Chapter 2

What best friends do.

Faith couldn't help but smile at Tara, who was fidgeting beside her as they stood at Buffy's door. Tara looked at Faith and gave her a nervous smile. Faith reached out and placed her hand on Tara's bicep and squeezed it slightly. When Faith had first suggested going to dinner at the Summers home Tara had only blinked a few times and tried to answer but her stutter was so bad she couldn't get it out. Which was answer enough for Faith. Tara was nervous that Buffy and Mrs. S wouldn't like her, our that she would get so nervous that her stutter would make it impossible for her to be understood by the two other women. Faith didn't want to talk Tara into doing anything that she didn't want to do so had said that they wouldn't go. An hour later Tara looked at Faith over a game of gin that they were playing.

"F-Faith, I uh think you s-should go to your friends. I mean Mrs. Summers i-is ex-expecting you right."

"I'm only going if your goin. And I don't want you to be uncomfortable Tare." Tara smiled and looked down.

"I'll be okay if your there." she said quietly, "a-and maybe if you d-draw attention away from me if I s-start stt-tt-sturing to much." Faith gave Tara a rare full on grin.

"Hey, I'm the best at getting unwanted and wanted attention." Tara laughed and nodded in agreement.

So here they were standing at Buffy's door Faith waiting for the ok from Tara to knock. Finally Tara took a deep breath and nodded Faith raised her hand and knocked two quick knocks smiling at Tara who was now tapping her hand on her thigh in nervousness. The door opened and Buffy looked at Faith and Tara, it took Buffy a few seconds to process the unlikely duo in front of her. Faith with black leather pants on, a tight white somewhat nicer than her usual blouses, and a smirk on her a face covered in heavy makeup. And the yet unidentified girl with her honey blond hair, long sleeved loose pink peasant top, a flowing tan skirt, and a shy smile on her make up free face. Buffy blinked and then remembered her manners moving aside so both girls could come into her home.

"Hey Faith you came."

"Stating the obvious there B." Faith raised an eyebrow at Buffy who scowled slightly at Faith. "This is my friend Tara, Tara Buffy." Faith shook Tara's hand. Buffy still looked a little confused. She was studying Tara, almost as though she couldn't believe Faith had been telling the truth about actually having a friend.

"Um yeah nice to meet you Tara, come on in guys." She led them to the living room where Joyce was stocking another log on the fire. To which Faith raised her eyebrows at. Buffy smiled and just shrugged. Joyce looked up and smiled at the new comers. She stood and gave Faith an awkward hug.

"Faith you came. Buffy said you most likely wouldn't. Oh who's your friend Buffy mentioned something about a friend."

"This is Tara, Tare Mrs. Summers."

"N-nic-nice to m-meet yo-you." Tara blushes and looks down. Joyce looks at Faith questioningly. But Faith just smiles.

"Hey Mrs. S, we got a few more gifts for your tree. These are from Tare." She hands Mrs. S three square packages. "And this is for Tare." Faith hands over a small neatly wrapped package."

"Thank you Tara, That's very thoughtful. And Faith thank you for your gifts."

"Not a problem Ms. S"

Things looked like they were going well. Presents, dinner and a quiet, somewhat intelligent conversation. Intelligent conversation was something Faith was surprised she actually liked. It was nice having someone talk to her like she wasn't some kind of idiot, or a five year old. But then of course Angel showed up, 'in Buffy's Bedroom like a freaky stalker' thought Faith as she and Tara sat with Joyce drinking hot coca. The fact that he was insane didn't ease Faith's weird vibes any. Buffy had rushed out, promising to tell Faith everything as soon as things got resolved. Faith wasn't going to hold her breath. But she wasn't going to leave Tara our Buffy's mom alone just in case Angel came back to the house with a little less soul than any of the Scooby's liked. Buffy might trust the boy but Faith sure as hell didn't.

Then it started to snow. Faith couldn't believe it. She remember winters in Boston, how it would snow and she would stand out in the sidewalk next to her apartment and spread her hands letting the pure white snow fall on her. Without realizing it she found herself doing just that. Relishing in one of the only good memories of her childhood. Wondering if she would ever forget the bad ones. She didn't notice Tara standing on the porch looking out, smiling softly at Faiths childlike demeanor as she twirled around. Tara wasn't a stranger to snow, her grandparents had lived in Ohio and her family had spent a few winter breaks with them, she also remember a few good memories of her and her brother having snowball fights, when her brother was actually still at least a little nice to her. She stepped out of the porch and carefully with the little amount of snow available she made a small snowball. Smirking to herself. It wasn't the greatest snowball but for now it would do. Taking careful aim and then she hurled it at Faith with all her might, which she knew wasn't hard at all. The small ball of compact snow hit Faith square in the back. Faith froze in shock, and astonishment. Then as realization of who was responsible for the very small but very cold snowball hitting her in the back she turned around and looked at Tara, a crooked smile adorned her lips, but she was trying to pull of an innocent how can you accuse me of such a thing, face. A sly smirk worked its way onto Faith's lips as she stoked towards Tara.

Joyce couldn't believe what she was seeing, she had only met Faith once or twice before but she never saw her this care free. This much like a kid. And in that moment Joyce realize that's exactly what Faith was. Just a kid, just like Buffy. Two kids thrown into a role that made them age faster than they should. And Joyce had a feeling that Faith had grown up way before she became a slayer. Joyce got a lump in her throat. She thought about what she had said to Buffy. Yes Faith loved slaying, but maybe that's because that's the only thing she had. No future in school, no real friends not until Tara and from what Joyce understood this relationship was relatively new. From what she saw not much of a love life. Yes she had heard of Faith's get some get gone methods, but that wasn't really love. So what made Buffy worthy of a future and not Faith. Joyce sighed feeling ashamed of herself. Of course she knew as a mother she was naturally inclined to want the best for her daughter, a nice home, good clothes on her back, good food in her stomach, and a bright future. But now watching Faith run around, throwing light snowballs at a giggling Tara, she wondered who had wanted that for Faith. She sighed and shook her head. She'd have to talk to Giles and Buffy later about that. But for now she wanted a good old fashion snowball fight.

Tara hadn't felt so at peace since her mother died. She never realized how good it could feel to have someone to call a friend. Of course not all her feelings were exactly plutonic. She found herself daydreaming about Faiths lips, and eyes and her incredibly soft skin. Not to mention that dimpled smile that could melt ice. No matter what she did she couldn't get the fantasy of running her hands over Faiths cheeks out of her head. Faith would most likely laugh, thinking Tara was joking if Tara ever confessed her true feeling for her best friend, and then after realizing she wasn't would tell her she thought of her just as a friend and then run away screaming. But it was hard not thinking of Faith that way. Everything that came out of her mouth seemed to be some kind of sexual innuendo. Which Tara knew to be more of a defenses mechanism than anything else. They know spent every chance they could together. Faith would always be at the dorms. Reading whenever Tara had to study, she had actually started to read Tara's texts books and Tara had given Faith a notebook in which she would write down questions to things she didn't understand. Then when Tara was done studying would ask her to explain it to her. Tara had actually found that these little sessions, some of which lasted hours helped her to do better on her exams and on her assignments.

Now of course there was the whole vampire thing. Until about three days after Christmas, Tara had known about vampires and of course Slayers. But she had never put Faith and the Scooby gang in with that world. Of course now it was so obvious that Tara felt a little bit stupid. It wasn't until those three vampires came out of the shadows, and taunted the two of them about what good little snacks they would be, and then Faith staking them with a smile, and without even breaking a sweat, that Tara put two and two together. She had a best friend for a slayer. Now that Tara new about the slaying, she could go with her to help. She had a few spells that she could use to help defend Faith a little bit. They still talked, although Tara did most of the talking. Faith would make a few comments, which would give Tara a little bit of insight to Faith but nothing about her past our her secrets. She knew Faith was hurt, more times than anybody should have been in ten lifetimes, in her short life. Tonight Faith was supposed to come over and hang out for a little while. And Tara was a little nervous. She had some extra money now that she had at least one meal at the homeless shelter taken care of during the week, so she had gotten some Chinese food from a restaurant on Main Street. She smiled when there was a knock on the door. And her smile widened when she caught sight of Faith standing on the other side with a bag full of Chinese food.

"L-looks like we're going to h-have a whole lot of f-food today." Faith laughed a little spotting the food on Tara's desk.

"Well it's good left over." Tara smiled and nodded in agreement.

Two hours later they found themselves on the floor, empty boxes of Chinese food all around them, laughing hysterically. At what neither were sure, any more. They knew it had started out with a simple choke told by Tara that was so bad it was funny. Then escaladed with funny stories from their past and then had turned into laughing simply because the other was laughing. Finally they both calmed, only slight chuckles bubbling up now and then.

"So d-did Buffy ever t-tell you what ha-happened with A-angel?" Tara asked. Faith snorted softly.

"Course not, why tell me anything. To them I'm just a spare they can call when needed." Tara nodded and looked down and sighed.

"Sorry Faith." She said and smiled at her gently.

"It's okay Blondie, at least I got you."

"Always." She whispered, and smiled to confirm when Faith looked up surprised at Tara