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Timeless Faith	By : norwalker Category: BtVS AU/AR > FemmeSlash - Female/Female > Buffy/Faith Views: 3106 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS), nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
Timeless Faith

By Norwalker

Part 10 of ?

Rating : R for
language, sexual situations and violence.

Category:
Romance/Angst/Drama

Disclaimer: Most,
if not all of the characters depicted here are the property of Joss Whedon,
Mutant Enemy, Inc. and Fox. This is a
work of fiction; any similarities to anyone living or dead are purely
coincidental.

Summary: Third in
a series of stories started with " Summer of faith" and continued in
"Seasons of faith". In the last book, Buffy died fighting Glorificus,
the Hell goddess. This book picks up where that book ended. How does Faith deal
with the loss of Buffy? How does life change for the scoobies? Buffy will be
with them always, but is there more to it than just memories? Stay tuned.

Spoilers:
Possible season 6 and season 7 spoilers. Hope you've watched them by now.

Timeline: Season
6, maybe season 7 and beyond( don't know yet).

WARNING: There
is always the possibility of major character death. Romance between
members of the same gender(duh). Sexual situations between members of the same
gender. This is an Alternate Universe (AU) story. The real(by the series
'coda' ) relationship between Buffy and Faith never happened here. So if you're looking for the dark, knife
wielding, don�t give a crap about nothing but me Faith, She's not here.(ok, bit of an exaggeration, as we all know
by now that Faith redeemed herself, but the "dark, evil" Faith never
got a chance to live here). Violence happens. Adult themes( someday, I plan on
being one, too). Sexual situations. All the usual stuff.

" Awww�
Poop!"

" It's
alright, Buffy" Giles says, encouragingly, " You're making good
progress"

" I am not!" Buffy says, pouting, "
I'm just a big , clumsy poopyhead!".

Buffy walked away
from Giles, feeling discouraged.
They've been training together for the last month now, and Buffy feels
she's as awkward and ungraceful as when they
started. She has the strength; she has the speed. It's just when she
tries to put them together, everything goes whacko. Slayer powers my butt.
That must be where they�re located, cuz I keep landing on it. Damn I keep
missing the target, my hands and feet get all tangled up, and I fall on my
butt. All the damned time. At least I'm not hitting Giles on the chin anymore.
First time we did the padded gloves, I missed so bad I knocked him out. Geeze,
I'm hopeless. Where's all these " Slayer powers" they keep saying I got. I got strength, ok,
that I can see. But I'm like a total klutz. I can just see it, at the Slayer
convention, when they're handing out all the awards and stuff� Faith'll walk
off with the good stuff, and I'll get the " Klutzy Slayer of the
Year" award. Yay me, Go me!

"Come on,
Buffy, you have to try again" Giles says, patiently, " I know it's
not going like you thought, but you're really getting better," He smiles
at her, " now, lets try the kicks again. "

Buffy mumbles
something not too kind under her breath, and walks up to the dummy. She backs
off a little, and starts doing some simple kicks. She hits the dummy, without
sending it flying. Encouraged, she tries a roundhouse kick. Score. She gets
happier, and starts a series of roundhouse kicks , one after another�she's
doing fine, until she goes a bit too fast, and her legs get tangled up. She
falls on the floor, hard, on her butt.

" Poop. This
is just stupid" She whines, " I'll never get this stuff!" She
gets up, brushing herself off. She glares at the dummy, like it's the dummy's
fault� he tripped her!

" Buffy,
you're being too hard on yourself," Giles says, mildly, " You're
thinking that you�re going to make a mistake, and then you do. You're thinking
too much about it. Just let go, and let your body take you to it. You've got
the basics, just trust yourself to do it."

Buffy shakes
herself out, trying to get rid of the tension. She starts kicking again, this time just letting her rhythm flow. She
starts out with some simple kicks, nothing too fancy, just to get her warmed
up. Then, she moves on to more complex kicks. She does an axe-wheel ,then spins
off, into a roundhouse. She does a back flip, landing on the balls of her feet.
She pushes off into a flying hook, and after contact does a full back
cartwheel. Moving forward, she does a K-kick, which knocks the dummy off the
stand. It lies on it's back, and when she lands, she runs to it, kneeling, and
raises a stake. She looks to Giles for approval.

" Much
better, " Giles says, smiling, " Very good"

"Yay me
!" Buffy says, excitedly. She does a little hopping victory dance, feeling
good about herself. She dances over to
the prone dummy, and does a few kicks on it as if saying " Don't mess with
me, vamp". She picks up the dummy,
and hangs it back on its support frame.

" Are we
done?" Buffy says, hopefully. Some things never change, and Buffy still is
not loving training regimens.

" Well, I
think we're done with hand �to � hand ," Giles says agreeably, " But
I think you need to put some time in on weapons".

"Awww�."
Buffy says, the whine coming back in her voice, " Me and weapons� totally
sucky. Do I have to?" She looks at Giles with big eyes.

" All the
more reason to work on your skills" Giles says firmly. Bloody hell wish
she wouldn't do that eye thing." Best we start with knives."

Buffy makes a
semi-rude impatient noise, and like a child that has to do something she hates,
she stomps to the weapons locker. She
picks out some really vicious lng kng knives.

Giles watches her
as she starts to set up for target practice with the knives. He's concerned
about her. She's capable of doing well� he can see she has the ability and
strength. But something just isn't clicking. At least her love of training
hasn't changed Giles thinks as Buffy starts throwing the knives at the
target. She'd still rather be doing something� anything� else.

"
DAMN!" Buffy shouts, upset. She missed the target again. " This is so
bogus, Giles." She turns to look at him.

" Just
relax, Buffy , and concentrate. Narrow your focus on the target, and don�t
forget to follow through" Giles says.

He watches with a
small frown of concentration on his own face. She's not concentrating, but
it's more than that. I can understand, trying to absorb all she has to learn,
and dealing with who she is, and how she reacts to her friends� that can be
distracting for her. But it's more. More than just the missing memories. She's
missing something else. But what is it? He watches as she readies
to try again. He sees that she looks at the knife, then at the target, then
back at the knife. Her brow is furrowed, and she has an unhappy expression on
her face. It's almost as if she's afraid of the weapons. Or afraid of
herself. She's lacking a confidence she used to have. Likes she's struggling to
remember what she knows, rather than just trusting herself to know. She lacks a
flow, because she can't stop thinking about the next step. It's so different
than how she used to be. She used to just pick up a weapon, and could suss it
out and use it very quickly. Now each new thing seems to be a struggle for her.
Like she just won't trust herself to understand it.

"Ok, Buffy�
pick up the knives and have another go at it" Giles says. The look of
disappointment is plain on her face, but she obediently goes for the knives to
do another round. She sets herself in front of the target, and starts throwing
again, doing better this time.

"Good,
Buffy" Giles says, praising her, " that�s it, don't think to much
about the target, just let the knife flow evenly from your hand". This
has all been so very difficult for her. She feels like she has to be back to
normal� yesterday. No one is pressuring her, but she's putting all this
pressure on herself. She's gotten it into her head that if she doesn't hurry up
and be perfect at everything, she's letting us all down. That's silly, of
course, but she can be awfully stubborn� just like she used to be. The truth of
the matter being that she's doing remarkably well. Considering the scope of her
loss, she's coping admirably. But she is so hard on herself, giving herself no
quarter for mistakes. Even the tiniest thing seems to upset her. Like for
instance, she made a Peanut butter and jelly sandwich for Dawn(God, what these
Americans eat!), but she forgot that Dawn prefers the smooth peanut butter, and
made it with the crunchy. Dawn tried to tell her it was ok, it was just fine.
But she insisted on doing it again, tossing the old sandwich and making a new
one with the smooth stuff. And she was upset with herself for half an hour
after, because she forgot that one silly little thing.

I wish I could
find something to help restore her memory. I know how much more comfortable
she'd be. But my researches have turned up a blank. There are plenty on spells
for forgetting, but remembering seems to be untapped. That's odd, you'd think
there would be lots about it; surely there have been lots of instances when
someone wanted to remember things. But evidently, it just wasn't something
popular. I haven't checked with the dark magicks, but I really don�t want to go
there. Enough damage has been done using them.

Giles is interrupted in his reveries when a
hand comes down on his shoulder. Startled, he turns to see the Faith standing
next to him, smirking a little.

"Hey,
G" , She says softly, " for a watcher you kinda not keeping too good
a watch", she teases him.

" Yes, well,
concentrating on Buffy's performance" Giles says, covering over his woolgathg.

" Been kinda
not doing that, " Faith says, in reply, " You think she's
ready?". Her own expression betrays her doubts.

" I think it
would be a good thing, " Giles says, " She's been training a lot, but
not had any practical use for what she's learning. I believe she'll do better
if she actually puts some of the theory to use."

" Well, if
you think so" Faith says, her tone still carrying an edge of hesitation.
Giles looks at her, wondering if she's holding back something he should know.
She pats his arm reassuringly, " No� I'm sure she'll do fine�do fine,
" Faith says�and watches as Buffy
throws, hitting the target dead on. She smiles, " Anyway, I'll watch over
her, be sure she's ok."

" She's
lucky to have you, you know, " Giles says, as he watches Buffy train.

" Yeah�
whatever, " Faith says, never one to take compliments well. She's looking
at him with that " I'm not an idiot�don't give me no B.S. " look.

" No, I mean
it, " He says, turning to her and seeing the look, " really. She's
lucky she has you to look out after her. " He smiles at F. Sh. She shakes
her head as if to dismiss his words. " Look, Faith, " Giles
confesses, " I'll admit I wasn't too happy when you came into her life a
few years back. I thought it would be unnecessarily distracting for her. I
didn't know you at the time, and I thought you were just in it for fun,"
he pauses, working out what he wants to say, " I was wrong. I've seen how
loyal you've been to her, even when she was less than kind to you. I've seen
how you've encouraged and supported her, letting her know you'd always be in
her corner. Even after she came back, " Giles continues, " you stuck
with her. Though she didn't remember anything about you. A lot of people
would've given it up as a bad job, and
moved on." Faith feels a twinge of guilt, knowing how close she came to
moving out not all that long ago, " but you stuck the course, Faith.
You've been really good for her. She's lucky, and I am too, having you here". He pats her affectionately on the
shoulder.

Faith's staring
out, feeling a flush creep up her neck. She's never been one to take
compliments well. She's always waiting for the other shoe to drop. She looks at him, expecting to see he's only
joking, but she sees him looking at her with caring and affection. She blushes,
and turns away. She's not used to this; someone caring about her for no other
reason but that she's herself. She
makes a dismissive noise, as if it doesn't mean jack to her, but she's nearly
glowing inside. It really matters that Giles thinks highly of her. She changes
the focus, calling out to Buffy

"Hey, Buffy,
you're doin' great!" Faith saysst ast as Buffy manages to hit another bulls
eye.

"
Liar!" Buffy says, but affectionately. She turns to Faith, and grins,
" Guess I'm not doin' too badly". Without looking, she throws another
knife�which again hits dead center. She gets a apologetic look on her face,
anticipating disaster�then she looks, sees where the knife went, and gets a
"Whoa" look. She jumps up and down, excitedly.

" Did you
see that? Did you see that?" She cries, thrilled. She realizes she's
acting like a kid, and puts on a layer of cool, " I mean" she clears
her throat, " just the usual ". But she can't keep quite keep the
excitement out of her voice.

Faith looks at
her, doing her best to not grin like an idiot. She loves seeing Buffy feel so
triumphant. Lately she's been all upset with herself because she's not doing
everything perfectly. Seeing her so enthusiastic, even over a silly knife toss
in training, warms Faith's heart. She's beginning to realize she's falling in
love with Buffy all over again. She may be feeling just a tiny bit wary of
that. A whole lot confused about that. Not like I'm cheating on her� with
her. Is it? I mean, it's�her�and not her. She's different, but so many of the
things I loved � do love� about her are the same. I feel so weird about it all�
it like cheating on your lover with her. That makes no sense at all� but none
of this does. It's so weird. Sometimes she acts grown up and reasonable, other
times she acts younger than Dawn. Buffy was never like that� well, I mean, she
never acted so enthusiastic about much. She was determined, and she was cool,
and she was smart� but sometimes she seemed so� serious all the time. Whoa,
girl� this is Buffy you're talking about, the love of your life�and the same
woman that's standing there holding knives. It�s like you took Buffy, stripped
away some of the many layers of sophistication and pain she built up into a
shell, and this is who you have. I dunno� I dunno anything. God, this is too
much for my head!!!!

" So, Giles,
does she always do this?" Buffy was saying when Faith starts to tune back
into the training room.

" I'm
sorry" Giles says, looking bewildered, " I'm afraid I don't know what
you mean."

"Faith,
" Buffy says, her tone a little on the ironic side, " Does she always
just kinda space out for no reason?"

" You wish,
Blondie" Faith says, a little embarrassed at getting caught.

" Yeah,
well� been trying to get your attention, " Buffy says, " so what ya
thinkin' about, huh?".

" And that
would be your business because� ?" Faith asks.

" Because.
" Buffy says, adopting a lilting,
teasing tone," because you were thinking about me. How cute I am, and how sexy I am, and how you wanna date me, and�." She watches as Faith
goes a little pink, and laughs.

Faith is so
confused. God , that is so NOT
Buffy. Buffy would never flirt openly
like that� not around Giles. Not in the 'workplace' so to speak. It's not like
anything she'd do� so why am I just so eating it up?

" I'm
thinking of how I'm gonna protect your ass when we go out on patrol" Faith
growls, not letting Buffy get away with it.

"
Patrol?" Buffy says, looking at Faith. She looks at Giles and repeats,
" Patrol?" Her face looks worried.

" Yeah,
'bout time you got off your butt and see if you can pull your own weight, Blondie"
Faith says, teasingly. Turn about can be so fun, " Don't worry. I'll be
there to cover ya if the boogums come for ya".

Buffy makes a
face. "Puh-lease, " She says, full of false bravado, " I can so
handle myself. Just wonderin' if I'm really ready?" She looks at Giles. Don't
make me do this, please, please, don't make me do this!

" I think
you're ready, Buffy, " Giles says, trying to allay her concerns."
You've come a long way in your training, but you really need to go out and get
some field time now. All the training in the world isn't going to do you any
good if you don't put it to use."

"Well, I
guess if you say so, " Buffy replies, putting on a big grin. Inside, she's
not feeling so good about it. I'm so
not ready. I know I'm gonna mess up, make a big botch of things, and then
they're gonna know I'm a fraud. I'll blow it, then they'll know that I'm not
her. They'll know, and they won't like me anymore. They want her, I know it.
I'm trying so hard to be her� but it's tough. I forget things, I screw things
up. Now it's really gonna be out there. I'm just a dumb klutz, and once Faith
realizes that, she's not gonna want to be with me no more. She's gonna know I'm
not her "B". I'm just some fraud trying to be. Cuz I love her, and �
she loves that other one. Damn her! Why won't she just let that other one
go? Why won't she just like me as
I am? I hate this so much, cuz I'm
talking like it's a whole different woman. I know it's not, it's me. That's who
I used to be. Everybody acts like she was some kinda goddess or something. But
hey, I'm right here! I'm pretty damned good too. If you'd only look!

" Buffy? You
ok?" Faith asks solicitously, noticing Buffy seems distracted.

" Oh? Huh?
Oh yeah, I'm great" Buffy smiles, " Just great".

" Ok then,
so � ummm� guess we go home, get some dinner, then we can go patrolling."
Faith says.

" What about
Dawn?" Buffy says, brightening. Maybe she's found an out, " Who's
gonna watch Dawn?"

" Buffy,
c'mon. Dawn's fifteen. She can handle herself. She has my cell number if
there's a problem," Faith says, looking at Buffy with an odd expression,
" You sure you're ok? I mean, we don't have to do this."

" Oh�fine,
I'm great" Buffy says, " I want to do this. Get out there. Slay the
vamps, ya know? It's my calling, right?"

" Yeah,"
Faith says, her tone a little doubtful, " But if you're not ready� ".

" No, I'm so
ready!" Buffy says. Oh,
yeah, just so ready!

" You're
sure?" Faith asks, again.

" Yes, I'm sure!" Buffy snaps, a little irritated, " I'm gonna
do fine, ok?"

" 'K, Buffy.
It'll be great, " Faith says, smiling to encourage her.

Oh yeah

Great!

Tara lay beside
Willow, watching her sleep. She was worried, and she didn't understand why.

Since they'd moved
out from Buffy's , things had really changed. Willow had taken a 180 in their
relationship, becoming very attentive and supportive of Tara. She apologized to Tara, saying she'd been so
caught up in bringing back Buffy, then trying to make it all like it was. She
hadn't really pay paying attention to the most important person in her life�
Tara. But she was going to make it up to her now, if Tara would let her.

" I was so
stupid, Tara" Will says, " I thought I had the answers for
everything. I knew how to make it all better. But I just messed it up. I just brought Buffy back wrong. I was full
of myself, and I didn't pay enough attention to what you were telling me."
Willow got up from the bed, and went to the window, and looked out. " Now,
I've really screwed it up. I've kinda cut us off, Tara. I shouldn�t have tried
to use magic to fix things. Some things, you just can't fix".

" But you
meant well, Willow" Tara says, " Your intentions were good. You
wanted everybody to be happy again. There's nothing wrong with that.
Just�."

"What,
Tara?" Willow says.

"Well� It's
just we�and I'm including myself in this, we shouldn't have messed with the
dark magicks. " Tara says, feeling a little guilty, " They're
dangerous. And they always have consequences. No telling what we've done."

" Tara, you
weren't at fault, I was, " Willow says, " Whatever happens, it was my
fault. You and Xander and Anya just went along cuz I convinced you. but you
didn't do anything wrong." Willow looks away. She doesn't want to reveal
anything about what she knows.

" Willow,
I'm an adult. I knew the risks," Tara says, " I knew there would be consequences. It's not
only your fault."

" No, Tara,
you only went along cuz I told you it was safe," Willow says, a small edge
to her voice, " I wanted so much to be the hero, to make it alright for
everyone, that pushed you into it. You tried to stop me, but I didn�t pay
attention. I � dismissed your objections. You didn't want to upset me, so you
went along."

" Willow,
you weren't the only one that had ulterior motives, " Tara says, " I
knew you wouldn't be rid of this Buffy obsession until I let you do this spell.
I was� sick of Buffy. Sick of how she seemed to have a hold on you, even beyond
the grave. It hurt, Willow, it really did."

" Oh , God,
Tara" Willow cried, coming over to Tara, sitting next to her and putting
her arm around Tara's shoulders, " I know I went to far, but you can't
blame Buffy� or yourself. It was my fault for letting myself get all twisted
around." Willow turns to her, taking Tara's chin in her hand, turning her
face towards Willows. " I'm so sorry I hurt you honey. I never�wanted
that. Not in a million years did I want to hurt you."

" I know,
Willow, I know" Tara says, taking Willow in her arms and holding her tightly.
They stay like that for awhile, each just wanting to share the moment, not let
it end. Finally, Tara continues, " What're we going to do about
Buffy?".

" I don�t
think there's anything we can do, Tara, " Willow says, quietly, "
I've done tons of research, and I've not been able to find a memory restoration
spell. Lots and lots of forget spells.
Seems everybody wants forget something, " Willow wishes she could forget,
" All we can do is be there, if Buffy or Faith need us. Otherwise, I guess
we just have to leave them alone."

Tara almost can't
believe what she's hearing. Something happened the night they decided to move
out. Something between Willow and Giles. Willow has been avoiding Giles ever
since that night. Now her attitude towards Buffy and Faith and her role in
their lives has changed radically. There's something Willow isn't telling her.

" Willow, is
everything ok? I mean� this is just so different from just last week. Is there
something you're not telling me?" Tara asks, wanting to help.

"No,
nothing, " Willow says, firmly, " Nothing at all." She changes
the subject, " lets just go to bed."

Tara knew
something was wrong. They had that discussion three weeks ago, and she hadn't
said anything, but she could tell Willow was hiding something. She could feel a
sadness surrounding Willow, as if she were mourning something. Every time she
tried to talk about it, Willow just kind of veered away from it, diverting the
conversation to something else. When Tara tried to come back to it, Willow would
just shut it down, insisting everything was alright.

But everything
wasn't alright. Willow wasn't Willow anymore. She seemed to have lost her
interest in magic. She never suggested the practice spells anymore. If Tara
wanted to try something, Willow would help, but she avoided initiating anything
new herself. This worried Tara, because she knew Willow loved to do spells�
even simple spells like glamours or floating small objects. It was almost as if
she were afraid of doing spells.

Something happened between Giles and Willow, I know it.
All this traces back to that night they spent so long in the kitchen. When
Willow came out from the kitchen, she was pale. When I asked her about it, she
just passed it os bes being tired, and went to bed. But she's been different
since that night. She won't talk about what she and Giles discussed. I wish she
would, wish she'd share whatever it was with me. I can't help her if I don't
know what's going on. But I can't force
her to tell me, either. All I can do is try to talk to Mr. Giles, see if he'll
tell me.

Tara lay awake,
staring at the ceiling. She knew she wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.

Or any night,
until she knew.

She stood by the grave marker, waiting.

It was an early
winter night in California, cool but not especially cold. Still, she was glad
she'd brought her jacket, as the air had a bit of a nip to it. The moon, full
and bright, gave the cemetery a particularly surreal look. Everything seemed to
be a silhouette, an illusion of
something rather than the real thing. It was almost as if you walked towards
something, it would shimmer and fade away, only being an illusion, not real.
She shivered a little bit, not from the cold. Everything right now felt that
way to her.

Faith knelt by
the stone. She was waiting for Buffy. They'd planned on going out on this
patrol together, but at the last moment, Buffy
told her she had something to do, something she had to do now. And that she'd meet her here. By this stone.
Faith traced the name on the stone with her fingertip: Joyce Summers. Faith had
brought Buffy out here a few times since she was back. She'd hoped that Buffy's
memories might be jogged. She knew that the memories may never come back, but
still she wanted to try. Although she was growing more and more fond of Buffy�
the new Buffy, she still loved the old Buffy. And she felt that Buffy�the new
one� was cheated , somehow, not having those memories. Especially of her mom,
who in Faith's opinion, had been a very special woman.

Hey, Joyce. I know, been a long time since I've been here.
What with Glory trying to make the world a better place�for demons, and then
Buffy dying�and taking care of the P-nut, guess I� Will you listen to me?
Sounding like you're really here and care. Kinda dufus of me, I know. But �
damn I could really, really use you to listen to me 'bout now. Guess that's why
I loved ya, Joyce. Well, one of the reasons, anyway. You always made time to
listen to me and my dopey problems, no matter how stupid they were, or how busy
you were. I always felt better after talking to you, even if I didn't like the
answer you gave me, or if you couldn't give me an answer at all. I guess it was
knowin' ya cared an all. So, guess I'm gonna bend your ear one more time. I
know ya got better things to do� God probably put you in charge running things
around there, but hope ya'll give me a few moments anyway.

I really don't wha what to do here, Joyce. Kinda all
mixed up, and not really thinking too straight here. Guess that's nothin' new
huh? Especially when it comes to Buffy. Faith
grins, remembering how many times she ran to Joyce when Buffy made her nuts. Thing is, Mrs. S, is that even if you were
here, not sure you could help me with this one. Not sure anybody can help me.
It's so damned weird. And stupid. I mean, if you think about it, it's totally
stupid. But I'm kinda torn up about it, don't know what to do.

You know I love Buffy. God, I love her so much, she's part
of me. Does that make sense? I mean, she's like my blood, or my breath, or
something vital to me living. That's how much I love her. Loved her. She was my
everything. When she died, I felt a whole big piece of me died, too. It felt
like someone took a knife and ripped out vital bits of me, it hurt so much. It
left me feeling numb and dead and all achy bad inside. Only thing kept me goin'
was takin' care of the P-nut. She misses ya, by the way. Misses her mom real
bad. I can so get that! I just hope I aint been screwin' her up too badly. But
I kinda feel you're e hee helpin' me with that.

Anyway, Red tried to bring Buffy back. She did some of
that hocus- pocus stuff she does, and did bring her back� sorta. Ok, ok I know I shouldn't have been so hard on Red.
I know she had good intentions, and all. But that ooglie-booglie stuff always
makes me nervous, and � well� she kinda screwed up. She brought her back, but
it wasn't the Buffy that was your baby� or my honey. I mean she looks like
Buffy, and talks like her, and some of the things she does is so much like
Buffy it's eerie. She reacts to things a lot like Buffy would� some stuff�
other stuff, it's all different. And upstairs, where it counts? She doesn't
remember anything. She don't remember you, or me, or the P-nut, or Red, or Tara
or anyone. It's likes someone reached
into her brain and messed around with it, throwin' out a lot of the important
stuff� the stuff that made Buffy- -
Buffy. Man, it's been torture to look at her in the morning, look into
the beautiful eyes of her, and realize that all the stuff we been through
together, all the stuff we meant to each other, is just gone. It�s almost worse
than when she was gone.

She's been 'back' over a month now, and here's where it
gets weird. Ya sittin' down up there? Some nice comfy cloud? Hopin' so. Anyway,
thing is� I'm kinda fallin' for her again. I guess that'd be natural, huh? Cuz
it's Buffy, even if it isn't 'our' Buffy. I mean, I knew almost from the first,
when I met her in L. A. she was
somethin' special. Didn't take a whole long time for me to know she was
special, very special, to me. We've had our ups, and our way downs, and all. We
fought lots, and sometimes came near to leavin' again� too many times, really.
But through it all, she was my everything, my love, my joy, my heart. I never
ever want no one else. So what's the problem? Well, here's this 'new' Buffy.
She looks like Buffy, talks like her, smells like her, acts a lot like her.
But, she's not her, doesn't have a lot of the stuff Buffy was. And� the way I'm
startin' to feel, it's like I'm cheating on Buffy. With Buffy. Now, aint that
weird?

It�s stupid, I know. I mean, how can I cheat on Buffy with
Buffy? But it's not MY Buffy. It's not the Buffy I've lived with and loved and
shouted at and wanted to bean and wanted to kiss til I died Buffy. She's
different. The same but different. God, this is so fucking confusing. It
shouldn't be this confusing, should it? But it is .If I even casually touch
her, I feel like I'm betraying the Buffy I knew. That's stupid thinking, but I
can't help it. I know the Buffy I knew, the Buffy I adored, is gone. Gone for
good. So I shouldn't be so weirded out. Afraid. But I'm afraid, big time. Cuz
even getting past the feeling of cheating on Buffy� what if this stuff I'm
starting to feel, this stuff� is just me? Trying to get back what I lost? What
if she� new Buffy� doesn't feel the same way? I'm sensing she's feeling
something, but it could just be friendship. Or something like that. So what if
I put my heart out there, and she steps on it. Not meaning to, don't think
she'd hurt me deliberately, but what if she doesn't want me like that? God, I'd
� it'd be like losing Buffy twice.
Don't think� no, I know I couldn't handle it. So, Mrs. S, you're so much better
at this stuff than me. What do I do?

Faith sits silent in her
mind, just looking at the stone. Almost as if she's expecting an answer. She's
so wrapped up in it, that when the hand touches her shoulder, she nearly jumps
out of her skin. She's up on her feet in a flash, and whirls around, stake in
hand pointing towards�. Buffy. Buffy, who's looking a little more than scared
at the moment, who has her hands in the air and is backing away.

"Faith. It's me�it's
just ME!" Buffy says, fearfully. " Sorry! Sorry, didn't mean to
startle you!"

"Buffy!" Faith
says, aggravated, " What the hell? Don't you know better than to sneak up
on someone at night in a cemetery? God, you coulda gotten yourself
killed!".

" God, Faith, I'm so
sorry" Buffy says, regretfully, " I� I didn't think .So stupid. I'm
so stupid! Please, please don�t be angry at me, ok?"

Faith looks at Buffy, and
seeing her so distressed, feels her anger dissipate. She feels embarrassed
snapping at her� not her fault, really. Faith just feels mortified, cuz of what
she was thinking, and all of a sudden Buffy is just there. She was surprised
and a little upset, almost like Buffy was eavesdropping on her thoughts. God
that's so stupid!.

"It's ok,
Buffy," Faith grumbles, "just be more careful, ok? Don't want ya to get hurt, is all".

"'K" Buffy says,
quietly. She changes the topic, wanting to forget the little scene, " She
was really important to you, wasn't she?" Buffy asks.

" Who?" Faith
answers her question with a question.

" My mom, " Buffy says, pointing at the grave, "
She was special to you."

" Oh yeah� Mrs. S? Oh
yeah" Faith says, " She�well, I didn't have a mom. Lost my mom when I
was real young. Never had a mom growin' up� let me tell ya, it totally sucks.
But I didn't even know what I was missin' til I came here and met your mom. I
mean, my dear old mom� well, she had lots of problems. Didn't really want me, ya know? Kinda drunk
and high all the time� anyway, when I
came here, you're mom� just kinda took over as my mom. God, she just made me
feel like part of the family� and like it was natural and all. Ya know? She
treated me like another daughter, and it was great. I mean�well, like the prom,
for instance, I remember�." Faith stops. She knows that memories and
things are painful for Buffy, because she can't remember any of this. "
It's not important, we should get going�" Faith starts off, figuring to
just let it drop.

" No�Faith? Please?
Tell me? I mean� I � I can't remember her�and anything you can tell me is
important" Buffy pleads. She really wants to know this stuff. Wishes she
remembered it.

"Well� ummm � the
prom. Yeah." Faith starts, trying to make it easier for Buffy to
understand, " Thing was, it was kinda our 'coming out' , so to speak. We'd
been together up to that time, but it'd never been like� public. So� it was a
nervous night for both of us. I mean, I didn't mind us being a couple, but
there was still the Angel thing. We'd kinda got past that� but it still was
kinda there, though we'd finally resolved it. So anyway, I was all nervous that
night, and I'd decided to wear a dress, even though I'd told you I was gonna do
the 'butch' thing and wear a tux. So I was nervous about your reaction to that
too. And I was kinda fluttering around, scared and all. Then
Joyce� your mom� came in, and kinda had this box with her. She said she
had a present for me. And when I opened it, it was � god, they were beautiful�
it was a necklace and earrings. Her mom had given them to her on her prom, and
� well, she wanted to hand them down to her daughter. But like, I said
shouldn't Buffy have these? And she said, No, Buffy's got her own stuff she
wants to wear� and I want you to have them, Faith. God, I � I got so all weepy� she had to kid me about my
makeup to keep me from bawling like a baby, ya know? But they were so
beautiful, and they just went so well with what I was wearing� but , thing is,
that's just how she was�" Faith trails off, feeling the emotions rising.
She also is remembering how Buffy looked that night. So beautiful, in her white
floor length gown� she was like an
angel, coming down those stairs� Faith turns away, afraid Buffy might see her
tear up.

She turns back when she
hears a small sob. Buffy is standing there, tears running down her face, her
lip quivering. She's trying her best not to burst out crying.

"Buffy�what is
it?" Faith says, coming over to the diminutive blonde slayer, "
what's wrong?"

" Oh, God Faith I so
wish I could remember her!" Buffy says, her voice cracking, " She
sounds so wonderful. It�s hell, not remembering." Faith feels her heart melting; Buffy looks
so small and alone. She can't help feeling� God, I got it bad for
her�again!!!!!!!

" Look, Buffy"
Faith says, trying to comfort Buffy, " Look� I still have the necklace set.
I got them in my room. I � you should have them. You know? It'd be something of
hers, something personal, you can have. When we get home, I'll get them for ya,
ok?"

" No� faith,
no!" Buffy says, firmly, " She wanted you to have them. She gave them
to you. It was important to her� and to me too. I want you to have them,
ok?" Faith nods. Buffy goes on,
" but, you could do something for me"

" Sure, Buffy,
anything" Faith says

"Well�two things,
actually, " Buffy says, quietly, " First, when you get time, could
you sit with me and tell me more about mom? I'd� I'd really like to know her
better. Could you do that for me?" Buffy asks.

" Of course, Buffy.
I'd be happy to, " Faith says, " so, what's the second thing?"

" Well.. ummm� don't
know how to ask this, " Buffy says, hesitantly, " but when I
first�well� came back, you had a little nickname for me� "B". Thing
was I got confused, cuz I thought you meant "Bea" like Beatrice. But
� then you stopped calling me that� and I kinda� well, I thought it was kinda sweet�and
I'm kinda missing it� so I was wondering�?"

Faith looks at Buffy, and
is biting her lip. She feels weird again, and she doesn't want to upset her,
but this is just too much to ask right now� so she thinks, anyway.

" Look, Buffy. I'm�
well, please don't take this wrong. But� when you came back, I � well, I
thought you were the 'other' Buffy� and well,
"B" was a special little name I had for her� and� I know
you're sorta her� but� well, I can't� not just now�don't be mad, but I
just�." Faith trails off.

" No, no, I git&qit" Buffy says, a little disappointed, " No big� really."

" Give me time, ok?
Please? I�" Faith starts, but Buffy interrupts her.

"No�forget it. Kinda stupid, " Buffy says, hiding her
hurt, " I didn't think."

" Look, Buffy�
I�." Faith says, then sees Buffy's face. She can tell that she's closed a
tiny bit of herself off from Faith�first time she's seen that. It cuts Faith,
just a little bit. She sighs, and changes tack. " Buffy, maybe we should
just get to patrolling. That's what we're out here for. We gotta get you back
up to snuff so you can start patrolling
on your own again."

" By myself?"
Buffy says, not liking that, " How come? I mean� I kinda�." Then she
cuts it off. She senses something's changed,
and it's not to the good.

"What Buffy?"
Faith asks, her tone businesslike.

" Just� kinda like
being with you� thought we could patrol together?" Buffy says, quietly.

" Yeah, well, Buffy,
there's like 12 cemeteries in Sunnydale, never mind the parks and other places
vamps like to hang. One slayer can't do it all in a night, " Faith says,
retreating a bit into her shell, " Since there's two of us, we gotta split
up the territory , so we have a chance to cover everything."

"Yeah, ok, I got it,
" Buffy says, retreating a bit into her own shell, " So, lets get
this done, ok?". Buffy starts off.

"Where you going,
Buffy?" Faith asks.

"Ummm� this
way?" Buffy replies, pointing in the direction she started off in.

" Look, for the first
couple of nights, just follow my lead, ok?" Faith says, " You're
still new at this. Kinda prefer I know where you are � don't want you rushing
off, taking on more than ye ree ready for".

"Yeah� ok� don't
worry. Not exactly hero type here, ok?" Buffy says, a little cross, "
You lead, I'll follow, ok?"

" Ok, " Faith
replies, curtly, " Let's go".

For the next hour or so,
they do a sweep through a couple of cemeteries. The silence grows between them, each keeping to themselves. The
only conversation is about slaying, and it's Faith doing the talking, mostly,
pointing things out, telling Buffy some things she needs to know, what to look
for, etc. For the most part, however,
it's quiet� awkwardly quiet, between them. Both are on their own little islands
of thought.

Smart, Buffy, really smart!
Buffy thinks to herself. She's not ready� she's still mourning�me? God,
that's just too weird. But you had to go and ask her to use the little pet name
she had for her� me� god, I really getting to hate this!!! Grrr!!!

So what's the big, Faith?
Faith chides herself, she only asked you to call her B. God, you act
like it's some big deal. But it's not�is it? But that's MY Buffy's nickname� I
� she� shit, this sucks. Faith, it's her. She may be acting different, but it's
her. You gotta stop this� but� she might not� she doesn't want me that way�
does she? She�she just wants to be buds, I'm sure. No, I don't wanna give her
that name. It'll make it too fucking confusing. God, I hate this, I hate this I
HATE THIS!!!!

"What's that?"
Buffy asks, whispering. She grabs Faith's arm.

"What?" Faith
asks, also whispering, but not knowing why.

" Listen!" Buffy
says.

From inside the crypt next
to them, Faith can hear some faint noises. She looks at Buffy, and tilts her
head, indicating to follow her into the shadows.

" Sounds like the
crypt has some torstors�and I'm so thinking they don't have heartbeats"
Faith whispers, " Let's wait here for them to come out. That way, we got
the drop on them, and aren't confined by the crypt". Buffy nods agreement.

Both blend back into the
shadows, waiting for the vampires to appear. The adrenaline starts to pump
inside them: this is their destiny, what they were born to do. After a few minutes, two rather large
vampires appear, carrying stuff.

" Ready?" Faith
whispers. Buffy nods." Ok, you got the guy on the right, I got the guy on
the left, lets go"

" Hey, guys, "
Faith calls out to the vamps, " grave robbing? Tsk tsk. It's so� tacky! Whatever is Ms. Manners
gonna think?"

The vampires, startled,
drop their loot and turn towards the slayers. They look, and a look of
disbelief comes over them.

" What the hell? You two little girls lost? God, the both of you together
hardly make a meal. Almost not worth the trouble to eat you� almost!" The
vampires start towards the slayers.

" Hey, Bumpy face?
Ever hear the term " Vampire Slayer?" Buffy calls out to 'her'
vampire. He looks confused. "Ok, how about, " Oh god, my leg, my
leg?" He looks even more confused.
He starts at her, but she does a forward axe kick, hitting him on the thigh
bone, cracking it. He goes down, screaming.

" Oh god, my leg, my
leg!" He screams. Buffy just smiles, and runs in to put in the killing
blow.

But he's not quite out of
it yet. As she approaches, he swings his arm out, hitting her. She flies back
from the force, hitting the wall of the crypt, a little stunned

" Buffy!" Faith
calls out, distracted and worried. She starts towards Buffy, to see if she's
ok, but her vampire grabs her and
tosses her�.throwing her over to his left. She twists and lands on her feet,
ready for him. He runs towards her, ready to lunge, but she does a backwards
kick, knocking back and on his butt.

Buffy, recovering from her
blow, gets up, seeing her vampire trying to limp off. Oh, no you don't, butt ugly! She runs
after him, stake raised. She figures she'll stake him in the back. But he
senses her, and turns suddenly, thrusting out an arm, hitting her again. She's
prepared, though, and does a half flip, coming down on her feet. She rushes in,
but this time does a roundhouse kick on him, knocking him onto his bad leg. He
screams, and tries to get up. But his leg is just too bad. He kicks out with
his good leg, but the slayer just hops over it, and is on top of him. Buffy
delivers the stake to the heart, and he dissolves into dust.

Faith, in the meantime, is
having a bit of trouble with her vampire. He got up quickly, before she could
get to him, so she punched him, but it only rocked him back. He punched her,
and she went down on her butt. She was up quickly, but the large vampire was on
her, and she had to bend over and let him go over her shoulder, using his
weight against him. He's on his back, and she's about to deliver the killing
blow, but he grabs her hand and through sheer strength manages to flip her over
himself. Faith does a barrel roll in the air, and lands on her feet, crouching.
She up in a flash, stake up, The vampire is on her quickly though, and grabs
her stake hand. He twists it around� and pushes it back towards her. fighfights
him, but he manages to push the stake in her gut. Faith screams out.

" BUFFEE!" She screams, and backs off�seeing the stake sticking out
of her abdomen. She pulls it out, but the pain is enormous� and the vamp is
coming for her.

Buffy, hearing Faith, sees
her backing off� wounded. She sees red. Not even thinking, she rushes as fast
as she can over to the vamp, jumping on
his back. She starts to beat him around his head.

" You leave her
alone� you bastard!" She cries, hitting him around the head, boxing his
ears.

The vamp roars out, and
flings her off his back. She does an aerial somersault, and lands on her feet.
She charges the vampire, who's turned to face his attacker. She rushes at him,
not thinking. She does a front kick, but he grabs her leg and shoves her back�
she lands on her butt. He's on top of her, and is bending over, for the kill�.
When he dissolves into dust. Behind him, Faith appears, holding a stake. She
kinda half grins� then falls over, wounded.

" Faith!" Buffy
cries out, going to the wounded girl. She turns her over, and sees the blood on
her blouse. She blanches, but then rips
the blouse open, and sees the stake wound. " Oh, god, Faith� you're
hurt!"

" Nothin' gets by
you, does it blondie?" Faith quips, gasping. She puts her hand on the
wound to staunch the bleeding. " Not lookin' so good now" She pales,
the pain enormous. " Help me up". She tries to stand, but her legs
won't cooperate. " Hmmm� not good, that." She sits back hard on her
butt.

" I gotta get you to the hospital" Buffy says, a little
panicky. She's scared� another first. Faith wounded. This wasn't in the
training!

" No� no hospitals,
thanks. I'm ok, just help me get home!" Faith says. Last time she was in a
hospital, she didn't wake up for 3 months. Not wanting to relive that
experience.

" This looks bad,
Faith!" Buffy says," you gotta go to the hospital!"

" And tell them what?
Got staked killing vamps? So not in the mood for a lecture on running around
with pointy sticks and all" Faith says.

" Stop kidding
around. This is serious!" Buffy says, angrily.

"I'll be fine� slayer
healing�remember? Just� get � me home" Faith says. She's starting to get
dizzy.

Buffy tries to help her to
her feet, but Faith can't stand up well. She then puts Faith's arm around her
shoulder, and putting her arm carefully around Faith's waist, she starts to
half walk, half carry her. But Faith's feet keep tripping and sliding out from
under her. Finally, Buffy just picks her up, and carries her in her arms.

>

Despite her misgivings,
Buffy starts towards home. It's closer, and she wants to get Faith safe as
quickly as possible. I can call an ambulance from there, if I need to. Still upset,
and panicking a little, Buffy speeds up, until she's almost running. Her heart
is beating a lot faster than the exertion she's putting out would warrant.
She's frightened. God, no! Please! She's gotta be ok. I love her, you
can't� you can't take her from me. Not now!

Carrying Faith, Buffy runs
towards home as fast as she can.

" Dawn? Dawn! Where
is she? DAAAWWWN!!!" Buffy calls out as she enters the house, "
DAWN!"

"Geeze, Buffy. God,
don't have a cow!" Dawn says, descending the stairs " I'm coming�.
Faith! What's wrong with her?" She says as Buffy carries Faith to the
couch, " God, Buffy what happened?" Dawn rushes over to the couch.

" She's hurt, Dawn .
We fought some vampires and she got hurt!" Buffy says, feeling some guilt.
If I hadn't been along, she never would've gotten hurt! ." I wanted to take her to the hospital , but she
wouldn't let me. We gotta do something �
Dawn�where's the med kit? Get me the med kit!"

" Buffy, maybe we
should�" Dawn starts, but Buffy interrupts her.

" Dawn� GO!" Buffy
says. She throws her sister a look saying Don�t even argue with me now!

Dawn , feeling the force
of the look, retreats upstairs to get the med kit. Buffy walks over to the
phone. She looks at the handmade numbers list by the phone, finds the number
she wants, and dials it.

The line rings, and Buffy is
y, wy, waiting for an answer.
C'mon, c'mon. Answer the phone! Be there. Please, please answer! Finally the
phone is picked up on the other end.

" Hello?" Tara
says sleepily. She'd just dropped off to sleep, and was a little sluggish.

" Tara? TARA! Thank god
you're there!" Buffy exclaims, " Please, I need you�re help!"

" Buffy? What is
it?" Tara asks, " What's wrong?"

" It's Faith. She's
been hurt. She's being stubborn, and won't let me take her to the hospital.
Please, I need help. Can you come?".

"Sure, of
course" Tara says, trying to calm Buffy down." Don�t worry, Buffy.
Faith's pretty strong. I'm sure she'll be ok. I'll get some healing herbs and
stuff, and come right over!"

" Thanks� thanks�hurry,
please?" Buffy says, anxiously, "Please?".

" I'll be there as
quickly as possible. Don't worry, Buffy" Tara says, and hangs up.

" Dawn? Where's that
med kit?" Buffy calls out, hanging up the phone. She hears a chuckle,
followed by a cough.

"Faith?" Buffy says,
running to the couch. She leans over Faith, looking down, worried. Faith is
looking at her, eyes half open, a half smirk on her face.

"Oooo, Action Girl!
So forceful and commanding. I� like!" Faith says, a little weakly. Buffy looks
at her, wanting to slap her and kiss her at the same time.

" Stop it, Faith.
You're hurt!" Buffy says, concern coming out as anger, " Stop kidding
around. This is serious!"

Dawn rushes into the room,
carrying the med kit. Buffy grabs it from her, and takes it to the couch. Dawn
follows her.

Burummrummages through the
kit, looking for antiseptic and bandages. She turns to Dawn.

" Dawn, take off
Faith's blouse. We gotta have access to the wound, " Buffy says, taking
charge.

" Buffy!" Dawn
says, a little embarrassed. She blushes.

"Dawn� this is no
time for modesty. Just do it!" Buffy says, turning back to the kit.

Dawn goes to Faith, and
starts to fumble with the buttons. She's nervous, worried about Faith, but also
her own feelings are all jumbled up.

Faith, seeing that Dawn's
nervous, realizing why, smiles at her. " Dawnie, honey, don't worry.
Nothing there you haven't seen before, " She quips, trying to make Dawn
laugh. It fails, but Dawn does calm a little.
Faith helps her, arching her back so Dawn can slip the blouse off. Dawn
blushes a little, but averts her eyes and concentrates on the wound.

Dawn blanches a little. It's bloody, and angry and red. But you can see the
slayer healing already kicking in. The bleeding has stopped, and the wound
appears to be closing. Still, Dawn is a little sick, realizing how much it must
hurt.

Buffy comes over, and
looks at the wound. Her stomach does a back flip, but she keeps her face
neutral� she doesn't want to scare Dawn or Faith.

" Dawn, honey, get
some warm water and a cloth please, so I can clean the wound�ok?" Buffy says,
her tone gentler than before. She can see by Dawn's expression she's scared,
and near freaking." Don't worry, Dawn, it looks worse than it is ," Buffy
lies. Dawn goes for the water and cloth.

"That was good, Buffy"
Faith says, smiling, " Dawn was getting a lil green. "

"Shhh� don't talk,
you're hurt. I got Tara comin' to help" Buffy says, concern written all
over her face.

" Pfffft. This? God,
I've had worse than this" Faith says, trying to allay Buffy's fears� and
boasting just a little bit, " One time, I was fighting some big daddy vamp
in the Midwest, and the dude kept alligators. I had to wrestle one to get to
the vamp� and the sucker musta been a little hungry, cause he took a nip at me�
still got the scar on my calf", Faith chuckles at the memory.

"Faith, stop,
please!" Buffy says, her anxiety making her short, " you're really
hurt! You coulda been killed!" Buffy gets up, pacing, " What would I
do then?"

" But I didn't get
killed, Buffy. That's the point, " Faith says, trying to ease Buffy a
little, " We aren't exactly accountants Buffy. Our work is dangerous. We
fight, we win, and sometimes we get hurt. It's part of the job."

Buffy
is about to reply, when Dawn returns with the basin of water and towels. She
bites back her words, and takes a towel. Soaking it, she goes to Faith and
starts to clean the wound. Though she's healing fairly quickly, Faith winces a
little. It still hurts like a � well, really, really bad. Buffy is as gentle as
she can be, but it still hurts somewhat. She gets up , rinses the towel, and
seeing the blood in the water, kinda feels woozy. Not now, Buffy, don't go fainting now! She takes another towel, and starts to daub at
Faith's wound and the surrounding area, drying it.

There's
a knock at the door, and Buffy turns to Dawn.

"
Dawn, get the door please, that's probably Tara now." She turns to the med
kit, to get the antiseptic.

Dawn
puts down the basin, and answers the door. Tara is standing there, looking
concerned.

"
Hi, Dawnie, " Tara says, coming in the door. " How's Faith?".

Dawn
doesn't say anything, her expression saying it all. She's clearly worried and
upset. Tara understands, and puts an arm around her, leading her back into the
living room.

"
Don't worry, sweetie, " Tara say, calmly, " I'm sure she's gonna be
ok. Faith's a tough girl, she can take a lot" She smiles at Dawn, and Dawn
smiles back, feeling better now that Tara's here.

"
Tara! I'm glad you're here!" Buffy cries out. She looks behind her. "
Where's Willow? Isn't she here?"

"
I � I didn't wake her, Buffy. She's kinda been having trouble sleeping, lately.
First night she's slept decently, " Tara says, a tiny bit of concern
seeping through, " Anyway, thought I could handle this ok."

"I'm
glad you're here!" Buffy says.

"
Heya, Tara, " Faith calls out, " how's tricks?" she quips.

Tara
just gives her a half smile. That�s
Faith for you. She could be on her deathbed, and be making jokes about it. She walks over to Faith, looking at the wound. She
pales a little. She's not used to looking at wounds. She kneels by Faith, and gets
something out of her purse.

Buffy
in the meantime is liberally applying antiseptic to Faith's wound. As she daubs
it on, Faith is hissing a little.

" Hey, watch it blondie. That stuff really stings!" Faith says,
through gritted teeth.

"Quiet,
you big baby, " Buffy scolds her, " it's not that bad!"

"Yeah,
well, you get cut, and we'll see, ok?" Faith growls.

"
Buffy, let me put this on. It'll ease the pain, and help the healing" Tara
says. She starts to apply some greenish colored salve to the wound. Faith
sighs, as it feels better. She looks down, one eyebrow arched.

"
Hey�Tara� that stuff isn't gonna like� turn me into a frog or nothin', is
it?" Faith says, " I mean� I'm already a horny toad, don't need the
upgrade" She chuckles. Everybody but Faith kinda blush at her remark,
"Now, now, ladies. Minds out of the gutter" She quips.

"Tara,
you got anything in that bag to make Faith start acting seriously?" Buffy says,
irritated, " She's been doing this ever since we got home!". Buffy starts
to bandage Faith's wound.

"
That's just Faith, Buffy" Tara says, " She always jokes when she's
hurt. She's so worried everybody else is going to be worried, she tries to just
slough it off." Tara grins, " though, it's a good sign when the jokes
start getting a little racy. Means she's feeling better".

"Well,
yeah, " Faith says, mockingly, " but did you have to tell them that?
I was gonna goof off from work a couple of days, have 'em wait on me hand and
foot here!"

"
You're so not going to work injured, you can bet on that, girl" Buffy says,
adamantly. " But the hand and foot thing? Don't get you're hopes up!".
She finishes putting on the bandages.

"You're
such a meanie!" Faith complains. She turns to Tara, and winks, "she's
sooo bossy. I love it". She sniffs the air, and wrinkles her nose, "
What is that stuff, Tara? It stinks!"

"
Just some healing herbs and garlic and a few other things, " Tara doesn't
want to elaborate.

"Well,
swell. You just put a big damper on my sex life, let me tell you!" Faith
says. Again, the other women in the room blush. She goes on, " Yeah, I
know� what sex life? God , a nun aint so celibate as I've been lately!"
Faith looks pointedly at Buffy, who turns about 6 shades of red.

"Faith!
Dawn! Little ears, you know?" Buffy says, going over to Dawn and putting
her hands over her ears. Dawn gives her a look something a cross between
irritation and what the hell are you doing?

"Oh,
c'mon Buff, " Faith says, " Dawn's fifteen. She's probably heard lots
worse than that, for Christ's sake!"

Dawn
mumbles something under her breath.

"Yeah,
I'm fine, " Dawn says� then confesses, " No, I'm not fine, but I'll
deal, ok?"

Tara
walks over to Dawn and hugs her. Dawn
hugs her back, almost clinging to her.

"You're
really brave, Dawn. I know it hurts, honey. But� I really admire you, you know
that?" Tara says." You're doing the right thing."

"Yeah,
well, if it's so right, " Dawn complains, " why does it hurt so
bad?".

Tara
doesn't answer, she just keeps hugging Dawn. Dawn finally breaks away.

"
This love stuff sucks, " Dawn says, a little sulkily, " I wish� I
hope I never fall for anyone again!"

"
Dawn, honey, " Tara says, taking Dawn's hand, " I know it really
hurts right now, and it seems so unfair. But someday you're gonna meet the
right person, and you'll be so glad that you found them, and then you'll see
love isn't sucky at all". Tara smiles at her.

"
Like you and Willow?" Dawn says, hopefully. She thinks Tara and Willow have
the neatest love going.

"
Yeah, honey, " Tara says, not letting any of her sadness leak out, "
Like me and Willow."

Dawn
goes to Tara, and hugs her again, hard.

"
I love you , Tara, you know that, right?" Dawn says.

"Yes
honey, I know that" Tara says, smiling a big genuine smile. " I better
go now, before Willow wakes up and is worried about me" Tara says, gently
disengaging from Dawn. " Goodnight honey" She says quietly.

"
Goodnight, Tara, " Dawn says.

Dawn
watches as Tara walks away. There is
definitely a frowny, sulky expression on her face. She sighs, then, making her
best effort, she puts on the best happce sce she can.

She
walks back inside the house.

It's
4 am at the Revello drive house.

Faith
is wakened suddenly by a sharp pain from her wound.

Damn, that really is hurting! I
better get up and check it out. She starts to
move, then realizes something� there's an arm draped over her. She carefully
turns in the bed, and sees someone sleeping next to her, on top of the covers.

It's
Buffy. Her heart almost stops in her chest.

When did she get here? Faith wonders to herself. What the
hell is she doing here? She suddenly feels the
blonde slayer move a little in the bed, and af a f a sudden she's pressed up
next to Faith. Faith freezes, not wanting to move and spoil the moment.

She
suddenly doesn't care how Buffy got here. She's just enjoying the feel of Buffy
lying next to her again. She can't help it� she adores this woman, even if
she's not the same woman. She feels�so right, next to Buffy. She feels�so much
better with Buffy next to her. This
is wrong! It's so, so wrong! But I don't care!

Faith
snuggles deeper into the covers, and slowly drifts off to sleep.

To
be continued.
- 9
- 10
- 11
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Timeless Faith

Timeless Faith