Giles and Dominick's fun version of training involved Faith and Buffy fighting one another until one of them managed to knock the other on the ground. They were now in the middle of their third fight and both girls were exhausted and sore. At this moment, Faith snapped off a kick at Buffy's chest, Buffy caught Faith's foot in the air and flipped her over, knocking her to the ground. Faith hit the mat and rolled and was soon on her feet assuming fighting position.
"Girls, I believe that is quite enough for today." Giles told them, seeing that it was nearing five and Buffy's mom would be at the school to get her and her younger sister any minute. Both girls let out a sigh of relief and collapsed on the mat, Giles and Dominick handing them bottles of water.
" You aren't a bad fighter." Buffy commented, taking a long gulp of water.
" Thanks, you aren't so bad yourself." Faith told Buffy.
" Yes, you are both strong fighters." Dominick told the girls, " but tonight you will be put to the test when you patrol the cemeteries."
"Yep, so Faith you'll be at my place around seven and then we can patrol after that?" Buffy asked and Faith nodded.
"For what girls?" Giles asked.
"Dinner, nosy, I invited Faith, Xander and Willow over for dinner, do you have a problem with that?" Buffy asked, if Giles and Dominick hadn't figured out by now, she had a problem with authority big time.
"Right, well I suppose that is fine, just as long as you do patrol afterwards." Giles said.
"So glad I have your okay, well I probably should get changed before my mom gets here." Buffy said getting up off the mat and offering her hand to Faith, pulling the other girl to her feet.
"Umm yes you should." Giles said, as the slayers walked out of the library and nearly ran right into Dawn, Willow and Xander.
"Buffy!" Dawn shouted running up to her sister. When she saw how sweaty her sister was, her nose wrinkled in disgust. "Eww your all sweaty, I though you were getting tutored."
" Hello to you too, Dawn, and how was your afternoon?" Buffy asked ignoring her little sister's question.
"Oh my god it was so great, Willow and Xander are like the coolest. They took me to get ice cream, and Xander let me ride on his skateboard and Willow helped me do all my homework." Dawn said excitement rising in her voice; Buffy couldn't help but laugh at her sister's enthusiasm.
"She wasn't too much for you was she?" Buffy asked her friends noticing the tired looks on their faces.
"Nope, nothing lots of food can't make up for." Xander said smirking and Buffy smiled back.
"Well, let me get changed real fast and then I will be back. Dawn don't cause any trouble, go sit quietly in the library with Willow and Xander until I get you." Buffy commanded her younger sister. Dawn rolled her eyes and stomped away. When Buffy had finished changing Joyce was already there waiting for Buffy and Dawn. When they got home Buffy helped Joyce fix dinner for her friends.
" You know Buffy I wished you had given me more notice." Joyce reprimanded her eldest.
"Sorry mom," Buffy said sheepishly, " I just thought it would be nice." She was in the midst of setting the table when she heard the doorbell ring and Dawn shout I'll get it.
"Hey Dawnster." Buffy heard Xander say rumpling Dawn's hair. Buffy peeked out from the dining room and saw her friends standing in the doorway.
"Hey guys, I'm in here." She called to her friends and they walked into the dining room, all greeting her. Joyce came out of the kitchen with a bowl of salad in her hands and set it on the table.
" Hey kids." Joyce said when she had noticed their guests had arrived.
"Oh sorry, mom, this is Willow, Xander and Faith." Buffy said and she couldn't help but notice the shocked look on her mother's face when she said the name Faith and she knew her mother was wondering if this could be Buffy's twin, her other daughter.
"Nice to meet you kids." Joyce said going back into the kitchen. As the kids sat down at the table. Buffy and Joyce hadn't made anything spectacular, just some spaghetti, salad and some garlic bread but still everyone ate as much as they could, even going for seconds or thirds in Xander's case. The dinner conversation was mostly filled by Joyce asking the other kids about school, the town and in Faith's case where she was from and why she had decided to move here. When her mother got up from the table to refill the drinks Buffy saw that it was the perfect opportunity to talk to her mom about what was on her mind.
"Mom," Buffy said when they entered the kitchen, the door clicking shut behind them, "I know what your thinking but its not possible, no way."
"I know that honey, but I just can't help it. She looks just like I imagined your sister would it this age. And you know sometimes my mind gets overexcited." Joyce said filling up the glasses.
"Yeah I know mom, but its been ten years. Why would she show up now, why here?" Buffy said, finally being able to put into words what she had been thinking all day.
"I don't know Buffy, but I just want her back so bad, I want to be able to hold her and to see her again." Joyce said, not realizing until it was to late that she had just told Buffy one of her biggest secrets and at that moment she wished she could take it back. Buffy came over and wrapped her arms around Joyce.
"I know mom," she murmured, " I want her back too." They pulled apart then and brought the drinks back to the table.
"Wow, Mrs. Summers that was great thanks for having us over." Willow said.
"You are welcome, Willow, I'm just so glad Buffy was able to find such great friends on her first day." Joyce said, reaching out and patting her eldest's arm.
"Oh yeah Buffy's so perfect, that's why she got kicked out of her last school." Dawn muttered and everyone turned to look at her. Buffy and Faith both had that special slayer hearing so they knew exactly what she had said. Buffy's face turned red with anger and Faith picked at the tablecloth guiltily.
" What was that honey?" Joyce asked her youngest.
"Oh nothing I was just saying I wish I had friends as cool as Buffy's." Dawn said covering up what she had really said.
"Don't worry Dawnie, you'll find friends soon enough." Willow said smiling at the younger girl and Dawn just shrugged looking at the tablecloth.
"Well thanks mom, everything was great but I think we're gonna head upstairs." Buffy said leaning over and kissing her mom's cheek.
"Unless you need some help cleaning up." Faith said.
"No, I'm fine you kids go on ahead." Joyce told the gang.
"Can I hang with you guys?" Dawn asked Buffy, and Buffy opened her mouth to say no but her mom shot her a look.
"Fine Dawn, whatever but you better not touch anything." Buffy said and her sister squealed in delight running up the stairs, everyone else following.
"Cute kid." Faith mumbled a half-smile on her face.
"Oh yeah, the cutest." Buffy said rolling her eyes. She then remembered how messy her bedroom was and immediately was ashamed that she had invited them up. She hadn't finished unpacking yet, and boxes were still strewn about her room. No one else seemed to mind and they soon found places to sit on Buffy's bed. Willow picked up the picture of Buffy and Faith off of the nightstand and studied it intently.
"Who's this?" She asked Buffy.
"My cousin, her name was Faith too, we were close but she had cancer and passed away when we were five." Buffy explained.
"Na-uh Buffy that isn't our...." Dawn started but Buffy cut her off by pinching her, "Oww." She was about to say something about telling mom but then she saw the deadly look in her sister's eyes and knew that she hadn't wanted to tell her friends about her twin.
"So ladies, what do we have going on for tonight? You want to go to the Bronze and get our groove on?" Xander asked, a goofy grin plastered on his face.
"What's that?" Both Faith and Buffy asked in unison causing them to giggle.
"The only place in Sunnydale worth going to, its a club in the bad part of town, but there is always fun to be had there." Willow explained.
"Umm, we'd love to but we kinda promised Dom and Giles we'd pa-" Faith started to say but stopped when Buffy slapped her.
"Study, we-we have to study, at Faith's." Buffy said, nodding her head towards her younger sister who was now going through one of Buffy's drawers.
" Right, we have to study; you know what crazy study nuts we are." Faith remarked.
"Yeah right." Dawn guffawed.
" Hey Dawnie, didn't I tell you not to touch anything?" Buffy asked snatching one of her stuffed animals out of Dawn's hand.
" God, uptight much?" Dawn said sarcastically.
" Well, if ya finish studying you should stop buy, heck I might even buy you girls a drink." Xander said. He had to admit that two new girls moving into town and wanting to hang out with him all in the same day was like a blessing of some sort.
"Yeah, we will, but right now we should probably get to the studying." Buffy said getting up of the bed and walking to the door, motioning for her friends to follow. "Hello, Dawn, now?"
"I get to come with?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah right not on your life but you aren't hanging out in my room while I'm not here." Buffy told her younger sister.
"Fine, I didn't want to hang out in your stupid room anyway." Dawn said stomping down the hall into her own room and slamming the door. Buffy just looked at her friends and shrugged as they walked down the stairs.
"Hey mom, I'm going to study at Faith's I'll be back in a little while." Buffy called to her mother who was still in the kitchen.
"Okay, have fun, and be careful." Joyce called back.
"Doesn't she realize fun and study don't belong in the same sentence?" Xander asked, as they walked out of Buffy's house.
"She's a mom, to her studying is a great big barrel o' fun." Buffy said. They walked for a little while, until they reached the first cemetery. " Well I guess its time to go kick some undead booty."
" You sure you'll be okay to walk?" Faith asked. If this town was as bad with the evil as everyone said they really shouldn't be out walking around after dark.
"Uh-huh," Xander said reaching into his pocket and pulling out a stake, "Me and Will will be just fine thanks to the big bad splinter."
"Xander, that splinter can stand between living and becoming a meal." Buffy said in mock-seriousness, waving goodbye to them as she and Faith began to walk through the graveyard. They walked in silence for most of the time neither knowing just what to say.
" So Faith, what was it like growing up with the council?" Buffy asked.
" Umm strict, I never even got the chance to go to a real school until now." Faith told Buffy.
" Wow, hey do you remember anything about your real parents?" Buffy asked, she didn't really want to pry but she was curious.
" Nope, and Buffy I really don't wanna talk about this okay?" Faith asked and Buffy shrugged muttering an apology. Now it was back to silence, but Buffy felt the hairs on the back of her neck tingle and she knew they were being followed. She stopped dead in her tracks and grabbed Faith's arm to make her do the same. At just the right moment, she spun around in a high kick and nearly hit a man in the face.
" You must be the slayer," He said grinning at her, "Frankly, I thought you'd be bigger, well at least taller." Buffy stared at the man and saw that he was extremely handsome, he had brown hair that was spiked up with gel and soulful brown eyes.
"Okay, now I'm really starting to think someone handed out fliers," Buffy said throwing up her hands in exasperation. " Now tell me who the hell you are and how you know who I am and you might get to keep all of you limbs."
" I'm a friend, and you are big talk in the underground, everything that goes bump in the night knows the slayer is in town." The man said.
" Okay, one I don't need anymore friends, and two that still doesn't tell me who you are, like do you have a name?" Buffy asked.
" Who said I was you friend, and my name is Angel." He told her a grin still on his face.
" So you followed me into a graveyard for what? A conversation or gee maybe a cup of tea?" Buffy said rolling her eyes. The way he kept grinning at her was annoying and irritating her.
" To help you get what you want." Angel said.
" Oh and you care to enlighten me on what I want?" Buffy asked.
" To kill them, to hurt them." Angel said, and Buffy turned to walk away but he grabbed her arm, "You think you know what this town is all about, what lurks in the shadows, but you have no idea. There are forces here stronger than you or the other slayer." Angel said, indicating Faith's presence for the first time.
" Yeah Hellmouth, blah, blah, blah, give it a rest already I've heard it all." Buffy said glibly.
" Fine, so you've heard, just thought I'd warn you." Angel said thrusting a small square box into her hand, Buffy was so struck by his gesture that she just stared at the box in her hand, and by the time she looked up Angel was gone. Faith ran over to Buffy as she opened the box to reveal a silver cross on a silver chain.
" That was wicked weird." Faith remarked, "Who was that guy?"
" He said his name was Angel, and yeah major weirdness factor there, he was tall, dark and handsome in an annoying way. And God is there anyone in this town who doesn't know who we are?" Buffy exclaimed.
"Starting to think not seems like someone got the memo out in time." Faith said, and Buffy just nodded.
" You know what Faith, this patrolling thing isn't happening, lets just call it a night."
" Yeah you're right." Buffy's head was spinning from the day's events and she just wanted to go home and relax. "Well I'll see ya at school tomorrow Buffy." Faith said, waving goodbye to Buffy. Buffy was still wondering if it was possible that Faith was her long lost twin. But more than anything Angel was bothering her. Who was he? Why was he so interested in helping her? And what was with the cross? She made the short walk back to her home and climbed the stairs to her bedroom, laying down and falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.