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. This story, especially the characters of Chiara and Annie, was inspired by suki6662's stories A Little Letter and The Witch's Council.

A New Family
By Kristjan Brezovnik

Faith was patrolling by herself. Again. Buffy had left her several minutes ago and Faith didn't feel like going back to her motel yet. So she slowly walked around, trying to get Buffy out of her mind. She was startled out of her reverie by a scream. She started to run, trying to locate the victim before the vamp got her. She quickly noticed two people struggling and her Slayer senses immediately confirmed that one of them was a vamp. It didn't take a genius to figure out which one it was.

"Hey!" she called, distracting the vamp.

The vamp immediately noticed that she was a Slayer and he pushed the woman away, making her fall. He growled and attacked Faith. Faith sidestepped and hit him on the back. He went down and as he turned around, Faith staked him. Then she looked at the woman, who was staring at the spot where the vamp had been moments ago.

"You okay?" she asked.

The woman jerked, startled.

"What? Oh. Yes, I'm fine. Thank you."

Faith shrugged as the woman got up.

"Whatever," she said, not used to people thanking her.

"Wait!" the woman called when Faith turned around to leave.

Faith stopped and faced the woman.

"What?"

"What… What was that… thing?"

Faith hesitated for a moment, considering whether she should tell the woman the truth or make up some lame lie. She decided for the truth.

"A vampire," she said, expecting the woman to contradict her.

The woman's eyes went wide.

"Really?" she said and glanced at the spot where the dusty remains of the vamp were. "They really exist?"

"Yes."

"Wow, that's fantastic!" she said excitedly. Then she frowned. "Actually, it's not. Damn."

Faith raised an eyebrow, surprised by the woman's reaction.

"Sorry," the woman said, smiling sheepishly. "It's just that I teach folklore and mythology in college, and this is right up my alley. Though I admit I never imagined they were for real." She thought for a moment. "So, are other demons also real?"

Faith stared at her, wondering what to make of the woman.

"Yeah," she said.

"Wow. And magic?"

"Yes."

"Oh, this is so great. Can you come by my house tomorrow afternoon? I'd like you to tell me more."

"Eh…" Faith started, not really looking forward to telling some amateur about demons.

"Please?" the woman said, startling Faith.

"Okay," Faith agreed and immediately cursed herself.

The woman smiled.

"Thank you." She looked around. "Em, can you escort me home? It's not far."

Faith stared at her for a few moments and then shrugged.

"Okay."

"Thank you. I'm Chiara Giannini."

"Faith."

Chiara smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Faith."

They started walking, and Faith tried to think of a way out, but they reached Chiara's house too quickly for her to think of an excuse.

"Well, thank you again," Chiara said after she unlocked the door. "I'll see you tomorrow then. At four?"

Faith shrugged.

"Okay."

Chiara smiled.

"Okay. Good night, Faith," she said. "And be careful."

Faith almost gasped at Chiara telling her to be careful.

"Night," she said and quickly left, slightly unnerved.

As four o'clock approached the next day, Faith still wasn't sure whether she should go or not. She finally decided to go, since she had nothing better to do. When she reached Chiara's door, she took a deep breath and then rang the bell. A few moments later, Chiara opened the door.

"Hello, Faith," she said with a smile. "Come in."

Faith entered, and Chiara closed the door.

"You just moved in?" Faith asked, noticing that the house was mostly empty.

"Yes," Chiara said as she led the way to the kitchen. "The rest of the furniture should arrive within the next few days."

"Oh."

"Want some coffee?" Chiara asked when they got to the kitchen.

Faith thought for a moment.

"Do you have mocha?"

Chiara smiled.

"Sure. Sit down."

Faith sat down, and Chiara busied herself with the coffee machine.

"Okay, here we go," Chiara said when she was done. "Two mochas." She put them on the table and sat down. "I prefer mochas myself, unless I need a caffeine boost." She took a sip. "So, tell me, how long have you know about demons?"

Faith took a sip.

"A couple of months."

"Really?" Chiara said, surprised. "I thought it was longer. I mean, with the way you can fight."

Faith shrugged.

"I'm a good fighter."

Chiara nodded.

"I have no doubt about that."

Faith raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment.

"So what were you doing out so late?" she changed the topic.

"Oh." Chiara smiled. "I had been busy the whole day, cleaning up, doing the interviews at UC Sunnydale, shopping, and I just couldn't fall asleep. So I went out for a jog."

"Oh." Faith thought for a moment. "Where are you from?"

"Boston."

"Really?" Faith said, suddenly interested. "Me too."

"Really?" Chiara said and smiled. "I thought you were from Sunnydale."

"No."

"Oh. Which part?"

"South."

Chiara's eyes went wide.

"Really? Me too. Only, that was a long time ago." She sighed. "So you moved here?"

"Yeah."

"Where do you live?"

Faith frowned, suddenly wary.

"Why?"

"Oh, just curious. Sorry," Chiara said, smiling sheepishly. "So, what can you tell me about demons?"

Faith shrugged.

"Most of them are bad, some are just a minor nuisance."

"Really?" Chiara said, interested. "What do you mean?"

Faith shrugged again.

"They're like… petty thieves or something. They have jobs and stuff and they mind their own business."

"But not vampires?"

"No, they like to kill people."

"To feed, right?"

"Yeah."

"And you killed him with a wooden stake, right? That vampire yesterday."

"Yeah."

"And the cross, does it hurt them? Or the holy water?"

"Yeah. Cross doesn't kill them, but holy water can, if there's enough of it. And sunlight."

"I see."

"And they can't come into your house unless you invite them," Faith felt necessary to add.

"Really? That's good to know. What about other demons, can they come in?"

"Yes."

"Oh," Chiara said with a frown.

"Mostly they don't. Vampires are the only serious threat, the only constant threat."

"What about other demons? Don't they kill people?"

"Sure, but they don't go out of their way to do it. Unless they want to end the world."

"End the world?" Chiara said, alarmed.

"Yeah."

"You mean, cause the apocalypse?"

"Yes."

"Oh," Chiara said and took a sip, thinking. "How many apocalypses have you stopped?"

Faith shrugged.

"A few."

Chiara raised an eyebrow.

"Really? How?"

Faith shrugged again.

"By killing the demons who tried to cause them."

"Oh." She frowned. "So you do this every night? Killing demons, I mean?"

"Yeah," Faith said, wondering if she should trust the woman or not.

"Wow. It's a good thing you don't get hurt."

Faith raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.

"Listen…" Chiara wanted to continue, but the bell rang. "Excuse me."

Chiara left, and Faith took a sip, wondering what to make of the woman.

"Faith!" Chiara called a few moments later, and Faith immediately got up, worried.

"Yeah?" she asked when she got to her and saw that everything seemed to be alright.

"Can you help me, please? They've already delivered some of the furniture and I'm gonna need help with putting it together and stuff. I'll pay you, of course."

Faith raised an eyebrow and then shrugged, looking forward to getting paid for a decent job.

"Sure."

Chiara smiled.

"Thank you."

After three hours of work, Chiara was exhausted while Faith wasn't even breaking a sweat.

"How do you do that?" Chiara asked, breathing deeply.

Faith frowned.

"What?"

"That! You're not even sweating."

"Oh." Faith shrugged. "I have stamina."

Chiara smiled.

"So I see." She took a deep breath. "I think I've had enough for today. Can you come again tomorrow?"

Faith shrugged.

"Sure. When?"

"I don't know, after school?"

"I don't go to school," Faith said.

Chiara frowned.

"You don't? Why not?"

Faith shrugged.

"I dropped out."

"Why?"

"What do you care?" Faith snapped.

"I'm sorry," Chiara quickly said. "I know, I can be very curious sometimes. But still, what about your parents? Do they know?"

"I don't have any parents," Faith said and looked around, not liking the subject.

"Oh," Chiara said, her face serious. "I'm sorry."

Faith shrugged.

"Whatever."

"Do you have a place to stay?"

Faith looked at her.

"I live in a motel."

"Motel. I hope it's a decent one."

Faith shrugged.

"It's okay," she said.

Chiara sighed.

"Okay then. Can you come tomorrow morning?"

"When?"

"I don't know, at eight?"

Faith thought for a moment.

"Nine."

"Okay."

Chiara got up.

"You hungry?"

Faith stared at her for a few moments.

"Yeah," she said.

"Come, let's go to the kitchen, I'll make us some dinner."

Faith hesitated for a moment and then followed Chiara to the kitchen.

Chiara quickly whipped up something to eat, and Faith quietly observed her. She didn't know what to make of the woman. On one hand, she liked her, but on the other, she didn't trust her. It confused her.

After dinner, Chiara fetched her purse.

"Here," she said and gave Faith two bills.

Faith took them and her eyebrows went up.

"Twenty bucks?" she said, surprised.

"Sure," Chiara said with a smile, "we worked for three hours. And besides, you did save my life."

Faith stared at her for a few moments and then put away the money.

"Thanks."

Chiara smiled.

"You're welcome. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah."

"Are you going hunting tonight?"

"Yeah."

"Be careful, okay?"

Faith raised an eyebrow, wondering why the woman cared.

"I will," she said and quickly left.

"Good morning," Chiara greeted Faith with a smile the next morning.

"Morning."

"Have you eaten yet?"

Faith shrugged.

"No."

"Then let's get you fed first," Chiara said and led the way to the kitchen. "I have some food left over from breakfast. It should be enough, but I can make more, if you want."

Faith raised an eyebrow, surprised by the way Chiara was treating her. Then she saw the food and she guessed that Chiara had expected her to have breakfast here. She didn't know what to make of it.

"No, it's fine," she said and dug in.

They worked the whole day, and Chiara asked Faith about demons. Faith told her what she knew, but she didn't mention Slayers and Watchers. She even told Chiara a little about herself, which surprised her, since she still didn't trust Chiara, even though she liked her. They made a few breaks, and Chiara ordered them a couple of pizzas for lunch.

"Now I'm beat," Chiara said in the evening and sat on the floor. She looked at Faith and shook her head, smiling. "I don't believe it, you hardly broke a sweat."

Faith smiled.

"Like I said, I have stamina."

Chiara chuckled.

"That you have." She yawned. "Hungry?"

"Starving," Faith said.

"Then let's eat."

"Are you coming again tomorrow?" Chiara asked as she rummaged through her purse, searching for her wallet.

Faith shrugged.

"Sure."

"There's not much to be done, only two rooms and then we can start unpacking."

"Okay."

Chiara took a few bills from her wallet and gave them to Faith. Faith looked at them and her eyes went wide.

"You deserved it," Chiara said with a smile.

"But… But…" Faith said, never having held that much money before.

Chiara's smile widened.

"It's okay, Faith, calm down. Are you going hunting tonight?"

"Huh?" Faith said, startled. "Oh. Yes."

"Even though you've been working all day?" Chiara asked, worried.

"Yeah."

"Oh. Be careful, okay?"

"Yeah," Faith said, felling strangely good because Chiara seemed to care. "I'll see you tomorrow at nine."

Chiara smiled.

"Okay."

The next day, when Faith came to Chiara, Chiara first made her breakfast and then they went to work. They were done with the furniture by lunch, and Chiara ordered in again. After lunch, they started unpacking.

"Are these kiddy clothes?" Faith asked when she opened a box and saw a bunch of small clothes inside.

Chiara looked and smiled.

"Yes, they're Annie's clothes."

Faith frowned.

"Who's Annie?"

"My daughter. She's five."

"Oh," Faith said, having a strange feeling in her stomach like she'd been punched. "Where is she?"

"In Boston. She's staying with my friend until I get the house in order."

"Oh."

"Can you help me take her boxes to her room, please?"

They took Annie's boxes to Annie's room, where Faith opened them and Chiara put away the things.

It was late afternoon and they were just doing Chiara's room when the bell rang.

"Excuse me," Chiara said and left.

She went downstairs and opened the door.

"Mommy!" a little girl screamed and hugged her legs.

Chiara's eyes went wide.

"Annie," she said, surprised.

Annie let go of her legs and raised her hands, indicating that she wanted to be picked up. Chiara did so, and they hugged.

"I missed you, Mommy," Annie said.

"I missed you too, sweetie," Chiara said and caressed her. She looked at Monica, her best friend. "What are you two doing here?"

Monica smiled.

"She missed you and she wanted to be with you. We decided to surprise you."

Chiara smiled.

"Well, you did. Come on in."

"Wait, we have the bags in the cab."

"Oh. Hold on." Chiara turned around. "Faith!"

Faith had followed Chiara downstairs in case there was trouble or some delivery. She had witnessed the mother/daughter reunion and it made her feel strange, because her mother had never hugged her like that. She took a deep breath and approached.

"Faith, this is Annie, my daughter. And that is Monica, my best friend. Annie, Monica, this is Faith," Chiara introduced them.

"Hey," Faith said.

"Hi," Annie said, staring at her wide-eyed.

"Hello," Monica said.

"Faith, can you help Monica get the bags from the cab, please?"

Faith shrugged.

"Sure."

She followed Monica to the cab, where they took out the bags. Monica paid the cabby, and then they took the bags inside.

"How long can you stay?" Chiara asked Monica after she closed the door.

"Just overnight. I have a flight back tomorrow morning."

"Already?" Chiara said, disappointed.

"Yeah, work. Don't worry, I'll come visit."

Chiara smiled.

"You better."

Annie, who had been staring at Faith, squirmed in Chiara's arms.

"Do you want down?" Chiara asked, and Annie nodded.

Chiara put her down, and Annie went over to Faith, who stared at her curiously. Annie took her hand and led her away from Chiara and Monica. Then she motioned her to lean down. Faith frowned and leaned down. Annie cupped her ear with her little hands.

"You're special," she whispered.

"What?" Faith said, surprised, and looked at her.

Annie smiled and leaned closer.

"You're special," she whispered again.

Faith stared at her, slightly freaked.

Annie turned to her mother.

"Can I see my room now, Mommy?"

Chiara smiled.

"Sure, honey." She looked at Faith and Monica. "Can you take the bags to her room, please?"

Faith returned to the bags, and then she and Monica followed Chiara and Annie upstairs.

"This is it, honey," Chiara said when they reached Annie's room. "You like it?"

Annie nodded her head as she looked around the room, wide-eyed.

"It's great," she said, ran to her bed and bounced up and down on it.

Chiara smiled.

"Honey, Monica and I will be in the kitchen, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy."

Chiara looked at Faith.

"Can you unpack her bags, please? And show her where everything is?"

"Yeah," Faith said.

"Thank you."

Chiara and Monica left and Faith looked at Annie, who was still bouncing up and down on the bed.

"What did you mean, I was special?" she asked.

Annie stopped bouncing and looked at her. She shrugged.

"You're special."

Faith frowned.

"How?"

Annie shrugged again.

"I don't know, special."

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"How do you know?"

Annie shrugged again.

"I don't know, you feel different."

Faith looked at herself.

"Different? How?"

Annie thought for a moment.

"Brighter, stronger."

Faith frowned, wondering if Annie could feel that she was a Slayer.

"You can feel that?"

Annie nodded.

"Yes."

"Keep observations like that to yourself, okay?"

"Why?"

"Because people might want to abuse your… gift. They might even take you away from your mom."

Annie's eyes went wide.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"You won't tell, will you?"

Faith realized she had scared Annie and she felt bad about it.

"No, I won't. But you can't tell anyone I'm special either, okay?"

Annie nodded, her face serious.

"I promise." Annie thought for a moment. "So you are special?"

Faith thought for a few moments, wondering what to tell her.

"Yeah, I'm special."

Annie's eyes went wide.

"Really? Are you a superhero?"

Faith chuckled.

"Something like that, yeah."

"Do you have superpowers?"

Faith grinned.

"Yeah."

Annie's eyes widened even more.

"Really?" she asked, excited. "What kind?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"I'm faster, stronger and more accurate than other people, I heal faster and I can sense evil."

"Evil?" Annie asked, curious.

"Yeah, you know, monsters."

Annie's eyes went wide again.

"Monsters?"

"Yeah, like the ones that like to hide under people's beds."

Annie giggled.

"There are no monsters under the bed, silly."

Faith grinned.

"No, but they can be. And if I find them, I kill them."

"Really?" Annie said, her eyes wide again.

"Yeah." Faith smiled, realizing she liked the girl. "But don't worry, I made sure there are no monsters under your bed or anywhere else in the house."

"Really?"

Faith nodded.

"Really. Now, how about we unpack these bags and then I show you where your Mom put your stuff."

"Okay," Annie said and hopped off the bed.

"So, who is she?" Monica asked when she and Chiara came to the kitchen.

"Faith?" Chiara said as she busied herself with the coffee machine. "Well, she saved my life."

"Really?" Monica asked, curious.

"Yes." Chiara glanced at Monica. "And you're not gonna believe this, but vampires and other things I teach about, they're real."

Monica raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Yeah, right."

"I'm serious. I was attacked by a vampire. And when Faith stabbed him with a wooden stake, he turned into dust. I mean, you should've seen it, one moment he was there and the next he was dust."

"Are you serious?" Monica asked, reluctant to believe.

Chiara nodded.

"Fortunately they can't get into your house unless you invite them and everything else you've heard about them, it's true."

Monica stared at her for a few moments.

"Are you sure you haven't been reading Dracula too much?"

Chiara grinned and served the coffee.

"I'm serious, Monica. You don't have to believe me, just be careful and don't invite strangers into your house."

Monica chuckled.

"I never do." She thought for a moment. "So, she saved your life."

Chiara nodded and took a sip.

"Yes. Then I invited her over to tell me more about them, since I teach that stuff. And then she helped me put together the furniture and unpack."

"I see."

"She's from Boston, you know, from Southie."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Interesting."

"Yes. But she's a good kid. Reminds me of myself when I was her age."

"Really?"

Chiara nodded.

"Yes. She has no parents and she's staying at a motel. At least I have a good excuse to give her money."

"You give her money?" Monica asked, surprised.

Chiara nodded.

"Yes. I pay her for helping me."

"Oh."

"And she tells me about demons and stuff. So it's mutually profitable."

"Yeah, I guess."

After unpacking and showing Annie where her stuff was, Faith intended to give Annie the tour of the house, but Annie decided she wanted to play with her dolls and she managed to convince Faith to join her. Faith didn't feel like playing with dolls, but she had nothing else to do until Chiara needed her again. And there was the fact that she had never played with dolls before, nor with any other kid when she was Annie's age, and she was curious. So she ended up as a guest at Annie's tea party. She was so engrossed in the game that she didn't notice immediately when Chiara and Monica came to the door.

"Oh, em, hey," she said, blushing nervously, when she saw the women.

Chiara smiled.

"I see you're having a good time."

"We're having a tea party," Annie said, excited.

"Yes, I see. Faith, we're done for today, but you can stay and play with Annie, if you want. Oh, can you come tomorrow? I have some errands to run and I still have some unpacking to do and I could use someone to take care of Annie."

Faith shrugged.

"Sure." Then she frowned. "What about lunch?"

"I'll be home for lunch."

"Oh. Okay."

Chiara smiled.

"Thank you," she said and looked at Monica. "Come, let me show you to your room."

Chiara and Monica left, and Faith started to get up.

"She likes you," Annie said.

"Huh?" Faith said, surprised, and looked at her.

"Mommy, she likes you," Annie repeated.

"How do you know?" Faith asked, puzzled.

"I feel it. And you like her too." She frowned. "But you're scared."

"You can read my mind?" Faith said, worried.

Annie shook her head.

"No, I can feel how you feel."

"Oh," Faith said. "Well, don't," she said and got up.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yeah."

"Is it because of what I said?"

Faith stared at her for a few moments.

"No."

"You're lying," Annie said, obviously upset.

Faith sighed, realizing that Annie could see through her lies.

"Okay, yes, it freaks me out."

"Does that mean I'm a freak?" Annie asked on the verge of tears.

"No," Faith quickly said. "You're not a freak. You're special, like me. I just feel uncomfortable, you know? I'm not used to letting people know how I feel or people seeing through my lies." She sighed. "Look, I'll be back tomorrow, okay?"

Annie nodded.

"You're not mad at me?"

Faith smiled.

"No, I'm not mad. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay," Annie said and smiled, relieved.

Faith left, and Annie put away her dolls. Then she went to look for her mother and she found her in the guest room.

"Mommy."

Chiara turned and smiled.

"Hi, honey."

"Faith left," Annie said and raised her hands.

"Really?" Chiara said and picked her up.

Annie nodded.

"Yes. She said she'll be back tomorrow."

"Oh. Okay then."

Since it was still early, Faith went back to her motel room and lay on the bed. She thought about Annie and Chiara, and she wished she had a mother like Chiara. She knew Annie was right, she did like Chiara. She didn't trust her completely yet, but she liked her. She knew that Chiara trusted her or she wouldn't have asked her to babysit Annie. And if Annie was right, Chiara liked her as well. Sure, she'd had that feeling before, but hearing it from Annie was reassuring. And there was the bonus of Chiara not being freaked out by demons. She really hoped Chiara wasn't some spy for the Watcher's Council, the government or somebody else.

"Mommy," Annie said when Chiara tucked her in.

"Yes, honey?"

"Faith likes you."

"What?" Chiara said, startled.

"Faith likes you," Annie repeated.

"How do you know?"

Annie smiled.

"I know," she said mysteriously. "I love you, Mommy," she said and closed her eyes.

Chiara stared at her for a few moments.

"I love you too, honey," she then said and kissed her on the forehead. "Good night."

Annie was already half asleep and she didn't respond, so Chiara turned off the lamp and left, thinking about what Annie had said.

When Faith came over the next day, she was nervous. She had been thinking about what Annie had said and it scared her to think that she might be getting attached to them.

"Hello, Faith," Chiara said as she let her in.

"Hey."

"Breakfast is ready."

"Oh," Faith said, startled.

"Go on, Annie's in the kitchen."

Faith headed to the kitchen.

"Faith!" Annie said, excited.

"Hey," Faith said and found herself smiling.

"Are you gonna play with me today?"

Faith shrugged as she sat down.

"Sure."

Annie beamed.

"Cool."

Faith grinned and started to eat.

Chiara came in a few moments later.

"Here," she said and put some bank notes on the table.

Faith frowned.

"What's that for?"

"Your pay for yesterday."

"Oh," Faith said and took the money. "Are you sure you hadn't made a mistake?" she asked after she quickly counted the money.

Chiara smiled.

"No. Listen, I start my job on Monday and Annie will also go to kindergarten on Monday."

"Oh," Faith said as she put the money away.

"But you're welcome to come over in the afternoon, I'm sure Annie would love to play with you." She looked at Annie. "Wouldn't you?"

Annie nodded.

"Uh-huh."

"Okay," Faith said.

Chiara smiled.

"Okay. I have to go now. When you're done, just put the dishes in the sink. I'll see you later."

"Okay."

"Bye, Mommy," Annie said.

"Bye, Annie."

A week later, Faith was still recovering from the betrayal of Gwen Post and Buffy, and she had not visited Chiara and Annie since Friday. So she was surprised to find Chiara on her doorstep.

"Mrs G," she said, surprised, and looked past her to see if she was alone.

"Hello, Faith," Chiara said and smiled.

"How did you find me?" Faith demanded.

Chiara sighed.

"I spent the whole week calling various hotels and motels." She looked into the room. "I thought you could afford something better."

"What do you want?" Faith asked, trying to distance herself emotionally.

Chiara looked at her, curious.

"Are you okay?"

"Five by five."

Chiara chuckled.

"Now that's a phrase I haven't heard in a long time," she explained when Faith raised an eyebrow. "When I was little, there was this guy on… I forgot which street it was. Anyway, he had a candy store and he used that phrase."

"Old Joe?" Faith asked, surprised.

"Yes!" Chiara said, excited. "You know him?"

"Yeah."

"Does he still have the kids shuffle his goods and then pay them with candy?"

Faith grinned.

"Yeah."

"It used to drive his daughter crazy."

"Still does," Faith confirmed. Then her face became serious. "Why are you here?"

"Oh," Chiara said and sighed. "Well, you know Annie went to kindergarten on Monday," she started, and Faith nodded. "Well, she's been very excited to go, but when she came home, she was very agitated and she complained her head hurt. It was the same all week long. She said only you can help her."

"Me?" Faith said, surprised and confused.

"Yes."

"I can't do anything unless there are demons involved."

"I know, but Annie seems to think otherwise. Could you at least talk to her?"

Faith hesitated for a moment. She wanted to distance herself from Chiara and Annie, but she couldn't let Annie down. Or Chiara for that matter. She sighed.

"Okay."

Chiara smiled, relieved.

"Thank you. I'm picking her up in an hour, can you come then?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'll see you then."

Chiara left, and Faith stared after her for a while before she closed the door. She sighed, wishing she had a mother who would care enough to personally go to a bad part of town to get help.

One hour later, Faith went over to Chiara and Annie.

"Hey," she said when Chiara opened the door.

"Hello, Faith," Chiara said with a smile. "Come on in."

Faith entered, and Chiara closed the door.

"Where is she?"

"In the kitchen."

They went to the kitchen, and Annie's face brightened when she saw Faith.

"Faith!"

She got up, ran to Faith and hugged her.

Faith was startled by Annie's enthusiastic reaction, nobody had ever been that happy to see her. She hesitated for a moment and then caressed her.

"So, what's the problem?" she asked.

Annie let go of Faith, her eyes wide. She took Faith's hand and dragged her upstairs, Chiara shaking her head, amused, as she watched them leave.

When they go to Annie's room, Annie let go of Faith and closed the door. Then she sat on the bed, and Faith joined her.

"What's wrong?" Faith asked, worried.

"Everybody's yelling at me," Annie said, her face serious. "It makes my head hurt."

Faith frowned, puzzled.

"Yelling?" she said, and Annie nodded. "Why don't you tell them to stop?"

Annie shook her head.

"No, they're not yelling with words. And you said I shouldn't let people know that I can feel what they feel."

"Oh," Faith said, suddenly understanding. "You feel what everyone is feeling?" she asked, and Annie nodded. "All at once?"

"Yes."

"And it's making your head hurt."

"Yes."

Faith thought for a moment.

"Has that happened before?"

Annie shook her head.

"No."

"You couldn't feel other people's emotions before?"

"I could, but not that loud."

"Oh."

Faith frowned. She knew there was a word for what Annie was, but she couldn't recall it at the moment.

"Can you help me?" Annie asked, her eyes wide.

Faith swallowed. She wanted to help Annie, but she didn't know how.

"Em, I'm not really an expert."

"Please," Annie pleaded.

Faith sighed and thought. She remembered a sci-fi show that had to do with telepaths. She hoped that it would help Annie. She took a deep breath.

"Okay," she said and thought for a moment for the appropriate phrases which Annie would understand. "Well, imagine other people's emotions are snowflakes. Different shapes represent different people, different colors represent different emotions and the size of the snowflakes represents the strength of emotions. Do you understand?"

Annie frowned.

"I think so. So if you're happy, the snowflakes are white and if you're very happy, they're big."

Faith nodded, smiling.

"Yes."

"And yours look different from Mommy's."

"Yes."

Annie thought for a moment.

"Okay."

"Good. Now build yourself a house."

"A house?" Annie said, curious. "What kind of house?"

"Any kind. It can look like Barbie house, if you want."

Annie looked at her Barbie house and nodded a few moments later.

"Okay."

"Now, if you go inside and close the door and the windows, you can't hear other people's emotions anymore."

Annie frowned as she concentrated.

"Okay," she then said and smiled.

"Is it working?" Faith asked, surprised.

Annie nodded.

"Yes, I can't hear you anymore." Then she frowned. "But what if I want to hear?"

Faith thought for a moment.

"Then you go out. Or you just open a window and let just one person's emotions in."

Annie concentrated.

"It's working!" she said, excited.

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"It is?"

Annie nodded.

"Yes," she said. "Thank you."

Annie hugged her, and Faith felt strangely good because she was able to help Annie.

"No problem, kiddo," she said and hugged her back.

Annie then let go of her.

"Why don't you come over anymore?" she asked.

Faith shrugged.

"You're settled in, you don't need my help anymore," she said.

"But you could play with me. And Mommy is worried about you."

"She is?" Faith said, surprised.

Annie nodded.

"Uh-huh. And today, she was even more worried."

"Oh."

"Is everything okay?" Annie asked, worried.

Faith considered lying to her, but she knew she couldn't fool Annie. She sighed.

"No."

"Why don't you talk to Mommy, maybe she can help you."

Faith smiled, wishing it was that simple.

"I don't think she can."

"I talked to her when my head hurt. She couldn't make it stop, but she made me feel better. Maybe she can make you feel better too," Annie suggested.

Faith sighed, wishing she could open herself to Chiara, but the long years of building walls around herself and the recent betrayals and the loss of her Watcher have left their traces.

"Maybe someday," she said.

Annie nodded and then hugged her, startling her. Faith slowly hugged her back.

"Wanna play?" Annie then asked and let go of Faith.

Faith chuckled at the abrupt change of topic.

"Sure, why not?" she said.

When Chiara came to Annie's room half an hour later, Annie and Faith were engrossed in play.

"Hi, Mommy," Annie said when she noticed her.

"Hi, honey. Faith."

Faith blushed, nervous because she had been caught playing with dolls. Again. She was also puzzled that she hadn't noticed Chiara come in.

"Hey," she said.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah."

"Annie?"

Annie nodded.

"I'm okay, Faith helped me."

Chiara smiled, relieved.

"Good." She looked at Faith. "Thank you."

Faith shrugged.

"It's okay."

Chiara nodded and left, and Faith stared at the door.

"It's your turn, Faith," Annie prompted her.

"Huh?" Faith looked at Annie and then at the dolls. "Oh, right."

She shook her head. If anyone found out about this, her reputation as a tough girl would be effectively shot to pieces. Strangely, she didn't particularly care.

"Faith!" Annie said, excited, when Faith came over on Monday afternoon.

"Hey," Faith said with a smile as Annie hugged her. She caressed her. "You okay?

Annie let go of her and nodded.

"Uh-huh. I couldn't hear them yelling."

Faith smiled.

"Good."

Annie raised her hands, and Faith frowned, startled.

"She wants you to pick her up," Chiara said with a smile, and Faith glanced at her. "Go on."

Faith hesitated for a moment and then picked up Annie.

Annie smiled, happy.

"So, wanna play?" Faith asked her.

Annie nodded, excited.

"Yes."

"Then let's go upstairs."

Faith and Annie left, and Chiara stared after them, wondering who Annie couldn't hear yelling.

"Faith," Annie said while they were playing.

"Yes?" Faith said and looked at her.

"Can I tell Mommy that I can feel other people's feelings?"

Faith thought for a moment.

"Yeah, I guess so."

Annie smiled.

"Okay," she said and got up.

"Now?" Faith said, surprised.

Annie nodded.

"Uh-huh."

"Okay," Faith said and followed her.

They went downstairs and found Chiara in the living room.

"Mommy."

Chiara smiled.

"Hi, girls. What's up?"

Annie ran to her and climbed onto the sofa.

"I have a secret," Annie then said conspiratorially, making Faith chuckle.

"You do?" Chiara said, curious, and glanced at Faith.

Annie nodded.

"Uh-huh. I can feel what other people feel."

Chiara frowned.

"You can?" she asked and looked at Faith.

"Yeah. She's like a telepath, only she can't hear thoughts but emotions."

"An empath?" Chiara asked, surprised.

"Yes," Faith said, remembering the word now. "That's why her head hurt, too many emotions and too loud."

"Oh," Chiara said and looked at Annie. "But you're okay now?"

Annie nodded.

"Uh-huh. I built a house."

Chiara frowned and looked at Faith questioningly.

"A sort of barrier to protect herself from other people's emotions," Faith explained.

"Oh."

"But she can still feel, if she wants."

Chiara looked at Annie and smiled.

"You're full of surprises, aren't you," she said and ruffled her hair, causing Annie to giggle.

"Just don't tell anyone about it," Faith said.

Chiara looked at her and nodded.

"Yes, I know."

Annie looked at Faith.

"Can we go play now?"

Faith grinned.

"Sure, kiddo."

Annie got off the sofa and ran to the stairs. Faith quickly followed her, making sure she wouldn't fall. Chiara stared after them, smiling and thinking about what she had just found out.

A few weeks later, it was Christmas time and Chiara bought a Christmas tree. Faith helped decorating and she felt strange, since it had been a long time since she'd done that. But she enjoyed herself, especially as she watched Annie take charge of the decorating.

After it was done, all three stood there and admired their work. Faith had to admit it looked great and she wished she had a real home with real parents, who would buy her presents and put them under the tree for her to find in the morning.

"Are you okay, Faith?" Annie asked, having felt Faith's sad mood.

Faith looked at her and smiled.

"Yeah, just some sad thoughts."

"Oh." She looked at the tree. "Do you like it?"

Faith's smile widened.

"Oh yeah. You're a natural decorator, kiddo," she said and ruffled Annie's hair.

Annie giggled.

"Can we play now?"

"Sure."

After dinner, after Faith left and Chiara sat on the sofa, watching news, Annie came to her and climbed into her lap. Chiara smiled and caressed her.

"Everything okay?" she asked when she saw Annie's thoughtful expression.

"Can Faith be my sister?" Annie then asked, and Chiara gasped, surprised.

"Your sister?"

Annie nodded.

"Uh-huh."

Chiara stared at her for a few moments.

"Do you want her to be your sister?"

Annie nodded again.

"Uh-huh."

Chiara smiled and took a deep breath.

"I don't know, honey. I suppose, but she has to make that choice on her own. So don't ask her, okay? You'll only scare her."

Annie nodded.

"Okay."

Chiara smiled as Annie then leaned her head on her shoulder. She caressed her and then hugged her, thinking about the idea of Faith living with them as a part of their family.

"Faith," Chiara said after lunch the next day.

"Yeah?" Faith said and looked at her.

"Do you want to come over tonight? It's Christmas and we thought you'd like to spend it with us."

"Can you?" Annie added, excited.

Faith swallowed, suddenly feeling very dirty.

"I, eh, I can't," she said quietly, avoiding looking at Annie. "I've already been invited."

"Oh," Chiara said, feeling disappointed.

Faith could tell that she was disappointed and she wondered how the woman could care about her so much. She didn't look at Annie, because she didn't think she could bear the look.

"I can come tomorrow morning," she offered, desperately hoping to make it up to them.

Chiara smiled.

"Okay."

"Can we go play now?" Annie asked quietly, and Faith could tell that she was upset.

"Sure," she said, avoiding her eyes.

In the evening, after Buffy had gone off to help Angel again and left Faith with Joyce, Faith felt stupid. She had hoped to spend the entire evening with Buffy, but now she was stuck with Joyce. Sure, she liked Joyce, almost as much as she liked Chiara, but she had come because of Buffy. And now Buffy was gone. She sighed, wishing she had gone to Chiara and Annie instead.

When Faith went over to Chiara and Annie the next morning, she was nervous. She had bought them some gifts and she hoped it would make up for her not being there the previous night. She rang the bell and then nervously waited for Chiara to open.

"Good morning, Faith," Chiara said with a smile when she opened.

"Hey," Faith said. "Merry Christmas."

Chiara's smile widened.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Faith. Come on in."

Faith entered, and Chiara closed the door.

"Is Annie up yet?" Faith asked.

"No, not yet."

"Oh." Faith hesitated for a moment. "I, em, I brought you some presents."

"Really?" Chiara said, excited.

"Yeah," Faith said and wanted to give them to Chiara.

"Why don't you put them under the tree."

"Oh."

Faith went to the living room and put her presents under the tree. She noticed, surprised, that there were presents for her as well. She stared at them for a few moments and then left.

"I'm going to wake Annie," Chiara said.

"Can I come?" Faith asked.

Chiara smiled.

"Sure. Annie will be glad to see you."

They went upstairs to Annie's room, where Chiara gently shook Annie.

"Annie, honey, look who's here."

Annie mumbled something and then slowly opened her eyes.

"Faith!" she said, completely awake, when she saw Faith.

Faith smiled, relieved that Annie wasn't mad at her.

"Hey, kiddo. Merry Christmas."

Annie smiled.

"Merry Christmas to you too." Then she suddenly realized it was time for presents. "Presents!"

Faith chuckled, and Chiara smiled.

"After you get dressed," Chiara said.

Annie pouted for a moment and then quickly got off the bed, eager to get the presents.

When she got downstairs and saw the presents, Annie squealed.

"A bicycle!" she said, excited, and ran to it.

Faith and Chiara simply smiled.

"No, not in the house," Chiara quickly said when Annie got on it.

"I'll just sit," Annie said.

"Okay," Chiara allowed.

Annie sat on the bicycle for a few moments, pretending she was actually driving it.

"She'll be a menace to the neighborhood," Faith said with a grin as she watched her.

Chiara chuckled.

"Probably," she agreed. "Annie, there's more."

Annie suddenly remembered the presents and quickly got off. She looked through the presents and took those with her name. She quickly unwrapped them and examined the various clothes, the schoolbag and some crayons excitedly.

"There's another one," Faith said nervously and pointed at her presents. "The pink one."

Annie looked and then crawled over to retrieve it. She quickly tore off the paper and then her eyes went wide.

"A Malibu Barbie!" she said, excited. She looked at Faith. "You bought this?"

Faith grinned.

"No, Santa did."

Annie rolled her eyes.

"There is no Santa, silly."

Faith laughed and looked at Chiara.

"How old is she again?" she asked as Annie opened the box.

Chiara smiled and went to the tree to get the present Faith got for her. Faith watched her, hoping she would like the present.

"Oh, wow," Chiara said when she saw it was a book on demons.

Faith shrugged.

"I thought you'd like it, since you teach that stuff."

Chiara nodded.

"I do. Thank you."

"We got presents for you too," Annie said, excited, and pointed at the remaining two presents.

Faith looked, startled.

"For me?" she said, still reluctant to believe that they bought her presents.

Annie nodded, excited.

"Uh-huh."

Faith hesitated for a moment and then went to the tree and retrieved her presents. She unwrapped the first one and her eyes went wide. It was a really cool looking leather jacket.

"Is this real leather?" she asked as she checked out the jacket.

"Yes," Chiara said.

"Wow. Thanks," Faith said and put it on.

"Does it fit?"

Faith looked at her.

"Like a glove," she said and smiled.

"Good."

"I picked this one," Annie said and pointed at the last present.

Faith picked it up and tore off the paper. She gasped when she saw a beautiful knife.

"You picked this?" she asked Annie, skeptical.

Annie nodded.

"Uh-huh. Do you like it?"

Faith looked at the knife and smiled.

"I love it," she said and did a few moves.

"She figured that since you were a superhero you needed a special weapon," Chiara explained, smiling.

Faith looked at Annie and her smile widened.

"It's great, Annie," she said, and Annie beamed.

"And I made this for you," Annie said and ran to the table to retrieve a drawing. "Here," she said and gave it to Faith.

Faith looked at it and frowned. It took her a moment to figure out it represented her, Annie and Chiara.

"Your family," Annie explained, and Faith looked at her, wide-eyed.

She looked back at the drawing and she felt like crying from happiness. She'd never had a real family and now Annie was making her a part of her own family. She bit her teeth and took a deep breath to force back the tears.

"Thank you," she finally said, hoping she sounded normal.

"Faith, will you move in with us?" Annie then asked, and Faith's eyes went wide again.

"What?"

"You should move in with us."

Faith just stared at her, surprised.

"You're welcome here, Faith," Chiara agreed.

Faith did a goldfish impression and then took a deep breath.

"I… I… can't," she said and looked down.

"Nobody's forcing you," Chiara said, putting her hand on Faith's shoulder. "When you're ready, the offer still stands."

Faith looked at her with large eyes and swallowed.

"Thank you," she said, tears threatening to spill again.

Chiara smiled.

"You're welcome. Oh, will you come over for New Year's Eve? I hope I'm early enough with the invitation."

Faith nodded.

"Will you come?" Annie asked, hopeful.

Faith looked at her, hesitating.

"Okay," she said, and Annie jumped for joy, making Faith smile.

"Will you sleep over?" Chiara asked.

"Yes! Can you?" Annie asked excitedly.

Faith hesitated again and then nodded.

"Sure, why not," she said. and Annie hugged her.

Faith ruffled her hair and took a deep breath to calm down.

"Okay, kiddo," she then said, "you've seen your presents, now it's breakfast time."

Annie let go of her.

"Okay."

She went to the sofa and put away the Barbie. Chiara followed her suit and put the book on the table. Faith took off her jacket and wrapped the knife in it. Then she put it on the table, and Annie's drawing on top of it.

"Come on, girls," Chiara said, "breakfast is waiting."

Annie took Faith's hand and they followed Chiara to the kitchen.

When Faith went to bed in the evening, she first took Annie's drawing and stared at it for a while. Annie and Chiara had offered her to become a part of their family. She had always wanted a family like that, but now she was suddenly afraid. She sighed, confused, and put the drawing away.

Six days later, Faith came early as usual, but this time she brought with her her sleeping clothes. She and Annie spent most of the day watching cartoons and only took breaks when Chiara insisted upon them. They used the breaks for bicycle practice.

In the evening, they watched a late Christmas movie, and Annie managed to stay awake almost to the end. When she leaned on Faith, Faith put her arm around her and held her, realizing that Annie had effectively become her little sister.

Faith and Chiara finished watching the movie, and then Faith carefully picked up Annie and took her to bed.

"Mrs G," Faith said when they got out of her room.

"Yes?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Do you have time?"

Chiara raised an eyebrow.

"Sure. Why?"

Faith bit her lip, hesitating.

"I'd like to talk to you. About me and stuff."

Chiara smiled.

"Of course. Let's go to the living room."

"Okay."

When Faith woke up in the morning, she felt great, but it took her a moment to realize why she felt great. First of all, she felt like she had a home. Sure, she had never slept over before, but this house felt like a home to her and waking up in it felt great. And second, she had talked to Chiara about herself and Chiara actually managed to make her feel better. She decided to give Chiara's offer to permanently move in with them a serious thought.

She got up and went to the bathroom to refresh herself. Then she dressed and went downstairs.

"Morning."

Chiara looked at her and smiled.

"Morning. Happy New Year."

Faith smiled.

"Yeah." She hesitated for a moment. "About last night… Thanks."

Chiara nodded.

"I'm glad I could help."

"Yeah, me too."

"Why don't you go wake Annie."

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"Me?"

"Sure, why not?"

Faith shrugged.

"Okay."

She went upstairs to Annie's room. She quietly observed the girl for a while, thinking about just how much she meant to her. Finally, she gently shook her.

"Annie, wake up."

Annie moaned and slowly opened her eyes.

"Faith!" she said, excited, when she saw her.

Faith smiled.

"Happy New Year, kiddo."

Annie smiled.

"Happy New Year, Faith."

"Come, let's get you dressed, breakfast is waiting."

"Okay," Annie said.

As they ate the breakfast, Faith thought about how Chiara and Annie were actually her family.

Before she went on patrol that night, Faith went to Giles.

"Oh, Faith. Hello," Giles said when he opened the door and saw her.

"Hey, Giles, happy New Year."

"Yes. Happy New Year, Faith."

"Can I come in?"

"Oh, yes, of course," Giles said and stepped aside to let her in. "What can I do for you?" he asked after he closed the door.

Faith reached into her pocket and gave him a piece of paper.

"Em, if anything happens to me, could you call her and let her know?"

Giles looked at her paper.

"Who is she?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Family," she then said.

Giles looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Really? I wasn't aware…"

"We're not blood related," Faith said.

"Oh. I see."

"Look, just call her, okay? She knows about demons and stuff, and she knows I'm a Slayer. And she's clean, I had Willow check her out."

"Really?"

"Yes. Oh, and if you would keep it to yourself."

Giles stared at her for a few moments and then nodded.

"I will."

"Thanks." Faith hesitated for a moment. "I'll, eh, go on patrol now."

"Okay. Be careful."

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"I will. See you around."

Faith left, and Giles looked at the piece of paper again, wondering who the woman was.

A few months passed and things went more or less well, but then Faith nearly killed a man and it scared her. Sure, she had acted tough in front of Buffy, but she was scared out of her mind. She wished she could talk to someone and then realized that she could. She could talk to Chiara. She trusted the woman and she had talked to her before. She started running.

When she got to Chiara's house, she was relieved that there was still a light on in the kitchen. She hesitated for a moment and then rang the bell.

"Faith," Chiara said, surprised, when she opened the door and saw Faith there. She noticed the look on Faith's face and she frowned. "Come in," she said and stepped aside to let Faith enter. "What's wrong?" she asked after she locked the door.

Faith looked at her boots, nervous.

"I… I nearly killed a man tonight," she said quietly.

Chiara's eyes went wide.

"Is he okay?"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah, not a scratch."

Chiara put her arm around Faith's shoulder and gently guided her to the living room. She gestured her to sit on the sofa and then sat beside her. She took her hand into her own.

"Tell me what happened," she said softly.

Faith stiffened for a moment as she recalled the events. Then she took a deep breath.

"Remember those vamps with swords I was telling you about?"

Chiara nodded.

"Yes."

"B and I were fighting them. We killed them, but then this man came out of nowhere. B grabbed him and threw him against the wall and I was ready to stake him." She paused for a moment, trembling. "Then B noticed he was Human and I barely stopped."

They were quiet for a few moments.

"You didn't kill him, Faith," Chiara then said and gently squeezed her hand.

Faith looked at her.

"But I could have," she said, upset. "I had my stake on his chest when B warned me. I would've staked him if she hadn't."

"But you didn't, Faith."

"But what if B hadn't been there?"

"Then you would have to fight him first and you would notice that he was Human."

Faith opened her mouth to object, but she realized that Chiara was right.

"Oh."

"But you should be more careful in the future, Faith, and always wait for vampires to morph into their demon faces."

Faith nodded and sighed. She leaned back and closed her eyes, trying to calm down.

Chiara hesitated for a moment and then slowly put her arm around Faith's shoulder. Faith tensed for a moment, unused to such intimacy, but then she relaxed and leaned her head on Chiara's shoulder. Chiara smiled for a moment, glad that Faith trusted her.

She quietly held her for a while, until Faith fell asleep. It wasn't the most comfortable position, so she slowly, gently, slid Faith's head into her lap. Faith mumbled something, but she didn't wake up. Chiara looked around for something to cover Faith with, but there was nothing. She sighed and looked at Faith, wondering not for the first time how she had grown to love this wild child like she was her own daughter. She smiled for a moment and caressed her. Then she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

When Chiara woke up the next morning and checked the time, she saw that she was a bit late. She gently lifted Faith's head, but Faith woke up.

"Mrs G?" she said, startled, and looked around.

Chiara smiled.

"Good morning, Faith. How do you feel?"

Faith sat up, frowning as she remembered the previous night. Then she sighed.

"Better." She hesitated for a moment. "Thanks."

Chiara smiled again.

"You're welcome. Are you going to get up now?"

"Yeah," Faith said, got up and stretched.

"Okay. I'm a bit late today. Can you go wake up Annie? I'll get the breakfast ready."

"Sure," Faith said and went upstairs.

When she got to Annie's room, she gently shook the girl.

"Annie, wake up."

Annie slowly opened her eyes and yawned, but when she saw Faith, she was immediately awake.

"Faith!" she said, excited, and sat up, rubbing her eyes.

Faith smiled.

"Morning, kiddo."

Annie frowned as she felt the tension from Faith.

"Are you okay?" she asked, worried.

Faith smiled again.

"Yeah." She hesitated for a moment. "Something bad almost happened last night and I came here to talk to your mom. It helped."

Annie smiled.

"See? I told you it would."

Faith smiled.

"Yeah, you did," she said and ruffled her hair. "Now hurry, we have to get you dressed quickly, your mom said she's late."

"Okay," Annie said and hopped off the bed.

"Faith, do you want to go with us?" Chiara asked as they left the house. "I'll drop you two off at the kindergarten and you can take Annie in, she'll know where."

Faith shrugged.

"Sure."

"Come," Annie said, excited, and dragged her to the car.

"I'll see you later, girls," Chiara said after she dropped Faith and Annie off at the kindergarten.

"Okay," Faith said.

"Bye, Mommy!" Annie called and then dragged Faith inside.

"Bye, Annie!" Chiara called, smiling, and then drove away.

As Annie led her through the kindergarten, Faith looked around, curious.

"Mrs Chapel," Annie said when they entered the classroom.

Mrs Chapel looked and smiled.

"Good morning, Annie," she said and came closer.

"This is Faith," Annie introduced Faith proudly.

Mrs Chapel looked at her.

"Ah, so you're Annie's big sister."

"Huh?" Faith said, surprised.

She glanced at Annie, who was beaming.

"She talks about you all the time," Mrs Chapel said. "She's very fond of you."

"Oh. Yeah, I know," Faith said and smiled.

"Annie, why don't you take off your jacket and join the others."

"Okay," Annie said and let go of Faith.

Faith quietly watched Annie as she undressed, and thought about the fact that Annie thought of her as a sister.

"I'll see you later, kiddo," Faith said after Annie put away the jacket.

"Okay," Annie said with a smile. "Bye," she said and hurried to her friends.

Faith chuckled, shaking her head.

"And where is your mother?" Mrs Chapel asked.

Faith looked at her, startled, and then realized Mrs Chapel was referring to Chiara.

"Oh. She woke up late today, so I brought Annie in."

"I see."

"I'll, em, go now."

Mrs Chapel smiled.

"Okay. It was nice meeting you, Faith."

"Yeah," Faith said. "Bye."

As Faith was leaving, she thought about how differently she was treated by these strangers than by the Scooby Gang. Then again, she acted differently as well, trying to prove to the Scoobs that she was tough.

"Hello, Faith," Chiara said with a smile when Faith came over in the afternoon.

"Hi."

Chiara went to the phone and picked up a key that was lying beside it.

"Here," she said and gave it to Faith.

Faith looked at it, frowning.

"What is this?"

"It's your key."

"Huh?" Faith said, startled, and looked at Chiara.

"Your key to the house."

Faith's eyes went wide.

"This house?"

Chiara nodded, smiling.

"Yes. You know, in case you're hurt, so you don't have to wait for me to open the door. Or if I'm not at home, like in the mornings."

Faith stared at her for a few moments, surprised, and then looked at the key. It was as close to living here as she could get without actually moving in. She looked at Chiara again.

"Does… Does the offer still stand?" she asked hesitantly. "You know, about moving in?"

Chiara smiled.

"Of course."

Faith took a deep breath.

"Okay."

Chiara wanted to ask her if that meant she was moving in, but she decided not to, realizing Faith would tell her when she was ready.

"Oh, can you help me with math?" Faith then asked. "I'm having some problems."

Chiara smiled.

"Of course. Come."

As she lay in bed that night, Faith held Annie's drawing in one hand and the key to the house in the other. She stared at them, thinking about moving in. Annie already claimed she was her sister, and she had little doubt that Chiara thought of her as a daughter, no matter how strange and unlikely that sounded. And she herself already considered Annie her little sister, and Chiara was one of the few grownups she liked and the only one she had opened up to. She remembered how good it felt to wake up there, feeling like she was home.

She put away the drawing and the key, deciding to move in the next day. She smiled as she realized she was actually very excited about finally being able to call that house a home.

The next morning Faith quickly packed. She considered going there at once, but then she realized that Chiara and Annie weren't home anymore. She considered just going there and surprise them, but she decided to wait until they got home, reluctant to take the offer for granted.

When the time finally came, Faith was a nervous wreck. She had gone over to the school library to pass the time and to train a bit, but it didn't help much, her thoughts kept returning to home.

So as she stood in front of the door, she took a deep breath and rang the bell. Sure, she had the key, but she was reluctant to use it until she was officially living there.

"Faith," Chiara said with a smile when she opened the door. "It was open." Then she noticed the bag and her eyes went wide. "You've decided to move in with us?" she asked, excited.

"Yeah."

Chiara flashed a big smile.

"Great! Come in."

Faith entered, and Chiara closed the door.

"Annie is going to be so happy," Chiara said as she led the way upstairs.

Faith couldn't help but smile as she imagined the girl's reaction.

"Yeah."

They went to the room in which Faith had slept before.

"Would this room do?" Chiara asked.

Faith shrugged, surprised that Chiara was asking her that.

"Sure."

"I want you to be comfortable, Faith. If you want the other room, you can have it. Or if you want to change something here, just say it."

Faith stared at Chiara for a few moments, realizing that this was her home now. She smiled.

"No, it's okay." She looked around the room and then dropped the bag beside the bed. "But I'm gonna need a chest or something for the weapons. I don't have many at the moment, but I'm thinking about stocking up now that I live here."

Chiara smiled.

"Okay." Then she looked at Faith's bag and frowned. "Is that all you have?"

Faith glanced at the bag and shrugged, suddenly nervous.

"Yeah."

"Well then we have to get you more. Call it an early birthday present." She frowned. "Speaking of birthdays, when is yours?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"February 16."

"Really? Why didn't you say something?"

Faith shrugged.

"Didn't seem important."

"Of course it's important." Chiara thought for a moment. "Which year?"

"1982."

"Ah, so you're seventeen."

"Faith?" Annie said as she came in, having heard voices and felt Faith's emotions. "Faith!" she said, excited, when she saw her.

Faith smiled.

"Hey, kiddo. Guess what, I'm moving in."

Annie's eyes went wide.

"Really?" she said, excited.

Faith grinned and nodded.

"Yeah." She kicked her bag. "See?"

Annie squealed, ran to her and hugged her.

Faith's grin widened and she caressed her, moved by how much Annie loved her.

Chiara smiled as well, glad that Faith was happy.

"Okay, Annie, come," she said after a few moments. "Let Faith unpack. She'll come play with you later."

Annie let go of Faith.

"Need help?" she offered.

Faith smiled.

"No, I don't have much. Why don't you get the dolls ready."

"Okay," Annie said and hurried away.

Chiara chuckled as she watched her leave. Then she looked at Faith.

"This is your home now, Faith, I hope you know that."

Faith's face became serious. She nodded.

"Yeah, I know. Thanks."

Chiara smiled.

"You're welcome."

Faith hesitated for a moment and then hugged Chiara.

Chiara was startled for a moment, but then she hugged Faith back, feeling proud to have her for a daughter.

"Sorry," Faith said, embarrassed, when she let go of Chiara.

Chiara smiled and touched Faith's cheek.

"No need, Faith. You can hug me anytime."

Faith smiled a bit, feeling awkward.

"Thanks."

Chiara nodded.

"I'll be downstairs if you need me."

"Okay."

Chiara left, and Faith looked around the room, her room. Yes, she was home.

The next day, Chiara told Annie about Faith's birthday and how she planned to celebrate it. Annie was all for it. So the first thing they did on the way home was buy a cake.

When they got home, Annie ran ahead to distract Faith while Chiara took the cake in and readied it.

"Annie! Faith!" she called when everything was ready.

She stepped between the cake and the door and waited.

"Yeah?" Faith said when they arrived.

Chiara stepped aside.

"Surprise!" she and Annie cheered.

Faith's eyes went wide.

"For me?"

Chiara nodded, smiling.

"It's a belated birthday party. First, we eat the cake and then we go shopping."

"But… But…"

"No buts, Faith. I know you don't like being given things for free, but I have a good excuse. Now come, blow out the candles."

Faith looked at the cake and sighed. She wasn't used to getting things for free, but Annie and Chiara were her family now. So she supposed it was okay. She smiled and approached the cake.

"Make a wish!" Annie said.

Faith looked at her and smiled.

"I already got everything I've always wanted," she said.

"What?" Annie asked, puzzled.

"A real family," Faith said and looked at Chiara. "Thanks."

Chiara smiled, moved.

"Then think of something," she said.

Faith frowned as she tried to think of a wish. Then she remembered Buffy. She took a deep breath and blew out the candles.

After the cake, they went shopping. Faith felt a bit uncomfortable as she watched how the pile of so-called presents grew. She wasn't used to getting things for free and she didn't want Chiara to buy her things, but she relented since it was her birthday and she didn't have that many things. When they were done, they went home, and Annie and Chiara helped Faith put away everything.

"Wow," Faith said when they were done, "I don't remember ever having that many things." She looked at Chiara, who smiled. "Thanks, Mrs G."

"You're welcome, Faith."

"What does Mrs G mean?" Annie asked.

Faith looked at her with a smile.

"Mrs Giannini. Your mom."

Annie frowned.

"Why don't you call her Mommy?"

Faith blushed, nervous, and glanced at Chiara.

"I… I'm not ready for that."

Chiara nodded.

"There's no hurry, Faith, when you're ready. But you can call me Mom, if you want."

Faith smiled a bit.

"Thanks."

"Faith!" Buffy called when spotted saw Faith at the Restfield Cemetery that night.

Faith stopped and turned.

"Hey, B," she said when Buffy came closer. "What's up?"

"Where've you been? I went to your motel, but the manager said you moved out."

Faith groaned internally.

"Around. Some vamps had been looking for me, so I decided to lay low for a while."

"Oh. Do you know why?"

Faith shrugged.

"Probably thought I would be easy prey since I don't own the apartment."

"Oh. Have you found them yet?"

"A couple."

"Want me to come along?" Buffy offered.

"Sure," Faith agreed, her heart beating faster.

A few weeks later, after she thoroughly thought about it, Faith finally decided to see if she could officially become part of the family. However, it took her another few days to gather enough courage to actually confront Chiara. She waited until Annie went to bed and then went to Chiara, who was in the living room, reading.

"Em, Mrs G," she said, nervous, as she slowly approached her.

Chiara looked at her and put away the newspaper, hearing in Faith's voice that Faith wanted to talk about something serious.

"Yes?"

Faith took a deep breath and sat beside her.

"Well, em, I've been thinking and… Would you adopt me?" she quickly finished before she lost courage.

She looked at her feet, afraid to look into Chiara's face in case Chiara said no. But Chiara only smiled.

"Oh Faith," she said and hugged her. "I wanted to ask you that myself, but I didn't want to push you."

Faith was surprised, but she quickly pulled herself together and hugged Chiara back. She took a deep breath to push back the tears.

"Really?" she asked after a few moments.

Chiara nodded and let go of Faith.

"Yes. I mean, you're already family as far as Annie and me are concerned, but I wanted to make it official. You know, so you could take care of Annie in case something happened to me."

Faith nodded, relieved.

"Yeah, me too."

Chiara smiled and caressed her, noticing the fact that Faith's eyes were wet.

"I already did some research, we'll go through the papers tomorrow."

Faith smiled.

"Okay," she said, excited. She stared at Chiara for a few moments. "Thanks." She hesitated for a moment. "Mom."

Chiara's eyes went wide and her smile widened.

"Are you sure?"

Faith nodded, blushing a bit.

"Yeah."

"Oh Faith," Chiara said and hugged Faith again.

Faith hugged her back, feeling even more safe and loved than she had before.

Of course, things couldn't all go well. They knew quite a few things about the Mayor, but none of them told them how to stop him. It wasn't exactly the end of the world, but it was probably the end of Sunnydale.

"Mom," Faith said after Chiara brought Annie from kindergarten, and Annie went upstairs.

"Yes, Faith?"

"I need you and Annie to leave Sunnydale tomorrow morning."

Chiara looked at her.

"Why?"

Faith sighed.

"Remember the Mayor?"

Chiara nodded.

"Yes."

"Well, he's gonna turn into a demon tomorrow and we still don't know how to stop him."

"Oh."

"If we fail, Sunnydale is history. I want you and Annie safe so I won't have to worry about you. Please?"

Chiara sighed.

"Okay," she agreed, and Faith breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks," she said and hugged her, suddenly very afraid.

Chiara hugged her back and held her until Faith let go of her.

"How far should we go?" Chiara asked.

Faith frowned, thinking.

"I don't know, a couple of miles from Sunnydale. At least. I'll try to call you on your cell phone when things start to happen. You should take the binoculars with you and watch. You see anything unusual coming your way, get the hell out of there."

Chiara nodded.

"Okay. And call us when you kill him, okay?"

Faith smiled a little.

"Yeah," she said, glad that Chiara believed they would win.

The next day was very tense for everyone, but they had figured out how to defeat the Mayor. Faith was nervous until the very end, but when the school blew up, she knew it was over and they had won.

"You okay, B?" she asked, Buffy, who was getting up after having jumped out the window to escape explosion.

Buffy looked at her.

"Just dirty."

"Okay. Listen, I gotta go now," Faith said and left, leaving Buffy to stare after her, puzzled.

When Faith got home, she immediately dialed Chiara's cell phone.

"Faith?" Chiara asked.

"Yeah, Mom," Faith said. "We won."

"Thank god," Chiara said, relieved. "Is everyone alright? I saw an explosion."

"Yeah, I'll tell you later. You can come home now."

"Okay, we're on our way."

While she was waiting, Faith nervously paced around the kitchen. She knew Chiara and Annie were okay, but she still wanted to hug them both. It surprised her how deeply she cared for them.

When Chiara's car finally pulled up in front of the house, Faith ran outside. Chiara quickly got out of the car, and Faith hugged her.

"Everything okay?" Chiara asked, worried.

Faith nodded.

"Yeah," she said, not letting go.

Chiara smiled and caressed her.

Annie finally managed to get out of the car and she hugged them both. Faith let go of Chiara and picked her up, hugging her tightly.

Chiara smiled and then hugged them both.

A couple of weeks later, they went to Disneyland. Chiara had promised them that they will go there after the Mayor was history, and the day finally came. Annie's eyes were wide as she looked around the artificial wonderland, and Faith couldn't help but stare either. She felt a bit silly, but she didn't care, she was with her family and she was happy.

"Mommy, Mommy, look! It's Mickey!" Annie said, excited.

Chiara smiled.

"Yes. Want to get a picture?"

Annie's yes lit up.

"Can I?"

"Sure, honey."

Annie squealed, let go of Faith and Chiara and ran to Mickey. Faith kept a close eye on her.

"How about you, Faith?"

"Huh?" Faith said, startled, and looked at Chiara.

"A picture of you and Mickey."

Faith blushed.

"Nah, I'm too old."

"No, you're not. Come on, it's fun," Chiara encouraged her.

Faith looked at Annie, who was busy talking to Mickey Mouse. Then she looked around and realized that people didn't care if she made a fool of herself. She looked back at Mickey and smiled.

"Okay," she said, and Chiara smiled.

"Then go there," Chiara said, readying her camera.

Faith blushed a bit and then went to Mickey. She saw Mickey pick up Annie and she tensed for a moment, ready to run and help Annie, but then she saw that Annie was still talking excitedly and she calmed down.

After Chiara took the pictures, Mickey put Annie down again, and Annie dragged Faith on to the next thing that caught her eye. Chiara decided to give them some space so that Faith could relax and enjoy herself. She secretly took pictures.

The day passed quickly and Annie finally got tired. Faith picked her up and carried her back to the car. She sat in the back and held Annie as she fell asleep.

As they drove back home, Faith thought about the day and realized that it was the best day ever. She smiled and kissed Annie on the forehead. Annie stirred in her sleep and tried to cuddle even closer to Faith. Faith smiled and tightened her hug.

When they got home, Faith helped Chiara undress Annie, wash her up and put on her pajamas. Then they tucked her in.

"Night, sweetie," Chiara said and kissed Annie on the temple.

Annie mumbled something, already asleep, but they didn't understand it.

As they left Annie's room, Chiara yawned.

"I think I'm going to bed," she said and looked at Faith. "Are you going on patrol?"

"Yeah."

"Be careful."

"I will," Faith said. She hesitated for a moment and then hugged Chiara. "Thanks, Mom, that was the best day of my life."

Chiara hugged her back, moved.

"I'm glad," she said.

Faith let go of her and looked at her, blushing.

"I'll, em, go on patrol now," she said, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Chiara smiled.

"Okay, honey. Good night."

"Night, Mom," Faith said and left.

"Hey, B," Faith said when she met Buffy in the evening. She was positively bouncing. "Are you going on patrol?"

"Yes," Buffy said, wondering how come Faith was excited. "What's up with you?"

Faith grinned.

"I've been to Disneyland," she said.

Buffy raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"You have? When?"

"Today. It was the best!"

"Oh."

"What's wrong?" Faith asked, worried, when Buffy sighed.

"Nothing. Everything." She thought for a moment. "I've been thinking, about us."

"Yeah?" Faith said, curious.

"We've grown apart and I never even noticed it."

"Oh."

Buffy looked at Faith.

"You've noticed it?"

"It was hard not to, B."

"Oh. Sorry." She sighed. "You think we can fix that?"

"That's up to you, B. I like hanging out with you, all you have to do is give me a call or something and I'll be there. You know that."

Buffy sighed again.

"Yes, I know."

They were quiet for a few moments.

"You miss Angel?" Faith then asked.

Buffy thought for a moment.

"Yes, but not much. I mean, I still care for him, but it's over between us. I'm kinda glad he left, at least I can deal now."

"Oh."

"So, have you found a place to stay yet? I mean, you could move in with me and Mom, if you haven't."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"I have."

"Oh. You can still move in with us, at least you won't have to pay the rent."

Faith stared at Buffy for a few moments.

"I'm not paying any rent."

Buffy frowned.

"You're not? You bought a place?"

Faith grinned.

"With what? Lunch money?"

Buffy smiled for a moment.

"Well, no. I mean…"

"I moved in with someone," Faith explained.

"Oh." Buffy frowned, curious and slightly jealous. "Who?"

Faith smiled.

"Why don't you come over for dinner tomorrow and I'll show you."

"You're cooking dinner?" Buffy said, surprised.

Faith chuckled.

"I'm probably a worse cook than you."

"Hey!" Buffy said and gently slapped her on the forearm.

Faith grinned.

"What, it's true."

Buffy smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, I guess. So, where do you live?"

"Ask Giles, he has the address."

Buffy raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"He does?"

"Yeah."

Buffy thought for a moment.

"Why can't you tell me?"

Faith smiled.

"It's a surprise."

"Oh."

"You'll see tomorrow."

"Hey, B," Faith said with a smile when she opened the door and saw Buffy there.

"Hi," Buffy said, looking inside.

"Come on in."

Buffy entered and Faith closed the door.

"Hello," Chiara said as she and Annie came from the kitchen.

"Hi," Buffy said.

"Buffy, this is my mom, Chiara Giannini, and this is Annie, my baby sister."

"I'm not a baby, I'm five years old," Annie immediately protested.

Faith smiled at her.

"You'll always be my baby sister," she said.

Annie pouted, and Faith ruffled her hair affectionately. Annie stuck out her tongue, and Faith gently slapped it. Annie immediately covered her mouth and giggled.

Buffy just stared, completely surprised.

"Em, Mom, Annie, this is Buffy," Faith finished the introductions, blushing nervously.

Annie pulled on Faith's hand and then motioned her to lean over.

"She's also special," she then whispered into Faith's ear.

Faith nodded.

"Yeah, like me."

"Does she have superpowers too?" Annie asked.

"Yes, the same as me."

"Wow," Annie said and looked at Buffy, wide-eyed.

Buffy looked at Faith curiously.

"She just wanted to know if you're a Slayer like me," Faith explained.

Buffy glanced at Chiara.

"They know?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"Come, dinner's ready," Chiara said.

The three girls followed her to the kitchen, and Chiara then served food.

"So, em, how… how did you…" Buffy started.

"She saved my life from a vampire," Chiara said. "And since I teach folklore and mythology at the university, I got curious and I invited her over."

"Really?" Buffy said and looked at Faith.

"Yeah," Faith said with a smile. "And then she asked me to help her with the furniture and stuff, since she had just moved in. And then Annie came as well and I ended up coming over more or less every afternoon." She shrugged, blushing a bit. "I kinda started caring for them and they for me and I finally ended up moving in with them." She hesitated for a moment. "And then she adopted me."

"Really?" Buffy said, surprised. She smiled, glad that Faith had a real family. "That's great!"

Faith smiled, surprised by Buffy's enthusiasm.

"Yeah."

"Oh, Buffy," Chiara said, "can I visit your mother? I'd like to talk to her about, you know, raising a Slayer."

"Oh man, we're screwed," Faith said.

"Faith," Chiara chided her. "Not in front of Annie."

"Sorry," Faith said, and Buffy realized that Faith really had to care deeply for Chiara if she actually felt sorry when she was being chided.

"Yeah, sure," Buffy said. "I'll tell her." She looked at Faith. "Does anyone else know?"

"That I have a family? Just you. Well, Giles sort of knows and Willow knows that she exists, but nothing more."

"Oh. Are you gonna tell them?"

Faith shrugged, glancing at Chiara and Annie.

"Yeah, I guess." She looked at Chiara. "Giles will probably want to talk to you."

Chiara nodded.

"Yes, I've been wanting to talk to him too. Tell him to call me, okay?"

"Sure."

"Buffy," Annie spoke up.

"Yes?" Buffy said and looked at her, startled.

"Do you kill monsters too?"

Buffy stared at her for a few moments and then looked at Faith, who smiled and nodded. She looked back at Annie and smiled.

"Yes."

"Wow," Annie said, her eyes wide.

Buffy's smile widened. She decided she really liked the girl.

"So, you go to kindergarten?" she asked her.

Annie nodded.

"Uh-huh."

"Do you have fun there?"

Annie nodded and started to bubble on about the joys of kindergarten. Buffy, Faith and Chiara quietly listened to her, smiling.

"Okay, Mom, we're going on patrol now," Faith said after dinner.

"Okay, honey."

Annie ran to Faith and pulled on her arm. Faith leaned down.

"She likes you," Annie whispered into Faith's ear.

"What?" Faith said, surprised, and looked at her.

"Buffy really likes you," Annie repeated.

"Oh," Faith said and glanced at Buffy, blushing. "Okay."

Annie smiled and went back to Chiara.

"Be careful, girls," Chiara said. "Both of you."

Buffy gave her a surprised look and then nodded.

"We will, Mom," Faith said and looked at Annie. "Night, Annie."

"Night, Faith. Night, Buffy," Annie said and nodded.

Buffy smiled and waved back. Then they left.

"You okay?" Faith asked as they walked down the street and Buffy seemed to be deep in thought.

Buffy looked at her.

"What? Oh. Yes." She smiled. "I was just wandering who you were and where the real Faith was."

Faith grinned.

"I'm her twin, Faith's on vacation."

Buffy chuckled.

"Very funny." She sighed. "You've changed."

"Yes," Faith agreed.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Faith shrugged.

"You had a lot on your mind and you didn't seem to care."

"That's not true," Buffy said. "I mean, I did have a lot on my mind, but I did care. I still do."

"I know," Faith said. "But I had issues back then. I still do, I guess. Anyway, I kinda wanted to have them all for myself, you know, something that was just mine."

Buffy nodded.

"I'm glad you found a home," Buffy said with a smile.

Faith smiled back.

"Yeah, me too."

"When are you gonna tell the guys?"

Faith shrugged.

"Tomorrow, I guess." She hesitated for a moment. "You know, if I pass the GED exam next month, I can go to college this fall."

"Really?" Buffy said, surprised.

"Yeah."

"That's great," Buffy said, excited. "I'll keep my fingers crossed."

Faith smiled.

"Thanks."

"Hey," Buffy greeted Faith the next morning when she came to Giles' house.

"Hey," Faith said and looked around, noticing that everyone but Angel and Cordelia was there. She glanced at Buffy, who smiled at her encouragingly. "Em, well," she started nervously, "I have a family now."

There was a moment of stunned silence.

"You do?" Xander asked.

Faith nodded and looked at Giles.

"Remember the woman I told you to call if something happened to me?" she asked and Giles nodded. "Well, she adopted me."

"Really?" Giles said, surprised. "Really adopted or just take you in?"

"She really adopted me," Faith said, feeling proud. She looked at Willow. "That's the woman I had you check out."

"Really?" Willow said, surprised.

"Yeah."

"And she has a little sister," Buffy said. "Her name's Annie and she's so cute."

"How old is she?" Willow asked.

"Five," Faith said.

"How did you find her?" Xander asked.

"Mom?" Faith said. "I saved her from a vamp. She teaches folklore and mythology in college and she got curious. Then I helped her with furniture since she had just moved to Sunnydale, and then Annie arrived." She shrugged. "I sort of grew on them and they grew on me."

"Wow," Xander said, wishing he had run across Faith's mom. "What's her name?"

"Chiara. She's from Boston."

"Like you?"

"Yeah." Faith looked at Giles. "She said she'd like to talk to you, so if you could give her a call."

Giles nodded.

"I will."

"How long have you known her?" Willow asked.

Faith thought for a moment.

"I met her about a week before that Post bitch came to town."

"Why didn't you say something?"

Faith shrugged, nervous again.

"I didn't know what was going to happen and I wanted to have… I don't know, I wanted to have them all to myself."

"Oh. When can we meet them?"

Faith frowned.

"I don't know. I guess we could have a movie night on Friday or something."

"I'll get the movies," Xander said.

"Make sure you also get a romance or something, in case Mom lets Annie stay up longer."

"Okay," Xander said, thinking about the fact that Faith actually called Chiara Mom.

"Hello, Buffy," Chiara said with a smile when Buffy came over in the afternoon.

"Hi," Buffy said and entered.

"Faith is upstairs. She's playing with Annie."

"Okay. Oh, Mom said you can come over."

"Did she say when?"

"Right now, if you have the time. Or you can call her."

"Okay."

Buffy went upstairs to Annie's room. When she saw Faith play with Annie, she couldn't help but smile.

"Hi, Buffy," Annie said, causing Faith to look, startled.

"Hello, Annie."

"Hey," Faith said, blushing.

"That was the cutest sight I've ever seen," Buffy said as she approached them, causing Faith to blush even more.

"Wanna join us?" Annie asked.

"Sure," Buffy said and sat beside them. "You're having a tea party?"

Annie nodded.

"Uh-huh."

There was a knock on the doorframe and they all looked.

"Girls, I'm going to Mrs Summers," Chiara said.

"Okay," Faith said.

"Have fun," Chiara said and left.

Annie immediately crawled over to Faith.

"Can I tell her?" she whispered into her ear.

Faith frowned and looked at her.

"What?"

"That I'm an em… Eh…"

"Oh," Faith said, guessing what Annie was asking. She thought about it. "If you want," she said, deciding that Buffy could be trusted.

Annie crawled back to her own spot and looked at Buffy.

"I'm an em… em…"

She trailed off, frowning, and looked at Faith for help.

"Empath," Faith said.

"Empath," Annie said, nodding. "I'm an empath."

"Really?" Buffy said, surprised. She looked at Faith. "She can feel other people's emotions?"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"Faith helped me," Annie said.

Buffy looked at her, frowning.

"With what?"

"With this, empa…"

"Empathy," Faith finished when Annie trailed off.

Annie nodded.

"Yes."

"How?" Buffy asked, curious.

"She was having headaches when she was in kindergarten, sort of emotional overload. I told her to imagine that emotions were snowflakes. I told her to build a house and that when she was inside, she would be safe from other people's emotions. Unless she opened a window and let them in," Faith explained.

"Oh. And it worked?"

"Yes."

"Wow," Buffy said, impressed.

Faith looked at Annie.

"You really should keep the windows closed," she chided her.

"I do," Annie said. "Unless it has to do with someone important, like you and Mommy."

Faith smiled.

"Okay then." She got up. "Gotta pee," she said.

"Okay," Buffy said, and Faith left.

"Buffy," Annie said after Faith was gone.

"Yes?"

"Don't hurt her."

Buffy frowned, puzzled.

"Who?"

"Faith."

Buffy's frown deepened.

"Why would I hurt her?"

Annie shrugged.

"I don't know. Just don't."

Buffy raised an eyebrow.

"I won't."

"Promise?" Annie asked with large eyes.

"I promise," Buffy said.

"Good," Annie said and returned to the game.

Buffy stared at her, confused. Then she remembered that Annie was an empath and that she could probably feel what she felt for Faith. Which led her back to the question of what she felt for Faith. Sure, she felt herself drawn to Faith and she had finally acknowledged that it wasn't just the Slayer bond, it was deeper. She hadn't noticed it before because Angel was there, but now she did.

After Chiara came back, Buffy invited Faith to the movies, and Faith accepted.

"Hi, honey," Chiara said when she checked up on Annie.

"Hi, Mommy."

"Are you playing a wedding?" Chiara asked when she saw one of Annie's Barbies dressed in a wedding gown.

Annie nodded.

"Uh-huh."

Chiara frowned when she noticed that there were actually two Barbies in wedding gowns and no Ken.

"Between Barbie and… Barbie?"

Annie glanced at her.

"No, silly, between Faith and Buffy."

Chiara gasped.

"Excuse me?"

"They like each other," Annie explained.

"Well, yes, I know," Chiara said, slightly surprised by Annie's directness.

Annie undressed the two Barbies and looked at them. Then she fetched Ken and undressed him as well.

"Is something wrong?" Chiara asked when she saw Annie's puzzled expression.

"How can they have sex?" Annie asked and showed Chiara the two Barbies.

Chiara's eyes went wide from surprise. The last thing she expected from Annie was questions about sex.

"Eh, well, they can, but they can't have babies," she explained, blushing a bit.

"Because they don't have penises?"

Chiara flushed.

"Eh, one of them should have it, yes. I mean, a man and a woman can have children, but not two women. Or two men."

"Oh."

Annie stared at the naked dolls for a few moments and then started to dress them up again, apparently satisfied by the answers.

Chiara observed her for a few moments. Then she shook her head and left, deciding to have a word with Faith.

After the movies, Buffy and Faith went on patrol. They walked quietly, both enjoying the other's presence and wondering if there could be more between them than just friendship. But their contemplation was interrupted by a couple of vampires who thought that two young girls would be an easy prey.

"Well, well, what have we here," their leader said, licking his lips, obviously anticipating Buffy and Faith to scream when they saw their demon faces.

Buffy merely cocked her head.

"Two Slayers," she said and staked him.

The other vamps were so surprised that Faith managed to stake another before they finally reacted. But they had obviously not been undead for long, and the two Slayers made short work of them. Still, the excitement of slaying had them both pretty high and they were breathing heavily, especially since they ended up face to face.

They stared at one another for a few moments, and then Faith started to lean in for a kiss. Buffy was puzzled for a moment and then her mouth opened as she realized what Faith wanted. But Faith caught herself and quickly pulled back. As Faith turned away, embarrassed, Buffy suddenly realized Faith was scared. So was she, for that matter, but not of the same thing. Faith was afraid of a relationship and screwing it up, and she was afraid of being late for the relationship.

She put her hand on Faith's shoulder. When Faith turned, Buffy quickly leaned in and kissed her. She felt Faith stiffen for a moment and then respond. But the response was short as Faith caught herself again and pulled back, wide-eyed.

"What the hell was that?" she asked.

"A kiss," Buffy said, suddenly nervous.

"I know it was a kiss. Why?"

"You wanted it, didn't you?"

"Not like that."

Buffy frowned.

"Like what?"

"Like that, off-hand, for fun."

"Oh," Buffy said, blushing. "It wasn't for fun," she said and reached out to caress faith, but Faith backed off. Buffy sighed. "Look, I'm sorry if I startled you. I know you wanted to kiss me, but you backed off." She hesitated for a moment. "I love you, Faith," she then said, and Faith's eyes went wide again. "I'm just sorry I didn't figure it out sooner," Buffy continued. "I mean, I was drawn to you, but I always thought it was just our Slayer bond. I never really thought about it, because I had so much on my mind. I mean, I had ran away, I had to make up in school and I had Angel to deal with." She sighed. "I'm sorry we didn't include you more in out activities." She thought for a moment. "It wasn't until Angel left that I realized that there was maybe more than just our Slayer bond." She frowned. "I think Angel may have noticed that." She sighed again. "Anyway, I know kissing you is a bit drastic to start this speech, but when you pulled back, I was suddenly scared that if I didn't do something now, we'd never be together," she finished, blushing.

Faith just stared at her, shocked.

"You… You love me?" she asked after a few long moments.

Buffy smiled.

"Yes," she said, blushing.

Faith frowned.

"Why?"

Buffy frowned as well.

"Why what? Why do I love you?"

Faith nodded.

"Yes."

Buffy thought for a moment and then shrugged.

"I don't know. I just do. I mean, I could quote Shakespeare, if I remembered any, but it still wouldn't cover it. I can't explain it, just like I couldn't explain it with Angel. Only now it's stronger." She frowned. "And stranger. I mean, I've never thought about being with another girl," she said, blushing.

Faith stared at her for a few moments, thinking. On one hand, she was afraid of getting hurt and of screwing up, but on the other, Buffy had just confessed to her that she loved her. So she could either chicken out or grab the opportunity. She swallowed.

"I love you too," she then confessed.

Buffy's eyes went wide.

"Oh Faith!" she said and hugged her tightly.

Faith was startled for a moment, but then she hugged her back, her heart beating fast.

Buffy let go of Faith after a few moments.

"Em, do you think we could take this slow?" she then asked, nervous. "I don't want to mess it up."

Faith realized that Buffy was just as scared as se was. She smiled.

"Sure," she said, and Buffy smiled. She hesitated for a moment. "Does that mean we're officially girlfriends?"

Buffy's smile widened.

"Yes," she said and Faith smiled.

"Cool."

"So, can I kiss you now, girlfriend?"

Faith's smile widened.

"Anytime, girlfriend."

Buffy leaned in and they kissed. This kiss lasted longer than their first kiss and they were both breathless when they stopped.

"Wow," Buffy said.

Faith grinned.

"I second that. You know, for someone who's never kissed a girl before you're pretty bold."

Buffy blushed.

"Very funny. I can be less bold," she mock threatened.

"Hey, I'm not complaining," Faith said and raised her hands in surrender.

"Good," Buffy said with a smile. "So, you want me to walk you home?"

Faith grinned.

"So, you decided to be the butch in our relationship?"

Buffy slapped her on the arm.

"No, I'm quite femme, thank you. I asked because we're closer to your home than mine."

"Oh," Faith said with a grin as she massaged the spot where Buffy slapped her. "Let's go then."

Buffy smiled and took Faith's hand into her own.

"So, this is it," Faith said when they got to her house.

"Yeah."

"Do I get a goodnight kiss?"

Buffy smiled.

"Absolutely," she said and leaned in.

The kiss was a little less passionate than the last, but it still left them breathless.

"I could get used to this," Buffy said when they stopped.

Faith smiled.

"Yeah, me to. Hey, we can do it every night."

"Of course we can. And we will," Buffy said with a smile.

Faith's face became serious.

"I love you, Buffy."

Buffy smiled.

"I love you too, Faith. Good night."

"Night, Buffy."

Buffy left, and Faith stared after her for a few moments before entering.

"Mom, I'm home!" she called softly after she locked the door.

"In the kitchen!" Chiara called back.

Faith went to the kitchen, positively bouncing.

Chiara was about to start questioning her about Annie and sex when she noticed that Faith was very excited.

"Everything okay?"

Faith beamed and hugged her tightly.

"Yes," she said. "Buffy and I are together now."

"Oh," Chiara said and smiled. "Em, Faith?"

"Yeah?"

"You're crushing me."

"Oh," Faith said and quickly let go of her. "Sorry," she said, smiling sheepishly.

Chiara smiled.

"It's okay," she said and took a deep breath. "So, you and Buffy are a couple now?"

Faith nodded.

"Yes." She squirmed. "I'm so happy."

Chiara chuckled, amazed by how much Faith had changed.

"So I see." Then her face became serious. "Now, I need to talk to you about something."

"Sure," Faith said, not noticing the serious tone.

"Did you talk to Annie about sex?"

Faith's eyes went wide and she stopped smiling.

"No, she's too young for that."

"You sure?"

Faith nodded.

"Yes, I swear."

"Okay," Chiara said and sighed. "Then where did she find out about penises?"

Faith chuckled.

"She asked you about that?"

Chiara blushed.

"No. She was having a lesbian wedding, and she wanted to know how two girls can have sex."

"Oh," Faith said, blushing. Then she frowned. "You think she's gay?"

Chiara shook her head.

"No." She hesitated for a moment. "She was playing your wedding."

Faith's eyes went wide.

"Mine?"

Chiara nodded.

"Yours and Buffy's."

Faith blushed again.

"Really?"

Chiara smiled.

"Yes."

"Man, she's smart."

Chiara's smile widened.

"Yes, she is."

Faith took a deep breath.

"Listen, I'm gonna take a shower now."

"Okay."

"Night, Mom."

"Night, Faith."

"Finally," Faith said when Buffy came over the next day.

Buffy raised an eyebrow, amused.

"Finally?"

Faith blushed.

"Yeah. Annie felt that I was feeling really good and she was pestering me to tell her why. I told her I'd tell her when you came."

Buffy smiled.

"Really?"

"Yeah. She wanted me to call you, but I told her to be patient. Oh, I already told Mom."

"Is she okay with it?" Buffy asked, suddenly worried.

Faith smiled.

"Yeah. And so is Annie. Mom said she was playing our wedding."

Buffy's eyes went wide.

"Our wedding?"

"Yeah, I know. Come on, she's upstairs."

The two Slayers went upstairs.

"Buffy!" Annie said, excited, when she saw the Slayer.

Buffy smiled.

"Hi, Annie."

Annie ran to Faith.

"Tell me now, Buffy's here."

Faith smiled.

"Well, Buffy and I are together now, just like you predicted."

Annie's eyes went wide and then she squealed and hugged Faith. Faith picked her up and hugged her.

"Are you gonna have a wedding?" Annie asked when she stopped hugging Faith.

Faith blushed and looked at Buffy.

"Yes," Buffy said, and Faith's eyes went wide. "When it's legal."

Faith's face became one big smile.

"Oh Buffy," she said and hugged her with her free arm.

Buffy hugged her back.

"I love you, Faith."

"I love you too, Buffy."

They hugged for a while and Faith was happy. She had a family and she had a lover. And maybe, just maybe, she and Buffy could have a family of their own. And then her life would be complete.

The End