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

A New Dawn
By Kristjan Brezovnik

When Buffy approached one of the apartments in a dingy hotel, she felt Faith's presence and she knew she was right. She bit her teeth, her face a mask. She wanted to break down the door and barge in, but she decided to see if it was open first. To her surprise, it was. She opened it and saw Faith sitting in a lounge chair, looking through the window. And even though it was only the head that she saw, she knew it was Faith. And apparently Faith knew who came to visit.

"Hey, Buffy," she said, making no attempt to move. "I've been expecting you."

Buffy slowly approached, clenching the gun in her hand.

"Faith," she said with venom in her voice.

Faith slowly got up and faced her. Buffy wanted to say something, but the words died in her mouth when she saw Faith's belly.

"Hey," Faith said with a tired voice. She moaned as the baby kicked. "Looks like you're right on time."

Buffy stared at Faith's belly for a few moments, shocked, and then looked at Faith.

"If you think I won't kill you just because you're pregnant, you're wrong."

Faith tensed, putting her hands over her belly protectively.

"I know you're gonna kill me," she said quietly. "Just don't kill the baby."

Buffy stared at her for a few moments, torn between her wish to finally end it all and her incapacity to hurt an innocent baby, even if it was Faith's. She sighed, tired of it all.

"I won't kill the baby," she said.

Faith relaxed.

"Thanks."

She turned around and reached for the lounge chair. Buffy tensed, but she relaxed again when she saw that Faith was just turning it around.

"Are you gonna help me deliver the baby?" Faith asked after she sat down.

Buffy raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"I don't know anything about delivering a baby."

"Me neither."

Buffy thought for a few moments.

"Why didn't you go to a hospital?"

Faith shrugged.

"You wouldn't be able to kill me there."

Buffy raised an eyebrow, surprised, but she didn't comment. She looked around and saw that the apartment was as tidy as it could be, considering the building it was in. She also noticed a pile of things that looked like they could be used for delivering a baby.

"I've done some reading," Faith explained when she noticed what Buffy was staring at. "There are a couple of books there, in case you wanna find out more about it."

Buffy looked at her and finally noticed that Faith was wearing a dress instead of her trademark leather outfit. It was a strange sight, and Buffy couldn't help but think that Faith looked good in a dress. She shook her head to push that thought away.

"Who's the father?" she asked instead.

Faith shrugged.

"Beats me," she said and caressed her belly absentmindedly. She moaned again. "Damn. Maybe you're not exactly on time. Seems the baby's not in a hurry."

Buffy just stared at her. Faith gulped when she saw Buffy's look and she looked away.

Buffy looked around again and then sat down.

They sat quietly for hours. At first, Buffy carefully watched Faith, wary of a trap, but Faith didn't move. Buffy finally got bored and went to the table to get the books on delivering a baby. She quickly read through them, hoping for some useful tips. She kept glancing at Faith to make sure that Faith wouldn't try anything.

Faith finally fell asleep and when Buffy noticed that, she stared at her for a while, thinking about the past.

During the night, Faith had several nightmares, and Buffy, who slept lightly because she was near Faith, was awoken every time. She was surprised at first, but then got used to it and she listened to what Faith was saying. However, she never woke Faith up, she wanted her to suffer through the nightmares.

Faith was the first one to wake up in the morning. She noticed that Buffy was still asleep and she stared at her, thinking about the past. Tears slowly filled her eyes and she wiped them.

Just then Buffy woke up and she was immediately ready for a fight when she saw Faith's raised hand. But when Faith lowered her hand, Buffy could see that she had been crying. She relaxed a bit and stared at Faith, unused to seeing her cry.

Faith quickly looked away, feeling ashamed. She took a few deep breaths to calm down. Then she got up and Buffy got ready for a fight.

"Relax, I'm just gonna get me something to eat," Faith said, her voice tired. "Want anything?"

Buffy stared at her for a few moments and then shook her head.

"No."

Faith nodded and started toward the fridge when the baby kicked again. She moaned. Then the baby kicked again.

"Em, Buffy, I think it's time," she said and groaned. "Yep, definitely time, "she confirmed as she went down to her knees.

Buffy stared at her for a few moments. Then she put away the gun and went to the table. She spread the blanked and the pillows and prepared the water while Faith lay down.

Faith lay and tried to breath according to the instructions in one of the books.

"She's… in a hurry," she reported as the baby kept kicking.

Buffy didn't respond. She prepared everything and then kneeled between Faith's spread legs and waited. Faith had pulled her skirt up and since she didn't wear any panties in expectation of childbirth, Buffy could see her pussy. She was startled at first, she had never seen another woman's pussy before and it made her feel uncomfortable.

Faith noticed her discomfort and she looked away so as not to increase it. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, her hands clutching the blanket when the pain got too strong.

Finally, just as the sun went up, the baby decided to take pity on her mother and get out. Buffy carefully handled the baby girl, guiding her out of Faith's body. When the baby was out, Buffy wrapped her in a blanket and wiped her. Then she cut the cord. She held the baby for a while, staring at her. Faith's baby. Somehow the two words didn't go together in her world. She sighed and looked at Faith, who was staring at the baby. She hesitated for a moment and then gave the baby to Faith.

Faith gasped when she took the baby into her arms. She held her carefully and caressed her.

"Hey, baby," she whispered, tears running down her cheeks.

Buffy stared at her for a few moments, finding the whole sight strange. Years ago she would've found the sight cute, but now, it just upset her stomach. She looked away and started to clean up.

Faith held her daughter tightly, humming softly to her. And when the placenta finally came out, she knew her time was running out. She opened her eyes and watched as Buffy put the bloody towel away. She sighed and looked at her daughter.

"I love you, honey," she said and kissed her on the forehead. Then she took a deep breath and slowly got to her knees as Buffy watched her warily. "Buffy," she then spoke slowly, "I know there's no way I can make up for what I've done, but I want you to have Dawn."

Buffy gasped, surprised.

"What?"

"I want you to…"

"What did you call her?" Buffy interrupted her.

Faith gulped.

"Dawn."

Buffy stared at the baby.

"I can't bring yours back, but I can give you mine," Faith continued and offered the baby to Buffy.

Buffy stared at her, shocked. She remembered her sister and tears started to escape her eyes. She hesitated for a while and then slowly took Dawn into her arms. She carefully observed Faith, but Faith merely lowered her head and waited for Buffy to kill her. When Buffy was sure that Faith wouldn't try anything, she took a step back and looked at the baby. Dawn. She caressed her and more tears escaped from her eyes. She missed her sister so much and now she had a chance to get her back. She caressed the baby and then looked at Faith, who was motionlessly kneeling.

"Why?" she finally asked.

Faith looked at her, puzzled.

"Why what?"

"Why did you kill her?"

Faith swallowed hard, shuddering.

"It was an accident," she said quietly.

"Accident!" Buffy said, furiously. "It's always an accident! Was Professor Wirth also an accident?!"

Faith lowered her head.

"No."

Buffy stopped yelling, surprised to hear Faith admit that killing Professor Wirth wasn't an accident. She hesitated and then glanced at the baby.

"Perhaps I should accidentally let the baby fall."

Faith's head shot up.

"No!" she said, terror in her eyes. "I don't care what you do to me, just don't hurt Dawn. Please."

Buffy stared at Faith, not used to see her afraid or to hear her beg.

"I'm not you, Faith, I don't kill innocent people," she said after a few moments.

Faith lowered her head again, ashamed.

Buffy stared at her, her resolve to kill Faith faltering. When she had finally found Faith, she wanted to kill on the spot, but the fact that Faith was pregnant stopped her. So she had waited. And then Faith surprised her by naming the baby Dawn and giving it to her as a sort of substitute for her sister. Buffy knew that nothing and no one could ever replace her sister and she thought that Faith was playing her. But the terror in her eyes when she had suggested killing the baby was real. And Faith was still waiting for her to kill her.

She sighed. It was all so confusing. After everything that had happened between them, Faith killing Dawn was the worst. She'd gone after her, hunting her down, but it had still taken her two years. And now she was having second thoughts. She wanted to avenge Dawn's death, but Faith's actions kept surprising her.

She wanted to punish Faith, but she didn't want to kill her anymore. Her own lack of resolve infuriated her. She took a deep breath to calm down and then though about the situation. She knew now that the most important thing in Faith's life was her baby. Which Faith had given to her. And not only that, Faith had to stay in one place for several days in order for Willow to find her. It confused that Faith hadn't kept running to the last moment.

"Why did you stop running?" she asked.

Faith slowly looked at her and sighed.

"I'm tired of running," she said in a dead voice.

"You knew I'd find you?"

Faith nodded.

"Yes. I wanted you to find me."

"Why?"

"So we could get this over with." She glanced at the baby. "And so I could give you Dawn."

Buffy thought for a few moments.

"Don't you want to raise her yourself?"

Faith looked at the baby and sighed.

"I do, but I can't. I want her to have a normal life, not the life of a fugitive. Not that I have any idea of how to raise a baby or the means to. And I want someone decent to raise her." She looked at Buffy. "The only decent people I know are you and your mom." She hesitated for a moment. "I know my baby can't replace your Dawn, but she's the only thing that I have."

She looked away again, taking a deep breath to push back the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

Buffy stared at her, thinking. So far, everything Faith had said and done revolved around the baby. However, she still wasn't sure if Faith expected her to let her go or what. And there was only one way to find out.

She got up and took her gun. Faith tensed a bit, but she didn't move. Buffy circled her once and then stopped behind her. She pressed the barrel to the back of Faith's head and held it there for a few moments, but Faith didn't move. Buffy hesitated for a moment and then removed the gun.

"No, we'll do this differently," she said, quickly taking the clip out, her voice masking the noise. She took a knife and pressed it to Faith's neck. "You're gonna kill yourself," she said and gave her the empty gun.

Faith swallowed and took the gun. She looked at Dawn, put the gun to her temple and squeezed the trigger.

Nothing happened. Faith frowned and squeezed the trigger again. Again nothing happened. As Buffy came around, Faith looked at the handle.

"It's empty," she said and looked at Buffy, confused.

"Yes," Buffy said and took the gun.

Faith frowned.

"Aren't you gonna kill me?"

"Is that what you want?" Buffy asked as she put the clip back into the gun.

Faith opened her mouth and then closed it again. She sighed.

"It doesn't matter anymore what I want. I just want this to end. I'll do anything you want me to."

Buffy sighed. She went to the lounge chair and sat down. Faith looked down, waiting for Buffy to decide her fate. Then the baby started to cry and they both looked at her. Buffy glanced at Faith and she saw that she was worried. She sighed. She wanted Faith to pay, but she didn't want the baby to get hurt in the process.

"Pick her up," she said, and Faith looked at her, surprised. "I need to think."

Faith quickly got up and went to the table. She gently picked Dawn up and then went to the lounge chair. She sat down, tired from the labor and the kneeling, and gently rocked Dawn, cooing softly to her.

Buffy quietly watched them, trying to resolve the conflict in her mind.

An hour passed and not once did Faith look at her. It was as though she had forgotten that someone was there to kill her. Or maybe she knew and she wanted to spend her last moments with her daughter. Buffy found the whole concept of Faith as a mother strange. And while she had to admit that Faith looked cute with the baby and that she could actually be gentle and loving to somebody, the pain of losing her sister, because of an accident no less, was still there.

She didn't want to kill Faith any more, but she still wanted to punish her. And she knew exactly how. Faith wanted to raise her baby, but she was afraid to. However, she had no intention of letting the baby on her own with Faith.

"I want you to raise your baby."

Faith looked at her, panic in her eyes.

"Me? But… But… I mean, I'm a murderer, I'm not exactly up for the Mother of the Year Award. And how? I don't have any education or a job." She frowned. "Don't you want her?"

Buffy looked at the baby, who was sleeping in Faith's arms after having been fed. Did she want the baby? She knew the baby couldn't replace her sister, but did she want her as… As what? Her daughter? She sighed. She had no idea how she felt toward the baby.

"I do," she said.

Faith frowned, puzzled.

"I don't understand," she said.

Buffy thought for a few moments.

"You're gonna come with me."

Faith's eyes went wide.

"What?"

"You're gonna come with me," Buffy repeated. "You're gonna get education and a job and you're gonna raise that baby." She paused. "And when she's ten, you're gonna tell her what you've done."

Faith stared at her, shocked.

"But… But…"

Buffy smiled coldly.

"You thought I'd make it easy for you, didn't you? But I don't want to have to tell her someday that I killed her mother. Oh no. Instead, you're gonna tell her that you killed my sister. And Finch. And Professor Wirth."

Faith swallowed hard, tears welling up in her eyes. She looked at Dawn and caressed her. Then she looked back at Buffy.

"I will."

Ten years later.

"Happy birthday, honey," Buffy said.

"Thanks, Mom," Dawn said and hugged Buffy.

"Happy birthday," Faith said when they stopped hugging.

"Thanks, Mother," Dawn said and hugged her as well.

"Okay, the cake."

Dawn smiled widely and they went to the table. Dawn thought for a moment as she made a wish and then blew out the candles.

Buffy and Faith clapped.

"Okay, make the first cut," Buffy said and handed Dawn the knife.

Dawn cut the cake and the gave the knife back to Buffy, who continued to cut it.

"Okay, your presents," Faith said and reached to get hers.

"Thanks, Mother," Dawn said as she received it. She opened it. "Oh, wow!" she said she saw it was a dress she'd wanted. "Thanks!" she said and hugged Faith, who smiled.

"Okay, my present now," Buffy said as she stopped cutting the cake for a few moments and gave Dawn her present.

Dawn opened it.

"Prada!" she looked at Buffy. "This is Prada, right?"

"Yes," Buffy said, smiling, and resumed cutting the cake.

"Wow! I got a Prada bag!" Dawn told her friends.

While Dawn received presents from her friends, Faith and Buffy cut the cake and served it.

"Be careful with the cake," Buffy then warned them.

"We will," Dawn said and Buffy and Faith left.

"Mom? Mother?" Dawn said as she came onto the veranda after her friends left.

The women looked at her, Faith leaning against Buffy.

"Hey, honey," Faith said. "Are they gone?"

"Yeah," Dawn said and sat beside Faith, who caressed her.

Faith took a deep breath, her face suddenly becoming serious.

"Honey, there's something I need to tell you," she said.

"Faith?" Buffy asked, noticing how tense Faith had suddenly become.

Faith looked at her, a sad look in her eyes.

"It's her tenth birthday," she said.

Suddenly Buffy realized what Faith wanted to tell Dawn.

"Oh Faith, you don't have to."

Faith smiled sadly.

"I have to. I promised."

"Faith…"

"I promised, Buffy."

Tears came into Buffy's eyes and she nodded.

"Okay," she said and gently squeezed Faith's hand.

"Mother?" Dawn said, worried.

Faith looked at her and caressed her.

"When you were born, I was at the lowest point in my life," she started, looking into the distance. "My childhood wasn't much of a childhood. In fact, the first good thing that happened to me was when I was called. My first Watcher was… She was the first that cared about me. But I let her down and a vampire killed her. I ran to Sunnydale, but he found me. If it weren't for Buffy, I'd be dead now." She sighed. "Anyway, long story short, things were relatively okay for a while, but then I accidentally… killed a man." She glanced at Dawn, who was staring at her, open-mouthed. She gulped and continued. "I couldn't deal. After that, things went downhill. Buffy tried to help me, but I didn't trust her. I sided with the Mayor and betrayed all of my friends. The Mayor, in spite of the fact that he was evil and crazy, he cared for me in a way and I did anything he asked of me." She paused for a moment. "Including killing. He told me to kill a professor and I did." She gulped again. "It went so bad and I made Buffy so mad that she stabbed me." She took a deep breath and wiped the stray tears that managed to escape from her eyes. "I fell in coma for eight months. After I woke up, I found out that Buffy had a new boyfriend and I was furious." She swallowed hard. "I got reckless and I… I… accidentally killed Buffy's sister. Dawn. I… I named you after her." She took another deep breath. "I ran away, and Buffy went after me," she quickly continued before she broke down. "I ran for two years and I got pregnant along the way. By the time it was time to give birth to you, I didn't want to run anymore. I found a place and waited for Buffy. She found me and helped me deliver you. I expected her to kill me after that, but she didn't. She made me clean up my act and raise you. And I promised that I would tell you about my past on your tenth birthday."

Faith then sobbed for a moment, but she quickly regained control. She stared at her hands, afraid of Dawn's reaction.

Dawn stared at Faith for a while, shocked. Then she looked at Buffy to see if it was true. The look in Buffy's eyes told her it was. She looked at Faith, who was still staring at her hands.

"I… I need to think about it," she then said, and left.

When she was gone, Faith burst into tears. Buffy hugged her and quietly held her.

In her room, Dawn lay on her bed, thinking about what her mother had told her. It was shocking. Sure, she knew that her mother was a Slayer, but she had never thought that she had killed someone. And not just someone but her mom's sister. And she had never imagined that her mom could stab anyone much less her mother. Hell, she had never imagined that either of them could do anything wrong, they were both such nice people.

After a while, when Faith calmed down a bit, Buffy took her to their bedroom to rest.

"Want me to stay?" she asked softly as she caressed Faith.

Faith thought about it for a few moments.

"No, it's okay," she then said quietly.

"Are you sure?"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah."

"Okay," Buff said and kissed her on the temple. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to come to me."

Faith nodded again.

"I won't."

Buffy smiled softly.

"Good. I love you," she said.

Faith smiled back sadly.

"I love you too."

"I'll see you later then," Buffy said and caressed her again.

Faith nodded and she left.

After refreshing herself in the bathroom, Buffy went to Dawn's room. She knocked gently and then waited. When there was no response for a while, she turned around to leave.

"Come," finally came a muffled voice from inside.

Buffy entered. She noticed that Dawn was lying on the bed, cuddled up like a fetus. She smiled at her when she saw that Dawn was looking at her. She approached the bed and sat down.

"You okay?" she asked Dawn and caressed her.

Dawn sighed.

"I'm confused," she said.

"I know. But you have to understand one thing, she didn't want to hurt you. She told you this because she felt guilty over what she has done and because she promised that she would tell you." She thought for a moment. "Back then, I wanted you to hate her for it, but not anymore."

Dawn thought about it.

"I don't get it," she finally said. "She killed your sister and now you're together. I mean, I've never noticed that you used to hate one another."

Buffy smiled.

"I know." She thought for a moment. "After she had killed Dawn, I was furious. After everything that she'd done, I was still willing to help her, but not after she killed Dawn. I dropped everything and hunted her down. It took me two years." She sighed. "And when I found her, she was pregnant. I didn't want to kill the baby, you, so I waited. I helped her deliver you." She paused to think. "I don't know what I expected from her when I finally found her. I thought she'd mock me, we'd fight and I'd kill her. But her actions, and her words, surprised me. And after she finally delivered you, I suddenly didn't want to kill her anymore. But I still wanted her to pay for what she'd done. I even tested her to see if she was serious."

"How?" Dawn asked.

"I gave her the gun and told her to kill herself. She pulled the trigger without hesitation. Twice."

Dawn frowned.

"But she's still alive."

Buffy nodded.

"I took the clip out."

"Oh."

Buffy took a deep breath.

"I knew you were the most important thing in her life. She wanted to give you to me in exchange for Dawn." She sighed. "I also found out that she was afraid of taking care of you and that you would always remind her of what she'd done." She frowned as a thought struck her. "I think that's why she's so hard on you sometimes."

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked, puzzled.

"I think she subconsciously wants you to hate her. She still has nightmares about what she's done. But don't ever doubt that she loves you. We both do."

Dawn nodded.

"I know."

Buffy smiled.

"I've forgiven her for what she has done, but she's still trying to forgive herself. Don't be too hard on her, okay?"

Dawn sighed.

"Yeah." She thought for a moment. "So how come you're together now?"

Buffy smiled.

"It took me a while to forgive her, but when I finally did, I found myself falling in love with her again."

"Again?" Dawn asked, her eyebrow raised.

Buffy nodded, smiling.

"Yes. It took me a while to acknowledge the fact that I was in love with her and even longer to acknowledge that I've been in love with her before."

"You didn't know?"

Buffy chuckled.

"I felt attracted to her, but I thought it was just the Slayer bond. And I had too many things on my mind back then to actually give it a thought."

"Oh."

Buffy caressed Dawn.

"You should talk to her later. Right now she's afraid you hate her. She feels she deserves it, but she also desperately wants you to love her."

Dawn nodded.

"I will."

Buffy smiled.

"I think I better get some ice cream," she said and Dawn chuckled. "I love you, honey," she said and kissed her on the temple.

"I love you too, Mom."

Buffy smiled and left.

When Faith finally calmed down a bit, she got up and went to the bathroom to freshen up. And when she opened the door to get out, she saw Dawn was about to enter. Faith's eyes went wide for a moment and then she looked down.

Dawn stared at her mother for a few moments. She knew her mother as very open and definitely not shy. To see her nervous and scared like that was a new experience. She quickly though about what she had been told. It was a lot to digest, but she found that she still loved her mother, in spite of her past. She stepped closer and Faith looked at her, fear in her eyes. Dawn smiled and hugged Faith.

"I still love you, Mother," she said.

Faith burst into tears. She fell to her knees and hugged Dawn back.

"I love you too, honey. So much," she said, hugging her tightly.

They remained like that for a few moments. Buffy, who had come upstairs to check on her family, smiled when she saw them hugging. She came closer, kneeled behind Dawn and hugged them both.

"Anyone up for some ice cream?" she asked after a minute or so.

Faith chuckled, and Dawn smiled.

"Yeah," Dawn said and let go of Faith.

They broke the hug and Dawn and Faith looked at Buffy, who smiled.

"I got lots of it," she said. "And looks like we're gonna need it."

"Thanks, Mom," Dawn said and ran downstairs.

Buffy and Faith stared after her until she was gone. Buffy then looked at Faith.

"You okay?" she asked, still worried.

Faith looked at her and smiled.

"Yeah," she said and took a deep breath. "I'm fine."

Buffy smiled.

"Then let's go downstairs. We don't want Dawn to eat all of it."

"I thought you said you got a lot of it."

"I did. But you know Dawn and ice cream. Ice cream doesn't stand a chance."

Faith chuckled.

"Then we better hurry."

"Yeah." Buffy leaned closer to Faith and kissed her. "I love you."

Faith smiled.

"I love you too," she said and then they went downstairs.

The End