Author: Lucinda

Rating: pg/pg13

Main characters: Willow, Faith - mention of Willow/Oz, Faith/Oz and Willow/David

Tenth in 'Through the Eyes...'

Disclaimer: I hold no legal rights to any characters or concepts from the series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' or the movie 'Lost Boys'. No profit is being made.

Distribution: Anyone who has permission for the previous 'Through the Eyes', otherwise please ask first.

Note: This has diverged after Lover's Walk, and is still in season 3.

Willow leaned back in the chair, flipping across the channels. News, C-Span, football, soap opera, different soap opera, car commercial, Pepsi commercial, more news, some sort of commercial involving a woman barely wearing a pair of jeans... There was nothing on the television tonight.

She wouldn't be bored if David was with her. Of course, they probably wouldn't be here flipping channels either. But he'd gone out to try to get a bit more information on the weird camouflage guys. Her homework was done, she'd read through the book on differing vampiric bloodlines until she didn't think she'd be able to keep any more straight in her head, and she'd painted all of her nails a shimmering orange color. Willow was completely out of things to do.

"Something... anything?" Willow glanced towards the ceiling, wondering if asking for distraction from her boredom would be considered blasphemy by her parents' rabbi. "I'd even settle for my parents calling in from wherever they are this week."

As if in answer to her prayer, there was a tapping at the front door.

Willow got out of the chair, wondering who it could be. David had a key, he wouldn't knock unless his hands were full, and besides, she would be able to feel him if he was that close. Xander was probably watching his wrestling show, even though it was obviously choreographed. As she moved closer, Willow realized that there was a single human heartbeat outside, and the itchy feeling of a Slayer.

Placing her hand on the doorknob, Willow frowned. Why would Buffy be here? Had she found something weird on patrol? No, the tapping would have been an urgent pounding. "Buffy?"

"Wrong Slayer." Came an amused voice from the other side.

"Faith?" Willow blinked, feeling even more puzzled. She and Faith had never been friends, never really been close enough to be anything more than acquaintances. Why would Faith be on her doorstep at night? "Is something wrong?"

"Can we talk?" Faith asked.

Willow opened the door, carefully not reaching out or giving a verbal invitation. "What did you want to talk about?"

Faith smiled, not quite her normal confident smirk, and sauntered in, hands tucked into the pockets of her leather jacket. Awkwardly, Faith pulled off the jacket, which had a stake tucked in an inside pocket, and put it over a hook near the door. "So... can we sit?"

Willow could feel Faith, like a patch of itchy sunshine right there, close enough to reach out and touch. She didn't know why the dark haired slayer was here, and wasn't sure that she'd like it, but... If she didn't try to find out, she'd never know. And if Faith was meaning trouble, wouldn't she have just attacked? "There's a couch and some chairs."

They made their way into the living room, where the television was currently playing a commercial for the new Volkswagon. Willow sighed and just turned off the television. "There is nothing entertaining on tonight."

Faith chocked back a laugh, and shook her head as she settled on the couch. "So… umm… Buffy seems to think that you and Oz will be trying to get back together."

"What?" Willow blinked, and her careful settling on the chair became a graceless collapse. "Me and Oz? But… but… there isn't a me and Oz anymore! I've got someone else, there's a me and David now."

"David?" Faith chuckled. "Not that big dolt on the football team?"

"Same name, different guy." Willow smiled. "I'm not… I'd like it if I could be friends with Oz again, but… I have David now. I'm not going to be dating Oz, or trying to date him."

"Well, that's a bit of a relief." Faith smiled a little, her hands grabbing a decorative throw pillow. "Have you mentioned this to B?"

"I mentioned it, but she apparently thinks that she knows what I'm thinking better than I do." Willow sighed, wondering if this was a new thing, or if it was just part of Buffy wishing things could be the way they used to be. "I saw you and Oz talking today, at lunch."

"You did?" Faith looked over, startled. "We… I…"

"Oz is a great guy." Willow sighed, and leaned on one hand. "He's smart, and sweet, and he can make you feel special. And it looks like you've noticed that."

"How do you feel about that?" Faith's question was barely whispered. Before David had followed her to Sunnydale, Willow would have missed it entirely.

"It'll take a bit of time to get used to it, honestly. I'm not with him, and there's no reason that he can't be with someone else, but… It was a surprise, and it'll take a while before the idea doesn't feel weirdly new. Does that make sense?" Willow tried to explain.

"Yeah, it does." Faith seemed to relax, and then frowned, sitting up sharply. "Red, why… something's different about you."

"You noticed." Willow tried to think of the best, safest way to explain things, quickly concluding that there didn't seem to be a particularly good sounding answer. "Buffy didn't notice anything earlier."

"Okay, I noticed something, but… what is it?" Faith was blinking, and looked as if she felt almost queasy, or at least off balance.

For a moment, the silence and tension filled the room. Willow licked her lips, feeling nervous, and whispered "I'm a half vampire now. It's not the whole thing, and it doesn't seem too hard to cope with, but… apparently you can pick up on it."

Faith blinked, and glanced at the book on vampiric bloodlines that sat on the table. "Light reading, or a search for personal answers?"

"Answers." Willow glanced at Faith, trying to figure out how the Slayer was taking this. "Sometimes, a book will have answers to questions that you don't even know you need to know."

"You were in the sunshine earlier. Are you still all… soulful, like B's dearest Angel?" Faith sounded as if she was trying to put bits of information together in her head.

"I can go in the sunshine, it just feels brighter, hence the sunglasses. I'm supposed to be a bit stronger, but I haven't really tried to test that one." Willow decided not to tell the Slayer everything, like about flipping that jerk at Willie's, or that she was drinking blood now. "The weirdest part is the funky ghosty reflection. Sort of cool and sort of scary."

"There was stuff about half vamps in one of the books my first Watcher had." Faith's voice was soft, and she'd curled her feet under, her posture now one that would be almost impossible to attack quickly from. It actually looked like the sort of way people were sitting in the slumber parties on television and in movies. "Something about most of the perks, not so many weaknesses… and almost impossible to reverse. And it wasn't the sort of thing that you just… bang, wake up with fangs."

"Well, no. David gave them to me." Willow confessed. "I'm still me, just…. A bit tougher now."

"David's a vampire?" Faith blinked, looking more sharply at Willow. "Your guy is a vampire?"

"And yours is a werewolf." Willow shrugged, trying not to look guilty. "And Buffy wants a vampire. At least mine isn't going to misplace his soul and go bonkers."

"Point." Faith shrugged, settling back with the pillow clutched to her. "Will he be a danger?"

"David didn't come here to bag a Slayer, or open the Hellmouth. He doesn't want to trigger an apocalypse, and has been eating in moderation." Willow sighed, rubbing at her temple. "I went through this with Giles, twice now."

"So why did he come to Sunnydale?" Faith asked.

"Because he was worried about me." Willow found herself grinning sappily. "Isn't that sweet?"

Faith gave an exaggerated groan and tossed the pillow towards the red head. "Past sweet and into sap, Red."

Willow just laughed, and stuck her tongue out at Faith. "That's why. Why I want to spend my future with David. And part of why things with Oz… they won't be like that again."

Faith grinned, looking for another little pillow. "So, you keeping fang-boy in line? Are you Santa's helper and making sure that he's not a naughty boy?"

"Define naughty," Willow murmured.

"Red!" Faith gasped, sounding surprised. "Way to go… I wouldn't have guessed that you'd have it in you."

Naturally, this was the moment when it was proven that half vampires could still turn an unflattering tomato red. Willow squeaked and cringed behind the little pillow, knowing that she was blushing. "Yeah, yeah… Nobody figures I'd know anything about sex. But honestly, girls talk in the locker rooms, and at the lunchroom, and I know Buffy… And I do have a computer."

Faith shook her head, smiling. "I guess I had underestimated you. So… does this… are we…?"

"Friends?" Willow offered, trying to read what Faith might be trying to say. "I'd say that we aren't yet, but maybe we could be. It's a nice start."

"I could use a few of those." Faith commented. "Good luck with you and David."

"Thanks. And for you and Oz… just remember, biting can pass on lycanthropy, so you probably shouldn't let him. Unless Giles and his books give the safe light, but… umm… how would you go about asking that one?"

"This is me. I'd just catch him alone and ask." Faith replied, her lips curving into a smile. "Think he'd snap the glasses?"

Willow pondered the image, giggling at the idea. "That's sort of mean…. And funny."

Faith stood up, her hands smoothing over her clothing. "Well… I'm supposed to be out on patrol, so I should probably be going. Maybe we can hang sometime, or you could patrol with on another night?"

Willow took the offer for what it was, and smiled. "That might be nice."

Things certainly were changing. Nothing would be the same as last fall at this rate… She could only hope that most of the changes wouldn't be bad.

End Eyes 10: Through the Eyes of a Girlfriend.