Chapter Fourteen
Buffy didn't know what to do, she had no idea how she should act. Faith was going to be home any minute, finally home after having been gone for two and a half years, and while a big part of Buffy was glad about that, another part said it shouldn't be that easy.
Not after being disregarded and dismissed as if she meant nothing. Not after Faith had made it so clear that she could not be satisfied with them losing just Angel. No, Faith had needed to make them lose each other as well, and no matter what Buffy said or did, she would not turn from that path.
The first few weeks after Angel died were a blur. Buffy's grief at losing him was enormous, she couldn't believe that it had actually happened. It just didn't seem possible, and the void he'd left behind was a huge one that she knew could never be filled. Angel was gone forever, and she felt the pain of that reality deep down in her soul.
It made her ache and it made it hard to breathe, and she wondered how she was ever going to get over it. She loved him, she had always loved him and she always would. He'd taught her what it was to be a woman and a Slayer, and he had shown her both the good and bad of giving yourself so completely to another. To know that he was no longer going to be there made her profoundly sad and lonely.
But none of that mattered, not when she looked at Faith. The woman she loved was fading away, disappearing rapidly into the blackness of grief and guilt, and Buffy struggled to push aside her own pain as she fought to hold onto her.
In the end it made no difference. Faith couldn't or wouldn't turn away from the darkness, and she finally left. There was no big dramatic scene, she'd simply packed a bag and walked out. She'd hopped onto her bike and roared away, and it was then that Buffy began doing what she'd always feared when it came to Faith: she began waiting for her to return.
Each day came and went with Buffy hoping that it would finally be the one that brought Faith back to her. At first she waited hopefully, but as the days turned into weeks and months, nothing remotely near that happened. She was tempted to run after her, but that seemed wrong. Faith obviously wanted space and needed time, at least that was what Buffy told herself again and again.
But then when the weeks and months added up to a year, Buffy had to stop kidding herself and face the inescapable truth: she had lost Faith. When that bolt had run through her and hit Angel's non-beating heart, he had exploded into dust and he had taken Faith right with him.
Buffy began believing that Faith blamed her for Angel's death. After all, if she hadn't been so stupid, she wouldn't have been taken prisoner by Angelus, and then maybe together they could have found a way to save him. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that Faith couldn't stand the sight of her.
She clung to that theory for far too long because it seemed fixable somehow. It was a problem she could attack and defeat, and once she figured out how to do that, all would be right again. But Buffy couldn't allow herself the luxury of playing games forever, and she eventually forced herself to face the terrifying and heartbreaking truth: Faith blamed herself with all of the hatred and fury she could muster. It was her own reflection she couldn't stand looking at.
She had left because she could not stay. Not with Buffy, not with Angel's room and the false promise of a new start at the opposite end of the hall, and not with the eyes of those who knew him best upon her. She'd run because she'd had to, and Buffy knew that she was never coming back.
They kept track of her, where she was and what she was doing. Although Buffy was positive that Faith would never go back to the way she'd been so long ago, she also knew she might end up coming pretty damn close. But that wasn't the real reason they tracked her as she traveled all over the country. They tracked her because she was one of them, and because Buffy loved her.
Faith never stayed anywhere for long. She chose the loneliest, darkest, most dangerous places she could find, and she tried to hide there. But invariably, just like clockwork, something would happen. Vampires would attack a diner she was eating at, demons would terrorize the ratty motel she was living in. Somehow, someway, someone would need her help.
She tried, but she could never quite manage to turn her back. She would end up running to the rescue, risking her life to help people she didn't know, people she would never know, and then she would ride off, leaving behind her what she saw as a swath of violence, pain, and death.
She would never stick around to receive any thanks for the good she had done, she would never once look back at all the lives she had saved. Each time she would roar off to the next dive she could find, the seedier the better, the more dangerous, the more she would frequent it.
Even though she did nothing to cause it, she drew potential lovers like honey drew flies. She turned them all down for a long time, eventually giving in sometimes to small blonde girls. She fucked them when she had to, then left without so much as a backward glance.
There had been nine of them so far, Buffy was keeping track of each and every one. She had made no secret of her need to know, telling Willow straight out:
"I have to know, Will. Please don't keep it from me."
Faith was plainly miserable, yet still she would not come home. She just kept right on running and as much as Buffy loved her, she could not stop the hurt from finally taking control. Even though she fully understood why Faith was doing what she was doing, it eventually didn't seem to count for much.
What ended up counting the most was that Faith had left her all alone to deal with the giant and painful hole Angel's death had created, and then Faith had compounded that pain by making Buffy live without her as well. It was too much, it was too hard, and Buffy responded in the only way she could: with anger.
She convinced herself that Faith didn't care about her, not really. She couldn't have just left like she did, at least not for so long, if she really gave a damn. Buffy could take a lot and she could understand a lot, but she could not ignore two and a half years.
Two and a half years wasn't a glitch. Two and a half years was a desertion, a statement, a betrayal of insurmountable proportions. It was over between them, way, way over, and that was just the sad truth.
But there was still a part of her that couldn't let go, even though she wanted to. She still loved Faith, and even knowing that she shouldn't, well that didn't make it change. Faith was the one, she would always be the one no matter what, and Buffy knew that was just the way it was. Yet she also knew that she was no one's doormat, and painful experience had taught her that she had to protect herself.
She was happy that Faith was coming home, but she pushed that feeling down so deep, she barely even felt the slightest twinge of excitement. What she felt instead was an anger that was nothing but cold, a rage that had her erecting a shell around herself that was about twenty miles thick.
She was not getting hurt again, she was not going to leave herself out in the open. She had already put it all on the line for Faith, and what she had received for her efforts was an arrow through her heart, almost literally.
Buffy stood in front of the mirror in her room and looked as deeply into her own eyes as she could. They revealed no secrets and they told no tales beyond what she already knew, and what she knew was this: Faith could kiss her ass. With that thought firmly in her heart and mind, Buffy took a deep breath, opened her door, and headed downstairs to greet the new arrival.
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Faith felt her hands trembling, so she shoved them into her pockets. Her bag was slung over her shoulder as she entered the lobby with her two escorts, and her demeanor looked confident and calm, but inside she was anything but. She wanted a cigarette or a drink, anything that would give her something else to do with her hands.
The lobby was thankfully deserted except for Willow and Kennedy who were sitting on the sofa facing the door, and Faith braced herself for anything.
"Faith!"
Kennedy was up and wrapping her tight in a hug that lifted her slightly off her feet. She finally let go after a minute, and that embrace coupled with the huge smile on her face, made it crystal clear just how happy she was to see Faith.
"Boy, have I missed you. This place just isn't the same when you're not here."
"Nice to see you too, Trust Fund."
Willow approached with a lot more restraint, but she offered a hug as well. Although she looked glad to see her, her eyes also revealed a worry and an anger that Faith knew was all on Buffy's behalf.
It made Faith smile despite herself to see it. She loved how much Willow loved Buffy, and her response was almost exuberant because of it.
"Red, you're lookin' good."
"Thanks. You're looking...uh...well, dangerous actually, but it's good to have you home."
"Yes Faith, how nice of you to come back."
Faith looked up at the sound of that voice and watched as Buffy descended the stairs.
She was too thin, but she was still beautiful. Her eyes locked onto Faith's, and neither Slayer seemed able to look away. Buffy walked over to her, stopping just a few paces out of reach, and Faith had to fight with herself to stay where she was. She could smell Buffy's delicious scent from where she stood, and it seemed to be calling her forward.
"B."
Something flared in Buffy's eyes, but was gone in an instant, replaced by a hardness that Faith had seen only once before...the night Buffy had stabbed her. She shivered and stepped back, but Buffy didn't seem to notice or if she did, she didn't care. She walked past Faith, dismissing her as if she didn't matter, and addressed her question to Giles:
"Did you brief her on what's been going on?"
Giles remained silent a beat longer than was necessary before he answered:
"Yes, although I suspect after something to eat, a shower and a good night's sleep, we should all sit down and go over things together."
Her eyes found Faith's again, and Faith forced herself not to look away from the icy disdain that was drilling a hole right through her.
"So will you be sticking around or off and running at the first sign of trouble?"
Faith knew Buffy had every right to be angry, but she could feel her own temper rising whether it was justified or not:
"Fucking here, aren't I?"
Buffy walked closer to her, her face revealing her disgust:
"For now you are, but I think we've all learned that's not something we can count on. Sorry if that upsets you, but I just don't have the time to coddle you anymore."
"Didn't ask you to."
Buffy smiled, but it never reached her eyes, and the sight of it almost made Faith turn tail and run.
"Good to know you're not as stupid as I always thought you were. You're only needed for a few days, then you're free to run off again like the coward you really are."
Faith stood there with her fists clenched, trying to figure out if she wanted to slug Buffy or fuck her. She decided she wanted to do both, but kept her hands securely in her pockets as she turned to face Giles:
"Where can I bunk?"
Before he answered, Buffy spoke up:
"You'll be on the couch in my room."
The "my" did not escape Faith's notice, but she ignored it to raise her protest:
"Think I'll take a spare room, but thanks for the offer."
"It wasn't an offer. There are no spare rooms for the next few days, it's ‘Parents' Week' and we're full. If you don't like those accommodations, Angel's room is still empty."
Faith flinched visibly at the sound of the name she'd been avoiding, as well as the cold and cutting way in which it had been said. Her eyes went down to the floor as she tried to compose herself, but Buffy wasn't in the mood to offer any mercy or timeouts:
"So, which is it? The couch or Soulboy's room?"
"...Couch is fine."
"I thought it would be...F."
Without another word Faith turned and headed up the stairs, leaving silence and strain behind her in the lobby. Buffy watched her every step of the way until she was out of sight, and then felt a gentle hand on her shoulder:
"Are you okay?"
"...Yeah, Will, I'm just peachy."
Kennedy could barely contain herself:
"God, Buffy, do you have to be that big of a bitch? Maybe you could..."
Buffy turned to look at her:
"Mind your own business, Kennedy."
"Or what?"
"Or find yourself in a situation I promise you'll regret."
Kennedy stood up:
"Is that a threat?"
"Yes, it is."
Willow stepped between them:
"Whoa, guys! Let's not lose our perspective here...not that we've had any for several minutes now."
"She's my friend, Buffy, that makes it my business."
Buffy shoved Willow aside and stepped closer to Kennedy:
"Really? Well don't take this the wrong way, but your taste in friends is severely lacking. "
Kennedy stepped closer as well until they were separated by mere inches:
"You might have a point because you're my friend too, and you're acting like a real ass right now."
Giles tried to intervene:
"Girls, please. Things are tense enough without the two of you..."
"Are you all done running your mouth, Kennedy, because I've heard more than enough."
"No, I'm not done, Buffy. I don't care how upset you are, you keep your goddamn hands off Willow."
Willow tried to pull Kennedy back, but she wasn't moving.
"And if I don't?"
"Then I'm going to kick your ass."
Buffy smiled:
"Ooh, terrifying. You'd better call your ‘friend' back down here to help you, that's about the only chance you have of taking me."
"Oh, yeah?"
Giles began walking toward them:
"Girls, I insist you stop this before someone gets..."
"Hey, I know what you can do, Kennedy. Why don't you go help Faith deal? I mean, you did such a great job of it three years ago."
"Fuck you, Buffy. At least I tried to be there for her instead of spending my time grieving for some vamp who needed killing way before he got what was..."
Buffy unleashed a blow aimed directly at Kennedy's face, but it never connected. Both Slayers were thrown to the floor on opposite sides of the room with enough force to knock the wind out of them.
"I said we're all going to keep our perspective, but if the two of you don't stop this right now, I'm afraid I just might lose mine."
"But Will, she's acting like a..."
"Be quiet, Kennedy."
Buffy practically snarled:
"Yeah shut up, Kennedy or I'm...."
Buffy found herself yanked to her feet by an angry witch:
"You be quiet too and come with me."
Willow led her into Giles' office by the arm.
"Ow! Will, you're hurting me!"
"You'll live."
She didn't let go until she'd shoved Buffy into the room and closed the door firmly behind them.
"Okay, talk."
Buffy stood looking at her defiantly:
"About what?"
"About what just happened."
"Well, your wife was getting out of line and I..."
Willow's voice rose and she did not look happy:
"Buffy Anne Summers, you know very well that I'm referring to Faith!"
Buffy turned and walked over to look out the window:
"There's nothing to talk about."
"Hey come on, don't do this. I'm on your side, remember?"
Buffy said nothing and continued staring out into the darkness, longing to be in the midst of it where she belonged. A minute passed before she felt Willow hugging her from behind.
"Hello, best friend of mine? If you don't talk to me, I'm going to...I'm going to do something really mean to you."
"Like what?"
"Well I don't know yet, but you can bet it's going to be bad."
Buffy laughed and turned around to face her.
"I'm sorry, Will. I'm just...I'm just......I guess I don't know what I am."
"Understandable."
She took Buffy's hand and led them over to the big, comfy leather couch.
"Let's sit down."
Neither of them said a word as they got settled. Buffy looked ready to bolt, so Willow held onto her hand.
"Buffy, I'm not judging you, honest. I'd probably be acting the exact same way, but..."
"But you don't want me killing your wife."
"Yes...No...I mean I don't care about that. What I'm worried about is you. I was worried before we decided to bring Faith back here, and nothing I just saw makes me worry any less. How are you going to deal with her when..."
Buffy tried to pull away, but Willow wouldn't let go of her hand, and Buffy finally stopped struggling.
"Will, I just saw her for the first time in forever. Of course I was whatever I was, but I can so control myself enough to do my job. You don't need to worry."
Willow blew out an irritated breath:
"Could you not do that? You know I know that you're the Slayer, of course you'll get the job done. You could even work with Parker if...Okay, maybe not with that icky creep because hey, who could? I know you'll focus on the job when the time comes."
"Well then what's the big..."
"I'm talking about you, the ‘Buffy' you. This is such a huge emotional thing and you're trying to be all unemotional about it, which is making your emotions come out all ‘grrr' and mean and Big Bitchy of the West. Maybe talking about your feelings would..."
Buffy stood up and began pacing:
"I can't talk about them, I can barely stand to feel them, and besides, I don't even know what I'm feeling anyway."
Willow patted the couch next to her until Buffy sat back down.
"Well based on what I just saw, I'd say you're feeling pretty angry and hurt."
"Yeah...well, yeah. How else can I feel? She just took off and left me."
"And it was horrible, but Buff..."
Buffy wiped at her eyes angrily:
"No, I am not going to cry. I'm all done crying over her, no more."
"See, that's just the kind of thing I'm talking about. You can't stop how you're feeling, it's how you feel."
Buffy stood up again, her expression telling Willow that the discussion was definitely over.
"I don't have time to feel anything. We need to stop these guys, and I seriously doubt they're going to wait until I go through all of my emotions. I'll just have to deal later."
"Buffy..."
"Will, I know you mean well, but I can't...not if I'm going to keep functioning."
"But..."
"I'm going to get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
Willow looked at her for a long moment:
"No, it's not okay, but okay."
Buffy bent down and kissed her on the cheek:
"I'm sorry I shoved you before."
"I know."
"Don't worry, Will. It'll be fine."
She left the room with what Willow knew was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but they'd been friends way too long for that to fool either one of them.
Willow leaned back on the couch with a sigh, and listened to Buffy apologizing to Kennedy. After a few minutes she heard her friend's footsteps crossing the lobby and heading for the stairs, and it wasn't much longer before her wife came looking for her:
"Hey, everything good?"
Willow stood up, straightening the throw pillows as she rose.
"Yes, but no. She's being all ‘Buffy' on me."
"Yeah, she looked pretty scary even when she was apologizing to me."
"I think you'd better try to stay out of it as much as you can. Maybe that way you won't get maimed or disfigured or killed."
Kennedy pulled Willow to her:
"Wow, are you saying you don't think I can take her?"
Willow smiled:
"Honey, not even if she has an arm tied behind her back."
"I'll have you know I'm a Slayer too, and a damn good one."
Willow kissed her softly:
"Yes, you are. In fact, I'd say you're the third best Slayer in the whole wide world."
Kennedy tried to look angry, but she couldn't quite hide her smile:
"Boy, are you ever lucky I've changed. The old me wouldn't have taken this insult nearly as well."
"True, but the old you was a bit of a brat, and the new you is my smart, sexy, happy, secure wife who can handle the truth."
Kennedy kissed her passionately, and when she eased back, she didn't go very far:
"As long as I've got you, Will, I can handle anything."
"Me too, about you. Come on, let's go to bed. We're going to need lots of rest to make it through the next few days."
"But we don't have to go right to sleep, do we?"
"Hmm...I think I can manage to stay awake for awhile."
They headed up the stairs, Kennedy trailing behind Willow as they held hands. She was mumbling faintly under her breath, and Willow had to concentrate hard in order to make out her words:
"Bet if you tied both hands behind her back, I could take her."
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Buffy approached her suite as confidently as she could. She was going to ignore Faith completely and just head straight into the bedroom. She was going to close the door and block out the rest of the world, and she was going to get a good night's sleep if it killed her.
She scooped up the mail from the little table outside her front door and went in without breaking her stride. She felt relieved when she discovered that Faith was nowhere in sight. That meant she had to be in the kitchen or someplace that was else, and whichever one was the case, Buffy was extremely grateful.
It gave her a clear shot to her bedroom and she didn't waste any time in heading there. She walked into her room and locked the door behind her for good measure, then blew out a huge sigh of relief. At least she no longer felt like she had to be on the alert, maybe now she could unwind.
Kicking off her shoes as she sat down on the bed, she rifled through the mail. There was a postcard from Dawn stating that she was totally loving her European jaunt. Ostensibly off on a Slayer recruiting mission, Dawn was also making it into a well-deserved vacation. She was currently visiting old friends in Rome and apparently having a blast. Her hurried scribbling made Buffy smile: at least one of them was happy.
She tossed the rest of the mail onto her nightstand where it promptly slid off the back side and onto the floor, joining yesterday's mail as well as all of the days before for the entire month. Promising herself she'd pick it up first thing in the morning, she removed her shirt and then her bra with a sigh of pleasure.
Her muscles were all bunched up and she stretched, trying to get them to relax. It didn't work, so she decided that a hot bath might be just the thing to help her loosen up. It was a long shot for sure, but she was more than willing to give it a try.
She'd just stripped down to her panties when her bathroom door swung open. A naked Faith emerged from out of the billowing, fragrant steam that seemed to be struggling frantically to escape the confines of the muggy room.
"B!"
Buffy wanted to talk, to say something particularly cutting, but the words wouldn't come. All she could do was let her eyes roam hungrily up and down Faith's body, taking in every square and beautiful inch of it.
Faith blushed, a rare occurrence, but she made no attempt to cover up or leave the room. She merely stood where she was, her gaze flicking rapidly between Buffy's eyes and breasts, and it took some time before Buffy could summon up the strength to break the spell they both seemed to be under.
She grabbed her shirt from the bed, and held it up to her chest:
"What the hell are you doing in my room?"
Faith's voice came out with even more huskiness than usual:
"Was takin' a shower."
"There's a perfectly good shower out there."
"Yeah, but this one's got the fancy heads."
"Well that's just too bad because I don't want you in here."
"My room too, B."
Buffy's anger ratcheted up to a dangerous level, just like that.
"Really, Faith? Well I'm sorry, but when it reached the two year mark, your rights and privileges were revoked. This is my room now, and you're not welcome in it anymore. It was my mistake that you ever were."
The pain flashed in her eyes, but Faith quickly hid it:
"Okay, you win the pissing contest. No idea you'd be up here so soon. Sorry."
She unlocked the door and started to leave, but Buffy had more to say:
"And have you ever heard of a towel?"
Faith turned slowly, looking Buffy up and down before she answered:
"Yeah, I've heard of'em, but just like always you didn't put any in the closet."
"Well there are plenty in the other bathroom, so go there."
"...You've lost weight."
Buffy clutched onto her shirt even tighter:
"Thin's in."
"But skinny's not. B, you really need to..."
"Save the concern for someone who gives a damn what you think."
"..."
"And close the door behind you."
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Tossing and turning was not something Buffy enjoyed, especially not when she'd been doing it for more than three hours. She sighed as she rolled over and sat up on the side of the bed. A quick glance at the clock on the nightstand showed her it was only 3:19.
She desperately wanted to go slay something, many somethings, but Giles had put them all on a "No Slay" schedule for the time being. Plus the only way out was past Faith, and Buffy knew there was no way she could make her escape without being heard.
The kitchen was past Faith too, and the only TV was in the same room as the couch, just a few feet from where she was most likely getting a good night's sleep. That all added up to Buffy having nothing to do, so she laid back down and stared up at the ceiling, illuminated just enough by the moonlight shining through the window. She began a familiar routine, counting all of the cracks and trying to make the various bumps and shapes into patterns that were recognizable.
It was what she had done many a sleepless night over the last thirty months, but tonight it did nothing for her. Everything just looked like Faith. Her eyes, her lips, her dimples, her breasts, her arms, her legs, her butt, her...
Buffy rolled over and pulled the covers up to her neck as she snuggled in comfortably. Her body wasn't fooled, not in the slightest. She wasn't comfortable, she was miserable and she was horny, and she felt like she was crawling out of her skin.
Her mind said it wanted no part of Faith, but her body wasn't about to lie to her so easily. It wanted Faith, and it wasn't at all reluctant to explain that to every little part of her. It had her thrumming and throbbing, and it was impossible to sleep when every last bit of her felt like it was on fire.
A rhythmic grunting noise suddenly grabbed her attention, and the more she listened to it, the more it grabbed at her right between her legs.
"She couldn't be...She wouldn't..."
Spoken softly and incredulously, but also hopefully because this was something she definitely wanted to see...and she wanted to see it right now.
She crept silently to the bedroom door and opened it without a sound, just far enough so that she could peer through it. Unfortunately she couldn't see the sofa, so she swung the door open further and braced herself for the glorious sight of Faith "indulging" herself.
But the stupid sofa lay empty. Faith was on the floor next to it, dressed in a white tank top and a pair of men's boxers, the silk red ones that Buffy had spent more than a few nights peeling off of her. She was doing pushups one after the other, and she'd obviously been at it for a while.
The same moonlight that had kept Buffy company in her bed was now shining its glow on Faith, seeming to caress her as she smoothly pushed her body up and down. The silvery shimmer revealed the light sheen of sweat glistening on the skin that slid along the rippling muscles, muscles that were working in a perfect harmony to do Faith's bidding.
Buffy felt lightheaded and her heart began to race itself into a frenzy, taking her right along with it. She stopped breathing, watching the show with her eyes open as wide as she could get them to go. Everything in her urged her forward, and she struggled to stay where she was.
She told herself she wasn't an animal, that she wasn't ruled by the need for sex or anything else, but deep down inside she knew that wasn't quite true. She was an animal, an animal that was craving its mate who'd been missing for way too long, and she knew all of the beauty on display was hers for the taking, or at least it was supposed to be.
The feeling was primal, it was basic, and it was the hardest thing she'd ever had to resist. Each time those magnificent arms pushed that spectacular body upward, a blast of air escaped from perfectly formed lips, a grunting sound that Buffy had heard so many other times in so many other places.
It used to be a sound she would strive to create, thrusting in and out until she heard it, then increasing the pace until it was all she could hear. She would feel the hot breath as it blew out, feel the wet heat and the tightening around her fingers until the little squeak she loved more than any other sound in the world announced that she had done it, she had caused Faith to lose control.
She would keep going, holding on tight and riding it out with the only person who had ever made her feel like she was right where she belonged. She would keep at it until all of the walls collapsed, and it was then that Faith would let her in...No, it was then that Faith would pull her in.
Her strong hands would grasp at Buffy's back, her powerful legs would wrap themselves tightly around her, forcing them ever closer as the moment approached. She would cry out Buffy's name, screaming it with the strength of everything they felt for each other, and just that sound alone would drive Buffy to her own...
"You gonna just stand there all night?"
The raspy voice interrupted her, jarring her back to reality. Faith was still doing her pushups, and Buffy had to make herself drag her eyes away. Flights of fancy weren't a good thing right now, especially sexual flights of fancy that had her on the verge of doing something incredibly stupid.
"No, I'm on my way to the kitchen."
Faith jumped to her feet:
"Late night snack sounds good. Give us a chance to talk."
Buffy met her eyes, her voice like ice:
"I don't want to talk. I just want some milk."
"How ‘bout I whip us up some pancakes? I'm starvin' and..."
Buffy walked past her like she wasn't even there, entering the kitchen and flipping on the light. Faith stopped in the doorway, watching silently as she poured herself a glass of milk and took a small sip. When Buffy turned to leave, she found that Faith was effectively blocking the exit
"B..."
"Get out of my way."
"Why don't ya sit down and keep me company?"
"I don't want to. Besides, I think you've made it more than clear you really don't want my company."
Faith paled slightly, but she didn't move.
"That's not true. I...B, please sit down. Look, I'm sorry I left like I did and I know you're mad, but come on. We can at least be friends and hear each other out. I just..."
"We're not friends, Faith, not even close. Now get out of my way before I move you."
Faith looked at her, seeming to debate whether she should move or not. It took her a minute, but she finally stepped back and let Buffy pass.
"Gonna have to talk sooner or later."
Buffy didn't turn around:
"No, we're not. This job will be done in a few of days, and then you can run off and beat yourself up for the rest of your life. I'm done letting you hurt me too."
The bedroom door closed and Faith heard the lock engage. She stood where she was for a few minutes, then with a sigh she turned off the light and returned to the couch. It sure was great to be back home.
