Disclaimer: Same as in first part
Faith hated feeling helpless and hadn't felt it this completely in a long time. Stuck between dying a second time and losing the girl she loved, it was a no win situation all around. It was with a desperate fervor that she hoped everything would blow over. Maybe the demons were done with whatever they were up to in which case she could start smoothing things over with Buffy. And if they were hell bent on killing every last human on the face of the earth like every other pint-sized wannabe demon, then there was no other choice but to tell Buffy and stop the imminent slaughter. Of course, Buffy would have to stop them all by herself cause she'd be dead as soon as she told. But she was convinced that that was what she'd have to do if it came to that. It wasn't as if she cared about the world so much as Buffy's opinion of her. Decision made, she would now have to ride out the storm whether it ended up killing her or not.
The more immediate problem now was deciding where to stay for the night. Park bench or mausoleum? Park bench or mausoleum? Neither one sounded very appealing but she'd stayed in worse. And since she was near a cemetery anyway, she headed there. Just when she had a nice big tomb picked out for the night, the gruesome foursome showed up again and, this time, she did the spy thing instead of the direct confrontation thing. Placing the body bag they'd been hauling between them in front of one of the graves, one of them crouched down to unzip it, rolling out a dried up corpse that looked as if it's been freeze dried and then laid out in the sun for a couple of years. A hole suddenly appeared beneath the body, swallowing it up in a grosteque display of speed. Amazingly enough, once the body went down the hole, the four demons followed suit as one by one, they jumped in fearlessly. By the time she walked over to the spot where they'd disappeared, the hole was gone as well as all traces of the demons. Not even footprints marred the path where they'd stood.
"Well, I guess you've fulfilled your end of the bargain."
"Even though you are a weasel, would you stop popping up like one?" Faith said, turning around, trying to regain her composure.
"But I have more fun this way. Anyhoo, I just came by to congratulate you on a job well done."
Faith stared at him suspiciously, unwilling to believe she was off the hook that easily. "We're done? I don't have to do anything else for you?"
"You're a quick one aren't you? Yes, the deal is finished. We don't have to see each other for awhile at least. So now, I'll bid you farewell--"
"No wait. Tell me something before you go. Why didn't you want me to tell Buffy about your pals?"
"Of all the questions you could've asked, that's the one you choose?" He asked in disbelief. Shaking his head slowly, he said, "If you'd told Buffy, she would've come after my guys somehow or other. No matter what she feels for you, her number one priority is and will always be to her duty. Now, if you'll excuse me." Disappearing, he left Faith in a stunned state. She didn't know whether to believe him or not, to believe that Buffy could sacrifice her so easily but, deep down, she knew it held a grain of truth.
****
Buffy laid in bed, watching distractedly as the light from outside the window threw abstract patterns on the ceiling. But her mind was a hundred miles away, thinking about one person. She'd totally blown up earlier because she had wanted to believe that there were no more secrets existing between them. To be slapped in the face with the reality of the situation had thrown her harder than she wanted to admit. She rolled over once more, unable to get comfortable no matter what position she took on the bed. Something was missing...someone actually. And she quailed at the thought of what Faith must be thinking of her right now. If she didn't want her attacking those demons then Buffy reasoned, there must be a very good reason, even though the other girl refused to share it. That line of reasoning just led her back to the maddening reason behind why Faith refused to tell her. Twisting around yet again, she didn't doubt that tonight would probably be a long and sleepless affair.
By the time morning rolled around, Buffy still hadn't managed to get even a few minutes of rest, making the entire night inherently fruitless. On top of that, she had an early morning class which in all probability, she'd probably sleep through. It took a little while for her to gather enough motivation to get up, get dressed, and then out the door. As she made her way out of the dorms, she pulled up short at hearing her name called out.
Faith peeled herself away from the wall she'd been leaning against, wincing slightly at the stiffness of her joints. She'd been standing there since the wee hours of the night, trying to make sense of what was left of her life. She'd thought over the reasons why she came back and come to realize that while some people would call it romantic, others would call it unhealthy. After all, she didn't claw her way back and make a deal with a demon because _she_ wanted to be back but because Buffy wanted it. Everything in her life and everything she thought about revolved around the blonde. Somehow or other, she had to change that fact. Otherwise, they'd start taking each other down, piece by piece until the only bond holding them together was hate. These were pretty heavy thoughts but, standing all night leaning against the side of a building will tend to stir that up. She'd come to a decision sometime around dawn and now, it was time to tell it to the only person she loved.
Looking earnestly into Buffy's eyes, she stated it bluntly, maybe a bit too much so. "We can't be together. I'm going to hitch a ride out of town."
Buffy waited for her to say something else but Faith had evidently finished which made her irrationally angry. "That's all you're going to say? And now you're just going to leave? I thought you came back for me. Were you lying?"
"That's the whole point damnit. I _did_ come back for you and everything in my life revolves around you. Do you know how tired that makes me feel sometimes. And I need to get away from this, from you." Faith fought to keep the quaver from her voice because she needed to put this out in the open.
"I still don't see why you need to leave." Buffy clenched her hands into fists to keep herself from reaching out like she so desperately wanted to.
"Because you mean more to me then I'll ever mean to you."
"That's not true!" Buffy shouted causing several passerby's to turn their heads. "How can you say that? When you died, you took such a large part of me with you that I was a walking zombie for months. And I only felt normal again when you came back.'
"The only reason you felt _better_ was because you didn't want my death on your hands. You didn't want my blood dirtying your conscience."
A sharp slap stopped Faith from continuing on her tirade. How had the situation degenerated to this, Faith asked herself. She came to here to tell Buffy she'd be going and now she gets slapped?
"I can't believe you think that," Buffy shouted, unheeding of the increasing amount of attention she was receiving. "I thought we knew each other better than that but I guess I'm wrong."
The dull ache Faith had been feeling in her heart intensified ten times over by the accusation and she knew that if she didn't leave now, she would ultimately break down. Slowly lowering her eyes and collecting herself, she turned and walked away. Buffy didn't call her name or even try to stop her for which Faith felt both relieved and heartbroken at the same time.
Buffy had been put through the wringer ever since the events of Sayersville had bought the two slayers together. And just when she thought things were improving, Faith springs this surprise, telling her she was leaving. She wanted to yell out when the other girl started walking away but the words lodged in her throat and refused to roll off her tongue. Perhaps, this was the way it was supposed to be. Two slayers, forever separated. She had never really bought into the whole destiny philosophy but it seemed that everyone and everything was hell-bent on keeping them apart. So maybe they were better off accepting their fate. But the rationalization didn't help ease the pain in her chest.
****
It was eerie to stand over your own grave. Faith discovered that fact when she felt compelled to visit her own. She'd had every intention of leaving town but wound up here first, staring at a plain marker with her name on it. She idly wondered if it was still her body that laid beneath the ground and if so, would that make her a clone? A double? A second-stringer? It was such a pathetic grave, perfectly matching the life she'd led before. Now that she was back, would things go any differently or was there something inherently wrong with her? Her foot lashed out, connecting with the stone and breaking it in half. Whatever happened from this point forward, she was not going to be that girl again.
Faith left Sunnydale that same night.