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. Set after the Buffy episode Amends.

Duty
By Kristjan Brezovnik

Faith stared at the falling snow together with Joyce. It looked so romantic, but, again, Buffy was not around to share it with. She sighed, feeling stupid. She knew she should've gone somewhere else and not come to Buffy's house. Every time she thought she might spend some quality time with Buffy that wasn't connected to Slaying, something came up and she was left alone. It was driving her crazy. She decided to leave in the morning. Where? She had no idea. Somewhere that was not here.

She wanted to go back to the motel, but Joyce invited her to stay overnight and she accepted. She heard Buffy come home late, but she ignored her and went back to sleep.

In the morning, she got up early and left before Joyce or Buffy could talk to her. She first dropped by at Giles' house.

"Faith," Giles said, surprised, rubbing his eyes. "What are you doing here." He glanced at his watch. "It's…"

"I'm leaving," Faith interrupted him.

That got his attention.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'm leaving."

"Leaving? Why?"

Faith shrugged.

"Buffy has everything under control here and she doesn't really need me, so I've decided to go maybe to New York or Boston."

"Right now?"

Faith shrugged again.

"Why not? That way I get there sooner."

"But… Have you talked to Buffy?"

"I tried, but she left as soon as I came and I was asleep when she came home. And now she's asleep."

"Oh."

"I'll call you and let you know how things are going."

Giles stared at her for a few moments.

"Are you sure? I mean, this is all so sudden."

"I'm sure, Giles. And besides, there's no decent nightclubs here."

"I see."

"Call me if… Well, I'll probably call you, but let me know if you need help, okay?"

"Yes, of course."

"Okay. I'll see you around," Faith said and left.

"Eh, yes. Goodbye, Faith."

Giles stared after her until she was gone and then closed the door, thinking.

"Where's Faith, Mom?" Buffy asked when she came down and couldn't find Faith anywhere.

"I don't know. I think she went home."

"Oh," Buffy said disappointed. She looked around. "She didn't even take her present."

"You didn't give it to her."

"Oh," Buffy said and sighed. "I'll take it to her after breakfast."

When she got to the motel, the room was empty. She asked the manager and he told her that Faith had left early in the morning. Buffy was confused and she decided to tell Giles.

"Eh, yes, she did," Giles said.

"You knew?" Buffy said, surprised.

"Yes. She came to me this morning. She said she wanted to talk to you about it, but she didn't get the chance."

"Oh," Buffy said, feeling guilty for ignoring Faith. "But why so early? I mean, she could've waited until I woke up."

"So she would get there sooner."

"It's only a few hours! Did she say where she's going?"

"She said New York or Boston."

"Oh," Buffy said, disappointed that she wouldn't be able to visit her anytime soon. "Did she say why?"

"She feels that you are capable of taking care of things here. And she's also not satisfied with the choice of nightclubs here."

"Oh." Buffy thought about Faith for a few moments, already missing her. "Thanks. Merry Christmas."

As it so happened, the first person that stopped her was going to LA, so Faith decided to go there. At least this way, she could return to Sunnydale within a few hours if Buffy needed help. She sighed, doubting that Buffy would need her help. She would probably forget she ever existed. She just hoped she would also be able to forget about Buffy.

After she was dropped off, Faith walked around LA, trying to find a place to stay. She found it depressing how everyone was so cheerful and happy, because it made her feel alone. She shook her head and tried to think of something happy, but nothing came to mind. She sighed and tried to think of nothing but the fact that she needed a place to stay.

After finding a sleazy motel and persuading the manager to give her a discount, she settled in, which took her less than a minute. Then she sat on the bed and looked around, trying to think of something to do. Nothing came to mind, so she decided to go out and familiarize herself with the layout of the streets and check out any potential demon hotspots. And, of course, to locate the nightclubs.

After a couple of hours of walking, Faith knew her way around the neighborhood. But, since she had nothing better to do, she decided to go and see the city. And someone was lucky that she did she realized when she heard sounds of fighting and shooting. She started running and saw a black limo with a whole lot of bullet holes. She looked around and saw that three shooters were shooting at it from cover and the bodyguards were shooting back. Faith hesitated for a moment, since it wasn’t a demon related attack, but she decided to intervene anyway. She ran toward the attackers and disarmed them. The bodyguards stopped shooting when they saw her, but they held their guns ready.

Faith quickly knocked the attackers unconscious and then looked at the limo. The bodyguards slowly got up when they saw that the attackers were down and Faith moved on.

"Wait!"

Faith turned to see who was calling. She noticed a man, obviously the owner of the limo, waving at her. She hesitated for a moment and then decided to wait. Maybe there was a reward or something and she could use the money. Two bodyguards escorted the man, while the other two checked the attackers.

"Well, first of all," the man said when he came closer, "thank you. I've never seen anyone move so fast."

Faith shrugged.

"So?"

"Are you from around here?"

"No, I just came into town this the morning."

"I see. Do you need a job?"

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"As?"

"As a bodyguard."

Faith glanced at the two bodyguards, thinking.

"You already have bodyguards, and they carry guns."

"Not for me, for my daughter. She's your age, I think, and so far, she hadn't liked any of the bodyguards I hired for her. And she keeps slipping them. Maybe you would have more luck with her."

Faith thought for a moment.

"I don't know. I'll have to talk to her first."

"Excellent. Come, let's go back to the limo. They should bring another car soon."

"What about the cops?"

"Don't worry, my lawyer will be here any moment."

Faith thought for a moment.

"What do you do?"

"You mean my job? I own several successful companies. Nothing illegal, if that's what you're worried about."

"Good."

"My name's Johnson. Derek Johnson."

"Faith."

After the cops were taken care of, Mr Johnson took Faith to his house.

"Like it?" he asked, smiling, when he saw her stare.

"It's fucking huge."

Mr Johnson chuckled.

"Yes."

The limo stopped and they got out.

"Ben, please tell Jennifer to come to my study."

"Yes, sir," the servant said and left.

"Please?" Faith asked, curious, as they walked inside.

"Just because they work for me doesn't mean that I have to be rude. I wasn't always rich, you know, I know how it is to be in their position."

"Oh." She thought for a moment. "Do you know what those guys wanted?"

"Not yet. I think they wanted to kidnap me for ransom."

"Oh."

"Dad, are you alright?" Jennifer asked as she came out. "I heard…" She trailed off when she saw Faith. "Em, I heard that you got shot at."

Mr Johnson nodded.

"Yes. But don't worry, I'm fine." He pointed at Faith. "This here is Faith. She saved me."

Jennifer raised an eyebrow.

"How?"

"She disarmed the shooters."

"Oh."

"I also hired her to be your new bodyguard."

"Her?" Jennifer said, surprised.

"Yes."

"Why her? You don't even know her."

"True," Mr Johnson agreed and looked at Faith questioningly.

"And I'd like to keep it that way," Faith said.

"Why?" Jennifer asked suspiciously.

"Because my personal life is none of your business."

"Dad, she's rude," Jennifer complained.

"Jennifer, please," Mr Johnson said. "The point is, she knows how to fight. She took out three armed men in less than five seconds. Not even George could do that. And besides, she's a girl, I though maybe you could get along with her better than with other bodyguards."

Jennifer thought about it for a moment.

"Whatever," she then said.

"I didn't say that I accept yet," Faith said.

"Ah yes, you wanted to talk to Jennifer first," Mr Johnson said.

"About what?" Jennifer asked.

"Rules."

Jennifer frowned.

"What rules?"

"If I'm gonna watch your ass all day long, there are gonna be some rules."

Jennifer gave her a blank look.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope."

Jennifer thought for a moment.

"What rules?"

"When do you usually come home in the evening?"

Jennifer glanced at her father and then stared at Faith for a few moments.

"Eleven on weekdays and three or four in the morning on weekend. Well, Friday and Saturday."

"Okay. Weekdays are okay with me, but on Friday and Saturday, I want you back by one. Two max."

"What?!" Jennifer said, outraged. "No way!"

"Way. And when we're out, you stay in my sight. You try to slip me, you can find yourself a new bodyguard. You don't have to like me and you can ignore me all you want, I don't care, but if I say we're leaving, we're leaving. I also don't care if you drink or smoke or have sex, as long as you don't do drugs."

Jennifer stared at her for a couple of moments and then looked at her father, outraged.

"Dad, you can't be serious."

"Take it or leave it," Faith said.

Jennifer glared at her.

"Leave it."

Faith shrugged.

"Fine," she said and turned to leave.

"Wait," Mr Johnson said and Faith stopped.

"I'm not gonna be her bodyguard unless she accepts the rules," she said.

Mr Johnson looked at his daughter.

"She's right, you know. And it's nothing any other bodyguard doesn't expect, though they never say it."

Jennifer thought for a moment.

"But one AM, that's too early."

"We'll see about that," Faith said. "I'm new to LA and I don't know much about night life here. But if I say we're going home, even if it's only nine PM, we're going home."

"Why?"

"I don't know, a lot of things can happen. I'm not saying they will, but they might. And if they do, I expect you to listen to me."

Jennifer thought for a moment.

"Alright, alright. Fine," she grudgingly consented.

Mr Johnson smiled.

"Welcome aboard, Faith."

"Thanks."

"Oh," he remembered. "Em, Jennifer is going to high school this fall and I thought you might enroll as well."

"What?!" Faith and Jennifer said in unison.

Mr Johnson smiled as they glanced at one another.

"It would be easier for you to keep an eye on her," he pointed out.

Faith thought about it for a moment. She hated school, but she knew he had a point.

"Fine," she grudgingly agreed. "What about this year? I mean, she's in eight's grade, right?"

"Yes."

Faith gave Jennifer a once over.

"She looks older."

"Yes," Mr Johnson agreed. "And since you don't look very old yourself, I thought maybe you could go to classes with her."

"And write tests?"

"Only as a cover."

Faith considered the idea.

"Okay," she agreed.

Mr Johnson smiled.

"Excellent."

"So, when do I start?"

"Right away," Mr Johnson said.

Faith raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment.

"So is somebody gonna pick me up in the morning when she goes to school?" she asked.

"Actually, I thought you could move in with us."

Faith raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Here?"

"Yes," Mr Johnson said, smiling.

Faith thought about it.

"And I can come and go as I please when I'm not watching her?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

"Good. I'll also get you a cell phone."

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"Cool." She looked at Jennifer. "So, are you planning to go somewhere or can I go and get my stuff?"

Jennifer stared at her for a moment.

"No," she said.

"Okay. I'll see you later then."

"Ben, please tell Don to give Faith a ride."

"Yes, sir."

Faith followed Ben out.

"Oh," she remembered at the door. "Do you have a gym here or something?"

"Yes, we do," Mr Johnson said with a smile.

"Good," Faith said and turned again.

"Oh Faith!"

"Yeah?"

"You didn't ask how much I'm paying you."

Faith glanced at Jennifer.

"I'm sure you know best how much your daughter's safety is worth to you," she said and left.

When she came back, Ben took her to her room.

"Oh, wow," she said, impressed, when she saw it.

"Like it?" Ben asked.

"Hell yeah." She glanced at him. "This is the staff wing?"

"Yes."

"Thought so," she said and dropped her bag. "Oh, nice, my own bathroom. Cool." She looked at Ben. "Can you give me a tour of the house?"

"Sure. By the way, what do you want to be called? Faith?"

"It's my name."

"Okay. Come."

They left the room.

"So, em, who's George?"

Ben glanced at her.

"One of Mr Johnson's bodyguards. He's the best."

"Cool. You think he'll mind sparing with me?"

Ben raised an eyebrow and gave her a once over.

"You sure got guts."

"Trust me, I can take care of myself."

"I don't doubt it. I've heard the others talking. They were impressed."

Faith smirked.

"By my rack or my skills?"

Ben smirked back.

"Both actually."

Faith grinned.

"Thought so."

After the tour of the house, Faith went to Jennifer. She knocked on the door and waited.

"Come!" Jennifer said a moment later and Faith entered. "Oh, it's you."

"Yeah. Listen, are you planning on going anywhere today?"

"Yes."

"When and where?"

"At nine. I'm going to a party."

"Party as in 'we're all good girls' party or party as in 'let's dance and get drunk' party?"

Jennifer raised an eyebrow.

"The second. You got a problem with that?"

Faith smirked.

"Me? I love those parties. But, like I said, curfew is at one, two max."

Jennifer pouted.

"Things just get interesting then."

"That's precisely why. And I have some other things to take care of then."

"What things?"

"Nothing you need to worry about. Nothing illegal, if that's what you're worried about. Anyway, I'm going to the gym now. Oh, em…" She hesitated for a moment. "You think you could show me what you're doing in school? I mean, I don't want to look like a complete loser."

Jennifer stared at her, surprised.

"Later maybe."

"Okay. Thanks."

Faith left and Jennifer stared at the door, thinking.

Half an hour later, Jennifer came to the gym. She was about to say something when she noticed that Faith was lifting all the weighs on the fitness machine.

"You're using all the weighs?" she asked incredulously.

Faith glanced at her.

"Yes."

"But… I can't even move all of them together."

"I'm stronger than I look," Faith said with a smirk.

"Oh."

Jennifer hesitated for a moment and then went to one of the machines.

"You really should stretch yourself first," Faith said.

"What are you, my mom?"

Faith grinned.

"No, just someone who knows this kind of stuff. You don't have to listen, but you're gonna feel sore afterwards if you don't stretch first."

Jennifer stared at her for a few moments, considering whether she should listen. She decided to listen. She went to the mat and started to stretch.

"Not so fast," Faith said, "you're gonna sprain something. I can show you, if you want."

Jennifer glared at her.

"No, thanks."

Faith smirked and then shrugged.

"Whatever."

Just when Jennifer stopped stretching, George came in. At least Faith thought it was George. He looked tough and she knew he was a fighter.

"You Faith?" he asked.

"Yep. You George?"

"Yes. Ben said you wanted to spar with me."

"Sure," Faith said and got up.

George gave her a once over.

"I don't want to hurt you."

"Don’t worry, I won't let you."

George raised an eyebrow.

"You seem pretty sure of yourself."

Faith shrugged.

"All part of the job. So, you feel up to it?"

George thought for a moment.

"I'll go change."

"Okay."

George left, and Faith started to stretch.

"He'll crush you," Jennifer said.

Faith glanced at her.

"George? Not a chance."

"He's Dad's best bodyguard."

"So? I've beaten much better fighters."

"How do you know they were better? You haven't even seen him fight."

"Trust me, I know."

Faith groaned when people started coming in. She knew they were curious about how she would handle George. It was getting embarrassing. Well, it would be for George, who was going to lose. Then Mr Johnson came in and she rolled her eyes. Great, just about the entire household was there.

George soon came and he too seemed a bit uncomfortable, probably because he thought he was fighting a girl. Well, he would soon find out she was not just a girl. She repeated her stretching routine so George could warm up.

"Ready?" she asked when he approached her.

"Yes."

"Okay then," Faith said and came closer.

He bowed in martial arts style and she did the same. They both stepped into fighting stance and when George hesitated, she attacked. He deflected the blow and she felt he was holding back. She speeded up her attack and increased her strength until George wasn't holding back anymore. They spared for a while and Faith had to admit that he was good. Finally, George backed off a bit.

"You're holding back," he said.

"Em, yeah," Faith confirmed. "Don't want to embarrass you in front of your friends."

"Don't hold back."

"I have to or I'd kill you. But if you want, I can show you just how fast I can knock you down."

George thought for a moment.

"Okay."

"Whenever you're ready."

George stretched a bit and Faith casually waited.

"Ready," George finally announced.

"Okay," Faith said.

She hesitated for a moment and then she moved. Half a second later, George was on the floor, looking around, confused. The spectators were astounded.

"Wow," George said.

Faith offered him her hand and he accepted.

"Why do I have the feeling that you were still holding back," he said after he got up.

"Because I was?" Faith said with a smirk.

"Are you on steroids or something?"

"Steroids are for idiots," Faith said. "So, wanna spar some more?"

George thought for a moment.

"Okay."

"Then give me your best," Faith said and got ready.

After ten minutes, George decided he had enough and he backed off. Faith was only mildly winded.

"Damn, girl, you're good," George said, panting, and Faith smiled. "Are you tired at all?"

"No, not really."

George shook his head.

"Would you mind sparing with the others?"

"Sure," Faith said.

George nodded.

"I'll work out a schedule."

"Okay," Faith said and looked at Jennifer. "I'm gonna take a shower," she said. "Oh, Mr J, is there a phone I can use? I need to call someone."

"I'll have Ben bring you your own cell phone."

"Cool. Thanks," she said and left, leaving behind an amazed crowd.

After the shower, Ben brought her her cell phone, complete with instructions. She put the instructions aside and first called Giles.

"Rupert Giles…"

"Hey, G-man, it's me," she interrupted him.

"Faith?"

"Yes."

"Where are you?"

"LA."

"LA?"

"Yes."

"But I thought you were going to Boston or New York."

"So did I, but the guy I came across was going to LA, so I went with him. And besides, I can come back faster, if B needs me or something."

"I see."

"I got myself a job, by the way."

"You have?"

"Yes."

"What kind of job?"

"As a bodyguard."

"A bodyguard?"

"Yes. I saved some guy from being shot and he hired me as a bodyguard for his daughter." She hesitated for a moment. "She's going to high school next fall and he wants me to enroll as well."

"That's a very good idea," Giles agreed.

"Right," Faith said, not very enthusiastic. "Anyway, I'm staying at his house."

"Really?"

"Yes. Anyway, I gotta go. Call me if you need me. Here's my number," she said and gave him the number.

"Okay."

"Bye," Faith said and hung up.

She took a deep breath and lay down on the bed. She thought for a moment about what to do and then decided to watch some TV.

"Hi, Giles," Buffy said as she walked into the library.

"Hello, Buffy. Em, Faith called."

"She did?" Buffy said, excited. "When? What did she say? Where is she?"

"Em, a few hours ago. She went to LA and…"

"LA? I thought you said she was going to Boston or New York."

"That's what she said, but she ended up in LA."

"Oh."

"She also said she got herself a job as a bodyguard."

"A bodyguard? For who?"

"For some rich girl."

"Oh. Did she give you a number where you can reach her?"

"Yes, she did," Giles said and moved some papers to get the number. "Here," he said.

"Thanks. I'll go call her," she said and went to his office.

After a few hours of checking out Jennifer's notebooks, which Jennifer had probably given her just so she would stay out of her way while her friends were visiting, Faith was bored again. She remembered some things and she forgot the others, but she was confident that she wouldn't make a fool of herself if one of the teachers asked her something. She was about to go to the gym to train some more when the phone rang. She was surprised. Only Giles knew her number and she doubted he would call her back so soon. Well, Mr Johnson also knew it, so maybe…

"Faith," she said.

"Faith? Hi, it's Buffy."

Faith rolled her eyes. She should've known.

"Hey, B, what's up? Need my help already?"

"What? Oh, no. I'm just calling to see how you are. I mean, you left all of a sudden and you didn't even take your present."

"That's because you never gave it to me, B. And I wanted to talk to you about me leaving, but you never had the time."

"I'm sorry," Buffy said quietly.

"Whatever. Look, I gotta go, my boss is calling. Call me if you need me, okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Okay. Bye."

Faith hung up and took a deep breath. It didn't look as though she would get over Buffy any time soon.

In Sunnydale, Buffy also hung up. She didn't know why, but she felt like she was responsible for Faith's leaving. And the ironic thing was that while Faith was here, she was ignoring her, but now that she was gone, she was missing her. God, she was so stupid. The only person that understood her completely and she let her go. Not to mention that she really, really liked her. As in like liked. She didn't consider herself gay, but with Faith, she just couldn’t help watching her, being with her. Hell, if it weren't for Angel, who knows, maybe they would even have become a couple. She blushed at the thought. She wondered what her friends would say about it if they knew she was fantasizing about Faith. Not to mention that there was still Angel to deal with. She sighed. It was a mess. What to do? Help Angel or go after Faith? Well, she had to help Angel, she owed him that, but on the other hand, she didn’t want to lose Faith. Well, at least she had a good excuse to visit her. She frowned. There was just one problem, she didn't know exactly where Faith lived. But then she remembered the phone. It had to have an owner and she bet Willow could help her find him.

Finally the time for the party approached and Faith got dressed. She was just about ready when there was a knock on her door.

"Come in!" she called as she pulled on her boots.

"Hi," Jennifer said as she entered.

"Nice outfit," Faith said approvingly after giving her a once over.

"Thanks," Jennifer said. "You're not so bad yourself," she said, relieved that Faith was dressed appropriately.

"I know. So, what's the plan?"

"Well, usually my bodyguard drives me wherever I go."

"Oh," Faith said and frowned. "Well, I can drive, but I don't have a license."

"Oh. Well, I don't think the cops are going to stop you if you don't break any rules."

"Fine with me. Let's go then," Faith said and left the room. "You're gonna have to give me directions though, because I don't know my way around this part of town."

"Okay."

"Okay," Faith said as they got out of the car, "remember the rules. Even if you go to the ladies' room, you let me know."

"Yeah, okay."

"I'm serious. If you don't, I'm gonna find you and take you home, and then you can find yourself a new bodyguard."

"Okay, okay," Jennifer said, annoyed.

"And another thing. I don't know if you know this or not, but watch your drink. Don't accept it from strangers, always go to the bar to get it and if it's in a glass, cover it so no one can slip you a drug. And don't leave it on the table. Got it?"

"Yeah, got it."

"Good. Oh, I almost forgot."

"Now what?" Jennifer said, really annoyed.

"Dating. I really don't care who you date, but if I tell you to drop the guy, or girl, you do it."

"Why?"

"Because. Trust me, I know which people are dangerous. I don't mind you having sex and I'm not gonna stop you if you want to fuck someone on the backseat, but if I say no to the guy, you drop him. Got it?"

Jennifer stared at her for a few moments.

"Yeah, whatever," she said and started walking toward the club.

Faith grabbed her arm.

"I mean it, Jen."

Jennifer stared at her for a couple of moments.

"Yeah, okay," she then said.

"Good," Faith said and let go of her.

"Can we go now?"

Faith smirked.

"Sure."

The party was wild and loud, just the way Faith liked it. Jennifer immediately went to the bar to get a drink and Faith slowly followed her, moving to the rhythm of the music. She stopped far from Jennifer, so that the girl wouldn't get annoyed by her presence.

After downing her drink, Faith went to the dance floor and danced, but she kept her eye on Jennifer, even though some hunk was dancing with her. Jennifer also went to the dance floor after finishing her drink and she too soon got a dance partner. Faith checked him out and was relieved that he was human, which, of course, didn't mean that he wasn't bad.

After dropping Jennifer at home at two in the morning, Faith went on patrol. She was relieved that nothing had happened and that Jennifer wasn't overly upset with leaving early. The first hour was mostly boring, only two vamps, and Faith was about to go back when she was attacked by two vamps with swords. They thought she was a harmless girl, but when she staked one of them, the other took his sword and attacked. Faith avoided the first few strikes, blocked the next and then staked the vamp. She looked at her clothes and was relieved that they weren't torn or anything. She took another look around and then went back to… She didn't even know what to call it. Home? Hardly. It was a place where she worked and where she stayed, but it wasn't home. A house then.

"You're up already?" Jennifer asked as she came to the gym and saw that Faith was about to leave.

"Yeah."

"Oh." She thought for a moment. "Em, listen, some of my friends are coming over today and then we're going to Jessica's house, so I won't be able to show you what we're doing in school. I'll get you the notes though."

"Okay. You want me to stay out of sight while they're here?"

Jennifer thought for a moment.

"Nah, it's okay."

"Okay," Faith said and smiled a bit. She thought for a moment. "When are you going to Jessica's? I mean, I might have to take the driving test today."

"How long does the test last?"

"Not long. I think. Less than an hour."

"Okay."

"So I drop you off at Jessica's?"

"No, Paul will take us there."

"Okay. Are you going out tonight?"

"No, it's a slumber party."

"So you're staying overnight?"

"Yes."

"Is Paul gonna pick you up in the morning?"

"Yes."

"Okay.

Faith nodded and then went to the shower.

After the shower, Faith went to find Mr Johnson.

"Is he in?" she asked the secretary.

"Yes."

"Can I see him?"

"Mr Johnson, Faith is here to see you," she said over the intercom.

"Send her in."

"Yes, Sir." She looked at Faith. "You can go in."

Faith nodded and entered Mr Johnson's office.

"Hello, Mr J."

"Hello, Faith. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I don't have a driver's license yet and I'm gonna need it if I'm gonna be driving Jen around."

"Yes. But you can drive?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I'll see if I can arrange a test for today. Sometime afternoon." He frowned. "If Jennifer won't be needing you."

"No, her friends are coming over."

"Oh. Yes. Good." He hesitated for a moment. "And how was yesterday?"

"She behaved," Faith said. "And she didn't complain too much when it was time to leave."

Mr Johnson smiled.

"She didn't try to slip you?"

Faith grinned.

"I think the thought has crossed her mind a few times."

Mr Johnson chuckled.

"I thought so."

"So, em, you'll let me know about the test?"

Mr Johnson nodded.

"I will."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

Faith spent most of the morning sparing with various bodyguards. George was supervising for a while, but then he had to leave with Mr Johnson. Faith spared some more and then went to her room and watched TV. After lunch, Mr Johnson informed her when she was scheduled to take the test.

Just when she was about to leave, Jennifer's friends came around. They were talking excitedly about something, but when they saw her, they shut up and stared at Faith curiously.

"I'll see you later, Jen," Faith said as she walked past them.

"Okay," Jennifer said.

"Is that Faith?" one of her friends asked when Faith was gone.

"Yes."

"She's not much older than you."

"I know, but she beat George in less than a second."

"George?" another friend asked. "Your dad's best bodyguard? The cute one?" she added, blushing.

Jennifer nodded.

"Yes. And she dances real well. I mean, she doesn't even look like a bodyguard, more like my older sister or something. And she didn't give me a hard time. Though we had to go home early, like, at two AM."

"Why?"

Jennifer shrugged.

"I don't know. She said she had something to do."

"What?"

"I don't know. Let's go to my room."

With Jennifer out of her hands, Faith went out to have fun on her own. She partied for a while and then went to Jessica's house to see if Jennifer was still there. She was, so Faith went back to partying. She partied some more and then went on patrol. After she was done, she went back to Jessica's house and checked on Jennifer again. Satisfied that Jennifer was safe, she returned to the Johnson house.

The next two days were relatively calm, but on the third night, there was trouble. Faith took Jennifer to a club in a seedy part of town. They were slowly walking toward the club, when Faith's senses went off.

"Jen," she said, looking around.

"What?"

"There might be trouble."

Jennifer looked around and Faith rolled her eyes.

"You were not supposed to do that," she said.

"What trouble?" Jennifer asked, ignoring Faith's remark.

"See these guys approaching us?"

"Yeah?"

"They're trouble."

"How do you know?"

"I know." Faith turned around and saw that there were vamps behind them as well. "Shit."

Jennifer looked as well and saw more people approaching.

"What do they want?" she asked, worried.

"A snack," Faith said and Jennifer looked at her, puzzled. "Do exactly what I tell you, okay?"

"Okay," Jennifer said.

"Can you drive?"

"Yes."

Faith took out the car keys and gave them to Jennifer.

"Here. On my mark, we'll start running toward the car. Get in and go straight home."

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about me, I can handle myself."

"Are you sure?" Jennifer asked, mildly scared.

"Yes. Ready? Go."

They started running toward the car and Faith took out her stake. She ran ahead and staked a vamp. Jennifer shrieked, startled, when the vamp turned to dust. The vamp's companions realized that their prey was dangerous and they readied their swords.

Faith grabbed the nearest vamp, used her sword to deflect a blow and then pushed her into another vamp. She quickly staked her and then the vamp beneath. That second vamp had lost one of his swords and Faith picked it up.

"Don't stop!" Faith called to Jennifer.

The vamps behind finally caught up and a real fight broke out. Faith hoped that they would leave Jennifer alone, but she quickly realized that they wouldn't. She ran after her and quickly cut off the hand of a vamp who managed to wound Jennifer.

"You okay?" Faith asked as she fended off the remaining three vamps.

"He… He… cut me," Jennifer said between sobs, holding the palm of her hand over her wound.

"Fuck," Faith said when Jennifer tripped. "Stay down and don't move!" she called to Jennifer.

Then she stood over her and used her sword to wound or behead the vamps and her stake to stake them. She had already killed three of them and there were still three to go. Since she also had to watch her feet, the vamps managed to score a few hits. Faith ignored the pain and continued to fight.

Finally, there was only one vamp left. He considered his options and realized he was in way over his head. He decided to flee, but Faith threw her stake after him and dusted him. Then she took a deep breath and looked at herself. She was a mess. There were a few bruises and a few wounds, but they were not deep. She looked at Jennifer, who was lying in a fetal position, trembling.

"You okay?" she asked and kneeled beside her.

"My arm… hurts," Jennifer said.

"Anything else?"

Jennifer shook her head.

"No."

"Come on, get up."

Faith helped Jennifer get up and then took a good look at her. She was relieved that the cut on Jennifer's arm was the only wound.

"Got a handkerchief?" she asked.

Jennifer rummaged through her pockets and finally produced a handkerchief. Faith examined it and it and bandaged Jennifer's wound.

"Who… What were… they?" Jennifer asked.

Faith thought about what to say. She decided for the truth.

"Vampires."

Jennifer stopped shaking and looked at her, puzzled.

"Vampires?"

"Yes."

"Like Dracula?"

"Sort of, yes."

"But…" She trailed off and took a deep breath. "Let's go home."

Faith nodded.

"Got the keys?"

Jennifer showed her they keys and Faith led her to the car, making sure that there were no threats left.

"What are you gonna tell your dad?" she asked as they got in.

Jennifer thought for a few moments.

"I don't know."

"I don't recommend mentioning vampires, he'll think you're crazy."

"I know," Jennifer said quietly, thinking.

When they got home, the staff that saw them covered in blood was worried, but Faith ignored them and took Jennifer straight to the bathroom.

"Okay, take a quick shower while I check out the first aid kit. Leave the handkerchief on."

Jennifer hesitated for a moment and then, when Faith turned away and was busy with the first aid kit, quickly undressed, grabbed the shampoo and the shower gel and got in the shower booth. While she was taking a shower, Faith cleaned her own wounds. The surface wounds were already healing and only the deeper ones were still bleeding a bit. She wiped off the blood and put some salve on. Then she checked out the sword she had brought with her. Vamps with swords were an unusual bunch and that meant they were probably organized. She decided to ask Giles about it. She took out her cell phone and dialed the number.

"Giles?" she asked as soon as she heard someone pick up the receiver.

"Yes. Faith?"

"Yes. Listen, I came across some vamps with swords."

"Swords?"

"Yeah. Each had two swords. Got any ideas?"

Giles thought for a moment.

"It could be the El Eliminati, but I'm not certain."

"I can send you a sword, if you want."

"Yes, that would be helpful."

"Okay. I'll talk to you later."

"Good night, Faith."

"Night."

She hung up and then started to clean the sword.

There was a knock on the door and Faith had a feeling it was Mr Johnson. She was right.

"Hey, Mr J."

"Faith," he said and gave her a once over when he saw she was a mess. "What happened? How is Jennifer?"

"She's taking a shower. She was cut, but it's no big deal, it should be gone in a couple of days. I'll take care of it." She looked at the shower and saw that Jennifer was done. "I'll talk to you later," she said and closed the door.

"Can you hand me a towel?" Jennifer said.

"Sure."

Faith got a towel and gave it to Jennifer. Then she turned away so that Jennifer could dry herself.

"Okay," Jennifer finally said.

Faith turned around.

"Okay, sit on the john," she said.

Jennifer sat.

"Was that my dad?" she asked as Faith took off the handkerchief.

"Yeah. He wanted to know what happened and if you were alright."

"Oh." She thought for a moment. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him you got one cut but were otherwise okay."

"Oh."

"Have you decided what you're gonna tell him?"

Jennifer took a deep breath and then moaned when Faith cleaned her wound.

"I don't know." She thought for a moment. "I'll tell him we were attacked by some freaks with swords but that you chased them away."

"Fine with me," Faith said and applied some salve. "You'll have to change the bandage in the morning. I'll take care of it, okay?"

Jennifer nodded.

"How did you know they were vampires?" she then asked.

"I've dealt with them before. But they don't usually have swords and are not so organized. They usually have human faces, except when they're hunting or feeding. You could meet one in a club and not know he was a vamp. They're cold though, so if you touch someone and he's cold, stay away from him."

"So that's why you insisted on that rule."

"Yeah."

Jennifer took a deep breath.

"This sucks."

Faith chuckled.

"It sure does," she agreed. "Okay, all done."

Jennifer looked at the bandage.

"It itches."

"I know. Ignore it."

Jennifer looked at her.

"Do you need any help?"

"No. I'll just take a shower and I'll be okay."

"Okay."

Jennifer got up and Faith quickly put the first aid kit away. Then she followed her.

"Jennifer."

"Oh Daddy," Jennifer said and burst into tears.

Mr Johnson hugged her and she hugged him back.

"Okay, give the girl some privacy," Faith said when she saw several bodyguards and other staff stand around.

The staff started to leave and Faith left as well.

"Are you okay?" Mr Johnson asked when Jennifer stopped crying.

Jennifer nodded.

"Faith saved my life," she said and wiped her tears.

"What happened?"

Jennifer took a deep breath to calm down.

"We were attacked by some freaks with swords. Faith chased them away." She glanced at the bandage. "One of them cut me."

"Is it bad? Do you need a doctor?"

Jennifer shook her head.

"No. Faith said it would be gone in a few days. It wasn't deep."

"Okay."

"I'll go to my room."

"Okay, honey. I'll be in my room if you need me."

Jennifer nodded and left.

After having taken a shower, Faith was ready to go out again. She wanted to find out where the vamps were hiding so she could take them out.

"Faith."

"Hey, Ben."

"Mr Johnson wants to talk to you."

"Sure."

"Hey, Mr J," Faith said when she entered Mr Johnson's study.

"Faith." Mr Johnson then glanced at Ben, who nodded and left. "Thank you for saving Jennifer."

Faith shrugged, not used to being thanked.

"All in the line of duty."

"What happened?"

"We were going to a club when we were surrounded by some freaks with swords. I kicked their butts and then we came back. Don't worry, we're not going there again."

"Good." He took a deep breath. "And you? I saw blood and…"

"I'm fine. It looked worse than it was."

"I see. Are you going out again?"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah, got some things to take care of."

"Oh."

"Do you mind if I take a car?"

"No."

"Good. I'll see you in the morning then."

"Okay. Good night, Faith."

"Night, Mr J."

It took Faith a while to locate the lair of the sword vamps, but she finally did. She took note of the location of the guards and then sneaked closer to see what it looked like inside. She liked what she saw. It was a big empty warehouse with no places to hide. The windows were boarded up, but getting the boards off would be no problem. Faith grinned. The vamps may be organized and armed, but they were stupid. She returned to the car and went back to the house.

In the morning, Faith felt a bit uncomfortable with everyone staring at her like she was some sort of eight wonder of the world.

"Hey, George," she said when she saw George in the kitchen.

"Hello, Faith."

"Could you tell them to stop staring at me?"

George smiled.

"They are curious." His face became serious. "What happened?"

Faith shrugged.

"Nothing much. We went to a club in a seedy part of town and got attacked by freaks with swords. I busted their chops and we left. End of story."

"How many?"

Faith thought for a moment.

"Six."

George raised an eyebrow.

"Six? With swords?"

"Yep. They won't be bothering anyone again."

"You killed them?" George asked, worried.

Faith grinned.

"Not really. Anyway, if Jen won't need me in the morning, I'm gonna go out, I got something to take care of."

"What?"

Faith smirked.

"Hey, a girl's gotta have her secrets, George."

Jennifer got up earlier than usually. She took a shower, ate the breakfast and then went to Faith, who was in the gym.

"Faith."

Faith looked at her.

"Hey, Jen, how do you feel?"

"I kinda hoped this was all a nightmare, but then I saw the bandage and I knew it wasn't."

Faith smiled sympathetically.

"Does the wound still hurt?"

Jennifer glanced at it.

"No, not really."

"Good. Listen, are you gonna need me this morning?"

"No. Why?"

"There's something I need to take care of."

"Oh."

"Come here, let me check the bandage."

Jennifer came closer and Faith carefully took the bandage off.

"Mmm, not bad. You're lucky you don't need stitches."

"How come you don't have any scars? You were full of them last night."

Faith smiled.

"I heal fast." She looked back at the wound. "I'll just put some salve on the wound."

"No bandage?"

"No. Unless you plan on wearing long sleeves or lie."

"No."

"Then just the salve. Come on."

After taking care of Jennifer's wound, Faith went to the El Eliminati lair. She noticed that the sun was not yet high enough and that she would have to wait. That wasn't a problem as she needed to secure the backdoors and then attach the rope to the boards that covered the windows.

An hour later, everything was ready and the sleepy guards hadn't noticed a thing, especially after she staked them. Faith waited for a while longer and then yanked hard on the ropes and the boards came flying off. She took her stake and the confiscated sword and crashed through the door.

The El Eliminati were getting up, startled. Almost half of them were screaming as they tried to put out the flames, but they were too late and they turned to dust. Faith used the confusion and started to behead and stake the closest vamps. By the time the vamps realized they were under attack, more than half were already gone. The rest used the shadows cast by the supporting pillars to come from one side of the warehouse to her side. Faith ran to them and pushed them into the sunlight.

Then she noticed that some vamps were tying to move a carpet. She ran to them, decapitated one and staked another, and then kicked the carpet into a pile. She noticed that there was an escape tunnel underneath. Unfortunately for the vamps, it was bathing in sunlight. Faith grinned and attacked again. She used the patches of sunlight to rest a bit and to avoid the vamps, who were growling at her, frustrated, especially after they noticed that the backdoors were blocked and the escape tunnel inaccessible.

But then they got smart and started throwing swords and other objects at her. Faith took care of that by jumping right in the middle of them, making it hard for them to hit her without hitting one of their own. She dispatched several vamps and then ran to the other side and killed the vamps who were trying to break down the backdoor. The other vamps followed her from the other side, again using the shadows cast by the support pillars. Faith grinned and did the same as before, she pushed them into the sunlight.

Then, finally, there were only seven left. They knew there was no way out so they stopped and made a plan. They went deeper into the shadows and waited for Faith to come to them. Faith grinned, realizing that the vamps had just gotten smart. Still, there were seven of them, each with two swords and she knew she couldn't take them if they were organized. So she decided to keep them waiting and guessing. She used the time to look around the warehouse and then she started to collect the swords and other little things she thought Giles could use. She used the carpet that was covering the escape tunnel to haul all the stuff around.

The vamps were staring at her, confused, wondering what the hell she was doing. Faith let them guess. When she had collected all there was to collect, she folded the carpet and took the stuff out.

"Oh fuck," she said when she noticed that she was bleeding all over.

She took the jacket off and saw that it was beyond salvation. She dropped it and then checked her wounds. There were quiet a few of them, but fortunately, they weren't all that deep. She wondered how she could possibly have missed all the pain. She made a face as she realized that everyone would see the blood when she got back. She needed a jacket and she knew just where to get one. She grinned and went back inside.

The vamps, who had come closer to the door, curious, backed off when she entered. Faith chuckled.

"Hey, can someone lend me a jacket?"

The vamps looked at one another, confused, and Faith attacked. She managed to kill one before the others got organized again. One of them even managed to cut her on the leg. It wasn't a deep gash, but Faith dramatically dropped on the floor and moaned, pretending she was seriously wounded. The vamps were surprised, but the smell of Faith's blood and the desire to revenge their fallen comrades overrode their common sense. They carefully surrounded her and closed in for the kill. Faith waited until they were close enough and then stabbed one of them, rolled over and kicked another one into the sunlight. The vamps were startled and Faith used the confusion to decapitate another one and kick the wounded one in the head.

The other three vamps backed off and Faith quickly kicked the wounded vamp some more. Then she took off his jacket, all the time keeping an eye on his companions. Then she threw the jacket into the sunlight and staked the vamp. She kicked his swords toward the jacket and looked at the remaining three vamps.

"Come on, guys, why don't you just kill yourselves," she said with a grin, "it would save us all a lot of trouble."

The vamps merely growled in response.

"Pussies," Faith said and started to approach them.

She launched a couple of fake attacks to scare the vamps and then launched a real attack. She managed to stab one of the vamps with a sword and she staked another, but she missed the heart. The last unharmed vamped launched an attack on his own, frustrated, and Faith quickly dispatched him. By the time she was done, the other two vamps had recovered a bit and they attacked in unison. They were coordinated, but they were also wounded and Faith quickly decapitated the one whose heart she had missed with a stake. The last vamp realized he was in deep shit and he started to back off. Faith went after him and he broke into run. Faith threw her sword after him and it hit in the throat. Then she ran to him, removed the sword and staked him.

She got up and looked around.

"Damn, now I'm seriously horny," she said and squirmed.

She went to the jacket and put it on. Then she picked up the last two swords and went out. She put the swords into the carpet, picked up the packet and her own ruined jacket and carried them to the car.

When she came back to the house, several servants and bodyguards noticed that she was a mess. She waved at them sheepishly and hurried into her bathroom. She quickly undressed and stepped into the shower. The wounds itched a bit, especially when water ran over them. Faith just started to masturbate when there was a knock on the door. She groaned.

"What?!" she called.

"Faith, are you alright?!" Jennifer called.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Ben said you were a mess!"

"Nothing a shower can't take care of!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Faith called, frustrated. "Go away," she murmured.

"Okay!"

Jennifer apparently left and Faith started to masturbate again.

After having satisfied the horny part, Faith cleaned herself up and took care of the wounds. It was a bit awkward to bandage herself, but she managed. Then she dressed and put on a jacket. Then she took the ruined top and the vamp jacket and went to the car. She took out her ruined jacket and then threw the three pieces of clothing into a trash can. Then she picked up the carpet with the swords and took it into her room. After that, she went to the kitchen to take care of the hungry part.

"Hey, Linda, can you make me something to eat? I'm starving."

Linda, the cook, looked at her, surprised.

"You just ate a couple of hours ago and lunch will be…"

"I know, I know, but I'm hungry."

"Okay."

"Faith."

Faith looked.

"Hey, Jen."

"Are you okay?"

"Five by five."

"What?" Jennifer asked, puzzled.

"I'm fine."

"Oh. What happened to your face?"

Faith touched the bruise on her face.

"I got hit while dusting."

Jennifer was confused for a few moments, but then her eyes went wide as she realized what Faith had meant.

"You mean…"

"Yeah, I took care of the rest of the lot."

"Oh. And you…"

"Took care of it. No problem."

"Are you sure? Ben said you were bleeding."

"Nothing major. A bit worse than yesterday, but I'll be fine by tomorrow."

"Okay."

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm starving."

"Sure, okay," Jennifer said and left.

Faith sat down and waited for Linda to make whatever she was making. Then Mr Johnson came in and Faith groaned.

"Hey, Mr J."

"Faith. Are you alright? I heard you were bleeding."

"Yeah, no big deal."

"Where've you been?"

"Out."

"In a fight?"

"Nothing that you should concern yourself with."

Mr Johnson raised and eyebrow and Linda looked at her, surprised by the way Faith spoke to Mr Johnson.

"I hope you're not putting me or Jennifer at risk."

Faith gave him a serious look.

"I'm not. Jen's safe with me."

"I don't like you going out like this and coming back all bloody."

"I don't like it either, but I don't really have a choice. If you don't like it, fire me."

Mr Johnson considered the idea and then shook his head.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm just worried because I don't know anything about you."

"I know and you should consider yourself lucky." She gave him a sad smile. "Don't worry, it's nothing illegal."

Mr Johnson took a deep breath and nodded.

"Very well."

He left and Faith relaxed, relieved that she still had a job.

"You sure have guts," Linda said after Mr Johnson was gone.

Faith looked at her.

"I meant every word."

Linda shook her head and returned to preparing the food.

When the taxi finally stopped, Buffy was surprised to see the large estate.

"Are you sure this is it?" she asked the driver.

"Yes."

Buffy took a deep breath and got out.

"Thanks," she said and paid the fare.

The taxi drove away and Buffy went to the gate. She hesitated for a moment and then rang the bell.

"Yes?"

Buffy looked at the camera.

"Em, my name is Buffy. I'm looking for Faith."

"Hold on."

Faith was in the gym again, lifting weights and supervising Jennifer, who was also lifting weights.

"Faith?" Ben said when he found her.

"Yeah?"

"You have a visitor."

Faith blinked, surprised.

"I do?"

"Yes. A girl named Buffy."

Faith's face dropped and she sighed.

"Okay." She looked at Jennifer. "You do another five and then stretch."

Jennifer nodded and Faith left with Ben.

"You know her?" Ben asked as they walked down the hall.

"Yeah. Tell Bernie to let her in."

Ben nodded.

"You may come in," the voice finally said. "Go to the staff wing, on your left."

"Thanks," Buffy said.

The gate opened and Buffy entered. She noticed Faith come out of the house and she smiled, relieved that it was the right place.

"Hey," she said with a smile when Faith came closer.

"B. How did you find me?"

"I had Willow do some research. We had your phone number and…"

"I get it," Faith said. "So why are you here?"

"Well, Giles said you might need help with the El El… something."

"El Eliminati."

"Yes."

"I already took care of them."

"You have?" Buffy asked, surprised.

"Yes. They were sleeping in a warehouse. I tore off the boards and most of them got fried by sunlight. I killed the rest."

"Oh."

"Well, since you're here, you might as well take a package to Giles."

"A package?"

"I packed their swords and some other stuff I found at the warehouse. I thought he might find it interesting."

"Oh. Okay."

"Come."

Faith turned and Buffy followed her into the house.

"This is big," she observed.

"Yeah."

"How did you get the job? Giles said you saved a man and he offered you the job."

"Yes."

"Just like that?"

"Yes."

"Oh," Buffy said.

She quietly followed Faith to her room, wondering why Faith was being so… distant.

"Here," Faith said and picked up the carpet.

She unwrapped it and showed Buffy the stuff that was inside.

"Wow," Buffy said and picked up a sword. "And they all had swords?"

"Yes."

"How many were there?"

Faith shrugged.

"A lot. About half got fried by the sunlight."

"Oh. Oh! I almost forgot," Buffy said and took off her backpack. "I also brought you your Christmas present." She took out the gift and handed it to Faith. "Here."

"Thanks, B," Faith said and put it on the bed.

"Aren't you gonna open it?"

"Later. Right now I'm supervising Jen in the gym and I have to get back."

"Oh," Buffy said, disappointed. "So, I'll… go then."

"Yeah."

Buffy sighed and wrapped the swords again.

"Oh, em, are you gonna come to my New Year's Eve party?"

"No. I mean, I don't know what Jen's plans are."

"Oh," Buffy said, disappointed.

She picked up the package and left. Faith escorted her to the main gate.

"So, em, I'll see you," Buffy said.

"Yeah," Faith said. "Bye."

Faith went back inside and the gate closed. Buffy stared after her, wondering why Faith was so… cold, almost hostile. She sighed and called a cab.

Faith went back to her room and picked up Buffy's present. She stared at it for a few moments and then threw it in the trash can. She was about to leave, but then she changed her mind. She took the present from the trash can and put it in her bag.

"Aren't you gonna open it?" Jennifer asked.

Faith looked at her, startled. She wondered how come she hadn't heard her.

"No," she said. "Come on, let's go back to the gym."

"Who was she?" Jennifer asked as they walked to the gym.

"My… Just someone I know."

"Oh. You don't like her?"

Faith glanced at her and didn't respond.

"Is it true?" one of Jennifer's friends asked when they all came to Jennifer's room. "Lana said… Oh my god," she said when she saw the wound.

"Does it hurt?" another asked.

"No, not anymore."

"Did it hurt?"

"A bit. It itched."

"What happened? Lana said you were attacked."

"Yeah. We were just going to a club when we were attacked by six freaks with swords. You should've seen Faith move, she was so fast. And when I tripped, she stood over me and fought those freaks until they left."

"Really?"

"Aha. She was all bloody, but she took care of my cut first. Though her wounds are already gone."

"Already?"

"Yes."

"How come?"

"I don't know. She said she heals real fast. And she does."

"Wow."

"Listen, Julie, can I invite her over for New Year's Eve?"

"Yeah, sure," Julie said, excited.

Jennifer smiled.

"Cool."

"Hey, maybe I can get Mom to hire her as a babysitter for the night!"

"Yeah, that would be great."

"Giles?" Buffy said when she came into the library.

"Buffy?" Giles said, surprised, as he came out of his office. "You're back?"

"Yes."

"But I thought you were going to help Faith with the El Eliminati."

"She already took care of them," Buffy said and put the packet on the table. "She sends you some souvenirs," she said and unwrapped the carpet.

"She took them all out?" Giles said, surprised.

"So she said."

"Did she say how many?"

"A lot. She said half got fried by the sun when she tore off the boards from the windows."

"I see." He took a closer look at the swords. "Interesting."

"I'm sure," Buffy said. "I'm going home."

"Yes, of course," Giles said, already examining the swords.

Buffy rolled her eyes and left.

After her friends had left, Jennifer went to Faith's room and knocked.

"Hey, Faith, are you in?" she asked.

"Yeah. Come in."

Jennifer entered.

"Hi."

"Hey. What's up?"

"Em, Julie said I can invite you over for New Year's Eve. We're having a party."

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"And you want me to come?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah."

Faith chuckled.

"I'm not exactly a slumber party girl."

"I know. We were kinda hoping that you could baby-sit us instead of a real babysitter."

Faith laughed at that.

"Oh brother. Me as a babysitter? Shit." She chuckled. "Look, I appreciate the offer, but I wouldn't really fit in, you know? And I don't wanna be some freak curiosity. I may tolerate you drinking and smoking…"

"I don't smoke. And I don't drink much," Jennifer protested.

"Whatever. The point is that you girls will probably want to do something forbidden and I don't want to listen to Julie's folks ranting because I let you get drunk. Or whatever."

"Oh."

"Look, I'm gonna go to some really crazy party and try to get wasted." She smirked. "You girls drive some other babysitter crazy."

"Okay," Jennifer said, disappointed. "Well, if you change your mind…"

"I'll let you know."

"Okay."

Jennifer left and Faith leaned back on the bedpost and sighed, remembering Buffy's Christmas invitation and how that had turned out. A part of her regretted leaving Sunnydale, but she didn't want to see Buffy and Angel going all Romeo and Juliet again. Or whatever.

On the last day of the year, Mr Johnson called Faith into his office.

"You wanted to see me Mr J?" Faith asked as she stepped in, annoyed that she was still nervous when somebody wanted to see her.

"Yes," Mr Johnson said with a smile and took an envelope. "Here."

Faith took the envelope and opened it. Her eyes went wide when she saw the wad of money inside.

"The fuck is this?" she asked and looked at him.

"Your pay for this week. Plus a little bonus for saving Jennifer."

Faith stared at him, surprised.

"That's a shit load of cash."

Mr Johnson smiled.

"Yes. Like you said, I know how much my daughter's safety is worth. Well, actually, I would give my whole fortune to protect her, but that would be overdoing it, don't you think?"

Faith nodded her head, stunned.

"Aha."

"Happy New Year, Faith."

"Yeah, you too, Mr J." She took a deep breath. "Em, is that all?"

"Yes. Oh, if you want, I can help you open a bank account."

"A what?" She chuckled. "Fuck, this is too much."

"Well, if you decide you want to have a bank account, let me know, okay?"

Faith nodded.

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

Mr Johnson smiled.

"You're welcome."

Faith nodded and left. She was still a bit shocked, she had never seen that much money. Not in real life, anyway. She looked at the thick envelope and realized that having a bank account wouldn't be so bad. At least she wouldn't have to haul all the money around and risk losing it all to a mugger. She chuckled at the idea of being mugged, but still, she could get shot or something and she didn't want the bastard who would do her in get rich at her expense. She decided to open the bank account after the holidays.

On New Years' Eve, Buffy was having a party and all her friends were there, yet she still felt lonely. She missed Faith. She wanted to call her, but she didn't know what to say. She decided to wait till midnight and then call to wish her a happy New Year.

"Buffy, are you okay?" Willow asked, noticing that her best friend was distracted.

Buffy smiled.

"Yeah, fine. I was just thinking about Faith."

"Oh! You should call her."

"I will, at midnight."

"Okay."

On New Year's Eve, Faith first went out on patrol. She wasted a couple of vamps and two demons and then went to a club to get wasted. She was just dancing when her phone vibrated. She groaned and checked the number. It was Buffy. She sighed and considered what to do. She could ignore her, but she knew Buffy would call again. She decided to get over it as quickly as possible.

"B?! Hang on a minute, I can't hear shit!" she called and ran out of the club. "B, you still there?"

"Yes."

"What's up? Some demon decided to ruin your party?"

"Eh, no. I just called to wish you a happy New Year."

"Oh. Yeah. Happy New Year to you too."

"The guys say hi."

"Tell them I said hi."

"I will." There was a brief pause. "How are you?"

"I'm great. I'm at this really cool party, it rocks."

"Oh. Did you open the present?"

"Yeah, it was nice," Faith lied. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Listen, I gotta go. Call me if you need me."

"Okay.

"Bye," Faith said and broke the connection. "Fuck."

She sighed and leaned back at the wall. She was trying so hard to stop thinking about Buffy and then Buffy calls and ruins everything. It sucked. She sighed again and went back inside.

Buffy sighed when the connection was terminated. She had this strange feeling again that Faith was being distant. She recalled the constant teasing and the innuendoes and she recalled how great it was to be with Faith, but now it was as though Faith didn't want to have anything to do with her.

"Buffy?" Willow said when she noticed that Buffy was pensive again.

Buffy looked up and tried to smile.

"Hey. Faith says hi."

"Oh. How is she?"

"She's at a party."

"Really?"

"Yes, I heard the music."

"Oh." Willow thought for a moment. "Are you okay? I mean, you seem so… sad."

Buffy sighed.

"I miss her."

"Miss her? Faith?" Willow said, surprised.

"Yes. I mean, she was annoying and stuff, but… I don't know. She understood me, you know? And now she's acting like she doesn't want to have anything to do with me. She's so… distant… and cold. She didn't even open her present when I gave it to her. She didn't tease me or anything and she didn't ask how you guys were doing."

"Really? Do you know why?"

"No. And I can't even ask her about it, I mean, it's not like something I can point at."

"Oh."

Buffy sighed.

"I just wish she was here."

Willow's face was slowly consumed by a smile.

"You have a crush on her."

Buffy's eyes went wide.

"I do not!"

"Oh yes you do."

"Willow…"

"It's okay, Buffy."

"That I have a crush on Faith?"

"See, you admitted it."

"I did not."

"Did too." Willow linked her arm with Buffy's. "Come on, I'm your best friend, you can tell me," she said as she led her to the porch.

Buffy sighed.

"It's…"

"Where are you going?" Xander asked.

"To the porch," Willow said. "We'll be right back." She looked at Buffy. "You were saying?"

Buffy thought for a moment.

"Well, it's so confusing, you know? I mean, I was finally getting over Angel. And then she showed up and… and it was so… exciting, you know? Like she knew me better than I knew myself. And I liked hanging out with her. But then Angel came back and things got complicated. I mean, I wanted to hang out with her, but I always went to Angel."

"You felt guilty about him."

Buffy sighed.

"I know. Still… And on Christmas Eve, I asked her to come around. She said she was going to a party, but you know her, always wants to look tough. And then she finally showed up and I left her alone with Mom. I mean, I could've asked her to come along and watch my back while I talked to Angel." She sighed again. "No wonder she left." She looked at Willow. "And you know what the funny thing is? I think she liked me too. I think she left so she wouldn't have to see me and Angel together."

"You should talk to her."

"And what would I say? I mean, I still feel a bit weird about being attracted to a girl. Not to mention Angel's still around and I still have feelings for him. I mean, I know we can't be together, but still…"

"I know what you mean," Willow said, thinking of Xander.

"So what do I do?"

"First, clear up how you feel about them."

"Angel and Faith?"

"Yes. And if you decide you love Faith, tell her. And make sure you break up with Angel first."

Buffy sighed.

"This sucks."

Willow smiled sympathetically.

"I know."

Six months later. Faith groaned when her phone ran and she saw it was Buffy. Again.

"What's the problem, B?"

"Em, hi, Faith. I need your help."

"With what?"

"The Mayor. He's gonna change into a demon during the graduation.

"Yeah, Giles said something about it. When do you want me to come?"

"Sunday afternoon."

"For how long?"

"At least until graduation."

"Okay. I'll see you then."

On the other side, Buffy wanted to say something more, to continue the conversation, find out how was doing, but instead she was interrupted by a busy tone. She stared at the phone for a few moments before she hung up, disappointed.

Back in LA, Faith went to see Jennifer.

"Jen?"

"Yes?"

"I need to talk to you and your dad for a moment."

"Okay," Jennifer said and followed Faith to her dad's office.

"Is he in?" Faith asked when they got to the secretary.

"Hold on," the secretary said and pressed the intercom. "Mr Johnson, your daughter and Faith are here."

"Send them in."

"Yes, Sir." She looked at Faith. "You can go in."

Faith nodded and entered.

"Hello, girls," Mr Johnson said with a smile. "What can I do for you?"

Faith glanced at Jennifer.

"I'm gonna have to go to Sunnydale this Sunday."

"Why?" Jennifer asked.

"A… There's something I have to take care of."

"For how long?" Mr Johnson asked.

"Probably less than a week."

"When are you leaving?"

"I don't know exactly, I'm gonna have to check when the bus is leaving."

"You can take one of the cars."

Faith raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"You sure?"

Mr Johnson nodded.

"Yes."

"Okay. Thanks."

"Anything else?"

"No."

"Jennifer?"

"No, Dad. We'll see you later."

Faith and Jennifer left.

"Does it have something to do with, you know," Jennifer looked around, "vampires?" she finished whispering.

Faith glanced at her.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, you usually go out after you bring me back and I've herd people say that you are sometimes in a very bad shape. And somehow I don't think you go around fighting for money or something."

Faith smiled a bit.

"Yes, it does," she admitted.

"So you go out every night to kill… them?"

"Yes."

"Wow," Jennifer said, impressed, and Faith smiled.

"It sucks," she said. "Really. It's hell for my wardrobe."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Try not to think about it, you'll sleep better."

"I still have nightmares about it sometimes."

"Really?" Faith said, surprised.

"Yeah. I mean, they're not scary, just… They make me tense."

"Oh."

"Be careful, okay."

Faith raised her eyebrows, surprised. Then she smiled a bit.

"I will." She hesitated for a moment. "Thanks."

Jennifer smiled back.

"You're welcome."

"What are you gonna do while I'm gone?"

Jennifer frowned.

"I hadn't thought of that."

"I don't mind you going out, but you have to obey your bodyguard, okay? Same rules as if I was there."

Jennifer made a face.

"Yeah, okay."

"You promise?"

Jennifer sighed.

"Yes, I promise."

"Good."

"Hi, guys," Faith said as she entered the library after arriving to Sunnydale on Sunday evening.

"Faith," Buffy said, excited, but her face fell when Faith ignored her.

"So, what's the plan, Giles?"

"Ah, we have no plan yet," Giles said, fixing his glasses.

Faith blinked.

"You're kidding."

"I'm afraid not."

"Why not just blow him up? You know, like B blew up that Judge guy."

Giles thought about it for a moment.

"I'm afraid that wouldn't work. The Mayor is familiar with modern weapons and he would probably be able to avoid the missile."

"Oh." Faith thought for a moment. "Can we blow him up some other way?"

The Scooby Gang thought about it.

"If we could lure him into the school, we could blow it up and kill him," Buffy suggested.

Faith burst into laughter.

"Fuck, B, I knew you weren't fond of school, but blowing it up? Shit."

"What?" Buffy said, her face serious. "The last time it took a volcano to kill a demon like that."

Faith chuckled.

"Yeah?"

"Yes," Giles said.

Faith thought for a moment.

"And how do you plan to lure him into school? I mean, you'd have to piss him off enough so he would follow you in. And then you'd have to get out."

Everyone thought again.

"He is a hygiene freak," Willow said.

"So you're gonna throw rotten fruit at him to piss him off?" Faith asked.

"Or just, you know, spill some trash on him and tell him he's an idiot."

"That's your best plan?" Faith asked skeptically.

"At least it's a plan," Xander said. "We didn't have one before."

Faith made a face.

"Then we're screwed." She looked at Buffy. "Unless you think we can take him down with swords and axes."

"No, I don't think so."

Faith sighed.

"Great." She looked at Willow. "Then we better hope that he's gonna get pissed at the trash." She looked at Giles. "I'm gonna go settle in now and then I'll go on patrol."

"Okay, Faith," Giles said, nodding.

Faith turned to leave.

"Where are you staying?" Buffy asked.

Faith looked at her.

"At the hotel."

"You could stay with me," Buffy offered nervously. "I mean, the living conditions are better and…"

"The hotel, B, not the motel," Faith interrupted her. "You know, the big, fancy house downtown with expensive rooms? Where you have room service and stuff?"

"You're gonna stay there?" Buffy said, surprised.

"Yes."

"But, it's expensive. I mean, you'd have free lodging and food at my place."

Faith stared at Buffy for a few moments.

"Somehow I don't think you're mom would approve of me going to bars and get drunk. And besides, I'd like to enjoy life for a few days, you know? I mean, we may all die at the graduation and I want the next few days to be great. I'm gonna get drunk, order room service and surf the cable."

"Oh," Buffy said, disappointed.

Faith looked at Giles.

"I'm gonna come around sometime tomorrow morning. Unless I have a major hangover," she added with a grin.

"Good," Giles said and Faith left.

Willow noticed that Buffy was disappointed and she came closer.

"You okay?" she asked and put her hand on Buffy's shoulder.

Buffy nodded, but Willow knew she wasn't.

"Go after her, talk to her," Willow said.

Buffy looked at her.

"And say what?"

Willow shrugged.

"I don't know. That you missed her."

Buffy thought for a few moments and then sighed.

"Okay," she said and followed Faith.

But when she came outside, Faith had already started her car and was driving away.

"Faith!" Buffy called and ran after the car, but Faith apparently didn't notice her.

She stopped and sighed, disappointed. She felt like crying, so she took a few deep breaths to calm down. Then she returned inside.

"You're back?" Willow asked, surprised.

"She had a car," Buffy said.

"Really?" Willow asked.

"Yes."

"Oh."

Buffy looked at Giles.

"I'm going on patrol," she said.

"Okay," Giles said.

"Be careful, Buffy," Willow said.

Buffy nodded and left.

"Is it just me or is Faith… different?" Xander asked.

Silence answered him.

During the patrol, Buffy kept thinking about Faith. She remembered Faith as tough and independent and constantly flirting, but now Faith was… distant, like the had no interest whatsoever in Buffy and Buffy realized she missed the closeness and the constant innuendoes and she had a feeling that it was her fault.

After a while she decided to go visit Faith, but when she got to the hotel, she found out that Faith had already gone out. She considered locating her, but she decided against it, not sure what the hell she should say to her. So she went home instead.

"Hello, honey," Joyce said when Buffy came home. "Where's Faith?"

"She decided to stay at the hotel. She said she wanted to enjoy herself," she added bitterly.

"But it's…"

"Not the motel, the hotel," Buffy said.

"Oh." Joyce frowned. "But it's expensive."

"I know. Though judging from the fact that she was driving a Corvette, I'd say she can afford it."

"Oh," Joyce said, surprised. "I didn't know being a bodyguard paid so well."

"Me neither," Buffy said, depressed.

"Why don't you invite her to dinner tomorrow," Joyce suggested.

Buffy sighed.

"I don't think she'll accept. She'll probably find some excuse, like a really great party or something."

"Try it, you never know."

Buffy took a deep breath.

"Okay," she said and went upstairs, depressed.

Joyce stared after her, wondering what had happened between the two Slayers.

The next day, Faith came to the library late.

"Hey," she said as she walked toward the table.

"Hello, Faith," Giles said.

"Hi," Buffy said.

"Hi," Faith said. She sat down and plopped her feet on the table. "So, any new plans or are we still on with the trash plan?"

"Still the trash plan," Buffy said.

"Great," Faith muttered.

"Oh, my mom's inviting you to dinner tonight."

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah?"

Buffy nodded.

"Yes."

"B, I really don't want to have dinner with your mom. I mean, she's a great woman and all, but we don't really have much to talk about."

Buffy bit her teeth.

"I'll be there too."

"For how long?"

Buffy sighed.

"Look, I know I left you alone with Mom on Christmas, but I had to go after Angel."

"Yeah, I know. Besides, I got plans. I'm going to a party with the bellboy from the hotel."

"You're dating a bellboy?" Cordelia asked.

Faith glanced at her.

"No, I'm just going to a party with him. He said it was sort of a private party, but that I could come."

"Oh," Buffy said, disappointed. "Okay. Well, if you change your mind..."

"I'll let you know." She looked at Giles. "Anything I can help you with?"

"Not at the moment, no. Though I would like to talk to you about the El Eliminati."

"Again?"

"Yes."

Faith sighed.

"Okay."

The bell ran and the Scooby Gang started to head out.

"I'll see you later," Buffy said.

"Yeah," Faith said, ignoring her. She looked at Giles. "So, what do you wanna know?"

"I have to talk to Buffy," Willow told Oz, who nodded and left with Xander and Cordelia. "Are you okay?" Willow then asked Buffy.

Buffy sighed.

"I just don't know what to do. I mean, you saw how she ignores me."

"Well, you did say that your mom invited her to dinner."

"And you think her response would've been any different if I said I wanted her to come?"

Willow thought for a moment.

"No, I don't think so."

"What do I do, Willow? I mean, it's like she's a whole different person. She didn't flirt or throw innuendoes around, she just got straight down to business."

"Yes, I noticed. Maybe you should go to her and talk to her."

Buffy sighed.

"I will."

But when she got to the library during the next break, Faith was already gone. She sat through the break, depressed, and decided to visit her after school.

But when she got to the hotel after school, Faith wasn't there. She thought about what to do and then decided to call her.

"Yeah, B?"

"Where are you?"

"Why?"

"Well, I came to the hotel to see you, but you weren't there."

"I went out to the desert.

"What?" Buffy said, surprised. "Why?"

"No reason. I just realized I've never been out here and since I had a car, I decided to go check it out."

"Oh. When are you coming back?"

"I don't know. Maybe in an hour or so. Unless I decide to drive around for a while."

"Oh," Buffy said, disappointed.

"I'll talk to you later," Faith said and severed the connection.

Buffy wanted to say something, but the busy tone stopped her. She sighed and went home.

"Hi, Mom," Buffy said when she got home.

"Hello, honey," Joyce responded. "What's wrong?" she asked, noticing Buffy's expression.

Buffy sighed.

"I asked her to come to the dinner, but she said she's going to a party."

"Oh."

"I have a feeling she's avoiding me."

"Why would she do that?" Joyce asked, puzzled.

"I don't know, Mom," Buffy said and went to her room.

Joyce shook her head.

The next day, Faith arrived to the library just when the break was over.

"Faith."

"Hey, B. What's up?"

"Are you avoiding me?"

Faith frowned.

"Why would I be avoiding you?"

"I don't know, but every time I want to talk to you, you seem to be… unavailable."

"B, just because I got my own life doesn't mean I'm avoiding you. I mean, now I got money and a car and I can drive around, go to places I've never been to. I mean, what do you expect of me, to be at your beck and call twenty-four/seven?"

"No! I…"

"Buffy, you really should go!" Giles called.

Buffy sighed.

"Look, I really want to talk to you," she said.

"About?"

"I don't know, you."

"There's not much to talk about, B, same old, same old. I drive Jen around and go on patrols, no big. And you're gonna be late."

Faith continued to Giles and Buffy stared after her for a few moments, frustrated. Then she hurried to class.

"So, what's up, Giles? Any new plans?" she asked as she sat on the table.

"Ah, no," Giles said and took off his glasses to wipe them.

"So we're still going with the trash plan?"

"I'm afraid so. Xander is going to get the explosive and we will also involve the students."

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"The students?"

"Yes, we will need their help."

"Okay. Anything you want me to do?"

"No, not at the moment. You will have to protect the students while Buffy lures the Mayor into the school building."

"Fine with me. Anything else?"

"Em, yes, I'd like you and Buffy to practice together today."

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Well, you're both Slayers and you need to stay sharp."

"I'm as sharp as ever."

"Humor me."

Faith grinned and hopped off the table.

"Okay. Four o'clock?"

"Yes."

"I'll be here," Faith said and left.

At four o'clock, Buffy was nervously waiting for Faith. Sure, Faith had said that she would show up, but Buffy still wasn’t sure. But Faith did show up and Buffy was relieved by that.

"Hey," she said and smiled a bit.

"Hey, B," Faith said. "Ready to get your ass kicked?"

Buffy snorted.

"In your dreams."

"I don't think so, B," Faith said and Buffy's face fell.

She had hoped that Faith would started to flirt again, but she was obviously wrong.

As they sparred, Buffy had to admit that Faith was good, better than she was when they had last sparred. And Faith wasn't fooling around or joking, she was kicking her ass and Buffy had to focus so Faith wouldn't kick her ass completely.

"You've improved," Buffy said when they stopped.

"I've been practicing," Faith said and looked at Giles. "Anything else?"

"Ah, no, no," Giles said.

"Good." She looked back at Buffy. "I'll see you at the graduation then."

"Do you still get hungry and," Buffy glanced at Giles, "horny?"

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"Sure, B, that's why I'm leaving. I'm gonna grab me a pizza and someone to screw. See you," Faith said.

Buffy's face fell. She was hoping for a grin and some witty reply, but instead she got an answer she really didn't want to hear, namely that Faith was going to have sex with someone. Well, someone that was not her. Though she knew that Faith could have sex with whomever she wanted, she still felt jealous and hurt.

Outside, Faith was thinking about Buffy's question, Buffy usually avoided talking about sex. And as far as hungry and horny thing was concerned, she decided to grab a pizza and maybe someone to screw. She hoped that she would be able to go through the second part. It annoyed her that every time she wanted to have sex, Buffy's face came to mind and she just couldn't go though with it. She sighed and started running to cool off.

At the graduation, Faith was among the parents. She was in the last row, her senses scanning for vamps. After the principal, who was a complete idiot in Faith's opinion, the Mayor started delivering his speech. Faith was surprised by it, it sounded so highly moral, and she thought that if she didn't know that the Mayor was about to turn into a demon, she would probably be impressed by it.

Then the sky started to darken and the Mayor started to convulse and Faith knew it was almost time. Her senses also started to tingle. When the moon blocked the sunlight, the fight was on. Faith grabbed her weapons, an El Eliminati sword and a stake and ran toward the vampires, who were starting to emerge from the sewers. She heard the parents panic when the Mayor turned into a demon, but she ignored them. The students soon joined her and the vampires were slightly confused for a few moments, which cost quite a few of them their lives.

And then, the school blew up. Everyone stopped, shocked, and looked at the burning school. The vampires noticed that the Mayor was history and they realized that there wasn't going to be a feast. The smarter ones also realized that Buffy was about to join the fight and they fled, causing their mentally less endowed brethren to follow them. Faith made sure that they were really gone and then went to Giles and Buffy, who were staring at the burning school.

"I take it the trash plan worked," she said, also staring at the fire.

"Aha," Buffy said.

"Cool."

"How many were killed?" Giles asked Faith.

"I don't know. Not many, I think."

"Thank God for that."

Then Faith noticed Buffy was staring at something and she followed her gaze.

"Where's he going?" she asked when Angel left.

"He's leaving," Buffy said.

"Yeah?" Faith said, surprised. "How come?"

Buffy sighed.

"We broke up six months ago, but he stayed to help us fight the Mayor."

"Oh," Faith said, surprised by the news.

"We're friends, even though he still has feelings for me," Buffy continued.

Faith shrugged.

"Whatever," she said, annoyed that the news had made her start hoping again.

"Where are you going?" Buffy asked when Faith started to leave.

"Hotel. I'm gonna grab a shower."

"Oh. Okay. I'll see you later."

"Yeah," Faith said and left.

Buffy stared after her until she was gone.

"Buffy!" Joyce said when Buffy came home.

Buffy smiled.

"Hi, Mom. We won."

"Thank God."

"But we did have to blow up the school," Buffy added, smiling sheepishly.

"What?" Joyce asked, surprised.

Buffy shrugged.

"The last time it took a volcano to kill a demon like that."

"Oh."

"I'm gonna take a shower and then I'm gonna go to Faith."

"Okay, honey," Joyce said thinking about the fact that Buffy had blown up the school.

After taking a shower, Faith considered grabbing something to eat, but she decided to leave Sunnydale as fast as possible. She had a feeling that Buffy would come visit her and she really didn't want to talk to her. So she packed her stuff, booked out and left.

When Buffy came to the hotel, she found out that Faith was gone. She just stood still for a few moments, feeling hurt by Faith's ignorance. Then she returned home.

"Back already?" Joyce said, surprised.

Buffy sighed.

"She's gone."

"Faith?"

Buffy nodded.

"She left. I think she returned to LA."

"Oh."

"I'm gonna go after her tomorrow, Mom."

"To LA?"

"Yes. I need to talk to her. I mean, after I got over the initial jealousy, I thought she was a great girl and I think she was in love with me," Buffy started to babble. "And just when I started to realize that I was feeling something for her as well, Angel came back and things got so confused. And then she left and we barely spoke for six months. I thought we could talk when she came back, but she avoided me and now she's gone again."

"You're in love with her?" Joyce asked, surprised.

"What?" Buffy said, startled.

"You said you were feeling something for her."

"Oh," Buffy said and blushed. Then she sighed. "Yes," she said, avoiding her mother's eyes.

"Oh," Joyce said, finally understanding Buffy's bad mood. "Okay."

"Okay?" Buffy said, surprised, and looked at her.

Joyce smiled.

"Were you expecting anything else?"

"I… Well… Thanks, Mom," Buffy said and hugged her.

Joyce hugged her back.

"You're welcome, honey."

"Faith! You're back!" Jennifer said, excited, when Faith arrived.

Faith smiled.

"Yeah, I'm back."

"Did everything go well?" Jennifer asked curiously.

Faith grinned.

"We had to blow up a school, but otherwise everything's fine," she whispered and Jennifer's eyes went wide.

"You blew up a school?"

"Shh, not so loud," Faith cautioned her.

"Are you serious?" Jennifer asked, whispering.

Faith smiled.

"Yeah, I'm afraid so."

"But why?"

"Because it was a big demon."

"Oh."

"Is your dad home?"

"No, he's out."

"Oh. Did you behave?"

Jennifer rolled her eyes.

"Yes."

"Good. Are you going out tonight?"

"Yes. Are you coming with me?"

"Yes."

Jennifer smiled.

"Cool."

The next day, when Faith found out that Buffy had come to visit, she was pissed. She wanted to scream, but she knew that she had to control herself. So she took a few deep breaths and went to the gate to meet her.

"What are you doing here, B?" she asked.

"I wanted to talk to you yesterday, but you were gone, so I came after you."

"Talk about what?"

"Us."

"Us? There is no us, B."

"No! I mean…" She sighed. "It's just… Every since you left Sunnydale I had a feeling you've been avoiding me."

"Why would I do that?"

"I don't know! And you've changed. I mean, before you always had a sexual innuendo for everything, but now… you don't."

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"As I recall, it used to bother you."

"Well, yes, it did, but I kinda miss it."

"So you came here all the way from Sunnydale just because you miss my innuendoes?"

"Well, no." Buffy took a deep breath and decided to get straight to the point. "I love you."

Faith blinked, surprised.

"Don’t play with me, B," she snarled angrily.

"I'm not, Faith. I mean, I broke up with Angel and…"

"And now you're looking for a rebound guy?"

"What? No! I mean, I'm not looking for anyone, I already found you and…"

"You want me to be your rebound girl, B? No fucking way."

"No! I…"

"Look, B, if you wanna experiment with playing for the home team, go find someone else."

"But…"

"Leave me out of your love life, okay? And don't call me unless you need my help."

"But… But…" Buffy started, but Faith was already leaving. "But I love you," Buffy finished quietly, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You mean that?"

Buffy jerked, startled, and looked around.

"What?" she said when she saw Jennifer.

"Do you really love her?"

"Yes," Buffy said and wiped her tears.

"Then why did you wait that long?"

Buffy frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"You said you broke up with your boyfriend six months ago."

"Oh." Buffy sighed. "Yeah. I mean, we were apart longer, it's just that he came back then and things got complicated. And I wasn't really comfortable with being in love with another girl, you know. And then Faith left and I started to get the feeling that she was avoiding me, but I wasn't sure, I mean, I couldn't pinpoint it and ask her."

"And now you're sure that you love her?"

"Yes. I wanted to tell her yesterday, but she'd left by the time I got to her hotel."

"Oh." Jennifer thought for a moment. "Go to the gazebo and wait there, I'll go talk to her."

"Really?" Buffy asked, surprised.

Jennifer nodded.

"Yes."

"Why?"

Jennifer shrugged.

"She's my friend and I think she loves you too. We'll see."

"Oh. Thanks."

Jennifer smiled and left.

In her room, Faith was furious. She paced for a while, feeling like breaking the furniture, so she finally decided to go to the gym and pulverize the punching bag. She was angry that Buffy had come and messed with her head again and she was angry with herself for not being able to get over Buffy. She was so focused with beating ut the bag that she didn't even notice Jennifer.

"Faith."

Faith jerked, surprised, and looked at her.

"What?"

"How do you feel about her?"

"What?" Faith asked, puzzled.

"Buffy. How do you feel about her?"

"Why the hell do you wanna know that?"

"Because she obviously loves you."

Faith snorted.

"Yeah, right."

"She does. So, do you love her? Yes or no?"

Faith stared at her for a few moments and then turned away, balling her hands into fists.

"Yes or no, Faith?" Jennifer asked again.

"What do you care?"

Jennifer sighed.

"Look, I know you're my bodyguard, but you're also my friend," she said and Faith glanced at her, surprised. "My dad told me that he and Mom had a quarrel just before she died and he never got to tell her he was sorry. I don't want you to have the same regrets. If you love Buffy, now's your chance to do something about it."

Faith slowly turned and stared at Jennifer for a few moments. Then she sighed.

"It's a bit too late now," she said, "she's already gone."

Jennifer smiled.

"Actually, I told her to wait at the gazebo."

Faith blinked, surprised.

"You did?"

Jennifer nodded.

"Yes. Go on, talk to her, let her explain."

Faith sighed, hesitating. Then she smiled as she decided to give Buffy a chance.

"Thanks, Jen," she said.

Jennifer smiled again.

"Go."

At the gazebo, Buffy was pacing nervously. It had taken her a while to accept the fact that she may be gay and even longer to even consider talking to Faith about it and she hoped that it wasn't too late. Then her senses started to tingle and she noticed Faith. She stopped pacing and stared at the fellow Slayer anxiously.

Faith stopped a couple of paces from Buffy and stared at her for a few moments, noticing that Buffy was nervous. She finally sighed.

"So, talk."

Buffy gulped and thought for a few moments. Then she took a deep breath.

"After I got over the initial jealousy, you actually helped me get over Angel. I mean, sure, your innuendoes were making me uncomfortable, but only because I realized that I was starting to feel more for you than just friendship. But then Angel came back and I started to feel guilty all over again. I know I was ignoring you, but I kept thinking about Angel. And I couldn't tell you about him, what with you being a Slayer and him a vamp. And I was also afraid to tell the guys, you know, because he hurt them. And after you tried to kill him, I was afraid to trust anybody where he was concerned. That's why I didn't ask you to come with me on Christmas. He was vulnerable and I was afraid you might try something." Buffy sighed. "And then you left and I realized just how much you meant to me. I wanted to talk to you, but you started acting so cold and distant. And I wasn’t exactly comfortable with being gay and I wasn’t sure what you felt for me, especially when you started pushing me away." She sighed again. "It took me a while to accept that I love you and even longer to even consider talking to you. I wanted to talk to you last night, but you were gone, and I realized that if I didn't go after you and tell you how I felt, I would probably never get another chance."

Faith stared at Buffy for a while, thinking about what she had said.

"And Angel?" she then asked.

"I broke up with him six months ago because of you. We're just friends. I mean, I think he still has feelings for me, but as far as I'm concerned, we're just friends, and he knows that."

"Does he know you're in love with me?"

Buffy nodded.

"Yes, I told him."

Faith thought for a few moments and then stepped close to Buffy. Buffy held her breath, wondering what would happen. Faith hesitated for a moment and then kissed Buffy. Buffy was surprised, but she quickly responded. She hugged Faith, but then Faith broke the kiss and Buffy looked at her, puzzled.

"You like that?" Faith asked her.

Buffy nodded.

"Yes."

Faith stared at her for a few moments and then sighed. She let go of Buffy and went to the bench. She sat down and then patted the space next to her.

"Sit."

Buffy frowned, puzzled, but she did as Faith told her. Faith hesitated for a few moments and then took Buffy's hand into her own. Then she took a deep breath.

"I think I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. I wanted to impress you, that's why I told those outrageous stories, you know, I wanted to fit in. I guess I never really did, that's why that Post bitch managed to play me so well, I felt left out." She sighed. "And then you started hanging out with Angel and I got jealous, but I didn't give up. Not until Christmas. I knew then that I didn't stand a chance with you, so I decided to leave before I did something stupid. I wanted to get over you, that's why I was so cold. But you kept calling and I was so frustrated." She looked at Buffy. "I hope you're serious, B, because if all you need is a rebound guy, or girl, then say so now. Because if you screw with my head, I just know I'll do something we'll both regret."

Buffy stared at her and then slowly nodded.

"I'm serious, Faith. I love you."

Faith took a deep breath.

"I love you too, B… Buffy."

Buffy smiled at Faith's use of her full name. She hesitated for a moment and then leaned her head on Faith's shoulder. Faith was startled by the intimate contact, but then decided that she liked it. She hesitated for a moments and then leaned her head on Buffy's head.

"So now what?" she then asked.

"I guess we have to decide how to proceed. I mean, you have a great job here and I don't think you'd want to quit it."

"I can come visit every weekend," Faith suggested.

"Yes, I guess. We'll see. Right now, I just wanna sit here with you."

Faith smiled a bit.

"Me too," she said.

In the distance, Jennifer smiled and went back inside, hoping she hasn't just lost her bodyguard.

The End