My stomach was twisting around so much that it was like I was out there on the track instead of Faith. Obviously, the late night yesterday hadn't hurt her because she'd already won the 200 meter race without even looking like she'd broken a sweat. I'd actually had to physically drag her home from the Bronze even though she insisted that midnight was just way too early to leave. Xander raised the homemade sign he'd promised, cheering like a maniac as Faith lined up for the last race she was scheduled for --- the mile. Mom and Willow clapped excitedly next to me. I was too nervous to cheer. My hands were clenched tight in my lap as my eyes fixed on Faith's figure.

She looked so focused. Her eyes were staring straight ahead, her body rigid before exploding into motion as the starter's gun went off. I watched almost mesmerized as she took the lead from the start and never looked back. When all the other girls were bunched up into a group, struggling for position, she was pulling further and further ahead, like she was running against something that only she could see, nipping at her heels and chasing her ever faster. It was a forgone conclusion when she finally crossed the finish line in first place. The first thing she did was look up, searching the stands. And when her eyes settled over the four of us, she beamed, her smile wide and victorious.

We all made our way down and enveloped her in a group hug as we all told her how proud we were of her. We finally had to let go when they called her up to receive her trophy but when the ceremony was done, the group hug was back on until Coach Foster took Faith aside for some words of her own. I hid a smirk behind one hand when I saw Faith wincing as the Coach enthusiastically slapped her on the back a couple of times. She was just about to jog back when the ground began doing something it doesn't normally do. I felt it through the soles of my shoes, at first just a slight trembling which quickly changed to a violent shaking. It lasted less than a minute and when it seemed like it was finally over, everyone began picking themselves up from where they'd been thrown, astonished that something like that had happened out of the blue.

Luckily, nobody seemed to have gotten any serious injuries. Just a lot of bruises and scrapes. After all the excitement passed, we all piled into mom's car and drove home for a celebratory pizza party slash post earthquake party and somehow that turned into a competition of who could eat the most slices of pie by Faith and Xander. Faith won of course. She's like a bottomless pit when it comes to food, especially after she's done something strenuous like run beforehand. Mom muttered something about us eating her out of house and home before taking off for the gallery because she still had to catalogue some new shipment of antiques she'd just gotten. Before she left, she gave us strict instructions to pick up all of the doodads that had been knocked over by the quake.

And that left the four of us hanging out at the house which was nice because, for once, we didn't have some dire demon situation hanging over us like a cloud --- at least not too dire. Nothing that couldn't be left till Monday to figure out anyway. I walked into the kitchen for a drink, the conversation between Willow and Faith about why Fred and Daphne from the Scooby Doo cartoon always left to 'investigate' things together following me out of the room. I was rooting through the refrigerator when Xander's voice interrupted.

"Hey Buff," he said, walking into the kitchen. "Do you have any more of that artificially sweetened, made from concentrate fruit punch I adore so much in there?"

I popped back up with another bottle. "You're in luck. This is the last one." As I handed it to him, our fingers inadvertently grazed and he almost dropped the juice.

"Uh, thanks," he said, recovering.

I turned back around, pretending that I was still looking for something. Way before I'd decided to go to the dance with Faith, Xander had asked me. At first, I didn't know what he was talking about because he was stuttering so much. When I finally figured out that he was trying to ask me out, I almost didn't know how to handle the situation. Here was a real good friend of mine who I'd never thought of in any other way *but* as a friend, asking me to go out on a date with him. In hindsight, I guess he must have had crushy feelings towards me from the start but I'd just never noticed, or never *let* myself notice. In the back of my mind, I must have hoped it would blow over. But obviously it hadn't. I'd given him the speech about how I only saw him as a friend and he'd cut me off halfway saying he understood. But no matter what he says or how much he might 'understand', I know you can't just turn your feelings off because someone doesn't return those feelings. So now, even though I hate that it's there, there's an awkwardness that surfaces between the two of us from time to time. I turn back towards him and we smile, not a comfortable smile, not even a very believable one, but we smile because we're friends.

I followed him out of the kitchen, squeezing in between Faith and the armrest of the couch, putting the can of soda in her hands.

"Thanks, B," she says absentmindedly, still focused on the conversation she was having with Willow. She's so cute when she's having a serious discussion even if that serious discussion is about the sexual predilections of two cartoon characters. I scrunch up my brows because, now that I think about it, that is just too weird.

She turns towards me suddenly, a question lighting her face. "You agree with me, right, B?" I don't even know what I'm supposed to be agreeing with but I couldn't have said no if my life depended on it. Willow protested from where she was sitting, mad that I was taking sides and I shrug sheepishly because, in effect, I was.

Later that night as I was lying on my stomach on Faith's bed, staring at the two huge trophies she'd left standing on the floor, I vaguely wondered if mom would be lonely staying in Sunnydale all by herself during summer break. I'd wanted her to come to LA with us but she had insisted that she had way too much work left to do at the gallery for her to take any time off. And thinking about summer left me thinking about dad. I'd spoken with him on the telephone at least once a week since coming to Sunnydale. I was really excited to spend two months with him and even more excited to introduce him to Faith. I smiled just planning everything out in my head because I wanted the summer to be perfect.

Faith walked through the door just then, pink and clean from the shower and I smiled even wider as she walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

"What are you thinking?" I asked, watching her stare thoughtfully at the two trophies on the floor.

She turned her head, smirking. "I was just thinking that if I won anymore of those damn things, I wouldn't be able to walk into my own room without tripping."

"Aren't we confident?" I asked, teasing her gently.

She gave me a smug grin and slipped into bed as I made room for her. "If you got it, flaunt it as I always say."

It just seemed natural to stay here even though my room was right across the hall, just a couple of steps away. But why would I want to do that if I'm already so comfortable right where I was? It wouldn't make sense, I thought as I wrapped myself around Faith's side. Invariably, my fingers started tracing the small, circular scar on her right bicep. It was either that or the tribal tattoo which was also on her right arm. Both fascinated me but for different reasons. The tattoo was like Faith herself --- bold and unapologizing. Its design, a jagged vine, winding around her arm, almost like it belonged there and had been there forever. She told me she got it awhile back by a friend who was training to be a tattoo artist.

The scar, on the other hand, fascinated me for the exact reason that it looked like it didn't belong. Because it looked so out of place and it felt so out of place as my fingers ran lightly over it. The only time I'd asked how she'd gotten the scar, Faith had moved her arm away and said that she didn't want to talk about it. I haven't asked since then but I still like touching it just to feel it contrasting with the smooth, perfect skin surrounding it on all sides.

I fell asleep still playing with it and I knew I was dreaming the minute it hit me. But this wasn't any old dream. It was strange, too real, too sharp but with that displaced quality about everything that told me that it was still a dream. I pulled up from the bed, glancing beside me to see that Faith was asleep. Somehow, I knew I wasn't supposed to wake her, that she wasn't supposed to be involved so I slipped out of bed, automatically heading towards the bathroom. There, in the mirror, I saw myself. But I didn't look right. I was too pale, too sick. I turned on the faucet, hoping that a cold splash of water would help me look more like myself but there was no water, only blood as it coursed out of the pipes, staining the white sink red.

That's when I woke up.

"You look like shit, B." I glanced over at Faith quickly before flicking my eyes back to the road.

"That's good because I feel kind of like shit too." I'd told her about the dream. She'd told me not to worry about it but I couldn't get it out of my mind. As soon as I got to the school, I went straight to the library hoping that Giles could tell me more about it. I saw that he still had some cleaning up to do since the quake seemed to have overturned a few shelves of books. I just hope he didn't expect me, feeling the way I am, to help too much in that area.

I didn't see Giles immediately but I heard his voice coming out of the office. I walked towards his door, my mouth already open, preparing to form his name when something he said caught my attention and the words froze on my tongue. I looked through the door, his back was to me, talking on the phone.

"There's no way around it as far as I can tell...Yes, the signs all point to it. Everything written in the Codex is coming true, only the last leg of the Prophecy remains..." He ran a hand through his hair in agitation. "I've gone over it and over it but it's very clear. Buffy will face the Master Vampire when he rises a-and, she will die."

I felt like the ground had dropped out from under me. His words were still ringing in my ears as he turned around, a look of shock coming into his face when he saw me standing there. I idly wondered if it mirrored my own at the moment. "I'll call you back," he quickly said, hanging up.

"When were you planning on telling me?" My voice sounded strange to my own ears.

"I had to make sure," he said, his eyes pleading for me to understand. "To make sure that there were no other interpretations--"

"So that's it?!" I nearly shouted. How? This couldn't be happening. How could my life end on the say so of a book? "Some stupid book says I'm going to die and I'm supposed to just lay down and take it?"

"N-no, of course not." He took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes wearily. "But--"

"But nothing!" I interrupt again. "You're not the Slayer. You don't risk your life every night going out there and fighting monsters. No, you stick your nose in some book and call it helping me. Well how are you going to help me now, Giles?! Are you going to fight him for me?" All he could do was look at me with a sadness in his eyes. "No, of course not. I have to fight this myself, right? It's all up to me or the world's going to end and people are going to die." I turned around and walked out. I couldn't look at him anymore, couldn't listen to him preach about how it was my destiny because, right now, I could care less about destiny. I was seventeen years old. I just didn't want to die.

I ran out to the parking lot and jumped into my car, thoughts of running away swirling through my mind. I felt like banging my head against the steering wheel because there was no way I could run away. Not when the Master was about to rise. Not when everyone I loved would be put in danger because I was too much of a coward to face up to him. I didn't know what to do, I didn't know how to act so I started the car and drove, hoping that would clear my mind.

I don't know how long I drove. I don't know how long it'd been since I'd parked in this lot and just sat here staring outside the windshield at the minimart. I don't know how long until there was a tapping on the driver's side window and I looked up to see a vampire standing outside, a placid look on his monstrous face. I don't know how long I had sat there but as I peered out at my would-be escort, I knew I couldn't stay there any longer. So I climbed out and followed because this was more than my job. This was my duty, my responsibility.

****

I walked behind Angel with a flashlight in my hand as we walked through the tunnel. I wanted to yell at him to hurry up cause every second we wasted was a second that Buffy was by herself. A second that could mean the Master had already broken free, had already killed her. My throat started seizing up at the thought. No, Buffy couldn't die no matter what Giles said. Him and his stupid prophecy could both go to hell along with everyone else as long as Buffy was okay. He hadn't even bothered to tell me what was going on until I'd walked through the library at the end of school and asked where Buffy was. Then he'd broken down. Then he'd told me.

And now we were all following Angel through this tunnel because he was the only one who knew where the Master was --- where Buffy was. I had no doubt she'd be there already cause that was so like her. She wouldn't have been able to live with herself if she didn't try to stop him from rising. She would have risked her life to protect the rest of us. And when I found her, I'd tell her what a crazy bitch I thought she was before I'd hug her and hold her to me and never, ever let go again.

A light glowed at the end of the tunnel and all of us tensed, knowing that this was it. This was the bastard's lair. Xander and Giles were behind me. Angel was one step in front of me and Buffy was on the other side. I knew it in my gut. I ran forward, slipping past Angel's outstretched hand and heading straight towards the light. And as I ran, it was like my body was rearranging itself, shifting, changing. I didn't know what was happening and I didn't care cause when I came out, I saw Buffy, lying facedown in a shallow pool of water. My world turned dark as I dimly watched Angel rushing in and tackling the vampires who were just about to attack me. I watched as Xander and Giles ran in after him, pulling Buffy's lifeless body out of the water. I watched as they turned her face, looking for any signs that she was alive and seeing nothing. Absolutely nothing.

And then I heard the laughter. The laughter, grating on my every nerve, coming from behind me. I turned and saw him. The murderer --- the one who'd taken Buffy away from me --- the one I was going to kill with my bare hands. I ran at him and I punched and I kicked and I ignored the dull pain as he hit me back cause nothing he could do could hurt me anymore than I already was. I didn't stop my fists or my feet until my stake was in my hands and I'd rammed it into his chest. I was kneeling there, breathing hard and looking at the bloody skeleton he'd become when I heard my name.

The voice was unmistakable but it couldn't be true. I turned around slowly, wanting it to be true so badly that every part of me ached for it. My eyes found hers and I choked on the sob rising in my throat. She walked towards me on shaky legs and kneeled in front of me. My Buffy. I did what I swore I'd do. "You fucking, crazy bitch." My voice was hoarse, torn. I grab her and hold her to me, feeling her warmth, her life, her breath and I held on until I wasn't shaking anymore, until everything started getting black.

They tell me I fainted. That's the first time that ever happened to me...ever. I can't say I liked the whole experience either. Cause, for one thing, I missed out on all the great shit that happened next. Buffy tells me they cleaned out the rest of the vamp nest and took me home. Okay, maybe it wasn't such great shit after all but I still missed it. What with them bringing me back unconscious and all, I still don't know what inventive bullshit they came up with to get pass mom. I woke up sometime around four in the morning, felt Buffy snuggled up against me and fell right back to sleep cause I knew everything would be all right now.

It wasn't like either one of us wanted to go to school that day but there was stuff that needed clearing up cause if you think about it, there ain't no way I could've taken down that freaking Master Vamp by myself. Giles who looked all nervous and wouldn't even look me in the eye most of the time I was there, told me in a roundabout 'why-won't-you-get-to-the-point?' way that I was now a Slayer.

"Say what?" I just stared at him. I mean, how could I be a Slayer? This had to be a weak-ass joke, right?

"It's true," he says, playing with a book in his hands. "During that whole episode, Buffy was technically dead, albeit for a few seconds before Xander was able to revive her. So, another Slayer was called in her place even though she's still very much alive."

I looked over at Buffy and she shrugs at me as if to say this didn't make sense to her either. "All right, fine," I say to Giles. "But why me? Did you know it was going to be me?" I ask suspiciously.

He kept playing with the book as if that would help him think better. "Not exactly."

"Then what exactly?"

"You were a potential Slayer," he said, blowing out a soft breath. "Along with dozens of others. We didn't know if you would actually be the next called, only that you were a possibility."

I didn't know whether to be pissed or relieved. If I hadn't been 'called' right then, everybody could have died, including Buffy. And now, I've got all these cool new super powers but after you get pass that, then comes the responsibility part, the duty part, the destiny part, the part that sucks. Not to mention that I think Giles should've told me about the possibility I'd be a Slayer and come out with it before it actually happened. I sat there a few more seconds before I got up and left. Buffy came out after me like I knew she would and stopped me as I was opening my locker.

"Are you mad?" She asks.

Was I? "Not mad," I said, grinning weakly at her. "Just a little pissed that he didn't tell me anything about it before." I looked back towards the hallway and narrowed my eyes just thinking about it. "Was it that hard for him to mention it? Give me a warning, a wink-wink, something?"

She leaned her shoulder against the bank of lockers and tilted her head, staring in that patient way she always does at me. "You know Giles. He's this totally English, by the book, research is the only solution, and did I mention English, Watcher and he has to answer to the Council who are even more English and by the book than he is. But I know he cares for all of us even if he doesn't openly show it. I know, at the end of the day, he's only doing what he thinks is the best for us."

Now how was I supposed to argue against that? "You've gotta at least give me a couple of days to get over being pissed," I said, giving into the logic with a mock exasperated look.

"I think I can do that," she said, walking me down to my class which I was already late for. When we got there, we loitered outside until she finally said, "Why don't we just skip this period? We're already incredibly late anyway. No point in disturbing the class with our intrusion."

I smiled broadly at her, won over by her logic yet again. "What do you have in mind, B?"

"Early lunch?" She suggested with a quirked eyebrow and a dancing smile of her own.

We never did make it to the rest of our classes that day. It was just too much fun hanging out with Buffy to ever even think about going back to listen to some stupid lecture again. We'd both survived death yesterday and I guess we were still getting off the high, the relief. During the rest of that afternoon, sometimes, I found myself looking over at her and wondering how it was that I could've lost her so easily --- that I might never have seen her face, her smile, her eyes looking at me as if I were the only person in the world. And that's when I know that I'll take all the responsibility, all the duty, and all the bullshit Giles can dish out at me just so I can be there for her, watching her back, making sure that nothing like that will even come close to happening again. And, of course, during those times, she looks over at me with a gentle smile on her lips, almost as if she knows what I'm thinking.

Maybe I'm reading more into it than there was but that's the same smile I see on her lips three days later when she walks down the stairs, absolutely, hands down the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. I was standing there, my mouth hanging open as she walked down wearing a deep blue dress, so blue, it was almost black. It draped her body and showed off just what an incredible figure she had and her hair was done up with a silver tiara or headband holding it in place.

She looked like something out of a fairy tale.

"Oh, wow, B..." That was about all I could get out before mom came in with a camera, making sure to record this Kodak moment for posterity before shooing us out the door with the advice that we have fun. I kept slipping her looks all through the drive to the school. My eyes just seemed to wander over whenever the rest of me wasn't paying attention and that was every few minutes. I'm sure she noticed. How could she not notice the way I'm gawking at her. But she doesn't say anything.

When we get to the dance, Xander and Red come right up to us. Xander was almost creaming down on the floor himself when he saw us but the boy wasn't that bad looking himself. He was almost respectable in his black tux and bow tie. Red was in a white number that managed to show off a bit of flesh which for her was pretty risqu�. Giles was off to the side acting as a chaperone. Him and me had made up over the last couple of days. It wasn't like we apologized to each other, we didn't sit down and have a heart to heart about our problems --- he wasn't Buffy for Christsakes. But after I showed up for training one afternoon, everything was basically cool from then on.

The one time my eyes weren't on Buffy, I caught sight of Cordelia's entrance --- fashionably later than everybody else of course and decked out to the full. She was hot and she knew it. She caught me looking and gave me a little smirk before turning back to her adoring public. Even though I'd told Buffy I wasn't going to keep hanging with Cordy, that wasn't exactly true. We still talked whenever her snotty friends weren't around. It's just that nobody knew it. It was just better that way for the both of us.

I felt Buffy tugging at my arm as she led me to the dance floor and as her arms looped around my neck, I forgot all about Cordy, about everybody else, I think I even forgot my name. Cause, right then, there was only Buffy and me dancing to a slow song pumping out of the speakers. And that's the way it would always be if I had anything to do about it. Buffy and me. Together. The Chosen Two. Hey, that's kinda catchy. My arms went around her waist and I pulled her closer and the word 'forever' kept bumping around in my mind.

Forever?

I smiled. That sounded about right.

*end*