It was all kind of a blur after that. We took off down the street to Mo's, to satisfy Xander's raging stomach.

"So what's Mo's?" X-Man asks.

"The best barbeque place you'll ever eat Xan." I reply, and it's true. I love this place, the shredded beef sandwich fills me up right.

I'm not hungry and Buffy says she's not really either, so we go find a table will Xander orders. It's the first time we've been alone since that fateful day six months ago.

"So...how've you been?" She starts off. Should'a seen it comin'.

"You know me B...five by five." I respond almost mechanically, flashing her a grin.

"Great." She says with a smile, but it doesn't reach her eyes. Not even close. "So Alex...from the restaurant...he's your roommate?" I nod but don't say anything. She nods in return and here it is; the awkward silence.

"I miss you Faith." Call 911, I think my heart just stopped. Ok not really, but it did that little flip...you know what I'm talkin' about, it did that. And I catch her eyes, those beautiful eyes.

"I miss you too, B." And it's the truth. I miss her more than I've ever missed anything in my life. After I moved up here I put the whole slaying deal on hold...I miss her more than I miss slaying. Yeah...I know, right? And I dunno where my brain went during this whole ordeal cause I see her hand lying on the table and I'm about to reach out and take hold but...

"Faith, you are so my new favorite person!" Saved by the X-Man, who already has half of his shredded beef sandwich in his mouth. He sits down next to Buffy and proceeds to stuff his face. Can't say I blame the guy, like I said...good food.

"So where do you live?"

Jump ahead half an hour.

"Ta da." I toss the keys on the counter and spread my arms out, showing the place off. "It's not much...but it's-"

"Home?" Xander offers. I raise my eyebrow at him.

"Actually I was gonna say cheap but whatever floats your boat Xan." I laugh at the color his cheeks turn and so does Buffy. Yeah I miss that. Her laughing, with me or at me, whatever, just her laugh. Just as I'm about to give them the grand tour the door bursts open.

"Faithy I'm home!" I sigh and roll my eyes but turn to my oh so adorable roommate.

"Alex, you got a lot of 'splainin' to do." It's a thing we do. It's weird and nerdy but we do it. And this time he really does have a lot of explaining to do, what with the stunt he pulled at the restaurant.

"Faith, honey I would love to but I have to shower and change." He says, hurrying past me. He stops and turns to Buffy and Xander. "I hope you two brought a change or two of clothes."

"Alex, why would they need a change of clothes?" I ask, gettin' a little hot under the collar. What would this boy think of next?

"Because, Faith dahhhling, we're going dancing!!" He turns and flounces into his room and as much as I thought this would irk me...it doesn't. It reminds me of back in Sunnydale, nights spent at The Bronze after a good slay. I smile and make a mental note to thank Alex later. I see B and Xander turn to me looking uneasy.

"We didn't bring clothes." B says.

"It's cool, you can borrow some of mine. And you..." I turn to Xander. "If I remember correctly Alex's last boyfriend had a build similar to yours. I'm sure there's at least 5 outfits left over from that ordeal." I see Xander give Buffy the I told you so look.

"Nah, I'm fine in these." He says turning to me.

"Nonsense," Alex interjects making his way from his bedroom to the bathroom...in nothing but a towel. "You can wear some of Brandon's clothes." Everyone in the room sees Xander flinch, so Alex props his hand on his hip and gives the best valley girl impression I have ever seen...and I've seen a lot of girls from the valley. "You know, Alexander, most straight women admit to finding gay men more appealing than straight men. A change of wardrobe could work in your favor." And with that he's gone, disappeared into the depths of his beauty salon. He called it that once and I told him it was just a bathroom, to which he replied, "It's a beauty salon, because that's where the magic happens." I will never understand him. Xander turns to Buffy and I, a confused look on his face.

"Do girls really think that?" He asks. B and I glance at each other and smile before nodding in unison. "Well alright!" He says clapping his hands together. "Hey Alex!" He calls out. "I wanna be flame-broiled!" Ooh bad idea Xan.

Axe Body Wash: $7

Macy's Towel Set (Hotel Collection): $120

Alex Bitch Slapping Xander Across The Face: Priceless

Two hours later, we're all showered and dressed to kill. Xander's the last to change and comes out of Alex's room with an uneasy look on his face.

"Ooh aren't you just a tasty little morsel."

I almost choke seein' the look on Xan-Mans face and think about lettin' Alex have his way with him. But...that wouldn't be fair...to Alex, the poor boy would be devastated.

"Hey A-Rod!" I snap and wag my finger at him. "Un uh, not unless you want an angry demon girlfriend on your ass."

"Oh Faithy I love it when you talk dirty." I sigh and roll my eyes. Why do I put up with that boy? I turn back to Buffy and see that she has that cute little scrunched up smile on her face.

"He's adorable." She says. Gag me with a spoon.

"You wouldn't be sayin' that if you heard what I hear every night." She furrows her eyebrows at me, damn this girl can be nieve.

"Thin walls, B." I whisper conspiratorally. It's so funny watching her eyes widen to the size of saucers when she figures out she's been tossed into the deep end of the gutter, and the way her mouth gapes open and closed a couple of times, like fish floundering to get out. I laugh, I missed this...I miss this.

"Oh...and does he...hear you?" It's my turn to act surprised now. Wasn't expecting that one. "And you're...girlfriend?" Definitely wasn't expecting that.

"Nah, thought I'd fly solo for a while ya know?" And she sighs in what I can only construe as relief. What the hell? Why is she relieved to know I'm not gettin' my hornies on? I mean, not that that particular subject is all rainbows and sunshine but come on; for someone who 'just can't' be with me she sure is showing her jealousy hand loud and proud. Or maybe she's not. After all she was never real great friends with that little thing I like to call...subtlety. I realize that I haven't been talkin' for a while and B's kinda fidgeting around playing with her fingers or something on her fingers. And that's when it catches my eye.

"You found my ring." This...this I'm ok with. I dunno why, it gives me a strange sense of satisfaction. She stops fidgeting and looks down at it.

"Oh yeah, I haven't taken it off since you left. It's like my own little piece of Faith." The smile she's wearing now is like...wow. That's because of me. And I'm startin' to forget why I ever left Sunnydale in the first place. Buffy's cell starts to ring, she gives me an apologetic look before turning around and answering it.

"Hey Ryan, sweetie..."

Oh that's right...that's why I left. Buffy's straight and could never love me in return. God I'm melodramatic.


The ride to The Grad is tense, Xander offered to drive and as soon as he did that Alex called shotgun, which left me and B in the back. Luckily it's a short drive, so before I know it we're pullin' into the parkin' lot and jumpin' out. Alex is seriously like a little school girl. He grabs Xander and pulls him ahead to, I'm assuming, give me and B some space. Quite honestly the last thing I need.

We're almost to the door when Buffy stops me with a hand on my arm. I turn to her, arching my eyebrow in question.

"Do I look ok?" She borrowed some tight ass jeans of mine and a red sleeveless shirt, she's got on some kickin' red heels and...

"Yeah...you look amazing." I can't help myself. It's the truth. She smiles and turns to show her ID to the bouncer. Lucky this is 16 and over night, course Alex and I got fake id's as soon as we could manage. I flash mine and get the over 21 stamp. Buffy gives me a look but thankfully doesn't say anything.

Once we get inside it seems like mission: impossible tryin' to find Alex and Xan. I finally spot them at table and grab Buffy's hand to lead her over. Don't want her to get lost in the crowd, ya know?

"Wow this place is like The Bronze's twin." Buffy says when we meet them.

"Oh The Bronze?" Alex perks up. "Faith we'll have to take a road trip sometime to visit." I nod halfheartedly but don't miss the look Buffy gives me. Seriously, what is this girls deal. She says she can't love me, but around every corner she's playing the part of jealous/angry girlfriend to a T.

We spend the first hour or so towards the edge of the dance floor. Everybody havin' enough space to dance without grindin' up on anybody else, much to Alex's dissatisfaction. He's been trying to drag me to the middle all night but I just won't go there. Finally he gives up on me and grabs Buffy's hand instead. She's not used to his advances so before she can say anything they're smack dab in the middle of everything, rubbin' up on any and everybody. Just the thought of seein' Buffy all up on some guy makes me wanna puke so I tell Xander I'm going to take a leak. All I really do is splash some water on my face and stare long and hard at my reflection.

"What the hell am I doing?" I almost expect mirror me to answer...but I don't. I dry my face and hands and head back out to the chaos.

Alex is on me like white on rice as soon as I step out of the bathroom. He hands his drink off to some random guy and starts to pull me into a corner.

"Faithy, honey, baby, lover-pot." I glare at him. "Why, in the name of God's green earth have you not hooked up with that girl yet." I continue with the glaring.

"Alex how many times do I have to tell you? She straight!" He crosses his arms with a couple snaps and smirks.

"So's spaghetti...until you heat it up!" Oh no, I hate it when he get's like this. He gets plans sometimes and there's no stopping him. I groan.

"What are you talking about A?"

"All I'm saying is, you supply the cash, I supply the drinks, by the end of the night that girls lips are gonna be looser than a child size jumper on Nicole Richie." I raise my eyebrow at him. He knows I don't get pop culture references. "Ooh, and maybe her pants will be too." He turns to flounce away, but not before reaching into my back pocket for some money.

"Alex no!" I try to stop him but, like I said, once he's got a plan it's all over. So I make my way back onto the dance floor and find B and X-Man.

"Hey you, where's Alex?" She asks upon my arrival. I point my thumb back over my shoulder.

"He went to go get drinks."

"Oh thank god, cause I am seriously like dying of thirst right now." She says fanning herself. I see little beads of sweat run down her neck and disappear into her low-cut shirt. Before I can stop myself I'm licking my lips and Buffy catches me cause suddenly her eyes are boring into me and I can't tell what's hiding behind them. Honestly, I'm not even sure I want to know anymore. Luckily I'm saved...or maybe not but the appearance of Alex, drinks in hand. He hands one to each of us and toasts his own into the air.

"Drink up ladies." I hear Xander cough a little into his drink. I'm takin' small sips, intendin' to take it slow, but before I know it Buffy has downed hers and Alex is off to get her another one, throwing a wink at me over his shoulder. I resist the temptation to flip him off but only because B's grabbin' my hand and leadin' me further into the crowd on the dance floor. Away from the prying eyes of bystanders and the watchful eyes of Xander and Alex.

"Come dance with me, like old times." She smiles.

Like old times, I think. Before she knew, and I realize this is kind of like an open invitation cause even if she didn't know back then I sure as hell did and she knows that and I used it to my full advantage. Our bodies would be pressed so close together that our sweat would mingle and do a little dance of it's own.

But to do that now, she would know what was behind my movements, my subtle caresses along her back, my murmured words on her neck. She would know, but here she was asking me to do it. I've never been one to turn down an invitation and if I think too much about this I'll end up backing out, so I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her to me.

For a second the world stops, cause I'm holdin' her to me like she's mine, and she's starin' at me, her face inches away, like she's mine, and I've only got one thought on my mind...yeah, she's mine. And just like that are bodies meshed together, we're dancing like we always did, but it's different and it ain't all that bad either. I barely notice when she drapes her arms over my shoulders, bringing us that much closer.

I could die right now. This is heaven to me. The only way it could be better would be if she actually was mine. If this all wasn't shrouded under the cloak we call 'friendship'.

"Fuck." Some jackass just bumped into me from behind. Oh wait did I say jackass? I meant assjack.

"Score one for team A-Rod!" This time I do flip him off, and give him a hard slap on the ass to send him on his way. I guess we'll see where the night takes us.


Wooo, so review and tempt me to write more:)