A/N: I wanted to make mention of one thing real quick. I've had a few comments about the children in my stories from time to time. I worked in day care for 8 years, I've been around hundreds of children. EVERY child I put in a story is based off a real child in my life. So the things they do or how they talk, yes they may be stereotypical or cheesy, but that is how that child did or said something at that time in their life. The real Nevaeh is now almost 6 years old, but I've known her since she was 5 weeks old, she's family to me, and I put all of her into the character of this Nevaeh.

Sorry for the rant, but I needed it to be said.

Chapter 2

Faint light coming in through the window, shining in her eyes, woke Faith from an almost dreamless sleep. Pushing sweaty hair off her face, she kept her eyes closed for a second longer, not ready to face the morning. The room was stiflingly hot, so she threw the covers off and let the air cool her body off as she slowly opened her eyes.

She tried to shake the fogginess from her eyes, but still a bit of confusion lingered when she saw the light blue wall just inches away from her feet. Lifting her head just enough to get a better look, she realized why the wall was where it wasn't supposed to be. Sometime during one of their many rounds of love-making the night before, the two women must have fallen asleep on the wrong end of the bed.

Faith couldn't help but think how incredible the night before had been. Of course every time with Buffy was amazing, but it only seemed to get better and better. And she loved every minute of it.

It wasn't until Buffy that she had really understood what sex was really about. She'd always thought it was just about the fun, and the release. While her and Buffy had plenty of that, the blonde had proven to be quite adventurous every now and again as well. She also knew that it was about the intimacy, about connecting to another person on a deeper level. They showed their love for each other physically as well as verbally.

She felt a shiver along her body and at first believed it was a physical reaction to her thoughts about her wife, but then she realized when she'd thrown the covers off herself, she'd left Buffy exposed. The beauty was cuddled into her side, with an arm across Faith's stomach. Just like their daughter, no matter how hot it was in the room, Buffy always got cold when she was naked.

Not wanting to wake her lover, she reached for the blanket and pulled it up so it was once again covering Buffy and then pulled her deeper into her own body. Being married was turning her into a sap, but she wouldn't give up the feeling of having her wife so close to her for anything. She loved knowing she could touch Buffy anytime she wanted.

Placing a kiss to the top of the blonde locks, she turned just enough to get more comfortable, and tried to force herself to go back to sleep. It wasn't often she woke before Buffy, and she just wanted to enjoy this feeling a little longer, before they had to get up and go get Nevaeh from Dawn's.

~BF~

It was more than two hours later before Buffy herself started to wake up. She stretched and gently nudged Faith awake. She leaned over the brunette, pressing a deep kiss to Faith's lips. "Time to get up, baby. If you hurry, we can share a shower before we go get our daughter."

As much as Faith didn't want to get up and return to their life, sharing a shower held appeal, so she threw the covers off and followed her wife into their bathroom. She let Buffy set the temperature of the water, while she brushed her teeth. Experience had taught her she could never get it hot enough for the older woman. Between her childhood showers and later in prison, she could get by on lukewarm showers, but her wife liked it hot enough that it turned your skin a slight shade of red.

While washing Buffy's hair and body was incredibly sensual, Faith also enjoyed it because it was a way for her to take care of the woman who held her heart. Although she'd never admit it to anyone.

They were both so young by the world's standards. Neither woman had even hit her mid-twenties yet, only twenty-one and twenty- three respectfully, but they loved each other more deeply than some couples, who had been together twenty or more years.

After they were both sufficiently clean and satisfied, Faith stepped out first, grabbing the blanket sized towel they'd found at an outlet store. Putting it around herself, Faith held the ends open. As soon as Buffy was standing in front of her, she closed the towel around them both, hugging the smaller girl to her.

Buffy curled into Faith, letting the warmth of their bodies dry each other, while Faith's hands went to work drying Buffy's back with the ends of the towel. Faith leaned down to place a light kiss on Buffy's forehead, loving these quiet moments together.

"I love you," Buffy whispered into the taller girl's neck, placing a kiss to the skin underneath her. "I love you so much," she repeated, wrapping her arms around Faith's waist, who followed by wrapping her own around Buffy outside their little warm cocoon. "You amaze me every day, in ways I never would have believed possible when we met. I could never thank you enough for our daughter, and I couldn't imagine my life without you."

Faith sniffled back tears, laying her head lovingly on top of Buffy's. She didn't know what brought on this sudden emotion from her love, but she couldn't deny all the emotion that was flowing through her now from those simple words. She never would have thought she'd deserve someone like Buffy, but somehow they'd found each other anyway. "I love you too, more than I could ever tell you. And I thank the Powers that Be everyday for sending you into my life and for loving me."

After their tender moment in the bathroom, it took them more time than usual to get dressed because neither of them wanted to stop touching the other. Not in a sexual, need to have you way. But in a tender, I don't want to be apart from you way.

As soon as they were outside their front door, Faith grasped Buffy's hand, entwining their fingers and holding on tightly as they slowly made their way over to the dorms. Several times she stopped to place a kiss to a cheek or to their clasped hands. Wanting to hold on to the magic of the night and their anniversary.

But as much as they both enjoyed their night alone, which was something they never got to have, they were both eager to have their daughter back in their presence. Neither woman felt quite right without their little girl. She was what made their little family whole.

Before Buffy could knock on Dawn's door, Faith turned her wife to her, placing a light kiss to her lips.

The knock was barely heard before the door was thrown open. "Mama, Mommy, I've been waiting FOREBER for you to get here," the little girl told her mothers.

"We're sorry, baby," Buffy told the curly haired little girl, as she picked her up. "We slept in this morning, we just woke up."

"I've been awake for hours," Vaeh said dramatically, emphasizing the 'hours'. "And An Dawn gabed me a poptart for bekfast." The tot finished her sentence by rolling her eyes.

Faith gave Dawn an 'are you serious' look, but the young Summers just shrugged her shoulders. "Come on, munchkin," Faith said, taking her daughter from her wife. "Let's go get you some lunch at the cafeteria. Then we get to go see Aunt Willow."

"Yay!"

Faith couldn't stop shaking her head in an 'I can't believe it' way as they made their way towards the Slayer school cafeteria. "A poptart, B?" She burst out several minutes later.

Buffy had been thinking the same thing. Dawn hadn't lived with the tyke for over a year, but she should have known better.

"Our baby is probably starving," Faith continued. Vaeh just nodded her head into Faith's shoulder in agreement. "She's a Slayer for crying out loud, a tiny, hyper Slayer."

"I know, I don't know what she was thinking either. I'll talk to her later."

"She's never baby-sitting again if she doesn't even know how to feed our kid."

Buffy put a hand on Faith's shoulder. "Calm down, baby, I'll talk to her. And Nevaeh's no worse for the wear. We'll just give her a big lunch."

They made it to the cafeteria just before it closed for lunch. Faith carried her and Nevaeh's plates, while Buffy carried her own, using her free hand to place whatever anyone wanted on the correct plate. She was never so glad they'd decided to have a buffet style cafeteria when they'd set the school up.

They still had a menu and different things every day, but at least there was always plenty to choose from. And also it helped ensure there was enough food around to feed all the Slayers on the premises. While they had employed several full-time cooks, each student at the school was also required to spend so many hours a month in the kitchen to help out and also give them a sense of responsibility for themselves.

The small Summers family found a table and began to eat their lunch. Since Nevaeh already had the Summers name, Faith decided after their wedding to change her name as well, tying them all together as a family. Probably the best part about getting married, was finally getting to get rid of her bastard father's last name.

Although she knew she'd never entirely get rid of it. While the world outside knew of her only as Faith Summers now. Inside these walls the Lehane name stuck around, for reasons of history only. Each Slayer-in-training had to take classes on the history of the Slayer line, so in that sense the name would forever be around.

Every now and then one of the students would slip and call her Mrs. Lehane, but she'd give them a look and they'd quickly realize their mistake and correct themselves. She hoped in time the girls here would only think of that name as a name in a text book and not outwardly associate it with her.

When they were all done, the brunette stood up and grabbed all three of their plates and headed over to put them in the dirty dishes bin. When she returned to their table, she found Buffy unsuccessfully still trying to get the food off Nevaeh's shirt. "Just leave it, B."

"But she's dirty," the blonde whined.

"She's three, no one is gonna care." This was a small argument they had all the time. She understood why Buffy wanted their daughter to always appear clean, but she also knew that kids get dirty. It wasn't like they neglected her. She got a bath every night so she didn't go to bed dirty. Not like Faith when she was that young, where the dirt literally clung to her skin.

And she'd NEVER know what that was like. Their baby was cared for and she was loved. She got to wear clean clothes every day. She got put to bed every night by one or both of her mothers. She was given hugs and kisses every day. She was told she was loved every chance they got.

"Faith, let's take her home for an n.a.p," Buffy spelled out the word, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"But what about our talk with Willow?"

"I'll call and invite her over to dinner later. You went somewhere just now and I think we should go home and talk about it."

Not much more than a year ago those words would have sent Faith running. But Faith Summers didn't run, she stayed and she talked to her wife when something was bothering her. The Chosen Two had gotten a lot better at communicating with each other since they got together. No more did they lash out at the other or use violence toward the other.

"Yeah, alright."

Nevaeh threw a fit when she realized they were going home and not to Aunt Willow's as promised. So before they could get her to lay down for her nap, they had to call Willow and then assure her that she would be coming over later, and so would Aunt Tara.

"I will never understand the bond those two have," Faith told Buffy once they'd finally gotten Nevaeh to go to sleep.

"Willow's easy to love."

"I guess," Faith just shrugged.

Grabbing her wife's hand, Buffy led Faith into their room. She guided the brunette to sit on their bed and after slipping her shoes off and kicking them under the mattress, settled in beside her. "So, tell me what was going on earlier."

"I dunno, just more childhood crap."

Buffy sighed, putting a gentle hand to Faith's cheek. "Talk to me. You can tell me anything. Nothing will change how I feel about you."

"I know that. And we've talked some, but it's just so hard."

"I know it is, but that's what I'm here for. To help take the burden."

Faith took a deep breath in, gathering her thoughts. "Seeing you with Nevaeh, it just shows me everything I didn't have. My mother didn't even make sure I got a bath once a week, much less make sure I was clean after every meal. I understand why you want her to be in clean clothes all the time. But I think a little food on her clothes isn't gonna hurt her any. Because I know what it's like to have more than that, to wear clothes that you couldn't remember the last time they were washed was," She paused, trying to keep out of the memories, but explain to Buffy how she saw things.

"All that stuff doesn't matter to me, because I know at the end of the day we are going to give her a bath, tuck her into a nice clean bed, give her hugs and kisses, and tell her we love her. That's what truly matters. What matters is her having the childhood I never got."

The tears in Buffy's eyes were apparent when Faith looked at her wife's face. She knew the other girl was feeling everything she was feeling. They always did anyway, but when they touched like this, everything the other one was feeling was more than an echo, it was like their own emotion filling their body.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I wish I could smack both your parents upside the head," she said with such conviction, Faith was sure she meant more than a little smack. "I know it doesn't mean much, but if Mom were still alive, she would have loved having you in our family. She would have treated you just like her daughter. She loved Nevaeh and I know she would have loved seeing us married." She didn't know how she knew that, but she just did. Her mother would have seen their marriage, their being together as her daughter finally having a family neither one of them thought she'd have. It wouldn't have mattered that Faith was a woman, or even what had happened in their past. Only that Nevaeh's parents were together and they were a family.

"It means everything, B. Your mother was an amazing person. I would have been proud to call her Mom."

"She would have loved that. I think even through all the crap, she still wanted to see you happy. When Vaeh showed up, I know she really hurt for you. She couldn't imagine a mother being away from her child like that."

Faith had nothing to say to that. That was a time she didn't like to think about. But if it hadn't have happened, she wouldn't have her family now. So instead, she placed a kiss on top of her wife's head and then slid them down so they were lying in each other's arms. They stayed there staring into each other's eyes until they eventually both fell asleep in a much needed nap.