Bounties and Bullets

by alwynjaegar

Set after season 3, Angel was poisoned sucessfully by Faith but she fell through a portal into a hell dimension before Buffy could secure the win. Buffy then also fell into the same portal 2 days later and is shocked to find the dark slayed over a year older and vastly stronger and calmer then she used to be. Which leads to hunting demon bounties and Buffy discovering herself.

11. Chapter 11: The month before Sunnyhell

Chapter 11: The month before Sunnyhell

Buffy had managed in a single evening to explain her plan to her closest friends and Ruby had revealed her plan in a town meeting to synchronise the time difference of their dimensions which had made everything so much easier if she could actually pull it off since now they would all age here at the same rate she and Faith would which allowed her to come and work or visit whenever she wanted and still bounty hunt to her hearts content which she absoloutly adored and she knew after a week at home her and Faith would have Sunnydale under control with very little effort, she had a few spells given to her by Ruby that would make Vampires go extinct quicker than the dodo did.

Dawn was at home with Faith while she let Buffy take the lead and all their interests here would be taken care of, their only worry would be what would happen back in Sunnydale but Ruby told her she would be going with them and would take on the form of a human and run a local store she called The Magic Box while her older Daughters would manage everything here and keep here interests well looked after.

Ruby also said she would be able to set up a permement hidden mirror portal in the store to allow them to hop dimension with ease rather than using alot of magic to summon portals every five minutes. Jean told them both to just leave the bounty hunting to Sina and Rhino who were very eager to take over and prove their worth but at the same time Rhino had made it clear he would visit often and have Ruby concoct an illusion to make him look human whenever he was in their home dimension as Buffy made it clear years ago that humans didn't all know demons existed and it would cause so many problems even in a town like theirs if he was to just roam about.

Although Rhino was well aware how Buffy didn't like it and wasn't looking forward to going back anyway, she just had to protect her blood and that was something a man like him could easily understand.

Sina was also clear that Al-kufir would be safe and she and the town Gaurds were in good hands and Faith was already going to return on weekends for her art classes anyway and it would be easier to do as Ruby had made them joint partners in her new buisness venture she had magically concocted in Sunnydale and in a month everything would be ready to move into their new life and at anytime they could return day or night.

The only problem Buffy considered they actually had was making everything fine with her mother and explaining the truth to Dawn and she really didn't fancy doing either right now so she would just walk home and try and get some sleep after having one of Faiths delicous home cooked meals and telling Dawn that they would be going hoke together, she knew that would make her happy.

She said goodbye to everyone and hugged them all and made it clear she would come home regularly and still be a member of the community and all they had to do if they needed em was send a message to Rubys daughters and they'd come running without question. The walk home was quiet and it was almost the twilight hour when she returned from their planning meeting, she knew in a month she would have to say her goodbyes and of course she'd come back every other day if Rubys time magic worked but... she felt as if this could be her last time knowing what real peace and quiet felt like and it frightened her something fierce.

She stood silently poised atop her hilltop path that led to their out of the way mountain home and gave it a real deep look for the first time since she got here.

She whispered to the warm air under her beloved bleeding sun "I'll be coming home every other day, just gotta do my job... don't go changing on me too much on me when i aint around" Buffy wiped a tear from her eye and sniffled as she continued waliing home only to be greeted by the sounds of laughter and the smell of Faiths delicious cook and she knew everything would be ok if she just had some belief in herself and the women she had decided to spend the rest of her life with.

~~*

Buffy had enjoyed the evening with Faith and Dawn but had to make up a bed for the girl on the sofa as she was close to passing out any moment now and Faith was reading to her onnthe other side of the sofa. it was a tale of a feudal king who was at war with his beloved brother and it seemed and sounded like it was worth a read somehwrre in the future.

Buffy had managed to make the most comfortable looking sofa bed she had ever managed to build before in her whole life and was ready to move a now sleeping Dawn over to the makeshift bed but Faith just continued reading and stroking the hair behind her ear whilst motioning to Buffy with a look to come and sit besides her. Buffy sighed and gladly joined them both as she leaned against her lover and decided to close her eyes and just listen to Faiths story for a good half hour before she began to slow down and close the book as she realised Dawn was completly out cold.

"We love you Dawn, but it's time to get in bed ok, we got a whole train trip and holiday ahead of us tommorow so sleep well".

Buffy kissed her honeys cheek and slowly rose to pick Dawn up with her enhanced strength and she felt lighter than a feather as Faith moved to open the covers for her and allow Buffy to just slide the young girl inside and let her rest for the night as she and Faith just leaned against each other and whispered every word that came out of their mouths as they double checked the locked front door and moved themselves over to their bedroom and got ready for bed.

"B, i like Rubys plan, it means we can come home whenever we feel like it and maybe after we deal with all the evil comin our way we can pop over to the council and kablam, kablooie! ya know" Faith did some 007 style moves that caused her cute little blondie bear to stifle a giggpe as their bedroom door was going to remain open tonight just in case Dawn needed them for anything.

"She said its gonna be over a year until she appears, hell i'm gonna do some stuff on patroll and did you see the holy magic she gave us... we can create sunlight, purify the ground and even the air to burn vampires who go into the wrong area, we are going back with you being a 4x stronger and myself atleast 3x stronger... we are walking into a shooting gallery with a nuke baby" Buffy gave Faith a cocky grin as she stripped off her pants a little bit too sensually.

"Our weapons alone are way to much for our old selves to handle, you ice machete would of decimated The Master and if i had any of my guns or my axe, Kakistos wouldn't of lasted the width of a single breat if i was pre slayer power". Faith went to brush her teeth and Buffy stripped to her underwear and continued whisper talking to Faith so Dawn wouldn't be woken up by their loud voices on her first night in Al-Kufir.

"Honey if i just had my mauser, not even my rifle each of the big bads we fought would of been dealt with in a second flat... but when Ruby sorts the time difference out i wanna patrol and destroy every demon, warlock and vamoire in town. ya up for it?" she asked Faith who was gargling her minty blue blue mouth wash and after she spat it out she retorted sweetly.

"Well my love it seems we had the same idea since i wanna always pop back here with you a few hours a day, can't believe we're giving up the bounty hunting though, kinda gives us more time together and we're spending saturday and sunday here at home, i have art classes and you have to command the gaurd still but other than those things the week will pretty much be free, Ruby says anyway". Faith waited as Buffy began to clean her teeth also now, she couldn't stop eyeing her perfectly plump and well toned ass.

"We're gonna be joint buisness owners ya know, but i'm just worried about Joyce... i aint exactly bringing home material ya know..." Faith spoke her mind and Buffy had a viscerap reaction to her words but continued to swirl the mouth wash in her mouth as she gave Faith a worried look she could see from the bathroom mirror but the brunette just looked away and cintinued speaking.

"You can lie if you want, take our rings off and hide us... from your mother ya know, i don't want to bring you any shame by being asociated with some broke bitch from Boston." Faith wasn't really looking at anything as she said what she said, maybe the blue floor tiles or the clothes hamper but she wasn't sure ahymore. Buffy broke the silence as she spat the mouthwash out and turned the tap on for a few seconds before speaking up.

"Do you love me?" Buffy asked as she looked at her obviously worried girlfriend in the mirror but stayed completly emotionless as she spoke, not that Faith was even looking at her anymore.

"With all of my being... i just don't want people thinking less of you, because of me" Faith admitted as Buffy turned to look at her directly.

"Don't you ever say that fucking bullshit again, you are my wife! i quit being a Slayer for you, i stayed here in Al-kufir because i fell so hard for you. I love you more than i have ever loved anything in this entire universe. that will not change just because we are returning to that shithole to protect our brand new daughter!" Buffy slowly manouvered herself in front of the girl and told her to go sit on the edge of the bed and she did as she was told without a sound, Buffy sat behind her and began slowly removing her red ribbon.

"Mum will accept us, if she kicks us out we sleep in this bed and commute to Sunnydale, Ruby will have room in the magic box anyway and technically to them we've been away less than a few days. You will introduce yourself as the girlfriend of Buffy Summers and that is it, after awhile we will get the papers together and you will be my wife, do you understand honey?" Buffy spoke so matter of factly that Faith just nodded a yes but Buffy needed her to say it back to her.

"Repeat what i just said, what are we going to do?" Buffy was being forceful gut Faith knew she needed it as she was scared and extremly worried about how people would view her wonderful girlfriend if she was associated with this bostonian bimbo.

"Your mother will accept i am in love you, if she kicks us out we commute or stay with Ruby in the magic box. i will always make it clear that you are my girlfriend and then in the future my wife..." Faith repeated Buffys words in her own way but she was afraid that ehen they returned that her girl would be influenced by her friends or some cute boy would come along and she would forget all about her girlfriend and her life would be destroyed because she didn't out her foot down right now and she couldn't because she needed to protect her magically newborn blood.

Buffy knew what Faith was thinking, she was used to Faith believing she was inferior to everything and everyone, she had no idea how the people here revered and respected her, how she had overheard women basically worship her and praise how she glides so gracefully through a room and makes them feel protected. Faith was almost 20 and was 6ft 1 these days with her boots on and it was a wonder watching her work, her passion for art and bounty hunting was unmatched and yet she still believed she was less than the lowest vagrant somehow but 'she was never the best at self reflectiin' Buffy mused to herself as she had fully removed the girls red ribbon and placed it away on the nightstand.

"Faith we are both almost 20 baby, i'm scared someone will see you and steal ya from me, especially with how beautiful you've become of late, you are tall and slender and that wavy hair flows in the wind and makes you look almost ethereal under the right light, i look like a polished turd next to you ya know" Buffy spoke her mind but Faith still didn't believe what she had said.

"I have the same fear, you'll see some cute guy and forget i even exist... and you know i dont hold a candle to you in the looks department anyway, you've always been the prettier Slayer dummass" Faith crawled into bed and was suprised to see Buffy get in on her side and not hold her for once and just face the other way as she turned off the light and she remained in place silent for a few moments before Faith couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm sorry... you know, you know i don't think very much of myself B, never had or will..." Faith said what was on her mind but Buffy remained silent for a moment before responding.

"I will never look at anyone else, i can't believe you would think that, i am your women and i don't like men anyway, hell i've only been with one and got turned into a victim with that one pretty quick" Buffy turned around and faced her in the darkness.

"look i'm scared you'll find someone better too Faith but since we have been together i have never been happier, i promise you that i will always take your side, i am the other half of your soul and our combined essense is sleeping on our couch out there, we have to continue just being ourselves ok, the old Buffy and Faith are long gone" Buffy pulled Faith closer and found herself wrapped posessively within her warm embrace.

"I'm scared B, but it's ok since you'll be with me and Ruby will help us when we need it" Faith could feel Buffy finally settle in her embrace and she felt sleep begin to take her rather quickly.

"I Hope Joyce isn't too angry i turned her little girl into a card carrying dyke" Faith muttered before she fell asleep, the last thing she heard Buffy say before succumbing to sleep was a soft and lovinging tone escape her perfectly plump lips.

"Baby, she don't got a damn say on that one anyway since i belong to you and not her". Buffy felt Faithnfall asleep and hastily joined her and was pleasently pleased they didn't have any real rush to wake up in the morning.

~~*

Dawn had awoken early and at first believed Buffy and Faith may have been awake as their bedroom door was wide open and she believed that until she checked in on them both and spied both girls spooning together in the grips of deep and peaceful sleep. She couldn't help but but gasp at how close both women had become because to her it was only a few days since they had dissapeared and in reality both girls were nearing 20 and had fallen in love the moment they actually had a chance at some peace and quiet.

It made Dawn realise all the subtle things about Faith and her sister that she used to ignore or just plainly not understand, all the secret sidelong glances, the way they were softer and more playful in private, the subtle touches and inside jokes no one understood. and now here they both were, Buffy as the little spoon and Faith smiling in her sleep everytime she moved slightly or groaned as she tried to ignore the morning light seeping through the gaps in their bedrooms curtains.

She had always seen them as more motherly then sisterly and the fact they both shared a bed together now seemed to seem natural, as if it had always been so and always should have been. Joyce had only just found out her daughter was gay and years older from Willow yesterday and now she had no idea if her mother would have a brain embelysm or a heart attack if she walked in on these two right now, Joyce wasn't exactly 'old fashioned' and that would really work out in Buffys favor in the long run.

But they were both going to come home with her in a month and the brand new enchantments would make her a new born slayer in a year without all those pesky future dreams Buffy suffers from and Faith told her if she never took the objects off she would be stronger in no time, But of course dawn wasn't going to sleep in her new boots anytime soon but everything else was fine to sleep with on.

Faith was close to waking up and she could feel it so what she had decided to do was venture forth into the kitchen and make them something to drink as she had no idea how to make food in this dimension after looking through the fridge and pantry so she decided to just make them both something to drink and maybe beg the taller Slayer to make her breakfast as her belly was begining to rumble something fierce. she remembered that last night Faith had told her they both drink this protein shake like concoction whenever they woke up as it was quick and easy unless Buffy wanted something specially made and as she put her hand in the cool box Faith appeared behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder and caused her to freeze instantly in place and her heart almost jump out of her throat.

"If you're hungry Dawn i can make you something? Buffy wants breakfast too ya know and heaven forbid she tries to cook it" Faith picked Dawn up effortlessly and placed her down next to the sink and began preparing food as she heard Buffy Yawn loudly and enter the room dressed up in some loose fitting robes.

Dawn still wasn't really used to their more affectionate moments as she came up behind the taller Slayer and hugged her from behind with a vice like grip that caused the brunette to smile softly as she continued gathering the food whe needed to cook for everyone. Dawns belly rumbled and cut the silence like a swift knife and it caused both Slayers to perk up instantly and look directly at the young girl with an understanding look.

"Well looks like Dawns starving, better feed us both before we get all cranky Faith, hop to it beautiful" Buffy let her go and spanked her lightly which elicited a blush from the taller women which caused her to quickly put the food down on the side, close the fridge and kiss Buffys cheek before firing up the hob and start cooking.

Dawn just rolled her eyes and spoke sarcastically, "You two are a bad influence on me, all lovey dovey so early in the morning.. i'm gonna expect to much from a partner in the future you know". Dawn chuckled lightly and Buffy just rolled her eyes as she began making them all something to drink but Faith answered her sarcasm rather bluntly as she like to do.

"Well I can't help loving B Dawn and it's a good thing ya know, you get to see first hand how a relationship works... better than whatever the hell Xander and Cordelia used to get up to...".

Dawn went over to try and help Faith cook who was more than happy to teach and she did exactly as she was told and it seemed that Buffys lack of cooking experience has skipped a generation as Dawn didn't miraculously blow something up in the first five minutes.

"They broke up and now he's with a cute but very blunt blonde called Anya, she used to be a vengeance demon. she's way to pretty for him tho" Dawn finished preparing the food as she was shown and Faith continued cooking.

"Well as long as he's happy that's all that matters really, anyway you're not allowed to date until you're 30 years old minimum" Faith grinned as Buffy interjected.

"Nah she's joining a nunnery, non negotiable, she'll look good in a habbard don't ya think" Buffy joked and Dawn painfully groaned in response.

"But that's unfair, i wouldn't last a week in a convent and you both know it and anyway, i've heard things happen there between the nuns, you both just wanna gay me up so i don't get preggo at a young age... i see your plan" Dawn pointed at them both one after the other and glared with her best 'mean look' but it just caused the Slayers to giggle in response.

"She caught us B, obviously we wanted to send her to gods house to fufill the gay agenda, she's too sharp for us. now whatever will we do?" Faith laughed as she finished off plating up some strange coloured food that smelt amazing now it was cooked.

"Well l dunno Anya's kind of cute but also over a 1000 years old so that's too much of a gap and the boys in my class are way too dumb to date, guess i'll be single forever" Dawn shrugged her shoulders and helped Faith bring the food to the dining table as Buffy had just finished laying the cutlery.

"As it should be, can't have you being as dumb as us in love" The blonde moved next to her brunette lover and sat alot closer thsn Dawn would of expected as Buffy had always enjoyed her space back home and threw a fit whenever she had got too close while she was eating and here she was with Faith, they were basically attached at the hip and both girls seemed to be in their own little world and she had to admit she was a little jealous and felt quite lonely on the other side of the table.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Buffy moved to answer it and kissed Faiths cheek tenderly as she rose, when she opened the door some impossibly tall muscular women was standing their with an outstretched hand and some pieces of paper, "Sina, good morning. ah, you collected our tickets and Dawns new passport. how much do i owe you?" Sina handed other the papers and told her nothing as she never took her eyes off of the small brunette currently looking her way as she gobbled down a forkfull of whatever the hell Faith had made, her mouth was pleasently pleased with the flavor and she eas now 100 percent certain Faith was the best cook she knew.

"Don't be mad at us, we didn't plan this Sina, we're going to be here every weekend for work and you can visit us all the time" Buffy promised but Sina just huffed and walked off without saying goodbye. "Love you too Sina, be safe at work!" Buffy shouted out the door and then closed it and walked back towards the table and looked over the train tickets and Dawn brand new identification which Jean had put together as he had with hers.

"Jean works fast it seems, oh and we're her parents of course, than god no one nows how the human anatomy functions here" Buffy bit down on her food and handed the documents to Faith who looked over them and was happy with what she saw.

"Well she'll only need em for a month, after Rubys done preparing we're gonna be busy so Dawnie here gets to enjoy a full months holiday and then gets her own school holiday so... she's kinda hit the jackpot on free time compared to us Baby" Faith winked playfully at dawn and gulped down her morning protein shake as Dawn spoke up.

"Ya know i'd be proud if you were both my mother right? it feels like it most of the time anyway" Dawn just bkurted it out and it stopped them both in the middle of a bite and they both looked at eachother and began to wonder if somehow 'she already knew' but maybe it was just a feeling the young girl posessed after being so freshly made.

Faith was the first to speak up after a long period of silence, "We would also be proud if you were our daughter, although Buffy would never be allowed to feed you... she'd accidently poison you with Tapioca pudding or something" Buffy scowled at the idea but quickly shook her head as she realised that it was possible with the way she tries to cook and just rolled her eyes and accepted the truth somewhat hastily.

"Yh, she'd never survive a week without you, how many burnt pop tarts count as part of a healthy, balanced diet?" Buffy asked without a hint of sarcasm only to see Faith palm her own face and sigh.

"None, she would never eat those carboard tasting monstrosities... B here would be in charge of school and fashion and that's it, well maybe she could teach you how to fight, she's got a mean left hook" Faith saw the pride fill Buffys face as her lover said she had a strong punch and it really elevated her emotions sp early in the morning. Dawn finished eating and thanked Faith for making sure she didn't starve.

Buffy had told her they were going on holiday to a small seaside resort town and she had got the name of wrong yesterday and Sina had corrected her and made her realise she had thought of the town two states over, they were going to holiday in the town of Igbola which was kind of like Morroco just without the Islamic death cult and many pretty buildings and things to do.

"We are going to be spedning 9 days in a town called Igbola, we both helped to take down a local... well i guess you'd say magical drug cartel which is how i learned i am bullet proof now. you should of seen Faiths face as i gave her that thumbs up while being shot from every direction! turns out Rubys magic is the best" Buffy chuckled as Faith rolled her eyes at the memory which had caused her quite a lot of worry at the time.

"She laughs and i was panicking like a headless chicken, dumbass" Faith scowled and Dawn watched as Buffy just placed a hand upon hers on the table and it was as if all Faiths worries just evaporated in an instant.

"Well lets not stress test ya new permament upgrades... especially when i start getting tougher, i'm still a delicate flower guys, don't go stepping on me just cause you both could take on the US army and win" Dawn helped clear the table with Buffy and they washed up as Faith went to go pack everyone's clothes and everything they would need for their trip and Buffy knew it wouldn't take long so she told Dawn to go shower and then they would go shower after her.

"Remember, when we are on holiday you will not leave our sight ok, this world isn't Sunnydale and you wont be as tough as i used to be for maybe a year or more. don't make me worry ok and when we get home..." Buffy began to whisper at the end of her last words.

"We need to find something special for Faiths Birthday, so you gotta get to thinking cause I already got her everything she could ever want cause I'm amazing" Buffy told the young brunette with a sense of faux pride that she obviously sensed and it caused her to giggle in response.

"Oh please, you're just gonna rock her world and gift her something you know she likes... I'm gonna find a souvenir and you're going to help me, cause you ran away for 2 years to another dimension and left me behind... you owe me dummy".

Buffy agreed with her and finished drying up before kissing the side of her head and rubbing her shoulder tenderly, "Yeah, i'm sorry about that. we had some stuff to sort out you know, like our real feeling and we had some growing up to do. I love her Dawn and that aint ever gonna change" Buffy grabbed her some towels and directed her towards the bedroom where Faith was packing and told her to go clean up before they were to leave.

Dawn looked at her with a happy, almost giddy look on her face, "So she's the one, a for life kinda thing then!" Dawn was almost a spastic the moment Buffy gave her a knowing grin in response.

"Yeah well, you might be a maid of honor if ya play your cards right... she's not ever going anywhere, won't let her". Buffy admitted as Dawn happily skipped to the shower and almost Bumped into Faith who was in the midst of packing their rucksacks.

"Woah, keep clear little one, i could of died, Buffy! did you see that she tried to viscously knock me down, the towel must be to smother me with..." Faith playfully mocked as Dawn smiled and made her way to the shower and locked the door behind her.

"I can't believe she tried to murder my darling Faith, oh well, we'll just have to teach her to control that cute little temper of hers i guess" The blonde Slayer chuckled and helped make sure Faith had every the three girls needed for the trip and she made sure they carried enough cash for atleast a month or twp and she knew Faith would do the same. It was Dawns first holiday and both of them wanted to have a good time together, she already reserved a hotel room by the beach front, Jean had phoned ahead for them and apparently it was in the non peak season so there would be plenty of rooms to choose from.

"So... marriage eh, guess i know what we're doing after we go back to Sunnydale, but i don't think you're gonna be able to convince everyone about us B" Faith was right and Buffy knew it but it wasn't like anyone could stop em and lesbian marriage was legal in their country so it wasn't like anyone could legally oppose them as they were both adults by law and over the age of 18... so it wouldn't be an issue. plus when the time difference was corrected between dimensions they could live in either to their hearts content, if anything went wrong in Sunnydale, they would just return and live here.

"Well maybe i just want to posess you in all dimensions or maybe i've grown up and realised there is nothing anyone but 'you' could say about our love that would ever change my mind. we're for life, Mum and our friends will have to deal with it, we aren't who we used to be are we..." Buffy whispered softly and Faith found herself agreeing with her.

"Well 'your' friends can shove it, it's facing your mum that scares me B, i can't exactly flip her the bird and act like an ass... she aint Xander or Red. she's family now and i have to treat her right" Faith had finished packing and sat on the edge of the bed and her lover positioned herself comfortably upon her lap and wrapped her arms around her neck and leaned slightly back.

"Faith Lehane with manners, well I'll be damned! I'll make a proper woman out of you yet" Buffy giggled and that caused Faith to nibble her ear in retaliation.

"Ah ah, save it for the shower, but we'll have to be quiet for once or Dawns head might explode" She moaned lightly as Faith nibbled her ear and she was thankful the water in the bathroom was so damn loud right now.

"I do love it when you get all bossy and commanding, it's very fucking hot when you get all posessive..." Faith whispered as she began to play with her lovers firm and juicy tits. Buffy had to stop her as she heard the water switch off and Faith understood as she began to double check everything for their holiday and was happy everything was packed and ready and they had a few hours before they needed to leave for the station. Buffy however was very hot under the collar and found herself praying Dawn wouldn't be much longer in the bathroom as she needed Faith to make her see god and preferably within the next 5 minutes.

"God hurry up Dawn..." Buffy found herself whispering as her lover came up behind her and began to knead her ass cheeks from behind and kiss the side of her neck passionately and Faith knew for a fact she was driving Buffy crazy with her loving ministrations.

"I'm going to fuck you baby, hard! i just hope you can keep you voice down or our poor little girl is gonna hear some things she really shouldn't" Faith gently whispered in her ears and it drove Buffy wild with lust and thankfully she just heard the lock click and Dawn arose from the bathroom in a change of clothes no one had seen her take with.

"Your turn guys, thank god we brought some new clothes yesterday, i out the old ones in the emoty clothes hamper, is that fine or?" Dawn asked and Buffy sprang forwards and told her 'Yh, it's fine' and motioned for Faith to get in the god damned bathroom before she dragged her inside by the hair herself.

"Everythings packed so just grab a book or something and we'll be right with ya" Buffy found herself almost running to the bathroom as she had become feral with lust and the only person who could rid her of it was her beautiful lover who was now stripping behind the slighty ajar door. Dawn walked out of the bedroom and picked up a book from the shelf that looked interesting and made she the bedroom door was closed because she was sure she knew what was about to happen and didn't really need to hear any of it. Buffy was already nude and in the shower in 6 seconds flat and all over her Faith before the water was even fully turned on and she was going to have some fun for the next 15 to 20 minutes.

~~*

The train ride towards Igbola was quiet and uneventful but Buffy had taken alot of Photos already and it was something Dawn hadn't expected until she had found that among the books on the second bookshelf there was a Faith side and a Buffy side. Buffys side was filled with photo albums and writing next to each picture with dates, times and musings she had at the time. where as Faiths side was filled with so many sketchbooks mixed with poetry she had penned and it really brought both women into a different light, one she had never seen before.

Buffys Camera seemed to bring her alot of joy and Faith had told her she had to just accept it, it was her sisters favourite hobby and Dawn had gathered that much when she looked through as many of her photo albums as she could, which was quite alot as they had spent over an hour in the shower and Dawn was pretty sure they were screwing. But she did find it cute how Faith would sit on the sofa and allow Buffy to fix her flowing red ribbon as Faith regaled Dawn with tales of their adventures in this dimension.

The train ride may have been quiet and not very eventful but it was something new and different for each girl as this was the real first holiday they had ever been on and even though their memories were magically manufactured and Buffy had memories of herself and Dawn with their mother and Father on holiday, it did not matter. Ruby had told them both the truth, Dawn was made from a part of them both and that meant she was blood and technically their daughter.

Faith wanted to be a great parent and Buffy had already decided she had wanted the exact same, this was a chance for them to both prove they could and thankfully their girl was very agreeable. Buffy had taken pictures of them all together on the station and the train she had snuck quick snaps of both Dawn and Faith as they spied listlessly out of the window towards the lands beyond. she was happy and she knew well that the first day home would be a damn challenge, but until then she wanted to enjoy the peace.

Faith was reading silently the entire trip but always kept an eye on Dawn when anyone passed by or tried to strike up a quick coversation with them, after all they were well known bounty hunters in this dimension and were always out and about. Faith remained silent as Buffy usually dealt with most social interactions and Dawn couldn't help but notice she really was like a father, all stoic and silent but obciously protective and kind. She hoped that when they arrived and checked in to their hotel they could find something to do but Dawn knew Buffy most likely had their entire holiday planned out down to the every minute and second.

"Hey Buffy, what are we gonna do first... it's shopping if i know you, we do need bikinis for the beach afterall" Dawn grinned and Buffy confirmed her suspicion and told her straight with no real reservations.

"Yh, we're gonna check in and then take a walk about town, that'll help us prepare for alot of fun in the sun and apparently Rhino told me there was a well known theatre too so we can take in a show and see some art galleries. plus the food is famous here, Faith got shown a resturant last time we were here and i'm pretty sure it should be illegal to make food that good" Buffy raved and Faith gave her a look.

"What's she's not telling you is how we got the meal for free after we saved the resturant owners son and daughter from a bounty, but we should definetly visit them again, the desert was to die for and a few patrons almost did" Faith sighed and returned to her book as she was absorbed in the memory of what had happened last time they were in town.

Buffy was looking over her recently developed photos and was pleasently pleased with them as her photography skills were definetly improving and she showed Faith who was also impressed and thankful she had found that book on photography for Buffy a few months ago since she had definetly learned some new tricks and it showed in the quality and depth of the pictures she now took.

Her photos were obviously great before hand but it turns out a few books filled with tips and tricks can really change how you do things for the better and as she returned the pictures she made it clear that Buffy had improved greatly. her visage was beaming with pride as she put them away and leaned back into the seat with a sense of accomplishment.

Dawn noticed that the train was begining to slow down and Faith had felt it too as she knew they were now pulling into the station and could soon disembark and begin their holiday and she told Dawn they would soon be getting off so she should sit until fhe train fully stops and then they'd disembark as sometimes the trains would stutter and jolt and she didn't want Dawn hurting herself before they even got intomthe town proper.

She listened as the station came into view and stayed seated but was very excited and her knee was hopping up and down like a jack rabbit and it was something that Faith had always done when she was excited or nervous and Buffy clocked it and Gave Faith a knowing look as if to say 'Yeah, she's definetly our daughter' and Faith gave her a look back of agreement. when the train finally stopped Faith helped Dawn and Buffy to their feet and helped them out and couldn't wait to start their joint holiday at the beach.

~~*

The first day had gone without a hitch and they settled in the hotel and went shopping for new beach wear and after a hearty meal had fallen asleep in their joint room with relative ease and were happy to greet the next morning with a renewed sense of vigor and it showed as Dawn was now rough housing with Faith underneath the morning sun. Buffy was enjoying her book on 'holy magic and proper applications of holy judgements' as Faith was teaching Dawn how to escape what she called babys first leg lock and was pleasently suprised that Dawn was such a fast study.

She was also every now and then enjoying the view of her beloved Faith in a tiny black bikini now bending over and giving her a marvelous view that she couldn't take her eyes off of for the life of her. she was teaching Daw how to punch correctly and that was when Buffy realised what she was doing, she was bonding with her daughter and teaching her how to defend herself.

Something she knew they would both have to do as she gained strength was teach her how to fight as they could and she'd need to but magic was gonna have to be with Ruby, a conversation she was dreading. Ruby and her had a strained relationship at the best of times and she knew it was because of how much she adored her lover and how close they had both become in the little over a year and 2 months they had spent together.

Ruby respected Faith for saving her and her children, Buffy couldn't come close to Faith in Rubys mind and it didn't help that the talented enchantress was Faiths only real outlet to discuss the problems they both had before they started dating and got over there own stupid bullshit which turned out really wasn't that deep. but Ruby could teach all three of them still and she would talk to Faith about it in private at some point as she knew Faith had sway with the little sorceress.

Dawn was really learning quick and it was honestly impressive but Faith had decided to slow down and build sand castles for some reason and it was rather adorable to see and the beach was filled with families doing all manner of things that really made em seem to fit it rather well. Buffy really was going to miss this but she also knew that if everything fucked up or they defeated this coming god quick enough they could just all come home to this dimension and nevef look back.

Plus they would have to anyway in the end as Rubys enchantments are also basically going to end up making them both immortal in the long run, you can't run around earth as a immortal 18 year old for over a hundred years without someone getting suspicous. here however there were demoms who were children at 800 years so, this was basically the Slayers retirment plan at this point.

Some demon men had began to surround Faith and Buffy stood up and thought about reaching for her gun but then remembered she was 3x stronger and could deal with them in a second or two without any effort and Faith had gave her a look to say 'its being dealt with' and as the first 8ft ox demon in striped blue bathing shorts swung for her she had already given his two large ox demon friends a left and right hooksnto their temple and was now behind him and tapping him on the center of the back within 2 seconds flat.

She was waiting for him to turn around but he was frozen in place like a statue, dawn whispered mockingly to him, "Dude, she can rip your hear off... just stay still or better yet play dead, you do not have this thing down big man!" and the giant black hairy ox demon fell to the floor and his his head in the sand as he realised a little bit too late he had bitten off way more than he and his cronies could chew and he saw the blood pool forming on the sand and knew she had killed them both instantly.

Faith had enough, "I'm Faith the biunty hunter dumbass, pick your dead goons up and get off my beach before you get a free trip down the river styx!". her voice was dkminant and growley and Faith was worried that she may have scared Dawn a Little bit too much with a display of her new and impossibly brutal strength.

Dawn on the other hand had a face like she'd just seen her first rocket take off and asked her like a little kid would "wow, can you teach me how to move that fast and be all sexy femme fatale pow pow pow!" Faith rolled her eyes at Dawn and turned away as she came close to walk over towards Buffy and what she hadn't expected to see was Buffy pointing a Mauser in their direction and she threw herself and Dawn to the rough white sand as a bolt flew true and connected with the ox demons dark onyx colored eyes and his head just popped off in a cloud of red mist.

His gun fell to the sand with a dull thud and the body of the beast fell backwards and a few screams could be heard and Buffy walked up towards her family with her I'D open in her free hand and shouting at the top of her lungs "SELF DEFENCE! OFFICIAL BOUNTY BUISNESS, GO BACK TO ENJOYING YOU MORNING PEOPLE!" Buffy was now standing next to a very startled Faith and Dawn who were shocked she had fired upon them But Faith knew she had fucked up and confirmed it the moment she turned to see her suspicions realised, the demon had a gun and although she was basically tank proof, Dawn wasn't and that was why she covered her so thoroughly.

"Sorry B, I... I didn't think..." Faith was obviously shaken But Buffy waved it off, "No i would of done the same, we're used to this behavior and Dawn isn't... i was watching the whole time baby. i won't let anything happen to the two of you ok" Buffy wasn't mad, instead she was thankful they were both safe.

Dawn was shaken but not really stirred as she looked over the body and thanked Buffy for having great aim and eyesight. Faith on the over hand was berating herself internally and as Dawn walked over to the bodies Buffy got closer and whispered to her softly.

"Stop it, i know you're beating yourself up, we can heal her magically, cast defensive spells like barriers on her ok... we both didn't think honey pie. I'm gonna inform the local sheriff, take our little girl under that umberella and when she's not looking cast some defensive and anti magic charms." Buffy waited for Faiths nod of acknowledgement and then did as she was told as her mind was still buzzing at the possibility that she cohld have just gotten Dawn killed bdcause she was being too cocky as usual.

Dawn joined Faith under the umberella in the shade atleast 400 metres away from the bodies of the ox demons and noticed Buffy was already gone with her travel sack as she had to file a self defense claim and yet if she came back with money then it will be even better cause that guy seemed like a possible bounty. Faith apologised to Dawn and promised her next time she wouldn't be cocky or turn her back on anyone ever again but thensmaller brunette wasn't angry, in fact she seemed to be filled with adrenaline.

"Why are you apolgising? you saved me as always and Buffy looked so cool! one day i'm going to be just like you both and i can't wait" She smiled and threw herself at Faith with a deep hug and that was when Faith stealthily conjured a physical and magical protection barrier that would invisibly protect her daughter from anything trying to get at her in her human state.

"Man I forgot to ask! when we go home will you be sleeping in Buffys room or will Ruby have a spot for ya in the magic Box Buffy told us about?.

Faith spent a few moments thinking about it and responded honestly as she let the hug go and Dawn lay down on the beach towels they had set out earlier. "Well when the time difference is corrected me and B can sleep in this dimension whenever we want but... what would you want us to do?" Faith asked honestly as she had no real idea yet and the whole concept frightened her, she'd never be homeless now but sleeping in Sunnydale wasn't really her idea of a restful nights sleep anymore.

Dawn lay on her side and face the taller dark slayer and looked her deep in the eyes as she answered her back. "if Joyce doesn't want you in her house, we can come here can't we? i mean we all belong together so why would I ever want to sleep in a seperate dimension from you both?" Dawn gave her a soft smile as she told her what she had really been thinking and Faithnwas silent for a moment as she processed what she was saying.

"I tell ya what, me and B will be on paper working for Ruby and we're gonna be getting paid, plus we have things we can sell from here which are worth so much over there with the right people so if you want and going back to rovello drive doesn't work out... me and B can rent a room by Ruby or maybe raise fhe money to buy a cute little house or something" Faith had been seriously thinking about what they would do and would discuas the actual plan with Ruby more hut her current idea was basically return to Sunnydale and set up a base of operations and commute from Al-kufir ever day.

But they cohld do some other stuff when needed if it made Dawn feel safer. "Funny thing is that Joyce seemed fjne with Buffy being gay, she seemed more annoyed that you both spent years in another dimension without telling her... she was really angry with Willow when she told her they were going to just leave you here alone if they had too and that they only wanted to mount a 'rescue' when her daughter was in danger" Dawn told Faith and she couldn't help but feel a tinge of appreciation in her heart for Joyces reaction to hearing Willow dismiss a human life because she didn't like the women living it.

"Mrs Summers is a stand up gal, I'm kinda worried she'll hate me dating B ya know... i mean we're so different now. calmer but stronger, we think everything through alot more too. I know i won't put up with her friends bullshit either, little one, they're not gonna be getting away with The dramatic shit anymore and fhat's not just my words either..." Faith put her hand to her mouth as she realised she had sworn a little bit too freely but Dawn just chuckled at the idea and reminded Faith she was nearly 16 and knew how to swear from other kids at school and it wasn't a big deal really. the sudden realisation struck Faith hard and she could only chuckle with her happily before responding.

"Well ya sis will spank me red raw if i do it again so i probably should wait until she gets back to start dropping F bombs don't ya think" Faith gave her a sly wink and she gave a childish 'ewww' as a response which just caused Faith to laugh harder.

"Ya know what, i think she'll like this new you and Buffy alot more. it's like your time here managed to de-stress your heads or something and thank god you killed Angel, best decision you ever made for real!" Dawn was never the biggest Angel fan and Faith knew it but that was from their fake memories so it didn't really matter to resoond any other way than she normally would.

"Yh, turns out when i got to spend enough time here alone with B we kinda just let everything flow and well, never been happier. I mena i'm scared she'll leave me or i'll mess up somehow but that's my own internal thing ya know" Faith felt like she could be honest with Dawn in private and thankfully the girl wasn't dumb or immature, she seemed to understand alot more than she should for her age.

"Alot of people feel that way, i think that's a normal feeling but Buffy is extremly one track minded... you would have to break up with her for anything to end and you won't because you're in love like she is so... don't worry about the scoobys, new Buffy will easily put them in their place, like with Willow" Dawn puf her arm around her neck and gave her a big old kiss on the cheek and Faith played it off like she was way too tough to get cheek kisses but the smaller brunette knew she liked it really or she'd be flying through the air right now.

"Man Red would hate seeing us being all jovial and stuff, man she'd probably hate it if she knew how well read B really is" Faith playfully pushed Dawn back as she started faux wrestling with her and was pretendimg to let the smaller girl get the better of her before showing her who was really the big boss lady.

"Arghh, yh she would lose it if she knew my sis had a library of english literature books under her bed... she never thought Buffy had much of a brain cause she sucks at maths, but who doesn't..." Dawn found herself in a very awkward headlock and had to cry uncle as she was now definetly losing breath and Faith felt her tap and let her go very fast.

"Man you really know how ta choke a girl out, no wonder Buffys so protective of you..." Dawn realised she had said too much as Faith gave her a confused look and she knew she would have to explain herself.

"Ya probably didn't know how many times i overheard Buffy screaming at the scoobys and Angel even, she was determined to save you... i kinda thought that's why she dissapeared before hand cause she really cut them down to size... alot" Faith found herself completly speechless and was now just making confused sounds as she touched her lips and seemed to be trying to get her words out but just couldn't seem to somehow.

"Yh i kinda sneak alot or just walk into alot, she even punched Angel in front of the whole group when he said they should just kill you and wait for a better Slayer to come along. she really laid into him with that, remember the black eye he had for a few days, yeah his ribs were broken too" Dawn just kept going and Faith even remembered the black eye and was sure even in her original memories there was a black eye and he was holding his ribs when she spied on him for the mayor.

"Giles cleaned his glasses like crazy and had to even warn Xander and Willow not to discuss anything about you since Buffys fuse was really short, she was screaming about how important it was to bring you home and she couldn't slay without you! in all fairness it was a little dramatic now that i think about it" Dawn lay on Faiths bare legs and looked up at her and noticed a few tears fall down her cheeks and she tried to secretly wipe them away before the girl could notice but she definetly noticed.

"When Buffy comes back she can tell you all about it in private if you want, i just don't want you thinking you aren't welcome back home, you're ours Faith... screw what the gang thinks, I'll punch em for you myself" Dawn playfully threw some punches her way and she dodged them perfectly without realising, like it was second nature.

"Dawn, you're great you know, you'll make a really great warrior when your power comes in... unless we send you to that convent? no boys for you" Faith flicked her nose and she sprung up and grasped it very dramatically as if the dark slayer had broken it when all she did was flick it without any force whatsoever.

"You just wanna ugly me up so i can't get any hot convent action from a cute priest, my poor little nose..." Dawn was being Dramatic as Buffy walked back down the beach and threw a pouch of rupees at Dawns head and Faith gave her a beaking smile that made her fall in love all over again in an instant.

"So Ox boy was a bounty eh?! looks like Dawnie just got her pocket money early" Faith watched as Buffy came behind her and kiss her neck from behind as Dawn began to inspect the rupee sack and had no idea ehat she was looking at as the girls hadn't taught her the currency system yet.

"Yeah, human trafickers aparently, sheriffs gonna be down in five with the wagons to remove em. we got a good 20k for those three as another bounty died and their price rose so we're laughing bout this one baby!" Buffy left Dawn to her own devices as she could see the magic covering Dawn and knew for a fact Faith did whaf she had asked and so they could rest a bit easier knowing she was magic and bullet proof for a few hours until they renewed the spell regularly.

"So what were you guys up to while i was collecting the bag, better not be gossiping without me" Buffy grinned a sunbeam of a smile and Faith turned to sensually kiss her back.

"Dawn was just reminding me of how lucky i am to have you is all, she's right too, i've never been happier" Faith managed to grab hold of Buffys camera in the bag and snap a quick pic as she stole another deep kiss and wanted to frame the moment between them perfectly.

"Man you two need to get a room, my eyes are way to innocent to see all this lovey dovey stuff!" Dawn moaned in jest and managed to get another nose flick from Buffys which caused her to angrily scream "Why do you both keep flicking my nose!".

Dawn began to wrestle Buffy this time and she had her down and locked in withing half a second and she groaned in a slight amount of pain and moaned, "Man, Faith atleast lets me wrestle, you're way too strict sis...". The blonde slayer let her go and then decided to teach her how the money worked here and she also told them both how they should all go see a show after dinner as they should experience some of the local culture.

Faith however said in the morning they were gonna pop into a few art houses as she wanted to peruse the local artists works and Buffy was also quite interested but it seemed like Dawn was absoloutly bummed out by the idea. Well she was until Faith made it clear they would go souvenir shopping afterwarda and she could spend as much as she wanted, within reason of course.

"Wonder what we can buy everyone, we should find a weapon for Xander you know, like a katana or a big axe, his new girlfriends an ex demon sk he might need it" Dawn giggled as she tied the rupees bag back up and put it in the leather travel bag they had brought with them.

"Yeah he has a weird way of attracting demons, maybe we should look into that one day... but until then Dawn has to find a cool looking weapon for him so he can survive his next demon girl for like what is it 3rd time now?" Buffy asked as she remembered some things that really began to convince her that Xander was really a demon magnet.

"B, we'll ask Ruby about it a week or two into living back in Sunnydale, i wanna go over my mass vampire extinction plan and i got three words for ya 'acid bath graveyard'..." Faith rose her eye brows all cool like and it just forced Buffy into cutely arguing back with.

"But i had a mini sun idea, we could fly em around at night and cast an illusion over them as they magically patrol the entire town so no one see them". Buffy was shocked as Dawn just asked why they could make 'holy rain during a storm and wach em go all melty' and realised she maybe shouldn't let Dawn watch horror movies for awhile cause she had some messed up ideas and yet Faith wanted to turn a graveyard into a vampire acid bath.

"She's learned this from you baby, you both have more violent creativity between you than the catholic church or islamic hordes during the crusades... i just wanted to give em a tan, a permament one". Buffy pouted as Faith and Dawn started discussing more and more messed up vampire and then demon extermination methods to the point it started making Buffy feel queasy.

"Ok, i gotta stop listening to you two... i'm gonna hurl" Buffy was about to get up when Faith quickly put her hands upon her shoulders and told her to lay down and let her massage her a bit. Dawn decided to try and build a sandcastle again as Faith decided she needed to relieve some of the stress and nausea their messed up demon killing plans had visited upon the cute blonde.

"Next time we'll hold back on our little demon crusade plans and give you some more attention B, but i tell ya some of Dawns ideas could really work well on a world wide level, except magically turning every demon into cotton candy... i got no idea what she was thinking with that one?" Faith chuckled lightly as she expertly kneaded Buffys tight and supple muscles, to think she had said those massage classes with The Madame were a stupid idea.

"Man imagine if your friends could see us now, heads would explode and Giles would never stop cleaning his glasses" Faith had noticed Buffy had fallen asleep and hadn't heard a single word she had said.

"Dawn, i bet i can build a better sandcastle than you!" Faith challenged as she slowly dismounted and made sure to keep an eye in her direction as she enjoyed some more play time with her magical daughter. Faith had began to have this feeling rise in the back of her head that maybe they could make this all work if she remained strong willed and communicated with her lover and Daughter, she may even fix her girls rocky relations with her mother and friends.

Willow was going to be the hardest to deal with but she had a sneaking suspicion that she would have to repair that relationship over months, herself. But right now as she was getting her ass throughly handed to her in sandcastle building 101 she knew everything was going to be alright as long as she trusted in her own feeling and abilities. she was scared and obviously nervous and yet... she was ready to teavel the road ahead, because she truly realised for the first time in her life that Faith Lehane was no longer alone in this world. she had found her family.

~~*

The holiday had gone without a single hitch and Dawn had over spent on the souvenirs to the point Faith had to calm Buffy down with a strongly worded argument as to why they should allow her just this once to splurge on gifts for everyone back home in Sunnydale. Buffy had taken more photos than she really should of to the point onnthe 6th day of holidaying she had to find a store that sold new film for her Polaroid like camera and spent a good portion of the day panicking that she couldn't capture qny new moments.

Thanfully a very helpful sheep demon had told them exactly where they could get refills for their camera and even walked them all their himself before bidding the, farewell and wishing them a wonderful holiday. Faith however got chewed out for falling asleep during two different late night theatre shows her and Buffy took in whilst Dawn was asleep in the seaside hotel and protected by more magic than a deeply paranoid warlock.

Either way Faith was happy because the sex was mind blowing after they returned to their seperate room and Buffy really took the opportunity to go rougher than usual as Faith had specifically goaded her into being the more dominant version of Buffy that she not so secretly adored and the powerful blonde was well aware of how much she enjoyed being dominated in private.

That was until the switch up as Buffy also enjoyed the more dominant version of Faith every now and then, they both switched as the mood took them usually. she found it was perfect for them since both were dominant women but the trust and love they shared allowed the weaker moments they shared together become more meaningful and deeper than anything she had ever felt before. Buffy had even managed to have the conversation with Buffy over Dawn telling her how she reacted when Faith worked for the Mayor and confirmed that Buffy was very loud and protective over her sister Slayer turned lover.

Faith had to admit to her that she really couldn't believe it hut Buffy had cast a memory viewing spell and allowed Faith to see exactly what had happened and it was exactly as Dawn had told her and she had to admit she really enjoyed watching Angel get beaten down again. she would never stop despising that evil predator and Buffy actually showed Faith a more private memory of the first night after she met Faith and realised Buffy was definetly into her from the get go as she experienced all the 'feelings' her lover had experienced whilst pleasuring herself in secret later that night.

Buffy trusted her lover in a way she had never trusted anyone before and knew she could get through anything in life as long as her dark lover was beside her for the entirety of it, she had asked Faith to trust her fully when the went back to Sunnydale and to only discuss everything that needed discussing with herself, Ruby and Dawn.

Buffy was already making sure the rules for Sunnydale were being put in place after one night they had spoke in private over the fears and worries they both posessed and that was when they both made it clear that who they had become here was who they were both going to be over there. the golden Slayer had made it clear they had a new dynamic that people liked and respected and that they must never revert back to their old selves as it would ruin them, they had plans and ideas for their life together that would eventually see them retire in this dimension. Al-kufir was their home and it was where they would return to constantly for work and pleasure or maybe just peace and quiet when they needed it.

The train ride home had been fun as Dawn had complete control of the camera and was happily snapping pics as the lovers just leaned against eachother as their tired feelings washed over them fully and they found it difficult to keep their eyes open. yet they did and as they arrived home Ruby was waiting for them all at the train station to welcome them both home and of course to wish Faith a happy Birthday for tommorow and made it clear she had everything prepared at the Saloon for the young Slayer and Buffy had felt a wave of relief wash over her as Ruby and Sina had kept their promise and sorted everything out for her.

She hadn't thought they wouldn't but Buffy had a habit of worrying about the little things much like her darling lover did and couldn't help but feel a great sense of relief when her plans actually came together without a hitch for once. Ruby walked home with them and regaled them with 9 days worth of town news and how everything was running smoothly with her spell plans and the magic box was now brought and paid for but she hsd to conjure alot of heavy magics to make everything happen and gain instant knowledge of their worlds laws, history and buisness practices.

Ruby had only worked out how to conjure portals a few months ago for them and now she was doing magic she had never thought of trying before and it was all because she knew what was coming through feeling, she felt the rise of Glorificus but also an old one, a name was whispering in her mind but she couldn't place it as the sound of her inner thoughts escaped her always at the last moment.

Ruby showed her the new enchantment she had came up with and it was an improved glamour that posessed physical augmentations and it was bound to a necklace she wore around her neck and with the utterance of a magical keyword she could transform into a tall, beautiful short haired looking witch who would easily fit in owning a magic themed shop in Sunhydale. Faith was happy to walk Ruby home as Buffy took Dawn home so they could get some sleep as it was almost 11 o clock and everyine was shattered and yet Faith didn't like the idea of her dear friend walking home alone so late at night even in such a safe town oike Al-kufir.

Ruby had asked how the holiday was and all Faith could reply with was a simple and jovial sounding 'Magical' before the conversation naturally progressed to their relocation plan.

"With the buisness in place and the paperwork all sorted out with my demon connections you two are gonna earn a hefty paycheck in the long run since i have drummed up quick alot of buisness thanks to an vengeance demon who i've hired called Anyanka through another called Halfrek. she is currently setting up rooms above the store for you both to live in case Buffys mother decides to... refuse you" Ruby said in a worrying tone.

Faith however seemed to have a bit more pep in her step than usual as she thanked Ruby for everything she always did for her. "I know of Anya she is a very blunt lady, you will get along with her i think but Ruby what would we ever do without you, i owe you everything and here you are skipping dimemsions and sorting the time differential for us. how on earth with i ever repay you?" Faith asked as Ruby just waved her off and continued walking besides her at a matched pace.

"Nonsense, we are family... even the blonde jackass you fell in love with is important to me so why would you ever pay me back... for what? doing what i want to do, that's silly and you know it" Ruby snickered at the thought of Faith having to repay her for anything as it seemed like such a foreign concept.

"But i have alot of trust that we can beat Glorificus when she arrives in a year or so, it's just a matter of time really but of course there are old ones who will awaken also so we may have our hands full" Ruby didn't seem fazed as the slayers had easilt surpassed barriers in strength and magic that most beings could only fantasize of but right now she was eyeing an ex watcher called Wesley as he was on a destined path to meet the old one called Illyria and she was worried about what this could mean for the future of all dimensions if this great beast was to be released upon existence. Glorificus looked like a petulant child in comparison to the great old one and couldn't hold a candle to the strength of such a being.

"Are you ok with returning home Faith, we used to speak oft concerning the troubles you had back then. you've become a fine women and i don't believe you would be unable to overcome any of these simple human issues in Sunnydale. But old habits die hard and you should avoid falling back intomold ways" Rubys advice was sound and she was pleased to tell the powerful magic user of her and Buffys conversations concerning 'that' matter.

"B and I have decided we are just going to be ourselves, we are fully grown women and we've fought battles here which make our apocalypses seem like a day relaxing on the beach. ya don't havemto worry dear friend, we will be in control of all the human drama that will come our way". Faith was how standing outside Rubys door and kneeled down to get eye level with her dear friend.

"Seriously Ruby, i owe you everything... thank you for being my anchor, i would of washed away years ago without your sage advice and unending wisdom" she was shocked as Ruby jumped into her arms and hugged her tightly, she could feel all the strangeness going onnunder the robes and yet Faith had seen Rubys true form and it didn't bother her on single bit as she returned the hug with passion.

"You won't have to work in the shop anyway, you'll be eradicating demons and just collecting ya paycheck every week, plus old Maya Said she had some artwork to show you when you host your next art class... i think she painted a sexy merman or something, she has a weird thing for fish demons it seems" Ruby sprung away and waved goodbye as Faith began to make her way back home after conjuring a powerful mini light high above her head to light the way and she found herself deep in thought as she and Buffynhad already drawn up their plans formthe return but was glad to hear her best friend was on top of everything as she hastily guided herself towards the home she shared with her soulmate and entered to a cute little brunette and blonde both conked out cold on the sofa, sleeping away like stupid little angels who couldn't even make it into their sleeping arangements properly.

She locked the door and disrobed before tucking Dawn under some makeshift covers and taking her beautiful lover to bed and thanking god for how luck she really was to be blessed with such a charmed life.

~~*

The party was bursting to pop as the entire Saloon was filled to Beyond capacity with what must of been the entire town celebrating a women who had brought so much prestige and safety to their once decrepit border town in the ass end of nowhere and turned it into a bustling jewel of the desert with her lovers help. Buffy herself was constantly thwnked for falling into that hole on her hike up the cresent shaped mountain as if she hadn't they would of never been able to find the vast mineral resources that now supplied jobs to every able bodied demon in town.

They had new doctors and Nurses and a brand new school house, even Jean was building onto the Saloon as buisness was a little bit too cramped these days and the Madames girls and boys were exhausted with their pockets not being the only places filled to bursting. Dawn and Buffy were sitting at the far end of the bar after Faith was mobbed by way too many townsfolk all at once, she had to buy everyone a round just to get her and Dawn through the crowd and into a more quiet corner of the establishment so she could just barely hear herself think.

The biggest shock was seeing the Boutique owner Bully the snake seamtress slither over and actually seem to be enjoying the evening, she was notoriously against the saloon and always had been so it was quite the shock to see her zig zag through people with a smile on her slender snake features.

"Ah Buffy, i just came to wish the birthday girl a... what was it you humans call it, a happy hirthday... such a strange concept celebrating lunar cycles. humans must be looking for any excuse to have a good time i guess" Bully ordered herself a drink Buffy had never hewrd of before but was aware of the demon drinks that she couldn't imbibe as they would most likely poison her and she also managed to receive her Blueberyy nuka cola and Dawns Nuka punsch flavor which was something Buffy had yet to try and was finding herself mighty temptedby the thought of trying it.

"You must be proud of your partners success, she's really fixed alot of the problems we've been having around here, mind you... you're no slouch yourself" Bully praised her as she took a sip of some purple goopy bubbling concotion which Buffy thought smelt like strong manure and she had to force herself to not throw up right there on the bar.

"She's my pride and joy Bully, I'm just happy she helped me outta that damn hole in the mountain, those rocks were slippery as all hell and i fell far" Buffy new she had referred to her lucky find and she really didn't think too much over it, she only made sure Jean and his buisness partners were taking their fair share and no one was getting conned.

"My husband said he once saw you jump out of a giant Sandworms mouth and get atleast 30ft before you rained down a hail of thunderous bullets down on the disgusting creature, must be one deep hole?" Bully was more asking thank stating a fact and Buffy told her plainly.

"Yeah, holes over a 100ft down and i may be strong but i havent got past the 35ft mark yet, plus that sandworm scared the living daylights outta me, their tummys are so gooey..." Buffy shuddered cutely as the memory invaded her senses and swung her right back into the feelings she felt on that day she nearly got eaten on a gaurd patrol.

"I heard your wife really tore into the town gaurd for letting you get blindsided like that, my poor husband came back looking very pale after she rattled his tail... he did say you defended them though so that's nice of you. how long until you have to start commuting to your home dimension anyway, i have art classes every saturday and i've been told they are still on" Bully asked the last part with great intrigue as she was one of 70 students Faith was currently teaching and the number had only begin to rise as over half her class was now mothers and children.

"Oh we'll be home every weekend Bully, we just have work there, someone has to do the thrilling heroics don't ya think?" Buffy noticed the snake lady breath a heavy sigh of relief.

"Oh thank the viper lord! my girls adore their art classes and i was admitedly a little worried you were actually leaving us, i can tell them to rest easy in the nest tonight" Bully was then called over by the owner of the sugar boy sweet shop and she excused herself whilst Dawn gave her a knowing look.

"You're gonna have to marry her Buffy, you'll never find anyone who comes close and everyone already thinks your hitched anyways" Dawn had really been pushing the marriage angle for awhile and had even pojnted out they already had rings and everything, although Buffy had to make is clear that homosexuality was acceptable and normal here due to all the varying types of demons and their various anatomical differences.

Earth was still a little backwards although legally they could be married it was still frowned upon in most places the didn't end in US of A. "Dawn i will marry her back in Sunnydale but first we need to sort out so many things and also... mums gonna flip when she see's i'm slightly older and so much gayer... " Buffy stole Dawns new flavor of cola and chugged a bit before handing it back and deciding that it was delicious and she would miss them every five days she was back in Sunnyhell.

"Mum won't care, you're gonna have a job you don't really have to work in which free's you up for Slaying, plus the moment she see's how you both are together she won't be able to say a single thing in the negative and you know it... but make sure Faith bakes a cheese cake for her... ya know, the one with the blue thing in it she made this morning. Mum loves cheesecake, almost as much as you". Dawn smiled softly and took a swig of Buffys cola before placing it back and patting her Mother/Sister on the back.

Buffy was constantly beimg greeted by the towns folk who had just finished greeting her beautiful lover by the door, a lover who was begining to look more and more tired as the people kept pourimg in and out. The Madame was also greeting people but also it was mainly just to direct patrons upstairs for some fun with her little whores, that lamia never took a damn break when it came to the art of whoring and it was honestly impressive at times.

Faith spied Buffy from across a sea of people and blew her a kiss which the blonde greatfully blew back and that was when Ruby came floating in with her daughters, sons and a black box which must of been a gift for the taller darker Slayer.

"Hey, Ruby's here i better go say hello, i wouldn't wanna be rude" Dawn sprung up and ran across the saloon floor, ducking people left and right as she made her way towards her other mother who was now accepting the box as Buffy was convincing herself to stay put as Dawn was heavily magically protected and she needed to stop worrying about all the little things since she was in a safe place and wasn't going to dissapear somewhere suddenly.

Faith had given Ruby a tight hug as she pointed towards Dawn and Rubys children decided they would steal her away to play with her. Faith had enough of greeting and told The Madame to have fun drumming up more buisness as she made her way over to Buffy at the far end of the Saloon and Ruby floated over too. she had placed fhe box down on the bar and picked Buffy up and kissed her passionatelt as the blonde slayer almost forgot herself and warpped her legs around her lovers waist, Ruby faux coughed and she let Faith put her down and tried to force a rising blush from her flushed cheeks.

"Will you hurry up and open your gift, it's a double gift for both of you. it's going to help when we start our buisness in your home dimension" Ruby seemed to have a cocky air of excitment to her voice and that made Buffy all the more intrigued as her and Faith now spied the box with great interest.

"What did you do for us this time Ruby? ya know yiu're either gonna have to adopt us or marry us at this point" Faith chuckled until Buffy gave her a sharp look to tell her she 'really' didn't appreciate the joke and although Ruby caught the look she just laughed it off.

"I already have too many petulant children to watch over, can't have your being added to the bunch, it'll be cataclysmic for my daily schedule... she already ruins her own regularly" Ruby watched as Faith opened the box in tandem with Buffy and removed within the jet black box lay two very similar vambraces but both were seemingly right ha ded which caused a sligh aire of confusion to settle betwixt the young Slayers until Ruby explained.

"They are Vambraces made of special leather and stitched with some very very rare threads, i have managed to create the perfect enchantment for you both with a small amount of illusion magic so people cannot see or feel them, only you both will know they exist" Rubys words excited Buffy to no end as she reached in the box to try one on where as Faith waited a moment and thanked the talented enchantress with a forehead kiss placed upon her flowing robes. Buffy could swear she saw her blush even though it was impossible to do so when she eas completly covered in robes from her tiny hewd to her toes.

"So what do they do, down to the last detail... we need to know everything" Buffy cheered as she felt power rush to her underneath the soft and suprisingly comfortable leather which looked green and elven the moment she put it on where as Faiths had turned blood red but with the same Elven patterns in the design.

"Well get all the usual augmentations, strength, speed healing factor increases permamently as usual but now i have improved them and added a higher magic and physical defence gain after a long period of wear, plus they are almost indestructable so that is a plus" Ruby was extremly proud of her work of putting so many enchantments into one item as her kind of magic was rarely practised due to how difficult it was to master, another reason there are not many magical artifacts just laying about everywhere, it's difficult to perform and she was only one of 13 magic users she knew who could conjure such abilities.

"Oh so basically it has all our old enchantments but improved and in a neat hidden vamrbrace, Ruby... i dunno how you do it " Faith was interrulted by the talented sorceress, "oh no... there is more, something much much more that will make you untouchable from the watchers council" Ruby would of been grinning with pride if the girls could see her mouth and everyone knew it.

Buffy looked nervous as she asked through almost baited breath, "What did you do, you've already done way to much for us Ruby we can't repay you ya know..." Buffy was serious as she said it but Faith and Ruby knew that wasn't how the enchantress worked in her head, she wasn't much for karma or paying back debts and it was alot more freeing to just do what you want because you want too.

"Your power comes from an extremly powerful demon, well lets just say there is a reason i'm having you both focus on holy magic so much in our lessons..." Ruby ordered a drink as she left the girls dumbfounded between themselves as they had no idea what she was getting at.

"Man sometimes you are both dumb as a sack of rocks, these vambraces will purify your demon and make it as in your dimension... how do you say, angelic and with it will come vastly stronger powers. plus it wont be bound to you, it will be part of you fully. which means the watchers cannot strip you of that power like they can with the demon" Ruby finished explaining as Buffy and Faith happily affixed the vambraces to their right arms and thanked Ruby once more as Dawn returned looking absoloutly run ragged but happy at the same time.

"Ruby, ya kids are adorable but they're kicking my ass... i am as Spike would say, absoloutly knackered" Ruby commanded her children to disperse and annoy other people but had to ask the Slayers, "Spike? who is that? one of your friends back home?" Ruby asked and all three girls found themselves cackling uncontrollably as if Ruby had said the funniest thing she had ever uttered.

"No! no... Spike is an english Vampire who killed 2 slayers and kinda helped me beat a big bad when the big bad stole his girlfriend, his use of words is... charming at times but also very strange at others" Buffy knew she was about to be asked if he was 'a good guy' but before Ruby could Dawn butted in.

"He's a bad guy still but he can be useful, Buffy had an idea to give him his soul back for all the trouble he's caused... oh yh, Drusilla dumped him and he's been back in Sunnydale for a few days... he actually saved me and Xander from a honusk demon by the bronze" Dawns words just flowed out freely as Faith and Buffy had a look of confused panic plaster their faces at the same time.

"Spike saved you, what, why? how? why?" Both girls said in unison to the amusement of the smaller brunette and the comfusion of the gifted enchantress. "Yeah, he saw us getting attacked and said you'd owe him one and then took 50 bucks off Xander" Dawn frowned a little as she heard Buffy sigh and groan a little as she realised Spike was probably in trouble again and she'd probably end up accidentally saving him qgain before the years out.

"B, you could just let him get staked ya know, or we could just actually ensoul him with Rubys help and make sure it doesn't have the stupid true happiness clause..." Faith suddenly remembered where the spell was in the mayors office and had a eureka moment.

"The secret compartment in the mayors desk has a vampire ensoulment spell to restore his original essence, i just remembered where he hid the damn thing after Angel refused it!" Faith fist bumped the air and actually caught Buffys attention fully as she realised that a souled spike might actually be alot more useful than a demonic William the bloody always on the prowl.

"Wait... you guys look like you're gonna actually save Spike... no way! he's gorgeous..." Dawn realised she had just let her secret crush slip and suddenly began walking off being followed by a very angry and red faced Buffy telling Dawn how 'stupid' she would be to date such a prolific killer like William the bloody and Dawn noticed her mouth was suddenly magically fused for a good 5 seconds before she looked over to Faith and saw the wide eyed girl with a very stern look shake her head in a 'no' motion as Faith was extremly aware of what Dawn was about to say and it stopped her in her tracks.

Dawn realised what she was about to do and Buffy hadn't even realised through her angry ranting over the loud crowd who were ignoring them that she missed the Dawn and Faith interaction. Dawn however just pulled Buffy in for a hug and told her it was a harmless crush as Faith wiped the worried sweat from her brow and decided to ask Ruby a question as Buffy was away with Dawn and being now sidetracked with townspeople who hadn't yet had the chance to meet their daughter.

"Hey Ruby... you know i'm gonna marry that girl right? officially, i am going to make her legally mine back home..." Faith put her hand on the floating ladys shoulder and struggled to ask her the question she had been trying to form for awhile.

"I want you to officiate, i mean when we have alot of free time and we've eradicated all the monsters over there, will you marry us together..." Faith was silenced as Ruby opened her robe so only Faith could see her strange demonic face she had seen only a few times before in private.

"You want me to bind you together in your dimensions marriage rituals...we owe you our lives Faith, when we get the time we will have a small ceremony. i assume we will speak about this after half a year or so right. we have alot of work to do" Ruby closed her robes and Faith had been the only one to see her true face as they were hidden away at the ass end of the Saloon and Ruby had only shown her face when they spoke in private about serious matters.

"I understand what the golden haired girl means to you Faith, we will make everything right and the idiot god Glorificus will test us, but she isn't the only great evil who is going to make themselves known, your dimension is a major hotspot for unfathomable evils" Ruby chugged her drink and evicerated the bottle out of existence magically as she turned to float away from the Dark Slayer.

Faith knew her dimension was apocalypse prone and she also knew she wouldn't have to ask Ruby a thing about the next evil after glorificus since she trusted the enchantress more than almost anyone else she had ever known. "Man, we should really just blow the hellmouth up at some point, would make our lives so much easier" Faith told herself as she walked off to enjoy her evening and hopefully get to slow dance with her beautiufl partner before the inevitable Saloon brawling started up as it usually did.

Although no one had a single fight that night and although she later learned it was because people were more than aware of Faith and Buffys renowned strength, she liked to imagine it was more out of respect and a sense of community. Dawn had fallen asleep and had to be carried home at 1 o clock after she had somehow ended up drinking a bit too much and Faith had to spend a great deal of the night tending to her magically made daughter so Buffy could get some sleep before she had to wake up at five in the morning and command the town gaurd, although she knew realistically the entirety of the gaurds were going to message in sick as they were drunk as hell at her birthday party before she left.

Dawn had inly been asleep an hour as Buffy had woken up and prepared herself for the day ahead and wasn't suprised Faith had already made her breakfast as she was in the shower and was already back to stroking Dawns hair like a protective lioness. funny thing was that Faith didn't feel tired, she felt complete and in the right place in life for all the right reasons.

~~*

"You ready B, we can still say fuck it and stay ya know... lifes good here and Dawn really fits in with everyone here, Jean lets her work the bounty desk ya know" Faith was scared as she had her rucksack packed with the bare essentials as did Buffy herself and all the blonde could do was sigh.

"I wanna honey, i really do... but we have to protect everyone and Rubys spell worked, we're gonna be coming home early the day after dawn left..." Buffy was in her full cowboy gear as was Faith and they had already said all their goodbyes to everyone they knew and loved. they'd be back every friday night anyone and leave early monday morning but it was still hard leaving your beloved home after such a long time.

"Guys we'll be back every weekend, why worry, just look at that mirror portal Ruby set up, we can just pop in and out at will without summoming 4 portals a month" Dawn stated so matter of factly and it was brazen since she had only just learned how to conjure and fire a very wonky looking fire ball.

Ruby had already taken her human persona and was a very tall and beautiful young witch with short stylish hair and who knew Ruby could fit into blue jeans so well was a thing all three of the girls had thought in private the moment they had walked into the store. She had directed them to a hidden room in the basement that was warded magically to an insane degree and it made the girls feel safe, it made them feel like it was even easier to get home now than ever before, portals were safe but it still wiped the Slayers out when they had to use them so much to get around.

"So this'll take usnto the Magic box, we'll greet your girl andya then us three are gonna walk to Rovello Drive and get chewed out by a very angry Joyce whose probably gonna slap me a hundred times or more". Faith had decided it was easier to just speak her mind and it was something Buffy really loved about her but she held her hand and tried to reassure her everything was going to be fine, even though she really didn't know if it would at all.

"You both have a room to sleep in above the store and really nice room too, hell Anya helped me build a training room for you both as well, if Mrs Summers rejects you don't worry and just come home... both of you" Ruby sounded very sincere as she stepped through the mirror and it rippled as her body passed through it and dissapeared into what they all assumed was a hidden room she had installed in the newly renovated Magic box.

"So back to Sunnyhell guys, hey Dawn, did you enjoy ya holiday?" Buffy asked as the young girl followed Ruby and began to walk towards the mirror with purpose.

"Best holiday ever, can't wait until we come back but you both know that" and Dawn dissapeared through the mirror and left the two Slayers alone in private.

"You ready baby, we gotta face it together ok" Buffy held her lovers hand and brought it to her face and held it there on her cheek and enjoyed the warmth of her touch.

"Just don't change ok, be my Buffy... we have to fight this stuff together and i can't deal with going back to who we were back then... i love you way too damn much to ever fight you like that again" Faith leaned into Buffys soft hand and felt her emotions swell but she kept them down and her blond muse knew exactly how she felt. she felt the same and they had way too many conversations about it recently but Buffy had remained unnaturally calm as she knew the dark places both their minds went when they were allowed to lose themselves to the harsh reality of their lives.

"I'm yours Faith, i'm going to play nice with Giles and everyone else but i've changed and we wont have all that stupid drama bogging down our personal lives anymore" Buffy kissed her girlfriends lips and slowly found herself being lost in the moment before Faith herself had to pull herself away and couldn't help but wear a huge smile as they both knew they were losing themselves in eachother as always.

Faith nibbled Buffys lips playfully and grabbed her hand as she decided to say "Fuck it, lets roll the dice!" and with that both girls jumped through the portal and instantly found themselves In Sunnydale and greeted by Dawn, Ruby and a very bubbly and well dressed Anya.

"See i told you they wouldn't run away! Slayers kind of go head first into danger!" Anya nervously giggled as if she didn't really believe herself at all.

"Welcome home Girls, lets get ya shit together and then you can leave and take Dawn home" Ruby handed them envelopes with their newly made up ID's and bank cards, she even had a crazy amount of paperwork that was recently filed for their employment, she made sure they had copies obviously and everything was in order. all that remained was reintroducing themselves to everyone they knew, a daunting task to say the least.