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*****

Buffy threw open the door, only to gasp in shock as she saw the disheveled form at her feet. She stood still as Willow came up behind her. "Buffy, it's, oh my god, it's Faith!" exclaimed the hacker, pulling on her best friend's arm, trying to get the slayer to move.

"I know," replied Buffy softly, slowly coming out of her surprise. "C'mon, whatever's up, she needs a little help." With an inhuman strength, she gently lifted up the dark-haired slayer in her arms and moved back into her room. Motioning for Willow to pull up the blankets on her bed, she set down the injured young woman on the narrow dorm bed, and took a quick stock of her injuries as Willow fetched the first aid bag. Together they bandaged the dozens of cuts, burns, and various other injuries that they could see. Throughout the what must have been very painful process, Faith never moved, or moaned, or gave any indication that she was alive beyond breathing- albeit a slow and shallow breath.

The once-evil slayer's face was pale and ashen. Her breathing was ragged and pained. Scared, the two girls called Giles, and he immediately came over. He wasn't alone, and brought a small, shrewish man with thick glasses and a long black duster.

"This is Dr. Cary, ladies. He's... well-versed in... alternative medicine," said the stoic British Watcher. All three slowly backed away from the bed as the doctor started his examination. They huddled in the corner, whispering silently. "When did she appear, do you know why?" asked Giles quietly.

"She was unconscious by the time we answered the door," replied Buffy softly, glancing over at the other slayer. "Why would she show up here anyway?" the blond asked to the air.

"And how did she get hurt so badly?" asked Willow. No one had any answers. They stared at each other, at various suddenly fascinating corners of the room, everywhere but at Buffy's bed where Faith lay quietly as the doctor examined her.

Dr. Cary rose after a long time and wiped his brow. He turned to them, an utterly defeated look on his face. "Rupert, ladies, I'm afraid I have some bad news. Would you please sit down?" He nodded as they silently complied. "Even given this young woman's special healing abilities, she is gravely injured. Mortally, in fact. Even if you were to bring her to the hospital there is nothing that anyone could do for her. You have to make a decision: let her die quietly, comfortably, here, or let her die hooked up to machines and feeding tubes. I am very sorry, but I truly believe those are your only options."

They remained silent, shocked, as the doctor spoke in clipped, precise sentences. Suddenly, Buffy shot up, "No! No, there has to be something that we can do! There must be a spell or something, right? We can't let her die!" She looked at them all, pleading, then knelt beside her fellow slayer's bedside, gently taking Faith's hand in her own.

The doctor shook his head slowly, and picked up his bag to leave. "I'm sorry, truly I am, but that's the way it is, Rupert old chap. Good afternoon, ladies, and my condolences." Then he was gone with the gentle click of the door locking behind him.

Giles rubbed his forehead, feeling the beginnings of a migraine in his temples. "I think it best that you stay here with Buffy and Faith, Willow. I'll be back in the morning. Try and keep Faith comfortable, and see if you can get Buffy to sleep a bit." He reached out a hand to Willow's shoulder, gently squeezing it, trying to be reassuring, comforting. And then he, too, was gone out into the night.

The hacker turned back to her best friend and the former enemy propped up by pillows, her breathing shallow and her face laced with thin scratches. Faith's expression was troubled, even in sleep, and the deep pain from her wounds was mirrored in her attendant's eyes. Buffy sat with head bent, almost as if in prayer, and gently stroked her once-friend, once-enemy's hand. Willow shook her head, it was too confusing. Two years ago, Buffy had disappeared towards L.A. to visit Angel, Faith, Cordelia, and Wesley for a short time, and when she had returned, something had been different. She no longer vented against Faith whenever generally angry, and had one night even spoken fondly of the rogue slayer from before her stint as the Mayor's assassin. She gave up and knelt beside her best friend, trying to gain the slayer's attention.

"Buffy? Buffy, maybe it's not as bad as the doctor said. Faith is tough, maybe she'll pull through," said the hacker, trying not to let the doubt creep into her voice. Even at the worst point in her coma, the dark-haired slayer hadn't been as pale as she was lying in Buffy's bed.

The slayer looked up sadly, "I don't think so Wills. God. We've got to know what happened to her. Would you call Angel for me, see what he knows? Maybe if we find out what did this to her, we can find a way to heal her, or at least stop it from hurting anyone else."

She nodded, and went over towards the phone. Picking up the receiver, she dialed Angel's detective agency.

"Angel Investigations, we help the helpless," came Cordelia's voice. The former cheerleader sounded hardened by the years, and her voice held no hint of the obnoxious teenager she'd once been.

"Cordy? It's Willow."

"Willow! How are you? Is everything okay?" the interest was genuine, and Willow shook her head with wry amusement that the princess was so concerned for the geek.

"Well, we're fine here, except for Faith. She showed up earlier, pretty badly hurt. The doctor says her wounds are fatal. We need to know what hurt her- or at least what she was doing heading up here."

"Fatal?!" came the surprised reply. "Angel!" she called out towards the stairwell. Turning back towards the receiver, she replied, "No, no, she just disappeared a few days ago, saying she needed to straighten things out a bit more with Buffy and the rest of the old Scooby gang. She said it was just a vacation." There was a rustling and low conversation in the background for a second, then Cordelia handed over the phone.

"Willow? No, Faith just said that she was going to visit Sunnydale. Are you both still in the dorm? We'll be there in a few days, okay?" said the vampire quietly, sadly.

"Of course, you can stay with Giles. I'll let him know. It'll be good of you to be here for her," said Willow, accepting reality. She knew how much Angel had influenced the rogue slayer to turn to good. "We'll see you then? Well, till Wednesday, Angel. Say bye to Cordy for me." She hung up the phone and turned back to her best friend, who stared at her, having heard the entire conversation.

"They don't know what happened?" asked the slayer softly. Willow only shook her head. Buffy sighed, and turned back to their charge. "Let's at least get her out of these filthy clothes, and into some pajamas. She should be comfortable." Together, silently, they undressed the injured slayer until she was in her underwear, then gave her a sponge bath. The pair dressed her wounds as best they could, and gently got her into a pair of spare sweats. By the time noon rolled around, Faith was quietly tucked into Buffy's bed, surrounded by clean sheets and clothes. Willow ran down to the laundry, and when she returned, Buffy hadn't moved an inch from her position next to the bed.

The slayer turned to her sadly, and Willow was shocked to see tears running down her best friend's face. She was even more shocked when she was asked, "Wills, how did you know Tara was your soulmate?" The hacker could only stare for a minute.

"I don't know, really." She moved and sat behind Buffy, on her old bed. "When we were together, I was just complete. I mean, I was a whole person without her, but she just made me feel like one. She complemented me, and I complemented her. Together, we were more than the sum of the two of us. It's like I was one, and she was one, but together we added up to three. God, I'm not explaining this well, am I?"

She laughed softly, almost grimly. "Not really, Will. I guess it's just something that you need to experience before you can even begin to understand it."

Willow rose, and knelt next to her friend, slowly comprehending what Buffy was trying to express. "When I looked at Tara," she let a tear slip down her face, "I mean really looked at her, I saw everything I was, and am, and ever could be reflected in her eyes." She grasped at straws. "Buffy, is that what you saw when you looked at Faith?"

The other girl looked up swiftly, shock on her face. "Yeah," she breathed. "We could never admit it, never say that it was so like what you two had, but we both know that it's there. And we didn't want to risk it by being together all the time. We would have self-destructed any permanent relationship. So we didn't even try, and now we've lost the chance. God, my only chance at happiness, her only chance, and it's gone." Tears ran their silent courses down her cheeks.

"It's not too late," came a rough, cracked voice. The slayer and hacker swiveled around swiftly, gazing with open-mouthed shock at the source of the voice. "It's really not, B," said Faith quietly.

The blond slayer moved slowly, awkwardly towards her bed, and knelt down beside it. She gently pushed a lock of hair from Faith's eyes, and ran her fingers tenderly down a black and blue cheek. "Kiss me," croaked the battered slayer.

Buffy glanced over her shoulder; Willow had slipped out of the room. She turned back and nodded, gently ducking her head until she could press her lips against Faith's. They both moaned at the soft contact, reveling in something they had waited a long time for. Buffy reached her hand up and threaded her fingers through the dark slayer's hair. She let Faith pull them closer together until their upper bodies melded together. As they moved as one, they lost themselves in the sensations coursing through their bodies. Then Faith moaned not in pleasure but in pain. The kiss hurriedly ended.

"Faith?" said Buffy worriedly.

She smirked a bit, but it looked more like a grimace, "Not much, B, just pulled something or whatever. Five by five."

"Liar," replied the other girl softly. "C'mon, time for all the slayers to go beddy-bye." She got up, and pulled the blankets up around Faith.

"It's early!" she protested half-heartedly. She gestured to the half-light outside the dorm windows.

"Yes, but you're hurt, Faith. Please?" pouted the slayer.

"Fine."

Buffy tucked her sheets around the dark slayer and kissed a patched-up forehead. She turned the lights off and put on some soft music, hoping to lull the other girl to sleep. She watched as Faith's countenance became peaceful in sleep and smiled, then changed into her own pajamas and picked up the phone.

"Wills?" she asked into the mouthpiece. "Yeah, she's sleeping. Are you okay? Really?" The slayer frowned slightly, but didn't let her displeasure color her tone much. "Look, I'd like to have someone awake with her most of the night. Would you be willing to take turns with me? You would? Thanks, I'll see you then." She hung up and sighed. At least Willow wouldn't be alone all night, even if her only company was a sleeping best friend and a practically passed-out one time enemy.

*****

The hours and days passed slowly for the trio. Faith healed a little, enough so that even as she could feel that she was fading away, she was strong enough to hobble outside to sit in the sun during the afternoon. Nobody needed to tell her she was dying. If it hadn't been the injuries that she'd recently sustained, it would have been from her much-abused body simply giving up. She was frustrated, angry that she was simply fading, instead of going out with a bang while up against some demon or vamp. And she had refused to tell them what had happened, only saying once, "Don't worry, you should see the other guys."

Buffy watched as the one thing she wanted most and the one thing she dreaded converged at once. On the one hand she had Faith's admitted love; they kissed and held hands and cuddled. It often seemed that only her embrace could calm her love's nightmares. But she knew that the cost of their relationship was apparently Faith's life. And some part of her believed it was selfish to extract such a price for their short-term happiness.

Willow continued to grieve, even as a part of her rejoiced over her best friend's new found joy. She stayed with Buffy and Faith in the cramped dorm room, unable to spend much time in her own home. Tears still came easily and quickly, but she was learning to cope. Xander and Anya insisted on taking her for excursions during the day for the twofold reason of keeping her mind off things and also to give Faith and Buffy some time alone.

"Bye, Wills," called the slayer to her best friend.

"Seeya soon, Red," called the other girl. She winced and laid back as the hacker closed the door behind her.

"Your back again?" asked Buffy softly. She went and sat on her girlfriend's bed, pulling and pushing at the pillows until Faith could snuggle back more easily.

"Yeah, it's not cooperating," grimaced Faith. Her grimace turned into a smile as Buffy leaned forward and kissed her. "Oo, now that was nice," she teased gently as they parted.

The blond slayer colored a little. "I should hope so," she replied, teasing back. "You've never complained and I'd hate to think you were just being nice."

Faith turned the joking around. She took Buffy's hands in her own and glanced down at the entwined fingers. "I love you, you know," she said softly. "At least, I hope you know." The eyes that lifted up to glance at their reflections were a collage of emotion: love, fear, and a crushing sadness.

Buffy took one of her hands from Faith's grasp and traced the other girl's face with it. She stopped at the dark slayer's lips, and smiled reflexively as the digits were gently kissed. "I know, and I love you too." She leaned forward and leaned softly against Faith's shoulder. The pair closed the gap between them slowly, until their bodies had melded together. They disrobed each other slowly, gently, careful of Faith's many wounds.

"Do you want this?" asked Faith cautiously.

Buffy glanced up, taking in the dark slayer's fearful eyes. "More than anything," she whispered, taking the other girl's face between her hands and moving to taste Faith's mouth. She slid her hands downward in a slow, tender exploration. She felt the tears come to her eyes as her fingers skimmed across various scars and wounds. Soon, her lips joined her fingers in exploration and Faith felt her breathing quicken.

After a nerve-wracking few minutes, Faith breathed, "Please, Buffy, make love to me."

Buffy slid up her lover's body and kissed her gently. "I love you," she said simply.

"Love you too" replied the dark slayer painfully.

The blond slayer sensed her partner's need and fit her hand between their bodies, moving in and out of Faith as her lover arched against her.

An hour later, both sweaty and sated, the pair nestled together on Buffy's bed and fell asleep with just a sheet covering them.

*****

Six weeks later...

Buffy stared numbly at the gravestone. She was utterly familiar with the area and reflexively glanced over at the other marker underneath the willow tree. But her gaze tore back to the fresh grave, the line of it still visible.

Faith
Beloved Friend
1982-2003
Forever Missed

Willow sighed, her tears long since used up. She laid a gentle hand on her best friend's back and led Buffy away reluctantly. "It's time to go, Buffy," she said softly.

The slayer looked up mournfully. "I know," she said. "Give me a minute?" Willow nodded and waited as her friend turned back to her lover's grave. Buffy knelt in the fresh-laid turf and traced the letters on the marker just as Willow remembered doing for the other nearby gravestone. She decided to visit just as Buffy was.

"Hey, Tar," she whispered, sitting down cross-legged before her wife's grave. "It's been a little too long, I know. But things have been hard here. Faith's gone, but I guess you know that already, since she's probably with you. Buffy is taking it hard; they really didn't have enough time together. I think they were like us, Tar. I don't know how I know that, but it's true. Goddess," she whimpered. "I miss you, Tar. I love you, so much." She felt Buffy's presence at her back, and leaned forward, gently kissing the cold stone. "Ready to go?" she asked her best friend.

"Yes," was the simple reply. The slayer helped her friend up and together they made their way out of the cemetery.

"Dinner?" asked Buffy as they made their way towards her mother's house. Neither had been able to stay in their old dorm room after Faith had died. Giles, Xander, and Anya had been good enough to pack all their things in both their dorm room and Willow's room, so all their things were now stacked in boxes in Joyce's attic.

"Yeah, that'd be good," answered Willow. "If you'll run to the store for ice cream, I'll whip up some curried chicken. 'kay?"

"Sure," said Buffy. She gripped her best friend in a one-armed half-hug and ambled off towards the market.

Willow continued on her way back to the Summers residence. Joyce was away on business for the gallery so she unlocked the door with her key. With a casual flip of the wrist, she turned on the lights and stereo. As the gentle strains of Welsh harp music wafted through the rooms, she prepared a simple dinner for herself and her best friend. The operations were easy, almost mechanical due to having learned to make dinner after a few major disasters that were Tara's attempts at cooking. She smiled at the memories, finally able to do so.

}}}The smoke alarm rang loudly, jarring Willow out of her light doze. She leapt out of her seat and rushed into the kitchen. Tara stood amongst the charred ruins of their dinner. On the stove, was a pan pulled from the oven of burnt lamp chops. Next to the pan was a towel flaming on a hot burner. On the counter was blackened cornbread. Tara stood with her head slumped in the center of the room, utterly at a loss.

Willow rushed around. She turned off the flaming hot burner and smothered the flames with a pot. She waved another towel around and opened a window to dispel the smoke. When she had finished cleaning up, she walked carefully over to her wife. "Tar?" she said softly, lifting up the other wiccan's head. Their eyes met, and melded. For a brief instant, the smoke and charred food was forgotten as they bent towards one another and kissed gently. Then they broke apart and Tara started to giggle. Willow joined her, and soon they clung to each other, laughing hysterically.

"That's the second time this week," Willow wheezed out as she fought to gain control of her laughter. "Our neighbors must think we're insane!"

"Aren't we?" asked Tara rhetorically, still laughing.

"You've got a point," replied her wife. "But isn't it fun being insane?" Willow ran her hands down Tara's sides, her laughter replaced by a growing awareness of how close her lover was to her.

"Yes," breathed Tara, "it is." She bent down and kissed Willow again, running her tongue over the hacker's lips, parting them. Their kiss deepened, became more intimate as their bodies melded again, in desire instead of laughter. Together, never breaking their kiss, they awkwardly made their way towards the bedroom, gently removing each other's clothes as they went. By the time they flopped down haphazardly on their bed, both were down to just their pants.

Willow rolled on top of her wife, hands deftly unbuttoning Tara's jeans and sliding the pants down. She broke the kiss only to nip and lick her way down her lover's body. Soon Tara was naked under her, and the blond wiccan was working on her wife's khakis. "Love you," Willow said, moving back up to kiss Tara's sweet lips. Their tongues dueled and fought for supremacy, leaving them both breathless.

She threaded her fingers through the soft blond curls she was so fond of and smiled in their kiss as her wife writhed under her gentle ministrations. Tara was always so ready for her, and she reveled in pleasuring the woman she loved. Willow slid down and made love to Tara's breasts as her hand continued its work. Her wife threaded delicate hands through russet locks, pulling Willow closer. As Tara arched and cried out, Willow smiled, brushing with her lips the valley between the blond wiccan's ample breasts before moving up and stilling her hand. She kissed the other woman and pulled Tara to her, settling down in a post-lovemaking cuddle. Her hand removed itself from her wife and moved to pull a blanket over them.

Tara regained the use of her voice. "I love you too," she whispered, kissing Willow gently, "so much."

The hacker smiled, and pushed a lock of hair from her wife's brow. "I know," she said softly, smiling. "I really like this new haircut of yours," she remarked conversationally, running her hand through the short blond tresses. Tara had it cut so that it framed her face, and Willow loved the way she now had an unobstructed view of her wife's eyes and beautiful cheekbones.

"I'm glad," said Tara with a touch of her former shyness. She captured Willow's hand with hers, and gently kissed the elegant palm. With an infinite tenderness, she pushed the hacker onto her back, and kissed her again. Willow shivered at the feel of her wife lying on top of her body. As Tara began to make love to her, she sighed happily. Goddess, I love her, was her last coherent thought as the pleasant sensations coursing through her took over.

A long time later, as they settled again into an intimate cuddling session, Tara's head gently pillowed on her wife's shoulder, the pair opened their minds to each other. It was something they'd discovered they could do early on in their friendship. Then, it had been disturbing to both, each fearing that their 'more than friendly' emotions would be sensed by the other, or that they'd let the other into a more private part of their mind than they were comfortable sharing. Almost a year and what seemed like a lifetime later, they reveled in the unusual intimacy.

Willow let the gentle waves of emotion that were her wife's flow in a controlled stream towards her consciousness. Each time, she was almost overwhelmed by the tenderness and love that Tara continously projected at her. And she knew from conversation afterward that Tara had the same flood of emotion to handle on her end. Once, when their guards had been down during a rare fight, she had sensed the love even then, unshaken as the couple yelled at each other furiously.

How did I ever get so lucky? she absently thought.

Tara's soundless giggle resounded in her mind, I think you should be asking how *we* got so lucky, love.

She looked over, and faced her wife. "You're right," she said out loud. A delicate hand reached out to brush aside a strand of hair from Tara's forehead. "Thank you," she said softly.

"For what?" Tara's eyebrow edged up in curiosity.

"Loving me," was the whispered reply, the hacker's green eyes intense in their devotion.

A tear edged its way down the blond wiccan's cheek, and Willow wiped it gently away. "You are my soul," blurted Tara quietly.

It was time for a companion tear to fall from the hacker's eye. "Oh, Tara," murmured Willow. She bent down and gently kissed her lover. "You are my world."

... Part 3