Disclaimer: I don't own the show or any of its characters, if I did the show wouldn't have ended…cuz I'm greedy like that and I miss my BTVS. LOL

Title: Time, It's All We Have

Pairings: Buffy/Faith

Summary: Faith never went to prison, she did kill the guy, but she let Buffy help her, and because of that help, they have become what they did in my story…re-write of season 8.

Chapter One: Lessons Part One

~Sunnydale, CA

The windows were open; the wind blowing into the bedroom was hot so it wasn't very refreshing. The two sleeping people in the bed kept moving further and further away from each other to try and gain some sort of coldness. Normally this position of sleeping was only used when they were fighting, normally they slept together, spooning one another, neither one of them would admit it, but they looked the feel of each other's body.

Except tonight.

Tonight it was just too damn hot.

"Ugh!" Could be heard from the room if someone was standing outside the door, which no one was so the sound went unheard, and so did the thud, the sound of someone hitting the floor. "This heat wave is killing me!" Faith shouts as she sits up in the bed and throws the covers off of her body. "B! You need to invest in air conditioning!" She shouts as she leans over the edge of the bed to see Buffy angrily looking up at her from the floor. "What?"

"You kicked me off the bed," she says simply and softly.

"So," Faith says as if it was nothing, just something that happens every day.

"Faith," Buffy says calmly as she stands up. She places both hands on the edge of the bed and leans over Faith. "You…pushed me…off…the…fucking…bed!" Her voice moves from a whisper to a yell.

"Geez B, quiet down before you wake the whole house," Faith says moving over so that Buffy can climb back into bed. "It's not like you're going to bruise or something," she says moving so that Buffy could move in close to her, and she does. She always does. "I'm sorry," Faith says as she slips her arms around Buffy's body and pulls her closer.

Despite the heat they easily fall asleep together.

…

~Istanbul

The streets were dark; the only light coming from the windows, but it was not nearly enough for someone to see, especially when running through the street, for your life. They were chasing her, she didn't know why and she didn't care, all she cared about was staying alive for one more day, one more day so that she would be able to see her family again, so that she'd be able to fall in love, get married and have children. That's all she really wanted, that's it, but they didn't care what she wanted, all they wanted was for her to be dead.

She wasn't the type of person to do thing, actually she never does anything, she just goes about her life, working and doing life things. So she didn't know the reason they were after her, she didn't have the slightest idea. Then again she didn't care. She just concentrated on not tripping. She didn't want to trip, they were too close, she wouldn't have time to get back up and continue running.

That's when it happened.

That's when they caught her.

She was on her back in an instant, her hands above her hand. One guy holding them while the other straddles her hips with a knife above his head. Family. That was the last thought before the knife was jammed into her, killing her, as the last breathe left her she saw everyone she loved in an instant.

And then it was black.

…

~Sunnydale, CA

The heat wave was finally subsiding, it had been going on for weeks now, but tonight, tonight it was cooler. Buffy silently thanks whomever was listening for that, because if she had to go out another night slaying in a tiny tank top and short shorts she thought the vamps would start hitting on her instead of trying to kill her, Faith wouldn't like that, in fact she might kill every last one of them in one night, and as cool as that sounded Buffy knew that she would get killed in the process.

Although tonight wasn't out here with Faith. Tonight she was out here with Dawn. Yes that's right, her little sister Dawn, that same girl who used to be a big ball of energy, Dawn. Faith had insisted that Buffy teach her about slaying because she knew that neither Buffy nor she would be able to be with Dawn every second of everyday to keep her safe. So she used to her super girlfriend powers to convince Buffy to train her.

"The most important thing for you to remember is to never underestimate your enemy." Buffy says as she walking through the tombstones. As much as Buffy loved that Faith cared about her sister, she was just annoyed that every time Dawn went out to learn Buffy was the one that trained her, not Faith, no Faith patrolled alone and then went home and went to sleep before. She couldn't even wait up for Buffy to come home, no she was too tired. That's all she's been doing lately, sleeping. It's been driving Buffy crazy, and right now she was afraid that she was going to snap at someone.

"I know Buffy, geez this isn't my first night out with you," Dawn says as she comes up to walk beside Buffy.

"I do not care how many nights you've been out here!" Buffy turns to her snapping at her. "I'm sorry," she says bowing her head. "That's just something you never have to forget because when you do that's the night you die," she says more softly.

"What's wrong with you Buffy?" Dawn asks sounding suddenly worried.

"Doesn't matter," she says. Then she stops. "No wait it does matter," Dawn turns to look at her, silently asking her to continue. "Faith, she's been sleepy," she says.

"So…" Dawn says not getting it and Buffy just keeps looking at her. Dawn's eyes widen. "Buffy! Ew gross!" She says yelling. "I don't need to hear about your sex life!" She says turning around and looking away from her sister.

"Lack thereof," Buffy says under her breath. Dawn turns around and looks at her sternly. "Sorry," she says turning around and gesturing to the tombstone they were standing next to her. "He's about to wake up," she comment as if it was the last thing she wants to talk about.

"Finally," she says, crossing her arms across her cheat, stake in hand, waiting. As if on cue hand shout out from the ground, clawing at the grass above, and soon hands turned into wrists, wrists turned into elbows and elbows turned into shoulder. Before she knew it the head was showing in full vamp face and he was looking at her, with hunger in his eyes. Dawn could see it, and she didn't like it. "Buffy?" Dawn asks panicking.

"Focus," is all Buffy says. The vamp looks at her, then at Dawn, and then back at her. "She's all yours," she says pointing at Dawn. "Trust me, you don't want to mess with me, she's easy," she finishes.

"Buffy!" Dawn says this time with a scared tone in her voice.

"Do not underestimate him, do not think you have an easy kill because you don't," she explains. Dawn nods. "He's strong, but you have the power," Buffy continues to say as she circles Dawn and the vampire; he's getting ready to attack her. And as if on cue the vampire goes for Dawn, and she does what any scared girl would do, she goes for the kill; of course he ducks away from it easily and gets in behind her.

He wraps his arms around her and he has a perfect opening to her neck. "Buffy!" Dawn yells.

Buffy grabs the vampire from behind turns him around. "Never let them get the advantage," Buffy says as she jams the stake into his chest and the vampire bursts into dust. "That was the first lesson," she says walking forward, Dawn follows.

"So we're done for tonight?" Dawn asks.

"Yes," Buffy says simply. "You have a bigger fight coming tomorrow," she says simply. Dawn follows Buffy with her head hanging low.

…

When Buffy and Dawn arrived home the house was dark, but a faint sound could be heard from upstairs, the sound of a TV and shower, which meant Faith was home. "I'll see you in the morning," Buffy says as Dawn heads upstairs. Buffy makes her way into the kitchen, right for the refrigerator, but before she opens it she notices a note.

B, come upstairs, I have your yogurt. Buffy smiles as she opens the fridge, grabs a water and makes her way upstairs. When she and Faith first got together no one was sure of what was going to happen, hell even they weren't sure what they were doing. But it's a year later and they're going strong. Sure they've had their moments, but they've made it through them, and they've been better off for it. At this moment Buffy couldn't imagine what her life would be like if her and Faith never admitted their true feelings for one another.

Buffy climbs the stairs and as she does she notices that it isn't the TV that she hears, which is what she thought it was when she first entered the house. When Faith moved in with her she insisted on getting a different TV for their bedroom, she refused to watch black and white. Opening the door to their bedroom she notices that there are rose petals on the bed and candles are lit around the room. Buffy sets the bottled water on the table by the door. "Faith?" Buffy calls out.

The shower isn't running anymore. "I know I've been distant lately," turning around Buffy sees Faith standing by the window. "I know I haven't been giving you what you want," she says as she walks towards Buffy who has since closed the door.

"What, you have been, what are you talking about," Buffy says as she feels Faith's arms go around her pulling her closer. "Faith…"

"Buffy," Faith usually only says her full name when she's mad or when she has something she really needs to say. "I'm a slayer too, I know what you need after a night of patrolling," she says smirking and Buffy looks away blushing. "And I know that I haven't been giving that to you, instead I've been sleeping," she says cupping her face. "I'm sorry," are the only words spoken before Faith presses her lips against Buffy's. Buffy's fingers are in Faith's hair making their kiss deeper, expressing all the need and want that she has had bottled up for the past month. Faith's arms move to encircle her and soon she is lifted up off the ground and the next thing she knows is the feeling of their bed against her back and Faith's body weight on top of hers. Faith pulls away slightly looking at Buffy. "I love you." She says.

"I love you too," Buffy says before their lips are together again. As Faith's kisses become more passionate Buffy finally realizes the song that is playing. Their song, the song that was playing in the Bronze when Faith first told Buffy that she loved her. Buffy brought their lips together again, and this time her kiss was full of love. The love that she felt for the woman above her, the woman that has changed so much over the years. The woman she can't imagine her life without.

Her life as she knew it was finally perfect.

…

The next morning Buffy awoke to the sound of Xander's voice in her house. Sometimes slayer hearing could be a burden, especially when ones girlfriend kept her up all night, and had offered to bring her little sister to school so that she could sleep in. But no of course not, that wasn't Buffy's luck. Getting out of bed she made her way downstairs, leaning against the doorway and watched as Dawn sat at the table eating cereal, Faith was looking through the drawers for the present that they had gotten for Dawn, and Xander was sitting with back to her.

"It's in the far drawer, the second one down," Buffy said. Xander jumped as he turned around, Dawn looked up at her, and Faith reached into the drawer that Buffy said before turning around and looking at Xander.

"What?" He asked innocently.

"I told you she would hear you," she says as she walks over to where Buffy is standing. "Morning," she says into her ear as she kisses her on the cheek. "Sorry you didn't get to sleep in, some people just don't know what an 'inside voice' is." She comments.

"Hey," Buffy says reaching for her hand and pulling her back towards her. "Thank you," she says so only that Faith could hear. Faith turns to her, winks, and then walks into the kitchen.

"Does this mean Buffy is taking me to school?" Dawn says loudly so that Faith can hear her in the kitchen,

"Yeah," Buffy said from where she was leaning.

"You don't have to B," Faith says looking at her. Knowing what Buffy went through while she was at high school and what exactly happened to them when Buffy was in high school. It is something that they don't talk about, a past that they don't bring up. They have an understanding about what happened between them, they don't need to bring it up every day in order to get through the day.

"I want to," she says. "I'm going to go up and change, I'll be back down in ten minutes," she says as she turns and runs upstairs.

Faith watches as she leaves and then she hands Dawn a small little box. "I know High School is a scary place, especially one that is right on the Hellmouth, speaking of which, why the hell did the build it on the same spot as the old high school," Faith says. Xander shrugs. "Anyway, I convinced your sister to get that for you, and it wasn't easy, you Summers women are so stubborn sometimes it's ridiculous." Faith finishes.

"Is it a knife?" Dawn says as she opens the box. "A cell phone?" Dawn says looking up at Faith with a huge smile on her face. "You actually convinced her?" She says jumping up and hugging Faith. "You must have her whipped!" She exclaims.

Faith laughs. "No she doesn't," looking past Faith she sees Buffy standing behind her. "We better go or were going to be late, and you are so not having a high school career like mine," Buffy says smirking. Dawn glances down as Buffy squeezes Faith's hand. "I'll see you later?" Faith nods. Looking back at Xander Faith scrunches her eyebrows, confused.

"Of course," she says.

"Okay, good," With that Buffy, Dawn, and Xander leave out the front door.

"You didn't tell her?" Someone says from behind Faith. "Last night, all the work you did, that was supposed to be the night, the moment to tell her the truth," the person said.

"I'm not ready, it isn't time, it's too soon, I love her," Faith says not turning back to see who it was, she didn't need to. She'd be able to identify that voice anywhere. "I need her."

"And that's why you have to tell her the truth! About why you did that last night," the person says.

"I will," she says sternly. Turning around she looks the person in the eye. Reaching in she grabs the item out of her pocket. "Buffy will love this when I give it to her, no matter when that moment is," she continues.

"Then what are you scared of?" they ask.

"That she won't say yes," Faith says honestly putting the ring back in her pocket. "That she'll say no," she finishes turning back around. Faith continues to look out the window as Xander's car pulls away. The person that was standing behind her leaves, she can feel their presence disappear.

…

Author's Note: All the episodes are going to be broken up.

Should I continue?