Faith sat on the big leather couch in the lobby of the apartment building as the first handful of girls arrived along with a Watcher by the name of Bryce Owen. He was far younger than Faith expected a Watcher to be—barely five years older than her, Buffy, and Xander if she was any judge. He introduced the three girls from England, four from Scotland and two from Spain, but Faith forgot their names almost the instant after Bryce did the introductions. He and Giles immediately went off to discuss things with Giles privately in the one bachelor apartment near the main door that he was slowly turning into his office.

Buffy was off with Xander and Dawn—where, exactly, Faith wasn't sure. She just sat on the couch with her feet propped up on the coffee table and her arms folded over her chest, Kennedy to her left mimicking her almost exactly. Neither of them said a word to the new girls and with the tall redhead it had become a staring war as she stood by the far wall and looked over at both of them. The other girls talked quietly to each other, but that girl had distanced herself and the anger could be seen like sparks of fire in her eyes. It reminded Faith all too much of the amount of anger she'd once had and to feel that Slayer strength on top of the deeply rooted anger really messed one up nice and good.

"What was her name again?" Kennedy asked, keeping her voice low as she turned to look at Faith.

"Fuck if I know," Faith laughed as she shrugged and leaned back further into the couch. "Ya heard what Giles said last night. There's gonna be close to a hundred girls showing up by the end of the week. The name thing can wait. It's just tough shit if anyone expects me to remember all those fuckin' names right off the bat."

"Why do I feel like I'm going to have a constant migraine living here?"

"Probably cos ya will. Just stock up on the booze. It'll take the edge off."

"Great, turning into a raging alcoholic to deal. That's your plan?"

"Never said I was gonna. Buffy gets all bitchy if I have more than a few beers," Faith said and let out a sigh as she leaned forward and rested her arms over her knees. "Not like I mind. Fuck, I'd do anything for her and she knows it."

"You really love her, don't you?"

"Ain't even a question anymore."

"You two came back from that...place...completely different, you know that?"

"How so?"

"Just overall," Kennedy said as she absently waved her hand around, struggling to find a way to describe what she was trying to say. "I know you came back all super-Slayers and everything, but there is something else. Willow said something one night about it and now...now I can't remember a fucking word she said to me about it!"

"Breathe, Ken. No need to get all worked up over it. Not a big deal," Faith said calmly, offering a small smile as Kennedy breathed in and out deeply as she struggled to keep control of her emotions. "Y'know, I'm startin' to think all that barrier spell bullshit is just that—bullshit. It's somethin' else."

"What?" Kennedy asked, blinking as she tried to catch on to what Faith was talking about. "Where did this all come from?"

"Been thinkin'. Something fuckin' fishy is goin' on with Angel and I don't think everything he's told us is actually true. Don't know what else is goin' on either, but I'm sure as hell gonna figure it out before shit goes down."

Thinking was, in fact, nearly all she'd been doing the entire morning since she woke up to an empty bed and the sound of Buffy talking quietly on the phone to Angel. She didn't have to guess, she just knew. It bothered her too since Buffy didn't tell her what Angel had talked to her about and it wasn't like it had been a brief conversation either. Faith knew she'd been on the phone with him for hours. Something was seriously going on with him and for some reason he was trying to meddle in their lives and screw up the good thing she and Buffy had together. After that phone call, Xander and Dawn had shown up at the apartment and Buffy had taken off without so much a word to Faith other than she'd see her later.

They didn't get the chance to talk much more when Giles and Bryce walked back into the lounge and instructed the girls to come with them as they assigned three to an apartment, the redhead girl singled out for the time being. Giles motioned for Faith and Kennedy to tag along and they did without hesitation seeing how they really had nothing else better to do until patrol that night. Kennedy was bored out of her mind and she wasn't being quiet about it either, complaining about it every chance she got once Giles and Bryce were out of earshot. Faith ignored her for the most part, trying to look interested in showing the girls around the building. Perry had gotten the deed for Giles and it was now in his name. The only problem was a few of the tenants, but Giles said he was dealing with them and that they'd be out by the end of the month.

The amount of things that had happened in such a short while made Faith's head spin and as soon as the girls were settled in, she headed to her apartment and slammed the door loudly behind her. She let out a relieved sigh when she found Buffy lying on the couch flipping through a magazine, looking rather bored as she tossed the magazine to the floor. She smiled as Faith approached the couch and crawled from one end to the other, hovering over Buffy and leaning in to capture her lips in a soft kiss.

"How'd everything go this morning?" Buffy asked as she shifted and slipped off the couch leaving Faith lying there rather confused. "I take it that you've met Bryce?"

"Yeah. Everything went okay, I guess," she shrugged as she sat up and watched as Buffy walked over to the stereo and flipped it off. "How 'bout you, B? Where'd you go off to all morning?"

"Shopping," she said with a bright smile. "Lots and lots of shopping. I swear Xander was ready to kill me and Dawn when we wouldn't leave this one store."

"Oh?" Faith asked, amused at how excited Buffy got over such a tedious task such as shopping. "What's the damage, B?"

Buffy just shrugged, smiling coyly as she and Faith raced to the bedroom. She tried to stop her from going in, but Faith was too quick and slid past her as she opened the door. She burst out laughing at the amount of bags and clothes strewn throughout the room and she turned to look at Buffy as she stood in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest and a pout forming over her lips.

"Think ya went a little overboard, B. Where the hell we gonna put all this?"

"Don't know," she shrugged, trying not to smile as Faith walked over to her and wrapped her arms tightly around her. "I saw a few things I thought you'd like so I picked them up for you. If you don't like them or if they don't fit, I can easily take them back."

"Don't know why anyone ever thought you're selfish, B."

"What?"

"Back in Sunnydale, people talked. Always called ya selfish and what not. So which one of these bags got my goodies in it?"

"Who said I was selfish?" Buffy asked, not budging from the door as Faith took it upon herself to go through the many bags strewn over the floor. "Faith?"

"Y'know, the girls stayin' at the house talked a lot at night. Ya definitely weren't their favourite person I can tell ya that much," she shrugged and picked up a big white paper bag and looked inside. "This one mine, B?"

She didn't bother to wait for Buffy to answer her, dumping the contents of the bag out on the bed. There were a few pairs of jeans and some tank tops, black and red, a few white. She let out a soft laugh as she turned to Buffy and raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?" Buffy asked, smiling as she walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "I love when you wear those beaters. You look so sexy."

Faith whipped off the t-shirt she was wearing, then grabbed the white tank top off the top of the pile and pulled it on. It contrasted nicely with her now tanned skin and she spun around to look in the mirror, checking herself out thoroughly. She couldn't deny that she did look good, that she did look sexy, and she turned to look back at Buffy with a rather predatory smile creeping over her lips. She leaned down to kiss Buffy, who stopped her and pushed her back, instead holding up one of the pairs of jeans.

"What, now I'm supposed to put on some kinda fashion show for ya or somethin', B?"

"I just want to see that everything fits," she replied easily as Faith slid off the jean shorts she was wearing and pulled on the pair of jeans Buffy had tossed her way.

This went on for nearly half an hour, Buffy barely saying a word, but the appreciation in her eyes saying more than enough. Faith tried not to think about how weird Buffy was acting, not with her wanting to try on all the clothes she'd bought for her, but in the way that she'd push her away every time she'd try to kiss her. Faith tried to ignore those voices in her head that were telling her that whatever Buffy had talked about with Angel earlier was making her act this way. She kept on the black tank she'd put on last and changed back into her jean shorts, it being much too hot to wear anything else. Buffy was already up from the bed and trying to find a place for the mountains of clothes she'd bought.

Faith stopped her from walking out of the bedroom once she'd finished putting everything away and she stared into her eyes, trying to figure her out without even asking her what was wrong. Buffy didn't say anything and she gave her a quick kiss before she slipped out of her arms and walked out of the bedroom quickly. Faith groaned as she followed her, flopping down onto the couch and watching as Buffy padded around the kitchen trying to straighten it up a little bit. Faith knew her well enough now to know that something was definitely bothering her. She could see it just in the way she moved, the way she breathed, and the way she'd look at her when she finally allowed their eyes to meet from across the room.

Buffy came back over to the couch and sat down next to her, not giving her a chance to take another breath before she pulled her in for a deep kiss. Any prior thought that Buffy was acting off was gone and she chalked it up to restlessness on her part. Buffy pulled back from the kiss slowly, smiling as she moved to straddle Faith's legs. Faith knew all Buffy wanted to do was kiss her and let everything else on her mind to go away just for a little while. Faith was more than happy to oblige, pulling her in for another deep, passionate kiss as she too let everything in her mind disappear. It wasn't always about sex, but when Buffy kissed her like that, it was hard to keep her hands to herself.

"Are you hungry?" Buffy asked, almost breathless as she pulled back from the kiss.

"Ate pizza with Ken earlier."

"Oh, before I forget," Buffy said as she trailed her fingers up Faith's arms slowly, "Xander should be coming by soon. Giles had him get a few intercoms. He's going to put one in here."

"Sounds uh, convenient?"

"It's just so nobody has to physically come get us if we're needed."

"I know what an intercom is, B," Faith chuckled softy. "What's up with you today?"

"What do you mean?"

"What'd you and Angel talk about earlier?"

"I was trying to get some answers out of him about everything that had happened before with Julie, with the barrier spell and everything. Feels like we're missing something because it all..."

"Doesn't add up," Faith finished, nodding in agreement and relieved she wasn't alone feeling the way she had been before. "Whatcha think is goin' on?"

"I don't know."

"Well," Faith sighed as she looked up into Buffy's eyes. "We'll figure it out somehow, B."

"I'm sorry if I seem...off today. That phone call with Angel kind of...upset me."

"What did he say to you, B? Was he givin' you shit about being with me?" Faith asked and Buffy nodded her head a little. "Well fuck what he thinks, B. I don't get it. When he came around that first time he didn't seem to have much of a problem with it. I'm thinkin' he's jealous cos you and I have what you two never could before."

"That's exactly what Dawn said earlier when we were out. She told me he's just jealous of you and that he isn't handling our relationship so well," she said, laughinga softly as she reached up and tucked Faith's hair behind her ears. "He's never been able to handle me being with anyone else too well."

"Nah, and ya can't blame him either. To tell ya the truth, I can't handle you being with anyone else either. Never could. Maybe it's one of the reasons why I fucked everything up before."

"I..."

"Knock, knock," Xander said as he slowly opened the apartment door, not yet opening it enough to see the two of them on the couch. "Everyone decent?"

"Come in, Xander," Buffy said, slipping off of Faith's lap after planting a soft, loving kiss on her lips.

He opened the door some more and walked in carrying his toolbox, which he instantly set down on the floor. He smiled over at both of them as he kicked the door shut behind him. The door had barely been shut for half a second before it flung open again and Kennedy just took it upon herself to come in. In spite of the irritation Faith could see in Buffy's eyes, the blonde still forced a smile over at Kennedy as the junior slayer sat down on the other end of the couch. Faith let out a soft sigh, knowing the interruptions were likely to make for one hell of a long afternoon when all she wanted to do was talk to Buffy and try to figure everything out.


Their concerns about Angel were brought up before they went out on patrol. It had been Buffy who practically dragged Faith down to the lobby where Giles and Bryce were sitting discussing plans for how to handle the rest of the Slayers that would be showing up over the next week or two. It didn't surprise Faith at all to know that Giles had his doubts about the 'information' Angel had given them before. He suspected there was more to Angel than good intentions and informed them that he'd already been looking into some of the answers Angel had provided about Julie, her family, and the Hellmouth barrier spell. He was also trying to find more information as to why they both had come back from that other dimension stronger than ever before.

All they wanted was answers—real answers—and now that they all suspected they couldn't trust Angel they were right back at square one. The two of them went off on patrol by themselves and even though they knew they should have separated, they stayed together and headed for the closest cemetery hand in hand. The sun was about to set and they had a good half an hour before any vampires would dare show their faces. Faith led the way through the cemetery and came to a stop near one of the many benches haphazardly placed along the pathway and sat down.

"Can ya believe this?" Faith asked, finally breaking the silence that had been between them since they'd left the building. "Of all fuckin' people, you'd think we could trust Angel."

"You'd think so," Buffy said softly as she sat down next to her and pulled her stake out from the back of her jeans. "Then again, he's got a lot going on down in LA. He doesn't talk about it at all, but...you know there is stuff going on that he's trying to deal with."

"But why pull shit with us? Cos he can?"

"Wish I knew. He does keep telling me that what I feel for you isn't real. I know it is and yet..."

"Don't fuckin' listen to him, B. Y'know what I think? I think this whole deal with the effects from the barrier spell is a truckload of bullshit. He knew somethin' was happening between us and he just couldn't fuckin' stand the thought of it. Angel is a good guy, gotta hand him that, but he ain't been himself lately. I picked up on it the last time he was here."

"I think something is happening to his soul," Buffy said quietly as she stared down at the stake in her hands. "Willow and I talked about it once before, about what would happen if he turned into Angelus again. She told me she had plenty of reason to believe that nobody, not even her, would be able to restore his soul if he ever lost it again."

"Ya think he's been Angelus this whole time and been playin' us? Cos I'm seriously startin' to wonder if I'm right about that."

"Since when?"

"Since I started thinkin' 'bout it this morning."

"After you heard me talking to him," Buffy said flatly, shaking her head as she stood up from the bench. "What if we're right? What if he is Angelus? Angel wouldn't want to be left that way if there's no hope for anyone to restore his soul."

"Let's not jump to any conclusions just yet, B. Giles is on it and with his new best buddy I'm sure they'll dig up some answers soon enough."

"I'm starting to think he was working with Julie and her family," Buffy said quietly as she started pacing in front of Faith. "Why, I don't know, but I got that feeling before and just shrugged it off to being a little...scared of what could really happen to all of us with someone like Julie around."

"You were scared of her, B?"

Faith knew for a Slayer to admit that kind of weakness, admit to being afraid of someone or something, was a hard thing to acknowledge even just in their own mind. She also didn't want to force Buffy to talk about it, to voice her opinions on the whole thing if she wasn't sure about them herself. She watched the blonde as she paced the ground in front of her, spinning her stake in her hands as she breathed in and out deeply.

"You know why I was scared of her? Because she was unpredictable, not to mention completely crazy too. I know we can't always be lucky and win at the end of each battle, no matter how big or small it really is. The thing with Julie...it opened my eyes and showed me that no matter what we all do, the world is never going to be safe for more than a day at a time."

"What do you think we should do about that then, B? Give up?"

The hopelessness in Buffy's eyes broke her heart and she stood up and quickly wrapped her arms around her before Buffy could say another word. She knew that life was shit at times and that the life of a Slayer had more than its fair share of that shit and was far from normal. She had been trying her best to live her life as normal as she could and give Buffy a little taste of it too. Nobody else but the two of them knew just how hard it was. The new Slayers didn't know and they probably never would now that there were hundreds, if not thousands of them all over the world. It started to sink in what Buffy was reaching for and she wanted it too. She wanted to run from her life as Buffy wanted to run from her own, even if it was just for a little while.

She kept her eyes and ears open for any vampires who were waiting for the second the sun set to come creeping out of whatever shadows and corners they were hiding in and she just held onto Buffy, conveying as much understanding as she could with the silence they shared between them. Just like in other small moments like this, Faith was starting to understand more and more what it meant to be in a relationship and what it meant to love and be loved. It meant never having to deal with things on your own, at least not completely. It meant being there for the other person in any way you could even if it meant just holding them to make them feel safe and not alone.

"We should..." Buffy said as she backed up from Faith but didn't drop her arms from around her.

"Yeah, gettin' dark. Don't wanna be standing here lookin' like prey now, do we?"

"No, definitely not," Buffy said as she let out a short, sharp laugh and finally stepped away from Faith completely. "Tell you what; if it's fairly quiet tonight, we'll head home early or..."

"Or?"

"Or we can find a club and go dancing for a couple of hours. We haven't...not since..."

"Sounds good to me, B. Gotta let loose and find the fun sometimes."

"Yeah," Buffy smiled, the tense uncertainty and hopelessness fading from her eyes as Faith smiled right back at her. "Come on, let's go find something to kill."

"Like the way ya think sometimes, girlfriend," Faith chuckled as she followed Buffy deeper into the cemetery, the Slayer inside her coming alive as she felt those first faint tingles deep inside indicating there were vampires nearby.

They walked throughout the cemetery for a couple hours, not once coming across a vampire or even a demon. The disappointment was felt in both of them and they finally gave up, stopping by the apartment to quickly change their clothes into something more suitable for a club. They ran into Kennedy, Satsu and Carmen on the way down the stairs and from the look they all shared, they all planned to do the same thing. Faith knew there was a club close by and after avoiding anyone else on the way out of the building, they headed down the street and around the corner to a club that was rather crowded for a Monday night.

Faith ushered them all to the front of the line, slipping the bouncer a twenty after flashing a flirty smile his way. He let them right in, the groans and protests coming from the crowd following them as they walked inside. She kept a hold of Buffy's hand as she led them through the crowd inside, manoeuvring her way to the bar at the far end of the club. She instantly had the bartender's attention and ordered them a round of shots and a pitcher of beer with five glasses. Carmen was already kicking a group of college guys out of a booth furthest away from the dance floor and the rest of them joined her, taking a seat around the small table as Faith, Kennedy, and Satsu juggled the full shot glasses.

"Now this is more like it!" Carmen laughed as she set the pitcher of beer and the glasses down on the table. "Anyone else up for ditching patrol to do this every night?"

"I don't think my liver could handle doing this every night," Satsu laughed as she wedged her way onto the seat next to Buffy. "Aren't you going to drink that, Buffy?"

Satsu pointed to the shot glass that had been placed in front of her, the only one on the table that still hadn't been touched. Buffy shrugged and picked it up, downing it as quickly as she could and forcing a smile as she slammed the glass onto the table.

"I think I'll just stick with beer for the rest of the night," Buffy said quietly so only Faith managed to hear her. "Hard liquor and me, especially whiskey, do not mix very well."

"Just ain't used to it, is all," Faith said, smiling as she slipped an arm around Buffy and pulled her out of the booth, heading straight for the dance floor without another word.

She was trying her best to take her mind, and Buffy's, off of everything else and only trying to enjoy themselves and let loose for a little while. She led her to the middle of the crowded dance floor, snaking her arms around Buffy's waist as she began to move to the fast beat of the club music that blared loudly, the bass floating through both their bodies like a second pulse. This was definitely the one thing she loved to do more than anything else—to dance, to get lost in the music, to feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins as she moved effortlessly with and against whatever warm body that she found near her. And in this case, it was Buffy and would only be Buffy all night long. This was her woman, her girlfriend, her lover, partner, friend and she'd be damned if she let anyone get too close to her.

Buffy seemed free and without a care in the world as she danced against Faith, nearly grinding her hips against Faith's as she pulled them closer together. The tempo of the music slowed and it was only then that Buffy opened her eyes, looking at Faith almost as if she was surprised she'd gotten so lost in the music and in her. Faith didn't hold back, leaning in to kiss her, half expecting Buffy to push her away since she knew she wasn't all that comfortable with the PDA in front of so many people—strangers really. Buffy surprised her, sliding her hands to the back of her neck and pulling her in for a much deeper and more passionate kiss as she pressed her body as close to Faith as she could manage without sending them tumbling over and down to the floor.

Faith broke apart and looked over at Kennedy and Satsu as they danced a couple feet away, barely visible because of the few bodies in the way but still obviously having their tongues shoved down each other's throats. Buffy leaned into Faith, trying to figure out what she was staring at, but the crowd of dancers moved and the two junior slayers had disappeared. She laughed as she turned back to Faith and pulled her back in for another kiss. It left her slightly dazed when Buffy pulled away suddenly and dragged her back over to the booth where Carmen sat watching Kennedy and Satsu still out on the dance floor together. As soon as they had sat down, however, Carmen was up and walking to the bar, clearly pissed at what was going on between the other two Slayers.

Buffy said nothing as she reached for the glass of beer in front of her. Maybe it was the atmosphere of the club, but as Buffy leaned back into her and let out a content sigh, Faith knew she'd never felt her so relaxed—with the possible exception of those early mornings they'd spent in bed, still awake as the sun rose and light began to fill the bedroom. But that all faded as soon as Buffy spotted Kennedy and Satsu out on the dance floor.

"What the hell is she doing?" Buffy asked as she turned to Faith. "What a skank."

"B..."

"You're siding with her?"

"Not siding with either of 'em, just saying," Faith shrugged as she took a small sip of her beer, "everyone deals with grief and guilt in their own way."

"By making out with the girl she cheated on Willow with in the middle of a club?"

"Just don't worry about it, B. We're here to have a good time, that's all," Faith said, hoping Buffy would just drop it and enjoy their night out. "Y'know," she laughed as it finally dawned on her. "B? This is pretty much a date even though we're here with them."

"Took you long enough to figure that out," Buffy laughed and she kissed her lightly on the lips, winking as she pulled away and settled back down against her side. "You feel that?"

"Vamps. Lots of 'em," Faith said with a smile, feeling that tingle over the heavy bass. "Wanna grab the others, check it out?"

Faith motioned to the back room where a handful of people—likely vampires—disappeared behind a door marked 'private'. Buffy went off in search of Carmen and Faith walked over to Kennedy and Satsu, smirking as she tapped them both on the shoulder.

"If you two are done suckin' face, we got some vamps here."

"Now?" Kennedy asked, looking around the crowd. "Where?"

"Now would be a good time to teach them how to rely on their senses and instinct," Buffy said as she walked up behind them with Carmen in tow.

"You've got to be kidding me," Kennedy groaned as she followed Buffy and Faith through the crowd, Carmen and Satsu falling behind and arguing with one another.

Faith tried the door as soon as she approached it, finding it locked. With a little bit of force, she broke it open and the five of them slipped inside and quickly shut it behind them. They were in a hallway with doors lining each wall, all presumably locked as well. Faith was about to head down the hallway when Buffy stopped her. She stayed back and watched the others as they walked casually down to the last door on the left. They watched as Kennedy grabbed the wooden table at the end of the hallway, smashing the legs and grabbing one, tossing the other two a piece for themselves before they forced open the door.

"They can handle themselves," Buffy said pointedly, re-opening the door back into the club as the sounds of fighting drifted faintly from the room down the hallway. She pulled Faith back out into the heart of the club, smirking as she looked back over at her.

"Shouldn't we stick around and—"

"We're not always going to be there for them. They have to learn how to take care of things on their own. Isn't that the whole point of what Giles is trying to do anyway?"

"I know what you're trying to do, B. You're trying to make it so we get some time without them around, really make this feel like a date."

"Maybe...or could be," Buffy laughed as she leaned in to Faith to whisper into her ear, "that I just want to dance."

Buffy pulled her across to the far corner of the dance floor, both of them instantly finding themselves lost within the music yet again. Faith couldn't relax until she saw Kennedy walk out of the door marked 'private' with Satsu and Carmen close behind her. They could handle themselves, she knew they could, but she couldn't help but worry just a little bit about them anyway. Although it was more Kennedy than the other two she worried about, it wasn't the point. They were just as much a part of the family as she was. She recalled the speech Satsu went on with the second night the others had been in California. She'd talked about looking out for each other despite whatever was going on in their lives. Slaying first, real life bullshit and everything else came second.

Pushing aside all thoughts, all worries, all emotions except for the one she felt floating through her like liquid fire, she once again got lost in the moment, in the atmosphere of the club, and in Buffy.


It was four in the morning before the five of them trudged back to the house, exhausted from a night of dancing and light drinking and then a quick patrol before they had finally headed back to the apartment. Satsu stopped them as they began to walk past the lobby, pointing to Giles—asleep in one of the chairs with a book lying open on his chest and his glasses dangling from one hand—and then over to Bryce, who sat on the couch in almost the exact same position, minus the glasses. They all tried not to laugh as they hurried down the hallway and ran up the stairs.

Once they were in the apartment, Buffy went straight to the bedroom and immediately collapsed on the bed. The exhaustion from long hours of dancing had been compounded by dusting a handful of newbie vampires a few blocks away behind a pawnshop. Faith could barely keep her eyes open long enough to strip out of her clothes and she watched with heavy-lidded, tired eyes as Buffy barely managed to wiggle out of her own clothes while still lying on the bed. Faith kept her eyes open until Buffy moved to lie next to her, pulling her left arm so it was wrapped loosely around her. She didn't even need to see Buffy's face to know that Buffy fell asleep with a slight smile on her lips, just as she knew she did too.

She woke a few hours later to the muffled sounds of footsteps out in the hallway. She shifted a little, careful not to wake Buffy as she glanced at the clock sitting on the bedside table. Barely after ten in the morning and definitely not near as much sleep as her body was aching for. She pulled the covers completely over her and Buffy, smiling when Buffy let out a quiet giggle as she laid a few light kisses over her neck and collarbone. Faith knew right then that gone were those quiet mornings and long hours of uninterrupted alone time together. The training deal with the younger Slayers that Giles had going was definitely serious and she knew from the second that soft, frustrated sigh escaped from Buffy's lips, that the reality of it all was really beginning to sink in.

"What time is it?" Buffy mumbled sleepily as she shifted in Faith's arms, trying to get comfortable once again. "It's too early, isn't it?"

"Just after ten. Definitely way too fuckin' early."

"Got two dozen girls coming in today," Buffy said as she pulled the covers down from over their heads and squinted in the bright morning sunlight. "You up for this, Faith?"

"Ain't like I got much of a choice," she shrugged and kept her eyes closed as she heard a faint crash in the apartment above. "Think we could find a way to get one of the apartments on the top floor and away from everyone else? Not fuckin' liking this noise down here."

"Grumpy this morning, are we?" Buffy asked, a teasing smile playing across her lips as Faith opened her eyes and turned to look at her. "Let's just...sleep some more and figure out what to do about all this noise later."

"Suddenly not feelin' so tired anymore," Faith said after a moment as she focused solely on the feel of Buffy's fingers lightly trailing over her bare stomach. They both nearly jumped out of bed at the loud buzz coming from the living room. "What the fuck is that?"

"The intercom?" Buffy shrugged as she stayed in bed, watching as Faith strode out of the bedroom naked and stood by the intercom Xander had installed. "I think you press the talk button, Faith," Buffy called out when the buzzer rang again.

"Yo?" Faith said as she held the small green button with the word 'talk' barely visible above it.

"Sorry for the wakeup call," Xander said apologetically, his voice a little faint, but clear. "Since Giles can't figure this system out, he's got me acting as the messenger," Xander laughed before he cleared his throat and continued, "We're having a meeting as soon as possible. Wake Buffy up and meet us downstairs."

"See ya in ten, Xand."

Faith looked over the panel and found the end button when she heard nothing but static after she heard a slight click. She padded back to the bedroom and crawled back under the covers next to Buffy. She laid on her stomach and buried her face into the pillow, letting out a deep breath as Buffy ran her hands down the length of her back.

"We should get down there, see what's going on," Buffy said quietly, moving to get out of bed only to be stopped by Faith as she blindly reached out for her hand. "Faith, you told him ten minutes."

"Never said minutes. For all Xand knows 'see ya in ten' could mean minutes or hours. Personally, I prefer hours."

"Lazy ass."

Faith chuckled softly as she lifted her head and delivered a sweet kiss she knew would sway Buffy to stay right there with her for a little while longer. Even though she was slightly disappointed when Buffy still pulled away and slipped out of bed, she couldn't hold back the smile as she watched her grab some clean clothes and make her way out of the bedroom. A minute later she heard the shower running and she jumped out of bed and quickly made her way into the bathroom to join her.

They wouldn't make it down in ten minutes and Faith knew someone would buzz them over the intercom or show up at the door when they didn't. But as she stepped into the shower stall and wrapped her arms around Buffy from behind, feeling her melt into her as she trailed her lips in soft kisses over Buffy's shoulder, she really didn't care.

Always getting lost in those moments—moments she'd never had and moments she always wished before that she did. And Robin's words, words she hadn't thought of in what felt like a long time, came fluttering back to her mind as she closed her eyes and revelled in the feel of Buffy against her under the hot spray of the water.

"Not everyone is going to screw you over in the end, Faith. You need to have a little bit of faith in others if you want to know what it's like to fall in love. Let me have that chance. I promise you in the end it'll be worth it. We all make mistakes and we all push others away, but that's what makes us human. All too human."

It hadn't been him she'd given that chance to, but that didn't matter. He had been right all along. The impact of that conversation they had on the bus, in the hours before he took his last breath, would forever stick with her even if she didn't always think about it. If it hadn't been for him, she never would have had that push to find a bit of courage to open up her heart. And if she never opened up her heart, she would definitely not be where she was right now and she wouldn't know what it felt like to be loved by someone like Buffy Summers.

So she thought about Robin, a man who had barely been in her life as time was measured yet had such a significant impact on it. And she wished that there was some way to thank him for opening her eyes and her heart to the world around her. And she hoped that maybe, wherever his soul was, he could somehow feel and know her gratitude. And then she let the moment take her over, thinking of nothing else but the woman in her arms.