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 read no further. This story is a sequel to Welcome to New Sunnydale High.

Secrets of the Heart
By Kristjan Brezovnik

"Raelee," Faith came to her friend, a bit nervous.

"Oh, hi, Faith."

"Hi. Em, do you have any experiences with anniversaries?"

"Of what kind?"

"Dating."

"Dating? You're dating someone?" Raelee asked, excited.

"Yeah."

"Really? I didn't see you go out with anyone. Who's the lucky guy?"

"There is none," Faith said with a smile, "there's a lucky girl."

"A girl?" Raelee asked, surprised, and Faith noticed that she blushed a bit.

"Yeah."

"You're… Em, you're a…"

"Lesbian?" Faith saved her. "No, not really. I like boys." She thought for a moment. "I guess I'm bi."

"Oh." Raelee thought a bit. "So you two… em…"

"Sleep together?" Faith saved her again.

"Yeah," Raelee said, blushing again.

"Yes. And yes, we do have sex," Faith said with a smile and Raelee's blush became more intensive.

"Em, who is she?" Raelee asked a few moments later.

"Her name is Cordelia. I have a photo."

Faith took a photo of Cordelia from her bag and gave it to Raelee.

"Cordelia Chase?" Raelee recognized her, surprised.

"You know her?"

"No, not really. My sister used to hang out with her."

"Oh."

Faith took the photo back, looked at it lovingly and put it back in her bag.

"So, where is she?" Raelee asked. "I haven't seen her around lately."

"LA. She promised to come home for our three month anniversary and I want it to be something special."

"Oh."

"So, any suggestions?"

"No, afraid not."

"Aren't you and Lara together?"

"What?" Raelee asked, surprised, and blushed furiously. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I noticed the looks and you blush often."

Raelee's blush became even deeper.

"I… I…"

"You're not a couple?" Faith asked and Raelee shook her head. "Oh." She thought for a moment. "But you are in love with her, right?"

Raelee's blush reached dangerously unhealthy tones and she avoided Faith's eyes, nervous.

"Yes," she finally admitted in a quiet voice.

"Why don't you ask her out?"

"Lara?"

"Yeah. As far as I can tell, she's in love with you."

"Lara?" Raelee asked, surprised.

"Yes," Faith said, grinning.

Raelee thought about it.

"Well, we've been best friends since kindergarten. She's always been very shy and I've been like a big sister to her. And besides, even if she would go out with me, she would probably say no because of her parents."

"Why?"

"Because they're very strict, religious types. They scare the hell out of me."

"I see," Faith said. Then she smiled. "You never know." She shrugged. "I guess I'll have to ask Buffy."

"Buffy?" Raelee recognized the name. "The Buffy? The one that was always around when bad things happened?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

"You know her?"

"Yes, we're friends."

"Wow."

Faith grinned.

"By the way, where's Lara?" she then asked.

"She's sick. She said it was a virus or something."

"Oh. Well, tell her I wish her a quick recovery."

"I will, thanks," Raelee said with a smile.

After spending an hour or so on the phone with Buffy the next day, Faith went on patrol, thinking about her conversation with her fellow Slayer, making plans for the anniversary, when she heard someone yell and someone else scream. She looked and saw that the someone else was Lara and the someone her father. She bit her teeth, angry, and walked to them, fast. Mr Archer was giving the terrified Lara a sermon and when he was done, he wanted to slap her again, but Faith caught his arm and stopped him. The man and his wife looked at her, surprised, and Faith considered hitting him for a moment but decided against it.

"Don't ever do that again," she said, giving him her most murderous look.

"Who the hell are you?" Mr Archer demanded as he tried to break his arm free.

"I'm Faith and I'm also Lara's friend and I take care of my friends, so if I ever so much as suspect that you beat her again, I'll come around and show you what it's like to be on the receiving end of the punches."

She released him and the man took a step back.

"Are you threatening me?" he asked, half angry, half afraid.

Faith cocked her head.

"No, I'm just stating the facts," she said and stepped closer. "I suggest you remember that," she told him and then looked at his wife. "And you," she said, giving her a head-to-toe, "you're as pathetic as your husband." She turned and took Lara's hand. "Come, I'm buying you an ice cream."

"But…" Lara started to object, scared of what her parents would do to her.

"No buts," Faith said firmly. "If they so much as touch you, I'll touch them." She gave Lara's parents a meaningful look. "And it won't be pleasant."

She turned away and dragged the terrified Lara after her.

The Archers stared after them, surprised, and then looked at each other, speechless.

"Faith," Lara said after she pulled herself together a bit.

Faith slowed down and looked at her.

"Sorry, but they just pissed me off." She took a deep breath to vent off her anger. "My mom used to beat me like that," then said. "My biological mom," she explained when Lara looked at her, confused. "I now live with my girlfriend's mom and she's like a mom to me."

Lara blushed a bit at Faith's mentioning of her girlfriend.

"You… You have a girlfriend?" she then asked shyly and blushed a bit deeper.

Faith glanced at her and smiled.

"Yes. I'll tell you all about her, but first we find a place and order some ice cream."

Lara smiled in her shy way.

Ice cream being ordered and delivered, Lara anxiously awaited what Faith had to say and Faith hesitated for a while, not quite sure how to say it.

"Did they ever tell you why they beat you?" she finally asked.

Lara looked down, feeling shame, and Faith immediately guessed what was the reason.

"It's your powers, right?"

Lara nodded, avoiding Faith's eyes.

"What, do they think you're some kind of monster?"

Lara nodded again and Faith could see that she was really feeling ashamed.

"They say I am evil," Lara quietly said.

"What?!" Faith said, outraged, but quickly lowered her voice when she noticed that people were looking. She thought for a moment. "So instead of teaching you how to use them right, they beat you up so you don't use them at all?"

Lara nodded, still avoiding Faith's eyes. Faith reached over the table and lifted Lara's chin.

"Look at me," she said and Lara slowly met her eyes. "You are not evil, no matter what your parents say. Considering how they raised you, it's a miracle you turned out so well. And your powers, they make you special and you can use them to help people. If God, or whoever's in charge up there, had a problem with your powers, he or she wouldn't have given them to you in the first place. So you can tell your parents to stop raving and accept them." She paused for a moment to calm down. "And I meant what I said before, if they so much as touch you the wrong way, I'm gonna touch them the same way."

Lara didn't respond, grateful for Faith's support but still afraid of her parents. She slowly ate her ice cream, she hadn't had one since the last time she went to Raelee. The thought of Raelee made her feel better. She loved her, but she didn't think Raelee would love her back, even though she was her best friend. She also thought that if she admitted to Raelee that she loved her, Raelee wouldn't like her anymore. Nor would she like her if she ever found out about her powers. But then again, Faith still liked her, perhaps Raelee would as well, but she didn't want to test that theory.

"You know," Faith said after a pause, "my mom used to beat me up, said I was a bad girl. For a while I believed her, but I soon had enough of the beating and I ran away." She paused for a moment. "I know how you feel. I didn't have anyone to help me, but if you need my help, let me know and I'll help you."

Lara stared at Faith for a while and then quietly nodded.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Faith smiled and concentrated on her ice cream, thinking.

"So, how are things between you and Raelee?" she finally asked and Lara nearly choked on her ice cream, blushing furiously.

"What… What do you mean?" she asked nervously.

"Are you going out or what?"

Lara stared at Faith for a few moments, shocked.

"You… You mean if we're dating?"

Faith nodded.

"Yep. Aren't you?"

Lara looked at her ice cream, blushing even deeper. She didn't know how Faith had guessed and it scared her.

"No," she said quietly.

"Oh," Faith said and took another spoonful of ice cream. "So you're not a couple?"

Lara shook her head.

"No."

"But you do love her, right?" Faith insisted and Lara started to tremble a bit. "Hey, it's okay, I don't mind and I won't tell anyone," she assured her and Lara looked up, still scared. "And besides, she loves you too."

Lara stared at Faith, shocked.

"How… How do you know?" she asked.

"She told me yesterday."

"She did?"

Faith nodded, smiling.

"Yes." She paused. "I guess you two have been friends for so long that you didn't even notice when you fell in love."

Lara blushed, but she calmed down a bit, thinking about her options now that she knew that Raelee loved her as well.

"She knows you love her," Faith continued and Lara gave her a surprised look.

"How?" she asked.

"I told her," Faith said with a smile. "After she told me she loved you." She paused to take another spoonful of ice cream. "I guess now you have to tell that to each other."

Lara blushed and thought about the idea. Then she smiled.

"I will talk to her," she said and Faith smiled back.

"That's the spirit."

Two days later, during the major break, Raelee came to Lara, who was sitting on the bench, ready to eat.

"Hi," she said nervously and sat beside Lara.

"Hi," Lara responded, equally nervous.

Raelee hesitated for a few moments, hoping she wasn't about to ruin her friendship with Lara.

"You know, we've always been friends, more than friends even." She paused for a moment, not quite certain how to continue and afraid to as well. "I've always felt very close to you, but it wasn't until Faith pointed it out to me that I realized that… I love you."

She blushed and looked down. Lara stared at her, surprised. She had been thinking about talking to Raelee about her feelings ever since Faith had talked to her about it, but she just couldn't gather the courage. Raelee had been her only friend, her only emotional support for most of her life, she was the only one that cared about her. She had never understood why someone would care about her, especially someone so wonderful like Raelee. But ever since Faith had stood up for her and later talked to her, she was slowly starting to value herself more, even though her parents still thought she was evil.

"I love you too," she said quietly and looked down as well.

Raelee's head shot up.

"What?" she asked, surprised, and Lara blushed. "Did… Did you just say you… love me?" she asked, wanting to be sure.

Lara nodded.

"Yes," she confirmed quietly.

Raelee stared at her best friend, surprised but happy. She reached for her chin and lifted it. Lara avoided her eyes for a few moments, but then they finally met. Raelee smiled at her and Lara smiled back, happy. Raelee hesitated for a few moments.

"Would you go out with me?" she then asked, hoping she wasn't going too fast for Lara.

Lara's eyes brightened with delight, then became serious. She had never been on a date before, but then again, neither had Raelee, at least not with a girl. She did remember that Raelee had once gone out with a boy. She remembered how hurt she had felt, but also happy for Raelee. The date had been a success, but the affair didn't last long and Lara remembered that Raelee didn't cry over it. She hoped this date would also be a success and that it wouldn't be the last. Then again, there was still a matter of her parents, who she doubted would let her out.

"I would," she said, "but I don't know if my parents will let me."

"Do you want me to come pick you up?" Raelee offered.

Lara shook her head.

"No."

"Will you come pick me up? If they let you go."

Lara nodded.

"Yes."

"Okay. Eight o'clock?"

Lara nodded again.

"Yes."

Raelee smiled, happy.

"Great."

Lara smiled, happy as well.

In the evening, Lara approached her parents. She didn't think they would let her go out, but she was determined to try.

"Mom, Dad?" she said, hoping she sounded determined, and her parents looked at her. "Can I go out tonight? With a friend?"

Her parents stared at her, surprised. Lara had never gone out before or had she requested to go, not that they'd let her, they only allowed her to visit Raelee a few times and vice versa. They figured it probably had to do with that new friend of hers, Faith. They had both witnessed the girl's protectiveness of Lara and Mr Archer had felt it as well. They glanced at each other.

"Very well," Mr Archer said and Lara looked at him, surprised. "But I want you to be home by ten."

Lara quickly nodded, happy and scared at the same time.

"Yes, Dad." She hesitated, afraid to push her luck. "Can I have some money?" she asked. "Please?"

Her parents looked at each other and then her father reached into his wallet and produced ten bucks.

"Here," he said.

Lara took the money and put it away without counting it.

"Thank you," she said and quickly went to her room to get dressed.

"Wow," Raelee said when she opened the door and saw Lara dressed more daringly that she usually was.

Lara blushed.

"You like it?" she asked and Raelee nodded.

"You bet. Just a moment." She turned around. "Mom, I'm going out now!" she called.

"Okay!" came the reply. "Have a good time!"

"Thanks!" she turned back to Lara. "Let's go." She closed the door. "So, where do you want to go?"

Lara shrugged.

"I don't know. I've never been to anywhere but your place."

Raelee thought for a moment.

"Do you want to go to the Bronze?" she then asked.

Lara thought about it, uncertain. She had heard of the place and had often wondered what it was like, but how that she had a chance to actually go there, she was a bit afraid, especially since she was on a date, and the first one at that, and she didn't want the world, and especially not her parents, to know that she and Raelee were a couple. Then again, it was unlikely that her parents would find out from anyone who frequented the Bronze. She smiled, feeling good.

"Okay," she agreed.

"Come."

Raelee hesitated for a moment and then took Lara's hand. Lara looked at her, surprised, but when Raelee smiled at her, she smiled back and they continued to the Bronze.

"Em, I have to be home by ten," Lara said.

"Sure, no problem," Raelee agreed.

"Hey, girls," Faith greeted them from behind and they turned. "Nice seeing you here." She noticed them holding hands and she smiled mischievously. "Ah, you're on a date," she said. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me," she added when a look of panic crossed Lara's face.

"Thanks," Raelee said, feeling Lara's fear through her hand.

"Why don't you two have my table?"

"Oh, no," Raelee started to object, "we…"

"I insist," Faith interrupted her. "This is your first date and I want you to make the most of it. Why don't you sit down and I'll bring you something to drink? On me."

"No, Faith, you really…"

"I insist," Faith interrupted her again. "What'll you have?"

Raelee looked at Lara and then back at Faith.

"Diet coke."

"You?" Faith asked Lara.

Lara thought for a moment.

"Orange juice?"

"Got it. Sit down and I'll bring you your drinks. Be right back."

Faith left and her two friends sat down. Raelee smiled as she observed Lara, who was curiously, even excitedly, looking around, taking in the new and unfamiliar surroundings.

"You like it?" she asked her and Lara looked at her.

"It's… interesting," she said.

"Hello, girls," someone said and they both turned, surprised. It was a boy about their age, probably older. "You look like you need company," he continued. "It just so happens that I and a couple of friends of mine are looking for some female company."

"Then keep looking," Faith told him from behind.

The boy turned, surprised, and his sleazy smile vanished when he saw Faith. He didn't know her personally, but he had heard enough about her to know that that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He quickly left.

"Thanks," Raelee said, relieved.

Faith smiled.

"No problem," she said and gave them their drinks. "Here. I'm going out now, but I'll tell the bartender to make sure guys like him leave you alone," she promised, nodding after the buy she had just scared away.

"Thanks."

Faith smiled.

"Enjoy. And be careful when you go home."

Raelee nodded.

"We will. Thanks."

"See you tomorrow then."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye," Lara added.

Faith left and they could see her talking to the bartender before leaving the Bronze. They sat quietly for a while.

"You want to dance?" Raelee finally asked and Lara looked at her, surprised.

She shook her head.

"No, I… I can't."

"You can't dance?" Raelee asked, surprised.

Lara shook her head again.

"No."

"I can teach you," Raelee offered.

Lara considered the idea.

"No. Not now."

"Sometime later?"

Lara nodded.

"I'd like that."

Raelee smiled.

"Okay."

After sitting at the table for about an hour, they left and went to the park. They walked for a while, hand in hand, simply enjoying each other's company.

"Do you want to sit down?" Raelee asked after a while, spotting a bench and Lara nodded.

They sat down and Raelee slowly put her arm around Lara's shoulder. Lara looked at her, but after seeing Raelee smile, she smiled back, pressed herself closer to her and leaned her head on Raelee's shoulder. Raelee hesitated for a moment and then kissed her on the forehead. Lara looked at her, startled, but when she saw a smile on Raelee's face, she smiled back.

They were quiet for a while, simply enjoying being close to one another. Finally, Raelee spoke.

"You know, we've been friends since kindergarten and I liked you the moment I saw you. I mean, I was shy, but you were even shyer and you… you were like a sister to me. I got over that sister thing when we went to school, but you were still my best friend." She paused for a moment to think. "I don't even remember when I fell in love with you. I mean, it's not like I generally prefer girls, but with you around, I never really thought about being with anyone else. Well, I did go out with Timmy once, but, well, it didn't work out." She smiled. "If it weren't for Faith, it would probably take me a lot longer to realize that I love you."

She gave Lara a quick kiss on the temple and Lara smiled.

"I… I was always afraid to be with other people," she said, "but you… you were always nice to me and you didn't push me around. You were the only one who stood up to me. I felt like you were my protector, but I never understood why. I mean, you… you're such a wonderful person and I couldn't understand why you would care what happens to someone like me."

"Someone like you?" Raelee asked, confused.

Lara nodded.

"I… I… didn't think highly of myself. But now I do."

Raelee smiled and caressed her.

"You better," she said.

"So, anyway, I… I was always… happy when I was around you, but I never thought that I would… fall in love… with you." She thought for a moment and then looked at Raelee. "Does that make us… lesbians?"

Raelee thought about it, surprised.

"I don't know. I mean, I've talked to Faith about it and she doesn't think of herself as a lesbian. She likes boys, but she's in love with Cordelia."

"She has a girlfriend?" Lara asked, surprised.

Raelee nodded, smiling.

"Yes."

"Oh yes, she mentioned that, but we... got... sidetracked."

"Guess who. Cordelia Chase herself."

"Who?"

"Cordelia Chase. My sister used to hang out with her. She used to be pretty important around the old Sunnydale High."

"Oh."

"Well, it doesn't matter."

Lara smiled.

"I… I love you," she said and blushed.

Raelee smiled, surprised.

"I love you too."

They stared at each other for a few moments, their faces so close they could feel each other's breath. They lingered like that for a few moments and then Raelee slowly started to close in. Lara realized what Raelee wanted and for a moment she wanted to pull back, but she quickly changed her mind, wanting the same thing as Raelee.

When their lips were only millimeters apart, Raelee hesitated for a moment, but when she saw the look in Lara's eyes, she continued and their lips met. The first kiss was brief, only lips touching, but when Raelee saw that Lara liked it and quite clearly wanted more, she pressed her lips against Lara's again, this time more firmly. She smiled when she felt Lara tremble from excitement.

"My, my, what have we here?" a voice disturbed them.

The girls turned, surprised, and saw two men grinning at them. They looked hungry. Raelee got up to protect Lara.

"Go away," she said.

"Uh, a feisty little one," one of them men said and grabbed her arm.

"Au!" Raelee moaned and tried to break free of the steel grip, but she couldn't.

"Please don't hurt her," Lara said, afraid for Raelee.

The men grinned at her.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head," the other man said and their faces morphed into their game faces. "This won't hurt a bit."

"No!" Lara screamed when the vamp tried to sink his fangs into Raelee's neck.

She physically attacked the vamp, but his friend grabbed her and restrained her with his hands.

"Looks like they're both feisty," he commented.

His friend grinned and returned his attention to Raelee.

Lara stared at them, scared, and then finally decided to use her powers to save Raelee, even if that would mean that Raelee would hate her then. The vamp who was trying to feed off Raelee was suddenly thrown backwards.

"What the…" his friend started, but was interrupted by some force, which threw him backwards.

The vamps quickly got up, considering whether they should try to capture the two girls again. But another shove from Lara convinced them that they shouldn't and they left. Lara looked at Raelee and, seeing a shocked expression on her face, fled.

Raelee stared after her, completely astonished. She had no idea that Lara could do that and she was sure that it was Lara who did it. She had seen the expression of pain on Lara's face before she ran away and she ran after her, wanting to comfort her and get some answers.

"Lara, wait!" she called as she ran after her. "Lara! Lara, please wait!" she quickly caught up with Lara and stopped her. "Lara, stop," she ordered and took a couple of deep breaths to calm down. She stepped in front of Lara and saw that she was crying. Lara refused to meet her eyes. "Lara, look at me," she said, but Lara didn't and Raelee could feel her trembling. "Lara, look at me," she demanded. "Please." She gently lifted Lara's chin and Lara reluctantly met her eyes. "Why did you run away?" she asked softly. "Please, I want to know," she added when Lara didn't respond.

"I… I didn't want to see the look of… disgust in your eyes. I… I couldn't stand it," Lara explained quietly and looked down.

"Disgust?" Raelee asked, confused. "I could never look at you with disgust."

Lara looked at her.

"You… You don't think I'm… evil?"

Raelee gave her another confused look.

"Evil? You? Lara, you're an angel," she said. She frowned. "Whoever told you you were evil?" she asked. "Your parents," she guessed, seeing the look in Lara's eyes.

Lara nodded.

"Yes," she quietly confirmed.

"Well, they're wrong and it's just too bad for them if they don't see what kind of treasure you are." She thought for a moment. "Those powers, how long have you had them?" she asked.

Lara looked down and hesitated for a moment.

"Since I was born."

"Wow. I've never seen you use them."

Lara shook her head.

"I don't want people to know."

"Oh. Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." She glanced at her watch. "We still have time," she said. "Wanna go back to the bench?"

Lara looked at her with mix of surprise and hope.

"You… You don't hate me?"

Raelee gave her a confused look.

"Hate you? What for? You just saved my life." She smiled. "Thank you."

Lara blushed, feeling strange that someone was thanking her, especially since she had used her powers.

"You're welcome," she said.

Raelee smiled and wiped her girlfriend's tears.

"Come, our date's not over yet," she said and took Lara's hand. "And besides, I want to practice kissing," she added with a smile. "If that's okay with you."

Lara stared at her for a moment, surprised, and then nodded and slowly smiled.

"Good, come," Raelee said and led her back to the bench.

When Faith approached them the next day during a break, she noticed that they were sitting very close and that they both looked happy.

"Hey, you two," she said with a big smile and the two girl looked at her. "Looks like the date was a success."

"Yes," Raelee said with a smile.

"Tell me, I want to hear all about it."

Raelee glanced at Lara and gently squeezed her hand.

"Well, no one bothered us after you left. We sat and listened to the music. I wanted to dance, but Lara doesn't know how."

"Ah, yes," Faith remembered dreamily, "I remembered when Cordelia first asked me to dance with her. I mean, I've danced before, but never like that. I was nervous at first, but then Cordelia hugged me and I forgot about the rest of the world." She looked back at Raelee. "So what did you do next?"

"We went out for a walk. We were just sitting and talking when a couple of vampires came."

"What? What happened?" Faith asked, worried.

Raelee glanced at Lara, hesitating.

"You… know about Lara's powers?"

Faith glanced at Lara.

"Yeah."

"Well, she used them to knock the vampires off their feet."

Faith lanced at Lara again.

"Really?"

"Yes. I was completely surprised."

Faith smiled.

"I can imagine. Pretty cool, ha?"

"Yes."

"So you two are now a couple?" Faith asked after a moment and looked at both girls.

Lara and Raelee looked at each other.

"Yes," Raelee then said.

"Great. We can do a double date sometime," Faith said, smiling mischievously.

"Yeah," Raelee agreed with a smile.

"Anyway, I'll see you later."

"Okay."

When school was over for the day, Faith was about to go home when she suddenly spotted a familiar car. She approached it, curious.

"Surprise!"

Faith turned and a smile consumed her face when she saw the owner of the car.

"Cordelia!" she said and hugged her, nearly toppling her. "What are you doing here?" she asked after they shared a deep, passionate kiss.

"I can go back," Cordelia said, pretending to be insulted.

Faith smiled and gave her a quick kiss on he lips.

"No way," she said. "But still, I thought you weren't coming home till Friday."

"Well, yes, but I thought I'd surprise you."

Faith smiled.

"It worked and it definitely beats my surprise."

"What surprise?" Cordelia asked, curious, but Faith gave her a mischievous grin.

"You'll find out soon enough. Promise you won't try to find out what it is."

Cordelia hesitated for a few moments.

"Okay, I promise," she then reluctantly agreed and Faith smiled.

"Good. Let's go home now."

During the week, Faith cut her patrols short so she could spend more time with Cordelia, but when Giles expressed his disapproval, she promised that she would make a longer patrol on Friday.

As she slowly strolled down the street, she noticed a commotion in the distance. She started to run and soon saw that it was Lara and her parents who were being attacked by a group of vampires. She wondered what they were doing out this late and decided to ask her later. First, however, she had a group of vampires to dispose of.

Mr Archer valiantly tried to protect his family, but the vampires were stronger and they toyed with him.

"How about you find someone your own size to play with," Faith said and staked a vampire.

The rest turned, surprised.

"Get her," their leader ordered.

Faith grinned and moved into action. She kicked a vamp, staked another one and proceeded to roundhouse the third. The rest realized that she was no beginner and became more cautious. Faith didn't wait for them to make up their minds about how to attack her, she jumped, kicking a vampire in the face, and then proceeded to systematically pummel them before she staked them. She just hoped that they would all concentrate on her and leave Lara and her family alone.

Unfortunately, they didn't. But just as they started to drag their food away, a new player entered the field, Buffy.

"Need help?" she asked and staked a vamp.

Faith grinned.

"Sure."

The two Slayers kicked the crap out of the vamps and their leader decided it would be best to quickly feed and then get lost. Faith noticed as he was about to sink his fangs into Mr Archer while another vampire held Mrs Archer. Lara, who was kneeling beside the car, terrified, also noticed that.

"Dad!" she screamed.

"Use your powers!" Faith called and Lara looked at her, startled. "Use them!"

Lara looked at her father and then concentrated. The vampire groaned as he was flung backwards. His companion, the one who was holding Mrs Archer, followed him a couple of moments later.

"What the…" Buffy said and looked at Faith. "How…"

"Later," Faith said and looked at Lara. "Good work," she complimented and staked another vamp.

Lara looked at her parents, terrified of what they would do to her now that she had used her powers, but they were still in shock over what was going on. Behind them, the two vamps got up and looked at each other, confused. The leader then assessed the situation and saw that his troops were almost gone.

"Let's get out of here!" he called and the vamps retreated.

Faith and Buffy waited until they were gone and then looked at the Archers.

"Everything okay?" Buffy asked the parents and Mrs Archer nodded, still stunned.

"You okay, Lara?" Faith asked her friend, who nodded, trembling. She looked at Buffy. "She has these powers, like a witch, you know," she explained.

"Cool," Buffy said. "I wish I had them, it would make my life much easier."

"Tell me about it," Fait agreed.

"What were those… things?" Mr Archer finally asked and the two Slayers looked at him.

"Vampires," Faith explained.

"What? But…"

"You thought they were only a myth," Faith guessed.

"Yes."

"I wish. I'm afraid they are quite real and so are a couple of thousand other varieties of demons. But they are the least of our problems."

"What do you mean?"

"They may be numerous, but they are easy to kill, unlike some other demons we've fought."

"You fight demons?" Mrs Archer asked.

Faith looked at Buffy.

"Shall I tell them?" she asked her.

Buffy looked at the Archers.

"If you think it matters."

Faith looked at Lara.

"It does." She looked at Mr Archer. "Like Lara, Buffy and I also have some special powers, which is why we are Slayers. With a capital S. We fight vampires and other demons, keep the world safe. From the way you two treat Lara, I gather you think she is evil. Well, she's not. If… Buffy had known her last year, the Mayor would have been much more easier to kill."

"The Mayor?" Mrs Archer asked, curious.

"Yes. I believe you have heard that there was some sort of catastrophe at the Graduation Day." Mrs Archer nodded. "Well, it so happens that the Mayor has established Sunnydale just so he could eat all of its inhabitants when he would turn into a demon. Fortunately, Buffy and her friends were there to stop him."

"The Mayor was a demon?" Mr Archer asked.

"Yup."

Mr and Mrs archer looked at each other, surprised.

"How…"

"How was he killed?" Faith guessed. "Buffy blew up the school and buried him," she explained. "And as far as your daughter's powers are concerned, sure, they can be used for evil purposes, but since your upbringing failed to corrupt her yet, she can still use them for good." She looked at Lara. "By the way, what are you doing out this late? And it's not the first time I've seen you."

Lara glanced at her parents.

"We… We've been visiting Grandfather. He's in a home."

"Oh." She looked back at Lara's parents. "Next time come back before sunset." She looked at Buffy. "Please don't tell anyone about Lara's powers, okay?"

Buffy raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"Sure."

"Thanks." She looked at Lara's parents. "I suggest you get into the house now, before the vamps decide they want to try again."

Mr Archer nodded and he moved to Lara, who stared at him, terrified. Faith waited, in case she needed to intervene, but Mr Archer quietly offered Lara his hand. Lara looked at him, surprised, accepted it and got up. Mr Archer put his arm around her shoulder, the other around his wife's waist and they went into the house.

"Am I missing something?" Buffy asked when they were gone.

Faith looked at her.

"They think she's evil because of her powers and they beat her. At least they did until I threatened to beat them up." She looked at the house. "I hope things will turn out better for Lara from now on."

"Yeah," Buffy agreed.

"And what are you doing here? I thought you had plenty to do at the campus."

"Yeah. I was following a demon and I just killed it when I saw the fight."

"Oh."

"So, how are the preparations for the anniversary coming along?" Buffy asked.

Faith smiled.

"All set. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to get used to that dress of yours since Cordelia came home early."

"Don't worry, you'll look great."

"It's not like I'm worried, you know."

Buffy smiled.

"Mhm."

"Really, I'm not."

"I didn't say anything."

Faith raised an eyebrow.

"Let's go find some more vamps to kill."

As the door closed behind them, Lara cringed as she expected her father to hit her in spite of the fact that Faith had threatened him. But Mr Archer didn't do anything, he just held her for a few moments longer and then let her go. Lara hesitated for a moment, surprised, and then went to her room. Her parents stared after her thoughtfully and then went to the kitchen, where Mrs Archer put on some coffee.

They were both quiet, thinking about what had happened, about what Faith had said and compared it to what they believed in. They had both been very religious people and they thought about Lara's powers as a curse. They had done everything in their power to prevent Lara from using them, they even beat her up for every small transgression, but after they had been attacked by vampires, real vampires, and were saved by Lara, and her friends, of course, they started to doubt whether what they did was right.

They believed in Heaven and Hell, but they never believed in demons wandering around the planet. And if Faith was telling the truth, which they were inclined to believe, the vampires they had encountered were the least of evil they had to fear. Which of course meant that if Lara's powers had been a curse, Lara would have used them for evil purposes and they started to doubt whether they could stop her if she ever decided that she had enough of beating.

On the other hand, Lara had used her powers to save them and if she could save them, she could also save others, use her powers for good. And that meant that they were wrong, very wrong, and that it was they who were evil, not their daughter. It was a disturbing revelation.

Lara was sitting on her bed, still scared about what her parents would do to her. When there was a knock on the door, she jerked and tried to disappear into the wall. There was another knock.

"Come," she said, but her voice was weak and trembling. "Come!" she called.

The door opened and her parents entered. They noticed that Lara was trembling, scared, and they glanced at each other, feeling guilty. They slowly approached the bed and sat. Then her father took her hand and gently squeezed it.

"We… came to apologize," he then said after a few moments of hesitation and Lara looked at him, astonished. "We… realized that we've been too… blinded by our beliefs that we didn't use common sense. It wasn't until today that we realized just how wrong we were. We made you suffer for something that wasn't your fault and we're sorry." He paused and glanced at his wife. "I know we can't possibly make up for what we've done to you, but from now on, we will treat you the way you deserve."

"And even though we beat you," Mrs Archer continued, "we still love you, but because of our beliefs, we thought you would become some kind of monster and it scared us. Today, however, we saw that you were no monster, but that you could fight them. I'm not saying that you should, that is your choice, but we did realize that your powers, whether they came from God or Devil, don't make you evil, the way you use them does. You can use your powers if you want, we won't forbid you anymore, but be careful, some people would react like we did." She paused for a moment. "I hope that the way we raised you didn't corrupt you and that you would use your powers for good. And I hope that you can forgive us for our blindness."

Lara stared at her parents, astonished, almost shocked. They had never had a nice word for her and they beat her for ever transgression, no matter how small, no matter if she was guilty or not. And now they were apologizing. Lara wasn't quite sure how to react. A part of her wanted to be angry, now that she knew that she won't get beaten for it, but another part was just too happy. It was like a dream come true, her parents have finally realized she wasn't evil. She burst into tears, but they were tears of happiness. Her parents were confused, but confusion ended when Lara hugged her father. Mr Archer was surprised for a moment, but then he hugged her back. He looked at his wife, smiling. Mrs Archer smiled back and joined the hug.

Finally the day came and Faith dressed up in Buffy's dress. She felt a bit awkward, not being used to wearing dresses of this or any other kind. Still, it would make an impression on Cordelia and Faith knew that her girlfriend would appreciate the sacrifice. She looked at herself in the mirror and raised an eyebrow, just like she had at Buffy's when she had first put on the dress. She had to admit that it looked good on her. Still, she preferred pants.

She took a deep breath and put on the shoes. They were also not of the variety she usually wore, but she felt more comfortable with them than she did with the dress, no matter how good it looked on her. She got up, looked at herself in the mirror again and took another deep breath. She looked good and if Cordelia liked it as well, then she would endure feeling uncomfortable for one evening.

She left her room, went to Cordelia's and knocked.

"Come!" Cordelia called and Faith entered.

"I'm…" she started, but stopped when she saw Cordelia.

Cordelia glanced at her and did a double take. Faith blushed a bit as Cordelia stared at her, surprised.

"Wow," Cordelia finally said. "You look… gorgeous."

Faith blushed a bit more.

"Thanks," she said, glad that Cordelia liked it. "So do you."

Cordelia smiled.

"Where did you get the dress? And the shoes?"

"From Buffy."

"Oh. Well, they certainly suit you."

"Thanks. I feel a bit weird."

Cordelia smiled and caressed her.

"Just relax. With me around, you'll forget what you're wearing."

Faith smiled.

"You got that right."

Cordelia kissed her on the lips and quickly pulled away, smirking at her mischievously.

"You bet I do. Just give me a minute."

"Okay. I'll wait for you downstairs."

"Okay."

Faith left Cordelia's room and went downstairs.

"So, are…" Mrs Chase started but stopped when she saw Faith. "My, you look great, Faith."

Faith smiled.

"Thanks."

Mrs Chase studied the dress.

"I don't recall you owning a dress like that. Or Cordelia."

"It's Buffy's. I borrowed it."

"Ah." She thought for a moment. "Wait right here, I'll get my camera."

"What? No…" Faith started to object, but Mrs Chase was already on her way upstairs to get the camera. "Oh, boy."

She sat on the sofa and waited.

"Hey, why do you look so depressed?" Cordelia asked her when she came down the stairs.

Faith looked at her and smiled.

"Your mom wants to take pictures of me in this dress," she explained.

Cordelia's eyes brightened up.

"That's a good idea. Now I'll be able to brag what a gorgeous babe my girl is."

Faith glared at her for a moment and then smirked.

"And I'm not a gorgeous babe when I'm not in this dress?"

"Of course you are," Cordelia cooed her. "It's just that you hide your beauty well."

Faith smiled.

"Well, sure, wouldn't want you to get jealous over other girls, or boys."

"Me, jealous? Not gonna happen."

Faith winked at her.

"I know."

"Okay, Faith, step over there," Mrs Chase said as she descended down the stairs, readying her camera.

Faith groaned and got up.

"Be brave, it won't hurt a bit," Cordelia encouraged her and the grinned when Faith glared at her.

"Here?" she asked Mrs Chase.

"Yes. Okay. Smile and say cheese."

Faith rolled her eyes.

"Cheese," she said, hoping she didn't spoil the picture.

"Now both of you together."

Cordelia stepped closer and took Faith's hand and smiled at her. Faith smiled back and Mrs Chase immediately snapped a shot.

"Hey, we weren't ready," Cordelia protested.

"Well, you just looked so natural. Now, say cheese."

"Cheese," the two girls said in unison.

"Good."

"Can we go now?" Cordelia asked.

"Yes, sure."

The two girls moved toward the door.

"Hey!" Mrs Chase said and they looked at her.

"Mom!" Cordelia groaned when Mrs Chase snapped another shot.

"Go," Mrs Chase said, winking at her.

"You sure?"

"Yes, absolutely."

The two girls left the house.

"We're taking your car," Faith said outside.

"You got the keys?" Cordelia.

"Yep. And guess what, I'm driving."

Cordelia looked at her, surprised.

"You? But you… You have a license?" she asked, excited.

Faith smiled.

"Yes. Got it on Thursday."

"That's great!" Cordelia said and hugged her.

They kissed briefly and then Cordelia went to the co-driver's side of her car.

"You set?" Faith asked when she was buckled up and the engine running.

"Yes. Where are we going?"

Faith smiled.

"You'll see."

After a short drive and a shorter walk, they found themselves in front of a restaurant that was clearly more expensive than Faith's budget could possibly allow.

"Em, are you sure this is the right place?" Cordelia asked skeptically.

Faith smiled.

"Yep. Your mom's paying."

Cordelia looked at her, surprised.

"Mom's paying for this?"

Faith nodded.

"But just for the dinner, I'm paying for the rest."

"The rest?" Cordelia asked, curious, and Faith smiled.

"You'll see."

Cordelia raised an eyebrow.

"So, how did you get Mom to pay?" she asked as they went in.

Faith smiled and shrugged.

"I didn't. She heard me talking to Maria and she suggested we come here and that she would pay. She said it's her present."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

Cordelia looked around.

"I don't think I've ever been here before."

"There's always the first time. Over there."

Cordelia looked at their table.

"Mmm, nice. Did you pick it up or them?"

"I did. They wanted to give me one closer to the bar, but I insisted on that one. You know, privacy."

Cordelia nodded.

"I like this place," she declared.

Faith smiled, glad.

They went to their table and sat down.

"Thank you," Faith said when the waiter brought them menus.

"God, look at the prices," Cordelia said. "Everything's so expensive. I hope there are some cheaper dishes here, I wouldn't want Mom to give you a hard time because you spent so much."

Faith smiled.

"Don't worry, she said we can order expensive, as long as we don't overdo it. You know, like ordering too many expensive dishes." She smirked. "And besides, any money spent on you is money well spent."

Cordelia raised an eyebrow, amused, and smiled.

"Why thank you. And don't forget, that goes the same for you."

Faith smiled back.

"Thank you. Now, how about we stop flattering each other and order something?"

"I'm with you."

After dinner, they returned to the car.

"Are you sure Mom won't freak out?" Cordelia asked. "I mean, that bill was… huge."

"Don't worry."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay. So, where are we going next?"

Faith smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the nose before going to the driver's side of the car.

"You'll see."

"The Bronze?" Cordelia asked with disbelief.

Faith gave her a large smile.

"Yep. I have to show off my girl, you know."

Cordelia looked at her and smiled, amused.

"Oh, you have to show me off? How about me showing you off?"

Faith smiled.

"That too," she said and Cordelia laughed. "Anything to make you happy. Now, closer your eyes."

Cordelia looked at her, confused.

"Close my eyes?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"You'll see."

"A surprise at the Bronze? Now that's something new," she said and closed her eyes.

Faith took her hand and guided her among the tables to their table.

"Okay, you may open your eyes."

Cordelia did and dropped her jaw.

"Surprise!" all their friends said in unison.

Cordelia looked an saw that it was all her friends, including Doyle and Angel. She turned to Faith and gave her a big kiss.

"Thank you," she said and Faith beamed, glad that Cordelia liked her surprise.

"Well, you know, you have friends there and here and you're never with all of them," she explained and Cordelia nodded.

"Nice dress, Faith," Xander commented as the two lovers sat. "You look… great."

Faith raised an eyebrow, suspecting he wanted to use another word, but she accepted the compliment.

"She looks great in anything," Cordelia told him.

"Told you she'll like it," Buffy told Faith and Faith smiled.

"That she did. You should have seen the look on her face when she first saw me."

"Yeah, it was a nice surprise," Cordelia agreed and nodded at Buffy. "Thanks."

Buffy smiled.

"You're welcome. So, how was your dinner?"

"Expensive," Cordelia said with a smile. "And delicious."

"You're spoiling her," Willow told Faith.

Faith flashed a big smile.

"Only the best for my girl," she said and everyone smiled at that. "So, what can I get you?" she asked Cordelia.

"Em? Oh. Diet Coke."

"Okay. Be right back."

Faith left and everyone stared after her.

"I think the entire male population is jealous at you right now," Xander said, staring after Faith and observing the reaction of the people as she passed them. "And probably some of the female as well."

Cordelia grinned.

"And they should be."

"Aren't you worried that someone might try something?"

Cordelia laughed.

"Let them try all they want," she said. "Faith is mine and I am hers and that's that. They don't stand a chance, not with her, not with me." She looked around, listening to the music and observing the dancing couples. "Is it just me or is the music tonight kinda mushy?"

"We've been wondering the same thing," Xander said.

"Probably Faith ordered it," Willow said.

"Yeah," Xander agreed. "The way she acts when she's with you, it's a wonder she's still able to slay," he said with a grin and Cordelia grinned back.

"That's my girl," she said.

"You talking about me?" Faith asked as she returned with the drinks and gave Cordelia hers.

"Who else?" Cordelia asked, smiling and Faith smiled back.

"A good question."

"Say, you didn't have anything with selecting the music for tonight, did you?"

Faith flashed a big smile.

"Absolutely."

"So, you wanna dance then?"

Faith's big smile got even bigger and her eyes seemed to sparkle.

"Yes," she said, delighted.

She took Cordelia's hand and they went to the dance floor.

"Talk about a mushy couple," Xander said, looking after them.

"So totally unlike you and Anya, hmm?" Buffy asked, smirking.

Xander looked at her.

"Definitely unlike me and Anya," he agreed. "They're more than just orgasm buddies," he said thoughtfully to no one in particular and Buffy and Willow both looked at him, surprised.

Half an hour later, Faith jerked, surprised, when someone accidentally hit her. She looked around, a bit confused.

"Em, Cordelia?"

"Mmm?" Cordelia murmured, still oblivious to the rest of the world.

"Have you any idea how long we've been dancing?"

"No."

"Me neither," Faith said and glanced at her watch. "Holy… Half an hour."

"What?" Cordelia asked, surprised, and snapped out of her trance. "How long?"

"Half an hour."

"Wow."

Faith smiled.

"Yeah, wow." She looked at their friends. "Um, how about we go back to the table? I mean, not that I mind dancing with you, I love it, but…"

"Yeah, I know," Cordelia said. "Let's go back."

They left the dance floor, hand in hand, and went back to the table.

"Welcome back to Earth," Xander said. "Some of use have actually aged while you were gone."

Faith and Cordelia both smiled.

"Yeah, sorry, we kinda forgot," Faith said sheepishly as they sat, still holding hands.

"We noticed," Buffy said.

"It was kinda scary," Willow said.

"Yeah, well, it's been a long time since I danced with Faith," Cordelia said.

"I suspect it had very little to do with dancing," Buffy said, smiling, and Faith and Cordelia both blushed and looked at each other.

"Whatever," Cordelia said.

"Now I've seen it all," Xander said.

"What?" Willow asked.

"Cordelia Chase blushing from embarrassment. Now I can die."

"Don't tempt me," Cordelia said and Xander flinched in mock terror.

"So, tell us about your job," Buffy said. "Angel and Doyle gave us some impressions, but we want to hear your point of view."

Cordelia raised an eyebrow.

"You sure about that? It's pretty boring."

"Somehow I doubt it."

Over an hour later, when all of the gang had left, Faith asked Cordelia for one more brief dance and then they went home.

"That was a great evening," Cordelia said as they undressed.

"Who said it was over?" Faith asked, grinning, and Cordelia looked at her, surprised.

"It's not?"

"Not by a long shot. The night is young and we can still do lots of things."

Cordelia raised an eyebrow.

"Like what?"

Faith pretended to think.

"Let's see. Make love. Make love. Make love. Make love. Make…"

"Okay, I get it," Cordelia said, laughing. "I was hoping you would say that."

Faith's eyes brightened.

"You were?"

Cordelia nodded and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Oh, yes. And you know what?"

"What?"

"I have a surprise for you as well."

"You do?" Faith asked eagerly.

"Aha."

"What is it?"

Cordelia smiled.

"Why don't you take off my panties and see?"

Faith looked at her, confused, and kneeled before Cordelia. She slowly tugged down the panties.

"Oh, wow!" she said, excited. "You shaved your pussy!" she said and gave it a quick lick.

Cordelia stepped back, smiling.

"Not yet," she said. "Let's take a shower first and then you can explore the wonders of my shaved pussy all you want."

"Hey, we can shave mine as well," Faith suggested and grinned, "and then you can explore the wonders of my shaved pussy all you want."

Cordelia laughed.

"It's a deal," she said and got rid of her panties. "Come, let's go."

The End