Chapter Four

Buffy let out a battle cry. The slayers clashed. Buffy came at Faith strong and solid, slashing her sword every which way. Faith gritted her teeth in focus. And for the first time ever, the two slayers fought in silence.

It could have been seconds, it could have been hours. But the girls' energy began to ebb. And Buffy let down her guard. Faith drove her heavy boot into the center of Buffy's stomach, pushing her to the other side of the train graveyard. Buffy dropped her sword. In between the two girls, on separate sides of the subway repair station, the sword stayed still. Buffy started sprinting towards it. Faith flinched, but didn't move after.

Buffy came at Faith. The 'innocent' slayer swung right at Faith's chest. It brushed the raven-haired slayer's stomach. A shallow wound. Faith gripped something. Buffy tried to look at it. Faith pulled out a stake.

Faith slashed Buffy, from her right temple all the way down to her waist. Deep. She dug out her stake and looked Buffy in the eye.

The two girls were supposed to be joined, to work as a force together. The two slayers. "You know, B, I could never kill you. The vamps gladly would," Faith said.

She stood and brushed off her dark wash jeans, looking down at the pathetic, bleeding lump of a slayer once called the hero Buffy. Faith spun on the heel of her boot and began to walk into the moonlight, back towards town. "Faith…" A weak voice called out.

Faith felt like she couldn't turn around. She couldn't bear to think that she had just killed Buffy Summers. "Faith… Listen to me," Buffy said.

Faith slowly turned back to Buffy. "I don't understand," She said, "I'm supposed to be the Slayer. The protector of humans. But then I started murdering them. What does that make me?" Buffy said. A tear began to fall from Faith's eye.

"I just want my mommy, Faith. I want to go home," She said, "I can feel her. Mommy's near. Mommy's coming," Buffy repeated.

"I want to be free," She said.

Faith opened her mouth, "The hardest thing in this world…"

"Is to live in it."

Buffy's eyes went dead.

Faith knelt down beside Buffy and pressed her lips to her forehead. She felt full of rage, at Buffy. For making her feel this way, and then having to kill her after. Faith screamed. So much had gone wrong in her life. She needed a way out. She slowly stood and looked back to Sunnydale.

And she reluctantly began down the road.

Faith walked into the magic box. At the table sat Giles, Tara, Anya, Spike, and Angel. Anya's eyes were filled with tears, and she was buried in Tara's shoulder.

Anya was the one to find Xander's body. Hours after, she sat beside him, stroking his hair, absently asking "Why? Why?"

And Tara didn't know that Willow was dead.

"Buffy's dead." Faith announced, "She killed Xander, Dawn, and Willow. And a whole trainload of people."

Tara's eyes widened. She crumpled to the ground in a ball and started sobbing. Anya ran to her.

Angel looked at Faith. He was trying to remain calm, but she saw behind his eyes the fear and sadness of Buffy's death.

Spike ran to Faith and pinned her against the wall. He squinted into her eyes, and she struggled against his grip. She saw a tear begin to form in his eye. He quickly wiped it away and ran outside.

Giles walked towards Faith. He patted her on the back. "Can we talk in the training room?" Faith asked. He nodded, his face blank and expressionless. He looked at Angel, then jerked his head towards the training room.

He nodded.

Giles closed the door behind them. "What happened out there?" Angel asked. Faith shakily began.

Then, Faith Lehane realised that she would have to tell Angel and Giles that she murdered Buffy. The two men who Buffy loved most. The two men that loved Buffy most. When she told them how Buffy died, Giles remained expressionless.

Angel swallowed. Hard. And then he said "I have to go," And walked out the door.

"Giles," Faith said. She began to sob, "What did I do wrong?"

Giles enveloped Faith in a warm hug. "Nothing," He said, "And that's what's important."