A/N: Heyyy again readers. I want to thank again all those who reviewed, you guys keep me motivated. :)

To 5by5, you pretty much nailed my idea for an ending right on the head. It will be angsty, emotional, and all that good stuff. So look forward to it. ;D

To gorgeousbowneyes, thank you especially for pointing out that Buffy's a little off. I'll work on that, she isn't exactly my favorite character and I'm not as good as finding her voice as I am with Faith. I'll work on it though.

And thanks to all the rest!

Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

Been Given 24 Hours

Second Hour

Buffy couldn't seem to pick her gaze up off the ground. Her eyes were wide with shock, and a tint of anger. Angel walked up behind her, placing gentle hands on her shoulders. She immediately responded by jerking away. "Don't.." She whispered.

He nodded in response, but moved so he could face her, causing her eyes to drift up and meet his.

"How do I tell her that, Angel?" She said slowly, voice shaky.

"I think it would be best if we didn't." Angel's chocolate hues fell. "She'll start to feel better within this hour, and feel normal for the remaining time."

The girl was in shock. This moment felt so unreal, as if soon her eyes would open and Faith would be lying next to her, the sounds of her snoring ringing through their apartment. It had to be a nightmare. The room felt like it was spinning, and she was just standing still, watching everything as it spins out of control. And then there's Faith. Looking so peaceful on the couch. Buffy feels herself walk over as the rest of the room continues to spin, Angel getting lost somewhere in the mix. She sits by her counterpart, throwing Faith's limp arm around herself and burying her face into the brunette's collarbone. The world is at peace again.

Angel watched the whole thing, something of guilt washing over his being. He went over to the couch, bending to the girls and wrapping his arms around the two. "We'll fix this Buffy..we will." He whispered, holding them closer and wondering if he was really reassuring her, or himself.

Faith's eyes opened weakly as she stirred, quickly recognizing the warmth on her body. The sight before her made her squirm, and laugh slightly. "Uh, hey."

The vampire pulled away quickly, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Er. Um. Sorry." was all he managed to spit out.

Though Buffy remained there, her arms still firmly around her sister Slayer, her head resting on the other girl's shoulder. "We took a nap." she lied.

"Oh, right. Well hey I don't wanna break up this cuddly-thing but I'm starved."

With that, Buffy reluctantly let go and let Faith go into the kitchen. Buffy watched her and then slowly turned to Angel, who was standing with his arms crossed. "Does she know?"

"Know what?" He questioned.

"What's happening."

"She won't, unless we tell her. She won't get the symptoms again until the last hour."

Buffy nodded. "She said before though..that she knew she was dying."

"Well she can't remember that now. She'll go on through today like nothing ever happened." Angel slipped his hands into his pockets fidgeting with the items inside and awkwardly rocking on his feet. "I should go see Giles. We can do more research and you can keep Faith company.."

The Slayer forced a smile and a nod towards his way and with that he turned and left. This was going to be the longest 23 hours of her life.

"Where'd Soul Boy go?" asked Faith, stepping out of the kitchen with a bag of Doritos.

"He went to go ..do book stuff." Buffy replied, mentally kicking herself for her stupidity.

Faith paid no attention though, strolling over to the couch casually and flicking on the TV. The older girl shifted around uncomfortably, watching her friend scoop chips into her mouth and channel surf. She really had no idea.

"Faith.."

"Yeah?" Her attention was now on Buffy.

"Do you wanna do something today?"

"Sure B." She smirked.

"I was thinking pizza and movies and going out on the town..Possibly Helen's Diner too."

"Man, I must be pretty cool."

Buffy just nodded, her eyes wandering around shyly. Her friend could feel the awkwardness floating around them in the air, and stood up, tossing Buffy the tv changer.

"Well I'm gonna shower and get ready, then we can motor." And she turned and went on to her business.

The petite girl shook her head, letting it hang and fall into her palms. She sighed deeply.

Faith stood in front of the mirror, taking out her earring studs and placing them on the counter. She felt strange, but couldn't put her finger on it what exactly felt that way. Ignoring it, she slipped out of her clothes, and into the warmth of the shower. The water soothed her skin, and she ran her hands through her hair, entangling in the moment. Her deep brown eyes closed, relaxed.

When she opened them back up though, the site of blood being sucked into the gutter stained her vision. The peace was broken. Faith backed up, and her eyes drifted to her side, where the blood had fallen from. She placed a hand on the wound gingerly, falling to her knees.

----At Gile's place----

"I think I've found something," The Watcher said dryly, taking off his glasses and rubbing them clean. "related to Faith's condition. The demon was called Della Morte, originated in Italy. They have limp, skinny bodies and raven claws that eject a poison when coming into contact with skin."

"What's it say about cures?"Angel questioned instantly.

"Well, erm, nothing. Not that I've seen anyway. It does say, however, state that this poison was developed by Hell Gods specifically for taking the lives of Slayers.."

The vampire stopped.

"And there are no records of any Slayer surviving from it."

A/N: They won't all end like this, just FYI. Hope you enjoyed:D Sorry for the short ness by the way.