Forgotten Conscience - Chapter 92: Chapter 92

Buffy's POV
"Faith?"
I'm still a little groggy as I wake up but there's only one thing on my mind.
"Faith?"
"I'm here Buffy, I'm here."
I feel a hand holding mine and the soft feeling is unforgettable. I open my eyes to the most beautiful sight I've ever seen, the woman I love staring back at me.
"Oh thank god you're all right B."
She leans down and hugs me tightly. The pain in my ribs shoots through my body.
"Ow!"
She pulls back in a panic.
"Oh my god did I... are you okay? Did I, did I hurt you?"
I smile at her and put my arms out to hug her back.
"I'm okay I'm just... I guess a little sore. Probably one of the drawbacks of fighting an invincible killing machine."
She hugs me again and this time I hug her back.
God she feels so good. I can smell the sweet smell of her hair.
She whispers to me before breaking the hug.
"Not so invincible any more."
She brushes my hair out of my face and smiles at me.
"I guess not. Thank you Faith."
"Don't mention it B. I did what I had to do to save the one I... the world. I did what I had to do to save the world. Isn't that what we hero types do?"
I suppose it is.
"Yeah, but how did you do it? I mean, I went up against Adam twice and he's kicked my ass both times, but you..."
"I know."
"You stopped him."
"I know."
I sit up, despite the pain, on what I now realize is Giles' couch.
"How?"
She stands up and I move to an upright sitting position so she can sit beside me, and she does.
"I'm not sure but..."
She takes my hand in hers and cradles it.
"I think it was you."
Me? What does she mean it was me?
"You think it was me?"
"Yeah I... we were fighting Adam and, something happened."
Happened? Is she okay?
"Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did Adam hurt you?"
"N-no... I'm fine, I'm okay. It's just... I, I saw what he was doing. I saw that he was hurting you and, and I just snapped..."
Snapped?
"I had to stop him, no matter what. I had to stop him from hurting you."
"And that made you snap?"
"Yeah, it was like before. When I tried to hurt you."
I look down at Faith's hand holding mine.
"That wasn't your fault that was the spell."
"I know but it felt the same way, like the spell."
"But the spell it... it's off."
"What?"
We look at each other and she has this look of hope on her face.
"What do you mean?"
"The spell is broken."
"But I thought Red's spell didn't work."
"It didn't... but she figured out the reason it didn't work... is because the spell was off."
"What the hell are you talking about? How did it get broken?"
"It was us, our love..."
I grip her hand.
"When we kissed for the first time, it broke the spell."
"I... how?"
"The spell they used on you, it was supposed to make you hate me even more than you already did. But instead we fell in love, the feelings we share saved us both. Your love for me broke the spell, and my love for you brought us together. Or at least it did... until I screwed it all up."
She lets go of my hand and pulls away.
Oh god, why did I have to say that?
"Right. Look B I..."
"Please Faith can we... can we just be happy that we stopped Adam and that we're both all right? Can't we just be together? If only for a few minutes."
"I told you B, no matter what happened with us in the Initiative that it wouldn't change things between us and I meant it."
"Faith I..."
"You're okay, that's what's important. I couldn't live with myself if I let something happen to you."
I reach out to her and she gets up off the couch to avoid my touch.
"But you're okay now, so I can go."
Go? I don't want her to go.
She starts to inch toward the door.
"Faith, wait..."
I try and get up to stop her but the pain in my ribs makes it impossible. I look up at her as she struggles to decide whether to comfort me or not.
"Don't... don't you love me?"
She decides not to.
"I-I... I do care about you B. More than I could ever express to you, and if you ever need my help again just call. But things between us are not okay... and I don't know that they ever will be. One day maybe, but that day isn't today."
She tries to leave and I get up, blocking out the pain in my ribs but my leg gives way sending me to the floor. Giles comes in from the other room with gauze.
"Faith? I've got some gauze to bandage her ribs until... Buffy?"
He comes over to help me.
"Take care of her G-man, she looks like she needs it."
She leaves.
"Faith!"
Giles helps me on to the couch.
"Buffy you need to calm down before you hurt yourself."
I don't need to calm down, there's only one thing I need.
"What I need, is Faith."
I settle back into the couch and the pain in my mid section lessens, but only my physical pain. He looks at me with concern.
"You really do love her, don't you?"
He smiles.
"With all my heart."
He starts to unroll the gauze.
"Then all shall work out. Lift up your shirt and I will bandage your ribs."
I lift up my shirt gently, the pain still running through me and he starts to wrap my ribs in gauze.
I have to get her back, I just have to.
"How do you know? She, she just left like that. She must really hate me."
"No, she does not."
"But..."
"Buffy when Faith came in here with you in her arms, she was in a panic. The kind of panic only a person in love could be in if they feared the loss of the one they love."
He wraps the gauze around me a few more times and then secures it with a safety pin. I let my shirt fall, covering my injury.
"You... you really think she l-loves me?"
"I am certain of it."
He starts to pull my right pant leg up to check it.
"Tell me where it hurts."
He gently touches my leg, checking for sore spots.
"How? Did you talk to her? Did she tell you she loved me?"
If she told him she loved me, why did she leave?
"We spoke briefly..."
He touches a bad spot.
"Ow!"
"Sorry."
He takes the gauze and wraps it around my upper calf.
"I must admit that I was originally quite skeptical about what was happening between the both of you, however after Faith brought you here, I realized she only has your own best interests at heart. Even if she might be unsure about her own."
He finishes wrapping my leg and pins it with a safety pin. I lean forward and hug him.
"Thank you Giles I... thank you for understanding and for, and for giving us a chance."
After a second Giles pulls away and I let him go.
"Yes, well... I was your Watcher Buffy. It was my job to look out for your best interests, and even though it may no longer be an official position, I still feel responsible for your well being."
"I know and I wanna thank you for that."
He stands up and back away.
He's always been uncomfortable with the whole caring about people thing.
"It's quite all right, I don't mind. Now, what do you wish to do now that Adam is out of the way?"
We should get together.
"We should get the guys together. I wanna tell them what happened."
"Okay, I'll make the calls."
"Thanks."
She'll come back to me... she has to.