want to tell you or rather explain it to you or anything like that, I do, I would...but well, it's..." the older slayer babbled and Faith smiled at her.

"Talked to Red recently?" The brunette slayer asked, cutting Buffy off. The older slayer looked up at her for a moment with a confused face as Faith lightly laughed again. The blonde just shook her head.

"Two seconds, and you are already teasing me. You know, I think Willow got her babble from me," Buffy stated as she placed a few things in some cupboards. The brunette merely shook her head.

"Naw, I get what you are saying B. Things can be difficult to explain sometimes. I, of all people, know that. So I understand, no big." Faith said as the older slayer finished putting everything away. There was a moment of awkward silence between the two. Both slayers were lost in thought.

"So...uh...why...why did you come here?" Buffy asked, hoping she didn't sound as if she didn't want the other slayer there, for she did, but didn't know what to say...
Faith looked at her, silent for a moment, before hopping off the counter she was sitting on.

"Thought we could patrol together...you know, hang out," Faith said with a smile as the older slayer just looked at her, a little dumbfounded...

TBC...maybe...sorry. this chapter bites, sorry about that. I am seriously even wondering if I should even continue this anymore. Got some bad reviews on some things and I am wondering if I should even bother. Anyway, I had a different idea of how this fic would go. Lets just say that it didn't come out the way I planned, but oh well. I am actually having a hard time writing this, I kind of just did it and I was going to leave it at the first chapter. Whatever. Oh well. Sorry that this story isn't very good. I might update later, not sure. Been really busy lately. Anyway, if anyone is reading this, thanks for reading!