Author's Note:
I'd like to thank Joss Whedon and David Fury, as well as Marty Noxon for creating the show. It came a long way and you guys did great.
Beware of the sickness.
You can run...but you can't hide.
The Sickness
Faith watched as the wooden coffin was lowered down into the ground. 'Hold the Line, and don't give up...' Faith sighed quietly as Buffy's final words flew around in her head.
The wind tasseled her hair as she tried to steady her breathing. Faith looked over at the others in the solemn circle around the priest and the burial site. "May the Lord take care of her..." The Priest said, blessing the coffin. Willow let out a little sob and Faith looked over at her, Xander wrapping his arms around the redhead's body, holding her close.
Xander looked over at The Slayer, his eyes puffy. Rupert Giles blew his nose and put the Kleenex back into his pocket, revealing his extremely red nose. Everyone's becoming sick. Faith thought. She thought about Giles, Probably wishing it was her being lowered six feet under than Buffy. She looked down at the little girl holding her hand. "Jillie," she whispered, picking up the dark blonde child and balancing her on her hip. She bounced her soothingly for a few minutes, wanting the service to be over, finished, finally, forever. As the shovels were taken out, Xander stepped up and took one. Giles stepped in and picked up a shovel as well. Together, the two men picked up piles of dirt and gently placed them in the hole. Faith watched, silent tears running down her cheeks now. She didn't even bother roughly wiping them away, only because she knew more were on their way. The two men patted down the earth and placed several bouquets on the burial site. Faith got in line last, placing five year old Jillian Summers down beside her. "Come on," she said through glassy eyes. "Let's give your mommy her flowers." Faith, still holding the child's hand, stepped up and placed the roses on the wet dirt. Jillian kneeled and put her single carnation beside Faith's and they walked back by Xander and Giles. Faith looked at them, then behind her at Willow. Jillian glanced around and Giles picked her up. Xander nodded once at Faith, and Willow joined them.
"I-It's just so...weird." She whimpered. "It's the second time-"
"Willow, we can't this time. She's really gone." Xander said, cutting her off. Faith nodded in agreement. She knew that Willow wanted to try that spell again. Faith left them, walking back over to the cross headstone that read "Buffy Anne Summers". She sat down, not caring about her new blank jeans getting muddy or dirty. People in large groups starting leaving and all Faith could see through the fog were tons of tail lights towards the exit of the cemetery. For a while, a few others surrounded her, and then they all seemed to leave. "We're going to-" Xander began.
"Go ahead," Faith replied in a whispered. "I'll come by later." Xander nodded, kneeling down and hugging Faith. She closed her eyes during the embrace and then looked away as he left.
The fog gathered up to the point where Faith could barely see a thing. A few hours later of thinking, a tall man appeared through the fog. Faith looked up, standing. She ran towards the man. "Oh, Angel." she said, sobbing. He held her close for a while, wiping her bleeding eyeliner and mascara from under her eyes when she pulled away. Faith inhaled deeply.
"Oh, God, you should have seen-" she cut herself off. "It was...it was awful." Angel nodded, pulling her back to him. "Shhh," he whispered in her ear. "It's alright." But secretly, his unbeating heart ached over the loss of his Slayer, Buffy Anne Summers.