Kitty's Pad Slayers Do Vegas series

Disclaimers: Joss owns them, not me. I make no claims. NO harm intended.

Comments: Head trauma, funny old thing isn't it?

Date Stamp: Miss K, aka Kitty, wrote this 07.12.01

Authors Comments: You lot sound like a 'Faith in Buffy's body soundbites convention': "Can't do that it's bad! Bad, evil, bad, evil, bad, evil!"

Title: VS, own it, not me. I make no claims, I never, ever would.

Buffy's POV

Slayers Do Vegas LVIII - I Think I Might Just: Rewind It

I can't sleep.

I had to pry Willow and Tara off of me, to come back to the hotel.

Love them, but I need some time on my own.

Now I'm here and everywhere I look it's her.

Her bag, her clothes hanging in the closet, her toothbrush, her cigarettes, her smell, EVERYWHERE!

I don't even know where she is.

She knows where I am though, I told her.

What if she forgets and can't find me, and she's looking now!

Stop it!

Just stop it!

A knock at the door.

I had to order food or I'll collapse.

I need to keep my strength up.

I walk and open the door.

Oh my G...!

'Faith.'

Faith's POV

She's just staring at me.

Like I'm a freak or something.

Or... a monster.

I look at her face, it's bruised and cut.

The blood... it was... I...

Did I do that?

I don't remember... I closed my eyes and I wasn't there anymore.

Maybe it wasn't me, it could've been someone else, right?

'I've come to get my stuff.'

That's why I came; to get my stuff, my bag, the bag I don't remember having.

Come to get my stuff.

She blinks and the stare's broken.

Moving past her I walk into... her room.

This is her... our room.

This is... get your stuff!

Get your stuff and get back to the Luxor.

Get it and you can figure everything out later.

I pick up my shirt from the back of a chair.

My shirt?

But, I don't remember buying it.

If you don't remember buying it, then how'd you know it's yours, Faith?

I don't.

'Is this mine?'

She's still standing by the door, leaning on the wall, she nods slowly.

She... Buffy, not she, Buffy!

You call her B, Faith.

I don't call her anything!

I don't fuckin' know her!

'What else is mine? I need it all.'

Quick and painless.

That's how this needs to be.

If I don't know her then why do I feel like someone's ripping my insides out?

If I don't know her then... why am I crying?

I look round at the room, her room, our room, at her, picking my things up.

Why am I crying?!

Feel my breath coming quicker, don't panic, everything's going to be ok, get your stuff and get out!

She turns round and hands me some clothes and freezes.

Buffy's POV

Don't cry, don't cry, get her things, then ask her where she's staying.

Make sure you find out where she is.

You have to know where she is!

I grab another one of her shirts and go to hand it to her but the look on her face stops me.

She's crying, her eyes looking round the room, tears falling onto her cheeks.

I know that look, she's starting to panic.

I don't know what to do!

'Faith? It's ok.'

I slowly move my hand over to hers and gently pull her over to the bed, making her sit down.

I kneel down in front of her, making sure I'm not too close.

Keep a safe distance, don't make her leave, Buffy!

Don't freak her out!

She's crying.

'Please don't cry, Faith. It's ok, you just don't remem...'

She pushes off the bed, running a hand through her hair.

You idiot, Buffy!

Just... ok, what do I do?

She's losing it.

Can see her start to panic more as her hands go to her face.

As she looks around the room.

She picks her bag up and tips everything out on to the floor.

What do I do?!

Faith's POV

This isn't my stuff!

I don't know her!

THIS ISN'T MY BAG!

I pick it up and empty it out on the floor.

See, I don't recognise any...

I kneel down and pick something up.

A picture of me and Buffy.

Me and Buffy?

Me and Buffy.

My arm round her, smiling.

I hold the picture up, showing it to her.

'This is us... this is... I don't remember us though. Buffy, I don't remember us!'

I don't!

Why don't I remember?!

There was an us?

There is an us!

She takes the picture and kneels down next to me.

'I know. It's ok, you will remember, just... it takes time.'

She wipes my face with her fingers, softly, and pushes my hair back.

Feel my head start to pound again.

Pounding, pounding, pounding.

I don't understand what's happening.

Why can't I remember?

Faith, you need to get out of her, this is wrong.

I push myself up and walk through my... the stuff on the floor.

Then I stop, and stand still; looking at the picture in my hand.

The picture of me and...

...B.

Were we...?

We were, I mean, there was something between us, was there something between us?

'Were we... close? Like, as friends, were we... close?'

My legs walk me back over to her to where she's still kneeling, looking up at me.

I watch as her jaw clenches and she tries to keep her face steady.

We were, we were more than close, can feel it deep inside me.

'Buffy, were we close? Tell me!'

'Yes, we were, are, close. Although, you not remembering me may put a bit of a strain on our future bonding.'

A smile tugs at my mouth.

At least she didn't start babbling.

She babbles?

She babbles!

Then memories start flooding back in my head.

'You babble, like a hundred miles a second. Always makes my head hurt, but it makes me laugh. I never let you know that though. I'm... I always rag you about your clothes, 'cause they're all Laura Ashley, but you always manage to look real nice in them, never figured out how you do it. I don't call you Buffy, do I? What do I call you?'

I kneel down in front of her.

She looks freaked.

I'm freaking her out!

'B, you call me B!'

See!

She's right, she's right, you don't remember, you don't fucking remember!

'B... B.'

I repeat it, it does sound right.

I do call her B.

B, B, B, B.

The pounding in my head starts again.

I need to... get out of here.

Get back and think about all this.

But, I don't want to go.

This is our room.

Our room!

I should be here, with her, I know I should.

Here with B, me and B!

'I need to... I have to go!'

I push myself up and walk to the door, my fingers rest on the handle.

I turn round and she's still just kneeling, with my stuff all around her.

'B? I have to... I gotta think about this, about all this. I don't want to. I don't know why I don't want to go yet, but I don't. Shit, I'm not making any sense.'

'Wait! Where are you staying, Faith?'

Staying, where am I staying?

'I'm... I'm in the...'

THINK!
Where?!

Where are you staying?!

THINK!

'I'm staying in... where am I staying? I can't remember, shit! The Luxor! I'm in the Luxor, room...'

I jam my hand in my pocket and pull out my key card, turning it over in my fingers.

The Luxor.

I'm in the Luxor, room 2390.

'Room 2390, see, this is where I'm staying, right? I'm in the Luxor, room 2390. I have to go, need to think about all this.'

'Faith, do you want me to walk you back? I don't have to come up, just so you get back ok.'

I shake my head.

I can get back to the Luxor ok, it's only... it's not far away, right?

No, it's about 10 minutes walk.

Down the end of the strip!

My head feels like it's on fire.

'I'm five by five, B. Can I come back and see you tomorrow? I mean, so we can... maybe talk and stuff. Are you gonna be ok? I don't want to go, I need to think, need to think about everything. My fuckin' head's pounding!'

What I wouldn't give for a pack of Advil, right about now.

Uh-oh, determined face!

See, you knew that was her determined face, Faith.

I did, I knew it was!

'Of course you can come back tomorrow! You don't have to ask. Well I guess you think you have to ask, but you don't. I'm walking you back, whether you like it or not! I mean it, even if I have to walk behind you, or hide in bushes! Are there bushes on the strip? Sorry, I'm nervous, babbling when nervous. Stopped now. Stopped the babbling.'

She stands up and grabs her jacket and walks over to me, waiting for me to open the door.

I don't.

We were close, close friends, 'cept I think it was more.

Why do I think it was more?

'Why were we close, B? Like, it wasn't just because we were buds, right?'

She opens her mouth, then closes it again.

The silence sot of hangs in-between us.

Say something, B!

Tell me I'm right, wrong, mad, anything.

A hand moves to the hem of my jacket, playing with the fabric.

I know she's making sure she doesn't touch me.

She likes touching me though.

I don't care that I don't know why, I just know!

She likes touching me, and I like touching her.

This is screwed, all this!!

Screwed!

I step forward and press my lips against hers, and I feel myself melt.

My head stops pounding, everything stills inside me.

I feel her sob beneath me, as her hands clutch at my jacket.

I pull back and look at her, crying.

'That's why we're close isn't it, B?'

She nods as she wipes the tears away from her face.

We stand there, looking at each other for a moment.

'You still want to walk me back to the Luxor?'

She smiles and nods.

'Lets get some night air then, B.'