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. This is an AU story where Faith is the Slayer and Buffy is not.

Saving Faith the Vampire Slayer
By Kristjan Brezovnik

Faith stared as a group of vamps circled her. Two years ago, she would have relished the fight, but now, now she was more careful, she wasn't completely alone anymore. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, bating the vamps. The vamps took the bait and attacked. Faith then exploded into action, kicking one, staking another and hitting yet another. She spun around and dusted another one. She kicked back, kicking the first, then head-butted the third and staked the fifth. The two remaining vamps looked at one another, not so sure of themselves anymore. Faith took the opportunity and staked one of them. The last vamp turned around and ran away, but Faith threw her stake after him, dusting him.

"Very good."

Faith turned around, her backup stake ready.

"You really shouldn't sneak up on people," she said menacingly, eyeing the woman warily.

"I know, I'm sorry, but you're hard to find."

Faith narrowed her eyes, wary.

"You were looking for me?"

The woman nodded.

"Yes."

"Why?"

The woman hesitated, clearly nervous.

"Um, promise not to hurt me?"

Faith approached her and the woman backed off.

"I'll hurt you if you don't tell me."

"Oh. Well… Em… I… I work for the, um, the Watcher's…"

She trailed off when Faith grabbed her neck, bringing her to her knees.

"I thought my message was clear."

The woman nodded.

"Yes," she said, holding Faith's arm. "May… May I finish?"

"I don't want anything to do with the Council."

"I know."

Faith stared at her for a moment and then released her. The woman coughed took a few deep breaths, rubbing her neck.

"Who are you?"

The woman looked at her and got up.

"Joyce. Joyce Summers."

"What do you want?"

"Be your Watcher."

Faith raised an eyebrow, wondering if the woman was suicidal.

"Are you suicidal?"

Joyce shook her head.

"No." She sighed. "Look, the Council needs a Slayer. Not everybody there wants you dead."

Faith snorted.

"They're in minority."

"I know. But the thing is you've changed, you've been doing your duty again. And it was felt that perhaps we could assist you."

"I don't want your help."

"Look, the Council has promised to call off the assassins if you accept me as a Watcher."

Faith briefly thought about it.

"I already have a Watcher."

Joyce frowned.

"You do?"

"Giles."

"Oh." Joyce nodded. "I understand, but as far as the Council is concerned, Mr Giles no longer works for them. Look, you don't have to call me a Watcher. Just let me help you with research."

Faith thought about it for a few moments. She didn't trust the woman or the Council, but if they would leave her alone, it was perhaps worth a try.

"So, you drew the short straw."

"No, I volunteered."

Faith raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Why?"

"Because I believe that you're not evil." She smiled. "Look, I won't pretend that I know what you went through after you killed Mr Finch, but I imagine you were scared. I want to be there for you."

Faith stared at her, remembering the first man she had killed.

"Why?" she then asked.

"I have two daughters, the older is your age. It made me think how scared she would be if she were in your position."

Faith turned away and thought about it. Her life flashed in front of her eyes and she shook her head to push the memories away. She turned her head and looked at Joyce, who was patiently waiting for Faith's decision.

"I need to think about it," she said.

Joyce nodded.

"Let me give you my address so you can tell me what you decide," she said and opened her purse.

Faith eyed her closely, wary of a trap. But Joyce only took out a pen and card and wrote down the address.

"Here," she said and gave Faith the card. "Do you know where this is?"

Faith glanced at the card and nodded.

"Yeah."

"Okay. I'll see you… whenever you decide."

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

Joyce stared after her for a few moments and then returned to the motel.

When Faith got back to her own motel, she first went to the bed and checked up on the little bundle there, the most precious thing she had, Hope, her baby daughter. She smiled when she saw that the girl was sleeping peacefully, and she kissed her on the temple. Then she undressed and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

"How'd it go, Mom?" Buffy Summers asked when Joyce came home.

"Better than I expected."

"Do you think you're right about her?"

Joyce nodded.

"Yes."

"I hope so."

It took Faith a while to scout out the surrounding of Joyce's apartment. She didn't trust her and she wanted to make sure that it wasn't a trap. She could find no sign of anything suspicious for blocks around, so she finally decided to go see her.

When she got to the door, she took a deep breath, wondering if the Council would keep their word. She knocked and then waited. It was a young girl who opened.

"Hi," she said. "Oh," she added when she apparently recognized her.

Faith frowned, surprised.

"Oh, hi."

Faith looked up and saw another girl, obviously the young one's sister.

"Mom, it's Faith!" the older girl called.

Faith stared at her, surprised that she knew her.

Joyce came a few moments later.

"Oh, hello, Faith," she said with a smile. "Come on in."

Her daughters backed off to let her pass and the younger then closed the door.

"Um, these are my daughters, Buffy and Dawn," Joyce introduced the girls.

Faith glanced at them briefly, wondering for a moment what kind of name was Buffy. She decided that it suited the girl, so she looked back at Joyce.

"You wanted to talk," she said.

"Yes, come."

Faith followed Joyce to the living room while Buffy and Dawn went to their own rooms.

"Would you like anything to drink?" Joyce offered.

"No," Faith said.

"Anything…"

"If this is a trap and you're trying to stall, I'll kill you," Faith interrupted her.

Joyce was shocked for a moment and then she nodded.

"Very well," she said and sat opposite of Faith. "As I've already told you, the Council needs a Slayer. When you weren't doing your job, they wanted to kill you, but we all know how that turned out. Now, however, you're doing your job again and some of us felt that you could remain the Slayer. There were heated debates, but in the end, everyone agreed that it was better to have a seasoned Slayer than to have to train a new one. They weren't exactly happy about it, especially since they were mad at you for going rogue in the first place. And, of course, because of what you did to the assassins."

"I don't really give a shit how the Council feels about me."

Joyce nodded.

"I know. Anyway, they wanted to have some semblance of control over you, so I volunteered to contact you. They gave me six months to see if we could work together."

"And then?"

Joyce sighed.

"I'm afraid they'll send the assassins after you again."

Faith thought for a few moments.

"What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Well, the Council wants regular progress reports from me. Now, I don't think you trust me, so I thought we could communicate over the phone. That way you could call me from anywhere you were and you wouldn't give your position away. And I can fake the reports about your skills."

Faith stared at her, surprised.

"Why would you do that?" she asked, her voice betraying none of the confusion she felt.

"Because, quite frankly, I don't trust the Council either. They could easily send someone to follow me and I don't want them to kill you."

"Why not?" Faith asked. "I'm a murderer," she pointed out.

Joyce sighed.

"Mr Finch was an accident. The way Mr Wyndam-Pryce handled things was wrong, even he admitted it later. I know you committed several more murders, including the first assassin team, but I think you were scared."

Faith didn't respond. Instead, she thought about what Joyce had said about Wesley Wyndam-Pryce admitting that he had screwed up. She hated the man's guts and he was extremely lucky to be still alive.

"Can I ask you something?" Joyce interrupted her contemplation.

Faith looked at her.

"What?"

"Why did you go to the Mayor?"

Faith stared at her for a few moments, remembering the night she changed sides.

"You were trying to kill me, he could protect me," she said.

"But you turned against him in the end."

Faith didn't respond. She still felt guilty about it occasionally. Sure, the man was evil, but in a way, he was like a father to her. Giles was also like a father to her, but he was more distant, there was none of the friendly banter between them.

"Yes," she finally said, not elaborating further.

Joyce realized that Faith wasn't going to explain, so she changed the subject.

"What I want from you is to tell me which demons you killed and how many. Also if there was anything special about them." She hesitated for a moment. "And perhaps where you killed them, so we may make a map of demonic activity."

Faith thought about it and then nodded.

"Okay."

Joyce thought for a moment.

"Well, that's about it for now. If you have questions or if you need help, call me."

Faith nodded again and then got up. She started for the door and then stopped.

"If I find out you're trying to set me up so that the Council might kill me, you'll be very sorry," she said. Then she thought for a moment. "Remember when I said I'd kill you?" she asked and Joyce nodded. "I changed my mind. I'll kill your daughters instead and make you watch it."

Joyce's eyes went wide from shocked.

"Don't you dare threaten my daughters," she then exploded angrily.

Faith's eyes went cold.

"Just so you know what's at stake," she said and left.

Joyce stared after her, shocked, wondering for a moment if this really was such a good idea.

“How’d it go, Mom?” Buffy asked Joyce when she and Dawn came to the living room after Faith was gone.

Joyce looked at her daughters and sighed.

“Okay, I guess. We talked and she’s allowed me to be her watcher.”

“That’s good, right?”

“I don’t know,” Joyce said, thinking. “She doesn’t trust me.”

“She doesn’t exactly have a reason,” Buffy pointed out.

“I know,” Joyce agreed.

“Do you think she’s worth the trouble?”

Joyce thought for a few moments.

“Yes,” she then said determinedly.

Buffy smiled, relieved.

A few days later, Faith took her daughter to the park for a walk. Hope stuck close to her, but she curiously looked around. Faith kept looking around for any suspicious activity, but she kept listening to what Hope was saying and she also kept glancing at her, happy because her daughter was happy.

“Mommy, Mommy, look!” Hope suddenly called and pointed with her little hand.

Faith looked and smiled when she saw a man on roller-blades rush by.

“Can I do that?” Hope asked and looked at Faith with wide eyes.

“Sure you can, honey, when you’re older.”

Hope smiled, excited, and looked back at the man.

“He’s so fast.”

"Faith! Hi!"

Faith froze when she recognized the voice. She slowly turned, putting herself between her daughter and Dawn. She was relieved when she saw that the girl was alone.

"Is she yours?" Dawn asked, her eyes wide, when she saw Hope. "She's so cute," she gushed. "What's her name?"

Faith grabbed her neck and Dawn grabbed her arm, gasping for air.

"Hope. And if you tell anyone about her, I'll find you and I promise it won't be a pleasant reunion for you," she said, her eyes gleaming dangerously.

She let go of Dawn and Dawn backed off, massaging her neck. She was scared.

"Beat it," Faith ordered.

Dawn back off some more and then ran off.

Faith quickly picked Hope up.

"Time to go, honey," she said and caressed her.

"Bad people?" Hope asked, worried.

Faith smiled, proud at how smart her daughter was.

"Yes."

She quickly left.

"Are you alright, honey?" Joyce asked when Dawn came back to the shop she was in.

"Yeah, Mom," Dawn said. She glanced out the window, but Faith and Hope were long gone. "Where's Buffy?"

"Summers," Buffy said as she answered the phone.

"It's me, Faith," Faith said.

"Oh, hi. Hold on." She put the receiver to her shoulder. "Mom! It's Faith!"

Joyce immediately came and Buffy gave her the receiver.

"Hello, Faith?"

"Yeah."

"What can I do for you?"

There was a brief pause.

"I'm leaving town."

"You are?" Joyce said, surprised. "Where are you going?"

"None of your business."

"Oh. Of course. I'm sorry," Joyce quickly apologized. "May I ask why?"

"I don't like it here anymore."

"Oh," Joyce said, puzzled. She thought for a moment. "Have you seen anyone suspicious?"

"No."

"Good," Joyce said, relieved. She thought for a moment. "Well, if you won't be here anymore, then I guess we'll leave as well. We're going to Sunnydale. I'll leave our new address and phone numbers with Mr Giles." She paused for a moment. "You do have his phone number, don't you?"

"Yeah," Faith said.

"Okay then. Anything else?"

"No."

"Then call me in, say, three days. Okay?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Good luck, Faith."

There was a brief pause.

"Thanks."

"Mom?" Buffy asked, curious, when Joyce hung up.

Joyce looked at her.

"She's leaving town."

"What? Why?" Buffy asked, worried.

Joyce shook her head.

"I don't know. But since she won't be here anymore, we're going to Sunnydale."

"Why?" Dawn asked as she came in, only overhearing the last part.

"Because Faith is leaving town."

"Oh," Dawn said quietly, realizing that Faith was probably leaving because she knew about Hope and she didn't trust her. "When are we leaving?"

"Start packing."

Faith hung up and then stared at the phone for a few moments.

"Fuck," she then swore.

She had planned to go back to Sunnydale herself, she wanted to be as far from Joyce as possible, but now Joyce was going there as well. Talk about bad luck. She continued on her patrol, considering whether she and Hope should still go to Sunnydale. On one hand, she didn't trust Joyce and she didn't want to be anywhere near her, but on the other, she wanted to go see Giles. She hated to admit it to herself, but she missed him. She owed him an apology and she also wanted to thank him for what he had done for her. Not to mention that she had planned to go to Sunnydale before Dawn found out about Hope, because she was needed there. She sighed, deciding to go to the bus station and see when the first bus to Sunnydale was leaving.

The next day, Faith bought the bus tickets and went to the back of the bus. There weren't many passengers, so she and Hope had the back row for themselves. Hope spent some time staring out the window while they were still driving through the city, but then she got bored and Faith read stories to her.

When the bus made the first major break, Faith got them a warm meal and then Hope cuddled up in the seat, put her head in Faith's lap and fell asleep. Faith sat quietly, resting, and played with Hope's hair from time to time.

After another day on the road, Hope was getting cranky and Faith decided that they needed to take a break. They got off the bus and Faith got them a room in a motel. They went for a dinner first and then they turned in early. Hope cuddled up to her and immediately fell asleep.

Giles frowned when he opened the door and saw an attractive woman his age there.

"Yes?" he asked, fixing his glasses.

"Rupert Giles?" the woman asked.

"Uh, yes," Giles confirmed.

"I'm Joyce Summers," the woman introduced herself, "Faith's new Watcher."

Giles blinked, immediately switching to defensive.

"I don't know where she is," he said.

"I know," Joyce said. "May I come in?"

Giles hesitated for a moment and then backed off to let her pass. Joyce smiled and entered. She looked around, waiting for Giles to close the door.

"What can I do for you?" Giles asked, watching Joyce warily.

"Well, I just dropped by to let you know that I've moved into town and to give you my address and phone number so you can give it to Faith when she calls you," Joyce said and searched for the piece of paper in her purse.

"Why would she call me?" Giles asked.

Joyce glanced at him.

"I told her that I was moving to Sunnydale and that I'd leave my phone number with you so she could call me."

"You've seen her?" Giles asked, immediately interested.

Joyce glanced at him again.

"Yes. Ah, here it is." She checked that the information on the paper was correct and then gave it to Giles. "Here."

Giles glanced at it and then looked back at Joyce.

"How is she?" he asked and Joyce could see that he was clearly worried.

"She's okay, I guess. I found her in Boston, but she left."

"I see."

"She's doing her duty again, so the Council called off the assassins for now and I volunteered to be her Watcher."

"You volunteered?" Giles asked, surprised.

Joyce nodded.

"Yes. I wanted her to have someone to turn to if she was in trouble. I mean, I know she has you, but you don't work for the Council anymore."

"Yes," Giles said, looking away, thinking.

Joyce hesitated for a moment.

"She still considers you her Watcher," she then told Giles.

Giles looked at her and Joyce could see that it meant a lot to him.

"I see," he said. He paused for a moment, pulling himself together. "Tea?" he asked.

Joyce smiled.

"Yes, please."

"Okay, honey, this is it," Faith said as the bus passed the Sunnydale city limits.

Hope looked out the window curiously and Faith joined her.

They quickly reached the bus depot and Faith got them a cab.

"Mommy, Mommy, look!" Hope called, excited, as they passed the park and she saw the carrousel.

Faith looked and smiled.

"A carrousel," she said.

"Can we go?"

"As soon as I find us a place to stay for the night."

"Okay," Hope said and continued to stare out the window as Faith held her protectively.

The cab dropped them off at the motel where Faith had been staying during her last visit to Sunnydale. She got them a room and then they went out to get something to eat.

"Honey, I want to go out tonight to find us someplace decent to stay. Will you be okay by yourself or do you want me to stay?"

Hope thought for a moment.

"I'll be okay."

Faith smiled and caressed her.

"Okay. You're very brave," she said and kissed her on the forehead.

As Faith walked around Sunnydale, she noticed that not much had changed. Vamps were still a nuisance and people were still clueless. She passed by Giles' house, but she didn't go to him.

The next day, they moved to a decent apartment in a respectful part of town, which Faith had found the previous evening. She considered calling Giles to get Joyce's phone number, but she decided to visit him in person, after all, he deserved at least that much. So she waited till nightfall. Then she put Hope to bed, not wanting Giles to know about her yet since she wasn't sure if he was still on her side, and went to him.

When she got to his house, she stared at the door for a while, nervous, scared even. She finally took a deep breath and gently knocked. She was just wondering if maybe she should knock again when the door opened.

Giles stared at Faith for a few moments, surprised and happy to see her. Faith stared back, not sure how he felt about her.

"Faith," Giles finally spoke.

"Hi," Faith said nervously. "Can I, um, come in?"

"Yes, yes, of course," Giles said and backed away, cleaning his glasses.

Faith entered and looked around. She noticed that not much had changed since her last visit.

"How… How are you?" Giles asked after he closed the door.

Faith decided that he was either very upset or very happy. She shrugged.

"Better than I was two years ago."

Giles nodded.

"And the Council? I heard… I heard they sent assassins after you."

Faith looked away.

"Yeah," she said quietly. She bit her lip, hesitating. "I… I killed the first team," she then said quietly, unable to meet his eyes.

Giles nodded.

"I heard." He went to his phone. "Your new Watcher was here."

Faith nodded.

"I know."

"She left this," he said and gave her the piece of paper Joyce had given him.

Faith took it and looked at it.

"Please don't tell her I'm here."

"You're staying?" Giles asked hopefully.

Faith shrugged.

"For now. I don't trust her yet."

Giles nodded.

"She seemed a nice person."

"Yeah."

"I won't tell her."

"Thanks." She thought for a moment. "Is Angel still in town?"

"No. He moved to LA. He has a detective agency there."

"Really?" Faith said, surprised and impressed.

"Yes." He hesitated for a moment. "Wesley also works for him."

Faith bit her teeth and clenched her fists, remembering her last Watcher, who was responsible for her running away.

"He, uh, he knows he… messed up," Giles said and Faith looked at him, surprised.

"A little too late now," she said bitterly.

"I know."

Faith took a deep breath.

"Do you have Angel's number?"

"Yes, I do." Giles searched the papers beside his phone. "Here you go."

Faith took the paper, glanced at it and then put it away.

"I'll… I'll go on patrol now," she said. "I'll drop by if I find anything strange."

"What about Mrs Summers?"

"I'll call her and give her some info, but I'll need your help if I need a location."

Giles nodded.

"Good. And we can compare what she tells you with what I find."

Faith nodded, glad that Giles was still on her side. She took a deep breath.

"Sorry I didn't call."

"It's okay, I know you were scared."

Faith gulped.

"I'll… I'll see you around."

She turned around and headed to the door.

"Faith," Giles called after her.

"Yes?"

"Be careful."

Faith stared at him for a few moments and then smiled a bit.

"I will. Thanks." She hesitated for a moment. "For everything."

Giles nodded and Faith left. When she was gone, Giles sat on the sofa and took off his glasses. He rubbed his eyes, glad that Faith was alright.

“Hey, Cindy,” Faith said as she approached the counter at the Espresso Pump.

The woman looked at her.

“Faith,” she said, surprised. “Long time no see. How are you?”

Faith shrugged.

“Okay, I guess.” She hesitated for a moment. “Could you use another waitress?”

Cindy thought for a moment.

“In two days.”

“Okay,” Faith said. Then she hesitated again. “Um, I have a daughter, do you…”

“Really?” Cindy said, excited. “How old is she?”

“Two.”

Cindy thought.

“So you got her after you left.”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

“Um, do you think I could bring her here while I work? She’s really quiet.”

Cindy smiled.

“No problem, she can stay in my office. I can turn on the TV and she can watch cartoons or something.”

Faith breathed a sigh of relief.

“Yeah. Thanks.”

“Why don’t you bring her over tomorrow so I can meet her.”

“Okay, I will. I’ll see you.”

Buffy, Willow and Xander entered the Espresso Pump. School was over for the day and they decided to get something to drink.

"Hey, look, Xander, isn't that Faith?" Willow asked when she saw Faith.

Buffy and Xander both looked.

"Yes, I think so," Xander said.

"Faith," Buffy said, surprised. She looked at Willow and Xander. "You know her?"

"Yes," Willow said, "she saved my life from some freaks."

"Really?" Buffy hesitated for a moment. "Freaks with… distorted faces?" she then asked carefully.

Willow's eyes lit up.

"Yes."

"And pointy teeth?"

"Yes."

"Who like to bite your neck?"

Willow nodded.

"Yes. You know them?"

"Yes," Buffy said. "They're called vampires."

Willow and Xander frowned and looked at one another.

"Vampires?" Xander said.

"Yes. And they turned to dust after Faith staked them, right?"

Willow frowned, thinking.

"Yes, I think so. I thought they ran away, but now that you mention it, I think they just went poof."

Buffy nodded.

"Yes."

Faith's stomach sank when she saw who had entered the Espresso Pump. She knew it was a popular place, but she didn't expect anyone familiar to show up so early in the afternoon. She had taken the morning shift because she wanted to avoid meeting Buffy. She considered hiding, but it was too late, Buffy had already seen her. She sighed and went to her table. When she got closer, she noticed that she recognized Buffy's two friends. For a moment, she seriously considered leaving town again.

"Faith!" Buffy said, excited. "What are you doing here?"

"Work," Faith said, giving no indication that she knew Willow or Xander. "What'll you have?"

"I'll have a Pepsi," Xander said.

"Diet Coke," Buffy said.

"Me too," Willow said.

Faith nodded and left.

"She's awfully quiet," Xander said.

"Yes," Buffy agreed.

"Where do you know her from?" Willow asked.

Buffy thought for a moment.

"Boston." She looked at Faith. "I didn't know she was in town."

"Me neither," Willow said. "In fact, I haven't seen her in two years."

Buffy nodded.

"Yes, she's been away."

"Here you go," Faith said when she returned with their drinks and a receipt.

They quickly scrambled for money.

"I didn't know you were in town," Buffy said as she gave her the money.

"So?" Faith said and took her money.

"Well, I thought you'd let Mom know."

"She's not exactly on my list of people I want to know my whereabouts."

"Oh. I won't tell her if you don't want me to."

Faith stared at her for a few moments.

"Your choice," she said and gave Willow the change.

"I won't tell her," Buffy decided.

Faith stared at her for a moment and then left.

"What's going on between you two?" Willow asked, curious.

Buffy thought for a moment.

"Faith pissed off the people my mom works for."

"Oh."

Buffy looked at Faith, who was busy filling out other orders. She knew what Faith had done, but for some reason she still wanted to be her friend. Unfortunately, Faith wasn't letting her close.

A few days later, Faith finally decided to pay the Summers women a visit. She didn't really want Mrs Summers to know that she was in town, but if her daughters were any indication, she might be a good person. Not to mention that Dawn apparently didn't tell anyone about Hope. She waited till nightfall again and then went for a visit.

"Faith!" Dawn said excitedly when she opened the door and found the Slayer there.

"Hey," Faith said, not used to anyone being excited to see her, except Hope.

"Come in. Mom! Faith is here!" Dawn called as she closed the door.

"Hi, Faith," Buffy said as she came from the living room.

"Hey."

"Faith?" Joyce said, surprised. "When did you come to town?"

Faith glanced at Buffy.

"A couple of days ago."

"Oh. Are you staying?"

"I think so."

"I won't tell the Council you're here."

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

"I see you've been to Mr Giles," Joyce continued.

"Yeah."

"He missed you."

Faith looked down, feeling uncomfortable.

"I know," she said quietly.

"So where are you staying?"

Faith looked at Joyce, thinking about what to say.

"I found myself an apartment," she said, not specifying.

"Oh. You can stay here, if you want," Joyce then offered.

Faith stared at her, surprised. Then she looked at Buffy and Dawn, who seemed to be excited over the idea.

"Nah, I'm fine," she said.

Joyce nodded, realizing that she didn't earn Faith's trust yet.

"Okay. If you change your mind, a room will always be ready for you."

"Thanks," Faith said quietly.

"Oh," Joyce then remembered. "Mr Giles gave you the piece of paper with my address and phone number, right?"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah."

"Carry it with you so people will know who to call in case something happens to you."

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

"I will."

"Okay."

Faith hesitated for a moment, thinking what else to say.

"I'll go patrol now."

"Okay," Joyce said. "And be careful."

Faith frowned, surprised, and then nodded.

"I will," she said and left.

As Faith and Hope approached the carrousel, Hope got more and more excited.

"Do you want to ride alone?" Faith asked as she bought them a couple of tickets.

"Alone?" Hope asked, startled.

"Yes, on your own horse."

Hope's eyes lit up.

"Can I?"

Faith smiled.

"Yes."

Hope squealed from delight and Faith smiled.

They went to the carrousel and Faith sat Hope on the horse.

"Hold on tight, okay?"

Hope bobbed her head, excited.

Faith got on her own horse and as the carrousel started. She kept an eye on Hope, making sure she didn't fall off and hurt herself.

Dawn was just going over to a friend of hers when she noticed a familiar face in the park. She hesitated for a moment, not sure whether she should go to Faith, especially since she also noticed that Faith wasn't alone. She remembered the last time she had come across them, but she hoped that Faith wouldn't freak out, especially since she hadn't told anyone about Hope and since Faith had let Joyce know that she was in town. She slowly approached them.

"Hi," she said nervously.

Faith looked at her, startled.

"Hi," she said and looked around.

"I didn't tell anyone about her," Dawn said and nodded at Hope, who was hiding behind Faith.

"Good," Faith said.

Dawn hesitated for a moment.

"How old is she?"

"Two."

"Oh." Dawn hesitated for a moment. "Um, if you need a babysitter…" she then offered.

Faith raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"I'll let you know."

Dawn smiled.

"Okay. I'll, um, see you around."

"Yeah."

Dawn looked at Hope.

"By, Hope," she said, smiling, and waved at her.

As Dawn left, Faith stared after her, not sure what to think. She had threatened Dawn, but Dawn still seemed to like her. She was confused.

"Mommy?" Hope asked.

Faith looked at her and smiled.

"Everything's okay, honey. Want some ice cream?"

Hope's eyes lit up.

"Ice cream!"

Faith's smile widened.

"Let's go."

A few days later, Faith came across a very tough demon. It was big, it was strong, it was fast and it was ugly. The ugly bit didn't really bother Faith as she had seen uglier demons before, but she had a problem with all the other bits. It took her a while to subdue the demon, but not before she had been seriously wounded. So when she finally killed the demon, she quickly staggered away, dizzy.

She didn't get very far.

When Faith woke up, she noticed that it was bright outside. She wanted to sit up, but her whole body hurt.

"Faith."

Faith jerked, startled, and turned he head.

"Mrs S," she said, surprised, when she saw the entire Summers family.

"How do you feel?" Buffy asked.

Faith looked at her.

"Like shit," she said and tried to sit up.

"No, you should rest."

"I need to get back to my apartment."

"Faith, you've been wounded, you should…" Joyce started.

"No," Faith said firmly, bit her teeth and sat up.

"She's right, Mom," Dawn said.

"What do you mean?" Joyce asked, startled.

"I can't tell you, but she's right. Trust me." Dawn looked at Faith. "Unless you want me to…"

"No," Faith said firmly. "I need to get out of here."

"Faith…" Joyce started again.

"No," Faith said and started tearing out the IV tubes.

"Mom, let her go," Dawn said.

"But she's wounded," Joyce said, worried.

"I'm fine, just a bit sore," Faith said. "I'll be fine tomorrow." She paused for a moment. "I'll rest all day."

Joyce thought about it.

"Okay. But you should move in with us until you get well."

Faith looked at her, surprised.

"No, I can't. I need to get back to my apartment."

"Mom, can I talk to her for a moment?" Dawn said.

Joyce looked at her.

"Okay, honey," she said and left.

"Mom?" Buffy said, puzzled, as she followed her.

When they were gone, Dawn stepped closer.

"Look, I know you're worried about Hope. But right now you're hurt, you can barely move. Come to us, we'll take care of you two."

Faith stared at her for a few moments and then looked away. She was tempted to accept the offer, but she still didn't completely trust them.

"I need to think about it," she said quietly.

"Okay," Dawn said. "Will you at least let Mom drive you back? Or hire a cab?"

Faith looked at her, wondering why Dawn cared.

"Cab," she said.

Dawn smiled.

"Okay. I'll tell Mom."

Faith nodded and Dawn left.

When the cab dropped her off, Faith hurried to her motel room. She quickly unlocked the door and entered.

"Hope?" she said, worried.

The little bundle on the bed moved and Hope's head appeared from under the sheets.

"Mommy?"

Faith's heart broke when she saw Hope's teary eyes.

"Oh baby," she said and ran to the bed.

Hope crawled across the bed and Faith picked her up and hugged her tightly.

"I'm so sorry, baby," she said, tears running down her cheeks as well. She sat down, took a deep breath and wiped her tears. Then she looked at her daughter. "Are you okay, honey?"

Hope nodded.

"Mommy hurt," she said, worried, when she noticed the bandages on Faith's head.

"Yes, baby," Faith said and caressed her. "That's why I was late."

Hope touched the bandages carefully.

"Monsters?"

Faith smiled a bit and nodded.

"Yes. But don't worry, that monster is dead." She wiped Hope's tears. "Were you scared?"

Hope nodded and Faith caressed her.

"I'm so sorry, baby." She sighed. "I wish I could be a better mommy."

Hope sensed that her mommy was sad and she hugged her. A few tears escaped Faith's eyes and she quickly wiped them. She knew she didn't deserve someone as precious as Hope and she was even more determined to protect her and hopefully raise her to be a good person.

"I love you, honey," she said quietly.

They remained motionless for a few moments and then Faith looked at Hope.

"Are you hungry?"

Hope nodded.

"Then let's get you dressed first," Faith said and kissed Hope on the forehead.

As Faith was dressing her daughter, she had a strange feeling, like her body wasn't alright. And when she felt dizzy for a couple of moments, she knew that something was wrong with her. She didn't think it was something the doctors could fix. She knew she should talk to Joyce, but a part of her still didn't trust her, especially since it would mean exposing Hope, so she didn't call her. She considered calling Giles, but she wanted to keep Hope a secret, so she didn't.

But as she was washing the dishes after the breakfast, she felt dizzy again and she nearly fell.

"Mommy?" Hope said, worried, when she came to the little kitchenette after hearing something fall.

Faith looked at her and smiled, but then she groaned and fell to her knees when her head suddenly felt like something had exploded in it.

"Mommy!" Hope screamed, scared, and ran to her.

"Shh, it's okay," Faith tried to soothe her as she hugged her. She took a deep breath as she reluctantly made a decision.

"Honey, we're going to see someone," she said as she looked at Hope.

"Bad person?" Hope asked, worried.

Faith smiled.

"No, a good person," she said. She slowly got up and took Hope's hand. "Come."

While waiting for the cab, Faith tried to pack, but her head hurt too much, so she sat down instead. Fortunately the cab arrived quickly. Faith wanted to carry Hope, but she was too weak, so she took her hand instead.

"Okay, honey, get in," she said when they got to the cab.

She helped Hope get in and then got in herself. She gave the cabby Giles' address and then leaned back, exhausted.

Because her health was deteriorating quickly and she almost lost consciousness once, she had the cabby stop at the Summers house, which was closer. After paying him off, she stared at the Summers house, reluctant to go there, but another attack of dizziness quickly convinced her that she had to. She slowly started walking toward the house, feeling like the whole world was in a limbo. Hope trailed after her, holding her hand tightly. She was scared, feeling that something was wrong with her mommy. When they got to the door, Faith had to lean on the wall for a few moments.

"Mommy?" Hope asked, scared.

"Mommy's very sick, honey," Faith said and let go of Hope's hand to ring the bell.

A few moments later, Buffy opened.

"Faith!" she said, excited, when she saw Faith. But her face quickly became serious when she noticed how pale Faith was. "Are you okay? You look…"

She trailed off, surprised, when she saw a scared little girl hiding behind Faith.

"Who is it, honey?" Joyce asked a few moments later, as she passed from the kitchen to the living room.

Buffy jerked, startled and glanced at her mom.

"Uh, Faith."

Joyce's face brightened and she came to the door.

"Faith…" She trailed off when she saw that Faith was barely standing. "Let her in, Buffy," she said as she came closer to help Faith. "Dawn!" she called. "Buffy, let's…"

She trailed off when she saw Hope.

"My… daughter," Faith said and entered, Hope following her closely, afraid of the strange people.

"What is it…" Dawn started as she came downstairs. "Faith? Are you… Hope."

Joyce and Buffy looked at her, surprised.

"Hope?" Buffy asked.

"Yes, her daughter," Dawn explained.

The headache finally became too much for Faith and she collapsed.

"Mommy!" Hope screamed, terrified, and ran to her head. "Mommy?" she asked, tears running down her cheeks.

Faith groaned.

"Hope," she said and rolled onto her side. "Mommy's very sick," she said as she took Hope's hand into her own.

"Don't worry, she'll be okay," Dawn said reassuringly as she kneeled beside Hope.

Hope looked at her with big eyes. She remembered her from the park and she knew that she wasn't bad.

"Promise?" she asked.

Dawn smiled a bit even though she felt like crying.

"I promise," she said and spread her arms. "Come. My mommy will help yours."

Hope looked at Joyce and Buffy and then at her mommy.

"Go," Faith said. "She won't hurt you," she said, hoping she wasn't lying.

Hope looked back at down, still uncertain.

"You want your mommy to get well, don't you?" Dawn asked, and Hope nodded, wide-eyed. "Then come with me and let my mommy help her."

Hope hesitated for a moment and then let Dawn pick her up.

"Call…" Faith started to say, but she lost consciousness for a moment.

"Buffy, help me," Joyce said when Dawn got Hope out of the way.

Buffy helped her mom get Faith on her feet and then they helped Faith up the stairs. Dawn and hope followed them.

"Take her shoes off," Joyce said when they laid Faith on the bed.

Buffy quickly complied.

Faith reached into her pocket and took out a key. She gave it to Joyce and Joyce looked at it.

"This is where you live?"

Faith nodded.

"Take care of Hope… if I don't make it."

Joyce looked at her, surprised, and then nodded.

"I will. But it won't be necessary, you'll make it." She sat on the bed and took a small notebook from her pocket and a pen. "Now, describe the demon who hurt you."

As Faith tried to concentrate enough to remember, Dawn looked at Hope.

"Come, your mommy needs to rest now. We'll be right downstairs, okay?"

Hope stared at her mommy for a few moments and then nodded. She leaned her head on Dawn's shoulder, scared, and Dawn caressed her.

"It'll be alright," Dawn said as she took Hope away.

"She was big, more than seven feet," Faith said. "Mostly black, with green stripes. Bright green. She had black blood. Three small horns on the forehead, three breasts and three long fingers that ended in claws." She moaned. "She was fast." She thought for a moment. "And she stank, like rotten eggs. That's it."

Joyce jotted everything down.

"I'll be back soon, "she said and got up. "Buffy, stay with her, talk to her. Don't let her fall asleep."

"Okay," Buffy said with a nod. "You know what demon it was?" she asked, hopefully.

"I think so. I'll check the books and if I'm right, I'll go get the stuff I need for the medicine."

"Okay, Mom," Buffy said. "And hurry."

"I will," Joyce said and left.

Buffy looked at Faith. She looked so innocent, so vulnerable. She grabbed a chair and sat on it. She hesitated for a moment and then took Faith's hand into her own.

"Faith, can you hear me?"

Faith moaned.

"Yeah."

Buffy thought about what to talk to her about.

"Don't worry about Hope, she'll be okay."

"Hope…"

"My mom really is on your side, the Council doesn't know you're here." She hesitated for a moment. "What happened when you killed Finch?" she asked, hoping to provoke Faith so she wouldn't fall asleep.

"Accident," Faith said.

"How did it happen?"

Faith jerked as the bad memories came back. Buffy flinched at the look of pain on Faith's face.

"Was fighting some vamps. He came right after and touched me. I thought he was a vamp." She paused, shuddering. "He wasn’t."

"What happened afterwards?"

"Got scared. Got rid of the body." She paused. "Giles and Angel tried to help, but Wes kidnapped me."

"But you escaped."

"Yeah."

"And then?" Buffy asked, realizing that Faith was talking more or less on automatic. She didn't want to take advantage of Faith's helplessness, but she wanted to help her and for that she needed more information. "What happened then?"

"Assassins came. I killed them. Then I went to the Mayor."

"Why?" Buffy asked, not quite understanding.

"He could protect me." She paused. "He cared."

Buffy frowned, puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

"Like a dad. Didn't care I killed someone." She sighed. "I knew he was bad, but I didn't care." She paused and a few tears slid down her cheeks. "That's why I killed that professor."

Buffy suddenly understood Faith much better.

"Honey, I'm gong to get the ingredients," Joyce said as she passed the room.

Buffy looked up.

"Okay, Mom," she said and looked back at Faith. "But you killed the Mayor in the end. Why?"

"Got pregnant. Wanted Hope to be safe."

Buffy nodded absentmindedly, understanding.

"We'll help you, Faith, I promise," she then said and gently squeezed her hand, thinking about what else to talk.

When Joyce came back, she was carrying a cup of a strange smelling liquid.

"Is that the medicine?" Buffy asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Yes," Joyce said. "Raise her head."

Buffy got up and raised Faith's head.

"Okay, Faith, drink," she said.

Faith opened her mouth and Joyce started pouring the medicine in. Faith resisted a little, but she drank all of it.

"That's it," Joyce then said.

"Can she sleep now?" Buffy asked.

"Yes."

Buffy looked at Faith.

"Okay, Faith, you can sleep now. Hope is safe."

Faith moaned and slowly drifted off to sleep.

"Now what?" Buffy asked her mom.

"Now she sleeps it off." She thought for a moment. "I need to ask Dawn about Hope."

"Okay."

They left Faith's room and went downstairs to the living room, where Dawn was playing with Hope.

"Is everything okay?" Dawn asked.

Joyce nodded.

"Yes, Faith will be fine." She glanced at Hope and smiled. "Is she Faith's big secret you couldn't tell us about?"

Dawn glanced at Hope and nodded.

"Yes." She smiled. "You should see Faith when she's alone with Hope, she's a completely different person."

Joyce smiled.

"I thought so. Listen, I'm going to Faith's apartment to pick up her things."

"I'm coming with you," Buffy said, and Joyce looked at her. "I want to see where she lives."

"Okay, honey. Let's go."

"This isn't bad," Buffy said as she looked around the neighborhood.

"Yes," Joyce agreed and took out the key Faith gave her.

"I wonder where she got the money."

"I don't know, honey."

Joyce unlocked the door and they entered.

"Nice," Buffy said.

They took a quick tour.

"Start packing," Joyce then said. "I'll go talk to the manager."

"Okay," Buffy said. Then she remembered the dishes. "What about the dishes?"

"I think everything that belongs to the motel will be marked."

"Oh. Okay."

Joyce left and Buffy looked around, wondering where to start. She noticed two big bags and she decided to see what's in them. She opened them and saw that they were full of clothes, books, toys, toiletry and dishes. She looked around the room and saw that there weren't many things lying around. She picked up the few items of clothing, a comic book and a stuffed horse. Then she went to the bathroom and saw that there were only a few items of clothing hanging on a rope, drying. She noticed a plastic bag and she stuffed the clothes in it. Then she went to the kitchenette and saw that some of the dishes still needed to be cleaned. She sighed and started cleaning them.

"Buffy?" Joyce asked when she returned from the manager.

"In the kitchen."

Joyce went to the kitchenette, where Buffy was wiping the last plate.

"You're right, the dishes are marked," Buffy said. "Faith has hers marked with an F."

"Okay. Have you packed everything else?"

Buffy nodded.

"Yes. Everything was more or less packed."

"Good."

"These dishes are hers," Buffy said and picked them up. "So's the detergent."

"Good."

They went to the main room.

"Open the left bag," Buffy said and Joyce did so.

"She obviously likes order," Joyce remarked, noticing how everything seemed to have its place in the bag.

"Yes, I noticed," Buffy agreed. "Okay, I think this is it."

"Then let's go."

Buffy tried to pick up a bag.

"God, this is heavy. How can she carry this?"

"She's the Slayer," Joyce said with a smile and helped her.

"Oh. Right."

"Sleepy?" Joyce asked Hope after lunch.

Hope nodded and rubbed her eyes. Joyce smiled.

"Then let's take you to bed."

She picked her up and carried her upstairs.

"Do you want to sleep with your mommy?" she asked he when they got to Faith's room.

Hope nodded and Joyce took her in. She put her on the bed and Hope climbed on top of Faith and hugged her. Joyce wanted to object, but then she realized that Hope must be used to it, so she let her be.

She went to her room and returned with a spare blanket. She covered Faith and Hope and then stared at them for a few moments, firmly believing that her choice to help Faith was the correct one.

After a while, Buffy went to her room. As she got to her room, she decided to check up on Faith and Hope. She stopped by the door and looked in. She saw that everything was okay and she smiled at the innocence of the sight. Hope was still lying on top of Faith, sucking on her right thumb. Buffy leaned on the doorframe and quietly observed them.

"Buffy?" Dawn startled her out of her reverie.

Buffy turned.

"What?"

"What are you doing?" Dawn asked as she came closer.

"Just watching."

Dawn looked into the room and smiled.

"They're so cute, don't you think?"

Buffy nodded, smiling.

"Yes." She sighed. "Let's not disturb them," she said and went to her room.

"Mom! Hope woke up!" Dawn called when she heard Hope's voice through the baby phone Joyce had bought.

"I'll get her," Buffy said and ran upstairs.

"Mommy?" she heard Hope say again when she reached the room.

"She's still sleeping," she said as she entered, and Hope looked at her.

"When will she wake up?"

"Tomorrow." She smiled. "Come, time to get up."

Hope sat up and let Buffy lift her up.

The afternoon passed quickly and after dinner, Joyce washed Hope. Then she put on the pajamas Buffy had found in one of the bags and carried her to Faith's room. This time, Hope didn't climb on top of Faith, she cuddled up next to her. Joyce moved Faith's arm a bit so that Faith was quasi hugging Hope and Hope could rest her head on Faith's shoulder. Then she tucked her in.

"Sweet dreams, honey," she said and caressed her.

Hope mumbled something, already half asleep. Joyce smiled and left.

When Faith woke up the next day, her head felt heavy at first, but it quickly got better. She opened her eyes and found herself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.

"Hope." She looked around but couldn't see her daughter anywhere. "Hope? Hope where are you?"

Downstairs, Buffy and Dawn were playing with Hope when they heard Faith wake up through the intercom.

"Mommy!" Hope said, excited, and got up.

"I'll take you to her," Buffy said and picked her up.

"What was that?" Dawn asked when she heard a sound like something fell.

"Probably Faith," Buffy said and hurried upstairs.

In her room, Faith was just picking herself up when Buffy brought Hope.

"Mommy!" Hope said, excited, and reached for her.

"Hope," Faith said relieved and took her from Buffy. "Oh baby," she said, hugging her tightly. Then she looked at her. "Are you okay, honey?" she asked and caressed her.

Hope nodded and Faith smiled, relieved.

"Mommy okay now?" Hope asked, worried.

Faith's smile widened.

"Mommy's fine now. She just needs to take it easy for a while."

Hope smiled and hugged her.

Faith hugged her back and a few tears escaped from her eyes. She quickly wiped them. Then she looked at Buffy and Dawn, embarrassed.

"How long was I out?"

"Since yesterday morning," Buffy said.

Faith breathed a sigh of relief.

"She slept with you," Dawn felt important to add.

Faith looked at her daughter and smiled.

"Yeah," she said quietly.

"Ah, Faith, you're awake," Joyce said when she arrived.

Faith looked at her.

"Yeah."

"How do you feel?"

Faith took a deep breath and clenched her free fist.

"Kinda week."

Joyce nodded.

"I'm sure it will pass quickly."

Faith stared at the Summers women for a few moments, thinking.

"We didn't tell the Council," Dawn guessed Faith's thoughts.

Faith sighed.

"Thanks," she said, not used to thanking people. "For taking care of Hope and for healing me."

Joyce smiled.

"You're welcome."

"We got your stuff," Dawn said and pointed at Faith's bags.

Faith glanced at the bags.

"Thanks. We'll be leaving soon."

"You don't have to," Joyce said. "You're welcome to stay."

Faith stared at her for a few moments, surprised.

"I… Um… Why?"

"Because that way you won't have to worry about leaving Hope alone when you go out slaying."

"Or when you go to work," Buffy added.

Faith looked at her.

"I take her with me."

Buffy frowned.

"Where?"

"To work."

Buffy's frown deepened.

"But where do you leave her?"

"In the manager's office." She frowned. "I should call her."

"I dropped by the Espresso Pump yesterday and told them that you were sick."

"Oh. Thanks."

Buffy smiled.

"No problem."

"Faith, are you hungry?" Joyce asked.

"Yeah, starving."

"Why don't you take a shower first and I'll get you something to eat in the meantime."

"I'll get the shower ready," Dawn said and left.

"And I'll take Hope," Buffy said.

Faith backed off, hugging Hope protectively.

"I won't hurt her, Faith, you know that. She'll be safe with me."

Faith hesitated for a few moments and then gave Hope to Buffy. She was surprised when Hope didn't protest.

"We'll be downstairs," Buffy said and left.

Faith slowly followed her.

After the shower, Faith got dressed and then went downstairs. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and watched Buffy and Dawn play with Hope. They obviously liked Hope and Hope obviously liked them. She felt threatened for a moment, afraid of losing Hope, but then she realized that she was overreacting and she calmed down. She sighed, glad that Hope had been in good hands while she was out. She smiled, glad the she could trust the Summers women.

"Mommy!" Hope called, excited, when she saw her. She quickly got up and ran to her. "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"

Faith smiled and went toward her.

"Hey, honey," she said and picked her up.

"How do you feel?" Buffy asked.

Faith looked at her.

"Much better."

"Mom's in the kitchen."

"Okay." She hesitated for a moment and then gave Hope to Buffy. "Here."

Buffy smiled, glad that Faith trusted her. Faith smiled back, nervous, and then went to the kitchen.

"Man, that was delish, Mrs S," Faith said when she was done eating.

Joyce smiled.

"Glad you liked it."

"Oh, um, I need to call my boss."

"Sure, you know where the phone is."

"Yeah." She hesitated for a moment. "Thanks."

Joyce smiled.

"You're welcome."

Faith smiled shyly and left.

After she made sure she still had a job, Faith went to the main room.

"I need to talk to Hope," she said. "Alone."

"Sure," Buffy said and got up.

Dawn followed suit and they left.

Faith then sat in front of Hope and caressed her. Hope looked at her and smiled. Faith smiled back. She hesitated.

"Honey, do you like Buffy, Dawn and their mommy?"

Hope nodded.

"Nice people."

Faith smiled.

"Yes." She hesitated again. "Would you like to stay here?"

Hope frowned.

"With you?"

Faith nodded.

"Yes."

Hope's face brightened.

"Okay."

Faith took a deep breath.

"Then let's go ask."

She got up, waited for Hope to get up, and then took her hand. They slowly went to the kitchen, where the Summers women waited.

"Hi," she said.

"Everything okay?" Joyce asked.

Faith nodded.

"Yeah," she said and hesitated. "Um, Hope and I would like to stay," she then said. "If the offer still stands," she quickly added.

The Summers women smiled.

"It does," Joyce said.

Faith nodded.

"Thanks." She thought for a moment. "Does that mean we can stay in that room?"

"Yes," Joyce said with a nod.

"Okay."

"Faith, can I ask you something? I'm curious. How in the world did you get enough money for everything?"

Faith took a deep breath.

"I got some of it from the assassins and the rest from the Mayor."

"Oh. Okay."

"Are you going to school?" Buffy asked.

Faith looked at her, frowning.

"No, why?"

"Well, while I was packing, I noticed some books in your bag."

"Oh. No." Faith took a deep breath, not really used to talk about herself. "No, I'm studying for my GED."

"Really?" Buffy said, glad for Faith.

"Yeah," Faith said nervously. "I'm gonna need a real job if I want to raise Hope, I can't do it on eight grades."

"Yes," Buffy agreed. She hesitated a moment. "Um, do you need help unpacking?"

Faith thought for a moment.

"I won't unpack."

Buffy frowned.

"Why not?"

Faith shrugged.

"Habit. If I need to run, I just grab the bags and go, no need to pack again."

"Oh. But you won't need to run again."

"You never know when the Council's gonna find out I'm here."

"Oh. I guess," Buffy said, wishing that Faith didn't have to be constantly on the lookout.

"Oh, um, what's the thing on the nightstand?" Faith remembered.

"Baby phone," Joyce said. "I bought it so we could hear Hope wake up."

"Oh."

"You can turn it off when you're there with her."

"Cool," Faith said. She thought for a moment and then looked at Buffy, frowning. "Did we talk while I was… out?"

"Oh! Yes," Buffy said. She hesitated for a moment. "Um, Mom said I should talk to you and keep you awake." She hesitated again. "Um, we talked about Finch and what happened after that," she admitted, and Faith paled. "I didn't mean to take advantage of your state, but I wanted to help you and I needed to know your side of the story. I hope you're not mad."

Faith stared at Buffy for a few moments and then took a deep breath. She was angry and she felt betrayed, but on the other hand, Buffy didn't have to admit what they talked about. And the pleading look on Buffy's face convinced her that Buffy was serious. Not to mention that she obviously still wanted to be her friend, in spite of what she had learned. She sighed.

"No, it's okay," she said.

"If… If you want to talk about it…"

"I thought you already found out everything," Faith interrupted her.

"Well, not the details, just the general stuff. But I meant if you want to tell me about it, you know, because you feel like telling someone."

"Oh," Faith said. She shrugged. "We'll see."

Buffy smiled.

"Okay."

Faith thought for a moment.

"You did my dishes?"

"Yes," Buffy said.

"I checked you out," Joyce said, "but the manager insisted you come over and confirm it."

Faith nodded.

"I'll go tomorrow."

"Okay."

Faith hesitated for a moment and then looked at Hope.

"Come, honey," she said and then slowly took her out of the kitchen.

Dawn followed them. When she was gone, Buffy looked at her mom.

"I hope the Council changes their mind about her. I don't want her to be constantly on the run."

Joyce smiled.

"Me neither."

"When did you last talk to them?"

"Two days ago. I told them that she is reporting regularly."

"Are they still looking for her?"

"I'm not sure. I asked, but it seems that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing."

"Oh."

"But they've assured me that there are no assassins after her. I told them Faith was willing to work with me, but she's afraid of the assassins and that's why she's staying away from me. I hope that means that they will give her a chance."

"I hope so," Buffy said and then went to the main room.

When she got there, she had to smile. Dawn and Hope were playing with Dawn's dolls and Faith was resting on the sofa, observing them. Her smile grew when she saw Faith's wide-eyed look as she observed her daughter play happily. She was glad that Faith could forget about the world, if only for a little while.

Faith sat on the sofa for a while, focusing completely on her daughter. Her focus shifted to Buffy occasionally, but she wasn't even aware of it at first. Only when Buffy looked up from playing with Hope and their eyes met did Faith realize what she was doing. She blinked, startled, and then looked back at Hope, disturbed. For some reason, she felt attracted to Buffy and it scared her. She didn't want to trust anyone, it was safer that way. There weren't many people that she trusted and most of them were dead now. She trusted her daughter and she more or less trusted Giles. And now she was beginning to trust Joyce and her family and it scared her. Then she frowned as a realization hit her. She wasn't just afraid of trusting Buffy, she was afraid of liking her, of being attracted to her. The fact that Buffy was a girl didn't bother her. What bothered her was the attraction. And the possible consequences.

Sometimes she was even afraid of loving Hope, but she just couldn't help herself, she loved her and that was it. Of course, the fact that Hope loved her as well successfully pushed her fears away. She wondered if she was afraid of loving Buffy or afraid that Buffy might not love her back. She frowned. Or maybe she was afraid that Buffy would love her back, no matter how crazy that might seem.

"Faith?" Joyce distracted her.

She looked at her, startled.

"Yes?"

"Can I invite Mr Giles over for dinner tonight?"

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

"Yeah."

"Okay."

"Wait," Faith suddenly remembered.

"Yes?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"I'll take Hope to him today and I'll invite him."

Joyce nodded.

"Does he know about Hope?" she then asked.

"No."

"Oh."

"Can I invite Willow and Xander over?" Buffy asked.

"For dinner?" Joyce asked.

"No, just for the afternoon. Faith?"

Faith thought about it for a moment.

"Sure," she said, deciding that they weren't a threat since they didn't work for the Council.

"Okay," Buffy said and went to the phone.

Faith looked at Joyce.

"Mrs S?"

"Yes?"

Faith hesitated.

"Can I, um, can I cook lunch tomorrow?"

Joyce and Dawn looked at her, surprised.

"Are you sure?"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah. I want to do something, you know, since you took me and Hope in."

Joyce smiled.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, Faith."

Faith thought about it.

"I want to." She thought for a moment. "I can change to the afternoon shift at work. That way I can cook and watch Hope. And when Buffy and Dawn come home, they can watch her."

"That's a good idea," Joyce agreed with a smile. "And don't worry, if anything happens to you, I'll take care of Hope. I promise."

Faith stared at Joyce for a few moments, battling the tears in her eyes. She finally nodded.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

Joyce nodded, still smiling.

"Come, let's discuss the menu."

Faith got up and followed Joyce, glancing one last time at Hope.

After lunch, Faith and Hope visited Giles. Faith figured that if the Summers family knew about Hope, so should Giles, whom she trusted more than the Summers family. They slowly walked over to his house, Hope curiously looking around. When they got to the house, Faith took a deep breath and knocked. She waited nervously and the door finally opened.

"Hey, Giles," she said.

"Hello, F…"

Giles trailed off when he noticed Hope, who was half hiding behind Faith. Faith turned and picked her up.

"Giles, this is Hope, my daughter. Hope, this is Giles. He's a good person," she introduced them.

Giles and Hope stared at one another, Giles shocked, Hope curious.

"Uh, can we come in?" Faith asked when Giles just stared.

Giles looked at her, startled.

"Ah, yes, of course."

He backed off, and Faith and Hope entered. Faith carried Hope to the sofa and sat her down. Then she sat beside her and Hope leaned on her, a bit frightened by the unfamiliar surroundings. Faith put her arm around her and gently pressed her to herself.

Giles closed the door and then sat on a lounge chair opposite of Faith.

"How… When… Who…" he started, not quite sure how he should react.

"Two years ago," Faith said. She hesitated for a moment. "While I was working for the Mayor," she then added. "I don't know who the father is."

"I see," Giles said and took off his glasses to clean them.

Faith gulped, nervous.

"She… She saved me," she said quietly and looked at Hope, who was watching Giles curiously and had no idea what was going on, except that her mommy was upset.

Giles was quiet for a few moments, thinking.

"Do you have enough money to take care of her?" he asked.

Faith nodded.

"Yeah. I got… I got some from the assassins and the rest from the Mayor."

"Oh."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"We… We moved in with Mrs S," she then said, hoping he wouldn't feel betrayed.

Giles raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"You have?"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah. I got beaten up by a demon a couple of nights ago. The doctors patched me up, but when I got home, I was all dizzy. I wanted to come to you, but I nearly passed out in the cab, so I stopped at her house. I barely made it to the door. I wanted her to call you, but I passed out. I don't remember much after that. I woke up this morning."

"I see. Are you alright?"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah, Mrs S took care of us."

Giles thought for a moment.

"You trust her?"

Faith thought about it.

"For now. She said she didn't call the Council."

Giles nodded.

"That's good."

"Yeah. Oh, Mrs S is inviting you over for dinner tonight."

"She is?"

"Yeah. Are you coming?"

"I can't see why not."

"Cool," Faith said and smiled a little, glad that Giles wasn't angry with her.

They were quiet for a while, glad that they were together again.

"So, uh, you named her Hope?" Giles then asked and smiled at Hope.

Faith glanced at her affectionately.

"Yeah. Because she gave me hope."

Giles nodded.

"Hi, Buffy," Willow said as she and Xander came over in the afternoon.

"Hey, Buff," Xander said.

"Hey," Buffy said with a smile. "Come in."

"Faith," Willow said, startled, when she entered the living room.

"Hey," Faith said.

Then Willow noticed Hope.

"Ooh, you didn't tell me you had two sisters," she said, excited, and approached Hope, who immediately ran to Faith, scared by the newcomers.

"She's not my sister, she's Faith's daughter," Buffy explained to the puzzled Willow.

"Really?" Willow said, surprised.

"It's okay, honey," Faith said. She hesitated for a moment. "Good people."

Hope glanced at Faith, and Faith smiled at her. Hope stared at Willow and Xander for a few moments and then went back to Dawn.

"She's cute," Willow said with a smile. She looked at Faith. "What's her name?"

"Hope."

"How old is she?"

"Two."

"They moved in with us," Buffy said.

"Really?"

"Yes, yesterday."

"Does that mean you're staying, Faith?" Xander asked.

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Yeah. For now," she said, avoiding Buffy's eyes.

"Cool."

"So, where've you been?" Willow asked.

Faith shrugged.

"Around."

"Oh."

Faith looked at Buffy.

"I need to call someone."

"Okay."

Faith went to the phone and dialed.

"Angel Investigations. We help the helpless. How may I help you?"

"I'd like to talk to Angel."

"Angel is busy right now."

Faith sighed.

"Tell him it's Faith."

There was a brief pause and Faith guessed that the woman was checking with Angel.

"Faith?" Angel answered a few moments later.

"Yeah."

There was another brief pause.

"How are you?"

Faith took a deep breath.

"Better. I'm back in Sunnydale."

"Really?"

"Yeah." She hesitated for a moment. "Can you come over?"

"Yes. When?"

"When you have the time."

"Okay. Tomorrow?"

"Sure."

"Where?"

Faith thought for a moment.

"The Bronze."

"I'll be there."

"Okay." Faith hesitated tomorrow. "Bye."

"Bye."

Faith hung up and went to the living room. She saw that Buffy, Dawn, Willow and Xander were playing with Hope and that everything seemed to be in order. She observed them and then went up to her room.

"Hey," Faith said when she opened the door in the evening and found Giles there.

"Hello, Faith."

"Come on in."

Giles entered and Faith closed the door.

"This is a nice place," Giles said as he looked around.

Faith smiled a bit.

"Yeah. Oh, Angel is coming over tomorrow."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I called him."

"Hi," Dawn said as they came to the living room.

"Hello," Giles said.

"Giles, this is Dawn. And that's her sister, Buffy," Faith introduced them and pointed at Buffy, who was holding Hope. "Dawn, Buffy, this is Giles, my Watcher."

"Hi," Buffy said.

"I thought Mom was your Watcher," Dawn said, puzzled.

Faith shrugged.

"Officially," she said. She hoped that she didn't insult Joyce, whom she had grown to like and accept as her Watcher. "I guess they're both my Watchers."

"Oh."

"Hello, Mr Giles," Joyce said as she came from the kitchen.

"Hello," Giles said, suddenly nervous.

"Gramma, I'm hungry," Hope declared and everyone looked at her.

"She's calling you Grandma?" Faith asked, surprised.

Joyce smiled.

"I hope you don't mind."

Faith thought about it for a moment and then shrugged.

"No."

"Does that make me Hope's aunt then?" Dawn asked.

Faith looked at her and smiled after a moment of thinking.

"Sure, why not."

Dawn smiled.

"Cool."

"Come, dinner is ready," Joyce said.

Everyone went to the kitchen and Joyce served dinner.

"So, Mr Giles, you don't seem to be very popular with the Council these days," Joyce then said.

Giles looked at her.

"Uh, no, I'm not. And quite frankly, I don't really care. The Council simply isn't what it used to be."

Joyce smiled.

"I suppose." She thought for a moment. "Do you think we could work together now that Faith is here?"

"Yes, of course," Giles quickly agreed. "That way we'll be able to support Faith better."

Joyce nodded.

"Exactly."

Faith quietly observed for a while as the two Watchers discussed Watcher stuff and she noticed that they liked one another. She was relieved, one less thing to worry about. Then she concentrated on Hope.

After dinner, Faith took the sleepy Hope upstairs to wash her. Buffy hesitated for a few moments and then followed her.

"Faith," she said when she caught up with her.

"Yeah?" Faith said, glancing at her.

"Can I watch?"

Faith frowned.

"What?"

"You washing Hope. I'd like to be able to do it if necessary."

Faith thought for a moment.

"Sure."

Buffy smiled and approached.

After Hope was ready for bed, Faith took her to their room and laid her on the bed.

"Story, Mommy," Hope said.

"Your favorite one?" Faith asked and Hope bobbed her head. Faith smiled. "Okay."

Buffy, who had volunteered to clean up the bathroom, was on her way to her room when she heard that Faith was reading Hope a story. She went to the door and peeked in. She leaned on the doorframe and listened, smiling.

When Hope fell asleep, Faith stopped reading and put the book away. She carefully picked up Hope and laid her down. She covered her with the blanket and kissed her on the temple.

"Sweet dreams, baby," she said quietly, caressing her.

Buffy quickly left, realizing that Faith would feel very uncomfortable about being caught.

The next day, after the Summers women left for work and for school, Faith and Hope went to the manager of her motel and confirmed that everything was alright. Then they went shopping. Faith didn’t like it much, but Hope got excited every time and seeing Hope excited and happy made Faith happy. They didn’t buy much and Faith spent most of the time driving Hope around in the shopping cart, which excited Hope to no end. They pretended they were racing, but only when there weren’t many people around so they wouldn’t hit anyone.

After shopping, they went home. Faith made sure that Hope was busy in the living room and then she started to make lunch. She was a bit nervous about it, because so far she had only cooked for Hope and herself. She thought she was okay and Hope never complained. She hoped the Summers women would like it as well.

Dawn soon came home and Buffy came an hour later, just in time for lunch. Faith served the food and then went to get Hope.

“Lunch is ready,” she said when she saw Buffy and Dawn there as well.

“Okay,” Buffy said and picked up Hope.

Faith stared at her, feeling slightly jealous for a moment. But then the jealousy passed and she turned and went back to the kitchen.

Buffy sat Hope next to Faith, and Faith started to feed her. Buffy and Dawn sat down and started to eat. Faith nervously glanced at them, awaiting their verdict.

“Not bad,” Dawn said with a smile.

“She’s right,” Buffy nodded. “Mom makes it a bit more spicy, though.”

“I’m careful with the spices because of Hope.”

Buffy nodded.

“I know, I’m not complaining.”

“Oh.”

Buffy hesitated for a moment.

“You work in the afternoon now, right?” she then said.

“Yeah,” Faith confirmed.

“Do you think I could take Hope out to the park later?”

Faith stared at her, thinking. She was reluctant to leave Hope out of her sight and even more reluctant to let anyone else take care of her, but she had a feeling that Buffy would never hurt Hope and that she would protect her. She nodded.

“Yeah, okay.”

“Can I bring her over to the Espresso Pump?”

Faith thought about it.

“No, better not. Unless she starts crying or something.”

“Okay.”

Faith quickly spotted Angel when she came to the Bronze in the evening. She stopped and waited for him to start walking toward her, then she walked out and waited there for him.

"Hey," she said when Angel came out.

"Hello, Faith," Angel said.

Faith started to walk and Angel followed her.

"I hear you're a detective now," Faith said.

"Yes."

Faith chuckled.

"And you investigate?"

"Yes. I mostly do the supernatural cases."

"Cool."

"And you? Are you okay?"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah. The Council's off my back for now."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I got a new Watcher."

"You do?"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah. She's okay. I live with her."

"Really?" Angel said, surprised.

"Yeah." Faith hesitated for a moment. "I have a daughter."

"You do?"

"Yeah. She's two. Her name's Hope."

"And you trust your new Watcher with her?"

Faith sighed.

"I didn't really have a choice. I got busted by some demon. The doctors took care of me, but I was poisoned. I wanted to go to Giles, but I felt weak, so I went to Mrs S."

"Mrs S?"

"Summers. She took care of Hope and she didn't tell the Council where I was, because she doesn't trust them either."

"Oh."

"Wanna see her?"

"Hope?"

"Yeah."

"Of course."

"Can you stay until tomorrow? She's sleeping right now."

"Okay."

"Where are you staying? I'll bring her to you."

"I'll be at the mansion."

"Good. We'll come in the morning."

"Okay. Are you going on patrol now?"

"Yeah."

"Can I come?"

Faith looked at him, grinning.

"Sure."

"Hope, honey, today we're going to visit a friend of mine."

"Good person?"

Faith smiled.

"Yes, a good person. Friends are always good people."

"Okay."

When they got to the mansion, Faith knocked. Angel opened a few moments later and let them in.

"Hey," Faith said.

"Hey."

"Angel, this is my daughter, Hope. Hope, this is Angel, my friend," Faith introduced them after Angel closed the door.

"Hello," Hope said, staring at him curiously.

Angel smiled.

"Hello." They stared at one another for a few moments and then Angel looked at Faith. “Come, let’s sit down.”

“Okay.”

Faith and Hope followed Angel to the sofa and sat down.

“Uh, I don’t have anything to offer…”

“That’s okay,” Faith said as Hope pressed herself closer to her. She thought for a moment. “That girl on the phone, she sounded familiar.”

“That was Cordelia Chase.”

Faith frowned for a moment and then her eyes went wide.

“Cordelia? Queen C?”

“Yes,” Angel said with a smile, and Faith burst into laughter.

“Shit. I never thought she would end up as a secretary.”

“She’s more than that, she’s a Seer.”

Faith frowned.

“A what?”

“A Seer. She gets visions.”

Faith raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah?” She thought for a moment. “Did she get chosen like me?”

“Sort of. Doyle, he was a Seer before her, chose her before he died.”

“Oh.”

“She’s changed, you know. I mean, she can still be a bitch, and a star, but she’s also compassionate.”

“That’s nice.”

“Yes.”

“Oh,” Faith remembered and rummaged through her pockets. “Here,” she said and gave Angel a piece of paper. “Mrs Summer’s address and phone number. You know, if you need me.”

Angel nodded and put away the paper after glancing at it briefly.

“I’ll tell her you have her number, so she won’t be surprised when you call.”

“Okay.”

Faith glanced at her watch.

“Do you have to leave?” Angel asked.

“No, we still have some time.” She hesitated for a moment. “I sort of cook now for Buffy and Dawn. And us, of course. But I have everything ready, so there’s no hurry.”

“Okay.”

After a week, Joyce decided to turn the basement into a gym, so Faith could work out there. It was a bit cramped and Faith couldn’t do gymnastics there, but she wasn’t complaining. She trained there every day for an hour or more before starting to make lunch.

On Saturday, Faith was so concentrated on hitting the punching bag that she didn't notice when Buffy came downstairs. And then Buffy made a serious mistake and touched Faith on the shoulder. Faith turned, instinctively hitting Buffy. Buffy was thrown across the gym and Faith stared at her, shocked. Buffy didn't move and Faith didn't know whether she should run or go see if Buffy was still alive.

Joyce heard Buffy's scream and the crash that followed and she immediately came downstairs to see what happened.

"Faith?" she asked, when she saw Faith standing still, trembling. Then she noticed Buffy. "Buffy?" She checked the pulse and was relieved that she was still alive. "Buffy!" she said and shook her gently.

She looked at Faith to ask what had happened, but Faith finally snapped out of her shock and ran out. Joyce sighed and concentrated on Buffy.

When she got to the top of the stairs, Faith stopped, her fists clenched. She was hyperventilating and she took a few moments to calm down. Her mind was racing with possibilities. She heard Hope giggle and she made her decision. She ran to the main room, picked up Hope and ran upstairs, leaving a surprised and confused Dawn behind. In their room, she put Hope on the bed.

"Hope, honey, we have to leave."

"Why?" Hope asked, sensing that something was wrong.

"Mommy messed up again," Faith said, barely holding back the tears.

Hope instinctively hugged her and Faith burst into tears.

"I'm so sorry, baby," she said, hugging her.

In the basement, Buffy finally regained consciousness.

"Buffy?" Joyce asked.

Buffy moaned and opened her eyes.

"My head hurts."

"Buffy?" Dawn asked, worried, when she came downstairs to find out what had happened.

"What happened?" Joyce asked.

Buffy thought for a moment.

"Faith was training and she didn't hear me. I touched her shoulder and she hit me."

"Why?" Dawn asked.

"I think it was instinctively," Buffy said.

"She looked scared to me," Joyce said.

Buffy looked around.

"Where is she?"

"She went upstairs," Joyce said.

"She went to her room and she took Hope with her," Dawn added.

Buffy suddenly got a bad feeling.

"Oh no," she said and quickly got up.

"Easy," Joyce said as she caught her after Buffy staggered.

"I'm fine," Buffy said and took a deep breath. She looked at her mom. "You're not calling the Council, are you?"

Joyce frowned.

"No. Why?"

"Good," Buffy said and ran upstairs.

In her room, Faith was done packing and had opened the window so that she and Hope could escape. She tensed when there was a knock on the door. She thought about whether she should respond or not, but the decision was taken away from her when Buffy entered.

"Faith!" she said, her eyes wide, when she saw that Faith had packed everything and the window was open. "You're not leaving, are you?"

Faith just stared at her, surprised to hear that Buffy wanted her to stay.

"Faith, it was an accident," Buffy said as she slowly approached her. "We're not gonna call the Council."

Faith swallowed hard, remembering the first accident, which had cost a man his life.

Hope sat on the bed, observing Faith and Buffy curiously.

"Faith, it's okay," Buffy said. "I shouldn't have sneaked up on you. It was my mistake."

Faith swallowed hard.

"I thought I killed you," she said quietly.

"I'm sorry," Buffy said, realizing just how scared Faith must've been. "You don't have to leave, you're still safe here."

Buffy was now standing in front of Faith. She hesitated for a moment and then slowly hugged her. Faith tensed.

"Shh, it's okay," Buffy said and caressed her.

Faith finally broke and burst into tears. She wrapped her arms around Buffy and cried. Hope slid off the bed and hugged her mommy's legs, wanting to make the pain go away.

When Faith finally calmed down, she let go of Buffy, who in turn let go of her. She quickly wiped her tears, embarrassed.

"It's okay, Faith," Buffy said and caught Faith's hand.

Faith stared at her for a moment and then stopped wiping her tears.

"Mommy?" Hope asked, looking up.

Faith looked at her then picked her up. She smiled and caressed her.

"I guess we don't have to leave after all," she said.

Hope smiled as well.

"Mommy okay?"

Faith nodded.

"Mommy's fine now," she said, and Hope smiled, relieved.

Faith kissed her on the forehead and looked at Buffy.

"I… I'm sorry," she said.

"It's okay, it was my fault anyway."

"But I…"

"I know," Buffy quicky interrupted her. "You'll have to learn better control and better situational awareness."

Faith looked down.

"Yeah."

Buffy hesitated for a moment and then touched Faith's cheek.

"You and Hope are my family now, Faith," she said, and Faith felt her chest swell with pride.

Buffy removed her hand and hesitated nervously for a few moments. Faith noticed that.

"What?" she asked, worried.

"Can I… Can I be Hope's mommy?" she asked, and Faith eyes went wide. "Oh, no," Buffy realized how that sounded, "I don't mean instead of you, with you, you know, like a daddy, except I'm a girl," she quickly corrected herself, blushing. She took a deep breath. "What I mean is can I be her other parent?"

Faith stared at Buffy, shocked.

"Why?" she finally asked.

"Well," Buffy started nervously, "I… I've always had this dream that after I finished college, I'd find my Prince Charming and we'd have a baby and live happily ever after. I know, it sounds lame," Buffy said and looked at her feet, blushing, "but ever since I first found out about you, Prince Charming always looked like you," she confessed, blushing deeply. "And when I found out you had a daughter, well, my daughter always looked like Hope." She took a deep breath. "But anyway," she quickly continued, "I like taking care of Hope, you know? Like she was my own." She shrugged. "I can't really explain it." She hesitated again for a few moments. "I… I'd like us to be a family, Faith, you, me and Hope. I mean, we're already family, with Mom and Dawn, but I want us three to be a family too." She frowned. "You know what I mean?"

Faith just stared at her for a few moments, shocked.

"Faith?" Buffy asked, worried, when Faith didn't respond. "Faith, are you okay?"

"Why?" Faith finally asked in a quiet voice.

Buffy frowned.

"Why what?"

"Why… Why do you… you…"

"Love you?" Buffy finished the question, and Faith nodded, her eyes opening widely when Buffy mentioned love. "I don't know. I love you because you're you. I mean, I could tell you a thousand reasons, but it wouldn't be even close. You're special, and not just because you're the Slayer. I mean, how do you describe perfection?"

She blushed when she realized what she'd said.

Faith stared at her for a few moments, surprised.

"I'm not perfect," she then said.

Buffy's blush deepened.

"Well, I may have exaggerated a bit," she said. "But hey, perfection can be pretty boring, you know," she said and smiled nervously. Then her face became serious. "Sorry I dumped this on you so suddenly, but when I thought you'd leave, I got scared and I wanted you to know." She sighed, hesitating. "Look, I don't know how you feel about me, but I don't want you to make a wrong decision. You and Hope are family now, no matter how you decide." She took a deep breath. "I'll… I'll be downstairs."

Buffy slowly back off and then left. Faith stared at her until she was gone, and then at the door. She was completely shocked. One moment, she thought that she had lost everything, and then next, Buffy was telling her she loved her. It shocked her to find out that somebody loved her for no other reason but for her.

"Mommy?" Hope startled her, feeling that something was not quite right.

Faith looked at her.

"It's okay, honey," she said and caressed her.

"Mommy okay?"

Faith nodded.

"Mommy's fine," she said and sat on the bed, "just a little shocked, that's all." She hesitated for a moment, thinking over about the idea of Hope having two parents. "Hope, would you like another mommy?"

Hope frowned a little, puzzled.

"Are you leaving?" she asked, fear evident in her eyes.

"No, no, baby, Mommy's not leaving," Faith quickly tried to calm her. She knit her eyebrows, thinking. "No, what I meant is do you want another mommy beside me?"

"Two mommies?" Hope asked, curious.

Faith smiled.

"Yes," she said with a nod. "Buffy wants to be your mommy too. Would you like that?"

Hope nodded, clearly excited.

"Buffy's nice. Buffy is my mommy too now?"

Faith nodded again, her smile widening.

"Yes." She frowned. "Only you'll have to call her something else." She thought for a moment. "You'll have to call her Mama. Okay?"

Hope bobbed her head.

"Okay."

Faith smiled and caressed her.

"Want to play?" she asked.

Hope's eyes lit up and she bobbed her head again.

When they came downstairs, Dawn was reading a magazine and Buffy was nowhere to be seen.

"Faith," Dawn said when she saw her. "Are you alright?"

Faith stared at her, surprised that Dawn was worried about her being alright.

"I'm fine," she said, and Dawn smiled.

"Can I play with Hope?"

Faith nodded and looked at Hope.

"Aunt Dawn wants to play with you, honey."

Hope smiled, excited, and reached toward Dawn. Dawn quickly approached and took Hope from Faith. Faith smiled, realizing that she and Hope really were a part of the Summers family now.

"Faith," Joyce said as she and Buffy came from the kitchen.

Faith turned.

"Hi," she said nervously and looked down.

"Is everything okay?"

Faith looked up and gulped.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Good. Oh, there's supposed to be a storm tonight. Are you going on patrol?"

Faith thought for a moment.

"Probably. If it doesn't rain."

"Okay."

In the evening, after Faith had gone out on patrol, Buffy was in her room. She had stayed at home because of the weather forecast and decided to catch up on her reading. Hope was sleeping in Faith's room and Buffy could occasionally hear her move through the baby phone. She envied Faith that she could sleep with the girl. She wanted Hope to sleep in her bed occasionally, but she didn't want to ask Faith, at least not until Faith decided if she could be Hope's second parent. She hoped her little speech didn't ruin her chances.

The rain started to fall and she looked out the window. Then the lightning struck and a moment later she could hear the thunder. She jerked, startled.

"Mommy?" she heard Hope's scared voice a moment later. "Mama?"

Buffy gasped. Was Hope calling for her? She put away the book and hurried to Faith's room.

"Hope?"

"Mama?" Hope asked.

Buffy was instantly by her side and she picked her up.

"Scared?" she asked.

Hope nodded, hugging her.

"Shh, it's okay," she said. She hesitated for a moment. "Mama's here," she said and caressed her.

"Mommy?" Hope asked, her eyes wide.

"Mommy's still out chasing monsters," Buffy said. "She'll be back soon." She thought for a moment. "Do you want to sleep with me?"

Hope nodded. Buffy got up and took Hope to her room.

Faith was half done with patrol when the rain started to fall. She made a face, knowing she would be soaking wet, and hurried back. When she got home, she first went to her room to check up on Hope, knowing that the girl was scared of storms. But when she got to her room, Hope was gone. Faith froze for a moment, dark scenarios running through her head.

"Hope?" she asked, hoping against hope that the girl was maybe hiding somewhere. "Hope, Mommy's here."

There was no response, so Faith quickly looked under the bed and into the closets, but Hope was not there. Faith was panicking now. Then she noticed a note on her nightstand and she got a sinking feeling. She picked it up and quickly read it. When she saw that it was from Buffy, she calmed down. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, forcing back her tears. When she opened her eyes again, she noticed the baby phone and realized that Buffy must've heard Hope wake up. She sighed and went to Buffy's room.

She opened the door quietly and looked in. She saw that Hope was cuddling against Buffy, who was holding her arm around her protectively. She stood for a while, watching them. Then she closed the door and went to the bathroom to take a shower, deciding to come back later.

Faith was awoken the sound of alarm clock in the morning.

"Damn," she heard a voice and then the alarm stopped.

She opened her eyes and saw she was still in Buffy's room. She realized she must've fallen asleep in the chair.

"Mama?" Hope asked sleepily, having been awakened by the alarm.

"Shh, it's just an alarm," Buffy said, caressing her. "You can go back to sleep."

Hope cuddled up against Buffy again, and Buffy kissed her on the top of the head.

Faith stared at them, surprised. For a moment, she felt scared that Buffy would take Hope away from her, but then she calmed down, especially when she realized that Hope now had two parents and that she would be safe if something happened to her. She took a deep breath and got up.

The movement was overheard by Buffy, who looked up.

"Faith?" she whispered quietly, surprised.

Faith put a finger to her mouth, signaling Buffy to be quiet, and then left. Buffy stared after her, confused, but then she lay back and decided to sleep some more.

In her room, Faith lay on the bed and thought.

Hope woke up two hours later and Buffy, who was only half asleep, also woke up.

"Hey, sweetie," Buffy said with a smile.

Hope smiled back.

"Mommy came back," Buffy said. "She's okay. Want to get up?"

Hope nodded.

"Come."

Buffy got up and then picked up Hope.

In her room, Faith could hear Hope and Buffy wake up. She had dressed an hour ago and was now lying on her bed, reading. She knew that Buffy would bring Hope to her room to dress her up, so she sat up. A few moments later, Buffy and Hope showed up. Hope's eyes lit up when she saw her.

"Mommy!"

Faith smiled and got up.

"Hey, honey," she said and kissed her on the forehead.

"I hope you don't mind," Buffy said.

Faith looked at her.

"No," she said.

"Um, here," Buffy said and offered Hope to Faith, but Faith shook her head.

"No, you dress her." She paused for a moment. "You're her mama now."

Buffy's eyes went wide.

"You mean that?"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah. I know you love her and she's already calling you Mama."

Buffy smiled and then hugged Faith with her free hand.

"Thank you."

Faith felt a bit uncomfortable by the open display of emotions, but she hugged Buffy back.

"So, um, where are her clothes?" Buffy then asked, quickly changing the topic, realizing Faith was feeling uncomfortable.

"That bag," Faith said and pointed at one of the bags.

Buffy looked.

"You really should unpack, you know," she said as she carried Hope to the bed.

Faith looked at the bags. She realized Buffy was right. This was their home now and even if she had to run away, she wouldn't have to run from the Summers women and she knew that they would help her.

"Yeah," she said.

"Need help?"

Faith looked at Buffy. She was a bit uncomfortable around her, after all, Buffy loved her. She felt that she loved her back, but she was still too afraid to admit it. Still, she had to start somewhere.

"Sure," she said, and Buffy smiled.

"Oh, um, what were you doing in my room? Did you sleep there all night?"

Faith felt nervous at first, but then she shrugged.

"I was thinking," she said.

"Oh. Good thoughts, I hope."

Faith nodded.

"Yeah."

Buffy smiled.

"Good."

After the breakfast, Faith went to the gym to train, letting Buffy take care of Hope.

After Hope was fed, Buffy took her to the living room.

"Can I watch cartoons, Mama?" Hope asked, looking up at Buffy.

Buffy smiled.

"Sure, honey," Buffy said and helped Hope climb on the sofa.

"She's calling you Mama?" Dawn, who was following Buffy and Hope from the kitchen, asked, surprised.

Buffy looked and smiled.

"Yes."

"Does Faith know?"

"Yes. She's okay with it."

"Oh. Cool."

After the training, Faith first went upstairs to the bathroom to refresh herself and then came back downstairs to the living room. She sat on the sofa and watched Dawn and Buffy play with Hope. She pulled her legs up and hugged them. She rested her chin on the knees and thought.

After a while, Buffy sat beside her. She hesitated for a moment and then slowly put her arm around Faith's shoulders.

Faith looked at her, startled. They stared at one another for a few moments, Buffy waiting for Faith's permission. Faith hesitated for a moment and then let Buffy hug her. She was a bit tense at first, not used to being hugged by anyone but Hope, but she slowly relaxed and finally leaned her head on Buffy's shoulder.

Buffy smiled, glad that Faith was slowly opening up.

As she sat next to Buffy, Faith thought about the fact that she had a family now. Two families, in fact, the closer family with her, Hope and Buffy, and the larger, which also included Dawn, Joyce and Giles. And not only did she consider them her family, they considered her theirs as well. But what surprised her the most was that Buffy loved her. The fact scared her a bit, especially since she also felt that she loved Buffy. She was afraid that she would do something that would ruin this and left them both hurt. But then she remembered how Buffy had reacted after the accident at the gym. She wasn't angry, she was worried about her. Faith realized that she had nothing to fear but her own fears. Still, she was nervous, she wasn't very good at emotional conversations, except with Hope.

"Buffy," she finally said after hesitating for a while.

Buffy looked at her.

"Yes?"

Faith hesitated again.

"We… We can be a family," she said and Buffy smiled.

"Really?" she asked, excited.

Faith smiled a bit.

"Yeah." She hesitated for a moment. "And I… I love you too," she finally confessed and then froze, suddenly scared.

Buffy's eyes went wide.

"Oh Faith," she said and hugged her.

Faith jerked, surprised, but then she hugged her back. She slowly relaxed and Buffy felt that, so they kept hugging for a while.

Dawn and Hope stared at them from the floor. Dawn was surprised and Hope felt that something wonderful had happened, even though she didn't understand what.

When Faith finally let go of Buffy, they stared at one another for a few moments. Then Buffy reached up with her hand and touched Faith's cheek with her palm.

"I love you too, Faith," she said, smiling softly.

Faith smiled back.

"So you're together now?" Dawn asked, interrupting the intimate moment.

Faith and Buffy looked at her, both blushing.

"Yes," Buffy said with a wide smile.

"Cool."

Buffy chuckled.

"Cool?"

"Gossip material," Dawn explained.

"Oh," Buffy said with a blush. Then she frowned. "You didn't tell anyone about Faith being a Slayer or anything, did you?"

Dawn rolled her eyes.

"Of course not. It's not like I wanna end up in a loony bin."

"Good."

"Mom, Buffy and Faith are a couple now," Dawn told Joyce, who had come downstairs.

"Dawn!" Buffy said, glaring.

"Excuse me?" Joyce said, startled.

"They're a couple."

Joyce looked at Buffy and Faith.

"You are?"

"Yes, Mom," Buffy said with a smile.

Joyce blinked.

"Okay. I'm going to Mr Giles now."

"That's it?" Dawn asked, surprised.

Joyce looked at her.

"Was there something else?"

"No."

"Okay. I'll see you girls later."

"Okay, Mom," Buffy said and Joyce left. "That went well," she then said and smiled at Faith.

"Yeah," Faith agreed. She took a deep breath, feeling much better, and then smiled at Hope. "Everything's okay, honey."

Hope smiled back and then returned to her game.

Buffy leaned her head on Faith's shoulder and Faith looked at her, surprised. She hesitated for a moment and then put her arm around Buffy's shoulders and leaned her head on Buffy's.

"Dawn, I need to talk to Hope," Buffy said the next day when Faith was still at work. "Alone."

"Why?" Dawn asked.

"It's a mother/daughter thing."

"Oh," Dawn said with a smile and left.

Buffy approached Hope.

"Honey, Mama needs to talk to you about something," she said and extended her arms to pick her up.

Hope looked at her and extended her own arms. Buffy picked her up and then sat on the sofa. She thought for a moment.

"Honey, would you like to have your own bed?" she then asked.

"Why?" Hope asked.

"Well, you know Mommy needs you, right?"

Hope nodded.

"Mommy's scared."

Buffy nodded, smiling a little.

"Yes," she agreed. "And you know how she makes you feel safe?"

Hope nodded in agreement.

"Well," Buffy continued, "now it's Mama's job to make Mommy feel safe. Of course, you can help too."

"How?"

"By telling her that you love her and that's she's the best mommy a girl could have."

Hope nodded.

"Okay."

Buffy smiled and kissed her on the head.

"Good. Then we'll go buy you a new bed as soon as Grandma comes home and we'll surprise Mommy. Okay?"

"Okay."

When Faith got home from work, she first went to her room to check on Hope.

"Hey," Buffy said as she came from her room with Hope, having heard Faith.

"Hey," Faith said, surprised. "She's still up?"

Buffy nodded.

"Yes. Here," she said and gave Hope to Faith.

Then she slowly leaned in for a kiss.

While sex was nothing new to Faith, she was a complete beginner at the love thing. She wasn't used to being kissed out of love, only lust, and it made her feel vulnerable somehow. But she responded.

"Are you going slaying now?" Buffy then asked.

Faith nodded.

"Yeah," she said and continued to her room.

Buffy followed her, smiling.

Faith opened the door, turned on the light and frowned.

"Surprise!" Buffy and Hope said in unison.

Faith looked at them.

"What's that?" she asked and nodded at Hope's bed.

"Hope's new bed."

Faith frowned.

"Why?"

"Mama take care of Mommy now," Hope said and yawned.

"Huh?" Faith said and looked at Buffy, puzzled.

Buffy smiled.

"I'll explain later. Let's tuck her in first, she's sleepy."

Faith looked at Hope and then took her to the new bed. She covered her with the blanket and kissed her.

"Good night, baby."

"Night, Mommy," Hope said.

Faith moved aside and Buffy approached the bed.

"Night, honey," she said and kissed her.

"Night, Mama," Hope said, her eyes already closing.

Buffy smiled and caressed her. Then she looked at Faith.

"Come, let's go outside."

They left the room and Faith turned off the light and closed the door.

"What was that all about?" she then asked.

Buffy smiled.

"Well, we're a family now, you and I. I mean, we're family anyway, with Mom and Dawn, but you, me and Hope are also a family. Hope slept with you because you made her feel safe and because she could calm you down, make you feel better. But she's still a baby and she can only do so much." She took Faith's hand. "We're a family now, Faith, and it's my responsibility to make your fears go away. And I will, I promise."

Faith looked down, feeling uncomfortable. Buffy caressed her.

"I love you, Faith."

Faith swallowed and looked at her.

"I love you too," she said quietly.

Buffy smiled.

"Are you gonna grab something to eat first?"

"Yeah, as soon as I refresh myself."

"Okay. I'll be down in the kitchen."

While she was on patrol, Faith kept thinking about the fact that she had a family now. Two, actually. The immediate family with her, Buffy and Hope, and the rest of the family with Joyce and Dawn. And even Giles. Her walls were crumbling and she knew it. She was used to sleeping with Hope, but she agreed that Hope needed her own bed. What she didn't expect was that Buffy's idea of taking her fears away included sleeping together, as she found out when she came home and found Buffy in her bed.

Buffy smiled.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"What… What are you doing here?" Faith asked, nervous.

"Waiting for you."

Faith frowned.

"Why?"

"You need someone beside you, someone to wake you up when you're having a nightmare."

Faith's eyes went wide when Buffy mentioned the nightmare.

"Faith?" Buffy asked, worried.

"I… I'm fine."

Buffy nodded.

"Why don't you go take a shower."

Faith stood still for a few moments. Then she took the boxers and the t-shirt from the chair and went to the bathroom.

When Faith got back and saw that Buffy was still in her bed, she hesitated, unsure. Buffy noticed that and she pulled back the blanket.

"Come."

Faith sighed and lay beside, Buffy, who covered them. She wasn't sure how this was supposed to work.

They lay quietly next to one another for a while, but thinking.

"You can cuddle up to me," Buffy finally said and looked at her.

Faith turned on her side and looked at her nervously.

"I… I've never…"

"It's okay," Buffy said and caressed her. She thought for a moment. "Do you trust me?"

Faith's eyes went wide, but Buffy couldn't see that in the darkness. She swallowed hard.

"Yes," she said.

Buffy smiled in the darkness.

"Then relax. It's just you, me and Hope, you don't have to play tough anymore, just be you," she said and caressed her again.

Faith sighed.

"I'm not pressuring you," Buffy said, "I just want you to know that you're safe here."

Faith didn't respond, so Buffy looked away and closed her eyes, thinking that this wasn't going very fast. But a few moments later, Faith slowly moved closer. Buffy looked at her.

"It's okay," she said.

Faith slowly cuddled up to her and Buffy put her hand around her.

"It's okay, you're safe now," Buffy said and kissed her on the top of the head.

"Thank you," Faith whispered, realizing Buffy did make her feel safe.

The End