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 very little 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.

Surprise
By Kristjan Brezovnik

Giles was just making himself a cup of tea when the phone rang. He wanted to ignore it, but after it rang for the third time, he sighed, put away the tea and went to the phone.

"Rupert Giles," he said.

"Hi, I'm calling from the Downtowner Motel. You know a chick named Faith?"

Giles tensed, surprised.

"Faith?"

"Yeah, short, brunette, feisty, likes leather."

"Yes, I know her."

"Good. Can you come pick up her kid?"

Giles blinked.

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

"Her kid. She hasn't returned for two days and the kid keeps crying. She gave me a piece of paper with your name and address, I had to look up the number. Now, can you come pick her up as soon as possible, people are complaining about the racket."

"Eh…" was all Giles said for a few moments.

"Hello? You still there?"

"Eh, yes, yes I am."

"Good. Come pick her up or I'm calling the cops and let them take care of the kid."

The caller hung up and Giles stared at the receiver for a few moments before hanging up as well. He was still surprised by the news. Well, three pieces of news, to be exact. First, Faith was in town. Two, Faith had a baby. Three, Faith was missing.

He finally pulled himself together. He looked toward the kitchen, realizing his tea would have to wait. He sighed and decided to go pick up Faith's child.

"Excuse me," he said when he got to the Downtowner Motel's manager's office. "I'm Rupert Giles. You…"

"About time," the manager said and got up. "The kid makes one hell of a noise when she's scared."

Giles followed the manager to Faith's apartment and Giles could hear a child crying. But the moment the manager opened the door, the crying stopped. Giles looked in, but he could see no child.

"She's hiding," the manager said. "Hey, kid, Mr Giles is here."

"Gampa?" the girl asked and looked from behind the bed, her face covered with tears.

Giles stared at her, surprised.

"She's all yours," the manager said. "Pack her stuff," he added and then left.

"Are you my gampa?" the girl asked again.

"Eh, I'm Rupert Giles," Giles said. "I…"

"Gampa!" the girl said, excited, and ran to him.

"Eh…" Giles said, staring at the girl, confused, as she ran to him and hugged his legs.

The girl looked up at him after a few moments.

"Gampa, do you know where Mommy is?"

"Eh, no," Giles said, still recovering.

The girl's face became sad.

"Do you think the monsters got her?"

Giles raised an eyebrow, surprised that the girl knew about demons.

"Eh, I don't know."

The girl stared at him for a few moments and then ran to a bag. She rummaged through it for a moment and then took out two letters, one orange and one white. She looked at them and then put the white one back.

"Mommy said I should give this to you if something happened to her," she said and gave him the letter.

Giles took it and looked at it. He saw his name, so he opened it.

Hey, G-Man,

If you got this letter then I'm probably dead. I'm not good with words, so I'll be short. The girl who gave you this letter is my daughter, Hope. I know I have no right to ask this of you, but I don't have much choice. Please take care of her or, if that's not possible, at least find her a good family. Please don't punish her for the stuff I've done.

In case you're wondering why the hell I picked you, well, I wanted to pick B, but I hurt her even more. And besides, you're the only decent grown-up I know. Anyway, I'm sorry for all the shit I've done. I wanted to say it to your face someday, but I guess I didn't make it.

Faith

PS: Please tell her I love her.

Giles stared at it for a few moments, slowly digesting the information. Then he looked at Hope, who was staring at him with wide eyes. He felt a bit overwhelmed, he didn't know how to take care of a little girl. Still, he decided to take her to his place and then call everybody over and decide what to do.

"Eh, I guess we will go to my place now," he said.

Hope smiled for a moment.

"Will you find Mommy?" she then asked.

"Eh, I don't know, but I'll try." He looked around. "Why don't we pack now."

"Okay," Hope said.

She started running around and stuffing everything in the bags. Giles noticed that she seemed to know where everything went, even though she didn't bother to fold the clothes. Giles decided to help her out by bringing everything to the main room and let her pack it up.

There were only three bags and Hope was quickly done. Giles picked up the bags and Hope followed him to the car. Giles put the bags in the trunk and helped Hope get in the back. He fastened her seatbelt and then got in himself.

When they got to his house, he first let Hope out and then took the bags out.

"Why don't you sit on the sofa," he said when they were in.

Hope went to the sofa and climbed up and Giles went to the phone.

"Summers residence," Willow said when she answered.

"Hi, Willow, it's me. Could you please call everyone and tell them to come to my house."

"Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing apocalyptic. I, eh, need your help with something."

"Okay, we'll be right over. Bye."

"Bye," Giles said and hung up.

He thought for a moment and then called the hospital.

"Sunnydale Memorial Hospital. How may I help you?"

"Eh, hello. I was just notified that my, eh, daughter may be there."

"Name?"

"Spencer, Faith Spencer."

"One moment." There was a brief silence. "Yes, she was brought in two days ago."

"How is she?" Giles asked, worried, knowing that it had to be something bad if Faith was still in hospital after two days.

"She's in the coma ward."

"Coma?" Giles said, worried. "What happened?"

"She had severe lacerations all over her body, several broken bones and had lost a lot of blood."

"Oh. Thank you."

Giles hung up and took a deep breath.

"Did you find Mommy?"

Giles jerked and looked at Hope.

"Eh, yes, I have."

"Really?" Hope said, excited, and got off the sofa. "Can I see her?"

"Not yet. Some of my friends are coming over now, we'll go to her later."

"Is she okay?" Hope asked, worried.

Giles hesitated for a moment.

"She was hurt, but she's okay now, she's recovering."

Hope went back to the sofa, climbed up and hugged her knees, obviously worried about Faith.

Giles sighed and went to the kitchen. Then he suddenly remembered that Hope hadn't eaten in two days.

"Hope, are you hungry?"

Hope looked at him and nodded.

"Uh-huh."

Giles thought for a moment. Cooking food would take time, so he decided to order a pizza.

"Have you eaten pizza yet?" he asked to make sure she could eat that.

Hope nodded.

"Uh-huh."

"Okay. Are you thirsty?"

Hope nodded again.

"Uh-huh."

When Willow, Kennedy, Dawn and Xander arrived, Hope was stuffing herself with pizza.

"Hi, Giles, what seems to be the… Whoa," Xander said when he saw Hope.

"She's so cute," Dawn said, excited, and went to the table.

"Who is she?" Willow asked.

"Hope. She's, eh, she's Faith's daughter."

Everyone looked at him.

"Faith's?" Xander asked. "As in psycho Faith's?"

"Hey, not in front of her," Dawn chided him.

Xander looked at Hope and then at Dawn.

"Sorry. But…" He looked at Giles again. "Our Faith's?"

"Yes," Giles said.

"What is she doing here?"

"The manager of the Downtowner Motel called me."

"You? How did he know you?"

"Faith left him instructions."

"Oh."

"Where is Faith?" Willow asked.

"In the hospital. She's in the coma ward."

"Again?"

"Yes. She left me a letter."

"What does it say?"

"She asked me to take care of Hope or find her a decent family."

"She dumped her on you?" Xander asked.

"No. She wrote that letter in case she died."

"Oh."

"Where is Buffy?"

"She's still working, but I called her and let her know we were at your place," Willow said.

"Good."

Dawn joined Hope, who was staring at her, a bit afraid.

"Hi," Dawn said. "I'm Dawn."

Hope's eyes went wide.

"Mama's sister?"

Dawn frowned, confused, and looked at Giles, who shrugged. Then she looked back at Hope.

"Eh, I have a sister, yes. Her name is Buffy."

"Buffy!" Hope said, excited, and smiled. "Where is she?"

"She's coming later."

"How old is she?" Willow asked as the whole group came closer.

"I don't know," Giles said.

"How old are you, Hope?" Dawn asked her.

Hope looked at her fingers.

"Two."

Dawn smiled at her and Hope smiled back and then looked at the Scoobs.

"Are they Mama's friends?" Hope asked.

"Yes, you could say that," Dawn said, thinking Hope meant Faith with Mama. "That's Xander, Willow and Kennedy."

Hope's eyes went wide.

"Mommy told me about you," she said.

"She did?" Xander asked.

Hope nodded.

"Uh-huh." She took another bite of the pizza and then looked at Giles. "Gampa, I'm full," she said.

"She's calling you Grandpa?" Willow asked, surprised.

"Yes," Giles said. He looked at Xander, who was eyeing the pizza. "You can eat the rest of the pizza, if you want."

"Thanks, G-Man," Xander said and took a slice.

"Come, Hope, let's get your hands clean," Dawn said and took Hope's hand.

Hope hopped off the chair and followed her to the bathroom.

"What do we do now?" Kennedy asked.

"We wait for Buffy and then see how Faith is," Giles said.

When Buffy arrived to Giles' place, a strange sight greeted her. The Scoobs were playing with a little girl, who was obviously having the time of her life.

"Eh, guys," she said, causing everyone to look at her.

"Mama!" the girl said, excited.

"Huh?" Buffy said, startled, as everyone looked at the girl, also surprised.

The girl got up, ran to her at full speed and hugged her legs.

Buffy stared at her, totally lost. Then she looked at her friends.

"Guys?"

"Her name is Hope," Dawn said. "She's Faith's daughter."

Buffy tensed.

"Faith?"

Hope then let go of Buffy's legs and looked up at her.

"Mama, can we go see Mommy now?"

Buffy looked at her, confused.

"What?"

"Gampa said Mommy was hurt. I wanted to see her, but he said to wait because Uncle Xander and Aunt Dawn and Aunt Willow and Aunt Kennedy were coming and I was hungry. Can we go see Mommy now?" Hope shot out.

Buffy stared at her for a few moments, trying to understand what the girl was saying. Then she looked at Giles.

"Giles, what the hell is going on?"

"Well, it seems that for some reason Faith came back. I don't know what happened, but she's in the hospital, in the coma ward."

"Coma? Again?" Buffy said, worried.

"Yes. The manager of the Downtowner Motel called me because she didn’t come back and he wanted to get rid of Hope."

"Why didn't he call the police?" Buffy asked.

"Apparently Faith gave him my name and address. I decided to take her, I didn't want the social services to get involved."

"She dumped her on you?" Buffy said, upset.

"She didn't dump her," Giles said, trying to calm her down, "she just wanted me to… well, take care of her or find her a good home."

"And you don't call this dumping?"

"Buffy," Willow tried to calm her down.

"She disappears for years and then we're left with her kid. That's so typical Faith."

"Mama?" Hope asked in a tiny voice, staring at Buffy with tears in her eyes.

"I'm not your mama, she's in the hospital."

Hope stared at her for a few moments and then ran to Dawn, tears running down her cheek.

"You didn't have to do that," Giles chided her.

"What?"

"Be rude to her."

"But I'm not her mother."

"I know, but you didn't have to yell at her."

Buffy looked at Hope, who was crying in Dawn's arms and she felt sorry. She sighed.

"I know, it's just… I'm tired of cleaning up after Faith."

"I know, but it's not Hope's fault."

Buffy sighed again.

"I know."

Giles then remembered that there was another letter in one of the bags and he went to get it. It took him a few moments to locate it, but when he did, he saw that there was Buffy's name on it, just as he had suspected.

"She left a letter for you," he said and gave it to Buffy.

Buffy looked at it with a frown and saw that her name was written on it. She hesitated for a few moments and then opened it.

"Hey, B,

If you're reading this then I'm probably dead. I guess you've already met my daughter Hope. I wanted you to take care of her, but I decided on Giles, since you still hate my guts. Anyway, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I know you threatened to kill me, but it's kinda beside the point now. So, I'm sorry. You were the best friend I ever had and I wish it had been you that saved me instead of Angel. Hell, I wish a lot of things had been different, including the fact that I couldn't say this to your face. I know I have no right to ask you anything, but I'm not asking for myself. Please don't hate Hope because of what I've done. Please.

Faith

Buffy stared at the letter for a few moments and then looked at Hope, who was slowly calming down.

"She said she was sorry," she said when she saw the curious looks.

"Aunt Dawn," Hope then spoke quietly.

"Yes?" Dawn said and smiled at her softly.

"Does Mama hate me?" Hope asked in a tiny voice.

Everyone's heart broke when they heard those words.

"No, she doesn't hate you."

"Is she mad at me?"

"No, she's not mad at you."

Hope frowned, confused.

"Then why did she yell at me?"

Dawn glanced at Buffy.

"She's just upset because your mommy didn't tell her about you."

Buffy stared at them for a few moments and then slowly approached them. Hope noticed her and tried to back off, scared. Buffy stopped, feeling really bad about snapping at her.

"I'm sorry, Hope," she said. "You did nothing wrong, I'm just angry with Faith."

Hope calmed down a bit and Buffy came closer.

"She's sorry," Hope said.

"What?"

"Mommy is sorry."

Buffy stared at her for a few moments.

"How do you know?"

"She said so."

"Oh."

Hope hesitated for a moment.

"Can we go see her now?" she then asked.

Buffy looked at Giles.

"Giles?"

"I can't see why not. But I suggest only you, me and Hope." He looked at the rest. "You can wait here or go to the Magic Box."

"We'll go to the Magic Box," Willow said.

"Then let's go," Buffy said.

She hesitated for a moment and then extended her arms toward Hope to pick her up. Hope's eyes went wide and she smiled. Then she reached for her and Buffy picked her up.

When they got to the hospital, Giles went to Information to find out where Faith was and Buffy held Hope, who was looking around, curious.

"Mama."

Buffy looked at her, wondering why Hope was calling her Mama.

"Yes?"

"Are all these people sick?"

Buffy smiled.

"No, not all. Some are sick, some are doctors and some are visitors, like us," she explained.

"I found her," Giles said as he returned.

"This room," Giles said when he found the room.

They entered and Hope's eyes went wide when she saw Faith.

"Mommy?" she said in a tiny voice, scared, and her eyes became wet with tears.

Buffy took her closer.

"She's recovering," she said.

Hope squirmed in her arms, so she put her on the bed.

"Careful," Giles said when Hope started crawling all over Faith.

Hope slowed down, lay on top of Faith and hugged her. Buffy caressed her, finding herself desperately wanting to make Hope happy.

"I'll go find a doctor," Giles said.

"Okay," Buffy said and Giles left.

"Mama," Hope said, looking at her.

"Yes?"

"Why is Mommy not moving?"

"She is sleeping."

"When will she wake up?"

"I don't know." She hesitated for a moment. "The last time it took her eight months."

"Really?" Hope said, her eyes wide.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because she was hurt badly."

"But she will be okay?"

"Yes."

Hope closed her eyes and a few tears escaped her. Buffy caressed her.

"She'll be okay, honey," she said.

Then she looked around for a chair. She went to it and carried it to the bed. Then she sat down and took Hope's hand. She looked at Faith and Hope and felt strange. She and Faith had only been friends for a short period of time and hated each other the rest of the time. Then she frowned as she realized that that wasn't quite true. She had been angry with Faith, yes, but she really started to hate her only after Faith had gone to Angel. Before, she had always wanted to help her, even after she had woken up from coma. And now, she wasn't sure how she felt anymore. She knew she didn't hate her anymore and seeing how much Hope loved Faith made it even harder for her to start again, especially since Hope called her Mama, making her a part of the family in a way. She wondered for a moment if that was Faith's plan, but then she realized that Faith probably didn't have a plan beyond making sure that her daughter was okay. And she knew that if Hope was her baby, she would've done the same.

She could never imagine that someone could love Faith so unconditionally. She almost gasped when she realized what she had just thought. It was no wonder that Faith turned the way she had. All she probably wanted was to be loved by someone and nobody ever had. Buffy suddenly felt very guilty, especially since she also realized that she had always considered Faith a competition and never really gave her a chance. The closest she came to it was just before Faith had killed Finch. No, she corrected herself, they had killed Finch, together. She shuddered as she accepted her part of the guilt. She couldn't imagine how Faith must have felt, being the one who had actually staked Finch.

Then Giles returned and Buffy looked at him.

"Did you find a doctor?" she asked.

"Yes."

"And?"

"She was badly wounded, but she is stable now. I'd say her wounds should heal in a few days, but I don't know when she'll wake up."

"Oh." She looked back at Hope, who was still hugging Faith. "Giles, do you think Hope could stay at my place?" she then asked and looked at Giles.

"Are you sure?" Giles said, surprised.

"Yes," Buffy said and looked back at Hope. "And I could bring her over to your place before going to work. Or maybe the Magic Box."

"Very well. I'll bring the bags to your house then."

"Okay. Thanks." She looked at him. "You can go, if you want, I'll stay here with Hope."

"Are you sure?"

Buffy nodded.

"Yes."

"Okay. I'll tell the others then."

"Okay."

"Will you be long?"

"I don't know. Oh, tell Dawn that Hope will be sleeping with me."

"I will."

"Thanks."

Giles left and Buffy looked back at Hope.

"Are you tired?" she asked her.

Hope opened her eyes.

"Uh-uh," she said, shaking her head.

Buffy smiled.

"Okay."

She looked around the room and saw that it was a typical hospital room, sterile and impersonal. She decided to bring some flowers to brighten it up. Then she remembered when Faith had woken from coma the last time and she decided to leave a note.

"Hope. I'll be right back, I'm just gonna get something to write so I can leave a note for Mommy, in case she wakes up when we're not here."

"Okay."

Buffy smiled, gently squeezed her hand and then left.

An hour later, Buffy was bored out of her mind.

"Hope, honey," she called softly and Hope opened her eyes. "Why don't we go home now."

"Now?"

"Yes."

"Can't we stay?" Hope pleaded.

"We can, but if we go home, you can draw something for Mommy and then we can put it on the wall here so that she'll see it when she wakes up and won't be scared."

Hope smiled, liking the idea, and she sat up. Then she frowned.

"But what if she wakes up and we're not here?"

"Don't worry, I left her a note and I told the nurse to call if she wakes up."

"Oh."

"Come."

Buffy got up and picked Hope up.

"Bye, Mommy," Hope said and waved at her.

Buffy smiled, moved.

"Hey, guys," Buffy said as she and Hope entered the Magic Box.

"Hey," Xander said.

"Hi, Hope," Dawn said, smiling widely.

Buffy took Hope to the table and helped her sit up. Then she sat on a chair beside her and looked at Giles.

"I left Faith a note, in case she wakes up when no one is there. I also told a nurse to call immediately and I gave her my and your phone number and that of the Magic Box."

Giles nodded.

"A good idea," he agreed.

"So she's staying with us?" Dawn asked, excited.

"Yes."

"Cool. Where is she sleeping?"

Buffy looked at Hope for a moment.

"With me for now. Then I guess we can get the guest room ready."

"Will Faith also stay with us when she wakes up?"

Buffy thought for a moment.

"I don't know."

"Oh."

"You want us to move?" Willow asked.

Buffy looked at her.

"No, it's okay."

"Are you sure?"

Buffy nodded.

"Yes."

"Hey, I can give Hope my baby clothes," Dawn realized.

"You still have them?" Buffy asked.

"Some of them."

"Okay." She looked at Giles. "Giles, where are Faith's bags?"

"In the car. I wanted to take them to your house later."

"Okay. You can take us home for lunch then."

"Now?" Dawn asked.

"Yes. Giles, I'll bring Hope to you tomorrow morning and I'll pick her up after work."

"Eh, should I cook her lunch?" Giles asked, a bit uncertain.

Buffy thought for a moment.

"Yes, please. I'll let you know what as soon as I find out. Oh, she'll probably take a nap after lunch." She looked at Hope. "Hope, do you take a nap after lunch?"

Hope nodded.

"Uh-huh."

Buffy smiled at her.

"Okay." She looked at Giles. "Let's go."

When they got home, Willow volunteered to cook and Kennedy went with her. Dawn left to look for her baby clothes and Giles helped her take the bags upstairs.

"Okay, Hope, this is where you'll be sleeping, with me," Buffy said when they got to her room. She looked at Giles. "Thanks, Giles, just put them over there."

Giles put the bags down and Hope looked around the room, curious.

"Who is that?" Hope asked and pointed at Mr Gordo.

Buffy smiled and fetched the stuffed pig.

"This is Mr Gordo. He's a stuffed pig. He was my best friend when I was little. But I've been neglecting him lately. Do you want to take care of him for me?"

Hope's eyes went wide.

"Really?"

"Yes. Here."

She gave the toy to Hope, who beamed.

"Thank you, Mama," she said and hugged her.

Buffy caressed her, moved.

"I'll, eh, see you tomorrow then," Giles said.

"Okay."

Giles left and a few moments later Dawn came with a box.

"I found them," she said.

"Put them over by the bags."

Hope let go of Buffy and looked at Dawn, curious.

"I brought you some of my clothes," Dawn said when she saw that Hope was looking at her.

"Can I see?"

Dawn looked at Buffy.

"Sure," Buffy said. "Unpack the bags and the box and I'll make room in my closet. We'll keep some of them here and we'll put the rest to the spare room when it's ready."

"Okay," Dawn said and started unpacking.

After lunch, Buffy put Hope to sleep and then went downstairs.

"She's asleep," she said.

"Okay, I have one… question," Willow said. "What happens to Hope if Faith dies?"

Buffy thought for a moment and then the sighed.

"I don't know. I mean, I'd like to keep her."

Kennedy smiled.

"She grew on you, ha?"

Buffy smiled back.

"Yeah. And she calls me Mama. I mean, okay, Faith probably told her to, but still."

"You think?" Dawn asked.

Buffy looked at her.

"What?"

"Do you think Faith told her to call you Mama?"

Buffy frowned.

"I don't know, but it would be very Faith-like."

"Yes, but you saw how excited she was when she first saw you. I mean, she wouldn't be so excited if you were just some stranger."

Buffy thought about it.

"You think Faith told her about me?"

"Yes. And she must've praised you a lot."

Buffy frowned as she considered this.

"I don't know."

"Ask her," Kennedy said.

"She's right," Willow said. "I mean, I'm not the greatest Faith fan, but Dawn is right."

Buffy sighed.

"I'll ask her."

"And if Faith wakes up?" Dawn asked.

Buffy frowned.

"I don't know. I mean, I'd like to keep Hope, but Faith is her mother. We don't know what she's been doing or if she has changed."

"Ask Hope."

"She'll probably praise her."

"Which says a lot about Faith."

Buffy raised an eyebrow and thought about it.

"I guess. I'll talk to Hope."

"Mama?"

Buffy, who had constantly been listening for Hope, immediately ran upstairs.

"Hey, honey," she said with a smile and Hope smiled back. "Had a good sleep?"

Hope nodded.

"Uh-huh," she said and rubbed her eyes.

"Then let's go downstairs."

Hope extended her arms and Buffy picked her up. She yawned and Buffy smiled.

"Sleepy?"

Hope shook her head.

"Uh-uh."

"Okay." She hesitated for a moment. "Hope, did Mommy told I was your mama?"

Hope nodded her head.

"Uh-huh."

"Oh," Buffy said, not knowing whether to hate Faith about it or what.

"Mama, are you going out to fight monsters?" Hope asked when Buffy tucked her in in the evening.

Buffy smiled.

"Yes."

"Are the monsters gonna hurt you too?"

Buffy realized Hope was scared.

"No, no, don't worry. I'm going to punish the monster who hurt Mommy, okay?"

"Okay."

Buffy caressed her.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. And Aunt Dawn will be in her room, so you'll be okay."

"Okay," Hope said, a bit calmer now.

Buffy kissed her on the forehead.

"I'll stay here until you fall asleep," she said and took her hand.

"Okay," Hope said. "Night, Mama," she said and closed her eyes.

"Night, sweetie."

After Hope had fallen asleep, Buffy went downstairs. She took a vase with flowers and wrapped the flowers in a paper. Then she emptied the vase and put it in a plastic bag.

"Dawn, I'll drop these flowers at the hospital and then I'll go on patrol," she said when she was ready.

"Okay," Dawn said. "And be careful. Whatever hurt Faith might still be out there."

"I will."

When she got to the hospital, Buffy sneaked into Faith's room. She took the vase from the plastic bag, filled it with water and put it on the nightstand. Then she unwrapped the flowers and put them in the vase. When she was satisfied with the arrangement, she folded the plastic bag and stuffed it in her pocket. Then she looked at Faith. She remembered the last time when Faith was in coma and she was standing beside her bed. She hoped that this time it wouldn't take eight months for Faith to wake up. She hoped that Faith would see the note and calm down. And she hoped that Faith had changed.

She sighed and took hold of Faith's hand.

"Get well, Faith," she said.

She gently squeezed Faith's hand and then left.

When Buffy got to the Magic Box the next day, Hope was busy drawing.

"Hey, guys," she said.

"Hello, Buffy," Giles said.

"Hey, honey," she said with a smile when she reached the table, and caressed Hope.

Hope looked at her.

"Look, Mama," she said excitedly, "Aunt Willow got me cra… cra…"

"Crayons," Buffy helped her.

"Uh-huh. And I drew this for Mommy." She showed Buffy a completed picture. "See? That's Mommy, that's me and that's you," she pointed out.

Buffy frowned.

"Why do I have wings?"

"Because Mommy said you're an angel."

Buffy blushed and everyone chuckled, having heard the explanation before.

"She did?"

"Uh-huh," Hope said with a nod.

"Oh. Well, I'm not a real angel, you know, that's just a… a way to say that I'm a good person."

"Oh," Hope said and looked at the picture.

"But it's okay," Buffy quickly said. "Although you don't have to draw wings on me anymore."

"Okay," Hope said. "Can we go to Mommy now?"

Buffy looked at Giles.

"Has she eaten?"

Giles nodded.

"And taken a nap."

"Good. Anything else I need to know?"

"No."

"Okay, then we'll go to Faith." She looked at Hope. "Okay, honey, pack your crayons and paper and take the pictures." She looked back at Giles. "Giles, do you have some tape? We're gonna put the pictures on the wall."

"Yes, of course," Giles said and went to get the tape.

Hope quickly put the crayons back in the box.

"You can take them with you," Buffy said. "You can draw while we're there."

"Okay," Hope said, grabbed the crayons, the paper and the pictures and hopped off the chair.

"Here you go," Giles said and gave her the tape.

"Thanks. I'll see you guys later," Buffy said and took Hope's hand. "Let's go, honey."

When they got to Faith's room, Hope ran to Faith's bed.

"She's still asleep," she said, disappointed.

"Yes," Buffy said. "How about we put the pictures on and then you can draw some more or you can talk to Mommy."

"But she's sleeping," Hope said, confused.

"Yes, but it's not a normal sleep and she can hear you."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

"Come."

Buffy put the pictures on the wall and Hope directed her. When they were done, Buffy helped Hope on the bed and Hope then started to tell Faith about her day. Buffy took a book from her bag and started to read, only half listening to Hope.

A month passed and Faith finally woke up. She was a bit disoriented at first, but then she remembered. She sat up, worried about Hope. She wanted to run out of the hospital and go search for her when she noticed drawings hanging on the wall all around the room. As she looked around, she also noticed the flowers. Finally, she noticed the note and read it. She stared at it for a few moments, considering whether she should do as it said or leave. She decided to wait. She looked around and quickly located the call button. She pressed it and waited for the nurse.

As soon as Buffy got the call, she wrapped up at work, went to the Magic Box to pick up Hope and then they went to the hospital. As they finally got the room, they were both excited. Buffy knocked and then opened the door.

"Mommy!" Hope squealed, excited, when she saw that Faith really was awake.

"Hope," Faith said, her eyes wide.

Hope ran to the bed and Buffy ran after her to make sure she didn’t fall. Hope wanted up and Buffy picked her up and gave her to Faith, who hugged her tightly.

"Hope," Faith whispered, hugging her tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks from closed eyes.

"I'll get a doctor," Buffy said, deciding to give them some privacy, knowing that Faith needed it but would probably close down with her around.

Some long moments after Buffy left, Faith finally let go of Hope and looked at her.

"Are you okay, honey?" she asked, caressing her.

Hope nodded.

"Uh-huh. Mama took care of me."

Hope frowned.

"Who?"

"Mama. And Gampa too. And Aunt Dawn and Aunt Willow and Aunt Kennedy and Uncle Xander and Aunt Anya," Hope listed excitedly.

Faith stared at her for a few moments, trying to comprehend what Hope was saying. Then she noticed the clothes.

"Where did you get these clothes?"

Hope glanced at them.

"Aunt Dawn gave them to me. She's really nice."

Faith smiled and looked around.

"Did you draw all these pictures?"

Hope looked around and nodded.

"Uh-huh. Mama said I should, so that you wouldn't be scared when you woke up. You're not going back to sleep, are you?" she then added, worried.

Faith smiled again.

"No, honey." She looked at a picture closest to her. "Who's that person with the wings?" she asked, curious.

Hope looked.

"Mama."

Faith frowned.

"Buffy?"

Hope nodded.

"Uh-huh."

"Why does she have wings?"

"Because you said she was an angel."

"Oh," Faith said, remembering. Then she remembered something else. "Did you talk to me while I was… asleep?"

Hope's eyes went wide and she nodded excitedly.

"Uh-huh. Mama said I should. She said you could hear me."

Faith smiled.

"I did." She sighed. "So Buffy treated you good?"

Hope nodded.

"Uh-huh. And she let me sleep with her too."

"Really?" Faith said, surprised.

"Uh-huh. And she gave me Mr Gordo."

"Really?" Faith said, even more surprised.

"Uh-huh. She said she couldn't take care of him herself and she wanted me to take care of him."

Faith smiled.

"Okay."

Hope then leaned closer.

"Mama's not mad at you anymore," she then whispered.

Faith raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"She's not?"

Hope shook her head.

"Uh-uh."

Then there was a knock on the door and a moment later Buffy entered with a nurse.

"Hey," she said.

"Doctor Jenkins will come shortly," the nurse said.

"Come, honey, let's take off the pictures while the doctors take care of Mommy, okay?" Buffy said.

"Okay," Hope said and let Buffy pick her up.

Faith tensed for a moment, but then she calmed, knowing she had nothing to fear.

Then Doctor Jenkins arrived and she had other things to worry about.

Buffy and Hope went around the room. Buffy took off the pictures and gave them to Hope, who trailed behind her, carefully holding them. When they were done, Buffy sat Hope on a chair. Then she got rid of the flowers and took the vase.

"Miss," Doctor Jenkins then said.

"Yes?" Buffy said.

"She may have recovered remarkably fast, but I want you to make sure that she doesn't do any strenuous activities for a while. And I want you to bring her back if there are any signs that she may not have healed as well as we thought."

"I will, Doctor," Buffy said and Faith wondered if she meant it.

"Okay then, you may leave," Doctor Jenkins told Faith.

"Thanks, Doc," Faith said and Doctor Jenkins and the nurse left.

"Okay, honey, let's give Mommy some privacy so she can get dressed," Buffy said and gave Hope her hand.

"Can Mommy go home now?" Hope asked.

"Yes."

Hope smiled and hopped off the chair.

"Faith, I brought you some new clothes, they're in the closet over there. We'll be right outside."

Buffy then led Hope out and Faith stared after them, hoping Buffy really wasn't mad at her anymore. She got up and padded to the closet.

Outside, Buffy put the vase on a chair and helped Hope get on another.

"Watch the pictures, honey," she warned her and Hope quickly tightened her grip.

They waited for minute or so when a young couple came by.

"Ooh, she's so cute," the woman gushed over Hope. "Is she yours?"

"Yes," Buffy said with a smile, not noticing that Faith had come out of her room. "Her name is Hope."

"How old is she?"

"Two."

The woman smiled at Hope.

"Waiting for Daddy?"

Hope shook her head.

"Uh-uh. We're waiting for Mommy. She slept really long, but now she woke up and we're going home."

The woman smiled.

"Damn dykes," the man murmured.

"Honey," his wife chided him.

"If you don't watch your mouth in front of my daughter, I'm gonna turn you into one," Buffy said sweetly and cast a meaningful glance at his crotch.

The man involuntarily took a step back while his wife chuckled.

"I'm sorry," she told Buffy.

"It's okay," Buffy said.

The woman then took her husband by the arm and took him away before he could say something he would regret later.

"Mama, what's a dyke?" Hope asked when they were gone.

Buffy looked at her. She hesitated for a moment.

"A dyke is a lesbian, a woman who loves another woman in a sexual way."

"Like you and Mommy?"

Buffy blushed.

"Sort of. But dyke is an insult."

Faith then backed off into the room, waited for a moment and then walked out.

"Hey," she said.

"Mommy!" Hope squealed and hopped off the chair.

She ran to Faith, who picked her up.

"Hey, honey," she said and caressed her, smiling.

"Ready to go home?" Buffy asked.

"Hell yeah," Faith said. "The sooner the better."

Buffy smiled.

"Let's go then."

When they got to Buffy's house, Faith suddenly got nervous.

"Come, Mommy," Hope said, excited, and started dragging her up the stairs.

Faith looked at Buffy, puzzled, and Buffy smiled.

"Go."

Faith followed Hope, making sure she didn't fall, and Buffy followed them both. Hope led them to their room and Faith gasped when she opened the door and saw a 'Welcome home, Mommy!' banner hanging on the wall. She didn't have to be a genius to know that a child wrote that.

"You wrote that?" she asked.

Hope nodded, proud.

"Uh-huh. Mama showed me how."

Faith bit her teeth, moved.

"Thank you, baby," she said and hugged her.

Buffy smiled at the sighed.

"This is your room," she said.

Faith let go of Hope and looked at her, surprised.

"Mine?"

"Yes. I mean, if you want to stay, which I hope you do. I want Hope to stay," Buffy babbled.

Faith frowned.

"Are you sure? I mean, the last time we met…"

"That was a long time ago," Buffy interrupted her. "We've both changed."

Faith swallowed hard.

"Thanks. And thanks for taking care of Hope."

Buffy smiled.

"Hey, she's my daughter too."

"What about your mom?"

Buffy's face became serious.

"She's dead."

Faith's eyes went wide.

"What?" She hesitated for a moment. "How?"

"She had a tumor."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Buffy smiled sadly.

"Me too." She took a deep breath. "Now, why don't you settle in. I'll order us a pizza and then we can go to the Magic Box." She frowned. "I mean, if you think you're ready to face the guys."

Faith gulped, nervous.

"What… What do they… think of me?"

"I think they're all ready to give you another chance," she glanced at Hope with a smile, "thanks to Hope's endless praise of you."

Faith blushed a bit.

"They like Hope?"

"Are you kidding? They're practically competing over who's her most favorite aunt. Or uncle."

"Oh."

Buffy smiled.

"I'll call the guys and let them know you're home," Buffy said and left.

Home. Faith looked around the room and wondered if this could be a home for her and Hope. So far things were going unimaginably well. Sure, she still had to apologize to everyone, but that wasn't hard. She looked at Hope and smiled.

"Okay, honey, show me around."

After the tour of the upper floor, Faith and Hope came downstairs. Hope went to the living room and turned on the TV and Faith went to Buffy, who was in the kitchen.

"Everything okay?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah." She hesitated for a moment. "Em, B, I know you said you'd kill me, but I'd really like to…" She trailed off, afraid to even say the word. "Em…"

"I won't kill you," Buffy said.

Faith gulped, nervous.

"Eh, I… I'm sorry, B. You were one of the few people that actually cared about me, but I screwed you over." She sighed. "I wish there was some way I could undo what I did, but I can't. I only hope that one day I'll make up for it. If you'll let me."

Buffy smiled.

"I forgive you, Faith," she said and Faith gasped, surprised. "I've had a lot of time to think about it. And it wasn't entirely your fault. I should've seen through your tough-girl façade. I mean, you were staying in a dirty motel and we only called you when we needed you. We weren't very good friends. And after Finch… You may have actually stabbed him, but I threw him at you. If I had noticed that he was Human, you wouldn't have killed him."

"No, B…"

Buffy raised her hand, cutting her off.

"No, Faith, we both screwed up. I'm sorry too, especially for the last part, when I said you should go to jail." She sighed. "I was so jealous of Angel. I mean, I've tried to help you for so long and then you went to him and he helped you in a couple of days. That was when I really started to feel angry." She sighed again. "I should've let him help you instead of sending you to jail."

"It's okay, B," Faith said. "Jail was exactly what I needed."

Buffy frowned, surprised.

"It was?"

"Yeah. I didn't have to worry about being a Slayer there. I actually felt safe. I mean, sure, some of the inmates were real bitches, but they mostly left me alone. And there was order." She sighed. "I forgive you too, B," she said and Buffy smiled.

"You think we can start over?"

Faith shrugged.

"Sure."

"Okay. So you'll stay here?"

Faith thought for a moment.

"If I may."

Buffy smiled.

"Sure. I'll go take the rest of Hope's stuff to your room now."

"She has more stuff?" Faith asked, surprised.

"Yes. She was sleeping with me, so I put some of her clothes into my closet."

"Oh."

"Dawn gave her her baby clothes."

"Yeah, I know."

"Oh."

Faith thought for a moment.

"Why is she calling you Mama?" she then asked, curious.

Buffy looked at her, surprised.

"She said you told her I was her mama."

Faith frowned.

"I didn't."

Buffy frowned.

"You didn’t?"

"No." She blushed a bit. "I mean, I did talk to her about you, but I never said you were her mama."

"Oh," Buffy said, puzzled. "Do you mind?" she asked, hoping for a negative answer.

Faith thought for a moment.

"No." She thought for a moment. "You love her?"

Buffy smiled.

"Like she was my own."

Faith smiled a bit, relieved.

"Okay."

"Did she show you around?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I'll go take the clothes to your room. Pizza should come soon."

"Okay."

After Buffy took Hope's clothes to Faith's room, she went back downstairs. She smiled when she saw Hope sitting between Faith's legs and Faith leaning her chin on Hope's head. When Faith noticed her, she immediately felt embarrassed. Buffy sat down beside her.

"Faith," she said softly, "don't ever be afraid of showing your love for Hope."

Faith looked away, embarrassed, and sighed. Since she didn't respond immediately, Buffy leaned back and watched cartoons with them.

"B," Faith spoke after a while.

"Yes?" Buffy asked and looked at her.

Faith hesitated again.

"Do… Are… Eh… Are you ever worried about Dawn?"

"Every time she goes out without one of the Scoobs."

"Aren't you worried that the bad guys might use her against you?"

"I am. But that doesn't stop me from showing the world that I love her. I mean, the bad guys know she's my sister and they'll try to hurt me through her whether I show how much I care for her or not."

"Oh."

Buffy smiled.

"Faith?"

"Yeah?"

"You're a good mother."

Faith gulped, fighting back the tears, moved.

"Thanks," she croaked and hugged Hope tighter.

After the pizza, they went to the Magic Box. They decided to walk instead of drive and Buffy and Faith each held one of Hope's hands. Hope was excitedly hopping between them, happy that both her parents were with her.

When they got to the Magic Box, Faith stopped, nervous.

"We don't have to go in if you're not ready," Buffy said.

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

"Might as well get it over with."

Buffy smiled.

"Let's go then," she said and opened the door.

They entered and the entire Scooby Gang looked at them. Faith tensed for a moment, but then she relaxed when no one glared at her. She frowned when she saw Kennedy, whom she didn't know, sit in Willow's lap. She decided to ask Buffy about it later.

"Hey, guys," she said.

"Faith," Giles said and approached her. "How are you?"

Faith smiled a bit.

"Five b… I'm fine. Thanks. And thanks for taking care of Hope." She looked at the others. "All of you."

"It was a pleasure," Giles said.

Faith took a deep breath, nervous.

"Eh, I owe you guys an apology," she then said and gulped. "Eh, I'm sorry for all the stuff I've done. I hope that someday I can make it up to you."

There was a brief silence and Faith looked everybody in the eyes, nervous. Hope felt her nervousness and she hugged her. Faith looked at her, startled, and Buffy smiled.

"Well, eh, we've… talked about you before, so I speak for all of us," Giles said. "We've decided to let the past be and give you another chance."

Faith breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that she wasn't quite forgiven yet, but at least she got a chance to earn their forgiveness.

"Thanks."

"Come, honey," Buffy said and Hope followed her to the table.

Faith slowly went after them.

"So, eh, what brings you to Sunnydale?" Giles asked.

"Oh. I was cleaning up a nest of these short but feisty demons. It turned out they were only babies. I was just done when their mother showed up and kicked my ass. I got the hell out of there, but she managed to find me. I packed our bags and got out of town, but she followed me through three states and still found me. So I came here. I was just on my way to your place when mama demon found me again and nearly took me apart."

"Was she brown, scaly, red eyes and was missing an arm?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah," Faith said. "You saw her?"

"Yeah. She kicked my butt. Did you cut off her arm?"

"Yeah."

"Good thing you did or she would've… wasted me," Buffy said, glancing at Hope. "We killed her the next day."

"Oh. Good," Faith said, relieved.

"So, feel like training?"

Faith grinned.

"You bet."

Buffy looked at Hope.

"Honey, Mommy and Mama are going to train now, okay?"

"Okay," Hope said.

Buffy looked at Willow.

"Will you watch her, Will?"

Willow smiled.

"Sure," she said.

Kennedy got off her lap.

"I'll go watch."

"Okay."

"This way," Buffy said and led the way.

Faith raised an eyebrow as Willow and Kennedy kissed, but she didn't comment. She quickly went after Buffy.

"Nice," she said when she saw the gym.

Buffy smiled.

"Xander made it."

"Yeah?" Faith said with a raised eyebrows, impressed.

"Yes. Let's stretch first."

"Okay."

The two Slayers stretched and Kennedy observed them.

When they were done a few minutes later, they faced each other.

"How do you feel?" Buffy asked Faith.

Faith shrugged.

"Okay."

"Then let's do it."

Buffy attacked and Faith easily blocked. She noticed that Buffy was going easy on her. She was about to protest when Buffy increased her speed and strength. She grinned, realizing Buffy was just giving her some time to adapt and to make sure that she could keep up. They were at full speed and strength in no time, even though Faith felt that she was a bit rusty.

Kennedy just stared at them, impressed. She had trained with Buffy and she knew Buffy was holding back, she just didn't know how much. And not only that, it seemed as though the two Slayers knew one another so well that they could predict what the other would do.

"You're gaping," Willow said with a smile as she and Hope came to watch.

Kennedy looked at her, startled.

"What?"

"You're gaping."

"Oh," Kennedy said with a blush and closed her mouth.

"Aunt Willow," Hope said.

"Yes?" Willow said and looked at her.

"Why are Mommy and Mama fighting?

Willow sensed that Hope was worried.

"They're not really fighting, they're just practicing."

"So they can fight monsters better?"

Willow smiled.

"Exactly."

Hope looked back at her parents and watched them, curious.

Buffy noticed that Faith was distracted by Hope's presence and she slowly stopped.

"Thanks," Faith said and looked at Hope. "Hey, honey," she said with a smile.

Hope smiled back.

"You're so fast," she said, amazed.

Faith's smile widened.

"We have to be so we can fight the monsters. Wanna watch?"

Hope nodded.

"Uh-huh."

"Willow, why don't you get her a chair."

"Okay," Willow said, let go of Hope's hand and left.

"Ready for more?" Buffy asked.

Faith looked at her and grinned.

"Bring it on."

Buffy grinned.

"You asked for it," she said and attacked.

A few minutes later, they stopped.

"If I wasn't so rusty I would've kicked your ass, B," Faith said with a grin.

Buffy snorted.

"In your dreams."

"Actually, I'm spanking your ass there, B," Faith said and Buffy blushed.

"I see you haven't lost your touch," Xander commented from the door.

Faith grinned at him.

"Nope."

"You got better," Buffy said.

Faith looked at her, surprised.

"You think?"

Buffy nodded.

"Yes. I mean, your skills are more or less the same, but you fight more defensively now and it helps you a lot. You're not so cocky anymore."

Faith blushed a bit.

"I got a good reason not to be," she said and glanced at Hope.

Buffy smiled.

"Wanna practice with Kennedy?" she asked.

Faith looked at Kennedy.

"You?"

"Yeah," Kennedy said.

"She's a Slayer-in-Waiting," Buffy said.

"Yeah?" Faith said, surprised, glancing at Buffy.

"Yes."

Faith stared at Kennedy for a few moments, thinking about the fact that the girl might become a Slayer if either she or Buffy died.

"You okay?" Buffy asked her.

Faith glanced at her.

"Yeah." She sighed. "So, you up for it?" she asked Kennedy.

Kennedy smiled.

"Oh yeah."

"Then let's do it."

Kennedy approached her and stretched a bit first.

"Okay, I'm ready," she then said and Faith immediately attacked.

Buffy observed them and saw that even though Faith was obviously the superior fighter, she didn't get cocky nor did she try to show off by knocking Kennedy down, even though she easily could. Buffy smiled, amazed by how much Faith had changed.

"I think you've had enough," Faith said with a smirk a few minutes later and backed off.

"You sure gave her a run for her money," Buffy said and Faith chuckled.

"Guys," Willow said.

Everyone looked at her and she nodded at Hope, who was barely able to keep her eyes opened.

"Looks like someone needs her nap," Faith said.

She went to her and picked her up.

"We're going home, Giles," Buffy said.

"Okay. Oh, eh, Faith, I'd like to talk to you later. I'm sure the Council would want to know what you've been up to and so would we."

"Sure, Giles. We'll come as soon as Hope wakes up."

"Good."

"Let's go," Buffy said.

Faith looked at Kennedy.

"Not bad," she said. "We'll do it some more."

"Okay," Kennedy said.

The Slayers and their daughter left.

"She's… interesting," Kennedy said.

"She looked so…" Willow said and trailed off, searching for the word.

"Grown up," Giles said.

"Yes, I guess. I mean, she can still make Buffy blush, but she seemed… calmer."

"Yes," Giles agreed.

When they got home, Faith took Hope upstairs and laid her on the bed. She took her shoes off and covered her.

"Sweet dreams, baby," she then said quietly and kissed her on the forehead.

She looked at Buffy for a moment and backed off. Buffy smiled and approached the bed.

"Sweet dreams, honey," she said and kissed Hope as well.

Then they left.

"B?" Faith said after she closed the door.

"Yes?"

"Can you fill me in on what's been going on around here?"

"Sure," Buffy said. "Let's go downstairs."

"Okay," Faith said and they went downstairs.

"Want something to drink?" Buffy asked when they got downstairs.

"No, I'm okay."

"Okay," Buffy said and led the way to the living room.

She sat on the sofa and Faith did so as well, only she made sure she wasn't too close to Buffy.

"Okay, let's see," Buffy said, thinking. "After I… After I stabbed you, we blew up the Mayor. He changed into this huge ugly snake and he ate Snyder."

"And he survived?" Faith asked with a grin, making Buffy feel more at ease about the whole thing.

Buffy chuckled.

"Amazingly, yes. Anyway, I lured him into the school building and then Giles blew it up. Oh, thanks for the tip."

Faith nodded.

"You're welcome."

"Anyway, I went to college and fell for the wrong guy. But I got over him. Then I started to date Riley and Willow fell for Tara."

"What happened to Oz?"

"He left to see if he could control the wolf in him."

"Oh. Where are they?" Faith asked. "Riley and Tara, I mean."

"Well, Riley left and got married and Tara is dead."

"What?" Faith said, surprised.

"I'll tell you later," Buffy said and took a deep breath. "Anyway, it turned out that Riley worked for this secret government agency called the Initiative. So did my Psych professor. She created this Frankenstein's monster called Adam. He was part Human, part demon and part machine. He killed her. Let me tell you, he was one scary guy."

"When did you kill him?" Faith asked, thinking.

Buffy thought for a moment.

"End of school year."

"Did you use magic?"

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

"I felt… strange, like someone was draining me."

"Really? We did an enjoining spell. It turned me into Super Slayer."

"Oh."

"Only then the first Slayer tried to kill us in our dreams."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. It was pretty scary, but I told her to back off."

"I bet she wasn't very happy about it," Faith said with a grin.

"No," Buffy agreed with a smile. "Anyway, the next year I met Dracula and…"

"The Dracula?" Faith interrupted, surprised.

"Yes. And I got Dawn."

Faith frowned.

"What do you mean, you got Dawn? She's your sister."

"Not exactly. She's actually something called the Key and some monks turned her into a Human and gave everybody fake memories."

"Oh. Does she know?"

"Yes." Buffy sighed. "Anyway, Mom got a tumor and died. Riley went away and married some commando chick. And this crazy Hell goddess Glory, she was after Dawn."

"Why?"

"She needed her to open the portal back to her own dimension."

"Oh."

Buffy thought for a moment.

"After she took Dawn, I was so scared. I've never been that scared before." She sighed. "Anyway, I beat her senseless and Giles killed her, but one of her minions wounded Dawn and the portal opened. The only way to close it was for Dawn to die. But, since she was made from me, I jumped and died instead."

Faith stared at her, wide-eyed.

"But… But…" She frowned as she remembered something. "I think I felt you die."

"Really?" Buffy said, surprised.

"Yeah," Faith said. "I mean, I was busy with some inmates then, but now that you told me, I think I did feel you die." She frowned again. "But you're still alive."

Buffy smiled.

"Willow and the guys brought me back."

"Shit," Faith said, impressed.

"Oh, did I mention that Spike made a robot that looked just like me?"

"He did?"

"Yes. This guy, Warren, he made sexbots and Spike had him make one that looked just like me."

"Son of a bitch."

Buffy smiled.

"Yeah. Anyway, that robot helped me defeat Glory and she filled in for me while I was dead."

"Yeah?" Faith said, surprised. "She went slaying?"

"Yes. And she went to college instead of me."

"Wow."

"Yes. Anyway, Spike also helped us defeat Glory and he protected Dawn, so I forgave him for the sexbot." She hesitated for a moment. "After I was resurrected, I… I was… confused. I was afraid I didn't feel anymore, so I… I slept with him."

"You did?" Faith said, surprised.

"Yeah. And not just once. I mean, it was just sex, nothing more, although he's in love with me."

"Oh," Faith said, deciding not to tease Buffy about it.

"Yeah. But I stopped." She sighed. "And then there were these three stupid geeks who tried to take over Sunnydale."

Faith burst into laughter.

"Sorry," she said, "but it just sounded so funny."

Buffy smiled.

"I know, but this guys, they were bad. Warren, the guy who made sexbots, he killed his girlfriend and tried to make me think I did it. And later, he killed Tara."

"Bastard," Faith said angrily, biting her teeth.

"Willow… She had problems. She got addicted to magic and she got so bad that Tara broke up with her. But they made up and Willow got better, but after Warren killed Tara, she lost it. She tortured him and finally skinned him alive. She wanted to end the world, but Xander stopped her. She went to England for rehabilitation."

"Not to the Council?" Faith asked, worried.

"No, to the local coven there."

"Oh."

"She got better."

"And Kennedy?"

"Giles brought her and two other Slayers-in-Waiting when we were investigating the First Evil. Oh yeah, Spike got his soul back."

Faith raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Really?"

"Yes. Anyway, because of Mom dying and because Glory was after Dawn, I stopped going to college. I got a job at Doublemeat Palace and now I work as a councilor at school. That's more or less it. Oh yeah, Willow and Kennedy are now together."

"Yeah, I noticed," Faith said with a smile.

"And you? What did you do?"

Faith shrugged.

"Oh, nothing so exciting. I dusted a couple of vamp nests, killed a bunch of demons and pissed off that demon mama. And I had Hope."

Buffy smiled.

"I'm guessing she wasn't planned."

"No," Faith said. "But I'm not regretting it one bit." She hesitated for a moment. "She keeps me focused."

"I noticed."

Faith thought for a moment.

"I got my GED in jail."

"Really? That's good."

"Yeah." She hesitated for a moment. "I was thinking about going to college now that Hope is safe."

"Really? That's a great idea."

"Yeah, I don't want to be a waitress all my life."

Buffy smiled.

"I know. Any idea what you'll major in?"

Faith thought for a moment.

"I don't know. I was thinking about helping kids, you know?"

Buffy smiled again.

"That's great! I can help you with some of the subjects. And Willow, of course."

"Thanks."

Buffy thought for a moment.

"How did you manage to take care of Hope and slay at the same time? I mean, I can't imagine."

"I got lucky. A month after Hope's birth, I saved a kid from a demon. His dad owned a restaurant and he gave me a job there and he had the kid babysit for me."

"That's good."

"Yeah. But I kept slaying to a minimum."

"Yeah."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"And it's really okay if Hope and I stay here?"

Buffy smiled.

"Absolutely."

Faith took a deep breath.

"Thanks."

Buffy thought for a moment.

"Em, does it bother you that Hope thinks of me as her mama?"

Faith smiled.

"No. I mean, I was surprised, but… No, I don't. I'm glad that she does, you know, in case something happens to me."

Buffy nodded.

"I know. Thanks."

Faith smiled a bit and sighed.

"You know, if I'd known things would go this well, I'd have come back sooner."

"Things only went this well because of Hope. I mean, I freaked out when she called me Mama."

"Yeah?"

Buffy nodded.

"Yes. I thought you told her to call me that, but Dawn said that she wouldn't love me like she did if you didn't talk to her about me."

"She's a smart kid."

"Don't let her hear you call her that."

Faith grinned.

"Yeah, she's all grown up now."

"Yes."

Faith thought for a moment.

"How did the others react?"

"They were surprised that you had a daughter, but they immediately liked her. I had Grandpa Giles babysit her while I was at work."

Faith chuckled.

"Grandpa. How the hell did she end… Oh."

"Oh?" Buffy asked, curious.

Faith blushed a bit.

"Well, I might have mentioned that he was like a dad to you. So if she thought of you as her mama, then I guess that meant Giles was her grandpa."

"Oh," Buffy said with a smile. "Anyway, I snapped at her, but when I heard her ask Dawn if I hated her, I felt bad about it. And she called me Mama. I mean, I couldn't really hate her." She thought for a moment. "I asked her about it, you know, her calling me Mama, and she said you said I was her mama."

Faith blushed a bit.

"I didn't. At least not directly. I mean, I talked to her about you and the guys, but I never said you were her mama."

"Oh." Buffy thought a moment. "But you still talked… highly about us. I talked to Hope about you and what you told her about us. I expected you would talk badly about us, but you didn't."

"I've changed."

Buffy smiled.

"Yeah, you have. I mean, we would never have had this conversation a few years ago. You were too closed up and I didn't bother to see beyond the mask you wore."

"Yeah." She hesitated for a moment. "I mean, I still don't like to talk about me or ask for help for myself, but for Hope I'd go on my knees and beg if I had to. I'd do anything for her. Except kill."

"Me too," Buffy said. Then she frowned. "Wait, she recognized me. Why did she recognize me?"

Faith blushed.

"I have a picture of you."

"You do?"

"Yeah," Faith said and took her wallet. "This one," she said as she took the picture out and showed it to Buffy.

Buffy frowned.

"That's from the Homecoming Dance. After Cordelia and I survived the Slayerfest."

Faith smiled.

"Yeah. I saw a guy with a polaroid and asked him to take a picture of you."

Buffy smiled.

"It's not the best picture of me," she said and returned the picture.

"I'm not complaining," Faith said and put the picture away. She thought for a moment. "How's Red?"

"Willow? Okay. She's recovered."

Faith nodded.

"You think I should talk to her?"

Buffy smiled.

"That's a good idea." Then she sighed. "You know, I was so mad at you for going to Angel for help, but I realize now that he was the only one who could help you. I guess I'd forgotten that after everything that happened."

Faith nodded.

"Yeah." She took a deep breath. "So I guess I'll have to wait till next fall to enroll to UC Sunnydale."

"Yes."

"It looks like I'll be a waitress a bit longer." She thought for a moment. "What do you want me to do now that I live here?"

"Same as everyone else. Don't worry, I'll tell you." She thought for a moment. "Can you cook?"

Faith shrugged.

"A bit. I helped in the kitchen occasionally."

"Good." Buffy thought for a moment. "Are you gonna work in the morning or in the afternoon?"

Faith thought about it.

"Don't know. In the morning. I mean, we'll be training in the afternoon and stuff."

"Yes. Okay then." She hesitated for a moment. "Faith?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're back."

Faith stared at her for a moment.

"Me too."

Buffy smiled.

"How about I show you where everything is. I mean, I know Hope showed you the rooms and stuff, but I was thinking about other things."

"Sure."

They got up, but Faith stopped and looked around.

"Faith?" Buffy asked.

Faith smiled a bit.

It's just… This feels like it could be a home, you know. For me and for Hope." She hesitated for a moment. "We've never had a real home before."

Buffy stared at her for a few moments and then smiled.

"You do now."

Faith sighed.

"Yeah. Thanks."

"You're welcome, Faith."

They stared at one another for a few moments, both glad that things seemed to be turning out okay.

"Is something wrong?" Buffy then asked, noticing that Faith was hesitating.

Faith sighed.

"No."

"But there is something on your mind."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Yeah." She shook her head. "It doesn't matter."

Buffy stepped closer.

"It does matter. If we had talked to one another before, we could've saved ourselves a lot of trouble. Tell me."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Em, do you think we could maybe be… more than friends someday?" she then asked and looked at her feet, nervous.

Buffy gasped, surprised.

"You mean, as in, eh, girlfriends?"

Faith blushed.

"Yeah," she said, still not looking at Buffy.

Buffy thought about it. They'd hated one another most of the time, but there was a time when they were close, very close. She wondered if she and Faith would have ended together had Angel not come back. She hesitated for a moment, suddenly nervous.

"Maybe," she said and Faith looked at her, surprised. "I don't know."

"Really?"

Buffy smiled, blushing.

"There was a time when we were really close, so, I don't know, I guess it's possible."

Faith smiled.

"Cool."

Buffy hesitated for a moment and then offered Faith her hand. Faith stared at it for a few moments, startled, and then took it. Buffy smiled again and then gave Faith a more detailed tour of the house.

The End