Author's Notes: hopefully everyone is still enjoying reading this...almost halfway through the story now...
A week had passed since Buffy and Faith had been sucked into the portal inside the Hellmouth. Giles and Willow were frantically trying to find a way to reopen the seal and pull them out of the world between worlds and each day was the same story as they came up empty handed. Giles had spent hours on the phone trying to track down a few men in the Council who had been training some of the other Slayers. Three of the girls—those who'd shown the most promise before they were stripped of their strength and power—were due to arrive in Cleveland today.
Nobody had said much to one another in the last week unless it was related to research, food, or the Slayers that were on their way. Kennedy kept to herself mostly, spending hours during the day working out in the basement just to avoid everyone, even Willow. She'd been inconsolable since that night she closed the Hellmouth, always blaming herself no matter what Kennedy—or the others, for that matter— tried to do. She blamed herself for not closing the Hellmouth in time and she blamed herself for using the wrong spell.
"Hey," Dawn said to Kennedy as she walked down the basement stairs and sat down on the last step. "Where've you been all day? Down here?"
"Yep."
"Do you mind if I hang here for a little while? I really don't want to be up there right now. Willow is freaking again because Giles keeps going back to that one book. You know the one?"
"The one with the spell to reopen the Hellmouth that didn't work when she tried it the other day?"
"Yeah."
"Maybe she's doing it wrong?" Kennedy shrugged as she stopped hitting the bag and went to sit down next to Dawn. "We're all upset right now and Will told me before that it isn't a good idea for her to do spells when she's upset. They never work."
"I'm worried about them," Dawn whispered as she fought back her tears. "About Buffy and Faith. The more we learn about the dimension they're stuck in, the more I worry about them."
"They'll be okay, Dawn. They got each other there. They'll be okay."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Just a feeling," Kennedy replied as she put her arm around Dawn's shoulder. "Will is still trying to figure out how to make us all Slayers again."
"Well she better figure it out real soon!"
Kennedy just knew how impossible it'd be to talk some sense and calm into Dawn. She was a wreck, just as they all were, but she was the only one pointing the finger at Willow when it came to blaming someone for this mess. No matter how much Kennedy and the others tried to convince her that Julie and her family were solely at fault, Dawn had to blame someone, and Willow was bearing the brunt.
"Dawnie, everyone is upset right now and everyone wants to get Buffy and Faith back like yesterday, but it's not going to happen at the snap of your fingers," Kennedy said to her softly as she reached over and wiped away her tears. "It'll be okay again, I promise."
"When? When will it be okay again?"
"I don't know."
"Kenny?" Willow called up from the top of the stairs. "Is Dawnie down there with you?"
"Yeah, she is," Kennedy called back. "Come on, let's go up and see if they'd found anything—and try not to get so fucking upset if they haven't, okay?"
Dawn just shrugged as they headed up the stairs and walked into the living room where the others were all sitting around. They were once again in full research mode and the TV was on with the volume low. Kennedy went to sit next to Willow on the couch, where she leaned in to give her a soft kiss and smiled at her when she just let out a soft sigh and allowed a few tears to fall.
"We still haven't found anything," she whispered as she quickly wiped away her tears before Dawn could see that she was crying yet again. "The girls that are arriving today are bringing some books with them that we don't have. They might be able to help give us a lead on how to reopen the Hellmouth long enough to pull Buffy and Faith out."
"We'll find something," Kennedy whispered, leaning in to steal yet another kiss. "I got faith in you, baby. We'll find a way. We'll bring them home."
"I hope so. I would never be able to forgive myself if I couldn't find a way to get them out of there. I can't even imagine what it is like there for them. From everything we've found out about that...place, it's close to being just another Hell dimension."
"They'll survive it. You said yourself that there have been humans banished there and they've survived."
"But they've never survived actually being pulled out of there. The energy that was used to get them out was too much, too powerful. Nobody was ever strong enough to make it."
"Buffy and Faith are Slayers. They are going to be strong enough to make it," Kennedy whispered as she reached for one of the leather bound books sitting on the coffee table in front of her.
"They will," Xander said as he sat down on the other side of Willow. "They'll make it. I got faith in you, Will. I know you'll be able to bring them home."
Willow tried to smile, but the tears kept on falling. Everyone fell into complete silence as they watched the reporter on the TV talk about another series of brutal killings. They all knew it was due to the vampires, whose population had exploded in the last week since the barrier had been taken down. Kennedy placed the book back down on the coffee table and headed for the kitchen, needing to just get away for a minute.
There were times, especially like that morning, when she wished she could just get up and run away. It was just a fleeting thought, a wish she would never want to come true. She could never actually pick up and leave her family in a time like this. She hadn't told anyone about the flashes she'd seen of Buffy and Faith, not knowing if they were just her imagination or if they were real. Every time she did see them, it was for a few seconds and they were always together, always close, always touching. She could feel the strength they gave each other as the hours passed, strength that kept them holding on to whatever hope was left of coming home.
"Ken?" Xander said as he stood in the kitchen doorway. "Slayer arrival. Wanna come meet them?"
"Now?"
"Just pulled up," he said as he motioned to the front door. "Come on."
Kennedy sighed, stopping at the fridge to pull out a bottle of water before she went with Xander to meet the three Slayers that had flown in to help out with things there. She knew they all weren't really Slayers anymore, but according to Giles, these girls still could fight, Slayer strength or not. She stayed back behind everyone as introductions were made, unscrewing the cap to take a sip of her water as she eyed the Asian girl who did most of the talking.
"I'm Satsu," she said, extending her hand toward Kennedy. She was soft-spoken but seemed outgoing and cheerful. "You are Kennedy, right?" she asked with a smile.
"Right. How did you know that?"
"Carmen's Watcher talked about all of you a lot," Satsu said as she pointed to the tall, brown haired girl talking quietly with Giles. "And Amber's did too. Mine...never really got the chance."
"I see."
"Well er, I imagine you three must be exhausted from the long flight. Andrew?" Giles said as he turned to him. "Take their luggage and show them upstairs, if you please. Once the three of you have unpacked and settled in, we will discuss the plan for group patrol tonight."
"First I'm the grocery boy, then the cook boy and now I'm luggage boy?" Andrew muttered under his breath as he and Xander grabbed their luggage and headed upstairs.
"They seem..." Willow trailed off as she watched them follow Andrew and Xander up the stairs.
"Normal?" Kennedy offered as she took another sip of her water. "That Satsu chick doesn't look like she'd be able to stand a fight against anything."
"Looks are deceiving," Willow reminded her. "They are strong fighters even without their strength and power. They wouldn't be here if it wasn't true."
"Kennedy, a word please?" Giles said as he headed for the kitchen. Kennedy rolled her eyes and followed him into the kitchen.
"What's up?"
"I know how you feel about them being here, but it is crucial we all get along and work together."
"Who said that'd be a problem?"
"Believe it or not, you and Faith are a lot alike and I know how hard it is for you to trust anyone new," Giles said as he filled the kettle and placed it on the stove.
"Right. Don't worry about it, Giles. I'll play nice," she said, rolling her eyes once his back was turned. "Is that all?"
"No," he said as he turned back to look at her. "Willow and I found something, but we're not quite sure it'll work. I would appreciate it if you kept things quiet. I do not need to get Dawn's hopes up for nothing if this turns out to be yet another dead end."
"Giles?" Kennedy sighed, not wanting to ask him, but knowing she had to. "What happens if we can't...get them back?"
"We'll get them back," he replied, his voice wavering as if he truly didn't believe it himself. "We will get them back even if it takes months or years."
"But what if they can't—"
"They'll survive there," he snapped at her, shaking slightly as his voice raised. "They are strong on their own, stronger together. They'll survive no matter how long it takes."
Kennedy held back her tears as she watched Giles turn his back to her. He was just as upset as everyone else was and yet he was trying to hold it together for all of them. She backed out of the kitchen, allowing a few tears to fall as she headed for the living room and sat down in one of the chairs by the window. She looked at the slit in the heavy drapes and reached out, pulling them back just a little so she could look outside. Garbage littered the streets along with broken down and stripped cars. Most of the houses on the street had been broken in to, others set on fire. The screams they'd heard in the last seven days could still faintly be heard over the wailing sirens in the distance.
"Chaos my ass," she muttered as she wiped away her tears. "This is Hell on earth."
"Could be worse," Willow said as she walked over and sat down on the arm of the chair. "It could really be Hell. You know, if I didn't close the Hellmouth it really would be."
"Will?" Kennedy whispered as she turned to look at her. "We better bring them home."
"We will. We're working on it."
"And I want you to find a way to make us all Slayers again before you do. We got some major demon ass to kick and we can't do it like this."
"I really am working on it, Kenny. You don't understand. The spell I used—"
"Fucked everything up, even the spells that should work, right? Well find a way to fix it."
"I am!" Willow sobbed as she stood up. "Have you lost faith in me, Kenny? I am doing all that I can right now."
"I keep seeing them," she whispered as she turned to look back out the window. "I see them, just flashes, and it's horrible where they are, but they are alive and they are together."
"You...see them?"
"Sometimes," she nodded as Willow moved to sit across her lap and gently stroked her hair. "I feel them too sometimes. The hopelessness. The fear. The longing to come home. Sometimes I think I can just reach out for them and when I try, I don't see them anymore."
"We'll get them back, Kenny. We will and I'll make you a Slayer again even if it kills me trying to find a way to do just that."
She wrapped her arms around Willow, trying to smile as Willow stole a soft kiss before she laid her head against hers. "And us, Will? What about us?"
"We'll be okay again," Willow nodded. "Just give it time."
Time. All they wanted was time when in reality, the clock was ticking, the countdown set. The only thing they didn't know was what would happen when they ran out of time. It was just one of those things that Kennedy tried so desperately not to think of and yet day after day, hour after hour, it was all she ever did. Something bad was going to happen if they didn't bring Buffy and Faith back, if they didn't get all the Slayers' strength and power back to try to control the explosion in the vampire and demon population in the city. She wasn't giving up just yet, but the hopelessness she felt—she knew she felt it coming from Buffy and Faith. She might not still be a Slayer, but the essence was still there, lingering ever so faintly, connecting her to them just as it had before.
Faith laid on the mattress, idly stroking her fingers over her stomach as she watched Buffy pace back and forth in front of her. They were alone for a while; how long they weren't sure. Jackie told them to stay while she went up to the roof to check on things. Faith's body clock told her they'd been there for a week, if not more, but it didn't matter whenever she laid her eyes upon Buffy. Getting lost in her was too easy and it got easier as the minutes passed by.
"B, you wanna stop?" Faith whispered as she leaned up on her elbows. "Kinda making me dizzy here with all that pacing."
"I'm just thinking."
"Can't ya think while ya lay here with me instead?"
"She's been gone for awhile."
"Yeah, she'll be okay. She's survived this long. Come on, B," Faith said as she ran her hand over the space on the mattress beside her. "Y'know I can't watch ya walkin' around all naked and lookin' so sexy without havin' a little taste."
"Is that all you think about?" Buffy laughed as she crawled over the mattress and laid down next to her. "Sex? Having a 'little taste' when even I know you can't just have a little taste."
"With you all naked, yeah. Besides," she said softly as she turned on her side and ran her fingers over Buffy's stomach, watching as the goose bumps formed under her touch. "I know how much you love it. Can't deny it now, B. You need me as much as I need you."
"Isn't it funny how much things have changed for us since we got here?"
"What do ya mean?"
"How...close we are now, how..." Buffy trailed off, moaning softly as Faith's fingers reached her pussy. She watched her face closely as she traced small circles over her clit, watching as the pleasure and desire ran through her. "How unguarded we are with our feelings, our thoughts," she finished as Faith stopped her ministrations on her clit and brought her fingers up to her lips.
"Hmm?"
"It would have taken us longer back home, wouldn't it?"
"Longer for what?"
"To be like this," Buffy whispered, watching her as she licked her fingers clean with a very lascivious grin curling over her lips as she did. "Being here has changed us."
"For the better?"
"Yeah," Buffy smiled as she leaned in for a quick, light kiss. "For the better. No matter how bad it is here, no matter what kind of world this is, you're here and you keep me feeling safe. You make me less...afraid of what'll happen if Will can't..."
"She will. She'll get us out of here, Buffy."
"Faith, I...sometimes I think that it's wrong for us to..."
"To what?"
"This," she said as she indicated to the closeness between them. "We should be out there finding our own way home just in case Will can't. This is the last thing we should be doing and yet..."
"And yet it seems like whenever Jackie leaves it's all we do? It ain't wrong to give in to what your body's tellin' ya it wants, B."
"I know."
"So," Faith chuckled as she wiggled her eyebrows and moved to hover over Buffy. "You up for another rough ride, B?"
"Can we...take it slow this time? I'm kind of...tender from the last time," Buffy whispered as she slipped out her lower lip and pouted.
Faith growled playfully as she took Buffy's lower lip with her own and sucked, hard. Even with the sticky heat in the air, she could still feel the heat radiating off of Buffy, scorching her own skin wherever she touched. Even in the darkness she could see the bite marks just above her nipples and she tenderly ran her fingers over them, smirking as Buffy moaned softly and arched up into her touch.
"Tender, baby?"
"Yes," Buffy breathed out.
"Didn't hurt ya, did I?"
"All good pain," she smiled as Faith trailed her fingers over her hard nipples, barely touching them yet feeling the sparks flowing freely between them. "You did say that there's a thin line between pain and pleasure and you..." she gasped as Faith rolled a nipple between her fingers, "you sure showed me both sides of that line. Several times."
Faith laughed as she laid a gentle kiss upon her lips and slid down her body, capturing a nipple between her teeth and gently pulling. Every little gasp and moan that escaped Buffy's lips made the fire that was her libido rage out of control. She could almost sense Buffy's next move before it was made and she willingly allowed Buffy to grab her and force her on her back.
"Damn, B. I ever tell ya I love it when—"
Buffy stopped her from saying another word with a kiss. Her whole body was just as tender and the numerous love bites were evidence of it. She sucked on Buffy's tongue as she pushed Buffy's pussy down against hers and they both groaned and gasped as they broke away from the kiss. They tried to stay quiet as they heard the sounds of the hatch that led to the roof open—both knowing they should stop yet unable to. Not yet. Both were too lost within each other to care any longer and Faith pulled her down for a scorching kiss as she rolled them over and started up a steady pace of thrusting her pussy hard against Buffy's.
"Oh Faith...don't stop," Buffy breathed out over her lips as her fingernails dug into her back. "Harder."
"Harder?" Faith asked, gasping as she tried to catch her breath and keep up her steady thrusts. "I thought you were still tender, baby?"
"Feels so...good."
Faith laid her forehead against Buffy's, watching her as she slowly reached the peak of her climax. Just seeing her come, feeling her, it brought Faith over the edge just a few seconds later. And in those few minutes afterwards, they forgot where they were, where they were trapped, and just focused on each other. Faith didn't want to move from where she was, lying halfway on top of Buffy while she languidly stroked her fingers over her stomach and breast.
Each time was better than the last; it connected them on a whole new level. Faith had never felt quite the way she did now and instead of being scared, she savoured every last second of it. Buffy and the love they felt for one another reached into her soul and pushed away the darkness she had always feared would come back rearing its ugly head. Buffy was her light, Buffy had always been her light, but she hadn't realized that until she'd let her in completely. Now that she'd let her in, she wasn't about to push her out either. They'd come a long way in the last month, a very long way for the two of them, and it was in those moments after making love that Faith thought about things between them.
They laid there until they heard the sounds of Jackie finally coming down from the roof. They quickly got dressed and headed down the stairs from the loft. Jackie just gave them a knowing smile, pouring them each a small glass of water as they approached the table.
"Drink up. It's going to be a long walk," she said to them as she walked to the shelves along the wall and picked up a worn backpack.
"Where are we going?" Buffy asked her, picking up her glass of water and fighting off Faith's wandering hands at the same time.
"I've got things to show you two. Something that may just help you find a way home. If not," she sighed as she turned to them, "I hope it'll provide you two with some answers."
"How long a walk we talkin' about?" Faith asked as she watched Jackie load up the backpack with supplies.
"Long. We have some time before the next shift. We should be able to make it back here before that happens."
"Anything we should keep our eyes open for? Any threats?" Buffy asked and Jackie turned to her, scowling. "Right, we have to wait and see. Sorry I even asked."
Faith smirked as she downed the rest of her water and placed the glass back down on the table. She grabbed onto the loops on Buffy's jeans and pulled her close, smiling as Buffy leaned up to kiss her. Everything had changed between them since they'd gotten there; being as comfortable as they now were around each other was one of those things. Jackie paid no attention to them as she walked to her room and disappeared inside. Faith used that moment to slide her hands around to Buffy's ass and pull her in closer, deepening the kiss as Buffy let out a soft moan.
"If you two are quite finished," Jackie chuckled as she walked out of the room with another bag, "we should get going. Every second wasted is a second we may need to get back here in time for the shift."
"Right. Sorry," Faith smirked as she stepped away from Buffy slowly. "Let's motor."
They followed Jackie out through the front and started down the street. Things had changed considerably since the last shift. More buildings were crumbled while others seemed to have newly appeared. They stayed a few paces behind Jackie, sidestepping the cracks and potholes in the street every couple of steps. They walked close together, their hands brushing up against one another's until Buffy slipped her hand in Faith's, turning toward her briefly with a little smile.
They kept up with Jackie as they reached the edge of the city and the buildings became few and far between. Jackie came to a stop by a few boulders and sat down, offering them a sip of water from the jug she'd brought along. She said nothing to them as she looked around, muttering to herself under her breath. The breeze picked up to a steady wind and Jackie motioned for them to continue on.
"Where are we going?" Buffy asked, looking at Faith when Jackie didn't answer her. "Do you have a bad feeling about this?"
"No."
"Where is she taking us?"
"Dunno, B. Guess we'll have to wait and see," Faith shrugged. "What's the worst that could happen, really?"
"Oh I don't know. We could be attacked by something out here?"
"Nothing here can touch you physically," Jackie said as she stopped and looked back at them. "They can only get into your mind and drive you bat-shit crazy. Like they did with me."
"No shit," Faith muttered under her breath and Buffy tried not to laugh as Jackie continued walking. "Now I'm getting a bad feeling."
"I told you."
"No," Faith chucked softly. "Getting a bad feeling about her. If she's really fucking crazy, who knows where she's taking us right now?"
"I'm taking you somewhere that'll give you the answers you seek," Jackie said as she came to a stop outside of what looked like cemetery gates. "Were you two not paying attention when I told you this before?"
Buffy shrugged as Faith stared right at Jackie with a straight face. Jackie just sighed as she opened the iron gates and stepped through, disappearing as soon as she did. Faith looked over at Buffy and shrugged, taking her hand and pulling her through. The sticky hot air was gone in an instant and when Faith opened her eyes, she saw she was somewhere else. Jackie was standing a few feet away, muttering to herself as she paced back and forth on the gravel pathway. Buffy had her hand in an ironclad grip and Faith chuckled as she pried her hand off and waited for Buffy to open her eyes.
Everything about the cemetery they were now in was far too familiar to Faith. She'd been there before and it took her only a moment to realize just when. She'd been there before in her dreams, though a big difference now was that there was sunlight streaming down, poking out from behind the fluffy white clouds in the sky. Even with the bright sunlight, it wasn't nearly as hot as it had been before they stepped through the gates. Without a word, Jackie motioned for them to follow her and they did, exchanging a look with each other as the sounds of hundreds of whispers filled the air.
"Where are we?" Buffy whispered as she walked close to Faith. "And why does this place seem so familiar?"
"Been dreaming of it since we got here," Faith replied quietly.
"This is the resting ground for souls," Jackie said as she continued walking. "I did not know it'd be a cemetery. Always changes. With every shift it is something else, never the same. Never will be the same ever again."
"You hear that, B?" Faith asked, ignoring Jackie as she looked around. "Voices."
"Yeah. Can't make out what they're saying. Can you?"
"No," Faith said as she shook her head. "What the hell is this place?"
"I told you," Jackie said firmly as she turned to look back at them, "you'll find the answers here. We haven't much time to waste."
They walked through the cemetery, both looking side to side to try to figure out where the whispers were coming from. They never saw anything, not even in the shadows of the trees scattered throughout the rolling hills and tombstones. They came to a stop in front of a small temple where Jackie opened the door and pointed inside.
"I cannot come with you," she said as Faith approached the doorway slowly. "There is no threat inside there, only answers. I will be waiting right here. And Buffy?" Jackie stopped Buffy from following Faith. "She needs to go in alone."
Faith just looked back at Buffy for a moment before turning and walking inside the small temple. The heavy wooden door slammed shut behind her and she had to blink several times for her eyes to adjust to the dim light coming only from some torches burning on the walls. She began walking down the corridor but came to a stop when she heard footsteps behind her.
"B, I thought I was supposed to..." she trailed off as she turned around to face an old man wearing a black robe. "Uh, hey?"
"Faith Lehane, we have been waiting for you," the old man said quietly as two other men in identical black robes stepped out of the shadows to join him. "You've come for answers, have you not?"
"Yes, but I—"
"You want to find a way home? Back to the mortal world?" He asked, not waiting for an answer as he motioned to the two others to grab on to her. "Please do not be afraid. Sit," he said as he watched the two men grab onto her arms and lead her over to one of the tall chairs at the very end of the corridor. "Do you know who that woman is that brought you here?"
"Who, Jackie? No."
"Your blood is bonded, tied to one another," he said as he sat down in the second chair next to her. "She was sent here a long time ago, nearly twenty two of your years. Do you know why she was sent here?"
"Not a clue."
"She had made a bad enemy of a very powerful Wiccan. Her daughter—you—was given to her sister and she was sent here. Do you know why she was banished here?"
"She's my...mother?"
"In flesh and blood, yes. She was sent here to help you now, for the seers saw that you would be sent here with the other."
"So what, when I was just a fuckin' baby, you knew I'd be sent here so you took my real mother away and...this is fucking ridiculous. I'm outta here."
"Sit," the man said firmly as she tried to stand up. "In your mortal world, everything happens for a reason. A chain reaction of sorts. You and the other were sucked into this world so that chaos could unleash. The Scythe was never to be used as it had, to activate the potentials. In turn it caused the other, the one you killed, to listen to the voices that convinced her to reach out for her soul that lies here."
"So, this is all our fault?"
"No," the man said as he shook his head. "It is not your fault. It is what the seers saw many years before you were even born. It was meant to happen. You were meant to go through all that you have to end up right where you are now. The empathy you can feel makes you stronger now. You can feel the other and she calms you. This is crucial in your survival, to hold onto the one who holds your very heart and soul close to her own."
"Who? Buffy?"
The man nodded as he reached out for her hand and placed his gently on top of hers. "You will leave here—not soon, but eventually—and when you do, you and the other will take the woman with you. You will emerge from this place holding onto strength you never dreamt of having. Strength that is ten times as strong as you are as a Slayer. "
"How are we going to leave this place, old man?"
"The Wiccan, the one who failed to close the Hellmouth in time. She will find a way. She always finds a way. You must endure the time here, cherish it, as it will help you see and feel things you never could before. You must remember the things you feel, the things you think and dream of while here. Your hardships in life are far from over, Slayer. You will set on a journey that will test your inner strength, your love, and your very soul."
"And my mother? Does she know that I'm..." Faith couldn't even say it. It hurt just to think of it. The woman she'd known as her mother wasn't really her mother. It changed a lot of things and it made her think of how different her life would have ended up if she hadn't been brought up by her real mother's deadbeat sister. "Does she know about me? Does she know who I am?"
"She feels it, but fears it is just her mind playing tricks on her. Her time spent here in this world has altered her vision of reality."
"So she's really crazy?"
"Yes, to an extent," the old man replied. "In time she will return to a vision of her old self, that is if only she allows it to be. And you, Slayer, are a crucial part in her recovery once you three leave this world to go back to your own. You must tell her the truth, you must show her who and what you've become and you must show her who you'll become in the days that follow your departure from here. Finally, tell the other there are no answers for her as those answers she seeks cannot be found here."
Faith nodded, trying to absorb everything the man was telling her. The wooden door blew open and the sunlight from outside shone in, acting as the light that would guide her out. She turned to look at the old man, but he and the others were gone. With a heavy sigh she stood up from the chair and headed for the entrance. Every step she took, she could feel the tears burning in her eyes and her whole body begin the shake. She ignored Buffy and Jackie when she stepped outside, walking as quickly as she could down the gravel pathway towards the gates that led them there.
They weren't the answers to the questions she thought she had, but for some reason she'd felt the truth in the old man's words and the truth filled her with a warmth she'd never quite felt before. She came to a stop just before the gate and turned to watch as Buffy practically ran for her. She looked confused and a tad scared, but Faith just wrapped her arms around her and whispered to her that everything was going to be okay.
"What did you hear in there?" Buffy asked as she stepped back just a little so she could look into her eyes. "Faith? What did you hear in there?"
"I'll tell you later," she whispered as Jackie approached them slowly, her mangled leg the only thing slowing her down just a little. "All I can tell you right now, B, is we're going home."
"Now?"
"No," Faith said as she shook her head. "But we are going home."
"Did you find the answers you were seeking?" Jackie asked, staring intensely at Faith as she dropped her arms from around Buffy. "Did they tell you what you wanted to hear?"
"No. They told me what I needed to hear."
"Good," Jackie smiled and moved towards the gates. "Let's get back. We haven't much time before the next shift. I can feel it coming. It is coming sooner than I thought."
In that one single moment that their eyes met before they passed through the gates, she really felt it. She knew that this woman really was her mother and that alone scared her more than anything else.
