Faith Forever

Chapter 2

-A MONTH LATER-

Buffy Summers missed her stuffed pig Mr. Gordo. After Battle Sunnydale there was no climbing into the big crater to get anything out, and so Mr. Gordo, much like the majority of the rest of Buffy's former life, was lost forever.

At least the Scoobies had each other. The battle had resulted in the death of many of the potentials, but a few survived. Rona, Shannon, Caridad and Chao-ahn joined Giles, Xander, Dawn, Willow and Andrew at the Slayer Training Academy in London. Violet and Kennedy went with Buffy a week after the battle to Buckeye Maine the site of another raging Hellmouth. The council paid for free room and board while the girls were on location. And even though the new house on the beach was beautiful, Buffy couldn't help but miss 1630 Revello Drive.

It was a chilly Tuesday evening. Everything happened on Tuesdays. Buffy was sitting on the carpet of their new house, holding some playing cards and drinking some ice tea through a straw.

"Go fish," Kennedy told Violet, and crossed her legs on the berber carpet.

Violet dug into the pile of cards in the middle of the three girls and drew something she couldn't use. Again. "I fold," she told Buffy and Kennedy. "I hate this game."

"I don't think you CAN fold in Go Fish," the blonde slayer said. "But I hate this game too." She tossed her hand into the pile and fell down onto the carpet.

"So what kinda girl is Xander into?" Vi asked out of no where, pushing the lemon around in her drink with her straw. "Like am I his type?"

Buffy laughed. She thought about Xander's previous romantic involvements- Ms. French, Ampata, Cordelia...Anya. Not a sane one among them. "He's hard to read, but I don't see why you wouldn't be. He likes girls attractive, and you're definitely cute. So there's that."

Vi blushed. "Ya think so? Because I was thinking when we finished this job I could maybe ask him out or..." She shook her head, chuckling lightly. "I don't know if I will. But maybe." She lay down on the right side of Buffy.

Kennedy abandoned her card hand and lay down too, the left of Buffy, and said, "Hey Buff, can I ask you a question? A personal typa question?"

"Why not?" Buffy replied.

"Will told me about your past with guys," Kennedy told her, "And I was thinking.. You ever thought about maybe switchin' teams?"

Violet looked up at the stucco ceiling. She didn't know much about Buffy's past but she was sure that something had been going on between her and the vampire taht died in the Hellmouth.

"Switching teams?" Buffy repeated. "Like dating girl vampires?"

"Like just dating GIRLS," Kennedy said, "They don't have to be vampires. Or supernatural at all. I mean unless that's the only thing that gets you riled up."

"I've never even thought about it," Buffy replied quickly, folding her hands under her head. But she was lying. She'd thought about it her senior year of high school when a certain other slayer showed up in Sunnydale. And she'd thought about it again when the same girl came back to town. But most recently, she'd thought about it directly after Battle Sunnydale, when Buffy made out with that same girl- Faith- in a motel shower. But over the last two weeks she'd pushed the thought to the back of her mind, sure that the attraction was due to their slayer bond.. But then, Buffy didn't feel the same way about Violet or Kennedy or ANY of the other other activated potentials. It was just something between her and Faith.

"Not even once?" Vi pressed. It wasn't really any of her business, but she knew practically nothing about the blonde. It was hard spending so much time with someone and being pretty blank on their personality. She needed to know what made Buffy tick, that way she could fight alongside her more swiftly. Maybe her sexuality wouldn't help that much, but she took whatever she could get. Vi's family was gone. She'd spent most of the last year with her watcher. But he died and now Buffy and the rest of the potentials were all she had.

"Thought about it or considered it?" Buffy asked. "Because anyone could say 'What's that like?' but to actually want to DO it, that's different." She was just playing on her pretend innocence, but her mind kept returning to that motel. That shower.. Those ten minutes.

Kennedy laughed. It was no secret that she and Willow Rosenberg were a couple, but she couldn't deny that she felt something for Buffy. It wasn't attraction or anything, just mostly curiousity. She'd talked to Willow about it. She'd asked her if Buffy was even curious about the same sex. Willow had laughed at her, told her that Buffy was into really strong, really dangerous men. Maybe that was all Buffy had been with, but Kennedy couldn't shake the feeling that Buffy wasn't completely straight. "More like wanted to do it," she told the blonde. "Like thought about kissin' a girl, or makin' out with a girl. Maybe even havin' sex with a girl." She thought about the last time she and Willow had slept together, and smiled. Willow was such a dream.

It wasn't like Buffy to discuss her sex life. She liked to keep what she did in the bedroom pretty private. But being questioned about whether or not she would do something threatened her courage. And plus, she's already done it. No way was she going to admit that, but still. So she said, "I mean yeah, I've thought about it before."

"With who?"

Buffy sat up. She hopped to her feet and then went to get a drink out the fridge, ignoring the younger slayer's question. She pulled out a bottle of water and broke the seal. Kennedy got up too, and then pulled Vi to her feet. They went into kitchen and leaned against the cheap formica counter tops.

"Aw, c'mon," Kennedy said. "You haaaaaave to tell us now."

Buffy shook her head and took a big drink. "No. I don't."

"Yeah you do!" Kennedy pushed herself up onto the counter and swung her legs, excitedly. "Was it someone you went to high school with? Or college? Or is it someone we know...Or?" There was a knock at the door and Vi went to open it. "Who is it?" Kennedy continued to beg, not even interested in the visitor.

Vi pulled the door open without looking in the peep-hole. She was a good fighter, maybe, but she still lacked a little on the common-sense front. Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. It was Faith Lehane, the legendary "dark slayer" that had led them all into a failed ambush back in Sunnydale after kicking Buffy out of her house.

"Hey kiddo," the brunette said, "Buffy here?"

Violet turned, dazed, and walked back to the kitchen Faith on her heels. Kennedy and Buffy were still arguing but they stopped immediately when their eyes fell on the visitor.

"Faith," Buffy said, her heart suddenly racing, her hands suddenly shaking.

"Miss me, B?"