Willow laid the stack of books precariously onto the table, watching carefully as they teetered back and forth before settling. She reached for the volume on the top of the stack, flipping open the cover.

“How does ‘Beauty and the Beast’ sound?” she asked aloud. She heard the low growl from the cage behind her. The redhead nodded approvingly. “Beauty and the Beast it is.”

She smiled lightly finding a chair. Since Sunnydale High had met it’s fiery fate, they had to find a new locale for Oz to settle for his lunar cycle. Giles had already secured a position in the college library. And while there wasn’t a place in the library to cage Oz, the boiler room suited their purposes nicely.

Oz paced his cage, watching the girl with yellow eyes. Willow ignored the stares preferring to take interest in the book.

“Okay, what page were we on? Ah, here it is.” Willow scanned the pages, searching for that last word she stopped herself on. Inhaling deeply, she began reading from text. Letting the words rise and fall over her, she lost herself in the words, the romance. If the book were alive, it would have swallowed her whole washing her in letters and illustrations. Willow as Belle and Oz as her Beast.

Suddenly, Oz yelped shaking Willow from the hypnotic hold the book had on her. Actually, it was more than a yelp, more like a shoosh, then a fwomp, then Oz yelped. Willow knew she recognized the sound. It was all too familiar. The sound of the tranquilizer gun firing. Willow jumped up from her chair turning towards the sound.

Faith stood several paces behind her, lowering the rifle.

“You!” Willow stammered.

“Yes, me.” Faith stated casually, leaning the rifle against the wall.

“Bu..but you’re in a..”

“In a what? A coma? You should know better Willow, you should all know better. Us slayers we heal fast.” Faith raised her arms up at the comment, twirling on her heels showing the witch just how fully recovered the slayer was. “No thanks to you.” The slayer spat the last words out, her face contorting into a wicked expression.

Willow slowly backed away from the girl. Not exactly sure where she was heading, there was only one door to the room and a very pissed off slayer stood directly in front of it.

“No, that’s not true. We tried. Really.”

“Did you? DID YOU?” Faith paced herself with each step Willow took, walking deeper into the room, deeper towards her. “I screwed up. Do you remember what happened the last time we talked Willow? DO you remember your last words?”

Willow’s mind reeled at the last comment. The last conversation that she had with Faith. It hadn’t gone well.

“Ya know what your problem is Willow? You wanted it all. You wanted Buffy the friend, Oz the boyfriend, and Xander the boy on the side. And when someone moved in on your territory. Just wanted to share a little..”

“You had no right to sleep with Xander.” Willow spat back.

“Why not?”

“Because..” Willow’s words trailed off. She really had no reason as to why Faith shouldn’t have slept with Xander, nothing reasonable, anyway. “You killed people, Faith.”

“Who? Who did I kill, Willow? The Mayor’s piece of shit, so what? That was an accident. Who else have I killed? A couple demons that I’m supposed to kill in the first place?”

“You tried to kill Angel!” Willow’s hands wrapped around the book in her hands, her knuckles white. Faith began to chuckle. Deep. Throaty.

“Oh yeah, the poison. I poison a demon who at any point in time can turn and go on a killing spree and I’m the bad guy. And what did you all decide to do? You sent Buffy to kill me and feed me to her boyfriend!”

Willow watched as Faith reached into her jacket pulling out a long dagger. Her dagger. She twisted it up to the light, the reflection flickering off her face.

“Look familiar?” Faith’s gaze returned to Willow, she felt her blood run cold. “Where were you?” Willow’s mouth fell slack at the question.

“Where were you?” the slayer repeated. “Where were you when Buffy decided to stick this in my gut and feed me to my boyfriend? Did you try and talk her out of it? Tell her no?” Faith looked back at the knife, her face suddenly turning sad.

“What were we supposed to do Faith?” the redhead answered back. “You chose to work for the Mayor. You chose evil.”

The slayer ignored the comment. “Ya wanna know what it felt like to have the only person you’ve ever loved stick a knife in your gut?” Faith exhaled deeply. Willow thought she could see tears welling up in the girl’s eyes. Faith’s words died down to a whisper. “It hurts Willow. Hurts like Hell. Getting sliced open like a fish. You can feel it ya know, the cold steel in your guts. Your life spilling out of you. And the blood..”

“Faith.”

“It’s all your fucking fault!!” The slayer screamed at her, the dagger tip jabbing at her like an exclamation point. “That night in the Mayor’s office, all I wanted, all I needed was three little words. Three fucking little words and I would have gone back, gone back with you, gone back to her!”

Willow thought back, thought back to that night. The night she tried to escape from the Mayor. The night Willow told Faith that there was no going back. She had found his books and rather than running stayed to read the volumes right then and there. It had seemed rash, impulsive at the time, but the books spoke to her; screamed at her as to how important they were. She’d read a few pages, would have read them all if it weren’t for Faith’s intrusion. And the two became involved in some verbal sparring that rivaled anything compared to slaying.

“I hurt you, you hurt me.” Willow replied, realizing too late that she’d stated the words aloud.

“That’s right.” The smile returned to the slayer’s face. She lunged towards the witch, pinning her against the wall. With one hand, Faith wrapped a hand around Willow’s throat. The other, she brought the dagger up tracing the line of Willow’s jaw.

“Say it. Say it, Willow.”

Willow’s mind reeled. Searched back to everything that she knew, about Buffy, about Faith, slaying. What three words could Faith possibly hear that would make her stop? She felt her pulse quickening, her heart rising to her throat.

“Don’t do this.”

In one quick thrust, Faith jammed the dagger into Willow’s stomach. She gasped hard, inhaling the air out of the room. Faith was right. She could feel the blade in her, cold, hard chilling her guts. And just as quickly as she thrust it into her, Faith pulled out the knife.

“Wrong.”

Willow felt her knees turn to jelly. Faith released the hold she had on the witch. Her legs giving out, Willow slowly sunk to the floor. She looked up at Faith. The girl’s eyes were cold, brimming with hate.

“It’s like you say, Willow, you hurt me, I hurt you.”

She watched as Faith turned and walked away. Her hand went to her stomach. She could feel the blood oozing out of her, warming her hand, running onto the floor. She gripped her stomach, hoping that she could hold her guts in. Maybe someone would be back in time to save her..maybe. Her life was spilling out her, and the only hope of salvation was walking out the door.

“Faith, please.” She called out to the slayer. Her heart skipped a momentary beat (more than she could spare) as she saw Faith pause in the doorway.

“Please, help me.”

Faith turned in the doorway. She stared back at the witch. Willow tried hard to read her expression, but she found she couldn’t. Things were getting blurry. The slayer walked slowly back into the room.

“You’re right Willow.” The redhead slumped down onto the floor. She tried turning her head towards Faith, but found she couldn’t. She heard the slayer’s words. They were kind and compassionate. The words were, but Faith fired them off with a fire and venom that Willow knew had absolutely nothing to do with salvation.

“This is wrong. I shouldn’t do this. Buffy wouldn’t do this, now would she?” Faith spat, chuckling at the irony. Because they both knew, Buffy would. The slayer kneeled down next to Willow. She felt Faith’s hand on her chin, turning her face towards her.

“Just say the words Will, and I’ll end this.” She could see Faith gazing into her, searching her. “You can’t do it can you? Even now, you can’t say the words.” She chuckled. Willow knew that Faith was right. She couldn’t do it. Even now, she couldn’t say the words that Faith most wanted to hear, the words that would bring Faith peace. Willow could see the slayer searching her thoughts.

“Buffy? Ah yes, what would Buffy do?”

Willow watched as the slayer rose up from her kneeling position. Out of her line of vision, Willow heard keys jingling the sound of a lock snicking unlocked. The slayer returned. She could feel Faith’s hands gripping hers, pulling her across the floor. Willow wondered if her blood was making the trip easier, a crimson lubricant to ease the job. Faith kneeled over her once again.

“If I remember correctly, I think this is called poetic justice. Buffy stabs me to feed me to her boyfriend. I stab you and feed you to yours.”

Willow rolled her head to the left. She could see the sleeping Oz in the corner, the tranquilizer dart still in his side. Behind her, Willow could hear the door closing, the lock sliding easily back into place.

“I figure this,” the slayer shot, “you got a 50/50 chance. One, the tranquilizer dart lasts longer than the moon does. Or two, you bleed to death before he wakes up.” The slayer leaned down to floor level, making it easier for Willow to eye the girl. “It’s more than any of you gave me. I tried to warn B. All men are beasts, nothing worth fucking your friends over.”

She rose from her place heading out the door.

“Three little words Will, that’s all it took. I hope it was worth it.”

Willow listened to Faith’s footsteps as the girl exited the room. In the distance, she could hear the slayer massacring a Bob Marley song.

“...Three little words
pitch by my door step
singing sweet songs
of melodies pure and true
saying, this is my message to you:”

She turned her head back towards Oz. Willow could feel her life draining out of her. She thought she felt cold. Those parts of her that could still feel.

“Don't worry about a thing
‘cause every little thing is gonna be alright”

Willow knew Faith was wrong. Everything would be all right. Buffy would come to save her. Giles probably left a book here or something. Xander was always wandering the streets at night.

“Don't worry about a thing
every little thing is gonna be alright”

Everything was all right. She was here with the one she loved. Even now, she could see her Oz stirring. He’d be awake soon. Maybe she could hold on, he’d know what to do. Maybe he’d lay next to her, warm her body with his fur. Maybe. Maybe she could say those three little words.

The End