The Three of Us

Buffy walked past the manicured lawns, her eyes roaming over well kept gardens filled with bright blooms. Beside her a dark cloud rolled along, quiet, ominous and not saying a word. She glanced at Faith and sighed, “Is it just me, or do you get the feeling we’ve done this before?”

“Huh?” Faith’s head snapped up and she gawked at Buffy. “What are you talking about?”

Buffy smiled at her, “We walked to school this morning and you were all stomping black cloud girl. Here we are going home and you’re stomping along the same way. Just in a different direction. You seemed okay at lunch, what happened between then and now?”

Faith stopped walking and slowly lifted her head to stare at the sky. She stood there for a moment before slowly rolling her head to look at the blond. “I want ya to be honest with me, B.” She stared at Buffy with one eye, “Just tell me Schroeder is a troll, so I can kill him.”

Buffy blinked, then laughed, “You mean Snyder and no he’s not. Trust me, I’ve checked at least a dozen times.” She shook her head, a large grin on her face, “If there was any demon at all, he’d of been done like dinner a long time ago.” She reached out and rested her hand on the outside of Faith’s shoulder. “What happened?”

“I’m sittin’ in the library, goin’ over stuff with G, on Kakistos and the Mayor, when this beady eyed little troll comes bargin’ in and gets all up in my grill. He’s barkin’ about bein’ in the library and not bein’ a registered student and whatever. So I pull back and I’m about to punch him into next week cuz, I don’t have a freakin’ clue who this guy is. G-man grabs my arm and starts explainin’ to Schroeder that I’m the new student who aced her SAT’s.” Buffy had wrapped her arms around herself and was giggling at the picture in her mind. “So the little twerp steps back, and puts his hands on his hips,” Faith was mimicking the way he’d looked at her and Buffy was laughing harder. “Do you know Buffy Summers and that gang of riff-raff she hangs out with?” “So I stare back at him and tell him, that I do, and he points his finger at me, then at his eyeball and tells me he’s watchin’ me. One fuck up and I’m gone.” She sighed and looked at the blond, “What did you do to piss him off so bad?”

Buffy shrugged, her eyes sparkling, “Don’t know, and don’t care.” She thought for a second, “Why do you call him Schroeder?”

“Cuz he looks like what would happen if Lucy screwed over the piano guy from Charlie Brown. Like they got married and divorced, but she kept the piano,” Faith shrugged.

Buffy laughed again, “I can see him carrying a grudge like that.” She tilted her head to the side and watched Faith for a moment, “What else?”

Faith sighed, “He told me I start classes on Monday. I gotta be in his office at nine, or else.”

“Poor baby,” Buffy looped her arm through Faith’s and they started to walk again. “You’ve still got the weekend before you have to join the rest of us at Sunny Hell High.” Buffy felt the tingles through their connection as the two girls walked along in silence. A quick glance at Faith showed a small smile on the brunette’s face. ‘She looks so much better when she smiles,’ Buffy thought. ‘I hope that my holding on to her did that.’

“Yer grinnin’ like a loon B,” Faith said. “What’s goin’ on in that little brain of yours?”

Buffy smacked her in the shoulder, “So much for all your brownie points.” Faith snorted and the blond put a small pout on her face. “I mean it! You were doing great and then you insult my intelligence, so you lose them all.”

“What the hell are you talkin’ about?” Faith’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Seriously, I think I get a handle on how you operate and then wham!” she flung her free arm out. “You say somethin’ that comes from a different dimension, not even left field.”

“Is that a football term?”

Faith hung her head and slowly shook it from side to side, “God, give me strength.”

Buffy just smiled at her, “Admit it, you like me.”

Faith’s eyes widened, “Uh,” she pulled her arm out of the blond’s grip and stopped. Her eyes darted up and down the street. “About that,” her breathing picked up, “We ain’t really talked about that, and I ain’t exactly sure how much ‘like’ we’re talkin’ about.”

Buffy stared at the other girl, “All I asked was to admit you liked me, not to get married.” She crossed her arms over her chest, “Willow ‘likes’ me and we’re not mauling each other every time we see each other!” She huffed, “I was just teasing you, it wasn’t anything serious.”

Faith dropped her head and sighed, “Yeah, you’re right.” She looked at the blond, “I’m sorry, this whole thing kinda has me wigged and I don’t know what to do.”

“Why would you be wigged?”

Faith stood there and looked at the sun drenched blond, ‘I look at her and somethin’ happens to me,’ she thought. ‘It don’t matter when I look at her, I just get this warm, smiley feelin’ and it scares me.’

“Hello?” Buffy gently tapped her knuckles on Faith’s forehead. “Anybody in there? Where’d you go?”

Faith grinned and pushed the blond away. “Just thinkin’,” she replied. “I ain’t used to this, so it’s not like I’ve got any idea about what I should say.”

“Okay,” Buffy looped her arm through Faith’s again. “Just tell me what you feel.” She started to walk and Faith fell into step. They walked along in silence. Buffy understood she couldn’t rush Faith. The dream had revealed some of Faith’s past to her and to push would only cause the girl to retreat behind her formidable walls.

“That dream,” she started, “It scared the crap outta me.”

“You and me both,” Buffy smiled up at the dark slayer.

A small grin tugged at the corners of Faith’s mouth. “It showed me all kindsa shit I never thought about myself. Stuff I never thought I’d have a shot at, ya know?”

“Like what?”

Faith turned her head slightly and glanced at the blond, “A chance to get back into school and maybe make somethin’ outta myself, a decent place to live.” She sighed, “Makin’ friends with people who wanna hang, just cuz it’s me, not cuz they want somethin’.” They walked along, lost in the words, “I never thought I’d have much of a shot at nuthin’ cuz I was just another smartass girl from South Boston. Then I’m a slayer, and I’m special. Four hours later, I’m a scared girl on the run,” she sighed, “again.” They continued on for a few steps, “I did a lotta things I ain’t proud of, but they got me here. Now I have to make some choices and they scare the crap outta me.”

“It happens all the time to everybody, F,” Buffy shrugged. “It’s just a part of life.”

“Yeah, but some of these choices don’t just affect me,” there was a slight frown on her face. “I think it’s cuz of the responsibility, havin’ to think of others ya know. It ain’t all about ‘Want, Take, Have’ anymore.”

Buffy grinned, “Ooh, look my little girl is growing up, I’m so proud of you sweetie.”

Faith stopped, and raised an eyebrow at the blond, “Lemme guess, that’s sarcasm, right?” Buffy laughed and Faith smirked at the blond. “I been thinkin’ about us, the three of us, and how this could affect all of us.”

“It’s been on my mind as well,”

Faith nodded, “See, I ain’t got nothin’ to lose. I end up with one or two hot babes as dates; it has little to no impact on my status around the school, cuz nobody knows who I am. You, on the other hand, do have somethin’ to lose. Same thing with Cordy. She’s at the top of the heap and there’s probably a ton of people that will try and use it to knock her down. People know who you are, they’re gonna make comments, do shit that may hurt you. They won’t do it in front of me, cuz that’ll lead to a major beat down, but it’ll still happen. That’s one of the things that bugs me.”

Buffy shrugged, “I’ll just deal with it. They all think I’m weird anyway, so what’s the diff?”

Faith laughed, “You miss a lot, don’t ya?”

The blond stopped and stared at the dark girl, “What’s that supposed to mean?” Faith laughed with a smile, and Buffy started to grin, “Stop it, Faith, what are you talking about?”

“You need to listen to what they’re sayin’.” Faith reached over and cupped Buffy’s cheek with her palm, “They whisper behind your back, but they talk about how you saved them, or someone they care about. Yeah, there’s some what say bad things, but it’s neat how somebody will say somethin’ and then somebody else will pull ‘em aside. Say a few words to ‘em and you see the respect grow in their eyes.”

“How come I’ve never heard them say anything?” her eyes were wide, “What do they say?”

Faith shrugged, “Usually just somethin’ along the lines of ‘Dude, she totally saved my ass!’ Just tellin’ ‘em what happened and why they should show you respect.”

“Huh,” Buffy looked surprised. “Maybe I should pay more attention.”

It was Faith’s turn to smirk, “That’d mean you’re not focusin’ on you, and we both know that ain’t gonna happen.”

Buffy smacked her in the shoulder, “Now you’re in the negative brownie points. You have so much making up to do.”

Faith tried to keep from laughing, “I’ll get right on that, B.”

The blond pouted, but kept on walking. The two slayers were thinking about the things that had been said in the last while and how it affected them. They strolled for another block, arm in arm.

“Faith,” Buffy stopped and released the girl’s arm. Faith looked at her with a raised eyebrow and waited. “I just remembered, there’s, uh, something I have to do.” She took a breath, “Today. Now, before I forget again.”

“What?”

“Just,” Buffy’s eyes were darting up and down the street; she couldn’t look at Faith. “It’s something I’ve got to do by myself, okay?” She sighed, “I need you to tell mom, I’ll be home in an hour. I won’t be long.”

“Oh,” Faith replied. She stuffed her hands into her pockets and looked away from the blond. “I get it; you don’t want me to know. I’ll just be goin’ then.” She turned and started to walk away.

“No, Faith,” Buffy reached out and grabbed her arm. She held on to it and walked around in front of the girl. “Look at me,” she tucked two fingers under Faith’s chin and lifted up until their eyes met. “It means everything to me that you could trust me enough to open up and tell me those things. It warms my heart, but listening to you I realized I have something I need to do. I need to do it, so that if we decide to take this further, there’s nothing in my way. It’ll just be us, whether that’s the two of us or the three of us, there won’t be anything to come between us.”

Faith watched the blond, seeing the sincerity behind her eyes. ‘I can see she ain’t shittin’ me,’ she thought. ‘Trustin’ somebody means you have to trust ‘em at some point.’  She looked away for a moment, when she brought her eyes back to the blond, Buffy could see an understanding there. “No prob, B,” she smiled, “I’ll tell your mom, and I’ll see ya when ya get home.”

“Thanks, Faith,” Buffy leaned in and hugged her counterpart. “I won’t be long.” Faith watched her as she turned and walked away.

Buffy reached over and pulled out the fake brick before retrieving the hidden key. She used it to unlock the door before slowly pulling the curtain back and entering the mansion. Even though she knew Giles had had the statue of Acathla removed, her eyes still went to where it had been last. She looked down at the floor, the carpet a slightly darker colour where Angel’s blood had pooled before he was sucked into hell. She slowly moved into the middle of the large room.  Moving her eyes slowly around the room, she noticed sheets covering what was left of the furniture, a thin layer of dust coating them. ‘Somebody needs to clean this place,’ she sighed. ‘I don’t know why, there’s nobody to clean it for.’ Glancing down at her hands, she realized she was slowly twisting the ring on her finger. ‘Huh,’ she thought, ‘Didn’t even notice I was doing that.’ She crouched down and looked at the ring. When Angel had given it to her, it seemed to hold such hope and promise. Now it just seemed to hold faded memories of something that wasn’t real. She pulled it off her finger and held it in her open palm. A stray ray of sunshine through the slightly open curtain reflected off it to light the room. She smiled and placed the ring on the floor, “Goodbye, Angel.” She stood and walked out of the mansion, locking the door and hiding the key. She walked up the stairs to the street and felt the warmth of the sun on her face. Thoughts of a brunette slayer and a bitchy cheerleader brought a warm smile to her face. She was surprised how much lighter she felt now that she had closed that chapter of her life.

Buffy and Faith walked into the library on Saturday morning. Giles was leaning over the counter reading the morning paper. “Ah,” he smiled and looked up at the two slayers as he heard them enter. “You’re here.” He folded up the paper and moved over to the large table. “How was last night’s patrol?”

Faith slumped down into a chair, “Same old, same old,” she sighed. “Walk into a cemetery, vamps attack; we beat the crap outta ‘em and stake ‘em. Repeat if necessary.”

Giles looked at her over the rim of his glasses, “That is a rather concise report.” He smiled at her, “I’m sure you’ll be more than happy to flesh it out when you write it.”

“Ha, ha,” Buffy snickered and poked the dark one in the ribs.

“Actually, you’ll both be writing your own report and then I’ll collate them. Any questions?” he was still smiling. The two slayers were grumbling at each other as they reached for pen and paper to begin. “Ah, yes,” he muttered, “The joys of using a higher education.”

Half an hour later, Faith released a deep breath, and Giles looked up. “We done here?” she asked. “B’s almost finished and I’m done, so can we go?”

“Sorry Faith,” he was smiling again. “I have a small matter I’d like to discuss with you.” He paused, “Several, actually. Hopefully this won’t take too long.” Both girls groaned. “If you want, I could have you take notes?”

“Nope,” Faith sat up, “We’re good, right B?”

Yup,” Buffy pasted on a fake smile, “We’re ready, discuss away.”

He moved across the room and sat at the table, facing the two girls. He opened up his journal and produced his pen, “I’d like to talk to you about this dream you shared.”

The two girls looked at each other for a moment, “I’m not really comfortable with that G,” Faith answered. “We ain’t figgered the whole thing out yet.”

“I understand,” he was looking at them earnestly. “There’s never been anything like this before.” His hands were starting to move around, “There have never been two slayers, and the fact that you can communicate through your dreams? It boggles the imagination, it needs to be chronicled, examined, tests need to be conducted…”

“Whoa up tweed-boy,” Faith interrupted him. Her chair had fallen over when she jumped up. She held the palm of her hand out toward him, “There ain’t gonna be any testin’ or pokin’ or proddin’ into my psych. Not while I’m alive.”

Giles sat back and huffed, “That’s going to be rather difficult to, ‘probe your psych’, as you say, if you’re dead.”

She reached down and picked up her chair, “So we’re in agreement then?” She sat down and stared at him.

“Buffy,” the watcher turned towards the older slayer, “Surely you understand how important this is?”

Buffy looked between her watcher and her fellow slayer, both of whom were looking back with pleading eyes. “Is this a contest to see who can make the best puppy dog eyes?” she smiled. “Because, if it is? You’re both winners.” Faith snorted and Giles sighed. “Yes I understand how important it is. But you have to understand, Giles, this dream revealed an awful lot about who we are as people. It’s not just about events that may or may not happen, it’s about how our lives may or may not turn out.” She looked at Faith for a moment, “It showed us a number of possibilities, and we need to figure out how we’re going to handle it.”

“That’s just it, Buffy,” he was excited, “You tell me what the dream was about and I can help you interpret it. It will work out for everyone involved.”

“No,” Faith was staring at him stonily. “You don’t get it. This ain’t just about the next big bad; this is about us, our feelings for each other and our feelings for other people. Some of it concerns our past and some concerns the future. It ain’t open to anybody else’s interpretation but ours.” She crossed her arms over her chest, “And that’s final.”

Buffy dropped her head and looked up at her watcher, “Sorry, Giles, but I agree with her.”

He pulled his glasses off and shook his head sadly. He slowly started to clean his glasses, “I wish you could see how important this is.” He looked up at the girls again, “However I will respect your wishes, and hope that sometime in the near future you will see your way clear to tell me about it.”

“We’ll tell ya when we can G.” Faith replied. Buffy nodded. “Anythin’ else?”

“Yes,” he flipped a couple pages back in his journal. “There seems to be a number of small pets that have been mutilated over the last few nights. The bodies look like they’ve been torn open, but there is no blood left. Keep a look out for anything suspicious.”

“K,” Faith stood and stretched. “We’ll keep an eye peeled an’ let ya know.”

Buffy stood as well, “Oh! One other thing, after patrol tonight, we’re going to head over to Willy’s before we go to the Bronze. See if he knows anything about that Pop Rocks box.”

Giles sighed, “Yes, you do that.” He stood as well, “Be careful, and I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

“Yup,” both girls replied and headed for the door.

The two slayers were quietly walking through the neighbourhood where the pet killings had been taking place. They seemed to be centered on a few blocks where the houses backed onto the woods. Neither one of them was certain about what they were looking for, but they were looking. “So, B,” Faith said, “why so quiet?”

Buffy was startled by Faith, “Huh?”

There was a smirk on the brunette’s face now, “Just wanted ta know why yer so quiet tonight. Most times yer yammerin away and I can’t get a word in edgewise.”

Buffy smacked her in the shoulder, “Don’t lie, you get lots of words in, straight up, edgewise and occasionally backwards.” She was smiling back at Faith. “Do you remember that phone call I got? Just before we left?” Faith nodded in response. “It was Scott Hope. He asked me to Prom.”

“Oh.” Faith replied. She pursed her lips for a second, “I take it yer goin’ with him?” It was Buffy’s turn to nod. Faith looked at her for a moment, “Its okay, B. You were hopin’ he’d ask, and he did. I’m sure you’ll have a good time.” She looked up and down the dark street, “I know you’ll look good for him.” She turned and started to walk away.

“Faith,” Buffy jogged a couple of steps to catch up. “You can go too, you know.” Faith snorted. “No, really, you can,” Buffy continued, “You’re a student now, so there’s nothing to keep you from going.”

Faith stopped and turned to the blond, “Do I look like the type that’s gonna get all gussied up and do a prom?” She walked away again, “That so ain’t my style.”

Buffy sighed, “I didn’t mean to upset you, I just thought you might want to go.”

“Yeah,” she muttered, “that’s exactly why.” Faith stopped and stared at a home on the left, she could hear a dog barking, and howling. It sounded scared. There was a yelp, and then silence. She took of at a sprint in the direction of the sounds, leaving Buffy standing there.

‘I hate it when she does that,’ Buffy muttered to herself as she took off after her. She came around the corner of the house and saw Faith disappearing over the fence and into the woods. She ran past the body of the dog and grabbed the top of the fence and swung herself over it. She landed in a crouch, her slayer senses feeling for her partner and whatever she was chasing.

Faith was angry. She was charging through the brush, chasing whatever had killed the little dog. ‘I wonder if it’s the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz?’ she shook her head as she ran, ‘How do I come up with this shit?’ She concentrated on the noise in front of her, ‘Sounds like a human, or at least it’s runnin’ on two legs.’ She could tell that Buffy was a ways behind her; she knew the blonde would catch up eventually. She came out of the brush onto a path, leading to a clearing. She started to sprint when she saw her prey several yards ahead. When she got close she leapt at his legs and tackled him to the ground. It was almost as quick to its feet as she was and the two of them faced off. “Vampire,” she growled. The beast was in full game face and growling back at her. His clothing was torn and tattered. His skin was scarred and covered in welts.

“You look like shit,” she growled as they started to circle each other. “Lucky for you, I gotta sharp little cure for ya.”

Neither hesitated and the fight was joined. The vampire charged her, swinging wildly, she ducked under him and drove her shoulder into him. They crashed onto the ground, rolling into the underbrush. Fists, feet and elbows, flew in an uncontrolled rage. Grunts as different body parts connected, the rasping of breath echoed through the clearing as the two combatants scrapped. Each was trying to gain an advantage and finish their opponent. The vampire managed to kick Faith off and get to his feet. She grabbed his foot as he tried to smash her head with it; she twisted it and shoved him off balance. He stumbled away trying to regain his balance and Faith sprang back to her feet. The vamp roared and charged her again. Faith leaned back as a punch sailed past her jaw; her fist caught him square under the chin and lifted him from his feet, laying him out in the grass. She pulled the stake from behind her, dropped to her knees and lifted her arm over her head to deliver the killing blow.

She grunted when she was knocked sideways and off the vampire. When she focused her eyes all she could see was blond hair and hazel eyes staring back at her. “Faith, no!” Buffy cried out. “You can’t, it’s Angel.”

“Fuck, B!” she yelled, “That ain’t no fuckin’ angel, it’s a fuckin vamp.” Faith was struggling in Buffy’s grip but she couldn’t break free.

“No,” Buffy yelled back, “His name is Angel!”

“Great, I’ll say hi before I dust him!” The two slayers rolled around in the grass, “Would you get off me so I can fuckin’ kill him?”

They rolled again and Buffy was on top, “You can’t kill him, I love him!” Faith froze and stared up into the eyes above her. “Well, I did,” Buffy took a breath, “At least I think I did. Actually I know I did.” She looked down at the dark slayer underneath her. “I’m getting up now.” She slowly released her grip on the dark girl and slowly stood, watching the dark slayer. She moved to stand between the dark girl and the unconscious vampire. Faith didn’t move; she just stared up at the blond. “Faith?” Buffy asked nervously. “Umm,” her eyes started to dart around the clearing they were in. “Are you okay?” The slayer blinked, but didn’t move. Buffy was shifting from foot to foot now. “Faith?” she was much quieter now. “Please say something?”

Faith sighed; slowly she rolled away from Buffy and sat up. She stared at the dark trees surrounding them. Buffy could see the tension along the shoulders and back of the dark haired girl. “Fuck, B,” her head moved from side to side. “What the fuck is goin’ on?”

“Well,” Buffy squeaked. She cleared her throat, and tried again. “It’s Angel.”

A snort exploded out of Faith, “Doesn’t that just make so much fuckin’ sense!” She leapt to her feet and turned on the blonde. Buffy took a step back, keeping herself between Faith and Angel. “Some fuckin’ raggedy ass vamp is runnin, around killin’ pets, and I can’t dust it, cuz you love it? Again, what the fuck B?”

Buffy was starting to get angry, “You…” she huffed, “you don’t know what happened between us…”

“So fuckin’ tell me already!” Faith’s arms flew out from her side. “I’m sure it’s a beaut. So let’s hear it blondie!”

“Faith!” Buffy yelled back. “Why are you so angry? Just let me explain!”

“Jesus, B,” Faith turned away shaking her head. “Just fuckin’ tell me, so I can stake his ass.”

Buffy gasped, “You can’t, it’s Angel.”

Faith whirled around and stomped toward the blond, her lips curled up in a sneer. Her eyes were narrowed and Buffy could feel the rage rolling off of her. “Watch me,” she growled.

“Faith!” Buffy was staring back at her. “Just stand there and give me a moment. It’s not easy trying to figure out what the hell is going on!”

Faith crossed her arms, the point of a stake sticking out beneath her arm. “Fine,” icicles dripped off the words, “Start talkin’.”

Buffy rolled her eyes, “Fine,” she snapped back. “Angel showed up my first year in Sunnydale. All broody and cryptic, he helped us with the Harvest and the Master. Yes, he was a vampire, but he helped us and he had a soul.” Faith’s left eyebrow rose, but the rest of her was stone still. “I started to fall for him, and we started to date, kinda. If you can call hanging out in graveyards and sewers dating. Any ways, Willow looked at it as a real life romance novel, Xander didn’t get along with him all that well, and Giles just used him as a resource.” She sighed, “We got to a point where we decided to take the next step.” She paused and glanced up at Faith, waiting for the off colour remark she knew was coming. Faith’s emotionless black eyes stared right back. Buffy’s head dropped and she sighed again. “We slept together; unfortunately there was a clause in the curse that had given him back his soul. If he had a moment of “Perfect Happiness”,” she couched the words with her fingers, “He’d lose his soul.” Tears were slowly coursing down her cheeks, “When I woke up in the morning, Angel wasn’t there, Angelus was.” Her shoulders sagged for a moment, slowly her head came up and she stared at Faith. “He tried to kill me, my friends, tortured Giles, and tried to end the world. I had to kill him to save it.”

Faith peered around the blond at the still unconscious vamp, “Don’t look like that went so well.”

“That’s just it, I did.” Buffy turned her head to look, “I ran a sword right through his heart and watched him get sucked into hell.” She wrapped her arms around her and hugged herself. Turning back to the brunette, she started to speak again, “Thing is, Willow did a spell that restored his soul. The tear between dimensions had already started. He closed his eyes when I kissed him and told him I loved him. That’s when I ran the blade through his heart.”

Faith blinked, “Remind me not to piss you off.”

 “I watched him get sucked in, I have no idea how or why he’s here.” She shrugged, “I don’t know what to do.”

Faith looked up toward the stars; she could only see a few of the brighter ones because of the lights from Sunnydale. Slowly she let out a breath, ‘Fuck me, that sucks.’ She thought to herself. She could see how upset the blond was, and didn’t know what to do. She looked around the clearing while she thought. She let her arms drop and tucked the stake back in the waistband of her leathers. Slowly she ran both hands through her hair, shaking some of the leaves and twigs out. “I’m sorry B,” she shrugged, “I didn’t know.”

“Thanks.”

The two stood in uncomfortable silence, not looking at each other. “So,” Faith started, “Wadda ya wanna do about him?” Buffy’s head snapped up, her mouth hanging open. “We can’t leave him here,” Faith shrugged, “You know anywhere we can take him?”

Buffy blinked, “Uh, what?”

Faith smirked, “Ya got some place we can stash him, ‘til we can figger out what’s the what.”

“Oh,” Buffy looked around and down the path. “That way, the mansion, his mansion, is that way.” She pointed down the trail. “He must’ve been trying to get back there when you caught him.”

“That’ll teach’em to try and outrun me,” Faith grinned. “Give me a hand.” She bent down and picked up one arm of the unconscious Angel. “I ain’t carryin’ him by myself.”

Buffy stood there confused, “Why are we carrying him?”

Faith dropped the arm she was holding, “Okay, B. If you wanna leave him here, I’m okay with that.”

Buffy shook her head, “I don’t get it, five minutes ago, you were trying to kill him, now you want to help him. Why?”

“Five minutes ago I thought he was just another blood sucker,” she shrugged. “Turns out he ain’t. He’s someone important to you, so I wanna help.”

“Oh.”

“So, I figgered we’d haul his ass back to his place and dump him there. Then we can go get a spell from Red, to see if he has a soul. We can tie him up or chain him or somethin’ ‘til we figger it out. ” She crossed her arms over her chest and waited for the blond to respond.

Buffy was fidgeting again, “Uh, I don’t really want to let them know about him. At least not yet.”

“Uh-uh, Twinkie,” Faith’s head was snapping back and forth. “That definitely ain’t gonna happen. If he tried to hurt ‘em before he got it back, they need to know. I ain’t gonna keep it a secret.”

“But…”

“No buts, sweetie,” Faith’s smirk was gone, replaced with a glare. “This is what they call a ‘non-negotiable.’” She glanced away for a moment, before turning back to the blond. “I get how you feel, but I ain’t takin’ any chances. It’s that or I stake him right now.”

Buffy’s shoulders sagged and she sighed. She looked at the bloody and beaten vampire lying in the dirt. It was hard to reconcile her memories of Angel with the broken man at her feet. She looked up at Faith, “You don’t leave me much of a choice.”

Faith shrugged, “No, but it’s the right one.”

She bent over and pulled Angel upright. Buffy lifted his right arm and pulled it across her shoulders. Faith slid under the other one and the two of them started off toward the mansion.

“Faith?” Buffy asked quietly.

“Yeah?”

There was a slight tremor in the blond’s voice, “What happens if he doesn’t have his soul?”

“Then you can change his name to Kansas.”

“Kansas?” Buffy stopped and looked at the dark slayer.

Faith looked straight down the path, “Yeah, ‘Dust in the Wind’.”