Episode 20- Farewell My Friend by Nicholas

Willow, Andrew, Dawn, Spike, Robin, Clem and Xander's family are seated in the kitchen of a funeral home. Faith is standing outside looking through a small window at Xander's coffin as it was closed. He was cremated and placed in a coffin small enough for a premature baby at Willow's urging to his parents after the autopsy was done. She did this to keep anyone from being able to harm her friend's body in any way in their crazy spells.

Faith: "Xan, I'm so sorry, I hope you know I didn't mean it, I'll never forgive myself for this one," she walks off with tears in her eyes.

With tears from all, they say good-bye to Xander, no one giving any big speeches, just the pastor and a few pictures shown to celebrate his life and Willow lingering after all others left to show her grief in private. She was having a hard time, knowing she'd never see her childhood friend again but was determined not to let the others see it because someone had to keep things together..

(cut to the Bronze)

Faith is in the club dancing with Rick, they're pretty drunk.

Rick: "So anyway, that's why I carry a gun most times. My dad wrecked my life so when I told on him, well he threatens me."

Faith: "Gotta protect your own ya know." She glances around the room spotting Willow sitting alone at a booth looking like her world had crumbled. Faith knew it was because Xander was gone and couldn't handle seeing Willow like that, knowing she caused it. She turned away from Willow's gaze signaling for another drink.

(cut to Caleb at a graveyard)

Caleb: "Hecate Goddess of witchcraft and protector of witches who dwells in the realms of the underworld," he lights a candle as he speaks. We get a shot of Willow's face jerking, her stomach getting all knotty and she races out the door.

Faith: "Something's up, be back," she races out after her. "Red, what's wrong?"

Willow: "I'm getting sick, it's those withdrawal pains, someone's trying to restore my dark essence Rack stole." She looks as if she's going to pass out.

Faith: "I'll help you," she holds out her arm for Willow to steady herself on.

(cut back to the grave)

Caleb: "Restore all the damage this man did to Willow prior to his death," he pours some liquid on the ground lighting it. He then opens a bag, the bag Spike and Robin saw him with. Willow drops to her knees in the cemetery in utter pain.

Faith: "Stay here Red I see him, he's putting some pink stuff on the ring, what does that mean?"

Willow: "He's trying to make me who I once was and I don't know what the ring will do to me. Oh Goddess hurry," Faith leaps over the headstones after Caleb. He's about to dip the ring in the liquid when Faith kicks his shoulder hard from behind. The ring goes flying and she hits him again and again.

Caleb: 'You damn slayer, you just messed her up good now. An unfinished spell always does more harm than good but you're used to that aren't you? Hurting those you're around, everyone you come in contact with," his rant causes her to stop for one moment, just long enough for him to dash for his ring and put it on. "You bitch, I'll get what I want, you won't stop me."

He thrusts his ring at her face while kicking her in the stomach knocking her to the ground. She barely recovers enough to land a kick to the jaw, gets up and runs back to Willow who is still in pain on the ground.

Faith: "Can you stand Will?"

Willow: "No, I," Faith picks her up and carries her to the house. "See Faith, we're all ok, we can," Faith puts her down on the couch shaking Robin who is asleep in the chair.

Faith: "She got messed up, I gotta jet," she walks out.

Robin: "She's a hard one to crack but if anyone can it's you. So what can I do, get us something to drink so we can talk?"

(cut to a dimly lit hotel room)

Rick: "Yes Mr. Giles, she believes me, I don't see her falling madly in love because she's not the type but I think I can steer her clear long enough." He hangs up as Faith knocks on the door.

(cut to a cemetery)

Spike is standing at a grave smoking a cigarette scanning the night with his vampyric vision.

Spike: "Sunnyhell, what a place, anyway, thanks for listening yet again Tara, you always did treat me like a human, even when I hadn't a soul. Hell you never knew me with a soul, one might say I was better offwithout one. At least it didn't hurt so much and I never would've been sad over Xander's death nor the fact that the slayer left me." He stamps out the cigarette, "see ya someday love, I hope," he walks off.

(cut to the hotel.)

Faith and Rick are sleeping, a figure slowly creeps into her dream of Xander, she strains her eyes to see, closer and closer it comes till... (cut to an old Victorian looking home.

A woman lays sleeping, she moves in her dream, searching, seeking out the other slayer. It's Buffy Summers apparently focusing on Faith in desperation hoping she's sleeping. She'd gone to bed with her mind set on a slayer dream as they'd shared many, but since she had no slayer powers hoped the trick Tara and Willow once taught her about finding people in their mind worked, or at least she thought they taught her, and began to dream.

As she struggled through a thick fog that seemed to be swallowing her up she found Faith standing at Xander's grave. Faith doesn't seem to notice her as, for a moment, her focus drifts from Faith to Xander. The young man who once was a bumbling teenage boy with a crush, who grew into a young man with that same crush hidden deep inside. Tears fell from her eyes as she thought of their first meeting, then him saving her when the Master had killed her, then graduation followed by one of their talks from last year before her, Faith, Spike and Robin led the gang to opening the seal to the hellmouth, the battle with those big ugly vampires, then it got foggy from there.

It was when her silent tears turned into sobbing loudly that Faith turned her gaze to the former slayer.

(cut to Summers home as the phone rings)

Willow: "Yeah?"

Andrew: "I'm following Giles, I'm staying far back as Spike told me to. He's paying for everything with cash and driving. I'll let you know when he seems to get to his location."

Willow: "Ok thanks Andrew," they hang up.

Willow goes into her room looking at the picture that sits on a stand. It is of her, Tara, Buffy, Dawn, Joyce, Xander and Anya.

Willow: "They all keep leaving, hiding, dying, all something." She wipes her tearstained eyes.

(flash back)

Willow sees Tara's death, followed by the secret way Buffy left, followed by Anya jumping in front of Andrew to save him, how they thought she died to save him. Then her appearing to Willow, their embrace, the good-bye and Willow's promise to keep her secret of still being a vengeance demon as she left Sunnydale.

She then sees the hellmouth exploding, everyone running for a bus, screaming for Buffy. After which she sees herself looking down into a big crater that used to be Sunnydale.

(end flashback)

Willow looks stunned as her head weaves around the two different images but being unable to comprehend what is going on.

(cut to the dream)

Faith walks towards Buffy and puts an arm out for the former slayer who almost collapses against her.

Buffy: "Help me Faith, they're killing me, you're the only one who can save me now. I believe in you Faith, please help me."

Faith: "I'll save you B, I promise, just hang on till I can get Caleb out of commission." She awakes with a jolt, putting on her jacket as Buffy says. "The Richard Bradford Inn."

(fade to black)