April, 2000

You're starting to think this might be a little childish. 'No,' your brain counters 'this was childish five minutes ago.'

"B…? Come on B…? You know you wanna talk… talk to me… talk to me, B…" Faith draws out her words to make almost a tune and smiles her best impish grin. You're ignoring her.

Because you're mature like that.

And you're proving a point. Though having come all the way here from Sunnydale and making sure the food was pre-checked so you could share it is probably working against you.

"Did I ever tell you 'bout the time I screwed Xander? It was his first time so he was a little-"

"No! God no! Shut up!" You attempt to frown at her uproars laughter. It's nice, the way she laughs, loud and like she doesn't care who hears. A small part of you wants to bottle it to save, another bit is desperately thinking of whatever it can to keep her laughing. Mainly of course you're just hideously embarrassed that every single person in the visitor's room is staring at the two of you.

'Stupid Faith and her stupid alluring visitors pass!'

She twists round to get comfortable in a move reminiscent of water settling. "Still haven't worked on that curiosity thing, huh?", the hairs on your neck prickle up at her wink. Would it be bad to confess it's not exactly him you're curious about?

"We're friends, Faith. Friends don't 'screw' each other."

"Your friends… suck!" She grins at you from behind a giant slice of watermelon and stuffs it in her mouth, "'is good 'melon, B". You really should be more repulsed by that.

"Thank you, I think they had to stick needles in it to check it though… And… hit it with a mallet" your eyes stray down to what looks like a fruity blood-bath underneath the few neat slices they've given her. On your side of the glass the pieces are set in clean rows… although the colour is starting to remind you of a demon you killed about a week ago. "Sorry."

"Nah B, your heart's in the right place. Kinda reminds me of old times."

"The old times when you were trying to kill me or the old times when you were trying to kiss me?"

She flashes you another dimpled grin. "Either way involves semi-clothed you and eating… food." The ever-so-thoughtful dramatic pause gives your heart enough time to miss several beats.

"Faith!" You glare across at her wiggling eyebrows, "you are so weird..." 'And so cute' "Have you ever considered you might have mental problems?"

"Like being stuck on you?"

"Your corny lines are not working on me young lady."

Her grin widens "You're blushing."

"I'm embarrassed."

"You want me."

"I… wish you'd shut up and eat your melon."

No amount of willpower is going to get rid of the blush you're currently sporting. In fact, you could probably wash your face in bleach and she'd still be able to tell. But that's Faith. Damn know-it-all.

"It's ok, I think I'm hot too."

You mean to tell her that you don't think she's hot, that she's a pain in the ass but the hopeful spark behind her fake-happy eyes makes you tell the truth. "And lots of other things as well."

"Aw stop! You'll make me blush!" she drawls in her best Valley Girl voice.

You pause to time it just right, "Insane being one of them." She cracks up and you giggle along, no longer caring about being watched. You're not doing anything wrong after all. So what if you haven't told anyone? So what if, yes, you are technically lying to your friends when you tell them you're going to see Angel and wind up in a dirty visitors room at Stockton Women's Jail. At least you're not on the other side of the glass- then they could be mad.

"Do you think-?" She asks though a mouthful of melon, stopping to grin as your eyes trace the path of one red-tinted droplet down to her collar. Perhaps it's a good thing she's wearing a full jump suit and not a tank like last time- watching red liquid sliding away from someone's mouth should really not be turning you on this much. "B? Buffy?"

Her seriousness knocks you for a moment- you've been away from her too long; you'd forgotten how quickly her moods could change.

"B… I want to… look, I know you said you'd beat me to death if I ever apologised but I figure that's just for a general apology, right? If I take it bit by bit then that's like… a lot of slaps on the wrist. Or maybe not. Maybe it's a lot of girlie slaps or somethin'." You take a few moments to attempt to batter down the little smile watching her try to look serious is giving you and nod as solemnly as you can. "Good. Uh… first I guess I should say that… um… I'm sorry for splitting up you and beef-uh-Riley."

The laughter really does drain from you face as she speaks and not even her stumble over his name provokes a smile. At the back of your mind you wish she'd apologised for something simple- like the way she used to tease Willow by sliding her hands up and down your back as the red-head watched or sitting a little too close to you but looking the picture of innocence when Willow finally stumped up the courage to drag you away.

You like this double world. The one where you can hate Faith and love her at the same time; bitch about her then come here and feel like you're free.

In the world of Faith there is no Riley. You have no boyfriend, no watcher, no friends, just a distant idea of a mother who once expressed how much she'd like the girl sitting across from you to come live in your home. There is no pressure and you want to keep it that way. No one here will judge you for the way your heart clenches as she smiles. It's just the flat-out lying that's hard.

You'd tell her things if she asked. You'd tell her about the huge demon/man/machine hybrid thing you fought 24 hours ago or about your dream with the stinky cheese guy. If she really wanted to know you'd even make her laugh with tales of complete academic boredom.

But no boyfriends.

"That's… ok." You squeeze the words out past gritted teeth and a fake smile but her obvious relief relaxes you.

"Man. That was harder than Fang said. And also- a lie. I didn't like him. Never did." A beat "Too good for you." You expel the remaining tension in a shout of surprised laughter. Her eyes twinkle at you as you forcibly hold your mouth closed. How like Faith to say to opposite of what you were expecting. "You should come roll round in the dirt with me- much more fun."

You spin your head round to look at the clock- and also to give Faith a good view of your super-blonde, bouncy curls as you know she loves your volumising shampoo and looks to be missing her own as proved by the tangle she accidentally caught her hand in earlier. "Well, I'm all yours for another twenty minutes."

'And all the other minutes after that,' you think but don't say. Partly because it's disgustingly soppy but mainly because it's more than a little creepy.

"Just twenty minutes? Huh, I guess that's enough time to get you really dirty." She smirks and proceeds to whisper down the phone line as many truly disturbing sexual references as she can while you hide your tomato-red face in your free hand.