(For disclaimer, etc.- see chapter 1)

Chapter 9

"All I'm saying is maybe those guys should've tried having a little more... Faith" Xander's comment on today's history class took an unexpected turn as he, Willow, and Buffy got to the school gates and found the blonde's half-sister there, leaning on the railings and smoking a cigarette.

"Faith?" Buffy frowned when she spotted her, worried most especially because Faith only usually smoked when she was extremely drunk or something was bothering her.

"Hey, kid" her step-sister half smiled and put her cigarette out on the ground, "What's happenin'?" she asked as she pushed her sun glasses up on top of her head.

"Not much" Buffy shook her head, "Er, are you okay?" she checked, as she said a quick goodbye to her friends and they headed off home in the opposite direction.

"Kinda what I wanted to ask you actually" Faith admitted, "Been hearin' stories about you and that slimebag Abrams" she said, sounding a little annoyed, "Hey, wait a sec, wasn't he the guy I told you not to go anywhere near!" she said, sarcasm and anger edging her words.

"Faith, do we have to make a big about this?" Buffy sighed, "I made a mistake, I learned my lesson, blah, blah, blah" she said, waving her hand in a bored gesture, "It's not like you don't mess up or do the wrong thing"

"We're different types, B" Faith pointed out, "I get in a jam, I can get myself out. You, you're just an innocent little kid and..."
"Excuse me!" Buffy gasped, "Self-righteous, much? I am so not a kid"

"You're sixteen" her sister told her matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, and at my age you'd already got busted for drinking, smoking, shop-lifting, sleeping with that guy..." she counted off the points and was not done yet, but Faith interrupted anyway.

"I ain't you, B" she told her simply, "You and me, we're different people, we do different stuff..." she sighed, "Look, Mom and Giles, they love you, and they don't wanna see you end up..." her sentence tailed off then and Buffy looked sadly at her.

"Like you?" she finished for her, knowing it was what she herself would rather not admit, "Faith, they love you too" she reminded her.

"Yeah, maybe" the brunette smirked, "Whatever, it's not like I need taking care of anymore anyhow, I'm a big girl y'know"

"Everybody needs someone to take care of them" Buffy told her, "And you so have someone for that. What about Spike?"

That particular question made Faith laugh long and loud.

"Spike? Take care of me?" she chuckled, "Yeah, that's a good one. Spike's cool and all, we have fun and I can stand him enough to crash at his place but it ain't like I'm gonna be gettin' hitched and squirtin' out his brats or nothin'" she explained, "I'm not the hearts and flowers type, B, and neither is he. We're just in it for kicks"

"That's kinda sad" Buffy frowned, "Spike is such a great guy, so sweet and cool and majorly hot and..." she noticed the weird look on Faith's face and let that sentence go, "I mean, it was nice of him to look out for me like he did, save me from Parker and all" she said quickly, hoping to take the focus off her 'Spike rocks' riff and onto something else, though perhaps the topic of what had happened with her and Parker was just as uncomfortable.

"Yeah, you were damn lucky he had his eye on you, little sister" Faith told Buffy with an unimpressed look, "I might not be the smartest person in town or nothin', I ain't proud of it but I know that's true, but one thing I know is guys" she told her sister, who nodded that she knew that and agreed, "When I tell you a guy is bad news, you take the advice, got it?"

"Yes, Mom" Buffy said sarcastically, dodging away when Faith pretended to knock her upside her head, "But seriously, I am sorry I didn't listen to you" the younger girl said, looking towards the sidewalk, "I know you know more about this stuff than me"

"Yeah, well" Faith shrugged, "You're too young to be thinking about guys and gettin' bouncy and all anyway"

"Eeeww" her sisters face was a sight to see as she recoiled at that comment, "Gross, Faith. I so was not thinking of doing anything like that with Parker, I think I proved that" she said and her sister nodded that she knew that.

"Still, you got a lot to learn, B" she shook her head, as the pair reached the front gate of 1630 Revello Drive, "I guess I'll see you sometime, whenever" Faith shrugged as she made to walk away, until Buffy called her back.

"Can't you come in for a while? Maybe have something to eat?" she said hopefully, but her sister did not look eager to be going into the house.

"I'm not hungry" she said with a slight shake of her head.

"Then just come say hi to Mom" she urged her, "I know she'd love to see you, she worries about you, I know she does"

"You're sweet, kid" Faith smiled, "but you're a lousy liar. I'll see ya, B" she said as she turned and walked away, leaving Buffy alone.

The blonde was both angry and upset about Faith not coming into the house with her, though most of feelings were aimed at her parents rather than her sister. She did some bad things sometimes, but Buffy loved her sister, no matter what she did. Though she knew her parents loved her older sibling too, she wished they'd say it and show it more. She wanted her family all together, how it used to be, minus the arguments and yelling that often occurred. There wasn't really one person in particular to blame. Faith, their Mom, Giles, they all did their part in making things worse sometimes, Buffy just wished everybody could get along, but the older she got the more she was starting to see that situations were rarely as perfect and good as you would have them be. She was frowning hard when she came into the house and her mother noticed immediately.

"Bad day, sweetheart?" she asked her with a concerned look.

"Not so much" Buffy shook her head, "I mean it wasn't the greatest day ever, but... Mom, don't you miss Faith?" she asked suddenly, causing Joyce to look away.

"She's my daughter Buffy, just like you are" she said, avoiding the point of the question completely as she bent down to re-arrange the magazines on the coffee table and then got up and turned to shift the pictures and paperweights on the mantelpiece.

"That's not an answer" Buffy observed, "I know she's your daughter, but do you miss her?"

The young blonde was quite surprised when her mother turned to face her once again with tears in her eyes.

"Yes Buffy, of course I miss her" she said with a quiver in her voice, "I'm not saying I miss the yelling or the arguments or the calls from the police but... she's my baby girl, no matter how old she is or what she does. Of course I miss her" she repeated, wiping her eyes so that the tears couldn't escape down her cheeks.

Buffy felt awful for having brought up the subject now, as she crossed the room and gave her mother a hug that Joyce welcomed.

At least she had her littlest girl here with her, but she was not so naive that she hadn't realised that this wouldn't last forever either. Buffy was not Faith, they were two very different girls despite the fact they were half-sisters, but soon enough the younger girl would grow up, move on, maybe go to college, have a career and a family of her own - time moved so quickly.

"I wish things were how they used to be" Buffy sighed as her mother held her tight.

"Unfortunately, things have to change, sweetheart" Joyce told her, as they parted and she looked at her daughter, tucking her hair behind her ear for her, "It's the way of the world"

"Sure, some things have to change" Buffy agreed, "People are born, people die, everybody has to grow up and get old and stuff, but love doesn't change" she said thoughtfully, "You don't just stop loving somebody, like, you and Faith, you still love each other"

"Well, of course we do, Buffy" Joyce smiled, "That won't ever change. I'll always love you and your sister, and your father too, obviously"

"Maybe you could tell Faith that" her daughter advised, "I just think maybe it'd help" she shrugged before heading for the stairs to go up to her room and deal with her homework. She hoped she'd given her mother something to think about, and that hopefully everything would get back to normal soon.

In the meantime she had History, English, Geometry... Buffy's head spun as she pulled her books out of her bag and assessed the stack of homework she had to do. This was the part where she envied Faith, the part where she had so much to do and was reminded of how little her sister had to do each day. She didn't work, she just had fun, went out to the Bronze for drinks and dancing, and she had Spike to do all that with. Buffy sighed at the thought of her literal hero. He'd saved her last night and she would always be eternally grateful to him for that.


"'Nother tough day of daytime telly then, eh luv?" Spike rolled his eyes as he returned from work and looked towards the couch expecting to find his girlfriend on it like she usually was, "Faith?" he called, looking around for her but she clearly wasn't there.

Not really very concerned by her absence, Spike went about his business, taking a shower and changing his clothes, then ordering take-out.

When there was a knock at the door he assumed it was his pizza and got a surprise when it was Faith.

"What's wrong with your key, you silly bint?" Spike asked her as he let her in.

"I forgot it" she shrugged, pulling off her jacket before she was barely through the door and pushing Spike til he fell backwards onto the couch. She was on him in a second, lips crushed to his, hands roaming his body. Though Spike had no idea what had got her so in the mood so suddenly, he wasn't so stupid he was about to object as he kissed her back in equal measure, passion rising as she made his body yearn for her the way only Faith could. They knew each other so well, it was all automatic.

The phone threatened to interrupt their fun, but they both ignored the ringing, Faith muttering something about someone leaving a message if they cared enough to. She soon changed her tune when her mother's voice could be heard through the answering machine.

"Faith, honey, it's Mom" Joyce said awkwardly.

The very sound of her voice dampened the couples ardour considerably as they parted, attempting to calm themselves down as they listened to the message as it was left.

"I was thinking, things between us, they shouldn't be like this" Joyce continued, "I don't want us to be enemies, sweetheart, so I was wondering... would you come over on Saturday, after lunch? I think we should spend some time as a family, talk through things. I just want things to be how they were" she echoed words Buffy had said to her just a couple hours before as Faith listened with a strange expression on her face.

"Well, pet" Spike sighed, as he ran his hand back through his hair to straighten it out, "There's a turn up for the books"

"Yeah" Faith said absently, her mood completely changed by one simple message.

To Be Continued...