Morning came quickly and Faith, who had fallen asleep on the couch in the living room, was woken by the bright sunlight streaming in through the windows. After she, Buffy, and Kennedy had gotten home, she found out from Kennedy that she and Willow were in the middle of a rather big fight. Faith offered up her room to Kennedy and ended up alone on the couch in the living room. Buffy had already gone to bed at that point and she was left with no other option than to sleep on the couch or make the trek to the apartment. She'd been too tired to care and she woke up feeling rather refreshed despite the tension that was building in the side of her neck.

"Don't you have a bed?" Dawn asked her as she stood at the end of the couch staring down at her with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Yeah, I got a bed. Gave it up to Ken last night," Faith muttered as she stretched out as much as she could on the short sofa and sat up slowly. "Haven't seen ya around much, Dawnie."

"Haven't been around much, Faithy."

"You going back to school or what?"

"Been taking some classes to get caught up," Dawn replied, sounding as uninterested in the conversation as she looked. "Giles told me about this whole thing with Julie. Do you really think she's going to be a threat?"

"Yeah. Even if it turns out to be something stupid like she really is fuckin' crazy and just playing with us."

Dawn sat down on the opposite end of the couch, reached for the remote, and flipped on the TV. "What's going on with you and Buffy?"

"What're ya talkin' about?"

"You better not hurt her again, Faith. There's nothing stopping me from trying to kick your ass if you do."

"Not planning to, kid."

"But," Dawn sighed as she turned on the TV and began flipping through the channels, "I've seen the way she looked at you the other day. I haven't seen her look at anyone like that in a long time. Sometimes she used to look at Riley like that, but it's different with you."

Faith just nodded, not quite sure what to say and still not quite awake enough to be having this conversation with Dawn. She'd half expected Dawn to tell her off, to tell her to leave Buffy alone and find someone else. She expected a major freak out as well, but none of those things were coming, unless she was mistaken and this was all just the build up towards one. With Dawn, she could never be sure of just what to expect from her.

"If this was a month ago," Dawn stopped on the local morning news and lowered the volume on the TV, "I wouldn't...no, I couldn't accept this. You've changed. A lot. Everyone has. Willow told me it could be the effects from the barrier spell, but I think it's something else."

"What else would it be?"

"Something that would have happened no matter where we ended up, here or somewhere else. Face it, Faith. You've always wanted my sister," Dawn said. She kept her voice low and firm but her eyes took on a glint that showed she was genuinely happy. "You've always wanted her and never could have her before, but now...now you have her, right?"

"Why are you so interested in me and Buffy?"

"Because she's my sister and it's been way too long since I've seen her this happy. And," Dawn paused as she smirked at Faith, "I don't think I've ever seen you this happy before either. Okay, technically I actually know I haven't, but you know what I mean, right?"

"I know."

"This is me giving you the whole approval thing," Dawn said with a smile. "Just...keep the PDA more private than public, okay? I really don't think I could handle seeing you and Buffy...you know."

"Couldn't handle me doing what?" Buffy asked as she walked into the living room.

"PDA with Faith."

Buffy looked over at Faith with a raised eyebrow as she stood near her and crossed her arms over her chest. "You told her?"

"No," Faith laughed as Dawn got up from the couch and practically ran out of the living room. "She just started talking about you and me, B."

"Oh."

Faith reached out and pulled Buffy down onto her lap, smiling at her as she leaned in and gave her a soft kiss. Buffy tried to squirm out of her lap, but Faith held her down as she deepened the kiss, eliciting a small moan from Buffy as she did. She pulled back when she heard footsteps descending on the stairs and let Buffy get up from her lap as Xander walked into the living room, sleepily rubbing his eye as he yawned loudly.

"Coffee?" Buffy asked Faith as she motioned to the kitchen.

"Sure."

"Do I smell or something? Why does everyone leave whenever I walk into the room?" Xander called out after them as they quickly walked into the kitchen.

"Oh god," Buffy laughed quietly as Faith grabbed a hold of her and crushed her lips against hers. She could feel Buffy's excitement and arousal as her hands slid down her back and gripped onto her ass. Buffy pushed her back with a groan and shook her head no. "Coffee first, Faith."

They'd both been oblivious to the fact that they were not alone as alone there in the kitchen as they'd thought. Buffy's face flushed red when Giles cleared his throat, looking rather uncomfortable at having witnessed the kiss between them. Dawn was standing by the fridge, giggling with Willow as Buffy walked past them and grabbed a mug out of one of the cupboards. Faith stood there where she was, unable to wipe the smirk off her face as she slowly licked her lips and kept her eyes on Buffy.

She could see the embarrassment Buffy was feeling, possibly even a bit of shame, that they'd had an audience. Even though the day before Buffy had wanted to tell everyone about them, they hadn't gotten the chance to just yet. Faith knew this wasn't how Buffy wanted the others to find out about them, but she also knew it was too late now. It felt weird to stand there in the kitchen with the others staring intently at her and then over at Buffy almost as if they were trying to figure out just what was going on between them.

Faith grabbed a mug from the same cupboard and walked over to where Buffy was still standing by the coffeemaker. She smiled at her a little as she placed her mug on the counter next to hers and still couldn't take her eyes off of her for more than a second at a time. The sweatpants she'd cut into shorts weren't helping either and she leaned back a little as her eyes swept over Buffy's bare legs and the ass that was accentuated by her tight shorts.

"How did things go last night?" Giles asked, breaking the heavy silence.

"Okay," Buffy said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper as she stared at Faith.

"Sam told us pretty much what we already knew or guessed," Faith said as she tore her eyes off of Buffy to look over at Giles. "We're also doing this our way now."

"And by 'our' way you mean what exactly?"

"No more reporting to Sam about patrol, that kind of shit. We're still gonna get paid too," she said with a smirk as she picked up the mug Buffy had filled for her and walked over to the table to sit down.

"I see," Giles replied, smiling a little at her as he picked up his cup of tea and took a tentative sip. "I suppose this will benefit the three of you in the long run. Henry has informed me that Sam pays those who work for him rather well."

"Ever wonder where he gets the cash?" Faith asked as she watched Buffy walk over to the table and sit down in the chair next to her. "I mean, he's gotta get it from somewhere, right?"

"You live for more than a hundred years and see what kind of money you have in the end," Buffy muttered under her breath. "I still don't like this. Any of it. We have to find a way to deal with Julie. Now."

"I'm working on finding a reversal spell to strip them of their immortality along with the spell to find out just where the gem of Amara is on Julie," Willow said as she joined them at the table. "I've been talking with Laura about the barrier spell. She's given me a bit of information on how it works and how things are going to end up as the spell breaks itself apart."

"And how the hell do ya know you can trust her?" Faith asked, scoffing at Willow as she shrugged her shoulders. "How do ya know she ain't tellin' you shit that's not even true?"

"I don't," Willow retaliated as she stared hard at Faith. "But there are spell books, the same ones that Julie used when she—"

"Don't give a flyin' fuck, Willow. Far as I'm fuckin' concerned, you can't trust any of 'em. No, correction...you shouldn't trust any of 'em!"

"Faith..." Buffy said softly as she placed a hand on her knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. She mouthed 'don't' before Faith could even get up from the chair. The sudden burst of anger she had felt just melted away under Buffy's touch.

"What are we going to do, then?" Willow asked. The others all looked around at each other. "We can't just sit around waiting for one of them to make a move, can we?"

"Unfortunately, at this time we may have no other choice but to wait it out and see what unfolds over the next couple of days," Giles said quietly. "For now, we go about doing what we've been doing all along. Faith, a word?"

Giles stood up from his chair and motioned for her to follow him out of the kitchen. She just looked over at Buffy for a moment before she got up and followed Giles into the living room. Xander was lying on the couch watching TV with Andrew and both of them nearly leapt to their feet and ran out of there when Giles gave them a look. Faith sat down in the chair by the window while Giles sat down in the other and let out a heavy sigh as he removed his glasses and tiredly pinched the bridge of his nose before turning to look at her.

"Before you say anything, I want you to know that we can't afford to put ourselves into any danger when it comes to Julie. I don't believe you realize how powerful she is even without her having her full power yet. You are acting irrational and paranoid, Faith."

"Am I? Whatever."

"You are right when you say we shouldn't trust any of them, but that does not mean you get to start calling the shots, making demands with Sam, who may very well be one of our true allies."

"You think the same thing about Henry, but who the fuck are we supposed to believe? Which one's the good guy and which one's the bad guy?"

"Perhaps neither is quite so clearly one or the other," Giles suggested. "You do remember what I told you about keeping your head together for this?"

"Yeah."

"Then please put a halt to this capricious behaviour. Stop acting before thinking."

"Fine."

"Now er...I'm not quite sure how to ask you this, but..." he coughed as he looked uncomfortable all of a sudden. Faith just smirked as she stared at him, waiting for him to continue even though she knew he'd ask her about her and Buffy. "What exactly is going on with you and Buffy?"

"What's it look like?"

"Are you two...er, intimate?" He asked, fumbling over the words as a deep red blush flushed his entire face and neck. Faith smirked wider as she leaned back in the chair and just shrugged nonchalantly.

"Y'know what, G? Best you ask Buffy about that."

"I only ask because I am concerned. With the barrier spell and the effect it has been having on you three, I cannot stress enough how careful we must be about this entire situation."

"I know that. Just can't shake the feeling they're all fuckin' playing us—stringin' us along and settin' us up and then when they get us distracted enough, the shit is gonna hit the fan at full force. I don't trust any of 'em and Sam knows it now."

"I understand where you are coming from," Giles said calmly. "Faith, we had no idea what we were walking into when we arrived here. If it hadn't been for Angel—"

"We still wouldn't know, right?" She asked before he could even finish. "Thought he was sticking around for a couple days?"

"He is still here. He's been scouting for information for the past couple of nights."

"So what the hell are we gonna do then, G? I can't just fuckin' go along with their games. That's not how I fucking deal with shit and you know that. And again I'm gonna ask you, what the fuck does it matter if there's something goin' on between me and Buffy?"

"None of us can afford the slightest distraction and I'm afraid this developing relationship between the two of you is precisely that."

"This your way of saying you don't approve?"

"That is not what I was saying. Right now, I need you all focused and ready for whatever will come next. Willow is working on the spells that will help us end this and in the meantime I need for you to go along with it—no questions asked and no rash decisions. No impulsive actions that will cost us every little bit of progress we've managed to make in the last several days."

Faith groaned as she closed her eyes, hating the feeling of being talked to as if she was a child being scolded by a parent. She respected Giles and his concern, but this was pushing at the boundaries of going too far. The day had already been ten shades of weird for her and she'd barely been awake for half an hour. She wasn't sure how much more she'd be able to take before she snapped. Her emotions were high strung lately, mainly because of the Hellmouth, but she knew it was also because of what she was feeling for Buffy.

She couldn't wait to get her hands on Julie. More accurately, she couldn't wait to watch her turn to dust and float away in the wind. She couldn't wait to see the last look on her face before she did just that either. She wanted to stop Julie before she got close to doing anything, but from the looks of things it wasn't going to happen that way. She said nothing to Giles as she stood up and headed up the stairs to her room. She had to try to clear her head of all things Julie along with Dawn's little confrontation, the kiss seen by everyone in the kitchen, and—last but not least—the conversation with Giles that currently had her anger at a boil deep inside her.

Luckily, Kennedy was absent when she reached her room. Deciding the best therapy was a few hours of working out in the basement, she stripped out of her clothes and pulled on a pair of baggy sweats and the tank top that sat on the floor crumpled in a ball. She grabbed a hair elastic and pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail as she walked out of her room, nearly colliding with Kennedy as she sleepily trudged down the hallway.

"Walk much?" She groaned as she stared at Faith. "And thanks for letting me crash on your bed last night."

"Sleep in there whenever ya like," Faith replied as she headed for the stairs. "Gonna take all my shit over to the apartment later."

"So you are moving out then?"

"For now."

"Why?"

"Need my space."

"What about Buffy?"

"What about her?" Faith asked, stopping before she reached the top of the stairs. "Not like it's gonna matter if I'm here or not."

"It'll matter to her, Faith."

"Whatever," she mumbled as she headed down the stairs, trying so hard not to let Kennedy get into her head and mess up her already very highly strung emotions.

She headed straight down to the basement, not caring she still had a nearly full cup of coffee still sitting on the kitchen table and most likely past that warm enough to drink stage. Buffy was already down there warming up, stretching out on the mats with the radio blaring. Faith just stood at the bottom of the stairs watching her. Buffy turned to look at her as she stood up from the mats, saying nothing as she beckoned Faith to come over to where she stood.

She knew that look in Buffy's eyes all too well now. She was ready for an hour of sparring no holds barred. She could feel her whole body just tingling as she slowly walked over to Buffy and before she could even blink, she was on her back on the mats with Buffy on top of her, pinning her down.

"You really aren't trying today, are you?" Buffy asked softly as she leaned in close to Faith until their lips were barely touching. "Come on, Faith."

Faith chuckled as she stared into Buffy's eyes for a moment. She got her hands free from Buffy's grip and pulled her in for a kiss. She kept it short and sweet and flipped Buffy over onto her back, smirking as she sat astride her and pinned her hands against the mat by her head.

"You really don't like anyone topping you, do you?" Buffy asked, her lips curling into a salacious smile as Faith shook her head no. "Didn't think so."

Buffy managed to throw her off of her and flipped onto her feet. Faith loved it when she got into it like this. In some ways she found it nearly as satisfying as sex. It made her entire body feel as if it was on fire and she just couldn't get enough of it. They circled each other for a few minutes, both looking for an opportunity to attack. Faith's mind was far from sparring now as she watched Buffy slowly lick her lips.

"We gonna do this or we gonna fuck around, B?"

Buffy laughed as she tackled Faith to the floor. Faith grabbed on to Buffy's hips as Buffy kissed her feverishly. She could feel the desire running through Buffy and it urged her on. They were so into the kiss that neither of them were aware they were no longer alone until the music stopped suddenly. Buffy nearly jumped off of Faith as they both turned to see Giles standing there not looking very amused at all. Buffy looked down at Faith, reached down for her hand, and pulled her to her feet.

"We were just—"

"Fucking around," Faith finished for her as she shrugged, acting as if it were no big deal. "Sparring gets kinda boring when it's the same shit all the time."

"This is what I was talking about when I said that you two are a distraction to one another."

"A distraction?" Buffy scoffed as she folded her arms over her chest. "We were just...messing around, Giles. Kind of got a little...out of hand, but these things happen when we..."

"Enough," Giles sighed as he stared directly at Buffy. "I am very aware of your relationship with Faith now, but with Julie being as unpredictable as she's proving to be, I do not think that now is a good time for you two to explore whatever it is that's going on between you."

"Excuse me?" Buffy laughed bitterly as she watched Faith casually begin to make her way to the stairs. "I get caught making out with her one time and you're acting like I'm not going to be able to keep my mind focused enough on trying to find ways to take out Julie. You're wrong, Giles."

"Be as that may, you should be training, not—"

"Making out like a couple of horny teenagers?" Faith offered as she reached the bottom step. Buffy just shot her a look and rolled her eyes as Faith sat down on the steps. "What, B?"

"Nothing. Just forget about it."

Giles let out a heavy sigh as he leaned against the workbench. "I'll need you two to be more focused on things from here on out. We cannot afford any distractions until we've dealt with Julie. There is no way to know what she will do or when and we'd best be prepared for whatever she may throw our way next."

"What's going on?" Kennedy asked as she came down the stairs with three bottles of water. "Am I missing out on an important meeting or something?"

"Nah," Faith said, taking one of the offered bottles of water from Kennedy as she stepped past her. "Giles caught me and B fucking around instead of training."

"Oh really?" Kennedy laughed as she tossed a bottle over to a very flushed Buffy.

"Shut up, Kennedy," Buffy muttered under her breath as she opened the bottle of water and took a sip. "What did you come down here for anyway, Giles?"

"I came to check in on you because I suspected you might not actually be training. It would seem that my suspicions were indeed well founded."

"We are not children!" Buffy exclaimed as she stalked over to the steps and sat down next to Faith. "We don't need you checking on us just because you have suspicions that we're not actually training."

"I realize that you are not children," Giles replied. "However, I am responsible for your training and I do not want any of you to become careless because you are distracted by your, er...attraction to one another."

Faith just looked at Buffy, trying so hard not to burst out laughing. Buffy looked terrified and embarrassed as she looked down at the floor. Faith knew she could definitely chalk this day up as one of the most fucked up days she'd had in a long time. Things were just a little too weird for her and it seemed like things were going to continue that way throughout the rest of the day. She wanted to take a stand, tell Giles off for the way he was talking to them, treating them as if they were nothing but children caught doing something they weren't supposed to. As her amusement at Buffy's discomfort faded, she felt her anger boiling up again and she breathed in and out slowly, trying to calm herself down as Giles turned away and began to converse quietly with Kennedy.

"I hate this," Buffy whispered as she lifted her head and looked over at Faith. "He's treating us like a couple of kids."

"Not your fault you couldn't control yourself around me, B."

"Faith... how can you act like nothing just happened?"

"You freakin' out cos Giles caught us?"

"Freaking out is an understatement. I'm beyond freaking out!"

"It ain't the end of the world, B. Everyone already knows about us."

"Great."

"What, ya didn't wanna tell anyone?" Faith asked, furrowing her brow as she leaned forward a little, trying to get Buffy to look at her. "You said yesterday mornin' ya wanted to tell everyone about us."

"I know what I said, Faith," she snapped, her voice so cold it made Faith shiver. "Maybe we should've just trained like we're supposed to. It's not my fault I can't..."

"You can't what?"

"Stop thinking about you," she whispered as she finally looked over at her again. "Yesterday was all sorts of wow and then some and today..."

"Is all sorts of fucked up and then some?" Faith asked, smiling a little as Buffy let out a short laugh and nodded her head. "Just don't let it get to ya, B. Look on the bright side of things for a minute here."

"What bright side?"

"Everyone knows," Faith said softly. "They all know and really don't care. That's a good thing, right?"

"Yeah," Buffy shrugged as she looked over at Giles and Kennedy. "I guess it is a good thing."

Faith laughed as she put her arm around Buffy's shoulders. "It is a good thing. Look, Giles just has this stick up his ass over this whole deal. This whole thing with us just kinda came outta nowhere and like sideswiped him. Gotta look at it from his view, B."

"Okay, rational Faith is a little scary."

"Buffy? Faith? Will you two please leave the talking for later and get back to training?" Giles said before Faith had a chance to retaliate for that comment. "And this time, please train properly. We cannot afford to slack."

"Fine," Buffy said as she stood up and motioned for Faith to follow her over to the mats. "We'll train properly this time."

"We'll sit down later before you head out on patrol and discuss what we'll do next. In the meantime, please try to keep your priorities in order and stay focused on the things that are most important," Giles said pointedly as he walked over to the stairs.

Kennedy was already at the bag, kicking and punching it without breaking the rhythm she'd set for herself. Buffy stood on the mats waiting, narrowing her eyes at Faith until she finally got up from the steps and walked over to her. She just walked right past her and over to the radio, flipping it on and filling the quiet basement with the sounds of hard driving rock. Turning around, she cracked her knuckles and smirked at Buffy, blowing her a kiss as she strode over to her.

"What are you waiting for?" Buffy asked, teasing her as they began to circle one another.

"Not a thing, B. Let's dance."

****

Faith wasn't surprised in the least to find Julie at the apartment when she went there late in the afternoon. She was alone this time, having convinced Buffy that she was just going to drop her stuff off and come right back to the house. Buffy of course wasn't happy that she really was moving into the apartment, but she said nothing to her when she walked out the front door. She dropped the duffel bag to the floor as she kicked the door shut behind her.

"What're ya doing here, Julie?"

"Dropped in," she replied cheerfully. "I thought maybe you and I could have another little chat. I figured you'd be here soon. Talk about perfect timing!"

Faith just stood by the door with her arms crossed over her chest. Julie stood up from the couch and slowly approached her, smirking as Faith tried not to flinch when she ran her long, sharp fingernails over her jaw. Julie stepped back with a look of surprise as she looked Faith up and down.

"Oh, so you did fuck her after I left yesterday, didn't you? So, what, is she just another notch on the old bedpost there for you, Faithy?"

"You are a notch, Buffy is—"

"Aw, you are in love with her, aren't you? How sweet is that? Two Slayers in love. There's something that doesn't happen every day."

"What the hell do you want?" Faith asked, really not in the mood to deal with Julie and the sick little head games she was quickly figuring out that she loved to play.

"So," Julie said, ignoring her as she grabbed onto her arm, forced her over to the couch, and shoved her down. "You really are going to move in here, aren't you? How does Buffy feel about that? I bet she doesn't like it. Am I right or am I right?"

"She doesn't like it, but I need my space. Y'know how it is," Faith replied, giving up and going along with whatever game Julie was playing.

"I have a good feeling about you two," Julie laughed as she sat down next to Faith and smiled at her as if they were friends, two friends sitting down and talking like normal human beings. It made Faith's blood boil and she breathed in deeply, trying to calm her anger. "Sometimes love is just so right, you know what I mean, Faithy?"

"Yeah," she said through clenched teeth, forcing a smile.

"It's like what me and James have. Our love is just...eternal, literally. I have a feeling you and Buffy have something quite like that. But," Julie sighed as she stood up and began pacing back and forth in front of Faith. "But, this isn't what I came here for. See, I know you know everything now and I really don't like that. We were supposed to be friends, Faithy. What do you do as soon as your friendly not-so-neighbourhood vampire shows up and tells you these...things about me? You turn against me."

"We're not friends, Juliet."

"Again with the Juliet! I go by Julie now. Get with the freaking program!"

Faith said nothing as she watched Julie pace in front of her, a string of different emotions flickering over her face. Julie stopped after a moment and looked down at Faith, smirking as she shook her head and sat back down next to her.

"Do you even know why I want to open the Hellmouth?"

"No, why?"

"Because," Julie exclaimed as she grabbed onto Faith's knee and gripped it hard, making her wince just a little. "My soul was banished to the dimension between this world and Hell and I want it back. I need it back. If I can't get it back, I can't get my powers back. Do you understand, Faithy?"

"Crystal clear."

"So I cannot stress how important it is that you stay the fuck out of the way. I understand you are trying to save the world here, but I'm being selfish and doing this for my own good. You get that, Faithy?"

"Got it."

"I'm not opening the Hellmouth to bring forth the demons that I know would just love to be able to walk the earth and roam freely. You really understand that, don't you?"

"Told ya I did, Julie."

"Great," she smiled brightly as she finally let go of Faith's knee. "I'm glad we settled that between us. So, you keep doing what you're doing with my uncle and my father and just stay out of my way. Got it?"

"Get out."

"Do we or do we not have an understanding here, Faithy?"

"It's Faith, not Faithy," she nearly growled as she stood up and grabbed onto Julie, forcing her towards the door. "And we do not have an understanding, Julie. You open the Hellmouth and who the fuck knows what's gonna happen. You're gonna unleash Hell on earth whether that's your intention or not. God, you really are fuckin' bat-shit crazy, aren't ya?"

"Maybe I am," Julie laughed as she pushed Faith away from her and opened the door. "But you know something? It sure makes life interesting and a hell of a lot less...dull. For me it does anyway."

Julie left without saying another word and Faith just slammed the door shut, laughing as she kept herself from putting her fist through the wall. This was definitely one of those days when too much had happened and she was having a hard time dealing with the emotional backlash.

"Just fuckin' great," she muttered under her breath as she picked up her bag and headed for the bedroom.

She tossed the bag onto the bed and let out a heavy sigh, letting her thoughts consume her once again. She just looked down at the bed, still unmade from the day before, and she allowed herself—just for a moment—to think back to what had transpired between her and Buffy. Even she knew that it wasn't just a fuck. They'd made love and it was hands down the best moment of her fucked up life. It brought a much needed smile to her face and she walked out of the bedroom with only one thing on her mind: Buffy.

She was in so deep that even if she wanted to she wouldn't be able to pull herself out. Even with everything going on with Julie's family and her life in general, the only thing she really cared about was Buffy. She wanted to make sure that she didn't ruin it with Buffy. She didn't want to hurt her, to lead her on and not be able to be what Buffy wanted her to be, needed her to be. There were so many things, so many feelings she was experiencing that she couldn't quite find the right words to describe. She wanted to tell Buffy everything she was feeling, but again the problem with finding the right words was there.

She hadn't forgotten what Julie had told her about the Hellmouth, though. Before she let thoughts of Buffy consume her completely, she picked up the cordless phone sitting on the end table by the couch and dialled the number of the house, hoping to hell that Giles answered the phone before anyone else. Before the line rang even once, however, someone knocked on the door and she hung up the phone. She walked over to the door and opened it slowly, revealing an entirely different vampire.

"Faith," he said softly. "Can I come in?"

"Come in, Angel."

"Nice place," he said as he looked around before sitting on the couch. "Part of your deal with Sam?"

"Part of it, yeah. What're you doing here?"

"There's some information I've found out that I think you'll need to know."

"You tell the others yet?"

"Not yet, but I will before I leave," Angel said. He waited for Faith to join him on the couch before he looked at her. "You have to let her open the Hellmouth. Once she does, there will be four very crucial minutes where the gem of Amara will not be able to protect her, nor will the immortality spell she's under be in effect. You need to be there when she opens the Hellmouth and you need to take her out before she can get her soul from—"

"Yeah, I know. From the dimension between worlds. She just told me."

"It seems like you really don't need me here to figure things out—you seem to be doing just fine on your own," he said slowly as he stood up. "Don't hurt her. Love her like she deserves to be loved."

She knew he was talking about Buffy. How he knew about the two of them, she wasn't so sure. She could see the heartbreak he felt and she could feel just how hard it was for him to say those words. She flashed him a smile, a silent promise, assuring him that she wouldn't dare dream of ever hurting Buffy. How could she when Buffy was the only one she'd ever fallen in love with?