P.O.V. Faith

When Ripper first told me about Buffy's latest love affair, I laughed so hard I thought the milk from my cereal was gonna burst out my nostrils. Can you picture it? Count Chocula spurting out my nose. Yea, I know. Breakfast of champs. But let's be honest, Count Chocula's really the only vamp I trust nowadays.

I don't trust too many people, to tell you the truth. I don't think I trust Ripper much either, hence the new nickname. Although I'd never call him "Ripper" to his face. It's always G-man, or Giles, and a cheeky grin behind the words. Yea, now I'm his favorite Slayer. Fucked up situation to make that happen though. You'd think I'd be thanking my stars or wishing on 'em or something…ah, fuck it; I was never good with those old sayings. You'd think that this is what I had wanted ever since I lost my first Watcher in Boston and fled to Sunnydale – acceptance – to be the Chosen One. To be needed. To be trusted. To be wanted. But I didn't want it like this.

I don't know what he did to get on B's bad side…. He still bristles if I mention her name. But apparently she kicked him outta the Scooby circle. He's not "privy" to their goings-ons anymore. So now it's just the two of us. The one-person closest to Buffy, the other her most hated enemy. We make quite the pair, really. When we travel together, people think I'm his doting daughter. Other times I'm positive they leer at us thinking it's some messed up May-December thing. But we're doing the work that needs to be done. Doing what B would never stoop so low to do. I guess that's why I got the gig. I clean up the messes B made. But I guess we all made the decision together when she suggested we use the scythe and Red's mojo to make all the Potentials everywhere into the Chosen. The PTB didn't choose them – we did.

And I guess therein lies the problem.

Not that the old Council had any say on who the next Slayer called was gonna be. Cause we all know that I, for one, would never have been chosen if they did have any kind of say. I still wonder about that…you know…when I'm trying to get sleep at night, well, usually trying to get sleep during the day since nowadays I only really get out at night. Laying there alone, wondering "why me?" Why did the PTB call some fuck-up like me to take the Slayer position after Drusilla killed Kendra? It's that kind of thinking that keeps me up. Well, that and thoughts about one tight-assed, bitchy blonde tromping around the continents like she owns 'em all.

See, the problem with us turning all the Potentials into Slayers is that not everyone "chosen" was the Buffy-Anne-Summers-type. Nope. There are a few Faith-Lehane-types causing all sorts of bad around the globe. Abusing their power, I guess you could say. And that's where Ripper and I come in. He finds 'em…. and me? Well, I do what I was always meant to do. I kill. Death is my gift, bitch.

I don't kid myself anymore. I use to give it a misnomer like, "slaying" or "cleaning up Buffy's mess." But it's not that anymore. I've come to terms with it now. I murder the girls who use their super-powers for things other than staking the undead. You either convert and get sent off to Scotland to be "reprogrammed" or…. well…. you know the alternative.

I bet Buffy doesn't even know that I'm still fighting "the good fight." I bet she thinks I spend my days and nights on my back, legs up in the air, leather pants around my ankles, or worshipping at the porcelain throne, heaving up fast food and Jack Daniels. I know what she thinks I am.

But it doesn't mean I don't love her.

I could have said goodbye to all this slayer shit a long time ago. Ripper gave me the opportunity a while back – kill some English debutante and I would be free. He even offered to clear my police record and help me disappear. So I did the deed. Won't lie and say it was easy. But I killed her. And I should be free. But I can't leave. I didn't choose to be a Slayer. It chose me.

I'm not sure how Ripper gets his information now that he's been ostracized from Central-central. It seems kinda out there though – I mean, Dawn's a giant? Xander's bff with Dracula? And now B got down and dirty with some Asian chick? It's enough to make your head-spin. But I believe it all. You gotta in this field of work.

Sure I laughed. Sure I almost spit up my breakfast all over the kitchen table. But hell if it didn't sting. Hell if my heart didn't literally break in two. I always knew Buffy could swing that way – I think it comes with the Calling…something about female empowerment leading to Sapphic bedroom activities. But I guess even though I know she hates me with every fiber of her being, I always thought I would be the one to break her in. That I would be the first chick to taste between those strong, tan, muscular thighs. That I would be the first one to…Oh hell, don't get me started. So yea. I'm heart broken.

Even after all these years, after all this drama, and with all the distance between us – Buffy Summers still found a way to crush me.

+++++

Giles stormed into the apartment with a grim, tight smile on his face. "Faith?" he called, searching for the dark slayer. He looked around the living room and muttered about twenty-something girls who should be able to pick up after themselves by now. "Bloody Americans," he grumbled.

Faith sauntered out of the back bedroom, yawning and stretching like a cat. Her eyes were painted with smoky-tinted eye shadow and dark mascara. Her dark hair was tussled from fitful, tortured sleep. "Yea?" she questioned, her voice raspy. When she saw the figure standing before her, the usual cocky grin appeared, making her deep dimples show. "What's the news, Suga' Daddy?"

The British man rolled his eyes and scoffed. "That's a charming nickname, Faith. But don't flatter yourself."

The brunette tossed out a pouty lip and leaned her form against the open door frame. "Aww… you're so not fun, G-man. Luckily you took some fashion tips from Wes, though. That rogue demon-hunter thing is workin' for ya. Sure as hell beats the alternative. Cause seriously? Tweed?"

Her mouth twisted into a leer. "You know how I like my men in leather," she purred, her eyes drifting over his dark ensemble.

It was a game they played to keep the situation less serious. Faith flirted; Giles played the role of the disapproving and disbelieving father figure. It kept them from thinking about reality because he only visited when some loose handle needed to be tightened.

Giles ignored the comment. He frowned and released a deep sigh before settling down at the kitchen table. He looked tired. No, not tired; exhausted. He stared hard at his hands and then glanced up at the young slayer. Faith took it as a sign to sit down as well, so she did.

He looked into her deeply guarded eyes, searching for her humanity, looking for some emotion. Seeing nothing of the sort, however, he looked back at his hands and spoke in a voice little more than a deep whisper. "Pack a bag. You're going to Boston."

Faith felt her body stiffen at the name of the city. She knew it wasn't a vacation that Giles came to offer. This wasn't a "Welcome Home" party or reunion. It was never good news that brought Giles into her small, but adequate Cleveland apartment. It was always death.

+++++

Boston winters were no stranger to Faith. Cleveland's snowy months had proven themselves not that different, so she was well prepared for the bitter cold of her hometown when her bus pulled into the dilapidated station. "It's good to be home," she mumbled to no one but herself.

Giles had offered to pay for her airfare, but something about riding the Greyhound always centered and grounded Faith. It gave her time to mull over what she was about to do. Gave her space to tangle with her emotions about what was the right thing to do. She liked to believe it's what kept her from turning into a monster. What kept her grasping onto that last thread of humanity, An airplane trip would be far too quick. No second-guessing, no independent thoughts; just do the job and leave quickly and quietly. There was something that made what she had to do more real, dirty, and hard with the bus. And so she denied Giles' transportation offer once again. Faith suddenly smiled, ironically, "Another nice thing about the bus…" she mused to herself, "no one asks questions about the weapons in your luggage."

The girl shouldered her canvas bag and descended the bus stairs into the dark cold of the Boston night. The air smelled like a mix between diesel oil and something sweet, as though a bakery was near. Pulling her leather jacket tighter around her frame, she bent her head into the brisk wind and started off toward the familiar haunts of a former life.

Giles splurged this time and put her up in a swanky hotel – unlike the airfare, classy digs she did not oppose. It was an odd decision on Giles' part, however. She usually stayed in some clean, but unimpressive motel chain. Maybe her Watcher thought it better for her to stay away from the ghettoized neighborhoods that would have unleashed so many memories from a past she wished to leave behind. It was bad enough returning to Boston, regardless of the reason why.

Her objective was clear. Find the girl. Try to talk some sense into her. And if the girl refused…End the girl.

After wolfing down some tasteless burger and a pile of overly salted fries, Faith found herself outside the front doors of a gilded hotel. The girl let out a low whistle, and checking her confidence, walked through the glass doors. Ignoring the hostile stares from every employee and half the guests, she checked in successfully under the fake name Giles had arranged for her. Finally, feeling a little like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, she avoided the elevator and chugged up the 37 floors to her suite.

Maybe if she hadn't wanted to swim in the giant whirlpool tub and had instead sought out the potentially offending slayer that very night, everything would have turned out differently. But slayers don't get the privilege of hindsight.

+++++

The dark girl wiped the blood from her newly split lip. Looking at her hand and the fresh blood, she smiled sardonically. "I told you," she started, throwing a jab at her attacker's face, "it doesn't have to go down like this."

After a long soak in her massive tub and a night of restless dreams, Faith had awoken early to track down her potential target. It had been pretty easy to find the woman, even in a city the size of Boston. Apparently the woman had been living large and wasn't exactly shy about taking advantage of her new super-powers. After gaining control of the local biker gangs, she and her flunkies had been trashing rival bars and their patrons while openly defying the Boston police.

Faith had found the super-sized woman at her favorite biker bar. The younger girl managed to rub the biker chick the wrong way by stealing her beer and slamming it followed by an invite outside for a rumble.

The woman was big. Really big. And mean. Even without super-Slayage powers she was probably a formidable foe. Her not-so-feminine features turned into an angry snarl.

"I don't know who the hell you think you are, girlie. But you don't know what you're dealing with here. I'll snap your body like a twig." The bulky girl thrust forward a meaty fist. Faith dodged the sledgehammer assault and watched as the large woman missed and crashed her hand into a brick wall, splintering the rock into fine powder.

"Wow," Faith quipped, approvingly. "Looks like someone's been eating her Wheaties."

The biker chick growled deep in her throat and pulled a switchblade from her boot. "No one, especially not some skinny assed pretty-girl, is gonna tell me what I can and cannot do."

"Skinny assed?" Faith gasped, feigning anger and mocking the other girl. "Now you're just making me upset. But, seriously. You call that a knife?" The brunette felt behind her and pulled a long blade from seemingly out of nowhere. She tilted her head and looked lovingly at the blade's curves, letting her fingers glide over its sharpened edges. "Now this, my dear,is a knife."

The heavier woman lunged once again toward the brunette, her puny blade looking to hit its target. Faith easily knocked the weapon from her attacker's hand and quickly kicked it into a pile of garbage in the darkened ally where the two women fought.

A brief glimpse of fear passed over the woman's face upon seeing the leather clad, knife- wielding girl. But she set her jaw hard, ready to go down fighting. Faith chuckled realizing the tenacity of the other woman. "See? Now that's the kind of spirit I like to see. We could use someone like you on our side."

Faith put her blade down, as a sign of truce in order to get through to the thick-skulled woman. The killing part was only supposed to be a last resort, anyway. The ogre-sized woman took the opportunity to once again advance upon the now weaponless slayer. But before her beefy roundhouse could reach the leather-covered girl, a bolt of red lightening crashed down from the sky, zapping the larger woman.

The oaf of a woman fell back against the brick wall, stunned and alarmed, a hand clutching at her chest. Faith stood, staring hard at the woman, completely perplexed by the lightening strike. The biker woman was only momentarily motionless however and as she scrambled to her feet she uselessly punched at the brunette's head. Faith, still stunned, awaited the impending smashing of fist against her skull, but felt little more than a badly thrown jab.

Faith blinked hard and continued to stare at her opponent. The woman howled in pain and looked down at her now-broken hand. "You, bitch! Is your head filled with cement?" she screamed. "Look at my hand! My fucking hand!"

The dark slayer couldn't say a word. A Slayer-punch would have tossed her backwards against a dumpster, yet she stood unmoved and unhurt. "That…" she sputtered, "that didn't hurt me. You…you're just a normal girl." Faith's eyes filled with fear. "You're not a Slayer anymore…Oh, God."

She slowly backed away from the woman, as though she had an infectious disease. The woman stumbled backwards until she hit the brick wall behind her. Her large form slid to the grimy alley ground while she held her mangled fingers against her body, pain splayed across her face.

Faith spun on her heels and ran out of the dark alley and into the Boston night.

+++++

The brunette hustled to the nearest payphone and immediately dialed the familiar number that by now was programmed on her fingertips.

After three rings he answered, awaken from his sleep.

"Giles," she blustered, breathlessly. "We've got a problem."

+++++

"So you say that she just suddenly lost her powers?"

The brunette nodded solemnly.

"A bolt of red lightening struck her and it drained her of her powers?"

Another nod.

"But you still have your strength?"

Faith stood up abruptly, walked over to the free-weights in her home gym and bent a straight bar in half to prove her point.

"Giles," she started, annoyed, running her fingers through her dark tresses. "We've been over this before. I'm fighting this chick – she's clearly got Slayer powers – and then ZAP! Normal girl. I mean, as normal as that Big Bertha could get."

The Watcher cleaned his glasses on his sweater for perhaps the hundredth time that day. "Well I'm still waiting to hear from my sources. We can't be sure of anything until we hear if anything's happened in Scotland."

"But Giles!" Faith slammed her fist down hard. "I saw it with my own eyes. My skull felt the total lack of power. She should have crushed my head like a watermelon. If…if this could happen to that biker chick, couldn't it happen to anyone?"

A knowing frown appeared on the British man's face. "Faith, I know what you're afraid of. But until I hear otherwise, let's just consider this a freak accident. At least you didn't have to kill her." The Watcher suddenly winced, "Wait. You didn't kill her, did you?"

The dark slayer scowled. "Of course not, Giles. I might be a murderer, but I'm not into the whole killing of the innocent and weak anymore. Give me some credit."

"You're right. I apologize, Faith." A look of relief passed over his face. Perhaps this slayer wasn't too far-gone to care. "I'll be in touch as soon as I hear about anything unusual with the other slayers. Until then, try to get some sleep." He placed a hand on the slayer's shoulder and gave her a paternal look. "You look horrible."

Faith allowed herself to smile for the first time that day. "Gee thanks, G-man. You certainly know how to charm a girl."

+++++

The phone rang early the next morning. The brunette mumbled incoherently while fumbling to find the bedside phone in the darkened room. The voice on the other end came out steely and unwavering:

"Pack your bag. You're going to Tokyo. And forget about the bus; you're taking a sodding airplane."

+++++

TBC

POV Faith

I fuckin' hate planes. As if it's not bad enough with the recycled air and popping ears and cardboard food, I've got some snot-nosed kids behind me kicking my seat. Damn, I just wanna crack their skulls together, right now. This is gonna be a long flight. But at least over international waters no one cards me, so I'm kicking back with some JD and diet, trying to take the edge off. Cause call me clairvoyant, but it's gonna get a whole lot hairier once I touch-down in Tokyo.

Giles' sources came through with some alarming information. Actually, he didn't even need to use his regular channels. Red herself contacted Giles. That's when I knew this red lightening business was deep – if Willow couldn't handle it and had reached out to Giles.…Man, I just shook my head. This could be bad.

Apparently, according to Red, some vamp group in Tokyo found out about the scythe. They literally stormed the castle in Scotland and stole Buffy's scythe. And they've got some powerful witch on their side that cast a spell that took back all the power from the newly anointed Slayers.

So everything's back to normal. Kind of.

Those Asian vamps were wicked pissed that Buffy still had her powers – guess they forgot that it wasn't the scythe that gave her super-strength. Naw, that was all the PTB – which I guess is why the red lightening didn't strike me either. After Giles told me that my powers were safe, I'm not gonna lie. I broke down and sobbed like a little girl. As much as my current situation sucks, I don't know what I'd do without this purpose, without this calling. Giles gave me some space. He didn't try to comfort me. I didn't need comfort. I just need to punish someone.

And it gets even sweeter.

Remember Buffy's new bed buddy? Something like "sitting in stew"…pardon my American tongue…I don't need to know her name. Apparently B still hasn't dropped the martyr act. After a roll in the hay with the Blonde One, the little Asian tart still couldn't break through – she hadn't captured the Chosen One's heart. She was so upset that she actually sided with the Tokyo vamps to orchestrate this whole damn thing. Made a pact-with the undead. She helps them keep the scythe long enough to take away everyone's powers as long as she gets to keep hers. The little twit thought that if only she had super powers, Buffy would finally see her as an equal and not just a foot soldier in the battle against evil.

I bust a gut when Giles told me that one. Seeking-stew apparently never read my life story. Take a memo, sweetheart. No one is as good as B. No one is good enough for B. She'll always be the Chosen One. There's no such creature as the Chosen Two. Been there. Failed that.

So now I'm the secret weapon. Buffy doesn't have it in her to kill the little Asian twerp. Willow says she can't kill another human either. She has a hard enough time staying away from the dark stuff. So here comes Faith to save the day. Kill this chick, take out the Tokyo vamps, and get the scythe back.

The last time I saw B, I was holding her head underwater. Not trying to kill her, I swear! Just…trying to get her to stop hitting me long enough that I could explain. So I could try to talk to her about how I'd changed. I thought things were gonna be cool between the two of us after we fought the First together, but we lost touch with her in Scotland and me in Cleveland, guarding over the other Hellmouth. I guess she was still bitter that the newbies chose me over General Buffy, even though I led them right into a trap. And the next time I saw her, just like B, she kicked my ass first and asked questions second. Well, she never could a chance to ask questions cause she just suddenly disappeared as quickly as she had appeared. This is gonna be one hell of a welcoming. I hope Tokyo's airport can handle all this drama.

I didn't ask Giles if we're gonna re-juice the newbie Slayers afterwards. I don't wanna think about that yet. At the time I knew it was the right thing to do – you know, to kill the First and Its army. But not unusual for me, I never thought about the long-term consequences. Sure chicks with super-powers are totally hot. I mean, look at me. But now…after how many girls I've killed. I don't know if I can keep up this kind of life.

But I'll tackle that hurdle when I get there.

I don't know why I expected her to be at the airport to greet me. Just me and my fucked up dreaming again. Of course she sent one of those useless former slayers to pick me up. All fake bravado, holding a hand-sign and searching the crowd for me. The girl looked a mix of awe and fear when I stalked up to her. I knew she was my ride right away. The "Murdering-Psycho-Bitch" on the sign was a nice touch. I'll have to thank Red for that when I see her.

"Take me to your leader," I gruffly ordered. The girl allowed herself a shy smile, thinking I was trying to be funny or something. She nodded quickly, leading me out of the airport and into another anonymous night.

"Damn, who knew Japan was so cold. Makes me almost wish for Cleveland."

So I suck at small talk. Sue me.

The girl silently nodded again, clutching her car keys tight in her fist. It was too much for me.

"Listen," I started, grabbing onto her shoulder and looking into her eyes. "I'm one of the good guys, okay? No matter what B or Red…I mean Buffy or Willow told you about me – I'm just here to make things right again."

The girl inhaled deeply, clearly holding back tears. "You were going to kill me."

My jaw dropped when I got a better look at the girl's face. She'd changed. Her hair was longer, make-up not as heavy. I snapped my fingers. "You're Georgia girl, huh?"

She stood there, gulping in deep breaths and nodded, her body nearly shaking.

I was a bit startled they had the balls to send one of the "rehabilitated" slayers. "Why'd they send you to pick me up?"

The former slayer looked at me with big eyes. "Because I speak English?" she guessed, shrugging.

I clapped her on the shoulder. "Well I'm glad I didn't kill you now. You turned out alright, yea?"

She looked, still scared, at my hand on her shoulder. "Yes. I'm okay now."

I nodded toward the parking structure. "Let's get outta here, eh? I need a shower wicked bad."

The girl wrinkled her nose and drawled, "Thanks for warning me. I'll keep the windows rolled down."

We simultaneously burst into laughter and linked arms, the tension vanishing with each step toward the parked vehicle.

++++++

"And then, this big granddaddy vamp unleashed these wicked huge alligators. And I'm wrasslin' with 'em with not a stitch on – cause it was so wicked hot that summer, I was just sleepin' in the buff…"

The two girls laughed easily as they walked through the front doors of the Slayer compound just outside the city limits of Tokyo. It was an impressive space because of the necessity of housing the numbers of girls who now called it home.

"You boring the children with those stories again, Faith?"

Faith and her airport escort froze their camaraderie when they heard the chill in the voice.

"Hey there, B. Good to see you too." Faith smiled and allowed her eyes to approvingly wander over the tight form of the elder slayer. No matter the situation, she always managed to take Faith's breath away. Whenever she was near her sister slayer, her heart pounded a little faster, a little harder in her chest.

The blonde crossed her arms across her chest and frowned disapprovingly. She wore tight grey yoga pants that clung to her thin, muscular legs and a white tank top that showed off plenty of her fully exposed clavicle. Her hair was shorter than Faith remembered, pulled back in a tight ponytail. She'd clearly just been training as her exposed skin was covered with a thin sheen of perspiration.

The brunette took a few steps forward, tilted her head to the side and leered. "C'mon, B. Give us a kiss."

Buffy cocked her fist and unleashed a Slayer-sized uppercut that caught Faith just under her jaw, sending her flying backwards and crashing into an end table.

The blonde's eyes were wild with anger. Her breathing ragged and unsteady.

The Georgian girl rushed over to the fallen slayer. "Faith? Are…are you okay?" She reached out to help the girl up off the ground.

Faith swatted the helping hand away, "S'okay, Peach. Just B's little way of saying 'hello' to me." She flipped herself off the ground and dusted at her leathers.

"I don't want you here," the blonde growled coldly, her eyes narrowing in anger.

Faith released a manic laugh. "Believe me, B. This is the last place I wanna be. I'm just here to clean up your mess again."

"My mess? What's that supposed to mean?"

"I always knew you liked a little monster in your men, B. But I didn't figure it went for the girls too. Hell, if I'd known that, I woulda tried to be a tad more evil back in the day." Faith built up her defenses with words like a thick wall.

Buffy clenched and unclenched her fists. "You have no idea what's been going on here, Faith." She grit her teeth and spit out the other girl's name with pure disgust. "While you've been cozied up in Cleveland doing god-knows-what, I've been saving the world. Again."

Faith took a menacing step toward the blonde woman. "You don't know anything about me anymore, Slayer. So don't even start with me."

Buffy opened her mouth to snap off another biting reply when a deep voice interrupted their confrontation.

"That's enough." The two girls turned to see the owner of the voice. Giles stepped out of the shadows, his arms crossed, his eyes narrowed. "There's much to do. And we don't have time for your childish arguments anymore."

Faith opened her arms wide and smiled, "Just point me in the right direction, G-man. I'm itching for a little 'uh' after that long flight."

Buffy looked back and forth between the dark slayer and her former Watcher, seeing the twinkle in Faith's eyes and the sternness in his face soften.

She choked on her next words, "You…you two have been working together." It sounded more like an accusation than a question.

Giles sighed and stepped down the compound's staircase, further into the light. "There's much to catch up on. But, yes. Faith and I have been working together."

Faith glared at the blonde with venom in her eyes. "Yea, B. Your two outcasts."

Giles held up a hand. "That's enough. Get to sleep. We'll talk more in the morning."

Faith snatched her bag from the ground and allowed the Georgian girl to show her to her room upstairs, but not before flashing the blonde girl one last wild look.

Buffy's eyes followed the dark form until it disappeared up the stairs. She stood silent, unmoving, suddenly feeling her strength crumbling around her. How had things gotten to this point?

"Buffy," the gentle voice started.

The blonde swallowed back her tears. "No, you're right, Giles. Not tonight. I'll see you in the morning, okay?" She attempted a brave, genuine smile to show how happy she was to see her former Watcher, but it came out more like a grimace. "Sleep well." And without a second glance at the British man, she too started the long climb upstairs to her empty bedroom.

+++++

Elsewhere in the City

"How could you have made such an oversight, you stupid, insipid girl?"

The Asian vampire scowled at the girl standing before him. "If we didn't need you for this last stage of the plan, I'd gut you myself and drain all your blood."

The girl couldn't bring herself to look up into the face of her verbal assailant. Her usually assured voice sounded small and defeated. "I'm…I'm sorry, Toru. I had a hunch that Buffy Summers would be immune from the spell, but no one else."

Toru snarled, his eyes flashing yellow. "It's bad enough to deal with the one, but now my sources tell me that the second Slayer has reached the city as well…. no doubt to take care of you." He looked at the girl with a smug smile. "You do know of her reputation, don't you? The Redemptive One. The Redeemed? She's here to kill you, Satsu."

The Asian woman straightened her shoulders and finally looked up to stare hard into the face of the undead creature before her. "Not if I kill her first."

+++++

TBC

POV Buffy

I can't believe she's here. I mean…I know why she's here. Willow contacted Giles somehow, assuming he knew where she had been holed up. It hurt a lot when Willow suggested we contact them both. Like I wasn't up to handling our current situation. Like I wasn't prepared to do what had to be done.

I wasn't so upset about her contacting Giles. I know it had been my "suggestion" that he leave Scotland; but having him back now makes things seem a little more manageable, even if all he does is look flustered and clean his glasses. It's comfortable. It's like we never left high school or Sunnydale. It reminds me of the days when all of this was so simple – Me, slayer. You, vampire. You, dust.

Our relationship had strained since he came back to help us defeat the First. I had outgrown the need for a Watcher by then. And for the most part, besides that little brain fart they all had, he readily acknowledged that I was the leader. But even he turned against me in the end, insisting that it was no longer my position to hold – even after all the sacrifices I'd made for this duty, this responsibility – he was adamant that I step down.

It stung, yes. But not so much as when he told me who was destined to take my place. So I strongly suggested he leave Scotland. I couldn't trust him not to turn everyone against me again. It had happened once in Sunnydale; I wouldn't allow it again. So now he's back.

And so is she. And my body can't stop buzzing.

When she first arrived in Sunnydale, I could feel her. Wherever she went, even when she helped the Mayor, I could always feel her presence, feel that connection. I thought it was just a Slayer thing, but now, surrounded by hundreds of slayers everyday, I'm not so sure.

As much as I hate it, I feel connected to every one of the new girls – all part of the slayer bond. It feels ancient and constant. Something solid like a large rock or something. Okay. I'm not good with analogies. It's primitive, but contained. Like…a large oak tree or a grandmother. I don't think I'm explaining this right.

But with her, it's always been anything but reassuring. It feels ancient and primitive too, but this wild. It's a chaotic buzz that radiates through all my muscles, making my body feel just a few degrees warmer than it should be. Okay, so it's definitely not a Slayer thing.

New slayers are always being shipped in and out of the various compounds around the world. I never question where they come from or why some of them look slightly bruised upon arrival. I keep telling myself that they're just foot-soldiers – an army that badly needs training – not equals, not new friends. Because if I get too close, it'll only hurt more when they die. Or betray me.

You think I'd be used to betrayal by now.

I know this is all my fault. You'd never get me to admit it out loud though. If I hadn't slept with Satsu, if I hadn't given her some reason to hope that I felt the same way about her, this could have all been avoided. Without someone on the inside, those Tokyo vamps would never have been able take their plan to such extremes.

And I understand what it's like to have that kind of forbidden love – to love someone so much, but know that nothing will come of it – believe me, I'm Forbidden-Love-Girl. Try being in love with a vampire. And I do owe Satsu. I am grateful to her – who knows how long I would have been comatose without that "kiss of true love."

I don't know why I decided to sleep with her. Can I plead momentary insanity? I was just so scared that I'd lost another one – Twilight attacked us so quickly and so efficiently. I guess it was a mixture of relief that I hadn't gotten her dead and all those post-fighting hormones that finally got the best of me.

Yea, that's right. Slaying does make me hungry and horny – surprised much?

And sure I was curious. It's hard to be best friends with a lesbian and not even wonder what it would be like…so I let my mask slip. I let the slayer in me take over that night. And then Satsu betrayed us all when I wouldn't allow her in my heart.

But I don't hate her. No, I don't hate Satsu. I know how love can make you do the wacky. I know I should loathe her, but I haven't the energy to feel any kind of emotion toward her beyond pity. Yes, she betrayed us by siding with the Asian vamps; yes, she made the wrong decision in the end.

But Satsu never made me feel like a victim.

She never made me feel vulnerable.

I guess Satsu just never made me feel.

It's kind of ironic how everything turns out. The two women in my life who betrayed me and their calling; and now one of them is supposed to be our big hero. One of them is apparently going to make everything okay again. A Battle Royal between Satsu and Faith because everyone thinks Buffy is too fragile and too weak to do the job herself.

I can feel her in the next room. I could feel her as her flight brought her closer to Japan, my body responding right away, swimming in that humming sensation I get when I'm around her.

I just need to stop hating her long enough to trust her.

+++++

POV Faith

I really like showers. No, I like really, really love showers. Nothing washes away all the emotional grime of the day like a hot shower. Sometimes after a particularly trying day I'll just stand under the jets, the hot water turned way up, and feel my skin scald red hot.

I needed a shower in the worst way after my tete-a-tete with Buffy. Not only was I sticky from the long flight – I literally had to peel my leathers off my legs – but something about seeing that blonde again made me feel dirty all over. As if seeing her again made me re-hash all the shitty things I'd ever done to her and her friends; not to mention all the shady shit I've had to do lately under the guidance of Ripper.

Call me crazy, but I was psyched as hell that she'd responded to my entrance like that.

But before you do call me crazy, hear me out.

I was afraid she'd forgotten about me. Worried that I couldn't push her buttons anymore. Worried that after all this time, she felt nothing toward me.

Because even though I know she would kill me if she were capable of killing a human, at least I know I can still make her feel something… even if it's Contempt.

I'm not going to kid myself and hope that after all of this is over the two of us can try to be friends. No. There's too much history between us for that. I'll do what I came here for, and then I'll go back to Cleveland. And wait until she needs me again.

Because she does. Need me. Of that I'm sure.

+++++

"Coffee. Now."

The young slayers in the Tokyo kitchen scrambled quickly to accommodate the dark slayer. They'd all heard the stories of Faith Lehane – like a bedtime story of warning, or the boogie-monster to get them to follow the rules – "You'd better train well today – you don't want Faith Lehane to get you." No one was eager to see if the tales about the woman were true.

The group assembled early that morning around a long wooden table in what looked to be a dining room. Buffy, Willow, Giles, and Faith were joined by some of the more experienced potentials – many of whom had fought by their side as early as the battle against The First in Sunnydale.

Buffy sat at the head of the table while the original Sunnydale group sat interspersed among the Potentials. No one was quite ready to slide into old routines just yet and commit to such a visual image of solidarity.

Kennedy sat scowling, her arms crossed – perhaps out of all the former slayers it was she who had been the most angry about losing her slayer powers. She glared across the table at Faith, silently cursing the dark woman's good fortune of being called not by the scythe, but by the Powers That Be. Willow sat next to her girlfriend, her hand on the bitter woman's thigh, hoping to provide some comfort.

"We strike tonight. No more waiting to see how else these vamps plan on using the scythe. Even though you all aren't as strong as Faith or me, we still need you. This is what you've trained for – this is what you were born to do." Buffy's face was all seriousness and steel.

Faith smirked to herself. The blonde was always so good at these inspirational speeches. "I wonder if she practices in the mirror beforehand," she mused to herself.

Buffy continued, "Recon informs us that they're still holed up in that skyscraper downtown."

Giles sighed loudly, interrupting, "When did Evil get so high-tech? In my day, respectable vampires lived in isolated crypts or abandoned warehouses."

Ronda snicked, "Welcome to the 21st century, Giles."

Buffy flashed the two a look of mild annoyance before continuing. "Satsu's with them and she's got the scythe – a dangerous weapon in the hands of any slayer. We wait until sunset. Xander should be back by then with the information we need.

Faith raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Yea, where is the Xand-man? And what's this about him having something we need?"

Willow's cheeks flushed a little as she turned to respond to Faith. "He –uh – he's working with Dracula to find a way to take away these Japanese vampires' ability to shift forms and turn into air."

Faith leaned back in her chair and laughed. "Why am I not surprised? What's with you guys and getting help from vampires? I mean, sure – Angel, I get – with the soul and all. But Dracula?" The brunette flashed a rare youthful smile. "And really, there actually is a Dracula? Why didn't anyone tell me? Are leprechauns real too?"

Buffy narrowed her eyes, "A little less commentary from the Peanut Gallery would be appreciated."

Faith propped her hands behind her head and grinned widely at the blonde. "Yes ma'am."

The group quickly turned when they heard a gasp and the sound of something hitting the wooden floor. Xander stood in the doorway, shock splayed across his more recently chiseled features, his eyes fixed on the seated brunette slayer. "She's back?"

Faith wrestled with her emotions quickly before flashing the boy a cocky grin. "In the flesh, Xand-man." She allowed her eyes to quickly scan his form – he'd lost a lot of weight since the destruction of Sunnydale. "I see only having one eye's been good to you," she purred.

A caped, dark figure pushed past the boy and into the room. "Enough of this nonsense, Man-Servant," he growled. "Hurry up. I can stand your little group only for so much longer before I snap all your necks and let your blood rush down my throat."

Faith's spidey-senses prickled. She stood up, pushing her chair back. "Dracula." It wasn't a question – it was a challenge. The caped vampire faced the girl and his lips curled into a cruel smile. "Ahhh…the Dark Slayer. I so hoped we would finally meet face to face. There is much for you to learn from me." He curled his fingers and beckoned her to step closer. "Come with me and I'll show you what you really are."

"Thrall? Really?" She smirked at the vampire and dismissed him with a wave of her hand, turning to sit down again.

Buffy looked mildly surprised at Faith's response, but shaking her head she continued the meeting. "Xander. What'd you find out?"

Xander bent down to pick up the scroll he had dropped in his surprise of seeing Faith seated so easily among the rest of the group. He felt his empty eye-socket twitch, but if Buffy had allowed the dark girl into their circle, there must be a good reason.

"There's a spell. And a crystal. And some sucking."

+++++

POV Faith

The girl in my bathroom mirror looks tired. We're about ready to leave the Slayer compound and head for the city. This jetlag is killer, but I know that it's more than that because one number keeps running through my head. Thirty-eight. And I can't shake it.

I'm ready for the fight. I've got on my best leathers and some kick ass boots. And I've got my knife. Thirty-eight.

It's the one the Mayor gave me all those years ago. The one that Buffy gutted me with when I poisoned Angel. Thirty-eight.

I know it's kind of ironic and twisted that I use it now to take down the "bad" slayers, but I guess I like to think that even a weapon can be rehabilitated for good. Thirty-eight.

I'm not worried about Satsu being a better fighter than me. Thirty-eight.

If it's my time to go, then so be it. It's been one hell of a ride.

Thirty-eight.

When I kill Satsu, she'll be number thirty-eight.

+++++

TBC

The small army of former slayers, along with Buffy, Faith, Giles, and Willow, landed soundlessly on the roof of the vampires' Tokyo headquarters. Having stolen Army helicopters certainly had advantages.

The team quickly and efficiently dusted the few inept vampires Toru had left as guards before they were able to transform into wolves or mist to avoid the assault of crossbow arrows.

On top of the skyscraper stood an enormous red sphere. The group looked up at it with a mixture of awe and disgust. Willow murmured to the dark slayer who now stood next to her, "Think that's your red lightening?"

Faith looked up at the ominous contraption and released a low whistle. "Nothing gets past you, does it, Red?" She flashed a smile at the witch, still attempting to make amends for the past.

Willow, despite her initial hatred and jealousy toward the dark slayer had been one of the first to come around and welcome the girl back into the group after the fall of Sunnydale. Without her own innocence intact, the redhead could no longer pretend to be better than the younger girl. She too had wandered to the dark side. She too had killed before, although Warren was anything but an innocent.

A loud crash interrupted the group's reverence. Everyone broke away from the red globe and looked toward the location of the noise. A large contingency of Asian vampires crashed through the roof access and was now spilling out onto the roof of the skyscraper.

Some of the vampires quickly transformed into wolves while other retained their natural forms as they moved in close to attack the handicapped slayers.

Buffy's eyes scanned the crowd for two familiar faces – Toru and Satsu. The leader of the vamps shoved his way toward the front of the growling demons, dragging Satsu behind him.

"Willow!" the blonde leader yelled. "Now!"

The redheaded witch mumbled a brief incantation, her eyes flashing with power. With the use of the giant red globe on top of the Tokyo skyscraper, Willow's spell blasted out of its fiery eye, zapping each of the vamped up vampires. Like a magnet seeking out its opposite mate, their special abilities shot into the dusky-rose crystal Buffy held in her hand.

Toru looked momentarily stunned as he looked at the rock in the Slayer's clenched hand.

"You suck my girls, I suck you," the blonde quipped. Her face crumpled into a frown. "That sounded so less dirty in my head."

Buffy dropped the crystal to the ground and crushed it, along with the vampires' special abilities, beneath her stylish but affordable boots.

"I don't need special powers to drink your blood," the vampire snarled at the girl. "I bet you taste sweet, Slayer."

"You're never gonna find out." The elder slayer took her fighting stance, her muscles readying in anticipation of the fight. "Let's go, Slayers," she called, rallying the troops around her. "Kill them all."

The vampire lunged at her, only to find himself easily deflected and falling on the ground.

"Oh, c'mon, Toru. I thought this was gonna be harder," Buffy whined, not letting down her guard. "How does it feel to be a normal vampire again?"

The Asian vampire scrambled to his feet, his face twisted into an animalistic grimace.

"What? No more witty threats? That's disappointing." The blonde continued her verbal attack as she punched the vampire, breaking his nose with her tiny fist.

Toru vainly attempted to land some kicks on the blonde's lithe body, but the blood rushing from his broken nose made it nearly impossible to see. Buffy easily blocked and avoided his weak attack, and finally put the vampire out of his misery. Her wooden stake found his chest and his un-beating heart as Toru's body burst into ashes with a satisfying sound.

With Toru dead, Buffy turned to watch the battle between Faith and Satsu. Rather than lend a helping hand to her sister slayer, she could only sit back and admire both women's speed, grace, and physical beauty.

The Asian slayer was a formidable fighter. Her movements were quick, precise, and technical. Unlike Buffy and Faith, she spared no energies or attentions to witty banter and caustic verbal jabs. And unlike the Chosen Two, she wasn't as adept at improvising. But she did have one thing going for her – in her mind she was fighting for the woman she loved.

But so was Faith. And she would not fail Buffy again.

The two slayers circled each other, looking for weaknesses. Their cautious movements reminded Faith of the many times she and Buffy had sparred with each other years ago in the Sunnydale high school library. They were lifetimes away from that now. She had always held back in those moments, just relishing being so physically close to the blonde, intoxicated by her energy. Now was not the time to hold back, however.

Faith wielded her curved knife like a street fighter in a darkened alley; Satsu held the scythe, spinning it in her talented hands. The old Faith would have taken the offense and struck first, but years of tai chi had honed in her wrecklessness and she now waited patiently and with reserve for the Asian slayer to make the first move.

Faith was not disappointed. Satsu struck hard and quickly, using the scythe as a rapier foil. The brunette blocked the scythe with her smaller weapon, deflecting the blow. She deftly hooked the notched blade of her knife into the slayer scythe and wretched the weapon from Satsu's hands. The scythe fell onto the concrete of the skyscraper's roof with a metallic clang as it slid away from both dark slayers. Satsu, her body now her only weapon, protected herself with bent arms.

Faith felt a cocky victory chant bubbling to her lips, but she swallowed it back. This wasn't over yet.

Thirty-eight.

The two slayers circled each other once again. Faith's fingers clenched the ornate handle of her knife, her knuckles turning white. She knew what she had to do. Just one more kill. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and attacked.

Faith watched in slow motion as the blade of her knife sliced through the air, coming closer and closer to the tender flesh of Satsu's vulnerable throat. With each millisecond, all of Faith's former crimes flashed through her brain: all the petty thefts to help her afford her dump of a motel room in Sunnydale, stealing weapons from the sports shop, killing the Deputy Mayor if only by accident, joining the Mayor's side, strangling Xander, the same knife against Willow's bare throat, killing the volcanologist, fighting Buffy, shooting Angel, torturing Wesley, fucking Riley in Buffy's body, hitting Joyce, and then the faces of each of the thirty-seven slayers she had murdered under the tutelage of Ripper.

Faith stopped the blade before its killing blow reached its target. The sharp edge cut a thin line of red as it lightly pressed against Satsu's skin. The Asian girl's dark eyes flashed with wild fright and surprise. Faith realized she was breathing hard now, struggling to choke back emotions that threatened to break to the surface. She pulled the knife away from Satsu's neck before landing a strong kick to the girl's chest, sending her flying backwards and falling hard on the rooftop.

Satsu's only crime was loving Buffy Summers too much. And for that, Faith was guilty as well.

Faith bent at the waist to pick up the slayer scythe that now lay discarded on the ground. She looked at its blade and marveled at how it gleamed in the moonlight, turning it over in her hands – inspecting it, feeling its power again.

Her head snapped up suddenly as she felt Buffy's eyes on her form. "This is yours," the brunette rasped, her voice raw, as she shoved the scythe into the blonde's hands. "Don't lose it again." Faith's shoulders slumped as she turned to walk out of Buffy's life forever. "I'll be gone in the morning," she tossed over her shoulder.

"Faith…wait…" The words were so quiet, it was only thanks to her slayer abilities that she heard the blonde's plea. Faith stopped her retreat, and turned to face Buffy, the brunette's eyes briefly shining with something that resembled hope.

Satsu scrambled to her feet, shocked to still be alive. She turned toward Buffy for some sign of acknowledgement.

Buffy looked down at the silver and red scythe once again home in her strong, capable hands. The metal felt cool, heavy, and reassuring.

The silence was too much for Satsu. "Buffy…Can't we just start over?" she wailed, her voice wild with desperation. "I…I only wanted to love you!" The tears streamed easily down her golden face.

The elder slayer looked up from her hands and deep into the shimmering eyes of the misguided girl. Her voice came out methodical, flat.

"I don't have time for love, Satsu. There's always a Big Evil planning the end of the world. There always has been and there always will be. You betrayed your calling. You aligned yourself with vampires for your own selfish needs. You put yourself before your sister slayers."

The blonde slayer continued her lecture. "Faith didn't kill you. She couldn't." Buffy's eyes were cold now, without emotion.

"But I can."

With one quick motion – a flip of her wrist – the scythe sliced through the air. Satsu's head rolled a few feet away from her body that crumpled to the ground like a sack of cement. Buffy stood a little straighter and looked down at the severed head. "It's about the mission," she breathed.

"Buffy?" Willow's voice suddenly filled the blonde Slayer's ears. "What do we do now?"

The woman tore her eyes away from Satsu's fallen body. "It's not my decision anymore," she stated quietly.

"But Buffy, you have a decision to make." Willow reached out to comfort her friend, but retreated, changing her mind. "You have the scythe back. Do you want me to restore the Potentials' powers?" Willow questioned her friend.

The elder slayer shook her head. "Don't ask me. Ask Faith."

Everyone gasped a little and swung their eyes toward the startled, dark slayer.

"What? Me? No…No way," she stammered. "This isn't my call. B – you're the leader."

Buffy sighed, suddenly looking exhausted as she looked down at the scythe in her hands again. "I realized something a while ago," she murmured. "I'm not the one who's supposed to lead." She glanced over at her former Watcher who gave her an encouraging nod.

"I should have stepped down a long time ago. I know that now." Buffy looked at the still-stunned woman, her words clear now, stronger. "Faith, the Slayer line runs through you, not me. That was obvious when I went to Heaven and a new slayer wasn't called. You were in prison then, still the protector of the lineage."

She weighed her next words carefully. They felt heavy on her tongue as they came out. "So the decision is yours – you're the Chosen One."

Part III

Faith stood before the door to Buffy's Tokyo bedroom. Even though it was closed, she could sense that Buffy was inside. She was pretty sure that Buffy knew she was standing on the other side as well. Finally, after minutes of debating with herself, the brunette checked her courage and knocked softly on the wooden door.

The silence was deafening. The younger girl's stomach tangled itself into more and more knots as the seconds ticked by with no response from the other side of the door. Finally, just when Faith was about to bolt down the hallway, she heard it.

"Come in, Faith."

The dark girl cautiously opened the door, half expecting that a fist might meet her face upon entry. Faith allowed her eyes to adjust to the darkened room. Her eyes focused on the small form sitting slumped forward on the double bed in the center of the room.

"B…." Faith's voice came out gentle, the tone surprising her. She didn't think of herself as soft these days.

Buffy didn't look up.

Faith cleared her throat and tried her voice again. "Buffy…This isn't why I came to Tokyo." She motioned toward the scythe in her shaky hands, although the blonde girl refused to meet her glance.

Buffy's voice came out tired and small, "Why did you come, Faith?"

The younger girl shrugged noncommittally. "You know, Blondie. To take down Mini-Me. Giles and I didn't want you to get blood on those pristine hands. I came here to do what I do best…well, maybe second best."

Buffy was silent as she picked at the fabric of her comforter.

Faith slipped on her mask as the sexual predator because it was comfortable. Easy. At least it was easier than standing awkwardly before the blonde slayer and pouring out her heart. "Cause you know with you finding the girlie love now, I thought you might wanna take me for a test drive – see if you like the original better than the next generation."

Buffy swallowed hard, blinking back tears.

Faith grew angry at her continued silence. "So tell me, B. Was it worth it?" she burst out before she could bite back the words. "You get one hell of an orgasm and Satsu got what? The privilege of being with the great Buffy Summers?" She clutched the scythe's handle tightly in one fist while clenching her other hand, the knuckles whitening with rage.

The blonde girl looked up suddenly, her eyes spilling hot tears down her face. "You don't think I realize that this is all my fault?" she sobbed bitterly. "That if I hadn't been so selfish all of this could have been avoided?"

Faith snarled, "I don't know, B. You seem to always be oblivious to the most obvious things."

Buffy crumbled, burying her face in her hands as she allowed her body to finally be taken over by the violent sobs that racked her body.

Not thinking, no longer holding herself back, Faith fell to her knees in front of the woman, releasing her grip on the scythe as it landed uselessly, soundlessly next to her.

"C'mon, B." Faith coaxed, her voice a low murmur. She reached out to touch the woman and provide some comfort, but stopped short, as though afraid to be burnt by a fire. "Damn it, Buffy. I'm sorry…my mouth…it just doesn't know when to stop. Please…don't cry. You're killing me."

"How many did you kill?" The words came out quiet – hesitant, gentle, and without accusation.

"What? I – I thought you didn't know about that." Faith's eyes filled with fear. She stood up quickly, wanting to get away from the girl.

"Don't go!" Buffy cried out, still feeling vulnerable. "Don't leave yet." She released a small sigh when she saw the taller woman pause her retreat. "Giles – he...please, Faith. I…I need to know."

The dark girl shrugged, refusing to make eye contact. "I don't know, B. I didn't keep track," she snapped.

Buffy was unconvinced. "Faith," she stated.

Faith looked away, focusing on anything else in the room besides the seated girl. "Thirty….seven," she rasped. "I killed thirty-seven slayers."

Buffy was unaffected. "And how many did you save?" she asked.

Faith looked back to the girl, confused.

"How many girls were able to be rehabilitated because of you?" the blonde clarified.

"I didn't keep track," Faith responded, her voice dull and flat.

"Faith," Buffy tried again.

"No really, B. I didn't keep track. None of that mattered to me." She closed her eyes and shook her head sadly. "It's not about the pluses and minuses. I know that now."

The two fell silent for a few moments, neither woman sure where the conversation should head. Finally Faith sighed, her shoulders slumped forward and resigned.

"They're afraid of me. They don't trust me," she frowned.

Buffy shook her head in response. "It doesn't matter. You're the leader now, Faith. They'll follow or they'll leave." She paused, considering her next words. "Faith. The scythe. I think we can take their powers away. The rogue ones…No one else has to die."

Faith's face flashed anger and betrayal. "Why didn't anyone think of that before…before I had to…"

The blonde girl quickly interrupted, scrambling to her feet before the dark girl could grow angrier. "I don't think it ever occurred to us that the power could be taken away, that the spell could be reversed."

Faith opened her mouth to speak, but remained silent when she felt Buffy's fingertips on her parted lips.

The blonde stood taller, green and hazel eyes staring straight into dark chocolate irises.

"But your power, Faith. That can never be taken away. No one can touch your power."

"I thought you didn't have time for love, B," Faith half-heartedly teased, her voice cracking with emotion. She stepped back nervously, putting space between her and the shorter woman.

The elder girl's stare was unshaken. "Is that what this is, Faith? Love?"

Faith felt her breath quicken, her blood rushing, her pulse pounding so loudly in her ears that she nearly missed Buffy's next question. "Do you remember what you said the first time you held the scythe back in Sunnydale?"

She nodded, thinking back to those few hours she had led the Potentials into battle – and into a trap – while Buffy retrieved the scythe and regained leadership of the group.

"You said it felt like it was yours," Buffy continued, not breaking her eye contact. "Well, what about me, Faith?"

The brunette furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What about you, B?"

The blonde took a step closer to the younger girl. "Do I feel like I'm yours too?"

"B…Buffy," Faith stammered. She cast her eyes downward and felt the tears build up. "You know I've always loved you," she whispered. The tears came easily now, spilling onto the carpeted floor, leaving a pattern of small stains in their wake.

Faith raised a hand to wipe away the stinging tears and was startled by a sudden pressure against her lips. In her distracted state, the blonde had swooped low and captured the dark girl' mouth with her own. Faith's eyes widened in surprise as the hungry lip-lock was joined by small, strong hands in the small of her back, as Buffy wrapped her thin arms around the brunette's body, pulling her closer.

Once the initial shock wore off, Faith eagerly returned the kiss. There was no hesitation, no tenderness, no gentleness to what they shared. The embrace was like a Slayer – raw, passionate, and unrestrained.

The kiss ended when the two needed to come up for air. Buffy looked away shyly, her breathing heavy and uneven; Faith's face continued to display unabashed shock and bewilderment. She brought her fingertips up to her mouth and brushed them against her lips, still feeling the fire, still tasting the lip-gloss from the elder Slayer's kiss.

"I just wanted to know what it would be like…" Buffy murmured quietly, her cheeks flushed.

"Holy shit, B."

Seeing the blonde quickly shrinking and building up her walls of defense, Faith reached out, cupping her face in her hands. "I'm sorry," the elder slayer stammered. "I know I shouldn't have…." Buffy averted her glaze from the searching eyes of the darker girl.

"Don't hide from me," the brunette commanded, her voice steady and strong.

Buffy looked up finally, meeting Faith's intense gaze and could do nothing as the brunette brought their faces closer and closer, until their lips finally grazed against each other.

The blonde closed her eyes and released a soft sigh as she pressed her lips harder now against Faith's thick, pouting mouth. She gladly accepted the brunette's tongue into her own mouth, moaning now against the tenderness of the embrace. Faith felt the vibrations of Buffy's moan travel from her mouth to her core, flushing her body hot with need.

Not wanting to pause and think about the consequences of their next actions, Buffy allowed Faith to lead her back to her double bed, locked in that deep kiss. The blonde fell back easily onto the bed when she felt the backs of her knees hit the mattress. Her hair framed her delicate features like a halo.

Faith stood for a moment, drinking in Buffy's form before crawling on top of her body, letting her hips rest against the blonde's own jutting hip bones. The younger slayer rested all of her weight on her arms, as if in a frozen push-up.

Dark chocolate eyes stared into green-hazel. After tonight, nothing would be the same.

Buffy could sense that the dark slayer was hesitating. "Do you love me?" she asked softly, reaching up to brush her fingertips over the brunette's troubled features.

"Always," Faith replied.

"Then show me," Buffy urged.

The blonde felt the teardrops begin to fall on her face. She pulled Faith in for a searing kiss as if to help ease her pain. The younger slayer allowed her body to rest fully on the woman beneath her, finally giving in to the feeling of Buffy's form underneath her own. She melted into the kiss, unable to break herself away from the blonde's seemingly enchanted mouth, their clothed bodies shifting as if attempting to mold together as one.

The dark haired slayer had awoken hours before her blonde partner. The combination of yesterday's events and time zones had made it nearly impossible for her to sleep, despite the amazing tranquility that now hummed through her body.

Faith looked down to see Buffy using the brunette's breasts as a pillow, her golden hair mussed and tangled from the previous night's exertions. Faith gently tried to tame the blonde's unruly mane with her fingers, not wanting to wake up the sleeping Slayer.

Despite the dark girl's light touch, the blonde's eyes fluttered open, trying to focus on their surroundings. As if she suddenly remembered where she was, and with whom she was, her lips curled into a small sleepy smile. She looked up to see the brunette girl intensely gazing down on her features.

"Mmmm…morning," Buffy purred. She pulled her naked body up so that she was face to face with the younger slayer and placed a gentle kiss on her pursed lips. Rolling off the brunette's body and onto her back, Buffy stretched from her toes to her outstretched arms.

The blonde glanced back over at Faith, noting her silence. The Boston girl seemed to have a permanent frown on her face, which seemed highly inappropriate to the elder slayer considering what they had just done all night long. Buffy pulled the sheet up to wrap around her exposed chest and turned on her side to look at the younger slayer. Faith lay on her back, looking up at the ceiling in silence.

"See something interesting up there?" Buffy tried, lightly. "Staring contest with the plaster? I hate to say it, but the paint's probably going to win." She reached out and gently brushed her fingertips along the soft, exposed shoulder of the brunette.

Faith grumbled something inaudible, even to slayer hearing. Buffy tried to ignore the girl's mood and snuggle in closer when Faith suddenly sat upright, the sheet falling from her upper torso, exposing miles of toned slayer skin.

"Damn it, B. Why wasn't it me?" Her eyes flashed anger and betrayal as she turned to look at the elder slayer.

The blonde's eyebrows knit themselves together in confusion and she pulled the sheet tighter around her breasts. "Why weren't you what? Huh?"

Faith sighed. She brought her hands up to her face and rested her forehead in her palms. "I wasn't the first one…I wasn't the first girl to…" she trailed off.

The wheels and gears in Buffy's brain churned and turned for a few seconds before the realization of Faith's complaint finally made sense. "Oh!" She sat up suddenly as well.

Faith looked at the other woman through her fingers, unable to resist another peak at the original slayer's upturned breasts. She smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry. It's stupid and jealous, I know."

Buffy smiled softly, almost shyly, at the raven-haired girl. She gently took Faith's hands away from her face and inter-laced their fingers. Buffy looked down at their joined hands. "But you were, Faith."

The troubled brunette searched the other girl's face for clarification. "I'm only going to say this once. Because I really don't want to think about…" Buffy paused momentarily. "She and I spent a night together, yes. She and I had sex. But…."

Now it was Buffy's turn to rest her head in her hands. The dark slayer sat back, silent, watching the blonde trying to control her emotions. Buffy finally looked up from her hands, her eyes shining with fresh tears. "I used her," she croaked, her voice thick with emotion. She blinked quickly, allowing her tears to find their own paths down her cheeks. She looked over at the brunette, fearful of her reaction, but she continued, regardless.

"We were attacked. There's this new evil whom we haven't even yet begun to research. He calls himself 'Twilight.' He could have killed us both if he had wanted to; but I guess it wasn't time for that, yet." She paused to sniffle, reigning in her remorse and guilt.

"It was a pretty intense fight…" Faith knew what Buffy was trying to say, but she wanted to hear the blonde admit to it.

"I hadn't been with anyone since Sunnydale imploded….I….fuck it, you're loving this, aren't you?" Buffy chuckled bitterly to herself, wiping the tears from her hazel-green eyes.

The brunette slayer tried not to laugh as well. She knew this was an important admission for Buffy and she didn't want to ruin the moment.

"I was hungry and horny, okay?" The small woman blushed deeply and hid behind her hands again, peaking through her fingers at the other girl.

Buffy sighed and dropped her hands finally. "Before, with Satsu, it was nice, but I knew that it was just a onetime thing. I didn't want a relationship with her. I didn't see a future with her."

Faith exhaled the breath she didn't realize she was holding in. All of this was happening so fast after so much time and their violently negative past.

Buffy turned her body so she could look at the woman sitting in bed with her. "Faith. You're the first…the first girl I've made love with."

The dark slayer felt herself melt completely, surrendering to Buffy's assurances. She leaned into the blonde's body and gently cupped her chin between her thumb and first finger. As much as she wanted to remain guarded, she couldn't hold back her next words. "Is that what this is, Buffy? Love?"

Buffy chewed on her bottom lip and let herself fall deep into the brunette's endless pooling eyes. "It could be," she whispered.

"So here's the situation, kids. I'm the Chosen One, the Slayer line runs through me, blah blah blah – we all heard Buffy's speech." Faith hoped to keep her tone light so she flashed a smile in the direction of the blonde woman who stood far from the seated Scoobies.

After a lot of talking, the two had decided to keep the events of the previous evening and that morning just between the two of them. Buffy insisted she wasn't ashamed of what she had done, but she didn't want to make Faith's transition to leader any harder than it was already going to be. For the group to digest the idea of the two of them together would be too much confusion to an already delicate situation.

Faith stood before the original group – Giles, Xander, Willow, and Buffy – the ones whose approval she had always sought; she now found herself the leader of a potentially devastating army. She paced anxiously, now-and-again glancing at each person in the somberly decorated Tokyo dining room.

"Here's something no one has thought about yet." Faith paused for dramatic effect and took a deep breath. "What happens when I die?"

The group was silent, staring at the leather-clad woman before them, their new leader.

The brunette chuckled deep in her throat and continued. "I know that quite a few of you here always wished that I would die." Faith pointedly looked in the directly of Willow and Xander, causing a deep blush to cover both their cheeks. "Hell, not even I anticipated lasting this long – not how hard and fast I've lived my life – but the bitch is, I'm still alive."

The brunette wet her lips and began again. "So let's say we keep things the way they are, with only B and me having superpowers. I die and the next girl is called. The One in All the World Chosen to Kill the Vampires. Business as usual, right?"

The group looked around the table at each other and nodded.

"But what happens," Faith continued, "if we restore all the Potentials to their full-wattage power – make them Slayers again using the scythe. Well, what happens to the line then when I die? Is one person called? A hundred?"

"Or what about this?" She paused. "No one." The dark girl stopped again, letting the gravity of her words sink in with her audience.

"What happens if I die and the Slayer line dies with me? Suddenly all these girls, all these women, with kick-ass super powers, slaying demons and all other sorts of baddies are reduced to once again being regular girls?"

She looked into everyone's eyes as she breathed the next words. "And without a Slayer, without the One Girl in All the World, the human race becomes just Happy-Meals with Feet."

"Oh, bloody hell." Giles removed his glasses and began to scrub at them furiously with his shirttails.

"So?" Faith sat down at the head of the wooden table and propped up her feet, leaning back in her chair. "What do I do?"

The group sat, stunned, looking at Faith. None of them, not even Giles had paused to really think about the long-term consequences of their actions.

"Willow," Buffy spoke from the shadows of the room for the first time. "You were there. You saw it in that house."

Willow searched her friend's face as she stepped into the light. Buffy looked at her long-time friends. "The death of magic."

The room burst into a fury of conversations until Faith held up her hand for silence.

"So here's how I see it," Faith started again. "We've got two options. One: Business as usual. We thank all the potentials for their months of killing evil and send them back to their respective homes and expect them to carry on normally with their lives. Buffy and I go back to Cleveland and guard over the Hellmouth, averting apocalypses until our number's called and we finally die. A new girl is called, and a new Watcher trains her."

The brunette stood up from her seat suddenly, the energy and anxiety rolling off her body in waves. She rested her hands on the table and leaned forward to look everyone in the eye.

"Or….we give them back their powers….and take out evil hard and fast." A broad smile spread across the dark girl's face, as she continued.

"We go totally gang-busters and take down all the baddies – everywhere—before I get the chance to kick it and possibly take the Slayer line down with me."

She stood, expectantly, before the group, awaiting their reaction to her plan. None of the seated three moved or breathed for a few seconds as the woman's plan sunk in.

Finally, the witch spoke, repeating her best friend's statement, her voice full of wonder: "The death of magic."

+++++

FIN