DISCLAIMER AND AUTHOR'S NOTE: All Buffy The Vampire Slayer stuff belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and Warner Brothers. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fiction. All other characters that appear belong to me. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies may be made for private use only and must include this copyright notice and disclaimer. There is some subtext in this story. If this kind of stuff is not legal where you live, if you're under 18 or if you don't like the notion of two women being in love, then you should find something else to read. This story was inspired by the movie Christmas in My Hometown in which Michelle Trachtenberg starred. Oh yeah, this is an AU story.

Christmas
By Kristjan Brezovnik

When Faith finally woke up, she was freezing. Her whole body was so cold she didn't even feel the bruises and the cuts. She looked up the slope and knew she was in no shape to climb back up to the road. She looked around and saw a light in the distance. It looked close, so she went there.

"Mom, the phone just went dead," Buffy Summers reported, annoyed. "I was in the middle of a conversation."

"It's the snow, honey."

"Ugh. Why can't we move? California sounds good."

Joyce Summers, her mother, smiled patiently.

"Right now we can't go anywhere," she said.

"For how long?"

"I don't know, honey. The radio said that there's a blizzard approaching. Which means that there'll be about five feet of snow."

"Great," Buffy muttered. "So we're stuck here for at least a weak."

"Yes."

Hours later, Faith had no idea how many had passed, she finally reached the light. It was a lonely house with a barn. She headed for the barn, doubting that the inhabitants would let her in. When she reached it, she tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. She tried again and the door finally yielded a bit. She had to try a few more times before the door opened sufficiently for her to squeeze through. When she was inside, she leaned onto the door and it closed.

A dog barked and Faith jerked, startled. She stared at the dog for a few moments and then looked around. She saw a few horses in the stalls. She headed for one of the empty stalls, kicked together the hay that lay on the ground inside, and then lay down. She was asleep within seconds.

"Did Dino just bark?" Joyce asked.

"Yes," Buffy confirmed. "You think there's someone there?"

"I don't know," Joyce said and went to the window.

She looked outside, but she could see no one.

"I don't think Dino could hear or smell anyone outside," Buffy said dubiously.

Joyce though for a moment and then went to a closet. She unlocked it and took out a rifle. She checked to make sure that it was loaded and then put on a coat.

Buffy quietly watched her, worried.

"Lock the door after me," Joyce said as she exited.

Buffy nodded.

Joyce exited and shivered as the cold got to her. She waited for Buffy to lock up and then headed to the barn. She noticed the footsteps leading toward the barn and she knew that someone was inside. She carefully opened the door and entered. She looked up, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary in the dim light. She looked at Dino.

"Where, Dino?"

Dino got to his feet and started staring towards the stables.

Joyce carefully started to approach the stables, her rifle ready. She quickly noticed that one of the empty stable doors was open and she carefully approached. When she got close enough, she could see a girl about Buffy's age sleeping in the hay. She quickly noticed that the girl looked hurt. She hesitated for a moment and then entered the stable. She kneeled beside the girl and gently shook her. The girl didn't react, so Joyce shook her again.

"Hey, wake up," she said softly.

The girl moaned this time, but didn't wake up. Joyce sighed. She mounted the rifle on her back and then picked up the girl, who immediately cuddled up to her. She was quite heavy, so Joyce hurried back to the house.

"It's okay, Dino," Joyce said as she passed the dog.

Dino barked once and went back to his hut.

Joyce left the barn and kicked the door closed.

"Buffy!" she called when they got to the door, and knocked. "It's okay."

Buffy unlocked the door.

"Why was…" Buffy started, but she trailed off when she saw her mother was carrying a sleeping girl.

"Mom?" Buffy asked, puzzled, as Joyce closed and locked the door.

"I found her at the stables."

"Is she… dead?"

"No. Help me…"

She trailed off when the girl started to wake up because of all the movement.

"No!" the girl screamed when she realized someone was holding her.

She squirmed, causing Joyce to lose her hold and drop her. The girl backed off, staring at the strangers, wide-eyed.

"It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you," Joyce said.

The girl looked around, terrified. Joyce smiled softly.

"Hi, I'm Joyce."

Faith just stared at her, wide-eyed, and Joyce had a feeling that she had a fever.

"What's your name?" she asked.

The girl blinked her eyes.

"Faith," she said in a raspy voice.

Joyce smiled.

"This is Buffy and that is Dawn," she introduced her daughters.

Faith barely glanced at the younger girl on the sofa, her eyes were riveted on Buffy.

"You look like hell," Buffy commented.

"Buffy," Joyce chided her. "Go prepare the bath and then something for Faith to sleep in."

"Huh?" Faith said, finally startled out of staring as Buffy went upstairs.

"You need a warm bath, Faith. I'll prepare some salves to take care of your cuts and bruises. And I'll get you something warm to eat."

Faith shivered. It was warm in the house, but her body was still cold. And a hot bath and a warm meal definitely sounded like heaven.

Joyce approached Faith and Faith tensed. Joyce then kneeled and slowly reached toward Faith to touch her forehead to see if she did indeed have a fever, but Faith just backed off.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Faith," Joyce assured her and Faith's eyes quickly went to the rifle on Joyce's back. "Oh, I didn't know who it was. I thought it was a thief." She got up. "Come, let's go upstairs," she said and offered Faith her hand.

Faith stared at her, thinking. She didn't trust Joyce, but she was cold and she realized that things could hardly get any worse. She got up, not accepting Joyce's hand.

Joyce smiled softly.

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

Faith took a deep breath followed her upstairs. Joyce noticed that she was limping.

"You just leave the clothes on the floor, I'll take care of them later," Joyce said as they entered the bathroom. "But do empty the pockets."

Faith took off the jacket and dropped it to the floor.

"That's all you wore?" Buffy asked when she saw that Faith only wore a tank top underneath the leather jacket.

Faith suddenly felt very uncomfortable and she felt like running. But the sound of hot running water convinced her to stay. She pulled the wallet out of her pocket and put it beside the shampoo Buffy had prepared for her.

"Faith," Joyce said when she was done retrieving the various salves, and Faith looked at her. "Do you want me to take care of your bruises for you or will you do it yourself?"

"I'll…" she croaked and coughed. "I'll do it myself," she said.

"Okay. This one is for the bruises and this one for the cuts. And this one is for your ankle."

"Just turn off the water when there's enough of it," Buffy said and left.

"Leave the guest room door open, Buffy," Joyce called after her.

"Okay!"

"Will you be alright by yourself?" Joyce asked Faith.

Faith nodded.

"Okay. Call if you need anything."

Faith nodded again.

"Buffy will prepare some clothes for you. They'll be in the guest room. Then come downstairs and I'll get you something to eat."

Faith nodded again.

Joyce smiled at her and then left.

When the door closed, Faith just stared at it for a few moments. Then she quickly undressed and turned off the water. She checked the temperature. It was a bit hot, but then again she was very cold. She got in and tensed as the water scalded her skin. She quickly relaxed and then leaned back.

"How long is she staying?" Buffy asked when she came downstairs.

"Until the road to the town is clear."

"A whole weak?" Buffy said, surprised.

"I'm afraid so," Joyce said. "I just hope that they fix the phones soon so she can notify her family."

"She'll be staying in the guest room?"

"Yes."

Buffy thought for a moment.

"Didn't she have any belongings?"

Joyce frowned, thinking.

"No, I don't think so. You'll have to lend her some of your clothes."

Buffy rolled her eyes.

"I knew it."

"Buffy, we can't just throw her out. And besides, she probably has a fever."

Buffy sighed.

"What was she doing in the barn?"

"She was sleeping in one of the empty stables."

Buffy frowned.

"Why didn't she come here?"

"She probably didn't think that we would let her in."

"Oh."

When Faith didn't get out of the bathroom for a long time, Joyce became worried. She went upstairs and knocked on the door. There was not response, so she slowly opened the door a bit.

"Faith?" she asked.

There was no response, so Joyce entered. She saw that Faith was still in the bathtub and that she was asleep. She approached the tub and checked the water temperature, it was still a bit warm. She gently shook Faith.

"Faith."

"No!" Faith woke up with a shriek.

"It's okay, "Joyce quickly said. "It's okay, you're safe."

Faith looked around and then took a deep breath, relieved.

"You should hurry up, the water is getting cold," Joyce said with a smile when Faith looked at her.

Faith nodded and Joyce left. Faith then looked at the water and realized that it was indeed getting cold. She sighed and started to wash herself.

"Is she alright?" Buffy asked when Joyce returned downstairs.

Joyce nodded with a smiled.

"She fell asleep."

"Oh."

When Faith was done with washing up, she let the water out and rinsed herself. Then she dried herself with a towel and wrapped herself in another towel. When she was dry, she went to the table and checked out the salves Joyce had left. She sighed and removed the towel. While Joyce had only seen the cuts and bruises on her face, the rest of her body was full of them as well, but most of the cuts had already started to heal and none of them was bleeding anymore.

When she was done with the salves, Faith wrapped herself in the dry towel again and left the bathroom. She looked around and saw that one of the doors was open. She guessed it was the guest room, so she went there. When she turned on the lights, she saw a warm pair of pajamas spread on the bed, a pair of panties and a pair of warm socks. There were also slippers on the floor. Faith approached the bed and removed the towel. She quickly dressed and then took the towel back to the bathroom.

When she got downstairs, she stopped, unsure, but Buffy quickly noticed her.

"Kitchen's over there," she said and led the way. "Mom, Faith's here," she said as they entered the kitchen.

"Okay," Joyce said and started filling a plate with soup. "Take a seat."

Faith felt a bit disappointed, but then she noticed that there was more food. She sat down and Joyce gave her the plate.

When she was done, Faith felt like she was about to explode. She didn't remember the last time she had eaten even close to the amount of food she had just eaten.

"Do you want some more?" Joyce asked.

Faith shook her head.

"No." She hesitated for a moment. "Thanks."

Joyce smiled.

"You're welcome. Oh," she remembered, "the phone is out."

"Oh," Faith said.

"I hope they'll fix it by tomorrow."

"Okay," Faith said, not really caring.

Joyce smiled.

"Looks like you're stuck with us for a week."

Faith frowned.

"A week?"

Joyce nodded.

"Yes. It usually takes that long until they clear the road."

"Oh," Faith said, wondering what it would be like to spend the whole week with them.

"Why don't you go join Buffy and Dawn," Joyce then suggested.

Faith nodded and went to the main room. There, she stopped, not sure what to do.

"Come," Buffy said and made some space on the sofa.

Faith went to the sofa and sat down. She realized she was nervous and there hadn't been many times that she had been nervous before. She frowned, puzzled, and then realized that Buffy was making her feel nervous. Hell, the whole situation was making her nervous. She had just been taken in by complete strangers, she'd been bathed, fed, clothed and allowed to stay for a week. Not to mention that they were nice to her. It was a situation in which Faith had never found herself before and it made her insecure. She took a deep breath and concentrated on the TV show.

Buffy occasionally glanced at Faith, who seemed to be very intent on the TV show, even though it was nothing special. She couldn't help herself, there was something about Faith that made her stomach feel funny. Sure, she had a boyfriend, but now that she thought about it, he didn't come even close to giving her stomach this wonderful feeling that she had just from being close to Faith. She frowned, wondering where the hell her thoughts were coming from and how she had ended up thinking about Faith in the way of love. Her frown deepened as she wondered, confused, if she was in love with Faith.

Her brainstorming was interrupted when Dawn gently nudged her in the ribs. She looked at her.

"She's sleeping," Dawn whispered and nodded at Faith.

Buffy looked and saw that Faith was indeed sleeping. She couldn't help but smile at how innocent and cute Faith looked. She blushed when she realized what she had just thought.

"Mom, she's asleep," she told Joyce.

Joyce looked and smiled.

"Why don't you wake her up," she said, "she'll be more comfortable in the bed."

Buffy nodded and gently shook Faith.

"Faith," she said.

Faith awoke with a shriek and tried to back off, but she fell over the armrest to the floor. She looked around, a panicked look in her eyes.

"It's okay, Faith," Joyce quickly said as Buffy just stared at Faith, startled. "It's okay."

Faith looked around, remembered where she was, and she calmed down.

"You would be more comfortable in your bed," Joyce said with a soft smile.

Faith stared at her for a few moments. The she got up and quickly left, feeling embarrassed.

"Okay, what just happened?" Buffy asked when Faith was gone.

"I'm not sure," Joyce said thoughtfully.

When Faith woke up in the morning, she was a bit confused at first, but then she remembered. Her head hurt and she felt sick, but she forced herself to get up. She wanted to get dressed, but then she remembered that her clothes were all wet and she didn't have anything else. She went to the bathroom and refreshed herself a bit. Then she went downstairs.

"Faith! Are you okay?" Buffy asked, worried, when she saw Faith.

"Five by five," Faith said, feeling a bit dizzy.

"Mom!" Buffy called as she approached Faith, ready to support her.

"Yes?" Joyce said when she came from the kitchen. "Faith!" she said when she saw her. She came closer and touched her forehead. "You're burning. Come, eat your breakfast. Buffy, you prepare the sofa so Faith can lie downstairs."

"Okay, Mom," Buffy said.

Faith followed Joyce to the kitchen, where Joyce decided to warm up some soup rather that what they had for breakfast.

After Faith was finished eating, Joyce escorted her back to the main room.

"Buffy, get her a cold compression," she instructed as she made sure Faith was comfortable on the sofa.

"Okay, Mom," Buffy said and hurried upstairs.

"Are you comfortable?" Joyce then asked Faith.

Faith nodded.

"Yeah."

"Warm?"

"Yeah," Faith said, not used to anybody fussing over her.

"Okay. Want anything?"

Faith shook her head.

"No."

"Okay. If you do, just say so."

"Okay."

Joyce smiled and looked at Dawn.

"Okay, honey, you can go back to the sofa."

Dawn climbed back on the sofa and smiled at Faith.

"Hi."

Faith looked at her.

"Hi."

"Where are you from?"

Faith glanced at Joyce nervously.

"Boston."

Dawn frowned, thinking.

"That's on the… east coast."

"Yeah," she said and Dawn smiled, glad she guessed.

"How old are you?"

Faith glanced at Joyce again.

"Fifteen."

"I'm nine," Dawn said. "Buffy's sixteen."

"Oh," Faith said and looked at Buffy, who had returned with the cold compression.

"Here," Buffy said and put the compression on Faith's forehead.

Faith let out a sigh of relief as the cold compression reduced her temperature a bit.

"Thanks," she said and closed her eyes.

"Dawn, turn down the volume a bit," Buffy then told Dawn, who immediately obeyed.

Buffy went to the table and started to read a fashion magazine, but her eyes kept glancing at Faith. It freaked her out a bit that she found Faith sexually attractive. She had never thought of another girl in that way. But as she thought about it, she felt the temperature between her legs rise. When she realized that, she blushed and forced herself to concentrate on the magazine again.

Faith rested for a while, her eyes closed. Her temperature was slowly falling and her head hurt less. For the first time in her life she felt safe and it was a strange feeling, a good one. But she wasn't jumping for joy, she knew it would end soon. Too soon. Her thoughts soon became too distracting, filled with too much hope, so she opened her eyes and checked out which cartoon Dawn was watching. She smiled when she saw it was The X-Men. She concentrated on it.

When Buffy looked at Faith again after a while and saw her staring at the TV, she smiled, Faith was just so cute when she so raptly watched the cartoons. When she realized what she had just thought, she blushed and looked back at her magazine.

When the cartoon ended, Faith looked at Buffy. She stared at her, feeling drawn to her. She took deep breath and looked away, knowing that there couldn't be nothing between her and Buffy.

"Faith," Joyce said as she came to the main room and saw Faith move her head. "How do you feel?" she asked when Faith looked at her.

"Better," Faith said.

"Does your head still hurt?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Yeah, a bit."

"I'll get you a new compression," Joyce said.

Faith took the compression off her forehead and gave it to Joyce, who then went to the kitchen. Faith looked at Buffy and blushed when their eyes met. She quickly looked at the TV, annoyed that she was blushing.

Buffy blushed as well and she too looked away, but she did notice that Faith was blushing as well. She wondered if Faith might be feeling the same way. Her blush deepened when she realized what she was thinking about.

Then Joyce returned with a new compression. She touched Faith's clammy forehead to gauge the temperature and then put the new compression on.

"You should be fine by tomorrow, probably this afternoon," she said. "Just rest. Do you want anything? Anything to read?"

"No, thanks," Faith said.

Joyce smiled.

"Okay."

In the afternoon, Faith felt much better. Rest, cold compressions and warm lunch did wonders. She still felt a bit weak, but her head didn't hurt anymore. She considered getting dressed, but it was late afternoon already, so she didn't. She was a bit sore from sitting around all day, so she got up and stretched. Then she went to the window and looked outside, where it was still snowing. She felt kinda cozy, being in a warm house with nice people and staring out, where the snow was falling.

"You okay?" Buffy asked her when she came downstairs and saw her staring out the window.

Faith turned.

"Yeah." She thought for a moment and then nodded at the window. "Does it always snow that much here?"

Buffy nodded.

"Yeah. We're usually cut off from the rest of the world for about a week. Thank god for TV."

Faith grinned a bit and Buffy grinned back. Faith then nodded at Buffy.

"You're early."

Buffy glanced at her pajamas.

"It's Christmas Eve, we usually get ready for bed before dinner. Though we don't go to bed until midnight or so. Well, Dawn does, she usually falls asleep after the first movie."

"Oh."

"She's in the bathroom now. You can take a shower next."

Faith nodded.

"Okay," she said, feeling strange.

"You miss your family?" Buffy asked.

Faith tensed, suddenly nervous.

"I don't have any," she said.

"You don't?" Buffy said, surprised.

Faith shrugged.

"No."

"Oh." She thought for a moment. "So where were you going?"

Faith shrugged again, reluctant to talk about it.

"Nowhere. Anywhere."

"Oh." Buffy thought again. "Where are you from?"

"Boston."

"And how did you come here? I mean, we're pretty far away from the main road."

"I got lost."

"Oh."

"Faith!" Joyce called.

"Eh, gotta go," Faith said and quickly went to the kitchen. "Yes, Ma'am?"

"Can you hold this while I pour this over?"

"Sure," Faith said and helped her.

When Dawn came downstairs and Faith went to take a shower, Buffy went to her mom.

"Mom."

"Yes, honey?" Joyce said, glancing at her, busy with cooking.

"I talked to Faith, she said she doesn't have any family."

Joyce stopped for a moment, surprised.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Joyce thought for a moment.

"Then we better make this a memorable Christmas for her."

Buffy smiled.

"Yeah." Then she frowned. "But we don't have any presents for her."

"Hmm," Joyce said as she thought about it.

"Ooh, I know, I could give her that leather jacket and pants I have."

Joyce looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?"

Buffy shrugged.

"It's not like I wear them often, leather's not really my style. But it would look good on Faith and I think she would appreciate it."

Joyce nodded.

"Yes." She thought for a moment. "I suppose I could give her one of my sweaters."

Buffy smiled.

"Okay. I'll go wrap them up while she's in the bathroom. Then I'll take them to your room and you can put them under the tree in the morning." Her smile widened. "She'll be so surprised."

Joyce smiled.

"Yes," she agreed and Buffy hurried away.

After she took a shower and put on the salves again, Faith returned downstairs and joined Dawn on the sofa. Dawn immediately scooted closer.

"Faith, can I ask you something?" she said in a quiet voice.

Faith looked at her, surprised.

"Sure."

Dawn hesitated for a moment.

"Have you ever kissed a boy?"

Faith blinked, even more surprised.

"Yeah," she said, wondering where this was going.

"What's it like?" Dawn asked her eyes wide.

Faith raised her eyebrows and grinned.

"Well, depends."

Dawn frowned.

"On what?"

"On what kind of kiss it is."

"How many are there?" Dawn asked, confused.

"Quite a few. I'm guessing you want to know about lip to lip kisses."

Dawn nodded, blushing a bit.

"Yes."

Faith thought for a moment.

"Well, there's the plain old lip to lip. It's nothing special and if you want to kiss a boy, use this one at first."

"Okay," Dawn said, blushing.

"Then there's the French kiss."

"What is that one like?"

Faith grinned.

"Well, you use your tongues."

Dawn frowned.

"How?"

"It's like lip to lip, only you push your tongue into the boy's mouth and vice versa."

Dawn frowned as she tried to imagine it and Faith chuckled as she watched her.

"Isn't that gross?" Dawn then asked.

Faith shrugged.

"No. I mean, you usually use that one when you make out or when you're having sex. You're more relaxed then. And you use the other one when you meet or part. You know, when you just want to tell him how much you care about him."

"Oh." Dawn thought for a moment and then blushed. "Did you have sex yet?" she then whispered.

Faith grinned.

"Yeah."

"What's it like?" Dawn asked, her blush deepening.

"Depends on what person you're with. I mean, if you have sex with your boyfriend, it's probably better than if you have it with some stranger. Oh yeah, girls are usually… nicer than boys."

Dawn frowned.

"Girls? You mean two girls can have sex?"

Faith grinned.

"Yeah."

"But how? I mean, I know about penises and vaginas…" Dawn said, blushing furiously.

"Well, I think you're a bit too young for that," Faith said, deciding to end this because she heard that Buffy had left her room.

"Oh. Yeah, I guess."

"But don't tell your mom or Buffy that we talked about this," Faith quickly added, worried about the consequences.

"I won't," Dawn said.

"Okay." Faith thought for a moment. "Don't have sex yet, no matter what your boyfriend says. If you turn him down and he claims you don't love him, dump him, he doesn't really love you," she said, for some reason feeling that it was important.

"Okay," Dawn said with a nod. "Thanks."

Faith shrugged, not used to being thanked.

"It's okay," she said and Dawn smiled.

Then Buffy came down and went to the kitchen. She returned a few moments later.

"Wanna play monopoly?" she asked.

Faith shrugged.

"Okay."

"Dawn?"

Dawn nodded.

"Yes."

Buffy fetched the board.

"I'll be the bank," she declared as she sat down.

"Why you? You're always the bank," Dawn complained.

"Because my math is better than yours."

Dawn pouted for a few moments before she relented.

"Dinner's ready!" Joyce called about an hour later.

Dawn squealed and ran from the table.

"What's with her?" Faith asked, curious.

Buffy smiled.

"Mom always makes a special dinner for Christmas Eve," she said and got up. "Come."

Faith followed her to the kitchen and gasped when she saw the amount of food on the table. Her mouth started to water as her nose processed the delicious smells.

"Have a seat, girls," Joyce said with a smile.

When she couldn't eat anymore, Faith leaned back, closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"That was great, Ma'am," she then told Joyce.

Joyce smiled.

"I'm glad you liked it."

"Can we go now?" Dawn asked.

"Yes," Joyce said.

Dawn got up and ran out of the kitchen. Buffy slowly followed her.

Faith got up and hesitated for a moment.

"Em, do you need help?" she then offered, nervous. "You know, with cleaning up?"

Joyce smiled.

"No, no, it's okay. We have the dishwasher, see?" Joyce said and pointed at the dishwasher.

Faith looked.

"Oh."

"Go, have fun."

"Okay."

Faith left the kitchen. When she saw Dawn coming downstairs, she guessed that she had been to the bathroom to wash her hands. She went upstairs.

"Hey," Buffy said, brushing her teeth, when Faith entered.

"Hey," Faith said.

"Oh," Buffy suddenly realized and took the toothbrush from her mouth, "you don't have a toothbrush."

Faith shrugged.

"It's okay."

"No, no, we have a few spare," Buffy said and quickly took a new toothbrush from the cabinet. "Here," she said and gave it to Faith.

Faith took it and removed the packaging.

"Thanks," she said.

Buffy quickly finished brushing her teeth and then rinsed her mouth.

"I'll see you downstairs," she said and left.

When Faith got downstairs a few minutes later, Buffy and Dawn were waiting for her to continue the Monopoly game.

"We'll play until Mom is ready and then we'll watch TV," Buffy said.

"Okay," Faith said, not really having anything better to do.

After Joyce finished cleaning up, she went upstairs to get ready for bed. When she came downstairs, Buffy and Dawn immediately went to the couch.

"Come on, Faith," Buffy said and Faith followed them.

Joyce sat down and Dawn sat on the other side of her. Faith sat on the other end of the sofa, leaving enough space for Buffy between her and Joyce. Buffy quickly inserted the tape into the VCR and then sat between Faith and Joyce.

"It's The Miracle on the 34th Street," she explained to Faith. "It's a family tradition."

"Oh," Faith said.

She looked at the three Summers women and wished she had a family like that, with silly but nice little family traditions. She sighed and concentrated on the movie, not wanting to dwell on false hopes.

Joyce occasionally glanced at Faith and she finally noticed that tears were running down Faith's cheeks, but Faith didn't seem to be aware of them. She guessed that this evening was very special to Faith. She smiled, but didn't say anything, guessing she would only embarrass Faith.

When the movie was over, Buffy got up to change the tape. She glanced at Faith and noticed that her face was wet.

"You okay?" she asked.

Faith jerked, startled, and looked away, embarrassed.

"Yeah," she said and got up.

"Where are you going? We have another movie, a comedy."

"Toilet," Faith said and quickly left.

Buffy looked at Joyce.

"Mom?"

"She's very proud," Joyce said. "And I think it's been a while since she has last experienced a family Christmas."

"Oh," Buffy said, thinking about it as she changed the tapes.

When she got to the bathroom, Faith looked into the mirror. Her face was all red from crying and Buffy had seen it. She felt so embarrassed. She didn't want to go back downstairs, she didn't want to face Buffy and her family, everything she had always wanted, but she decided to go anyway, hoping that the comedy would help her forget the sad thoughts. She took a deep breath and splashed some cold water in her face. Then she wiped her face and slowly went downstairs.

"Faith! Faith, wake up!" Dawn woke her up in the morning, shaking her.

"Huh?" Faith said and looked at her sleepily. "What?"

"It's Christmas!" Dawn said, excited.

"So?" Faith said, not seeing the point.

"We all have to be downstairs before we can start opening our gifts."

Faith frowned.

"What gifts?"

"Christmas gifts!" Dawn said. "Come on."

Faith sighed.

"Alright, alright," she said and sat up.

She took a deep breath and then followed Dawn downstairs. She didn't really want to witness Buffy and Dawn open their presents, she knew it would only make her feel more depressed. She sighed, hoping it would be over quickly.

Downstairs, Dawn was already waiting impatiently.

"Can I now?" she asked Joyce when Faith finally arrived.

"Yes," Joyce said, smiling, and Dawn dug into the pile of presents, Buffy right behind her.

Faith sighed again and sat on the sofa, waiting for it to be over.

"Look, Faith, Santa got something for you too," Dawn said after a few moments.

"Huh?" Faith said and looked at her, surprised.

"Here," Dawn said and gave Faith a package.

"Here's another," Buffy said and gave her another package.

Faith took both packages, completely surprised and puzzled. She looked at Joyce questioningly.

"Open them," Joyce said with a smile.

Faith looked at the presents and saw that they both had her name on it. She hesitated for a moment and then started to unwrap the first. Her eyes went wide when she saw it was a really cool sweater. She held it up and admired it for a moment. Then she put it aside and unwrapped the next present. When she saw it was a leather jacket, she gasped. She held it up and then gasped again when she saw a pair of leather pants underneath. She put the pants aside and got up. She then put the jacket on and picked up the pants. She held them in front of herself and looked at herself. She swallowed hard, barely holding back the tears.

"You like?" Buffy asked.

Faith jerked and looked at her.

"Hell yeah," she said in a raspy voice. She hesitated for a moment. "Thanks," she said, guessing that the present was from Buffy.

Buffy smiled.

"Thank Santa," she said, glancing at Dawn.

"Oh. Right."

Then Dawn squealed and everyone looked at her.

"Look what Santa brought me!" she said and showed them a box.

"You got a PlayStation?" Faith asked when she saw it was a PlayStation game.

Dawn nodded.

"Uh-huh. Wanna play?"

"After the breakfast, honey," Joyce said, smiling. "Go dress first."

"Okay," Dawn said, dropped her presents and ran upstairs.

"Let's get dressed," Buffy said and started for the stairs. "I'll give you some of my clothes, so you can wear them while you're here."

Faith quickly picked up her presents and followed her.

After the breakfast, Dawn ran upstairs to get her PlayStation and Faith sat on the sofa and waited. Buffy went to the table and started to read a book. Dawn quickly came running down the stairs.

"Careful, Dawn!" Buffy warned her and Dawn slowed down a bit.

Dawn then ran to the TV and set up the PlayStation while Faith checked out the games.

"Faith! Come," Dawn called when she was done.

Faith joined her on the floor and Dawn handed her the second controller.

As Buffy read the book, she occasionally glanced at Faith and she couldn't help but think how adorable Faith looked, so engrossed in the game. Of course, when she realized what she was thinking, she blushed and looked away, confused.

"Okay, girls, lunch is ready," Joyce announced at noon. "Dawn, Faith, you've had enough for today."

"Can we just finish this game?" Dawn pleaded, not taking her eyes off the screen.

"Okay," Joyce allowed with a smile. "But hurry up."

"Okay, Mom," Dawn said and Joyce returned to the kitchen.

Buffy put away her book and went to the sofa to see who would win. She checked the score and saw that Dawn was leading, but not by much.

"Gotcha!" Faith suddenly cried. "Ha, I win."

"You were just lucky," Dawn said, putting a bit.

"You wish," Faith said with a grin. "Need help with putting it away?" she offered.

"No, I can manage," Dawn said.

"Okay," Faith said.

She got up and stretched and Buffy found herself admiring the smooth movements. Buffy caught herself again and blushed. She quickly got up and went to the kitchen so that Faith wouldn't see her blush.

"Buffy, Faith," Joyce said after lunch, "it stopped snowing. Why don't you go clean up the veranda. Buffy, you show her how."

"Now?" Buffy said.

"Yes."

"But I'm beat from the lunch."

Joyce raised an eyebrow at her.

"Then some movement should be just the thing for you. Go."

Buffy sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, Mom." She looked at Faith. "Come on, Faith."

After they got dressed, Buffy showed Faith how to get the snow off the veranda and then make sure it stayed off. And since the veranda extended, so to speak, all around the house and the barn, which was right next to the house, it took them a while to clean it up.

"Have you met Dino yet?" Buffy asked after they were done.

Faith frowned.

"Dino?"

"Our dog."

"Oh. Yeah, I have." She frowned. "Dino? As in The Flintstones Dino?"

Buffy smiled.

"Yeah. Dawn likes The Flintstones, so she named him Dino."

"Oh." She hesitated for a moment. "Does he also have a mouse archenemy?"

Buffy giggled.

"No."

"Lucky him," Faith said and smiled a bit.

Buffy smiled back.

"Come on, let's go back inside, I'm freezing."

"Me too," Faith agreed and followed Buffy inside.

"Buffy, the phone is working again," Joyce said when they entered.

"Cool!" Buffy said, excited, but then she frowned as she realized that she wasn't really looking forward to talking to her boyfriend.

"You okay?" Faith asked her, noticing the sudden change.

Buffy smiled at her.

"Yes. I'll be in my room for a while."

"Okay."

Buffy quickly took off the jacket and the boots and then went upstairs. She was completely confused. She had a boyfriend, but now she was having these feelings for Faith and she didn't know what to do. She wanted to find out if there could be anything between her and Faith, but she wasn't ready to drop her boyfriend. Yet.

She closed her door when she got to her room, and lay on the bed. She thought about it for a while and then called her boyfriend, hoping that the conversation with him would somehow solve her problem.

Faith was puzzled by Buffy's abrupt change of mood, but she didn't dwell on it long. Instead, she joined Dawn on the sofa and they watched some documentary Dawn found interesting. After watching it for a few minutes, Faith had to admit that it was interesting and she changed her mind about asking Dawn to switch channels.

After an hour, Buffy finished talking to her boyfriend and was frustrated because instead of solving her problem, everything seemed to be even more frustrating. She lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, and thought about it. On one hand, she found Faith attractive, very attractive, but on the other, she was afraid to find out if there could be anything between them because she knew that Faith would be gone as soon as the road was clear. And the strange thing was that she didn't want her to leave. She sighed and decided to go downstairs.

Downstairs, Faith and Dawn were watching cartoons, their favorite pastime.

"Hey," she said.

Faith glanced at her.

"Hey. The world still rolling?"

Buffy smiled.

"Yes." She glanced at the table where their unfinished game of Monopoly was still waiting. "Wanna play Monopoly?"

Faith glanced at the table and then looked at Dawn.

"Wanna play Monopoly, Dawn?" she asked.

Dawn looked at the table.

"Okay," she said and got up.

Faith followed her to the table.

"Whose turn is it?" she asked.

"Yours," Buffy said.

"Okay."

During the game, Buffy found herself sneaking glances at Faith. It made her feel strange, nicely warm, especially when she caught Faith sneaking glances at her as well. She wondered what it meant. Could it be that Faith was having feelings for her? She had no idea, but if her own behavior was any indication, then Faith was indeed having feelings for her. She didn't know if she should be happy or not. On one hand she was, but on the other, she wasn't, because she knew that Faith would be gone soon. Too soon.

Faith had also been sneaking glances at Buffy and she was surprised when she caught Buffy stealing glances at her as well. It made her feel great, but she was also afraid. She didn't think that Buffy was into girls, especially since she had a boyfriend. If things were different, if she lived closer to Buffy, she might have tried something. That realization scared her even more, she usually didn't want to get close to people. But for some reason she wanted to get close to Buffy. And not only to her but to her family as well. She realized that she wanted to be more than just Buffy's friend and that scared her even more, she didn't do well in intimate relationships. Hell, she didn't do well in any relationship, period. It made her sad on one hand, but on the other, she knew she couldn't get hurt. Still, she really wanted to get to know Buffy better.

After Dawn won the game, Faith went to the bathroom.

"Buffy, are you in love with Faith?" Dawn asked once Faith was gone.

"What?" Buffy said, shocked, blushing furiously.

"You kept glancing at one another during the game."

"She was glancing at me?" Buffy asked, her heart beating faster.

"Duh," Dawn said. She glanced at the TV, which had been constantly on. "Ooh," she said, excited, when she saw Britney's Lucky was on, and ran to the sofa, forgetting about Buffy's love life.

Buffy stared at her for a few moments and then went to the kitchen.

"Everything alright?" Joyce asked her when she saw the pensive look on Buffy's face.

Buffy looked at her, startled.

"Oh. Yes," she said, blushing, and concentrated on the fridge.

Joyce raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.

When Faith came back downstairs, she noticed that Buffy was not there. She hesitated for a moment and then joined Dawn on the sofa. She wasn't a fan of Britney, but that particular song stirred emotions in her. She bit her teeth and took a deep breath to calm down. Fortunately, the video was soon over and Linkin Park's Crawling came on, which was unfortunate.

"Any cartoons?" she asked and Dawn quickly switched channels, not being a fan of Linkin Park.

Then Buffy came from the kitchen. She smiled when she saw that Faith and Dawn were engrossed in cartoons again.

"I'll be in my room," she said and left.

"Okay," Faith said with a glance.

A couple of hours later, Dawn got drowsy and she nodded off. At first she leaned on Faith, who after a few moments put her arm around her, nervous, but then Dawn, attempting to get more comfortable, put her head into Faith's lap. Faith was very nervous, she had never done anything like this and it made her feel vulnerable. Still, she didn't move and she let Dawn sleep.

When Buffy, who had been on the phone with her boyfriend in the meantime, came downstairs, she smiled at the sight of Dawn sleeping in Faith's lap. She quietly slipped to the kitchen, guessing that Faith would be embarrassed if she knew she had seen her.

She went to the fridge, took out a bottle of juice and poured it into a glass.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Joyce asked, noticing the thoughtful expression on Buffy's face.

Buffy looked at her and sighed.

"I'm confused, Mom," she said and drank the juice.

"About?"

"Everything."

"You don't have to tell me," Joyce said when Buffy hesitated.

"No, I want to. I mean, I need your advice."

"Okay."

Buffy thought for a moment.

"Well, I feel… I feel attracted to Faith."

"Ah. Okay."

"It doesn't bother you?"

Joyce smiled.

"Should it?"

"I… Eh… I don't know." She sighed. "But it's just so complicated, you know? I mean, I have a boyfriend."

"Do you love him?"

"Yes. No. I don't know. I mean, he's nice and all, but I…"

"Yes?" Joyce prodded when Buffy trailed off.

"I always get this strange feeling in my stomach when I'm around Faith, a good one, not a bad one, and I don't when I'm around Riley," Buffy babbled, her blush growing.

"I see," Joyce said.

"I mean, I like Riley, you know, but I talked to him for, like, an hour and I kept thinking about Faith all the time."

"Mhm," Joyce said, smiling.

Buffy sighed, exasperated.

"I just don't know what to do."

"You have to decide who you love."

"And if I love Faith?"

"Break up with Riley before you tell her."

"But what if she doesn't love me back?"

"You either love her or you don't, regardless of how she feels about you."

"But if she doesn't and I break up with Riley, I'll be alone."

"Do you think it would be right to be with Riley when you don't love him?"

Buffy thought about it and sighed.

"I don't know." She though for a moment. "But it doesn't bother you because Faith is a girl?"

Joyce smiled.

"No."

"Good," Buffy said, relieved.

"You do know that she'll probably leave as soon as the road is clear."

"Oh," Buffy said with a frown. "Damn. I wish she could stay."

Joyce smiled again.

"Talk to her."

Buffy's eyes went wide.

"No! I mean, she'd probably freak out if I do. I need to be more subtle."

Joyce nodded.

"Yes."

"And I'll have to break up with Riley before I try talking to Faith or I don't stand a chance."

Joyce smiled, amused by Buffy's battle plan.

"So you've decided?"

Buffy thought for a moment and then sighed.

"Yeah, I guess. But I need to find out if there is even a remote chance that Faith might be interested in me."

"Okay."

Buffy took a deep breath.

"I need to think about this," she said and left.

Joyce shook her head, amused.

When Buffy got out of the kitchen, she stared at Faith for a few moments and then decided to join her since she had nothing better to do.

"Hey," she said as she approached her.

Faith looked at her, her eyes wide.

"Hey," she said quietly, nervous.

Buffy smiled and sat beside her. She noticed that Faith was tense, so she didn't look at her.

"Has she been sleeping long?"

"About half an hour."

Buffy nodded.

"She usually doses off sometime after lunch."

"Oh."

"Don't worry, she'll wake up soon," Buffy said, reached over and caressed Dawn's head.

Dawn stirred and her eyes opened for a moment. She slept for a few more moments and then her brain finally processed what her eyes had seen on TV a few moments ago.

"Flintstones!" she said, excited, and sat up, fully awake.

Buffy chuckled as Faith looked at Dawn, startled.

"Like I said," Buffy said with a smile when Faith looked at her, "she loves The Flintstones."

Faith smiled a bit.

"Yeah."

"I named out dog after Dino," Dawn said.

"I know," Faith said.

They watched The Flintstones together, but Buffy kept glancing covertly at Faith, trying to make up her mind if she really was in love with her and what that meant for her.

After dinner they watched a movie and then they went to bed. Buffy still wasn't sure what to do. She was pretty sure she loved Faith more than Riley, but the fact that Faith was a girl bothered her a bit. Not because of herself, but she was worried what people would say. She though about it and when she finally fell asleep, she was pretty sure that she didn’t care what others thought.

The next day, when Riley called Buffy, Buffy was all nervous. She liked Riley and she didn't want to lose his friendship. She was worried that Riley might get upset when he found out that she dumped him for a girl. Okay, so maybe dumped was too strong a term, but Buffy sure felt like she was dumping him and she didn't want him to feel the same. She didn't know how he would feel, but she decided to be honest with him.

"Are you okay, honey?" Joyce asked when Buffy finally came downstairs.

Faith and Dawn, who were playing hangman, also looked at her.

"I just broke up with Riley," Buffy said.

"Oh," Joyce said, understanding, and glanced at Faith.

"You did?" Dawn asked.

"Yes," Buffy said.

"Good."

"You don't like him?" Faith asked Dawn.

"No. He's too… nice."

Faith raised an eyebrow, amused.

"I didn't know guys could be too nice."

"I don't know, he's just too sweet," Dawn said, making a face, and shuddered.

Faith chuckled.

"That true?" she asked Buffy.

"He's nice," Buffy said as she sat down. "He's, like, every girl's dream boy."

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"But not yours?"

"I'm not every girl."

Faith smiled.

"I guess. So you're happily single now."

Buffy smiled back.

"Yes. Interested?"

Both girls blushed at that and Joyce raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Eh, girls, I'm gonna need some help with the horses in an hour," she said.

"Okay, Mom," Buffy said, glad for the save. She looked at the piece of paper. "So, who's winning?"

"I am," Faith said.

"Just because she's using all these strange words," Dawn complained. "Look."

Buffy looked.

"It's not that difficult," she said.

"For you. I'm only nine," Dawn said and pouted.

Buffy and Faith smiled at her.

"Wanna joins us?" Faith asked.

"Sure," Buffy said and sat down.

After helping Joyce with the horses, Buffy and Faith were both exhausted.

"Man, I'm beat," Faith said as she plopped herself down on the sofa.

"Me too," Buffy said and sat beside her.

Dawn, who was sitting at the table, smiled at them.

"How often do you do all that?" Faith asked.

Buffy smiled.

"Not often, only during the winter a couple of times. The horses are mostly outside during the summer."

"Oh." Faith thought for a moment. "And what do you do during the summer?"

"Trust me, there's a lot to do, Mom always has to hire help."

"Yeah?"

Suddenly Buffy's eyes went wide as she got an idea.

"Hey, you could stay with us and help out in the summer," she said.

"What?" Faith said, surprised.

"Yes. And instead of paying you, you would have free lodging and food," Buffy said, excited.

"Eh, I don't think so," Faith said, even though a part of her wanted to stay.

"Why not?" Buffy asked with a frown, disappointed.

Faith shrugged.

"I got places to be."

"Like where?" Buffy pushed.

"Like not here," Faith said and left, leaving a confused Buffy behind.

"What just happened?" Dawn asked, as confused as Buffy.

Buffy looked at her.

"I have no idea." She thought for a moment. "Would you mind if she stayed?"

Dawn shrugged.

"No, I like her." She smiled. "And you like her too, ha?"

Buffy blushed.

"Yes."

"Are you gay?"

Buffy's eyes went wide.

"What?"

"Are you gay?"

Buffy's blush deepened.

"No." She hesitated for a moment. "I mean… I think I'm bi."

"Bi?" Dawn asked, puzzled.

Buffy's blush deepened even more.

"Bisexual."

Dawn thought for a moment.

"You mean, you like both boys and girls?"

Buffy thought for a moment.

"Well, I like boys and I like Faith. She's the only girl I've…"

She trailed off, her blush deepening again.

"You what?"

"Nothing."

She took a deep breath.

"You want me to talk to her?" Dawn offered.

"And tell her what? That I have a crush on her?" Buffy asked and blushed again.

Dawn shrugged, smiling.

"I don't know."

In her room, Faith lay on the bed and thought about what just happened. A part of her desperately wanted to stay, but a part of her was afraid. Sure, she got along nicely with the Summers women, but who knew how they would get along in a month. And there was also the fact that she didn't like to depend on anyone, because she'd been let down all too often. Still, she regretted having to leave.

She took a deep breath and decided to do some reading and avoid the Summers girls as much as possible.

For the rest of the week Faith avoided the Summers girls, spending most of the time in her room. Buffy and Dawn and even Mrs Summers tried talking to her, but she just shrugged and pretended that everything was okay or, when they pressed too hard, froze until they left her alone.

The moment the road was finally clear, Faith packed. She didn't have much, so she was quickly done.

"Do you really have to go?" Buffy asked as Faith was about to leave the cabin.

Faith shrugged, nervous.

"Yeah."

"Will you come visit?"

"Eh, I don't know. If I'm in the neighborhood."

"You're always welcome here, Faith," Joyce said.

Faith stared at her for a few moments. A part of her desperately wanted to stay, but a part of her was afraid. She sighed, wishing she could stay.

"Thanks."

"Are you sure you don't want me to give you a ride somewhere?"

Faith shook her head.

"No, thanks."

"Okay. Good luck then."

"Thanks."

Buffy hesitated for a moment and then hugged Faith.

"I'm going to miss you," she whispered to the startled Faith.

Little Dawn hugged them both.

"I'm gonna miss you, Faith," she said.

Faith felt her resolve weaken.

"Eh, I should be going now," she said.

Buffy and Dawn let go of her.

"Give us a call," Buffy said. "Mom gave you our number, right?"

"Yeah."

Buffy sighed.

"Good luck then."

"Thanks."

"Bye, Faith," Dawn said.

"Bye, Dawn," Faith said.

She hesitated for a moment and then turned and left.

The Summers women stared after her until she was gone.

"I hope she'll come back," Buffy then said quietly.

Joyce smiled sadly and caressed her hair.

"Come, let's go inside."

"Mom! It's the hospital!" Dawn called two days later after she answered the phone.

"The hospital?" Joyce said, confused.

"Yes," Dawn said and gave her the receiver.

"Joyce Summers."

"Hello. I'm calling from the County Hospital. Do you know a girl named Faith Spencer?"

"Faith?" Joyce said, worried. "Yes, she spent the holidays with us. Is something wrong?"

"Are you a relative?"

"No."

"Do you know where we could contact them?"

"I'm afraid not." She thought for a moment. "I don't think she has any."

"I see."

"What's wrong? What happened? Is she okay?"

"I'm afraid I can't give you that information if you're not a relative."

Joyce rolled her eyes.

"I'm one of the few people that actually care about Faith. I gave her my address and phone number so she could call me if she was in trouble. It's obvious that she is and I'd like to know what happened so that I can help her."

There was a brief pause.

"She was raped and beaten."

"What?" Joyce said, shocked. "When?"

"She was found two days ago. We've only just been able to identify her and we found a piece of paper with your name and phone number on it."

"Two days ago? That's when she left. How is she?"

"She's still unconscious, but she should wake up soon."

"Thank you. We'll come right over." Joyce hung up and looked at Dawn. "Get dressed."

"What's wrong with Faith?" Dawn asked, worried.

Joyce hesitated for a moment and then decided to tell her the truth.

"She was raped."

Dawn frowned for a moment and then her eyes went wide as she realized what the word meant.

"Is she okay?" she asked.

"She'll live," Joyce said. "Go."

But instead of going to her room, Dawn ran to Buffy's.

"Buffy, Faith was raped," she said as she entered.

"Huh?" Buffy said, startled.

"Faith was raped."

Buffy sat up on her bed.

"What do you mean?"

"The hospital called."

"She was raped after she left," Joyce explained and Buffy's eyes went wide.

"How is she?"

"She'll live. Get dressed, we're going to see her."

Buffy quickly got up.

When they got to Faith's room, Buffy slowly approached Faith's bed. She stared at Faith, shocked by how frail she looked. She took her hand and rubbed her thumb against the back of it. A couple of tears escaped from her eyes and she wiped them.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Dawn asked, her eyes wide.

"I hope so, honey," Joyce said. "I hope so."

Faith woke up a couple of hours later. When she felt that someone was holding her hand, she immediately pulled it away, scared.

"Faith?" Buffy said, startled.

Faith opened her eyes and looked at her, surprised.

"Buffy?" she croaked.

"Shh, it's okay," Buffy said and gave her a quick hug, which made Faith tense.

"Faith?" Dawn asked.

Faith looked at Dawn and saw that Joyce was also there.

"Hello, Faith," Joyce said with a soft smile.

Faith looked away, feeling ashamed.

Buffy gently squeezed her hand.

"It's okay, Faith," she said softly, "you're safe now."

Faith didn't look at her.

"Why are you here?" she asked quietly.

Buffy hesitated for a moment. She didn't feel exactly comfortable about confessing her love in front of her mother and sister, but she wanted to let Faith know that she loved her, even if it spooked her, because she knew that she had to do something drastic in order to get Faith to stay.

"Because I love you."

Faith looked at her, astonished.

"What?"

"I love you, Faith," Buffy said, blushing. "I wanted to tell you before, but after you freaked out when I told you that you could stay, I thought you'd immediately run, if I did." She sighed. "Well, you're not going anywhere right now, so…" She took a deep breath. "Look, no matter how you feel about me, I want you to come back home with us. At least you'll be safe."

Faith stared at her, shocked.

"I thought you were straight," she finally said, nervous.

Buffy smiled, blushing again.

"I am, you're the only girl I love."

Faith thought for a moment.

"And if I don't love you back?"

Buffy sighed.

"That doesn't matter." She frowned. "I mean, it does matter to me, but I want you to come with us regardless of how you feel about me, your happiness is our top priority right now."

Faith looked at Joyce questioningly.

"Buffy's right," Joyce said with a smile, "you're welcome to come with us."

"It'll be fun!" Dawn said excitedly and Faith looked at her for a moment before looking away.

Buffy smiled softly.

"You don't have to answer right away."

"Come, Dawn, let's go get something to eat," Joyce said.

Dawn took her hand and they left.

Buffy sat on a chair.

Faith looked at her, startled, and Buffy smiled.

"If you want to talk, about this or about your childhood or anything else, I'm willing to listen," Buffy offered. "I mean, it doesn't necessarily have to be me, but I think it would be good for you if you talked to someone." When Faith just stared at her, Buffy smiled again. "Mom bought a couple of magazines while you were unconscious," she said and showed her a pile of magazines. "Want one?"

Faith looked at the magazines and then at Buffy. She finally gulped.

"I… I need to think."

"Okay," Buffy said. She got up, fetched the magazines and put them on the nightstand. "Here, so you can read them if you want," she said and then returned to her chair with a single magazine.

Faith stared at her for a few moments and then looked out the window with a sigh.

A few minutes later a nurse came. When she saw that Faith was awake, she called a doctor, who examined Faith. Buffy, when she saw Faith's nervous looks, went out and waited for the doctor to finish. Then she returned.

When Joyce and Dawn returned, Buffy went out to get something to eat. Joyce brought Faith a snack, so Dawn went outside to stand guard in case a doctor or a nurse came by. When they were alone, Faith started on the sandwich, thinking.

"Mrs Summers," she finally said.

Joyce looked at her with a smile.

"Yes?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Why do you care? About me?"

Joyce sighed.

"I like you," she said. "I think you're a good girl with too many bad experiences. You've grown on Dawn and Buffy loves you. And besides, someone has to."

Faith frowned.

"What?"

"Care." She thought for a moment. "I think you could be happy with us, if you let yourself. You would always be free to leave, but I don't think you'd want to, once you got used to it, even if you and Buffy have a fight."

Faith stared at her for a few moments and then looked out the window, slowly continuing to eat her sandwich as she thought about what Joyce had said.

After Faith was done, Joyce called Dawn back in. Dawn then read a magazine for a while and tried to solve a crosswords, but she soon became drowsy.

"Sleepy?" Joyce asked when she saw Dawn yawn for the third time.

"Yeah. That pizza was a bit too big."

Joyce smiled.

"Come, you can rest your head on my lap," she offered.

Dawn smiled back and tried to make herself comfortable.

Faith stared at the interaction between the mother and the daughter and wondered if her own mother had ever been caring like that. She envied Buffy and Dawn for having such a great mother. Then she remembered the offer to stay with them and she realized that she could finally have a home of sorts, where people actually cared about her and made her feel safe. But a part of her was still afraid that she would mess up. She sighed, frustrated. She couldn't make up her mind yet, but there was one thing she could do to make up for what they had already done for her.

"Dawn," she said and Dawn looked at her.

"Yeah."

Faith hesitated for a moment, nervous.

"You can sleep on the bed, if you want," she offered.

Dawn's eyes brightened.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Dawn looked at her mother.

"Can I?"

Joyce looked at the bed.

"Are you sure there's enough space?" she asked Faith.

"Yeah."

"Okay," Joyce then allowed. "But take off your shoes."

"Okay," Dawn said. She got up, ran to the bed and sat on it. Then she took off her shoes and lay back as Faith moved to make some space. "Thanks," she said and smiled at Faith.

"No problem," Faith said.

Dawn closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep. She soon turned on her side and cuddled up to Faith, who looked at her, startled. She hesitated for a moment and then carefully raised her arm and put it around Dawn.

Joyce, who noticed that, smiled, but quickly looked away, knowing it would make Faith nervous.

When Buffy returned from lunch ten minutes later and saw Dawn sleeping cuddled up to Faith, she was surprised, but she smiled at the sight, which made Faith look away, nervous. Buffy then went to her mother, sat in an empty chair and took a magazine.

An hour later, when Buffy went to the ladies room and Joyce left to get herself a cup of coffee, Dawn woke up. She frowned, startled, when she noticed that she was cuddled up to Faith.

"Sorry," she said.

Faith shrugged.

"It's okay."

Dawn smiled and looked around.

"Where are Buffy and Mom?"

"Buffy went to the ladies room and your mom left to get a cup of coffee."

"Oh." Dawn thought for a moment and then looked at Faith. "Are you okay?"

Faith sighed and looked away.

"No."

Dawn stared at her for a couple of moments.

"Are you gonna go home with us?"

Faith looked at her.

"Do you want me to?"

Dawn nodded.

"Yeah."

Faith frowned.

"Why?"

Dawn shrugged.

"I like you."

"Why?"

Dawn shrugged again.

"I don't know. You're fun."

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

"Buffy cried when you left," Dawn said after a few moments.

Faith looked at her, surprised.

"What?"

"She cried. And she cried when we came here."

Faith stared at her for a couple of moments, shocked.

"Why?" she then asked in a small voice.

Dawn shrugged.

"I don't know. I think because she loves you."

Faith stared at her for a few moments and then looked away, thinking.

Dawn hesitated for a moment and then hopped off the bed. She stretched, went to her chair, sat down and picked a magazine. She was about to start reading when Buffy and Joyce came in.

"Sleep well?" Joyce asked with a smile.

Dawn smiled back.

"Yeah."

"Good. Here, I brought you a candy."

"Thanks," Dawn said, excited, as she took the candy.

Joyce smiled again and went to Faith.

"Here, Faith, I brought one for you as well," she said.

Faith looked at her, surprised. Then she looked at the candy and back at Joyce. She hesitated for a moment and then took the candy.

"Thanks."

Joyce smiled softly.

"You're welcome," she said and returned to her chair.

Faith looked at the candy and stared at it for a few moments before she unwrapped it and started eating it.

"Okay, girls, it's time to leave," Joyce said when the visiting hours were over.

"Already?" Buffy asked.

"Yes."

"Can we come back tomorrow?"

Joyce smiled.

"Of course."

"Can I bring some cards?" Dawn asked. "Or Monopoly?"

"Sure."

Dawn smiled and went to Faith's bed.

"Good night, Faith."

"Night, Dawn."

"Good night, Faith," Joyce said and then she and Dawn left the room.

Buffy slowly approached the bed and they stared at one another. Finally Buffy sighed.

"I wish I could do something to help you," she said.

Faith blinked. She hesitated for a moment.

"You're here."

Buffy smiled a bit.

"Yes, but I wish I could do more," she said and took Faith's hand, making Faith tense a bit. "I want to take away your pain, make you feel safe again."

Faith stated at her for a few moments, feeling touched but afraid to show it.

Buffy smiled at her.

"Good night, Faith."

"Night," Faith said, her voice thick with emotions.

Buffy hesitated for a moment. Then she let go of Faith's hand and left.

Faith stared after her until she was gone and then leaned back, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she opened her eyes again and sighed. The fact that the Summers women cared about her completely baffled her as did the fact that Buffy loved her. No one had ever even cared about her, not without demanding something back, but the Summers women didn't demand anything, they just wanted her to be happy. And the fact was that the time she'd spent with them was the best time of her life.

They were offering her a normal life, a caring environment, and she desperately wanted to accept it, but a part of her was still scared that she would mess up or that she would start caring about them and they would change their minds and throw her out. She sighed, wishing she could make up her mind.

"Hey," Dawn said with a wide smile as she entered Faith's room the next day afternoon. She approached Faith's bed. "I got Monopoly and cards. Wanna play?"

Faith thought for a moment and then shrugged.

"Sure."

"Okay."

Dawn went to Joyce and started unpacking while Buffy approached the bed.

"Do you feel better?" Buffy asked.

Faith nodded.

"Yeah."

Buffy smiled a bit.

"Good."

Then Dawn returned with Monopoly.

"I'll be the bank," she announced as she put the box on the bed. "Help me up, Buffy."

"On the bed?"

Dawn rolled her eyes.

"Duh."

"Be careful."

As Buffy helped Dawn sit on the bed, Faith pulled her legs up and got ready to play.

By the end of the week, Faith more or less recovered. The nightmares she'd had since the rape had lost their intensity, but they still shook her up badly. She was glad that the Summers women visited her every afternoon, it helped her deal with her memories. At the same time, however, she also knew that her time to make a decision was running out. As the Summers women came to visit her, it was like she was a part of their family. They were all nice to her and she knew that they cared. And Buffy, she didn't push her and didn't say that she loved her again, but every touch and every look told Faith that she did. So when the time of her release came, Faith decided to see if perhaps everything might turn out alright. And if not, she could always leave.

"Hi, Faith," Dawn said excitedly as she entered the room, followed by Buffy and Joyce.

Faith smiled at her.

"Hey."

"Ready to go home?"

Faith tensed for a moment and then nodded.

"Yeah."

"You're coming with us?" Buffy asked, excited.

"Yeah."

Buffy smiled.

"Great."

"I'll go see about the paperwork," Joyce said with a smile and left.

Buffy hesitated for a moment.

"How do you feel?"

Faith tensed for a moment and then shrugged.

"Better."

Buffy smiled softly.

"Good." She hesitated again. "If you want to talk about it…"

Faith sighed and nodded.

"Thanks," she said and looked away, not wanting to think about the rape.

Buffy took her hand and gently squeezed it before letting go of it again.

"Can you get dressed yet?" Dawn asked.

Faith looked at her and shrugged.

"I don't know."

"I guess we'll have to wait for the doctor," Buffy said.

"Yeah."

Joyce returned a few minutes later with a doctor.

"Well, Faith, you can go," the doctor said. "But I want you to come back if the bleeding returns."

Faith nodded.

"Yeah."

"What bleeding?" Buffy asked, worried.

Faith shook her head.

"Nothing."

Buffy thought for a moment and then decided not to push.

"Can she get dressed now?" Dawn asked.

"Yes," the doctor said.

"We'll wait outside," Joyce said.

"Okay," Faith said.

The Summers woman and the doctor left and Faith slowly got up. She took off the hospital gown and looked at her body. There were a couple of scars around her breasts and on her thighs and she shuddered at the sight. She realized that she would eventually have to tell Buffy about the scars, especially if they got together. She took a deep breath, dreading the moment.

She walked to the chair where Joyce had put a fresh set of clothes, and quickly dressed. Then she went out.

As they drove back to the cabin, Dawn bubbled on excitedly and Buffy took Faith's hand and quietly held it, glad that Faith didn't pull away.

Faith, sitting in the back with Buffy, listened to Dawn's excited bubbling and wondered how it would turn out. So far everything was okay, but she was still a bit nervous. She wondered if she would ever open up to them. She hoped she would. She looked at Buffy, who smiled at her softly, and wondered how she could love her. It was incomprehensible to her, but she accepted it as a fact.

Buffy felt that Faith was thinking deep thoughts and she gently squeezed her hand in encouragement.

Faith sighed and looked out the window again. A part of her wanted to hug Buffy, but a part of her was afraid of getting emotionally hurt.

After fighting herself for a few moments, Faith decided to take the risk. She looked at Buffy and, after a few moments of hesitation, slowly leaned her head on Buffy's shoulder.

Buffy looked at her, surprised, and then smiled and raised her arm and put it around Faith's shoulder gently. When Faith relaxed a bit, Buffy gave her a gentle kiss on the top of the head and then pressed her slightly more tightly to herself.

When she felt Buffy's kiss and gentle embrace, Faith realized that she felt safe and loved. She couldn't recall when was the last time she had felt like that. A few tears slid down her cheeks, but they were tears of happiness, because she finally had hope again and she felt that Buffy would love her no matter what and that everything would be okay.

The End