What those kisses became did not feel real. They felt better than real, transcendent. But Tara wasn't supposed to be using words like transcendent to describe the feel of another woman's body, another woman's mouth: she had Willow, and she belonged to Willow, and that was supposed to be that. So why wasn't that that?

Tara was fully dressed now. Faith pulled on an old t-shirt that had been crumpled up, waiting, near the bed. It was an black band T-shirt, a metal band: Slayer. Tara couldn't help it, she knew she was supposed to be flagellating herself internally and she'd been about to, but Faith, an actual Slayer, in a T-shirt bearing the giant red-gash letters that said Slayer—Tara laughed.

"Oh I know right?" Faith said. She looked down and grinned.

"I really need to go," Tara said.

"You've been saying that."

"I have to mean it this time."

"I had a lot of fun."

"I—so did I," Tara said, talking too fast. "I had fun too."

"What's your story gonna be?" Faith asked.

"What story?"

"Willow. When you get home. Where are you gonna say you were?"

This was not a fair question for Faith to ask, but because Tara felt guilty she answered. "I'm not going to lie," Tara said. "I'm going to tell Willow that I made a mistake and it won't happen again."

"A mistake," Faith said, mulling over the word.

"I don't mean you're a mistake," Tara clarified quickly. "I mean I—you know I shouldn't have—Willow and I aren't…we don't have arrangements or anything like that."

"Arrangements?"

"You know like with polyamory or something. That's not us."

"That's usually only a word people know if they've at least thought about it," Faith pointed out. She smirked.

"I…I had kind of a delay, you know? Finding out about the world."

Faith let out a dramatic sigh. "I'm afraid I don't know," she said. "The world found me before I could say anything about it. But there's something beautiful about finding out later. You're an adult. You can know exactly what you're getting into."

Tara looked down, and her voice unconsciously dropped to a near-whisper. "I have no idea what I've gotten into," she said.

"Look, I can promise you this, in all seriousness," Faith said, her dark eyes looking especially alert and empathetic. "I know I talk a big game, and I like to think I live up to the hype, but I have no desire to come between you and Willow, okay? I really don't. I think what you have is beautiful. I can't imagine it myself, loving one person as much as the two of you love each other. I'm really not trying to be a homewrecker over here. I don't know what got into me except that you're just…so…"

"Don't," Tara said. "Every time you give me a compliment I want to kiss you. And I need to not want to kiss you."

"You make it sound like that takes some effort," Faith said. She smiled, but regretted her playfulness when she saw Tara's expression. "I'm just messing with you," Faith assured her. "Taking flattery where I can get it." She kissed Tara's forehead and hopped off the bed. As she walked to the bathroom, she said, "You get home, okay? And next time you and I talk it really is going to be about our brilliant plan to stop these guys."

"Do you have a plan?" Tara asked hopefully.

Faith laughed. "When would I have made a plan? But I'll call you. If I think of something. And that will be the only thing I call you about."

"We don't have to have that many rules," Tara said. "I just need to not—"

But Faith had already closed the bathroom door and couldn't hear her. "I'll see you later!" she called.

"Right," Tara said, forcing herself to raise her voice. "Later."