Title: Five by Five

Summary: Faith's long lost twin sister Hope has come to Rome in search of her sister. When two sisters meet everything seems to brighten but does something supernatural threaten to end this new reunion of sisters? And the question of whether Hope is a Potential is overpowering but will she bow down to the ways of the slayer?

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except for Hope.

Author Notes: Pointless chapter, just picking up where I left off, with the Angel comfort. Then strengthening the foundations of Faith and Buffy's friendship. Then the sisterly bond.. I have not much more to say. Oh, Spike? Not gonna be back for a while unfortunately. Shame, I'm really gonna miss that guy.

Chapter 19: The Fountain

"I love him." Hope sobbed and Angel soothed her gently and stroked her hair.

"I know. But, it'll be ok. After a while…" Angel said, trailing off thinking about exactly how much of a 'while' he had taken to be ok after his own heartache.

"How do you know?" Hope asked into Angel's chest. Angel withdrew a bit so that he could look Hope in the eyes.

"I've had… Experience, in that department." Angel said and Hope's eyes widened as she remembered.

"Right, how could I forget." Hope said, hitting her forehead, disgusted with herself.

"Hope," Angel said, drawing her gaze again, "I know that right now, it feels like a part of you has been ripped out and that you couldn't live for another second but… It'll get better. I promise."

"You promise?" Hope asked looking up at him hopefully and sniffing back some tears. Angel smiled and wiped away the tears off her face with his thumb.

"I promise." He reassured her and Hope smiled. It wasn't a happy smile, or a bright one, it was a 'okay, I've just cried but maybe the future could get better' smile. In other words, a hopeful smile. Hope returned to burying her head in his chest and mumbled something that only Angel could catch with his vampiric hearing.

"Thankyou, Angel."

Faith stood in front of the huge fountain. The Trevi fountain, or something. It took her breath away. Not many people might know, but she did enjoy looking at art. Something she got from her dad. She still remembered how her father insisted on taking her and Hope to an art gallery. She couldn't even remember which one it was, but she knew that she had the most fun there as she'd had in her whole life. Her best memory from her childhood was staring up at an artwork (she couldn't remember which one, she just knew that it was the most beautiful thing she'd seen in her life).

She couldn't stop the small smile that appeared on her lips as she looked at the fountain and the sculptures on it.

"I didn't know you were an art buff." Came a female voice from behind her. Without even turning she knew who it was.

"Are you stalking me, B? Cos that's kinda illegal and all." Faith said, smirking, and still not turning.

"You would know about illegal things, now wouldn't you Faith." Buffy quipped and Faith chuckled.

"Nice one B, slightly below the belt, but you know," Faith finally turned to face Buffy, "That's the way I like it." Faith added a wiggle of her eyebrows, something that she'd stopped doing lately but she couldn't help it. Because she knew that it was what cued the trademark Buffy Summers blush and look away. Faith just grinned as it was performed live, good old predictable B.

"Faith." Buffy reprimanded her lightly which made Faith's grin widen.

"So what you up to, B? Cruisin' the city or something?" Faith asked and Buffy grimaced

"Or something." She replied and gestured vaguely to a group of teenage girls who were crowded around the gelato stand. Faith shook her head and chuckled once again, really feeling for the poor vendor who was now being overloaded with orders. Buffy's gaze moved to the fountain and she stepped forward, her breath catching in her throat.

She stood at the edge of the water and just stared. Faith turned back to the water fountain, standing next to Buffy.

"Beautiful eh?" Faith asked and looked across at Buffy who just looked shell shocked.

"I, uh, well… yeah." She stumbled for words before finally settling on just agreement. Faith nodded, understanding Buffy's lack for words. Buffy glanced over at Faith and said, "I didn't know you were into this..." Faith looked at her questioningly and Buffy expanded, "Y'know, art and stuff." Faith grimaced and chuckled lightly.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, B." Faith said and Buffy nodded.

"I'm getting that."

"You're not really stalking me are you? Cos that's kinda creepy."

"What? No, I should be asking if you're stalking me." Buffy said matter of factly and Faith let rip a short burst of laughter.

"Hey, I was here first."

"I was there before you in the cemetery." Buffy said, trying to hold up her side of the argument.

"Yeah, but you did that creepy appearing from the shadows thing that is in fashion right now with all the cool vamps." There was a slight awkward pause as they both thought of the 'cool' vamps. Faith felt slightly guilty that she had mentioned them, wishing she'd kept her mouth shut about the two vamps which had a tendency to capture and break hearts. Mainly the one of Buffy Summers. And reminding Buffy of that pain wasn't what Faith was about, at least not lately.

"Well you know me, all about the fashion." Buffy said, a half grimace on her face.

"Right, just not the good fashion." Faith said, trying to lighten the mood. It worked well, Buffy punched her lightly in the arm.

"Hey! Do not diss my fashion sense." Buffy said, defending her style and Faith just grinned at her.

"Alright, lesson learned, no more punching." Faith said and caught Buffy's eye contact and Buffy just grinned right back at her.

"Sissy." Buffy said and firmly stuck her tongue out.

"You so did not just say that." Faith said, shocked that someone would insult her like that. Then again, it was Buffy.

"Oh, I think I did." Buffy said, a self satisfied smirk on her face.

"You so did not." Faith shot back, as if trying to make out that it never happened.

"But, I so did." Buffy was having none of it, really asking for it. So Faith gave it to her.

"You better start running." Faith warned, her eyes flashing with a hidden smile crinkling the end of her eyes and Buffy just grinned and took off, every so often looking back at Faith and flashing her a smile over her shoulder. Faith just let out a mixture between a chuckle and a growl and took off after the short blonde.

The group of Potentials surrounding the street vendor now diverted their attention to the two adults who were tearing around the fountain, Buffy laughing and running and Faith hot on her heels with a shit eating grin on her face.

Then, all of a sudden, Faith stopped running and stood there. Buffy looked back over her shoulder and stopped also, tilting her head questioningly. If it hadn't been for the totally serious look on Faith's face that showed some hurt she would have come up with an insult, but the look worried her.

"Faith, are you okay?" Buffy asked but Faith didn't reply, she just held the thousand yard stare directed at no one and nowhere in particular.

"Faith?" Buffy said, louder this time than the last, but Faith still had a far off expression on her face. Buffy swallowed and felt her worry get the better of her. She walked over to Faith and touched her lightly on the arm.

"Faith." She said, this time softer than before, but this time the message got through. Faith's eyes flickered up to Buffy's and Buffy saw the pain that was in them.

"What's wrong?" Buffy asked, a crease appearing between her eyebrows as her worry increased.

"I, uh… I have to go." Faith said, barely speaking and looked as if it took all of her energy not to collapse into tears, or just a hopeless bundle, or something, in front of Buffy. The crease deepened.

"Wh…" Buffy started to ask but Faith just looked at her and she knew from that one look that 'what' wasn't the best thing to say right then so she just said, "Okay, keep in touch." Faith nodded and ran off in a different manner from earlier when she was chasing around Buffy, this was more of a desperate one. A run for answers, for peace of mind, for a reason, anything.

Faith just wanted to know why she suddenly felt like her heart had been ripped out of its cavity, stomped on and incinerated. And why there was a familiar feeling of comfort as a side dish to the heartache. She knew there was only one way that she would have these feelings, all of a sudden and with no warning, things hadn't gone as planned for Hope.

And if that had happened, there was gonna be hell to pay.

And Faith would make sure Spike would be the one paying.

That's it. Next chapter will be… Interesting… I think, depends how far I get, but I have a feeling it won't be uneventful.

Peace

JB