Title: Leaving You
Author: mythic-lionheart
Rating: PG-13 due to langue and stuff
Pairing: What else? Buffy/Faith
Summary: I don't want to give it away…Faith notices Buffy acting differently and makes a decision. The two slayers have an argument and things change…but something is about to happen…something that will change everything…
Dedication: well, I think I am going to dedicate this one to the people that feedback me on 'Something New, Something Blue' and to Kim, because she has always supported me and my fic writing, even though some have been bad, lol.
Disclaimer: All characters from Buffy and Angel belong to Joss Whedon. I do not own the people of Buffy or Angel. You know the drill.
Setting/Timeline: just after Season 7 of Buffy and before Angel and Spike head out to see our blonde slayer with the gross Immortal…ewwwwww, lol….you'll get the time/setting once you read it so I won't really go into it.
Feedback: heck yeah! LOL! Hey, I do this for you guys mostly, so I would like your input. Otherwise my writing goes to uber crap! lol. So please review if you would!
Author's note: Oh my…what is this? An UPDATE?!?!?! Holy crap! lol. I am SOOOOOOOOOO sorry for not updating this guys. I had MASSIVE writers block and I rewrote it several times and got really frustrated with it. Plus, things have been really hectic. But I finally finished. I know it isn't the greatest but here is the last part to this fic. It was a hard chapter to write! Not to mention that I lost it a few times on my computer! lol. I swear, sometimes I honestly think computers are evil. Well, since it has been so long, I'll give a little flash back, then it is on to the last part of 'Leaving You'
Last time, in Leaving You…
She didn't want to leave her, but she had to. A small fear still lay in the back of her mind, that Buffy was going to freak out. But she knew that that wasn't the case. The way Buffy was looking at her right now, was begging her to stay, to stay there with her, not to leave…
And that was the main reason why she had to do it now, had to walk away…had to be strong, just like she always was. It never mattered, no matter how badly she wanted some things, she couldn't have them…
After briefly meeting Buffy's eyes, Faith turned around and walked to the door. No words were spoken as she opened the door, Buffy right behind her.
Buffy wanted to say something, anything, maybe even make her stay…but the words wouldn't come out. She silently stood there, at her door, as she watched Faith walk over to the elevator that was on that floor and pushed the button, causing the doors to slide open.
Faith stepped into the elevator and pushed the button to go down to where she had parked her car. As she looked up, she saw Buffy's sad face looking back at her from her doorway and it broke her…
The elevator doors started to close…
"Buffy?" Faith quickly called as the blonde looked up to meet her eyes, the elevator doors just about to close…
"I love you…" and the doors slid all the way shut…
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Leaving You: Part 6
It had been a week since Buffy had last seen Faith. A week since she heard those three words come out of the other slayer's mouth before the elevator doors had closed on her. A week since she felt the brunette's soft full lips on hers for the first time…
That week was bitter hell for Buffy and her heart was slowly breaking...
After Faith's confession to her, at the elevator, she had run down all seven flights of stairs to catch her, even jumping some of them in her rush, but again…she was too late, and the brunette was gone.
It seemed as if Faith knew that the blonde might chase after her and had exited out the ground floor exit and not the first floor, like Buffy thought she would. She could still hear the squeal of tires behind her as she turned and saw Faith's car zooming out of the garage behind her. She tried sprinting after her, but the brunette knew better and had quickly lost her.
"Buffy?"
"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Buffy asked, turning from the window she was staring out of towards her sister. Dawn gave her a sad look.
"Has…I mean, have you heard anything?" Dawn asked, sitting next to her sister. The older Summers sighed, turning to look back out the window again.
"No…not one thing. The only information that has come back, that Giles was able to get, was that most of them died…their friend Gunn…Wesley…Spike…" Buffy started, pausing. They had found the bodies of Wesley and Gunn, knew about their deaths, and two other deaths were confirmed as well…
Buffy closed her eyes briefly as she felt Dawn's comforting hand on her shoulder again, "Angel…" she lightly whispered, just barely enough for Dawn to hear as she opened her eyes and turned back to her, "All of them gone." She stated before looking out the window, in thought.
"I'm sorry Buffy," Dawn stated, not knowing what else to say to her sister. The older Summers turned to her.
"No…it's-it's ok. Angel hung in there till the very end…that much I do know. At lest he went out the way he would have wanted to…" Buffy stated as she looked away again, "Fighting on the good side, for a good cause, for the well being of others…always for the well being of others," she sighed as she placed her chin on top of her arm she had draped over her knee. Dawn was on break, and was so excited to be able to see her sister again, as well as Faith…
Buffy remembered telling her that…remembered telling Faith that. The blonde shook her head at the thought. Oh how much it hurt the older slayer to tell her sister that Faith was missing…and to see her face fall…
"What?" Dawn asked, noticing her sister shaking her head. Buffy turned to her, everything still running through her mind.
"I just…I should have known," she stated, looking away.
"Known what?" The younger Summers asked.
"That something was wrong…that something was going on," Buffy stated before looking back out the window and continuing, "She had asked about you. Just like that, right out of the blue," the blonde said.
"Really?" Dawn asked, causing Buffy to look at her from the pitch of her voice.
"Yeah…and you know what she said?" Buffy asked, looking at her sister, lightly smiling at the memory.
"No, what did she say?" Dawn asked, getting a little excited.
"She said that you were a good kid, and to make sure that you knew that…" Buffy said, before trailing off a little, looking back out the window. "I guess that was her way of, I don't know…saying goodbye or something…I don't know…but I should have known then…she was acting odd and…" the blonde was saying before being cut off.
"You can't keep blaming yourself Buffy. She didn't tell you where she was really going because she didn't want to be stopped, and she didn't want to hurt you. I think it says a lot that she came to see you before leaving...she didn't call or talk to anyone else other then you before she left. I know you're hurting Buffy, and I am sorry, but I know Faith wouldn't want you to be this way…" Dawn said as she trailed off, not knowing really what else to say.
There had been no word on the brunette. After her suspicions and not being able to catch her, Buffy had called Giles to see about the mission he had sent her on, to help calm her uneasiness, and that if she might possibly go as well…and that was when she found out that there was no potential in the states, that the watcher hadn't sent the brunette anywhere….that Faith had lied to her…
That was when Giles had started looking for information, and had later found out about Angel and his battle in LA that he was undergoing. He was quick on trying to dispatch slayers to help…but…he was sketchy on information. And the only information she knew of was what he had told her, what had been notified and reported from LA. Sometimes, the blonde wondered if Giles was telling her the whole truth…if he was with holding information from her. But she trusted him, and could only believe what he reported and told her.
Buffy wanted to go, wanted to find her. But Giles stressed the importance of her staying put and how having her running off to the states would do no good, and it was killing her. She should have known, should have stopped it. And the blonde couldn't help but wonder why Faith did it. Why she ran off there and didn't tell her. Why the brunette had to dump her feelings on her and then ran…but the blonde also knew better, and was in no way really upset with the other slayer. She just wanted her alive…and there…with her…
Giles kept them posted on anything he knew, but there had been no word of her. Faith and one other person where uncounted for from the battle…
The brunette was reported being seen there, was present, but there was nothing other then that. They had done some major damage to the Senior Partners, taking out most of their demons, men and allies, but it wasn't enough…It was turning bad when the slayers did finally manage to get there to help them…
"Yeah…" Buffy whispered in reply as she placed her chin back on top of her arm again, lost in her thoughts. Dawn sighed as she looked at her sister, knowing how much of a wreck she was over everything, but there was nothing she could do. Dawn had suspected the slayer's hidden feelings for one another a long time ago, mostly from Faith. She could read and see the emotions that ran through the brunette's face when she saw her sister. Just as she saw her try to hide them as well. They weren't always there, weren't always present in view, but every now and then, Dawn saw it. Saw the only weakness that Faith seemed to have…Buffy…
She knew that the brunette slayer always had a soft spot for her sister, even though she tried very hard to deny and ignore it, covering it up and how she felt. She noticed it back in Sunnydale and she herself even overlooked it at the time. It was only after they closed the hellmouth and moved in together did she really notice it. And that was when she noticed the change in her sister as well, and how she interacted and took more of a liking to the brunette. Dawn wasn't sure, but she wondered if that wasn't what caused Buffy to push away from Faith in the first place. But she would never dare ask or even mention it, especially now. But she couldn't help but feel bad for them. How they both finally seemed to come to terms with one another and how they felt, only to be torn apart again.
Dawn couldn't help but feel angry at Faith. To have done this to her sister, to have caused her such confusion and pain and to just run off. But then she only felt guilty, for she knew that that wasn't what the brunette intended to do. She knew that it was something that the brunette felt like she needed to do, and she respected that, but she didn't like to see her sister this way…so…alone and sad…
Dawn only hoped that Faith was alive. That she had survived some how and was out there some where. She only wished, that for once, things could be simple. That time would just slow up so they could all catch up to it. But things never went that way. This was it, how it was, and there was no changing it no matter how much you wanted to…
Buffy's sigh brought Dawn out of her moment of thinking and she looked over at her sympathetically again. "Do you want any thing? You haven't eaten much today," Dawn offered as she got up and stood next to her sister. Buffy slowly turned and looked at her, looking more then tired.
"No, I'm fine. Thanks," the blonde replied before turning to look out the window again.
"You sure? It's no trouble…" Dawn started before being cut off…
"No it's ok, thanks though," Buffy interrupted, turning again to her sister, trying to offer a slight smile to encourage her. Dawn lightly smiled back as she made her way out of her sister's room and into the living room. She knew there wasn't really anything she could do for her sister and it frustrated her a little bit.
Dawn made her way into the small kitchen and pulled a glass from one of the cupboards as she made her way over to the freezer to put some ice in it. After doing so, she opened the lower part of the refrigerator; she grabbed a can of pop and opened it, lightly kicking the refrigerator door closed as she poured it into the glass. She lightly sighed as she heard a knock at the door, setting down the empty pop can as she took her glass with her to answer the door.
Buffy barely registered the knock when she heard it, then sighed as she heard Dawn's footsteps approach the door of their apartment. The blonde was tired of people coming to see her, tired of the worried looks…just tired in general. But her thoughts halted as she heard something shatter, drawing her attention to the source of the noise.
"Dawn?" Buffy called out to her sister, checking to see if she was ok. Upon hearing no response, the blonde sighed and stood up from her position at the window and maneuvered around the room to her door way, shaking her head. "Dawn, if you break anything else in this place I swear I'm never buying another…"
Buffy froze in the living room, almost choking on her words.
"Faith…"
In the doorway of the apartment was Giles, supporting a very banged up, tired, but alive, Faith…
"Buffy…" Faith rasped before wincing and clutching her side with her good arm as Giles steadied her. Both Summers were immediately at the brunette's side, the broken glass on the floor well forgotten, as they maneuvered her to the couch.
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Moments later…
Dawn stood in the kitchen, quickly peeking into the living room at her sister and Faith. Her sister was seated on the couch, as Faith was curled up on her side, asleep, with her head in Buffy's lap. The blonde ran her fingers through the brunette's hair affectionately as she watched over her. Dawn sighed before turning her attention back to Giles.
"What happened?" she asked as she leaned against the counter. Giles sighed and took off his glasses, cleaning them.
"No one could find her. It was looking bad when the slayers arrived. To spare you the long story, Illyria, a friend of Angel's crew, had helped her away from the battle, but returned to help the slayers. When they were finally able to reach her…we weren't sure if she was going to make it. Due to her Slayer healing, she's in much better shape now then she was before…she's lucky to only have a broken arm, ribs, minor cuts and bruises now compared to…"
Giles drifted off as he pinched the bridge of his noise briefly before placing his glasses back on. Dawn stood expectantly, arms still folded, indicating the Watcher to continue. "Well…we had to place her where she would be safe, and Illyria helped us. She had massive amounts of blood loss, trauma to the head, among other wounds. She was immobile and was unconscious. She only woke up yesterday; yelling out Buffy's name…then demanded that I take her here. She was in no condition to move, let alone travel…" Giles was explaining.
"She's stubborn like that," Dawn interrupted, glancing back out into the living room again, witnessing her sister lightly kiss Faith on the head before leaning back further into the couch, a smile playing across her lips ever so lightly. It was the first genuine smile that Dawn had seen from her sister all week. The blonde then lightly closed her eyes, never once changing her position from Faith.
Dawn knew that there was more to the story about what happened, but knew it could wait. She was just glad that Faith was back, and alive. But she was more relived at the fact that she had returned to Buffy. Maybe this time…they could make things right…
THE END
Thanks for all the feedback guys. fai925 – thanks for yours too. It strived me to be more determined to finish! :)
Thanks for reading this fic. But this is it for this one. I got one fic I have shelfed for a year, lol. I think I will pick back on it. I am totally rewriting Season 6, ugh, lol, and I am not too familiar with it. But it might be a while before I post anything on that. I might have little fics here and there, we will see. I have been busy. Anyway, thanks for reading guys and sorry again for the lack of updating! Hope all is well, and who knows, maybe I'll post soon! lol ;)