Disclaimer: Joss, FOX, FX, UPN, The WB, and Mutant Enemy all own parts of BtVS. I own nothing except for my Season 1, 2, and 3 "Buffy" DVDs and some "Birds Of Prey" Tapes off E-Bay so don't sue (besides I'm not making any money).

Spoilers: Angel S4 up to 4.13 "SALVAGE", and Buffy 7.16 "STORYTELLER"

Distribution: Want, Ask, Have. Just tell me where and get the name right.

Warning: This is a SLASH story, don't like that, then don't read!

Rating: About PG-13, or even R, but that will change depending on where it's posted.

Author's Note: Change in story!! After the end of "SALVAGE" Fred called on a witch from the coven in England (With Wesley's help), and they restored Angel's Soul. After they got the Soul back in the Vamp, the witch from the coven told The Fang Gang what was going on at the HellMouth, and told Faith she had to get to Sunnydale. They called and told Buffy that Faith was on her way, but Buffy was too worried about what the others would say so she didn't tell anyone.

= = = (Some Things Never Change) = = =

Faith hopped out of the cab and handed the man his money. It had not been a cheep journey, but from what the Sorceress at The Coven told Faith, the price of her not going would be even more costly. Looking up at the house, Faith remembered all the good and bad times she'd had there. Low points being the Body switching and holding Joyce hostage, high points being her first real Family Christmas (even if Buffy bailed) and that time Joyce invited her over for dinner.

Glancing down at her clothes, Faith cringed. She was wearing black leather pants, a deep-maroon tank top, and a dark denim jacket. She looked just like she did when she left. Like nothing had changed. How where they going to believe she'd improved on the inside, if she looked just like she did when she left?

Slowly making her way down the walk, Faith paused at the Mailbox. "Summers" was painted across the side of it, just as it had been when she'd first arrived in Sunnydale. It was nice knowing that some things stay the same. She passed the tree in the front yard, and looked up into the tall branches, remembering how Buffy used to have to sneak in through her window every night. She slowly made her way onto the deck, glancing at the swing and the windows. Placing her bag of barrowed clothes by the welcome mat, Faith looked at the door for a few long seconds, pondering what would happen when she went inside.

Hearing footsteps coming up the walk behind her, and a voice full of forgotten laughter, Faith turned. Walking towards the house was Willow, and a young girl with her arm linked with others'. Nervously taking her hands out of her coat pocket, Faith tried to think of what to say to the Witch. Willow glanced up and froze, all laughter stopping. The girl looked to Faith, and back to Willow, seeming to be confused. Faith ran a nervous hand through her hair, and smiled uncertainly.

"Hey Red . . ." Willow seemed to almost growl at her.

"Faith!" she said in a low, dark tone. Her palms snapped out in front of her and Faith was hit in the chest with a blast of Magical Energy. Willows eyes flickered black, and Faith crashed through the door, slamming it open, and skidding to a halt at the foot of the stairs. Kennedy grabbed the Witch by her shoulders, trying to calm her down. Buffy ran into the hall from the kitchen, trying to figure out what caused the crash. Seeing the body on the stairs Buffy ran to it.

"Miss, are you oka-" the words died in her throat as she saw the face contorted in pain. Faith reached back and felt her head where it had connected with the step. She kept her eyes closed, not wanting to see the look on Buffy's face. She reached up with her other hand to cover her face, but Buffy grabbed it instead. She pulled Faith into a standing position, forcing her to open her eyes. What she saw, she hadn't expected. Buffy was smiling slightly, while Willow was briskly walked into the back-yard.

"Faith . . ." Buffy said, the small smile still playing across her face, "It's good to see you." Those five little words nearly knocked the young girl back on her ass. As nice as predictability was, this was much better then what she'd expected. But then again, when it came to Faith and Buffy . . . Some Things Never Change.

.

.

= = = (No News - Is A Bad Sign) = = =

Faith rubbed her head as Buffy lead her up the steps. Not much had been said since her arrival, but she knew that a welcoming committee was far from happening. As they reached the top of the stairs, Buffy turned around and took the bag from Faith.

"You're gonna be staying with me . . . in my room." Buffy said slowly, a hint of nervousness to her voice. "It's either that, or in Willows room with the new love-birds, in Dawn's room with her and Anya, or downstairs with the troops of little girls." Well, Faith knew where she didn't want to be. "I think you'll be the most comfortable in here." Buffy said slowly, opening the door to her new room.

"Whoa, B, isn't this - " the words died in Faith's throat. As she walked in, she knew this was NOT Joyce's room anymore. The bed was different, and the walls were covered in pictures of everyone but Buffy (save a few). This was the blonde's room alright . . . But where was her mom, Faith wondered. "Your Mom move in with Giles?" she asked delicately. The bag seemed to slip from Buffy's hand as she placed it on the bed. Catching it quickly, she quickly tried to act like it hadn't happened.

"Uh, No." she said, stepping from behind the bed, "No, in fact Giles moved back to England until recently. He only came back to help with the fight against The First." Buffy was avoiding the real question, and they both knew it.

"So, what? Where is she?" Faith asked quietly. Buffy played with a spot of lace on the trim of her bed-sheet.

"Restfield." She said almost silently. She only just glanced up at the brunette, a far-away look in her eyes, almost as though she wasn't really seeing Faith. Faith was suddenly hallow inside. She'd liked Joyce; she'd always been nice to her, thought Faith never showed her appreciation well. Even after holding her hostage, and threatening to kill her, the woman had shown her compassion. She was pretty cool for an old broad.

"Wow, B . . . I'm sorry." It just didn't seem right to say it, but she knew she had too. She was well aware that her trip back to Sunnydale would be full of apologies and she was ready to hand them out. She took a step forward, placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Do you think . . . you could show me where?" Buffy looked confused.

"Why?" it wasn't accusing or spiteful, as though simply wondering the question poured from the older girl's mouth.

"Well, I'd like to pay my respects." Faith looked down at the floor for a second, then back up. "She was pretty cool for a mom." Buffy nodded, a small smile on her face.

"The greatest." Buffy said quietly. She walked over to her desk, and opened a book that lay on top of it. She picked up a pen, and made a small check on the page, and closed it again. Faith heard voices coming from the back- yard and walked over to the window to hear.

"Don't tell me to calm down, Kennedy!" Willow was screaming, "I have every right to be mad! She's a Killer, and I don't want her near me, or any of the other girls - " Faith heard a scoff from the door-way, and was shocked to see it had come from Buffy.

"Sorry, it's just . . ." Buffy laughed and looked down at her feet, then back a Faith with a slightly hardened look on her face, "Well, Let's just say that you and Will have a lot more in common then you used to." Faith was confused, and she looked it.

"What do you mean?" Faith asked slowly.

"You were an assistant to The Big Bad, where as Willow . . ." she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "BECAME The Big Bad." Faith's eyes almost fell out of her head at that comment.

"She WHAT?!" Faith asked quickly, trying to keep her yell down to a minimum.

"Yup, our little Willow . . . They grow up so fast." Buffy said darkly.

"She was a Big Bad?" Faith asked, sounding both shocked and skeptical. Buffy nodded.

"Yeah, she was. Killed two guys, tried to kill two others, nearly killed Giles, Dawn, Xander, and myself. She even knocked out Anya . . ." Faith didn't recognize the last name, but ignored it. The news was a little too much just now. Things had really changed. Just then, a hand appeared on Buffy's shoulder making her jump almost a foot in the air.

"Sorry Pet," came a thick British street accent, "The Witch is losing it down there." The man's eyes left the blonde and traveled up and down Faith's body, making both the women un-easy.

"Hello Luscious," He said grinning.

"Spike." She said shortly. The man seemed to be a bit taken aback by being known and not knowing who she was in return. She sighed. "We've met before, but you didn't know it at the time . . ." Now Faith was the one to leer. The Vampire squirmed and turned back to the blonde.

"You'd better get down there, she's making a scene." He ascended the stairs again, and the little blonde took a deep breath, and held it.

"You okay there B?" Faith asked her. She looked at Faith as though just noticing she was there. She shook it off and nodded. Something was weird here, she thought. Either something had happened, or something was happening between Buffy and Spike, and Brunette wanted to find out what it was.

"We'd better get down there," Buffy said quickly, "Will's had a flair for Drama ever since she took that course in it a few years ago." Faith could just picture the Witch acting out a scene from some stuffy-old-book like A Tale Of Two Cities.

"Sure thing B, you're the boss." They walked down the stairs slowly, and paused at the bottom. Willow was in the living room, talking (in a very loud voice) to what seemed to be an over-populated girl-scout-meeting.

" - She can't stay here! She's not even supposed to be here! She's supposed to be in JAIL! Was she released? NO! She just decided she should leave, apparently - "

"Actually, Willow," Buffy interrupted, gathering the attention of the room, "It was Wesley's Idea." The room, Willow included, fell silent. "Angel and his group were experiencing an apocalypse them selves, but in the more direct variety: Blocked out sun, Vampires taking over LA, and a giant 12- foot-Demon walking around trying to recruit the True Angelus to work for him in the world's destruction." The room was silent. "Angel was turned, and he got out, and it was Faith here that saved the day." She said, glancing at the girl behind her.

"She helped restore day-light, captured Angel, and helped the witches change him back. It was The Coven's idea to send her to us, however. I'm sure you're more than eager to listen to what they have to say . . ." Willow looked away at the last part, this was obviously a soft spot for the witch, whatever it meant. "Besides, we need all the help we can get - "

"We don't need her kind of help." Willow growled, "We don't murder people."

"No, but we skin them alive." Buffy said, her voice colder then ice. The room turned to Buffy, shocked expression on her face. Even Faith's face was covered in a look of shock. Since when do they do that, Faith wondered.

"That's not fair - " Willow started, but Buffy wouldn't let her finish.

"Isn't it?" Buffy said, voice still cold, "At least she went to jail for her crimes, and willingly I might add . . ." Willow's eyes were tearful, which seemed to shake The Slayer out of her trip down memory lane, "We know you're sorry Will, But you no longer have the right to pass judgment on her. She tried to kill Xander, Angel, my mother, and You . . . you tried to kill Xander, Dawn, Myself, Andrew, and you nearly did kill Giles." Willow bowed her head, and Kennedy looked like she was very torn. "She killed Finch and The Volcanoligist, You killed Rac and Warren." Faith's head bowed at the mention of Finch. "You want to start a fight, then find The First and start one, But NOT under my roof."

With that Willow raised her head and nodded. The room slowly dispersed and Buffy made her way over to the red-head. She put an arm around her best- friend, which the girl named Kennedy tried to shove off, but to no success. Willow wrapped the small slayer into a tight hug, and started sobbing into the girl's shoulder. She gently rubbed the witch's back, whispering in her ear, telling her it was all going to be okay.

"So you're Faith?" The question came from a small man with blonde hair and an apron. Faith looked him up and down as if to ask 'who are you to ask?'. "I too come from a dark past. An Evil history that seems to fallow me like a lost puppy." He said, as though acting out a dramatic monologue. "My name's Andrew," he said extending an oven-mitted-hand. Seeing the mitt, he quickly removed it. Faith shook it slowly, wondering how this guy could ever have been even remotely related to Evil. Not to mention the fact that Faith's Gay-dar was going off like crazy with this little shrimp of a boy.

"Faith." She stated, taking her hand back. He smiled almost giddily, but frowned just as quickly.

"Oh God!" he yelled, "My Spinach Puffs!" He ran off to the kitchen, leaving behind a very confused Brunette Slayer.

"Don't mind Andrew," Came Buffy's voice from next to her, "He's something between a hostage and a guest. He's our 'Guestage', mostly used for cooking and to gather information about The First and any other variation of Demon we might come across." Faith nodded mutely. Buffy smiled and put a hand on her shoulder just as Andrew's slightly shrill voice called out that dinner was ready. "Welcome back to Sunnydale." She said, a note of humor in her voice. Faith laughed. If only the brunette knew how long it had been since Buffy had made a genuine joke . . .

.

= = = (In The Home, & On The Field) = = =

As Buffy walked into the kitchen along with the rest of the swarm of people that seemed to be occupying the house, Faith noticed something. A person, in fact. A girl she hadn't seen in almost three years, and she sure had changed.

"Faith." Came the almost cold drawl of Dawn's voice.

"Hey Peanut." Faith said smiling slightly. If Dawn was going to try and intimidate her, she wasn't going to make it easy. Dawn blushed slightly, and her weak resolve face disappeared.

"Do you have to call me that?" she asked, whining slightly.

"I always called you that." Faith defended herself, remembering that she and Dawn used to get along well back in the day. "Would you prefer the other names? Short-Stuff? Kid?" Faith laughed slightly, and Dawn blushed a little more.

"Hey! I'm way taller than Buffy now! And I'm not a kid anymore - okay, well I am - but you were my age when you and Buffy first started Slaying together!" Now the girl was full-on-whining, and Faith realized why she actually missed the little twerp; she was funny when she was mad.

"I can always go back to calling you Sun-Shine, D?" Faith offered. Dawn's eyes lit up suddenly.

"Yes! D! You can call me that!" she looked like she'd had way too much caffeine now. Faith thought it over, and shook her head.

"Nah, too much like your Sister. I've always called her B, and D is just too close." Dawn looked disappointed. "Come on Peanut, Chow time." She said, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder and leading her into the over- crowded feeding-area.

Buffy smiled at them as they walked in. She set down a bowl of salad, and went back into the kitchen. Both brunettes sat down, and Faith noticed that the potential next to her got up rather quickly. She mumbled something about having to go to the bathroom.

"Don't mind her," Dawn said, quietly, "That's Annabel, she's practically scared of her own shadow. She's usually pretty nice, though. She's from somewhere in England, some place called . . . I dunno, but it's not London." Faith nodded and watched as Dawn loaded up her plate as fast as possible. Realizing that it was a first-grab-first-eat kind of deal going on at this table, she reached for the mashed potatoes, and then the chicken, not taking much.

"What's the matter," Buffy said, walking in with the slightly burnt Spinach Puffs, "Not like Andrew's cooking?" Buffy sat down heavily in the chair next to the younger slayer. Sighing, she grabbed some food for her self. Faith watched her for a few seconds, then spoke up, realizing she'd been asked a question.

"Nah, Actually," Faith said glancing at Dawn, "I was worried the Summers Women had cooked this." Buffy's eyebrows almost receded to her hairline. "I seem to remember Dawny trying to cook Garlic-Soy-Sauce French-Fries, and ever since then I've been very cautious about the food you guys eat." Buffy laughed, which caught Willow's attention, she seemed almost surprised to hear it. "Besides," Faith whispered, leaning in close to a laughing Buffy, "You know I'm not really hungry until after slaying . . ." Buffy blushed, and gently swatted the brunette on the arm.

"Faith! Shush!" Buffy warned back, a giggle just under the surface.

"What, B? You never asked the rest of them if it's true?" Faith said, a smile playing at the edge of her lips. Buffy leaned in closer, and whispered.

"Later! I haven't taken them out into the field, really." Faith nodded, and turned back to her plate. Looking up for a second, Faith caught Willow's suspicious eye. The redhead was looking at her as though trying to figure out when her second head had appeared. Faith winked at her, and the witch looked away. The smaller, brown-haired girl next to Willow suddenly sat up straighter. Faith looked at her, and got the evil eye in return. Faith simply smiled, and took a bite off her fork.

"So B," Faith said turning back to the blonde, "We gonna Slay tonight or what?" Buffy quickly swallowed her dink, and nodded.

"Yeah. You, me, and Spike are going to take a few of the girls out later. Get them ready for battle." Faith nodded, a wide smile curving her lips.

"Alright! Ready to show them a few of our synchronized Slaying moves?" Faith asked, giving the blonde a nudge. Buffy smiled and shook her head.

"You remember that?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah I do!" Faith said, laughing, "Are you nuts? That was great! Well . . . that whole thing with Gwendolyn Post sucked like a Hoover, but . . ." Faith smiled and remembered something, "Hey! Wasn't that the first time we ever fought?" Buffy paused to think.

"Yeah, I think it was . . ." She said slowly. "Why were we fighting again?" she asked.

"I think is was . . . ." Faith paused to think on it for a second. She didn't really remember the details. "I dunno, I think you might have knocked a few screws loose that night!" Buffy laughed, and Faith joined her.

"Angel." Came Xander's reply from the other end of the table. "That was the day we found out that Angel had come back." The elder Scoobys and Faith fell quiet at that, the younger girls listening intently, "We were looking for that Glove of Minigon thing, and I told you I saw Angel with it. You were going to go and stake him, and when we got to the Library we found Giles knocked out." He said quietly.

"Yes, I remember now . . ." Giles said slowly, "Well, parts of it anyway." He said, brow creasing slightly.

"Yeah, I remember." Faith said, regret obvious in her voice. "Gwendolyn told me that Angel was trying to kill her and that I had to save her . . . I should have listened to her advice." Faith said slowly. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Faith, you're not an idiot." Buffy told her quietly. "A Watcher told you something, and you trusted her over a Vampire that you knew was recently Evil. I don't blame you at all, I probably would have done the same thing." Faith looked to her quickly.

"Yeah, but I should have listened to you." Faith said more to her plate then anyone else. Buffy smiled a little and patted her back lightly.

"Well, you did eventually." Faith laughed, and shook her head. "I seem to remember getting a pretty good whack in the jaw before that though." She said, a laugh just below the surface.

"Your jaw?" Faith asked incredulously, "Remember when you came over the next day, to see how I was? Mine was still bruised! Not to mention I could barely sit-down you kicked my ass so hard!" Both Slayers were laughing again, and the room joined them. It had been a long time since the walls had rung with laughter. Too long, Dawn realized.

"Yeah, well, thank God for cover-up is all I have to say." Faith nodded, and smiled at Xander. He smiled back. Maybe this won't be as bad as I considered it would be, Faith thought. Just then Spike walked in, a mug of blood in his hand.

"Ugh, do you have to drink that during dinner?" Faith asked disgusted.

"This IS my dinner Luscious." He said smiling. "What's the matter, can't handle a little blood?" Faith smiled Evilly at the Platinum Blonde vampire. He actually took a step back . . . right into door-frame, hitting his head. The room laughed, and Spike looked to Buffy for some sympathy, but she was too busy laughing into her hand to care.

"Careful, Spike," Faith warned, "You might hurt yourself." The evil grin died away and Faith turned to Dawn.

"What is it with your Sister and Vampires?" she joked to her quietly. She noticed the blonde blush out of the corner of her eye, and knew something had indeed gone on.

"Beats me, but I wish she'd get over it." Dawn whispered back. Faith nodded, and watched a few of the other girls get up.

"We're going to go get ready." They said quietly as they jogged out of the room.

"Rinse and load your dishes first!" Buffy called after them.

"Wow, B," Faith said quickly, "You're a regular Den-Mother!" Buffy gave her a sarcastic smile, and got up herself. "Need some help?" Faith asked. Buffy smiled and nodded, leading the way into the kitchen. Spike fallowed them as well.

"Let me give you a hand with that, Pet." Spike said, walking over to the sink. Faith stepped in front of him smiling.

"That's okay Spike, I think we have all the hands we need." Spike looked her over, confused, and looked to Buffy. She just smiled, obviously waiting for him to show himself out of the breakfast nook. As he left the brunette turned on the water to wash the dishes. "Man, that guy just gives me the Wiggins." Faith said as she started washing the plates and handing them to Buffy to dry.

"You're not the only one . . ." Buffy said, loading the plates into the drying rack.

.

= = = (Stones In The Path) = = =

Later that night both slayers were touring the graveyard, Spike and a few of the girls had come along too. They walked along the rows, listening, and waiting to get to the marker that told them where to turn to find the fresh graves. Faith took the stake out of her sleeve and twirled it like a drumstick.

"You always used to do that." Buffy said quietly to the brunette.

"Like I told Wes, remembering how to Slay is like ridding a Biker; you never really forget." Buffy tried to hold in a laugh, but it still popped out. "It's true, isn't it? It's natural. Even for them I bet." Faith said pointing to the girls. Buffy nodded.

"True. To prove it to them I had to lock them I a crypt with a vampire, but they learned it. They have some talent," Buffy said, leaning in close to whisper to Faith, "Especially Willow's girl Kennedy." Faith nodded. The brunette seemed pretty adept with a cross-bow at least. She had also been helping the other girls pick out their weapons before they'd left the house.

"Hey, Ken-Doll!" Faith called, Kennedy stopped in front of them, and slowly turned around, a sour look on her face. Faith smiled.

"Yes?" she drawled.

"Don't take it personal, Kenny, You think B liked me calling her that? Nah, she just realized I wasn't gonna call her anything else." Buffy nodded, and Faith looked back at the small brunette. "So, you seem to have some talent. How long you been training?" Kennedy seemed to brighten a bit.

"Since I was Eight, how about you?" her voice still had a bit of a defensive edge to it.

"Since I was fifteen, called at seventeen, still alive at twenty-one . . . can't complain. Lived longer than most," Faith then nudged Buffy with her elbow, " 'cept for maybe B here. She's getting to be a real fogee don't cha think?" Buffy gently smacked Faith up-side the head, trying to look indignant.

"Shut up or I'll sick the cops on you." Faith just stuck her tongue out at the blonde. "Put that away or use it." Buffy warned, shocking both Faith and her self. Spike tripped over his own foot and stumbled, hearing that remark.

"Jeez William, you're just a klutz tonight, aren't you?" Faith teased. They all kept walking until they hit the marker pointing them towards the fresh graves. Buffy stopped to address the group.

"Spike, why don't you go on ahead, get the girls ready and practice with them for a bit. Call us if there is any trouble, otherwise Faith and I will catch up." Spike's face fell.

"Where're you going?" he asked, his voice overly eager. Buffy cleared her throat and looked at the ground, then back at the Vampire.

"Faith asked if she could visit my mother. I told her I'd show her where she is." Spike looked away, obviously ashamed at bringing it up. He started walking backwards and waved for the potentials to fallow him. Faith and Buffy watched them go for a few seconds. Then Buffy turned to the brunette. "Ready to go?" she asked quietly. Faith nodded, and waited for Buffy to lead the way.

They walked along for a bit, neither one talking. Both didn't know what to say. Faith twirled her stake, and Buffy kept a sharp eye out for any trouble. Once they got to a certain point Buffy pointed ahead of them.

"It's over there." She said quietly, "just a ways beyond the statue. It's the one closest to the tree." Faith nodded and walked over to it. She passed other head stones with names she didn't recognize, wondering how many bodies actually filled all these graves. As she reached the Headstone nearest the tree, she stopped. She didn't step over where the coffin would have been. Instead, she walked around the side, and put a hand on top of the Grave-marker. It was a pretty Green-Marble headstone, with large block letters engraved into it.

"Hello Joyce." Faith said quietly. She looked down at the ground, and saw fairly fresh flowers sitting at the base of the stone, their petals only slightly wilted. "I wish I could say that the flowers were from me but . . . This was a fairly impromptu visit. You deserve flowers though. Maybe I can get some tomorrow and come back to see you, I mean . . . now that I know where you are." Faith ran a hand over the top of the stone, and closed her eyes for a second. "You were always nice to me Joyce, even when I was mean to you and didn't deserve it. You always looked out for me, even when you knew you didn't have to." Faith opened her eyes, and saw that Buffy had walked away. Faith looked back at the head-stone. "Mind if I sit down?" She stood waiting for a second, as though expecting an answer. She sat down facing the stone.

"You know, some of my favorite memories of this place are Dinners I had at your house?" Faith ran her fingers along the engravings slowly. "You were a great Mom, Joyce . . . Ms. Summers." She sighed, and looked at the flowers that were laying against the stone. "You must know that some pretty bad shit must be going down for me to be here, so I just wanted to tell you . . ." Faith took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, and that I won't let anything happen to them." She opened her eyes, and looked hard at the stone.

"Dawn was a good friend of mine, and she's getting to be again, and Buffy . . ." Faith trailed off, not knowing what to say. "Well, I think you know I won't let anything happen to her. She was a great friend, and I wish I hadn't wasted it all those years ago." Faith got up slowly, and made a point to walk carefully off the grave space. "I really am sorry Ms. Summers, and I know that Trust has to be earned, so I'm going to do whatever it takes to prove it to you." Faith smiled, and backed up slightly. "I'll be back tomorrow with some better flowers and maybe a nice rock to add to the one Willow must have left you."

Faith got up and walked towards the path. As she got back to the place where she had left Buffy, she wondered where she should go now. She stopped and concentrated. She knew that if she calmed down just right, and breathed evenly enough, she could feel out where Buffy was. She used to do this back when she worked for the Mayor, making sure she would always know where the blonde was.

After a few seconds of near-meditation, she decided to walk a ways to the left, fallowing the path. As she moved further and further away from Joyce's Grave, she realized that Buffy had left the path a bit, and walked a small ways into a thicket of trees. After a number of paces in, she saw the blonde. She was kneeling on the ground, in front of a grave that looked like it had been hidden away under a tree. As she stepped closer (the blonde didn't seem to notice her presents), she noticed the name on the Head-Stone: 'Buffy Anne Summers'.

"Wow, B," Faith said quickly, startling the blonde, "You found a grave with the same name as you!" Buffy suddenly turned around, as though she had just been surprised by a total stranger. Faith noticed that the blonde had tears in her eyes. Buffy noticed her looking at them and quickly whipped them away. The Slayer's movements allowed Faith to see the rest of the writing on the headstone: Born 1981, Died 2001 'She Saved the world . . . A Lot'. The breath caught in her throat as she realized where she was standing.

"I though you only drowned for a second B . . ." Faith said in a tight whisper, the news of Buffy having a Head-Stone shocking her more then just a little. "Why would they make you a Grave-Marker if you never really were buried? And I thought your mom didn't know you died?" She heard Buffy sniffle slightly, and then looked back at the date: Died 2001. "Holy- Shit! B!! Did you die AGAIN?!" Faith yelled, shock taking over all other emotions besides grief. Why didn't they tell me that she'd died, she wondered.

"Yes," she whispered, "I did. It was two springs ago. I did it to save the world . . . to save Dawn." Buffy sounded far way, as though she didn't even realized that she was speaking aloud. "I said the hardest thing in this world is to live in it . . . I was wrong. The hardest thing in this world, is to really live at all." Buffy whipped her eyes, and slowly got up. Faith didn't know what to say. Here was this girl that had died twice, and yet here she was, still standing, still going on to save the world. And more than that, she was telling Faith the lessons that it had taken her a few lives to learn. How do you respond to that, she wondered?

Luckily, there was a loud scream coming from the far end of the graveyard, which saved Faith from saying something that might make an ass out of her later. As the two girls ran, the screaming got louder, and there were more voices adding to the noise. As they reached the area where the new graves where, they saw the girls scattering in all directions, while Spike dusted off his jacket. Looking up Spike tossed the Blonde Slayer the sward he had brought with him under his Duster.

"Demon." Her said simply, "Of the SLIME variety I'm afraid." He said pointing to all the girls that had come back when they noticed Buffy. "A few of them are a bit of a mess . . . I think all the tentacles scared them a bit too." Spike looked around, and tried to figure out where the others had gone to. Buffy nodded, and turned to Vi, who was covered in the bluish- green goo from head to toe.

"Why don't we take them back to your Crypt, get them washed up a bit," Buffy said though Spike was no longer really listening. He was looking at her intently, as though studying her. It made Faith uneasy. "Is Clem still watching your old place?" she asked, pretending she didn't notice his staring.

"Yeah . . ." Spike drawled slowly, "Are you alright? You look kind of - " he asked, trailing off. But Faith wouldn't let him finish.

"She's fine Spike," Faith added quickly, "Just visiting her mom made her a little reminiscent." Spike nodded in understanding, and Buffy gave the brunette a thankful look. "Hey Spike? Why don't you round up the other girls and lead them back to your place? We'll take these ones over now." Spoke nodded and jogged off to look for the three or four girls that where still off in the graves. Buffy lead the way, and Faith noticed a smug smile on Kennedy's face. "What are you so happy about?" Faith asked, curios.

"This." She said, holding up her short-sward. It was covered in the same thick syrupy junk that seemed to coat the younger brunette's upper-body. Faith smiled and nodded in understanding, she used to like the Slimy ones. "My first fight against a Demon, too. Maybe I'll get a reward when I get back to the house . . ." she mused quietly to herself. Faith chuckled slightly.

"Oh yeah?" Faith asked slowly, "From Red, you think?" Kennedy looked at her like she had just lost where the conversation had gone. Faith sighed. "When you think of the color red, what comes to mind . . . besides blood." Faith asked. Kennedy blushed slightly and nodded.

"I get it." She said slowly, "It makes sense. But why do you never call people by their names?" she asked, almost irritable. Faith just laughed to herself.

"Dunno . . . Habit, I guess." She lied. She just didn't want to talk about the real reason. "Why? Are you bitter about me not using people's 'Proper Names'?" she asked, adding in sarcastic quote marks. Kennedy actually looked bitter, and Faith was worried she'd been right.

"No," she said, drawing out the small word, "I just wish you'd call people better names . . ."

"Ah, I get it!" Faith said quickly, "You don't like the name you got, and now you're all pissed that I'm gonna call you that? Is that it?" Kennedy looked angry, and walked silently. Faith had been right, and she knew it. "Look, Kennedy," Faith said, making a point to call her by her real name, "Don't worry about it, alright? Just look at Dawn; I call her Peanut, Short- Stuff, and Kid . . . Anything's got to be better than that, right?" Kennedy laughed, and nodded slightly. "Look, I won't call you Ken-Doll if it bothers you that much, Okay? But I'm gonna have to call you Kenny, 'cause their ain't much else left after that." The smaller brunette looked up at Faith, trying her best to hold in a smile, and nodded.

"I think I can live with that." At the head of the group, Buffy was smiling, glad that Faith was getting a log so well with the other girls. The Potentials thought of Buffy as a bit of a Slave-Driver, and perhaps if they liked Faith they would listen to the brunette . . . and she knew Faith would listen to her, but she couldn't explain how she knew it. Anyone that saw her or talked to her could easily see that she had changed, but Buffy on the other hand could really feel it. As they walked into Spike's Crypt Buffy pointed them to the faucet that Spike had tapped off to the side.

"Hey Faith?" Buffy asked her quietly, "Thanks for the save before . . . you know, with Spike?" Faith nodded, and smiled slightly.

"It's okay B, I figured you'd have to keep a pretty hard face in front of the potentials. Besides, Spike is getting kinda nosy if you ask me." Faith leaned against the tomb that was raised in the middle of the floor. Buffy leaned against it too, and looked down at her feet. "So Buffy," Faith said slowly, giving the blonde a nudge, "You gonna ask, or should I do it?" Buffy looked confused, and Faith knew she'd have to elaborate. "About Post Slayage Side-Effects . . . ?" Buffy blushed a deep red, and shook her head, holding in a laugh. "Alright then, I'll ask!" Faith said, getting up and walking over to the girls, a goofy smile playing on her face.

"Hey Buffy?" Kennedy called, "Do you think I could send this through the wash when we get home? This is Willow's Shirt." Buffy nodded, and Faith took this as her opportunity to ask The Question.

"Yeah, but before we wash our clothes and stuff . . . Who's Hungry?" She asked, a small smirk playing at the corners of her lips. All the girls raised her hands and started talking about how hungry they were . . . all the girls except Molly. "What's the matter girly? Not hungry?" Faith asked walking over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She shook her head, looking fairly pale. "Why not?"

"I don't think I should eat right now . . ." she said slowly, "After what I just saw, I doubt that it would stay in my stomach for very long." Faith chuckled and walked back over to where Buffy was.

"See," Faith said giving Buffy a wink. "I told you it was a Slayer thing." Buffy blushed and ran a hand through her hair. "So tell me . . . Is a Non- Fat Yogurt really all you wanted after Slaying?" Buffy looked up suddenly, looking right at Faith, eyes burning slightly. Faith was a bit taken aback.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Buffy said, voice low and quiet. She slowly pushed herself off the tomb, and walked over to the girls. Faith noticed a slight swagger in her step, and couldn't help looking at the swaying legs and fallowing the view all the way up . . .

"Found them!" Spike called from the doorway. The other three girls walked in, and one was being held in his arms. She had obviously fainted. From across the room she heard Annabel make a comment.

"Oooh," she whispered to one of the other girls, "Wonder what Buffy's going to do, seeing Spike hold Sarah like that!" Molly giggled and watched intently. Faith scoffed, and pushed herself off the tomb roughly. She knew Buffy heard what they had said; she'd been closer than her. Sometimes Slayer-Hearing can really suck, Faith thought. But Buffy seemed not to notice, or at least not to care. Why didn't she say anything, Faith wondered? Buffy walked over to Spike, and picked up the girl, gently laying her on the couch by the Television.

"Spike, I thought Clem was staying here?" Buffy asked, cleaning the girl's face with a wet washcloth. Spike looked around, and noted the lighted candles and the bowl of half eaten popcorn on the table.

"From the looks of it, I'd say he still is . . ." The Platinum Blonde Vampire said, "I guess he stepped out. Maybe he went to get more those Chicken Things he loves?" Buffy nodded, remembering how much Clem liked to eat Junk Food.

"Maybe, but he said he was on that new Diet and that it was going great . . ." Spike nodded, and Faith spoke up finally.

"Uh . . . Who's Clem?" she asked. Spike and Buffy looked at each other, then back at Faith. Buffy smiled and answered slowly.

"He's a friend of ours. Well, Spike's originally. He's Dawn's babysitter sometimes, when she needs someone to watch her." Just then, the door swung open, and a large Demon with hanging fleshy skin walked in, a bucket of KFC in his arms. Faith's eyes bulged out of their sockets.

"Hey! Buffy! Nice of you to drop by!" he said, voice kind and excited. He gave her a short hug, and looked around the room. "If I had known you were bringing so many guest I would have brought more food." Buffy laughed and smiled ruefully.

"Sorry about just barging in like this, but we needed to wash up. Some of the girls got a little grimy while out slaying." Clem nodded and put his food down.

"Hey, it's not problem. It Spike's place anyway, I'm just glad to have a place at all. The place I had before, Jeez! Filled up with Nashkari Demons now. Not about to go starting something with them!" he raised his hands up in a defensive gesture. He smiled at the girls who looked a little scared, it seems that some of them hadn't met Clem before either.

"Oh! Clem! I want you to meet Faith. Faith, this is Clem." Faith walked over and shook a surprisingly soft and gentle hand.

"Nice to meet you Faith." He said jovially, "So, what are you? You seem a bit old for a Potential." He said looking at her aged features. Faith held in a laugh but couldn't help but smile. This guy seems pretty cool, she thought.

"I'm a Slayer." Clem's eyes open wide, and he pulled his hand back rather quickly. Faith raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, you did tell her I'm a vegetarian now, right?" Clem said, leaning over towards Buffy. The blonde smiled and nodded. Clem gave a huge sigh. "Sorry about that," he said quickly, looking back at Faith, "I get chased by Demon hunters all the time. Just wanted to make sure that I wasn't in danger, you know?" Faith smiled and nodded. He looked around at the girls and smiled at them. "You're welcome to anything you want," he said pointing to the popcorn and chicken, "I was just about to watch a Twilight Zone marathon if you wanted to join me?" a few of the girls thanked him, walking over to take handfuls of pop-corn.

"Thanks Clem, but I think we better go. Get these girls back to the house and back in bed." Clem nodded, and they made their way out of the Crypt. They smiled and waved to The Floppy Eared Demon and said their goodbyes. Spike decided to stay behind and watch part of the marathon with his friend. Buffy had an odd smile on her face as they walked back to Casa De La Summers.

"What's up Buff?" Faith asked her quietly, "You feeling okay?" Buffy smiled wider, and nodded.

"Yeah, just thinking about the last few days . . ." Buffy said slowly, "Just three days ago I was thinking 'How could things get any crazier?', and here they are : Crazier." Faith bowed her head, and looked down at her shoes as they walked.

"I'm sorry about making things more complicated." She said quietly, an unreadable edge to her voice. Buffy chuckled slightly.

"It's okay, it's just in your nature. Besides, who said that Simpler means better?" Faith looked at the blonde and found her smiling. "Like I said, it's good to have you back. Besides, I'm glad that Willow and I had that little yelling contest. I've been holding that in for a while . . . I've always hated not telling her things." Faith noticed Kennedy glance back at the mention of her Girl-Friend. "Also, I think she needed to hear it. Let her know that we know what she did, and that we still love her."

"She's a lucky girl." Faith said absently. She meant it, too. Willow was lucky to have friends like Buffy and Xander and Giles. Ones that loved her no matter what, that stood by her no matter how stupid she acted or what kind of mistakes she made. Faith knew that she could have had that, had she only seen the opportunity when it had been presented to her. She only hoped that she'd get that chance again. Buffy put her arm around Faith, smiling slightly.

"Come on Slayer, Lets get you something to eat before you 'Pop'." Faith laughed and was joined by Buffy as they made their way home.

.

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= = = (The H&H Theory) = = =

After getting the girls back in the house and feeding them, they all stood in the Kitchen eating. Buffy joined them, picking a Yogurt out of the fridge, sending a wink Faith's way. For the first time in a long while, Faith blushed. Both of them laughed, and Kennedy looked on, curiously.

"Is there a joke here that I don't get?" Kennedy asked, catching both the Slayers by surprise. They looked at each other, and burst out laughing. Seconds later, Willow walked into the kitchen. Kennedy gave her girlfriend a quick hug and a kiss. "Hey Will, sweety? What's gotten into these two? What is it with them and Yogurt?" The little brunette asked. Willow's eyes bugged slightly as she looked to Buffy (who indeed had the snack in her hand).

"Buffy . . . ?" Willow asked slowly, eyes moving between Buffy, Faith, and back again. Buffy gave her a wink, and Willow gasped. "Oh My God! It's True?!" Buffy giggled and ate another spoonful into her mouth with showful gusto. Willow blushed, and Faith was entranced. She couldn't take her eyes off Buffy as she ate he yogurt, licking her lips to catch any that strayed.

"You betcha it is!" Buffy laughed. "We asked the girls too, they were all hungry after Slaying as well." Willow looked to Kennedy, who nodded, though she still looked like she was a bit lost.

"It's - It's - it's TRUE?!" Willow asked, sounding a bit more like her tenth-grade-self rather than the mature woman she had become. Buffy Smiled and shook her head. "Well . . . did you ask them about, you know, the other half?" Willow took a nervous glance at Kennedy who looked blankly back at her.

"Other half of what?" Annabel asked her slowly.

"Looks like it's up to you to explain it." Buffy said, a slightly playful grin on her face.

"What are they talking about Willow?" Vi asked the red-head.

"Umm . . ." Willow blushed and looked to Kennedy, who looked back expectantly. "Well, back when Faith first came here . . . she told us about a theory she had about Slayers and the effects that Slaying Vampires has on their bodies."

"I believe your Exact words were 'It's it Funny how Slaying makes you Hungry and Horny'?" Buffy said looking at Faith, and laughing slightly. Half the girls ran over to the sink and spit out their food. Buffy and Faith burst out into uncontrollable laughter as they watched. "Hey, it's just natural for your bodies," Buffy defended, calming slightly, "You guys really are Slayers." Buffy watched as Kennedy wrapped her arms around Willows waist and leered slightly. The Witch blushed, and looked away (though her smile was notably larger than before).

"Hey, what's the point in denying it," Kennedy said, smirking slightly, "It's natural. It's a Slayer thing." Kennedy was obviously glad to be a Would-Be-Chosen-One. Faith laughed at that.

"Lucky you Red." Faith said looking at the Witch. Willow looked back, face emotionless. After a few seconds, an evil grin spread over her face.

"Hey, I'm not the only one . . ." She said, looking from Faith to Buffy, "I'm not rooming with Buffy . . ." Faith's eye bugged in realization. She had to share a bed with Buffy after this, what was she gonna do?! " . . . Two Slayers, One bed . . . imagine the possibilities." Willow leered, and got a swat from a laughing Kennedy. The rest of the room laughed as the Slayers looked at each other. Faith looked pale, where as Buffy had a fake leer playing across her features (or at least, Faith thought it was fake). Oh, Please don't let her be joking, Faith thought.

"Willow, you're starting to sound a lot like Xander." Willow blushed and looked at Buffy, giving her an indignant sneer.

"Ugh, Buffy, please don't say that . . . I was planning on wooing her in a few minutes!" Kennedy said, sounding grossed out. The room laughed, and the girls slowly dispersed, heading off to bed.

Both Buffy and Faith made their way up to their room, leaving most of the potentials to sleep downstairs on the floor. Xander had fallen asleep in the Lay-Z-Boy chair, and Giles was trying to sleep on a blow-up-mattress. As the Slayers walked passed Dawn's room they heard the distinctive sound of an Ex-Demon snoring, and knew that all Scoobies where now asleep. Faith decided to wait in the short line to take a shower, while Buffy just decided to go to sleep. As she waited she learned the names of a few more of the potentials, and got to know them a little better.

The shower was so refreshing to Faith. With the whole Angel crisis she hadn't gotten to bath as much as she would have liked to. Also, it was nice to be able to shower alone. Prison showers hadn't been her cup of tea. She didn't like the feelings of being naked with a bunch of women that she didn't know or care to in the first place. Also, she had been witness to more then a few Sexual-Assaults in the shower rooms, and she'd done her best to stop them . . . One time intervening had gotten her 3 days in solitary. Also, the cool water helped to calm her nerves a little as she tried not to think about where she was supposed to sleep in a few minutes.

Turning the water off, Faith stepped out of the shower, and grabbed the last towel. Drying herself off quickly, she looked in the mirror. She really had grown up. She ran her hands over the edge of the glass, and looked back into her own face. The last time she'd stood in from of this mirror, it had been Buffy's face that looked back at her. She remembered trying to sound like the blonde, a mix of practicing so as to convince the Scoobies and mocking. She felt a shudder run through her body as the memories raced through her mind. Looking away, she grabbed her change of clothes and put them on. She never thought it'd be so hard to look at her own face.

As Faith walked back towards Buffy's room, she walked past her old room. A certain noise caught her attention, and she silently pressed her ear against the door. After a few seconds she pulled back as though the wood had scorched her ear. That was defiantly Willow, Faith thought. Blushing slightly Faith walked back towards the Slayer's room. As she stepped in through the door, Faith saw the blonde curled up on one side of the bed, facing in towards the mattress.

As Faith pulled the covers up she heard the blonde give the cutest whimper as the cool air hit her. Faith laughed silently, and lay down on the soft bed. The brunette sighed more deeply than she had in what seemed like a few lifetimes. She turned her head and looked at the face of the girl in the bed next to her. She looked like an angel; her golden hair haloed her beautiful face. Faith looked at her for what seemed like both Seconds and Hours, just thinking about all the things that had happened between them, and wondering what was still to come. Reaching over, Faith brushed a strand of hair back behind Buffy's ear. The blonde smiled and sighed. Faith leaned back into the soft pillows, and quickly fell asleep.

Suddenly, Hazel eyes opened, and looked over at Faith. Buffy smiled, and closed her eyes again. Slowly and carefully, she reached over and curled up next to the brunette. Sleepily, the Dark Slayer wrapped her arms around Buffy and pulled her in close. Both Slayers smiled, and fell deeply into sleep.

.

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To be Continued In Chapter Two, starting with :

= = = (Oh What A Beautiful Morning . . .) = = =

If you have any comments or suggestion, or for any reason you'd want to contact me, just send an E-mail to VixenRaignyahoo.com