*****
Part 1: Staked

Buffy Summers swiftly crouched down, ducking the deperately thrown punch and easily twisting to kick the ignorant vamp up against a headstone. She smirked as she heard the satisfying sound of bone crushing against pavement. Figuring the the vamp was temporarily paralyzed, Buffy glanced over her shoulder to see if any other vamps would make the mistake of attacking her. She let her stake fall to her side and stepped away from the whimpering vamp as she saw a leather-clad figure saunter down the street. She knit her brow and squinted her eyes.

"Faith?" Buffy wondered out loud. She turned her entire body around and started after the woman. That was her big mistake. The shattered vampire regained its composure and lunged at a distracted Buffy with a snarl. Buffy went tumbling to the ground and her stake went flying. The ruthless vamp went for the stake and as Buffy crawled to stand back up, the vamp ironically plunged the stake into Buffy's shoulder.

A razor sharp pain toar its way through her arm and up her shoulder. She closed her eyes and cried out, falling back against the ground. Immediatly, the vamp lept on top of her and raised its fists to drive the stake in deeper. Buffy closed her eyes, ready for the vamp to finish what it started. She was surprisingly peaceful as she gave up, rather wanting to die in battle than on some street corner having gotten shot and robbed. As she awaited the blow, Buffy heard struggling and felt the weight of the vamp lift off of her stomach. She then heard a grunt and opened her eyes just in time to watch pieced of dust flutter to the ground.

"Buffy!"

The voice of Riley Finn, comando boy extrodinare, called to his girlfriend. He knelt beside her and studied the wound. Riley hesitated before placing a hand around the stake.

"Brace yourself," Riley said "This is gonna hurt...a lot"

He silently counted to three and pulled the stake out from Buffy's shoulder. The blond gave out a blood-curtling scream.

"FUUUUCCKK" Buffy cursed, and went on to yell out more profanities that made even Riley blush. She sighed one last time and then went limp from the extreme amount of pain that was threatening to knock her out completely. She closed her eyes and leaned back against her savior.

"We gotta get you to a hospital" Riley said. He picked his girlfriend up and drove her to the nearest hospital, silently praying that Buffy would live through the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm *fine*" Buffy pleaded for not the first time. Giles was sitting on the Summer's couch cleaning his glasses, while Riley paced impatiently across the room. Buffy's mother was studying her daughter's wound when Willow came walking in from the kitchen with a mug of hot chocolate.

"Here you go Buffy, hot from the pot" Willow said, handing the mug to the injured girl.

"Thanks Will" Buffy said with a forced smile.

"Buffy I just don't understand how this happened. *You* are the slayer. I didn't know that slayers were supposed to be the ones who got staked." Joyce said as she finished changing the bandages and covering the wound with Buffy's shirt.

"Mom, I could do without a dose of sarcasm right now" Buffy sighed

"I'm sorry hunny, it's just...how did this happen?"

Buffy hesitated and thought about her answer before replying.

"Well, it was weird. I mean I had the vamp taken care of, or so I thought, when I glanced around for just a second and thought I saw Faith. So then the vamp--"

Gile's head shot up from his hands and he abruptly cut Buffy off.

"Faith? She is back in town?"

"Yes. I mean no. I mean...I don't know what I mean. It looked like Faith, but I don't think she would try to come back Giles. Why would she?" Buffy asked. Her voice faultered and she spoke the last words softly.

"Well if it was her I would have known. But as of yet the initiative hasn't informed me of any psyco killers roaming around so I don't think we have to worry."

"She's not a killer" Buffy said firmly. She looked around the room, meeting the surprised stares of her friends and family.

"Sorry," She said "I'm tired, I don't know what I'm saying"

"It's ok Buffy," Willow began. "But if Faith is here we're in major trouble. Especially now with you all...hurting" She finished, making a gesture with her hands reffering to Buffy's shoulder.

"Willow's Right Buffy. If Faith has returned there is a chance of her reverting back to her old ways. There could be dire consequences." Gile's said standing up. Buffy smiled wearily and quieted the group.

"Look, it wasn't her. It was probably my eyes playing tricks on me ok? I think the graveyard is finally getting to me." Buffy said with a weak laugh, trying to convince herself of what she desperately hoped wasn't true. She tried to move her position and grunted with pain as the stinging sensation paralyzed her from doing anything further. Joyce noticed her daughter wincing and stood up to address the group.

"Well I thank you all for coming over, but it looks like my daughter needs her rest. I'm sure she'll be calling you in the morning"

Buffy gave her mother a thankful look.

"Yes, well, goodnight Buffy. I hope you feel all right by morning"

"Night Giles"

"Take care Buffy. And drink the cocoa." Willow said

Buffy raised an eyebrow.

"Will that speed up my recovery?"

Willow knitted her brow and pouted.

"Well...no but it tastes good and makes you feel all warm and snuggly inside" she said with a smile. Buffy smiled back and laughed softly. She waved to her friend as Willow left the room and headed out the door. It was now Riley's turn to say goodnight.

"You gonna be ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine" Buffy said

"Ok, then I'll see ya" Riley said, bending down to share a tender kiss with Buffy. He broke the kiss and looked around aukwardly. Buffy noticed his composure and wondered how long it would be before Riley confronted her with what was so obvious to both of them. The beefstick hesitated before going to open the front door.

"Hey" Buffy called out. Riley turned around and looked at his girl.

"Thank you" She said with a tender smile. Riley just nodded his head and smiled as he walked out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The stake was driven in deep. The vamp pressed further down on it and brutally twisted the stake deeper into Buffy's flesh. Buffy threw her head back and screamed. The vamp laughed and morphed into game face, saliva dripping from fangs while anticipating the taste of slayer blood. Ready to quench its thirst, it laughed all the way to Buffy's throat and then sank its teeth in----

Buffy awoke with a start and sat straight up in bed. She brushed her hair from her face and noticed that it was soaked with sweat. She tried to control her breathing and blinked her eyes rapidly. The feeling of death was still lingering in the air, and the fact that it was her death shook up the slayer pretty bad. Still sweating, Buffy fell back onto her bed and stared at the ceiling for awhile before falling back into a restless slumber.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Concentration, meditation, and an old fashioned bowl of ice cream were the slayer's choice of habits for a quick recovery. Buffy grunted as she tried to scoop out the last bit of ice cream into her bowl.

"Jeez, you would *think* with my super powers I would be able to at least serve myself some comfort food" Buffy said to herself.

"Well it looks like someone's feeling better" Joyce panted. She was trying to get into the house carrying a load of groceries that made it a bit difficult for the middle aged woman to get through the garage door. Buffy pried the spoon from the ice cream bin and licked it quickly before dropping it into her bowl and going to help her mother. She grabbed a couple of bags and set them on the counter. Joyce exhaled and with freedom to move, swung her purse over her shoulder and tossed it on the counter.

"Thanks sweetie" Joyce said, slumping into a near by chair.

"Long day?" Buffy asked, beginning to empty the bags.

"Not so much long as tiring. I didn't want to be gone too long in case you needed me, so I rushed. But now I see I could have taken my time" Joyce replied smiling.

Buffy couldn't help but give her mom that half smile/smirk she was famous for.

"Mom, I told you last night I would be fine. That's one of the perks in my line of work...super fast healage. "

Buffy opened a package of miniture carrots and popped one into her mouth. She continued mid-chew.

"And that's why I'm going out tonight" She said hopfully.

"Excuse me? No you are not" Joyce protested.

"Why not??" Buffy whined. "You know, I saved the world from hell, I slay vamps and put my life on the line every night. I almost *died* last night. Don't you think I deserve a night off?" Buffy noticed the horrified look on her mother's face when she mentioned last night's happenings. She apologized quickly.

Joyce sighed and continued to argue. "I thought slayers didn't have the benefit of going on leave" Joyce said, giving Buffy the 'you-know-I'm-right-you're-wrong' look. Buffy looked away for a moment and then back at her mother. She was *not* going to go down like this. She flashed her best smile and walked over to Joyce. Buffy then wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and spoke in a voice as sweet as candy.

"They do when they have someone to fill in."

"And who would that be?" Joyce asked.

"Riley. He said he and the initiative guys would cover patrol tonight. See, I'm a resonsible little slayer."

Joyce just stared at her daughter until Buffy brought out the heavy artillery. The blond stuck out her bottom lip, quivering it slightly, while her eyes became large and glistened with a please. Joyce sighed and rubbed her temple.

"I suppose Buffy. Where are you going and who with?"

"Standard mother interigation, I can handle that!" Buffy said with a huge smile. She unravelled her arms from Joyce's neck and headed back over to the carrots.

"Bronze, with the usual gang. I'll be home before one"

When Buffy heard her mother clear her throat, the petite blond looked up and smiled sweetly, trying again.

"I meant 12...I said 12."

Joyce nodded her head in contented victory and stood up. Buffy popped one last carrot into her mouth before hopping off toward her room.

"Buffy" Joyce called to her daughter.

Buffy stopped at the foot of the staircase, swinging around the pole and raising her eyebrows to provoke her mother to continue. Joyce spoke slowly and softly.

"Are you *sure* you're ok?"

Buffy grinned and shrugged slightly

"Trust me mom. I'm 5 by 5."

Both Summer's women stopped and a long pause persued. Buffy knitted her brow and frowned. '5 by 5? Where the hell did that come from?' Buffy thought. But the blond couldn't deny how fun, or even comforting it was to say it.

"I mean...I'll be ok" She said still frowning. She continued up the stairs slowly, with a confused but amused look on her face. Joyce stood there for a few moments, contemplating the possible meaning of her daughter's slip up, but shrugged it off herself and went on to the kitchen to finish the unpacking that Buffy had started.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stepping out of the shower, Buffy quickly grabbed a towel to relieve herself from the cold air that had taken her breath away when coming in contact with her skin for the first time. She wrapped a towel around her chest, allowing it to cover her body, while grabbing another to dry off her hair. Still ruffling her wet hair with the towel, she opened her closet to brouse through her outfits of choice. It was always an ordeal for Buffy to pick out *the* outfit appropriate for the night's occasion. She let her eyes lazily drag over a small purple dress and then a tight fitting, white turtle neck before resting them on what would be the first part of her outfit for the evening.

She grinned wickedly but playfully to herself, as if just the mere idea of wearing it was out of character. She grabbed the pair of black leather pants she had worn for a talent show a few years back and easily slipped them on. She couldn't deny the feeling that the smooth fabric awakened. The feeling entised her some how; the way the leather played off her skin when she walked--the way it rubbed up against her--if felt damn good. She smiled yet again at the sensation and then went over to her dresser where she pulled out a tight, little black tank top. She let the towel around her chest fall to the ground, and in one fluid motion slipped the tank top over her once exposed skin.

Looking in the mirror, Buffy decided that the tank and leather pants weren't enough and wanted to go further with her looks. She was taking her appearance to the extreme tonight...and she loved it. After an hours worth of primping, Buffy Anne Summers stood in front of her mirror--leather clad in crimped hair and dark eye makeup. She placed her hands on her hips and tapped them against her skin. Buffy then tilted her head and bit her lower lip as she looked herself over.'There's still something missing' she thought. She abandoned the mirror only to walk into Joyce's room. Buffy smirked as she found the missing ingredient to her girl-gone-bad outfit. She spread the dark colored lipstick over her lips and smacked them together, ending with a kiss intended for no one in particular but herself. She looked in the mirror, this time faced with the final product of her evening's activities.

"God, I look like Faith" she said aloud. Buffy involuntarily smiled softly at the sound of the other slayer's name. Ever since Faith had left, the rogue slayer dominated Buffy's every thought. Deep down Buffy had fallen for Faith ever since the first time they met. She thought her feelings for her fellow slayer would fade with Riley...but she was wrong; her feelings only increased. When she found out that Faith had slept with Riley, she wasn't jealous of Faith--she was jealous of Riley. She was angry that the girl she had cared for for so long ended up with her boyfriend. She knew how silly it was to be thinking along those lines, but she couldn't help it. Buffy was human, and it was only a matter of time before she let her connection with Faith overtake her. But Buffy would drop dead before admitting this to anyone, including herself. She became angry whenever she thought of Faith. Angry for losing Faith. Angry for having to fight with her everytime they met, and angry at herself for not fighting harder to keep Faith in her life.

But Buffy was out to have a good time tonight, which was why she now shook her head, trying to dispel the image of Faith from her mind. With a new spring to her step, Buffy whirled around on the ball of her foot and headed out. Before crossing the thresh hold to Joyce's master bedroom, Buffy studied the label of the lipstick she had just used. Again, she smiled and added a faint laugh as she tossed the lipstick on her mother's bed and slammed the front door shut on her way out.

The Harlott colored lipstick hit the mattress with a light thud before bouncing off and hitting the floor.

*****
Part 2: Realization

The dark lighting, blasting music and sexual energy in the Bronze was fit for any slayer wanting to give into every dark desire she possessed; not necessarily an evil side, but a frisky, outgoing and loose kind of darkness. And it was this darkness that enthralled every person on and off the dance floor. All eyes were on her. Every sexual urge was focused and directed at Buffy, and the petite blond grinned broadly at the revelation. One could say Buffy was not at all unlike Faith�s first appearance in Sunnydale. Buffy was currently dancing with two high school guys. She had wrapped one arm around a tall, dark and handsome type, while the other arm was lifted just above her head, allowing her fingers to run free through her hair. The other guy was dancing behind her, taking in the essence that was Buffy before the blonde left them both pleading for more.

"Nuh uh" Buffy said teasingly, moving her index finger from side to side

"Hands off until I want more" She said smiling, brushing her hand along one of the guy�s cheek while eyeing the other. Lucky for her Riley didn�t enter the Bronze until after Buffy�s erotic free-for-all.

"So where�s Buff? She should be here by now since we are A HALF AN HOUR LATE" Xander said, sternly looking at Anya. The gang was standing in the doorway scanning the room. Anya looked back and stared at her boyfriend before finally answering.

"What? It�s not my fault that I wanted to look sexually desirable for you. I plan to screw you later and I needed to look perfect in order to get a rise out of you."

If the gang studied Xander a little closer they would have found him blushing, but thanks to dark light his crimson color was no where to be found.

"Come on" Willow said, taking Tara�s hand. "Let�s just go to our booth. Buffy�ll find us if she�s here."

Riley, Xander, Anya, Willow and Tara headed to the booth that at least three had occupied since the beginning of high school. Anya quickly scooted in close to Xander while Willow and Tara sat across from one another, preferring to look into each other�s eyes while they sipped their non-alcoholic beverages. Riley had grabbed a near by chair and swung it around backwards, straddling the seat and propping his arms up on the backrest. He was getting restless waiting for his girlfriend. After all he hadn�t seen her in almost an entire 24 hours.

In the mean time, Buffy had made her way over to the bar. She had ordered a beer and when she had gotten turned down because of failure to show an ID, she flirted with an older guy until he had gotten her all the beer she wanted. She then lazily swung around and propped her elbows on the bar top to look at the various couples and non-couples occupying the Bronze. Her eyes scanned the room when she finally spotted the gang. Taking another long swig out of a beer bottle, she pushed off the bar and sauntered over to the booth that contained all her friends.

"Hey guys." She said before she even came to a halt.

Xander glanced up at the Buffy and then back at the table before doing a double take. He had to remember to breath before actually formulating words, let alone thought.

"Whoa. Buffy. Check you out."

The rest of the group looked up to find a sweaty but glistening Buffy drinking a beer.

"Yeah, well you know. Thought I�d try something different for a change." Buffy said as she smiled down at Riley.

"Can I sit?" She asked, motioning with her beer to Riley�s lap. The corn-fed Iowa boy quickly changed his position to allow Buffy to slide comfortably into his arms.

"I see you�re feeling better." Riley said, unable to take his eyes off of Buffy.

"Much. And I promise to show you how much later on." She said with a grin, finally capturing his mouth with hers and kissing him hard. After a few minutes of Buffy�s assault, Riley gently unclasped her hands from around his neck and broke the kiss.

"How bout later, in private." He said, looking at the others and smiling apologetically.

"Buffy," Willow began. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn�t I be Will?"

"Well, you�re drinking beer"

"And?"

"And, if I can remember, that didn�t go so well the last time you tried it"

"Oh pi-sha Willow. It�s ok. I�m of legal age so I might as well do it right?" Buffy said, taking another long sip.

"Uh, Buffy?"

"What Willow?" Buffy said, somewhat annoyed.

"You�re not of legal age." Willow said hesitantly.

"Oh yeah," Buffy giggled "Forgot." She then took another long sip of the beer.

"What�s with the leather Buff? Not to say I don�t like it, after all it has played a big part in every fantasy I�ve *ever* had about you." Xander confessed. Anya slapped his arm.

"Owe! Sorry." He said rubbing the spot that Anya had swatted.

"I dunno. I just felt like it. I wanted a change for once." Buffy said shrugging.

"Why the sudden change though Buffy�if that�s your real name." Willow said.

She suddenly began to get extremely uncomfortable as she flashed back to the last time Buffy acted like this�only it wasn�t Buffy, it was Faith. Buffy rolled her eyes and smiled as Tara calmed Willow down.

"I-It�s ok. This is Buffy. I can tell." She said smiling shyly. Willow immediately relaxed and squeezed Tara�s hand, trusting that her girlfriend was right. She was last time.

"So" Xander said clapping his hands together. "Now that Buffy�s gone all doppleganger on us I say we have some fun."

"I know, we could all go away from each other and have sex." Anya said with a sincere smile on her face. The group just looked at her for a few moments before shaking their heads and deciding to ignore the comment. Buffy got off of Riley�s lap and tugged at his hand.

"C�mon, let�s dance." She said. Riley laughed nervously.

"Aahh I don�t dance."

"Oh come on silly, everyone can dance. Just�move your body" Buffy said. Riley finally gave in and followed Buffy to the dance floor. He began jerking his hips stiffly from side to side and moving his arms up and down. Buffy gave him a horrifyingly embarrassed look and then took his hand, quickly leading him back to the booth. Willow looked at both of them quizzically.

"Dance over already?" She asked.

"Um, I wouldn�t call it dancing" Buffy said. Riley shrugged his shoulders and sat back down onto his chair.

"I told you, I don�t dance" He said.

"Can�t�is more like it" Buffy said. She sighed and looked around the room.

"I never noticed how dull this place is" She said, gulping down the last of her drink.

"News flash. Take away the vamps and demons, not to mention the now and again apocalypse, and you�ve got one bored-out-of-your-mind place." Xander replied.

"I-if this is boring, w-what else is there to do?" Tara asked.

"Well�we can always go off and have hot, sweaty intercourse without the intent of procreation." Anya said, trying to help the situation.

"Anya, we talked about this. That�s AFTER fun time with our friends." Xander said.

"Oh, right. Sorry. Continue" She said with a wave of her hand. Buffy sighed again and rolled her eyes.

"Ok you know what? All of you guys are just a little too mellow for me right now. I�m gonna take off. I�ll call you all later�with the exception of Anya."

"Hey" Anya said defensively.

"Sorry." Buffy shrugged "I don�t have your number." She lied. With that she kissed Riley on the cheek and sauntered out of the Bronze, not before stopping to dance momentarily with a hottie that was begging for it. Riley saw Buffy dancing with the guy and clenched his jaw, angrily turning back around to grab his drink. Willow noticed Riley�s anger and gently spoke up.

"I-it�s ok Riley. I think she�s just going through a phase. What...phase�I�m not sure but one that hopefully doesn�t last a long time." The redhead said with a worried look. The gang watched Buffy push passed a couple of people, one that was so obviously a vamp, before slamming the door open and walking into the darkness of the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The once rogue slayer moped along the streets of Sunnydale. She had done a lot of thinking when she last left this town. After switching bodies with B, she had headed to LA to see no one in particular. She had spent some months renting out a motel room with the money the Mayor had left her, but with the cost of food and all the dream of a roof over her head quickly faded into reality.

But on exceptionally lonely nights, while she was in her room, she would lay awake and think of nothing but Sunnydale; what she could have become and what could have come to be if Alan Finch had never shown up that night. She regretted every single thing she had done from that point on. The regret had finally consumed her, and the guilt forced her into a state of remission. She swore to the mold-covered ceiling of her motel room that she would *never* do another thing to hurt anyone again�and the rest of her life would be devoted to making it all up to the one person she hurt the most. She came to the conclusion that her reasoning for her actions in Sunnydale were out of hate. She hated that Buffy would never love her�never open up her arms to her, never share a tender kiss with her. She was jealous that Buffy would never shower her with the same attention she gave to everyone else. Most of all, the blonde would never profess her undying need for the other slayer, yet that was another thing that plagued the dark-haired beauty; she had never told Buffy how she herself felt.

But now the other slayer, known as Faith, had given herself another chance by returning to Sunnydale, although she didn�t recognize her second chance at first. She had passed by some of the cemeteries for awhile, hoping to find some action. She did hear a scream from the last cemetery she passed, the one that Buffy and her had spent most of their "girl-bonding" time together, but when she finally arrived at the scene there was no one to be found save a pile of dust, blood stains on the grass and a bloody stake tossed to the side. She thought that a *bloody* stake sitting next to a pile of dust was odd, but quickly shrugged it off and headed out of the cemetery. Where she was going, she didn�t know. All Faith knew was that an aching pain ripped and pulled at her heart, and Buffy Summers was the one doing the tugging.

The dark-haired girl wandered the streets until nightfall of the following day.

"What the hell am I doing here?" Faith wondered out loud. But she knew, she knew the answer as well as she knew why she was now standing outside of Buffy�s house. Faith could best be described as a moth spotting a blinding light. She was undeniably drawn to the light that was Buffy Summers, and she didn�t mind at all if she ended up being zapped in the process. All she wanted was to be near her; the blond is all that mattered.

Faith stopped herself in mid-knock.

"What am I doing? What would I even say? �Um, yeah hi B. Just came by to check up on ya" Faith scoffed at herself and then sighed. She hopped back down the steps and stared at the ground while she walked away. She suddenly bumped into something that was dressed in a black duster. The rest of the figure was cloaked in black and the only part of him that stood out in the darkness was his bleach-blond hair. Faith immediately became defensive in her bad mood.

"Watch it!" She spat and stared at the figure. The man in black then lit a cigarette and answered with a full-blown British accent.

"Well you�re not the one I normally would be watching, but nice to see you none-the-less." He said casually.

"Spike?" Faith asked.

"Um, yeah. Do I know you?" He said, tilting his head and taking a step closer to Faith.

"Yeah, how could you forget? We met�" Faith trailed off when she realized that the one time they had met was when she had taken over Buffy�s body. "Never. We never met. You, uh, just looked like an old boyfriend�.whose name is Spike." She finished, giving herself a disgusted look of how lame that sounded. But she figured Spike was dumb enough to believe her, and it turned out that Faith had him pegged.

"Oh, well fancy he�s a good looking chap then. So who are you, why are you here?"

Faith hesitated before answering him. "We�re old friends, me and Buffy." She motioned to the house, " I�m Faith. That�s all you need to know." Faith looked at Spike and then squinted her eyes in a questioning manner.

"Why are *you* here?" She asked. Spike�s composure seemed to falter before answering.

"Right. So, I�m also a friend of Buffy�s and I was just�.checking up on her." Spike said, taking a drag from his cigarette.

"Yeah, well it looks like she�s not home. So maybe you should get going." Faith said.

"Why don�t you leave?"

"I am." Faith said with a solid glare.

"Fine." Spike snickered

"Fine." Faith snickered right back. There was a long pause before Spike realized that he had no way out, so he put in a last word before leaving for good.

"Well then, if you see her out and about, be a pet and tell her I stopped by." Spike said glaring.

"Sure thing." Faith lied. Spike looked Faith over and glared one last time, mumbling incoherently before leaving in the opposite direction of Buffy�s house. He already didn�t like the dark-haired girl.

Faith took one last look at Buffy�s house before sighing. She stopped herself before she could sigh a second time, realizing that she was doing too much of it these days. She turned around and drove smack-dab into yet another person.

"Jeezus, what is it with this town. Doesn�t anyone know how to fucking walk?" She said angrily as she stumbled back and looked up to glare at her obstacle.

"You�re one to talk." Buffy said harshly, equally stumbling back, although she lost her balance not because of Faith�s body, but because of the few beers she had before actually leaving the Bronze.

Faith stood there for what seemed like forever and looked at Buffy dumb-founded. First of all, the other slayer wasn�t ready to deal with her, even though Faith was the one to come to Buffy�s house. Second of all, Buffy was dressed in leather and that alone was enough knock the wind out of her.

"Buffy?" Faith asked, smelling the alcohol on the blonde�s breath.

Buffy regained her composure and looked up. Even though she was somewhat tipsy, she immediately recognized the voice belonging to the girl that had just bumped into her. She stared at Faith for a long time before realizing that even after a few months of not seeing her, Faith still had the power to make Buffy�s hard skip a beat and prevent her from forming any type of thought.

"Faith" Buffy said gently, taking a few step towards her.

They both stood in silence, content in just staring at each other. And they both knew that their memories of one another had not come close the reality of both their beauty. They stood in that contented silence until it was broken with spoken thoughts of confusion and realization.

*****
Part 3: Want. Take. Have.

Buffy quickly snapped out of the thrall Faith had put her under and shook her head slightly. She glared at Faith and took a few wobbly steps towards her.

"Why are you here?"

At the sound of Buffy�s voice, Faith emerged from her own trance and looked the blond over.

"That�s the question I�ve been asking myself over and over, yet I can�t seem to answer it" Faith said.

Unsatisfied with Faith�s reply, Buffy frowned and curled her lip.

"Hhmmm, well let me help you then. Youuuu came here to screw with my life again? Or maybe you couldn�t get enough of my body and wanted to take another joy ride in it, maybe fuck my boyfriend again?"

*Ouch. That one hurt* Faith thought and winced at the memory of their last encounter.

"No, that�s not it B�"

"Then what is?" Buffy said firmly.

Faith lowered her eyes and thought for a moment. She knew why she had come back to Sunnydale, hell the reason was glaring drunkenly up at her. But Faith wasn�t ready to fess up to how much the blond meant to her. Besides, she wanted Buffy to be able to remember her profession of love when the time did come. So Faith opted to tell the partial truth.

"Ok. I came back to say�well I mean I want to�"

*Fuck, just get it out already* Faith thought.

"I�m sorry Buffy. I�m sorry for everything. I�m sorry for hurting you so much, and people you care about. I�m sorry for pushing you away from me and for not fighting to keep you in my life instead of taking you out. In short, I guess I�m sorry for being such a bitch."

Faith, unable to look at Buffy any longer, looked down at her hands and then up at the sky, praying that her fellow slayer wouldn�t kick her ass. She didn�t want Buffy to think she was bullshitting her, so Faith had spoken with every ounce of sincerity she could muster.

In the meantime, Buffy fought back the tears that were threatening to burst from her eyes. She had waited�dreamt�for so long to hear those words escape from Faith�s lips. She was breathing hard and her chest was noticeably moving up and down. Faith couldn�t help but stare at Buffy�s luscious breasts, heaving up and down and almost popping out of her top. Damn. One thing was for sure, and that was Buffy looked almost as good in leather as Faith did. She caught herself staring at Buffy and mentally slapped herself for so obviously doing so. The dark-haired girl cleared her throat and spoke up.

"So, yeah. Just thought you should know�that I�ve changed. I guess I�ll go now."

Faith turned to leave but before she could take another step, she felt Buffy�s hand grab her own. She turned around and the blond stared back at her for a few moments before speaking.

"No�stay. I want you to stay. If you could say you�re sorry I guess I�m willing to forgive." Buffy smiled warmly. Who was she kidding? Buffy had forgiven Faith long ago. She smiled and immediately Faith relaxed. The other slayer looked the blond over once more and quirked an eyebrow, playfully crossing her arms and smirking.

"So what is this B? You trying to snag my style?" she said, motioning to the leather. Buffy laughed deeply and spoke in a voice meant to tease.

"Maybe. What are you gonna do about it?"

Faith scoffed and smiled.

"Not a damn thing. You look wicked sexy."

Buffy laughed again and took Faith the by the arm.

"Where are you staying?"

Faith looked around, trying to think of a reasonable excuse of where she was staying, but came up with nothing. She shrugged and answered Buffy.

"Nowhere. You know me, not a roof-over-your-head type of gal."

"Then you�re staying with me tonight."

"Uh, I don�t think that�s such a good idea ." Faith said with an uncertain look.

Buffy turned on the pouty face and knit her brow.

"Why not?"

"Well for one thing, I don�t think your mom will be jumpin for joy to see me."

"Oh, that. She�s not home. She said something about staying in LA for some reason�I don�t remember, I wasn�t really paying attention. Anyway, so we have the house all to ourselves."

Faith almost got off right then and there to the thought of her and Buffy in a her house alone, spending the night together. She smirked to herself.

However, Faith�s fantasies were cut short as four vamps, along with a short blond girl, headed straight for the two slayers. Harmony seemed to be skipping towards Buffy as the four vamps behind her followed confidently.

"Well well, if it isn�t the slayer" Harmony said with a stupid smile. Buffy rolled her eyes and seemed to snarl at the ridiculous girl turned vampire.

"Oh god," Buffy mumbled, "What do you want Harmony?"

Harmony came face to face with Buffy and clasped her hands behind her back, swinging her arms from side to side.

"I just came to tell you that I found *new* minions. They�re stronger, faster, and they actually listen to me." Harmony mumbled the last part to herself.

"Great. So what do you want, a cookie?" Buffy said as if she were talking to a two year old.

"No" Harmony snickered "I want you dead�a lot" the ditzy vampire finished. She snapped her fingers and immediately the four vampires rushed at Buffy. The slayer stepped aside and pushed the first one away as the second came toward her. She dealt a few jabs to the vamps jaw before spinning around and kicking it square in the face. The vamp stumbled back and Buffy produced a stake that had been tucked into her pants at the small of her back.

"See, lucky for you I always come prepared." She said as she grabbed the collar of the vamp and drove the stake home. The blond exhaled loudly and smiled to herself.

"One down three to go" She said. She looked around and noticed that Faith had gotten a hold of two out of the original four vampires. "Make that one" She said turning to finish off the vamp she had pushed away.

While Buffy was busy pummeling her the creature, Faith had jumped into slayer mode as soon as she saw the vamps going for Buffy. She grabbed one and kicked it swiftly in the stomach before back handing it a couple of time. The dark-haired slayer frantically searched for any type of stake before spotting the tree outside of Buffy�s window. She quickly ran towards the tree while the two vamps followed her. Reaching for a low tree branch, Faith hastily snapped it from the trunk of the tree and turned around. One of the vamps was on her in an instant, pushing her up against the tree and grinning broadly, figuring he had the girl cornered, while the other strode up to them also smiling.

"You know if you guys don�t stop that your faces could get stuck that way. Didn�t your mommas ever teach you that?" She said with a grunt as she easily flung the vamp off of her. It fell to the ground and Faith jumped on top of him, forcefully plunging the homemade stake into his chest. The vamp turned to dust instantaneously and Faith fell the rest of the way to the ground. A few seconds later Faith shoved the stake behind her without even looking and hit the vamp that had bent down to grab her right in the chest. She tossed the stake aside and got up, dusting off her hands. Faith suddenly heard Buffy scream and her head shot up to see what was going on.

The last vamp had Buffy�s hands pinned behind her back while Harmony was punching the exact spot where the slayer had been staked.

With a growl, Faith ran as fast as she could behind the vamp. She kicked it in the back and the vamp let Buffy fall out of its grasp as it arched its body to cry outl. Faith clasped both her hands together to create one giant fist and brought them down on the vamps shoulder, driving it to the ground. She straddled the vamps back and grasped its head in both hands, snapping its neck in under two seconds flat. Buffy managed to push Harmony away and then tossed her stake to Faith. Faith felt the vampire convulse under her body before ramming the stake into its heart. It turned to dust and the brunette watched the pieces flutter away in the light breeze. She then stood slowly up and glared at Harmony, walking back over to a weakened Buffy.

"MY MINIONS!!" Harmony screamed as she stomped her foot. "What the hell is this? Who are you??" She screamed at Faith.

Buffy grasped her shoulder and looked hard at Harmony, speaking in a voice as cold as ice.

"It�s your wake up call" She said. The two slayers simultaneously felt an odd sense of dejavu at the spoken words. Faith breathed in and continued just as harshly.

"I�m Faith�the *second* vampire slayer." She said. Buffy looked up at Faith and the two girls exchanged grins before returning their attention to the snobby vampire. Harmony�s face transformed into a look of horror and she started to whine.

"There�s *two* of you?? Oh my god, It�s a conspiracy!" she said. She then laughed uneasily and continued. "Um, please don�t kill me right now. I�m all alone�and�two against one isn�t fair!" She cried. "HELP!!" she screamed as she ran off in the opposite direction. Buffy gave out a weak laugh and Faith just stood there.

"Who the fuck was that?" The dark-haired slayer asked.

"Oh, *that* was Harmony. She tries to be all �mastermind-vamp� but it never works."

Buffy clasped her hand into Faith�s once more and smiled warmly up at her.

"C�mon, you�re staying with me tonight whether you like it or not."

"Whatever you say B" Faith shrugged. With a smile plastered on her face, she stared at Buffy�s ass while the blond held her hand and dragged her into the house.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After changing into a tank top and a pair of sweats Buffy had lent her, Faith lazily plopped down on the Summer�s couch and turned on the TV. She was waiting for Buffy to return from her room and her mind kept drifting back to Buffy�s leather get up. Sure she loved the outfit, hell for awhile Faith had tried to get Buffy out of her pastel faze and into a black one, but B had always refused. So why now? Why all of a sudden did Buffy look like a girl who was trying to fit into close that bore no resemblance to her personality. And why did Buffy forgive her so quickly? After everything that Faith had done to the girl, why had Buffy not gone after her like every other confrontation the slayers had? The brunette came to the conclusion that it probably was the alcohol that did it�but then again Buffy doesn�t drink. At least she didn�t when she was around her--

Suddenly the brunette heard Buffy�s door open, interrupting her confusion. Faith turned her head to glance up at the stairs. Buffy came to the top step, slowly caressing the railing and continued to saunter her way down. She was dressed in a white tank top that was too small and skimpy gray cut-off sweats that almost gave Faith a clear view of her ass cheeks. The blond slayer hopped down the last step and made her way over to the kitchen. Faith swallowed hard and never took her eyes off of the, almost painfully, beautiful slayer. Buffy casually looked back at Faith while opening the frige.

"So I�m guessing your hungry�among other things." Buffy said smirking. She turned back to Faith and leaned against the kitchen counter. "That�s ok, I am too. So what are you hungry for?"

Faith had the urge to say "you" but fought back. She shrugged instead and turned off the TV, wanting much rather to focus her attention on other things.

"What do ya got?" Faith asked

Buffy popped her head into the frige and started listing off possibilities.

"Umm..there�s fruit�left over pasta�JELLO�"

"Hell yeah, bust out the JELLO." Faith said.

"You got it" Buffy said as she slid the bowl of JELLO from the shelf in the refrigerator and placed it on the counter. She went to close the frige door when she caught sight of something. Her eyes gleamed with excitement and Buffy smiled wickedly as she pulled the whipped cream from the shelf and placed it next to the JELLO. She slammed the door shut and took the bowl and whipped cream in both hands. She managed to open the drawer of silverware and grabbed two spoons. She closed the drawer with her hip and made her way over to the couch. Buffy set the two items on the coffee table and sat down next to Faith, grazing the younger slayer�s thigh with her own. Faith noticed the contact and flushed.

*God, you have to get a grip girl. She just sat next to you. Breath* Faith thought. She looked over at Buffy who was currently staring at Faith�s breasts. The blond looked away quickly when Faith turned her head to look at her and focused on the JELLO.

*Was she just---no* the brunette thought. She cleared her throat for the second time that night and spoke up.

"So, what kind is it?" Faith asked

"It�s the new kind, with those fizzy bubbly things in it. I don�t know, my mom wanted to try something different." She shrugged. Faith nodded her head.

For the first time that night, Faith noticed the bandage on Buffy�s shoulder.

"Hey, what�s with that?" She said, motioning to Buffy�s shoulder. The blond shifted uncomfortably and looked around the room.

"O-oh this? Nah, it�s nothing. I was doing routine patrol in the cemetery and a vamp staked me---"

"Whoa what? Stop, rewind�you got staked??" Faith said shocked.

"Look it�s nothing, forget about it" Buffy said.

"Buffy you were staked by a blood sucker, I don�t call that nothing." Faith said furiously. She wasn�t mad at Buffy, but rather mad at herself for not being there. She should have been at Buffy�s side to protect her.

"I shoulda�I shoulda been there to�"

Buffy cut her off.

"Faith this isn�t your fault. Now let�s just forget about�please? I-I don�t want to talk about it." Buffy pleaded. Faith noticed how uncomfortable the subject made her, so she decided not to press the issue. Faith sat back in the couch, still fuming. She caught site of the JELLO and angrily sat up to go for a spoon. Buffy clasped her hand over Faith�s before the other slayer could pick it up.

"No� not yet" Buffy said huskily.

Faith immediately relaxed and looked over at Buffy. *She always could do that* Faith thought, *She always knows how to calm me down.*

The two slayers stared at each other�s lips. Before Faith knew what she was doing, she captured Buffy�s mouth with her own. A flood of passion rushed to each girl�s center. Buffy opened her mouth slightly and Faith�s tongue had just begun to except the invitation before Faith withdrew completely. Buffy stared at her confused.

"I�m sorry B. I didn�t mean to�" Faith trailed off out of humiliation. Had she just done that?? Had she *seriously* kissed straight-as-they-come Buffy Summers? Apparently she had because Buffy protested.

"Did you hear, or feel me complaining?"

*What?* Faith thought. The dark-haired slayer looked at Buffy confused. Buffy just smiled and slowly draped her leg over Faith�s lap, straddling her. Surrendering to complete and utter awe, Faith settled back against the couch. She felt Buffy grind her hips one time before reaching behind her and taking the whipped cream off the table. The other slayer watched as Buffy sprayed some on her finger and then suck it off. She licked her lips and closed her eyes, once again thrusting against Faith�s upper thigh. Faith groaned as she saw lust wash over Buffy. She noticed that Buffy�s nipples had become painfully erect through the whit tank top, and desperately wanted to see what each one tastes like, but managed to hold off when she brought her attention back to Buffy�s face. After marveling in the sensation of Faith�s thigh between her legs, Buffy opened her eyes and stared at Faith. She lowered herself and the two slayers nose to nose. Buffy caressed the brunette�s cheek as she spoke in a husky voice.

"What was that saying again?" She breathed. With a cat-like gesture, Buffy licked the top of Faith�s upper lip and ran her hands up Faith�s thighs.

"Oh yeah�want�take��have" She said the last word with her lips brushing against Faith�s. The dark slayer once against swallowed hard before she felt the sensation of Buffy�s lips reunite with her own.

*****