Sorry for the delay, this school thing really sucks! The next update will be sooner, I promise!

Part 6

She looked up at her friend's eyes and burst out laughing, then directed her gaze towards the retreating form of her mother who was shaking her head. Grinning again she nudged Faith and chuckled again. Her mom had just picked them up from the planetarium, where, much to Ren's surprise, Faith had asked her to take them. But the whole way back Faith had been making her laugh and that had resulted in Eileen Stevens calling them both two giggling, little girls, much to Faith's dismay of course.

Ren turned her head up towards the sky, knowing she wouldn't be seeing too many stars. She still couldn't believe Faith had taken her to the planetarium, Ren didn't even know how the other girl had found out about her love of astronomy. The brunette couldn't remember anyone ever taking her anywhere just to cheer her up, let alone to one of her most favorite places. If the thing with the pen hadn't been the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her, then this definitely was.

Sighing, she pushed the door open gently, stepping inside the house, followed closely by Faith. The older brunette closed the door behind them, giving her friend a warm smile and Ren was just about say something when they both spotted two heads turning towards them from the sofa to their far right. Ren just about choked when she saw just who was sitting in their living room with Donnie, watching movies, and she unconsciously took a step backwards.

"Uh…hey Buffy, what're you doing here?" Faith was the first to find her voice as the four teens stared at each other in silence.

The blonde girl blinked, glancing at Donnie and then shrugged, "I got bored so I called up Donnie to see if he wanted to hang. Where'd you guys go?"

When Buffy said the word 'guys' Ren even winced, for she could've sworn the blonde girl was throwing daggers her way by just looking at her. So she took another step back, but also closer to Faith, which she figured wasn't such a good idea as Buffy stood up and walked over to them.

"Just around," Faith shrugged and looked at Ren who was looking cautiously at the blonde girl, but then glanced up as the dark-haired boy walked up behind Buffy.

"Well, I was going to head home anyway, mom's cooking dinner. You coming Faith?" Buffy asked, a small smile on her lips as she grabbed her jacket, then turned to hug Donnie as Faith nodded yes. She walked up to the door, figuring the brunette would just follow right away, but narrowed her eyes as she saw the two girls hugging.

"Hey thanks, I had a great time…I'll see ya tomorrow, right?" Faith mumbled into the shorter girl's ear, but Buffy had no trouble hearing and actually had to stop herself from growling.

After smiling at Ren, and receiving a bright one in return, Faith followed the blonde out into the cold evening air. She hoped the walk home, that usually wasn't longer than 5 minutes, wouldn't turn out to be a total disaster.

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"So, what's going on between you and…Ren?" Buffy asked softly; she figured it was better to get right to what was on her mind, instead of beating around the bush. Stuffing her hands deep down into her pockets as she glanced at the brunette walking next to her, the blonde hoped that the answer wasn't the one she'd been fearing. Because if it was, then not only had she lost Faith, but she'd also have to seriously injure another human being; not that that really was a problem.

"Nothing…we're just good friends…why?" Faith shrugged, looking at the blonde with a questioning look.

"I don't know…the way you act around her, it just sort of reminds me of us at the beginning," the blonde responded, hoping that the bitterness and anger she felt wasn't audible in her voice.

"No," the brunette shook her head, looking down at the street, "no…it was different with you and me at the beginning."

"How's that?" Buffy asked, looking at Faith and licking her lips. She couldn't help but hope that the brunette was still feeling something for her; in fact she knew Faith hadn't just stopped feeling for Buffy.

"'Cause I knew I loved you from the first time I saw you," the younger girl responded quietly, eventually lifting her head and looking into hazel eyes.

Buffy smiled softly, then shook her head and hardened her gaze, "And you're willing to throw all that away?" She heard the brunette scoff and decided to look away, before she might give a harsh look or something of the likes.

"Me? You're the one that cheated…you can't tell me that if I'd been the one to sleep with some random guy, that you would've just accepted me back with open arms as if nothing had happened!"

Sighing, the blonde swallowed the biting remark about Faith and being promiscuous and looked up at her ex-girlfriend, "No, of course not…but I still wouldn't've denied my feelings for you, Faith. And I know you can't either…Faith, I love you and I know you didn't just stop loving me."

"Buffy, I know that I still have feelings for you but…it's just not that easy!" Faith shook her head, rubbing a hand across tired eyes and hoped the blonde would just let it drop. She wasn't in the mood to talk about their relationship, or lack thereof.

"I know that…but can't we at least try? Can't we try to work things out and get back together?" the blonde pleaded, wishing she didn't have to resort to this, but if it worked she wasn't going to complain. Sure, she did love Faith, but somehow during the past month this had become about not letting that little, skanky geek have Faith, either.

"I don't know…I said it'd take time, and I'll say that again. I don't know if I'm ready to get back together, I'm not even sure I want that right now, Buffy."

"Will you at least think about it?"

Faith slowed her step and looked at Buffy, then straight ahead to where their house was coming up, "Yeah…I'll think about it."

Buffy gave her a soft smile as they entered the driveway, but internally her response wasn't as soft. She was practically cheering…Faith was hers once again.

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Ren sat on the staircase, her elbows resting on her knees, her chin resting on her hands. She was more than confused about what was going on between her and Faith. This stuff she was feeling, it just couldn't be happening. All this was way over her head and the brunette sighed, knowing that she probably wasn't going to get a good night's sleep. A voice coming from the bottom of the stairs made her head snap up, and the brunette looked at her mom with a confused look.

"Ren? Why are you sitting there on the stairs?"

She sighed, brushing a strand of dark hair behind her ear and looked at her mom for a few seconds, "Mom…can I ask you something?"

Her mother hesitated, wondering what this was about, but eventually nodded, holding out her hand for her daughter to take. Ren slowly followed the older woman into the living room, sitting on the sofa next to her mother and decided that staring at her feet was just as productive as conversation.

"So honey, what'd you want to ask?" Eileen finally questioned, watching her daughter look anywhere but in her eyes.

"Well…say there's this person…and…they like another person, but the other person doesn't know how that person feels and they might still be in love with a third person, who the first person knows probably isn't any good for them…but they can't say that or how they feel because the person might not like them back and…," Ren started, not noticing the totally confused look she was receiving from her mother, who eventually decided to stop her.

"Honey, what…what are you talking about?" the redheaded woman asked softly, having a feeling that she already knew what this was about.

"One person liking another who might not like them back because they like someone else?" the brunette girl raised an eyebrow, looking at her mom who looked back at her, opened her mouth but then stopped before she could say anything.

Eileen Stevens closed her mouth, not sure what she really wanted to say. She had her suspicions, they were probably true as well, but she wasn't sure how to go about this. Figuring the best way to do this was probably just come right out and say it, the older woman placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder and looked at her.

"Is this about you and Faith?" She was surprised herself at how calm and steady her voice sounded, nowhere near what she was really feeling. It wasn't really the fact that her daughter might like another girl; although as much as she wished it didn't, it still made her feel slightly uncomfortable. She just wasn't totally sure she wanted to give her 15-year-old daughter relationship advice.

"Wh…what?" Ren stuttered, flinching at her mom's touch.

"Honey, do you like Faith? More than in a 'good friend' way?" her mom asked softly, knowing that she probably wasn't the only one not too good at this relationship advice stuff.

"I…uh…well…," Ren started nervously, then took a deep breath; if she really wanted some advice from her mom she was probably better off spilling the beans, "uh…yes…I like her, that way."

Eileen Stevens took a deep breath, looking at her daughter who lowered her head, almost as if ashamed and she knew there was only one thing for her to do. Make the girl know that it was the most normal thing in the world to have crushes on people, no matter if boy or girl.

"Well, have you told her?"

"Uh…no," the brunette answered, surprised that her mom didn't even care that she liked another girl; it was as if it didn't really matter at all. She looked up at her mom who had an expectant look on her face and shrugged her shoulders, "I just don't know mom…I mean, she's got that flirty, charming way with everybody, so I don't know if she feels the same way. And then there's still the issue of Buffy, her ex, who isn't very intent on letting go."

"I see…why did they break up in the first place?" the older woman questioned, leaning back against the sofa as her daughter did the same.

Ren grimaced and looked at her mom, she wasn't sure if that was something to share with a parent, "Uh mom…you might not want to know."

Her mom only smiled and raised an eyebrow, letting the girl know that she wanted every piece of information. By the time Ren did go to bed it was late, way too late for her to get a good night's sleep and do perfect on the Chem test the next morning, but to her it was worth it. Not that her mother's advice to 'just go and tell her how you feel' didn't make her extremely nervous. While trying to fall asleep the girl tried to think of a perfect place and time to tell Faith how she really felt.

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"Hey," she smiled, sitting down next to the brunette girl at the table. Brown eyes met hers and a grin spread across the girl's face at the sight of her.

"What are you so happy about?" the girl laughed, eyeing her friend who looked like the cat who at the canary.

"Well," Ren leaned back against the lunch-table, her elbow resting on the old wood, her legs dangling off the bench they were sitting on, "there's this thing on Saturday…and my brother's band is playing so since I'm lead singer I gotta be there…and…"

Faith held up a hand to stop her, raising an eyebrow at the brunette in front of her, "Wait a second…you're in a band?"

Shrugging her shoulders the younger girl glanced around the lunchroom without much interest, then looked back at her friend, "Yeah…well it's kind of Louis' band, but hey…anyway, Louis got us this gig at some kid's party this Saturday and…"

Again Ren was interrupted by Faith's hand, that quickly shot up before she had a chance to continue and the older girl looked at her incredulously, "You sing?"

Ren laughed softly and nodded, then continued with what she had been meaning to say for the past few minutes, "Yes, I sing. But what I was trying to say, before someone interrupted me, was that I'm gonna be at this party and since Louis said I could bring a friend or two…well I was wondering whether you'd wanna come?"

After a few seconds of silence from the older girl, Ren started to become nervous, hoping she hadn't said something to scare the other girl away, "But you…don't have to come…if you don't want to…I mean…it's fine if you don't want to…come…"

Faith broke out into a wide grin that made Ren's heart jump just a little bit, "And miss you sing? Not a chance girlfriend."

Breathing out a sigh of relief, the shorter girl looked at her friend, who still seemed amazed at the idea of her being the lead singer of a band and shook her head. Now if she could just get herself to tell Faith how she really felt…

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The woman looked at the girl in front of her with a concerned expression and sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time in five minutes, "Faith…you know I don't want you going to those head-banging get-togethers where you need at least one tattoo or unconventional piercing to even be let in…"

The brunette girl suppressed a groan and tried hard not to roll her eyes, then cocked her head slightly and put on her best 'innocent' expression before speaking, "Yes mom, I know that…and I completely understand your concern. Which is why this party is absolutely nothing like that…some Junior from my school is throwing a very normal, rich-kids party. Ren invited me, and mom you know she'd never go to one of those bad parties that you don't like."

Joyce Summers raised her eyebrows, watching in interest as Faith tried to convince her to let her go to this party. It was hard to try and not laugh at the girl's expression, but she somehow managed. She was just about to consider allowing the girl to go, when Buffy, who was sitting on the sofa next to her, chimed in.

"Mom…you said that you won't let us go out until we've done all our homework and have good grades. What ever happened to that?"

Heaving a sigh, the older woman nodded and looked back at Faith, who was wearing a defeated expression, "Well, she is right, Faith."

"But I did all my homework already," the brunette mumbled, looking at Joyce pleadingly.

"How about your schoolwork? You said you weren't doing so great in Chemistry…how was your test?" Joyce watched as the girl looked away and sighed, she hated to do this almost; Faith had improved in every class much to her surprise, but Chemistry still gave her problems and Joyce just couldn't ignore the rule she'd imposed.

"I…I don't know…haven't gotten it back, yet. But…I mean…if I did well on the test I'll have a B in Chem. Do you think I can go then?"

Joyce looked at the girl, then nodded slowly. She didn't really want to have to tell the girl that she couldn't go to the party, Faith was working very hard, but it wasn't fair to impose rules on Buffy that weren't going to apply to the brunette. Faith nodded as well and slowly walked up the stairs without as much as another word, but her motherly instinct told her something might just be wrong. Hoping the girl would come to her with any problems, Joyce Summers settled back into the sofa to watch her movie.

TBC