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 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.

Rock Star
By Kristjan Brezovnik

"Man," Faith said, exhausted, as she sat onto a chair during a short break during the concert.

Her staff immediately started to fix her make up. Buffy, her personal assistant, quickly gave her a water bottle and then started to massage her shoulders. Faith stared at her in the mirror for a few moments and then closed her eyes and tried to relax. She always enjoyed Buffy's massages and she liked having her around, but she never acknowledged her. For some reason, she was always nervous around Buffy. She liked her so much, probably too much, and she didn't want to get close to her. Sure, she wouldn't mind being friends with Buffy, but, unfortunately, she soon realized that she wanted them to be more than friends, and after what just happened with Justin, her last boyfriend, she was afraid of relationships. She didn't consider herself gay, more like bi, but there was something about Buffy that made her want to be with her. She sighed.

"Faith, new clothes," Joyce Summers, Buffy's mom, said.

Faith opened her eyes and looked at her. She took a deep breath and got up. She quickly changed and then went back to the stage.

"She's not happy," Buffy commented when Faith was gone.

"I know, honey," Joyce said.

After the concert, Faith answered questions from the reporters and gave autographs. Then she went straight to the hotel. She took a long bath and tried to relax, but she couldn't. She finally got out, dried, and went to her room. She lay on the bed, not bothering to dress, and closed her eyes.

A few moments later, the door opened and somebody came in. Faith didn't bother to open her eyes, she knew there was only one person who dared come into her room without knocking, Buffy. It freaked Faith a bit how Buffy always knew when to come in. She also knew what would follow, a massage. She took a deep breath and undid the towel.

Buffy rolled it back, making sure that Faith's private parts remained covered. Then she opened the massage oil and poured a little bit on Faith's back. She first did Faith's back and arms and then moved on to the legs. By the time she was done with the feet, Faith was asleep. Buffy covered her with the towel and then went to the bathroom to wash her hands. When she came back, she covered Faith with a blanket. She stared at her for a few moments and then left.

She got herself a book and a chair and then sat in front of Faith's room, making sure no one would disturb her.

Ten minutes later, Mr Fitzpatrick, Faith's new manager, came to the apartment.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"Asleep," Buffy said.

"I need to talk to her."

"In fifty minutes."

"What?" Mr Fitzpatrick said, startled.

"In fifty minutes."

"I need to talk to her now."

Buffy shook her head.

"In fifty minutes."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Mr Fitzpatrick asked, angry.

"Buffy. And don't yell, you're gonna wake Faith."

Mr Fitzpatrick stared at her for a few moments, in disbelief, and then headed to the door.

Buffy got up and blocked his path.

"I need to talk to her," he said.

"In fifty minutes."

"Listen, girl, I'm her manager."

"You could be her own mother, for all I care, I'm not waking her up. She's exhausted and she needs to rest. She has a banquet to attend and a press conference and she needs to be rested."

"That's it, I'm calling security."

"Go ahead. Then you can explain why you're in Faith's room, trying to wake her up."

"I'm her manager."

"I'm sure the security won't care. All that matters is that this isn't your room and that you're trying to disturb the occupant."

"Then I'm firing you."

Buffy snorted.

"You won't be the first one to fire me. In any case, I'm not leaving until Faith fires me."

"I can take care of that right away."

"In fifty minutes. Now please go."

Mr Fitzpatrick stared at her for a few moments and then stormed off.

Buffy sighed and sat down.

"Who the hell is that Buffy girl?" Mr Fitzpatrick asked a group of Faith's staff.

"She's her personal assistant," one of them said. "I think."

"Yeah," another one said. "She's always around, like a shadow."

"I'm so firing her," Mr Fitzpatrick said.

"Uh, that's not a good idea, man."

"Why?"

"Well, she got the last manager fired."

"What?" Mr Fitzpatrick said, startled. "Why?"

The man hesitated.

"You heard about that Justin something dude? Faith's last boyfriend?"

"Yes?"

"Well, Mr Benson wanted to use the breakup for publicity. When Buffy found that out, she was really pissed. I'm not sure what happened, but he got fired the same day."

"Yeah. Buffy's, like, Faith's guardian angel or something."

"Yeah. Trust me, you don't wanna mess with her."

Mr Fitzpatrick thought about it.

"How did she get that powerful?"

The men shrugged.

"Don't know. But she's always around Faith. It's like she knows what Faith needs before Faith does."

"Yeah."

"So, what? I need to make an appointment with her to see Faith?" Mr Fitzpatrick asked.

"No, but if Faith is asleep and Buffy's on guard, it better be extremely important."

"It is."

The men chuckled.

"I'm afraid that's up to Buffy to decide."

"Great," Mr Fitzpatrick murmured.

"Hey, Buffy's a cool lady. You got something for Faith you think it's important, let Buffy see it. If it's really that important, she'll wake Faith. If it's not, well, you'll have to wait."

Mr Fitzpatrick grunted and left.

Forty minutes later, Buffy entered Faith's room to wake Faith. She gently shook her.

"Faith," she called.

"Mmm," Faith said.

"Wake up, Faith, you have a banquet and a press conference."

"Hmm?"

"Time to get up."

Faith opened her eyes.

"What?"

"Banquet and press conference."

"Oh."

"And your manager wanted to see you. He said it was important."

"Oh."

Buffy left, and Faith stared after her. When Buffy was gone, Faith took a deep breath and got up.

Ten minutes later, Faith got out of her room, dressed and ready.

"Mr Fitzpatrick will be here in a few minutes," Buffy told her.

"Okay," Faith said and went to the table, where coffee was waiting for her.

Buffy then left.

Faith sat down and took a sip.

A couple of minutes later, Mr Fitzpatrick came in.

"Faith."

Faith looked at him.

"Hey."

"I've wanted to talk to you an hour ago, but Buffy wouldn't let me wake you."

"Yeah. What's up?"

Mr Fitzpatrick sat down, suddenly getting a feeling that the men were right and that Faith wouldn't fire Buffy.

"Is she always like that?" he asked.

"Like what?"

Mr Fitzpatrick hesitated for a moment.

"Bossy?"

Faith shrugged.

"I don't know." She nodded at the folder. "What have you got?"

Mr Fitzpatrick realized that the discussion about Buffy was over. He sighed and opened the folder.

After the banquet, there was a press conference. Buffy watched it from behind the reporters. It was okay at first, when the reporters asked questions about concerts and songs, but when one of them started to ask about Justin, Buffy could see that Faith was having a hard time remaining calm. She quickly got her mom.

"We need to help her," she said after she told Joyce what was going on.

"How?" Joyce asked.

"They want news, we'll give them news. Go to that reporter and wait."

"Okay."

Joyce went to the reporter and waited.

Buffy waited for a few moments and then went to her mom.

"You're not gonna believe this," she said. "You know who I just saw outside?" she asked.

"Who?" Joyce asked.

"That asshole Justin. With a new girlfriend."

"Really?" Joyce said, surprised.

Buffy quickly winked at her.

"Yeah," she said and pretended not to notice the reporter listening in. "I'll go make sure the reporters don't find out."

"I'll go with you."

"Okay."

Buffy glanced at the reporters and saw that they were getting ready to leave. They quickly left.

"As soon as they start leaving, get Faith out of there," Buffy said when they were out of sight of the reporters. "If she hears that Justin is here, tell her he's not."

"What about you?"

"There's something I need to do."

"Okay."

Joyce left, and Buffy went outside. She looked around and saw a valet. She smiled and went to her.

"Hey," she said.

The valet looked at her.

"Yes?"

"Can you do me a big favor?"

The valet gave her a suspicious look.

"What?"

"A bunch of reporters will come outside looking for Justin. You know who Justin is?"

The valet frowned.

"That singer? Faith's ex, right?"

"Yes. If they ask where he is, could you make something up?"

The valet smiled.

"What's in it for me?"

Buffy quickly took her wallet and took out twenty dollars.

"This and whatever you can get from the reporters."

The valet smiled.

"No problem."

"Thanks. Oh, they think he was here with his new girlfriend. You can make up what she looked like."

"Okay."

"Thanks."

Buffy quickly left.

When Joyce got her out of the conference room after the reporters mysteriously started to leave, Faith went to her room. The questions about Justin and the breakup upset her. She'd hoped she'd gotten over it, but apparently she hadn't. She lay on the bed and tried to forget, but the memories kept coming back.

"Where is she?" Buffy asked her mother when she got to the floor where Faith's apartment was.

"In her apartment. She's very upset."

Buffy sighed.

"Can you go see what the reporters are doing?"

"Sure."

"Thanks."

Joyce left, and Buffy went to Faith's apartment. She listened for a moment and then went to Faith's door. She listened, but she couldn't hear anything. She considered looking in, but she decided against it, she didn't want to disturb Faith.

A few minutes later, Mr Fitzpatrick came.

"Is she here?" he asked Buffy.

"Yes."

"How is she?"

"Upset."

"Oh."

"How are the reporters?"

"Upset. They all left on a false rumor and lost the press conference."

"Oh."

"Did you have anything to do with it?"

"Me?" Buffy said innocently.

Mr Fitzpatrick stared at her for a few moments.

"Well, if you did, thank you. I know we didn't get off well," he added after Buffy raised an eyebrow, "but I don't want Faith to suffer any more than you do."

"Good."

"Let me know how she is."

"I will."

Mr Fitzpatrick left and Buffy took a deep breath.

An hour later, after unsuccessfully trying to calm down, Faith decided to go out and party. She got dressed and put on a wig. Then she peeked out to see where Buffy was. She had a feeling that Buffy was there and she was right. Fortunately, Buffy was asleep on the sofa. She stared at her for a few moments longingly and then quietly sneaked out.

Buffy woke half an hour later. She got up, yawning, and stretched. She checked the time and then went to Faith's room to check up on her. When she saw that the bed was empty, she checked out the bathroom, but it was empty as well. She looked though Faith's clothes.

"Oh no," she said as she realized Faith had gone out.

She quickly went to her room and changed. Then she went to her mother's room and told her Faith had gone out.

"I'm going after her."

"You think she'll get drunk?" Joyce asked, worried.

"I know she will. I just hope no reporter sees her. I'm taking your car in case she took one as well. I'll call you when I get back."

"Okay, honey."

Buffy took the car keys and left.

An hour later, Buffy was really worried. She had been to several clubs and she hadn't found Faith yet. She hoped she hadn't missed her somewhere. She saw another club and she parked her car. She got in and looked around. She was relieved when she saw Faith dancing. She could see that Faith was already drunk, but she decided not to go to her yet, she knew that Faith would cause a scene and that wouldn't be good. She got herself a drink instead and waited.

Half an hour later, Buffy decided that it was time to get Faith back to the hotel. She forced her way through the crowd and stepped between Faith and a couple of guys that were trying to take advantage of Faith.

"Scram," she told them.

"Who the fuck are you?" one of them demanded.

"Her friend." She looked at Faith. "Faith?"

Faith looked at her and it took her a few moments to recognize her.

"Buffy."

"Time to go home, Faith."

"Don't wanna," Faith pouted, barely standing.

"You have to. You're drunk, you should sleep. You're gonna have a hangover in the morning."

"So what?"

"Your head will hurt. And you got a meeting with your lawyer at ten."

"So?"

Buffy sighed.

"Come, Faith. You can barely stand."

"I'm having fun."

"You barely know what you're doing. Come, there's a soft, comfy bed waiting for you at the hotel."

"Don't wanna go to bed. Dance with me."

Buffy thought for a moment.

"Tell you what. We dance for a few more minutes and then we go."

"Okay," Faith agreed.

They danced for a few more minutes, Faith merely swaying drunkenly, Buffy constantly watching Faith to make sure she wouldn't fall. Then Faith stepped closer to Buffy and hugged her. Buffy hugged her back, surprised, and held her. She thought for a few moments and then slowly started to move toward the edge of the dance floor.

"Okay, time to go now, Faith," she said when they got off the dance floor.

"Do we have to?" Faith whined.

"Yes. Come."

Buffy took Faith's hand and led her out of the club.

As they walked toward Buffy's car, Faith suddenly stopped.

"Faith?" Buffy asked.

"I don't feel so good," Faith said, holding her stomach.

She ran to a tree and threw up.

Buffy quickly went after her and held her hair out of the way.

"Shit," Faith said after nothing else came out of her stomach.

Buffy quickly reached into her pocket and took out a handkerchief.

"Here."

Faith took it and wiped her mouth. When she was done, she just dropped it, but Buffy picked it up and put it away.

"Come."

Buffy put her hand around Faith and helped her to the car.

As they drove home, Faith fell asleep. Since she was drooling, Buffy had to wipe her mouth every now and then.

When they got to the hotel, Buffy parked in the garage underneath it. Then she called her mother and told her that they were there and to make sure that the hall was clear. When she put her phone away, she woke Faith.

"Faith," she said, shaking her.

"Mmm?" Faith said.

"Wake up," Buffy said, shaking her harder, "we have to get you to bed."

"Huh?" Faith said and opened her eyes.

"Bed."

"Oh."

Faith started to unbuckle her seatbelt, but since she was drunk, she wasn't very successful. Buffy unbuckled her and then got out. She went around the car, opened Faith's door and helped her out. Then she locked the car and helped Faith to the lift. While they waited, Faith nearly fell asleep again and Buffy had to wake her up.

When the lift finally arrived, they got in. As the lift went up, Buffy hoped that no one would be out in the hall.

"Is she okay?" Joyce asked when the lift door opened.

"Yes," Buffy said. "Is everything clear?"

"Yes. Come."

Joyce helped Buffy take Faith to her apartment.

They took her straight to bed.

"Help me undress her," Buffy then said.

"Okay."

Together they undressed Faith to her underwear. Buffy then went to the bathroom, got a wet cloth and wiped Faith's face and her teeth. Then she covered her.

She stared at her sadly for a few moments and then took the cloth bath to the bathroom before leaving Faith's room.

"Do you know if anyone recognized her?" Joyce asked.

"No, I don't think so. I almost didn't recognize her with the wig."

"Oh."

Buffy thought for a few moments.

"I'll tell Mrs Bradley to postpone the meeting in the morning. And if anyone asks, she ate something and was sick."

"Okay," Joyce agreed.

"Thanks, Mom."

"No problem, honey."

"I'm gonna shower and then I'll sleep on the sofa."

"Okay."

In the morning, after she had Faith's meeting postponed, Buffy called Faith's mother.

"Faith! You're up early."

"Uh, it's not Faith, Mrs Spencer. I'm Buffy, Faith's, eh, assistant."

"Oh. Why are you calling from her phone?"

"I didn't have your number."

"Oh. Is everything okay?"

"She got drunk last night."

"What? Why?"

"The reporters got nasty and asked her about Justin. It upset her. She sneaked out and got drunk."

"Oh. Is she okay?"

"She's asleep." Buffy hesitated for a moment. "I was hoping you could drop by. I'm not sure she'll talk to you about it, but your presence might calm her."

"Yes, I will."

"Great. Thanks. I'll see you later then."

"Okay. Good bye."

When Faith finally woke up, she had a major headache. She just lay still for a while, pulling herself together. When she finally felt strong enough, she slowly sat up. She noticed she was in her underwear and she realized that Buffy must've undressed her. She blushed, feeling ashamed, she didn't want Buffy to see her bad side. Again.

She sighed and looked around. She noticed a pill and a glass of water on her bedside table. She guessed it was aspirin, so she took it. She closed her eyes and just sat still for a while.

When she finally felt strong enough, she got up and went to the shower.

When she got out of the shower, she dressed and went to the main room. She was relieved when she didn't see Buffy. She noticed that the breakfast was waiting for her, so she sat down and started eating.

A few minutes later, her manager came.

"Good morning, Faith," he said.

"Morning," Faith said.

"How do you feel?"

"Not so good."

"Buffy said you ate something."

"Uh, yeah," Faith said, relieved that Buffy hadn't told anyone.

"The meeting has been postponed till noon, so you can go see a doctor, if you want."

"No, I'll be fine," Faith said, relieved that she didn't have to do business right away.

"Okay."

"What's the time?"

"Just ten thirty."

"Oh." She hesitated for a moment. "Where's Buffy?"

"Helping Mrs Summers, I think."

"Oh."

"Do you want me to call her?"

"No, it's okay."

"Okay then. You have about an hour, so rest a bit, you don't want to upset your stomach."

"Right."

"I'll see you later then."

"Okay."

Mr Fitzpatrick left, and Faith sighed. She tried to remember what had happened the night before, but nothing much came to mind. The only thing she remembered was dancing. She hoped that she hadn't done anything stupid and that no one had recognized her. She tried not to care about what other people thought about her, but sometimes the reporters got to her. She wondered what Buffy thought. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she liked Buffy a lot and her opinion mattered, unfortunately Buffy never told her what she thought about anything. She just seemed to be always there, happy when she was happy, sad when she was sad. The way Buffy could predict her needs, Faith had a feeling that Buffy knew her better than she knew herself.

She sighed and tried to stop thinking about Buffy.

In the afternoon, Mrs Spencer arrived. Since Buffy had left instructions to be notified of her arrival, she intercepted her before Mrs Spencer could get to Faith.

"Hi, Mrs Spencer, I'm Buffy," she introduced herself.

"Oh, hello. Where is Faith?"

"In her apartment."

"How is she?"

"Better than she was yesterday."

"Oh."

Buffy hesitated for a moment.

"Listen, could you not tell her that you're here because I called you and that you know about her getting drunk? She'll get really defensive if you do."

Mrs Spencer smiled.

"Yes, I know. Don't worry, I won't tell her."

"Good. Thanks. This is her apartment, you can go in."

"Thank you."

"No problem."

Mrs Spencer knocked and entered.

"Mom," Faith said, surprised.

Mrs Spencer smiled.

"Hi, honey."

Faith smiled.

"What are you doing here?"

"I had some business to take care of and then I decided to see how you were," Mrs Spencer said, and they hugged. "I watched the press conference last night," she continued when they stopped hugging. "Those reporters were really mean."

Faith sighed.

"Yeah."

"Did they just leave in the middle of the conference?"

"Yeah."

"Do you know why?"

Faith shrugged.

"Some rumor, I think."

"Oh."

"Well, it's a good thing they did, I could see they were really getting to you."

"Yeah," Faith said quietly.

Mrs Spencer caressed her.

"How do you feel?"

Faith took a deep breath.

"Okay."

"You sure?"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah."

Mrs Spencer thought for a few moments.

"How about we go out?"

"Where?"

"Anywhere. We could just go for a walk. Or we can go to the mall and shop."

Faith smiled.

"Okay."

"You okay?" Mrs Spencer asked Faith as they sat in a café, drinking coffee.

Faith looked at her.

"Yeah."

"Want to talk about it?"

Faith looked at her coffee cup, hesitating.

"The reporters really got to me last night."

"I know."

"I watched TV a bit and I saw the reports and then they went on about Justin and me." She hesitated for a moment. "I got drunk," she then admitted.

"I see."

"I just didn't want to think about Justin anymore."

Mrs Spencer sighed.

"It was his loss."

Faith looked at her mother and smiled a bit.

"Yeah."

"How did you get back to the hotel?"

Faith looked down, ashamed.

"Buffy got me."

"She was with you?"

"No, I'd sneaked out."

"So she had to look for you?"

"Yeah."

"Did she know where to look?"

"No."

"It's a miracle she found you."

"Yeah."

"She seems like a nice girl."

"You met her?"

"Yes, on my way to your room. She was worried about you."

"Oh. Yeah, she's nice."

Mrs Spencer raised an eyebrow.

"Nice?"

Faith blushed a little.

"I like her, it's just… After Justin…"

"I see."

Faith sighed.

"I can't believe he got to me so bad."

Her mother reached across the table and covered Faith's hand with her own.

"You'll be okay."

Faith smiled a little.

"Thanks."

Her mother smiled mischievously.

"And don't forget about Buffy."

Faith blushed a little.

A couple of months later, while Faith was resting after a concert, her phone rang. Buffy, who had taken it so Faith wouldn't be disturbed, answered it.

"Hello?"

There was a pause.

"Faith?"

"No, I'm Buffy, her assistant."

"Oh, right. I'm Tim, Faith's cousin. Is Faith around?"

"She's resting."

"Oh. Can you get her, please?"

"Is it urgent? Faith was tired after the concert."

Tim hesitated for a few moment.

"Her mother died."

Buffy gasped.

"How?"

"Car accident."

Buffy sighed.

"Hold on."

She took a deep breath and went to Faith's room. Faith was asleep, so she gently shook her.

"Faith, wake up."

"Mmm, what?" Faith asked.

"Phone. It's urgent."

Faith blinked a couple of times and then took a deep breath. She sat up and took the phone.

"Yeah?"

Buffy quickly left the room in order to give Faith some privacy. Before she closed the door, she looked at Faith and could see the shock on her face. She sighed and closed the door. She took her own cell phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mrs Bradley, this is Buffy. I need you to cancel everything for the next month."

"What?" Mrs Bradley said, surprised. "Why?"

"Her mom died."

"Oh."

"And find out when the earliest flight home is and book two tickets."

"Two?"

"Yes, I'm going with her. Tell Mr Fitzpartick about it, but no one else, I don't want the press to find out and upset Faith."

"Okay. I'll let you know when the flight is."

"Great. Thanks."

Buffy hung up and the called her mother.

"Yes?"

"Mom? It's me. Listen, Faith's mom died."

"What? Does Faith know?"

"Yes. I told Mrs Bradley to cancel everything and to book two tickets. I'm going home with Faith. Can you please pack my stuff?"

"Yes, of course."

"Thanks."

Buffy hung up and went to the door of Faith's room. She listened for a few moments. She could hear Faith sob, so she decided not to go in.

Ten minutes later, Mr Fitzpatrick arrived.

"Where is she?" he asked quietly.

"In her room," Buffy said. "She's crying."

"Oh."

"Did Mrs Bradley fill you in?"

"Yes."

"I'll try to get Faith out of here without anyone seeing her. I don't think she's in any condition to face the media."

Mr Fitzpatrick nodded.

"Yes."

"And tell the staff that Faith had already left, so they won't disturb her. But don't tell them where. I'll have my mom drive us to the airport later."

"Okay."

When Buffy finally didn't hear anymore noises from Faith's room, she quietly entered and took the phone. Then she called Tim and told him when they would arrive.

When it was time to go, Buffy went to Faith's room and gently shook her.

"Faith. Faith!"

"Mmm," Faith said.

"Come, I'm taking you home."

Faith slowly opened her eyes.

"What?"

"I'm taking you home."

"Home?" Faith asked confused. Then she remembered. "Oh."

"I'll wait outside," Buffy said when she saw that Faith was on the verge of tears.

Outside, Buffy called her mom to tell her that she and Faith would be leaving shortly.

When Faith came from her room, she quietly followed Buffy. She tensed a bit when she saw Joyce, but calmed when Joyce smiled softly at her. They took a lift to the garage and then Joyce drove them to the airport. No one spoke a word.

At the airport, Joyce took care of the baggage and the tickets and then they waited. Joyce made sure she was standing so that people couldn't see Faith well, she didn't want them bothering her.

On the plane, Buffy had Faith sit at the window, so that she could make sure no one bothered Faith. When Faith fell asleep, Buffy called Tim and let him know they were on their way.

When the plane landed, they went to pick up Buffy's luggage. Then they went to meet Tim. Buffy didn't know what he looked like, but she knew Tim knew Faith, so she wasn't worried about them missing one another.

"Faith!" she finally heard someone call.

They both looked around and saw a young man approach.

"Hey, Tim," Faith said, smiling sadly.

They hugged.

"I'm sorry about your mom."

Faith sighed.

"Yeah."

They stopped hugging and Tim looked at Buffy.

"You must be Buffy."

"Yes," Buffy said and they shook hands.

"Hey. Thanks for bringing Faith."

"No problem."

Tim looked at Faith.

"Come, let's go."

When they arrived to Faith's home, Faith's relatives surrounded Faith to express their condolences. Since they were relatives, Buffy didn't stand in the way like she would with strangers.

"Come, I'll show you where you'll be staying," Tim told Buffy.

"Thanks."

She grabbed her bag and followed him.

"Is she okay?" Tim asked. "She seemed kinda like a zombie."

"She misses her mom," Buffy said.

"Oh."

"When's the funeral?"

"In two days."

"Oh. Watch out for the reporters, will you? They might come when they find out about it and I don't want them to upset Faith."

Tim nodded.

"Okay."

"Thanks."

After she got settled in, Buffy called Mr Fitzpatrick to tell him that they had arrived, and then went to look for Faith. She found her talking to her aunts, so she didn't disturb her.

"Hey."

Buffy turned.

"Hey."

"I'm Mary, Tim's sister."

"Buffy. I'm Faith's personal assistant."

"I know."

"Have you seen Tim?"

"He's around somewhere."

"Oh." Buffy hesitated for a moment. "Where's the body?"

"At a funeral home."

"Are they planning to take Faith there?"

"Yes."

"How many people?"

Mary frowned.

"A few. Why?"

"Well, it wouldn't be very private. I think Faith could use some time alone with the, um, the body. You know, so she can cry openly, if she wants. She won't cry if there are people around."

"Yeah, I know," Mary agreed.

"Could you arrange for Tim to drive us?"

"Us?"

"Me and Faith."

"Why you?"

"So I'll help Tim keep the people away and also keep an eye on Faith."

"Oh. Okay."

"Thanks."

Mary left and Buffy took a look around the house.

"Hey, you coming?" Tim asked when he found her.

"We're going to the funeral home?"

"Yes."

"Where's Faith?"

"By the car. Mary's with her."

"Okay. Let's go then."

When they got to the funeral home, Tim went ahead to make sure no one would disturb Faith. Buffy escorted Faith, but she remained a few steps behind her. When they got to the room where Faith's mother's body was, Buffy stopped and let Faith go in alone. Tim joined Buffy outside.

"Can you go out and look around? I don't know if the reporters know yet, but I don't want to take any chances."

Tim nodded.

"Sure."

"I'll keep an eye on Faith."

"Okay."

When Tim left, Buffy peeked in and saw Faith staring at her mother's body.

When Faith entered the room, she slowly approached the coffin. The closer she got, the tighter the knot in her stomach became. When she finally got to the coffin and saw her mother's face, tears welled up in her eyes. She wiped them, but new tears came. She missed her mother. Before she knew it, she was crying.

After a while, Buffy peeked in again. When she saw that Faith was crying, she closed the door again. She did this a few times, until Faith stopped crying. Buffy then waited for a while, letting Faith calm down. Finally, she quietly entered and went to her. She put her hand on Faith's shoulder.

Faith jerked and glanced at her. She took deep breath and wiped her tears. When she looked at Buffy again, Buffy was already leaving. Faith slowly followed her.

Faith spent the rest of the day in her room. Since Buffy didn't have an excuse to go to her, she let her be and got to know her family instead.

In the evening, when Buffy was about to go to bed, she heard noise coming from downstairs and decided to see what it was. She went downstairs and listened for a moment before she discovered where the noise was coming from.

She went to the kitchen and saw it was only Faith. She was about to leave without disturbing Faith, who was rummaging through the fridge, when she noticed that Faith was staggering. She sighed, realizing that Faith was drunk.

"Faith," she said and went to her.

Faith turned, startled.

"Buffy," she slurred.

"You should go to bed," Buffy said.

"Don't wanna."

"You can barely stand," Buffy said and closed the fridge.

"Don't wanna," Faith repeated, pouting.

Buffy sighed.

"Come," she said, putting her arm around Faith. "There's a comfy bed waiting just for you."

"I'm not tired," Faith said and yawned.

"I know."

"Am not."

"You still need to rest."

"Why?"

"Because everyone needs to rest. I'm not tired either, but I'm going to bed as well," Buffy said patiently.

"Oh."

"Come."

Buffy guided Faith out of the kitchen.

"I miss Mom," Faith said quietly as they passed the sofa.

"I know," Buffy said softly.

Faith sat down on the sofa and hugged her knees.

Buffy sighed and sat beside her.

"I miss her so much," Faith said quietly, tears welling up.

"Come here," Buffy said and put her arm around her.

Faith leaned on her and started to sob.

"Shh, it's okay," Buffy said and caressed her. "Shh."

Faith burst into tears, and Buffy quietly held her.

After a while, Faith fell asleep and her head slid down into Buffy's lap. Buffy sighed, teary-eyed herself, and caressed her.

Suddenly she saw movement out of the corner of her eye and looked. She saw Tim and waved him over.

"Can you get me a blanket, please?" she whispered.

"Sure."

"And then get rid of all the alcohol. Hide it, throw it away, I don't care, I don't want Faith to get drunk again."

Tim nodded and left.

"Thanks," Buffy said when he returned with a blanket and helped her cover Faith.

"You're welcome," Tim said. "I'll get rid of the booze in the morning, I don't want the noise to wake up Faith."

Buffy nodded.

"Okay. Thanks."

Tim smiled and left.

Buffy looked at Faith, sad, wishing there was something more she could to for her.

When Faith woke up in the morning, she head a headache and she felt uncomfortable. She groaned and slowly opened her eyes. She frowned when she realized she was lying on the sofa in the living room. Then she realized her head was lying in someone's lap. She sat up and her eyes went wide when she saw it was Buffy.

The movement woke up Buffy. She opened her eyes and smiled when she saw Faith was awake.

"Morning," she said. She rubbed her eyes, yawning. "How do you feel?"

"Fine," Faith said and quickly left, feeling ashamed.

Buffy sighed. She got up and slowly followed her.

When she got down again, she met Mary.

"Morning," she said.

"Morning," Mary said. "We got rid of the booze."

"Thanks. Where's Faith?"

"In her room, I think."

"Oh."

"Hungry?"

"Yes."

"Go to the kitchen, Mom's making breakfast."

"Oh. Thanks."

Early in the afternoon, Mr Fitzpatrick arrived.

"Buffy," he said, relieved, when he saw her.

"Hi," Buffy said.

"Where's Faith?"

"In her room."

"How is she?"

"Sad. She misses her mom."

Mr Fitzpatrick nodded.

"Yeah."

"How's the press? Mom told me you told them."

"I didn't have much of a choice. I did ask them to keep a respectful distance if they come."

Buffy nodded.

"I hope they listen."

"Me too."

"Come, let me introduce you to the family."

At the funeral home and after they went after the coffin, Buffy made sure she was always near Faith, but she remained a step behind to give her some privacy. As the priest read from the Bible, Buffy kept a close eye on Faith, in case she started crying.

But Faith managed to get through the funeral without crying. The only time she sobbed was when she got in the car, but she quickly stopped, not wanting to cry in front of Buffy.

When they got home, Faith went straight to her room, and Buffy saw Mr Fitzpatrick off.

In the evening, when Buffy went to her room after dinner, she saw Faith go to the bathroom, holding a bottle. She sighed.

"Faith."

Faith stopped, staggering, and turned.

"What?"

"You gotta stop drinking," Buffy said and quickly took the bottle away.

"Give it back!" Faith protested and tried to get it back, but her own uncoordinated body got in the way.

"No."

Faith slapped Buffy.

They stared at one another for a few moments, both shocked. When Buffy reached up to rub her cheek, Faith turned to leave.

"Wait!" Buffy said and stopped her.

Faith looked at her, feeling ashamed in spite of her drunken state.

"Talk to someone, Faith, anyone. Your aunts or uncles or cousins. Or even a shrink. But do talk. All this drinking will just make you an easy prey for the media. Please, find someone you would feel comfortable talking to and deal with your problems, alcohol won't help you."

Faith stared at her for a few moments and then continued to the bathroom.

Buffy sighed and went downstairs to get rid of the alcohol.

In the bathroom, Faith went to the toilet and peed. As she sat on the toilet, she thought about what Buffy had said. She knew Buffy was right, she would still feel bad in the morning, perhaps even worse than she did at the moment, but she just wanted to forget. She wondered why Buffy was still around, taking care of her. She really liked Buffy and she didn't want Buffy to see her drunk, but Buffy had, plenty of times. And yet she was still around, helping her, making her feel safe.

Faith sighed and wiped the tears, which had started to well up in her eyes. She wished she could just go to Buffy and cry in her arms like she did the previous night. She had felt safe and loved.

Unfortunately, she wasn't drunk enough at the moment and her walls were still standing. As much as she wanted to get close to Buffy, she was also afraid that someday Buffy would have enough of her and just leave. Or hurt her in another way.

She started sobbing, but she quickly took a deep breath to calm down. Since she was done, she wiped herself, washed her hands and splashed some water in her face. Then she went to her room, hoping she wouldn't run into Buffy on the way.

A couple of weeks later, Faith finally felt strong enough to get back to singing. She did the concerts that she had postponed and concentrated on writing songs. Writing songs had always helped her, it was a sort of a therapy for her. Some of them she sang and released on albums, but some she didn't, because she felt they were too personal.

Buffy was still there, taking care of her. Faith was immensely grateful to her for her support. She wanted to open up to her a little, become friends with her, but she was afraid that if things went beyond friendship, she would end up hurt again.

This gripping fear made Faith shut out Buffy even more, so two months later, Buffy finally had enough of Faith ignoring her.

"Mom, I'm quitting my job," she told Joyce.

"Why?" Joyce asked.

"She's completely ignoring me. And not like she used to. She's cold. It's almost like she doesn't want me around."

"Oh."

"I mean, okay, I can deal with her not loving me back, but, you know, she could at least talk to me, acknowledge my presence. I wouldn't mind a simple thank you. I'm starting to feel like an object."

"Did you try talking to her?"

"Yes. She always has something else to do."

"Oh."

"It's hard for me watching her like that. If I don't leave, I'm gonna start to hate her."

Joyce sighed.

"Okay."

Faith immediately noticed that Buffy wasn't there. She didn't know where Buffy was, but she didn't ask, thinking Buffy probably had some things to take care of. But after a few days, she got worried.

One day, when she was just going out, she came across Tim and Mary.

"Faith!" Mary called.

"Hey guys! What are you doing here?"

"Mary was checking out the college and I went with her," Tim said.

"Oh."

"You have a concert tonight?" Mary asked.

"Yes. Wanna come?"

"We don't have the tickets."

"Oh, don't worry about it, I'll get you a backstage pass."

"Cool."

"Wanna come upstairs?"

"Sure."

On the way to Faith's apartment, Tim and Mary told Faith about their college excursion.

"Wow, neat," Mary said when they got to the apartment.

"Yeah."

"How many people live here?"

"Just me."

"What about your girlfriend? Uh, Buffy?" Tim asked.

Faith looked at him, surprised.

"Excuse me?"

"Excuse you?" Tim asked, confused.

"My girlfriend?"

"Yeah." Tim frowned. "She's not your girlfriend anymore?"

"She never was."

Tim and Mary looked at one another.

"Sure had us fooled," Mary said.

"What do you mean?" Faith asked, confused.

"Well, the way she took care of you, she was more than just a friend or a simple personal assistant. I mean, I saw you slap her and she didn't get pissed, she just asked you to deal with your problems. She worried. And she cared."

Faith blushed a bit, ashamed.

"Yeah," Tim agreed. "And you obviously care about her and trust her or you wouldn't have opened up to cry in her arms and sleep in her lap."

Faith looked at her feet, nervous.

"That girl's a definite catch," Mary said.

"Yeah," Tim agreed. "If I thought I stood a chance, I'd ask her out this minute."

Faith sighed and walked to the window.

"I don't know where she is," she then said quietly.

Tim and Mary looked at one another.

"You don't know where she is at the moment or has she left?" Mary asked.

Faith shrugged.

"I don't know if she's left." She hesitated for a moment. "I haven't seen her in a week."

"Is that unusual?" Tim asked.

Faith turned around.

"She's always around when I'm doing concerts. And she always tells me if she has some other stuff to do."

"Did you ask anyone where she is?"

Faith looked at her feet, nervous.

"No."

"Jesus, girl, are you stupid or what?" Mary said. "Go find out where she is."

"Yeah, and tell her how you feel about her," Tim said.

Faith took a deep breath.

"What if she doesn't…"

"Care about you anymore? You won't know until you talk to her and you can't talk to her if you don't know where she is."

"Yes. And then you can tell her why you've been acting like a moron," Mary said.

Faith rolled her eyes.

"That's not funny."

"I know it isn't. Now go find out where your girl is. We'll wait here."

Faith sighed.

"Okay." She smiled a bit. "Thanks."

Tim and Mary smiled back.

"Go."

Faith left her apartment, wondering who she might ask. Then she remembered Joyce. She wasn't completely sure, but she thought she was Buffy's mom. She decided to find her and ask her.

"Mrs Summers," she said, a bit nervous, when she found Joyce.

"Faith," Joyce said and smiled. "Can I help you?"

Faith looked around to make sure they were alone. She hesitated for a moment.

"Um, are you Buffy's mom?"

"Yes."

Faith hesitated again.

"Where is she? Is she okay?"

"She quit."

Faith felt like her world had collapsed again. The only person that made her feel safe and she was gone. She swallowed hard.

"Why?" she asked quietly.

Joyce could see that the news had shocked Faith, so she smiled softly.

"You ignored her even more and it was starting to take its toll on her. She decided to leave before she would start hating you."

"Oh," Faith said, realizing it was her own fault that Buffy had left.

She looked around and then went to the closest chair and sat down. She felt like crying.

"Are you okay?" Joyce asked, worried.

Faith shook her head.

"No."

"You miss her?"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah," she said quietly, staring at her hands.

Joyce hesitated for a moment.

"How do you feel about her?"

Faith tensed for a moment.

"I… I…" She sighed. "She… She made me feel safe." She hesitated for a moment. "Loved," she whispered to herself.

"Do you love her?"

Faith gasped and nodded, still staring at her hands.

"Yeah," she whispered.

Joyce smiled.

"Then maybe you should tell her that."

Faith looked up and stared at Joyce for a few moment.

"Do… Um, do you know how… how she feels about, um, me?"

Joyce's smile widened.

"Why don't you ask her?"

Faith sighed. She thought for a few moments.

"Where is she?"

"Home."

"Can you come with me?"

"Sure. When?"

Faith glanced at her watch.

"Tomorrow morning. Call Mrs Bradley and have her book two tickets."

Joyce nodded.

"Okay."

Faith took a deep breath and got up.

"Thanks."

"And?" Mary asked when Faith returned.

"She's home," Faith said.

"Is she okay?"

Faith nodded.

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

"Why?"

Faith sighed.

"I've been ignoring her."

Marry frowned.

"Why?"

"Because I was afraid, okay?" Faith sighed again. "I'm going to her tomorrow."

"Good, because you have some serious explaining to do," Tim said.

"Yes," Mary agreed.

Faith sighed.

"I know." She took a deep breath. "You guys have a place to stay for the night?"

"No," Tim said.

"You can crash here, if you want."

"Thanks."

The next morning, Faith and Joyce flew to Joyce's home.

"Mom!" Buffy's little sister Dawn said, excited, when she saw her mother. She ran to her but then she saw Faith and she stopped, her eyes wide. "You're… You're Faith."

Faith smiled.

"Yeah."

Dawn squealed.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to see Buffy.

Dawn's face became serious.

"She's in a bad mood. She wanted to throw away all your CDs, but I took them, though she won't let me listen to them while she's in the house."

Faith sighed, her face serious.

"Where is she?"

"In her room."

Faith looked at Joyce.

"Go," Joyce said. "Dawn, take Faith to Buffy's room."

Dawn beamed.

"This way."

Faith followed Dawn upstairs, nervous.

"This is it," Dawn declared when they stopped.

Faith looked at the door and then back at Dawn.

"Thanks," she said, forcing a smile.

Then she took a deep breath and knocked.

"What?" came from the room.

Faith hesitated for a moment and then opened the door.

Buffy heard the door open and looked. Her eyes went wide when she saw Faith.

"What are you doing here?"

Faith hesitated for a moment. Then she entered and closed the door.

"Um, I came to see you," she said, nervous.

"Why?"

Faith took a deep breath, quickly looking around the room.

"To apologize."

Buffy frowned, surprised.

"Apologize?"

"Yeah," Faith said and forced herself to look into Buffy's eyes. She sighed. "I'm sorry I've been ignoring you. I mean, not just lately but, you know, pretty much always." She looked down, suddenly scared. "I… I… liked you," she admitted, blushing. "I-It's just that after… Jeremy and Justin…" She trailed off, sighing. "I didn't want to get close to anyone. Plus, you know, my mom died." She hesitated for a moment. "And I was worried about the press, because I knew they'd make a big deal of me dating a girl and they'd also go after you like they went after Jeremy and he…"

She trailed off, not wanting to remember.

Buffy stared at Faith, surprised by how vulnerable she suddenly looked. Then she suddenly realized what Faith had said.

"You… You're in love with me?"

Faith swallowed and forced herself to look at Buffy.

"Yeah," she said quietly and looked at her boots.

Buffy stared at her, shocked. Faith loved her?

"But… But… You never said anything, you didn't even look at me."

Faith flinched.

"I did, when you weren't looking. And I ignored you because I didn't want to get close to you. And I didn't want to scare you away, in case you had a problem with me being gay." Buffy stared at Faith, shocked. "Look, I'd like you to come back," Faith continued, "even if you don't love me. I… I'd like us to at least be friends. I'll double your pay… I… I just need someone there who's there because of me, not just because of the money."

Buffy stared at Faith and realized Faith was scared. She hesitated for a moment, and then got up and approached her. Faith looked at her, her eyes wide, and Buffy smiled. She reached up and caressed Faith.

Faith gulped.

"I love you, Faith," Buffy said. "It hurt so much when you treated me like I wasn't even there. I couldn't take it anymore."

Tears started to well up in Faith's eyes and she swallowed.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Buffy smiled.

"It's okay, I understand now," she said softly.

She hesitated for a moment and then leaned in for a kiss.

Faith's eyes went wide when she saw that Buffy wanted to kiss her. She almost wanted to run away, but she didn't. Instead, she leaned in and they kissed.

It started slowly, tentatively, just lips brushing, but then it began to deepen. Mouths opened, tongues stated to explore, bodies pressed together. Faith hugged Buffy, afraid that she was only imagining, and Buffy hugged her back.

When they stopped, Buffy held Faith for a while, until Faith stopped trembling. Then Faith let go of Buffy and looked at her boots, wiping her eyes. Buffy smiled, touched Faith's chin and lifted it. Faith's eyes went wide.

"I love you, Faith."

"I love you too, Buffy," Faith said, her heart racing.

Buffy caressed her again.

"I promise I won't hurt you like Jeremy and Justin," she said and Faith flinched at the memory.

Faith thought for a moment.

"Won't the publicity bother you?"

Buffy smiled.

"I can handle the press."

Faith smiled back.

"Okay," she said, relieved.

"So, how about we go tell the good news to my family?"

Faith blushed, nervous again.

"Uh, are they gonna be cool?"

Buffy smiled.

"Yes."

"Good."

Buffy took Faith's hand and they went downstairs.

"Mom, Dad," Buffy said when they got downstairs.

Dawn squealed, when she saw them holding hands.

"They're dating!" she said excitedly. "My sister is dating Faith Spencer! How cool is that!"

"Dawn," Buffy groaned.

"I see congratulations are in order," Joyce said with a smile.

Buffy blushed.

"Yes."

"So, does that mean you'll work for Faith again?" Hank asked.

Buffy glanced at her.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Does that mean you're going back today?" Dawn asked Faith.

"Yeah," Faith said. "I have to finish the tour."

"But you're coming back?"

"Yeah."

"Cool!"

"You can stay here," Joyce offered. "We have a spare room."

"Yes!" Dawn said, excited.

"Actually, I was thinking about buying a house near by."

"Oh," Dawn said, a little disappointed. "Can I visit?"

Faith smiled.

"Sure."

"Cool!"

"I'll see about the tickets back," Joyce said.

"Thanks," Faith said.

"We'll be in my room," Buffy said, and dragged Faith upstairs again.

"That went well," Faith said when they got to Buffy's room.

Buffy smiled.

"Yeah."

"Dawn seems to like me."

"Are you kidding? She's, like, your number one fan. When I started working for you, my coolness factor went sky high."

Faith smiled.

"I always wanted a little brother or sister."

"Trust me, you'll regret it," Buffy smiled back.

"I doubt it." She hesitated for a moment. "Anyway, um, I was hoping you would move in with me when we buy a new house," she said nervously. "I mean, if you want to."

Buffy smiled widely.

"I'd love to."

Faith breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay." She thought for a moment. "And you can help me pick out the house and stuff."

"No problem." Buffy thought for a moment. "Look, I know you're worried about the press. If you don't want to make our relationship public, I don't mind. We can pretend I'm just your personal assistant. They'll figure it out eventually, especially when I move in with you. Plus, you know, Dawn is bound to brag."

Faith smiled a little.

"I know."

"And I promise I won't give any statements regarding our relationship, okay? Even if we should break up for some reason. What happens between us is nobody's business but our own. But if the press starts to give you hell, I will defend you."

Faith nodded.

"Thanks."

Buffy hesitated for a moment and then leaned closer.

Faith gulped, nervous a little, and then kissed her.

When they stopped, Buffy touched Faith's cheek with her palm.

"And I want us to take this slowly. I'm as nervous about this as you are."

Faith smiled a little.

"Okay." She hesitated for a moment. "I'm not really ready to, you know, become intimate yet, but I can do kissing and hugging and stuff."

Buffy smiled.

"Then we'll do that." She blushed a little. "And besides, I'm kinda nervous about sleeping with you as well."

They stared at one another for a few moments. Faith had a good feeling about her new relationship with Buffy and she knew that Buffy would be there for her. She just hoped that she wouldn't have to be there for Buffy some day. Not that she would mind, she just didn’t want Buffy get hurt in the first place.

Buffy, on the other hand, was glad that Faith had finally opened up, and she was definitely excited that it was her that Faith had opened up to. And to add the cherry on the cake, Faith was in love with her. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach flutter.

"Tell me about yourself," Faith then said. "I have a feeling you know everything there is to know about me, but I know so little about you."

Buffy smiled.

"Sure. Sit down."

They sat on Buffy's bed, and Buffy started telling Faith about herself. Faith quietly listened, feeling a bit excited and definitely happier than she had in a long time. Things were looking up.

The End