Chapter 4.

"Buffy, I can explain," says Riley as he quickly gets up.

"Really?" says Buffy, already feeling a crack in her voice. "I really don't think so, Riley."

"Buffy, we didn't do anything, I swear," says Faith as she gets off the bed slowly.

"Shut up!"

"Buffy, you're blowing this out of proportion," says Riley.

"I felt sorry for you," says Buffy toward Faith. "I thought that maybe just maybe you would change after all of this. I didn't want to do what I did, but I had to. You were out of control and you wouldn't accept any help from us."

"B, I understand, but…"

"Don't say a word." Buffy faces Riley. "And you, I was worried about you. I didn't know where you were, if the polgara demon had gotten you or who knows what else. You didn't even care to tell me about this."

"Buffy, I didn't know who she was," says Riley. "I just found out. I talked to her a couple of times at the hospital and then yesterday she wakes up."

"You were talking to her all this time. I…" Buffy turns around and runs her hand through her hair. "I don't know what to say."

"Buffy, I just needed a place to stay and Riley here helped me out," says Faith. "I'll be leaving." Faith starts to walk over to the door, but Buffy gets in her way.

"You're not going anywhere."

"B, don't be that way."

"Buffy, stop this," says Riley.

"You think she's a saint, don't you?" says Buffy. "She's killed for fun. Do you find that attractive Riley because I don't?"

"She told me everything last night. I trust her."

"I don't," says Buffy as she glares at Faith. Buffy is not mad at Faith for waking up or for anything that she did in the past. What she really is mad at her is her being in bed with her current boyfriend.

"Buffy, someday you can forgive me for all that I've done and I think that today will not be the day," says Faith. "I'm sorry."

"What?"

Faith smacks Buffy in the face. Buffy falls, hitting her head on the door panel and falling onto the floor. Faith floored it out of Riley's room. She jumped from the top railing of the stairs all the way to the first floor.

Riley tries to help Buffy up, but she pushes him away. She gets up leaning against the wall for support and touching her nose, which is bleeding.

"Buffy…" says Riley.

"Don't," Buffy says as she heads over to the stairs.

Riley rolls his eyes and rubs his hand over his face. He enters his room and slams the door, then he looks at his hands that start to tremble. Riley ignores it and looks at his phone book that happens to be next to the bed. A page has been ripped out and he knew who had it. Riley quickly gets his jacket and heads out.

Faith is at the bus station and pulls out a wad of cash from her pocket. She pays for a bus fare to LA. Faith heads over to where the bus is and pulls out a cell phone from her pocket. She opens it and it says Riley on the screen.

A couple minutes later, Riley arrives at the bus station. He looks everywhere, then he heads over to the station's ticket booth and looks at the schedule. Riley turns around and sees a girl that looks like Faith get on a bus that is about to leave. He tries to run after it, but it is too fast as it speeds out of the bussing station.

Riley catches the number of the bus and heads back to the ticket booth, where he could see the schedule again. He finds out that the bus she has gotten on is heading to LA.

Faith, on the bus, sits down still holding the phone close to her. She looks around and feels completely alone. She wishes that Riley was there talking to her in his sweet, calm voice. It was comforting for her. He had been talking to her for months and she was used to hearing his voice. She decides to call his dorm number, which he had saved on his phone. After ringing three times, the answering machine picks up and it's Riley's voice.

"Sorry, I'm not in right now," says Riley's answering machine. "Leave me a message and I'll get back to you." Faith hangs up the phone and puts it away.

Riley goes back to his dorm and searches for his cell phone, but it is nowhere to be found. He wonders if Faith took it since it was on his dresser. He sighs and grabs a bag, throws some clothes in it, then heads out.

"Riley, hold up," says Graham. "Where are you going?"

"Sorry about what happened, Graham," says Riley as he keeps walking. "But I have to help a friend."

"Wait a minute. Is she…is she the girl in the coma?"

"Yeah, and she needs my help. So, keep this between us."

"Riley…" Riley turns to his friend. "Be careful." Riley nods his head and heads out of the house.

"I have no idea where she went," says Buffy in Giles' house with an ice pack on her nose. "I can't believe Riley was with her."

"See," says Xander. "I was right. She was…" Willow looks at him trying to tell him to shut up. "Never mind."

"She is still as unpredictable as ever," says Buffy.

"Yeah, but why didn't she stay and fight?" asks Willow.

"I don't know. Guess she didn't want to. She packed a mean punch. I don't know what I was thinking. She caught me off guard."

"You were upset, Buffy. It happens."

"Not to me." Buffy sighs. "Maybe you're right, Willow."

"Perhaps we can try to make a list of some places Faith would frequent," says Giles.

"I guess that's a start, but what bothers me is the way she looked at me. It was like she was almost sorry before she ran off."

"Maybe she left town, Vegas, LA, San Francisco," Xander suggests.

"Xander could be on to something here," says Giles as he puts his glasses on. "She's obviously scared of you, Buffy."

"She'll be heading to LA," says Buffy as she puts the ice pack down.

"What makes you think that?"

"Angel."

Meanwhile in LA, Faith gets off the bus. She starts to walk around and she hears the cell phone ring. Faith gets it out of her pocket and she decides to turn the phone on silent. She keeps walking around.

Faith sees a phonebook and grabs it. She looks up Angel because for some reason, he must have a phone and it could be under his name. She finds a phone number to an Angel Investigations. Faith pulls the page out that says the address and heads to the building. When she finds the building, she walks in and knocks at the office door.

Meanwhile inside the building, Angel hangs up the phone in his office. He looks at Cordy and Wesley.
"Giles said Faith is awake and has left Sunnydale," says Angel. "She's coming here."

"This isn't right," says Wesley. "Why didn't he give me the heads-up? I was Faith's Watcher. When she came out of the coma, Giles should have contacted me immediately."

"Maybe he was busy trying to keep her from - I don't know - killing everybody?" says Cordy.

"He didn't know she was coming after me," says Angel. "He was worried about Buffy. Besides, he said she wasn't herself."

"Is Buffy okay?" asks Cordy.

"Yeah," Angel replies.

"What can we do?"

"Help me track her down. I want you two to check police reports - beatings, killings - anything within the two days, possibly near bus stations and bars. And then you make yourselves scarce. I don't want to give her any free targets."

"You've been targeted by a psychotic!" says Wesley. "I'm certainly not going to run and hide."

"I like the plan where I'm scarce," says Cordy.

"We've got to band together. Strength in numbers."

"Two is a number."

"She's coming for me," says Angel, standing up. "I've got a fight coming up. I don't want you to get in the way."

"I thought we were a team," says Wesley.

"We're not a team. I'm your boss. You go where I tell you and I tell you to lay low,"

"Seems you're taking this personally."

"Well, you know, she tried to shoot my own personal back, so yeah."

"Did she do something to Buffy?"

"Giles just said it wasn't much. She punched Buffy out."

"I'm sorry. But if you let emotion control you right now, one of you will certainly end up dead."

"Yeah, that's what the lady wants."

"That's not good enough! She's not a demon, Angel. She is a sick, sick girl. If there is even a chance she can be reasoned with..."

"There was. Last year I had a shot at saving her. I was pulling her back from the brink when some British guy kidnapped her and made damn sure she'd never trust a living soul."

"Angel, it's not Wesley's fault that some British guy ruined your…"says Cordy as she turns to Wesley. "- oh wait, that was you." She turns to Angel. "Go on."

"You don't need to," Wesley says.

"Let's just get to work," says Angel. Angel begins to look through his weapons cabinet when he hears some noise upstairs. Angel walks slowly up into the office. He sees a familiar girl and she turns around. "Faith?"

"Hi, Angel," says Faith.

Note: A little bit of Angel's Five By Five in this ep. It kind of works. Review my fine people.