The last thing Faith remembered was falling over the edge of a building. The pain of being stabbed the last thing she felt. Being pulled down by darkness, suffering and fear. For her, this was dying and she didn’t fight it. 

Faith woke up in a cold sweat. The front of her T-shirt soaked. She sat up in bed, feeling confused about her surroundings. It was difficult to make out things in the dark, and a feeling of unease settled over her. She’d been fighting for her life with Buffy, and now she was in bed? 

“What’s wrong?” Buffy sleepily whispered, reaching out for her.

She was startled by the other woman’s appearance. Her first instinct was to put as much distance between the two of them as possible. Faith moved back on the bed, and fell to the hardwood floor with a rather loud thud.

“Faith!” Buffy sounded far more alert. She sat up, and turned on the bedside table lamp. “Are you all right?”

Faith jumped up, looking around the bedroom for a way out. She thought she found it. Going for the door closest to her, and threw it open. Finding a spacious bathroom, but she darted into it. Slamming the door shut, and locked it for good measure. She turned on the light switch, looking for anything that she could use as a weapon. 

Buffy climbed out of bed, eyebrows lowering in worry. She moved over to the door, trying to turn the locked knob. “Faith?” She softly stated. “What’s wrong?”

Faith stopped in the middle of the bathroom, staring at the mirrored medicine cabinet. She could break it. Use a shard of glass to fight her way out. She grabbed a neatly hung hand towel from the rack, and wrapped it around her fist. She didn’t know what game Buffy was playing at but she refused to lose this time around. She crossed the room, going over to the mirror, and raised her fist to it but stopped short of hitting it. She stared at her reflection. She was old. Older than she had been.

Buffy knocked at the door, and tried turning the knob again. “Please, open the door.” She gently pleaded, growing increasingly worried about the other woman.

She moved closer to the mirror, unwrapping the towel from her hand and touched her face. “What did you do to me?” She whispered to herself. The simple silver ring on her wedding finger garnered her attention. Another thing to add to this disturbing list. This had to be some sort of vivid dream. She’d either wake up or not wake up at all, but it felt too real to be something in her head. 

Chapter One

Faith lifted up the front of her T-shirt, checking to see where the knife had gone into her. There wasn’t anything there, not even a scar that would’ve faded over time, but remained to mar her skin. “I don’t understand.” She stated out loud, sitting down on the edge of the tub.

“I don’t either.” Buffy replied through the closed door. “I can’t help you if you don’t let me, Faith.”

She desperately wanted to believe in Buffy. “Truce?” She hesitantly called out, slowly rising to her feet and walked over to the door.

“Truce?” Buffy replied confused. She wasn’t aware of them arguing, and simply figured that whatever nightmare her wife experienced had really shaken her up. If calling a truce would get Faith out of the bathroom she was willing to play along. “Yes, a truce. Now, will you please open the door?”

Faith reached out, resting her hand on the doorknob. She had to prepare herself for what was on the other side of that door. This could be an intentional trick of the mind orchestrated by the other woman. She didn’t know what she walking into but she needed answers. She unlocked the door and slowly opened it. Buffy had turned on the light in the bedroom. Faith stayed close to the bathroom doorway.

“It must’ve been some nightmare.” Buffy gently stated, walking over to her.

Faith backed up in response, hitting the dresser behind her.

“That bad?” She stopped walking, growingly increasingly concerned. “What’s going on, Faith?”

“Nothing.” She eyed the other woman, really looking at Buffy. “You got old.”

Buffy mirthlessly laughed. “Thanks.”

“Not bad old. It’s just — the last time I saw you…” She trailed off. “It’s — that dream. You were younger and so was I.”

“Do you want to tell me about?” Buffy moved over to their bed, sitting down on the edge.

“You stuck a knife in me.” Faith replied, studying the other woman’s face for any signs of deception.

Her eyes momentarily widened. “No wonder you woke up so upset.”

“You could say I had it coming.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

Buffy stood up. “Come back to bed. I’ll go downstairs, make a cup of tea and bring it up to you.”

“Tea?” She didn’t drink tea. What she wanted was a real drink. Buffy was already heading for the door. Faith watched her open it and step out into the hallway. She didn’t move until she was sure Buffy was gone. She cautiously walked over to the doorway, peering out into a dark hallway.

“Sorry, I’m late.” Giles spoke up. Faith sharply turned around. “I had a bit of trouble locating you.”

“What’re you doing here? How’d I end up here? How do I get out of this?” She questioned.

“I’m here because you want me here. “He pulled a smart phone from the pocket of his blazer. “You try to right the wrongs.” He vaguely replied.

“Is this some sort of spell?” Faith asked, feeling silly for proposing that idea. Giles wouldn’t tell her the truth. Everyone was against her.

“It’s what you make of it.” He stared at the screen of his phone. “You’re married to Buffy.” Faith’s eyes widened, but she remained quiet. Giles continued. “You’ve been together for eleven years. You married three years ago. Buffy’s the founder of a nonprofit organization for at risk youth. You run your own business.”

“The last thing I remember is being stabbed by Buffy and falling over a building. Why am I here?” Faith asked, desperate for answers and an escape from a place that had thrown her off balance.

“I’m working on finding that out. For now just go with it.” Giles answered. Before she could reply, he’d disappeared right before her eyes.

“Mama.” A sleepy voice stated.

Faith slowly turned around. A little girl was standing in front of her, holding up her arms to be held.

(————)

Buffy turned off the burner on the stovetop as the kettle whistled. Faith walked into the kitchen, awkwardly holding their daughter in her arms. It was a moment that made Buffy stop what she was doing. Faith had taken to motherhood. She was a natural at it. Yet, with the way she was holding Charlie you would’ve thought it was the first time she’d held her. “What’re you doing up?” Buffy walked over to them, gently stroking Charlie’s back and placed a soft kiss to the top of her head.

“I heard a noise.” Charlie replied.

“That was just your mama falling out of bed.” Buffy took the little girl into her arms. “Lets get you back to bed.”

“I want mama to put me to bed.” She squirmed around in Buffy’s arms.

She held her daughter a bit tighter. “Mama isn’t feeling too good. Say goodnight.”

Charlie turned her head, big brown eyes staring into Faith’s. “Night, mama.”

“Night.” Faith replied, reaching out and awkwardly patted the little girl’s back.

Buffy gave her wife a strange look, gently caressing her daughter’s back she walked out of the kitchen.

Faith couldn’t keep still. She paced around the kitchen. Trying to make sense of what was happening only made her more antsy. She didn’t know how long she’d been alone in the kitchen before Giles appeared, holding his cellphone. “You forgot to mention the kid.”

“Technology. You know how it is.” He apologetically stated, holding up the slim smartphone. “On second thought you don’t. This handy little device was even a bit before your time. Nothing new but not as advanced as it is now back then.”

She glared at him. “Whatever reality we’re in you’re just as boring as you’ve ever been, G-man.”

“I’ve got more information for you.” Giles replied, ignoring her cutting tone. “You already know about the daughter.” He scrolled through the information on the screen. “Her name is Charlie. She’s five years old and quite bright.” He paused, waiting for Faith to ask more questions about the child, but she appeared unconcerned about the subject and he moved on. “Apparently, you’re here to save, Buffy.”

Buffy stopped short of entering the kitchen. She looked into the doorway. It appeared to Buffy that Faith was having a conversation with herself.

“That’s not happening.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“If you don’t at least attempt to try to save her from dying then your stuck here.”

Faith frowned, shaking her head. “I’m not staying here.”

“Then you make sure what happens to Buffy doesn’t happen.” He simply stated.

She sighed in resignation. “When does this happen?”

“Sometime within the next couple of days.”

“Could you be anymore vaguer?” She sarcastically asked.

“You just being here now changes things a bit. I can’t get an exact read on the set of circumstances.” He curtly replied. “Until then, stay close to her.” Once again, Giles faded into nothing right before her eyes.

Buffy stepped into the kitchen, really taking a good look at Faith as she walked over to the stovetop. Her wife looked on edge. She was beginning to doubt the story of this al being chalked up to a disturbing nightmare.

Faith’s shoulders slumped forward. The last person she wanted to be close to was Buffy, but at the same time she wanted nothing more than the familiarity of being with her. It was a strange feeling, something that she’d carried with her for quite some time. “You got something stronger than tea?”

“You know we don’t.” Her face became stern.

There was the Buffy she knew. Faith briefly smirked. “I need to slay.”

“Slay?”

“Yeah, go out and…” Faith trailed off. Weren’t they slayers here? Baddies and monsters running around Sunnydale was the norm. Where they even in Sunnydale anymore? “Nothing. It’s just — that nightmare really has me shaken up.”

Buffy nodded, turning her attention back to pouring Faith a cup of tea. “You did take a nasty fall out of bed.”

“I did.” It was then that Faith felt the throb of pain in her shoulder. A fall out of bed should’ve been nothing to her. “That hurts.” She winced, looking at the bruise.

Buffy walked over to her, gently running a hand over the discolored skin. She leaned in and pressed a soft to Faith’s shoulder. “Get back to bed. I’ll bring up an icepack for you.” She pecked Faith’s mouth, and handed her a cup of tea.

“Thanks.” She oddly stated, and walked out of the kitchen.

End Of Chapter One