I suppose I should say belatedly that I don't own anything but I assume that was naturally implied.

Any hoo I don't really bother doing these on this particular site but I felt I owned an apology to Ltcon. I know I tried to continue with my other Buffy/Faith story but this one was plaguing me. I just couldn't focus so I figured I would just try to get this one out of my system. I am taking a Faith-like character into play for this story though the background is all my own personal development. Really you could think of this as a what if Faith was born in this world situation.

Thank you for all of you who are following this story. I am glad I have come up with something that sounds interesting to all of you. That or you are all bored and need something to alleviate said boredom.

Thanks to all of those who bothered to review. I know it is a tedious task and more often than not I forget to until I have finished a story. Either way this author truly appreciates it. So for the sake of ...ya'll here is another round.

"Welcome to your new home Ms. Tasker." Hearing those words said in such a low husky voice brought shivers up and down her spine. It was strange hearing that name again. It was stranger still hearing it coming from Faith's lips. So much had happened in so little time it made her pause every once in a while and wonder how it had all happened.

She had met Faith four months ago. It was right after Bo confessed to sleeping with Dyson in order to heal. Her mind had accepted the reality, but her heart could not. So after Bo had fallen asleep she had snuck out of the apartment and left the compound. Her walk had led her to a seedy bar in a area she had never noticed before. Without thought she had entered the bar and ordered a drink. Her heart was breaking and her mind was in turmoil over the recent events.

Sitting there nursing her drink she was surprised to see a beautiful woman with long dark hair sit next to her. She couldn't help the desire to look at the woman. Letting her eyes run up and down the woman's profile, she had to admit that the woman was gorgeous. The woman was encased in black leather, with deep chocolate eyes, and bee stung lips. The killing touch was the dimple that peaked out when she noticed Lauren and smiled.

They sat in relatively comfortable silence and it wasn't until the bartender placed a new scotch and soda in front of her that she looked back to the dark haired woman sitting next to her.

"I figured since you were concentrating so hard on your drink you could use another one." That dark husky voice sent shivers down her spine and the only thing she could think of was seeing the woman naked and spread out before her. It was such an intense random fantasy that she couldn't help but blush.

"Thank you. I'm Lauren by the way." She said unsure why she had accepted the drink or given her real name. Taking another sip of her drink she let it slide down her throat with a slight hum of appreciation. She knew she was already buzzed and that it would be wise to slow down. Yet the thought of Bo with Dyson kept popping back into her head. She wanted to wipe that picture out of her mind desperately.

"Do you want to talk about it Lauren?" The husky voice said breaking into her thoughts. "I'm Faith by the way." The woman said nonchalantly.

"I wish I could." She said taking another sip hoping for a bit of liquid courage.

"You can, there is no reason for you not to really. You're probably never going to see me again and it's clear you really need someone to talk to." Faith said softly taking a sip of her own drink.

"I suppose you are right in a way. I could really use someone to talk to and there is nothing more freeing than talking to someone you will never see again." She paused staring at her drink wondering where to start. "I'm in love with a woman who can never be faithful to me, at least not physically. I feel I will always ask and need more from her than she can ever give me." Pausing again she took another sip hoping to stop the tears before they rose to the surface. "I mean I just fucked the hell out of her in the vain hope of wiping away the memory of her ex boyfriend who she screwed this afternoon. I don't know if I can live with this kind of relationship. I don't know if I can stomach always having to share her with other people." Lauren stopped unable to keep the tears from slowly sliding out and down her cheeks.

Looking at the bartender Faith ordered Lauren another drink before turning her attention back. "I feel like I am missing something. Why are you sharing her? Why are you still with her if she is constantly cheating on you?" Faith asked reasonably, her voice free of emotion.

"It's her nature. She can't change. She can't be less than what she is and I can't be more than what I am. I will never be enough for her. I can't sustain her." She said wiping away at her tears and taking a deep swallow of her new drink.

"Is she a succubus?" The question was asked quietly, casually.

Looking up in disbelief Lauren stared at Faith in confusion. "How did you know?" She asked her words slurring a bit.

"It was just a guess really." Faith said with a sad smile.

Lauren couldn't tell if Faith was being serious or not. Shaking her head she opened her mouth, closed it and opened it again. "So what do I do? How do I accept her? I don't want her to change. I love her for who she is. I love her as she is. I can't ask her to change and there is no way for her to change. I've laid down some rules but I don't know if they will be enough. I don't know if I'll be able to watch or listen to her feeding off of others. I'm a doctor for crying out loud but I can't cure her of her hunger. I can't feed her enough to sustain her biological needs. So what do I do?"

"That's a question I can't answer. Your heart is the only guide you can follow in this situation. I could tell you to get out now and it would be a smart thing to say. The longer you are involved with this woman the more she will hurt you. She may not want to but she can't deny who she is anymore than you can deny who you are. You are human and your lifespan is limited. You don't want to spend the rest of your days feeling inadequate. You don't want to spend the rest of your life wondering and waiting for the day she leaves you for someone better. I can practically feel your doubts. But I won't tell you to leave, you will do so on your own terms and in your own time." Faith said as gently as possible.

"You're right I should leave but I know I won't. I'll keep trying to find a way to help her. I'll keep trying to find a way for us to be together." She paused taking another sip of her drink even though she knew she should stop and switch to water. "She loves me you know? She tries to take care of me. It's been so long since anyone has tried or even thought to try to take care of me. The Fae have only used me and hurt me but not her. She looks at me with such adoration it makes me heart skip a beat. She tries so hard to be enough for me and I love her more for it. I know we can make it work. I know we will keep at it regardless of how many bumps we hit and how many hurtles we have to jump over. I love her and that is enough. Isn't it?"

"For some it can be. I hope for your sake that it is for you. Come on let me take you home. It's clear you've had a bit too much to drink and I would hate for anything to happen to you out there." Faith said standing up and laying down money on the bar. Taking Lauren's arm she helped the blonde woman stand. "You live at the Light compound?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah how did you know?"

"Your necklace." Faith said with a sad smile. Draping Lauren's arm over her shoulder Faith led Lauren out the door and up towards the Light compound.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" She asked finally becoming curious about the beautiful stranger.

"You reminded me of someone I cared about a long time ago." Faith replied moving slowly but surely towards Lauren's apartment.

"Can I see you again?" She asked turning to look at Faith.

"I thought the point of talking with strangers was never having to see them again." Faith smiled. "But if you really do want to see me again I'll gladly meet you at the bar. Here's my number." Faith said taking out a card and sliding it into Lauren's pants pocket.

Entering the compound Lauren wondered where the guards had gone. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts she pointed Faith in the direction of her apartment. She was amazed that she had drank so much in so little time. She knew without a doubt that she would not have made it home by herself at this point.

"Can you take it from here or should I put you to bed?" Faith asked suggestively.

Lauren blushed as the idea of welcoming this woman into her bed entered her mind. There was something so innately sexual about Faith. She didn't ooze sex as a succubus would but it was definitely there in the sound of her voice and the warm look in her eye. "No I don't think my girlfriend would appreciate a stranger walking me into bed."

Smiling Faith left Lauren at the door of her apartment and walked out of the building. Lauren watched her go and sighed in mild relief. She knew Faith was trouble, the woman was a walking temptation and if she had any sense she would burn the card in her front pocket. As silently as possible she made her way into the apartment and back to Bo. As she had hoped the succubus was sleeping heavily completely unaware of Lauren's night walk.

Sliding back into bed Lauren wrapped herself around Bo and breathed deep. She hoped everything would be alright with them but a niggling fear in the back of her mind told her nothing would be the same after tonight.

Stepping out of her memories Lauren looked at Faith. "It will take me a while to get used to that name again." She said smiling.

"Well I have to admit I do have a liking for Lauren and it will take me a while to remember to call you Beatrice." Faith said standing up and moving towards Lauren. The two women embraced like friends and moved towards the couch.

"I never particularly liked Beatrice. It's one of the reasons I choose Karen Beattie. I wanted something a little less formal, a little less Shakespearean." She said trying to think of herself as Beatrice again.

"I can understand that, though if you are going to be named after any Shakespearean female character than she is the one to choose. " Faith said lost in thought for a moment.

"I guess so, are you a fan of Shakespeare?" Lauren asked marveling again at how little she knew about the woman in front of her. The woman who was helping her to start a new life. The woman who was willing to save her from the Fae.

"I like the writing over all. I've seen most of the plays and I can tell you I met the real man behind the words and the name. He was inspired and inspirational. I also met the woman who inspired Beatrice for him. She was so alive, so full of fire." Faith said again her gaze going to the distance as if thinking of that long gone woman.

"I think there is a story there." Lauren said with a smile.

"Oh I have plenty of stories. I have lived several lifetimes. I have seen more than any one person ever should." Faith said with a sad smile. "But that is not the point and those stories are for a different time. This is your first day here and I would like to show you the house." Faith said standing up and beginning the grand tour. "This is one of several estates I acquired over the years. A portion of the family lives here with us. They will leave you be if you would like. I know most are rather curious about you but I promise not to let them overwhelm you. Each of the house have members of the family and they in turn control the district that they live in. We have very strict rules for our kind but there are exemptions as with every rule and with every race I suppose. You will have as long as you need to get accustomed to our ways and any questions you have I will gladly answer." Faith said walking them out of the blue sitting room and to the parlor. The tour was filled with minimal conversation beyond giving the names of the room and their general purpose. "We don't use the formal dining room except for events and dinner parties. I shall expect you to attend the dinner parties as often as possible. I like the members of my family to become as acquainted with our connections. We rely on them and they on us for a portion of their financial support. The library has a variety of books which I am sure you will enjoy, some of which you will find in no other library in the world." Faith said with a smile glad that Lauren's mind was like a sponge and she was able to jump around in topics. "I've turned the conservatory into a laboratory for your personal use. I only got the basics since I'm not a scientist. You are free to make a list of what you will need for your experiments and I have provide it for you." Faith said moving towards the newly constructed laboratory. They had kept the basic structure of the conservatory which allowed a lot of light into the building.

Smiling Lauren walked into the lab and had only one thought; 'amazing'. She wasn't sure what she had done to deserve so much from Faith. The agreement that they had made had not translated into her mind in this manner. She had felt the protection she would gain from Faith would be more than enough. She had never expected Faith to go out of her way to make her happy. Turning towards Faith she smiled. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. This is nothing. I know you are a scientist at heart. I just want you to be happy and I know your research will make you happy." Faith said returning Lauren's smile. "No come let me show you your room. It is temporary until the ceremony. After that you will be moved to your permanent quarters." Faith said turning around knowing Lauren would follow.

"When is the ceremony?" Lauren asked with a bit of trepidation.

"The first ceremony will be in four weeks. The second welcoming you into our family, making you one of us will be held five months from now give or take a week." Faith replied looking at Lauren to judge her reaction.

"I see." Lauren said unsure of what to say. Her life was changing and she knew she only had four weeks to change her mind, to walk away.

"I will not force you to go through the ceremony Beatrice. The choice has to be yours. I will not take you otherwise." Faith said softly placing a hand gently under Lauren's cheek pulling her face up. Staring into Lauren's eyes Faith continued. "I will help you regardless of whether or not we go through the ceremony."

"I know and that is why I would like to." Lauren said finally letting a small smile peak out.