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*****

Buffy let the clear summer's breezes brush past her, rearranging a haphazard ponytail against her back. The vista of the Gulf of St. Lawrence flowed over her tired brain. The walk had been a long one, but the skyline view was inexpressible to the exhausted slayer. She hadn't slept well in months, not since waking one morning to find Faith dead in her arms. The shock of rising from sleep to the cold body in her embrace had broken the slayer's heart, more than the betrayal of Angelus or the disappearance of Riley. Faith had been her heart and soul for longer than they had even been able to admit to a passing attraction, and the loss of her lover friend soulmate had shattered what had been a strong person. Buffy, very simply, felt empty.

To her left was the deep green Highlands, a thousand shades of verdant playing with her eyes and blending one into the other. To her right the blue waters of the cold Gulf waved, with a few seals traveling within sight of land. Directly in front of her the land curved out, reaching out into the water like the fingers of a god. Mountains slid into the sea, their heights plunging into depths. The sun was setting, demanding its rest against the tiresome day, and the light spread like so many honeyed rays onto all it touched, coating everything with a soft yellow glow. Buffy breathed in the salt-tanged air and hugged her arms to herself. The boardwalk ended, and she sat off the last foot, swinging her legs as a petulant child would. Willow was behind her, out of sight and mind as the slayer concentrated on the blinding orange globe slipping below the horizon. She concentrated, hard, on each shimmering strand of gold that edged out, losing herself in the base primacy of the moment. In the physical world, her head bent...

In a world shadowing our own, she heard the sound of a familiar footfall against the boardwalk. Without thought, she turned and called out, "Faith!" then shuddered as her one dream came true and her lover walked towards her nonchalantly.

"Hey, B," said the dark slayer, hands stuffed in the pockets of her black jeans. "Mind if I join ya?" Without waiting for a reply, she sat down, "Nice view, ya got here. Thanks for sharing. Man, this was a lot harder than Red's girl said it would be, visiting you and all." She turned, and stared into Buffy's eyes. "It would have been easier if you slept better. Damn, you're falling apart girlfriend, and I sure as hell ain't worth it."

"You are worth everything," choked Buffy, barely controlling her impulse to thrown tired arms around the shadow of a body.

"Oh, B, you always knew how to make me feel better," moaned Faith. She pulled the blond slayer to her, slipping them both into a familiar position, cuddling the other woman close. "But I'm not here for me, as much as I'd like to just randomly drop by. Y'see, Tara and I have been getting on great where we are now. And her witchy powers have been keeping tabs on you and Red. Neither of you are really where you should be, in life that is. Vacation is great, we think, but you can't go moping around the rest of your life, or you'll mope yourself into a hole six feet deep when some vamp catches you."

"You and Tara?" Buffy whispered, a flare of hope that maybe Willow would get a similar visit, pull the wiccan out of her funk.

"Yeah, Red really lucked out, and yeah, she's already had her visit. I can see the wheels turning in your head, B." Faith gave into her instincts, and kissed under her lover's ear. Buffy moaned into the contact, leaning her head back, arching a long neck that Faith obediently covered with her lips. "Wait," breathed Faith raggedly. "This isn't a social call, hon, it's business."

"Ugh," groaned Buffy. "Damn."

"Yeah." Faith pulled back until they were merely cuddling. "Look, I'm here, waiting for you, for as long as I have to wait. Nothing is ever going to change that, cuz we're like those two headed people, y'know, from that story Gab told Iolaus on 'Xena'?"

"I know," said Buffy, assuming her lover was talking about the same legend she had read in Plato for class. "But it's just so lonely..." she mumbled.

"You've got Red," pointed out Faith. "Look, I'll be direct, cuz I don't think Tara made herself clear enough with her wife, 'kay? You two love each other, not like either of you love me or Tara, but it's enough. Neither of you have to be alone, and neither of us are gonna be upset if you two end up together in a more than friendly sense, get it? You've got long waits ahead of you, till we're back together, B, and you don't need to be all alone. You both need to wake up in someone's arms, and have someone to hold you when you cry, and all that, and if it can't be me, or Tara, then we'd rather it be someone we both like, such as you and Red."

Buffy turned in her lover's arms. "Are you saying what I think you're saying, Faith?" she asked, eyes wide.

The dark slayer smirked, "Yeah, I am. I love you, B, nothing will ever change that. Nothing will ever break the bond we have. You need someone, and if I can't be there for you, it might as well be Willow. Tara agrees with me. We need you to look out for each other, in any way you can." She leaned down, covering her lover's mouth with her own. For a long second, there was nothing but their kiss, and when she moved away, Buffy snuggled down in her arms.

"I do love Wills, but I don't know. It's just so raw, that hole where you should be in my heart. God, it's never like this in the stories!" Buffy sighed.

"No, it's not, we haven't got that tra-la-la option in a field of daisies, B, but we do have eternity to look forward to. In the meantime, life is for the living, and loving someone is not a thing that will get you in trouble with me when we see each other again." Faith molded her body to Buffy's. "In the meantime, we've got a little while. Let's enjoy it, and not talk about the inevitable, 'kay?"

Buffy slipped an arm around Faith's waist. For a brief, beautiful eternity, they could pretend nothing had happened, and watched as the sun set against the mountains. As Buffy fell into a slumber in her lover's embrace, she slowly slid back into her reality. Waking long after the sun had set and the chill wind started her awake, she moaned, still able to feel the warmth of her lover's body against her. She shook her head of the vision, thanked whatever gods were listening for the brief interlude, and walked away to find her best friend.

Part 5