Title: Hurt
Name: Raven Morbisk
Feedback: Whatever_who_cares@msn.com
Disclaimer: These gorgeous women belong to their respective owners. The lyrics are from 'Hurt', a song by Thousand Foot Krutch.
Fandom: Buffy, the Vampire Slayer/CSI: Miami/Ghost Whisperer
Pairing: Buffy/Faith; Faith/Calleigh hint.
Rating: PG13
Summary: Sequel to 'Faith, Knife, Murder'. Faith can't seem to get over Buffy so the blonde decides to visit a certain Ghost Whisperer.
A/N: I had only seen one episode of Ghost Whisperer when I wrote this so don't chew my head off if Melinda seems out of character.
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It hurts when you need me
and I can't break your fall,
Buffy walked into the antique store 'The Same as Always Was' and just started looking around. She wasn't sure who she was looking for but smiled brightly when a brunette looked straight at her.
"Oh thank god, it's true." The blonde exclaimed and walked up to the brunette. The woman seemed a little puzzled and it had nothing to do with the paperwork she was currently doing.
"Excuse me?" She asked curiously glancing around her but no one was looking at her or the blonde in front of her.
"You’re Melinda Gordon, right?” the brunette gave a small nod “I hate rumors," Buffy said with a shake of her head "I really do but just this once I'm so glad I believed them." She let out a breath of relief, receiving a rather strange look from Melinda because ghosts didn’t really breathe.
"I don't think I follow." The brunette replied in a hushed tone trying not to look at the blonde. She knew what the blonde was talking about but she hoped that if she played dumb the woman would leave.
"Oh sorry, my name's Buffy." Buffy replied smiling and held her hand out. She stared at her ghostly hand for a moment then gave a small shrug as she retracted it. "I heard that you could see ghosts and help them move on."
"Great." Melinda sighed and threw her pen on the counter throwing an apologetic smile at an older woman that walked by.
"Yeah sorry, I know the feeling." Buffy shot her a rueful smile. She felt really sorry for the woman in front of her. From what she heard she had helped ghosts her entire life. They would just come up to her and ask for her help.
"Huh?"
"You try to have a normal life and then something like this pops up and you have to put your life on hold." Buffy said with a thoughtful look in her eyes. "It sucks big time."
"Yeah," Melinda nodded, narrowing her eyes suspiciously "it does." She looked around the store and noticed more people had entered so she gave a subtle nod to the backroom motioning for Buffy to follow her there.
"I’m really sorry to ask you this but can you help me?" Buffy asked pleadingly "Well, not me actually but my girlfriend." She bit her bottom lip thinking about what she just said "Is she still my girlfriend? I'm dead after all."
"I don't know, I guess she still is." Melinda replied confused. She had never thought of that. A lot of ghosts still called their significant others their girlfriend, boyfriend, husband or wife.
"But that would mean she'd be cheating on me if she ever found a new girlfriend." Buffy retorted. Now that she was not among the living anymore she wouldn’t mind Faith having another girlfriend, or boyfriend for that matter.
"Then no?" The brunette offered smiling apologetically.
"Right." The blonde said drawing out the word "Okay, anyway, can you help her? She won't let me go and being a spirit doesn't provide me with a life." She shrugged "Don't get me wrong, I love her to death, literally but this is not healthy for her." Buffy continued grimly "Besides I'm kind of fond of heaven and would like to go back."
"Wait, you've been there already?" Melinda asked dumbfounded.
"Yeah but that was the first time." Buffy waved it off dismissively. She didn’t really have to care for what this woman would be thinking; she was hiding her own secrets.
"The first time?" The brunette questioned confused.
"First time I was there." Buffy replied indifferently shrugging "Long story." She said seeing the confusion clearly written on Melinda’s face. "Third time's the charm." Buffy muttered.
"I'll try but there's no guarantee she'll believe me." Melinda sighed. She checked her watch and figured that if she explained it properly she would be home in time for Jim.
"That's not a problem, she'll believe you. The only problem is getting her to talk about me." Buffy knew Faith wouldn’t be skeptical about people seeing ghosts, all part of the supernatural baggage. "She won't say a thing about me and whenever my sister or best friends talk about me she leaves or ignores them."
"Do you know where she is now?" Melinda asked a little more upbeat. If this Buffy person was telling the truth then she didn’t have to explain her gift, just get the girlfriend talking.
"Yeah, that might be a problem, too." Buffy replied hesitantly. "She lives in Miami." She was waiting for the shocked outburst but the woman, this Ghost Whisperer, just looked surprised.
"Miami? You came from Miami?" She finally asked the blonde. Her usual supernatural visitors were from Grandview or around it, not from another state.
"Like that's a big deal for someone who's dead." Buffy rolled her eyes and began inspecting the backroom. There were a lot of beautiful things that should be in the front of the store.
"How long have you been dead?” Melinda asked feeling a little uneasy that a ghost was inspecting her stock “Most ghost I have to help look a lot scarier then you and don't know what’s and how’s."
"About a year and a half." Buffy replied absently. She tried to grab a very old looking vase but she just went through it. “Movies are liars.” The blonde frowned “I once saw this movie where this ghost could touch and move things if he tried really hard but I just can’t and I’ve been trying for a while.”
"Do you know how you died?" Melinda asked staring at Buffy’s efforts to touch several different items in the backroom.
"I was murdered." The blonde blatantly replied turning to the brunette. She could see the brunette’s horrification but just shrugged it off. What’s done was done and there wasn’t anything to change that anymore.
"Hate crime?" There was something so familiar about everything Buffy had said so far. It was like she had heard it before.
"Something like that." Buffy replied with another shrug. She was losing time here, not that she needed her time but she was getting bored just standing here with this brunette while she could be watching her own brunette.
"Say I was to help you, can she come here?" Melinda wasn’t sure she could go to Miami just like that. She felt sorry for the blonde and her girlfriend but Miami was a fair distance.
"She can't leave the state." Buffy replied smiling uncomfortably. "She still has six months of probation left." She explained when seeing the bemused look on Melinda’s face.
"She's a criminal?" This was getting too big for Melinda. Jim wouldn’t trust her going to see a criminal but then again, what could she have done?
"Watch what you say about my Faith, she's not a criminal." Buffy stated firmly. Then it clicked in Melinda’s head recognizing Buffy’s story. "She made some bad choices, that's all." Another shrug delivered by the blonde.
"Faith as in Faith Lehane?" Melinda asked trying to suppress her surprise. Buffy nodded and smiled thinking about her Slayer. "I heard about her on the news, she took her father through the window because he raped and killed," Melinda looked at Buffy understanding why Faith wasn’t letting her go "you."
"Like I said, bad choices but they were right in her mind." Buffy said. She would’ve rather wanted that Faith and Willow to not have attacked Joe but who was she kidding, it was all it took for Willow and Faith to go back dark.
"And now she's clinging onto you." Melinda stated the obvious nodding to herself. "I think that's natural seeing as you were ripped from her so violently." She mused aloud.
"Yeah, true but there's this pretty blonde woman that seems to like her but Faith keeps shutting her off whenever it gets too personal." Buffy said thinking back to Calleigh. She liked the blonde cop; she was very friendly to Faith. "Faith never opened up easily but now it's just worse because she's hurting herself, physically."
"I'll take this up with my husband. Miami isn't exactly a neighboring town." Melinda sighed heavily. If the blonde hadn’t mentioned the possible physical harm she just might’ve been able to tell the blonde Miami was just a too far of a distance but that just wasn’t the case.
"You're married?" Buffy asked. When she received a nod from the brunette she smiled sadly and wrapped her arms around her waist. "Faith wanted to marry me."
"Come back tomorrow night and I'll see what I can do." Melinda smiled warmly.
"Thank you." Buffy smiled back and disappeared from sight.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
It hurts when you can't see.
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Melinda had managed to let her husband go to Miami by herself. He wasn’t pleased with it the least but he couldn’t take a day off work so he couldn’t join her. Melinda had left the store in Andrea’s hands who understood why she needed to help this Buffy person.
“This can’t be it.” Melinda muttered checking the piece of paper where she had written the address where Faith usually was during the day. Buffy had been very precise about the address but looking at the building just seemed wrong.
“Are you sure this is it?” She asked the cabdriver who nodded in response. She paid her fee and turned her attention at the building again. It looked like a school building. Judging the amount of teenagers that seemed to occupy the inside it might as well be a school.
She entered the building and couldn’t help but marvel at the size of the entrance hall. The hall was filled with workmen patching and painting. The place was far from finished but it looked amazing already. She walked up to a teenage girl giving orders to some workmen and asked where she could find Faith. The girl eyed her suspiciously then told her to go through the corridor. And that’s what she did but she was nailed to the floor when she saw at least thirty girls in three perfect lines with a brunette in front. The girls’ age varied from what Melinda guessed eleven to twenty maybe.
"Can I help you?" The brunette in front of the lines called out to Melinda. She motioned the girls to pair up before she calmly made her way over to the Ghost Whisperer.
"Faith Lehane?" Melinda asked the brunette. She could totally understand Buffy for choosing this female specimen, this woman radiated sex and confidence even covered in sweat and wearing slacks and a sports bra.
"Just Faith." Faith shot her a small grin and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "Do I know you?" She questioned looking Melinda over.
"No but," Melinda glanced at the girls nervously "can we go somewhere to talk?" These girls were fighting each other, like freaking professionals, and that scared Melinda just a little bit. If Faith was there trainer she didn’t want to know what this curvy brunette was capable of.
"I'm in the middle of a class." Faith nodded to the girls behind her with an apologetic shrug. A woman stepped out of a room at the far end of the large training room.
"It's okay, Faith, I got things covered." She called out. Melinda blinked in surprise. That was just impossible, she was in another room on the far side of the training room, there was no way she could’ve heard that.
“Don’t ask she’ll just give you the most stupid answer you’ve ever heard. Like they’re wearing wires or something.” Melinda jumped slightly when Buffy stood next to her looking at her girlfriend. “Then you’d ask why they’re yelling at each other if they’re wired and she’ll say they’re not.” The blonde continued shrugging at Melinda. Faith didn’t seem to notice the surprise because she was looking at the other woman.
"Self-defense class?" Melinda questioned when Faith led her out a door that led to a large stone deck with a great look over the park behind it that would probably serve as a yard.
"You could say that." Faith replied and shot Melinda a grin. Melinda couldn’t help but wonder if Buffy was a skilled fighter as well but she was more curious about the whole building. She could’ve sworn she saw suitcases at the top of the stairs she passed by on the way to the training room.
"All girls." She stated glancing back at the direction they came from.
"I teach hand-to-hand combat and am the dean to Miami's branch of the Rupert Giles Campus for Special Girls and Young Women." Faith told the brunette looking straight ahead of her.
"She won't even say what this department's named after." Buffy rolled her eyes moving to stand in front of Faith. “How is she going to run it f she has trouble saying my name?”
"So this is the Miami’s Rupert Giles Campus for Special Girls and Young Women?" Melinda asked taking in what Buffy said. "That's a mouthful." She added with a small snort.
"No, this is the Buffy Summers Memorial School." Faith said quietly after a few moments of silence, still not looking at the brunette standing next to her and looking straight through Buffy. "I didn’t catch your name and business here." Faith finally faced Melinda with her arms crossed.
"Melinda Gordon.” Melinda replied and opened her mouth to say something else but Faith beat her to it.
"I get it." Faith said with an aggravated grunt "You're from my probation officer, aren't you?" She questioned the brunette.
"No, I actually came because Buffy asked me to." Melinda said clearly. The next minute was filled with complete silence. Melinda tried to read Faith’s expression but the Slayer’s features remained neutral.
"Get out." Faith finally said leaving no room for discussion. Melinda wanted to try but with Buffy getting in her view she didn’t have a choice.
"Leave." Buffy urged. Melinda frowned but managed to find her way out of the building. Buffy was standing outside apparently waiting for her.
"I thought you needed my help." Melinda sighed and grabbed her cell phone to call a cab. She still had a hotel to find.
"I do but trust me; you don't want to anger Faith.” Buffy replied then tried to smack Melinda on the arm, going right through it. “You could’ve been a little more subtle about it." The blonde scolded.
"She's going to get angry anyhow." Melinda replied with a roll of her eyes glaring at Buffy for trying to hit her. "I'm talking to her dead girlfriend."
"I got an idea." Buffy suddenly exclaimed.
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"Hello,” A blonde woman walked up to Melinda and stretched out her hand. "Calleigh Duquesne." She introduced herself with a southern drawl accompanied by a bright smile.
"Uhm, hi.” Melinda replied and shook the Detective’s hand. “My name's Melinda Gordon." She added followed by a smile.
"They told me you needed my help with something." Calleigh said leaning just a little against the reception desk looking at Melinda.
"Yeah someone told me you were good friends with Faith Lehane." Melinda said trying not to look at Buffy who was currently circling the blonde cop, assessing her.
“She’s not that tall, is she?” Buffy asked aloud but couldn’t exactly expect an answer. “Okay, neither am I but I’m taller than her.” She positioned herself next to the detective then tried to make herself taller “Almost.” She muttered coming to the conclusion they were about the same height.
"You're not a reporter, are you?" Calleigh asked with just the slightest hint of suspicion in her voice. She hated it when reporters were asking Faith all these questions about Buffy and Joe Lehane. It almost made Faith a very dangerous woman but she managed to control herself every time.
"What?” Melinda took her gaze away from Buffy “No, I'm not a reporter." She smiled reassuringly. Calleigh eyed her guardedly whilst Buffy was trying to take Calleigh’s badge hanging on her hip. Buffy stomped her feet on the floor hard frustrated that she couldn’t grab it.
"Well, you can't be a friend because then you'd know she hates her last name." The blonde CSI said after a few moments cocking her head slightly to the side.
"I'm not a friend either. It's a bit more complicated than that." Melinda smiled grimly. Calleigh straightened herself thinking whatever it was could be serious if a stranger was there to need help.
"Come with me." She said simply before turning to the receptionist. "When you see Horatio, can you tell him I'm taking the rest of the day off? If he asks anything else, just tell him to call me." The receptionist nodded. Calleigh gave Melinda a minor wave to follow her.
"I told you she seems to like Faith." Buffy spoke up walking next to Melinda "From what I've heard she hardly, if ever, takes the day off willingly."
Melinda followed the blonde Detective wordlessly out of the Police Department to her car. Calleigh didn’t even ask if Melinda had her own car she just motioned for the brunette to get in. Melinda didn’t say a thing, Calleigh was so focused on the road, or so it seemed, that the brunette was afraid she’d surprise the blonde if she said anything and that they would crash into something.
"What is it that you need me with?" Calleigh finally asked when they were seated in a small café away from other customers. Melinda glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw Buffy nodding for her to go on.
"This is going to sound very strange and unbelievable but hear me out first." Melinda said as a fair warning.
"Okay." Calleigh nodded. There was finally going to be some light shed on all the weird things that kept happening to Faith. She didn’t pry after those things nor did Faith explain them, she just gave a weak excuse for them but Calleigh knew there had to something more to it.
"I have this gift; it runs in the family,” Melinda started “People that have died come to me for help." She tried to read of Calleigh’s expression but it remained unbiased "I need your help with Faith to get over Buffy."
"Buffy Summers?" Calleigh asked sitting up a little straighter then continued in a more hushed tone "Are you saying that Buffy Summers talks to you?"
"She's taking this a lot lighter than I thought." Buffy said a little impressed. Melinda nodded her head atoning with the blonde Slayer. Calleigh looked over her shoulder to see what Melinda was nodding at.
"She's here, right now?" Calleigh asked her face not showing belief or disbelief. She wasn’t sure what to make of this. She knew there were some very weird things revolving around Faith, like that school Faith became the head of.
"She says hi." Melinda said somewhat unsure if she should’ve said that. This was a police officer after all and that could end badly for her if she wasn’t careful.
"This is a little too weird." Calleigh chuckled after a few moments of trying to find a joking hint in the brunette’s eyes but found none. "Why do you need my help?" The CSI leaned forward just a little bit.
"Tell her she's closest to Faith." Buffy said waving with her hands to speed it up. Melinda rolled her eyes at Buffy but did as asked.
"She says it's because you're closest to Faith." Melinda replied Calleigh’s question.
"I'm not that close with her." Calleigh said leaning back in her seat. Buffy rolled her eyes at the Detective.
"Buffy says you are, at least closer than most." Melinda countered and looked at Buffy "Buffy's scared for Faith because she's physically harming herself out of guilt." She could see Calleigh was worried from her eyes but other than that the CSI wasn’t giving away anything.
“You can break her; she’s just playing the tough cop.” Buffy urged the brunette on. “If she didn’t believe you she’d be gone already.” Buffy wasn’t sure how long it would take before the blonde Detective did just that but they would just have to take their chances.
"How can I possibly believe you?" Calleigh finally asked Melinda, the tone of her voice clearly stating she was doubtful. "You could be someone from a mental institution trying to Faith submitted for killing her father."
"There's the skeptical Calleigh." Buffy rolled her eyes and took a seat next to Calleigh. “Maybe it’s a cop thing?” She mused aloud staring at the blonde CSI.
"You knew she'd be skeptical?” Melinda hissed quietly trying to ignore the puzzled look Calleigh was giving her. “Why did you even bother with sending me here?" Melinda sighed.
"She likes Faith." Buffy shrugged as she kept snapping her fingers in front of Calleigh. “And right now, there aren’t a lot of people that like Faith. She scares the crap out of her students and she didn’t used to do that.”
"Just because she likes her doesn't mean she's going to help." Melinda replied. Calleigh looked to the seat next to her, seeing no one.
“She will help because she cares about Faith.” Buffy replied waving both hands in front of Calleigh. “Isn’t there like a breeze that she can feel when I’m waving?” Buffy asked curiously.
"Excuse me, what is going on here?" Calleigh had enough of this woman who kept talking to no one. Well, to Buffy if she was to believe her but she wasn’t sure she did. On one hand she did because supernatural happenings seemed so much better in Faith’s case than having Faith being put in a mental institution for inflicting harm that she couldn’t have possibly done to herself. Yet, on the other hand it seemed way too surreal.
"Buffy has the impression that you have feelings for her girlfriend." Melinda replied stopping her discussion with Buffy’s spirit abruptly.
"I'm going back to work if you really expect me to believe that you are talking to Buffy Summers' ghost." Calleigh stood up but Melinda quickly repeated the words Buffy shouted.
"Faith has a tattoo."
"What?" Calleigh questioned feeling suddenly unstable on her legs but managed not to show it. How could this Melinda possibly know about Faith’s tattoo?
"On her shoulder." Melinda continued staring expectantly Buffy to continue what she was saying. Calleigh straightened herself and kept her face neutral.
"I wouldn't know." She replied. A lucky guess, Calleigh thought. She wasn’t giving in that easily. Melinda had probably already seen Faith and saw the tattoo on her shoulder.
"Wait, you should know." Melinda said hastily when Calleigh began to walk away. "You found her a few months ago in her bathroom all beaten up and barely conscious," Calleigh stopped walking and turned around "you wanted to take her to the hospital but she didn't want that."
"How did you know that?" Calleigh asked walking back to the table but didn’t sit down right away. This woman was either telling the truth or had cameras in Faith’s apartment. Calleigh snorted inwardly, that sounded too farfetched.
"You stayed with her all night even though you were paged a few times by," Melinda frowned slightly and turned her eyes on Calleigh "Shades?" She sighed almost inaudibly relieved when the Detective took her seat again. "Buffy was watching you. She knows Faith told you where she kept her spare key and that you check on her regularly.”
"Tell her how thankful I am for staying with her and looking out for my sweetie." Buffy smiled at Calleigh placing a ghostly hand on top of Calleigh’s hand in her lap. The Detective looked down at her hand but couldn’t see anything though she had a weird feeling on her skin.
"She wants you to know how grateful she is for staying with her that night and looking out for her." Melinda couldn’t help but smile as she watched Buffy. "Buffy can't move on because Faith is clinging onto her."
"How am I supposed to help with that?" Calleigh finally asked.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
And it hurts when you're lonely
And I'm standing right beside you there
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"Louisiana," Faith grinned happily seeing the blonde Detective waiting by her car when Faith exited Miami's Slayer central. "I thought you were working today?" She asked. Not that she minded, she liked Calleigh's company. Over the past eighteen months they had become good friends what Faith first thought would be unlikely because of the police-thing.
"I was," Calleigh nodded "but I took the day off." She gestured for driving Faith back to the apartment. Faith usually ran her way to the school, it wasn't that far from where she lived and Calleigh could always drive Faith to working the morning if Faith wasn't up for running. If everything went like Melinda told her then she'd be sure she would be staying the night at Faith's again. For a woman who tries to stay away from personal issues, Calleigh found that Faith was a good listener. Today however was a chance for Calleigh to repay the favor.
"You took the day off?" The brunette furrowed her eyebrows as she got in the blonde's car throwing her bag with her training wear in the backseat. "You never take a day off." Faith grinned but was inwardly worried about Calleigh. If the Detective took the day off it meant that it had to be serious.
"Today I did," Calleigh shot the brunette a smile as she turned on the ignition then shrugged "I was feeling friendshippy." She said and drove away in the direction of Faith's apartment.
"Friendshippy?" Faith asked grinning widely. "You've been emailing with Red again." She laughed and leaned back in the passenger seat. Though Calleigh didn't know anything about their supernatural activities she was getting along with most of Faith's friends, especially Xander. He visited Faith about three times a month, sometimes more when he offered his help with the new Slayers.
"How are things going with the school?" Calleigh questioned. She knew it was a branch of the Rupert Giles Campus for Gifted Girls and Young Women but she was yet to find out what they teach at this school. When Faith told her that the school would be named after Buffy it was the first and only time she mentioned Buffy's name.
"The dormitories are finally done so tomorrow I can give the girls their sleeping arrangements." Faith replied feeling a sense of pride go through her. She was reluctant at first when Giles came with the idea of opening a Slayer school in Miami named after Buffy but who was she kidding anyway, she loved slaying and she loved helping the new Slayers. It made perfect sense that Giles appointed her as the Head of the Buffy Summers Memorial School.
Calleigh had a million questions to ask Faith. About the school, the girls that enrolled in said school, about Faith’s late night strolls and more but she knew that if she asked questions about those things that Faith would just give her an evasive answer turning the table’s to talk about Calleigh. Just like now, Faith was asking her all about John Hagen, a Detective that Calleigh briefly dated.
"Faith, shut up for a minute.” Calleigh said in a joking tone when they reached the brunette’s apartment. They entered the building but instead of going to Faith’s apartment they went to the roof. This worried Faith even more causing her to wonder why exactly Calleigh took the day off and picked her up from work.
“I actually wanted to ask you something." Calleigh said when they almost reached the roof access. She turned to Faith and looked at her with concern. "Can I see your arms?" She needed to know if what Melinda said was true.
"Why do you wanna see my arms?" Faith asked defensively stuffing her hand in the front pockets of her jeans. Calleigh realized it was true otherwise Faith wouldn’t be acting so self-protective.
"Please Faith?" She needed to see it; she had to see it to really believe it. Faith stood perfectly still for a few seconds then held out her arms in front of her. She cursed herself or getting soft, for letting Calleigh see her weakness. "Judging by your quick healing I'd say these are a day maybe two days old." Calleigh mused aloud checking the barely noticeable cuts over the length of the brunette’s arms. She was used to Faith’s quick healing, the brunette refused to explain how come she had such quick healing but Calleigh knew it had something to do with her nightly strolls and the girls in that school.
"Bullshit." Faith pulled her arms back and crossed them angrily. She didn’t need this, not after that woman earlier that said she could talk to Buffy.
“Faith, I’m a CSI and I’ve been taking care of some of your inexplicable injuries over the past year, I know you did this to yourself.” Calleigh sighed when Faith turned away from the blonde. “Look at me, Faith.” She gently took Faith’s chin between her thumb and index finger to make Faith face her.
"I just," Faith’s eyes softened as she looked in Calleigh’s green ones. She wasn’t sure how to explain her urge to inflict pain to her own body. She didn’t even know exactly why herself, she just knew it made it easier.
“You don’t have to justify your actions to me if you don’t want to.” Calleigh said with a small smile. If Faith was ready to tell her, she had no doubt to brunette would tell her. Besides if Melinda could really talk to Buffy she would find some things soon enough.
"I was never gonna kill myself." Faith stated clearly. She couldn’t do that to her friends, her family. Faith didn’t even know how Calleigh figured it out. She always made sure the cuts were practically gone before she met up with the blonde CSI.
"I never said you would." Calleigh replied and opened the door to the roof. "I didn't believe her but now..." She said more to herself but Faith overheard the blonde.
"Believed who?" She asked suspiciously then looked up seeing the brunette from earlier that day standing a few feet further. "What the fuck is she doin' here?" She asked turning to Calleigh.
"Faith, just talk to her." Calleigh took Faith’s hand in hers making Faith look at her instead of glaring at Melinda. "Please?" Faith didn’t say anything; she turned her glare on Calleigh but kept quiet. "Do it for me."
"Fine," Faith snapped after a few moments of silence. She walked up to Melinda with Calleigh still holding her hand. "Okay, fine, what did B have to tell you?" Melinda cautiously took a small step back from the goaded brunette.
"I told you that wouldn't be a problem." Buffy said looking smug. "Now comes the tricky part, that's where Calleigh comes in.” Melinda glanced at Calleigh who gave her a curt nod “She needs to keep her here and let’s hope she can keep the punch throwing Faith in." Buffy muttered the last part but having heard it Melinda to take another step back.
"Buffy can't move on." Melinda said clearly. She expected Faith to be angry, disheartened or even quiet but the curvy brunette just snorted and rolled her eyes.
"She's B, she can do anything." Faith replied with a shrug "There's nothing keepin' her here." Melinda could see Buffy flinch at the harshness in Faith’s voice. "Ya hear that, B? Just go." Faith pulled her hand out of Calleigh’s and ran it through her long brown hair.
"It doesn't work that way, Faith." Melinda replied apprehensive. Buffy was close to tears seeing the hurt in her lover’s eyes. Calleigh saw it too and placed her hand on Faith’s lower back for comfort but Faith didn’t seem to notice.
"Of course it doesn't, 'cause that would be too easy." Faith replied irritated. "So what, you wanna do like a séance now so I can say goodbye?" She asked chuckling bitterly.
"She doesn't want you to hurt yourself anymore." Melinda answered with Buffy standing besides her telling the brunette what to say. Faith laughed humorlessly.
"I don't want this conversation but we’re still havin’ it.” She replied rolling her eyes just a little. Calleigh took a deep breath and turned to Faith. She thought of herself as a good friend to Faith but she had no idea what kept going on, in Faith’s mind.
"Faith, just listen to her.” She said sternly. Faith looked at her taken aback but didn’t say anything; she just frowned at the blonde. “Stop pretending you’re not hurting.”
"Thank you Calleigh." Buffy said smiling. "Better get a whip, you’re gonna need it.” She added getting a mildly surprised look from Melinda. "Okay fine, she can have mine.” Buffy sighed, throwing her hands in the air defeated.
"Buffy." Melinda didn’t exactly know how to respond to something like that. Two women in a relationship, sure why not but she didn’t need to know certain details, like whips. “Too much information.” Melinda turned to Faith “Has she always been this open?” Faith shrugged at the brunette. She knew the odds of Melinda seeing Buffy were very big, she’d seen, lived through, enough supernatural things to think otherwise.
“Her punches are harder though." Faith smiled bleakly. "Were." She corrected getting a solemn expression on her face. "They were harder." Calleigh took Faith’s hand and gave it a comforting squeeze before turning to Melinda.
“Is she talking to you?" She asked.
"She said 'thank you Calleigh'." Melinda answered then added in a softer tone. "And something about a whip." Two women and a ghost looked surprised at Faith when she started laughing.
"She's laughing.” Buffy exclaimed happily “It's been so long since I heard her laughing." She sighed relieved Faith let out a real laugh and not a fake one like she did so many times then moved to stand in front of Faith when her lover had stopped laughing, letting out small snorts of amusement instead.
“B?” Faith whispered when Buffy lifted her hand up, her ghostly fingers stroking Faith’s cheek lovingly. Faith was afraid to move, not wanting the barely detectible touch to end. Unknowingly she squeezed Calleigh’s hand just a little harder.
“Sweetie, I’ll always…”
"She says that she'll always be with you and that she hates to see you hurting." Melinda said compassionate repeating Buffy’s words. "It hurts her to see you do those things to yourself, that she can't be there to make things better." Faith’s eyes began to tear up but she wasn’t letting them go.
"Can you tell her-" She started but Melinda interrupted her before she could finish.
"You can tell her yourself, she's standing right in front of you." She said. Faith’s eyes were going all over the place but she couldn’t make out any form. She wanted to see Buffy just one more time.
“Tell her, Faith, it’s time to let it out.” Calleigh said softly cupping Faith’s hand with both her hands. Calleigh’s hand was getting sore from Faith’s grip but was happy Faith held some control over her strength. She could feel Faith refraining from saying anything but from the force she put in clutching her hand Calleigh knew Faith needed to let it out.
"I'm sorry for not being there, B." Faith couldn’t keep the tears in anymore. "For not telling you about my dad, I should've told you." Melinda had a few tears running down her cheeks as well. Faith held so much guilt inside her, all her previous opinions about the brunette vanished. She hoped her love with Jim was the same kind these two had.
"It wouldn't have changed.” Buffy had tears running down her cheeks as well as Melinda repeated her words.
“Things happen for a reason." Melinda continued saying the exact words Buffy was saying though it became harder to understand. “But she’s sorry for not marrying you when she could.” Faith vaguely felt Calleigh stroking her hand with her thumb but her mind was filled with Buffy.
"She loves you with all her heart but she knows you'll be okay." Melinda carried on trying to keep up with what Buffy was saying. "You've got a loving family and friends." Faith smiled faintly at the last sentence thinking about her Slayers at school and her friends in Cleveland and Miami.
"She's still not letting go." Buffy turned to Melinda with a mixture or worry and impatience. Part of her wanted to stay with Faith forever but another part of her wanted to find her peace again.
"You have to let go, Faith. It's her time to be in heaven." Melinda didn’t want to seem impatience but she knew Buffy needed to move on. "She loves you and she'll love you again in another lifetime." She let out a small chuckle and added out of her own accord “She’s your B.”
"There’s no one like you, baby." Faith spoke softly. Buffy stood just a little on her toes and pressed her ethereal lips against the now oldest Slayer’s lips. Faith closed her eyes, imaging Buffy standing in front of her. When Buffy moved away Faith opened her eyes again letting out another tear when all she saw was air.
"You will love again and she'll keep you safe." Melinda was looking at Buffy who had moved to stand in front of Calleigh with a smile but it seemed like she was looking at Calleigh. Which was probably Buffy’s idea, Melinda thought. “Tell her, she’ll keep your secret.” Faith turned her head to the blonde CSI next to her and smiled grateful that she was here.
"There’s the light." Buffy all but whispered staring behind Melinda. “Thank you, Melinda.”
"She can go now.” Melinda breathed in deeply, steadying her emotions.
“See ya later, B.” Faith said smiling a little wider knowing that she’ll see Buffy again one day. In her type of lifestyle that wasn’t a misleading notion. “I love you, baby.”