The look of hatred was something she expected. After all, she was supposed to be long gone and Buffy's life was supposed to be all pastels and glitter again. But here she was, standing in front of her.

Definitely not inciting pastels and glitter.

"Faith," Buffy gritted the name out slowly.

"B," Faith replied calmly, matching her gaze.

"What do you want?" asked Buffy finally, eyeing the dark Slayer with a wary gaze that was filled with very familar hostility to Faith.

"I wanted to say goodbye," said Faith steadily. "I'm cutting out of town, B, and I'm probably not gonna come back. I... met someone like me. Someone who understands. We're gonna try to make things good for once."

"Make things good?" Buffy echoed viciously. "And how do you ever expect to do that, Faith? With all of the damage that you've caused? Do you even know what you did to me? To all of us?! You... you..." Buffy broke off and snarling now she shouted, "You made me a victim!"

"And you made me a bad guy," responded Faith calmly, refusing to allow anger to overtake her. "We both screwed each other over, B. But now it's over. I'm leaving and you can get your life back. Your nice clean life that never had room for a person like me. But it's okay," said Faith softly, her eyes solemn. "'Cause I found someone who does understand. Understands me like you never could and she's not afraid to love me either."

"Don't you dare accuse me of making you turn bad, Faith," hissed Buffy. "It was your choice, not mine. I did everything I could to be here for you and you--"

"And I didn't take your help, yeah," Faith agreed softly. "I didn't know how, B. Not back then. But I do now... and now I'm gonna take Veruca's help and leave town."

There was a slight pause as Buffy considered Faith's words before blinking as she echoed, "Veruca?"

---

Most people would say that he wasn't giving any reaction to the news she'd just given him. Most, but she knew him better than that. She could see the flash of pain then relief in his eyes. He wanted her out of here almost as much as she wanted to be gone.

Lucky for both of them she was leaving, huh?

"Where are you going?" Oz asked finally.

"Don't know," replied Veruca with a shrug. She leaned back against the wall to lobby and met his eyes with an even stare. "Maybe L.A. or someplace that I can hook up with a band more to my liking. Someplace to start over, where I don't have a past like I do here, you know?"

"Yeah," said Oz softly. "I think I do."

"How about you?" Veruca asked, tilting her head to one side, her green eyes burning bright. "Where to?"

"How...?" Oz began, looking surprised.

"We're connected," said Veruca in steady tones, turning her eyes away from his. "Even though we may not want to be, we still are. I know what you're thinking and you're thinking you need to try and control the wolf. That you never want to let it run wild like how you did during the time you were with me." Lifting her gaze to lock with his, she finished coolly, "You're thinking that you don't ever want to be like me."

"No," said Oz in firm tones. "I don't."

"Good," Veruca responded, still meeting his gaze. "Because I feel the same way about you. I'd rather die than repress myself the way that you're about to do."

His eyes darkening, Oz said, "I'm repressing the worst part of me. You don't seem to understand that."

"The wolf is your true self," said Veruca, her eyes glittering. "It's the darkness that lurks inside of you, like it lurks inside of every person. You can push it away, try to act like it's not there, but then its power only grows. The only way to truly control it is to accept it and set it free."

"And hurt innocent people?" Oz growled.

"People die," said Veruca calmly. "We can't help that. But we don't have to be the ones to kill them, not if we work to understand what lives inside of us."

"I don't want to understand it," hissed Oz, his eyes turning dangerous. "I just want for it to be gone!"

Eyeing Oz sadly, Veruca murmured, "I know. And that's exactly why the wolf will never leave you."

"Just go," said Oz rather harshly.

"And now you hate me," Veruca said softly, her eyes turning soft as she regarded him. "That always seems to be the reaction whenever people point out the faults in each other's logic, doesn't it?"

"What are you talking about?" Oz demanded.

"Willow still loves you," said Veruca, turning on her heel and walking away from him. "Why do you want to walk away from that? The reason that I'm leaving town is because I met someone would could love me, all of me, without any reservations and with some understanding. When someone loves you Oz, you shouldn't leave them." Pausing in her walk, she looked back at him with glittering green eyes, fierce in their passion. "Because if you do, you're only being selfish, thinking about just yourself."

Watching Veruca walk away, Oz didn't know why he asked it, or even why he wanted to know, but somehow he found the question leaving his lips as she departed.

"Who are you leaving with?"

In quiet reply, so quiet that only Oz with his enhanced werewolf hearing could pick it up, Veruca replied, "Faith."

The answer left Oz, just like Buffy, shocked at the news. Shocked and wondering just how this had happened.

---

"Where did you get this anyway?"

Her lips quirking up into a slight smile, Faith handed Veruca the spare helmet as she shifted on top of the motorcycle she'd just acquired. "Call it a generous donation from a local biker vamp," Faith said.

"Nice," Veruca drawled, putting on the helmet and taking her seat behind Faith as the Slayer started the bike.

"Yeah, I like her," said Faith with a smile. Strapping her helmet on, she looked back at Veruca then asked, "So where to, sugar? L.A.? Frisco? Vegas?"

"Why don't we drive for awhile and just see where we end up," suggested Veruca, her eyes soft as she rested her cheek against Faith's back. "Leave it all up to destiny, fate, or something mysterious like that. We'll know where we belong when we get there. Don't you think?"

"Yeah," said Faith quietly, her brown eyes warm as they met Veruca's. "I think that we will."

And with a roar of the engine and a cloud of dust, the motorcycle took off, driving them into their future.

One that would hopefully be better than their past.