This was going to be them talking to Xander, but I couldn't work out anything I liked, instead I ended up with this... hope you guys like it! And thank you again to darkredwillow! You're awesome!
Willow was laying on her back on the couch, reclined against the armrest while she read. She blinked in surprise as Faith jogged in and dropped a brown paper bag in her lap. "Uh, Faith, babe, what's this?" She sat up and turned the bag over in her hands.
Faith was shrugging out of her jacket and seemed to be deliberately avoiding her eyes. "Um…just open it," she said gruffly, hanging her coat on the back of the door. She finally looked up when she hopped over the other end of the couch, balancing on her toes on the opposite sofa cushion.
Willow opened the bag hesitantly, not sure what could be inside, but curious to find out. She couldn't have been more surprised to find a scarf folded up inside and she pulled it out hesitantly. "Faith, what…?"
The Slayer looked nervous, shrugging. "I just… I didn't… We've been…whatever we're doing, it's been happening now for three months. I figured… It's a scarf," she finished lamely, waiting for a reaction and obviously expecting a negative one.
Willow shook it out of the bag, surprised by the gesture. "You remember when this started?" she asked, unexpectedly touched. "That's sweet."
Faith pushed her hair back out of her face, her knees curling up into her chest. "It's stupid. It's just a dumb scarf. I just figured, cause you get cold, and stuff…"
"Thank you, Faith. It's really pretty," Willow said, curling it around her neck. "Hang on a second. I'll get yours."
Faith blinked, smiling tentatively. "You got me something?"
Willow nodded, putting down her book as she stood up. Despite her reluctance to identify their relationship by standard dating terms, she'd still picked up a present for Faith and tucked it in the drawer of her stuff that had somehow migrated into Faith's apartment over the last three months. She found the box under a t-shirt, and brought it back into the other room, tossing it to Faith and leaning in the doorway while the Slayer opened it.
She looked pleased to see the black leather strapped watch, and she pulled it out of the box straightaway and put it on. "This is great, Will," Faith said hoarsely. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Willow replied.
The Slayer stood up, admiring her new watch. "Really, this is great," she said. "Makes me feel bad I only got you a stupid scarf."
Willow looked down at her new scarf, playing with the ends in both hands. "Don't feel bad. It's great. And I really did need one. I get cold a lot."
"I know that," Faith commented, teasing her. "Especially your toes." Her arms curled around Willow's waist, pulling her off the wall and up against her.
"Not all the time," Willow teased right back, letting her feet follow Faith back toward the bed.
Buffy was sorting through the mail when her front door opened, letting Willow in. "Hey Will, what's up?" she asked, looking up as her friend started pacing just inside. "Is there something wrong?" The last she had heard from her best friend she was going to Faith's, but that had been before lunch and it was closing in on sundown.
The witch gave her a panicked look, not stopping her anxious walking. "Faith remembered our anniversary."
Buffy frowned, confused. "And that is a bad thing?" Willow just threw her arms up in the air, still pacing. "I'm not sure what's going on… And you and Faith have an anniversary? I thought you were avoiding terms like that…"
"I didn't bring it up! She just came home and dropped this bag in my lap and there was a scarf in it, and she was talking about our whatever-it-is and how it's been three months, and I have no idea what to do, Buffy!"
Willow was obviously panicking and Buffy stepped in her friend's way and caught her shoulders. "Willow! Calm down! You're just freaking out," she said with a laugh. "Come on, let's sit down and figure this out."
"Can we drink while we figure it out?" Willow entreated.
Buffy nodded, surprised by the request. "Sure. Wine or beer?"
"Whichever is less pathetic," the witch answered.
She was laying on the couch when Buffy came back, wine and two glasses in one hand. "Sit up," Buffy directed, pouring her a glass and handing it over as she settled on the other side of the couch. "Now, in as non-insane a way as possible, tell me what is going on with you, please…"
"Faith… it's just freaking me out that she remembered. I mean, it was supposed to be this not serious sex thing…"
"Less of that, please," Buffy reminded her, taking a sip of her wine.
"She's not the person she used to be," Willow said. "Which is good, but it's confusing."
Buffy laughed. "You don't think you might have had something to do with her being different? You're a good influence on her, Will." She cleared her throat. "And I never thought I'd say this, but she's good for you too, I think." Willow blinked at her friend over the top of her already half-empty wine glass. "I know! I'm surprised too! It's just….after Tara…" Willow's whole body stiffened and Buffy gave her a sympathetic smile as she reached forward to touch her friend's knee. "You'll always love Tara. And Faith knows that. What you have with her is different, but that's okay. It doesn't mean you love Tara any less, or that you don't care about Faith."
"It's weird to think about comparing the two of them," Willow said, draining her glassing and pouring herself another one.
"It really is," Buffy agreed. "But as different as they are, they have one thing in common, Will…"
"You don't have to say it," Willow said quickly. "And Faith doesn't…"
"No, probably not like Tara did, but she does care about you," the Slayer said seriously. "It's pretty obvious from how she is with you. And honestly, I'm surprised that you're the one who's been running from this…I figured it would be her."
"I'm not running!" Willow said, frowning. "I got her a watch! She got me a scarf and I got her a watch! Three months! It's only been three months!"
She was clearly starting to panic again and Buffy squeezed her knee gently, moving closer on the couch. "Shh, it's okay, Will! I'm not accusing you of anything. At least, I'm not trying to. Believe me - I know all about being hesitant to get into a relationship! And I don't blame you. Losing Tara…it broke you." Willow winced and Buffy's hand moved to her cheek, lifting her friend's face, eyes sympathetic. "And you're still trying to put yourself back together, but I'll tell you something - you probably won't ever be the person you were with her again. That person died when she did."
Willow swallowed hard, her eyes haunted. "I know you're trying to help, but this isn't the most encouraging conversation I've ever had."
"It's not a bad thing," Buffy said, trying to explain herself. "You'll just be a different person, not a worse person."
"I think we all pretty much know where my low point is," Willow said bitterly, taking another long drink.
"Hey! You're not that person anymore either!" Buffy stated, feeling protective of Willow, even from herself. "You and Faith, both of you have had darkness in you, but you've both overcome it. And both of you might not trust yourselves yet, but we do. Faith's really got her head screwed on the right way this time. And she's got you… That gives her a lot of credit in my book." She gave her best friend a small smile. "Willow Rosenberg doesn't fall for just anybody."
"Don't say it like that!" Willow requested, pointing her finger in Buffy's face, the blonde's eyes crossing to focus on the tip of the finger.
She noticed that it was trembling, and she lowered her gaze to look at the now mostly-empty wine bottle. "Whoa, Willow, how many of those have you had?"
Willow blinked, trying to think. "I don't remember," she declared finally. "Why?"
The Slayer laughed suddenly, shaking her head. "Oh, I think you're a little drunk, my friend." She stabilized the witch as she wobbled on the couch cushion. "Come on, I think it's time for you to get to bed."
Willow shook her head, free hand pushing at her hair. "No! I need to talk to Faith! I need to tell her that I'm not running! I just got freaked out! She was sleeping and I just left and now I'm drunk!"
"Maybe you should sleep it off before you talk to Faith," Buffy suggested. "I'll call her so she knows you're okay, and you can go up to your room and get working on your hangover."
"No! I have to see her! Tonight! Now! She can't think that I'm running away! She remembered that we have an anniversary and it's weird! That's all!"
Buffy smiled, trying to appease her. "We can call her on the phone…"
"No!" Willow protested again, wobbly hand barely getting her wineglass onto the coffee table before she was pushing herself to her feet. "I'm going to see her." Her voice was loud and Buffy caught her friend before the witch overbalanced herself.
"Okay, okay, just slow down," the Slayer said reassuringly. "I'll drive you over there. How about that?" Willow considered the offer for a long moment, nodding finally. "Great," Buffy sighed, one arm around the witch's waist to keep her upright.
Faith was surprised by the thumping knock on the door a little while later, tossing her magazine on the couch as she went to answer it. Willow was draped across Buffy's back on the other side of the door, and Faith moved to help her with her burden. "What's wrong with her?" she asked, confused. "She's not hurt?"
"No," Buffy assured her. "She's actually more than a little tipsy." Her counterpart Slayer looked surprised, and Buffy shrugged as they deposited the witch on the couch. "She came over and we had some wine."
Faith frowned, still not sure what was going on. "So why didn't she just crash at your place? Her bed's there, and you wouldn't have had to drive her out here."
"She wanted you," Buffy said quietly, resting one hand on Faith's shoulder. "Good job remembering," she said, squeezing her friend's shoulder once before she let her hand drop and she left, closing the door with a soft click behind her.
Faith was left staring down at a now apparently sleepy Willow and she took a deep breath, smiling fondly since there was no one to see the weak spot Willow had wormed her way into. "Come on," she muttered, leaning over to lift the witch into her arms.
Willow stirred as she was moved, head rocking against Faith's shoulder. "Where we going?"
"Bed, babe," the Slayer answered her. "You're drunk."
"I'm not running!" Willow declared loudly, causing Faith to wince as the sound went straight into her ear.
"No, you're not running. I'm carrying you and you're going to sleep." She nudged the bedroom door open with a foot, causing it to creak as it swung open and Willow jumped at the noise. She roused again as Faith put her down in the bed, wrapping both arms around the Slayer's neck and holding her where she was.
"Faith, I'm not running anymore, Faith!" she stated, appearing to wait for a response to that.
Faith still had no idea what was going on, but she nodded gamely. "Okay, well that's great, Will. Really great…" Willow was trying to sit up, earnestly trying to get her attention, and Faith pushed her back down gently and climbed onto the bed with her, trying to get her settled down. "I'm right here. You wanted me and I'm right here. Just lay down," she coaxed. Willow flopped onto her side without letting go of Faith's shoulders.
"No running," Willow slurred, her eyes closing.
It took a few minutes, but Willow's arms grew heavy as she surrendered to sleep, and Faith slipped free of her hands. Willow curled up around a pillow, Faith noticing that it was the one she slept on, but it appeared that she was tranquil. The Slayer got the witch's shoes off without waking her, tucking her in before she got out of her clothes and into the boxers and tank top she slept in.
The lights from the street outside left a glow in the bedroom and it was easy to see even after she turned off the lights in the apartment. She turned the blinds down to make it darker, able to hear Willow shift under the sheets, the redhead releasing her pillow when the Slayer got back in the bed to replace it with Faith herself.
Even with the blinds closed, the light was overwhelming the next morning, Willow turning over with a groan and dragging the sheets up over her head. "What's that noise?" she grumbled, curling up as small as she could.
"That's rush hour traffic," Faith answered, Willow noticing that her partner was almost obscenely cheerful for it being so early and so freaking loud outside.
"Make it stop!" Willow groaned, poking her head out from under the covers to glare before she jerked the blankets up over her head again.
"Hey!" Faith protested with a laugh. "Don't look at me like that! Buffy's the one who got you drunk!" She sat down on the edge of the bed, swatting the witch's leg through the blankets. "I'm the one who put you to bed and who's taking care of you now."
Willow's head reappeared slowly, leaning herself up on one arm. Faith handed her a steaming mug of coffee, mixed the way she liked it, and Willow took a grateful sip. "Thanks Faith." She sat up, cradling the mug in her hands. "Was I really bad last night?"
The Slayer shook her head, remembering the witch's strange behavior. "No, not really. You said some weird stuff about running, and you dragged Buffy over here even though you could have just stayed at the house." She grinned to mask her own nervous curiosity. "I guess you missed me."
"I guess I did," Willow agreed slowly. "Sorry if I interrupted whatever you were doing last night."
Faith shrugged. "No worries. I was just chilling."
Willow glanced at her shyly, sensing that there was something Faith wasn't saying. She tried to focus, trying to remember what had happened the previous night. Another sip of coffee helped, hazy memories floating back to the surface. "Oh…" she said as she remembered, blushing. "Faith, I'm sorry I went so nuts."
"It wasn't that bad," she protested. "You're kind of a cute drunk." She started to mention what Willow had been saying about running, but she stopped herself, not sure she wanted to know.
Willow cleared her throat, looking around as she put her coffee cup down on the tray table that served as Faith's bedside table. "Listen, about last night…"
"Don't…" Faith interrupted her. "I shouldn't have given you that scarf. It was stupid, and it freaked you out and it was a dumb…" Willow kissed her to stop the words, one hand curling around the back of her neck to keep her from pulling away.
"Just listen," Willow whispered as they separated, kissing her again softly. She leaned back, trying to gather herself. "When… Tara died and it killed me," she whispered, voice choking up. "I didn't want to be happy anymore without her. It was comforting and distracting being with you, but I didn't expect anything more." Faith sighed heavily, eyes dropping, gaze darting back and forth across the wrinkled and bunched sheets of their bed. "That's why I freaked out yesterday. Because I am happy with you, Faith. I never could have expected it, after everything that happened, but it's true."
The Slayer's surprise was clear on her face and she laughed. "You're still drunk from last night. I'm going to kill B for letting you…"
"I'm not drunk. I actually am really feeling that hangover," Willow interjected, smiling herself. "I really like being with you, Faith. I don't…is that enough?"
Faith nodded immediately. "Hell yeah. I know that I'm your rebound, Will. I've always known it. But I'm not gonna let you go over some stupid scarf."
"Whoa! What are you talking about?" Willow asked, frowning. "I know I've been hesitant about all of this, and I pulled away yesterday, and I'm sorry, but where are you getting this?" She leaned over to meet the Slayer's eyes. "You think you're just my rebound?"
"Aren't I?"
"No! That's never even crossed my mind! Why would you think that?"
Willow seemed annoyed, tense, and Faith frowned. "Why wouldn't I think that? I'm not good enough for you, and I know you still love Tara." Willow's mouth dropped open, but they both knew it was true, that any protest she made would be false. "Hey, it's good! From what B's told me, she was pretty much the love of your life. She was murdered and that's something that you won't get over. I don't expect you to. Something like that you just live through. And I could never replace her." She tried a weak smile. "I'm not saying it so you'll think I'm getting down on myself. You love her. You like me. At least, I hope you like me. At the very least you like sleeping with me…" She grinned and it drew a chuckle from the witch.
"I like you, Faith," Willow whispered.
The Slayer sat up straighter, taking a deep breath. "Great. That's all we need right now, Will. You think it's just you, but neither of us could deal with more right now. You wouldn't be wrong if you thought that this is the most serious relationship I've ever been in," she confessed, the honesty surprising even in the light of the conversation they'd been having. "We're good where we are, aren't we?"
Willow nodded quickly, relieved that they were getting out of the sensitive emotional topics. "Yes! I'm really happy with how we are now, Faith!" One hand rose to her temple, rubbing lightly.
"Headache?" Faith guessed. "Lay back down and I'll make you some breakfast."
Willow shook her head. "I'm not really hungry. Would you…" She shifted uncomfortably, shy.
Faith was surprised by the burst of shyness after everything they'd been talking about, but she found it completely endearing and she laid down without speaking, stretching one arm out to guide Willow into her arms. The witch let out a deep breath and Faith pressed a kiss to the top of her head, arm curling around the redhead's shoulder. For the first time in a long while, they were both comfortable. It wasn't anything either one of them were used to, but both of them reflected silently that it was definitely an adaptation they could make.