Disclaimer: Just let me finish my story without legal actions, please.

A/N:

Here it is, the potential final chapter to my first BTVS fanfic.

Chapter 7: She's Gone

Buffy:

I shot off the bed, literally, and was looking around the bedroom frantically. Where's Faith? Where's Faith? Is all that is going through my head right now. After looking under the bed and in the bathtub my common sense came back to me and I ran out of my room down the hall to Faith's room. I didn't cross my mind till much later that Dawn wasn't in the room when I woke up.

I don't remember ever moving so fast in my life but it still felt too slow. A thousand thoughts raced though my mind before I finally reached Faith's door. I love her more than anyone before and it is scary but exciting at the same time. I can't believe how stupid I am to only realize it now. There was a million signs all around me but I just ignored them. I am the biggest idiot on earth, also the biggest bitch. I acted so mean to her last night. Faith doesn't open up often, if at all, and last night she told me she loved me and I threw it back in her face. I need to apologize to her before she's gone. Oh God, what if she left already? Please, still be here, please Faith...

I barged through the door without knocking. She wasn't in the living room or kitchen, which left the bedroom or the bath. I shoved into the bedroom door calling her name but it died on my lips. She wasn't in here either, or in the bathroom. The bed was messy but the closet and drawers had been visibly emptied. The room was empty, there was no Faith. She left...

She's gone...and its because I pushed her away. My world was crumbling beneath me and I could barely stand. I sank to my knees at the foot of the bed and lay my head down on the mattress over my folded arms. I let the sobs I had been holding in out and they poured out of me like a waterfall. I was too late, she really is gone. My misery crowded around me, it squeezed my heart with barbed wire while choking my throat. I could barely breath through my fit of coughing. After the fit was over I tried taking deep breathes but I couldn't get enough oxygen in my lungs. No matter how much air I took in I still felt empty.

As I lay my head on the bed, her bed, I recognized a familiar scent. Just like her unique taste, Faith had a unique smell. Definitely not a bad smell, it is fresh and earthy with just a trace of smoke. Can't think of any better words to describe it, but I know its of Faith. I never thought about it before but I could sometimes tell she was around because my slayer senses would pick up her scent. Funny how I never noticed it till she was gone. Now this is all I have left of her.

I unintentionally balled up my fists and my nails dug into my flesh. A wave of anger passed through me. I am mad at myself for so many reasons, but the biggest reason is that all I'm doing is sitting here and crying. No, I refuse to give up so easily. I will get Faith back if its the last thing I do. I can't let her go.

I check the alarm on the nightstand, its 6:00. I don't know how long she has been gone but its early so I hope she hasn't left the state already. I ran back to my room and pull on the first decent clothes I see and some shoes before going back out and banging on Giles' door. He isn't answering so I start calling out his name and knocking louder.

"Buffy?"

I spin around and Giles is standing behind me with a cup of coffee in his hands.

"Giles! When did Faith leave?" I ask right away.

"Um, why wou..."

"GILES! I need to know now." I try to hurry him up.

"Oh, about half an hour ago."

"Great, what's her flight number?" Yes, I can still catch up to her!

"I think its flight 88 or it cou..."

"Thanks Giles, I got to go." I jetted down the stair and out the door to hail a taxi.

Forty minutes of whining and worrying got me to the airport, I hate traffic. When the car stopped at the doors I jumped out and ran in with the cabbie yelling at me. I forgot to bring any money and didn't have the time to explain that to him. At that moment, as fate would have it, the speakers came on and announce that Flight 88 would now be boarding. In a dead sprint, I followed the signs that pointed to the flight terminal. I got many stares and dirty looks but I didn't care, as long as I got to Faith in time.

I was just about to reach it when I found an escalator that I needed to go on had a line, metal detectors, and security checking your tickets. Crap. The speakers came on again to announce the final boarding call for Flight 88. Fuck it. On the left, there was another escalator going down instead of up and no one was on it. Times like these are when I love slayer speed. I was at the top before security noticed what I did.

Across the room filled with chairs, people were still passing through the doors that led to the plane.

"Faith!" I yelled out, not caring if I looked like a lunatic. I was halfway there when these two big idiots in blue stepped in front of me and blocked my way.

"Miss, we're gonna ask you to come with us." The one on the right with a mustache asked.

"No, I have to get to Faith before she leaves." I said loudly and called out for Faith again.

"Miss, you have to calm down and come with us." The scrawny, cock-eyed one said next.

"Look, all I want to do is talk to her." I tried to reason with them before I hurt them.

I was tensing my arm for a punch when I felt it pulled back with my other arm. I turned around in surprise and found that two other idiots had snuck up behind me was about to tie my hands with plastic straps. Before they could I back kicked one of them lightly in the stomach and he doubled over.

The other three circled around me while I heard one of them radio for backup. I tried to look past them to see if Faith heard me but just then Mustache-man decided to use his stun gun on me. He lunged at me but I sidestepped and grabbed his wrist. I twisted his arm behind his back and he dropped his weapon. Then Scrawny thought he could subdue me by putting me in a choke hold, but I steadied my feet and flipped him over me to land on his back, doesn't look like he'll be getting up anytime soon. Suddenly my body went numb and my hair at the back of my neck stood on its ends as I fell to the floor.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the last security guard reach for my hands with the straps again but before he could tighten them he was pulled away from me and hit the wall. My mind was a little hazy but I was getting the feeling back in my body when I heard the voice of an angel.

"B, are you alright?" She turned me over gently and pulled me to sit up with her left arm supporting me from behind my back. She was looking at me, worry written all over her beautiful face, but there was also that skeptical, questioning look. I was overjoyed, she didn't leave me, she came back! Before I knew what I was doing, I had grabbed the back of her neck and pressed my lips tight against her's.

Even though she was frozen stiff, I held onto her and the kiss like it was my only chance of survival. Then I felt the familiar flame light up in me as Faith cupped my cheek and trailed her tongue along my bottom lip. She relaxed when I parted my lips to let her in and I couldn't help but slip into her hot mouth and taste her back. I had been wanting this for so long and now that I have it I plan on making up for lost time.

I was just about to push Faith to the ground and ravish her with intense, loving kisses to try to satisfy my craving, when I heard a commotion coming our way. We broke apart at the same time to see the LA Police heading towards us. Oh crap, again. I thought about running from them while me and Faith stood up, but when I saw the guns they were holding, I decided that it wouldn't be such a great idea. I was about to have a panic attack at the thought of being arrested for the first time, and you want to know what the love of my life that I had done all this for was doing? She was laughing!

"What's so funny, Faith?" I asked in mock anger as the cops approached us with handcuffs.

"B, were are about to be arrested and you're wearing a Barney the Dinosaur shirt, that's definitely not going to boost your street cred." My ears are turning red and I'm speechless. Today officially marks as the most embarrassing day of my life. The cop behind me is snickering as he's reading my rights and cuffing me.

I groan, pitifully at the whole situation. This isn't how I pictured things would go. I saw myself finding Faith at the luggage check-in and calling out her name, pleadingly across the room with an echo. Then she would turn around and look dead at me like I was the only person there and immediately drop everything she was doing. There would be absolute silence as we walked, then gradually ran to each other to meet in the middle of the floor. All it would take was one look into my eyes and she would know that I loved her and then we would come together in an scorching kiss.

In reality, I made myself like a total fool. We are now being escorted out of the airport and making our way to the squad cars. I look over my shoulder t Faith, who is giving attitude to the cop, and know that it was all worth it. This is just a small price to pay for all the wrong I have done her. The officers shove us into the back of the vehicle and haul us to the local police station. I only now realize how uncomfortable it is to sit with your arms behind your back.

I turn so that me back is against the door and I'm facing Faith. She is in a similar position and we stare at each other without speaking. I want to tell her so much but I can't form words with my mouth. But I look at her and I know she's waiting for me to say something, so I gather up my courage and speak.

"Faith, I'm sorry." She's about to say something but I cut her off. "No, let me finish. Last night, when you kissed me, I realized something that I wasn't ready to admit. And then you told me you loved me, and that scared me more than anything in my life. It scared me because it broke my whole view of who you are. You are only supposed to be the tough, bad ass, party girl, dark slayer; but what you said proved that you are so much more than that. That night I looked into your eyes and for the first time saw the real you. The Faith that has a scarred past, who doesn't trust anyone because she's been betrayed too many times, who tries to run away because she thinks she isn't strong enough to deal, who is only looking to find someone who cares."

At this point I'm holding back the tears but my voice is thick with emotion. "And when I saw that in your eyes I knew what I thought before was wrong. But I didn't want to be wrong so I tried to deny what you said and ran off. Because if I was wrong about you, then I could also be wrong about everything else. Especially about how I feel about you."

Right now its getting really hard to continue speaking, and by the water in Faith's eye I know I'm not the only one getting emotional. "Faith, ever since I was in the hospital I've been dreaming about you kissing me and I would wake up always wishing it was real. But I pushed myself into denial because I thought wanting you would only lead to heartbreak. You were known for getting some, then getting gone, but I didn't want you to leave me. So I made myself believe that the dreams meant nothing so I could avoid all the pain. But you told me you loved me and I can't pretend anymore, especially when I almost lost you. Now, I accept my feelings for you and can admit them, even though I might still get hurt. Faith, I am in love with you and I ho..."

I was going to say 'I hope you can forgive me for hurting you' but my mind shut down when I felt those full, juicy lips press hard against mine. I've heard that this is the only way to stop babbling and I must say that it is very effective. I was lost in my own little world when I realized those lips I adore were no longer present. I returned from my daze to see a wildly grinning Faith in front of me.

"B, I love you too, but you talk way too much." I think my heart just did a double backhand spring into my stomach. I felt like some pre-teen girl that just got asked out to the dance by a pop idol. Am I glowing? I'm pretty sure I'm glowing. And why can't I stop smiling? Who cares, I'm happy.

So my first night with Faith was spent in a jail cell with a 50 year old, pyromaniac called Mrs.. Apple and 20 something schizophrenic named Lisa, Anna, and George. Yep, definitely a story to tell the kids.

NEVER THE END

A/N:

OMG, its done. Please review and tell me what you thought about it. .