Faith was quickly becoming used to being the first one awake so early in the morning. She'd never been a morning person, nor had she ever gotten into the habit of sleeping for a few short hours then waking up to start the day before the sun barely peaked over the horizon. With so much going on, with the Hellmouth, with Henry and his wife, and then with Buffy, her mind was always going, never stopping long enough to allow her to get more than a few short hours of sleep at a time. It was starting to show, the fatigue. The dark circles under her eyes and just the way she walked, feeling sluggish and not quite with it.

She'd gone all day without spending a moment alone with Buffy. She was okay with that. They both needed space and some time to figure out just what had transpired between them over the last day and night. She'd spent a lot of time throughout the day down in the basement pummelling the heavy bag repeatedly until her whole body ached. The whole time she kept trying to piece together how everything happened between her and Buffy, how they ended up where they were now.

She knew she shouldn't be worried about her relationship with Buffy when there really wasn't anything going on. So they'd kissed a few times; in her head that did not equal any kind of a relationship. They were barely even friends. Well, they were friends, but her friendship with Buffy wasn't the same as the one she had with Kennedy, or even Xander. It was just easier with Kennedy and Xander, the banter that flowed between the three of them was completely natural and effortless. She felt comfortable around Kennedy and she felt like she could truly be herself around her without worrying about rubbing her the wrong way. It was the same with Xander despite their own little bit of rough history together.

Dawn hadn't been around much, always off doing her own thing somewhere. Faith hadn't really noticed her absence, but she'd overheard Dawn and Buffy talking that morning about her going to summer school to catch up before the fall. She figured that Dawn, since she hardly spent any time at the house, was off trying to make friends in the city, trying to start over with her life just as they all were.

The thing with Henry and his wife was starting to bother her despite her initial ease with it. Giles and Henry had spent nearly the entire morning going over the books that had been there at the house when they all arrived. Even over the sounds of her fists hitting the leather and the music that played classic rock, she could hear the two of them discussing volumes of books one had that the other did not. She still wasn't getting any bad vibes per se from Henry; he was sweet and he did know a lot about the Hellmouth and the history surrounding it, at least the history of it for the past nearly seventy years. Still, sometime around mid-morning she'd begun to have nagging little doubts, feeling as if there was something off about him that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

She found herself lured upstairs at the first whiff of the super-intoxicating aroma of steaks cooking on a barbecue. She walked through the kitchen, where Dawn, Willow, and Buffy were throwing together a summer salad, and headed right out back. Xander was manning the barbecue, accompanied by Giles and Andrew, as Kennedy stood nearby with beer in hand. Kennedy motioned to the cooler on the patio and Faith helped herself to a cold beer, smiling as she leaned against the side of the house.

"When did you get that?"

"This?" Xander asked, smiling over at her as he motioned to Giles. "Convinced him we needed one and Henry hooked us up with a deal. Who knew the guy had so many worthy connections? How do you like your steak cooked, Faith?"

"Medium rare," she replied with a smile as Kennedy moved to stand next to her.

"Nice workout?"

"Great."

"You were down there all day," Kennedy said as she pointed out the obvious. "How come?"

"Just felt like it," she replied with a shrug. "Sometimes I gotta get lost in my own world and that's the only way I know how to do it."

"Giles invited Henry and his wife for dinner. Apparently they have a daughter," Kennedy said quietly as she rolled her eyes. "She's our age. Didn't catch a name when Henry was talking about her. She's also a witch like her mother."

"Oh really?"

"That's what I've heard. Guess we'll find out as soon as they get here," Kennedy replied just as the back gate opened and Henry walked through. "Which would be right about now. Talk about timing, huh?"

Faith looked over at the gate and her eyes went wide in shock as she saw Julie walk in behind Henry and his wife. The only thing she thought of as Julie looked over at her was 'oh shit'. She never planned to see her again unless she went to the club and she just happened to be working that night. She drank back nearly all of her beer as Julie followed Henry and Laura over to greet them. Julie only flashed Faith a sweet smile as Giles made quick introductions.

Kennedy recognized her yet didn't say a word as she offered to take her inside to meet the others. Faith was trying to figure out why she didn't figure out that Julie could possibly be related to Henry and Laura. She looked so much like Laura with the long brown hair and striking green eyes and to see them side by side, the similarities were uncanny. She tried not to act as if she was freaking out and thinking of the worst that could come out of this whole situation. She calmed herself down a little as she got another beer out of the cooler and went to sit down at the picnic table to have a cigarette.

She could hear the laughter coming from inside the house and something about it just made her skin crawl. It wasn't jealousy—that much she was certain of—but there was something there that definitely felt off to her. She cursed silently to herself, wondering why she even thought she could trust Henry in the first place. Maybe it was the honesty he showed that night in the bar, the softness in his eyes, or the easy, carefree laugh he had. Whatever it was, she just couldn't figure it out, she couldn't figure him out. She rubbed her forehead in frustration, trying to quiet the thoughts in her head for a couple of much needed minutes of peace and quiet.

"So," Julie said as she walked over to the picnic table and sat down next to Faith, "you don't call for round three. I'm hurt."

"Yeah, whatever."

"I get it. One night stand. You came back for seconds and that was that," she said coldly as she rolled her eyes. "And don't worry, your friends don't know unless you've told them."

"Did you want something?" Faith asked, trying not to let Julie get to her. "Cos if you didn't want something and all you wanted was to come and try to fuck with my head, then," she sighed as she motioned for her to leave, "I'd appreciate it if ya just left me the fuck alone."

"Harsh," Julie laughed. "I wasn't coming to fuck with your head. Look, my father told me to play nice since he honestly believes we can all help each other out here. I'm more than willing to look past what happened between us for him."

Faith took a long drag of her cigarette and stared at Julie long and hard. She saw too much of herself in her, that cocky arrogance she usually had but had lost somewhere along the way. She saw the confidence in Julie, the same confidence she'd been lacking lately. When Julie lightly ran her fingers over her arm, she felt the goose bumps form in their wake. She wanted to slap Julie's hand away, tell her she wasn't interested, but her body was reacting and stopping her from saying a word.

"I was really hoping you'd call again, Faith."

"Not one to..."

"It might have been a quick fuck the last time, but damn it makes me so hot just thinking about it. I have to say I was quite surprised to see you here. You were the last person I thought I'd see today."

"Julie..." Faith trailed off as she turned to look at the others near the house. "Stop."

"Why? Nobody is paying a speck of attention to us, Faith."

"That's not the fucking point," she said sharply as she stared at her. "I'm not interested, Julie."

"Can't blame a girl for trying, can you?" Julie chuckled as she raked her nailed over Faith's lower arm before she pulled her hand away. "If you ever want a repeat, maybe something with James and me again..."

"I told ya," Faith said through clenched teeth, "I'm not interested."

"Okay," Julie smirked as she moved down the bench a little to give the two some more space. "I'm not one to beg, nor am I one to cling. You know what you want, Faith, and once you give in to it, you know where to find me."

"You can't give me what I want," she said under her breath as she took one last drag of her cigarette and dropped it in the empty pop can near her feet.

"Oh no? You got a thing for that brunette—Kennedy, was that her name?"

"No."

"The redhead?"

"Fuck no," Faith said, unable to stop the laugh that came out.

"What about the other one, the blonde? Buffy?" A crude smile formed on Julie's lips as Faith shot her a glare that warned her to back off. "She really doesn't seem your type, Faith."

"You don't know me so where the fuck do you get off telling me what my type is?"

"Just calling it how I see it," Julie smirked as she ran her fingers through her hair. "You fuck her yet?"

"No. Not like that's any of your fucking business."

"Are you going to fuck her?"

"Fuck you."

"You already did. Twice."

Faith clenched her fists in her lap, breathing heavily as she struggled to control her anger. Over and over again she was telling herself that somehow Julie knew how to push her buttons and that was exactly what she was trying to do. Just before she could say anything, Kennedy walked over and sat down across the table, placing a bottle of beer in front of each them. Faith let out a sigh of relief, not knowing how much more she could have taken of the head games Julie was trying to play with her. As soon as Julie excused herself and went to join her parents in the discussion they were having with Giles, Kennedy leaned forward and motioned for Faith to lean in.

"What the hell is she doing here?"

"She's their daughter," Faith shrugged. "Fuck if I knew that."

"This is crazy," Kennedy muttered as she peered over Faith's shoulder to look at Julie. "You do realize she's a pretty powerful witch, don't you?"

"Yeah, I got the memo."

"Better not fuck around with her anymore, Faith. Who knows what she'll end up doing."

"You mean besides the fucking head games she was just trying to play?" Faith asked, rolling her eyes as she leaned back and took a sip of her beer. "When the hell did everything become so fucked up?"

"What do you mean?"

"With the Hellmouth, with Henry, with Julie, with Buffy...with fucking everything!"

"You didn't feel this coming, did you?" Kennedy asked, tittering when Faith shook her head no. "You thought all you felt when we were on our way here was the evil, right? Well, Will said it was so much more than the evil we could feel. It's kind of like...not really psychic, but we could feel the changes that were about to happen."

"This is the kind of stuff I just don't understand sometimes, Ken. Just for once I want things to be simple. Fat chance in hell anything is ever gonna be simple for any of us though."

"You aren't going through this alone, just keep that in mind," Kennedy said softly, offering her a smile to try to break the tension Faith was feeling. "Don't let that little bitch get to you, okay? So you fucked her, doesn't mean she can fuck with you, right?"

"Right."

"Besides, if she tries fucking with you again, her ass is gonna meet my foot," Kennedy laughed as Faith laughed right along with her. "Serious, Faith. Nobody fucks with my friends and gets away with it."

She'd known from that night after the fight against the First that she and Kennedy would become close friends. Their lives to that point couldn't have been more different, but their attitudes were so perfectly matched that it was impossible for them not to get along. She could only smile at Kennedy, nodding her head with a silent thank you for her wanting to take a stand against anyone who wanted to try to fuck with her. She'd never had friends like that before. She'd never had friends at all, really. She'd missed out on all those times people had tried to be more than just an acquaintance or a fuck buddy to her, but she didn't want to dwell on the past for any longer than was necessary.

They enjoyed the quiet alone together until everyone joined them around the picnic table. Seating was an issue, so as soon as Faith had gotten herself a plate of food she went to sit under the tree with Kennedy and Xander. She caught Buffy looking over at her, clearly debating whether to sit at the table with the others or join them under the tree. Faith motioned for her to come over to join them, and she watched as Buffy furrowed her brow, still thinking, before she picked up her plate from the table and walked over to sit down with them on the grass.

"We're all heading out to the bar later," Xander said to Buffy as she picked at the food on her plate. "Are you coming with us?"

"Sure," she smiled as she looked over at Faith. "I just don't want to drink too much tonight. I'm afraid I'll end up becoming a raging alcoholic if we keep this up. I never drink, ever, yet the past couple of weeks I've done nothing but drink with you guys."

"So have a diet Coke or whatever," Faith muttered under her breath. "You are missing out on the whole point of this drinking thing anyway, B. It's bonding. We're all bonding."

"Over alcohol?"

"Why not? Loosens the tongue, breaks the tension," Faith shrugged in reply and she lifted her beer bottle and clinked it against Xander's and then Kennedy's. "It's all about relaxing and having some fun, B. Don't worry, we won't let you become a raging alcoholic."

"Who all is going out tonight?" Buffy asked as she still only moved her food around on the plate, not having taken a single bite yet.

"Just the four of us," Xander replied with a mouthful of food. "Will has plans with Julie. They're going to bond over magic or whatever. Oh! And you know what the best part about going out to Henry's bar is?"

"No, what?" Buffy asked, feigning interest yet unable to keep her eyes from wandering over to meet with Faith's.

"Free drinks all night long," Xander beamed as he and Kennedy gave each other a high five.

"What about patrol?"

"What about it, B? Giles told us it'd be better not to be out there every night after what he and Henry discussed. The less we're seen, the more we'll bag on nights we're actually out there. Gotta admit, though, the nights we have been out have been fucking boring," Faith chuckled as she licked over her lips, watching Buffy watching her and unable to keep the smile away.

"Right," Buffy said softly as she broke the rather intense gaze to look down at the plate of food in her lap. "Why are we even eating outside?"

"Summer barbecue tradition, plus it's a beautiful day," Xander said rather too cheerfully. "Better get used to it, Buff. Got a funny feeling we'll be doing this all summer long."

Faith couldn't help but study her reaction. She didn't look too into it, which was understandable seeing how she wasn't used to such 'tradition' at all. It made her realize just how much she and Buffy had missed out on since becoming Slayers. The weight of the world on one's shoulders was a burden that made living a normal life next to impossible. Faith had figured with all the Slayers in the world now that things wouldn't be the same as they'd always been. Sure there'd been small changes, but they seemed almost unnoticeable and frankly she wanted more—she needed more—and she could see that was what Buffy was longing for as well.

"You gonna eat or are you gonna sit there and play with your food, B?" Faith joked as she nudged Buffy's leg with her foot. Buffy shot her a look, laughing as she flipped her off.

"Shut up, Faith. I'm not that hungry."

"I was just joshin' with ya."

"I know."

Faith caught the look Kennedy shot her way, a mix of confusion and surprise at the easy and playful banter between her and Buffy. They finished off their food without much further talk and Xander offered to take their empty plates—and Buffy's plate with her still-untouched food—back inside for them. Faith stretched out on the grass as the late afternoon sun poked through the leaves on the tree. It was relaxing to find a moment like this, as they had always been so few and far between as to practically not exist.

Everyone went inside for drinks and to talk without getting eaten alive by the mosquitoes that were sure to appear as the evening turned to night. Buffy stayed out there with Faith and Kennedy, sighing softly as she lay back on the grass and stared up at the sky. Faith looked over at Kennedy, who winked at her in understanding before rising to go inside, giving the two some time alone. Faith couldn't help but smile to herself as she propped her head up on her elbow and stared over at Buffy, really allowing herself just to look at her. She'd always thought Buffy was beautiful, but in the late afternoon sunlight and with the way it streamed through the leaves on the trees around them, she was breathtaking. She wanted to tell her but she held it back, unsure how her honest words would make Buffy feel.

"What?" Buffy asked, smiling as she turned to look at Faith.

"Nothing."

"You are staring."

"Does it bother you?"

"No," she replied, blushing a little as she turned onto her side to face Faith more fully. "Why?"

"Why what, B? Faith asked, feigning ignorance as a teasing smile curled over her lips.

"Why are you staring at me?"

"Cos I felt like it?"

Buffy laughed as she playfully kicked Faith in the leg. "Honestly?"

"Cos you're fucking beautiful," she said under her breath, feeling her own cheeks flush a deep red.

"You think I'm beautiful?"

"Yeah," she smiled at her shyly, watching Buffy's eyes sparkle with delight as she returned the smile. "What, ya got a problem with what I think about you, B?"

"No. I just...I never expected to hear you say that to me."

Faith picked at the grass in front of her, her eyes lingering on the ground in front of her, finding the situation awkward and strangely feeling right at the same time. Buffy reached for her hand while moving closer to her and Faith was honestly surprised she didn't flinch at the touch; feeling so off-balance had instantly made her jittery. She lifted her eyes to find Buffy staring at her intensely, their lips now mere inches apart as they both lay there on their sides.

"What're ya doing, B?"

"I don't know…I..." she sighed out as she laughed nervously. "How come you were avoiding me all day?"

"I wasn't avoiding you."

"Okay," Buffy said slowly as she raised an eyebrow. "You are driving me completely crazy. You do know that, right?"

"Oh yeah? How?"

"The way you keep looking at me," Buffy whispered as she ran her thumb over Faith's and smiled that half smile of hers that had always made Faith a little weak in the knees. "I just realized that you've always looked at me that way."

"What way?"

"Like you want me."

"That's news now?"

"That's a fact now," Buffy chuckled quietly as she licked over her lips. "I was just clarifying it to make sure I wasn't just imagining it."

She had to wonder if Buffy was acting like this because Julie was there. She wanted to ask her, but she decided against it as Buffy moved even closer to her, looking at her as if she was a little unsure of what she was about to do next. Faith leaned forward that last little bit, pressing her lips ever so softly against Buffy's, smiling when she felt Buffy smile a little against her lips too. She kept it light and rather chaste and she pulled back, trying not to act like the cat that just got the cream as she waited for Buffy to open her eyes. Just before she did, Faith leaned in to kiss her again, straying from a simple, light kiss to something a little more sensual, something a little deeper and more insistent.

She let go of Buffy's hand, smiling into the kiss as Buffy ran her fingers through her hair and pulled her in closer to deepen the kiss. She ignored the voices in her head telling her to stop, to take it slow, and she ran her hand over Buffy's stomach, waiting for her to stop her. When Buffy did nothing to stop her hand from sliding under her shirt, she began to slowly trail a blazing path upwards. She stopped only when the tips of her fingers brushed against the edges of Buffy's bra and she waited again to see if Buffy would stop her. She was so into the kiss as she gently cupped Buffy's breast, feeling the nipple harden beneath her palm that she didn't pay attention to the soft protests coming from Buffy for her to stop.

"Faith..." Buffy groaned as she stopped her from trying to kiss her again and yanked her hand from under her shirt. "That's...too far too fast."

"Shit," she sighed as she sat up and brushed off the grass and dirt from her clothes. "Sorry, B. I was just...into it."

Buffy nodded her head, blushing a little as she sat up and moved to sit next to Faith as they both leaned against the tree. "Don't be sorry," Buffy said softly as she turned to look at her. "It was...nice."

Faith chuckled, biting her lip from saying something stupid to Buffy and making her more flustered than she already was. She had to remember this was Buffy, that things weren't just going to jump forward and she'd end up in bed with her just like that. This was Buffy and even she knew that Buffy didn't just jump into bed with anyone, Spike being the possible exception to that rule. But she wanted more than just a night fucking her until she couldn't walk straight. She wanted everything if she could have it, despite everything scaring the shit out of her.

She wanted it to be easier just to talk to Buffy, but it'd take time. She was never one to voice her thoughts no matter what she was thinking about. She didn't know why she felt like a flustered teenager sitting there next to Buffy. She'd never been this way before, always exuding self-confidence no matter what situation she found herself in. It was always going to be different around Buffy. She had to tread those waters carefully and if she couldn't, she'd end up right back at the beginning with no way back to where they'd made it now.

"It's funny," Buffy said softly as she broke the silence between them, "I never thought you and I would end up this way."

"Me neither."

"I wasn't finished," she sighed as she shook her head slowly in disbelief. Faith muttered a soft apology and waited for her to continue. "Whatever is happening between us, it feels...real and different and it's making me scared not knowing where this is going. I thought before we came here that it'd be like it was before with us. But," she took a deep breath as she looked at Faith and smiled, "it's not the way it was before, obviously. I have no feelings of malice towards you. That all kind of disappeared when we left Sunnydale behind."

"Yeah? So what, you love me now?" Faith teased as she poked Buffy in the thigh. "You do, don't ya? You love me now."

"I wouldn't go that far just yet."

"So," Faith said as she let Buffy casually take her hand. "What does all this mean then, B?"

"Do we have to put a meaning to it right now?"

"Nah, I'm just curious is all."

"Curiosity killed the cat, Faith," Buffy winked as she chuckled quietly under her breath.

"You trying to confuse me too?"

"I think you already managed to confuse me."

Faith raised an eyebrow as she stared at her, holding back her laugh as she saw a mix of unknown emotions and thoughts in Buffy's eyes. She didn't bother to keep from smirking as she saw Buffy flush a little. Whatever she was thinking was getting her hot and Faith had never seen her so unguarded before.

Just when she thought they'd actually get somewhere with this conversation, or the lack of it so far, Kennedy came outside with a bottle of wine and three glasses. Faith was certain Buffy would move away from her, but instead she took the offered glass of wine from Kennedy once she'd poured her some and stayed right where she was. The sun was quickly falling beyond the horizon and it was quiet aside from the sounds of laughter coming from inside the house. Faith took a glass of wine for herself and took a tentative sip. She'd never been one to drink much wine, but found it pleasingly tasty.

"We're staying in tonight instead of going out," Kennedy said as she stared down into her own wine glass, looking rather bored out of her mind. "Willow and Julie are talking spells with Laura. It's fucking boring when you have no idea what they're talking about."

"I bet," Faith chuckled as she took another sip. "Does Xander know we're staying in?"

"Yeah. He's gone to the store with Andrew to pick up some beer and a few more bottles of wine. Oh, and Buffy," Kennedy said as she looked over at her, "don't be mad, but Giles let Dawn have a glass of wine with them inside. Something about how it was okay to have one glass with adults around."

Buffy only shrugged and rolled her eyes, not caring in the least about Dawn or anything else really. Faith could feel her trying to relax and she could hear the steady beat of her heart as she breathed in deep and slow. Faith kicked off her boots as she stretched out her legs, trying to get comfortable sitting on the hard grass with her back up against the rough bark of the tree. She dug her cigarettes out of her pocket and offered Kennedy one before she lit one for herself.

"Why do you smoke?" Buffy asked them both softly, though the question was aimed more at Faith. "It's disgusting."

"Just a bad habit I picked up, B. It relaxes me."

"Oh."

"Does it bother you?"

"No," she said quickly as she shook her head. "Just curious, really. And since when do you smoke, Kennedy?"

"Since always. Just smoke here and there. It's not like I'm a slave to the nicotine addiction like some people," Kennedy said as she looked right at Faith and gave her a playful wink. "Willow doesn't like it when I smoke either, but right now I could give a half shit what she thinks."

"Trouble in paradise, Ken?" Faith asked, trying not to laugh when Buffy poked her rather hard in the thigh.

"Yeah. Her name is Julie. Stupid fucking bitch," Kennedy muttered under her breath. "I'm over it, honestly. Will won't do anything with her. At least I hope she won't."

"She won't," Buffy assured her. "She isn't a cheater. You don't have to worry about anything happening."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Buffy. Wish I could actually believe it. You saw the way they were talking earlier. It makes me a little nervous to leave them alone."

"So then why are you out here?" Faith asked, unable to bite her tongue like she knew she should have. "Shouldn't you be inside making sure that Julie doesn't try to make the moves on your woman?"

"Like I said," Kennedy said, sounding rather annoyed as she glared at Faith, "it's fucking boring sitting there listening to the two of them talk about shit I don't know anything about."

"Tell me about it," Faith and Buffy both said together and the three of them burst out into nearly uncontrollable laughter.

Maybe it was the wine or the relaxing time they were having out in the back, sitting on the grass under the tree, or maybe it was something else. Whatever it was, it made Faith feel at ease, feel as if she really was home and that she was where she belonged. Things with Buffy were complicated at best, but not the usual complicated she'd grown so used to having over the years with her. It was a different kind of complicated. The type of complicated that just gnawed at her mind every second of the day and asked so many questions that would never be answered if she didn't ask anyone other than herself. She knew, though, that if Kennedy hadn't come outside when she did, she might have been able to open up a little and be a little more verbal with her thoughts to Buffy.

She listened to Buffy and Kennedy discuss a more practical training schedule that would work out better for all of them. She never once took her eyes off Buffy and even though she was listening, she wasn't really hearing the words. The wine was definitely getting to her head as she trailed a finger over the top of the glass and found herself completely mesmerized by the animated way Buffy spoke. She knew she'd been doing that a lot without realizing it, just staring at Buffy and trying to figure her out.

She finished off her glass of wine and leaned her head against the tree as she closed her eyes, trying to stop the world from spinning around her. It wasn't just the wine that had sent her on a tailspin; it was hearing Buffy speak and having the fresh memories of that kiss in her mind. It was just a kiss and even though she'd tried to take it that one step further, she was somewhat relieved that Buffy had stopped anything more from happening. Her self-control was fleeting, especially once she was in the zone, but she had to be different for Buffy. She had to.

Bits of the conversation she'd had with Robin came back to her. He had wanted to prove that he could be different for her while at the same time having her prove to herself that life wasn't all just about getting some and getting gone. She realized now she didn't need him to help her prove that to herself. She had Buffy whether Buffy knew it or not. She opened her eyes again when she felt Buffy's warm hand casually rest on her thigh and she could only smile a little as Kennedy reached over and topped up her glass.

"I'm gonna get another bottle, you guys want red or white this time?"

"Whatever, Ken," Faith said as she shrugged her shoulders. "Doesn't matter to me. Feeling buzzed already. Everything is gonna taste the same."

"It's not," Buffy said softly, laughing as she leaned into Faith and shook her head. "Is it just me or is it getting a little cold outside?"

"Cooling off a bit. You wanna go inside?"

"No," Buffy said as she looked up at Faith with a smile. "I'm good right where I am."

Her words were a little slurred, but Faith knew she wasn't beyond the point where she was too drunk. Faith kept feeling the need to pinch herself to make sure she hadn't fallen into some weird dream where everything felt real. Kennedy just winked at her as she grabbed the empty bottle and headed up to the house. She looked down at Buffy as soon as Kennedy had disappeared inside, gently lifting her chin to plant a soft kiss on her lips, catching her slightly off-guard.

It was too easy to melt into the kiss, to savour those seconds that ticked by as Buffy let her kiss her. She kept it light, fighting off that urge to deepen the kiss, fighting that urge to claim her with just a kiss. She was floating as she pulled back slowly, smiling as Buffy looked at her, her eyes slightly glazed over both from the kiss and the wine she'd drank. She sat there in slight awe, amazed at the affect a kiss from her had on Buffy. Never in a million years did she ever think she'd get the chance to kiss Buffy without having her ass kicked for trying.

"Are you okay with this?" Buffy asked softly.

"You are kidding, right?"

"This is all sorts of new, Faith."

"No shit," she smirked as she leaned in for a light kiss. "Definitely could get used to this, though, don't you think?"

"I think so, yeah."

"How can this be so easy?" Faith asked as she shook her head, still trying to make sense of it all.

"What do you mean? Are you talking about this?" Buffy asked as she motioned to the closeness between them. "I don't know, Faith. All I know is..."

"It feels right. Right?"

Buffy nodded and smiled up at her, giving her one last soft kiss before Kennedy came back outside with a full bottle of wine. Faith couldn't keep the satisfied smile off of her face as Kennedy sat back down near them and raised an eyebrow. She said nothing as she opened the bottle of wine and topped up her own glass before she leaned back on her elbows and stared up at the darkening sky.

Whatever really was happening between them, whether it would end up being a fling or something more, it was real and it did feel right. It felt so right that Faith had a feeling it should have always been that way, but there'd always been complications in the past. Too many of them and not all of them her own fault either. There was Angel there in the beginning, then her stint on the dark side. Then there was the time she'd spent in prison, during which she had to admit she did nothing but think of Buffy almost the entire time. She'd gone to prison not just for herself, but for Buffy too.

One of these days she'd tell Buffy everything. She'd let down all her walls and open herself up completely to her and she only hoped that Buffy would feel comfortable enough and be able to trust her enough again to open herself up too. But for now all she wanted to do was enjoy the night with the woman she never thought she'd have a chance with and the other woman who was quickly becoming her best friend.

For once her life was going good. She had people who cared, she was starting to feel like she was truly a part of their little family group, and she had Buffy. She was going to do everything she could to hold on to this part of her life. There was no way she was giving any of it up for anything.