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. For the purposes of this story, Dawn is a normal girl, not the Key. Many thanks to all who helped me with the summer camp thing. It may not look like I used much, but it did help. So, thanks!

Summer Love
By Kristjan Brezovnik

When she finally got out of the bus, Dawn looked around excitedly. Finally! Two whole months without her family. Not that she didn't love her family, she just wanted some time for herself.

The counselors quickly assigned them into groups and then took them to their cabins. During the roll call, Dawn noticed that there were a few young women helping out the counselors and one of them, still a teenager, immediately claimed her attention. It was a brunette, a bit older than herself, and she looked gorgeous. And she had obviously noticed her. Dawn suddenly noticed that her heart was beating faster and she wondered why.

As they walked toward their cabin, Dawn was glad that the girl went with her group. She moved so that she was close to her and she noticed the name on the girl's name tag. Faith. Dawn found she liked it.

"Hi, I'm Dawn," she introduced herself.

Faith looked at her, startled. She had noticed Dawn before and she found that for some reason she liked the girl. Physically at least. So she had made sure that she went with Dawn's group. However, she definitely didn't expect Dawn to talk to her.

"Em, hi," she said, cursing herself for being almost speechless. "I'm Faith."

Dawn smiled.

"Yeah, I noticed," she said and nodded at Faith's name tag.

Faith looked down and blushed a bit, feeling like an idiot.

"You work here?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah."

"The entire summer?" Dawn asked hopefully.

"Yeah."

Dawn smiled.

"Cool!" she said excitedly, and Faith gave her a strange look, surprised that someone would be excited over her. "Where are you from?"

"Boston."

"I'm from LA." She looked around. "So, have you worked here before?"

"No."

"Oh. So what do you do?"

Faith shrugged.

"I run errands for the counselors, help with group activities and watch over you when the counselors are absent."

"Cool." She looked around. "Which cabin are you in?"

"That one," Faith said and pointed at it.

"Okay." She looked at her own cabin as they arrived to it. "I guess this is it. I'll see you later then."

"Right," Faith said and slowed down to let the other children pass.

When all children were inside, Faith stopped at the door and watched them put away their things. Then she suddenly realized that she was mostly watching Dawn. It unnerved her for some reason and she quickly left, since she wasn't needed.

"Hi, Faith," Dawn said when she came across her in the afternoon.

"Hi," Faith said, feeling the butterflies in her stomach when she saw that Dawn was wearing a bathing suit.

"Are you busy?"

Faith shrugged.

"Not at the moment." She hesitated for a moment. "You need help with something?"

Dawn smiled.

"No. I'm going down to the pier for an hour. Wanna come?"

Faith thought about it. On one hand, she was afraid to get too close to Dawn, but on the other, she liked Dawn and Dawn obviously liked her.

"Sure, why not?" she said, and Dawn beamed.

"Great!"

Faith raised an eyebrow at Dawn's excitement, causing Dawn to blush.

"So, em, do you have a bathing suit?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah," Faith said.

"Why don't you go change and come to the pier?"

"Can't," Faith said.

Dawn's face fell a bit, and Faith fell bad about it.

"Why not?" Dawn asked.

"Because Miss Fletcher might need me," Faith explained.

"Oh."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"I'll talk to her about my free time," she then said, and Dawn smiled.

"Okay. Come."

Dawn took Faith's hand and they went to the pier.

"You know," Dawn said after she spread the blanket and they sat down, "I should've brought the cards."

"I thought you were going to swim," Faith said.

"No, not really. I just wanted to sunbathe, get some tan."

"Oh."

"So, em, are you helping with any of the planned activities?"

"Not really. I mean, I prepare stuff and then put it away again."

"Oh. Why don't you take your boots off while you're here," Dawn suggested, nodding at Faith's boots.

Faith looked at them and after a few moments of hesitation took them off. Dawn smiled at her, and Faith felt her stomach tighten when she saw Dawn's smile.

"So, how come you're the only teenage… helper here?" Dawn then asked.

Faith shrugged.

"I know Miss Fletcher."

"Oh. And your parents let you?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"They don't mind," she said.

"Oh." Dawn thought for a moment. "So you're making money?"

"Some," Faith said vaguely.

"That's so cool," Dawn said. "My parents think I'm still too young to get a job. I was thinking maybe I could be a babysitter, but I don't really want to look after a bunch of kids."

Faith chuckled at that.

"What?" Dawn asked, puzzled.

"A bunch of kids? You're a kid yourself."

Dawn blushed.

"Yeah? You're not that much older."

Faith smiled, finding it strange how she could relax so easily with Dawn.

"I know, just teasing."

Dawn smiled.

"Faith?!"

Faith turned and looked around.

"Over here!" she called when she saw one of the counselors.

"Come! I need your help!"

Faith sighed and looked at Dawn.

"Gotta go," she said and started to pull on her boots.

"Will you come back?"

Faith glanced at her.

"If I have time."

Dawn smiled.

"Okay."

Faith quickly laced up her boots and then got up.

"I'll see you later."

"Okay," Dawn said.

Faith left, and Dawn stared after her, wondering why she felt that Faith was special.

When she was returning from the toilets the next night, Dawn went to the lake to gaze at the stars a little. She stood up on the road and looked around the lake, which looked like a black hole. Then she looked up at the stars. A stone sliding down the slope startled her and she looked down. She saw that she was standing on the gravel and not the asphalt, so she decided to back off a bit, but then she noticed movement below.

"Who's there?" she asked, frightened.

There was no answer for a few moments and Dawn was about to run away.

"Me," came a familiar voice.

"Faith?" Dawn said, excited.

"Yeah."

Dawn smiled and went down the stairs.

Faith watched her as she approached and she sighed. She wasn't in the mood for company, but for some strange reason she liked being around Dawn.

"Hey," Dawn said cheerily when she got to Faith.

Faith glanced at her.

"Hey."

Dawn hesitated for a moment and then squatted beside Faith.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"What does it look like?" Faith asked and immediately regretted the harshness of her voice.

But Dawn apparently missed it.

"Watching the stars? I also love to watch the stars. Back in LA, I'd go out on veranda and sleep there sometimes."

Faith didn't respond, so Dawn stopped trying to continue the conversation and concentrated on the stars instead.

Faith was relieved that Dawn wasn't trying to continue the conversation and she tried to return to stargazing. Unfortunately, Dawn's presence was extremely distracting and she found herself continuously glancing at the younger girl. It was strange. They'd only met a couple of days ago, yet Dawn seemed to like her. No one had ever liked her before and it made her feel good about herself, yet at the same time she was afraid that it wasn't real, that Dawn was only pretending for some reason.

The voice of fear was just telling Faith all the reasons why not to trust Dawn when she suddenly noticed that Dawn was shivering. She wanted to offer Dawn to join her under the blanket, but the voice of fear protested again, warning her not to get too close to Dawn. But then Dawn shivered again.

"Em, do you wanna…" she started and opened the blanket.

Dawn looked at her, surprised, and then smiled brightly when she saw what Faith was offering.

"Yeah," she said and moved closer to Faith, who wrapped them both in the blanket. "Thanks."

Faith was speechless after feeling Dawn's arm press against hers. And in spite of the voice of fear in her head, she felt good.

They watched the stars together for a while and then Faith felt that Dawn was leaning heavily on her. She looked and saw that Dawn was almost asleep. She stared at Dawn's face for a few moments, thinking how beautiful she was. When she snapped out of her reverie, she gently shook Dawn.

"Dawnie," she said, and Dawn opened her eyes, startled.

"Faith?"

"You fell asleep," Faith explained.

"Oh," Dawn said and stopped leaning on Faith.

"You should go to bed."

"What about you?"

"I'll go too," Faith said, surprised by Dawn's concern.

Dawn smiled a bit.

"Okay."

They got up and then Faith escorted Dawn to her cabin.

"Night, Faith," Dawn said after she opened the door.

"Night, Dawnie," Faith said.

Dawn smiled and went into the cabin.

Faith stood still for a few moments and then went to her own cabin.

"Hey," Dawn said with a smile when she came to the beach the next night and found Faith there again.

"Hey," Faith said, feeling the same tingling sensation in her stomach she always felt when she was around Dawn.

Dawn approached her again and squatted next to her. Faith hesitated for a few moments and then opened her blanket again to stop Dawn from being cold. Dawn smiled at the gesture and moved closer. Faith found herself smiling back, but she immediately stopped when she realized what she was doing.

During the next few nights, their joint stargazing became a routine and Faith found herself looking forward to spending time with Dawn, especially since Dawn wasn't trying to make friends with her or anything, they just quietly watched the stars, Dawn making an occasional comment about the constellations.

"Faith," Dawn said as she approached the older girl, who was sitting on the beach, watching the younger boys and girls swim, especially Dawn.

"Hey," Faith said, taking in Dawn's body.

"Why don't you ever go for a swim?"

Faith shrugged.

"I don't like water," she said.

"You're kidding!" Dawn said with disbelief. "But it's great! The water's a bit cold at first, but you get used to it. Come on."

"Nah, I told you, I don't like water," Faith said nervously.

"Oh," Dawn said disappointed.

She hesitated for a moment and then returned to the lake.

Faith stared at her, feeling bad about having to lie to her.

A few minutes later, Dawn suddenly disappeared under the water. Faith tensed and watched the spot where she had last seen Dawn. When Dawn still didn't appear after a few moments, she got up and quickly walked to the pier. She saw Dawn's form underneath the surface and she looked around for one of the older instructors. She was about to call for help when Dawn suddenly reemerged, spraying her with water.

"Faith!" she said, surprised, when she saw Faith.

"Are you okay?" Faith asked, trying to calm down.

"Yeah, I was just diving," Dawn said. "I saw something glittering," she said and showed her a rusty stopper. "It was just this." She threw the stopper to Faith, who caught it. "Have you changed your mind?"

"No," Faith said and got up.

"Come on, it's fun!" Dawn said excitedly.

"Maybe for you," Faith said and quickly left.

Dawn stared after her for a few moments with a frown and then returned to swimming.

After a while, Dawn had to go to the toilet. When she got back, she saw Faith standing on the edge of the pier, looking into the water. She grinned as she got an idea. She sneaked up on Faith and then pushed her into the water.

"Gotcha!"

Faith screamed, and Dawn laughed, but the laughter died when she saw the panic and the look of betrayal on Faith's face.

When Faith regained her footing, the water was fortunately shallow, she stared at the laughing Dawn for a few moments, feeling like someone just hit her in the stomach, she turned and walked out of the water.

"Faith, wait!" Dawn called and ran after her. "What are you, a cat?" she asked when she caught up with her. "Why do you hate the water so much? It's not like you can't swim or anything, right?" Her eyes went wide when Faith looked away. "Oh my god, you can't!" she realized, and Faith quickened her pace. Dawn quickly stepped in front of her, blocking her path. "You can't swim, can you? That's why you hate water."

"So what?" Faith said, giving Dawn an angry look.

"But why didn't you tell me? I would never have pushed you if I knew you can't swim."

"It's not like it's any of your business," Faith said and walked around Dawn

Dawn stared after her, shocked after realizing that she had nearly killed Faith. She ran after her again.

"Faith, I'm so sorry," she said when she caught up with her.

Faith glanced at her and was surprised to see that Dawn's eyes were watering up. She shrugged.

"Yeah, well, now you know."

Dawn sighed, trying to think of a way to make it up to Faith.

"Hey! I know, I can teach you."

Faith looked at her, startled.

"What?"

"I can teach you how to swim," Dawn said excitedly.

Faith stopped, thinking about the offer.

"Why?"

Dawn frowned.

"Why what?"

"Why do you want to teach me how to swim?"

Dawn shrugged.

"Why not? I mean, we're friends, right? And I think you want to swim."

Faith looked at her feet, nervous, and also surprised that Dawn considered her a friend.

"Yeah, I guess."

Dawn smiled.

"Great! Come on."

She took Faith's hand and started back to the lake.

"Now?" Faith asked, looking around nervously.

"Yeah, why not? We'll go over there, there are not so many people there and the water is shallow," Dawn said as she led the way.

After a few days, Faith knew how to swim, but she was still afraid to go into the deep water, so she stuck close to the land. And when she wasn't afraid of water anymore, Dawn also taught her how to jump off the pier. Feet first only, of course, as she herself was afraid to jump head first. Faith was a bit nervous at first, she didn't want to appear weak or anything, but Dawn apparently didn't care and was obviously excited that she could help. And Faith was also glad that she could finally swim. She enjoyed being taught by Dawn, even though Dawn's mere presence and the touching were making her both excited and nervous at the same time. She was excited because she had never had a real friend and it looked as though Dawn was her friend. At the same time, that fact also made her nervous, because she was afraid that somehow Dawn was faking her friendship or that somehow she would lose Dawn's friendship. Or Dawn. And, of course, she was also nervous because she found Dawn extremely pretty, which caused the butterflies in her stomach to fly around excitedly. Her whole relationship with Dawn was just confusing her and the voice of fear in her head kept screaming at her to keep away from Dawn and not get attached or she would only get hurt.

Field day was something everyone looked forward too, including Faith. They went on a trek along the lake and it was Faith's assignment to watch out for the younger kids. She did, but her attention was mostly on Dawn. The trek was several hours long and the return trip was by boat. Faith wasn't overly fond of boats, but the fact that she could now swim calmed her immensely.

When they got to their destination, most of the children sat down to rest and some went to swim in the lake. Dawn sat down, and Faith was glad that she wasn't assigned to watch out for the swimmers.

"Hey," she said as she sat down beside Dawn.

"Hey," Dawn said with a smile.

"Tired?"

"My feet are killing me. These shoes definitely aren't meant for trekking."

Faith smiled.

"Yeah."

"Good thing we're going back by boat."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Em, want me to give you a massage?" she then offered, blushing slightly.

"A massage?"

"Yeah, you know, your feet. You said they're killing you."

Dawn thought about it.

"Okay," she then said and got up. "Let's go to the lake so I can wash them first, they're smelly."

Faith nodded.

"Okay," she said, getting up as well.

She followed Dawn to the lake, where Dawn took off her shoes and socks and washed her feet. Faith also took off her shoes and socks and put her feet in the water.

"This is nice," she said, wiggling her toes.

Dawn smiled.

"Yes," she agreed.

She then took the towel from her bag and wiped her feet.

"Let's go over there," she then said and pointed at a place.

Faith looked.

"Okay," she said and also took out a towel to wipe her feet.

Then she followed Dawn, who was already taking out a larger towel to sit on. When they got to the place, Dawn spread out the larger towel and sat down. She wiped her feet again and then looked at Faith, who was also wiping her feet again.

"Okay, I'm ready," she said.

Faith smiled and put away her towel. She kneeled, took Dawn's left foot into her lap and gently started to massage her.

"Oh yeah," Dawn moaned, causing Faith to grin.

"Like it?"

"Definitely," Dawn said with a smile. "Oh, this is so good," she said and took a deep breath.

Faith smiled and continued to massage Dawn's foot.

Dawn giggled.

"It tickles."

Faith's smile grew.

"Sorry. Okay, the other foot."

Dawn removed the left foot and presented her right one.

"Oh yeah," Dawn said again and moaned.

"Not so loud," Faith said with a grin, "someone might think we're having sex."

Dawn burst into laughter.

"Faith!"

Faith's grin widened.

"How does your left foot feel?" she asked.

Dawn wiggled her toes.

"Much better."

"And this one?" Faith asked and let go of Dawn's right foot.

Dawn lifted it and wiggled the toes.

"Also." She quickly got on her knees. "Okay, my turn."

"What?" Faith said, startled.

"Now I'll massage your feet.

Faith shrugged.

"Nah, it's okay."

"Come on," Dawn insisted. "Please?"

Faith hesitated for a moment and then sat. She extended her right foot, feeling weird. Dawn took it and gently started massaging it.

"Mmm," Faith moaned involuntarily.

"Now who's making sexy noises," Dawn said with a grin, and Faith laughed.

"Oh man, I'm definitely a bad influence on you," Faith then said with a grin.

"No, you're the best influence," Dawn said, smiling.

Faith blushed a bit.

"Are you gonna go swimming?" she changed the subject.

Dawn glanced at the lake.

"I don't know. Maybe. You?"

Faith shrugged.

"Maybe. Okay, the other foot."

After the foot massage, Faith and Dawn joined the other kids in their games. Faith was a bit reluctant at first, but she gave in at Dawn's insistence. They got sweaty after a while and they decided to go for a swim. While Faith was confident in her swimming abilities, she preferred to have Dawn by her side, just in case. And besides, it was more fun that way.

After the swim, they rested a bit and then it was time for lunch. Fortunately, there was a picnic area there, complete with tables and benches, and they brought dishes and food from the camp. Faith was assigned to food distribution, so Dawn decided to be the last in line, so they could eat together.

After the lunch, Dawn helped Faith put away the dishes and then they rested. They lay on Dawn's blanket, still in their swimsuits, which were now completely dry. Dawn leaned her head on Faith's shoulder. Faith felt a bit uncomfortable, so she put her arm around Dawn's shoulder, causing Dawn to lean even harder on her. Faith's heart was racing. She had never lain with anyone like that before. After sex, she and her sex partner usually went their separate ways, they never… cuddled. Faith felt a bit uncomfortable at the word cuddle at first, but then she decided that it didn't really matter, she liked cuddling with Dawn. And she didn't even have any dirty thoughts.

They talked for a while and then Dawn drifted off to sleep. Faith quietly observed the younger girl, thinking. Dawn was her best, her only, friend, but she felt that she had deeper feelings for her and it scared her. Having a friend was scary enough, loving someone was simply terrifying her. Yet a part of her longed for it. It was confusing her and she decided to stop thinking about it for now.

She looked at Dawn and noticed that she was playing with her hair. She immediately stopped, frowning confused. She sighed and leaned her head on Dawn's. She glanced around, hoping no one had seen that, and then drifted off to sleep as well.

Dawn woke up when the boat which would take them back to the camp arrived. She opened her eyes and smiled when she saw that she was lying in Faith's arms. She observed the older girl fondly. She tried to snuggle even closer, but the movement woke up Faith.

"Hey," she said with a smile when Faith looked at her.

Faith smiled back.

"Hey." She looked around. "Oh, time to go yet?"

"They're just loading up. They didn't…"

She trailed off when the counselors started to wake the kids.

"Time to go," Faith said.

Dawn sighed and sat up.

"Let's get dressed then."

They dressed and then Faith went to check up if she was needed. She wasn't, so she returned to Dawn.

While everything was being loaded, the counselors herded the children into groups. Since she wasn't needed anywhere, Faith stayed with Dawn.

The ride across the lake wasn't that long, but Faith was still nervous. Sure, she knew how to swim now, but it was very far to the shore. Dawn noticed her nervousness and took her hand into her own. Faith looked at her, and Dawn smiled encouragingly.

Faith smiled back and relaxed a bit.

A couple of days later, Dawn hurt her ankle while playing tennis. Faith, who always made sure that she was somewhere near Dawn, noticed that and went to her.

"Are you okay?" she asked, the worry evident in her voice.

Dawn nodded.

"Yeah."

"You don't look okay."

"My ankle hurts."

"Let me take a look."

Faith unlaced Dawn's tennis shoe and then carefully pulled it off. Dawn moaned.

"Does it hurt bad?" Faith asked.

"No, not really, only when you press against it."

"Oh."

Faith then took off Dawn's sock and carefully probed the ankle. Dawn's moans indicated the location of the worst pain.

"I'll get you a cold compression or something," Faith said.

Dawn nodded, and Faith hurried away. Dawn then looked at her foot and wiggled her toes. It hurt a bit, but she didn't think anything was broken or sprained. She leaned back and watched the other kids play tennis.

Faith returned a few minutes later with a bucket of cold water.

"A bucket?" Dawn asked, puzzled.

"Yeah, it's much better than a cold compression."

Dawn's eyes went wide.

"You want me to put my foot in cold water?"

"It's not much colder than the water in the lake."

Dawn thought about it for a few moments, skeptical, and then decided to go ahead. She slowly put her foot in the bucket and shivered when it touched the cold water.

"Where did you get this water? On Antarctic?" she asked as she fought her instincts.

Faith chuckled.

"Arctic, actually."

Dawn looked at her and giggled.

"Well, it's much colder than the lake," she said and made herself lower the foot into the water. "God, this is so cold," she said and shivered.

"Want me to massage it?" Faith asked.

Dawn looked at her.

"It hurts, remember?"

"I know, but the cold water will numb the pain and the massage might help lessen the swelling," Faith said. "I think."

Dawn thought about it.

"Okay," she said.

Faith put her hands in the water and shivered.

"Damn, this is colder than I thought."

"Told you it was cold."

"Does it still hurt?" Faith asked and looked up at Dawn.

"Only from the cold."

"Massage your calf, it might help," Faith suggested.

Dawn did so.

"Better?" Faith asked after a few moments.

Dawn nodded.

"Yeah, but it's still cold."

"I know, but at least your ankle won't swell so much."

"I hope so," Dawn said.

As they talked, Faith suddenly felt afraid. She liked Dawn, but she also knew that they would never see one another again after Dawn left the camp. She realized that she cared a lot about Dawn and she decided to end it before she started caring too deeply. It was better that it hurt a little now than a lot later. She took a deep breath, steeling herself.

"You know why I'm here?" she asked quietly, avoiding Dawn's eyes.

"Why?" Dawn asked, startled.

Faith gulped, nervous.

"Because I'm having sex with Miss Fletcher."

Dawn's eyes went wide.

"The Director?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Faith shrugged.

"So I can be here."

"She's forcing you to have sex with her?"

Faith sighed.

"No, she's having sex with me because I like to have sex. We've had sex before we came here."

"Oh." Dawn frowned as she thought about it. "So you're, em, girlfriends?"

Faith sighed.

"No, we just have sex together."

"Oh."

Faith stared at her for a few moments, feeling like crying. She quickly got up and left, taking deep breaths to calm down. She hoped that this confession would be enough to convince Dawn to stay away from her.

Dawn stared after her, hurt and confused.

Dawn tried to talk to Faith later on, but Faith avoided her and she didn't even come to the beach at night.

The next day, Faith went to see Miss Fletcher.

"Miss F?" Faith said nervously as she entered Miss Fletcher's office the next day.

"Hello, Faith," Miss Fletcher said with a smile.

"Em, I need to talk to you about something," Faith said as she closed the door.

"Yes?"

Faith slowly approached the desk.

"Well, em, it's about the… the sex thing."

Miss Fletcher raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?" she said carefully.

"Well, em, would you… I mean, could we, em, stop… doing it?"

Miss Fletcher breathed a sigh of relief.

"Of course. I won't force you to do anything you don't want to." She thought for a moment. "May I ask why?"

Faith looked at her feet, relieved that Miss Fletcher had agreed and nervous because she wanted to know why.

"Well, there is… someone I… I like," she said.

Miss Fletcher smiled.

"Really? May I ask who?"

"Why?" Faith asked and looked at her, worried.

"I'm just curious. You don't have to tell me." She paused for a moment. "I'm glad you found someone."

Faith smiled a bit.

"Dawn Summers," she said quietly.

"Really?" Miss Fletcher said, trying to recall the face. "She's a nice girl, yes. Does she feel the same about you?"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah, I think so," she said, blushing a bit.

Miss Fletcher smiled.

"Good, I'm glad." She smirked. "Though if for some reason things don't work out between the two of you, do you think we could, em, get down and dirty again?"

Faith chuckled, relieved, and grinned.

"Probably." She hesitated for a moment. "Does that mean I still have the job?"

Miss Fletcher nodded.

"Of course."

"Thanks," Faith said, relieved.

Miss Fletcher smiled.

"You're welcome, Faith."

Faith was just going to the beach after having run an errand for Miss Fletcher when she heard sobbing noises coming from the cabin she was just passing. She frowned and approached the window. She looked through and saw one of the male counselors, Mr Short, petting one of the younger girls, who was scared.

"Son of a…" she said, furious, and ran to the door. She entered and pushed the counselor away from the girl. "You son of a bitch," she said and kicked him in the balls several times.

Then she looked at the girl, who was staring at her, wide-eyed, not moving. She didn't know what to do, comforting people really wasn't her thing. She went to the door and looked out. She noticed one of the counselors in the distance.

"Miss Connors!" she called. "Miss Connors!" The woman heard her and looked at her. "Come quick!" Faith called and waved at her. "Hurry!"

Miss Connors started to run, and Faith returned to the girl.

"It's okay," she said softly, "he's not gonna hurt you again."

"Faith? What is…" Miss Connors started when she got to the cabin. "George?" she said, startled, when she saw the man on the floor. She looked at Faith and then noticed the half naked girl. "What happened?"

"He was touching her," Faith explained. "I kicked him in the balls."

"Go get Miss Fletcher."

Faith nodded and ran away.

"Michelle…" George started.

"Shut up, George," Miss Connors said angrily and then turned to the girl.

When Dawn came to the beach that night, she had a feeling that Faith wouldn't be there. And she was right. Faith had avoided her again and she knew something was wrong. She didn't think it had anything to do with her and she wondered what had happened. She hoped it didn't have anything to do with Miss Fletcher. She looked around, knowing that Faith was near, hiding yet wanting to be found. And she was right. She spotted Faith a bit further down the beach and she walked over to her. When she reached her she squatted beside her.

Neither said anything for a few moments. Faith then finally opened the blanket and let Dawn come under it. Dawn understood that as a sign to start talking.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly, leaning on Faith.

"Nothing," Faith said quietly.

Dawn looked at her.

"Faith, I know something's wrong," she said. "Talk to me. Please."

Faith took a deep breath.

"You know Mr Short?"

Dawn thought for a moment and then nodded.

"Yes, he's one of the counselors."

Faith nodded.

"Yeah." She hesitated for a moment. "I caught him petting one of the girls."

Dawn frowned.

"Petting? What does that mean?"

Faith glanced at her.

"He was touching her."

Dawn's frown deepened.

"So?"

"Sexually."

Dawn's eyes went wide.

"What? Why?"

Faith shrugged.

"I don't know, 'cause he's a perv."

"So that's why the police was here."

Faith nodded.

"Yeah."

Dawn put her arm around Faith's waist.

"And it bothers you, right?"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah."

Dawn thought for a moment.

"Because of you and Miss Fletcher?"

Faith tensed for a moment and then nodded.

"Yeah." She hesitated for a moment. "We… We're not having sex anymore," she then said quietly.

"What?" Dawn said, surprised.

"I asked her if we could stop."

"Really?" Dawn said and her heart started to beat faster.

"Yeah." Faith hesitated for a moment. "Sorry you had to find out like that."

"It's okay," Dawn said. She thought for a moment. "How did you find her?"

Faith sighed.

"I met her in Boston, she has some relatives there. All I wanted was a quick fuck, but then I found out she runs this camp and I asked her if she could get me a job here for the summer."

"In exchange for sex?"

Faith looked down, feeling ashamed.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "Please don't tell anyone about it."

Dawn sighed.

"I won't."

They were quiet for a while.

"Why did you tell me?" Dawn then asked.

"What?" Faith said, startled.

"Why did you tell me about you and Miss Fletcher?"

Faith gulped.

"I don't know." She sighed, deciding to be honest with Dawn. "You're my first real friend and I guess I got scared," she admitted.

Dawn frowned.

"Scared? Why?"

Faith shrugged.

"That I'd lose you."

"So you tried to push me away instead?" Dawn asked, perplexed.

Faith nodded.

"Yeah," she said, nervous.

Dawn searched for Faith's hand underneath the blanket and squeezed it.

"I don't want to lose our friendship, Faith."

Faith looked at her, and Dawn smiled.

"Me neither," Faith said quietly.

During the next few days, Dawn had a lot on her mind. She had caught herself stealing glances at Faith and she had also noticed that Faith was stealing glances at her. And there was also the matter of the butterflies in her stomach and how they had a party every time she was near Faith. She realized that she was in love with Faith and it shocked her. She had never thought much about sex before, but she had always considered herself straight. The fact that she was now in love with a girl surprised her. She wasn't sure how Faith felt about her, but she guessed that Faith also loved her.

She spent a whole day secretly observing Faith and analyzing her own feelings. Finally she decided to try and kiss her. She waited until their nightly stargazing session and, after a few minutes of gathering the courage, decided to go ahead and do it.

"Faith?" she said.

Faith looked at her.

"Yes?"

Dawn hesitated for a moment.

"I want to kiss you," she then said.

Faith's eyes went wide, but Dawn couldn't see that.

Dawn waited for a moment, but when Faith didn't respond, she took that as a yes and she leaned in for a kiss.

Faith stared at Dawn's lips as they slowly approached hers. She had wanted to kiss Dawn for so long and now Dawn was trying to kiss her. But she knew that it wasn't right, Dawn didn't love her.

"Dawnie, don't," she said and moved her head back a bit.

Dawn looked at her, startled.

"Faith…"

"No, Dawnie, not like this."

Dawn frowned.

"Like what?"

"I don't want to be a test object for your experiments."

Dawn frowned.

"What experiments?"

"With playing for the home team."

"Huh?" Dawn said, not understanding.

Faith sighed.

"With how it would be to kiss a girl."

Dawn's eyes went wide.

"No! It's not." She blushed. "I would never want to jeopardize our friendship like this."

"Then why…"

"Because I love you," Dawn said and her blush deepened, although Faith couldn't see it due to the lack of light.

"What?" Faith said, astonished.

Dawn swallowed, suddenly nervous.

"I love you," she said and looked down. She took a deep breath and then looked back at Faith. "I liked you from the moment I saw you, Faith. Every time you were near me, I had this strange feeling in my stomach." She hesitated for a moment. "I think I've been in love with you for a while, I was just too nervous to admit it to myself because I didn't know if you liked girls. I didn't even know I liked them." She blushed again. "I mean, I like boys, but you… I just can't describe it." She took a deep breath. "I love you, Faith," she finished and looked down, afraid of Faith's rejection.

Faith stared at the younger girl, shocked. Dawnie loved her? Not only as a friend but as a… as a… lover? She never thought that someone would want to be her friend and now someone wanted to be her lover? And not just someone but Dawnie? On one hand, she was excited beyond belief, but on the other, it scared her.

"Dawnie…" she started and gulped.

"It's okay, Faith," Dawn said, "I'm still your friend." She hesitated for a moment. "We are still friends, right?" she then asked, hoping that her confession hasn't just ruined her friendship with Faith.

"Yes, of course," Faith quickly said.

Dawn smiled.

"Good," she said and leaned her head on Faith's shoulder.

Faith gulped and then gently pressed Dawn more tightly to herself.

When Dawn came to their usual spot the next night, she didn't expect Faith to be there since she had been avoiding her the whole day. But to her surprise, Faith was there. She approached her, and Faith immediately opened up the blanket to let her under.

"Is everything okay?" Dawn asked anxiously, afraid that Faith was avoiding her because of her confession.

Faith smiled.

"No." She took a deep breath. "Sorry I've been avoiding you all day, but I was thinking."

"Oh," Dawn said, not sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

Faith hesitated for a few moments, nervous.

"You're my first friend, Dawnie, a real friend. I've never had that before, I've never trusted anyone enough to let them that close." She smiled. "And I wouldn't have let you in either if you weren't so damn persistent." She thought for a moment. "I liked you from the moment I saw you, but I didn't want to get close to you. But every time I thought I had myself under control, you came and shattered that illusion. I wanted to be with you, but a part of me was afraid of it. Well, it lost." She took a deep breath, thinking. "When you told me you loved me last night, I was shocked. I mean, it was a miracle that you loved me as a friend, but you loving me as a… as a… lover, it was just unimaginable." She hesitated for a moment. "And it scared me."

"Why?" Dawn asked when Faith paused.

Faith gulped and took another deep breath.

"Because I love you too, Dawnie," she then said quietly.

"You do?" Dawn said, excited.

Faith nodded.

"I've spent the whole day, and most of last night, thinking about it."

"You're afraid of losing me," Dawn realized.

Faith nodded.

"Yeah." She sighed. "But I've decided that I at least want to have some good memories of us together."

Dawn smiled.

"Oh Faith," she said and hugged her tightly.

Faith hugged her back.

"So, em," Dawn started when they stopped hugging, "do I get a kiss now?"

Faith chuckled.

"Are you sure you want it?"

"Of course. I mean, you're my girlfriend now, right?"

"Girlfriend," Faith said thoughtfully. "I like the sound of that." She smiled. "Now, about that kiss…"

She slowly leaned closer to Dawn and kissed her. But since Dawn wasn't an experienced kisser, it was only a lip to lip kiss.

"Mmm," Dawn said dreamily when they stopped.

Faith smiled and caressed her.

"It gets better," she said.

"Really?" Dawn said. "How?"

Faith's smile grew.

"I'll show you. Open your mouth and use your tongue."

"My tongue?"

"Oh yeah. Relax, I'll show you."

Dawn smiled in anticipation, and Faith leaned closer. Dawn opened her mouth, and Faith slowly pushed her tongue in. Dawn jerked a bit, startled, but then she relaxed and used her tongue as well.

When they stopped kissing, they were both breathless.

"Wow," Faith finally said.

"I think that was an understatement," Dawn said and smiled.

Faith smiled back.

"Absolutely," she agreed and pressed Dawn to herself.

"Dawnie," Faith asked the next day as they lay on the beach and she played with Dawn's hair.

Dawn opened her eyes and looked at her.

"Yes?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Em, what will your parents say about you, you know, being gay?"

Dawn frowned.

"I'm not gay."

Faith frowned as well.

"But…"

"Because I'm in love with you?" Dawn asked, and Faith blushed.

"Well, yeah."

Dawn smiled.

"I like boys just fine. I mean, sure, I'm in love with a girl, but so what? That doesn't make me gay."

Faith smiled.

"I guess."

"And besides," Dawn said as she leaned closer, "I'll tell them you're special," she said and kissed her.

The kiss was brief since they didn't want the counselors to grow suspicious, but it was still intense.

When they stopped kissing, Faith smiled and caressed Dawn.

"You're special too," she said, and Dawn smiled.

A few weeks later, the summer was finally over. As the bus drove away, Faith stared after it until she couldn't see it anymore. She had a sinking feeling that she would never see Dawnie again. But even though the voice of fear in her head was telling her that it was wrong to trust Dawnie, she was still glad to have met and befriended her, so she finally had some happy memories to cling to when she was down. Hell, she was in love! As unbelievable as that may be. And if Dawnie really gave her her home number, then maybe they would meet again someday. She sighed, feeling her throat tighten, and looked at the photo of her and Dawn, which they had taken a few days ago. She caressed Dawn's image and then slowly went to her cabin.

The End