Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Sophie.
"Don't worry, it get's better soon" said Willow.
"I sure hope so.." Faith mumbled. Willow frowned at her before continuing.
"Buffy's first Slaying lesson went about as well as her patrol, meaning, not that great.."
A little while later, Faith sat lounging on a rock in the Sun.
"Three, two, one.." she whispered to herself. Buffy leapt out of the bushes in full attack mode, but Faith quickly dodged out of the way.
"You could hear me, huh?" Buffy sighed.
"Only.. a lot" Faith smirked. "You're still breathing too hard. You've got to relax, B, really feel the earth under your feet, so it doesn't shift and make noise." She smirked as a flock of birds landed just over a nearby hill. "Let a master show you how it's done." Faith ran up the hill silently, then down the other side, stake drawn, into the field the birds had landed in, and where Anya happened to be foraging.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Anya screamed when she spotted Faith, slightly startling the Outsider. "Please don't kill me! I never met your tyrant.. I mean, Wilkins! Heck of a guy, a little moody maybe, but.."
"Anya, what are you doing here?" asked Buffy suspiciously as she made her way over to them.
"Oh Buffy, thank goodness!" cried Anya, relieved. "And for once, we're not following you. This place just happens to be the best smorgasbord in the Kingdom, bugs everywhere! But, if you don't make a reservation.." she sighed, gesturing to the birds pecking around everywhere, and trying to get rid of them. "Get lost you scavengers, shoo!" One bird fluttered up and bit Anya on the nose. Xander suddenly rushed across the field, yelling and scattering the birds, but hey returned just a few seconds later. One of them landed on his head.
"Man, I'm getting tired guys" he panted. "I need to lose some pounds." The cyclops glanced at Faith, thinking for a moment. "Hey, maybe she could help."
"Oh sure" said Anya sarcastically. "Let the vicious outsider.." the demon paused, a smile spreading over her face. "I know, what if she helps?"
"I just said that" Xander frowned.
"So, wanna lend a hand?" Anya asked Faith. "Come on, work with me! Use that, uh.. Slayerness."
"Huh?" said Faith, confused.
"Guess it's time for me to give you a lesson, Faith" Buffy smirked. "Watch and learn." The Princess ran into the crowd of birds yelling loudly to frighten them away.
"Yeah!" Xander cheered. "Do it again!"
"You have a go" said Buffy, turning to Faith. The Outsider hesitated for a moment, then mirrored the Princess's actions, scattering the birds yet again.
"Yee-haa!" shouted Anya, jumping on Xander's back as they chased the birds further downhill. Buffy grinned, following them and gesturing for Faith to do the same.
"Why are we doin' this, B?" asked Faith, confused. "What's the point of this training?"
"Training?" Buffy laughed. "This is just for fun!"
"Fun?" Faith frowned, as though the word was new to her.
"Gee, you've got to get out more often!" Anya chuckled, still being piggybacked by Xander. "Fun! Yee-haa!"
"Yee-haa.." Faith tried, slightly unsure at first, but then her confidence grew, and she sped faster down the hill. "Yee-haa!" She collapsed into a full-blown fit of laughter. "YEE-HAA!" Then, they skidded to a stop, just short of crashing into the gang of angry looking Fyarl demons on which the birds had perched themselves.
"Uh-oh" said Xander. Faith, who had never seen a Fyarl in the Outlands, froze in panic.
"Faith, move!" cried Buffy, grabbing the other girl's arm and dragging her away as the angry demons gave chase. The group fled, managing to keep just ahead of the demons. They turned a corner and squeezed into a tight crevice in the side of a rock, laughing when the Fyarl's passed by, oblivious.
"Wow, that was a blast!" Faith grinned.
"Sorry" said Xander, embarassed. His three female companions erupted into laughter again.
"You know what? You're okay, kid" Anya chuckled, giving Faith a noogie. She and Xander squeezed out of the crevice, and it was then that Buffy and Faith realised how tight a squeeze getting in had really been. There was barely a millimetre between their faces, and when Buffy moved, her lips unintentionally brushed against Faith's.
"Sorry!" she cried in embarrassment, blushing as she scrambled out of the crevice. "Sorry about that, um.." Faith squeezed out after her, and they stood in uncomfortable silence for a few moments, until Anya called out to them.
"Hey, are you two coming or what?" she yelled, breaking the awkwardness. Buffy and Faith smiled, then followed their friends.
Faith spent a fun-filled day with Buffy and her friends, and it soon got to a point where the Outsider almost forgot that their friendship was just supposed to be a part of Glory's evil plan. It also seemed that her feelings for the Princess were growing into more than just friendship. That night, the two of them laid together in a grassy field, looking up at the stars and pointing out pictures they thought they could see in them.
"Look, there's a bunny!" Buffy laughed, pointing. "Good thing Anya's not here."
"Yeah" Faith grinned, remembering a bunny encounter with the demon earlier that day. "Hey, that looks like two vampires killin' each other for a drop of blood!" Buffy gave Faith a strange look, and she began to feel embarassed. "I've, uh.. never done this before."
"Really?" asked Buffy, surprised. She looked back to the stars. "My Mom and I used to do this all the time when I was young. She says that the great Kings and Queens of the past watch over us from up there."
"Do you think Wilkins is up there?" Faith asked. When Buffy fell silent, she sighed, standing up and taking a few steps away. "He wasn't my father, but he was still.. a part of me." Buffy moved to stand beside her.
"My Mom said that there was a.. a darkness in Wilkins that he couldn't escape."
"Maybe there's a darkness in me too" said Faith sadly.
"I don't think so" Buffy whispered. She closed her hand over Faith's, then turned the other girl to face her, kissing her softly.
"Now it's gettin' good" Faith grinned.
"Uh-huh" Sophie agreed.
