"I wasn't really that mad at you," said Buffy.
"Sure seemed like it at the time," said Faith. "Can't blame you much - I did try to steal your life. I wonder now what the hell I was thinking..."
"Well, yeah, I was mad at you," said Buffy, "but I realized something recently. What bugged me most is that you wandered around with my face for what, a weekend?, and no one knew. Not my friends, not my boyfriend, not my best enemy. That's what I was really mad about, and I took it out on you, and I'm sorry."
"You don't have to tell me about the power of Slayer denial," Faith said. Buffy smiled, and Faith smiled back. It felt good.
"But when you think about it," Buffy said, "I was making just the same mistake with you that Wesley did back at the beginning of it all. It says a lot about you that you bounced back the second time. Actually you were already bouncing when I got to L.A."
"Wasn't just the same. After the deputy mayor, Wes was all starched-collar by-the-book junior executive stool pidgeon. You knew he's in L.A., right? He's got some real milage on him now, you wouldn't recognize him."
"I knew."
"Yeah. Anyway, that's not what you did. Hell, pissed as you were at me - or thought you were - you went up against those goons for me instead of turning me over."
"I'd just been in their clutches, when they thought I was you. No one deserves that."
"This is what I'm talking about, Buffy," said Faith. "I've got all the same extras you do, but I had to see the other side before I could choose the right one. You choose it instinctively. You make me believe in heroes, B., and I'm glad there's nothing uncool left between us."
Buffy nodded, but it balked.
"What? Is there something?"
"Um ... You said you'd taken a walk in Angel's mind ...?"
FIN