Just knowing that they could cure Faith made Buffy breathe a sigh of relief as she leaned back against the closed basement door. She could hear the younger girl groaning in pain from where she lay on the cot at the bottom of the stairs but Buffy couldn't face her just yet because she knew she would let her drink there and then and that wouldn't help anybody. She would need Willow to be there to magically pull Faith off should she start to lose control and take too much of her blood. She sat down on the top step feeling that if she couldn't bring herself to look at Faith she could at least be in the same room with her and hopefully offer her some comfort that way while they waited for Willow.

She could hear Xander and Angel arguing outside the door over the logistics of the matter and she had half a mind to go out there and knock their heads together. They would never grow out of their petty jealousy and she really didn't feel like dealing with their insecurities at this point in time. She tried to attune her hearing to something other than their shouting and found herself concentrating on the weak beating of Faith's heart that she could just pick up if she really focused.

It was only when she picked up a faint whisper of her first initial did Buffy give in to what she had been so desperate to do all along and head back down to Faith's bedside. She gasped when she took in the younger girl's appearance which had changed so much in the short time since she had seen her. Faith's lips were blue due to the lack of oxygen in her blood due to her weakly beating heart, her breathing was laboured and she looked so frail Buffy was afraid she would break if she touched her.

"Oh baby," Buffy breathed ghosting her fingers over Faith's pale cheeks.

"I'm...still...hot...right," Faith gasped.

"Smokin'," Buffy choked out.

"Hey...don't...cry...B."

"I'm not crying I promise," Buffy said swiping at her cheeks, "But I have some good news for you."

"Andrew...finally...come...out?"

"No," Buffy chuckled, "But that is bound to happen sooner or later. Angel's here and we found a cure."

"I'm...gonna...be...okay?"

"You're going to be fine," Buffy said, "And these are happy tears now."

"What's...the...cure?" Faith asked.

"Don't you worry about that, you just worry about keeping up your strength until we can give it to you."

"B...what is it? I...know when...you're lying...your nose...twitches."

"Does not! And how could you possibly know that, I never lie to you."

"Liar."

"Just because you're sick doesn't mean you can be mean to me," Buffy pouted.

"And just...because I'm sick...doesn't...mean...you have...to lie...to me."

Faith's eyes were bright in her pale face and Buffy could see the need for the truth behind those words. She did deserve to know the truth even though Buffy would not let her back out of it no matter how much she didn't like what she was about to hear.

"You remember when Angel got shot with the poisoned arrow?" Buffy said deliberately leaving out that it had been Faith who had been behind the attack.

She didn't say anymore somehow knowing that Faith would get what she meant and she watched as the younger Slayer's breath hitched in her throat.

"No," Faith said with as much conviction she could muster in her weakened state.

"It's the only way."

"No...I won't."

"Faith, I won't let you die so you will do this whether you want to or not," Buffy said feeling her cheeks heat up with her emotion.

"It will...kill you...B...please...I don't...want to hurt you," Faith said her chest heaving as she struggled to breathe.

"Faith you have to calm down, your heart won't be able to keep up if you work yourself up," Buffy said rubbing a soothing hand on the cool skin of the other girl's shoulder, "Willow and Angel will be here, they won't let you go too far. This is our only chance Faith, you have to live for us to have any chance to be together and we are meant to be together. I've always known it I've just never had the confidence to admit it to myself and I will never forgive you if you don't give us the chance to become what we are meant to become. You have to do this and if you don't care enough about your life to do it then care about mine because I won't be able to survive without you."

"I won't...forgive you...if I take too much," Faith said after awhile, "Can't...live without...you either...when you died...felt like my...insides got ripped...out and my soul shattered."

"Deep," Buffy teased planting a light kiss on the younger girl's lips, "So let's make a deal, neither of us dies and then we get to become that couple that everyone is quietly jealous of because they are just so gosh darn happy."

"Deal...as long...as you promise...to never...say gosh darn...again," Faith wheezed.

"Okay hot stuff you just have to keep your vampirey transformation to a minimal until Willow comes back from wherever she went, apparently you can't reach the coven by just ringing them on the phone," Buffy frowned.

"I'll try," Faith said her eyes fluttering.

"It's okay baby you sleep, keep your strength up, I'll be right here," Buffy said taking Faith's limp hand in her own.

"No nose twitch...you're not...lying," Faith smiled as her eyes closed.

"No I'm not," Buffy said.

She watched Faith sleep for what felt like the thousandth time that week, taking the time to memorise every inch of her face, every breath that she took and every word she murmured. She was so immersed in watching Faith that she didn't notice Giles, Xander, Willow and Angel standing behind her until the redhead placed a tentative hand on her shoulder. It was obvious from their faces that they had been calling her name for quite some time before she regarded them.

"Sorry," Buffy blushed.

"It's okay, I think it's cute," Willow smiled happily, "Hands up all those who are happy Buffy has finally found someone she can really love. No offense Angel I know she did love you but it was more like she loved the thought of you, sexy older guy, really older guy but I'm not sure she was in love with you the person, well you the vampire really."

"Will," Buffy stopped her friend.

"I'm sorry," the redhead blushed, "You know I babble."

"It's okay Willow," Angel smiled kindly, "I am happy for them, both of them."

"I don't mean to interrupt but I really do think if we are to do this it should be soon, Faith doesn't look to be in the best of health," Giles said.

"Understatement of the century Giles," Xander piped in, "But just once more are we sure we want to do this."

"It'll be alright Xander," Willow assured him after being filled in upstairs with what was going to happen, "Angel is going to pull her off if she goes too far and if he can't then I'm going to step in."

"Are you sure Will?" Buffy asked.

"I'm sure, you need me and I'm not about to let you down, not again," Willow said.

"Okay, let's do this, let's save Faith."