Chapter Eight

I awoke several hours later to find myself alone in bed. I frowned and sat up, all those old feelings of abandonment came flooding back until I saw the note on the pillow next to mine. I picked it up and unfolded it finding Faith's familiar scribble on the inside.

B,
If we're going to be dating, we probably shouldn't be sleeping together, right? This is just me taking it slow.Love you,
F

I smiled realizing that I hadn't been abandoned or dumped and tucked her note away with the others she'd left me over the past few weeks.

I got out of bed gingerly, the wound was nearly healed but still pulled a little when I moved, and I made myself some coffee and took a mug outside on the balcony. I sat down and stared at the pack of cigarettes for a moment before picking them up and crushing them in my fist. No more of that.

I sat silently sipping my coffee simply thinking about Faith for a few minutes, unable to wipe the idiotic smile from my face until I heard a knock at the door.

I got up and moved to the door and opened it to find Dawn on the other side. I smiled when she held up a few bags that contained breakfast.

"I figured you'd be hungry after your all night drinking and stabbing and Faith-ing," she told me with a smile.

I rolled my eyes and stood aside so she could enter the apartment. "There was no Faith-ing."

She narrowed her eyes playfully and looked around. "Is she still here?"

"Nope," I replied as I started peeking through the bags of food. I was starving. "She left earlier."

Dawn sat pensively for a minute until I set a mug of coffee in front of her. She finally looked up at me with concerned eyes. "Are you sure you want to do this again?"

"Yes," I told her immediately.

Dawn nodded. "How can you be sure she won't leave you again?"

I thought honestly about that question and finally shrugged. "Honestly, I can't." I sighed. "The truth is, Faith may leave again, but having the chance to love her again and have her love me…it's worth the risk."

Dawn smiled. "You really love her."

"I do," I replied with a grin.

She smiled. "I haven't seen you smile like that in a long time. Too long."

I grinned wider. "Well get used to it."

"I'm really glad you guys are back together for what it's worth," she told me softly.

"Thanks, Dawnie," I replied.

"So how are you feeling?" she asked as she sipped her coffee.

"Good," I replied as I started to eat.

"Good," she repeated as she watched me for a moment with a happy smile on her face.

It felt like for the first time in a long time that things were right in my life and I really couldn't have been happier.

Later that night, there was a light knock on my door and when I opened it, Faith was on the other side leaning against the door frame looking way too good. She had on dark jeans and a black top and her hair was all wavy and I think I might have actually drooled a little.

She smirked. "Like what ya see, Blondie?"

I grinned and grabbed her by the front of her jeans and pulled her in close to me, just breathing her in and she leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on my neck and I couldn't help the shiver. "Always."

I leaned back slightly and dropped a kiss on her lips and stood aside so she could come in.

"Feel like slaying a bit tonight or are you still down for the count?" she asked as she grabbed a beer from the fridge and headed outside.

"Well since the injury was reported, I can't slay for a few days," I reminded her as she took a seat on the balcony and grabbed a smoke. She offered one to me, but I declined.

"Well, if you want I can go grab take-out and we can have a night in," she offered with a soft smile.

I grinned and nodded happily. "That would be really nice. Thanks, Faith."

"Just no super cheesy movies," she ordered pointing her cigarette at me.

I nodded. "Deal."

"Cool," she replied.

We sat on the balcony quietly for a few more minutes as she finished her cigarette. "Can I take the jeep?"

I nodded. "Keys are next to the door."

"Sweet" she grinned as she leaned down to kiss me. "I'll be back."

"Extra fortune cookies!" I reminded her as she left.

Faith grinned and nodded. "I didn't forget, B. Be back soon."

"Be careful," I told her and blew her a kiss.

"Always."

It had been two weeks since that night together and since then, we'd spent nearly every night together slaying or watching movies or drinking or dancing…it had been the best two weeks of my life. It was even better than the first time we had been together. I guess all that crap about not knowing what you had until it's gone is true…I was just so happy to have her back. Knowing I could kiss her and hug her and hold her whenever I wanted to was too amazing for words. I was so in love. Plus she took me on dates just the two of us, like she said she would. She sent me flowers and left me sweet notes every once in a while and I really couldn't get over how sweet she was.

One afternoon I found myself humming as I opened my apartment door, half expecting to see her on the couch, but it was empty.

"Faith?" I called out as I dropped my bag on the floor in the kitchen. When I got no response I frowned and headed for her place. I really wanted a kiss.

I frowned deeper when she didn't answer the door and it was then that I tried her cell phone. When she didn't answer, I called Kennedy, who hadn't seen her either.

An hour later, Kennedy and I had checked everywhere we could think of for Faith and that's when I decided to use my key to Faith's place and I grew more worried with every step I took into her apartment. I checked everywhere and when I reached the bedroom I felt my heart in my throat when I saw a single slip of paper on the bed.

Kennedy reached the doorway as I picked it up and looking at it I wanted to die all over again. The paper contained two simple words, ‘I'm sorry.'

Kennedy read it over my shoulder and she looked at me with sad, concerned eyes. "Buffy, I'm sorry."

I walked out as quickly as I could and got into my apartment as quickly as I could before I broke down completely.

She left me.

Again.

It was too much.

Willow knocked on Buffy's door again and I tried Faith's cell one more time. "I'm telling you, Will, this doesn't feel right."

She looked at me with those eyes of hers and I could tell her heart was breaking for Buffy; everyone's was at this point. "It's not like Faith hasn't done this before."

I shook my head. "Yeah, but it's not Faith's style to go quietly into the night. She has to shoot someone or stab someone or get drunk and be a bitch."

She thought about that and nodded. "Try her cell again, sweetie."

"What's the point?" I asked. "Will, I'm telling you, my slaydar is giving me funny vibes and this whole thing is not of the good."

She looked at me for a long stretch of moments and finally nodded. "I'll do a locator spell and we'll go find her just to be sure she's okay."

I nodded. "What about Buff?"

Willow looked at the door again and frowned deeper. I hated to see her so sad. "I'll send Xander up."

I nodded and followed her down the hall, casting one last glance back at Buffy's door, then Faith's door. Something was definitely up and I had to figure it out. Faith leaving the first time nearly destroyed Buffy…I didn't want to be around to witness it again.

Chapter Nine

"Just think," a female voice teased Faith's ears from somewhere to her left. "The real Slayer almost let us kill her last time you left. Think she'll let us do it for real this time?"

Faith did her best to remain still. Her body had been beaten and bloodied for days since she had been abducted and she found it better if she didn't move.

A fist grabbed a handful of Faith's hair and tugged her head back to expose her throat. A knife blade slid over the skin enough to draw blood, but just barely. "Think she'll throw herself off a bridge if we send her your head? No, that's no fun. I want to do it. I've always wanted to kill a Slayer."

"But, Boss, isn't she a Slayer?" the woman's dopey minion asked from the corner somewhere.

"Well, she's not a real Slayer…she was an accident," the woman told him with a grin. She stepped from the shadows to pace in front of the Slayer who was on her knees, bound in shackles hung from the ceiling. She met Faith's eyes steadily. "Weren't you?"

"She'll never believe that I left," Faith whispered. She blinked hard several times, even talking hurt. "Not this time."

The woman grinned wickedly. "She already does. She hasn't left her apartment since we took you. She hasn't spoken to a soul."

"In her heart, she knows it's not right," Faith managed to breathe out. The room was starting to spin a bit.

The woman stalked towards the Slayer and kneeled down in front of her. "She's already broken. It won't be long before we kill her, then we'll kill you."

"It'll never work."

The woman grabbed her knife and flipped it once in her hand to change her grip and brought it down in Faith's shoulder. Hard.

The Slayer bit her lip to keep from crying out and the woman smirked at her.

"Once you're both dead, the Slayer line will be compromised and taken out one by one," she whispered into Faith's ear as she leaned in close and twisted the knife.

She laughed as she stood up and pulled the knife out, smiling as Faith grunted in pain. She pointed to the man in the corner, her minion. "Don't let her out of your sight."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Something doesn't feel right," Buffy told Giles quietly.

"You feel it too?" Kennedy asked, sitting up in her seat.

Buffy nodded and swallowed hard. She didn't meet anyone's eyes. She hadn't since Faith left.

Kennedy sat up and met the watcher's eyes. "Giles, something is up. I can feel it in my bones."

Giles sighed. "I know that none of us wants to believe that Faith would desert us again, but I hate to point out that she has done this before."

Buffy's head dropped suddenly and everyone at the table watched as she tried to keep her tears from spilling.

Giles watched her and frowned, his own heart breaking for her. "Buffy, I don't mean to upset you but Willow has been tracking Faith with the locator spell across the country. It appears to me that she simply left."

Buffy stood up and ran her fingers over the table for a moment, obviously fighting tears. "Maybe you're right, Giles. Maybe she did leave again."

The Slayer turned and left the room silently, leaving everyone watching her exit. Willow and Giles exchanged a worried look.

"Maybe I should go after Faith. Just to talk to her," Willow suggested.

"I'd feel better if someone had actually laid eyes on her since she left," Kennedy told them all.

"Has Angel talked to her?" Xander asked.

"No," Willow told him with a small shake of her head.

Giles nodded. "Alright, Willow, you see if you can find her. Take Vi with you. Xander, Dawn, keep an eye on Buffy. Kennedy, you're in charge of the Slayers until further notice."

The younger Slayer nodded. "We'll check all the usual demon haunts to see if anybody knows about any new players in town. I can't put my finger on it, but I have a bad feeling about something here."

Giles nodded. "Well at any rate, be careful. All of you."

Everyone nodded and stood, leaving the room.

I bit back my tears of frustration as I stood from the patio and moved through my apartment to answer the door. I was about to explain Dawn or Xander away but when I opened the door, Jennifer was standing on the other side.

"Jen?" I asked, completely thrown.

She looked at me and knew in an instant that something was up. "Buffy, what's wrong?"

I shook my head, willing my tears back. "What are you doing here?"

She pointed into the apartment behind me. "You called last week and said I left some stuff here and I told you I'd come by to get it. Remember?"

I did. But I'd been so wrapped up with Faith that I'd totally forgotten about Jennifer's stuff. I stood aside and waved her in. "Come in. Sorry, I just forgot."

She entered the apartment, still watching me. "Buff, what's wrong?"

I shook my head and moved into the kitchen. "Do you want a drink? A beer maybe?"

"Sure," she replied as she took a seat at the bar in the kitchen.

I nodded and grabbed two beers from the fridge, handing her one. I took a long drink of mine. I hated beer, but it was the only thing alcoholic in the house. It was Faith's beer. Dammit I wanted to cry. I wanted to die.

"Buffy look at me," she ordered gently from behind me. I couldn't.

I didn't turn around and a moment later, gentle hands were on my shoulders and turning me around and that's when I broke.

She pulled me into her arms and let me cry.

"Easy, Buff," she whispered to me as she held me close.

"Faith is gone," I finally choked out.

I felt her tense slightly and I pulled away to look at her. She looked pissed.

"She left you again?" she asked evenly.

"I don't know," I told her honestly as I pulled out of her grasp and started to pace. "Kennedy feels like something bad is up and I feel it too."

"What do you mean something bad?" she asked me, looking concerned. Damn I loved her. Not the way I loved Faith, but this girl was too much. Too good.

"I don't know," I responded honestly. I had no idea what kind of bad I was talking about, but I knew it was definitely not right.

"Well can't Willow do one of those spells to find people?" Jen asked hopefully. I loved her even more for trying for me.

"She did," I told her quietly. "Faith is halfway across the country right now. I guess back to Angel."

She sat silently sipping her beer as she processed everything I'd told her. "So what are you going to do?"

"Nothing," I told her softly. "Willow is going to find Faith to make sure she's okay. If she finds her, that means she just left and I can hate her again. If she doesn't, we know something's up."

"So what are you going to do tonight?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing." I just wanted to be alone so I could get horribly drunk and forget.

Jennifer stood up and slipped her jacket off and hung it on the back of her chair. "Well then how about I stay and keep you company."

Dammit, she knew me too well. As much as I wanted to be left alone, I didn't really want to be alone so I nodded. "Thanks."

She smiled and for a moment I actually felt like things might be okay.

Chapter Ten

The next morning I awoke to someone banging loudly on my door. I stumbled through the apartment and noticed Jennifer sitting up on the couch. The knocking had woken her as well. Now before everyone freaks out, she just stayed to be sure I was okay and she slept on the couch. No funny business…the love of my life just left me.

Anyways, I opened the door and Kennedy was standing on the other side and she managed to push her way in without even a hello.

"Still no sign of anything strange," she mumbled as she came in.

"Thanks for the update," I told her quietly.

"Something is going to turn up," she told me as she started making coffee. "Something weird is going on and I'm going to get to the bottom of it."

Suddenly Jennifer walked into the kitchen and Kennedy stopped dead and looked at me with confused and betrayed eyes. "What the hell?"

"She just wanted to keep an eye on me," I explained calmly. I had nothing to apologize for.

"So while me and the girls are out there busting our asses trying to find anything weird that's going to lead us to Faith, you're here with her?" Kennedy challenged me.

"I thought Faith was halfway across the country," Jennifer noted.

"And you figured you'd swoop back in?" Kennedy asked her, crossing her arms over her chest.

Jennifer looked at Kennedy and then at me and shook her head. "I'm gonna go."

I nodded and walked her to the door. "Thanks for staying. It was nice not to be alone."

She nodded and hugged me. "Anytime, Buff. I mean it."

I smiled at her once again and shut the door behind her. I took a deep breath to face Kennedy and when I entered the kitchen she was ready and waiting.

"Really, Buffy?" she asked me incredulously. "She's barely been gone three days and Jen is already sleeping here again?"

"She slept on the couch, Kennedy," I told her with a roll of my eyes and poured a cup of coffee. "She was just being nice. I didn't really want to be alone."

"Then come to our place," she told me, softening a bit. "You know Will would love to have you over. I would too."

"I know," I told her with a sigh.

She nodded and looked at me carefully. "So how are you anyways?"

I shrugged. "Like you said, it's barely been three days."

"She wouldn't leave you again," she told me quietly, as if she was trying to convince herself as well.

"I know."

She looked up at me. "Look, I just wanted to stop by to let you know that Giles put me in charge of the Slayers until we get this resolved. He knew you'd want your time alone and I just wanted to tell you that until I hear from Willow or Angel that Faith is on her bike driving to wherever the hell she's driving to, I'm going to assume that Faith has been kidnapped."

"Okay," I replied, a little surprised. Kennedy was one hell of a Slayer and her instincts were usually dead on. I hoped in this case that she was right…but then again I hoped Faith was safe. I was feeling way too conflicty.

"We're going to have all the active teams out in the usual haunts and unusual haunts seeing what we can find out and I'll let you know as soon as I know something."

"Can I do anything?"

She looked me in the eye and I genuinely felt concern coming from her. "Just try to keep it together. We're all here for you and if nothing else, let us keep you busy and keep your mind off this. Either way, we'll know something in the next day or so."

"Thanks, Kennedy," I told her sincerely. I was so glad she was there. Strange, I know.

She nodded. "I'm gonna go, but Will's on her way to find Faith, but something tells me that I'm gonna find her first…and not too far from here."

"Let's just hope someone finds her and she comes home to me," I mumbled softly.

"I'm gonna find her," she told me with a nod.

"Thanks."

She nodded once more and headed for the door, looking back once to give me a smile. I was so glad in that moment to have her on our side.

The next night there was a frantic knock on my door and when I opened it, Dawn was standing on the other side. I didn't even have a chance to say anything to her before she was pulling me down the hallway. I barely even had a chance to shut my front door.

"Dawn, what's going on?"

She kept up her frantic pace until she got to the elevator. "Kennedy thinks she found some demons that have Faith."

My heart suddenly burst with happiness and I felt tears spring to my eyes. "Are you sure?"

"No, she's taking a team out to check things out tonight," Dawn explained.

Suddenly my cell rang and I answered immediately seeing that it was Willow. "Please tell me you have good news."

"Not sure what good news is to you, but I've been chasing a robot across the country," she told me with a frustrated huff.

"What?"

"Remember when Warren was running from me and used magic with the robot and his essence?" she asked.

"Yeah," I replied.

"Same kind of deal," she told me with a sigh.

"So Faith isn't in Nevada?" I asked hopefully.

"Not the real Faith."

"Okay, Will, get home as soon as you can. Kennedy thinks she found some demons that know where Faith really is."

"I'll be home in no time," she told me.

"Thanks, Will."

"You're welcome," she replied.

I hung up and kept pace with Dawn, my resolve quickly returning. "Will found a robot with Faith's essence."

"So Faith isn't on her way back to Angel?"

"Nope."

She thought for a moment. "Well, that's good that she didn't leave you…but bad that she's out there somewhere and we don't know where and she might be hurt, or bleeding, or-."

"I get it, Dawn, thanks," I told her, effectively cutting her off.

I was relieved that Faith hadn't left me to go back to L.A., but like my little sis reminded me, now we had no idea where she was and I suddenly started to worry again.

We made it to the conference room where Giles, Kennedy and Vi were seated around the table. "Will found a robot traveling across the country with Faith's essence. That's what the locator spell located."

"Good!" Kennedy exclaimed. Then she thought for a moment and frowned. "Well, maybe not."

"What do you mean maybe not?" I asked her, my fear rising.

She shifted in her seat. "We overheard some demons tonight talking about some demon that had kidnapped a Slayer. Talked about how the plan was to keep her until you break down, then kill you both."

"Makes sense," Dawn mumbled absently. She caught my glare and shook her head. "In a way that only stupid plans make sense."

I shook my head. "Okay, so you followed them and know where we need to go?"

"Kennedy and Vi will take a team and extract Faith," Giles told me evenly.

"What?" Like hell. "Giles, you know what she means to me, I have to get her back."

He stood up and shook his head. "Buffy, I'm afraid when it comes to Faith your judgment is clouded. It always has been. I don't want you to go down there and make a decision based on your emotions. I want everyone coming back safe tonight. You can watch from the command center."

"Giles, I'm getting her back," I told him, getting angry.

"No," he told me sternly. "You'll stay here."

"Buffy," Kennedy started, but stepped back a step when I glared in her direction.

"Kennedy is Faith's best friend," I argued. "Won't her judgment be clouded too?"

"Buffy," Giles coaxed quietly, taking a step towards me. "We all want Faith to come home safe and sound. And this is the best way to do it. When Willow was kidnapped last year, Kennedy was told to stay here, just as you are now. It's protocol and it's proven."

I knew he was right. Dammit. "Fine," I relented. "But if one single thing goes wrong, I'll be out there in a second."

"I'll bring her back to you," Kennedy told me, some understanding in her voice. "I promise."

My heart was suddenly in my throat. I was feeling tears. "Please bring her back home."

She nodded and gave a nod to Vi and the two of them left the room to assemble their team and Giles and I made our way to the command center to watch the extraction from there. It was going to be a long night.

Faith winced as she tried to stretch her arms slightly to work out some of the soreness in her muscles. She'd been trapped for three days and beaten nearly senseless. Her Slayer healing had taken care of most of the minor cuts and bruises, but she knew she had severe internal injuries that just weren't healing fast enough on their own. She knew she had broken bones and some cuts were so deep they just wouldn't heal. Her wrists were bound so tightly that they weren't able to heal enough to stop the bleeding and she was completely starving and dehydrated.

The woman that held her captive made a little game out of torturing her and she finally realized the sheer terror that went along with being on the wrong end of torture. She vowed if she ever made it out of this situation alive that she would beg for more forgiveness from Wesley. It had almost been too much for even her.

"Maybe the Slayer is over you this time," the woman pondered aloud as she dragged a long, dull, dirty knife across the flesh of Faith's back, causing the Slayer to hiss in pain.

"Maybe she knows I wouldn't leave her again," Faith replied lowly. She could barely hold it together enough to not pass out. Talking was a different matter altogether.

"Or maybe her ex is keeping her warm," she told the Slayer with a laugh. "It's cute that she left the Slayer's apartment this morning after arriving last night."

Faith felt her chest get tight and her heart sank a bit. "She has lots of friends to keep an eye on her since she knows I've been taken."

"Is that really what you're telling yourself right now?" the woman asked her. "Denial is so trivial."

"What the hell do you want with me and B?" Faith asked.

"I want to rule," she replied.

"Rule the world?" Faith asked.

"The Slayers actually," the woman told her with a smile as she ran the blade of her knife down Faith's arm, completely fascinated with the way a trickle of blood made it's way down her arm.

"Why the hell would the Slayers listen to a whacko like you?"

"I'm one of them after all," she replied with a wicked grin.

Faith looked at her, shocked. "You're a Slayer?"

The woman glared at her darkly. "Not a chosen Slayer like you. I was made by the white witch herself."

"So you get rid of me and B and you think you can just take over?" Faith asked, her sight getting hazy, she'd lost a lot of blood.

"Well, Kennedy will have to be dealt with as well," she told Faith.

"And Willow too?" Faith asked. She was fading fast. "You know she's the most powerful force on the face of the planet right? She made you. She can make you fade just as easy."

The woman glared at her and flipped her knife in her grip. She suddenly lunged it into the other Slayer's leg and laughed as it bled.

A minion suddenly barreled through the door, causing the woman to look up. "Ma'am, we have a breach."

"Who is it?" she asked, standing and looking worried.

"Slayers."

She grinned and shot a look at Faith. Faith saw the look and not much else before her vision swam and it all went black.

Chapter Eleven

I watched the whole thing. I saw every moment of it through Kennedy's Slayer cam. I saw them surprise the bad guys and beat them back and kill them. I saw them fight and slay and save the day. I saw every blow that Kennedy landed. I saw her face off against a woman that matched her strength and skill and speed and it took me less than a breath to realize the woman was a Slayer.

I saw the woman fight and then I saw her flee. I saw her minions lose their heads, literally, and then I saw the one thing that made me feel worse than the moment I lost Faith the first time. I saw her on the floor bleeding and barely breathing. At first glance she looked dead. And my entire world nearly collapsed on me.

Kennedy found a pulse and Giles called an ambulance. Willow got impatient and teleported back. Dawn was crying and Xander was hugging her. Andrew was freaking out and I sat completely numb.

The one person in the entire world that I loved with my entire heart was nearly dead on the floor of some dirty cavern and she looked like she had been beaten nearly to death and I was sitting in a plush leather seat in the control room of the council. Can you say helpless? It sucked.

I was in the infirmary when they wheeled her in. I nearly killed the doctor for not letting me in with her. Kennedy nearly lost an arm. Giles sedated me. It was bad.

Two hours later, I woke up in the chair next to Faith's bed in her room. She'd been cleaned up and stitched up and when I opened my eyes, Giles and Willow were seated across from me with Kennedy pacing at the foot of the bed.

"I hate you right now," I told Giles.

He nodded his head slowly and stood up to pour me a glass of water. "I know. I'm sorry, but you were scaring the infirmary staff and you were getting in their way."

"You scared me," Kennedy told me seriously.

"I'm sorry," I replied as I took the water from Giles. Being sedated always makes me thirsty. Yeah, it's happened before and no, it wasn't an accident. Me sedating Xander? That was an accident. We laugh about it now. Well, I do at least.

"How is she?" I asked as I allowed my eyes to take in every part of her I could see.

"She'll be fine," Giles replied with a soft smile.

For the first time in days I felt like I could breathe. Like there wasn't this huge pressure in my chest keeping me from taking a breath. I wanted to cry.

"Are you sure?" I asked him as I stood slowly, still groggy from the sedative. I approached her bed and ran a hand over her hair and leaned down to kiss her temple.

"She lost a lot of blood and was severely dehydrated and malnourished but she's expected to make a full recovery," Giles told me as he stood up.

Willow stood as well and moved to hug me gently. "We'll leave you to her."

"Call when she wakes up?" Kennedy asked as Willow tugged on her hand.

"I promise." I pulled her into a hug. "Thank you so much."

She hugged me back like only a Slayer could. "You're welcome."

I watched as they left the room, each of them hugging me and once they were gone, I sat next to Faith again and just watched her. I knew it wouldn't be long before she woke up and I wanted to be right next to her. Slayers and sedatives don't really mix. It takes a lot to really knock us out and the fun really only begins when we wake up. Like I said, we don't mix.

I started thinking about how difficult I was finding it to love a Slayer. My friends and family had done it for years and I was just starting to understand how hard it could be. By nature, we're loners so it's in our blood to push people away. I'd always done it. I mean, I kept my friends close to keep them safe, but I wouldn't hesitate to push them away if it could keep them safe and get the job done.

Faith wasn't hard to love. Loving her was the easy part. She just had something about her that had people all about wanting to be near her. It's just her way. The difficult part was getting her to let you love her. I felt lucky she let me love her.

I noticed Faith stir as my Slayer love thoughts swirled in my barely conscious mind. Sedatives always left me thoughtful and thirsty. Weird I know, but I just woke up from a really deep sleep and I still felt a little weird.

Faith groaned as soon as her mind was aware enough of her pain and I didn't see anything getting any better the closer she came to consciousness. I felt a deep ache in my chest knowing she'd be in a lot of pain once she was awake.

"Faith?" I called out softly. I wanted her at least partially aware that she was safe.

She barely cracked an eye open and winced and shut it again. "B?"

"You're okay, Faith, Kennedy brought you back," I told her as I stood up and placed a hand on her arm.

"Did you get the bad guy?" she asked with a thick raspy voice.

I'm going to kill that bitch for doing this to Faith. "She got away. But we'll get her."

"I didn't leave," she whispered softly as she opened her eyes and met my gaze.

"I know," I told her with a smile. "I knew you didn't leave."

"Good," she breathed with a squeeze of my hand. God I loved her.

"When can I get out of here?" she asked me.

"It might be a few days," I replied. "I should get a doctor now that you're awake."

"Stay," she pleaded gently. "Please? I just need a minute to hold your hand before ya walk out the door. Even if you're only gone a minute."

I felt tears spring to my eyes as I allowed my guilt and fear slip away. I was so relieved to have her back and so in love that it hurt. "I love you."

She smiled. "I love you."

I leaned down to kiss her gently and gave her hand a squeeze. "I'll be right back."

She nodded and I kissed her once more before I walked out to get the doctor. Once the doctor was aware that Faith was awake, she wanted to do a check up so I made a few calls while I waited to be sure everyone knew Faith was okay and awake. Once the doctor was done I was by her side once again and didn't leave until it was time for her to go home.

I gripped Faith lightly around her waist as we stepped off the elevator. Damn Slayers and our stubborn streaks…she flat out refused to use a wheelchair to get her back home but I didn't really mind since it just meant she'd have to lean on me.

We pushed through her front door and I helped her to the couch where she made herself comfortable while I made myself busy around her. I went to the bedroom and got her some sweats and a tank to change into so she'd be comfortable. I grabbed pillows and blankets for her to snuggle into. I made her lunch and then got her settled. We pulled out her sleeper sofa and both got comfortable under the blankets to watch movies and relax.

As our first movie finished I sat up and grabbed her hand. "Faith, there's something I need to tell you."

She looked up at me and nodded, pausing the start of the next movie. "What's up, B?"

"While you were gone, Jen stopped by my place and she ended up sleeping on the couch one night," I told her. I didn't want to, but I knew I had to be honest with her about everything.

She furrowed her brow and chewed her lip. "Why was she there in the first place?"

"She came by to get the rest of her stuff," I replied evenly. Faith was being very calm and I wasn't sure if she was about to blow up.

Faith thought for a few more moments and then nodded. "Okay." She looked down at the remote in her hand and pressed the play button.

I frowned. "Faith, say something else please?"

She shrugged a shoulder gingerly. "B, I trust you. I know she's your ex and I know that if you were gonna to get something goin' with her again, you and I would be having a break up conversation, not a conversation tellin' me she crashed on your couch. You don't cheat. I know that."

I was actually a little surprised. Faith had a lot of trust in me. Way more than I thought she did. It made my heart warm knowing that. I leaned down to kiss her gently. "I love you so much."

She smiled up at me. "Watch the movie, B. Get some rest because when I'm feeling better you and me are going to have some fun. I'm tired of all this drama crap."

I nodded happily and snuggled back down under the blankets. "Kay."

She turned her head and placed a tender kiss to my temple. "I love you too, B."

It was then, in that moment that I knew there was a chance I'd never be that happy ever again in my entire life.

A week later, Faith was feeling back to her usual self and the two of us were going on a date that night. I was really excited because we hadn't had many chances to go out together since we'd gotten back together and we were headed to the club where I knew we'd have a good time.

She knocked on my door at 11:30 that night and I opened the door and literally felt my knees go weak with how good she looked. She had on dark hip hugger jeans and a black top with her hair down and I didn't think I'd ever seen her look so good.

She grinned when she saw me and made a motion for me to spin around, which I happily did and she winked and kissed my when I faced her again.

"You look damn good, B," she told me with a smile.

"You look amazing." I closed the door and locked it before we headed down the hall. "How are you feeling?"

She shrugged. She still had a few visible scars, but in pretty low key places that not many people saw, but she had all but healed completely from her major injuries. "Pretty good. I got in a good work out this afternoon and some sparring. I feel just about back to normal."

I grabbed her hand as we stepped on the elevator and smiled at her. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Me too, B." She pulled me from the elevator and we passed Andrew and Dawn in the lobby, both gave us a thumbs up as we passed and Dawn gave me a discreet nod to let me know she approved of my outfit as I passed her. We both grinned happily as we got in the jeep and headed down the street to the club.

Two hours later, I was buzzing hard and in my happy place with Faith's arms securely around me, and the two of us danced amidst a warm crush of bodies in the club to a dark, sexy song. She pulled me impossibly close and kissed my neck and trailed her fingers down my back. I pulled back enough to pull her into a smoldering kiss and we locked eyes and knew it was time to go.

We left the jeep parked on the street, knowing we'd be able to get someone else to drive it home and we walked the few blocks back to Slayer central. Faith flipped the keys to our night desk clerk and once we stepped into the elevator she had me pressed against the back wall kissing me hungrily.

I slid my hands around her waist and pulled her close as we rode to our floor and when the doors opened she backed out, pulling me with her, never releasing my lips. We reached my door and pushed through it and once it was closed, she gripped the edge of my shirt and pulled it over my head and allowed me to do the same. We both shed our jeans and toppled onto the bed with her hovering above me.

I pulled her down on top of me as close as I could get her and kissed her hard, allowing my fingers to trail her back and within moments, we'd both shed the rest of our clothes and began rocking against each other. In that moment, the world fell away and I knew that I'd spend the rest of my days with her and that there would never be another soul that could make me as happy as she did.

We peaked at the same moment, our bodies still rocking as we refused to stop. Kisses became more frantic as we neared a second climax and with the second release she stopped for a moment to breathe. I flipped us so I was on top of her and trailed my fingers down her belly, teasing the warm flesh there. I trailed kisses down her throat and down her stomach before my hand made its way between her legs. She rolled her eyes back into her head as I busied my mouth with the skin of her neck once again and it wasn't long before I coaxed another climax from her body.

"Only you," she breathed out once she could speak coherently again.

"I'd hope at this point it was only me," I teased her with a light kiss and brushed her hair away from her face.

"Only you can do that to me," she clarified as she rolled over on her side next to me and trailed her fingers over my tummy.

"Flatterer," I whispered.

She shook her head silently and met my gaze lovingly. It was moments like this one that I cherished with her. The moments where she would just look at me and I'd see how much she loved me. She didn't have to say a word. Her hair fell in messy waves around us both as she leaned over me to kiss me and she gently lowered herself down fully on top of me and that was how we remained the rest of the night as we both drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Twelve

I blinked and rolled over a few hours later to find Faith awake and staring at the ceiling. I frowned hoping that she was okay and I slid a hand over the warm skin of her belly and she turned and gave me a soft smile.

"You okay?" I asked her softly.

She nodded. "Just trying to burn this moment into my brain."

I smiled. "I love you."

She kissed me gently. "Love you."

I turned fully on my side and watched her fully, a scar on her neck making me frown again. I reached out and ran a gentle finger over it. "I'm going to kill her."

"She's human."

Damn. "Okay, well, Willow can take her powers and I can laugh at her."

Faith smiled. "That'll hurt worse for her."

"Yeah." It was decided. I hated her.

"I'm fine, B," she whispered.

Suddenly tears sprang to my eyes. "I know. It was just really hard to see you like that. And to still see some scars."

Faith smiled a little and rolled over so she could pull me into her arms. She held me close and kissed me gently. "B, I'm here and I'm fine and you have nothing to worry about."

"I can't lose you again," I told her quietly. It was true. I was completely and utterly in love and the thought of losing her again nearly killed me.

"You won't," she assured me.

"Faith, we're Slayers, you can't make that promise," I reminded her gently.

She narrowed her eyes at me for a moment and kissed me again. "I can promise you that my heart will always belong to you."

I smiled at her being sappy. She only did it occasionally and it was crazy sweet. "Ditto."

She smiled back at me and snuggled into my arms where, within moments, she fell back to sleep. I reveled in the sense of security and serenity I only found in her arms and moments later, I was fast asleep with her.

The next morning I woke to an empty bed and I frowned. Did Faith not realize by now that waking up alone isn't really something I enjoyed? Guess not. Truth be told, it kind of made my heart sink.

I crawled out of bed and found her on the balcony smoking. She smiled up at me and I leaned in to kiss her gently before running a hand over her hair.

"You do remember how much I like to snuggle in the morning, right?" I asked her with a smile. "And how I much I hate to wake up alone?"

She returned the smile, rather sheepishly, and took a sip of her coffee before handing it to me. "I know. I'm sorry."

"What's on your mind?" I asked after taking a long sip of coffee.

"The Slayer bitch," she replied.

Interesting. "Why are you thinking about her?"

Faith sighed and her lips turned down into a deep frown. "Well, I started thinkin' about the morning I was taken. I remember sittin' on my balcony and then next thing I knew I was tied up underground."

I watched her carefully as she spoke, trying to figure out where she was going.

She paused and took a drag of her cigarette. "Well it kinda got me wonderin' how the hell she got into my place to begin with. How did she get through all our security and everyone downstairs? It was just way too easy."

I frowned deeply at this. I hadn't even thought about it. "How is it possible that we hadn't thought about all this yet?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "We're a busy bunch here, B."

"Still," I mumbled, growing more concerned the more I thought about it. "Nobody noticed anything weird that day. She had to have walked right in your front door."

"Which means she was probably one of our Slayers," Faith said with a concerned look.

"Did you recognize her?" I asked. This was really not good.

Faith shook her head. "Nope."

I sighed heavily. "Well I'll get Andrew to check the security tapes and we'll get you set up with a file of all the girls we've had and still have and we'll see if you recognize her, okay?"

Faith nodded and gave me a tender smile. "Thanks, B."

I waited until she snubbed out her smoke and then grabbed her hand. "Come back to bed."

She simply smiled and it spurred my arousal immediately. I led her back to bed and we tumbled into the sheets and wrapped our arms around each other. She pulled me close and into a soul-stealing kiss and moments later it was definitely starting to feel like the old days.

"There's nothing on the tapes," Dawn told us as she set a file full of security pictures on the table in front of us.

"What?" I ask, totally baffled. That can't be right.

"That can't be right," Faith mumbled. See? Told you.

"She's not on the tapes anywhere," Dawn replied. "In fact, nobody goes anywhere even remotely close to Faith's front door that day."

"Well that's disappointing," Kennedy mumbled with a scowl.

"Didn't you say you were sitting on your balcony?" I asked her, remembering suddenly.

Faith nodded. "Yeah. You'd just left and I was having a cigarette."

"Maybe she didn't come in the front door," I replied.

"What, she repelled off the roof?" Dawn asked.

"Maybe," Kennedy told her thoughtfully. "We taught them how to do it, remember?" Her eyes were on me and I wanted to throw up.

"We thought it would be good training," I tried to defend. I looked at Faith with worried eyes.

She shook her head. "I thought it was good training too," she assured me. "Not your fault, B."

"So, what, she just repelled down and grabbed you and tied you up and repelled down the side of the building with you in tow?" Dawn asked. "It doesn't make a lot of sense."

"Yeah, why not just grab you when you're alone," Kennedy agreed. "On the ground."

"Who knows, who cares?" I ask them finally. "The point is that Faith was taken by a Slayer. And chances are she was one of ours. We need to go out there and get her and bring her back and let Willow remove her Slayer powers."

"I want to be bait," Faith announced suddenly.

Excuse me? "Um, no."

"Yeah," Faith argued gently.

"Faith, there's no way I'm going to risk letting her get her hands on you again," I told her quietly.

"Jealous much?" Kennedy asked with a smirk.

Her smirk faded quickly. That's the kind of look she got. "Faith, let's think about this."

"B, I've been thinking about it since it happened," she told me quietly. What? I was pissed she hadn't told me.

"It's been just over a week," I argued back lamely.

"So?" she asked, seeing right through me. She suddenly smirked. "You know I'm back to normal."

Is that a blush I feel rising on my cheeks? Yes. Dammit. "That doesn't mean you should go offering yourself up as bait to the woman that wanted to kill you last week."

"If it means we catch her it does," she told me.

"I won't let you," I told her. It was my last argument.

"I wasn't asking permission," she told me evenly.

This all felt so familiar, yet so far away. I hated it. "Giles, tell her this is a horrible plan."

He winced slightly and removed his glasses. "I can't, Buffy. I'm sorry. If we have a plan and back up Slayers, it should go rather smoothly."

"We all know these plans never go smoothly," I argued back stubbornly.

"We'll all be there, Buff," Willow told me softly. Great, she was in on it too.

"Kennedy, you can't think this will work," I begged. She was my last option.

She looked from me to Faith to Willow and back to me. "I think it can."

Well damn. Defeated. "This is a terrible idea."

Faith smiled a little, knowing she'd won and she leaned over to kiss my cheek. "Relax, B. It's gonna be fine."

"Fine," I agreed after a few moments. "But let it be shown on the record that I do not like this."

"Noted," Dawn told me. "Well it would be…if there was an official record of what happened in these meetings." She looked at Giles. "Think we should start doing that?"

"Not at all," he told her with a smile.

"Good," she agreed with a grin of her own.

"Good," I repeated softly. I only hoped it would be.

I was in bed later that night, freshly showered and trying to relax by watching something mind-numbing on television, when Faith emerged from my bathroom, showered and squeaky clean herself. I barely spared her a glance as she emerged wearing boy shorts and a wifebeater. She looked good, but I wasn't happy with her and I think she saw it in my eyes.

She smiled a little and moved to the foot of the bed, blocking my view of the tv. I shot her an annoyed glance and made a motion with my hand for her to move. She grinned wider and moved so she could crawl up the bed towards me.

I was suddenly overwhelmed with her entire presence. I could smell her shampoo and the soap on her skin and I could feel the heat radiating off her skin and I wanted nothing more than to pull her close, but something stopped me.

"Come on, Buffy," she coaxed gently. Real name usage meant she was serious.

"Faith, you can't just do that," I finally told her softly.

"Do what?" she asked. "Whatever it takes to get the bad guy?"

"Exactly," I told her.

"B, you can't ask me to do that," she told me quietly. "I'm a Slayer and I won't not risk my neck to save peoples' lives. I can't."

"I know," I told her finally. "But you can't just offer yourself like that without at least telling me about it."

She suddenly looked ashamed. "That I get."

"Really?" I really hoped she did.

She nodded and settled her weight on my thighs, straddling me suddenly. She kissed me gently. Focus, Buffy. "Really."

"Good." My anger gave way and suddenly I realized how warm it had gotten.

She smiled when she saw my mood change and leaned in to kiss me again. She dropped several light kisses to my lips and pulled back slightly to gauge my reaction. No complaints here. She smirked and kissed me deeper and I felt my body react instantly. My hands tangled in her hair as hers slipped under my tank. Her lips fell to my neck and I reached down and grasped the hem of her top, pulling it off of her quickly. She grinned and moved to pull my tank off. Moments later we were tangled in the sheets, our remaining clothes were removed quickly and we spent the remainder of the night making up.

Chapter Thirteen

"I think this is a sign," I mumbled as we stumbled down the street to the jeep.

Faith sighed heavily beside me then sucked in a pained breath. "B, I get it. Please just save it til I get stitched up."

"Fine," I agreed as I managed to get her into the passenger seat.

We'd just failed miserably at our first attempt at our plan to use Faith as bait. And by ‘our' I mean ‘her'. Anyways, she was acting like bait and we managed to attract a rather large group of vamps and demons. Bad guys working together…never a good sign. It was almost as if they were working for someone. I only hoped it wasn't the rogue Slayer we were looking for. That would be really bad. We had some back up, but not nearly enough and Faith got really hurt.

Giles got into the front seat and Kennedy and I hopped in the back as he sped back to the Council to get Faith to a doctor. It wasn't looking good and I was starting to panic.

"Faith, just keep talking to me okay?" I asked her as I reached forward and grabbed her hand.

The jeep suddenly lurched as Giles ran a red light and swerved to miss another car. He cursed under his breath and had it not been for the fact that Faith was bleeding out all over my leather seats I'd have laughed at him.

"I'm good," Faith mumbled quietly. Her eyelids looked to be getting heavier and I leaned forward and kissed her temple.

"Faith, stay awake," I ordered quietly.

She nodded mutely and Kennedy reached around the seat and smacked Faith lightly. "Wake up, Captain."

Faith's eyes were suddenly wide open. "Kid, you hit me again and I'm gonna kill you."

"Fine," Kennedy relented with a smile. "Just stay awake."

"I'm just kinda sleepy," Faith mumbled back.

"Yeah, cause you're bleeding all over my seats," I told her, an angry bite to my voice.

She struggled to turn in her seat and she managed to look at me, her hair blowing in the wind and her face struggling to contort into a pained smile. "Sorry, B."

I reached out and placed a hand on her cheek and struggled not to cry. "It's okay, babe."

She looked at me with bright eyes and winced as Giles hurled the car to a stop in front of the building. "I love you, B."

"I love you too, Faith," I told her as I jumped out and moved to gather her in my arms. "Just stay awake and stay alive."

"First rule of slaying," Faith mumbled.

"Don't die," Kennedy and I replied at the same time. We shared a pained smile and took off inside towards the infirmary.

Once we reached the double doors and had Faith on another stretcher, I dropped into a nearby chair and let out a deep sigh. "Giles, we can't let her do this again."

"I agree," he told me as he sat in a seat across from me.

"I might have another idea," Kennedy told us both. Giles and I both watched as she sat down next to me and started laying out her plan.

"This is like déjà vu," I mumbled as I led Faith off the elevator and back to my place.

"I know," Faith replied, limping slightly. "I told you I was sorry."

"I know," I told her, softening slightly as I felt her lean into me a bit as we neared my door.

Faith had suffered only one major injury in the ‘bait' incident and it had been to her leg. She'd had some bumps and bruises but they'd faded over the last few days. She suffered some pretty major damage to her leg and the fact that she was still limping a bit a few days later was proof enough of that.

I opened my door and led her into the living room where I pulled out my sleeper sofa and got her settled. I repeated my actions from the week before in getting her clothes and food and blankets and pillows and putting movies on for the two of us to watch.

Faith sat up halfway through the first movie and looked down at me with a thoughtful expression. I was immediately worried.

"Are you okay?" I asked, sitting up as well.

"I think we should move in together," she blurted out and instantly looked nervous.

I was floored. "Really?"

She immediately got flustered. "Well, we're together all the time anyways, and I just thought it would be cool to just go ahead and I mean, we've never lived together, but it would be good, right?"

My heart felt like it was about to beat out of my chest. "I think it's a great idea, but where is this coming from?"

That's when she got really quiet for a stretch of moments and her eyes dropped to her hands. "I've had a lotta time to think over the last few weeks. When I was locked up by the psycho, when I was in the hospital, when I watch you sleep every night, and again in the hospital. I just know that I love you and don't want to be away from you or apart from you."

"And you want to move in together?" I asked her. I had to be sure.

She nodded and met my eyes. "I just want to be with you."

I grinned. "I just want to be with you too."

She leaned in and kissed me gently, pulling away only slightly and keeping her face so close to mine. "I guess that's a yes?"

I nodded slightly and reached out a bit to kiss her again. "It's a yes."

"Good."

She pulled me into her arms and hit the play button and we snuggled down into the covers to watch the rest of the movie.

"So I guess the important question is, who's place are you moving into?" Xander asked as he took a sip of his beer and tossed the foam football in his hands to Kennedy sitting across the room. We were gathered at Willow and Kennedy's for a quiet night in together.

Faith and I exchanged a look and both smiled. I had expected her to freak out by now about all this, but she'd been totally steady. It made me that much more crazy about her. "We're moving into Faith's place."

"Wow," Kennedy mumbled. "But isn't that where the whole ‘thing' happened?"

She's referring to the night Faith basically told me to go to hell. "Yeah."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Willow asked. "With the rogue bitch on the loose and she's already gotten to Faith once."

‘The rogue bitch.' That's what we've been calling her for fun. Still no luck catching her. Bitch. "Yeah, but we're hoping it'll work to our advantage to have us both there."

"That's stupid," Kennedy remarked. She realized what she'd said and looked around sheepishly. "Sorry, did I say that out loud?"

"Yeah," Faith told her with a mock glare.

Kennedy shook her head. "I just mean that rogue bitch knew exactly when Buffy left and you were alone. She's not an idiot."

"How do you know that?" I asked her. "Maybe she was just lucky and came in just as I left."

"Maybe," Kennedy told me. "But don't you think we should assume that she's not stupid? Her operation was rough but it was together."

"So most likely she's got the brains, just not the resources," Willow offered thoughtfully.

"Exactly," Kennedy replied.

"Fine, we'll assume that she's a bitch but she's not dumb," I told them. "Now what?"

"I play double agent," Kennedy reminded us. Yeah, that was her plan. Interesting. Well, interesting in the sense that it will never work and it's a horrible plan.

Faith shook her head immediately. "Sorry, Kid, I just don't think she'll buy it. She's all smart or whatever, right?"

"I can sell it," Kennedy argued back. "I think this will work."

"Okay, well say it works," Xander said. "What then? You're just gonna let Will in the front door to steal her powers?"

"Well, no," Kennedy told him, suddenly looking annoyed and confused. "I just haven't figured that part out yet."

"For now, I think we should just keep everyone on alert to keep eyes and ears out for her," I told them.

"Yeah, she wasn't that discreet last time so maybe she'll slip up again and we'll find her," Willow agreed.

Kennedy nodded reluctantly. "If she's out there, the girls will find her."

"Will, can't we do a locator spell?" I asked her.

She nodded. "We can, but we'd need something of hers and she cleared her room out."

"Right, but you have a spell to find Slayers," I reminded her. "Can't we just use that?"

She suddenly looked thoughtful. "We could, but it would take some time and some work. The spell just recognizes the power, not who it belongs to, so it would give us the location of every Slayer in Cleveland and we'd have to sort through each location to figure out who's where."

"Well, we could keep the kids inside one day so everyone's accounted for and then run the spell and see who else turns up," Faith suggested with a shrug.

I smiled at her. "That could work, right, Will?"

Willow nodded. "It would help."

"Then we send out a team of Slayers to each location, prepped to take her down," Xander told us with a grin.

"It could work," Faith said with a smile.

"Good plan, team," I told them all with a grin. It was a good plan. We could do this. Rogue bitch was going down.

Chapter Fourteen

"Remember the day we took surf lessons in Hawaii?" Faith asked me late one night. We were tangled in my sheets after hours of mind-blowing sex. Patrol had been especially busy that night. We were wrapped around each other with me in her arms and her running her fingers through my hair and down my back.

I nodded and breathed in how perfect this moment was. "You were so much better at it than I was."

She laughed. "Which is surprising. I hated the water when I was a kid. I barely learned to swim."

I pulled myself up so I could look her in the eye. I loved watching her eyes when she talked about our adventures after Sunnydale. She always looked so happy and genuine.

"That was a good day," I whispered.

She smiled and nodded. "It was." We'd gone surfing one morning when we were in Hawaii and Faith had been a total natural. And she really seemed to like it. Her face just lit up the first time she stood up on the board and my heart nearly melted at the sight. We'd spent the rest of the day lounging in the sand and snorkeling. It had been a quiet day, but sometimes those were the best with her.

"And I don't care what you say, it was you that started that fruit fight," she told me with a grin as she leaned in long enough to kiss my neck.

I shook my head with a shiver. The tiniest things with her made my body hum. "You started it. You were eating strawberries and you threw one at me."

"No, I threw a stem at you and you threw a piece of pineapple at me for it," she reminded me as her hand slid down my side. "So technically it was you that threw the first actual piece of fruit."

"Fine, get technical," I told her with a smile. We ended up a sticky mess that night and neither of us really minded. It just meant a long, hot shower was in store. It had definitely been a good night.

"I'm sorry," she suddenly whispered and dropped her eyes.

"Faith, the fruit fight was no big deal," I told her, confused by her sudden change.

She shook her head and kept her eyes from mine for a few moments and when she did meet them, they were brimming with tears.

"Faith, what's wrong?" I asked, alarm rising inside me.

She swallowed hard and allowed me to pull her close. "Sometimes I think back on how happy we were and I remember the way you made me feel. And then I think about how I would have felt if you had left. I can't even imagine it."

I shook my head and dropped a kiss to her lips. "Faith, it doesn't matter. The important thing is that we're here now."

"It does matter," she told me quietly. "I hurt you. I wish I could take it back."

I sighed and ran a hand over the warm skin of her belly and traced the scar I'd put there all those years ago and I kissed her again. "I wish I could take back lots of things too, but every one of those things got us to this exact moment and maybe if they hadn't happened, we wouldn't be here right now."

She seemed to consider my words carefully and she finally met my eyes and smiled. "Guess you're right."

I nodded and gave her a tiny grin. "Of course I'm right."

She laughed and pulled me into a slow, languid kiss. My body reacted instantly and I rolled so I could pull her on top of me. Her lips moved to my neck and I knew that it was all over. We'll just say it was a while before we got any sleep. Just another amazing night with Faith to add to my list.

"Well that was a bust," Willow mumbled as she flopped down on my couch. The locator spell plan had fallen completely flat. There had been only three Slayers in Cleveland other than their girls and none had been the Rogue Bitch.

"Maybe she left town?" I wondered aloud. It could happen. We've been lucky before.

Faith shook her head as she grabbed a few beers from the fridge. "No way. She had a major jones for the lead Slayer job. She wanted the three of us dead for it. No way she'd leave."

"Maybe it's a temporary leave," Kennedy supplied.

"Maybe she's dead," Faith offered with a smile. "Vamps have gotten lucky before.

"We didn't want her dead," I told her. "We can't fix her if she's dead."

Faith gave me a funny look. "Right. How could I forget."

I smiled and rolled my eyes. "Let's just say I'm good with rogue Slayers."

Faith rolled her eyes and laughed. Suddenly she sat up straight. "Will, cast the spell again. Right now, hurry up."

Willow raised her eyebrows and got up quickly and got the spell ingredients together. "Okay, I just need a second, what's up?"

"She was here," Faith told us. "Sneaky rogue bitch."

Realization suddenly dawned on me and I shook my head. "She knew what was going on and hid here."

"Damn," Faith exclaimed.

"I'm gonna laugh so hard at her when Willow takes her powers," I mumbled. "And I'm going to point right at her too."

Faith shook her head with a small smile. "That'll show her, B."

Willow focused on her map and nodded, looking incredulous. "Slayer presence moving away from campus at a quick pace. If we hurry we can tail her."

My cell phone suddenly rang and I grabbed it when I saw it was Dawn. "Dawn, I can't talk, we have the Rogue Bitch tracked by locator spell."

"Good, then you'll know exactly where to find me and little Sis," a female voice told me.

"You're not Dawn," I replied before I could stop myself.

"How is it that you're in charge of the Slayers?" she asked me, her arrogance and bitchiness biting into every word.

"I'm so pointing," I mumbled. I followed the rest of the gang to the elevator and we hurried off once the doors opened and jumped in the Council van.

"I have your sister," she told me.

"I figured that much," I replied. Dawn getting kidnapped…yep, it was Tuesday.

Willow navigated as Faith drove and we were soon hot on her trail. "Just don't kill her until we get there. I'd like to at least fight you to the death first."

"Sounds good," she replied. "See ya soon, big Sis."

I hung up and sat thoughtfully for a moment. "Big Sis."

"What?" Faith asked.

"She called me Big Sis," I told her. Realization suddenly washed over me and I knew exactly who we were dealing with.

"That little punk Ashley is up to this," I told them.

"Isn't she like fifteen?" Willow asked from the front seat.

I sighed heavily. "Yes."

Ashley had been a good Slayer. We found her not too long after Faith left. She had a crush on me for months and I figured it would go away and when it didn't she told me she couldn't take it and wanted to leave. We let her leave and hadn't heard a word from her since. Well until she kidnapped Faith. It was all starting to make sense.

"Okay, we run in, I fight her, knock her out and we take her powers," I told them. "Everyone agree?"

Everyone nodded and the van skidded to a halt. "We're here," Willow told me.

I met everyone's eyes and gave them a nod. "Let's go."

Two hours later, we were spread out around my place packing boxes for the move. Dawn and Xander were working on the living room, Will and Kennedy had the kitchen, and Faith and I were in the bedroom. Packing…keep the minds out of the gutter, people.

Oh, and that little ‘fight to the death' thing? Yeah, that was so lame it's barely worth mentioning. She had some vamps that we dusted then we fought, we won, Will took her powers and we came home with Dawn. It was actually sort of sad. And the sweetest part of the whole thing? Faith totally risked losing her powers to get Rogue Bitch to lose hers. Let me fill you in.

I was fighting, and I totally had the upper hand, but I couldn't get her in a spot where Willow could do the spell. It was all risky and stuff so Faith came barreling in and tackled our good pal Rogue Bitch and was yelling ‘do it, Willow!' So Willow did the spell. And it worked. Nice thing is, since Willow didn't give Faith and I our powers, she can't take them away. So Faith still has her powers and I have some crazy making up for that to do. Can't wait! Oh, and I totally laughed at her, the Rogue, not Faith…well not at her. She was sort of just this pathetic teenager once we took her powers away. So I just waited and laughed at her from afar, where she couldn't hear me or see me. Faith could though and she thought I was slightly insane.

Anyways, long story short, we won. We beat the bad guy and came back to my place for a drink and some packing. I'm moving as soon as I can get my stuff packed, though I'm already sleeping there so it's not like it's that big of a change.

I moved to stand in the doorway of my apartment and I watched my best friends and my family work around me and I'd never felt so complete in my life. It was like I was finally cookies.

Faith slid up behind me and wrapped her arms around me, and dropped her chin to my shoulder. "You okay?"

I nodded and turned in her arms and kissed her gently. "I'm so glad you came back."

"I was never really gone, B," she told me quietly.

"No, I guess you never were," I agreed with a smile.

We were meant to be. Fated. Destined. Whatever you called it, the Chosen Two were meant to live the life we were living together. And we knew no matter what, we'd always be together.

The End