* * * * *

"And all your little lame ass friends are gonna be kibbles'n'bits.
Think about that when your boyfriend's cutting into you."

* * * * *

Sunnydale 1999

Buffy stirred weakly and opened her eyes. She heard the sound of running water before she sat up and saw that the fountain in the garden was running again. The heavy scent of jasmine made her cough more than once. Then she saw the dark-haired slayer sitting on the edge of the fountain, picking off petals from a branch of jasmine she held in her hand. Faith's lips were a glossy red, her brunette hair curled softly. Her feet were bare and her toenails glistened crystal. She was wearing the floral dress the Mayor had bought for her. An evil child of darkness - if anyone could pull it off Faith could. Her velvet brown eyes swirled around the garden of the mansion.

"It's pretty out here," said Faith. "It's got everything a gal could want - water, flowers, you bruised and beaten. What'd you think, B? Mayor said I could have any room in this great ole mansion I want. Gee, I can have a bedroom for every day of the week." Faith jumped up from the edge of the fountain with a little skip and a smile.

"He didn't actually say it, since he's not big on words these days, but I get the wink and the affectionate nudge."

Grimacing Buffy rubbed at her scraped elbow.

"Hey, it can't be all bad. Snyder's dead."

"Faith, this is what you want? What kind of world do you think is going to exist now?"

The dark-haired slayer wrinkled her eyebrows and smiled. "One you'll never live to see. You know, I even get my very own torture room. Actually, five separate ones. Let's see I have to have one for blunt, sharp, cold, hot, and loud." After Faith finished counting on her fingers she tossed the jasmine into the fountain.

"I thought I killed you," said Buffy, looking at Faith.

"You stabbed me something wicked," Faith said, "but nothing a few stitches can't make good as new. You and me, we're Slayer sisters, we heal fast."

Then Faith kneeled in front of Buffy, her deep strawberry scented lips close to Buffy's cut cheek.

"Why? Did you start to feel bad or something, you know, for almost putting me into a pretty coma?" said Faith, arching an eyebrow. Her tongue licked at the slash in Buffy's cheek. Then her sparkling eyes lowered to Buffy's neck. "Looks like you fed him a Slayer anyway."

Faith stood up and twirled around, slapping her hands at her thighs. She shrugged. "I gotta say I'm impressed B. You haven't asked me about your little friends, yet. Don't you want to know who's dead?"

The blonde-haired slayer closed her eyes with a pout, looking away from Faith.

"Let's see," said Faith, biting her lower lip. "Cordy, Giles, Wes - dead, dead, dead. Oh, I didn't kill them if that's what you're thinking. Caught in the crossfire."

"Faith, you told me his weakness," said Buffy, looking at the other girl.

"Yeah, I also said something about Little Miss Moffet so who really knows," Faith said. "Anyways, you weren't quick enough and you holding my knife pissed him off a lot."

"The others?"

"Hmm, what about the others," said Faith in a singsong way, tapping at her chin. Her face brightened as she smiled. "Oz and Xander get to be the first to try out my torture rooms! Too bad Cordy didn't make it. She and I, we could've had a blast."

"Fa-i-th-y . . ." sang a voice approaching the garden.

The dark-haired slayer glanced over her shoulder and smiled. Then she lookedat Buffy.

"This is the cherry surprise," she said, her dimples twinkling.

A moment later Angel walked through the door, carrying a limp Willow in his arms.

"Buffy," he said.

"Angel!" Buffy said, beginning to stand.

Then the dark-haired vampire dropped her red-haired best friend to the floor, and Buffy immediately covered her mouth, her eyes tearing.

"Willow?"

Angel kneeled down beside Willow and tied the shoelace of her orange sneaker.

His dark eyes gazed up at Buffy, "Like I said, 'She's so cute.'"

Buffy sat down again and slowly looked at Faith. The dark-haired slayer wrinkled her eyebrows and shrugged.

"Don't look at me," said Faith, "I'm not the one who wanted one last shag."

"But, but I thought we were going to die," said Buffy, looking at Angelus.

"You are," he said, stroking Willow's face. "She didn't even cry out that loud."

"Angel, I didn't mean-"

Angelus stood up and smiled faintly at Buffy. "You know, you've gotten better since last time."

Then he smirked voraciously at Faith. "Still not as good as Faith, but that's not your fault," he said, looking at Buffy. "You're not a whore. Not yet."

Faith's eyes narrowed at Angelus, her glossed lips tightening. Then her glare met Buffy's.

"Chill B, Red's coming back in a whole new way. In fact, I think you've seen her whole new way once before. Heard she's a sachet of leather and pinching."

"You-" said Buffy.

Angelus shrugged, "Had to Buff. She's so cute."

"Yeah, and I need a new toy for when I get bored with the old one," said Faith, her voice edged.

Angelus glanced at her, his eyes lingering on her body in the innocent pink dress. Catlike he walked to her, his hand wrapping around her waist and pressing her body to his black leather crotch. His other hand slid between her thighs and Faith yelped, her dark eyes predatory.

"No panties," said Angelus. Then he looked at Buffy. "You know, I always wanted to taste the two of you at the same time. Too bad Kendra isn't here. She would have been tight."

"But, love, if Kendra was here then I wouldn't," said Faith.

From behind his waist Angelus pulled out the infamous knife and handed it softly to Faith. He leaned into her face and kissed her peach cheek. "Got it back just for you."

Faith pushed herself away from Angelus and studied the gleaming, elegantly menacing curves of the knife.

"Hmm, still stained with my blood," said Faith. She looked into Angelus' eyes. "Let's see what we can do about that."

Taking the knife tenderly from Faith's hand Angelus brought it to his mouth, closed his eyes, and licked the blood off the blades.
"Think I'm ready for the live version," he said, gazing at Faith.

"Faith, he'll kill you. Have you forgotten about everything The Slayer stands for? To rid the world of evil, to fight and protect!?"

"Yak - B, news flash - I like evil. It gets me free Playstation, a new dress, and a mansion all for my very lonesome."

"That's right, Faith. Alone. You're going to be alone now. The Mayor isn't The Mayor anymore."

Faith's dark eyes flickered with hesitation for a moment. Then she smiled.

"Not when Red wakes up. Just thinking about the games we'll play gives me a low down tickle."

"Besides, she has me," said Angelus, crouching in front of Buffy, tossing the knife behind him.

Faith stared at its vibrant shine on the gray stone ground.

The blonde-haired slayer flinched as his cold fingertips touched the wound on her neck, and he kissed her shimmering pink lips lightly.

"Want to finish what we started, lover?" he whispered to her.

"Angel, I'm sorry - I know this isn't the way you want to be," said Buffy.

Angelus firmly held her soft cheeks in his large hands, licked at the wound in her neck, and snapped her neck.

Faith only smiled when he turned to look at her.

"What do you want to do with her body?" said Faith.

"I don't know. Fuck it, save all my favorite parts of her, maybe frame them on a black velvet background."

In her right hand Faith held a wooden stake.

"What are you going to do with that, precious?" said Angelus.

"Thought we'd try extra sweet kinks. Let'cha bite me where it hurts."

Her dark eyebrows raised with a smile as she went to him, her teeth gnashing playfully at his neck. "Angel, remember that time when you said, 'I like 'em sane?'"

"No."

"You should," said Faith, thrusting the stake through the black silk of his shirt and into his heart. Within seconds Faith was dancing in Angel's ashes, sticking her tongue out to catch an angelflake. Faith bent over and grasped the familiar knife, kissing its beloved blades.

Her dark eyes glistened, "That's mine."

Before walking out of the garden she glanced at Willow lying on the ground.

"See ya soon, Red."