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. Beware, child abuse is mentioned. This story is situated after the end of season 7.

Lost and Found
By Kristjan Brezovnik

While most of the Scooby Gang was hanging out at their usual table, Faith sat at the bar and nursed a glass of vodka. She wasn't really in the mood to be at her motel room or hang out with the Scooby Gang, but she didn't want to get drunk either. Suddenly she got a very strange feeling. She looked around and saw a girl staring at her. She frowned, confused. She knew she had never met the girl before, but there was something eerily familiar about her. She shook her head and was about to turn her attention back to her drink when the girl approached her.

"Faith?" she asked. "Faith Spencer?"

Faith looked at her.

"Yeah?" she asked.

The girl smiled a bit.

"Hi, I'm Hope." She hesitated for a moment. "I'm your daughter."

Faith blinked, startled for a moment, but then the memories came back and she felt sick.

"I don't have a daughter," she croaked, a feeling of panic suddenly overwhelming her.

"You do," Hope insisted and showed Faith a copy of her mug shot.

Faith paled.

"What? So you got my mug shot. That doesn't prove anything. And besides, you're too old to be my daughter."

"You were ten," Hope insisted.

Faith tensed, remembering.

"Right," she said, trying to sound normal. She glanced toward the exit. "Excuse me," she said and hurried off.

Hope ran after her.

"Wait!"

Hope touched Faith's arm and Faith turned around so fast Hope almost crashed into her.

"Leave me alone," Faith said threateningly, glaring at her.

"No," Hope said determinedly and took a step closer.

Faith instinctively pushed her back, causing her to fall down. Her eyes went wide when she realized what she'd done. She hesitated for a moment and then ran away, leaving a shocked Hope behind.

Buffy, who had observed the whole thing with the rest of the gang, went to Hope, curious.

"You okay?" she asked and offered Hope her hand.

Hope looked at her, startled, and then accepted her hand.

"Yeah," she said when she got up.

"You know Faith?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah." She hesitated for a moment. "She's my mom."

Buffy blinked.

"Come again?"

"She's my mom," Hope repeated.

Buffy just stared at her for a few moments, her brain trying to grasp what she'd just heard. Then she frowned.

"Aren't you a little too old to be her daughter?"

"She was ten when she had me."

"What?" Buffy said, shocked. "How do you know?"

"I hired a detective."

"Oh."

"Are you a friend of hers?"

Buffy hesitated for a moment.

"Sort of."

"Why is she so upset?"

Buffy stared at Hope for a few moments, not quite sure what to say.

"She's scared."

Hope frowned.

"Of me?"

"No, not you. Of the whole situation. She doesn't know what to expect from you and…"

"What is it?" Hope asked when Buffy trailed off.

"Do you want to talk to her?"

"Yeah."

"Then we better hurry. Come."

Buffy started walking toward the exit and Hope followed her.

"What's going on?" Hope asked when they were outside.

"She's going to run," Buffy said.

"Run?" Hope asked, confused.

"Away. That's what she usually did when she was scared," Buffy explained and sighed. "She's trying, but I guess seeing you shocked her."

"Oh." Hope struggled to keep up with Buffy. "What is she like?"

Buffy glanced at her.

"I'm afraid you're asking the wrong person."

Hope frowned.

"I thought you were her friend."

"Not exactly. We used to hang out together a lot, but then we… drifted apart."

"Because she went to jail?"

Buffy looked at her, surprised.

"You know about that?"

Hope nodded.

"Yeah. That's why I came to Sunnydale."

"Oh."

"But when you hanged out, what was she like?"

Buffy thought for a moment.

"She flirted a lot and she liked to party. She liked to pretend she was tough, but she wasn't, not really." She hesitated for a moment. "She never really opened up to anyone."

Hope thought for a moment.

"Did she really kill those people?"

"Yes."

They were quiet for a while.

"Do you know how she ended up in coma?" Hope then asked.

Buffy tensed. She hesitated for a few moments before answering.

"I put her there," she said. "I mean, I was partially responsible," she quickly corrected herself.

"Why do you mean?" Hope asked, curious.

Buffy sighed.

"It's a long story. We fought, I stabbed her and she threw herself off the roof."

Hope just stared at her for a while, shocked.

"But why?" she finally asked.

Buffy glanced at her.

"I'll let Faith tell you."

"Oh." She looked around. "Where does she live?"

"Downtowner Motel."

"A motel?"

"Yes."

When Faith got to her motel room, she leaned on the door, closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm down. She was scared and the memories made her feel sick all over again. A part of her was worried and wanted to know more about Hope, but the other part preferred not to know, she couldn't take care of her.

When she calmed down a bit, she decided to pack and get the hell out of town.

When Buffy and Hope reached Faith's motel room, they saw that there was light in Faith's room. Buffy looked through the curtained window and saw Faith was still inside.

"Wait here," she told Hope and knocked on the door.

She could hear as Faith stopped moving inside and she knew she could feel her. After a few moments, Faith opened up.

"B."

"Can I come in?" Buffy asked and entered without waiting for Faith's permission.

"No?" Faith said and closed the door.

Buffy looked around the room and saw that Faith had already packed most of her stuff.

"You're leaving?"

"What do you want, B?" Faith evaded the question.

"Because of your daughter?" Buffy asked and looked at Faith.

Faith tensed, surprised.

"I don't have a daughter, B," she then lied.

"Not according to Hope."

Faith stared at Buffy for a few moments and then walked past her.

"She's not my daughter," she said quietly, desperately wanting to believe it herself.

"Who are you trying to convince? Me? Or you?"

Faith turned around, upset.

"What do you want me to say, B? That she's my daughter? Yes, she is."

"How do you know?"

Faith snorted.

"So now you're the one who's doubting?"

"No, I'm just curious how you know."

Faith sighed.

"I'm not sure. I could feel her before I could even see her. I know she's my daughter. And besides, she looks a lot like I did when I was her age." She sighed. "But I can't take care of her."

"Does she want you to?"

"I don't know, B. I don't know what she wants. But every time I look at her…" She trailed as she the memories overwhelmed her and she started to feel sick. "I can't."

Buffy quietly watched her for a few moments, wondering what had happened. She decided to find out.

"What happened?"

Faith shuddered.

"Nothing."

"Faith, she told me you were ten when you had her. Something definitely happened."

"Nothing happened," Faith said and turned away, not wanting to talk to her.

Buffy hesitated for a moment and then decided not to give up just yet. She stepped closer and put her hand on Faith's shoulder.

Faith immediately tensed.

"You don't have to tell me," Buffy said. "But you should talk to Hope, let her explain why she came."

"And what if she wants me to take care of her? How am I supposed to do that, B? I can't even take care of myself."

Buffy realized that Faith had just opened up a bit.

"You did okay," she said. "I'm not saying that everything that happened to you was okay or that everything you did was okay, but you tried and did your best. And you finally stopped running. Don't start again."

Faith sighed.

"I don’t want her to get attached to me, B. I'm a Slayer, we don't exactly have long life spans."

Buffy thought for a moment.

"Didn't you ever want to find her?"

"I did, when I was younger." She hesitated for a moment. "I've never even seen her before today," she said quietly.

"Never?" Buffy said, surprised.

Faith shook her head.

"I was unconscious when I went into labor. When I woke up, the nurse told me that she had been adopted."

"Just like that?"

Faith nodded and sobbed for a moment as the memories overwhelmed her.

"They sold her."

Buffy frowned.

"Who?"

"My mom and my stepdad. They wanted me to have an abortion, but I ran away. I spent six months on the street, but then they sold her."

Buffy hesitated for a moment and then very slowly hugged Faith from behind.

Faith tensed, but she didn't push Buffy away.

Buffy quietly held Faith, waiting for her to calm down.

"I don't know what to do," Faith finally admitted.

Buffy slowly let her go.

"Talk to her, let her know you love her. Don't give up just because you're a Slayer. You might only know her for a short time, but she'll remember you for a long time. Give her a chance. Give yourself a chance."

Faith wiped the few tears that managed to slide down her cheeks and turned around.

"What do I tell her?" she asked, avoiding Buffy's eyes.

"The truth. She deserves nothing less and neither do you."

Faith took a deep breath.

"This is such a mess. How the hell am I gonna find her now?"

"She's right outside."

"What?" Faith said, surprised.

"She wanted to talk to you and I guessed that you probably wanted to run. I told her to wait outside."

Faith looked at the door and then back at Buffy. She stared at her for a few moments, not used to this closeness she felt.

"Thanks."

Buffy smiled.

"You're welcome."

Faith took another deep breath.

"I better talk to her then."

"Good luck," Buffy said and headed toward the door.

"Yeah. Thanks."

Buffy opened the door and looked around.

"You can go in now," she told Hope when she saw her.

Hope smiled a bit.

"Thanks."

Buffy smiled back.

"Good luck."

Buffy left and Hope entered. She closed the door and then mother and daughter stared at one another, neither quite sure how to begin. Hope could see that Faith was scared and a few moments of hesitation she decided to give her a hug. As Hope slowly approached her, Faith's eyes became wider and wider and she froze. Hope smiled a bit and then slowly hugged Faith, who didn't move.

After a few moments, Faith slowly wrapped her arms around Hope and relaxed a bit. She stared sobbing and she desperately tried to stop it.

"It's okay, Mom," Hope said, still hugging her.

Faith suddenly burst into tears. She wanted to stop, but it felt so good to finally let go.

Hope quietly held her, understanding that it meant a lot to Faith.

When Faith finally calmed down a few minutes later, she let go of Hope and started wiping her tears, feeling embarrassed.

Hope let go of her and looked at her with a soft smile.

"It's okay, Mom," she reassured her.

Faith blinked at her, still finding it strange that Hope was calling her Mom.

Hope hesitated for a moment. Then she took Faith's hand and led them to the bed. She sat down and after a moment Faith sat as well.

"How… I mean… Are you…" She sighed. "Are you happy?"

Hope smiled, encouraged by the fact that Faith was worried about her.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Why did you find me?"

Hope sighed.

"My parents are rich and they treat me okay, but sometimes I feel like I'm just a trophy for my parents to show off. I knew I was adopted, so I decided to find out why." She smiled a bit. "I knew it would piss them off."

"How did you find me?"

"I hired a detective."

"Oh." Faith thought for a moment. "Do… Do your parents know where you are?"

"No. I kinda ran away from home. I didn't use my credit card or my cell phone because I didn't want them to find me before I found you."

Faith frowned.

"Won't they be worried?"

Hope shrugged.

"Probably. I'll call them later." She hesitated for a moment. "Can you tell me more about you?"

Faith tensed.

"You sure? You won't like it."

"I already know you were in jail and why, so I don't think I'll be shocked."

Faith sighed, wondering whether she should tell Hope about Slayers and demons and decided against it. She thought for a few moments what exactly to tell her and decided to listen to Buffy and tell Hope the truth.

"I don't really remember my dad.," she started. "My mom, she was okay when I was very little, but then she started drinking and doing drugs and she became a real bitch. When I was eight, she married my… stepdad. He got killed when I was fourteen and Mom died one year later. I left Boston and I ended up here." She paused for a moment, staring at her hands. "Buffy and I were, well, friends for a while, but then I accidentally killed… Finch." She sighed. "After that everything went straight to hell. I ended up helping someone… bad and I killed two more people. After I poisoned Buffy's boyfriend, she came to me. We fought and she stabbed me. I threw myself off the roof, but I survived." She took a deep breath. "I spent the next eight months in coma. When I woke up, I found out that Buffy had a new boyfriend and it pissed me off. We fought and I went to LA. Some corrupt lawyers hired me to kill Buffy's ex-boyfriend, who was a pain in their ass." She hesitated for a moment. "I wanted to at first, but then I just wanted it all to end and I wanted him to kill me. I tortured a friend of his, but he still refused to kill me. That's when I… That's when I broke."

She bit her teeth so as not to start sobbing. Hope noticed that she was upset, so she took Faith's hand into her own and squeezed it gently. Faith looked at her, startled, and Hope smiled at her encouragingly. Faith stared at her for a few moments and then looked away, but she didn't pull her hand free.

"Then Buffy came," Faith continued, "and some guys wanted to kill me. That's when I turned myself in." She took a deep breath. "When I came out, I came back here. That's more or less it."

They were quiet for a few moments.

"Who's my father?" Hope then asked quietly.

Faith tensed, remembering. She didn't want to think about it, but she wanted Hope to know the truth.

"My… My stepdad," she said quietly and Hope's eyes went wide. She swallowed hard. "They… They wanted me to have an abortion, but I ran away. I spent six months on the street. I passed out when I went into labor and when I woke up a nurse told me that you had been adopted." She shuddered. "At home, they had a party then because they'd made a great deal." She sobbed for a moment. "I never even saw you."

Hope hesitated for a moment and then hugged Faith, who immediately burst into tears again.

It took Faith a minute to calm down and Hope quietly held her, feeling like crying herself. Faith then let go of Hope and wiped her tears, embarrassed. She avoided looking at Hope, so Hope took her hand and gently squeezed it, causing Faith to look at her, startled.

"It's okay, Mom," Hope said with a soft smile.

Faith just stared at her, surprised that Hope still liked her. She gulped.

"Thanks," she said and looked away, nervous.

Hope thought for a moment.

"What's a Slayer?" she then asked, curious.

Faith looked at her, surprised.

"What?"

"I eavesdropped," Hope explained.

"Oh," Faith said and looked away, thinking about what to tell Hope. She finally took a deep breath as she reached her decision. "Okay, this will sound… crazy," she then started. She thought for a moment. "Well, you've heard of Dracula, right?"

Hope frowned.

"Yeah."

"Well, he was a vamp. A vampire."

"So?" Hope asked when Faith hesitated.

"Vampires are real. And so are other demons."

Hope blinked, surprised.

"You're kidding, right?"

Faith sighed.

"I wish." She thought for a moment. "A Slayer is a girl chosen to fight the demons."

"Chosen by who?"

"The Powers That Be."

Hope frowned.

"Who?"

Faith shrugged.

"Some guys up in Heaven, I guess."

"Oh."

"Anyway, Buffy and I are Slayers."

"How many are there?"

"Only two." She frowned. "As far as I know. There used to be only one until Buffy. Then she died and was resuscitated, but another Slayer was still called, Kendra. She got killed a couple of months later and then I got called. But Buffy died again two years ago, so I'm not sure whether there's just me and her or if there's another somewhere."

"So you're some sort of superhero?"

Faith looked at Hope, surprised, and then smiled at the idea.

"Yeah, you could say that."

"What powers do you have?"

Faith grinned and Hope smiled back, glad that she could make her smile.

"I'm faster, stronger, my senses are better and I heal faster."

"That's it?" Hope asked, having somehow expected more.

Faith's grin widened.

"I know. Sometimes I wish I could throw fireballs or something." Then her face became serious as she decided to tell Hope the rest of the story. She took a deep breath, nervous. "Come, I'll show you."

"What?"

"Vampires."

Hope's eyes went wide.

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's the only way you'll believe me."

"I believe you."

Faith smiled.

"Right. But I bet you'd still like to see them."

Hope smiled.

"Sure."

"Then let's go." She hesitated for a moment. "I'll tell you the rest of the story."

"There's more?"

Faith sighed.

"Much more. Come."

Faith took Hope to the cemeteries and while they walked, she told her the rest of the story. When she was done, Hope remained quiet for a while, thinking about it all. The silence made Faith nervous and she almost wished that Hope would yell at her or something.

"Are you okay now?" Hope finally broke the silence.

Faith looked at her, surprised, not having expected that question. She sighed.

"I'll never be okay, but I'm better."

"Oh."

They were quiet for a while, until a vampire decided they looked harmless enough to eat. Hope shrieked, scared, when she saw his bumpy face, but Faith took her stake and after a short fight dusted him.

"It's okay," she then told Hope, "he's gone."

"Where did he go?" Hope asked, confused.

"He turned to dust."

"Dust?"

"Yeah."

Hope thought for a moment.

"So what they say in the movies about them is true?"

Faith smiled a bit.

"Most of it." Then her face became serious. "But don't even think about going out to hunt them. He looked easy to kill, but that's only because I'm a Slayer."

Hope smiled, amused by Faith's motherly attitude.

"I know, you both moved so fast and it looked like his punches must've hurt."

Faith shrugged.

"A bit."

"Can you show me some other demon?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Sure. Come."

Faith too Hope to Willy's Place, but they didn't go in. Instead, they hid outside and waited for demons to come or go."

"Wow," Hope said when she saw the first one. "They have their own bar?"

"Yeah."

"Why don't you go in and kill them?"

"Not all demons are evil."

Hope looked at her, frowning.

"I thought being evil was, like, a necessity for a demon."

Faith shrugged.

"Maybe thousands of years ago, but now most of them simply mind their own business. Of course, there is an occasional psychopath who wants to cause carnage and mayhem or take over the world or simply destroy it." She hesitated for a moment. "The Mayor wanted to rule the world, I think."

Hope didn't question her about the Mayor, knowing that it was a sore subject for Faith.

A few more demons came and went and then Hope decided that she had enough, so Faith escorted her to Hope's motel.

When they got to Hope's motel, Hope invited Faith in.

"Not bad for a motel," Faith commented as she looked around the room, which was much nicer than hers.

Hope shrugged.

"Didn't want to spend too much." She hesitated for a moment. "Mom?"

Faith looked at her, still finding it strange that Hope called her Mom.

"Yeah?"

"Can I stay with you for a while?"

Faith frowned.

"Here?"

"Well, I thought we could take a double room."

Faith smiled, liking the idea. Then she frowned as she thought for something.

"Only if your parents agree."

Hope wanted to object, but she changed her mind.

"Okay, I'll call them later."

"Okay."

Hope thought for a moment.

"We can go out for breakfast together."

Faith smiled again.

"I'd like that. When?"

"Nine o'clock?"

"Okay. I'll come pick you up."

"Okay."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"I'll go now. Good night. Honey."

Hope smiled at the nickname.

"Night, Mom."

Faith smiled and went to the door.

"Mom?" Hope said when Faith opened the door.

Faith looked at her.

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad I found you."

Faith stared at her for a few moments, moved.

"Me too."

She smiled a bit and then quickly left, not wanting to cry in front of Hope again.

Hope then took a deep breath and wen to her bag. She rummaged through it and finally pulled out her cell phone. She hesitated for a moment and then turned it on and dialed a number.

"Hope? Is that you?" her mother's voice greeted her.

"Yeah," Hope said.

"Where are you? We're worried sick. Are you okay?"

"No need to exaggerate, Mom."

There was a brief pause.

"I'm not, we're worried about you. Where are you?"

"Sunnydale, California."

"What in the world are you doing in California?"

Hope hesitated for a moment.

"I was searching for my mom."

This time the pause was longer.

"What?"

Hope sighed.

"I was searching for mom. My birth mom."

"Why?"

"Because I'm sick of being a trophy, Mom."

"You're not a trophy, Hope."

Hope snorted.

"You sure had me fooled."

There was a brief pause again.

"Did you find her?" her mother then asked.

"Yes."

There was another pause.

"What is she like?"

"She's okay. I'm still trying to get to know her." She hesitated for a moment. "I'm staying with her till the end of vacations."

"What?! Why?"

"Because she's my mom and she wants to get to know me just as much as I want to get to know her."

"But she gave you up," Hope's mother tried to reason.

"No, she didn't. She wanted to keep me, but my dad sold me to you."

"What?"

"That's right, Mom, my own dad sold me and you bought me like I was some fancy thing."

"Hope…"

"Don't Hope me. You didn't even bother to find out more about me. You know how old my mom was when she had me? She was ten. And her own stepfather was my dad."

There was silence and Hope guessed her mother was shocked.

"I… I… We… We didn't know."

Hope took a deep breath.

"I know. I'm staying in Sunnydale till the end of vacations." She hesitated for a moment. "I'll call you every evening. Okay? Mom?" she asked when there was no response.

"Huh? What?"

"I'll call you every evening."

Hope could hear her mother take a deep breath.

"Okay, honey," her mother finally gave in. "Be careful."

"I will. Night, Mom."

"Night, honey."

Hope severed the connection, lay back and took a deep breath. So far so good.

When morning finally came, Faith had barely closed her eyes. She had spent most of the night thinking about Hope and how Hope still loved her in spite of everything she'd done. She was still scared a bit, but she was also excited at the same time. She had nothing to live for before, except making up for what she had done, but now she had her daughter again and that mattered more to her than anything. She knew that Hope had enough money, but she wanted to be able to take care of her in case something happened to her adoptive parents. But in order to be able to do that, she needed more than to just be alive, she needed money. And in order to get money, she needed a job, a well paying job, and that, unfortunately, meant going to college. She shuddered at the thought, but she was determined to get a degree, not for herself but for Hope. Since nine o'clock was still far away, she decided to go for a run.

When nine o'clock finally came, Faith went to Hope.

"Hi," Hope said with a smile when she opened the door and Faith smiled back, relieved that she had not just imagined everything.

"Hey. Ready?"

"Yeah. Let's go." She locked up and they left. "I'm staying here for the summer," she then told Faith.

Faith looked at her, surprised.

"You are?"

"Yeah. I called Mom, she's okay with it."

"Oh." She smiled. "Okay." Then she frowned. "You'll need to call me something else."

Hope frowned as well.

"Why?"

"It gets confusing if you call me and your… mom… well, Mom."

"Oh." Hope thought for a moment. "I don't want to call you Mother. And Mama or Mommy sounds too… childish."

"You can call me Faith," Faith suggested.

Hope shook her head.

"No, you're my mom, I can't call you that."

Faith smiled.

"Oh," she said as she got an idea. "You can call me Mom when you're talking to me, but when you talk to others about me, you can call me Mother."

Hope thought about it for a moment and then smiled.

"Okay," she agreed. "Oh, we'll get a room at my motel, okay?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Eh, okay," she then agreed, not wanting Hope to live in a dump.

Hope smiled, excited.

"Cool." She thought for a moment. "Any plans for today?"

Faith smiled.

"Not really. You can go to the Magic Box with me after breakfast, meet the gang."

"Okay."

Faith took Hope to the Espresso Pump. While they ate, Hope told her a bit about herself and Faith wished she could've been there.

When they were done, Hope insisted on paying for both of them and Faith felt really strange, even embarrassed, because Hope was paying for her and not the other way around. She decided to get a job as soon as she could.

On their way to the Magic Box, Hope noticed the mall and decided she wanted some photos of her and Faith. Faith was all for the idea and they went there.

"There it is," Hope said when she spotted the automatic photo machine.

She ran to it and Faith followed her, smiling. Hope waited for Faith to catch up with her and then entered. Faith followed her and stepped behind her. She hesitated for a moment and then slowly hugged Hope from behind. Hope glanced at her with a smile and then quickly inserted some coins. A few moments later the first photo was taken. Faith hesitated for a moment and then leaned her chin on Hope's shoulder.

"Our very first family photos," she said, and Hope looked at her with a big smile.

"Yeah," she said as the second photo was taken. "We have to take more."

Faith looked at her with a smile.

"Definitely. Gotta get me one of those cheap cameras," she said as the third photo was taken.

"Let's look back into the camera," Hope said.

They looked at the camera just in time for the last photo to be taken.

They waited for a few moments and then the four photos came out. Hope took them and looked at them. Then she folded the film and tore it in half. She looked at the two halves and then gave the upper one to Faith.

"Here."

Faith smiled.

"Oh," she suddenly remembered. She hesitated for a moment. "Eh, which day were you born? I only remember it was somewhere at the end of April, maybe beginning of May."

"April 30 at nine PM."

"Okay." She took a deep breath. "Let's go to the Magic Box."

"Okay."

When they entered the Magic Box, everyone looked at them, curious. Faith swallowed, nervous.

"Eh, guys, this is Hope, my daughter," she introduced the girl.

Hope looked at her with a smile, noticing how proudly Faith had introduced her.

"Your what?" Xander said, surprised.

Faith looked at Buffy, confused.

"I didn't tell them," Buffy said with a smile.

"Oh," Faith said, understanding. She smiled. "Thanks."

"Isn't she a little too old to be your daughter?" Xander asked.

Faith's face became serious.

"No."

"Oh," Xander said, puzzled.

"So, everything's okay?" Buffy asked.

Faith looked at her and smiled.

"Yeah. She's staying here for the summer."

"Really?" Buffy said, surprised.

"Yeah."

"Hey," Dawn said as she came closer, "I'm Dawn."

Hope thought for a moment.

"Buffy's sister."

"Yes," Dawn said, surprised. "How did you know?"

"Mom told me."

"Oh," Dawn said, glancing at Faith. "Come, I'll introduce you to the others."

Hope looked at Faith.

"Mom?"

Faith smiled.

"Go."

Hope smiled back and then followed Dawn.

Faith stared after her for a few moments and then went to the counter.

"Giles, Willow, can I talk to you?"

"Sure," Willow said and came closer.

Giles and Buffy came as well.

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Eh, I've been thinking about going to college next fall," she then said, nervous.

"You have?" Giles said, surprised.

"That's great," Buffy said and smiled.

Faith blushed a bit.

"Yeah. Anyway, I'm gonna need help with enrolling and stuff."

"But you didn't finish high school," Willow said.

"I took the GED while I was in jail."

"Oh."

Faith shrugged.

"Didn't have anything better to do."

Everyone stared at her for a few moments.

"You're gonna need a permanent address," Willow then said.

"Oh." Faith thought for a few moments and then looked at Buffy. "Can I use yours?"

"Sure," Buffy said.

"Thanks."

"Do you wanna go to UC Sunnydale?" Willow asked.

"Yeah."

"Then we better go take care of the papers."

"Right now?" Faith said, surprised.

"Yes."

"Eh, okay."

"I'll take care of Hope," Buffy said.

Faith stared at her for a moment.

"Thanks."

"Um, you said Hope is staying in Sunnydale?"

"Yeah."

"Where?"

Faith frowned.

"A motel."

"What?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"We're getting a room together."

Buffy thought for a moment.

"You can move in with us."

Faith snorted.

"B, in case you haven't noticed, the house is full."

"She's right," Willow agreed.

"There's the basement," Buffy said. "We can turn it into an extra room. And we can get a large mattress so that Hope can sleep with you and Xander can make a bed and a table for you to study on."

"Eh, I don't know," Faith said, not sure how she would fit in with everyone.

"It's better than a motel."

"And cheaper," Willow added.

"Yes. And if something happens, you'll be right there." She frowned. "Only she doesn't know about vamps and stuff."

"She does," Faith said.

"She does?" Buffy said, surprised.

"She eavesdropped," Faith explained.

"Oh."

"She asked me about it and I told her the truth."

"And she believed you?"

"I took her out and showed her."

"You did?"

"Yeah."

"Oh. So, what do you say?"

Faith thought for a moment and then sighed.

"Okay," she accepted.

Buffy smiled.

"Great."

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

"Hope."

"Yeah?" Hope said and looked at her.

"Willow and I need to go take care of some paperwork. You can stay here, if you want."

"How long will you be gone?"

Faith looked at Willow questioningly.

"It might take a while," Willow said.

Faith looked at Hope.

"I don't know. If you need anything, ask Buffy."

"Okay."

"Oh, em, Buffy said we can move in with her."

"Really?" Hope said, surprised.

"Yeah. You can take your stuff to her place."

"Okay. Oh, I can take yours too."

Faith thought about it for a moment.

"Okay," she said, took the keys to her room from her pocket and threw them to Hope.

"Want me to check you out?"

"No, I'll drop by later."

"Okay."

Faith hesitated for a moment and then looked at Willow.

"Ready?"

"Yes," Willow said and they left.

Hope hesitated for a moment and then approached Buffy.

"Buffy, can I talk to you? Alone?"

"Sure," Buffy said and led the way to the gym.

"You have a gym in a magic shop?" Hope asked, surprised.

"Yes, we train here."

"Oh."

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

Hope looked at her.

"About Mom. I mean, Mother."

Buffy raised an eyebrow.

"Mom or Mother?"

"Mother. I only call her Mom when I talk to her, otherwise I use Mother, so people know I mean her and not my adoptive mom."

"Oh."

Hope hesitated for a moment.

"How do you feel about Mother?"

Buffy frowned.

"What do you mean?" she asked, puzzled.

Hope shrugged.

"Do you love her? Are you friends? Enemies? What?"

Buffy raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you want to know that?"

"Because she's my mom and I want her to be happy." She hesitated for a moment. "And I suspect she has a crush on you, but I doubt she'll do anything, because she feels guilty over what she has done."

Buffy stared at her, surprised.

"Faith… has a crush on me?"

"I think so, but I'm not sure. I mean, the way she looks at you…" She frowned. "But that could just be guilt, I'm not sure. Anyway, when she talked about you, she sounded, I don't know, excited. She liked spending time with you, until she killed that Finch guy." She thought for a moment. "I'm not sure, but I think she blamed you."

"For what?"

"I'm not sure. I mean, she has accepted that she killed him, but, I don't know, she's blaming you for something."

Buffy sighed.

"I know. I wanted to help her, but I never tried enough, there was always something in between. And I felt betrayed when I found out she was working for the Mayor." She thought for a moment. "But she did have a point when she tried to blame me for Finch."

"What do you mean?" Hope asked, curious.

"If I had killed him, nobody would've blamed me."

"Oh." She thought for a moment. "So how do you feel about her?"

Buffy sighed.

"I don't know. Things were a bit tense when she got back and when things calmed down, she kept mostly to herself." She thought for a moment. "But last night, she opened up a bit, more than she ever had." She frowned as she thought of something. "I think that's the reason why I was so angry with her and Angel, she opened up to him instead of me." She sighed. "I hope she's finally going to let me in."

Hope smiled a bit.

"Me too," she said and Buffy raised an eyebrow. "You're important to her," Hope explained.

"Oh."

"Thanks for trying to help her."

Buffy sighed.

"I just wish I had been successful."

"Me too."

Buffy smiled at her.

"You like her?"

Hope smiled.

"Yeah, she's nice. And she's completely honest with me and she tells me stuff I'm pretty sure she'd rather not. I mean, okay, she didn't tell me about Slayers and stuff at first, but I understand that."

"And your parents? I mean, your adoptive parents."

Hope shrugged.

"I called Mom last night and told her that I found Mother and that I'm staying with her for the summer."

Buffy raised an eyebrow.

"Just like that?"

Hope sighed.

"Things are a bit… tense back home. Sometimes I have this feeling that I'm nothing more than a trophy or something and I got sick of it. And besides, I want to get to know Mother better."

"I hope you can help her."

Hope smiled.

"Me too."

Buffy thought for a moment.

"How about we go get your and Faith's stuff and take it to our house."

"Okay."

They went back to the shop and Buffy looked at Giles.

"Giles, Hope and I are going to get her and Faith's stuff and take it to our house."

"Okay," Giles said.

When Faith and Willow finally came to the Summers house, it was early evening.

"How'd it go?" Buffy asked.

"Okay," Faith said. "Now all I have to do is wait for the answer."

"Oh."

"Where's Hope?"

"Watching TV."

Faith went to the living room.

"Hi, Mom," Hope said with a smile, and got up. "Come, let me show you where they put us."

"Eh, okay," Faith said, startled, and followed her.

"So, were you successful?" Hope said as she led the way.

"Huh?" Faith said, confused.

"Where you and Willow went."

"Oh." Faith hesitated for a moment. "Yeah, most of it."

"Oh. I got your stuff from the motel and I checked you out. The manager didn't give me any trouble."

"Yeah, I know."

"You've been to the motel?"

"Yeah."

"Oh." They reached the basement and Hope turned on the light. "Well, this is it," she said and waved around. "The guys helped me make it livable."

Faith looked around and saw that it wasn't that bad for a basement.

"I've slept in worse," she said and immediately regretted it.

Hope glanced at her, but didn't comment.

"You can redecorate," she said.

Faith looked around.

"No, it's okay, I like it."

Hope smiled a bit.

"We're gonna have to use the sleeping bags for a while. It'll be like camping."

Faith smiled at her.

"Yeah."

Hope thought for a moment.

"Will you be okay? I mean, living with all those people?"

Faith sighed.

"Yeah. As long as you're here, I don't mind."

"And when I'm gone?"

Faith thought for a moment.

"I'll probably get used to it by then."

"Oh." She hesitated for a moment. "How do you feel about Buffy?"

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

Hope shrugged.

"I noticed the way you look at her," she said and Faith blushed and looked away. "You love her?"

Faith looked at her, surprised, and Hope could see that she was afraid of something.

"What… What do you mean?"

"I know she means a lot to you, and I think you mean a lot to her too. She wants you to trust her, to open up to her like you did to me."

Faith stared at her for a moment.

"How do you know?"

Hope shrugged.

"I asked her."

Faith blinked.

"Oh." She hesitated for a moment. "And it wouldn't bother you?"

Hope frowned.

"What? That you might be gay? No. Why? I mean, half the girls upstairs are probably gay," she said with a smirk, causing Faith to chuckle.

"Yeah." She took a deep breath. "Anyway, it's not like I'm exactly high on Buffy's list of potential… love interests."

"Bullshit," Hope said and Faith raised an eyebrow at her. "Sorry. Anyway, you'd probably be surprised. Buffy might not be gay, but she definitely cares about you. Give her a chance. Hell, give yourself a chance. You might not end up together, but you'll definitely be good friends." She thought for a moment. "She said you flirted a lot. That's a definite no-no."

Faith grinned.

"Great, now I'm getting love advice from my own daughter. Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

Hope smiled.

"Who cares."

Faith stared at her for a few moments.

"Your parents should be proud of you."

Hope sighed.

"Considering I'm their trophy, they probably are."

"Is it that bad?"

Hope shrugged.

"Not really. It just… Sometimes it really pisses me off, you know? They're always looking for potential future husbands, I mean, hello, I'm the one getting married, not them."

"Want me to talk to them?"

Hope blinked, surprised, and then smiled. She thought for a moment.

"You can come over for Christmas and meet them. You can talk to them then."

Faith raised an eyebrow and thought about it.

"Yeah, I'd like that."

Hope grinned.

"They're so gonna freak out when I tell them more about you." She frowned. "You don't mind, do you?"

Faith thought for a few moments and then sighed.

"No. Just leave out the Slayers and the demons."

Hope smiled.

"Don't worry, I don't wanna end up in a loony bin."

Faith smiled.

"Yeah."

They stared at one another for a few moments.

"Mom, if you wanna hug me or if you need a hug, just say so, to hell with what anyone else thinks."

Faith smiled a bit. She hesitated for a moment and then raised her hand to touch Hope's cheek.

"I thought I'd lost you forever." She sighed. "I'm glad you found me."

Hope smiled back.

"Me too, Mom," she said and covered Faith's hand with her own. After a few moments she let go and Faith pulled her own hand back. "Talk to her, Mom, I think you can trust her."

Faith stared at her for a few moments.

"Are you playing a matchmaker?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Hope smiled.

"I just want you to be happy, Mom, and I think Buffy can make you happy."

"I'm already happier than I ever thought I could be."

Hope's smile widened.

"You could be even happier, Mom."

Faith sighed.

"There's just one problem. Loving Buffy is like an addiction. Once you start, you can't stop."

Hope chuckled, but then her face became serious as she realized something.

"You're afraid you'll go all evil again if she doesn't love you."

Faith looked away, slightly freaked out by how Hope could so easily read her.

"Yeah," she said quietly.

"I don't think you'll go evil again," Hope said and Faith looked at her with raised eyebrows. "You got me," Hope explained.

Faith smiled a bit.

"You're one hell of a kid, honey," she said and Hope smiled.

"You're not so bad yourself, Mom," Hope said and Faith's smile widened. "Come on, let's go upstairs."

Faith hesitated for a moment and then hugged her.

Hope smiled and hugged her back.

"Thank you, honey," Faith said quietly.

"Any time, Mom."

Faith held Hope for a few more minutes and then let go of her.

Hope noticed that a tear had slid down Faith's cheek and she wiped it.

They stared at one another for a few moments and then Hope smiled.

"Come," she said and offered her her hand.

Faith took a deep breath and, after a moment of hesitation, took Hope's hand.

Hope's smile widened and she led the way upstairs.

"Everything okay?" Buffy asked as they came upstairs.

Faith glanced at Hope.

"Yeah," she said.

"Em, Willow just made dinner."

"Oh," Faith said, surprised. She looked at Hope. "I'll be in the kitchen."

"Okay."

Faith went to the kitchen, and Buffy looked at Hope.

"Is everything really okay?"

Hope smiled.

"Yeah." She hesitated for a moment. "She does love you, she's just afraid to pursue it."

"Because she feels guilty?"

"Yeah." Hope hesitated again. "And also because she's afraid that she'll become evil again if you don't love her back."

"Oh," Buffy said, surprised.

Hope smiled.

"Looks like you're gonna have to be the one to start the relationship." She smirked. "If you decide you love her." Then her face became serious. "Just be careful."

Buffy stared at her for a few moments.

"Are you sure you haven't only met Faith yesterday?"

Hope smiled.

"Positive."

Buffy smiled as well.

"Thanks."

"Just don't act all weird around her or she's gonna guess that something's up."

Buffy nodded.

"I'll be careful."

"Okay."

After dinner, Buffy and Faith got ready to go out on patrol.

"Hope?" Faith said and looked around the living room.

"Yeah?" Hope said and looked at her.

"Buffy and I are going on patrol."

"Can I come?"

Faith bit her teeth.

"No."

"Come on. Please?"

"No, it's too dangerous."

"Dawn said Buffy lets her come sometimes."

"Yes, but Dawn is older, she has some training and she has fought demons before, you just found out about them."

"Oh." She sighed. "Okay. Be careful."

Faith smiled a bit, relieved that Hope wasn't pushing the issue.

"I will. I'll see you later."

"Okay."

"Seems like you got everything under control," Buffy said after they left the house.

Faith glanced at her, surprised.

"You think? This time I was lucky I knew the answer. What about the next time?"

Buffy smiled.

"Nobody expects you to know all the answers."

Faith sighed.

"Right."

"Besides, I think you're doing well."

Faith glanced at her, raising an eyebrow.

"I am?"

"Yes. I mean, sure, you will have arguments, but as long as you remember that she's your daughter and that you love her, everything will be okay."

Faith thought about it.

"You and Dawn have arguments?"

"Are you kidding? A couple of years ago, she was stealing and doing bad in school." She sighed. "I was this close to losing her." She took a deep breath. "But we made up. I guess we're both still learning. You and Hope just met, don't expect everything to go smooth."

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"You call that pep talk?"

Buffy smiled.

"All I'm saying is don't just give up. I mean, she traveled the whole country to find you, even when she knew that you'd been in jail."

Faith sighed.

"Yeah." She shook her head. "I still can't believe it."

They walked quietly for a few moments and then Buffy noticed that Faith was obviously thinking good thoughts.

"Penny for your thoughts."

Faith looked at her, startled, and then smiled a bit.

"I'm a mother," she said proudly and looked ahead again. "I mean, sure, I gave birth to her, but now I have a chance to be a mother for real," she said and Buffy smiled. Then she sighed. "It's kinda scary."

Buffy took her hand and gently squeezed it.

"Don't worry, I'll help you, okay?"

Faith looked at her with a raised eyebrow, startled by Buffy taking her hand.

"You will?"

"Yes. I know how hard it is to raise someone."

Faith took a deep breath and looked ahead.

"I really don't want to mess this up," she said quietly.

Buffy smiled again.

"You won't."

They walked quietly for a while.

"B?" Faith then spoke.

"Yes?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Why are we holding hands?"

Buffy blinked, startled.

"Eh, I don't know." She hesitated for a moment. "Do you want to stop?"

Faith thought about it for a moment.

"No."

Buffy smiled a little.

"Okay."

They kept walking for a while, both thinking.

"B?" Faith spoke again after a few minutes.

"Yes?"

Faith hesitated.

"Do you… Have…" She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," she then said quietly and tensed, expecting a violent comeback.

Buffy sighed. She could feel that Faith was nervous, maybe even scared.

"Why now?" she asked.

Faith glanced at her, startled.

"Huh?"

"Why apologize now? You've been here awhile."

Faith sighed.

"Well, there's you threatening to kill me if I apologized. I wanted to before, but I didn't want to push it. But now Hope's here and we're staying at your house and… and I got the feeling that you wouldn't kill me if I apologized."

"Oh."

They walked quietly for a while, Buffy thinking, Faith nervous.

Suddenly, they were attacked by two vamps. They each took on one and quickly staked them.

"Talk about team work," Buffy said when the vamps were dust.

"Yeah," Faith said with a smile, a bit more relaxed now.

They started walking again, both quiet. After a while, Buffy took Faith's hand again.

"I forgive you," she said.

"Huh?" Faith said, surprised, and looked at her.

Buffy looked at her and smiled a bit.

"I've seen your softer side." She hesitated for a moment. "You've changed." She thought for a moment. "I know you don't like to talk about yourself and it meant a lot to me when you opened up to me last night."

Faith stared at Buffy for a few moments and then looked ahead.

"Does… Does that mean we're… friends again?"

Buffy smiled again.

"Yes."

Faith took a deep breath, feeling much better.

"Thanks." She thought for a moment. "B?"

"Yes?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Where is this going?"

Buffy smiled, guessing what Faith was talking about.

"I don't know," she said. "But I'm willing to find out."

Faith took a deep breath, suddenly nervous, but in a good way. She thought about it and then smiled a little.

"Me too."

Buffy's smile widened and she gently squeezed Faith's hand. Then they continued on their patrol, both thinking happy thoughts.

The End