Title: High School Highs and Lows

Pairing: Buffy/Faith

Summary: Faith has a secret that prevents her from being intimate. Will Buffy finally be the girl to get Faith to open up?

Notes: Faith has a certain medical condition below the waist.

Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any of its affiliated sources, characters, or concepts. Don't own any of this. I don't profit from the BtVS series. I'm just having fun.

"B," Faith called out, catching up with her girlfriend. She grabbed Buffy's arm, and pulled her to the stop. "I do want you around."

"Do you?" she arched her eyebrow questioningly at her girlfriend.

"Yes,"

Buffy smiled, "I'm invited to your movie night?" she pressed a soft kiss to Faith's mouth.

She didn't want to hurt Buffy's feelings, but she felt what she had to tell Xander and Willow should be a moment only involving the three of them. Faith slipped her hands onto Buffy's hips. "Tomorrow you and I could spend the day together, but tonight -"

"Fine," she pouted, slipping out of her girlfriend's hands. "You have fun with your friends, and I'll have fun with mine."

"Its not about having fun without you, Buffy." She stared into her girlfriend's eyes, wanting to make her understand her reasoning for leaving her out. "Xander and Willow are my closest and oldest friends. I haven't been spending enough time with them lately -"

"Are you blaming that on?"

"No -"

"You should be thanking me. The loser squad isn't good for you rep." She immediately regretted her words. "Faith, I didn't mean that," she reached out, grabbing hold of Faith's hand.

She pulled back. "Yes, you did. You probably shouldn't hang around me. I wouldn't want to ruin your rep." She replied coolly.

"I'm sorry, Faith. I should't have said that,"

"Xander and Willow are my best friends and I'm not going to drop them, Buffy."

"I don't want you to," she briefly looked down, ashamed of her words. "Have a good time with them tonight." She pressed a soft kiss against her girlfriend's cheek.

"Have a good time with Cordelia and your friends at The Bronze." She placed a kiss to Buffy's forehead.

"Fight over?" she asked hopefully.

Faith nodded, "Fight over."

(- - - -)

Frank and Gloria listened to their daughter explain that she'd told Buffy about her medical condition. It was surprising to the both of them, and they worried that their daughter might end up regretting her decision and and worse, hurt by having revealing what she had to her girlfriend. Faith's reassurances that Buffy was accepting of her didn't ease her concerned parents minds. They were more open to Faith planning on telling Xander and Willow, but they wanted to know what brought on the decision.

She briefly looked down at the table, hesitant to answer her parents. She was close to them, but uncomfortable with describing the specifics of the moment between her and Buffy that lead to her telling her girlfriend about a secret she'd never told anyone. "We're getting close and I - Buffy really cares about me, and I feel the same about her. I told her because I want to -" she hesitated, finding the idea of talking about sex with parents embarrassing. "I didn't want to hide this part of myself from her, and if we're going to get close to each other she has to know about me."

Gloria reached out and gently patted her daughter's hand. She briefly looked over at her husband. They knew that eventually their daughter would meet someone she'd want to become close to in every sense in the word, but when presented with that reality they weren't completely prepared. "Are you sure that Buffy is the girl that you want to," she paused, trying to words things in a way that wouldn't embarrass everyone at the table. "Be with?" she softly asked.

Faith nodded. "Yes,"

Frank spoke up. "You know how much we like Buffy." He smiled, thinking fondly of the young woman that Faith was seeing, but he knew that teenage romances came with their ups and downs. He wanted to believe that the young woman his daughter currently found herself infatuated with was trustworthy. "I wish you would've spoken to us first before you decided to tell her -"

"It just kind of happened." She replied defensively.

Gloria tenderly squeezed Faith's hand, trying to steady her daughter's emotions. "Your father and I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I thought you liked Buffy?"

"We do. Very much. We just worry is all." Gloria smiled good-naturedly.

Frank lightly added. "It's part of being a parent."

"Don't worry. Buffy and I are good." Faith stood up from the table. "I've got to pick up Xander and Willow." Her parents watched her walk out of the kitchen.

"Buffy's a good kid." Gloria stated thoughtfully.

Frank nodded. "I want Faith to be right about her."

"Me too."

End of Chapter 14