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.

Destiny
By Kristjan Brezovnik

"What happened?" the nine year old Faith asked her best friend, the ten year old Buffy, came back to their room, looking sad.

"They want to adopt me," Buffy said.

"That's a good thing," Faith said, excited.

"No! They don't want to adopt you too."

"Oh."

Buffy hugged Faith.

"I don't wanna be adopted without you."

Faith hugged her back.

"Me neither, Bee. But at least you'll have a real home."

Buffy let go of her.

"I don't care about a real home, I wanna stay with you."

Faith smiled.

"Me too."

"What are we gonna do?"

Faith shrugged.

"I don't know."

They were quiet for a few moments, both thinking.

"Ooh! I know. When they adopt me, I'll send you my address and some money," Buffy said. "That way you can come to me."

Faith frowned.

"But where will I stay?"

Buffy thought for a moment.

"I'll try to convince my parents to adopt you as well."

"And if they refuse?"

Buffy shrugged.

"Then we'll run away."

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"You sure?"

"Of course.

Faith smiled.

"Okay."

Buffy smiled back and hugged her.

Two months later, when the police brought Buffy back home after she had ran away, Buffy ran straight to her room. While Mr Summers, her father, dealt with the police, Mrs Summers, her mother, went after her.

"Go away!" Buffy yelled after Mrs Summers knocked on the door.

Mrs Summers sighed and entered.

Buffy, who was lying on the bed, crying, turned to her.

"Go away! I hate you!"

"Buffy…"

"Go away!"

Mrs Summers hesitated for a moment and then sat on the bed. She caressed Buffy, but Buffy shrugged her hand away.

"Leave me alone."

"Talk to me," Mrs Summers said. "Please."

Buffy stared at her for a couple of moments and then looked away.

"Faith disappeared," she said after a few moments.

"Oh. And why did you run away?"

"I wanted to find her."

Mrs Summers sighed. She thought for a moment.

"Tell you what. We'll hire a detective to find her, okay?"

Buffy turned.

"Really?"

Mrs Summers nodded.

"Yes."

Buffy hugged her for a moment and then quickly let go of her, embarrassed.

"Thanks."

Mrs Summers smiled.

"You're welcome, honey," she said and caressed her.

Two months after she'd been called, Faith came to Sunnydale. She'd learned from her Watcher about another Slayer, Buffy Summers, and she wanted to see if it was her Bee. But Buffy wasn't in Sunnydale. She'd found her house and she'd followed the woman she thought was her mother around, but she could see no Buffy. She soon discovered a bunch of kids obviously patrolling around. She followed them and listened to their conversations. She discovered that they were Buffy's friends and were filling in for her while she was gone. They never said where she was, so Faith stayed hidden and waited.

One night, about a month later, Faith came across a bunch of zombies. She tried killing them, but they kept coming back and she had to run away to rethink her strategy. She slowly followed the zombies and quickly realized that they had a destination in mind.

Just when the zombies reached the Summers house, they disappeared. Faith looked around, startled, but there was no trace of them. She looked toward the Summers house, which she guessed had been the zombies' destination, and frowned when she saw a blond girl. She was far and she couldn't see her very well, but she did look familiar. And since she recognized Oz, she guessed that the girl was Buffy. Since there were too many people there, she decided to wait.

A couple of hours later, after the house had been more or less cleaned up, Buffy's friends left. Faith waited for a few moments and then went to the house. When she reached the door, she hesitated for a moment. Then she took a deep breath and rang the bell.

She waited nervously for a few moments and then the door opened. She and Buffy stared at one another for a few moments.

"Bee?" Faith finally asked.

Buffy frowned for a moment and then her eyes went wide.

"Faith! Oh my god, Faith!"

Buffy hugged Faith tightly and Faith hugged her back.

"Buffy?" Mrs Summers asked when she came to see who it was.

Buffy let go of Faith and looked at her mother.

"Mom, this is Faith," she said with a smile. She looked at Faith. "Come in."

Faith entered and Buffy closed the door.

"Hello," Mrs Summers said.

"Hi," Faith said.

"I can't believe you found me," Buffy said. "Where've you been? What happened to you?"

"Faith from the orphanage?" Mrs Summers asked, suddenly remembering.

Buffy looked at her and nodded.

"Yes."

"Oh."

Buffy looked back at Faith.

"Are you staying?" she asked hopefully.

Faith shrugged.

"If you want me to," she said uncertainly.

Buffy frowned.

"Of course I want you to. You can stay in my room or in the guest room."

"Here?" Faith asked, surprised.

"Of course."

"Oh. Okay."

"Eh, Buffy…" Joyce started.

"She's staying, Mom," Buffy said determinedly. "Or I'm leaving."

Joyce's eyes went wide and Buffy immediately regretted saying that.

"Buffy!" Joyce said, shocked.

Buffy gulped.

"Please, Mom, don't make me chose," she said quietly.

"Bee…" Faith said quietly, not wanting to come between Buffy and her mother.

Buffy looked at her.

"No, Faith, I don't want to lose you again." She looked back at her mother. "Mom?" she said anxiously.

Mrs Summers looked at Faith for a few moments and then sighed.

"Very well."

Buffy smiled a bit.

"Thanks, Mom." She took Faith's hand. "Come on, let's go upstairs."

They ran upstairs and Mrs Summers stared after them, shocked that Buffy would run away again.

"This is my room," Buffy said as they entered her room.

Faith looked around.

"Nice."

Buffy smiled and hopped on the bed.

"Come."

Faith hesitated and then joined her. They lay facing one another for a while and Buffy finally reached out and caressed Faith.

"I missed you," she said.

"I missed you too," Faith said.

"What happened to you? I was worried sick when I was told you'd disappeared."

Faith sighed and looked away.

Buffy immediately guessed that it was something bad.

"Shh, it's okay, you don't have to tell me now," she said and touched Faith's cheek gently.

Faith looked at her, thinking.

"It's been so long. I wasn't sure if… I mean…"

"I know," Buffy said. "It's okay." She hesitated for a moment. "Do you think things could be as they were? Can we still be best friends?"

"What about your… other friends?"

"They can be your friends too."

Faith smiled.

"Okay," she said and Buffy smiled back, relieved.

"Great." She thought for a moment. "How did you find me?"

"My Watcher told me about you."

Buffy's eyes went wide.

"You're a Slayer too?"

Faith nodded and Buffy's smiled widely.

"This is so great!" she said and hugged Faith for a moment. Then she frowned. "I thought I felt something, but I wasn't concentrated."

Faith nodded.

"Yeah."

Buffy frowned.

"But I wasn't home. How did you… I mean…"

"I got the address from my Watcher. When I didn't see you anywhere, I followed your mom around and I came across your friends. I followed them around and tonight I found out that you're back."

"Oh. How long have you been here?"

"About a month."

"That long?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Where've you been?"

Buffy sighed.

"LA." She hesitated for a moment. "After Kendra, your predecessor, was killed, the cops thought I did it. And Mom and I had a fight because she'd just found out that I was a Slayer." She paused for a moment. "I ran away."

"Oh."

Buffy took a deep breath.

"But I dealt with it."

Faith smiled a bit.

"Good." She thought for a moment. "What about your dad?"

Buffy sighed.

"They got divorced soon after I became a Slayer. Mom and I moved to Sunnydale then."

"Oh."

Buffy thought for a moment.

"Does your Watcher know you're here?"

Faith shook her head.

"No."

"You should call her."

Faith sighed and nodded.

"Yeah."

"What is she like?"

Faith smiled a bit.

"She's cool," she said and Buffy smiled. "And your mom?"

"She's cool too. She even hired a detective to find you."

"Really?" Faith said, surprised.

"Yes. I'd ran away to find you myself, but the police brought me back. Mom hired a detective so I wouldn't run away again."

"Oh."

They stared at one another for a few moments.

"Can I sleep with you?" Faith then asked and immediately blushed when she realized how it sounded. "I mean, sleep as in, you know, share the bed, not sleep as in… having sex."

Buffy smiled, blushing as well.

"Sure. We'll go get your stuff tomorrow. Where are you staying?"

"Downtowner Motel."

"That dump? You're definitely staying here."

Faith smiled a bit, glad that things hadn't changed much. She thought for a few moments and then decided to tell Buffy the truth.

"I was kidnapped," she said.

"What?" Buffy asked, surprised.

"I was kidnapped. After I got your letter, I escaped from the home and went to the bus station." She paused for a moment. "I was kidnapped by a man and a woman there. The man left a couple of years later and the woman died a couple of months before I was called."

Buffy stared at her, wide-eyed.

"Did they… Did they… hurt you?" she asked and Faith tensed. "Shh, it's okay, you can tell me when you're ready," Buffy immediately told her. "Come here."

She lay on her back and after a moment of hesitation, Faith cuddled up to her.

"I missed you so much," Faith said quietly, tears in her eyes.

"Me too," Buffy said and pressed her to herself tightly.

An hour later, after they talked a bit, Faith decided to call her Watcher, and Buffy to apologize to her mother.

"There's the phone," Buffy said when they got downstairs. "Do you know the number?"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah."

"Okay."

Faith went to the phone and dialed her Watcher's number and Buffy went to the kitchen.

The phone rang and a couple of moments later a female voice with a British accent answered.

"Hello?"

Faith gulped.

"Hi, Mrs H," she said.

There was a brief pause.

"Faith?"

"Yeah."

"Oh my god, are you alright? Where are you?"

"I'm fine. I'm in Sunnydale."

There was a brief pause.

"Sunnydale?"

"Yeah. I'm with Buffy."

"The other Slayer."

"Yeah."

Faith could hear Mrs H take a deep breath of relief.

"When are you coming back?"

"I'm not."

There was another pause.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm staying."

"In Sunnydale?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Because of Buffy."

"Buffy?"

"Yeah."

"But why?"

Faith hesitated again.

"Because she's my family."

There was a pause as Mrs H tried to think about what Faith had said.

"I see," she finally said. She sighed. "I shall have to move then."

"Yeah," Faith said, relieved.

"Very well. I will come in a few days."

"Okay."

"Does Mr Giles, Buffy's Watcher, know you're there?"

"No. We're gonna tell him tomorrow."

"I see. Very well then. I shall see you in a few days, Faith."

"Yeah."

"Good night then."

"Night."

Mrs H hung up, so Faith did the same. She looked toward the kitchen, but since she didn't know whether Buffy was done talking to her mother, she decided to wait in the living room.

"Hey," Buffy said nervously when she entered the kitchen.

Mrs Summers looked at her.

"Hey."

Buffy hesitated for a moment.

"I'm sorry, Mom." She sighed. "It's just… Faith is my family. We've known each other since we were babies and…" She sighed again. "I don't want to lose her again, Mom."

Mrs Summers stared at her for a moment and then sighed.

"I don't want to lose you, honey."

"I don't want to lose you either, Mom," Buffy said and hugged her.

Mrs Summers hugged her back and caressed her.

When they stopped hugging, Mrs Summers looked at her daughter.

"So, she's staying?"

Buffy nodded.

"Yes."

Mrs Summers nodded.

"Okay. We'll get the guest room ready tomorrow."

"She's staying in my room," Buffy said and Mrs Summers raised an eyebrow.

"You room?"

Buffy nodded.

"We've been sleeping together since we were four." She smiled. "One of us would always sneak out of her bed and go to the other."

Mrs Summers smiled as well.

"Okay.

Buffy took a deep breath.

"I'm really sorry, Mom."

Mrs Summers caressed her.

"I understand, honey."

Buffy smiled a bit.

"Thanks, Mom. Ooh! Guess what, she's a Slayer too."

Mrs Summers frowned.

"She is?"

"Yes."

"Oh. How many Slayers are there?"

"Just us." Buffy smiled. "It's like destiny or something."

"So she goes out on patrols like you?"

"Yes."

Mrs Summers thought about it.

"That's good. This way you can cover each other's backs."

Buffy smiled.

"Yes."

Mrs Summers nodded.

"Good. But you be careful anyway."

"We will, Mom," Buffy said and left the kitchen. "How did it go?" she asked Faith when she saw her in the living room.

Faith shrugged.

"Okay. She's moving to Sunnydale."

Buffy smiled.

"That's good."

"Yeah."

Faith looked around, thinking.

"Everything okay?" Buffy asked.

Faith looked at her with a smile.

"It is now," she said and Buffy smiled back.

"Good," Buffy said, took Faith's hand into her own and gently squeezed it. "I'll show you around Sunnydale tomorrow when we go get your stuff and then I'll call the guys over after school."

"Sounds like a plan," Faith said. "So, wanna go out on patrol?"

Buffy thought for a moment.

"No, let's stay home. There's so much more I want to tell you."

Faith smiled.

"Okay."

"How about we go to bed?" Buffy suggested and immediately blushed.

"You sure know how to woo your girls, Bee," Faith said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Smart mouth," Buffy said and stuck out her tongue at her.

Faith grinned.

"Let's get horizontal then," she said and Buffy's blush deepened.

The next morning, Buffy and Faith talked about what they've been doing and after school, Giles and Buffy's friends came over.

"Hey, guys," Buffy said when she opened the door.

"Hey, Buffy," Willow said.

"What's the big secret?" Xander asked.

"Come," Buffy said and led the way to the living room, where Faith was sitting on the sofa. "Guys, this is Faith, my best friend," she introduced her and Faith got up.

"Your best friend?" Willow said, surprised and a bit hurt because she had thought she was Buffy's best friend.

"Yes. We've known each other since we were babies."

"Really?"

"You never mentioned her," Xander said, openly ogling Faith.

Buffy sighed.

"It was a painful subject. We were separated when I was ten."

"Oh."

"Anyway, Faith, these are Willow, Xander, Cordelia and Oz. And that's Giles, my Watcher."

"Hey," Faith said.

"She knows?" Willow asked, surprised.

Buffy smiled.

"Of course, she's a Slayer."

"What?"

"She's Kendra's successor."

"Who's your Watcher?" Giles asked.

"Mrs H… Hutchinson."

"A good woman," Giles said with a nod.

"Yeah."

"How long are you staying?" Xander asked.

"I moved here."

"Really? Where are you staying?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Here."

Xander frowned.

"Here? As in here here? In Buffy's house?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"When did you arrive?" Giles asked.

Faith hesitated again.

"About a month ago."

"Really?" Giles said, surprised. "Why didn't you contact me?"

Faith shrugged.

"I was waiting for Buffy."

"Oh."

"Wait!" Xander suddenly realized. "So you were the Slayer the vamps were talking about."

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"Her Watcher is also moving here," Buffy said.

"Really?" Giles said. "I'll contact her."

"Okay," Faith said.

"Oh, hello, everyone," Joyce said as she entered the house.

"Hi, Mom," Buffy said. "I'm introducing Faith."

"Okay."

Joyce went upstairs to change.

"I'll be right back," Faith said and followed her.

"Okay," Buffy said.

"What's she like?" Willow asked.

Buffy smiled widely.

"She's the best. We were always in some trouble when we were little and we were always there for one another. We were like sisters."

"Oh."

"And now she's back," Buffy said, excited.

"And a Slayer," Xander said.

"Yes. I mean, imagine the odds. Must be destiny or something."

When Faith got to Joyce's room, she hesitated for a moment and then knocked.

"Come!" Joyce called and Faith entered. "Faith. Is something wrong?"

"No." She hesitated for a moment. "I just wanted to apologize. I didn't mean to come between you and Buffy."

"Oh." Joyce smiled. "Don't worry. Things were already tense between Buffy and me because I freaked out when I found out she was a Slayer. And besides, I know how important you are to her. When you didn't come after her, she ran away to find you. The police brought her back, but I knew she would run away again, so I hired a detective. He searched for you for two years, but even after he failed to find you, Buffy believed that someday you would come to her. And you did." She stepped closer and put her hand on Faith's shoulder. "You're her family, Faith, and that makes you my family as well."

Faith stared at Joyce, surprised.

"Thanks," she then said, nervous.

Joyce smiled again.

"You're welcome," she said and removed her hand. "Now go, be with your friends."

Faith smiled a bit and left, feeling much better.

"Everything okay?" Buffy asked when Faith returned.

Faith smiled.

"Yeah."

Buffy smiled back.

"Good. So, how about we go out tonight and celebrate, and then we can go on patrol."

"You bet," Faith agreed and sat beside Buffy.

"Guys?" Buffy asked her friends.

"Sounds like a plan," Xander said.

The next day, Buffy and Joyce went to see Snyder and Buffy was accepted back to school.

"I'm back!" Buffy said, excited, when they got home.

"Congrats!" Faith said and hugged her.

Buffy smiled.

"Thanks. Now all we have to do is get you back as well."

Faith made a face.

"I hate school."

"What, you think I like it?"

"No."

"Don't worry, it'll be fun."

"Yeah, except the studying part."

"Well, except that, yes."

"Does Giles make you…"

She trailed off when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Buffy said and went to the door. "Yes?" she asked when she opened the door and saw a woman there.

"Hello, I'm…"

"Mrs H," Faith said, surprised.

Mrs Hutchinson looked past Buffy and smiled.

"Faith."

Buffy looked at Faith.

"Your Watcher?"

"Yeah," Faith said, staring at Mrs H.

"Oh." Buffy looked at Mrs Hutchinson. "Come on in," she said.

"Thank you," Mrs Hutchinson said and entered.

"Mom! Faith's Watcher is here!" Buffy called as she closed the door.

Mrs Hutchinson looked at her, surprised.

"She knows?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Mrs Hutchinson looked at Faith and smiled. "How are you, Faith?"

Faith shrugged.

"Okay."

Mrs Hutchinson raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?"

Faith smiled.

"Yeah."

"Alright."

"So, em, you've already moved?"

"Yes. I thought it would take longer, but the Council helped, so."

"Oh." Faith smiled again. "Cool."

Mrs Hutchinson smiled back. She looked around.

"So you live here now?"

"Yeah."

"Alright."

"Hello," Joyce said as she arrived.

Mrs Hutchinson looked at her.

"Hello."

"I'm Joyce Summers. You must be Mrs Hutchinson."

"Yes," Mrs Hutchinson said.

"Nice to meet you. Would you care for a cup of coffee?"

"Eh," Mrs Hutchinson said and looked at Faith.

"We'll talk later," Faith said.

Mrs Hutchinson smiled.

"Alright." She looked at Joyce. "Yes, I would like a cup."

"Come."

Mrs Hutchinson followed Joyce to the kitchen and Faith looked at Buffy.

"What?" she asked when she saw Buffy's look.

Buffy smiled.

"You like her."

Faith blushed a bit, nervous.

"Yeah, she's cool."

"And she likes you too."

"Yeah," Faith said and glanced toward the kitchen door. "She's a lot like Giles, I guess." She sighed. "I should've called her sooner. She must've been worried sick."

"Yes," Buffy agreed. "I guess that's something that she and Giles could discuss, missing Slayers."

Faith smiled a bit.

"Yeah."

"You should talk to her about going back to school," Buffy suggested. She thought for a moment. "Is she your legal guardian?"

Faith frowned.

"No, I don't think so."

"Oh. Then you should ask Mom."

"Your mom?"

"Yes. I mean, you'll be living here, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then it would be easier if Mom was your legal guardian."

"Oh. I guess."

Buffy grinned.

"I bet Snyder is going to have a heart attack when he finds out."

Faith grinned as well.

"You hope so, right?"

"Well, I don't exactly want him dead, just out of the office."

"Oh."

"Come, let's ask Mom about becoming your legal guardian."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"What about Mrs H?"

Buffy thought for a moment.

"I don't think she'll mind. I mean, Giles is sort of like a dad to me, you know? And I think Mrs Hutchinson is like a mom to you, so I think she'll understand."

"Oh." Faith took a deep breath. "Okay."

Buffy smiled and took her hand.

"Come," she said and led the way to the kitchen. "Mom, we need to talk about something," she said when they got there.

Joyce looked from the coffee machine.

"Yes?"

Buffy looked at Faith, who gulped, nervous, and glanced at Mrs Hutchinson.

"Well, em, I was thinking about going back to school," Faith said.

Joyce nodded.

"That's a good idea, yes."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Well, em, I was wondering if you could become my, eh, legal guardian."

Joyce raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Me?"

"Yeah," Faith said and glanced at Mrs Hutchinson.

"What about Mrs Hutchinson?"

"Well, em…"

"She'll be living here, Mom, it would make sense if you would be her guardian," Buffy explained. "I mean, you know how Snyder is."

Joyce smiled.

"Yes. I hope he has a heart attack when we visit him," she said and Buffy chuckled.

Faith looked at Mrs Hutchinson.

"Is that okay with you?" she asked.

Mrs Hutchinson smiled, agreeing with the girls' reasoning even though she would have liked to become Faith's guardian herself.

"Yes. Joyce and I will take care of the paperwork."

Faith smiled a bit, relieved.

"Thanks."

"Thanks, Mom," Buffy said and dragged Faith away.

"Faith certainly has changed," Mrs Hutchinson observed when they were gone.

"In what way?" Joyce asked.

"She's more… open. She doesn't trust people easily and it took a while before she trusted me."

"Oh."

"Do you know how they met?"

"In the orphanage."

"Orphanage?" Mrs Hutchinson said, surprised.

Joyce nodded and served the coffee.

"Yes, they were both orphans. When Buffy was ten, my husband and I adopted her, but we were reluctant to adopt Faith as well."

"Oh."

Joyce sighed.

"After Buffy was adopted, they decided that she would send Faith her address and some money so that Faith could come after her. Unfortunately, Faith disappeared. Buffy even ran away from home to find her. I had to hire a detective, but he couldn't find Faith either."

"I see."

"After the detective gave up, Buffy never spoke of Faith again." She smiled. "But they're still close and I think that Buffy can help Faith get over what had happened to her."

Mrs Hutchinson nodded.

"Yes."

"Have you talked to Mr Giles yet?"

"Buffy's Watcher?"

"Yes."

"No. I came here as soon as I dropped off my luggage."

Joyce stared at her for a few moments.

"You really care about her."

Mrs Hutchinson sighed.

"I do."

Joyce smiled.

"Good."

"What's wrong?" Buffy asked when she saw Faith's thoughtful face.

Faith blinked and looked at her.

"Oh." She sighed. "Just thinking."

"About?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"I should've called Mrs H. Hell, I should've told her where I was going, she must've been worried sick."

Buffy smiled a bit.

"I know. I know Giles was worried sick when I was gone."

Faith took a deep breath.

"I'll have to apologize."

Buffy squeezed Faith's hand encouragingly and then smiled.

"Wanna help me prepare for school?"

Faith groaned.

"You're kidding, right?"

"No."

Faith sighed.

"Okay, since it's you."

Buffy's smile widened.

"Come."

When Mrs Hutchinson was leaving, Faith went with her.

"Sorry I didn't call," Faith said as they walked down the street.

"Why didn't you?"

Faith sighed.

"I don't know. I mean, when I found out that the Buffy you we're telling me about was my Buffy, I just wanted to be with her. I just packed and got on a bus. I wasn't really thinking about anything, I just wanted to be with Buffy again." She sighed again. "But she wasn't here." She hesitated for a moment. "I know I should've called, but my mind was on a single track and I wasn't really thinking about much beside Buffy." She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

Mrs Hutchinson smiled at her.

"It's okay, Faith," she said and Faith looked at her, surprised. "Joyce told me a bit about your past, so I understand why she is so important to you. And I'm glad you found her again, she obviously has good influence on you."

Faith smiled.

"Yeah." She hesitated for a few moments. "Eh, about the legal guardian thing…"

"That's okay, Faith, I understand."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"I mean, if I wasn't living with Buffy, I'd have wanted you to be my legal guardian."

Mrs Hutchinson smiled at her, feeling moved.

"Thank you, Faith."

Faith smiled a bit, feeling weird at being so open with her Watcher.

"Anyway, Joyce and I have talked," Mrs Hutchinson continued. "I'll contact the Council later and see if they can pull some strings to get you enrolled this year."

Faith looked at her, surprised.

"Yeah?"

"Yes. But you'll have to work hard to catch up."

Faith groaned.

"I'll do my best," she promised.

Mrs Hutchinson chuckled.

"I'd never have thought it possible that you would ever want to go back to school."

Faith shrugged, blushing.

"Like you said, Bee has a good influence on me."

"Yes." She thought for a moment. "And tomorrow you can introduce me to Mr Giles."

"Okay." Faith hesitated for a few moments, nervous. "Eh, Mrs H?"

"Yes?"

Faith hesitated again.

"Thanks for caring," she said in a quiet voice.

Mrs Hutchinson raised an eyebrow, astonished. Then she smiled, moved.

"You're welcome, Faith," she said and put her hand on Faith's shoulder for a moment.

"How did it go?" Buffy asked when Faith came home.

Faith flashed a big smile.

"Great. We talked a bit, I apologized. And I helped her unpack and move the furniture. Oh, she said she'll see if she can get me enrolled for this year."

"Really? That's great," Buffy said, excited.

"Yeah, but I'll have to work hard to catch up."

"Hey, I'll help you."

Faith grinned.

"I don't think we'd make much progress."

Buffy frowned for a moment and then blushed.

"Faith," she said and swatted her on the arm.

Faith grinned for a few moments and then her face became serious. She hesitated for a moment and then moved closer to Buffy and hugged her.

"I'm so glad we're back together," she said.

"Me too," Buffy said, hugging her back.

They hugged for a few moments and then Faith slowly let go of Buffy.

"What?" she asked when Faith stared at her for a few moments with a weird expression on her face.

Faith blinked and shook her head.

"Nothing," she said and looked away with a sigh.

"Faith," Buffy said, feeling that something was on Faith's mind. She put her hand on Faith's shoulder. "Talk to me."

"It's nothing."

"Faith, it's me, your Bee. You know you can talk to me about anything. I'll always be your friend."

Faith looked at her.

"Promise?" she asked after a few moments.

Buffy realized that whatever was on Faith's mind was very serious.

"I promise, Faith."

Faith looked at her feet, nervous.

"I… Eh… I… I think I'm in love with you," she finally confessed and blushed furiously.

"What?" Buffy said, surprised.

Faith glanced at her, worried.

"I-I mean, everything's confusing right now because we've been apart for so long, but I think I'm in love with you," she clarified and looked at her feet again.

Buffy stared at her for a few moments.

"Oh." She frowned. "I didn't know you were gay."

Faith looked at her.

"We were ten, I didn't know it either."

Buffy smiled.

"Right."

Faith hesitated for a few moments.

"Are we still friends?"

"Of course we are," Buffy assured her and hugged her.

Faith hugged her back, still nervous.

"I'm not really gay, more like bi," Faith said when Buffy let go of her.

"Oh." Buffy stared at her for a few moments and then smiled. "I'm not exactly clear on my own feelings either, but I know they're very deep. But no matter what, I'll always be your friend."

Faith smiled a little.

"Me too."

"Good."

Faith thought for a moment.

"Do you want me to get my own room?"

Buffy frowned.

"No, it's okay."

"You sure?" Faith asked, surprised.

Buffy nodded.

"Yes. I mean, we're both single at the moment. And if we start dating, well…" She trailed off, blushing. "I mean, I know you won't do anything I'm not ready for, so."

Faith smiled.

"Don't worry, Bee." She hesitated for a moment. "But cuddling is okay?"

Buffy smiled.

"Cuddling is okay, yes. Just no petting."

Faith grinned.

"I promise."

"Good," Buffy said, blushing. "So, you up for patrol?" she changed the subject.

Faith thought for a moment.

"No, I'd like to stay home. The day's been kinda hard emotionally."

Buffy smiled.

"Okay. How about we take a shower and then watch some movies."

Faith smiled.

"And cuddle?"

Buffy blushed a bit.

"Definitely cuddle."

"Deal."

"Good. You go first and I'll take care of the movies and see if we have any snacks."

"Okay," Faith agreed. "Bee," she called when Buffy turned.

"Yes?"

They stared at one another for a few moments and Faith's eyes told Buffy everything she needed to know. Buffy smiled and left. When she was gone, Faith took a deep breath and smiled widely. She squirmed, excited.

"Yes!"

The End