Summary: I guess it's not much of a One Shot anymore huh? A look at a secret relationship between Buffy and Faith in Season 7.

Disclaimer: None. Nope Nobody. Not me. Don't own 'em.

Mad World

Faith awoke, strangely this morning though. There were fingers being combed just lightly through her hair, and an arm slung delicately over her waist. Once her right eye, the non-swollen one, had opened she found a neat mop of blonde hair dangling above her. Buffy. Buffy smiled above her as she awoke content with just the fact that her slayer was alive. No words needed to be spoken, but Buffy couldn't resist herself. With that same lopsided grin covering her lips, she dropped her head just a few more inches and whispered into the brunette's ear, "I love you."

Faith lightly turned from her side onto her back, releasing the most tired smirk she could muster. "Maybe I should get tortured by the First more often."

Buffy wasted no time in placing her lips delicately across Faith's. They kissed. When the delicate touch ended, Faith slowly, cautious to her weak body, sat up to an extent and finally became level with the other Slayer. With a quick intake of breath, she lamely repeated the phrase, "I love you." back.

The rest of their morning held no worry or thought at all, for they were with each other. Only stupid grins and delicate touches were administered only because the weakened slayer couldn't hold her own. Slayer healing had begun its work on her hands; the holes were closing up though vicious looking scars were appearing. There were many other injuries she had gained, but for now she pay no attention to them. There would be time later.

"Hey, don't you have some big apocalypse to be worryin' about, B?" Faith asked from underneath her counterpart. Buffy gave her a quick mock-glare before shaking her head.

"Nope, not now. Later. Besides, they're probably handling everything just fine without me right now. They don't need me."

"Whatever you say."

Outside the bedroom window, the sun had made its appearance and glared brightly into the room. Afternoon was making its way through the day. Sometimes during their tryst, rest had fallen upon both of them, leaving them just the way they had awoken, close and careful with one another.

It was just barely noticed that both Slayers were missing downstairs where chaos was growing. Most were growing hopeless. With the recent death of close ones, and even ones they didn't know, along with Faith and Angel, the missing links, it was difficult to come up with any hope at all.

Willow had kept frequent tabs with the Angel Investigations team in Los Angeles, but with Angel down in Sunnydale for his brief help with the First's whereabouts, she hadn't spoken to them in quite awhile. Deciding it was possible that they had come up with possibly some new information, Willow dialled the Hotel's number. Thankfully, her favourite member answered.

"Willow? Oh, gosh, hi!"

"Hi Fred! It's been awhile, huh?"

The conversation leaned hesitantly away from that of business and more towards girl talk before the witch finally remembered her reason for calling.

"New information? Well, I don't really know for sure. I'll go ask Angel and maybe he'll have someth-…"

Angel? Angel was here though. Not in L.A. Willow quickly interrupted her. "Wait, Angel? Angel is…. here. In Sunnydale. Isn't he? I thought he was, I mean I saw him and I talked to him and…"

"Um, nope." Fred giggled a bit nervously. "He's been here… all week."

In her sudden realization and frenzy, Willow hung up the phone without much of a goodbye, or explanation, and raced upstairs to find Buffy.

Deciding it was logical that she would be in her room, Willow didn't bother with knocking and quickly threw the door open before stepping in. "Buffy, I don't think that was really Angel that was here I think it might have been the oh Goddess." Willow had spit out the sentence so quickly, there was barely anytime for a new one to be made. She watched with wide emerald eyes as Buffy slowly appeared from beside Faith on the bed. "Um, Buffy….?"

Buffy's eyes grew just as wide as Willow's. They stared at each other for a long, disbelieving moment before Buffy slowly climbed off of the bed.

"Will, just… let me explai-…"

"What is she doing in your bed? In your room? Why were you…?" The Witch's face had contorted into that of something Buffy had never seen on her friend. She looked furious, beyond raging. "Buffy, it's HER. She tried to kill us! All of us! You, ME, Xander, Angel, Giles, need I go on? Your mom, Dawn…"

"Willow, I know, but you saw her yourself… she's changed!"

"That doesn't matter, Buffy! She's dangerous! You can't trust her, no matter what! You'll never know if she has really changed or not!" The witch's emotions went on over-drive, completely forgetting about the mysterious Angel and quickly switching to the new subject at hand. Behind Buffy, Faith slowly began to stir, waking at the sound of Willow's high-pitched yelling. She sat up slowly, leaning onto her elbows and glancing around the room.

Willow glared daggers at the Rogue slayer. "This isn't right." She concluded, crossing her arms over her chest and producing the angry cousin of "resolve face". Outside the bedroom many Potentials had gathered nonchalantly at the sound of yelling. The few that were there earliest and actually heard the source of the fight, all whispered and chatted to one another about the new couple in the house.

From downstairs, at the distinct sound of an angry witch, Giles made his way up the stairs and through the gathering crowd of potentials. Frowning at all the commotion, he quickly stepped into the bedroom, glanced from both Slayers to the witch and finally asked in a booming voice. "What is going on here? What is this about?"

Willow hurried right into explanation, "Buffy is with Faith." She said, her anger dripping off of her voice. She knew it wasn't Buffy she was angry at. It was Faith, definitely, but she couldn't help but find Buffy guilty as well.

Giles's eyes slowly widened and he removed his glasses for a quick cleaning. "Um… what?"

By then, Buffy had mustered up her own anger at the situation. "What gives you the right to criticize?" She asked, moving away from the bed to get right into Willow's face. "After you KILLED Warren and tried to kill the rest of US, not to mention JOHNATHAN and ANDREW! What gives you the right to even THINK about getting angry? We let you back in, why can't you let her?"

At this, Willow silenced, hit hard by the low blow Buffy had made. She glared briefly, then turned and made her way out of the bedroom. Giles still sat in a bit of shock, glancing from each Slayer for a long moment before nodding a silent sort of agreement. He soon ushered the rest of the potentials and himself out of the bedroom and back to their places. When everyone had disappeared, Buffy gave one longing glance back to the silent Slayer behind her. She faintly noted the pale tone her face had taken on and the slightly lopsided way she held herself up.

"You okay?" Buffy asked her, taking the few steps forward back towards the bed. She sat down beside Faith and absently let her hand rest atop hers.

"Uh, yeah. Fine, B. I think I'm jus' gonna'… take a little cat nap or something. I'm not feelin' so hot." Without approval she started to lie back down, closing her eyes quickly.

Buffy nodded with a small grin, "Okay. I'll let you sleep. I guess I should… go work things out downstairs."

"Knock 'em dead."

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"This is ridiculous! She's a murde-…"

"I statements only Xander. You know the rule."

"Whatever. I think is ridiculous and I feel she's a murderer!"

This roundtable discussion between only those who's opinions mattered in the situation wasn't going as planned. They never did. Any of them. Giles sat at the head of the table, as usual, with his glasses off to the side and his hands rubbing tiredly at the temples of his head. Xander and Willow sat on one side, both looking a bit frazzled with their arms crossed over their chests. Buffy sat beside herself on the other side of the table, arms resting tiredly on the table and her head atop them. Everyone was frustrated, and the conversation was going nowhere.

"Look… we all understand that you and Faith may have a new… liking towards each other. But… Buffy, I'm afraid I must agree that trusting her in a relationship as important as this one cannot be done." Giles tried to keep his kind, fatherly face on but found it was hard when his Slayer wasn't willing to agree with anything anybody said.

"No, you guys don't understand. You don't understand that … that I love her. She loves me back, I know it. I can feel it. I know she hasn't been anything but evil for awhile, but she is changed. I know that for a fact. She is changed now. Why else do you think the First wanted her? She is apparently an aspect to this fight and that's why they were trying to pick her off. She's here because she wants to be." Buffy was almost growling out the words. She had said them so many times she felt as if she had memorized them already. "If you don't like this… then fine. Fine. There's nothing I can do to change your opinion. But you can at least accept that we love each other, and move on. Okay, if she does turn on us, or whatever you guys are expecting her to do, then you can tell me 'I told you so' as many times as you'd like. But for now, just… leave us alone." With her conclusion, and obviously not accepting any other comments, Buffy stood, stuffed her chair beneath the table, and calmly walked back towards the stairs.

Willow, Xander, and Giles all glanced back and forth between each other before finally excusing themselves from the ended conversation. It had been nearly two hours along. They had sat in the confined kitchen, each giving their own opinions, shooting comments and insults, until finally Buffy concluded them. All were emotionally drained and contented themselves in their own sleeping quarters to sleep through the remainder of the night.

Buffy, once upstairs and to her room, opened the door silently and slipped inside before closing it behind her. Faith was still sleeping apparently. She lay a bit crookedly on one side, her back facing the door where Buffy entered. Deciding it was time for her slayer to wake; she climbed slowly towards the bed, and then positioned herself beside Faith. Leaning over and studying her face, Buffy found the pale look to her lover had increased. Frowning slightly she bent down and kissed her lips just briefly. Cold. Then the worry began. Still ginger and gentle, she pulled Faith just lightly so that she was rearranged to be lying on her back. Buffy placed her other knee over Faith so that she was straddling her wait just slightly. She put her hands on her shoulders and began to lightly shake her.

"Faith?" She whispered, "C'mon… wake up."

No response.

Already her heart was pounding against her chest. Buffy bent down even closer and shook her just a bit harder, enough so that Faith's shoulders were jerking almost violently and she still didn't wake. Buffy bent down once more and kissed her again. Her lips were freezing compared to hers. Buffy ran her hands up Faith's arms and found that she was cold there too. A sob caught in her throat but she had yet to notice it. Her mind still told her that Faith was alive, just in too deep of a sleep to notice her.

Compelled to wake her partner, she shook harder and harder until she thought she had heard a slight snap Faith's shoulder. She had released some Slayer strength on accident. She had used more than forceful touch and still Faith didn't awake.

"Faith!" She yelled, keeping her face close to her partner's ear, just to be certain she could hear her. And then the tears came. They leaked from her eyes and suddenly wouldn't stop. She couldn't get rid of them. "Faith, God, please… wake up. WAKE UP!" As her hands ran down and around Faith she found that every part of her was cold. Maybe if she warmed her up. As frantically as she could, she pulled the comforter over and secured it around Faith's middle before getting frantic again. It wasn't working. Nothing was working.

It was then she noticed the slight bloodstain, rising in the middle of Faith's shirt. What was this? Slowly, she peeled back the black shirt and saw one of the scars that Slayer healing had formed the previous night was opened just slightly. Blood had sprouted from the top and left the tiniest of stains. It was then Buffy had numbly begun to accept it. Faith was gone. She choked back a pitiful sob and fell limp atop her lover's body. Her hands wrapped tightly around Faith's body as she cried.

Faith was gone. Faith was gone. Faith was gone. Faith was gone. She wasn't coming back.

The rest of the night was a bit of a blur. She faintly remembered Giles coming to her room at the sound of her sobs and pulling her away from the cold body. The rest she couldn't remember if she tried.

This is NOT the end, guys. Believe me, one or two more chapters, and then... A SEQUEL! (Maybe. If you guys like the ending.)