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 read no further. This story is a sequel to One.

When Demons of the Past Become Demons of the Present
By Kristjan Brezovnik

Faith observed the girl that had captured her attention. She knew she must be new in Sunnydale or she would have noticed her before. The girl was a loner and Faith saw that she was avoiding people. She recognized the look in her eyes and she knew that the girl had a dark past, like she. Some of the bullies, the same group that had bugged her when she first came to school, decided it was safe to give her a hard time and Faith decided to intervene.

"Hello, Brad, is it?"

Brad looked at her and she noticed that he was starting to feel uncomfortable.

"Yes."

"I believe you are not wanted here."

Brad hesitated for a moment and then he and his friends left.

"I don't need your help," the girl said angrily.

Faith looked at her, surprised. She decided on a subtle approach.

"I wasn't here to save you, I was here to save him," she explained. "I'm the numero uno bully around here and I would've kicked his butt if he was doing my job," she explained, grinning, after she saw a confused expression on the girl's face. "Anyway, my name is Faith."

The girl stared at her for a few moments and then left.

"Wait!" Faith called after her, surprised, and the girl stopped.

"What?" she asked, annoyed.

Faith observed her for a few moments.

"Look, if you need a friend or someone to talk to, you can come to me."

The girl stared at her, surprised.

"And why would I want to do that?" she then asked. "I don't need friends."

"Too late, you already have one," Faith said with a smile. "Look, I know what it's like to be alone. I was alone for a long time and when I finally found people I could actually call friends, I didn't trust them and I turned away from them. I did a lot of bad things and I paid the price for it." She paused for a moment. "I don't want you to become like me."

The girl stared at her for a few moments, thinking about Faith's words.

"Heidi," she finally said and left.

This time Faith didn't follow her. She stared after her for a few moments and then decided to find out more about her. She considered going to Raelee, but then decided that Monique would probably know more.

"Who's that?" Renee asked when a girl passed the school and called Cassandra.

Cassandra froze for a moment when she saw the girl.

"Just my retarded neighbor, Nici," she said, hoping that Renee and Monique didn't notice the strange, uncharacteristic trembling of her voice, and waved her hand at the girl, not because of the girl but because of the girl's parents.

"Monique."

The girls turned. It was Faith. Renee and Cassandra wanted to say something, but Monique silenced them with a gesture.

"Yeah?"

"What do you know about the new girl, Heidi?"

"Her? Not much. Apparently she was in a nut house or something."

"Oh. Thanks."

Faith left the three girls and went to find Raelee and Lara. She thought about Heidi while she searched for her friends. She knew Heidi was feeling angry and afraid, but she only showed anger, she felt safer that way. But, Faith knew, it was also more dangerous.

"Faith!"

Faith turned and saw Raelee and Lara.

"Hi, guys. I was just looking for you two."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Listen, you know the new girl, Heidi?"

"Yeah, we've seen her," Raelee said.

"Could you do me a favor? I want you to watch over her, make sure she doesn't do something stupid."

"Like what?" Raelee asked, confused.

"I don't know, something that would hurt her or someone else."

"What makes you think she'd do something like that?"

"She's a lot like me, full of anger and fear. She needs friends."

Raelee nodded.

"We'll do our best."

"Thanks," Faith said with a smile. She turned to Lara. "You wanna come slaying with me tonight? It will give you a chance to try your powers."

Lara shook her head.

"My parents and I are visiting Grandfather again."

"Oh. Another time then," Faith said and Lara nodded. "Good. See you later."

When Lara and her parents got home in the evening, they noticed a commotion near by. Lara immediately noticed that most of the participants were vampires and that the other two were Faith and Raelee. Her heart started to beat faster when she saw a couple of vampires knock Raelee down while others occupied Faith. As soon as the car stopped, Lara jumped out and ran toward the group.

"Lara!" her mother called, worried, but Lara didn't hear her, she had eyes only for Raelee, who was lying on the ground, a vampire sucking her blood.

She screamed and concentrated. A moment later the vampires were thrown backwards. They quickly recovered and looked around, confused. Lara concentrated again and the vampires were thrown even farther. They quickly realized that they stood no chance against Lara and they ran away.

Lara kneeled beside Raelee and cradled her in her arms. She checked her pulse and was relieved when she saw that she was still alive. Faith quickly walked to them and also checked Raelee's pulse. She too was relieved that Raelee was still alive.

When Lara's parents saw that the commotion had ceased, thanks to their daughter, they approached the three girls. They were surprised when they saw that Lara was crying. Not to mention how lovingly she held and caressed Raelee. Suddenly it dawned on them.

"Are they… Are they a…" Mrs Archer started.

"A couple?" Faith asked. "Yeah. Why?"

Lara's parents looked at her, surprised that she knew and that she thought it was okay.

"How is she?" Mr Archer asked.

"She lost a lot of blood. We have to get her to the hospital. Will you drive?"

Mr Archer glanced at his wife, hesitating.

"Yes," he agreed.

Faith gently touched Lara's shoulder.

"Let's take her to the hospital," she said.

Lara nodded and picked up Raelee. Faith was surprised, she had no idea that Lara was so strong, but then again fear gives you extra strength. Or perhaps she was just using her powers.

In the hospital, Raelee was quickly taken care of and Faith told the doctor that she would call Raelee's parents. Then it was time to leave.

"I want to stay," Lara said determinedly. "Please," she added, still a bit afraid of her father.

Her father thought about it.

"Let her," Faith said. "Think about it first," she added.

Mr Archer hesitated for a few more moments and then nodded.

"Okay," he agreed.

"Thank you," Lara said shyly.

Faith waited until next morning before calling Raelee's parents.

"Hello, Mrs O'Connor? This is Faith, a friend of Raelee… Yes, she is in the hospital… No, nothing serious. She will be all right… She lost a lot of blood… Yes… Don't worry. She should be released in a couple of days… Yes… Okay. Good-bye."

She hung up and then went to the kitchen to get some breakfast. She decided to visit Raelee later.

When Mr and Mrs O'Connor and their older daughter got to the hospital, they were surprised to find Lara there. They saw that she had been crying and that she had obviously spent the night.

"Good morning," Mr O'Connor said.

Lara jerked and looked at them.

"Good morning," she said shyly.

"How is she?" Mrs O'Connor asked.

"She's stable. The doctor said she should wake up today or tomorrow."

"What happened to her?" Mr O'Connor asked.

"She and Faith were attacked by the vampires and one of them sucked her blood," Lara explained, forgetting that they didn't know about the vampires. "But don't worry, she won't become a vampire," she quickly added.

Raelee's parents looked at each other, confused. They decided to ignore that for the time being.

"Were you here all night?" Mrs O'Connor asked.

Lara nodded, blushing.

"Why…"

The door opened and Mr Archer came in.

"Good morning," he said. "I'm Lara's father," he introduced himself.

"Hello," Mr O'Connor said and they shook hands.

"How is she?"

"Still the same," Lara said.

Lara's father thought for a few moments.

"Come, let's go home," he then said.

"I want to stay," Lara said defiantly and gulped, hoping she didn't anger her father.

Mr Archer raised an eyebrow and thought about it.

"Her family is with her now," he said. "You can come back later," he added after a brief pause and Lara's eyes lit up.

"Thank you."

Mr Archer smiled. Lara turned to Raelee. She wanted to kiss her, but the presence of her father and Raelee's family stopped her. She gently caressed her instead.

"I'll be back," she said and then she and her father left.

When Faith came, Raelee's parents were still there.

"Good morning."

"Good morning," Mr O'Connor said.

"You are Faith?" Mrs O'Connor asked, recognizing her voice.

"Yes. How is she?"

"Stable. The doctor said she will wake up today or maybe tomorrow."

"Good."

"What happened to her?" Mr O'Connor asked. "Were you really attacked by… vampires?"

Faith looked at him, surprised, she didn't know that they knew about the vampires.

"Yeah. Fortunately Lara came and kicked some major butt."

"Lara?" Mrs O'Connor asked, surprised.

She had known Lara for a long time and she had always seemed frightened.

"Yeah."

Raelee's parents looked at each other, surprised. Apparently there were a lot of things they didn't know about that their daughter that her friends did.

"So… vampires are real?" Mrs O'Connor asked.

"Oh yeah." She frowned, confused. "You didn't know?"

Mrs O'Connor shook her head.

"No."

"Then how…"

"Lara told us."

"Oh. Speaking of which, where is she?"

"She went home. She'll come back later."

"Oh."

"Em, Faith," Raelee's sister spoke.

"Yeah?"

"Vampires, did Buffy… fight them?"

"Yeah."

"Oh. Thanks."

At home, Lara first took a shower and changed her clothes. Then her mother made her a huge brunch and she slowly ate it, thinking of Raelee. Her parents also sat by the table and observed her.

"Do you love her?" her father finally asked.

Lara jerked, surprised, and stopped eating.

"What?"

"Do you love Raelee?"

Lara stared at her father, terrified.

"I… I… Yes," she finally said defiantly, ready to leave home if her parents would object.

Her parents looked at each other. They had been thinking about it ever since Faith told them and they had a long talk over it. They knew they had treated their daughter badly because they were afraid of her powers. Sure, they loved her, but their beliefs had made her seem evil to them. It wasn't until they had seen that there were much worse things going on in Sunnydale than their daughter's powers that they realized that Lara's powers weren't a curse but a gift. This made them rethink their values and their beliefs.

And just when they thought things couldn't became weirder, they found out that their daughter was in love with another girl. They were both shocked at first, but when they saw Faith's casual reaction, they realized that there were worse things than two girls loving each other. They had read the Bible over and over and they soon realized that there was no mention of homosexual love in it. Since there didn't seemed to be any religious reason against it, they were pretty much calmed down.

Next were the thoughts about what the people would think, but then they remembered Faith's casual reaction and they realized that people probably didn't care, except maybe people like them. And there weren't very many of them. And besides, they both believed in love and if their daughter was in love, they decided not to question her choice of lovers.

"Okay," Mr Archer said.

Lara stared at him, surprised, and then glanced at her mother.

"That's it?" she asked, confused. "You won't yell at me?"

Her parents glanced at each other, slightly ashamed.

"No," her mother said. "We have thought about it a great deal and we realized that things and values change and that we have to change as well."

Lara stared at her parents, surprised. For most of her life they had been beating her because of her powers and now they were suddenly okay with them and have even accepted the fact that she loved Raelee. She was relieved and happy, but a part of her was still afraid of her parents. But when she saw no malice in her parents' eyes, she knew that they were sincere and somehow she felt it too. She couldn't quite explain it, but she figured it was probably her powers. She decided to ask Willow about it.

"Thank you," she finally said and smiled.

Her parents smiled back.

Heidi was walking around aimlessly. She had no family, only a grandmother who hated her guts and blamed her for what had happened to her family. It wasn't her fault, but nobody believed her. They… She pushed the bad memories away and concentrated on her surroundings. She was new in town and she wanted to get the feel of it. Unfortunately, Sunnydale appeared to be devoid of places to hang out. Sure, there were diners and restaurants and McDonald's wanna-bes, but there were no places where one could dance or just drink.

Just when she was about to give up, she found the Bronze. It was closed, of course, it was too early, but at least she had found it. She hoped the crowd was good. She sighed. She missed her old friends. She frowned as a realization struck her. They weren't really her friends, they had all abandoned her after… She shook her head, pushing the painful memories away.

Then she remembered Faith. She didn't know what to make of her. She appeared to know how she was feeling and she seemed sincere. She wondered how she would react if she knew what she was accused of. She sighed. She had no friends and she didn't want any, they all leave as soon as you're in trouble. It was better to be alone and she would be, as soon as she got out of school and got a job, then she will never have to see her grandmother again. But until then, she would endure.

Next morning Raelee finally woke up and Lara was all over her.

"Goddess, I was so scared," she said, hugging her tightly. "I was afraid I was gonna lose you."

"Shh, it's okay, I'm fine," Raelee said and wiped Lara's tears.

Lara smiled.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you too," Raelee said and they kissed.

Raelee's parents were about to step through to door when they heard the girls' confessions of love and witnessed their kiss. They were both very surprised. On one hand, they were surprised that her daughter was in love with another girl, and on the other, they were surprised that that girl was Lara. They quickly stepped out and gave the girls some privacy. Although they were pretty open-minded, it still bothered them a bit, after all, what would people say? Then again, stranger things were going on in Sunnydale than two girls in love. And besides, who cares what other people think, as long as their daughter was happy, everything else didn't matter.

"Mom? Dad?" Raelee's sister asked, curious, when they stepped back.

"Looks like your sister has finally found someone to love," her father said.

"Huh?" the girl asked, confused.

Mr O'Connor smiled and knocked lightly on the door and then he and his wife entered.

"Hi, Mom, Dad," Raelee said with a smile. "Hi, Angie."

"Good morning, sweetheart, welcome back to the world of the living," her mother said.

"Yeah."

"I'll go change now," Lara said, nervous because Raelee's family was already there. "I'll come back as soon as possible."

Raelee nodded and quickly squeezed Lara's hand with a smile. Lara smiled back and then left.

"How do you feel?" Mr O'Connor asked.

"Like I got hit by a train. I'm a bit dizzy."

"I hear you were attacked by vampires," Mrs O'Connor said.

Raelee looked at her, surprised.

"Yes."

"Seems like everyone but us knows about the vampires," Mr O'Connor said, glancing at his wife.

"They're pretty harmless," Raelee said. "Except when they gang up."

Her parents glanced at each other, amused.

"You seem to know a lot about what is going on around here," her mother said.

"Yeah, well… It's a long story."

"I'm sure. Perhaps you will tell it to us sometime in the near future, like as soon as you get home?"

Raelee smiled.

"Okay. Just promise you won't freak out and ground me for the rest of my life."

Her parents glanced at each other, amused.

"That bad, ha?" Mr O'Connor said.

"Worse," Raelee said.

Raelee's parents looked at each other, quietly asking for one another's consent to ask Raelee about her and Lara.

"So, how long have you and Lara been together?" Mrs O'Connor asked.

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

"Together as a couple," Mrs O'Connor clarified and Raelee blushed.

"You know?" she asked.

"Yes."

"How long?"

"Less than five minutes," Mrs O'Connor said with a smile. "We heard what you said and we saw you kiss."

"Oh," Raelee said, blushing even deeper. "About two months," she answered her mother's question.

"Are you happy?"

"Yes," Raelee said without hesitation.

"Good."

"That's it?" Raelee asked, surprised. "No sermon about what other people would think?"

"Who cares," Mr O'Connor said. "There are worse things than you loving another girl and if someone has a problem with that, you can show him a vampire or two to get their priorities straight."

Raelee and her sister and her mother laughed at that.

"Thanks, Dad," Raelee said, relieved.

When Lara returned, Raelee's family had already left.

"You're not gonna believe this." Raelee said when her parents were gone. "They heard us and they saw us kiss."

"Really?" Lara asked, her face paling a bit.

"Don't worry," Raelee appeased her, smiling, "they don't mind."

"They don't?"

"Nope."

"Good." Lara hesitated a moment. "Mine also know."

"Uh-oh," Raelee said. "And they let you come anyway?"

Lara nodded.

"All my father said was okay."

"You're kidding, right?" Raelee said with disbelief.

Lara shook her head.

"No."

"Wow, that's certainly a change. I guess a couple of vampires make wonders," Raelee joked and Lara smiled. "I love it when you smile," she added and Lara blushed. "Anyway, I have good news, they're letting me go. Mom went home to get me some clothes and Dad is taking care of the paperwork."

Lara's eyes brightened.

"I'm glad."

"Yeah, me too."

In the evening, Faith went to the Bronze with Raelee and Lara and she was depressed. Raelee and Lara had eyes only for each other and when she watched them kiss and hug, she missed Cordelia even more. Sure, they talked every night in their dreams, but she missed having her around in the real world.

Raelee had finally managed to convince Lara to go dancing with her and now that was all they did, completely forgetting about Faith. Faith felt left out, but she didn't blame them, on the contrary, she was happy for them. And besides, she knew that if Cordelia was here, they'd be ignoring the rest of the world. She looked around, bored, and her eyes noticed Heidi, who was sitting alone, observing Raelee and Lara. She smiled when Heidi looked around and noticed her. She waved her to come over. Heidi hesitated for a few moments and then came over.

"Hi," Faith greeted her.

"Hi," Heidi responded, not feeling very talkative.

"I see you've found the main place to hang out," Faith said. "Hmm, actually, it's the only place to hang out," she corrected herself.

Heidi didn't respond.

"Hi," Raelee said when she and Lara returned from the dance floor, the music having ended for the moment.

"Hey there," Faith said. "I thought you forgot about me."

"Sorry. This was the first time I was dancing with Lara and I wanted it to last."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Faith nodded with a smile. "By the way, I'm sure you've seen Heidi around."

"Yes," Raelee said with a warm smile. "Hi, I'm Raelee and this is Lara," she introduced them, but Heidi didn't respond.

"She's not very talkative," Faith said.

"Oh."

"Oh, Lara, I'm gonna need your help with preparing for the Chemistry test. Can I come by tomorrow after school?"

Lara nodded.

"Yes."

"Great. Thanks."

Heidi got up.

"Are you leaving?" Raelee asked.

"Yes."

"Wait, I'll come with you," Faith said.

"I don't need an escort," Heidi said coldly.

"I know, but I need to get some fresh air. And besides, I'm sure you've noticed that the lovebirds have eyes only for each other." Raelee and Lara blushed at that. "I'll see you tomorrow. Be careful."

"We will," Raelee said.

Faith and Heidi left. Heidi didn't talk and Faith didn't bother her, even though she was curious about her. She soon noticed that Heidi wasn't headed home, but she didn't ask where she was going, she simply followed her.

"Why are you following me?" Heidi finally demanded, annoyed, and stopped.

"Because it's not safe to be alone outside after dark," Faith explained.

"I can take care of myself just fine," Heidi said defiantly.

"I know. But there are… things running around that are harder to defeat that your average rapist," Faith said.

"Like what?" Heidi asked.

"Like that," Faith said and pointed behind Heidi's back.

Heidi looked and froze, shocked. She stared at the two vampires, painful memories coming back to her. Then she screamed furiously and attacked the nearest vampire. Faith stared at her for a moment, surprised, and then attacked herself.

She easily disposed of her vampire and then checked up on Heidi. She was surprised when she saw Heidi straddling the helpless vampire, pummeling him into oblivion. She noticed tears running down her cheeks and she guessed that the vampires had something to do with the way she was. She stared at her for a few moments and then approached her.

"This'll help," she said and offered her the stake. Heidi looked at her and then at the stake, confused. "He's a vampire," Faith explained. "He's already dead, but this will finish him for good. You have to stab him through the heart."

Heidi stared at the stake and then at Faith for a few moments, confused. Then she looked around and saw that Faith's vampire was gone.

"They turn to dust when you stake them," Faith explained, guessing what Heidi was thinking about.

Heidi looked back at her and then at the stake. She hesitated for a moment and then took it. She looked at the vampire and then stabbed him through the heart, screaming. She was startled when the vampire suddenly turned to dust and she dropped the stake. She stared at the spot where the vampire used to be and then started to cry. Faith stared at her for moments and then kneeled beside her, picking up her stake. She gently put her hand on Heidi's shoulder. Heidi gave her an angry look.

"Leave me alone!" she said and gut up.

"Stop it," Faith said and caught her arm.

"Let me go," Heidi demanded and tried to shake her off, but Faith was stronger.

"Not until you tell me what happened to you."

"None of your business."

"It is my business. You're my friend and I want to help you."

"I don't need your help."

"You do. Don't shut yourself out of this world. You're not alone. Let me help you. Please."

Heidi stared at Faith for a while, her anger slowly giving way to sadness. Finally she sighed, accepting the fact that Faith was trying to help her. She had nothing to lose. She looked around for a bench and then went to the one she spotted first. She sat down and Faith joined her, waiting for Heidi to calm down.

"Two years ago," Heidi started after a while, "my family and I were returning from a trip. It was already night when we got home. We were just going to the house when we were attacked by a group of those creatures. Vampires. They got Mom and Dad and Dennis, but I managed to avoid them for a while. When I saw what they were doing, I kicked the one who was drinking Dennis' blood in the head." She paused for a moment. "He tore a part of his neck out." She paused again as she remembered the scene and tears came into her eyes. "One of them then hit me from behind and I fell right onto Dennis' wound." She paused again and Faith saw that she was trembling, so she took her hand and gently squeezed it, but Heidi didn't notice. "Then they drank my blood," she continued in a trembling voice. "The cops thought I had killed them, but they couldn't prove it. I tried to tell them what had happened, but they didn't listen and they put me in a nut house for two years." She paused again, tears pouring down her cheeks. "They let me out last week and gave me to my grandmother. She hates me. She believes that I had killed my family."

"I believe you," Faith said.

She hesitated for a moment and then put her arms around Heidi. Heidi hugged her back and cried her heart out, finally having found someone who believed her.

"Feeling any better?" Faith asked when Heidi stopped crying and let go of her.

Heidi nodded, wiping her tears.

"Yeah. Thanks."

Faith smiled.

"That's what friends are for."

Heidi smiled back.

"Yeah."

They were quiet for a while, Faith thinking about what Heidi had told her, Heidi thinking about how she felt now that she knew that she was not crazy.

"Your grandma hates you because she believes you have killed your family?" Faith finally asked.

Heidi nodded.

"Yeah."

"I got an idea. How about we prove it to her that there really are vampires?"

"How?" Heidi asked, liking the idea.

"We capture one."

"How?"

"Leave that to me."

"And then?"

"Then we show it to her," Faith said and grinned.

"I hope she won't die of a heart attack," Heidi said, concerned, and Faith laughed.

"That'd be a killer," she said and laughed again. "No pun intended," she added.

Heidi smiled.

"So, how do we capture a vampire?"

"Come, I'll show you."

They walked around for a while, waiting for a vampire to show up. Finally one did and Faith recognized her as the one who had helped her send James to prison. The vampire started to retreat, but Faith quickly cornered her.

"Wait," Faith said. "I have a proposition for you."

The vampire's eyes darted from Faith to Heidi and back.

"Again?" she asked.

"Yes," Faith said. "I'm gonna let you live under one condition."

The vampire eyed her suspiciously.

"What condition?" she asked.

"You come with us and show both your faces to a woman. Then you can go."

The vampire glanced at Heidi, who was looking at Faith, surprised.

"That's it?"

"Yes."

"How do I know you won't kill me later?"

Faith rolled her eyes.

"I can kick your ass now and drag you there or you can come with us. Your choice. And besides, I let you go before."

The vampire considered her options.

"Okay," she then said, hoping that Faith wasn't lying this time.

"Good. Change back to your normal face first."

The vampire did and Heidi stared at her, surprised to see that underneath the demon face there was a Human face.

As they walked to Heidi's house, Faith made sure the vampire was at a safe distance. Heidi, on the other hand, was curious. She had always thought that the creatures that had killed her family were monsters and now she saw that there was another side to them. She thought about it for a while and then came to the conclusion that just because they had a Human face it didn't mean that that face made them good, they were still evil.

When they got to Heidi's house, Heidi opened the door and called her grandmother. The old woman soon came and Faith saw the hateful look she gave Heidi.

"What is it?" the woman asked coldly.

"Nobody believed me when I told you who killed my family, but now I have proof."

"What proof?" the old woman asked and looked around.

"Her," Heidi said and pointed at the vampire.

The grandmother looked at her, confused.

"Her?"

"Yes. She's a vampire."

"Show her your other face," Faith said when the old woman was about to laugh.

The vampire obeyed and morphed into vampire mode. The grandmother screamed, surprised.

"What the…"

"Hey, keep that away from me," the vampire said when she saw Faith take her cross.

"It won't hurt. At least not much," she added with a grin, catching the vampire's hand.

She pressed the cross onto the palm and the vampire screamed. Faith then removed the cross and showed the palm to Heidi's grandmother.

"Do you need any more proof?" Heidi asked.

"Okay, morph back to your normal face and beat it," Faith told the vampire, who promptly obeyed.

"You're gonna let her go?" Heidi asked, surprised and outraged.

"A deal's a deal," Faith said. "Works better this way."

Heidi stared at her for a few moments and then looked at her grandmother, who was still shocked from what she had just seen.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she then said and walked past her grandmother.

"Okay," Faith said and looked at Heidi's grandmother. "Em, you should get into the house before another vampire comes around."

The old woman looked at her, startled.

"What… What…"

"Vampires killed Heidi's family, not she," Faith said. "You're all the family she has now."

The old woman stared at her for a few moments and then nodded.

"Thank you," she then said quietly.

Faith nodded.

"You should get into the house now," she advised her again. "Oh, don't forget about Heidi."

The old woman nodded and when Faith left, she went into the house. She was still shocked from what she had just witnessed. She had known for a long time that strange things were going on in Sunnydale, but she didn't really pay attention, she preferred not to know. And now she had just seen a vampire and she was shocked over it, especially since she had not believed her granddaughter that creatures like that really did exist and she believed instead that Heidi had killed her own family. She had hated Heidi because of that and Heidi hated her for hating her.

She went upstairs to talk to Heidi, but her door was locked. She knocked, but there was no response. She knocked again.

"Go away!" came from the room.

"Heidi, I need to talk to you," the grandmother said.

"Leave me alone!"

"Heidi, please."

"Go away!"

The old woman hesitated for a few moments and then left, realizing that Heidi would not give in.

In her room, Heidi was crying. She had been through so much since her family's death that she was almost starting to believe that she had killed them. But she knew she hadn't and she resisted the police and the psychiatrists who claimed they wanted to help her. And now she was proven right, those creatures really did exist. It was payback time.

She thought about her grandmother, who had hated her, believing that she had killed her own family. Well, now she was proven wrong. She wanted to let her suffer for not believing her, but then she realized that her grandmother was the only family she had and she didn't want to lose her. Still, she decided to let her suffer for a while, at least until she calmed down and forgave her.

The End