Chapter Nine

Five minutes turned into five hours and when Faith woke, she woke to Buffy already lying there awake and smiling over at her. Buffy had barely slept herself, having watched Faith closely as she slept peacefully. It had been calming just to watch the woman she felt so deeply for, that she loved, sleep without worry, at ease and content. She let go of Faith's hand she'd held throughout the night and reached up to tuck a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. They said nothing until after they had shared a long, passionate good morning kiss.

"Morning," Faith said softly, her voice husky and sleepy as she brought a hand up to rub the sleep from her eyes. "How'd you sleep?"

"Morning, and I didn't."

"Oh."

"It's okay, I'm not that tired," Buffy said softly, wincing when she realized how easily that lie had slipped past her lips. "Well, I am tired, but you know, I couldn't really sleep so I settled on watching you as you slept."

"Sorry for passing out on you like that," Faith said after she yawned a couple of times, clearly still exhausted and needing a couple more hours of rest. "Feel like such an asshole."

"No, don't say that. You are not an asshole just because you fell asleep on me," Buffy laughed as she gave her a soft kiss on her lower lip. "It was a very long day yesterday. It's understandable."

"How can you be so understanding and considerate? Who are you and what did you do with Buffy, seriously?"

"How many times are you going to ask me that?"

"Don't know," Faith shrugged as a playful smile crept over her lips. "How many times are you going to show me a side of yourself that feels completely unreal and unexpected to me?"

"I don't know," Buffy laughed as she leaned in for another kiss. "What can I say? I surprise me, I surprise you, and you surprise me. It's one big surprise thing."

Faith chuckled as she swept her hand down Buffy's back. "I kind of like that. Never know what to expect."

"I like this. Waking up with you and just talking like this. How are you feeling today?"

"Sore, but satisfied."

Buffy closed her eyes as she laid her head on the pillow next to Faith's. She didn't want to fall asleep, but her body was betraying her now. She was focused on the small little random patterns Faith was tracing over the small of her back. Was this what ‘normal' felt like? If it was, it was the closest she'd ever come before to feeling that way. She moved to bury her face into the side of Faith's neck, smiling against her skin as Faith's hand moved from her lower back and around her ass and gave it a gentle, playful squeeze.

She trailed soft kisses over Faith's neck as she slowly moved to straddle her. She looked down at her, both of them grinning at one another as Faith moved her hand around from her ass to cup her pussy. Buffy bit her lip as she held back a moan as Faith's strong, skilful fingers worked over her clit and teased her hole. She knew that Faith still wasn't up to getting too rough, but if she had to be honest with herself, she didn't want it rough. She wanted to have that slow, sensual morning loving she'd never had before. Just from the look in Faith's eyes she knew she was thinking the very same thing, silent understanding made possible by the connection between their souls.

The sheets fell from her shoulders and came to rest around her lower back as she began to roll her hips against Faith's hands and protruding fingers. She was incredibly worked up already, feeling the tension throughout her body, and she let out a soft moan as Faith ran her other hand up her back and to her neck. She eased Buffy down, kissing her slowly, tenderly at first. Buffy's arms were shaking as she held herself up, afraid to lay herself upon Faith completely. She rolled her hips harder into Faith's hands, wanting her to go faster, harder, but she kept the slow, steady pace as she deepened the kiss. Every thought she had in her mind drifted away as she focused solely on Faith's fingers and her lips and tongue. It was enough to send a shockwave through her body and her arms gave out as she came to rest on top of Faith.

Faith let out a sharp groan as she rolled them over slowly. She smirked down at Buffy as she placed soft kisses over her face, her lips, her jaw and her neck. Her movements were stiff, and even though she was trying to hide the pain, Buffy could see how much it was hurting her to move in certain ways. She tried to stop her, tried to find words to tell her she didn't have to keep going. Those words never came as Faith moved down her body little by little, licking and nipping at every inch of skin her lips trailed over. Her senses and all her nerves were on high alert, completely aware of every subtle movement Faith made. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe steadily as Faith threw the covers back completely, exposing them both to the cool room.

Buffy expected her to tease, to take her time, and she let out a startled gasp and a moan as Faith slid her tongue the length of her slit and circled her throbbing clit. She gripped the sheets as Faith lifted her legs over her shoulder and began a fluid pace of thrusting her tongue in and out of her hot, wet core. She was already shaking steadily, the pleasure becoming almost painful under the ministrations of Faith's probing tongue. As her second orgasm began to course through her body, she kept her eyes shut, seeing stars and feeling her entire body grow numb. Faith reached up for her hand, intertwining their fingers and gripping tightly as she came hard and fast, almost violently bucking her hips against her lips and tongue.

She wasn't even sure how long had passed, but it felt like forever before Faith moved to lay next to her, her fingers dancing delicately over her stomach and teasing over her breasts and rock hard nipples. She was spent. Completely and fully spent. She finally managed to open her eyes and smiled over at Faith as their lips met in a soft, tentative kiss.

"Now that is something I definitely could get used to every morning," Buffy teased as she pulled Faith in for another kiss. "I could also get used to lying in bed for most of the morning with you, just like this."

"Oh yeah," Faith smirked as she laid her head on the pillow next to Buffy's. "We'll have to rearrange our schedule to make sure we can spend every morning just like this."

"Crap," Buffy sighed out as she looked over at the clock. "You just had to remind me of the schedule, didn't you?"

"I'm sure we can take today off. I don't think anyone else is up for training today after what went down last night. Besides, you're the boss here, General Buffy. You can just give everyone a day off, including yourself."

"It's not like I've been sticking to the schedule for the last month or so anyway. Actually, make that the last year or so."

"Don't get so down on yourself, okay?" Faith said softly as she ran her fingers over her pouting lips. "Why don't we get a couple more hours of sleep, then I'll make us some breakfast. Sound good?"

"Sounds heavenly."

Buffy gave her one last kiss before rolling on her side. She sighed out contentedly as Faith pulled the covers over them and spooned her from behind. She fell asleep to the soft, feather-light kisses Faith laid over her neck and shoulder, and for once she truly felt relaxed. She felt all her worries, all her fears, all her doubts just flutter away as she drifted off into a very deep and dreamless sleep.

She woke up to an empty bed much later in the day and she groaned out softly as she stretched out. Her hand fell upon a piece of paper on the pillow next to her and she sat up slowly, smiling as she read the short note Faith had left her. It only said she'd be back as soon as she could and there was a small heart drawn below the scribbled handwriting that was a little hard to read. She smiled wider as she placed the piece of paper on the nightstand. It was almost too good to be true to be with someone like Faith. Every day, every little thing she'd do or say surprised her. There was still a lot they both didn't know about each other, but Buffy was taking Angel's advice from before about taking things one step at a time, that it was better to get to know each other over a span of time than all at once.

Angel would be leaving soon, she knew he would be. He had his own life back in LA and he was no longer needed here now that she was no longer a vampire with a soul and Dr. Sonia had been taken care of. She'd miss him, she knew that much. It'd been far too long since the last time she'd seen him before he'd come here. Sure, he'd caused a rift between her and Faith, but she'd completely expected that to happen. Good had come out of the bad when things had fallen apart between her and Faith that one day. It made them both see the true side of their relationship and find a way to make it okay again. It gave her hope for the future, for her and Faith's future.

As much as she wanted to laze about in bed for a little while longer, she knew she had to get up. She slipped out of bed and picked up her discarded clothes, unable to wipe the smile from her face at how good Faith had made her feel earlier. It was always intense, it always felt like the first time all over again, and she hoped it would always feel that way between them. It was what would give their relationship the fire and the passion her previous relationships had lacked severely.

She heard it once she was out in the corridor, the steady thumps against the punching bag in the training room, perfectly timed. Music to her ears. She straightened out her clothes a little as she walked through the twisted maze of corridors until she was standing outside the training room and peering in through the partially open door. Faith was standing by the bag, throwing a steady stream of punches, jabs and kicks. She wasn't as fluid as she normally was and Buffy could tell she was favouring her right side. Finally wandering into the training room, Buffy smiled over at Faith as she stopped and turned to look at her.

"Hey," she said softly, stopping in front of Faith to pulled her in for a deep, passionate kiss. "I'm guessing you're feeling a lot better now, huh?"

"Oh yeah. Almost as good as new," Faith chuckled as Buffy rolled her eyes at that. "Went to get checked out a little while ago. Got the a-okay to work out. Got some frustration I need to get out and this is the only way I can do it."

"You are always frustrated."

"Sexual and otherwise," Faith winked as she began to unwrap the tape from around her hands. "You hungry, B?"

"Oh yeah. Worked up quite an appetite earlier."

Faith chuckled as she slapped Buffy across the ass on her way over to where she'd left her water bottle. Buffy tried not to stare at her and found it nearly impossible. Every little thing Faith did made her crave her. The desire for her was so strong it was almost scary, but she savoured it and let her eyes drink in every inch of her. She blushed when Faith licked over her lips and gave her another wink as she ran her hands over her stomach and her hips. Buffy gulped as she stood there for a moment, mesmerized by the unbridled sexuality that came off of Faith in waves.

"Let's go see about getting some lunch," Faith said as she reached for Buffy's hand. "Oh, before we do..."

"Yeah?"

"Have you been up to the infirmary yet? Uh, Satsu asked me if I could send you up there. Something about needing to talk," Faith said softly as they walked out of the training room hand in hand. "She seemed a little nervous asking me that, too. Guess she's afraid of how I was gonna react."

"She's..."

"She's what, B?"

"I should tell you I got a letter from her not that long before you came back," Buffy said quietly as she slowed down to nearly a stop. She hadn't told anyone about that letter. In fact, she'd nearly forgotten about it completely, or at least she'd tried to. "She said some things in that letter that..."

"What?" Faith asked as she stopped and stood in front of her. "You can tell me."

"She still has feelings for me, or she did when she wrote the letter. It was post-dated by a couple of months. She also said a few things that really hurt and after I read it about a dozen times, I burned it and I..."

"You what?"

"I walked out of here that night and I..." her voice trailed off as the tears flooded her eyes. She couldn't even say it.

"Oh. Oh, shit," Faith sighed as she wrapped her arms around her. "It's okay, B. It's done and over with and you're here now. All that matters, okay? Maybe you should talk to her."

"I don't think so. I don't want to."

"Then don't. Sorry I even mentioned it. I'm just the messenger here," Faith replied with a soft chuckle. She gave Buffy a lingering kiss before she grabbed her hand and they continued down the corridor towards the kitchen.

Buffy quickly wiped away the few stray tears that had escaped as they walked into the kitchen together. Xander and Dawn were standing by the refrigerator talking quietly to one another. Willow was at the stove flipping pancakes and Kennedy was sitting at the table across from Giles, both of them looking utterly bored out of their minds. Buffy let go of Faith's hand and watched her as she walked over to the table and sat down next to Kennedy, sharing a few short, quiet words and a laugh. Buffy just stood there, not knowing whether to sit down at the table or ask Willow if she needed any help. She looked like she was making enough pancakes to feed an army of slayers, and Buffy had no doubt in her mind that was exactly what she was planning to do. Dawn stopped whispering to Xander and pulled Buffy over to the side.

"What's up?" Buffy asked softly as she looked over at Xander, who quickly turned and walked over to sit at the table.

"We're going to tell everyone."

 "Tell everyone what?"

"Nobody else knows that I'm pregnant, remember?" Dawn whispered. "Just you."

"Oh. Yeah. How do you think they're all going to react?"

"I'm not sure, which is why I'm really not sure about telling them right now."

"They'll probably take it better than I did," Buffy laughed softly as she pulled Dawn in for a quick hug. "We are your family and they should know. By the way, why is Xander acting like I'm going to kill him the first chance I get?"

"Because that's exactly what he's afraid of right now. You aren't, are you?"

"No," Buffy shook her head as she looked over at him. "I'm actually not upset, not like I was last night. These things happen, right? And I know you two love each other and would do anything for the baby and for each other."

"We do love each other," Dawn smiled dreamily as she looked over at him. "He wants to get married. I told him we should just wait until after the baby is born. Do you think that's a good idea?"

"I don't know..."

"What are you two whispering about?" Willow asked as she popped up next to them. "You two sharing secrets again?"

"No, Will," Buffy laughed as she shook her head no. "No secrets, just...sisterly talk."

"Are you sure?" Willow asked sceptically as she looked at both of them. "Because I'm getting these tingly feelings and no, not those kinds of tingly feelings, that there's something big going on. Are you two scheming? You are, aren't you?"

"No, we aren't scheming," Buffy said as she caught Dawn rolling her eyes at Willow. "Dawn?"

"What?"

"What?" Willow asked, a smile curling over her lips as she stared at Dawn and patiently waited for her to answer. "What's going on, Dawnie? Is it big? You have news, don't you? You have big news, don't you? It's not bad news, is it?"

"No, it's not bad news," Dawn replied as she shook her head no. "I...Xander and I..."

The kitchen fell into silence and Buffy stepped back as Faith walked over to her and slid an arm around her waist. Even Giles looked over, removing his glasses as he waited for Dawn to continue. Buffy knew it had to be hard for her to tell everyone her news. She remembered how hard it was for her when she told them about her and Satsu, telling those closest to her that she was gay and sleeping with a fellow Slayer. It wasn't exactly the same thing, but on the nerves level Buffy imagined it was pretty damn close.

"In about seven months..." Dawn started out, her voice cracking with emotion as Willow's eyes went wide in shock. "I'm pregnant."

"Pregnant?!" Willow shrieked as she hugged Dawn close. "This is great news, Dawnie. It is great news, right?"

"Yeah," she laughed as she pushed Willow away. "Great news."

Buffy moved away from the rest of them, pulling Faith with her and engaging in a series of short and sweet kisses. So many things had changed and were continuing to change, and if this had happened months ago Buffy wouldn't have been handling things as well as she was. She felt stronger now, strong like she'd once been, ready and willing to deal with whatever life threw her way next. She gave Faith one last kiss before they turned and watched the emotional scene before them. Xander still looked rather wary of Buffy, keeping his distance as much as he could while standing next to Dawn with an arm around her shoulders.

"I should...talk to Xander. He kind of thinks that I want to kill him for getting my sister pregnant," Buffy whispered to Faith as she pulled her arms from around her and gave her hands a gentle squeeze.

"Yeah, you should talk to him."

"Don't you find this a little weird though?"

"What part?"

"Dawnie being pregnant," Buffy whispered. "It's kind of...icky."

Faith laughed as she pulled her in close and gave her a deep, passionate kiss. Buffy forgot about where they were and that they weren't alone and pulled Faith in closer, their bodies moulding into one another's as she swept her hands down her back and grabbed onto her ass as she ground her hips into Faith's. Giles soon cleared his throat and that brought Buffy back to reality. She fought back the blush as she reluctantly pulled away from Faith's delectable lips. Faith smiled down at her and gave her ass a playful squeeze before she walked over to the counter and hoisted herself up.

"Sorry," Buffy muttered under her breath as she walked over to Xander. "Can we talk?"

"Does this talk involve you kicking my ass?"

"No," she laughed as she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug. "I will not kick your ass, Xander."

"Cool," he grinned as he stepped back from Buffy and put his arm around her shoulder. "So talk, Buff."

"Privately?"

He nodded his head and they walked out into the corridor together. "So, what's the what? You are a little angry, aren't you?"

"No."

"Upset?"

"A little bit, yeah."

"We were careful every time we..."

"Xander, I really don't need to hear about your sex life with my sister. I just want to know that you'll take care of her and the baby no matter what."

"Look who you're talking to, Buff. I'd be crazy to walk away despite how scared shitless I am of this whole thing. I love Dawn. I always have and I know I always will. I realized over the past couple of years that she is the one I want to spend my life with. I just...I need a little help from you in convincing her to get married before the baby is born. I want to do the right thing."

"I know you do. I just wanted to tell you that I'm okay with this. I don't want you to think for one second that I'm not."

"So, in other news," he grinned as he leaned back to look into the kitchen, "you and Faith are all loved up lately, huh?"

"Yeah," Buffy laughed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I guess we are."

"And everything is a-okay between you two after what happened?"

"Yeah. I think so."

"She's really not the same Faith we all used to know, huh?"

"She's really not," she smiled as she moved to stand next to him and peered into the kitchen. "I sometimes can't believe how much she's changed and how much I love her now. It's amazing just to be with her, you know? She's everything I've ever wanted and searched for my whole life. I didn't see it until after..."

"Sometimes it takes a life changing event to bring two people closer together. I'm happy for you, Buff. I haven't seen you so happy since...well, ever."

They both laughed and hugged each other one last time before going back into the kitchen. Buffy felt relieved that things were sorted between her and Xander. Just like always, he was easy to talk to and just like always, he turned the whole thing back to it being all about her. For once she didn't mind, though: It meant everything to her that Xander was all for her relationship with Faith. Everything was really beginning to fall into place in her life and in everyone else's. It made her just a little worried that something or someone was going to step in and take it all away from them in an instant.

She shrugged off that feeling, those negative thoughts, as she went to sit down at the table with everyone else. The pancakes Willow had been making were finished and piled on a large plate in the middle of the table. Everyone was talking and laughing and it felt good, it felt normal. Faith sat down next to her and leaned over to give her a soft kiss.

"Everything go okay with Xander?"

"Yeah," Buffy smiled. "Everything went okay."

"After we eat I want to take you somewhere."

"Where?"

"It's a surprise. If I tell you then I'll have to kill you," Faith whispered, trying to keep a straight face but bursting out laughing when Buffy only raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her. "Just gonna take you for a ride on my Harley, B."

"Isn't it a little cold outside?"

"Then bundle up," she winked as she reached over across the table and stabbed a stack of pancakes with her fork.

Buffy just sat there and looked around at her friends, her family, and smiled to herself. How she went so long without appreciating little moments like this, she didn't know. She didn't ever want to go back to the dark place she'd buried herself in before. She had them all, and they all had a special place in her life and in her heart. Most of all, her heart and soul belonged to Faith, just as she was sure Faith's own heart and soul belonged to her. She didn't need to be told or to question it. She just knew.

She had her eyes closed tight and her arms wrapped around Faith as they rode down the winding roads on the Harley. She knew Faith was lost to the power of the motorcycle, lost to the winding roads, and lost to the feel of her arms wrapped so securely around her. Buffy couldn't help but tremble every time she opened her eyes just as Faith was about to take a sharp turn. She was almost never afraid of anything, but being on the Harley and going as fast as they were on the slippery roads made her fear for her life. Just a little.

They'd been out riding for nearly two hours and Buffy had no idea where Faith was taking her. Familiar surroundings turned into foreign places and when Faith finally came to a stop, she shivered and opened her eyes slowly. They were parked on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean and the sun was just starting to set in the sky. She smiled as she let go of Faith and they both climbed off the bike and walked near the edge.

"You mentioned before how we'd never been on a real date and since I'm not so sure what you consider a date, I thought coming to watch the sunset might be cool."

"Faith," Buffy smiled as Faith wrapped her arms around her from behind and she relaxed in her embrace, "it's perfect."

"I figured the whole dinner and a movie thing was a little cliché, but of course so is coming out here to watch the sunset. Then I figured you were one of those cliché loving chicks, so as soon as the sun sets I'm taking you out for dinner."

"Where?"

"Well, it's not out anywhere, I'm actually gonna make you dinner when we get back home. I talked to the guys and they all agreed to stay out of the kitchen tonight. Just wanted to do something special for you cos you're my world now, B. I need to show you how much you mean to me."

"You show me that every time you just look at me, touch me, and kiss me. You didn't need to do this for me."

"I know, but I wanted to. Besides, Kennedy has been on my ass about taking you out on a proper date. She wouldn't tell me what a ‘proper' date was besides the fact that spending the entire night naked in bed doesn't classify as a date."

They both chuckled as they watched the sun begin to slowly disappear beyond the horizon. This was perfect for Buffy until it also brought back the memory of the few times she'd gone out with Satsu on an early patrol and stopped to watch the sunset before they ended up spending hours making out up against the nearest tree. She closed her eyes and willed away those thoughts. She was here and with Faith, and she didn't need to be thinking about anyone else other than her. She wasn't about to tell Faith that Satsu had brought her out to this very spot once, just a few days before they broke things off for good. It was probably the last good memory of the relationship that wasn't a relationship that she had with Satsu. It was just one of those things she didn't want to share with Faith.

Unable to shake the thoughts from her head, she turned around and pulled Faith in for a long, deep kiss. If anything could help the rest of the world slip away it was becoming lost in Faith's lips and tongue and the feel of her arms wrapped around her with Faith's body pressed impossibly close to her own. She wanted to stay lost within Faith, yet she knew she couldn't. Not forever. Not with life to get back to, responsibilities to take care of.

"B, I know you are worried about something," Faith whispered as she broke away from the kiss, their lips still lightly brushing against one another's. "But can you just do one thing for me tonight and forget about everything else but you and me?"

"I can try."

"Try harder," she said softly as she trailed her lips across Buffy's neck and pulled back a little to smile at her. "Are you hungry yet?"

"Starved."

"Good thing we didn't eat before we came out here. I never knew you were afraid of being on the back of a Harley."

"I'm...not," Buffy stammered as she allowed Faith to lead her back over to the bike. "It's just...those turns in the road were...and I was...oh god. Fine! I'm afraid of motorcycles, happy?"

"Nothing to be afraid of, B. I spent three years on this baby riding everywhere. Aren't any roads I can't handle driving."

"Great," Buffy said with a forced smile as she watched Faith climb on the bike before climbing on behind her. "Faith? Could we maybe talk later?"

"About what?"

"Everything. I know we talked a lot before, but I still feel like there's a lot about you that I just don't know."
"Curious, are you?" Faith smirked as she turned a little and gave her a kiss. "Don't worry, B. Everything that's worth knowing about me you already know. Besides, we got a whole lot of time ahead of us to really dig out the dirt."

Buffy just held onto her tighter and this time tried to keep her eyes open the entire way back to the castle. Faith took it easy, making those sharp turns with ease and precision. It was less than half an hour ride and Buffy rolled her eyes as she climbed off the bike as soon as Faith had it parked and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What? Don't give me that look, B. I wanted to take us for a nice long ride before..."

"Whatever," she smirked as she grabbed Faith's hand and they headed inside. "Just promise me next time we're going for a ride that you won't drive like a maniac."

"I didn't on the way back, did I?"

"No," Buffy said as she stopped in the corridor and pulled Faith in for a kiss. "Thank you. At least I went half an hour without seeing my entire life flashing before my eyes."

"Go upstairs and get changed," Faith whispered into her ear before backing away. "And don't come down for about an hour and a half okay?"

Buffy just nodded and watched her walk down the corridor until she disappeared around the corner. She sighed softly as she turned and headed up the stairs to her suite. Her muscles ached from the damp and the cold of the night and she walked right into her bathroom and ran the water in the tub. There was nothing quite like a hot, relaxing bath and it felt far too long since she'd had one.

She watched the water fill the tub as she slowly stripped out of her clothes and wondered if she could talk Faith into have a bath with her later. Nobody had ever wanted to share a bath with her before, and she hadn't wanted to share one with anyone until now. She shrugged it off and climbed into the tub, shutting the water off before lying back in the deep tub and closing her eyes. She relaxed and tried to tune out the faint voices she could hear throughout the castle. Her senses were still amplified and she had to wonder if they'd ever go back to what was considered normal for her. The only time she really didn't mind those heightened senses was around Faith. It made her feel every inch of her even if she wasn't actually touching her.

Relaxing in the hot water did nothing to stop her train of thought. She let the thoughts flow through her instead of holding them down. She thought about the last week, the last month, and the last year. Too much had changed, she had changed and everyone around her had changed. Everything always changed, but it seemed like this time it was all starting to come full circle. Not just for her, but for everyone.

They were all finally finding their place in life, a place outside the world they'd known for far too long. Xander and Dawn were going to have a baby, Kennedy and Willow had stayed together since Sunnydale with no signs of them breaking things off anytime soon. And she had Faith and despite the few setbacks, they still managed to get over it and go right back pretty much where they'd left off when she'd been cured and turned back into a very human Buffy. Giles, she wasn't so sure about him sometimes. She knew he'd been dating a woman at one point or another, but she had never been one to be too interested in his love life. It was Giles and it was just...wrong…in her mind to think about his private life even though he was thoroughly involved in all of theirs.

She felt more relaxed than ever now just lying there in the tub, the hot water soothing her muscles and her soul. Baths were relaxing, they were a cure. A way to unwind even if there was no reason to. She smiled to herself when she only faintly heard the sounds of Faith cursing to herself down in the kitchen.
No matter how far away she'd felt at different points in her life since meeting Faith that one night, it didn't matter anymore. They'd always drift closer and further apart, depending on the day, the moment, the fights she knew would be inevitable between them. But only one thing really truly mattered at the end of the day. Her heart belonged to Faith and it always would until the day she died. She was a cheesy, sappy romantic, and she knew Faith sure as hell didn't mind.

Epilogue

For ten days Faith cooked her dinner every single night and they sat together in the kitchen with the lights dimmed low and a single lit candle on the table in between them. For ten days Faith would wake her up with soft kisses and gentle caresses, whispering words of love and nonsense into her ear. For ten days Buffy felt like she was in a dream. She was floating and feeling on top of the world.

Being in love with Faith was just like that. One of the best things in the world.

She never underestimated Faith, not once in the last ten days. She forever was outshining herself and Buffy would just step back and let her do as she wanted, do her as she pleased and when she wanted. Three nights ago Angel had caught them on the back stairs, which had forever burned embarrassment into her mind whenever she now thought of Angel. The goodbye between them when he left the next night was nothing short of horribly awkward; they could barely look at one another. With him and Faith it was different. She gave him a hug and whispered something into his ear that made him laugh before Willow teleported him back to LA and out of their lives for now.

The last ten days were definitely the best ten days of her life and the last they'd spend in the castle for nearly two months. Giles had arranged for all of them to go down to a villa he'd rented down in southern Spain. Willow, full of impatience, had insisted on teleporting them all there, zapping them to their destination in groups of four. Buffy, Faith, Dawn and Xander went first, and while Faith went to claim the room with the ‘best bed to fuck on', as she'd so blatantly put it, Buffy headed down to the private beach with Dawn.

"Two months, can you believe it?" Dawn asked as they sat near the water, side by side on the sand. "This place must have cost a fortune!"

"It's not like we don't have the money," Buffy shrugged, looking back up at the villa to watch as Faith and Xander came out of the back door carrying a few beers along with a big glass of ice cold water for Dawn.
"Willow, Kennedy and Giles should be here soon. We should make the most out of it while they aren't here."

"Buffy!" Dawn laughed as she nudged her with her shoulder. "How did you manage to convince Giles not to let anyone else come along?"

"Someone needs to keep an eye on things back home, don't they?"

"But leaving Satsu in charge?"

"Why not?" Buffy shrugged. "She's capable. It's not like she can't bark orders from bed until her leg heals. Besides, I don't think Giles wanted any of the younger girls coming along. We all need a break, you know? Even him."

"Yeah," Dawn smiled, looking out over the water as Xander and Faith handed them their drinks. "Did you two fight for the biggest room?"

"Guess who won," Faith gloated as she sat beside Buffy and kicked off her boots. "Yeah, that's right, I did. You and your man are stuck in the room in the basement. Gonna have to sleep on this smelly old mattress that's gonna make your hair stink for a week."

"It doesn't have a basement!" Dawn laughed as she reached over Buffy to try and hit Faith on the shoulder. "God, how do you stand her sometimes, Buffy?"

"Easily," Buffy replied smugly as she pushed Dawn away from her and leaned in towards Faith to give her a sweet kiss.

"Ugh," Dawn groaned as she got to her feet and pulled Xander a little further down the beach and away from them.

"What's wrong with Dawnie? Raging pregnant lady hormones kicking in already or something?" Faith asked once she pulled back from Buffy's lips. "You know, I just had a thought."

"What's that?"

"If Willow didn't cure you, you'd never be able to come down here with us. Would've sucked."

"You mean you would have just left me in Scotland?"

"Dude, have you seen this place?" Faith laughed as she pulled Buffy closer to her until she sat across her lap. "Nah, I was just thinking, you know? My brain kind of goes off into weird places at the weirdest times. I wouldn't have left you in Scotland, B. I would've found a way to get you down here one way or another."

"Can we not...think about that?"

"Sure," Faith nodded as she kissed the side of her head and twisted off the cap on her beer. "We can just think about other things."

"Like?"

"The next two months of lying on the beach and living it up without a goddamn care in the world. No vampires, no demons, no nothing but us."

"Sounds too good to be true," Buffy mused as she leaned into Faith and took a deep, shaky breath.

"The last couple of weeks have been crazy, huh?" Faith asked as she looked at Buffy with a smile. "Wouldn't change a single thing except for that first week you were back, when you were nothing but a cold-hearted bitch to me."

"I'm sorry," Buffy whispered as she ran her fingers through Faith's hair. "It technically wasn't my fault, you know."

"I know, B. Doesn't matter anymore."

They just sat there and watched the sun as it began to set. They stayed out there until it was dark and didn't move from their spot until Willow called out for them to come inside. Joining everyone in the large kitchen, both of them were still in their own little world as they sat down at the far end of the large table together. There was a spread of food, mostly finger food and sandwiches, on the table, but neither of them felt hungry as they just stared at one another. They fought back the urge to kiss one another, to get up and leave and disappear to their room for the night.

"I trust everyone has claimed a room?" Giles asked as he looked directly at Buffy and Faith. "Ladies?"

"Oh yeah," Faith nodded, breaking away from Buffy's intense gaze. "Fought Xander for the biggest room in the house and I won, of course."

"Of course," Giles laughed as he sat back in his chair and let out a deep breath. "Now, I want everyone to know that just because we are on vacation doesn't mean that we'll be going without proper daily training."
"Giles!" Buffy, Faith and Kennedy all whined in unison.

"A morning run down the beach, sparring and possibly some cardio. That's all I ask."

Faith kissed Buffy's pout away and whispered into her ear that they had the cardio part covered. It made Buffy laugh and a shiver ran through her body, the craving of the desire, the lust, the need building by the second. The heat, although not scorching hot, was getting to her as well. Her clothes were sticking to her skin and she could feel a small bead of sweat rolling down her back. She focused on it, trying to push back the desire and arousal she felt as Faith kissed her again, her tongue slipping past her lips and nearly possessing Buffy for a few long minutes.

"Okay, gross," Dawn groaned from the other end of the table. "We should set some rules. No making out at the table when others are present. I just lost my appetite."

Buffy pulled away from Faith's lips reluctantly just as Faith flipped Dawn off. She gave her a playful slap across the arm and stood up, grabbing a sandwich before reaching for Faith's hand and silently leading her out of the kitchen. Realizing she had no idea which room was theirs, she took a bite of her sandwich as she let Faith lead her up the stairs to a door at the far end of the hallway.

It was big, not as big as her suite or Faith's room at the castle, but it had a bed and a large window with a balcony that overlooked the water. Their bags were at the foot of the bed and she took another bite of her sandwich as she pulled her bag up onto the bed and opened it. She fought off Faith's wandering hands, laughing as Faith gave up and lay down on the bed in front of her.

"What? We should unpack," Buffy said as she carried a handful of clothes over to the big dresser near the door.

"Can't we leave it until the morning, B?"

"No. Besides, I want to get my suit on and go for a swim. It's really hot here tonight."

"It's gonna be like this the whole time we're here. Giles said something about a freak heat wave or something. You know," she said softly as she got up from the bed and wrapped her arms around Buffy as she put the clothes away in the top drawer, "if it was just you and me here we wouldn't have needed to pack a single stitch of clothing."

"We couldn't just walk around naked for two months."

"Oh yeah?" Faith chuckled as she turned Buffy around slowly. "Sure we could've. It's Spain, B. Plenty of people walk around naked all the time."

"Maybe on the nudist beaches," she muttered under her breath then shuddered. "Thank god we have our own private beach. I don't think I could handle seeing all those old men walking around with their...things hanging out..."

Faith chuckled loudly as she pulled Buffy back to the bed. "Yeah, that would have been pretty gross, B. Thanks for those images."

"Faith..." Buffy groaned as she fought off her wandering hands and lips again. "Later, okay?"

"Why?"

"Because I told you, I want to go for a swim first."

"Fine," Faith huffed as she grabbed her bag and dumped her clothes on the bed. Buffy shook her head as she grabbed her suit, a light blue bikini, and quickly changed into it while Faith sorted through her clothes until she found her own black bikini. Buffy raised an eyebrow at her after she'd changed into it. "What, B?"

"Thank god we have our own private beach because that?" Buffy said as she checked her out, her eyes drinking in every inch of tantalizing skin on display. "That barely is considered a bathing suit."

"I'll let you in on a little secret," Faith whispered as she pulled Buffy into her and firmly wrapped her arms around her waist. "I stole it from you."

"Great. Well, to tell you the truth, it looks better on you than on me."

"Good," Faith grinned as their lips met for a brief kiss. They pulled apart at the sounds of Willow and Kennedy laughing and shrieking down on the beach. "Looks like we're not the only ones who wanted to go for a swim."

They made their way down to the beach together, hand in hand, after they'd thrown on some shorts and grabbed a couple of towels. Giles and Xander were busy trying to build a bonfire while Dawn sat on a log looking bored out of her mind. Buffy sat down next to her and watched as Faith headed for the water, nearly tackling Kennedy as she snuck up behind her and Willow.

It was relaxing. One of those carefree moments and one of many Buffy knew without a doubt that they'd have over the next two months they would be there. This was the normal part of life she'd wanted for far too long and now that she had it, she wasn't sure if she was happy or if she felt something else completely. She stuck with happy. She was done with feeling anything else other than happiness. She was done worrying, done feeling depressed and alone. She wasn't alone anymore and it wasn't just because she was with Faith now. The events that had unfolded over the last month and a half had been an eye opener for her.

She took a look around at her friends, her family and smiled to herself. It'd been a long time since she'd seen everyone so relaxed and without a single worry in their minds. This is what they'd needed for years, just to get away from the life they'd known for far too long. They just need an escape and this was by far the best escape from life that Buffy could imagine. A beautiful beach, a huge villa, warmth and everyone she loved surrounding her.

She watched the fire burning, thinking back yet again over everything that had happened in the last month and a half. She couldn't keep the smile off of her face as she thought of all the little ways Faith made her feel. Faith was like her fire, burning into her, all over her. It was the good kind of fire, the one that she hoped would never flicker out. The fire inside of her that burned for Faith had always burned, dormant for far too long and only awakened after she finally opened the door to her closely guarded heart. She couldn't dwell on the past, or the events that led up to Faith coming back into her life. She could only embrace them, for they caused a ripple effect in her life that changed it for the better. Even at the worst moments, mostly during that week she couldn't remember a single thing, she knew it had all been for the better.

"B, are you coming?" Faith called out from where she, Kennedy and Willow were in the water.

"I'll be right there!" Buffy called back, smiling as she stood up and stripped out of her clothes, leaving them piled there on the log. "Are you coming, Dawnie?"

"I'll be there in a minute," she replied as she smiled up at Buffy.

She walked along the soft sand, stopping when she reached the water. It was cold, but not too cold, and she took a few tentative steps forward, getting used to the feel of the cool saltwater on her skin. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd gone to a beach, much less swam in an ocean. Her thoughts were lost when Faith walked over to her and pulled her deeper into the water. She crushed her lips against Faith's as soon as they were nearly waist deep in the water.

"Cold enough for you?" Faith chuckled as she broke apart from the kiss a few long minutes later.

"Huh?" Buffy asked, feeling a little dazed as she ran the tips of her fingers along Faith's arms as Faith continued to walk back further into the water, pulling her along. "Oh, it's not so bad."

"Mm," Faith smiled as she pulled Buffy closer to her and picked her up, Buffy's legs wrapping around her waist. "It just occurred to me that we've never gone swimming together before. That time at Gigi's doesn't count."

"Seems like we have a lot of firsts to get caught up on."

"Oh yeah. Never fucked in the water before, either," Faith whispered as she slowly eased a hand over Buffy's stomach and came to rest just over the top of her bikini bottoms. "Have you?"

"No."

"Do you want to?"

"But..." Buffy looked around and motioned towards Willow and Kennedy a little ways from them and the others on the beach. "We're not exactly alone."

"And I don't exactly care. It's not like they can see what we're doing way out here, and Will and Kenny seem to be having a little too much of their own fun to notice us."

"Oh god," Buffy laughed as she held onto Faith a little tighter and quickly looked away from her best friend. "Faith..."

Her almost protest was lost as Faith's lips found her own, her fingers sliding into her bikini bottoms and blazing a hot trail over her skin. Faith had her lost in a world of pleasure as her fingers slipped and swirled over her clit, working her up and burning yet another flame of desire deep within her. It'd been like that for the last ten days. They were insatiable together. Faith always knew how to touch her just right, to get her burning for more, begging for more. She knew how to bring her quickly to the edge, but then again all it took was a look from Faith and she was always at the edge and ready to tumble over.

The soft waves rolled over their bodies as Faith dipped her fingers lower, teasing her hole in time to their tongues dancing over one another's. Buffy rolled her hips down on her hand, moaning softly as Faith slowly entered her. They both froze as a soft foam football whacked Faith in the back of the head.

"What the fuck?" She growled, moving to take her hand out from inside Buffy's bikini bottoms. Buffy gripped her wrist and shook her head no. "I'm gonna fucking kill Xander."

"Can't it wait?"

"No," she said as she shook her head. Buffy reached out for the foam football and Faith turned them just enough to allow Buffy to throw it back at the beach and at Xander with slayer strength and speed. It hit him in the chest and sent him stumbling backwards. "Hah! Dumbass. See if he does it again."

"Faith?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and fuck me," Buffy purred as she pulled her back in for a deep kiss.

They had stayed out there for a little while longer before heading back to the beach and joining the others around the bonfire. Buffy and Faith sat off on their own, whispering softly to one another and sharing a few deep, passionate kisses here and there. They only barely listened to the stories Giles told them, having heard them just as many times as the others had, more focused on one another than anything else.

"You ever think it'd end up like this for us?" Faith asked softly as she traced her fingers lightly over Buffy's bare thigh, stopping when she reached the edges of her shorts. "You ever think we could be so happy together?"

"No, but you know what?" Buffy smiled as she reached for Faith's hand and intertwined their fingers. "I'm glad we finally figured it out."

"So am I."

"I love you," Buffy whispered against her lips, waiting for Faith to respond. She felt the words being said silently against her lips and she smiled and pulled her in closer, deepening the kiss as both her hands slid through Faith's hair slowly.

Where would they go from here? Buffy really didn't know. All she knew was she had to keep doing what she'd been doing for the last ten days, the last month and a half. She had to just savour each moment they had together and live in the now instead of worrying about tomorrow and the days that would follow. She was in love, she was happy, and she was surrounded by the people who meant the most to her. For once in her life everything was just perfect.

She'd had to feel so lost, so alone and so far away from everyone and herself just to turn her life around to where it was now. When she thought about it, despite the hardships, the internal conflict, and fights she had with her heart and soul, she knew in the end that it was definitely worth it.

The End