DISCLAIMER AND AUTHOR'S NOTE: All Buffy The Vampire Slayer stuff belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and Warner Brothers. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fiction. All other characters that appear belong to me. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies may be made for private use only and must include this copyright notice and disclaimer. There is some subtext in this story. If this kind of stuff is not legal where you live, if you're under 18 or if you don't like the notion of two women being in love, then you should find something else to read.

One Plus One Equals One
By Kristjan Brezovnik

Faith was having a bad day. The Mayor was busy with meetings all day and they were going to last long into the night. So she decided to go out and let off some steam. She managed to calm a bit after partying all day, but even partying got boring after several hours, especially since nobody managed to keep up with her. Hell, as far as she knew, only Buffy could keep up with her. Well, maybe not in the drinking department, but definitely in the dancing department.

She sighed and tried to forget about Buffy. She looked around, hoping that vamps and other assorted other demons would come out to play soon as the sun was about to set.

"Slayer."

Faith turned, annoyed that she hadn't felt the demon. In spite of its smell. She glanced at the horizon and saw that the sun hadn't set yet. So, the demon wasn't necessarily nocturnal. Well, it didn't really matter, she had a job to do.

"That's very perceptive of you," she said and attacked.

The demon was surprised at first, but he quickly recovered and fought back. Faith quickly discovered that the staff thingy in his hand wasn't just for clubbing someone unconscious, it could fire as well. She hated it when demons suddenly got smart.

"So when did you grow a brain?" she asked, but the demon was obviously immune to insults.

Faith was annoyed that her hits and kicks didn't seem to have any effect on the demon, whereas the demons' certainly had one on her. She realized she needed to get a weapon of some sort. The demon used her distraction as she glanced around for a weapon and he threw her onto some bush. Faith realized she was in trouble. She was about to get off the bush when the demon fired at her. She tried to avoid the blast, but was hit anyway. The force of impact threw her several meters and also cleared her of the bush. Unfortunately, it also made her dizzy.

The demon slowly approached her, ready for the kill. Faith wanted to get up and fight, but she decided to pretend she was out. So when the demon came closer and bent, she grabbed his staff and embedded it into his belly.

"Looks like your stick doesn't work," Faith said.

The demon seemed surprised, but then life left him and he dropped dead. Faith slowly got up and stretched. She realized she was sore and tired. She decided to get rid of the demon and then go to a bar to rest before continuing her patrol.

When Faith woke up in the morning, her body hurt. She slowly opened her eyes and frowned, confused, when she saw the sun. She looked around and saw that she was outside. She was puzzled for a moment, but then she remembered what had happened the previous night. She looked around again and was relieved that the demon was nowhere in sight. Of course, if the demon had been in sight, she would have been dead. Which brought up the question as to where the demon was. And why didn't he kill her? Not that she was complaining.

She got up and stretched. She felt a bit sore, but otherwise she was okay. She looked around for the third time and saw that no one was paying any attention to her. She sighed and decided to go home.

When she got to the apartment the Mayor had bought her, she undressed. She wanted to throw the clothes to the laundry basket and was surprised when she saw an identical set of clothes there. She shrugged and threw the clothes in.

After the shower, she went to the wardrobe and frowned when she saw that the clothes she wanted to put on were missing. She wondered what the hell was going on. She put on something else and then went out for a breakfast.

"Hey, Boss," Faith said when the came to the Mayor.

"Good morning, Faith." He frowned. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah. I met some demon yesterday and he shot me with something. But I'm okay."

"And the demon?"

"Is not," Faith said with a grin.

The Mayor smiled.

"Good."

After the breakfast, Faith went to the Mayor. She quickly noticed that some people were staring at her, obviously puzzled.

"What?" she finally decided to ask a secretary.

"I, em, I thought I just saw you go to the ladies' room," the woman said.

Faith thought for a moment and then decided to go check out the bathroom. Just in case.

She didn't see anyone, but there was someone in one of the cubicles. She made a pretense of washing her hands and waited for the woman to come out. But when the woman did come out, Faith's eyes went wide when she saw herself. She turned around to make sure she wasn't seeing things and she saw that there was indeed another her staring back, obviously surprised as well. But then the other self seemed to have come to a conclusion and attacked. Faith could barely avoid a hit in the face, but her other self quickly compensated and elbowed her in the face. Faith staggered back and hit the window. Her other self came at her fast and Faith instinctively ducked, having a feeling that her other self would try to kick her. She was surprised when her other self indeed tried to kick her. She closed her eyes to protect them from the broken glass and then quickly grabbed her other self's supporting leg and lifted her. Her other self was apparently surprised, but she still managed to grab on to the shelf.

Faith realized she was scared. Not only did the she have a twin, that twin was far better than she was. Then she remembered the second set of clothes in the laundry basket and the missing clothes. She realized that her other self had been to her apartment and apparently also knew the Mayor. She needed to warn the Mayor.

But then her other self started to climb back in and Faith ran away, scared.

She ran for a while and then finally stopped, breathless. She wondered what was going on. She was a Slayer for crying out loud, why could some lame demon kick her ass? In her own body no less. And why was she scared? She realized she needed help, but she didn't have anyone to turn to. The Mayor was out of reach and she was afraid to go to Buffy. She frowned, puzzled. Since when was she afraid of Buffy? She sighed and decided to give it a try. She decided to wait until Buffy went on patrol and then ask for her help, which meant that she would have to wait until nightfall. And that meant that she had to hide, preferably somewhere where she would usually not go. She frowned at the confusing thought and then shook her head.

Faith returned to the Mayor after a while. The demon had obviously ran away and she had to warn him.

"Where have you been, Faith? I've heard people say that there are two of you."

"There are," Faith said. "That demon from yesterday must have copied my body somehow. I thought he was a bit too easy to kill. And now he came here in my body. He… She threw me out the window, but I managed to hang on. I went after her, but she's gone. I'm going out again, I just thought I'd warn you."

The Mayor nodded, thinking.

"Be careful," he said.

Faith nodded and left.

Faith waited all day, hiding in an abandoned warehouse. She was nervous, scared even. She wasn't quite sure what she was more afraid of, the demon or facing Buffy. That puzzled her. But finally the night fell and Buffy went out with her friends. Faith followed them from afar. They went to the Bronze, just like Faith thought they would. Which meant that she would have to wait outside until Buffy decided to go on patrol. She hoped that Buffy would go alone, she wasn't in the mood to face her friends as well.

Buffy finally decided to go on patrol. And she felt that someone was very lucky that she did when she heard screams. She ran toward the screams and saw that a vamp was obviously beating up someone. Though she had a strange feeling about the vamp.

"Hey!" she called to distract the vamp and save the victim from beating.

The vamp turned and Buffy's eyes went wide. It was no vamp, it was Faith. And she was beating… herself. Buffy frowned, puzzled.

"Buffy, help," the victim pleaded.

"Beat it, B," Strong Faith said. "This is between me and this demon."

"Demon?" Buffy asked, puzzled, as she approached. "She doesn't look like a demon to me."

"She stole my body."

Weak Faith shook her head as she tried to free herself from Strong Faith's grip.

"No, she stole mine. And she stole my powers."

Strong Faith looked at Weak Faith.

"I'm a Slayer, I'm supposed to be strong."

Weak Faith shook her head.

"I'm a Slayer."

Buffy looked from one Faith to the other, puzzled.

"Why don't we go to Giles, maybe he can help us figure out what happened," she suggested.

Strong Faith snorted.

"I think I'm gonna take her to the Mayor."

"No!" Weak Faith said. "She'll kill me."

Buffy stared at Weak Faith for a few moments, noticing her condition.

"Look, Faith… I mean…" She sighed. "You, the strong Faith, why don't you let her go? She's obviously no threat."

Strong Faith glanced Weak Faith.

"Maybe she's just pretending."

"You are about to kill her and she can't do anything about it," Buffy pointed out. "I don't think she's trying to trick you."

Strong Faith thought for a moment and then looked at Weak Faith.

"Why don't we find out?"

"No!" Weak Faith screamed as Strong Faith tightened the grip.

Buffy saw that Strong Faith was about to break Weak Faith's neck. She wasn't sure what, but something about the whole situation bothered her.

"Let her go!" she told Strong Faith, but Strong Faith ignored her.

Buffy hesitated for a moment, but when she saw that Weak Faith was dying, she decided to act. She swept Strong Faith off her feet and Strong Faith was forced to release the grip on Weak Faith. Strong Faith glared at Buffy as she got up.

"You're supposed to kill demons," she said.

"But I don't know that she is a demon."

"Of course she's a demon."

"Then why is she so weak? For all I know you could be a demon."

"Me? She's the one who stole my body," Strong Faith said and pointed at Weak Faith, who was slowly recovering. "And she's gonna pay for it."

Strong Faith started toward Weak Faith, who started to back off. Weak Faith was scared, and that surprised Buffy and also confused her. Which of the two was the real Faith? Unfortunately, Strong Faith didn't give her a chance to think about it as she attacked Weak Faith. Buffy immediately acted and pushed Strong Faith away. Strong Faith glared at her, furious.

"So now you're on her side?" she asked, and Buffy knew that Strong Faith felt betrayed again.

"Faith…"

"Shut up, B, I don't wanna hear it. You made your choice. If you're not on my side, you're against me. And if I have to go through you to get to her, then so be it."

Strong Faith immediately attacked and Buffy was surprised by her strength and ferociousness. And speed. Strong Faith was fast and Buffy barely managed to avoid most of the blows. But a few did get through and they hurt, a lot. She was relieved that Weak Faith used the opportunity to crawl away.

After five minutes of fighting, Buffy was exhausted and her body hurt like hell. She realized that somehow Faith was stronger and faster, not to mention that she didn't seem tired at all. She was just wondering how long she could keep up when Strong Faith suddenly stopped, glaring at her.

"This ain't over, B," she said and left.

Buffy stared after her until she was gone. Then she relaxed and realized just how hurt she was. Her whole body hurt and she fell to her knees.

"Buffy!"

Buffy turned her head and saw Weak Faith limp toward her. She wondered if Strong Faith was right about Weak Faith being a demon.

"Are you okay?" Weak Faith asked when she got to Buffy.

Buffy looked at her and she saw concern in Weak Faith's eyes.

"No, not really."

"Do, em, do you need help?"

Buffy stared at her, surprised. Whoever she was, she sure didn't act like Faith. But then Strong Faith was way too good to be Faith. It was confusing.

"Yeah," she said.

Faith leaned forward and helped her up. Buffy staggered and Faith quickly caught her. Then they started walking toward Buffy's house.

"Buffy?" Faith spoke.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for helping me."

Buffy glanced at her, surprised.

"You're welcome."

"Buffy!" Joyce said, worried, when she saw the state her daughter was in.

She glanced at Faith and saw that Faith was in even worse state.

"I'm okay," Buffy said as Faith helped her to the sofa.

"What happened?" Joyce asked.

Buffy thought for a moment.

"I'm not quite sure about it." She looked at Faith. "What happened? How come there are two of you?"

"I… I went on patrol early yesterday and I got attacked by… by a demon just before the sunset. He knew I was a… a Slayer. I attacked him and we fought. Then he threw me on some bush and shot me with his… stick. I woke up in the park today. I went home and I saw an identical set of clothes in the laundry basket and I also noticed that some clothes were missing. I didn't think much of it, but when I went to see the Boss, I noticed some people were looking at me, puzzled. I asked a secretary what was wrong and she said she thought I had gone to the ladies' room. I went there and I met… her there. She attacked me and I managed to throw her through the window, but she caught herself. Then I ran. I couldn't go to the Mayor, so I… I decided to go to you, but she found me."

Buffy observed Faith, confused.

"That still doesn't explain how there are two of you," she said.

"I… I think it has to do with his stick. I think he somehow cloned me and I think he stole my powers."

Buffy thought for a moment.

"Mom, call Giles."

Joyce nodded and went to the phone. Buffy looked at Faith.

"Describe the demon to him on the phone. We'll go to him tomorrow."

Faith nodded and went to Joyce.

When Giles picked up, Joyce briefly outlined the situation and then let Faith repeat her story and describe the demon while she took care of Buffy's cuts and bruises.

"He said he'll see what he can find," Faith said when she was done.

"Okay," Buffy said. "I'll have to call the guys and tell them to be careful."

Faith nodded.

"Em, I… I should… go now," she said quietly.

"What?" Joyce said and looked at her. "No, no, you're hurt. Let me see about the wounds first."

"It's nothing, really," Faith said.

"Faith, if she stole your powers then this won't heal anytime soon," Buffy said.

"I don't wanna put you in danger."

"There is no danger. The demon thinks you ran away, she doesn't know you're here."

"I…"

"Buffy's right," Joyce agreed. "We have a spare room, you can sleep there."

Faith looked from Buffy to Joyce and back. She wondered why they were helping her, why Buffy was helping her after she had betrayed her. Then again, she knew that Buffy was right and that she would be safe here. She sighed and nodded.

"Okay," she said. She hesitated for a moment. "Thank you."

Buffy looked at her, surprised, and Faith looked away, nervous.

Buffy was sleeping lightly because Faith was in the house. A part of her wanted to help Faith, but a part of her was weary, suspicious. So when she heard suspicious sounds, she immediately thought the worst. She got up and ran to her mother's bedroom, but then she realized that the noises were coming from Faith's room. She stopped and went to Faith's door. She listened for a moment and then quicky opened the door. She was relieved when she didn't see the demon. Then she noticed Faith tossing and turning in her bed, obviously having a nightmare. She stood still for a few moments, listening, and she quickly realized that Faith was dreaming about Finch. She wondered if that meant that Faith was sorry and that she could help her after all.

She stepped in and closed the door. The she went Faith's bed and gently shook Faith.

"Faith," she said.

Faith woke up with a gasp.

"No, it was an accident," she said before she realized that it was just a dream. "Buffy?" she said, surprised, when she saw her.

Buffy nodded.

"I heard noises and I thought something was wrong. You were having a nightmare," Buffy explained and Faith nodded. "Wanna talk about it?"

Faith sighed and wiped her tears.

"I… I dreamed about… Finch," she said as she lay back.

"Yeah, I heard."

Faith bit her teeth and tried not to sob.

"I'm scared," she admitted.

"So am I, Faith. I'd like to help you, be there for you, but I can't, unless you let me."

"I… I…" Faith stopped and took a deep breath. "I want to, but I'm… ashamed."

"It was an accident, Faith. And shame is good, it means you're starting to deal. And when you deal with it, you can move on and try to make up for it somehow."

Faith thought about it.

"I don't know if I'll have the strength."

"That's why I want to help you, Faith, so I can give you strength when you need it."

Faith thought for a few moments.

"Will… Will you help me?" she finally asked.

Buffy smiled and caressed her.

"Yes," she said and hugged her.

Faith instinctively hugged her back and sobbed for a while.

When the sobbing stopped, Buffy let go of Faith and took her hand instead. She held it until Faith fell asleep. Then she went to her room, took the blanket and the pillow and returned to Faith's room. She lay on the floor, in case Faith woke up again.

"Hey, guys," Buffy said when she and Faith came to the library in the morning.

"Hey, Buffy," Willow said. "Everything okay?" she asked, eyeing Faith angrily.

"Yes."

"Then why is she here?" Willow asked, staring at Faith.

"She…" Buffy trailed off and looked at Faith, who was nervous, if not scared. She sighed. "She needs our help."

"Oh really?" Cordelia said. "And what happened to Big Daddy?"

Faith looked down.

"Look, first we have to get rid of that demon that looks like Faith and then we'll talk about her," Buffy said. Then she looked at Giles. "Giles, did you find the demon?"

Giles fixed his glasses.

"I have isolated several possible species. Faith."

Faith went to him.

"No," she said when he showed her the first one. "That's him," she said when he showed her the second one.

"A Toth demon," Giles said.

"Does it say what he wants?" Buffy asked.

"No."

"What about that stick?"

"No. I will have to consult some more books."

"Well, do it quickly. I fought her yesterday and she was this close to wiping the floor with me. If she had fought for just a minute longer, she would've wiped the floor with me. And she wasn't even tired when she left."

"I see," Giles said.

Buffy thought for a moment.

"Can Faith stay here while I'm in class?"

Giles looked at Faith.

"I can't see why not."

"But what if the demon comes?" Faith asked, worried.

"Here?" Buffy asked.

"You helped me. She might think I would come back to you."

Buffy thought for a moment.

"Damn."

"The cage," Oz said and everyone looked at him.

"What?"

"The cage. She can stay in there until Buffy comes back."

Everyone looked at the cage and then at Faith, who flinched.

"What… What if she saw me come here? Then she already knows I'm here," Faith said.

"But she doesn't know exactly where you are," Willow said. "Giles can say that Buffy took you out the back door."

"Perhaps she should," Faith said.

"Then she will track you down," Buffy said. "You're safer here. She won't look into a locked cage."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Okay," she then said and went to the cage.

Giles followed her, opened the cage and locked it again when she was inside.

"Is it just me or does she seem… different?" Xander then asked.

"She is different," Oz said.

"How?" Willow asked.

Oz shrugged.

"I don't know. She's scared."

"You're right," Buffy said. "I've felt it before, but…"

"What?" Giles asked.

"I don't know," Buffy said, frowning. "She doesn't… feel the same. But she's not evil, I'm sure of that." Then her eyes went wide. "Please tell me we don't have Math test today."

"No, next week," Willow said and Buffy relaxed.

"Thank God." She looked at Giles. "Giles, you keep on looking. We'll help you during the break."

Giles nodded.

"Time to go," Xander said when the bell rang.

Buffy looked at Faith, who was staring at her, wide-eyed.

"I'll see you later," she said and Faith nodded. Buffy looked at Giles. "If that demon does find her, come get me."

"I will," Giles said with a nod.

"Good. Let's go."

Giles was in the middle of reading when Strong Faith came in.

"Where is she?" Strong Faith asked.

"Who?" Giles asked.

"Don't play with me," Strong Faith said. "I saw her come in with Buffy."

"Well, she's not here," Giles said.

Faith grabbed him by the neck.

"Don't play with me, Giles. Where is that demon?"

"Demon?" Giles said, puzzled.

"Yeah, demon. The one that stole my face."

"She stole your face?" Giles asked, puzzled.

"Yes. Now, where is she?"

"B… Buffy took her out the back door."

Faith stared at him for a few moments and then released him.

"Tell B that I won't be so merciful next time," she said and left.

Giles stared after her, wondering why she thought Faith was a demon. He frowned. Well, the Faith in the cage. He shook his head, deciding it didn't really matter. He waited for a while and then went to the cage. He was surprised to see Faith sitting in the corner, covering her head. Not to mention that she looked scared.

"Faith," he said, but Faith obviously didn't hear him. He stepped closer and touched her hand.

"No! Please, no!" Faith screamed and Giles stepped back, surprised. He stared at Faith for a few moments, waiting for her to calm down a bit, and then made her look at him. "Faith, it's okay," he said when Faith looked at him with fear in her eyes.

Faith looked behind him.

"Is… Is she… gone?"

Giles nodded.

"Yes."

Faith took a deep breath to calm down.

"Can… Can I get out now?" she then asked.

"I don't see why not," Giles said. "I doubt she will be back."

Faith nodded. She got up and followed Giles out of the cage. Giles then returned to his books and Faith was a bit lost as to what to do.

"Em, do you need any help?" she then asked.

Giles looked at her, surprised.

"Yes, I could use some help," he said and she came closer.

When the first period was over, the gang reconvened in the library.

"Any luck, Giles?" Buffy asked.

She was glad that Faith was still there and also surprised that she was helping Giles. Though she quickly realized that she really shouldn't be surprised. Whatever the demon had done to Faith, it certainly seemed to have a positive effect on her.

"No, not yet."

"Was the demon here?"

"Yes." Giles frowned. "Though she seemed to believe that Faith is a demon."

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that."

"Em, Giles," Faith said and everyone looked at her.

"Yes?"

"I think I found it."

"Really?" Giles came closer and took the book. "Mmm, yes." He frowned. "Oh dear."

"What is it?" Willow asked.

"The, um, stick, it's called ferula-gemina. It splits one person in half, distilling personality traits into two separate bodies. I believe Toth was trying to split Faith in two."

"Two Faiths?" Cordelia asked, not very happy about the prospect.

"Yes. One with all the qualities inherent in Faith and the other with everything that belongs to a Slayer alone."

"And which is the real Faith?" Buffy asked.

"They're both real," Giles explained. "Neither of them is evil. Well…" he trailed off. "Em, anyway, they're two halves of the same person."

"Okay, timeout," Xander said. "Wouldn't the Slayer half be, like, a Super Slayer? I mean, if he couldn't kill her while she was one person, how can he do it when she's two?"

"He doesn't have to kill the Slayer half," Giles said. "All he has to do is kill the weak, normal half and they would both die, because they can't exist without one another."

"Oh."

"So the other Faith is the Slayer half. No wonder she could kick my ass," Buffy said.

"What do we do now?"

"Faith and I go find her other half. After school."

"And then?"

Buffy frowned and then looked at Giles.

"How do we get them back together?"

Giles thought.

"I don't know yet." He looked at Willow. "Willow, I will need your help."

Willow looked at Faith, not very happy about helping her.

"Okay," she finally said.

After school, Faith and Buffy went looking for Faith's Slayer half. It was late afternoon by the time they found her. Or rather, she found them.

"What is it with you and demons, B?" Slayer Faith asked as she approached them.

Weak Faith hid behind Buffy, afraid of her stronger half.

"I usually kill them," Buffy said.

"Then why are you protecting her?"

"Because she's you."

Faith frowned.

"What are you talking about? She's a demon."

"No, she's you, your other half. You kill her, you die."

"Bullshit."

"No, it's true. Tell me, what happened two days ago on patrol?"

Slayer Faith stared at Buffy and Weak Faith for a few moments.

"Some ugly, smelly demon attacked me. He managed to throw me on some bushes and then he shot me with his stick. When he came closer, I stabbed him with it. Then I left."

"That's about the same way she remembers it, only she didn't walk away, she woke up in the morning. He wanted to split you up so he could kill you by killing your weaker half, her," Buffy said and pointed at Weak Faith. "She's the normal, girl half of you and you're the Slayer half. She needs you as much as you need her."

"I don't need her."

"You do," Buffy said. "She's reminds you of what you are, she's your… conscience. And you, you give her strength to survive and to move on. Unfortunately, you don't help her deal."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Remember Finch?"

"Yeah."

"How do you feel about him?"

Slayer Faith shrugged.

"He was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"You don't feel guilty?"

Slayer Faith shrugged.

"It was an accident."

"True," Buffy agreed. "But she was hurt," she said and pointed at Weak Faith. "You tried to help her move on, but you didn't help her deal with it. She knows it was an accident, but she feels responsible, you don't. And you're too proud to admit that sometimes you do need help. You know she's afraid to trust people and you protect her by pushing people away from her. You only let her lead when she's having fun, but when she's hurt, you hide her again. She can't help being physically weaker than you, but you could help her become emotionally stronger if you let her deal."

Slayer Faith stared at Buffy and Weak Faith for a few moments, thinking.

"So what do you expect me to do? Let her trust the people who hurt her?"

Buffy frowned, puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh come on, B? Didn't you ever notice?"

Buffy glanced at Weak Faith for explanation and noticed that she was afraid.

"Notice what?"

"How much you meant to her. You were the reason she stayed in this forsaken town and you only acknowledged her when you were slaying or training. She was your… partner, but she wasn't your friend."

"That's not true!" Buffy objected. "She was… is my friend. Yes, I know I should have made her feel more welcome, but I've had my own problems. I tried to help her, but you always pushed me away. If you want to help her, be there for her, give her strength, but let her make her own choices, her own mistakes. You said she stayed here because of me and yet you went to the Mayor when things went wrong. Didn't you think that I wanted to be there for you? For her? I can't help her if you don't let me. Last night, she finally reached out and let me be there for her. And I was."

"She's right," Weak Faith spoke for the first time. "You never let me cry."

Slayer Faith snorted.

"Crying is for the weak. And then you only get beaten again. You know that."

"But I felt better after it." She stepped closer. "I don't want to run away from problems again, I want to face them. I want to deal with what I've done and what was done to me, but I need your help and your strength. And I need Buffy's help. You helped me when I was alone, but I'm not alone anymore, I have Buffy."

Slayer Faith stared at her for a few moments.

"It was your choice to go to the Mayor."

Weak Faith nodded.

"I know. And it was the wrong choice."

Slayer Faith stared at her for a few moments and then looked at Buffy.

"I need to think about it."

Buffy nodded.

"Giles already found a spell to get you two together. He said you should wear the same clothes you wore when you fought the demon."

"They're in the apartment."

"Then let's go there. You can think on the way."

Slayer Faith thought about it for a moment and then nodded.

"Okay." She frowned. "And when we're one?"

"That's up to you. Both of you. But I want to be there for you."

Slayer Faith stared at her for a few moments and then sighed.

"Let's go," she said and led the way.

When they got to the library, the gang stared at the two Faiths.

"Scary," Xander said.

Slayer Faith glared at him and Weak Faith looked away.

"Giles?" Buffy said.

"Just let me draw the appropriate markings on the floor," he said and started drawing with a chalk. He glanced at Slayer Faith. "So, em, Faith… I mean, the other Faith." He sighed. "You know which one. What happened when you fought Toth?"

"Who?" Slayer Faith asked.

"Toth. The demon."

"Oh. I fought him, he threw me on the bushes and shot me. He came closer and I used his stick to stab him. Then I got rid of the body."

"Interesting," Giles said.

"Whatever."

Silence followed since nobody really wanted to talk to either of Faiths, and Buffy didn't want to pressure them.

"Okay," Giles said when he was done. "Faith, come here. Both of you."

Both Faiths came closer, and Giles positioned them inside the markings.

"Ready?" Buffy asked.

The two Faiths looked at her.

"Yes," Slayer Faith said, and Weak Faith nodded.

"Will?"

Willow took a deep breath.

"Okay, here goes nothing." She paused for a moment. "Let the spell be ended."

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"That's it?" she asked and looked around. "Oh," she said when she noticed that there was only one of her. She looked around and saw that everyone was staring at her. "What? You look like you've never seen me before."

"Yes, she's back," Xander said.

"You have a problem with that?"

"Well, when you were split, at least one half of you was… nice."

"Now you're gonna have to get used to the new me."

"New you?" Xander asked, puzzled.

Faith took a deep breath, nervous, and she looked at Buffy for support. Buffy smiled.

"I've… I've done some… thinking," she said nervously. She hesitated for a moment. "I'm… sorry," she then said quietly.

Everyone was quiet.

"Did she just say she was sorry?" Xander asked.

"Sounded like it to me," Oz said.

"So what? Now you're on our side?" Cordelia said.

Faith sighed.

"Yeah."

"For how long?"

"Cordelia!" Buffy said, glaring at her, as Faith looked down, ashamed. "Look, she's finally ready to deal with what happened and I want to help her. I'm not saying you must help her, but I don't want you to make it any harder for her than it already is."

"Well, excuse me," Cordelia said, "but criminals are supposed to have it hard."

"She's not a criminal. It was an accident, okay?"

"And her trying to kill me was an accident too?" Xander asked.

"She was just scared. And let's not forget that we didn't exactly make her feel welcome in the first place." She glared at Xander, who was about to say something. "Xander, unless you have something positive to say, don't say anything," she said and Xander closed his mouth. "Now, if you'll excuse us, Faith and I need to talk."

She took Faith's hand and led her out of the library.

"Thanks," Faith said when they were out.

Buffy looked at her and smiled.

"I said I'll be there for you."

"What about them?"

"Don't worry about them, they'll come around. And when they see that you're one of us again, they'll forgive you."

Faith sighed, thinking.

"If you hadn't been there, I would have beat Xander."

Buffy smiled.

"I felt like beating him myself. But he was just upset."

Faith nodded.

"I know."

"So, you want my help."

Faith nodded.

"Yes."

"Okay." Buffy thought for a moment. "How do you feel about the Mayor?"

Faith sighed.

"He… He made me feel like I was important, you know? Like I was his daughter. But he's evil."

"What are you gonna do?"

Faith thought for a moment.

"What I did so far. Only I'm gonna tell you about it. And I'm gonna try to find a way to kill him."

"Are you sure? I mean, if he finds out you're on our side, he's gonna kill you."

"I know. But I have to do it. For myself."

Buffy nodded.

"Okay. And if you want to talk, feel free to call me. Anytime."

Faith nodded.

"I will."

"Okay. And we can meet during patrols. You do go on patrols, don't you?"

"Yeah. The Boss wants to get rid of the 'unsavory elements'," she said, using air quotes.

"Oh." Then she remembered something. "Does the Mayor know?"

Faith frowned.

"About what?"

"There being two of you?"

"Oh. Yes, I told him. But he doesn't know that they were both me. I told him the demon copied me." She thought for a moment. "I'm gonna go to him and tell him I killed the demon."

"Okay. Be careful, Faith."

Faith nodded.

"I will."

She hesitated for a moment and then hugged Buffy. Buffy was surprised for a moment, but then she hugged her back.

"I'll see you later then," Faith said when they stopped hugging.

Buffy smiled.

"Okay."

Faith hesitated for a moment and then left. Buffy stared after her until she was gone, feeling strangely happy. She smiled and returned to the library.

The End