Rating: umm...I'm thinking along the lines of PG...in the meantime. Who knows what the future might bring:).
Disclaimer: nope, last time I checked, nothing was mine.
Spoilers: well...better safe than sorry: everything up to the end of season 3 can be spoilery.
Synopsis: I have a strange drive to rewrite season 3 of BtVS. I just don't seem to like the way it ended...beats me why. Anyway, so despite the fact that the original plan was to begin with "Helpless" (that's around the time everything really started getting screwed up B/A-wise), as you can see, plan's changed and I'm going to start with "Anne". If you expect to find in this series events/quotes from the original season....I seriously mean it - I'll try my hardest keeping them to the very minimum. But all in all - it's probably a yet another attempt to end the season on a more "positive" B/A level. See how it goes:).
Pairing: the conventional ships: B/A, W/O, C/X. If I decide to torture any/all of them, you'll be the first to know:).
Distribution: ask first.
Feedback: please, yes, please.

Days, how many days
Do I have until
I am set free to a better place
A place of love
A place of no tomorrows Release me from this need I have of me

- Vast, "A Better Place"

****

"So," Faith brushed the vampire's ashes from her skin-tight crimson shirt, and threw her head backwards, running one hand through her brown hair, while the other was pocketing her stake. "Why'd you decide to join me?"

The blonde next to her merely shrugged, and tucked stray locks behind her ear. "Do I need a reason?"

The brunette Slayer gave her a long look, then shrugged herself. "How should I know? You're the one who's…busy these days."

"I have other things to worry about right now, and they come before slaying in my order of priorities," Buffy informed her, starting to walk on, only briefly turning her head to see if Faith was following.

"So get your priorities straight, then," she caught up with the blonde. "It's fun, B.. *Fun*," Faith empathized the last word, grinning enthusiastically at her sister-Slayer. "What we do is fun, that's what it's all about, you don't do it only when you have time, you do it because you *want* to!"

"Then maybe I *want* to do other things," Buffy replied, not at all sharing her friend's verve.

Faith groaned, and shook her head. "Maybe we should spend more time together, before you know it, I'll turn you into a real Slayer."

Buffy shot her a look. "That'd be great, because God knows that after three years running, I *still* don't know how to do my job right."

The brunette picked up at the mockery. "Maybe three years is a *bit* too much for you, B.," she retorted peevishly. "What's your deal? The…'Angel thing' is still up your ass?"

The other Slayer came to an abrupt halt and revolved to her companion. "*What?*" she managed through almost gritted teeth. "You have no right-"

"Don't you think it's about time you got over it?" Faith cut into her sentence. "There's plenty of dicks in the sea, and I heard the *living* ones are actually quite good," she commented insolently.

Buffy clenched her hands into fists, striving to uphold her equanimity. "Oh, and you would know, wouldn't you?"

"What the Hell was that supposed to mean?!" the brunette glowered.

The blonde inhaled a deep steady breath, and momentarily closed her eyes, inwardly counting down from three. When she opened them, she tried to do everything in her power to maintain a calm tone for her voice, while saying what she wanted to say. "I *think* we've got the exchanging-insults' part covered successfully, hence can now go on with the slaying, which is what we *came* here to do. And while we're at it, I'd appreciate it, if you left my love life *out* of the small talk," her eyes made it clear for the other Slayer it wasn't a request.

She smirked at that. "Well, I don't know about you, but I've been hanging pretty good on my own the last few weeks."

Buffy groaned. "*Why* do you have a problem with me? What did I ever do to you?"

Faith raised her brow in surprise, gesturing at herself. "*I* have a problem? No, B., I think *you* have a problem. You have *problems*, and frankly, you better start working them out. Believe it or not, I'm not the only one who thinks so."

"Oh, really?" Buffy put her hands on her hips. "Are we, by any chance, talking about your new best buddy Xander, here? There's someone who needs an invitation to trash Angel a little more than he usually does. Get over yourself, Faith," she shook her head and started walking again.

"No, *you* get over yourself," the brunette yelled behind her back, in a second, closing the distance between them. "You know what? Maybe that's what you need. Just grab the next vamp you find, and shag it out of you before you stake him, ok? Since you obviously go for the dead-meat, literally-" she stopped in mid sentence when Buffy's fist connected with her face.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," she hissed.

"Damn," Faith wiped the blood from her split lip, then emitted a short laugh, "now, I know which nerves to strike." She fished for her stake in her back pocket and lifted it up for her sister-Slayer to see, before tossing the wooden weapon to the earth. "Come on," she challenged her. "Fight me, I'm all for it. Take me down, B.. I'll die in the name of love," she joked.

Buffy shook her head, casting her eyes to the ground, to conceal from Faith the little smile that was now playing in the corners of her mouth. When she looked up, the smile was gone. "How about we just split now?" she suggested.

"Come on, don't be a spoilsport," the brunette pouted. "Didn't you ever think about it? Two Slayers? Here's your chance!" she gesticulated at herself. "I'm always up for a good fight."

"I think I'll take a rain check," Buffy smirked, and turned to walk the other way. After making a few steps, she stopped, and whirled around to face the brunette Slayer. "And, Faith?" she drew her attention, just as the other girl was picking up her stake.

"Changed your mind?" she grinned.

But Buffy was completely serious. "*Never* talk about Angel that way again. And I mean never." With that, she turned around and walked away.

****

Giles loosened his tie around his neck and unbuttoned the first two buttons of his shirt. "Did you ever see him?"

Willow looked up from her lap, her hands nervously tugging at the ham of her shirt. "Angel?"

"Yes, Angel," he stopped pacing, and drew his chair from behind his desk to sit in front of the girl. He didn't even believe they were running this conversation, let alone *who* said conversation was about.

"No," was her short reply.

Giles gave her a look, obviously, not buying it for a second. "But Buffy told you he was alive?"

"Alright," the redhead shifted restlessly in her seat, averting her guilty gaze from the Watcher. "I might have…seen him," she mumbled, "once. Just once, I swear," she looked up at him.

"So it is true," he mused.

"Did you actually *doubt* it, after that…Whistler guy told you himself?" she inquired.

"Well," Giles cleared his throat. "What…what did you see…exactly?" he questioned the girl.

"Angel?" Willow flashed him a thrown look, not exactly understanding what he wanted to achieve.

"Yes, I know that," the Englishman shook his head. "I mean…"

"Oh," the redhead exclaimed, picking it up. "He looked…" her gaze softened, as her insides cringed at the memory of what she had seen in the mansion. She took a deep breath before speaking again. "He was so weak," she tried to fill the Watcher in on what she had been a witness of that day, "I could barely recognize him. He didn't…have any serious surface injuries, at least, not that I saw any, and I don't know about interior…what I do know is that it took a great deal of effort from his side to stand on his feet for two whole minutes. His…mental…state is another story," she swallowed hard. "He's not crazy, not that I…saw many crazy people…"

"Willow," Giles turned her back to the matter at hand.

"Right," she nodded, and fixed her gaze on the Watcher. "He's hanging by a thread, Giles," she summed it up. "Or at least, he was, when I saw him. Last time I talked to Buffy, she said he's better, but…taking into account what his 'bad' state was…I'm not sure that 'better' is necessarily good news. That's pretty much all I can tell you," she bit her lip. "Except that…I know she didn't meant to lie to you, I…"

"This isn't about me right now, Willow."

The girl nodded. "Okay. But…what are you going to do?"

"At first…I thought I'd go to the mansion myself," he admitted, "but now…"

"Please, don't hurt him," she implored, not really thinking Giles might do something like that, but just in case. "He's good now. He was good when…when Buffy killed him, I always knew my spell worked-"

"What the Hell?!"

Both heads shot up, finding a wide-eyed Faith standing in the doorway.

"Faith," Giles cleared his throat, "w-what are you…"

"For how long have you been planning to keep this from me?" she strode into the office. "Just a question, who else knows? Or would that be, all but me?"

"Only Willow and I," Giles told her, suddenly appearing very interested in his shoes. "And of course, Buffy."

"Yes, Buffy!" she exclaimed petulantly. "So how does it work, exactly, he gets the Slayer's protection and sleeps with her in return?"

"Faith, enough," Giles smacked his palm on the desk. "No one is doing anything, until I…"

"Until *you*?! Until you what? Did you forget who's the Slayer here? When B.'s lover gets hungry, his meals are under *my* responsibility, so like Hell you're telling me what to do!" she spun around, and exited the office.

"Faith, get back here, right now!" Giles followed her, but she wouldn't have any of it.

"The mansion, right? That's the one on Crawford street?"

Neither Giles, nor Willow answered.

"You're tripping!" the brunette spat, stopping for a minute only and facing her Watcher. "You've been letting him run loose for how long now? Well, it ends now! Now, I'm gonna end it, and I'm gonna end it *my* way!" she whirled around and stormed out of the library.

****

Faith drew in a deep breath as she stopped before the great mansion. She suddenly wasn't so sure anymore. Yes, she was the Slayer, and most importantly, she wasn't a person who could take her words back. She had said she'd do it, and she intended to carry it out, flawlessly. But the voice in her head just wouldn't give her repose, and that was the same voice that prompted her that maybe sometimes her way was the wrong way. She shook her head to get rid of it, but it wouldn't go away. It had never gone away, and she had never listened to it, Faith knew that. But that was how people made mistakes – they didn't listen to these voices in their heads. But was there a difference between taking someone's life, and making an innocent mistake?

Was she truly ready to pay the price for the 'mistake' she was about to make?

Maybe that was what was stopping her from entering the building…

"Jesus, he's a vampire!" she scolded herself, producing her stake from the back pocket of her jeans.

Filling herself with reinvigorated resolve, the Slayer headed straight to the large doors.

****

"Here, vampy, vampy…" she called jokingly, while making her way through the halls of the mansion, all her senses alert. "Come on, where the Hell are you?" she muttered, continually flapping the edge of her stake against her open left palm.

Suddenly, her sharp ears picked up a noise to her right, and she promptly spun around. Her eyes fell on Angel's, who was standing in the entrance to the room, carefully studying the unfamiliar visitor.

"Wow, look at that beef!" Faith whistled, folding her arms on her chest. "Dead or not, B. certainly knows how to pick them. I'll almost feel sorry for reducing you to a pile of dust."

The vampire's eyes traveled down the stake dangling from her hand. He swallowed, as the Slayer started in his direction. "W-who…are you?" he asked quietly.

"Your worst nightmare," she beamed, just before her foot connected with his face.

Angel flew backwards and hit the hard floor.

"Come on, make it worthwhile," Faith started advancing upon him, as he struggled back to his feet, all the while knowing it was no use. He already knew she was the Slayer, the one that Buffy had told him about, just as he knew he wouldn't survive a minute in a fight with her. In fact, if she had only wanted to, he would have already been dead.

But that wasn't what she wanted. The brunette grinned, peering down at the vampire, who had already risen on his four, and before he knew what came over him, kneed him in the gut, causing him to fall flat on his stomach, gripping the sore midsection with one hand.

"Come on, don't tell me you lost your touch," she taunted. "You were quite a bad boy in your days, don't tell me you grew out of it!" She hoisted him from the ground by the shoulders, and roughly hurled him several feet away. "It's no fun this way!" she exclaimed.

The vampire groaned in agony when he hit the mansion's floor again, and cringed, rolling on his side, when pain shot through his body.

"Are we having fun yet?" the Slayer landed on his lying form, causing him to cry out, and violently turning him on his back, straddling his waist. She brought her stake into view again, leisurely dangling it by the spike. Abruptly, she tossed the stake in the air and caught it by the dull edge. Split second later, Angel felt the sharp edge graze the skin of his chest.

"Gotcha!" she pulled the stake back, only leaving a barely discernible scratch on the vampire's smooth chest.

Angel blinked, panting, even though he didn't need to breathe. "Buffy," he managed, and closed his eyes.

"Sorry, not here," Faith shook her head, but before she could say anything else, she was ripped off of him and thrown against the nearest wall.

Not even given enough time to stop her head from spinning, she was pulled back up to her feet, by no other than the blonde Slayer.

"I'm impressed," she remarked, managing a grin through the sharp throbbing in her head.

Buffy shoved her against the wall again, but without releasing the lapels of her jacket. "*This* is for my boyfriend," she hissed, then released the other Slayer. "Get out of my sight," she ordered. "The only reason why I'm letting you go is because I have something much more pressing to take care of than you. But if you ever lay a *hand* on him again," she paused for a beat, "I swear, you'll regret it."

"You're sick!" Faith spat, all traces of amusement gone from her voice.

"You are *not* the judge of that," Buffy asserted. "Now, get out!" she made one step back, and without giving the other Slayer any further notice, rushed to Angel's side.

"Angel," the Slayer whispered his name hoarsely, brushing away her tears, as she kneeled down next to him. "I'm so sorry," she gently wrapped her arms around him, and pulled his head onto her lap, brushing her lips over his forehead. "I'm so sorry," she reiterated. She pulled him closer, and he buried his face in her belly, clutching the fabric of her shirt in his fists.

"I love you," she whispered, and kissed his head again, burying her face in his hair for a moment. When she looked up, she swallowed, as her eyes came across the concerned ones of her Watcher, who, together with her best friend, was still standing in the entrance to the room.

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