Buffy closed the front door behind her tiredly. Although Dracula was probably long gone, she had felt duty bound to check out the castle, or the spot where the castle had sat, to make sure. Sure, and it had nothing to do with you not wanting to deal with Riley right now, did it? a snide voice asked her.
She did not deign that comment with a reply, instead making her way into the kitchen to get a snack. The telephone began ringing as she passed it and she quickly picked it up, not wanting the noise to wake her mother or sister.
"Hello?"
At the other end there was only silence. Buffy could not even hear anyone breathing.
"Hello? Is anyone there? Look, if you don't answer in two seconds I'll-"
"B?"
Faith's voice stopped her dead. It sounded so hesitant, not at all like the brash young girl she had known.
"B?" Faith repeated.
"F-Faith?" Buffy asked, incredulously.
"Yeah, it's me. Look, I know I'm probably the last person you want to talk to right now - God knows I made sure of that - but..."
"H-how...why...why are they letting you call so late?" Buffy asked, concentrating on something mundane while she tried to organise her scattered thoughts.
"I'm being a good girl now - it has its perks."
"Oh."
"Yeah. I've got this counsellor hanging around, trying to sort out my life for me. This is one of her lessons - try to make amends for what I did. So, I'm trying."
"Oh," Buffy said again.
There was silence as the blonde Slayer tried convince herself that putting the telephone down would be the best thing for everyone. For some reason, something was stopping her. Curiosity perhaps. Sadomasochism, more like, she thought ruefully.
"B? You still there?"
"I'm still here."
There was more silence.
"I thought you'd have hung up on me by now," Faith said uncertainly.
"I'm not sure why I haven't." Buffy sighed. "How are you?"
"I'm just swimming along," Faith said with false cheer. After a beat she added, "It's hard, you know?"
"No, I don't."
"This counsellor woman, she wants me to talk about my life and work out why everything went so wrong. She'd lock me up for sure if I told her."
Buffy frowned. "Is that why you called me?"
"No. If I need to talk about our world, I can talk to Angel. He's really cool about it."
"That's why I took you to him in the first place."
Buffy heard Faith let out a pain-filled sigh. "I know that now. It's just...when you did that, I thought you were abandoning me. And then the Watchers came and I was sure you'd set it up. I screwed everything up because I'm so..."
"Hot-headed?"
"Stupid was the word I was gonna go with, but yours is much nicer."
Buffy grinned and then forced it away. "I can think of lots of other words as well."
"I know you can."
"Why am I still talking to you?"
"I don't know."
The conversation lapsed into silence again.
"Are you sorry?" Buffy asked slowly.
There was silence on the telephone, apart from a sudden intake of breath, and the blonde Slayer was almost afraid that Faith was not going to answer.
"I think so, yeah," Faith said quietly. "I'm sorry I hurt so many people. I'm sorry I caused so much mess. I'm sorry...I'm sorry I hurt you."
"Oh."
"Betcha never thought you'd hear that from me." She paused. "I'm-"
She cut off as Buffy heard a bell ring somewhere.
"I've gotta go," Faith told her quickly. "Lights out, time for bed and all."
"Ok."
"Look, thanks for not hanging up on me."
"I'm not sure why I didn't," Buffy admitted.
"Whatever, I'm glad."
"Take care."
"You too."
The low buzz of the disconnect tone sounded in Buffy's ear and she stared at the telephone for a long time before putting it back on the cradle. It probably ranked as one of her oddest conversations ever and she felt a strange sense of restlessness. I wonder...
*finis*