Title: Death do us join (2?)

Author: Mystic Amethyst

Rating: PG-PG 13 for now.

Pairing: Buffy/Faith

Disclaimer: For the first and last time. Joss Whedon owns BTVS. Do you really think that Buffy would have had a sort of thing for Spike, if I owned them? Do you think Faith would have been with WOOD?

Dedication: I want to dedicate this to everyone who gave the prologue reviews. I didn't think it was very good, and probably wouldn't have continued this if it wasn't for you. I hope you like this part.

The Meeting

The brunette gradually returned to a state of awareness, as the heavy darkness around her lifted. She opened her eyes slowly, feeling as if she was awaking from a deep, long sleep. However, upon seeing her surroundings, the second of the chosen two had quickly sat up in shock, and soon, was convinced that she had received a serious head injury, and was hallucinating.

For, what she saw was not a dingy cell, with a tiny barred window, nor was she lying on a bunk bed which was harder than a rhinoceros's hide. It was not even the sterile off white colour that characterised the hospital infirmary, and there were none of the noisy machines which Faith had both seen and heard when she had awoken in it after…but Faith turned away from that memory.

Instead, the dark slayer found herself lying on soft dark grass, which was still covered in early morning dew. From time to time, her keen slayer senses picked up the low hum of traffic in the background. In front of her, was the back of a medium sized house, and, turning around, Faith saw three stone steps leading to yet another part of the back garden which she seemed to be in.

Sitting up so quickly, however, had caused Faith's head to throb rather painfully, and automatically, her hands had shot up to her head.

"FUCK!" she proclaimed loudly to no one at all.

After the pain had ceased somewhat, she moved her hands down and covered her face, trying to rid herself of the after effects of her...was it a nap? 'Unconscious episode, anyway' the brunette thought with a small shrug. Only then did her true predicament set in.

'Shit, shit, SHIT, where am I?" thought the former rogue, panicking slightly. It wasn't exactly as if she had never woken up somewhere unfamiliar before, but at least she knew why that was when it happened.

Now, the last thing that Faith remembered was being in her cell…and then having a vision. The portal…Dawn…Buffy…Buffy jumping. Then she recalled the feeling of weakness that had surrounded her entire being as she walked over to the sink…as she 'saw' Buffy…die.

Bringing her hands down from her face, the brunette was surprised to find that they were damp, and realised that she had been crying. Why should she care if B died? All she wanted to do was apologise to her. There was gonna be none of this touchy feely crap involved. Buffy had abandoned her when she needed her…no worse still, Buffy and her precious Scoobies had never tried to help or protect her in the first place.

As these thoughts ran through her head, Faith's formerly unidentifiable emotions were replaced with just one other, one with which she was, if anything, all too familiar-anger.

This was B's fault somehow, Faith just knew it. After all, it was her vision of Buffy jumping off the tower that led to her collapsing. Its so like Buffy to be all selfless. The blonde slayer better be glad that she's dead, because otherwise Faith would kick her ass!

Just then, from behind her, Faith heard a small, quickly smothered, gasp. Probably, without slayer hearing, it would have been inaudible. Almost comically, thanks to her last thought, the dark slayer knew whom she would see when she turned around. The warm buzz in her body was proof of that. Suffice to say, she wasn't startled when she turned around. It would be a lie to say she wasn't disappointed, because Faith was praying to a God who never gave a shit about her, and that she had long stopped believing in, to prove her wrong.

Yet, as she turned, her chocolate locks blowing backwards thanks to the wind, tangling it, her brown eyes locked with those of the 'true' slayer, just ten feet away. Yet another reminder of how worthless she was. Buffy's hazel eyes were wide open and horrified, just as Faith imagined her own were.

In silence, Faith regarded her…what was Buffy to her? Friend? No way, Enemy? Not anymore. Rival? Yes.

The same wind which blew Faith's hair backwards blew the light slayer's forward to frame her face, and once more, Faith wondered why everything was slanted so that Buffy got a great deal, while Faith got ripped off. Buffy's bottom lip was sticking out slightly, but as of yet, she was not exactly pouting. Her shoulders were hunched, weight on her back foot in a defensive stance. When Faith looked back up, she saw the petite slayer was trying to grasp the situation and judging by her stupefied expression, Faith would have given plenty to have the power of telepathy at that particular moment.

Indeed, Buffy was stunned by the situation she was placed in, and how she was in it. Like Faith, she had awoken a while ago, although, unlike Faith, she was in front of the house. Unlike Faith, however, she remembered the events which had led to her ending up here with almost frightening clarity.

Her first thought had been

'Well, at least its not hell'

The grass was warm and soft, and a small brick ledge separated the front garden from a pavement. There was a road through which cars intermittently drove, and to her side was a block paved drive. All sorts of flowers grew around her, roses and lilies, and others which she had never seen before.

Standing up, her body had felt surprisingly light, as if she wasn't even fully in it, although it followed her instructions when she wanted to move.

First, the lighter counterpart of the chosen two tried to enter the house. Unwilling to alert potentially hostile creatures to her presence, she tried to open the mahogany coloured door. When that didn't work, she banged on it hard, but still no one answered and it didn't budge. So, Buffy gave up, and decided that she could at least make sure that she was safe for the time being Besides, if she were dead, where the hell was God…or at least some sort of guide?

To the right of the house, there ran a small, very short passageway, which she decided to follow. Ever since that day, Buffy had hated alleys and narrow passageways…because of…but no, she wasn't going to go there just now. As her shoes clattered against the concrete, she'd extended her slayer senses, but couldn't identify any evil nearby.

Getting to the end of the path, the light slayer saw a fairly large back garden spread in front of her, and due to the sun being directly in front of her, an undistinguishable figure in the middle of it. The figure was a woman, the original chosen one observed as she stepped closer, with long curly brown hair and a tall athletic frame.

As the brunette shifted slightly, Buffy had gasped. It couldn't be. She was alive. In prison, but alive. Angel would have contacted her if…

Having heard the gasp, the brunette turned around, and indeed, it was undeniably…Faith. Still startled, Buffy took in the sight of her former…foe…friend…no, she finally settled on rival, unwittingly copying Faith's thoughts.

Faith's hair had been whipped back by the wind, adding to the wild look which the blonde had always associated her counterpart with. The black-brown eyes held panic and shock, while Faith's lips had thinned in a way which conveyed her utter unwillingness to be where she was.

So it was that the chosen two observed each other for the first time since they were in LA. As soon as their mutual shock had worn off, they both simultaneously said the first thing that came into their head.

"Fuck, I didn't sense anything evil"

"B, I'm gonna kick your ass!"

With those words, the rivalry, tension, and passionate enmity between the chosen two was established once more. Stuck in an unfamiliar place, together…no one could tell what would happen next.

A.N- Read and Review? Please?