Chapter Four

Buffy wasn't surprised by anything in solitary confinement. The Hole was just as advertised in every prison movie and TV show she'd ever seen. It was dark, stinky and unpleasant, and the opening in the floor that seemed to be the facilities…well, at least she had all the privacy she'd been craving.

She was sitting on an uncomfortable metal bed with the thinnest mattress she'd ever felt, nursing her wounds from the fight with the bottom of her shirt. Her lip hurt: of course slamming it against Faith's hadn't been the smartest idea recovery wise, but she didn't regret that and it wasn't the worst of her pain anyway. Her ribs were killing her and so was her jaw where Faith had struck the first blow.

Still, there was nothing too serious and she knew she'd heal up for the most part by the morning. She was worried about whether or not she'd dislocated Faith's shoulder, but if she had, Faith would have snapped it back into place by now. She hadn't felt it give way completely, but it was Faith's weak spot, which was of course why Buffy had gone for it. She knew there'd been some sort of commotion with the guards and it definitely wasn't going to take much to dislocate it, not after the powerful kick she'd delivered.

She ran her fingertips gently over her lips, not because of the cut but because she could still feel Faith there, could still taste her. The sensation of Faith pulling her tight against her body, the thrill of her tongue caressing everywhere inside of Buffy's mouth, the mingling of their breath and the white hot passion that had flared up so intensely between them, all of it had Buffy in a happy glow while she sat alone in the pungent darkness.

They hadn't shared one dream since Buffy had been in prison or in the month leading up to her jail term, and she missed them, missed Faith. The feel of her, the taste of her, the moans and sighs, and most of all the little noise she always made when she came. Buffy wanted it, wanted Faith, and one passionate kiss in the prison yard in front of a bunch of other inmates while the guards rushed them…Well, yes, it had been hot, very hot, way hotter than any dream, but Buffy wanted more. Much, much more.

Her thoughts were pulled back to her current situation as a voice came through the small slot used for passing meal trays:

"Buffy."

"Officer Jackson?"

"Call me Sheila. Are you okay? Do you need any medical treatment?"

"No, not really."

Officer Jackson paused before she spoke again, her voice lowered almost to a whisper:

"I know you'll be okay, but it's still gotta hurt. Here."

A large icepack slid awkwardly onto the floor and Buffy gratefully retrieved it.

"Thanks. I think Faith sort of cracked my ribs."

A roll of gauze followed by a roll of tape came through next.

"I saw. I don't know if you're too hurt to wrap them yourself, but…"

"No, I can do it. Thank you, this will help a lot."

"I'll try and swing back in a couple of hours with more ice, but my shift ends in four."

"I'll be okay. Is Faith all right?"

"About like you, I think. Officer Rhodes is checking on her. Some of the guards tried to let her have it."

There was a noise nearby and Sheila Jackson went quiet. A minute passed before she spoke again.

"I need to get out of here. I just wanted to be sure you were okay."

"Besides the smell, the darkness, the metal bed, and the aches and pains, I'm peachy with a huge side of keen."

Sheila laughed:

"Oh yeah, they definitely broke the Slayer mold when they made you."

"Hmm…so much for my secret identity."

"My dad was friends with Mr. Giles. He always said he was a good man."

"The best."

"I believe it. Okay, I'll definitely be back before my shift ends. I'll take what's left of the tape and gauze then, or you can just toss them into the john. It doesn't get emptied regularly, so it'll get lost in the…Let's just say no one will find it."

Buffy's nose wrinkled:

"I totally believe you about the `no emptying' thing. Is that part of the punishment?"

"Probably."

"Great. I'll see you later then, and thank you."

"No reason to thank me, Buffy. It's an honor to help the Slayer. Both of them."

Faith's shoulder hurt a lot less now that she'd snapped it back into place. Buffy was so quick and strong and she was such a bitch, always hitting her opponent in their weakest spot. That thought made Faith smile: Buffy was the best Slayer ever and she loved that about her, how she could beat the holy hell out of anybody and everything.

When Angel used to visit, they'd sometimes talk about Buffy, how she'd even bested Angelus when it came right down to it. Angel felt the same sense of pride in her abilities that Faith did. It was her toughness, her skill, her intelligence and her very "Buffyness" that made her so formidable. She was a force to be reckoned with, and she'd made a pair of major fuck-ups believe in the possibility of redemption, not an easy task at all.

Faith's cheek was killing her too. If she hadn't managed to dodge as much as she did, she'd have been seeing her lucky stars instead of just counting them. She grinned as she thought back to how Buffy had put everything into the punch, actually leaving her feet as she'd delivered the blow. Buffy was a total badass and Faith loved it.

She was feeling around her jaw, but then her fingers began delicately tracing along her mouth. She could still feel the pressure of Buffy Fucking Summers' lips right there, could still taste and feel her tongue dancing with her own, her soft breath fluttering over and into her.

Her hand trembled as she closed her eyes, willing herself to remember every nanosecond of the kiss. The way Buffy had dragged her close and smashed their lips together, the way she'd moaned into Faith's mouth the moment Faith kissed her back, the way her hands tightened in Faith's hair when Faith forcefully pulled her even closer…

"Fuck!"

She stood up and then sat back down gingerly, feeling slightly dizzy from the blows she'd taken from the guards.

It was her own fault, she knew better, but when Buffy had said:

"…but that's the one I prefer, F."

Faith had stood frozen in place, her brain turned to mush as she struggled to comprehend what had just happened and what she had just heard.

She didn't notice the guards ordering her to keep moving and after a few seconds, one of the new men decided to make a name for himself as a tough guy. His baton crashed hard against the back of her head, but she didn't go down. She turned to face him instead, breaking the secure grasp of the two guards holding her and scaring the shit out of everyone except Eddie.

Another guard swung at her head, but her quick spin made the blow a lot less than accurate, and the stick hit her hard right in her tender shoulder. The popping noise was audible and she staggered, almost falling. They jerked her along to the Hole using that arm, making her moan with pain every step of the way as they got in a few random baton strikes.

As they reached their destination and prepared to go at her full force, Eddie managed to cut in. He grabbed her by the other arm and tossed her into the dark room, slamming and locking the door in nearly one motion and effectively stopping the attack before it could get going.

"Good one, guys. We got her all locked up. Thanks for the help."

There wasn't much they could do about it. He'd smoothly outplayed them and they headed back to their various stations grumbling about what a bitch 430019 was. When they were gone, Eddie tilted down the food tray flap:

"Faith, you all right?"

"..Yeah…shoulder's…Hang on…"

He heard the noise and her muffled scream, and he winced for her. It took another few seconds, but then she was talking normally:

"I'm good. Head's ringin' a little, but mostly okay."

"Sorry about that. Morrison's an asshole."

"Not your fault, I shoulda kept movin'."

"You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, thanks to you throwin' me in here so fast. Appreciate it, Eddie."

He shook his head even though she couldn't see it.

"Least I could do. I'll see if I can slip you some ice. Guy on duty here owes me one."

"Fuck, don't use it up on me."

"Shut up, Lehane. There's nobody better to use it on."

She was glad he couldn't see her because that made her tear up. The guy actually liked her and thought she was somebody worth something.

"Up to you. B okay?"

"`Buffy' ya mean? Think so. She was just going along, didn't stop to sightsee like you did."

She laughed:

"Yeah, well you know me, like to grab life by the balls and all."

"Well Morrison's sure hightailed it when you turned around to face him. That boy completely shit himself."

"Yeah, think I'm still catchin' a whiff in here."

"Nice, ain't it? The water working?"

She reached over and turned it on, watching it barely dribble out.

"'Bout as well as last time."

"I'll see what I can get ya."

"Can ya get B somethin' too?"

"Think Jackson's got her covered, but I'll make sure."

"Thanks, Eddie."

He got ready to go, then decided to just say it:

"No clue what's going on here, but that little white girl? She kicked your ass, all kindsa ways."

"Trust me, nothin' new there, Boss."

"Better shape up, Lehane. A woman like that…well, takes a real woman to keep her."

And then he was gone and Faith's fingers were back at her lips.

"Fuck."

She smiled when she saw where she was and that the gorgeous woman was sitting on the bed waiting for her.

Faith got to her feet almost instantly, her expression shy.

"Hi. Wasn't doin' a come on or anything, just killin' time `til you got here."

Buffy smiled:

"I wouldn't mind a `come on'."

"Yeah, but we gotta talk."

The sun was shining through the window and the sheers under the curtain were billowing gently. Buffy walked closer, her hand reaching for Faith's and pulling her towards her.

"B…"

"I think talking's way overrated, don't you?"

"Yeah, but in this case…"

Buffy kissed her and Faith gave in.

"Mmm…God, I've missed this, F."

"Me too."

Buffy kissed her again and then pulled back smiling:

"Although real life? So, so much better."

"B…"

Buffy sighed at her serious expression.

"Okay, but just so you know, we're not having our big talk here."

Faith walked over to look out the window.

"Jesus B, what do you want from me?"

"I want you. In my dreams, in my life, in my town, in my bed."

She didn't respond, her body held stiff and still, her eyes riveted to the view outside.

"It doesn't have to be like this, Faith.  How long have we been together now?"

"Want the info in months, days or minutes?"

Buffy walked up behind her, wrapping her arms around her waist and nuzzling into her, her lips lightly kissing along Faith's neck up to her ear.

"Just the fact that you know the numbers tells me everything I need to know."

"I'm not leavin' prison, B."

"Not ever? Why? How does that make any sense?"

"..."

"I won't let it happen, Faith."

"That part's not up to you."

"Maybe not, but I still won't let you stay there forever."

"25 to life. I deserve it."

"Why? What happened?"

Buffy looked at the clock, the numbers spinning faster and faster as the light changed to darkness. The air was cold as it flowed into the room, and outside the window she saw again all of the horrible things Faith had done, every ugly moment of their history playing out on what seemed to be an endless loop.

"Stop it. We're not there anymore."

"Maybe not, but could be any second."

Buffy hugged her tighter and whispered into her ear:

"You're not going to scare me off."

The light came back and a warm breeze blew through the window, a window that showed nothing but the peaceful view again.

"What do you want, Faith?"

"…Wanna be strong enough to let you go, to not make you come here."

"You don't `make' me come here, I want to be here. There's nothing you can do to stop that, you can't change how I feel."

Faith spun to face her:

"I didn't get it was real, B. I woulda never done all this if I'd known you were really here."

"Well, it's too late to go back and besides, I don't want to anyway."

Faith turned to the window again, looking out but not really seeing anything.

"You say that, but…B, you don't know."

"No, I don't, but you're going to tell me when we're back in our cell."

"Not gonna happen, so just go home."

Buffy felt Faith's pain and decided to drop it. They had a moment to themselves, a stolen moment between two Slayers, and she wanted to make the most of it.

"Let's forget all of that for now and focus on the fact that I'm here, you're here, the bed's right there and isn't it crazy how fighting just always makes you horny and horny?"

Faith couldn't stop her smile:

"That's not the saying, B."

"I made a wicked change to fit the sitch, F."

Her hands slid down Faith's body, stopping to explore all of the interesting spots that always made Faith moan and throw her head back to rest on Buffy's shoulder.

"Fuck, B."

"Let's start with `Fuck F', and see where that takes us."

"Faith!"

"Ignore him."

Buffy's hands had gone lower and Faith felt her legs weaken.

"Faith!!"

She woke up with a start:

"Shit! Sorry, Eddie, I kinda nodded off."

"You oughta stay awake, case you got a concussion. Here."

An icepack slipped through the slot, then two plastic bottles of orange Gatorade were squeezed through sideways.

"Got a couple for your girl too."

"Thanks."

She stood on shaky legs, although whether they were caused by the dream or the beating, she wasn't quite sure.

"Listen, I gotta go, but word is you're only spending the night in here. Probably gonna be locked down in your cell for a few, but at least you'll be outta here."

"Glad to hear it. Thanks for the extras."

"No problem. Stay awake for a couple more hours, promise?"

She didn't want to, but she wasn't about to deny him a thing.

"Promise."

"Okay, good. I'm gonna run these over to your ass kickin' girlfriend. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah. Thanks again for the help, Eddie."

"Always, Crazy Girl."

Buffy wasn't happy in solitary, but then maybe a little apart time wasn't the worst thing ever. After Eddie's Gatorade delivery and assurance that Faith was fine, she'd slept again for a few hours and now felt much better. There'd been no more Slayer dreams beyond the one they'd already shared, and that was okay with her. She hadn't expected Faith to come back and besides, the time for dreaming was over. It was time to bring everything out into the real world.

Buffy stretched carefully, pleased to discover that her ribs were feeling almost normal again. Fighting Faith was always so intense and just like everything else they did together, there was nothing halfway about it. Faith was full of passion no matter what, and it was one of the things Buffy loved best about her. She laughed again, admitting to herself that "love" was exactly the right word when it came to describing her feelings for Faith.

Things had changed dramatically after Buffy had returned to the land of the living. It turned out that being ripped from Heaven wasn't the easiest thing to deal with, and she'd ended up going through what the poets would have called her "dark night of the soul"…and the less said about her sexual relationship with Spike, the better.

It had definitely been slow going, but Buffy had finally managed to regain her footing. One of the biggest reasons for that was her fellow Slayer, and she smiled as she thought back to when it had all started, just months after Faith had been imprisoned.

The dreams in the beginning were always the same. Faith would show up silent and sad, pleading wordlessly for Buffy's forgiveness and she never once got it. There was only contempt and anger glaring out at her from hazel eyes and the dreams would always end as abruptly as they had begun.

Angel sent regular progress reports, but Buffy never read them. She refused to speak about Faith, refused to care about her, and that was that. Slate wiped clean, door firmly locked, heart and mind completely closed.

But sometimes at night, her brain would betray her. Faith would return, still sad, still sorry, and still reaching out to an unrelenting Buffy. That became their pattern and it went on for a long time until Buffy finally convinced herself that she couldn't really be having Slayer dreams. The Faith that came to her when she slept had never existed and never would.

It had always been just a sick game to Faith, one that she had played like a master, and Buffy believed her current incarceration was merely just the latest move in the same old: "Let's Take Everything Buffy Has" challenge.. Angel and Giles could buy into her lies if they wanted to, but Buffy was all done being Faith's fool.

And then there was no more time to not think about Faith. Buffy had a hell god to deal with, a sister to protect, a mother to lose, and the literal weight of the world on her shoulders…again. Only this time it was the end of the line, and Buffy had to pay with her life.

She knew it wasn't her ordained time to die, but Buffy Summers hadn't cared about the rules from Day One and she sure as hell didn't care about them on her last day either. She had always followed her heart and she was more than okay with where it had led her. She had a choice to make and she chose to do the only thing she could live with: Buffy jumped to her death.

She hit the white energy and felt more pain surging through her than she'd ever imagined it was possible to feel. Her very being was stripped down to its essence and Buffy would have screamed if she could have gotten the noise out. After an eternity, the pain subsided. She was dead, she knew, and then she felt it – her last link to the world.

Her fellow Slayer's anguish came blasting through their bond and Buffy felt every ounce of grief that Faith did at that moment…and she knew. She went to her eternal rest finally understanding just how much Faith had loved her.  And then all went quiet and peaceful, and Buffy was gone.

No new Slayer arose, the Slayer line ran through Faith. It wasn't exactly an ideal situation for the world to have its only Slayer locked up, and Angel and Giles began setting the wheels in motion to get her released. Faith was hesitant at first, afraid that she would relapse into the person she used to be, but for only the second time in her life, she was determined to do the right thing.

And then Buffy was back, somewhat less than before, but still the hero of the story. Faith was deliriously happy, but she was scared too and hoping that when she did finally manage to get out, The Slayer would accept her help.

It took months before the fog cleared, but when it did, Buffy found her thoughts turning to Faith. She had no idea why exactly, but she felt a distinct softening towards her fellow Slayer, and this time it was Buffy who reached out.

The dreams were awkward and confusing at first, everything couched in symbols and riddles designed to hide their true feelings from one another. Gradually they became more comfortable and starting with Faith's apology that Buffy accepted, they began communicating more normally. She didn't forgive Faith, not then, not yet, but over time Buffy discovered that Faith really had changed.

Her demons were held firmly at bay, and the person who was left standing in their wake was willing to fight for redemption, even though she believed she'd never get it. This was Buffy's slaying partner, her comrade, and she found herself liking and admiring Faith more each time they met.

Faith's lawyer was confident that he could get her sentence dramatically reduced, if not outright overturned. A distinct lack of evidence, Faith's mental state at the time of her confession, her inadequate legal representation, and her exemplary behavior as a prisoner all pointed to an early release. Buffy was excited at the prospect of having her back, and when they met up that night, she couldn't stop talking about it.

Everything seemed normal, but then the dream quickly turned into something else, all courtesy of Faith. Buffy had been standing by the window chattering across the room to a smiling Faith, and the next second Faith was right next to her invading her personal space.

"Faith, I …"

 "So, B, what's it s'posed to mean?"

"What?"

"Better gimme the skinny, `cause I just see one thing."

"Wh…What are you doing?"

"Nothin' you don't want me to."

She moved even closer, her lips stopping just short of Buffy's, her hand trailing down until it was poised right above Buffy's breast…

Buffy woke up.

She avoided seeing Faith for an entire week, but by the end of her self-imposed heavy thinking session, she had her answer: she was sexually attracted to Faith and always had been. It was so easy for her to see how the desire had been spiraling out between them since they'd met, and it explained so many things…maybe even all things.

To her great surprise, Buffy was fine with the knowledge that she wanted another woman. It was Faith after all, who wouldn't want her? She was the sexiest person ever born, and Buffy suspected that even when she was on her deathbed, she'd still think that Faith was…

And then Buffy remembered.

The pain Faith had felt at her death, the love she had for Buffy, all of it reaching out to her through their Slayer connection as she left the world. Faith was in love with her. Totally, completely, and without any doubt whatsoever, and Buffy was fine with it.

Just like that, something was finally settled within her, something that had been stirring since the moment long ago when a strong, warm hand had taken the stake from her own:

"Thanks, B. Couldn't have done it without you."

When they met again, Faith was sprawled out on her bed, clearly naked under Buffy's familiar beige blanket.

"So what took ya so long, B?"

The question was asked with Faith's trademark cockiness, but Buffy could feel her uncertainty.

"Oh, you know me, F. I had to think things through."

Faith's eyes were devouring her with more hunger than Buffy had ever seen before, yet all it did was make her even more comfortable as she began stripping.

"…Yeah, Angel's like that too. Gotta think everything through. Not me though, I just go with what I feel."

"I know.  `Want, take, have' has never seemed so perfect."

Faith held the blanket up and Buffy slid underneath like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"You're going to have to teach me what to do, Faith."

The cockiness was gone, leaving nothing except her true feelings on display. The back of her hand brushed tenderly along Buffy's cheek and her eyes filled with tears:

"Just touch me, please Buffy…Just love me."

And that was the start of their affair.  

It was strange, there was no doubt about that, but "strange" had stopped bothering Buffy a long time ago. She just went with it, loving the incredible sex and intimacy that Faith gave her. She held nothing back and Buffy stayed with her, stride for stride, as she eagerly awaited the day when they could be together in the real world.

A few months into it, she sensed something was wrong. The sex was still passionate, still great, but Faith herself seemed to be moving away.

"No big, B. Probably somethin' you ate." 

It was too easy in dreams, and Faith was exceptionally skilled at calling up distraction after distraction. In their last dream, they made love, Faith kissed her and then stood up, already fully clothed.

"Faith, what are you…"

"Fuck, I'm gonna miss this so much."

"What? When? Why?"

"Wish it was real, but fuck it, I'm gonna thank ya anyways. These dreams were all I had left, but I can't even do this to `Dream Buffy' anymore."

"'Dream Buffy'? Faith, I'm not…"

"I love you so much, B, I'm glad you hate me."

"I don't hate you. What are you talking…"

And then she was gone.

Their connection was shut down, and no matter how much Buffy tried, she couldn't get it open again. Faith was gone and that was that. All of Buffy's requests to visit came back stamped: "Rejected…Prisoner declined."

She turned to Giles and Angel, confessing everything, explaining what she could and trusting they'd accept what she could not. Faith had apparently never understood that they were having Slayer dreams, really and truly meeting in each other's minds, and that what had gone on, had gone on for both of them. Angel called in some markers and tried to force Faith to see them, but Faith fought the guards like never before and had ended up in solitary for two weeks.

They had no clue what to do until Buffy came up with the idea of becoming a prisoner herself. She enlisted the help of the whole gang, promising Giles that when she got back, she'd tell him everything about her Slayer dreams…even the embarrassing parts. He'd been so excited about the "unprecedented events", Buffy was just dreading the day she'd have to....

Her reverie was interrupted by the sound of the door opening and a guard she'd never seen before gesturing her forward.

"Let's go, Mighty Mouse. You're outta here."

She walked out, squinting at the bright lights in the hallway. Two other guards handcuffed her and one grabbed her roughly by the elbow.

"Come on, you're going back to your cell. You're gonna be locked down, got no clue how long, so don't ask. Screws on the block'll know, so just keep your mouth shut `til we get there."

Buffy didn't even bother to look at him, her mind already racing.

She was going to be locked down in the cell with Faith. There'd be no way for her to get away from Buffy, no chance for her to avoid whatever it was she kept running from.  All Buffy had to do was get Faith to talk to her and she could think of all kinds of ways to make that happen.

The guard's grip suddenly tightened on her arm:

"What the fuck are you smilin' at? You nuts or somethin'?"

"I guess that depends on how you look at it."

He shook his head as she kept grinning.

"Gettin' stuck in your cell for who knows how long and you're fuckin' smilin'. Fuckin' weirdo."

Chapter Five


Faith had made her decision. She'd thought about it all night long and there was no way she was heading back to her cell to be locked down with Buffy. She had heard the promise and the threat: they were going to talk and get to the bottom of things when they got back to the cell, and Faith wanted no part of it. She didn't want to talk to Buffy about anything, she didn't want to "solve" the problem. She just wanted to be left alone and she was going to be.

She'd figured out that Buffy had the Warden completely in her pocket. Nothing else explained how two inmates tossed into the Hole for beating the hell out of each other, were now being released back to their shared cell the very next day. Not only was that not the standard protocol, it didn't even make the slightest bit of sense safety wise. They hadn't just had a scuffle or a chick fight, they'd had a full-on Slayer brawl and it was obvious they needed to be separated.

Fine. Faith had known the deck was stacked the second she saw Buffy walking into her cell, and now she knew for sure it wasn't just the deck, it was the whole casino that was rigged. It didn't matter, she was smart and if they wanted to play games, she'd play right along with them…only the game she'd be playing would be one of her own choosing.

She was going to attack the guards when they opened the door. She felt bad about it, but she was going to have to really rough them up. If she did it good enough and took two or three of them down hard, that would earn her a month, maybe two in solitary. That should seal the deal and send Buffy on her way back home.

The noise of the door unlocking had her springing up and Faith went into action…only to stop. There was just one guard standing there: Eddie. She had no clue what was going on, Eddie didn't work anywhere near the Hole.

"What's this?"

"Come on out."

She did, squinting at the bright light of the hallway.

"What, you get demoted?"

"No. Stick out your hands, I gotta cuff ya."

She did as he asked, looking around at the deserted area:

"Where is everybody?"

"I had'em clear out. Figured you might pull some of your crazy shit to avoid going back to your cell."

"What? Why'd you think that?"

He took hold of her arm just above her elbow and urged her forward.

"You saying that wasn't your plan just now?"

"…Not sayin' shit."

"I'm gonna take that as confirmation.  And didn't say I thought that. Was your girl who was all over it."

"Buffy?!"

He laughed and steered her around the corner:

"Damn Lehane, how many you got?"

She didn't answer, asking her own question instead:

"So B figured I was gonna what exactly?"

"Assault your escort so you could stay Holed away from her."

"And you're s'posed to stop me?"

"Nobody here but me. You planning to rough me up, Faith?"

"Doesn't matter. Soon as we get back to the block, I'm gonna nail the first person I see."

He laughed again:

"Yeah? So you wanna stay away from her so bad, you don't care if you get me written up?"

"What?"

"You're my responsibility. I vouched for you with the Warden and asked to provide the solo escort. You act like a punk, it's on me. Probably get me docked a few days pay, maybe even suspended. Gonna look real bad, `specially if I ain't got a mark on me when the beating's over."

She stopped walking and he stopped with her. He kept his face neutral as she looked up at him.

"...Oughta fuckin' paste you one for doin' this shit."

"Probably, but you won't. Not now, not ever, so sell the wolf tickets to somebody else."

Then they were moving again, and Faith was pissed. They climbed the stairs and Eddie let himself smile when he was behind her. He still didn't know what was going down exactly, but he knew that he liked the blonde shit disturber and the effect she was having.

Something bad had happened a few months ago and it had caused his favorite prisoner to shut down. He'd tried to get it out of her, but she wouldn't tell him. Despite their close relationship, when push came to shove they were still guard and prisoner, and she wasn't about to tell him what was going on.

Nobody else was going to share info with a screw either, except maybe the snitches, but it turned out they didn't know much more than he did. It left him concerned and frustrated and willing to break a few rules and regulations, maybe even risk his job if it came down to that.

The kid trudging up the stairs in front of him like she was headed to the electric chair was special to him. He was grateful to her of course, but he genuinely liked her too. She didn't belong in prison and he wanted her to get her ass out and into a real life. He knew she could make something good for herself, she just needed to realize that too.

He'd read her jacket, knew what she'd done, but that person was nothing like the one he saw day in, day out, and nothing like the woman who had thrust herself in between him and a homemade shiv. It would have killed him, he knew that, and she was touch and go for three days.

He was there when she woke up, he was the one who shoveled the ice chips into her mouth until she felt a little closer to normal.

"How long this time?"

"Three days."

He'd wedged the white plastic spoon into the Styrofoam cup of ice and let his eyes meet hers:

"Owe you my life."

"…Great. Maybe you can not toss my shit all over durin' the next shakedown."

"Maybe."

He'd taken her hand then and they'd both nodded as an understanding passed between them.

He'd been happy when he'd heard she had a good shot of getting out early. His glowing report of how she'd saved several lives that day and had quelled the riot almost singlehandedly, all while refusing the escape route clearly available to her, had gone a long way towards getting her seen in a different light.

It turned out the riot wasn't her only good deed. A little digging revealed that Lehane had been helping out inmates and guards left and right for a long time, and Eddie diligently reported each and every one of those incidents too.

The official song and dance was that prison was supposed to be all about rehabilitating people, making them see the error of their ways before they were released back into society. Well, Inmate 430019 was ready to go, she was more than ready to go, and the word was it was getting closer and closer to becoming a reality.

Then something happened and just like that, the wind went out of her sails. She suddenly turned her back on her chance and he couldn't reach her, nobody could…not until a little scrap of a girl had become her cell mate.

Now Lehane was alive again. She was mad as hell, but at least she wasn't just lying on her bunk facing the wall until he forced her to move. Buffy was nothing but a good thing, and she had Officer Jackson's help as well as the Warden's. Eddie felt good about his team, but he didn't have any illusions either…Lehane wasn't going to go down without a fight.

When they got to the cell, Buffy was sitting on the edge of the top bunk, her legs swinging in the air. Faith was clearly taken aback and she turned to her guard for help:

"Eddie, that's my bunk!"

"Open up for 430019!"

The door slid open as Eddie unhooked the handcuffs.

"Did ya hear me? She's on my bunk!"

"Yeah, I heard you. Was trying to ignore your baby whining."

He shoved her into the cell, then called out for it to be closed.

"Okay, you're both in lockdown for at least a week, maybe more. Meals in here, shower every three days unless your guard says otherwise. Since that's me, can tell you right now: you don't give me any trouble, you get one every day. I'll let you out for the bathroom a couple times too, but Lehane, I mean it: none of your shit. I can't afford it and neither can you."

And then he was gone.

Faith's hands were gripping the bars as she stared out into the hall, totally freaking. She hadn't felt so panicked since the night she was first locked in.

"Where's your harmonica?"

"…"

"Faith?"

"…What?"

"Harmonica. Do you have one?"

Faith didn't turn to look at her, her death grip on the bars not relaxing in the slightest.

"No, I don't have a fucking harmonica."

"Really? I thought they were standard prison issue."

Faith finally turned to look at her:

"What the hell are you talkin' about?"

"Well, this kind of moment's in every prison movie ever made and they always play something bluesy and sad on the…"

Her forehead crinkled as she tried to remember:

"…skins! No, I think those are drums…The month heart? No, but it's something like that..."

"You're on my bed, B, and I don't like it."

"I know, I heard you complaining about it to Officer Rhodes, but here's the thing, F: I've decided to make you my bitch and I'm exerting my dominance over you by taking the top bunk."

Faith looked at her, then turned back to stare out into the hall.

"I know you think you're bein' all cute and funny, but…"

"No, if I was trying to be all `cute and funny', I'd say something like : `Assume the position'."

Faith walked casually over to the bunks.

"Okay, yeah, you're funny and cute, but this here? Not gonna fly. You need to get your ass outta here and go home…now."

"I think I explained how that works the first day I showed up..."

Faith's hand was now resting on Buffy's knee, sliding gradually down towards her ankle.

"…but I guess I should have also explained that if you try to yank me off this bed, I will kick your ass like never before."

Faith looked Buffy in the eye and after a brief pause, her hand left her leg.

"Buffy, what you want? Never gonna happen. You're wastin' my time and yours."

"So? It's not like you have anything else to do."

"I got plenty to do. I…"

"What? Stay in your bed while you stare down a wall? Sorry, I've got other plans for both of us."

Faith began pacing:

"I don't give a shit what you…"

"You're a liar, you more than give a shit."

"…This isn't fair, B."

Buffy shrugged:

"Maybe, maybe not, but it's how it is. We have a lot to talk about and nothing to do but talk. I call it the perfect sitch."

Faith sat down on the bench that was attached to the wall by the desktop.

"Fine, wanna have a war in here, that's what we'll do."

Buffy went back to swinging her legs:

"My baby done left me…doo doo doo doo doo…Left me high and dry…doo doo doo doo doo…Mouth harp!"

The hours passed slowly. Eddie let them have a shower after the other inmates had finished and Faith, although happy to be clean again, was wishing they hadn't been allowed. Buffy had put on a show for her, all glistening sex as she'd cleaned and rubbed and slid and oozed all over the place. By the time their time was up, Faith was more than a little on the wound up side.

Eddie was waiting out in the hallway with a female guard who'd come along as a chaperone, and the Slayers got dressed without speaking. Buffy kept looking at Faith with her sexy little half smile and making breathy little sighs every time she did any movement at all. The end result was that Faith ripped her shirt as she tried to remember how to put it on, shoving her arm right through the material.

"Fuck!"

"Mmm…that sounds good to me."

She ignored Buffy, calling out to Eddie:

"Need a new shirt, Boss."

"Hear ya!"

A couple of minutes later, a shirt came sailing in from the clothing supply room.

"Thanks."

"Sure. Now you girls hurry it up."

Buffy was done and she walked to the door, her hand trailing along Faith as she went by:

"Best ass on the planet."

She laughed as Faith jumped when she pinched it, and then Buffy was out of sight, her voice drifting into the room as she chatted with the guards.

Faith was nearly panting, totally on fire and mad at herself for feeling that way. She knew what Buffy was doing, but she was powerless to stop it. Buffy turned her on just by existing, and when she was actually trying to be sexy? Faith didn't stand a chance.

They got back to their cell and it wasn't long before their dinner was delivered. They ate in a relative calm: Faith at the desk, Buffy on the top bunk, until Faith suddenly strode over to the bars.

She looked down the line and everything about her said she was furious. Buffy had seen nothing except two inmates walking by. They'd looked in at the locked down Slayers, but hadn't said a word as they'd kept going.

"Faith?"

"Fucking bitches!"

"Who? The women who just walked by?"

Faith said nothing, her head swiveling in both directions before she finally relaxed and went back to her dinner.

"Faith?"

"…Ya don't ever look into somebody's cell, not `less you want a beatin' or a shiv in your gut."

"Really? Now you tell me. I've been doing that since I got here , but no one's said anything."

Faith finished her milk:

"`Cause you're a fish and mine on top of it. Earns ya a little leeway, least for awhile."

"Okay, they're not `fish' or `yours', so what just happened? Why did they look in?"

"Was a drive-by, courtesy of some of Frankie's crew."

Buffy was still somewhat confused:

"Meaning?"

"Meaning your stunt in the yard's got her thinkin' I'm vulnerable."

"Why? I kicked your ass because I'm even better than you. How does that make her think…"

Faith stood and walked back over to the bars:

"None of'em saw it, B. Frankie's crew and me are kept separate. All they got's word of mouth, and who'd believe there'd be another chick tough as me?"

"So what? They think you've suddenly lost your strength?"

"No, they think you got my balls in a jar."

Buffy laughed:

"Well, that's kind of true, but …"

"Thing is, we gotta stay alert. Can't pull any shit since we're locked in here, but when lockdown's over, all pussy's gonna break loose."

"And you got all of this from one casual glance into our cell?"

Faith looked at her:

"My cell, and yeah. There's gonna be more, you'll see."

And there were. Two more "drive-bys" occurred before the evening changed into night, then there were just the usual sounds of taunting, sex, and chatter as sleep came to claim the inmates.

Faith paced relentlessly, still refusing Buffy's offer of sparring. She walked for over an hour before she crawled into her lower bunk without a word. Buffy waited a few minutes, then quietly joined her. Faith jumped slightly when she felt Buffy slide in behind her.

"Shh…it's just me."

She spooned against Faith's back, preventing her from turning over.

"Yeah, I know who it is. Get back to your own bed."

"Why? You're all worked up, I can help you with that."

As she spoke, her lips brushed against Faith's neck and one of her hands gently caressed her breast.

"B…"

"I'm right here, all real life and still wanting you."

"…You need to go back to…Buffy…"

Buffy's leg hooked over Faith's as her hand began tracing lazy circles downward.

"I know what we both need."

Her leg muscled Faith's over, flipping her onto her back and letting Buffy rest on top.

"See? Was I right or what?"

"I can't…Oh God, B, don't move."

Buffy's hips were swaying slightly and her lips kissed Faith's neck, jaw and chin as she pressed down slightly harder.

"You don't tell me what to do, F. You're my bitch, remember?"

Faith went to push her off, but instead her arms wrapped themselves around, slipping under Buffy's wife beater to smooth along her hot silky skin. They both groaned at the sensation and Buffy dipped her head to deliver a searing kiss.

Their tongues swirled and played, and Faith knew she was losing, if not already lost. When they broke apart, Buffy's mouth engulfed her nipple right through her shirt. Faith's back arched up to meet her, a guttural noise of pleasure escaping from her. Buffy tormented her for a minute, then lifted her mouth back to Faith's ear:

"You're so hard, baby."

Her hand pushed under Faith's shirt to grasp onto her breast, her thumb moving slowly against her nipple.

"Look at me."

Faith slowly opened her eyes to stare up into Buffy's in the dim light:

"This is real, Faith. We're right here, together. Just like we're supposed to be."

Faith said nothing, feeling nothing but Buffy…her heat, her strength, her softness.

"Just me and you with no reason at all to be apart."

She moved from side to side, and although Faith tried hard not to react, she moaned and began keeping pace with Buffy.

"Baby, we have to get this out in the open…just deal with it so it can't…"

Faith shoved at Buffy and Buffy let her go.

She stood beneath the window, her arms wrapped tightly around her body. Neither of them spoke for several minutes, the tension packed silence thick between them.

"B, I know you mean well. And I want you, you fuckin' know I do…"

"But?"

"You just gotta let it go now."

Buffy went to her, stopping a small step behind and letting her hand rest lightly on Faith's back:

"I can't let it go, I'll never be able to do that. Whatever happened, whatever you're blaming yourself for, it's not your fault."

Faith's voice exploded out of her as she whirled to face Buffy:

"You can't know that! You don't have a fucking clue what I did! Just go the fuck home and leave me alone!"

"Faith, how can you expect me to do that? I love you, I know you love me, and I know you're wasting away in here."

"So what, Buffy, I've done my time? Suddenly murdering people in cold blood's cool with you? I should just get to waltz outta here `cause you love me now?"

Buffy grabbed her chin and made her meet her eyes:

"This doesn't have anything to do with me. You were more than willing to get out when I was dead. What changed? What happened, Faith?"

Faith jerked her head away:

"I don't wanna talk about this."

"Yeah, I think I got that."

"Then try actin' like it and knock this shit off."

Faith walked away, but Buffy followed her. Faith kept edging back and Buffy kept advancing, eventually wedging Faith into a tiny corner.

"The world needs you because you're a Slayer…"

"World's already got one."

"…and I need you because you're Faith."

"You gonna let me outta here or keep me hemmed in all night?"

Buffy stepped back and let Faith out.

"Think maybe you can shut up in your sleep?"

"Maybe, but, F?"

 "Yeah?"

"That's my bed you're climbing into."

Faith looked back at her, her face amused and irritated in equal measures:

"You really gonna make a stink about the top bunk?"

"Top dog gets the top bunk."

Faith's response was a soft mutter as she crawled into the bottom bunk, but Buffy could hear every word:

"Top bitch is more like it."

"That's right, baby. Guess that makes you my bottom bitch."

"Just shut up, B."

Buffy jumped up into her bed:

"Ooh, look who gets all cranky when they don't get any."

 "Fuck right off."

"It could come to that, and although I'm really good at pleasing myself, well, I always imagine it's you doing it anyway."

Faith went so still and quiet, it was deafening.

"What's the matter, F? Does that visual have you all hot and bothered?"

"…Night."

Her voice was all strangled and shaky, and she had to clear her throat twice just to get the one word out. Buffy smiled at her reaction:

"Sweet dreams, Slayer."

The next four days were a living hell for Faith. She was turned on nearly all the time and doing her best to act like she wasn't, she was fighting not to crack, and she was trying her best to ignore the constant stream of conversation pouring out of Buffy's mouth.

Sometimes it was inane babble, sometimes it was Buffy sharing herself, sometimes it was Buffy analyzing Faith, analyzing herself, and/or analyzing Faith and Buffy together. Other times Buffy would talk about what she wanted to do to Faith, what she wanted to do to herself, and what she wanted them to do to each other.

There were now small chunks of concrete chipped out of several spots on the wall and the tiny little desk shelf tilted slightly to the left. Faith also seemed to be doing her best to wear a groove in the cell floor, all while Buffy sat contentedly on the top bunk, her legs dangling and swinging happily in the air.

At night she joined Faith in her bed, touching her, kissing her, loving her and Faith despite every promise she made to herself, didn't even try to stop her. She craved it, and no matter how mad she was at Buffy, no matter how scared she felt, it all went away whenever Buffy was lying with her.

Faith would just give into her, feeling a sense of belonging and happiness that lasted longer and longer until she would regain her senses and scamper out of the bed, the night's make-out session firmly over. Buffy wouldn't say a word as she returned to her own bunk.

Faith would eventually lay down again and try to find sleep, at first infuriated that Buffy's scent was everywhere, surrounding her and making her desire ratchet even higher until she felt like she was going to explode. Then as the minutes passed, that scent would again lull and soothe her, relaxing Faith into a restful sleep she hadn't known in forever. She would awaken the next morning determined to refuse Buffy, but she knew it was just a lie that would only stay with her until the darkness fell.

On the fifth day, Faith finally snapped. Buffy was running through the alphabet to find the name of the person she thought was involved in whatever it was that Faith didn't want to talk about, and Faith had had enough. Her intent was to grab Buffy by the legs, pull her off the bed and then beat the living hell out of her, but as she approached, Buffy jumped quickly to the floor, landing at the ready.

"Problem, F?"

The smug look on her face enraged Faith and she swung out. Buffy caught her fist in one hand and slapped her on the cheek with the other. She let go, shoving Faith back and effectively stopping the momentum of her attack. She stayed on guard, like a lion tamer trapped without her chair and whip as she braced herself for a full on assault.

Faith stood where she was, staring at Buffy while she tried to regain control of herself. Her muscles were bunched, she was poised to attack and her anger was coming off of her in palpable waves. Neither Slayer said a word until Faith screamed out:

"Fuck!"

She slammed her fist down onto the desktop, snapping it off and leaving a jagged edge behind. She picked up the broken piece of metal and threw it against the bars, the clanging combining with the echo of her scream.

Buffy was already back up on the bed, her feet swinging casually by the time Eddie made his way to them.

"Ladies."

Faith looked up at the sound of his voice:

"What the fuck do you want?"

"Oh man, one of those days…again?"

"Well, what'd ya think it was gonna be? You got me locked in here with this fucking bitch all day and night."

"Hi, Officer Rhodes."

"Hey, Buffy. You got something in the mail today. It's illegal in here so you can't have it, but I figured you'd like to see it anyway. It sure made me laugh like hell, think you'll get a kick too."

 He reached into his back pocket and held up a soap on a rope. Buffy laughed and walked over to the bars to watch the white soap dangling in the air:

"Did that come from Willow Rosenberg?"

"Yep, she sent you a letter too."

He slid it through the bars into Buffy's eager hands and she practically squealed with delight as she took it.

"Hey, how come it's already open?"

"Sorry, standard prison snooping. They gotta look it over first."

"Oh. That really sucks, but I don't care. I got mail!"

"You got one too, Lehane."

"Keep it."

"It's from the big guy."

"You deaf or somethin'? I don't want it!"

Buffy reached out:

"Here, I'll take it for her."

Faith looked at her like she was crazy:

"The fuck you will!"

"Here you go, Buffy."

Faith was at the bars in a blur:

"You can't just hand my mail over to somebody else! What the fuck are you…"

"Well, considering you ain't even supposed to be getting mail in lockdown, guess you can report me if you want."

Faith stood there glaring:

"This is fucked up! Why you takin' her side on everything?"

Eddie stepped closer to the bars:

"'I'm always on your side, Crazy Girl. Turns out this one is too, so I'm backin' her play."

Faith shook her head in disgust and walked back to the desk. She practically slammed herself down onto the bench and after a small pause, Eddie continued:

"You're gonna have to wait to shower until later. Had a fight in there and they gotta get the blood out `fore the last two groups can go in. You guys need a bathroom break? Be like a couple of hours."

Faith didn't answer, but Buffy smiled gratefully at him:

"Nope, I'm good and I don't think Faith really gives a crap…HAHAHA!!! Sorry, I think I'm going a little stir crazy in here."

Eddie smiled back at her:

"I got sisters, so give me a heads-up if you got a problem."

"Okay, thank you."

He looked at Faith and the broken desk:

"I'll be back with a repair guy to fix that. Don't cut yourself, Lehane."

She said nothing and he didn't push her. Buffy hopped back up on the top bunk and began reading her letter from Willow.

It was interesting. Apparently Willow had tried 13 eggs scrambled and it turned out that Buffy's egg was actually broken in the carton for good. Their dog, Giles, could bury another bone in the side yard that was shaped like a shoulder, and that'd be the only way Buffy could ever talk to him again.

She should call with her decision if the bone needed to be dug up or if she had any other questions about it at all. Also, did Buffy know that women in Australia were called "sheilas"? Willow said she would love to go to Australia and see the kangaroos and koala bears and talk to the pretty sheilas, but since she was grounded, she'd just have to send a telegram or maybe tell a friend.

She signed off with "Good day, mate. Love and miss you, Willow."

Buffy smiled, Willow's "ingenious" code was hysterical. The prison official who'd scanned the letter must have thought she was insane.

Buffy didn't think it was necessary to have another "egg" buried in her shoulder, she was more than fine with the set-up the way it was. She was also hoping that she wouldn't have to be in prison for much longer and she stood firmly by her statement that she wanted no part of the bone yard with Giles or Willow as her companion. It made her shudder just to think about it, and she was definitely going to get word to Officer Jackson that she was a-okay with the current situation, even her "grounding".

She looked at Faith who was brooding angrily at what was left of the desk.

"Want me to read your letter from Angel to you?"

"…"

"Faith?"

"Why don't you shove Angel up your ass?"

"Dear Faith…"

Buffy read all three pages out loud to a silent audience. When she was done, she placed the letter back into the envelope and began talking excitedly:

"So wasn't that just about the best news ever? Your lawyer's got it all lined up. She just needs to figure out a date you'd be willing to give a deposition and then make sure that one judge is the one you give it to. Faith, I think it's really going to happen, you're going to get out of here!"

Faith stalked over to the bed:

"What are you, deficient? I'm not talking to any judge or lawyer, and I'm sure as shit not getting out."

"Why?"

"Go to hell, Buffy."

There was a long silence and then Buffy started with her list again:

"Okay, where were we? The `Ms', right?"

"…"

"Mary?"

"…"

"Melanie?"

"…"

"Margaret?"

"…"

"Missy?"

"…"

"Murphy?"

"…"

Buffy continued until she was stumped:

"Okay then, moving on to the `Ns'."

"You wanna knock it off?"

"Not particularly. What I want is for you to talk to me."

Faith leaned back against the wall in the little space next to the bars:

"Know you're the Golden Girl and used to gettin' your own way, but…"

Her statement stopped abruptly as she spun quickly towards the hall, reaching out and snagging the girl walking by. Faith pulled hard, slamming her unlucky victim against the bars.

"Hey, how ya doin'?"

There was no answer unless a groan of pain counted.

Faith exerted steady pressure, forcing Frankie's crew member's face even further into the unyielding metal.

"Glad to hear it. Hey, can ya get Frankie a message for me?"

A slight adjustment and the groaning became a yelp.

"Tell her I don't like drive-bys and when I get outta here, I'm gonna explain that to her in person. Thanks."

Faith let go and the girl staggered back, the imprint of the bars clearly visible on both of her cheeks.

"Might also wanna tell everybody else to stay on that side of the driveway."

The girl took off still whimpering, her nose bleeding steadily from the initial impact.

"…that's not gonna happen this time, B. It's just what it is and that's all it's ever gonna be."

They stared at each and after a beat, without looking away, Buffy spoke calmly:

"Nancy?"

"…"

"Nelly?"

"…"

"Natalie?"

"…"

"Nadine?"

"…"

Faith sat back down at the desk wishing for the death penalty, for her or for Buffy, it didn't really matter. Just stopping the barrage of words was all Faith cared about and she steeled herself not to flinch when she heard the name:

"Nicole?"

The evening arrived slowly. Not surprisingly, there'd been no more drive-bys and Buffy noticed that everyone, Frankie affiliated or not, walked as far away from their cell as they could get. Faith had done her best to ignore her all day, and she was still doing it, even going so far as to turn her back on Buffy now that they were in the shower. That left Buffy with no other option than the one she took.

She embraced Faith from behind, their wet bodies sliding easily and intimately against each other.

"Oh God…"

"Nope, just B."

Buffy's hands each filled themselves with one of Faith's breasts and Faith moaned loudly:

"Buffy…"

"You're trying to ignore me…I don't like that."

Her fingers grazed over and around Faith's nipples and Faith's hands landed on the wall in front of her as she tried to brace herself. Buffy squeezed roughly, her mouth nibbling and licking on Faith's neck as she left mark after mark, and Faith couldn't hold out any more.

She spun them quickly, slamming Buffy against the wall and pinning both her hands with her own. Her mouth smashed into Buffy's, her tongue already inside as Buffy's lips opened instantly for her. Faith wanted to devour her. She wanted to be inside and outside of her, to own and be owned by her, and she just didn't give a fuck anymore what price she had to pay to make all of that happen.

Buffy's legs lifted to wrap around Faith's waist as the water beat down on them, and Faith let go of her hands so that she could grab onto her ass and hold her steady. Buffy leaned her back against the wall to push against Faith with more force, then her hands tangled themselves in the thick, dark hair.

Faith staggered slightly as the balance shifted, then lowered her head to Buffy's breast. When Buffy moaned out at the feeling of being engulfed in Faith's warm mouth, Faith moaned right along with her, the taste far better than anything she'd ever imagined. She pulled Buffy to her, then slammed her back against the wall again and began sliding her upwards, trying to get Buffy's legs up to her shoulders.

She kissed all down Buffy's body as she kept pushing her higher, and then she was there. She let Buffy's legs drape over her and without an instant of hesitation, she dove right in. Buffy jerked as Faith's tongue thrust roughly inside, her hands flailing over her head with nothing to grab onto except the wet, tiled wall.

Finally she dropped her hands, one tangling again in Faith's hair, the other at the back of her head and pushing her in even further. Buffy was coming, but that only meant something to Faith way back in the recesses of her brain. All she was really aware of was that she was right where she loved being the most, and she was never, ever leaving.

Buffy was killing her, riding her face wildly as her orgasm kept coming and going, coming and going. Faith could barely breathe and it felt like Buffy was tearing huge clumps of her hair right out of her head, but Faith didn't care about that either. She was willing to die right where she was because there couldn't be a better way to go out. The much vaunted "dying in your sleep in your own bed" couldn't hold a candle to being suffocated in Buffy.

She continued licking and sucking, her face buried, her heart exposed, and she felt great...just not as great as Buffy apparently, because she was making more noise than thirty women. She was groaning, rambling, moaning, speaking in tongues and chanting Faith's name over and over like it was some kind of magic password that was going to get her three wishes granted, all without going through the pesky middleman.

Neither woman had the first clue how long they went at it. One minute, a hundred hours, maybe even a year, but when Faith finally pulled back gasping for air, she didn't go far, resting her head on Buffy's trembling thigh. Buffy's eyes were closed, her mind nowhere near, and it took some time before she could get all systems working even close to normal again.

Her hand loosened in Faith's hair, caressing her gently, and when she said Faith's name, she saw the quiver ripple its way along her spine.

"Faith, put me down."

Faith's head turned, delivering one last delicate kiss, and then she Slayer powered Buffy up and off of her to let her stand on the floor. They stood there leaning against each other with the water spraying down on them until Buffy lifted Faith's head and kissed her.

"I love you, Faith. With everything in me…and I guess you can take that literally now."

Faith smiled, her dimples becoming the sexiest things…well, some of the sexiest things Buffy had ever seen.

"Fuck, I love you too, B…way more than I know how to handle."

"Hmm…I think you're going to figure out how to handle things pretty quickly."

"Yeah, well, so far, so good."

Buffy laughed and brushed the wet hair back from Faith's eyes:

"Uh, no. `So far, so crazy unbelievable'."

"Yeah, it really was some…"

"Um…you guys finished…with your shower?"

Buffy went red and hid her face in Faith's shoulder, her whisper all muffled:

"Oh my God, he heard us!"

"Sorry, Boss. We're comin'!"

Eddie snorted with laughter, but he didn't say anything except:

"I'll be out in the hall. Hurry up, we're a little over time and I uh, I sent Officer Wilkins away, so you know."

He left the dressing area and Buffy's head stayed burrowed in Faith's shoulder.

"I can't believe he heard us."

"Well fuck, B, you weren't exactly quiet. C'mon."

She turned off the water and grabbed their soap and shampoo, then pulled Buffy into the changing area. Faith tossed a towel to her, then began using her own to dry off.

"Don't be embarrassed, for all he knows, coulda been me screamin'."

"And what? You were screaming your own name in ecstasy?"

Faith smirked at her as she began getting dressed:

"Well yeah, I'm really hot shit, B. So, uh…you were in `ecstasy', huh?"

"What do you think?"

"And it was probably like what? Top Three maybe?"

Buffy threw her wet towel into the hamper against the wall and slipped into her underwear.

"Faith…"

"Not tryin' to be nosy or nothin', just wonderin' where it stacked up, is all. I mean, I'd even get Top Five, but I can't go any lower than..."

"Top One, all right? Now can we just get dressed and back to our cell?"

Faith's grin was huge, Buffy wasn't sure she'd ever seen her smile that big.

"So, puttin' it all delicate like…You're sayin' I ate you out the best you ever had?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. No one else even comes close."

"Yeah? For real, B?"

Buffy rolled her eyes and got her shirt on:

"Yes, for real. Now would you please go out there and make sure he's not going to say anything to me about hearing us?"

"Sure, B. Eddie's cool, but I'll make sure."

She walked over and kissed her, then leaned in to whisper into Buffy's ear:

"Your pussy was made to have my tongue in it."

Then she was outside in the hallway talking to Eddie like nothing unusual had happened. He responded in kind and Buffy was relieved. She was still embarrassed, but she was also happy. She had just had sex with Faith. Hot sex. Hot shower sex. Hot prison shower sex. With Faith.

Embarrassment seemed a small price to pay for that, plus there was the huge added bonus of knowing that Faith would now be willing to talk to her. That meant they could finally deal with whatever was making her miserable, and once they had that taken care of, Faith would be free.

Free from all of the prisons she'd placed herself in and free to search for her redemption as a Slayer in the world. It wasn't going to be easy, it was going to be hard and painful in all kinds of ways, but it was firmly within their reach now and they were going to grab hold of it. They were in love and that was going to get them through whatever they had to get through to make it free and clear to the other side.

Buffy walked out of the prison showers like she didn't have a care in the world.

Chapter Six

The trip back to their cell was uneventful and much like it had been every other day… except for the huge grin that Faith was currently sporting on her face. Her walk was jaunty, everything about her giving off happy vibes and making Buffy smile in return. Eddie was chatting casually with them and mercifully saying nothing about what he'd overheard, and Buffy couldn't have been more grateful.

Her mind was already focusing on what was about to come when they got to their cell, and she was trying to prepare for all of the possible scenarios. She knew it was going to be hard on Faith and although concerned, she wasn't afraid. They needed to get whatever "it' was out into the open and once they did that, Buffy was confident they could get through it together.

She wasn't sure what approach Faith was going to start with, but at least stonewalling seemed to be off the table if the sweet, almost shy smile being directed her way was any indication. Besides being the cutest thing Buffy had ever seen in her life, it also told her that Faith wasn't the slightest bit sorry about what they'd done in the shower. There wasn't going to be any shutting down, not any time soon anyway.

Faith was wide-open; lighter, happier, more at ease with herself and the woman walking stride for stride with her down the dingy prison hall, than she'd ever been before. She looked like they were taking a casual, lighthearted stroll through the park, and when her hand took hold of Buffy's, it completed the illusion perfectly.

Eddie smiled as he saw their fingers entwine. Rules were rules, but he didn't give a damn about that. Lehane was practically floating down the hall, just short of skipping and swinging her cell mate's hand like some kind of love struck schoolgirl. Happiness was in short supply in prison and he wasn't about to get between the lovebirds unless they started going at it again where they stood.

As they neared their cell, Eddie was forced to break them up, poking lightly at their hands with his baton. They let go instantly:

"Sorry, Boss."

"No problem, but this ain't gonna be good, no sense adding fuel."

There was clearly a shakedown taking place in several of the cells, and the sound of inmates complaining and guards telling them to shut up was merely adding to the chaos. Other prisoners, either out of it altogether or just past their own shakedowns, were also yelling out things and the resulting uproar was just short of a full-fledged pandemonium.

Officer Morrison spotted them and headed over:

"And where have you two been?"

"What's it to you, Morrison? They're my prisoners and they're under control."

"Their asses should still be in the Hole for assaulting an officer."

"That's not your call."

Eddie tried to get them moving again, but Morrison deliberately stepped into Faith's path.

"Well, you might have a hard-on for this piece of trash, but the crazy bitch attacked me."

Faith looked him up and down:

"Got that backwards. Wasn't me doin' the attacking."

He practically snarled at her:

"Shut your mouth before I do it…and your filthy whore too."

Faith's arm barely rose an inch before Buffy had a firm grip on it, but she couldn't stop Faith's mouth from moving:

"So whatcha got there, Boss? Two, three inches hangin' proud?"

"What'd you say to me?!"

"Figure you gotta be compensatin' for somethin'. Tiny dick, right?"

He swung, his baton aimed right at her face, and then suddenly Buffy was handing it back to him.

"Here Officer, you dropped this."

Morrison looked stunned by how fast she'd moved and how easily she'd taken his weapon from him.

"Y..you little dykes are heading back to the Hole. How's a month sound?"

Eddie stepped in:

"Like you're dreamin'. Listen up: you started this shit and tried to provoke two inmates who are under my jurisdiction. There was no problem `til you made one."

"You saw that bitch grab my weapon!"

"No, what I saw was you trying to hit a prisoner in my custody, dropping your weapon like a clumsy fool, and then letting a fish who doesn't know any better pick it up and hand it back to you respectfully."

"What?! That's not what happened!"

Eddie called down for their cell to be unlocked:

"My word against yours and the way it's goin', I'm starting to wonder if you've got all your faculties."

Morrison was furious:

"Fine, stick up for a couple of scummy cunts. I'm shaking them down."

"Sure, go ahead, but I'm going to stand right here and watch `cause you look like just the kind of screw who plants contraband."

"Fuck you, Rhodes."

"Do your job, Officer, if you've got a clue how."

Morrison tore up their cell, even going so far as to cut the mattress on the top bunk under the pretense of following up on a tip.

"Damn boy, you're sure making yourself look like an ass."

Morrison stomped over to the bars, box cutter in hand:

"Yeah, how `bout I…"

"How `bout you lower that weapon `fore I make you eat it?"

Eddie stared Morrison down until he backed off and angrily exited the cell, yelling out:

"Clear!"

He stomped over to the next prisoner and they could all hear the complaining:

"Strip search?! What? Why? I been clean almost a whole week now!"

A female guard passed their cell, pulling on a pair of gloves as she nodded to Eddie.

He nodded back, then turned to the Slayers.

"I'm gonna file a report. It's assholes like him that give us screws a bad name. Can't get you a new mattress `til the morning, so guess you'll have to bunk up."

He smiled, then hollered out:

"Prisoners in!"

Their door slid shut, and Eddie started chuckling:

"Gotta tell ya, Lehane; I saw him once in the shower…you're not far off at all. Okay, my shift's over in about an hour, so if I don't see you again, you girls have a good night."

"Thanks, Eddie."

"Sure. And, Buffy?"

"Yes, Officer Rhodes?"

"Nice reflexes. Maybe someday one of you'll explain to me how you guys do stuff like that."

Faith laughed:

"One day, Boss."

"Lookin' forward to it. See you tomorrow."

Then he was gone and Faith turned to Buffy, her smile still in place.

"So what were you doin', grabbing onto that asshole's stick like that?"

"Would you rather I just let him smash you in the face?"

"No, plus it was wicked cool when ya did it."

Buffy pulled her closer:

"Everything I do is wicked cool."

"No argument here, B. Thought that from the second I saw ya."

"Really?"

"Yep, even your dorky stuff. `Member when I embarrassed you?"

Buffy smiled:

"Yes I do, each and every time. Which one are you referring to?"

"First night when I told the whole gang slayin' makes ya hungry and horny."

"That was a total nightmare! I couldn't believe you said that and then they were all staring at me, waiting for my answer."

Faith laughed as she thought back to that night:

"Yeah, you went all pink and said sometimes you craved a non-fat yogurt! Hahaha! Oh man B, think I fell in love with you right there."

"Well, what was I supposed to say? I go home and pleasure myself for an hour?"

"Yeah, okay, but `a non-fat yogurt' was all you could come up with?"

Her voice went up higher as she tried to imitate Buffy:

"And then I watch a PBS show on Mother Teresa and all her good works."

"Shut up."

"I swear, B, they don't make'em any cuter than you. Never have, never will."

They kissed then, only to get broken up when Officer Cotton ran his baton against the bars of their cell as he passed:

"Against regs."

He didn't stop though, just kept moving and cutting them a break.

Buffy ducked back in for a quick peck, then sighed:

"I guess we need to wait until lights out."

"Yeah, they don't care if we fuck like rabbits then."

Buffy looked around the cell in disbelief.

"Wow, what a mess and we hardly even have any stuff to throw around."

"Yeah, we'd better get it back to specs `fore he writes us up."

They worked quickly and quietly, and finally Buffy just asked her:

"We're talking tonight too, right?"

"…Yeah, we're talking."

"And you're okay with that?"

"No, not really, but I made a decision in the shower and I guess I gotta live with it."

Buffy rested her hand on Faith's cheek, her eyes sympathetic:

"I know it's going to be hard, Faith. Thank you."

"Don't thank me, B. No tellin' how big an asshole I'm gonna be, I fade in and out at the best of times, you know?"

"I'll take my chances."

Faith smiled:                                                                            

"You're not kiddin' there."

They had nothing to do and a two hour wait to do it in, so they sat side by side on the torn up top bunk, flipping through their magazines. Morrison had ripped a few before tossing them to the floor and Buffy held hers up for Faith to see.

"Okay, now he's really gone too far. He tore right through this picture of George…"

Faith was staring off into space, a million miles away.

"Faith?"

She didn't hear her, clearly lost in thought and Buffy called her name again, giving her a shoulder to shoulder bump as well.

"Huh?"

"What're you thinking about?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Of course it does. Tell me."

"…Just thinking how happy I am and how that'll all change when I tell you what happened. You're gonna be so disgusted with me and…"

Buffy reached for her hand and held it tightly.

 "No, I'm not. I know it's bad, but I promise, Faith…it won't change how I feel about you."

Faith looked at her, scared and sad, her dark eyes filled with pain:

"Guess we're gonna find out."

"Maybe you are, but I already know. I love you, and when you think about it, it's not like either of us have had a squeaky clean life, not alone or when it comes to each other. It'll be okay, you'll see."

"Yeah, I hope so."

"It will. Now what about my George Clooney complaint?"

"Try to live through it, B. At least the fashion pages made it safe and sound."

As the time drew closer, Faith began pacing around the cell. Buffy didn't say a word, watching her walk and wishing she could help her calm down. She had an idea how to do that, but the lights were still on and they needed to talk first. Faith chose that moment to look up at her and she gave Buffy a small smile:

"Sorry, guess I'm kinda nervous."

"It's okay, I understand."

She resumed walking until finally the call came:

"Lights out!"

There was the usual flurry of activity and then the Slayers were in the dark.

Buffy said nothing as Faith stared out into the hallway, her arms hanging through the bars, her back tense as she stood there. She stayed where she was, silent and unmoving for several minutes, and then with a huge sigh she turned to face Buffy.

"Guess it's time."

"I'm ready when you are."

"Yeah…"

She sat down on the little bench and Buffy stayed on the top bunk, scooting back until she was leaning against the wall with her legs tucked under her. The filling of the ripped mattress puffed out into the air, drifting around to settle on Buffy and the surrounding area.

"Damn, asshole really tore it a new one up there."

"I didn't think they really did stuff like this in real life."

Faith smiled:

"Higher ups don't love it `cause of the cost, and he's screwed if Eddie files that report. Best is, the idiot thought he was fuckin' up my bed. Guess he didn't get the news that Buffy's bitch sleeps on the bottom."

They both laughed, then fell quiet again.

"Just take your time and start however you want to."

"Yeah…"

She was up again and walking, and Buffy knew if they weren't locked in a cell, Faith would have been off and running.

"I can't do this, B."

"No, you can't…"

She hopped down and wrapped her arms around Faith's waist from behind, pulling her back. Buffy leaned her chin on Faith's shoulder and softly kissed her neck.

"…but we can do it together. Please Faith, just trust me. Let me be here for you."

Faith leaned into Buffy, her hands coming up to rest on the arms holding her close. After a minute, she nodded.

"Okay, I'm okay. Let me give you some background to start."

"All right."

Faith lifted Buffy's hand, kissed it, and walked over to the wall facing the bed. Buffy jumped back up onto the top bunk, and Faith waited for her to get settled before she began talking.

"It actually got started pretty soon after I got here, but I didn't know that."

Buffy said nothing and Faith kept going:

"No clue what her name was. I'd been here a couple of months and one day I just saw her. She was sittin' in the yard, all hunched over, doing that thing where you try to make yourself smaller so nobody'll spot ya. You probably don't know that one, but I did it as a kid all the time, tryin' to avoid gettin' smacked."

She laughed, even though nothing was funny.

"The b-ballers were fuckin' with her, bouncing the basketball off the back of her head, seeing who could do it the most times in a row. She was just sittin' there, actin' like it wasn't happening. I walked by `cause how the hell was it my business, you know?"

Buffy nodded, not daring to speak.

"But when I went by, I saw she was crying. Not all blubbery, just these big, sad, all alone tears. So I went back over and told'em to knock it off. Nobody knew me then, I'd been in psych eval most of that time, not in the GP. There were seven girls, pretty big most of'em, and they sorta circled around askin' who the fuck I thought I was. Man, talk about a loaded question…"

Faith was staring off, clearly lost in her memories.

"Long story short, I flattened the ball and them. Got me Hole time for two weeks, but I didn't fuckin' care. Also got me a rep I worked on so I could keep people from messin' with me."

Her head tipped back and she closed her eyes.

"Time went by, and I had a soft spot for that kid. Was a mile wide and I didn't exactly get why, `til one day it hit me…she was you, B. Black hair, blue eyes, 5'6 and solid, but the more I saw of her, the more Nicole reminded me of you.  It was how she held herself, the way she said some words, and I started lookin' at her like she was my chance to make some kinda amends with you. Stupid, I know."

"That's not stupid at all, Faith, I'd have done the same thing…well, not if she reminded me of me, but you, you know, like if she reminded…Shutting up now."

Faith smiled, but it didn't last long.

"So time keeps doin' its thing and I started seeing who I really was. All that crazy shit started fallin' away and then it was just me left. Felt like I could finally breathe again and my shrink, she helped sorta, but it was mostly Angel."

Her voice softened, the affection and respect she felt for him draped over every word:

"I didn't see him a lot, but when I did, the shit he said lasted a long time, plus he wrote me a million letters. Guy had a hundred plus years on me and turns out I was smart enough to listen. Go figure, yeah? Anyway, that was my deal. I was in here and helpin' people, not for any reward, but just `cause I could."

Buffy's voice was quiet, like she hated to interrupt:

"Because you're a Slayer."

"Yeah, I think that's right. At the time, I didn't think about it like that. I was just doing what was natural, and the fact that it was the `right' thing to do, well, that took me some gettin' used to. Nicole ended up adjusting pretty quick. Seemed like she was always in some kinda trouble and she ended up joinin' one of the gangs. We didn't have much contact after that, which was good. I kept to myself, tough as that was sometimes, and the less crazy I got, the more I knew fuckin' somebody just `cause they reminded me of you…well, not real smart."

"It must have been hard to always be alone."

Faith nodded, then went to stand underneath the window.

"Yeah, but I felt good too, you know? Like I wasn't just a smear of shit on the bottom of somebody's shoe, like I was somebody who mattered. Even if it was just in here, I felt like I could make a difference, finally be somethin' decent. I kept tryin' to apologize to you, I wanted to explain so bad what happened and maybe even…"

"Faith, I'm sor…"

"Don't say it, B. No reason at all why you shoulda done different. You hated me, and we start listin' out all the `whys', we'd need Buck Rogers time to get it done. You were way within your rights, not like all I did was drink up the last of the milk, you know?"

"I'm still sorry. I should have at least talked to you."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I know you'd do it different now. Bottom line is that my life was mostly good in here. Nobody wanted to bunk with me, `cept the crazies and the groupies. Fuckin' me woulda jumped'em up mega high in the chain here, but I kept outta that crap. Had a couple friends, usually people like Juanita who I helped, then they wouldn't take a hint and get lost. There was Eddie and Mary, few more who breezed through, but I saw this deal as a `one psycho sitch', and bein' alone…was used to that anyways."

Faith stood with her face turned upwards into the glow of the moonlight and she looked so beautiful, Buffy could only marvel at her.

"Everything was good, but then this one day I started off antsy and it just kept gettin' worse. I couldn't stop thinkin' about ways to bust out, which I hadn't done for a long time. I couldn't sit still, couldn't eat, couldn't do anything except get more and more panicked. Lights out came and I was crawlin' the walls. When the cell door finally slammed shut, I was standing in the hall."

"Oh, God."

"Yeah, I was on my way to SunnyD and turns out the guards didn't much like that plan. Took'em about thirty minutes, but they finally brought me down. Tasered me more times than I could count, I busted outta a few sets of cuffs `til they brought the heavy duty shackles. I got tossed into the Hole and was walking around like a nut in there and then I felt it: you were dying. I went crazy and started screamin' and tryin' to bust through the door. Had a fist-sized hole and half of it bent back when they came in, full riot gear. Ended up beaten, hogtied and tranqed in there, which is illegal I think, but what else could they do? I was outta my fuckin' head."

Buffy remembered feeling Faith's pain and her eyes filled with tears:

"You were the last thing I felt, Faith, how much you loved me."

Faith glanced at her:

"Wish I'd have known that then…but I guess it wouldn't have mattered in one way. Was a real rough time. Eddie used to talk to me through the food flap, then after about a week he risked comin' in alone. I was shackled to the wall with just about everything they had, and he sat down right next to me on the floor and talked about nothing, just like it was a normal day. It was like he was so far away at first I could barely hear his voice, then he kept getting louder and wherever I'd been, I finally came back."

She paused for a long time, then shook her head as if to clear it.

"We never talked about what caused it, but he took the shackles off and made up some story about me goin' through a family tragedy. They cut me a huge break `cause I'd been a good prisoner `til then, `specially helpin' stop the riot and shit, and after another round on the psych unit, they sent me back to my cell. Upped the `one on one' shrink time, but nothing else changed."

She sat back down on the bench.

"Angel was finally allowed to see me and he gave me the news about you. He looked scared, like he thought I was gonna go nuts and blow it. I told him I'd already done that, but I was okay and ready to get out and be The Slayer. Him and Giles got the ball rollin' and I started tryin' to get ready. I was scared, sad, mad, all that stuff, but I was gonna do it right and make you proud, B. Couldn't ever replace you, but I was goin' out fightin' the good fight `til some bastard finally made it otherwise."

"I know you would have done it, Faith, and I am proud of you."

"Better wait for the next part."

"It won't change anything."

Faith began walking:

"Yeah, it will."

"So you were gone and all of the sudden it seemed like Nicole was everywhere. I hadn't seen her for months, but now she was all over the place. One day we both pulled mopping duty and we were in the big storage room tryin' to get it clean and …Never seen you hold a mop in my life, but she was holdin' it just like you. I fucked her brains out. Kept my eyes closed the whole time tryin' to pretend, but I felt like shit after. She was all happy, wanted to be my girl."

Faith laughed:

"`My girl'. I explained right up front I didn't want a `girl'. Said I'd fuck her, but only on the QT. If she told anybody, it was done. The big surprise is she never told a soul. We fucked wherever we could and I always kept my eyes closed, never looked at her. It was a problem and she kept askin' why, but what was I gonna say? `Well, I wanna pretend you're the dead chick I fucked over so bad, I landed in prison. She's `my real girl' `cept she died hating my fucking guts'." No way was I admitting to any of that, and not like it was her business anyway."

 "None of that's wrong, Faith. It's easy to understand why you…"

"That's not true, B. Second I jumped her, I went off the rails, way off the rails. We kept at it and every time I was with her, she seemed more like you. Her voice, her body, the way she touched me…Didn't make any sense, but I started needing her, couldn't be without her."

Faith sat down on the bench again, running a shaky hand over her face.

"Then you came back, and talk about your fuckin' miracles. I was so happy, I didn't care that you hated me, I just had to see you. But no matter what I tried, I couldn't get in and I thought that meant you didn't wanna see me, that you were blocking me somehow."

"No, I was just insane, all confused and hurting and lost. I didn't even know what I was doing, I was just trying to make it from day to day and my mind was so…It was like I was there, but not, and it was just so hard to live, to want to."

Faith nodded, obviously understanding exactly what Buffy was saying.

"Yeah, been there, done that. Hurts like hell and gettin' yanked outta Heaven's gotta trump everything else."

They both sat lost in thought for a few moments, then Faith cleared her throat and continued:

"So I figured everybody'd just forget about me, but not Angel. He just kept plowin' ahead with the plan, `cept now I was gonna be headin' to L.A. to work with him. I wanted to do it, but I was gettin' more scared as the days went on. I still wanted to make you proud even though you hated me, but I was havin' all of these big doubts again, almost like I was tryin' to go backwards."

Faith was fidgeting in her seat like she was having trouble staying put.

"But what was I gonna do? Nothin' to do except just keep livin' my life while I waited to get sprung. I had Nicole, not that I wanted to talk to her about shit, and I kept tryin' to stay on track. It wasn't working, I felt like I was losin' it again and then…there you were."

Buffy didn't speak, she saw how tense Faith's body was as she fought to keep going.

"I didn't get it was real, thought I was doin' it somehow, but man, I was so happy. I felt like I was with you, and I broke it off with Nicole. Wasn't gonna cheat on you even if it was just a dream. She didn't like it, really put up a fight. I tried to be nice, but she just kept doin' shit and I finally lost it. I told her pretty rough that she was nothin' to me but a replacement anyway, that I was all done with her and wanted her to leave me the fuck alone."

Faith got up and went back to the window:

"Couple weeks later, she came to me crying. She told me she missed me, that she needed me. When I looked at her... there was nothing that was like you, don't know why I ever thought there was, and I was all done fallin' for her crap. By then, all she was to me was just some chick bawlin' her eyes out to make me feel bad. I told her to fuck off, we were done, end of."

Faith turned to face Buffy, looking her right in the eye.

"The next day I was doin' inventory in the storage room when I heard her body hit. I went out in the hall, there was a buncha screws and cons in a circle and I saw all the blood spreadin' out under her. I just kept right on walkin', never even slowed down. Just blew off my job, went back to my cell and tried to act like I didn't hear and see what I had. Don't know why I never got shit for that."

Faith hadn't looked away from Buffy once and she still didn't as the tears began falling:

"I just didn't wanna get it, but she was begging me, B, crying those big, sad, all alone tears. And me, `Superhero 25-Life'? I couldn't even give her the time of day. I just used her and dumped her, just like I've always done, and I knew right then I'd only been kiddin' myself. No way can I be out there, I can't even handle it in here. I'm not a Slayer, I'm a heartless, selfish murderer who uses people and never even looks back. I get on the outside, it'll just be a repeat. There's somethin' rotten in me, and no matter what I try to do, it always ends up comin' out."

Buffy climbed down:

"Faith…"

"I'm this big hero, right? Doin' good deeds in the Big House, takin' on the bullies to protect the people who need protecting. I was so caught up in dreams and what I wanted, I let a kid kill herself `cause of me. Lehane to the rescue."

She wasn't looking anywhere near Buffy now, swiping angrily at the moisture on her face.

"I'm all fucked up, B, and I'm right where I oughta be. It's like those things when we were kids, those scenes you look at and have to figure out what doesn't belong in the picture. `Member those?"

"Yes."

She didn't resist as Buffy's arms wrapped around her.

"Well, in this picture it's you who doesn't belong. Not in this prison, not in this cell, and not with me. You're the Slayer, the real hero who makes the world safe from people like me."

Buffy pulled her closer as Faith began crying in earnest.

"Just let it out, Faith."

And she did exactly that as Buffy held onto her, murmuring reassuring words, rubbing her back soothingly and gently placing kisses on top of her head. Buffy ended up carrying her over to the bench where she sat down with Faith on her lap, her face still buried in Buffy's shoulder.

She cried for a long time, her body wracked with guilt and grief, and Buffy held on tight. The sounds of the prison still went on around them, but Buffy didn't hear anything except Faith's pain. It was all that mattered to her and she wished she could do more than just sit there doing nothing.

Faith's tears finally began slowing and the sniffling got started. She wiped her nose on her sleeve, then lifted her head, still not looking Buffy in the eye.

"Sorry for the waterworks. I…Look, maybe you could try explaining it to Angel when you get out? Guy doesn't know how to let go."

"Are you okay?"

Faith looked terrible and she struggled to pull herself free from Buffy's grasp.

"I'm fine."

"Faith, it's okay to be upset. I just want…"

"Yeah, okay, thanks for the permission. Mind if I get up now?"

"I wish you wouldn't."

Faith stood up, the mask of indifference Buffy remembered so well, falling into place.

"If wishes were horses, yeah? So, the warden gonna let you outta lockdown to go home?"

Buffy didn't answer right away as she watched her walk back to her favorite spot underneath the window.

"Yes, I can pretty much go whenever I want to."

"If I was you, I'd haul it first thing in the morning `fore the restaurants around here stop servin' breakfast. Man, that'd definitely be my last meal if I had to pick: a huge ass breakfast."

"What in the hell are you…You really just expect me to leave?"

"Yeah, it's what you need to do."

Buffy shook her head:

"I'd ask you if you're crazy, but I think I know the answer to that. I'm not going anywhere, Faith, not until I know you're okay."

"Well, I am okay, you were right. It was good to get that off my chest, let somebody know what I did."

Buffy stood up, the look on her face almost pleading:

"Don't do this, there's no reason for it."

"Buffy, I'm not trying to `do' anything. I told you the deal and there's nothin' you can say that's gonna make any of it any different. It's a drag and I'm sorry it went down like this, but it's time for you to go home now."

"So you want me to leave, tell Angel to give up on you, and then what? I should never look back, is that what you're saying?"

Faith's interest was riveted to the floor and she couldn't stop staring at it, even as she spoke:

"B, I get you love me, and you know I love you. But I…I'm not ever gonna get it right. I can hang on a while maybe, sure, but then the real me will come out and somebody'll pay a huge price. I can't take any…Yeah, that's what I want you to do. Just fucking haul ass and…"

Buffy could feel herself beginning to panic. Faith was shutting down, talking herself into believing there was only one way to go from the moment they now found themselves in. That wasn't true, Buffy saw plenty of ways they could go and all of them had them going together.

She began moving towards Faith again, one slow step at a time:

"Well, I'm sorry, but I'm never going to do that, so we'd better figure out something else."

Faith looked up at her as she kept getting closer:

"I'm tired, B."

"Of what?"

"Of killing people, of pretending to be something I'm not. I'm so fucking tired of trying."

Buffy's shook her head:

"I'm sorry she's dead, Faith, but Nicole killed Nicole."

"That's a cop-out and you know it."

"No, it isn't and besides, you don't get to just stop trying."

Faith snorted, her face flushed with emotion:

"Not gonna argue with you, B. You wanted to know what happened, there it is. Takin' responsibility's about all I got left right now, so maybe you could stop tryin' to take that away from me."

"And what about what just happened in the shower? Do you take responsibility for that?"

"It was…I made a mistake and got carried away."

"And what about after: how happy you were, how we made plans to be together tonight? What about the fact that you told me you'd stick by your decision and…"

"I forgot where we were, who I am."

"Uh-huh. And who are you, Faith?"

"Already told you."

Buffy kept advancing:

"I heard you, but I don't recognize that person."

"Yeah, ya do, it's who I am, who I've always been."

"Fine. Then say it again."

"B…"

Buffy pinned her in against the wall.

"Say it again. Look me right in the eye and tell me that the woman I love is nothing but a heartless, murdering whore, a selfish second-rate Slayer who hasn't changed, who can't ever change."

"…"

"Come on, Faith, say it."

"…"

"At least you have the sense not to repeat that crap to me."

Faith looked everywhere, but at her.

"What do you want from me, B? Huh?"

Buffy was as close as she could get without touching her, a hand braced on the wall on either side of Faith's head.

"I want everything from you, Faith, everything you are. The good, the bad and all of the stuff that's in between. I want you with me, loving me and letting me love you. I want my partner back."

"B, I want that too, but…there's so much shit and I don't think I can…"

"Maybe you can't, but we can.  You're going to get through this, we're going to get through this, that's not up for debate. It's time to fight and we're going to…together."

The silence stretched out as Buffy held her position, and after a minute Faith's eyes finally rose to meet hers:

"God knows I want to, B."

"Then just do it. It's you and me, F: The Chosen Two. They can't stop us."

"…Be a helluva fight if they tried."

Buffy's smile brightened the dim cell and she leaned down and kissed her, pulling back way too soon to suit Faith:

"Hey, come back here."

Her hands reached out for Buffy and she found them pushed firmly against the wall.

"No touching. I asked you a question and I'm still waiting to hear the right answer."

Faith looked nothing but puzzled:

"I don't know what you're…"

"Who are you?"

"I thought you…I mean…"

Buffy leaned in and whispered into her ear:

"You're my bitch, F."

Faith laughed:

"Yeah, guess that's been made pretty clear."

"And you're going to do what I tell you to do."

Faith moaned as Buffy's tongue and teeth played around her ear. She pressed her body hard into Faith's and then murmured:

 "Unbutton your shirt."

"B, look, I'm not gonna…"

Buffy's hand slid down Faith's body and roughly grabbed her breast:

"Either unbutton your shirt or I'm going to tear it off you."

Faith looked at her and saw that she was completely serious.

"B…I gotta wear this `til we get to shower!"

"Then you'd better unbutton it."

Faith did as she was told.

"Now take it off, your t-shirt too."

Faith stood topless, her dark eyes no longer sad or lost as they stared at Buffy with surprise and desire.

 "Shoes and socks."

"…"

"Now, Faith."

Faith kicked off her shoes and bent over to pull off her socks. She jumped and almost fell when she felt Buffy's warm touch gliding along her back.

"Mmm…your skin's so soft."

Faith stayed bent over until Buffy removed her hands:

"Straighten up, F."

"No can do, B. Least not when you're around."

Buffy smiled at her:

"Smart ass. Take off your pants and underwear."

"How `bout you take off your shirt so I can…"

"Take them off now or you're going without tomorrow."

Faith slid them down together, then took a tiny step forward to get clear as they puddled on the floor.

"Turn around…slowly."

Faith heard the amusement in Buffy's words, and she couldn't help but smile as she remembered. This time she did as she was told.

"God, Faith, you're so beautiful."

Buffy came up behind her, stopping her at the half turn and wrapping her arms around to let her hands fondle Faith's breasts. Her lips kissed slowly along her shoulder, up her neck and finally back to Faith's ear:

"And you're all mine."

The feeling of Buffy's breath and the sound of her whispering voice made Faith shiver:

"B…"

Faith's words ended in a moan as Buffy's fingers squeezed and she began walking them both backwards.

"I love every inch of you, inside and out…all of you belongs with me."

One of Buffy's hands slid downward, and Faith's legs wobbled for a second.

 "Tonight is ours, just you and me."

Buffy spun them and shoved her hard into the bottom bunk. Faith started to reach out, but Buffy's command stopped her:

"Don't move until I say you can."

 And then she began stripping…slowly. Faith stayed frozen as she watched Buffy removing her clothing one deliberate piece at a time, and when she was finally naked, Faith was right on the edge.

"You're mine, Faith, and I'm yours. Whatever else happens, whatever else goes down…"

Faith's smirk appeared and Buffy couldn't help but smile along with her.

"…nothing is going to change that. Don't ever think I don't want you, I'll always want you, no matter what. I need you, Faith, let me show you how much."

And then Buffy was there, her body warm and smooth as it slid along Faith's, her hands and mouth igniting a blaze wherever they touched. Her smell, her sounds, her taste all swirling around until there was nothing else, and she made Faith give in and bend to her will. Their surroundings fell away until only the two of them remained and Faith finally knew without a doubt: she belonged to Buffy.

Buffy made love to her for hours and by the end of it, Faith was so exhausted and satisfied, she could barely move.

"Jesus, B…I just need…I just need a minute and…"

"I'm fine, F. Go to sleep."

"Nah, I'm good. Just gimme…just gim…"

Faith was out like a light and Buffy kissed her on the forehead, then pulled the scratchy sheet and blanket up higher over both of them. She shifted slightly, snuggling in and tightening her grip on the woman in her arms.

"I've got you, Faith. Just hang on."

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