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Faith sat in her room, looking out the window. She held an unopened envelope in her hand.

<<Why can’t I just open it? Face it Faith, you’re scared of what Willow said in it. You don’t wanna know what she thinks of you. I mean after what you did to Buffy, and...and what you did to her.>>

Faith continued to look out the window as her fingers carefully opened the seal.

"Get a grip, it’s a letter, you left a letter when you ran, why shouldn’t she send one back?"

Faith sat looking at the note long after she had finished reading.

<<She even called herself Red>> Faith smiled. <<"She didn’t like me calling her that at first.">>

"So you came out of your coma, went to the other slayer, had a fight with her, took her mother hostage, then swapped bodies…?" The therapist said, looking through his notes. Faith was sitting at his desk again, waiting to talk to him about all of her ‘dark secrets.’

"Yep, sure did." Faith said with a smile.

"Okay, right. Then, um..." he flipped through the pages "then you start to run away, came back, were swapped back into your body, ran again. Then you end up in LA and make a nuisance of yourself there. You are hired to kill a vampire, you try to kill him, you torture your waiter, no Watcher, then when this vampire refuses to kill you and takes you home you have a change of heart. When the slayer comes back you try and apologise, some other Watchers come to try and take you, you run. Run right to the police, hand yourself in...go to jail, then are sent here?" he said, looking up as he reached the end.

"Sounds like the last month of my life. So, what do you think? Wanna swap?" Faith couldn’t believe this guy. She had decided to be truthful, that included demons and slaying, and he hadn’t batted an eyelid.

"You think I’m a nut case don't you?" she asked, rolling her eyes as he clicked his pen down.

"Not at all Faith. I think you made some wrong choices along the way, but nothing that you can't fix."

"No way, I tell you everything and you believe it?...you happily accept watchers and Vampires and shit?"

"Faith, would you please sit down. You may be here because we’re the best, but we also know more than anyone else does. Half the people who come here have seen things, things that are happening everyday, just no one else knows about them. It is our job to know. Now, you were telling me about these people in Sunnydale."

"Whatever, yeah. What was I saying before?"

# # # # # # #

(JUST BEFORE FAITH LEAVES SUNNYDALE IN WHO ARE YOU)

"Will, what are you doing out here?" Buffy asked, walking up to Willow.

"Buff, oh, hi. Didn’t expect to see you here. Thought you would be, I don’t know, somewhere else, you know?" Willow replied nervously.

"Look, I'm sorry Will, I wasn’t following you or anything."

Faith had to stop herself from laughing. She was crouched down behind a thick bush watching the two speak. <<Sure Buffy, you weren’t following her, just like she isn’t following me. Damn, when did that girl get so good at tracking?>>

"I’m just being the slayer Will, I’m looking out for everyone. Why have you got a bag with weapons in it?" Buffy’s mouth opened and her eyes grew wide. "You're looking for her aren’t you? You came out here, alone, looking for a psycho."

"I don’t know what you’re talking about Buffy. I was just going to...I wanted to be alone and I didn’t want to be, unprepared, should anyone...anything happen to find me."

Buffy grabbed Willow's arm and pulled her over to a nearby bench.

"Spill it Will, why are you out here looking for Faith? You know what she’s like, what were you planing on doing if you found her, run?"

"Buffy, you don't know everything." Willow put her hand in her pocket unconsciously feeling the note from Faith. "Things aren’t always what they seem. It’s not just a matter of 'kill kill,' sometimes you need to do something different."

"Wait up there Will, what are you trying to say? You were trying to find Faith to help her? 'Cos if that was it she is way past helping. She swapped our bodies, does that mean nothing to you? She was happy to let me have her life, to get taken by the Council, to steal my life, my friends she…"

"Enough!" Willow yelled, surprising even herself "Buffy, I don’t have time. I want to try and find her before she skips town. Now you can try and find her with me, or you can help by going away."

Buffy started to say something but Willow put on her resolve face and glared at her.

"Fine, but I won't go far, if you need help I'm going to come and kick her ass. What happened between the two of you anyway? You never did tell me what happened when you were kidnapped."

"Another time Buffy" Willow said, getting up and walking off towards the bush where Faith was. Buffy stormed off in the other direction.

# # # # # # #

"So this girl found you?" The doctor asked.

"Huh?...oh, yeah." Faith looked around. She had forgotten she was telling someone this.

"Yeah, I saw her. Not for long. Just long enough to give her this bracelet thing I had. I’d got it that day, when I was in Buffy’s body, used her money as well, so I guess it was kinda stupid giving it to her."

"Did anything happen between the two of you?"

"Nope, not that time. I just gave her the bracelet, kissed her and ran off. Couldn’t deal with it just then. Didn’t want to stop and talk. I couldn’t deal...not then."

"Has anything happened between you?"

<<Damn, he knows what to ask.>> Faith moved in her chair trying to get comfortable.

"Yeah, stuff has happened. I told you we were friends. The rest of them didn’t know, but we used to hang out all the time."

"You mentioned some of that, what happened to change that?"

"Shit you know, I was working for the enemy, we kinda kidnapped her and traded her for this box my boss needed."

"Is that all that happened, you just kidnapped her?"

"I held her at knife point, I threatened her, I..." Faith stopped, leaning forward she put her face in her hands as she began to cry "I can't, I just, I..."

"It’s okay Faith, you can tell me when you are ready."

# # # # # # #

(BETWEEN ENEMIES AND EARSHOT cont.)

"So you noticed that as well." Willow said so quietly it was a wonder that even Faith heard. "What does that have to do with anything Faith?"

"Well, I was wondering..." Faith felt herself blush <<Me blushing, I never blush>> "I was wondering about you?"

Willow looked up and caught Faith’s gaze. They couldn’t speak, each lost in the other's eyes.

"Did you want anything else to drink Faith?" someone asked, gaining their attention.

"No, think we're alright here." Faith answered a little uneasily. The woman nodded and moved on.

"How do you get drinks here?" Willow asked, changing the subject.

"My boss, there are some perks to working for the Mayor. I get whatever I want."

"And what do you want?" Willow asked seriously.

"You" Faith answered, still looking around the room. Faith felt Willow move, when she turned she found her friend was sitting right next to her.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

Willow nervously reached up, cupped Faith's face with her hand and ran her thumb along her lips. Faith smiled shyly, then kissed Willow's thumb. <<She...I didn’t think she would, is she going to…?>>

Willow leaned froward and gently kissed Faith's lips. Her hand reached around Faith to pull her closer.

<<God, I can feel her shaking.>> Faith thought as she deepened the kiss.

# # # # # # #

"Are you sure you want to be alone Faith?" the nurse asked again at the door.

"Yeah, I wanna be alone. No offence, I mean, thanks for being here but I kinda wanna be alone now."

The nurse nodded and walked out, closing the door gently behind her.

<<God, I don’t remember the last time I cried like that. They know there's something up now. Shit, how am I going to tell them?>>

Faith walked around the room and quietly got ready for bed. Then she decided to write another letter to Willow, it wasn’t that late and she didn’t have much else to do.

Faith got everything ready, but before she could start she fell asleep at the desk.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(FAITH’S DREAM DRUING RESTLESS)

"Buffy?" Faith called out to the other slayer as they walked down an alley. "Buffy! Wait up, I can't keep up, Buffy, quit it, slow down!"

Buffy turned around...she was wearing Faith's face. "You didn’t wait for me, you just ran, you took what you could and ran."

Buffy turned and ran off. Faith tried to follow but soon lost her.

Looking around, Faith found she was at the Bronze. Everyone was happy, she watched the gang laughing. Willow was holding that other girl’s hand. Tara squeezed Willow's hand before turning and walking towards Faith.

"What am I doing here?" Faith asked Tara.

"This is where you need to be. Buffy needs your help, Giles misses you, Willow needs you."

"What would you know?" Faith spat at Tara "All I do is hurt her. Why would she need me?"

Tara moved forward, taking Faith in her arms and pulling her onto the dance floor. "You don’t understand. Willow needs you. She doesn’t care about the past, she only knows what is in her heart."

"You?" Faith asked confused.

"And you." Tara leaned forward and kissed Faith.

Faith couldn’t help herself, she pulled Tara close.

"Faith, why don’t you like me any more?" Willow's voice said. Faith opened her eyes to find Willow in her arms. She turned and ran out the door.

"Where have you been, I've been waiting for you." Giles said handing her a sword as she stepped through the door. She was in his apartment. Anya and Xander were making out on the couch.

"Oh, don’t bother about them, they don’t know how to use a sword, you are the one that needs this."

"Is that Faith?" Joyce called from the kitchen. ‘Oh, it is." she continued, walking over and giving Faith a hug. "We were worried dear. Buffy told us you went to Jail. We told her that you couldn't be in jail, that we need you here, but she wouldn’t listen. Oh, here dear, I got you the things you wanted at the shop. Tara is waiting outside for you, you don't want to keep her waiting do you?"

Faith took the bag and headed out the door.

"Hey, you’re the one who was in Buffy’s body when she came on to me." Spike's voice called out. Faith turned and ran. She dropped the bag, spilling things everywhere.

"Didn’t think you'd be such a klutz there, kid" Spike said crouching down to help her pick up the things. "'Slayer Handbook,' you going to come back to work are you? Just as long as you know I’m not a bad guy now, I do good things, I helped you guys. Well not you personally, but I have saved your Willow a couple of times."

"My Willow?" Faith asked.

"Yeah, your Willow." Spike handed Faith a photo "Think this is your's sweetie."

Faith looked at it. It was taken in the park, sun was shining down on three girls who were wrapped around each other, paying no attention to the camera. Faith looked closely at the picture. "Shit that’s me and Red, and Tara." She dropped the picture and it shattered like glass.

Looking up she noticed that she was in the Mayor's office.

"Goodness me" the Mayor said from the doorway, "What a sight. Who would have thought my lovely Faith would go that way? Guess I should remember that at my ascension, keep some girls around for my girl." The Mayor turned and started to walk out " Now Faith, get dressed, we need to talk." as he went and sat down.

Faith turned to see Willow putting on her clothes.

"Ah..." Willow hissed, as her clothes brushed a particularly deep cut.

"No!" Faith shouted as she looked down and saw her knife sitting on the floor. It was covered in Willow's blood.

"Yes, you are killer. You live for the hunt, you live to kill." Tara’s voice came from the other room. Faith turned to see her standing next to another person.

"Why are you here?" she asked Tara who shook her head. "She likes your way. She likes the kill, she lives inside of you. Her power is your power, your life is her life." Tara said, walking around Faith. "Your kill is her kill."

"But I don’t want to be like that" Faith said, standing in front of the other slayer. "I want a life. I want to have friends, I'm sick of the kill, I am sick of the death, the hurt, you don’t own me, nobody owns me, I won't do your bidding any more!" Faith punched the slayer and found herself flung out of a window and onto a balcony.

Willow and Tara were sitting below in the sun. Tara looked up and waved for Faith to join them.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to get here. This is where you need to be. We forgive you. We know everything and we still forgive you. You shall always have a place with us."

"Is she gone?" Faith asked.

"If you are strong enough." Willow said "You face real demons, now you just need to face your own; she is part of you, can you handle that?"

Faith realised that it was dark, the sun was covered over. She looked up to see what was causing it.

Faith was knocked over as the slayer blindsided her, pushing her into the bush. Faith fought back, holding her own as they made their way out of the bush and into a crowded park.

"What do you want me to do?" Faith screamed at the slayer "Do I have to kill you, would that make me enough like you?"

A man walked over to Faith, opening a briefcase as he neared. "Take care of these" he said holding it up for her to see inside. It was full of sliced cheese.

"Great, I got a dead slayer wanting me to kill her and a bald guy wanting me to look after a bag full of cheese slices, what next?" Faith asked.

"That’s what you need to work out Faith, what are you going to do next?" asked a voice that Faith had almost forgotten.

Faith felt something push into her and she started to scream. The knife was cold...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith sat up suddenly, her hand going to the scar on her stomach.

"What kinda fucked up dream was that?" a shaken Faith asked as she made her way to bed.

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