“Faith... I need you... to do me... a huge favour.” Buffy's words came out in short, hurried bursts amidst her heavy breaths. Each one was a waste of energy she should have been clawing onto, but sometimes there were things that simply had to be said.

“Yeah?” Faith asked, panting just as noisily. “And what's that?”

“The next time...” Buffy roughly wiped at her brow, swiping away the layer of sweat that was building up, before shooting a quick glance over her shoulder. Her feet pelted into the floor, her legs moving with such a speed that one misstep would end with her flat on her face. “I agree... to an idea of yours... I want you... to slap me.”

Faith's wide grin suggested she was having the time of her life, though Buffy could tell from the perspiration on her face that she was struggling just as much. “Come on, B... just admit it... You wouldn't have... half as much fun... without me.”

“Fun? ...Fun?” Buffy risked taking her focus off the constant stream of quickly approaching scenery ahead of her to stare at Faith with wide, disbelieving eyes. “This isn't fun! This is running... for our lives!”

“Key thing... we still have them... this doesn't.” Faith held up a severed head as proof – its two giant fangs still protruding from its lifeless, gaping mouth – as if that somehow made it all worth it.

The blood had, for the most part, stopped trickling from the opening that once connected the head to its owner's neck, but Buffy still wasn't impressed. She wrinkled her nose in disdain and instantly looked away from the grisly sight. She'd seen plenty of blood and gore on a far too regular basis over the past four years, but running around with something's scalp edged a little too close to uncouth for her liking. It would hopefully prove worthwhile though, so she was glad Faith didn't appear to share her reservations.

“It's more... the others... that concern me.” Buffy took another glance back, spotting the others in question on the horizon.

Once they'd tracked down their prey, taking it out had been straight forward, if a little messy. They had worked the two on one advantage, Buffy's distraction ultimately giving Faith a clear opening to deliver a blow to the back of its head with a large rock. As she'd followed up several more times to finish it off, its roars of anguish had caught the attention of its friends.

Buffy had turned away – before she'd lost her desire to eat for the next year – as Faith had worked to remove its head with nothing more than the semi-sharp side of that same rock. The uncomfortable gurgling in her stomach has been quickly forgotten when a chorus of howls rang out through the forest from the distance. They hadn't stuck around, even Faith needing no convincing before they'd high-tailed it out of there without another word.

Now half a dozen of the crazed, hairy beasts were behind them. Buffy didn't know whether their loud cries were born from the need for revenge, hunger or simply amusement. She could make out each one's four powerful limbs pushing them along, their giant bounds propelling them forward through the air. Even if her and Faith could keep their current speed up forever, which was starting to prove increasingly unlikely, they were still slowly giving up ground.

“Just keep going,” Faith offered unhelpfully.

Buffy exerted a little more energy by rolling her eyes. “Really wasn't... planning to stop,” she muttered to herself.

----------

Giles had remained passive when Ethan had taken charge back at The Magic Box. He'd watched in silence as Ethan doled out the names of ingredients for the others to track down. He didn't even offer to lend a hand, instead spending his time waiting and hoping that there'd be some obvious sign that gave away Ethan's true intentions.

There'd been nothing of the sort though, and once the various supplies had been gathered they had begun making their way to the last suspected location of Buffy and Faith. Ethan had explained how they'd needed to perform the spell close to the original portal so they could make use of any remaining energy, and all Giles could do was hope he had the right place.

“How does it work?” Willow asked, breaking the silence that had followed them through the otherwise empty streets of Sunnydale. “The spell,” she clarified when Ethan remained silent.

“You do the locomotion and you turn around,” Ethan replied, a hint of sarcasm detectable in his dry voice. “How do you think it works? Same as any other spell. You combine the ingredients. You say the right words. Shed a little blood for good measure and alakazam, the portal opens. Simple as that.”

“I know that. But I mean... every ingredient has certain properties. Like I know Mugwort can be used for clairvoyance. So I guess that's to help find where Buffy and Faith are, right?”

Giles rubbed at his furrowed brow. Ethan using blood in a spell was hardly newsworthy, but the idea had always turned his own stomach, and the way Willow glazed right over it was a little unsettling. It wasn't the time to delve into it, especially when Ethan would be more than willing to play devil's advocate, but he made a mental note to find out just how far Willow had progressed on her own.

“Give the amateur a medal,” Ethan called out in the same dry, mocking tone.

“Hey! I'm not... I know what I'm doing. I'll have you know I've tried all sorts of spells. A-and most of them work without a hitch.”

Ethan's blunt laugh said it all, and Willow's proud look slipped straight off her face. The replacing narrowed eyes and pouted lips placed her somewhere between annoyed and upset. She wrapped her arms tight around her stomach and leaned in closer to Oz who gave her a reassuring peck on the side of her head and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She remained silent for several minutes before regaining enough of her composure to try again. “What's the Orris root for? I know I've heard of it. I just don't remember where.”

“It's for turning overly inquisitive people into toads. Somebody please tell me we're almost there.” Ethan's melodramatic, pleading voice made it sound more like he'd been the victim of days of psychological abuse rather than the target of a few innocent questions. “Nobody told me I'd signed up to teach introduction to witchcraft. Really, Rupert, did we need to bring the kids along?”

“Will you bloody well stop acting like such an arrogant sod,” Giles barked, turning his head to show Ethan the same glare that had been firmly plastered on his face since Ethan's arrival. He didn't like working with Ethan, or associating with him, or even knowing him. And the fact that there were two lives on the line, and that Ethan might be the key to saving them, only diminished his mood even further.

Ethan smirked in return. “Sorry, old chap. Didn't mean to hurt the girl's feelings.”

There was nothing sincere about his apology, and with that the atmosphere reached an icy, new low, putting an abrupt end to the conversation until they reached the cemetery.

----------

It was hard to put a finger on when exactly it had happened, but at some point since becoming the Slayer Buffy had learnt a very important lesson: the belief that things couldn't get any worse was nothing more than a big, fat lie made up by someone who had clearly never set foot in Sunnydale.

That was the reason she expressed her feelings with nothing more than a knowing sigh when she set eyes on a small group of Shek's demons ahead of her and Faith. There were only four of them, but she didn't have the energy to throw a punch, yet alone engage in a full-on fight. She'd gone too long without sleep, food or drink, and it felt like the last of the moisture in her body was currently seeping out through her skin. She couldn't muster the energy to suggest a plan of action, even though their options basically boiled down to veer left or veer right and hope for the best.

“Keep going,” Faith said, as if she'd plucked the options from Buffy's mind and already discounted both of them.

“This is dangerous,” Buffy warned plainly, finding no real desire to fight the idea. She suspected what Faith had in mind, and it wasn't her worst idea ever; no, that would definitely take some doing, she thought to herself. Her lips curled upward in amusement at that thought, but she quickly forced herself to focus on the more serious matters at hand.

The demons had already spotted them, unsheathed their weapons, and began their approach to meet them head on; apparently they hadn't got the memo that the two of them were meant to be off limits for at least another half day.

“Slow down,” Faith ordered next after checking over her shoulder.

Buffy was about ready to collapse, so those two words were all the convincing she needed to drop to a fast jog. Strangely her legs were less cooperative, seemingly so wrapped up with their current pace that they began to wobble in confusion as she urged them to slow. The extra effort required to stay upright stopped her from looking behind for herself, but she hoped Faith would have mentioned if she was about to lose a chunk of her leg.

She could hear the creatures behind them slurping back up their dripping saliva – though she knew it was strictly all in her head – and she hoped they didn't have an inherent preference for the exotic flesh of Americans. As they approached the green-skinned demons, the nearest had already grasped its double-sided axe in both hands, and it didn't bother to slow down before it reared back ready to swing.

Having expected something aimed more for her neck, when the axe instead swiped across much lower Buffy had to quickly abandon her plan to roll underneath. She instead threw herself up, twisting her body to the side – and pulling in her stomach for good measure – to pass over the blade she'd lost sight of.

She hit the ground on her side and rolled to a halt, and she was glad to find her body still in one seamless piece. As she scrambled back to her feet she heard a surprised cry from one of the demons. She turned their way, ready to defend herself from anything that attacked, but as hoped, the two groups were already busy with one another. She took a couple of steps back, passing Faith who stood watching the show. “Faith, come on!” Which of the groups came out on top was the least of her concerns; she just wanted to be far enough away that they didn't need to deal with the winner.

Faith nodded but didn't look in any hurry to comply, and before Buffy could provide a further prodding the ground around them began to shake. A near deafening sound filled her ears, a cross between the rush of escaping air and the enraged crashing of waves against a cliff, and as she turned around she could see wisps of deep-purple smoke billowing up from the ground. Prepared for a whole new set of problems, she instinctively took a step back toward the fighting demons. As the smoke took form, it became obvious that this wasn't some new threat, and her eyes lit up. “Faith!” she said, her voice high in excitement, and she blindly tugged on the girl's arm more fiercely. “Portal. Now.”

That drew Faith's attention, and she instantly turned to eye it up.

A glimmering, silver silhouette bulged in and out, looking like it had to fight hard to hold together the continually swirling energy between its borders. Small slithers of bright light crackled to the surface only to become engulfed a second later, and Buffy found herself getting lost in the repeating cycle.

“Err, B? Not to be all doom and gloom, but how do we know this thing's going to the right stop?”

Snapping out of it, Buffy shrugged lightly and gave a small, optimistic smile. The thought hadn't occurred to her, but she hoped they were due some good luck. “Cross your fingers?”

Faith smirked. “Good enough for me.”

“And you know what they say... only one way to find out.” Buffy took several strides forward and bent her knees ready to propel herself into the portal and, hopefully, all the way home.

Her heels had already left the ground, but she hesitated at the last moment, noticing that Faith had vanished from her side. She had to lean back to avoid falling right into it. Turning, she found Faith several feet behind, just standing there watching.

Buffy held out her hands in question. “Come on. This thing might not stay open for long.”

Faith's brow furrowed and her attempted step forward brought her no closer. “I'm trying!”

“What? Faith, stop messing around!” Even as the accusatory words left Buffy's mouth, the uneasy sensation beginning to stir in her stomach told her something was wrong.

“I'm not. It won't...” Faith pushed forward hard with two flat palms, causing a muted thud as if she'd just thrown her fists into a brick wall. “What the hell?”

Buffy stepped forward, reaching out tentatively but finding nothing blocking her way. She grabbed hold of one of Faith's arms with both her own and pulled hard. Even her Slayer strength couldn't drag Faith any closer to the portal, and she was forced to stop before she ended up dislocating Faith's shoulder.

“Son of a bitch,” Faith muttered, her eyes shifting up and down as if trying to size up the invisible wall.

Buffy just stared in confusion, and before she could say a word a low, rumbling sound came from behind her. She instantly spun, staring at the swirling energy in front of her. Her first worried thoughts were that their lifeline was about to withdraw, but when the noise came again she managed to decipher part of it.

“Giles?” she said, briefly pausing in shock before loudly repeating his name two more times.

----------

“Yes, it's me!” Giles shouted, once again at the top of his lungs, stressing each word clearly. “You have to jump through!” His face was pressed so close to the portal that an accidental stumble would send him careening through instead.

“We can't. Something's wrong. Faith can't get close.” Each word crawled slowly from the portal, a continuous drawl that was barely recognisable. It didn't sound much like Buffy, but the mention of Faith was proof enough for Giles.

“It's strictly one at a time,” Ethan pointed out calmly, making it clear his investment was minimal. “Tell her to come through first. Once she's out, Faith will be able to follow.”

“Are you certain?” Giles asked, still shouting even though Ethan could easily hear him. He stayed facing the portal, unwilling to take his eyes from it in case it used the opportunity to sneak closed. The sweltering heat emitting from its centre had already brought several beads of sweat to his forehead, but he stood his ground ready to hear anything that Buffy might say.

“Absolutely,” Ethan replied with complete confidence. “All part of the spell. After all, the last thing we'd want is a horde of merry demons along for the ride. I think we can all agree this town has its fair share.”

Giles continued to stare at the portal, his breath heavy from all the shouting. He wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand before calling out once more. “Buffy. You have to--”

“Wait!” Willow's shout took him by surprise, leaving his mouth gaping open ready for the next word. “Don't. It's a trick.”

That proved enough to get Giles to finally turn around. His gaze jumped back and forth between her and Ethan as he tried to find a glimpse of what was going on.

“What are you talking about?” Ethan asked, shooting her an irritated glare. “Maybe you should stick to your chemistry classes and leave the rest to the grown-ups.”

Willow's eyes hardened and she remained resolute. “No. I remember now. The Orris root. I knew I'd heard of it somewhere. It's usually used for spiritual protection, b-but mix it with Sandalwood and you've got the foundations for a binding spell.”

“You haven't got a clue,” Ethan growled before quickly regaining his composure. “Rupert, this is a one-shot deal. There won't be enough energy left from the initial portal to pull this off again. If you want your girls back then you're going to have to trust me.”

“Giles, no!” Willow pleaded, shaking her head in desperation. “I'm sure about this, I swear. He-he didn't use the earrings to find Buffy, he used them to bind the portal to her essence.”

Willow eyed the small nest of spell ingredients on the floor between herself and Ethan. Her eyes flicked briefly to him before she made her move, but the hesitation gave him time to see what she had planned. He moved just as quick, catching her by both arms and roughly throwing her to the ground.

Before he could follow up, a right hook from Oz took him down next. As Oz stood guard over him, Giles moved over and grabbed the small object that sat dead centre inside the spell circle.

From the ground, Ethan shouted up, “Do it and it's over, Ripper. They'll both be lost forever.”

Giles stared blankly at the small package in his hands. Loosely held in Orris root and Sandalwood, only a glimmer of the earrings poked out from their wrapping, but it wouldn't take any effort to free them. He looked down at Willow who nodded back confidently while Oz helped her to her feet. With a deep breath and a muttered plea to anything that might be listening, he grabbed the herbs and plucked them apart.

Freed, the earrings fell between his fingers. Before they'd even landed in the dirt, a wave of white light rushed out from the portal, the accompanying shock wave taking the unprepared group straight off their feet.

----------

Buffy was the closest she'd been to home in the last two days. She could already feel her soft, warm bedding calling for her. She could already hear her mother's voice asking her if she was staying for dinner, just as she always did, making no attempt to hide the hopefulness in the question.

However there was still one final step left to take before she could have either, and it was proving to be the most challenging of them all. Even letting herself fall back would be enough to bring it all to an end. She'd be home. With her mother. With her friends. With her life.

But without Faith. She stared at her silently, willing herself to think up some brilliant idea that could save them both.

Faith was looking back, a slither of a smile fitting right in on her determined face. Buffy could see that she was trying her hardest to look like everything was OK, and she was doing a pretty good job of it. But no matter how adamantly Faith insisted that she'd be fine, behind the façade there were signs that she looked drained – her skin was tinged red, her breaths were still laboured, her posture wavered like a strong gust of wind might be all it took to knock her over. Left completely alone in a world where everything wanted her dead, Buffy knew that she couldn't last long.

So how was she supposed to just promise to come back when she knew full well that there might be nothing left to come back for? How could she simply walk away after everything? The answer was glaringly obvious: she couldn't. She wouldn't. “We'll find another way,” she promised, irritated when she heard her own doubt making itself known through her thin voice.

Faith slowly shook her head, equally aware that the chances of that were slim. “It's OK. This is the only way. You should go.” Her tone was warm and encouraging, no sign of anger or envy to be found.

“No,” Buffy pleaded, her eyes beginning to dampen. “You know I can't.”

“You have to. I mean it, B. Get your ass through there now. Go!” Faith tried to point Buffy toward it and didn't even react when her hand slapped off the invisible barrier.

“No!” Buffy reasserted, managing to push some strength back into her voice. She grit her teeth and locked her determined eyes on Faith. She'd had a little time to regain her breath, but her heart was beating just as fast as when she'd been running for her life. Some small part of her would have jumped at taking Faith up on her offer, but the rest was desperately trying to think of anything that could help.

“Damn it, B, just--”

“Shut up!” Buffy shouted, edging toward frantic now. Their beacon of hope was nothing more than a lie. Her thoughts were muddled. The soft, inviting hum of the traitor stood behind her was leaving her light-headed.

She didn't have a plan when she started to walk away from the portal, and she never got the chance to form one. First there was the sound of a swift, muted fizz, and then she was moving forward a lot faster than she'd have liked.

Taken completely off her feet, it was left to Faith's reactions to catch her. Neither of them were on top form though, and the element of surprise proved stronger. Faith got her hands up on Buffy's arms too late to halt her fall, and she only ended up softening Buffy's landing as they both went down, the disembodied head falling from her grip and rolling toward the portal.

Faith let out a small grunt of complaint when Buffy's knee came down hard on her thigh. “Jeez, B. You're heavier than you look,” she said light-heartedly, her small smile faltering but ultimately remaining intact.

While Faith's hands were still holding her up, Buffy readjusted her legs so she was mostly supporting herself. “I'm sorry,” she replied quietly. She was looking down into Faith's eyes, close enough that strands of her hair were resting on the sides of Faith's face.

Faith's brow furrowed. “Hey, I'm just kidding. Pretty sure it won't even bruise.”

Buffy swallowed, trying to wet her throat. “No, I mean... I couldn't get us back. I tried, I did... I just...”

Faith let one hand wander up to Buffy's face, her fingers pressing lightly against the girl's cheek. “Don't. It's OK. There's nothing you could have done. But you have to go now, Buffy. I'll keep out of trouble. Promise.”

Buffy gave a small, sad smile. She bit her bottom lip, refusing to let free any of the tears that were trying to push their way out.

The nearby ruckus had fallen away from her thoughts, but it was brought instantly back as she saw something coming at them out the corner of her eye. Faith must have seen it too because she rolled them both across the ground without warning. The corpse landed only an inch away, and Buffy tucked in her arm before the blood running freely off its face could latch on to her sleeve.

She was about to offer her thanks when she realized where they were. She wasn't sure if she should believe it, but she nodded to direct Faith's attention. At that moment it didn't matter how tired they were; they both shot to their feet in an instant, the portal hanging open right in front of them. With a flick of her foot, Faith knocked the creature's head up and caught a handful of its hairs with one hand. “Well that's me all packed.”

“You first,” Buffy said. “Just in case.”

“No,” was Faith's firm and immediate reply.

A torrid scream from another demon behind them told Buffy they didn't have time to argue. “Fine.” She took Faith's hand into her own and held it tightly, refusing to leave anything to chance. Faith squeezed back just as hard. “After three?”

Faith nodded.

“One... Two...”

“Three,” Faith finished, and the two of them jumped forward, letting the smoke and light envelop them.

Buffy had to keep her eyes closed tight, but even then the light found its way in. As she roughly tumbled and turned through the air she tried desperately to keep her hold on Faith. Her hands were sweaty though, and she could feel her grip slipping. Faith moved away, and Buffy tightened her hold further, only able to clutch onto the tips of Faith's fingers. Within a matter of seconds she didn't even have that. She flung her arm out wildly, trying to feel for anything but catching hold of nothing. She shouted Faith's name but didn't even hear the word leave her throat.

After what seemed like an eternity of turbulent falling she suddenly came to a hard stop, landing awkwardly on the side of one arm. She groaned, forced her eyes open, and had to blink several times to fight back the bright lights that had imprinted themselves at the front of her view. The blurry shapes around her took their time to slip back into focus, but when they did she recognised the cemetery instantly and spotted her friends stumbling to their feet nearby. Her gaze flicked around in panic, then her whole body relaxed when she found Faith sitting nearby, rubbing at her ankle.

Faith caught her look. “Well that was fun, huh?” she dead-panned. “Those things should come with a seatbelt.”

Letting out a loud, relieved breath, Buffy dropped down on to her back, her arms splayed out to her sides wherever they happened to land. She let her head rest against the ground and closed her eyes. Maybe she didn't need a bed right away.