Mom and I sat in the living room, laughing quietly.

I slowly let the laughing mood fade, returning serious, looking around. "I wonder where she is."

"Who?" Mom asked. "Faith?"

"Yeah," I answered. "I wish she would make a move."

"But you think you and Buffy can handle her?" Mom asked.

I nodded. "I think so. I mean, we've handled her before. But that doesn't mean Faith won't hurt someone else. I just... I don't wanna leave, but Faith likes to go after people that you care about, and right now, the others are all grouped up, and you were gonna be here, all alone. Couldn't forget about you."

"Of course not," Mom told me. I smiled a small smile. The phone rang. Mom stood, walking toward the phone, answering. "Hello? Hi, Mr. Giles." I stood in confusion, walking closer. "Yes, she's here." Mom held the phone toward me. "It's for you."

I took the phone.

        ••••    

Willow, Xander, Giles, Anya and I were waiting in Giles' apartment.

Buffy walked in, wearing all black, her hair crimped.

"Buffy," Giles told her. "Good."

"The Scooby gang's all here," Buffy told us. "Willow, Xander, Zoey, and..." She looked at Anya. "Everybody." She sat on Giles' desk. "What's up?"

"It's about Faith, not surprisingly," Giles told us.

"Didn't Joyce tell you?" Buffy asked. "I already kicked that ass."

"I feel a high-5 coming on," Xander told her.

"Where is she?" Willow asked.

"On her way to the big house," Buffy answered. "Cops took her off my hands about an hour ago. Poetic justice."

"How's that?" Anya asked.

"Well, she did all those crimes, and now she's being arrested," Buffy told us. "I guess that's just regular justice." Willow smiled. "It's cool, anyway."

Giles walked closer. "Unless I'm mistaken, Faith is no longer in police custody."

Buffy stood. "What are you talking about?"

"The Watcher's Council," Giles answered. "They, uh, sent a retrieval team to capture Faith."

"Well, yeah, I mean, 'cause it worked so well when Wesley tried it," Buffy told us sarcastically.

"This is a special operations unit," Giles told us, sitting down. "They, uh, handle the Council's trickier jobs. Smuggling, interrogation, uh, wet works."

"What's wet works?" Willow asked.

Xander shrugged. "Scuba-type stuff."

"I thought it was murder," Anya told us.

"Well, yeah, but there could be underwater murder, with snorkels," Xander told us.

"So, they're taking her to England?" I asked.

"It'll be a long, long time before she returns," Giles told us. 

Buffy started to laugh.

Giles gave her a look.

"I'm sorry," Buffy told us. "It's just... I'm happy. Faith is evil."

"Yeah, I hope they throw a book at her," Willow told us.

"I'm not sure there is a book for this," Giles told us.

"They could throw other things," Willow told us.

"I forgot how much you don't like Faith," Buffy told her.

"After what she's done to you?" I asked. "To all of us? None of us like her. But, uh..." I looked down guiltily. "But after what we did to her, she doesn't like us all that much, either."

"Zoey, you gotta stop beating yourself up over what happened," Willow told me. "You two didn't have a choice."

"And, and while she may have had some justice coming, even I gotta admit that she didn't deserve everything that we did to her," I told them. 

Buffy looked at me in confusion.

Anya looked at Giles. "So, what you're saying is that everything's fine?"

Giles nodded. "Um, yes."

I looked at Buffy in confusion, noticing something off about her.

Anya looked at Giles sarcastically. "Well, I'm glad you called us all here because that information could never be conveyed by telephone."

I looked at Buffy. "What's up?"

Giles looked over us. "Well, I just thought it was, uh, best to convene, in case there were any loose ends..."

"I never knew how much you felt guilty about what you... what we did to her," Buffy told me.

Giles continued. "Or things that we might have forgotten."

"Yeah, well, I tend to keep things to myself," I told her.

Buffy nodded barely.

"But if you're, uh, keen to go, then please, by all means, go," Giles told us.

Xander looked at Anya, smiling. "We kind of have a romantic evening planned."

"We were gonna light a bunch of candles and have sex near them," Anya told us.

"Well, we certainly don't want to cut into that seven minutes," Buffy told them.

"Hey," Anya told her in complaint.

"I believe that's my 'hey'," Xander told her. He looked at Buffy. "Hey."

Buffy smiled. "Lighten up. We're out of danger." She turned away. "Everything's good."

"We still have Adam to take care of," Giles told us.

"Yeah," Buffy agreed, turning to face us. "Adam. What's up with him?"

"I wish we knew," Giles told us.

"Well, don't worry about it," Buffy told us. "Zo and I will patrol tonight, as long as it takes."

"Then can we have some fun?" I asked. "There's been a lot of danger and heartbreak around here, but not a lot of fun."

Buffy smiled. "I'm happy to oblige."

        ••••    

Buffy and I had patrolled for a while, then went to the Bronze, dancing lively.

"This is something I can get used to," Buffy told me.

I still noticed something off, nodding. "I need a drink."

"I support that," Buffy told me.

I walked off the dance floor, grabbing a drink from our table, turning back to the dance floor, bumping into Spike. "Whoop."

Spike looked at me in annoyance. "Oh, you."

I rolled my eyes. "And you. Stalking pretty Slayers again, big bad vampire?"

"Hardly," Spike answered. "I was a vampire. And as soon as I get this chip out of my head, I'll be a vampire again."

"Yeah, okay," I told him. "But until then, you're just as helpless as a kitten up a tree."

I smirked, turning back to the dance floor, taking a drink.

"Oh, fine," Spike told me. "Throw it in my face." I slowly turned back to him. "'Spike's not a threat anymore. I'll turn my back. He can't hurt me'."

"Pretty much sums it up," I told him, stepping closer. "And if--not when, if--you can somehow cure yourself, William the bloody is stuck with a chip in his head. Which is why I kind of love this town, and one of the only reasons I like the Initiative."

Spike scoffed. "You know I really hate you, Francis?"

I nodded, putting my drink in his hand, pushing him out of my way. "Mm-hmm. And I love that you hate me."

I smiled, backing away.

"I get this chip out, you and me are gonna have a confrontation," Spike told me.

"Count on it," I told him, walking away.

Spike angrily threw my drink against the wall, making it shatter. He turned to leave, pushing a man out of the way, groaning in pain, holding his head, walking out, leaving.

        ••••    

I walked toward Buffy at a booth in the back, falling down in the seat across from her.

"So, do you always have to give that guy a hard time?" Buffy asked. 

"Spike?" I asked. "It's too fun not to. And that will change if and only when he stops being an undead antagonist."

"So, he's usually the one starting the fire?" Buffy asked.

"Oh, yeah," I answered. "Oz taunt, chip talk, death threats... you name it."

"Why would he be taunting you about Oz?" Buffy asked. I looked at her, raising my eyebrows slightly. Buffy looked away. "I mean, it's just wrong."

"Yeah, well, Spike's desperate to find anything to use against us, boyfriend or ex-boyfriend taunting included," I told her.

Buffy nodded cautiously. "Right."

Willow and another girl walked closer.

"Hey, guys," Willow told us.

"Willow," I told her. I looked at the girl in confusion. "And, uh..."

"Buffy, Zoey, this is Tara," Willow told us. 

"Hi," Tara told us.

"So, we've never met," Buffy told her. Tara smiled sheepishly, shaking her head. Buffy nodded. "Cool. Just having a thing with names."

"Tara was in my wicca group," Willow told us.

"Uh-huh," Buffy told them.

"So, what's up?" Willow asked.

Buffy propped her feet up on the table.

"Patrol a no go," I told them.

"You know the whole Faith thing?" Buffy asked. "I let off some steam."

"Good for you," Willow told us. "You shouldn't work yourselves too hard."

Buffy put her hands behind her head. "That's my philosophy."

"Anyone want a soda?" Willow asked.

"Water," Tara answered.

"Pepsi," I answered.

Buffy shook her head, smiling.

Willow stood, walking away.

Tara watched her go, looking down timidly.

I leaned forward. "So you guys been hanging out a lot lately, huh? I mean, that's where Will keeps disappearing off to?"

"Yeah," Tara answered. "She's, um, she's really cool."

Buffy nodded, shaking her head. "So Willow's not driving stick. Who would've thought? I guess you never really know someone until you've been inside their skin."

I gave Buffy a weird look. "Yeah, guess not."

Buffy shrugged slightly.

I looked at Tara.

Tara seemed uncomfortable.

Willow walked closer. "Guys, boy in the corner."

I followed Willow's gaze to a guy leading a girl out of the place. "Yeah. Good call."

"What?" Tara asked.

"Vampire," Willow answered.

Buffy sat back. "He's wicked obvious."

I nodded sarcastically. "Yeah, no, it's okay. I got it."

I stood, walking away, walking by the pool table, grabbing a pool cue on the way, walking outside.

The vampire was about to bite the girl from behind.

I broke the pool cue in half, using it to hit the vampire in the head. The vampire turned to face me, trying to punch me. I raised an arm to block the move. He tried to punch me with the other arm. I raised my other arm to block the move, using the broken pool stick to ram into his stomach, making him double over in pain, grabbing him by the back of the neck, turning his back to me, staking him in the heart from behind, tossing him aside, watching as he fell to dust.

I walked toward the girl. "You okay?"

The girl gasped. "He was so strong."

"Yeah, well, he's gone now," I told her. "You'll be okay. Come on. Let's get you out of here."

I helped the girl stand, leading her down the alley.

"Thank you," the girl told me, whispering. "Thank you."

"Don't worry," I told her. "It's kinda my job."

        ••••    

I walked back into the Bronze.

Buffy was standing by the door, seeming more somber now.

"Hey," I told her. "Everything poofed. All's well in the world."

"I know," Buffy told me. "I--I saw."

"So, what, it was another teacher-watch-the-student thing?" I asked.

Buffy chuckled weakly. "Yeah, I guess."

I looked around. "Where's Willow and Tara?"

"Uh, Tara wasn't feeling well, so Will took her home," Buffy answered.

"All right," I told her. "Uh, are you good to party some more, or are you gonna head over to Riley's?"

Buffy remembered. "Oh. I said that I was gonna go over there, didn't I?"

"Yeah," I answered. "I won't mind if you bail. I'm just gonna keep having fun. A little party never killed nobody."

I smiled.

        ••••    

I was in the dorm room alone the next morning, lying on bed.

Faith walked in. "Zoey." I stood instantly. Faith held a hand toward me. "Don't move. Okay, Zoey, you have to listen to me very carefully. I'm not Faith."

"Really?" I asked sarcastically.

Faith nodded. "Really."

"Then does that mean that Faith is the evil twin?" I asked.

"Zoey, you just have to--" Faith started. I tried to punch her in the face. Faith caught my arm. "I don't want to fight."

"That's a change of pace for you," I told her, kneeing her in the stomach to get her to let go, backing away.

Faith and I started to circle each other.

"I'm Buffy," Faith told me.

"And this is you trying to convince me that you're any less crazy?" I asked.

"Faith switched," Buffy told me. "I mean, she had some device. She switched our bodies. Zoey, I swear. It's me."

"Um, if you are Buffy, then, um... then you'll let me tie you up without killing me while I call Giles, so he can find out if you're telling the truth," I told her.

Faith took a step closer.

I took a step back, still ready to fight if I needed to.

"Zoey, Faith has taken my body, and for all I know, she's taken it to Mexico by now," Faith told me. "I don't have time for bondage fun. Ask me a question. Ask me anything."

"Okay," I told her. "What's the last thing that something really crazy happened to me?"

"Uh, the last really crazy thing..." Faith trailed off, turning away, pacing. She stopped, looking at me, pointing as she remembered. "Oh, um, Will's 'I Will It So' spell made you fall in love with Spike and plan a wedding with him." I looked away in surprised disgust. "And, uh, when Giles turned into a demon, you could tell it was Giles by his eyes. Can't you just look in my eyes and be all intuitive?" Faith could tell that I still needed convincing. "Okay, and, uh, you're having complicated moving-on feelings with a commando, and you're pushing it away because you feel guilty. Oh, oh, and don't get me started on the whole Oz-Veruca thing. Do you want me to continue?"

"Actually, I beg you to stop," I told her, pacing. "All right, I knew it."

"You did not know it," Faith/Buffy told me. "I just had to convince you."

"No, that's not what I meant," I told her. "I knew that something was up with you. I mean, the other you, not you." Faith/Buffy looked at me in confusion. I rolled my eyes slightly. "You know what I mean."

"Speaking of her, let's go get her," Faith/Buffy told me.

Willow and Tara ran inside. 

"Zoey!" Willow told me, holding a box in her hand.

Willow and Tara stopped when they saw Faith/Buffy.

"Will," Faith/Buffy told her.

"Oh, my God," Willow told us.

"Willow, wait," Faith/Buffy told her. "You don't understand."

"You're Buffy," Willow told her. "You and Faith switched bodies. Probably through a Draconian Katra Spell."

I looked at Willow in confusion. "How did you--"

"Tara," Willow answered. She looked from Faith/Buffy to Tara. "Tara, this if Buffy, only real this time."

Tara smiled. "Hi."

"Tara's a really powerful witch," Willow told us.

"Not really," Tara told us, looking down.

"No, really," Willow told us. She looked at Faith/Buffy. "She knew right away that you weren't you. So we connected with the nether realms to find out what happened. And we conjured this."

Willow opened the box to show us a glowing green light.

"What is--" I started.

"It's a katra," Willow answered. "Or the home-conjured version. It should switch you back. If you can get ahold of Faith."

"Oh, thank God," Faith/Buffy told us. 

The phone rang.

"I'll get it," I told them, walking toward the phone, answering. "Hello?"

"Do you know where Faith is?" Faith/Buffy asked.

Xander's voice was on the other line."Hey, Zoey. Turn on the news. Now."

"Oh, okay," I told him, hanging up, walking toward the TV. "Xander. Apparently there's a report on TV."

I turned on the TV to the news.

TV announcer: "And barricaded themselves in the church with at least 20 parishioners. One of the few who escaped described the three men as frighteningly disfigured. Almost inhuman. So far, one escapee has since died of severe neck wounds. There is no report on the condition of the parishioners still trapped inside, but their assailants have vowed to kill all of them if police attempt to storm the church."

Faith/Buffy and I exchanged a look, looking at the TV, knowing what we had to do.

        ••••    

Faith/Buffy had stolen a military vehicle from the Watchers' Council to get free, driving us up to the church where the vampires were holding the hostages.

Willow, Tara, Faith/Buffy and I got out of the back of the vehicle.

A police officer was standing in the way. "You people, get out of here."

"We've gotta get inside," Willow told him.

"The police are handling this," the police officer told us. "Back off right now."

"We can't," Tara told him. "We've gotta--You don't understand."

I gave Willow a look.

Willow understood, stepping toward the officer to distract him. "We have to get inside!" Faith/Buffy and I snuck around the other side of the vehicle. "Our, um, uh... our families are in there. Our, um, mothers, and tiny, tiny, tiny babies."

        ••••    

Faith/Buffy and I got past the cops, running up to the church.

Riley was waiting outside, in a tux.

A vampire covered with a jacket as protection against the sunlight crashed out of the church, tackling Riley to the ground, pushing him against the stone wall, punching him in the face. 

Faith/Buffy ran closer, grabbing the jacket, pushing the vampire out into the sunlight, watching him burn into nothing. "Forgot your coat." She looked at Riley, dropping the jacket, running to embrace him. "Riley."

I ran inside.

Buffy/Faith was inside, fighting Vampire 1. Vampire 1 tried to punch her. Buffy/Faith ducked, punching him in the stomach, pushing him against a nearby pew, kicking him in the stomach, spinning to kick Vampire 2 in the face, making him fall.

I ran to the people in the pews. "Come on. Come on, come on, come on. Let's go!"

I ushered the people toward the doors, until they were all out, feeling someone stand behind me, spinning to punch Vampire 2 in the face repeatedly, breaking off the back of a pew, staking Vampire 2 in the heart, pulling him off the pew, tossing him into a repetitive spin through the air as he fell into dust.

Buffy/Faith tried to stake Vampire 1. 

Vampire 1 caught her wrist. "I have strength you couldn't dream of." He pushed Buffy/Faith against a pew, punching her in the face. "Adam has shown me the way, and there is nothing--"

I stepped up behind Vampire 1, staking him in the heart through his back, making him explode into dust, looking at Buffy/Faith. "You're not Buffy."

Buffy/Faith realized, standing, punching me in the face. I punched her in the face,  spinning to backhand punch her in the face, making her fall back into a railing, trying to punch her. Buffy/Faith raised an arm to block the move, punching me in the face, trying to punch and kick me, alternating sides. I blocked all moves with hand movements. Buffy/Faith lifted me up, throwing me back into the altar, turning to see Faith/Buffy standing behind her.

"Hi, Faith," Faith/Buffy told her. Buffy/Faith tried to punch Faith/Buffy. Faith/Buffy raised her arm to block the move. Buffy/Faith punched Faith/Buffy repeatedly, making her fall. Faith/Buffy stood, punching Buffy/Faith in the face, making her back away. "You can't win this."

"Shut up," Buffy/Faith told her. "Do you think I'm afraid of you?" She grabbed Faith/Buffy, pushing her to the floor, punching her in the face. "You're nothing." She punched her in the face. "Disgusting." She punched her in the face. "Murderous bitch." She grabbed her by her head, slamming it against the floor. "You're nothing. You're disgusting."

Buffy/Faith started to strangle Faith/Buffy, trying to kill her.

I pulled Buffy/Faith back, but keeping her close to Faith/Buffy, keeping her from killing her.

Faith/Buffy caught took hand, holding the katra, making them switch bodies again.

Faith looked around frantically, incredibly shaken, standing, running out, leaving.

Buffy and I watched her go in shock.

Faith was gone, but she was actually starting to feel guilty. Felt something that she had used to feel before everything that happened... happened. The way that she just tried to kill Buffy, but while looking at it like it was herself proved that. 

Maybe there was some hope for Faith after all.