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.

Choosing Your Destiny
By Kristjan Brezovnik

The day after they got to LA after Sunnydale was destroyed, everyone felt a bit better, at least physically. The death of Anya, as well as of other Potentials was still fresh on their minds. Everyone had something to do and Faith felt a little left out. She talked to Wood and Angel a little, but she spent most of the time thinking. Her favorite place was on the roof, sitting on the wall, her legs dangling over the edge.

"Faith?" Buffy interrupted one of her thinking sessions.

Faith glanced at her.

"Yeah?"

"You're not planning on jumping, are you?"

Faith smiled a little.

"No."

She turned ninety degrees and straddled the wall.

Buffy joined her.

"You're… pensive lately."

Faith sighed, looking down at the road.

"Just thinking."

"Happy thoughts?"

"Sort of." She looked at Buffy, hesitating. "Do you want me to go back to jail?"

"Do you want to?"

Faith stared at her for a few moments and then looked away.

"I actually felt safe there," she admitted.

"In jail?" Buffy asked, surprised.

"Yes. There was… order. I knew what I had to do and when. And I knew I belonged there." She thought for a moment. "But now, after I've fought the First…" She looked at Buffy. "I wanna be a Slayer."

Buffy nodded.

"I don't want you to go back either. I can see you've changed. I'll tell Willow to clear your record."

"Thanks." Faith thought for a moment. "What are you gonna do now?"

Buffy shrugged.

"First, I'm gonna take a break and then I'm going back to college."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"How did you decide what you wanna study?"

"I wanted something that would help me with slaying." She smiled. "It also helped with high school kids."

Faith smiled back.

"I'm surprised you didn't just stake them."

"Trust me, sometimes I wanted to." She thought for a moment. "And what are you gonna do? Beside slaying, I mean."

Faith shrugged.

"I don't know. That's the problem."

"You could get a job at Angel's."

"He offered, but it's not really something I want to do."

"Oh." Buffy thought for a moment. "You know what's funny?"

"What?"

"When I found out that I wasn't the only Slayer, I felt… threatened, like I was being cheated out of my… Well, birthright or something. But I got used to that. In fact, I kinda liked having a sister Slayer. But now that there's thousands of Slayers… I feel kinda free, you know? Like a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders. But I also feel… guilty for thrusting that responsibility on so many girls."

"Yeah," Faith agreed. She thought for a moment. "Do you have any idea how many Slayers there are?"

"No, but I'm guessing a lot. I heard some were only seven."

"What?" Faith said, shocked.

"Yeah, I know."

"What's gonna happen to them?"

"I don't know. I'm guessing they're gonna get trained."

"And sent out?"

"I hope not."

Faith leaned back on the wall, thinking.

After a while, Willow came up to get Buffy. A couple of minutes later, Faith went downstairs as well. She looked for Giles and found him talking to Wesley.

"Faith," Wesley said when he saw her.

"Hey," Faith said. "Am I disturbing?"

"No, no."

"Uh, I need to talk to Giles. Alone."

"Yes, of course," Wesley said and left.

"Is something wrong?" Giles asked when Wesley was gone.

"No, not really. I was just thinking. What's gonna happen to the new Slayers?"

"Well, they're going to be trained."

"Are you planning on sending them out?"

"After they've been trained, yes."

"So you don't have a plan yet?"

"No, not really. We're still trying to figure out how many Slayers there are and how to go about their training. We're a little short on personnel right now."

"Buffy said that some Slayers were only seven years old."

"Yes."

"What's gonna happened to them?"

"Well, they will be trained, but I don't think they'll be fighting any demons until they're at least fifteen or sixteen."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"I wanna help."

"Of course. What did you have in mind?"

Faith thought for a moment.

"I wanna help train the Slayers, especially the little ones."

"That's a wonderful idea."

"And I was thinking we could have camps."

"Camps?"

"Like summer camps. Where Slayers could meet, compare notes and train together. And we could include the little ones too."

"Yes, I was thinking about that."

"Cool. I could be, like, a counselor there or something."

"Well, uh, it would be helpful if you had at least finished high school," Giles said. "It would make the other Watchers feel more at ease. Not to mention the children's parents. A degree would be good too."

Faith made a face.

"Oh." She thought for a moment. "But I can still help, even if I don't have a degree yet?"

"Yes, of course."

"Good. I'll make a plan then."

"Very well. Let me know if you need any help."

"Okay. Thanks."

Faith left. She finally felt like she had a goal in her life, like maybe she had found her place.

"Hey, Faith," Dawn said as she ran into her.

"Hey," Faith said and smiled. "Have you seen Angel or Cordelia?"

"Angel's downstairs and Cordelia's out."

"Okay, thanks."

"No… Oh, there's Cordelia."

Faith turned and saw Cordelia come in. She went to her.

"Cordelia."

Cordelia stopped.

"What?"

"How good are you with computers?"

Cordelia frowned.

"I'm not Willow, but I get around."

"Cool. You think you could show me? The last time I used a computer, I played games."

Cordelia raised an eyebrow.

"You wanna learn something?"

Faith smiled.

"Surprising, isn't it?"

"Yes. I'll see if I can fit you in my tight schedule."

Faith grinned.

"Thanks."

Faith then went to the basement to talk to Angel.

Angel was practicing, so Faith quietly stood and watched.

"Faith," Angel said when he was done.

"Hey."

"What's up?"

"Well, I thought about the job. I don't wanna do that for the rest of my life, but I could use a paying job while I go to college."

Angel raised an eyebrow.

"You wanna go to college?"

"Yeah. Giles said I could use a degree, if I wanted to help train the new Slayers."

"I see."

"Just don't tell anyone about it, you know how they'd get."

"Okay."

Faith thought for a moment.

"I could use a place to stay as well. At least for a while."

"No problem."

"Thanks. I talked Cordelia into giving me computer lessons, so I can look around the internet and get the info I need."

"What do you plan to major in?"

Faith shrugged.

"Something to do with teaching kids, I guess." She frowned, thinking. "And I could use that for my paying job."

"Helping kids?"

"Yeah."

"I know someone who runs a shelter for kids. She could show you what she does."

"Cool. Thanks."

Angel smiled a little.

"You look like you finally have a goal."

Faith blushed a little.

"Yeah."

"How does it feel?"

"Fucking great."

"You're gonna have to avoid swearing around kids."

Faith groaned.

"I know." She took deep breath. "Thanks, Angel. For everything."

Angel nodded.

"You're welcome."

On the day the new Slayers were to arrive to the camp one year later, Faith stayed out of sight at first, watching the girls arrive. Some were teenagers, but some were preteens, probably just starting school. She felt sad for the young ones, for being forced to carry the burden of being Slayers at such a young age. She was determined to make it easy for them and not trouble them with the future. She hoped the Watchers who would be holding their other classes won't pressure them too much.

When she saw that the older ones would soon be done checking in, she went to the older girls' cabin and started to read a comic. A couple of minutes later, the first girl arrived.

"Oh, hey. I thought I was the first," she said.

"Hey," Faith said.

"I'm Danielle."

"Faith."

Danielle looked around.

"Where do I crash?"

"Anywhere."

"Cool," Danielle said and picked a bed. "Do you know how many of us are there?"

"Total or here?"

"Here."

"Twelve teenagers and eighteen preteens."

"Oh. Wow. Do you know how many there are total?"

"No."

"Is every new Slayer going to this kind of camp?"

"Those that the Watchers know of."

"Oh."

Then two more girls came in. Danielle immediately chatted them up, so Faith returned to her comic and listened to what the new Slayers had to say, how they felt about being Slayers. As she had expected, some of the girls liked being Slayers, it made them more self-assured, but some of them didn't like the additional responsibility and the danger.

"Excuse me," finally one of the Slayers said, and everyone looked at her. "There's thirteen of us, but only twelve beds."

Faith took a deep breath.

"That's because I'm not staying here," she said. Everyone looked at her. "I'll be your trainer."

"You were spying on us?" one of the Slayers who didn't like being a Slayer asked.

Faith smiled.

"No, just trying to find out how you feel about being Slayers."

"Why?"

"So I’ll know how to go about teaching you." She looked around. "I was told that you've all had a Watcher for about a year now, so I'm guessing they all gave you the speech."

"Speech?" Danielle asked.

"Yeah, about how the Slayers came to be and about duty and yadda, yadda, yadda."

"Oh."

"Yeah, they can be all holier than thou and stuffy. At least the old ones were, I hope the new ones are better." She thought for a moment. "Well, I know classes aren't supposed to start until tomorrow, but I'll give you your first lesson today. So, lesson number one, regardless of what they told you, you choose your destiny, not them. So if any of you don't want to be Slayers, you don't have to be."

"It's not like we have much of a choice."

"Of course you have a choice. Just because you have Slayer powers doesn't mean you have to go out and fight demons and stuff."

"But…"

"But nothing. Your body, your life, your destiny. It's your choice to fight demons. I got… I know people who fight demons and aren't Slayers. You wonder why? Because it's the right thing." She paused, thinking about her words, finding it slightly ironic that she was the one telling the girls that. "Anyway, think about it. I'm going to the little ones now and then I'll be by the lake reading this comic. If any of you wants to talk to me, you can find me there." She thought for a moment. "And you can come talk to me anytime you want."

She headed to the door.

"What are you?" one of the Slayers asked.

Faith looked at her.

"Can't you tell?"

"Tell what?"

"Did you feel anything when you came here?"

The girl frowned.

"Yeah, I think. It was like a… like a…"

"A buzz," another girl said.

"Yes."

"That's because you felt the presence of other Slayers," Faith explained.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Demons feel differently."

The girl concentrated.

"You're a Slayer?"

"Yes."

"How come you're teaching us?"

Faith smiled.

"Because I choose to." She looked around. "I go out and fight demons, but I do it because I choose to, not because some stuffy Watcher says I have to." She hesitated for a moment. "I'm sure your Watchers might have mentioned me, and if not, they will." She went to the door. "Oh yeah," she said turning around. "Don't trust them."

"Who?" another girl asked.

"Your Watchers."

"Why not?"

"Because you don't know them. They might earn your trust some day, but until you do, question their motives."

"Do you trust your Watcher?"

"I don't have a Watcher."

"Why not?"

"One got killed, one got fired, and one betrayed me and ended up dead when she tried to take over the world. Sort of."

"Oh. Sorry."

Faith thought for a moment.

"Look, I know not all Watchers are bad. My first Watcher was one hell of a lady, so is Mr Giles, you're gonna meet him." She smiled. "But don't take my word for it."

"Why should we trust you?" a girl asked.

Faith grinned.

"I didn't say you should."

Faith winked at them and left.

She headed for the little girls' cabin, which was bigger. When she entered, she saw a couple of Watchers helping the girls. She sat at one of the tables and waited for them to finish. She quietly watched the girls. Most of them seemed excited, some more than others, and some seemed frightened. She knew she'd have to go differently about teaching them and she hoped that she wouldn't mess it up.

When she saw that the girls were all settled in, she asked the Watchers to leave.

"Okay, girls, gather round!" she called when they were gone. She sat up on the table so she was higher. "Just sit wherever you want, on the beds, the benches, even the tables, if you want to." She looked around. "Just try to be all in front of me." She smiled softly, she hoped, and waited for the girls to sit down. "Hi, I'm Faith," she said. "I'll be training you while you're here and we'll do stuff together."

"What stuff?" one of the girls asked.

Faith smiled at her.

"Lots of stuff. You can make a list and I'll try to organize it. Can any of you swim?" A couple of hands went up. "Well, I can teach you." She looked around. "And those of you that can swim can help the others." She smiled again. "Anyway…"

"You're a Slayer," one of the girls said.

Faith looked at her, startled.

"Yes. How do you know?"

"You feel like the others."

"Others?"

"Them," the girl said and waved around.

Faith smiled.

"Yes, exactly. We Slayers can feel one another. We can also feel monsters."

"Really?" the girl said, wide-eyed.

"Yes, but they feel differently."

"You mean demons?" another girl asked.

Faith looked at her.

"Yes."

"Do we really have to fight monsters?" yet another girl asked.

Faith smiled at her.

"No."

The girl frowned, surprised.

"But my Watcher said I have to," she said, confused.

Faith sighed.

"Looks like lesson number one is very popular today," she said more to herself than to the girls. She smiled a little. "You're not even teenagers yet and not even the Watchers will let you fight monsters. I've made them agree that no Slayer will have to fight demons before her sixteenth birthday, regardless of how long she has been training, and even then not without supervision at first. For example, some of you are barely seven years old, the others are almost twelve. Neither of you will have to go out and fight demons until you're sixteen and after that, well, it's you choice. You see, just because you're Slayers doesn't mean you have to go out and fight demons. It's your body, your life, your destiny and nobody can choose your destiny for you. In fact, if you don't want to be here, you can go home, no matter what your Watchers say. And you can always come talk to me if you're not sure about something or confused about what your Watchers tell you. In fact, as soon as I get me a cell phone, I'll give you my number, so you can call me anytime you like.” She smiled. “Now, today's your free day, so I suggest you think about what I've said, maybe talk to the older girls about it, or among yourselves. Of course, you can also come to me, I'll be at the lake for a while. And you can look around and get to know one another. And don't forget that list of stuff you want to do or maybe want to learn." She got up. "I hope you'll have a fun time here, in spite of those stuffy Watchers."

"Will you teach us how to fight?" a girl asked.

"Yes. Of course, first, I'll teach you how to defend yourself. You can't fight demons if you don't know how to protect yourself." She thought for a moment. "And you need to learn how to use your Slayer strength responsibly."

"How?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure you get mad sometimes, probably at your brothers or sisters, or at the other kids in school. You're pretty strong now and if you get mad and hit someone, you could really hurt them, so you need to learn to hold back."

"Oh."

Faith smiled.

"Well, think about everything I've said. I don't know if everyone can write, so why don't you just make a list together and the older girls can write it down. In fact, you could make a couple of smaller groups, the older girls writing down stuff for the younger girls, and then you can compare notes and make one list. You can then give it to me tomorrow and we'll go through it. And don't forget, if you want to talk, you can come to me anytime, even in the middle of the night." She smiled again. "I'll see you later."

She got up and went to the door. When she looked back before leaving, she saw the girls slowly gathering up. She smiled and left.

After about an hour, the first girl approached her. Faith noticed her standing nervously a few steps away from her. She put away her comic and smiled at her.

"Hey."

"Hi," the girl said. "I'm Bonita. Whatcha reading?"

Faith showed her the comic.

"X-Men."

"I like Ewoks. I got all the comics and all the movies and cartoons."

Faith smiled again.

"I'm not much of a Star Wars fan."

"Star Wars?" Bonita said, startled.

"Yeah. You know, Luke Skywalker and the Jedi."

Bonita's eyes went wide.

"There's more?"

Faith chuckled.

"Plenty more. Movies, comics and a shitload of books."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Cool." Bonita hesitated for a moment and then moved closer to Faith and squatted. "Do you know where I could get them?"

"Probably order on the internet or buy in a bookstore. Or borrow in a library."

"Really? Do you know how many there are?"

"A lot." Faith thought for a moment. "You know how to use the internet?"

"A little. I just type what I'm looking for and then click on the links."

"Want me to find you a couple of sites?"

Bonita's eyes went wide again.

"Would you?"

Faith smiled.

"Sure."

Bonita smiled back.

"Cool! Thanks."

"No problem." Faith looked around. "How's the list going?"

"Ooh! We made a couple. Now we're just exploring. We'll continue later."

"Okay. You know any other girl who wants to talk?"

Bonita shrugged.

"Don't know."

"If you see anyone that might want to but is afraid, why don't you encourage her a little?"

Bonita smiled.

"Okay."

Faith smiled back.

"So, having fun?"

Bonita shrugged.

"It's sort of like a summer camp. My cousin went once."

"It will be like a summer camp, except those stuffy Watchers will also teach you stuff about demons and I'll teach you how to defend yourself."

Bonita smiled.

"This is cooler."

Faith smiled back.

"Yeah. I'll try to get you that list tonight."

"Okay."

Bonita hesitated for a moment and then got up.

"I'll see you around."

"Sure. And if you want to talk again, you can come to me anytime."

"Okay."

Bonita left, and Faith returned to her comic, occasionally glancing around.

She soon spotted one of the older girls coming up to her. She pretended she didn't see her.

"Hey," the girl said, slightly nervous.

Faith looked at her.

"Hey. What's up? Joanna, right?"

"Yeah, but everyone calls me Jo."

"Okay."

"I asked my Watcher about you."

Faith smiled.

"I thought you might. And?"

"You're not like the other Slayers. I mean, from before there were so many of us."

"Nope."

"You were a real badass."

"I was afraid."

"Afraid?" Jo said, startled.

"Hell yeah."

"How come?

"Oh, you know, bad childhood, seen my first Watcher killed by a really badass vamp. I ran away. Plus, I really didn't know where I fit in the grand scheme of things." She looked away for a moment. "It took me a long time and a shitload of pain to stop running and to find my way."

"Oh," Jo said, surprised by the honest answer.

Faith smiled.

"We all have our fears and stuff." She thought for a moment. "It takes responsibility to be a Slayer, whether you go out and fight demons or not. The moment you start feeling you're something better, you're in trouble, especially if you get arrogant and start thinking you're above the law and can do anything."

"You ever felt like that?"

"Oh yeah."

"What happened?"

"I ended up accidentally killing a man."

"Oh," Jo said, surprised.

"It only went downwards from there." Faith took a deep breath to calm down. "Trust me, you don't want to go that way."

"I'm not."

"Good." Faith thought for a moment. "How old are you?"

"Fourteen."

"Do you think you're old enough for this shit?"

Jo frowned.

"Don't know," she said with a shrug.

"What about the little ones?"

"They're kinda young. I mean, sure, they should start training as young as possible, but knowing you're a Slayer and that you'll have to go fight demons some day… Hell, to even know that demons exist, it's pretty freaky. I'm guessing they're scared."

"Yeah," Faith thoughtfully. "Thanks."

"Sure."

Jo hesitated for a moment and then left.

Faith looked out to the lake, thinking about the little ones. She decided to talk to Giles about them, that the age when they're told should be moved to ten, at least judging by the girls from the preteen group.

Suddenly she noticed one of the little ones standing off to the side, obviously wanting to talk to her but afraid to come closer. She smiled widely at her.

"Hey, little one. Maria, right?"

The girl nodded.

"Uh-huh."

"What's up?"

Maria hesitated for a moment.

"I'm scared."

Faith patted the spot beside her.

"Come."

Maria hesitated for a moment and then came closer and sat beside Faith.

"Will I really have to fight monsters?" she asked, wide-eyed.

Faith put her arm around her.

"Not unless you want to."

"But my Watcher said…"

"It doesn't matter what the Watchers say. If you don't want to, you don't have to."

"Oh."

"But don't worry, you won't see an evil monster until you're sixteen, only the good ones."

"There's good monsters?" Maria asked, surprised.

"Sure."

"But, aren't all monsters supposed to be bad?" she asked, confused.

"Well, that depends on your definition of a monster. You see, the demons, which you call monsters, aren't all bad. Sure, some are ugly as hell, but some are actually quite good looking."

"Really?"

"Sure." Faith hesitated for a moment. "But speaking of monsters, I used to know someone who was quite good looking, I guess, and who was very charming." She hesitated again. "In fact, he was there for me when I went to the dark side." She thought for a moment. "Well, he was just using me, but he made me feel special. Anyway, he was a man, but he wanted to destroy the world, which kinda makes him a monster too."

"Oh."

Faith thought for a moment.

"I was bad too for a while, which sort of made me a monster."

Maria looked at her, wide-eyed.

"Really?"

Faith smiled softly at her.

"Yes. But don't worry, I'm good now, I've learned from my mistakes and I found out where I fit in and what I wanted to do with my life."

"Oh." Maria leaned her head on Faith. "I miss Mommy and Daddy."

Faith ruffled her hair.

"I know. You can call them everyday, just ask your Watcher to show you from where you can call them."

"Okay."

"And if you want to go home, you can."

Maria looked at her.

"Really?"

"Sure."

"But my Watcher…"

"Your Watcher wants to train you, so you'll be able to fight demons, but you're not even eight years old. You shouldn't have to worry about demons yet, you should have fun." She smiled. "And fun we will have. I hear that the list of fun stuff is almost done."

Maria nodded.

"Uh-huh."

"Good. But if you want to go, just tell your Watcher. And if that doesn't work, let me know and I'll make sure you can go home."

"Okay."

Faith smiled.

"So, did you make any new friends?"

Maria nodded.

"Uh-huh. Annie, Rebecca, Talia, Serena, Devon and Amparo, but she doesn't speak English well, because she's from Mexico."

"Do you speak Spanish?"

"A little."

"Then help her, okay?"

Maria nodded.

"Uh-huh. But Bonita speaks Spanish better and she said she'll help her too."

"Good."

Maria leaned her head back on Faith and looked out to the lake.

"When will we start swimming lessons?"

"Probably tomorrow, we'll see. I need to see first what you put on the list."

"Oh."

"You can put swimming there too."

"We did."

"Looking forward to it?"

Maria nodded.

"Uh-huh."

"Good."

"Maria, Maria, come, we're gonna play tag," Devon called.

Maria looked at Faith, who smiled at her.

"Go."

"Okay."

Maria quickly got up and ran to play with her new friends.

Faith stared after them, hoping this was as hard as it was gonna get.

"Faith," Giles said when they met before lunch.

"Hey," Faith said.

"How are things going so far?"

"Okay, I guess. Some of the little ones are scared."

"That's expected."

"I know, but I think they shouldn't know about Slayers and demons until they're at least ten."

"But we need to start training them as soon as possible."

"I know and we can, but we shouldn't tell them until they're ten, it's scaring them."

"I see."

"And tell the Watchers not to pressure them with responsibility and stuff. I told the girls that it's their choice if they want to fight demons. Most probably will, but some might not. In any case, it will make them feel better to know that they have a choice."

Giles thought about it.

"I suppose."

"Also, if you could make some phones available to them, so they can call their parents."

Giles nodded.

"I was thinking about that."

"Good." Faith hesitated for a moment. "And I need a cell phone."

"I was thinking about that too. In fact, we can go pick one the day after tomorrow."

"Cool. Thanks."

"You need it." Giles frowned. "So will the girls when they get older. I'll note that."

"Okay. Oh yeah, I told the little ones to make a list of stuff they want to do. I'll have it in the evening."

"Good.”

“I'll try to get the older Slayers to watch out for the little ones."

"That's a good idea."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"How do the Watchers feel about me?"

"Well, some are skeptic, but they're all willing to give you a chance."

"Good." She hesitated for a moment. "Look, I know I'll often piss them off, but I'm not here to make them happy, I'm here to make sure those girls die of old age, not in combat."

Giles smiled a little.

"I understand. Don't worry, you have my full support."

"Thanks."

In the evening, Faith went to check out on the little ones before lights out. She waited until their Watchers left.

"Everyone okay?" she asked, looking around.

"I think some are scared," Bonita said.

Faith smiled at her. Then she looked around.

"It's okay to be scared, girls. So, everyone who's scared, hands up," she said and raised her hand.

"You're scared?" Bonita asked, surprised.

Faith smiled at her.

"Sure. Just not of the same things as you."

"Oh."

She looked around and saw that a couple of hands went up. She grabbed a chair and took it where two neighboring girls were holding their hands up. She put the chair between the beds and sat down.

"Okay, everyone who's scared, come here."

Five girls came closer.

"Just join your friends here," Faith told them.

The girls climbed in.

"Will you tell us a story?" Maria asked.

"Uh," Faith said, startled. The request surprised her, she didn't expect she'd have to tell children stories. Not to mention that she didn't know any. "Sure," she said, thinking of what to tell them. "Make yourselves comfortable." She looked toward the door. "Keiko, turn off the lights, will you?"

Keiko got out of bed and turned off the lights.

Faith turned on the bed lamp on her right and pointed it toward the ceiling. As she waited for Keiko to get back to bed, she decided that she would tell them the only story she knew, the story of her life.

"Everyone ready?" she asked when Keiko was in bed. "Okay," she said when she saw the girls nodding. "I only know one story, so this will be it." She thought for a moment. "Well, there was a girl, let's call her Sandra. She lived in the poor part of a big town."

"Which one?" Serena asked.

Faith smiled, realizing that she would need lots of details.

"New York."

"Okay."

"Anyway, her daddy left when she was very little and her mommy wasn't a very nice person." She thought for a moment, remembering. "It's not that she was mean on purpose, but I guess she lost hope and she started drinking. And when she was drunk, she was also mean to Sandra. For a while, Sandra's only problem was getting hit by her drunk mother, but then her mother started bringing home men. At first, the men left Sandra alone, but then they started noticing her and touching her. Sandra didn't like that and she was very afraid of the men, so she avoided them and she spent most of her time on the street, learning how to take care of herself. She didn't trust anyone." Faith paused for a moment. "While she lived on the street, she learned how to fight real good, but she didn't help people, she used it to get stuff for herself." She paused again. "But then she met this woman one day, let's call her Tina. Tina thought that Sandra was special. Not just because Sandra could fight really good, but just because. Sandra didn't trust Tina at first, but Tina slowly earned her trust and she even helped her out of trouble a couple of times. Tina was the first person Sandra trusted and cared about. But then one day, some bad people captured Sandra. Tina came to help her and was captured as well. Then the bad men tortured Tina while Sandra watched. The only thing Sandra could do was run away, leaving Tina to die."

"Why didn't she save her?" Keiko asked.

Faith looked at her and then around. She saw that the girls were staring at her, wide-eyed.

"She was scared. Her instincts kicked in and she ran away." She took a deep breath, remembering. "Anyway, after running for a while, she came to a small town on the West Cost." She looked at the girls with a smile. "Santa Barbara. Anyway, there she met this girl, let's call her Betsy. Betsy could fight as well as she could, but she helped people, whereas Sandra didn't. Now Betsy, she had everything Sandra ever wished for. A wonderful mom, a wonderful home, a nice kid sister, friends. Her mother even had a nice boyfriend, who was like a father to her. Sandra wanted all that and she wanted Betsy as well."

"Why?"

Faith looked at Maria.

"Why what?"

"Why did she want Betsy?"

Faith smiled.

"She had a crush on her."

Maria frowned.

"On a girl?"

"Yes. She liked boys too, but Betsy was special to her."

"Oh."

"Anyway, Sandra tried to fit in, but the only people she liked beside Betsy were Betsy's mom and her sister. But since she wasn't very good with people, especially since Tina was killed, she didn't really know how to act. She had never been in love before and she didn't know how to let Betsy know." She thought for a moment. "The fact that Betsy and her friends had their own problems and didn't include her in their activities made Sandra very bitter. Still, she and Betsy went out occasionally to help people. However, she wanted to prove to Betsy that she was a better fighter than her. She became arrogant and overconfident and so one day she accidentally killed a man."

"Why?"

Faith looked at the girls, who were staring at her agape.

"It was an accident. She and Betsy were fighting some bad men when another man came by. Sandra thought he was a bad man and she killed him before she realized he was an innocent bystander. After that, she became very scared. Betsy tried to help her, but Sandra pushed her away. And because Betsy had her own problems, she didn't notice that. And then there was the police, who were searching for Sandra. So Sandra went to the only person who could protect her, the Mayor. You wonder why the Mayor would protect her? Well, that's because he himself was a bad man. He ran a lot of illegal businesses and he wanted to control the town. He had a lot of influence on the police, so they left Sandra alone. But Sandra didn’t trust him, she knew he was bad. He could protect her though, so she didn't complain." She took a deep breath. "But the Mayor, he was a sneaky bastard. He was all charming and sweet, and in spite of herself, Sandra started to like him, she felt that he was the father she never had." She sighed. "Anyway, since she felt that she was a bad girl, the Mayor easily… seduced her and she was ready to do anything for him. And not just for him, but to prove it to herself that she was a bad girl."

"Why did she want to do that?" Rebecca asked.

Faith looked at her.

"Want to prove to herself that she was a bad girl?"

Rebecca nodded.

"Uh-huh."

Faith thought for a moment.

"Because she thought it would justify what she had done. She did a bad thing and if she was a bad girl, then everyone expected her to do bad things."

"Oh."

Faith smiled a little.

"I know it doesn't make much sense, but that's how she felt. Anyway, she spied on Betsy and betrayed her. She went so far that after she killed another innocent man because the Mayor told her so, and she also poisoned Betsy's ex-boyfriend. Betsy was furious and they fought, and Sandra ended up wounded badly." Faith paused, thinking for a moment. "Before she passed out, however, she told Betsy how to stop the Mayor."

"Why?" Bonita asked.

Faith looked at her.

"I think she realized that what she was doing was wrong. And she knew that if the Mayor won, Betsy would probably die, and she still cared for her."

"But she hurt Betsy. And Betsy hated her, right?"

Faith nodded.

"Yes. But Sandra was badly hurt and she probably wasn't making much sense to herself either." Faith looked around. "Anyway, Sandra spent the next eight months in a coma."

"What's that?" Talia asked.

"Coma? It's sort of like sleep or when you're unconscious."

"She slept for eight months?"

"Yes."

"But didn't she need to eat?"

"She did. If you've ever been to a hospital, you've probably seen how some people have tubes stuck to their arms. Well, those tubes are connected to plastic bags which have liquid stuff in them. That liquid stuff is what Sandra was fed through the tubes."

"Really?"

"Yes. The nurses took care of her body." Faith took a deep breath, feeling a lump in her throat. "So, when Sandra woke up eight months later, the world was still there, but it looked as though everyone had forgotten about her. She was angry. She escaped from the hospital and she wanted to hurt Betsy."

"But you said she loved her," Maria said.

Faith smiled at her.

"She did. But she was very angry. You'll see when you're older and you get mad at someone, you just want to punch them, even if you love them."

"Oh."

"Anyway, Sandra kidnapped Betsy's mom and waited for Betsy. When Betsy came home and found Sandra there, they fought. Sandra had the upper hand for a while, but then she started to remember what she had done and she realized that she didn't hate Betsy, she hated herself. Then help came, and Sandra was forced to run away. She left town on the first train and she didn't care where it took her." Faith took a deep breath to calm down. "Anyhow, she ended up in Los Angeles. She partied wildly, causing fights, hoping someone would stop her. Then she was hired by some evil lawyers to kill Betsy's ex-boyfriend, who had opened up a detective agency in Los Angeles. She…"

"What was his name?" Maria asked.

"Uh… Mark," Faith said. "Anyway, she didn't kill him outright, she provoked him, hoping he would stop her. Then he finally confronted her. They fought for a while and Mark could easily keep up with her, but he was only defending himself. Sandra became frustrated. She wanted the pain that was eating her inside to go away, she wanted it to be over, but Mark refused to kill her." Faith took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in her throat. "Sandra finally broke down and cried in his arms. Mark took her in and let her stay with him. He… He taught her how to deal with her past. But then Betsy came to visit and she was angry when she saw Sandra there. Sandra was tired of running and causing Betsy pain, so she turned herself in and confessed to the police what she had done. And as she sat in her cell, she actually felt relieved." She trailed off, remembering how she had felt. "Anyway," she then continued, "she went to jail. She slowly dealt with what she had done and she slowly started to find her way. A couple of years passed, and then one day… Mark told her that Betsy needed help, that some new evil gang was trying to take over Santa Barbara and kill Betsy. Sandra broke out of jail and went to help Betsy. Betsy was angry at first and she didn't trust Sandra, but Mark convinced her to give Sandra a chance. And while helping Betsy defeat the evil gang, Sandra finally found her way. She found it good to help the people who needed help, just like Betsy did. Together, they defeated the gang and chased it away. And after it was all over, Sandra finally found her place in the world, where she fit in. Sure, she had decided to help people, but she also decided to become… a social worker and help children who had bad childhood. It was so important to her that she even went back to school. And you know what, Betsy forgave her." She hesitated for a moment. "They became friends again, but nothing more. And they happily lived ever after."

"How? They didn't get married," Serena objected.

Faith chuckled.

"But they were friends. After everything that Sandra had done to Betsy, Betsy forgave her, so I'd say Sandra has a lot to be happy for. And Betsy, she got her friend back, so she can be happy for that."

"Oh."

"Okay, story's over. Time to sleep."

"Will you stay here?" Maria asked.

Faith smiled at her.

"Sure." She looked at the beds beside her. "Okay, those of you who are still awake, go to your beds."

Three girls got up and went to their beds. Faith waited until they had covered themselves.

"Sweet dreams, girls," she said and then turned off the light.

She leaned back and took a deep breath. She'd never thought that telling the story of her life would be so hard. She was glad she said it out loud though, she felt like a weight had been lifted off her back.

She waited until the girls were all asleep. Then she went to the nearest bench and lay on it. She stared at the ceiling for a while, thinking about her life. Then she finally drifted off to sleep.

Two weeks later, while Faith was practicing after lunch, Dawn came by.

"Faith?" she said, surprised.

Faith stopped and looked at her.

"Hey," she said with a smile.

"What are you doing here?"

"Practicing?"

"Well, I can see that," Dawn said with a smile.

"And you? I thought you and B were in Europe."

"We were, but we came back two days ago. We cleaned up the house yesterday and today, Buffy is taking care of stuff for college, so I came here to see if Giles needs a hand."

"Giles isn't here. Had some stuff to do in LA."

"Oh."

"He should be back in an hour or two."

"Damn."

"Hey, if you got time, we could spar. If you're up for it."

Dawn smiled.

"Cool! It's been a while since Buffy and I spared. I mean, we did the routines, but no real sparring."

"You want to put something else on?"

"No, I'll just take my jacket off," Dawn said and went to the bench.

"Okay. Oh! You could help."

"How?"

"Well, you're not a Slayer, but you fight demons anyway."

"Not that Buffy lets me go out on patrol by myself."

Faith smiled.

"I know, but still, you've fought demons, you have some experience. You can tell the girls why you do it. These new Watchers have been filling them with a whole bunch of crap. I told the girls that Slayers or not, it's their choice if they want to fight demons."

"What did the Watchers say?" Dawn asked as she started warming up.

"They weren't very happy. I talked to Giles and explained it to him, and he agreed."

"Oh."

"I think it would make the little ones less afraid if they saw that a girl like you, who's not even a Slayer, can fight demons."

"Okay, sure. When?"

Faith shrugged.

"Tonight, an hour before dinner?"

"When's dinner?"

"At six."

"Okay. I'll call Buffy later and let her know."

"Okay. And you can crash here overnight, if you want."

"I don't have a change of clothes."

"You can borrow mine."

"Okay. I'll see. Oh! Buffy's been asking about you."

"She has?" Faith said, startled.

"Yeah."

"Any particular reason?"

Dawn shrugged.

"Not that I know. She's planning to come here tomorrow or the day after."

"Okay."

Dawn looked around.

"Are those the new Slayers?" she asked and nodded at three Slayers, who were sitting at a table, observing Faith.

"Yeah."

"How many are there?"

"Twelve teens and eighteens preteens."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"How are they doing?"

"Okay. The little ones were a bit scared at first, but they're having fun now."

Dawn smiled.

"Are you training them?"

"Yeah."

"Cool."

"Yeah, but I haven't had anyone experienced to spar with."

"Well, get ready to have your butt kicked."

Faith grinned.

"In your dreams, squirt."

"Buffy taught me a couple of new moves."

"Thanks for the warning."

"You're welcome," Dawn said and stretched. "Okay, I'm ready."

Faith immediately attacked, but Dawn was really ready and she blocked.

"Nice," Faith said.

"Nice try," Dawn said and grinned.

Faith grinned back and attacked again.

They fought for a while, and the three Slayers who were observing Faith watched them, curious. They were surprised when Dawn managed to knock Faith off her feet a couple of times, especially because they didn't think that Dawn was a Slayer.

When they were done sparing, Faith showed Dawn some new moves, and then they talked about what Buffy and Dawn did in Europe. Dawn tried to find out more about Faith, but Faith expertly avoided the subject.

"Dawn," Giles said, surprised, when he arrived.

Dawn smiled at him.

"Hi, Giles."

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to see if you need any help."

"Oh. I'm sure there is something you could do."

"Faith says I could talk to the girls tonight, tell them about why I go out and kill demons and stuff."

"That's a wonderful idea, yes."

"And she said I could help with the training."

"If you have the time. I'm sure Faith could use some help, she doesn't want any of the Watchers to help her."

"Cool. Oh, I'll also need some help with the papers for the school in England. I have some forms with me."

"Yes, of course."

"You two go on and clear that up, I need to go see if the little ones are awake yet," Faith said.

"Okay," Dawn said. "I'll see you around."

"Yeah."

"Let's go to my office," Giles said.

"Okay."

Dawn grabbed her jacket and left with Giles.

Faith got up and went to the preteens' cabin.

"Hey, Faith!"

Faith stopped and waited for the three Slayers to come closer.

"Yes, Annie?"

"Who was that?"

"Dawn. She's a friend of mine. You'll meet her tonight."

"Who is she? She didn't… I don't know, feel like a Slayer. I mean, I couldn't feel that from where we were sitting, but she just seemed… slower or something."

Faith smiled.

"She's not a Slayer."

"But she kicked your ass a couple of times," Danielle said.

Faith grinned.

"Well, she is the sister of a Slayer. She's Buffy's sister."

"Oh."

"Buffy taught her how to fight and I showed her a couple of tricks as well. She'll be helping me with your training."

"Okay."

"Will Buffy come here as well?" Annie asked.

"I think so. I hope you'll get a chance to train with her as well and see us spar."

"Cool."

Faith smiled.

"Go get ready for class."

"How long has Faith been here?" Dawn asked Giles as they walked to his office.

"From the beginning."

"Really?"

"Yes. In fact, she helped me make a plan for the girls' education, as well as how things should be ran."

"She did?" Dawn said, surprised.

"Oh yes. She's changed a lot. The little ones adore her and the older girls respect her. She's keeping them busy and she makes this camp a fun place to be."

Dawn smiled.

"I can't imagine Faith around little kids."

"As I remember she was like a little kid around you. You two were always up to something."

Dawn blushed a little.

"Yeah, I remember."

"She still tries to hide it, but I've seen her a couple of times, when she thought that none of the Watchers were around, she can be really caring."

Dawn smiled again.

"That's nice." She thought for a moment. "What does she do when she's not here? I mean, this camp is only six weeks."

"She got herself a job as a councilor for troubled teens."

"Really?" Dawn said, surprised. "I thought you had to have a college degree or something."

"She does."

Dawn stopped.

"What do you mean? She didn't even finish high school."

"She did, she took the GED."

"But still, that was last year. She can't have a college degree yet."

Giles smiled a little.

"She does and she got it in less than a year."

"But how?"

"Well, it seems she's got a photographic memory. She remembers everything she reads. She didn't like going to school because it was boring for her and because she didn't know what she wanted to do. But once she decided that she wanted to work here, she went back to school and got herself a degree."

"Wow."

"Indeed. Come, the office is over there."

Dawn followed Giles, but her mind was still stuck on the fact that Faith was apparently some kind of genius.

"Hey," Dawn said when she came to Faith an hour before dinner.

"Hey," Faith said. "I thought you'd gone home."

"No, there was just a lot of paperwork and stuff."

"Oh."

"I've watched you with the little ones, you're really good."

"Thanks."

"And Giles said you got a college degree. What's up with that?"

Faith blushed a little, slightly nervous.

"I needed it."

"I know, but getting it in a year? That's… Wow." She smiled. "I like your new image."

Faith frowned.

"New image?"

"Yeah, not a bad girl anymore."

"Oh."

"You seem… more mature."

"Oh brother," Faith groaned.

Dawn smiled.

"It's nice, and it looks as though you're happy too."

Faith shrugged.

"I'm not complaining."

Dawn looked at the Slayers.

"How are the older girls getting along with the little ones?"

"Okay. I've asked them to watch out for them, sort of like a big sister program or something. They're pretty protective of the little ones."

Dawn smiled.

"That's nice. Is that all of them?"

"Yeah."

"How about we start then?"

"Okay." Faith faced the girls. "Okay, everyone, listen up!" she called. She waited for the girls to stop chatting. "There's someone I'd like you to meet." She looked at Dawn. "This is Dawn. She's not a Slayer, but she is the sister of one, of Buffy Summers. I'm sure most of you've heard about her. Anyway, Dawn also fights demons, just like her sister, even though she's not a Slayer."

"Really?" Keiko asked.

"Yes," Dawn said.

"Why?"

Dawn shrugged.

"Someone has to. Though Buffy doesn't let me go out on my own, but she does take me with her on patrols and I help her out when demons are trying to take over the world."

"But you're not a Slayer," Bonita said.

Dawn smiled.

"No, I'm not, but Buffy taught me how to fight, and Faith also taught me a couple of tricks."

"I'm sure you've heard by now that she kicked my ass a couple of times when we were practicing after lunch," Faith said with a smile.

"Really?" Maria asked, surprised.

"Sure, she's good. Demons also kick my butt often, but I always win in the end."

"Why don't you let your sister do it?" Rebecca asked Dawn.

"Fight demons? I do, but I want to help her. I mean, sure, she's my big sister and she's a Slayer, but I want to help her, protect her. Why do you think she could do everything that she has? Because of me and her friends. She has a whole support team, she risks her life for us and we risk ours for her. And besides, someone has to keep the evil demons at bay. I know Slayers do that, but I want to do it as well."

"When did she start taking you out on patrols?" Jo asked.

Dawn thought for a moment.

"Pretty much after we were stuck in some cave with a bunch of earthy monsters coming at us and she saw me kick their butts. I mean, she's still overly protective of me, but hey, what do you expect from a big sister?" she said with a smile.

"What do your parents say about it? Do they even know?"

"Mom knew, but she died. She and Dad were divorced and Dad doesn't know."

"Are you not scared?" Amparo asked timidly, practicing her English.

Dawn smiled at her.

"Of course I am."

"But you still fight monsters."

"Yes. I think it's important. I mean, somebody has to keep the world safe."

"Were you there when the First tried to take over the world?" Danielle asked.

"Yes."

"What was it like?"

"Messy. I mean, I've fought vamps before, but these vamps were, like, on steroids. And there were so many of them. When we went into the Hellmouth, it was like going into a wasp nest. If it weren't for Spike and that medallion, we'd be in deep shit."

"Spike's a vamp, right?" Jo asked.

"Yes."

"But he still helped you."

"Yes. He liked this world." She glanced at Faith. "I'm sure Faith already told you that not all demons are bad. In fact, Buffy used to date a vamp."

"You're kidding!"

Dawn smiled.

"No. She dated Angel, I'm sure you've heard about him."

"Yeah. He was a real bad motherfucker a couple of centuries ago."

"Jo," Faith chided her.

Jo looked at her, startled.

"Oh, sorry," she said.

"That was Angelus, his alter ego. Angel has a soul."

"Oh."

"That was nice," Dawn said as she and Faith stood in line for dinner.

"Yeah," Faith agreed. "It might confuse the little ones a little, but at least they'll think about what they want to do and they won't get reckless."

Dawn smiled.

"Sounds like you got it all planned out."

Faith smiled back.

"I wish. I just hope that when the time comes to make a decision, they'll make the right one."

"To fight demons?"

"I don't know what the right decision will be for them. If they choose not to fight, they'll still have my full support."

Dawn smiled again.

"They trust you."

"Yeah, because they know I'm on their side and that I'll be there for them, no matter what."

"I know. Anyway, I talked to Buffy. I told her I'm gonna be helping your out with the girls' training. She said it's okay. I'll go home tomorrow to get my stuff and then come back."

"Okay."

"Buffy says she'll come the day after tomorrow."

"Okay."

"I also told Giles that it would be nice if those Slayers who were with us when we beat the First would come here and talk about their experience at being Slayers."

"That's a good idea."

"And Buffy said she'll talk to them as well."

"Okay. That's great. Thanks."

"No problem."

Two days later, Buffy came. She came when Faith and Dawn were teaching the little ones. She watched from afar and saw how open Faith was with the girls. She liked to see this side of Faith. Dawn had told her about Faith getting a degree within a year and she was impressed. But seeing Faith play with the little Slayers impressed her even more. She seemed so carefree and so different from the badass Faith she usually pretended to be.

Suddenly Faith noticed her, and Buffy could see her walls going up. She sighed and went closer.

"Hey, B," Faith said when Buffy came close enough.

"Hi," Buffy said.

"Hi, Buffy," Dawn said.

"Hi, Dawn."

"Got everything ready for college?" Faith asked.

"Yes."

"Good."

"Dawn said you want me to talk to the girls about being a Slayer."

"Yeah."

"Where are the others?"

"They have other classes. Right now I'm teaching the little ones." Faith turned to the girls. "Girls, this is Buffy, she's Dawn's big sister and she's also a Slayer. She'll be helping me and Dawn teach you how to defend yourselves."

The girls stared at her, wide-eyed.

"Uh, I was looking for Giles' office," Buffy said, feeling a little awkward.

"Dawn can show you."

"Okay."

"This way," Dawn said and led Buffy away. "You two really should talk," she said when they were out of Faith's earshot.

"About what?" Buffy asked, startled.

"I don't know, but the moment she saw you, her walls went up. I could practically see it."

Buffy sighed.

"I know, I saw it too."

"She likes talking about you though."

"She does?" Buffy said, surprised.

"Yes." Dawn thought for a moment. "You know, now that I think about it, I think she likes you."

"Likes me?" Buffy said, confused.

"Actually, it's more like she has a crush on you."

"What?" Buffy said, wide-eyed.

Dawn smiled.

"Think about it. Everything she did in Sunnydale, it was always about you and her. I mean, she liked me and Mom, but you were definitely her number one."

"You think?" Buffy asked skeptically.

"Absolutely. Remember all the innuendoes? I didn't understand them back then, but now I do. I think that was her way of saying that she wanted you."

Buffy thought about it, remembering the constant flirting.

"I guess."

Dawn thought for a moment.

"I think she's a little scared now."

Buffy looked at her, confused.

"Scared? Why?"

"Well, it seems she's finally found her place in this world. Those were her words, not mine. And I think now she feels threatened that you'll take over her project."

"What project?"

"This," Dawn said and waved around.

Buffy looked around.

"This? The camp?"

"Yes. Giles told me that this camp and others like it have been her idea and she made the initial plans and curriculums and everything."

"Really?"

"Yes. And she likes it here, she feels that she's doing something important."

"Oh."

"She's changed a lot."

"Yeah, I get that."

"You should see how open she is when she's alone with the little ones, she's just wonderful. And she's telling them bedtime stories."

"She is?" Buffy said, surprised.

"Yes. And she's very good at it."

"And the older ones?"

"They respect her. They know about her past, and I heard one of them throw it in her face when she felt very confrontational, but Faith kept her calm and explained things to her. She was hurt though and her walls immediately went up."

"Oh." Buffy thought for a moment. "Did the girl apologize?"

"Yes, she did, but it took a while for Faith to open up again. But they do respect her."

"How are the little ones and the older Slayers get along?"

"Great. The older Slayers watch over the little ones when they have free time and they help Faith teach them how to swim."

"Faith is teaching them how to swim?" Buffy said, surprised.

"Yes. Giles said the little ones were pretty scared when they got here, but after Faith talked to them, they all seemed to be excited about spending time here."

"Oh."

"We're here."

"I'll talk to her. When does she have a break?"

"After lunch. The little ones are asleep then and the older Slayers have a break."

"Okay."

They went in.

"Hi, Giles," Buffy said.

"Buffy," Giles said and got up. "It's so good to see you again," he said and they hugged.

"You too, Giles."

"Do you have everything ready for college?"

"Yes."

"Good. Did you see Faith yet?"

"Yes."

"So, how is college? I take it you've taken care of the paperwork?"

"Yes, I did."

"Good."

"Is this camp really Faith's project?"

"Uh, yes."

"And she got her college degree in a year?"

"Yes."

"Wow."

"Indeed."

"Seems like all she needed was a goal, a purpose," Dawn said.

"She's a Slayer," Buffy said.

"Her own goal, not one that was forced on her."

"Oh." Buffy thought for a moment and then looked at Giles. "How is she getting along with the Watchers?"

"Okay. They had arguments, but they've come to respect her, because they know that Faith is only trying to protect the new Slayers. In fact, some of the Watchers who were assigned to the new Slayers have even come to Faith to ask for advice."

"Really?"

"Yes. And if necessary, Faith also takes advantage of her past to make it clear to the Watchers, especially the new ones, that she knows how easy it is to stray to the, uh, dark side, but that she also knows how to avoid that."

"Sounds like she's a whole different person."

"Not really, just more mature."

"I guess." Buffy thought for a moment. "How's her plan getting along?"

"Okay, but she's already changed it a lot, so next year will be another challenge."

"Oh."

"Angel is coming here next week, and he said he'll try to bring Lorne," Dawn said.

"Lorne? Why?"

"So the Slayers get to meet demons in person and to show them that not all demons are evil."

"Oh."

"And those Potentials who survived Sunnydale are also coming."

"Sounds like she thought of everything."

"No, but she keeps making improvements."

"So, what can I do?"

"Well, I can show you Faith's plan and you can make suggestions."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

Giles frowned.

"Why not?"

"Well, this is her project, I don't want her to feel like I'm taking over or something."

"I see. But I'm sure she would appreciate any suggestion you might make."

"Yeah, you just have to ask her what she thinks of your suggestion instead of telling he something should be done differently," Dawn said.

"Yes," Giles agreed.

Buffy thought about it.

"Okay."

"I'm going back to Faith," Dawn said.

"Okay."

"Where's Buffy?" Faith asked Dawn when Dawn came back.

"With Giles. They're talking. College and stuff."

"Oh."

Dawn smiled.

"Don't worry, she's not trying to take over. She does want to help though, she feels responsible for the new Slayers."

Faith sighed.

"I know."

"You should talk to her."

"I will."

"Nice place," Buffy said when she and Faith met during lunch. "Has a real summer camp feeling to it."

"Yeah."

"I like what you did here."

"Thanks."

"And what do you do when you're not here?"

"I help Anne run her shelter."

"Really?" Buffy said, surprised.

"Yeah."

"Wow." She smiled a little. "I like the new you."

Faith shrugged.

"I'm still the same."

"No, you… You grew up."

Faith blushed a little, not used to being complimented by Buffy.

"I just finally found out what I wanted to do."

"Yeah. But how the hell did you get a GED and a college degree all in the same year? I mean, I thought you hated school."

"I don't hate it, it's just boring."

"So you just skipped a couple of years? I mean, how did you manage?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"I got photographic memory."

"Oh. So you remember everything you read?"

"Read, see, hear."

"Oh. Must be cool."

"Sometimes. For the good stuff."

"Oh." Then she realized that Faith also remembered the bad stuff. "Oh!"

"Yeah."

Buffy thought for a moment.

"So you're staying in LA?"

"Yeah. I'm at Angel's hotel at the moment, but I'm planning on getting my own apartment."

"Cool. I'll be going to UCLA, but I'll be staying at home."

"We could go slaying together sometime."

"Yeah." Buffy smiled a little. "And seeing as how you're the smarter of us, you could help me out if I have any problems in college."

"What about Red?"

"She and Kennedy are moving to England."

"Oh." Faith thought about it. She didn't really like school, or tutoring, but if it would mean spending time with Buffy… "Sure."

"Great." Buffy hesitated. "So, um, you need any help here?"

Faith stared at her for a moment. On one hand, she was worried that Buffy would take over, but on the other hand, she wanted the best education and training for the new Slayers.

"I could use your input."

"Uh, Giles showed me your plan," Buffy admitted. "I have a couple of suggestions. If you're interested."

"Sure."

"When can we talk?"

"After lunch."

"Okay."

Faith thought for a moment.

"How was Europe?"

After lunch, Faith first checked up on the little ones, then she and Buffy talked about the plan. After a while, they practiced a little.

During the week, Buffy saw that everyone looked up at Faith, including the new Watchers. She also attended some of the classes for the Slayers and noticed that there were some differences between the younger Watchers and the older ones. She realized that the Watchers could also use some training, to learn about the Slayers' perspective. When she told Faith about it, Faith immediately agreed and suggested that Buffy take care of it. Buffy was surprised, but Faith told her that she had the best Watcher and she had also seen what Watchers shouldn't be like. So Buffy made a curriculum and showed it to Faith. Faith suggested some changes and then they told Giles about it. Giles agreed with the idea, but the Watchers were less enthusiastic about it. But in spite of the lack of enthusiasm, they agreed to attend the classes. When the Slayers found out that the Watchers would also have a classes of their own, they found it funny, but they agreed that it was a good thing.

Finally, Angel and Lorne arrived. The Watchers knew about them, but the Slayers didn't. After lunch, when the baby Slayers were napping and the older Slayers resting, Faith convinced Angel and Lorne to tell the Watchers a little bit about the world of demons.

When the siesta was over for the Slayers, Faith gathered them all up.

"Okay, guys, we have a change of schedule today. Today, you're gonna meet your first demons."

The older Slayer shifted, nervous, and the baby Slayers pressed closer to them, scared.

"Don't worry, you're gonna meet good demons. I'm sure most of you have heard about Angel, the vampire." There were several nods. "Well, he's here, as well as Lorne, who is from another dimension. They're going to tell you a little about demons and you can ask them questions." She looked at Buffy and nodded. "Okay," she said as Buffy went to fetch Angel and Lorne, "now you're gonna see how demons feel as opposed to other Slayers."

"I can feel them!" Keiko said, excited.

Faith smiled.

"Yes."

Angel and Lorne entered.

"He's green!" Rebecca said.

"Hello, children," Lorne said with a big smile. "How are you?"

The Slayers stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Are those horns real?" Serena broke the silence.

"Yes," Lorne said and rubbed them to demonstrated that they were.

"You're from another dimension?" Jo asked.

"Yes, from Pylea."

"What's it like there?"

"Well, we have two suns and Sunny Boy here looks a lot uglier, but he doesn't get burned to a crisp. We have no music though."

"Really?"

"Sad, isn't it. That's why I love it here so much."

"What's it like being a demon?" Devon asked.

Lorne smiled.

"What's it like being a human?"

Devon frowned.

"I don't know."

"You're Angel?" Danielle asked Angel. "The vampire with a soul?"

"Yes," Angel said, feeling slightly uncomfortable around so many Slayers.

"Why don't you show them your game face," Buffy said.

Angel glanced at her.

"You sure?"

Buffy nodded.

"Yes."

Angel hesitated for a moment and then morphed.

Several of the baby Slayers gasped and pressed themselves closer their big sister Slayers.

"It's okay, girls," Faith said. "This is what vampires looks like with their game face on."

Angel showed them his fangs and then morphed back to his normal face.

"How is it different now that you have a soul?" Annie asked.

Angel thought for a moment.

"Well, when this body was alive, it had a soul, me. Then when I was turned, my soul left and a demon took over. But my soul was returned to this body. The demon is still here, that's why I can walk around, but I'm in control."

"Oh."

"Do you remember everything the demon did?" Jo asked.

"Yes."

"How do you feed?" Savannah asked. "I mean, you're supposed to drink blood, right?"

"I get blood from a butcher."

"Oh."

"What do you eat?" Rebecca asked Lorne.

"Normal food, like you," Lorne said.

"Faith said you fight other demons," Danielle asked Angel. "You're a private detective?"

"Yes."

"Can I touch your horns?" Keiko asked Lorne shyly.

Lorne flashed her a big smile.

"Sure you can, sweet cheeks." He went closer and kneeled. "Anyone else?" he asked as Keiko carefully touched his horns.

"Me!" came several answers.

"One at a time, girls," Faith said with a smile.

A couple of hours later, Faith concluded the meeting. Angel seemed relieved, but Lorne seemed a bit disappointed.

"That's the most fun I've had in ages," Lorne told Buffy after Faith and Dawn ushered the Slayers out.

"Angel?" Buffy asked.

"Oh, Brood Boy here was all nervous," Lorne said.

"Must be all the Slayers," Buffy said with a smile.

"Yes," Angel said.

"The Rogue One seemed to have enjoyed herself," Lorne commented.

"Faith?" Buffy said.

"Yes."

"I thought you couldn't read people unless they sung."

"I can't, but it was all over her face."

"Oh." Buffy glanced toward the door. "Yes, she's, like, a whole different person now. All grown up."

Lorne raised an eyebrow.

"You make it sound as though that's a bad thing."

Buffy blushed a little.

"I kinda miss the old carefree Faith."

"Ah. I see," Lorne said and gave Angel a meaningful look.

Angel smiled a little.

"What?" Buffy said.

"Honey buns, your feelings are all over your face."

Buffy frowned.

"What feelings?"

"The warm and fuzzy feelings."

"What?" Buffy said, blushing.

"Thanks for coming, guys," Faith said as she returned. "The girls were all thrilled." She noticed Buffy blushing. "You okay?"

Buffy's blush deepened.

"Yes."

"No problem, sweet cheeks," Lorne said. "If you want a repeat performance, just give me a call."

"Thanks," Faith said with a smile. She looked at Angel. "You looked… scared."

Angel frowned a little.

"It's all the Slayers," Lorne said with a smile.

"They give me the creeps," Angel said.

Faith grinned.

"Big bad Angel is afraid of little girls?"

"Little girls that will someday be able to kick his butt," Buffy said with a smile.

"It'll take some getting used to this," Angel said.

"Would you be willing to come again?" Faith asked.

Angel hesitated for a moment, thinking about it.

"Yes."

Faith smiled.

"Cool. Thanks."

"Maybe next time we can show them what it looks like when a Slayer and a vampire fight," Buffy suggested.

"Yeah," Faith agreed.

"Faith, can I talk to you for a moment," Giles called.

"Sure," Faith said. She looked at Angel and Lorne. "Will you guys be staying or are you leaving?"

"We're leaving," Angel said.

"You know how it is," Lorne said. "Got business to run, a world to save and so on."

"Yeah," Faith said with a smile. "Thanks again for coming. I'll talk to you later."

"Take care, sunshine," Lorne said.

Faith went to Giles.

"You know, she's not gonna make the first step," Lorne told Buffy as they headed toward Angel's car.

"What?" Buffy said, blushing.

She looked at Angel, but he seemed to be amused.

"You know how it is with the brooding ones, they pretend to be all tough, but they're really big softies," Lorne continued. "I bet Angel here was just silently pining over you before you took matters into your own hands."

Angel raised an eyebrow at Lorne.

"I, uh…" Buffy said, blushing furiously.

"Was she as flustered over you?" Lorne asked Angel.

Angel nodded.

"Yes."

"Angel!" Buffy said, wide-eyed.

Angel smiled.

"It's okay, Buffy. If you have feelings for her, you'll have to be the one to do something about it."

Buffy frowned.

"You're okay with this?"

Angel shrugged.

"I'll always love you, you know that. You have my blessing. Not that you need one, but still."

"Uh, thanks." Buffy thought for a moment. "Was it that obvious?"

Angel smiled.

"You kept watching her and smiling."

"Even Dawn noticed," Lorne said.

"Oh god, I'm dead," Buffy said.

Lorne chuckled.

"Just be careful, she doesn't need a broken heart," Angel said.

Buffy sighed.

"I know. That's why I'm so nervous."

"Take it slow."

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

"So, I see someone has a crush on Faith," Dawn said with a smile after she got back from a class she had taken with the older Slayers.

Buffy blushed.

"Yes, I admit."

"Ooh, no denial."

"Angel and Lorne already talked to me."

"How does Angel feel about it?"

"He's okay with it."

"Oh. Oh! The girls also noticed."

"God," Buffy moaned.

"Don't worry, I told them to keep it to themselves, so you two can have the chance to take this slow."

Buffy smiled.

"Thanks."

After the baby Slayers were ready to go to bed, Faith went to their cabin. The last of the Watchers then left.

"Hey, guys," Faith said with a smile. "Had fun today?"

The girls nodded.

"Lorne was funny," Keiko said.

"Will he come again?" Rebecca asked.

"Sure." Faith sat on a bench, and the girls gathered up on the nearest beds and on the bench. "Were you scared of Angel?" she asked, putting her arms around the two girls next to her.

"A little," Talia said.

"His other face was scary," Elena said.

"Yeah, it looks kinda scary, doesn't it?" Faith agreed. "And bumpy. But Angel's a nice guy, he helps people." She smiled. "And guess what, he was afraid of you."

The girls' eyes went wide.

"Really?" Serena asked.

"Yes. He knows you're not a threat now, but someday you'll be able to kick his butt."

"Really?" Devon asked.

"You bet. Buffy and I will take care of that. And Dawn." She noticed some girls yawn. "So, wanna hear a story?"

"Story!" some of the girls cried, excited.

"Okay, go to bed."

The girls quickly scrambled.

When Buffy saw Faith go to the baby Slayers' cabin, she followed her. She went around the cabin and then looked through one of the windows from afar. She smiled when she saw Faith talk to the girls. She seemed so open and she seemed to be enjoying herself. And, she had to admit to herself, Faith looked beautiful. The girls seemed to adore her and look up to her, and Faith seemed to care about them.

When Faith started telling the girls a bedtime story, Buffy watched her for a while and then left.

"Hey, where've you been?" Dawn asked when she came across her.

"Watching Faith," Buffy said with a smile.

"You went with her?"

"No, I peeked through a window."

"Oh." Dawn smiled. "And?"

"She's simply wonderful," Buffy admitted, and blushed.

Dawn smiled.

"Yes, she is."

"Don't tell her I peeked."

"I won't. So, when will you tell her?"

Buffy blushed again.

"I don't know. I'm trying to figure out a way to do it. I don't want Faith to clam up."

"Oh."

Buffy sighed.

"I need to take this really slowly."

"I think she likes you too, she's just afraid because of the past."

"Yes, I know." She smiled a little. "Wish me luck."

Dawn giggled.

"Good luck."

When Faith came back from the little ones' cabin, Buffy was waiting for her.

"Hey."

Faith smiled.

"Hey."

"Wanna go out on patrol?"

"To LA?"

"Or around here. I got a car, so we'd be in LA in no time."

Faith thought about it.

"Okay. Just let me get ready."

"Okay," Buffy said, a little excited.

"You're quiet," Buffy said as they slowly drove through one of the residential neighborhoods of LA.

Faith glanced at her.

"Just thinking."

"Happy thoughts?"

Faith smiled a little.

"Yeah." She hesitated for a moment. "I kinda missed this."

"Us patrolling together?"

"Yeah." She hesitated again. "Somehow it's different with you than with the others."

"I know what you mean," Buffy agreed. "I could be in a room full of Slayers and I'd still know when you'd come."

"Yes."

"You still patrol?"

"Sure, every night. Except now that I'm at the camp."

"Oh."

"Go left over there."

"Okay." Buffy glanced at Faith. "Are we going somewhere?"

"Not really. I just want to drive through the neighborhood that I usually patrol."

"Oh. Okay."

Ten minutes later, they got to Faith's neighborhood. After several minutes of cruising, they came across a group of kids.

"Pull over," Faith told Buffy.

"Yo, Faith!" one of the kids said and came closer. "Where you been, girl?"

"Around. Everything okay around here?"

"The cops are a pain, but otherwise we cool."

"Okay."

"Well, well, check it out," the boy said and gave Buffy a once over. "Who's your girl, Faith?"

"Why don't you ask her?"

"I'm Buffy," Buffy said.

"Man, you're as sweet as your name. I'm Kareem. You available?"

"Oh brother," Faith groaned.

"No," Buffy said.

"Keep your hormones in check, Kareem," Faith said.

Kareem grinned.

"And pass up an opportunity?"

"Right." Faith glanced at Buffy. "Let's go, B."

"Nice meeting ya, Buffy!" Kareem called as they moved on.

"Sorry about that," Faith said.

Buffy smiled at her.

"No problem."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"So, who's the lucky guy?” she then asked. “I'm a bit out of the loop regarding your relationships."

Buffy blushed.

"I'm single at the moment."

"Ah."

Buffy hesitated for a moment.

"But there is someone."

Faith looked at her.

"Anyone I know?"

Buffy blushed.

"Uh, yeah."

"Seriously? Who is he?"

Buffy gulped, nervous.

"It's a she."

Faith's eyes went wide.

"You're playing for the home team now?"

Buffy blushed again.

"No, not really. It's just… I like her. A lot. I not just because she's pretty. It's… more." She hesitated for a moment. "I just get all warm and fuzzy around her."

Faith smiled.

"So, who's the lucky girl then?"

Buffy swallowed and gripped the wheel tighter.

"Uh, you," she admitted, staring straight ahead at the road, afraid to look at Faith.

Faith just stared at her for a few moments, not having expected that. Then she looked ahead and stared at the road quietly, thinking about it. On one hand, she was excited about it, but on the other, she remembered their past and it made her nervous. Plus, she had just gotten a grip on life and she didn't want to be in Buffy's shadow again.

"You really think it would work?" she asked just as Buffy wanted to say something.

Buffy glanced at her, glad that Faith didn't just say no.

"I don't know. We can try."

"I'm not really good at this relationship thing."

"Me neither, according to my past relationships."

Faith sighed.

"I don't know."

Buffy glanced at her, feeling that the conversation wasn't going too well.

"It's gonna be just you and me this time. And we'll take it slow." She blushed a little. "I'm new to the team."

Faith grinned at her. She hesitated for a few moments.

"Okay." She frowned. "Does that mean I have to take you out on dates and bring you flowers and stuff?"

Buffy smiled.

"No. Just, you know, be there for me, talk to me."

Faith sighed.

"Okay." She shook her head. "Man, this is gonna be weird."

Buffy smiled at her.

"Oh yeah, I think I should show you where I live."

"Okay."

"Hey, Buffy," Dawn said with a smile when they met the next morning at breakfast.

Buffy smiled back.

"Hey, Dawn."

"How was patrol?"

Buffy blushed a little.

"Okay."

"Did you talk to her about it?"

Buffy's blush deepened.

"Yes."

Dawn's eyes went wide.

"And?"

"She said yes."

Dawn squealed and hugged her.

"I'm so happy for you," she said as she let go of her.

"Not so loud," Buffy said and looked around nervously. "I don't want the whole camp to know. I don't want to scare her away before I even get a chance to get to know her better."

Dawn smiled.

"Sorry. So, spill."

Buffy blushed.

"We were driving around and we came across some kids who knew her. One of them asked me if I was available and I said I wasn't, so Faith wanted to know who I was with."

"And?"

Buffy shrugged.

"I told her."

"What did she say?"

"She was… nervous, I guess. We talked a little and she said okay."

Dawn smiled.

"Cool." She grinned. "Just try not to be too loud when you have sex. I may be all grown up now, but there's still the gross factor because you're my sister, and I don't want to listen to you getting some when I'm not getting any."

Buffy's eyes went wide.

"Dawn! You're so bad."

"What are you gonna do? Spank me?"

Buffy squinted.

"Maybe I should. Just what language do you and Faith use around the little ones?"

"English?"

"Smart mouth."

"Morning," Faith said as she joined them after getting the little ones in line.

"Hey," Buffy said with a smile and leaned in to kiss her. Then she stopped because she wasn't sure how Faith would react to open showing of affection. "Uh…"

Faith blinked, startled, as she realized Buffy had wanted to kiss her.

"Oh kiss her already," Dawn said.

"Dawn!" Buffy said, wide-eyed.

"What? You're acting like school kids instead of responsible adults."

"We'll see how you act when you finally get yourself a boyfriend."

"Who said I'm gonna get me a boyfriend?"

Buffy looked at Faith.

"You sure this gay thing isn't contagious?"

Faith grinned, enjoying the banter between the Summers sisters.

"Positive."

Buffy sighed and looked at Dawn.

"You can date a dog for all I care."

Dawn's eyes went wide and she giggled.

"Which would be an improvement over some of your dates."

Buffy looked at Faith.

"Faith, you're supposed to be the teacher here. Teach her some manners."

"Sorry, B, this is a sisterly affair."

Buffy groaned.

"Let's get some breakfast."

"Ha, I win," Dawn said and left, smiling.

"What was that all about?" Faith asked.

"Oh, you know, she's just being the little sister."

Faith smiled. She nodded toward the food line.

"We better get in line."

"Yes." Buffy hesitated for a moment. "And I think we need to talk about, you know, kissing in public and stuff."

Faith nodded.

"Yeah. During the break."

"Okay."

By the time the camp was over, Faith was more or less comfortable with public displays of affection. She didn’t go out of her way and flaunt her affection, but she didn’t shy away from kissing, holding hands and hugging. The older girls teased her at first and the little ones were all over her about how it was to have a girlfriend, but she managed.

On the last day, the new Slayers said goodbye to one another and to the Watchers that taught them. Faith watched from afar, not really looking to saying goodbye, even though she knew she would see them again next year.

“There you are,” Buffy said when she found her. “Are you hiding?”

Faith smiled at her.

“Sort of.” She hesitated for a moment. “I hate goodbyes.”

“Yeah, I know. Come, everyone’s been asking where you are.”

Faith sighed.

“Okay.”

“Faith!” little Keiko called when she spotted her.

Everyone looked at her, and then the little ones ran to her, with the older Slayers following them. The Watchers stayed behind.

“I found her,” Buffy said with a smile when the little ones came closer.

“Where were you?” little Devon asked.

“Oh, you know, preparing for next year, when your parents come,” Faith lied.

Amparo hugged her.

“I will miss you, Faith.”

Faith smiled.

“I’ll miss you too, honey,” she said and glanced toward the Watchers, a little nervous.

The other little ones moved closer, each wanting to hug her, and they ended up having a massive hug.

“Thanks, Faith,” Jo said with a smile.

Faith blushed a little, not used to being thanked.

“No problem.” She looked at the little ones. “Okay, girls, I need to breathe,” she said, and the girls let go of her. “Now, I want you to keep learning and practicing, okay? And if you have any questions or if you want to talk about something, you have my number and my e-mail address, and you can call me anytime.” She looked at the older Slayers. “That goes for you too.”

“And you can call any one of us too,” Savannah told the little ones, and the other older Slayers nodded.

“And me and Dawn,” Buffy said.

“And you guys, don’t get cocky,” Faith told older Slayers. “One little summer camp doesn’t make you a seasoned Slayer.”

“We’ll be careful,” Danielle said.

“You better or I’m gonna kick your ass next year,” Faith said with a grin.

The older Slayers smiled back.

“Okay, get moving,” Faith said, “your Watchers are waiting.”

They walked over to the Watchers. They said one final goodbye, and then the Slayers and their Watchers left.

When Buffy saw the sad look on Faith’s face, she put her arm around her.

“You’ll see them again next year,” she said. “And I bet they’ll call you too.”

Faith sighed.

“Yeah, I know.”

“Come, let’s get out of here.”

“Okay.”

“How about we first go get some ice cream and then go to my place and cuddle?”

Faith smiled.

“You sure know how to cheer up your girlfriend.”

Buffy smiled and gave her a peck on the cheek.

“I’m learning. Come, let’s get our stuff and say goodbye to Giles and Dawn.”

“Okay.”

The End