DISCLAIMER AND AUTHOR'S NOTE: All Buffy The Vampire Slayer stuff belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and Warner Brothers. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fiction. All other characters that appear belong to me. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies may be made for private use only and must include this copyright notice and disclaimer. There is some subtext in this story. If this kind of stuff is not legal where you live, if you're under 18 or if you don't like the notion of two women being in love, then you should find something else to read. And be warned, there is mention of abuse and rape. This fic was inspired by Jadie Fortalejo's Rose Tattoo and Can't Help Falling In Love With You. Oh yeah, let's just presume that gay marriages are legal in USA.

Falling in Love
By Kristjan Brezovnik

Buffy Summers was rich, pretty and wild. She was also gay, which annoyed the hell out of the male half of the population. Unfortunately, her wild and numerous affairs were making her father's hair gray and he decided to make an end to it.

He and his wife were just having their morning coffee when they heard a scream.

"Another?" Hank Summers asked.

"Yes," Joyce, Buffy's mother, said and sighed.

Hank shook her head.

"I've had it with her promiscuity."

"There's not much you can do about it."

"I can get her to marry someone."

Joyce raised an eyebrow.

"And you think it would stop her from sleeping around?"

"No, but then she would be someone else's problem."

Joyce shook her head.

"She would never agree and I doubt you can find a woman willing to marry her."

"That's not a problem. The problem is finding one that won't divorce her after she finds out that Buffy is whoring around."

Joyce shook her head.

"That's a bad idea."

After dismissing the girl she'd slept with, Buffy took a shower and went downstairs.

"Hi, Mom, hi, Dad," she said when she saw her parents.

"Good morning, Buffy," Joyce said.

"Buffy, this needs to stop," Hank said.

"What?" Buffy said innocently.

"You know damn well what. You sleep with a different girl every night."

"So?"

"So it has to stop."

"Why?"

"Because you're ruining your reputation."

Buffy shrugged.

"Like I care about my reputation."

"And you're ruining mine."

Buffy shrugged.

"Where's Hope?"

"In the back yard."

"Alone?" Buffy asked, worried.

"No, with the nanny."

"Oh." Her stomach made a noise. "I need to get some breakfast," she said and went to the kitchen.

Hank shook her head.

"I wish she could be more like Dawn," he said, and Joyce smiled.

"Crap," Derek Spencer swore when he saw the monthly report on his company. He pressed the intercom button. "Nancy, I need to talk to the bank."

"Yes, Sir."

Derek leaned back and looked at the report again.

"Crap."

In his office, Hank Summers smiled when he saw the report on Derek Spencer's company. He pressed the intercom button.

"Sally, book a plane for Boston."

"Yes, Sir."

"Faith!" Derek called when he came home.

Faith came running.

"Yes, Sir," she said, frightened.

"Get me a beer."

"Yes, Sir."

Faith quickly ran away to get the beer and Derek went to the kitchen.

"Where's your mother?" he asked when Faith came back with a bottle of Bud.

"She went shopping."

"Without making lunch?"

"She didn't expect you to come home so early. I'll make it."

"Then hurry up."

"Yes, Sir."

"Honey, I think I've found her," Hank declared two days later.

"Who?" Joyce asked, startled.

"A wife for Buffy."

Joyce shook her head.

"I really think this is a bad idea."

"We'll see," Hank said. "When's your plane?"

Joyce glanced at her watch.

"In three hours."

After Joyce left on her trip, Hank took a trip as well.

"Yes?" Faith asked when she opened the door.

"Hello, I'm Hank Summers." He gave her a once over. "You must be Faith."

"Yeah."

Hank smiled.

"I'm here to talk to your father."

"Come in."

Hank entered and Faith closed the door.

"Wait here."

Faith ran upstairs and Hank stared after her.

When Faith got to her father's office, she took a deep breath, nervous, and then knocked.

"What?"

Faith hesitated for a moment and then entered.

"A Mr Summers is here to see you."

Derek frowned.

"Summers?" Then his eyes went wide. "Hank Summers?"

"Yeah."

Derek got up and hurried downstairs.

Faith followed him.

"Mr Summers?" Derek said as he descended down the stairs.

"Yes," Hank said.

"Of the Summers Group?"

"Yes."

Derek smiled and they shook hands.

"Glad to meet you. What brings you to LA?"

"Business."

Derek frowned, having a bad feeling.

"Would you like a drink?"

"A glass of scotch."

"Faith," Derek snapped.

"Yes, Sir," Faith said and hurried away.

"Get me one as well!" Derek called after her. Then he looked at Hank. "Let's go to my office."

They went upstairs to Derek's office. Just as they sat down, there was a knock.

"Come," Derek said.

Faith entered with a tray. She first offered a drink to Hank.

"Thank you," Hank said and smiled, having a feeling that his business trip would be successful.

Faith then gave the second drink to her father.

"Go," Derek then said, and Faith quickly left. He took a sip, waiting for Faith to be gone. "Let me guess, you're here because you want to buy my company," he then said.

"Yes," Hank said with a nod.

"Over my dead body."

Hank took a sip.

"Maybe we can come to an understanding," he said.

Derek frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've decided that buying your company is not necessarily the only option. You're successful, except for that debacle two weeks ago. I see no reason why you shouldn't continue to run the company, or even own it. But I do want a piece of it."

"How much is a piece?"

"Enough to be able to influence your decisions."

Derek took a sip, thinking about it.

"Let's see if I got this straight. You just want a piece of my company, even though you could buy it. And you are willing to let me stay in charge." He shook his head. "What's the catch?"

Hank smiled and took a sip.

"Well, there is one other thing I want in return."

Derek knit his eyebrows.

"What?"

"Your daughter."

Derek stared at him for a few moments, thinking he had heard wrong.

"My daughter?"

Hank nodded.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I'm looking for someone to marry my daughter and I think Faith would do nicely."

Derek blinked.

"You want my daughter to marry yours?"

Hank nodded.

"Yes."

"Faith is not gay," Derek pointed out.

"I don't care."

Derek stared at him for a moment and then slowly smiled.

"I think we just might come to an understanding."

Hank smiled as well.

"Good."

When Hank left, Derek went downstairs.

"Honey, where's Faith?"

"In her room," Deborah Spencer, Faith's mother, said.

"Get her."

"Why don't you get her yourself."

"Don't argue with me, woman." He grinned. "I got a good news. Now get her."

Deborah murmured something under her breath and then went upstairs to get Faith.

"Dad?" Faith asked, nervous, when she and her mother came downstairs.

Derek grinned at her.

"Congratulations, honey, you're getting married."

Faith blinked, surprised.

"What?"

"You're getting married."

"To who?" Deborah asked.

"Buffy Summers."

"Who's… You mean that filthy rich girl from Sunnydale?" Deborah asked, her eyes wide.

Derek nodded.

"Yes. Her father and I just made a wonderful deal."

"I don't want to marry her," Faith protested.

"You don't have a choice, honey."

"But…"

Derek slapped her, making her stumble.

"Be quiet."

"When's the wedding?" Deborah asked.

"This Sunday."

"But that's in two days."

"Yes. Hank wanted it to be over as fast as possible."

"But we have to get her a dress and…"

"There will just be a simple ceremony, we don't need to overexert ourselves." He looked at Faith. "Go to your room."

"Yes, Sir," Faith said quietly and hurried away, tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Let me tell you about the rest of the deal."

When Hank came home, he went straight to Buffy's room, where Buffy was playing with Hope.

"Hi, honey."

"Hi, Dad," Buffy said.

"I just wanted to let you know that you're getting married."

"What?" Buffy said, astonished.

"You're getting…"

"The hell I am."

"It's already settled. I found you a nice girl…"

"I'm not getting married," Buffy said, upset, and got up.

"Yes you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Oh yes you are. Or I'll disown you."

Buffy snorted.

"I don't care."

Hank thought for a moment.

"What about Hope?"

Buffy tensed.

"What about her?"

"Do you care about her?"

"Of course I do."

"Good. Then you'll do as I say or I'm taking her away from you."

Buffy's eyes went wide.

"Over my dead body."

Hank smiled.

"You'll find that that won't be necessary. I suggest you think long and hard about it. Oh, by the way, the wedding's this Sunday."

Hank left and Buffy stared at the door, shocked.

"Mommy?" little Hope asked, feeling that something was wrong.

Buffy blinked, startled, and looked at her.

"Oh baby," she said.

She got down on her knees and hugged Hope tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Hank, you can't be serious," Joyce said the next morning when she came home.

"It's already been settled," Hanks said.

"You can't marry her against her will."

"Oh, I think she wants very much to marry."

"Because you threatened to take Hope from her."

"She has to learn how to behave like an adult."

"And the other girl?"

"There won't be any problems from her."

When BUffy's sister Dawn came downstairs and heard her parents arguing, she stopped and listened. She was surprised to learn that Buffy was supposed to get married the next day.

She listened for a while and then went to Buffy's room. There, she knocked, but there was no response.

"Buffy, it's me."

There was no response, so she slowly opened the door and peeked in. She didn't see Buffy, so she went to Hope's room, but she wasn't there either. She got worried, so she looked around the house and asked the maids. One of them told her that Buffy had taken Hope out. Dawn went back to Hope's room and checked the closets. She saw that a lot of clothes were missing and she realized what that meant. She ran to her parents.

"Mom! Dad! Buffy ran away."

"What?" Joyce asked.

"One of the maids saw her take Hope out. I checked Hope's closets and there are clothes missing."

She took her cell phone from her pocked and speed-dialed Buffy's cell phone.

"Oh god," Joyce said, worried.

"Don't worry, we'll get her back," Hank said and took out his cell phone.

They heard the ringing of Buffy's cell phone from somewhere in the house.

"She left her cell phone at home," Dawn said and put away her own.

"I'll get her back," Hank said and walked out.

"Why does she have to marry that girl?" Dawn then asked Joyce.

Joyce sighed.

"Your father thinks it would help her to learn how to behave as an adult."

"And he really threatened to take Hope from her?"

Joyce nodded.

"Yes."

"I can't believe it."

Joyce smiled sadly.

"Me neither, honey."

Buffy was half way to LA when her father's security men caught up with her. She tried to evade them, but they blocked the road and forced her to stop. She got out of the car and tried to get Hope, but the men quickly reached her.

"I'm sorry, Miss Summers," their leader said as two men grabbed her. "We were ordered to take you back home." He looked at another man. "Take the car back."

"Hope!" Buffy screamed, struggling.

"She'll be okay."

When they got back to the Summers mansion, Buffy wanted to get to Hope, but the men didn't let her.

"Sorry, Miss, your father's orders."

Then Hank came out.

"That was very stupid, Buffy."

"Fuck you!" Buffy screamed.

"Take her to her room," Hank ordered. He looked at Buffy again. "And you will stay there, if you want to see Hope again."

Buffy glared at him.

"I hate you, you bastard."

Hank's face became serious.

"Take her away," he ordered.

Two men escorted Buffy to her room.

"And the baby?" the leader of the security men asked.

"Let the nanny take care of her."

"Yes, Sir."

As soon as the security men left, Dawn ran to Buffy's room.

"Buffy?" she asked as she slowly peeked in.

Buffy was lying on the bed, silently crying.

Dawn wen to her, lay behind her and hugged her.

In the afternoon, the Spencer family came.

"Hello, Derek," Hank said.

"Hello," Derek said and they shook their hands. "Well, you've already met Faith. And this is my wife, Deborah."

"Pleased to meet you," Hank said.

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine," Deborah said and smiled sweetly.

"This is my wife, Joyce, and this is my younger daughter Dawn," Hank then introduced them.

"Nice to meet you, Ma'am," Derek said.

"Likewise," Joyce said and forced a smile, even though she disliked both him and his wife. She wasn't quite sure about Faith. "So, you're Faith."

"Yes, Ma'am," Faith said.

"And where's the other bride?" Deborah asked.

"Upstairs," Hank said. He looked at Dawn, who was watching the Spencer family. "Dawn, why don't you take Faith upstairs so that she and Buffy can get to know one another."

Dawn quietly turned, and Faith looked at her father, confused.

"Go after her," Derek said, and Faith ran after Dawn.

"This way," Hank then said.

As she followed Dawn upstairs, Faith looked around, curious. Her family was well off, but their house was nothing compared to this one. She wasn't really surprised that they could literally buy her. And she hated them for it, as well as her own parents. She was afraid to oppose her father, but not some rich hussy who wanted to be her wife.

When they got to Buffy's door, Dawn knocked.

"What?"

Dawn opened.

"Your future wife is here," she said.

"What?" Buffy said, startled.

Dawn stepped aside, and Faith entered.

The future wives stared at one another.

"So, you're the infamous Buffy Summers," Faith then said, crossing her arms as she gave her a once over.

Buffy glared at her.

"And you're a nobody," she said.

Faith glared back.

"Neither are you. You're just a rich whore who thinks she can buy anyone."

"At least I'm not desperate enough to buy myself a wife."

Faith snorted.

"As if. Considering that you probably slept with every girl in Sunnydale, it's no wonder you can't get yourself a wife."

"At least I'm not ugly like you."

Faith tensed for a moment, angry.

"You're a blonde, that's enough of a curse," she retorted.

"Bitch."

"Bitch in heat."

They glared at one another for a few moments.

"Get out," Buffy then said.

Faith smirked. Then she turned and left the room.

Dawn, who had been observing the fight, left as well, slightly upset.

"You're a real bitch," she said after Faith, who was slowly walking down the hall.

Faith turned around.

"So is your sister," she said, and Dawn glared at her. Faith sighed. "Look, you look like a nice kid and I know you love your sister, but I don't want you to get between us, okay?" She hesitated for a moment. "I don't want you to get hurt."

Dawn stared at her for a few moments, surprised, and then sighed.

"Why do you want to marry Buffy?" she asked.

Faith sighed.

"I don't. I don't even like her."

"Then why are you marrying her?"

Faith shrugged.

"Ask her," she said and left.

Dawn stared after her for a few moments and then went to her room.

When Faith got downstairs, she heard her parents talking with Buffy's. She listened for a few moments and then decided to go to the garden.

The next day, only the two families were at the church. Faith was surprised to see Joyce carrying another girl and she assumed that it was the youngest daughter. But she quickly forgot about the girl when she saw Buffy. Buffy was wearing jeans and a crop top and Faith felt silly in her dress. She wasn't wearing a wedding dress, but her dress was more formal. At least it would be over soon.

The two fathers gave away their daughters and only Joyce and Dawn felt that the whole thing was wrong. Buffy and Faith kept glaring at one another and it puzzled the minister, but he didn't object.

When it was over, Buffy quickly kissed Faith on the lips and then dragged her out.

"Hey!" Faith protested, surprised, but Buffy's didn't listen to her. When they were finally outside, Faith pulled her arm out of Buffy's. "What the fuck's your problem?" she demanded.

Buffy looked at her.

"You are. Now get in the limo."

"Fuck you," Faith said and went to the other side of the limo.

"Bitch," Buffy muttered and got inside as well.

"Where are we going?" Faith asked when the limo drove off.

"Honeymoon," Buffy said curtly.

"If you think I'm going to sleep with you, you can forget it."

"Oh really. As far as I remember, we got married, which means I get to sleep with you," Buffy said and put her hand on Faith's leg.

"Over my dead body."

"Sorry, I don't sleep with corpses," Buffy said and leaned closer, deciding that Faith was attractive enough for a quick fuck.

"Hey, get away from me," Faith said, suddenly nervous.

"No can do."

"I thought you said I was ugly. I didn't know you slept with ugly girls."

Buffy shrugged.

"I haven't had sex for a couple of days, so you'll have to do until I find someone better."

"Bitch," Faith said, angry. "If you think I'll let you sleep around with other girls, you can forget it."

"Then I guess I'll have to use you," Buffy said and kissed her.

"Hey!" Faith protested and tried to push her off, but Buffy was stronger.

She put her hand underneath Faith's dress, and Faith started to panic.

"The driver can't hear you," Buffy said and she continued her assault.

Faith started screaming and flailing her arms, desperately wanting Buffy to stop.

"You're a real firecracker, aren't you," Buffy said with a grin as she continued kissing Faith's neck.

Faith suddenly froze, terrified. The only one who called her firecracker was her father and that usually meant that something bad would follow. After hearing that nickname for so many times, she automatically froze.

Buffy kissed her for a while, but then she finally noticed that Faith had frozen. She stopped and looked her in the eyes. She saw fear there and suddenly she remembered when she had been in a similar position. Her eyes went wide and she felt sick. She backed off and pressed the intercom button.

"Stop the car," she said.

The car stopped and Buffy looked at Faith.

"Get out. Get out!"

Faith finally snapped out of her fear and quickly reached for the door. It opened and Faith scrambled out. She closed the door, afraid that Buffy would follow.

Buffy pressed the intercom button again.

"Take me home," she ordered and the car moved on, leaving Faith sitting there in the rain.

Buffy stared at the spot where Faith had sat and then threw up.

When the limo stopped at the Summers mansion, the driver got out. He waited for Buffy to get out as well, but when several minutes passed and Buffy still didn't get out, he knocked on the window.

"Miss."

Inside, Buffy jerked out of her stupor. She looked through the window and saw she was home. She got out of the limo and went to her room.

When the limo was gone, Faith slowly got up and started walking back to the hotel where she and her parents were staying. When she got there, she took off her wet clothes, went into the shower and cried for a while.

When she finally pulled herself together, she took a shower. Then she dried herself and put on some fresh clothes. After sitting on her bed for a while, she decided to disappear. She packed her bags.

Five years later.

"You okay?" Tara, Faith's secretary, asked her when she saw her staring out the window.

Faith turned and sighed.

"I don't know."

"Should I take Molly out?"

Faith looked at the girl on the bed and smiled.

"Yes. I'll join you in the park."

"Okay."

Then the door opened and Riley, Faith's boyfriend, came in.

"Hi, honey," he said with a smile.

Faith smiled at him.

"Hi."

Riley came closer and they kissed.

Tara rolled her eyes and went to Molly.

"Come, honey, let's go to the park," she said and picked her up.

"Mama?" Molly said.

Faith looked at her and her smile widened.

"I'll come later, honey," she said as she walked to her. "Auntie Tara will take you to the park and play with you and I'll join you later," she said and kissed her on the temple. "I love you honey."

"I love you too, Mama."

Faith smiled again and caressed her. Then she looked at Tara.

"Go."

Tara and Molly left, and Riley then hugged Faith from the behind.

"How long will this divorce business last?" he asked her.

Faith shrugged.

"Don't know. I hope it will be over as fast as possible."

"Why all the secrecy?"

Faith sighed.

"Because I want it forgotten."

"Oh."

She turned and kissed him on the lips.

"I'll see you later."

"Okay. Love you."

"Love you too."

It took Faith ten minutes to get to the Summers mansion, because she had decided to walk. When she finally saw the building, she tensed, nervous. She slowly approached the main gate, hoping she wouldn't run into Buffy.

"Can I help you, Ma'am?" the guard at the gate asked.

"Yes, I have a package for Buffy Summers."

The guard gave her a once over.

"Your ID?"

"I don't work for a delivery company."

"Then I'm afraid I can't take your package."

"But it's for Buffy."

"She doesn't read love letters."

Faith snorted.

"As if I'd send her a love letter." She sighed. "Look, just give it to her and…"

"Excuse me, Ma'am," the guard interrupted her when a limo approached the gate from the inside.

Faith looked at the car, startled, but then she quickly turned away, worried that Buffy might be inside.

The gate opened and the limo passed through.

"Look, this is business," Faith said when the guard looked at her again. "It's…"

She trailed off when she heard the limo stop. She glanced at it for a moment, hoping that it wasn't Buffy.

"Excuse me," a young voice said. "Do I know you?"

Faith thought the voice sounded familiar, but it took her a few moments to identify it as Dawn Summers'. She sighed and slowly turned around.

"Yes," she said.

Dawn's eyes went wide.

"You're Faith."

"Yes."

"What…"

"I have a package for Buffy," Faith interrupted her.

"Oh. Buffy doesn't live here anymore."

"Oh," Faith said, surprised.

"I can take you to her," Dawn offered.

"I don't want to see her," Faith said. "Can you deliver this package?"

"Sure."

Faith gave Dawn the package.

"Thanks."

Faith turned and left.

"Wait!" Dawn called after her, but Faith ignored her.

Dawn looked at the package, frowning. She decided to deliver it.

"Hey, Dawn," Buffy said with a smile when Dawn came to her house.

Dawn smiled back.

"Hey." She looked at Willow, Buffy's girlfriend. "Willow, can you excuse us? I need to talk to Buffy and it's… private. Family business."

Willow smiled.

"Sure." She looked at Buffy. "I'll see you tonight?"

Buffy smiled back.

"Sure," she said and they kissed.

"Bye, Dawn," Willow said.

"Bye, Willow."

"What's the problem?" Buffy asked after Willow was gone.

"Faith is in town," Dawn said.

Buffy tensed.

"My wife?"

"Yes. She gave me this."

Dawn gave the package to Buffy.

Buffy stared at the package for a couple of moments and then sighed.

"Let's go to my office."

They went to Buffy's office. There, Buffy sat down and opened the package. Inside, there were three folders and a ring. Buffy picked up the ring.

"Is that…" Dawn started.

"Faith's," Buffy confirmed.

She stared at the ring for a few moments and then set it aside. She picked up the first folder and leafed through it.

"What is it?" Dawn asked, curious.

"She sold her father's company and paid back the money Dad gave her. With interest."

"Oh."

Buffy took another folder and leafed through it.

"What's that?"

"Bank statements. She had closed the account Dad opened for her and transferred the money back to my account."

"All of it?"

Buffy nodded.

"How much is that?"

"About one point seven billion."

"One point seven billion!" Dawn echoed, surprised.

"Including the money from the company she sold," Buffy clarified.

"Oh. Wow. I mean, one point seven billion. That's a lot of money."

"Yes."

Faith took the third folder. Inside, there was a single sheet of paper, a letter. Buffy quickly read it.

"What does she say?" Dawn asked.

"She want's a divorce."

"Oh. Are you gonna give it to her?"

Buffy sighed and nodded.

"Yes."

"Want me to tell Mom?"

Buffy shook her head.

"No, I'll do it. But I want to talk to Faith first."

"Why?"

Buffy took a deep breath.

"So…" She trailed off when there was a knock on the door. "Come!"

Hope and her nanny entered.

"Mommy, can we go out now?" Hope asked.

Buffy smiled at her.

"Sure, honey. Come here."

Hope ran to Buffy, who picked her up and kissed her on the cheek.

"We'll go right away. Go get dressed."

"Okay."

Buffy put Hope down, and Hope ran back to the nanny. When they left, Buffy looked at Dawn.

"Where were we? Oh. So I can apologize."

Dawn frowned.

"For what?"

Buffy shook her head.

"Doesn't matter." She smiled sadly. "Thanks."

Buffy drove Hope to the park. It was close by, but there were reporters all over the town and she didn't want to talk to them. The guard at the park gate let her in and she parked the car.

"Can we go to the swings, Mommy?" Hope asked, bouncing beside her excitedly.

Buffy smiled.

"Sure, honey."

She looked toward the swings and saw that one was unoccupied. There were two women with a girl there and Buffy frowned because she thought that one of them, the brunette, looked familiar.

When they got closer, she thought she recognized the brunette's voice.

"Excuse me," she said and the women looked at her. "Faith?" she said, surprised.

Faith tensed.

"Buffy."

"What are…" She trailed off when she realized that the girl was probably Faith's. "Oh."

"Yes," Faith confirmed.

Buffy sighed.

"I'd like to talk to you."

"There's nothing that our lawyers can't talk about," Faith said and looked at Molly.

Buffy sighed.

"I really need to talk to you. Please."

Faith looked at Buffy, surprised that Buffy would beg. She thought for a moment.

"Eight o'clock. I'm at the Sunnydale Hilton, room 459."

"I'll be there."

Faith didn't respond, so Buffy started pushing the swing.

After a while, Molly had enough of the swings and she wanted to go to the sandbox.

"So, this is your wife," Tara guessed as they walked toward the sandbox.

Faith sighed.

"Yeah."

"That was Buffy Summers, right?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't know you were gay."

"I'm not. I mean, I do look at the occasional girl, but I'm not gay."

"Then why did you marry her?"

Faith sighed, remembering.

"Trust me, it was against my will. And now I'm finally getting rid of her."

Back at the swings, Buffy stared after Faith. She noticed how gorgeous Faith had become. It surprised her that she felt hurt by the fact that Faith had given birth to a girl while they were married. Sure, she had a daughter herself, but that wasn't her choice. For a while she'd thought that the blonde was Faith's girlfriend, but then she realized that they were just friends. She wondered how things might have turned out if she'd met Faith in a club. Would Faith have only been a one night stand or would she have fallen in love with her?

After tucking Molly in, Faith and Tara talked. In spite of the fact that five years had passed, Faith was still a bit afraid of Buffy.

"You okay?" Tara asked.

Faith sighed.

"Yeah. Just nervous."

"Oh."

"I hope Riley will be able to cheer me up."

Tara raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.

There was a knock and Faith tensed, but then Riley entered.

"What are you doing here?" Faith asked, annoyed. "I told you, I'll come to you."

"I'd like to meet your wife, Faith."

"Ex-wife," Faith said. "And I don't want you to meet her. Now…"

She trailed off when there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Tara said and went to the door.

"Riley, go," Faith said.

Riley went to the door and his eyes went wide when he recognized Buffy. He wanted to say something, but Tara pushed him out.

"Let me know when you leave," Tara said and then left, closing the door behind her.

Buffy and Faith stared at one another.

"Was he…" Buffy started, curious.

"My boyfriend," Faith confirmed. "What did you want to talk to me about?" she got straight to the point.

Buffy gulped and looked at the floor for a moment, nervous.

"I… I want to apologize for… for trying to… rape you," she then said and shuddered, forcing herself to look into Faith's eyes.

Faith stared at her, surprised. She noticed the shudder and she saw that Buffy was tense. She also noticed that Buffy had balled her hands into fists, obviously very upset.

"Why did you?" she asked.

Buffy jerked.

"What?"

"Why did you try to rape me?"

Buffy shuddered again.

"I was angry with you and my parents and I wanted to take it out on you." She gulped. "I'm sorry."

Faith stared at her for a few moments and then sighed.

"Whatever. Is that all?"

Buffy sighed.

"I wanted to ask you about the money."

"What about it?"

"I thought that was the reason why you married me."

Faith sighed.

"It was."

"Then why did you return it?"

"Because it cost me my freedom. I don't owe you anything anymore, and all I want from you is my freedom."

Buffy frowned.

"You sold your father's company."

"So?"

"I thought it was important to you."

"It was important to my father, I didn't care about it. In fact, I hated it."

"Oh," Buffy said, confused. She took Faith's ring from her pocket. "Your ring…"

"Keep it," Faith said. "I'd never worn it anyway. And you can keep the other ring as well." She glanced at Buffy's hand. "Not that you're wearing it. All I want is a divorce, nothing more, nothing less."

Buffy sighed.

"I'll have my lawyers prepare the papers."

Faith raised an eyebrow, surprised, but she didn't comment.

"Anything else?"

"Can you wait a couple of days? We're currently in the middle of some important negotiations and all the lawyers are busy."

Faith nodded.

"I took a month off and I have a laptop with me."

"Okay."

"Anything else?"

Buffy shook her head.

"No."

When Faith just stared at her, Buffy turned and left.

As soon as Buffy was gone, Faith sat on a chair and took a deep breath. She realized that Buffy had changed, that she wasn't the bitch she used to be and the apology surprised her.

Outside, Riley waited for Buffy. He had pretended to go to his room, but as soon as Tara had disappeared into her own room, he returned to the hall and waited. He had recognized Buffy and he knew she was filthy rich. He had been astonished when he found out that Faith was married to a woman. And since Faith never talked about her marriage, he had no idea that she was married to Buffy. And now that they were getting divorced, Riley smelled an opportunity to earn a couple of millions.

When Buffy finally came out of Faith's room, Riley approached her.

"Ms Summers," he said and Buffy looked at him, startled. "I'm Riley Finn, Faith's fiancé."

He offered her his hand, but she ignored it.

"Good for you," she said.

"I assume you've talked to Faith about alimony?"

Buffy gave him a once over, already disliking him.

"There will be no alimony," she said.

"What?" Riley said, surprised.

"You heard me. Now if you'll excuse me."

Buffy left, and Riley stared after her, surprised. Then he went to Faith.

"Faith?" he said as he entered.

"Riley," Faith said, startled.

"I saw Buffy leave."

"Oh."

"So, she's your wife."

Faith sighed.

"Yeah."

"How'd it go?"

Faith shrugged.

"Okay. She's agreed to a divorce."

"And alimony?"

"What alimony?"

"She's giving you alimony, right?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want it. I don't want anything from her, especially not money."

"But she's rich. You could…"

"I don't care about the money, Riley. If I did, I wouldn't have returned what she and her father gave me."

"How much did they give you?"

Faith shrugged.

"I don't know, around two billion."

Riley's eyes went wide.

"What? Are you nuts?"

Faith glared at him.

"I'm perfectly sane, Riley."

"But two billion dollars. Have you any idea how much money that is?"

"Two thousand million. Two, followed by nine zeros. Two by ten to the power of nine. Twice as much as a billion. You want any other explanation?"

Riley stared at her with disbelief.

"And you just gave it back to her."

"It cost me my freedom, Riley."

"But two billion dollars," Riley said, shaking his head.

Faith stared at him for a couple of moments, having a bad feeling that he was only after her money.

"I have a headache," she said.

"Yeah," Riley said distractedly.

Faith sighed.

"I'll go tell Tara that I'm staying in."

When Buffy came home, she first called her chief of security and told him to investigate Riley Finn. She didn't like him and she found his interest in alimony suspicious. And while she may be divorcing Faith, she felt like she owed it to her to make sure that she was happy.

"Hi, honey," Willow said as she walked into her office.

Buffy smiled at her.

"Hey."

"You okay?"

"More or less."

"The meeting went well?"

Buffy took a deep breath.

"Yeah." She hesitated for a moment and then patted her knee. "Come here."

Willow smiled and walked over to Buffy. She sat in her lap, and Buffy put her arms around her.

"Have you heard the rumors that I'm married?"

Willow raised her eyebrows, surprised, and nodded.

"Yes." She thought for a moment. "You never denied them."

Buffy nodded.

"Because they're true."

Willow tensed, surprised.

"They are?"

"Yes." She sighed. "It's a long story. Anyway, my wife's in town."

Willow tensed.

"A wife?"

"Yes."

"What does she want?"

"Divorce."

"Oh," Willow said, surprised. She thought for a moment. "How come you never talked about her?"

Buffy sighed.

"Because it's a bad memory."

"You don't love her?"

"I don't even know her."

Willow frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Buffy sighed again.

"I only met her the day before we got married. And I only found out I was getting married the day before. I hadn't seen her since the day we got married."

"Why did you marry then?"

Buffy hesitated for a moment.

"My dad didn't like my… promiscuity."

"Oh."

"Anyway, as soon as we get this merger over with, I'm telling my lawyers to write up the divorce papers."

Willow smiled a little, relieved.

"What's her name?" she asked, curious.

"Faith. Faith Spencer."

Willow looked at her, surprised.

"Faith Spencer? Brunette, short and sexy?"

Buffy looked at her, equally surprised.

"You know her?"

"I know a Faith Spencer, but she's from England. I have a meeting with her tomorrow."

"Really?"

"Yes. Do you have a photo of her?"

Buffy shook her head.

"No." She frowned. "But she does have English accent."

"Oh."

Buffy took a deep breath.

"Can we stay home tonight?"

Willow smiled.

"Of course," she said and kissed her on the top of the head.

The next day, Faith went to Willow's office.

"Faith," Willow said with a smile.

"Hi, Willow."

They hugged briefly

"Sit down. Do you want anything to drink?"

"No, thank you."

Willow sat back.

"So, what brings you here? I mean, we could've done this over the phone."

"I know, but I have… another business to conclude."

"Buffy Summers?" Willow decided to get to the point.

Faith tensed for a moment, surprised.

"What?"

Willow noticed that Faith had tensed.

"Buffy Summers. Your wife."

Faith stared at her for a few moments, wondering how Willow knew.

"What are you talking about?"

"Buffy told me."

"Buffy?"

"Yes, last night."

Faith stared at Willow for a few moments, not sure what to say.

"Why?"

Willow smiled a bit, taking Faith's question as a positive answer. She hesitated for a moment and then decided to be hones with Faith.

"Because I'm her girlfriend."

"Oh."

Willow raised an eyebrow.

"You're not upset."

Faith shrugged.

"What for? I don't even like her and we're getting divorced. I don't care who she's dating."

"Oh."

Faith thought for a few moments.

"How long have you two been together?"

"Why?"

"Just curious."

"Oh. Three years. Well, we've been friends for three years, but we've only been going out for about six months."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"What is she like?"

Willow smiled.

"She's nice. I mean, she can be a real bitch, but she's always nice to those she cares about."

"Oh." Faith sighed. "Okay, let's get down to business."

As soon as the meeting was over, Willow went to Buffy.

"It's her."

"Huh?" Buffy said, startled.

"Faith, my business partner, she's your wife."

"Really? How do you know?"

"I asked her."

"Oh." Buffy frowned. "You said she's from England?"

"Yes. I mean, she lives there. I only met her two years ago."

"Oh." Buffy hesitated for a moment. "Did you talk about me?"

"Not much. She wanted to know what you were like."

"Oh." Buffy thought for a few moments and then chuckled. "Seems like my girlfriend knows my wife better than I do."

Willow smiled at the observation.

"Yes."

Buffy sighed.

"What is she like?"

Willow raised an eyebrow.

"She's nice. She's a no-nonsense kind of girl and she doesn't beat around the bush. If she doesn't like you, she says so. I heard she once lost a ten-million-pound deal because she refused to deal with a corrupt company. That gained her six smaller companies and their deals were worth around fifty million pounds."

Buffy chuckled.

"Smart girl."

Willow smiled.

"Yes."

Buffy smiled back.

"And you came just to tell me this?" she asked and licked her lips seductively.

"Yes."

"You could've called."

"I wanted to see you."

"Come here."

In the afternoon, Buffy took Hope to the park again. She saw Faith in the distance, but she didn't go near her. Instead, she observed her as she played with her daughter in the sandbox. She remembered the quarrel they'd had when they'd first met. She was angry at Faith because she had nearly lost Hope because of her. She knew Faith was angry at her, but she had never bothered to ask why. She'd always assumed that Faith had wanted to marry her, but the fact that Faith had returned every single cent, as well as the fact that she had sold her father's company made her doubt that. She was confused.

Faith was busy playing with Molly when a familiar girl suddenly showed up. She looked around and saw Buffy slowly approaching the sandbox.

"Hey," Buffy said with a small smile and then went to the other side of the sandbox.

"Hey," Faith said as she stared at her.

Buffy sat beside the sandbox, and Hope went to her.

Buffy and Faith stared at one another for a few moments and then concentrated on their daughters.

"Willow says she knows you," Buffy said after a while.

Faith looked at her.

"Yes." She hesitated for a moment. "She said she's your girlfriend."

"Yes. Does that bother you?"

Faith shrugged.

"I don't care who you date."

"Oh." Buffy thought for a few moments. "So, you have enough to support your, eh, family?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

They were quiet for a while.

"Can I ask you something?" Buffy then said.

Faith looked at her.

"What?"

"You said you married for money, but you also said that you hated that company. And you returned the money. I mean, I'm confused. That was your money, you didn't have to give it back. So that kinda means you didn't marry me for money."

Faith looked at her daughter as she thought about what to say. She finally decided on the truth.

"My dad wanted me to marry you."

"What?" Buffy said, startled. "Why?"

Faith shrugged.

"Your dad came to visit on… Friday. When he left, Dad told me I was to marry you."

Buffy stared at her for a few moments.

"You could've said no."

Faith laughed bitterly.

"That wasn't an option. My dad was a real… bastard," she said, tensing a bit as she remembered. "So was my mom."

"Oh."

Faith thought for a few moments.

"What's your excuse? You said your dad didn't want you whoring around."

Buffy blushed a bit.

"Yes."

"And that’s why he decided you had to marry me."

Buffy shrugged.

"I don't know, I guess. He just told me that I was to marry on Sunday."

"Why didn't you say no?"

Buffy smiled sadly.

"I did, but he threatened to take… some… thing very special from me." She sighed. "I even ran away, but his men caught me. I didn't have a choice."

"Oh."

Buffy thought for a moment.

"Willow says you're from England."

Faith sighed and nodded.

"Yeah." She hesitated for a moment. "After you… threw me out of the car, I went back to the hotel. Then I went home, packed, got the money and left."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"About me leaving? I'm not. I should've ran away sooner."

"Oh."

Faith thought for a moment.

"I'm sorry about what I said when we first met."

Buffy smiled a bit.

"Me too."

After that they were quiet. They concentrated on their girls, but they did occasionally glance at one another, both thinking how different the other was.

Two days later, Buffy got the report on Riley Finn. She briefly leafed through it and frowned. The man was a real sleaze. She thought for a while whether to tell Faith about it or not. She knew that if she did, Faith would hate her, but if she didn't, Riley would take advantage of Faith. And even though she and Faith weren't friends, she had started to like her and she felt responsible. She decided to tell her.

In the afternoon, when they met in the park, Buffy thought for a while about how to tell her.

"Faith," she then spoke.

"Yeah?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Talk."

"Not here. I… I have something to give you and I'd prefer to give it to you in private."

Faith eyed her suspiciously.

"Will it take long?"

"No."

"Come at eight."

"Okay."

Then they concentrated on the girls, who had became friends in the past couple of days and were now building sand castles together.

At eight sharp, Buffy knocked on the door of Faith's room. A few moments later, the door opened.

"Come in," Faith said.

Buffy entered, and Faith closed the door.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Faith then asked.

Buffy sighed and gave Faith the folder she had brought with her.

"What's this?" Faith asked suspiciously as she took the folder.

"Something you're going to hate me for."

Faith frowned and opened the folder. The first thing she saw was a photo of Riley kissing with another woman. She looked at Buffy, angry.

"What the hell is this?" she demanded.

Buffy sighed again.

"After Riley asked me about alimony, I got a bad feeling about him and I decided to have him investigated."

"You got a bad feeling. And I'm supposed to believe that?"

"Look, Faith…"

"Shut up," Faith interrupted her. "Just when I thought that you perhaps weren't such a bitch as I'd thought, you do this."

"Faith…"

"Don't Faith me," Faith said, angry.

"Will you just shut up for a moment," Buffy snapped, annoyed, and Faith looked at her, surprised. "Sorry." She sighed. "Look, I do want you to be happy. Riley's a sleaze and I think it's better you get hurt a little now than a lot later. I mean, not that I want you to get hurt, it's just…" She trailed off with a sigh. "I'm sorry. I'd hoped I was wrong."

"Right."

They stared at one another for a few moments.

"I'll go now. I'm sorry."

Buffy left, and Faith looked at the folder again. She hesitated for a moment and then sat down, deciding to see what Buffy had dug up on Riley.

Two days later, after hearing from her chief of security, Faith didn't know what to feel. Her security people couldn't confirm everything, but they could confirm enough to make Faith realize that Riley really was a sleaze.

"What's wrong?" Tara asked when she saw her staring out the window.

Faith sighed and looked at her.

"It's over between me and Riley."

"Really?" Tara said, surprised.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

Faith nodded at the folder on the table.

"See for yourself."

Tara went to the table and opened the folder.

"Where did you get this?" she asked as she leafed through.

"Buffy gave it to me."

Tara glanced at her.

"And you believe her?"

"I had my own people check it out."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Faith smiled sadly.

"I know, you told me so."

"I was hoping I was wrong."

Faith sighed.

"Me too." She thought for a moment. "Get Molly ready, we're going out for breakfast today."

"Okay."

After Molly was ready, she and Tara went downstairs, and Faith went to Riley.

"Hey," Riley said with a smile.

"Hey," Faith said as she entered. Then she closed the door. "I'll be short," she then said, deciding to get straight to the point. "It's over between us and I don't want to see you ever again. Are we clear on that?"

Riley blinked, confused.

"What do you mean? Why?"

"Because you're a sleaze, Riley," Faith said and gave him the folder.

Riley quickly leafed through it.

"You had me investigated?" he asked, angry.

"Buffy did, after you talked to her about alimony. And my own people confirmed it."

"Bitch."

"Goodbye, Riley," Faith said and turned to leave.

"Where do you think you're going?" Riley demanded and grabbed her arm.

Faith then moved. She grabbed Riley's hand and turned it a bit, forcing Riley to get on his knees.

"Wherever I want to, Riley. And you're not coming. I don't care if you stay in Sunnydale with your mistress or leave, but if you come near me again, I will have you charged with harassment."

She let go of him and left.

"How did it go?" Tara asked when Faith came downstairs.

Faith shrugged.

"He got a bit violent, but I dealt with it."

"Oh."

Faith smiled and looked at Molly.

"Come, honey, let's eat," she said as she took her hand.

In the afternoon, Faith took Molly to the park again. She hadn't taken her the day before, because she didn't want to meet Buffy. But now that she was sure that Buffy's information was correct and she had thought about it, she wasn't mad at Buffy anymore.

"Hi," Buffy said when Faith and Molly came to the sandbox.

"Hi," Faith said, noticing that Buffy was nervous. She sat down and watched Molly, who started playing with Hope. "I broke up with Riley."

"I'm sorry."

Faith sighed.

"No need, he was an asshole."

"Still."

"Yeah, I know," Faith said and took a deep breath.

Buffy hesitated for a moment.

"He's not Molly's father?"

Faith shook her head.

"No. Her father is dead."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Faith sighed.

"Me too."

They were quiet for a while and then Faith noticed that Buffy was staring at her.

"What?" she asked.

Buffy jerked, startled, and blushed a bit. She shook her head and sighed.

"Nothing."

Faith stared at her for a few moments and then looked at Molly again.

When Willow came to Buffy's house in the evening, she saw Buffy stare out the window. She walked up to her and hugged her from behind.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she leaned her chin on Buffy's shoulder.

Buffy sighed.

"Nothing, I'm just… confused."

"About what?"

Buffy shook her head.

"Doesn't matter," she said.

She turned around and put her arms around Willow's waist. Then she stared at her for a few moments.

"What?" Willow asked and smiled shyly.

Buffy smiled back.

"Nothing," she said and hugged her.

During the next couple of days, Buffy and Faith regularly met at the park where the girls played with one another. They talked a bit, each wanting to get to know the other better. They didn't hate one another anymore and they were both curious about the other, especially Buffy, who found Faith very attractive. Faith too found Buffy attractive, but she didn't get sexual thoughts when thinking about her.

After the merger was complete, Buffy told Faith that her lawyers were starting to work on the divorce papers. Faith felt strange when Buffy told her that, a part of her wanting a chance to get to know Buffy better.

Buffy too wanted a chance to get to know Faith better and she soon realized that she was falling in love with her. That in turn made her feel bad because she loved Willow as well.

Willow noticed that something was bothering Buffy, but she didn't push her, even though she had a bad feeling. But when one day she found Buffy lying curled up on the bed, she got worried. She lay behind her and hugged her.

"Talk to me?"

Buffy sighed. She was quiet for a few moments and then turned around and faced Willow. She stared at her for a few moments and then caressed her.

"I… I…" She trailed off, not quite sure how to say it, and sighed. "Damn," she murmured.

Willow got a sinking feeling.

"Is it about us?"

Buffy tensed for a moment and then looked away, nodding.

"Yeah."

Willow gulped.

"You want to break up?"

Buffy looked at her.

"I'm not sure what I want." She sighed. "Ever since Faith came back, I've been thinking a lot about her. I mean, she's gorgeous and all, but I started having… feelings for her." She paused for a moment. "I thought it was just guilt, but then I thought back to when we first met. I mean, we hated one another because we thought it was the other's fault that we had to get married, but I think that even then I didn't really want to hate her." She took a deep breath. "And lately, I really want to be with her. I mean, I know she's not gay and we're getting divorced, but that doesn't change the way I feel." She looked away for a couple of moments, feeling bad. "It's just… I don't think it would be fair to you. I mean, what you did for me… I don't think I can ever repay you, but it wouldn't be fair to either of us if we stayed together because of my gratitude." She sighed. "I do love you, it's just…" She frowned. "I don't know how to say it. I love you both, but I love her… more. I guess. And I hope this doesn't sound patronizing or anything, but I really want us to remain friends."

Willow stared at her for a while, fighting the tears.

"I… I need to think."

Buffy nodded.

"I know."

Willow sighed and got up.

"Willow," Buffy called after her, and Willow turned back.

"Yes?"

Buffy hesitated for a moment.

"In case you decide that… that you don't want us to be friends, I just… Thank you. For all that you've done for me. And know that if you need me, I'll be there, even if we're not friends."

Willow stared at her for a few moments. Then she nodded and left.

Buffy sighed and rolled on her back, finally letting a couple of tears slide down her cheeks.

Two days later, when Buffy was on her way to the park with Hope, she noticed that there had been an accident. The ambulance was already there and the paramedics were fussing over the victim. Buffy was about to drive on when she noticed Molly standing all by herself, crying. She immediately got a bad feeling. She pulled over on a sidewalk.

"Wait here, honey," she told Hope and got out. She ran over to the medics. "Faith," she said when she saw her, worried. "How is she?"

"You know her?" a cop asked.

"Yeah, she's my… She's family. Hold on." She went over to Molly and kneeled. "Hi, Molly, remember me?"

Molly looked at her with teary eyes and nodded.

"Come, here, I'll take care of you while those men take care of your mommy, okay?"

Molly nodded and hugged her.

"Shh, it's okay, baby, everything will be alright, I promise."

Buffy picked her up and went back to the cop.

"What happened?"

"A hit and run." He took a closer look. "You're Buffy Summers?"

"Yes. I'll take care of the girl while her mother is in the hospital." She looked at Faith. "How is she?"

"Several broken ribs, a broken leg, lacerations and a concussion."

Buffy gulped.

"Thank you."

The medics loaded Faith into the ambulance, and Buffy hurried to her car. She put Molly in the back and buckled her up.

"Molly, hang on to Hope," she said, because she only had one baby seat.

"Mommy?" Hope asked.

"Molly's mommy is… hurt. We're going to the hospital, okay?"

"Okay."

Buffy smiled.

"Why don't you be brave for Molly, okay?"

Hope smiled back.

"Okay."

Buffy got in and followed the ambulance.

After she found out where Faith was, Buffy decided to call Tara. Since she didn't know her name, she decided to ask Molly.

"Molly, honey," she said and Molly looked at her. "Who is that blond woman who was with you and your mommy when we first met?"

Molly frowned.

"Auntie Tara."

Buffy smiled.

"I'll call her, okay?" she said, and Molly nodded. "Okay, girls, why don't you sit down."

She helped the girls sit on the chairs and Molly leaned on Hope, who hugged her. Buffy smiled, wondering how it would be if they were sisters. She sighed and then dialed the Sunnydale Hilton.

"Sunnydale Hilton. How may I help you?"

"Hello. I'd like room…" she frowned for a moment. "458, I think. I'm not quite sure about the room, but I think it's 458. The woman's name is Tara."

"Hold on."

There was a pause.

"Hello?" another woman's voice said.

"Tara?" Buffy asked.

"Yes."

"Hi, this is Buffy Summers."

"Oh, hi. This is not Faith's room."

"I know, I called you. Faith is in the hospital."

"What? What happened?"

"A hit and run. She's in pretty bad shape, but she'll recover."

"And Molly?"

"Molly's okay. She's here with me."

"I'll be right over."

"Okay."

Buffy switched off the phone and then sat beside Molly. She stared at her for a few moments and then caressed her.

Tara came ten minutes later.

"Molly?"

Molly let go of Hope and looked at her.

"Auntie Tara," she said, relieved.

Tara smiled a bit and hugged her.

Molly hugged her back and sobbed a bit.

"Shh, don't worry, honey, everything will be okay." She hugged her for a few moments longer and then let go of her. She caressed her and then looked at Faith. "How is she?"

"A couple of broken ribs, a broken leg, lacerations and a concussion."

"Oh."

"The doctors are taking care of her now."

"Okay."

Buffy hesitated for a moment and then got up and let Tara sit beside Molly.

Tara sat, and Buffy sat next to Hope.

"I've been thinking," Buffy said after a few moments, and Tara looked at her. "I think you and Molly should move into my house while Faith is the hospital."

"Why?" Tara asked, surprised.

"Because then you won't have to worry about Molly and even if we're both absent, there will be people looking after her. And she'll have Hope for company."

Tara looked at Molly, considering the idea.

"Are you sure?" she finally asked. "I mean, you two are getting divorced and all."

"I know, but I kinda feel like I owe her."

"Oh." Tara took a deep breath. "Okay. I'll go check us out and move the stuff after we take Molly to your place."

"Okay."

An hour later, Faith was finally taken to her room. Buffy, Tara and the girls had to wait until the doctors were gone. When they were finally allowed to go in, Buffy let Tara and Molly go first. She and Hope stayed in the back.

Tara lifted Molly on the bed, and Molly kneeled.

"Mama?" she asked in a small voice.

"She's sleeping," Tara said.

"When will she wake up?"

"I don't know. She's hurt and she needs to rest."

"Can I hug her?"

Tara smiled a bit.

"Sure, but be very careful, okay?"

Molly nodded.

"Okay."

She slowly lay beside Faith and carefully hugged her.

Tara stood behind her, making sure she wouldn't fall off the bed.

Then Buffy slowly approached with Hope.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Hope asked quietly, staring at Faith.

Buffy smiled a bit as she glanced at her.

"Yes."

They stared at Faith for a while and when Tara glanced at Buffy, she saw a tear slowly making its way down her cheek. She raised an eyebrow, surprised, but she didn't comment.

"Molly, honey," Tara said after a while, and Molly looked at her. "We have to go now."

"I wanna stay," Molly protested.

"I know, me too, but Mama needs to rest. We'll come back tomorrow."

"Promise?" Molly asked, her eyes wide.

Tara smiled softly.

"I promise. Come."

She reached out and picked up Molly. She caressed her and kissed her on the temple.

"She's going to be okay, you'll see."

Molly nodded and hugged her.

"Ma'am," Jessica, a maid, said, worried, when Buffy and Hope finally returned. "Is everything okay?" she asked, glancing at Tara and Molly.

Buffy nodded.

"Yes. These are Tara and Molly, they'll be staying here for a while."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Buffy looked at Tara.

"Come, let me show you to your rooms."

She led the way up stairs, and Tara followed her, carrying Molly.

Jessica followed them.

"This is your room," Buffy told Tara as she opened the door of a room.

"Nice," Tara said as she looked around.

Buffy looked at Molly.

"Molly," she said, and Molly looked at her. "Do you want to sleep with Tara or alone? Or with Hope?"

"With Auntie Tara," Molly said and hugged Tara.

Buffy smiled.

"Okay." She thought for a moment. "Why don't you draw some pictures for your mommy. We'll take them to her tomorrow, so that when she wakes up, she'll know you're okay."

"Okay," Molly said.

Buffy looked at Hope.

"Hope, honey, why don't you help Molly draw some pictures for her mommy."

"Okay," Hope agreed.

Tara put Molly down.

"Molly," she said, "I'm going back to the hotel to get our stuff. I'll be back as soon as I can. If you want anything, just tell Buffy, okay?"

Molly looked at Buffy.

"Okay."

Tara smiled and gave her a quick hug.

"Good. I'll see you later."

Buffy looked at Hope.

"Why don't you take Molly to your room, honey."

Hope took Molly's hand and led her away.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Tara then said.

Buffy nodded.

"Okay." She looked at the maid. "Jessica, go with her. Have Daryl drive you. Take one of the big cars."

"Yes, Ma'am," the maid said and looked at Tara. "This way, Ma'am."

After Tara and Jessica were gone, Buffy went to Hope's room. The girls we already getting ready to draw. They looked at her briefly when she leaned on the doorframe, but then they concentrated on drawing.

Buffy observed them for a while and then decided to call Willow. She slowly walked to her room and dialed Willow's number on her cell.

"Buffy?" Willow said as she answered the phone.

"Yeah. I'm just calling to let you know that Faith's in the hospital."

"What?" Willow said, surprised. "What happened? Is she okay?"

"A hit and run. She's in bad shape, but she'll be okay."

"Oh. Good."

Buffy hesitated for a moment.

"I just thought I'd let you know, since she's your friend."

She could hear Willow sigh.

"Yes. Thanks."

"No problem." She hesitated for a moment. "Bye."

"Bye."

She heard the dial tone, so she turned off her cell. She sighed, hoping that Willow would chose to remain her friend.

Tara and Jessica returned about an hour later and Buffy helped them and Daryl get the luggage upstairs.

"How's Molly?" Tara asked as they carried the luggage upstairs.

"Busy. She and Hope are still drawing."

Tara smiled.

"Good."

When they got to Hope's room, Tara looked inside.

"Molly, I'm back," she said.

Molly looked at her and smiled a little.

"Okay."

Tara smiled back.

"I'll be in our room."

"Okay."

Molly returned to drawing, and Tara continued to their room.

"Thank you, guys, you can go," Buffy said when they dropped the luggage off at Tara and Molly's room.

"Yes, Ma'am," Jessica and Daryl said in unison and left.

Tara sat on the bed and looked around.

"You were right, it's better that we stay here. I still have stuff to do and I can't take care of Molly all the time."

Buffy nodded.

"I took the next few days off, so if you have something to do, I'll take Molly to the hospital."

"Okay. Thanks."

Buffy thought for a moment.

"Faith told me that Riley isn't Molly's father," she then said.

Tara looked at her and shook her head.

"No, Molly's father is dead."

"I know." Buffy hesitated for a moment. "Did she love him?"

Tara smiled a bit.

"Yes."

"How did they meet?" Buffy asked, curious.

"He was my boss. I was in my last year at college when I met Faith. I helped her out and when I saw she was good, I suggested she get a part time job like me. I introduced her to Mr Liam and they hit right off. I mean, Faith was reserved and… I don't know, scared, I think. But Mr Liam was patient and they got together." She thought for a moment. "Mr Liam wanted to marry her and I think she wanted to marry him as well, but she was reluctant to talk about it. Of course, we didn't know she was already married to you." She sighed. "But then Mr Liam died in a car accident. Fortunately, Faith had adopted Molly."

"She's not Faith's daughter?" Buffy asked, surprised and for some reason relieved at the same time.

Tara shook her head.

"Not biologically."

"Oh." She sighed. "Thanks for telling me."

Tara hesitated for a moment.

"Em, I know this is none of my business, but I'm curious. Why did you two get married? I mean, you hate one another."

Buffy sighed.

"We were… forced to marry one another. We met the day before the wedding and we were both angry. And after the wedding, she left." She shrugged. "It's not like we had much time to get to know one another. Hell, we didn't even know why we were forced to marry. We blamed one another."

"Oh." Tara hesitated for a moment. "And now?"

Buffy took a deep breath and shrugged.

"Nothing, we're getting divorced."

"But you don't hate one another anymore?"

Buffy shook her head.

"No."

"Good."

The next morning, as soon as the visiting hours started, Willow visited Faith. Faith was still unconscious and that suited Willow just fine. She grabbed a chair and sat beside the bed. She stared at Faith for a while, thinking. They had been friends for several years and even after she found out that Faith was Buffy's wife, she didn't resent her that, because she knew that they were getting divorced. But now, after Buffy had broken up with her, she felt bitter. She knew Faith had nothing to do with it, but she still felt bitter.

After breakfast, Buffy and Tara took the girls to the hospital. Since they knew it would be a long day, they came prepared. They took a blanket, a couple of games and a couple of books.

When they entered, Molly immediately ran to the bed. Tara followed her and lifted her up.

"She's still asleep," Molly said, sad.

"Yes, she's still recovering," Tara said.

"How long does she have to recover?"

"Until she's healthy again. It might be a couple of days."

"Oh."

"Come, Molly," Buffy said, "let's put up these pictures."

"Okay."

Tara put Molly down, and Molly went to Buffy, who opened up a folder.

"I'll arrange the flowers," Tara said.

"Okay," Buffy said.

After they put the pictures on the wall, Buffy convinced Molly to play with her, Hope and Tara.

When Faith woke up two days later, she was disoriented. Her body hurt and she had trouble breathing.

"Faith?"

Faith turned her head.

"Tara?" Then her eyes went wide. "Molly."

"She's okay," Tara said.

"Where is she?"

"Buffy took her and Hope to lunch."

"What?" Faith said, startled.

Tara smiled.

"I'll get a doctor, we'll talk later."

"But she's okay?"

"Yes."

Faith breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why did Buffy take her to lunch?" Faith asked after the doctor and the nurses were gone.

"Because I took them yesterday."

"Huh?" Faith said, puzzled.

"Buffy came by when the paramedics were taking care of you and she took Molly with her. Then she called me."

"Molly wasn't hurt?"

"No, just you."

"Good," Faith said, relieved.

Tara smiled.

"Anyway, we moved in with Buffy."

"What? Why?" Faith asked, surprised.

"Buffy offered. And it was a sensible thing to do. I still have to work, vacation or not, and since Buffy took a few days off, she can take care of Molly. And Molly can play with Hope. Anyway, it's a good thing we did. The night after we moved in with Buffy, someone broke into our rooms."

Faith's eyes went wide.

"What?" She frowned. "Do you think it was Riley?"

"I don't know, but I did mention him to the police."

"Oh. Good."

Tara hesitated for a moment.

"You know, I think Buffy cares about you."

Faith frowned, surprised.

"What do you mean?"

Tara shook her head.

"I'm not sure. But she did cry when she first saw you here. And she asks about you."

"She does?" Faith asked, her heart beating a bit faster.

"Yes."

Faith sighed.

"How is Molly?"

"She was scared, but she's okay now. Hope keeps her company and Buffy makes sure she has other things on her mind." She smiled. "She likes Buffy."

Faith smiled a bit.

"Good."

"Oh, everything's okay at work, things are running smoothly."

Faith nodded.

"Good."

Then the door opened and they looked at it.

Molly and Hope entered, chatting excitedly about something, followed by Buffy.

"Mama!" Molly cried, excited, when she saw Faith was awake.

"Hey, honey," Faith said with a smile as Molly ran to her bed.

"Are you okay?" Molly asked as Tara lifted her up.

Faith caressed her.

"I'm fine, honey," she said and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'll go get some lunch," Tara said when she made sure that Molly was straddling Faith's legs and that Faith was holding her.

"And we'll go rob a vending machine," Buffy said.

Faith looked at her, and Buffy smiled at her.

"Thanks," Faith said.

Buffy shrugged.

"It's okay." She looked at Hope. "Come, honey, let's go get some candy."

"Candy!" Hope said, excited, as she took Buffy's hand.

After Buffy, Hope and Tara were gone, Faith looked back at Molly.

"Are you healthy now?" Molly asked.

Faith smiled softly.

"Not quite."

"Are you gonna sleep again?"

Faith shook her head and caressed Molly.

"No. I mean, except at night."

"Oh." Molly thought for a moment. "When are you coming home?"

"I don't know. In a couple of days. But you can visit me."

Molly nodded.

"I will." Then her eyes lit up. "Did you see the pictures? Hope and I drew them."

Faith smiled.

"I saw them," she said as she looked at the pictures again. "They're very pretty."

Molly smiled at the compliment.

"Hope's mama said we should draw them so you'll know I was okay."

Faith frowned, startled.

"Hope's mama?"

Molly nodded.

"Uh-huh." She frowned for a moment, thinking. "Buffy." She smiled. "She's very nice. She let me and Auntie Tara stay at her house."

"Yes, I know." She thought for a moment. "How do you know that Buffy is Hope's mama?"

"Hope calls her Mommy."

"Oh."

Molly hugged her, and Faith groaned.

"I was so scared, Mama," she said.

"I know," Faith said. "Could… Could you please stop hugging me? My ribs hurt."

"Oh," Molly said and stopped hugging her.

"That's better," Faith said and caressed her, smiling. "So, what have you been doing while I was sleeping?"

Molly smiled.

"Hope and I drew pictures for you. And we played games and Hope's mama read stories to us."

"Sounds like you had fun."

Molly nodded.

"Uh-huh." Then her face became serious. "But I missed you."

"I know, honey," Faith said and caressed her. "I know. I told the doctors to let me go as soon as possible."

Molly smiled.

"Hope's mama said you will move into her house when you get out, so we can take care of you."

Faith tensed for a moment.

"She did?"

Molly nodded.

"Uh-huh."

There was a knock and a moment later Buffy and Hope returned.

"Can we come in?" Buffy asked, suddenly nervous.

Faith stared at her for a moment.

"Yeah."

Buffy smiled a bit and then she and Hope entered.

"I called Willow," Buffy said as she closed the door. "I told her you woke up."

"Oh. Thanks."

Hope ran to the bed.

"Here," she said and offered Molly and Faith a candy each.

Molly's eyes went wide and she took hers, excited.

Faith gave Buffy a confused look.

"I figured you must be hungry and I doubt hospital food changed from the last time I was here," Buffy said, embarrassed a bit.

"Yeah," Faith said and took the candy. "Thank you," she told Hope, who smiled.

"Mama," Molly said, having problems opening her bar.

"Let me help you," Faith said and opened the bar. "Here."

"Thank you," Molly said with a smile and started eating it.

Faith opened her own bar and took a bite.

"How do you feel?" Buffy asked after a moment.

Faith shrugged.

"I've been better. The doctor gave me some morphine for the pain."

"Oh. Did they say when they're letting you go?"

"As soon as possible, I hope."

Buffy smiled.

"Yes." She hesitated for a moment. "You can move in with me when they let you go," she then offered. "I mean, if you want. That way you wouldn't have to worry about Molly or anything."

Faith stared at her for a moment.

"I'll think about it."

"Okay," Buffy said and sighed.

Hope pulled on Buffy's arm, and Buffy looked at her.

"Will you read the rest of the story now?"

Buffy smiled.

"Sure." She looked at Molly. "Molly, want to hear the rest of the story?"

Molly's eyes lit up.

"Uh-huh," she said, nodding.

"Come here."

Buffy picked Molly up and put her down.

Hope then took her hand and they ran to the blanket.

"Story?" Faith asked.

Buffy blushed a bit.

"To keep them occupied, especially Molly."

Faith sighed.

"Thanks."

Buffy smiled.

"You're welcome."

"Buffy," Faith said when Buffy started for the girls.

"Yes?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"I have a… a very personal question."

"Yes?" Buffy said, suddenly nervous.

"Is Hope your daughter or your sister?"

Buffy tensed and balled her hands into fists. She took a deep breath to calm down. She hesitated for a moment and then decided to tell Faith the truth.

"My daughter," she said quietly and then quickly went to the girls, not wanting to think about the circumstances of Hope's conception.

Faith stared after her, confused. She noticed how Buffy had paled. It took her a moment before she realized that Buffy had probably been raped. She shuddered, understanding how Buffy felt.

"Buffy," she said softly, and Buffy looked at her, still trying to calm down. "I understand."

Buffy stared at her for a moment.

"I don't think you do."

"I do." She sighed. "More than you know," she added quietly.

They stared at one another for a few moments and then Buffy looked away, wondering if Faith had also been raped. She pressed Hope more closely to herself, suddenly scared of losing her.

"Mommy?" Hope asked quietly, looking up at her.

Buffy smiled at her.

"I'm fine," she said and kissed her on the top of the head. She took a deep breath. "Okay, let's see where we left off."

"Here," Molly said and pointed at a spot in the book. "We opened where you left off."

Buffy smiled at her.

"You'll be able to read by yourselves in no time," she said, and Molly smiled back at her.

Faith quietly watched as Buffy read to the girls. She realized she liked the new Buffy. She was gentle, caring, protective and there was not a trace of the bitch she had met five years ago. She knew now why Buffy had been such a bitch and she didn't hate her anymore. In fact, she realized, if she were gay, she might actually fall for her. She sighed and decided to rest a bit.

The next morning, Willow came again.

"Hey," she said with a smile.

Faith smiled back.

"Hey."

Willow approached the bed.

"How do you feel?"

"Crappy."

Willow smiled.

"When are you getting out?"

"Hopefully in a couple of days."

"Oh." She looked around. "Who drew the pictures?"

"Molly and Hope."

"Molly?"

"My daughter."

"She's here?" Willow said, surprised.

"Yes."

"Who's taking care of her?"

"Buffy and Tara. Tara's my assistant."

"Oh."

"You didn't know?" Faith asked, puzzled. "They moved in with Buffy."

"Really?" Willow said, surprised.

"Yes. You didn't know?"

Willow sighed and shook her head.

"No."

"I thought you two were girlfriends."

Willow smiled sadly.

"We were."

"What happened?"

Willow hesitated for a moment.

"She broke up with me."

"Why?" Faith asked, surprised.

Willow took a deep breath.

"Because she loves another."

"Oh. I'm sorry." She frowned. "I mean, you did love her, right?"

Willow nodded.

"Yes." She sighed. "At least she's being honest with me."

"Oh."

Willow thought for a moment.

"Does she come every day?"

Faith nodded.

"Yes. She and Tara bring the girls over after breakfast." She smiled a bit. "The girls even take a nap here."

Willow smiled back. Then she took a deep breath.

"Listen, I have to go now. Work," she explained.

"Oh."

"I'll come back tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

Willow left and Faith leaned back and thought about the fact that Buffy had broken up with Willow.

"Morning, Mama," Molly said with a smile as she entered the room an hour later, holding Hope's hand.

Faith smiled at her.

"Hi, honey."

Tara followed Molly and lifted her so that she and Faith could hug.

"Feeling better?" Tara asked.

Faith smiled.

"A bit. The doctor said I could be released in a couple of days."

Tara smiled.

"That's good."

"Yeah, the food is really bad."

"I got more candy," Buffy said.

Faith chuckled.

"I could really use some."

Buffy reached into her bag and pulled out a bar.

"Thanks," Faith said as she took the bar.

"Can we get one too, Mommy?" Hope asked.

"Later, honey, you've just eaten," Buffy said.

"Okay."

"So, what do you girls want to do now?"

The girls looked at one another.

"Can we play Monopoly?" Hope asked.

"Okay."

"Can Mama play too?" Molly asked.

Buffy looked at her and then at Faith.

"Want to play?"

"Sure. You can use my legs as a table. Just help me sit straighter."

Tara put Molly down.

"Why don't you and Hope get the Monopoly board," she told her.

"Okay," Molly said and went to the bag.

Hope followed her.

Tara helped Faith sit straighter, and Buffy adjusted the bed.

"Thanks," Faith said.

"Mommy," Hope said as she and Molly returned with the Monopoly board.

"Let's go to the other side."

Buffy and Hope went to the other side of the bed and Tara put Molly on the bed and then grabbed a chair.

When they got to the other side of the bed, Buffy took the Monopoly board and put it on the bed. Then she lifted up Hope as well.

"You comfortable?" she asked Faith.

Faith nodded.

"Yeah."

"Okay," Buffy said and grabbed a chair.

"Hey," Willow said when she came to visit Faith the next morning.

Faith smiled at her.

"Hey."

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah. I'm off morphine."

"That's good."

Willow grabbed a chair and sat down. She thought for a moment.

"Isn't your boyfriend's name Riley Finn?" she then asked.

"It was."

"Was?"

"I broke up with him."

"Why?" Willow asked, surprised.

Faith sighed.

"Because he's a sleaze. He was only after my money."

"Oh. I heard he was arrested."

"Yeah." She hesitated for a moment. "He tried to kill me by running me over with a car and…"

"That was him?" Willow asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Then he broke into my and Tara's rooms, but they had moved in with Buffy. I think he was after Molly."

"Oh."

"Yeah, I know." Faith sighed. "At least I don't have to worry about him anymore."

Willow smiled a bit.

"I guess." She thought for a moment. "How is Molly taking it?"

"Okay, I guess. She can hardly wait till I get out."

Willow smiled.

"I meant the Riley business."

"Oh." She shrugged. "Riley didn't spend much time with her and I also had a feeling that she didn't like him. She doesn't know he tried to run me down."

"Oh."

Willow thought for a few moments. She loved Buffy and she was still hurt by the break up, but she wanted her to be happy. She had already decided that she wanted them to remain friends and intended to go to her in the evening. She knew Buffy would never tell Faith that she loved her, especially since Faith was straight. She sighed and decided to tell Faith herself.

"You want to know who she loves?" she asked Faith.

Faith raised an eyebrow, surprised. She hesitated for a moment. She didn't really want to know, but if she didn't, she couldn't protect Buffy like Buffy had protected her when she had Riley investigated. She sighed.

"Who?"

Willow hesitated for a moment.

"You."

Faith blinked.

"Excuse me?" she said, thinking she had heard wrong.

"She loves you."

Faith stared at her for a few moments, surprised.

"Right."

"She does."

Faith stared at her for a couple of moments.

"How do you know?"

"She told me. When she broke up with me."

"But I'm straight."

"She knows."

Faith frowned.

"But… I don't understand."

Willow sighed.

"She fell in love with you."

Faith's heart was suddenly racing faster.

"She did?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

Faith frowned again, surprised and confused.

Willow stared at her for a few moments.

"She loves you and she wants you to be happy, she's not asking you to love her back, that's your decision," she then said.

Faith sighed.

"And it doesn't bother you?"

Willow smiled a bit.

"I love her and I want her to be happy."

Faith stared at her for a few moments and then sighed.

"This is such a mess," she then said, shaking her head.

Willow's smile widened a bit.

"I know."

"But we're still friends, right?" Faith asked, worried.

Willow nodded.

"Yes."

"Good," Faith said, relieved.

Faith thought for a few moments.

"Why did you tell me?"

"I asked you…"

"I know," Faith interrupted her. "You didn't have to."

Willow sighed and thought for a moment.

"I want her to be happy. I know she'd never tell you that she loves you, so I decided to do it for her."

"Why wouldn't she?"

"She feels guilty. And besides, you two are getting divorced. That's what you want, right?"

"Yes."

"And she's giving it to you. Like I said, she wants you to be happy."

"Okay, but that still doesn't explain why you told me."

Willow shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess I was hoping that perhaps there could be something between you two. Of course, I don't want you to declare your undying love for her unless that is what you're feeling."

Faith smiled a bit and nodded. She sighed.

"I'm starting to think that it would've been better if I had stayed in England and let the lawyers take care of it."

"Why didn't you?"

Faith frowned.

"I don't know. I mean, I didn't want to see her." She shook her head. "I don't know." She thought for a moment. "I guess a part of me wanted to see her after all."

There was a knock on the door and a moment later Joyce and Dawn entered.

"Willow," Joyce said, startled.

"Hello, Mrs Summers," Willow said. She looked at Faith. "I'll be back tomorrow."

"Okay," Faith said.

"Bye, Mrs Summers," Willow said. "Bye, Dawn."

"Bye," Dawn said.

Willow left, and Joyce and Dawn came closer.

"You know Willow?" Dawn asked.

"We're friends," Faith explained.

"Oh. And you know she is… was Buffy's girlfriend?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

"How do you feel?" Joyce asked.

Faith shrugged.

"Better."

Joyce sighed.

"I'm sorry, Faith, for not trying harder to stop that insane plan of my husband's. I was so worried when your parents called that you'd disappeared."

"Why?"

Joyce frowned, startled.

"Why what?"

"Why were you worried?"

"Oh. I don't know, I guess I liked you. And I knew you were against the wedding just as much as Buffy was."

"Oh."

Joyce thought for a moment.

"What happened after the wedding?"

Faith frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"When we got home, Buffy was in her room and she refused to come out. She didn't speak to anyone but Hope and Dawn. It took months before she spoke to me again and she never spoke to her father after that. I mean, I understand why she didn't talk to us, but I also know that something deeply shook her. The limo driver said she'd thrown you out of the car. And he said she'd vomited."

"Oh," Faith said, tensing a bit as she remembered.

"What happened?"

She took a deep breath and shook her head.

"Nothing."

"Faith, please. I'm worried about her."

Faith sighed.

"There's no need to, I've forgiven her."

"She did something to you?"

"That's for her to tell."

Joyce sighed, realizing that Faith wouldn't tell her.

"Okay." She thought for a moment. "And you're well off?"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah."

Joyce smiled a bit.

"Good." She hesitated for a moment. "I heard you have a daughter."

Faith nodded.

"Molly."

"How old is she?" Dawn asked.

"Five."

Dawn did some math and frowned.

"You were pregnant when you married Buffy?"

Faith smiled.

"No, I adopted her."

"Oh."

Faith frowned as a thought occurred to her. She looked at Joyce.

"Your husband, he threatened to take Hope away," she said.

"What?" Joyce said, surprised.

"I know Hope is Buffy's daughter." She hesitated for a moment. "And how she came to be."

"Oh," Joyce said, surprised. She sighed. "Yes. She tried to run away with Hope, but Hank sent his men after her and they caught her."

"Bastard," Faith said, feeling angry with Hank for what he had done to Buffy. Then her eyes went wide as she realized what she'd said. "Sorry, I didn't…"

"That's okay," Joyce said with a smile, and Faith relaxed a bit.

Then the door opened and Hope and Molly came in, hand in hand, followed by Buffy and Tara.

"Hi, Grandma," Hope said with a smile while Molly hid behind her a bit.

"Hi, honey," Joyce said with a smile.

"Mom."

"Buffy."

"That's Molly, Mom," Dawn said and pointed at Molly, who was a bit nervous.

"It's okay, honey," Faith assured her with a smile. "That's Buffy's mama."

"Oh," Molly said and smiled at Joyce. "Hi," she said shyly.

Joyce's smile widened.

"Hi, Molly, nice to meet you." Then she looked at Tara. "And you are?"

"Tara Maclay," Tara said. "I'm Faith's assistant."

"Oh. Nice to meet you." She looked at Buffy. "Dawn and I were just leaving."

"Okay." She hesitated for a moment. "Why don't you and Dawn come over for lunch this Saturday? Faith will be out then."

Joyce smiled.

"We'll be there."

"Okay."

Joyce sighed and looked at Dawn.

"Come, honey."

Dawn looked at Faith.

"Bye, Faith."

"Bye, Dawn."

Joyce and Dawn left, and Molly ran to the bed.

In the evening, Buffy and Tara were just getting ready to put the girls to bed when the bell rang.

"Ms Rosenberg," Jessica said as she opened the door. "Come in," she said, and Willow entered. "This way."

Jessica led Willow to the main room.

"Willow," Buffy said, surprised, and smiled. "Hey."

"Hey," Willow said.

Then she noticed Tara and stared at her.

Tara stared back at her, smitten.

"Willow?" Buffy asked, amused, when she saw her, and Tara stare at one another.

Willow jerked, startled, and looked at Buffy, blushing a bit.

Tara blushed as well.

"Eh, I just came to tell you that I still want us to be friends."

Buffy smiled widely.

"Oh Willow," she said. She went to her and hugged her tightly. "I'm so glad."

"Me too," Willow said, hugging her back.

"Em, I'll put the girls to bed," Tara said when Buffy and Willow stopped hugging.

Buffy and Willow looked at her and Tara blushed a bit.

"Okay," Buffy said.

Tara looked at the girls.

"Come, girls, let's go upstairs."

Hope took her hand and they went upstairs.

"Who is she?" Willow asked after they were out of hearing range.

Buffy smiled at her.

"You like her?"

Willow blushed. She sighed and touched Buffy's cheek.

"I do," she said after a moment.

Buffy covered Willow's hand and smiled.

"Her name is Tara," she said and let go of Willow's hand. "She's Faith's assistant."

"Oh," Willow said, removing her hand. She thought for a moment. "I've heard Faith mention her, but I've never seen her before."

Buffy smiled.

"Looks like this is your lucky night then."

Willow smiled back.

"I guess."

Buffy sighed.

"I hope she makes you happy."

Willow stared at her for a moment.

"Me too."

"Tell you what, why don't I get her and you can talk a bit."

Willow blushed.

"Are you sure?"

"Sure." She smiled. "And trust me, she's a wonderful person."

Willow smiled a bit.

"Okay."

"I'll get her."

"Careful girls, it's slippery," Tara said as she ushered the girls into the bathtub.

"Tara," Buffy said, and Tara looked at her.

"Has she gone already?" Tara asked and Buffy thought she could detect a note of disappointment in her voice.

"No, she's downstairs, waiting for you."

Tara blinked, puzzled.

"Me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Buffy smiled.

"So she can get to know you better."

Tara blushed.

"Me?"

"Yes."

"But… But… She's your girlfriend."

"You don't know? She was my girlfriend. I broke up with her."

"Oh." She thought for a moment. "Really?"

"Yes. "Buffy smiled. "You like her, don't you?"

Tara blushed.

"Yes," she said quietly.

"Then go downstairs and talk to her. She likes you too."

"Really?" Tara said, excited.

Buffy smiled again.

"Yes. And trust me, she's a wonderful person."

Tara frowned.

"Then why did you break up with her?"

Buffy sighed.

"Because I love… another."

"Faith?" Tara guessed.

Buffy blushed.

"Yes," she said quietly.

Tara smiled.

"Will you take care of the girls?" she changed the subject.

"Yes."

"Okay."

Tara got up and wiped her hands. When she was gone, Buffy took her place at the bathtub.

A couple of days later, on Saturday, Faith was finally released. Buffy and Tara went to the hospital to pick her up. Tara took care of the paperwork and Buffy helped Faith get dressed.

"Mama!" Molly cried, excited, when Faith rolled into Buffy's house in a wheelchair.

Faith smiled.

"Hey, honey."

They hugged tightly.

"Are you gonna stay here now?" Molly asked when they stopped hugging.

Faith caressed her, smiling.

"Yes."

"Here?" Dawn asked. "As in this house?"

Faith looked at Buffy.

"If the offer still stands."

Buffy smiled.

"It does."

"Thanks."

Buffy blushed a bit.

"Come, let me show you to your room."

Faith looked at the stairs.

"Eh, I'm in a wheel chair," she reminded Buffy.

Buffy smiled.

"I know, that's why I had that lift thingy installed yesterday," she said and pointed at the wheelchair lift that ran along the stairs.

"Just for me?" Faith asked, surprised.

Buffy blushed again.

"Well, it can also be used for heavy luggage," she said.

"Oh."

"Come, let me show you how it works."

Buffy went to the platform, and Faith rolled on it.

"See, this is how you secure the wheelchair," she said as she demonstrated. "And there are only three buttons, up, stop and down."

"Okay, I think I got the hang of it," Faith said after a moment. She looked around. "Molly, honey, step away from the lift, so you won't get hurt."

Molly stepped back, and Faith pressed the up button.

The lift started moving.

"Neat," Faith said.

Buffy smiled and followed her. The girls and the women followed as well.

"This is it," Buffy said when they got to Faith's room.

"Nice," Faith commented when she looked around.

"You'll still have to unpack."

Faith nodded.

"I know."

"We'll have an early lunch today, I'm guessing you want some real food."

Faith smiled.

"Oh yeah."

"Do you want to rest?"

"Not on your life. I've rested enough at the hospital. First, I want to spend some time with Molly and then I want Tara to bring me up to speed."

"Okay."

Faith thought for a moment and then looked at Hope.

"Hope, you can stay, if you want," she said, and Hope smiled.

"Okay, ladies, let's leave them alone," Buffy said and ushered Tara, Dawn and Joyce out.

"Hey, I didn't say everyone else has to leave," Faith said with a smile.

Buffy smiled back.

"I know. Have fun."

Faith stared at her for a moment.

"Thank you."

Buffy nodded.

"You're welcome."

Two weeks later, Faith had more or less recovered. And as much as Buffy wanted her to get well, she also didn't want her to get well, because that would mean that Faith would leave. But when Faith was finally well enough to travel, Buffy decided to give her the divorce papers. She called her to her office, not wanting to do let the girls know what was going on.

"What is it?" Faith asked and sat down in the visitors chair.

Buffy pushed the folder across the table.

"The divorce papers."

"Oh," Faith said, startled.

"Read them through and let me know if you have a problem with them."

Faith slowly opened the folder and started reading.

When she was done, she leaned back and looked at Buffy, who was staring out the window, her back toward Faith. She thought about the time she had spent with Buffy and she realized she really didn't want the divorce. That, of course, confused her, because she was straight. She acknowledged that Buffy was gorgeous, but she just couldn't imagine having sex with her. A kiss yes, but not sex.

She blushed at the thought, wondering what it meant. She was told that Buffy loved her and she knew she cared about Buffy as well, she just wasn't sure if she loved her. She needed time. She had a feeling that if she signed the divorce papers, everything would be over. She wanted her options to remain open and decided to ask Buffy what she wanted.

"Buffy," she said and Buffy turned around. "Do you want me to sign these?"

"Huh?" Buffy said and frowned, puzzled.

"Do you want me to sign the divorce papers?"

Buffy stared at her for a couple of moments.

"Isn't that what you want?" she asked, confused.

"Perhaps. But I'm asking you what you want."

Buffy stared at her for a while, thinking. She could lie to Faith and tell her that she wanted her to sign the papers or she could tell her the truth. She decided for the truth, thinking that since Faith had asked her what she wanted, that probably meant that she hadn't made up her mind yet. She gulped.

"No," she said quietly and looked down, suddenly nervous. "But it's your choice."

Faith stared at her for a couple of moments and then took a deep breath.

"Okay," she said. "I need to think about this. But I'm keeping the papers."

Buffy nodded, feeling hopeful.

"Okay."

Faith got up and picked up the folder.

"Come, let's go play with the girls. I know Tara is itching to go see Willow."

Buffy smiled.

"I'll be there in a few."

"Okay."

Faith slowly walked to the door. There, she turned and stared at Buffy for a couple of moments before she left.

When she was gone, Buffy took a deep breath and looked out the window again, hoping that perhaps Faith could love her. She smiled a bit at the thought, knowing that she would love Faith regardless of whether Faith loved her back or not.

Outside Buffy's office, Faith leaned on the wall. Even though Buffy didn't say it directly, her answer confirmed what Willow had told her. It made her heart beat faster and she realized that she perhaps wasn't as straight as she'd thought. She still didn't want to get into Buffy's panties, but she liked her company and she wondered what it would be like to spend the rest of her life with her, raising the girls together.

She closed her eyes and tried to imagine it. She smiled a bit as she watched the images in her head. Then she sighed and opened her eyes again. She hesitated for a moment and then continued to the girls, wondering if perhaps she and Buffy could love one another and be together without having sex. She sighed and shook her head. Then she smiled, feeling giddy.

The End