Keeping her pace slow and casual, Faith dodged puddles and piles of trash as she made her way down the alley. Her mind raced, trying to find a way out of town. Before she could mentally run through her options, she heard a shout behind her. Fuck. The cops.

Fear surged. If they caught her, she was dead. No way would the Boss let her live.

Giving up on not looking like a suspect, Faith took off. She could hear the car and the sirens following her. She needed a way out. None of the buildings had a fire escape.

Breath coming in ragged gasps, she looked wildly around as she ran. Nothing. There was no where to go. Even the Sunnydale PD would check the dumpsters if she just disappeared.

Wait. Lungs burning, Faith knew how to get away. The sewers. She'd been all around the city, and knew every possible access point to the city's underground tunnels. Putting on a burst of speed, she opened the gap between her and the cruiser.

Two more turns…Faith grunted, dragging the heavy metal off the ground and tossing it across the alley. They'd know where she'd gone, but they'd never find her in the tunnels. She had far too much experience with the sewers. Cursing the change in clothes (most especially the shoes), she dropped into the murky liquid below and hurried toward the first offshoot.

Buffy jogged down the sidewalk before cutting back through Restfield. She needed to find Faith before she found a permanent way out of town. She was hurt. The Mayor was hunting her. Faith needed a place to hide. There were too many places to search them all. Buffy sighed. She could feel Faith, faintly, but there wasn't enough to help. Maybe…She stopped next to the Johnson crypt and dropped to the ground. Resting her forehead on her knees, she reached along the link. It felt different, clogged. The emotions weren't pure or defined. Straining, Buffy thought she'd reached Faith. She let the adrenaline, fear, and fatigue wash over her. She needed more, though. Buffy let the emotions slide through her, pushing deeper, trying to discover where Faith was.

Without warning, Buffy felt herself tilt. No, she was still sitting on the ground. But…she opened her eyes. The view was strange, different. It was clearly the sewers. She tried to scan the walls, but couldn't seem to turn her head.

She swallowed hard as she started moving forward. For some reason, the movement made her dizzy. Oh my God, I'm not the one moving. Faith is. Faith was in the sewers.

Ignoring the burning and itching in her eyes and the sickness that twisted her stomach every time Faith took a step, Buffy clung to the link. It was the sewer. No signs marked the connecting tunnels, and Buffy couldn't tell exactly where Faith was. Frustrated, Buffy pulled back, retreating from Faith and their link. When she opened her eyes this time, she saw the cemetery. Climbing to her feet, she sprinted for the nearest sewer entrance, an old aqueduct at the back of Restfield. Squeezing through the chain link barrier, she hurried through the dark tunnels.

She was getting closer. Buffy smiled. The link was strong again. Hurrying to catch the other Slayer, Buffy wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. A vamp lunged out of the shadows, knocking her into the brackish water. Fighting to throw him off, she rolled onto her back. That's when she saw Angel. He staked the vamp on top of her and helped her to her feet.

"Your mom said Faith took off. I thought she might be down here hiding from the Mayor," he explained as she brushed dust off her clothes.

Despite the sure knowledge that Faith was nearby, Buffy hesitated to tell her boyfriend. "Yeah, I thought that, too."

"Then what are we waiting for?" He smiled at her, holding out his hand.

Resuming her sprint through the tunnels, Buffy bypassed the outstretched hand. "You coming?" she called over her shoulder. "Not getting any closer to finding her if you keep hanging out."

It took a minute to find the link again. Faith had moved farther away. Buffy pushed harder, needing to find the other Slayer. Angel ran effortlessly at her side, his long legs easily matching her speed. The situation wasn't ideal, but…They were both here and alone. Taking a deep breath, she decided to seize the moment. "Hey, Angel," she panted, "we need to talk."

Angel just looked at her impassively, pale skin leached of even more color in the sewer's dim lighting. "Right now?"

"Yes. I…I just, we need to do this, and I…it'll be better if the gang's not around." She hesitated, unsure how to get started.

"Buffy? What is it?" Angel grasped her hand, pulling her closer to him, but Buffy wrenched away. "Something's wrong. Buffy, tell me. Maybe I can help."

"Yeah. You'll have to help me with this one," Buffy muttered. Clearing her throat, she tried again. "Angel, I've been thinking about us…about our future. And the more I do, the more I feel that us…you and me together…isn't really what I want." She turned her head to look at him.

For once, there was real emotion in Angel's eyes. "Buffy, is this about what the Mayor said? He just did it to rattle you. I thought you understood that." There is was. The condescension. Buffy relaxed. She could do this.

"No, Angel, it's not about the Mayor, or Giles, or Willow, or Mom, or any of the other people who have been telling me all along this was wrong. Angel, I want a family."

"But, you're the Slayer," he protested. She slid to a stop and stared at him. Since when did he sound like a Wesley clone?

"Yes, I am. And that's not going away. It's just all the more reason to want a family. I may not have a lot of time before a vamp gets the drop on me or there's a Big Bad that's really bad." Buffy smiled sadly. "I love you, Angel. I probably always will, but this isn't working. I want more." She waved her hands at the tunnels walls. "I want more than demons and darkness.

"Buffy…"

She could feel his anger, but stood her ground. He stared at her, eyes blazing.

"I love you. How can you say all this? A family? You're kidding yourself. The minute you take a human lover, he's a target for every vamp and demon in the area. Can you honestly do that to someone you say you love?"

If that someone is a Slayer. The thought came out of nowhere, stopping Buffy in her tracks. She didn't…did she?

While she was distracted, Angel had gone on talking, getting more and more agitated. "…who is he, Buffy? Is it Xander?"

"Is who Xander?" Buffy asked. What the hell did I miss?

"Your new boyfriend." His eyes had taken on a yellow hue. He was close to vamping out.

"B's got a new boy? Damn, didn't think she'd ever see the light. Who is the poor guy?" Faith strolled in, hands in her pockets.

"Faith!" Buffy spun around in shock. How had…? Frowning, she reached for the link. Still there; she just hadn't been paying attention.

The interference was too much for Angel. "Get out of here, Faith," he snarled, fangs and forehead plainly visible.

"Hey, Big Guy, I thought you were all for me rejoining the right side of the fight?" Buffy noticed Faith was moving slowly, strategically getting into a position to get between herself and Angel.

Now that Faith was closer, Buffy clearly sensed the brunette's dislike of Angel. She was hoping he'd move, give her a reason to stake him. Buffy couldn't let that happen. He was upset right now, but she did love him. "Angel, I think you should go," Buffy said. "I'm sorry. I wanted us to work, but it…we can't."

Tossing another glance at Faith, Angel regained his human face. "Buffy, we've been through so much. I know we can find a way. I want my life to be with you."

Buffy shut down everything. Locked it all away like she was facing a big fight. Looking straight into Angel's eyes, she stated firmly, "I don't. I want to live my life, Angel. Not in here, not in the Mansion, but outside, in the sunlight. I'm sorry. I really am, but it's not working."

The rage was gone. Angel looked resigned, and moisture glistened in his eyes. "How can I stay away, Buffy? Sunnydale's a small town."

"I want you to leave…after this thing with the Mayor is over."

The vampire nodded. "Where? I'm assuming you have this all thought out?"

Flinching from the bitterness in the deep voice, Buffy shook her head. "I…I didn't think about it. It hurt too much."

Angel took a step back. "I came here to help you find Faith. She's here. I'm going back to the Mansion. I'll-" he broke off, turning away. "I'll stop by the library tomorrow." Without looking back, he walked away.

Faith stared at Angel as he walked away. Fuck. Am I in the Twilight Zone? Did B really tell him to leave? She risked a glance at Buffy. This was no dream. The shorter girl looked scary. She was pale, and too still, and her eyes…Faith flinched at the pain there.

"Hey, you OK?" Faith asked.

Buffy didn't respond.

Clearing her throat, the younger Slayer tried again. "Um, I know this ain't a good time and all, but I kinda need to talk to the Scoobies."

"Why?" The tone was flat.

"Well, I stopped in town for a change of clothes." Faith grinned at Buffy. "See, no leather." The cold expression didn't waver. "Right. Moving on….there was this demon in one of the shops. Kinda like a cross between a man and a dog. I tagged it pretty good, but it howled and ran off."

A bitter smile broke the frozen perfection of Buffy's face. "Of course. A new demon, right on top of the Ascension."

"The information I gave Red wasn't enough?"

Buffy finally seemed to wake up a little. "We don't know how to use it. Giles is off talking to the guy you were supposed to kill, and the gang's at my place recharging for some more research."

"Why don't I head back with you, give the gang the lowdown on the new demon?" Faith hesitated, watching Buffy closely. "Once it's dark, I can hitch a ride out of town."

A single tear traced a path down Buffy's cheek. "Do you have to?"

Faith laughed. She couldn't help it. This had to be a fucking dream. Buffy asking her to stay in Sunnydale? "Think tossing out the Big Guy affected you more than I thought." Bitterness seeped into her words when she continued. "Remember me? The Slayer wanted for murder? I can't stay here, B. You and the Scoobs are better off without me." Faith began to move away. "Let's go. Sooner I drop you off, the sooner I can leave for good."

At first, Buffy didn't follow, and Faith finally stopped. Something wasn't right. Frowning, Faith watched her sister Slayer carefully. It looked like Buffy; it mostly talked like Buffy. But…unease crawled through Faith. "B?" She walked back, hesitantly putting a hand on the blonde's shoulder. She staggered suddenly, her vision flickering. "What the fuck?" Faith shook her head. "Damn, that vamp musta kicked me harder than I thought."

Helping Faith stay upright, Buffy sighed. "Well, here we go. Another apocalypse and two down for the count Slayers. What do you think, Faith? Think we'd be safe putting money on the game?"

"My money's always been on you, B."