Book One:

Wish

by Amanda

SPOILERS: Starting just before the end of season 5, and running into an AU from there.
RATING: variable, R – NC-17, for violence, language, f/f, and character death
GENERAL COPYRIGHT / DISCLAIMERS: Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Angel the syndicated series and all other characters who have appeared in both shows are the sole property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy & UPN. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies of this story may be made for private use only and must include all disclaimers and copyright notices.
NOTE: All works remain the © copyright of the original author. These may not be republished without the author's consent.
SUMMARY: Part 7 of 7. Faith is in prison, dealing with what she had done to get there, while life in Sunnydale gets progressively dangerous. (can’t say more, will ruin the surprise)
FEEDBACK: Sure. I can take it all.

Three months later

That day had been hard for Buffy Summers. A lot had happened, and it was a lot for her to understand and accept. She was thinking about it again today.

Angel was dead. She had not known how to feel about it at the time. It hurt her to know that he was gone, the cursed vampire with a soul who was only out to help the helpless. But that was not who was staked in her kitchen. It was Angelus, and he was out to kill the two Wicca that Buffy loved like family. She never for one moment felt anger at Faith for what she had done to him. Angelus deserved it. Buffy just expected to see him from time to time, brooding in the mansion, pining over her. In those last few months they had been closer than they had in years, even though he betrayed her, and tried to manipulate her into caring for him, she would still miss him.

Warren was dead, killed by the Council. Andrew and Jonathan were in jail in Los Angeles on the robbery charges. Buffy worried about Jonathan, the little man who wanted to be her so badly he contacted a demon and had with world changed, the little man who had given her the protector award that she still had in her bedroom, though slightly bent. She cherished it. She had been to see him once, to thank him for trying to stop Warren. He had been gracious and apologized a lot.

The Council had seen the error of their ways, after the heroic display in the Magic Box. They had packed up and went back to merry old England, full of promises and changes to come. They hadn’t contacted her since, and she felt that was a very good thing. She had out grown them, and Buffy was pretty sure that they realized that now.

Tara was feeling better, having a cracked skull had left the poor Wicca stuck in bed, though from the glowing smiles she often saw on both her and Willow, that wasn’t such a bad thing. They needed this time, to strengthen their bond. Buffy loved seeing them together.

And Faith.

Buffy stopped, she had been patrolling and thinking, but now she was looking down at Faith’s tombstone. Faith Spencer, Chosen. And she had been. Buffy had chosen her, so long ago, and then the night before-

"Miss me, Slayer?"

Who in the fuck is interrupting me when I am thinking about Faith! Buffy spun around thinking. Standing there with a smirk was Spike.

"Spike." She spat out his name like it burned her tongue. "What are you doing back here?"

"Figured you were needing a good man to come and take your mind off of things." He grinned at her.

"Go away. Better yet, get the fuck out of my town." She snarled.

"Or what? Will you dust me like Angel?" He frowned. "Sorry about him going evil and all. But hey. The soul was a drag, got on all of our nerves."

"Really? How is your chip better?"

"Oh, that? I got that pesky thing taken out. And I feel like I really want to taste myself a Slayer. It’s been too long." He moved to a fighting stance.

"I am not in the mood. Can’t you see that I am thinking here?" She snapped, turning away from him. He used that to his advantage, knocking her to her ground. Spike flipped her over onto her back and straddled her waist.

"Don’t care Slayer. I came to take back what is mine." He said thrusting his crotch against her. Buffy squirmed, but he had her locked tightly between his thighs. "I did me a lot of thinking I did. You never appreciated what I did for you." He punched her once. "You need to understand, Buffy," He hit her again. "That" slap "No one" slap "Will love you like-"

His eyes rounded, his mouth fell open. Spike fell away to dust. Buffy blinked, watching the dust drifting away, to reveal Faith standing above her, stake in hand, soft grin on her full lips.

"Hey B."

Both B and I had been doing a lot of thinking today. Not sure why it was bugging us, maybe because I had staked another of her ex-boy friends. I promised her that I wouldn’t do that again, and she said that she hoped so, because everyone else was still human. That made me roar. Really. Gut wrenching laugh. I do that a lot now. Laughing. It feels good. Really good.

But not as good as feeling her sleeping in my arms. We had stayed up talking, and I finally got up the nerve to tell her what had happened that day. I had hinted about it, and around it, kind of embarrassed over the past few months. I was scared, I guess. See it was our bond, not just the soul, but also the slaying, that we had both clung to, we were the only ones who could understand that about each other. And now, well, now that was gone. I was getting used to being weak, and super nervous. But she asked again, and so I told her about my little meeting with Halfrek.

Three months ago

"You are not an easy girl to find. You know I have been looking for you for ten years!" Halfrek exclaimed.

"Why?" I asked.

"Oh, I am a vengeance demon. And well after what happened to you with that vile excuse for a man, the things he did to you, you were owed a little vengeance. Sorry it took me so long."

"So just cause I had to take it from him, I get a vengeance demon?"

"Sort of. You get a wish. To take vengeance. See where this is going?" Halfrek grinned.

"Um, no offence, but can you change your face back."

"No, sorry, Faith. Not while I am working."

"Oh, that’s cool I guess." I shrugged. "What if I don’t care anymore? I mean about him?" I asked. And it was true, when it was happening I could have thought of a thousand tortures, but now, it just didn’t seem worth my time.

"You are allotted a wish, what you do with it is up to you."

"Wish?"

"You know, you say I wish, followed by vowels and consonants and boom, it comes true."

"Wish huh?" The wheels in my mind were turning. "Any rules? I mean, what can it be?"

"Anything you want."

"What if what I want doesn’t seem doable? And how many wishes?"

"Anything is possible Faith. And one wish, but I will throw in the and clause, as I was so late in finding you." She shrugged.

I sat down for a minute thinking, and then looked up, hopeful. "It can be anything?"

"Yes."

"Can it be like lay away?"

"Oh, you mean you want to be somewhere else when it happens? Sure, we can have you say your wish now, and when you want it performed, you just say ‘I wish my wish be done.’ Really pretty simple. Do you need some help with ideas? Like wanting money or to be famous? Maybe a red head?"

I laughed softly, "Naw. I know what I want. But don’t laugh okay?" I asked, looking up.

"No laughing. Hit me with your layaway wish."

"I want-"

"Tisk tisk. Start with ‘I wish’. "

"Right, sorry." I cleared my throat. "I wish that Buffy and I did not share the Slayer’s soul, that we didn’t share this connection that could kill us both, and I wish that she would be free to love whoever she was meant to."

"That’s it?" Halfrek looked down on me with a frown.

"Yes, that’s it. It is a big fucking it. Can you do that?"

"Of course, now there may be some side effects to getting it done."

"I know. Without a soul I will die."

"Something like that. But your wish is on the books, I can cross you off my list." She reverted back to her human face. "I have to go."

"Yeah me too."

And that had been that, really. Nothing too earth shattering. Though I must admit, at the time I thought that when I asked for the wish to come true, I was expecting to die.

But there was something that none of is realized. I could still live, I would just live as a normal human being. Which in a way sucked, but at least after spending a month in the hospital I was still alive.

I had been ready to give everything up to have B alive and well. And I had, and I regretted none of it. Sure I missed the strength, the power. But I was still the same Faith; I just had to be careful to whom I mouthed off too.

B stirred in my arms, pulling me closer to her. I set a kiss on her forehead. This was the best part of the wish. I knew now that she loved me because of me, and because she wanted to, not because of the spell, not because of anything other than it being the two of us, together. She titled her head back, looking up at me with those mesmerizing hazel eyes.

"Why are you awake?" She asked softly. I leaned down and kissed her nose.

"Just thinking about how much I love you." I whispered.

"Good." She kissed my chin. "But you have school in the morning, oh mortal one. So close your eyes and sleep the good sleep."

"Can I give you one kiss you first?" I asked, moving closer, feeling the twinkle in my eye.

"No, you are still my Faith, and there is no such thing as one kiss from my Faith."

I laughed, she was right. There never was.

THE END