Epilogue

Xander ended up staying six weeks, until at last he realised he was needed back at the Council. Reluctantly, he packed his bags, leaving the top pocket of his suitcase empty. The day before he left, he went out and came back with a stack of tiny gifts, American flags and buttons and postcards to give as gifts for the girls he'd left behind. Buffy and Willow teased him, and Faith made off colour jokes about jailbait and the age of consent in England. Her luggage fit into one sports bag.

Tara and Willow spent a long time getting to know each other again. Tara, though just as gentle and kind, was more confident, and it had her smiling and laughing a lot more, she even had a spirited argument with Faith over the movie they were watching that night. . Willow meanwhile, struggled to shake off her feelings of guilt and inadequacy, as well as a fear that Kennedy, AWOL since Tara's resurrection, would return.

Buffy and Faith didn't talk about Faith's decision for weeks, although they gradually resumed talking about everything else. It was Tara, of all people, who comforted Buffy when she came across the blonde crying on the back steps a few nights before Faith was due to leave.

The night before Xander and Faith were to leave, Buffy and Faith found themselves patrolling a quiet cemetery, completely alone for the first time in weeks. Faith babbled about everything and anything, and it wasn't until she slipped and mentioned England that Buffy gave her anything other than monosyllabic replies.

"So you're excited to go?"

"Uh, well, you know. Yeah. Should be cool. Never been out of the country before."

Faith waited, knowing Buffy had more to say.

"Faith…" her voice thick with tears, Buffy stepped closer to the dark slayer, who bit her lips in confusion.

"Don't…please…I thought you loved me."

The words hit Faith like a punch in the guts, and she rocked forward, reclaiming Buffy's lips. They were salty from her tears, and opened willingly.

"Don't go." Buffy gasped as Faith pulled away. Faith shook her head. "I'm sorry."

Buffy reached for her, and as Faith stepped away, she kissed her again. Harder, passionately. Buffy wouldn't let her go, she tugged at Faith with desperate fingers until Faith allowed herself to be pulled close, and then down. On the dew-wet grass in the middle of the night, they shed their clothes and Faith gasped, Buffy above her, "I can't stay. I have to do this."

Buffy kissed her into silence, and answered her tearfully. "I know."

Then there was just the silence of love, broken with short moans and cries.

When they were finished, they lay side by side without a hint of self consciousness, Faith teasing the end of Buffy's hair into knots. "You don't owe me anything." She said.

"What?"

"Break up sex. Goodbye sex. This wasn't a promise."

Buffy nodded wistfully. "I knew that Faith."

They got dressed, kissing as lovers do. Faith's hands were inside Buffy's shirt; her mouth plundering Buffy's when they both felt it. A vampire. They pulled away from each other, and Buffy staked it.

They walked home in silence, went to bed in silence, now in separate rooms.

In the morning, Xander and Faith caught their flight to England. Buffy, Willow and Tara waved them off at the airport. Buffy watched the plane disappear into the sky, and turned back around in time to catch her two friends in a passionate clinch. "Jeez guys, get a room."

Tara blushed, and then laughed. "Come on," she said, "Buffy's shouting us coffee."

Buffy raised an eyebrow, and laughed herself. "Ok. Anything you say commander."

Inside a train, first class section.

Booted feet lay on plush red interior. The other occupant of the train, an elderly man in an Air force uniform eyed said feet disapprovingly, but refrained from speaking. The owner of the feet, a young girl with a scowl adorning her bronzed face yawned loudly, and sipped from a bottle of coke.

Inside, her feelings were turmoil, and the old call in her blood sounded loudly in her ears. Fight. Slay. Revenge.

Kennedy yawned again, and settled her hood back over her face, shading her eyes. She closed them, waited, and felt that pull. The one that had got stronger ever since she touched down at the airport. I am going the right way. And when I am done, Willow will belong to me.

Outside, the harsh African sun beat down on the grasslands.