Title: A Dream Within A Dream

Author: Sarah

Rating: I'm sure at one point it'll be NC-17, but for now there's nothing
more than PG-13

Disclaimers: They're really mine, but you all were just tricked into
thinking they belonged to Joss? *coughs* Really, I swear I'm telling the
truth. *pauses* Anyone believe me? *hopeful look*

Notes: This is the sequel to Is It Love. It might be confusing, but I'm
trying to have it make as much sense as possible, really. The title is the
name of the poem used in the beginning.

Summary: Set after Graduation II, Faith wakes up from a coma, and is unsure of what reality actually is.

Dedications: To Anne, here's your chapter. Sorry for the delay.. LoL... And to Sway, just because she's going to kick my ass for what I did to her on the phone today when she comes back. And to Michele for telling me how to make this better. And to Sammy, 'panda poo' because she's the coolest ever.

****

As I'm in the shower I can't help but let the mornings events wash over me. First that wicked dream. That was so not fair. I was back with my Cordelia, but then... We were making love and I remembered all this stuff. But if that place was just a dream in the first place how come it felt so real to me? How come I can still feel her skin on mine, and taste her kiss? If it was only a dream why did I wake up with all these memories, with a longing for something that I can't have? Something, or someone is definitely fucking with my head. Who's got the power to do that though? The council surely isn't that smart, are they? Besides, don't they just want me dead?

I hear the bathroom door opening and as I'm pulled out of my thoughts I can hear someone entering. My senses aren't telling me it's a threat so I figure its just Cordelia. "Come to take me up on my offer?" I smile as the water washes over my body.

"Hardly. I just wanted to come set a few rules about our little game here."

"Game? You think I'm just after getting laid don't you?"

"I didn't say that. I told you, I believe that you're different. And even if I had a few doubts, it's hardly my fault. I'm just saying, there are rules."

I turn the water off and open the shower curtain to find her leaning against the door. Her eyes immediately travel over my full body, obviously liking what they're seeing. Who'd have ever thought Queen C would be into girls? Wasn't she like a slut or something? Or was that just me? Wait, I was a slut? "Was I like... easy before? Is that why you don't believe I could possibly love you and that all I care about is getting fucked?"

"How can you not remember your motto? Get some, get gone. Doesn't that ring a bell at all?"

I shake my head and step out of the shower. I don't really remember that,
from either reality. I just remember loving her. That's not a bad thing, is it? "So what are these rules you couldn't wait five minutes to tell me
about?" I ask as I grab a towel.

I start to dry my body off and can't help but enjoy the attention Cordelia's eyes are giving my body. When I don't get a response to my question I wrap the towel around my body and walk over to her to lift her chin so she's looking into my eyes. "I'm up here, not down there," I wink. I gently nudge her out of the way of the door and start walking towards her room. "Oh hey C, we're going to have to figure something out about this clothing situation. Know where I can get mine at?"

I pull on the same clothes I borrowed from her and a minute later she comes to join me in her room. "I gotta go."

"Huh? Go where? This is your house." Did I scare her that bad by letting her see me naked? Is my body that bad now?

"No, I have to go to a scooby meeting. That’s why I bothered you in the
shower. I have to go. But don't go anywhere yet 'k? When I get back we'll go get your stuff together but it's still not a good idea for you to go out by yourself yet in case someone sees you."

"Oh, how long you gonna be gone?" She shrugs and I suddenly feel very
awkward. "Okay, well I guess I'll just watch TV or whatever until you get
back." Yeah, this is definitely weird. I'm practically staying at a
stranger’s house.

"Okay well then I'll see you when I get back," she says before taking off.
When I hear her front door open and shut I sit down on her bed and let out a long sigh. Why does this all have to be so confusing? I'm in love with a girl that I don't even know. Does that mean that I'm not in love with her?
How can I be in love with her if she's not my Cordelia? But she's a lot like my Cordelia. She is Cordelia. I so need to stop thinking.

Heading downstairs I take in all my surroundings, trying to make some sort of connection with them. To find anything that'll help me remember who I
really am, though I doubt I'll find it at Cordelia's house. Maybe when she
takes me to pick my stuff up tonight, from wherever it is I was staying I'll remember something. Deciding to let it go for now I plop onto the plush couch and turn the TV on.

Now this is living. They must have satellite because there's a few hundred
channels of stuff to choose from. I'm used to having about five. I find that Die Hard is on one of the movie channels and leave it there, kicking back to enjoy one of the best movies ever made.

By the time it's over, Cordelia still isn't back and I'm starting to get
pretty hungry. This is me after all, and a bowl of cereal a day isn't going to cut it. I head into the kitchen and for a second I feel bad for rummaging through their cabinets but what choice do I have? I'm sure Cordelia doesn't want me to starve to death in her house. As I'm looking through the kitchen I realize that there's nothing here to eat unless I actually try to cook. I can do this without burning down the house, right?

I find some stuff to make spaghetti and realize that's pretty simple. Just
boil some water, stick noodles in and heat up some sauce from a jar, right? Works for me. I finally find where they hide their pots and pull two out and put them on the oven. Now what? I play with some of the buttons on the stove until I assume it’s turned on and fill one of them with water. Just as I finish that task Cordelia walks into the kitchen and just starts staring at me.

"Geez, you act like you never seen a girl cooking before."

"No, I've just never seen you cooking before," she shakes her head and lets out a little laugh. Is it really that amusing that I'm trying to put some damn food in my stomach?

"Well I was trying that domesticated thing. I hear chicks uhh... dig chicks that can cook or something. Besides, I can't possibly fuck it up as much as you did breakfast," I say with a wink. She scowls at me but sits down at the table. "Besides, consider this my way of wooing you. Isn't this romantic? Me cooking you dinner?"

"You're really not good at this romance thing are you?" she asks as she
begins thumbing through some magazine that was on the table.

"At least I'm trying."

"And your effort is dully noted. If the food doesn't suck I'll give you a
kiss okay?"

"Oh gee, thanks," I mumble as I go back to the food making sure not to burn it like C did our breakfast.

"Isn't that what you want?" Her voice takes on an exasperated tone and I
turn back to face her.

"You know I'm starting to think cheerleaders really are airheads! How many
times to I have do say it? I don't want your body. I want you to fall in
love with me!" She just stares at me dumbfounded for a minute and I think it finally really sunk into her head. When I'm satisfied that she finally gets it I once again turn to the food before I hear her laughing behind me. "What did I do now?"

By the time I turn around now she's standing right in front of my with a
silly grin on her face. "You uhh," she starts as she reaches up to wipe
something off my face. Damn spaghetti sauce. Figures I'd have to try and
cook something messy.

As she wipes it off my face with her fingertip I watch as she slides it into her mouth, tasting the sauce. I'm starting to think she's just after sex here because that's about one of the sexiest things I ever remember seeing. Then again I don't remember much so that may be why.

As she pulls her finger from her mouth I can't help the whimper that finds
its way from my mouth. "Tastes good," she grins before she starts to walk
away.

Shaking my head to gain my composure I realize there's no way I can let her just walk away like that. "Doesn't that mean I get my kiss now?" I ask before she exits the kitchen.

"Didn't you just say that’s not what you wanted?"

"That's so not fair," I laugh as she turns around to look at me.

"Well you know, there's no fun in fair," she winks before leaving me alone
to my cooking. I may not know what the hell is going on now that I'm out of a coma, but at least there's never a dull moment.

TBC....