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. This is an alternate take on Secret Love. A snippet.

Surprised Love
By Kristjan Brezovnik

"Willow! You're… Faith."

"Hey, B," Faith said as she entered after Willow.

"What are you doing here?"

"She helped Angel, so I brought her here to help us against the First," Willow explained.

"Oh."

"Faith? Oh my god, Faith!"

Everyone looked at Dawn as she ran to Faith and hugged her.

"Dawnie," Faith said, surprised, as her arms wrapped themselves around her.

"You two know each other?" Buffy asked, surprised.

Dawn let go of Faith and looked at Buffy, smiling.

"Yes. This is Faith."

"Eh, yeah?"

"From the summer camp."

Buffy frowned.

"Really?"

Dawn nodded, excited.

"Yes." She looked at Faith, excited. "I can't believe you're also…" She trailed off, frowning, as she suddenly realized something. "Wait, you're Faith, the Slayer." She glanced at Buffy. "Right?"

"Yeah," Faith said quietly and looked at her feet, suddenly feeling ashamed.

To the watching Potentials she looked like a convict about to be sentenced to death. Dawn noticed that everyone was staring at them and that Faith was feeling uncomfortable.

"Come, let's go to my room," she said, taking Faith's hand, "we need to talk."

Faith followed her obediently, like a sheep being led to the slaughterhouse.

"Dawn," Buffy said.

"I need to talk to her, Buffy. Alone."

Buffy sighed and nodded.

"Is it just me or did Faith look like a puppy that's just been beaten?" Xander broke the silence that followed Dawn's and Faith's departure.

When they got to Dawn's room, Dawn closed the door. She sat on her bed and then patted the spot beside her.

"Come."

Faith hesitated for a moment and then joined her, dropping her bag beside the bed. She didn't look at Dawn, she stared at her hands instead.

"Faith? Are you alright?" Dawn asked, worried. She reached over and covered Faith's hands with her own. "Look at me, Faith."

Faith hesitated for a moment and then met her eyes.

Dawn smiled. She reached up and caressed her.

"I missed you so much."

Faith blinked, startled, and then sighed.

"I missed you too," she said quietly and looked back at her hands.

"So, you, em, you know, killed, eh…"

"Yes."

Dawn sighed. She thought for a few moments.

"I'm proud of you," she then said.

Faith looked at her, surprised.

"You are?"

Dawn nodded.

"You turned yourself in."

"Oh." Faith sighed. "After I did some pretty heavy damage," she said and looked at her hands again.

"I know. But now you can make up for what you've done." She smiled a little. "And you'll have me to help you."

Faith looked at Dawn and smiled. She reached out and caressed her.

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Dawnie," she said.

Dawn smiled.

"You too," she said and hugged her.

Faith took a deep breath and hugged her back.

They sat like that for a while, Dawn holding Faith protectively.

"Faith?" she then said.

"Yeah?"

They stopped hugging and Faith looked at Dawn.

"I tried to call you. Why didn't you call back?"

Faith frowned.

"I did, but the lady said you didn't live there."

Dawn frowned.

"I told your mom we had moved. I gave her my new number."

"Oh." Faith sighed. "She never told me."

"Oh."

Faith thought for a moment.

"You weren't here when I first came to Sunnydale."

"Oh, no. I still lived with my dad then. But I didn't like his girlfriend, so I moved in with Mom and Buffy."

"Oh."

Dawn took a deep breath.

"But at least we're back together now."

Faith smiled for a moment, before biting her lips as she hesitated.

"You, eh, you still want us to be friends?"

"Of course," Dawn said. She blushed. "Actually, eh, I was, you know, eh, kinda hoping we would be, em, more than just, eh, friends."

Faith stared at her for a few moments, surprised.

"You want us to be girlfriends?"

Dawn nodded, her blush deepening.

"Yes."

Faith stared at her for a few moments.

"Are you sure? I mean, I'm a murderer and stuff."

Dawn reached out and touched Faith's cheek with her palm, smiling.

"It doesn't matter. I love you."

Faith swallowed hard.

"I love you too, Dawnie," she whispered.

Dawn smiled.

"Good."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"What about Buffy and your mom? I mean, won't they object? I don't want to get between you and them."

Dawn's smile widened.

"I chose my own girlfriends." She blushed. "I mean, you're my first girlfriend. My only girlfriend." She took a deep breath. "Anyway, Buffy doesn't really have a say, I mean, she dated Angel." She sighed, hesitating. "Mom's dead."

Faith's eyes went wide.

"What?"

"She had a tumor. I mean, they took it out, but then she died of aneurysm."

Faith stared at her for a few moments, shocked

"I'm so sorry, Dawnie." She sighed. "She was one hell of a mom."

Dawn smiled.

"Yes, she was."

Faith sighed.

"I wish I could've been there for you."

Dawn smiled again.

"And I wish I could've been there for you."

Faith looked at her hands, thinking about what had just been said.

Dawn hesitated for a moment and then put her arm around Faith's shoulder, knowing that Faith needed comfort, even if she would ever admit it.

Faith hesitated for a moment and then leaned her head on Dawn's shoulder. She felt like crying, but she fought back the tears, refusing to allow herself the luxury.

"It's okay, Faith, you can cry," Dawn said, feeling Faith's trembling.

"No, I…"

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

Faith fought back the tears and lost. She quietly sobbed, letting the tears flow down' her cheeks. Her head slowly slid down Dawn's body until it was in her lap. Dawn started to gently caress her and Faith realized that she felt safe and loved.

After a while, Faith sat up and started to wipe her eyes.

Dawn reached over and stopped her. Faith looked at her, confused and Dawn smiled.

"You don't have to be ashamed of crying," Dawn said as she then proceeded to wipe Faith's tears. "Ever."

Faith stared at her, feeling a lump forming in her throat.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Dawn smiled.

"That's what girlfriends are for."

Faith smiled a little.

"I've never had one," she admitted shyly.

"Really?" Dawn said, surprised.

Faith nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, I've had sex with people, but I've never had a girlfriend before. Or a boyfriend."

Dawn smiled.

"So I'm your first?"

Faith nodded.

"Yeah."

"Cool." She hesitated for a moment. "Can I… Em, can I… kiss you?" she asked and nit her lips, nervous.

Faith smiled.

"Of course. I mean, we're girlfriends, right?"

Dawn nodded, excited.

"Yes."

They leaned closer, both suddenly nervous, and they kissed. It was a brief, tentative kiss at first, but it slowly deepened into a full out tonsil hockey.

"Wow," Dawn said breathlessly when they stopped kissing. "I missed that."

Faith smiled.

"Me too," she said. She thought for a moment. "Where am I gonna sleep?"

"Right here," Dawn said and patted her bed.

Faith frowned.

"Eh, I don't think B's gonna be all that happy with a murderer sleeping in her baby sister's bed."

"You're my girlfriend."

"Exactly. I don't think she's gonna like the visuals she's gonna get when she finds out."

Dawn blushed.

"Oh." She thought for a moment. "Hey, she was seventeen when she had sex with Angel. I'm seventeen now."

"Which is still a year short of eighteen."

Dawn frowned.

"Damn." She thought for a moment. "What if we promise not to have sex?"

Faith chuckled.

"Somehow I don't think she'd quite believe that, not when I'm in the equation."

Dawn blushed a bit.

"You're sleeping with me and that's final."

Faith sighed.

"Dawnie, I don't want to get between you and B."

Dawn smiled.

"Don't worry, we fight all the time. We're sisters, after all."

Faith sighed.

"If you're sure," she said, uncertain.

Dawn nodded.

"I am."

"Okay. Then let's go freak them out and get it over with."

Dawn smiled.

"Okay."

She took Faith's hand and they went downstairs.

"Dawn?" Buffy asked, her arms crossed, when she saw Dawn and Faith hold hands.

"We're girlfriends," Dawn explained.

Buffy blinked, surprised, and then frowned.

"You and Faith. Girlfriends."

Dawn nodded.

"Yes."

"You're gay?" Xander asked. He looked at Buffy. "Dawnie's gay?"

Dawn and Faith both glared at him.

"No, I'm in love," Dawn said. "I like boys just fine, thank you."

"Wait," Buffy said. "What do you mean you're in love? And with Faith, of all people."

"Look it up in the dictionary, if you don't understand it," Dawn said. "Oh yeah, Faith is sleeping in my room."

"What? No she's not."

"Yes, she is. And that's final."

"Dawn…" Buffy started threateningly.

"I won't even remind you of your seventeenth birthday," Dawn interrupted her.

Buffy narrowed her eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't have to worry about any consequences," Dawn said. "And besides, she needs me."

"You barely know her."

"I know her better than you do."

"You were only at the summer camp for a couple of months. I knew her far longer."

"But you still don't know her like I do. Nor do you care about her."

There was a brief pause and the Potentials, who curiously observed the argument, eagerly awaited the outcome.

Finally Buffy sighed.

"Look, Dawn…"

"No, Buffy, I've made up my mind," Dawn interrupted her. "Faith is staying in my room."

"Dawn."

"Buffy."

The two sisters stared at one another for a few moments and then Buffy looked at Faith, who suddenly became even more nervous, not liking all the attention.

"And you?"

Faith gulped, not really excited about expressing her deepest emotions in public. She shrugged.

"I love her," she quietly admitted.

Buffy blinked, surprised.

"You love her," she echoed.

"Yeah," Faith said and looked around, nervous.

"How come you never mentioned her?"

Faith shrugged.

"I didn't know she was your sister. And my love life really isn't any of your business." She frowned. "I mean, it wasn't." She sighed. "And I thought Dawnie had given me a false phone number."

"Oh."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Look, I know my past isn't something to be proud of, but I'd never hurt Dawnie."

Buffy stared at her for a few moments and then decided that Faith was honest. She sighed.

"Okay, fine," she said.

"Buffy?" Xander said, surprised.

Buffy looked at him.

"I think they're old enough to behave," she said, making Dawn blush.

Xander raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.

"Thanks, B," Faith said quietly.

Dawn looked at Faith.

"Come, let's go to the back yard."

Faith smiled a little and followed Dawn outside.

When she saw how Faith had smiled at Dawn, Buffy knew that Faith really did love her sister. She sighed and shook her head, wondering how things would have gone if Dawn had moved to Sunnydale with her and their mom.

Outside, Dawn sat on the bench and Faith joined her. Dawn leaned her head on Faith and Faith put her arm around her.

"I missed you so much," Dawn said quietly.

Faith sighed.

"Me too."

Dawn thought for a moment.

"We'll talk tomorrow, okay? I just want to be with you right now."

Faith smiled a little.

"Okay." She hesitated for a moment and then kissed Dawn on the top of the head. "I love you, Dawnie."

Dawn smiled and made herself comfortable.

"I love you too, Faith."

The End