Faith's Point of View

Talk about your awkward moments. Seriously. Man, I had no idea that B really felt like..well, like I do. Deep down I'm still thinking it's just going to fall apart any minute. Nothing this good ever lasts – not for me. But if she really means everything that she just said…damn. Crap, Dawn's lookin' at me funny.

"You ok Faith?" she asked. Obviously not, Dawn.

"Yeah. Five by five."

"Whenever you say that you're not actually ok, so what's up?" Damn it, why did she have to be blessed with her mother's perception? Whatever, it's just Dawn. Chill out, Faith.

"I just…I got into the kitchen to grab my jacket, you know?"

"Yeah it took you like ten million years," she rolled her eyes.

"Hey, do you wanna know what happened, or not?" She just nodded. Thought so. "K, so I got inside and your mom's telling B how she should be careful with me and that she should love me as much as I love her otherwise it's all gonna go to hell like your mom and dad. Like my mom and dad, come to think of it."

"Well what did Buffy say? Don't tell me you just left before she said anything!"

"Tempting as that option was…I stayed. B just said that she really loved me…sounds like she loves me almost as much as I love her – which is actually impossible, but it's a nice thought."

"Why is it impossible?"

"Look, D, nobody's ever really loved me. My watcher, maybe, but I had to watch her die…I can't let that happen to everybody I care about, you know? I just, I love B so much that I actually feel sick when she's not around. She said that too…basically. Said it hurts when she can't feel our slayer connection. Man, I'm in for a load of shit if she dies. Shit, I didn't mean that like that, I just…"

"You can't lose her. Not like everyone else. She's different than everyone else because she's so much like you. She understands the whole slayer thing, and she just…gets stuff. I get it." Chick's insightful; kinda nice sometimes.

"Yeah. How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Manage to figure out what I'm saying when I'm not actually saying anything."

"Pff. Please. I have mad skills," she smirked and bumped hips with me. "Learned from the best."

"Oh no. You do NOT want to start that with me," I said and bumped my hips with hers, enough to make her stagger. She giggled and pushed her full weight into me. I pushed her back and she started running. By this time, we had reached the park, and she jumped up onto a swing.

"C'mon, Faith! Can you push me?" What a little twerp.

"I don't think you want that either, little D," I called. I ran to catch up to her and gave her an underdog on the swing. Heh, this was kind of fun.

"You know, Dawn, you're pretty cool for a kid," I said, grinning.

"I am NOT a kid! Don't make me come down there!"

"I dare you! Double-dog dare you!" When did I turn into a seven year old?

Dawn jumped off the swing and landed right in front of me, taking me by surprise and knocking us both onto the ground with her forward momentum.

"Oof. What did you have to do that for?" I don't like being taken by surprise.

"Hey, you're the one that's supposed to have the slayer reflexes! You should have caught me or something," she said and I laughed.

"Yeah, sure, D. Well here's a piece of news: I'm not superwoman. Now that I think about it though, I am way hotter and cooler. There should probably be something like that devoted to me."

"Xander would read it if there was. Mainly cuz the cartoon you would have humungo boobs," Dawn doubled over with laughter.

"Hey now, I already have big boobs. No need for cartoon ones," I laughed. Dawn flipped over on her stomach on the grass and I followed suit.

"Ooh! Look Faith! A four-leaf clover!"

"They're really from leprechauns, you know," I managed to say with a straight face.

"Really?" Dawn's eyes lit up.

"No, D. As far as I know, leprechauns don't exist. If they did though, four leaf clovers would probably be the equivalent of leprechaun eyelashes or something creepy."

"You're scared of leprechauns? You eat Lucky Charms cereal for breakfast all the time when you come over," Dawn said with a frown.

"Heh. Yeah. Leprechaun kibbles. Nah, I'm not scared of them really; just wouldn't want to meet some while on patrol some time. They just seem creepy."

"Oh, yeah I guess. I never thought of Lucky Charms that way – as leprechaun food; that's weird."

"Yeah, well, I'm a little weird sometimes. Guess you gotta be to deal with the stuff B and I do every day."

"Are you guys going to be ok now? I bet she thinks you just got freaked and ran, which you did, actually. You should probably talk to her about it."

"Yeah, I didn't mean to just run…but you know how I am," I laughed, humorlessly. Dawn put an arm around my shoulders and half-hugged me as much as was possible from our positions on the grass.

"But you won't anymore, right? That's what you said, when you talked to me earlier."

"I told you the truth, Dawn. I'm done running. I love all of you too much. Your mom's right. It'd kill me," I said seriously. Dawn looked as if she was about to cry. "You ok, D? I didn't mean to say anything bad-"

"No, you didn't say anything bad," she sniffed. "I'm just really happy." She grinned. Man, did all the Summers women have to cry when they were happy? It's going to start happening to me and we can't have that. It'd ruin my rep.

"Good. Well I guess we should head back home. I don't want to make your mom late for work."

"Yeah. Race you back?"

"Dawn, I'm a slayer!" I barely had the last word out and she had already started running. "You're crazy!" I called after her.

"I know!" she yelled over her shoulder. I sighed and ran after her. In a few seconds I had picked her up and was giving her a piggy back ride at lightening fast speed. "Wheee!" she yelled.

Joyce's Point of View

Ah, the kitchen is clean. That'll be perfect for dinner tonight. What am I going to cook? And how can I make sure that Dawn goes to Janice's tonight? And when am I going to tell Rupert and how? Oh my.

"Yo, B!" Faith's home; she just burst into the kitchen carrying a giggling Dawn on her back.

"Upstairs," I pointed. Faith grinned and shrugged Dawn off of her shoulders. Dawn whined. Surprisingly, Faith came over and stood in front of me with her hands in her pockets, looking sheepish.

"Look, Mrs. Summers, thanks for what you said before."

"Of course, Faith. I meant every word. I love you as if you were my own daughter." Her eyes looked a little watery. I knew that she wouldn't let herself cry, but I think in that moment, she was close.

"Thanks," she managed. I reached out and wrapped her in a huge hug. Dawn came over and wrapped her arms around both of us.

"Group hug!" Dawn said. Faith and I chuckled and we all broke apart.

"Thanks for the fun trip to the park, little D," Faith said. They must have had a good time.

"It was cool! Can we go again soon?"

"Yeah. That sounds like a party to me," Faith winked. I wonder what they talked about.

"Faith, I'll be ready to leave in about ten minutes if you'd like a ride."

"That'd be great. Thanks. I'm gonna go talk to B for a minute," she pointed over her shoulder to the stairs. I nodded and watched her leave. I hope she can talk this out with Buffy fairly simply.

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