Is It Love?
by Sarah

There was a slight rapping at the window that woke Buffy from her state of half sleep in the middle of the night. Glancing at her clock she noticed that it was almost two in the morning. With a groan she rubbed her puffy eyes and stood up, already knowing who it would be. "You do realize that normal people sleep at this hour right?" Buffy asked as she opened her window to allow a dark figure access to her room.

"Since when am I normal?" Faith retorted as she climbed in and plopped down on Buffy's bed.

"Okay fine, scratch that question. Let's try this one. What do you want Faith?" Buffy replied as she layed down on her bed next to Faith.

"You?" Faith tried, half serious and half not.

"Sorry but you know that one's not happening any time soon. Care to try again?" Buffy asked as she tried to stifle a yawn. She rolled onto her side and placed her hand on Faith's stomach and looked at the younger girl.

"How about Cordelia?" Faith asked, this time she was completely serious. Unfortunately for her Buffy didn't know she was serious and started laughing. "Okay, I'm not seeing what's so funny here B."

"Are you actually serious? You can't actually like her." Buffy replied, trying her best to keep from laughing more.

"Who said anything about liking her?" Faith asked with a wicked smile.

"Oh no. There's is no way I'm helping you if all you want is to get into Cordelia's pants."

Faith let out a small laugh at her stubborn best friend and moved so she was laying on her side facing Buffy. "I never said that's all I wanted to do. There's plenty of fun things I could do that don't involve me in her pants."

"Okay, so didn't need to go to that scary visual place Faith. And even if I did help you what on earth make you think you stood any chance at all of getting with Cordy? She hates us or have you forgotten that?"

"This is me B, I'm irresistible. I just need your help on how to deal with that girlie shit. Come on, please?" Faith gave Buffy her best puppy dog eyes and even though the moon and stars outside provided the only light in the room, Buffy knew she couldn't resist that.

"Fine, you win. But if you get me in trouble over this you're going to pay for it okay? And please remind me again just why you're my best friend?" Buffy asked with a smile as she crawled under the covers.

"I just told you B. I'm irresistible. Even to you straight girls. Not to mention the fact that I have such wonderful fashion sense. And I'm the only one you know that you don't ever have to pretend in front of. Good enough for you?"

"For now," Buffy grinned. "Now go to sleep and quit waking me up in the middle of the night. Mom gave you a key in case you ever needed a place to stay. Next time try using it okay?"

"Maybe. But this was urgent." Faith said as she stood from Buffy's bed and started walking towards the door.

"There's nothing urgent about conning me to help you get into Cordy's pants at this hour when I should be sleeping. And where are you going?" Buffy asked sleepily.

"I'm hungry and I'm not tired. Since I did all the slaying tonight while you went prancing around with dead boy I gotta wind down. You know slaying makes me hungry amongst other things," Faith said with a wink before heading out of Buffy's room, softly shutting the door behind her.

Buffy let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head as she buried herself deeper in her blankets. She had no clue what she had just gotten herself into, but one thing was for sure. She definitely wasn't looking forward to whatever it was that she knew Faith was going to pull at school the next day.

 

"Hey Miss S," Faith said as she walked into the kitchen at the Summers residence the next morning. "Morning B," Faith added as she nodded towards her best friend.

At Joyce's quizzical look Buffy just shook her head as she finished eating her muffin. "She still hasn't learned to use the front door mom. She woke me up by banging on my window and crashed on the couch last night," Buffy explained almost routinely.

Joyce just shook her head, wondering why Faith would never learn that she was now considered a part of the family.

"You ready?" Buffy asked with her usual perkiness as she stood up from her table.

"Do I gotta go? It's not like I have school," Faith whined.

"You know you really should try to go back to school Faith," Joyce slipped in, going back into mother mode.

"I am going back, see me going now?" Faith questioned, trying to evade the long discussion she knew would follow if she didn't get out as fast as she could. "Come on B, you know I've got big plans for this morning," Faith grinned, remembering her plans to captivate Cordelia.

Buffy rolled her eyes as the younger girl linked arms with her and drug her out of the house. "You do know that you're completely on your own with this right?" Buffy questioned as her and Faith headed towards school.

"No way B, you agreed to help last night," Faith reminded her.

"But it was like two in the morning. That's so not fair," Buffy said with a small pout.

"Not my fault B. You agreed, can't take it back or else you'd be a liar. We can't have that now can we? Besides, where's the fun in fair?"

"Where's the fun in this? All of these schemes you get do nothing but get us in trouble, or either horribly embarrassed," Buffy stated.

"Loosen up B. We're still alive and kickin' right? What else do you need? Other than to find the fun of course. And speaking of fun," Faith trailed off as she saw Cordelia's car pulling up in the school parking lot. "Let the games begin," Faith added a moment later as she rubbed her hands together, a wicked smile forming on her lips.

"Just what are you going to do?" Buffy asked nervously as she watched the cocky smile forming on Faith's lips.

"I'm going to seduce Miss. Chase of course," Faith stated as she quickened her pace and began walking towards where Cordelia had just parked.

"You know she's not going to give you the time of day," Buffy called out to Faith as she stopped where she was and watched her friend. Faith didn't turn around but Buffy didn't fail to notice the slight shrug of her shoulders indicating that she could care less.

As Faith approached Cordelia's car she took in a shaky breath before opening the driver's side door and grinning at Cordelia. "Allow me," Faith said softly.

"As if," Cordelia snorted in disgust. "You know the school parking lot is the wrong place to be looking for handouts," Cordelia paused to eye Faith's outfit. "Which you so obviously are seeing as that you can't afford decent clothes. Maybe if you'd go to school you could actually make something of your life. Oh wait, one needs brains to go to school."

"Then what are you doing here?" Faith retorted. "Did you take a wrong turn somewhere?" Cordelia crossed her arms and huffed in anger as Faith stared her down. "What's the matter? Use all your insults in one turn, or would you like to step on my ego some more?" Faith asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know that trash had feelings," the taller girl snapped.

"You know what? Fuck you," Faith said as she turned around to walk away.

Cordelia looked around the parking lot to make sure no one was listening before calling out to Faith. "In your dreams."

Faith stopped in her tracks, and turned around with a wide grin on her lips. "Every night Queen C. And you know, dreams can come true," Faith said as she licked her lips and winked at Cordelia. As she started walking back towards Buffy, Faith could see Cordelia storming off into school and she let out a small laugh.

"That was your great plan? To piss her off?" Buffy asked as the two started walking into the school themselves.

"Well what would you suggest I do?" Faith asked. "Hey, do you think anyone ever realizes I don't actually go to school here?"

"I don't know," Buffy answered, to both questions. "Why don't you tell her she looks nice? Get her flowers," the blonde shrugged at a loss for words. "But you should stop pissing her off so much if you want her to let you close to her. And quit with all the sexual advances, that only freaks her out and pisses her off more. And you should start school again."

Faith wrapped her arm around Buffy's shoulders as the two entered the library. "I don't need school B, I'm a slayer. That's all I need. And you're missing the biggest point here. There's a thin line between love and hate. And where there's hate, there's passion just waiting to be discovered. And where there's passion, there's me and Cordy getting it on," Faith concluded as she sat up on one of the tables in the library. "It's all simple really."

"Well if it's so simple why did you wake me up at an ungodly hour and ask for my help?" Buffy questioned as she sat down next to her best friend on the table.

"How often do my plans actually work? I'm sure you'll come along with your 'I told you so' and then you can fix everything for me," Faith informed her with her winning grin.

"Once again, why am I best friends with a complete nutcase?" Buffy questioned with a wry grin of her own.

"Because if you hated me there'd be passion and we'd be groping each other all the time?" Faith offered weakly, just as Xander and Willow walked into the library. Buffy looked immediately at the shy red head, and both girls blushed furiously. Xander just smiled goofily and began to stare off into space, obviously wasting no time in making a mental picture of what Faith just said. Faith noticed this and smiled to herself as she hopped off the table. "See B, X-man at least likes the thought of you and I getting it on," Faith said with huskily as she winked at Xander, who was trying his best to not drool.

"Oh, are you saying you're giving up on seducing Cordelia already?" Buffy asked with a hint of a challenge in her voice once she finally recovered from Faith's blatant attempts at flirting with her. Best friend or not, she wasn't sure if she'd ever get used to that.

Eyeing Buffy as if she were sizing her up, Faith laughed at her friend's words. "Are you saying you don't think I can get her?" Faith raised an eyebrow, as Buffy stood up and walked in front of her.

"Not without my help," Buffy replied. She knew this was the best thing she could do. It would keep her out of trouble, and her best friend would still be happy. After all, Faith loved nothing in the world more than a good challenge, and the feeling of pride she got when she overcame one. Buffy had learned that over time, so she knew Faith wouldn't take offense, or get defensive at her words.

"You're on girlfriend," Faith answered, meeting the challenge with a look of defiance already in her eyes.

Luckily for Willow, who was about to blush herself to death, and Xander who was about to drown himself in drool at what the two slayers had been talking about, the bell went off indicating that it was time for classes to begin. "Good luck, F. You're gonna need it," Buffy drawled out as she stole a page from Faith's book and winked at her best friend just before disappearing from the library with Willow and Xander in tow.

 

"What to do," Faith said to herself as she drummed her hands on the library table, already trying to figure out how she'd go about getting Cordelia to like her without Buffy's help. Finally a thought popped into Faith's head and she stood up and walked into Giles' office and smiled at the watcher. Sure he was old, but he was smart, wasn't he? "I need your help G-man,"

Giles looked up from the book he was currently engrossed in and gave his slayer a confused look. "You need my help?" He questioned slowly. "You need my help, at this hour in the morning?"

"Yes, I need your help. You're supposed to have brains and stuff aren't you? And no poking fun of me this early in the morning, I am capable of waking up before noon," Faith informed him, trying her best to actually act hurt.

"And what is it that you need my help with?" Giles asked as he removed his glasses to polish them in his usual manner. "Slaying problems?"

"No, nothing like that," Faith told him as she looked around the office. "You know what, nevermind, I changed my mind." Faith quickly made her way out of the office before Giles could even say anything, leaving the poor man horribly confused. Shrugging his shoulders knowing that Faith would come to him when she was ready if it were anything important he went back to his book, deciding not to think to much on what might be bothering Faith. Luckily for him, he didn't know.

Faith walked through the halls, making sure to keep a wary eye out for any teachers or authority figures that might mistake her for an actual student and try to shoo her into a class or something. Just as Faith rounded another corner she saw a sight that put that cocky smirk back on her face. "Must be my lucky day," Faith said quietly to herself as she walked over to where she saw Cordelia fussing with her jammed locker.

"Eww, you again?" Cordelia asked as Faith leaned against the lockers, grinning widely at her. "Why do you even hang out here when you don't go to school? Can we say looser much?"

"Nice one C, very original. And all I came to do was offer you some help to try and make up for earlier," Faith said earnestly.

"Well I can do this on my own," Cordelia replied as she stubbornly tried to open her locker again. "I hate these damn things," Cordelia shouted out in frustration.

"Quit being stubborn and let me help. I won't move until you do."

"Why are you such a pain in my ass?" Cordelia asked, to both Faith and the locker.

"You know if your ass is in such pain I'd be more than happy to kiss it better for you," Faith replied with a small chuckle.

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" Cordelia responded as she slammed the palm of her hand against the locker and groaned in frustration. Nudging Cordelia out of the way gently Faith stood in front of the locker and looked at the taller girl expectantly. "What?"

"What's your combination?" Faith asked, rolling her eyes at the cheerleader.

"I'm not telling you," Cordelia replied as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"What damage could it possibly do? Do you think I'm going to come steal your books? Or maybe your nail file?" Faith asked, already frustrated with how this was turning out.

"Like I'd ever leave my nail file in there. I need that with me at all times. How else would I get through class?" Cordelia scoffed, horrified at the thought of being without her nail file. Faith laughed in amusement at the thought and once again asked Cordelia for her locker combination, and this time the taller girl relented and told her.

Entering the numbers in the lock, followed by a gentle 'tap' to the locker, it popped open and Faith smiled proudly at Cordelia. "There you go your highness," Faith said, mock bowing down to Cordelia.

"Yes, I suppose it is good to know you peasants are good for something," Cordelia replied with a smile of her own as she grabbed her book from the locker.

Faith leaned back up against the lockers and looked at Cordelia fondly, for the first time actually having the desire to do more with her than just jump her bones. For once, she actually had the desire to get to know the girl behind the bitch. No one could possibly really be that big of a bitch without part of it being an act. "Do I have to be a peasant? Can't I be like a princess or something?" Faith questioned, almost insulted at being called a peasant.

"You a princess? The day you wear pink is the day I'll call you princess," Cordelia laughed. "With the way you act I'd say your more like a prince anyways," Cordelia added.

"Then let me be your prince," Faith replied, before she could even stop herself. 'Good job F, finally get her to stop being Queen Bitch- A-Lot and you have to go and stick your foot in your mouth,' the young slayer thought to herself.

"Look, I've gotta get back to class," Cordelia stated dumbly, trying her best to ignore what Faith just said to her. "Thanks for helping with the locker," she told Faith as she began to walk past her.

"Hey C," Faith called out, hoping to make sure that Cordelia would actually remember this. When the cheerleader turned around to face her Faith just smiled sheepishly at her. "You know, you're a pretty cool person when you drop that holier than thou act. We could actually get along one day, think about it." Faith nodded at Cordelia before turning around and walking away, making sure that the girl wouldn't be able to see her wide ass grin. 'See B, I don't need your help at all,' Faith thought.

Cordelia watched as Faith fell back into her cocky strut, almost paralyzed by what just happened. She knew Faith had the hots for her, that much had been painfully obvious for some time. And at first it freaked Cordelia out, but when she decided to look at is as 'I'm so hot even girls want me' it only served to boost her ego more. But Faith's comment about being her prince, had actually sounded honest and even semi romantic and it caught her off guard.

Cordelia shook her head and laughed at herself. Faith was one of her worst enemies, how could they possibly ever get along? Okay, so they could get along if it weren't for their opposite status', but it's wasn't Cordelia's fault that she was popular and Faith was a nobody. At least that's how Cordelia decided to reason things out in her head. She wasn't about to give her popularity up to take a chance at being friends with Faith, even if she had actually enjoyed just being around her. Dismissing it as just another 'odd' occurrence Cordelia walked back to class, her only worry being about what to wear to the Bronze later that night.

 

"I'm telling ya B, she wants me bad," Faith said as her and Buffy left the last graveyard after patrol.

"Just because you had a conversation with her doesn't mean she wants you Faith," Buffy replied as they began walking towards the Bronze.

"She smiled at me B. I'm telling you, it's love," Faith said with a grin as she twirled her stake in her hands.

"Love?" Buffy arched an eyebrow at her best friend and shook her head. "If you even start to think that you actually love her I'm going to beat the crap of you okay? In her pants fine, but she's a bitch, you can't love her Faith. And you don't even know her."

"But you didn't see the way she smiled at me. It was so amazing. It made me all... Warm and fuzzy," Faith said shyly, and Buffy just burst out laughing at her best friend.

"Warm and fuzzy?" She questioned between fits of laughter. "Some bad ass you are huh?"

"You're so going to pay for that," Faith grinned as she began chasing after Buffy, who started running at full speed towards the Bronze to escape the punishment she'd pay for mocking her best friend.

"Base!" Buffy called as she reached the Bronze and put her hand against the wall.

"You can't call base. We're not playing hide and seek. That's not fair," Faith said, using her best friend's pout against her.

"Sure I can. I can do anything I want," Buffy concluded with a smile. "Now quit pouting, it's not an attractive look for a bad ass like you."

"Fuck you," Faith said playfully as Buffy grabbed her hand and drug her into the Bronze.

"I think I'll pass," the blonde replied with a smile. "Wouldn't want to wear you out before you got to Queen C now would I? Besides, I don't make you all warm and fuzzy," Buffy said, trying to stifle another giggle.

"Maybe not, but you make me plenty hot," Faith replied as she raised an eyebrow at Buffy.

"Gross," Buffy stuck her tongue out a Faith and gave her a playful shove. "Go find your girl. Remember, you're on your own with this."

"Don't need help, you'll see," Faith called out as she watched Buffy make her way to their usual table where Xander and Willow were already sitting. Scanning the club it didn't take long for Faith to spot out Cordelia and her band of sheep and she quickly made her way over to the girl, deciding that she'd figure out what to do once she actually got there.

Just as she approached Cordelia, Faith didn't fail to notice the glares she was receiving from Harmony and the others. Turning her attention to Cordelia who was just smiling softly at her Faith felt her heart leap a little and locked eyes with the cheerleader. Just then the DJ began to play a song that Faith recognized from Buffy's absurd cd collection and she grinned widely. "Mind if I borrow this?" Faith asked as she grabbed a cell phone from some girl's hand. Raising the antenna on it Faith laughed ruefully, wondering just when she had become the queen of cheese.

Your flirt finds me out
Teases the crack in me
Smittens me with hope
Possibly maybe, Probably love

Faith continued to keep her eyes locked with Cordelia as she sung into the phones antenna, slowly moving closer to the taller girl.

As much as I definitely enjoy solitude
I wouldn't mind perhaps
Spending a little time with you
Sometimes, sometimes

Faith tossed the phone back to the girl she took it from, still not taking her eyes off of Cordelia's and she reached her hand up, to let her fingers gently trace along Cordelia's jawline. Possibly maybe, probably love

"Dance with me?" Faith asked as she pulled away from Cordelia.

"Like she'd ever want to dance with a gay loser like you," Harmony spat, looking disgustedly at Faith, and then smiling at Cordelia.

"Just one dance and I'll leave you alone for the rest of the night," Faith said through clenched teeth, trying her best to ignore everyone but Cordelia.

"One dance," Cordelia repeated, wondering why it seemed that all day Faith had done nothing but put her in a stupor. Faith took Cordelia's hand into her own while sticking her tongue out at the others triumphantly. "Why are you doing this?" Cordelia asked as Faith settled in behind her on the dance floor.

"Doing what?" Faith questioned in confusion as she wrapped her arms around Cordelia's waist loosely.

"All of this," Cordelia replied as she placed her hands on top of Faith's and leaned back into the younger girl. "We're supposed to hate each other, yet all day you've done nothing but try to be nice to me. I don't get it."

"What's to get C?" Faith asked, moving herself closer to Cordelia as they danced. "I like you."

"You like me or you want in my pants?" Cordelia asked as she turned around to face Faith and wrapped her arms around the younger girls neck.

Faith pressed the length of her body against Cordelia's as they moved in time to the music. "I like you." Cordelia was looking into Faith's eyes and for once, unlike with anyone else she saw truth, and genuine affection.

But Cordelia wasn't about to give in that easily. There were factors to consider after all. Such as Faith being her childhood enemy. And the fact that Faith was practically a homeless nobody. For the first time ever Cordelia was grateful that Buffy moved to Sunnydale when she did, providing Faith with the family and home she had been missing since her parents abandoned her as a young teen. Sure Faith had never told anyone this, but when you live in a small town and you're Cordelia Chase, you know all the gossip.

Cordelia knew that still wasn't the real problem. After all, she was her and she had the power to make or break anyone she so chose. If she wanted, she could easily make Faith popular. However, if she were going to do that, she'd have to change Faith, and that wouldn't work well. Along with the fact that in the end, Faith was another girl and there would be no way Cordelia could hold onto her reign of Sunnydale High and date another girl. This was definitely going to have to go into careful consideration.

"You still with me C?" Faith asked as she brushed a few strands of hair from the brunette's face, taking the cheerleader out of her thoughts.

"Prove it to me," Cordelia replied, leaning a little into Faith's soft touch. "Prove to me you really like me, and you might find that you get your chance after all." Cordelia tilted her head slightly and placed the softest of kisses on the tips of Faith's fingers and smiled at the younger girl. "Thanks for the dance," she added before walking away, putting on her best annoyed look, going back to playing the part she had gotten so good at over the years. Getting Harmony and the others to not suspect anything probably wasn't going to be the easiest thing in the world.

'Score one for the bad ass,' Faith thought to herself as she made her way over to her friends, running the tips of her fingers over her lips and grinning madly.

 

Buffy sat up on her bed, gently trying to nudge her best friend awake. "Come on already, I don't have all day to wake you're sorry ass up," Buffy chided as she let out an exasperated sigh.

"I un wan go," Faith replied grumpily, half asleep, as she moved onto her stomach and buried her face in the pillow.

"Fine," Buffy said in defeat as she stood up from her bed. "But you better not drool on my pillow too much or I'm gonna kick your ass when I get home," Buffy said half seriously as she began going about her morning routine of getting ready for school.

"Uhh," Faith grunted out eventually, which Buffy decided to translate as an 'okay' to her saying not to drool. Pulling her shirt on Buffy briefly wondered how nice it must be to be Faith and not have to go to school, to not have people ordering her around all the time. Then suddenly it hit her how lonely Faith must have been the last few years, and she realized for the first time how lucky she was to have a family and school.

Leaning down, Buffy gently kissed the top of Faith's head and smiled at her. "Whassat for?" Faith asked groggily, as she tried to get back to sleep.

"Just because I love you I suppose," Buffy answered as she shrugged.

"Love you too," Faith replied. "Now leave me alone so I can sleep," she added as she shifted around in the bed.

"Hey, who's bed are you in?" Buffy asked playfully as she pulled her pants on.

"Ours?" Faith asked hopefully, almost ready to give up on being able to go back to sleep. At Buffy's small chuckle Faith moved so she way lying on her back and she looked at her best friend.

"Do I-" Buffy started as she turned around to face Faith.

"Yes you look fine. Now go. I need my beauty sleep so I can impress Queen C after all. I'll be up there by lunch time," Faith told Buffy, answering all of the blondes unspoken questions. Buffy just gave Faith one last smile before disappearing from her bedroom, leaving Faith to get back to one of her favorite activities in the world. Sleeping.

 

A few hours later Faith woke up once more due to the grumbling in her stomach. Stretching her muscles out briefly before heading downstairs, Faith smiled as she thought about all that she had come to gain. Now she had friends, a best friend, a place that felt like home, and best of all, she had a chance to win Cordelia's heart. 'Could life get any better?' Faith thought to herself as she headed into the kitchen to get some cereal.

"How come you're still here Miss S?" Faith asked as she noticed Joyce sitting at the kitchen table. Faith moved around the kitchen to make her cereal, not feeling the least bit uncomfortable around Buffy's mother.

"Actually I was waiting for you to wake up. I had a few things that I wanted to discuss with you before I left," Joyce replied, causing Faith's brain to register nothing but the thought 'uh oh' as she sat down at the table across from Joyce.

"Something wrong Miss S?" Faith asked as she spooned some cereal into her mouth, trying to act as laid back as possible.

"Oh no, it's nothing like that," Joyce said trying to reassure Faith. "I wanted to offer you a temporary job at the gallery. We'll be getting some new pieces in soon and I really am getting too old to be moving the heavier ones around and setting them up. I thought maybe you'd like to help me out for a few weeks. I could use the help, and I figured you might be able to use the extra cash."

Faith visibly relaxed as the beginnings of a smile played on her lips. "You'd actually trust me around all that old ancient stuff Miss S?" Faith asked playfully.

"Of course. I trust you Faith," Joyce replied. When she saw the wide smile Faith was giving her Joyce knew she had made the right decision. "So, think you might be interested?"

"Count me in," Faith said quickly just before going back to shoveling more cereal into her mouth.

"There was just one more thing I wanted to talk to you about too," Joyce added while she watched Faith eat. "Buffy and I were talking this morning before she left for school and I just wanted to remind you that we both consider you to be a part of the family now. Well, I just wanted to tell you that you don't have to call me Miss S anymore if you don't want. You could always call me Joyce, or even mom if you wanted," Joyce said softly, unsure of how Faith would react to the invitation. "I know I'm not your mother, but I love you just as I love my own daughter and I just thought it was time you knew that you were a part of the family."

Faith dropped her spoon into her cereal and bowed her head. Joyce was hesitant, not sure if she had struck a bad nerve in the young girl. "Faith?" she asked gently a few moments after the brunette hadn't said anything to her.

When Faith looked up with unshed tears in her eyes Joyce's concern only grew. She thought for sure she had hurt Faith somehow. "Do you really mean that?" Faith finally managed to choke out. Joyce only nodded and smiled softly at her, and was relieved when a small smile crossed Faith's features. "Mom?" Faith questioned in disbelief. Could she really be lucky enough to have a family again, one that wouldn't abandon her?

"Mom," Joyce confirmed.

Faith put some of her walls back up at the thought of being abandoned again, but she continued to smile widely at Joyce. "Am I like supposed to hug you now or something?" Faith asked awkwardly.

"When you're ready," Joyce replied. "As for now though, I should be getting to work. Come by sometime today and I'll go through what I'll be having you do with you."

"Okay, I'll come by after school," Faith told her as she stood up to put her cereal bowl in the sink.

"Faith, you know you really should-"

"Go back to school," Faith finished for her. "We'll see okay?" she said sincerely, pondering if everyone could read the Summers women so well of if she'd just developed a knack for it over time.

"Good Enough... For now," Joyce teased just before she left Faith alone in the kitchen to process her own thoughts. Faith let out a small laugh as she cleaned her dishes, letting herself realize that life really can get better. And it just had.

 

Cordelia made her way to her locker just before lunch, glad to finally get away from Harmony and the others. She never did understand their need to all go to the bathroom together. She'd figure a person would want to pee in private, but apparently not.

Shaking her head to rid herself of thoughts of them, Cordelia opened her locker but just before she could shove her books in as usual she found a nice surprise waiting for her. Her face lit up instantly as she looked at the single long stemmed red rose occupying the free space in her locker, knowing that Faith was the only one she had ever given her combination to. 'Score extra points for good memory,' Cordelia thought as she went to look at the note attached to the rose. "How's this for a start?" she read aloud, smiling at the simple question.

"So do I get an answer?" Faith asked, causing Cordelia to jump.

"Don't ever scare me like that again!" Cordelia scolded as she spun around to glare at Faith. "You're going to give me wrinkles." When Faith started laughing Cordelia smacked her on the arm. "It's not funny. If you give me wrinkles I'm definitely not ever giving you a chance."

"Okay, I'm sorry," Faith said as she managed to stop laughing. "But do I get an answer?"

"To what?" Cordelia asked, already forgetting the question due to her slight scare.

"The note," Faith said as she rolled her eyes at the cheerleader.

"Dinner. Pick you up at 8. How's that for a start?" Cordelia said just before walking away, leaving no room for argument on Faith's part.

"Sounds good to me," Faith answered to no one in particular as she made her way to the library to meet the gang for their usual lunch.

 

"What am I supposed to wear?" Faith asked as she sat down on Buffy's bed.

The blonde turned from her schoolwork to look at her and shook her head. "Gee, lets weigh our options here shall we? There's leather pants and a tight top, or leather pants and a tight top. Not seeing what's so difficult here."

"You're no help at all," Faith grumbled as Buffy turned back to her books.

"And you're a big girl Faith. What, do you want me to play mommy and actually dress you myself?" Buffy asked sarcastically as she studied.

"Well now that you mention it," Faith replied as she trailed off.

"Are you ever going to stop it with the hitting on me?" Buffy wondered as she once more looked up at Faith.

"Not as long as I'm living," Faith teased.

"Oh joy," Buffy replied, rolling her eyes. "Now will you go away already? It's almost 7, shouldn't you be getting ready for your little date?" Buffy asked, actually wanting to finish her homework sometime this millennium.

"Wait, what if it's all a joke? What if she doesn't show up and then she just makes fun of me like she always has. I mean, why would she just change her mind and go out with me? She's Cordelia, she's straight. She can't like me, can she?" Faith asked all her questions in a rush, panic setting in.

"Faith, chill. You've been spazzing worse than Willow on a caffeine high all day. I'm starting to think I like that silent moody attitude you give everyone else much better."

"Ha. Funny B," Faith snorted. "I'm going to get dressed," she informed the blonde needlessly before disappearing from the room and heading to the bathroom.

After she changed Faith made her way downstairs to grab a drink. As she entered the kitchen she noticed Buffy sitting at the table and Joyce preparing dinner. "I thought you were going to actually change?" Buffy asked as Faith grabbed a can of pop from the fridge.

Rolling her eyes at her best friend Faith sat down at the table with Buffy. "I did. Are you that blonde?" she shot back.

"Oh, excuse me. It's hard to tell one pair of black leather pants from another."

"Bite me."

"In your dreams."

"Girls," Joyce interrupted in distaste at their conversation.

"She started it," Buffy said as she noticed her mom's agitated look.

"Did not."

"Too."

"Not," Faith repeated as she crossed her arms.

"Too," Buffy said as she stuck her tongue out at Faith and 'hrmphed' triumphantly.

Joyce just shook her head and sighed. "Sometimes I think you two really are sisters," she said to no one in particular.

Now it was Faith's turn to crinkle her nose in distaste. "Like I'd ever hit on my sister," the brunette responded out loud, though she had meant to keep that thought in her head. When Joyce's eyes practically bugged out at her words Faith just smiled nervously, and then resorted to glaring at Buffy when she started laughing.

"You hit on Buffy?" Joyce asked, mildly concerned as to if there was more to their relationship than just friendship.

Just then the doorbell rang and Faith practically shot out of her chair. "Oh what a pity, I've gotta run. Big date and all," she gave them both a lopsided grin before darting out of the kitchen to answer the door. Taking a steadying breath, Faith opened the door and sighed in relief when she saw it was indeed Cordelia.

Fighting the urge to pounce on the cheerleader and thank her for her perfect timing, Faith settled for a simple, "Hey."

"Hey yourself," Cordelia responded lightly. "You ready?"

Faith nodded and grabbed her jacket, softly shutting the door behind her as she made her way to Cordelia's car. "Here, let me," Faith said softly as she scrambled around to the drivers side of the car and opened the door for Cordelia.

"Aren't I supposed to be opening the door for you?" Cordelia responded in kind.

"Maybe, but I kinda just figured I'd try again. I didn't exactly get the best reaction last time I did," Faith said, cringing slightly at the memory of her meeting with Cordelia out in the school parking lot.

"Oh yeah, I'm sorry about that," Cordelia told her sincerely.

"No sweat," Faith answered as the cheerleader climbed into her car. She shut the door and made her way back to the passenger side and climbed in beside her, hardly believing she of all people was actually on a date with Cordelia Chase. "Hey umm. Not to sound rude or anything but why'd you agree to go out with me tonight? This isn't like some joke is it where you're going to go make fun of me to all your friends tomorrow is it?" Faith asked as they began driving towards the restaurant that Cordelia picked for them to eat at.

"Why would I do that?" Cordelia questioned back as she focused on the road in front of her.

Faith shrugged as she stared out the windshield. "You've hated me all you're life. Why the sudden change of heart then?"

"I never hated you Faith. I was playing my part, just as you always played yours. We come from different sides of the tracks you could say, and it was always easier to just go along with everything," Cordelia sighed as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Well why stop now?"

"Honestly? Because I'm sick of acting all the time. That night at the Bronze when we danced..." Cordelia trailed off, piquing Faith's attention. "Just your eyes. No one's ever looked at me like that before," Cordelia tried to explain but just found her self at a fault for words.

"Like what?" Faith shifted in the seat so she was facing Cordelia and began to study her profile.

"Like... Like they actually gave a damn about me. You're the first person who's ever looked at me as something more than a mere prize."

Faith sat silently for a few minutes, in a sort of awe at the older girls words, knowing exactly how she felt. That's how she felt all her life, like some prize, or some toy for people to fuck with. Just another person to be used. Could that be how Cordelia's felt all her life too? Could she have been just alone as Faith and hiding it behind that bitchy, holier than thou attitude?

"I have friends and stuff you know," Faith started, breaking the silence between them. "But B... Buffy's the only person that's ever known who I really am. I don't trust people, or show them who I am, but I... I want you to know me. The real me," Faith concluded, nervous at opening herself up so much to Cordelia already.

"I'd like that," Cordelia flashed Faith a brief smile as she pulled up at the restaurant. "And I want to do the same for you." Faith smiled back and began to open the car door when Cordelia stopped her. "It's my turn," she said just before climbing out of the car and making her way around it to open the door for Faith.

When the door opened Cordelia held her hand out, offering it to Faith who just looked up at her hesitantly. "Are you sure? People might see. What about your rep?" she asked softly.

"To hell with my rep. I'm on a date here, and I want to enjoy it, and I want to hold your hand," Cordelia stated defiantly, causing Faith to break out into a grin so wide she thought her jaw might shatter at any moment. Seeing Faith's smile, Cordelia couldn't help but let her own match it. She couldn't remember a time in her life that she had ever made anyone as happy as she seemed to be making Faith, and it filled her heart with pride. And the fact that Faith, who at one time she truly believed to be her worst enemy, was worried about protecting something as meaningless as her reputation sent butterflies fluttering around in her stomach.

There was still a nagging feeling tugging at the back of Faith's brain, telling her not to trust Cordelia so easily, but she pushed it down and took Cordelia's hand in her own as she stepped out of the car. "You know, I've never held anyone's hand before," Faith confessed, and looked at the ground.

Cordelia found this new side of Faith to be very adorable, but decided she'd actually hold off on telling that one to Faith. She didn't think that someone who practically lived in leather would take to being called 'adorable' very well. "I have a feeling there's going to be a lot of firsts between us," Cordelia mused as they began walking towards the restaurant.

"Is that a promise?" Faith asked as she raised an eyebrow at Cordelia.

"Does your mind ever come out of the gutter?" Cordelia laughed as she shook her head.

"No, but you'll get used to it eventually. Well hopefully. Unfortunately for B I don't think she ever will. I'm likely to give her a heart attack by the time she's 20 with the way I tease her all the time." Cordelia just looked at Faith with a slight pout on her lips and the younger girl started laughing. "You're not jealous are you?"

"Me, jealous?" Cordelia scoffed. "Why would I ever be jealous of her? I know I'm the hottest girl around."

"You got that right doll," Faith responded, fighting the urge to just kiss her. 'Slow,' she reminded herself. 'You've already got her holding your hand, don't push your luck' she thought.

Cordelia turned and fixed her gaze on Faith as they stepped into the restaurant. "No one's ever given me a nickname in my life but you. And not that I have a problem with just C, or Queen C I kinda like that doll thing," Cordelia said shyly.

"Then doll it is," Faith said as she squeezed Cordelia's hand slightly. They heard the someone clearing their thoat from behind a podium and looked up at the hostess.

"You hungry?" Cordelia asked Faith as they stopped giving each other the puppy dog eyes for a few moments.

"Starved," Faith answered as they were led to their table, still hand in hand with matching grins on their faces.

 

"What?" Cordelia asked as the two girls left the restaurant after dinner.

"Huh?" Faith questioned back in confusion.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Cordelia answered as she shook her head.

"I'm not allowed to smile?"

"Are you always so difficult?"

"Only with you doll," Faith replied, her smile growing even larger. "Besides, it's not my fault I happen to be enjoying my night out with you."

"Good. So what do you want to do now?" Cordelia asked as the two got back into her car.

Faith shrugged and stared out the window. "This isn't really the kind of town you can just go out in when it's dark so there really isn't much we can do is there?" Cordelia's eyes just lit up as she put the car in gear and started driving, not even saying anything back to Faith. "Where are we going?"

"My house. I wanna show you something," Cordelia glanced over at Faith who was just looking at her with an eyebrow arched and rolled her eyes. "Nothing like that gutter girl."

"Hey," Faith said defensively and pouted a little. "I wasn't thinking like that."

"Sure you weren't," Cordelia teased back. "I know you Faith. You always think like that."

"Do not. And I don't think you know me half as well as you think you do."

"You'd be surprised," Cordelia replied growing serious. "I know about what happened in your childhood. I know about what happened two years ago just before Buffy showed up."

Cordelia could have sworn she heard Faith growl after she said that. Taking a glance at the younger girl she noticed that all traces of a smile were long gone. "Is that why you're doing this? Suddenly decided you feel bad for poor Faith? Am I just some fucking pity charity case you decided to take in to make yourself look good?" Faith asked defensively.

"Faith, I didn't mean it like that," Cordelia sighed as she pulled up at her house. "I'm doing this because I like you. That's why I brought you here. I wanted to share something with you that I've never shared with anyone else."

"You really like me?" Faith asked hesitantly, all her anger quickly dissipating.

"Yes, I really like you," Cordelia answered sincerely. When she saw the smile return to Faith's face she made her exit from the car and Faith followed right after.

"I never thought I'd be coming to your house," Faith told her as they made their way inside the large house.

"If it makes you feel any better I never thought you would be either," Cordelia joked as she took hold of Faith's hand and led her up to her bedroom.

"So what is it that you're going to show me?" Faith asked in confusion as she watched Cordelia pulling the blanket off her bed.

"You'll see."

Cordelia tossed the blanket at Faith and made her way back out into the hallway, leaving Faith to follow her with a perplexed look on her face. When Cordelia made her way into the bathroom Faith just started laughing. "Umm. Are you like going to tell me you sleep in the bathtub or something because that's just really weird."

Cordelia laughed at that as she opened the window in the bathroom. "No, this is cooler than that." Cordelia took the blanket from Faith and tossed it out the window and Faith just stared at her in confusion. Giving Faith a small smile Cordelia followed the blanket out the window and climbed onto a small ledge and told Faith to do the same.

Once both girls were out there Cordelia picked up the blanket and climbed off the smaller ledge onto the main roof of the house. Once she got to the middle of the roof she layed the blanket down and sat upon it, waiting for Faith to come join her. When the younger girl did Cordelia layed back and gazed up at the stars as she folded her arms behind her head.

"This is where I've always come to get away. It's like you said, there isn't really any place around here that's safe. But it's always safe up here where no one could ever find me," Cordelia told Faith who layed down next to her.

"You were never afraid you'd fall off?" Faith asked as she tried to find the North Star in the sky.

"No, but there were times I wished I would have," Cordelia joked.

"I know that feeling," Faith told her as she sat back up and looked down at the cars driving by on the street before turning her gaze to Cordelia. "Thanks for sharing this with me. It's pretty cool up here."

"I like having someone to share it with," Cordelia told her. "So tell me something about yourself that I don't know."

"Like what?" Faith asked softly, nervous at the question. She never was good at doing this sharing stuff.

"Anything. Like what's the craziest thing you've ever done?"

"What's the craziest thing you've ever done?"

"Hey, I asked first," Cordelia whined, giving Faith her best pout.

"Well I asked second. And two is bigger than one so I win," Faith laughed as Cordy kept pouting.

"You're aware that you don't play fair at all right?" Cordelia asked and Faith just nodded in response. "And I've never really done anything crazy. I was always trying to be perfect to impress everyone else and to make my parents happy. I've always been the perfect little daughter you know? So I don't really have any interesting stories to tell."

"So does that mean I have to share now?" Faith asked as she sat a little farther up on the blanket. Cordelia moved so she could rest her head in Faith's lap and that was all the incentive Faith needed to open herself up a little more to the older girl. Leaning back, Faith rested most of her weight on her hand as she let the fingers of her other hand trail through Cordelia's hair.

"Well there was this one thing," Faith started, laughing already at the memory. "I was staying at the motel, and I didn't have any money to pay for the room. So I talked B into distracting the clerk so I could swipe some money. So we went in there and she started flirting with him, so he totally forgot about me. She got him to move from behind the desk and I made my way back there while she had his attention. Well when I was trying to get the money I accidentally knocked something over and so I almost got busted, but then B actually flashed him, and by the time he recovered I had already made tracks. So B runs out of there right after, and then I go back in and hand him the money."

"You paid your rent to him with his own money?" Cordelia asked, laughing as well.

"Yeah. But B was pissed at me for weeks for having her do that."

"I would have been too. But at least it shows what a good friend she is. I've never had anyone. Any real friends that'd do anything like that for me."

"I never did either, until B got here. And we became friends immediately. And then once she started school she met Willow and Xander and introduced me to them too. And now we're kinda like our own little family. We'd all do anything for the other. And I get to be the resident bad ass," Faith added with a little laugh.

"I wish I could have that," Cordelia said softly as she closed her eyes, feeling more and more relaxed as Faith played with her hair.

"You could you know. You have me now, and I'll do anything you needed. And I'm sure the same would go for the rest of the gang," Faith replied as she looked down at Cordelia who seemed so content to just be lying there with her.

"Maybe Buffy would be nice to me, but I've been mean to Xander and Willow all their lives. They despise me."

"You've always picked on me too, but look where we are. And I know you've been a bigger bitch to me than to them," Faith told her, trying not to think of all the memories she had of Cordelia fighting with her. "I'm sure they'd forgive you and give you a chance if you wanted. I'm not saying you have to or anything, but you just don't seem so happy with the popular life."

"I'm not, but I don't know if I can give it up. It's my last year there, and I've always been at the top. It's like a part of me now."

"No, it's not a part of you. It's an act Cordelia. You've proven that to me tonight. The you that you are in school is completely fake, just like the me I've always shown you until now. It's clear that you don't like being like that. I'm not saying it might not be scary to possibly lose your popularity, but why do something if it makes you so unhappy? What's it going to get you in the end? After you graduate this year more than half of those people probably won't even remember anything that happened at high school."

"When did you become so wise?" Cordelia asked as she yawned, shivering slightly as the temperature dropped some in the night.

"I wouldn't call it wisdom. It's just that life's short. Why not live it enjoying yourself? You gotta live for yourself just as much as you do everyone else."

"I think I'll have to remember that."

"You should. And can we be done with this sharing thing now? No offense or anything but I've just opened up to you more than anyone else, not counting B, and I need to go slow with that whole opening up thing. It's not easy for me. It kinda gives me the wiggins."

"Answer me one more question?"

"Sure," Faith answered softly.

"Why is it that you and Buffy are always the ones to show up when trouble comes around?"

"Oh boy," Faith sighed as she coaxed Cordelia to sit up for a moment. Faith layed back down and shyly opened her arms, and Cordelia gladly layed down in them, resting her head on Faith's shoulder. When the two got situated Faith began telling her tale of the Slayer, how Willow and Xander got involved in it, Buffy's brief death, and her surprisingly being called after Kendra, and other small details. By the time she finished, she had expected some sort of reaction out of Cordelia, but silence was all she found.

Tilting her head to look at the cheerleader she noticed that she was softly sleeping, and she couldn't help but let out a little laugh. 'Leave it to Cordelia of all people to fall asleep while she's learning about how many times the worlds almost ended,' Faith thought as she gently nudged the girl awake. When Cordelia did wake up she just smiled at Faith sheepishly. "As much as I'd love to stay out here with you like this all night, you've got school in the morning. I should get going so you can sleep," Faith told her just before they both stood up.

They made their way back into the house and Cordelia tossed the blanket back in her room before walking Faith back out front. "I should drive you back, it's not safe out here at night," Cordelia informed Faith, who just laughed at her.

"You did hear some of what I was telling you before you fell asleep didn't you? It's my job to go kill those bad things out there."

"So, it doesn't mean I have to like it. I happen to be liking you here. I don't need you to end up dead on me."

"If I ended up dead, I don't think I'd be on top of you," Faith joked, trying to put Cordelia at ease.

"A pain in the ass is what you are, you know that?" Cordelia responded, glad for the change in subject.

"Maybe, but you seem to be liking it so why stop now?"

"Because if you don't I'll get wrinkles and worry lines?" Cordelia asked.

"Ahh, there's the Queen C I like so much. Anyways, I guess I'll see you around," Faith said before turning to leave. She felt Cordelia grab her hand and turned back around to face the older girl.

"You're forgetting something," Cordelia informed her.

"I am?" Faith asked, confused.

"Duh, don't I get a kiss? Isn't that how dates are supposed to end?" Cordelia told her as she rolled her eyes.

"I...umm...yeah," Faith said, wondering why the hell she was so nervous. She knew this was completely unlike her, but then she actually seemed to care about Cordelia, which was something she had never done with anyone else she went out with before. 'So much for that get some, get gone theory you've worked so hard on,' she thought to herself. Reaching her hand up to caress Cordelia's cheek she placed a soft, tentative kiss on the girls lips, unsure of how the cheerleader would react to kissing another girl. When Cordelia didn't pull away from her she let the soft kiss linger for a few moments longer before pulling away. "Happy now?" Faith questioned nervously.

"Very," Cordelia answered her. "And now you're free to leave. See you tomorrow at school?" Cordelia asked.

"Yeah, see ya," Faith replied, giving her a lopsided grin before walking off. She headed back to Buffy's, taking the longest way possible hoping she'd find a vamp or two to stake so she could work off some of her access energy before going back and gloating to Buffy about how she got Cordelia all on her own.

 

"No X, I'm telling you that move doesn't work. No, I realize that. Give me a break, I'm pushing up as fast as I can. No. Ha! I told you that you were wrong, it's up, up, up, right, up, up. Yeah sure," Faith said into the telephone as she conversed with Xander about strategies for her latest playstation game.

Buffy was sitting on the couch, idly playing with Faith's hair as she watched what Faith was doing in the game, trying her best not to fall asleep. Of course with Faith constantly threatening her a slow painful death if her hair was braided one more time, falling asleep was quite hard. As hard as she tried, she just couldn't get into video games. So of course as soon as the doorbell rang, Buffy shot to her feet and gladly answered it. Upon finding Cordelia glaring at her, she wished she had fallen asleep.

Buffy just rolled her eyes and pointed towards the living room where Faith was, not even bothering to try with the pleasantries. Cordelia did much of the same, except she actually took the time to smile at Buffy, which caught the blonde slightly off guard. Shaking her head, Buffy followed Cordelia into the living room and laughed at Faith's 'I'm such an idiot' face upon seeing the cheerleader. This was definitely going to be interesting.

"Hey X I gotta go, the wifey's here and she's not looking too happy. No, I'll explain later, I promise. Yeah, later." Faith hung up the phone and smiled at Cordelia. "It's not my fault," was the first thing out of her mouth as she stood up to greet the cheerleader with a hug.

"What isn't your fault?" Buffy asked as she sat back down on the couch, giving the two a curious look. She had expected Cordelia to either tell her it was none of her business, or insult her in some way but when the cheerleader was silent for a moment Buffy's curiosity grew. The blonde was taken more aback when Cordelia did speak, and found that the brunette was actually hurt by something Faith did. Or in this case, didn't do.

"Look C, I didn't mean to stand you up or whatever. I know I told you I'd come see you today in school but I've got this new thing where I'm helping mom out at the gallery and I totally forgot about it while we were out last night, so I was busy while you were in school." Faith stopped and gave Cordelia a soft look, trying to convey with her eyes what she was no good at putting into words, and was rewarded with a small kiss from the older brunette.

Buffy silently watched the exchange between the two and realized not only that Faith genuinely did care for Cordelia and was after more than a cheap lay, but that Cordelia actually seemed to care for Faith as well. Perhaps it was time to reconsider her stance on Cordelia.

"You could have at least called," Cordelia pouted out, breaking the silence that filled the room. Buffy tried not to laugh at the display, though it wasn't often anyone actually got to see that there was actually a vulnerable side to Cordelia. Faith simply found it utterly adorable. However adorable it was though, Faith did let out a small laugh, which gained her a smack to the arm from Cordelia.

"Abusive much?" She joked as she sat down on the couch next to Buffy, pulling Cordelia down onto her lap. "Anyways, as I was going to say before I was so rudely abused, I don't exactly have your number doll. And if you really think I'm about to randomly show up at your house, well you've got things all confused in your head. One of your sheep could be there and I choose to actually live you know." Faith bent down and picked up her controller and continued with her game as Cordelia just stared at her expectantly.

"You're going to ignore me now for a video game?" Cordelia asked incredulously.

"This is Faith, she ignores everything for her video games." Buffy shifted on the couch, getting more comfortable.

"I'm not ignoring anything here," Faith turned her head to give Cordelia a quick kiss before sticking her tongue out at Buffy. "I'm hoping that if I distract myself you two will be forced to converse and actually become friends."

Silence followed that statement, along with Faith receiving blank looks from both of the other occupants in the room so she decided to go with the approach she was actually good at. "Besides, then I can get the best threesome ever known to mankind going on." Faith allowed a goofy smile to spread across her features at the thought, only to find Cordelia smacking her on the arm once more, and Buffy hitting her upside the head. "Geez, with you two around I'll be dead before I'm twenty," she commented as she rubbed the back of her head.

"I was going for eighteen actually," Cordelia teased her. Buffy smiled and nodded her approval, apparently satisfied with the comeback.

"I thought I was supposed to be the sarcastic one in the relationship?" Faith questioned as she once again paused her video game.

"Who said I was being sarcastic?" Cordelia quipped, causing Buffy to fall over in laughing as Faith's jaw dropped.

"I think you've finally met your match F," Buffy stated as she calmed down some.

"Well I am the Queen Bitch of Sunnydale you know," Cordelia stated matter-of-factly to Buffy.

"You're not a bitch... Oh wait, you are," Buffy replied, keeping her voice light so Cordelia would know she was only playing and not actually trying to insult her.

"You're so going to pay for that," Cordelia said, making the pouty face that Faith found adorable.

"How so?" Buffy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I could pull your hair?" Cordelia offered.

"Yeah, you really want to get into a physical match with me? You know I'd kick your ass."

"But I'm me," Cordelia stated. "I can handle anything. Except for pink maybe. What a God awful color," Cordelia shuddered at the thought.

"First, where did that even come from? And secondly what's wrong with pink? I have some very nice pink clothes," Buffy informed her, taking her turn to pout.

Faith sat, playing her game and smiling as she listened to the two of them talk. Maybe it wasn't the conversation she had hoped they would have with each other, but they were talking without fighting, so that was a good thing wasn't it?

"I'm stealing your girlfriend for a minute," Buffy informed Faith as she grabbed Cordelia's hand and drug her upstairs. Faith raised an eyebrow in curiosity and brought her game to a good stopping point before saving it and shutting the machine off. She sprinted upstairs, worried that maybe the two girls were up there in the middle of a fight.

As she walked into Buffy's room she laughed in amusement as Buffy was holding up two pink tops, arguing their 'cuteness' to Cordelia who was shaking her head.

"Look, maybe they're cute on you, but pink is still gross," Cordelia argued, becoming flustered at Buffy's stubbornness. Buffy's eyes searched out Faith's, silently pleading with her best friend to help her out.

"You know I'm on C's side here B. I love ya but pink is hideous," Faith told her as she popped a CD into Buffy's stereo and sat down on the bed, pulling her Game Boy off the nightstand. She gave one last glance at the other occupants in the room and shook her head as she saw Buffy trying to hold up the pink shirt to Cordelia and explain how cute it would be on her. Blocking them out Faith focused on her game as she sang the song playing on the stereo quietly.

After a few minutes of singing, she realized that Cordelia and Buffy were no longer talking and took her eyes off of her game. When she looked up she noticed both of them were watching her, the exact same look of adoration in their eyes and it made her incredibly nervous. Buffy had always looked at her like that, but now Cordelia was too. "Hi?" she said softly, trying to get the two of them to stop staring at her.

Buffy grinned madly and turned her attention to Cordelia. "You want to see something cool?" she asked the cheerleader, who nodded in response.

Faith's eyes narrowed as she watched Buffy who was approaching her with a feral gleam in her eyes. Faith finally realized what her best friend was up to and tried to scramble off of the bed to escape the torture she knew was coming but was a second too late and soon found herself being pounced on by Buffy. She dropped her game and began to squirm as Buffy's fingers expertly poked at her sides, tickling her senseless.

"See," Buffy said as she struggled with Faith. "She's really not a bad ass at all," the short blonde explained to Cordelia while she continued to tickle her best friend.

Cordelia watched in fascination, taking in how comfortable the two seemed with each other. She briefly wondered why she never had someone in her life like that before, someone to just have fun with and depend on. She let out a small giggle as both slayers fell off of the bed, still struggling with one another and it suddenly hit her that she felt horribly out of place. Here she was in Buffy's bedroom, the same Buffy that she'd spent the longest time picking on and she suddenly panicked, wondering how she could ever expect not only Faith, but Buffy to except her in their lives.

Just as she was about to announce her exit she found that Faith was kneeling on the ground, with Buffy sitting on her feet, holding the dark slayers two arms behind her, preventing any movement from Faith. "Why don't you help me out here?" Buffy asked Cordelia, noticing the hesitant look upon the taller girls features. She wasn't sure why but she didn't want to fight with Cordelia any longer, especially now that she was obviously so important to Faith.

Cordelia looked from Buffy to Faith, and the younger girls features softened so as to convey to Cordelia that it was okay, and all in fun and games. She figured that Cordelia's childhood had probably been a lot like hers without a lot of affection, so this was probably something new to her altogether. After a few more moments of hesitation Cordelia realized that it was okay, and shrugged noncommittally as she approached Faith and tried her hand at tickling the younger girl.

The more Faith squirmed, the more determined Cordelia became as she realized that it was actually fun to let go sometimes. Faith was laughing loudly, doing her best to break free from Buffy's hold on her arms as she found her breathing becoming labored from laughing so much. "I take it back," Faith said out of nowhere. "I don't want you two to be friends, this is too dangerous to my health."

"I told you I was trying to get rid of you before you're eighteen," Cordelia reminder her with a smug grin.

"You are so going to pay for that," Faith said as she broke free from Buffy's grasp and pounced on Cordelia, pinning the older girls arms over her head.

"And just what my punishment be?" Cordelia wondered as she watched Faith's eyes.

Faith didn't respond verbally but instead pressed her lips to Cordelia's, kissing her fiercely. Buffy just rolled her eyes at the display and climbed onto her bed to grab a pillow, which she happily threw at the two of them. "Get a room you two. This is starting to turn out like some bad porno flick," the blonde teased as Faith and Cordelia broke apart.

"First off, I don't have a room to get," Faith reminded Buffy.

"Well then we're so going to be getting you one," Buffy interrupted Faith before she could say anymore, and found her pillow being thrown back at her in response.

"And secondly," Faith said, trying her best to sound annoyed, which was rather hard considering that Cordelia had her arms wrapped around the younger girls waist. "How can you say I have a dirty mind? Look at you!" Faith accused with a grin.

"It's rubbed off on me. Stuff like that happens after being in your presence for so long."

"Does that mean I need to reconsider this girlfriend thing? Because I like you but I don't want to be you," Cordelia teased as Faith turned around to glare at her playfully.

"So it's official then?" Buffy questioned from her perch on the bed.

"What's official?" Faith replied, voicing both her and Cordelia's confusion at the question.

Buffy rolled her eyes and let out a small laugh. "And you people make fun of blondes? I mean you two. Are you officially an item?"

"Item of what?" Faith continued, this time only pretending to be dense.

"Of eggs you moron," Buffy retorted. "You know what I mean."

"I uhh... I don't know?" Faith responded, looking over at Cordelia, hoping maybe she would give an answer. They'd only been on one date, but if Cordelia wanted to be her girlfriend, it was plenty fine with her.

"Would you want to be?" Cordelia asked insecurely, but laughed inwardly at the thought of her actually being insecure. It's not like she'd ever been turned down before in her life, so why was Faith suddenly so important?

Faith nodded in response, unsure of what to actually say, but the movement seemed to work for Cordelia and she soon found herself being kissed once again. When the two finally broke apart Faith took Cordelia's hand into her own and smiled at her sweetly. "Another first for the two of us," she said quietly upon remembering their talk about 'firsts' the other night.

"God, you two are so sweet you're going to give Angel and I a run for our money," Buffy joked.

Faith glared at Buffy immediately, not fond at all of being called 'sweet'. Buffy just smiled back innocently and made the decision that celebration was definitely needed. "Okay, now that you two are done sucking face and committing to each other why don't we go grab some pizza or something?"

Faith turned to Cordelia and arched an eyebrow waiting to see what the older girls decision was. Would she really be able to risk being seen in public with them again, or was she still the old Cordelia deep down? "Sounds like a plan to me," Cordelia gave her opinion causing Faith to break into a wide grin.

"Hell yeah," Faith replied, her stomach growling in response. "You know me, always hungry and..." Faith trailed off, not sure if she should finish in front of her new girlfriend.

"And what?" Cordelia questioned, looking from Faith to Buffy for an answer.

Faith walked over to Cordelia and put her mouth close to the taller girls ear and whispered. "I don't think your ready to find out just yet," she answered before nibbling gently on Cordelia's ear lobe and walking out of Buffy's room.

Cordelia just blushed as she followed Faith out of the room while Buffy shook her head. 'What have I gotten myself into tonight?' Buffy wondered to herself as she closed the door to her bedroom behind her, following the two out of the house. "Hey B, why don't you go pick up soul boy?" Faith questioned, wanting a little alone time with her new girlfriend. At least a few minutes alone is better than nothing.

"You sure you don't mind if me and him tag along?"

"I think it's a good idea for you two to come," Cordelia spoke up, surprising Buffy. Faith wrapped an arm around Cordelia's waist and smiled proudly at her, knowing that the cheerleader was working on finally making herself some real friends.

Buffy nodded and turned in the opposite direction of the other two. "Meet you there in a bit?" Both brunettes nodded and Buffy took off to Angel's mansion, wondering just what other weird occurrences could come about on the hell mouth. If she was Xander she would definitely suspect that it was somehow the hell mouth's fault that Cordelia and Faith had gotten together.

Letting a small laugh out at the imagery of Xander finding out that two of his favorite females in all of Sunnydale were now an item Buffy shook her head ruefully. 'At least someone can find happiness in this damn place,' she thought to herself as she reached the mansion. 'Here's to another dreaded night of pretending.'

 

"How come we're walking and not in your car?" Faith asked as her and Cordelia walked hand in hand to the pizza joint. She was vaguely aware of the people who passed and gave them funny looks. It didn't bother her in the least, but she was surprised that Cordelia not once made any attempt to remove her hand from Faith's out in a public place.

"Maybe I wanted to show my new girlfriend off," Cordelia smirked, quite unsure of why they were walking herself. They just started going. The idea of driving hadn't even popped into her head.

"So now I'm just a piece of the Queen's property huh?" Faith asked, half seriously wondering if that really all she was to Cordelia. Some sort of conquest or something. Not that she could really blame Cordelia if that was all she was to the cheerleader. That is how it started off for her.

"I wouldn't say property. Though I will most definitely not be sharing you with anyone at any point," Cordelia informed Faith.

"Not even Rob Lowe?" Faith questioned, causing Cordelia to look at her in horror. "What? We've all got secrets. I happen to think he was very fuckable when he was younger."

Cordelia wrinkled her nose in disgust at Faith's words. "Crude much?"

"Aww what's the matter doll, you jealous?" Faith teased as she eyed Cordelia.

"As if," Cordelia answered, sounding as cocky as usual.

"Good, because you know I've only got eyes for you," Faith paused as a smirk spread across her lips.

"Prove it," Cordelia smirked herself, rising to Faith's silent challenge.

"You sure C? There are all these people out here..." Faith trailed off, giving her new girlfriend one last chance to back out.

"Well then lets give them something to talk about," Cordelia answered, and that was all Faith needed before she let her hormones get the best of her. Before Cordelia even had a chance to stop walking Faith's arm was around her waist, pulling her whole body against the younger girls.

"You," Faith stopped and looked straight into Cordelia's eyes, showing the cheerleader her raw lust. "Are a goddess," Faith finished before crushing her lips to Cordelia's. Cordelia parted her lips as a soft moan escaped from her mouth and Faith took that opportunity to slide her tongue deeply into the other girlâs mouth. Cordelia's tongue battled with Faith's for dominance as she brought her arms up to wrap them around Faith's neck, firmly holding her in place.

They stayed locked in their passionate embrace until the need for oxygen caused them to break apart. As Cordelia struggled for air Faith kept her lips occupied as she kissed her way around the cheerleaders jaw line, down to the tender flesh of her neck. "You taste so good," Faith murmured softly, causing Cordelia to remember that not only were they about to do something that's very illegal to do in public, but that they were supposed to be meeting Buffy and Angel for food.

"Faith, stop... Buffy," Cordelia tried to form a coherent sentence but was left pretty speechless under the attention that Faith was giving to her skin.

Faith scraped her teeth along Cordelia's skin before biting down gently and pulling away reluctantly. When she saw Cordelia's heavy lidded eyes her mind went back to what had started this impromptu make out session. "You wanna share me with B?" Faith asked in confusion.

"No, I didn't mean," Cordelia started, but Faith's sigh of relief cut her off.

"Good, because trust me you don't have to be jealous of her. I know we're a little touchy feely and stuff. But when I flirt with her it's all innocent. It's not like that. It's kinda like we're each otherâs security blankets. We're like each otherâs comfort zones. That's all it is."

Cordelia nodded and smiled at what Faith had taken her to be meaning, but was relieved none the less that she didn't have to worry about Buffy being something that would come between them. At least not in that way.

"Besides, B's all hot for dead boy. Which I don't think I'll ever understand since she can't get laid. And as for me I think I'm kinda," Faith started said before Cordelia could even point out that she had just meant that they should get to the pizza place now and finish the making out later in a much more private setting.

"Kinda what?" Cordelia asked when Faith didn't finish what she was saying. Faith looked down at the ground nervously and just shook her head indicating to Cordelia that it was obviously something of importance.

"It's nothing. You'll just laugh," Faith said as she looked back up to the understanding eyes of her girlfriend.

"You know I won't laugh, but I won't push." Cordelia leaned in to give Faith a chaste kiss and took the shorter girls hand back into her own. "But as I've been trying to say for the last five minutes, we need to hurry up and get to the pizza place. I'm sure Buffy and Angel are already there."

"Thatâs what you meant?" Faith asked, actually blushing as her and Cordelia continued walking once more. Cordelia just nodded and smiled softly at her, and Faith was actually shocked that Cordelia wasn't mocking her for it. The bitch behind Cordelia Chase was definitely an act, and the more Faith learned of the real Cordelia, the more she liked her.

They walked the rest of the way in a comfortable silence and when they finally reached their destination they noticed that Buffy and Angel had indeed beaten them there. Faith and Cordelia quickly joined them at the booth they had already been sitting in and Buffy and Cordelia both noticed the awkwardness between Angel and Faith. After they had ordered their food and awkward silence fell upon them, leaving Buffy and Cordelia no choice but to make conversation with each other.

As they we discussing fashion once more, Cordelia could feel Faith fidgeting and she put a hand on the younger girls thigh to get her to settle down. Faith did, much to Cordelia's pleasure and the rest of the time was spent with the three girls indulging in small talk, while Angel did his best to pretend he cared about what they were saying. Faith noticed the emotional distance between Buffy and Angel, and was sure to make a mental note of it so she could talk to her best friend about it later and find out if there was trouble in paradise.

Two large pizzas later the two couples once again went their separate ways, Buffy and Angel to patrol, and Faith to walk Cordelia back to the Summers' residence where her car was. "What's wrong?" Faith asked as she stole a glance at her girlfriend and noticed her eyebrows all scrunched up.

Cordelia smiled at her, and shook her head to indicate that nothing was wrong. "I was just trying to think of a way to ask you something without actually demanding it. I'm not very used to dropping my act in front of someone. I got so used to acting, I really started to believe it's who I was."

Faith nodded in understanding and just squeezed her girlfriendâs hand in reassurance, but didn't speak so she could give Cordelia the chance to sort out her thoughts. When they got back to the house Faith leaned against Cordelia's car and pulled the taller girl into her arms and waited for her to speak.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" Cordelia finally asked and Faith arched an eyebrow in surprise. "Not like that," Cordelia replied, knowing instantly what Faith was thinking she meant. "You're a very naughty minded girl you know that?" Cordelia asked, kissing Faith on the lips before she could even respond.

Faith just chuckled as they broke apart and pulled Cordelia closer to her. "And you're not with that whole 'lets give them something to talk about' display earlier? You don't fool me for a second doll." Faith stopped to give her another kiss. "But I think I can manage to control myself enough to spend the night with you, but only if you grant me one request," Faith added when they broke apart.

"Depends on what it is," Cordelia responded, her eyes narrowing immediately.

Faith looked down at the ground shyly, worried about actually verbalizing something like this. "Well you know... I mean, we were never friends before and stuff. But I always thought you were wicked hot and all you know? At first, I just wanted to get in your pants, but I... Well now I really like you and all. I've never had a real girlfriend before. I'm sure you know my reputation. And well... I was thinking it'd be kinda nice to just hold you for a while and watch over you as you sleep."

Faith never bothered to look up, she was certain that Cordelia was going to walk away from her for good at that, and upon not getting any sort of reply from the cheerleader, she was afraid to look back into her eyes. When she felt Cordelia's fingers under her chin, pulling her face back she almost expected to be smacked, but instead she was met with the most passionate kiss she had ever experienced.

"Go get your stuff," Cordelia breathed out as they broke the kiss. "I'll wait for you out here."

Faith let her cocky grin slide back across her lips as she walked back into the house. She couldn't believe it, she was really going to be spending the night with Cordelia. And even more, she was actually surprised at how honest her words were, and that all she really wanted to do was just be near the cheerleader.

 

"So uhh... No one's home?" Faith asked nervously as she sat down on the couch in the Chases living room.

"There's hardly ever anyone here. Except for me and Maria. But she's off tonight so it's just me. Another reason I wanted you to stay over. I'm not fond of being alone," Cordelia answered as she sat down on her girlfriend's lap.

"Feeling a bit friendly there?" Faith teased as she wrapped her arms around the cheerleader.

"Are you complaining?"

"Of course not. You should know me better than that," Faith answered, but Cordelia could tell that there was something more going on in Faith's mind at the moment.

"Well then whatâs wrong?" Cordelia reached out to play with Faith's hair while smiling at her encouragingly.

Faith swallowed hard, and cast her eyes down so she wouldn't have to look at Cordelia in case she said something wrong and made her girlfriend mad. "It's just that when youâre so close to me it makes me want to touch you. I know it's soon and all but I just keep wanting to touch you and never stop."

Cordelia got up from Faith's lap, and once again Faith was almost positive that she has screwed up. The older girl just looked at Faith for a few seconds, noticing how vulnerable and scared she looked and realized that Faith was really taking a chance by being so honest with her. Taking Faith's hand into her own Cordelia gently pulled the younger girl off the couch and led her up to her bedroom in silence.

"C?" Faith questioned as she was led to Cordelia's bed. She knew she wasn't getting kicked out of the house, so for that she was very thankful, but she wasn't quite sure what her girlfriend was up to.

The older girl just reached out to run her fingers over Faith's full lips and smiled at her girlfriend. "Let's just start here, and see where it goes okay?" She replaced her fingers with her mouth and wrapped her arms around Faith's waist, pulling her closer.

Faith eagerly attacked Cordelia's lips, no longer having the strength or desire to hold back. As long as Cordelia wasn't stopping her, she was going forward with this. She slid her tongue across Cordelia's bottom lip before thrusting her tongue deep into the taller girls mouth. When she reached up to cup Cordelia's face with her palm, the cheerleader realized that Faith's hands were shaking and that she seemed to be as nervous as she was.

Finally the two broke apart for air, and when they locked eyes they both knew that there was no going back now. Faith took Cordelia into her arms and carried her over to the bed. "I want to show you how good you make me feel C. I want to make you as hot as you make me. I want to touch you all night long and make you cry out my name. Can I do that Cordy?"

Cordelia still didn't speak but just pulled Faith down on top of her and kissed her deeply, briefly wondering why she had never realized how sexy Faith was in her life until now. She didn't care if this was too fast, all she knew was that all her life she had wanted to stop feeling so lonely, and Faith was the first person to ever take that loneliness away from her. As she pushed her tongue farther into Faith's mouth Cordelia slid her hands under the younger girls shirt, running her nails up Faith's back, pulling the shirt up as she went.

Faith got Cordelia's silent request and broke the kiss to sit up and pull her shirt off before laying her body down half on top of Cordelia's. She pressed her lips to the sensitive skin of the older girls neck as her hands deftly undid the buttons on her blouse. "Do I make you hot C? Do you want this as bad as I do?" Faith murmured into her neck.

Cordelia moaned as she felt Faith's hands on her exposed stomach, sliding up to cup her breast. "Too much clothes," Cordelia breathed out.

Faith pulled her girlfriend up into a sitting position so she could slide the shirt off of her shoulders and reached behind to unsnap her bra. "I'm so hot for you right now C. You're making me so wet," Faith whispered into her ear as she tossed Cordelia's shirt and bra aside. She nudged Cordelia back down and kissed her softly before sucking on Cordelia's tongue as she hands roamed over Cordelia's exposed breasts, the pads of her thumbs teasing the girls hardened nipples.

"Lower. I want to feel you inside me," Cordelia instructed Faith as she put her hand on top of one of Faith's and guided it down her body.

Faith kissed her way down to Cordelia's chest, sucking a nipple into her mouth as her hands fumbled with the buttons of the girls pants. Finally becoming flustered with it she just pulled on it until it snapped off and she quickly pulled then down, trailing wet kisses down Cordelia's body as she moved. Once she got Cordelia's pants off she took the liberty of pulling herself out of her leathers before climbing back onto Cordelia, sliding one of her legs between the cheerleaders thighs. "Are you sure you want this?" she asked, just to be sure she wasn't pressuring her girlfriend into anything.

Cordelia arched her center up into Faith's thigh as she pulled Faith's face down so she could look in her eyes. "I want you to make love to me Faith. I want you to fuck me like I'm the only person in your world. I want you to fill me so deep that I forget my own name."

"You are the only person in my world," Faith whispered before she crushed her lips to Cordelia's. She slid her hand back down Cordelia's chest, over her taut nipples all the way down to her center. She gently slid a finger into her girlfriend, stroking her quickly as she brushed her thumb over Cordelia's clit. She felt Cordelia moan into her mouth and broke the kiss so she could look into the cheerleaderâs eyes as she pleasured her.

When Cordelia started rocking her hips and Faith took that as a sign to slide a second finger into her and she curled her fingers slightly as she thrust in and out of her older girl. "Oh God... Faith," Cordelia moaned as she felt Faith's other hand roaming over her breasts. It felt like Faith was everywhere at once and it was a total overload to her senses.

"You make me so hot when you say my name. I want you to cum for me," Faith whispered into her ear as she bit gently on her earlobe. Faith watched in amazement at Cordelia writhed on the bed, her head thrown back, her hands clutching at the sheets and her eyes glazed over in passion. "You're so beautiful right now C. I'm falling so in love with you," Faith breathed out as she caught Cordelia's mouth in another kiss.

It took a few seconds for Faith's words to register in Cordelia's mind, but once they did they sent her flying over the edge in the most intense orgasm she had ever felt. Faith continued to stroke her slowly as she came down from her high, her body shaking as Faith kissed all over her face and neck. Finally when her body started to relax Faith pulled Cordelia into her arms and held her close.

Cordelia weakly wrapped an arm around Faith's stomach as she rested her head on Faith's chest. She could almost swear that Faith's heart was beating as fast as hers. She lifted her head to place a gentle kiss over it as she felt Faith's hand rubbing her back. "I'm falling in love with you too Faith," she whispered as she held onto Faith more tightly.

No more words were spoken between them that night. No words were needed. They were content to bask in the new turn their relationship had taken. Cordelia soon fell to sleep, lulled into the dream world by the steady beating of Faith's heart beneath her ear. Faith stayed true to her word and watched over Cordelia all night as she slept. She played with the cheerleaderâs hair, rubbed her back, and listened to her soft breathing wondering just what she ever did to get so lucky. And then and there she vowed to herself that no matter what, she would always watch over Cordelia and protect her just as she was at that very moment.

 

"Hey," Faith said softly when she saw her girlfriend opening her eyes the next morning.

"Hey yourself. What are you doing up so early?" Cordelia asked softly, burying her face in the crook of Faith's neck.

"I told you I was going to watch over you all night," Faith said gently, kissing the top of Cordelia's head.

"You know that's the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me?" Cordelia asked gently, almost giving in to the urge to go back to sleep in Faith's arms.

Faith just smiled, feeling her heart soar at Cordelia's words as she began to play with the cheerleader's hair. "I've never done this before," Faith told Cordelia, keeping the girl from returning to slumber.

Cordelia looked up at her confused, hoping that something wasn't wrong. Faith just smiled reassuringly at her and gave her a soft kiss. "Pillow talk. I've never been around in the morning for this before. I like it," the slayer confessed.

"We could always make a habit of it," Cordelia said seriously, liking the idea of waking up in the strong arms of her slayer as often as possible. Suddenly the ramifications of dating a girl didn't seem so bad. She really was falling in love with Faith, and for the first time in her life she felt like a real person. Like she was finally living. If it meant being a social outcast, she could deal. It's not like Faith wouldn't be able to protect her or take care of her should the need arise.

"I would have no objections to that one doll," Faith replied, pulling her girlfriend out of her thoughts and into a deep kiss. Cordelia moved her body on top of Faith's as they kissed, moaning softly into the younger girls mouth as their skin came into contact. Cordelia wasn't exactly sure when she developed such a bad case of hormones, but as she felt Faith's hands in her hair, on her back and on the sides of her breasts she just assumed that the slayer had that effect on people. Faith practically shouted 'sex' to the world with her attitude and the way she dressed, and Cordeila felt particularly proud to be the one Faith chose to give herself to.

As she slid her tongue against Faith's, taking in the girls taste and very essence she could feel that smaller girl beneath her slide her strong leg between her own thighs, putting pressure against her hot center. Cordelia let out a quiet growl, encouraging Faith just before she heard the doorbell being rung frantically. Cordelia tried to ignore it, but Faith pulled back suddenly, her slayer senses alerting her that it was Buffy standing outside.

"C stop... We gotta, its B," Faith breathed out, sliding away from her girlfriend to pull her pants on. She heard Cordelia sighing loudly, obviously unhappy with the interruption, but she couldn't blame her. She wasn't too happy about it either, but obviously something was wrong for Buffy to show up at Cordelia's house.

Faith quickly finished getting dressed in a matter of seconds as Cordelia rummaged through her closet with the sheet pulled around her body. "What?" Cordelia asked annoyed as she noticed Faith staring at her impatiently.

"Hurry up," Faith said gently, not wanting to add to her girlfriend's annoyance.

"Did you suddenly forget how to answer a door?" Cordelia snapped, finding herself getting jealous of the blonde once more.

"It's your house," Faith told her as calmly as she could, wanting to hurry up and find out what Buffy was doing showing up at Cordelia's at nine in the morning.

"It's your friend," Cordelia replied letting out an exasperated sigh as she pulled some clothes out of her closet.

Faith suddenly realized the reason of her girlfriend's annoyance and walked over to her to place a soft kiss on her lips. "Our friend," she said softly before walking out of the room to open the door for Buffy. She made her way downstairs quickly and greeted her best friend with an awkward smile. Buffy gave her a puzzled look, clearly thinking that it was a little odd for Faith to be answering the Chase's door.

Faith shrugged and stepped aside. "Uhh, come in or something," Faith told her with an awkward smile.

Buffy greeted her with a lopsided grin and walked into the house, taking a look around. "Sorry to like do this. But I'm sure you know this is incredibly weird for me and I wouldn't be here without a reason," the blonde informed her best friend, making it sound as if she were there on business.

"So what's the what B? Vamps done usually come out in the day, so what's the problem 'cuz I'd kinda like to return to my previous activities," Faith winked at her, and the blonde caught onto what she meant.

Buffy's mouth hung open for a second before she beamed at Faith, temporarily forgetting about her own problems. "Finally got her in the sack huh?" Buffy asked, wondering if it was odd that she was proud of her friend for getting laid.

Faith looked down at the ground, a small blush creeping its way onto her cheeks before she replied. "It's not like that B. It wasn't just sex. I... I think we made love," Faith told her.

Cordelia who was making her way down the stairs heard the beginnings of their conversation and stopped in her tracks to listen. She felt bad for a moment, as if she was butting in on a personal conversation but she quickly decided that it was for the greater good and held her place.

"Don't you have to actually be in love to make love?" Buffy questioned, surprised at her friends admission.

"I am in love with her B. I didn't think I would be but I really am. This one is different. She's different. I know it's fast and stuff, but I never want this to stop. I held her in my arms all night and for the first time in my life I felt like I had regained some of my innocence. She makes me feel like I'm a good person," Faith said, sharing a lot more with her friend than she had intended, but she wanted Buffy to be clear on her sincerity.

"Remember that day I told you that I'd kick your ass if you ever thought you were falling in love with her?" Faith winced at that, but nodded slowly, hoping that her friend wasn't really going to go through with that threat. "Well I take it all back," Buffy grinned, pulling her best friend into a hug. "I wish you two the best of luck. But if she does hurt you let her know I'll kick her ass okay?"

"Yeah sure B," Faith answered as she pulled away from her friend. "But you still haven't told me what the hell youâre doing here. What's wrong?" Faith asked, concern etched in her voice.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'll deal with it. You go back to what you were doing with your girl," Buffy answered, making her way back to the door.

Cordelia felt bad for the blonde and chose then to make her presence known. When she walked up to the slayers she was infinitely pleased when Faith wrapped an arm around her waist and gave her a kiss. "I know you're not trying to leave already. If you interrupted what we were doing, you so better stick around and make it count or else I'm just going to have to go super bitch on you," Cordelia told Buffy, which was her unique way of asking the blonde to stay.

"Yeah, see B. Stay and we can be like the Three Musketeers. Except women without the swords and horses and stuff. But we can bond?" Faith asked, glad to see Cordelia making an attempt to make friends with Buffy.

Buffy nodded and the three made their way to the large living room. Faith sat down on a recliner, pulling Cordelia into her lap possessively while Buffy took a seat on the couch. "So what's wrong?" Faith asked, cutting to the point.

Buffy looked at the two of them a bit uncomfortably. She didn't really like the idea of going into this with Cordelia there, still assuming that the brunette would just torture her at school with what she was about to say. Realizing that Faith was serious about the girl however made her understand that she was simply going to have to get used to her being around. Besides, if Faith didn't trust Cordelia she wouldn't be putting her best friend in a position of opening up in front of her. Taking a shaky breath Buffy just gave them a lopsided smile and the simplest answer she could. "Angel."

To Be Continued...