A/N: Sorry guys, but this chapter is going to be a bit short. I haven't been feeling well today so I'm going to rest up a bit. The next chapter should be coming in about a week or so. Again, please read and review.
Gym, SGC, four hours later
Willow had left the infirmary early after asking Dr. Brightman to do another physical on her to prove that she was alright.
"Please Doc" Willow had told Dr. Brightman an hour after she woke up, "I'm feeling fine, you said the Asgard fixed up my spinal injuries and my body seems to have completely healed itself, physically I feel like a million dollars."
"Maybe physically you're fine Captain" said the Doctor, "but how are you feeling mentally?"
"Doc?" asked Willow.
"I'm sorry" said Dr. Brightman, "I couldn't help but overhear what Miss Lehane had told you about your friend, and your reaction."
"Oh" said Willow as she suddenly looked down at the floor.
"I saw a flicker of rage on your face, coupled with a bit of fear" said the doctor, "and I've seen that look before, especially among….."
"People who were held against their will?" asked Willow in a very soft voice.
"Yes" said the Doctor.
"I'm alright Doc" said Willow, "it was just a shock that's all."
"Even so Captain" said the Doctor, "I'm recommending to the General that you be put on a two week leave."
"No Doc" said Willow, "please, after everything that's happened to me. I need this, I need to be here."
"Captain… Willow" said the Doctor as she held on to Willow's arm, "I'm just recommending that you be rested, you'll still be allowed on base but no missions. It's for your well being as well as the well being of your team."
"But…" said Willow.
"Think about what's happened to you just within the past few days, Captain" said Dr. Brightman, "your counterpart from another reality came through and pretty much attacked you without provocation, then some of the people you called friends found out what you really do, then you went off world and got stabbed three times and infected by nanites by the replicator version of your friend and superior officer and then, you just find out that your best friend and the one who was chiefly responsible for holding you against your will has been let out on probation early."
"I know" said Willow as she looked down at the floor.
"I'm not making this decision easily Captain" said the Doctor, "I know how much you love going through the Gate, but you need to think about your team as well. If you lose it out there while on a mission…."
"I understand Doc" said Willow as she interrupted the Doctor.
"I know you have a session with the counsellor this week, and then another session with the Asgard counsellor the following week. Am I right?" asked the Doctor.
"Yes" said Willow.
"I'll make a decision after I've read their evaluations" said the Doctor, "In the meantime; I want you to take a break. So go out on your motorcycle if you have one, go shopping, go to the gym, continue your dissertation… do something that will get your mind off missions and off the Gate."
"Alright Doc" said Willow as she hopped off the bed and picked up a bag of spare clothes that Faith had gotten for her from her locker, "I guess I'll go to the gym for a while before I go home."
"Don't overdo it though" said Dr. Brightman.
"I'll try" said Willow as she walked out of the infirmary doors.
As she came back to the present she found herself completing some warm-ups exercises. After she had finished her final push-up, Willow stood back up and went for the jump rope. As she commenced her jumps, Willow thought back to her reaction when Faith told her about the situation with Buffy.
"What?" said Willow after Faith told her that Buffy was being given an early release so that she could take over at the BPRI to train the Potentials as the full time trainer, "Faith, I would never have agreed to that."
"I know" said Faith as she reached for Willow's hand, "but it was the call that Big-G made, and it was the right one. I told you before when you and Big-G first offered me this job that I don't like being forced to do something; and that was exactly what the BPRI was making me do. You said it yourself; I was being protected from being forced to work for them full time. So Big-G convinced a very unhappy President to release B for an early probationary period with them."
"But…" said Willow as Faith interrupted her.
"If I wasn't stuck in Sunnydale" said Faith, "I could have backed you up, you wouldn't have been stabbed and the replicator may not have escaped. The only reason I wasn't able to go with you was because of them. Now, I'm not facing those issues. I'm here for good; I'll watch your back."
"And I'll watch yours" said Willow.
"I bet Dawn's excited huh?"" continued Willow.
"Yea" replied Faith, "she'll be spending the summer with the BPRI in Sunnydale, and then when the semester starts again, she'll be coming back to stay with us."
"Have you seen Buffy?" asked Willow.
"Not yet" said Faith quietly, "Will you?"
"I… I don't know" said Willow, "I should be happy that my best friend is out, that she's free. But I'm not, I'm actually furious that after everything that she did to me, that she's now out there enjoying herself while I have to remember that she had me kneeling down in her office as Dawn and the others surrounded me. She ordered….. I still find it hilarious that she thought she had the right to give orders, to mine my mind for information. Then she told Giles to do a truth spell on me, she then attempted a forgetting spell that would have covered up what she tried to do."
"I know" said Faith.
"No you don't!" shouted Willow, "she tried to make me forget everything she did to me, or tried to do anyway; she wanted to be smug and believe that she could have gotten away with it by making everyone in the building forget."
"Red" said Faith as she squeezed Willow's hands tightly.
"Faith….." said Willow, "The person I called my best friend did all of that, I trusted her with my life and she did that to me. She said that I betrayed her, can you believe that? She said that I wasn't loyal to her because I wouldn't tell her about the SGC. Who does that? And Dawn and the others? They just stood there and did nothing, everyone I trusted turned against me. Giles, the one I thought of as a father figure; Dawn, my adopted little sister; Tara, the girl I had a crush on in my Wicca group; Xander, my oldest friend turned against me; everyone just looked on as Buffy gave her orders. And no one said or did anything to help me."
"Red, please" said Faith as Willow stared at her.
"Neither did you or Angel" said Willow in a low but furious voice.
"I'm sorry" said Faith as she looked at Willow.
"You're sorry?" said Willow, "is that it?"
"I…." said Faith surprised as Willow interrupted her.
"You and Angel were just going to stand by while Joshua violated my mind!" shouted Willow as she stared angrily at Faith, "you just stood there! You knew what Buffy had planned but you still did it anyway!"
"I was against it from the start!" shouted Faith, "I wanted no part of it!"
"But you did it anyway!" said Willow enraged, "you took me up to the top floor, you kissed me and then you tasered me. After I fell, you called Buffy. And I asked you why….. I asked you why and all you could do was look at me."
"Captain? Miss Lehane?" said one of the SF's as he came running in after having heard the shouting from the two women.
"We're alright Sarge" said Faith as she looked over at the SF, "we'd like to be alone please."
"Of course ma'am" said the SF as he then walked out.
"Red" said Faith as she calmed down and looked at Willow.
"Please leave me alone Faith" said Willow as she looked down at her bed, completely missing the hurt expression on Faith's face, "I just need to be alone."
"Ok" said a very hurt Faith as she got hopped off Willow's bed and walked out the infirmary doors.
Back to the present, Willow just finished using the jump ropes and was heading to the locker where the hand wraps were stored. She sat down away from the door and started to wrap her hands before using the speed bag when she sensed someone else was in the room.
Turning around, she saw that it was a very furious looking Faith standing at the entrance to the gym in her gym clothes.
"Faith" said Willow, "I…."
"Don't you dare say you didn't mean what you said back there" said Faith angrily, "don't you fucking dare."
"I'm sorry" said Willow, "I was angry when I found out that Buffy was let go and I released everything on you."
"No" said Faith as she slammed her hand on the button that closed the blast door at the gym entrance, "you don't get to make an excuse and hope that everything become all ok. Face up to what you told me, you're angry with me then fine, you're furious with me? Fine. Now do something about it."
Faith then angrily walked past Willow and took another hand wrap as she furiously wrapped it around her hand, before passing a mouth guard and a head guard at Willow.
"What are you doing?" asked Willow as she caught both the guards.
"You're a smart girl" said Faith, "what do you think? You obviously think I should pay for what I did, you obviously think I was let off easy… so come on.. I'm giving you the chance to exact your vengeance on me."
"No, Faith" said Willow, "I'm not fighting you."
"No" said Faith as she went into a stance, "you're a coward who thinks that you can say something and then hope that people will forget it, so come on. Show me how furious you are at me, you said it yourself that I just stood there and watched someone violate your mind. So come at me… come on!"
"No" said Willow, "Please… no."
"Don't give me that B.S" said Faith as she walked towards Willow and pushed her, "you're not getting out of this room until you've gotten all of your hits in."
Faith then gave Willow another push.
"Faith" said Willow.
"Don't 'Faith' me" said the Slayer as she pushed Willow back again, "You said I caused you pain, I hurt your feelings.. you said I didn't do anything to help you… so show me how furious you are. OR are you really just a coward? Was Dawn right about you? Are you a coward? No matter how you cut it, you ran away from Sunnydale…. Whether it was by a wish or by a bus, the evidence against you shows that you are a coward."
Just then, Faith was given a very hard punch by Willow that made her end on lying on the mat covered floor.
"Wow" said Faith as she slowly got up, "not bad, but you really can't hit for anything."
Faith looked on Willow ran towards her and launched a kick which Faith easily dodged before she threw a back handed punch that, this time, knocked Willow onto the floor.
"Come on Red" said Faith as she stepped back, "get up. You're going to give up now and walk out of here? It's not happening. Face up to whatever problems you have with me, you want to hit me? Then hit me. But I won't lay down for you."
Faith stepped forward just as Willow got up again and launched another kick that brought Willow back down onto the mat.
"Come on" said Faith, "You're giving up now? What kind of an Air Force officer are you? Maybe Kennedy was right, you are a joke."
Faith could see the anger in Willow's eyes as she got up from the mat and tackled Faith to the ground. She felt Willow using one arm to hold her down while she pulled the other arm back and punched her face.
"OK" thought Faith to herself, "that punch was hard, really hard."
Then Faith looked on as Willow pulled back and punched her on the face again.
"You just get two free punches" said Faith as she took her free arms and slammed them together onto Willow's temples, leaving her dazed and giving Faith the perfect opportunity to push Willow away and stand up into an offensive posture as she waited for Willow to get up.
"I know you heal fast" said Faith as she approached a dazed Willow and brought her knee to the red heads chest. As Faith was getting ready for another knee onto Willow's chest, she felt Willow punch her ribs and then stand up and give a backhanded blow onto her face.
"Show me your full strength" said Willow, "show me the true strength of a Slayer."
"If that's what you want" said Faith as she kicked Willow with all her strength and knocked her back a few feet until she hit the wall.
"Is that what you want?" said Faith.
Willow slowly got up just as Faith caught her by her shoulders and threw Willow back onto the floor.
"You're not putting everything into it" said Faith as she walked towards Willow, "I'm not your girlfriend now, I'm the one who stood by and watched you violated….. I'm the one who tasered you…. I'm one of the people who, you say, betrayed you."
Faith then saw Willow running towards her as the red head launched another kick which Faith effectively blocked and moved aside leaving her chest area open. Faith took her opportunity and punched Willow' solar plexus which pushed her back a bit before she came at Faith again with a punch that the Slayer effectively blocked. However, this time Willow was able to effectively block Faith's counter attack.
"What was that?" thought Faith to herself as she stepped back after Willow blocked Faith's counter, "it was like a thin layer of solid air around the arm she blocked my counter with."
Faith then started to attack Willow much faster and was surprised that some of her hits missed the red head as she successfully dodged them, but it was the counters from Willow that was the most surprising.
"Whoa" thought Faith to herself, "I really, really felt the last punch. It actually kinda hurts."
Willow then feigned an attack which Faith fell for, which left the Slayer open for another attack by the red head which she took without any reservations, straight to Faith's ribs.
"Ouch" thought Faith as she nursed her ribs, "that really hurt."
Forgetting the ongoing pain on her side, Faith attempted multiple punches at Willow using all of her strength. She was surprised when not only did Willow block her punches; she felt the same layer of hardened air around Willow's arms.
"Don't tell me she's unconsciously using her telekinesis as a shield?" thought Faith to herself as Willow walked towards her and attempted to kick her head. Faith quickly ducked under the kick and swept Willow's other leg from under her, making her fall onto the mat. Faith then scrambled over Willow and pinned her down using all her strength.
Faith saw anger and fury in Willow's eyes as she pinned her down.
"You think I was happy about what she told me to do?" asked Faith as she looked at Willow.
"You still did it" said Willow, "get off me."
"Can I tell you something first?"asked Faith.
"No" said Willow as she stared at Faith, "I just want to go home."
"Not until you hear what I have to say" said Faith as she held down Willow's arms and straddled her to keep Willow from moving.
"I've been attracted to you since I came to Sunnydale" said Faith, "you were someone I would have gotten into a relationship earlier, had I not fucked myself up so much. So how do you think I felt when Buffy told me to take down someone I cared about?"
"You could have simply walked away" said Willow.
"Then they would have sent someone else" said Faith, "they would have been cruel about it; they would have hurt you physically even more. I only used a taser; they would have used something worse."
"Do you know how much I hurt having to see your mind getting violated, do you know much my heart broke?" continued Faith, "ask Angel when you see him; he knows exactly how I felt. When I went to L.A after Sunnydale, I told him everything, including my feelings for you."
"You were still there" said Willow.
"I was scared" said Faith, "Buffy would have let me go. There was nowhere else for me, where could I go? I didn't have you, you were already captured. Who else is there for me? My mom is an alcoholic loser. Buffy's mom passed away by then, Angel was already working for Buffy so there was no one in L.A I could trust. So tell me, where could I go?"
Willow just looked on as tears gathered in Faith's eyes.
"Where could I go Willow?" said Faith as her voice started to break, "I hated what they did and that I was a part of it, and I'll spend my entire life making it up to you gladly."
"I think we should go back home" said Willow as she wiped the tears away from Faith's eyes.
"Why don't we just stay on base?" said Faith as she wiped away her tears.
"There are things I said that need to be apologized for" said Willow softly, "I can't really do that in front of the camera's with the entire base watching."
"Yeah, wouldn't want to give anyone a free show" said Faith as she slowly got up off Willow and helped her up.
"Hey" said Willow as she saw Faith holding onto her side, "take a seat, I'll heal you."
"Much appreciated" said Faith as Willow helped her to a chair and sit down. After Faith sat down, Willow placed her hand over her ribs and saw a white light emanate out of her hand.
"Hey" said Faith, "the pain's disappearing."
"Shall we go?" said Willow once the bruising was gone from Faith's side and face.
"Yea" said Faith as she pressed the button to re-open the blast door, "hey did you know you were putting up a shield to protect yourself from my hits?"
"Really?" said Willow.
"Yea" said Faith as the two females as they walked down the corridor, "its kinda cool. Maybe I can help you train sometime?"
"I'd like that" said Willow.
Willow's Apartment, 1 hour later
After an hour of driving back from the SGC, Willow and Faith finally reached their apartment complex and parked the car.
"Hey" said Faith as they passed Willow's motorcycle, "let's take your bike out for a ride sometime."
"Sure" replied Willow.
The two women talked to the apartment and opened the door and went in.
"SO Dawn's in the hotel now with Buffy and Tara?" asked Willow.
"Yep" said Faith, "so you had a little crush on Tara?"
"Kinda" said Willow, "but that was a long time ago."
"Are we alright?" asked Faith as she turned around and looked into Willow's eyes.
"Yes" replied Willow as she gave Faith a tight hug.
"You do realize that we're still sweaty as hell right?" said Faith.
"Yeah" said Willow, "and your point is?"
"Nothing" said Faith as she placed her hands on Willow's hips and pulled her to the shower, "just meant that we need to take a shower to get the sweat off us."
"Yes ma'am" said Willow as she slammed the shower door shut.
Just as Willow shut the shower door, she never heard the main door getting unlocked from the outside as it slowly opened and two other females walked in.
"Come on" said Dawn as she pulled Buffy into the apartment, "nice place isn't it?"
"Yea" said Buffy as she looked around the living room.
"Willow's been taking good care of you" said Buffy, "I'm glad."
"To be honest with you" said Dawn, "I'd rather stay with you. You know what, I can't wait to go back to Sunnydale with you. It's going to be like the good old times again. You, me, Xander, Tara…. The Scoobies back together again."
"Yea" said Buffy sadly, "listen; get the stuff you need to get. I don't think I should stay here, Willow won't like that I was in her home."
"Alright" said Dawn as she went to her room to get a bag, which was when she noticed the shower was on.
"Hey" said Dawn as she walked back into the living room where Buffy was sitting down on the couch, "Faith's back, wanna say hi before you leave?"
"Sure" said Buffy, "where's Willow?"
"I think she said that she'll be on base for the whole day" said Dawn.
"I guess she's avoiding me huh?" said Buffy as she looked sadly at Dawn.
"You want a drink?" asked Dawn, "I think we've got pop and juice."
"I'll take a juice" said Buffy, "so you're sure that Willow will be on base?"
"Yes Buff" said Dawn as she returned to the living room with a glass of grape juice in her hand, "Faith said that….."
Before Dawn could finish what she wanted to say, the shower door had opened and Willow and Faith came out just wearing towels that covered their bodies.
"Willow? Faith?" said Dawn surprised as she glanced at Buffy who in turn was looking at Dawn.
"Dawnie?" said Willow as she walked over to Dawn in her towel, "I thought you were staying in the hotel, what are you….."
Willow saw a blonde girl standing next to the couch just as she came out of the hallway to meet Dawn.
"Buffy?" said a surprised Willow just an equally surprised Faith walked up behind her..
"Hi Wills" said Buffy as she managed a small smile.
"Get out" said Willow as she looked at Buffy and pointed at the main doorway.
TBC