Crossing The Line

"Finally," Kennedy lets a deep breath with relief as her girlfriend and Xander reach her. The pain is killing her, she's even crying, but she really just wants to see Willow. She thought she was going to die for a few minutes, when everything blanked out on her and all she seemed to see was the last couple of months with Willow. How they met, how Willow reacted to her, how she practically leapt all over the the redhead. How scared she was when she was finally able to comprehend just how powerful she really was, how they made love. Everything was laid out before her.

It was truly a shaking experience, one that required that she hold her girl just to know she was alive and well.

"Kennedy?" The wicca calls her, something in her voice making her flip over.

"What? Willow what is it?"

A watery grin appears on the witch's face, "Oh goddess. I saw Rayne an-an-and I thought you were dead!" She sobs, dropping to her knees to collect her smiling girlfriend in her arms.

She hisses, her collar the bearer of her discomfort. "It's okay baby. We're all alive, that thing is dead, that's all that matters."

"Yeah?" Willow sobs, burying her face into the slayer's neck.

"Yeah. Although, I think a few of us wouldn't mind a morphine drip right about now huh Rayne?" Kennedy expects a high octane smart ass remark, or at least her approval, it's slightly nerve racking when her answer doesn't come. "Rayne?" She asks a little more urgently, squirming in Willow's arms, sitting up against her chest. A quick sweep reveals the vampiress to be gone.

"Where'd she go?"

Willow shruggs, not really interested in the vampiress right at the moment.

"Okay, where's Xander and Giles?"

"Looking for Buffy and Faith."


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(Fpov)

Okay. I'm out...so now what? Why am I here?

"Hey Faith,"

I spin around, nearly toppling off the roof of the house. Buffy is sitting on the edge to my right, her legs swinging over the ledge, hands behind her head, she's looking up at the stars. I remember this.

"Buffy," I make my way to her side, joining her on the edge, she sits up as well, there's a serene look on her face, something oh so very peaceful. "Why are we here?" I'm entitled to my confusion, B usually doesn't call me here unless there's something big going down. If I'm not mistaken, everything that was going down, in fact already happened.

"Well," she teeters, she seems extremely playful. That's not how I remember the events of this actual night. It was so serious. "I don't think either of us wnats to be crying and spazzing from the pain over there, so I thought we could talk here. I chose this one because, that night was beautiful, you were beautiful."

I can feel the blood gushing to my face, a shit eating grin plastered on. Buffy's compliments always get to me, and they still make me blush. "So were you." I cover her hand with my own, and I gasp when I feel how cold her skin is. That's never happened before. "B?"

Buffy looks down, her sparkling green eyes moist, her baby soft blond hair falling into her face, hiding her away from me. I get the sudden sensation that I'm drowning and I can't move. Buffy however, can move. She pushes herself up and behind me, where she rest her cheek against my back, her arms wrapped securely around my waist. With the ease and finess that comes with being the slayer, it's simple enough for her to lift me to sit between her legs.

My heart would be soaring if it wasn't for the fact that her touch is making me shiver, making me feel so hopeless, more so than it usually does.

I always found it hard to accept that Buffy was mine so easily, I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop, for shit to hit the fan, I always found myself thinking about it when she held me, her warmth, her gentle strokes, tender touches, soft whispers it all made me feel the luckiest woman alive. Then the little voice at the back of my head would increase in volume, told me I could never really have B, and on some level I agreed. But it wasn't so much that that left me crying, it was feeling B adminster all this to me, and then the thought of having to live without.

"You know," her voice is so strained, so forced, almost like it hurts her to speak, "Angelus is dead. Omega killed him."

I think my blush went down right there. Angelus? All this for Angelus? Now would be the perfect moment to move away, or at least turn and look at her, I can't, something's keeping me stock still.

"He did something to me Faith." Buffy exhales into the back of my neck, even her breath is cold. Her hold on me tightens to the point where I actually think I might have even more trouble breathing. "Something with a crystal, and Molly, she was chanting..." her voice trails.

What did that fucking bastard do? I try to gasp as Buffy flips me over in her lap, suddenly my stomach's killing me. Imgaine my surprise when all that comes out is a tiny, breathless mouse squeak. I'm frightened considerably by now, not even Buffy's nuzzeling is soothing, it's having the opposite effect.

"We were connected somehow," she lifts my limp hand, pressing against the wetness over her heart, "right here. The crystal is here." She lets my hand drop to probe at the wound, digging her finger into hole, wincing and hissing, blood slipping out over her finger, trailing down to her wrist, snaking its way down until it pools at her elbow. "I want to take it out," she pulls her hand away, bringing it close to her face, examening it with great interest, "but I can't."

It's now I notice the sky, it's raining, or at least drizzling, and the it's become shockingly black. The bright stars that were illuminating the heavens only minutes ago are gone. There's a shift, and now I'm lying completely in Buffy's arms, but she's carrying me closer to the edge.

"We're waking up baby," there's such sorrow in her voice, I can almost feel it on her breath. I don't want to wake up, I want this to stop, I need this to stop. "Are you ganna save me Faith?" She whispers into my ear before her arms disappear from underneath me, and I take my plunge down into that darkness I never wanted to return to. I haven't even hit the ground yet, but I can tell it's ganna hurt bad.

I love you baby...

Impact! pulsations travel the length of my legs, and a piercing, siren like scream echos in my head...

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"FUCK!!!" Faith shrieks, pounding her fist into the soft material next to her. Her mind is muddled, dazed, the only registration is the discomforting sensation known as pain.

She'll still screaming when a set of hands pull her up, pinning her arms to her side, effectively immobolizing her upper body.

"Shh. Shh, Faith, sweety, calm down, please. It's okay."

The voice is soothing, calming her nerves despite her chaotic state. She's settled enough to take a look up. "R-Rayne...where's Buffy?"

"She-she's fine. G-Giles stopped the bleeding, she's okay now Faith, okay?"

A ton seems to be lifted off the slayer's chest, the relief feels like Utopia, like a high. Buffy's okay. She allows herself a few moments to catch her breath. The vampiress underneath her trembles, unsteady, it reminds her Buffy wasn't the only one in the battle. The last she remembers was Kennedy possibly blacking out, and Rayne up in a tree.

"Kennedy?"

"W-will has her."

"You're hurt."

"Its...fine."

"The why are you crying, why are you stuttering, shaking?"

Silver eyes turn away, unable to face the brown orbs boring down on upon them. Faith gently takes hold of the girl's chin, turning her back to face her. Her brows furrow together, nearly meeting in the middle, the bloody tears have her startled.

"Rayne...tell me." Summoned by her request, Giles, Kennedy, Willow, Xander, and even Buffy appears around her, their faces masks of despair and fear. "Buffy?" her voice is hopeful, daring.

"Baby," Buffy sobs, kneeling on her other side, taking her from the vampiress' arms. "I'm so sorry."

"Sorry?...Why?"

"An-Angelus, he ordered me to...t-to return the knife."

Buffy was breaking her heart, why was she so sad, and what did return the knife mean? Why was everyone looking at her like an injured puppy? There was so many questions, and consequently her head was starting to pound. She let her head rest against Buffy's chest, hearing the powerful beating of her heart, it made her smile. Then something caught her attention, the warmth radiating off of Buffy. In the slayer dream she had been cold...or was it her all along?...

Her breath hitched, becoming ragged and noisy. What did it mean? What was the dream for? "Buffy...what happened?" she hoped the tremble in her words went by undetected by the group gathered about her.

"I'm sorry Faith! I didn't want to! I couldn't stop it! I love you baby, please forgive me."

'Oh please no...not that...please.' Her breath caught in her throat, Buffy wasn't cold, she wasn't fading, she wasn't dying...
"You...stabbed me?" The question was valid, she didn't mean for it to come out as accusing as it did, but that was that.

In the dream, Buffy held her close, and that's when the pain had come...she stabbed her...again. When she awoke she hadn't been too aware of anything but the flaming in her legs...where exactly did she stab her? A quick sweep left her perplexed, there was no wound, what was Buffy going on about?

Rayne shifted on her knees, her head resting on her shoulder, her right hand lost somewhere underneath her. Her brain clicked, a strangled whimper was her reaction. That's why Rayne was shaking, her muscles were tired from being kept in the same position, her hand sticky and wet on the middle of her back.

"Faith," Buffy started, still crying endlessly, face flushed and wet, rain, tears, they streaked her face.

"But...but...you told me to save you...how?" Faith felt an overpowering urge to sleep brought out of the blue. It could be the scenery around her, green trees encircling them, a few cackles of lightning here and there, the way the rain looked as it fell. It could be how peaceful she felt being held by Buffy, it could be how exhuasted she was.

Buffy leaned over her side, bringing them face to face, she wanted to kiss her, hold her back, comfort the grieving blond. "I asked you to save me...live for me baby." Was her gentle request. "You'll save me, if you live for me. Please."

"Damn B," her lids are drooping, her words mildly slurred, "takes til death do us part to a whole new level huh?" she chuckles sleepily.

"Buffy, we have to get her out of here. You need a doctor, they all do." Giles tells her, trying to keep his head.

The blond slayer is overwhelmed, her mind is reeling, going a thousand miles a minute. Faith'a antics are digging deep. How can she possibly joke around with something so dire? She's dying, and she's still spunky little slayer.

"B?" Buff leans closer, gasping, Faith captivating her in an endearing kiss. The once rogue slayer leans back, a smirking filling her bruised lips. "If I live, you owe me big time."

"I love you."

"Imagine what would happen if you didn't...I'd hate to find out."